Euthymius Zigabenus

ELEVENTH/twelfth CENTURY. Byzantine monk, exegete, and theologian. Emperor Alexis Comnenus commissioned him to write a work against heresies; the result was Panoplia Dogmatica. This work contains twenty- eight chapters, of which the last six are devoted to the contemporary heretical movements; these chapters are our only sources for some such as the Bogomiles.* In addition, Euthymius wrote extensive commentaries on the Psalms, the four gospels, and the Pauline epistles. Although he depends heavily upon patristic sources, especially Chrysostom, these exegetical works are noteworthy for their hermeneutical approach, especially in the emphasis that Euthymius gives to the literal meaning of the text-and this in an age when allegorical exegesis dominated most commentaries.