“Λόγοι διδακτικοί του πατρός προς το υιόν” (“Didactic Speeches of Father to his Son”) by Marino Falier: Interaction of Orthodox and Catholic Traditions

The article is devoted to a topical theme of Venetian Crete as a varied world, both Greek and Latin. The aim of the research is to analyze a scantily explored problem of interaction of Orthodox and Catholic traditions in Venetian Crete in the 15th century on the material of philosophic-didactic work by Marino Falier, a Cretan poet of a Venetian origin, “Didactic Speeches of Father to his Son” translated by the author of the article. The character of the relationship between cultural and religious traditions is revealed on the basis of comparative method, textual analysis and study of the source structure. Falier's interest in secular life, his rationalism, didactic speculations, and demotic language are close to the outlook of Byzantine intellectuals but in his assessments he follows a Catholic tradition. The author of the research arrives at the conclusion that duality of the religious situation in Crete and flexible policy of Venice are reflected in Falier's Catholic point of view. Regarding Byzantium Orthodox culture with favour, he analyses phenomena in the spirit of Catholic discourse and asserts filioque.