Ignatius, Patriarch of Constantinople

Ignatius, patriarch of Constantinople flourished about the beginning of the 9th century. The schism of the Greek and Roman churches, which began under Photius (q.v.), who persecuted Ignatius and usurped his see, gives importance to his life. The following account of him is (necessarily) chiefly from Roman sources, and must be taken with allowance. He was born in 799, and was the son of the emperor Michael Curopalates; his mother, Procopia, was the daughter of the emperor Nicephorus. On the revolt of Leo the Armenian, Michael surrendered to him the throne, which he had occupied for the short period of a year and nine months only, and embraced monastic life. His sons followed the example of their father, and the youngest, Nicetas, then aged fourteen, changed his name to Ignatius. The new emperor, in order not to be disturbed in the possession of power, separated the several members of the family of Michael, and caused his two sons, Eustratius and Nicetas, to be made eunuchs. During the reign of the three emperors, Leo, Michael II, and Theophilus. the young men were allowed to enjoy in tranquility the monastic life to which they had devoted themselves. Ignatius was admitted into the order of priesthood by Basil, bishop of Paros, in the Hellespont, a prelate who had suffered great persecution in opposing the Iconoclasts, and to whom Ignatius was much attached. On the death of Theophilus, the empress Theodora was declared regent in the name of her son, Michael III. Being opposed to the Iconoclasts, she banished John, the patriarch of Constantinople, and caused Methodius to; be elected in his place. Four years after, on the death of Methodius, the patriarchal dignity was bestowed upon, Ignatius. But he did not long enjoy this honor. Bardas, the brother of the empress, whom he had excommunicated on account of his scandalous excesses, having obtained considerable influence on the mind of the young emperor Michael, whose vices he flattered and encouraged, induced him to take the reins of government, and to compel his mother to withdraw to a convent, and to accept the vows. Ignatius, when summoned to lend his authority to this unfilial act, did not: content himself with remonstrating against it, but gave' a stern refusal. He was, in consequence, banished to the isle of Terebinthos, and deprived of his see, which he had held for eleven years. Photius, a eunuch related to Bardas, and a person of considerable learning, who favored the Iconoclasts, was by the will of the emperor, but without the consent of the Church, appointed to the patriarchate of Constantinople. For the controversy of Photius with the Church of Rome and its issue, SEE PHOTIUS. All means employed to induce Bardas to resign remaining ineffective, his death was finally determined upon, and he was murdered in 866. Basil the Macedonian now became possessed of the supreme power. One of the first acts of his reign was to banish Photius and recall Ignatius, who was triumphantly reinstated in his patriarchal dignity Nov. 3, 867. At his suggestion a council was assembled at Constantinople, which ranks in the Roman Church as the eighth ecumenical. It was presided over by the legate of pope Adrian II, and in it Photius and his partisans were excommunicated, and their opinions condemned. From this time Ignatius was allowed to rule the Greek Church without opposition. He died Oct. 23, 878, on which day the Greek and Roman churches still celebrate his memory. He was buried in the church of St. Sophia, but his remains were afterwards transferred to that of St. Michael, near the Bosphorus. The details of his life are principally drawn from Nicetas David, who had known him personally. Ignatius wrote Βίος Ταρασίου τοῦ πατριάρχου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, the Greek text of which remains unpublished, but a Latin translation of it is to be found in Surius, De probatis Sanctorum Vitis, and in the Aeta Sanctorum (Feb. 25), 3:576: Βίος τοῦ ἁγίου Νικηφόρου, πατριάρχου Κωνστ, the Greek text of which is contained in the Acta Sanctorunm (March 12). ii, 704, Append. He also wrote other works, among them an abridgment of fifty-three fables from Babrius in Iambic verses, each fable containing only four verses. These were published at first under the name of Gabrias, Gabrius, or Babrius, in the Aldine Esop (Venice, 1505), and afterwards under the author's real name (Ignatius Magister), in Ritterhusius's Phedrus, and Nevelet's Mythologia Esopica. — Hoefer, Nouv. Biogr. Géneralé, 25, 795; English Cyclopedia; Smith, Dict. of Biography; Mosheim, Ch. Hist. 2, 52, 96; Neander, Ch. Hist. 3, 558 sq.; Hardwicke, Ch. Hist. (Middle Ages), p. 195 sq.