Gennadius I of Constantinople, Saint

Gennadius I of Constantinople, Saint

▪ Byzantine theologian
died 471, Constantinople; feast day August 25

      Byzantine theologian, biblical exegete, and patriarch, a champion of Christian Orthodoxy who strove for an ecumenical (Greek: “universal”) statement of doctrine on the person and work of Christ to reconcile the opposing Alexandrian (Egyptian) and Antiochene (Syrian) theological traditions.

      Abbot of a monastery in Constantinople, Gennadius became patriarch in 458 and, with the counsel of Pope Leo I (440–461), proceeded against the monophysites (q.v.) and deposed their titular head, Bishop Timotheus Aelurus of Alexandria. To counter any Monophysite interpretation of the dogmas promulgated at Ephesus against the Nestorian heresy, Gennadius composed a sharp critique of Cyril of Alexandria's anathemas, written against the empirically oriented school of Antioch; indeed, he charged Cyril with blasphemy for identifying Christ's human actions with divinity. Moreover, to demonstrate his own orthodoxy, he wrote a commendation of Pope Leo's celebrated letter of 449 to Patriarch Flavian of Constantinople, delineating for both the Latin and the Greek churches the authoritative statement on Christ's nature and identifying the degrees of erroneous interpretation; this definitive expression became the norm for the general Council of Chalcedon.

      Only parts of Gennadius' biblical commentaries on the Old Testament book of Genesis and Letter of Paul to the Romans are extant. His contemporaries esteemed him as a scholarly man of letters and a sincere churchman dedicated to reform of simoniacal practices. In the Eastern Orthodox church Gennadius is revered as a saint.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gennadius — refers to:*Gennadius I: Patriarch of Constantinople from 458 471 A.D. *Gennadius II: Patriarch of Constantinople from 1454 1464 A.D. *Gennadius of Massilia: Fifth century historian, best known for his work De Viris Illustribus *Gennadius of… …   Wikipedia

  • Gennadius I, Saint — • Patriarch of Constantinople, d. 471 Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • List of people from Constantinople — This is a list of famous people hailing from the city of Constantinople. For a list of people born after 1453, see List of people from Istanbul*Saint Alexander (237/244 337) *Saint Helena (c. 250 c. 330) *Julian the Apostate (331 363) Byzantine… …   Wikipedia

  • Gennadios I of Constantinople — Saint Gennadios,in Greek Άγιος Γεννάδιος,was the twenty first Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (458 471). Gennadios is seen to have been a learnt writer and followed the Antiochene school of literal exegesis although little writings has… …   Wikipedia

  • Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople — This article is about the office of the Ecumenical Patriarch. For the current Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, see Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople. For the institution of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, one of the… …   Wikipedia

  • St. Gennadius I —     St. Gennadius I     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► St. Gennadius I     Patriarch of Constantinople (458 471), has left scarcely any writings. Facundus (Defensio, II, iv) states that he wrote against St. Cyril of Alexandria, probably in 431 2, and… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Patriarch Dionysius I of Constantinople — Dionysius I Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Church Church of Constantinople In Office end 1466 – end 1471 July 1488 – end 1490 Predecessor Symeon I [ …   Wikipedia

  • Patriarch Maximus III of Constantinople — Maximus III Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Church Church of Constantinople Appointed spring 1476 Reign ended 3 April 1482 Predecessor …   Wikipedia

  • Archbishop Nectarius of Constantinople — Nectarius (died 397 or 398) was the archbishop of Constantinople from AD 381 until his death, the successor to Saint Gregory Nazianzus.[1] Contents 1 Background 2 His calling 3 …   Wikipedia

  • Patriarch Nephon II of Constantinople — Nephon II Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Church Church of Constantinople In Office end 1486 – early 1488 summer 1497 – Aug 1498 spring 1502 Predecessor Symeon I Maximus IV Joachim I …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”