John VII of Constantinople, known as John the Grammarian (Greek: Ἰωάννης Γραμματικός, romanized: Iōánnēs Grammatikos; died before 867), was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 21 January 837 to 4 March 843, died before 867. He was known for his great learning (hence the epithet Grammatikos) and for his rhetorical skills. He was a supporter of iconoclasm, and before his patriarchate he played a role in its restoration at the church council of 815. Under Michael II (r. 820–829), he tutored the future emperor Theophilos (r. 829–842) and is credited with instilling strong iconoclastic sympathies in his pupil.
As emperor, Theophilos appointed John to the patriarchal throne. Very little about John's patriarchate is known. He was deposed in 843 as a prelude to the end of iconoclasm. He was vilified as a "sorcerer" in iconodule sources, and debates with him became a popular literary topos in hagiographies.
Contents
Origin and family
As John is the subject of numerous attacks in the orthodox iconodule tradition, it is difficult to determine the veracity of information about him. He was born in Constantinople into a family whose name is variously recorded as Morokardanios, Morocharzamios, and Morocharzianos. Paul Lemerle places his birth in the 770s, while Warren Treadgold gives 785 as his year of birth.