From: MOBTOTRM@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au
Date: Fri 29 Apr 1994 - 11:03:06 EEST
Graeme Lindsell:
>> I understood that the Eastern Orthodox Christianity was far less
>>separated from the state than the Catholic Church, with the Byzantine
>>emperor being it's effective head. Have I got this wrong?
No, you haven't.
In the Byzantine polity, there was no separation, no attempt at defining a rigid line, between Church and State, as has occured in western Christianity. Instead, the priesthood (*sacerdotium*) and the imperial power (*imperium*) were seen as two elements of the one organism, which was the Christian polity of Byzantium, known to the Byzantines themselves as the Roman Empire (even up to 1453 these Greek-speaking Christians considered themselves true Romans, heirs to Augustus).
Byzantium was considered an image or icon of the heavenly Kingdom of God, and the Emperor, an image of the monarchy of god in heaven. In church, you prostrated yourself before an icon of Christ; in the palace, you prostrated yourself before God's living icon - the Emperor. The mindboggling court ceremonial, the levitating throne, the mechanical roaring lions, the robotic singing birds, and so on, were designed to make clear the Emperor's status as Viceregent of God.
The Emperor, also styled "Equal of the Apostles" was the head of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Eucumenical Church in that he alone could summon an Eucumenical Council. However, it was up to the council of bishops to decide the issues of faith and doctrine. The Emperor might be the protector of Orthodoxy, but it lay beyond his power to dictate what its doctrines might be (of course, Emperors would often try to interfere in ecclesiastical matters - the iconoclast Emperors are a good example, and in the end they failed to prevent the Church's enthusiastic veneration of icons).
The Emperor also had the power to appoint and dismiss Patriarchs - in Justinian's time even the Pope of Rome (St Silverius 536-537) was deposed on the Emperor's orders. Although he couldn't celebrate the Eucharist, the Emperor received communion in the same fashion as priests, could preach sermons and cense the altar. The vestments which Orthodox priests now wear are those once worn by the Emperor in church.
Hey, for more about all of this play CREDO!
Looking back on this, the closest analogue in Glorantha we have to the Byzantine model is not something from the West, but the Lunar Empire. The Red Emperor's status seems to have a number of parallels to that of the Emperor of the Romans.
Hmmm, I seem to have raved on for a bit, so I'll leave you on a lighter note:
WEIRD BYZANTINE FACT OF THE MONTH: Emperor Constantine V, one of the iconoclast Emperors, was nicknamed "Copronymous" meaning "shit-head". So called because either a. the iconodule monks who wrote the histories didn't appreciate having their noses cut off (one of his hobbies), or b. he suffered an untimely voiding of the bowels during his baptism as an infant (Nick Brooke claims this is the true tale).
Cheers
MOB P.S. I'm now coming to Convulsion! I'm looking at the cheapest way to get to the UK - at the moment it's a toss between Gulf Air via picturesque Abu Dabi or Polynesian Airlines to LA via Western Samoa and then Virgin Airlines LA - NY - London. I'm gonna feel great after that!
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