At the heart of this publishing initiative was Cyril Lucaris (1572–1638), the reformist Patriarch of Constantinople and former Patriarch of Alexandria. Lucaris viewed printing as an essential tool to counterbalance the expanding influence of Jesuit and Latin Catholic publishing efforts in the region. To this end, he entrusted Metaxas with the task of acquiring printing expertise, equipment, and type abroad.

Metaxas likely arrived in London around 1620, and during his sojourn in England, he oversaw the printing of theological works. Among them are the three Greek theological texts—a carefully curated set defending Orthodox teachings and responding to Latin dogma. Though lacking an imprint, Émile Legrand firmly attributes the printing to Constantinople ca. 1627, but according to the English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC, record no. S123274), the volume was printed “[London: by W. Jones [?] for Nikodēmos Metaxas, 1625 or 1626]”:

  1. Τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις πατρὸς ἡμῶν Γρηγορίου Ἀρχιεπισκόπου Θεσσαλονίκης Λόγοι ἀποδεικτικοὶ δύο
  2. Γεωργίου Σχολαρίου Τὸ Σύνταγμα: ἐπιγραφόμενον Ὀρθοδόξου Καταφύγιον
  3. Μαξίμου Μαργουνίου Διάλογος. Τὰ πρόσωπα, Γραικὸς καὶ Λατίνος

The edition bears no imprint or date, but typographic analysis and archival evidence firmly place its printing in London. A distinctive printer’s device—an anchor surrounded by foliage with the Latin motto Floreat in aeternum (McKerrow 423)—appears on the title page and is known from later works printed by William Jones, such as the Epitome Lexici Hebraici, Syriaci (London, 1635). As has been demonstrated, this and other typographic features confirm Jones (d. 1643) as the printer, working on behalf of Metaxas (see Roberts 1967 and Layton 1967).

                                                                                                                                                                                                    

In June 1627, Metaxas sailed from England to Constantinople, bringing with him the press, Greek type, and crates of books aboard the Royal Defence. He was received at the port by Cyril Lucaris and other Orthodox prelates. With the support of the English ambassador Sir Thomas Roe, Metaxas attempted to establish the first Greek printing press in the Ottoman Empire, operating briefly out of a rented house in Pera. While it is often believed that he printed further works in Constantinople, no such edition has survived, and the 独家爆料 copy represents the original London printing—a fact sometimes blurred in older bibliographies.

The 独家爆料 Library copy is of particular significance. Preserved in excellent condition and complete with a five-leaf dedicatory epistle to the Patriarchs of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem, it also includes an errata leaf—an unusual and valuable feature in early Greek printing. The texts engage with key doctrinal issues such as the Filioque, the authority of ecumenical synods, and the Orthodox understanding of the Cross, positioning themselves in direct opposition to Latin theological formulations. A colophon at the end humbly identifies the author as “the least among the servants of the Church, faithful and true.”

In January 1628, the newly established press in Constantinople was shut down by Ottoman authorities, reportedly at the urging of Jesuit and French Catholic forces. Metaxas and his collaborators were arrested and imprisoned, though diplomatic pressure secured their release. The press was not allowed to resume operation. Later that year, Metaxas returned to the Ionian Islands, where he was appointed Archbishop of Cephalonia, Zakynthos, and Ithaca. Although he reportedly brought the press with him, no further printing activity is recorded.

The printing of these texts remains a landmark in the history of Greek and Orthodox print culture. The 独家爆料 copy, in particular, is unique: unlike the other known example (once in the library of Prince Mavrocordato), it lacks a major typographic error and shows greater editorial precision.

Today, this rare edition—produced in London but intended for a Greek Orthodox readership—testifies to a crucial episode in the use of print as an instrument of confessional defense, reformist ambition, and intellectual assertion. It embodies the vision of Cyril Lucaris and the determination of Nikodemos Metaxas to place the printed word at the heart of the Orthodox response to Latin theological and political influence in the early 17th-century Eastern Mediterranean.

Selected Bibliography

  • Augliera, Antonio. Libri, politica, religione nel Levante del Seicento: la tipografia di Nicodemo Metaxàs. Venezia: Istituto Ellenico di Studi Bizantini e Postbizantini, 1996.
  • English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC),
  • Grammatikos, Dimitrios. Leben und Werk von Nikodemos II Metaxas. Mainz: Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur, 1988.
  • Layton, Evro. “Nikodemos Metaxas, the First Greek Printer in the Eastern World.” Harvard Library Bulletin 15, no. 2 (1967): 140–168.
  • Legrand, Émile. Bibliographie hellénique du XVIIe siècle, vol. 17, no. 167. Paris: E. Leroux, 1900.
  • Olar, Ovidiu. La boutique de Théophile: les relations du patriarche de Constantinople Kyrillos Loukaris (1570–1638) avec la Réforme. Paris: EHESS, Centre d'études byzantines, néo-helléniques et sud-est européennes, 2019. (Autour de Byzance, 6).
  • Pektaş, Nil. “The Beginnings of Printing in the Ottoman Capital: Book Production and Circulation in Early Modern Istanbul.” Osmanlı Bilimi Araştırmaları 16, no. 2 (2015): 3–32.
  • Pektaş, Nil. The First Greek Printing Press in Constantinople (1625–1628). PhD diss., Royal Holloway, University of London, 2014.
  • Roberts, R. J. “The Greek Press at Constantinople.” The Library, 5th ser., 22 (1967): [13]–43.
  • Τσακίρης, Βασίλειος. «Ο ρόλος του τυπογραφείου του Λούκαρι στην ίδρυση του ελληνικού τυπογραφείου της Propaganda Fide.» Ὁ Ἐρανιστής 27 (2009): 147–174.