Gaianus of Alexandria

Last updated June 05, 2021

Gaianus (also spelled Gaian^[1] or Gainas^[2]) was the Patriarch of Alexandria for three months in 535.

Following the death of Patriarch Timothy IV on 7 February 535,^[1] there was a double election to fill the vacant patriarchate. The two main parties in Alexandria at the time were the Severans, followers of Severus of Antioch, and the Julianists, followers of Julian of Halicarnassus. The former elected the deacon Theodosius while the latter elected Gaianus, who had been archdeacon under Timothy IV. According to Leontius of Byzantium, "the magnates of the city were with Theodosius; the demes [people] with Gaianus."^[3]

The rival patriarchs were consecrated on the same day, 9 or 11 February. Gaianus' consecration was performed by Julian of Halicarnassus.^[1] A groundswell of popular support for Gaianus forced Theodosius to go into exile before even the funeral of Timothy IV had been celebrated, according to Leontius.^[3] According to Zacharias Rhetor, Gaianus was able to maintain his position for three months. Liberatus of Carthage, more exactly, gives him 103 days, which places the end of his rule on 23 or 25 May.^[1] An imperial envoy, Narses, was sent to investigate the disputed election. He ruled in favour of Theodosius and Gaianus was exiled to Carthage, according to Liberatus, "by judges". According to Michael the Syrian, writing several centuries later, the riots that followed the banishment of Gaianus left 3,000 dead.^[3] Theodosius returned to the city two months later, in late July or early August.^[1] Narses, who had 6,000 troops under his command in Egypt, had to leave 2,000 in Alexandria for Theodosius' protection.^[3]

The History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria claims that Gaianus and Theodosius eventually reconciled, but this seems unlikely in light of the persistence of a Gaianite faction in Alexandria. He was later moved to Sardinia, where he died.^[3]

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References

1 2 3 4 5 E. W. Brooks (1903), "The Dates of the Alexandrine Patriarchs Dioskoros II, Timothy IV, and Theodosius", Byzantinische Zeitschrift, 12(2): 494–497. doi : 10.1515/byzs.1903.12.2.494
↑ "Gainas". Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
1 2 3 4 5 Aloys Grillmeier and Theresia Hainthaler, Christ in Christian Tradition, Volume 2: From the Council of Chalcedon (451) to Gregory the Great (590–604), Part 4: The Church in Alexandria, with Nubia and Ethiopia after 451 (Westminster John Knox Press, 1996), pp. 46–47.

Preceded by Theodosius I	Patriarch of Alexandria 535	Succeeded by Paul

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[EWB-1] 1 2 3 4 5 E. W. Brooks (1903), "The Dates of the Alexandrine Patriarchs Dioskoros II, Timothy IV, and Theodosius", Byzantinische Zeitschrift, 12(2): 494–497. doi : 10.1515/byzs.1903.12.2.494

[2] "Gainas". Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa. Retrieved 2 January 2015.

[GH-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Aloys Grillmeier and Theresia Hainthaler, Christ in Christian Tradition, Volume 2: From the Council of Chalcedon (451) to Gregory the Great (590–604), Part 4: The Church in Alexandria, with Nubia and Ethiopia after 451 (Westminster John Knox Press, 1996), pp. 46–47.

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v t e Patriarchs of Alexandria
Patriarchs prior to the Chalcedonian schism (43–451)	Mark I the Evangelist (founder) Anianus Avilius Kedronos Primus Justus Eumenius Markianos* Celadion Agrippinus Julian Demetrius I Heraclas Dionysius Maximus Theonas Peter I Achillas Alexander I Athanasius I Peter II Timothy I Theophilus I Cyril I Dioscorus I
Coptic Orthodox Popes and Patriarchs (451–present)	Timothy II Peter III Athanasius II John I John II Dioscorus II Timothy III Theodosius I Peter IV Damian Anastasius Andronicus Benjamin I Agathon John III Isaac Simeon I Alexander II Cosmas I Theodore I Michael I Mina I John IV Mark II James Simeon II Joseph I Michael II Cosmas II Shenouda I Michael III Gabriel I Cosmas III Macarius I Theophilus II (AKA Theophanes) Mina II Abraham Philotheos Zacharias Shenouda II Christodoulos Cyril II Michael IV Macarius II Gabriel II Michael V John V Mark III John VI Cyril III Athanasius III John VII Gabriel III John VII Theodosius III John VIII John IX Benjamin II Peter V Mark IV John X Gabriel IV Matthew I Gabriel V John XI Matthew II Gabriel VI Michael VI John XII John XIII Gabriel VII John XIV Gabriel VIII Mark V John XV Matthew III Mark VI Matthew IV John XVI Peter VI John XVII Mark VII John XVIII Mark VIII Peter VII Cyril IV Demetrius II Cyril V John XIX Macarius III Joseph II Cyril VI Shenouda III Tawadros II (current)
Greek Orthodox Popes and Patriarchs (451–present)	Proterius Timothy II Timothy III John I Peter III Athanasius II John II John III Dioscorus II Timothy IV Theodosius I Gainas Paul Zoilus Apollinarius John IV Eulogius Theodore I John V George I Cyrus Peter IV Peter V Peter VI Cosmas I Politianus Eustatius Christopher I Sophronius I Michael I Michael II Christodoulos Eutychius Sophronius II Isaac Job Elias I Arsenius Theophilus II George II Leontius Alexander II John VI Cyril II Sabbas Sophronius III Elias II Eleutherius Mark III* Nicholas I Gregory I Nicholas II Athanasius III Gregory II Gregory III Niphon Mark IV Nicholas III Gregory IV Nicholas IV Athanasius IV Mark V Philotheus Mark VI Gregory V Joachim I Silvester Meletius I Pegas Cyril III Gerasimus I Metrophanes Nicephorus Joannicius Paisius Parthenius I Gerasimus II Samuel Cosmas II Cosmas III Matthew Cyprian Gerasimus III Parthenius II Theophilus III Hierotheus I Artemius Hierotheus II Callinicus Jacob Nicanor Sophronius IV Photius Meletius II Nicholas V Christopher II Nicholas VI Parthenius III Peter VII Theodore II (current)
Latin Catholic (1276 –1954)	Atanasio (Athanasius) Egidio da Ferrara (Giles) ?Humbert II, Dauphin of Vienne Juan (John) Guillaume de Chanac Arnaud Bernard du Pouget (Arnaldo Bernardi) uncanonical Jean de Cardaillac Pietro Amely di Brunac ? Johannes Walteri von Sinten uncanonical Simon of Cramaud Pietro Amely di Brunac Leonardo Dolfin Ugo Roberti Pietro Amaury di Lordat Lancelotus de Navarra Giovanni Contarini Pietro Vitalis di Mauléon Giovanni Vitelleschi Marco Condulmer Jean d’Harcourt Arnaldo Rogerii de Palas Pedro de Urrea Pedro González de Mendoza Diego Hurtado de Mendoza Alonso de Fonseca y Acevedo Bernardino Carafa Cesare Riario Guido Ascanio Sforza di Santa Fiora Ottaviano Maria Sforza Julius Gonzaga Cristoforo Guidalotti Ciocchi del Monte Jacques Cortès Tommaso Alessandro Riario Enrico Caetani Giovanni Battista Albani Camillo Caetani Séraphin Olivier-Razali Alessandro di Sangro Honoratus Caetani Federico Borromeo Allesandro Crescenzi Aloysius Bevilacqua Petrus Draghi Bartoli Gregorio Giuseppe Gaetani de Aragonia Carlo Ambrosio Mezzabarba Filippo Carlo Spada Girolamo Crispi Giuseppe Antonio Davanzati Lodovico Agnello Anastasi Francisco Mattei Augustus Foscolo Paolo Angelo Ballerini Domenico Marinangeli Paolo de Huyn Luca Ermenegildo Pasetto
Melkite Catholic (1724–present)	Cyril VI Tanas Athanasius IV Jawhar Maximos II Hakim Theodosius V Dahan Athanasius IV Jawhar Cyril VII Siaj Agapius II Matar Ignatius IV Sarrouf Athanasius V Matar Macarius IV Tawil Ignatius V Qattan Maximos III Mazloum Clement Bahouth Gregory II Youssef-Sayur Peter IV Geraigiry Cyril VIII Geha Demetrius I Qadi Cyril IX Moghabghab Maximos IV Sayegh Maximos V Hakim Gregory III Laham Youssef I Absi
Coptic Catholic (1824–present)	Maximos Jouwed Kyrillos Makarios Stéphanos I Sidarouss Stéphanos II Ghattas Antonios I Naguib Ibrahim Isaac Sidrak
*Markianos is considered Mark II on the Greek side of the subsequent schism, hence this numbering of Mark III. Category Commons