Gregory the Great and the Marcianists

Abstract

During the pontificate of Gregory the Great, John of Chalcedon and Athanasius of Isauria were condemned at Constantinople. Accused of being Marcianists, they appealed to the Roman bishop. To review their cases, Gregory received from Constantinople some documents related to the Council of Ephesus. The pope could not find those same documents in Rome, and he then suspected they had been faked. Finally, Gregory acquitted Athanasius and John because they showed repentance, underlining at the same time that their accusers were Pelagians. This article analyses these striking events, in order to learn more about the way of working of Gregory and about the relationship between Rome and Constantinople at his time.