THEODORE, ANTIPOPE

Pontificate: 687. Theodore was a Roman presbyter of Greek or Syrian origin who became involved in a contested election following the death of Pope John V (685-686). At this time there were two factions in Rome that often battled for the papacy: representatives of the local militia, and those of the Roman clergy. Theodore was the candidate of the militia; his rival was Peter, an archpriest supported by the clergy. Because of the dispute, Conon (686-687) was elected as a compromise candidate, and he served for a little less than a year. During that time Theodore was raised to the status of archpriest, and when Conon died, he was again involved in a contested election. Theodore was again the militia's candidate; he was elected pope and moved into the Lateran palace, as did his new rival, Paschal. From roughly October to December both men claimed to be pope, and as a result another compromise candidate, Sergius I (687–701), was elected and ratified by the exarch of Italy. Theodore accepted the new pope and nothing more is known of him. J. N. D. Kelly makes the point that since Theodore was never consecrated and stepped aside (unlike Paschal), it is probably incorrect to consider him an antipope, a view that G. Schwaiger appears to share.

Bibliography: l. duchesne, ed. Liber Pontificalis (Paris 1886-92; repr. 1955–57) 1.368–72. p. jaffÉ, Regesta pontificum Romanorum (Leipzig 1885-88; repr. Graz 1956) 1.243–4. j. richards, The Popes and the Papacy in the Early Middle Ages, 476–752 (London 1979) 206–8, 266, 274. j. n. d. kelly, The Oxford Dictionary of Popes (New York 1986) 81-82. g. schwaiger, Lexikon des Mittelalters (Munich 1997) 8.630.

[p. m. savage]