Anastasius, Patriarch of Constantinople
ANASTASIUS, PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE
Patriarch, 730 to 753. At the dismissal of Germanus as patriarch of Constantinople because of his opposition to iconoclasm, the Emperor leo iii appointed the syncellus Anastasius as patriarch (Jan. 22, 730). Anastasius was excommunicated by Pope gregory iii as a heretic and intruder, and the emperor in turn detached the Hellenized provinces of Sicily, Calabria, and the Balkan Peninsula from Roman allegiance, attaching them to the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Thus a further step was taken in the rupture between Rome and Byzantium. In 741 Anastasius supported the revolt of usurper Artabasdus, crowned him emperor, and agreed to the restoration of the holy icons in the city's churches. On suppression of the rebellion by the Emperor constantine v Anastasius was severely punished and humiliated publicly, but retained the patriarchal throne. His subsequent reign was marked by an intensification of iconoclastic propaganda directed by the emperor himself. The patriarch died while preparations were being made for the Iconoclast council of 754.
Bibliography: b. kotter, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. j. hofer and k. rahner (Freiburg 1957–65) 1:491. g. ostrogorsky, History of the Byzantine State (Oxford 1956) 145–147, 152–153. v. grumel, Les Regestes des actes du patriarcat de Constantinople (Kadikoi-Bucharest 1932) 1.2:8–9.
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