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Arianism and Political Power in the Vandal and Ostrogothic Kingdoms

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Arianism and Political Power in the Vandal and Ostrogothic Kingdoms Western Washington University Western CEDAR WWU Graduate School Collection WWU Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarship 2012 Reign of heretics: Arianism and political power in the Vandal and Ostrogothic kingdoms Christopher J. (Christopher James) Nofziger Western Washington University Follow this and additional works at: https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Nofziger, Christopher J. (Christopher James), "Reign of heretics: Arianism and political power in the Vandal and Ostrogothic kingdoms" (2012). WWU Graduate School Collection. 244. https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet/244 This Masters Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the WWU Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarship at Western CEDAR. It has been accepted for inclusion in WWU Graduate School Collection by an authorized administrator of Western CEDAR. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Reign of Heretics: Arianism and Political Power in the Vandal and Ostrogothic Kingdoms By Christopher James Nofziger Accepted in Partial Completion Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts Kathleen L. Kitto, Dean of the Graduate School Advisory Committee Chair, Dr. Peter Diehl Dr. Amanda Eurich Dr. Sean Murphy MASTER’S THESIS In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a master’s degree at Western Washington University, I grant to Western Washington University the non- exclusive royalty-free right to archive, reproduce, and display the thesis in any and all forms, including electronic format, via any digital library mechanisms maintained by WWU. I represent and warrant this is my original work, and does not infringe or violate any rights of others. I warrant that I have obtained written permissions from the owner of any third party copyrighted material included in these files. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of this work, including but not limited to the right to use all or part of this work in future works, such as articles or books. Library users are granted permission for individual, research and non-commercial reproduction of this work for educational purposes only. Any further digital reposting of this document requires specific permission from the author. Any copying or publication of this thesis for commercial purposes, or financial gain, is not allowed without my written permission. Christopher Nofziger August 13th, 2012 Reign of Heretics: Arianism and Political Power in the Vandal and Ostrogothic Kingdoms A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of Western Washington University In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts By Christopher James Nofziger August 2012 Abstract The re-introduction of the so-called “Arian” heresy into the Roman Empire as an attribute of several Germanic Kingdoms of the fourth and fifth centuries requires an explanation of why, with the adoption of so many Roman ideological and administrative structures, Arianism remained fundamental to the ideological structure of these kingdoms. Previous studies have emphasized Arianism’s role as a marker of identity in the context of Roman and Gothic interaction, but have yet to expand upon its social and political relevancy. Utilizing the Ostrogothic and Vandal kingdoms as case studies, this thesis seeks to elaborate upon the ideological and political contributions of the Arian doctrine within each context. It will be argued that, for the Ostrogothic kingdom, Arianism was used to construct a sense of precedent and longevity for the Amal dynasty of Theoderic the Great and his successors. Within the Vandal kingdom, the local focus of the Arian ecclesiastical community allowed for greater monarchal control over doctrinal decisions. These attributes corresponded with the policy of political and ideological centralization pursued by Geiseric and his successors. It is hoped that this study will contribute to an understanding of the multiple applications that Arianism held within the social structure of the Late Antique period. iv Acknowledgements I owe an immense amount of gratitude to my colleagues and friends at Western for their time, comments and patience. Sincere thanks to my advisor, Dr. Peter Diehl, for his guidance and patience, which began over seven years ago and led to my love of medieval history. I would also like to express a great deal of gratitude to Dr. Steven Garfinkle for challenging my pre-conceived notions of the ancient world and helping me build a firm theoretical foundation. I would also like to give my appreciation to the other members of my thesis panel, Dr. Amanda Eurich and Dr. Sean Murphy, who provided exceedingly insightful remarks on the first draft of this thesis and challenged me to make significant improvements upon it. To other members of the history faculty: Dr. Ricardo López, Dr. Diana Wright and Jennie Huber, Your help in developing my pedagogical skills and providing various forms of support throughout this process was invaluable. To my colleagues in the graduate program, I cannot give enough thanks for your insight, patience and friendship; I am a better scholar and person because of you. On a personal note, I would like to give thanks to my wife Jillian for her patience, love and always-insightful perspective on the ideas that contributed to this thesis. v Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………….iv Acknowledgements…..…………………….…………………………………………………v List of Figures and Tables………………………………………………………………..….vii Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….…. 1 Chapter 1: The “Arianism” of the Goths…...…………………………………………...…...18 Chapter 2: The Amal Legacy: Arianism in the Ostrogothic Kingdom…….……………..….60 Chapter 3: Reorienting Imperial Power: Arianism in the Vandal Kingdom…..……..…..….98 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………….130 Figures……………………………………………………………………………………...135 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………..139 vi List of Figures Figure 1. The Arian Baptistery Mural, Ravenna.……………………………………….….135 Figure 2. The Neonian Baptistery Mural, Ravenna……………………………………..….136 Figure 3. The Palatium Mosaic, San Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna…………………...…….137 Figure 4. Reconstruction of the San Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna…………………….……138 vii Introduction A significant number of the kingdoms that were established by the various Germanic “peoples” possessed a seemingly unique preference for the Arian doctrine. This thesis will seek to elaborate upon the significance of Arianism within the “Gothic” kingdoms of the fifth and sixth centuries; specifically its importance within the Ostrogothic kingdom in Italy and the Vandal kingdom in Africa. These two polities have served within the conventional narrative as the two extremes of Germanic-Roman interaction. The kingdom of the Ostrogoths maintained close political relations with the Imperial court in Constantinople, in addition to supporting collaboration between the Gothic federates and the local Italian population. This relatively complacent relationship is visibly at odds with the animosity that existed between Nicene Christians and the Vandals in North Africa. These significantly different scenarios lead us to question the role that Arianism adopted within each context. Previous studies have tended to assert its significance as being part of a broader exercise of Germanic cultural definition against the resident Roman population, however such a simplistic analysis fails to acknowledge the complex role that religion served at various levels in the social hierarchy. This thesis seeks to contribute to the discussion of Arianism’s significance within these two kingdoms by elaborating upon the social and administrative functions that the doctrine held within the Vandal and Ostrogothic kingdoms, stressing the unique nature of Arianism’s significance to each political structure. It will be argued that, for the Ostrogothic kingdom, Arianism served as a marker of tradition for the Amal dynasty of Theoderic, one that helped to associate long-established legitimacy for the newly established monarchy. Arianism within the Vandal kingdom however, proved conducive to Vandal attempts to centralize civic administration, focusing political, economic and religious activity on the urban center of Carthage. As its own area of study, the so-called “Arian heresy” has encouraged a significant body of scholarship. Historians have deconstructed the intricacies of the Christological debates, illuminating the ways in which the doctrinal altercations that dominated the fourth and fifth centuries developed in context of the politics and ideology of the Roman intellectual environment.1 Indeed, the period between the Council of Nicaea in 325 and the edict of Thessalonica by Theodosius I in 380 has finally been explained beyond the archetypal divisions drawn by Nicene authors, who sought to simplify the disordered search for a consensus on the nature of Christ and the Trinity. Beyond this period of open religious altercation, scholarly interest has been limited when it comes to explaining the significance of the doctrine’s persistence within the regions of the empire in the wake of its political disenfranchisement. The solidification of Nicene hegemony by Theodosius I and his immediate successors rendered “Arianism,” along with many other creeds, politically impotent within the empire. A prolonged period of clerical disestablishment, denial of funds and active persecution broke down the ecclesiastical structure of these sects and forced them from participation within the imperial political framework. Emphasis must
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