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Procopius of Caesarea, Secret History 27.26-27.31

   https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/55

Context

Procopius, a native of Caesarea Maritima who excelled in his classical education and legal training, was the preeminent historian of the reign of Justinian. As a field advisor to the general Belisarius and a ranking member of the governing class in Constantinople, he could write with firsthand knowledge and personal authority on policy and society in the late Empire. Among his influential writings was the unusual “secret” or “unpublished history” (ἀπόκρυφη/ἀνεκδοτή ἱστορία), a collection of vignettes often with a polemical or satirical flavor that portrayed the vices and failures of the emperor, the empress, and their entourage. In this passage, Procopius narrates the career of Faustinus, a former governor of Palestine (based at Caesarea) who allegedly bribed his way out of punishment for corrupt or immoral governance (ἀνόσια ἔργα) and returned to supervise Justinian’s estates in the region.

Text

(27) Φαυστῖνος ἦν τις, Παλαιστῖνος γένος, Σαμαρείτης μὲν γεγονὼς ἄνωθεν, ὀνόματος δὲ τοῦ Χριστιανῶν ἀντιλαμβανόμενος ἀνάγκῃ τοῦ νόμου. οὗτος ὁ Φαυστῖνος ἔς τε βουλῆς ἀξίωμα ἦλθε καὶ τῆς χώρας τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔσχεν, ἧσπερ αὐτὸν παραλυθέντα οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον ἔς τε τὸ Βυζάντιον ἥκοντα τῶν τινες ἱερέων διέβαλλον ἐπενεγκάμενοι ὡς Σαμαρειτῶν νόμιμα περιστέλλει, καὶ Χριστιανοὺς δράσειε τοὺς ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ ᾠκημένους ἀνόσια ἔργα. (28) Ἰουστινιανὸς δὲ ἀγριαίνεσθαί τε καὶ δεινὰ ποιεῖσθαι διὰ ταῦτα ἐδόκει, ὅτι δὴ αὐτοῦ τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν ἔχοντος τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὄνομα ὑφ̓ ὁτου οῦν διασύροιτο. (29) οἱ μὲν οὖν ἐκ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς τὴν διάγνωσιν πεποιημένοι τοῦ πράγματος φυγῇ τὸν Φαυστῖνον ἐζημίωσαν, βασιλέως ἐγκειμένου σφίσι. (30) βασιλεὺς δὲ πρὸς αὐτοῦ χρήματα ὅσα ἐβούλετο κεκομισμένος ἀνάδικα εὐθὺς τὰ δεδικασμένα ἐποίησε. (31) Φαυστῖνος δὲ αὖθις τὸ πρότερον ἀξίωμα ἔχων, βασιλεῖ τε ὡμίλει ἐπίτροπός τε καταστὰς τῶν ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ τε καὶ Φοινίκῃ βασιλικῶν χωρίων ἀδεέστερον ἅπαντα κατειργάζετο ὅσα οἱ αὐτῷ βουλομένῳ εἴη.1

Textual Note

Ed. Wirth 1963

Translation

(27) There was a certain Faustinus, born a Palestinian. His ancestry was Samaritan but he had adopted a Christian name under pressure from the law. This Faustinus had attained the rank of senator and become governor of the region; but a little later he was removed from office and went to Byzantium, where some of the priests began to slander him, alleging that he was observing the rites of the Samaritans and immorally treating the Christians who lived in Palestine. (28) Justinian appeared to be furious and highly indignant at the thought that, while he was ruler of the Roman Empire, the name of Christ should be insulted by anyone. (29) So when the assembled Senate made an inquiry into the matter, the emperor insisted that they penalize Faustinus with banishment. (30) But as soon as the emperor had received from him all the money he wanted, he rescinded the judgement. (31) Faustinus, once again holding his former rank, consorted with the emperor and, when he was appointed overseer of the Imperial domains in Palestine and Phoenicia, he could enact all the measures he liked without fear of consequences.2

Translation Note

Adapted from Dewing 1935 and Williamson 1966

Works Cited

  • 1 Procopius of Caesarea, Procopii Caesariensis opera III: Historia quae dicitur arcana, ed. Gerhard Wirth and Jacob Haury, 2nd ed., Bibliotheca scriptorum Graecorum et Romanorum Teubneriana (Leipzig: B. G. Teubner, 1963), ch: 27.26-27.31.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
  • 2 Procopius of Caesarea, Procopius: The Anecdota or Secret History, trans. H. B. Dewing, Loeb Classical Library 290 (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1935), p: 136-139.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record

Additional Bibliography

  • Procopius of Caesarea, Procopius: The Secret History, trans. G. A. Williamson, Penguin Classics (London and Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1966), p: 97-98.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
About This Text

 

How to Cite This Entry

Bianca Gardner et al., “Procopius of Caesarea, Secret History 27.26-27.31,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/55.

Bibliography:

Bianca Gardner et al., “Procopius of Caesarea, Secret History 27.26-27.31.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/55.

About this Entry

Entry Title: Procopius of Caesarea, Secret History 27.26-27.31

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 editors, “Procopius of Caesarea, Secret History 27.26-27.31”
  • Bianca Gardner and Joseph L. Rife, entry contributors, “Procopius of Caesarea, Secret History 27.26-27.31”

Additional Credit:

  • TEI encoding by William L. Potter
  • Electronic text added by Bianca Gardner
  • Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife
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