Exegesis and Empire in the Early Byzantine Mediterranean: Junillus Africanus and the Instituta Regularia Divinae Legis

Description

The emperor Justinian desired doctrinal unity across the empire and, in doing so, entrusted people like Junillus Africanus to help him formulate and carry out various policies. Junillus Africanus' treatise Handbook of the Basic Principles of Divine Law , composed in Constantinople in the 6th century, was a guide to interpreting God's law as found in the Bible. This influential text advocated a new approach to power, faith and society, and to the relationship between the emperor, the Church and the people. This study presents the Latin text with facing-page English translation along with a long introductory section that outlines Junillus' life and career, how he served the emperor, and the historical and religious background to the period in which the treatise was composed. Cover Titel Acknowledgments Table of Contents Chronology Abbreviations Map Introduction Junillus Africanus: Roman Lawyer, Christian Exegete, and Imperial Civil Servant Summary of the Instituta Regularia Divinae Legis Themes and Topics 1. The Instituta between East and West: Lines of Communication and Circulation of Ideas 2. The Instituta in Theological Debate: The Three Chapters Controversy 3. The Stamp of Constantinople: Making the Instituta Orthodox 4. The Lawyer as Exegete 5. The Instituta and the Debate on Education Date, Sources, and History of the Text Date of Composition Junillus between Primasius of Hadrumentum and Paul the Persian Other Sources Did Junillus Copy Paul the Persian? (Mathews) “Question-and-Answer” Format (Mathews) The Influence of Aristotle and the School of Antioch (Mathews) Primasius and the Circulation of Texts Paul the Persian and Public Disputation History of the Text The North African Background Roman North Africa Before the Vandal Conquest Vandal Rule (429–533): Disruption and Continuity Justinian’s Reconquest of North Africa Unity and Authority: The Struggle between Justinian and the North African Clerics Lines of Communication in the Sixth Century Theological Grounds of Disunity The Three Chapters Controversy Exegesis and Authority over Sacred Texts Imperial Legislation on Christian Doctrine Imperial Condemnation of Doctrinal Texts Imperial Anathema The Empire Writes Back: The North African Response to Justinian’s Attempts to Control Sacred Texts The Decisions of Chalcedon May Not Be Challenged The Emperor Has No Right to Force Changes in Doctrine Only God May Judge the Dead Junillus and Theology The Question of Correct Belief Junillus and Imperial Authority Divine Sources of Authority Imperial Authority Junillus and Legal Education Legal Education Before and After Justinian The Arrangement of Materials The Methods of the Antecessors Christian and Traditional Education Christian Education Traditional Roman Education Emperors and Education Justinian and Education Exegetical Issues and Background (Mathews) Junillus and Theodore of Mopsuestia (Mathews) Canon (Mathews) Biblical Text (Mathews) Excursus on the Schools of Antioch and Nisibis (Mathews) The School of Antioch (Mathews) The School of Nisibis (Mathews) Conclusion: Junillus in Context Table of Manuscripts Additional Manuscripts Seen by M.L.W. Laistner Instituta Regularia Divinae Legis Text Translation Bibliography I. Critical Editions, Translations, and Commentaries A. Greek B. Latin C. Syriac II. Secondary Works Index I. Index of Passages Cited in the Introduction Biblical Passages Passages from Texts from Antiquity II. Index of Biblical References III. Index of Modern Authors IV. Index of Subjects