The Theology of the Emperor Justinian I

Justinian the Great gives us an interesting and perplexing example of the Church's theological-political structure in that the Emperor, as an amateur theologian, would become exceedingly involved the theological disputes of his time. The ongoing theological crisis was one over the legitimacy of the Council of Chalcedon which was convened by the Emperor Marcian and the Empress Pulcheria in 451 A.D. The Council of Ephesus had strongly condemned the heresies of the Patriarch Nestorius, establishing that Christ was fully God, and that the Virgin Mary was to be held as the Theotokos (birth-giver) of God. But the Council of Chalcedon maintained that Christ was fully God and fully man. For some heretics, this seemed like a contradiction. And for many Easterners, this seemed like Chalcedon was splitting the natures of Christ. There is a lesson here regarding the acceptance of Councils which our current hierarchy should duly take note of before they insist on unswerving adherence to the "Faith of Vatican II".

Justinian may have been greatly influenced by his wife Theodora on the question of the composite natures of Christ as well, for she showed a willingness to unite the Monophysites to the Church, but no evidence indicates she held those opinions herself (Thornton, Pious Kings and Right-Believing Queens, 388). Justinian the Great though was no Monophysite and there was no compulsion from his Empress to convert him to that faith either, which argues strongly against this. However, he appointed the Patriarch Menas who was a staunch opponent of the Monophysite heresy. And he sought advice from Menas on many occasions. He appointed Eutychius as Menas's successor. And it was not until later in his life that a strong, demonic tempest came against the Patriarch which subdued the Emperor as well. The Emperor began to teach that the Lord Jesus Christ, before His Resurrection, had a Divine and Incorruptible Body, which was crucified. The Patriarch rebuked Justinian over this false teaching. But before Justinian the Great succumbed fully to this heresy, he repented and then died of a stroke (Nikolai Velimorovic, Prologue of Ochrid, April 6 and Evagrius Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History, Bk. 4, ch. XLI).

In his fifth book of The Two Cities, Otto of Freising narrates the account of Anthemius who was accused of Monophysitism and removed from his patriarchal throne by Pope Agapetus. Seeing that Pope Silverius refused to reinstall the Patriarch, Belisarius had the saintly Pope unjustly exiled and removed from the Papal See. This was also based on lying witness and at the command of Augusta Theodora (Book 5.4). The exact details are not discussed though and could very well be erroneous, at any rate, Justinian did see the Emperor as having quite a sustained role in the life of the Church that wouldn't be reinvigorated until the reign of Charlemagne. Though the Byzantine Emperor has always locked horns in some way with the Church.

The successor of Silverius, Pope Vigilius, would also have a negative fall-out with the Emperor. During the controversy of the Three Chapters which included the works of Ibas of Edessa, Theodoret, and Theodore of Mopsuestia. (Pelikan, The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600), 275-277). Justinian's dispute with the Pope on this should not be seen as one who is entangled in heresy, but one who holds a great zeal for orthodoxy. Which the Emperor did hold. In the writings of these men, he saw Nestorianism. There was possibly some confusion between the Greeks and Latins over this issue which clouded judgment on both sides, but the Council of Constantinople, convened in 553, upheld the Emperor's condemnation of the Three Chapters as well as his condemnation of the Origenists.

With great zeal for the divinity of Our Lord, Justinian the Great also contributed the hymn, "Only Begotten" (Pious Kings and Right-Believing Queens, 253). It reads:

"Only begotten Son and Word of God, You are immortal, and You willed for our salvation to be made flesh of the holy Mother of God and ever-virgin Mary, and without change You became man. You were crucified, O Christ our God, and trampled death by death. You are one of the Holy Trinity, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit, save us." (The Divine Liturgy: An Anthology for Worship, used in the Ukrainian Catholic Church in America and Canada)

This hymn is still sung in the Byzantine Churches today. The Emperor who is orthodox can also be a gifted theologian!