447
edits
Changes
→Life
__TOC__
== Life ==
He almost at once openly united himself with the Acephali, repudiating his own [[baptism]] and his baptizer, and even the Christian church itself as infected with [[Nestorianism]] (Labbe, u.s.). Upon After embracing Non-Chalcedonian doctrinesthe Orthodox Faith and the Christology of St. [[Cyril of Alexandria]], he St. Severus entered a [[monastery]] apparently belonging to that sect the [[Church of Antioch (Syriac)|Syriac Orthodox Church]] between Gaza and its port city of Majuma. Here he met [[Peter the Iberian]], who had been ordained bishop Metropolitan of Gaza by Theodosius, the a Non-Chalcedonian monk, during his usurpation of the time as [[patriarch Patriarch of Jerusalem]]. About Not long after this time St. Severus apparently joined a Non-Chalcedonian brotherhood another monastery near Eleutheropolis under the archimandrite Archimandrite Mamas. At this time Severus rejected the ''[[Henoticon]]'' of [[Zeno (emperor)|Zeno]], dismissing it as "the annulling edict," and "the disuniting edict" (Labbe, v. 121), and anathematized Pope ]][[Peter III of Alexandria|Peter Mongus]], the Non-Chalcedonian [[patriarch of Alexandria]], for accepting it. We next hear of him in an Egyptian monastery, whose abbot Nephalius having been formerly a Non-Chalcedonian, now embraced the [[Fourth Ecumenical Council|Council of Chalcedon]]. In the resulting disagreement, Nephalius with his [[monk]]s expelled Severus and his partisansdisciples<ref>Evagrius 3.33; see also 3.22.</ref>
Severus is said to have stirred up a fierce religious war among the population of Alexandria, resulting in bloodshed and conflagrations (Labbe, v. 121). To escape punishment for this violence, he fled to [[Constantinople]], supported by a band of two hundred Non-Chalcedonian monks. [[Flavius Anastasius|Anastasius I]], who succeeded Zeno as emperor in 491, was a professed Non-Chalcedonian, and received Severus with honor. His presence initiated a period of fighting in Constantinople between rival bands of monks, [[Chalcedonian]] and [[Non-Chalcedonian|Non]], which ended in AD 511 with the humiliation of Anastasius, the temporary triumph of the patriarch [[Macedonius II]], and the reversal of the Non-Chalcedonian cause (Theophanes, p. 132). That same year Severus was eagerly dispatched by Anastasius to occupy the vacant [[patriarch of Antioch]] (Labbe, iv. 1414; Theod. Lect. ii. 31, pp. 563, 567; Theophanes p. 134), and the very day of his enthronement solemnly pronounced in his church an anathema on Chalcedon, and accepted the ''Henoticon'' he had previously repudiated. He had the name of Peter Mongus inscribed in the diptychs; entered into communion with the Non-Chalcedonian prelates, [[Patriarch Timothy I of Constantinople|Timotheus]] of Constantinople and [[Yoannis II of Alexandria|John Niciota]] of Alexandria; and received into communion Peter of Iberia and other leading members of the Acephali (Evagr. H. E. iii. 33; Labbe, iv. 1414, v. 121, 762; Theod. Lect. l.c.). Non-Chalcedonianism seemed now triumphant throughout the Christian world. Proud of his patriarchal dignity and strong in the emperor's protection, Severus despatched letters to his brother-prelates, announcing his elevation and demanding [[communion]]. In these he anathematized Chalcedon and all who maintained the two natures. While many rejected them altogether, Non-Chalcedonianism was everywhere in the ascendant in the East, and Severus was deservedly regarded as its chief champion (Severus of Ashmunain apud Neale, Patr. Alex. ii. 27). Synodal letters were exchanged between John Niciota and Severus, which are the earliest examples of communication between the [[Oriental Orthodox]] sees of Alexandria and Antioch that have continued to the present day.