Apocrisiarius
An apocrisiarius (Latinized from the Greek Αποκρισιάριος; sometimes Anglicized as apocrisiary) was a high diplomatic representative during Late Antiquity and the early medieval period.
The 'purist' Latin term was responsalis "he who answers". The closest modern equivalent is a papal nuncio, but the term "apocrisiarius" is a title still employed by the Anglican church.
To posts in the East
An apocrisiarius was a cleric who served as the representative (also described as legate, a less precise term) of a Patriarch.
The most famous apocrisiarii were sent from circa 452 till 743, by the Pope, as head of the Catholic Church and (then still only Western) Patriarch of Rome, to the Byzantine "New Rome", Constantinople, the secular capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. This post was filled by several notable clergymen. Some went on to become pope themselves, including Pope Gregory I, Pope Sabinian, Pope Boniface III and Pope Martin I.
The title was also used for the representative of a metropolitan archbishop at the court of his 'territorial' patriarch in either Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch or Jerusalem. Furthermore, the same title was used for secular officials carrying correspondence of the Byzantine Emperor.
In the West (after the fall of Rome)
At the court of the Exarchate of Ravenna, apocrisiarii were the permanent representatives of the Pope and the Byzantine Emperor. In turn, at least during the pontificate of Pope Gregory I, the Archbishop of Ravenna had a special responsalis at the papal court.
From the reign of Charlemagne, the court of the Frankish king/emperor had clerical members styled apocrisiarii. However, they were only royal archchaplains decorated with the title of the ancient papal envoys, since they did not perform any diplomatic duties.
Anglican
In the modern Anglican Communion, representatives of the Archbishop of Canterbury to various churches are styled apocrisiarioi.[1]
References
Sources and references
- various articles in the Catholic Encyclopaedia
- Nouveau petit Larousse illustré (1952, encyclopaedic dictionary in French)
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Apocrisiarius". Image Credit.
