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The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity


from its origins to circa AD 700, across the entire Christian world


A council held in Constantinople in 448, deposing the heresiarch Eutyches, is signed by the abbots of several monasteries and shrines; the text is included in the Acts of the Council of Chalcedon of 451. Written in Greek at Constantinople.

Evidence ID

E05463

Type of Evidence

Canonical and legal texts

Acts of the Council of Chalcedon
Session 1

552.

33 Μαρτῖνος πρεσβύτερος καὶ ἀρχιμανδρίτης μονῆς τοῦ μακαρίου Δίου
35. Πέτρος πρεσβύτερος καὶ ἀρχιμανδρίτης μονῆς τοῦ μακαρίου Θαλασσίου
37. Ἀβράμιος πρεσβύτερος καὶ ἀρχιμανδρίτης μονῆς τοῦ μακαρίου Θεοτέκνου
41. Πιέντιος πρεσβύτερος καὶ ἀρχιμανδρίτης μονῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου τῶν νηπίων
42. Φλαβιανὸς ἀρχιμανδρίτης μονῆς τοῦ ἁγίου Ἑρμάου
43. Εὐσέβιος ἀρχιμανδρίτης μονῆς Ἡλία
44. Εὐσέβιος πρεσβύτερος καὶ ἀρχιμανδρίτης μονῆς τοῦ ἁγίου Εὐλογίου
50. Ἀστέριος πρεσβύτερος καὶ ἀρχιμανδρίτης μονῆς τοῦ μακαρίου Λαυρεντίου

‘33. Martinos presbyter and archimandrite of the monastery of the blessed Dios
35. Petros presbyter and archimandrite of the monastery of the blessed Thalassiοs
37. Antiochοs presbyter and archimandrite of the monastery of the blessed Theoteκnοs
41. Pientios presbyter and archimandrite of the martyrium of the Infants [the Holy Innocents, SS00268]
42. Flavianos archimandrite of the monastery of the holy Hermaos
43. Eusebios presbyter and archimandrite of the monastery of Helias
44. Eusebios presbyter and archimandrite of the monastery of the holy Eulogios
50. Asterios presbyter and archimandrite of the monastery of the blessed Laurentios [possibly the deacon and martyr of Rome, S00037]’


Text: Schwartz,
ACO II. 1. 1, p. 146-147.
Translation: E. Rizos.

Cult Places

Cult building - monastic
Martyr shrine (martyrion, bet sāhedwātā, etc.)

Places Named after Saint

Monastery

Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Ecclesiastics - abbots

Source

This passage belongs to the acts of a council held at Constantinople in 448, under the presidency of Flavian I of Constantinople, which decided the condemnation and deposition of Eutyches as a heretic. Since Eutyches was a priest and head of a monastic house in Constantinople, and since his activity and doctrines had caused unrest among the monastic communities of the capital, his deposition was decided with the participation not only of bishops, but also of abbots from other monasteries of Constantinople.

Eutyches was restored to his position by the Second Council of Ephesus in 449, but was condemned anew at Chalcedon in 451. His condemnation by the council of 448 was included in the proceedings of the First Session of Chalcedon. It is the only section of the council acts of Chalcedon in which we find archimandrites signing alongside bishops.


Discussion

This list of signatures offers the first dated attestation of the most important monastic houses of early Byzantine Constantinople, which were known by the names of their founders or associated with shrines of martyrs.

‘The monastery of the blessed Dios’ (33) was founded, according to the
Patria (3. 193a) under Theodosius I by a Syrian monk called *Dios (S02119). Located near the south end of the Constantinian walls of Constantinople, it was one of the most august monastic houses of the capital, second in rank and probably antiquity to the monastery of Dalmatos. Our text is its first attestation (Janin 1969, 97-99).

‘The monastery of the blessed Thalassi
οs’ (35) was probably founded during the early 5th century, and was known by the name of its founder. Also known as the Monastery of the Barefoot Monks (τννυποδέτων), it ranked among the most prominent monasteries of Constantinople. This passage is its first attestation. Its location is unknown (Janin 1969, 140).

‘The monastery of the blessed Theote
κnοs’ (37) was probably also named after its founder. This is the only known attestation (Janin 1969, 156).

The
martyrion of the Holy Innocents (41) is very probably a shrine known to have been founded under bishop Proclus of Constantinople (434-446) (see E05455).

The monastery ‘of the holy Hermaos’ (42) is only attested here.

The ‘monastery of Elias’ (43) was probably a Syrian monastery of unknown location. Its name may refer to its founder (Janin 1969, 138).

The monastery ‘of the holy Eulogios’ (44) is not attested elsewhere.

It is uncertain whether the monastery ‘of the blessed Laurentios’ (50) was named after its founder or dedicated to the Roman martyr. It is not attested elsewhere (Janin 1969, 304).


Bibliography

Text:
Schwartz, E. Acta Conciliorum Oecumenicorum (ACO) II. 1: Concilium Universale Chalcedonense (Berlin, 1933).

Translation:
Price, R., and Gaddis, M. The Acts of the Council of Chalcedon. (Translated Texts for Historians 45; Liverpool, 2005).

Further reading:
Janin, R., La géographie ecclésiastique de l'empire Byzantin. I 3: Les églises et les monastères de la ville de Constantinople. 2nd ed. (Paris, 1969).


Record Created By

Efthymios Rizos

Date of Entry

11/06/2018

Related Saint Records
IDNameName in SourceIdentity
S00037Laurence/Laurentius, deacon and martyr of RomeΛαυρέντιοςUncertain
S00268Innocents, children killed on the orders of HerodΝήπιαCertain
S01091Theoteknos, martyrΘεότεκνοςUncertain
S02119Dios, monastic founder in Constantinople, ob. late 4th c.ΔῖοςUncertain
S02120Thalassios, monastic founder in ConstantinopleΘαλάσσιοςUncertain
S02121Theoteknos, monastic founder in ConstantinopleΘεότεκνοςUncertain


Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
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