Anastasius the Elder, Saint

ANASTASIUS THE ELDER, Saint. - Patriarch of Antioch (559-99). He occupied the patriarchal see (559) following the death of Domnus, and was an intrepid defender of orthodoxy, taking his stand against the last dogmatic edict of Justinian, which sought to impose aphthartodocetism as the teaching of the Church. The basileus thought of exiling him, but death did not give him the time. With the accession of his successor Justin, A. was expelled from his see (570) and relegated to Jerusalem. The proscribed man was consoled in exile by St. Gregory the Great, who, after working for the rehabilitation of A., joyfully greeted his return to his see in 593. He died in 598 or at the beginning of the following year. During his exile, he continued the struggle against heresy and composed 5 dissertations that have come down to us in Latin translation: De Sanctissima Trinitate; De incircumscripta Dei essentia; De divina economia; De passione et impassibilitate Christi; De resurrectione Christi (PG 89, 1309-62). Under the name of A. four homilies have also been transmitted (PG 89, 1362-98), one of which is not authentic, the others doubtful. The pastoral letter addressed to his people on 25 March 593 upon resuming possession of his see has been published by Cardinal J. B. Pitra, Iuris ecclesiastici Graecorum historia