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Pope John VIII

August 22, 2023

This article is about the Catholic pope. For the Coptic pope, see Pope John VIII of Alexandria.

Pope John VIII (Latin: Ioannes VIII; died 16 December 882) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 14 December 872 to his death. He is often considered one of the ablest popes of the 9th century.[1]

Pope

John VIII
Bishop of Rome
ChurchCatholic Church
Papacy began14 December 872
Papacy ended16 December 882
PredecessorAdrian II
SuccessorMarinus I
Personal details
Born
Rome, Papal States
Died(882-12-16)16 December 882
Rome, Papal States
Other popes named John

John devoted much of his papacy attempting to halt and reverse the Muslim gains in southern Italy and their march northwards. When his efforts to obtain assistance from either the Franks or the Byzantines failed, John strengthened the defences of Rome. He supported Methodius of Thessalonica in his mission to the Slavs, defended him against the Carolingian rulers and Bavarian clergy, and authorized the translation of the Bible into Slavonic. John also extended diplomatic recognition to the Duchy of Croatia and resolved the Photian schism. John's pontificate ended with his assassination, and the papacy became significantly weaker in the aftermath.

Slavonic liturgy

 
John VIII's letter to Svatopluk I of Moravia

Pope Adrian II consecrated Methodius of Thessalonica as archbishop and supported his mission to the Slavs. Unbeknownst to Rome, Methodius was imprisoned in 870 by the Carolingian King Louis the German and Bavarian bishops, who objected to his use of the Slavonic language in the liturgy and his encroachment on their jurisdiction in Moravia.[2] Adrian II died in 872, and John VIII, a Roman native,[3] was selected to succeed him. When Bishop Anno of Freising visited Rome, John inquired about the whereabouts of the missing Methodius, but Anno lied to him. In the summer of 873, John finally learned the truth. Furious, he forbade the celebration of mass in Bavaria until Methodius was released.[4] After his release, Methodius came to Rome and convinced John to allow him to translate the Bible to Slavonic as well as to perform liturgy in Slavonic. John wrote: "He who made three main languages – Hebrew, Greek, and Roman – also made all other languages to sing his praise and glory."[5]

Saracen incursions

As a young man, John witnessed the Arab raid against Rome. Their expansion into Italy was severely affecting the economy of the Papal States.[3] After the raids against Campania and the Sabine Hills, Pope John asked for military aid from Emperor Charles the Bald and later Count Boso of Provence.[6] His efforts failed and he was forced to pay tribute to the Emirate of Sicily.[7] The threatening Muslim military presence (which he believed was God's punishment against "bad Christians"),[8] coupled with alliances they formed with the local Christians, prompted John to promote "a new and uncompromisingly hostile view of the Saracens." This included a ban on forming alliances with the Muslims. However, his efforts proved unsuccessful,[9] partly because Christian leaders viewed his calls for unity as an excuse to assert papal authority in southern Italy.[8]

 
An 876 bull of John VIII

In 876, John VIII traveled throughout Campania in an effort to form an alliance among the cities of Salerno, Capua, Naples, Gaeta and Amalfi against Muslim raids. By 877, all five cities sent delegates to Traietto to formalize an alliance.[10] Pope John VIII urged Charles to come to his defence in Italy. Charles again crossed the Alps, but this expedition was received with little enthusiasm by the nobles, and even by his regent in Lombardy, Boso, and they refused to join his army. At the same time Carloman of Bavaria, son of Louis the German, entered northern Italy. Charles, ill and in great distress, started on his way back to Gaul, but died while crossing the pass of Mont Cenis on 6 October 877.[11]

Obtaining relatively little support from outside sources, John fell back on what resources he could command. He reinforced the walls previously restored by Pope Leo IV. As the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls was located outside the Aurelian Walls, and had been damaged in a Saracen raid, the pope fortified the basilica, the monastery, and the nearby dwellings of the peasants. He also founded a papal fleet.[5]

Constantinople problems

In 879, John recognised the reinstatement of Photios I as the legitimate patriarch of Constantinople. Photius had been condemned in 869 by Adrian II. This was undertaken mainly to appease the Byzantines, since in them he saw the only hope of removing the Arabs from Italy.[12] It was commonly believed that some time afterward John VIII re-confirmed the excommunication of Photius, which eventually enabled Emperor Leo VI to move against Photius.[13] However, modern scholarship particularly influenced by Catholic scholar Francis Dvornik has demonstrated this to be a Latin myth, as Photius died in visible perfect communion within the Roman Church.

John was anxious that the Duchy of Croatia would follow in the steps of Bulgaria, which had recently accepted the spiritual authority of Constantinople rather than that of Rome. After the overthrow of the pro-Byzantine Zdeslav in 879, John thanked the new duke, Branimir, for returning Croatia to papal jurisdiction. In return, John recognized Croatian independence from the Carolingians.[14]

Death

John VIII was assassinated in 882 by his own clerics; he was first poisoned, and then clubbed to death.[5] The motives may have been his exhaustion of the papal treasury, his lack of support among the Carolingians, his gestures towards the Byzantines, and his failure to stop the Saracen raids.[15] Without the protection of powerful magnates or the Carolingian emperor, the papacy after John VIII's reign became increasingly subject to the machinations and greedy ambition of the rival clans of the local nobility.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Mann, Horace. "Pope John VIII." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. retrieved 10 June 2007.
  2. ^ Goldberg 2006, pp. 300, 319.
  3. ^ a b Kreutz 1996, p. 57.
  4. ^ Goldberg 2006, p. 319.
  5. ^ a b c d O'Malley 2009, p. 79.
  6. ^ Pierre Riche, The Carolingians: A family who forged Europe, Transl. Michael Idomir Allen, (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1993), p. 203.
  7. ^ The Expansion of Saracens:Africa and Europe, C.H. Becker, The Cambridge Medieval History, Vol. 2, Ed. John Bagnell Bury, (The Macmillan Company, 1913), p. 387.
  8. ^ a b John Victor Tolan; Gilles Veinstein; Henry Laurens (2013). Europe and the Islamic World: A History (illustrated ed.). Princeton University Press. p. 35. ISBN 978-0691147055.
  9. ^ Andrew Shryock (2010). Islamophobia/Islamophilia: Beyond the Politics of Enemy and Friend. Indiana University Press. p. 32. ISBN 978-0253004543.
  10. ^ Kreutz, Barbara (1991). Before the Normans: Southern Italy in the Ninth and Tenth Centuries. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 58. ISBN 978-0-8122-1587-8.
  11. ^ Riche, Pierre. The Carolingians:The Family who forged Europe. 1983. University of Pennsylvania Press
  12. ^ Barbara M. Kreutz (7 Jun 2011). Before the Normans: Southern Italy in the Ninth and Tenth Centuries. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 60. ISBN 9780812205435.
  13. ^ "The Errors of the Greeks Condemned in Three General Councils". 17 January 2018.
  14. ^ Curta 2006, p. 140.
  15. ^ Barbara M. Kreutz (2011). Before the Normans: Southern Italy in the Ninth and Tenth Centuries. University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 59–60. ISBN 978-0812205435.

  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Pope John VIII". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

Bibliography

  • Balan, Pietro (1880). Il pontificato di Giovanni VIII (in Italian). Roma: Tip. di Roma.
  • Cariello, Nicola (2002). Giovanni VIII: papa medioevale (872–882). Studi e documenti, 19 (in Italian). Roma: Edilazio. ISBN 978-88-87485-34-9.
  • Dvornik, Francis (1948). The Photian Schism: History and Legend. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
  • Ostrogorsky, George (1956). History of the Byzantine State. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
  • Siecienski, Anthony Edward (2010). The Filioque: History of a Doctrinal Controversy. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195372045.
  • O'Malley, John W. (2009). A History of the Popes: From Peter to the Present. Government Institutes. ISBN 978-1580512299.
  • Goldberg, Eric Joseph (2006). Struggle for Empire: Kingship and Conflict Under Louis the German, 817–876. Cornell University Press. ISBN 080143890X.
  • Curta, Florin (2006). Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500–1250. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521815398.
  • Kreutz, Barbara M. (1996). Before the Normans: Southern Italy in the Ninth and Tenth Centuries. University of Pennsylvania Press.

Further reading

  • Fred E. Engreen, "Pope John the Eighth and the Arabs," Speculum, 20 (1945), pp. 318–330

External links

  • Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Latina with analytical indexes
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pope John VIII.
  • "Iohannes VIII papa". Repertorium "Historical Sources of the German Middle Ages" (Geschichtsquellen des deutschen Mittelalters).
  • Literature by and about Johannes VIII. in the German National Library catalogue
  • Profile, Enciclopedia dei Papi; accessed 27 August 2016.(in Italian)
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Pope
872–882 		Succeeded by

August 22, 2023
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This article is about the Catholic pope For the Coptic pope see Pope John VIII of Alexandria Pope John VIII Latin Ioannes VIII died 16 December 882 was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 14 December 872 to his death He is often considered one of the ablest popes of the 9th century 1 PopeJohn VIIIBishop of RomeChurchCatholic ChurchPapacy began14 December 872Papacy ended16 December 882PredecessorAdrian IISuccessorMarinus IPersonal detailsBornRome Papal StatesDied 882 12 16 16 December 882Rome Papal StatesOther popes named JohnJohn devoted much of his papacy attempting to halt and reverse the Muslim gains in southern Italy and their march northwards When his efforts to obtain assistance from either the Franks or the Byzantines failed John strengthened the defences of Rome He supported Methodius of Thessalonica in his mission to the Slavs defended him against the Carolingian rulers and Bavarian clergy and authorized the translation of the Bible into Slavonic John also extended diplomatic recognition to the Duchy of Croatia and resolved the Photian schism John s pontificate ended with his assassination and the papacy became significantly weaker in the aftermath Contents 1 Slavonic liturgy 2 Saracen incursions 3 Constantinople problems 4 Death 5 See also 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 Further reading 9 External linksSlavonic liturgy Edit John VIII s letter to Svatopluk I of MoraviaPope Adrian II consecrated Methodius of Thessalonica as archbishop and supported his mission to the Slavs Unbeknownst to Rome Methodius was imprisoned in 870 by the Carolingian King Louis the German and Bavarian bishops who objected to his use of the Slavonic language in the liturgy and his encroachment on their jurisdiction in Moravia 2 Adrian II died in 872 and John VIII a Roman native 3 was selected to succeed him When Bishop Anno of Freising visited Rome John inquired about the whereabouts of the missing Methodius but Anno lied to him In the summer of 873 John finally learned the truth Furious he forbade the celebration of mass in Bavaria until Methodius was released 4 After his release Methodius came to Rome and convinced John to allow him to translate the Bible to Slavonic as well as to perform liturgy in Slavonic John wrote He who made three main languages Hebrew Greek and Roman also made all other languages to sing his praise and glory 5 Saracen incursions EditAs a young man John witnessed the Arab raid against Rome Their expansion into Italy was severely affecting the economy of the Papal States 3 After the raids against Campania and the Sabine Hills Pope John asked for military aid from Emperor Charles the Bald and later Count Boso of Provence 6 His efforts failed and he was forced to pay tribute to the Emirate of Sicily 7 The threatening Muslim military presence which he believed was God s punishment against bad Christians 8 coupled with alliances they formed with the local Christians prompted John to promote a new and uncompromisingly hostile view of the Saracens This included a ban on forming alliances with the Muslims However his efforts proved unsuccessful 9 partly because Christian leaders viewed his calls for unity as an excuse to assert papal authority in southern Italy 8 An 876 bull of John VIIIIn 876 John VIII traveled throughout Campania in an effort to form an alliance among the cities of Salerno Capua Naples Gaeta and Amalfi against Muslim raids By 877 all five cities sent delegates to Traietto to formalize an alliance 10 Pope John VIII urged Charles to come to his defence in Italy Charles again crossed the Alps but this expedition was received with little enthusiasm by the nobles and even by his regent in Lombardy Boso and they refused to join his army At the same time Carloman of Bavaria son of Louis the German entered northern Italy Charles ill and in great distress started on his way back to Gaul but died while crossing the pass of Mont Cenis on 6 October 877 11 Obtaining relatively little support from outside sources John fell back on what resources he could command He reinforced the walls previously restored by Pope Leo IV As the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls was located outside the Aurelian Walls and had been damaged in a Saracen raid the pope fortified the basilica the monastery and the nearby dwellings of the peasants He also founded a papal fleet 5 Constantinople problems EditIn 879 John recognised the reinstatement of Photios I as the legitimate patriarch of Constantinople Photius had been condemned in 869 by Adrian II This was undertaken mainly to appease the Byzantines since in them he saw the only hope of removing the Arabs from Italy 12 It was commonly believed that some time afterward John VIII re confirmed the excommunication of Photius which eventually enabled Emperor Leo VI to move against Photius 13 However modern scholarship particularly influenced by Catholic scholar Francis Dvornik has demonstrated this to be a Latin myth as Photius died in visible perfect communion within the Roman Church John was anxious that the Duchy of Croatia would follow in the steps of Bulgaria which had recently accepted the spiritual authority of Constantinople rather than that of Rome After the overthrow of the pro Byzantine Zdeslav in 879 John thanked the new duke Branimir for returning Croatia to papal jurisdiction In return John recognized Croatian independence from the Carolingians 14 Death EditJohn VIII was assassinated in 882 by his own clerics he was first poisoned and then clubbed to death 5 The motives may have been his exhaustion of the papal treasury his lack of support among the Carolingians his gestures towards the Byzantines and his failure to stop the Saracen raids 15 Without the protection of powerful magnates or the Carolingian emperor the papacy after John VIII s reign became increasingly subject to the machinations and greedy ambition of the rival clans of the local nobility 5 See also EditCouncil of Constantinople 879 List of murdered popes Pope JoanReferences Edit Mann Horace Pope John VIII The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol 8 New York Robert Appleton Company 1910 retrieved 10 June 2007 Goldberg 2006 pp 300 319 a b Kreutz 1996 p 57 Goldberg 2006 p 319 a b c d O Malley 2009 p 79 Pierre Riche The Carolingians A family who forged Europe Transl Michael Idomir Allen University of Pennsylvania Press 1993 p 203 The Expansion of Saracens Africa and Europe C H Becker The Cambridge Medieval History Vol 2 Ed John Bagnell Bury The Macmillan Company 1913 p 387 a b John Victor Tolan Gilles Veinstein Henry Laurens 2013 Europe and the Islamic World A History illustrated ed Princeton University Press p 35 ISBN 978 0691147055 Andrew Shryock 2010 Islamophobia Islamophilia Beyond the Politics of Enemy and Friend Indiana University Press p 32 ISBN 978 0253004543 Kreutz Barbara 1991 Before the Normans Southern Italy in the Ninth and Tenth Centuries University of Pennsylvania Press p 58 ISBN 978 0 8122 1587 8 Riche Pierre The Carolingians The Family who forged Europe 1983 University of Pennsylvania Press Barbara M Kreutz 7 Jun 2011 Before the Normans Southern Italy in the Ninth and Tenth Centuries University of Pennsylvania Press p 60 ISBN 9780812205435 The Errors of the Greeks Condemned in Three General Councils 17 January 2018 Curta 2006 p 140 Barbara M Kreutz 2011 Before the Normans Southern Italy in the Ninth and Tenth Centuries University of Pennsylvania Press pp 59 60 ISBN 978 0812205435 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Herbermann Charles ed 1913 Pope John VIII Catholic Encyclopedia New York Robert Appleton Company Bibliography Edit Biography portal Christianity portal History portalBalan Pietro 1880 Il pontificato di Giovanni VIII in Italian Roma Tip di Roma Cariello Nicola 2002 Giovanni VIII papa medioevale 872 882 Studi e documenti 19 in Italian Roma Edilazio ISBN 978 88 87485 34 9 Dvornik Francis 1948 The Photian Schism History and Legend Cambridge UK Cambridge University Press Ostrogorsky George 1956 History of the Byzantine State Oxford Basil Blackwell Siecienski Anthony Edward 2010 The Filioque History of a Doctrinal Controversy Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0195372045 O Malley John W 2009 A History of the Popes From Peter to the Present Government Institutes ISBN 978 1580512299 Goldberg Eric Joseph 2006 Struggle for Empire Kingship and Conflict Under Louis the German 817 876 Cornell University Press ISBN 080143890X Curta Florin 2006 Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages 500 1250 Cambridge University Press ISBN 0521815398 Kreutz Barbara M 1996 Before the Normans Southern Italy in the Ninth and Tenth Centuries University of Pennsylvania Press Further reading EditFred E Engreen Pope John the Eighth and the Arabs Speculum 20 1945 pp 318 330External links EditOpera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Latina with analytical indexes Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pope John VIII Iohannes VIII papa Repertorium Historical Sources of the German Middle Ages Geschichtsquellen des deutschen Mittelalters Literature by and about Johannes VIII in the German National Library catalogue Profile Enciclopedia dei Papi accessed 27 August 2016 in Italian Catholic Church titlesPreceded byAdrian II Pope872 882 Succeeded byMarinus I Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Pope John VIII amp oldid 1158987089, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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