Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 12.djvu/71

 PHOTINUS

43

PHOTIUS

Gad, Moloch, Melkarth, Sakan, Anath, Astaroth, Rasaph, Sad, and many others. (For the history of Christianity in Phoenicia and its present condition see Syria.)

Movers, Die Phonisier (Bonn-Berlin, 1841-56); Lenormant- Babelon, Hisl. ancienne de VOrieut (6 vols., Paris. ISSl-SS), see especially vol. VI; Kenrick, PhtFnicia (London, 1855); Rawlinson. Hist, of Phatnicia (London, 1889) ; Meyer. Gesch, d. AUertums (Stuttgart, 1884-1902) ; Pietschmann. Gesch. d. Phinizier (Berlin. 1889) ; Renan. La Mission de Phenicie (Paris. 1874): Perrot and CThipiez, Hist, of Art in Pksnicia (London. 1885); BArDlsslN", Studien zur semilischen Religionsgesch., 1. 11 (Leipzig, 1876-78); Baethgen, Beitrdge zur Semitischen Reli- gionsgesch., 16-65 ; Scbrodek. D. PhSniz. SpracAe (Halle, 1S69); Williams, The Hist, of the Art of Writing (London-New York, 1902) ; Laxdac, Die Phonizier in Der Alte Orient (Leipzig, 1903) ; Eiselen, Sidon. a Study in Oriental Hist. (New York, 1907).

Gabriel Oussani.

Photinus, heretic of the fourth centurj-, a Galatian and deacon to Marcellus, Metropolitan of Anoyra; d. 376. He became Bishop of Sirmium in Pannonia, an important posit ion on account of the frequent residence of the Emperor Constantius there. The city was more Latin than Greek, and Photinus knew both languages. Marcellus was deposed b3' the Arian party, but was restored by Pope Julius and the Synod of Sardica (343), and was believed by them to be orthodox. But Photinus was obviously heretical, and the Eusebian court-party condemned them both at the Synod of Antioch (344), which drew up the "macrostich" creed. Three envoys were sent to the West and in a synod at Milan (345) Photinus was condemned, but not Mar- cellus; communion was refused to the envoys because they refused to anathematize Arius. It is evident from the way in which Pope Liberius mentions this synod that Roman legates were present, and St. Hilary calls its sentence a condemnation by the Romans. Two years later another synod, perhaps also at Milan, tried to obtain the deposition of Photinus but this was impossible owing to an outbreak of the populace in his favour. Another synod was held against him at Sirmium ; some Arianizing propositions from it are quoted by St. Hilary. The heretic ajipealed to the emperor, who appointed judges before whom he should be heard. For this purpose a great synod as- sembled at Sirmium (351). Basil, the supplanter of Marcellus as Bishop of Ancyra and the future leader of the Semi-Arians, disputed with Photinus. The her- etic was deposed, and twenty-seven anathematisms were agreed to. Photinus probably returned to his see at the accession of Julian, like the other exiled bishops, for St. Jerome says he was banished by Valenlinian (364-75). Eventually he settled in Galatia. Epipha- nius, writing at about the date of his death, considered his heresy dead in the West. In Pannonia there were still some Photinians in 3S1, and a Photinian named Marcus, driven from Rome under Innocent I, found adherents in Croatia. In later writers, e. g., St. Augus- tine, Photinian is the name for any who held Christ to be a mere man.

We obtain some knowledge of the heresies of Pho- tinus from the twentv-scven anathematisms of the council of 351, of which all but 1, 10, 12, 13, 18, 23, 24, 25 (according to St. Hilary's order: 1, 10, 11, 12, 17, 22, 24, 25) and possibly 2 are directed against him. We have corroborative evidence from many writers, especially St. Epiphanius, who had before him the complete minutes of the disputation with Basil of Ancyra. The canons obviously misrepresent Pho- tinus's doctrine in condemning it, in so far as they sometimes say "Son" where Photinus would have said "Word". He makes the Father and the Word one Person (TrpbcuTrov). The Word is equally with the Father unbegotten, or is called a part of the Father, eternally in Him as our logos is in us. The latent Word ({viMfTo^) becomes the explicit Word (jrpo- 4iopiKb%) not, apparently, at the creation, but at the Incarnation, for only then is He really Son. The Divine Substance can be dilated and contracted (so

St. Hilarj- translates irXariS^jrOai and ("urTAXcff^oi, while Mercator's version of Nestorius's fourth sermon gives "extended and collected"). This is exactly the word- ing of Sabellius, who said that God TrXari/Kerai, is broadened out, into Son and Spirit. To Photinus the expansion forms the Son, who is not, until the human birth of Christ. Hence before the Incarnation there is no Son, and God is Father and Word, .S-oyoiraTup. The Incarnation seems to have been conceived after a Nes- torian fashion, for Photinus declareil the Son of Mary to be mere man, and this is the best-known point in his teaching. He was consequently classed with Paul of Samosata; Jerome even calls him an Ebionite, prob- ably because, like Mercator, he believed him to have denied the Virgin birth. But this is perhaps an error. He certainly said that the Holy Ghost descended upon Christ and that He was conceived bj- the Holy Ghost. By His union with the prophoric Word, Christ was the Son. The Holy Ghost is identified like the Word with the Unbegotten; He is a part, of the Father and the Word, asthe Word isapart of the Father. It is evident that Photinus went so far beyond Marcellus that it is unfair to call him his follower. In his Trinitarian doc- trine he is a Modalist Monarchian, and in his Chris- tology a Dynamistic Monarchian, combining the errors of Theodotus with tho.se of Sabellius. But it is clear that his views were partly motived by the desire to get away from the Ditheism which not only the Arians but even the Eastern moderates were unable to avoid, and he especially denounced the .\rian doctrine that the Son is produced by the Will of the Father. His writ- ings are lost; the chief of them were "Contra Gentes" and "Libri ad Valentinianum", according to St. Jerome; he wrote a work in both Greek and Latin against all the heresies, and an explanation of the Creed.

See Arlanism; also Hefele. Councils, II; W.vlch. Historig der Ketzereien, III (Leipzig, 1766); Klose, Gesch. und Lehre dea Marcellus und Photinus (Hamburg. 1837); Zahn. Marcellus ion Ancyra (Gotha, 1867) ; FFOnLKEa in Did. Christ. Biog. (1SS7).

John Chapman.

Fhotius of Constantinople, chief author of the great schism between East and West, was b. at Con- stantinople c. 815 (Hergenrother savs "not much ear- lier than 827", "Photius", 1,316; o'thers, about 810); d. probably 6 Feb., 897. His father was a spalharios (lifeguard) named Sergius. Symeon Magister ("De Mich, et Theod.", Bonn ed., 1838, x.xix, 668) says that his mother was an escaped nun and that he was ille- gitimate. He further relates that a holy bishop, Michael of Synnada, before his birth foretold that he would become patriarch, but would work so much evil that it would be better that he should not be born. His father then wanted to kill him and his mother, but the bishop said: "You cannot hinder what God has ordained. Take care for yourself." His mother also dreamed that she would give birth to a demon. When he was born the abbot of the Maximine monastery baptized him and gave him the name Photius (En- lightened), saying: "Perhaps the anger of God will be turned from him" (Symeon Magister, ibid., cf. Her- genrother, "Photius", I, 318-19). These stories need not be taken seriously. It is certain that the fu- ture patriarch belonged to one of the great families of Constantinople; the Patriarch Tarasius (784-806), in whose time the seventh general council (Second of Nica?a, 787) was held, was either elder brother or uncle of his father (Photius: Ep. ii, P. G., CII, 609). The family was conspicuously orthodox and had suffered some persecution in Iconoclast times (under Leo V, 813-20). Photius says that in his youth he had had a passing inclination for the monastic hfe ("Ep. ad Orient, et CEcon.", P.G., CII, 1020), but the prospect of a career in the world soon eclipsed it.

He early laid the foundations of that erudition which eventually made him one of the most famous scholars of all the Middle Ages. His natural aptitude