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'''Maximus II''' was [[patriarch]] of Antioch from 450 to 455. He was the first [[bishop]] of Antioch to use the title Patriarch after the [[see]]s of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem were made patriarchates in 451.
Maximus' life before he was installed as bishop of Antioch is largely unknown. He apparently was a member of the [[clergy]] of Constantinople when emperor Theodosius II filled the vacant see of Antioch after the [[deposition]] of [[Domnus II of Antioch|Domnus II]] during the [[Robber Council of Ephesus]] on [[August 8]], 449. The selection and consecration of Maximus was a violation of [[canon]] law by Patriarch [[Anatolius of Constantinople ]] who acted without the official sanction of the [[clergy]] or people of Antioch.
Notwithstanding the questionable conditions under which he was elevated, Maximus II gained a positive reputation in the conduct of his [[diocese]] and province. He promptly issued general letters, especially those of dogmatic importance called epistolae tractoriae, to the [[metropolitan]]s of the [[church]]es subject to him, requiring the signatures of his bishops to [[Leo the Great|Pope Leo]]'s famous Tome and to another document condemning both [[Nestorius]] and [[Eutyches]] and, thus, discreetly assured his position as bishop of Antioch.
