Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
: Γερμανός; 634 – 742) was the
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the List of ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople, archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox ...
from 715 to 730. He is regarded as a
saint
In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
by both the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, with a
feast day
The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...
According to Theophanes the Confessor, Germanus I was a son of a patrician named Justinian, who was executed in 668. Justinian was reportedly involved in the murder of
Constans II
Constans II (; 7 November 630 – 15 July 668), also called "the Bearded" (), was the Byzantine emperor from 641 to 668. Constans was the last attested emperor to serve as Roman consul, consul, in 642, although the office continued to exist unti ...
Constantine IV
Constantine IV (); 650 – 10 July 685), called the Younger () and often incorrectly the Bearded () out of confusion with Constans II, his father, was Byzantine emperor from 668 to 685. His reign saw the first serious check to nearly 50 years ...
, son of Constans II, defeated his rival and punished the supporters of Mizizios. Germanus I survived the persecutions but was made a
eunuch
A eunuch ( , ) is a male who has been castration, castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2 ...
by the victors.
Germanus I was sent to a
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...
but resurfaced as the
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
of
Cyzicus
Cyzicus ( ; ; ) was an ancient Greek town in Mysia in Anatolia in the current Balıkesir Province of Turkey. It was located on the shoreward side of the present Kapıdağ Peninsula (the classical Arctonnesus), a tombolo which is said to have or ...
.Orthodox Church in America - Biography of St Germanus I the Patriarch of Constantinople /ref> He took part in the Council of Constantinople in 712, a gathering which issued decisions favoring
Monothelitism
Monothelitism, or monotheletism was a theological doctrine in Christianity that was proposed in the 7th century, but was ultimately rejected by the sixth ecumenical council. It held Christ as having only one will and was thus contrary to dyoth ...
, thereby abolishing the canons of the
Third Council of Constantinople
The Third Council of Constantinople, counted as the Sixth Ecumenical Council by the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches, and by certain other Western Churches, met in 680–681 and condemned monoenergism and monothelitism as heretical a ...
Catholic Encyclopedia
''The'' ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'', also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedi ...
'', Vol. 6, New York, Robert Appleton Company, 1909, 24 June 2013
In 713, Philippicus was deposed by Anastasius II. Anastasius II soon reversed all religious decisions of his predecessor. Patriarch John VI of Constantinople, strongly associated with Monothelitism, was eventually dismissed. On 11 August 715, Germanus I was elected Patriarch of Constantinople. Germanus I later helped negotiate Anastasius II's surrender terms to Theodosius III.
In 715, Germanus I organized a new council propagating Dyothelitism and
anathema
The word anathema has two main meanings. One is to describe that something or someone is being hated or avoided. The other refers to a formal excommunication by a Christian denomination, church. These meanings come from the New Testament, where a ...
tising various leaders of the opposing faction. He attempted to improve relations with the
Armenian Apostolic Church
The Armenian Apostolic Church () is the Autocephaly, autocephalous national church of Armenia. Part of Oriental Orthodoxy, it is one of the most ancient Christianity, Christian churches. The Armenian Apostolic Church, like the Armenian Catholic ...
with a view towards reconciliation. The major issue of his term would, however, be the emerging
Byzantine Iconoclasm
The Byzantine Iconoclasm () are two periods in the history of the Byzantine Empire when the use of religious images or icons was opposed by religious and imperial authorities within the Ecumenical Patriarchate (at the time still comprising the ...
, propagated by Emperor
Leo III the Isaurian
Leo III the Isaurian (; 685 – 18 June 741), also known as the Syrian, was the first List of Byzantine emperors, Byzantine emperor of the Isaurian dynasty from 717 until his death in 741. He put an end to the Twenty Years' Anarchy, a period o ...
. Germanus I was an
iconodule
Iconodulism (also iconoduly or iconodulia) designates the religious service to icons (kissing and honourable veneration, incense, and candlelight). The term comes from Neoclassical Greek εἰκονόδουλος (''eikonodoulos'') (from – '' ...
, and played an important role in defending the use of sacred images during the iconoclastic crisis of his day. For his opposition to the emperor, who considered reverence for these images a form of idolatry, Germanus I suffered exile.
After an apparently successful attempt to enforce the
baptism
Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...
of all
Jew
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
s and
Montanists
Montanism (), known by its adherents as the New Revelation, was an early Christian movement of the mid-to-late 2nd century, later referred to by the name of its founder, Montanus. Montanism held views about the basic tenets of Christian theo ...
in the empire (722), Leo III issued a series of edicts against the worship of images (726–729). A letter by the patriarch Germanus I written before 726 to two Iconoclast bishops says that "now whole towns and multitudes of people are in considerable agitation over this matter", but little evidence is extant as to the growth of the debate.
Germanus I resigned following the ban. Surviving letters Germanus I wrote at the time say little of theology. According to Patricia Karlin-Hayter, what worried Germanus I was that the ban of icons would prove that the Church had been in error for a long time and therefore play into the hands of Jews and
Muslims
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
.Karlin-Hayter, Patricia (2002), ''The Oxford History of Byzantium - Iconoclasm'',
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...
Tradition depicts Germanus I as much more determined in his position, even winning a debate on the matter with Constantine, Bishop of
Nacoleia
Nakoleia () also known as Nakolaion (Νακώλαιον), List of Latinised names, Latinized as Nacolia or Nacolea, was an ancient and medieval city in Phrygia. It corresponds to present-day Seyitgazi, Eskişehir Province in the Central Anatolia ...
, a leading Iconoclast.
Pope Gregory II
Pope Gregory II (; 669 – 11 February 731) was the Pope, bishop of Rome from 19 May 715 to his death on 11 February 731.
Germanus I was replaced by Patriarch Anastasius of Constantinople, who was more willing to obey the emperor. Germanus I retired to the residence of his family and died a few years later at an advanced age in 742. He was buried at the
Chora Church
The Chora Church or Kariye Mosque () is a Byzantine architecture, Byzantine church, now converted to a mosque (for the second time), in the Edirnekapı, Istanbul, Edirnekapı neighborhood of Fatih district, Istanbul, Turkey. It is famous for ...
. The
Second Council of Nicaea
The Second Council of Nicaea is recognized as the last of the first seven ecumenical councils by the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. In addition, it is also recognized as such by Old Catholic Church, Old Catholics and others. ...
(787) included Germanus I in the
diptych
A diptych (, ) is any object with two flat plates which form a pair, often attached by a hinge. For example, the standard notebook and school exercise book of the ancient world was a diptych consisting of a pair of such plates that contained a ...
s of the saints. He has since been regarded as a saint by both the
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...
and the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
.
Several of his writings have been preserved. His ''Historia Ecclesiastica'' was a popular work in Greek and Latin translations for many centuries, and remains often quoted by scholars. Parts of it were published in English in 1985 as ''On the Divine Liturgy'', described by its publishers as "for centuries the quasi-official explanation of the Divine Liturgy for the Byzantine Christian world". However, the church historian Johann Peter Kirsch was dubious that the work is actually by Germanus I.
Influence
Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...
included one of his texts in the apostolic constitution proclaiming Mary's assumption into heaven a dogma of the Church.
Among his writings was the hymn "Μέγα καί παράδοξον θαῦμα" translated by
John Mason Neale
John Mason Neale (24 January 1818 – 6 August 1866) was an English Anglican priest, scholar, and hymnwriter. He worked on and wrote a wide range of holy Christian texts, including obscure medieval hymns, both Western and Eastern. Among his mo ...
as "A Great and Mighty Wonder", although John Mason Neale misattributed this to Anatolius of Constantinople.
Notes and references
See also
*
Bibliography
*
* Gross, Ernie; ''This Day in Religion'', New York, Neal-Schuman Publishers, 1990, .
* Cyril Mango, "Historical Introduction", in Bryer & Herrin, ''Iconoclasm'', pp. 2–3, 1977, Centre for Byzantine Studies,
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...
, .
*
* GERMANO DI COSTANTINOPOLI, Storia ecclesiastica e contemplazione mistica, Traduzione, introduzione e note a cura di Antonio Calisi, Independently published, 2020, .