AGIORITA, NICODEMO I'. – A celebrated Greek writer of the modern period (1748–1809), who owes much of his fame to the fact that he used the vernacular for most of his works. Born on the island of Naxos, he spent almost all the period of his literary activity as a monk on Mount Athos, from 1775 until his death. Hence his better-known name, A. The character of his works is not polemical, although he also took part in the controversies of his time concerning frequent Communion and the offerings known as κόλαβα. He also defended and propagated Palamite Hesychasm (v. PALAMISMO). His works have contributed in many respects to a more accurate knowledge of the Greek East. The catalogue of his production is very extensive. Lampros (in Νεὸς Ἑλληνομνήμων, 1913, p. 315) lists 18 published and 58 unpublished works. More recently V. Grumel has enumerated 32 that have gone to press. The principal ones are:
1. Ἰηδάλιον τῆς νεητῆς νηός (Rudder of the Intelligible Ship), Leipzig 1800 (other editions in Zakynthos and Athens). This is A.’s best-known work; in it he illustrated the collection of canons of the Greek Church with numerous notes and commentaries. He compiled this repertory in collaboration with Agapio, and the author’s attitude, considerably hostile to the Roman Church, is evident. Some wish to attribute this hostility, at least in part, to the monk Teodorito, charged with correcting the proofs, who is said to have made very numerous interpolations. These certainly exist, but there is no need to have recourse to them, since it is clear from more certain evidence that A.’s feelings toward Latin institutions were anything but favorable (cf. the letter he addressed to Patriarch Gregorio V, published in the journal Τρηγόριος ὁ Παλαμάς, 2 [1918], p. 435). Nevertheless, in the field of asceticism he had no difficulty in reproducing Catholic writings for the Greeks, as shown by his works Ἀόρατος πόλεμος (Invisible Warfare), Venice 1796, and Γυμνάσματα πνευματικὰ (Spiritual Exercises), Venice 1800, adaptations, the former of Scupoli’s Spiritual Combat, and the latter of Pinamonti’s explanation of the Spiritual Exercises of s. Ignazio (cf. M. Viller, Nicodème l'Aglorite et ses emprunts à la littérature occidentale, in Rev. d'Asc. et Myst., 5 [1924], pp. 174–77).
2. Φιλοκαλία τῶν ἱερῶν νηπτικῶν, Venice 1782. A collection of ascetic writings concerning νηφία (mental sobriety), very useful for knowledge of Byzantine spiritual doctrine. It includes hesychastic documents.
3. Ἐνχειρίβιον συμβουλευτικὸν (Manual of Counsel), Venice 1801, which is perhaps Nicodemo’s principal ascetic work. It sets forth the doctrine of guarding the five external senses, the imagination, the mind, and the heart.