Saint Athanasius Parios

Education and Teaching

After receiving basic instruction on his native Paros, Athanasius spent six years at the Greek school in Smyrna, founded in 1717. In 1752 he enrolled at the Athonite Academy on Mount Athos, where he studied under Neophytos Kausokalyvites and Eugenios Voulgaris; he subsequently studied under Nikephoros Theotokis in Corfu.

He gave much of his life to teaching. He taught in Thessaloniki from 1767 to 1770, afterward directed the Athonite School, and from 1788 to 1811 served as principal of the school in Chios, where he both taught and oversaw the institution. Through this educational work he sought to strengthen the learning and faith of Orthodox Greeks living under Ottoman rule.

The Kollyvades Movement

Athanasius was the second leader of the Kollyvades movement, succeeding Neophytos Kausokalyvites. The Kollyvades were monks centered on Mount Athos in the late eighteenth century who sought a return to the roots of Orthodox Christianity by recovering patristic theology and liturgical depth. Among their concerns were the proper timing of memorial services for the departed, which they held should not be commemorated on Sundays so as not to conflict with the day's resurrection theme, and the encouragement of frequent Holy Communion at a time when most communicated only a few times a year.

He is counted with Saint Macarius of Corinth and Saint Nicodemus the Hagiorite as one of the three great spiritual leaders of the eighteenth century. The movement was condemned at a Constantinople synod in 1776 but was later vindicated; a council in 1819 endorsed its teaching on Holy Communion.

Controversy and Vindication

In 1776, in the course of the Kollyvades disputes, Athanasius was condemned, defrocked, and excommunicated by Patriarch Sophronios II. He successfully defended himself before Patriarch Gabriel IV and the Holy Synod in 1781, and the charges against him were reversed, restoring his priestly standing.

Writings

Athanasius was a prolific author of theological and educational works. Between 1785 and 1806 he published six major texts, among them works titled Antipapas and Christian Apologies, as well as an Epitome produced in collaboration with Macarius of Corinth. His writings served both the defense of Orthodox teaching and the education of his people.