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Ascension icon

2013-05-08T14:12:31Z

Sîmbotin: /* Source */ iw

[[Image:Ascension174.jpg|right|frame|The [[Ascension]] of Christ]]
The '''Ascension icon''' shows [[Christ]], with [[angels]], being escorted back to His heavenly home. His Mother [[Theotokos|Mary]] stands with angels and the faithful [[Disciple|disciples]]. This [[icon]] is usually displayed for [[veneration]], in the center on the church, on the [[Ascension|feast of Ascension]].
==Design==
The icon is divided into two parts, top and bottom, [[heaven]] and earth. The top is in order, the bottom, except for the Theotokos, is in confusion. The figures are set against the hilly landscape of the Mount of Olives, scattered with olive trees. It is painted with bright colors as a joyous icon.

==Theology==
Although the icon depicts the event described by Saint [[Apostle Luke|Luke]], it is not meant to be a historical picture, but a representation of the Church.
===Christ===
Christ is shown inside the [[mandorla]] blessing all with his right hand and holding a scroll in his left. This is to show love and knowledge. This sphere is being carried up in glory by angels.

Even though we see Christ departing, the Orthodox Church sees the second and glorious coming in the same icon. Jesus said he would return exactly as he ascended. The icon does not show direction. His love and teachings are still with the Church.

===The Theotokos===
The focus of the lower part of the icon is the Theotokos. She represents the entire Church waiting for Jesus' return.
===The Disciples===
The entire group, the Theotokos and the disciples also represent the Church. In this case the faithful learning Christians. The disciples are waiting for the descent of the [[Holy Spirit]] at [[Pentecost]] and are shown in confusion.

The disciples shown can not be the historical gathering, but again a image of the Church. The [[Apostle Paul]] who was still Saul, a nonbeliever at that time, is standing next to Mary.

===Angels===
''Then two angels in white clothes said to the disciples, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." Then the disciples returned to Jerusalem'' (Acts 1:11).

==Source==
*[http://www.goarch.org/en/special/listen_learn_share/ascension/learn/ The Ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ]

[[Category:About Icons]]
[[Category:Feasts]]

[[ro:Icoana Înălțării]]

Cosmas and Damian (Asia Minor)

2013-05-08T13:51:33Z

Sîmbotin: iw:ro

The Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenary Physicians Cosmas and Damian and their mother St Theodota were natives of Asia Minor (some sources say Mesopotamia). Their pagan father died while they were still quite small children. Their mother raised them in Christian piety. Through her own example, and by reading holy books to them, St Theodota preserved her children in purity of life according to the command of the Lord, and Cosmas and Damian grew up into righteous and virtuous men.
{{cleanup}}
Trained and skilled as physicians, they received from the Holy Spirit the gift of healing people's illnesses of body and soul by the power of prayer. They even treated animals. With fervent love for both God and neighbor, they never took payment for their services. They strictly observed the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, "Freely have you received, freely give." (Mt. 10:8). The fame of Sts Cosmas and Damian spread throughout all the surrounding region, and people called them unmercenary physicians.

Once, the saints were summoned to a grievously ill woman named Palladia, whom all the doctors had refused to treat because of her seemingly hopeless condition. Through faith and through the fervent prayer of the holy brothers, the Lord healed the deadly disease and Palladia got up from her bed perfectly healthy and giving praise to God. In gratitude for being healed and wishing to give them a small gift, Palladia went quietly to Damian. She presented him with three eggs and said, "Take this small gift in the Name of the Holy Life-Creating Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." Hearing the Name of the Holy Trinity, the unmercenary one did not dare to refuse.

When St Cosmas learned what had happened, became very sad, for he thought that his brother had broken their strict vow. On his deathbed he gave instructions that his brother should not be buried beside him. St Damian also died shortly afterward, and everyone wondered where St Damian's grave should be. But through the will of God a miracle occurred. A camel, which the saints had treated for its wildness, spoke with a human voice saying that they should have no doubts about whether to place Damian beside Cosmas, because Damian did not accept the eggs from the woman as payment, but out of respect for the Name of God. The venerable relics of the holy brothers were buried together at Thereman (Mesopotamia).

Many miracles were worked after the death of the holy unmercenaries. There lived at Thereman, near the church of Cosmas and Damian, a certain man by the name of Malchus. One day he went on a journey, leaving his wife all alone for what would be a long time. He prayerfully entrusted her to the heavenly protection of the holy brothers. But the Enemy of the race of mankind took on the appearance of one of Malchus' friends, and planned to kill the woman. A certain time went by, and this man went to her at home and said that Malchus had sent him to bring her to him. The woman believed him and went along. He led her to a solitary place intending to kill her. The woman, seeing that disaster threatened her, called upon God with deep faith.

Two fiercesome men then appeared, and the devil let go of the woman and fled, falling off a cliff. The two men led the woman home. At her own home, bowing to them deeply she asked, " My rescuers, to whom I shall be grateful to the end of my days, what are your names?"

They replied, "We are the servants of Christ, Cosmas and Damian," and became invisible. The woman with trembling and with joy told everyone about what had happened to her. Glorifying God, she went up to the icon of the holy brothers and tearfully offered prayers of thanksgiving for her deliverance. And from that time the holy brothers were venerated as protectors of the holiness and inviolability of Christian marriage, and as givers of harmony to conjugal life. From ancient times, their veneration spread also to Russia.

The Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Asia Minor should not be confused with the Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Rome (July 1), or the Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Arabia (October 17).

From http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSM=11&FSD=1

[[el:Κοσμάς και Δαμιανός Μ. Ασίας]]
[[ro:Cosma și Damian]]

Stephen IV of Rome

2013-05-08T13:50:22Z

Sîmbotin: /* Sources */ iw

Pope '''Stephen IV of Rome''' was the [[Pope]] of the [[Church of Rome]] from 768 to 772. Pope Stephen was elected to the papal [[see]] after a previously elected successor to Pope [[Zacharias of Rome|Zacharias]], also Stephen, died before his [[consecration]]. This has resulted in confused regnal numbering when the Annuario Pontificio de-listed Stephen II and listed Stephen III as Stephen II (III). As a consequence, Pope Stephen IV may also be listed as Stephen III.

==Life==
Stephen was born in Sicily about the year 720, the son of Olivus in Sicily.<ref>Mann, pg. 369</ref> He came to Rome during the pontificate of [[Pope Gregory III]] and entered the Monastery of St. Chrysogonus. There, he was [[tonsure]]d a Benedictine [[monk]].<ref>Mann, pg. 369</ref> During the pontificate of Pope Zacharias, Stephen was [[ordination|ordained]] a [[priest]], after which he was assigned to the Lateran Palace. Stephen gradually rose to high office in the service of a succession of popes. He was at the bedside of the dying [[Pope Paul I]] as in late June 767 the powerful factions in Rome began maneuvering to ensure the election of their own candidate. During the following year, antipope claimants Constantine II (installed by a faction of Tuscan nobles) and Philip (the candidate of the Lombards) were forced out of office the Primicerius of notaries Christophorus and his son Sergius before Christophorus organized a canonical election in August 768 for which he called the Roman [[clergy]], army, and people to assemble before the Church of St. Adrian. The assembly then elected Stephen as pope.<ref>Mann, pg. 368</ref> He was then consecrated on [[August 7]], 768.<ref>Mann, pg. 371</ref>

The election of Stephen spurred an angry reaction against members of the regime of the antipope Constantine. The reaction of the crowd became brutal as Constantine’s Vice-dominus Bishop Theodore and his brother, Passivus were blinded, and retribution was made on the members of the town of Alati that had supported Constantine. The brutality included even Constantine as he was also blinded.

The role of Stephen III in these events is obscure, with assessments varying from his being an impotent observer to that of being complicit by issuing orders and taking delight in destroying his rival and his supporters. What is clear, however, is that the recent creation of the Papal States saw the traditional rivalries of the ruling families of Rome transformed into a murderous desire to control this new temporal power in Italy, dragging Stephen's papacy with it. <ref>Duffy, Eamon, ''Saints & Sinners: A History of the Popes'' (1997), pg. 72</ref>

After the situation settled down, Stephen notified the Frankish kings, now Charlemagne and his brother Carloman I of his election and convened a council that, after a final condemnation of Constantine and his appointees, established strict rules for papal elections that also restricted the involvement of the nobility in subsequent elections. The Lateran Council of 769 also rejected the [[Iconoclasm|iconoclast]] Council of Hiera and confirmed the practice of veneration of [[icon]]s.<ref>Mann, pgs. 373-375</ref>

Stephen remained apprehensive of the aggressive plans of the Lombards, a concern that led to his firming his relations with the Frankish kings Charlemagne and Carloman, particularly getting their support for the new Papal States. Their intervention with the Lombards did obtain the restoration of parts of Benevento to the papacy, however much to Stephen's consternation, the marriages of the Lombard king Desiderius' daughter, Desiderata, and son, Adalgis, to Charlemagne's mother's son and his sister were arranged.<ref>Mann, pg. 378-379</ref> While Stephen objected, noting that both men were already married, his pleas fell on deaf ears as Charlemagne himself married Desiderata in 770, temporarily cementing a familial alliance with the Lombards.

During the first years of his pontificate, Christophorus and Sergius continued in their support and counsel of Pope Stephen with a pro-Frankish bias and antipathy towards the Lombards. This, King Desiderius resented, which led to his engineering their downfall.<ref>Mann, pg. 383</ref> Using bribes, Desiderius got Paul Afiarta, Stephen's Chamberlain, and other members of the papal court to spread rumors about them to Stephen. When Desiderius tried to enter Rome in 771 with an army, claiming to be on a pilgrimage to pray at the [[shrine]] of St. Peter, Christophorus and Sergius shut the gates of the city against them. Arriving at the gates and seeing armed troops manning the walls, Desiderius asked to speak to the Pope, who came out to him. Then during Stephen’s absence, Afiarta and his supporters sought to stir up a mob to overthrow Christophorus and Sergius. However the two gained the upper hand and forced Afiarta and his colleagues to flee to the Lateran Palace.

Christophorus became suspicious when Stephen returned to the Lateran believing that Stephen had entered into an agreement with Desiderius and forced Stephen to swear that he would not surrender Christophorus or his son to the Lombards. When the next day Stephen appealed to the Lombard king for help, Desiderius demanded that Stephen surrender Christophorus and Sergius.<ref>Mann, pgs. 384-385</ref> After the two surrendered, they were blinded. Three days later Christophorus died and Sergius was held captive in the Lateran.<ref>Mann, pg. 386</ref>

Stephen remained subject to King Desiderius as in early 772 Afiarta took advantage of Pope Stephen's illness. After it became clear that Stephen was dying, Afiarta began to exile a number of influential clergy and nobles from Rome, while others he put into prison. Then on [[January 24]], before Stephen’s death, Afiarta dragged the blinded Sergius from his cell in the Lateran and had him strangled. On [[February 1]], 772, Pope Stephen died.<ref>Mann, pg. 392</ref>

==Notes==
<references/>

==Reference==
* Mann, Horace K., ''The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages, Vol. I: The Popes Under the Lombard Rule, Part 2, 657-795'' (1903)

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=Paul I|
title=[[List of Popes of Rome|Pope of Rome]]|
years=768 - 772|
after=[[Adrian I of Rome|Adrian I]]}}
{{end box}}

==Sources==
*[[Wikipedia: Pope_Stephen_III]]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14289a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Pope Stephen (III) IV]

[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category: 8th-century bishops]]
[[Category: Popes of Rome]]

[[ro:Ștefan al IV-lea al Romei]]

Stephen the Great

2013-05-08T13:47:39Z

Sîmbotin: iw:ro

The holy and right-believing Prince Saint '''Stephen the Great''' (Romanian: ''Dreptcredinciosul Voievod Ştefan cel Mare şi Sfânt'') was ruler of Moldova (in modern-day Romania) from 1457 to 1504. He was a great statesman and military tactician as well as being a devout Orthodox Christian. He was responsible for defending Moldova against the Ottoman invasion, building a [[church]] or [[monastery]] in thanks to God after each victory.

Stephen the Great was [[glorification|glorified]], along with his spiritual father St. [[Daniel the Hermit]] of [[Voronet Monastery|Voroneţ]] (''Sf. Daniil Sihastru de la Voroneţ'') and many other Romanian [[saint]]s, by the Synod of the [[Church of Romania]] in 1992. His [[feast day]] is [[July 2]].

==Life==
St. Stephen (also spelled Stefan) is honored as a saint throughout the Orthodox Church. Despite his earthly failings (somewhat comparable to the Psalmist and Patriarch [[David]]), he was a great defender of the True Faith against the onslaught of the Ottoman-[[Islam|Muslim]] Empire during the last half of the fifteenth century.

St. Stephen defeated Mehmet at a famous and decisive battle in a place called Vaslui (not far south of Iaṣi in the province of Moldova). Had he not done so, little would have stood between Mehmet and the Ukraine—and the obliteration of the rest of the Orthodox world. Mehmet met his match after shortly after having sacked Constantinople. With the rest of the Balkan peninsula falling to Islam's sword, Mehmet must have seemed unstoppable to Christians everywhere, yet none of the Western powers nor the Western Church would lift a finger against the Ottomans. Thus, Stephen stood more or less alone in defense of Christianity and his homeland.

Perhaps of equal or greater significance to this great saint's life is that he built many churches and monasteries—one after each of his 47 successful battles against the Ottomans, including many of the most beautiful monuments to Orthodoxy in the entire world. These monasteries still stand today and despite over 500 tumultuous years, including 50 years of Communist persecution of the Faith, they continue to thrive as a home to thousands of [[monasticism|monastics]]. Stephen's monasteries include the famous [[:Category:Painted Monasteries of Bucovina|"painted" monasteries]], referring to the fact that the outsides are frescoed and, remarkably, have survived 500 years of weather—except on the north sides. These include the fabulous painted monasteries of Voroneţ, Moldoviţa, and Suceaviţa, as well as Putna (where Stephen reposes) and Neamţ. At the west end of the south exterior wall of Voroneţ, interestingly enough, is a vibrantly colored fresco of the siege of Constantinople. Based undoubtedly on his zeal for the Church, he was commonly referred to as ''holy'' even during his life. St. Stephen's son founded the Probota Monastery, a magnificent monument to his own faith, still thriving today as a monastic community for women. Ironically, as depicted in the [[iconography]] on the west wall in the [[nave]] of its main church, St. Stephen's grandson—the son of Probota's founder—gave himself to Islam, no doubt preferring the''easier'' life it falsely promised him.

St. Stephen lost two battles and built nothing after them, probably believing that he did not have God's blessing to do so. And although he did have one son who resulted from an adulterous relationship, that son and his wife founded the painted monastery, Probota.

==Sources==
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=149011 St Stephen the Great] ([[OCA]])
*[[w:Stephen III of Moldavia|''Stephen III of Moldavia'' at Wikipedia]]
*[http://www.ststephentrust.org.uk/html/ststephen.html St Stephen]

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Rulers]]
[[Category:Romanian Saints]]
[[Category:16th-century saints]]

[[ro:Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt]]

Cyrus and John

2013-05-08T13:43:26Z

Sîmbotin: iw:ro

The Holy [[martyr]]s '''Cyrus and John''' were physicians who lived during the years of Emperor Diocletian's persecutions. After entering [[monasticism|monastic]] lives they came to Canopis to encourage Athanasia and her daughters in their faith when they were enduring persecution and torture, and suffered martyrdom with them. They are commemorated on [[January 31]].

==Life==
Born in Alexandria of Egypt in the third century A.D. to faithful Christian parents, St. Cyrus was raised to be a true follower of Christ from an early age.
St. Cyrus attended the university in Alexandria becoming a medical physician. He treated his patients without pay or rewards. St. Cyrus healed in the name of [[Jesus Christ]] with [[prayer]]s and by reciting passages from the [[Old Testament]]. After his patients were healed he would advise them that in order to stay healthy they must obey God’s commandments and not sin as most of the time sickness comes through sin.

As St. Cyrus became popular the citizens of Alexandria built him a hospital, which was converted into a [[church]] after his martyrdom. It was a place where miracles occurred even after his repose due to the grace of the [[Holy Spirit]] and the prayers of the [[saint]].

Aside from his healing and hospital duties St. Cyrus was a strong Christian teaching Christianity to the population of Alexandria. Many [[baptism]]s were performed and the [[church]] of Alexandria grew.

At that time the emperor of the Roman world was the pagan Diocletian (284-305) who was known for his merciless Christian persecutions. By preaching Christianity St. Cyrus was disobeying the laws of Rome to worship Roman Gods, an offense punishable by death. The governor of Alexandria was to arrest the saint who narrowly escaped to Arabia and became a [[monk]] near a [[monastery]] close to the Persian Gulf. Through prayer and fasting St. Cyrus became a miracle worker. He could heal many illnesses by merely praying and performing the sign of the cross.

It was to this monastery another physician arrived, St John, a military doctor in the forces of Diocletian.

Back in Egypt the persecutions continued and the newly appointed governor Syrianos tortured and executed anyone mentioning the name of Jesus.
A pious Christian woman named Athanasia was arrested along with her three young daughters – Theoctista, age fifteen, Theodota, age thirteen, and Eudoxia, age eleven, in the town of Canopis. When learning this Ss. Cyrus and John came to the Canopis prison to encourage the women not to abandon their faith.

Needless to say the [[saint]]s were arrested and tortured with beatings, whippings and burnings with lighted torches and boiling tar. This example of Christian courage and devotion strengthened the resolve of Athanasia, Theoctista, Theodota and Eudoxia who were also similarly tortured and beheaded only to be [[glorification|canonized]] as Saints of our Church.

Furious by their refusal to pay homage to Roman Gods, Syrianos had Ss. Cyrus and John beheaded (311). They were buried in the church of the [[disciple]] and [[evangelist]] St. Mark.

In the fifth century the [[relics]] of Ss. Cyrus and John were initially transferred from Canopis to Mauphin and later to Rome during the reign of [[Arcadius]]. Eventually they were brought to Munich.

We invoke the [[Unmercenary]] Ss. Cyrus and John during the Blessing of the Water and in the Sacrament of Holy Unction.

[[Category: Saints]]
[[Category:Ante-Nicene Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category: Martyrs]]
[[Category:Unmercenaries]]
[[Category:3rd-century saints]]

[[el:Κύρος και Ιωάννης οι Ανάργυροι]]
[[ro:Chir și Ioan]]

Cyrus and John

2013-03-27T15:54:23Z

Sîmbotin: iw

Menas of Egypt

2012-11-26T14:39:37Z

Sîmbotin: /* External links */ iw:ro

{{oriental}}
[[Image:StMina.gif|frame|Coptic icon of St Menas the Wonder-worker]]The holy, glorious and right-victorious [[Martyr]] '''Menas''' (or ''Mina''; 285-309 A.D.), the [[Wonder-worker]], is one of the most well known Egyptian saints in the East and the West, due to the many miracles that are performed through his [[intercession]]s. His [[feast day]] is celebrated on [[November 11]] (or in the [[Coptic]] church on [[Coptic Calendar|Hathor]] 15 ([[November 24]])).

==Life==
Saint Menas was born in Egypt in 285 A.D., in the city of Niceous (Nakiyos or Nikiu), which lies in the vicinity of Memphis. His parents were real [[ascetic]] Christians; his father's name was Audexios (or Eudoxius) and his mother's name was Aufimia (or Euphemia). On the feast of St. [[Theotokos|Mary]], the mother who did not have any children was praying in front of the [[icon]] of the Virgin with tears that God would give her a blessed son. A sound came to her ears saying "Amen," and thus she called her son Menas.

His father, a ruler of one of the administrative divisions of Egypt, died when Menas was 14 years old. At the age of 15, Menas joined the army. He was given a high rank because of his father's reputation and was stationed in Algeria. Three years later he left the army longing to devote his whole life to [[Christ]]. He headed towards the desert to live a different kind of life.

After spending five years as a [[hermit]], he saw in a revelation the [[angels]] crowning the martyrs with glamorous crowns, and longed to join those martyrs. While he was thinking about it, he heard a voice saying: "Blessed are you, Abba Menas, because you have been called for the pious life from your childhood. You shall be granted three immortal crowns; one because of your [[celibacy]], the second because of your asceticism, and the third for your martyrdom."

Immediately he felt as if the earth under him was vanishing, and he was overwhelmed with great eagerness to be carried away to heavens. In a mood of valor he hurried to the ruler, declaring his Christian faith. His sufferings attracted many of the pagans, not only to Christianity, but also to martyrdom.

==Relics==
The saint's assassins tried to burn his [[relics]] but failed. The saint's body remained in the fire for three days and three nights, and was not harmed. His sister came and gave the soldiers money and they let her take the body. She embarked with her brother's body on one of the ships heading to Alexandria, where they placed the saint's body in the church there.

When the time of persecution ended, during the papacy of [[Pope]] [[Athanasius of Alexandria]], the believers loaded the saint's body on a camel and headed towards the western desert (after an angel appeared to the Patriarch informing him to do so). At the spot that the Lord had designated, the camel stopped and refused to move. There, near a water well, they buried the saint's body. That place is the same as where [[St. Mina Monastery (Mariut, Egypt)|the saint's present-day Coptic Orthodox monastery]] is located at the end of Lake Mariut, not far from Alexandria, Egypt.

Later on, the Berbers of Pentapolis rose against the cities around Alexandria. The people were getting ready to face the Berbers, and the governor decided to take the body of St. Menas with him to be his deliverer and his strong protector. He took the body secretly and through the saint's blessings, he overcame the Berbers and returned victorious.

The governor decided not to return St. Menas' body to its original place (in Mariut) and wanted to take it to Alexandria. On the way back, they passed by Lake Mariut, St. Menas' original place. The camel carrying the body knelt down and would not move in spite of frequent beatings. They moved the body over another camel, but this second camel did not move from its place. The governor finally realized that this was the Lord's command. He made a coffin from decay-resistant wood and placed the silver coffin in it. He then returned it to its place and invoked St. Menas' blessings before returning to his city.

Later, his burial place was revealed when a shepherd was feeding his sheep in that area and a sick lamb fell on the ground. As it struggled to get on its feet again, its scab was cured. The story spread quickly and the sick who came to this spot recovered from whatever illnesses they had just by laying on the ground.

During that time, the daughter of [[Zeno (emperor)|Zinon]], the Christ-loving Emperor at Constantinople (ruled 474-475, 476-491), was leprous. His advisers suggested that she should try that place, and she did. At night St. Menas appeared to the girl and informed her that his body was buried in that place. The following morning, she bathed in the well and was healed. She related her vision about St. Menas to her servants and that he cured her. Immediately, Zinon ordered the saint's body to be dug out, and a church to be built there.

==Historical significance==
===St. Menas in Mariut===
When [[Arcadius]] and [[w:Honorius (emperor)|Honorius]] reigned (383–408 and 393-423), they also ordered that a large city to be built there and named after the saint.<ref>[http://www.stmina-monastery.org/abu_mena.htm Abu Mena (Abu Mina)]</ref> Sick people from all over the world would visit the city and were healed by the intercession of St. Menas, the Miracle-maker. That is evident from the numerous little clay bottles on which his name and picture are engraved. These were discovered by archeologists in diverse countries around the Mediterranean world, such as Heidelberg, Germany; Milan, Italy; Dalmata, Yugoslavia; Marseille, France; Dengela, Sudan; and Jerusalem. Visitors from these cities and others would buy these bottles, usually containing oil or water for blessing, and take them back to their relatives.

The historian Edith L. Butcher recorded that destruction started to take place in the city, and its inhabitants were degraded after the Arab conquest. During the period after Haroun El-Rasheed ([[Islam|Muslim]] ruler), the Berbers attacked the city and burned a large portion of it. At the time of El-Mamoun (Muslim ruler), he ordered that the entire city be taken down, and then he used its numerous marble pillars to build his palace and mosques. It is only in the 20th century that international missions began to search for the city and the church (now a UNESCO World Heritage Site).

===The New Cathedral of St. Menas===
As soon as Pope [[Cyril VI (Atta) of Alexandria|Cyril (Kyrillos) the Sixth]] was installed on St. [[Apostle Mark|Mark]]'s Throne, he began to put the foundations of a great monastery close to the remains of the old city. Thus, the old monastery of St. Menas was resurrected, and the Copts were able to visit it once again and to be blessed by the saint. What is even more interesting is that Pope Kyrillos VI stated in his will that his body should not be buried in the new famous Cathedral of St. Mark in Cairo, but in the monastery of his personal friend and intercessor, St. Menas the Miracle-maker.

==Reference==
*<references />

==Sources==
* [http://www.stmina-monastery.org/stmina.htm St. Mina] ([[Coptic]])
* [http://www.stmina-monastery.org/inotherchurches.htm Beyond the Coptic Orthodox Church] (Coptic)

==External links==
* [http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=103277 Martyr Menas of Egypt] ([[OCA]])
* [http://www.goarch.org/chapel/saints/285 Menas of Egypt] ([[GOARCH]])
* [http://www.westsrbdio.org/prolog/my.html?month=November&day=11 The Holy Great-martyr Menas] (''[[Prologue of Ohrid]]'')
* [http://www.comeandseeicons.com/m/inp09.htm Icon of St. Menas of Egypt]
* [http://www.stmina-monastery.org/ St. Mina Monastery in Mariut on the Web] (Coptic)
* [[w:Saint Mina|Saint Mina]]. Wikipedia.
* Great [[Synaxarion|Synaxaristes]]: {{el icon}} ''[http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/1149/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ὁ Ἅγιος Μηνᾶς ὁ Μεγαλομάρτυρας «ὁ ἐν τῷ Κοτυαείῳ»].'' 11 Νοεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.

[[Category:Martyrs]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Ante-Nicene Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category:Egyptian Saints]]
[[Category:Wonderworkers]]
[[Category:4th-century saints]]

[[el:Μηνάς, Άγιος]]
[[ro:Mina]]
[[ar:مارمينا العجائبي]]

Aposticha

2012-03-20T07:14:18Z

Sîmbotin: iw:ro

'''Aposticha''' are a set of hymns ([[sticheron|stichera]]) and verses towards the end of [[Vespers]] and [[Matins]]. The Greek literally means "hymns on the verses (''stichos'')." Aposticha are unique in that they start with a [[hymn]], rather than a verse as stichera usually do. On Sundays there is one more sticheron than on weekdays. The aposticha at Sunday Vespers form an alphabetical acrostic in the original Greek. The first sticheron is not part of the acrostic.

== Sources ==
* Archimandrite Ephrem, "Aposticha" and "Sticheron" in ''Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity'' (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 1999.) ISBN 0631189661
* Monks of New Skete, [http://www.ogreatmystery.com/newskete/hymnsofentreaty/introduction.html "Introduction"] in ''Hymns of Entreaty'' (Cambridge, New York: New Skete, 1987.) ISBN 093512909X

[[Category:Hymnography]]

[[ro:Stihoavnă]]

Template:March 15

2012-03-16T15:46:41Z

Sîmbotin: Apostle Aristobulus

<div style="float:right;margin-left:1em">
[[Image:Rublev Trinity.jpg|100px|The Holy Trinity]]
</div>[[Martyr]]s Agapius, Publius (Pauplios), Timolaus, Romulus, two named Dionysius, and two named Alexander, at Caesarea in Palestine; Holy [[Apostle Aristobulus]] of the [[Apostles|Seventy]], first [[Bishop]] of Britain; Martyr [[Nicander of Egypt]]; [[Hieromartyr]] [[Alexander of Side]] in Pamphylia; [[Saint]] Nicander, [[monk]] of Gorodetsk (Novgorod); [[New-Martyr]]s [[Manuel of Crete]] and Parthenios
<noinclude>[[Category:Calendar day templates|March 15]]</noinclude>

John III Doukas Vatatzes

2012-03-15T16:35:16Z

Sîmbotin: iw:ro

[[File:St John Vatatzes the Merciful.jpg|right|thumb|225px|St. John Vatatzes the Merciful, Emperor of Nicaea from 1221-1254.]]
Emperor Saint '''John Vatatzes the Merciful''' ({{el icon}}: Ὁ Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Βατατζὴς ὁ ἐλεήμονας βασιλιὰς<ref name=MEGAS>Great [[Synaxarion|Synaxaristes]]: {{el icon}} ''[http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/1092/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ὁ Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Βατατζὴς ὁ ἐλεήμονας βασιλιὰς].'' 4 Νοεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.</ref>), also '''John III Doukas Vatatzes''' ({{el icon}}: Ιωάννης Γ΄ Δούκας Βατάτζης) or '''John III Vatatzes''', was the Emperor of [[Nicea|Nicaea]]<ref group="note">The Empire of Nicaea was the largest of the three Byzantine Greek successor states founded by the aristocracy of the [[Byzantine Empire]] that fled after [[Constantinople]] was occupied by Western European and Venetian forces during the [[Fourth Crusade]]. Founded by the Laskaris family, it lasted from 1204 to 1261, when the Nicaean recovery of Constantinople re-established the Byzantine Empire.</ref> from 1221 to 1254 and was one of the most remarkable among the successors of [[Constantine the Great]], being the chief architect of the restored [[Byzantine Empire]], and a respected leader who encouraged justice, charity and a cultural blossoming. He was born ca.1192 in [[w:Didymoteicho|Didymoteicho]] and died on 3 November 1254 in [[w:Nymphaion_(Ionia)#History|Nymphaion]]. His [[feast day]] is on [[November 4]].<ref name="MEGAS"/><ref group="note">Not be confused with the 7th-century Saint [[John the Merciful]] ([[November 12]]).</ref>

==Biography==
[[File:Vatatzis-Arms.jpg|right|thumb|The dynastic Arms of the Vatatzes family, a prominent military family from Thrace.]]
===Early Life===
John Doukas Vatatzes was probably the son of the general Basil Vatatzes, [[w:Domestikos|Domestikos]] of the East, who died in 1193, and his wife, an unnamed niece of the Emperors [[w:Isaac II Angelos|Isaac II Angelos]] and [[w:Alexios III Angelos|Alexios III Angelos]].<ref group="note">John Doukas Vatatzes had two older brothers:
:The eldest was Isaakios Doukas Vatatzes (died 1261), who married and had two children: Ioannes Vatatzes (born 1215), who married to Eudokia Angelina and had two daughters [[w:Theodora Doukaina Vatatzaina|Theodora Doukaina Vatatzaina]], wife of [[w:Michael VIII Palaiologos|Michael VIII Palaiologos]], and Maria Vatatzaina, married to [[w:Michael Doukas Glabas Tarchaneiotes|Michael Doukas Glabas Tarchaneiotes]], Military Goveror of Thrace; and a daughter, married to Konstantinos Strategopoulos. His other older brother was the father in law of Alexios Raul (died 1258).
::* ''[http://genealogy.euweb.cz/byzant/byzant7.html The Batatzes family].'' Emperors of Byzantium. 1 October 2002.</ref>

The Vatatzes were a great military family of Thrace. They had representatives in the senate and were related to other eminent families, like the Doukes, the Angeloi and the Laskarids.<ref name=BANEV>Banev Guentcho. ''[http://asiaminor.ehw.gr/forms/fLemmaBodyExtended.aspx?lemmaID=9275 John III Vatatzes].'' Transl. Koutras, Nikolaos. '''Encyclopaedia of the Hellenic World, Asia Minor (EHW)'''. 12/16/2002.</ref> The Vatatzes family had first become prominent in Byzantine society in the [[w:Komnenian dynasty|Komnenian]] period and had forged early imperial connections when Theodore Vatatzes married the [[w:Porphyrogenitos|porphyrogenete]] princess Eudokia Komnene, daughter of Emperor [[w:John II Komnenos|John II Komnenos]].

===Founding of Empire of Nicaea===
Following the [[Fourth_Crusade#Final_capture_of_Constantinople|capture of Constantinople]] in 1204, John Doukas Vatatzes went to [[w:Nymphaion_(Ionia)#History|Nymphaeum]] in Asia Minor, which [[w:Theodore I Laskaris|Theodore I Laskaris]] (1207/8-1222) had chosen as the seat of the Byzantine [[w:Empire of Nicaea|Empire of Nicaea]]. Thanks to the intercession of an uncle of his who was a [[priest]] in the palace and an associate of the emperor, John Vatatzes entered in the emperor’s service. The emperor appreciated his talents and his moral fibre, and conferred upon him the title of [[w:Protovestiarios|Protovestiarios]].<ref name="BANEV"/>

[[File:John III Vatatzes Gold Hyperpyron Magnesia.jpg|right|thumb|Gold [[w:Hyperpyron|Hyperpyron]] of John III Vatatzes crowned by the [[Theotokos]].]]
Next to this distinguished prince, Vatatzes was the most active and successful in preventing the whole of the Greek empire from becoming a prey to the Latins, and he was likewise one of those who supported Theodore Lascaris after he had assumed the imperial title, and taken up his residence at Nicaea. In reward for his eminent services in the field as well as in the council, in 1212 Theodore gave him the hand of his daughter [[w:Irene Lascaris|Irene Laskarina]], and appointed him his future successor. Having no children, [[w:Theodore I Laskaris|Theodore I Laskaris]] thought Vatatzes more fit and worthy for the crown than either of his four brothers, Alexis, John, Manuel, and Michael.<ref name=PLATE>William Plate, LL.D. ''"JOANNES III VATATZES".'' In: '''[[w:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology|A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology]].''' Vol. II: EARINUS-NYX. Ed. [[w:William Smith (lexicographer)|William Smith]], D.C.L., LL.D.. London: John Murray, Albemarle Street, 1880. pp. 578-579.</ref> However as this arrangement excluded members of the Laskarid family from the succession, when John III Doukas Vatatzes became emperor in mid-December 1221,<ref>George Akropolites. ''The History''. Trans. Ruth Macrides. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007, p.160.</ref> he had to suppress opposition to his rule.

In January 1222 John Vatatzes was crowned emperor by Patriarch [[Manuel I (Charitopoulos) of Constantinople]]. His wife Irene gave birth to only one son, the heir [[w:Theodore II Laskaris|Theodore II Lascaris]] in 1222.<ref group="note">Years later his wife Irene fell from a horse and was so badly injured that she was unable to have any more children. She retired to a convent, taking the monastic name Eugenia, and died there in 1239.</ref>

In 1224 [[w:Theodore Komnenos Doukas|Theodore Komnenos Doukas]], ruler of Epirus and Thessaly, made himself master of Thessalonica and of nearly the whole of Macedonia, assumed the title of emperor, and was crowned by the Autonomous [[Autonomous Archdiocese of Ohrid|Archbishop of Achrida]]<ref name="PLATE"/> Demetrios Chomatianos. Four emperors now reigned over the remnants of the Eastern empire:
:* [[w:Andronikos I of Trebizond|Andronicus I Gidos]] in Trebizond (1222-1235),
:* [[w:Theodore Komnenos Doukas|Theodore Komnenos Doukas]] in Epirus and Macedonia (1215-1230),
:* [[w:Robert of Courtenay|Robert of Courtenay]] in Constantinople (1221-1228), and
:* John Vatatzes in Nicaea (1221-1254).<ref name="PLATE"/>

[[File:Byzantium1230 svg.JPG|right|thumb|The Empire of Nicaea, Trebizond, Epirus, and the Latin Empire (ca. 1230 AD).]]
'''Battle of Poimanenon (1224)'''<br>
No sooner has Vatatzes ascended the throne than Manuel and Michael Lascaris abandoned him, went to Constantinople, and persuaded Robert of Courtenay to declare war against Vatatzes. Its result was unfavourable to the Latins. In the pitched [[w:Battle of Poimanenon|Battle of Poimanenon]] in 1224, the Latin troops were completely defeated; and such was the hatred of the Greeks against the foreign intruders, that they neither gave nor accepted quarter: the two Lascarids were taken prisoners, and paid their treason with the loss of their eyes. In consequence of this victory, the greater part of the Latin possessions in Asia fell into the hands of the Greeks. On the sea the Latins were successful; they blockaded the Greek fleet in the port of Lampsacus, and Vatatzes preferred burning his own ships to having them burnt by his enemy. However, Vatatzes had little to lose on the sea, and the Latin emperor was finally compelled to sue for peace, and to leave the greater part of his Asiatic possessions in the hands of Vatatzes.<ref name="PLATE"/>

The peace was of short duration. The old [[w:John of Brienne|John of Brienne]] (1231-1237), who after the death of Robert, in 1228, exchanged his nominal kingdom of Jerusalem for the real though tottering throne of Constantinople, attacked Vatatzes in 1233, in Asia, but was routed in Bithynia, and hastened back to Thrace. Supported by the fleets of the Venetians, he could, however, renew his inroads whenever he saw a favourable opportunity.

Accordingly, Vatatzes conceived the plan of making himself master of the sea.<ref group="note">Had he succeeded, the Greek empire would have been soon restored to its limits of 1204.</ref> He expanded Nicaean control over much of the Aegean and annexed the important island of Rhodes, as well as Samos, Lesbos, Chios, Cos and many other islands, however the main force of the Venetians was in [[w:Kingdom of Candia|Candia]] (Crete). And although Vatatzes conquered the greater part of that island (Crete), his progress was checked by the Venetian governor Marino Sanuti, the historian, who at last forced the Greeks to sail back to Asia.<ref name="PLATE"/>

===Relations with Bulgaria===
Initially [[w:Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria|Ivan Asen II]] and John Vatatzes were on opposite sides, each seeking to capture Constantinople for his own sake. The political developments in the Latin Empire of Constantinople and the ascension of [[w:John of Brienne|John de Brienne]] to the imperial throne created ideal conditions for rapprochement between the Nicaean state and the Bulgarian one.<ref name="BANEV"/>

'''Siege of Constantinople (1235)'''<br>
Ivan Asen appeared on the side of Vatatzes as the inciter of an anti-Latin alliance of Orthodox rulers, to which [[w:Manuel Komnenos Doukas|Manuel of Thessalonica]] also acceded. In the context of the negotiations, the political and ecclesiastical leadership of Nicaea accepted the founding of a [[Church of Bulgaria|Bulgarian patriarchate]] (1235), as long as it recognized the sovereign authority of the Nicaean patriarchate. In the spring of 1235 the alliance was signed in [[w:Gallipoli|Kallipolis]], which was soon after sealed with the marriage of John Vatatzes’ son and heir, Theodore, to the daughter of Ivan Asen, Helen. The allies immediately commenced hostilities against the Latins and besieged Constantinople by land and sea. The Latin Empire was restricted to a small strip of land around Constantinople. The siege, however, was unsuccessful.<ref name="BANEV"/> The superiority of the Latin mariners over the Greek led to a total defeat of the Greek fleet, and twenty-four Greek gallies fell into the hands of the victors, and were paraded in triumph in the port of Constantinople. By land, however, Vatatzes was more successful, and conquered the rest of the Latin possessions in Asia.<ref name="PLATE"/>

'''Siege of Constantinople (1236)'''<br>
In 1236 the allies attempted to capture the capital once again. During the siege, however, Asen, fearsome of the rise of Nicaea, and listening to the persuasions of [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anseau_de_Cayeux Anseau de Cayeux], who acted as regent in the absence of the emperor [[w:Baldwin II of Constantinople|Baldwin II]] (1237-1261), cancelled the alliance and demanded that his daughter, Helen, should return to him. He then sided with the Latins and the Cumans of Macedonia and, circa 1237, he commenced hostilities against Vatatzes, besieging [[w:Çorlu|Tzouroulos]], a strategic stronghold. During that siege Ivan Asen changed his mind again, and remorseful, he broke off the siege, sent his daughter Helen back to Nicaea, and signed a peace treaty with Vatatzes. In 1241 the Bulgarian ruler passed away. Then John III Vatatzes, rid of all of his dangerous enemies, renewed the pact with the underage heir of Ivan Asen, [[w:Kaliman I of Bulgaria|Kaliman Asen I]] (1241-1246).<ref name="BANEV"/>

===Relations with the Holy Roman Emperor===
In the West John Vatatzes’ main diplomatic concern was the rapprochement with the German emperor [[w:Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II Hohenstaufen]] and an alliance with him, as both rulers were united in their struggle against the Latins. Frederick supported the Byzantine efforts to capture Constantinople and in 1236 he cancelled the crusade that Pope [[w:Pope Gregory IX|Gregory IX]] was organizing against Vatatzes, on account of John III’s hostilities against the Latins. John Vatatzes in turn sided with Frederick in the latter’s feud with the Pope. Later the two rulers signed an alliance, and in 1244 Vatatzes took as his spouse Constance, the illegitimate daughter of the German emperor, who subsequently took on the name Anna. This alliance, however, brought no significant gain to the Empire of Nicaea, although Vatatzes maintained diplomatic relations with the German dynasty even after the death of Frederick, during the reign of Conrad IV (1250-1254).<ref name="BANEV"/>

===Recovery of Southern Balkans===
[[File:Byzantium1254 el.png|right|thumb|225px|The Empire of Nicaea (Byzantine Empire) after the death John III Vatatzes in 1254.]]
The assistance which the Latin emperor Baldwin II obtained in Europe is mentioned in the life of that emperor; but the formidable knights of France and Italy tried in vain to obtain a firm footing in Asia, and Baldwin was reduced to such weakness, that he was unable to prevent Vatatzes from sailing over to Macedonia, and compelling the self-styled emperor, [[w:John Komnenos Doukas|John Comnenus]] (1237-1242), to cede to him Macedonia, to renounce the imperial title, and to be satisfied with that of [[w:Despotate of Epirus|despot of Epirus]].<ref name="PLATE"/> Thus he was able to establish his suzerainty over Thessalonica in 1242, and later to annex this city.

By 1246, following the death of the Bulgarian tsar Kaliman, successor to Ivan Asen, John Vatatzes expanded his dominion in the Balkan Peninsula. After capturing the cities of Serres, Meleniko, Velbuzd, (modern Kyustendil), Skopje, Velesa, Pelagonia and Prosakos, he expanded his domain in Thrace up to the sources of the river Evros and in Macedonia up to the Axios (Vardar) river. Finally he turned west against Demetrios Doukas Angelos, and in December of 1246 he captured Thessalonica, forcing Demetrios to submit.<ref name="BANEV"/>

In around 1247-1248, the forces of Nicaea campaigned in Thrace, capturing Tzouroulos and Vizye, thus establishing an effective stranglehold on Constantinople.<ref name="BANEV"/> The issue of a protracted war was favourable to Vatatzes, who took several of the towns of the Latins in Thrace, and made peace with [[w:Michael II Komnenos Doukas|Michael]] in 1253.<ref name="PLATE"/>

===Relations with the Papacy===
The first contacts between Nicaea and the Papacy took place in Nicaea in 1232. In 1234, delegates of the two churches met first at Nicaea and then at Nymphaeum. They negotiated the issues related to the union of the Churches. Dogmatic issues were also discussed in depth. The Orthodox clerics, [[w:Nikephoros Blemmydes|Nikephoros Blemmydes]] being their main representative, rejected the Latin teaching on the purgatorial fire. Finally the talks came to a dead end. In 1236, on the occasion of the hostilities of the alliance of the Byzantines and the Bulgrarians against the Latins of Constantinople, Nicaean relations with the Vatican deteriorated, and [[w:Pope Gregory IX|Pope Gregory IX]] issued a crusading bull authorizing a crusade against the Byzantines.<ref name="BANEV"/>

===Relations with the Sultanate of Rum===
In 1242 the Mongols invaded Asia Minor threatening to destroy the [[w:Empire of Trebizond|Empire of Trebizond]] and the [[w:Sultanate of Rum|Sultanate of Rum]], causing great upheaval in the region. Therefore in 1243 Vatatzes concluded an alliance with [[w:Kaykhusraw II|Gaiyath-ed-din]], the Turkish Sultan of Iconium, in order to resist the approaching Mongols.<ref group="note">Nevertheless after the [[w:Battle of Köse Dağ|Battle of Köse Dag]] in 1243 the Sultan was crushed and the Seljuq Turks were forced to swear allegiance to the Mongols and became their vassals.</ref> Having thus secured his eastern frontiers, he was able to concentrate upon the Balkan peninsula and obtained brilliant results.

In connection with the Mongol (Tartar) invasion, a story is given by a western historian of the thirteenth century, [[w:Matthew Paris|Matthew of Paris]], stating that in 1248 two Mongol envoys were sent to the Papal court and were cordially received by [[w:Pope Innocent IV|Pope Innocent IV]], who hoped to convert the Mongols to Christianity. In his ''Historia Anglorum'' Matthew said that the Pope directed the Mongol envoys to notify the king of the Tartars, that if the latter had adopted Christianity, he should march with all his troops upon John Vatatzes, "''a Greek, son-in-law of Frederick, schismatic, and rebel against the Pope and Emperor Baldwin, and after that upon Frederick himself who had risen against the Roman curia.''"<ref name=VASILIEV>[[w:Alexander Vasiliev (historian)|A.A. Vasiliev]]. ''History of the Byzantine Empire.'' Vol. 2. Univeristy of Wisconsin Press, 1971. pp.531-534.</ref> The Mongols rejected the papal plan on the ironical pretense that they were loath to encourage "the mutual hatred of Christians."<ref name=DURANT>[[w:Will Durant|Will Durant]]. ''THE AGE OF FAITH: A History of Medieval Civilization - Christian, Islamic, and Judaic - from Constantine to Dante: A.D. 325 - 1300.'' ([[w:The Story of Civilization|The Story of Civilization]] Series). New York: Simon and Schuster, 1950. pp.651-652.</ref> However, Byzantine historian [[w:Alexander Vasiliev (historian)|A. A. Vasiliev]] has concluded that this story cannot be treated as historical fact, reflecting instead a type of thirteenth century European gossip; although adding that the political power and importance of John Vatatzes was widely and thoroughly appreciated, and played a certain part, at least in the opinion of western European writers, in the negotiations between the Pope and the Mongol envoys.<ref name="VASILIEV"/>

===Internal Policy and Social Structures===
His policy of appointing people of non-aristocratic descent in administrative posts was ground-breaking, causing much resentment among members of the aristocracy, noting that he relied heavily on the support of the military aristocracy. The success of his internal policy, however, was mainly the result of his economic and agrarian measures. His actions in this field aimed at achieving economic self-sufficiency and the improvement of domestic production, as well as at diminishing the import of foreign products, especially western luxury goods.<ref name="BANEV"/>

In his social policy, he took steps to improve the living standards of rural and city people. He conducted a census and bestowed on each subject of the empire a plot of land. Towards the end of his administration, he also requisitioned movable and immovable property belonging to great land-owners and the nobility, thus causing their disgruntlement. According to the sources he led a very frugal life, and took additional measures to curtail excessive spending of private wealth. Moreover, in order to firmly establish social justice in his state, he took measures against the exploitation of the poor.<ref name="BANEV"/>

In the context of his wider social policy, John Vatatzes also saw after the smoother function of the [[Orthodox Church|Church]]. In 1228 he issued a [[w:chrysobull|chrysobull]] (decree) in which he forbade the interference of political authorities into ecclesiastical inheritance. He also made generous donations to ecclesiastical institutions and saw to the rebuilding of the existing temples and the construction of new ones, like the Monastery of Sosandra on [[w:Mount Sipylus|Mt. Sipylos]] in Magnesia (founded in 1224), and the Monastery of Lemvos in Smyrna.<ref name="BANEV"/>

===Patron of the Arts and Sciences===
In periods of peace Vatatzes employed his leisure in promoting the happiness of his subjects. He patronized arts and sciences, constructed new roads, distributed the taxes equally, and made himself beloved by every body through his kindness and justice.<ref name="PLATE"/> He was greatly interested in the collection and copying of manuscripts. The foremost representative of the educational movement of the 13th century, the scholar, writer and teacher [[w:Nikephoros Blemmydes|Nikephoros Blemmydes]], lived during his reign. Among Blemmydes’ students were Vatatzes' heir, the learned Theodore II Laskaris, as well as the historian and statesman [[w:George Akropolites|George Akropolites]]. The sources abound with references to the emperor's great concern for the development of his state’s intellectual life. He promoted the creation of centres of learning, especially of secular studies, while higher educational institutions were organized.<ref name="BANEV"/>

===Death===
About 1252 when [[w:Michael II Komnenos Doukas|Michael of Epirus]] (1230-1268) threatened a new war, Vatatzes set out against him, but was taken ill at Macedonia and returned to Asia. He died after long sufferings at [[w:Nymphaion_(Ionia)#History|Nymphaeum]] on November 3rd 1254 at the age of sixty-two, ending a reign of thirty-three (33) years. He was buried in the Monastery of Christ the Savior (Monastery of Sosandra) on [[w:Mount Sipylus|Mt. Sipylos]] close to [[w:Magnesia ad Sipylum|Magnesia]], in the wider area of [[w:Smyrna|Smyrna]].

With rare unanimity Byzantine historians unanimously glorify him. His son and successor, [[w:Theodore II Laskaris|Theodore II Lascaris]], wrote in a panegyric: ''“He has unified the [[w:Ausones|Ausonian]] land, which was divided into very many parts by foreign and tyrannic rulers, Latin, Persian, Bulgarian, Scythian and others, punished robbers and protected his land...He has made our country inaccessible to enemies.”'' In spite of his epilepsy, John had provided active leadership in both peace and war. And even if there is some exaggeration by the sources in their estimate of the Emperor of Nicaea, John Vatatzes must be considered a talented and energetic politician, and the chief creator of the restored [[Byzantine Empire]].<ref name="VASILIEV"/>

==Legacy==
John III Vatatzes (1221-54) is justly called one of the greatest emperors of the East.

His external policy was focused on the recapture of Constantinople and the restoration of the Byzantine Empire.<ref name="BANEV"/> By eliminating gradually the pretenders to the role of restorer of the Empire — the rulers of Thessalonica, Epirus, and Bulgaria — he brought under his power so much territory as practically to signify the restoration of the [[Byzantine Empire]].<ref name="VASILIEV"/> John III laid the groundwork for Nicaea's recovery of [[Constantinople]], and was successful in maintaining generally peaceful relations with his most powerful neighbors, Bulgaria and the [[w:Sultanate of Rum|Sultanate of Rüm]], while his network of diplomatic relations extended to the Holy Roman Empire and the [[Roman Catholic Church|Papacy]], and his armed forces included Frankish mercenaries. Consequently, the merit of having put an end to the Latin empire belongs as much to John Vatatzes as to [[w:Michael VIII Palaiologos|Michael VIII Palaeologus]], who carried out in 1261, the plan which had been conceived and successfully begun by him.<ref name="PLATE"/>

Internally, John's long reign was one of the most creditable in history, witnessing the careful development of the internal prosperity and economy of his realm, and encouraging justice and charity and a cultural blossoming. Despite expensive campaigns to restore Byzantine unity, he lowered taxes, encouraged agriculture, built schools, libraries, churches, monasteries, hospitals, and homes for the old or the poor. Literature and art prospered under him, and he took steps to ensure the harmonious coexistence of the State with the Church, so that [[Nicea|Nicaea]] became one of the richest, fairest cities of the thirteenth century.<ref name="DURANT"/>

The generations after John Vatatzes looked back upon him as ''“the Father of the Greeks.”''<ref name="VASILIEV"/>

==Relics and Veneration==
Seven years after his death his grave was opened, a sweet fragrance permeated the surroundings, and they were surprised to find that his body was incorrupt, a clear example of holiness. His [[relics]] showed no sign that he was in fact dead; the color of his body was like that of a living person, and even his clothes had not deteriorated after 7 years and looked like they had just been newly sewn.<ref name=IOANNA>{{el icon}} Ιωάννα Κατσούλα. [http://www.orthodoxia.gr/show.cfm?id=1630&obcatid=3 ΑΓΙΟΣ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΣ Ο ΒΑΤΑΤΖΗΣ. Ο μαρμαρωμένος ελεήμων βασιλιάς και η βασιλεύουσα]. ΣΤΥΛΟΣ ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΙΑΣ. ΝΟΕΜΒΡΙΟΣ 2011.</ref>

A half-century after his death, John Vatatzes was so beloved and esteemed by the people that he was commemorated as a [[saint]] under the name John the Merciful.<ref name="MEGAS"/><ref>[[w:George Ostrogorsky|George Ostrogorsky]]. ''History of the Byzantine State''. New Brunswick, N.J: Rutgers University Press, 1969, p.444.</ref> [[w:George Akropolites|George Akropolites]] mentions that the people saw to the construction of a temple in his honour in [[w:Nymphaion_(Ionia)#History|Nymphaeum]], and that his cult as a saint quickly spread to the people of western Asia Minor.<ref name="BANEV"/>

[[Miracle|Miracles]] began to be connected with his memory and ''The Life of St. John the Merciful'' was composed, a sort of popular canonization. As noted by his biographer, Christians who went on [[pilgrimage]] to pray before the Saint were rewarded with miracles; the diseased were healed and demons were expelled at his holy [[relics]].<ref name="IOANNA"/> The clergy and population of the [[w:Lydia|Lydian]] city of [[w:Magnesia ad Sipylum|Magnesia]] and its surroundings, where the Emperor was buried (in the Monastery of Christ the Savior on [[w:Mount Sipylus|Mt. Sipylos]] (Monastery of Sosandra)), gathered annually on [[November 4]] in the local church and honoured the memory of the late Emperor John the Merciful.<ref name="VASILIEV"/>

The cult of the saintly emperor survived untill the modern years, mainly in the Metropolis of Ephesus. Although the Greek church never formally recognized John Vatatzes as a saint, there is a reference in the Menologia for the commemoration of “John Doukas Vatatzes” on the 4th of November.<ref name="BANEV"/><ref group="note">According to Vasiliev, the Orthodox calendar gives the name of “John Ducas Vatadzi” under [[November 4]]:<br>
::* Arch. Sergius. ''The Complete Liturgical Calendar (Menologion) of the Orient.'' (2nd ed., 1901), II, 344.</ref>

On November 4, 2010 the first and only Orthodox Church in the world was dedicated to St. John Vatatzes, in the city of his birth, [[w:Didymoteicho|Didymoteicho]] ([[Metropolis of Didymotichon, Orestias and Soufli]]).<ref>{{el icon}} [http://www.amen.gr/index.php?mod=news&op=article&aid=3841 Λαμπρά θυρανοίξια του Ι.Ν. Αγίου Ιωάννη Βατάτζη στο Διδυμότειχο]. AMEN.gr. Nov 5, 2010.</ref>

==Legend of the Reposed King==
A contemporary account during the reign of [[w:Andronikos II Palaiologos|Andronikos Palaiologos]] (1282-1328), mentions that around the time that the Turks invaded Magnesia, on several occasions the castle guardsman had witnessed a lit candle circling around the city walls. He sent men to investigate the phenomenon but to no avail. Then the deaf-mute brother of the guardsman was sent, and he was given a revelation, and was completely healed upon his return. He stated that at the area where the lit candle had appeared, he found a man of a grand royal stature, who loudly urged the Christians to continue the defense. He recognized the image of the man he had seen when visiting the holy [[shrine]] of St. John Vatatzes. Since then John was recognized as a Saint and his memory was set to be honoured on [[November 4]].<ref name="IOANNA"/>

His incorrupt relics were transferred to [[Constantinople]], which had been liberated from the Franks, where the legend of the reposed King became associated with him. At time of the [[fall of Constantinople]] to the Ottoman Turks, his relics were hidden in a [[Catacombs|catacomb]].<ref name="IOANNA"/>

The legend states that since that time, he has been awaiting the liberation of Constantinople. It also states that the holy king has his sword with him in its sheath, and that each year the blade of the sword emerges a few millimeters, until the time comes for the entire sword to emerge, which will signify the time for the liberation of the City.<ref name="IOANNA"/>

A contemporary Elder has said that the Merciful King has already arisen for some time, and that the sword has emerged completely from its sheath. He wanders the City in the form of a [[Fool-for-Christ|fool]], and directs the armies of the [[Saints]] so as to take their place around the Queen of Cites. The Elder also maintains that the sacred relics of Emperor Saint John Vatatzes the Merciful were guarded by a family of [[w:Crypto-Christianity#Turkey|Crypto-Christians]], which kept them secret from generation to generation.<ref name="IOANNA"/>

==Hymns==
[[Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain|Nicodemus the Athonite]] (1749-1809), composed an [[akolouthia]] in honour of the emperor-saint John Vatatzes the Merciful, commissioned by the Metropolitan of Ephesus.<ref name="BANEV"/><ref group="note">For the full service in Greek to St. John Vatatzes the Merciful see:<br>
::* {{el icon}} "[http://orthodoxoskypseli.gr/E5AD145F.el.aspx Ασματικη Ἀκολουθία και Παρακλητικος Κανων εις τον Βασιλέα Ἅγιον Ἰωάννη Βατάτζην τον Ελεημονα]". Εκδοσεις ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΟΣ ΚΥΨΕΛΗ.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Fourth Crusade]]
'''Wikipedia'''
* [[w:Empire of Nicaea|Empire of Nicaea]]
* [[w:Despotate of Epirus|Despotate of Epirus]]
* [[w:Latin Empire|Latin Empire]]

==Notes==
<references group="note" />

==References==
<div><references/></div>

==Sources==
* [[w:Alexander Vasiliev (historian)|A.A. Vasiliev]]. ''History of the Byzantine Empire.'' Vol. 2. Univeristy of Wisconsin Press, 1971.
* Banev Guentcho. ''[http://asiaminor.ehw.gr/forms/fLemmaBodyExtended.aspx?lemmaID=9275 John III Vatatzes].'' Transl. Koutras, Nikolaos. '''Encyclopaedia of the Hellenic World, Asia Minor (EHW)'''. 12/16/2002.
* William Plate, LL.D. ''"JOANNES III VATATZES".'' In: '''[[w:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology|A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology]].''' Vol. II: EARINUS-NYX. Ed. [[w:William Smith (lexicographer)|William Smith]], D.C.L., LL.D.. London: John Murray, Albemarle Street, 1880. pp. 578-579.
* [[w:Will Durant|Will Durant]]. ''THE AGE OF FAITH: A History of Medieval Civilization - Christian, Islamic, and Judaic - from Constantine to Dante: A.D. 325 - 1300.'' ([[w:The Story of Civilization|The Story of Civilization]] Series). New York: Simon and Schuster, 1950.
* David Jacoby and [[w:Michael Angold|Michael Angold]]. ''"Chapter 17: Byzantium after the Fourth Crusade".'' In: '''The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume V c.1198 – c.1300.''' Ed. David Abulafia. Cambridge Histories Online. Cambridge University Press, 2008. pp.525-568.
'''Wikipedia'''
* [[w:John III Doukas Vatatzes|John III Doukas Vatatzes]].
* [[w:Empire of Nicaea|Empire of Nicaea]].
'''Other Languages'''
* Great [[Synaxarion|Synaxaristes]]: {{el icon}} [http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/1092/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ὁ Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Βατατζὴς ὁ ἐλεήμονας βασιλιὰς]. 4 Νοεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
* {{el icon}} Ιωάννα Κατσούλα. [http://www.orthodoxia.gr/show.cfm?id=1630&obcatid=3 ΑΓΙΟΣ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΣ Ο ΒΑΤΑΤΖΗΣ. Ο μαρμαρωμένος ελεήμων βασιλιάς και η βασιλεύουσα]. ΣΤΥΛΟΣ ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΙΑΣ. ΝΟΕΜΒΡΙΟΣ 2011.
* {{el icon}} [http://www.amen.gr/index.php?mod=news&op=article&aid=3841 Λαμπρά θυρανοίξια του Ι.Ν. Αγίου Ιωάννη Βατάτζη στο Διδυμότειχο]. AMEN.gr. Nov 5, 2010.
* {{el icon}} "[http://orthodoxoskypseli.gr/E5AD145F.el.aspx Ασματικη Ἀκολουθία και Παρακλητικος Κανων εις τον Βασιλέα Ἅγιον Ἰωάννη Βατάτζην τον Ελεημονα]". Εκδοσεις ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΟΣ ΚΥΨΕΛΗ.
* {{el icon}} [http://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%99%CF%89%CE%AC%CE%BD%CE%BD%CE%B7%CF%82_%CE%93%27_%CE%94%CE%BF%CF%8D%CE%BA%CE%B1%CF%82_%CE%92%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%AC%CF%84%CE%B6%CE%B7%CF%82 Ιωάννης Γ' Δούκας Βατάτζης]. Βικιπαίδεια.
* {{de icon}} A. Heisenberg. ''"Kaiser Johannes Batatzes der Barmherzige".'' '''Byzantinische Zeitschrift''', XIV (1905), pp. 160, 162.

==External Links==
* ''[http://principevatatzes.bloguepessoal.com/391647/JONH-III-VATATZES-EMPEROR/ JONH III VATATZES EMPEROR].'' Principe Vatatzes. 24 December 2011.
* ''[http://www.ancientsites.com/aw/Article/398203 How did the Empire of Nicaea emerge as the front-runner of the Byzantine Successor States and eventually become the restorer of Constantinople?]'' Ancient Sites. Jan 13, 2005.

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category:Greek Saints]]
[[Category:Roman Emperors]]
[[Category:Rulers]]

[[ro:Ioan Duca Vataţis]]

Synaxarion

2012-03-15T15:03:56Z

Sîmbotin: iw:ro

'''Synaxarion''', (pl. '''Synaxaria''' (Greek: Συναξάριον, from συναγειν, synagein, to bring together), is a term relating to compilations, lectionaries, and indexes that have had differing definitions over the centuries. Today, in the Orthodox Church, the Synaxarion is an abridged collection of the “Lives of the Saints,” intended for reading in public worship and to nourish the personal prayer life of the faithful.

==History==
Variously, the synaxaria in the earliest types included lectionary synaxaria of indexes of Biblical and other lessons, that is Biblical Lectionary pericopes that were to be read in [[church]]. Often these were listings according to the calendar year and the Paschalion cycle. These liturgical lectionaries grew to include complete texts of the [[Gospels]] and Epistles that led to the modern editions of the Gospels and Epistles.

The early index synaxaria also developed into lists of [[saint]]s arranged in order of their commemoration anniversaries that often included such material as [[Troparion|troparia]] and [[Kontakion|kontakia]] of liturgical calendars. By the tenth century, brief biographical notes were added to the calendar listings for the year which were summaries of those in the collections of the lives of saints (menologies). As the lessons of the Divine Office of the Orthodox Church were always of the lives of saints, the synaxarion became a collection of saints' lives. This developed into the modern Greek ''Synaxarion'' containing brief "Lives of Saints", that, among the Slavic nations, is more popularly known as the ''[[Prologue from Ohrid|Prologue]]''.

==Prologue==
Among his works, St. [[Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain|Nicodemus the Hagiorite]] prepared a Greek edition of the Synaxarion of Constantinople during the late eighteenth century that included the memories of a number of saints, including most of the notable New Martyrs. Recent editions, which are based on the work of St. Nicodemus, enlarged upon his work. Thus, these editions include saints venerated by the local Orthodox Churches, including those of Russia, Romania, Georgia, Serbia, and Bulgaria, many of whom were [[glorification|glorified]] after the collapse of the communist regimes. These synaxaria also include many Western saints from the period of the undivided Church. Thus, the Synaxarion presently constitutes the most complete collection of lives of the saints of the Orthodox Church.

==Sources==
*[http://synaxis.info/synaxis/5_synaxarion/synaxarion.html СИНАКСАРЬ – Synaxariom]
*[[Wikipedia:Synaxarium]]

==Further reading==
* Robert Jordan (Ed., Transl.). ''[http://www.amazon.co.uk/Synaxarion-Monastery-Theotokos-Evergetis-Translations/dp/0853897859 The Synaxarion of the monastery of the Theotokos Evergetis: September to February].'' Belfast Byzantine Texts and Translations. 1st Ed. Belfast Byzantine Enterprises, 2000. 595 pp. ISBN 978-0853897859
: <small>The Synaxarion, or liturgical typikon, of the monastery of Theotokos Evergetis, founded in 1049 just outside the walls of Constantinople, is probably the largest and most detailed guide to medieval monastic liturgical practice to have come down to us. So it is an ideal resource with which to begin, or continue, a study of Greek Orthodox liturgy. This volume, one of a set of four, contains a new, complete text and the first English translation (on facing pages) of the prescriptions for the months of September to February from the fixed cycle.</small>

==External link==
* [http://orthodoxinfo.com/general/synaxarion_intro.aspx Introduction to The Synaxarion]
* Great Synaxaristes: {{el icon}} [http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sxcalendar.aspx ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ].

[[Category: Synaxaria]]
[[el:Συναξάρι]]
[[ro:Sinaxar]]

Template:March 16

2012-03-15T06:38:00Z

Sîmbotin: on March 15

<div style="float:right;margin-left:1em">
[[Image:Rublev Trinity.jpg|100px|The Holy Trinity]]
</div>[[Martyr]] [[Sabinus of Egypt]]; Martyr [[Papas of Lyconia]]; [[Saint]] [[Serapion of Novgorod|Serapion]], [[Archbishop]] of Novgorod; [[Hieromartyr]] [[Alexander I of Rome|Alexander]], [[Pope]] of Rome; Martyr [[Julian of Anazarbus]]; Martyrs [[Trophimus and Thalus of Laodicea]]; Saint Christodoulos, [[monk]] and [[wonder-worker]] of Patmos; Martyr Romanus at Parium on the Hellespont; Ten Martyrs of Phoenicia; Saint [[Pimen of Salosi]] the [[Enlightener]] of the North Caucasus People
<noinclude>[[Category:Calendar day templates|March 16]]</noinclude>

Apostle Aristobulus

2012-03-15T06:30:16Z

Sîmbotin: March 15

The holy, glorious, all-laudable '''Apostle Aristobulus''' (also ''Aristovoulos'') is numbered among the [[Apostles|Seventy Apostles]]. Along with the Apostles [[Apostle Urban|Urban]], [[Apostle Stachys|Stachys]], [[Apostle Narcissus|Narcissus]], [[Apostle Apelles|Apelles]] and [[Apostle Amplias|Amplias]] he assisted the [[Apostle Andrew]]. St. Aristobulus was also the brother of the [[Apostle Barnabas]]. He preached the [[Gospel]] in Britain as its first [[bishop]] and there he reposed peacefully in the Lord. His [[feast day]]s are celebrated on [[March 15]], on [[October 31]] with Amplias, Apelles, Stachys, Urban, and Narcissus, and on [[January 4]] with the Seventy.

== Source ==
*St. [[Nikolai Velimirovic]], ''The [[Prologue of Ohrid]]''

==External links==
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=100050 Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy], January 4 ([[OCA]])
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=100816 Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy the Bishop of Britain], March 16 (OCA)
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=103127 Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy], October 31 (OCA)
*[http://goarch.org/en/chapel/saints.asp?contentid=264 Amplias, Apellos, Stachyos, Urbanos, Aristovoulos & Narcissos of the 70] ([[GOARCH]])

[[Category:Biblical Saints|Aristobulus]]
[[Category:Bishops|Aristobulus]]
[[Category:1st-century bishops|Aristobulus]]
[[Category:Saints|Aristobulus]]
[[Category:Seventy Apostles]]
[[Category:Saints of the British Isles|Aristobulus]]

[[ro:Apostolul Aristobul]]

Forty Martyrs of Sebaste

2012-03-09T15:17:50Z

Sîmbotin: iw:ro

[[Image:Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste.jpg|frame|right|Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste]]
The holy, glorious and right-victorious '''Forty Martyrs of Sebaste''' are a group of Roman soldiers who became [[martyr]]s for their Christian faith in 320. Ss. Cyrion (Quirio), Candidus, Domnus, Hesychius, Heraclius, Smaragdus, Eunoicus, Valens, Vivianus, Claudius, Priscus, Theodulus, Eutychius, John, Santhias, Helianus, Sisinius, Angius, Aetius, Flavius, Acacius, Ecdicius, Lysimachus, Alexander, Elias, Gorgonius, Theophilus, Dometian, Gaius, Leontius, Athanasius, Cyril, Sacerdon, Nicholas, Valerius, Philoctimon, Severian, Chudion, Aglaius, and Meliton are commemorated by the Church on [[March 9]].

St. [[Constantine the Great]] issued an edict in the year 313, granting Christians religious freedom, and officially recognizing Christianity as equal with paganism under the law. But Licinius, his co-ruler and a pagan, continued to persecute the Christians of the East. He also purged Christians from his own army, fearing mutiny.

==Martyrdom==
According to St. [[Basil the Great|Basil]], forty soldiers who had openly confessed themselves Christians were condemned by the prefect to be exposed naked upon a frozen pond near Sebaste on a bitterly cold night, that they might freeze to death. Among the confessors, one yielded and, leaving his companions, sought the warm baths near the lake which had been prepared for any who might prove inconstant. One of the guards set to keep watch over the martyrs beheld a supernatural brilliancy overshadowing them and at once proclaimed himself a Christian, threw off his garments, and placed himself beside the thirty-nine soldiers of Christ. Thus the number of forty remained complete. At daybreak, the stiffened bodies of the confessors, which still showed signs of life, were burned and the charred bones were cast into a river so that Christians would not gather them up.

Three days later the martyrs appeared in a dream to St. Peter, Bishop of Sebaste, and commanded him to bury their remains. The bishop, together with several [[clergy]], gathered up the [[relics]] of the glorious martyrs by night and buried them with honor.

==Early Veneration==
Relics were distributed throughout many cities; in this way the veneration paid to the Forty Martyrs became widespread, and numerous churches were erected in their honour. One of them was built at [[Caesarea]], in Cappadocia, and it was in this church that St. [[Basil the Great|Basil]] publicly delivered his homily. St. [[Gregory of Nyssa]] was a special client of these holy martyrs. Two discourses in praise of them, preached by him in the church dedicated to them, are still preserved (''P.G.'', XLVI, 749 sqq., 773 sqq.) and upon the death of his parents, he laid them to rest beside the relics of the confessors. St. [[Ephrem the Syrian|Ephraem the Syrian]], has also eulogized the Forty Martyrs (''Hymni in SS. 40 martyres''). Historian [[Sozomen]], who was an eye-witness, has left us (''Hist. Eccl.'', IX, 2) an interesting account of the finding of the relics in Constantinople through the instrumentality of Empress [[Pulcheria the Empress|Pulcheria]].

==Hymns==
[[Troparion]] ([[Tone]] 1) [http://oca.org/FStropars.asp?SID=13&ID=100706]
:Together let us honor the holy company united by faith,
:Those noble warriors of the Master of all.
:They were divinely enlisted for [[Christ]],
:And passed through fire and water.
:Then they entered into refreshment praying for those who cry:
:Glory to him who has strengthened you!
:Glory to him who has crowned you!
:Glory to him who has made you wonderful, O holy Forty Martyrs!

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 6) [http://oca.org/FStropars.asp?SID=13&ID=100706]
:You abandoned all earthly armies,
:Cleaving to the heavenly Master, O Forty Martyrs of the Lord.
:Having passed through fire and water, O Blessed Ones,
:You have fittingly received heavenly glory and many crowns.

==Source==
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Forty_Martyrs_of_Sebaste&oldid=196332471 ''Forty Martyrs of Sebaste'' at Wikipedia]

==External links==
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=100706 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste] ([[OCA]])
*[http://goarch.org/en/chapel/saints.asp?contentid=454 40 Martyrs at Lake Sebaste] ([[GOARCH]])
*[http://www.westsrbdio.org/prolog/my.html?month=March&day=9 The Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebastea] (''[[Prologue of Ohrid]]'')

[[Category:Martyrs]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Ante-Nicene Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]

[[ro:Sfinţii 40 de mucenici din Sevastia]]

Irene of Thessaloniki

2012-02-11T08:57:44Z

Sîmbotin: iw:ro

[[Image:Irene_the_Great_Martyr.jpg|right|frame|St. Irene of Thessaloniki]]
The holy Great [[Martyr]] '''Irene of Thessaloniki''' was born in the city of Magedon in Persia during the fourth century. She was the daughter of the pagan king Licinius, and her parents named her Penelope. The name ''Irene'' means ''peace''. She is one of the twelve Virgin Martyrs who appeared to St. [[Seraphim of Sarov]] ([[January 2]]) and the Diveyevo [[nun]] Eupraxia on the Feast of the [[Annunciation]] in 1831, and her feast is celebrated on [[May 5]].

==Life==
Penelope was very beautiful, and her father kept her isolated in a high tower from the time she was six so that she would not be exposed to Christianity. He also placed thirteen young maidens in the tower with her. An old tutor by the name of Apellian was assigned to give her the best possible education. Apellian was a Christian, and during her lessons, he told the girl about [[Christ]] the Savior and taught her the Christian Faith and the Christian virtues.

When Penelope reached adolescence, her parents began to think about her [[marriage]]. One day, a dove flew through the window carrying an olive branch in its beak, depositing it upon a table. Then an eagle swooped in with a wreath of flowers in its beak, and also placed it upon the table. Finally, a raven flew in carrying a snake, which it dropped on the table. Penelope was puzzled by these events and wondered what they meant.

Apellian explained that the dove signified her education, and the olive branch stood for the [[grace]] of God which is received in [[Baptism]]. The eagle with the wreath of flowers represented success in her future life. The raven and the snake foretold her future suffering and sorrow.

At the end of the conversation Apellianus said that the Lord wished to betroth her to Himself and that Penelope would undergo much suffering for her heavenly [[Bridegroom]]. After this Penelope refused marriage, was baptized by the [[priest]] Timothy, and she was named Irene (peace). She even urged her own parents to become Christians. Shortly after this, she destroyed all her father's idols.

Since St. Irene had dedicated herself to Christ, she refused to marry any of the suitors her father had chosen for her. When Licinius learned that his daughter refused to worship the pagan gods, he was furious. He attempted to turn her from Christ by having her tortured. She was tied up and thrown beneath the hooves of wild horses so that they might trample her to death, but he horses remained motionless. Instead of harming the saint, one of the horses charged Licinius, seized his right hand and tore it from his arm. Then it knocked Licinius down and began to trample him. They untied the holy virgin, and through her prayers Licinius rose unharmed in the presence of eyewitnesses with his hand intact.

Seeing such a miracle, Licinius and his wife, and many of the people, (about 3000 men) believed in Christ and turned from the pagan gods. Resigning his administrative duties, Licinius devoted himself to the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. St. Irene lived in the house of her teacher Apellian, and she began to preach Christ among the pagans, [[convert]]ing them to the path of salvation.

When Sedecius, the new governor of the city, heard of this miracle he summoned Apellian and questioned him about Irene's manner of life. Apellian replied that Irene, like other Christians, lived in strict temperance, devoting herself to constant [[prayer]] and reading holy books. Sedecius summoned the [[saint]] to him and urged her to stop preaching about Christ. He also attempted to force her to sacrifice to the idols. St. Irene staunchly confessed her faith before the governor, not fearing his wrath, and prepared to undergo suffering for Christ. By order of Sedecius she was thrown into a pit filled with vipers and serpents. The saint spent ten days in the pit and remained unharmed, for an [[angel]] of the Lord protected her and brought her food. Sedecius ascribed this miracle to sorcery, and he subjected St. Irene to many other tortures, but she remained unharmed. Under the influence of her preaching and miracles even more people were converted to Christ, and turned away from the worship of inanimate idols.

Sedecius was deposed by his son Savorus, who persecuted Christians with an even greater zeal than his father had done. St. Irene went to her home town of Magedon in Persia to meet Savorus and his army, and ask him to end the persecution. When he refused, St. Irene prayed and his entire army was blinded. She prayed again and they received their sight once more. In spite of this, Savorus refused to recognize the power of God. Because of his insolence, he was struck and killed by a bolt of lightning.

After this, St. Irene walked into the city and performed many miracles. She returned to the tower built by her father, accompanied by the priest Timothy. Through her teaching, she converted five thousand people to Christ.

Next, the saint went to the city of Callinicus, or Callinicum (possibly on the Euphrates River in Syria). The ruler of that place was King Numerian, the son of Sebastian. When she began to teach about Christ, she was arrested and tortured by the pagan authorities. She was placed into three bronze oxen which were heated by fire. She was transferred from one to another, but miraculously she remained uninjured. Thousands of idolaters embraced Christianity as a result of this wondrous event.

Sensing the approach of death, Numerian instructed his eparch Babdonus to continue torturing the saint in order to force her to sacrifice to idols. Once again, the tortures were ineffective, and many people turned to Christ.

Christ's holy martyr then traveled to the city of Constantina, forty miles northeast of Edessa. By 330, the Persian king Sapor II (309-379) had heard of St. Irene's great miracles. To prevent her from winning more people to Christ, she was arrested, beheaded, and then buried. However, God sent an angel to raise her up again, and she went into the city of Mesembria. After seeing her alive and hearing her preach, the local king was baptized with many of his subjects.

Wishing to convert even more pagans to Christianity, St. Irene went to Ephesus, where she taught the people and performed many miracles. The Lord revealed to her that the end of her life was approaching. Then St. Irene left the city accompanied by six people, including her former teacher Apellian. On the outskirts of the town, she found a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. After making the [[Sign of the Cross]], she went inside, directing her companions to close the entrance to the cave with a large stone, which they did. When Christians visited the cave four days later, they did not find the body of the saint.

Apellian returned after only two days, and found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. Thus did God glorify St. Irene, who loved Him and devoted her life to serving Him. Although many of these miracles may seem improbable to those who are skeptical, nothing is impossible with God.

St. Irene led thousands of people to Christ through her preaching, and by her example. The Church continues to honor her memory and to seek her heavenly intercession.

The holy, glorious Great Martyr Irene is invoked by those wishing to effect a swift and happy marriage. In Greece, she is also the patron saint of policemen. By her holy prayers, may the Lord have mercy upon us and save us.

==Hymns==
[[Apolytikion]] (Fourth Tone)

O Lord Jesus, unto Thee Thy lamb doth cry with a great voice: O my Bridegroom, Thee I love; and seeking Thee, I now contest, and with Thy baptism am crucified and buried. I suffer for Thy sake, that I may reign with Thee; for Thy sake I die, that I may live in Thee: accept me offered out of longing to Thee as a spotless sacrifice. Lord, save our souls through her intercessions, since Thou art great in mercy.

[[Kontakion]] (Third Tone)

Being fair adorned before with pure and virginal beauty, thou becamest fairer still in thy brave contest, O virgin; for when thou, in thine own spilt blood, wast stained and reddened, O Irene, thou overthrewest ungodly error. Hence, thou hast received the prizes of thy good vict'ry from thy Creator's right hand.

==Sources and external links==
*[http://www.iconograms.org/sig.php?eid=41 Great Martyr Irene]
*[http://goarch.org/en/chapel/saints.asp?contentid=41 Irene the Great Martyr of Thessaloniki]
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=101297 Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica: Life]
*[http://www.oca.org/FSTropars.asp?SID=13&ID=101297 Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica: Troparion and Kontakion]
*{Greek} ''[http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/3002/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ἡ Ἁγία Εἰρήνη ἡ Μεγαλομάρτυς].'' 5 Μαΐου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.

[[Category:Martyrs]]
[[Category:Missionaries]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Byzantine Saints]]
[[Category:Greek Saints]]

[[ro:Irina din Tesalonic]]

Paschalion

2012-01-25T14:57:52Z

Sîmbotin: iw:ro

[[Image:Pascha.jpg|right|Great and Holy Pascha]]
The '''Paschalion''' of the [[Orthodox Church]] combines the metonic and solar calendrical cycles to determine the date of [[Pascha]] for a given year. A common formula to determine the date of Pascha was created in connection with the [[First Ecumenical Council]], held at [[Nicea]] in A.D. 325.

== Early History ==
The origin of annual festivals in Christianity is obscure. St. Paul (1 Cor. 16.8) and St. Luke (Acts 2.1, 12.3, 20.6, 27.9) refer to Jewish annual festivals expecting their Gentile readers to know what is meant. Chapters 5-10 of John's Gospel is structured around the cycle of Jewish annual festivals, and all the Gospels' passion narratives are set at the time of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. But nowhere are Christian annual observances are explicitly mentioned. Then, beginning in the mid-2nd century, evidence appears of Pascha and commemorations of martyrs. The commemorations of martyrs were held on fixed dates in the solar calendar. Pascha was computed according to a lunar calendar. This suggests the possibility that the annual Pascha entered Christianity earlier than martyrs' festivals, and that it may have been part of Christianity's initial Jewish inheritance.

Initially the date of Pascha was fixed by consulting Jewish informants to learn when the Jewish month of Nisan would fall, and setting Pascha to the third Sunday in Jewish Nisan, the Sunday of Unleavened Bread. But beginning in the third century there are indications that some Christians were becoming dissatisfied with this reliance on the Jewish calendar. The chief complaint was that the third week in Jewish Nisan was sometimes placed before the spring equinox. [[Peter of Alexandria|Peter, bishop of Alexandria]] (early 4th century A.D.), in a statement preserved in the preface to the [[Chronicon Paschale| ''Chronicon Paschale'']], expresses this view:<blockquote>On the fourteenth day of [the month], being accurately observed after the equinox, the ancients celebrated the Passover, according to the divine command. Whereas the men of the present day now celebrate it before the equinox, and that altogether through negligence and error.</blockquote>Those who held this view began to experiment with independent computations that would always place Pascha in the spring season. Traditionalists, however, felt that the old custom of consulting the Jewish community should continue, even if it sometimes placed Pascha before the equinox. [[Epiphanius]] of Salamis (''Panarion'' 3.1.10) quotes a version of the [[Apostolic Constitutions| ''Apostolic Constitutions'']] used by the sect of the Audiani which represents this school of thought: <blockquote>Do not do your own computations, but instead observe Passover when your brethren from the circumcision do. If they err [in the computation], it is no matter to you.</blockquote>The controversy was formally resolved by the Council of Nicea, which determined that a single system should be adopted by all the churches, and that this system should be independent of the Jewish calendar. The old custom of consulting the Jewish community was thus formally abandoned, though in practice independent computations had long been used at the influential city of Alexandria, so that the council may simply have been ratifying what was already the emerging, if still somewhat controversial, consensus. On the other hand, the comments of canonists, preachers, and chroniclers indicates that the old custom of placing Easter in the month of Nisan as computed by the Jewish community continued to have adherents for generations.

== The Nicene Formula ==
The computational system that was eventually worked out derives from the calendrical experiments made at Alexandria beginning in the mid-3rd century. According to this system, Pascha is the first Sunday following the date of the Paschal Full Moon ("PFM") for a given year. The PFM is not, however, as commonly thought, the first full moon following the vernal equinox. Rather, the PFM is the first Ecclesiastical Full Moon ("EFM") date that falls on or after March 21 (or, what is the same thing, the first Ecclesiastical Full Moon that follows March 20). Ecclesiastical Full Moons are calendar dates that approximate astronomical full moons using a cycle that repeats every 19 years. March 21 is the date used for determining the PFM because it was near the date of the vernal equinox in the late 3rd and early 4th century A.D., when the Paschal cycle was first being developed. This formula is called Nicene because some commentators in later generations attributed it to the Nicene council.

=== The Zonaras Proviso ===
The decision of the Nicene council concerning Easter was that it should be computed independently of any Jewish computations: Christians were to compute their own, Christian, Nisan, and set Easter to its third Sunday, rather than setting it to the third Sunday in Jewish Nisan. Hence a paschalion that is consistent with Nicene principles cannot have any built-in dependence on the Hebrew calendar. Nevertheless, at least since the 12th century it has been widely believed that Christian Easter is required always to follow, never coincide with, the first day of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15) in the Hebrew calendar. By the 12th century the errors in the Julian calendar's equinox date and age of the moon had accumulated to where Easter did, in fact, always follow Jewish Nisan 15. This state of affairs continues to the present day, even though the Hebrew calendar suffers from a slight solar drift of its own, since the Julian calendar's errors accumulate more rapidly than the Hebrew calendar's. The 11th-12th century canonist [[Joannes Zonaras]] seems to have been the first to state the principle that Easter must always follow Hebrew Nisan 15. The principle is called the Zonaras proviso after him.

== Implementation ==
The following table shows the Julian and Gregorian calendar date of the Julian Paschal Full Moon (PFM) for each year of the 19-year cycle. To determine the position of a given year in the 19-year cycle, add 1 to the A.D. number of the year and divide by 19. The remainder is the year's position in the cycle. If there is no remainder, the year is the 19th of the cycle. Hence 1994 was year 19 of its cycle, and 1995 was year 1 of its cycle.

The Gregorian calendar equivalences are valid from 1900 to 2099.

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
|Year of cycle
|Julian calendar date of Julian PFM
|Gregorian calendar date of Julian PFM
|-
|1
|April 5
|April 18
|-
|2
|March 25
|April 7
|-
|3
|April 13
|April 26
|-
|4
|April 2
|April 15
|-
|5
|March 22
|April 4
|-
|6
|April 10
|April 23
|-
|7
|March 30
|April 12
|-
|8
|April 18
|May 1
|-
|9
|April 7
|April 20
|-
|10
|March 27
|April 9
|-
|11
|April 15
|April 28
|-
|12
|April 4
|April 17
|-
|13
|March 24
|April 6
|-
|14
|April 12
|April 25
|-
|15
|April 1
|April 14
|-
|16
|March 21
|April 3
|-
|17
|April 9
|April 22
|-
|18
|March 29
|April 11
|-
|19
|April 17
|April 30
|}

Pascha is always the Sunday ''following'' the Paschal Full Moon. Since the PFM is simply the 14th day of the Paschal lunar month, this means that Pascha is the third Sunday in the Paschal lunar month, and can fall on any date in the lunar month from the 15th (the day after the PFM) to the 21st (seven days after the PFM). That the structure of the Paschal lunar month is modelled on that of the scriptural month of 'Aviv (now called Nisan) should be clear. The Paschal lunar month is analogous to the month of 'Aviv. It is in effect a Christian 'Aviv or Nisan'. The 14th day, the Paschal Full Moon, is analogous to the day of the Passover sacrifice, and the third week, the 15th to the 21st, the week whose Lord's Day is Pascha, is analogous to the Week of Unleavened Bread.

==Shortcomings of the Julian Paschalion==
===Solar-side flaws===
Because of the inaccuracy of the [[Julian Calendar]]'s solar year, Pascha is drifting later into the year for those who use the Julian Paschalion. Even though for those using the Julian Calendar Pascha will always be sometime in March or April, it will eventually be celebrated in the northern hemisphere in the summer, the autumn, and then the winter. (For those using the [[Revised Julian Calendar]], the calendar date of Pascha is drifting along with its astronomical position.)

===Lunar-side flaws===
Additionally the Julian Ecclesiastical Full Moons are deviating further with time from the astronomical full moons: The EFM now falls 3 to 5 days after the corresponding astronomical full moon (see table).

The [[Gregorian Calendar]], which includes its own revised Paschalion, has neither of these problems.

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
|Gregorian EFM 2008
|Astronomical full moon 2008
(day starting at midnight UT)
|Gregorian calendar date
of Julian EFM 2008
|-
|Jan 22
|Jan 22
|Jan 26
|-
|Feb 20
|Feb 21
|Feb 25
|-
|Mar 22
|Mar 21
|Mar 26
|-
|Apr 20
|Apr 20
|Apr 25
|-
|May 20
|May 20
|May 24
|-
|Jun 18
|Jun 18
|Jun 23
|-
|Jul 18
|Jul 18
|Jul 22
|-
|Aug 16
|Aug 16
|Aug 21
|-
|Sep 15
|Sep 15
|Sep 19
|-
|Oct 14
|Oct 14
|Oct 19
|-
|Nov 13
|Nov 13
|Nov 17
|-
|Dec 12
|Dec 12
|Dec 17
|}
== The Gregorian Reform ==
In October 1582, the [[Roman Catholic Church]] adopted a major calendar reform designed to correct the Julian calendar's defects. The Julian calendar then in common use was based on an average year of 365.25 days, slightly longer than the mean tropical year of 365.2422 days and the mean vernal equinox year of 365.2424 days. Since 19 Julian years were taken to be equal to 235 lunar months, the average lunar month in the Julian calendar was 29.530851 days, somewhat longer than the astronomical mean synodic month of 29.530589 days. The new calendar eliminated the 10-day drift in the vernal equinox, and the 3-to-4 day deviation in the age of the moon, that had accumulated since the Julian Paschalion had come into use, and laid down rules that would slow the rate of accumulation of errors in the future.

The new calendar was called the [[Gregorian Calendar|Gregorian]] after its sponsor, Pope Gregory XIII.

== The Rejected Proposal of 1923 ==
A [[Revised_Julian_Calendar|congress]] of Orthodox bishops meeting in 1923 under the presidency of Patriarch [[Meletios_IV_(Metaxakis)_of_Constantinople|Meletios IV]] agreed to set Pascha by means of precise astronomical computations referred to the meridian of Jerusalem.[1] This agreement was, however, never permanently implemented in any Orthodox diocese.

== East and West Today ==
The Roman Catholic and Protestant West eventually adopted the Gregorian Calendar for civil and ecclesiastical purposes, including the determination of Pascha. The Orthodox East, however, was not so quick to change. Even when the traditionally Orthodox countries began to adopt the Gregorian Calendar for civil purposes, the Orthodox Church retained the [[Julian Calendar]] and original Paschalion. For the sake of convenience, the date of Pascha is often transposed to the coincident date on the Gregorian Calendar for reference.

Because of the difference in calendars and formulas, Western Easter and Orthodox Pascha do not often coincide. Under current rules, they can differ from each other by 0, 1, 4, or 5 weeks. They are in separate lunations (meaning that they are 4 or 5 weeks apart because their respective cycles identify different lunar months as the Paschal lunar month) in years 3, 8, 11, 14, and 19 of the 19-year cycle, and in the same lunation (0 or 1 week apart) in the other years.

== Algorithms ==
Many notable mathematicians have developed algorithms for determining the date of Orthodox Pascha over the centuries. This simple and elegant one was devised by the brilliant mathematician Jacques Oudin in the 1940s:

''N.B. -- In this formula MOD is the modulus function, in which the first number is divided by the second and only the remainder is returned. Further, all division is integer division, in which remainders are discarded. Thus'' <tt>'''22 MOD 7 = 1'''</tt> ''but'' <tt>'''22 / 7 = 3'''.
G = ''year'' MOD 19
I = ((19 * G) + 15) MOD 30
J = (''year'' + (''year''/4) + I) MOD 7
L = I - J
Easter Month = 3 + ((L + 40)/44)
Easter Day = L + 28 - 31 * (Easter Month/4)
</tt>Easter Month will be a number corresponding to a calendar month (e.g., 4 = April) and Easter Day will be the day of that month. Note that this returns the date of Pascha on the Julian calendar. To get the corresponding date on the Gregorian calendar, add 13 days (14 days after March 1, 2100).

== Online Paschalion Utility ==
The date of Pascha and many Pascha-dependent dates can be found (e.g., the start of Great Lent, Pentecost, etc.) through this online JavaScript [http://www.noeticspace.com/paschalion Paschalion utility] (works best with IE3 or Netscape 3 or above).

This site allows the user to enter a year and uses Oudin's algorithm to compute the relevant dates. Although the Orthodox (Julian-based) formulas are used, the utility returns the corresponding Gregorian calendar dates. For example, in 2006 Pascha falls on Sunday, April 10, on the Julian calendar. That date corresponds to April 23 on the Gregorian calendar.

A perpetual Paschalion utility is available [http://cgi.duke.edu/~aa63/cgi-bin/paschallion.cgi here]. The utility was created by [http://www.duke.edu/~aa63/ Aleksandr Andreev] of [http://www.duke.edu/ Duke University] and calculates Pascha and associated feasts for any series of years. It also calculates the numbers used in Paschal calculations which can be found in an Orthodox [[Typicon]].

==References==
1. M. Milankovitch, "Das Ende des julianischen Kalenders und der neue Kalender der orientalischen Kirchen", ''Astronomische Nachrichten'' 220, 379-384(1924).

==See also==
*[[Church Calendar]]
*[[Gaussian Formulae]]
*[[Kyriopascha]]

== External links ==
*[http://www.oca.org/Docs.asp?ID=133&SID=12 Concerning the Date of Pascha and the 1st Ecumenical Council], by Archbishop [[Peter (L'Huillier) of New York]]
*[http://www.chrysostom.org/andrew/texts/parsells-calendar.pdf The Calendar Issue in the Orthodox Church], by John Parsells (PDF)
*[http://www.tondering.dk/claus/calendar.html Frequently Asked Questions about Calendars] by Claus Tondering (everything you ever wanted to know)
*[http://users.chariot.net.au/~gmarts/calmain.htm Calendar and Easter Topics]

[[Category:Church Life]]
[[Category:Feasts]]
[[Category:Featured Articles]]

[[ro:Pascalia]]

List of Byzantine Emperors

2012-01-22T18:41:06Z

Sîmbotin: iw:ro

{{cleanup}}
This is a list of the Emperors of the late Eastern [[Roman Empire]], called [[Byzantine]] by modern historians. This list does not include numerous coemperors who never attained sole or senior status as rulers.

The title of all Emperors listed preceding Heraclius was officially [[Augustus]], although various other titles such as [[Dominus]] were used as well. For official purposes, their names were preceded by Imperator Caesar Flavius and followed by Augustus. Following Heraclius, the title commonly became the Greek [[Basileus]] (Gr. Βασιλεύς), which had formerly meant generally "king", "[[sovereign]]" but now was used in place of Augustus. Kings were now titled by the neologism Regas (Gr. Ρήγας, from the Lat. "Rex") or by another generic term Archon (Gr. Άρχων, "ruler"). Autokrator (Gr. Αυτοκράτωρ) was also frequently used, along with a plethora of more hyperbolic titles—with grandiloquence typically in inverse proportion to actual power—including Kosmokrator (Gr. Κοσμοκράτωρ) ("Master of the Universe") and Chronokrator (Gr. Χρονοκράτωρ) ("Lord of All Time"). The emperors of the 15th century alone were often self-styled as Basileus ton Hellinon, "Emperor of the Greeks," though they still considered themselves "Roman" Emperors.

[Note: See also ''the term [[''Byzantine'']] with regard to the late [[Roman Empire]]. This list begins with [[Constantine the Great|Constantine I]] the Great, the first Christian emperor reigning from Constantinople, although [[Diocletian]] before him had ruled from [[Nicea]] and replaced the pseudorepublican trappings of the office with a straightforward autocracy and Heraclius I after him replaced Latin with Greek and began the restructuring of the Empire into themata.]

==Constantinian dynasty (306-363)==
:1. St. [[Constantine I]] (''Constantinus Pius Felix Invictus Augustus Pontifex Maximus Pater Patriae Proconsul''; 272 - 337; ruled 306 - 337) – son of [[Constantius Chlorus]], left the empire divided among his heirs, and was canonized by the Orthodox Church. He called the [[First Ecumenical Council]] to settle the problem of [[Arianism]].
:2. [[Constantius II]] (''Flavius Iulius Constantius''; 317 - 361; ruled 337 - 361) – son of Constantine I
:3. [[Julian the Apostate|Julian]] (''Flavius Claudius Iulianus''; 331 - 363; ruled 361 - 363) – Pagan son-in-law of Constantine I, brother-in-law and first cousin of Constantius II, grandson of Constantius I

===Non-dynastic===
:4. [[Jovian]] (''Iovianus''; 332 - 364; ruled 363 - 364) – soldier, restored Christianity

==Valentinian-Theodosian dynasty (364-457)==
:5. [[Valentinian I]] (''Flavius Valentinianus''; 321 - 375; ruled 364) – soldier, redivided the empire, taking the West
:6. [[Valens]] (''Flavius Iulius Valens''; 328 - 378; ruled 364 - 378) – brother of Valentinian I
:7. [[Gratian]] (''Flavius Gratianus''; 359 - 383; ruled 378 - 379) – son of Valentinian I
:8. [[Theodosius the Great (emperor)|Theodosius I]] (''Flavius Gratianus''; 346 - 395; ruled 379 - 395) – soldier, married to Aelia Flacilla, then Valentinian I's daughter Galla, fought with [[Magnus Maximus]] at the [[Battle of the Save]] in 388
:9. [[Arcadius]] (''Flavius Arcadius''; 377 - 408; ruled 395 - 408) – son of Theodosius I and Aelia Flacilla, brother of [[Honorius (emperor)|Honorius]]
:10. [[Theodosius II]] (''Flavius Theodosius''; 401 - 450; ruled 408 - 450) – son of Arcadius
:11. [[Pulcheria the Empress|Pulcheria]] (''Aelia Purcheria''; 399 – 453; ruled 408 - 441, 450) – sister of Theodosius II; canonized
:12. [[Marcian]] (''Flavius Marcianus''; 392 - 457; ruled 450 - 457) – soldier; married Pulcheria after Theodosius's death; canonized by the Orthodox church

==Leonid dynasty (457-518)==
:13. [[Leo I (emperor)|Leo I]] the Thracian (Valerius Leo) (401-474, ruled 457 - 474) – soldier
:14. [[Leo II (emperor)|Leo II]] (467 - 474, ruled 474) – grandson of Leo I, son of Zeno
:15. [[Zeno (emperor)|Zeno]] (425 - 491, ruled 474 - 475) – son-in-law of Leo I; orig. Tarasicodissa, an Isaurian
:16. [[Basiliscus]] ( ? - c. 477, ruled 475 - 476) – usurper; brother-in-law of Leo I
:*[[Zeno (emperor)|Zeno]] (ruled 476 - 491) – restored
:17. [[Anastasius I (emperor)|Anastasius I]] (430 - 518, ruled 491 - 518) – silentiarius; son-in-law of Leo I, elevated by selection by Zeno's widow Ariadne

==Justinian dynasty (518-602)==
:18. [[Justin I]] (''Flavius Iustinius''; 450 - 527; ruled 518 - 527) – commander of the guard
:19. [[Justinian I]] the Great (''Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Iustinianus''; 482 - 565; ruled 527 - 565) – nephew and adoptive son of Justin I, canonized by the Orthodox church, built the Hagia Sophia, organized the Roman Laws, took back most of the original-old empire
:20. [[Justin II]] (''Flavius Iustinius Iunior''; 520 - 578; ruled 565 - 578) – nephew of Justinian I
:21. [[Tiberius II Constantine]] (''Flavius Tiberius Constantinus''; 540 - 582, ruled 574, 578 - 582) – Comes Excubitris; adopted by Justin II
:22. [[Maurice (emperor)|Maurice]] (''Flavius Mauricius Tiberius''; 539 - 602, ruled 582 - 602) – son-in-law of Tiberius II

===Non-dynastic===
:23. [[Phocas]] (''Flavius Phocas''; ? - 610; ruled 602 - 610)

==Heraclian dynasty (610-695)==
:24. [[Heraclius]] (Ηράκλειος) (575 - 641, ruled 610 - 641) – usurper; son of the Armenian Exarch of Africa
:25. [[Constantine III (emperor)|Constantine III]] (Heraclius Constantine) (Κωνσταντίνος Γ') (612 - 641, ruled 641) – son of Heraclius; coemperor with Heraklonas
:26. [[Heracleonas|Heraklonas]] (Constantine Heraclius) (Ηρακλωνάς) (626 - 641?, ruled 641) – son of Herakleios; mutilated and deposed
:27. [[Constans II]] (Herakleios, later Constantine, called Πωγώνατος, ''the Bearded'') (Κώνστας Β') (630 - 668, ruled 641 - 668) – son of Constantine III; assassinated by chamberlain
:28. [[Mezezius]] (668 - 669) – Usurper
:29. [[Constantine the New|Constantine IV]] (Κωνσταντίνος Δ') (649 - 685, ruled 668 - 685) – son of Constans II
:30. [[Justinian II]] the Slit-nosed (Ιουστινιανός Β' ο Ρινότμητος) (668 - 711, ruled 685 - 695) – son of Constantine IV; mutilated, deposed, and exiled

===Non-dynastic (695-705)===
:31. [[Leontius (emperor)|Leontios]] (Λεόντιος) (ruled 695 - 698) – Strategos (general); mutilated, deposed, and imprisoned - later executed
:32. [[Tiberius III|Tiberios III]] (Τιβέριος Γ' ο Αψίμαρος) (ruled 698 - 705) – German orig. named Apsimar; deposed and executed

==Heraclian dynasty (705-711)==
:*[[Justinian II]] the Slit-nosed (Ιουστινιανός Β' ο Ρινότμητος) (ruled 705 - 711) – restored; deposed and executed

===Non-dynastic (711-717)===
:33. [[Philippicus|Philippikus]] Bardanes (Φιλιππικός Βαρδάνης) (ruled 711 - 713) – Armenian soldier; deposed and mutilated
:34. [[Anastasius II (emperor)|Anastasius II]] (Αναστάσιος Β') ( ? - 721, ruled 713 - 715) – orig. Artemios; secretary of Philippikos; deposed & entered monastery, later revolted & was executed
:35. [[Theodosius III]] (Θεοδόσιος Γ' ο Αδραμμυττηνός) (ruled 715 - 717) – tax-collector; abdicated and entered monastery

==Isaurian dynasty (717-802)==
:36. [[Leo III the Isaurian|Leo III]] the Isaurian (Λέων Γ' ο Ίσαυρος) (680 - 741, ruled 717 - 741) – Strategos
:37. [[Constantine V]] Kopronymos (the Dung-named) (Κωνσταντίνος Ε' ο Κοπρώνυμος ή Καβαλίνος) (718 - 745, ruled 741) – son of Leo III; deposed
:38. [[Artabasdus]] the Icon-lover (Αρτάβασδος ο Εικονόφιλος) (ruled 741 - 743) – Leo III's chamberlain and son-in-law
:*[[Constantine V]] Kopronymos (the Dung-named) (Κωνσταντίνος Ε' ο Κοπρώνυμος ή Καβαλίνος) (ruled 743 - 775) – restored
:39. [[Leo IV the Khazar|Leo IV]] the Khazar (Λέων Δ' o Χαζάρος) (750 - 780, ruled 775 - 780) – son of Constantine V
:40. [[Constantine VI]] the Blinded (Κωνσταντίνος ΣΤ') (771 - 797, ruled 780 - 797) – son of Leo IV; deposed and mutilated by mother
:41. [[Irene of Athens]] (Ειρήνη η Αθηναία) (755 - 803, ruled 797 - 802) – wife of Leo IV, mother of Constantine VI; deposed and exiled to [[Metropolis of Mytiline|Lesbos]] island.

==Nikephoros' dynasty (802-813)==
:42. [[Nicephorus I|Nikephorus I]] (Νικηφόρος Α') ( ? - 811, ruled 802 - 811) – Megas Logothetes; died in battle, skull used as wine cup
:43. [[Staurakius]] (Σταυράκιος Φωκάς) ( ? - 812, ruled 811) – son of Nikephoros I; paralyzed
:44. [[Michael I Rhangabes|Michael I Rangabe]] (Μιχαήλ Α' Ραγκαβής) (ruled 811 - 813) – son-in-law of Nikephoros I and master of the palace; deposed and entered monastery

===Non-dynastic===
:45. [[Leo V the Armenian|Leo V]] the Armenian (Λέων Ε' ο Αρμένιος) (775 - 820, ruled 813 - 820) – Strategos; assassinated

==Phrygian dynasty (820-867)==
:46. [[Michael II]] the Stammerer or the Amorian (Μιχαήλ Β' ο Τραυλός ή Ψελλός) (770 - 829, ruled 820 - 829) – Strategos, son-in-law of Constantine VI
:47. [[Theophilus the Iconclast|Theophilos]] (Θεόφιλος) (813 - 842, ruled 829 - 842) – son of Michael II
:48. [[Theodora (9th century empress)|Theodora]] (Θεοδώρα) (ruled 842 - 855) – wife of Theophilus; empress and regent for Michael III; canonized by the Orthodox church; deposed and entered monastery
:49. [[Michael III]] the Drunkard (Μιχαήλ Γ' ο Μέθυσος) (840 - 867, ruled 842 - 867) – son of Theophilos; assassinated

==Macedonian dynasty (867-1056)==
:50. [[Basil I]] the Macedonian (Βασίλειος Α') (811 - 886, ruled 867 - 886) - married Michael III's widow; died in hunting accident
:51. [[Leo VI the Wise]] (Λέων ΣΤ' ο Σοφός) (866 - 912, ruled 886 - 912) – likely either son of Basil I or Michael III;
:52. [[Alexander III (emperor)|Alexander]] (Αλέξανδρος Γ' του Βυζαντίου) (870 - 913, ruled 912 - 913) – son of Basil I, regent for nephew
:53. [[Constantine VII]] the Purple-born (Κωνσταντίνος Ζ' ο Πορφυρογέννητος) (905-959, ruled 913 - 959) – son of Leo VI
:54. [[Romanus I|Romanos I]] Lekapenos (Ρωμανός Α' ο Λεκαπηνός) (870 - 948, ruled 919 - 944) – father-in-law of Constantine VII; coemperor, deposed by his sons and entered monastery
:55. [[Romanus II|Romanos II]] the Purple-born (Ρωμανός Β' ο Πορφυρογέννητος) (939 - 963, ruled 959 - 963) – son of Constantine VII
:56. [[Nicephorus II Phocas|Nikephoros II]] Phokas (Νικηφόρος Β' Φωκάς) (912 - 969, ruled 963 - 969) – Strategos; married Romanos II's widow, regent for Basil II; assassinated
:57. [[John I Tzimisces|John I Tzimiskes]] (Ιωάννης Α' Κουρκούας ο Τσιμισκής) (925 - 976, ruled 969 - 976) – brother-in-law of Romanus II, lover of Nicephorus's wife but banned from marriage, regent for Basil
:58. [[Basil II]] the Bulgar-slayer (Βασίλειος Β' ο Βουλγαροκτόνο) (958 - 1025, ruled 976 - 1025) – son of Romanos II
:59. [[Constantine VIII]] (Κωνσταντίνος Η')(960-1028, ruled 1025 - 1028) – son of Romanos II; coemperor with Basil II
:60. [[Zoe (empress)|Zoe]] (Ζωή) ((c. 978 - 1050, ruled 1028 - 1050) – daughter of Constantine VIII
:61. [[Romanus III|Romanos III]] Argyros (Ρωμανός Γ' ο Αργυρός) (968 - 1034, ruled 1028 - 1034) – eparch of Constantinople; Zoe's first husband, arranged by Constantine VIII; murdered
:62. [[Michael IV]] the Paphlagonian (Μιχαήλ Δ' ο Παφλαγών) (1010 - 1041, ruled 1034 - 1041) – Zoe's second husband
:63. [[Michael V]] the Caulker (Μιχαήλ Ε' ο Καλαφάτης) (1015 - 1042, ruled 1041 - 1042) – Michael IV's nephew, Zoe's adopted son
:64. [[Theodora (11th century)|Theodora]] (Θεοδώρα) (980 - 1056, ruled 1042) – daughter of Constantine VIII, coempress with Zoe
:65. [[Constantine IX]] Monomachos (Κωνσταντίνος Θ' ο Μονομάχος) (1000 - 1055, ruled 1042 - 1055) – Zoe's third husband
:*[[Theodora (11th century)|Theodora]] (Θεοδώρα) (ruled 1055 - 1056) – restored

===Non-dynastic===
:66. [[Michael VI]] the General (Μιχαήλ ΣΤ' ο Στρατιωτικός) (ruled 1056 - 1057) – chosen by Theodora; deposed & entered monastery

==Comnenid dynasty==
:67. [[Isaac I Comnenus|Isaac I Komnenos]] (Ισαάκιος Α' ο Κομνηνός) (c. 1007 - 1060, ruled 1057 - 1059) – soldier; abdicated in a fit of illness & entered monastery

==Doukid dynasty (1059-1081)==
:68. [[Constantine X]] Doukas (Κωνσταντίνος Ι' ο Δούκας) (1006 - 1067, ruled 1059 - 1067) – selected by Michael Psellus the Younger
:69. [[Michael VII]] Doukas Quarter-short (Μιχαήλ Ζ' Δούκας Παραπινάκης) (1050 - 1090, ruled 1067 - 1078) – son of Constantine X, originally coemperor with two brothers and Romanus; deposed & entered monastery
:70. [[Romanos IV]] Diogenes (Ρωμανός Δ' Διογένης) (1032 - 1072, ruled 1068 - 1071) – married Constantine X's widow; coemperor, deposed & mutilated to death
:71. [[Nikephoros III]] Botaneiates (Νικηφόρος Γ' Βοτανειάτης) (1001 - 1081, ruled 1078 - 1081) – Strategos claiming descent from the [[Fabii]], bigamously married Michael VII's wife; deposed & forced into monastery

==Comnenid dynasty (restored, 1081-1185)==
:72. [[Alexios I Komnenos]] (Αλέξιος Α' Κομνηνός) (1057 - 1118, ruled 1081 - 1118) – nephew of Isaac I, married Constantine X's grandniece
:73. [[John II Komnenos]] the Handsome (Ιωάννης Β' Κομνηνός o Καλός) (1087 - 1143, ruled 1118 - 1143) – son of Alexios I, died of a hunting accident
:74. [[Manuel I Komnenos]] the Great (Μανουήλ Α' Κομνηνός ο Μέγας) (1118 - 1180, ruled 1143 - 1180) – son of John II
:75. [[Alexios II Komnenos]] (Αλέξιος B' Κομνηνός) (1169 - 1183, ruled 1180 - 1183) – son of Manuel I; murdered with garrotte
:76. [[Andronikos I Komnenos]] (Ανδρόνικος Α' Κομνηνός) (1118 - 1185, ruled 1183 - 1185) – nephew of John II; married Alexios II's widow; deposed, tortured, and executed; ancestor of the Komnenian line in Trebizond.

==Angelid dynasty (1185-1204)==
:77. [[Isaac II Angelos]] (Ισαάκιος Β' Άγγελος) (1156 - 1204, ruled 1185 - 1195) – great-grandson of Alexios I, deposed & blinded
:78. [[Alexios III Angelos]] (Αλέξιος Γ' Άγγελος) (1153 - 1211, ruled 1195 - 1203) – brother of Isaac II, deposed by [[Fourth Crusade|IV Crusade]] & eventually forced into monastery
:*[[Isaac II Angelos]] (Ισαάκιος Β' Άγγελος) (ruled 1203 - 1204) – largely witless, restored as coemperor with Alexius IV, deposed
:79. [[Alexios IV Angelos]] (Αλέξιος Δ' Άγγελος) (1182 - 1204, ruled 1203 - 1204) – son of Isaac II, deposed & executed
:80. [[Nikolaos Kanabos]] (usurper proclaimed emperor in Hagia Sophia, ruled 1204)
:81. [[Alexios V]] Doukas the Bushy-eyebrowed (Αλέξιος Ε' Δούκας ο Μούρτζουφλος) (1140 - 1204, ruled 1204) – son-in-law of Alexios III

==Laskarid dynasty (in exile, Empire of Nicea, 1204-1261)==
:82. [[Constantine Laskaris]] (ruled 1204) – not officially crowned
:83. [[Theodore I Laskaris]] (Θεόδωρος Α' Λάσκαρης) (1174 - 1222, ruled 1204 - 1222) – son-in-law of Alexios III
:84. [[John III Doukas Vatatzes]] (Ιωάννης Γ' Δούκας Βατάτζης) (1192 - 1254, ruled 1222 - 1254) – son-in-law of Theodore I; epileptic
:85. [[Theodore II Laskaris|Theodore II Doukas Laskaris]] (Θεόδωρος Β' Δούκας Λάσκαρης) (1221 - 1258, ruled 1254 - 1258) – son of John III
:86. [[John IV Laskaris|John IV Doukas Laskaris]] (Ιωάννης Δ' Δούκας Λάσκαρης) (1250 - 1305, ruled 1258 - 1261) – son of Theodore II, deposed, blinded, and imprisoned by Michael VIII

==Palaiologan Dynasty (restored to Constantinople, 1259-1453)==
:87. [[Michael VIII Palaiologos]] (Μιχαήλ Η' Παλαιολόγος) (1224 - 1282, ruled 1259 - 1282) – Strategos, regent for [[John IV Lascaris]]; great-grandson of [[Alexios III Angelos]]
:88. [[Andronikos II Palaiologos]] the Elder (Ανδρόνικος Β' ο Γέρος) (1258 - 1332, ruled 1282 - 1328) – son of Michael VIII; abdicated
:89. [[Andronikos III Palaiologos]] the Younger (Ανδρόνικος Γ' Παλαιολόγος ο Νέος) (1297 - 1341, ruled 1328 - 1341) – grandson of Andronikos II
:90. [[John V Palaiologos]] (Ιωάννης Ε' Παλαιολόγος) (1332 - 1391, ruled 1341 - 1347) – son of Andronikos III, deposed by John VI
:91. [[John VI Kantakouzenos]] (Ιωάννης Στ' Καντακουζηνός) (1295 - 1383, ruled outright 1347 - 1354) – father-in-law of John V; deposed, and entered monastery as Ioasaph Christodoulus
:*[[John V Palaiologos]] (Ιωάννης Ε' Παλαιολόγος) (ruled 1354 - 1376) – restored, deposed by Andronikos IV
:92. [[Andronikos IV Palaiologos]] (Ανδρόνικος Δ' Παλαιολόγος) (1348 - 1385, ruled 1376 - 1379) – son of John V, half-blinded following revolt, later succeeded and was deposed, revolted a third time
:*[[John V Palaiologos]] (Ιωάννης Ε' Παλαιολόγος) (Ιωάννης Ε' Παλαιολόγος) (ruled 1379 - 1390) – restored, deposed
:93. [[John VII Palaiologos]] (Ιωάννης Ζ' Παλαιολόγος) (1370 - 1408, ruled 1390) – son of Andronikos IV
:*[[John V Palaiologos]] (Ιωάννης Ε' Παλαιολόγος) (ruled 1390 - 1391) – restored
:94. [[Manuel II Palaiologos]] (Μανουήλ Β' Παλαιολόγος) (1350 - 1425, ruled 1391 - 1425) – son of John V
:*[[John VII Palaiologos]] (Ιωάννης Ζ' Παλαιολόγος) (ruled 1399 - 1402) – restored as regent
:95. [[John VIII Palaiologos]] (Ιωάννης Η' Παλαιολόγος) (1392 - 1448, ruled 1425 - 1448) – son of Manuel II
:96. [[Constantine XI Palaiologos|Constantine XI]] Palaiologos Dragases (Κωνσταντίνος ΙΑ' Παλαιολόγος Δραγάσης) (1405 - 1453, ruled 1449 - 1453) – son of Manuel II, not crowned in Constantinople, died on the walls

===Ottomans===
In 1453 [[Mehmed II]] overthrew the Byzantine Empire and claimed the title of Kaisar; his successors continued this claim.

==Palaiologan Dynasty (in exile)==
*[[Thomas Palaeologus|Thomas Palaiologos]] (Θωμάς Παλαιολόγος) (1409 or 10 - 1465) – brother of Constantine XI; died in exile in Rome
*[[Andreas Palaeologus|Andrew Palaiologos]] (Ανδρέας Παλαιολόγος) (1453 - 1502) – son of Thomas; created Despot by [[Pope Pius II]], self-styled <small>imperator Constantinopolitanus</small>; sold titles to Charles VIII of France in 1494 and granted the remainder to King Ferdinand II of Aragon of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castille in his will.

==Source==
* [[w:List of Byzantine Emperors|''List of Byzantine Emperors'' on Wikipedia]]

[[Category:Rulers]]
[[Category:Roman Emperors]]
[[ar:قائمة بالأباطرة البيزنطيين]]
[[ro:Listă a Împăraţilor Romani de Răsărit]]

Zeno (emperor)

2011-12-07T16:48:55Z

Sîmbotin: iw - ro

'''Flavius Zeno''' was emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire from 474 until his death in 491, except for the period from January 475 to August 476. During his reign the western part of the Roman Empire fell to the Goths. His issuance of the ''[[Henoticon|Henotikon]]'' as an attempt to conciliate the [[Monophysitism|Monophysite]] [[heresy]] that was still major religious issue in the Eastern Empire provoked the first [[schism]] between the Churches of [[Church of Constantinople|Constantinople]] and [[Church of Rome|Rome]].

==Life==
Zeno was born about the year 425 in Rusumblada in the province of Isauria in southern eastern Asia Minor. He was known as Tarasicodissa when he was young. He gained his fame as a warrior. In the mid 460s he came to the attention of Emperor [[Leo I]] when the emperor was attempting to find an alternative among the Isaurians to the unreliable Germanic and Alan mercenaries that formed much of the Roman army. In 466, Tarasicodissa exposed the treachery of Ardabur, raising himself in Leo’s attention. Ardabur was the son of the ''magister militum'' (Master of Soldiers) Aspar, and by 468, Tarasicodissa had become the ''magister militum''. To identify himself to the Roman hierarchy in culturally Greek Constantinople, Tarasicodissa changed his name to Zeno.

In 468, Zeno married Emperor Leo’s eldest daughter, Aelia Ariadne, who soon brought them a son who would become the future Leo II. Zeno gained considerable success leading the armies of the eastern empire. He drove the Vandals from Eprius. He dispersed the Huns and Gepids in their incursions south of the Danube river.

In October 473, Leo I made his grandson co-emperor. On [[January 18]], 474, Leo I died, leaving the five year old Leo II as sole emperor. The next month, on [[February 9]], the senate appointed Zeno as co-augustus. Before the end of the year, Leo II died, and Zeno became the sole emperor.

In January 475, Zeno fled the capital in the face of a conspiracy by Leo I’s wife, Verina, and her brother Basiliscus that placed Basiliscus on throne. Basiliscus sent an army under Illus after Zeno, But when Basiliscus failed to follow through on his promises to Illus, Illus turned his allegiance and helped restore Zeno to power. Basiliscus’ rule of little over a year, until August 476, was disastrously poor and unpopular, and Zeno met no resistance when he re-entered Constantinople.

The ascendancy of Basiliscus to the throne also re-awakened the Christological disputes that were behind the [[Fourth Ecumenical Council]]. Basiliscus favored Monophysitism and as a consequence the [[clergy]] who followed the heresy enjoyed some success during his reign, particularly in Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. Upon returning to power, Zeno was presented with a severely divided empire. He tried to defuse the situation and reunite the Monophysites with the Orthodox Church. To accomplish this he turned to the Patriarch of Constantinople, [[Acacius of Constantinople|Acacius]], who was Orthodox. Acacius had been a vocal advocate of the Orthodox position and had the backing of Pope Simplicius of Rome. Acacius, supporting Zeno desire to end the dispute, prepared a letter in which he attempted to establish a uniting position for all parties.

The letter, known as the ''[[Henoticon]]'', endorsed the decrees of the [[First Ecumenical Council|First]] and [[Second Ecumenical Council]]s which were held at [[Nicea]] and [[Constantinople]] respectively. The [[heretic]]s [[Nestorius]], [[Eutyches]], and their followers were condemned and the [[anathema]]s of [[Cyril of Alexandria]] were approved. The decrees of Chalcedon, however, were not mentioned, deliberately, as a concession to the Monophysites. The letter met with mixed reactions. Some Monophysite leaders accepted the letter, while other, hardline Monophysites completely rejected it, as did the Church of Rome. Regardless of the differing reactions, Zeno published the letter in 482 and proceeded to depose those [[bishop]]s from the Church of Rome and Monophysites who refused to accept his compromise.

After attempts to reconcile the issues between Rome and Constantinople failed, Pope Felix III convened a council in 484 in which Felix deposed Acacius. Acacius, in return, struck Felix’ name from his [[diptychs]]. With these actions by the two [[patriarch]]s a schism began that lasted until 519. During the remaining years of Zeno’s reign all attempts to reconcile the schism failed which continued through the reign of Zeno’s successor, [[Flavius Anastasius|Anastasius]], until his successor, [[Justin I|Justin]], a staunch Orthodox, and Patriarch John of Cappadocia began negotiations with Rome that proved useful.

Zeno died in Constantinople on [[April 9]], 491. As his children had preceded him in death, his successor, Anastasius a member of the imperial court, was chosen by Zeno’s widow, Ariadne.

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=Leo II|
title=Eastern Roman Emperor|
years=474-475<br>476-491|
after=[[Flavius Anastasius|Anastasius I]]}}
{{end box}}

==Sources==
*[http://www.roman-emperors.org/zeno.htm Zeno (AD 474-491)]
*[http://www.roman-empire.net/constant/zeno.html Zeno the Isaurian, Tarasicodissa]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno_(emperor) Wikipedia: Zeno (emperor)]
*[http://historymedren.about.com/od/zwho/p/who_zeno.htm Zeno Emperor]
*[http://historymedren.about.com/od/medchristianity/p/acacian_schism.htm The Acacian Schism]

==External link==
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07218b.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Henoticon]

[[Category: Rulers]]
[[Category: Roman Emperors]]

[[ro:Zenon]]

Template:November 17

2011-12-07T14:56:35Z

Sîmbotin: link

<div style="float:right;margin-left:1em">
[[Image:Theotokos of Vladimir.jpg|100px|Our Holy Lady Theotokos]]
</div>[[Saint]] [[Gregory of Neocaesarea|Gregory]] the [[Wonder-worker]] of Neo-Caesarea; Saint [[Nikon of Radonezh|Nikon]], [[Abbot]] of Radonezh, [[disciple]] of St. Sergius of Radonezh (see also [[September 25]] and [[July 5]]); Saint Lazarus the [[Iconographer]] of Constantinople; Saint Longinus of Egypt; Saint Gennadius of [[Vatopedi Monastery (Athos)|Vatopedi]] ([[Mount Athos]]); [[Martyr]] Gobron (Michael) and 133 soldiers of Georgia; Saint Maximus (Maximian), [[Patriarch]] of Constantinople (see also [[April 21]]); Saint Gregory, [[Bishop]] of Tours, and with him Saints Patroclus of Bourges, Ursus, and Leobatius, brother-abbots, and Nicetius of Lyons (Gaul); Saint Zachariah the [[Skete]]-dweller and Saint John, [[monk]]; Saint Justin, monk; Saint [[Gennadius I of Constantinople|Gennadius I, Patriarch of Constantinople]]; [[Righteous]] Mother [[Hilda of Whitby]]; Saint Paisios Velichkovsky (see also [[November 15]])
<noinclude>[[Category: Calendar day templates|November 17]]</noinclude>

Anthony III Studite of Constantinople

2011-11-14T06:09:20Z

Sîmbotin: iw: ro

'''Anthony III Studite of Constantinople''' was the Patriarch of Constantinople from 974 to 980. He became the [[patriarch]] at an advanced age and brought to the office of the patriarch an atmosphere of moderation and mildness that had been missing in that office.

==Life==
Little is known of the early life of Anthony. He was a [[monk]] of the [[Studion Monastery]] and was secretary to Patriarch Basil I of Constantinople before his election to the patriarchal throne.

Anthony's ascension to the [[see]] of Constantinople came as a fallout of the succession battles to the [[cathedra]] of Rome then influenced strongly by the powerful Roman Crescentil family. In 974, the legitimate [[pope]], Benedict VI, was imprisoned by Crescentius of the Crescentil family and replaced by the antipope, Boniface VII, who soon was [[excommunication|excommunicated]]. The [[clergy]] and people, in turn, elected Benedict VII to the papal throne. Patr. Basil I of Constantinople supported the claims of Benedict VII, who had been legitimately elected over the claims of the antipope Boniface VII. As emperor John I Tzimisces supported the antipope, Boniface VII, who was a guest at the Imperial court after his excommunication, the emperor [[deposition|deposed]] Patr. Basil and installed Anthony in his stead.

Although Anthony entered the patriarchate at an advanced age, he brought to it a moderation and mildness that was needed in that office. However, his tenacity in upholding the autonomous [[jurisdiction]] of the Orthodox Church as complementary to the emperor’s secular authority brought him into conflict with emperor Basil II. Anthony also strove to reform the church that included elimination of the buying and selling of ecclesiastical offices that were practiced among the clergy in order to satisfy imperial taxes on [[church]] property. This stirred controversy with the emperor over the right of the church to hold property which, with Patr. Anthony being implicated in the attempt by General Bardas Sclerus to overthrow emperor Basil in 979, caused the forced resignation of Patr. Anthony in 980.

Patr. Anthony retired to the Studion Monastery, where he died in 983.

==Work==
The single surviving work by Patr. Anthony is his Monitum (“Admonition”) to monks on penance and confession of sins, a treatise that set a standard for Eastern [[asceticism]].

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=[[Basil I of Constantinople|Basil I Skamandrenus]]|
title=[[List of Patriarchs of Constantinople|Patriarch of Constantinople]]|
years=974-980|
after=[[Nicholas II Chrysoberges of Constantinople|Nicholas II Chrysoberges]]}}
{{end box}}

==Sources==
*[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/27398/Anthony-III-Studite Anthony III Studite]
*[http://www.ec-patr.org/list/index.php?lang=gr&id=96 Anthony C Studite] In Greek
*[[Wikipedia: Patriarch_Antony_III_of_Constantinople]]

[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category: Patriarchs of Constantinople]]

[[ro:Antonie al III-lea al Constantinopolului]]

Cosmas and Damian (Asia Minor)

2011-11-01T15:00:05Z

Sîmbotin: iw: ro

Alexander Nevsky

2011-10-21T13:07:48Z

Sîmbotin: iw: ro

[[image:Nevsky.jpg|right|thumb|An engraving of St. Alexander Nevsky]]The holy and right-believing '''Alexander Nevsky''' was the Grand Prince of Vladimir and [[Novgorod]] during the period of the thirteenth century when the Russian lands were under assault from both the East and West. His military victories in the West and diplomacy in the East kept northern Russia free of foreign domination. The [[Church of Russia]] recognized him as a [[saint]] in 1547.

St Alexander Nevsky is commemorated on [[August 30]] and [[November 23]]. Also, the celebration of the ''[[Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov|Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints]]'' on [[May 23]] was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch [[Alexei I (Simansky) of Moscow|Alexis I]] and the [[Holy Synod]] of the [[Russian Orthodox Church]], on March 10, 1964.

==Life==
Alexander Yaroslavich (Александр Ярославич in Russian), the fourth son of Grand Prince Yaroslav II Vsevolodovich of Vladimir, was born in Pereslavl-Zalessky on [[May 30]], 1219. He was the grandson of Vsevolod III (Big Nest, for his numerous family). Being fourth in line, he was considered to have no chance of succeeding his father to the throne of Vladimir. In 1239, he married Alexandra, the daughter of the Prince of Polotsk. After his father was poisoned during a visit to see Uzhedei, the Mongol/Tatar Grand Khan in 1246, Alexander succeeded as the Grand Prince of Vladimir.

In 1236, he was called by the leaders of Novgorod (formally, ''Lord Novgorod the Great'') as their military leader in defense against Swedish and German invaders. He was named the Prince of [[Novgorod]]. At the time Novgorod was a major trading center and was associated with the Hanseatic League. On [[July 15]], 1240, Alexander and his army surprised the Swedish army in a battle at the confluence of the river Izhora with the Neva. With his victory over the Swedes, Alexander put an end to a further invasion from the north and increased his political influence in Russia. However, the victory did not help his relations with the boyars and he soon had to leave Novgorod. In recognition of his victory the nineteen year old Alexander was given the name "Nevsky" (of the Neva).

In the spring of 1241, the Novgorod leaders again called upon Alexander to defend them from the invading and crusading Teutonic Knights. Again he and his army stopped the invasion, this time in the famous battle on the ice during the "Battle on Lake Peipus" near [[Pskov]] on [[April 15]], 1242. By defeating, first, the Swedes and then the German Teutonic Knights, Alexander stopped their eastward expansion for several centuries. However, he fought many more battles against the Swedes, including one defeat in 1256 when they tried to block Novgorod’s access to the Baltic Sea. With the defeat of the Teutonic Knights, Alexander took to strengthening the defenses of the Russian lands in the northwest by completing a peace treaty with Norway in 1251.

In the meantime, Mongol/Tatar forces had invaded the Russian lands, sweeping through both the northern and southern regions, destroying principal cities such as Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Chernigov, Pereaslavl, and reducing Kiev to a small village. Alexander choose a course of submission and co-operation with the Tatars as he considered that resistance was hopeless. When in 1247, the Tatars came for tribute, he used his reputation as a hero of Novgorod to convince the citizens of Novgorod that submission was best under such hopeless conditions. When in 1263 a few towns refused to pay tribute to Tatar tax-collectors, Alexander made his fourth trip to the Tatar headquarters to beg the khan to stop the Tatar army that was enroute to Novgorod. While he succeeded, this was his last and most difficult of his service for his people; he died on [[November 14]], 1263 during his journey home. Upon receiving the news of his death, [[Metropolitan]] Cyril of Vladimir announced in the [[cathedral]]: ''My dear children, know that the sun of Russia has set''.

==Legacy==
In an age of great turmoil Alexander Nevsky was a man who defended his lands and people with great courage and whose action, while questioned by some, successfully maintained the territorial integrity of his lands for his people. As a consequence of his humble submission to the Tatar khan, Alexander was able to preserve the principality of Novgorod and other Russian lands from ruin. It is for his humble concern for his people that he was recognized as a saint by the Church of Russia in 1547.
==Hymns==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 4)
:Christ revealed you, O Blessed Alexander
:As a new and glorious worker of wonders;
:A man and a prince well pleasing to God
:And a divine treasure of the Russian Land.
:Today we assemble in faith and love
:To glorify the Lord by joyously remembering you.
:He granted you the grace of healing,
:Therefore entreat Him to strengthen your suffering spiritual children,
:And to save all Orthodox Christians.
[[Kontakion]] (Tone 8)
:We honor you as a most radiant, spiritual star,
:Rising up from the east; going down in the west!
:As you enriched the Russian people with good works and miracles,
:So now enlighten us who remember you in faith, O Blessed Alexander.
:Today as we celebrate your falling asleep, we ask you to beseech the Lord
:That He may strengthen his suffering servants and save all Orthodox Christians!

==Sources==
*Bernard Pares, A History of Russia, Johathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square London, 1955, pp. 79-84
*Nicholas V. Riasanovsky, A History of Russia, 3rd ed, Oxford University Press New York, 1977, pp. 84-88

==External links==
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Nevsky Wikipedia: Alexander Nevsky]
*[http://historymedren.about.com/library/who/blwwnevsky.htm Alexander Nevsky]
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=102424 Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky] - From [[OCA]] Web site.
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=103377 Repose of St Alexander Nevsky] From OCA Web site.

[[Category: Featured Articles]]
[[Category: Russian Saints]]
[[Category: Saints]]

[[ro:Alexandru Nevski]]

Thekla the Protomartyr

2011-09-23T09:11:48Z

Sîmbotin: iw: ro

[[Image:Thekla the Protomartyr.jpg|right|frame|St. Thekla the Protomartyr, Equal-to-the-Apostles]]
The holy, glorious and right-victorious [[Protomartyr]] '''Thekla''' (or ''Thecla'') the [[Equal-to-the-Apostles]] devoted her life to God at a time when all Christians were shunned. Her [[feast day]] is celebrated on [[September 24]].

==Life==
[[Saint]] Thekla was born in Iconium to wealthy parents. After having heard St. [[Apostle Paul|Paul]] speak on [[chastity]], she decided she must follow [[Christ]] and abandon her plans to marry. Her mother and her fiancé were opposed to this decision, and their accusations to the governor landed St. Paul in prison. St. Thekla slipped away from her house to listen to St. Paul in prison, having bribed the guards with her gold jewelry to gain entrance.

At his trial, St. Paul was banished from the city, and Thekla refused to change her mind against all the tears, threats, and reasonings her mother and the governor could apply. She was firm in her conviction to follow Jesus Christ the Bridegroom. Her mother, enraged, persuaded the judge to sentence St. Thekla to burn to death. Emboldened by her love for Christ, she made the [[sign of the Cross]] over the flames, and was surrounded by a light, untouched by the flames. Rain, and hail extinguished the fire, and, with thunder, helped to drive away those who wished to put Thekla to death.

She sought out St. Paul and his companions, including St. [[Apostle Barnabas|Barnabas]], who were hiding in a cave near the city. She spread the [[gospel]] of Christ with them in [[Church of Antioch|Antioch]], and throughout her life performed many [[miracle|miraculous]] feats and suffered many tortures to give glory to God. Having retired to a desolate region of Isaurian Seleucia with the blessing of St. Paul, Thekla continued to preach God's word and heal His children.

When St. Thekla had reached the age of 90, envious pagan sorcerors came to defile her. A large rock split open when St. Thekla called on Christ the Savior to help her, and the rock covered her, and she offered up her soul to the Lord.

"The Protomartyr Thekla, a [[prayer]]ful [[intercession|intercessor]] for [[ascetic]]s, is also invoked during the [[tonsure]] of women into [[monasticism]]." [http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=102715]

==Hymns==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 4) [http://www.oca.org/FSTropars.asp?SID=13&ID=102715]
:You were enlightened by the words of Paul, O Bride of God, Thekla,
:And your faith was confirmed by [[Apostle Peter|Peter]], O Chosen One of God.
:You became the first sufferer and [[martyr]] among women,
:By entering into the flames as into a place of gladness.
:For when you accepted the Cross of Christ,
:The demonic powers were frightened away.
:O all-praised One, intercede before Christ God that our souls may be saved.

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 8)
:O glorious Thekla, virginity was your splendor,
:The crown of martyrdom your adornment and the faith you trust!
:You turned a burning fire into refreshing dew,
:And with your prayers appeased pagan fury, O First Woman Martyr!

==External Links and Sources==
*[http://www.antiochianvillage.org/camp/liturgical/patron/stthekla.html St. Thekla the Protomartyr] ([[Antiochian Village]])
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=102715 Holy Protomartyr and Equal of the Apostles Thekla] ([[OCA]])
*[http://goarch.org/chapel/saints_view?contentid=216 Thekla the Protomartyr & Equal-to-the-Apostles] ([[GOARCH]])
*"Come and See" Icons, Books & Art: St. Thekla Icons: [http://www.comeandseeicons.com/t/phi08.htm], [http://www.comeandseeicons.com/t/dtg02.htm], and [http://www.comeandseeicons.com/t/bmp17.htm], by the hand of Nicholas Papas

[[Category:Martyrs]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Ante-Nicene Saints]]

[[ro:Tecla]]

Eutyches

2011-09-15T13:43:48Z

Sîmbotin: iw - ro

'''Eutyches''' was an [[archimandrite]] and [[heretic]] who lived in the fifth century at a [[monastery]] near Constantinople. A staunch foe of [[Nestorianism]] he took an extreme view in the opposite direction, to a form of [[monophysitism]] called [[Eutychianism]], during the Christological controversies of the fifth century. His nonnegotiable position ended in his being anathematize by both the Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian sides of the controversy.

==Life==
Little is known of the early life of Eutyches. He is believed to have been born about year 380 and was an archimandrite at a monastery near Constantinople. His name first appeared in 428 as one of the first of those who started the process of complaints against [[Nestorius]]‘s teaching. In 431, he attended the [[Third Ecumenical Council|Council of Ephesus]] at which he was in vehement opposition to the teachings of [[Nestorius]] of Constantinople. Nestorius asserted an explanation of the natures of Christ such that the Virgin Mary could not be referred to as the “Mother of God” (i.e., Theotokos), Eutyches declared the Christ was “a fusion of human and divine elements.”

The issue at the time was how does one account for the divine and human aspects of Christ. After the condemnation of Nestorianism at the Council of Ephesus, lingering disagreements between the Churches of Alexandria and Antioch were further refined by the protagonists of the two Churches. The Alexandrian doctrine was presented by [[Cyril of Alexandria]], while the Antiochian position was held by Theodoret of Cyrus and [[John I of Antioch|John of Antioch]] both who had accepted the decisions of the Council of Ephesus. While the theologians Cyril and Theodoret came to a reconciliation of their differences as recorded by Cyril in his twelve chapters and other letters, the line of agreement was fine, and their partisans were not convinced. Into this tense arena of both religious and secular feelings, Eutyches took an extreme monophysite position, influenced by Emperor [[Theodosius II]]’s minister Chrysaphius, that affected future Orthodox unity even though both sides contended that they both followed the faith of Cyril.

In the confusion after Cyril’s death in 444, Eutyches, not a learned man but much respected, began to denounce the supposed revival of Nestorianism by raising the issue with [[Leo the Great|Pope Leo I]], who responded sympathetically. Eutyches criticisms, however, reverted to claims of [[Apollinarianism]] that Cyril himself would have rejected. At a patriarchal council at Constantinople in 448, [[Flavian the Confessor|Flavian of Constantinople]] censured Eutyches for having an unbalanced theology and insisted that Eutyches voice the christological formula of “one person subsisting in two natures.” This Eutyches refused, pressing a position that stressed one nature after incarnation. With this the christological storm was renewed.

As Emperor Theodosius supported Eutyches, Eutyches’ appeal to Theodosius of Flavian’s finding against him resulted in a called for a full synodal review. The [[Robber Council of Ephesus|second council of Ephesus]] was convened in 449. Presided over by [[Dioscorus of Alexandria]] and supported by the emperor, the council became a trial of Flavian, Theodoret, and [[Ibas of Edessa]], who were deposed along with Domnus of Antioch and Eusebius of Dorylaeum, Eutyches was restored to his office. Pope Leo’s tome that followed Cyril’s faith was discarded by Dioscorus without any consideration. Upon hearing of the actions of the council, Leo called the council ‘a den of thieves’ and is recorded in history as a [[Robber Council]].

While the council was endorsed by Emperor Theodosius, his death on [[July 28]], 450 brought a reversal in Constantinople as Augusta [[Pulcheria the Empress|Pulcheria]], who had supported Cyril, returned to power. She and her new husband, the General and new emperor [[Marcian]], convened an international [[Fourth Ecumenical Council|counci]]l on [[October 8]], 451 at [[Chalcedon]] that declared the “robber council” of 449 null and void and, found that Leo’s position as expressed in his tome was consistent with Cyril’s faith. The council agreed on the orthodoxy of the [[christology]] of Cyril’s confession.

Eutyches was deposed and exiled, but apparently in exile he continued to expound his position, as attested to by Pope Leo’s request in 454 that Eutyches be banished to a more distant place. Eutyches died in exile in 456.

==Sources==
* [[John Anthony McGuckin|McGuckin, John A.]], St. Cyril of Alexandria and the Christological Controversy. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2004. ISBN 0-88141-259-7
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05631a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Eutyches]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutyches Wikipedia: Eutyches]

[[Category: Heretics]]
[[Category: Monastics]]

[[ro:Eutihie]]

Israel

2011-09-10T16:25:11Z

Sîmbotin: iw - ro

Over the past three thousand years, the name '''"Israel"''' has meant in common and religious usage both: 1) the [[w:Land of Israel|Land of Israel]], also called the [[w:Canaan|Land of Canaan]], constituting the [[w:Promised Land|Promised Land]] forming part of the Abrahamic, Jacob and Israel covenants, as well as referring to the modern state of [[w:Israel|Israel]]; and also 2) the entire Jewish nation, an ethnoreligious group originating in the [[w:Israelites|Israelites]]<ref>In modern Judaic usage, an Israelite is a Jew who is neither a [[w:Kohen|Kohen]] (descendant of [[Aaron]], the first high priest) nor a Levite (descendant of early religious functionaries). The distinction is significant, for if a Kohen is present for synagogue service, he must be called up first for the reading of the Law; he is then followed by a Levite. Normally, therefore, an Israelite is not called up until the third reading. (''"Israelite."'' '''Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica 2009 Ultimate Reference Suite.''' Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2009.)</ref> (Twelve Tribes) or [[w:Hebrews|Hebrews]] of the Ancient Near East.

With the [[New Testament|New Covenant]], the [[Orthodox Church|Church]] of [[Jesus Christ]] becomes the New Israel, becoming the fulfillment of the Old Israel.

==Old Testament==
''Israel'' (probably meaning "God struggles", "God is strong") designates in the [[Old Testament]] either a people or its eponymous ancestor, identified with the patriarch Jacob.<ref>Genesis 35:10,20f; 43:8; 50:2, etc..</ref> The story that explains the double name of the patriarch is based on the popular etymology for Israel: "he wrestled with God".<ref>Genesis 32:29; Hosea 12:4.</ref>
===Israel - A Covenant People===
'''Israel a Sacred Name'''<br>
Israel is not only the name of a tribe like Edom, Aram, and Moab. It is a sacred name of the covenant people. The covenant people forms the "community of Israel",<ref>Exodus 12:3,6.</ref> and under this title it hears the speeches recorded in Deuteronomy, ''"Hear, O Israel!..."''<ref>Deuteronomy 5:1; 6:4; 9:1; Psalms 50:7; 81:9.</ref> as the prophetic promises.<ref>Isaiah 41:8; 43:1; 44:1; 48:1.</ref>

'''Israel - A People of Twelve Tribes'''<br>
For its fundamental national structure, Israel has the twelve tribes which bear the name of the twelve sons of Jacob right from the formation of the covenant.<ref>Exodus 24:4.</ref> If the list of tribes has known minor variations,<ref>Genesis 49; Deuteronomy 33; Judges 5; Apocalypse 7:5.</ref> still their number is related to the cultic service of the twelve months of the year. This is the first historical form that the people of God took in this world.

'''Yahweh is the God of Israel and Israel is the People of Yahweh'''<br>
Through the covenant, God is in some way joined to Israel. He is their [[God]],<ref>Isaiah 17:6; Jeremiah 7:3; Ezekiel 8:4.</ref> their holy one,<ref>Isaiah 1:4; 44:14; Psalms 89:19.</ref> their strong one,<ref>Isiaih 1:25.</ref> their rock,<ref>Isaiah 30:29.</ref> their king,<ref>Isaiah 43;15.</ref> and their redeemer.<ref>Isaiah 44:6.</ref> The God of revelation thereby enters into the history of religions as the God proper to Israel. In return it is Israel alone that He chooses to make the trustee of His plan of salvation. Once again, the titles given to Israel are significant. Israel is the people of Yahweh,<ref>Isaiah 1:3; Amos 7:8; Jeremiah 12:14; Ezra 14:9; Psalms 50:7.</ref> His Servant,<ref>Isaiah 44:21.</ref> His chosen one,<ref>Isaiah 45:4.</ref> His first-born Son,<ref>Exodus 4:22; Hosea 11:1.</ref> His holy one,<ref>Jeremiah 2:3.</ref> His inheritance,<ref>Isaiah 19:25.</ref> His flock,<ref>Psalms 95:7.</ref> His vineyard<ref>Isaiah 5:7.</ref> His domain,<ref>Psalms 114:2.</ref> His spouse.<ref>Hosea 2:4.</ref> Therefore Israel does not belong only to the political history of humanity. By divine choice it is at the very center of religious history.
===Israel and Judah===
'''Political Duality of Israel'''<br>
The sacred league of the twelve tribes concealed a political duality which is clearly seen during the royal epoch. [[David]] became successively the king of Judah, in the South, and then of Israel in the North.<ref>2 Samuel 2:4; 5:3.</ref> When Solomon died, Israel broke off from the house of David<ref>1 Kings 12:19.</ref> with the cry: "To your tents, Israel!".<ref>2 Kings 12:16; 2 Samuel 20:1.</ref> In this way the people of God are broken up. The language of the prophets adapted itself to a condition that was contrary to the doctrine of the covenant, and which in the future distinguished Judah from Israel, which was frequently identified with Ephraim, the dominant northern tribe.<ref>Amos 2:4; Hosea 4:15f; Isaiah 9:7ff.; Micah 1:5; Jeremiah 3:6ff..</ref><br>

'''Israel and Judaism'''<br>
After the fall of Samaria, Judah became the center of the regrouping of Israel.<ref>2 Kings 23:19; 2 Chronicles 30:1ff..</ref> After the fall of Jerusalem, the ideal image of the national restoration is sought for in the the former league of the twelve tribes. The preponderant role of Judah in this restoration explains why the name of Jew is given from then on to the members of the dispersed people, and why the name of Judaism will be given to the institution which groups them together again.<ref>Genesis 1:13f..</ref> But the name of Israel recovers at the same time its sacred value.<ref>Nehemiah 9:1f; Ecclesiasticus 36:11; Matthew 2:20f.; Acts 13:17; John 3:10.</ref>

===The Promise of a New Israel===
The eschatological oracles of the [[prophet]]s have truly announced for the future of Israel a return to its original unity: a reunion of Israel and Judah,<ref>Ezekiel 37:15.</ref> a reassembly of the dispersed Israelites who belong to the twelve tribes.<ref>Jeremiah 3:18; 31:1; Ezra 36:24; 37:21; Isaiah 27:12.</ref> This is a fundamental theme of Jewish hope.<ref>Ecclesiasticus 36:10.</ref> But the profit to be derived from these promises will be reserved for a remnant of Israel.<ref>Isaiah 10:20; 46:3; Micah 2:12; Jeremiah 31:7.</ref> Yahweh will make a New Israel of this remnant. He will deliver it<ref>Jeremiah 30:10.</ref> and re-establish it in its country;<ref>31:2.</ref> He will make a new covenant with it<ref>31:31.</ref> and a new king.<ref>33:17.</ref> Then, Israel will become the center of the union of nations.<ref>Isaiah 19:24f.</ref> These nations, seeing in Israel the presence of the true [[God]]<ref>45:15.</ref> will turn toward Him; their conversion will coincide with the salvation<ref>45:17.</ref> and glory of Israel.<ref>45:25.</ref>

==New Testament==
===The Gospel and Ancient Israel===
The order of providence has willed that the outcome of salvation be realized in Israel, and that Israel, as the covenant people, receive the first announcement of it. That is already the purpose of John's [[baptism]].<ref>John 1:31.</ref> During His lifetime, the Savior's mission, as well as that of His disciples, confined itself to Israel only.<ref>Matthew 10:6,23; 15:24.</ref> After His resurrection, the good news was first brought to Israel.<ref>Acts 2:36; 4:10.</ref> Israel and the nations, which participated together in the drama of the passion,<ref>4:27.</ref> have both received the call to faith,<ref>9:15.</ref> on an equal footing but in a different order: first the Jews who are "Israelites" by birth,<ref>Romans 9:4.</ref> then the others.<ref>Romans 1:16; 2:9f.; Acts 13:46.</ref> The salvation brought by the [[gospel]] fulfills the hope of those who are waiting for the consolation of Israel,<ref>Luke 2:25.</ref> the salvation of Israel,<ref>Luke 24:21.</ref> the restoration of the kingdom for Israel.<ref>Acts 1:6.</ref> Through [[Jesus Christ|Jesus]], [[God]] has come to bring help to Israel,<ref>Luke 1:54.</ref> to show it mercy,<ref>Luke 1:68.</ref> to grant it a conversion and the remission of sins.<ref>Acts 5:31.</ref> Jesus is the glory of Israel,<ref>Luke 2:32.</ref> its king,<ref>Matthew 27:42; John 1:50; 12:13.</ref> its Savior.<ref>Acts 13:23f.</ref> The new hope based on His [[resurrection]] is none other than the hope of Israel itself.<ref>Acts 28:20.</ref> In short, Israel continues the organic link which joins the realization of salvation to all human history.

===The New Israel===
In the meantime since the time of Jesus, the New Israel announced by the prophetic promise has appeared here below. To make it a positive institution, Jesus chose twelve Apostles, thereby modeling His [[Orthodox Church|Church]] after the Old Israel which was formed of twelve tribes. Further His [[Apostles]] will judge the twelve tribes of Israel.<ref>Matthew 19:28.</ref> This Church is the eschatological Israel for which God reserved the [[New Testament|new covenant]].<ref>Hebrews 8:8ff.</ref> In it is accomplished the reassembling of the chosen ones in twelve tribes.<ref>[[Book of Revelation|Apocalypse]] 7:4.</ref> It is a holy city which rests on the foundation of the twelve apostles, and it has the names of the twelve tribes inscribed on its gates.<ref>[[Book of Revelation|Apocalypse]] 21:12; Ezekiel 40:30ff..</ref>

===The Ancient Israel and the New Israel===
The Church, the New Israel, is therefore the fulfillment of the Old Israel. In the Old Israel, membership was by birth,<ref>Phillipians 3:5.</ref> and pagans were excluded from its citizenship.<ref>Ephesians 2:12.</ref> It is no more than the Israel of the flesh and what is important is to belong to the Israel of God. But "all the descendants of Israel are not Israel".<ref>Romans 9:6.</ref> Confronted with Jesus and the Gospel, a sorting takes place:<ref>Luke 2:34f..</ref> the fall of those who look for the justice of the Law and who harden their hearts when they hear the announcement of justification by faith,<ref>Romans 9:31; 11:7.</ref> and the rescue of those others , the "true Israelites",<ref>John 1:48.</ref> who constitute the remnant of Israel announced by the [[Scripture]]s<ref>Romans 9:27ff..</ref> and who are joined to the New Israel by the converted pagans. The Old Israel has not been definitively rejected, but at the time her incomprehension of the Gospel was manifested God wishes to awaken her jealousy.<Ref>Romans 10:19.</ref> When the pagans are converted in their totality, the partial hardening of Israel's heart will cease, "and thus all Israel will be saved".<ref>Romans 11:26.</ref> It will belong once again to that spiritual Israel which has entered into the way of salvation.

==See also==
*[[Judaism and Early Christianity]]
*[[Eastern Orthodoxy and Judaism]]

==Further reading==
*[[Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia]]. ''“Has God Rejected His People? Saint Paul on the Vocation of Israel,”'' '''Saint John of Kronstadt Bulletin''' (September 1996). Also in: '''In Communion, Journal of Orthodox Peace Fellowship''' (October 1996), 1-4.

==References==
<div><references/></div>

==Sources==
* Pierre Grelot. ''"Israel".'' Transl.: Joseph R. Sweeney. In: '''Dictionary of Biblical Theology'''. Ed.: Fr. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article3074597.ece Xavier Léon-Dufour] ([[w:Society of Jesus|S.J.]]). 1st English Edition, translated from the 1962 French editon ''Vocabulaire de Théologie Biblique'', under the direction of Fr. P. Joseph Cahill (S.J.). Palm Publishers: Montreal, 1967. pp. 228-230.
* ''"Israelite."'' '''Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica 2009 Ultimate Reference Suite.''' Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2009.
* [[w:Israel|Israel]] at Wikipedia.
* [[w:Jew|Jew]] at Wikipedia.

==External Links==
'''Wikipedia'''
* [[w:Land of Israel|Land of Israel]].
* [[w:Promised Land|Promised Land]].
* [[w:Canaan|Canaan]].
* [[w:Israel|Israel]].
----
* [[w:Israelites|Israelites]].
* [[w:Hebrews|Hebrews]].
* [[w:Jew|Jew]].
----
* [[w:Israelites#New_Israel|New Israel]].

[[Category:Old Testament]]
[[Category:New Testament]]

[[el:Ισραήλ]]
[[ro:Israel]]

Byzantium

2011-07-06T06:50:33Z

Sîmbotin: iw; ro

[[Image:Tetrarchy map3.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Nicomedia, Chalcedon, Byzantium, and Nicea in First tetrarchy, ca. 293 AD]]
'''Byzantium''' was an ancient Greek city on the European side of the Bosporus, the strait that separates Europe from Asia. The city became the capital of the Roman Empire under Constantine I in the second decade of the fourth century. Following his death in 337, the name of the city was changed to Constantinople in his honor.

==History==
The origins of Byzantium are shrouded in legend. Byzantion, the city's original name before it took its Latinized form of Byzantium, was said to have been founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas or Byzantas (in Greek: Βύζας or Βύζαντας). Byzas was said to have consulted the Oracle at Delphi to ask where should he establish his new city.The Oracle told him it would be found "opposite the blind." At the time, he did not know what this meant. But when he came to the Bosporus he realized what it meant. On the eastern, Asian shore of the Bosporus was a Greek city, [[Chalcedon]], whose inhabitants had not seen the location across the strait with a fine harbor, later to be called the Golden Horn. Here Byzas established his new colony, naming it after him.

Byzantium became a leading center of trade, positioned as it was on the only water entrance to the Black Sea. It was also a strategic place off the Aegean Sea and in the path of warring forces traveling from Asia Minor to the European lands. In the fifth century BC, Byzantium was destroyed by the Persian forces of Darius I and rebuilt by the Spartans. Over the following centuries the city came under alternate control of Athens and Sparta before falling to Alexander of Macedonia. Later, it was attacked by Scythians, Celts, and other warring groups until the city slowly came under Roman dominance.

During the Roman civil war in the last decade of the second century AD, Byzantium suffered serious damage that included the razing of its walls. The city was rebuilt by emperor Septimius Severus and soon regained its prosperity. In 324, the Roman emperor of the West, [[Constantine the Great|Constantine I]], defeated emperor Licinus of the East near Byzantium. Now as the sole emperor of the Roman empire, and attracted by the city, Constantine soon moved his capital to the Byzantium.

Under Orthodox Christian tradition, Byzantium was evangelized by the Apostle Andrew and subsequently became the [[see]] of a [[bishop]] subordinate to the Bishop of Heraclea along with a number of other suffragan sees. With the establishment of Byzantium as Constantine's new capital, a move that was recognized at the [[First Ecumenical Council]] at [[Nicea]] as the New Rome (Nova Roma), the bishop of the city gained greater prerogatives as the emperor's bishop. The city became known as Constantinople after Constantine's death, and the seat of the Bishop of Constantinople, later the [[List of Patriarchs of Constantinople|Patriarchs of Constantinople]]. With the ascension in rank of the Patriarch of Constantinople, the Bishop of [[Heraclea]] became the senior subordinate with the privilege of handing the [[crosier]] a newly elected Patriarch of Constantinople.

==Sources==
*[[w: Byzantium]]
*[http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761561462/Byzantium.html Encarta: Byzantium]

==External links==
*[[w:New_Rome]]
*[[Wikipedia:Names_of_Istanbul]]

[[Category: Places]]

[[ro:Constantinopol]]

Eighth Ecumenical Council

2011-06-08T05:41:34Z

Sîmbotin: iw; ro

The '''Eighth Ecumenical Council''' was a reunion council held at Constantinople in 879-880. This council was originally accepted and fully endorsed by the [[papacy]] in Rome (whose legates were present at the behest of [[Pope]] John VIII), but was later repudiated by Rome in the 11th century, retroactively regarding the [[robber council of 869-870]] to be [[Ecumenical Councils|ecumenical]]. The council of 879-880 affirmed the restoration of St. [[Photius the Great]] to his [[see]] and [[anathema]]tized any who altered the [[Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed]], thus condemning the [[Filioque]].

== Ecumenical? ==
This council is not regarded as ecumenical by all Orthodox Christians, but some major voices in the Orthodox world do so, including 20th century theologians Fr. [[John S. Romanides]] and Fr. [[George Metallinos]] (both of whom refer repeatedly to the "Eighth and [[Ninth Ecumenical Council]]s"), as well as Fr. [[John Meyendorff]], Fr. [[George Dragas]] and Metropolitan [[Hierotheos (Vlachos) of Nafpaktos]].

Further, the [[Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs]] refers explicitly to the "Eighth Ecumenical Council" regarding the synod of 879-880 and was signed by the [[patriarch]]s of [[Church of Constantinople|Constantinople]], [[Church of Jerusalem|Jerusalem]], [[Church of Antioch|Antioch]], and [[Church of Alexandria|Alexandria]] as well as the [[Holy Synod]]s of the first three.

Those who regard these councils as ecumenical often characterize the limitation of Ecumenical Councils to only seven to be the result of Jesuit influence in Russia, part of the so-called "[[Western Captivity of Orthodoxy]]."

An interesting external attestation to the consideration of this synod to be the '''Eighth Ecumenical Council''' is the [[Roman Catholic Church]]'s ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' (1907), which describes the council of 879-880 as the "Pseudosynodus Photiana," noting that the "Orthodox count [it] as the Eighth General Council."[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12043b.htm][http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04312b.htm]

{{stub}}
* John Meyendorff, "Rome and Orthodoxy: Is 'Authority Still the Issue?," ''Living Tradition,'' St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1978, pp. 63-80.
== External links ==
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20050817074822/http://www.geocities.com/trvalentine/orthodox/dragas_eighth.html The Eighth Ecumenical Council: Constantinople IV (879/880) and the Condemnation of the ''Filioque'' Addition and Doctrine] by Protopresbyter [[George Dragas|George Dion Dragas]]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20050530090000/http://www.geocities.com/trvalentine/orthodox/8-9synods.html The Eighth and Ninth Ecumenical Councils]

[[Category:Church History]]
[[Category:Councils]]
[[Category:Ecumenical Councils]]

[[ro:Sinodul VIII Ecumenic]]

List of Popes of Rome

2011-01-19T06:51:40Z

Sîmbotin: ro

'''List of the Popes of the Church of Rome'''. This is a List of the [[primate]]s of the pre-[[Great Schism|Schism]] Orthodox [[Church of Rome]].

* Founded by Ss. [[Apostle Peter|Peter]] and [[Apostle Paul|Paul]]

* St. [[Apostle Linus|Linus]] (67-76)
* St. Anacletus (Cletus) (76-88)
* St. [[Clement of Rome|Clement I]] (88-97)?
* St. Evaristus (97-105)
* St. Alexander I (105-115)
* St. Sixtus I (115-125) (Xystus I)
* St. Telesphorus (125-136)
* St. Hyginus (136-140)
* St. Pius I (140-155)
* St. Anicetus (155-166)
* St. Soter (166-175)
* St. Eleutherius (175-189)
* St. [[Victor I of Rome|Victor I]] (189-199)
* St. Zephyrinus (199-217)
* St. [[Callistus I of Rome|Callistus I]] (217-222)
* St. [[Urban I of Rome|Urban I]] (222-230)
* St. Pontain (230-235)
* St. Anterus (235-236)
* St. Fabian (236-250)
* St. Cornelius (251-253)
* St. Lucius I (253-254)
* St. [[Stephen I of Rome|Stephen I]] (254-257)
* St. Sixtus II (257-258)
* St. [[Dionysius of Rome|Dionysius]] (260-268)
* St. Felix I (269-274)
* St. Eutychian (275-283)
* St. Caius (Gaius) (283-296)
* St. Marcellinus (296-304)
* St. Marcellus I (308-309)
* St. Eusebius (309 or 310)
* St. Miltiades (311-314)
* St. [[Sylvester I of Rome|Sylvester I]] (314-335)
* St. Marcus (Mark) (336)
* St. Julius I (337-352)
* St. Liberius (352-366)
* St. [[Damasus I of Rome|Damasus I]] (366-383)
* St. Siricius (384-399)
* St. Anastasius I (399-401)
* St. Innocent I (401-417)
* St. Zosimus (417-418)
* St. Boniface I (418-422)
* St. [[Celestine of Rome|Celestine I]] (422-432)
* St. Sixtus III (432-440)
* St. [[Leo the Great|Leo I]] (the Great) (440-461)
* St. Hilarius (461-468)
* St. Simplicius (468-483)
* St. Felix III (II) (483-492)
* St. Gelasius I (492-496)
* St. Anastasius II (496-498)
* St. Symmachus (498-514)
* St. Hormisdas (514-523)
* St. John I (523-526)
* St. Felix IV (III) (526-530)
* Boniface II (530-532)
* John II (533-535)
* St. Agapetus I (535-536) (Agapitus I)
* St. Silverius (536-537)
* Vigilius (537-555)
* Pelagius I (556-561)
* John III (561-574)
* Benedict I (575-579)
* Pelagius II (579-590)
* St. [[Gregory the Dialogist|Gregory I]] (the Dialogist, the Great) (590-604)
* Sabinian (604-606)
* Boniface III (607)
* St. Boniface IV (608-15)
* St. Deusdedit (Adeodatus I) (615-618)
* Boniface V (619-625)
* Honorius I (625-638)
* Severinus (640)
* John IV (640-642)
* Theodore I (642-649)
* St. [[Martin the Confessor|Martin I]] (the Confessor)(649-655)
* St. Eugene I (655-657)
* St. Vitalian (657-672)
* Adeodatus (II) (672-676)
* Donus (676-678)
* St. Agatho (678-681)
* St. Leo II (682-683)
* St. Benedict II (684-685)
* John V (685-686)
* Conon (686-687)
* St. Sergius I (687-701)
* John VI (701-705)
* [[John VII of Rome|John VII]] (705-707)
* Sisinnius (708)
* Constantine (708-715)
* St. [[Gregory II of Rome|Gregory II]] (715-731)
* St. [[Gregory III of Rome|Gregory III]] (731-741)
* St. Zachary (741-752)
* Stephen II (752) -- died before being consecrated
* Stephen III (752-757)
* Paul I (757-767)
* Stephen IV (767-772)
* Adrian I (772-795)
* Leo III (795-816)
* Stephen V (816-817)
* Paschal I (817-824)
* Eugene II (824-827)
* Valentine (827)
* Gregory IV (827-844)
* Sergius II (844-847)
* Leo IV (847-855)
* Benedict III (855-858)
* Nicholas I (the Great) (858-867)
* Adrian II (867-872)
* John VIII (872-882)
* Marinus I (882-884)
* Adrian III (884-885)
* Stephen VI (885-891)
* Formosus (891-896)
* Boniface VI (896)
* Stephen VII (896-897)
* Romanus (897)
* Theodore II (897)
* John IX (898-900)
* Benedict IV (900-903)
* Leo V (903)
* Sergius III (904-911)
* Anastasius III (911-913)
* Lando (913-914)
* John X (914-928)
* Leo VI (928)
* Stephen VIII (929-931)
* John XI (931-935)
* Leo VII (936-939)
* Stephen IX (939-942)
* Marinus II (942-946)
* Agapetus II (946-955)
* John XII (955-963)
* Leo VIII (963-964)
* Benedict V (964)
* John XIII (965-972)
* Benedict VI (973-974)
* Benedict VII (974-983)
* John XIV (983-984)
* John XV (985-996)
* Gregory V (996-999)
* Sylvester II (999-1003)
* John XVII (1003)
* John XVIII (1003-1009)
* Sergius IV (1009-1012)
* Benedict VIII (1012-1024)
* John XIX (1024-1032)
* Benedict IX (1032-1045)
* Sylvester III (1045)
* Benedict IX (1045)
* Gregory VI (1045-1046)
* Clement II (1046-1047)
* Benedict IX (1047-1048)
* Damasus II (1048)
* Leo IX (1049-1054)
==Source==
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12272b.htm The List of Popes] ''New Advent'' Catholic Encyclopedia - (For names and dates)
*[http://www.orthodoxengland.btinternet.co.uk/ortpopes.htm The Holy Orthodox Popes of Rome] - (For who are revered as saints)

[[Category:Bishops|Rome]]
[[Category:Popes of Rome|*]]

[[ro:Listă a episcopilor Romei]]

Chrysanthus

2010-11-10T06:25:49Z

Sîmbotin: link ro

[[Image:Chrysanthus.jpg|frame|Right|St. Chrysanthus of Rome, Martyr]]
The holy, glorious and right-victorious Martyr '''Chrysanthus''' (or ''Chrysanthos'') is a [[hieromartyr]] who was killed around AD 283. He is commemorated on [[March 19]] along with his wife St. [[Daria]].

== Life ==
Chrysanthus was the only child of an Alexandrian nobleman living in Rome. He was given the best education one could get at that time, and, after reading pagan books which spoke of Christianity, he decided to learn about the new religion himself. He was given a copy of the Four [[Gospels]] and the [[Acts of the Apostles]]. He quickly finished them and converted to Christianity. His father, upon learning of his son's conversion, tried to tempt Chrysanthus with several prostitutes. Chrysanthus chased them all off and maintained his chastity. His father, in exasperation, finally arranged for him a [[marriage]] to a virgin-priestess of Athena, named Daria. Chrysanthus agreed to the marriage but told Daria that he intended on living in chastity. Daria also wished to continue her virginal status and was converted to Christianity on their wedding day. The Emperor Numerian, feeling threatened by the large number of people that Daria and Chrysanthus converted, decided to have Chrysanthus tortured. Both Chrysanthus and Daria were [[martyr]]ed by being put in a large earthen pit, which was then covered by stones, slowly crushing them to death, in the year AD 283.

==Hymns==
[[Troparion]] ([[Tone]] 1)
:Let us honor the like-minded pair of martyrs
:Chrysánthus, scion of purity, and supremely modest Daria.
:United in holiness of faith,
:They shone forth as communicants of God the Word.
:They fought lawfully for Him and now save those who sing:
:"Glory to Him who has strengthened you!
:Glory to Him who has crowned you!
:Glory to Him who through you grants healing to all!"

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 1)
:In the sweet fragrance of holiness, O Chrysánthus,
:you drew Daria to saving knowledge.
:Together in contest you routed the serpent,
:The author of all evil,
:And were worthily taken up to the heavenly realms.

== Source ==
*[http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/saints/chrisanthus_daria.htm Lives of Sts. Chrysanthus and Daria]

==External links==
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=100830 Martyr Chrysanthus and those with him at Rome] ([[OCA]])
*[http://goarch.org/en/chapel/saints.asp?contentid=465 Chrysanthos & Daria the Martyrs] ([[GOARCH]])

[[Category:Martyrs]]
[[Category:Saints]]

[[ro:Hrisant]]

Robber Council of 869-870

2010-09-27T15:22:41Z

Sîmbotin: link ro

The '''Robber Council of 869-870''' was a council held in Constantinople called by Emperor [[Basil I]] the Macedonian and [[Pope Adrian II]], meeting from [[October 5]], 869 to [[February 28]], 870. It [[deposition|deposed]] and condemned St. [[Photius the Great]] as [[patriarch]] and, of the four Eastern patriarchates, ranked [[Church of Constantinople|Constantinople]] before [[Church of Alexandria|Alexandria]], [[Church of Antioch|Antioch]], and [[Church of Jerusalem|Jerusalem]].

The acts of this council were eventually abrogated at the [[Eighth Ecumenical Council]], held in Constantinople in 879-880. This latter council was held to be [[Ecumenical Councils|ecumenical]] by both East and West until the 11th century, when [[Roman Catholic Church|Rome]] repudiated the council of 879-880 and retroactively regarded the council of 869-870 to be the Eighth Ecumenical Council, but which the [[Orthodox Church]] continues to regard as a [[robber council]].

{{stub}}

== External link ==
[http://www.geocities.com/trvalentine/orthodox/8-9synods.html The Eighth and Ninth Ecumenical Councils]

[[Category:Church History]]
[[Category:Robber Councils]]

[[ro:Sinodul tâlhăresc din 869-870]]

Daria

2010-09-16T05:55:55Z

Sîmbotin: link ro

[[Saint]] '''Daria''' is a virgin-[[martyr]] who was killed in the year AD 283. She is commemorated on [[March 19]].

== Life ==
St. Daria, in her youth, was a Greek priestess of Athena. It was arranged that she marry St. [[Chrysanthus]] in order to make him abandon Christianity. When Chrysanthus told her that he and she would live in chastity as brother and sister, she agreed, seeing as she also wished to retain her virginal status. On their wedding day she converted to Christianity. She eventually developed a large following of female [[monasticism|monastics]], which threatened the Roman emperor, Numerian. Numerian sent Daria to a brothel in order to pollute her chastity, but she was defended by a valiant lion any time a man approached her. Seeing that her virginity couldn't be polluted, Numerian had her tortured by stoning. Pagans, seeing her endurance under torture, cried out, "Daria is a goddess! Daria is a goddess!" After long hours under torture, both Daria and her chaste spouse were thrown into a large earthen pit, which was then covered with stones, slowly pressing them to death in the year AD 283.

== Sources ==
*[http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/saints/chrisanthus_daria.htm Russian Orthodox Life of the Saint]
*[http://www.orthodoxcentral.com/saints/martyrschrysanthosanddaria.htm Life of the Saint]

[[Category:Martyrs]]
[[Category:Saints]]

[[ro:Daria]]

Panteleimon

2010-07-25T14:24:00Z

Sîmbotin: link ro

[[Image:Panteleimon2.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Miracle working icon of St. Panteleimon (18th-century) from the Holy Skete of Koutloumousi, [[Mount Athos]]]]
[[Image:Panteleimon.jpg|right|frame|St. Panteleimon]]
The holy, glorious and right-victorious [[Greatmartyr]] '''Panteleimon''' (or ''Pantaleon'') the [[Unmercenary]] Healer was [[martyr]]ed under the reign of Emperor Maximian (ca. 305 A.D.). His [[feast day]] is celebrated on [[July 27]].

==Life==
His parents were Eustorgius, a pagan, and [[Saint]] Eubula ([[March 30]]). They named him ''Pantaleon,'' which means ''in all things like a lion,'' but when he [[conversion|converted]] to Christianity, he changed his name to ''Panteleimon'', which means ''all-merciful.'' He learned about Christianity from the [[priest]] who later [[baptism|baptized]] him, Saint Hermolaus. Hermolaus was living with two other priests, Hermippus and Hermocrates; the three were "survivors of the massacre of 20,000 Christians in 303 ([[December 28]])."<ref name="OCA">[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=102099 Holy Greatmartyr and Healer Panteleimon] ([[OCA]])</ref>

St. Panteleimon had been educated as a physician, and he "dedicated his life to the suffering, the sick, the unfortunate and the needy. He treated all those who turned to him without charge, healing them in the name of [[Jesus Christ]]. He visited those held captive in prison. These were usually Christians, and he healed them of their wounds. In a short time, reports of the charitable physician spread throughout the city. Forsaking the other doctors, the inhabitants began to turn only to St. Panteleimon."<ref name="OCA" />

Other physicians brought his case before the Emperor Maximian. St. Panteleimon confessed to being a Christian and refused to offer sacrifice to the state gods.

:"[He] suggested that a sick person, for whom the doctors held out no hope, should be brought before the emperor. Then the doctors could invoke their gods, and Panteleimon would pray to his God to heal the man. A man paralyzed for many years was brought in, and pagan priests who knew the art of medicine invoked their gods without success. Then, before the very eyes of the emperor, the saint healed the paralytic by calling on the name of Jesus Christ. The ferocious Maximian executed the healed man, and gave St. Panteleimon over to fierce torture."<ref name="OCA" />

Hermolaus, Hermippus, and Hermocrates were brought forth; they confessed and were beheaded. Throughout the many tortures, St. Panteleimon remained untouched. Enraged, Maximian ordered that St. Panteleimon be beheaded. The soldiers took him to an olive tree, but when they struck him while he was praying, the sword melted like wax. After he finished his prayer, "a Voice was heard from Heaven, calling the [[passion-bearer]] by his new name and summoning him to the heavenly Kingdom."<ref name="OCA" /> He instructed the soldiers to rise from their knees where they had fallen in fear and to complete the execution. After they followed his instruction, the olive tree became covered with fruit.

Although his body was thrown into a fire, it came out unharmed and was buried by Christians. His head is located on the island of Andros at the [[Panachrantos Monastery (Andros)|Panachrantos monastery]]<ref>[http://www.im-syrou.gr/nisia/andros/enories/nikolaos_ormoskorthiou/index.htm Ιερός Ναός του Αγίου Νικολάου] (Greek)</ref> and, on occassions, is taken to other monasteries for veneration. Some of his [[relics]] can be found at the [[Putna Monastery (Bucovina, Romania)]], as well as in the Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Constanţa, Romania.

"St. Panteleimon is invoked in the prayers at the blessing of water and the blessing of oil, together with St. Hermolaus and the other unmercenaries and [[wonder-worker]]s."<ref>[http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/saints/panteleimon.htm Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon]</ref> There is an [[Akathist]] hymn in his honor.

==Hymns==
[[Apolytikion]] ([[Tone]] 3)<ref>[http://www.goarch.org/chapel/saints/143 Panteleimon the Great Martyr] ([[GOARCH]])</ref>
:Panteleimon, saintly champion and healer,
:[[intercession|intercede]] with our merciful God to grant our souls remission of sins.

[[Kontakion]] (Plagal of the First [[Tone]] or Fifth Tone)
:O Champion and Martyr of God,
:imitating the Merciful and bearing from Him the grace of healing,
:cure our spiritual ills by your prayers,
:and set free from the temptation of the eternal enemy,
:those who ceaselessly cry out, "Save us, O Lord."

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[http://www.oca.org/FStropars.asp?SID=13&ID=102099 Holy Greatmartyr and Healer Panteleimon (hymns)] (Hymns from Orthodox Church in America website)
*[http://www.comeandseeicons.com/p/pds10.htm Icon of St. Panteleimon with scenes from his life]
*[http://stbarnabasonline.org/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=32 Akathist to Great Martyr-Healer Panteleimon (PDF)]
*[[wikipedia:Saint Pantaleon|Wikipedia: Saint Pantaleon]]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11447a.htm Saint Pantaleon] (''[[Roman Catholic|Catholic]] Encyclopedia'')

[[Category:Martyrs]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Unmercenaries]]

[[el:Παντελεήμων, Άγιος]]
[[es:Pantaleimon]]
[[mk:Свети великомаченик Пантелејмон]]
[[ro:Pantelimon]]

User:Sîmbotin

2010-06-18T07:59:55Z

Sîmbotin: link ro

{{Userboxtop}}
{{user ro}}
{{user fr-3}}
{{user en-3}}
{{user ru-1}}
{{Userboxbottom}}
Hello everyone!

My name is Adrian Sîmbotin; I live in Bucharest, Romania.

I would like to contribute, my best as far as possible, to OrthodoxWiki.

I have some experience on [http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagina_principal%C4%83 Romanian Wikipedia].

This is my user page on Wiki.ro→ [http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilizator:S%C3%AEmbotin Utilizator: Sîmbotin], and this is my user page on ro.orthodoxwiki→ [http://ro.orthodoxwiki.org/Utilizator:S%C3%AEmbotin Utilizator: Sîmbotin].

God help us!

[[fr:Utilisateur:Sîmbotin]]
[[ro:Utilizator:Sîmbotin]]

User:Sîmbotin

2010-06-18T04:40:23Z

Sîmbotin: small correction

Elijah

2010-06-17T06:31:55Z

Sîmbotin: link ro

[[image:Elias.jpg|thumb|right|The Prophet Elijah (Elias)]]
[[Image:Prophet Elijah - Chariot of Fire.jpg|thumb|right|Prophet Elias ascending into Heaven in the chariot of fire with horses of fire (2 Kings 2:11).]]
The glorious Prophet '''Elijah''' (Hebrew: אליהו), also '''Elias''' ([[New Testament|NT]] Greek Hλίας), is a [[prophet]] of the Hebrew Bible or [[Old Testament]]. His name has been variously translated as "whose God is the Lord," "God the Lord," "the strong Lord," "God of the Lord," "my God is the Lord," "the Lord is my God," and "my God is Jehovah." His [[feast day]] is celebrated on [[July 20]].

== Old Testament ==
Elijah is first introduced in [[III Kingdoms|1 Kings]] 17:1 as delivering a message from God to Ahab, king of Israel. He is sometimes known as the "Tishbite," being from the town of Tishbe.

Having delivered his message to Ahab, he retired at the command of God to a hiding-place by the brook Cherith, beyond Jordan, where he was fed by ravens. When the brook dried up God sent him to the widow of Zarephath, a city of Zidon, from whose scanty store he was supported for the space of two years. During this period the widow's son died, and was restored to life by Elijah (1 Kings 17:2-24).

During these two years a famine prevailed in the land. At the close of this period of retirement and of preparation for his work, Elijah met Obadiah, one of Ahab's officers, whom he had sent out to seek for pasturage for the cattle, and bade him go and tell his master that Elijah was there. The king came and met Elijah, and reproached him as the "troubler of Israel." It was then proposed that sacrifices should be publicly offered, for the purpose of determining whether Baal or the Israelite God was the true God. This was done on Mount Carmel; the result was that a [[miracle]] took place convincing those watching that Baal was false and that the Israelite God was real. The prophets of Baal were then put to death by the order of Elijah.

Jezebel, enraged at the fate that had befallen her priests of Baal, threatened to put Elijah to death (1 Kings 19:1-13). He therefore fled in alarm to Beersheba, and went alone into the wilderness, and sat down in despondency under a juniper tree. As he slept, an [[angel]] touched him, and said unto him, "Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee." He arose and found a cake and a cruse of water. Having partaken of the provision, he went forward on his way for forty days to Horeb, where he took residence in a cave. Here God appeared to him and said, "What dost thou here, Elijah?" In answer to Elijah's despondent words God manifests to him his glory, and then directs him to return to Damascus and anoint Hazael king over the Arameans (Syria), Jehu king over Israel, and [[Elisha]] to be prophet in his room (1 Kings 19:13-21; compare [[IV Kingdoms|2 Kings]] 8:7-15; 9:1-10).

Some six years after this, he warned Ahab and Jezebel of the violent deaths they would die (1 Kings 21:19-24; 22:38). He also, four years afterwards, warned Ahaziah, who had succeeded his father Ahab, of his approaching death (2 Kings 1:1-16). During these intervals he probably withdrew to some quiet retirement, no one knew where. His interview with Ahaziah's messengers on the way to Ekron, and the account of the destruction of his captains with their fifties, suggest the idea that he may have been in retirement at this time on Mount Carmel. The Carmelites have a tradition that they were founded by Elijah at this time.

The time now drew near when he was to be taken up into heaven (2 Kings 2:1-12). He went down to Gilgal, where there was a school of prophets, and where his successor Elisha, whom he had anointed some years before, resided. Elisha was distraught by the thought of his master's leaving him, and refused to be parted from him. The two went on and came to Bethel and Jericho, and crossed the Jordan, the waters of which were "divided hither and thither" when smitten with Elijah's mantle. Upon arriving at the borders of Gilead, which Elijah had left many years before, it "came to pass as they still went on and talked" they were suddenly separated by a chariot and horses of fire; and "Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven," Elisha receiving his mantle, which fell from Elijah as he ascended.

Elijah's chosen successor was the prophet Elisha; Elijah designated Elisha as such by leaving his mantle with him (2 Kings 2:13-15), so that his wish for "a double portion" of the older prophet's spirit (2:9), an allusion to the preference shown the first-born son in the division of the father's estate ([[Deuteronomy]] 21:17), had been fulfilled.

== New Testament references ==
Elijah is frequently mentioned in the [[New Testament]]. In [[Gospel of John|John]] 1:25 the priests and Levites said to [[John the Baptist]], "Why [[baptism|baptizest]] thou, if thou be not that [[Christ]], nor Elias?" Paul ([[Romans]] 11:2) refers to an incident in his history to illustrate his argument that God had not cast away his people. (See also [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 4:25; 9:54.)

Elijah was similar to John the Baptist in the sternness and power of his reproofs (Luke 9:8). According to [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 11:11, he was the Elijah that "must first come" (Matt. 11:11, 14). In John the Baptist one can see "the same connection with a wild and wilderness country; the same long retirement in the desert; the same sudden, startling entrance on his work (1 Kings 17:1; Luke 3:2); even the same dress, a hairy garment, and a leather girdle about the loins (2 Kings 1:8; Matt. 3:4)."

Also, Elijah's appearance in glory on Mount Tabor at the [[Transfiguration]] does not seem to have startled the [[disciple]]s. They were "sore afraid," but not apparently surprised.

According to prophecies of the holy Fathers God will send Elijah and Enoch before coming of the antichrist to bear witness for Christ on the earth and to strengthen the faithful.

== Elijah in local traditions ==
Aside from holding a special place in the devotions of Arab Christians, in many Slavic nations Elijah is sometimes referred to as ''Gromovik'' (literally "Thunderer"). This is partially due to local mythology, which compares Elijah's fiery chariot to that of Perun, the defunct Slavic god of storms, snows, and rains.

==Hymns==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 4)

:An angel in the flesh and the cornerstone of the prophets,
:the second forerunner of the coming of Christ,
:Glorious Elijah sent grace from on high to Elisha,
:to dispel diseases and to cleanse lepers.
:Therefore, he pours forth healings on those who honor him.

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 2)

:Prophet Elijah of great renown,
:seer of the mighty mighty works of God,
:by your command you held back the rain!
:Pray for us to the only Lover of mankind!

== Source ==
*[[Wikipedia:Elijah|''Elijah'' at Wikipedia]]

==External links==
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=102060 Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah] ([[OCA]])
*[http://goarch.org/en/chapel/saints.asp?contentid=135 Elias the Prophet] ([[GOARCH]])

[[Category:Biblical Saints]]
[[Category:Prophets]]
[[Category:Saints]]

[[fr:Élie le Thesbite]]
[[ro:Ilie Tesviteanul]]

Alexis of Wilkes-Barre

2010-05-11T14:56:18Z

Sîmbotin: interwiki ro

[[Image:Alexis of Wilkes-Barre tomb.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Tomb of St. Alexis]]
Our righteous father '''Alexis of Wilkes-Barre''' was a [[missionary]] [[priest]], sent from his homeland in Slovakia as a [[Uniate]], who, in order to serve and protect his flock in the United States in a hostile Latin environment, recognized the need to lead them in a return to their Orthodox Christian heritage. His [[feast day]] is celebrated on [[May 7]].
{{orthodoxyinamerica}}

==In Europe==
Alexis Georgievich Toth was born to Father George and Cecilia Toth on [[March 14]], 1853, near Eperjes (now Presov) in Zepes county of Slovakia during the reign of Franz Joseph Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. He followed in the steps of his father who was dean of the United Greek Church in the county. He was educated in the local preparatory schools and then went on to the [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] [[seminary]] for a year and then on for three years to the Uniate Greek Seminary in Ungvar. He continued on to the University of Prague where he graduated with a degree in Theology.

After marrying Rosalie Mihaluk on [[April 18]], 1878, he was [[ordination|ordained]] to the priesthood in 1878 by [[Bishop]] Nicholas Toth, the Uniate Greek Catholic bishop of Presov. In a few years his wife Rosalie, whose father also was a priest, and their only child were to die. After his ordination Father Alexis was an assistant priest in Saros county before becoming the curate in the United Greek Catholic Church in Homrogd. Then Bishop Nicholas Toth appointed Father Alexis his chancellor. In 1881 the bishop appointed him director of the United Greek Catholic Seminary of Presov and professor of Canon Law and Church History. He continued in these position under Bishop Toth's successor, Bishop John Valyi.

==In America==
Then late in the 1880s, Father Alexander Dzubay, who studied with Father Alexis in the seminary, wrote a petition from America to Bishop John asking that Father Alexis be sent to America. The bishop agreed and sent Father Alexis as a "missioner." He arrived in the United States on [[November 15]], 1889, and on [[Thanksgiving Day]], [[November 27]], Father Alexis conducted his first services in the new St. Mary's Church in Minneapolis as the first resident priest to serve this church officially. However, the church edifice was incomplete, there were no furnishings, no [[vestments]], but a debt. Over the next year Father Alexis worked with his community, preaching, asking for donations, acquiring furnishings, vestments, and bringing the parish to an organized, stable institution, all this without receiving any salary.

As a Uniate, Father Alexis understood that he must visit the ruling Roman Catholic bishop in the area, Archbishop John Ireland of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in St. Paul. Archbishop Ireland was a strong advocate of the "Americanization" movement within the Roman Catholic Church, and thus was a strong proponent of the Americanization of the Catholic immigrants. And in this regard, Archbishop Ireland looked upon Father Alexis and his flock as an alien sect that did not have the capacity or desire to fit into his plans for Americanization. So, upon presenting his credentials to Archbishop Ireland on [[December 19]], 1889, the Archbishop immediately rejected him as a Catholic, not recognizing the [[Eastern Rite Catholic|Greek Rite]] nor Father Alexis as a priest nor even his bishop. Archbishop Ireland directed all Roman Catholic priests and their flock to not have any relations with Father Alexis and his people. Father Alexis sent reports to his bishop in Slovakia about his reception by Archbishop Ireland but heard nothing in return. Other Uniate priests in the United States sent letters to Father Alexis reporting that they had had similar confrontations. The problems for the Uniate priests reached a head after they met to discuss their situation. They learned that they were to be all recalled and returned to Europe.

==Reunion==
These confrontations brought Father Alexis to a course of action about which he had thought about before and that was to return to Orthodox Christianity. On [[December 8]], 1890, St. Mary's parishioners wrote to the Russian Consul in San Francisco to obtain information about a [[Church of Russia|Russian Orthodox]] bishop and followed up by traveling to San Francisco to talk with Bishop Vladimir (Sokolovsky) of San Francisco. Then, in February 1891 Father Alexis traveled with a parish group, led by the Church Warden, Paul Podnay, to met with Bishop Vladimir. At this time Father Alexis was received into the Orthodox Church. Bishop Vladimir, hearing that Father Alexis was not receiving any pay, established a stipend to help him. On [[March 25]], 1892, Bishop Vladimir visited the St. Mary's parish and formally accepted the community of 361 immigrants into the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. On [[July 14]], 1892, the Ruling All-Russian Holy Synod officially approved and sanctioned this move.

[[Image:Alexis of Wilkes-Barre shrine.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Shrine of St. Alexis]]
By this action Father Alexis Toth gained the distinction of being the first Uniate Greek Rite Catholic priest in America to lead his people in reunion with the Orthodox Church. Having been sent originally to America to be a missionary to the immigrants, Father Alexis, in his new role, was to fulfill his destiny as the missionary leading his people back to the Orthodox Church. In December 1892 he evangelized the immigrants in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, preaching and enlightening them about their social and religious future in America. In 1902, he received the parish of St. John the Baptist in Mayfield, Pennsylvania, into the Orthodox fold. Elevated to the rank of [[protopresbyter]], he was in the forefront, over the years until his death, of receiving parishes from the [[Unia]] into Orthodoxy. Through his efforts over 20,000 Carpatho-Russian and Galician uniates were re-united with the Orthodox Church.

On [[May 7]], 1909, he died and was buried in a special shrine at the [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)]]. On [[May 29]], 1994, Protopresbyter Alexis Toth was [[glorification|glorified]] as St. Alexis of Wilkes-Barre.

==Hymns==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 4)

:O righteous Father Alexis,
:Our heavenly intercessor and teacher,
:Divine adornment of the Church of Christ!
:Entreat the Master of All
:To strengthen the Orthodox Faith in America,
:To grant peace to the world
:And to our souls, great mercy!

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 5)

:Let us, the faithful, praise the Priest Alexis,
:A bright beacon of Orthodoxy in America,
:A model of patience and humility,
:A worthy shepherd of the Flock of Christ.
:He called back the sheep who had been led astray
:And brought them by his preaching
:To the Heavenly Kingdom!

==Sources==
Tarasar, Constance J. ''Orthodox America 1794-1976 Development of the Orthodox Church in America''. Syosett, New York: The [[Orthodox Church in America]], 1975.

==External link==
*[http://comeandseeicons.com/a/sgp08.htm St. Alexis of Wilkes-Barre Icon and Story]

[[Category:American Saints]]
[[Category:Carpatho Russian Saints]]
[[Category:Featured Articles]]
[[Category:Missionaries]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Modern Saints]]
[[Category:Priests]]
[[Category:Converts to Orthodox Christianity from Roman Catholicism|Toth]]

[[ro:Alexis Toth]]

Antimos of Iberia

2010-05-02T14:10:34Z

Sîmbotin: interwiki ro

Our father among the [[saint]]s [[Hieromartyr]] '''Antimos of Iberia''' was a Georgian scholar who as [[Metropolitan]] of Wallachia invigorated Christianity in the area that now is Romania. A person of considerable artistic ability, he inspired the printing industry of the area, as well as encouraging the liturgical usage of the Romanian language. He is commemorated on [[September 14]] in Romania and on [[June 13]] in Georgia.

==Life==
Born in the Samtskhe region of southern Georgia, the son of Ioane and Mariam, Antimos Iverieli was given the name Andria at [[baptism]]. His childhood is largely unknown. He developed his artistic talents, becoming well known for his paintings, engravings, and calligraphy.

Antimos accompanied King Archil on a trip to Russia, where he helped the king establish a Georgian print shop. On his return to Georgia he was captured by Dagestani robbers and sold into slavery. He was freed through the efforts of the [[Patriarch]] of Jerusalem, Dositheus, and remained in the patriarch’s service while furthering his spiritual education.

Famed for his artistic and printing skills, Antimos, about the year 1691, was asked by Prince Constantine Brincoveanu of Wallachia to come to Wallachia. After arriving, Antimos became the driving force in the development of the printing industry in Wallachia, making it a major publisher of books in the eastern European area. In 1694, Antimos was appointed [[abbot]] of the Snagov [[Monastery]], in what is now Romania, and established a new print shop there. On [[May 21]], 1694, the shop published his ''Guidelines for the Divine Services''. This volume was signed by Subdeacon Michael Ishtvanivich, his pupil, who was to establish the first print shop in Georgia in 1709. In 1710, this Georgian shop printed the [[Gospels]] in the Georgian language.

Fluent in many European and Oriental languages, Antimos soon gained proficiency in the Romanian language. In 1693, he published the Gospels in Romanian and encouraged the use of the Romanian language in the local churches as the official liturgical language, thus implementing his expressed position to render the services in a language the people understood.

In 1705, Antimos was consecrated [[bishop]] of Rimnicu Vilcea. Then, in 1708 he was appointed [[Metropolitan]] of Hungro-Wallachia. During the following years, Antimos directed a building program of more than twenty churches and monasteries in Wallachia, including All Saints Monastery in the heart of Bucharest. Today, this monastery is known as Antim Monastery in his memory. The main gates of the monastery were designed by Antimos himself using Georgian motifs. As metropolitan, he established the rules for the monastery and declared its independence from the [[Church of Constantinople]].

From the day of his consecration, Metr. Antimos fought for the liberation of Wallachia from foreign, particularly Turkish, rule. In 1714, Prince Constantine was executed by the Turks. His successor, Stephan Cantaczino, the last prince of Wallachia, was executed in 1716. The Phanariote Nicholas Mavrokordatos, who was only interested in the Ottoman Empire, replaced the Wallachian princes. Mavrokordatos was suspicious of Metr. Antimos and ordered the metropolitan to resign. Mavrokordatos appealed to Patriarch Jeremiah after Metr. Antimos refused to do so. The Patriarch convened a [[council]] of bishops, without any Romanian representation, that condemned the metropolitan to anathema and excommunication. Not satisfied in a finding that denied Metr. Antimos his title of Metropolitan of Hungro-Wallachia, Mavrokordatos order the metropolitan to exile to St. [[St. Catherine's Monastery (Sinai)|Catherine’s Monastery]] at [[Mount Sinai]].

On September 14, 1716, while en route to his place of exile, Metr. Antimos was ambushed by Turkish soldiers on the bank of the Tundzha River, near Gallipoli, as it flowed through Adrianople, and butchered him. Then, they threw his remains into the river. This brutal action ended the earthly life of a great man who had dedicated his strength, talent, and knowledge to the revival and strengthening of Orthodox Christianity among the people of Wallachia.

==Legacy==
A scholar as well as an hierarch, Metr. Antmos was committed to a Christian community that understood the teachings of the Church through services in the local languages. He recognized the importance of the use of the new printing presses as part of religious education. The extent of his efforts is witnessed in the literature that he wrote himself, as well as sponsored. Besides translations of the Gospels into Romanian and Georgian, Metr. Antmos published at least twenty-five other books in the Romanian language as well as others in [[Church Slavonic]], Greek, and Arabic. These included bilingual volumes such as the Greek-Arabic Missal he published in 1702. In addition he published many of his sermons including the collection, the Didahiile, a commentary that criticized sharply the contemporary habits and morals.

Coupled with the intellectual side of his life, he took active leadership in spreading the Faith through a building program of churches and monasteries. While his martyrdom cut short his many talents, his memory lived on. In 1992, the [[Church of Romania]] recognized his memory by glorifying him and establishing September 14, the day of his death, as his commemoration day. Later, the [[Church of Georgia]] also recognized its son and his work and commemorates him on June 13.

==Sources==
*[http://www.pravoslavie.ru/enarticles/070626194833 Antimos of Iberia]
*[http://www.geotimes.ge/index.php?m=home&newsid=7745 Antimozoz Iverieli]

[[Category: Martyrs]]
[[Category: Saints]]
[[Category: Romanian Saints]]
[[Category: Georgian Saints]]
[[Category: Bishops]]

[[ro:Antim Ivireanul]]

User:Sîmbotin

2010-03-05T10:16:46Z

Sîmbotin: userbox

{{Userboxtop}}
{{user ro}}
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Hello everyone!

My name is Adrian Sîmbotin; I live in Bucharest, Romania.

I would like to contribute, my best as far as possible, to Orthodox Wikipedia.

I have some experience on [http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagina_principal%C4%83 Romanian OrthodoxWiki]

This is my user page on Wiki.ro→ [http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilizator:S%C3%AEmbotin Utilizator: Sîmbotin], and this is my user page on ro.orthodoxwiki→ [http://ro.orthodoxwiki.org/Utilizator:S%C3%AEmbotin Utilizator: Sîmbotin].

God help us!

Robber Council of Ephesus

2010-02-28T14:10:14Z

Sîmbotin: link ro

The '''Robber Council of Ephesus''' was convoked by Emperor [[Theodosius II]] on [[August 8]], 449 for the purpose of adjudicating the findings of the council of November 448 chaired by [[Flavian the Confessor|Flavian of Constantinople]] that had [[deposition|deposed]] and excommunicated the [[Archimandrite]] [[Eutyches]] for refusing to admit the two natures of Christ. The council, under the chair of [[Dioscorus of Alexandria]] and support of Emperor [[Theodosius II]], found in favor of Eutyches and deposed Flavian of Constantinople.

==History==
The fourth and fifth centuries witnessed an extensive period of controversies concerning the nature of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Christological controversies. During this period a number of [[heresies]] were confronted including [[Arianism]], [[Nestorianism]], and [[Monophysitism]]. The disputes were argued amongst the hierarchs of the [[Church of Alexandria|Churches of Alexandria]], [[Church of Antioch|Antioch]], and [[Church of Constantinople|Constantinople]] in a number of councils ([[synod]]s) with the [[Church of Rome]] represented by legates. The controversies were greatly influenced by emperor in Constantinople who generally convened the councils.

===Prelude===
The [[First Ecumenical Council|first]] and [[Third Ecumenical Council|third]] ecumenical councils established that Arianism and Nestorianism were heresies and excommunicated the principals, Arian and Nestorius. The [[excommunication]] and exile of Nestorius was greatly influence by the Empress [[Pulcheria the Empress|Pulcheria]], the older sister of Emperor Theodosius II, In 441, Theodosius, under the influence of the eunuch Chrysaphius, was convinced to dismiss his sister. Theodosius then began to support the Monophysite error that was promoted by the [[archimandrite]] Eutyches and Dioscorus, an error that Christ not only had one personality but also only one nature.

Domnus, Patriarch of Antioch, was the first to note this error by Eutyches. In November 448, Flavian, the Patriarch of Constantinople, convened a council in Constantinople during which a formal accusation of Eutyches’ error was made against him by Eusebius, [[Bishop]] of Dorylaeum (Phrygia). After hearing Eutyches, the council deposed and excommunicated Eutyches for refusing to admit two natures in Christ after the incarnation.

Upon appeal by Eutyches to the sympathetic emperor and other bishops, including Dioscorus, Theodosius convoked, with the agreement of Pope [[Leo the Great|Leo of Rome]], a council to determine whether in the 448 council Flavian had justly deposed and excommunicated Eutyches

===Council===
The '''Second Council of Ephesus''', as this council is also called, was convened by Emperor Theodosius II under the presidency of Dioscorus. Extant records of sessions read and recorded at the [[Fourth Ecumenical Council|Council of Chalcedon]] in 451 and in a Syriac translation by a Monophysite monk provide a record of the council proceedings. The council was dominated by Theodosius, Dioscorus, and monophysitic supporters. Flavian and six bishops, who were present at the 448 council, were not allowed to sit as judges in the council. Dioscorus ignored the Roman legates and did not read the letter from Pope Leo, but he read a letter from Theodosius that directed the presence of a anti-Nestorian monk, Barsumas. Eutyches declared, after have been given the floor, that he held the faith of Nicene and Ephesus and that he was condemned by Flavian for a slip of the tongue, but he still stated the one nature of Christ. Attempts to present a case by the accuser of Eutyches, Bishop Eusebius of Dorylaeum, were refused, as well as by Flavian. Eutyches objected to attempts to read Leo’s letter, while a petition from Eutyches’ monastery, in his favor, was read. In the end Eutyches was declared orthodox and reinstated to his [[priest]]ly office.

Flavian was deposed and exiled, soon to die of ill-treatment, and was succeeded by Anatolius, a [[deacon]] loyal to Dioscurus. Eusebius was also deposed. The council under Dioscurus then continued on to depose many bishops who had opposed him.

===Aftermath===
When reports of the actions of the Dioscurus led council and the violent actions of his partisans reached Pope Leo he condemned the council and called it the ''Latrocinium'', a ''Robber Council'' and refused to recognize Anatolius as the lawful Bishop of Constantinople until he satisfactorily explained his belief. Theodosius, however, ignored the position of Leo. On [[July 28]], 450, the situation changed radically as Theodosius was killed in a horse accident and his sister Pulcheria returned to imperial power and married the general [[Marcian]], who became the new emperor. The empress and new emperor both opposed the teachings of Dioscurus and Eutyches. With the change in imperial leadership Anatolius and many other bishops now also condemned the teachings of Dioscurus and Eutyches. As a step to clarify the disputes Marician now called for a new council which was held in 451 in [[Chalcedon]].

==See also==
*[[Dioscorus of Alexandria]]
*[[Pope Saint Dioscorus I of Alexandria (Coptic POV)]]

==External links==
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05495a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Council of Ephesus]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03555a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Council of Chalcedon]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Council_of_Ephesus Wikipedia: Second Council of Ephesus]

[[Category: Robber Councils]]

[[ro:Sinodul tâlhăresc de la Efes]]

Irene of Athens

2010-02-26T15:17:28Z

Sîmbotin: link ro

'''Irene of Athens''' was the wife of the Byzantine Emperor [[Leo IV the Khazar|Leo IV]] and mother of [[Constantine VI]], both strong [[iconoclast]]s. She ruled jointly with her son, Constantine, after the death of her husband Leo. Irene was a strong [[iconodule]]. She arranged the convening of the [[Seventh Ecumenical Council|Second Council of Nicea]] in 787 that restored the practice of veneration of icons. In 802 Irene was deposed and exiled to Prinkipo (now Büyükada) and then to [[Metropolis of Mytiline|Lesbos]], where she died [[August 9]], 803.
==Life==
Irene was born in Athens about the year 752. Her family background is not known. It is believed that she was born of a Greek noble family. She apparently was a beautiful but orphaned girl who at the age of seventeen was brought to Constantinople by the Emperor [[Constantine V]] to be married to his son Leo in November 769. She gave birth to a son, Constantine, on [[January 14]], 771. Leo, however, was a steadfast [[iconoclast]] who, according to tradition, found that Irene possessed icons and thereafter would no longer share their marriage bed.

Upon the death of Constantine V in 775, Irene's husband Leo ascended to the throne as Leo IV. Being in poor health, Leo died after only five years as emperor, on [[September 8]], 780. With Leo's death, his son became emperor as Constantine VI, but since he was only ten years old his mother Irene was installed with him as co-emperor, and she immediately reversed the iconoclastic policies of her husband.

Not having a dynastic background, Irene was continually confronted by opposition forces, some of whom used Leo's half-brothers as figureheads. To blunt the threat from the half-brothers, she had them ordained as [[priest]]s, since [[clergy]] could not rule. Then, she had them administer communion at the [[Divine Liturgy]] on the [[Nativity|Feast of the Nativity of our Lord]] to demonstrate that they had rejected politics. Seeking closer relations with the Carolingians, Irene negotiated a marriage between her son and Rotrude, who was a daughter of Charlemagne by his third wife Hildegard. However, Irene broke off the engagement in 788, over her son's objections. Then, through the use of a bride-show, Irene selected Maria of Amnia as Constantine's bride. The couple were married in November 788. By this marriage they had two daughters, Euphrosyne and Irene. Constantine, however, did not like Maria and forced her to become a nun. In the meantime, having taken Theodote, Irene's lady-in-waiting, as mistress, Constantine arranged that Theodote be crowned ''augusta'', a title which Maria was not granted, and then married her. Irene had taken a hands-off attitude with Constantine's handling of his marriage. The marriage, however, was very unpopular with the Church, because its legality was seriously questioned.

As Constantine matured he became involved in plots to wrestle control from Irene. To forestall threats of disloyalty and to strengthen her position in these feuds, Irene demanded that oaths of fidelity be taken only in her name. In 790, discontent swelled to open resistance when soldiers from the theme of Armeniacs proclaimed Constantine the sole ruler. By 792, the feud between Irene and her son had cooled and Irene's title as empress was confirmed. The rival factions continued their intrigues and, in 797, Constantine found it necessary to flee the palace. Captured by forces friendly to Irene, Constantine was brought back to Constantinople to the Purple Palace, Porphyra, where he was born, and there blinded in mid-August 797, apparently with the foreknowledge of his mother, Irene. He was 26 years old.

Ruling alone, Irene reigned from 797 to 802, calling herself ''basileus'' (βασιλεύς), "emperor," rather than ''basilissa'' (βασίλισσα), "empress." She showed little interest in finance or diplomacy, but made her mark in the Orthodox Christian world by rejection of [[iconoclasm]]. She sponsored many [[philanthropy|philanthropic]] endeavors, remitting taxes and canceling payments from soldiers' widows, which were required in lieu of the deceased soldiers' military service. Rivalries in court also intensified. Events came to a head when emissaries from Charlemagne and Pope Leo arrived in Constantinople with a proposal of marriage between Irene and Charlemagne. Thus the two halves of the Roman empire would be united. At this time, [[October 31]], 802, the nobles of the empire, having been concerned with her financial incompetency, took action and chose Nikephoros, Irene's finance minister, as emperor. Nikephoros was then crowned by [[Tarasius of Constantinople|Patriarch Tarasius]] in [[Hagia Sophia (Constantinople)|St Sophia Cathedral]].

Irene acceded to the change of events and only asked to continue to live as a private citizen in her palace. However, after she had disclosed the location of the imperial treasures she held Nikephoros banished her to the island of Lesbos, where she supported herself by spinning. She died on [[August 9]], 803.

==Legacy==
Irene's place in the Orthodox Christian church is that of a strong defender of the veneration of images. This came at a critical point in history, when the eastern empire was controlled by iconoclasts. With the election of Tarasius as the [[Patriarch]] of [[Constantinople]] on [[December 25]], 784, she was able to convene the Seventh Ecumenical Council. Initially convened in Constantinople on [[August 1]], 786, the council was moved to Nicea in May 787 because of the instigated opposition in Constantinople of soldiers loyal to the iconoclasts who forced the dissolution of the 786 sessions. Learning from the experience in Constantinople, Irene arranged that the council in 787 would be away from the capital, in [[Nicea]], which incidentally was the site of [[Constantine the Great]]'s council of 325. This council, in contrast with the [[robber council]] of 754 in Hieria, was attended by the patriarchs or their representatives. The council affirmed the principle of veneration of [[icon]]s and declared iconoclasm a [[heresy]].
[[Theodore the Studite]] wrote a praising letter <ref>''Theodori Studitae Epistulae'', by Theodore, Georgios Fatouros. Published by Walter de Gruyter, 1991 ISBN 3110088088, 9783110088083</ref> to Irene because of her work in supporting icons. This letter became the beginning of the misconception that Irene is considered a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Though this claim is not supported by the [[Menaion]], the "Lives of Saints" by [[Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain|Nikodemos the Hagiorite]], or any other related book of the Orthodox Church, some Western sources <ref>Vita Irenes, 'La vie de l'impératrice Sainte Irène', ed. F. Halkin, Analecta Bollandiana, 106 (1988) 5-27; see also W.T. Treadgold, 'The Unpublished Saint's Life of the Empress Irene', Byzantinische Forschungen, 7 (1982) 237-51. </ref> still cite Irene as a saint of the Orthodox Church, based on the writings of the Bollandists.

After Irene's deposition, the forces for iconoclasm returned to power, finally to be defeated under another strong iconodule leader, the Empress Theodora.

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before= Constantine VI|
title=Byzantine Empress|
years=797-802|
after=Nikephoros I}}
{{end box}}

==External links==
*[http://www.roman-emperors.org/irene.htm Empress Irene]
*[[Wikipedia:Irene of Athens]]

==References==
[[Category:Rulers]]
[[Category:Roman Emperors]]

[[ro:Irina Împărăteasa]]

Theodora (wife of Justinian)

2010-02-26T15:12:29Z

Sîmbotin: link ro

[[Image:Theodora.jpg|right|frame|The Empress St. Theodora, wife of [[Justinian the Great]]; Mosaic, 6th c., [[Church of San Vitale (Ravenna)|Cathedral of San Vitale]], Ravenna, Italy]]
The holy and right-believing '''Empress Theodora''' (''c''. 500-548) was empress of the [[Roman Empire]] and the wife of Emperor [[Justinian]] the Great. Along with her husband, she is a [[saint]] in the [[Orthodox Church]], commemorated on [[November 14]].

==Life==
There are two histories concerning the early life of Theodora. The best known account is the ''Secret History'' allegedly written by Procopius. Its authorship is questioned by most scholars because it was discovered in the Vatican three centuries after the empress's death and the style of the writing bears no resemblance to Procopius's other works. According to this account, Theodora was born into the lowest class of Byzantine society, the daughter of a bearkeeper for the circus. Critics of this work dismiss it as pornographic and western propaganda.

The second source was written by [[Bishop]] Eusebius, a contemporary of Theodora. Eusebius states that she was the daughter of a Roman senator who died during Theodora's early childhood. After her father's death, Theodora and her mother lived in Egypt, where her mother died soon after. According to Eusebius, Theodora spent the remaining part of her young life in an Egyptian [[monastery]], which accounted for her sympathetic views of [[Monophysitism]].

It is believed by some scholars that sometime before meeting Justinian she became an adherent of the Monophysite Christianity, which claims [[Christ]] was of one nature, and remained their partisan throughout her life. Others instead argue that her association with Monophysitism is largely because of Justinian's putting her in charge of courting the Monophysites' reunion with the [[Fourth Ecumenical Council|Chalcedonian]] party in the Church, and so while remaining Chalcedonian herself, she was pastorally favorable toward the non-Chalcedonians.

In 523 Theodora married Justinian, the ''magister militum praesentalis'' in Constantinople. On his ascension to the Roman Imperial throne in 527 as Justinian I, he made her joint ruler of the empire, and appears to have regarded her as a full partner in their rulership. This proved to be a wise decision. A strong-willed woman, she showed a notable talent for governance. In the Nika riots of 532, her advice and leadership for a strong (and militant) response caused the riot to be quelled and probably saved the empire. She also helped to mitigate the breach in Christianity that loomed large over her time; she probably had a large part in Justinian's efforts to reconcile the Monophysites to orthodoxy.

According to Procopius, Theodora was [[Byzantium]]'s first noted proponent and practitioner of [[abortion]]; she also advocated the rights of married women to commit adultery, and the rights of women to be socially serviced, helping to advance protections and "delights" for them; and was also something of a voice for prostitutes and the downtrodden.

Other scholars (and those who venerate Theodora as a [[saint]]) instead regard Theodora's achievements for women not as those of a modern feminist who encouraged abortion or adultery but rather as those of a truly egalitarian ruler who strove to give women the same legal rights as men. Theodora freed prostitutes from their pimps, established homes for them, and passed laws prohibiting forced prostitution. She also advocated granting women more rights in divorce cases, allowing women to own and inherit property, enacting the death penalty for rape, and allowing noblemen to marry women from lower classes. These changes raised women's status far above that current in the Western portion of the Empire.

Theodora died of cancer (probably breast cancer) before the age of 50, some 20 years before Justinian died. Her body was buried in the [[Church of the Holy Apostles (Constantinople)|Church of the Holy Apostles]], one of the splendid churches the emperor and empress had built in Constantinople. Both Theodora and Justinian are represented in beautiful mosaics that exist to this day in the [[Church of San Vitale (Ravenna)|Church of San Vitale]] at Ravenna in northern Italy, which was completed a year before her death.

==External links==
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=103302 St Theodora the Empress] ([[OCA]])
*[http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/justinian/ Justinian, Theodora and Procopius]

[[Category:Rulers]]
[[Category:Saints]]

[[ro:Teodora Împărăteasa]]

Constantine XI Palaiologos

2010-02-13T05:59:10Z

Sîmbotin: ro

The right-believing Emperor '''Constantine XI Palaiologos''' the [[Ethnomartyr]] (Gr: ''Κωνσταντίνος ΙΑ' Δραγάσης Παλαιολόγος'', also '' '''Dragases''' ''), was the last reigning emperor of the [[Palaiologos Dynasty]] as well as the last of the Roman Emperors. Born in 1404 AD in [[Mystras]], he ruled from 1449 until his death on [[May 29]], 1453, at the [[Fall of Constantinople]].

== Brief history ==
Constantine was the son of Emperor Manuel II. He was trained as a soldier and in 1441 conquered the Morea Peninsula of Greece. It had long been under the Frankish principality of 'Achaia' <ref> 'Achaia': A state established by the Crusaders. </ref> Constantine was crowned Emperor [[January 6]], 1449 AD succeeding his brother. A little less than five years later in 1453 AD he was killed during the final assaults by the Turkish Sultan, Mehmed II on Constantinople. Constantine, with some 8,000 Greeks, Venetians, and Genoese, had faced 150,000 Turkish besiegers under the Sultan, and after almost two months of heroic defense, directed by the emperor, the city and the empire fell. Constantine died fighting with the last of his men.<ref>[http://www.answers.com/topic/constantine-xi Columbia Encyclopedia: Constantine XI].</ref>. Going back to Augustus and the ancient Roman Empire, he was the 138th and last Roman Emperor.

<gallery>
Image:Constantinos XI Palaiologos.jpg|<small>Constantine XI Palaiologos</small>
Image:CPalaeologos.JPG|<small>Statue of Constantine XI Palaeiologos, Mystra, Greece</small>
Image:CPalaeologos2.JPG|<small>Close up of Statue</small>
</gallery>

== Saintly Status ==
Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholics consider Constantine XI a [[saint]], but he has not been officially recognized as such. One of the reasons for this was that in the centuries of Ottoman rule, any effort on the part of the Orthodox Church to officially glorify Constantine XI as a saint would have been seen as an act of rebellion, and hence decidedly ill-advised. After the Greek War of Independence (1821-1831), when the Greek Orthodox Church once again had freedom to act, an official act of glorification was thought to be superfluous, on account of longstanding veneration as a saint and [[martyr]], specifically, a national martyr or ethnomartyr, (Greek: Eθνομάρτυρας).

However, the erection of the statue of "''Saint Constantine XI the Ethnomartyr''" in the square in front of the [[Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens]], with the formal blessing of the Church authorities, appears to be a semi-official act of recognition. His feast falls on [[May 29|29 May]].<ref>[[w:Constantine_XI#Unofficial_saint|Constantine XI: Unofficial Saint]] at Wikipedia.</ref>.

The Russian Menologion indicates commemoration days for the Emperor on [[May 29]] and [[May 30]]. The entry under May 30 is as follows: ''‘On this day we commemorate the suffering of the right-believing Emperor Constantine under the ungodly Turkish King, who himself became ruler.’'' The entry for May 29 reads simply: ''‘Emperor Constantine, who suffered under the Turks.’''<ref>[http://rumkatkilise.org/statusconstantineXI.htm A Special Note Concerning the Status of Blessed Constantine XI]. Society of St. John Chrysostom of Ayatriada Rum Katoliki Kilise.</ref>.

== See also ==
* UNESCO World Heritage site of '''[[Mystras]]'''
* St. '''[[Ipomoni]]''', ''Born as'' '''Helena Dragaš''' <ref>Before becoming a [[nun]] and assuming the name Ipomoni, Helena was the mother of Constantine XI Palaiologos. She lived a [[monasticism|monastic]] life for over 25 years, after entering into the habit after the death of her husband. She died 1450AD and is commemorated by the church [[May 29]]. The [[relics]] of her skull and her icon are found at the Monastery of St. Patapios, Loutraki of Korinthos, Greece.</ref>

== Further Reading ==
* Donald M. Nicol. ''[http://books.google.ca/books?id=lnSmnmL984YC&pg=PP1&dq=The+Immortal+Emperor#PPP1,M1 The Immortal Emperor: The Life and Legend of Constantine Palaiologos, Last Emperor of the Romans]''. Cambridge University Press, 2002. ISBN 0521894093, 9780521894098 (174 pp)

== Notes ==
<references/>
[[Category:Rulers]]

== External Links ==
* [[w:Constantine XI|Constantine XI]] at Wikipedia.
* [http://rumkatkilise.org/statusconstantineXI.htm A Special Note Concerning the Status of Blessed Constantine XI]. The Society of St. John Chrysostom of Ayatriada Rum Katoliki Kilise.
* [http://rumkatkilise.org/constantineXI.htm Great Martyr and Emperor Constantine XI]. The Society of St. John Chrysostom of Ayatriada Rum Katoliki Kilise.
* [http://www.economicexpert.com/a/Constantine:XI.htm Constantine XI]. EconomicExpert.com.
*[http://penelopecoins.com/index.php?p=item&cid=3&id=14 Coinage of Constantine XI:]

[[Category:Rulers]]
[[Category:Martyrs]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Greek Saints]]

[[ro:Constantin al XI-lea]]

Council of Seleucia

2010-02-13T05:56:30Z

Sîmbotin: ro

:''not to be confused with the Council of Seleucia-Ctesiphon of 410.''

The '''Council of Seleucia''' was a local [[synod|council]] of the Christian church held in the fourth century at Seleucia Isauria in southern Asia Minor (now Silifke, Turkey). The council was one of a number of councils during the middle of the fourth century that attempted to conciliate the continued disputes with adherents of forms of extreme [[Arianism]] following the [[First Ecumenical Council]].

In 358, the Roman Emperor [[Constantius II]] requested two councils, one of western [[bishop]]s at [[Council of Rimini|Ariminum]] and the other of eastern bishops at [[Nicomedia]], to resolve the controversy over [[Arianism]] regarding the nature of the divinity of [[Jesus Christ]], a controversy that had divided the fourth-century church.<ref>Philostorgius, in Photius, ''Epitome of the Ecclesiastical History of Philostorgius'', book 4, chapter 10.</ref>

Before the council was convened an earthquake struck Nicomedia, killing many people including the bishop, Cecropius of Nicomedia. As a result on [[September 27]], 359 the eastern council (of about 160 bishops) met at Seleucia instead. The council was bitterly divided, and disorganized. The two parties met separately and reached opposing decisions.<ref>Philostorgius, in Photius, ''Epitome of the Ecclesiastical History of Philostorgius'', book 4, chapter 11.</ref><ref>Socrates Scholasticus, ''Church History'', book 2, chapter 39.</ref>

The bishops, [[Basil of Ancyra]], [[Macedonius I of Constantinople]], and Patrophilus fearful that the council would depose them, had delayed their arrival. Also, [[Cyril of Jerusalem]] and [[Eustathius of Sebaste]] faced unresolved charges.<ref>Socrates Scholasticus, ''Church History'', book 2, chapter 39.</ref>

On the first day, a group of bishops that included [[Acacius of Caesarea]], George of Alexandria, Uranius of Tyre, and [[Eudoxius of Antioch]] wanted to resolve the charges against these bishops, and the challenges to their credentials, before voting on theological matters. A second group, led by [[George of Laodicea]], Sophronius of Pompeiopolis, and Eleusius of Cyzicus, wanted to vote on theological matters first. The second group won the first procedural votes.<ref>Socrates Scholasticus, ''Church History'', book 2, chapter 39.</ref>

On the second day, George of Laodicea opened the council to Basil and the other disputed bishops from their party, ignoring the charges, and closed the council to Acacius and the opposing bishops. They reaffirmed a Creed of Antioch from 341 which declared that the Son was of similar substance to the Father.<ref>Socrates Scholasticus, ''Church History'', book 2, chapter 40.</ref>

During the following days, however, an attempt was made to reach a broader agreement. These sessions Basil and the disputed bishops did not attend, while Acacius and the others did. Acacius proposed a new version of the creed with notes stating that the Son was like the Father, thus, compromising between the controversial language of [[Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed|Nicea]] and Antioch, and condemning [[Anomoeanism]].<ref>Socrates Scholasticus, ''Church History'', book 2, chapter 40.</ref>

In the end, the council remained divided. Basil, George of Laodicea, and their party [[deposition|deposed]] or [[Excommunication|excommunicated]] their opponents, including Acacius, George of Alexandria, Uranius, Theodulus of Chaeretapa, Theodosius of Philadelphia, Evagrius of Mytilene, Leontius of Tripolis, [[Eudoxius of Antioch]], [[Eusebius of Caesarea]], as well as one of those who had already faced charges, Patrophilus. Acacius and his party challenged the decisions, as did the Anomoeans.<ref>Philostorgius, in Photius, ''Epitome of the Ecclesiastical History of Philostorgius'', book 4, chapter 11.</ref><ref>Socrates Scholasticus, ''Church History'', book 2, chapter 40.</ref>

Later that year, Constantius called for a council in Constantinople to consider the decision at Ariminum and resolve the split at Seleucia.<ref>Philostorgius, in Photius, ''Epitome of the Ecclesiastical History of Philostorgius'', book 4, chapter 11.</ref><ref>Socrates Scholasticus, ''Church History'', book 2, chapter 40.</ref> This council met in 360, which did not settle the disputes.

==Acacius' proposed creed==
Acacius' proposed creed read, including its preface:<ref>Zenos' translated edition of Socrates Scholasticus, ''Church History'', book 2, chapter 40.</ref>
"We having yesterday assembled by the emperor's command at Seleucia, a city of Isauria, on the 27th day of September, exerted ourselves to the utmost, with all moderation, to preserve the peace of the church, and to determine doctrinal questions on prophetic and evangelical authority, so as to sanction nothing in the ecclesiastic confession of faith at variance with the sacred Scriptures, as our Emperor Constantius most beloved of God has ordered. But inasmuch as certain individuals in the Synod have acted injuriously toward several of us, preventing some from expressing their sentiments, and excluding others from the council against their wills; and at the same time have introduced such as have been deposed, and persons who were ordained contrary to the ecclesiastical canon, so that the Synod has presented a scene of tumult and disorder, of which the most illustrious Leonas, the Comes, and the most eminent Lauricius, governor of the province, have been eye-witnesses, we are therefore under the necessity of making this declaration. That we do not repudiate the faith which was ratified at the consecration of the church at Antioch; [423] for we give it our decided preference, because it received the concurrence of our fathers who were assembled there to consider some controverted points. Since, however, the terms homoousion and homoiousion have in time past troubled the minds of many, and still continue to disquiet them; and moreover that a new term has recently been coined by some who assert the anomoion of the Son to the Father: we reject the first two, as expressions which are not found in the Scriptures; but we utterly anathematize the last, and regard such as countenance its use, as alienated from the church. We distinctly acknowledge the homoion of the Son to the Father, in accordance with what the apostle has declared concerning him, [424] "Who is the image of the invisible God."

"We confess then, and believe in one God the Father Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth, and of things visible and invisible. We believe also in his Son our Lord Jesus Christ, who was begotten of him without passion before all ages, God the Word, the only-begotten of God, the Light, the Life, the Truth, the Wisdom: through whom all things were made which are in the heavens and upon the earth, whether visible or invisible. We believe that he took flesh of the holy Virgin Mary, at the end of the ages, in order to abolish sin; that he was made man, suffered for our sin, and rose again, and was taken up into the heavens, to sit at the right hand of the Father, whence he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. We believe also in the Holy Spirit, whom our Lord and Saviour has denominated the Comforter, and whom he sent to his disciples after his departure, according to his promise: by whom also he sanctifies all believers in the church, who are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Those who preach anything contrary to this creed, we regard as aliens from the catholic church."

==References==
<references/>

==Source==
*[[Wikipedia: Council_of_Seleucia]]

[[Category:Councils|Seleucia]]
[[Category:Creeds|Seleucia]]

[[ro:Sinodul de la Seleucia]]

Council of Rimini

2010-02-13T05:53:07Z

Sîmbotin: ro

The '''Council of Rimini''' (also called the '''Council of Ariminum''') was a local council of the early Christian church held in Ariminum (modern Rimini, Italy). The council was one of a number of councils during the middle of the fourth century that attempted to conciliate the continued disputes with adherents of forms of extreme [[Arianism]] following the First Ecumenical Council.

In 358, the Roman Emperor [[Constantius II]] requested two councils, one of western bishops at Ariminum and the other of eastern bishops at [[Council of Seleucia|Seleucia]] that were to resolve the Arian controversy over the nature of the divinity of Jesus Christ that continued to divide the fourth century church. The Council of Seleucia was originally planned for [[Nicomedia]] but was held at Seleucia after an earthquake had struck Nicomedia.<ref>Philostorgius, in Photius, ''Epitome of the Ecclesiastical History of Philostorgius'', book 4, chapter 10.</ref>

In July 359, the western council of some 300 to 400<ref>Philostorgius, in Photius, ''Epitome of the Ecclesiastical History of Philostorgius'', book 4, chapter 10.</ref> [[bishop]]s met. Before the council met, Ursacius of Singidunum and Valens of Mursa proposed a new version of the creed, drafted earlier at a Council of Sirmium in 359, but not presented there. This version held that the Son was like the Father "according to the scriptures." This wording avoided the controversial terms ‘’ousia’‘ (essence), "same substance", and "similar substance."<ref>Socrates Scholasticus, ''Church History'', book 2, chapter 37.</ref> Others favored the Nicene Creed.<ref>Socrates Scholasticus, ''Church History'', book 2, chapter 37.</ref>

Before many of them left the council, the opponents of the Sirmium based creed wrote a letter to emperor Constantius that praised the formula from [[Nicea]] and condemned any reconsideration of it. The supporters of Sirmium then proposed the new creed and sent it through Italy.<ref>Socrates Scholasticus, ''Church History'', book 2, chapter 37.</ref>

In the aftermath of the council, Liberius of Rome rejected the new creed, prompting Phaebadius of Agen and Servatus of Tongeren to withdraw their support from the homoian.[http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/1995/9503ltrs.asp] The supporters of Sirmium formulation [[deposition|deposed]] Liberius and reappointed Antipope Felix of Rome in his place.<ref>Socrates Scholasticus, ''Church History'', book 2, chapter 37.</ref>

The council was considered a defeat for trinitarianism, and [[Jerome|St. Jerome]] wrote: "The whole world groaned and was astonished to find itself Arian."<ref>Jerome, Dialogue Against the Luciferians, 19.</ref>

==Participants==
Those favoring the Creed drafted at Sirmium included:<ref>Socrates Scholasticus, ''Church History'', book 2, chapter 37.</ref>
* Ursacius of Singidunum
* Valens of Mursa
* Germinius of Sirmium
* Auxentius of Milan
* [[Demophilus of Constantinople]]
* Gaius

Those favoring the Creed of Nicea included:
* Phaebadius of Agen (died c. 392)
* Servatus of Tongeren (died [[May 13]], 384)
* Gaudentius of Ariminum (died [[October 14]], 360)
* Mercurialis of Forl
* Restitutus of Carthage

==References==
<references/>

==See also==
[[Council of Seleucia]]

==Sources==
*[[Wikipedia: Council_of_Rimini]]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13057b.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Council of Rimini]

[[Category:Councils]]
[[Category:Canon Law]]

[[ro:Sinodul de la Rimini]]

Pulcheria the Empress

2010-02-13T05:48:42Z

Sîmbotin: link ro

The holy, right-believing '''Pulcheria the Empress''' (also ''Poulcheria'') was the daughter of [[Arcadius]], the emperor of the eastern part of the Roman Empire, and his wife Aelia Eudoxia. As regent for her younger brother [[Theodosius II]] and empress in her own name, she strongly influenced the direction of the government in its relations with Christianity, especially during the [[Nestorianism|Nestorian]] controversies in the fifth century. Her [[feast day]] is [[September 10]]; she also shares a feast day with her husband [[Marcian]] on [[February 17]].

==Life==
Aelia Pulcheria was born on [[January 19]], 399. Aelia Pulcheria should not be confused with her aunt Pulcheria, who was the daughter of [[Theodosius I]] and Aelian Flaccilla and died in 385 at the age of eight. Arcadius, who was the elder son of Theodosius I, died in 408. At the death of his father, and at a very young age, seven years old, Theodosius II became emperor under the tutelage of the eunuch Antiochus.

Pulcheria was a devout Christian and at an early age she expressed her devotion to the [[Theotokos]] and took a vow of virginity to avoid being forced into marriage. As the elder sister of Theodosius II (her older sister, Flaccilla, died young, probably before 408), she held much of the power when he became emperor. She was involved extensively in the education of her brother even though she was only two years older than him and maintained enormous influence over him for much of his reign. Sources recorded that in 412 at the age of thirteen she dismissed her brother's tutor, Antiochus, and herself assumed the role of her brother's tutor.

The court quickly assumed a pious and austere atmosphere under her influence, befitting her almost monastic life style. On [[July 4]], 414, the Senate proclaimed her augusta (empress) and made her regent for her brother. When Theodosius became capable of ruling by himself in 416, Pulcheria continued to strongly influence over her brother and of the course of the empire. Through her influence Theodosius removed all pagans from the civil service. Under her influence Theodosius and his wife Aelia Eudoxia, who had been a pagan, became devout Christians.

Pulcheria used her wealth for the [[Church]]. In doing so she inspired her brother to do likewise. While she appeared to be indifferent to the [[Arianism]] as practiced by the German tribes, she took a firm position on the heretical teaching of [[Nestorius]]. She almost immediately showed her antagonism towards him when he became [[patriarch]] in 428. Whether the downgrading of the status of the Virgin Mary from Theotokos to Christotokos under Nestorianism was involved, Pulcheria greatly influenced her brother's position in the controversies that led up to the [[Third Ecumenical Council|Council in Ephesus]] in 431. At first he was a supporter of Nestorius before acceding to his sister's position. In this controversy Patr. [[Cyril of Alexandria]] believed Pulcheria's influence was important in the downfall of his rival.

In 441, Pulcheria's influence on her brother began to wain as the eunuch Chrysaphius convinced Theodosius to dismiss his sister. But soon the [[Monophysitism|Monophysite]] controversy was raised by the [[archimandrite]] Eutyches and supported by Theodosius as well as by Cyril's successor as [[Patriarchs of Alexandria|patriarch of Alexandria]], [[Dioscorus of Alexandria|Dioscorus]]. When Eutyches' views were validated at the [[Robber Council of Ephesus|'Robber Council' of 449]] in Ephesus, [[Leo the Great|Pope Leo I of Rome]] included Pulcheria among those he approached for help in reversing the council's decisions.

On [[July 28]], 450, Theodosius suddenly died, and Pulcheria returned to the court as the wife of the new emperor, Marcian. She agreed to the [[marriage]] with the understanding that her vow of [[chastity]] would be honored. In 451, the [[Fourth Ecumenical Council|Council of Chalcedon]], presided over by Marcian, was convened. It condemned both Nestorianism and the [[Robber Council of Ephesus|Robber Council of 449]] that had supported the Monophysite [[heresy]]. The [[heretic]] Eutyches was deposed and exiled.

Pulcheria died not long afterwards, in July 453. In addition to her defense of Orthodoxy, Pulcheria is remembered for her zeal in promoting other interests of the Church. She had the [[relics]] of St. [[John Chrysostom]] returned from where he had died in exile and buried in the Church of the Apostles in Constantinople on [[January 27]], 438. She had three churches built in Constantinople that honored Mary the Theotokos. She built many hospitals, houses for pilgrims, and bequeathed her wealth to charity.

==External links==
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=102566 Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress] ([[OCA]])
*[[w:Pulcheria|''Pulcheria'' at Wikipedia]]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12561c.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Pulcheria]
*[http://www.roman-emperors.org/pulcheria.htm Pulcheria]

[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Rulers]]
[[Category:Roman Emperors]]

[[ro:Pulcheria Împărăteasa]]

Marcian

2010-02-13T05:46:02Z

Sîmbotin: link ro

:''Not to be confused with [[Marcion]] the heretic.''

The holy and right-believing Emperor '''Flavius Marcianus''' or '''Marcian''' (''c''. 390–January 457) ruled the [[Byzantine Empire]] from 450 until his death in 457. Upon ascending to the imperial throne, he convened the [[Third Ecumenical Council|Council of Chalcedon]] to address the [[Monophysitism|Monophysite]] controversy.

==Life==
Marcian was born in Thrace or Illyria. He spent his early life as an obscure soldier. He subsequently served for nineteen years under Ardaburius and Aspar, and took part in the wars against the Persians and Vandals. In 431, Marcian was taken prisoner by the Vandals in the fighting near Hippo Regius; brought before the Vandal King Geiseric (428–477), he was released on his oath never to take up arms against the Vandals.

Through the influence of these generals he became a captain of the guards, and was later raised to the rank of tribune and senator. On the death of [[Theodosius II]] (408–450) he was chosen as consort by the latter's sister and successor, [[Pulcheria the Empress|Pulcheria]], and called upon to govern an empire greatly humbled and impoverished by the ravages of the Huns.

Upon becoming Emperor, Marcian repudiated the embarrassing payments of tribute to Attila the Hun (434–453), which the latter had been accustomed to receiving from Theodosius II in order to refrain from attacks on the eastern empire. Aware that he could never capture the eastern capital of [[Constantinople]], Attila turned to the west and waged his famous campaigns in Gaul in 451 and Italy in 452 while leaving Marcian's dominions alone.

Marcian reformed the finances, checked extravagance, and repopulated the devastated districts. He repelled attacks upon Syria and Egypt in 452, and quelled disturbances on the Armenian frontier in 456. The other notable event of his reign is the Council of [[Chalcedon]] (451), in which Marcian endeavoured to mediate between the rival schools of theology.

Marcian generally ignored the affairs of the western Roman Empire, leaving that tottering half of the empire to its fate. He did nothing to aid the west during Attila's campaigns, and, living up to his promise, ignored the depredations of Geiseric even when the Vandals sacked Rome in 455. It has recently been argued, however, that Marcian was more actively involved in aiding the western Empire than historians had previously believed and that Marcian's fingerprints can be discerned in the events leading up to, and including, Attila's death.{{ref|1}}

Shortly before Attila's death in 453, conflict had begun again between him and Marcian. However, the powerful Hun King died before all-out war broke out. In a dream, Marcian claimed he saw Attila's bow broken before him, and a few days later, he got word that his great enemy was dead.

Marcian died in 457 of disease, possibly gangrene contracted during a long religious journey.

Despite his short reign and his writing off of the west, Marcian is considered one of the best of the early Byzantine emperors. The Orthodox Church recognizes him and his wife [[Pulcheria the Empress‎|Pulcheria]] as [[saint]]s, with their [[feast day]] on [[February 17]].

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=[[Theodosius II]]|
title=[[List of Byzantine Emperors|Roman (Byzantine) Emperor]]|
years=450–457|
after=[[Leo I (emperor)|Leo I]]}}
{{end box}}

==Source==
*[[w:Marcian|''Marcian'' at Wikipedia]]

==Reference==
*{{note|1}} See Michael A. Babcock, ''The Night Attila Died: Solving the Murder of Attila the Hun,'' Berkley Books, 2005.

==External link==
*[http://www.roman-emperors.org/marcian.htm Marcian]

[[Category:Rulers]]
[[Category:Roman Emperors]]
[[Category:Saints]]

[[ro:Marcian (împărat)]]

User:Sîmbotin

2010-02-13T05:33:56Z

Sîmbotin:

{{Userboxtop}}
{{user ro}}
{{user fr-3}}
{{user en-2}}
{{Userboxbottom}}
Hello everyone!

My name is Adrian Sîmbotin; I live in Bucharest, Romania.

I would like to contribute, my best as far as possible, to Orthodox Wikipedia.

I have some experience on [http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagina_principal%C4%83 Romanian OrthodoxWiki]

This is my user page on Wiki.ro→ [http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilizator:S%C3%AEmbotin Utilizator: Sîmbotin], and this is my user page on ro.orthodoxwiki→ [http://ro.orthodoxwiki.org/Utilizator:S%C3%AEmbotin Utilizator: Sîmbotin].

God help us!

User:Sîmbotin

2010-02-13T05:30:13Z

Sîmbotin:

User:Sîmbotin

2010-02-13T05:26:00Z

Sîmbotin:

{{Userboxtop}}
{{user ro}}
{{user fr-3}}
{{user en-2}}
{{Userboxbottom}}
Hello everyone!

My name is Adrian Sîmbotin.

I would like to contribute, my best as far as possible, to Orthodox Wikipedia.

I have some experience on [http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagina_principal%C4%83 Romanian OrthodoxWiki]

This is my user page on Wiki.ro→ [http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilizator:S%C3%AEmbotin Utilizator: Sîmbotin].

God help us!

User:Sîmbotin

2010-02-13T05:24:30Z

Sîmbotin: New page: Hello everyone! My name is Adrian Sîmbotin. I would like to contribute, my best as far as possible, to Orthodox Wikipedia. I have some experience on [http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagin...

Hello everyone!

My name is Adrian Sîmbotin.

I would like to contribute, my best as far as possible, to Orthodox Wikipedia.

I have some experience on [http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagina_principal%C4%83 Romanian OrthodoxWiki]

This is my user page on Wiki.ro→ [http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilizator:S%C3%AEmbotin Utilizator: Sîmbotin].

God help us!

Heraclius

2010-02-12T19:49:36Z

Sîmbotin: link to RO

'''Heraclius''' (Latin: ''Flavius Heraclius Augustus''; Greek: Ἡράκλειος ''Hērakleios'') was Emperor of the Roman (Byzantine) Empire from [[October 5]], 610, to [[February 11]], 641. Often he was also referred to as ''Heraclius I''. Heraclius reorganized the government of the empire after its decay under his predecessors and was able to recover lands lost to the Persians. In an attempt to encourage unity between the Orthodox and the [[Monophysitism|Monophysites]], he promoted the compromise doctrine called [[Monothelitism]]. He also changed the official language of the empire from Latin to Greek.

==Life==
Heraclius was born about 575, the son of Heraclius the Elder who was a distinguished general under Emperor Maurice. After a successful war in 590, Maurice appointed Heraclius the Elder to the position of Exarch of Africa where Heraclius grew up. Heraclius' birth place is not known.

In 602, Heraclius the Elder declared his loyalty to Phocas when Phocas became emperor after Maurice was overthrown by the army. In 608, Heraclius the Elder renounced his allegiance to Phocas and with his son began a campaign to obtain emperorship. In 609, the young Heraclius led a naval expedition to Constantinople which he took with the aid of leading aristocrats and the imperial guard in the city. Once in the city Heraclius was crowned and acclaimed emperor. After capturing Phocas, Heraclius personally executed him.

On [[October 5]], 610, he was again crowned and [[marriage|married]] Fabia, who had taken the name Eudoxia. In 613, Heraclius married his niece Martina, after the death of Eudoxia in 612. Considered incestuous, the marriage was very unpopular; Heraclius fended off attempts by [[Patriarch]] [[Sergius I of Constantinople|Sergius I]] to dissolve the marriage and took her with him on his campaigns.

The revolt led by Phocas had seriously weakened the Balkan and Persian frontiers, resulting in the advance of the Persians under Chosroes II into Syria. The Persians took Damascus in 613, Jerusalem in 614, and advanced into Anatolia as far as [[Chalcedon]]. Heraclius considered moving the capital to Carthage, but he was dissuaded by Patriarch Sergius I. He began reorganized the Roman army as part of his general reorganization efforts. Heraclius then led the reorganized army back into Persia in late 627. In December 627, the Roman army won a devastating victory over the Persians at a battle at Nineveh.

The population of the provinces recovered from the Persians were followers of the Monophysite [[heresy]], To strengthen his government, Heraclius led an attempt at religious unity by proposing a compromise doctrine called Monothelitism. The compromise was formulated by Patriarch Sergius. Initially, Sergius proposed that Christ did all things through action of a single divine-human energy, in a single mode of activity (''energeia''), but Sophronius, later patriarch of Jerusalem, objected. Sergius then adopting a term "one will" (''mia thelesis'') used by [[Pope]] [[Honorius of Rome|Honorius]] in an earlier letter to him. This formula was used in the ''[[Ecthesis]]'' drawn up by Sergius and promulgated by Heraclius in 638. Initially accepted by the [[bishop]]s in Constantinople, it fell into disfavor with the rejection of formula by the successors of Honorius. This compromise remained an issue through Heraclius' successions and was finally settled by the [[Sixth Ecumenical Council]] in 680. The decision of the Council was the [[anathema]]tizing of the leaders of the Monothelite formula, including the dead Pope Honorius, and reaffirming the [[Council of Chalcedon|Chalcedonian]] definition.

In 629, Heraclius took the Greek title ''basileus'' in place of the former Latin tile of ''augustus'' as part of the shift in the language of government from Latin to Greek. Basilius would remain the title of the Roman emperors until the end of the empire.

To improve the defensive organization in Anatolia, Heraclius introduced the concept of ''themata'', a hereditary military service based on land grants to divisions of soldiers who were governed under military administration with each theme commanded by a military governor (''strategos'').

In the 630s, the Arab tribes, unified under Muhammad, became a formidable force that attacked Syria and Palestine. Heraclius had to depend upon his generals for the defense against these attacks as he had become ill after his triumph over the Persians and could not personally lead his army. In this his generals failed him. Palestine and Syria were attacked in 634. In 636, the larger Roman force was crushed in the Battle of Yarmuk, and by 639 Syria and Palestine were lost. At the time of his death, most of Egypt was under the control of the Muslim Arabs.

Heraclius died in Constantinople on [[February 11]], 641. He was succeeded by his sons Constantine III and Heraklonas.

==Family==
Between his two wives, Heraclius sired at least twelve children. Of these, two from his second marriage to Martina are known to be handicapped, seen at the time as punishment for his illegal marriage. He had at least one illegitimate son, Atalarichos. Atalarichos participated in a plot with his cousin the magister Theodorus and an Armenian noble Davis Saharuni against Heraclius. After the plot failed in 637 Atalarichos was mutilated and exiled. When Heraclius learned in his last years of life of the struggle between his son Heraclius Constantine and his wife Martina in which she was trying to position her son Heraklonas in line to the throne, Heraclius wrote his will making both Heraclius Constantine and Heraklonas his joint successors with Martina as Empress.

His children by Fabia Edoxia:
:Eudoxia Epiphania, Augusta.
:Heraclius Constantine (Constantine III).

His children by Martina:
:Fabius, who was paralyzed.
:Theodosios, a deaf-mute, who married Nike, the daughter of the Persian general Shahrbaraz.
:Constantine.
:Constantine Heraclius (Heraklonas).
:David (Tiberios), Caesar.
:Martinos or Marinos.
:Augoustina, Augusta.
:Anastasia and/or Martina, Augusta.
:Febronia.

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before= Phocas|
title=[[List of Byzantine Emperors|Roman (Byzantine) Emperor]]|
years=610-641|
after=Constantine III and Heraklonas}}
{{end box}}

==External links==
*[[w:Heraclius]]
*[http://www.roman-emperors.org/heraclis.htm Heraclius]

[[Category:Rulers]]
[[Category:Roman Emperors]]

[[ro:Heraclie]]