Acacius answered by striking the Pope's name from his diptychs.[1] We have come to the great "Acacian schism," the most famous of the temporary schisms of the Byzantine Church, which prepared the way all too well for the great schism of Photius.[2] It lasted thirty-five years. Rome would never accept the compromising Henotikon. Acacius died in schism (489); so did Peter Mongos (490), Peter the Fuller (488), and the Emperor Zeno (491). But Zeno's successor, Anastasius I (491-518), maintained the Henotikon, and the Eastern bishops accepted it. After Acacius of Constantinople came Fravitas or Flavitas (489-490). He was anxious to return to communion with the Pope, but he would not break with Mongos nor reject the Henotikon; so no union could be established. Euphemius of Constantinople (490-496) was still more disposed to end the schism. He restored the Pope's name to his diptychs, even gave up Mongos, but could not make up his mind to renounce the Henotikon, or to admit the error of his two predecessors. Macedonius II of Constantinople (496-511) was made to sign the Henotikon at his accession.[3] Now we see the result of these compromises. The Emperor Anastasius had sworn at his coronation to maintain the faith of Chalcedon; he began merely by continuing Zeno's compromising policy; but gradually the tendency of all compromises to revert to one extreme or the other made itself felt. Anastasius already had all the West, staunch upholder of Chalcedon, against him; he gradually slipped into the other extreme and became, in the latter part of his reign, frankly a Monophysite. Timothy I of Constantinople (511-518) was simply a Monophysite, hand in glove with the Monophysites of Egypt and Syria.
- ↑ Gustav Krüger considers that this was "the only right thing to do" (Herzog and Hauck: Realencyklopädie, xiii. p. 382, l. 57). I suppose it was, from the point of view of the Byzantine Patriarchs. Nearly always they prefer the Emperor's favour to the Catholic faith; so they follow their masters, condemn what they themselves have defined, define what they have condemned, as the wind blows from the court. This saved them a lot of trouble. But it is difficult to see how anyone can think it dignified.
- ↑ Orthodox Eastern Church, p. 84.
- ↑ Macedonius II did gradually come round to the Catholic position. But the Emperor had now taken up Monophysism definitely; so Macedonius was deposed and banished (511), and Timothy I was intruded in his place.
