Patriarch St. Euthymios of Constantinople passed away on this day in 917. Without him, the famous Byzantine politicalwriter Constantine VII might never have taken up his place in history. In the history of the Orthodox Church, many breaks in ecclesial communion can arguably be construed as theological clashes pitting the Church parties representing the akribeist (from akribeia, in this context observance of full canonical standards) and oikonomist (from oikonomia, in this context prudent management) traditions against each other. The Orthodox Church needs both parties, because by keeping each other in check, they help the Church to navigate a middle path. As we will see below these terms are conventional epithets that do not always define the complex reality; in different situations, the same people may act as either oikonomists or akribeists. For example, Patriarch Euthymios while was an oikonomist, was educated in the rigorous monastic circles of the followers Patriarch St. Ignatios (d. 877). Besides being involved in an internal church conflict, Patriarch Euthymios also had to deal with a pressing factor throughout the Constantinian period of history (from 313 to 1917): attempts of the empire to control the church. Leo VI, also known as “the Wise” for his legal writing, had an oikonomist background and was a disciple of Patriarch St. Photios. He gave homilies at Hagia Sophia, and “to keep things in the family” promoted his nineteen-year-old brother Stephen as patriarch (d. 893). In 901, as part of his policy of controlling the church, Emperor Leo VI appointed his imperial secretary (mystikos), St. Nicholas, as patriarch. The Emperor wanted oikonomia to be applied to his marital status. He was a widower whose previous three marriages had not produced a male heir. However, there was already a church norm. St. Basil the Great’s epistle to Bishop Amphilochios of Ikonium was adopted by the Church for universal usage, having been divided thematically into short edicts (canons). A particular segment known as Canon 80 contains a dictum to Christians to have no more than three marriages. The burial of Leo’s third wife, Eudokia, on the first day of Eastertide, c. 901, was against church custom and provoked monastic opposition. Leo VI flaunted his imperial independence by rejecting the counsel of his spiritual mentor, the patriarchal cell-attendant (synkellos) Euthymios, who held that the spirit of public mourning was incompatible with the festivities celebrating Christ’s resurrection. By 903, Leo was living with Zoe Karbonopsina. In September 905, the future Emperor and renowned stateman Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus was born. A few years later, Patriarch Nicholas wrote a letter to Pope Anastasius III of Rome about a fourth marriage (tetragamy) and suggested that the emperor should adopt the child but send his mother away. Just as one century earlier Theodore of Stoudios had condemned the marriage of Constantine VI and Theodotē, Nicholas considered the relationship of Leo VI and Zoe to be “fornication” (porneia). All bishops of his Permanent Synod agreed that the child could be baptized, but only if the emperor separated from the mother. Despite strong pressure not to do so, Nicholas had the baby baptized on 6 January 906. Euthymios the Synkellos became his sponsor. Three days after the baptism, Zoe was solemnly received in the palace. This disagreement on the ecclesiastical methods for remedying this court crisis led to a new rift within the Byzantine Church. As in the St. Theodore the Studite's case, when a patriarch refused to bless a marriage, it fell to a priest to perform the marriage. Priest Thomas married Leo VI to Zoe, at some point prior to May 906 and Leo, but not the patriarch, crowned her. It was important for the emperor to legitimize this marriage in order to secure Constantine’s succession to the throne. Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos did not fulfil his intention to grant Leo a church marriage. The 907 council attended by Roman legates and representatives of local churches decided to apply oikonomia and permit Leo’s marriage. The council defrocked Nicholas and elected Euthymios patriarch. When Leo died in 912, his brother Alexander revisited the issue of tetragamy, with the aim of having his nephew characterized as a bastard. At the council taking place in Magnaura palace, Euthymios was accused of acceding illegitimately to the patriarchal throne. He and his bishops were excommunicated, and Nicholas Mystikos installed as patriarch. In 914, Alexander died, and Leo’s wife Zoe wanted to restore Euthymios. However, he refused to recognize her, arguing that oikonomia was applied to her not as an individual, but as the wife of the emperor. On learning that Euthymios had refused to serve as patriarch, Nicholas went to see him in his monastery and became reconciled with him. Source We know all this because of 1970 publication of Patricia Karlin-Hayter’s translation of Vita Euthymii Patriarchae CP(Byzantion 25–27). She used to be around at the International Byzantine Greek Summer Schools held at Queen’s University, Belfast, including at least a couple of times when I attended. At that time, there was still an Institute of Byzantine Studies, of which I am the last graduate. Although Patricia had never been trained as a Byzantinist (she worked for Foreign Office), her excellent understanding of Byzantine matters and command of Greek made her a persona grata in the Byzantine Studies academic community, and she had a teaching and research fellowships. Patricia grew up between France and England, which may explain why she casually helped herself to white wine while conversing in the common room. Judging by the fact that she was 94 at her passing 2014, she was clearly doing something right! |
