John VIII of Constantinople (; 1010 – 2 August 1075), a native of Trebizond, was a Byzantine

intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and Human self-reflection, reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the wor ...

,Xiphilinos, John VIII – Oxford Reference
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jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a Lawyer, legal prac ...

, and

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the List of ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople, archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox ...

from 1064 to 1075. He was the uncle of John Xiphilinus, the Epimator. He is considered "an innovator in the field of the methodology of jurisprudential research".

Early career

John was born in Trebizond to the Xiphilinos family. He pursued studies at the

University of Constantinople The Imperial University of Constantinople, sometimes known as the University of the Palace Hall of Magnaura (), was an Eastern Roman educational institution that could trace its corporate origins to 425 AD, when the emperor Theodosius II foun ...

and eventually became ''

nomophylax The ''nomophylax'' (, "guardian of the laws") was a senior Byzantine judicial office of the 11th–15th centuries. History The office of ''nomophylax'' was established by Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos (r. 1042–1055) either in 1043, 1045, or 1 ...

'' of its

School of Law A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for bec ...

. Later he became a monk and was eventually selected by Emperor

Constantine X Doukas Constantine X Doukas or Ducas (; – 23 May 1067), was Byzantine emperor from 1059 to 1067. He was the founder of the Doukid dynasty. During his reign, the Normans took over much of the remaining Byzantine territories in Italy, while in the ...

(1059–1067) to succeed

Constantine III of Constantinople Constantine III of Constantinople (; died 9 or 10 August 1063) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1059 until his death in 1063. Born in Constantinople, he was a fellow student of Michael Psellus and John Xiphilinus. He rose t ...

as the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.

Episcopacy

In 1072, John VIII presided over an assembly of metropolitans and archbishops at the oratory of

Saint Alexius Saint Alexius of Rome or Alexius of Edessa (, ''Alexios''), also Alexis, was a fourth-century Greek monk who lived in anonymity and is known for his dedication to Christ. Two versions of his life exist, one in Syriac and the other in Greek. Sy ...

in which the question of the election of bishops to vacant sees was discussed. Michael I of Constantinople had forbidden metropolitans who were resident in Constantinople from participating in such elections. John, however, recognised that metropolitans sometimes had to remain for a long period in the capital due to ecclesiastical business or illness. The assembly with John's consent decreed that metropolitans who gave the patriarch advance notification of their intent could again vote while resident in Constantinople. After his death, his remains were buried at the monastery of Angourion on 2 August 1075. John VIII wrote a

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 Saint

Eugenios of Trebizond Saint Eugenios () or Eugene was martyred under Diocletian and a cult devoted to him developed in Trabzon, Trebizond. His feast day is 21 January. Eugenios along with the martyrs Candidus, Valerian and Aquila was persecuted during the reign of Diocl ...

. William Miller, ''Trebizond - The last Greek Empire of the Byzantine Era, 1204–1461'', 1926 (Chicago, Argonaut, 1969), p. 11 John VIII has been canonised in the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

and his feast day is celebrated on 30 August.

Notes and references

External links

John VIII Xiphilinos – Encyclopedia of the Hellenic World
1010 births 1075 deaths 11th-century patriarchs of Constantinople Byzantine Pontians People from Trapezus Byzantine jurists 11th-century jurists {{EasternOrthodoxy-bishop-stub