Constantine the Jew ( – 26 December, after 886) was a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

Christian monk and evangelist venerated as a saint within his monastic milieu and in

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

. Born to a

Jewish family Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

in Synada, Constantine excelled at

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

and the

Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...

from a young age. He was said to have been converted to Christianity as a youth by the power of the

sign of the cross Making the sign of the cross (), also known as blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is both a prayer and a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. It is a very significant prayer because Christians are acknowledging ...

, which he had made in spontaneous imitation of a Christian merchant. His full conversion was gradual. It may be linked to the campaign undertaken by the Emperor

Basil I Basil I, nicknamed "the Macedonian" (; 811 – 29 August 886), was List of Byzantine emperors, Byzantine emperor from 867 to 886. Born to a peasant family in Macedonia (theme), Macedonia, he rose to prominence in the imperial court after gainin ...

() to convert the Jews early in his reign. Constantine's family arranged a marriage for him, but on his wedding day he fled to the monastery of Phlouboute, where he was finally baptised. Constantine, known as "the former Jew" (ό εξ Ιουδαιων, ''ho ex Iudaion''), remained at Phlouboute for twelve years. He was ordained a priest in order to evangelise the Jews of

Nicaea Nicaea (also spelled Nicæa or Nicea, ; ), also known as Nikaia (, Attic: , Koine: ), was an ancient Greek city in the north-western Anatolian region of Bithynia. It was the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea (the first and seve ...

. In a vision,

Saint Spyridon Spyridon, also Spyridon of Tremithus (Greek: ; c. 270 – 348), is a saint honoured in both the Eastern and Western Christian traditions. Life Spyridon was born in Assia, in Cyprus. He worked as a shepherd and was known for his great piety. ...

told him to go to

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

, where he acquired a relic of a martyr named Palamon, which he gave to the monastery of Saint Hyakinthos in Nicaea. After Phlouboute, he joined the monastic establishments of Bithynian Olympus, where Jewish relatives tried to have him arrested and sent back as a fugitive. He eventually did settle on Olympus, first at Atroa and later at Balaios. From Olympus he is said to have intervened to reconcile the Emperor Basil I with his son

Leo VI Leo VI (or Leon VI, notably in Greek) may refer to : * Leo VI the Wise Leo VI, also known as Leo the Wise (; 19 September 866 – 11 May 912), was Byzantine Emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty (although his paren ...

, co-emperor since 870. An anonymous

hagiography A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a preacher, priest, founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian ...

of Constantine (''

Acta Sanctorum ''Acta Sanctorum'' (''Acts of the Saints'') is an encyclopedic text in 68 folio volumes of documents examining the lives of Christian saints, in essence a critical hagiography, organised by the saints' feast days. The project was conceived and ...

'', Nov. IV, 628–656 and ''

Bibliotheca Hagiographica Graeca The ''Bibliotheca Hagiographica Graeca'' is a catalogue of Greek hagiographic materials, including ancient literary works on the saints' lives, the translations of their relics, and their miracles, arranged alphabetically by saint. It is usuall ...

'' 370) was written by a Nicaean monk early in the tenth century during the reign of Leo VI, probably in Constantinople. The author was not an acquaintance of Constantine and he relied on oral traditions for his composition. It survives in a single manuscript. The author portrays Constantine as popular with the Byzantine aristocracy. The miracles he attributes to Constantine's sanctity are unconventional. In one, a seductress faints when Constantine makes the sign of the cross. Archbishop Anthony of Novgorod records the existence of a church dedicated to Constantine in the

Jewish Quarter Jewish Quarter may refer to: *Jewish quarter (diaspora), areas of many cities and towns traditionally inhabited by Jews *Jewish Quarter (Jerusalem), one of the four traditional quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem *Jewish Quarter (), a popular name ...

of Constantinople in the thirteenth century.

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * {{refend 9th-century births 9th-century deaths 9th-century Jews 9th-century Christian saints 9th-century Byzantine monks Byzantine Jews Byzantine saints Converts to Christianity from Judaism Greek Christian missionaries People from Şuhut