Anastasius II of Antioch, also known as Anastasius the Younger, succeeded Anastasius of Antioch as

Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch The patriarch of Antioch is one of the Eastern Orthodox patriarchs, the leader of the autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch. The term "Greek" does not refer to ethnic origin; the majority of these patriarchs were not ethnic Greeks. It r ...

, in 599. Anastasius is known for his opposition and suppression of

simony Simony () is the act of selling church offices and roles or sacred things. It is named after Simon Magus, who is described in the Acts of the Apostles as having offered two disciples of Jesus payment in exchange for their empowering him to imp ...

in his diocese, with the support of

Pope Gregory the Great Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregoria ...

. In 609 Anastasius is said to have been assassinated during an uprising of

Syrian Jews Syrian Jews ( he, יהודי סוריה ''Yehudey Surya'', ar, الْيَهُود السُّورِيُّون ''al-Yahūd as-Sūriyyūn'', colloquially called SYs in the United States) are Jews who lived in the region of the modern state of Syri ...

, who were under threat of forced conversion to Christianity. Local Monophysites were also engaged in a revolt at the time. It is possible that they committed the assassination, rather than the Jews. Anastasius is one of the 140 Colonnade saints which adorn

St. Peter's Square Saint Peter's Square ( la, Forum Sancti Petri, it, Piazza San Pietro ,) is a large plaza located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the pope, papal enclave and exclave, enclave inside Rome, directly west of the neighbor ...

.Saint Anastasius II of Antioch
Patron Saint Index

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anastasius 02 609 deaths Syrian Christian saints Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Antioch 6th-century Byzantine bishops 7th-century Byzantine bishops 7th-century Christian martyrs Year of birth unknown 6th-century archbishops 7th-century archbishops