Episcopul Melchisedec Ștefănescu, primul biograf al Sfântului Ierarh Martir Antim Ivireanul și primul analist al „Didahiilor“ acestuia

Abstract

The commemorative events from 2016, dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Hierarch Anthimos the Ivirite, The Metropolitan of Wallachia (1708-1716) also brought to attention the pioneering work of Bishop Melchizedek Ştefănescu of the Lower Danube (1864-1879) and of Roman (1879-1892) who wrote the first scientific biography of the martyred hierarch in the autumn of 1716. This biography, named by the Bishop Melchizedek, Biographical Notes about the Hungaro-Wallachian Metropolitan Anthimos the Ivirite, was published in the summer of 1886, together with editing the first volume of Didahii (Collection of sermons) of Saint Hierach Anthimos, under the aegis of the Romanian Academy. Researchers, historians and later publishers praised the biography written by Bishop Melchizedek and used it in their writings. Bishop Melchizedek Ștefănescu also wrote his first comprehensive analysis of the text of the Didanii (Collection of sermons) of Saint Anthimos, the homiletic masterpiece of the Romanian medieval culture, that evince the author thereof, as “a developed gifted and well-formed orator… a true and eminent teacher of the Church of Christ”.