Nikephoros
I of Constantinople trample on John VII of Constantinople, who is laying on the
ground with coins. Miniature from Chludov Psalter. Above - fragment of apostle
Peter trampling Simon the Magi.
Иоанн
Грамматик ниспровергнут доводами патриарха Никифора. Патриарх Никифор держит в
руках образ Христа, а правой указывает на лежащего под его ногами Иоанна,
вокруг которого рассыпаны монеты. Наверху фрагмент изображения апостола Петра
попирающего Симона Волхва
Saint Nicéphore Ier
Patriarche de
Constantinople (+ 829)
Il naquit à Constantinople durant la persécution impériale contre les saintes Images. Après de solides études profanes, il fut secrétaire du jeune empereur Constantin VI. Choisi pour participer au Septième Concile de Nicée, il y fut présent et actif en tant que commissaire impérial. Élu patriarche, alors qu'il était encore laïc, il reçut successivement et rapidement tous les ordres sacerdotaux. Mais cette ascension rapide ne fut pas du goût des moines du Studion. Il connut bien d'autres difficultés, en particulier avec l'empereur Léon l'Arménien qui combattait le culte des Saintes Icônes. Exilé, il préféra abdiquer devant le pseudo-concile des évêques soumis à l'empereur. Pendant ses quatorze années de bannissement, il écrivit un remarquable traité de théologie sur le culte des Images, en partant de la philosophie d'Aristote.
Près du Bosphore, en 829, le trépas de saint Nicéphore, évêque de
Constantinople. Zélé défenseur des traditions de ses pères, il s’opposa
fortement à l’empereur iconoclaste Léon l’Isaurien pour défendre le culte des
saintes images. Chassé par celui-ci de son siège et longtemps relégué dans un
monastère, il s’en alla paisiblement vers le Seigneur.
Martyrologe romain
Nicéphore, Discours
contre les iconoclastes.
Traduction, présentation
et notes par M.-J. Mondzain-Baudinet, éditions Klincksiek, Paris, 2000, 381 p.
(« Esthétique »).
Les trois Antirrhétiques
dont cet ouvrage nous offre la traduction figurent parmi les œuvres majeures de
saint Nicéphore Ier le Patriarche (758-828) qui fut l’un des principaux
défenseurs des icônes lors du second iconoclasme.
Elles ont pour but de
répondre aux arguments développés lors du concile iconoclaste de Hiéreia (754),
les deux premières réfutant l’une après l’autre les Questions que l’empereur
Constantin V avait formulées en vue de ce concile.
Elles ne se réduisent
pourtant pas à des œuvres polémiques de circonstance : comme le souligne la
traductrice, « l’enjeu iconique y est traité sous le mode universel ». Elles
figurent, avec l’Apologétique du même auteur, les Discours de saint Jean
Damascène et les Antirrhétiques de saint Théodore Studite, parmi les ouvrages
fondateurs d’une théologie de l’icône, puisque l’icône y est défendue comme
totalement solidaire du fait de l’Incarnation. Contre certaines positions
origénistes et monophysites dont lui paraissent avoir hérité les iconoclastes,
saint Nicéphore consacre maints développements d’une grande profondeur à
soutenir que le Verbe a assumé une pleine humanité qui, en tant que telle,
impliquait la possibilité d’être représentée. On a donc affaire, au fond, à de
véritables traités théologiques qui, sur certains points ont fourni à la
christologie orientale des précisions significatives.
Il faut rendre hommage au
travail très soigné de M.-J. Mondzain-Baudinet. La traduction est précise, et
en marge de celle-ci figurent les subdivisions du texte grec de la P.G. qui
a servi de référence, ainsi que les indications des sources scripturaires,
patristiques et philosophiques de Nicéphore et des Questions qu’il réfute. Ces
dernières ont été récapitulées en fin de volume, suivies de la traduction de
l’Horos (Définition de foi) de Nicée II, d’un glossaire des hérésies citées par
Nicéphore, d’un index des sources bibliques et autres. En début de volume
figurent, après une introduction biographique et doctrinale, une bibliographie
bien fournie sur les Sources, Nicéphore et l’Iconoclasme, ainsi qu’une
chronologie. On trouve à la fin de l’ouvrage un important index relatif d’une
part à la doctrine de l’icône et d’autre part au portrait de l’iconoclaste.
Cette dernière partie, assez surprenante, consiste en une récapitulation des
injures adressées par Nicéphore à Constantin, destinée non à nous rappeler la
violence de la polémique et le style des disputes de l’époque, mais à illustrer
l’une des thèses que la traductrice développe, dans son introduction, selon une
perspective délibérément philosophique, en utilisant les catégories de
l’esthétique et de la sémiologie : l’image de l’iconoclaste est une anti-icône.
Les seules réserves que pourront faire les patrologues concerneront cette
introduction qui, en raison de la méthode d’analyse utilisée, paraît souvent en
décalage avec l’esprit et le sens profond du texte.
SOURCE : http://iconophile-orthodoxe.blogspot.ca/2014/10/recension-nicephore-de-constantinople.html
Saint Nicéphore le
Confesseur
Patriarche œcuménique de
Constantinople (758-822) Fête le 2 juin
Saint Nicéphore est né
vers 758 dans la capitale de l'empire. Ses parents Théodore et Eudoxie
appartenaient à la haute hiérarchie byzantine, tout en pratiquant la piété et
la vertu. Confrontés à la persécution iconoclaste ils demeuraient fidèles à la
Foi orthodoxe. Pour cette raison son père secrétaire de l'empereur Constantin V
Copronyme (741-775) fut destitué et envoyé en exil à Nicée, où il mourut.
Fort de la piété
familiale leur fils entra néanmoins dans le service de l'État. En 787, sous la
régence d'Irène, il participe au septième concile œcuménique
"Nicée-II". Simple laïc, il siège en tant que "commissaire
impérial" (βασιλικος μανδατωρ). Avant l'ouverture des travaux on le charge
d'aller chercher Grégoire de Néo-Césarée : iconoclaste repenti, ce vieil
évêque est le dernier survivant du pseudo-concile des hérétiques réuni par
l'empereur à Hiera en 754.
Dans les années qui
suivirent il fit retraite dans l'un des cloîtres de la rive orientale du
Bosphore.
En 806 il fut désigné
pour succéder au patriarche Tarase. Cette promotion d'un laïc rencontra les
critiques des moines du Stoudion.
Mais c'est du parti
hérétique, à partir de l'événement en 813 de Léon V l'Arménien que vinrent les
principales tribulations, avec le retour de l'impiété et du mouvement de
destruction des icônes.
Nicéphore
rappela : "nous ne pouvons pas plus toucher aux traditions les
plus anciennes que nous ne saurions remettre en cause la Croix et
l'Évangile".
L'empereur tenta donc de réunir dans son palais un certain nombres de prélats qui lui semblaient acquis.
Pourtant ils résistèrent.
L'un d'eux, Émilien,
évêque de Cyzique déclara : "Puisqu'il s'agit d'une affaire
ecclésiastique, discutons-en au sein de l'église conformément à la coutume, pas
dans le palais".
Euthyme, évêque de Sardes
observa : "Depuis la venue du Christ, 800 ans se sont écoulés,
et pendant tout ce temps nous n'avons jamais cessé d'avoir des icônes et de les
vénérer. Qui donc manifesterait l'audace d'abolir une si ancienne
tradition ?"
Saint Théodore le
Stoudite s'exprima après les évêques. Il dit au Prince : "Monseigneur,
ne troublez pas l'ordre de l'Église. Dieu y a placé des apôtres, des prophètes,
des pasteurs et des professeurs. Vous avez reçu la charge de l'État, laissez
celle de l'Église à ses pasteurs."
Fou de colère, l'Empereur
le fit expulser. Peu de temps après, il convoqua en vue d'un concile les
évêques favorables à l'hérésie et chercha à y mettre en accusation le
patriarche Nicéphore.
À leurs sommations,
celui-ci répondit : "Qui vous a donné autorité ? Était-ce
un autre patriarche ou celui qui est à Rome. Dans mon diocèse vous n'avez aucun
pouvoir."
Il leur lut alors le
canon qui excommunie quiconque tend à exercer un pouvoir quelconque dans la
juridiction d'un autre évêque. Il fut cependant suspendu de force et condamné
au bannissement par l'empereur.
En 820 un nouveau
souverain hérétique en la personne de Michel II le Bègue maintien la
persécution et la lutte contre les images.
En 828 le 2 juin
saint Nicéphore naissait au ciel après 14 années d'exil.
Confesseur de la foi
orthodoxe il a laissé de nombreux écrits théologiques et historiques.
En 846 par ordre de
Theodora son corps retournera à Constantinople, le 13 mai, date à laquelle
il est célébré en occident.
Source : site Orthodoxos
Synaxaristis
SOURCE : http://www.crypte.fr/synaxaire/nicephore-constantinople.html
SAINT NICEPHORE de
Constantinople
26/03 - 13/03
TRANSFERT des RELIQUES de
notre Saint Père NICEPHORE, Patriarche de CONSTANTINOPLE
Lorsque Saint Méthode
monta sur le trône épiscopal de Constantinople après la déposition du
Patriarche hérétique Jean (842), il s'adressa sans tarder à l'empereur Michel
et à sa mère, l'impératrice régente Théodora, en leur disant qu'il n'était pas
juste de laisser en exil le corps du Saint Patriarche Nicéphore qui, après
avoir vaillamment confessé le Dogme Orthodoxe sur la vénération des Saintes
Icônes, était mort loin de son troupeau spirituel après quatorze ans d'un âpre
exil. La souveraine ayant acquiescé à cette proposition, Saint Méthode suivit
les envoyés impériaux en compagnie d'un grand nombre de Prêtres et de moines
jusqu'au Monastère de Saint Théodore, où le Saint avait été enseveli dix-neuf
ans plus tôt. Ils trouvèrent la précieuse Relique incorrompue et la déposèrent
sur un navire impérial, en l'escortant solennellement au chant d'hymnes
spirituelles. Lorsque le navire parvint en vue du port, l'empereur et tout le
Sénat vinrent à sa rencontre, tenant à la main des cierges allumés, et ils
vénérèrent pieusement la Sainte Relique, puis, la portant sur leurs épaules,
ils l'amenèrent à la Grande Eglise (Sainte-Sophie), où l'on célébra une veille
de toute la nuit en l'honneur du Patriarche. A l'issue de cette cérémonie, on
transporta le corps de Saint Nicéphore, avec la même pompe, jusqu'à l'église
des Saints-Apôtres, pour l'y déposer en compagnie des empereurs et de ses
saints prédécesseurs.
SOURCE : http://www.histoire-russie.fr/icone/saints_fetes/textes/nicephore_2.html
Nicéphore
portant une lettre à l'empereur Michel II en faveur de la
restauration du culte des images, Chronique de Jean Skylitzès.
Saint Nicephorus
of Constantinople
Also
known as
Niceforo
Nikephoros
2
June (Roman Martyrology; Greek Orthodox)
14
June (translation of relics)
13
March on some calendars
Profile
Son of the secretary to
Emperor Constantine Copronymus, a man tortured and exiled for
refusing to accept iconclasm.
Nicephorus was known as a scholar and
eloquent speaker,
and served as an imperial commissioner. Built a monastery near
the Black Sea. A layman,
he was chosen patriarch of Constantinople in 806.
When he gave absolution to
the priest who
had illicitly married Emperor
Constantine VI and Theodota while Constantine’s wife Mary was still alive,
Nicephorus fell into conflict with Saint Theodore
Studites, but the two later reconciled. Nicephorus worked for a return to monastic discipline,
reform of the administration of the diocese,
and evangelization of
the lay
people. Brought Saint Methodius
of Constantinople from his monastery on
Chios to help. Opposed Emperor Leo the Armenian’s attempt to return to iconoclasm,
and was deposed by a synod of iconoclastic bishops.
Several attempts were made his life, and he was exiled to
the monastery he
had built on the Black Sea. He spent his final 15 years there, praying and writing history
and treatises against iconoclasm.
Born
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
Short
Lives of the Saints, by Eleanor Cecilia Donnelly
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other
sites in english
Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of America
video
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
nettsteder
i norsk
Works
Breviarum
Chronographia
MLA
Citation
‘Saint Nicephorus of
Constantinople‘. CatholicSaints.Info. 13 March 2023. Web. 28 May 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-nicephorus-of-constantinople/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-nicephorus-of-constantinople/
Book of Saints
– Nicephorus – 13 March
(Saint) Bishop Martyr (March
13) (9th
century) A Patriarch of Constantinople who
sacrificed himself in defence of the practice of the veneration of pictures and
statues during the persecution under
the Emperor Leo the Armenian. He died in exile in
the fifteenth year of his banishment, A.D. 828.
MLA
Citation
Monks of Ramsgate.
“Nicephorus”. Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info.
6 March 2016. Web. 28 May 2026. <https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-nicephorus-13-march/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-nicephorus-13-march/
St. Nicephorus
Feastday: March 13
Patriarch of Constantinople and
martyr. The son of the secretary of Emperor Constantine V, he was raised as an
opponent of the Iconoclasts in the imperial capital and remembered always that
his father had been tortured for opposing the Iconoclast emperor. Nicephorus
became known for his intellect and
his eloquence, and received the post of imperial commissioner. After founding a
monastery near the Black Sea, he was chosen despite being a layman to succeed
to the office of patriarch of Constantinople in
806, succeeding St. Tarasius. He was opposed for a time by St. Theodore Studites
after Nicephorus forgave a priest who
married Emperor Constantine VI toTheodota despite the fact the Constantine’s
wife, Mary, still lived. The patriarch also
challenged the Iconoclast policies of Emperor Leo V the
Armenian and was deposed by a synod of
Iconoclast bishops at
the conniving of the emperor. Nearly assassinated on several occasions,
Nicephorus was exiled to the monastery he had founded on the Black Sea,
spending his remaining years there in prayer. He died on June 2 or March 13,
829. While patriarch, he brought various reforms to his large diocese and
inspired the lay people. He was also the author of anti Iconoclast writings and
two historical works, a Chronographia and Brevianim.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4837
Nicephorus of
Constantinople BM (RM)
Born in 758; died June 2,
828; feast day formerly June 2. It's no wonder that Nicephorus was a staunch
opponent of iconoclasm; his father, the emperor's secretary, had been tortured
and exiled for refusing to accept Emperor Constantine Copronymus's decrees
banning sacred images. Nicephorus became imperial commissioner known for his
eloquence, scholarship, and statesmanship. He built a monastery near the Black
Sea.
Although he was still a
layman and did not desire any preference, he was named patriarch of
Constantinople in 806 to succeed Saint Tarasius. Nicephorus incurred the enmity
of Saint Theodore Studites for giving absolution to the priest who had
illicitly married Emperor Constantine VI and Theodota while Constantine's wife
Mary was still alive. The two were later reconciled.
Nicephorus devoted
himself to reforming his see, restoring monastic discipline, and reinvigorating
the faith of his flock. The patriarch also brought Saint Methodius of
Constantinople, who later became patriarch, from his monastery on Chios. He
resisted the efforts of Emperor Leo the Armenian to reimpose iconoclasm, but
was deposed by a synod of iconoclastic bishops assembled by the emperor.
Several attempts were made on the life of Nicephorus and he was exiled to the monastery
he had built on the Black Sea, where he spent the last 15 years of his life.
Nicephorus wrote several
treatises against iconoclasm and two historical works, Breviarum and
Chronographia (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0313.shtml
St. Nicephorus
Patriarch of Constantinople,
806-815, b. about 758; d. 2 June, 829. This champion of the orthodox view
in the second contest over the veneration of images belonged to a
noted family of Constantinople.
He was the son of the imperial secretary Theodore and his pious wife Eudoxia. Eudoxia was
a strict adherent of the Church and Theodore had
been banished by the Emperor Constantine Copronymus (741-75) on account of his
steadfast support of the teaching of the Church concerning
images. While still young Nicephorus was brought to the court, where he became
an imperial secretary. With two other officials of high rank he represented the
Empress Irene in 787 at the Second
Council of Nicaea (the Seventh Ecumenical Council),
which declared the doctrine of
the Church respecting
images. Shortly after this Nicephorus sought solitude on the Thracian Bosporus,
where he had founded a monastery.
There he devoted himself to ascetic practices and to the study both
of secular learning, as grammar, mathematics, and philosophy,
and the Scriptures. Later he was recalled to the capital and given charge
of the great hospital.
Upon the death of Patriarch Tarasius (25 February, 806), there
was great division among the clergy and
higher court officials as to the choice of his successor.
Finally, with the assent of the bishops Emperor
Nicephorus (802-11) appointed Nicephorus as patriarch. Although still
a layman,
he was known by all to be very religious and highly educated.
He received Holy
Orders and was consecrated bishop on Easter
Sunday, 12 April 806. The direct elevation of a Iayman to the patriarchate,
as had already happened in the case of Tarasius, aroused opposition in
the ecclesiastical party
among the clergy and monks.
The leaders were the abbots,
Plato of Saccadium and Theodore
of Studium, and Theodore's brother, Archbishop Joseph of Thessalonica.
For this opposition the Abbot Plato was imprisoned for
twenty-four days at the command of the emperor.
Nicephorus soon gave
further cause for antagonism. In 795 a priest named Joseph had
celebrated the unlawful marriage of Emperor Constantine VI (780-97)
with Theodota, during the lifetime of Maria, the rightful wife of the
emperor, whom he had set aside. For this act Joseph had been deposed and
banished. Emperor Nicephorus considered it important to have
this matter settled and, at his wish the new patriarch with
the concurrence of a synod composed of a small number of bishops, pardoned Joseph and,
in 806, restored him to his office. The patriarch yielded to the
wishes of the emperor in order to avert more serious evil.
His action was regarded by the strict church party as a
violation of ecclesiastical law and a scandal.
Before the matter was settled Theodore had written to
the patriarch entreating him not to reinstate the guilty priest,
but had received no answer. Although the matter was not openly
discussed, he and his followers now held virtually
no church communion with Nicephorus and the priest, Joseph.
But, through a letter written by Archbishop Joseph, the course which
he and the strict church party followed became public in 808,
and caused a sensation. Theodore set forth, by speech and
writing, the reasons for the action of the strict party and firmly
maintained his position. Defending himself against the accusation that he
and his companions were schismatic,
he declared that he had kept silent as long as possible,
had censured no bishops,
and had always included the name of the patriarch in
the liturgy. He asserted his love and
his attachment to the patriarch, and said he would withdraw all opposition
if the patriarch would acknowledge the violation of law by
removing the priest Joseph.
Emperor Nicephorus now took violent measures. He commanded
the patriarch to call a synod, which was held in 809, and
had Plato and
several monks forcibly
brought before it. The opponents of the patriarch were condemned,
the Archbishop of Thessalonica was deposed,
the Abbots Plato and Theodore with
their monks were
banished to neighbouring islands and cast into various prisons.
This, however, did not
discourage the resolute opponents of the "Adulterine Heresy". In
809 Theodore and Plato sent
a joint memorial, through the Archmandrite Epiphanius, to Pope
Leo III, and later, Theodore laid the matter once more
before the pope in
a letter, in which he besought the successor
of St. Peter to grant a helping hand to the East, so that it might not
be overwhelmed by the waves of the "Adulterine Heresy". Pope
Leo sent an encouraging and consolatory reply to the
resolute confessors, upon which they wrote another letter to him
through Epiphanius. Leo had received no communication from
Patriarch Nicephorus and was, therefore, not thoroughly informed in
the matter; he also desired to spare the eastern emperor as much as
possible. Consequently, for a time, he took no further steps in
the matter. Emperor Nicephorus continued to persecute all
adherents of Theodore
of Studium, and, in addition, oppressed those of whom he had grown
suspicious, whether clergy or dignitaries of
the empire. Moreover, he favoured the heretical Paulicians and
the Iconoclasts and
drained the people by oppressive taxes, so that he was universally hated.
In July, 811, the emperor was killed in a battle with the Bulgarians.
His son Stauracius, who had been wounded in the same fight, was proclaimed
emperor, but was deposed by the chief men of the empire
because he followed the bad example of his father.
On 2 October, 811, with the assent of the patriarch, Michael Rhangabe,
brother-in-law of Stauracius, who raised to the throne. The new
emperor promised, in writing, to defend the faith and
to protect both clergy and monks,
and was crowned with
much solemnity by the Patriarch
Nicephorus. Michael succeeded in reconciling
the patriarch and Theodore
of Studium. The patriarch again deposed the priest Joseph and
withdrew his decrees against Theodore and his partisans. On
the other side Theodore, Plato,
and the majority of their adherents recognized the patriarch as
the lawful head of the Byzantine
Church, and sought to bring the refractory back to his obedience. The
emperor had also recourse to the papacy in
reference to these quarrels and had received a letter of approval
from Leo. Moreover, the patriarch now sent the customary written
notification of his induction into office (Synodica) to the pope.
In it he sought to excuse the long delay by the tyranny of the preceding
emperor, interwove a rambling confession of faith and
promised to notify Rome at
the proper time in regard to all important questions.
Emperor Michael was
an honourable man of good intentions, but weak and
dependent. On the advice of Nicephorus he put the heretical and
seditious Paulicians to
death and tried to suppress the Iconoclasts.
The patriarch endeavoured to
establish monastic discipline among the monks,
and to suppress double
monasteries which had been forbidden by the Seventh
Ecumenical Council. After his complete defeat, 22 June, 813, in the war against
the Bulgarians,
the emperor lost all authority. With the assent of the patriarch he
resigned and entered a monastery with
his children. The popular general, Leo the Armenian,
now became emperor, 11 July, 813. When Nicephorus demanded
the confession of faith,
before the coronation, Leo put
it off. Notwithstanding this, Nicephorus crowned him,
and later, Leo again refused to make the confession. As soon as
the new emperor had assured the peace of the empire by the overthrow of
the Bulgarians his true opinions
began gradually to appear. He entered into connection with the opponents of
images, among whom were a number of bishops;
it steadily grew more evident that he was preparing a new attack upon
the veneration of images. With fearless energy
the Patriarch Nicephorus now proceeded against the machinations of
the Iconoclasts.
He brought to trial before a synod several ecclesiastics opposed
to images and forced an abbot named John and
also Bishop Anthony of Sylaeum to
submit. Bishop Anthony's acquiescence was merely feigned.
In December, 814,
Nicephorus had a long conference with the emperor on the veneration of
images but no agreement was reached. Later the patriarch sent
several learned bishops and abbots to
convince him of the truth of
the position of the Patriarch on the veneration of images. The
emperor wished to have a debate between representatives of the opposite dogmatic opinions,
but the adherents of the veneration of images refused to take part in
such a conference, as the Seventh
Ecumenical Council had settled the question. Then Nicephorus called
together an assembly of bishops and abbots at
the Church of St. Sophia at which he excommunicated the perjured Bishop Anthony of Sylaeum.
A large number of the laity were
also present on this occasion and the patriarch with the clergy and
people remained in the church the entire night in prayer.
The emperor then summoned Nicephorus to him, and the patriarch went
to the imperial palace accompanied by the abbots and monks.
Nicephorus first had a long, private conversation with the emperor, in which he
vainly endeavoured to dissuade Leo from his opposition to
the veneration of images. The emperor received those who had accompanied
Nicephorus, among them seven metropolitans and Abbot
Theodore of Studium. They all repudiated the interference of the emperor
in dogmatic questions and once more rejected Leo's proposal
to hold a conference. The emperor then commanded the abbots to
maintain silence upon the matter and forbade them to hold
meetings. Theodore declared that silence under
these conditions would be treason and expressed sympathy
with the patriarch whom the emperor forbade to hold public service in
the church. Nicephorus fell ill; when he recovered the emperor called upon
him to defend his course before a synod of bishops friendly
to iconoclasm.
But the patriarch would not recognize the synod and paid no
attention to the summons. The pseudo-synod now commanded that he should no
longer be called patriarch. His house was surrounded by crowds
of angry Iconoclasts who
shouted threats and invectives. He was guarded by soldiers and not allowed to
perform any official act. With a protest against this mode of procedure
the patriarch notified Leo that he found it necessary to
resign the patriarchal see. Upon this he was arrested at midnight in
March, 815, and banished to the monastery of St.
Theodore, which he had built on the Bosporus.
Leo now raised to
the patriarchate Theodotus,
a married, illiterate layman who
favoured iconoclasm. Theodotus was consecrated 1
April, 815. The exiled Nicephorus persevered in his opposition and wrote
several treatises against iconoclasm.
After the murder of
the Emperor Leo, 25 December, 820, Michael the Amorian ascended
the throne and the defenders of the veneration of
images were now more considerately treated.
However, Michael would not consent to
an actual restoration of images such as Nicephorus demanded from him,
for he declared that he did not wish to interfere
in religious matters and would leave everything as he had found it.
Accordingly Emperor Leo's hostile measures were not repealed, although
the persecution ceased.
Nicephorus received permission to return from exile if he would promise to
remain silent. He would not agree, however, and remained in the monastery of St.
Theodore, where he continued by speech and writing to defend
the veneration of images. The dogmatic treatises, chiefly on
this subject, that he wrote are as follows: a lesser "Apology for the
Catholic Church concerning the newly arisen Schism in regard to Sacred
Images" (Migne,
P.G., C, 833-849), written 813-14; a larger treatise in two parts; the first
part is an "Apology for the pure, unadulterated Faith of Christians
against those who accuse us of idolatry" (Migne,
loc. cit., 535-834); the second part contains the "Antirrhetici", a
refutation of a writing by the Emperor Constantine Copronymus on images (loc.
cit., 205-534). Nicephorus added to this second part seventy-five extracts from
the writings of the Fathers [edited by Pitra, "Spicilegium
Solesmense", I (Paris, 1852), 227-370]; in two further writings, which
also apparently belong together, passages from earlier writers, that had been
used by the enemies of images to maintain their opinions, are examined and explained.
Both these treatises were edited by Pitra; the first Epikrisis in
"Spicilegium Solesmense", I, 302-335; the second Antirresis in
the same, I, 371-503, and IV, 292-380. The two treatises discuss passages
from Macarius Magnes, Eusebius
of Caesarea, and from a writing wrongly ascribed
to Epiphanius of Cyprus.
Another work justifying the veneration of images was edited
by Pitra under the title "Antirrheticus adversus
iconomachos" (Spicil. Solesm., IV, 233-91). A final and, as it
appears, especially important treatise on this question has not yet been
published. Nicephorus also left two small historical works;
one known as the Breviarium", the other the
"Chronographis", both are edited by C. de Boor,
"Nicephori archiep. Const. opuscula historica" in the
"Bibliotheca Teubneriana" (Leipzig, 1880). At the end of his life he was
revered and after death regarded as a saint. In 874 his bones were
translated to Constantinople with much pomp by
the Patriarch Methodius and interred,
13 March, in the Church of
the Apostles.
His feast is
celebrated on this day both in
the Greek and Roman Churches; the Greeks also
observe 2 June as the day of his death.
Kirsch, Johann
Peter. "St. Nicephorus." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol.
11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 13 Mar.
2016 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11050a.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Donald J. Boon.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. February 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2026 by New Advent LLC. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11050a.htm
March 13
St. Nicephorus, Patriarch
of Constantinople, Confessor
From his life by
Ignatius, deacon of Constantinople, afterwards bishop of Nice, a contemporary
author; and from the relation of his banishment by Theophanes. See Fleury, l.
45, 46, 47. Ceillier, t. 18. p. 467.
A.D. 828
THEODORUS, the father of our saint, was secretary to the emperor Constantine
Copronymus: but when that tyrant declared himself a persecutor of the Catholic
church, the faithful minister remembering that we are bound to obey God rather
than man, maintained the honour due to holy images with so much zeal, that he
was stripped of his honours, scourged, tortured, and banished. The young
Nicephorus was from his cradle animated to the practice of virtue by the
domestic example of his father: and in his education, as his desires of
improvement were great and the instructions he had very good, the progress he
made was as considerable; till, by the maturity of his age, and of his study,
he made his appearance in the world. When Constantine and Irene were placed on the
imperial throne, and restored the Catholic faith, our saint was quickly
introduced to their notice, and by his merits attained a large share in their
favour. He was by them advanced to his father’s dignity, and, by the lustre of
his sanctity, was the ornament of the court, and the support of the state. He
distinguished himself by his zeal against the Iconoclasts, and was secretary to
the second council of Nice. After the death of St. Tarasius, patriarch of
Constantinople, in 806, no one was found more worthy to succeed him than
Nicephorus. To give an authentic testimony of his faith, during the time of his
consecration he held in his hand a treatise which he had written, in defence of
holy images, and after the ceremony laid it up behind the altar, as a pledge
that he would always maintain the tradition of the church. As soon as he was
seated in the patriarchal chair, he began to consider how a total reformation
of manners might be wrought, and his precepts from the pulpit received a double
force from the example he set to others in an humble comportment, and steady
uniform practice of eminent piety. 1 He
applied himself with unwearied diligence to all the duties of the ministry;
and, by his zealous labours and invincible meekness and patience, kept virtue
in countenance, and stemmed the tide of iniquity. But these glorious successes
rendered him not so conspicuous as the constancy with which he despised the
frowns of tyrants, and suffered persecution for the sake of justice.
The government having changed hands, the patrician Leo the Armenian, governor
of Natolia, became emperor in 813, and being himself an Iconoclast, endeavoured
both by artifices and open violence, to establish that heresy. He studied in
the first place, by crafty suggestions, to gain over the holy patriarch to
favour his design. But St. Nicephorus answered him: “We cannot change the
ancient traditions: we respect holy images as we do the cross and the book of
the gospels.” For it must he observed that the ancient Iconoclasts venerated
the book of the gospels, and the figure of the cross, though by an inconsistency
usual in error, they condemned the like relative honour with regard to holy
images. The saint showed, that far from derogating from the supreme honour of
God, we honour him when for his sake we pay a subordinate respect to his
angels, saints, prophets, and ministers: also when we give a relative inferior
honour to inanimate things which belong to his service, as sacred vessels,
churches, and images. But the tyrant was fixed in his errors, which he at first
endeavoured to propagate by stratagems. He therefore privately encouraged
soldiers to treat contemptuously an image of Christ which was on a great cross
at the brazen gate of the city; and thence took occasion to order the image to
be taken off the cross, pretending he did it to prevent a second profanation.
St. Nicephorus saw the storm gathering, and spent most of his time in prayer
with several holy bishops and abbots. Shortly after, the emperor, having
assembled together certain Iconoclast bishops in his palace, sent for the
patriarch and his fellow-bishops. They obeyed the summons, but entreated his
majesty to leave the government of the church to its pastors. Emilian, bishop
of Cyzicus, one of their body, said: “If this be an ecclesiastical affair, let
it be discussed in the church, according to custom, not in the palace.”
Euthymius, bishop of Sardes, said: “For these eight hundred years past, since
the coming of Christ, there have been always pictures of him, and he has been
honoured in them. Who shall now have the boldness to abolish so ancient a
tradition?” St. Theodorus, the Studite, spoke after the bishops, and said to
the emperor: “My Lord do not disturb the order of the church. God hath placed
in it apostles, prophets, pastors, and teachers. 2 You
he hath entrusted with the care of the state; but leave the church to its
pastors.” The emperor, in a rage, drove them from his presence. Some time
after, the Iconoclast bishops held a pretended council in the imperial palace,
and cited the patriarch to appear before them. To their summons he returned
this answer: “Who gave you this authority? was it the pope, or any of the
patriarchs? In my diocess you have no jurisdiction.” He then read the canon
which declares those excommunicated who presume to exercise any act of
jurisdiction in the diocess of another bishop. They, however, proceeded to
pronounce against him a mock sentence of deposition; and the holy pastor, after
several attempts made secretly to take away his life, was sent by the emperor
into banishment. Michael the Stutterer, who in 820 succeeded Leo in the
imperial throne, was engaged in the same heresy, and was also a persecutor of
our saint, who died in his exile, on the 2nd of June, in the monastery of St.
Theodorus, which he had built in the year 828, the fourteenth of his
banishment, being about seventy years old. By the order of the empress
Theodora, his body was brought to Constantinople with great pomp, in 846, on
the 13th of March, on which day he is commemorated in the Roman Martyrology. 3
It is by a wonderful effect of his most gracious mercy and singular love that
God is pleased to visit all his faithful servants with severe trials, and to
purify their virtue in the crucible, that by being exercised it may be made
heroic and perfect. By suffering with patience, and in a Christian spirit, a
soul makes higher and quicker advances in pure love, than by any other means or
by any other good works. Let no persons then repine, if by sickness,
persecution, or disgraces, they are hindered from doing the good actions which
they desire, or rendered incapable of discharging the duties of their station,
or of labouring to convert others. God always knows what is best for us and
others: we may safely commend to him his own cause, and all souls which are dearer
to him than they can be to us. By this earnest prayer and perfect sacrifice of
ourselves to God, we shall more effectually draw upon them the divine mercy
than by any endeavours of our own. Let us leave to God the choice of his
instruments and means in the salvation of others. As to ourselves, it is our
duty to give him what he requires of us: nor can we glorify him by any
sacrifice either greater or more honourable, and more agreeable to him than
that of a heart under the heaviest pressure, ever submissive to him, embracing
with love and joy every order of his wisdom, and placing its entire happiness
and comfort in the accomplishment of his adorable most holy will. The great
care of a Christian in this state, in order to sanctify his sufferings, must be
to be constantly united to God, and to employ his affections in the most
fervent interior exercises of entire sacrifice and resignation, of confidence,
love, praise, adoration, penance, and compunction, which he excites by suitable
aspirations.
Note 1. The Confession of Faith, which, upon his promotion, he sent to
Pope Leo III., is published by Baronius, ad an. 811, and in the seventh tome of
Labbe’s Councils, &c. In it the saint gives a clear exposition of the
principal mysteries of faith, of the invocation of saints, and the veneration
due to relics and holy images. [back]
Note 2. Eph. iv.
11. [back]
Note 3. St. Nicephorus has left us a chronicle from the beginning of the
world: of which the best editions are that of F. Goar, with the chronicle of
George Syncellus at Paris, in 1652, and that of Venice among the Byzantine
historians, in 1729. Also a short history from the reign of Mauritius to that
of Constantine and Irene, published at Paris, in 1616, by F. Petau; and
reprinted among the Byzantine historians, at Paris, in 1649, and again at
Venice, in 1729. The style is justly commended by Photius. (cod. 66.) The
seventeen canons of St. Nicephorus are extant in the collection of the
councils, t. 7. p. 1297, &c. In the second he declares it unlawful to
travel on Sundays without necessity. Cotelier has published four others of this
saint, with five of the foregoing, and his letter to Hilarion and Eustrasius,
containing learned resolutions of several cases. (Monum. Græc. t. 3. p. 451.)
St. Nicephorus wrote several learned tracts against the Iconoclasts, as three
Antirrhetics or Confutations, &c. Some of these are printed in the Library
of the Fathers, and F. Combefis’s Supplement or Auctuarium, t. 1. in Canisius’s
Lectiones Antiquæ, republished by Basnage, part 2, &c. But a great number
are only found in MSS. in the libraries of England, Paris, and Rome. The saint
often urges that the Iconoclasts condemned themselves by allowing veneration to
the cross; for the image of Christ upon the cross is more than the bare cross.
In the second Antirrhetic he most evidently establishes the real presence of
the Body of Christ in the Eucharist; which passage is quoted by Leo Allatius.
(l. 3. de Consens. Ecclesiæ Occident. et Grient. c. 15. p. 1223.) He does the
same almost in the same words, l. de Cherubinis a Moyse Factis, c. 7. apud
Canis. t. 2. ed. Basm. part 2. p. 13. & t. 9. Bibl. Patr. Three
Antirrhetics are entitled, Against Mamonas (i. e. Constantine Copronymus)
and the Iconoclasts. A fourth was written by him against Eusebius and
Epiphanides, to prove that Eusebius of Cæsarea was an obstinate Arian, and
Epiphanides a favourer of Manicheism, and a very different person from St.
Epiphanius of Salamine. F. Anselm Banduri, a Benedictin monk of Ragusa,
undertook at Paris a complete edition of the works of St. Nicephorus, in two
volumes in folio; but his death prevented the publication. His learned
Prospectus, dated in the monastery of Saint Germain-des-Prez, in 1705, is
inserted by Fabricius in Biblioth. Gr. t. 6. p. 640. and in part by Oudin, de
Scrip. t. 2. p. 13. [back]
Rev. Alban Butler (1711–73). Volume III: March. The Lives
of the Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/3/131.html
Nicephorus,
Constantinopolitanus, St
Nicephorus, Constantinopolitanus, St., an eminent Byzantine Church historian, and patriarch of Constantinople, was born in that city about 750 or 758. He first attached himself to the court, and held high offices. In 787 he was present at the Council of Nicea, and there defended image-worship. Shortly after his return to the capital he withdrew to a convent, from whence he was called in 806 to become patriarch of Constantinople. Leo Arminius having become emperor in 813, the worship of images was forbidden, and Nicephorus, on account of his exertions in their defense, became unpopular at court, and was finally obliged to resign the patriarchate in 815. He then retired to the convent of St. Theodore, of which he was the founder, and remained there until his death in 828. Nicephorus is sometimes called Homologeta, or Confessor, on account of his firm opposition to the Iconoclasts and his ensuing deposition. He is highly esteemed as the author of several important ecclesiastical productions of intrinsic value and beautiful style. His historical writings, which are his best, are remarkable for accuracy, erudition, and discernment; yet the doctrine of the worship of images is defended in his writings to a tiresome extent, and this course of Nicephorus astonishes the more as it is in contrast with his liberal views on other points.
His most important works
are: Breviariun historicum, or Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ῾Ιστορία
σύντομος, one of the best works of the Byzantine period, from the
death of Mauritius to the marriage of Leo IV and Irene, 602-770 (ed. Petav.
Par. 1616; Venet. 1729): — Chronologia compendiaria tripartita, from
Adam down to the time of the author (translated by Anastas. Bibliothec., and
often published: Par. 1648; ibid. 1652, cum notis Goari): —
Antirchetici libri adversus Iconomachos opuscula iv apud Canisiumn 1. c.
and in Bibl. Patr. Lugd. t. xiv: — Disputatio de Imaginibus cum
Leone Armeno ed Combefis (Par. 1664): — Stichometria librorum
sacrorum (in Opp. Petri Pitheoi, Par. 1609; also in Critici
sacri Angli, t. viii): - Confess.fid. ad Leonern III (in
Baron. Annal. ad ann. 811; and in Hardouini t. 4:978): — Canones
ecclesiastici XVII (in Hardouini t. iv; and Coteler. Monum. t.
3:445): — Fragmentunm de sex synodis (in Combefis, Auctar. Nov.
Bibl. 2:603). Banduri prepared a complete edition of Nicephorus's works,
but he died before it was ready for publication. In recent times a number of
the works of Nicephorus have been brought out by Neri (1849) and Petra (1852).
See an account of his life in Ignatius, Polit. in Actis ad. 13 Mart.
Auctar. Nov. Bibl. 2:503; Combefis, Origen. Constant. p. 159;
Oudini Comment. 2:2; Fabricius, Bibl. Grec. 7:603 sq.;
Neander, Kirchengesch. 4:373; Piper, Einleitung ind.
Monumental-Theologie, § 62; Christian Remembrancer, July, 1853,
p. 248.
SOURCE : https://www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/N/nicephorus-constantinopolitanus-st.html
Patriarch
Nikephoros I of Constantinople, in General biography; or, Lives, critical and
historical, of the most eminent persons of all ages, countries, conditions, and
professions, arranged according to alphabetical order, 1818
San Niceforo Patriarca
di Costantinopoli
Festa: 2 giugno
Costantinopoli, 758 circa
- 829 - Costantinopoli, 2 giugno 828
Nell’avviversario della
morte, il Martyrologium Romanum ricorda oggi San Niceforo, patriarca di
Costantinopoli. Accanito difensore delle tradizioni dei padri, si oppose
fortemente all’imperatore iconoclasta Leone Armeno. Fu allora allontanato dalla
sua sede episcopale e rinchiuso a lungo in un monastero, ove morì.
Martirologio
Romano: Presso il Bosforo nella Propontide, oggi in Turchia, transito di
san Niceforo, vescovo di Costantinopoli, che, tenace difensore delle tradizioni
avite, si oppose con fermezza all’imperatore iconoclasta Leone l’Armeno
sostenendo il culto delle sacre immagini; espulso dalla sua sede, fu relegato
per lungo tempo in un monastero, dove migrò serenamente al Signore.
Niceforo è un santo che fu patriarca di Costantinopoli nell’epoca di quel rigurgito di iconoclastia che si ripresentò nel IX secolo, benché la questione fosse stata dogmaticamente risolta già nel II Concilio Ecumenico di Nicea del 787.
Niceforo nacque intorno al 758 da una famiglia agiata. Partecipò come segretario al secondo concilio di Nicea del 787. Dopo la caduta dell’imperatrice Irene (802), Niceforo ritornò nella capitale gestendo una casa per i poveri.
Alla morte del patriarca Tarasio (806), l'Imperatore Niceforo I decise di nominare patriarca Niceforo, benché fosse un semplice laico.
Non sappiamo molto dei primi anni del ministero episcopale di Nioceforo. Le notizie aumentano con il sorgere dei problemi, allorquando il patriarca si oppose alla politica religiosa imperiale. Sotto l’impero di Leone V l’Armeno (813-820), infatti, esattamente nel dicembre 814, ci fu uno scontro tra l’imperatore e il patriarca, dovuto al fatto Leone aveva ripreso la tendeza iconoclasta. San Niceforo, sostenuto da un’ampia schiera di vescovi e teologi iconòduli (tra cui san Teodoro Studita), invece, si poneva sulla linea della tradizione che non solo promuoveva la venerazione delle immagini sacre, ma ne affermava anche la liceità dogmatica. Per il suo strenuo coraggio di non sottomettersi ai compromessi imperiali, san Niceforo fu deposto e costretto all’esilio.
Niceforo dovette ritirarsi nel monastero di San Teodoro, a nord di Crisopoli (località poi distrutta, attualmente corrispondente al quartiere Üsküdar di Istanbul). Tra l’814 e l’820 ebbe modo di comporre, tra le sue opere religiose e storiche, scritti che riguardano la controversia iconoclastica.
Sotto Michele II ricevette la proposta di tornare patriarca a condizione che non si immischiasse nella controversia iconoclastica, ma il santo vescovo rifiutò. Rimase in quel monastero fino alla sua morte, che avvenne nell’828.
Morto in esilio, il suo corpo fu solennemente riportato a Costantinopoli dall’imperatrice Teodora, il 13 marzo 846.
E' venerato sia dalla Chiesa Cattolica che dalle Chiese Ortodosse il giorno 2 giugno. Gli ortodossi ricordano anche la traslazione del suo corpo il 13 marzo.
Autore: Ruggiero Lattanzio
SOURCE : https://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/92503
Exile
of Patriarch Nikephoros, history of John
Skylitzes (Skyllitzes
Matritensis (Biblioteca Nacional de España)), Fol. 20v, XIII sec.
Den hellige Nikeforos I
av Konstantinopel (758-829)
Minnedag:
13. mars
Den hellige Nikeforos ble
født i 758 (eller 759) i Konstantinopel som sønn av sekretæren til keiser
Konstantin V Kopronymos (741-75). Nikeforos' far ble torturert og sendt i eksil
da han nektet å akseptere kriserens dekreter som forbød hellige bilder, og
Nikeforos glemte aldri dette og vokste opp som en sterk motstander av
ikonoklasmen (billedødeleggelsen). Han startet sin karriere som embetsmann ved
det keiserlige hoff i Konstantinopel og ble kjent for sin veltalenhet, lærdom
og statsmannskunst, og han bygde et kloster nær Svartehavet. Han ble
privatsekretær for keiserinne Irene (Eirene), enke etter keiser Leo IV
Khazareren (775-80) og regent (780-802) for deres ennå mindreårige sønn
Konstantin VI (780-97). I egenskap av regentens privatsekretær deltok Nikeforos
på konsilet i Nikea (Nikea II) i 787. Kort før århundreskiftet trakk han seg
tilbake som eneboer og ble i 802 leder for et stort hospital i Konstantinopel.
I 806 døde den hellige
patriark Tarasios,
og selv om Nikeforos enda var legmann og ikke hadde noe ønske om embetet,
utnevnte keiser Nikeforos (802-11) ham i 806 til ny patriark av Konstantinopel.
Dette ble sterkt kritisert av den hellige Theodor Studitten (av
Studion) og hans mektige munker. Nikeforos pådro seg også Theodors fiendskap
fordi han tilga og gjeninnsatte presten Josef som i 795 ulovlig hadde viet
keiser Konstantin VI og hoffdamen Theodota mens Konstantins hustru Maria
Paphlagonierinnen fortsatt var i live. Nikeforos viet seg til å reformere
bispesetet, gjeninnføre monastisk disiplin og revitalisere religionen i sin
flokk.
Det ikonoklastiske
partiet vokste seg sterkt igjen og tok makten igjen under keiser Leo V
Armeneren (813-20), som hadde gitt ikonoklasmen sin støtte og gjenopptok den i
814. Da la Theodor og Nikeforos sine uoverensstemmelser til side og sto sammen
mot ikonoklasmen. Men som ortodoks patriark ble Nikeforos avsatt som Ikonodule (billed-ærer)
i 815 og erstattet med en legmann. Theodor ble avsatt og forvist samtidig med
ham.
Nikeforos overlevde flere
attentatsforsøk før han ble sendt i eksil til det klosteret han hadde grunnlagt
for den hellige Theodor
Martyren (Theodoros av Konstantinopel) i Kalkedon ved Bosporos (i dag
Kadiköy ved Istanbul), og han tilbrakte de siste femten årene av sitt liv der
mens han skrev mange teologiske og historiske verker. Han etterlot seg en rekke
skrifter, blant dem flere avhandlinger mot ikonoklasmen, men også en
verdenshistorie, Chronographia, og et annet historisk verk, Breviarum.
Han døde i sitt kloster den 2. juni 829 [kildene Schauber/Schindler, Gorys og Dammer/Adam skriver
5. april 828].
I 842 døde keiser
Theofilos, og hans hustru Theodora tok kontroll over imperiet som regent for
sin lille sønn, Mikael III Methystes («Drukkenbolten») (842-67). Lykkeligvis
støttet hun dem som forsvarte ikonene, og prestene i eksil ble kalt tilbake.
Innen 30 dager var hellige bilder tilbake i kirkene i Konstantinopel til stor
glede for befolkningen. Theodora og den nye patriarken, den hellige Methodios I,
kalte sammen et konsil for å erklære ikoner lovlige i kirken og for å sette
gjennom vedtakene fra Nikea II. Methodios sørget også for at Nikeforos'
jordiske rester den 13. mars 847 ble ført tilbake til Apostelkirken i
Konstantinopel.
Nikeforos' minnedag er
13. mars (translasjonsdagen), men dødsdagen 2. juni [evt. 5. april] nevnes
også. I den gresk-ortodokse kirke feires han den 2. juni. Hans navn står i
Martyrologium Romanum. Han er en av De fire patriarker av Konstantinopel som
æres spesielt i den ortodokse kirke - de tre andre er de hellige Germanos
I (død ca 740), Tarasios (død
806) og Methodios I (død 847). De æres høyt som en fremragende forsvarere av de
hellige bildene under den andre ikonoklastiske forfølgelsen. Nikeforos
fremstilles som biskop med Stikarion (liturgisk underdrakt), Felonion
(liturgisk kappe) og Omoforion (skulderbånd).
Kilder:
Attwater/John, Attwater/Cumming, Benedictines, Delaney, Bunson,
Schauber/Schindler, Gorys, Dammer/Adam, KIR - Kompilasjon og oversettelse:
p. Per Einar Odden -
Sist oppdatert: 2001-02-16 23:08
SOURCE : https://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/nikonsta
Venance Grumel. Les « douze chapitres
contre les iconomaques » de saint Nicéphore de Constantinople », Revue
des études byzantines Année 1959 Volume 17 Numéro
1 pp. 127-135 : http://www.persee.fr/doc/rebyz_0766-5598_1959_num_17_1_1201
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