patriarch of Constantinople, was one of the finest geniuses of his time, and his merit raised him to the patriarchate; for Bardas having driven Ignatius from the see, Photius was consecrated by Abellas in 899. He condemned Ignatius in a synod, whereupon the pope excommunicated him, and he, to balance the account, anathematized the pope. Basilus of Macedon, the emperor whom Photius had reproved for the murder of Michael the late emperor, expelled him, and restored Ignatius; but afterwards re-established Photius, upon Ignatius's death, in 878. At last, being wrongfully accused of a conspiracy against the person of Leo the philosopher, son and successor to Basilus, he was expelled by him in 886, and is supposed to have died soon after. He wrote a Bibliotheca, which contains an examination of 280 authors: we have also 233 epistles of his; the Nomocanon under 14 titles; an abridgement of the acts of several councils, &c. This great man was born in Constantinople, and was descended from a very illustrious and noble family. His natural abilities were very great, and he cultivated them with the greatest fidelity. Photius, fidelity. There was no branch of literature, whether sacred or profane, and scarcely any art or science, in which he was not deeply versed. Indeed he appears to have been by far the greatest man of the age in which he lived; and was so intimately concerned in the chief transactions of it, that ecclesiastical writers have on that account called it Seculum Photianum. He was first raised to the chief dignities of the empire, being made principal secretary of state, captain of the guards, and a senator. In all these stations he acquitted himself with a distinction suitable to his great abilities; for he was a refined statesman, as well as a profound scholar. His rise to the patriarchate was very quick; for when he was chosen to that office he was only a layman: but that he might be as it were gradually raised to that dignity, he was made monk the first day, reader the next, and the following days sub-deacon, deacon, and priest. So that in the space of six days he attained to the highest office in the church. On the whole, however, his ardent love of glory and unbounded ambition made him commit excesses which rendered him a scourge to those about him.

Fabricius calls his Bibliotheca or library, non liber, sed infugis thesaurus, "not a book, but an illustrious treasure," in which are contained many curious things, relating to authors, and many fragments of works which are nowhere else to be found. It was brought to light by Andreas Schottus, and communicated by him to David Hoefelius, who caused it to be printed in 1651. Schottus, considering the great utility of this work, translated it into Latin, and printed his translation alone in 1666. The Greek text, together with the translation, was afterwards printed at Geneva in 1671.