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Alexander of Constantinople

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Bishop of Byzantium and the first bishop of Constantinople from 314 to 337

Saint Alexander of Constantinople
Bishop of Byzantium / Constantinople
Icon of Patriarchs Alexander, John and Paul I
Installed	314
Term ended	337
Predecessor	Metrophanes of Byzantium
Successor	Paul I of Constantinople
Personal details
Born	c. 244 Calabria, Italy
Died	337 (aged c. 96) Constantinople
Denomination	Eastern Christianity
Sainthood
Feast day	30 August (Orthodox Church) 28 August (Catholic Church)
Venerated in	Eastern Orthodoxy Catholic Church

Alexander of Constantinople (Ancient Greek:Ἀλέξανδρος;c. 241 – 337) was bishop of Byzantium from 314^[1] and the firstbishop of Constantinople from 330^[2] (the city was renamed during his episcopacy in 330). Scholars consider most of the available information on Alexander to be legendary.^[3]

Origin and early life

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According to theSynaxarion, Alexander was originally fromCalabria in Italy and his parents were called George and Vryaine. From a very young age, he was given to God and stayed in amonastery, where he cultivated virtue and became a good labourer of God's commands. He was granted divine visions, while for twenty days he stayed completelyfasting. But he also stayed naked for four years and fell into thousands of problems because of attacks of theSaracens. In this way, he lived many years traveling around Greece with his pupils Vitalius and Nicephorus.

Alexander was elected as avicar to assist the aged bishopMetrophanes of Byzantium. According toGelasius of Cyzicus, Metrophanes was alive during theFirst Council of Nicaea (325), but could not partake due to his age and ill health, so he sent instead Alexander of Constantinople, whom he destined as his successor.^[4] Metrophanes was most likely already dead by then.^[5] Alexander succeeded him at the age of 73 in 314.^[6]

During his episcopacy, Alexander engaged in debate withpagan philosophers and opposedheresies. He was highly praised byGregory Nazianzus^[7] andEpiphanius of Salamis.^[8]Theodoret called him an "apostolic" bishop.^[9] Alexander served as bishop for about 23 years,^[10] during which time he distinguished himself by his virtues and administrative abilities.^[11]

Arian controversy

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When theArian controversy began,Pope Alexander I of Alexandria, thePatriarch of Alexandria, requested his cooperation in combating what he perceived to beheresy.^[12] At the Council of Nicaea,Arius and his teachings were condemned.

Later, Arius desired to be received back into thecommunion of the Church. TheRoman Emperor Constantine the Great, having been convinced by theEusebians, commanded Alexander to formally receive Arius back.^[13] According toSocrates of Constantinople, Arius did not in fact repent of his heresy but was equivocating, and Bishop Alexander was aware of this.^[14] Alexander, though threatened by the Eusebians withdeposition andbanishment, persisted in his refusal to admit Arius back into the Church, and shut himself up in the Church ofHagia Irene (which at that time was thecathedral of Constantinople) in fervent prayer that God would take him from this world rather than be forced to restore someone to communion who he feared was only feigning repentance. As it happened, Arius died on his way to the church, before he could be received back into communion.^[15]

Death

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Alexander did not long survive Arius.^[16] On his deathbed he was said to have nominated his vicar,Paul I of Constantinople, as his successor, and to have warned his clergy againstMacedonius I of Constantinople, who became bishop of Constantinople in 342 and whose teachings inspiredMacedonianism.

After his death, Alexander came to be regarded as a saint of the Church. The service in his honor was printed inVenice in 1771. According to some ancient manuscripts, the feast of Saint Alexander was commemorated on 2 June. Today, hisfeast day is celebrated annually on 30 August, in a common commemoration with his fellow Patriarchs of ConstantinopleJohn IV of Constantinople (582–595, also commemorated on 2 September) andPaul IV of Constantinople (780–784).

Notes and references

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^"Κατάλογος Οικουμενικών Πατριαρχών - Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο" [List of Ecumenical Patriarchs] (in Greek). 2019.
^Smith 1911 citesTheodoretHist., I, 19.
^Kazhdan, Alexander; Talbot, Alice-Mary (2005)."Constantinople, Patriarchate of".Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium.Oxford University Press.ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6. Retrieved25 July 2018.
^"Κατάλογος Οικουμενικών Πατριαρχών - Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο" [List of Ecumenical Patriarchs] (in Greek). 2019. Retrieved25 July 2024..
^Walter, Christopher (1970)."The Names of the Council Fathers at Saint Sozomenus, Cyprus (planches)".Revue des études byzantines.28 (1):189–206.doi:10.3406/rebyz.1970.1435..
^Smith 1911.
^Smith 1911 cites Gregory Nazianzus,Oration 27.
^Smith 1911 cites Epiphanius of Cyprus,Adv. Haer, lxix, 10.
^Smith 1911 cites Theodoret,Hist., i, 3, cf.Phil, 12.
^Smith 1911 cites Socrates Scholasticus,Hist., ii, 6;SozomenHist., iii, 3.
^"Memory of Saints Alexander, John and Paul, Patriarchs of Constantinople",Orthodox Times.
^Smith 1911 cites Theodoret,op. cit., i, 4.
^Smith 1911 citesAthanasius of AlexandriaEp. ad Serap.;Tyrannius Rufinus,Hist., i.
^Smith 1911 cites Socrates Scholasticus,op. cit., I, 37.
^"Alexander Saint, Bishop of Constantinople",The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, (James Strong and John McClintock, eds.) Harper and Brothers; NY, 1880.
^Smith 1911 cites Socrates Scholasticus,op. cit., ii, 6; Theodoret,op. cit., I, 19.

Attribution

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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, I. G. (1911). "Alexander, of Byzantium". InWace, Henry; Piercy, William C. (eds.).Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century (3rd ed.). London: John Murray.

External links

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Saint Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople OrthodoxIcon andSynaxarion

Religious titles
Preceded by Metrophanes	Bishop of Byzantium after 10 May 330 ofConstantinople 314 – 337	Succeeded by Paul I

v t e Bishops of Byzantium and Patriarchs ofConstantinople
Bishops ofByzantium (Roman period, 38–330 AD)	Andrew Stachys Onesimus Polycarpus I Plutarch Sedecion Diogenes Eleutherius Felix Polycarpus II Athenodorus Euzois Laurence Alypius Pertinax Olympianus Marcus I Philadelphus Cyriacus I Castinus Eugenius I Titus Dometius Rufinus Probus Metrophanes Alexander
Archbishops ofConstantinople (Roman period, 330–451 AD)	Alexander Paul I Eusebius Macedonius I Eudoxius Evagrius Demophilus Maximus I Gregory I Nectarius John I Chrysostom Arsacius Atticus Sisinnius I Nestorius Maximianus Proclus Flavian Anatolius
Patriarchs of Constantinople (Byzantine period, 451–1453 AD)	Anatolius Gennadius I Acacius Fravitta Euphemius Macedonius II Timothy I John II Epiphanius Anthimus I Menas Eutychius John III John IV Cyriacus II Thomas I Sergius I Pyrrhus Paul II Peter Thomas II John V Constantine I Theodore I George I Paul III Callinicus I Cyrus John VI Germanus I Anastasius Constantine II Nicetas I Paul IV Tarasius Nicephorus I Theodotus I Antony I John VII Methodius I Ignatios Photios I Stephen I Antony II Nicholas I Εuthymius I Stephen II Tryphon Theophylact Polyeuctus Βasil I Αntony III Nicholas II Sisinnius II Sergius II Eustathius Alexius Michael I Constantine III John VIII Cosmas I Eustratius Nicholas III John IX Leo Michael II Cosmas II Nicholas IV Theodotus II Neophytus I Constantine IV Luke Michael III Chariton Theodosius I Basil II Nicetas II Leontius Dositheus George II John X Michael IV^† Theodore II^† Maximus II^† Μanuel I^† Germanus II^† Methodius II^† Manuel II^† Arsenius^† Nicephorus II^† Germanus III Joseph I John XI Gregory II Athanasius I John XII Nephon I John XIII Gerasimus I Isaias John XIV Isidore I Callistus I Philotheus Macarius Nilus Antony IV Callistus II Matthew I Euthymius II Joseph II Metrophanes II Gregory III Athanasius II
Patriarchs of Constantinople (Ottoman period, 1453–1923 AD)	Gennadius II Isidore II Joasaph I Sophronius I Mark II Symeon I Dionysius I Raphael I Maximus III Nephon II Maximus IV Joachim I Pachomius I Theoleptus I Jeremias I Joannicius I Dionysius II Joasaph II Metrophanes III Jeremias II Pachomius II Theoleptus II Matthew II Gabriel I Theophanes I Meletius I Neophytus II Raphael II Cyril I Timothy II Gregory IV Anthimus II Cyril II Athanasius III Neophytus III Parthenius I Parthenius II Joannicius II Cyril III Paisius I Parthenius III Gabriel II Parthenius IV Dionysius III Clement Methodius III Dionysius IV Gerasimus II Athanasius IV James Callinicus II Neophytus IV Gabriel III Neophytus V Cyprianus Athanasius V Cyril IV Cosmas III Jeremias III (Callinicus III) Paisius II Seraphim I Neophytus VI Cyril V Callinicus IV (III) Seraphim II Joannicius III Samuel Meletius II Theodosius II Sophronius II Gabriel IV Procopius Neophytus VII Gerasimus III Gregory V Callinicus V (IV) Jeremias IV Cyril VI Eugenius II Anthimus III Chrysanthus Agathangelus Constantius I Constantius II Gregory VI Anthimus IV Anthimus V Germanus IV Meletius III Anthimus VI Cyril VII Joachim II Sophronius III Joachim III Joachim IV Dionysius V Neophytus VIII Anthimus VII Constantine V Germanus V Meletius IV
Patriarchs of Constantinople (Turkish period, since 1923 AD)	Gregory VII Constantine VI Basil III Photius II Benjamin Maximus V Athenagoras Demetrius Bartholomew
^† in exile atNicaea Christianity portal

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