Patriarch Tarasios: An exponent of Byzantine church diplomacy in relation to Rome and the bishop of Constantinople

Chifar Nicolae

doi:10.4102/hts.v77i4.6691

Abstract

On September 24, 787, the works of the VII Ecumenical Synod were opened in the ‘Saint Sophia’ Church in Nicaea, after the first attempt, on August 7, 786, had failed. Although the nominal presidency was held by the legates of Pope Adrian I, the effective presidency was exercised by Patriarch Tarasios of Constantinople. A skilful church diplomat, with experience, gained as an imperial secretary and a remarkable theologian whose authority was imposed even during his election as a patriarch amongst the laity, Tarasios meticulously and clairvoyantly prepared for the deployment of the Nicene synod. This is noticeable from the agreement made with the papal legates regarding the reading of the letters of Pope Adrian I whose content directly concerned the persona of the patriarch, agreeing to omit those compromising paragraphs, from the procedure of re-welcoming in the communion of the church of some former iconoclastic bishops, by correctly managing the resistance of the monks to whom he gave satisfaction regarding the patristic and traditional argumentation of the cult of the holy icons and by rejecting point-by-point the dogmatic decision of the iconoclastic synod of Hieria (754), a rejection of which the patriarch Tarasie is in all probability the author. Satisfied with the success of the synod, whose craftsman he indeed was, Patriarch Tarasios was able to communicate to both Pope Adrian I and the emperors and clergy of Constantinople that the unity of the Church residing in Christ had been restored and that the place in the church and due honour of the holy icons had been restored through the synodal decision of 302 participants. The success of the Seventh Ecumenical Council is unequivocally because of the tactful and competent preparation and management of Patriarch Tarasios.Contribution: The perspective we promote on the events highlighted in the study, could contribute to unblocking the theological dialogue between Orthodox and Catholics on the issue of papal primacy, the study thus promotes HTS as an important forum for mediating interfaith dialogue.

Highlights

The recognition of the election of Tarasios as patriarch amongst the laity provoked a dissatisfactory response from Rome, which conditioned this election on the rehabilitation of the cult of icons through an ecumenical synod
From the analysis made on the development and results of the VII Ecumenical Synod of Nicaea (787), it can be concluded that Patriarch Tarasios of Constantinople was the craftsman of this synod
This can only be explained by careful and thorough training performed by a very wellcoordinated group. This group/commission was formed by the papal legates and those of the Eastern Patriarchates detained by Empress Irina in Constantinople after the failure from 786, having as mentor Patriarch Tarasios

Summary

Introduction

The recognition of the election of Tarasios as patriarch amongst the laity provoked a dissatisfactory response from Rome, which conditioned this election on the rehabilitation of the cult of icons through an ecumenical synod. The requirements stipulated by Pope Adrian I in the letters sent to the imperial court and to the patriarch, as well as in the instructions given to the papal legates, revealed some claims to the supremacy of the Roman throne. Through a skilful church diplomacy, Tarasios managed to coordinate the work of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787) in such a way as to give satisfaction to the papal legates and to consolidate his position both in front of the Constantinople episcopate, almost entirely adherent to the iconoclastic current, as well as in the face of rigorous monasticism. Patriarch Paul IV of Constantinople (780–784) had been confirmed by Emperor Leo IV, before whom he had taken an oath of allegiance, which required respecting the iconoclastic decisions of the

Objectives

Conclusion