Maca'rius
13. MACRES, or MACRA (
ὁ Μακρῆς) or MACRUS (
ὁ Μακρός), a monk of Mount Athos, and an intimate friend of George Phranza [PHRANZA], by whose interest he was appointed Hegumenus, or abbot of the monastery of the Almighty (
τοῦ Παντοκράτορος), at Constantinople.
He also obtained the dignity of Protosyncellus.
He was a strenuous opponent of the Latin church; and this involved him in serious disputes with Joseph II., patriarch of Constantinople, who was favourable to the union of the churches. Notwithstanding his hostility to the Latins, Macarius was sent by the emperor Joannes II. Palaeologus, on a mission to the Pope Martin V., preparatory to the summoning of a general council to determine the union, and died on his return in the beginning of the year 1431.
It is not clear whether Macarius Macres was the same or a different person from another Macarius, a monk of Xanthopulus, of Jewish origin, and spiritual father to the emperor Manuel Palaeologus (Phranza, 2.1); but it is quite clear that he is to be distinguished from Macarius Curunas (
ὁ Κουρουνας), who also was sent by Joannes Palaeologus to the pope, after the death of Macarius Macres (Sguropulus,
Hist. Concil. Florent. 2.15,16). Macarius Macres wrote a book against the Latin doctrine of the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Son, with this title,
Ὅτι τὸ λεγειν καὶ ἐκ τοῦ Ψοίῦ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐκπορεύεσθαι οὒτε ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστιν ἀλλὰ καινοτομία τῆς ὀρθοδόξον πιστεως,
Quod necessarium non est, sed Innovatio Fidei, dicere et Filio procedere Spiritum Sanctum. This work is extant in MS., and is cited by Allatius in his
De Eccles. Occident. et Orient. Perpetua Consens. Some other works by Macarius Hieromonachus are extant in MS., but it is not certain if the writer was our Macarius; a small piece,
De Inventione et Translatione S. Euplenmii Martyris, is distinctly ascribed to him. (Phrantza, 2.9, p. 35, ed. Vienna, 1796, pp. 156, 157, ed. Bonn; Sguropulus,
l.c.; Fabric.
Bibl. Graec. vol. viii. p. 370; Cave,
Hist. Litt. ad ann. 1420.)
