John Maxentius (; ) was the Byzantine leader of the so-called Scythian monks, a

christological In Christianity, Christology is a branch of theology that concerns Jesus. Different denominations have different opinions on questions such as whether Jesus was human, divine, or both, and as a messiah what his role would be in the freeing of ...

minority.

Biography

He appears in history at

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 ...

in 519 and 520. The Scythian monks adapted the formula: "One of the Trinity suffered in the flesh" to exclude

Nestorianism Nestorianism is a term used in Christian theology and Church history to refer to several mutually related but doctrinary, doctrinarily distinct sets of teachings. The first meaning of the term is related to the original teachings of Christian t ...

and

Monophysitism Monophysitism ( ) or monophysism ( ; from Greek , "solitary" and , "nature") is a Christological doctrine that states that there was only one nature—the divine—in the person of Jesus Christ, who was the incarnated Word. It is rejected as he ...

, and they sought to have the works of

Faustus of Riez Faustus of Riez was an early Bishop of Riez (Rhegium) in Southern Gaul (Provence), the best known and most distinguished opponent of Pelagianism. Biography Faustus was born between 400 and 410, and his contemporaries, Avitus of Vienne and Sidon ...

condemned as being tainted with

Pelagianism Pelagianism is a Christian theological position that holds that the fall did not taint human nature and that humans by divine grace have free will to achieve human perfection. Pelagius (), an ascetic and philosopher from the British Isles, ta ...

. On both these points they met with opposition. John Maxentius presented an appeal to the

papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the Pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title '' legatus'') is a personal representative of the Pope to foreign nations, to some other part of the Catho ...

s then at Constantinople. When it failed to bring forth a favourable decision, some of the monks (not Maxentius, however) proceeded to Rome to lay the case before

Pope Hormisdas Pope Hormisdas (;"Hormisdas, St." in William Darrach Halsey, ''Collier's Encyclopedia'' Volume 12, Macmillan Educational Company, 1984, p. 244. c. 450 – 6 August 523) was the bishop of Rome from 20 July 514 to his death on 6 August 523. His pa ...

. As the latter delayed his decision, they addressed themselves to some African bishops banished to Sardinia, and St. Fulgentius, answering in the name of these prelates, warmly endorsed their cause. Early in August, 520, the monks left Rome. On 13 August, 520, Hormisdas addressed a letter to an African bishop, Possessor, then at Constantinople, in which he severely condemned the conduct of the Scythian monks, also declaring that the writings of Faustus were not received among the authoritative works of the

Church Fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical peri ...

and that the sound doctrine on grace was contained in the works of

St. Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

(Hormisdae ep., cxxiv in Thiel, p. 926). Maxentius assailed this letter in the strongest language as a document written by heretics and circulated under the pope's name. This is the last trace of the Scythian monks and their leader in history. The identification of John Maxentius with the priest John to whom Fulgentius addressed his "De veritate praedestinationis etc" and with the priest and

archimandrite The title archimandrite (; ), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot ('' hegumenos'', , present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") whom a bishop appointed to supervise several "ordinary" abbots and monaste ...

John, to whom the African bishops sent their "Epistula synodica", rests on a baseless assumption.

Works

Maxentius is also the author of * two dialogues against the Nestorians * twelve anathematisms against the Nestorians * a treatise against the Acephali (Monophysites). The "Professio de Christo", printed as a separate work, is but a part of the "Epistola ad legatos sedis apostolicae". His works, originally written in Latin, were preserved in a rather unsatisfactory condition. They were first published by Cochlaeus.Basle and Hagenau, 1520, reprinted in P.G., LXXXVI, i, 75-158.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Maxentius, Joannes History of Christianity in Romania 6th-century Byzantine monks