PACHYMERES, GEORGE

Byzantine historian; b. Nicaea, 1242; d. Constantinople, c. 1310. In 1261 he moved to Constantinople, where he held high positions in both state and Church. He was well educated, and his interests and writings covered a wide range of topics; but his most important work is his Συγγραφικαὶ ἰστορίαι, a history of the reigns of the Emperors michael viii palaeologus and andronicus ii palaeologus (1261–1308). An eyewitness of many of the events he narrates, he is noted for his impartiality, even when writing of Michael's policy of ecclesiastical union with Rome, to which he was strongly opposed. He enters into detail on doctrinal matters, and his style is often difficult because of his fondness for archaisms. He also composed a short treatise on the Procession of the Holy Spirit, in which he accepted the Damascene formula, "through the Son," some works on aristotle, and several others on Dionysius the Areopagite (see pseudo-dionysius).

Bibliography: g. pachymeres, De Michaele et Andronico Palaeologis libri XIII, ed. i. bekker, 2 v. (Bonn 1835), repr. PGv.143–144; Quadrivium, ed. p. tannery, rev. e. stephanou (St-Test 94; 1940). g. moravcsik, Byzantinoturcica, 2 v. (2d ed. Berlin 1958) 1:280–282. v. laurent, Dictionnaire de théologie catholique, ed. a. vacant et al. (Paris 1903–50) 11.2:1713–18. f. dÖlger, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. j. hofer and k. rahner (Freiburg 1957–65) 7:1332. h. g. beck, Kirche und theologische Literatur im byzantinischen Reich (Munich 1959) 679.

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