Anastasius III. (Antipope)

Anastasius Bibliothecarius († 879 ), as Anastasius III. briefly antipope in 855 , was a clergyman and church historian of the 9th century. His name, which comes from the Greek, means: the risen one.

Anastasius was appointed cardinal priest of San Marcello by Pope Leo IV , but in 850 he was relieved of his office, excommunicated and anathema in 853 . Supported by the party of Emperor Lothar I , he tried to stand up as an antipope against Benedict III. to claim and had him arrested in September 855. Given the massive resistance of the population, Benedict III was. however liberated and consecrated on September 29, 855.

Anastasius accepted his defeat. In 867 he was appointed librarian of the Roman Church by Pope Hadrian II , which earned him the nickname Bibliothecarius .

Because Pope Hadrian II believed that Anastasius had been involved in the murder of his daughter, he excommunicated him on October 12, 868 by a synod in Santa Prassede and forbade him to move further than 40 miles from Rome.

In the year 869 Anastasius traveled to Constantinople on behalf of Emperor Ludwig II to continue negotiations about a marriage between Caesar Konstantinos and Irmingard , the daughter of the Frankish emperor. There he offered his services as an interpreter to the Roman legates and took part in this role at the Fourth Council of Constantinople . Here he made Latin copies of all important documents, which he personally brought safely to Rome. This significant personal success may also be the reason why Hadrian II reinstated him in his old position as librarian.

Anastasius Bibliothecarius compiled a chronicle, the Chronographia tripartita , in Latin between 873 and 875 , which was based on the Greek chronicles of Georgios Synkellos , Theophanes and the patriarch Nikephoros .

Anastasius also completed the first edition of the Liber Pontificalis , which has been published since the 6th century . Contrary to popular belief, it contains no evidence of the existence of Popess Joan . Such an addendum in a Liber - Pontificalis -Manuskript in the Vatican dates back to the 13th century. It was probably created under the influence of Martin von Troppau's chronicle and cannot be regarded as a contemporary source.

literature

Bronwen Neil: Seventh-Century Popes and Martyrs. The Political Hagiography of Anastasius Bibliothecarius. Brepols, Turnhout 2007, ISBN 978-2-503-51887-9 .
Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz : Anastasius III. (Antipope). In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 1, Bautz, Hamm 1975. 2nd, unchanged edition Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-013-1 , Sp. 159. ( Article / beginning of article in the Internet archive )

Web links

Anastasius Bibliothecarius in the repertory "Historical Sources of the German Middle Ages"

Individual evidence

↑ Hans Grotz: inheritance against will. Hadrian II (867–872) and his time. Wien et al., Böhlau 1970, pp. 171f.
↑ Hans Grotz: inheritance against will. Hadrian II (867–872) and his time. Wien et al., Böhlau 1970, pp. 214f.
↑ Hans Grotz: inheritance against will. Hadrian II (867–872) and his time. Wien et al., Böhlau 1970, p. 234.

personal data
SURNAME	Anastasius III.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Anastasius Bibliothecarius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Clergyman and church writer
DATE OF BIRTH	8th century or 9th century
DATE OF DEATH	879

[1] Hans Grotz: inheritance against will. Hadrian II (867–872) and his time. Wien et al., Böhlau 1970, pp. 171f.

[2] Hans Grotz: inheritance against will. Hadrian II (867–872) and his time. Wien et al., Böhlau 1970, pp. 214f.

[3] Hans Grotz: inheritance against will. Hadrian II (867–872) and his time. Wien et al., Böhlau 1970, p. 234.