Showing posts with label Orthodoxy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Orthodoxy. Show all posts

Thursday, July 31, 2025

St. Photius on Ordinations by Deposed Schismatics and Heretics and the Ten Questions and Answers



Question 4 [from St. Photius' "Ten Questions"]:  

Which of those ordained by condemned heretics have not suffered any harm? Answer:  Although Paul of Samosata was condemned, none of his own people were deposed, although they did the same things for which he was deposed.  Although Nestorius was deposed, none of those ordained by him were deposed.  Peter Mongus was deposed by St. Proterius while he was still a priest; he assisted the assassin Timothy in the murder of Proterius, and after Timothy's death he seized the Throne of Alexandria and pronounced anathema every day on the Council of Chalcedon.  Those who were ordained by him, although he was deposed, an assassin and an heretic, and although they were themselves heretics, nevertheless repented and were received.  And Felix of Rome wrote to Emperor Zeno and described his decree, by which he expelled Peter from the Church, but accept those who repented, as a divine edict, and with what he wrote he accuses him because brought Peter [Mongus], who was outside the Church, back into the Church, and expelled John.  Meletius of Antioch, who was ordained by heretics in the place of Eustathius of Sebaste, was moved from there to Verroia, and was then made Bishop of Antioch by them again; but although they were accused as heretics, he was received by the Church.  Although Sergius, Pyrrhus and Macarius were expelled from the Church as heretics, those who were ordained by them were accepted when they repented.  The same happened with those who were ordained by Macedonius the Pneumatomachia.  The Romans deposed Acacius [of Constantinople], and pronounced anathema on him while he was still alive.  After his death, however, when Justin became Emperor after Anastasius, they sent a delegation to him and deleted him [Acacius] from the Diptychs [for the commemoration of the dead], when John was on the Throne of Constantinople.  However, they concelebrated with those whom he had ordained and were in communion with them.  Those who were ordained by the [Iconoclast] heretics Anastasius and Nicetas were accepted by the Seventh [Ecumenical] Council.  Also, Meletius [of Lycopolis] was guilty of innumerable evils: he intruded into other Bishops' Thrones, he grieved Martyrs, he rebelled against his own Patriarch [St. Peter the Martyr, and then later St Athanasius] and took his Throne, he sided with Arius [!], and, according to Socrates [Scholasticus the Historian], he offered sacrifice [to idols!!] during the persecution.  On account of all this he was deposed by [St.] Peter.  However, although he was deposed many times, subsequently he received the name, if not the priesthood of bishop." [Patriarch Photius, "Ten Questions and Answers", PG 104, 1224]


Here is a Provisional Translation [from the Latin text to the side of the Greek] of the remaining 10 Questions and Answer of St. Photius; these, and the aforementioned Fourth Response, seem to be St. Photius' defense from history of his Consecration; probably because he was ordained as Bishop by Gregory of Syracuse who had previously been deposed by St. Ignatius, but was rehabilitated after St. Igantius' expulsion, and then helped St. Photius [i.e. various critics were attacking St. Photius on any and all ground, from saying his Consecration was invalid due to his consecrator having been deposed, all the way to saying that if Old Rome didn't recognize him then he wasn't valid]: 

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Wednesday, September 14, 2022

The Lichfield Angel


 Stone relief carving of an Angel, made originally in the 8th or 9th century for the new coffin in which the relics of the 7th century Anglo-Saxon Bishop, St. Chad of Lichfield, were to be borne.  Some of the original colour can be seen, since there were all painted.  This is often known as the "Lichfield Angel."

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

"Romano-German" Pontifical in Anglo-Saxon England

 


A digitized edition of the so-called "Romano-German Pontifical" that was used in 11th century England can be found here.  This specific Pontifical is generally considered of a type that was formed in 10th century Mainz, but, which, gradually, acquired a wider usage alongside other Pontificals [a 'Pontifical' in this context meaning a Book that contains services which a Bishop performs].  The description on the Cambridge website is as thus: 


"CCCC MS 163 contains a Pontifical of the Romano-Germanic type.  It was written in the second half of the eleventh century, probably at Worcester, although the Old Minster and the Nunnaminster at Winchester have both also been suggested.  In text it is closely related to London, BL MS Cotton Vitellius E. XII, and may even have been directly copied from it.  The Romano-Germanic Pontifical originated in the tenth century and spread rapidly because it brought together a comprehensive set of texts for performing the duties of a bishop.  These two English copies seem to descend from a Cologne manuscript, and it has been suggested that the line of transmission was Bishop Ealdred's visit to Cologne in 1054.  Ealdred, Bishop of Worcester and later Archbishop of Canterbury, was sent by Edward the Confessor on a diplomatic mission to Henry II, probably leading to the return to England of Edward the Exile in 1057, and it seems likely that he acquired a text of the Romano-Germanic Pontifical on this occasion.  MS 163 contains four ordines for the consecration of women while omitting all those for abbots and monks, and may therefore have some connection with the nunnery." 


There is a minor correction that must be made to the above; Ealdred became Archbishop of York, not Archbishop of Canterbury.  That it may have a connection with the Nunnaminster, or womens' convent of St. Mary's is interesting; as it says, it contains text for the 'consecration of women' [i.e. consecration / sanctification / making of nuns], but not the consecration of monks.  

The Confession of the Faith of the Fathers of the Synod of Milan

  Confession of Faith of St. Mansuetus of Milan and the Synod held in 679, and sent to the Emperor Constantine IV to confirm the Orthodox Fa...