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While Anthimus was noted to have a unstable character, his many terms in the Patriarchal office reflected the continuing policy of the Ottoman rulers to act in response to the political events of the Greek community that enabled the collection of tribute and prevented the patriarchate from acquiring undue political strength.
In his last term, Anthimus was also challenged by political change in the Ottoman Empire as the Bulgarian subjects of the Sultan strove for separation of the Bulgarian territories and people of the Christian “nation” within the empire from control of the Patriarch. Among the issues for the Bulgarians were rules that did not allow the use of [[Church Slavonic]] in their [[parish]]es. In 1879, the Sultan issued a ''[[firman]]'' (decree) that the Bulgarians would be governed by a Bulgarian [[exarch]], who would reside in Constantinople. This presented an uncanonical situation for the Patriarchate as it established two separate ecclesiastical organizations within the same territory. To challenge this, Patriarch Anthimus convened, in 1872, a local church council that included the Patriarchs of Alexandria and Jerusalem. The council condemned this national or ethic principle in church organization, called ''phyletism''.
Patriarch Anthimus reposed in 1878.
after=?}}
{{succession|
before=[[Meletius IIIof Constantinople|Meletius III]]|
title=[[List of Patriarchs of Constantinople|Patriarch of Constantinople]]|
years=1845-1848|
after=[[Anthimus IVof Constantinople|Anthimus IV]]}}
{{succession|
before=[[Germanus IVof Constantinople|Germanus IV]]|
title=Patriarch of Constantinople|
years=1853-1855|
title=Patriarch of Constantinople|
years=1871-1873|
after=[[Joachim IIof Constantinople|Joachim II]]}}
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[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category:19th-century bishops]]
[[Category: Patriarchs of Constantinople]]