A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology

14. LOGOTHETA JUNIOR. In the Bibliotheca Juris Canonici of Justellus and Voellus (vol. ii. p. 710) is given the Ἐπιτομἠ κανόνων, Epitome Canonum s. Synopsis Canonica of Symeon Magister and Logotheta. Cave and Oudin distinguish this Symeon from Symeon Metaphrastes [No. 22], who also bore the titles of Magister and Logotheta, by the epithet Junior. The work itself is more ancient than the period (A. D. 1170) in which Cave places this Symeon junior, who could only have selected and arranged it, and possibly (as Beveridge conjectured) made annotations upon it. Christopher Justellus in the Praefatio to the second volume of the Bibliotheca Juris Canonici supposes the Symeon Logotheta who compiled the Epitome, to have been somewhat later than Alexius Aristinus or Aristenus [ALXEXIUS ARISTENUS], who belonged to the middle of the twelfth century, and this appears to have led Cave and Oudin to distinguish him from Metaphrastes, who belongs to a much earlier period. But as, according to Cave's own acknowledgment, the Canones are really of earlier date, and as in the title the compiler is no otherwise distinguished than by the titles Magister and Logotheta, which were borne by Metaphrastes, we agree with Fabricius in assigning the Epitome to Metaphrastes, and regard " Symeon Logotheta Junior" as an imaginary person. In that case the other works which Oudin and Cave ascribe to him must belong to some other Symeon. (Cave, Hist. Litt. ad ann. 1170, vol. ii. p. 241; Oudin, De Scriptoribus Eccles. vol. ii. col. 1366, &c.; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. xi. p. 297.)