ἀνθρώποισι πᾶσι μέτεστι γινώσκειν ἑωυτοὺς καὶ σωφρονεῖν.
Byzantium was continuously at war, and without its army it would not have survived. The key to the army’s success was its ability to change, as the face of the enemy changed. The fourth century saw the first change, in response to the greater mobility of
German invaders. Continue reading “The Eastern Roman Army – a quick view”
The great fourth-century heresy, originated by Arius, a presbyter in the church of Alexandria. Arius postulated that Christ was created by God from nothing, from which he reasoned that the Son is not co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, but is subordinate to God, and a changeable creature. Continue reading “The heresy of Arianism – a quick view”
by Vladimir Moss
The English Monarchy
“In the intricate web of vassalage,” writes J.M. Roberts, “a king might have less control over his own vassals than they over theirs. The great lord, whether lay magnate or local bishop, must always have loomed larger and more important in the life of the ordinary man than the remote and probably never-seen king or prince. In the tenth and eleventh centuries there are everywhere examples of kings obviously under great pressure from great men. The country where this seemed to present least trouble was Anglo-Saxon England…”[20] Continue reading “The fall of Orthodox England – The Ecclesiastical Roots of the Norman Conquest, 1043-1087 (Part 4)”
Anna was the sister of Emperor Basil II who was married to Vladimir I of Kiev in 988. Continue reading “Anna Porphyrogenita, Princess of Kiev and the Christianization of Rus – a quick view”
Alexios had been Emperor from 1081–1118. He is often viewed as one of Byzantium’s great emperors, in part because of the memorable impression of his reign in the Alexiad, written by his daughter Anna Komnene. Continue reading “Roman Emperor Alexios I Komnenos – a quick view”
Ambrose had been Bishop of Milan from 374–397, whose multiple roles as chief opponent of Arianism, advisor to western emperors, eloquent preacher, arranger of hymns and psalms, developer of the cult of relics, and erudite author, only hint at the enormous influence he exerted over church and state in theWest, and at the originality
of his life and career. Continue reading “Saint Ambrose, the Bishop that excommunicated an Emperor – a quick view”
Novo Scriptorium 