Luke Chrysoberges | |
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| Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople | |
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| Church | Church of Constantinople |
| In office | August/October 1157 – November 1169 |
| Predecessor | Constantine IV of Constantinople |
| Successor | Michael III of Constantinople |
| Personal details | |
| Died | November 1169 (1169-12) |
| Denomination | Eastern Orthodoxy |
Luke Chrysoberges (Greek:Λουκᾶς Χρυσοβέργης;[a] died November 1169) wasEcumenical Patriarch of Constantinople between 1157 and 1169.
During Luke's patriarchate, several other major theological controversies occurred. In 1156–1157 the question was raised, whetherChrist had offered himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world to theFather and to theHoly Spirit only, or also to theLogos (i.e., to himself).[2] In the end, asynod held at Constantinople in 1157 adopted a compromise formula, thatthe Word made flesh offered a double sacrifice to theHoly Trinity, despite the dissidence of Patriarch of Antioch-elect Soterichus Panteugenus.[1] During his term the theological issue of the relation betweenthe Son andthe Father in the Holy Trinity first appeared. The issue was created due to the explanation that one Demetrius ofLampi (inPhrygia) gave to the phrase of theGospel of John«ὁ Πατήρ μου μείζων μου ἐστίν», which meansmy Father is bigger than me (John, XIV.29), Chrysoberges, at the behest of the EmperorManuel I Komnenos, convened several meetings of the synod in 1166 to solve the problem, which condemned as heretical the explanations of Demetrius and the laity that followed him.[3] Those who refused to submit to the synod's decisions had their property confiscated or were exiled.[g] The political dimensions of this controversy are apparent from the fact that a leading dissenter from the Emperor's doctrine was his nephew Alexios Kontostephanos.[4]
Other heresies continued to flourish in Byzantine possessions in Europe, includingBogomils,Paulicians, andMonophysites which Luke and his successors had difficulty in suppressing.[5]
Luke was also involved in a process of the Church trying to extract itself from too close an association with the secular life of the state. In 1115, the patriarchJohn IX of Constantinople had sought to prevent clerics acting as advocates in lay courts. In December 1157, Luke extended this prohibition to all "worldly" occupations. In a still-extant cannon, he wrote: "We have observed that some of those enrolled in the clergy have uncanonically involved themselves in worldly affairs. Some have taken on posts as curators or overseers of aristocratic houses and estates; others have undertaken the collection of public taxes... others have accepted dignities and magistracies assigned to the civil establishment... we enjoin such people to desist from now on from all the aforesaid occupations, and to devote themselves to ecclesiastical exigencies..."[6] Such a separation of church and state was key to preserve the church from undue secular influence over matters it considered strictly clerical. This was especially key at the time as the rule of the EmperorManuel I Komnenos was noted for its autocratic style andcaesaropapism, and thoughidiosyncratic, generally made the patriarchate subservient directly to the needs of the state.[7]
| Eastern Orthodox Church titles | ||
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| Preceded by | Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople 1157 – 1169 | Succeeded by |
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