Niketas 33

Prosopography of the Byzantine Empire
SexM
FloruitL VIII
Dates787 (taq) / 787 (tpq)
PmbZ No.5411
Variant NamesNicetas
ReligionChristian;
Iconophile
LocationsGotthia (Tauric Chersonese) (officeplace);
Gotthia (Tauric Chersonese)
OccupationBishop
TitlesBishop, Gotthia (Tauric Chersonese) (office)
Textual SourcesNikaia, Second Council of (Seventh Ecumenical Council, a. 787) (Mansi XII-XIII) (conciliar)

Niketas 33 was a bishop of Gotthia in 787. At the Second Council of Nikaia (the Seventh Ecumenical Council) in 787 the see of Gotthia was represented by a monk, Kyrillos 2; the name of the bishop is three times given as Niketas 33, once as Ioannes (i.e. John of Gotthia, see Ioannes 6): Mansi XII 994 (Κυρίλλου μοναχοῦ καὶ τὸν τόπον ἐπέχοντος Νικήτα ἐπισκόπου Γοτθίας), XII 1154 (Κύριλλος μοναχὸς καὶ τοποτηρητὴς Νικήτα ἐπισκόπου Γοτθίας), XIII 384 (Κύριλλος ἁμαρτωλὸς μοναχὸς καὶ τόν τόπον ἐπέχων Νικοπόλεως (sic) ἐπισκόπου Γοτθίας; the Latin version at 383 calls Cyrillus "locum retinens Niceri episcopi Gotthiae"; the name is doubtless to be read as "Nicetae").

In 787 it appears that the bishop of Gotthia was still Ioannes 6, though perhaps he was not in occupation of his see at the time, either through involvement with the Khazars or because he was already in exile in Amastris. The naming of Niketas 33 is puzzling, not least because his name occurs in the lists at the first and the seventh sessions while Ioannes 6 is named at the fourth. If Ioannes 6 was in exile at Amastris, he could presumably have attended the Council himself; since he did not he was perhaps not at Amastris but in captivity among the Khazars; perhaps Niketas 33 had been appointed as deputy for Ioannes 6 during his absence and Kyrillos 2 was therefore representing both Ioannes 6 and Niketas 33. However, the titles given to Niketas 33 do not suggest that this was the case. The problem is not yet solved.

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