Timothy II of Constantinople (; died 3 September 1620) was

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 1612 to 1620.

Life

Timothy Marmarinos was born in

Bandırma Bandırma ()Greek: Panormos(Πανορμος)is a municipality and district of Balıkesir Province, northwestern Turkey. Its area is 755 km2, and its population is 167,363 (2024). Bandırma is located in the south of the Marmara Sea, in the ...

, on the southern shore of the

Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...

. On 28 February 1601, he became

Metropolis of Patras The Metropolis of Patras () is a metropolitan see of the Church of Greece in the city of Patras in Achaea, Greece. The see traces its origins to its patron saint, Saint Andrew, in the 1st century. Historically, it has been one of the two pre-em ...

, an office he maintained till he became Patriarch of Constantinople. After the deposition of

Neophytus II of Constantinople Neophytus II of Constantinople (; died after 1612) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople twice, in 1602–1603 and in 1607–1612. An Athenian, he served as Archbishopric of Athens from 1597 until 3 February 1602, when he was elected as Ec ...

in October 1612, the Church of Constantinople was temporally left in the care of Cyril I of Constantinople as

locum tenens A locum, or locum tenens, is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another; the term is especially used for physicians or clergy. For example, a ''locum tenens physician'' is a physician who works in the place of the regular physician. ...

because of his position as

Greek Patriarch of Alexandria The Greek Orthodox patriarch of Alexandria has the title Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa. The term "Greek" is a religious identifier and not an ethnic one; while many of these patriarchs were ethnic Greeks, some were Hellenized Egy ...

. Cyril I was close to being appointed as patriarch but four bishops opposed and obtained the election of Timothy II, one of their own, as Patriarch thanks to a promise to the

Ottoman Sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire (), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to Dissolution of the Ottoman Em ...

to increase the annual fee paid by the Patriarchate to 8000

kuruş Kuruş ( ; ), also gurush, ersh, gersh, grush, grosha, and grosi, are all names for currency denominations in and around the territories formerly part of the Ottoman Empire. The variation in the name stems from the different languages it is us ...

. Thus after 21 days of interregnum Lucaris gave up and in November 1612 Timothy II became the Patriarch of Constantinople. Timothy II remained a fierce opponent of Cyril I, whom he forced to retire on

Mount Athos Mount Athos (; ) is a mountain on the Athos peninsula in northeastern Greece directly on the Aegean Sea. It is an important center of Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox monasticism. The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed ...

. Timothy II obtained an arrest warrant against Cyril I, but the latter fled back to

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

in Egypt. Timothy II also denounced Cyril I as a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

. The reason for Timothy II's opposition to Cyril I did not originate with any alignment with the latter's main enemies, i.e. the

Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, who opposed Cyril I's pro-

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

attitude. Timothy II also maintained an anti-Catholic attitude, even if in 1615 he wrote a deferential letter to

Pope Paul V Pope Paul V (; ) (17 September 1552 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death, in January 1621. In 1611, he honored Galileo Galilei as a mem ...

. In 1614 Timothy II rebuilt and expanded the small Church of

St. George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

in the Fanar, that since 1601 had become the See of the Patriarchate. Timothy II died on 3 September 1620, or in March 1621 according to other sources. At the time rumors spread that he had been poisoned at a dinner given by the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

, a supporter of Cyril I, but no proof exists.

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Timothy 02 Of Constantinople, Patriarch 17th-century ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople 1620 deaths 17th-century Greek clergy People from Bandırma Anatolian Greeks Year of birth unknown Orthodox bishops of Patras Simony