Hypatos ton philosophon

The hypatos tōn philosophon (Greek: ὕπατος τῶν φιλοσόφων, lit. 'chief of the philosophers') was a Byzantine title given to senior scholars in the 11th–14th centuries.

The title first appears in 1047, and was probably introduced then or slightly earlier, for Michael Psellos.^[1] In the 11th and 12th centuries, the title recognized the head of the school of philosophy in the imperial capital, Constantinople.^[1] While Psellos and his successors, John Italos and , were themselves distinguished scholars, however, the appointment of Michael of Anchialus (the future Patriarch Michael III of Constantinople) to the post in 1165/67 was an attempt by Emperor Manuel I Komnenos to clamp down on "pagan" tendencies among the philosophers and reaffirm the primacy and purity of Orthodox doctrine.^[1]

The office is still mentioned in the 14th century, ranked in the imperial hierarchy between the logothetes tou dromou and the megas chartoularios.^[1] During the 13th and 14th century, the holders of the office were senior teachers under the supervision of the patriarchate.^[1]

References[]

Sources[]

• Kazhdan, Alexander (1991). "Hypatos ton philosophon". In Kazhdan, Alexander (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. p. 964. ISBN 0-19-504652-8.