Paper Trails of the Holy City: Following the Books of the Jerusalem Patriarchate

Summary of Kyrillos Athanasiadis, Archimandrite of the Holy Sepulchre Historical memorandum concerning the libraries of the Orthodox Catholic Patriarchate of Jerusalem (1874 1881) from Hierosolymitikē Vivliothēkē, ētoi Katalogos tōn en tais vivliothēkais… or “Jerusalem Library, or Catalogue of the books in the libraries…” compiled for the Library of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem in 1897. 

Many works of art and very many literary productions of the Greek language have been utterly destroyed by the incursions and revolts of foreign peoples and by civil strifes, whose zeal for every kind of devastation has completely wiped them out, to the barbarisation of the descendants of those whose ancestors surpassed all others in wisdom and in skill. The barbarian ravages ruined most things and rubbed out the choicest and clearest monuments of ancient Greek literature, not only in Greece but also in our other eastern provinces.

In our own day, however, the establishment in Greece of the National Museum and the founding of various public libraries have given to lovers of learning a sufficient incentive, both in Greece proper and elsewhere, to search out and collect whatever had long ago been buried and scattered in private or ecclesiastical houses and even in monasteries. From tyranny and from gross ignorance they both distinguished themselves as true champions of genuine education, and many of our own distinguished authors, too, composed works worthy of study and handed them down; and, having with curious eye looked upon many masterworks of Greek art and studied them carefully, they returned to their own homelands, passing on to their compatriots the manifold and beneficial knowledge they had acquired.

This is what the history of our literature teaches. Then these men also, as true servants of the Muses and knowing the poverty of our former age in teachers, on the one hand made manifest the talents that had been suffocated by that age’s lethargy, ignorance, and coarseness, and on the other, as though gathering up another very valuable part of our ancestral inheritance, they searched through private libraries, collecting from them the surviving remnants of our national glory, and, as forerunners of our national rebirth, they alone, after many labours and toils, raised the Greeks up from the deep sleep of harsh tyranny and from the long-standing uncultivated ignorance that was hostile to true education.

So it came about that, after the fall of Byzantium, in every subsequent century those who remained attached to the patriarchal monasteries of Jerusalem were surrounded by them and became bulwarks of Orthodoxy through their evangelical teaching; and all the Orthodox who wandered about and preserved our national love of learning, each according to his ability, diligently collected manuscripts in which the wisdom of our forefathers is contained, along with all the other things that in the course of time had been gathered together. These they left as a kind of ancestral deposit, so that, kept in safety, they might be available for the study and delight of every lover of higher and true learning.

Earlier there had already been founded libraries, some in the Metochion of the Holy Sepulchre in Constantinople, and others in Jerusalem itself. Of these, one is in the great Monastery of the Greeks, whose library is called that of the Koinon of the Holy Sepulchre; another is in the Theological School; another in the monastery of the Cross; and two are in the venerable laura of Saint Sabas and in the holy Church of the Anastasis.

First of the patriarchs of Jerusalem to adorn the patriarchal throne with a library was Alexander, the successor of James the Brother of the Lord. In it there were preserved letters of many learned and ecclesiastical men, which they wrote to one another, and also writings of other kinds. This is confirmed by Eusebius Pamphilus, who says: “These letters have also come down to us in the library at Aelia, having been sent to Alexander who then governed that same church; and from them we too have been able to gather together the materials for the present work.”

It is by no means improbable that not only this library was enriched, in the course of time, with countless works of ancient and contemporary writers, but that in other cities of Syria and Palestine as well libraries were being set up, particularly in that age when Christianity was at its greatest flourishing. For from the second century until the seventh, not only did the cities of those regions flourish as centres of civilization, but letters too were zealously cultivated, bearing the splendid fruits of the arts and of the sciences.

Yet all these things, after the appearance of the Mohammedan religion, were ruthlessly destroyed by the successive ages of barbarism and superstition of the Arabs and of the Crusaders, by fire and by sword, and they turned both alike into heaps of ruins. Time, however, has preserved down to us such piles of the ancient splendour—those of Antioch, of Helioupolis, of Laodicea, of Caesarea of Palestine, of Sebaste, of Nicopolis, and of countless other cities and of the once magnificent holy monasteries on this side and beyond the Jordan—in which illustrious writers sprang up like fruitful shoots, and brilliant libraries existed, and men who excelled in wisdom and virtue and who also…

Those men who at the end of their life embraced the monastic way in a manner pleasing to God are now already sleeping the eternal sleep beneath their common tomb; but now the ruins of their buildings are covered in deep silence, and only the brigand life of the Arabs takes its rest in them.

The men who are more devoted to the Muses, when they visit these places and turn them over in search of clear witnesses to the ancient glory, go away dispirited, brooding over the overturned and shattered monuments of ancient civilisation.

Yet the remains that still cover the ancient artistry not only draw the attention of every lover of the arts, but in times of excavation also furnish the covetous with very many “monuments” even today—some of them ending up in the realm of the arts, others (as the text goes on to say) in ecclesiastical and secular literature.

Which we too, during our first visitation of the eparchies of the throne, while staying in Laodicea, saw: this Gospel. After venerating it and kissing it, we rejoiced greatly, giving strict instructions that it be preserved safely as an everlasting memorial.

The learned and public-spirited Mr. Ioannis Papadopoulos, who for many years has zealously and conscientiously served as secretary in the patriarchate of Antioch and has from time to time supplied us with many notes about the affairs of our compatriots in Syria, has written to us as follows: “But the most noteworthy and truly priceless treasure of all is a holy Gospel, written in Greek, which I found—its dating I cannot clearly state—still existing in one of the churches in Laodicea, a handwritten codex on parchment, a work of the fifth century and in the autograph of Theodosius the Coenobiarch, as he himself so testifies…”

We also append for lovers of manuscripts the following inscriptions:

a) [Inscription, partly damaged:] “… in the year T, second indiction …”

b) “By the servant of God John the bishop, then presiding in the holy city of Laodicea in Phrygia; may the Lord save him in the year 29 of the indiction.”

(Those are the sense and structure; some individual words on the stone are too worn in the scan to read with certainty.)

Of these inscriptions, the first is to be seen in the village of Chermōn; for it is visible in the house of Mr Athanasios Kouzis, Greek vice-consul in Damascus. The second is on a thick marble slab which was found in the district of Djillou, in Hauran, during the recent uprisings of the Druzes in the year 1860, and was transported by him to Damascus; and in our own days, following in his footsteps, it was found by his above-mentioned son Elias Kouzis and now shines in his house in good condition, as we have said.

But during the massacres in Syria many holy and ancient churches and a great number of monuments of ancient glory perished, and the libraries that were in them became a prey to fire; and the libraries of the patriarchal throne of the Antiochenes, being very ancient, were in many respects destroyed. That collection of the Jesuits, which consisted of five thousand manuscript and printed volumes, having first been brought together, was then transferred to the monastery in Damascus, and later, in the year 1868, was assembled there so as to be conveyed to, and incorporated in, the National Public Library at Athens; the portion written on paper others (as the text goes on to say) in ecclesiastical and secular literature.

But so that we do not prolong our discourse too much, leaving the examination of these matters and a fuller account of them to others who possess greater capacity and power of speech, we transfer our discussion to the fortunes of Greek letters as they relate to the throne of Jerusalem.

From the time of Saladin, under whom Dositheos I took possession of the patriarchal houses, down to Sultan Selim, under whom Attalas was patriarch of Jerusalem—that is, from the year 1187 until the year 1534—all Palestine was repeatedly turned upside down because of the stubborn and destructive wars between the Ottomans and the Crusaders. The few Christians who escaped the sword of Islam and the cruelty of the Crusaders became the tools of the arbitrary will of whichever side happened to be in control; and the patriarchs—some of whom were Arabs—were poor, weak, and insignificant, despised by the rulers, and, especially in the later times, received almost no help from the emperors of Constantinople.

Only from a few Iberians and some Serbs, who, it seems, still lived there after the fall of Constantinople, and at times from the kings of Iberia, did they receive some assistance; at other times they had to procure the necessities of life with their own hands. Yet even then the patriarchs of Jerusalem, being Greeks, cultivated a love of Greek learning, following the example of their ever-memorable predecessor Alexander. Even in those terrible times of weakness and poverty they gathered and preserved books, both manuscripts and printed volumes, ancient as well as more recent, and kept them safe in the monasteries that still remained. About this, no one can have any doubt.

The Iberians in those times, carrying on a considerable commerce in Palestine, resided in Jerusalem and outside it in about twelve monasteries; and in these, especially in the holy monastery of the Precious Cross, there existed many manuscripts and printed books, both Greek and Iberian. The Serbs, being weaker, maintained the monastic life only moderately in the holy monastery of the Archangels within Jerusalem. That in this monastery too there were manuscripts, Greek as well as Slavonic, is shown by certain codices, some of which bear the inscription: “From the holy monastery of the Archangels.”

Some of the codices that have come down to our own day in the present libraries of the Koinon of the Holy Places, written on parchment, bear notes stating that one is from the holy monastery of the Holy Trinity (now of John the Forerunner) in the desert of the Jordan, another from that of Saint Gerasimos, and others from various other holy monasteries. These holy monasteries in the desert of the Jordan were plundered and destroyed in the time of the Crusading wars. Their books were at first dispersed by the Greek patriarchs of Jerusalem among a few churches in and outside Jerusalem, but the continual raids of the Arabs and their unbridled poverty dissolved them and turned them into ruins, which now attract the curiosity of every visitor.

That these holy monasteries were plundered and destroyed both by the Crusaders and by the Arabs is also confirmed by the note in a certain manuscript: “This book (the Acts of the holy Apostles) was dedicated in the holy and royal monastery of the holy and glorious prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, by the most reverend monk Lord Pachomios Limas the Cretan, for the benefit of his soul.” Another note on it further records the following: “But now it is in Ptolemais, since the aforementioned monastery was utterly laid waste by the assault of the impious Arabs, and the Latinizers overturned it from the foundations and began to rebuild the said monastery with stones; and may the help of the saint raise it up again through the fathers now residing in Jerusalem, who approach with joy.”

The manuscript bearing this note is an Acts–Apostles codex, and it is now preserved in the library of the Theological School of Jerusalem, having formerly been in the treasury of the Koinon of the All-holy Sepulchre. But even these things were repeatedly ravaged by the incursions of the Arabs, which destroyed them, some through being consumed by fire, others through being devoured by other destructive elements.

Yet it appears that in those times the Greeks in Jerusalem, being on the one hand well-disposed in the eyes of the sultans of Egypt, and on the other helped by the kings of Iberia, not only protected the holy shrines but also raised up supports for the patriarchate of Jerusalem. And that these same men also took care for letters is clear from the fact that they collected manuscripts of Greek literature and transferred the thoughts of the Greek mind into that of the Iberians. This is confirmed also by the books which are now in the library of the holy monastery named after the Precious Cross, which in the year 1854 became the Theological School of Jerusalem, as well as by other codices preserved there and in the other monasteries of the patriarchate.

That the raids of the Arabs against the holy monasteries were not only continual but also murderous and destructive, we are assured from two supplicatory canons which were composed for this purpose and used to be chanted every evening by the few remaining monks in the holy monastery of the Precious Forerunner and in that of Saint Gerasimos of Kalamon. We ourselves read these supplicatory canons some years ago in a certain handwritten Euchologion; they are very striking. We found this manuscript in the most venerable church of the Nativity of Christ in Bethlehem; but by some unhappy fate the manuscript in question has either been stolen or otherwise lost, for we did not find it, although in the year 1864 we examined all the books preserved in Bethlehem. After the transfer, only a few codices were saved, written in Iberian (Georgian), some on parchment and some on paper. From these few survivals anyone can grasp the wretched situation, namely the lowly condition of the throne of Jerusalem and the virtually complete loss of Greek letters.

With matters standing thus, Germanos [1537–1579] mounted the ruins of the throne of Jerusalem and of the spiritual household, and became the steward of the patriarchate, succeeding the blessed Atallah. Jerusalem possessed neither patriarchal residence nor house, but only a certain wretched little hut and piles of ruined dwellings, which bore witness to the lawless tyranny and gross ignorance. Yet he did not sink down to the depths of despair; rather, with nobility of soul and unshakable courage on behalf of the throne and the Church, he offered resistance worthy of them.

And so, upon the ruins he raised up a building for sacred worship, obtained the sultanic decrees, became a model of evangelical virtue and a support to the patriarchates that were in Constantinople, and in this way won for himself their contributions and their kindly regard. From the great men in Constantinople of his own nation he also drew many benefits. Then, as an apostle of the Lord, he was welcomed in most Christian lands and cities, receiving not only the voluntary benefactions and gifts of the faithful toward the preservation and adornment of the dwellings in Jerusalem, but also manuscript books and works of spiritual literature for the clergy and for ecclesiastical learning.

Consequently gatherings and collections of various manuscripts and printed books increased, and the libraries of Constantinople and Jerusalem became illustrious and renowned; so that the successors of this man have tracks and footsteps to follow, and that they may transmit without deviation every pious and orthodox truth—“for man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,” as is said in the divine Scriptures. These, I say, are the champions of orthodox glory and protectors of our ancestral treasures, as is the holy Brotherhood in Jerusalem; and the youth there, brought up by the ordinance of the Lord, is filled with a national nourishment, and when any one of them is also adorned with every sort of external (secular) education, then on their wide and frequent journeys they did not neglect to notice the traces of ignorance and barbarism which lay recorded in ancient and most precious books, but they took these up carefully; and furthermore, whatever things had in any way grown old they rescued through the so-called Islamic devastation of Greek education and of the Greek name.

Those books indeed they received as gifts from Greeks who loved letters, but these others they bought with money, in order that no foreigner, taking up the treasure from Greek soil, might carry it off to a foreign land and, from our ancestral love of toil and wisdom—which from of old was a lamp shining forth with our sciences and our civilization—carry it off to Constantinople. Some they kept for two years in the Metochion there of the All-holy Tomb, and some they sent on to Jerusalem and stored together with the other relics, so that by diligent study all lovers of learning might draw from them whatever is beneficial and useful.

Having related these things briefly about the grievous events in Palestine, we have now described, as far as lies in our power, each one of the libraries of the All-holy Tomb.

To confirm our statement we quote a certain autograph note of the late Dositheos, which is preserved in a parchment codex entitled Job. By means of this the reader can very clearly understand the neglect and contempt then shown for Greek treasures, on account of gross ignorance. It reads as follows: “This present book (so notes the holy Dositheos), belonging indeed to the monastery of Rossini, situated above Lenkos, we found dishonourably thrown aside in the metropolis of Melnik; for this reason we took it, that it might be, in the Lord, an eternal possession of the Holy and Life-giving Sepulchre. For it is not right that such useful things should lie in the hands of blind and illiterate men. May the Lord ever be glorified, who grants seasons of benefit to the reader. Cursed be the one who removes it. It was taken in the year … at Melnik, etc.”

This codex is preserved in the library of the Koinon of the All-holy Sepulchre under number 8 [now number 5, Hierosolymitan Library I, pp. 15–18].

In those same times, under Dositheos, patriarch of Jerusalem, the Greek nation was being warred against politically—both in its civil life and in its religion—and was being exhausted by countless hostile forces. With anguish of soul it saw not only its once-glorious fatherland laid low beneath the iron and the fire of the savage conqueror and clothed in the rags of ignorance and barbarism, but also that its national treasures, some were being handed over by the conquerors to the flames, while others were being seized, easily and without toil, by men from the West, who in those days ranged throughout the East in every possible way, despoiling the defenceless Greeks of their ancestral inheritance in every possible way.

At that time many handwritten treasures from the royal holy monasteries of Athos, as well as from Meteora and from other great monasteries in Epirus, in Cyprus, in Albania and elsewhere, were being carried off to the West; and some of these were presented as gifts to Latin princes and papal prelates, and others were taken into the libraries of foreigners. Then many learned men from Crete, from the islands and from Asia Minor, either to escape the barbarian yoke or out of zeal for letters, transported a large number of the books of their homeland, thus greatly enriching the libraries of Venice and of other cities of Italy.

Concerning the wholesale plundering of the books of the Greeks, which Bessarion of Trebizond and his successors gathered up from every quarter and handed over to the most celebrated library of Saint Mark at Venice, many things are narrated by our historians. As for the savage destruction of Christian monuments and for the dispersion of the books of the Greeks in Crete and elsewhere by the Turks and by the Venetians themselves during the wars, he who wishes may learn plentiful details from the most learned Dositheos (see Dositheos of Jerusalem, Hist. Eccl. II, p. 1173).

The same unhappy fate befell, in those grievous times of general devastation of the Church and of the Greek people, many of the books that had been gathered together and carefully preserved by our forefathers in the libraries of the East and the West. In their place, however, the rich mercy of God provided, through other fellow-workers and through the now-living lovers of learning, many and choice manuscripts and printed books for the holy patriarchal libraries of the East, which stand as a mighty defence both for the Church and for the studious.

Concerning the library in Constantinople of the Metochion of the Holy Sepulchre. Where exactly in Constantinople the patriarchs of Jerusalem first took up residence, from Patriarch Germanos of Jerusalem onward, we have not found. But that both Germanos and Sophronios used to take books with them and carry them about is clear to anyone who reads their manuscripts, for in them there still remain notes in their own handwriting.

A patriarch was the one who established in Constantinople a metochion of the Holy Sepulchre. Thus he bought the so-called Diplē of the Kantakouzenoi, in which there was also a small church, and turned it into a metochion of the Holy Sepulchre, as the holy Dositheos relates: “The metochion in Constantinople of the Saints the Kantakouzenoi contains within it also a house, just large enough to lodge the priest who serves there. But when lord Theophanes bought a house and made it a metochion of the Holy Sepulchre, the elder fur-merchants gave to the vizier of that time the old books and whatever manuscripts they possessed in their first lodging, while they transferred the books and kept them safely in a special storeroom, protected from fires and other destructive accidents.”

Otholakes Kastorinos, who preserved for the Holy Sepulchre all the wealth of our holy churches and of the nation, also gave this house to the Holy Sepulchre, as a house in the metochion of the Holy Sepulchre.

This much-loved benefactor of the Greek nation and of Greek letters, having become fervently zealous, not only at the exhortation of Nektarios, patriarch of Jerusalem, established everywhere schools that bore fruit for Greek education, as the holy Dositheos relates (in his Dodekabiblos), and he bestowed rich gifts upon the holy places—thus upon holy Athos, upon the God-trodden Mount Sinai, and upon the All-holy Sepulchre (see Dositheos, Dodekabiblos, and the manuscript entitled History concerning the bishopric of the holy Mount Sinai, by Dositheos, patriarch of Jerusalem, p. 97). He also served as protector of many orphans and widows, distributing his wealth in an evangelical and patriotic spirit.

They also preserved the handwritten and printed books. Their number increased, since the patriarchs, when they returned from Constantinople, would bring such books back with them; and from the protosyncelli who travelled about and knew the Greek language, various books were sent together with other votive offerings.

It often happened, for political reasons and because the families of the rulers in Dacia fell into poverty, that in the hard turn of affairs they would sell off the princely libraries in order to obtain resources and meet other needs. These rich libraries of the rulers or of other learned men, so that they might not be dispersed, were bought by the lovers of learning among the patriarchs of Jerusalem and were handed over as an inalienable possession of the Holy Sepulchre, where other books also were safely preserved. Into this library and into those in Jerusalem there were also transferred other books belonging to the protosyncelli, or to the hegumens of the monasteries in the Principalities that were dependencies of the Holy Sepulchre, whenever they departed this life; for from of old, the patriarch of Jerusalem, according to the sultanic charters of the throne and the inviolable usages of the Church, is after their death the heir of the members of the Holy-Sepulchre brotherhood.

When the holy Dositheos assumed the patriarchal mantle, in order that the books should not lie scattered about and be ruined by dust and damp, he erected a new stone-built structure, solid and spacious; and along all its sides he constructed cases of firm and closely-set planks, with well-made shelves and doors fitting tightly. All the books were then arranged in order, with titles and numbers, and placed in the cases, some containing printed volumes and others manuscripts. And it was not only the holy Dositheos who contributed to the repair of the library, but also his worthy nephew and successor, Chrysanthos Notaras.

Very many books, manuscript and printed, on their front flyleaf bear autograph notes stating the name of the one who once owned the book, and, when he has died, the city in which he spent his life or bought the book, and sometimes even certain events. Above the entrance door runs the inscription: “This holy library was built from the foundations through the care and at the expense of the most blessed patriarchs of the holy city Jerusalem, namely of the ever-memorable Lord Dositheos and of his successor Lord Chrysanthos; and whoever removes a book, of whatever rank or station he may be, let him be counted as a sacrilegious thief … etc. In the month of August. Chrysanthos, by the mercy of God Patriarch of Jerusalem and of all Palestine.”

The library of the Holy Sepulchre of which we are speaking once contained a very great number of manuscripts and printed books. But by the ill fortune brought by Europeans who from time to time visited the regions of the East, not a few manuscripts were carried off: some of these were published in Europe, and very many now adorn the libraries of her great cities. And when, in the year 1821, the Greeks and the Hellenic peoples in the East suffered persecution unto death at the hands of the barbarous mob of the so-called pious, the library in the buildings adjoining the Holy Sepulchre was plundered by this savage crowd, and many of the rare books it contained were destroyed, or thrown away as useless scraps of paper. Those which the learned men of that time either managed to carry out from the accursed enclosure and hide when they found an opportunity, or which in some way were saved and passed from person to person, are perhaps even now enriching private libraries.

It should be noted that only in the public library of Paris there now exist more than fifty manuscripts, some on parchment and some on paper, which at various times were taken from this library of the Holy Sepulchre; from that library we obtained the catalogue-note mentioned above. And how many and what other manuscripts of the Holy Sepulchre beautify other libraries of enlightened Europe! One of these manuscripts is also the Interpretation of the Canons of the most learned Mr Kosmas the Melodos, of the most holy metropolis of Anchialos; it was given as a gift by the most blessed patriarch of Jerusalem, Mr Polykarpos. Many were his labours. It should be observed that this manuscript in question was donated to the library of the metropolis of Anchialos; taken from there, it is now preserved in the public library of Paris.

Very many proofs are still kept now in the library, from which, before the Greek Revolution, various works, manuscripts and printed books, were taken, and these have been lost. An elderly Hagiotaphite, eighty years of age, by the name of Kyrillos, archimandrite Balzanes, related certain things about this:

“Before the Greek Revolution many learned men and dignitaries, our compatriots, dwelling in the Phanar and elsewhere in Constantinople, had in their possession, as pledges under written receipts for their return, autograph manuscripts and printed books from the library of the metochion of the Holy Sepulchre in the Phanar. But when the Greek Revolution broke out and most of these men were put to death, the manuscripts and printed books passed into the hands of the Government. They appealed then to Chrysanthos, patriarch of Constantinople, that he might ensure their preservation; and he, having received them, left them in safekeeping with Nikolaos Photeiou. Polykarpos, patriarch of Jerusalem, demanded them many times, but Nikolaos retained them, and so all of them were lost. Nevertheless, during that dreadful persecution of the nation many things were plundered; many others, having been sent elsewhere for greater safety, were lost, and some were even sold off by monks who lacked the necessities of life. Many of the books of this library have been preserved down to our own day in the small library of the township of Aretsou (Rousion), bearing autograph dedicatory notes of the patriarchs or of other donors who offered them to the Holy Sepulchre. In the year 1845 a hieromonk named Ioannikios, a native of Chaldia, was entrusted with the library. This hieromonk was indeed experienced in the monastic life, but uneducated and extremely superstitious; and unfortunately many Latin works disappeared and manuscripts were lost—such as dissertations and treatises of learned men, copies taken from rare manuscripts, letters of wise men, and so forth.”

In spite of all these vicissitudes, at various times this storehouse of ancestral treasures has continued to exist; at present there are in it, under the supervision of the patriarch’s appointed steward, 490 manuscripts, some on parchment but most on paper. Having noted these few things about the library of the Holy Sepulchre in Constantinople, we pass over many details, which are more exactly known to those better informed than we.

Concerning the library in the most venerable church of the Resurrection. “In the most venerable church of the Resurrection there once was a library, enriched with both manuscript and printed books… manuscript codices on parchment, now preserved in the library of the Common of the All-Holy Sepulchre; and many of the fathers, adorned with the white vestment, have related to us the loss of the books and other precious relics, describing it. But as to when and by whom this library was first established, that is unknown. It is, however, in no way doubtful that once, long ago, a certain sacristan of the holy church, very fond of learning and intent on following in the footsteps of the then much-lamented patriarchs, constructed a library of his own in the very spacious holy church of the Resurrection, for the safe keeping of the priceless treasure of our ancestral magnanimity. This library was further enriched, through zeal, by the offerings of rare manuscripts and printed books, given both by the Hagiotaphite brethren and by the pilgrims themselves.

This library survived down to the year 1808, when there were in it more than 800 volumes, most of them manuscripts, the rest printed books of the then various editions of Europe; and in it there were also Slavic and Hebrew works. Concerning these, we have often heard from the venerable elders and learned Hagiotaphites, from Archimandrite Joel, from Astros in the Peloponnese, and from the most reverend Neophytos, from the island of Cyprus, who for many years served as secretary in the holy church of the Resurrection, as they spoke at length about them. Of these manuscripts, some were on parchment and others on paper; and among those on parchment there were not only Greek works, but also Arabic, Slavic, and Hebrew.

But when, in the year 1808, by an unfortunate fate the holy church of the Resurrection was set on fire, the library too became fuel for the flames along with many other very ancient and most precious relics, leaving great grief to those who came after, because through this Greek learning suffered harm. Now there are preserved in the sacristy of the holy church up to 38 manuscripts, most of them on parchment. In the sacristy there are also four Gospel books on parchment and a multitude of other volumes, with pictures of the Evangelists together with explanations of them, expounding the iconography, describing the composition and the majesty and grace of each scene, some of the works being ancient and others more recent.

These are said to be from the hand of the calligrapher hieromonk Serapheim, who was from the island of Mytilene. About sixty years ago he began, at his own expense, to construct the adornment of the church of the Resurrection, having many designs prepared by the best craftsmen of Europe, procuring many others, and arranging for yet more to be carried out. This work required great zeal, and he also increased this library in many ways; it is now rich in books of many kinds and supplies great benefit to lovers of learning. Among its holdings are now also the manuscripts of the Hagiotaphite fathers, which contain much historical material and instruction, as well as records of other important events, both approbations and replies, through which their sound and pious teaching has become known in their writings—such as Clement, Benjamin Ioannides, Gregory Palamas, and others.

Concerning the library of the Common [Brotherhood] of the Holy Sepulchre. Before Germanos was patriarch of Jerusalem, the throne of the brotherhood was held by Patriarch Atallas. Ancient tradition has handed down to us that Atallas owned only a single dwelling, and with his own hands he procured what was needed for his livelihood. And whatever property he did have, its heirs were those who belonged to him. But the holy Dositheos relates that the last predecessors of Germanos were poor, and went around the city of Bethlehem and the cities and villages beyond the Jordan, as simple priests, to obtain what was necessary for their living.

Thus, in the course of time, other manuscripts in Greek and Arabic were also added, which had been brought from the monasteries beyond the Jordan, for these, on account of the constant incursions of the Arab unbelievers, were being laid waste, and the manuscripts were being destroyed, whether by Christian Arabs or by others. When, in later times, the Serbs occupied the land of the Greeks, many of the monasteries there, and among them those belonging to the Jerusalemites as well, were ruined; and because the Greek patriarchs were unable to travel there freely, the monks themselves, on account of their poverty, sold off what they had—both sacred vessels and books, both manuscripts and printed volumes. Many of these books were bought, at their own expense, by the Hagiotaphite fathers who were then in Constantinople, and they were sent to the library of the Koinon of the Holy Sepulchre, since they were not fitting for the church of the Resurrection, which already possessed many books and sacred objects.

The manuscripts and the most precious printed books of this library are kept today in the monastery of the Holy Archangels at the Phanar; these the late archimandrite of the Holy Sepulchre, Lord Joasaph, a very zealous lover of learning, arranged in good order and catalogued. Many of them had been written by various monks of the Holy Sepulchre, and in them are recorded many and various documents, histories, acts of patriarchs and bishops of the Holy Sepulchre, and especially of the patriarchs of the Brotherhood of the Holy Resurrection, who, as they were unceasingly occupied with struggles, journeys, wars, pastoral cares, liturgical services, letters, dispositions of their benefactions, lawsuits, and so forth, as well as with Turkish oppression, had no leisure to occupy themselves with writings or with other learned works.

Three factors contributed to the destruction of many manuscripts, many printed books, and a very great number of various documents: a) that the Community of the Holy Sepulchre, having often fallen into extreme poverty on account of the unhappy events that occurred from time to time, was subjected to the greatest pressure; b) that those who were then entrusted with the supervision of the numerous books, being uneducated and unworthy of such an office, were negligent of their sacred duty toward them, being occupied with other kinds of work in order to make a living; c) that because some episcopal authority rigorously hindered the repair of the buildings that needed it, this became the cause of the collapse and, from this, of great damage to the books.

When, however, in the year 1736, at the recommendation of the teacher Makarios—who at that time was teaching grammar with great success in the school that had been established at Antioch under Patriarch Sylvester—and at the invitation of the Patriarch of Jerusalem Meletios, there came to Jerusalem Jacob, originally from the island of Patmos, to teach grammar in the Jerusalem school, he was then the first to notice that the books were many and lay in complete disorder. With much toil, and only with difficulty over many months, he undertook the cleaning and arrangement of the badly-kept manuscripts and printed volumes.

For the sake of clarity we note the meaning of the words epitropeion and kamarasia. The epitropeion is a building in which the patriarch’s stewards, in his absence, assemble, submitting and jointly deciding there the affairs of the Holy Koinon of the Holy Sepulchre, and receiving distinguished guests. The synodikon is another spacious building, in which are kept the central treasury, finely wrought icons and silver-covered crosses, costly crosses and other richly worked gold and silver objects, and the seats of the members of the synod. There all the synodal members come together, whether about ecclesiastical matters or about some pressing political question, and with great cordiality and prudence the discussion and decision take place. The kamarasia is a very large building in which the so-called kamararis resides; among the monks the kamararis is the chief steward, and to him in particular all those living the monastic life are subject. From this description of the kamarasia it appears that it was transferred from the palaces of the rulers in Dacia to the Koinon of the Holy Sepulchre.

In these aforementioned buildings, then, before that onrush, the precious books used to be kept. Because of the passage of time and careless supervision, most of them were destroyed, eaten by mice and wood-worms, and many more were ruined by the damp that affects the very ancient and badly-built structures. Very many of the oldest documents, written on parchment and on paper, were likewise ruined by the damp and rendered entirely useless. Piles, truly, of decayed and useless manuscripts and documents were then, with much pain of heart, consigned to the fire, and their loss has left to later generations a great ignorance of the history of the events that have taken place in Palestine from time to time; for, as tradition says, a great number of works, composed in various periods by learned men in Greek and in Arabic, have by now fallen into complete neglect and uselessness.

In the year 1770, that is, forty-nine years later, Chrysanthidis from Prussa, a man of little education but then steward of the Holy Brotherhood, was appointed steward of the Kamarasia, which at that time was in a dilapidated state. This man, with the zeal that he had for books, being himself a writer and lover of learning, not only repaired the building of the Kamarasia, but, because the manuscripts and printed books had long lain neglected in the dust of that old house, he had many stone shelves put up in the new building and transferred the manuscript and printed books there, arranging them in rows and putting them in good order. He cleaned off all the dust and filth from them, set the books in order, and in general took care that the Kamarasia might preserve them safely in that place from then on. Because, however, he went far beyond his strength and exhausted all his care on the ordering of the books, he died soon afterwards, and the care of the library ceased with him; and once again the manuscripts and printed books were found to be very neglected and treated with great carelessness, both by him and by others who subsequently took charge.

In the course of time a great number of manuscripts and printed books disappeared, and various writings were altogether lost or were thrown away as useless into the ovens and became fuel for the fire. In the year 1800, during the patriarchate of the blessed Anthimos, there came, from the island of Symi, the teacher of the Jerusalem school and preacher of the patriarchal throne, Maximos. Since he too was one of our own brethren and laboured zealously in the office in which he had been worthily appointed, he undertook to arrange and care for the books in that patriarchal library, which at that time was in a state of complete neglect and poverty as regards Greek learning. But because in those years the situation in Jerusalem, through the wickedness of men, was very unsettled and he was unable to support himself from his office, this noble and most learned Maximos was compelled by necessity to leave and return to his homeland, and the care of the library again came to a halt.

At that time, when the administration of the common fund (koinon) of the Holy Sepulchre was being organized, many of the choicer books were transferred from the monasteries belonging to it, and the library of the Holy Sepulchre was enriched with fine and important books, manuscripts and early printed editions, taken from the holy monasteries of Saint Sabas, of the Holy Cross, of the Prophet Elijah, of Bethlehem, and of other monasteries. Thus the present library of the Koinon of the Holy Sepulchre came to have a small but genuine scholarly collection, while many other books still remained scattered in the other monasteries, which were of very great worth and importance.

Of these, some were in certain of the holy monasteries which the Iberians held; some of them were left behind, when they died, by those who from time to time had belonged there, and others were brought as offerings by those who came, for the commemoration of themselves and of their parents. For this reason we ourselves also, when, by order of the blessed Cyril II, we visited the aforesaid monasteries in the year 1865 in search of books, found manuscripts and printed volumes in Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Slavonic, and Syriac; and most of them were entirely ecclesiastical, yet each one bears its own value, both on account of its antiquity and of its contents. All these, being under the care and supervision of the trustees appointed from time to time by the most blessed [patriarch], were safely preserved; and at that time the librarian was the late Maximos, head and teacher of the school in Jerusalem.

In the year 1817, in the patriarchate of the blessed Polykarpos, the blessed Hagiotaphite monks who were then in the monasteries, Prokopios from Nicaea, surnamed Arabzoglou, steward of the most blessed Polykarpos, and Anthimos from Aigialos, chief secretary of the Koinon, nourished a burning zeal for the priceless treasures of Greek literature and an extreme love of what is noble; they contributed greatly to the expansion and spaciousness of the library, to its enrichment, and to the better orderly arrangement of the books.

The lover of learning Parthenios, at his own expense, added to the small building in which the books were kept a section of the so-called Nestorian church, and thus made it spacious and very bright through a skylight. In it the books were set close together in rows along all the walls, well fastened to one another with solid coverings and clean fittings, receiving abundant light, and, since the books in the cupboards were free from all damage, all the walls and the ceiling of the inner library were very well adorned.

The other two—the one distinguished for learning and virtue, and Prokopios, who besides Greek learning was also proficient in Arabic and Ottoman Turkish—brought over many manuscripts from the holy monastery of the Precious Cross and from the venerable laura of Saint Sabas and from other monasteries, and they chose out the richer manuscripts to increase the wealth of the library of the Koinon of the Holy Sepulchre. These rare and precious items were arranged in order in cupboards and each one was given its own inscription; but those which were duplicates or triplicates, or incomplete, and many others which seemed of lesser value, being very numerous and of various sizes and weights, on account of the narrowness of the space were sent to the laura of Saint Sabas, to be safely preserved in the libraries there under the care and supervision of the monks of that place.

An alphabetical catalogue of all the manuscripts and printed books in the library was compiled by the late Anthimos, so that anyone might easily find whatever book he needed for study and reading; and on the more important volumes there was affixed for each one its own alphabetical label. Thus the library of the Koinon, having been so well arranged, was placed under the care and supervision of the unforgettable arch-secretary Anthimos. That he, although ceaselessly occupied with the many and important affairs of the All-Holy Sepulchre in order to bring them to a successful outcome, nevertheless had the library as a special object of his care is clear from the following lines of his, in which he calls the library “a spring” and describes it as a fountain gushing forth streams of learning and as “bread of life” that continually feeds and strengthens the mind of the reader. These verses were published in the Prokanonismos of the Holy Sepulchre, which was issued in Moscow for the second time by the present Patriarch of Antioch, Jeremias, who was then acting in Russia.

In that same year other books also were deposited in the library, taken from the libraries of Saint Sabas; this is confirmed by the following letter, which is still preserved, and which at the same time bears witness to the zeal and care of the late arch-secretary Anthimos for the patriarchal library. Having expended every effort and diligence for the arranging of the library, he re-constituted it out of that former desert-like condition. In this letter one reads as follows:

“My beloved son in Christ Anthimos” (thus writes the steward of the patriarch) “through the blessed prayers of my master has rendered service to the library of his most holy patriarchal throne, having spent every zeal and diligence upon it. For these labours God will repay him with reward in the kingdom of heaven. And we also, his brethren in the same community, grateful and rejoicing, have our share in the work which we completed at the beginning of this same year. After fifteen years there arose the need that I go to Saint Sabas, and I went in order likewise to set that library in order. There there were many noteworthy books lying neglected; I wrote them down and we deposited them in the holy library so that they might not be ruined. Among them, however, we also found one which, though unnoticed, proved to be a treasure worthy of all honour…”

That the late Polykarpos, patriarch of Jerusalem, likewise followed his worthy predecessors of letters, is shown by the fact that he dedicated to the library of the Koinon of the Holy Sepulchre not a few printed books. This is made clear from another letter of the librarian to him, in which we read the following:

“Other books also have been entered in the catalogue, which your reverence has dedicated to the library, inscribed with your holy lordly name; and thus I rejoice to see the library both increasing and being beautified, since the books sent this year were excellent in philology and most useful. Would that the rest also might be of such a kind! Farewell. November 17.”

Thus, then, the ever-memorable Anthimos the librarian arranged the library well and enriched it with books of every sort: some were sent by Patriarch Polykarpos, bearing his name, and others were gathered from the holy monasteries within and around the Holy City, as has been said above, and also from whatever our own people and foreigners offered. It should be noted that this virtuous cleric of the Hagiotaphite brotherhood went through many of the manuscripts, studying them; and many of them, being rare manuscripts, he marked with notes in the very codices themselves and in his letters, as is shown also by the replies of the patriarchs of Jerusalem Anthimos. Some of the notes which we too have copied were written by him on the books of the holy laura of Saint Sabas, while others were preserved in the acts of the holy places and in the patriarchal letters. One such codex is kept in the library of the Theological School of Jerusalem—that of Georgios Frantzis—written on very thick paper and in an excellent hand; at the end, in the same writing, stand the name and titles of the Patriarch. In that same library there is also the typikon on parchment, in which the office begins with Great Lent and goes as far as Vespers on the Sunday of the Apostle Thomas. In it the order of the office of the Holy Passion is arranged, which is divided into twelve stations; it is a very elaborate work and composed with great care, not using curiosities or needless prolixity but proceeding with due moderation.

From the letters of Anthimos, Patriarch of Jerusalem, which we had before us when preparing this catalogue and summary, one can see how much holy zeal and pastoral concern he devoted to this work, in order that the memory of all the patriarchal books in Jerusalem might be preserved and that the present service in the all-venerable church of the Resurrection of Christ might be rendered more fitting and useful. From this very letter it is clear that many fine manuscripts were also lost.

It should further be noted that even in those times the libraries of the Holy Sepulchre were held in common for all learned men, both Greeks and Europeans, and were in every way freely accessible; from them there first proceeded the bright threads of knowledge of both inner and outer education. Hence we are justified in saying that these small libraries of the Holy Sepulchre have contributed no little to philological studies.

In the year 1839, because, on account of the national storm which had lasted for many years and the local disturbances, the books had been neglected amid dust and damp and other destructive elements and had suffered no little damage from them, when the turmoil had subsided and sweet peace had returned, the ever-memorable Anthimos, a lover of letters, who at that time was much-teaching and much-occupied, did not neglect the library, but eagerly undertook its cleansing and arrangement, reckoning every toil as nothing. Under his supervision, then, the library was cleaned out and the books were set in order; yet even then not a few were found spoilt and altogether useless, because of the circumstances of the times, as has been said. On that occasion not only was a considerable number of useless books thrown into the ovens of the monastery, but various globes and geographical charts dedicated by Chrysanthos Notaras, patriarch of Jerusalem, were removed—various large geographical maps depicting the images of each nation in the lands of Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Poland, painted in vivid and unfading colours, which, having become useless through damp, were consigned to the fire. And the astronomical and mathematical instruments which the late Chrysanthos, patriarch of Jerusalem, had used for his mathematical work were all ruined and destroyed, and only a few now are preserved in the library of the Theological School, in memory of the blessed Chrysanthos, who at that time was an outstanding mathematician. It should also be noted that in the library of the metochion of the Holy Sepulchre in Constantinople there are preserved, inside a chest, not a few astronomical instruments which belonged to the late Chrysanthos; but these too are corroded.

After the ever-memorable Anthimos had passed away—he whose many epistolary labours will render his memory imperishable—the library, because of the not-insignificant circumstances of the time, was unfortunately neglected. And so, in the end, many of the books that it contained in recent years were transferred to the library of the Theological School of Jerusalem, in the holy monastery of the Holy Cross, since they were judged more useful there; others were lost; others were mixed together with different books and their arrangement was overturned. All the volumes in the library were covered with thick dust and cobwebs like things untouched for many years, even though the then most illustrious patriarch was from time to time sending from Constantinople and dedicating to it, for the enrichment and adornment of the library, many writings of great and notable value in both foreign and native literature, and belonging to the most splendid and important Western editions.

When, after we laid down our scholarchal duties and the Theological School was dissolved, we gathered in the holy monastery again as the holy brotherhood, the very reverend representative of the most blessed Patriarch Cyril II of Jerusalem, the Metropolitan of Petra Meletios, entrusted to us the task of putting the library in proper order and drawing up an accurate catalogue of the manuscript and printed books. We accepted this commission readily and with great gratitude in the year 1865. First, everything in the library was carefully cleaned; then each item was entered in a special register in alphabetical order, each one bearing the seal of the library and its own number; and afterwards the books were again deposited in the library in good order and condition. Many printed volumes, alas, even then were found to be rotten; many had been rendered useless by mould and worms, and all such were handed over to the fire. Many others, as the old catalogue showed, had disappeared, having become the private property of individuals for a paltry sum of money, because of the political turmoil of that time and the incalculable financial burdens for sustaining the holy shrines and the Hagiotaphite brotherhood.

In the library there are also other things, few in number, but of great value, written and composed by many notable Greek writers who left Constantinople. Of the 97 manuscripts of the Theological School, the library of Saint Sabas still preserves the following. First, 12 codices were transferred, by patriarchal decree, to the laura of Saint Sabas, some on parchment and some on paper; and secondly, three, also on parchment, from the old metochion of the laura of Saint Sabas at Jerusalem, namely a Gospel book and two volumes of ecclesiastical writings. All these manuscripts, both the few and the many, are carefully preserved today in the library of the monastery of Saint Sabas, thanks to the great zeal of the monks and archimandrites of that holy laura.

As for the year 1878, during the patriarchate of Hierosolymos, the ever-memorable patriarch, it is known that because of the unfortunate disputes in the community, the library was again left more or less unattended and without a sufficient guardian. During that period the books were exposed to dust and damp, and again suffered damage and disorder, some of them being stolen or lost, others being loaned out and not returned. The late patriarch Hierosolymos, however, did not remain indifferent to the misfortune of the library; on the contrary, with paternal concern he took measures so that, as far as possible, it might be preserved. Many of the books were then taken from Saint Sabas and returned to the central library. Later, when peace was restored, the present patriarch, with proper care and supervision, undertook their arrangement.

It should be noted that in this library there is also a not inconsiderable number of Arabic manuscripts and printed books. Since the former place was small and not very secure, the transfer of the library to a larger, quieter, and safer space was in every way a good and thoroughly beneficial work. After many months had passed, the books were once again set in their places, though not yet in such order and arrangement as befits a library. In this library there are many Greek and Arabic works, and some in other languages as well. In the year 1879, during the patriarchate of Hierosolymon Ierotheos, by his paternal care the books of the library were moved from the narrow and damp old room to the new and spacious quarters of the Koinon of the Holy Sepulchre, where they are now kept in greater safety. At that time also, by his command, a number of valuable books were transferred from the monasteries and joined to the central library of the Koinon, so that it might be enriched and become more useful to the Hagiotaphite clergy and to all lovers of learning. From that time on, the patriarchs of Jerusalem have shown constant concern for the library, taking care that the books not again fall into neglect, but always be preserved in good order and cleanliness for the benefit of those who use them.

In the year 1882 the abbot of Samos respectfully submitted to the Patriarch of Jerusalem that, if in the libraries of the Holy Sepulchre there were triple and multiple copies of various works, some copies should be sent also to the newly-built library on the island of Samos, in order to enrich it and put it into better order. The patriarch valued the noble proposal of the most exalted abbot, and ordered that a selection be made from the duplicate copies. This selection was made by us, in accordance with the patriarchal command, and consisted of fifty copies of various works, which were sent to Samos in the month of March.

Concerning the library in the holy monastery of the Precious Cross, that is, of the Theological School of Jerusalem. Leaving the history of this holy monastery to those who will one day write it, we shall confine ourselves only to a few pieces of information about the library in it. Its earliest beginnings are unknown to us; certain details, however, were related to us by aged Iberian and Greek hieromonks, very advanced in years and reliable witnesses of the history of the region.

The Iberians were present in Palestine even before the sultans of Egypt, but they were weak and of humble status. In spite of this they acquired many holdings in the region of Jerusalem, and they had great influence throughout all Palestine. In Jerusalem many monasteries were under their jurisdiction; some of these were later ceded by the patriarchal authority of the Greek Jerusalemites, as they were no longer able to maintain them themselves, but because of the Holy City, two or three miles out, at the first hour. In it the Iberian monks led a coenobitic life and were under the strict rules of the monastic way of life.

The first fathers of this holy monastery, being very fond of learning, gathered from the then current collections of Greek literature the best codices of Greek historians and ecclesiastical writers and formed in the monastery a very rich library. But since these works were in a language unknown to them, they wrote to the kings of Iberia, describing this priceless treasure, and asked that young men, chosen for this purpose, be educated and sent to Jerusalem, to translate and interpret the Greek authors of both secular and sacred learning. And the kings, honoring the holy monastery of the Holy Cross at Jerusalem, not only enriched it with very abundant properties in upper and lower Iberia, so that it had ample resources, but also chose out young men who were gifted and very capable of learning, and by royal expense they were sent to Jerusalem, after having been educated in all kinds of learning and well instructed in the Greek language.

In this way, therefore, and by such arrangements, they at length became themselves lovers of learning and were trained in both Hellenic philology and spiritual wisdom in this holy monastery of the Precious Cross and in the other Greek monasteries which were then flourishing in Jerusalem, so that, by their labours, the treasures contained in the library of the Precious Cross grew ever richer. Thereafter, having been taught the Greek language and having learned thoroughly the meanings of the sacred writings according to the orthodox faith, they became not only most devout monks but also excellent interpreters of the divine Scriptures and of other ecclesiastical and secular authors. Thus it came about that from this holy monastery there always went forth men well trained in Greek letters and in the spiritual life, who, returning to their fatherland, taught their fellow-countrymen and illuminated them with the orthodox faith.

Of the innumerable translators of our books who were distinguished for virtue and were eminent among men, those who showed themselves particularly illustrious were the following, who were sent out from this holy monastery of the Precious Cross and were numbered among the Orthodox Greeks in various places…

Two monasteries were under the control of the Iberians. One, within Jerusalem, was in the name of Saint James, the brother of the Lord; the other, outside the city, in the name of the Precious Cross. In the first dwelt the secular hieromonks and monks, mainly Romans (i.e. Greeks), and in the second the Palestinian brethren of the same people; while the monks themselves there lived withdrawn, occupied with spiritual things. The monastery of Saint James now holds the place which the Iberians once possessed inside the city, among the great Greek monasteries; and that of the Precious Cross is now held by the most holy laura of Saint Sabas. Both these monasteries also had rich libraries, but about the library in the holy monastery of Saint James nothing is known. It is very likely that even this laura lost it at some time in an age of troubles. At present this magnificent and spacious holy monastery is under the control of the Armenians, who inhabit it—men from the Armenian Christians of Palestine. From educated and well-informed Armenians we have learned that many Greek manuscripts and printed books, which they have used for their own purposes, exist in the library now in their possession; we, however, consider it to be only small, although many manuscripts are kept there. How and when the Armenians came to rule over this holy monastery, see on this point Dositheos, Dodekabiblion, book 13.

The properties of this monastery, existing in Upper and Lower Iberia even down to our own day—so far as boundaries are still recognized by the fathers there—are regarded by the inhabitants as belonging to the hegoumenos of the holy monastery of the Precious Cross, and they call him “Father of the Cross” (stavropatēr).

From all these things taken together it is evident that, as the above chronological notes show, the chiefs of the Iberians were present in Palestine, and that from the multitude of translators—especially among the monks—many were men both wise and lovers of the monastic life of stillness. And in the monastery of the Holy Cross the library was exceedingly rich, both in Greek compositions and in Iberian writings about the Iberian colony in Palestine, but all of them were destroyed by the Crusaders.

When these men seized the monastery on every side, the books and other sacred vessels and part of the property of the monastery were carried off; and the monks, having been scattered, returned again only a few, and after making a small repair lived there under the din and terror of the then raging warfare. But when Saladin, the ruler of Damascus, who had the Iberians as allies, put the insolent Crusaders into great fear and drove them completely out of Palestine, he set free the monastery of the Holy Cross together with the other monasteries and confirmed its ancient rights; and he ordered that the revenues of the monastery should be restored to it from every side. From that time on the monastery again flourished, and since the former possessions were not sufficient to cover the expenses of the monks, he also granted to it other estates in the plains and on the heights, from which even down to this day it enjoys ample income.

From regions outside Palestine, the Iberians took possession of these remaining properties, so that Saladin and many others who came after granted them many rights and privileges, of which they made good use for the benefit of the Church. At this time the Iberians, carrying the sultanic charters and many various freedoms, showed then also great zeal for learning. Some of them went around the country which had been laid waste and ruined by the neighboring peoples, others in the district of Jerusalem and along the desert of the Jordan, so as to obtain what was necessary for the hospitals and the other various needs of the monasteries. And they themselves brought books and preserved the inventories of the monasteries, some of which contained copies of holy writings, sometimes both in the Greek tongue and in the Iberian tongue.

In that period the holy monastery of the Holy Cross had more than two hundred monks living in it; and since some were from Upper Iberia and others from Lower Iberia, the monastery had two abbots, one for those from Upper and one for those from Lower Iberia. It had two storerooms with the necessities of life, a library, and a sacred church in which there were icons that were masterpieces and splendid trophies of the victory of martyrdom and of the truth of Christ, all of them offerings of the Iberians who had conducted their business there. Thus the holy monastery of the Holy Cross enjoyed great prosperity and a pleasant way of life, being blessed by everyone and supported by their good zeal.

But later they rejected the counsel of the patriarchs and that of the patriarchs after them haughtily. The division and corruption of morals led them out of the circle of that ancient coenobitic life, and each one began to live according to his own private inclination. This cast them into many irregularities, and the kings and rulers, perceiving these things, lessened their respect for them and curtailed their financial support. Then poverty came upon them; then learning was neglected; then the manuscripts were ruined, and they preserved their monasteries only with great difficulty.

In the days of Dositheos, patriarch of Jerusalem, the Iberians fell into enormous debts and, being unable to pay them off, were cruelly harassed in many ways by their Ottoman creditors. Then the ever-memorable Dositheos, in order that strangers might not become masters of the Iberian properties, paid their debts with much toil and labor, and thus became the owner of all the possessions of the Iberians; and after some years the Iberians disappeared completely. At that time the holy monastery of the Precious Cross was governed by a single hegoumenos, appointed by the patriarch then in office or by his trustees. If the hegoumenos was a learned man, he also took care of the library, so far as the circumstances of the time allowed, occasionally putting it in order; but if he was uneducated, the library was neglected, the books deteriorated, and they became the prey of any ignorant and superstitious sacristan.

Because of the uprisings of the Arab tribes the monastery suffered many other injuries: it was often plundered and the hegoumenos killed; at other times, inside the holy church itself, all the few monks who lived with the hegoumenos were slain by barbarian swords. Perhaps in those times the Iberian village lying to the south-east opposite the monastery was sacked, and the small monastery there, dedicated to Symeon son of Theodore and called Katamonas, was deserted and overthrown by the Arabs. How the Iberians in Jerusalem became impoverished, and how the holy Dositheos, after paying their debts, took over the Iberian properties inside and outside Jerusalem—these matters Dositheos relates in the Dodekabiblos.

The ruins of this small monastery, having been sold by the Ottomans, were bought by the monk Abramios, a carpenter of the Community of the Holy Sepulchre. When he rebuilt them, during the excavations he also found Hebrew inscriptions, carved on stones and kept there, though he did not know what they meant. That the Arabs really occupied the Holy Monastery and built an oratory in it is testified by the remains of the oratory and other signs. When, however, this happened we have not been able to determine. Perhaps it happened when the Iberians were being sorely pressed by the ignorant Ottomans.

The holy monastery of the Holy Cross remained, because of fear and terror, without abbot and monks, and it was guarded only by a single Ottoman, Ahmed, whom we too found living in the monastery; and from him we learned many things, as he said that since no repairs had been made, on account of fear and poverty, during the winter the rain-waters poured down inside the divine church. These waters not only effaced the wall-painting of the divine church, but many of the buildings became damp and ruined. As for the books, being shut up in the little building lying beside the great church of the holy monastery, which was full of dust, damp and without light, and even today full of foul exhalation, at that time many Europeans carried off many of them.

In the year 1826 certain English missionaries who were staying in Palestine took, for money, from this library the following: a scroll containing, written in Hebrew, the Divine Liturgy on parchment; a scroll of parchment containing, written in Hebrew, the Gospel of the Evangelist John and the order of the usual Vespers. These they bought for 450 Turkish grosia, since at that time the Monastery of the Holy Cross had need, in those dire and desperate circumstances.

In the time of Athanasios, Patriarch of Jerusalem, a certain notable Iberian, a prince by the name of Georgios, after visiting Egypt went from there to Palestine in order to venerate the God-revered holy places. And with patriarchal permission he took from the library of the Holy Cross quite a number of manuscripts written in Hebrew on parchment, on condition that they be returned when they should be published in print in Iberia. But this promise was broken, and the manuscripts remained in the libraries there. The ever-memorable Athanasios wrote to him many times about their return, but the one who had taken them refused to give them back. In that same library there had also been the Divine Liturgy of Saint James, written in Iberian on very fine parchment; but that manuscript too, by a rapacious hand, was transferred to the libraries of Europe.

Concerning the library of which we are speaking, we ourselves saw it for the first time in the year 1852, when it was situated beside the door of the great church of the holy monastery. The manuscripts were lying there, most of them ruined, most of them covered with dust. These, after they had remained for many years unmoved and in such poor condition, we shook out all together into one heap and then arranged them again in the library. We examined not only Iberian books, but also Greek, Armenian, and some Slavonic ones, and the Greek books were the more numerous. The whole content of the library consisted of writings. Among the Greek books there were printed volumes of more recent editions, such as a lexicon of Bartholomaeus and some copies of Isocrates, Demosthenes, Thucydides, Homer, Aristotle, and the like, in sextodecimo format. Among the manuscripts we found many mathematical and theological treatises, many containing problems set out in the form of theses with their solutions—an astonishing thing, that the Iberians, being lovers of learning and devoted to the sciences, were instructed in both the Greek and the Iberian language.

And among the Syriac books there are (as a priest there related to us) works on Aristotle’s logic; others are historical and ascetic writings, all of them ecclesiastical. As for the Armenian ones, all of them are ecclesiastical. When, with patriarchal approval, the holy monastery was being repaired and was being transformed into a Theological School, then the library was transferred into the upper room of the divine church of Saint John the Forerunner, where even now there are very many manuscripts, Iberian, Greek, etc.

Thus we have spoken of the exercises in knowledge that were taught in ancient times. These consist of the author’s own text in his autograph manuscript, and, written on the text itself, an explanation of each word by means of many synonymous words in small script. Many such things are to be found in the libraries of the Holy Sepulchre, by which the investigator can easily discover both the name of the teacher and the name of the pupil.

As we have heard and read and seen concerning the library in the holy monastery of the Holy Cross, so now something must also be said about the library constructed by Patriarch Cyril II, which lies on the north side of the school, beside the director’s office. Cyril II, worthy successor of his ever-memorable predecessors Dositheos and Chrysanthos, desiring to erect a magnificent hall for the sacred treasures within the God-protected enclosure of Zion, from which the sweet and warm light of Christianity might be sent forth, chose a site of historic character, whose very ancient events and traditions sing the praises of the holy, once-deserted monastery of the Holy Cross.

Although in the year 1853, already in its fortieth year, when the political situation of the East and the Community of the Holy Sepulchre were being much disturbed by the counter-action of the West, he did not shrink from realizing his purpose concerning the good things of his holy work; but a patriarchal decree regarding a Theological School was sent from Constantinople, and all the necessary preparations were made in order that, with every care, the holy monastery of the Holy Cross might be transformed into a spacious Theological School. Since, however, the tyrannical ages had laid waste many parts of it, and the battles of history and decay had encircled it, most of the interior buildings were renewed from the foundations. With unstinting expense it was completely renovated from the ground up and everything was beautified; the rooms were made spacious and the halls magnificent, and among the monasteries of the East it was an object of admiration.

And just as the first and second founders provided knowledge, so also the third devoutly took care for the cultivation of the fruit of the younger generation. In a broad and quiet place he established this library, holy and well-built, wide and secure, with a very rich collection of books, both manuscripts and printed. Thus the library now bears a double name: “Library of the Theological School” and “Library of the Theological School of Jerusalem.”

The newly-built library, which under the blessed Cyril II contains both manuscripts and printed books, holds of the manuscripts about seventy in Iberian; some are on parchment, others on thick paper, all of them having been taken, by selection, from the ancient library of the holy monastery and added to the library. Greek manuscripts, on parchment and on paper, are more than fifty in number; most of these we ourselves, having gone to the venerated laura of St Sabba with the patriarchal authorization, chose from the libraries there and brought back with us to Jerusalem. Along with these we also took other manuscripts and printed books from that same library, which bear on their title-pages and in marginal notes the indication of when and whence they were taken.

There are also some Arabic manuscripts, most of them on paper and a few in Greek script, which for the most part had earlier belonged to the library of the Holy Sepulchre and had been sent to Constantinople; and by later patriarchal decision they were returned to the library of the Holy Sepulchre, having first been transcribed in copies and in part printed. Thus the library of the theological school has become rich and secure with many personal and ecclesiastical benefits after the acquisition of these manuscripts and of numerous printed books. At present the library possesses more books and manuscripts than the library of the Theological School of Jerusalem and also some Arabic manuscripts, most of them on paper, and other Greek manuscripts, dedicated by several of the Hagiotaphite fathers.

Of the printed books, from the duplicate and triplicate volumes of the library of the Holy Sepulchre, various identical copies were sent from Constantinople with patriarchal authorization, and these copies and duplicates from the library of the Koinon of the Holy Sepulchre were likewise placed in the library of the school, again with patriarchal authorization. Many very useful works of the holy Fathers and of other authors, in the best editions, were dedicated by the patriarch himself; and he further enriched it by a very abundant collection, gathered from the writings of European scholars, all who have written about Palestine.

This lover-of-learning patriarch was imitated by many of the Hagiotaphites who had been educated in Europe: at their own expense they procured the most useful works of higher and more perfect wisdom and dedicated them to the library of the school. At present the library possesses more books and manuscripts than the library of the Theological School of Jerusalem; moreover, the heir of all the books of the learned Hagiotaphites after their death is the library of the School. In it are the library of the late Dionysios Kleopas, that of the hierodeacon Euthymios of Samos, that of the archimandrite Kaisarios, and those of other blessed Hagiotaphites.

At present there are in this library only printed books, more than about 9,000 volumes; and each of these bears the seal of the School and its number. So much, in brief, about the library of the Theological School of Jerusalem, providing an occasion for those who are able to write much and more precisely about such matters.

The reader can find those that come earlier discussed in our published edition of the interpretation of the Octoechos. As for those that come after these, so that their names too may become known, they are as follows: among the monks is Mr Polykarpos, chamberlain of the Holy Koinon of the Holy Sepulchre, originally from Smyrna. With 10,000 grosia he purchased for the library of the School a very large number of works, in the best European editions, of both ecclesiastical and secular learning.

The former protosyncellus and abbot of the holy monastery of Saint George, now Archbishop of Bethlehem, Mr Anthimos from Voïon, emulating Mr Polykarpos the chamberlain in his zeal for noble things, contributed to the library, by ordering them from Europe, much money and the benefit of the learned writings of Europe.

The venerable elder Mr Seraphim, sacristan of the church of the Resurrection and overseer of the Theological School, offered to it more than one hundred volumes of various works, chosen by the Koinon of the Holy Sepulchre.

Archimandrite Mr Anthimos the Lesvian, one of the learned men living in Europe, presented to the School the most necessary instruments for experimental physics. All these men have, in the history of the Theological School, sown the seeds of their beneficent readiness, for the everlasting gratitude of those who are now studying and of those who will come after them, since the love of learning of the Hagiotaphites does not fall short of that of our compatriots in the rest of the Greek nation.

Concerning the libraries in the holy and venerable laura of Saint Sabas.

As to when and by whom the venerable laura of Saint Sabas was founded, and what destructive calamities it suffered in various ages, these things are briefly described by the blessed archimandrite and former professor of theology in the Jerusalem school, Benjamin Ioannides. We, borrowing only certain points from his history, set these forth in order to provide an introduction to our brief account of its libraries.

Opposite the cave in which John of Damascus practiced his spiritual struggles and at night awakened the hymns of the Church with the sweet melody of his voice, there lies, on the eastern side of the ravine, the cave of John Koumanos. It is well-shaped and double, having within many openings and irregularities. Some time ago certain monks of Saint Sabas found there, in one of its recesses, a Psalter and a Gospel, written and preserved without corruption by time, both written on parchment in small format, and some wax tablets, the script and the colour being still vivid. All these manuscripts, passing from hand to hand, came at last into those of the blessed archimandrite Joel, from whom, they say, his nephew Gerasimos, archimandrite of Lydda, brought them to the library of the Theological School of Jerusalem, where they are still kept. Many of the monks of Saint Sabas also reported to us that they found icons in the caves and certain other objects, such as little slips of paper and crosses.

Under Patriarch Germanos, and perhaps even earlier, it appears from the official Arabic documents which are read in the all-venerable laura of Saint Sabas and in its dependencies, and which contain translations of certain monastic acts, that the venerable laura of Saint Sabas once enjoyed various rays of prosperity from the monastic life and from the settlements around it, whereas now the variegated clouds of Islam and the religious influences of the Arabs have darkened it and have reduced it to a state of disorder.

And this venerable laura of Saint Sabas, on account of its lofty situation and the superstition of the wild inhabitants of the desert, became at various periods a cave of hermits, not only Greeks but also Bulgarians and Serbs and the other Orthodox peoples. But the stream of time and the continual raids and robberies of the Arabs scattered the monasteries that were once subject to this laura and to the other venerable monasteries of the desert, and laid most of them waste. And in such circumstances it is altogether natural that this venerable laura has been deprived of many of its books and manuscripts.

Now, however, there is preserved in its library also the entire Twelve-Book of the most blessed Dositheos, formerly Patriarch of Jerusalem, in which he relates many historical matters concerning the holy places of Palestine, and especially about the venerable laura of Saint Sabas, both in the main text and in the marginal notes, which he himself wrote in his own hand. On several whole pages of that book we read with attention whatever was said about the much-afflicted laura of Saint Sabas: that this glorious monument of Orthodoxy was many times laid waste by the Arabs; that it was four times abandoned by the monks because of the cruelty of the Arabs, yet remained as an unshaken heap of ruins, apart from the divine church and the tower; and that in that astonishing desert it lay desolate and was inhabited by wild Arabs.

The catalogue of its treasures, as well as the books that were scattered, were destroyed by fire and by the passage of years in those periods when it was left desolate; and many other objects from antiquity became booty for the barbarians, such things as the monks of that time were not able to rescue by carrying them off to unknown and secure caves.

In another memorandum, drawn up by a certain anonymous writer and now preserved in a parchment manuscript, we read that the monastery of Saint Sabas was deserted and was occupied by two Arab tribes, which were already called the one “Ambesides” and the other “Tamarites.” The northern part of the monastery was held by the Ambesides, and the southern part was held by the Tamarites. The ever-memorable Nektarios in one way rebuilt from the outside the wall from the Tower of Justinian as far as the eastern side, while the ever-memorable Dositheos drove out the Tamarites, and by him most parts of the venerable laura were restored.

Yet even in such desolation some of the monks did not cease to be there, out of reverence for the place: some living as solitaries in the caves and beyond the terrifying torrent, and others inside the venerable laura itself, whom the Arabs did not expel nor ignore, but rather held in the greatest reverence and veneration for it. When the holy Dositheos drove out the Arabs, he walled in the extremities that were being attacked by the Arabs, repaired the interior parts of the laura, and once again made it a secure dwelling-place for the monks; then also ascetics settled there, and two libraries were housed under the same roof, of which the one was in the great church of the venerable laura lying on its southern side, and the other inside the great and lofty tower of Justinian.

In them there were placed not only whatever books were found in manuscript – some lying in the caves, others in the cells (chapels) of the laura and in other places – but they also brought out books from the holy monastery of the Angels within Jerusalem, in which the Serbs formerly dwelt, and from the great monastery, whatever had no inhabitants. In these, too, ancient manuscripts from the divine church of the Resurrection were found. And even now there exist manuscripts on parchment which formerly belonged to the holy monastery in the desert of the Jordan of Saint Gerasimos and John the Forerunner (formerly called of the Holy Trinity). When therefore and how they brought these in and preserved them in the venerable laura of Saint Sabas is unknown to us, because of the surviving notes.

Of these libraries, the one in the divine church is small, and in it there are many manuscripts and printed books, while the one in the Justinian tower is larger. Note that Paisios, who came from Rila in Bulgaria and spent forty years in this spiritual gymnasion of a monastery, at his own expense fitted up the library in the tower with spacious shelves and in general constructed it very nicely; and Ioannikios, from Lakkia, who for fifty years carried on his spiritual exercises in the venerable laura of Saint Sabas, had under his spiritual guidance all the monks who were living the monastic life there. This man, having only a small amount of knowledge about librarianship, personally took charge of very many codices written on parchment and, piously, kept them with exact care; yet nevertheless, on the covers of these he pasted leaves from a codex of unknown Greek authors. In these circumstances, some books were burned, others were stolen, and others were transferred to the library of the Koinon of the Holy Sepulchre, but more recently to the library of the Theological School of Jerusalem.

These things were related to us by Iosaph, the archimandrite, outstanding in much virtue and abbot of the venerable laura of Saint Sabas, who in all spiritual matters directs the right ordering of that monastic way of life. To this venerable man is owed not only the material and external elegance, but also the spiritual advancement of this venerable laura toward better things, which every stranger, whether accompanied or not, on visiting it clearly perceives and by it is deeply moved in spirit.

Above the divine little church (chapel) named after Saint Nicholas, which is inside the venerable laura, there is a certain natural cave, very long, extending underground toward the tower of Justinian. It has many wide fissures, some of which serve as shelves for the depositing of objects. It can be entered only by a single narrow path on the south side, more than three metres above the ground; and whoever climbs up to it by a movable ladder sees many ancient and precious things, concealed from the uninitiated, which, during the various raids of the Arabs, were preserved there by those living in the caves round about and by the monks dwelling in the surrounding holy monasteries – things such as books, icons, vessels, and so forth.

And in the caves on both sides of the ravine, the monks who were living as solitaries in the surrounding holy monasteries kept whatever they had that was worth mention – such as books, icons, vessels, and so on – in safety, hiding them there. And in times of war and raids by the Arab tribes, the Christians of Bethlehem and of other Christian villages, transporting their books and their other precious possessions, deposited them there for their protection.

But this common and secure storehouse, in an unknown year (perhaps, according to the accounts of both the monks of Saint Sabas and the monks of the Holy Sepulchre, 150 or 170 years ago), was unfortunately burned, as was explained by the then sacristan of the divine church of the venerable laura. On the eve of the commemoration of Saint Sabas, having been ordered by the abbot of that time to take things from there in order to adorn the divine church according to custom, he entered it with a lighted candle, and, after taking what he had been ordered, came back down. But either a spark fell from the candle, or it touched some small object which the sacristan had not cleared away, or the candle itself remained stuck somewhere and then fell onto something easily combustible – all the details of this are unknown to us; what is known to us is only this, from the tradition up to now of the monks of Saint Sabas and from notes about this that are scattered in various manuscripts: that that very rich storehouse of Saint Sabas became a victim of fire.

We heard from the elder brothers of the Holy-Sepulchre brotherhood and of that of Saint Sabas, as they related to us, that so many manuscripts became prey to the flames that the carrying away of the parchments lasted for a whole year, and it was difficult for a person to pass through there, in front of the tomb of Saint Sabas. And how many and what kinds of insights or understandings of our predecessors were demolished by this complete destruction of the library, and what a blow to Greek philology! For the ancient fathers, after having freed themselves with much toil and labor from the barbarian and destructive hand, saw these things unexpectedly turned into ashes by fire, on account of carelessness. Oh, the misfortune of that lover-of-learning human being, through whom all things make progress and are improved!

Let a certain monk Dionysios be witness to our words, who at that time was occupied with spiritual matters in the venerable laura of Saint Sabas, writing on a certain manuscript on paper as follows: “From the holy laura of our venerable father Sabas, in the chapel of our father among the saints Nikodemos, a great cave, where there are many books and wondrous relics from the ancient fathers and other vessels of value, which, making use of them in those times, the holy fathers who were found in the regions round about the monastery employed, and there they deposited everything. Dionysios, monk.”

This manuscript was found in the cave in question, which is now kept in the library of the tower. In this cave we too, having gone in, saw everything that is in it. It is indeed very curious, both on account of its extent and because of the recesses which it has in it. And in it, in the fissures of the rock, we also found fragments of parchments, half-burned. It should be noted that by this monk Dionysios many annotations of unusual events are preserved in many and various manuscripts and printed books, for the information of those whose names are written there.

There also existed at other times very many Arabic manuscripts, on very bulky paper; some of them the patriarchs bought, others were dedicated from time to time by the Christian Arabs, and others, in times of raids, they used to send to the venerable laura of Saint Sabas for safekeeping, and after their death they became the property of the libraries. According, however, to the narratives of the elders of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre, a very great number of manuscripts at various times were carried off from there by the Europeans, and most of them, in those dreadful times, some, once dispersed, slipped away, and others were in other ways lost. And the catalogue of these libraries too was destroyed many years ago, so that it is impossible for anyone to know how many and what kind of manuscripts suffered complete destruction, or were carried off into other public and private libraries.

All these are preserved in the largest turret of the tower-library; and in it there are also very many long and bulky codices, in which are contained most of the works of the divine Chrysostom.

But we know only this: that in the year 1801 two English travellers, having gone from Constantinople to Jerusalem, received, by a letter of the late patriarch Anthimos, from the libraries of Saint Sabas the following: one Gospel, one Psalter, and the Epistles of the Apostles, all written on parchment.

In the year 1852 Dionysios Kleopas, who was then director of the Theological School of Jerusalem, which at that time was in the very city of Jerusalem, while writing about the monasteries in Palestine and composing the introduction to the Psalter of David, in the meantime, having gone to the venerable laura of Saint Sabas, inspected its libraries, and we accompanied him. Examining there the various manuscripts, we also found some of great value, which, after being taken, we transferred to Jerusalem. These, after two years (1854), when the holy monastery of the Holy Cross became a Theological School, were deposited in its library for greater security, with patriarchal approval.

In the year 1858, when these were transferred to the venerable laura of Saint Sabas by patriarchal command, more than twenty manuscripts were set apart, most of them on parchment, and we received copies of them. Besides these, three other manuscripts had been placed by the patriarch in the library of the Theological School of Jerusalem.

Having examined these things and having read about the libraries of the Holy Sepulchre, some from study and others from oral tradition and narration of the elder brothers in age, we submit them to the community of these holy places, having first in brief pointed out the vicissitudes which the Greek manuscripts have undergone, both in Palestine and in Syria, during tyrannical and invading times; secondly, we present the fervent zeal for the Greek manuscripts shown by the later patriarchs of Jerusalem, who not only with unwearied toil and with expenses that were by no means trifling created the collection appropriate to our renown, but, using as their only weapon their national sentiment, set themselves against all the opponents of Greek philology and of book-collecting, and preserved, as far as lay in their power, the manuscripts existing down to our own days, as a boast of the Greek name.

We confess, however, that our work is very weak and imperfect; and, beseeching our readers not to look to our imperfection but rather to our intention on behalf of our national learning, we pray that better and more complete works may be produced by them, having this small material as a starting-point under their scholarly guidance.

Written in Jerusalem, 12 October 1881.