Theodore () was the
bishop of Marseille
The Archdiocese of Marseille (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Massiliensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Marseille'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France.[Marseille
Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...]
between King
Guntram
Saint Gontrand ( 532 in Soissons – 28 March 592 in Chalon-sur-Saône), also called Gontran, Gontram, Guntram, Gunthram, Gunthchramn, and Guntramnus, was the king of the Kingdom of Orléans from AD 561 to AD 592. He was the third-eldest and seco ...
and his nephew, King
Childebert II
Childebert II ( – 596) was the Merovingian king of Austrasia (which included Provence at the time) from 575 until his death in March 596, and the king of Burgundy from 592 to his death, as the adopted son of his uncle Guntram.
Childh ...
. He was arrested several times. His troubles are recorded by the contemporary historian
Gregory of Tours
Gregory of Tours (born ; 30 November – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours during the Merovingian period and is known as the "father of French history". He was a prelate in the Merovingian kingdom, encom ...
, who depicts him as a saintly albeit powerless figure who was supported by the laity, but opposed by his own clergy.
Venantius Fortunatus
Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus ( 530 600/609 AD; ), known as Saint Venantius Fortunatus (, ), was a Latin poet and hymnographer in the Merovingian Court, and a bishop of the Early Church who has been venerated since the Middle Ages. ...
, in a poem of 566, asks
Dynamius of Marseille to greet his bishop, Theodore, and his
metropolitan
Metropolitan may refer to:
Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical)
* Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop
** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see"
* Metropolitan ar ...
, of
Arles
Arles ( , , ; ; Classical ) is a coastal city and Communes of France, commune in the South of France, a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône Departments of France, department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Reg ...
. The city of
Marseille
Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
was at the time the most important Mediterranean port in
Merovingian Francia.
In 581, while he was on his way to Childebert's court, Theodore was arrested by Dynamius, then
governor of Provence. The former governor,
Jovinus
Jovinus was a Gallo-Roman senator and claimed to be Roman Emperor (411–413 AD).
Following the defeat of the usurper known as Constantine III, Jovinus was proclaimed emperor at Mainz in 411, a puppet supported by Gundahar, king of the Burgu ...
, was arrested at the same time. The clergy of Marseille, immediately acted as if he was dead. The charges against him, which are unknown, were eventually dropped and he was escorted back to the city by Duke
Gundulf, one of Childebert's men. Dynamius then accused of him of plotting against Guntram and again had him arrested. He was sent to Guntram, but the charges were dropped a second time and he was released.
In 582, the Merovingian claimant
Gundovald
Gundoald or Gundovald was a Merovingian usurper king in the area of southern Gaul in either 584 or 585. He claimed to be an illegitimate son of Clotaire I, Chlothar I and, with the financial support of the Emperor Maurice, took some major cities ...
landed in Marseille to make a bid for a throne with
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
backing. He was formally greeted by Theodore, who was consequently arrested by
Guntram Boso on charges of treason. He claimed to have been acting on the orders of Childebert. Acquitted before Guntram, he nonetheless remained in prison for some time.
Theodore was back in Marseille by 585, when Guntram accused him of responsibility for the assassination of King
Chilperic I
Chilperic I ( 539 – September 584) was the king of Neustria (or Soissons) from 561 to his death. He was one of the sons of the Franks, Frankish king Clotaire I and Queen Aregund.
Life
Immediately after the death of his father in 561, he ...
the previous year. Childebert had his duke,
Rathar, arrest Theodore and send him to Guntram, who intended to have him exiled. Guntram and Childebert jointly convoked a synod at
Troyes
Troyes () is a Communes of France, commune and the capital of the Departments of France, department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within ...
, but the bishops of the latter's kingdom refused to attend because of the planned prosecution of Theodore, which Childebert was also said to have opposed. Later in 585, Theodore attended the convoked by Guntram to discuss his case.
[; .] When Guntram fell ill, Theodore was released.
In June 591, Theodore and Bishop
Virgilius of Arles
Virgilius of Arles (died c. 610; Virgil, Virgile) was Archbishop of Arles in Gaul.
According to a life written in the eighth century he was born in a village of Aquitaine, became a monk, Abbot of Lérins, and Bishop of Arles, where he built a bas ...
received a letter from
Pope Gregory I
Pope Gregory I (; ; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great (; ), was the 64th Bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 until his death on 12 March 604. He is known for instituting the first recorded large-scale mission from Ro ...
informing them that "very many ... of the Jewish religion ... from time to time traveling for various matters of business to the regions of Marseilles, have apprized us that many of the Jews settled in those parts have been brought to the font of baptism more by force than by preaching." The pope ordered Theodore and Virgilius to put a stop to the
forced baptism
Forced conversion is the adoption of a religion or irreligion under duress. Someone who has been forced to convert to a different religion or irreligion may continue, covertly, to adhere to the beliefs and practices which were originally held, wh ...
of
Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
.
The diocese of Marseille remembers Theodore as a saint, keeping his feast on 3 February. His listed under 2 January in the revised ''
Roman Martyrology
The ''Roman Martyrology'' () is the official martyrology of the Catholic Church. Its use is obligatory in matters regarding the Roman Rite liturgy, but dioceses, countries and religious institutes may add duly approved appendices to it. It provid ...
'' of 2004, but is not listed in the ''
General Roman Calendar
The General Roman Calendar (GRC) is the liturgy, liturgical calendar that indicates the dates of celebrations of saints and Sacred mysteries, mysteries of the Lord (Jesus Christ) in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, wherever this liturgic ...
''.
References
Sources
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6th-century bishops in Gaul
Bishops of Marseille
6th-century Frankish saints