Andronikos Doukas Kamateros (Greek: Ἀνδρόνικος Δούκας Καματηρός)[a] was a Byzantine aristocrat, senior official under Emperor Manuel I Komnenos, and theologian, best known for his theological treatise Sacred Arsenal.
Born probably around 1110,[2] Andronikos Kamateros was the son of Gregory Kamateros, a man of humble origin but well educated, who held several senior government posts under emperors Alexios I Komnenos and John II Komnenos and advanced to the high rank of sebastos, and of Irene Doukaina, probably a daughter of the protostrator Michael Doukas, whose sister Irene was wed to Alexios I.
[15] Kamateros wrote an epigram on the procession of the Holy Spirit,[7] but is best remembered for his Sacred Arsenal (Ἱερὰ Ὁπλοθήκη, Hiera Hoplothēkē), an "extensive dogmatic and theological exposition on various heresies", modelled on the Dogmatic Panoply of Euthymios Zigabenos but expanded to include tracts against the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and the Armenian Church.
[17] The Sacred Arsenal quickly acquired popularity as the "most important book that an Orthodox theologian could read in order to face the Roman Church" (Bucossi), and was held in high esteem for this purpose up to the 15th century.
[18] Following the Council of Lyon in 1274, the pro-Unionist Patriarch John XI Bekkos composed a refutation of its theological arguments,[2] but nevertheless praised its language and style.