Bryennius, Josephus
Ἰωσὴφ Βρυέννιος
(Ἰωσὴφ Βρυέννιος), a Greek priest and eloquent preacher, died between A. D. 1431 and 1438.
Works
Treatises on religious subjects and letters
He is the author of a great number of treatises on religious subjects, as well as of several letters to distinguished persons of his time respecting theological and ecclesiastical matters.
Editions
His works were first published under the title "Ἰωσὴφ μοναχοῦ τοῦ Βρυεννίου τὰ εὑρεθέντα δἰ ἐπιμελείας Εὐγενίου, Διακόνου τῆς Βουλγαρείας, ἤδη τὸ πρῶτον τύποις εκδόθεντα," three volumes, 8vo. Leipzig, 1768-1784. This edition contains only the Greek text. Eugenius, diaconus in Bulgaria, was in possession of a fine manuscript of the works of Bryennius, and he is the author of a life of Bryennius contained in the preface to the Leipzig edition.
The works of Bryennius were known and published in extracts long before the complete edition of them appeared. Leo Allatius refers to, and gives extracts from, several of his treatises, such as " Orationes II de Futuro Judicio et Sempiterna Beatitudine," in which the author maintained peculiar views respecting purgatory; "Oratio de Sancta Trinitate;" " Oratio de Transfiguratione Domini ;" " Oratio de Domini Crucifixione ;" &c.
Assessment
The style of Bryennius is remarkably pure for his time.
Further Information
Leo Allat. De Libris et Rebus Eccles. Graec. pars i. pp. 136, 141, 143, 237, &c., 311, 339-343, De Consensu Utriusque Ecclesiae, pp. 529, 837, 863, &c.; Cave, Hist. Liter. Appendix, p. 121; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. xi. p. 659, &c.
From William Smith (ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Text provided under a CC BY-SA license by Perseus Digital Library, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Tufts University. Data accessed from https://github.com/PerseusDL/canonical-pdlrefwk/ on 17 October 2026.