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Severus of Antioch

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Saint

Severus the Great

Crown of Syrian
Patriarch of Antioch and all of the East
ChurchSyriac Orthodox Church
Installed16 November 512
Term ended5 February 538
PredecessorFlavian II of Antioch
SuccessorSergius of Tella
Personal details
Bornc. 459/465
Sozopolis,Eastern Roman Empire
(modern-dayUluborlu,Isparta,Turkey)
Died5 February 538
Xois,Eastern Roman Empire
(modern-daySakha,Egypt)
BuriedZogag Monastery
NationalityRoman
DenominationOriental Orthodoxy
Sainthood
Feast day8 February (Coptic Church),[1]29 September (Syriac Orthodox)[2]
Venerated inOriental Orthodox Churches
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Severus the Great of Antioch(Greek:Σεβῆρος;Syriac:ܣܘܝܪܝܘܣ ܕܐܢܛܝܘܟܝܐ),[3]also known asSeverus of Gaza[4]or theCrown of Syrians[5](Syriac:ܬܓܐ ܕܣܘܪ̈ܝܝܐ,romanized:Tagha d'Suryoye;Arabic:تاج السوريان,romanized:Taj al-Suriyan), was thePatriarch of Antioch,and head of theSyriac Orthodox Church,from 512 until his death in 538. He is venerated as a saint in theOriental Orthodox Church,and his feast day is8 February.

Biography

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Early life and education

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Severus was born in the city ofSozopolisinPisidiain c. 459,[6]or c. 465,[7]into an affluentChristianfamily, however, laterMiaphysitesources would assert that his parents werepagan.[8]His father was asenatorin the city,[9]and his paternal grandfather,[6]also named Severus,[10]was the Bishop of Sozopolis and had attended theCouncil of Ephesusin 431.[9]According to Severus' hagiography, he was named after his paternal grandfather as he had received a vision in which he was told, "the child who is for your son will strengthenOrthodoxy,and his name will be after your name ".[10]

After his father's death,[9]in 485, Severus travelled toAlexandriainEgyptto study grammar, rhetoric,[11]and philosophy,[8]in both Greek and Latin.[12]At Alexandria, he metZacharias of Mytilene,a fellow student and friend, who persuaded him to read the works ofGregory of Nazianzus,andBasil of Caesarea,in particular his correspondence withLibanius.According to Zacharias, whilst students atAlexandria,he and Severus discovered and destroyed a hoard of pagan idols at the neighbouring city ofMenouthis.[9]

In the autumn of 486,[9]Severus travelled toBerytusinPhoeniciaand studied law and philosophy at thelaw school,[12]where he was later joined by Zacharias in 487.[9]At Berytus, Severus and Zacharias led the expulsion of necromancers and enchanters from the city, and Severus began to dedicate his free time to studying the works of theFathers of the Church.At this time, he joined a group of students led by a certain Evagrius who prayed together at the Church of the Resurrection every evening. Severus was convinced to be baptised, as he had not yet undergone baptism due to Pisidian custom in which men could not be baptised until they had grown a beard.[9]In 488,[8]he was baptised at the Church of SaintLeontiusatTripoliswith Evagrius as his sponsor.[9]

Monkhood

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Severus subsequently adopted an ascetic life whereby he rejected bathing and adopted fasting. He initially intended to return to Pisidia and practise law, however, after a pilgrimage to the Church of Saint Leontius in Tripolis, the head ofJohn the BaptistatEmesa,andJerusalem,he resolved to join Evagrius and become a monk.[9]Severus entered the monastery ofPeter the IberiannearMaiumainPalestine,a prominent centre ofnon-Chalcedonianism,and remained there for several years.[13]He later joined a monastic brotherhood in the desert nearEleutheropolisunder thearchimandriteMamas.[14]Severus practised asceticism in the desert until c. 500,[13]at which time he became ill and was convinced to recover at the Monastery of Saint Romanus inMaiuma,[15]where he was ordained a priest by Epiphanius, Bishop ofMagydus.[13]At Maiuma, Severus received his inheritance from his parents; he shared the property with his brothers, donated most of his share to the poor,[15]and constructed a monastery.[12]

On a walk outside the city, Severus came upon a hermit who left his cave to call out, "welcome to you Severus, teacher of Orthodoxy, and Patriarch of Antioch", despite never meeting Severus, the hermit thus prophesied Severus' ascension to the patriarchal throne.[10]He remained at his monastery until 507/508, at which time Nephalius, aChalcedonianmonk, arrived at Maiuma and preached against Severus and other non-Chalcedonians.[9]In 508, Nephalius wrote anapologiaof theCouncil of Chalcedon,[16]to which Severus replied in his twoOrationes ad Nephalium.[13]In the same year, PatriarchElias of Jerusalemcommissioned Nephalius to expel non-Chalcedonian monks from their monasteries in Palestine, and Severus was sent toConstantinopleto complain toEmperorAnastasius.[17]

Severus travelled toConstantinoplealongside 200 non-Chalcedonian monks,[12]and gained favour with the emperor soon after his arrival.[16]PatriarchMacedonius II of Constantinopleattempted to sway Anastasius to support the Council of Chalcedon and presented the emperor with a collection of edited excerpts from the works ofCyril of Alexandria,an important Father of the Church who had died prior to the council.[16]Severus, however, wrotePhilalethes,and refuted Macedonius as the work of Cyril presented to the emperor was shown to be taken out of context.[16]At Constantinople, Severus became friends withJulian,Bishop ofHalicarnassus.[18]Under Severus' influence, in 510, Anastasius allowed non-Chalcedonians to retake their monasteries, and, in 510/511, the emperor issued atypos(edict) that adopted the non-Chalcedonian interpretation of theHenotikonas law.[19]After Macedonius' deposition and his succession byTimothy I,a non-Chalcedonian, in August 511, Severus returned to his monastery in Palestine.[9]

Patriarch of Antioch

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In 512,Flavian II,Patriarch of Antioch, was deposed by Anastasius,[19]and a synod was held atLaodicea in Syriato elect a successor.[8]Severus was elected on 6 November and consecrated at theGreat Church of Antiochon 16 November.[20]The consecration ceremony was attended by the bishops Dionysius of Tarsus, Nicias of Laodicea,Philoxenus of Hierapolis,Peter of Beroea, Simeon of Chalcis, Marion of Sura, Eusebius of Gabbula, Silvanus of Urima, Sergius of Cyrrhus, John of Europus, Philoxenus of Doliche, and Iulianus of Salamias.[21]During the consecration ceremony, he affirmed the councils ofNicaea,Constantinople,andEphesus,and theHenotikon.[22]Despite orders from Anastasius to not act or speak against the Council of Chalcedon,[23]Severus condemned the council, as well as PopeLeo's Tome,Nestorius,Eutyches,Diodorus of Tarsus,Theodore of Mopsuestia,Ibas of Edessa,Barsauma, and Cyrus and John of Aigai.[22]However, Severus could not be heard due to shouting and commotion, and he signed a declaration of faith at the ceremony's conclusion.[20]

Upon his consecration, Severus had the baths at the patriarchal palace destroyed and the cooks sent away, in keeping with his abstinence from luxurious bathing and eating.[22]He was accepted as Patriarch of Antioch by PatriarchTimothy I of ConstantinopleandPope Johnof Alexandria, but PatriarchElias of Jerusalemand other bishops refused to acknowledge him.[9]Couriers taking synodical letters from Severus to Jerusalem were expelled from the city bySabbasand a crowd congregated at theChurch of the Holy Sepulchreand chanted, "anathema to Severus and his fellow communicants".[24]WithinSyria,Severus was popular amongst the population of the province ofSyria Prima,which had largely adopted non-Chalcedonianism, whereas the province of Syria Secunda, which was home to a large Greek population who favoured Chalcedonianism, was hostile towards Severus.[24]

A synod was held atTyrein Phoenicia in c. 514, at which the Council of Chalcedon and Leo's Tome was denounced, and Severus declared that theHenotikonhad annulled the acts of the Council of Chalcedon.[22]Severus began to exchange letters with Sergius the Grammarian at this time as Sergius had written to Antoninus, Bishop ofAleppo,who had asked Severus to respond.[25]Sergius argued that the Synod of Tyre had made serious concessions to Chalcedonians,[25]to which Severus responded with a treatise against Sergius.[12]As patriarch, Severus andPeter,Archbishop ofApamea,were alleged to have hired Jewish mercenaries to kill 250 Chalcedonian pilgrims and leave their bodies unburied by the roadside.[26]Chalcedonians also claimed that the monasteries that the pilgrims had fled to were set alight and the monks that had protected them were also killed.[26]Between 514 and 518,[27]John of Caesareawrote anapologiaof the Council of Chalcedon in response to Severus'Philalethes.[25]Severus wrote a treatise in defence ofPhilalethes,and began work on a reply toJohn of Caesarea.[12]

Exile and death

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Following Anastasius' death and his succession by EmperorJustin Iin July 518, the bishops of Syria Secunda travelled to Constantinople and clamoured for Severus' deposition.[28]Justin demanded Severus affirmed the Council of Chalcedon, to which he refused,[10]and the emperor subsequently ordered Irenaeus,Count of the East,to arrest Severus and cut out his tongue.[26]Theodora,wife ofJustinian,Justin's nephew and heir, discovered Justin's orders and warned Severus.[10]On 25 September 518,[12]Severus fledAntiochby boat to Alexandria, where he was well received byPopeTimothy III of Alexandriaand the city's inhabitants.[26]Severus' arrival in Egypt is celebrated by theCoptic Orthodox Churchon 12 October.[29]Despite his deposition, Severus did not cease to be seen as the legitimate Patriarch of Antioch by non-Chalcedonians.[30]

During his exile in Egypt, Severus resided at themonastery of the Ennatonwith Pope Timothy,[18]and is known to have performed a number of miracles.[10]He completed his three volume book,[12]liber contra impium grammaticum,against John of Caesarea in c. 519.[22]In his exile, Julian of Halicarnassus also took up residence at the monastery of the Ennaton and exchanged letters with Severus on the topic of the body ofChrist.[9]Whereas Julian had adopted aphthartodocetism, which argued that the body of Christ was incorruptible, Severus argued that the body of Christ was corruptible until the resurrection.[9]He wrote five treatises against Julian,[18]who responded inperi aphtharsiasand anapologia.[31]The non-Chalcedonian community was quickly divided between "Severians", followers of Severus, andaphthartodocetae,[9]and divisions remained unresolved until 527.[25]The Severians were also known as thePthartolatrae.[32]

Emperor Justinian, who succeeded his uncle Justin in 527, held a three-day synod at thePalace of Hormisdasin the spring of 532 at Constantinople to restore unity to the church through dialogue between five Chalcedonians and five or more non-Chalcedonians.[33]The emperor invited Severus and promised immunity,[22]however, he chose not to attend on the grounds of age and as he was accused of corruption and bribery, which he vehemently denied.[34]In c. 534, the non-Chalcedonian community faced further division with the separation of theThemistiansfrom the Severians. Their leader, Themistius, a deacon at Alexandria, saw himself as defending the Severan view, nevertheless, a new sect was founded after him[35][36]advocating a more extreme belief of Christ's corruptibility.[37]At the invitation of Justinian, in the winter of 534/535,[38]Severus travelled to Constantinople alongside Peter of Apamea and the monkZooras.[39]At this time,Anthimus,Archbishop ofTrebizond,was consecrated Patriarch of Constantinople and refused to affirm the Council of Chalcedon.[40]Severus successfully convinced Anthimus to adopt a position in line with himself andPope Theodosius I of Alexandria.[33]

Severus' fortunes were quickly overturned asPope Agapetus Iof Rome arrived at Constantinople in March 536.[33]Agapetus swayed Justinian to adopt a firm Chalcedonian position and Anthimus was replaced byMenas.[40]Menas helda synod from 2 May to 4 June,[39]at the conclusion of which Severus, Anthimus, Peter of Apamea, and Zooras were excommunicated.[41]On 6 August 536, Justinian issued an edict that charged Severus, Anthimus, Peter, and Zooras withNestorianismandEutychianism,banned Severus' books,[40]and banished them from the capital and all major cities.[39]Severus fled Constantinople with the aid of Empress Theodora and returned to Egypt.[40]He resided at the residence of Dorotheus in the city ofSakhauntil his death on 5 February 538.[42][43]Dorotheus had Severus' body moved to theZogag Monastery,and the relocation of his body is celebrated on 19 December.[43]

Manichaeism

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Severus of Antioch's 123rd homily is famously anti-Manichaean.It has been lost in its original Greek version but a Syriac translation has been preserved. Parts of Severus' 123rd homily was translated and presented, together with the original Syriac text, by Kugener and Cumont.[44][45]In this work he mentions an unnamed book byMani,which is possiblyThe Pragmateia,a Manichaean work now lost (this is however not certain; see doubts expressed in Baker-Brian 2011: 82-83). Although he opposed the Manichaeans, as he writes "From where did the Manichaeans, who are more wicked than any other, get the idea of introducing two principles, both uncreated and without beginning, that is good and evil, light and darkness, which they also call matter?",[46]his direct citations and explanations of Manichaean beliefs are considered a valuable source by Western scholarship, as the works he cites from are otherwise lost, and his citations of Manichaean texts are among the longest we possess.[47]

References

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  1. ^"Amshir 9: Lives of Saints: Synaxarium - CopticChurch.net".
  2. ^Curtin, D. P. (July 2015).Jacobite Arab Synaxarium- Volume I.Dalcassian Publishing Company.ISBN9781088061237.
  3. ^Jeanne-Nicole Mellon Saint-Laurent (17 August 2016)."Severus of Antioch".Qadishe: A Guide to the Syriac Saints.Retrieved9 September2020.
  4. ^Evans (2000), p. 106
  5. ^emorales (17 May 2016)."The Biography of Patriarch Severus of Antioch (512-538) Written by the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Cyriacus of Tikrit (793-817)".Atla.Retrieved15 November2022.
  6. ^abBarsoum (2003), p. 92
  7. ^Sources that state Severus' birth in c. 465:
    • Gregory (1991)
    • Menze (2012)
    • Witakowski (2004), p. 115
  8. ^abcdWitakowski (2004), pp. 115-116
  9. ^abcdefghijklmnoChapman (1911)
  10. ^abcdefSt. Severus of Antioch.Northeast American Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
  11. ^Menze (2012)
  12. ^abcdefghBarsoum (2003), p. 93
  13. ^abcdYoussef (2015), p. 228
  14. ^Venables (1911a)
  15. ^abTorrance (1998), p. 3
  16. ^abcdTorrance (1998), p. 4
  17. ^Horn (2006), pp. 108-109
  18. ^abcZissis (1987)
  19. ^abHorn (2006), p. 110
  20. ^abAllen & Hayward (2004), p. 12
  21. ^Honigmann (1947), p. 157
  22. ^abcdefTorrance (1998), p. 5
  23. ^Horn (2006), p. 21
  24. ^abEvans (2000), p. 107
  25. ^abcdYoussef (2015), p. 229
  26. ^abcdKnezevich (1991)
  27. ^Kazhdan (1991)
  28. ^Venables (1911b)
  29. ^The Coming of Saint Severus, Patriarch of Antioch, to Egypt.Coptic Orthodox Church Network
  30. ^Arthur (2008), p. 102
  31. ^Constantelos (1987)
  32. ^Bates (1852), p. 137
  33. ^abcEvans (2000), p. 111
  34. ^Arthur (2008), p. 108
  35. ^Cross & Livingstone 2009.
  36. ^Stokes 1887.
  37. ^Frend (1991)
  38. ^Torrance (1998), pp. 5-6
  39. ^abcRoche (2003)
  40. ^abcdTorrance (1998), p. 6
  41. ^Bacchus (1913)
  42. ^Evans (2000), p. 184
  43. ^abThe Relocation of the Body of St. Severus, Patriarch of Antioch.Coptic Orthodox Church Network
  44. ^Kugener & Cumont 1912
  45. ^Baker-Brian 2011: 82
  46. ^Gardner & Lieu 2004: 161
  47. ^Kugener & Cumont 1912: 83f.

Bibliography

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Further reading

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Titles ofEarly Christianity
Preceded by Patriarch of Antioch
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 Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch
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