Saint Photios the Great, Confessor, Equal to

the Apostles, Pillar of Orthodoxy and

Patriarch (Archbishop)of Constantinople

Which the Holy Church Commemorates on February 6/19 (OS)

Photius, Photi, Photis, Photie, Fotius, Fotios, Foti, Fotis, Photiou, Fotiou, Photie,
Fotie, Franklin, Frank, Frankland, Franklyn

Saint Photios the Great, Confessor of the Orthodox Faith, Equal to the Apostles and
Patriarch (Archbishop)of Constantinople, and a Pillar of Orthodoxy
Which the Holy Church Commemorates
on February 6/19 (OS) and on the 1st Sunday of November

Photius, Photi, Photis, Photie, Fotius, Fotios, Foti, Fotis, Photiou, Fotiou, Photie, Fotie, Franklin, Frank, Frankland, Franklyn

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Apolytikion, Pl.4th (Pl. 1st Tone)Let Us Worship the Word

As a radiant beacon of Wisdom hid in God, * And a Defender of Orthodoxy revealed from on High,* O Great Photios, Blest
adornment of The Patriarchs, *Thou didst refute the Innovations of Boastful (western/papist) Heresy, O Light of the Holy
Churches, * Which do thou keep from all error, O luminary of the Dayspring on High.

Another Troparion - Tone 4

Follower of the Apostles' way / And teacher of mankind: / Intercede, O Photius, with the Lord of all, / To grant peace to the
world // And to our souls great mercy!

Another Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone

As a teacher to the world, being one with the Apostles, intercede with the Lord of all, O Photius, that He may grant the world
peace, and to our souls His great mercy.
Another Troparion of St Photius the Great Tone 5
As a radiant beacon of wisdom hidden in God,/ and a defender of Orthodoxy revealed from on high,/ O Great Photius,
adornment of Patriarchs,/ thou dost refute the innovations of boastful heresy,/ O light of the holy Church,/ preserve her from
all error,/ O luminary of the East.
Another Apolytykion, 4th Mode
Since thou wast of like ways with the Apostles, And a teacher of the World, O Photios, entreat The Master of all, that peace be
granted unto the world and Great Mercy to our Souls.

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Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone, To thee the Champion Leader
Far-reaching beacon of the Church and God, inspired Guide of the Orthodox, you are now crowned with the flowers of song.

You are the divine words of the Spirit's harp, the strong adversary of heresy and to whom we cry, "Hail all-honorable Photius."

Kontakion of St Photius the Great Tone 8, To thee the Champion Leader

With garlands of chant let us crown the Church's far-shining star,/ the God-inspired guide of the Orthodox, the divinelysounded harp of the Spirit and steadfast adversary of heresy/ find let us cry to him: Rejoice, O most venerable Photius.

Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone, To thee the Champion Leader
Let that resplendent and far-shining star of Christ God's Church, * let that divinely-given guide of all the Orthodox, * be now
crowned with comely garlands of songs and praises ; * the Good Comforter's divinely-sounding harp of truth * and the steadfast
adversary of all Heresy: * Let us cry to him: * Rejoice, O Photios most ven'rable.

Oikos
Thou was shown to be an Angel from among men, O Father, Who from the earth didst attain unto Heaven. Wherefore, as I
consider thee rivalling the incorporeal choirs, I am amazed, and with longing reverently cry to thee such things as these:
Rejoice, Thou through whom the Trinity is worshipped; rejoice, thou through whom God is hymned rightly. Rejoice, most
upright canon of the Orthodox; rejoice, most steadfast rebuker of the iniquitous. Rejoice, Height of humility hard to reach for
many; rejoice, depth of discernment to deep for the eyes of mortals. Rejoice, for thou bringest to God many of the saved.
Rejoice, who art the monastic Saints' companion. Rejoice, thou by whom the profane are undone; rejoice, thou by whom the
faithful are confirmed. Rejoice, O Photios most ven'rable

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Megalynarion
Rejoice Saint Photios, most illustrious initiate of Christ's Church, champion of Orthodox Christians, scourge of those holding
false beliefs, glory of bishops, and God-revealing theologian.

Megalynarion
Rejoice, you who illuminates Orthodox Christians and escorts and leads the bride, the Orthodox Church; rejoice eloquent
sword against those holding false beliefs, O thrice-blessed Photios, greatest of orators.

Megalynarion
Rejoice, thou lamp of Orthodox Faith and Life; rejoice, thou grace-filled beacon exposing hateful error; O Photios, we the
faithful bless and acclaim thy name.

Megalynarion of St Photios the Great, Of the Soldiers standing guard../, Tone 1

A Lighthouse raised aloft by the spirit's resplendence,/ O Photios, thou hast guided the Church through the darkness/ and
tempest of heresy with thy bright beams of saving light./ We whom thou has rescued from the shipwreck of error/ sing thy
praise with longing as our Shepherd and father,/ while asking thy mighty prayers.

The Compiled Lives of Saint Photios, The Great

Patriarch of Constantinople, Confessor, and Equal to the
Apostles
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The Life of Saint Photius
On the Sixth of the Month of February We Commemorate Our Father Amongst the Saints PHOTIUS the CONFESSOR,
Patriarch and Archbishop of CONSTANTINOPLE And Equal to the Apostles
Celebrated on February 6 (19)
Verses.

Praised be Photios, Who with the Sword of the Spirit,

Cut the adders to The Creed in Pieces!
The Sixth ended the exile of Photios.

Brief Life:
Saint Photios the Great, Archbishop of Constantinople (858-867, then 877-886, commemorated on the 6th of February / 19th, OC and the
First Sunday of November, alongside Sts. Gregory Palamas and Mark of Ephesus): The former laymen and professor was elected to succeed
Ignatios who resigned. The latter's abdication began a controversy within the Church when the party of Ignatios gained support the support
of Pope Nicholas I , so that a conflict with the papacy/papists ensued. Photios, meanwhile was supported by Emperor Michael III and Caesar
Bardas. Under Emperor Basil I, Ignatios was restored and Photios was banished and condemned. With the repose of Ignatios, Photios was
returned to the throne. At the 879-880 Synod in Constantinople, Photios was restored and reconciled with the pope. With the death of Basil,
Photios was dismissed and exiled by Basil's son, Leo VI, since the patriarch had sided with the father during a conflict. Photios is remembered
for his writings, such as his Mystagogy of the Holy Spirit, wherein he argues against the Latin Doctrine of the Filioque.
St. Photios (858-867 and 877-886 (+ 891). St Photios' father Sergios (Commemorated on May 13) was a relative of St Tarasius (February 25). St
Photios was the greatest cultural figure in ninth century Constantinople. With his brilliant education, he easily opposed the new Papist heresy
of the filioque, which was then being promoted in Rome by the Franks. Among some he is known as the Great. Feast: 6 February.

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Our holy Father Photius the Great was born into one of the great families of Constantinople in 810. His father, the spatharios Sergius, was the
brother of the holy Patriarch Tarasius (25 Feb.) and his mother Irenes brother had married the sister of the Empress Theodora. His parents
loved the monks and were martyred during the iconoclast persecution, bequeathing their son a more precious legacy than wealth and high
rank, namely, love of the true Faith unto death. He received the best possible education in every branch of learning, both sacred and secular.
He spent whole nights in study and, possessing exceptional intellectual ability, there was no field of contemporary knowledge in which he did
not become proficient. In breadth and depth of learning, he was the greatest scholar of his time and a central figure in the intellectual
renaissance of Byzantium after the turmoil of iconoclasm. He occupied a professorial chair at the imperial School established in the Magnaura
Palace, where he taught the philosophy of Aristotle and theology. In the course of an embassy to the Caliph at Baghdad, he composed from
memory, for the benefit of his brother, a critical summary of around 280 books of all kinds - his Myriobiblos (Library), a proof of the extent of
his knowledge. On his return from Baghdad with his mission accomplished, he was appointed chief secretary to the imperial chancellery
(protasecretis), but he still had time for his academic duties and for his beloved studies.
In 857 Bardas, the uncle of the Emperor Michael III, assumed power with the title of Caesar. He forced the resignation of the holy Patriarch
Ignatius (23 Oct.), who had denounced his immoral behaviour, and prevailed on the clergy to elect the wise and pious Photius as his
successor.
Photius held out against his election as strongly as he could, since he regarded death itself as preferable to that perilous office in those
troubled times; but, in the face of injunctions and threats he at last gave way, and agreed to give up the peace of his study and philosophical
discussions with like-minded friends. He was consecrated Patriarch of Constantinople on 25 December 858, having been raised through all
the degrees of the priesthood in the previous six days. In a letter to Caesar Bardas, he wrote: Our promotion has not been willed by us and we
are enthroned as a prisoner... The more extreme supporters of Ignatius then used every means to oppose and discredit the new hierarch,
alleging the irregularity of his sudden elevation from layman to Patriarch. Photius sought to avoid confrontation and did all in his power to
re-establish unity and peace in the Church by strengthening Her in love, the bond of perfection. He took firm action against the remaining
Manichean and iconoclast heretics, took in hand the restoration of the many churches, monasteries and charitable foundations damaged by
the iconoclasts, and took a special interest in missions to spread the Gospel among the barbarians.
But his attempts to appease the supporters of Ignatius failed; and, while expressing disapproval of the violent measures taken against them by
the government, he was obliged to summon a Council in 859, which confirmed the deposition of Ignatius and exiled him to Mytilene and
then to Terebinthus. Agitation against Photius continued however and, in 861, another Council, known as the First-Second, assembled in
the Church of the Holy Apostles with the official purpose of approving the restoration of Orthodoxy and of pronouncing the definitive
condemnation of iconoclasm. In addition, the Council recognized the validity of the nomination of Photius, with the full agreement of the
papal legates there present, who, although acting contrary to the Popes instructions, thought that they had thus achieved the triumph of
papal authority.
The arrogant and ambitious Pope Nicolas I(858-68), who supported Ignatius, took the opportunity of the controversy to assert openly for the
first time the pretension of the Popes of Rome to jurisdiction over the whole earth and over the universal Church. To the primacy of honour
of the Roman Church and her authority as arbiter in matters of dogma, which had always been acknowledged by the other Churches especially when the Arian, Monothelite and iconoclast heresies were being promoted by Emperors in Constantinople - the Papacy now
ascribed to itself the hegemonic claims which the Frankish Empire, after the death of Charlemagne and the Treaty of Verdun (843), could no
longer sustain. On the initiative of authoritarian Popes, the Papacy sought to exercise a supremacy over the whole Church that was supposed
to have been granted by Christ Himself and to have given the Popes the right to intervene in the domestic affairs of other Churches, and to
impose on them all the usages of the Roman Church, such as clerical celibacy, Saturday fasting and unleavened bread for the Eucharist.
The opposition of Pope Nicolas I and his interference in the internal affairs of the Byzantine Church, when he had only been requested to
pronounce decisively on iconoclasm, drove Saint Photius to condemn the novel usages of the Roman Church. Abolition of small things which
have been received through tradition he wrote, will lead to complete contempt for the dogmas. Incensed by this response, the Pope wrote
to all the bishops of the East accusing Photius of adultery as being in illicit possession of anothers see, and he decreed on his own initiative
the deposition of the Patriarch of Constantinople - a thing never before heard of. Moreover, asserting the right of Popes to judge Councils, he
declared that the decisions of the First-Second were invalid. Nor did he stop there, but summoned to Rome a Council of Western bishops,
which declared Photius deposed and excommunicated all the clergy ordained by him. When the Emperor Michael III objected to these
proceedings, the Pope informed him (in 865) that he derived his supremacy over the universal Church from Christ Himself. Then, in
successive letters, he subjected Photius to a litany of insults, to which that true disciple of the Saviour made no reply.

The holy Patriarch did not allow these conflicts and cares to hamper his apostolic activity. With the support of the Emperor, he promoted the
evangelisation of the Slav peoples, engaging his learned friend and colleague Constantine (whom we venerate as Saint Cyril) and his brother
Methodius, an ascetic from Mount Olympus, to undertake a preliminary mission to the Khazars of Southern Russia in 860. Three years later,
at the request of the Prince of Moravia, he sent the two brothers on that great missionary endeavour which marked the beginning of the
conversion of the Slav peoples of the Balkans.
At about the same time, Boris (Michael) the Khan of Bulgaria, who had recently been baptised by Photius with the Emperor Michael as his
godfather, bringing his whole nation into the Christian fold, turned away from Constantinople, which had refused to grant him a patriarch,
and looked to Rome for support (866). Seizing his opportunity, the Pope immediately sent Latin missionaries to Bulgaria with instructions to
spread their innovations in this young Church which the Byzantines had evangelised, especially the addition of the Filioque to the Creed.
Seeing the peril of an innovation which touched on the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, Saint Photius estimated that it was time for the meek to
become a warrior (Joel 4:9 LXX) and that he would have to break his silence and issue a rejoinder. He addressed an Encyclical Letter to all the
bishops of the East in which he vigorously condemned the errors of the Latins, especially the Filioque. He summoned a great Council to
Constantinople, which in 867 proclaimed the victory of Orthodox doctrine over all the heresies, and anathematised Pope Nicolas and his
missionaries in Bulgaria. The two Churches were thus separated by a formal schism, which was a precursor of the final break in 1054.
Michael III was assassinated at the end of 867 and Basil I, the founder of the Macedonian dynasty, became Emperor. He immediately deposed
Saint Photius, whom he imprisoned in the Monastery of the Protection, and recalled Saint Ignatius. In spite of the irenic efforts of Ignatius,
the enemies of Photius then began a regular persecution of all the clergy ordained by him. In view of the continuing disturbance, the Emperor
decided to refer the case of the two claimants to the Patriarchal throne to Rome for judgement, which was a godsend for the Papacy. Hadrian
II, Nicolass successor, assembled a Council in 869, which once again condemned Photius, declared the Council of 867 invalid, publicly burnt
its Acts and ordered that a new Council should meet in Constantinople. The bishops, few in number, who attended this false Council - called
the Eighth Ecumenical Council (870) by the Latins-were overawed by the Emperor and, in their cowardice, condemned the Beacon of the
Church and exiled his supporters to the boundaries of the Empire.
More than 200 bishops were then deposed and many priests were deprived of their orders. Haled like a criminal before the synod and
summoned to answer the accusations made against him, Saint Photius, after a long silence, replied: God hears the voice of him who keeps
silent. For Jesus Himself by keeping silent did not escape condemnation. As they insisted that he answer, he replied: My justification is not
of this world. As a worthy imitator of the Passion of the meek and long-suffering Jesus, Saint Photius, in spite of illness, bore for three years
the pain of harsh imprisonment, deprivation of books and company without a word of complaint. Imputing no responsibility to the blameless
Ignatius for these cruelties, he encouraged his suffering friends by letter and prayed for the Emperor and his persecutors.
Meanwhile, the bishops took cognisance of the fact that their cowardly opportunism had led them to submit their Church to the dictates of
Rome; and they persuaded the Emperor to declare invalid the decrees of the Council of 870 and to release Photius. The Saint was then
received at court with great honour, and Basil appointed him as his childrens tutor. Photius lost no time in making his peace with Ignatius.
The two Saints, victims of the rivalry of contrary parties which had made use of their names, embraced warmly, and Photius gave his entire
support to the aged and infirm Patriarch, whom he visited daily.
On the death of Saint Ignatius on 23 October 877, the Church unanimously placed Photius once again on the Patriarchal throne. Veneration
of the memory of Saint Ignatius was introduced not long after by Photius himself, and the Church thus befittingly eulogizes them together in
the Synodikon read on the Sunday of Orthodoxy: Eternal memory to the very blessed, very Orthodox and very illustrious Patriarchs Ignatius
and Photius! A Council was convoked at Constantinople in 879-80 attended by 383 Fathers under the presidency of Photius and in the
presence of legates from the Pope. The Council confirmed the rehabilitation of Photius, annulled the Council of 870 and restored communion
between the two Churches, anathematising all innovation and especially the heretical addition to the Symbol of Faith. With the restoration of
peace and unity in the Church, the greatest desire of the hierarch was fulfilled. He immediately set about the task of peacemaking, seeking
reconciliation with his enemies and showing a fatherly care devoid of bitterness for the former partisans of Ignatius.
When Leo VI (886-912) succeeded his father Basil I, he summarily deposed the holy Patriarch, holding him indirectly responsible for making
known to his father a plot which Leo had hatched against him. Saint Photius was imprisoned as an evildoer in the Monastery of the
Armenians and was confined there for five years, lacking all human consolation but shining like gold tried in the furnace of manifold
temptations (1 Pet. 6-7). This was the period in which, without books of his own, he wrote the Mystagogy of the Holy Spirit -a systematic
refutation of the Filioque heresy, in which he shows that the Holy Spirit proceeds eternally from the Person of the Father, the Source of the
Divinity, and is sent to us by the Son in order to make us partakers of the divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4).
Leaving this treatise as his testament to Holy Church in view of conflicts to come, he departed to join the choir of holy Fathers and Doctors on
6 February 893. The miracles which soon took place in plenty at his tomb helped to convert even his inveterate enemies.
Humble, serene and long-suffering in tribulations, this true confessor of the Faith, unjustly called a fanatic by his enemies, remains one of the
great luminaries of Orthodoxy and a wholly trustworthy witness of the spirit of the Gospel.
(FROM THE GREAT SYNAXARION- Volume Three January, February )
The Holy Hierarch Photios the Great lived and flourished in the 9th Century. He was the child of zealous Christians; his father Sergios
endured a martyrs death in defense of the holy icons during the age of iconoclasm. St. Photios received an excellent education, and, related
to the Imperial Family, held the post of first government secretary in the senate. His contemporaries said of him that he so excelled in
knowledge, in almost all spheres of secular learning, that he could truly be considered the glory of his age; he could even have disputed with
the ancients. He was the tutor of both Michael, young heir to the Imperial Throne, and Equal-to-the-Apostles Kyrill, future enlightener of
the Slavs. Photios profound Christian piety protected him from the allures of life at court. To the depths of his soul, he was drawn to the

monastic life.
In 857, Varda, Michaels co-emperor, deposed Patriarch Ignatios from the Patriarchal throne of Constantinople. Aware of the piety and the
breadth of learning possessed by Photios, the bishops pointed him out to the emperor as one worthy of being ruling hierarch. St. Photios
humbly accepted the office. He was moved through the successive clerical steps [i.e. reader, subdeacon, deacon, priest -ed.] over the course of
6 days, and on the day of the Nativity of Christ, was consecrated a bishop and elevated to the Patriarchal Throne. However, soon troubles
brought on by Ignatios' removal from the Patriarchal Throne developed. A Council convened in 861 to deal with those troubles confirmed
Ignatios deposition and Photios election as Patriarch. Pope Nicholas I, whose emissaries attended that Council, had hoped that by
confirming that Photios as Patriarch, he would bring Photios under his sway. Failing to achieve that result, he subsequently announced at a
council in Rome that Photios was anathema. From that point, and to the end of his life, St. Photios had to do battle with papal exercise of
self-will and attempts to encroach upon the Eastern Orthodox Church.
In 864, the people of Bulgaria freely converted to Christianity. It is said that Boris, Prince of Bulgaria was baptized by Patriarch Photios
himself, that subsequently Holy Hierarch Photios dispatched an archbishop and priests to Bulgaria to baptize the Bulgarian people, and that
in 865, he sent Ss. Kyrill and Methodius to preach Christ in the Slavonic language. At the same time, adherents of the Pope aroused distrust
among the Bulgarian people toward the missionaries of the Eastern Church. Bulgarias impoverished condition, the result of attacks by the
Germans, forced them to seek help from the West, and the Prince of Bulgaria requested the Pope to send him bishops. Upon their arrival in
Bulgaria, the papal legates immediately began to supplant Orthodox customs and teachings with their own Latin ones. Holy Hierarch
Photios, a staunch defender of the Truth and denouncer of untruth, issued an encyclical advising the Eastern Church of the Popes actions
and pointing out the Roman Churchs departure from the ancient Orthodoxy, not only in terms of ritual but in terms of confession of faith. A
Council was convened, and condemned the self-willed action of the West.
In 867, Basil of Macedonia killed Emperor Michael and seized the Imperial Throne. St. Photios condemned the murderer and forbade him
from receiving Holy Communion. For this, he was removed from the Patriarchal Throne, and put under guard in a monastery. Ignatios was
reinstated as Patriarch. The Council convened to consider Holy Hierarch Photios actions included papal delegates, who demanded of the
Council a written declaration of the Churchs unconditional obedience to the judgment of the Pope. The Eastern bishops did not agree, and
began to argue with the legates. Called to testify, St. Photios, responded to all of the delegates questions with silence. He responded only to
the question of whether he was prepared to repent, by asking, And have the judges themselves thought better of it? After lengthy
argument, St. Photios opponents prevailed, and without any basis for their judgment, pronounced anathema over Patriarch Photios and all of
the bishops who had defended him. The Holy Hierarch was incarcerated for 7 years, and as he himself said, only gave thanks unto the Lord,
patiently enduring His judgment .
It was during this period that because of the willfulness of the Pope, the Latin clergy were driven from Bulgaria, and were replaced by bishops
sent by Patriarch Ignatios. After the death of Patriarch Ignatios in 879, another Council (called by many of the Fathers of the Church the 8th
Ecumenical Council), once again recognized Holy Hierarch Photios as lawful Pastor of the Church. Pope John, who knew Photios personally,
announced through his emissaries that all of the previous papal decrees regarding Photios were rescinded. The Council affirmed the
inviolability of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, rejected the Latin innovation (the filioque), and recognized the independence and
equality of the two thrones and two Churches, East and West. The Council decreed that in Bulgaria, he church practices and rites introduced
by the Latins there would be discontinued, thereby putting an end to Latin power in that land.
During the reign of Basils successor Leo, St. Photios again suffered as the result of a false accusation, to the effect that he had plotted against
the emperor. Removed from the cathedra in 886, the Holy Hierarch ended his days in 891 in the Armonia Monastery.
The Orthodox Church reveres St. Photios as a zealous defender of the Orthodox East against papal rule, and as a learned Theologian who left
us a wide variety of works denouncing the errors of the Latins, rebutting various heresies, explaining Divine Scripture, and elucidating various
subjects of the Faith.
(TSERKOVNOST)

St Photios the Great, defender of Orthodoxy against Papism

Saint Photios, Patriarch of Constantinople, "the Church's far-gleaming beacon," lived during the ninth century, and came from a family of
zealous Christians. His father Sergius died as a martyr in defense of holy icons. St Photios received an excellent education and, since his family
was related to the imperial house, he occupied the position of first state secretary in the Senate. His contemporaries said of him: "He so
distinguished himself with knowledge in almost all the secular sciences, that it rightfully might be possible to take into account the glory of
his age and compare it with the ancients."
Michael, the young successor to the throne, and St Cyril, the future Enlightener of the Slavs, were taught by him. His deep Christian piety
protected St Photios from being seduced by the charms of court life. With all his soul, he yearned for monasticism.
In 857 Bardas, who ruled with Emperor Michael, deposed Patriarch Ignatius (October 23) from the See of Constantinople. The bishops,
knowing the piety and extensive knowledge of Photios, informed the emperor that he was a man worthy to occupy the archpastoral throne. St
Photios accepted the proposal with humility. He passed through all the clerical ranks in six days. On the day of the Nativity of Christ, he was
consecrated bishop and elevated to the patriarchal throne.
Soon, however, discord arose within the Church, stirred up by the removal of Patriarch Ignatius from office. The Synod of 861 was called to
end the unrest, at which the deposition of Ignatius and the installation of Photios as patriarch were confirmed.
Pope Nicholas I, whose envoys were present at this council, hoped that by recognizing Photios as patriarch he could subordinate him to his
power. When the new patriarch proved unsubmissive, Nicholas anathematized Photios at a Roman council.

Until the end of his life St Photios was a firm opponent of papal intrigues and designs upon the Orthodox Church of the East. In 864, Bulgaria
voluntarily converted to Christianity. The Bulgarian prince Boris was baptized by Patriarch Photios himself. Later, St Photios sent an
archbishop and priests to baptize the Bulgarian people. In 865, Sts Cyril and Methodius were sent to preach Christ in the Slavonic language.
However, the partisans of the Pope incited the Bulgarians against the Orthodox missionaries.
The calamitous situation in Bulgaria developed because an invasion by the Germans forced them to seek help in the West, and the Bulgarian
prince requested the Pope to send his bishops. When they arrived in Bulgaria, the papal legates began to substitute Latin teachings and
customs in place of Orthodox belief and practice. St Photios, as a firm defender of truth and denouncer of falsehood, wrote an encyclical
informing the Eastern bishops of the Pope's actions, indicating that the departure of the Roman Church from Orthodoxy was not only in
ritual, but also in its confession of faith. A council was convened, censuring the arrogance of the West.
In 867, Basil the Macedonian seized the imperial throne, after murdering the emperor Michael. St Photios denounced the murderer and
would not permit him to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Therefore, he was removed from the patriarchal throne and locked in a
monastery under guard, and Patriarch Ignatius was restored to his position.
The Synod of 869 met to investigate the conduct of St Photios. This council took place with the participation of papal legates, who demanded
that the participants sign a document (Libellus) condemning Photios and recognizing the primacy of the Pope. The Eastern bishops would
not agree to this, and argued with the legates. Summoned to the council, St Photios met all the accusations of the legates with a dignified
silence. Only when the judges asked him whether he wished to repent did he reply, "Why do you consider yourselves judges?" After long
disputes, the opponents of Photios were victorious. Although their judgment was baseless, they anathematized Patriarch Photios and the
bishops defending him. The saint was sent to prison for seven years, and by his own testimony, he thanked the Lord for patiently enduring
His judges.
During this time the Latin clergy were expelled from Bulgaria, and Patriarch Ignatius sent his bishops there. In 879, two years after the death
of Patriarch Ignatius, another council was summoned (many consider it the Eighth Ecumenical Council), and again St Photios was
acknowledged as the lawful archpastor of the Church of Constantinople. Pope John VIII, who knew Photios personally, declared through his
envoys that the former papal decisions about Photios were annulled. The council acknowledged the unalterable character of the NiceanConstantinople Creed, rejecting the Latin distortion ("filioque"), and acknowledging the independence and equality of both thrones and both
churches (Western and Eastern). The council decided to abolish Latin usages and rituals in the Bulgarian church introduced by the Roman
clergy, who ended their activities there.
Under Emperor Basil's successor, Leo, St Photios again endured false denunciations, and was accused of speaking against the emperor. Again
deposed from his See in 886, the saint completed the course of his life in 891. He was buried at the monastery of Eremia.
The Orthodox Church venerates St Photios as a "pillar and foundation of the Church," an "inspired guide of the Orthodox," and a wise
theologian. He left behind several works, exposing the errors of the Latins, refuting soul-destroying heresies, explicating Holy Scripture, and
exploring many aspects of the Faith.

ST PHOTIOS THE GREAT

Our holy and God-bearing father Photios, the confessor and

defender of the Orthodox faith of Christ.

Saint Photios was a marvelous Saint full of humility and greatness. Throughout his life, he defended Orthodoxy against many heretical
practices such as the addition of the filioque clause to the Nicene Constantinopolitan Creed. He also wrote on the mystagogy of the Holy
Spirit which was concerning the theology of the Holy Ghost. Saint Photios labored in all virtues that pleased God. He wrote his famous letter
to Pope Nicholas entitled Nothing is dearer than the truth and in the same letter, he noted: it is truly necessary that we observe all things,
but above all, that which pertains to matters of the faith, in which but a small deviation represents a deadly sin.
One of the most important works of Saint Photios was the Bibliotheca also known as the Myriobiblon which was composed in the 9th
century. It was composed of 279 reviews out of the 10 thousand books which he had read by the age of 23 and these reviews were widely used
in the 9th century. He wrote on every possible subject such as theology, philosophy, rhetoric, grammar, physics, and medicine. Most of his
materials were mainly from Christian and pagan authors from the 5th century BC to his own time in the 9th century AD. These reviews were
generally seen as the first Byzantine works that could be called an Encyclopedia. Saint Photios let us with all we possess of Ctesias, Ctesias was
a Greek physician who stayed at the court of the Persian king Artaxerxes II Mnemon from 404 to 398/397. He wrote several books about
Persia and India in 23 books, called Persica. Another on of Saint Photios contributions was the Lexicon. This book was published later than
the Bibliotheca and was the work of some of his pupils. It was intended as a book of reference to facilitate the reading of old classical and
sacred authors, whose language and vocabulary were out of date. The only manuscript of the Lexicon is the Codex Galeanus
St.Photios began to write many spiritually profitable and to interpret the divine depths of the Holy Scriptures. His most important theological
work is the Amphilochia, in which he answers 326 questions and problems drawn from the Holy Scriptures, addressed to Amphilochius,
archbishop of Cyzicus. Other similar works are his treatise in four books against the Manichaeans and Paulicians, and his controversy with
the Latins on the Procession of the Holy Spirit. St. Photios also addressed a long letter of theological advice to the newly-converted Boris I of
Bulgaria.
St. Photios was also known for his brilliance and for his missionary zeal, and one of his greatest achievements was in the field of mission work.
In 863, St. Photios sent his two nephews from Thessaloniki, known to us today as Saints Cyril and Methodios, to preach the Gospel in
Moravia. He blessed St. Cyril in his work of developing an alphabet for the Slavonic people, and for the later work of St. Cyril and his brother
St. Methodios as missionaries to the Slavs.

In the year 857 Bardas, who ruled with the Emperor Michael had Patriarch Ignatius deposed (October 23) from Constantinople. The bishops,
knowing the piety and extensive knowledge of Photius, informed the emperor that he was a man worthy to occupy the archpastoral throne. St
Photius accepted the proposal with humility. He passed through all the clerical ranks in six days. On the day of the Nativity of Christ, he was
consecrated bishop and elevated to the patriarchal throne.
The many struggles that Saint Photios undertook for the Orthodox Faith against the Manichaeans, the Iconoclasts, and other heretics, and the
attacks and assaults that he endured from Pope Nicholas the first, the Pope of Rome, and the great persecutions and distresses he suffered,
are beyond number. Contending against the Latin error of the filioque, that is, the doctrine that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father
and the Son, he demonstrated clearly with his Mystagogy on the Holy Spirit how the filioque destroys the unity and equality of the Trinity. He
has left us many theological writings, panegyric homilies, and epistles, including one to Boris, the Sovereign of Bulgaria, in which he set forth
for him the history and teachings of the Seven Ecumenical Councils.
The Orthodox Church venerates St Photius as a "pillar and foundation of the Church," an "inspired guide of the Orthodox," and a wise
theologian. He left behind several works, exposing the errors of the Latins, refuting soul-destroying heresies, explicating Holy Scripture, and
exploring many aspects of the Faith. We have 193 personal letters they cover all the chief periods of Photios life, and are the most important
source for his history. Having tended the Church of Christ in holiness and in an evangelical manner, and with fervent zeal having rooted out
all the tares of every alien teaching, he departed to the Lord in the Monastery of the Armenians on February 6, 891.

Saint Photius the Great, Patriarch of Constantinople

As for the thrice-blessed Photius, the great and most resplendent Father and teacher of the Church, the Confessor of the Faith and Equal to the Apostles, he
lived during the years of the Emperors Michael (the son of Theophilus), Basil the Macedonian, and Leo his son. He was the son of pious parents, Sergius and
Irene, who suffered for the Faith under the Iconoclast Emperor Theophilus; he was also a nephew of Saint Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (see Feb. 25).
He was born in Constantinople, where he excelled in the foremost imperial ministries, while ever practicing a virtuous and godly life. An upright and
honourable man of singular learning and erudition, he was raised to the apostolic, ecumenical, and patriarchal throne of Constantinople in the year 857.
The many struggles that this thrice-blessed one undertook for the Orthodox Faith against the Manichaeans, the Iconoclasts, and other heretics, and the attacks
and assaults that he endured from Nicholas I, the haughty and ambitious Pope of Rome, and the great persecutions and distresses he suffered, are beyond
number. Contending against the Latin error of the filioque, that is, the doctrine that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son, he
demonstrated clearly with his Mystagogy on the Holy Spirit how the filioque destroys the unity and equality of the Trinity. He has left us many theological
writings, panegyric homilies, and epistles, including one to Boris, the Sovereign of Bulgaria, in which he set forth for him the history and teachings of the Seven
Ecumenical Councils. Having tended the Church of Christ in holiness and in an evangelical manner, and with fervent zeal having rooted out all the tares of
every alien teaching, he departed to the Lord in the Monastery of the Armenians on February 6, 891. His Feast day is celebrated February 19 (OC)/ 6.

(The Great Horologion, 1997 - Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA )

Saint Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople, "the Church's far-gleaming beacon," lived during the ninth century, and came from a family of zealous Christians.
His father Sergius died as a martyr in defense of holy icons. St Photius received an excellent education and, since his family was related to the imperial house,
he occupied the position of first state secretary in the Senate. His contemporaries said of him: "He so distinguished himself with knowledge in almost all the
secular sciences, that it rightfully might be possible to take into account the glory of his age and compare it with the ancients."
Michael, the young successor to the throne, and St Cyril, the future Enlightener of the Slavs, were taught by him. His deep Christian piety protected St Photius
from being seduced by the charms of court life. With all his soul, he yearned for monasticism.
In 857 Bardas, who ruled with Emperor Michael, deposed Patriarch Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd) (October 23) from the See of Constantinople. The
bishops, knowing the piety and extensive knowledge of Photius, informed the emperor that he was a man worthy to occupy the archpastoral throne. St Photius
accepted the proposal with humility. He passed through all the clerical ranks in six days. On the day of the Nativity of Christ, he was consecrated bishop and
elevated to the patriarchal throne.
Soon, however, discord arose within the Church, stirred up by the removal of Patriarch Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd) from office. The Synod of 861 was
called to end the unrest, at which the deposition of Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd) and the installation of Photius as patriarch were confirmed.
Pope Nicholas I, whose envoys were present at this council, hoped that by recognizing Photius as patriarch he could subordinate him to his power. When the
new patriarch proved unsubmissive, Nicholas anathematized Photius at a Roman council.
Until the end of his life St Photius was a firm opponent of papal intrigues and designs upon the Holy Orthodox Catholic Church of the East. In 864, Bulgaria
voluntarily converted to Christianity. The Bulgarian prince Boris was baptized by Patriarch Photius himself. Later, St Photius sent an archbishop and priests to
baptize the Bulgarian people. In 865, Sts Cyril and Methodius were sent to preach Christ in the Slavonic language. However, the partisans of the Pope incited
the Bulgarians against the Orthodox missionaries.
The calamitous situation in Bulgaria developed because an invasion by the Germans forced them to seek help in the West, and the Bulgarian prince requested
the Pope to send his bishops. When they arrived in Bulgaria, the papal legates began to substitute Latin teachings and customs in place of Orthodox belief and
practice. St Photius, as a firm defender of truth and denouncer of falsehood, wrote an encyclical informing the Eastern bishops of the Pope's actions, indicating
that the departure of the Roman Church from Orthodoxy was not only in ritual, but also in its confession of faith. A council was convened, censuring the
arrogance of the West.
In 867, Basil the Macedonian seized the imperial throne, after murdering the emperor Michael. St Photius denounced the murderer and would not permit him
to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Therefore, he was removed from the patriarchal throne and locked in a monastery under guard, and Patriarch
Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd) was restored to his position.
The Synod of 869 met to investigate the conduct of St Photius. This council took place with the participation of papal legates, who demanded that the
participants sign a document (Libellus) condemning Photius and recognizing the primacy of the Pope. The Eastern bishops would not agree to this, and argued
with the legates. Summoned to the council, St Photius met all the accusations of the legates with a dignified silence. Only when the judges asked him whether
he wished to repent did he reply, "Why do you consider yourselves judges?" After long disputes, the opponents of Photius were victorious. Although their
judgment was baseless, they anathematized Patriarch Photius and the bishops defending him. The saint was sent to prison for seven years, and by his own
testimony, he thanked the Lord for patiently enduring His judges.
During this time the Latin clergy were expelled from Bulgaria, and Patriarch Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd) sent his bishops there. In 879, two years after

the death of Patriarch Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd), another council was summoned (many consider it the Eighth Ecumenical Council), and again St
Photius was acknowledged as the lawful archpastor of the Church of Constantinople. Pope John VIII, who knew Photius personally, declared through his
envoys that the former papal decisions about Photius were annulled. The council acknowledged the unalterable character of the Nicean-Constantinople Creed,
rejecting the Latin distortion ("filioque"), and acknowledging the independence and equality of both thrones and both churches (Western and Eastern). The
council decided to abolish Latin usages and rituals in the Bulgarian church introduced by the Roman clergy, who ended their activities there.
Under Emperor Basil's successor, Leo, St Photius again endured false denunciations, and was accused of speaking against the emperor. Again deposed from his
See in 886, the saint completed the course of his life in 891. He was buried at the monastery of Eremia.
The Orthodox Church venerates St Photius as a "pillar and foundation of the Church," an "inspired guide of the Orthodox," and a wise theologian. He left
behind several works, exposing the errors of the Latins, refuting soul-destroying heresies, explicating Holy Scripture, and exploring many aspects of the Faith.

Saint Photios is the Patron Saint of Education, Learning and of Booksellers.

(From OCA.org)

As for the thrice-blessed Photius, the great and most resplendent Father and teacher of the Church, the Confessor of the Faith and Equal to the Apostles, he
lived during the years of the emperors Michael (the son of Theophilus), Basil the Macedonian, and Leo his son. He was the son of pious parents, Sergius and
Irene, who suffered for the Faith under the Iconoclast Emperor Theophilus; he was also a nephew of Saint Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (see Feb. 25).
He was born in Constantinople, where he excelled in the foremost imperial ministries, while ever practicing a virtuous and godly life. An upright and honorable
man of singular learning and erudition, he was raised to the apostolic, ecumenical, and patriarchal throne of Constantinople in the year 857.
The many struggles that this thrice-blessed one undertook for the Orthodox Faith against the Manichaeans, the Iconoclasts, and other heretics, and the attacks
and assaults that he endured from Nicholas I, the haughty and ambitious Pope of Rome, and the great persecutions and distresses he suffered, are beyond
number. Contending against the Latin error of the filioque, that is, the doctrine that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son, he
demonstrated clearly with his Mystagogy on the Holy Spirit how the filioque destroys the unity and equality of the Trinity. He has left us many theological
writings, panegyric homilies, and epistles, including one to Boris, the Sovereign of Bulgaria, in which he set forth for him the history and teachings of the Seven
Ecumenical Councils. Having tended the Church of Christ in holiness and in an evangelical manner, and with fervent zeal having rooted out all the tares of
every alien teaching, he departed to the Lord in the Monastery of the Armenians on February 6, 891.

(From GOARCH.org)
St Photios, along with St Mark of Ephesus and St Gregory Palamas, is counted as one of the Three Pillars of Orthodoxy, who stood against Latinizing influences
on the Orthodox Church.
He was born in Constantinople in 810, son of pious parents belonging to one of the prominent families of the City. Both his parents were martyred during the
Iconoclast persecution, leaving their son an example of adherence to the True Faith even unto death. He received a superb education, and was widely
considered the single most learned person of his time. He was elevated to the Patriarchal throne in 858, after being raised through all the degrees of the
priesthood in six days.
Throughout his Patriarchal reign he was troubled by the usual political battles and intrigues and, more importantly, by various threats to the Faith in the form
of Manicheans and Iconoclasts.
Photios showed a special concern for the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world: it was he who commissioned Sts Cyril and Methodius to
embark on their mission to the Slavs.
Most memorably, it was the Patriarch's lot to stand against the arrogant, uncanonical and heretical claims of Pope Nicholas I of Rome, who openly asserted for
the first time the Pope's pretensions to universal jurisdiction over the Church. When the Patriarch opposed these claims, Pope Nicholas summoned a council of
western bishops, which "deposed" Photios and excommunicated all clergy whom he had ordained. In 867 the Emperor Michael III was assassinated, and his
successor Basil I deposed Photios, had him imprisoned, and reinstated his predecessor Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd). To gain legitimacy for this widelyopposed move, he submitted it to the Pope for approval. Delighted, the Pope ratified the Emperor's decision and used it to advance the claims of the Papacy.
When the eastern bishops realized what was happening they prevailed on the Emperor to release Photios from his three-year imprisonment; and when Ignatios
(Feast-day, October 23rd) died, the Church unanimously returned Photios to the Patriarchal throne. A Council in Constantinople in 879-880, at which Photios
presided, restored communion between the Eastern and Western Churches but at the same time anathematized the heretical addition of the filioque to the
Creed, which the Papacy had been promoting.
When Leo VI succeeded Basil I as Emperor, the Patriarch was once again deposed, and was imprisoned in the Monastery of the Armenians for five years. During
this time he wrote the Mystagogy of the Holy Spirit, a learned and eloquent refutation of the filioque heresy. The Saint, still imprisoned, reposed in peace in
893.

(From ABBAMOSES.com)
Photius was a great beacon of the Church. He was the emperor's relative and a grandson of the glorious Patriarch Tarasius. He was a vigorous protector of the
Church from the authority-loving pope and other Roman distortions of the Faith. In six days he went through all the ranks from a layman to patriarch. He was
consecrated patriarch on Christmas day, 857 A.D. and died in the Lord in the year 891 A.D.

(Prologue from Ohrid)

Saint Photios the Great, whose feast day is February 6 (19th on the Old Calendar), was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople during the
middle of the ninth century. Together with other great Fathers of the Church, Saint Photios demonstrates through his writing and his
teaching that scholarship can be a valuable instrument in proclaiming and expressing the Faith of the Church. The Orthodox Church honors
Saint Photios as a theologian, a supporter of missionary activity, and a defender of the Orthodo Catholic Faith. Photios was born around 820
AD to holy parents, who were confessors of the Faith. His parents were persecuted for defending icons against the iconoclasts and were
exiled from Constantinople.
His greatness was not only due to his defense of Orthodoxy against heretical papal practices, but also connected to his love and meekness. He
vigorously opposed the addition of the filioque clause to the Nicene - Constantinopolitan Creed, and wrote On the Mystagogy of the Holy
Spirit to preserve "the purity of our religion" and to hinder "those who chose to promote any other definition of dogma than the unanimous
and common faith of the pious".
St. Photios was forced to become Patriarch of Constantinople, however he took his calling seriously and at once set to work as a man of God..
One of his activities was to correct the error of Pope Nicholas of Rome who enslaved the people of the West with threats of condemnation to

hell for disobedience to the pope. Holy Photios wrote to Nicholas, "Nothing is dearer that the Truth." In the same letter he noted, "It is truly
necessary that we observe all things, but above all, that which pertains to matters of Faith, in which but a small deviation represents a deadly
sin."
St. Photios was also known for his brilliance and for his missionary zeal, and one of his greatest achievements was in the field of mission work.
In 863, St. Photios sent his two nephews from Thessaloniki, known to us today as Saints Cyril and Methodios, to preach the Gospel in
Moravia. He blessed St. Cyril in his work of developing an alphabet for the Slavonic people, and for the later work of St. Cyril and his brother
St. Methodios as missionaries to the Slavs. As a result of efforts they initiated, the Slavic peoples and nations embraced Orthodox
Christianity.
As a Father of the Orthodox Catholic Church, his achievements as Patriarch have earned him a reputation as the greatest of all Patriarchs.
(From Saint Photios Shrine, Saint Augustine, FL)

Photios the Great, Patriarch of Constantinople. Great spiritual Father of the Orthodox Church, he fought against the Latin dogma of
filioque and for the conversion of the Slavs to the Orthodox Faith. (820-891).
(From http://soundcloud.com/byzantine-music/02-06)

Saint Photios I, The Great Confessor and Patriarch of Constantinople

St. Photios I (also spelled Photius or Fotios), or St. Photios the Great (Hellenic: , Phtios) (c. 820 February 6, 893) was Patriarch of Constantinople
from 858 to 867 and from 877 to 886. Photios is widely regarded as the most powerful and influential Patriarch of Constantinople since John Chrysostom. He is
recognized as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church and some of the Eastern Catholic Churches of Byzantine tradition. His feast is celebrated on 6 February.

Life
Little is known of his origin or family, but Photios was a relative of the Patriarchs Tarasios and John VII Grammatikos. Photios was, at least in part, of Armenian
descent.[1][2][3] Byzantine writers report that Emperor Leo VI once angrily called St. Photios "Khazar-faced", but whether this was a generic insult or a
reference to his ethnicity is unclear.[4]
As soon as he had completed his own education, St. Photios began to teach grammar, rhetoric, divinity and philosophy. The way to public life was probably
opened for him by (according to one account) the marriage of his brother Sergios to Irene, a sister of the Empress Theodora, who upon the death of her
husband Theophilos in 842, had assumed the regency of the empire. St. Photios became a captain of the guard and subsequently chief imperial secretary
(prtaskrtis). At an uncertain date, Photios participated in an embassy to the Arabs.
The dissension between the patriarch Ignatios and the Caesar Bardas, the uncle of the youthful Emperor Michael III, concerning Bardas' relationship with his
daughter-in-law, brought promotion to St. Photios. Ignatios was arrested and imprisoned in 858, and upon refusing to resign his office was deposed, while
Photios was inducted into the priesthood within six days, and was installed as patriarch in his place.
Ignatios continued to refuse abdication, and his supporters appealed to Pope Nicholas I when St. Photios began to alter his predecessor's policies. When in 863
Nicholas anathematized and deposed St. Photios, the latter replied with a counter-excommunication. The situation was additionally complicated by the
question of papal authority over the entire Church and by disputed jurisdiction over newly-converted Bulgaria.
This state of affairs changed with the murder of St. Photios' patron Bardas in 866 and of the emperor Michael in 867, by his colleague Basil the Macedonian,
who now usurped the throne. St. Photios was deposed as patriarch, not so much because he was a proteg of Bardas and Michael, but because Basil I was
seeking an alliance with the Pope and the western emperor. St. Photios was removed from his office and banished about the end of September 867, and Ignatios
was reinstated on November 23. During his second patriarchate, Ignatios followed a policy not very different from that of St. Photios. This perhaps helped
improve relations between the two, and in c. 876 St. Photios was suddenly recalled to Constantinople and entrusted with the education of the emperor's
children. On the death of Ignatios in October 877, Photios, after the requisite show of reluctance, was restored to the patriarchal throne.
Photios now obtained the formal recognition of the Christian world in a council convened at Constantinople in November 879. The legates of Pope John VIII
attended, prepared to acknowledge Photios as legitimate patriarch, a concession for which the pope was much censured by Latin opinion. The patriarch stood
firm on the main points contested between the Eastern and Western Churches, the demanded apology to the Pope, the ecclesiastical jurisdiction over Bulgaria,
and the introduction of the filioque clause into the creed. Eventually Photios refused to apologize or accept the filioque, and the papal legates made do with his
return of Bulgaria to Rome. This concession, however, was purely nominal, as Bulgaria's return to the Byzantine rite in 870 had already secured for it an
autocephalous church. Without the consent of Boris I of Bulgaria, the papacy was unable to enforce its claims.
During the altercations between Basil I and his heir Leo VI, Photios took the side of the emperor. Consequently, when Basil died in 886 and Leo became senior
emperor, St. Photios was dismissed and banished, although he had been Leo's tutor. St. Photios was sent into exile to the monastery of Bordi in Armenia. From
this time Photios disappears from history. No letters of this period of his life are extant. The precise date of his death is not known, but it is said to have
occurred on February 6, 893.
For the Eastern Orthodox, St. Photios was long the standard-bearer of their church in its disagreements with the pope of Rome; to Catholics, he was a proud
and ambitious schismatic: the relevant work of scholars over the past generation has somewhat modified partisan judgments. All agree on the virtue of his
personal life and his remarkable talents, even genius, and the wide range of his intellectual aptitudes. Pope Nicholas himself referred to his "great virtues and
universal knowledge." It may be noted, however, that some anti-papal writings attributed to St. Photios were apparently composed by other writers about the
time of the East-West Schism of 1054 and attributed to Photios as the champion of the independence of the Eastern Church.
The Eastern Orthodox Church venerates Photios as a saint; he is also included in the liturgical calendar of Eastern Catholic Churches of Byzantine Rite, though
not in the calendars of other Eastern Catholic Churches. His feast day is February 6/19 (OS).

Writings
The most important of the works of Photios is his renowned Bibliotheca or Myriobiblon, a collection of extracts and abridgments of 280 volumes of classical
authors (usually cited as Codices), the originals of which are now to a great extent lost. The work is specially rich in extracts from historical writers.
To St. Photios we are indebted for almost all we possess of Ctesias, Memnon, Conon, the lost books of Diodorus Siculus, and the lost writings of Arrian.
Theology and ecclesiastical history are also very fully represented, but poetry and ancient philosophy are almost entirely ignored. It seems that he did not think

it necessary to deal with those authors with whom every well-educated man would naturally be familiar. The literary criticisms, generally distinguished by keen
and independent judgment, and the excerpts vary considerably in length. The numerous biographical notes are probably taken from the work of Hesychius of
Miletus.
The Lexicon, published later than the Bibliotheca, was probably in the main the work of some of his pupils. It was intended as a book of reference to facilitate
the reading of old classical and sacred authors, whose language and vocabulary were out of date. The only manuscript of the Lexicon is the Codex Galeanus,
which passed into the library of Trinity College, Cambridge.
His most important theological work is the Amphilochia, a collection of some 300 questions and answers on difficult points in Scripture, addressed to
Amphilochius, archbishop of Cyzicus. Other similar works are his treatise in four books against the Manichaeans and Paulicians, and his controversy with the
Latins on the Procession of the Holy Spirit. St. Photios also addressed a long letter of theological advice to the newly-converted Boris I of Bulgaria.
The chief contemporary authority for the life of Photios is his bitter enemy, Niketas David Paphlagon, the biographer of his rival Ignatios.

Notes
1. ^ "The Armenian contribution to the intellectual and artistic life of Byzantium was extremely important. For instance, Patriarch Photius...was only one of
many Byzantine scholars of Armenian descent." The Armenians. A People in Exile. By David Marshall Lang, Professor of Caucasian Studies, University of
London, London, George Allen & Unwin, 1981, p. 54.
2. ^ "John the Grammarian, Photius, Caesar Bardas and Leo the Philosopher seem to have been the prime movers. All four were, at least in part, of Armenian
descent. ...as for Photius, the fact is that his mother Irene, was the sister of Arshavir, the Arshavir who had married Calomaria the sister of Bardas and the
empress Theodora." The Armenians in the Byzantine Empire. By P. Charanis, Ph.D., Professor of History, Rutgers University, Livraria Bertrand, Lisboa, 1963,
p.27-28.
3. ^ "Arshavir, Photius' uncle, must not be confused with Arshavir, the brother of John the Grammarian." Role of the Armenians in Byzantine Science. By
Nicolas Adontz, Armenian Review, vol. 3., No 3 (1950), p. 66.
4. ^ "Photius may have felt a direct and personal interest in Khazaria, for possibly he was himself of Khazar extraction. So, it seems, we might best explain the
epithet "Khazar-face", applied to him once in anger by the Emperor Michael III." Dunlop 194 (citing Symeon Magister, ex. Bonn, 673.)
(From wikipedia.org)
Our father among the saints Photius the Great (also Photios; Greek o), Patriarch of Constantinople, is considered one of the greatest patriarchs of
Constantinople. His feast day is celebrated on February 6/19 (OS).
St. Photius was condemned as patriarch by the Robber Council of 869-870, but the Eighth Ecumenical Council (879-880) affirmed his restoration to his see.
Although he was accused of causing the "Photian" Schism, he was recognized as a major peacemaker of that time. He reconciled with Patriarch Ignatios (Feastday, October 23rd), who named him as his successor (for a second time) upon Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd)' death in 877.

Life
Photius' parents were wealthy and pious Christians. His father was attached to the imperial court with the office of "Guardian of the Emperor and the Palace."
They belonged to the party which venerated icons, but the current emperor was an iconoclast and thus was against the use of icons in the Church. They were
exiled when Photius was seven, their wealth disposed of, and were eventually martyred. Photius referred to Patriarch Tarasius as "uncle from his father's side,"1
and he was also related to John VII Grammatikos. He was known as one who was inclined to the quiet, prayerful, and monastic life. Byzantine writers report
that Emperor Leo VI once angrily called Photius "Khazar-faced," but whether this was a generic insult or a reference to his ethnicity is unclear.
As soon as he had completed his own education, Photius began to teach grammar, rhetoric, theology, and philosophy. The way to public life was probably
opened for him by (according to one account) the marriage of his brother Sergius to Irene, a sister of the Empress Theodora, who upon the death of her
husband Theophilos in 842, had assumed the regency of the empire. Photius became a captain of the guard and subsequently chief imperial secretary
(prtaskrtis). In 855, at thirty-five years of age, Photius was recognized for his political skills and made the ambassador to the Persian caliph in Baghdad with
the charge to negotiate an end to Christian persecution in the Muslim territories.

First Patriarchate
The dissension between Patriarch Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd) of Constantinople and the Caesar Bardas, the uncle of the youthful Emperor Michael III,
concerning Bardas' illicit relationship with his daughter-in-law and other questionable moral practices, led to Photius' promotion. Ignatios (Feast-day, October
23rd) was arrested and exiled to the island of Terebinthos in 858, where he submitted his resignation. Photius, a layperson, was inducted into the priesthood
and made a bishop within six days and then installed as patriarch. He resisted this appointment, as he wished for a more contemplative life. He was the most
distinguished scholar at that time and was seen as being above suspicion because he was strongly opposed to the iconoclast party, which had caused his
parents' death.
Several months after his exile, a few Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd)' supporters came together in the Church of Saint Irene and plotted to restore Ignatios
(Feast-day, October 23rd) to the patriarchate. They made an appeal to Pope Nicholas trying to discrediting his rival Photius' appointment. This was signed by
only six metropolitans and fifteen bishops. There were several monks in this camp that set out for Rome, even though Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd) had
voluntarily resigned. They were received by Pope Nicholas I, who was eager to assert his power over the Eastern church. Pope Nicholas had previously been
successful in bringing the Western church under his absolute control, and he now sought the same power over the East.
Photius convened a council in the Church of the Holy Apostles in 859. The intent was to stop the controversy about his appointment. This council found that
Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd) had not been elected by a synod and therefore his election to the patriarchate was illegal. He had been appointed by Empress
Theodora. Unfortunately the Caesar Barda was vengeful against the opposition and imposed an exile on Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd) to the island of
Mytiline and persecuted some of his followers. Photius strongly objected to this action.
Pope Nicholas felt that the appointment needed the consent of Rome and objected to the fact that Photius was a layperson even though there was precedence
for this in both the Western and Eastern churches. He also demanded that the Byzantines give back to Rome the territories of Calabria and Sicily.
In 861, with approval of Photius, Emperor Michael convened a general council in the Church of the Holy Apostles, known as the First-Second Synod. The pope
was invited, and he was glad to send his delegates. He sent them with the instruction to investigate the election of Photius in relation to the canons and and to
demand that Illyricum and southern Italy be given to Rome. This synod ratified the actions of the Seventh Ecumenical Council condemning iconoclasm. Also,
Photius was affirmed as the lawful and canonical patriarch. The western delegation accepted the legality of Photius' appointment. Ignatios (Feast-day, October

23rd) appeared before the synod and was deposed.

When the delegates returned to Rome and that Nicholas found that his demands for territorial rights were not considered, he became angry and
excommunicated his delegates. He convened a council in Rome in 863 in which he deposed and excommunicated Photius on the basis that his appointment
was uncanonical. He chose to recognize Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd) as the legitimate patriarch.
The conflict between Rome and Constantinople reached a climax. Photius not only was defending the autonomy of the Eastern church, but also vital interests
of the empire. With the full support of Emperor Michael III, he sent a letter to the pope demanding that he withdraw his decision against Photius. In 867, a
council was held with over a thousand clergymen attending. This council excommunicated Nicholas, condemned the pope's claims of primacy, his interference
in Bulgaria, and the innovative addition of the filioque clause to the creed. The letters of both Nicholas and Photius were read at this council. The situation was
additionally complicated by the question of papal authority over the entire Church and by disputed jurisdiction over newly converted Bulgaria. It pronounced
that the Latin interference in the affairs of the Byzantine Church was unlawful. The German Emperor Louis II was asked to intervene and depose Pope
Nicholas, but he died that same year.
There were two emperors in the East at the time, Michael II and Basil I. Michael plotted to kill Basil, but Basil found out about the plot and murdered Michael.
Photius refused to accept the murder of Michael and refused Basil communion on a great feast day. This angered Basil, so he had Photius imprisoned in a
monastery.
This state of affairs changed with the murder of Photius' patron Bardas in 866 and of the Emperor Michael in 867 by his colleague Basil the Macedonian, who
now usurped the throne. Photius was deposed as patriarch not so much because he was a proteg of Bardas and Michael, but because Basil I was seeking an
alliance with the pope and the western emperor. Photius was removed from his office and banished around the end of September 867, and Ignatios (Feast-day,
October 23rd) was reinstated on November 23. During his second patriarchate, Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd) followed a policy not very different from that
of Photius. This perhaps helped improve relations between the two, and circa 876 Photius was suddenly recalled to Constantinople and entrusted with the
education of the emperor's children, becoming an advisor to Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd). On the death of Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd) in October
877, Photius, after the requisite show of reluctance, having been recommended by Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd) prior to his death, was restored to the
patriarchal throne.

Second Patriarchate
Photius now obtained the formal recognition of the Christian world in a council convened at Constantinople in November 879. The legates of Pope John VIII
attended, prepared to acknowledge Photius as legitimate patriarch, a concession for which the pope was much censured by Latin opinion. The patriarch stood
firm on the main points contested between the eastern and western Churches, the demanded apology to the pope, the ecclesiastical jurisdiction over Bulgaria,
and the introduction of the filioque clause into the creed. Eventually Photius refused to apologize or accept the filioque, and the papal legates made do with his
return of Bulgaria to Rome. This concession, however, was purely nominal, as Bulgaria's return to the Byzantine rite in 870 had already made it an
autocephalous church. Without the consent of Boris I of Bulgaria, the papacy was unable to enforce its claims.
During the altercations between Basil I and his heir Leo VI, Photius took the side of the emperor. Consequently, when Basil died in 886 and Leo became senior
emperor, Photius was dismissed and banished, although he had been Leo's tutor. Photius was sent into exile to the monastery of Bordi in Armenia. From this
time Photius disappears from history. No letters of this period of his life are extant. The precise date of his death is not known, but it is said to have occurred on
February 6, 893.
Photius was long the standard-bearer of the Church in its disagreements with the pope of Rome. All agree on the virtue of his personal life and his remarkable
talents, even genius, and the wide range of his intellectual aptitudes. Pope Nicholas himself referred to his "great virtues and universal knowledge."

(from Orthodoxwiki.org)

Synaxarion:

On the 6th Day of February,

the Commemoration of our father among the Saints, Photius the Confessor,
Patriarch of Constantinople; New Rome.
Verses: Dying, Photius saith: "I am not distressed; for this end I have been prepared."
Verses: Praised be Photios, who with the sword of the Spirit, Cut the poisoned adders to the Creed in pieces!
Other verses:
In his discourses the Great Photius flasheth forth Light upon the Pious, and Fire scorching the Ungodly./Unto the sixth sphere of the heavens hath Photius
ascended.

The Sixth (of February) ended the exile of Photios

This thrice-blessed Hierarch whose radiant life reflected his name, the great and luminous father and teacher of the Church, Photius most wise and sacred,
confessor of the Faith and peer of the apostles, lived during the reigns of the autocrats Micheal, son of Theophilus, Basil the Macedonian, and Leo, his Son. His
homeland on earth was Constantinople the illustrious, queen of cities; his heavenly homeland was the Jerusalem on High, mighty and imperishable.
His parents were glorious in nobility, no less in the Orthodox Faith than by blood. And for their faith they were adorned with the crown of martyrdom, having
suffered with mind directed toward the heavens and with steadfast soul, for the honor and worship of the Holy Ikons/Images, so it would seem. And Photius,
being first considered worthy of the highest imperial dignities, and having always led a virtuous and God-fearing life, later took hold of the rudder of the
Church as its Archpastor, having been elevated to the Apostolic, Ecumenical and Patriarchal throne of Constantinople. For Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd),
who is among the saints, was driven from that see by the might of the emperor, and thereafter the Church was widowed. Yet as she could not remain without a
bishop, Photius our father among the saints, submitting both to the necessity of the situation and to the force of the emperor, canonically succeeded the sacred
Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd), being first tonsured into Monasticism; and passed through the rest of the grades of sacred orders one by one. And what
manner of struggles did the thrice-blessed one undertake for the ORTHODOX CATHOLIC FAITH: against the Manicheans, the Iconoclasts, and other heretics,
and foremost against the PAPAL HERESY i.e. The Vatican Religion which then first manifested itself, whose leader the wicked Nicholas, Pope of Old Rome,
Father of the LATIN SCHISM, he denounced, employing proofs from the writings of the Fathers; and having justly cast him down, he drove him out of the
Catholic Church synodically, giving him over to Anathema. What persecutions and tribulations, what treachery and slander, what misery and inhumane
torment the courageous preacher of God, the steadfast and firm hierarch endured in Christ-like manner at the hands of Latin (Roman-Frankish catholics,

Adherents to the Vatican Religion); schismatics and followers of the Papal heresy, men of lies and evil deeds, iniquitous men, impious, vile murderers, an
extensive history of the Saint alone can recount. One need only say here that, having ministered the Gospel like another Paul, and having initiated the whole
valorous Bulgarian people with their king into the Mysteries of the immaculate Faith of Christ, the blessed one gave them new birth in the laver of divine
baptism. And many adherents of divers heresies- Armenians, Iconoclasts, and others- he brought back to the Orthodox Church of Christ, having expounded
words full of grace, wisdom, and truth, whereby he struck down the arrogance of them that were of wrong faith as with thunder. Thus, with firmness and
steadfastness of mind having astonished Basil, that thankless autocrat and regicide, and with most fervent zeal of understanding having uprooted the tares of
every false teaching, he was shown to be full of the teaching of the Apostles, as was not one of his contemporaries. Thus, therefore did he shepherd the Church
of Christ in a venerable manner, in accordance with the Gospel; twice he ascended the cathedra, and twice was he, driven therefrom by the force of the tyrant.
Many and divers writings did he bequeath to the Church and to the people of God, all of them remarkable and most wise, and such that every age shall rightly
be amazed thereby; for, having labored much for truth and righteousness, the much suffering one departed to the Lord, imprisoned in the East Roman Province
of Armenia, as the divine John Chrysostom had been in Comana. His sacred and most precious body was interred in a monastery called Eremia, and of old his
most holy synaxis was celebrated in the church of the honored Forerunner and Baptist John, which was in the Monastery of Eremia; and now it is celebrated in
the sacred and patriarchal Monastery of the Holy Trinity, on the island of Halki, where even today, the theological school of the Great Church is located.
(From Akolouthia of Saint Photios, for Orthros/Matins)
Sainted Photios, Patriarch of Constantinople, lived during the IX Century, and came from a family of zealous Christians. His father had died a martyr's death in
defence of holy icons. Saint Photios received an excellent education and, having family relations with the imperial house, he occupied the position of first state
secretary in the Senate. His contemporaries said of him: "He so distinguished himself with knowledge in almost all the secular sciences, that it rightfully might
be possible to take into account the glory of his age and compare it with the ancients". The young successor to the throne, Michael, and the future Enlightener
of the Slavs, the Equal-to the-Apostles Cyril, were taught the sciences by him. Deep Christian piety protected Saint Photios from being seduced with the charms
of court life -- with all his soul he yearned towards monasticism.
In 857 the co-ruler with emperor Michael, Bardas, expelled Patriarch Ignatios from the Constantinople cathedra-see. The bishops, knowing the piety and
extensive knowledge of Photios, informed the emperor about him as a man worthy to occupy the arch-pastoral throne. Saint Photios with humility accepted the
proposal. Over the course of 6 days he was led through the hierarchical positions, and on the day of the Nativity of Christ he was ordained bishop with
elevation to the patriarchal throne. Soon however there began discord within the Church, stirred up by the expulsion of Patriarch Ignatios from the cathedra. In
the year 861 there was convened a Council for ending of the unrest, and at which was affirmed the deposition of Ignatios and the affirming of Photios as
patriarch. Pope Nicholas I, the envoys of whom were present at this Council, hoped by affirming Photios as patriarch therein to subordinate him to his power,
but not having received what he expected, he betrayed Photios with an anathema at a Roman Council. From that moment there began for Saint Photios, and
lasting to the very end of his life, his opposition to the papal bullying and enroachment upon the Orthodox Church of the East. In 864 the Bulgarian land
voluntarily converted to Christianity. The Bulgarian prince Boris was baptised as they proposed, by Patriarch Photios himself, after which Saint Photios
dispatched an archbishop and priests for the Baptism of the Bulgarian people, and in the year 865 -- Saints Cyril and Methodios were dispatched for the
preaching of Christ in the Slavonic language. But the partisans of the pope incited the distrust of the Bulgarians towards the preachers of the Eastern Church.
The calamitous situation in Bulgaria because of an invasion by the Germans forced them to seek help in the West, and the Bulgarian prince turned to the pope
with a request to send his bishops. Having arrived in Bulgaria, the papal legates began actively to affirm there Latin teachings and useages in place of the
Orthodox. Saint Photios, being a firm defender of truth and denouncer of untruth, informed the Eastern Church by means of a circular letter about the deeds of
the pope, indicating that the falling away of the Roman Church from its ancient Orthodoxy was not only in rituals, but also in confession of faith. A Council was
convened, censuring the arrogance of the West.
In 867 Basil the Macedonian seized the imperial throne, having murdered the emperor Michael. Saint Photios denounced the murderer and did not permit him
to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. For this he was removed from the patriarchal throne and locked up in a monastery under guard. In his place was
again put Patriarch Ignatios. A Council was convened for an investigation into the conduct of Saint Photios: this Council was made with the participation of
papal legates, who demanded of the Council the signing of a document about the unconditional subordination of all the Church to the judgement of the pope.
The Eastern bishops, not in agreement with this, entered into an argument with the legates. Summoned to the Council, Saint Photios answered all the
accusations of the legates with silence, and only to the question of the judges as to whether he wished to repent, did he reply: "Wherefore do ye consider
yourselves judges?" The opponents of Photios after long disputes gained the victory, and their judgement being baseless, they pronounced an anathema upon
Patriarch Photios and the bishops defending him. The saint was sent to prison for 7 years, and by his own testimony, "he thanked the Lord, for patiently
enduring His judges...".
During this period of time the Latin clergy were expelled from Bulgaria because of the arrogance of the pope, and Patriarch Ignatios sent there his bishops. In
679, after the death of Patriarch Ignatios, there was convened a Council (many fathers of the Church call it the Eighth OEcumenical), and again Saint Photios
was acknowledged as the lawful pastor of the Church. Pope John, knowing Photios personally, through his envoys declared at the Council the annulling of all
the former papal decisions about Photios. The Council acknowledged the inalterable invariability of the Nicean-Constantinople Creed, rejecting the Latin
distortion ("filioque"), and it acknowledged the independence and equality of both thrones and both Churches (Western and Eastern). The Council decided to
abolish in Bulgaria church useages and rituals introduced by the Latins, which ended their governance there.
Under emperor Basil's successor, Leo, Saint Photios again suffered through false denunciations, being accused of speaking against the emperor. Again deposed
from his cathedra-see in the year 886, the saint finished his days at the Armoneia monastery in 891.
The Orthodox Church venerates Saint Photios as a zealous defender of the Orthodox East from domination by the pope, and as a theologian, leaving behind
him various works, exposing the errors of the Latins, refuting various heresies, explicating Holy Scripture, and exploring various topics of the faith.

Photius I of Constantinople
Lexikon - Photius I of Constantinople Definition Erklrung Bedeutung - Beginn
Photius (b. Constantinople ca 820 - d. ca 891) was the Christian patriarch of Constantinople during 858-861 and 878-886, later recognized as a Saint by the
Eastern Orthodox Church. ("Photius" is a westernized spelling, especially in its use of the letter "u", resulting from adaptation of the name to the Latin
language. In Greek, the name is o.)

Life
As soon as he had completed his own education, Photius began to teach grammar, rhetoric, divinity and philosophy. The way to public life was probably
opened for him by the marriage of his brother Sergius to the princess Irene, sister of Theodora, who upon the death of her husband Theophilus II in 842, had
assumed the regency of the empire. Photius became captain of the guard and subsequently first imperial secretary.

The dissension between the patriarch Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd) and Bardas, the uncle of the youthful Emperor Michael III, brought promotion to
Photius. Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd) was arrested and imprisoned (858), and upon refusing to resign his office was deposed, while Photius was inducted
into the priesthood within six days, and was installed as patriarch in his place.
Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd) continued to refuse abdication. His cause was taken up by Pope Nicholas I in a manner highly offensive to the independence
of the Eastern Church. Photius became the champion of Eastern Christianity against Latin pretensions; and when in 863 Nicholas finally anathematized and
deposed him, he replied with a counter-excommunication.
The situation was suddenly changed by the murder of Photius's patron, Bardas, by order of the emperor Michael, who was himself assassinated by his colleague
Basil I in the following year (867). The fall of Photius followed; he was removed from his office and banished about the end of September 867, a few days after
the accession of Basil, and Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd) was reinstated on November 23. About 876 Photius was suddenly recalled to Constantinople and
entrusted with the education of Basil's children. On the death of Ignatios (Feast-day, October 23rd), probably in October 878, Photius, after a decent show of
reluctance, again filled the patriarchal throne.
He then obtained the formal recognition of the Christian world. In November 879 a synod was convened at Constantinople. The legates of Pope John VIII
attended, prepared to acknowledge Photius as legitimate patriarch, a concession for which John was much censured by Latin opinion. He stood firm, however,
on the other two points which had long been contested between the Eastern and Western Churches, the ecclesiastical jurisdiction over Bulgaria and the
introduction of the "filioque" clause into the creed (see also filioque clause). He disowned his legates, who had shown a tendency to yield, again
excommunicated Photius, and thus aroused the open hostility which eventually led to the Great Schism in 1054. Strong in the support of Synod, Photius
ignored him.
At the height of success, he was suddenly brought down by another palace revolution. After the death of Basil (886), his son and successor Leo VI, who had
formerly been devoted to Photius, but in recent years displayed great hatred toward him, deprived him of his office and banished him to the monastery of Bordi
in Armenia. From this time Photius disappears from history. No letters of this period of his life are extant. The precise date of his death is not known, but it is
said to have occurred on February 6, 891.
He is now commemorated as a Saint within the Eastern Orthodox Church on February 6th.

Writings
The most important of the works of Photius is his renowned Bibliotheca or Myriobiblon, a collection of extracts from and abridgments of 280 volumes of
classical authors (usually cited as Codices), the originals of which are now to a great extent lost. The work is specially rich in extracts from historical writers.
To Photius we are indebted for almost all we possess of Ctesias, Memnon, Conon, the lost books of Diodorus Siculus, and the lost writings of Arrian. Theology
and ecclesiastical history are also very fully represented, but poetry and ancient philosophy are almost entirely ignored. It seems that he did not think it
necessary to deal with those authors with whom every well-educated man would naturally be familiar. The literary criticisms, generally distinguished by keen
and independent judgment, and the excerpts vary considerably in length. The numerous biographical notes are probably taken from the work of Hesychius of
Miletus.
The Lexicon (MEson' ~vPayoj'y,~), published later than the Bibliotheca, was probably in the main the work of some of his pupils. It was intended as a book of
reference to facilitate the reading of old classical and sacred authors, whose language and vocabulary were out of date. The only manuscript of the Lexicon is
the Codex Galeanus, which passed into the library of Trinity College, Cambridge.
His most important theological work is the Amphilochia, a collection of some 300 questions and answers on difficult points in Scripture, addressed to
Amphilochius, archbishop of Cyzicus. Other similar works are his treatise in four books against the Manichaeans and Paulicians, and his controversy with the
Latins on the Procession of the Holy Spirit.
The chief contemporary authority for the life of Photius is his bitter enemy, Nicetas the Paphlagonian, the biographer of his rival Ignatios (Feast-day, October
23rd).

(wikipedia)

Sainted Photios, Patriarch of Constantinople, lived during the IX Century, and came from a family of zealous Christians. His father had died a martyr's death in
defence of holy icons. Saint Photios received an excellent education and, having family relations with the imperial house, he occupied the position of first state
secretary in the Senate. His contemporaries said of him: "He so distinguished himself with knowledge in almost all the secular sciences, that it rightfully might
be possible to take into account the glory of his age and compare it with the ancients". The young successor to the throne, Michael, and the future Enlightener
of the Slavs, the Equal-to the-Apostles Cyril, were taught the sciences by him. Deep Christian piety protected Saint Photios from being seduced with the charms
of court life -- with all his soul he yearned towards monasticism.
In 857 the co-ruler with emperor Michael, Bardas, expelled Patriarch Ignatios from the Constantinople cathedra-see. The bishops, knowing the piety and
extensive knowledge of Photios, informed the emperor about him as a man worthy to occupy the arch-pastoral throne. Saint Photios with humility accepted the
proposal. Over the course of 6 days he was led through the hierarchical positions, and on the day of the Nativity of Christ he was ordained bishop with
elevation to the patriarchal throne. Soon however there began discord within the Church, stirred up by the expulsion of Patriarch Ignatios from the cathedra.
In the year 861 there was convened a Council for ending of the unrest, and at which was affirmed the deposition of Ignatios and the affirming of Photios as
patriarch. Pope Nicholas I, the envoys of whom were present at this Council, hoped by affirming Photios as patriarch therein to subordinate him to his power,
but not having received what he expected, he betrayed Photios with an anathema at a Roman Council. From that moment there began for Saint Photios, and
lasting to the very end of his life, his opposition to the papal bullying and enroachment upon the Orthodox Church of the East. In 864 the Bulgarian land
voluntarily converted to Christianity. The Bulgarian prince Boris was baptised as they proposed, by Patriarch Photios himself, after which Saint Photios
dispatched an archbishop and priests for the Baptism of the Bulgarian people, and in the year 865 -- Saints Cyril and Methodios were dispatched for the
preaching of Christ in the Slavonic language. But the partisans of the pope incited the distrust of the Bulgarians towards the preachers of the Eastern Church.
The calamitous situation in Bulgaria because of an invasion by the Germans forced them to seek help in the West, and the Bulgarian prince turned to the pope
with a request to send his bishops. Having arrived in Bulgaria, the papal legates began actively to affirm there Latin teachings and useages in place of the
Orthodox. Saint Photios, being a firm defender of truth and denouncer of untruth, informed the Eastern Church by means of a circular letter about the deeds of
the pope, indicating that the falling away of the Roman Church from its ancient Orthodoxy was not only in rituals, but also in confession of faith. A Council was
convened, censuring the arrogance of the West.
In 867 Basil the Macedonian seized the imperial throne, having murdered the emperor Michael. Saint Photios denounced the murderer and did not permit him

to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. For this he was removed from the patriarchal throne and locked up in a monastery under guard. In his place was
again put Patriarch Ignatios. A Council was convened for an investigation into the conduct of Saint Photios: this Council was made with the participation of
papal legates, who demanded of the Council the signing of a document about the unconditional subordination of all the Church to the judgement of the pope.
The Eastern bishops, not in agreement with this, entered into an argument with the legates. Summoned to the Council, Saint Photios answered all the
accusations of the legates with silence, and only to the question of the judges as to whether he wished to repent, did he reply: "Wherefore do ye consider
yourselves judges?" The opponents of Photios after long disputes gained the victory, and their judgement being baseless, they pronounced an anathema upon
Patriarch Photios and the bishops defending him. The saint was sent to prison for 7 years, and by his own testimony, "he thanked the Lord, for patiently
enduring His judges...".
During this period of time the Latin clergy were expelled from Bulgaria because of the arrogance of the pope, and Patriarch Ignatios sent there his bishops. In
679, after the death of Patriarch Ignatios, there was convened a Council (many fathers of the Church call it the Eighth OEcumenical), and again Saint Photios
was acknowledged as the lawful pastor of the Church. Pope John, knowing Photios personally, through his envoys declared at the Council the annulling of all
the former papal decisions about Photios. The Council acknowledged the inalterable invariability of the Nicean-Constantinople Creed, rejecting the Latin
distortion ("filioque"), and it acknowledged the independence and equality of both thrones and both Churches (Western and Eastern). The Council decided to
abolish in Bulgaria church useages and rituals introduced by the Latins, which ended their governance there.
Under emperor Basil's successor, Leo, Saint Photios again suffered through false denunciations, being accused of speaking against the emperor. Again deposed
from his cathedra-see in the year 886, the saint finished his days at the Armoneia monastery in 891.
The Orthodox Church venerates Saint Photios as a zealous defender of the Orthodox East from domination by the pope, and as a theologian, leaving behind
him various works, exposing the errors of the Latins, refuting various heresies, explicating Holy Scripture, and exploring various topics of the faith. And as such
is Numbered with Saints Gregory Palamas (November 14th, 2nd Sunday of Lent) and Saint Mark, Bishop of Ephesus (January 19th) as one of the "Three Pillars of
Orthodoxy"
(S.Janos)

St. Photios, Patriarch of Constantinople The great theologian and fearless defender of Orthodoxy came from a well-known family and held the
position of state secretary. Having a great mind Photius possessed enormous information on Holy Scripture, theology, history, philosophy, literature,
mathematics and even medicine. However brilliant was his secular life at the court, he was not fond of it and since his youth he was inclined to the spiritual life
and the quiet cultivation of the sciences, vowed to live a celibate life, wishing to devote himself to monasticism. In 858, Photius was consecrated to the rank of
Patriarch of Constantinople. He had been resisting this assignment and only the will and the persistent requests of the emperor forced him to come to the
throne to which there was no one else better to occupy. In the rank of hierarch Photius became glorified for piety, by his godly enlightenment, and by his
ascetic effort on the decision of the Seventh Ecumenical Council for the defense of the veneration of icons. He did much work in correcting the destruction and
the abuse by the iconoclasts of monasteries, churches, icons and so forth. He always and before all fervently stood up for the interests of Orthodoxy and
stigmatized vices and crimes, not being frightened even by the powers of this world. He was distinguished by his trusteeship for the charitable establishments,
which were then managed by the church, and by his personal charitableness as was shown by him especially on feast days. He zealously cared for the planting
and spread of Christianity among the Slavonic people (see May, 11). The broad missionary activity of Photius has touched even our remote and at that time wild
country. As the adherent of the Christian enlightening influence of Byzantium, Photius sent the most hopeful of his bishops for the formation of the Rus to
Christianity. This bishop-missionary performed his ascetic effort all the more probably among the Rus on the Taman Peninsula (Tmutorokan) across the Azov
Bosporus (Kerch). From these Rus Christianity was able to penetrate through Taurida even to Kievan Rus. Thus Photius was the founder of our formation in
Christianity and planter of the first seeds of the Christian faith falling on Russian soil even up to the Holy Equal to the Apostles Prince Vladimir. Our existing
ancient scribe at that time postulates that even Vladimir accepted the first Metropolitan and Bishops from Photius, and there is an echo of a tradition about
Photius as the founder and the first announcer of the formation of the Rus in the Christian faith. Through Photius, who lifted up the education levels in
Byzantium, we are also much obliged for the enlightenment revealed to those following Christianity in Bulgaria as well, and for us the remarkable powers
during the reign of Yaroslav and during the time closest after him. As the zealous advocate of Orthodoxy, Photius more than once attracted to himself the
malice of enemies and suffered them not a little. The Roman Popes autocratically and innocently even excommunicated him, and the Emperor Basil the
Macedonian exiled him in 867 to an imprisonment. But Photius endured all this with Christian courage and patience. In 879, Photius was again called to the
patriarchal throne, but, because of the intrigues of his enemies, was again removed to one Armenian monastery. The remaining days of this courageous
advocate of Orthodoxy was carried out in solitude and in the ascetic efforts of Christian piety. He died on February 6, 891 at about 75 years of age. Photius left
many works in which he accused the Latins of errors, and denied the false teachings of his contemporaries and so forth. His "Library" is a catalogue of 224
writers whom he regarded as especially remarkable and for whom he has made abstracts, and the "Nomocanon" is the systematic collection of canons and civil
laws accepted by the Eastern Church.
(BULGAKOV, From a Slav point of view)

Holy Hierarch Photios, Patriarch of Constantinople

6/19 February
The Holy Hierarch lived in the 9th Century. He was the child of zealous Christians; his father endured a martyrs death in defense of icons. St. Photios received
an excellent education, and, related to the Imperial Family, held the post of first government secretary in the senate. His contemporaries said of him he so
excelled in knowledge, in almost all spheres of secular learning, that he could truly be considered the glory of his age; he could even have disputed with the
ancients. He was the tutor of both Michael, young heir to the Imperial Throne, and Equal-to-the-Apostles Kyrill, future enlightener of the Slavs. Photios
profound Christian piety protected him from the allures of life at court. To the depths of his soul, he was drawn to the monastic life.
In 857, Varda, Michaels co-emperor, deposed Patriarch Ignatius from the Patriarchal throne of Constantinople. Aware of the piety and the breadth of learning
possessed by Photios, the bishops pointed him out to the emperor as one worthy of being ruling hierarch. St. Photios humbly accepted the office. He was
moved through the successive clerical steps [i.e. reader, subdeacon, deacon, priest ed.] over the course of 6 days, and on the day of the Nativity of Christ, was
consecrated a bishop and elevated to the Patriarchal Throne. However, soon troubles brought on by Ignatius removal from the Patriarchal Throne developed.
A Council convened in 861 to deal with those troubles confirmed Ignatius deposition and Photios election as Patriarch. Pope Nicholas I, whose emissaries
attended that Council, had hoped that by confirming that Photios as Patriarch, he would bring Photios under his sway. Failing to achieve that result, he
subsequently announced at a council in Rome that Photios was anathema. From that point, and to the end of his life, St. Photios had to do battle with papal
exercise of self-will and attempts to encroach upon the Eastern Orthodox Church. In 864, the people of Bulgarian freely converted to Christianity. It is said
that Boris, Prince of Bulgaria was baptized by Patriarch Photios himself, that subsequently Holy Hierarch Photios dispatched an archbishop and priests to
Bulgaria to baptize the Bulgarian people, and that in 865, he sent Sts. Kyrill and Methodius to preach Christ in the Slavonic language. At the same time,
adherents of the pope aroused distrust among the Bulgarian people toward the missionaries of the Eastern Church. Bulgarias impoverished condition, the
result of attacks by the Germans, forced them to seek help from the West, and the Prince of Bulgaria requested the Pope to send him bishops. Upon their
arrival in Bulgaria, the papal legates immediately began to supplant Orthodox customs and teachings with their own Latin ones. Holy Hierarch Photios, a

staunch defender of the Truth and denouncer of untruth, issued an encyclical advising the Eastern Church of the Popes actions and pointing out the Roman
Churchs departure from the ancient Orthodoxy, not only in terms of ritual but in terms of confession of faith. A Council was convened, and condemned the
self-willed action of the West.
In 867, Basil of Macedonia killed Emperor Michael and seized the Imperial Throne. St. Photios condemned the murderer and forbade him from receiving Holy
Communion. For this, he was removed from the Patriarchal Throne, and put under guard in a monastery. Ignatius was reinstated as Patriarch. The Council
convened to consider Holy Hierarch Photios actions included papal delegates, who demanded of the Council a written declaration of the Churchs
unconditional obedience to the judgment of the Pope. The Eastern bishops did not agree, and began to argue with the legates. Called to testify, St. Photios,
responded to all of the delegates questions with silence. He responded only to the question of whether he was prepared to repent, by asking And have the
judges themselves thought better of it? After lengthy argument, St. Photios opponents prevailed, and without any basis for their judgment, pronounced
anathema over Patriarch Photios and all of the bishops who had defended him. The Holy Hierarch was incarcerated for 7 years, and as he himself said, only
gave thanks unto the Lord, patiently enduring His judgment
It was during this period that because of the willfulness of the Pope, the Latin clergy were driven from Bulgaria, and were replaced by bishops sent by Patriarch
Ignatius. After the death of Patriarch Ignatius in 879, another Council (called by many of the Fathers of the Church the 8th Ecumenical Council), once again
recognized Holy Hierarch Photios as lawful Pastor of the Church. Pope John, who knew Photios personally, announced through his emissaries that all of the
previous papal decrees regarding Photios were rescinded. The Council affirmed the inviolability of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, rejected the Latin
innovation (the filioque), and recognized the independence and equality of the two thrones and two Churches, East and West. The Council decreed that in
Bulgaria, he church practices and rites introduced by the Latins there would be discontinued, thereby putting an end to Latin power in that land.
During the reign of Basils successor Leo, St. Photios again suffered as the result of a false accusation, to the effect that he had plotted against the emperor.
Removed from the cathedra in 886, the Holy Hierarch ended his days in 891 in the Armonia Monastery.
The Orthodox Church reveres St. Photios as a zealous defender of the Orthodox East against papal rule, and as a learned Theologian who left us a wide variety
of works denouncing the errors of the Latins, rebutting various heresies, explaining Divine Scripture, and elucidating various subjects of the Faith.
The Luminary, St. Photios the Great, Patriarch of Constantinople, lived and worked during the ninth century (ca. 820-893). From the time of his Consecration
(858), he proved to be an unshakable champion of the Faith, rebuking, in a decisive and effective wayand always within the boundaries of Orthodox
conciliaritycanonical, ecclesiological, and dogmatic transgressions, and also the arrogant pretensions of the emerging impiety of Papism, in the person of the
power-hungry Papal despot of Rome, Nicholas I (ca. 800-867).
If St. Photios, luminous in both name and speech (Photonymos kai Photologos), had not done his ecclesiastical duty during this crucial age, the Synodal
Tradition would have been reduced to nothing, the Sacred Canons utterly violated, the Spirit-bearing Fathers ignored, the Holy Symbol of Faith adulterated,
the Orthodox Church transformed into a lowly maidservant of the religious and political sovereign of the Vatican, and our nation led to the abyss of FrancoLatinism.
The most holy Photios, with his anti-Papal writings, which condemn the heretical Filioque, as well as other Latin innovations and the anti-ecclesiastical
Primacy of Rome, has bequeathed to us an arsenal, with weapons ready for future use4 in our struggle against the ever-worsening panheresy of Papism.
(Bishop Cyprian of Oreoi )
4. Joseph Gill, He Synodos tes Florentias [The Council of Florence] (Athens: Ekdosis Kalou Typou, 1962), p. 4.

St. Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople

6/19 February
th
St.Photius lived in the 9 Century. He was the child of zealous Christians; his father endured a martyrs death in defense of icons. St. Photius received an
excellent education, and, related to the Imperial Family, held the post of first government secretary in the senate. His contemporaries said of him he so
excelled in knowledge, in almost all spheres of secular learning, that he could truly be considered the glory of his age; he could even have disputed with the
ancients. He was the tutor of both Michael, young heir to the Imperial Throne, and Equal-to-the-Apostles Kyrill, future enlightener of the Slavs. Photius
profound Christian piety protected him from the allures of life at court. To the depths of his soul, he was drawn to the monastic life.
In 857, Varda, Michaels co-emperor, deposed Patriarch Ignatius from the Patriarchal throne of Constantinople. Aware of the piety and the breadth of learning
possessed by Photius, the bishops pointed him out to the emperor as one worthy of being ruling hierarch. St. Photius humbly accepted the office. He was
moved through the successive clerical steps [i.e. reader, subdeacon, deacon, priest ed.] over the course of 6 days, and on the day of the Nativity of Christ, was
consecrated a bishop and elevated to the Patriarchal Throne.
However, soon troubles brought on by Ignatius removal from the Patriarchal Throne developed. A Council convened in 861 to deal with those troubles
confirmed Ignatius deposition and Photius election as Patriarch. Pope Nicholas I, whose emissaries attended that Council, had hoped that by confirming that
Photius as Patriarch, he would bring Photius under his sway. Failing to achieve that result, he subsequently announced at a council in Rome that Photius was
anathema.
From that point, and to the end of his life, St. Photius had to do battle with papal exercise of self-will and attempts to encroach upon the Eastern Orthodox
Church. In 864, the people of Bulgarian freely converted to Christianity. It is said that Boris, Prince of Bulgaria was baptized by Patriarch Photius himself, that
subsequently Holy Hierarch Photius dispatched an archbishop and priests to Bulgaria to baptize the Bulgarian people, and that in 865, he sent Sts. Kyrill and
Methodius to preach Christ in the Slavonic language.
At the same time, adherents of the pope aroused distrust among the Bulgarian people toward the missionaries of the Eastern Church. Bulgarias impoverished
condition, the result of attacks by the Germans, forced them to seek help from the West, and the Prince of Bulgaria requested the Pope to send him bishops.
Upon their arrival in Bulgaria, the papal legates immediately began to supplant Orthodox customs and teachings with their own Latin ones. Holy Hierarch
Photius, a staunch defender of the Truth and denouncer of untruth, issued an encyclical advising the Eastern Church of the Popes actions and pointing out the
Roman Churchs departure from the ancient Orthodoxy, not only in terms of ritual but in terms of confession of faith. A Council was convened, and
condemned the self-willed action of the West.
In 867, Basil of Macedonia killed Emperor Michael and seized the Imperial Throne. St. Photius condemned the murderer and forbade him from receiving Holy
Communion. For this, he was removed from the Patriarchal Throne, and put under guard in a monastery. Ignatius was reinstated as Patriarch. The Council
convened to consider Holy Hierarch Photius actions included papal delegates, who demanded of the Council a written declaration of the Churchs
unconditional obedience to the judgment of the Pope. The Eastern bishops did not agree, and began to argue with the legates. Called to testify, St. Photius,
responded to all of the delegates questions with silence. He responded only to the question of whether he was prepared to repent, by asking And have the

judges themselves thought better of it? After lengthy argument, St. Photius opponents prevailed, and without any basis for their judgment, pronounced
anathema over Patriarch Photius and all of the bishops who had defended him. The Holy Hierarch was incarcerated for 7 years, and as he himself said, only
gave thanks unto the Lord, patiently enduring His judgment
It was during this period that because of the willfulness of the Pope, the Latin clergy were driven from Bulgaria, and were replaced by bishops sent by Patriarch
th
Ignatius. After the death of Patriarch Ignatius in 879, another Council (called by many of the Fathers of the Church the 8 Ecumenical Council), once again
recognized Holy Hierarch Photius as lawful Pastor of the Church. Pope John, who knew Photius personally, announced through his emissaries that all of the
previous papal decrees regarding Photius were rescinded.
The Council affirmed the inviolability of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, rejected the Latin innovation (The Filioque), and recognized the independence
and equality of the two thrones and two Churches, East and West. The Council decreed that in Bulgaria, he church practices and rites introduced by the Latins
there would be discontinued, thereby putting an end to Latin power in that land.
During the reign of Basils successor Leo, St. Photius again suffered as the result of a false accusation, to the effect that he had plotted against the emperor.
Removed from the cathedra in 886, the Holy Hierarch ended his days in 891 in the Armonia Monastery.
The Orthodox Church reveres St. Photius as a zealous defender of the Orthodox East against papal rule, and as a learned Theologian who left us a wide variety
of works denouncing the errors of the Latins, rebutting various heresies, explaining Divine Scripture, and elucidating various subjects of the Faith.

ST PHOTIOS THE GREAT

Our holy and God-bearing father Photios, the confessor and defender of the Orthodox Church and faith of Christ.
Saint Photios was a marvelous Saint full of humility and greatness. Throughout his life, he defended Orthodoxy against many heretical practices such as the
addition of the filioque clause to the Nicene Constantinopolitan Creed. He also wrote on the mystagogy of the Holy Spirit which was concerning the theology of
the Holy Ghost. Saint Photios labored in all virtues that pleased God. He wrote his famous letter to Pope Nicholas entitled Nothing is dearer than the truth
and in the same letter, he noted: it is truly necessary that we observe all things, but above all, that which pertains to matters of the faith, in which but a small
deviation represents a deadly sin.
One of the most important works of Saint Photios was the Bibliotheca also known as the Myriobiblon which was composed in the 9th century. It was composed
of 279 reviews out of the 10 thousand books which he had read by the age of 23 and these reviews were widely used in the 9th century. He wrote on every
possible subject such as theology, philosophy, rhetoric, grammar, physics, and medicine. Most of his materials were mainly from Christian and pagan authors
from the 5th century BC to his own time in the 9th century AD. These reviews were generally seen as the first Byzantine works that could be called an
Encyclopedia. Saint Photios let us with all we possess of Ctesias, Ctesias was a Greek physician who stayed at the court of the Persian king Artaxerxes II
Mnemon from 404 to 398/397. He wrote several books about Persia and India in 23 books, called Persica. Another on of Saint Photios contributions was the
Lexicon. This book was published later than the Bibliotheca and was the work of some of his pupils. It was intended as a book of reference to facilitate the
reading of old classical and sacred authors, whose language and vocabulary were out of date. The only manuscript of the Lexicon is the Codex Galeanus
St.Photios began to write many spiritually profitable and to interpret the divine depths of the Holy Scriptures. His most important theological work is the
Amphilochia, in which he answers 326 questions and problems drawn from the Holy Scriptures, addressed to Amphilochius, archbishop of Cyzicus. Other
similar works are his treatise in four books against the Manichaeans and Paulicians, and his controversy with the Latins on the Procession of the Holy Spirit. St.
Photios also addressed a long letter of theological advice to the newly-converted Boris I of Bulgaria.
St. Photios was also known for his brilliance and for his missionary zeal, and one of his greatest achievements was in the field of mission work. In 863, St.
Photios sent his two nephews from Thessaloniki, known to us today as Saints Cyril and Methodios, to preach the Gospel in Moravia. He blessed St. Cyril in his
work of developing an alphabet for the Slavonic people, and for the later work of St. Cyril and his brother St. Methodios as missionaries to the Slavs.
In the year 857 Bardas, who ruled with the Emperor Michael had Patriarch Ignatius deposed (October 23) from Constantinople. The bishops, knowing the piety
and extensive knowledge of Photius, informed the emperor that he was a man worthy to occupy the archpastoral throne. St Photius accepted the proposal with
humility. He passed through all the clerical ranks in six days. On the day of the Nativity of Christ, he was consecrated bishop and elevated to the patriarchal
throne.
The many struggles that Saint Photios undertook for the Orthodox Faith against the Manichaeans, the Iconoclasts, and other heretics, and the attacks and
assaults that he endured from Pope Nicholas the first, the Pope of Rome, and the great persecutions and distresses he suffered, are beyond number. Contending
against the Latin error of the filioque, that is, the doctrine that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son, he demonstrated clearly with his
Mystagogy on the Holy Spirit how the filioque destroys the unity and equality of the Trinity. He has left us many theological writings, panegyric homilies, and
epistles, including one to Boris, the Sovereign of Bulgaria, in which he set forth for him the history and teachings of the Seven Ecumenical Councils.
The Orthodox Church venerates St Photius as a "pillar and foundation of the Church," an "inspired guide of the Orthodox," and a wise theologian. He left
behind several works, exposing the errors of the Latins, refuting soul-destroying heresies, explicating Holy Scripture, and exploring many aspects of the Faith.
We have 193 personal letters they cover all the chief periods of Photios life, and are the most important source for his history. Having tended the Church of
Christ in holiness and in an evangelical manner, and with fervent zeal having rooted out all the tares of every alien teaching, he departed to the Lord in the
Monastery of the Armenians on February 6, 891.
Photius (858-867 and 877-886 (+ 891). A descendant of St Tarasius (February 25), St Photius was the greatest cultural figure in ninth century Constantinople.
With his brilliant education, he easily opposed the new heresy of the filioque, which was then being promoted in Rome by the Franks. Among some he is
known as the Great. Feast: 6 February.

(Orthodox England)

Photios was born in Constantinople in the early 9th century. His uncle was Patriarch Tarasios who oversaw the 7th Ecumenical

Council which condemned the iconoclasts. His pious family zealously supported the icons, never wavering to any of the
persecutions that befell them, including isolation and starvation. From a young boy, Photios stood firm against heresies, even
while witnessing the martyrdom of his parents who died in exile. He was drawn to the monastic life from his childhood and was a
sponge for knowledge. This zeal, combined with his gift of intellect, made him exceedingly wise and well known.

When Photios was around twenty, he witnessed the ending of the heretical iconoclasm by the pious Empress Theodora who assumed the
throne after the death of her impious husband, Theophilos, an iconoclast himself. She was the one who summoned the 7th Ecumenical Council
in the year 843 -- a victory in the Church that is beyond measure. It was at this Council that the veneration of icons was restored. Orthodox
everywhere, to this day, celebrate this victory on the first Sunday of the Great Fast, known as the Sunday of Orthodoxy.
The only dissenter of the Council was Patriarch John VII. He was deposed and, by the direction of Theodora, replaced by a monk named
Methodios whom her own husband, during his iconoclastic reign, had ordered into exile. Together with the Empress, he showed forgiveness to
the former iconoclasts and peace was re-gained within the Church, except for a small group of zealots who neglected their Christian obligation
to forgive and sought only punishment upon the repentant ones. Patriarch Methodios served for only four years, reposing in the year 847.
Theodora appointed a monk, Ignatios.
Ignatios had been a very pious and giving monk who, at the same time, was a great soldier and defender of the faith against heresy...clinging to
the canons of the Church completely. Due to this, he was labeled as an "extremist" monk and frowned upon by the liberal Bardas who was
Theodora's brother.
Ignatios refused to recognize the Archbishop of Syracuse, Gregory who had fled the Arab invasions that fell upon his diocese in Sicily. While
Gregory was a fugitive, he lead a liberal group and was accused of misconduct concerning an ordination. Ignatios refused to concelebrate with
Gregory because he had ordained a bishop of Constantinople without permission. While Methodios had showed only forgiveness and brought
unity, Ignatios lead the Church towards schism. Gregory made the issue known to Pope Leo who saw Syracuse as part of his jurisdiction. When
he inquired of Ignatios the reasons for his actions against his bishop, there was no reply. Nor could Leo's successor, Benedict III, manage to
receive an acceptable explanation for the actions of Ignatios against Gregory.
In his young adult years, Photios was a Professor of Philosophy at a well respected school that had been established by Bardas, Empress
Theodora's brother. A brilliant and influential instructor, he was elevated by the young Emperor Michael III through the imperial ranks, against
his wishes.
In 856, Emperor Michael turned over the government to Bardas. Bardas came to be known as an immoral man who lived loosely and misguided
the young Michael. As a result, Michael's dependency upon his wise mother, in time, turned to resentment and he felt smothered by her. This
was fueled by Bardas and together they had Theodora's minister and friend, Theoctistos, murdered. Two of Theodora's daughters were sent to
one convent and Theodora and her daughter, Pulcheria, were sent to another. The behavior of Bardas became known to Patriarch Ignatios who
was disgusted by it all and even refused Holy Communion to Bardas on the feast day of Epiphany. Bardas wanted to have Theodora and her
daughters tonsured as nuns but Ignatios refused because they had been forced into their monasticism. Thus began the deterioration between
the Church and state. Through the machinations of Bardas and Michael, Ignatios was arrested and exiled and later resigned.
After over a year of vacancy, Bardas advised that Photios be appointed to the chair of the Patriarch as they shared the same moderate
viewpoints. However, Photios did not wish to take upon himself this task, though after some time he reluctantly accepted, at the age of 38.
With his enthronement to Patriarch, Photios thereby accepted the Seven Ecumenical Councils and supported all anathemas decided upon by
the Church up to that time. He went forward humbly and in the fear of God to walk his Patriarchal path.
Ignatios watched from the shadows while his followers became increasingly restless at the enthronement of Photios. They refused to recognize
Photios as patriarch and maintained that Ignatios was the lawful patriarch. Although Ignatios had, himself, submitted his resignation, he did
not hinder their actions. The fanatic Ignatios monks decided to involve Pope Nicholas I of Rome in the affairs of the enthronement of Photios.
The Pope took great interest in the situation, though knowing very little of it's circumstances. He was desiring to bring the entire church under
his control and leadership and saw this as a golden opportunity.
In response to the workings of the fanatical bishops and monks, the tender and loving Photios was forced to act. He called together the Council
of 859 at which it was stated that the enthronement of Ignatios was invalid because it was not decided upon by a synod, but rather he was
appointed by Theodora. There was much upheaval at this council from both sides and Bardas handled the protestors in an improper manner.
Bardas blamed Ignatios for the actions of his bishops and monastic followers. As a result, he ordered Ignatios to be exiled to the island of
Mytilene. Likewise he enforced cruel acts upon those followers. Photios rebuked Bardas, stating that if the acts upon these men did not cease,
he would step down from the Patriarchate. The actions were curbed and Ignatios was allowed to return and his belongings were given back to
him. Despite this, Ignatios still refused to recognize Photios' position.
Dismissing the true cannons of the Eastern Church, the Pope formed his false foundation of authority over all of the sees of Orthodoxy. He
boldly addressed Photios, in writing, stating that Photios' appointment to the Patriarchal throne was not canonical in that he was elevated
from among the laity.
Emperor Michael ordered what came to be known as the First-Second Council. Pope Nicholas had sent representatives to this council to
determine the validity of Photios' enthronement and to respect that position, should it be found valid. However, he demanded that he be
given authority over southern Italy, Sicily, the Balkans and the Slavic lands which had just recently embraced the faith.
This Council accepted the enthronement of Photios as canonical. In response to the behavior of the followers of Ignatios, it also defined that in
order to not disrupt the unity of the church, no clergy shall independently denounce the authority of their bishop or create schism without the
issue having been decided on by a council. However, they encouraged defense of the faith against any bishop who professes a concept that has
been deemed heretical by the Holy Fathers and Councils of the Church. Rather than instigating a schism, such people are properly condemning
a false bishop and striving for the unity of the Faith.

Photios responded to Pope Nicholas and gently rebuked his behavior using the Truth of the Church. He stated that nowhere in the canons of
the church did it address the elevation of a layman to the bishopric. Therefore, since he had violated no canons through his appointment, there
should not be made such a controversy. He reiterated his stance of being in his position against his will and the pain of heart that he continued
to endure as a result. He spoke kindly and with brotherly love to Nicholas, to no avail.
In addition, when Nicholas' emissaries returned from the council with the news that the Pope's wishes for the acquisition of land had not been
granted, he became enraged. In 863, in the Roman Lateran, Nicholas excommunicated Photios. He was still insisting that Photios'
appointment as Patriarch was not canonical. In turn, he insisted upon recognizing Ignatios as Patriarch, despite the fact that Ignatios was no
longer serving this position, by his own resignation. He went on to inform Emperor Michael and the Patriarchs of all of the Eastern sees of his
self-proclaimed superiority over all the churches. He claimed this based upon the flawed Western interpretation of the supremacy of the
Apostle Peter and erroneous documents 'Donation of Constantine' & 'The Isidorian Decretals'. Emperor Michael ceased communications with
the Pope and Photios chose to remain silent.
Amid the struggles we have mentioned above, there also occurred, around the year 860,a horrific invasion of the Byzantine Empire by yet
uncivilized, Russian barbarians . They killed ruthlessly everyone in their path, spilling innocent and pious Christian blood everywhere. They
slew babies and women alike, young and old, with unfathomable coldness of heart. They pillaged the empire and took much. Photios, seeing
this invasion as a sign of the empire's own sins, gathered the people to pray fervently and confess their wrongdoings. Their prayers were heard
and the invasions ceased. Photios gave services of thanks to God and the Theotokos for their aid.
Photios lived up to his apostolic responsibilities by making every attempt to spread the word of Christ to the surrounding areas who were yet
unaware of Christianity. He sent two brothers, Cyril and Methodios, to instruct the people of the Slavic lands. In time they converted many
pagans and baptized them into the faith, thus spawning the dawn of Russian Orthodoxy. St Cyril had formed the Cyrillic alphabet and
translated the Bible into the Slavonic language in order to ease the education of the people. Their struggles were many as they endured conflicts
and imprisonments, but their mission proved to change the course of Christianity.
The actions of Photios, with the aid of Cyril and Methodios, caused Christianity to spread far throughout those lands. In time, the Bulgarian
Orthodox Church was formed. While this is a very laudable thing, Pope Nicholas only found his jealousy fueled by it. After a short time, Prince
Boris-Michael requested of Photios that the Bulgars be given their own Patriarch. Photios, feeling that this was premature, did not agree to this
but agreed to continue to send missionaries. This is when Nicholas seized the opportunity to over-step Photios by imposing his assertions as to
the primacy of Rome. He sent representatives who coaxed Boris-Michael into pledging his faithfulness to the Church of Rome. In a short time,
Nicholas had saturated Bulgaria with his own clergy and carried out persecutions of the clergy who had been sent there by Photios. Likewise, he
uprooted the true dogma of the church and replaced it with his own thoughts and rules. Among these were the idea that clergy should not be
married, the lightening of the rules of fasting which are critical to the true Christian; the criticism of the Epiklesis and the use of leavened bread
and, in time, the defilement of the Creed with the addition of the Filioque. All of these false ideas conflicted with the canons of the Church.
Now, the humble and God-fearing Photios always guided with words of truth, never acting out of self-interest but rather considering only the
salvation of others and the unity of the Church. But the time had come where silence had to be broken, for it was his duty to reveal heresy when
he saw it, lest the Church be guided away from the truth. He sent out letters firmly rebuking the actions of the Pope and calling for a council to
settle the many conflicting issues forming between the East and West Thereby, the Ecumenical Council of 867 formed and was attended by
about 1,000 bishops, members of the clergy and monastics. The canonical judgment of this council was to excommunicate Pope Nicholas.
Ironically, Nicholas died before the news could reach his ears. He was succeeded by Pope Hadrian II.
In addition, Emperor Michael III was murdered and Basil I took the throne. Basil, acting out of self-interest, removed Photios and brought
Ignatios back to the Patriarchal position. Likewise, he took up ties with West and Pope Hadrian. He agreed to form a council in Constantinople
in 869. He and Ignatios agreed to acknowledge the Pope's primacy and helped to convene what came to be known by the West as the Eighth
Ecumenical Council, which the West still recognizes to this day. The Eastern Church, however, has never acknowledged this council as it
consisted only of 110 hand-selected bishops and did not fully represent the Church. In fact, some bishops had not even been made aware of the
council. At this council, all truthful papers from the previous council were burned.
Photios remained silent during the reading of the many anathemas placed upon him at this false council. He "carried his cross" and endured
with patience and humility. From exile, he wrote several books and commentaries and even hymns. By letter he continued to be a wonderful
guide and teacher of the truth.
Meanwhile, when Pope Hadrian learned that this council had given jurisdiction of Bulgaria to Constantinople, he sent threats of
excommunication to Ignatios. Hadrian died towards the end of 872 and was replaced by Pope John VIII. This Pope picked up where Hadrian
had left off and sent letters to Ignatios demanding that he remove his clergy from Bulgaria or else face excommunication, along with that of any
of his clergy who refused to leave.
In time, the silent rebuking of Photios' forbearance, chipped away at the conscience of both Ignatios and the emperor Basil, who eventually
pulled Photios back out of exile. Their ties became close and Photios was even put in charge of the education of Basil's sons. Ignatios and
Photios reconciled and became very close friends. After becoming ill and nearing his death, Ignatios made the suggestion to Basil of reinstating
Photios as Patriarch. Three days after Ignatios died, Photios resumed his position.
In 879, a council was held in the church of Agia Sophia which condemned the Western addition of the Filioque (which was agreed to by a
Cardinal and two bishops sent as representatives of Rome). Pope John VIII wrote a letter recognizing the virtues and grace-filled wisdom of
Photios. He called upon all to dispose of all previous actions of Rome against Photios. He rejected the council held by Pope Hadrian against
Photios and considered that council nullified.
While these actions by Pope John VIII and his bishops who also signed this letter were positive and headed back to the truth, he claimed that
the authority to reverse these actions/council against Photios was afforded him due to his primacy over all of the churches. He stated that if

Photios were to repent of his past, he would afford him absolution. Likewise, he tried to once again pull jurisdiction of Bulgaria from Byzantium
and under his control. This letter by the Pope had been altered in its translation into the Greek which omitted things like the sovereignty of the
Pope and the issue of Bulgaria. But Cardinal Peter, one of the Latin representatives, brought up the subject. The council rejected them both as
not being part of the council for they were not in the letter read to them. Rather the council agreed that the Pope had no greater authority than
any of the other patriarchs. While Pope John was not happy with the results of the council, he nonetheless recognized them as having been
decided upon by the synod. Soon after, he sent a legate to Constantinople to again try to urge the reversal of those decisions that were contrary
to his thought. On a good note, he did not argue in favor of the Filioque but rather condemned those who try to alter the original Creed that
had been handed down by the Ecumenical Councils. On the other issues which the Pope was trying to persuade change in, nothing was altered.
During his second reign, Photios encouraged the concept of Church and State working independently yet side by side, with the good of the
people as their primary goal. Complete harmony between clergy and laity regarding things both worldly (via the emperor) and spiritual (via the
patriarch). This was not the viewpoint of the new emperor, though.
The next few years witnessed several different Popes. The issue of primacy continued to be argued.
Photios continued to refute the heresy of the Filioque. He did so in a truthful manner, not attacking any one individual but rather the concept
itself. He provided countless examples from Holy Scripture; the words of Christ himself; declarations of prophets; and also church doctrine -based upon numerous Ecumenical Councils which had addressed the very subject.
Upon the sudden death of Emperor Basil, his son, Leo took the throne. Despite having been educated by Photios and even saved by him, Leo
had turned against Photios out of jealousy and fear. He brought false charges against Photios and wrote erroneous claims against Photios to the
Pope. In a few months, Photios was deposed and exiled and Leo appointed his sixteen-year-old brother, Stephen, as the new Patriarch. His
reign was short lived as he died at the age of twenty-three. He was succeeded by Anthony II, who was succeeded by Nicholas I.
Photios, once again living in exile, bravely endured his trials, knowing full well the heavenly rewards that awaited him for his endurance. The
servant of God, Photios, reposed on February 6, 891. He will forever be revered as a soldier of the faith who selflessly withstood many torments
in order to preserve and defend the truth and welfare of the Church. Holy Photios, pray unto God for us that our souls be saved!

Holy Photios, pray unto God for us that our souls be saved!
As for the thrice-blessed Photios,the great and most resplendent Father and teacher of the Church, the Confessor of the Faith and Equal to
the Apostles, he lived during the years of the emperors Michael (the son of Theophilus), Basil the Macedonian, and Leo his son. He was the
son of pious parents, Sergius and Irene, who suffered for the Faith under the Iconoclast Emperor Theophilus; he was also a nephew of Saint
Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (see Feb. 25). He was born in Constantinople, where he excelled in the foremost imperial ministries,
while ever practicing a virtuous and godly life. An upright and honorable man of singular learning and erudition, he was raised to the
apostolic, ecumenical, and patriarchal throne of Constantinople in the year 857.
The many struggles that this thrice-blessed one undertook for the Orthodox Faith against the Manichaeans, the Iconoclasts, and other
heretics, and the attacks and assaults that he endured from Nicholas I, the haughty and ambitious Pope of Rome, and the great persecutions
and distresses he suffered, are beyond number. Contending against the Latin error of the filioque, that is, the doctrine that the Holy Spirit
proceeds from both the Father and the Son, he demonstrated clearly with his Mystagogy on the Holy Spirit how the filioque destroys the
unity and equality of the Trinity. He has left us many theological writings, panegyric homilies, and epistles, including one to Boris, the
Sovereign of Bulgaria, in which he set forth for him the history and teachings of the Seven Ecumenical Councils. Having tended the Church of
Christ in holiness and in an evangelical manner, and with fervent zeal having rooted out all the tares of every alien teaching, he departed to
the Lord in the Monastery of the Armenians on February 6, 891.

Saint Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople, "the Church's far-gleaming beacon," lived during the ninth century, and came from a
family of zealous Christians. His father Sergius died as a martyr in defense of holy icons. St Photius received an excellent education and, since
his family was related to the imperial house, he occupied the position of first state secretary in the Senate. His contemporaries said of him:
"He so distinguished himself with knowledge in almost all the secular sciences, that it rightfully might be possible to take into account the
glory of his age and compare it with the ancients."
Michael, the young successor to the throne, and St Cyril, the future Enlightener of the Slavs, were taught by him. His deep Christian piety
protected St Photius from being seduced by the charms of court life. With all his soul, he yearned for monasticism.
In 857 Bardas, who ruled with Emperor Michael, deposed Patriarch Ignatius (October 23) from the See of Constantinople. The bishops,
knowing the piety and extensive knowledge of Photius, informed the emperor that he was a man worthy to occupy the archpastoral throne. St
Photius accepted the proposal with humility. He passed through all the clerical ranks in six days. On the day of the Nativity of Christ, he was
consecrated bishop and elevated to the patriarchal throne.
Soon, however, discord arose within the Church, stirred up by the removal of Patriarch Ignatius from office. The Synod of 861 was called to
end the unrest, at which the deposition of Ignatius and the installation of Photius as patriarch were confirmed.
Pope Nicholas I, whose envoys were present at this council, hoped that by recognizing Photius as patriarch he could subordinate him to his
power. When the new patriarch proved unsubmissive, Nicholas anathematized Photius at a Roman council.
Until the end of his life St Photius was a firm opponent of papal intrigues and designs upon the Orthodox Church of the East. In 864, Bulgaria
voluntarily converted to Christianity. The Bulgarian prince Boris was baptized by Patriarch Photius himself. Later, St Photius sent an
archbishop and priests to baptize the Bulgarian people. In 865, Sts Cyril and Methodius were sent to preach Christ in the Slavonic language.
However, the partisans of the Pope incited the Bulgarians against the Orthodox missionaries.

The calamitous situation in Bulgaria developed because an invasion by the Germans forced them to seek help in the West, and the Bulgarian
prince requested the Pope to send his bishops. When they arrived in Bulgaria, the papal legates began to substitute Latin teachings and
customs in place of Orthodox belief and practice. St Photius, as a firm defender of truth and denouncer of falsehood, wrote an encyclical
informing the Eastern bishops of the Pope's actions, indicating that the departure of the Roman Church from Orthodoxy was not only in
ritual, but also in its confession of faith. A council was convened, censuring the arrogance of the West.
In 867, Basil the Macedonian seized the imperial throne, after murdering the emperor Michael. St Photius denounced the murderer and
would not permit him to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Therefore, he was removed from the patriarchal throne and locked in a
monastery under guard, and Patriarch Ignatius was restored to his position.
The Synod of 869 met to investigate the conduct of St Photius. This council took place with the participation of papal legates, who demanded
that the participants sign a document (Libellus) condemning Photius and recognizing the primacy of the Pope. The Eastern bishops would
not agree to this, and argued with the legates. Summoned to the council, St Photius met all the accusations of the legates with a dignified
silence. Only when the judges asked him whether he wished to repent did he reply, "Why do you consider yourselves judges?" After long
disputes, the opponents of Photius were victorious. Although their judgment was baseless, they anathematized Patriarch Photius and the
bishops defending him. The saint was sent to prison for seven years, and by his own testimony, he thanked the Lord for patiently enduring
His judges.
During this time the Latin clergy were expelled from Bulgaria, and Patriarch Ignatius sent his bishops there. In 879, two years after the death
of Patriarch Ignatius, another council was summoned (many consider it the Eighth Ecumenical Council), and again St Photius was
acknowledged as the lawful archpastor of the Church of Constantinople. Pope John VIII, who knew Photius personally, declared through his
envoys that the former papal decisions about Photius were annulled. The council acknowledged the unalterable character of the NiceanConstantinople Creed, rejecting the Latin distortion ("filioque"), and acknowledging the independence and equality of both thrones and both
churches (Western and Eastern). The council decided to abolish Latin usages and rituals in the Bulgarian church introduced by the Roman
clergy, who ended their activities there.
Under Emperor Basil's successor, Leo, St Photius again endured false denunciations, and was accused of speaking against the emperor. Again
deposed from his See in 886, the saint completed the course of his life in 891. He was buried at the monastery of Eremia.
The Orthodox Church venerates St Photius as a "pillar and foundation of the Church," an "inspired guide of the Orthodox," and a wise
theologian. He left behind several works, exposing the errors of the Latins, refuting soul-destroying heresies, explicating Holy Scripture, and
exploring many aspects of the Faith.
(http://stoswaldfoundation.blogspot.com/2010/02/st-photius-great-defender-of-orhtodoxy.html)

Saint Photius and the Triumph of Orthodoxy

At the end of the period of the Ecumenical Councils that had formulated the dogmas about the Incarnation of the Word, St. Photius opened a new era in the
struggle for true Church doctrine. Henceforth, the struggle would center above all on the truths associated with the mystery of Pentecost: the Holy Spirit, grace,
and the nature of the Church. In other words, if during the period of the Ecumenical Councils the economy of the Person (Hypostasis) of the Son of God was set
forward, the new era witnessed how theological thought and art were primarily oriented toward the Mystagogy of the divine Hypostasis of Our Lord the Holy
Spirit.2 This turning point, which in many respects was decisive for the direction of the Church and its art were to follow, carried the stamp of the great
hierarch and confessor Saint Photius Equal to the Apostles.
The life of the Church, its thought and art, are marked by the exceptional personality and activity of this Patriarch, not only during this period but well beyond
it. In the struggle against heresy, Photius possessed exceptional assets: he belonged to a family of confessors of Orthodoxy (he himself, his father, and his uncle
had been anathematized by the iconoclasts). Combining a solid theoretical education with flexible, impeccable tactics, he clearly saw the road that was to lead
to the defeat of the heresy. He reorganized the schools and other institutions of learning so that an effective apologetic could be mounted effectively to refute
the rather thin positions advanced by the iconoclasts. The iconoclasts were dependent upon the sciences for their assault against the Orthodox. St. Photius
predecessor, St. Ignatius, stressed piety as the best response. By contrast, Photius viewed piety as insufficient; for him it was precisely the acquisition of
knowledge that would stand as the standard-bearer in the fight against this heresy. St. Constantine, the future apostle of the Slavs, and a close friend of St.
Photius, was named head of the centers of academic training. He appointed artists and learned men to begin the restoration of painting in the churches.
St. Photius was absolutely unbending in his stance against iconoclasm; in affirming this we would do well to regard our times at the opening of the twenty-first
century as uncompromisingly iconoclastic, but without blood. Like the Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical council, he viewed this heresy as a direct denial of
the Incarnation of the Son of God for our sakes. In his letters to his godson, Michael, King of Bulgaria, he called the iconoclasts Christ-fighters, worse than the
Jews.3 Elsewhere, he stated, In your mind, you [iconoclasts], are conducting an ignoble war against Christ, not openly and directly, but by means of the
icon.4 Like the Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, he held the Icon to be rooted in Holy Tradition alongside Holy Scripture. He developed and
clarified this line of approach. He drew attention to the primacy of seeing over hearing (a primacy emphasized in patristic writings), and was emphatic about
the importance of teaching through the icon. The person who refuses the icon has already refused instruction by the Holy Scriptures. To venerate icons means
to correctly understand Holy Scripture and vice versa.5
Now we touch upon the eschatological tenor of our Orthodox veneration of the Icon. Our relative worship corresponds to the prophecy of Sophonias (3:14-15).6
Said the Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, The one who venerates the icon, venerates the hypostasis of the One it represents 7 because, as Saint
Sophonias prophesies, the Lord, the King of Israel, is in the midst of thee. The vision of Christ at His Second Coming presupposes a confession of His First
Coming and the veneration of the image of His person, or hypostasis, that points to it. Here we recall the second Troparion of the fourth ode of the canon of the
Icon of the Holy Face (in Church Slavonic): In former times, Moses, having asked to see God was able to contemplate God only obscurely, seeing His Back; but
the New Israel sees Thee, our Deliverer, clearly face to face. The icon not only teaches us things about God; it makes God Himself known to us. In the icon of
Christ, we contemplate His divine Person in the glory with which He will return, that is, in His glorified, transfigured face.
We also represent the Theotokos, the angels and all the saints. This is because in the eyes of the Council, the image of a saint and above all the Mother of God
represents, like the image of Christ, a visible prefiguration of the age to come: the glory which thou gavest Me, I have given them (Jn 17:22). When He shall
appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is (I Jn. 3: 2).

This vision will also be the theological framework for the content of the icon. Thus, in the nineteenth century, Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow applies the
words of St. Paul to the icon, And we all, who with unveiled face, behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from
glory to glory, as from the Lord, the Spirit (2 Cor. 3: 18 ). Philaret says the following:
Notice that St. Paul does not speak of himself but of all. Consequently, he is not speaking of the distinctive privilege of a man inspired by God, but of an action,
a state that is available to a great number and, to a certain degree, to all. He says, And we all, with unveiled face, behold the glory of the Lord. That is, we
behold not only the face of Jesus Christ but His gloryWe do not watch like passive spectators, but we present our soul to the luminous face of Jesus Christ, like
a mirror, to receive His light. If We are being transformed into the same image; then we steadfastly strive to grow in the likeness of the image of Jesus Christ.

2 St. Luke writes in Acts 15:18, Known unto God are all His works which are from the beginning of the world. The holy Fathers of the Ecumenical Councils do not bring
forward any new teachings, neither do they define, as is the case with those who follow Augustine of Hippo, the Divine Essence. Their work is primarily that of a
definite, clear proclamation of the Gospel once delivered to the Saints (Jude 3), and of setting limits (in Greek, , a boundary, limit) to certain discussions in
theology; the Greek word, , (oros) carries neither a denotation nor a connotation of any sense of definition, not withstanding that preference in some modern
discussions.
Saint Isaac the Syrian writes, Faith is the door to mysteries, (Homily 46); and the faith of the Saints (Rev. 13:10), the holy Orthodox Faith, is the door to a lifetime of
revelations and mysteries in the Church of God under Hierarchs who are faithful to the vows they made at their ordination to the Episcopate. A life in the uncreated
Divine energies is what is meant by the word, Mystagogia. If any Hierarch should ever break his vow (God forbid), the sheep at once should flee from him as a false
shepherd for under such a wolf the faithful, potentially, lose any participation in God.
3 PG 102: 695D.

4 PG 101: 949D
5 Hom. 73, Greek ed. of Aristarchos (Constantinople, 1901), vol. 2, 3045.
6 Rejoice, O daughter of Sion; cry aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem; rejoice and delight thyself with all thine heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord has taken away
thine iniquities, He has ransomed thee from the hand of thine enemies; the Lord, the King of Israel, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.
(Sophonias 3: 1415 LXX).
7 Mansi XIII, 37780.

8 Homily on the consecration of a church dedicated to the Icon of the Holy Face (November 17, 1855). Sermons, vol. III (Paris, 1866), 232. In the nineteenth century, Saint
Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow explained, as can be seen, the power of the image upon the believer in the same context as St. John of Damascus.
(It is important for us here in America, over 150 years after Saint Metropolitan Philaret delivered his sermon, to remember that Russia was then an Orthodox land,
strong in her draught of the strength of the Holy Spirit as imparted by holy Tradition. Our English translation of the texts quoted above in the KJV by early seventeenth
century Protestants does not have the sense that Church Slavonic brings to us. St. Seraphim, in his Conversation with A.N. Motovilov shortly before the Saints repose
in 1833, is illuminated by the Holy Spirit, as is Motovilov. Metropolitan Philarets Sermon and the Conversation deal with the same truth: In this life, through our life in
the Mysteries of God in the Church, we are being transformed into the same image as we resolutely struggle to grow in the likeness of the image of Jesus Christ.)

Photius (858-867 and 877-886 (+ 891). A descendant of St Tarasius, St Photius was the greatest cultural figure in ninth century

Constantinople. With his brilliant education, he easily opposed the new heresy of the filioque, which was then being promoted in Rome by
the Franks. Among some he is known as the Great. Feast: 6 February.

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By The Intercessions of Saint Photios, the Great,

Have mercy on Us and save us, O God. AMEN.

THE END AND GLORY BE TO GOD!

Exapostilaria, Second Tone. Hearken,, Ye Women
Since all the Church possesseth thee * as a most ardent champion * and illustrious teacher, * she celebrateth thy mem'ry * with joy while
crying out to thee:* Ever protect this flock of thine,, * and from the harm of heresy * keep it in safety, O Photios,* Thou great high Priest of
the Lord God.

/ PHOTIS
(2) (, , , , , , , ) (6 )
PHOTIS (2) (Fotis, Fotios) (6 February)
(6 JANUARY / 12 AUGUST)

SAINT PHOTIOS THE GREAT IS THE PATRON SAINT / PROTECTOR OF

BOOKS, BOOKSELLERS and LIBRARIANS
6
/
Saint Photios is the Patron Saint of Booksellers and Educators

HIS FAMILY
SAINT TARASIOS, PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE
FEBRUARY 25TH
SERGIOS AND IRENE, MAY 13TH
CONSTANTINE, SERGIOS, TARASIOS AND THEODOROS

. . . .

,
, , ,
, , ,
.
Apolytikion of the Synaxis of the Three Pillars of Orthodoxy, First Tone. A citizen of the desert
Divine revealers of Orthodox dogmas, O wise Hierarch Photios; glorious Gregory, shining luminary of Thessalonica; and
Mark, Shepherd of Ephesus, make steadfast on the unbreakable rock of the true Faith those who cry: Glory to Him that hath
made you wondrous, glory to Him that hath magnified you, glory to Him that confirmeth the Orthodox Faith through you.

Apolytikion of the Synaxis of the Three Pillars of Orthodoxy, Fourth Tone. Be swift to anticipate
As servants of the Trinity, wise expounders of correct dogma, and sacred mystagogues were ye shown forth to the world, O
Hierarch Photios, Father Gregory, and Mark, Shepherd of Ephesus, protectors of the Orthodox and unbreakable foundations
of the whole Church.

Kontakion of the Synaxis of the Three Pillars of Orthodoxy, Second Tone. Thou hast taken to Thyself
Let us sing of the renowned Hierarchs Gregory and Photios, together with the illustrious Mark, as true guardians of
Orthodoxy; for, by the correctness of their doctrines, they put to shame the arrogance of Western heresies, beseeching Divine
illumination for all.

Megalynarion

Rejoice, O honored trinity of Fathers, * Photios all-blessed, * and thou, O sacred Gregory, * together with Divine Mark, * the
three-branched candelabrum, * that shineth as a beacon on the whole Church of Christ.

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Lives of the Other Three Pillars of Orthodoxy

Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica
This divine Father, who was from Asia Minor, was from childhood reared in the royal court of Constantinople, where he was instructed in both religious
and secular wisdom. Later, while still a youth, he left the imperial court and struggled in asceticism on Mount Athos, and in the Skete at Beroea. He spent
some time in Thessalonica being treated for an illness that came from his harsh manner of life. He was present in Constantinople at the Council that was
convened in 1341 against Barlaam of Calabria, and at the Council of 1347 against Acindynus, who was of like mind with Barlaam; Barlaam and Acindynus
claimed that the grace of God is created. At both these Councils, the Saint contended courageously for the true dogmas of the Church of Christ, teaching in
particular that divine grace is not created, but is the uncreated energies of God which are poured forth throughout creation: otherwise it would be
impossible, if grace were created, for man to have genuine communion with the uncreated God. In 1347 he was appointed Metropolitan of Thessalonica.
He tended his flock in an apostolic manner for some twelve years, and wrote many books and treatises on the most exalted doctrines of our Faith; and
having lived for a total of sixty-three years, he reposed in the Lord in 1359. His holy relics are kept in the Cathedral of Thessalonica. A full service was
composed for his feast day by the Patriarch Philotheus in 1368, when it was, established that his feast be celebrated on this day. Since works without right
faith avail nothing, we set Orthodoxy of faith as the foundation of all that we accomplish during the Fast, by celebrating the Triumph of Orthodoxy the
Sunday before, and the great defender of the teachings of the holy Fathers today. His Feast day is celebrated November 27 / 14 , on the Second Sunday of
Great Lent. And The 1st Sunday of the Month of November

Saint Mark Eugenicus, Metropolitan of Ephesus

The great teacher and invincible defender of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic I. Church, Saint Mark, was the offspring and scion of
the imperial city, Constantinople. Reared by most pious parents, and instructed in secular and spiritual wisdom, he became pre-eminent in
both. Saint Mark lived as an ascetic on the Princes' Islands and later in the monastery of Saint George Magana in Constantinople. He
passed through all the degrees of the priesthood, and was finally advanced to the dignity of Archbishop and the lofty throne of the
Metropoly of Ephesus. At the insistence of Emperor John Paleologus, the Saint was sent to the council of the Latins in Florence, to unite the
churches that had been divided for so many years. He astounded the papal teachers with the divine wisdom of his words, and was the
only one who did not sign the blasphemous decree of that false council. Because of this, the holy Church of Christ has ever honoured this
great man as a benefactor, teacher, sole defender, and invincible champion of the Apostolic Confession. He reposed in 1443. His Feast day
is celebrated on January 19 / February 1, and And The 1st Sunday of the Month of November
. :
6
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Patriarch Photios the Great of Constantinople,

Equal to the Apostles and Confessor
Whom the Holy Orthodox Catholic Church Commemorates on
February 6 (19 Old Calendar)

Photius, Photi, Photis, Photie, Fotius, Fotios, Foti, Fotis, Photiou, Fotiou, Photie, Fotie, Franklin, Frank, Frankland,
Franklyn

Apolytikion, Pl.4th Let Us Worship the Word

As a radiant beacon of Wisdom hid in God, * And a Defender of Orthodoxy revealed from on High,* O Great Photios, Blest adornment of The
Patriarchs, *Thou didst refute the Innovations of Boastful (western) Heresy, O Light of the Holy Churches, * Which do thou keep from all
error, O luminary of the Dayspring on High.

Another Troparion - Tone 4

Follower of the Apostles' way / And teacher of mankind: / Intercede, O Photius, with the Lord of all, / To grant peace to the world // And to
our souls great mercy!
Saint Photios was Patriarch of Constantinople from 858 to 867 and from 877 to 886.
He was an intimate of the powerful, a courtier, an intellectual, an encyclopedist, a teacher, and a voracious student of anything that books
could offer.
At the same time he was a strong upholder of Orthodoxy, the savior of Constantinople, the father of his flock, and the spiritual adviser of
kings.
In his writings and activities Photios embodied the intellectual pattern which represented the Byzantine spirit in subsequent centuries.1 In the
ninth century, with Photios begins, as is correctly stated by Professor Zakythinos, "the orbis byzantinus."2 Photios came from a well-to-do
upper-class family.
His father was Sergios, a spatharios in the palace;3 his mother's name was Irene.
It seems that a member of his family- it is not clear who-married into the imperial family; thus Photios was distantly related to the Amorian
dynasty.4 He had four brothers; Sergios and Constantine who became protospatharii; Tarasios who became a patrikios and Theodoros who
probably was the youngest and who is called by Photios simply "brother."5 His father was related to Patriarch Tarasios whom Photios called
"uncle from his father's side."6 In his writings Photios constantly refers to the sufferings of his parents for their beliefs, sufferings which they
undoubtedly endured during the iconoclastic persecutions of the first part of the ninth century.7 The exact dates of the birth and death of St
Photios are not known.
The various biographers of the patriarch set the date of his birth sometime in the first quarter of the ninth century, with the generally
accepted date, according to Beck, around 820.8
Regarding his age, Photios occasionally gave indirect references. He called Patriarch Nikephoros his "con-temporary."9 In another passage he
stated that he was very young when he started to write his Lexicon, 10 and very old and tired when he finished the Amphilochia between 867869 during his first exile.
The later work was addressed to Amphilochios, the metropolitan of Kyzikos, and he refers to the time as "the times of evils".11
Also a very significant point in establishing the age of Photios is the information furnished by him concerning the anathema pronounced
upon his father, his uncle Tarasios, and himself by the last iconoclastic synod, which took place in 837.12
From an early age Photios dedicated himself to scholarship. Until recently the prevailing opinion was that Photios was self-taught because he
made no mention of his teachers. 13 Today, however, as we learn more about Byzantine education, especially from the lives of the saints, we
can follow Photios' education in greater detail.14 It has now been established that Byzantium had a basic system of education comprised of
grammar, rhetoric, logic, the trivium; and arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music, the quadrivium.15 The student who desired higher
education had, in all probability, to go to Constantinople. There one would go either to the school for higher education of the clergy, the
Patriarchal Academy, or to the university, which was subsidized by the government. 16 Niketas, the biographer of Ignatios, says that Photios
"was versed in grammar, philosophy, poetry, and rhetoric."17

In a letter to Protospatharios Michael, Photios himself defined what education meant to him. He advised his friend "to educate the children in
such a way that it would be a source of pleasure to them while young and an enduring companion in their later years."18 In these words,
according to Professor Tatakis, it is not Photios the patriarch or the theologian who is speaking, but Photios the lover of knowledge. 19 He is
in the tradition of Aulus Gellius, of Cicero, of Isocrates,an admirer of antiquity, a humanist. 20 As is evident from his life and from the
information we have, Photios knew always, whether as a private citizen, as an important official in the imperial government, as patriarch
during the peaceful years of his life, and later during the years of exile and hardship, how to offer his knowledge to everyone who came in
contact with him. Krumbacher calls him "the great teacher of his nation."21 In his enthusiasm as a teacher, Photios resembles one of the great
educators of early Christian times, St. Basil of Cappadocia.
Before he became a patriarch, and after his return from exile, Photios was a professor of philosophy and dialectics at the university at the
Magnaura Palace. He was a young man at the time of his first appointment; this we surmise from the writings of some critics on the young
teacher.22 Frequently a group of students awaited the teacher's return from his state duties, and Photios looked forward to that pleasant
moment with anticipation.23 He exerted great influence over his young disciples and his aim in educating them was always, as it had been for
Origen, to guide their minds towards religious reverence.
Many of the lectures which he delivered during this period have survived.24 In the same period, Photios continued the literary
correspondence from which many letters survive. The topics he covered were as diverse as their recipients: To a historian he wrote "About
Roman Titles";25 to scientists "About Medical Matters" and 'What is Called a Magnet", 26 to Leo the Philosopher, when he was head of the
Magnaura University, Photios wrote a letter "On the Verb 'to be.' "27
In ninth-century Byzantium, Aristotelian logic and the Aristotelian method of research were the only accepted scientific ways. Regarding his
philosophical preferences, Photios is considered an "avowed Aristotelian," but Plato was no stranger to him. He wrote on the Categories of
Aristotle, 28 and while he disagreed with Plato's Republic,29 he absorbed his ideas about images.
The Platonic influence is suggested in the text of his seven-teenth Homily, written on the occasion of the dedication of the icon of the Virgin
Mary (Panagia) at Hagia Sophia. It reads in part:
These things are conveyed both by stories and pictures, but it is the spectators rather than the hearers who are drawn to emulation. The
Virgin is holding the Creator, as an infant in her arms. Who is there who would not marvel upon seeing it rather than upon hearing about it,
at the magnitude of the mystery, and who would not rise up to laud the condescension that surpasses all words.30
After the death of the last iconoclastic emperor, Theophilos (820-842), a regency was set up consisting of Empress Theo-dora,31 the logothete
of the drome, Theoktistos; the patrician Bardas, the brother of Theodora; and her uncle, the magister Emmanuel the Armenian.32
Theodora wished to restore icon veneration.33 However, it took the regency a year to ease out the iconoclastic patriarch, John the
Grammarian, and to elect a new patriarch, Methodios, from the party of the iconophiIes.34 Unlike Empress Irene (797-802), who was
hampered by military opposition at the summoning of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod in 787, Theodora had the support of the army on
convoking a synod in March of 843, which revoked the iconoclastic decrees and reaffirmed the canons of the Synod of Nicaea of 787. In
memory of this event, the first Sunday of Great Lent is called the Sunday of Orthodoxy, still observed annually by the Eastern Orthodox
Church throughout the world with special church services and hymns. 35 The new patriarch, Methodios, recalled the bishops who had been
exiled because of their iconophile beliefs and had suffered during the iconoclastic upheavals. At the same time, however, he was very careful
not to appoint as bishops men with extremist views in order to avoid any increase in resistance by the Zealots to his efforts to bring peace into
the Church.36
In the government, however, the real power gradually passed to Theoktistos, as Theodora favored him most among the members of the
regency. Theoktistos had proved to be a very competent and, at the same time, a very faithful servant. He had served Michael II, Theophilos'
father, and Emperor Theophilos, who had appointed him to the regency council for his son Michael.37 He served Theodora with the same
zeal and devotion. Theoktistos, recognizing Photios' administrative abilities, named him protoasecretis around 851, with the rank also of
protospatharios. This meant that Photios was the director of the imperial chancellery, or, according to Anastasios Bibliothekarios, "director of
the office of asecretis."38 Some scholars believe that the appointment of Photios as protoasecretis was much earlier, probably around 843, and
that Photios succeeded the iconoclastic Zelix. Mystery still surrounds the figure of Zelix, who occupied this high position in Byzantium.39 The
next man we know to have held the office of protoasecretis is Photios. Photios, Theoktistos, and Bardas together initiated a far- reaching
educational program. It was during the regency that Leo the Mathematician, Photios, and later Constantine-Cyril taught at the university. In
the words of Father Dvomik:
The regime of Theoktistos represents the continuation of the literary and scientific movement which in Byzantium continues from the
learned Patriarch John the Grammarian to Leo the Mathematician and from Theophilos to Photios and their school.40
Unfortunately, in 847, the fourth year of his elevation,41 Patriarch Methodios died and was succeeded by Ignatios from the party of the
extremists. Ignatios, or Niketas, as he was baptized, was the son of Emperor Michael I Rangave (811-813).42 He was tonsured after the death of
his father and retired as abbot of the monasteries which he had founded on the island of Terebinthos. Ignatios, in contrast to Photios, disliked
secular learning and spent most of his life up to his appointment as patriarch seeking monastic perfection.
It seems that a faction of the iconophile clergy headed by the monks of Studion, in their zeal to preserve traditional Christianity, were
opposed to government controls as well as to any kind of secular learning. Those were the ultra-conservatives, who held that church orders
and writings should be followed in all circumstances with the utmost vigor. The rest of the iconodules, on the other hand, favored
"economia," that is, a policy of compromise in matters not concerning the fundamentals of the faith and also with the iconoclastic clergy. The
moderates wished to forget the events of the iconoclastic period, which had kept Byzantium in internal turmoil for almost a century and a
half. Among this group were Bardas, Photios (before he became patriarch), Constantine-Cyril, and other men of letters. The Patriarch Ignatios

belonged to the ultra-conservative die-hard party and was the choice of the pious iconodule Empress Theodora. Niketas, Ignatios' biographer,
insinuates that the empress played a leading part in Ignatios' elevation to the patriarchal throne.43 Anastasios the Librarian, who was sent by
the Pope to examine Ignatios' position, acknowledges in his preface to the Acts of the Eighth Synod the fact that Ignatios treated profane
learning with the upmost contempt.44 In this respect, he shared the feelings of the die-hard monks and zealots, in sharp contrast to the long
line of men of learning who sat on the patriarchal throne of Byzantium, men such as the Patriarchs Nikephoros, Tarasios, John the
Grammarian, and Methodios.
However, there was no apparent opposition by the episco-pate towards the new patriarch, as evidenced by the homage paid to Ignatios from
the friends of the deceased Patriarch Methodios.45 The leader of the group was the bishop of Syracuse, Gregorios Asbestas, who himself had
been considered for patriarch. Gregorios, it seems, had been accused of some indiscretion regarding the ordination of a priest and his case
had not been cleared at that time by the church.46 Ready to accept the new patriarch, Gregorios led his followers to the church to pay
homage to Ignatios at his enthronement. But the uncompromising Ignatios ordered Gregorios out of the Church of Hagia Sophia.47 The
quarrel between the new patriarch and Gregorios intensified as it became a quarrel between the moderates, represented by Gregorios and his
followers and friends, and the extremists of the Ignatian party. Gregorios appealed to Rome, and Pope Leo IV sent a letter to Ignatios
reprimanding him for his decision.48 There are three contemporary sources for these events, but all are partisans of Ignatios, and thus it is
rather difficult to reconstmct the case objectively.49 Nevertheless, the fact is that Ignatios lacked the temperament and diplomatic ability
needed to unify the Church; on the contrary, he brought on an internal schism among the clergy.
Meanwhile Bardas, who had gained his nephew's confidence, was elevated by the young emperor to magister and was also appointed
domestic of the schools, that is, the head of the imperial guard. Soon he also was made curopalates, a dignity conferred only upon close
relatives of the emperor. Bardas and Theoktistos both wanted to run the government, and both had different ideas as to how it should be
done, the first being a moderate, while the latter was a reactionary. One of the two had to go. On 13March 856, Michael Ill came of age and
turned the control of the government over to his uncle Bardas, raising him to the highest rank-that of caesar. It was then that Bardas and
Michael decided to eliminate Theoktistos.50 Bardas murdered Theoktistos with the approval of the emperor, and Theodora and her daughters
were restricted to the palace for some time before being sent to a convent. 51 The senate, on the other hand, applauded the decision of
Michael to rule without the regency-council. 52 The hopes of the moderates were high again. The extremists, however, with Patriarch Ignatios
as their leader, were ready to act. The signal was given when, on the feast of the Epiphany in 858, Patriarch Ignatios refused, in the presence of
all the dignitaries, to administer the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist to Bardas in Hagia Sophia. He based his action on the rumors
concerning Bardas' illicit relations with the young wife of his dead son.53 Bardas waited his turn. The moment came when he decided to
confine his sister, Empress Theodora, and her daughters to a convent, and he asked the patriarch to bless their veils. Ignatios refused to do so
and also protested the execution of a certain Gedeon, who, posing as the empress' son, had instigated a plot against Bardas. Ignatios was
accused of high treason and was exiled to his monasteries on the island of Terebinthos. It is not clear whether or not the patriarch actually
resigned. Until recently the view of the partisans of Ignatios prevailed, based on the information given by Niketas, the biographer of Ignatios.
They believed that Ignatios did not resign. However, after a careful reading of the Niketas text, it is evident that Ignatios must have resigned,
probably under duress, or his followers might have had a stronger case. The text reads:
Would you not think that the unlawfulness of the investiture had come from the fact that after Ignatios did not agree to resign honor-ably,
they took it upon themselves - certain men around the emperor - to take care of the rest of the matter.... They ordained the spatharios and
protoasecretis Photios as patriarch of Constantinople.54
The resignation of Ignatios is very significant in regard to the canonicity of Photios' position. Photios himself in his enthronement epistles to
the patriarchs of the East (Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexandria) refers to Ignatios' resignation.55 Also in his letter to Pope Nicholas I, Photios
writes: "I received this high position from the one who was patriarch be-fore me."56
Emperor Michael Ill and Bardas chose Photios as patriarch. As head of the imperial chancery, Photios had exhibited an unusual talent for
practical and administrative matters, and while he was at the university he had been admired among the learned circles. The offer came as a
surprise to Photios be-cause of his lay status.57 This was not, however, an unusual procedure in Byzantium. Three other patriarchs, Paul III
(688-694), Tarasios (died 806), and Nikephoros (died 815), were, like Photios, laymen before being elevated to the see of Constantinople, and
each had served as protoasecretis. After Photios' first effort as patriarch was to bring peace within the Church. This is evident from the text he
chose for his first sermon, which he delivered on the day of his consecration from the pulpit of Hagia Sophia, entitled "Peace on earth, good
will among men."
Also upon his accession, as was customary, Photios sent a letter to Pope Nicholas I in Rome and to the three other patriarchs in the East.60 In
the letter to the pope, Photios, after confessing his dedication to Orthodoxy, stated that he would have preferred to stay with his books and
his eager pupils, but had agreed to become patriarch in "obedience to the will of God, who was thus punishing him for his transgressions."61
In another epistle to Bardas, Photios complained again that he was forced by Bardas to take the see against his will.62 Photios' letter to the
pope reached Rome in the beginning of the year 860. The pope's reply to the patriarch was brief but friendly. He was satisfied, the pope wrote,
with the new patriarch's profession of faith, but was somewhat disturbed by the manner of his ordination. For this reason, he added, he was
sending two legates to Constantinople to examine the circumstances of Ignatios' resignation.
The two papal legates, Rodoald and Zacharias, arrived in Constantinople and attended the synod called by Photios in
861. They were also commissioned to request the return of the patrimonies of Sicily and Calabria, as well as those of Illyricum, to the
jurisdiction of Rome.53 These patrimonies had been taken away from the pope by the iconoclastic em- perors the previous century. On this
mission, however, the papal legates were not successful with the patriarch. Nevertheless, they found that the election of Photios was legal and
canonical, and after completing their mission they returned to Rome. Disappointed because the patrimonies were not re- stored to Rome,
Pope Nicholas rejected the findings of his legates and in 863 convoked a synod at the Lateran in Rome, which deposed Photios and reinstated
Ignatios.

Meanwhile, the church of Constantinople entered a period of great missionary activity under Photios' leadership (858- 867). The first contact
with Rhos came during Photios' second year as patriarch, on 18 June 869, when a fleet of 200 slipped through the Bosporos and attacked
Constantinople.64 The Rhos, or Rus, a Scandinavian people, made their first appearance in history in 839, when on the eighteenth of May of
that a year a Byzantine embassy was received by Louis the Pious in Ingelheim. In the Annales Bertiniani, it is said that the Greek ambassadors
had with them some men "qui se, id est gentem suam, Rhos vocari dicebant." They had come to see the emperor in Constantinople in order to
negotiate a trade agreement, but because it was not safe for them to re-turn by road to the East, Theophilos sent them with the embassy,
asking Louis to see that they returned safely to their country.65 The Rhos settled in two centers, in Kiev around 840 and in Novgorod about
the middle of the ninth century. They lived there peacefully and traded with the Byzantines until 860 when they attacked Constantinople. At
that time the emperor was away from the capital on a campaign against the Arabs in Asia Minor and the imperial fleet was engaging the Arabs
in the Mediterranean. The city of Constantinople was completely defenseless. The Rhos pillaged the suburbs and the small islands in the
straits.66 The prefect of the city and the patriarch were in charge of the city's defense. Photios, in two memorable sermons preached in the
Church of Hagia Sophia, encouraged the frightened inhabitants in Constantinople to put their faith in God and stand against the attack-ers.67
The siege was suddenly raised and the invaders left the city after the 'holy robe' of the Virgin was carried by the patriarch in procession
around the walls of the city and the garment was dipped in water, creating a great storm.68 We learn of the miraculous salvation of
Constantinople from Photios' sermon.
The important aftermath of this attack was that, soon after, ambassadors from the Rhos were baptized in Constantinople by the patriarch. In
his encyclical of 867, Photios announced to the patriarchs of the East that the Rhos were living now as citizens and ambassadors of the
empire.69 Although more than a century passed before the final conversion of the "Kievan Rus" to Christianity, which took place in 987/988
with Prince Vladimir's acceptance of Christianity and marriage to a Byzantine Porphyrogeneta princess, the actual Christianization of the
Rhos began at the time of Photios.
Toward the end of 860, Emperor Michael Ill and Patriarch Photios decided to renew contacts with the Khazars, a Turkish people who had
emerged north of the Caucasus about the end of the sixth century. By the middle of the seventh century they had occupied the area between
the Volga and the Dnieper rivers as far north as the forest belt of Central Russia and the Upper Oka. Emperor Heraklios in 627 had entered
into an agreement with the Khazars, who promised to guard the north Caucasian front against the Persians. In 733 the son of Leo III, the
future Emperor Constantine V, married Irene, the daughter of the Khagan of the Khazars. It was this Khazar princess who introduced the
tzitzakion - her national dress - into the court of Byzantium. The importance of the Khazars to the Byzantines is evident in the tenth-century
Book of Ceremonies, where the Khazar ruler ranked second only to the caliph of Baghdad in the diplomatic protocol among non- Christian
rulers.70
Attempts had been made in the past by Constantinople to Christianize the Khazars, but these met with very little suc- cess. It seemed that the
Khazars were more eager to trade their shamanistic religion for Judaism or Islam. In fact, the Jewish religion was dominant among the
upperclass, and Jewish rabbis were very influential at the Khazar court.
In spite of their religious preferences, however, the Khazars remained allies of Byzantium. The embassy which was sent late in 860 from
Constantinople to the Khazar Court was headed by Constantine-Cyril, a long-time friend of Photios' from the university, and by his brother
Methodios. Constan- tine-Cyril and his brother Methodios were born in Thessalonike to an upper-class Greek family. Their father was
droungarios in the army; that is, a commander of five battal- ions. 71 Both brothers received their primary education in Thessalonike, where
they had the opportunity to come in contact with the numerous Slavs who lived in that city and learn the various Slavic tongues. When
Constantine-Cyril was about seventeen years old, he went to Constantinople, where under the protection of Theoktistos he worked and
studied at the University of Magnaura and met Photios. His brother Methodios, at a young age, was appointed by Emperor Michael Ill as head
of one of the Slavic provinces because of his knowledge of Slavic languages. Methodios soon withdrew from his post and entered a monastery
on Mount Olympos in Bithynia. Constantine-Cyril, even though he had the chance to obtain a high position in the government, chose when
he was twenty-three years of age (according to the legend), to become a priest. At the end of 850 or at the beginning of 851 he was appointed
teacher at the university, where he joined, as a colleague, Photios and Leo the Philosopher, his former teachers. Thus, it is not strange that
Constantine was chosen to head the embassy to the Khazars. Constantine, accom- panied by his brother, spent the winter in Cherson in the
Crimea, where Constantine improved his knowledge of He- brew and even learned the Samaritan dialect in order to debate the Mosaic law
with the powerful rabbis at the court of the Khazar ruler, probably at Samander on the lower Terek, or at the Derbent the following summer.
72 The converts to Christianity during this particular embassy were not very numerous, about two hundred, but the alliance with the Khazars
was strengthened and remained close until the decline of their power in the beginning of the tenth century.
The Byzantine Church, however, continued its missionary activity in the Black Sea area during the decade of the 86Os, which prompted
Patriarch Photios to express his satisfaction in a letter to the archbishop of Bosporos. He said that the Black Sea from "an inhospitable sea had
now become indeed a hospitable sea," the latter being the old name for the Black Sea.73
Soon after the embassy returned from the land of the Khazars, another mission of great importance was entrusted to the brothers,
Constantine- Cyril and Methodios, in Moravia. The long treaty between Bulgaria and Byzantium signed in 814 by Khan Omortag and Emperor
Leo V expired in 845 and was not renewed. Soon afterwards the Bulgarian armies invaded Macedonia around the areas of the Strymon and
Nestos rivers. During this period the Byzantine armies were engaged in the struggle against the Arabs in Asia Minor and the fleet in the
Mediterranean. The regency government of Theodora, in order to have peace in the northern frontier, made some concessions to the Bulgars.
Thus, soon after 852, when Boris succeeded to the throne in Bulgaria, he received from the Byzantines a belt of territory some 25 miles wide,
south of the old frontier of Thrace, including the ruined for- tresses of Develotos and Anchialos.74 Boris, sensing the weakness of the
Byzantines at this time, wanted to attack them.75 But instead he changed his mind and turned westward against the Serbians and the
Croatians. The Serbians, however, captured his son Vladimir with twelve of his great boyards. Boris had to submit to terms of peace and
returned to his capital, where he lived quietly for a few years. In the west Boris' kingdom now stretched as far as the Tisza River, where it met
with the Frankish kingdom, for the Avars, who lived in Pannonia, had been completely defeated by Charle- magne's son Pepin in 796. The

then king of the Franks, Louis the German, wanting to secure the eastern flank of his domain while he battled against the rebellion of his son
Carloman, made overtures to Boris.
Previously, the Franks had been enemies of the Bulgars. During the war between the Franks and the kingdom of the Moravians, Boris at first
had allied himself with the prince of the Moravians, Ratislav, in an unsuccessful war against the Franks in 853. When, however, Louis' son
Carloman revolted against his father with the help of Ratislav, Boris went over to Louis' side and formally signed a treaty with him in 862.
During the negotiations, Boris had probably been approached by the Franks to accept Christianity and he must have been receptive to the
idea. Louis, without losing any time, wrote to Pope Nicholas I and received a letter from him congratulating him on his achievement.76
Ratislav, viewing with alarm the rapprochement between the Bulgars and the Franks, sent an embassy to Constantinople to offer an alliance
with them in order to counterbalance the pact between Boris and Louis. Ratislav at the same time requested Emperor Michael Ill to send to
Moravia a teacher who knew Slavonic and could in- struct his people in the Christian religion. Patriarch Photios saw the opportunity of
extending the influence of the Greek Church to the far regions of the Danube. Without losing any time he sent the two brothers, Constantine
and Methodios, to Moravia. We are in the dark as to how the arrangements were made. The fact is that by the summer of 864, the two
brothers set out on their journey to the land of Ratislav and stayed there no more than four years.77 Meanwhile, Constantine used a Glagolitic
alphabet (probably invented by him) and translated the Scriptures into the dialect of Macedon ian Slavonic, which was completely different
from the Slavic lan- guage spoken in Moravia, but easy to understand and to Iearn.78 The attempt by the two brothers to Christianize the
Moravians was, however, a failure. They probably returned to Constantinople around the end of the year 867, and in the following year they
went to Rome. Moravia was too far away from Constantinople and too difficult to reach for the Byzan- tines to exert their influence there.
Bulgaria, on the other hand, was an immediate neighbor, and there things turned out better for Photios and the Greek Church.
The head of Byzantine affairs at this time, as we have seen, was Bardas. Being an expert diplomat, Bardas understood the dangers of a BulgarFrankish alliance and immediately con- cluded a treaty with the Moravians in 863. What Bardas could clearly foresee was that along with the
Frankish influence in Bulgaria, there was also going to be increasing influence from Rome. Rome and the Frankish kingdom had become close
since the time of Pope Stephen Ill, who had personally gone to meet King Pepin at Ponthion on 6 January 754. This meet- ing was an
outgrowth of the pressures and policies of the iconoclastic emperors in Constantinople. The papacy had been losing ground and influence in
Byzantium; therefore, the popes were forced to search for powerful allies in the West.
Also, the Lombards who had established a kingdom in northern Italy were threatening Rome. According to the Annales, Pope Stephen met
King Pepin in the villa which is called Quierzy (Aisne) and suggested that the king should defend him and the Roman Church from attack by
the Lom- bards.79 The pope, after the king granted his request, conse- crated him and his two sons Charles and Carloman with holy oil. Later,
in 800, Charles (Charlemagne) was crowned Holy Roman Emperor of the West by Pope Leo Ill.80
Charlemagne died in 814 after a long reign and was suc- ceeded by Louis 1 the Pious as emperor. In turn, in 825 his son Louis the German took
over the government of Bavaria and gradually enlarged his domain all over Carolingian Ger- many. Next he turned eastward against the
Moravians, and for that he needed the help of the Bulgars. He also, as we have seen, had trouble with his son Carloman. This effort re-sulted
in the Franco- Bulgarian pact on the one hand, and in the Byzantine-Moravian alliance on the other. Following these events in the spring of
864, a Byzantine army invaded Bulgaria from the south while their Moravian allies moved in from the north.
The BVzantine fleet also appeared on the Bulgarian coast, blockading the harbors. During this time the Bulgars were suffering from a terrible
famine. 81 Boris capitulated quickly, gave up his idea for an alliance with the Franks, and promised to be baptized by the patriarch of
Constantinople. The pope's prayers were thus realized, with a slight difference: instead of Roman and Frankish missionaries, the Greeks had
been chosen to be God's instmments for the conversion of the Bulgars.
Boris was baptized and given the name Michael after the Byzantine emperor who stood as his sponsor. It is stated in some sources that
Patriarch Photios performed the cere- mony.82 On this occasion Photios sent Boris-Michael a long and very interesting letter, in which he
explained how a Christian prince should behave in his private and public life. This letter, a lengthy masterpiece of composition, is considered one of the best samples of Byzantine epistolography.83 It is a part of the genre of the 'Furstenspiegeln,' so well known in classical Greece
and Byzantium. There also survives another much shorter letter, which was written also by Pho- tios for Boris. While this letter is preserved
only in the manu- script Iviron 684 of the sixteenth century, the former has been copied in a number of codices from the tenth to the
eighteenth centuries. The long letter of Boris is divided into two parts: one dealing with the duties of a Christian prince, while the other gives
a brief analysis of the seven Ecumenical Synods.84
Boris, however, remained undecided between Rome and Constantinople. Finally, he turned to his former ally, the German emperor Louis II,
and in 866 asked him to send a bishop and priests to Bulgaria. At the same time he requested a bishop from Rome.85
Pope Nicholas I decided to make the most of the opportunity offered by Boris' request. Immediatley, he sent as papal legates two bishops,
Paul of Populania and Formosus of Porto, with missionaries, and for some time everything went well in Bulgaria for the Roman Church.86
Boris was so pleased with the new missionaries that he took a solemn oath to remain the faithful servant of the successor of Saint Peter
forever. 87 At the same time, the pope wrote a long letter ex- plaining in detail the everyday duties of a Christian under 106 headings.88
Nicholas finally saw his hopes and dreams materializing.
To the Byzantines, this was a serious and threatening situation. The armies of the Bulgars could invade the borders of Byzantium at any time.
Furthermore, the situation in Constantinople was very serious. Caesar Bardas, who actually ruled the empire, had been assassinated. The
murderer was Basil, a favorite of Michael Ill's, who had risen from a stable boy to become the emperor's constant companion and even- tually
was named co-emperor. There is evidence that the em- peror himself was an accomplice in the murder of Bardas.89
The Byzantines had to win the Bulgars back, but the task was not easily accomplished. The Greek missionaries, who had leeen forced to leave
Bulgaria, had made complaints about certain innovations which their Western rivals were introducing in Bulgaria. The Latins, for instance,
allowed the Bulgars to drink milk and eat cheese during Lent, a practice forbidden by the Eastern Church. The Western Church for- bade
their priests to be married, while in the East a priest could get married before his ordination. What was even more serious, the Latins taught

that the Holy Spirit proceeded not only from the Father, as was stated in the Nicene Creed, but also from the Son. The procession of the Holy
Spirit had occupied the Fathers of the Eastern and Western Churches from the early centuries of Christianity. The First Ecumenical Synod in
Nicaea (325) in composing the creed, simply stated: "And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father,
who together with the Father and Son is worshipped and glorified."90 The Third Ecumenical Synod in Ephesos (431) and the Fourth in
Chalcedon (451) forbade any additions or alterations to the Nicaean-Constantinoplitan creed.91 The Eastern Church has retained the creed
unaltered since then. In the West, first in Spain because of the Arian heresies, the Council of Toledo in 589 added the Fllioque, that is, that
the Spirit proceeded also from the Son. Richard Haugh believes that the addition was not intentional but from ignorance. 92 The Visigoth
king Recared, in pronouncing the Filioque, thought he was follow- ing the Nicene Creed. From Spain the Filioque was adopted by the
Carolingian theologians. Patriarch Paulinus of Aquileia at the synod of Friuli in 796 wrote: "and in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son."93 A few years later, in 809, Charlemagne convoked a council at Aachen which approved the
addition of the Filioque to the creed. When, however, he asked Pope Leo Ill to include it in the text of the Nicene Creed, Leo refused.94 Later
Pope Nicholas I, in correspondence with Patriarch Pho- tios, defended the addition, saying that several "illustrious men, especially Latins, had
written about the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son." He also pointed out that "the truth did not come only from the
Greeks."96
The Eastern Church has continued to abide by the decrees of the ecumenical synods and by the teachings of the Cappa- docian Fathers and
Athanasios the Great, especially as to the consubstantiality of the Spirit with the Father and the Son. Father Meyendorff96 expressed the
Eastern concept of the Trinity in the words of Saint Athanasios: "The Father does all things by the Word in the Holy Spirit."97
Patriarch Photios, with the consent of Emperor Michael III and his co-emperor Basil, sent an encyclical letter to the patriarchs of Antioch,
Alexandria and Jerusalem summoning a general synod in the summer of 867 in Constantinople.98 The purpose of this synod was to examine
and condemn the above-mentioned practices of the Latins in Bulgaria, as well as the doctrine of the procession of the Holy Spirit from the
Son as well as the Father. Unfortunately, very little of what occurred at this synod has reached us, and the meager information we have comes
exclusively from anti-Photian sources.99 What can be inferred with certainty is that the synod did take place and was attended by many
bishops. Pope Nicholas was condemned for the Latin practices in Bulgaria; the Roman doctrine of the procession of the Holy Spirit from the
Father and the Son was rejected as henetical and Roman interference in the affairs of the Byzantine Church was pro- nounced unlawful;100
iconoclasm was condemned once more and Louis II was recognized as emperor of the West at the closing of the synod. Patriarch Photios for
many years occu- pied himself with the Fllioque question. In consequence, in
883 he sent the famous letter to the metropolitan of Aquileia, in which at great length he defended the position of the Eastern Church on this
issue. Very upset, the patriarch wrote:
It has come to our ears that some of those vwho live in the West. either because they have not been fully satisfied with the Lord's utterance,
or because they have no understanding of the definitions and dogmas of both the Fathers and synods. or because they over-look the
precisions therefrom, or because they have minds tat are insensible to such matters, not knowing how else one would state it; nevertheless.
surreptitiously introduce the teaching (would that they had not) that the Divine and all-Holy Spirit proceeds not only from God, that is, the
Father. but also from the Son, and through such an utterance produce extensive harm to those who believe it101
Again in 885 he wrote the long treatise on the Mystagogy of the Holy Spirit 102
Pope Nicholas died on 13 November 867 without hearing the sentence passed on him by the Eastern bishops and was succeeded by Adrian II.
Meanwhile, in Constantinople, more dramatic events were happening. On the night of 23 Septem- ber 867, Emperor Michael Ill was murdered
in his quarters by his 'friend' Basil, whom he had elevated to co-emperor and who then assumed the sole power as Emperor Basil I (867-886)
and became the founder of the so-called Macedon ian Dynasty.103
Upon his ascent to the throne Basil sided with the party of the extremists and decided to heal the breach with Rome. According to the
account of Georgios the Monk and others, Photios, probably on the day of the Feast of St. Demetrios on 26 October 867, criticized the recent
actions of the emperor and refused him Holy Communion. 104 By November of that same year Patriarch Photios had been de- posed and was
restricted to the Monastery of Skepe. 105 In the interim, Basil sent Admiral Helias to the island of Tere- binthos, where Ignatios resided, to
escort him back to the capital with great honors and pomp. Upon his return to Con- stantinople, Ignatios began his second term as patriarch.
106 Immediately, in the winter of 868, Basil sent Spatharios Euthymios to Rome to announce the changes in Constanti- nople.107 Pope Adrian
II in return sent Euthymios back with Theognostos carrying two letters - one addressed to the em- peror, in which he commended him for
replacing Photios with Ignatios, and another to Patriarch Ignatios. The pope also requested that representatives be sent from Constantinople
to participate in the Roman synod which he planned to call the following year.
Emperor Basil I, accommodating the request, sent the em- bassy to Rome, probably in the spring of 869. Among the emissaries were Basil the
spatharios; one representative of Ignatios, John of Lilaison; and one of Photios', Peter of Sardes.108 A letter was also sent by the emperor
asking for fairness in the verdict and for a special delegation from Rome to Constantinople to announce it. 109
The Byzantine embassy was received by the pope at the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, where the acts of the Synod of 867 were read.
Subsequently, a synod took place, probably at the beginning of June, since a letter sent by the pope to the emperor referring to the findings is
dated 10 June 869.110 The synod condemned and anathematized Photios, including all his acts and all the bishops and churches that he had
con- secrated.111 At the end of the meeting, the acts of the Synod of 867 were burned in front of St. Peter's Cathedral in a pouring rain. In his
letter to the emperor the pope asked that the minutes of the Synod of 867 be burned also in Constanti- nople.112
The synod in Constantinople opened on 5 October 869, but the attendance was very meager, as only twelve bishops were present at the first
session. The papal legates were the bishops Donatos and Stephanos and the Deacon Marinos, as well as Anastasios Bibliothekarios.113
By the sixth session, some 102 bishops condemned Photios and approved 27 canons.114 The synod is numbered in the West as the Eighth
Ecumenical Synod, but it is not so recognized by the Greek Orthodox Church because it did not make any dogmatic decisions. In the Western

Church the Synod of 869-870 was first called ecumenical by the canonists of Pope Gregory VII at the end of the eleventh century. Patriarch
Photios, following his sentence, was sent into exile and Ignatios was reinstated as patriarch.
It was during these long years of exile and confinement in a monastery outside of Constantinople that most of the letters translated in this
study were written. One of the most moving of Photios' letters is addressed to Emperor Basil I, asking the ruler to allow him at least the
company of his books, as life without books was unbearable to him.115
With regard to the Bulgars, Ignatios followed the same policy as Photios. In fact, while the meeting was in session and the papal legates were
still in Constantinople, an embassy came from Boris-Michael asking for a meeting with the em- peror and the patriarch. The meeting was held
in the presence of Basil I. Anastasios, the papal legate, has recorded this meeting in detail even though he was not asked to attend, a slight for
which he never forgave the emperor.116 The Bulgars decided to join the Church of Constantinople again and to break relations with Rome.
In spite of the many changes and decisions, the clergy in Constantinople remained faithful to the exiled Patriarch Pho tios. Subsequently Basil
I, realizing that his overtures to the extremist party did not produce the advantages which he had anticipated, changed his policy and
transferred his friendship to the moderate faction. In 873 Photios returned to Constan- tinople, was given an apartment in the imperial palace,
and was entrusted by the emperor with the education of his sons, Leo and Alexander.117 Photios also resumed his lectures at the University of
Magnaura.118 Three days after the death of Ignatios, on 26 October 877, Photios became Patriarch of Constantinople for the second time.119
Meanwhile, Pope Adrian II died in Rome in 872 and his successor, John VIII (872-882), was eager to maintain peaceful relations with
Constantinople. At the request of Basil I, Pope John VIII sent legates again to the East, but by the time they arrived in Constantinople
Patriarch Ignatios had died and had been succeeded by Photios. The Synod of 879-880, sometimes referred to as the "Synod of Union,"
reinstated Photios. The patriarch in return promised to give up all claims in Bulgaria. 120
Thus, once more there was peace between Eastern and Western Christendom, Patriarch Photios held office until 886, when he was forced to
resign by the new emperor, Leo the Wise (886-912).121 Leo appointed as patriarch his brother, Stephanos, already predestined for that honor
by his father, Basil I. Photios was ordered into exile to the monastery of the Armonians or Armenians, also called Bordonos.122
In his vast correspondence Photios says nothing about the circumstances that provoked a quarrel between him and his former pupil, Emperor
Leo VI. Thus, the story of Photios' second resignation remains wrapped in mystery. The biogra- pher of Leo VI, the monk Euthymios, who was
also Leo's spiritual mentor, is the only one who mentions the resignation of Photios; the other chroniclers of the time are silent. Euthymios
writes: "Regarding Photios, he [Leo] immediate ly relieved him of his office by dismissing him."123 It iscertain that the change was a matter of
internal policy. In short Leo VI underwent the same change of mind Basil I did, who courted extremists at the beginning of his reign but later
turned to the moderates. Evidence of change in attitude of the young monarch is found in the funeral oration which he delivered in honor of
his father after Basil's death. 124
Thus, Photios, after a year of hardship, was sent to a better place, where he lived quietly, devoting himself to writing and reading.
In spite of his hardships, Patriarch Photios lived to be al-most a centenarian. The exact date of his death is not known, but according to some
accounts, he is believed to have died on 6 February 897 at the place of his exile in the monastery of the Armonianins Immediately, his remains
were brought to the church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople and there, in the presence of Emperor Leo VI and all the dignitaries, his name
was commemorated together with that of Patriarch Ignatios: "Ignatios and Photios, the Orthodox patriarchs, in everlasting memory."125
Finally, his body was put to rest in the Monastery of Eremias which had been built by him somewhere in the outskirts of Constantinople.

SAINT PHOTIOS THE GREAT IS THE PATRON SAINT / PROTECTOR OF

BOOKS AND BOOKSELLERS

Fotis
Fotis is a common male Greek name, which derives from the name Fotios.
Both Fotis and Fotios come from the Greek word fos, which means light. Therefore, Fotis is the enlightened one.
Sound of name Fotis: F-tis
Female Version of name Fotis: Foteini
Nameday of Name Fotis: January 6th (popular) and February 6th (rare)
Origin of name Fotis Theofania and Agios Fotios (St Fotios)
Fotis has two name days because it is associated with two different Orthodox themes; on January 6, Greek people celebrate the
Theofania, Jesus baptism in river Jordan by John the Baptist.
Theofania is one of the most important holidays for the Greek Orthodox Church, the last of the three important holidays of
the 12 days of Christmas. It is also known as Epifania or Fota which explains why men named Fotis or Fotios celebrate their
nameday on the day of Fota or Theofania.
Patriarch Fotios
However, in the Greek Orthodox Calendar, the name Fotis and Fotios is associated with one of the most significant
personalities of the Orthodox Church, Patriarch Fotios, also known as Agios Fotios (St Fotios).
Fotios was the Patriarch of Constantinople from 857 to 867 AD and is considered among the most important religious persons
for the Greek Church.
He was a very active but also controversial personality for the Greek Orthodox Church and he was sent to exile several times by
different Byzantine Emperors.
In 886 Fotios was sent to exile for the last time and it is estimated that he died on the 6th of February 893. The Greek
Orthodox Church has declared him a saint and celebrates the memory of St Fotios on February 6.
Nicknames deriving from the name Fotis
As mentioned, Fotis is a name that comes from the name Fotios, which also features a few more nicknames and diminutives.
These are: Fotakis, Fotakos, Foteinos.
The Names Fairy reveals for the name Fotis
Fotis is a man who sets his goals and tries not to stray from them. He always wants to make his life better and he is always willing
to try hard for his goals.