Imposing by law the extended Nicene orthodoxy / Επιβολή μέσω νόμου της επεκταμένης Νικαϊκής ορθοδοξίας

 

 

 

Gregory of Nazianzus takes his leave of the emperor Theodosius. *

 

 

Έδικτο της Θεσσαλονίκης (Θεσσαλονίκη, 380):

IMPPP. GR(ATI)IANUS, VAL(ENTINI)ANUS ET THE(O)D(OSIUS) AAA. EDICTUM AD POPULUM VRB(IS) CONSTANTINOP(OLITANAE).

Cunctos populos, quos clementiae nostrae regit temperamentum, in tali volumus religione versari, quam divinum Petrum apostolum tradidisse Romanis religio usque ad nunc ab ipso insinuata declarat quamque pontificem Damasum sequi claret et Petrum Aleksandriae episcopum virum apostolicae sanctitatis, hoc est, ut secundum apostolicam disciplinam evangelicamque doctrinam patris et filii et spiritus sancti unam deitatem sub pari maiestate et sub pia trinitate credamus. Hanc legem sequentes Christianorum catholicorum nomen iubemus amplecti, reliquos vero dementes vesanosque iudicantes haeretici dogmatis infamiam sustinere ‘nec conciliabula eorum ecclesiarum nomen accipere’, divina primum vindicta, post etiam motus nostri, quem ex caelesti arbitro sumpserimus, ultione plectendos.

DAT. III Kal. Mar. THESSAL(ONICAE) GR(ATI)ANO A. V ET THEOD(OSIO) A. I CONSS.


EMPERORS GRATIAN, VALENTINIAN AND THEODOSIUS AUGUSTI. EDICT TO THE PEOPLE OF CONSTANTINOPLE.
It is our desire that all the various nations which are subject to our Clemency and Moderation, should continue to profess that religion which was delivered to the Romans by the divine Apostle Peter, as it has been preserved by faithful tradition, and which is now professed by the Pontiff Damasus and by Peter, Bishop of Alexandria, a man of apostolic holiness. According to the apostolic teaching and the doctrine of the Gospel, let us believe in the one deity of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, in equal majesty and in a holy Trinity. We order the followers of this law to embrace the name of Catholic Christians; but as for the others, since, in our judgment they are foolish madmen, we decree that they shall be branded with the ignominious name of heretics, and shall not presume to give to their conventicles the name of churches. They will suffer in the first place the chastisement of the divine condemnation and in the second the punishment of our authority which in accordance with the will of Heaven we shall decide to inflict.
GIVEN IN THESSALONICA ON THE THIRD DAY FROM THE CALENDS OF MARCH, DURING THE FIFTH CONSULATE OF GRATIAN AUGUSTUS AND FIRST OF THEODOSIUS AUGUSTUS

ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΟΡΕΣ ΓΡΑΤΙΑΝΟΣ, ΟΥΑΛΕΝΤΙΝΙΑΝΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΘΕΟΔΟΣΙΟΣ ΑΥΓΟΥΣΤΟΙ. ΕΔΙΚΤΟ ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΝ ΛΑΟ ΤΗΣ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΥΠΟΛΗΣ.
Είναι επιθυμία μας ότι όλα τα διάφορα έθνη, τα οποία υπόκεινται στην επιείκεια και μετριοπάθεια μας, θα πρέπει να συνεχίσουν να πρεσβεύουν ότι η θρησκεία που παραδόθηκε στους Ρωμαίους από τον θείο Απόστολο Πέτρο, όπως έχει διατηρηθεί από την θεία παράδοση, και η οποία τώρα ομολογείται από τον Ποντίφικα Δάμασο και τον Πέτρο, Επίσκοπο της Αλεξάνδρειας, ενός ανθρώπου αποστολικής αγιότητας. Σύμφωνα με την αποστολική διδασκαλία και τη διδασκαλία του Ευαγγελίου, ας πιστεύουμε στην μία θεότητα του Πατρός, του Υιού και του Αγίου Πνεύματος, ίσου μεγαλείου και σε ιερή τριάδα. Θα επιτρέψουμε στους τηρητές αυτού του νόμου να φέρουν τον τίτλο του Καθολικού Χριστιανού. Αλλά και για τους άλλους, δεδομένου ότι, κατά τη γνώμη μας είναι ανόητοι τρελοί, διατάσσουμε ότι πρέπει να στιγματίζονται με το ατιμωτικό όνομα των αιρετικών, και δεν θα τολμούν να δίνουν στις παρασυναγωγές τους το όνομα των εκκλησιών. Θα υποφέρουν καταρχήν την τιμωρία της θείας καταδίκης και κατόπιν την τιμωρία της εξουσίας μας, την οποία θα επιβάλουμε σύμφωνα με τη θέληση του Ουρανού.
ΕΚΔΟΘΗΚΕ ΣΤΗ ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΗ ΤΗΝ ΤΡΙΤΗ ΜΕΡΑ ΑΠΟ ΤΙΣ ΚΑΛΕΝΔΕΣ ΤΟΥ ΜΑΡΤΙΟΥ, ΚΑΤΑ ΤΗΝ ΠΕΜΠΤΗ ΘΗΤΕΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΓΡΑΤΙΑΝΟΥ ΑΥΓΟΥΣΤΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΤΗΝ ΠΡΩΤΗ ΤΟΥ ΘΕΟΔΟΣΙΟΥ ΑΥΓΟΥΣΤΟΥ

— Codex Theodosianus, xvi.1.2

Πηγή: Βικιπαίδεια, Έδικτο της Θεσσαλονίκης.

 

* William Kenneth Boyd,
The Ecclesiastical Edicts of the Theodosian Code,
Columbia University Press 1905, pp. 42-47.

 

Theodosius I: A Christian or an Emperor? /Ο Θεοδόσιος Α': Χριστιανός ή Αυτοκράτορας;

Theodosius I / Θεοδόσιος Α'

Μετὰ δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν Γρατιανοῦ ἡ σύγκλητος Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἀνηγόρευσε βασιλέα Θεοδόσιον, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ γένους αὐτῶν ὄντα ἐκ τῆς Ἱσπανίας χώρας. καὶ ἀναγορευθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς συγκλήτου ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ θειότατος Θεοδόσιος ὁ Σπανός, ὁ μέγας, γαμβρὸς Γρατιανοῦ, ἔτη ιζʹ. ἦν δὲ χριστιανὸς καὶ φρόνιμος καὶ εὐσεβὴς καὶ ἐνδρανής. ἢ μόνον δὲ ἐβασίλευσεν, εὐθέως ἀνέδωκε τὰς ἐκκλησίας τοῖς ὀρθοδόξοις, πανταχοῦ ποιήσας σάκρας καὶ διώξας τοὺς Ἀρειανούς. ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς βασιλεὺς ἔστεψε τοὺς δύο αὐτοῦ υἱούς, οὓς ἔσχεν ἀπὸ τῆς προτέρας αὐτοῦ γυναικὸς Γάλλης, καὶ τὸν μὲν Ἀρκάδιον ἐποίησε βασιλέα ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει, τὸν δὲ Ὁνώριον ἐν Ῥώμῃ. τοὺς δὲ ναοὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων πάντας κατέστρεψεν ἕως ἐδάφους ὁ αὐτὸς Θεοδόσιος βασιλεύς. κατέλυσε δὲ καὶ τὸ ἱερὸν Ἡλιουπόλεως τὸ μέγα καὶ περιβόητον τὸ λεγόμενον Τρίλιθον, καὶ ἐποίησεν αὐτὸ ἐκκλησίαν χριστιανοῖς. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὸ ἱερὸν Δαμασκοῦ ἐποίησεν ἐκκλησίαν χριστιανῶν· καὶ ἄλλα δὲ πολλὰ ἱερὰ ἐποίησεν ἐκκλησίας, καὶ ηὐξήθη τὰ τῶν χριστιανῶν πλέον ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ. [...]

Ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς βασιλεὺς Θεοδόσιος ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ χρόνῳ τοὺς τρεῖς ναοὺς τοὺς ὄντας ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει εἰς τὴν πρῴην λεγομένην Ἀκρόπολιν καταλύσας, ἐποίησε τὸν τοῦ Ἡλίου ναὸν αὐλὴν οἰκημάτων, καὶ ἐδωρήσατο αὐτὴν τῇ μεγάλῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως· ἥτις αὐλὴ κέκληται ἕως τοῦ νῦν τοῦ Ἡλίου· τὸν δὲ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος ναὸν ἐποίησε ταβλοπαρόχιον τοῖς κοττίζουσιν· ὅστις τόπος κέκληται ἕως τῆς νῦν ὁ ναός· ἡ δὲ πλησίον ῥύμη τὸ ἐλάφιν. τὸν δὲ τῆς Ἀφροδίτης ναὸν ἐποίησε καρουχαρεῖον τοῦ ἐπάρχου τῶν πραιτωρίων, κτίσας πέριξ ὁσπήτια καὶ κελεύσας δωρεὰν μένειν ἐν αὐτοῖς τὰς πάνυ πενιχρὰς πόρνας. ἐποίησε δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς Θεοδόσιος καὶ τὴν λεγομένην πρῴην κώμην Ῥοφαεινᾶν πόλιν· ἥτις μετεκλήθη Θεοδοσιούπολις, λαβοῦσα ἔκτοτε ἡ αὐτὴ κώμη καὶ δίκαιον πόλεως ἕως τῆς νῦν, ἐπὶ τῆς ὑπατείας Μηροβαύδου καὶ Σατουρνίνου.

Ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς Θεοδόσιος ἐπὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ βασιλείας ἐποίησε τὴν σύνοδον τῶν ρνʹ ἐπισκόπων τῶν ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὁμοουσίου τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος. [...]

Ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς Θεοδόσιος βασιλεὺς ἀπὸ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐξελθὼν ἐπὶ Ῥώμην εἰσῆλθεν ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ πόλει· καὶ τοῦ ὄντος μετ’ αὐτοῦ στρατιωτικοῦ πλήθους διὰ μιτᾶτα ταράξαντος τὴν πόλιν, ἐστασίασαν καὶ ὕβρισαν τὸν βασιλέα οἱ Θεσσαλονικεῖς. καὶ θεωρήσας ἱππικὸν ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ πόλει γέμοντος τοῦ Ἱππικοῦ ἐκέλευσε τοξευθῆναι· καὶ ἀπώλετο πλῆθος χιλιάδων δεκαπέντε. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀγανακτήσας κατ’ αὐτοῦ Ἀμβρόσιος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος ἐποίησεν αὐτὸν ὑπὸ κώλυμα· καὶ ἔμεινεν ἐπὶ πολλὰς ἡμέρας μὴ εἰσερχόμενος εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, ἕως οὗ παρακληθεὶς ὁ ἐπίσκοπος εἰς τὰ ἅγια γενέθλια ἐδέξατο αὐτόν. οὐκ ἄλλως δὲ ἐδέξατο αὐτόν, ἕως οὗ ἐποίησε σάκραν, ἵνα οἱασδήποτε ἀγανακτήσεως παρὰ βασιλέως γινομένης ἔνδοσιν δίδοσθαι ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπιτρεπομένων τριάκοντα ἡμερῶν καὶ εἶθ’ οὕτως γενέσθαι τὸ προσταχθέν.

After the reign of Gratian, the senate of Constantinople proclaimed as emperor Theodosius, who was related to the imperial family and came from the land of Spain. After being proclaimed by the senate, the most sacred Theodosius the Great, the Spaniard, the brother-in-law of Gratian, reigned for 17 years. He was a Christian, and a sensible, pious and energetic man. As soon as he began to reign, he immediately returned the churches to the Orthodox, issuing rescripts everywhere and expelling the Arians. The emperor crowned his two sons whom he had by his first wife, Galla, and made Arcadius emperor in Constantinople and Honorius in Rome. The emperor Theodosius razed all the shrines of the Hellenes to the ground. He also destroyed the large and famous temple of Helioupolis, known as Trilithon, and made it a church for the Christians. Likewise he made the temple of Damascus a Christian church. He made many other temples into churches and Christianity advanced further during his reign. [...]

The emperor Theodosius in that year pulled down the three temples in Constantinople on what was formerly known as the Acropolis. He made the temple of Helios into a courtyard surrounded by houses and donated it to the Great Church of Constantinople. This courtyard is called the "Courtyard of Helios" to the present day. The temple of Artemis he made into a gaming room for dice players. This place is called "The Temple" to the present day, and the street nearby is called "The Fawn". The temple of Aphrodite he made into a carriage-house for the praetorian prefect, and he built lodging-houses close by and gave orders that penniless prostitutes could stay there free of charge. Theodosius made the village formerly known as Resaina into a city, which was renamed Theodosioupolis; the village received the status of a city during the consulship of Merobaudes and Saturninus, from that date to the present day.

During his reign Theodosius held the Council of 150 Bishops in Constantinople concerning the consubstantiality of the Holy Spirit. [...]

The emperor Theodosius left Constantinople for Rome and entered the city of Thessalonike. The military force which was with him caused an uproar in the city over billeting, and so the inhabitants of Thessalonike rioted and insulted the emperor; and when he was watching the races in the city with the hippodrome full, he ordered his archers to shoot at the crowd and as many as 15,000 were killed. Bishop Ambrose was angry with him because of this and placed him under interdict. He remained many days without entering the church, until the bishop was persuaded to receive him at the feast of the Holy Nativity. But he only agreed to receive him when he had issued an imperial rescript that, in any case of imperial displeasure, whatever its nature, a remission should be granted by the arbitrators for 30 days and only then should the sentence be carried out.

* Ιωάννη Μαλαλά, Χρονογραφία, Λόγος Β' 13:37, 39, 40, 43.
L. Dindorf, Ioannis Malalae chronographia Corpus scriptorum historiae Byzantinae. Bonn: Weber, 1831,
σ. 344-348.
[Ελληνικά/Greek, PDF]

English transl./Αγγλική μετάφρ.:Elizabeth Jeffreys, Michael Jeffreys, Roger Scott & Brian Croke (ed. & transl.),
The Chronicle of John Malalas (Byzantina Australiensia 4),
Australian Association for Byzantine Studies, 1986.

Codex Theodosianus / Θεοδοσιανός Κώδικας

Theodosiani libri XVI
cum Constivtionibvs Sirmondianis
et Leges novellae ad Theodosianvm pertinentes

Θεοδοσιανός Κώδικας

(Theodor Mommsen & Paul Martin Meyer, 1905)



Volume / Τόμος 1 A

Volume / Τόμος 1 B

Volume / Τόμος 2