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ARMENIA PRIMA AND ARMENIA SECUNDA IN THE ORIGINAL EPIPHANIUS NOTITIA EPISCOPATUUM
Abstract
A recent investigation of the ecclesiastical organization at lower Danube during the 4th-7th centuries has revealed that a Notitia episcopatuum was drawn up under Patriarch Epiphanius of Constantinople (520-535), in the first decade of Justinian Is reign (527-565). The aim of the present investigation is to identify the provinces that the metropolitan sees of Sebasteia (in the civil Armenia Prima, then Armenia Secunda) and Melitene (in the civil Armenia Secunda, then Armenia Tertia) were assigned to in that old (now-lost) document. The investigation is of no less of importance given that Sebasteia is referred to as metropolis of Armenia Secunda and Melitene of Armenia Prima in the existing Notitiae. To achieve this purpose, the author first sets forth the evolution of the civil organization in the north-eastern part of the Eastern Roman Empire in the 4th-7th centuries. Actually, there had been in existence two Roman provinces with the name Armenia i.e. Prima and Secunda until 536. At that time, Justinian I reorganized the provincial administration there, establishing four new provinces with this name i.e. Armenia Prima, Secunda, Tertia and Quarta. However, the ecclesiastical organization was not altered. In the second part of the article, the author examines the provinces that the metropolitan sees of Sebasteia and Melitene (and their suffragan bishoprics) were assigned to in the existing documents (others than Notitiae) in the 4th-7th centuries. This survey reveals that the see of Sebasteia was referred to as metropolis of Armenia Prima and Melitene of Armenia Secunda, even after the administrative reorganization in 536. On the basis of this evidence, it is concluded that the line of Sebasteia in the list of the metropolitan sees under Patriarchate of Constantinople was ??????? ???????? ?´ - ? ??????????, and that of Melitene ??????? ???????? ?´ - ? ?????????, in the original Epiphanius Notitia.
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References23
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On Armeniac theme, see Foss C., Armeniakon, In The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Al. P. Kazhdan et alii (eds.), vol. 1, New York; Oxford, p. 177, 1991.
Iustiniani Novellae [Corpus Iuris Civilis, vol. 3, Schöll R. (Ed.), Berolini, 1912].
On Eulalius/Eulogius of Sebasteia and Euethius of Satala, see Gelzer H., Hilgenfeld H., Cuntz O., Patrum nicaenorum nomina Latinae, Graece, Coptice Syriace, Arabice, Armeniace, Leipzig, pp. LXII (nos. 104-105), 26 (nos. 105-106; 102-103), 27 (nos. 101-102; 96-97), 1898.
On Otreius of Melitenes and Otreius of Arabissus, see Turner C.H., Canons attributed to the Council of Constantinople AD 381, together with the names of the bishops from two Patmos MSS ΡΟΒʹ, ΡΟΓʹ, In The Journal of Theological Studies, vol. XV (1914), p. 169.
On John of Sebasteia, see Acta Conciliorum Oecumenicorum (=ACO), Schwartz E. (Ed.), De Gruyter: Berolini; Lipsiae, t. II/1.1, pp. 78¹⁸, 183²², 190¹⁶, 192³³, 1933; t. II/1.2, p. 94[290]³⁴, 1933; t. II/3.1, pp. 29²⁸, 53²⁰, 174²³, 236⁷, 240²¹, 1935; t. II/3.2, pp. 38[297]⁴, 107[366]⁴, 1936. On John of Nicopolis, see ACO, t. II/1.1, pp. 79⁴, 183³³; t. II/1.2, pp. 35[231]²⁸, 134[330]¹⁵; t. II/3.1, pp. 54⁶, 176²³, 253¹⁷; t. II/3.2, pp. 74[333]¹⁰, 143[402]¹⁵. On Cecropius of Sebastopolis, see ACO, II/1.2, p. 98[294]³². On Armenia Prima in Collectio Dionysiana, see ACO, Schwartz E. (Ed.), De Gruyter: Berolini; Lipsiae, t. II/2.2, p. 71[163]³⁴, 1936.
On Armenia Prima in Encyclia, see ACO, Schwartz E. (Ed.), De Gruyter: Berolini; Lipsiae, t. II/5, p. 69¹⁴, 1936.
On John of Nicopolis in 458/9, see Schwartz E., Publizistische sammlungen zum acacianischen schisma, München, p. 176, n. 1 (no. 7), 1934.
On Armenia Secunda in Encyclia, see ACO, t. II/5, p. 71¹¹, ³⁷.
On Auxentius of Sebasteia, see ACO, Schwartz E. (Ed.), De Gruyter: Berolini; Lipsiae, t. III, p. 114¹⁷⁻¹⁸, 1940. On Rufinus of Sebasteia, see ACO, Straub J. (Ed.), De Gruyter: Berolini, t. IV/1, pp. 7²⁶, 24¹, 36¹⁸, 43³, 207¹⁴, 1971.
On Theodosius of Sebasteia, see ACO, Series Secunda, Riedinger R. (Ed.), De Gruyter: Berolini, vol. II/2, pp. 749⁴⁻⁵, 796¹²⁻¹³/797¹³⁻¹⁴, 1992. It is to be noted that Theodosius of Sebasteia also subscribed the copy of the definition of the faith sent to Pope Agatho (679-681). In the existing manuscripts of this document, his province is displayed both as ʻArmenia Primaʼ (τῆς πρώτης τῶν Ἀρμενίων ἐπαρχίας) and as ʻArmenia Secundaʼ (τῆς δευτέρας τῶν Ἀρμενίων ἐπαρχίας), see ACO, Ser. 2, vol. II/2, p. 892¹⁵ and apparatus 15. However, the reading δευτέρας is presumably correct. On John of Heracleopolis, see ACO, Ser. 2, vol. II/2, pp. 738⁴/739⁵⁻⁶, 788¹⁴⁻¹⁵/789¹⁵⁻¹⁶, 894⁸⁻⁹. On Theodorus of Berissa, see ACO, Ser. 2, vol. II/2, pp. 744¹⁻², 792⁴/793⁴. On Callinicus of Colonia, see ACO, Ser. 2, vol. II/2, pp. 744³⁻⁴, 792⁵/793⁵.
See Ohme H., Das Concilium Quinisextum…, pp. 147 (no. 22), 157 (nos. 111-113).
On Acacius of Melitene, see ACO, Schwartz E. (Ed.), De Gruyter: Berolini; Lipsiae, t. I/1.2, p. 3 (n. 7), 1927; t. I/2, p. 27²², 1925-1926; t. I/3, pp. 52 (n. 7), 120¹, 1929; t. II/3.1, p. 197¹³. On Acacius of Ariaratheia, see ACO, t. II/1.1, pp. 79⁵, 183³⁴; t. II/3.1, p. 54⁶, 176²⁸. On Constantine of Melitene, see ACO, t. II/1.2, p. 94[290]³⁹; t. II/3.1, p. 29³⁰. On Heraclius of Comana, see ACO, t. II/1.2, p. 99[295]⁸. On Armenia Secunda in Collectio Dionysiana, see ACO, t. II/2.2, p. 72[164]¹.
On Leontius of Arca, see ACO, t. IV/1, p. 227¹¹. On Theodore of Comana, see ACO, t. IV/1, p. 230¹⁸⁻¹⁹.
On Theodorus of Melitene, see ACO, Ser. 2, vol. II/2, pp. 732⁹⁻¹⁰/733⁹; 782⁵⁻⁶/783⁵⁻⁶, 892¹⁹⁻²⁰. On Gregory of Arca, see ACO, Ser. 2, vol. II/2, pp. 744¹⁴, 792¹⁰/793¹¹.
On Gregory of Arabissus and John of Cucusus, see Ohme H., Das Concilium Quinisextum…, p. 160 (nos. 137, 138).
On Honorias in the documents of the Home Synod in 536, see ACO, t. III, pp. 28²⁷, 127⁹, ¹¹, 155³⁰⁻³¹, 162¹⁹, ³⁰, 170³⁷, 171⁴. On Pontus Polemoniacus in 536, see ACO, t. III, pp. 28²⁴, 127⁶, 155²⁷, 159¹²⁻¹³, 162¹⁶, 170³⁴.
On Honorias in the documents of the Third Council of Constantinople, see ACO, Ser. 2, vol. II/2, pp. 710⁷, 732¹⁵⁻¹⁶/733¹⁵, 744²⁰, 756¹¹/757¹¹, 762³/763³, 782¹¹⁻¹²/783¹¹⁻¹², 792¹⁸⁻¹⁹/793¹⁹⁻²⁰, 892²⁵⁻²⁶.
On Honorias in the subscription list of the Quinisext Council, see Ohme H., Das Concilium Quinisextum…, pp. 148 (no. 29), 161 (nos. 145, 146).
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