Recruitment and conflict in sixth-century Antioch: A micro-study of Select Letters 6,1,5 of Severus of Antioch

Peter Van Nuffelen; Andy Hilkens

doi:10.1515/zac-2013-0027

Article

Recruitment and conflict in sixth-century Antioch: A micro-study of Select Letters 6,1,5 of Severus of Antioch

Peter Van Nuffelen and Andy Hilkens

Published/Copyright: May 8, 2014

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From the journal Zeitschrift für antikes Christentum/Journal of Ancient Christianity Volume 17 Issue 3

Abstract

This article reconstructs the context of the conflict between Severus of Antioch and Peter of Apamea concerning the ordination of Leontius by Severus, known through Severus, Select letters 6,1,5. Peter had good reasons to be irked by the actions of his patriarch, but both faced the same difficulty: finding good and trustworthy clergy for their embattled sees. Severus’ response to Peter in the letter should not be taken at face value and surely not as a testimony to the strict application of canon law: the letter has all the features of late ancient legal argument: it is rhetorical, seeks to redefine the issue at hand in Severus’ favour, and deploys a particular interpretation of the church canons within an appeal to wider principles. Read against the grain, the letter provides enough indications to believe that Severus had indeed overstepped the boundaries of the admissible.

Published Online: 2014-5-8

Published in Print: 2013-12-1

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https://doi.org/10.1515/zac-2013-0027