NIPHON OF CONSTANTINOPLE

On August 24 (11), the Church honors the memory of St. Niphon II of Constantinople (+1508). The saint was one of the early patriarchs of the Ottoman period. Due to an unfortunate omission, his name is not in all monthly books. The people of God revered Patriarch Niphon for his concern for correcting the disorder in his contemporary Church, his meekness in the face of everyday upheavals, and the Christian end of his life on the Holy Mountain.

To understand the essence of the saint’s feat, it is necessary to turn to the circumstances of his time. On May 29 (June 11), 1453, Constantinople fell to the Ottomans. In our modern understanding, this event meant the collapse of the huge Eastern Roman Empire. However, historical truth suggests that at the time of its capture by the new rulers, Constantinople was a small city-state with a population of about 50 thousand inhabitants. With the advent of the Ottomans, it again became the capital of a huge empire. Indeed, the first sultans considered themselves not just successors, but also successors of the Byzantine monarchs.

Over time, however, this ancient and then Christian heritage in their self-awareness was reduced to one of the names in their full title, but in reality it came to naught. There was also a partly mythological idea that the first Rome, pagan, fell under the blows of the barbarians. The second Rome, Christian Constantinople, allegedly gave way to the third Rome—the Islamic Capital on the Bosporus under the rule of the Ottomans. At the same time, theologians of Northern Rus’ creatively reworked this idea and gave it a constructive, Christian understanding. This theology went down in history under the name “Moscow—the Third Rome”.

At the head of all Orthodox Christians of his Empire, the first Sultan of Constantinople, Mehmet II (1432-1481), placed … the Patriarch of Constantinople. Thus, the patriarch received powers unprecedented in history: including tax, judicial and spiritual jurisdiction. He actually became the head of state within a state, the ruler of an entire multinational people. But in return, he fell under complete dependence on the powers that be. He became a subordinate person, relying on the mercy of the Sultan in everything. The holy Patriarch Niphon became a victim of such changes.

But where, in the words of St. Augustine (354-430), the people of this world are “extremely talented” and, even when clothed in spiritual guise, accumulate wealth and good fortune in their hands, the righteous lose and suffer. Patriarch Niphon became a victim of such changes in secular and church administration.

He was moved from one diocese to another. False accusations were made against him. The Orthodox rulers of the neighboring dependent principalities of Wallachia promised him privileges, and then they themselves brought them down. These lands retained Orthodox rule, and therefore considered themselves the only heirs of the bygone Byzantine Empire. Using their financial resources, they tried to carry out their good intentions.

Three times he ascended to the patriarchal throne and was deposed each time. His life testifies that at the end of his earthly journey he overcame the temptations of earthly glory. He himself renounced the patriarchate, already the third in his biography, and went to Athos. He hid his real name and his identity, never to return to the world. The monastic brethren did not know about his episcopal ordination, but the Lord began to show miracles through him. Six years later, in 1508, Niphon died. Just nine years later, his canonization took place. Such a stunning example of how God glorifies those who, even at the end of their life’s journey, abandoned the desire for secular or spiritual, but always too human glory.