Patriarch Timothy II of Constantinople
Encyclopedia
Timothy II Marmarinos was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1612 to 1620.
, on the southern shore of the Sea of Marmara
. On 28 February 1601 he became archbishop of Patras
, an office he maintained till he became Patriarch of Constantinople. Actually after the deposition of Neophytus II in October 1612, the Church of Constantinople was temporally left in the care of Cyril Lucaris
as locum tenens because of his position as Greek Patriarch of Alexandria. Cyril Lucaris was close to being appointed as patriarch but four bishops opposed and obtained the election as Patriarch of one of their number, Timothy, thanks to a promise to the Ottoman Sultan to increase the annual fee paid by the Patriarchate to 8000 kuruş
. Thus after 21 days of interregnum Lucaris gave up and at end October or in November 1612 Timothy became the Patriarch of Constantinople.
Timothy remained a fierce opponent of Lucaris, whom he forced to retire on Mount Athos
. Timothy obtained a arrest warrant against Lucaris, but the latter fled back to Alexandria
in Egypt. Timothy also denounced Lucaris as a Lutheran.
The reason of Timothy's opposition to Lucaris did not originate with any alignment with the latter's main enemies, i.e. the Catholics, who opposed Lucaris' pro-Protestant attitude. Actually Timothy too maintained an anti-Catholic attitude, even if in 1615 he wrote a deferential letter to Pope Paul V
.
In 1614, Timothy rebuilt and expanded the small Church of St. George
in the Fanar
, that since 1601 had become the See
of the Patriarchate.
Timothy II died on 3 September 1620, or in March 1621 according to other sources. At the time rumors spread that he had been poisoned at a dinner given by the Dutch
ambassador
, a supporter of Lucaris, but no proof exists.
Life
Timothy II Marmarinos was born in BandırmaBandirma
Bandırma is a city in northwestern Turkey with 113,385 inhabitants on the Sea of Marmara. Also, Bandırma is a district of Balıkesir....
, on the southern shore of the Sea of Marmara
Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as the Propontis , is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Black...
. On 28 February 1601 he became archbishop of Patras
Patras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
, an office he maintained till he became Patriarch of Constantinople. Actually after the deposition of Neophytus II in October 1612, the Church of Constantinople was temporally left in the care of Cyril Lucaris
Cyril Lucaris
Cyril Lucaris born Constantine Lukaris or Loucaris was a Greek prelate and theologian, and a native of Candia, Crete . He later became the Greek Patriarch of Alexandria as Cyril III and Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople as Cyril I...
as locum tenens because of his position as Greek Patriarch of Alexandria. Cyril Lucaris was close to being appointed as patriarch but four bishops opposed and obtained the election as Patriarch of one of their number, Timothy, thanks to a promise to the Ottoman Sultan to increase the annual fee paid by the Patriarchate to 8000 kuruş
Kurus
Kuruş is a Turkish currency subunit. Since 2005, one new Turkish lira is equal to 100 kuruş. The kuruş was also the standard unit of currency in the Ottoman Empire until 1844, and from that date until the late 1970s was a subdivision of the former lira. It was subdivided into 40 para , each of...
. Thus after 21 days of interregnum Lucaris gave up and at end October or in November 1612 Timothy became the Patriarch of Constantinople.
Timothy remained a fierce opponent of Lucaris, whom he forced to retire on Mount Athos
Mount Athos
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
. Timothy obtained a arrest warrant against Lucaris, but the latter fled back to Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
in Egypt. Timothy also denounced Lucaris as a Lutheran.
The reason of Timothy's opposition to Lucaris did not originate with any alignment with the latter's main enemies, i.e. the Catholics, who opposed Lucaris' pro-Protestant attitude. Actually Timothy too maintained an anti-Catholic attitude, even if in 1615 he wrote a deferential letter to Pope Paul V
Pope Paul V
-Theology:Paul met with Galileo Galilei in 1616 after Cardinal Bellarmine had, on his orders, warned Galileo not to hold or defend the heliocentric ideas of Copernicus. Whether there was also an order not to teach those ideas in any way has been a matter for controversy...
.
In 1614, Timothy rebuilt and expanded the small Church of St. George
Church of St. George, Istanbul
The Church of St. George is the principal Greek Orthodox cathedral still in use in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and , the capital of the Byzantine Empire until 1453...
in the Fanar
Fanar
Fanar commonly refers to:*Fanar , a mosque in Qatar.*Fanar , a neighborhood in Istanbul....
, that since 1601 had become the See
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
of the Patriarchate.
Timothy II died on 3 September 1620, or in March 1621 according to other sources. At the time rumors spread that he had been poisoned at a dinner given by the Dutch
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
, a supporter of Lucaris, but no proof exists.