THE TERM “PNEUMA” IN THE WORK OF THE BYZANTINE PHYSICIAN JOHN ACTUARIOS: TRADITION AND INNOVATION
The term “πνεῦμα” is a polysemantic term widely used in ancient Greek and medieval philosophy, theology and medicine. Ancient philosophers tried to explain through this term various phenomena hich were not clear and comprehensible for unambiguous rational analysis. The universality of this term has led to its different and ambivalent interpretations. There were certain nodal points in its content - what is it, where did the pneuma come from and for what is it used? This article compares the positions of ancient philosophers and physicians with the views of the Byzantine physician of the fourteenth century John Zacharias Actuarios. According to John Actuarios, pneuma is an important element of the human anatomy, worthy of large-scale study, the results of which are presented in the treatise “On Energies and Mental Illnesses of Psychic Pneuma”. Using this source as an example, one can find out what was the role of ancient physicians and philosophers in the formation of this term, and how the term did change over time. In the course of the study, one can notice that Byzantine science, which drew its inspiration from the works and knowledge of the Antiquity, reflected and creatively reinterpreted the existing heritage: some aspects lose their meaning, while Byzantine scientists refine and deepen another one.