Cambridge Ancient Hi.. - Index of

anastasius 55
weight in turn began to reverse those trends; the new coins made life easier
for ordinary consumers by reducing the quantity of low-value nummi they
needed to carry around; and because the specified value of the copper coins
in relation to the gold solidus was greater than the actual cost of the copper
used in their production, it is likely that the imperial treasury made a profit
from selling them to the public in return for solidi. 132
Despite the rejoicing occasioned by his abolition of the chrysargyron and
the benefits of the currency reform for ordinary people, Anastasius’ accumulation
of a surplus and some of the means by which this was achieved
earned him an unwarranted reputation for avarice. 133 In fact his competence,
and that of senior officials, in the unspectacular but crucial area of
imperial finance made a significant contribution to the recovery of the
eastern empire’s fortunes, and constituted one of the major achievements
of his reign.
2. Religious affairs
As a native of Dyrrhachium in the Balkans, Anastasius might reasonably
have been expected to be an unequivocal supporter of Chalcedon, but
this did not prove to be the case. Like Justinian, he had aspirations to be
a theologian, and the result of his deliberations was considerable sympathy
with the Monophysite cause. 134 This was already known at the time of
his accession, so that the pro-Chalcedonian patriarch of Constantinople,
Euphemius (490–5), at first opposed his nomination and then, when
overruled by Ariadne and the senate, demanded that he sign a declaration
that he would not abrogate Chalcedon. 135 Anastasius’ initial policy – to
continue trying to maintain a degree of ecclesiastical stability in the east
on the basis of the Henotikon – was not incompatible with this, but
Euphemius’ subsequent attempts to achieve reconciliation with Rome by
effectively abandoning the Henotikon threatened the success of that policy
and eventually led Anastasius to have Euphemius deposed on charges of
Nestorianism (495). His successor was Macedonius (495–511), who initially
supported Anastasius’ approach.
Antioch also posed problems for Anastasius. The patriarch Flavian
(498–512), while personally sympathetic to Chalcedon, referred only to his
adherence to the Henotikon in official pronouncements, thereby accommodating
himself to Anastasius’ aims. Some Syrian Monophysites, however,
132 Jones, LRE 444; Metcalf (1969) (though he questions whether the reform contributed anything
to Anastasius’ surplus (p. 12)).
133 E.g. Malal. p. 408; Joh. Lyd. De Mag. iii.46; Anth. Pal. xi.271; John Ant. fr. 215 (�FHG iv.621).
134 The heterodox theological views of his mother and an uncle may also have played a part: see
PLRE ii, s.v. Anastasius 4 for references.
135 Evagr. HE iii.32; Theodore Lector, HE 446 (Hansen pp. 125.25–126.15); Vict. Tunn. Chron. s.a.
491.
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