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Document Details : Title: Basile le minime et la prérogative des évêques d'Héraclée Author(s): RIOUAL, Gaëlle Journal: Byzantion Volume: 86 Date: 2016 Pages: 349-366 DOI: 10.2143/BYZ.86.0.3180830 Abstract : In his Chronicle, written at the end of the 11th century, John Skylitzes reported that when Polyeuctus was elected as patriarch in the middle of the 10th century he was ordained not by the bishop of Heraclea, as was customary, but by Basil of Caesarea. The Chronicle added that the bishop was bitterly criticized for this appointment. In Skylitzes’ mind, the right to ordain the patriarch was a privilege of the metropolitan of Heraclea and only exceptional circumstances could explain the derogation from this consecrated practice. Before his testimony, however, there is no proof that such a custom existed; the practice seemed more informal. This paper proposes to explore the origins of this prerogative and to examine the events that contributed to its establishment under the patriarchate of Polyeuctus, in order to evaluate the appropriateness of the charges that, according to John Skylitzes, had been brought against Basil of Caesarea. |
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