Patriarch Germanos I of Constantinople
Encyclopedia
Saint Germanus I was Patriarch of Constantinople
from 715 to 730. He is regarded as a saint
, with a feast day of May 12.
, Germanus was a son of patrician Justinian who was executed in 668. Justinian was reportedly involved in the murder of Constans II
and usurpation of the throne by Mezezius
. Constantine IV
, son of Constans II, defeated his rival and punished the supporters of Mezezius. Germanus survived the persecutions. The names Justinian and Germanus were common in the Justinian Dynasty
and might suggest a distant relation. But any connection remains theoretic.
Germanus was sent to a monastery
. He resurfaces as Bishop
of Cyzicus
. He took part in the 712 Council of Constantinople where decisions favored Monothelitism
, abolishing the canons of the Third Council of Constantinople
(680-681). The Council followed the religious preferences of Philippikos Bardanes.
In 713, Philippikos Bardanes was deposed by Anastasios II
. Anastasios soon reverted all religious decisions of his predecessor. Patriarch John VI
, strongly associated with Monothelitism, was eventually dismissed. On 11 August 714/715, Germanus was elected Patriarch of Constantinople. Germanus later helped negotiate Anastasius' surrender terms to Theodosios III
.
In 715, Germanus organized a new council propagating Dyothelitism
and anathema
tizing various leaders of the opposing faction. He attempted to improve relations with the Armenian Apostolic Church
with a view towards reconciliation. The major issue of his term would, however, be the emerging Byzantine Iconoclasm, propagated by Leo III the Isaurian
. Germanus was an iconodule. After an apparently successful attempt to enforce the baptism
of all Jews and Montanists
in the empire (722), Leo issued a series of edicts against the worship of images (726–729). A letter by the patriarch Germanus written before 726 to two Iconoclast bishops says that "now whole towns and multitudes of people are in considerable agitation over this matter" but we have very little evidence as to the growth of the debate.
Germanus either resigned or was deposed following the ban. Surviving letters Germanus wrote at the time say little of theology. According to Patricia Karlin-Hayter, what worried Germanus was that the ban of icons would prove that the Church had been in error for a long time and therefore play into the hands of Jews and Muslims. Tradition depicts Germanos as much more determined in his position. Even winning a debate on the matter with Constantine, Bishop of Nacoleia
, a leading Iconoclast. Pope Gregory II
(term 715-731), a fellow iconodule, praised Germanus' "zeal and steadfastness".
Germanus was replaced by Anastasios
, more willing to obey the emperor. Germanus retired to the residence of his family. He died a few years at an advanced age. His death is estimated at occurring in 740. He was buried at the Chora Church
. The Second Council of Nicaea
(787) included Germanus in the diptych
s of the saints. He has since been regarded a saint by both the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church.
Several of his writings have been preserved. His Historia Ecclesiastica was a popular work in Greek and Latin translations for many centuries, and remains often quoted by scholars. Parts(?) of it were published in English in 1985 as On the Divine Liturgy, described by its publishers as "for centuries the quasi-official explanation of the Divine Liturgy for the Byzantine Christian world". However the Catholic Encyclopedia
is dubious that the work is actually by Germanus. Among his writings was the hymn "Μέγα καί παράδοξον θαῦμα" translated by John Mason Neale
as "A Great and Mighty Wonder".
Patriarch of Constantinople
The Ecumenical Patriarch is the Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome – ranking as primus inter pares in the Eastern Orthodox communion, which is seen by followers as the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church....
from 715 to 730. He is regarded as a saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
, with a feast day of May 12.
Life
According to Theophanes the ConfessorTheophanes the Confessor
Saint Theophanes Confessor was a member of the Byzantine aristocracy, who became a monk and chronicler. He is venerated on March 12 in the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church .-Biography:Theophanes was born in Constantinople of wealthy and noble iconodule parents: Isaac,...
, Germanus was a son of patrician Justinian who was executed in 668. Justinian was reportedly involved in the murder of Constans II
Constans II
Constans II , also called Constantine the Bearded , was Byzantine emperor from 641 to 668. He also was the last emperor to become consul in 642, becoming the last Roman consul in history....
and usurpation of the throne by Mezezius
Mezezius
Mezezius was an Armenian noble who served as a general of Byzantium, later usurping the Byzantine throne in Sicily from 668 to 669.According to a letter from Pope Gregory II to Emperor Leo III, he was Count of the Opsikion, the imperial retinue , and a later Syriac chronicle describes him as a...
. Constantine IV
Constantine IV
Constantine IV , , sometimes incorrectly called Pogonatos, "the Bearded", by confusion with his father; was Byzantine emperor from 668 to 685...
, son of Constans II, defeated his rival and punished the supporters of Mezezius. Germanus survived the persecutions. The names Justinian and Germanus were common in the Justinian Dynasty
Justinian Dynasty
The Justinian Dynasty is a family who ruled over the Byzantine Empire from 518 to 602. It originated with Justin I and ended with Maurice. Patriarch Germanus I of Constantinople , whose father was named Justinian, might have been a descendant of the dynasty...
and might suggest a distant relation. But any connection remains theoretic.
Germanus was sent to a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
. He resurfaces as Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Cyzicus
Cyzicus
Cyzicus was an ancient town of Mysia in Anatolia in the current Balıkesir Province of Turkey. It was located on the shoreward side of the present Kapıdağ Peninsula , a tombolo which is said to have originally been an island in the Sea of Marmara only to be connected to the mainland in historic...
. He took part in the 712 Council of Constantinople where decisions favored Monothelitism
Monothelitism
Monothelitism is a particular teaching about how the divine and human relate in the person of Jesus, known as a Christological doctrine, that formally emerged in Armenia and Syria in 629. Specifically, monothelitism teaches that Jesus Christ had two natures but only one will...
, abolishing the canons of the Third Council of Constantinople
Third Council of Constantinople
The Third Council of Constantinople, counted as the Sixth Ecumenical Council by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches and other Christian groups, met in 680/681 and condemned monoenergism and monothelitism as heretical and defined Jesus Christ as having two energies and two wills...
(680-681). The Council followed the religious preferences of Philippikos Bardanes.
In 713, Philippikos Bardanes was deposed by Anastasios II
Anastasios II (emperor)
Artemius Anastasius , known in English as Anastasios II or Anastasius II, , was Byzantine emperor from 713 to 715....
. Anastasios soon reverted all religious decisions of his predecessor. Patriarch John VI
Patriarch John VI of Constantinople
John VI , Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 712 to 715.John VI was placed on the patriarchal throne in 712 by Emperor Philippikos, as a replacement for the deposed Patriarch Kyros. John was favored by Philippikos, because he shared his Monothelite sympathies...
, strongly associated with Monothelitism, was eventually dismissed. On 11 August 714/715, Germanus was elected Patriarch of Constantinople. Germanus later helped negotiate Anastasius' surrender terms to Theodosios III
Theodosios III
Theodosios III or Theodosius III , was Byzantine Emperor from 715 to March 25, 717.Theodosius was a financial officer and tax collector in the southern portion of the theme of Opsikion. According to one theory he was the son of the former Emperor Tiberius III. When the thematic troops rebelled...
.
In 715, Germanus organized a new council propagating Dyothelitism
Dyothelitism
Dyothelitism is a particular teaching about how the divine and human relate in the person of Jesus, known as a Christological doctrine. Specifically, Dyothelitism teaches that Jesus Christ had two natures and two wills. This position is in opposition to the Monothelitism position in the...
and anathema
Anathema
Anathema originally meant something lifted up as an offering to the gods; it later evolved to mean:...
tizing various leaders of the opposing faction. He attempted to improve relations with the Armenian Apostolic Church
Armenian Apostolic Church
The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church, is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...
with a view towards reconciliation. The major issue of his term would, however, be the emerging Byzantine Iconoclasm, propagated by Leo III the Isaurian
Leo III the Isaurian
Leo III the Isaurian or the Syrian , was Byzantine emperor from 717 until his death in 741...
. Germanus was an iconodule. After an apparently successful attempt to enforce the baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
of all Jews and Montanists
Montanism
Montanism was an early Christian movement of the late 2nd century, later referred to by the name of its founder, Montanus, but originally known by its adherents as the New Prophecy...
in the empire (722), Leo issued a series of edicts against the worship of images (726–729). A letter by the patriarch Germanus written before 726 to two Iconoclast bishops says that "now whole towns and multitudes of people are in considerable agitation over this matter" but we have very little evidence as to the growth of the debate.
Germanus either resigned or was deposed following the ban. Surviving letters Germanus wrote at the time say little of theology. According to Patricia Karlin-Hayter, what worried Germanus was that the ban of icons would prove that the Church had been in error for a long time and therefore play into the hands of Jews and Muslims. Tradition depicts Germanos as much more determined in his position. Even winning a debate on the matter with Constantine, Bishop of Nacoleia
Nacoleia
Nakoleia , latinized as Nacolia or Nacolea, was an ancient and medieval city in Phrygia. It corresponds to present-day Seyitgazi, Eskişehir Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey.-History:...
, a leading Iconoclast. Pope Gregory II
Pope Gregory II
Pope Saint Gregory II was pope from May 19, 715 to his death on February 11, 731, succeeding Pope Constantine. Having, it is said, bought off the Lombards for thirty pounds of gold, Charles Martel having refused his call for aid, he used the tranquillity thus obtained for vigorous missionary...
(term 715-731), a fellow iconodule, praised Germanus' "zeal and steadfastness".
Germanus was replaced by Anastasios
Patriarch Anastasius of Constantinople
Anastasios was the patriarch of Constantinople from 730 to 754. The patriarchate of Constantinople is a high position in the eastern branch of Christianity. He succeeded Germanos I . Anastasios was heavily involved in the controversy over icons . His opinion of icons changed twice...
, more willing to obey the emperor. Germanus retired to the residence of his family. He died a few years at an advanced age. His death is estimated at occurring in 740. He was buried at the Chora Church
Chora Church
The Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora is considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of a Byzantine church. The church is situated in Istanbul, in the Edirnekapı neighborhood, which lies in the western part of the municipality of Fatih...
. The Second Council of Nicaea
Second Council of Nicaea
The Second Council of Nicaea is regarded as the Seventh Ecumenical Council by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic Churches and various other Western Christian groups...
(787) included Germanus in the diptych
Diptych
A diptych di "two" + ptychē "fold") is any object with two flat plates attached at a hinge. Devices of this form were quite popular in the ancient world, wax tablets being coated with wax on inner faces, for recording notes and for measuring time and direction.In Late Antiquity, ivory diptychs with...
s of the saints. He has since been regarded a saint by both the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church.
Several of his writings have been preserved. His Historia Ecclesiastica was a popular work in Greek and Latin translations for many centuries, and remains often quoted by scholars. Parts(?) of it were published in English in 1985 as On the Divine Liturgy, described by its publishers as "for centuries the quasi-official explanation of the Divine Liturgy for the Byzantine Christian world". However the Catholic Encyclopedia
Catholic Encyclopedia
The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...
is dubious that the work is actually by Germanus. Among his writings was the hymn "Μέγα καί παράδοξον θαῦμα" translated by John Mason Neale
John Mason Neale
John Mason Neale was an Anglican priest, scholar and hymn-writer.-Life:Neale was born in London, his parents being the Revd Cornelius Neale and Susanna Neale, daughter of John Mason Good...
as "A Great and Mighty Wonder".
Sources
- Gross, Ernie. This Day in Religion. New York: Neil-Schuman Publishers, 1990. ISBN 1-55570-045-4.
External links
- On the Divine Liturgy, Online text (English and Greek)
- Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Germanus I