The Threatened Series - 26

AGAPITUS I (13 May 535 - 22 April 536)

"A man of culture, he kept a library of the fathers in his family
mansion on the Caelian Hill, and with the statesman and writer
Cassiodorus (c. 490-c. 580) planned a Christian university for Rome
modelled on the academies at Alexandria and Nisibis . . ." (ODP p. 58)

The Emperor Justinian was preparing to invade Italy to reincorporate it
into the Empire;  Theodahad, successor to Theodoric, sent Agapitus to
Constantinople to persuade the emperor to change his plans.  Agapitus
failed in his purpose of persuading Justinian to call off his invasion,
but was more successful on the Ecclesiastical front.  To the great
annoyance of the monophysite empress Theodora, he had the patriarch
Anthimus deposed for monophysitism, and made his successor sign an
expanded version of the formula of Hormisdas.  He also endorsed John
II's declaration confirming the orthodoxy of the Theopaschite formula,
and pronounced the emperor's faith to be orthodox and in conformity
with the teaching of the fathers and of the apostolic see.  Agapitus
died in Constantinople.

SILVERIUS (8 June 536 - 11 November 537)

Some of these popes' reigns were so short that one wonders if the
expedient of the poisoned chalice had yet come into vogue!  Perhaps we
need not suppose so;  it was a period of great stress for those in
power, and no doubt this took its toll.  The kings and emperors seem to
have lived long enough, though.

When news of Agapitus' death reached Rome, Theodahad bullied the clergy
into electing a pro-Gothic pope;  very necessary, from his point of
view, in view of the impending peril from Constantinople.

When Agapitus had died in Constantinople, the monophysite empress
Theodora had promised the Roman deacon Vigilius that she would use her
influence to have him made pope, if he would then reverse the
deposition of the monophysite patriarch Anthimus.  Vigilius hastened
back to Rome, only to find Silerius already installed.

Justinian's general Belisarius occupied Rome on 10th December 536, and
had Silverius forcibly removed from office.  He was persuaded to
abdicate, and died soon afterwards.  His place was taken by Vigilius.

VIGILIUS (29 March 537 - 7 June 555)
Vigilius played a devious game.  He assured Anthimus and other
monophysites in the east that he shared their views;  meanwhile he
assured Justinian that he was a devoted Chalcedonian.

In January 542 Justinian anathematized the teaching and person of
Origen, and Vigilius dutifully subscribed the edict.

Justinian then published another edict anathematizing what are called
the "Three Chapters".  These were:


1.  The person and writings of Theodore of Mopsuestia.
2.  Certain writings of Theodoret of Cyrrhus.
3.  Ibas of Edessa.

All three were said to be tainted with Nestorianism.  All had in fact
been supporters of the 'two natures' christology, whose orthodoxy had
been accepted by the Council of Chalcedon.  Justinian's strategy was,
by condemning writings suspected of Nestorianism, to win over the
monophysites.  Vigilius was less happy about condemning the Three
Chapters, because the west remained firmly behind Chalcedon.  Margaret
Deanesly (for now we begin to swim into her ken) describes the affair
as follows:

"Justinian's second attempt to conciliate the Monophysites was by the
condemnation of the works of three eastern doctors, moderate and
learned Nestorians, or quasi-Nestorians, whose works had been
summarised as the 'Three Chapters' and formally approved at Chalcedon: 
he issued the edict condemning these 'Three Chapters' in 543.  The
Monophysites were delighted, and Justinian meant to stand no
intervention by the pope this time.  Vigilius was caried off by force
to Constantinople, and talked over by the emperor, Theodora, and the
court theologians:  on Easter Eve, 548, he formally condemned the Three
Chapters.  Theodora died two months later.

"The matter was not, however, ended.  The bishops of Africa and
Illyricum protested against Vigilius' action, and in spite of their
deposition by the emperor, the whole west was troubled.  Vigilius was
alarmed at the result of his action, and demanded an oecumenical
council.  Fearing Justinian's anger he took refuge in a church, where
he was found by the soldiers sent to seize him:  his clerks were
seized, and when he clung to the altar pillars, the soliders pulled him
so violently that the altar collapsed upon him, to the horror of the
crowd.  The council he desired was summoned to Constantinople in 553; 
it formally condemned the Three Chapters, and with them Vigilius.  The
east had been conciliated at the expense of the west:  the bishops of
Milan and Aquileia firmly refused to remain in communion with Vigilius,
who had 'betrayed his trust' and 'deserted the orthodox cause,' - the
sanctity of all the decrees of Chalcedon."

(M. Deanesly, 'The Medieval Church' pp. 11-12).

We shall look at little more closely next time at this fifth Ecumenical
Council, the second to be held at Constantinople.

Oriens.
____________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get your free @yahoo.co.uk address at http://mail.yahoo.co.uk
or your free @yahoo.ie address at http://mail.yahoo.ie


%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%