Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 11.djvu/77

 NICEPHORUS

51

NICERON

The patriarch endeavoured to establish monastic dis- cipline among the monks, and to suppress double mon- asteries which had been forbidden by the Seventh (Ecumenical Council. After his complete defeat, 22 June, 813, in the war against the Bulgarians, the em- peror lost all authority. With the assent of the patri- arch, he resigned and entered a monastery with his children. The popular general, Leo the Armenian, now became emperor, 11 July, 813. When Nice- phorus demanded the confe.ssion of faith, before the coronation, Leo put it off. Notwithstanding this, Nicephorus crowned him, and later, Leo again refused to make this confession. As soon as the new emperor had assured the peace of the empire by the overthrow of the Bulgarians his true opinions began gradually to appear. He entered into connexion with the oppo- nents of images, among whom were a number of bishops; it steadily grew more evident that he was pre- paring a new attack upon the veneration of images. With fearless energy the Patriarch Nicephorus now pro- ceeded again.st the machinations of the Iconoclasts. He brought to trial before a synod several ecclesias- tics opposed to images and forced an abbot named John and also Bishop Anthony of Syla'um to submit. Bishop Anthony's acquiescence was merely feigned.

In December, 814, Nicephorus had a long confer- ence with the emperor on the veneration of images but no agreement was reached. Later the patriarch sent several learned bishops and abbots to convince him of the truth of the position of the Church on the venera- tion of images. The emperor wished to have a de- bate between representatives of the opposite dogmatic opinions, but the adherents of the veneration of im- ages refused to take part in such a conference, as the Seventh fficumenical Council had settled the question. Then Nicephorus called together an assembly of bishops and abbots at the Church of St. Sophia at which he excommunicated the perjured Bishop An- thony of Syteum. A large number of the laity were also present on this occasion and the [xitriarch with the clergy and people remained in the church the en- tire night in prayer. The emperor then summoned Nicephorus to him, and the patriarch went to the im- perial palace accompanied by the abbots and monks. Nicephorus first had a long, private conversation with the emperor, in which he vainly endeavoured to dis- suade Leo from his opposition to the veneration of images. The emperor received those who had accom- panied Nicephorus, among them seven metropolitans and Abbot Theodore of Studium. They all repudi- ated the interference of the emperor in dogmatic ques- tions and once more rejected Leo's proposal to hold a conference. The emperor then commanded the ab- bots to maintain silence upon the matter and forbade them to hold meetings. Theodore declared that si- lence under these conditions would be treason and expressed sympathy with the patriarch whom the em- peror forbade to hold public service in the church. Nicephorus fell ill; when he recovered the emperor called upon him to defend his course before a synod of bishops friendly to iconoclasm. But the patriarch would not recognize the synod and paid no attention to the summons. The pseudo-synod now commanded that he should no longer be called patriarch. His house was surrounded by crowds of angry Icono- clasts who shouted threats and invectives. He was guarded by soldiers and not allowed to perform any official act. With a protest against this mode of pro- cedure the patriarch notified Leo that he found it necessary to resign the patriarchal see. Upon this he was arrested at midnight in March, 815, and banished to the monastery of St. Theodore, which he had built on the Bosporus.

Leo now raised to the patriarchate Theodotus, a married, illiterate layman who favoured iconoclasm. Theodotus was consecrated 1 April, 815. The exiled Nicephorus persevered in his opposition and wrote

several treatises against iconoclasm. After the mur- der of the Emperor Leo, 25 December, 820, Michael the Amorian ascended the throne and the defenders of the veneration of images were now more considerately treated. However, Michael would not consent to an actual restoration of images such as Nicephorus de- manded from him, for he declared that he did not wish to interfere in religious matters and would leave every- thing as he had found it. Accordingly Emperor Leo's hostile measures were not repealed, although the per- secution ceased. Nicephorus received permission to return from exile if he would promise to remain silent. He would not agree, however, and remained in the mon- astery of St. Theodore, where he continued by speech and writing to defend the veneration of images. The dogmatic treatises, chiefly on this subject, that he wrote are as follows: a lesser "Apology for the Catho- Hc Church concerning the newly arisen Schism in re- gard to Sacred Images" (Migne, P. G., C, 833-849), written 813-14; a larger treatise in two parts; the first part is an "Apology for the pure, unadulterated Faith of Christians against those who accuse us of idolatry" (Migne, loc. eit., 535-834); the second part contains the "Antirrhetici", a refutation of a writing by the Emperor Constantine Copronymus on images (loc. cit., 205-534). Nicephorus added to this second part seventy-five extracts from the writings of the Fathers [edited by Pitra, "Spicilegium Solesxnense", I (Paris, 1852), 227-370]; in two further writings, which also apparently belong together, passages from earlier writers, that had been used by the enemies of images to maintain their opinions, are examined and ex- plained. Both these treatises were edited by Pitra; the first 'EirtKpicns in "Spicilegium Solesmense", I, 302-335; the .second ' AvTipp-qjis in the same, I, 371- 503, and IV, 292-380. The two treatises discuss pas- sages from Macarius Magnes, Eusebius of Caisarea, and from a writing wrongly ascribed to Epiphanius of Cyprus. Another work justifying the veneration of images was edited by Pitra under the title " Antirrhe- ticus adversus iconomachos" (Spicil. Solesm., IV, 233-91). A final and, as it appears, especially impor- tant treatise on this question has not yet been pub- lished. Nicephorus also left two small historical works, one known as the "Breviarium", the other the "Chronographis", both are edited by C. de Boor, "Nicephori archiep. Const, opuscula historica" in the "Bibliotheca Teubneriana" (Leipzig, 1880). At the end of his life he was revered and after death regarded as a saint. In 874 his bones were translated to Con- stantinople with much pomp by the Patriarch Metho- dius and interred, 13 March, in the Church of the Apostles. His feast is celebrated on this day both in the Greek and Roman Churches; the Greeks also ob- serve 2 June as the day of his death.

Vita Nicephori auciore Ignatio diacono in Acta SS., March, II, 294 sqq. (Latin), 704 sqq. (Greek), and in Mione, P. C, C, 37 sqq.; Bibliotheca hayiographica gra^ca, ed. Boi.landists (2nd ed.), 186; Hergenrotheh, Pholius. I (Ratisbon, 1867), 261 sqq.; Idem, Kirchenge.sc.hic.hte (4th ed. Kiksch). II, 31 sqq.; Krum- BACHER, Gesch. der byzantinischen Litt. (2nd ed. Ehrhard), 71 sqq., 349 sqq. ^ „ .,,

J. P. KiRSCH.

Nicephorus Blemmydes. See Blemmida, Nice- phorus.

Nicephorus Gregoras. See Hesychasm.

Niceron, Jean-Pierre, French lexicographer, b. in Paris, 1 1 March, 1685, d. there, S July, 1738. After his studies at the College Mazariu, he joined the Barna- bites (Augu.st, 1702). lie tauglit rhetoric in the col- lege of Loches, and soon after ;it Mont argis, where he remained ten years. While engaged in tc;iching, he made a thorough study of inodi'rn languages. In 1716 he went to Paris arid devoted liis time to literary work. His aim was to put togcthiT. in a logiciillv ar- ranged compendium, a. series of biographical and bibli- ographical articles on the men who had ilistinguished themselves in literature and sciences since the time of