Cosmas II of Constantinople

Cosmas II of Constantinople (Atticus Greek: Κοσμᾶς ὁ Ἀττικός; died after 1147) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from April 1146, until 26 February 1147. He was born in Aegina, in Greece, and was a deacon of Hagia Sophia before his ascension, after Michael II of Constantinople abdicated. He was highly respected for his learning and for his holy character.^[1] Cosmas II reigned during the rule of Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos.^[2]

Cosmas II of Constantinople
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
Church	Church of Constantinople
In office	April 1146 – 26 February 1147
Predecessor	Michael II of Constantinople
Successor	Nicholas IV of Constantinople
Personal details
Born	Aegina, Greece
Died	After 1147

Deposition

Cosmas II was condemned and deposed on 26 February 1147 by a synod held at the Palace of Blachernae because of indulgence in relation to the monk Niphon, a condemned Bogomil since 1144, whom he received in his home and at his table.^[3]

The exact reasons for the conviction and deposition of Cosmas II are not clearly established; perhaps he was the victim of political intrigue.^[4] It is clear however that Emperor Manuel I intervened directly in forming the Synod that deposed Cosmas II, interviewing personally those who accused him, and testing Cosmas II directly on his opinions of the heretical Niphon.^[5] This affair is typical both of the doctrinal controversies common in the reign of Manuel I and also of the Emperor's readiness to become actively involved in them.^[6]

Notes and references

1. John Kinnamos (1976), The Deeds of John and Manuel Comnenus, Columbia University Press, p. 56.
2. Κοσμᾶς Β´ ὁ Ἀττικός (in Greek). Ecumenical Patriarchate. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
3. Lysimachos Oeconomos, La vie religieuse dans l'empire byzantin au temps des Comnènes et des Anges, 1918, réédition 1972, p. 44-45.
4. Dimitri Obolensky, A study in Balkan Neo-Manichaeism, « Byzantine Bogomilism », Cambridge University Press, 1948, p. 221-222.
5. Magdalino, Paul (2002) [1993]. The Empire of Manuel I Komnenos, 1143–1180. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 277. ISBN 0-521-52653-1.
6. Joan M. Hussey (1986), The Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire, Oxford University Press, p. 151.

Eastern Orthodox Church titles
Preceded by Michael II	Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople 1146 – 1147	Succeeded by Nicholas IV