Kyriakos Melirrytos of Thessalonica, books 1836 and 1847 - summary information, searching for bio

Steven Avery

Administrator
ABSTRACT

Coming soon

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Notes
Kyriakos Melirrytos (Mellifluous) of Thessalonica
Check the source of Mellifluous
 
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Steven Avery

Administrator
Constantine Simonides description of his friend Kallinikos:

CODEX SINAITICUS AND THE SIMONIDES AFFAIR
An Examination of the nineteenth century claim that Codex Sinaiticus was not an ancient manuscript (1982
James Keith Elliott (1943-2024)
The Literary Churchman
16th of June, 1863
Page 107

Also published in:

The Journal of Sacred Literature (1863)
Miscellanies
https://books.google.com/books?id=gnstAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA494


"The Kallinikos who addressed the letters to the London papers on the subject of the Codex «Sinaiticus» is a Thessalonian by birth; his ancestors spring from the town of Niaousta, in He was born in the year 1802, and named Kyriakos. He took the name of Kallinikos on his admission to the church; and having taken an active part in the Greek Revolution [i.e. 1821 to 1829], received the surname of Keraunos, on account of his bravery. He then ceased (as is necessary, according to our ecclesiastical law, in cases wherein a priest has taken up arms), from the profession of public sacerdotal duties, and spent a long time in a monastery of Mt. Athos [= Russico, Panteleimon], where I made his acquaintance. Since this time he has been engaged in semi-political missions, and I have had continued correspondence with him. He has travelled through Europe, Asia, and part of Africa, and the whole of the Archipelago, and has published at Moscow and at Odessa [= dated 1853/54] a number of my letters to him upon Archaeological matters 31"

31. Copies of these are in the Bodleian Library, Oxford 1. Δ. 598 and Byw. 1.6.4.

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We can see that this is a rather detailed account. Here is a bit more context from Elliott, and the full letter of Simonides is available online at the url above for the Journal of Sacred Literature.

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Constantine Simonides
Κωνσταντίνος Σιμωνίδης


Kuriakos [Κυριακός ]
Kallinikos [Καλλινίκος]
Keraunos [Κεραυνός]

Simonides gives:
"General Kayatasus"

== Anastasios Karatasos
Greek: Αναστάσιος Καρατάσος;

Wikipedia
Anastasios Karatasos (Greek: Αναστάσιος Καρατάσος; 1764 – 21 January 1830) was a Greek military commander during the Greek War of Independence was born in the village of Dovras (Δοβράς or Δορβρά), Imathia and is considered to be the most important revolutionary from Macedonia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anastasios_Karatasos

We have some additional info here:

Melirritos'

Melirrytos


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Literary Forgeries
James Anson Farrer
(1849-1925)
https://books.google.com/books?id=Ei1KDcglxf8C&pg=PA62
https://archive.org/details/literaryforgeri01farrgoog/page/n92/mode/1up


“Simonides, who was always most precise in his information about real or feigned persons, declares that this Kallinikos was born in 1802, a Thessalian, named originally Kuriakos [Κυριακός]; on his admission to the Church he took the name of Kallinikos [Καλλινίκος], and for his bravery in the war of the Greek Revolution he received the surname of Keraunos [Κεραυνός]...”

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Three Kallinikos Wild Cards

There are manuscript catalogue entries that connect Simonides and Kallinikos at Mt. Athos in two books by Spyridon Lambrou. This is a long and winding road, quite interesting, but we will not go into that here. Catalogue entries are what convinced Farrer, and an additional one has been discovered.

Similarly the Archaeological Matters mentioned by Simonides are available, they have generated controversy as to whether they were actually published in Odessa and Moscow in 1853 and 1854, or alternatively could have been written by Simonides c. 1863 in the Sinaiticus controversies. Luciano Canfora may lean to the later date. This question also involves research on the lithographer in Odessa, and John Hodgkins

For a third wild card, the Forging Antiquities Project in Australia, under Malcolm Choat, said they have translated a letter from Simonides to Kallinikos on the interpretations of hieroglyphics. About five years have passed, and this material is still under wraps, and there is no solid indication as to whether it will ever be identified or published in some manner.

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We have an interesting new devlopment, that just got discovered in 2023, and is being researched in 2025. The initial find was on the CARM forum, ironically by a gentleman who thinks of Kallinikos as fictitious but simply did some honest scholarship searching.

cjab
https://forums.carm.org/threads/cod...s-profile-history-details.14597/#post-1140366

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Writers today like to call Kallinikos fictitious (maybe add a few examples like Christopher Hamel and Kevin McGrane) or a Simonides alter-ego.

This becomes a major part of their support of Sinaiticus as truly ancient and authentic, if Simonides made it all up about Kallinikos.

Let's go to the new finds.
 
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Steven Avery

Administrator
Κυριακού Μελιρρύτου του Θεσσαλονικέως

Kyriakos Melirrytos of Thessalonica


Here we find in Google books an 1836 book (and one in 1847) on the Greek Revolution where the author potentially matches up well with the Kyriakos / Kallinikos of Simonides

topic (Greek Revolution) fits
name (Kyriakos)
age (writing about the Greek Revolution in 1836 fits with the Simonides birthdate of 1802)
location of birth (Thessalonica)
Alexandros Sturtzas listed as pre-purchaser
1847 book is on the holy communion in the Greek Orthodox church, showing clerical connections

And
publication in Odessa,
which is where Kallinikos is said by Simonides to have published.

So far, we do not have a bio on this author.
In 1836 he called himself a merchant and apparently he lost his wife young.

Chronologia historica (graec.)- Odessae, Typogr. Scholae mercatorum Graecorum 1836
https://books.google.com/books?id=Nc1TAAAAcAAJ

This PDF was also sent to us from Nikolos Farmakidis, and then we saw it in Google Books
One is 386 PDF pages, the other 407.

1744387224324.png

This website in Odessa is helpful.
https://odnb.odessa.ua/rarities/item/327

This next pic is from:
https://odnb-odessa-ua.translate.go...tr_sl=uk&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc
1744387305630.png


This book appears to have been reprinted in 1996.

On chronology, part of the book Historical Chronology /
painstakingly compiled by Kyriakos Melirrytos of Thessalonica 1996
Melirritos, Kyriakos Io.
http://vikelaia-ebooks.heraklion.gr...ου+Μελιρρύτου+του+Θεσσαλονικέως&index=ALLTITL
 
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Steven Avery

Administrator
Then we find an 1847 book from the same author that also fits well.

1847 book
Περί του μυστηρίου της Θείας Κοινωνίας άρτω ενζύμω : κατά την δόξαν της Ορδοδόξω ημών αγίας Εκκλησίας
On the mystery of Holy Communion leavened bread: according to the glory of our Orthodox holy Church
Μελίρρυτος, Κυριάκος Ι.
Melirytos, Kyriakos ΙI.

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We should contact this library!

Koventarios Municipal Library of Kozani

The "Koventarius" Municipal Library of Kozani (KDVK), is a library with a rich and long history, the study of which helps us to understand, beyond everything else, the role that the book played, as a tool of knowledge, in the life of the inhabitants of the place and to get to know their educational and social level, but also their interests in various periods of time.

ΚΔΒΚ
Κ. Δαβάκη 9
50132 Κοζάνη
Phone: 24610 49319

info@kozlib.gr (administrative emails)
service@kozlib.gr (help desk-applications)


Library Rules Info
Email Πρωτοκόλλου: protocollodpang@cityofkozani.gov.gr
Τηλεφωνικό κέντρο: 24610 49319

Here is a picture in English translation of one catalogue:

ΚΟΒΚΝΤΛΡΚΙΟΣ ΔΗΜΟΤΙΚΗ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΘΗΚΗ ΚΟΖΑΝΗΣ
KOVKNDLRKIOS MUNICIPAL LIBRARY KOZANIS

https://catalogue.kozlib.gr/vufind/Author/Home?author=Μελίρρυτος,+Κυριάκος+Ι.

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The Greek is here:
https://catalogue.kozlib.gr/vufind/Author/Home?author=Μελίρρυτος,+Κυριάκος+Ι.

1744467196157.png
 
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Steven Avery

Administrator
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Steven Avery

Administrator
How we have discovered that Alexandros Sturtzas, later part of Team Simonides, was pre-publication purchaser of the book!
 

Steven Avery

Administrator
Among those who pre-purchased Melirritos' book was Alexander Stourtzas.

Chronologia Historia

https://books.google.com/books?id=Nc1TAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA375


1744764997029.jpeg


Ho Eklamprotata Prigkipessa Hupsalanth kai ho Eklamprotatos Prigkips Georgios Ho Eksoxotatos Kurios Alexandros Stourtzas Ho Eksoxotatos Kurios Em: Persianas ho kai iatrofilosofos

The Illustrious Princess Ypsilantis, and the Illustrious Prince Georgios. His Excellency Alexandros Sturtzas the Exalted Kyrios Em¨Persianis, the medical philosopher

Eksoxotatos = Exoxotatos


p., 375
1744766834465.png
 
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Steven Avery

Administrator
Summarizing with 3 posts on CARM:

The key fellow is the author of the:

1836 book
1847 book

Kuriakos
from Thessaloniki,
---- active in the
Greek Revolution
Greek Orthodox church
age fits (1802 makes sense for first book at 34 years old)
connected to Alexandros Sturtzas, who pre-purchased the 1836 book, a key member of Team Simonides
publishing in Odessa


We hope to have the 1847 book available shortly, and that may tell us more about his Greek Orthodox connections.

The list above gives us a compelling match to the Simonides narrative, as we await the 1847 information and any additional bio this author should have.
Not everybody has an easy to find bio, but the two books authored, and his name and city, certainly help.

Nikolos Farmakidis noticed some other information from the 1836 book that would be interesting, but the details are awaiting, because the 1847 book is the key issue now.

This is rather a compelling list of hits to the Simonides narrative.

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Kyriakos / Kallinikos publishing in Odessa in 1836 and 1847 puts an extra authenticity sheen on the Autographa and Spoudaion/Symmiga publications of 1853/1854 (and the related Simonides lithography to Odessa, as given by John Eliot Hodgkin, where we might be helped by the hidden Forging Antiquities Project materials.)

Kallinikos could easily be the man of the hour to push those publications through, since he would be very familiar with the Odessa printing houses, which published his two books.

We have seen that the claims of Autographa and Spoudaion/Symmiga not being authentic in Odessa/Moscow in the 1850s rests mostly on mistaken argumentation, such as Luciano Canfora emphasizing that Simonides was not in those cities in 1853/54. Oops, he never claimed to be, that is why Kallinikos was arranging the publishing.

The TNC attempt with one of the date marks looked quite weak as well.

So are there any good arguments against the Autographa and Spoudaion not being published in Odessa and Moscow in 1853/54?

Once we eliminate the major circular one (there was no Kallinikos) which looks to be kaput.
And we eliminate the Canfora geography-chronology attempt, which is puzzling in its ineptness. (Canfora is often excellent, so this is pointed out quizzically.)

And I would expect that if any of that material was actually published a decade later during the Sinaiticus controversies, it would have a ton of artificial support for the Sinaiticus production, but that is not there. Tentative conclusion, it was truly an 1853-54 publication.

If the Autographa and Spoudaion are authentic in Odessa and Moscow in 1853/54 with Kallinikos involvement, that supports the Simonides narrative on Sinaiticus. We might want to start reconsidering the degree of support and the many elements affected.

Now, to be fair, we await the 1847 book, so we are not asking for much scholarship engagement until that is properly included in the mix.

And if the Forging Antiquities Project finally became transparent and came clean about their materials, that would greatly assist.
 
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