ANTÓNIOS-EMÍLIOS N. TACHIÁOS AND HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE RESEARCH OF BYZANTINE-SLAVIC RELATIONS

Contemporary Slavic studies and Byzantology records many important researchers dealing with Byzantine-Slavic relations, who brought new knowledge in the given area and significantly advanced the research of the Slavic cultural environment in relation to the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire and the perception of the depth of the heritage of the Thessaloniki brothers Constantine-Cyril and Methodius for the whole Slavic world. One of the most important personalities that deserve attention is Antónios-Emílios N. Tachiáos, professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, whose contribution to the research of Byzantine-Slavic relations and the related Cyrillic-Methodist issue is significant and unquestionable in scientific circles. In this study, we will analyse the life and work of this important personality, who can be classified as a Slavist or a Byzantologist. Some of his works have been translated into several languages, but the texts he published in his native Greek remain inaccessible to the international scientific community. On the basis of his most important studies, which resonated the most in Greek and international scientific circles in recent decades, we will approach four main areas of research that Professor Tachiáos has devoted himself to in depth during his academic career: the influence of Byzantine hesychasm on the spiritual life of the Slavs, the Athos state and monasticism, Byzantine-Slavic relations and the Christianization of the Slavs through the missionary work of Constantine-Cyril and Methodius. He perceived the values of the cultural heritage of the Thessaloniki brothers and their sustainability in a broader context, which enabled him to bring a new dimension to the understanding of the relations between Byzantium and Great Moravia.