De Episcopis Hispaniarum: Agents of Continuity in the Long Fifth Century
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Université de Montréal De episcopis Hispaniarum: agents of continuity in the long fifth century accompagné de la prosopogaphie des évêques ibériques de 400–500 apr. J.-C., tirée de Purificación Ubric Rabaneda, “La Iglesia y los estados barbaros en la Hispania del siglo V (409–507), traduite par Fabian D. Zuk Département d’Histoire Faculté des Arts et Sciences Thèse présentée à la Faculté des études supérieures en vue de l’obtention du grade Maître ès Arts (M.A.) en histoire août 2015 © Fabian D. Zuk, 2015. ii Université de Montréal Faculté des etudes supérieures Ce mémoire intitule: De episcopis Hispaniarum: agents of continuity in the long fifth century présenté par Fabian D. Zuk A été évalué par un jury composé des personnes suivantes : Philippe Genequand, president–rapporteur Christian R. Raschle, directeur de recherche Gordon Blennemann, membre du jury iii In loving memory в пам'ять про бабусю of Ruby Zuk iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Résumé / Summary p. v A Note on Terminology p. vi Acknowledgements p. vii List of Figures p. ix Frequent ABBreviations p. x CHAPTER I : Introduction p. 1 CHAPTER II : Historical Context p. 23 CHAPTER III : The Origins of the Bishops p. 36 CHAPTER IV : Bishops as Spiritual Leaders p. 51 CHAPTER V : Bishops in the Secular Realm p. 64 CHAPTER VI : Regional Variation p. 89 CHAPTER VII : Bishops in the Face of Invasion : Conflict and Contenders p. 119 CHAPTER VIII : Retention of Romanitas p. 147 Annexe I: Prosopography of the IBerian Bishops 400–500 A.D. p. 161 Annexe II: Hydatius : An Exceptional Bishop at the End of the Earth p. 185 BIBLIOGRAPHY Sources p. 193 Works Cited p. 205 v Résumé : En année 408 après J.-C., l’Espagne, malgré sa position péninsulaire à la fin de l’Europe, était intégrée à une culture pan-Méditerranéenne qui s’étendait du Portugal jusqu’à la Syrie. Trois décennies n’étaient pas encore passées depuis l’instauration du Christianisme comme religion de l’état romain et l’Eglise Catholique était en pleine croissance. L’année suivante, l’Espagne entra sur une voie de transformation irrémédiable alors que les païens, avec leurs langues BarBares Germaniques franchirent les Pyrénées portant la guerre et la misère aux Hispano-Romains et fondant leurs royaumes là où auparavant gouvernait l’état romain. Dans le désarroi du Ve siècle, les évêques Catholiques luttèrent pour imposer leur dominance dans les communautés et dans les cœurs des pieux. À la lumière des progrès dans l’archéologie et la qualité des éditions critiques de nos sources littéraires est venu le moment d’identifier les évêques ibériques avec une attention aux conditions régionales. Ce mémoire caractérise les évêques de l’Espagne et du Portugal et démontre les épreuves auxquelles ils firent face comme intermédiaires entre indigènes et envahisseurs, comme évangélistes parmi les païens, persécuteurs des apostates et gardiens de la romanitas à la fin du monde Antique. Mots-clefs : Évêques, Ve siècle, Espagne, Antiquité Tardive, Hispania, Accommodement religieux, Chrétienté Summary: In Anno Domini 408, Spain, despite its peninsular location at the ends of Europe, was part of a pan- Mediterranean culture which spread from Portugal to Syria. Christianity had been adopted a mere 28 years prior and the Catholic Church was growing across the Roman world. The following year, Spain entered on a course of irreversible transformation as pagan Germanic speaking 'barbarians' crossed the Pyrenees bringing war and strife to the Hispano-Romans and establishing new kingdoms where the Roman state had once governed. In the turmoil of the fifth century, Catholic Bishops laboured to assert their dominance over their communities and over the hearts of their flock. In light of advances in archaeology and quality critical editions of the literary sources, the time has come to identify the traits of the Iberian bishops with attention to regional variation. This thesis characterises the bishops of Spain and Portugal and demonstrates the challenges they faced as intermediaries between natives and newcomers, as proselytizers of pagans, persecutors of heretics and retainers of romanitas at the end of the Antique world. Keyword: Bishops, Fifth-century, Spain, Late-Antiquity, Hispania, Religious accommodation, Christianity vi A note on terminology Among the principal challenges in the writing of this thesis was the consistency in the names of places and people. For one modern place names do not always map up with the ancient ones, either having phonetically evolved in pronunciation susch as VALENTIA > Valencía or Being replaced by an entirely distinct name such as the case of ELVIRA > Granada. Other authors may prefer the modern name for clarity. This however comes at the expense of precision, especially in such cases where the ancient city does not necessarily align geographically with the modern: COMPLUTUM to Madrid and ELVIRA to Granada notably come to mind. On this account I’ve usually preferred the Late Latin name and provided the modern name in parentheses. One should refer to the maps on pages 22 (figure 1) and 88 (figure 5) for further clarification. Though this investigation roughly covers the breadth of modern Spain and Portugal, I’ve preferred the term Hispaniae to refer to the Roman provinces of the Iberian Peninsula, which itself was named after the Iberian tribes which occupied the region before the arrival of the Romans in the third century B.C. For the purposes of this study Iberia is synonymous of Iberian Peninsula. Likewise to diversify the text, Spanish is occasionaly used to mean the same as Iberian, but should be read so to include Portugal and the other non- castillian peoples of the peninsula. If we’ve favoured the plural Hispaniae it is in reference to the regional diversity of the provinces. The singular Hispania is occasionaly used to lighten the text. Gallia should Be understood as meaning Gaul, especially its southern parts, while Italia should Be read as Italy. To avoid appearing pedantic, I refer to Roma simply as Rome throughout. Concerning the names of individuals, national traditions have the annoying character of adopting Latin names to their own conventions, wherby a good Roman name such as that of Pope HILARIUS is realised by the English as Hilary, by the French as Hilaire, Hilario by the Spanish, Ilario in Italy, and occasionaly as Hilarus by the Germans, The potential for confusion is obvious and I have striven throughout to remain consistent in the use of terminology, therefore privileging the Latin name even when this goes in the face of tradition. To avoid jarring the reader, Isidor of Sevilla, Martin of Tours, and Gregory of Tours have exceptionaly been called by their more common English name. Finally, unless otherwise specified all dates are A.D.. vii REMERCIEMENTS - ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The turmoiled fifth century, the setting of this memoire has been a serendipitous companion. As the fourth century closed on a note of harmony and integration into the larger plan of the Roman empire, the fifth century brought about rapid and devastating changes which the Hispano-Romans clawed though with grit, faith and perseverance: a total paradigm shift and my life was no different. How could I have known this investigation would be a Beacon in rough seas and the wind to propel the creation of a distinct, more virile and rawer existence? As much ink as I’ve spilled on these pages, so too has this research marked me: the lines on my forehead, the tired eyes, challenges that nearly overwhelmed me, and the inner confidence acquired by pulling success from apparent defeat. Focus overcame distraction, curiosity overcame fear, and I wouldn’t dare list the richness of the adventures I’ve lived these last two years. From the sickly gutters of Merida’s amphitheatre to the heights of Constantinople’s walls, my mission took me away from my den to the precipice of understanding. None of this could have been without the generous support of the Canadian people through the SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier Scholarship and the subsequent funding by the peuple québecois through the Fonds de recherche sur la société et la culture, both of which made this investigation financially tenable. Securing these research grants was among my first challenges and I have many people to thank for their contributions. Todd Clary, Annette Teffeteller, Charles Reiss, and Mark Hale, for your unwavering guidance during my undergraduate studies, for sharpening my mind and giving my own skills an environment to flourish, thank you. Pierre Bonnechere, for recognising my drive and supporting my graduate objectives as atypical as they were, Phillipe Genequand, for Bringing your critical eye to my application, Thomas Wien and Yakov Rabkin, Lionel Sanders, Gavin Taylor, Susan Bennette, for guiding me in your distinctive fields to enrich my academic life, thank you. Herr Christian Raschle, I came to your programme a novice and you have Been there every step of the way to assure my proper progress, from considering my interests to nourishing the seed of this thesis and trimming its branches once it had matured. Also for all the letters you’ve written and the precious time you’ve dedicated to my cause—vielen Danke. To José Fernández Ubiña, for taking me on at the Universidad de Granada as an unknown Canadian graduate student and integrating me into your networks, gracias. To Purificación Ubric Rabaneda, for guiding me step by step through your Baetica and providing solid groundwork for the rest of my investigation, thank you. To Pablo C. Díaz and all the graduate students of the facultad de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología for facilitating my research in Spain, sharing your expertise and welcoming me as one of your own: this investigation would be nowhere as rich or fulfilling without the resources and experiences I accessed in Salamanca.