Theodore Balsamon (Greek: Θεόδωρος Βαλσαμῶν) was a canonist of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch. He was active in the second half of the 12th century.
Balsamon Commentary on Canon 62
Franz Miklosich brought the following excerpt from Balsamon to the world’s attention writing in the Sitzungsberichte der Philosophisch-Historischen Classe der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschafte (volume 46, part III, 1864, page 387).
The excerpt comes from Balsamon’s commentary on the 62nd canon of the Council in Trullo (held in τρούλος meaning “dome” of Constantinople’s Imperial Palace) in the year s 691-692:
Subsequently, the same was republished by Karl Meyer in the appendix to his Fontes:
The English text follows (mostly) the Eugenio R. Luján Martínez translation from the volume on Suavic religion edited by Juan Antonio Álvarez–Pedrosa:
“And so it was that there existed among the Romans the custom of holding annually a pagan festival in memory of these and performing unworthy acts, which still occurs now among certain peasants on the first days of the month of January, not as with the Romans who commemorated the Calends and the rest but because this isi the time when the moon renews itself and its foundation is established from the beginning of that same month and they believe that they will have good fortune all year if they hold a festival when this begins Such a festival us an abomination asa re those called Rusalia, which take place after Easter due to the impious customs in the outer lands; they, they celebrate Bota and Brumalia the Greek festivities that are held in the name of the false god Pan.” [this last bit from the Miklosich piece.”
For the rest of the Migne edition see here.
Canon 62
The 12th century Rusalia were, likely, a Slavic phenomemon. However, it’s also worth citing the 7th century 62nd canon itself which had not been focused on the Slavs (from A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Church” (series 2), edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, volume XIV, ed. H.R. Percival, 1890; as quoted by Timothy E. Gregory’s “A History of Byzantium”):
“The so-called Calends, and what are called Bota and Brumalia, and the full assembly which takes place on the first of March, we wish to be abolished from the life of the faithful. And the also the public dances of women, which may do much harm and mischief. Moreover we drive away from the life of Christians the dances given in the names of those falsely called gods by the Greeks whether of men or women, and which are performed after an ancient and un-Christian fashion; decreeing that no man from this time forth shall be dressed as a woman, nor any woman in the garb suitable to men. Nor shall he assume comic, satyric, or tragic masks; nor may men invoke the name of the execrable Bacchus when they squeeze wine in the presses; nor when pouring out wine into jars [to cause a laugh], practicing in ignorance and vanity the things which proceed from the deceit of insanity. Therefore, those who in the future attempt any of these things which are [here] written, having obtained a knowledge if them, if they be clerics we order them to be deposed, and if laymen to be cut off [from the Church].”
As another note, the name of Brumalia supposedly comes from brvma “winter solstice” or perhaps “winter cold.” This is assumed to be a shortening of reconstructed *brevima and yet it is interestingly close (and indeed closer to the Suavic brama meaning “gate”. Bota obviously looks quite like the Boda idol celebrated on the Bald Mountain. Finally, the “cross-dressing” aspect of these parties seems similar to some of the Iarilo festivals in Russia.
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