Theoleptus II of Constantinople

Theoleptus II of Constantinople
Theoleptus II of Constantinople
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
Church	Church of Constantinople
In office	16 February 1585 –; May 1586
Predecessor	Pachomius II of Constantinople
Successor	Jeremias II of Constantinople
Previous post(s)	Metropolitan of Philippoupolis
Personal details
Died	After 1597
Denomination	Eastern Orthodoxy

Theoleptus II of Constantinople (Greek: Θεόληπτος; died after 1597) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1585 to 1586.^[1]

Life

Theoleptus was a nephew of Patriarch Metrophanes III of Constantinople.^[2] He became Metropolitan of Philippopolis and although he had been helped by Patriarch Jeremias II of Constantinople, he conspired against him, leaguing with Pachomius II of Constantinople. When Pachomius II was deposed, Theoleptus was appointed Patriarch in his place, on 16 February 1585,^[1] and he was formally enthroned in March 1585 by the Patriarchs of Alexandria and Antioch.

In May 1586, while Theoleptus II was travelling in Moldavia and Wallachia to raise funds, Nicephorus (died 1596), a deacon of the exiled Patriarch Jeremias II, managed to dethrone him.^[2] Nicephorus became locum tenens of the throne until April 1587, when Jeremias II was re-elected of the Patriarchate even though he was absent from Constantinople in a long travel to Ukraine and Russia. Jeremias II was informed of his re-election only in 1589 in Moldova when he was on the way back to Constantinople; he arrived there in 1590.^[3] In the meantime the deacon Nicephorus went on governing the Church in name of Jeremias II.^[3] The term of Nicephorus was shortly interrupted for about ten days by the deacon Dionysios Skylosophos (later Metropolitan of Larissa, died 1611).^[1]

After April 1587, a synodal decision pardoned Theoleptus II and sent him to Iberia to raise money for the indebted Church.^[2] In 1587 Theoleptus II adopted a signet for the Soumela Monastery, but it is not known whether it was lawfully or unlawfully issued. Finally, it is known that Theoleptus II was reconciled with Jeremias II^[3] and that he helped the government of the Church until 1590. His fate after that is unknown.

Theoleptus II was the last Patriarch who had the see in the Pammakaristos Church, which was converted into a mosque in 1586. The Patriarchate moved on to the poor Church of Theotokos Paramythia (later in the precincts of the "Vlach Saray", the residence of the Valachian Hospodar in Constantinople), where it remained for eleven years, until 1597.^[2]

Notes and references

^ ^a ^b ^c Kiminas, Demetrius (2009). The Ecumenical Patriarchate. Wildside Press. pp. 38, 46. ISBN 978-1-4344-5876-6.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Θεόληπτος Β´" (in Greek). Ecumenical Patriarchate. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c Gudziak, Borys A. (2001). Crisis and reform - the Kyivan Metropolitanate, the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the genesis of the Union of Brest. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Ukrainian Research Institute of Archival Affairs and Records Management, Harvard University Press. pp. 31, 39. ISBN 0-916458-92-X.

Eastern Orthodox Church titles
Preceded by Pachomius II	Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople 1585 – 1586	Succeeded by Jeremias II (3)

[Kiminas-1] Kiminas, Demetrius (2009). The Ecumenical Patriarchate. Wildside Press. pp. 38, 46. ISBN 978-1-4344-5876-6.

[EP-2] "Θεόληπτος Β´" (in Greek). Ecumenical Patriarchate. Retrieved 12 September 2011.

[Gudziak-3] Gudziak, Borys A. (2001). Crisis and reform - the Kyivan Metropolitanate, the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the genesis of the Union of Brest. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Ukrainian Research Institute of Archival Affairs and Records Management, Harvard University Press. pp. 31, 39. ISBN 0-916458-92-X.

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[2]

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v t e Bishops of Byzantium and Patriarchs of Constantinople
Bishops of Byzantium (Roman period, 38–330 AD)	Andrew Stachys Onesimus Polycarpus I Plutarch Sedecion Diogenes Eleutherius Felix Polycarpus II Athenodorus Euzois Laurence Alypius Pertinax Olympianus Marcus I Philadelphus Cyriacus I Castinus Eugenius I Titus Dometius Rufinus Probus Metrophanes Alexander
Archbishops of Constantinople (Roman period, 330–451 AD)	Alexander Paul I Eusebius Macedonius I Eudoxius Evagrius Demophilus Maximus I Gregory I Nectarius John I Chrysostom Arsacius Atticus Sisinnius I Nestorius Maximianus Proclus Flavian Anatolius
Patriarchs of Constantinople (Byzantine period, 451–1453 AD)	Anatolius Gennadius I Acacius Fravitta Euphemius Macedonius II Timothy I John II Epiphanius Anthimus I Menas Eutychius John III John IV Cyriacus II Thomas I Sergius I Pyrrhus Paul II Peter Thomas II John V Constantine I Theodore I George I Paul III Callinicus I Cyrus John VI Germanus I Anastasius Constantine II Nicetas I Paul IV Tarasius Nicephorus I Theodotus I Antony I John VII Methodius I Ignatios Photios I Stephen I Antony II Nicholas I Εuthymius I Stephen II Tryphon Theophylact Polyeuctus Βasil I Αntony III Nicholas II Sisinnius II Sergius II Eustathius Alexius Michael I Constantine III John VIII Cosmas I Eustratius Nicholas III John IX Leo Michael II Cosmas II Nicholas IV Theodotus II Neophytus I Constantine IV Luke Michael III Chariton Theodosius I Basil II Nicetas II Leontius Dositheus George II John X Michael IV^† Theodore II^† Maximus II^† Μanuel I^† Germanus II^† Methodius II^† Manuel II^† Arsenius^† Nicephorus II^† Germanus III Joseph I John XI Gregory II Athanasius I John XII Nephon I John XIII Gerasimus I Isaias John XIV Isidore I Callistus I Philotheus Macarius Nilus Antony IV Callistus II Matthew I Euthymius II Joseph II Metrophanes II Gregory III Athanasius II
Patriarchs of Constantinople (Ottoman period, 1453–1923 AD)	Gennadius II Isidore II Joasaph I Sophronius I Mark II Symeon I Dionysius I Raphael I Maximus III Nephon II Maximus IV Joachim I Pachomius I Theoleptus I Jeremias I Joannicius I Dionysius II Joasaph II Metrophanes III Jeremias II Pachomius II Theoleptus II Matthew II Gabriel I Theophanes I Meletius I Neophytus II Raphael II Cyril I Timothy II Gregory IV Anthimus II Cyril II Athanasius III Neophytus III Parthenius I Parthenius II Joannicius II Cyril III Paisius I Parthenius III Gabriel II Parthenius IV Dionysius III Clement Methodius III Dionysius IV Gerasimus II Athanasius IV James Callinicus II Neophytus IV Gabriel III Neophytus V Cyprianus Athanasius V Cyril IV Cosmas III Jeremias III (Callinicus III) Paisius II Seraphim I Neophytus VI Cyril V Callinicus IV (III) Seraphim II Joannicius III Samuel Meletius II Theodosius II Sophronius II Gabriel IV Procopius Neophytus VII Gerasimus III Gregory V Callinicus V (IV) Jeremias IV Cyril VI Eugenius II Anthimus III Chrysanthus Agathangelus Constantius I Constantius II Gregory VI Anthimus IV Anthimus V Germanus IV Meletius III Anthimus VI Cyril VII Joachim II Sophronius III Joachim III Joachim IV Dionysius V Neophytus VIII Anthimus VII Constantine V Germanus V Meletius IV
Patriarchs of Constantinople (Turkish period, since 1923 AD)	Gregory VII Constantine VI Basil III Photius II Benjamin Maximus V Athenagoras Demetrius Bartholomew
^† in exile at Nicaea Christianity portal