Pope John V
Encyclopedia
Pope John V was pope
from July 685 to August 2, 686. John V was the first pope of the Byzantine Papacy
allowed to be consecrated by the Byzantine emperor without prior consent, and the first in a line of ten consecutive popes of eastern origin. His papacy was marked by reconciliation between the city of Rome and the empire.
by birth, born in the province of Antioch
.
On account of his knowledge of Greek
, in 680 he was named papal legate to the Third Council of Constantinople
.
consecrated without the direct approval of the Byzantine emperor. Constantine IV
had done away with the requirement during the reign of Pope Benedict II
, John V's predecessor, providing that "the one elected to the Apostolic See may be ordained pontiff from that moment and without delay". In a return to the "ancient practice
", John V was selected "by the general population" of Rome. John was elected in July 685. Constantine IV doubtlessly trusted that the population and clergy of Rome had been sufficiently Easternized, and indeed the next ten pontiffs were of Eastern descent.
assured John V that a "synod of high-ranking civil and ecclesiastical officials", including the apocrisiarius
and the Byzantine military, had read and thereafter sealed the text of the Third Council of Constantinople, to prevent any alteration to its canons. The letter was addressed to "John pope of the city of Rome", written while the emperor believed the pope to still be alive, but received by Pope Conon.
Like his immediate predecessors, John V was unusually generous towards the dioconies of Rome, distributing 1,900 solidi to "all the clergy, the monastic diaconies, and the mansionarii".
. John V's death in August of 686 gave rise to a "heated debate over his successor", with the clergy favoring an archpriest
Petros, and the army supporting another priest named Theodoros. The faction of the clergy gathered outside the Constantinian basilica
and the faction of the military met in the Church of St. Stephen. Shuttle diplomacy
proved futile, and eventually the clergy elected Conon, a Greco-Sicilian, instead of their original candidate.
John V was buried among the papal tombs in Old St. Peter's Basilica
. His inscription praised him for combating Monothelitism
at the Third Council of Constantinople "with the titles of the faith, keeping such vigilance, you united the minds so that the inimical wolf mixing in might not seize the sheep, or the more powerful crush those below". John V's tomb was destroyed by the Saracen Sack of Rome (846)
, centuries before those around it were destroyed by the demolition of Old St. Peter's Basilica in the 16th/17th century.
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
from July 685 to August 2, 686. John V was the first pope of the Byzantine Papacy
Byzantine Papacy
The Byzantine Papacy was a period of Byzantine domination of the papacy from 537 to 752, when popes required the approval of the Byzantine Emperor for episcopal consecration, and many popes were chosen from the apocrisiarii or the inhabitants of Byzantine Greece, Byzantine Syria, or Byzantine Sicily...
allowed to be consecrated by the Byzantine emperor without prior consent, and the first in a line of ten consecutive popes of eastern origin. His papacy was marked by reconciliation between the city of Rome and the empire.
Early life
John was a SyrianSyriacs
Syriac may refer to:* Syriac alphabet* Syriac language* Syriac Christians* Syriac Christianity, the churches using Syriac as their liturgical language* Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac people, adherents of Syriac Christianity-See also:...
by birth, born in the province of Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
.
On account of his knowledge of Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, in 680 he was named papal legate to 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...
.
Election
John V was the first pope of the Byzantine PapacyByzantine Papacy
The Byzantine Papacy was a period of Byzantine domination of the papacy from 537 to 752, when popes required the approval of the Byzantine Emperor for episcopal consecration, and many popes were chosen from the apocrisiarii or the inhabitants of Byzantine Greece, Byzantine Syria, or Byzantine Sicily...
consecrated without the direct approval of the Byzantine emperor. Constantine IV
Constantine IV
Constantine IV , , sometimes incorrectly called Pogonatos, "the Bearded", by confusion with his father; was Byzantine emperor from 668 to 685...
had done away with the requirement during the reign of Pope Benedict II
Pope Benedict II
Pope Saint Benedict II was Pope from 684 to 685.Pope Benedict II died on May 8, 685. He succeeded Leo II. Although chosen in 683, he was not ordained until 684 because the leave of Emperor Constantine IV was not obtained until some months after the election...
, John V's predecessor, providing that "the one elected to the Apostolic See may be ordained pontiff from that moment and without delay". In a return to the "ancient practice
Papal selection before 1059
There was no fixed process for papal selection before 1059. Popes, the bishops of Rome and the leaders of the Catholic Church, were often appointed by their predecessors or secular rulers...
", John V was selected "by the general population" of Rome. John was elected in July 685. Constantine IV doubtlessly trusted that the population and clergy of Rome had been sufficiently Easternized, and indeed the next ten pontiffs were of Eastern descent.
Papacy
John V's papacy saw a continuation of improving relations with Byzantium. The emperor greatly reduced taxes on the papal patrimonies of Sicily and Calabria and abolished other taxes, such as a surtax on grain that had been paid only with difficulty in recent years. A letter from Justinian IIJustinian II
Justinian II , surnamed the Rhinotmetos or Rhinotmetus , was the last Byzantine Emperor of the Heraclian Dynasty, reigning from 685 to 695 and again from 705 to 711...
assured John V that a "synod of high-ranking civil and ecclesiastical officials", including the apocrisiarius
Apocrisiarius
An apocrisiarius, the Latinized form of apokrisiarios , sometimes Anglicized as apocrisiary, was a high diplomatic representative during Late Antiquity and the early medieval period. The corresponding Latin term was responsalis...
and the Byzantine military, had read and thereafter sealed the text of the Third Council of Constantinople, to prevent any alteration to its canons. The letter was addressed to "John pope of the city of Rome", written while the emperor believed the pope to still be alive, but received by Pope Conon.
Like his immediate predecessors, John V was unusually generous towards the dioconies of Rome, distributing 1,900 solidi to "all the clergy, the monastic diaconies, and the mansionarii".
Death
After a pontificate of little more than a year, John V died in bed, and was succeeded by Pope CononPope Conon
Pope Conon was Pope from October 21, 686 until his death in Rome. Conon was buried in the Patriarchal Basilica of St...
. John V's death in August of 686 gave rise to a "heated debate over his successor", with the clergy favoring an archpriest
Archpriest
An archpriest is a priest with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches, although it may be used in the Latin rite of the Roman Catholic Church instead of dean or vicar forane.In the 16th and 17th centuries, during...
Petros, and the army supporting another priest named Theodoros. The faction of the clergy gathered outside the Constantinian basilica
Basilica of St. John Lateran
The Papal Archbasilica of St. John Lateran , commonly known as St. John Lateran's Archbasilica and St. John Lateran's Basilica, is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome and the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope...
and the faction of the military met in the Church of St. Stephen. Shuttle diplomacy
Shuttle diplomacy
In diplomacy and international relations, shuttle diplomacy is the action of an outside party in serving as an intermediary between principals in a dispute, without direct principal-to-principal contact...
proved futile, and eventually the clergy elected Conon, a Greco-Sicilian, instead of their original candidate.
John V was buried among the papal tombs in Old St. Peter's Basilica
Papal tombs in Old St. Peter's Basilica
Papal tombs in Old St. Peter's Basilica were built from the fifth to sixteenth centuries. The majority of these tombs were destroyed during the sixteenth through seventeenth century demolition of Old St...
. His inscription praised him for combating 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...
at the Third Council of Constantinople "with the titles of the faith, keeping such vigilance, you united the minds so that the inimical wolf mixing in might not seize the sheep, or the more powerful crush those below". John V's tomb was destroyed by the Saracen Sack of Rome (846)
Sack of Rome (846)
In 846 Arab raiders plundered the environs of Rome, including the Vatican, sacking Old St. Peter's and St. Paul's-Outside-the-Walls, but were prevented from entering the city itself by the Aurelian Wall...
, centuries before those around it were destroyed by the demolition of Old St. Peter's Basilica in the 16th/17th century.