Gennadios I.

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Gennadios I († August 25, 471 in Constantinople ) was Patriarch of Constantinople from 458 to 471.

Early years

Gennadios was presbyter and abbot of a monastery in Constantinople and first made a name for himself in the early 430s as an ardent opponent of Cyril of Alexandria . “How many times have I heard blasphemies from Cyril of Alexandria! Woe to the scourge of Alexandria! ”He exclaimed in his work Two Books on Parthenios (a partisan of Nestorius ). A letter from Kyrill from the year 435 to a Gennadios, however, suggests a reconciliation between the two soon afterwards, if the recipient is Gennadios I.

Tenure as patriarch

In 458 Gennadios became Patriarch of Constantinople as the successor to Anatolios of Constantinople , whose uncompromising stance against the Monophysites he passionately continued. In the year 460 he took care of the deposition of the Monophysite patriarch of Alexandria, Timothy II Aelurus , in whose place he Timothy III. Salophakiolos took office , not least on the advice of the Roman bishop Leo I. In Constantinople itself, Gennadios Markian, a Novatian , was appointed chancellor and administrator of the Church of Constantinople.

Gennadios' commitment to harsh church discipline is illustrated by the following story, which has been handed down by Theodorus Lector : Accordingly, one day Gennadios heard of the unworthy way of life of the cleric Karisios, who preached in one of the churches in Constantinople. Gennadios then urged him to repent without achieving much. Even when Gennadios ordered him to be scourged, he remained unapologetic. Thereupon Gennadios prayed that the deceased Saint Eleutherius, patron of the church where Karisios worked, would either correct the sinner or bring him to the afterlife. The next day, Karisios was found dead.

During Gennadios' term of office, the pillar saint Daniel Stylites began to work near Constantinople. Daniel had staged his popular form of asceticism without the patriarch's permission, but Gennadios did not see himself in a position to take action against Daniel, as he was protected by Emperor Leo. Thereupon Gennadios went to Daniel's column and consecrated him from the ground - Daniel did not let him come up on the column - against his will to the priest.

In 459 Gennadios convened a synod of 81 bishops, who mainly passed resolutions against simony .

Works

In addition to the above-mentioned pamphlet against Parthenius, Gennadios wrote another pamphlet against the 12 anathematisms of Cyril of Alexandria. He also wrote a number of homilies and commentaries on the Bible, especially on Paul's letters.

literature

predecessor Office successor
Anatolios Patriarch of Constantinople
458–471 		Akakios
personal data
SURNAME Gennadios I.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Patriarch of Constantinople
DATE OF BIRTH 4th century or 5th century
DATE OF DEATH August 25, 471
Place of death Constantinople