Gennadius Scholarius

Gennadius Scholarius, born Georgios Kourtesios around 1400 and dying around 1472, was a Byzantine philosopher and theologian who served three separate terms as Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople between 1454 and 1465 and became a prominent advocate for Aristotelian philosophy within the Orthodox Church. He initially supported church union with Rome, attending the Council of Florence from 1438 to 1439 as a theological advisor to Emperor John VIII Palaiologos and delivering several conciliatory speeches, but under the influence of his mentor Mark of Ephesus he reversed course and became a determined opponent of union. After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, Sultan Mehmed II appointed him Patriarch precisely for his anti-Latin stance, personally investing him with the crosier and mantle of office on June 1, 1453. Across roughly one hundred to one hundred twenty writings spanning his pro-union, anti-Latin and post-resignation periods, his most significant work is the Confession, addressed to Mehmed II to explain Eastern Orthodox doctrine and later translated into Turkish.