St. Anthimus of Constantinople

St. Anthimus of Constantinople

July 31st is the commemoration of the dukhrono of St. Anthimus according to the Liturgical Calendar of the Syriac Orthodox Church. He was the last Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople.The Orthodox Churches refused to accept the Council of Chalcedon held in 451AD, only accepting the 3 Holy Ecumenical Synods & espousing the Miaphysite Christological formula of St. Cyril. Mor Anthimus was originally the Archbishop of Trebizond. He regularly corresponded with Mor Severus of Antioch & Mor Theodosius of Alexandria. With the help of St. Empress Theodora, Anthimus became the Patriarch of Constantinople following the death of Epiphanius. Emperor Justinian had resolved to enforce the Chalcedonian decrees universally, & the metropolitans, clergy & faithful who refused to accept the decrees were punished with imprisonment, deprivation, exile or death. Roman Pope Agapetus arrived in Constantinople & with the support of the Emperor he exiled Anthimus, & recognised the Chalcedonian Mennas as the Patriarch. Anthimus was forced into exile, being taken into the protection of Empress Theodora.With the support of the Ghassanid King al-Harith Ibn Jabalah al-Ghassani (The Ghassanids were an ethnic Arab Syriac Orthodox kingdom), St. Theodora managed to get Mor Yac'ub Burd'ono ordained as "universal bishop" by Patriarch Theodosius I of Alexandria, Patriarch Anthimus of Constantinople & another imprisoned metropolitan, to spread the Orthodox faith & ordain clergy. Thus the True Orthodox faith was able to survive even under Byzantine imperial persecution.Patriarch Anthimus reposed while in exile & an Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople never succeeded him. However, his legacy lives on in the Oriental Orthodox Church. He is honored in the 5th Dypthic (Thubden d-Qadishe) every Sunday in the Syriac Orthodox Holy Qurbono. Biography courtesy of, 'Martyrs, Saints and Prelates of the Syriac Orthodox Church'Oh Mor Anthimus of Constantinople! Plead for us before God's throne of grace. Amen.BL14519