Anselm of Havelberg as ‘ecumenist’: fiction and history

Résumé 0

The essay examines one of the most intriguing texts of the history of Latin-Greek encounter in the twelfth century, Anticimenon by Anselm of Havelberg. Even after the appearance of a few important studies on Anselm in recent decades, this German courtier bishop, canon regular, and theologian remains a widely-misread author. The lack of continuity in research is here particularly confusing. Despite the discovery of the non-historicity of Anticimenon made by Sieben in the 1980s, Anselm’s text is still too often read as a historical account of a real Latin-Byzantine debate. The essay builds up on Sieben’s discovery and explores the topic of the Eucharistic water in Anselm’s work which not only confirms earlier conclusions but also brings them to a new level. The author argues that the non-historicity of the Anticimenon deprives it of its status of a primary source in respect to Byzantine theology. At the same time, the study of the fictitious character of Anselm’s work makes it possible to gain new insights into the Latin theology of the mid-twelfth century. The topic of the Eucharistic water demonstrates that even such minute problem could promote discussion on issues of fundamental importance. The topics related to Eastern Christianity function in the Anticimenon as illustrations of the main concern of the entire work —the unity of faith in the plurality of ecclesiastical traditions and sacramental rites.