He had lived many years in Palestine (probably in the Old Lavra of Saint Chariton or Souka, near Tekoa) as a monk, before coming to Constantinople, where he was appointed synkellos (literally, "cell-mate") to Tarasius, patriarch of Constantinople.
Ia hidup selama beberapa tahun di Palestina (mungkin di Lavra Lama dari Santo Kariton atau Souka, dekat Tekoa) sebagai biarawan, sebelum datang ke Konstantinopel, diman ia diangkat menjadi synkellos (secara harfiah berarti "rekan sel") dari Tarasius, Patriark Konstantinopel.