Arsenios Autoreianos

Arsenios Autoreianos
Arsenios Autoreianos
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
Church	Church of Constantinople
In office	1255 – 1259; August 1261 – May 1265
Predecessor	Manuel II of Constantinople, Nicephorus II of Constantinople
Successor	Nicephorus II of Constantinople, Germanus III of Constantinople
Personal details
Born	c. 1200
Died	30 September 1273

Arsenios Autoreianos (Latinized as Arsenius Autorianus) (Greek: Ἀρσένιος Ἀυτωρειανός), (c. 1200 – 30 September 1273), Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, lived about the middle of the 13th century.[1]

Born in Constantinople c. 1200, Arsenios received his education in Nicaea at a monastery of which he later became the abbot, though not in orders. Subsequently, he gave himself up to a life of solitary asceticism in a Bithynian monastery, and is said to have remained some time in a monastery on Mount Athos.[2]

Overview

From this seclusion he was called by the Byzantine Emperor Theodore II Lascaris to the position of patriarch at Nicaea in 1255.[2] Upon the emperor's death Arsenios may have shared guardianship of his son John IV Lascaris with George Muzalon: while the later historians Nikephoros Gregoras and Makarios Melissenos say the Patriarch was so named, the contemporary historians Pachymeres and Acropolites name only Mouzalon.[3] Nevertheless, a few days after Theodore's death George Muzalon was murdered by Michael Palaiologos, and who, at an assembly of the aristocracy presided over by Patriarch Arsenios, was appointed regent for the boy. Arsenios also performed the double coronation of Michael Palaiologos and John Lascaris in January 1259.[4]

Through the time between the death of Mouzalon and the double coronation, Arsenios had worked to protect the rights of the young emperor John Lascaris, at one point insisting that John and Michael exchange mutual oaths of loyalty. He also insisted that at the double coronation John Lascaris should be crowned first, which Michael Palaiologos saw as a serious barrier to his final usurpation. Pressure was put upon the patriarch to allow Palaiologos to be crowned alone, and even the young emperor was threatened. The patriarch found no support from the bishops assembled: except for two prelates, all believed that Palaiologos had the right to be crowned first. Arsenios at last conceded the point and crowned Michael and his wife first, while John Lascaris received only a special head-dress.[5]

The ceremony completed, Arsenios took refuge in the monastery of Paschasius, retaining his office of patriarch but refusing to discharge its duties. Nicephorus of Ephesus was appointed in his stead. Michael Palaiologos, having recovered Constantinople from the Latin Empire, induced Arsenios to undertake the office of patriarch, but soon incurred Arsenios' severe censure by ordering the young prince John to be blinded. Arsenios went so far as to excommunicate Emperor Michael Palaiologos; after attempting to frighten the patriarch into rescinding the excommunication by threatening to appeal to the Pope, Michael at last convened a synod, had Arsenios deposed, and towards the end of May 1265 sent him into exile.[6] There he died some years afterwards (according to Fabricius in 1264; others say in 1273).[2]

Throughout these years Arsenios declined to lift the sentence of excommunication from Michael and after his death, when the new patriarch Joseph gave absolution to the emperor, the dispute was carried on between the "Arsenites" and the "Josephists." The "Arsenian schism" lasted till 1315, when a reconciliation was pronounced by the patriarch Nephon I. Arsenius is said to have prepared the decisions of the councils and the works of the Fathers a summary of divine laws under the title Synopsis Canonum. Some hold that Synopsis was the work of another Arsenios, a monk of Athos; the ascription depends on whether the patriarch Arsenios did or did not reside at Mount Athos.[2]

References

Arsenius Autoreianus - Catholic Encyclopedia article
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Arsenius Autorianus". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 654.
Deno John Geanakoplos, Emperor Michael Palaeologus and the West, 1258–1282: A Study in Byzantine-Latin Relations, (Cambridge: Harvard, 1959), p 33n
Geanakoplos, Emperor Michael, pp. 41-46
Michael Angold, A Byzantine Government in Exile: Government and Society Under the Laskarids of Nicaea (1204-1261) (Oxford: University Press, 1975), pp. 89f
Donald Nicol, The Last Centuries of Byzantium, 1261–1453, second edition (Cambridge: University Press, 1993), p. 45

Bishops of Byzantium and patriarchs of Constantinople
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Patriarchs of Constantinople Ottoman period (1453–1923 AD)	Gennadius II Isidore II Joasaph I Sophronius I Mark II Symeon I Dionysius I Raphael I Maximus III Nephon II Maximus IV Joachim I Pachomius I Theoleptus I Jeremias I Joannicius I Dionysius II Joasaph II Metrophanes III Jeremias II Pachomius II Theoleptus II Matthew II Gabriel I Theophanes I Meletius I Neophytus II Raphael II Cyril I Timothy II Gregory IV Anthimus II Cyril II Athanasius III Neophytus III Parthenius I Parthenius II Joannicius II Cyril III Paisius I Parthenius III Gabriel II Parthenius IV Dionysius III Clement Methodius III Dionysius IV Gerasimus II Athanasius IV James Callinicus II Neophytus IV Gabriel III Neophytus V Cyprianus Athanasius V Cyril IV Cosmas III Jeremias III (Callinicus III) Paisius II Seraphim I Neophytus VI Cyril V Callinicus IV (III) Seraphim II Joannicius III Samuel Meletius II Theodosius II Sophronius II Gabriel IV Procopius Neophytus VII Gerasimus III Gregory V Callinicus V (IV) Jeremias IV Cyril VI Eugenius II Anthimus III Chrysanthus Agathangelus Constantius I Constantius II Gregory VI Anthimus IV Anthimus V Germanus IV Meletius III Anthimus VI Cyril VII Joachim II Sophronius III Joachim III Joachim IV Dionysius V Neophytus VIII Anthimus VII Constantine V Germanus V Meletius IV
Patriarchs of Constantinople Turkish period (since 1923 AD)	Gregory VII Constantine VI Basil III Photius II Benjamin Maximus V Athenagoras Demetrius Bartholomew
^† in exile at Nicaea Christianity portal

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Arsenios Autoreianos

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