Neophytos Vamvas

He was born on the island of Chios. His parents' names were Isidoros and Stamatia. His parents were poor. He began his studies in Chios. He was very intelligent. He learned the acceptable sciences of the time. He studied physics, astronomy, and mathematics. He became an expert in the Greek language. He was ordained a priest in 1791. He continued his studies on the island of Sifnos in 1793. He studied at the flourishing school of Misail Patmios. He was 17 years old. He continued his studies on the island of Patmos with Daniel Kerameas. He wanted to continue his studies in Pisa, Italy because he wanted to expand his knowledge base. He returned to Chios and studied with Dorotheos Proios who was an expert in mathematics. By the year 1796, he followed Proios to Constantinople. He also traveled to Bucharest and other parts of the Ottoman world. When he returned to Constantinople he became the teacher of the family of George Mavrokordatos and Konstantinos Hatzeris. Hatzeris was an interpreter for the Ottoman Fleet. Vamvas followed Proios and Hatzeris to Wallachia. By 1804, Hatzeris was beheaded and Vamvas returned to Constantinople. Vamvas began to teach the Phanariot families. Some of his students included Ephrosyne Mavrokordatos and Constantinos Soutsos. He participated in the compilation of an important Greek dictionary referred to as Kivotos (Κιβωτού). The director of the project was Proios. Around this period he joined the museum of the Magali Scoli tou Genous. In 1804, he took over as Headmaster of the Magali Scoli tou Genous.[6]

Four years later in 1808, he traveled to Paris and met the eminent Adamantios Korais. He helped Vamvas in his advanced studies. He maintained a close relationship with Korais. While Vamvas was in Paris he attended classes in Chemistry with Louis Jacques Thénard. He translated his book Treatise of Elementary Chemistry into the Greek language. He also studied the works of Philipp Karl Buttmann and François Thurot. In Paris, he taught Greek and traded carpets to make a living. He joined the Filiki Eteria. He returned to Chios in 1815. He took over the direction of the high school. During this period he met Konstantinos Negris. He was his teacher. In April 1821, he traveled to Hydra to recruit the Kountouriotis brothers to liberate the island of Chios. While he was in Hydra he followed Demetrios Ypsilantis and became his secretary. He followed him around while he fought in battles. Vamvas inspired the rebels to fight with motivational speeches. After seeing the devastation of his home island after the Chios massacre he dedicated himself to education. He settled on the Ionian Island of Corfu in 1828. He taught at the Ionian Academy. The islands were under English mandate.[7]

Around 1833, Vamvas traveled to the island of Syros. He became the director of the school. He taught philosophy, philology, mathematics, chemistry, and physics. There he met Stamatios D. Krinos. He published several books and translated the Old Testament into the modern language. By the year 1836, he settled in Piraeus. One year later at the recommendation of the modern Greek leadership namely because of his friendship with Adamantios Korais and Demetrios Ypsilantis, he was selected to become professor of philosophy at the University of Athens. He did not join the Theological school because he was considered a radical. He became the dean of the Philosophy School. He was also ordained an archimandrite. He remained a professor at the university until 1854.[8]

The Neophytos incident was similar in nature to the Methodios Affair. Vamvas translated the bible into the modern Greek language. Methodios Anthrakites was charged with a similar offense. Methodios supported the use of the people's language in education instead of archaic forms of Greek. The incident led to the Methodios Affair. Greek education was under the grasp of Korydalism. The mentality continued after the founding of the Greek state. The controversy known as the Neophytos Incident erupted because Vamvas tried to translate the bible into modern Greek or the peoples language. The translation was immediately condemned by Church officials. The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece disapproved of the publication between 1835 and 1836. The Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople issued an encyclical condemning any translation of the Bible into vernacular Greek (1836). Publishing the book was forbidden. Constantinos Oikonomos an expert in the Greek language and Orthodox scholar and theologian, wrote a treatise in defense of the publication it was four-volumes. The disagreement is known as the Neophytos Incident. The Vamvas version of the Bible was eventually accepted.[9]

• Gemistos Plethon

• Phōteinos, Grēgorios (1865). Τα Νεαμονησια [Neamonisia]. Chios, Greece: K.M. Prokidoy.
• Frazee, Charles A. (1969). The Orthodox Church and independent Greece, 1821-1852. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521072472.
• Johnston, Alexandre; Loughlin, Felicity (2020). Antiquity and Enlightenment Culture New Approaches and Perspectives. Cambridge, England: Brill Publishing. ISBN 9789004412675.
• Glenny, W. Edward; Ross, William A. (2021). T&T Clark Handbook of Septuagint Research. London, United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9780567680266.