1/22/2021 Eutychius of Constantinople - Wikipedia

Eutychius of Constantinople
Saint Eutychius (Greek: Ευτύχιος, Eutychios; c. 512 – 5 April 582),
considered a saint in the Catholic and Orthodox Christian traditions, Eutychius of
was the patriarch of Constantinople from 552 to 565, and from 577 Constantinople
to 582. His feast is kept by the Orthodox Church on 6 April, and he is Ecumenical Patriarch of
mentioned in the Catholic Church's "Corpus Juris".[1] His terms of Constantinople
office, occurring during the reign of Emperor Justinian the Great,
were marked by controversies with both imperial and papal
authority.[2]

Contents
Early life
First patriarchate
Arrest and exile
Return and second patriarchate
Late beliefs and death
Extant works by Eutychius
References

Icon of Eutychius, 16th century

Early life Installed 552

Eutychius' career is well documented: a full biography, composed by Term ended 565
his chaplain Eustathius of Constantinople, was preserved intact.[3] 577–582
Eutychius was born at Theium in Phrygia.[4] His father, Alexander, Personal details
was a general under the famous Byzantine commander Belisarius.
Born c. 512
Eutychius became a monk at Amasea at the age of 30. As an
archimandrite at Constantinople, Eutychius was well respected by Theium, Phrygia,
Menas, the Patriarch of Constantinople. Eventually, on the day Byzantine Empire
Menas died, Eutychius was nominated by Justinian the Great as Died 5 April 582
Patriarch.[3] Constantinople,
Byzantine Empire
First patriarchate Denomination Chalcedonian
Christianity
Pope Vigilius was in Constantinople when Eutychius became
patriarch.[5] Eutychius sent him the usual announcement of his own appointment and a completely
orthodox profession of the then-united Church. At the same time, the Pope urged him to summon and
preside over the Church Council summoned to deal with the Three-Chapter Controversy.[3] Vigilius first
gave, and then withdrew, his consent to the Council.[5] In spite of the Pope's refusal, the council met on 5
May 553 at Constantinople, and Eutychius shared the first place in the assembly with Apollinarius of
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutychius_of_Constantinople 1/4
1/22/2021 Eutychius of Constantinople - Wikipedia

Alexandria and Domninus of Antioch (called "Domnus III", see List of Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of
Antioch). At the second session, the pope excused himself again on the grounds of ill health. The
subscription of Eutychius to the Acts of this synod, which was later recognized as the Fifth General
Council and which concluded on 2 June 553, is a summary of the decrees against the Three Chapters.[3]

Eutychius had, so far, stood by the Emperor throughout. He composed the decree of the Council against
The Chapters. In 562, he consecrated the new church of Hagia Sophia.[5] However, Eutychius came into
violent collision with Justinian in 564, when the Emperor adopted the tenets of the Aphthartodocetae, a
sect of Non-Chalcedonians who believed that Christ's body on earth was incorruptible (’aphthorá) and
subject to no pain.[3]

Eutychius, in a long address, argued the incompatibility of the Aphthartodocetic beliefs with Scripture.
Emperor Justinian insisted that he subscribe to it anyway. When Eutychius refused to compromise,
Justinian ordered his arrest. On 22 January 565, Eutychius was celebrating the feast day of Saint
Timothy in the church adjoining the Hormisdas Palace when soldiers broke into the patriarchal
residence, entered the church, and carried him away.[6]

Arrest and exile

Eutychius was first removed to a monastery called Choracudis, and the next day to the monastery of St.
Osias near Chalcedon.[5] Eight days later Justinian called an assembly of princes and prelates, to which
he summoned Eutychius. The charges against him were trivial: that he used ointments, ate "delicate
meats", and prayed for long periods.[7] After being summoned three times, Eutychius replied that he
would only come if he were to be judged canonically, in his own dignity, and in command of his clergy.
Condemned by default, he was sent to an island in the Propontis named Principus ("Prince's Island"),
and later to his old monastery at Amasea, where he spent 12 years and 5 months.[3]

Return and second patriarchate

Upon the death of John Scholasticus, whom Justinian had put in the patriarchal chair, the people of
Constantinople demanded the return of Eutychius. Justin II had succeeded Justinian in 565 and had
associated with himself the young Tiberius, who was made Caesar in 574. In October 577 the two
emperors sent a delegation to Amasea to bring Eutychius back to Constantinople.[3] Contemporary
reports claim that as he entered the city, a large group of people met him, shouting aloud, "Blessed is he
that cometh in the name of the Lord," and "Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace".[3] In imitation
of the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem (recorded in Matthew 21:1–11 and John 12:12–18), he entered
the city on an ass's colt, over garments spread on the ground, the crowd carrying palms, dancing, and
singing. The whole city was illuminated, public banquets were held, and new buildings were
inaugurated.[3]

The next day he met with the two emperors and was given "conspicuous honor" at the Church of the
Virgin in Blachernae. He then proceeded to Hagia Sophia, mounted the pulpit, and blessed the many
people. It took him six hours to distribute the communion because all of the people wished to receive it
from his own hands.[3]

Late beliefs and death

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutychius_of_Constantinople 2/4
1/22/2021 Eutychius of Constantinople - Wikipedia

Toward the end of his life, Eutychius maintained an opinion that after the resurrection the body will be
"more subtle than air" and no longer a tangible thing.[3] This was considered heretical, because it was
taken as a denial of the doctrine of physical, corporeal resurrection. The future Pope Gregory the Great,
then residing at Constantinople as Apocrisiarius, opposed this opinion, citing Luke 24:39. Emperor
Tiberius talked to the disputants separately, and tried to reconcile them, but the breach was persistent.[3]

Eutychius died quietly on the Sunday after Easter, at the age of 70. Some of his friends later told Pope
Gregory that a few minutes before his death he touched the skin of his hand and said, "I confess that in
this flesh we shall rise again",[8] (a rough quote of Job 19:26).

Among his pupils was Eustratios of Constantinople who wrote a tract against soul sleep.

Extant works by Eutychius

His literary remains are:[3]

Letter to Pope Vigilius (Migne, P. L., LXIX, 63, P.G. LXXXVI, 2401)
"Discourse on Easter" (fragment) (Mai: Class. Auct. X, 488, and Script. Vet. Nov Coll. IX, 623); and
other fragments found in P.G., LXXXVI.

References
1. (Grat., I pars., Dist. XVI, Cap. x)
2. The chronology of his life followed by Sinclair (and this article) is that fixed by Henschen in his
introductory argument to the Life by Eustathius (Sinclair 1911 citing Boll. Acta SS. 6 Ap. i. 550).
3. Sinclair 1911.
4. William Hazlitt, ed. The Classical Gazetteer: A Dictionary of Ancient Geography, Sacred and
Profane, (1851) gives only "Theium, a fortress of Athamania, Ætolia, on Achelous fl[umen], n.w. of
Cranon;" see also Livy, Book 38.
5. Fortescue 1909.
6. Sinclair 1911 cites cf. du Cange, Cpolis. Chr. lib. ii. p. 96, lib. iv. p. 93, ed. 1729)
7. Fortescue 1909 cirs Eustathius, Vita S. Eutych., 4, 5.
8. Sinclair 1911 cites Paul. Diac. Vit. Greg. Mag. lib. i. capp. 9, 27–30; Vit. Greg. ex ejus Script

Attribution

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Fortescue, Adrian
(1909). "Eutychius I" (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05638b.htm). In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).
Catholic Encyclopedia. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Sinclair, W. M. (1911).
"Eutychius". In Wace, Henry; Piercy, William C. (eds.). Dictionary of Christian Biography and
Literature to the End of the Sixth Century (3rd ed.). London: John Murray.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutychius_of_Constantinople 3/4
1/22/2021 Eutychius of Constantinople - Wikipedia

Titles of Chalcedonian Christianity

Patriarch of
Preceded by Succeeded by
Constantinople
Menas John Scholasticus
552–565
Patriarch of
Preceded by Succeeded by
Constantinople
John Scholasticus John Nesteutes
577–582

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eutychius_of_Constantinople&oldid=1002104104"

This page was last edited on 22 January 2021, at 21:52 (UTC).

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site,
you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a
non-profit organization.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutychius_of_Constantinople 4/4