The Communication deals with the pieces of historical information
concerning the life and the institutional practices of the imperial
court of Constantinople, drawn from the homilies of Severian of Gabala.
This preacher of the early 5th century left a heritage of quite a number
of homilies which are abundant in allusions to the daily practices of
the imperial court. Trying to formulate a convincing anti-heretic
strategy, Severian founds his Orthodox theological ideas on the
comparison with what was supposed to be most credible and honourable for
a good Christian of Roman citizenship: the institutional and daily
practices of the empire. We try to give a documented list of the
historical phenomena touched by Severian, such as: imperial post,
interpreter at the court, figurative representation of the emperor and
his triumphs, official procession etc. Material in Greek and in the
Oriental languages is explored, with reference to inedited portions of
Severian's homilies, when necessary.
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