Nectarius (died 397 or 398) was the archbishop of Constantinople from AD 381 until his death, the successor to Saint Gregory Nazianzus. Events Council of Carthage: Definitive declaration of the biblical canon Candida Casa founded by Saint Ninian. ... Events John Chrysostom becomes bishop of Constantinople. ... In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop. ... Map of Constantinople. ... A deputation from the Roman Senate delivers to Gratianus the robe of the Pontifex Maximus, which had been worn by every Roman Emperor since Augustus. ... An icon of Saint Gregory Nazianzen the theologian holding a Gospel Book Saint Gregory Nazianzen (AD 329 - January 25, 389), also known as Saint Gregory the Theologian, was a 4th century Christian bishop of Constantinople. ...

Background

When Gregory resigned, Nectarius was praetor of Constantinople. An elderly man born at Tarsus in Cilicia of a noble family, he was widely known for his admirable character, but was still only a catechumen. // Definition According to Cicero, Praetor was a title which designated the consuls as the leaders of the armies of the state. ... Tarsus is a city in present day Turkey, on the mouth of the Tarsus Cay (Cydnus) into the Mediterranean. ... Cilicia as Roman province, 120 AD In Antiquity, Cilicia (Κιλικία) was the name of a region, now known as Çukurova, and often a political unit, on the southeastern coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey), north of Cyprus. ... In ecclesiology, a catechumen (from Latin catechumenus, Greek κατηχουμενος, instructed) is one receiving instruction in the principles of the Christian religion with a view to baptism. ...

His calling

Preparing for a journey to Tarsus, he called on the Bishop of Tarsus, Diodorus, who was attending the First Council of Constantinople (one of the ecumenical councils), to ask if he could take letters for him; his appearance and manners struck Diodorus so forcibly that he at once determined that he should be advanced as a candidate for Bishop; making an excuse of attending to some other business, he took Nectarius to see the bishop of Antioch, who asked Nectarius to put off his journey a short time. The First Council of Constantinople (second ecumenical council) was called by Theodosius I in 381 to confirm the Nicene Creed and deal with other matters of the Arian controversy . ... In Christianity, an Ecumenical Council or general council is a meeting of the bishops of the whole church convened to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice. ... The Patriarch of Antioch, is one of the original patriarchs of early Christianity, who were bishops with influence over other sees. ...

His unexpected appointment

When the Emperor Theodosius I wanted the Bishops at the Council to suggest new candidates and reserving to himself the right of making the choice, the Bishop of Antioch put at the bottom of his list, Nectarius' name. The Emperor having read the lists, declared Nectarius to be his choice. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... An engraving depicting what Theodosius may have looked like, ca. ... Antioch on the Orontes (Greek: Αντιόχεια η επί Δάφνη, Αντιόχεια η επί Ορόντου or Αντιόχεια η Μεγάλη; Latin: Antiochia ad Orontem, also Antiochia dei Siri), the Great Antioch or Syrian Antioch was an ancient city located on the eastern side (left bank) of the Orontes River about 30 km from the sea and its port, Seleucia Pieria. ...

This choice caused some amazement amongst the Fathers who wanted to know - who and what was this Nectarius? He was not even baptized! There was much astonishment at the emperor's unexpected choice, but the people of Constantinople were delighted at the news as was the whole council. Father with child For other uses, see Father (disambiguation). ...

Nectarius was duly baptized and his clothes were changed for the robes of a Bishop of the Imperial city and became at once president of the Second Ecumenical Council. A dragon robe from Qing Dynasty of China A robe is a loose-fitting outer garment. ... The First Council of Constantinople (second ecumenical council) was called by Theodosius I in 381 to confirm the Nicene Creed and deal with other matters of the Arian controversy . ...

Nectarius ruled the church for upwards of 16 years, and is thought of as having been a good prelate. His name heads the 150 signatures to the canons of the Second Ecumenical Council. The 3rd canon declares that, "...the Bishop of Constantinople shall hold the first rank after the bishop of Rome, because Constantinople is the new Rome." However, it was not until 1439 that the Council of Florence admitted the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Look up prelate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Events Battle of Grotnik, which ended the hussite movement in Poland Eric of Pomerania, King of Sweden, Denmark and Norway is declared deposed in Sweden. ... A decree of the Council of Constance (9 October 1417), sanctioned by Pope Martin V obliged the papacy to summon general councils periodically. ... A patriarchate is the office or jurisdiction of a patriarch. ...

Dissent threatens

Unfortunately the Bishops of the West opposed the election result and asked for a common synod of East and West to settle the succession and so the Emperor Theodosius, soon after the close of the second council, summoned the Imperial Bishops to a fresh synod at Constantinople; nearly all of the same bishops who had attended the earlier second council were assembled again in early summer of 382. On arrival they received a letter from the synod of Milan, inviting them to a great general council at Rome; however they indicated that they must remain where they were, because they had not made any preparations for such long a journey. However, they sent three --Syriacus, Eusebius and Priscian -- with a synodal letter to Pope Damasus I, archbishop Saint Ambrose and the other bishops assembled in the council at Rome. A synod (also known as a council) is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. ... Events October 3 - Theodosius I commands his general Saturninus to conclude a peace treaty with the Visigoths, allowing them to settle south of the Danube. ... Milan (Italian: ; Lombard: Milán (listen)) is one of the biggest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. ... The Council of Rome was a meeting of Western church officials and theologians which took place in 382 under the authority of Pope Damasus I. The previous year, the Emperor Theodosius I had appointed the dark horse candidate Nectarius Patriarch of Constantinople. ... Eusebius is the name of several significant historical people: Pope Eusebius - Pope in AD 309 - 310. ... Priscian (Priscianus Caesariensisi), the celebrated Latin grammarian, lived about A.D. 500, i. ... Pope Damasus I ( 305-383) was Pope from 366. ... Saint Ambrose, (Latin: Sanctus Ambrosius, Ambrosius episcopus Mediolanensis; Italian: SantAmbrogio) (c. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban...

The Roman synod to which this letter was addressed was the fifth under Damasus. No formal account remains of its proceedings, nor of how its members treated the question of Nectarius. Theodosius, did however, send commissaries to Rome in support of his synod.

In his 15th letter (to the bishops of Illyria) he indicated that the church in Rome had finally agreed to recognize both Nectarius and Flavian. Illyria Illyria (disambiguation) Illyria (Anc. ... The Flavian dynasty was a series of three Roman Emperors - Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian - who ruled from 69, the Year of the Four Emperors, to 96. ...

Six letters from Nectarius remain extant in the files of his predecessor Gregory Nazianzus. In the first he expresses his hearty good wishes for his episcopate. The last is of great importance, urging him not to be too liberal in tolerating the Apollinarians.

In 383 a third synod at Constantinople was held. In spite of the decrees of bishops and emperor, the Arians and Pneumatomachians continued to spread their doctrines. Theodosius summoned all parties to the Imperial city for a great discussion in June, hoping to reconcile all differences. Before this he had sent for the Archbishop and told him that all questions should be fully debated. Events By Place Roman Empire January 19 - Arcadius is elevated to Emperor. ... This article is about theological views like those of Arius. ...

After this, Nectarius returned home, full of anxiety and consulted the Novatianist Bishop Agelius, who felt himself unsuited to arbitrate on such a controversy. However he did have a reader, Sisinnius, a philosopher and theologian, to whom he referred the argument with the Arians. Sisinnius suggested that they should produce the testimonies of the old Fathers of the Church on the doctrine of the Son, and first ask the heads of the several parties whether they accepted these authorities or desired to anathematize them. Novatian (2XX - 258) was a scholar and antipope who held the title between 251 and 258. ... A philosopher is a person who thinks deeply regarding people, society, the world, and/or the universe. ... Theology (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογια, logia, words, sayings, or discourse) is reasoned discourse concerning religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ...

Both the Archbishop and the Emperor agreed to this suggestion and when the Bishops met, the Emperor asked whether they respected "...the teachers who lived before the Arian division?" They confirmed that they did and he then asked if they acknowledged, "...them sound and trustworthy witnesses of the true Christian doctrine?"

This question however produced divisions and so the emperor ordered each party to draw up a written confession of its doctrine. When this was done, the Bishops were summoned to the Imperial palace, where the emperor received them with kindness and retired to his study with their written confessions. Theodosius however rejected and destroyed all except that of the orthodox, because he felt that the others introduced a division into the Holy Trinity. For other uses, see Trinity (disambiguation). ...

After this, Theodosius forbade all sectaries, except the Novatianists, to hold divine services or to publish their doctrines or to ordain clergy, under threat of severe civil penalties. Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ...

In 385 the emperor's wife Aelia Flaccilla (or Placilla) and their daughter Pulcheria died. The archbishop asked Gregory of Nyssa to preach the funeral sermons for both of them. Events February 11 - Oldest Pope elected: Siricius, bishop of Tarragona. ... Aelia Flaccilla. ... Pulcheria (January 19, 399 – 453) was the daughter of the Eastern Roman Emperor Arcadius and Aelia Eudoxia. ... Gregory of Nyssa ( 335 – after 394) was a Christian bishop and saint. ...

Towards the close of his episcopate, Nectarius abolished the office of presbyter penitentiary, whose duty appears to have been to receive confessions before communion. His example was followed by nearly all other Bishops. The presbyter penitentiary was added to the ecclesiastical roll about the time of the Novatianist schism, when that party declined to communicate with those who had lapsed in the Decian persecution. Gradually there were fewer lapsed to reconcile, and his duties became more closely connected with preparation for communion. A disgraceful occurrence induced Nectarius to leave the participation in holy communion entirely to individual consciences and abolish the office. Presbyter in the New Testament refers to a leader in local Christian congregations, a synonym of episkopos, which has come to mean bishop. ...

Nectarius died in office in 397 or 398 and was succeeded by Saint John Chrysostom. John Chrysostom (349 - 407, Greek Ιωάννης ο Χρυσόστομος ) was a Christian bishop from the 4th and 5th centuries in Syria and Constantinople. ...

Sources

• Hefele, Hist. Christ. Councils, tr. Oxenham (Edinb. 1876), vol. ii. pp. 344, 347, 378, 380, 382, etc.
• Nectarii Arch. CP. Enarratio in Patr. Gk. xxxix. p. 1821;
• J. D. Mansi, Concil. t. iii. p. 521, 599, 633, 643, 694, etc. ;
• Socrates Scholasticus H. E. v. viii. etc.;
• Sozomenus H. E. vii. viii. etc.;
• Theodoret H. E. v. viii. etc.;
• Theophilus Chronogr. 59. etc.;
• This article uses text from A Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century A.D., with an Account of the Principal Sects and Heresies by Henry Wace. [1]