Cosmas II of Constantinople

Cosmas II of Constantinople
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
Church Church of Constantinople
In office April 1146 – February 1147
Predecessor Michael II of Constantinople
Successor Nicholas IV of Constantinople
Personal details
Born ?
Died after 1147

Cosmas II Atticus (Greek: Κοσμᾶς Β´ ὁ Ἀττικός), (? – after 1147) was Patriarch of Constantinople from April 1146, until February 1147. He was born in Aegina, in Greece, and was a deacon of Hagia Sophia before his ascension, after Michael II Kourkouas abdicated. He was highly respected for his learning and for his holy character.[1] Cosmas reigned during the rule of Byzantine emperor Manuel I Comnenus.[2]

Deposition

Cosmas was condemned and deposed on February 26, 1147 by a synod held at the Palace of Blachernae because of indulgence in relation to the monk Niphon, a condemned Bogomil since 1144, whom he received in his home and at his table.[3]

The exact reasons for the conviction and deposition of Cosmas II are not clearly established; perhaps he was the victim of political intrigue.[4] It is clear however that the Emperor Manuel intervened directly in forming the Synod that deposed Cosmas, interviewing personally those who accused him, and testing Cosmas directly on his opinions of the heretical Niphon.[5] This affair is typical both of the doctrinal controversies common in the reign of Manuel I, and also of the Emperor's readiness to become actively involved in them.[6]

References

  1. ↑ John Kinnamos. (1976). The Deeds of John and Manuel Comnenus, Columbia University Press, p. 56
  2. ↑ Κοσμᾶς Β´ ὁ Ἀττικός (in Greek). Ecumenical Patriarchate. Retrieved 2011-12-24.
  3. ↑ Lysimachos Oeconomos La vie religieuse dans l'empire byzantin au temps des Comnènes et des Anges 1918 réédition 1972 p. 44–45
  4. ↑ Dimtri Obolensky A study in Balkan Neo-Manichaeism « Byzantine Bogomilism » Cambridge University Press 1948 p. 221–222
  5. ↑ Paul Magdalino. (2002). The Empire of Manuel I Komnenos, 1143-1180, Cambridge University Press, p. 277
  6. ↑ J.M. Hussey. (1986). The Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire, Oxford University Press, p. 151
Eastern Orthodox Church titles
Preceded by
Michael II Kourkouas		 Patriarch of Constantinople
1146–1147		 Succeeded by
Nicholas IV Muzalon



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