The Schism of the Three Chapters was a schism that affected

Chalcedonian Christianity Chalcedonian Christianity is the branch of Christianity that accepts and upholds theological and ecclesiological resolutions of the Council of Chalcedon, the Fourth Ecumenical Council, held in 451. Chalcedonian Christianity accepts the Christol ...

in Northern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

lasting from 553 to 698 AD, although the area out of communion with Rome contracted throughout that time. It was part of a larger

Three-Chapter Controversy The Three-Chapter Controversy, a phase in the Chalcedonian controversy, was an attempt to reconcile the non-Chalcedonians of Syria and Egypt with Chalcedonian Christianity, following the failure of the Henotikon. The ''Three Chapters'' (, ''tr� ...

that affected the whole of Roman-Byzantine Christianity.

Background to the Three-Chapter Controversy

The Three-Chapter Controversy came out of an attempt to reconcile the

Non-Chalcedonian Non-Chalcedonian Christianity comprises the branches of Christianity that do not accept theological resolutions of the Council of Chalcedon, the Fourth Ecumenical Council, held in 451. Non-Chalcedonian denominations reject the Christological ...

( Miaphysite)

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

of the Middle East with the

Chalcedonian Church Chalcedonian Christianity is the branch of Christianity that accepts and upholds theological and ecclesiological resolutions of the Council of Chalcedon, the Fourth Ecumenical Council, held in 451. Chalcedonian Christianity accepts the Christolog ...

. A major part of the attempted compromise was a condemnation of certain works of Eastern Christian writers such as

Theodoret of Cyrus Theodoret of Cyrus or Cyrrhus ( grc-gre, Θεοδώρητος Κύρρου; AD 393 – 458/466) was an influential theologian of the School of Antioch, biblical commentator, and Christian bishop of Cyrrhus (423–457). He played a pi ...

and

Theodore of Mopsuestia Theodore of Mopsuestia (c. 350 – 428) was a Christian theologian, and Bishop of Mopsuestia (as Theodore II) from 392 to 428 AD. He is also known as Theodore of Antioch, from the place of his birth and presbyterate. He is the best know ...

which soon became known as the ''Three Chapters''. These were seen to be particularly objectionable by the opponents of the

Council of Chalcedon The Council of Chalcedon (; la, Concilium Chalcedonense), ''Synodos tēs Chalkēdonos'' was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bi ...

and in an attempt to win them to the Council the condemnation was seen as a way of reassuring them. The condemnation took place as an Imperial Edict around 543, accompanied by the Tome of

Pope Leo I Pope Leo I ( 400 – 10 November 461), also known as Leo the Great, was bishop of Rome from 29 September 440 until his death. Pope Benedict XVI said that Leo's papacy "was undoubtedly one of the most important in the Church's history." Leo was ...

that had been read at the Council of Chalcedon nearly one hundred years before. There was some resistance in the Greek speaking, eastern part of the Church, although in the end the leading Eastern bishops did agree to condemn it. Those who would not condemn these works were accused of being sympathetic to the heresy of Nestorianism.

The original Break

Aquileia Basilica, esterno - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto

In 553 by council, the bishops of Aquileia,

Liguria it, Ligure , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, Aemilia,

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

and of the

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peninsula all refused to condemn the Three Chapters, arguing that to do so would be to betray Chalcedon. They broke off communion with Rome, under the leadership of Macedonius of Aquileia (535–556). They in turn were

anathematized Anathema, in common usage, is something or someone detested or shunned. In its other main usage, it is a formal excommunication. The latter meaning, its ecclesiastical sense, is based on New Testament usage. In the Old Testament, anathema was a cr ...

by other churchmen. The schism provided the opportunity for the bishop of Aquileia to assume the title

Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

. Macedonius' successor

Paulinus I Paulinus I was the first Patriarch of Aquileia, serving from 557 to 571. Background When he took over the see was in schism with Rome. When the Lombards invaded northern Italy in 568, Paulinus fled Aquileia with his treasures, as had the other Arc ...

(557–569) began using the title around 560.

The Lombard Invasion

By the end of the next decade, the

Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the '' History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...

had overrun all of northern Italy. In 568, the patriarch of Aquileia, Paulinus, was obliged to flee, with the treasures of his church, to the little island of

Grado Grado may refer to: People * Cristina Grado (1939–2016), Italian film actress * Jonathan Grado (born 1991), American entrepreneur and photographer * Francesco De Grado ( fl. 1694–1730), Italian engraver * Gaetano Grado, Italian mafioso * ...

, near

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into prov ...

, a last remnant of the

Eastern Roman Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...

in northern Italy and eight miles to the south of Aquileia. This political change did not affect the relations of the patriarchate with the Apostolic See; its bishops, whether in Lombard or imperial territory, stubbornly refused all invitations to a reconciliation. The

Synod of Grado The Synod of Grado was a Synod held in 579 by bishops loyal to the Patriarch of Aquileia. It was held in Grado as the Patriarch had fled there after the Lombard invasion of Northern Italy. The Synod helped to prolong the schism of the Three Chapt ...

in 579 confirmed this position. With the exception of the patriarch of Aquileia, these bishops and most of their suffragans were now subjects of the

and beyond the reach of the

Byzantine Exarch at Ravenna The Exarchate of Ravenna ( la, Exarchatus Ravennatis; el, Εξαρχάτο της Ραβέννας) or of Italy was a lordship of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) in Italy, from 584 to 751, when the last exarch was put to death by the ...

. As a result, they were able to maintain their dissent in support of the schism.

The Schism in Milan

The Bishop of Milan was Dacius, who was at Constantinople at the time and strongly opposed the condemnation of the Three Chapters, going so far as to break off communion with Greek bishops who signed the condemnation. He died in Constantinople in 552 and took no direct part in the schism. Bishop Honoratus of Milan fled the city when it was besieged by the Lombard

Alboin Alboin (530s – 28 June 572) was king of the Lombards from about 560 until 572. During his reign the Lombards ended their migrations by settling in Italy, the northern part of which Alboin conquered between 569 and 572. He had a lasting effe ...

in 568. Honoratus sought refuge in Byzantine-controlled Genoa with a great number of his clergy. At his death there was a split with the Milanese clergy at Genoa electing Laurentius II, and the Christians remaining in Milan electing Fronto. Laurence subscribed to the condemnation while Fronto observed the schism with Rome. Communion between Milan and Rome was restored around 581.

The Schism in Grado

The seat of the

Patriarch of Aquileia The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certain ...

stayed in Byzantine controlled

. The Byzantines allowed these freedom and archbishop Elias, already called patriarch by his suffragans, built a cathedral under the patronage of St. Euphemia as an unabashed statement of his adherence to the schism since it was the church of St. Euphemia in which the sessions of the Council of Chalcedon were approved. Gregory the Great's attempts at conciliation near the end of his pontificate, and especially through the Lombard queen,

Theodelinda Theodelinda also spelled ''Theudelinde'' ( 570–628 AD), was a queen of the Lombards by marriage to two consecutive Lombard rulers, Autari and then Agilulf, and regent of Lombardia during the minority of her son Adaloald, and co-regent when he ...

, began to have some effect. Thus, in 606, Elias's successor Severus died and there were many clerics favorable to reconciliation. The Byzantines encouraged these to elect Candidianus who once elected promptly restored communion. Those of his suffragans whose sees lay within the empire joined him in submission to the Apostolic See.

The Split of the Patriarchate of Aquileia

Many mainland bishops whose dioceses were under Lombard control were unhappy with the reconciliation. Many of them were Bishops of dioceses that were under Lombard control. These dissidents fled to mainland Aquileia and under Lombard protection elected a John as a rival patriarch who maintained the schism. There were now two patriarchates in northern Italy,

Aquileia in Grado This is a list of the Patriarchs of Grado (north-eastern Italy).
''

Old-Aquileia The Patriarchate of Old Aquileia existed between 607 and 698 because of the Tricapitoline Schism in the Patriarchate of Aquileia. It was allied with the Arian Lombards, while the rival Patriarchate of Grado was allied with the Byzantine Empire. ...

. The diocese of

Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label= Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps h ...

, originally suffragan of Milan, by the mid 6th century, in disagreement with the reconciliation of Milan, the diocese rejected the link with that city and passed to be subject to Aquileia, and remained until 1751, celebrating with the

Aquileian Rite The Aquileian Rite was a particular liturgical tradition of the Patriarchate of Aquileia and hence called the ''ritus patriarchinus.'' It was effectively replaced by the Roman Rite by the beginning of the seventeenth century, although elements of ...

until 1957, one year after its abolition in Aquileia, when the Pope ordered the diocese of Como to abandon it, despite resistance.

Reconciliation with Rome

The schism had deepened along political, Lombard-Roman lines. The

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missionary Columbanus, who was ministering to the Lombards in

Bobbio Bobbio ( Bobbiese: ; lij, Bêubbi; la, Bobium) is a small town and commune in the province of Piacenza in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. It is located in the Trebbia River valley southwest of the town Piacenza. There is also an abbey and a di ...

was involved in the first attempt to resolve this division through mediation between 612 and 615.

Agilulf Agilulf ( 555 – April 616), called ''the Thuringian'' and nicknamed ''Ago'', was a duke of Turin and king of the Lombards from 591 until his death. A relative of his predecessor Authari, Agilulf was of Thuringian origin and belonged to the A ...

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of the

, persuaded him to address a letter on the schism to

Boniface IV Pope Boniface IV ( la, Bonifatius IV; 550 – 8 May 615) was the bishop of Rome from 608 to his death. Boniface had served as a deacon under Pope Gregory I, and like his mentor, he ran the Lateran Palace as a monastery. As pope, he encouraged m ...

. He tells the pope that he is suspect of heresy for accepting the

Fifth Ecumenical Council The Second Council of Constantinople is the fifth of the first seven ecumenical councils recognized by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. It is also recognized by the Old Catholics and others. Protestant opinions and ...

(the Second Council of

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

in 553), and exhorts him to summon a council and prove his orthodoxy. Historian

Edward Gibbon Edward Gibbon (; 8 May 173716 January 1794) was an English historian, writer, and member of parliament. His most important work, '' The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'', published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788, is ...

theorized that

Pope Honorius I Pope Honorius I (died 12 October 638) was the bishop of Rome from 27 October 625 to his death. He was active in spreading Christianity among Anglo-Saxons and attempted to convince the Celts to calculate Easter in the Roman fashion. He is chief ...

reconciled the Patriarch to Rome in 638, although this did not last.Footnote 98, As the schism lost its vigour, the Lombards started to renounce Arianism and join western orthodoxy. The bishop of Old-Aquileia formally ended the schism at the Synod of Pavia in 698. After Old-Aquileia reconciled with Rome, Pope Gregory II granted the

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropol ...

to Patriarch Serenus (715–730) of Aquileia in 723. The division of the

Patriarchate of Aquileia The Patriarchate of Aquileia was an episcopal see in northeastern Italy, centred on the ancient city of Aquileia situated at the head of the Adriatic, on what is now the Italian seacoast. For many centuries it played an important part in histor ...

into the rival Patriarchies of Aquileia and Grado contributed to the evolution of the

Patriarch of Grado This is a list of the Patriarchs of Grado (north-eastern Italy).
''

Patriarch of Venice The Patriarch of Venice ( la, Patriarcha Venetiarum; it, Patriarca di Venezia) is the ordinary bishop of the Archdiocese of Venice. The bishop is one of the few patriarchs in the Latin Church of the Catholic Church (currently three other Latin ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schism Of The Three Chapters Schisms in Christianity 6th century in Italy 6th-century Christianity 7th-century Christianity 7th century in Italy Patriarchate of Aquileia