Our Father among the Saints John the Cappadocian, Patriarch of Constantinople
Life
John the Cappadocian was Patriarch of Constantinople from 518 to 520. A native of Cappadocia in Asia Minor, he had served as presbyter and chancellor of the Church of Constantinople under his predecessor Timothy I, who designated him as his successor. His brief tenure coincided with the accession of the Chalcedonian emperor Justin I, and it was during these years that the long rupture between Constantinople and Rome known as the Acacian schism was brought to an end.
Later tradition, transmitted through Saint Photius, remembered him as a man of notable virtue, describing him as 'a habitation of virtues.' He is commemorated in the Orthodox Church on August 25, together with other patriarchs of Constantinople.
Timeline 4 moments
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17 April 518Installed as PatriarchJohn was installed as Patriarch of Constantinople, having previously served as presbyter and chancellor under his predecessor Timothy I, who had named him successor. His accession came shortly before the death of Emperor Anastasius I and the rise of the Chalcedonian emperor Justin I.
July 518Affirmation of ChalcedonAmid popular demonstrations in the cathedral, John formally recognized the four ecumenical councils and the Council of Chalcedon. On 20 July he convened a council of some forty bishops that inscribed the four councils and the name of Pope Leo I into the diptychs and anathematized Severus of Antioch.
25 March 519End of the Acacian schismLegates of Pope Hormisdas arrived at Constantinople with instructions to condemn Acacius by name. John subscribed to the Formula of Hormisdas, copying it in his own hand in both Greek and Latin, an act that restored communion between Constantinople and Rome.
19 January 520ReposeJohn died in office and was succeeded by Epiphanius of Constantinople.
Contributions & Legacy
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Reconciliation with Rome
The defining work of John's patriarchate was the healing of the Acacian schism, a division between the sees of Constantinople and Rome that had persisted since the late fifth century over the reception of the Council of Chalcedon. With the accession of the Chalcedonian emperor Justin I, the conditions for reconciliation were in place.
In July 518 John presided over councils at Constantinople that publicly affirmed the four ecumenical councils, restored the name of Pope Leo I to the diptychs, and anathematized Severus of Antioch. The reconciliation was completed in March 519, when John accepted the Formula of Hormisdas brought by the papal legates and signed it in both Greek and Latin, restoring full communion between the two sees.
