The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Nectarius of Constantinople
d. 397 · Archbishop of Constantinople · Tarsus → Constantinople
The Nicene Age
Who Nectarius of Constantinople was
An unbaptized senator and praetor, still a catechumen, who was astonishingly chosen archbishop of Constantinople in 381 when Gregory of Nazianzus resigned during the council — baptized and consecrated in a single stretch, and made honorary president of the assembly. A capable administrator rather than a theologian, he governed the capital’s church for sixteen years, presided over the completion of the Council of Constantinople’s work, and was succeeded by John Chrysostom. His election shows how thoroughly, by 381, the imperial capital’s church had become an affair of state.
Also listed in the bishops of Constantinople.
Common questions
When did Nectarius die?
Nectarius of Constantinople is dated d. 397 in the archive, which places Nectarius in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400).
Which early sources mention Nectarius?
Nectarius of Constantinople is named in 3 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Socrates Scholasticus, Sozomen and Theodoret of Cyrrhus. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Nectarius from?
The archive associates Nectarius of Constantinople with Tarsus, Constantinople. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Nectarius’ contemporaries?
The archive links Nectarius of Constantinople to 6 other figures, including Gregory of Nazianzus, Meletius of Antioch, John Chrysostom and Timothy of Alexandria. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (3)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Ecclesiastical History V.8 (Socrates)
c. AD 439Nectarius… who was still unbaptized, was against all expectation chosen to the bishopric; and being at once initiated and clothed in the episcopal robes, he was proclaimed bishop of Constantinople.Socrates Scholasticus · V.8 · source text
Church History VII.8 (the unbaptized praetor chosen)
c. AD 445Ecclesiastical History V.8 (president after Meletius)
c. AD 449Connected in the archive
People
- Gregory of Nazianzus
- Meletius of Antioch
- John Chrysostom
- Timothy of Alexandria
- Amphilochius of Iconium
- Emperor Theodosius I
Events in this lifetime
- AD 339 · The persecution of Shapur II, AD 339
- AD 343 · The Council of Serdica, AD 343
- AD 361 · Julian’s pagan restoration, AD 361
- AD 366 · Damasus and the catacomb epigrams, AD 366
- AD 367 · Athanasius lists the 27 NT books, AD 367
- AD 372 · The martyrdom of Sabbas the Goth, AD 372
- AD 378 · Queen Mavia’s revolt, AD 378
- AD 380 · The Edict of Thessalonica, AD 380
- AD 381 · The Council of Constantinople, AD 381
- AD 381 · The Council of Aquileia, AD 381
- AD 384 · The Altar of Victory petition, AD 384
- AD 390 · Thessalonica and the penance of Theodosius, AD 390
- AD 397 · Carthage confirms the canon, AD 397
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Nectarius, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.