Germanus

1. One of the commanders of the expedition sent by the emperor Theodosius II., A. D. 441, to attack the Vandals in Africa. (Prosper. Aquit. Chron.)

2. The patrician, a nephew of the emperor Justinian I. He was grown up at the time of Justinian's accession (A. D. 527), for soon after that he was appointed commander of the troops in Thrace, and almost annihilated a body of Antae, a Slavonic nation who had invaded that province. He was sent into Africa on occasion of the mutiny of the troops there under Tzotzas, after the recovery of that province from the Vandals by Belisarius, who had been called away into Sicily by the mutinous temper of the army in that island. Germanus was accompanied by Domnicus, or Domnichus, and Symmachus, men of skill, who were sent with him apparently as his advisers. On his arrival at Carthage (A. D. 534) he found that two thirds of the army were with the rebel Tzotzas (Τζότζας, as Theophanes writes the name ; in Procopius it is Stotzas, Στότζας), and that the remainder were in a very dissatisfied state. By his mildness, he assuaged the discontent of his troops; and on the approach of Tzotzas, marched out, drove him away, and overtaking him in his retreat, gave him so decisive a defeat at Κάλλας Βάταρας, i. e. Scalas Veteres, in Numidia, as to put an end to the revolt, and to compel Tzotzas to flee into Mauritania. A second attempt at mutiny was made at Carthage by Maximus; but it was repressed by Germanus, who punished Maximus by crucifying or impaling him at Carthage. Germanus was shortly after (about A. D. 539 or 540) recalled by Justinian to Constantinople. Immediately after his return from Africa he was sent to defend Syria against Chosroes, or Khosru I., king of Persia; but his forces were inadequate for that purpose, and, after leaving a portion of his troops to garrison Antioch, which was, however, taken by Chosroes (A. D. 539 or 540), he withdrew into Cilicia. After this Germanus remained for some time without any prominent employment. Either his ill success in Syria involved him in disgrace, or he was kept back by the hatred of the empress Theodora, the fear of whose displeasure prevented any of the greater Byzantine nobles from intermarrying with the children which Germanus had by his wife Passara (Πασσάρα); and he was obliged (A. D. 545) to negotiate a match between his daughter, who was now marriageable, and Joannes, nephew of Vitalian the Goth, though Joannes was of a rank inferior to that of his bride. Even this match was not effected without much opposition and grievous threats on the part of the empress. Germanus had another ground of dissatisfaction. His brother Borais or Borais had on his death left his property to Germanus and his children, to the prejudice of his own wife and daughter, to whom he bequeathed only so much as the law required. The daughter appealed against this arrangement, and the emperor gave judgment in her favour. Thus alienated from his uncle, Germanus and his sons Justin and Justinian, the first of whom had been consul (he is probably the Flavius Justinus who was consul A. D. 540), were solicited to join in the conspiracy of Artabanes, who, after the death of the empress Theodora, was plotting the murder of the emperor Justinian and his general, Belisarius. But their loyalty was proof against the solicitation, and they gave information of the plot. Germanus was nevertheless suspected by the emperor of participation in it, but succeeded in making his innocence clear.

In A. D. 550 Justinian appointed Germanus to the command against the Goths in Italy. He undertook the charge with great zeal, and expended in the collection of a suitable force a larger amount from his private fortune than the emperor contributed from the public revenue. His sons Justin and Justinian were to serve under him, and he was to be accompanied by his second wife, Matasuntha (Ματασοῦνθα), an Ostro-Gothic princess, widow of the Gothic king Vitiges, and grand-daughter of the great Theodoric. His liberality and high reputation soon attracted a large army of veterans; many soldiers formerly in the pay of the empire, now in that of the Goths, promised to desert to him, and he had reason to hope that his connection with their royal family would dispose the Goths themselves to submit. The mere terror of his name caused the retreat of a Slavonic horde who had crossed the Danube to attack Thessaloneica; and he was on his march, with the brightest prospects, into Italy, when he died, after a short illness, at Sardica in Illyricum. He had, beside the children above mentioned by his first wife, a posthumous son by Matasuntha, called, after him, Germanus. (Procopius, De Bell. Vandal. 2.16-19, De Bello Persico, 2.6, 7, De Bello Gothico, 3.12, 31-33, 37-40, Hist. Arcana, c. 5, with the notes of Alemannus; Theophan. Chronog. vol. i. p. 316, &c., ed. Bonn.)

3. One of the generals of the emperor Tiberius II. The emperor manifested his esteem for him by giving him his daughter Charito in marriage (A. D. 582), on which occasion he received the title of Caesar. Another daughter of Tiberius was married to Mauricius or Maurice, afterwards emperor. (Theophan. Chronog. p. 388, ed. Bonn; Zonar. 14.11.)

4. The patrician, contemporary with the emperor Mauricius or Maurice, is perhaps the same as No. 2. Theodosius, the son of Maurice, married his daughter A. D. 602. During the revolt which closed the reign and life of Maurice, Theodosius and Gernanus left Constantinople on a hunting excursion, and while absent had some communication with the revolted troops under Phocas, who offered the imperial crown to either or both of them (A. D. 602). On their return to Constantinople, Maurice accused Germanus of conspiring against him, and Germanus in alarm fled to one of the churches in Constantinople. The emperor sent to drag him from his sanctuary, but the resistance of his servants enabled him to escape to the great church. Maurice then caused Theodosius to be beaten with rods, on suspicion of aiding his father-in-law to escape. Germanus, it is said, would have given himself up, but the malcontents in the city would not allow him to do so; and he, in anticipation of Maurice's downfal, tampered with them to obtain the crown. Meantime the army under Phocas approached, and Germanus, probably through fear, went out with others to meet him. Phocas offered him the crown, but he, suspecting the intentions of the rebel, declined it. Phocas having himself become emperor, and being apprehensive of Germanus, first made him a priest (A. D. 603), and afterwards (A. D. 605 or 606), feeling still insecure, put him to death, together with his daughter. (Theophan. Chronog. p. 388, 445-456, &c. ed. Bonn; Theophyl. Simocatta, Hist. 8.4, 8, 9, 10, and apud Phot. Bibl. cod. 65; Zonar. 14.13, 14; Cedren. vol. i. p. 710, ed. Bonn.)

5. Governor of Edessa (A. D. 587) in the reign of the emperor Maurice, was chosen general by the troops who guarded the eastern frontier, and who had, by their mutinous behaviour, put their commander, Priscus, to flight. During the reign of Phocas, we find a Germanus, apparently the same, holding the military command on the same frontier. Narses, a Roman (or Byzantine) general, having revolted and taken possession of Edessa, Germanus was ordered to besiege the town, and was there defeated and mortally wounded (A. D. 604) by a Persian army, which Chosroes or Khosru II., whose assistance the rebel had implored, sent to his relief. (Theophan. Chronog. vol. i. p. 451, ed. Bonn; Theophylact. Simocat. llist. 3.2, 3, and ap. Phot. Bibl. cod. 65; Zonar. 14.14; Cedren. vol. i. p. 710, ed. Bonn.)

6. Autissiodorensis, or St. Germain of Auxerre, one of the most eminent of the early saints of the Gallic church, lived a little before the overthrow of the western empire. He was born at Auxerre, about A. D. 378, of a good family, and at first followed the profession of the bar. Having embraced the Christian religion, and entered the church, he was ordained deacon by Amator, bishop of Auxerre, and on his death shortly after was unanimously chosen his successor, and held the see from A. D. 418 to 449. He was eminent for his zeal against heresy, his success as a preacher, his holiness, and the miracles which he is said to have wrought. Among the remarkable incidents of his life were his two visits to Britain, the first in or about A. D. 429 and 430; the second in A. D. 446 or 447, shortly before his death, which, according to Bede, took place at Ravenna, in Italy, apparently in A. D. 448. His transactions in Britain were among the most important of his life, especially in his first visit, when he was sent over by a council, with Lupus Trecasenus or Trecassinus (St. Loup of Troyes), as his associate, to check the spread of Pelagianism. He was successful not only in the main object of his mission, but also in repelling in a very remarkable manner an incursion of the Saxons, who were struck with panic by the Britons (who, under the guidance of Germanus, were advancing to repel them), raising a shout of "Alleluia." This incident occurred before the commencement of the Saxon conquest under Hengist, during the first visit of Germanus. Works

The writings of Germanus are unimportant. One of them, which is not now extant, but which Nennius quotes (100.50), contained an account of the death of the British king, Guortigirnus or Vortigern. Further Information

Nennius, Histor. 100.30-50 ; Baeda, De Sex Aetat., and Hist. Eccles. Gent. Anglor. 1.100.17-21, Acta Sanctor. Julii, 31, vol. vii.

7. Of Constantinople, was the son of the patrician Justinian, who was put to death by the emperor Constantine IV. Pogonatus, by whom Germanus himself was castrated, apparently on account of his murmurs at his father's death. Germanus was translated A. D. 715 from the archbishoprick of Cyzicus, which he had previously held, to the patriarchal see of Constantinople. About two years afterwards he negotiated the abdication of Theodosius III. in favour of Leo III. the Isaurian, with whom he was subsequently involved in a contest on the subject of the use of images in worship. It is probable that some difference between them had commenced before Germanus was called upon to baptize Constantine, the infant son of Leo, afterwards the emperor Constantine V. Copronymus. The infant polluted the baptismal font (whence his surname), and the angry patriarch declared prophetically that "much evil would come to the church and to religion through him." Germanus vehemently opposed the iconoclastic measures of Leo; and his pertinacious resistance occasioned his deposition, A. D. 730. He was succeeded by Anastasius, an opponent of images, and the party of the Iconoclasts obtained a temporary triumph. Germanus died A. D. 740. He was anathematised at a council of the Iconoclasts held at Constantinople A. D. 754, in the reign of Constantine Copronymus; but after the overthrow of that party he was regarded with reverence, and is reckoned both by the Latin and Greek churches as a confessor. Works

Several works of Germanus are extant. 1. Περὶ τῶν ἁγίων οἰκουμενικῶν συνόδων· πόσαι εἰσι, καὶ πότε καὶ σιὰ τί συνηθροίσθησαν· Of the General Councils; how many they are, and uhen, and on what account they were assembled. Editions

This work, in an imperfect form, and without the author's name, was, with the Nomocanon of Pllotius, published by Christopher Justellus, 4to. Paris, 1615 : it is also contained in the Bibliotheca Canonica of Henry Justellus; but was first given in a complete form, and with the author's name, in the Varia Sacra of Le Moyne. 2. Epistolae

Three letters addressed to different bishops, are in the Acta of the Second Nicene, or Seventh General Council, held A. D. 787. 3. Homiliae Editions

These are included in the Collection of Pantinus (8vo. Antwerp, 1601); the Auctarium of Ducaeus, tom. ii.; and the Novum Auctarium, and the Originum rerumque Constantinopolitanarum Manipulus of Combefis. Latin versions of them are in the various editions of the Bibliotheca Patrum. 4. A work against those who disparaged or corrupted the writings of Gregory Nyssen

mentioned by Photius, but now lost. 5. Commentaries on the writings of the pseudo-Dionysius Areopagita.

Further Information

Theophan. Chronog. vol. i. pp. 539, 599-630; Phot. Bibl. cod. 233; Zonaras, 14.20; Fabric. Bibl. Gr. vol. vii. p. 10, vol. viii. p. 84, vol. xi. pp. 155-162; Cave, Hist. Litt. vol. i. p. 621, ed. Oxford, 1740-43.

8. Of Constantinople, the younger, was born at Anaplus on the Propontis, and before his elevation to the patriarchate (A. D. 1222) was a monk of piety and learning. Though counted in the succession of the Greek patriarchs of Constantinople, he discharged the functions of his office at Nice, in Bithynia, Constantinople itself being then in the hands of the Latins. He was anxious for the union of the Greek and Latin churches, and wrote to the pope Gregory IX. a letter, of which a Latin version is included among the letters of that pope, and is given, with the version of a letter of Germanus to the cardinals, and the pope's answer, by Matthew Paris. (Historia Major, p. 457, &c., ed. Wats, fol. Lond. 1640.) The letters are assigned by Matthew Paris to the year 1237, instead of 1232, which is their proper date. The emperor Joannes Ducas Vataces was also favourable to the union, and a conference was held in his presence by Germanus and some ecclesiastics sent by the pope. A council on the subject was afterwards held (A. D. 1233) at Nymphaea, in Bithynia, but it came to nothing. Oudin affirms that after the failure of this negotiation, Germanus became as hostile to the Romish church as he had before been friendly. According to Cave and Oudin, Germanus was deposed A. D. 1240, restored in 1254, and died shortly after; and their statement is confirmed by Nicephorus Gregoras (Hist. Byzant. 3.1, p. 55, ed. Bonn), who says that he died a little before the election of Theodore Lascaris II., in A. D. 1254 or 1255. According to other statements, founded on a passage in George Acropolita, 100.43, Germanus died A. D. 1239 or 1240. Works

The writings of Germanus are very numerous, and comprehend, 1. Epistolae. Editions

Beside those published in the Historia Major of Matthew Paris, there are two, Ad Cyprios, in the Monumenta Eccles. Graec. of Cotelerius, vol. i. p. 462. 2. Orationes, and Homiliae. Editions

These are published, some in the Homiliae Sacrae of David Hoeschelius; others in the Auctarium of Ducaeus, vol. ii., in the Auctarium of Combefis, vol. i., in the collection of Gretser De Cruce, vol. ii., and in the Originum Rerumque Politanarum Manipulus of Combefis, and in some editions of the Bibliotheca Patrum. 3. Decreta. Editions

Three of these are published in the Jus Graeco-Romanum of Leunclavius,lib. iii. p. 232, and in the Jus Orientale of Bonefidius. 4. Idiomelum in Festum Annunciationis Editions

in the Auctarium of Combefis. 5. Rerum Ecclesiasticarum Theoria, or Expositio in Liturgiam Editions

Given in Greek and Latin in the Auctarium of Ducaeus and the Graec. Eccles. Monum. of Cotelerius. Unpublished Works

Many of his works are unpublished. Fabricius gives an enumeration of them. Confusion with Germanus of Constantinople

There is some difficulty in distinguishing his writings from those of the elder Germanus of Constantinople. Further Information

Fabric. Bibl. Gr. vol. xi. p. 162 ; Cave, Hist. Litt. vol. ii. p. 289; Oudin. De Script. Ecc. vol. iii. col. 52, &c.

9. Of Constantinople, was bishop of Adrianople, and a friend of the emperor Michael Palaeologus, at whose solicitation he was elected patriarch of Constantinople by a synod held A. D. 1267. He unwillingly accepted the office; and resigned it within a few months, and retired to a monastery, in consequence of the opposition made to his appointment, either on the ground of some irregularity in his translation, or more probably of his holding the patriarchate, while his deposed predecessor, Arsenius, was living. He was a learned man, of mild disposition, polished manners, and irreproachable morals. He was afterwards one of the ambassadors of the emperor to the fourteenth General Council, that of Lyon (A. D. 1277), and there supported the union of the Greek and Latin churches. He does not appear to have left any writings, but the Decreta of Germanus II. of Constantinople, contained in the Jus Graeco-Romanum of Leunclavius, have been sometimes improperly ascribed to him. (Niceph. Gregor. Hist. Byzant. 4.5, 8; Georg. Phranza, Chronicon, 1.3; Fabr. Bibl. Gr. vol. xi. p. 170, &c., L'Art de Vérifier les Dates.) [J.C.M]