Saint Mark (Evgenikos) was born in Constantinople towards the end of the 14 century. Mark was a very educated youth, lauded by his peers and professors alike. He was equally active in the life of the church. Regularly attending Liturgies and studying the scriptures and teachings of the Holy Fathers, he lived in the world yet completely unattached to it. At the age of twenty-six, he chose to leave it all behind and take up the ascetic life. Against his wishes, at the age of twenty-eight he was ordained a deacon and then a priest at the age of thirty.
During this time, the Byzantine Empire was feeling the closeness of the Turks who had captured everything to the east of Constantinople. The Emperor Manuel was hoping to mend ties with the West, via a council, in order to strengthen their fight against the Turks. By the time Pope Martin V agreed to negotiate a council, Emperor Michael suffered a stroke. He handed over all political affairs to his son, John VIII Paleologos. He told his son that union with the West was unlikely and to proceed with great caution. However, the thought of losing the empire to the hands of the Turks led John to pursue an agreement with the Pope. Mark was chosen by the Patriarch of Alexandria as a delegate to the synod.
Emperor John highly regarded Mark as an individual of sound mind, with great love for the Church and its truths. Therefore, the emperor urged Mark to accept the rank of Metropolitan. He insisted that Mark's knowledge and unwavering thirst for preserving the truth was invaluable for the negotiations with the West Against his wishes and solely for the love of the Church, he obliged. After his elevation, he prepared for his departure to the synod in Rome. He firmly believed that unity could be achieved through the common saints of the two churches and God, through much prayer and labor. In addition, previous teachings of great defenders of Orthodoxy such as Patriarch Photios and Gregory Palamas, were studied in preparation for the arguments that lie ahead.
An earthquake occurred (a divine message) when Papal funded ships arrived in the port to carry the Byzantines to Italy. Some believed in this as a message and others foolishly dismissed it as a fluke of nature. Days later, vessels from Basle arrived, attempting to lure the Greeks to follow them. Western upheaval became apparent as both sides tried to pull the Greeks towards their own camp. Many Constaninopolitans urged the Emperor and the Patriarch not to go to either city. Despite all, Emperor John decided to sail to Italy to meet with Pope Eugene IV.
The moment the Emperor set foot on the Latin-supplied vessel, another earthquake occurred, shaking the land as well as the waters. The Emperor erroneously disregarded God's warning once more and continued on towards Italy, with the Patriarch and an entourage of bishops, monks, priests and layman (700 in all) following. Hopeful of a union with the Latin West, they sailed onward and met with yet another earthquake. Oh, how the evil one can blind! The Emperor kept on.
Upon arriving in Venice, many of the Greeks who were weaker in faith were mesmerized with the wealth and beauty of the Westernized city. In the cathedral of the Church of Saint Mark, they found displayed many of the treasures that had been looted by the Latins from Constantinople during the Crusades -- just two centuries before. This should have appalled them and reminded them of the evil that they were dealing with.
In the palace, Emperor John, with a few of his attendants, met first with the Pope who was accompanied by his cardinals, bishops and abbots. The emperor greeted the Pope and went even further to kiss his outstretched hand. They had a private meeting, after which the emperor was assigned to his own area of the palace arranged for his stay. The next day, Emperor John sent word to the Patriarch that the expectations of the Pope was for the Patriarch and his clergy to kneel and kiss the slipper of the Pope. The Patriarch and his confused men refused to comply to this arrogance. This was to be the beginning of the uneasy relationship between the Orthodox and Pope Eugene. After insisting that the Patriarch and those with him would only greet the Pope in a brotherly manner or else return to Constantinople, the Pope agreed to meet with them. However, he only did so in private so that very few Westerners would witness his acquiescence. Still, the Pope had his chair, as a throne, set higher than all of the rest, with his bishops and cardinals just beneath him and the Patriarch seated even lower.
Since the Orthodox had willingly taken this trip beholden to the Latins for their daily needs, they soon found themselves receiving only small amounts of money, insufficient to sustain them. They had to sell their belongings a little at a time just so that they could eat. In this manner, the Pope intended to manipulate the Greeks into folding to his demands.
Saint Mark of Ephesus, together with Bessarion, Metropolitan of Nicaea, headed the debates of the Orthodox. They worked very well together in the beginning, having common beliefs and putting their trust in the teachings of the Holy Fathers to guide their words. However, Bessarion, in time, would turn against Saint Mark and, eventually, became a cardinal of the Latin church.
Mark made it clear that the Orthodox did not come to Rome to submit to the demands of the Pope. Nor would they surrender their pure Faith for the purpose of saving their city -- which was on the brink of destruction by the Moslem Turks. Rather, they yearned for a unity that could be brought only by the West realizing that their path back to the church of the apostles could only be gained by shedding their heresies which created the Schism in the first place. The Emperor was not happy that Mark had gone this direction. He had instructed his people not to focus on differences in doctrine between the two churches but rather to listen to the opinions of the Latins and not form any conclusion until the issues had been agreed upon by all.
For months, the two sides debated issues such as the concept of Purgatory. It was during these months that the Orthodox force became weakened. They held the Truth on the issues -- that was not the problem. Rather, they were afflicted by the evil's arrows of jealousy and pride. Bessarion came to resent Mark and the effects of his actions rippled throughout the Greeks.
After seven months had passed, both sides were getting anxious to accomplish the union, albeit for different reasons. Council meetings began which took place three times per week. Mark boldly began the Orthodox side of the talks by addressing the fact that Christ, through his love for mankind, left his apostles filled with peace. However, the Western church, by not practicing this same love, shattered the peace of the Church. He announced that the True Church desired to have this peace once again but that it could only be reinstated by the adherence of the Latin Church to the canons of the previous Ecumenical Councils.
One issue that had been clarified in those past holy councils was the issue of the addition of the Filioque by the Latins to the Creed. Supporting data from numerous councils were brought out in the defense of the Truth, to include quotes from pre-schism Latin popes who had, themselves, declared any alteration to the Creed to be a heresy. The Latins rebutted with empty arguments such as how the words 'And the Son' were simply an explanation, not an addition..."
Holy Mark went further to rebuke Pope Eugene for calling their meeting the "Eighth Council" while, at their very meetings, the pope refused to recognize the first seven that contained the words of the Holy Fathers. His words burned the ears of the Latins and they exited, leaving only the Orthodox in the room.
It was at this time that Emperor John, seeing no reconciliation in sight, admitted that his purpose for seeking union with the West was for military reasons. He told Mark that his words were too harsh and that he shouldn't have been hateful. To which Saint Mark reminded both the Emperor and the Patriarch of their words prior to departing Constantinople of seeking to return all Christians to their ancient union. But the Pope was seeking only his own primacy, ignoring the Seven Ecumenical Councils and placing Orthodoxy behind the Latin Church.
During their thirteenth session, Mark reiterated the stance of The Church against the heresies of the West and their true desire to, through peace and love, return the two churches to the One True Faith from which they came. The Latins only responded with anger.
After a couple of months, the Greeks considered returning home. They were not being given enough food and salary to get by and nothing was being accomplished. However, the Latins still managed to keep the Emperor from wanting to leave because he still had hopes for saving his crumbling city. The council, by the wishes of the Pope, was moved to Florence.
Talks in Florence brought about the same banter, with Mark fighting, nearly by himself, against the heresies while the Latins danced around the truth. They argued, quoting forged texts and pitiful translations of Greek words -- words written by Greek Fathers in the Greek language.
As the talks veered further away from reconciliation, the Greeks became bewildered and exhausted, both physically and spiritually. They were worried about their city and began to feel as though they needed to do something -- anything -- to save it. This would prove to be the beginning of the fall of the Great City.
The Emperor succeeded in swaying some of his team. Before long, most were willing to succumb to the Latins. Mark and only a few others with him remained steadfast in their path of Truth. However, in time, he would stand nearly alone -- a Pillar against the pitiful. His brothers, who at one time were of like mind with him, proceeded to agree to the terms of the Latins and on June 8th, 1439, the Creed, our holy symbol of Faith, was read in Latin and in Greek in the altered form.
Then, on July 5th, 1439, like an echo of the actions of Judas, the signing of the Act of Union took place. The decrees were written in Latin and translated into Greek by Bessarion. It is noteworthy that the Emperor showed several signs of regret and seeing the ugliness of the Latins. Nonetheless, he continued to take the Church down this dreadful path. The Pope sent letters to all Westerners declaring that the Emperor John, along with his bishops, had bowed before him and signed the union.
Subsequent Latin masses were conducted, unchanged, by the Latins using the Filioque while the Greeks held their own Divine Liturgies, with no change to the Creed and no commemoration of the Pope. Thus, it was evident that the agreement of the Greeks to the union was never truly heartfelt.
Later, Saint Mark wrote of how this council was not a real council -- in many ways. Firstly, because it was not a union conducted in brotherly love for the good of the Faith. Also, because those who signed did so under duress - being bought off, starved, imprisoned, etc. He stated that many meetings took place in secret and that all opinions were not reviewed in the presence of all. There were forged texts used as supporting documents and the Council of Basle had even deposed the Pope before the date of the signing.
The Greeks returned home in the winter of 1439 / spring of 1440. Upon hearing of the union, the people rebuked them greatly. During this time, the Pope, as a reward, converted the former Orthodox bishops, Bessarion and Isidore, into Latin cardinals. It is important to note that, in the upcoming months when Isidore was assigned to travel to Russia to spread the word of the Union, the Russians not only imprisoned him but, from that point on, turned away from Byzantium. Holy Russia went forward with the truth it had come to learn (from the Greeks) just centuries before.
Many of the other Sees, however, after hearing that the Greeks had formed the union with the West, required little coercion and soon signed as well. The Pope was quickly gaining the authority he sought. The Moslem Turks, as well, seized the opportunity to exploit the rift that had formed between the faithful. After all, a weakened and divided state is always easier to conquer.
Churches were empty in the Great City, as nobody wanted to serve with the apostate bishops. Likewise, no one opposed to the union wanted to assume the Patriarchal position. In May of 1440, the apostate Metrophanes assumed the throne, yet he was unable to convince the pious to follow the union. In fact, Holy Mark fled right before the appointment of Metrophanes.
By letters, Mark would continue to warn the faithful in case they should waver and rebuked those who had. Several others who were in Florence with Mark defending the Faith also wrote about the misdealings of the Council and the true motives behind the Union. Mark continued to travel and teach the truth, thereby strengthening many in their stance against heresy.
After some time, Mark, desiring solitude and the monastic life, left for the island of Limnos. Emperor John immediately had him arrested and imprisoned for two years. His faith never faltered as he took upon himself the many natural and man-made inflictions of hunger and disease. He continued to instruct the faithful to flee the heresies and to stand firm. He reminded them, in letters, of the many reasons why the Union was against the Church and its Traditions, just as he had done at the Council.
Several years after the union, the Patriarchs of Jerusalem, Alexandria and Antioch formed the first judgment against the Council of Florence. Though it wasn't until several decades later, in 1472 that the Union of Florence was recalled.
Through his entire life, Mark depicted the life of Christ in struggle and sacrifice. He instructed with purity of heart and an undying zeal for the truth of Orthodoxy. He suffered greatly in his last two weeks of life as the cancer enveloped his body, causing him unbearable pain. He accepted this pain with happiness as we are instructed to do and, in this manner, reposed in peace. His brother notes the date of his death to be June 23rd. His commemoration is on January 19th.
The Emperor John, on his deathbed at the age of 57, repented of his actions regarding the Union with the Latins. He rejected all that had taken place.
Source: www.troparia.com