Stephanos 84 was pope Stephen IV (III), bishop of Rome from 768 to 772 (on his numbering, see Stephanos 81 and Stephanos 8).

A native of Sicily, Stephanos 84 was the son of Olibus (Olibos 1): Lib. Pont. 96. 1. He was the brother of Ioannes 239: Lib. Pont. 97. 10, 97. 11. He left Sicily for Rome during his childhood ("parvulus") during the papacy of Gregory III (Gregorios 7) (731-741), who placed him in the monastery of St Chrysogonus (newly founded by Gregory); there Stephanos 84 became a cleric and a monk ("illicque clericus atque monachus est effectus"); later pope Zacharias (Zacharias 16) (741-752) transferred him from there into service in the Lateran palace and subsequently ordained him as priest in the titulus of St Cecilia ("quem postmodum domnus Zaccharias papa ex ipso abstollens monasterio in Lateranensis patriarchii cubiculo esse praecepit, eumque postmodum presbiterum in titulo beatae Ceciliae consecravit"): Lib. Pont. 96. 1.

Because of his modest conduct and demeanour he was retained in service in the Lateran by Zacharias 16 ("quem tamen pro eius castitatis modestia in suo officio Lateranis detenuit") and also by the next two popes, Stephen III (II) (Stephanos 8) and Paul (Paulos 49) ("eundem sanctissimum Stephanum pro eius piis conversationibus in suo servitio similiter detenuerunt"): Lib. Pont. 96. 2. He was in constant attendance on his predecessor as pope, Paulos 49, when the latter lay dying, in the church of St Paul (in the summer of 767): Lib. Pont. 96. 2.

Stephanos 84 was the successor of pope Paul (Paulos 49): Lib. Pont. 97. 3 (he is styled "domnus Stephanus secundus iunior papa"). In 768 (see Lib. Pont. 96. 7), after the overthrow of the antipope Constantine (Konstantinos 140) and his successor, the antipope Philip (Philippos 11), Stephen was chosen as the next bishop of Rome at a meeting summoned by the primicerius Christophoros 26 attended by the clergy and the authorities and people of Rome; he was then escorted from the titulus of St Cecilia, where he was living as a priest ("in quo presbiter existens spiritalem degebat vitam") to the Lateran palace; there he assumed the papacy: Lib. Pont. 96. 11. Constantine was formally deposed, and on the following day Stephanos 84 was consecrated bishop of Rome: Lib. Pont. 96. 13.

In order to settle the issue of Constantine, Stephanos 84 summoned a Council to meet in Rome; he wrote to the rulers of the Franks, Pepin, Charlemagne and Carloman, (Pepin 1, Karoulos 1 and Karoulomannos 2) to send twelve bishops learned in Scripture and in canon law, and himself assembled bishops from Tuscia, Campania and the province of Italy; the Council met in April 769: Lib. Pont. 96. 16-17. He was president of the Council: Lib. Pont. 96. 18. At the Council he and all the clergy and the people of Rome confessed their guilt for having accepted communion from the hands of Constantine and agreed to do penance: Lib. Pont. 96. 20. He consecrated bishops formerly consecrated by Constantine, but never consecrated any priests or deacons whom Constantine had consecrated: Lib. Pont. 96. 21-22. The Council also condemned iconoclasm and firmly supported the traditional veneration of icons: Lib. Pont. 96. 23.

After the death (in 769) of the archbishop of Ravenna, Sergios 54, Stephanos 84 refused to consecrate Michael 54 as his successor, although offered many gifts if he agreed, on the grounds that Michael 54 was a layman; finally in 770, when Frankish envoys were in Ravenna, he sent his own envoys to warn the Franks and the people of Ravenna against supporting Michael 54; they then removed Michael 54 and chose the archdeacon Leo 114, who went to Rome and was ordained and consecrated by Stephanos 84: Lib. Pont. 96. 25-26.

With the encouragement of Christophoros 26 and Sergios 53, Stephanos 84 sent envoys and warning letters regularly to the Frankish rulers Charlemagne and Carloman (Karoulos 1 and Karoulomannos 2) seeking their help against the Lombard king, Desiderius (Desiderios 3), who continued to refuse to restore to the see of St Peter the rights ("iustitiae") that the Lombards had seized: Lib. Pont. 96. 28. This provoked Desiderios 3 to plot the overthrow of Christophoros 26 and Sergios 53, with the help in Rome of Paulus Afiarta (Paulos 51), and he visited Rome in person; there Stephanos 84 met him and attempted to resolve the problem of iustitiae and also to save Christophoros 26 and Sergios 53, but with no success: Lib. Pont. 96. 29-31. He later sent further envoys to Desiderios 3 demanding restoration of the iustitiae, but was told by the Lombard king that he should be grateful that Desiderios 3 had freed him from domination by Christophoros 26 and Sergios 53 and should not ask for more; Stephanos 84 told Hadrianos 1, his eventual successor, about this and described Desiderios 3 as a man not to be trusted, with a history of bad faith: Lib. Pont. 97. 5.

Stephanos 84 died in 772 and was buried in St Peter's: Lib. Pont. 96. 33. Described as an active man, familiar with the Scriptures and devoted to the traditions of the church ("vir strenuus et divinis scripturis eruditus atque ecclesiasticis traditionibus inbutus et in earum observationibus constantissimus perseverator"): Lib. Pont. 96. 1, cf. 96. 27 ("erat enim hisdem praefatus beatissimus praesul ecclesiae traditionis observator; unde et pristinum ecclesiae in diversis clericatus honoribus renovavit ritum").

Stephanos 84 ordained Hadrianos 1 (his eventual successor) as deacon: Lib. Pont. 97. 3. He also had altar decorations made for the Churches of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew: Lib. Pont. 96. 27.

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