Theophanes 6 was brother of Theodoros 68: Theoph. Cont. III 14 (p. 104), IV 11 (p. 160), Leo Gramm. 226, Ps.-Symeon 641, Georg. Mon. Cont. 806, Zon. XV 27. 11, Vita Nic. Stud. 901A, Scyl., p. 61. They were highly educated (λογιότητι διαφέροντας ... τῶν πολλῶν): Theoph. Cont. III 14 (p. 104), cf. Scyl., p. 61:46-47 (ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ διαφερόντας ... τῶν πολλῶν).

They were natives of Palestine who went to live in the Byzantine Empire (at Constantinople, see below); Theophanes 6 was an ecclesiastical poet (ὁ τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν κανόνων καὶ ὕμνων ποιήτης: Ps.-Symeon; ὁ ποιητὴς, Leo Gramm. and Georg. Mon. Cont.); Theophanes 6 and his brother were firm opponents of the iconoclast beliefs of the emperor Theophilos (Theophilos 5), at whom they poked fun; the emperor accused them of not obeying the law and had them beaten about the face and flogged to the point of death and then ordered the prefect (Anonymus 50) to take them away and to inscribe on their foreheads certain verses which he provided; after this was done (according to Pseudo-Symeon, the verses extended onto their chests) they were sent away into exile; Theodoros 68 died in exile but Theophanes 6 survived into the reign of Michael III (Michael 11) and Theodora 2 though suffering much; under Michael III (Michael 11), when the persecution ceased, Theophanes 6 became metropolitan bishop of Nikaia (under the patriarch Methodios 1, according to Ps.-Symeon (i.e. between 843 and 847)): Leo Gramm. 226-227, Ps.-Symeon 641-643, 653, Georg. Mon. Cont. 806-808, Vita Nic. Stud. 900C-901A (they came ἐκ Μωαβίτιδος).

In Theophanes Continuatus there is a description of the encounter of Theophanes 6 and Theodoros 68 with the emperor Theophilos 5 in the triklinon of the Lausiakon, when they demonstrated publicly that the texts on which Theophilos 5 was relying to support the iconoclast case had been falsified and that he was mistaken; they were then taken to the inner garden of the Lausiakon and beaten and the verses composed by Theophilos 5 himself were inscribed on their foreheads: Theoph. Cont. III 14 (pp. 104-106), Zon. XV 27. 11. Pseudo-Symeon and Zonaras add that they were exiled to a place called Kartalimen (on the coast of Bithynia, see Ramsay, Historical Geography, pp. 183-184), from where they made contact with another imprisoned iconophile, Methodios 1 (the future patriarch), and exchanged verses with him (through an unnamed fisherman, Anonymus 229): Ps.-Symeon 642-643 (a story not found in the other earlier chroniclers), Zon. XV 28. 35-37.

Theophanes Continuatus, Pseudo-Symeon, Georgius Monachus Continuatus and Zonaras cite the verses inscribed on their bodies, which allege that they were expelled from Jerusalem as apostates and came to Constantinople to persist in their wrong beliefs: Theoph. Cont. III 14 (pp. 105-106), Ps.-Symeon 641-642, Georg. Mon. Cont. 807, Zon. XV 27. 12. At Pseudo-Symeon 643 it is said that the criticism was levelled against him when he was made a bishop that he was a Syrian and so unreliable in matters of the faith, a judgment rejected by Methodios 1.

In consequence of their punishment, the two brothers Theophanes 6 and Theodoros 68 were known as the Graptoi: BHG 1793 title.

While bishop of Nikaia, Theophanes 6 attended the celebration of the end of iconoclasm given by Theodora 2 in the palace of Ta Karianou, and upset her by declaring his vengeance on her husband; the patriarch (Methodios 1) and the other bishops, who had signed a document forgiving Theophilos 5, calmed the situation down: Ps.-Symeon 653-654, Theoph. Cont. IV 11 (pp. 160-161) (described, wrongly, as Theophanes of Smyrna - Θεοφάνης τε ὁ τῆς Σμύρνης). See Beck, Kirche, pp. 165, 251, 265, 310, 511, 516-517, 698. See further ODB III, p. 2062 with p. 2042.

Theophanes 6 and Theodoros 68 were barbarically treated by the emperor Theophilos 5; champions of orthodoxy, they had their faces inscribed: Genesius III 19, Scyl., pp. 62-63 (and see below).

There is more detail about Theophanes 6 and his brother Theodoros 68 in the Life of Michael Synkellos (Michael 51). Theophanes 6 was the brother of Theodoros 68: Vita Mich. Sync. 5, 30. He was three years younger than his brother: Vita Mich. Sync. 5. When he was twenty-two and his brother twenty-five they went to Michael Syncellus (Michael 51) at the laura of St Sabas, where he tonsured them and made them monks and instructed them in grammar and philosophy and in some works of poetry, so that they rapidly became famous for their learning; later they were consulted by the orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem (Thomas 60); when Michael 51 was made synkellos of the patriarch of Jerusalem (in 811), Michael 51 with his disciples (τῶν αὐτοῦ δύο φοιτητῶν) Theodoros 68 and Theophanes 5 were moved from the laura to live in the monastery of the Spoudaioi at Jerusalem; a few days later the patriarch Thomas 60 ordained Theodoros 68 and Theophanes 6 priests of the Church of the Anastasis: Vita Mich. Sync. 5. The two brothers and the monk Iob (Iob 2) accompanied Michael 51 when he set out from Jerusalem to visit Constantinople and Rome: Vita Mich. Sync. 8. In Constantinople they were lodged in the monastery of the Chora, at imperial expense: Vita Mich. Sync. 9. A few days later they were summoned to an audience with the emperor, in the Chrysotriklinos, and Michael 51 stated that the purpose of their visit was to ask him to allow the display and veneration of icons: Vita Mich. Sync. 10. The patriarchal letter, addressed to Leo 15 and Theodotos 2 (the emperor Leo V and the patriarch Theodotos), was read aloud: Vita Mich. Sync. 11. Afterwards they were imprisoned in the prison of Phiale, where they refused to eat the food sent to them because it came from heretics: Vita Mich. Sync. 12. They were visited by a man of learning (unnamed, probably Ioannes Grammatikos, Ioannes 5) sent by the emperor to change their minds but they remained obstinate: Vita Mich. Sync. 13. They were now separated; Michael 51 and Iob 2 remained in prison in the Phiale while Theodoros 68 and Theophanes 6 were exiled to the island of Aphousia (which they allegedly reached in August of the seventh indiction, i.e. August 814, wrongly); the governor of the island (Anonymus 632) was ordered to treat them harshly, but he allowed them to continue their normal ascetic life; they were active in writing letters in support of the veneration of icons: Vita Mich. Sync. 14, cf. 17 (on Aphousia they continued their letter writing).

Because of their continued activities they were ordered by the emperor Theophilos 5 to be brought back from the island of Aphousia to Constantinople (cf. Anonymus 633), where they arrived on the eighth of July in the fourteenth indiction (i.e. 8 July 836); they were confined in the prison called Praitorion until summoned to appear before the emperor in the Chrysotriklinos (and cf. Anonymus 634): Vita Mich. Sync. 18. When brought before him he first asked their country to which they replied "The land of the Moabites" (τῆς Μωαβίτιδος); he then asked why they had come to his country, but before they could reply he had them severely flogged; they gave no further reply to his questions and he then ordered that verses already prepared (see Christodoulos 3) be inscribed on their foreheads, after which they were to be handed over to two Muslims and returned to their own country; they themselves had a reputation for their skill as poets (ἄριστα τούτοις ἤσκηται ἡ τῶν ποιητικῶν σκεμμάτων ἀκριβεία): Vita Mich. Sync. 19. The verses, twelve lines of iambics, were engraved on their foreheads in the Praitorion prison; they describe the two brothers as heretics who had been expelled from Jerusalem and then went to Constantinople where they were branded as criminals and sent back again: Vita Mich. Sync. 20. While they were en route back to the Praitorion for the engraving they were recalled at the Thermastra before the emperor and subjected to a frightful flogging, before again leaving for the prison; again en route they were stopped and the logothetes of the dromos (Anonymus 771) asked them why they had rejoiced at the death of the emperor Leo V (Leo 15); they denied rejoicing but condemned his heresy, and were then allowed to proceed to prison: Vita Mich. Sync. 21. Four days later they were brought before the prefect (ὕπαρχος, Anonymus 50) and again threatened if they did not give way to the emperor; they rejected an attempt to help them by the father of Christodoulos 3 (Anonymus 635), who queried whether they had ever actually worshipped icons: Vita Mich. Sync. 22. Their faces were then engraved with the verses, on orders of the prefect, on the eighteenth of July in the fourteenth indiction (i.e. 18 July 836; probably correct, see Cunningham, p. 160, n. 162, referring to the letter of Theodoros, PG 116, 680A): Vita Mich. Sync. 23. On the emperor's orders, they were then confined in the prison of the Praitorion, the same as Michael 51, who wrote them a letter of encouragement and appreciation, with which he associated both Iob 2 and Methodios 1; they all remained in prison for seven years before the end came to their sufferings: Vita Mich. Sync. 24.

When Methodios 1 became patriarch of Constantinople, he made Theophanes 6 metropolitan bishop of Nikaia (τὸν δὲ πάνσοφον καὶ μέγαν Θεοφάνην μητροπολίτην κεχειροτόνηκεν τῆς κατὰ Νίκαιαν ἁγιωτάτης ἐκκλησίας); in reply to criticism that not enough was known about him and his origins, Methodios replied that Christ had revealed to him in a dream that Theophanes's scourgings and other sufferings made him worthy to be a bishop, and Michael, referring to him as his travelling companion and fellow prisoner and as his spiritual son, commented that he and Theophanes were as one and honours done to one were done to the other: Vita Mich. Sync. 29. When Theodoros 68 died he was buried by Theophanes 6 and Michael 51: Vita Mich. Sync. 30.

Theophanes 6 had been bishop of Nikaia for four years, when he visited Constantinople and after seeing first the patriarch (Methodios 1) then went to stay with Michael 51, his teacher and guardian (τὸν αὐτοῦ καθηγητὴν καὶ κηδεμόνα) at the monastery of the Chora; he spent some time with him, but then fell ill and, foreseeing his death, sent for Michael 51 to pray for him and to bury him, as he had his brother Theodoros 68; he died on the eleventh of October of the ninth indiction (11 Oct. 845) at the age of sixty-seven, and was buried by Michael 51 in the monastery of the Chora close to the tomb of the patriarch Germanos I (Germanos 8); he was the author of numerous canons to be sung on the feast days of Jesus Christ, of the Theotokos, and of many prophets and saints and the archangels: Vita Mich. Sync. 31. Named in a list of bishops, possibly metropolitan bishops of Nikaia, in the Synodikon of Orthodoxy: Gouillard, "Synodikon", p. 102, I, and see commentary, pp. 268-269.

With his brother Theodoros 68, Theophanes 6 was a confessor (ὁμολογητὴν) who faced the tyrant (ὁ τύραννος) Theophilos 5: Scyl., p. 61, lines 45-46. Both Theophanes 6 and Theodoros 68 stood firm for the faith in the Lausiac Triklinos of the Great Palace: Scyl., p. 61, lines 47-48. Theophanes 6 and Theodoros 68 were asked where Scripture supported the use of icons, and citing the prophet Isaiah, they argued about copies of the texts in the Patriarchal Library in the Thomiates: Scyl., pp. 61-62, lines 53-64. Theophanes 6 pointed out where the emperor Theophilos 5 was wrong: Scyl., p. 62, lines 65-72. Theophanes 6 and Theodoros 68 were taken to the Lausiac garden (ἐν τῷ τοῦ Λαυσιακοῦ μεσοκηπίῳ) and barbarically (βαρβαρικῶς) inscribed/tattooed with iambic verse: Scyl., p. 62, lines 72-75. The quoted iambics describe Theophanes 6 and Theodoros 68 as having been driven from Jerusalem as apostates and as continuing their impiety in the City, the seat of power, for which they were branded and sent back to Jerusalem: Scyl., pp. 62-63, lines 77-88. Theophanes 6 and Theodoros 68 received crowns of confession and martyrdom (τὸν τῆς ὁμολογίας καὶ μαρτυρίας ... στέφανον): Scyl., p. 63, lines 89-90. Theophanes 6 and Theodoros 68 were imprisoned with Michael 51, synkellos of Jerusalem in Constantinople: Scyl., p. 63, lines 93-96.

See further Acta Davidis, Symeonis et Georgii (BHG 494) 239, 2-18; Laudatio Theodori Grapti (BHG 1745z); Vita Theod. Grapti; Synax. Eccl. Const. 130, 24-131, 20 (11 Oct.); Typicon Mateos 42 (22 Sept.), 66 (11 Oct.; Theophanes Sabaites), 164 (27 Dec.); Menol. Bas. 229B (28 Dec.); Vita Theoph. Grapt. (BHG 1793). For his hymns, see S. Eustratiades, Nea Sion 31 (1936) 339-344.

See also Cunningham, op. cit., XIVff., 38, 39, 151f.,168f; Beck, Kirche, pp. 165, 251, 265, 310, 511, 516-517, 698; and ODB III, p. 2062 with p. 2042.

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