Maksim the Greek

Abstract

Studies in both Russia and Italy over the past sixty-odd years on Maksim Grek (né Michael Trivolis) on his Greek origins and formation, his time spent in Florence, Venice, and Mirandola, his education, personal ties, and work there, and on his original writings and translations while in Muscovy have greatly enriched our knowledge of this central figure in 16th-century Russian religion and culture. Of special note here are evidence of manuscripts he copied while in Italy, precise borrowings from Savonarola’s and other Roman Catholic writings, and a polemic Maksim composed in Russia against a Spanish-Flemish treatise on Augustine’s City of God. Much work also still remains to be done on Maksim’s original compositions, on the impact of his translations, and his international connections during his time in Muscovy.