Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Πατερικές και Ιστορικές Σπουδές - Χριστιανική ΑρχαιολογίαLibrary of the School of Theology
Supervisors info:
Ιωάννης Παναγιωτόπουλος, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Θεολογίας, Εθνικό Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών.
Μητροπολίτης Περιστερίου κ. Γρηγόριος Παπαθωμάς, Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Θεολογίας, Εθνικό Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών.
Δημήτριος Μόσχος, Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Θεολογίας, Εθνικό Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών.
Original Title:
"Η Σύνοδος της Ιερείας (754) και η μεταβολή των αρχών της εκκλησιαστικής πολιτικής των Εικονομάχων αυτοκρατόρων"
Translated title:
"The Council of Hieria (754) and the about-turn of ecclisiastical policy of the Iconoclast emperors"
Summary:
The ecclesiastical policy of the iconoclastic emperors was determined by the basic principle formulated by the emperor Leo III, I am kings and priests, as an extreme expression of Caesaropapism. This principle of his violated the distinction between ecclesiastical and political sovereignty, superseding the Church and imposing his personal views on important theological issues.
The reconstitution of the empire by the first two Isaurian emperors (717-775), meant for both Leo III and Constantine V a reform of administrative, economic and social reorganization. While, some also include the iconoclasm in the context of the more general reforms, as a social and religious reform, which was introduced by Leo III ten years after his ascension to the throne (727) and abolished the worship of holy icons without a relevant decree. After his death in 741, he was succeeded on the throne by his eldest son Constantine V, who was crowned co-emperor by his own father at the age of two (720) and was the most valuable of the kings of the Isaurian dynasty, but his iconoclastic passion drove him to extreme decisions and this brought his name into disrepute.
Constantine V was the first emperor who grew up in an iconoclastic environment, he was a conscious iconoclast who tried to continue the policy of his predecessor. However, it was he who overthrew the policy of the papacy when, contrary to his father, he convened the Synod of Priestesses (754) and completely overturned theocratic notions. Leo III refused to convene a Synod and in his own ecclesiastical policy he decided by decrees, such as in 730 which removed the holy icons and forbade their worship through a relevant decree.
His son, however, understood that decrees and prohibitions do not resolve religious differences and therefore he sought an official ecclesiastical rebuttal of iconoclastic views and at the same time the establishment of a theological infrastructure for iconoclastic argumentation, transferring iconoclasm to doctrinal levels.
Main subject category:
Religion
Keywords:
Iconoclasm, Leo III, Constantine V, Ecclisiastical Policy, The Council of Hieria (754), Ecclisiastical History
Number of references:
201
