Constantine Syria (664 - 715)

Born 0664 in Syria

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Deborah Talbot [send private message]

Biography

Pope Constantine Syria is Notable.

Constantine was born in Syria and was fluent in Greek.^[1][2][3]

He became pope on 25 March 708, succeeding from his brother Sisinnius.^[2][3]

His pontificate ended with his death on 9 April 715.^[2]

Flocknote Popes in a Year ^[4] tells us:

Constantine, born in Syria around 664, succeeded his brother (Sisinnius) as pope on March 25, 708, and reigned for just over seven years. Rome suffered through a great famine for the first half of Constantine’s time as pope, but apparently enjoyed the exact opposite for the second half. Feast or famine, indeed.

During his time in office, Constantine welcomed many dignitaries to Rome, including two English kings, the Bishop of Worcester, and the Archbishop of Milan. He also received an authority-affirming letter from John, the Patriarch of Constantinople, which recognized that the “apostolical pre-eminence of the Pope is to the whole Church, what the head is to the body."

Described as “a remarkably affable man,” Constantine died on April 8, 715.

Though relatively little is known about his life, what can be concluded for certain is that Constantine was no wimp. Justinian II, the Byzantine emperor, was a ruthless tyrant with a penchant for wanting his way at all costs. But when the emperor called Constantine to Constantinople, the pope showed no fear in facing the emperor and reaching a compromise on their disputed issues.

His fortitude was tested again, however, when Justinian was murdered and his usurper, a heretic named Philippicus, took the throne. The new emperor, wishing to reverse the findings of the Sixth General Council and bring back the heresy that Christ only had one will, sent the pope an edict with his intentions, along with Justinian’s severed head.

Incredibly, the pope was unmoved, and – recognizing that Philippicus’ bark was worse than his bite – Constantine utterly rejected the emperor’s authority in the West and ignored his insane gesture.

Pope Constantine was the last pope to visit Constantinople, the city of his namesake (now Istanbul, Turkey), for more than twelve hundred years. It was Pope Paul VI’s visit there in 1967 which broke the 1257-year absence.

At this time, on April 5, 710, there exists a record saying that Chinese emperor Zhong Zong held a lively game of tug-o-war for his top officials as part of the Cold Flood Festival, a traditional three-day Chinese holiday.

Research Notes

This profile is being updated by the Popes Project.

Sources

1. ↑ Ekonomou, Andrew J. (2007), Byzantine Rome and the Greek Popes: Eastern influences on Rome and the papacy from Gregory the Great to Zacharias, A.D. 590–752, Lexington: Lexington Books, ISBN 978-0-7391-1977-8
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Vatican
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Wikipedia: Pope Constantine
4. ↑ Flocknote Popes in a Year
   SOURCES (and further reading)
   John, E. (1964). The Popes: A concise biographical history. New York: Hawthorn Books.
   Pope Constantine - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04294b.htm
   Pope Constantine - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Constantine
   710s - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/710s