Photinus of Thessalonica

Photinus (Greek: Φωτεινός, romanized: Phōteinós) of Thessalonica was a disciple of Acacius, Patriarch of Constantinople (471–489) and a deacon in the Church.

Pope Felix III (13 March 483–492) excommunicated Acacius for his heretical theories. Thus the foundation was laid for the Acacian Schism between the Eastern and Western Christian Churches.[1]

Photinus was sent to Pope Anastasius II (496–498), probably by a supporter of Acacius, to plead his case. This Pope was, however, a moderate and tried to resolve the conflict by allowing the heretic deacon, who had been labelled an Acacian by his predecessor Pope Gelasius I, to partake in holy communion. This peace offering did not sway Photinus, but did result in suspicions among certain groups of Christians in the West about the views and opinions of Pope Anastasius.

Pope Anastasius died shortly after this visit in 498[2] and many Christians in the West perceived his death as a sign of God thus deepening the growing divide between the Western and Eastern Christian Churches even further, which resulted in an additional schism, the so-called Laurentian Schism.[3][4]

Literary reference

Photinus is mentioned in Dante's Inferno. Dante places Photinus with other heretics in the sixth ring of hell together with Pope Anastasius whom he supposedly led astray according to some Christians in the West.[5][6] Modern scholars are of the opinion that this is a case of mistaken identity and that Dante did not mean Pope Anastasius, but his namesake and contemporary Emperor Anastasius (Emperor of Byzantium, 491–518).[7]

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References
  1. Gasser, Vinzenz (2008), The Gift of Infallibility, Ignatius Press, p. 35, ISBN 978-1-58617-174-2
  2. "Anastasius II", Encyclopædia Britannica, 2012
  3. Moorhead, John (2009), "The Laurentian Schism: East and West in the Roman Church", Church History, 47 (02): 125, doi:10.2307/3164729, ISSN 0009-6407
  4. Sessa, Kristina (2012), The Formation of Papal Authority in Late Antique Italy, Cambridge University Press, p. 209, ISBN 978-1-139-50459-1
  5. Alighieri, Dante (1874), "Canto 11", The Inferno, Bickers and Son
  6. Ruud, Jay (2008), "Anastasis II, Pope", Critical Companion to Dante: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Infobase Publishing, ISBN 978-1-4381-0841-4
  7. Hudson-Williams, T (2009), "Dante and the Classics", Greece and Rome, 20 (58): 38–42, doi:10.1017/S0017383500011128, ISSN 0017-3835
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