Timur Shchukin: A commentary on the ‘κύριε ἐλέησον’ prayer by Psellos as a fact of the pre-palamite history

There are eleven manuscripts in which the authorship of the commentary on Jesus prayer is attributed to 11 century Byzantine scholar Michael Psellos. The considerations of the publisher of the commentary, Robert Sinkewicz, as well as those of a researcher Basil Lourje, show that the treatise could not be compiled in 11 century and dates back to the era of Ecumenical councils. However, it is important that the scribes of 13-16 centuries considered it appropriate to attribute the authorship of the commentary to Michael Psellos. A possible explanation is that the Byzantine scholar is the author of a commentary with a similar name (εἰς τὸ ‘κύριε ἐλέησον’; Theologica 13), while the commentaries are placed together in two manuscripts. The Psellos commentary contains as follows: the name ‘Lord’ indicates the omnipotence of God, that is, is the common name for the three hypostases, and the word ‘have mercy indicates that this omnipotence is not subject to the law. Since every human being is not perfect, it needs divine mercy, as the source of all virtues. The Psellos’ commentary, we assume, was received by the Hesychast tradition having been reflected, for example, in the commentary on ‘κύριε ἐλέησον’ prayer by Simeon of Thessalonica. More precisely, the main ideas of the Psellos commentary became the starting point for the reasoning of St. Simeon Perhaps the genuine Psellos commentary, along with the commentary published by R. Sinkewicz, has been perceived as a single introductory complex.