Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, Plots 162.22-36
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/217
Context
Constantine VII Flavius Porphyrogenitus (“born in the purple”) ruled the
Byzantine emperor as a member of the Macedonian dynasty in 913-959 C.E. Beyond the
challenges he faced in managing Imperial authority and international relations throughout
his reign, Constantine VII devoted considerable energy to his scholarly pursuits. Among his
many writings is the collection Excerpts from Historians, in which he quotes or epitomizes
earlier writers on topics chiefly of relevance to statecraft and leadership. In this passage
from the book on plots against the government (de insidiis), the emperor
paraphrases the earlier accounts of John Malalas and the Easter Chronicle on
the Samaritan uprising in 484 C.E.
Text
Ὅτι ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλείας Ζήνωνος πρόφασιν λαβόντες οἱ ἐκ τοῦ ἔθνους τῶν
Σαμαρειτῶν ἐτυράννησαν καὶ ἔστεψαν λῄσταρχον ὄνομα Ἰουστάσαν Σαμαρείτην. καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ἐν Καισαρείᾳ καὶ ἐθεώρησεν ἱππικὸν καὶ ἐφόνευσε πολλούς,
ἡγεμονεύοντος τῆς πρώτης Παλαιστίνης Πορφυρίου. ἔκαυσε δὲ καὶ τὸν ἅγιον Προκόπιον ὁ
αὐτὸς Ἰουστάσας. καὶ εὐθέως ὁ δοὺξ Παλαιστίνης Ἀσκληπιάδης ἦλθε μετὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ βοηθείας
καὶ ὁ λῃστοδιώκτης Ῥήγις ὁ ἀξιωματικός, καὶ ὁρμήσαντες κατ’ αὐτῶν μετὰ τῆς αὐτῶν
βοηθείας συνέβαλον αὐτῷ καὶ παρέλαβον αὐτὸν καὶ ἀπεκεφάλισαν αὐτόν, καὶ ἐπέμφθη ἡ κεφαλὴ
αὐτοῦ μετὰ τοῦ διαδήματος τῷ βασιλεῖ Ζήνωνι· καὶ εὐθέως ὁ Ζήνων ἐποίησε τὴν συναγωγὴν
αὐτῶν τὴν οὖσαν εἰς τὸ Γαργαρίζη ὄρος εὐκτήριον οἶκον τῆς ἁγίας θεοτόκου, ἀνανεώσας καὶ
τὸν ἅγιον Προκόπιον, ποιήσας διάταξιν μὴ στρατεύεσθαι Σαμαρείτην, δημεύσας τοὺς εὐπόρους
αὐτῶν. καὶ ἐγένετο φόβος καὶ εἰρήνη.1
Textual Note
Ed. de Boor 1905Translation
It happened during the
reign of Zeno that the people of the Samaritan race seized a pretext and rebelled, and
crowned a bandit chief, the Samaritan named Justasas. And he came to
Caesarea and watched chariot races and murdered many people when
Porphyrios was governor of Palestine I. The same Justasas also burned the Church of St.
Procopius. And immediately Asclepiades, dux Palestinae, came with his
forces and the bandit-hunter Regis, a dignitary. Setting out against them with their forces,
they engaged with him and captured him and beheaded him, and his head was sent along with
his diadem to the emperor Zeno. Immediately the emperor Zeno made their synagoge on Mount
Garizim into a a house of prayer for the Holy Mother of God. He also renovated (the Church
of) St. Procopius, issued an edict that a Samaritan could not hold a military post, and
confiscated the property of their wealthy. And there was fear and peace.
Translation Note
Trans. J. L. RifeWorks Cited
- 1 Constantine Porphyrogenitus, Excerpta historica iussu imp. Constantini Porphyrogeniti confecta III: Excerpta de insidiis, ed. Carl de Boor, repr. Hildesheim: Weidmann, 2003 (Berlin: Weidmann, 1905), p: 162.22-36, bk: 3.34.
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How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, Plots 162.22-36,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published October 19, 2022, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/217.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, Plots 162.22-36.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2022. Entry published October 19, 2022. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/217.About this Entry
Entry Title: Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, Plots 162.22-36
Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:
- Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
- Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
- David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, Plots 162.22-36”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, Plots 162.22-36”
Additional Credit:
- TEI encoding by William L. Potter
- Electronic text added by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife