Pope John II

Pope

John II
Pope ; John II
Bishop of Rome
Church	Catholic Church
Papacy began	2 January 533
Papacy ended	8 May 535
Predecessor	Boniface II
Successor	Agapetus I
Personal details
Born	Mercurius ; c. 475 ; Rome , Western Roman Empire
Died	May 8, 535 (aged 59?60) ; Rome, Ostrogothic Kingdom
Buried	St. Peter's Basilica
	Other popes named John

Pope John II ( Latin : Ioannes II ; c. 475 ? 8 May 535), born Mercurius , was the Bishop of Rome from 2 January 533 to his death. As a priest at St. Clement's Basilica , he endowed that church with gifts and commissioned stone carvings for it. Mercurius became the first pope to adopt a new papal name upon his elevation to the office. During his pontificate, John II notably removed Bishop Contumeliosus of Riez from his office, convened a council on the readmission of Arian clergy, and approved an edict of emperor Justinian , promulgating doctrine opposed by his predecessor, Pope Hormisdas .

Early life [ edit ]

Mercurius was born in Rome , son of Praeiectus. He became a priest at St. Clement's Basilica on the Caelian Hill , ^[1] and even before becoming pope he had commissioned work for the basilica and made generous donations. ^[2] The basilica still retains memorials of "Johannes surnamed Mercurius"; ^[1] he donated plutei and transennae. ^[3] A reference to " Presbyter Mercurius" is found on a fragment of an ancient ciborium . Several marble slabs that enclose the schola cantorum bear upon them, in the style of the sixth century, his monogram . ^[1]

Pontificate [ edit ]

Mercurius was elected pope on 2 January 533, apparently the first pope to adopt a new name upon elevation to the papacy. ^[1]

The notoriously adulterous behavior of Bishop Contumeliosus of Riez caused John to order the bishops of Gaul to confine him in a monastery . ^[4]^[5] Until a new bishop could be appointed, he bade the clergy of Riez to obey the Bishop of Arles . ^[1]

Stemming from Pope Hormisdas ' suppression of the statement "one of the Trinity suffered in the flesh" in Scythian monastic liturgies, the Acoemetae , or Sleepless Monks, began to support Nestorianism , the belief that Jesus is neither human nor divine. Emperor Justinian I and patriarch Epiphanius of Constantinople opposed this ideology and sent a deputation to Rome which prompted John II to assemble a synod, excommunicate the Acoemetae, and to issue statements approving the doctrine of the emperor. ^[5]

Arianism [ edit ]

In 535, 217 bishops assembled in a council at Carthage submitted to John II a decision about whether bishops who had lapsed into Arianism should, on repentance, keep their rank or be admitted only to lay communion . The question of re-admittance to the lapsed troubled North Africa for centuries (see Novatianism and Donatism ). The answer to their question was given by Agapetus I , as John II died on 8 May 535. He was buried in St Peter's Basilica . ^[1]

References [ edit ]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Mann, Horace K. (1910). " Pope John II ". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia . Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
^ Lapidge, Michael (2017). The Roman Martyrs: Introduction, Translations, and Commentary . Oxford Early Christian Studies. Oxford University Press. p. 167. ISBN 978-0-19-253935-9 .
^ Lloyd, Joan Barclay (2017). "Sixth-Century Art and Architecture in 'Old Rome': End or Beginning?" . In Allen, Pauline; Jeffreys, Elizabeth (eds.). The Sixth Century: End or Beginning? . Byzantina Australiensia. Brill. pp. 224?36. ISBN 978-90-04-34470-9 .
^ De Jong, Mayke (2000). "Transformations of Penance" . In Theuws, Frans; Nelson, Janet Laughland (eds.). Rituals of Power . Brill. p. 202. ISBN 978-90-04-10902-5 .
^ ^a ^b Wace, Henry ; Piercy, William C., eds. (1911). "Joannes II. Mercurius, bishop of Rome" . Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century (3rd ed.). London: John Murray.

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Boniface II	Pope 533–535	Succeeded by Agapetus I

[ce-john-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Mann, Horace K. (1910). " Pope John II ". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia . Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

[2] Lapidge, Michael (2017). The Roman Martyrs: Introduction, Translations, and Commentary . Oxford Early Christian Studies. Oxford University Press. p. 167. ISBN 978-0-19-253935-9 .

[3] Lloyd, Joan Barclay (2017). "Sixth-Century Art and Architecture in 'Old Rome': End or Beginning?" . In Allen, Pauline; Jeffreys, Elizabeth (eds.). The Sixth Century: End or Beginning? . Byzantina Australiensia. Brill. pp. 224?36. ISBN 978-90-04-34470-9 .

[4] De Jong, Mayke (2000). "Transformations of Penance" . In Theuws, Frans; Nelson, Janet Laughland (eds.). Rituals of Power . Brill. p. 202. ISBN 978-90-04-10902-5 .

[Mace-5] Wace, Henry ; Piercy, William C., eds. (1911). "Joannes II. Mercurius, bishop of Rome" . Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century (3rd ed.). London: John Murray.

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Early life [ edit ]

Pontificate [ edit ]

Arianism [ edit ]

See also [ edit ]

References [ edit ]