The Presbyters Project

2.2.1-3

1. Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ Οὐίττιγις, ὁ τῶν Γότθων ἡγούμενος, ἤδη τῷ πολέμῳ κεκακωμένος, πρέσβεις δύο παρ’αὐτὸν ἔπεμψεν, ἀναπείσοντας ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίους στρατεύεσθαι, οὐ Γότθους μέντοι, ὅπως μὴ κατάδηλοι αὐτόθεν γινόμενοι ξυγχέωσι τὰ πρασσόμενα, ἀλλὰ Λιγούρους ἱερεῖς, χρήμασιν ἁδροῖς ἐς ταύτην ἠγμένους τὴν πρᾶξιν. 2. ὧν ἅτερος μὲν, ὅσπερ ἀξιώτερος ἔδοξεν εἶναι, δόκησίν τε καὶ ὄνομα ἐπισκόπου περιβεβλημένος οὐδὲν αὐτῷ προσῆκον, ἐς τὴν πρεσβείαν καθίστατο, ὁ δὲ δὴ ἕτερος αὐτῷ ὑπηρετῶν εἵπετο. 3. ὁδῷ τε ἰόντες ἐς τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς Θρᾴκης χωρία ἑταιρίζονταί τινα ἐνθένδε ἐπὶ τῆς Θρᾴκης χωρία ἑταιρίζονταί τινα ἐνθένδε Σύρας τε καὶ τῆς Ἑλληνίδος φωνῆς ἑρμηνέα σφίσιν ἐσόμενον, ἅπαντάς τε Ῥωμαίους λαθόντες ἐς τὰ Περσῶν ἤθη ἀφίκοντο. ἅτε γὰρ ἐν σπονδαῖς καθεστῶτες οὐκ ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς ταύτῃ ἐφύλασσον.

In what follows, Procopius gives the speech of the envoys to the king and says that it met with his favourable reaction.

6.22.15-20

15. ἐν αἷς καὶ τόδε ἐς τὸν λόγον ἦλθεν, ὡς οὐ πρότερόν ποτε Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς τοῖς ἐν τῇ ἑσπερίᾳ βαρβάροις πολεμεῖν ἴσχυσε, πλήν γε δὴ ὅτε αἱ σπονδαὶ ἐς Πέρσας γεγένηνται. 16. τούς τε γὰρ Βανδίλους καὶ Μαυρουσίους τηνικαῦτα ἀπολωλέναι καὶ Γότθοις τὰ παρόντα ξυμπεπτωκέναι. ὥστε, ἤν τις καὶ νῦν Ἰουστινιανῷ αὐτοκράτορι τὸν Μήδων βασιλέα ξυγκρούῃ, οὐ μήποτε Ῥωμαῖοι, τούτου δὴ ἐκπεπολεμωμένου σφίσι τοῦ ἔθνους, πόλεμον ἄλλον διενεγκεῖν πρὸς οὐδένας ἀνθρώπων τὸ λοιπὸν ἕξουσι. 17. ταῦτα Οὐιττίγιδί τε αὐτῷ ἤρεσε καὶ Γότθοις τοῖς ἄλλοις. ἔδοξεν οὖν πρέσβεις παρὰ τὸν Γότθοις τοῖς ἄλλοις. ἔδοξεν οὖν πρέσβεις παρὰ τὸν Μήδων βασιλέα Χοσρόην στέλλεσθαι, οὐ Γότθους μέντοι, ὅπως μὴ κατάδηλοι αὐτόθεν γινόμενοι ξυγχέωσι τὰ πρασσόμενα, ἀλλὰ Ῥωμαίους, οἵπερ αὐτὸν Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ πολέμιον καταστήσουσι. 18. διὸ δὴ τῶν ἐν Λιγούροις ἱερέων δύο χρήμασι πολλοῖς ἐς ταύτην ἀναπείθουσι τὴν ὑπουργίαν. 19. ὧν ἅτερος μὲν, ὅσπερ ἀξιώτερος ἔδοξεν εἶναι, ἐπισκόπου δόκησίν τε καὶ ὄνομα περιβεβλημένος, οὐδὲν αὐτῷ προσῆκον, ἐς τὴν πρεσβείαν καθίστατο, ὁ δὲ ἕτερος αὐτῷ ὑπηρετῶν εἵπετο. 20. γράμματά τε αὐτοῖς ἐγχειρίσας πρὸς Χοσρόην γεγραμμένα Οὐίττιγις ἔπεμψεν. οἷς δὴ Χοσρόης ἠγμένος ἀνήκεστα ἐν σπονδαῖς ἔργα Ῥωμαίους εἰργάσατο, ὥσπερ μοι ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις ἐρρήθη.

(ed. Wirth, Haury 1962, 1963)

2.2.1-3

1. At this point Vittigis, the leader of the Goths, already worsted in the war, sent two envoys to Chosroes to persuade him to march against the Romans. These men were not Goths, in case they were exposed and frustrated his plan, but Ligurian priests (ἱερεῖς) who were attracted to this enterprise by rich gifts of money. 2. One of these men, who seemed to have the higher rank, undertook the embassy by assuming the appearance and title of a bishop which did not belong to him at all, while the other followed as his attendant. 3. In the course of their journey they came to the lands of Thrace where they hired a man from there to be an interpreter of the Syriac and Greek tongues, and without being detected by any Romans they reached the land of Persia. As they were at peace, they were not keeping strict guard over that region.

In what follows, Procopius gives the speech of the envoys to the king and says that it met with his favourable reaction.

6.22.15-20

15. Among them this idea also was advanced, that the emperor of the Romans had never been able to make war upon the barbarians in the West before he had made a treaty with the Persians. 16. It was then that the Vandals and Moors had been destroyed and the Goths had suffered their present misfortunes. Consequently, if someone once more instigated the king of the Medes to clash with the emperor Justinian, the Romans thereafter would never be able, once that nation had been stirred to war against them, to carry on another war against any people in the world. 17. This suggestion pleased Vittigis himself and the other Goths. It was decided, therefore, that envoys should be sent to Chosroes, the king of the Medes, but that they should not be Goths, in order not to reveal the true nature of the embassy and thereby frustrate the negotiations, but Romans, who were to make him an enemy again of the emperor Justinian. 18. Accordingly they bribed two priests of Liguria with great sums of money to undertake this service. 19. One of these men, who seemed to be the more worthy, undertook the embassy assuming the appearance and the title of bishop, which did not belong to him at all, while the other followed as his attendant. 20. Vittigis gave them a letter written to Chosroes and sent them off. Chosroes, influenced by this letter, committed outrageous acts against the Romans in time of peace, as I recounted in an earlier book.

(trans. Dewing, rev. Kaldellis 2014: 74-75, 363-64)

Discussion:

Procopius in his Classicising manner avoids calling Christian clerics by their rank (bishop, presbyter, deacon etc.) but uses solely the term ἱερεύς, usually having bishops in mind. Here, however, he clearly notes that two Ligurian priests were not bishops and one of them fraudulently represented himself as such so possibly they were of lower rank. Procopius does not note whether they belonged to Nicene or Homoian Church.

Place of event:

Region

Italy north of Rome with Corsica and Sardinia
East

City

Ravenna

About the source:

Author: Procopius of Caesarea
Title: De bellis, Wars, The Wars, Hyper tōn polemōn, Ὑπὲρ τῶν πολεμῶν
Origin: Constantinople (East)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian

Procopius was born probably around the year 500 in Caesarea in Palestine, in 527 he became the legal advisor (adsessor) of the general Belisarius and accompanied him in the campaigns in Africa and Italy. From 540 he lived and wrote in Constantinople. The Wars in eight books which give account of the emperor Justinian`s wars with Persia, Vandal Africa, and Ostrogothic Italy were composed between ca 545 and 554. He also wrote the Buildings about the architectural achievements of Justinian, and the Secret History, unpublished work presenting Justinian`s reign in unfavourable and scandalous way, written in the 550s.

Edition:

G. Wirth (post J. Haury) ed., Procopii Caesariensis opera omnia, vols. 1-2, Leipzig 1962-63

Translation:

Prokopios, The Wars of Justinian, trans. by H.B. Dewing, revised by A. Kaldellis, Indianapolis 2014

Bibliography:

Averil Cameron, Procopius and the Sixth Century, London 1985

A. Kaldellis, Procopius of Caesarea, Philadelphia 2004

Categories:

Travel and change of residence

Described by a title - Sacerdos/ἱερεύς

Usurping episcopal power

PR1005.

Public functions and offices after ordination - Envoy

Economic status and activity - Gift

Relation with - Another presbyter

Relation with - Monarch and royal/imperial family

Relation with - Foreigner

Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: M. Szada, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER2190, http://www.presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=2190