John Maxentius ( la, Ioannes Maxentius; el, Ἰωάννης Μαξέντιος) as the Byzantine leader of the so-called

Scythian monks The Scythian monks were a community of monks from the region around the mouths of the Danube, who played an influential role in Christian theological disputes between the 4th and 6th centuries. The name ''Scythian'' comes from Scythia Minor, the c ...

, a

christological In Christianity, Christology (from the Greek grc, Χριστός, Khristós, label=none and grc, -λογία, -logia, label=none), translated literally from Greek as "the study of Christ", is a branch of theology that concerns Jesus. Differ ...

minority.

Biography

He appears in history at

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

in 519 and 520. The Scythian monks adapted the formula: "One of the Trinity suffered in the flesh" to exclude

Nestorianism Nestorianism is a term used in Christian theology and Church history to refer to several mutually related but doctrinarily distinct sets of teachings. The first meaning of the term is related to the original teachings of Christian theologian ...

and

Monophysitism Monophysitism ( or ) or monophysism () is a Christological term derived from the Greek (, "alone, solitary") and (, a word that has many meanings but in this context means "nature"). It is defined as "a doctrine that in the person of the incarn ...

, and they sought to have the works of

Faustus of Riez Saint Faustus of Riez was an early Bishop of Riez (Rhegium) in Southern Gaul (Provence), the best known and most distinguished defender of Semipelagianism. Biography Faustus was born between 400 and 410, and his contemporaries, Avitus of Vienne ...

condemned as being tainted with

Pelagianism Pelagianism is a Christian theological position that holds that the original sin did not taint human nature and that humans by divine grace have free will to achieve human perfection. Pelagius ( – AD), an ascetic and philosopher from th ...

. On both these points they met with opposition. John Maxentius presented an appeal to the

papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title ''legatus'') is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic ...

s then at Constantinople. When it failed to bring forth a favourable decision, some of the monks (not Maxentius, however) proceeded to Rome to lay the case before

Pope Hormisdas Pope Hormisdas (450 – 6 August 523) was the bishop of Rome from 20 July 514 to his death. His papacy was dominated by the Acacian schism, started in 484 by Acacius of Constantinople's efforts to placate the Monophysites. His efforts to resolve ...

. As the latter delayed his decision, they addressed themselves to some African bishops banished to Sardinia, and

St. Fulgentius Fulgentius of Cartagena ( es, San Fulgencio de Cartagena), born in Cartagena in the 6th century and died in 630, was Bishop of Ecija (Astigi), in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula, comprising modern Spain and Portugal). Biography Like his brothe ...

, answering in the name of these prelates, warmly endorsed their cause. Early in August, 520, the monks left Rome. On 13 August, 520, Hormisdas addressed a letter to an African bishop, Possessor, then at Constantinople, in which he severely condemned the conduct of the Scythian monks, also declaring that the writings of Faustus were not received among the authoritative works of the

Church Fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical per ...

and that the sound doctrine on grace was contained in the works of St. Augustine (Hormisdae ep., cxxiv in Thiel, p. 926). Maxentius assailed this letter in the strongest language as a document written by heretics and circulated under the pope's name. This is the last trace of the Scythian monks and their leader in history. The identification of John Maxentius with the priest John to whom Fulgentius addressed his "De veritate praedestinationis etc" and with the priest and

archimandrite The title archimandrite ( gr, ἀρχιμανδρίτης, archimandritēs), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot (''hegumenos'', gr, ἡγούμενος, present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") who ...

John, to whom the African bishops sent their "Epistula synodica", rests on a baseless assumption.

Works

Maxentius is also the author of * two dialogues against the Nestorians * twelve anathematisms against the Nestorians * a treatise against the

Acephali In church history, the term ' (from Ancient Greek: ', "headless", singular ' from ', "without", and ', "head") has been applied to several sects that supposedly had no leader. E. Cobham Brewer wrote, in ''Dictionary of Phrase and Fable'', th ...

(Monophysites). The "Professio de Christo", printed as a separate work, is but a part of the "Epistola ad legatos sedis apostolicae". His works, originally written in Latin, were preserved in a rather unsatisfactory condition. They were first published by Cochlaeus.Basle and Hagenau, 1520, reprinted in P.G., LXXXVI, i, 75-158.

Notes

;Attribution {{Authority control History of Christianity in Romania