A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology

69. STUDITA, abbot of the monastery of Studium, was born at Constantinople in A. D. 759. In 781 he entered the monastery of Sacudium, which was presided over by his uncle Plato; and on the resignation of the latter, succeeded him in 794. Theodorus was one of the most vehement opposers of the Iconoclasts, and his zeal procured him considerable reputation, especially with the monks. In 795, when the emperor Constantinus married Theodote, Theodorus took upon himself to anathematize that emperor, and to denounce the patriarch Tarasius, and in the following year was scourged and banished to Thessalonica. On the death of the emperor in 797, Theodorus was brought back to Constantinople with great pomp, and was regarded with great favour by Irene, to whom he offered the most abject flattery. In the following year, in consequence of the incursions of the Saracens, he removed to the monastery of Studium, within the city. In 806, when Nicephorus was made patriarch, and the abbot Josephus, who had sanctioned the marriage of Constantinus, was restored to the communion of the Church by a council held at Constantinople, the wrath of Theodorus was again excited, and he refused all communion with the patriarch. He was joined in his violent proceedings by a large number of monks, and, when reproved by the Pope Leo, replied in an insolent and angry tone. These proceedings led to his being again banished in 809, together with his brother Josephus and the abbot Plato, to an island near Byzantium. In 811, on making his submission to Nicephorus, he was set at liberty

by Michael Rhangabe. Two years afterwards, when the emperor Leo the Armenian issued an edict against the worship of images, Theodorus, backed by a considerable number of monks, set the edict at defiance, openly celebrated processions of images, and incited the people to sedition. He was at first placed in gentle confinement; but as he did not cease to send out encyclical letters against the emperor, he was subsequently removed to various prisons, and at length taken to Smyrna, and there closely confined. In 821 he was set at liberty by the emperor Michael Balbus, and resumed his post at the head of his monastery. His imprisonments had not taught him moderation. His furious zeal for image worship soon broke out again. In 824, indignant that the emperor would not take strong measures against the Iconoclasts, he favoured the machinations of Thomas against the emperor, and when the attempts of Thomas were suppressed, found it necessary to retire from Constantinople. After wandering about in several places, he at length settled in the island Chalcite, where he died in 826, on the 11th of November. Those who wish for detailed information respecting the piety and miracles of Theodorus, may consult Baronius (Annales, vol. ix. a. 795-826), who derived his materials from a life of Theodorus by Joannes, or some other Greek writer.