Helladius of Tarsus explained

Helladius of Tarsus (Greek: Έλλάδιος ό Ταρσεύς) was a Christian bishop of Tarsus. He was condemned at the First Council of Ephesus (431) and appealed to the pope in 433.^[1]

Prior to the Council of Ephesus he had been a disciple of Theodocius of Antioch and following that was head of a monastery at Rhosus in Cilicia before being made a bishop.

Before the Council he was one of the voices who called for the Council to be delayed until John of Antioch could arrive and one of the bishops who joined Johns counter Council.^[2]

At the Council he was voice of conciliation, taking a middle ground and keeping relations with both Parties in the Nestorian dispute.^[3] The victory of the Alexandrain/Roman factions saw his conciliatory stance as suspect and he was forced into excel for a few years after the Council.^[4] He appealed to the Pope in Rome who restored him to his bishopric.^[5]

In 433 he held a Synod at Tarsus which anathamatised those who had anathamatised him and his fellow objectors.

Pressure from Theoderat and the emperor Theodosius caused him to retract his position much to the distress of his former allies.

References

• Catholic Encyclopedia, s.v. Tarsus

Notes and References

1. Charles Joseph Hefele, A History of the Councils of the Church: from the Original Documents, to the close of the Second Council of Nicaea A.D. 787 (Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1 Feb 2007) page 126.
2. Henry Wace, Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature(Delmarva Publications, Inc., 1911)
3. Adam M. Schor, Theodoret's People: Social Networks and Religious Conflict in Late Roman Syria (University of California Press, 17 May 2011) page 102-103.
4. John Fulton, Index Canonum: The Greek Text, an English Translation, and a Complete Digest of the Entire Code of Canon Law of the Undivided Primitive Church (Wipf and Stock Publishers, 16 Sep 2014) page 151.
5. Edward Ambrose Burgis, The annals of the Church (E.A. Burgis, 1738) page 172-173.