Background
Anatolius was born at Alexandria.
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Anatol Anatolius
Edit Profilepriest Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
Career
He was ordained a deacon by St. Cyril of Alexandria. He was present at the Third Ecumenical Council at Ephesus in the year 431. He became Patriarch through the influence of Pope Dioscorus I of Alexandria with Emperor Theodosius II, after the deposition of Flavian by the Second Council of Ephesus, having previously been the apocrisiarius or representative of Dioscorus with the emperor at Constantinople.
After his consecration, being under suspicion of Eutychianism (Leo, Epp ad Theod 33 ad Pulch 35), Anatolius publicly condemned the teachings not only of Eutyches, but also those of Nestorius, subscribing to the letters of Cyril against Nestorius and of Pope Leo I against Eutyches (Leo, Epp 40, 41, 48). In conjunction with Pope Leo, according to Zonaras (Annals iii), he requested that the Emperor Marcian summon a general council against Dioscorus and the Eutychians, but the Imperial letter instructing Anatolius in the preparations for the Council of Chalcedon only mentions Pope Leo (Philippe Labbe, Conc Max Tom iv). In this council Anatolius presided in conjunction with the Roman legates (Labbe, Conc Max iv.
Evagr H E ii 4, 18; Niceph H E xv 18). By the famous 28th canon, passed at the conclusion of the council, Constantinople was made equal in dignity with Rome (Labbe, iv 796. Evagr ii 18). Hence arose the controversy between Anatolius and the Roman pontiff.
Leo complained to Marcian (Ep 54) and to Pulcheria (Ep 55) that Anatolius had outstepped his jurisdiction by consecrating Maximinus II as Patriarch of Antioch, as well as protesting to Anatolius (Ep 53). Following the council of Chalcedon Anatolius received a letter signed by several Egyptian bishops, asking his assistance against Timothy, who was usurping the Patriarch of Alexandria (Labbe, Conc Max iv iii 23, p 897), as a result Anatolius wrote to the emperor Leo against Timothy (Labbe, iii 26, p 905). The circular of the emperor requesting the advice of Anatolius on the turbulent state of Alexandria is given by Evagrius (H E ii 9), and by Nicephorus (H E xv 18).
Edward Gibbon states that the crowning of Leo on his accession by Anatolius is the first instance of the kind on record (Theophanes, Chronicle p 95). St Anatolius was credited for putting forward a Greek system of hymns.
