Philotheus I of Constantinople | |
|---|---|
| Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople | |
 | |
| Church | Church of Constantinople |
| In office | August 1353 – December 1354 8 October 1364 – August 1376 |
| Predecessor | Callistus I of Constantinople Callistus I of Constantinople |
| Successor | Callistus I of Constantinople Macarius of Constantinople |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Philotheos Kokkinos c. 1300 |
| Died | 1379 |
| Sainthood | |
| Feast day | 11 October |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Theological work | |
| Language | Greek |
| Tradition or movement | Palamism |
| Main interests | Hesychasm Palamism Hymnography |
Philotheus I of Constantinople (Greek:Φιλόθεος Κόκκινος;c. 1300 – 1379) was theEcumenical Patriarch of Constantinople for two periods from August 1353 to December 1354 and from 8 October 1364 to August 1376, and a leader of the Byzantine monastic and religious revival in the 14th century. His numerous theological, liturgical, and canonical works received wide circulation not only in Byzantium but throughout the Slavic Orthodox world.[1][note 1]
Philotheus I was appointed patriarch in August 1353 by the emperorJohn VI Kantakouzenos, deposed byJohn V Palaiologos in December 1354, then restored to the patriarchal throne on 8 October 1364. He opposed Emperor John V in his intent to negotiate the political re-union of the churches with PopesUrban V andGregory XI. Instead, in 1367 he supported the proposed assembly of an authentic, ecumenical union-council, in order to properly resolve the differences with the Western Church.[3][4]
Philotheus I is commemorated on11 October,[5][6][7] and is regarded as a "Protector of Orthodoxy", alongside SaintsPhotius I of Constantinople,Mark of Ephesus, andGregory Palamas.[8][note 2]
Philotheus' early life is not known. He was a native ofThessalonika and is believed to have been born about the year 1300. His mother was a Jewish convert to Orthodox Christianity.[8]
He was taught by theThomas Magister (d. 1347), one of the most learned men of the time, and showed great talent for theological as well as secular studies.[3]
Philotheus entered themonastic life early, first becoming a monk atMount Sinai, then later atMount Athos.
At Mount Athos, he lived his monastic life first atVatopedi monastery, where he formed a relationship withSavvas the New of Kalymnos theFool-For-Christ (d. 1350), for whom he became a biographer. Later he went on to theGreat Lavra Monastery, where he formed a relationship with SaintGregory Palamas, for whom he became a biographer as well.[8]
He was a supporter of Saint Gregory Palamas and became a follower and advocate of the form of contemplative prayer calledHesychasm, and the Orthodox theology ofuncreated Grace.[3] As a writer of note, Philotheus wrote works on the theology of theUncreated Energies of God and refuted thescholastic philosophy that was then current in the Western church.[8] His most famous work, written in 1339,[6] was theHagiorite Tome, the manifesto of the Athonite monks on how thesaints partake of theDivine and uncreated Light that the Apostles beheld at theTransfiguration of Jesus.
In 1340 he was appointedabbot of the Monastery of Philokalou inThessalonica but was soon recalled to Mount Athos in 1344 to direct the Great Lavra as theHegumen.[3]
In recognition of his contribution in theHesychast controversy, PatriarchIsidore I of Constantinople appointed himMetropolitan ofHeraclea inThrace in 1347.[3] However becoming a protégé of co-EmperorJohn VI Kantakouzenos,[1] Bishop Philotheus spent most of his time in Constantinople. During his absence, the city of Heraclea fell prey to the rivalry of theGenoese and theVenetians. In 1351 the Genoese led by admiralPaganino Doria sacked his episcopal see of Heraclea. It was only due to the intervention of Bishop Philotheus that a large number of the inhabitants which were imprisoned by the Genoese, were set free.[3] Thereafter he preserved a firm personal antagonism against the Genoese for the rest of his life.[2]
In 1351, he took part in the "Hesychast Council" in Constantinople and wrote its Acts.[8][note 3]
In August 1353, Philotheus I, renowned for his learning and his Orthodoxy, was appointedPatriarch of Constantinople byJohn VI Kantakouzenos.[3][8]
In December 1354, afterJohn V Palaiologos obtained the abdication ofJohn VI Kantakouzenos and forced him into a monastery under the name Joseph Christodoulus, he forced also thedeposition of Patriarch Philotheus I, who resumed the see of Heraclea.
On 8 February 1364, Philotheus I was recalled to the patriarchal throne in Constantinople on the death ofCallistus I of Constantinople.
Since 1354 theOttoman Empire had gained a foothold in Europe atGallipoli, threatening Constantinople from a new side. By 1362Adrianople fell to the Ottomans and served as the forward base for Ottoman expansion into Europe.[9] Threatened anew, John V Palaiologos appealed to the West for help in defending Constantinople against the Turks, proposing, in return, to end theEast–West Schism between Constantinople and Rome. In October 1369 John V, having travelled throughNaples toRome, formally converted to Catholicism inSt. Peter's Basilica and recognised the Pope as supreme head of the Church. Opposed to re-union on political terms, Philotheus I opposed these efforts by John V to negotiate with PopesUrban V (1362–1370) andGregory XI (1370–1378).
On the other hand, Philotheus I's second period as Patriarch was notable for his efforts to open sincere discussions with theRoman Church to end the East–West Schism — not by diplomatic efforts like those of Emperor John V, who had justabjured Orthodoxy for the Latin faith — but out of a real desire for a true and authentic union.[3] To this end, in 1367 he was in favour of holding an ecumenical union-council to resolve the differences with the Western Church,[1][6] however the discussions came to nothing as the idea was rejected by Pope Urban VI in 1369.[3][4] This unfortunate end signalled to Philotheus I the suspension of any further efforts to approach the West.[10][note 4]
The authority of the Acts of the "Hesychast Council" of 1351 were confirmed in the synod of 1368.[6][note 5] In addition, Philotheus I led the synodal decision to proclaimGregory Palamas a Saint, ordaining the Second Sunday ofGreat Lent to be his feast and composing the Church's services to Saint Gregory Palamas.[8]
A notable example of the campaign to enforce the Orthodoxy of thePalamite doctrine was the condemnation ofProchoros Kydones at this synod. ApplyingAristotelian logic to the Neoplatonic character of Hesychasm, Prochoros had accused Palamas ofPantheism orPolytheism. In the end, Prochoros wasexcommunicated and deposed from the clergy in perpetuity.[6][12][note 6]
The 1368 synod would be ranked as part of theFifth Council of Constantinople in 2016 by theCouncil of Crete, thus granting it "universal authority" and Ecumenical status.[13]
Philotheus I also nourished a strong commitment to the unity of the Orthodox world in his second tenure,[14][15] pursuing an ecclesiastical policy to organize the Orthodox churches of the Serbians, Russians, and Bulgarians, unto which hesychastic theology and spirituality spread.[6]
About 1354 SaintSergius of Radonezh, the founder of theTrinity monastery, was visited by envoys from Patriarch Philotheus, urging him to introduce a community rule into his monastery, as the Byzantines placed increased value onCenobitic monasticism in this period. After some hesitation, Saint Sergius complied with this request, and the Trinity monastery, by adopting theStuditeConstitution, became the model for all other late medieval RussianKoinonia.[16] Secondly, the monastery's close links with Constantinople facilitated the spread ofHesychasm to Central and Northern Russia.[16]
Since one of the obstacles to a united Orthodox front was the schism — since 1350 — which separated the Patriarchate of Constantinople and theSerbian Patriarchate of Peć, Philotheus I recognized the latter in 1375 and restored unity.[17] The act of excommunication of was revoked and the Serbian Church was recognized as a Patriarchate, under the condition of returning all eparchies in contested southern regions to the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.[18]
In 1375 Patriarch Philotheus I consecratedCyprian as "Metropolitan of Kiev, Lithuania, and Russia" in the lifetime ofAlexius, the lawful incumbent of two of these three sees. The Russians felt deeply humiliated by this affront to their popular metropolitan, and the confusion ended only in 1390 when the Muscovites accepted Cyprian asMetropolitan of Russia.[19]
Philotheus I was also engaged in writing a number of works setting forth the theology of the uncreated Energies and successfully taking issue with the humanist theologians who, in the works of Western scholastics, especiallyThomas Aquinas, found anatural philosophy that enabled them to express their love ofclassical antiquity to the full.[3] In addition, he also composed admirable lives of Saints. As ahymn writer, Philotheus I is known for composing a service in commemoration of the Fathers of theCouncil of Chalcedon, as well composing the services to Saint Gregory Palamas.[20]
Along withCallistus I of Constantinople, Philotheus I was a Hesychast Patriarch of Constantinople, who used thelives of saints to extol the ideal ofhesychia.[21]
In 1376, Patriarch Philotheus I was deposed by EmperorAndronikos IV Palaiologos when the latter ascended to the imperial throne.
Philotheus I reposed in exile in 1379. His tomb at theMonastery of Akatalyptos Maria Diakonissa (Theotokos Kyriotissa)[22] became a place of many miracles.[8]
Robert F. Taft affirms that the liturgical codification of theEucharistic service of theGreat Church reached its full form in thediataxis of Philotheus I of Constantinople.[23][note 7]
| Eastern Orthodox Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Patriarch of Constantinople 1353 – 1354 | Succeeded by Callistus I (2) |
| Preceded by Callistus I (2) | Patriarch of Constantinople 1364 – 1376 | Succeeded by |
