Theodosius II ( el, Θεοδόσιος Β΄), lay surname Christianopoulos (Χριστιανόπουλος) served as the
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople ( Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of ...
between 1769 and 1773.
Biography
He was born in
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...
, where he was father superior. He served as chief of the
Church of St. George in
Istanbul
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
, blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD
, blank_i ...
. Later he was elected bishop of
Ierissos and
Mount Athos
Mount Athos (; el, Ἄθως, ) is a mountain in the distal part of the eponymous Athos peninsula and site of an important centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism in northeastern Greece. The mountain along with the respective part of the peni ...
, and in 1767 metropolitan bishop of
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
. He was elected Patriarch on 11 April 1769, at a time when Christians were persecuted after the withdrawal of the Russian forces following the
Orlov Revolt. Many Christians had helped the Russians, following the exhortations of the former Patriarch
Seraphim II and other clerics. Theodosius made efforts to save the
monasteries
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
of Mount Athos from demolition, he freed prisoners, he supported schools and monasteries and, with cooperation with the
Patriarch of Jerusalem Sophronius V, he managed to keep the
Holy Land
The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...
under the jurisdiction of the
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via ...
. Lastly, he tried to give a conciliatory solution
[''"οἱ μὲν ἐν Σαββάτῳ τελοῦντες τα τῶν ἀποιχομένων μνημόσυνα καλῶς ποιούσιν, ὡς τὴν ἀρχαίαν παράδοσιν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας φυλάσσοντες, οἱ δὲ ἐν Κυριακῇ οὐχ ὑπόκεινται κρίματι ..Περὶ δὲ τοῦ πυκνότερον ἢ βραδύτερον προσέρχεσθαι τὴ μεταλήψει τῶν ἀχράντων μυστηρίων, φαμέν, ὅτι χρόνος μὲν οὐχ ἄριστοι, ἀναγκαῖα δὲ πάντως ἡ διὰ τῆς θείας μετανοίας καὶ ἐξομολογήσεως προετοιμασία. Καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ τοῦ κηρύγματος χριστιανοὶ προσήρχοντό τη τῶν θείων μυστηρίων μεταλήψει καθ ἐκάστην Κυριακήν, οἱ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐν τεσσαράκοντᾳ ἠμέραις προευτρεπιζόμενοι διὰ τῆς μετανοίας, οὕτω προσήρχοντο. Διὸ ἕκαστος, εἰ ἄξιος, παραβαλλέττω ἑαυτὸν ἐν τοὶς πρώτοις, εἰ δὲ μή, τοὶς δευτέροις, καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ μακαριστὸν ..Κατὰ γοῦν τὸν θεῖον Ἀπόστολον, δοκιμαζέτω ἄνθρωπος ἑαυτὸν καὶ οὕτως ἐκ τοῦ ἄρτου ἐσθιέτω καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ποτηρίου πινέτω"''] to the issue of the
Kollyvades The Kollyvades ( el, Κολλυβάδες) were the members of a movement within the Eastern Orthodox Church that began in the second half of the eighteenth century among the monastic community of Mount Athos, which was concerned with the restorat ...
of Mount Athos.
He was forced to resign on 16 November 1773, following the machinations of the
Metropolitan of Prussa, Meletius. He retired to the Kamariotissa Monastery in
Heybeliada
Heybeliada, or Heybeli Ada, is the second largest of the Prince' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbull, Turkey. It is officially a neighbourhood of the Adalar district of Istanbul. Its name, meaning 'with a saddlebag' in Turkish, i ...
. In 1776, having completely lost his sight, he returned to Istanbul, where he resided until his death.
References
Sources
Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο
Bibliography
* Διονύσιος Δ. Βαλαής (D. D. Valais), Ο Μητροπολίτης Θεσσαλονίκης Θεοδόσιος Β΄ (Theodosius II of Constantinople) (1762-1769), Επιστημονική Επετηρίδα της Θεολογικής Σχολής του Α.Π.Θ., Νέα Σειρά, Τμήμα Θεολογίας, Τιμητικό Αφιέρωμα στον ομότιμο καθηγητή Ιωάννη Χρ. Ταρνανίδη (Scientific Annals of the Theological School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, New Series, Theology Department, Honorary Tribute to Professor Emeritus J. C. Tarnanidis), 17 (2007-8), p. 15-46
{{authority control
Bishops of Thessaloniki
18th-century Ecumenical Patriarchs of Constantinople
Religious leaders from Crete
18th-century Greek people