The “Buildings” of Procopius in Relation to the Miaphysite Controversy and Northern Mesopotamia

Elif Keser Kayaalp

Article Details

The “Buildings” of Procopius in Relation to the Miaphysite Controversy and Northern Mesopotamia

Authors:

Elif Keser Kayaalp

Publisher:

Mersin University

Main Topics:

Archaeological Science

Journal:

OLBA Vol.32 Issue XXXIII, pp.67-87

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

8/2024

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001315165

pISSN:

1301-7667

Keywords:

Abstract:

 Together with Procopius other texts; namely Wars and Secret History, Buildin- gs is one of the principal sources for writing the history of the reign of the emperor Justinian 527-565. Buildings is a panegyric and conforms to literary conventions. Procopius portrays Justinian as a powerful patron who expanded and transformed the empire, and ended the schism in Christianity by uniting the Church. The first book of Buildings is dedicated to Constantinople and focuses on the churches of the imperial capital. In the second book, Procopius focuses on Mesopotamia and Syria. He starts with Dara and devotes a passage even longer than the one he wrote on Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. When he wrote Buildings, the discussions about Christology were as pressing as the wars with Persians, and Mesopotamia and Syria were the main centers of Syriac miaphysite Christianity. Procopius rarely mentions the churches in this book on the eastern frontier and he never talks about the miaphysites. Northern Mesopotamia is an important frontier and it may seem only natural that Procopius chose to focus on fortifications to depict a strong frontier. This article argues that while avoiding tackling the Christological disputes of the day, Procopius gave implicit references related to the unity of the Church by employing some literary devices and suggests that some buildings that Procopius neglected may have pointed to the divisi- on in the Church. Procopius dedicates a long section to the Church of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus in Constantinople which has been claimed was built in the Hormisdas Palace for the miaphysite refugees and compares it with the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, which had relics of these saints received from the Pope in Rome. His narration can potentially be interpreted as a reference to the unity of the Church. While discussing Procopius preferences in choosing his material and treatment, this article shows the potential of analysing the many layers of his texts and reads the Buildings in a new light in relation to the miaphysites.

 Together with Procopius other texts; namely Wars and Secret History, Buildin- gs is one of the principal sources for writing the history of the reign of the emperor Justinian 527-565. Buildings is a panegyric and conforms to literary conventions. Procopius portrays Justinian as a powerful patron who expanded and transformed the empire, and ended the schism in Christianity by uniting the Church. The first book of Buildings is dedicated to Constantinople and focuses on the churches of the imperial capital. In the second book, Procopius focuses on Mesopotamia and Syria. He starts with Dara and devotes a passage even longer than the one he wrote on Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. When he wrote Buildings, the discussions about Christology were as pressing as the wars with Persians, and Mesopotamia and Syria were the main centers of Syriac miaphysite Christianity. Procopius rarely mentions the churches in this book on the eastern frontier and he never talks about the miaphysites. Northern Mesopotamia is an important frontier and it may seem only natural that Procopius chose to focus on fortifications to depict a strong frontier. This article argues that while avoiding tackling the Christological disputes of the day, Procopius gave implicit references related to the unity of the Church by employing some literary devices and suggests that some buildings that Procopius neglected may have pointed to the divisi- on in the Church. Procopius dedicates a long section to the Church of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus in Constantinople which has been claimed was built in the Hormisdas Palace for the miaphysite refugees and compares it with the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, which had relics of these saints received from the Pope in Rome. His narration can potentially be interpreted as a reference to the unity of the Church. While discussing Procopius preferences in choosing his material and treatment, this article shows the potential of analysing the many layers of his texts and reads the Buildings in a new light in relation to the miaphysites.

 Together with Procopius other texts; namely Wars and Secret History, Buildin- gs is one of the principal sources for writing the history of the reign of the emperor Justinian 527-565. Buildings is a panegyric and conforms to literary conventions. Procopius portrays Justinian as a powerful patron who expanded and transformed the empire, and ended the schism in Christianity by uniting the Church. The first book of Buildings is dedicated to Constantinople and focuses on the churches of the imperial capital. In the second book, Procopius focuses on Mesopotamia and Syria. He starts with Dara and devotes a passage even longer than the one he wrote on Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. When he wrote Buildings, the discussions about Christology were as pressing as the wars with Persians, and Mesopotamia and Syria were the main centers of Syriac miaphysite Christianity. Procopius rarely mentions the churches in this book on the eastern frontier and he never talks about the miaphysites. Northern Mesopotamia is an important frontier and it may seem only natural that Procopius chose to focus on fortifications to depict a strong frontier. This article argues that while avoiding tackling the Christological disputes of the day, Procopius gave implicit references related to the unity of the Church by employing some literary devices and suggests that some buildings that Procopius neglected may have pointed to the divisi- on in the Church. Procopius dedicates a long section to the Church of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus in Constantinople which has been claimed was built in the Hormisdas Palace for the miaphysite refugees and compares it with the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, which had relics of these saints received from the Pope in Rome. His narration can potentially be interpreted as a reference to the unity of the Church. While discussing Procopius preferences in choosing his material and treatment, this article shows the potential of analysing the many layers of his texts and reads the Buildings in a new light in relation to the miaphysites.

 Prokopiusun Yapılar adlı kitabı, Savaşlar ve Gizli Tarih adlı eserleriyle birlik- te çağdaşı olan İmparator Iustinianusun hüküm sürdüğü yılların 527-565 tarihini yazmak için temel kaynaklardan biridir. Yapılar bir imparatora övgü panegyrik metnidir ve bu edebi formun kurallarına uyar. Prokopius, bu eserinde Iustinianusu imparatorluğu genişleten, dönüştüren ve Hıristiyanlık içindeki bölünmelere son ve- rerek Kiliseyi birleştiren güçlü bir bani olarak resmeder. Prokopius, eserine başkent Konstantinopolis ile başlar ve şehirdeki kiliseler üzerinde durur. Başkentten hemen sonra Kuzey Mezopotamya ve Suriyeye odaklanır. Dara ile başlar ve imparatorun Daradaki faaliyetlerine Konstantinopolisteki Ayasofyadan daha uzun yer verir. Ku- zey Mezopotamya önemli bir sınır bölgesidir ve Perslerle savaşlar döneme damgasını vurmuştur, ancak Iustinianus döneminde bu savaşlar kadar gündemde olan başka bir konu Kristolojik tartışmalardır. Mezopotamya ve Suriye Süryani miafizit kilisesinin merkezi olmuştur. Prokopius doğu sınırına odaklandığı bölümde nadiren kilise yapıla- rına değinir ve miafizitlerden hiç bahsetmez. Güçlü bir sınır imajı çizmek için Proko- piusun kalelere odaklanmayı seçmesinden daha doğal bir durum olamaz. Bu makale, Prokopiusun Kristolojik tartışmalara girmemekle beraber, özellikle kilisede birliğe vurgu yapan mesajları edebi oyunlarla üstü kapalı bir şekilde verdiğini iddia eder ve Prokopiusun ihmal ettiği bazı yapıların Kilisede bölünmüşlüğe işaret edebileceği ni önerir. Prokopius, Konstantinopolisteki Hormisdas sarayında bulunan ve miafizit Süryanilerle barış umudu ile inşa edildiği düşünülen Sergius ve Bakkhus kilisesi ile aynı avluda bulunan ve Romadan getirilen rölikler içeren Peter ve Paul kilisesini kar- şılaştırmaya uzun bir bölüm ayırır. Anlatma şekli kilisenin birliği konusunda imâlarda bulunduğunu düşündürür. Bu makale, Prokopiusun Kuzey Mezopotamyayı anlat- mak için seçtiği yapıları ve bunları ele alırken yaptığı tercihleri tartışır. Bu yazarın çok katmanlı metinlerindeki potansiyeli gözler önüne sererek, Yapılar adlı eserini Süryani miafizit kilisesi bağlamında yeni bir bakış açısıyla okur.

Article Details

The “Buildings” of Procopius in Relation to the Miaphysite Controversy and Northern Mesopotamia

Authors:

Elif Keser Kayaalp

Publisher:

Mersin University

Main Topics:

Archaeological Science

Journal:

OLBA Vol.32 Issue XXXIII, pp.67-87

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

8/2024

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001315165

pISSN:

1301-7667

Justinian

Theodora

Procopius

miaphysite

Syriac

church of Sts. Sergius and BacchusIustinianus

Teodora

Prokopius

miafizit

Süryani

Aziz Sergius ve Bakkhus Kilisesi

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Elif Keser Kayaalp

Publisher: Mersin University

Main Topics: Archaeological Science

Journal: OLBA Vol.32 Issue XXXIII, pp.67-87

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 8/2024

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 2001315165

pISSN: 1301-7667

Issues

Authors:

Elif Keser Kayaalp

Publisher:

Mersin University

Main Topics:

Archaeological Science

Journal:

OLBA Vol.32 Issue XXXIII, pp.67-87

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

8/2024

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001315165

pISSN:

1301-7667