Joannes I. Talaia

Joannes I. Talaia (* before 482, † after 496) was Patriarch of Alexandria (482) and Bishop of Nola .

He was a monk in Canopus near Alexandria and was under Timothy III. Salophakiolos administrator (megas oikonomos) of the Diocese of Alexandria and a noted preacher. After the re-establishment of Salophakiolus, he was sent several times to Emperor Zenon . According to reports, he appeared in Constantinople like the patriarch himself, enjoyed the favor of the emperor and befriended the palace administrator Illus, but fell out violently with the patriarch Akakios of Constantinople . On his second visit he received an edict from the emperor that made him successor to Salophakiolus.

After the death of Salophakiolus, he was elected patriarch by the pro-Chalcedonian party - the anti-Chalcedonian party elected Petros III , who was then exiled . Mongos . Talaia failed to send the usual synodial announcement of his election to Akakios, whereupon Akakios complained insultedly to the emperor, who thereupon exiled Joannes and instead made Petros Mongos, who had signed the Henoticon and thus became theologically elected, patriarch.

Joannes traveled to Rome , where he was received by Simplicius , who was related to Akakios for him. Akakios replied that he was in communion with Petros Mongos on the orders of the emperor and did not recognize Joannes, which led to a sharp answer from Simplicius. Simplicius's successor, Felix II , also supported Talaia and demanded that Akakios be accountable for certain allegations that Talaia had brought against him. At a synod in Rome, Felix excommunicated Akakios for his continued support of Petros Mongos and informed Zenon of this decision. However, he achieved nothing.

Joannes stayed in Rome. After the death of Zenon, he traveled to Constantinople to plead with his successor Anastasius for his cause, counting on the fact that he had helped him with a shipwreck in Alexandria. However, when Anastasios heard of the arrival of Joannes Talaia, he ordered his exile, and Joannes fled back to Rome.

Felix's successor Gelasius I also supported Talaia, and Talaia received the diocese of Nola in Campania, where he died in peace after many years. During his time there he wrote an Apologia to Gelasius, in which he condemned Pelagianism, Pelagius, Celestius and Julianus of Eklana.

Talaia was an influential advisor to the Curia both under Felix and Gelasius , which may have played an important role in the disputes over the Henoticon and the Akakian schism .

Web links

• Joannes Talaia in "A Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century AD"
• Catholic Encyclopedia: John Talaia

predecessor	Office	successor
Timothy III Salophakiolus	Patriarch of Alexandria 482	Petros III Mongos
Felix II	Bishop of Nola ?	Teodosio