ANTHIMUS OF TREBIZOND

Monophysite bishop of Trebizond, named patriarch of Constantinople in 535, and deposed in 536; d. after 548. As bishop of Trebizond he participated in the Colloquy of Constantinople (532) in which justinian i attempted to achieve agreement between the orthodox and the Monophysite bishops. Although he participated on the Catholic side, Anthimus leaned toward the party of Severus of Antioch, and Empress theodora who had him named patriarch of Constantinople to succeed Epiphanius (d. June 5, 535) despite the canons that forbade transfer from one see to another. Anthimus promised to stay in communion with Rome, but sent an encyclical letter to the two Monophysite patriarchs, severus of antioch in exile, and theodosius of alexandria. Pope agapetus i, who arrived in Constantinople in early March of 536, refused to communicate with Anthimus and demanded his deposition. In a synod held by the pope, Anthimus was declared contumacious and deprived of his powers as priest and bishop. He was replaced by Mennas as patriarch on March 13, 536, and lived an ascetical life for at least 12 more years in Constantinople under the protection of Empress Theodora. Of his writings, fragments of a tract sent to Justinian I concerning the doctrine of one energy and one will in Christ and his synodal letter to Severus have been preserved. His profession of faith is recorded by Zachary Rhetor (Hist. Eccl. 9.21; 25: Corpus scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium 2:96–117).

Bibliography: h. rahner, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche 1:603. e. caspar, Geschichte des Papsttums von den Anfängen bis zur Höhe der Weltherrschaft (Tübingen 1930–33) 2:222–223. a. grillmeier and h. bacht, Das Konzil von Chalkedon: Geschichte und Gegenwart (Würzburg 1951–54) 2:159–162. c. j. hefele, Histoire des conciles d'après les documents originaux (Paris 1907–38) 2.2:1142–55. h. g. beck, Kirche und theologische Literatur im byzantinischen Reich (Munich 1959) 392–393. e. stein, Histoire du Bas-Empire, tr. j. r. palanque (Paris 1949–59) 2:381–385, 388.

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