Patriarch Anastasius of Constantinople
Encyclopedia
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 (715–730). Anastasios was heavily involved in the controversy over icon
s (images). His opinion of icons changed twice. First he opposed them, then he favored them, and finally he opposed them again.
published an edict forbidding the use of images in the Church. His soldiers consequently removed images from churches throughout the Byzantine Empire
.
Germanos, the patriarch of Constantinople, protested the edict. He wrote a letter appealing to Pope Gregory II
in Rome
in 729. Emperor Leo deposed Germanos as patriarch soon afterwards. Pope Gregory opposed Leo and urged him to retract the edict, which Leo refused to do.
, continued to resist the new policy, even to the extent of encouraging armed rebellion against Imperial authority in Italy.
In 741 Leo died and was succeeded as Emperor by his son Constantine V
, who almost immediately needed to depart the capital to defend the eastern frontier against the Umayyad Caliphate. Constantine's brother-in-law Artabasdos
, who was kouropalates ("master of the palace"), and commanded both the Opsikion theme and the Armeniac theme
, took advantage of the new Emperor's absence from the capital to seize the throne. To gain support from those opposed to the iconoclastic policy, Artabasdos reversed it and declared himself the "Protector of the Holy Icons." Patriarch Anastasios quickly switched sides and suddenly became an ardent defender of icons, which Artabasdus reinstalled in the churches. Anastasios even excommunicated Constantine V and declared him a heretic.
Constantine gathered the loyal segments of his army and marched to Constantinople in 743. He defeated Artabasdos and had him executed. Anastasios was stripped of his office, whipped and blinded
and then paraded through the streets in shame. After Anastasios changed his position on the icon issue again, reverting to his former opinion against idols, he received the Emperor's pardon and was restored as patriarch. Anastasios lived until 754.
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
from 730 to 754. The patriarchate
Patriarchate
A patriarchate is the office or jurisdiction of a patriarch. A patriarch, as the term is used here, is either* one of the highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, earlier, the five that were included in the Pentarchy: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem, but now nine,...
of Constantinople is a high position in the eastern branch of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. He succeeded Germanos I (715–730). Anastasios was heavily involved in the controversy over icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
s (images). His opinion of icons changed twice. First he opposed them, then he favored them, and finally he opposed them again.
Background
In 726 Emperor Leo IIILeo III the Isaurian
Leo III the Isaurian or the Syrian , was Byzantine emperor from 717 until his death in 741...
published an edict forbidding the use of images in the Church. His soldiers consequently removed images from churches throughout the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
.
Germanos, the patriarch of Constantinople, protested the edict. He wrote a letter appealing to 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...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 729. Emperor Leo deposed Germanos as patriarch soon afterwards. Pope Gregory opposed Leo and urged him to retract the edict, which Leo refused to do.
Anastasios's Patriarchate
Leo appointed Anastasios patriarch of Constantinople in 730 based largely on his support for iconoclasm. The controversy over the policy would dominate his tenure and fuel the decisive breach between the Eastern and Western churches. Pope Gregory II died in 731, but his successor, Pope Gregory IIIPope Gregory III
Pope Saint Gregory III was pope from 731 to 741. A Syrian by birth, he succeeded Gregory II in March 731. His pontificate, like that of his predecessor, was disturbed by the iconoclastic controversy in the Byzantine Empire, in which he vainly invoked the intervention of Charles Martel.Elected by...
, continued to resist the new policy, even to the extent of encouraging armed rebellion against Imperial authority in Italy.
In 741 Leo died and was succeeded as Emperor by his son Constantine V
Constantine V
Constantine V was Byzantine emperor from 741 to 775; ); .-Early life:...
, who almost immediately needed to depart the capital to defend the eastern frontier against the Umayyad Caliphate. Constantine's brother-in-law Artabasdos
Artabasdos
Artavasdos, Latinized as Artabasdos or Artabasdus , was Byzantine Emperor of Armenian descent from June 741 or 742 until November 743...
, who was kouropalates ("master of the palace"), and commanded both the Opsikion theme and the Armeniac theme
Armeniac Theme
The Armeniac Theme , more properly the Theme of the Armeniacs was a Byzantine theme located in northeastern Asia Minor .-History:...
, took advantage of the new Emperor's absence from the capital to seize the throne. To gain support from those opposed to the iconoclastic policy, Artabasdos reversed it and declared himself the "Protector of the Holy Icons." Patriarch Anastasios quickly switched sides and suddenly became an ardent defender of icons, which Artabasdus reinstalled in the churches. Anastasios even excommunicated Constantine V and declared him a heretic.
Constantine gathered the loyal segments of his army and marched to Constantinople in 743. He defeated Artabasdos and had him executed. Anastasios was stripped of his office, whipped and blinded
Political mutilation in Byzantine culture
Mutilation in the Byzantine Empire was a common method of punishment for criminals of the era but it also had a role in the Empire's political life. The mutilation of political rivals by the Emperor was deemed an effective way of sidelining from the line of succession a person who was seen as a...
and then paraded through the streets in shame. After Anastasios changed his position on the icon issue again, reverting to his former opinion against idols, he received the Emperor's pardon and was restored as patriarch. Anastasios lived until 754.