Cambridge Ancient Hi.. - Index of

justin ii 89
always have struck hardest in densely populated cities but more lightly in
the countryside. Recent survey and other archaeological work in Syria and
Palestine suggests that there was no appreciable decline in population
before the seventh century. 7
Justin was certainly interested in provincial stability, and in a law of 569
he attempted to ensure that governors were appointed without payments
(suffragia) and on the nomination of local interest groups, though an edict
of Tiberius from 574 may indicate that the law was ineffectual. Justin also
acted quickly to stop urban violence in Constantinople, warning the Blue
faction that their patron Justinian was dead but threatening the rival Greens
that they would find Justinian still alive. 8 One factor in the rioting of
Justinian’s last years was undoubtedly the general awareness of the
emperor’s extreme age and the lack of a clear successor, whereas an appearance
of stability, coupled with decisive leadership and an occasional show
of force, was normally enough to contain urban unrest.
The church benefited from Justin’s determination to reverse some of
Justinian’s policies. Aphthartodocetism was renounced, and it was ruled
that the creed of Constantinople should be read in churches before the
Lord’s Prayer, a move that both demonstrated Justin’s orthodoxy and sidestepped
the contentious question of the status of Chalcedon (since the
Constantinople creed antedated that of Chalcedon). Justin’s objective was
doctrinal unity, but this meant being seen to act differently in different parts
of the empire. In the west the schism caused by Justinian’s Three Chapters
edict dragged on, and Justin could only bring peace by appearing a staunch
upholder of Chalcedon: he seems to have achieved this by means of a statement
of intent that was perhaps reinforced by strategic gifts such as the
silver-gilt cross and the reliquary of the Cross that were sent respectively
to Rome and the monastery of Radegund at Poitiers. In the east the opposite
behaviour was required, and Justin initiated discussions with leading
Monophysites in an attempt to find a neo-Chalcedonian formula on which
reconciliation could be based. 9
It is difficult to follow these ecclesiastical developments because our
sources were all interested parties, but it is clear that at an intellectual level
compromise could be reached by emphasizing the single nature of God the
Word incarnate. Monophysite confidence was further attracted by the
honourable treatment accorded the patriarch Theodosius of Alexandria,
who died in 566, and by Justin’s willingness to have the name of Severus
of Antioch included in the diptychs. In the east, however, Monophysite
monks reacted angrily to proposals agreed by their leaders, while back
in Constantinople Justin’s attempts to rescue discussions failed when
7 Whittow (1990) 13–20; Whitby (1995). 8 Nov. 149, 161; Theophanes 243.4–9.
9 Cameron (1976); Allen (1980).
Cambridge Histories Online © Cambridge University Press, 2008