Non-Christians and sectarians under Justinian : the fate of the inculpated
Johannes IRMSCHER, Korr. Mitglied der Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR.
If one were lend credence to the officiai pronouncements made during the 6th century, paganism should long hâve ceased to exist in the Eastern Roman Empire. Since the establishment of the impérial Church and the onset of Constantine's reign, there had been no lack of missionary activity, agitation and propaganda as well as répressive measures adopted by the authorities against nonconformists. Measures of equal severity were taken against sectarian Christians, heretics and various pagan dénominations. Sacrifices and rituals were prohibited, temples destroyed and books consigned to the fiâmes. Nonconformists were barred from certain trades and professions and deprived of their civil and political rights. Thèse ideological purges, carried out with the instruments of power available to the state, were doubtless primarily designed to satisfy the désire of the increasingly powerful ecclesiastic hierarchy for total prédominance of Christian orthodoxy. At the same time, however, they were indispensable to ensure the unity and, hence, the survival of an Empire which, in both ethnie and socioeconomic terms, was marked by disparate and, consequently, often divergent forces. While this was the gênerai trend, it proved impossible to extirpate non-Christian thought and to deprive pagan philosophy and scholarship of their influence. It is, therefore, legitimate, to say that throughout the period of absolute monarchy known as the Dominate there were many signs of continuing paganism.
Such a state of affairs was irriconcilable with Justinian's programme of restoration. The task of restoring the former Empire in territorial and légal terms made it imperative to achieve maximum, if not total, ideological agreement. The state revolved around the central idea that there was a single empire ruled by a single emperor and sustained by the belief in a single God. Justinian recognized this postulate early on and pursued it vigorously while at the same time granting ail the concessions which the realities of life required.
It was during the reign of Justin that the Constitutio 1, 5, 12 was promulgated in 527, an edict providing for harsh sanctions against ail those who did not espouse the orthodoxa et sancîafides. The document said that the authorities had exhibited patience long enough and hoped in vain that they would mend their ways. Amongst
