NICEPHORUS
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NICEPHORUS
tradition that the Niceno-Coiistantiiiopolitan symbol
origiiiatod with the Council of Constantinople, but
none of them is satisfactory. Wliatcver be its origin,
the fact is tliat the Council of Chalcedon (4.')1) attrib-
uted it to the Council of Constantinople, and if it was
not actually composed in that council, it was adopted
and authorized by the Fathers assembled as a true ex-
pression of the Faith. The history of the creed is
comiiletcd in the article Filioque.
De.nzinger. Eitchiridion Sj/mWorum (10th ed.. Freiburg, 190S). for texts of creeds in Greek and Latin; Hefele. Concilien- eeschichle, land II, Fr. tr. Leclerq, II, pt. I. 11-1.3 (trans- lator's note) ; Harnack in Realencyclop&die Jut protest. Thcologie (Leipzig. 1907), s. v. Konstantinopolitaniaches Symbol; KGllner, Symbolik aller Confessionen (1837), 28-52; LnMBY, Hist, of Creeds (2nd ed., London. 1880); Casp.\ri, Quellen zur Gesch. d. Taufsym- bols, I-IV (Christiania. 1866 sq.); Swainson, The Niccne and Apostles' Creeds, etc. (London, 1S75); Hort, Two Dissertations, II: on the Constantinopolitan Creed and the other Eastern Creeds of the fourth century (Cambridge, 1876) ; KtJNZE, Das n. k. Symbol in Sludien zur Gesch. der Theol. u. Kirche (Leipzig, 1898) ; Idem, Martin Eremita, ein neuer Zeuge fiir das altkirchl. Taufbekennt- niss (Leipzig, 1895). J. WiLHELM.
Nicephorus, Saint, Patriarch of Constantinople, 80G-SI.5, b. about 7.58; d. 2 Jime, 829. This champion of the orthodox view in the second contest over the veneration of images belonged to a noted family of Constantinople. He was the son of the imperial secre- tary Theodore and his pious wife Eudoxia. Eudoxia was a strict adherent of the Church and Theodore had been banished by the Emperor Constantine Coprony- mus (741-75) on account of his steadfast support of the teaching of the Church concerning images. While still young Nicephorus was brought to the court, where he became an imperial secretary. With two other officials of high rank he represented the Empress Irene in 787 at the Second Council of Niciea (the Seventh CEcumenical Council), which declared the doctrine of the Church respecting images. Shortly after this Nicephorus sought solitude on the Thracian Bosporus, where he had founded a monastery. Here he devoted himself to ascetic practices and to the study both of secular learning, as grammar, mathemat- ics, and philosophy, and the Scriptures. Later he was recalled to the capital and given charge of the great hospital. Upon the death of Patriarch Tarasius (25 February, 806), there was great division among the clergy and higher court officials as to the choice of his successor. Finally, with the assent of the bishops Emperor Nicephorus (802-11) appointed Nicephorus as patriarch. Although still a layman, he was known by all to be very religious and highly educated. He received Holy Orders and was consecrated bishop on Easter Sunday, 12 April, 806. The direct elevation of a layman to the patriarchate, as had already happened in the case of Tarasius, aroused opposition in the ec- clesiastical party among the clergy and monks. The leaders were the abbots, Plato of Saccadium and Theo- dore of Studium, and Theodore's brother. Archbishop Joseph of Thessalonica. For this opposition the Ab- bot Plato was imprisoned for twenty-four days at the command of the emperor.
Nicephorus soon gave further cause for antagonism. In 795 a priest named Joseph had celebrated the un- lawful marriage of Emperor Constantine VI (780-97) with Theodota, during the lifetime of Maria, the right- ful wife of the emperor, whom he had set aside. For this act Joseph had been deposed and banished. Em- peror Nicephorus considered it important to have this matter settled and, at his wish the new patriarch, with the concurrence of a sjTiod composed of a small number of bishops, pardoned Joseph and, in 806, re- stored him to his office. The patriarch yielded to the wishes of the emperor in order to avert more serious ev\\. His action was regarded by the strict church party as a violation of ecclesiastical law and a scandal. Before the matter was settled Theodore had written to the patriarch entreating him not to reinstate the guilty priest, but had received no answer. Although
the matter was not openly discussed, he antl his fol-
~ lowers now held virtually no church communion with
Nicephorus and the priest, Joscjjh. But, through a
letter written by Archbishop .losi'ph, the <'()urse which
he and the strict church p:uly followed l)ci-;iiMe pubHc
in SOS. ;ind c:iused a sensation. Theodore set forth, by
speech and writing, the reasons for the action of the
strict parly ;uid firmly maintained his position. De-
fending himself against the accus:ition that he and his
companions were schismatic, he declared that he had
kept silent as long as possil)le, had censured no bi.sh-
ops, and had always included the name of the patri-
arch in the liturgy. He asserted his love and his
attachment to the patriarch, and said he would with-
draw all opposition if the patriarch would acknowl-
edge the violation of law by removing the priest
Joseph. Emperor Nicephorus now took violent meas-
ures. He commanded the patriarch to call a sj'nod,
which was held in 809, and had Plato and several
monks forcibly brought before it. The opponents of
the patriarch were condemned, the Archbishop of
Thessalonica was deposed, the Abbots Plato and The-
odore with their monks were banished to neighbouring
islands and cast into various prisons.
This, however, did not discourage the resolute op- ponents of the "Adulterine Heresy". In 809 Theo- dore and Plato sent a joint memorial, through the Archimandrite K])ii)hanius, to Pope Leo III, and later. Theodore laid the matter once more before the pope in a letter, in which lie besought the successor of St. Peter to grant a hel]iing hand to the East, so that it might not be overwhelmed by the waves of the "Adul- terine Heresy". Pope Leo sent an encouraging and consolatory reply to the resolute confessors, upon which they wrote another letter to him through Epiphanius. Leo had received no communication from Patriarch Nicephorus and was, therefore, not thoroughly informed in the matter; he also desired to spare the eastern emperor as much as possible. Con- sequently, for a time, he took no further steps in the matter. Emperor Nicephorus continued to persecute all adherents of Theodore of Studium, and, in addi- tion, oppressed those of whom he had grown suspi- cious, whether clergy or dignitaries of the empire. Moreover, he favoured the heretical Paulicians and the Iconoclasts and drained the people by oppressive ta.xes, so that he was universally hated. In July, 811, the emperor was killed in a battle with the Bulgarians. His son Stauracius, who had been wounded in the same fight, was proclaimed emperor, but was deposed by the chief men of the empire because he followed the bad example of his father. On 2 October, 811, with the assent of the patriarch, Michael Rhangabe, brother-in-law of Stauracius, was raised to the throne. The new emperor promised, in writing, to defend the faith and to protect both clergy and monks, and was crowned with much solemnity by the Patriarch Nice- phorus. Michael succeeded in reconciling the patri- arch and Theodore of Studium. The patriarch again deposed the priest Joseph and withdrew his decrees against Theodore and his partisans. On the other side Theodore, Plato, and the majority of their adherents recognized the patriarch as the lawful head of the Byzantine Church, and sought to bring the refractory back to his obedience. The emperor had also recourse to the papacy in reference to these quarrels and had received a letter of approval from Leo. Moreover, the patriarch now sent the customary written notification of his induction into office (Synodica) to the pope. In it he sought to excuse the long delay by the tyranny of the preceding emperor, interwove a rambling confes- sion of faith, and promised to notify Rome at the proper time in regard to all important questions.
Emperor Michael was an honourable man of good intentions, but weak and dependent. On the advice of Nicephorus he put the heretical and seditious Pauli- cians to death and tried to suppress the Iconoclasts.
