The Relic of the True Cross in the Statecraft of Justin II and Sophia in the West

This paper seeks to re-examine the circumstances surrounding two gifts of relics of the True Cross sent by the Emperor Justin II and the Empress Sophia to Rome and to Poitiers in the early years of their reign. Previous studies of these imperial gifts of relics have offered transactional Maussian &q...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Brennan, Brian 1948- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Peeters 2021
In: Byzantion
Year: 2021, Volume: 91, Pages: 47-73
IxTheo Classification:CE Christian art
CG Christianity and Politics
KAD Church history 500-900; early Middle Ages
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:This paper seeks to re-examine the circumstances surrounding two gifts of relics of the True Cross sent by the Emperor Justin II and the Empress Sophia to Rome and to Poitiers in the early years of their reign. Previous studies of these imperial gifts of relics have offered transactional Maussian "hard power" interpretations of the gifts with a stress on obligation and reciprocity. Here it is proposed that the gifts might be viewed instead as a reflection of a "soft power" imperial ideology and statecraft that emphasised the role of the emperor as the channel for divine blessings on both citizens within the Empire and Christians in the wider
ISSN:2294-6209
Contains:Enthalten in: Byzantion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.2143/BYZ.91.0.3289877