The Image of Justinianic Orthopraxy in Eastern Monastic Literature
The monastic legislation contained in the Novels of the emperor Justinian reveals a marked imperial preoccupation with the regulation of matters pertaining to the ascetic life. As a program, however, it is commonly viewed as little more than empty rhetoric, the formal response of a beleaguered gover...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Johns Hopkins Univ. Press
[2017]
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| In: |
Journal of early Christian studies
Year: 2017, Volume: 25, Issue: 1, Pages: 119-147 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Justinian I Byzantine Empire, Emperor 482-565
/ Codex Iustinianus
/ Monasticism
/ Asceticism
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| IxTheo Classification: | KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity KBL Near East and North Africa KCA Monasticism; religious orders SA Church law; state-church law |
| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | The monastic legislation contained in the Novels of the emperor Justinian reveals a marked imperial preoccupation with the regulation of matters pertaining to the ascetic life. As a program, however, it is commonly viewed as little more than empty rhetoric, the formal response of a beleaguered governing class to a phenomenon largely beyond its control. This article offers a different view. Through analysis of the hagiographies of three prominent holy men of the mid-sixth century (Sabas, Zura, and Abraham of Farshut), it argues the influence of Justinian's laws may be seen in the literature produced by Eastern monastic communities. These texts evidence the reception of an imperially-sanctioned model of ascetic orthopraxy, provoking a range of responses from monks forced to contend with its provisions. |
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| ISSN: | 1086-3184 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of early Christian studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1353/earl.2017.0004 |