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Home > Catholic Encyclopedia > F > St. Flavian


ST. FLAVIAN

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Bishop of Constantinople, date of birth unknown; d. at Hypæpa in Lydia, August,
449. Nothing is known of him before his elevation to the episcopate save that he
was a presbyter and skeuophylax or sacristan, of the Church of Constantinople,
and noted for the holiness of his life. His succession to St. Proclus as bishop
was in opposition to the wishes of the eunuch Chrysaphius minister of Emperor
Theodosius, who sought to bring him into imperial disfavour. He persuaded the
emperor to require of the new bishop certain eulogiae on the occasion of his
appointment, but scornfully rejected the proffered blessed bread on the plea
that the emperor desired gifts of gold. Flavian's intrepid refusal, on the
ground of the impropriety of thus disposing of church the treasures, aroused
considerable enmity against him. Pulcheria, the emperor's sister, being
Flavian's staunch advocate Chrysaphius secured the support of the Empress
Eudocia. Although their first efforts to involve St. Flavian in disgrace
miscarried, an opportunity soon presented itself. At a council of bishops
convened at Constantinople by Flavian, 8 Nov., 448, to settle a dispute which
had arisen among his clergy, the archimandrite Eutyches, who was a relation of
Chrysaphius was accused of heresy by Eusebius of Dorylaeum. (For the proceedings
of the council see EUSEBIUS OF DORYLAEUM; EUTYCHES.) Flavian exercised clemency
and urged moderation, but in the end the refusal of Eutyches to make an orthodox
declaration on the two natures of Christ forced Flavian to pronounce the
sentence of degradation and excommunication. He forwarded a full report of the
council to Pope Leo I, who in turn gave his approval to Flavian's decision (21
May, 449) and the following month (13 June) sent him his famous "Dogmatic
Letter". Eutyches' complaint that justice had been violated in the council and
that the Acts had been tampered with resulted in an imperial order for the
revision of Acts, executed (8 and 27 April, 449). No materior could be
established, and Flavian was justified.



The long-standing rivalry between Alexandria and Constantinople now became a
strong factor in the dissensions. It had been none the less keen since the See
of Constantinople had been officially declared next in dignity to Rome, and
Dioscurus, Bishop of Alexandria, was quite ready to join forces with Eutyches
against Flavian. Even before the revision of the Acts of Flavian's council,
Chrysaphius had persuaded the emperor of the oecumenical council to adjust
matters, and the decree went forth that one should convene at Ephesus under the
presidency of Dioscurus, who also controlled the attendance of bishops, Flavian
and six bishops who had assisted at the previous synod were allowed no voice,
being, as it were, on trial. (For a full account of the proceedings see ROBBER
COUNCIL OF EPHESUS). Eutyches was absolved of heresy, and despite the protest of
the papal legate Hilary (later pope), who by his Contradicitur annulled the
decisions of the council, Flavian was condemned and deposed. In the violent
scenes which ensued he was so ill-used that three days later he died in his
place of exile. Anatolius, a partisan of Dioscurus, was appointed to succeed
him.

St. Flavian was repeatedly vindicated by Pope Leo, whose epistle of commendation
failed to reach him before his death. The pope also wrote in his favour to
Theodosius, Pulcheria, and the clergy of Constantinople, besides convening a
council at Rome, wherein he designated the Council of Ephesus Ephecinum non
judicium sed latrocinium. At the council of Chalcedon (451) the Acts of the
Robber Council were annulled and Flavian eulogized as a martyr for the Faith.
Pope Hilary had Flavian's death represented pictorially in a Roman church
erected by him. On Pulcheria's accession to power, after the death of
Theodosius, she brought the remains of her friend to Constantinople where they
were received in triumph and interred with those of his predecessors in the see.
In the Greek Menology and the Roman Martyrology his feast is entered 18
February, the anniversary of the translation of his body. Relics of St. Flavian
are honoured in Italy.

St. Flavian's appeal to Pope Leo against the Robber Council has been published
by Amelli in his work "S. Leone Magno e l'Oriente" (Monte Cassino, 1890), also
by Lacey (Cambridge, 1903). Two other (Greek and Latin) letters to Leo are
preserved in Migne, P.L. (LIV, 723-32, 743-51), and one to Emperor Theodosius
also in Migne, P.G. (LXV, 889-92).




ABOUT THIS PAGE

APA citation. Rudge, F.M. (1909). St. Flavian. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New
York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06098c.htm

MLA citation. Rudge, F.M. "St. Flavian." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 6. New
York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909.
<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06098c.htm>.

Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Joseph P. Thomas.

Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. September 1, 1909. Remy Lafort,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York.

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