CONSTANTINE THE GREAT – Ο ΙΣΑΠΌΣΤΟΛΟΣ
Abstract
By analysing its occurrences in byzantine liturgical texts, it looks like that, from a semantic point of view, ἰσαπόστολος has not the meaning of ‘equal in rank to the Apostles’. The meaning of ἰσαπόστολος is related to the idea of positive attitude of men towards the calling of God to a certain mission. According to the hymnography of 21st of May, Constantine the Great is described as ἰσαπόστολος , among other, for the same reason, i.e. for having positively answered to the calling of God. Within this respect, it is less probable that the title ἰσαπόστολος given to Constantine is to be related to the burial architecture of the Apostles’ Church of Constantinople.
References
Gordon C., Elemente de antropologie eclezială în «Epistola I către Corinteni», BA thesis elaborated under the guidance of Rev. Prof. Constantin Coman, University of Bucharest 2009.
Petrus de Marca, Tractatum de concordia sacerdotii et imperii, Neapoli: apud Vincentium Vrsinum 1771.
***, Μηναῖον τοῦ Σεπτεµβρίου / Ὀκτωβρίου /… / Αὐγούστου , περιέχον ἅπασαν τὴν ἀνήκουσαν αὐτῷ Ἀκολουθίαν, διορθωθὲν τὸ πρὶν ὑπὸ Βαθρολοµαίου Κουτλουµουσιανοῦ τοῦ Ἰµβρίου καὶ παρ’ αὐτοῦ αὐξηθὲν τῇ τοῦ Τυπικοῦ προσθήκῃ κατὰ τὴν διάταξιν τῆς Ἁγίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ Μεγάλης Ἐκκλησίας, ἧς τῇ ἐγγράφῳ ἀδείᾳ, ἀναθεωρηθὲν καὶ ἀκβριβῶς ἐπιδιορθωθὲν, ἐκδίδοται νῦν τὸ τρίτον, Βενετία, 1863. The electronic version of liturgical texts used in the Greek Orthodox Church can be found on the website: http://analogion.gr/glt/.
Ancient historiographical sources
Ephraem, Chronicon, ed. I. Bekker, Corpus scriptorum historiae Byzantinae, Bonn: Weber, 1840.
Ioannes VI Cantacuzenus, Historiae, ed. L. Schopen, Corpus scriptorum historiae Byzantinae, Bonn: Weber, 1831 (vol. 2).
Iohannes Zonaras, Epitome historiarum (lib. 1–12), ed. L. Dindorf, Leipzig: Teubner, 1868.
Iohannes Zonaras, Epitome historiarum (lib. 13–18), ed. T. Büttner-Wobst, Corpus scriptorum historiae Byzantinae, Bonn: Weber, 1897.
Michael Attaliates, Historia, ed. I. Bekker, Corpus scriptorum historiae Byzantinae, Bonn: Weber, 1853.
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