Constantine V, or Constantine Copronymus, was emperor of the Byzantines from 741-775. He was very much an iconoclast. A footnote on his name nickname:
"This epithet for Constantine (meaning 'shit-called'), a favourite among the iconodules, perhaps refers to the story that, during his baptism, he defecated in the font..." (from Andrew Louth's fantastic The Church in History, Vol III. Greek East and Latin West).
I cannot tell you how much it delights my heart that our holy Orthodox fathers dubbed him "shit-called."
Oh. My. I am SO putting this in my back pocket for future use! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is prime Curmugeophan material.
ReplyDeleteI, too, am stashing this away for a rainy day.
Wow. Puts a new perspective on the "Constantine as divine providence" spin a lot of folks use in the Church.
ReplyDelete[shakes head at self for posting before mid-afternoon cup of coffee and mentioning the wrong Constantine] "Whad're they teaching up there at St. Vlad's?"
Delete