The Work of a Young Empress

Βάσσου καὶ Φιλίππου ὑπατευόντων, τελευτᾷ τὸν βίον Ἀρκάδιος, διὰδοχον τῆς ἡγεμονίας Θεοδόσιον τὸν οἱέα καταλιπὼν, ἀρτίως γάλακτι τρέφεσθαι πεπαυμένον· Θυγατέρας δὲ, Πουλχερίαν καὶ Ἀρκαδίαν καὶ Μαρίναν, ἔτι κομιδῇ νέας. ᾝ μοι δοκεῖ μάλιστα τὸν Θεὸν ἐπιδεῖξαι, μόνην εὐσέβειαν ἀρκεῖν πρὸς σωτηρίαν τοῖς βασιλεύουσιν· ἄνευ δὲ ταύτης, μηδὲν εἶναι στρατεύματα καὶ βασιλέως ἰσχυν, καὶ τὴν ἄλλην παρασκευήν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν εὐσεβέστατον τὸν βασιλέα ἔσεσθαι προεϊδεν ἡ τῶν ὅλων οἰκουρὸς θεία δύναμις, ἐπίτροπον αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἡγεμονίας κατέστησε Πουλχερίαν τὴν ἀδελφην. Ἡ δὲ, οὔπω πεντεκαιδέκατον ἔτος ἄγουσα, ὑπερ τὴν ἡλικίαν σοφώτατον καὶ θεϊον ἔλαβε νοῦν. Καὶ πρῶτα μὲν τὴν αὐτῆς παρθενίαν τῷ Θεῷ ἀνέθηκε, καὶ τὰς ἀδελφὰς ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ἐπαιδαγώγησε βίον, ὅπως μὴ ἄλλον ἄνδρα ἐπεισαγάγῃ τοῖς βασιλείοις, καὶ ζήλου καὶ ἐπιβουλῆς πᾶσαν ἀνέλῃ ἀφορμήν. Ἐπιβεβαιῦσα δὲ τὰ δόξαντα, καὶ Θεὸν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἱερέας, καὶ πάντα ἀρχόμενον μάρτυρας ποιουμένη τῶν αὐτῇ βεβουλευμένων, ἐκ χρυσοῦ καὶ λίθων τιμίων θαυμάσιόν τι χρῆμα θεαμάτων κάλλιστον, ὑπὲρ τῆς ἰδίας παρθενίας καὶ τῆς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ἡγεμονίας, ἱερὰν ἀνέθετο τράπεζαν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως· καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου τῆς τραπέζης, ὡς ἄν πᾶσιν ἔκδηλα ᾗ, τάδε ἐπέγραψεν. Ὑπεισελθοῦσα δὲ τῆς ἡγεμονίας τὴν φροντίδα, ἄριστα καὶ ἐν κόσμῳ πολλῷ τὴν Ῥωμαίων οἰκουμένην διῴκησεν· εὖ βουλευομένη, ὡς ἐν τάχει τὰ πρακτέα ἐπιτελοῦσα καὶ γράφουσα. Ἠκρίβωτο γὰρ λὲγειν, καὶ γράφειν ὀρθῶς κατὰ τὴν Ῥωμαίων καὶ Ἑλλήνων φωνήν. Τῶν δὲ πραττομένων τὴν δόκησιν εἰς τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἀνέφερε· καὶ ἐπεμελεῖτο, ὡς ἄν μάλιστα βασιλικῶς ἀναχθείη τοῖς καθ' ἡλικίαν παιδευομένοις μαθήμασιν. Ἀλλ’ ἱππικὴν μὲν καὶ τὴν ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις καὶ τοῖς λόγοις ἄσκησιν, παρὰ τῶν ἐπιστημόνων ἐξεδιδάσκετο. Περὶ δὲ κόσμιος εἶναι καὶ βασιλικὸς, παρὰ τῆς ἀδελφῆς ἑῥῥυθμίζετο· ἐσθῆτα ᾗ χρὴ περιστέλλειν μανθάνων, καὶ πρόπῳ τίνι καθῆσθαι, καὶ βαδίζειν, καὶ γέλωτος κρατεὶν, καὶ πρᾶος καὶ φοβερὸς ἐν καιρῷ εἶναι, καὶ ἁρμοδίως πυνθάνεσθαι τῶν περί του δεομένων. Ούχ ἤκιστα δὲ εἰς εὐσέβειαν αὐτὸν ἦγε, συνεχῶς εὔχεσθαι, καὶ ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις φοιτᾷν ἐθίζουσα· καὶ ἀναθήμασι καὶ κειμηλίοις τοὺς εὐκτηρίους οἴκους γεραίπειν· καὶ ἐν τιμῇ ἔχειν τοὺς ἱερέας, καὶ ἄλλους ἀγαθοὺς ἄνδρας, καὶ τοὺς νόμῳ Χριστιανῶν φιλοσοφοῦντας. Οὐ μὴν ἀλλά καὶ ὑπὸ νόθων δογμάτων νεωτερίζεσθαι κινδυνευούσης τῆς θρησκείας, σπουδῇ καὶ σοφῶς προύστη. Καὶ τοῦ μὴ καινὰς αἱρέσεις ἐν τοῖς καθ' ἡμᾶς χρόνοις κρατεῖν, μάλιστα αὐτὴν αἰτίαν εὑρήσομεν, ὡς ἐν τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα εἰσόμεθα. Δὲει δὲ πολλῷ τὸ Θεῖον θρησκεύουσα, μακρὸν ἂν εἴη παρὰ τίσι λέγειν, καὶ πόσους εὐκτηρίους οἴκους μεγαλοπρεπῶς ἐτεκτήνατο· πόσα δὲ καταγώγια πτωχῶν καὶ ξένων, καὶ μοναστικὰς συνοικίας συνεστήσατο, διηνεκῆ τάξασα τὴν εἰς ταῦτα δαπάνην, καὶ τὸ σιτηρέσιον τῶν ἐνοικούντων.  Ἑρμείος Σωζομενός, Ἐκκλησιαστίκη Ἱστορία, Τομ Θ´ Κεφ Α´

In the consulate of Bassus and Philip the Emperor Arcadius died, leaving Theodosius, his son, who was just weaned, as his successor to the empire, and also three daughters of tender age, named Pulcheria, Arcadia, and Marina. It seems to me that God here showed that piety alone suffices for the salvation of rulers, and that without it, neither armies, nor a powerful empire, nor any other thing, are of use. The Divine Power which watches over all things, foresaw that the Emperor would be distinguished by his great piety, and therefore established Pulcheria, his sister, as  protectress of him and his rule. She was not yet fifteen years of age, but was wise beyond her years and possessed of divine intent. She first dedicated her virginity to God, and she taught her sisters to do the same, and no man was allowed to enter the palace that there be no cause for jealousy and intrigue. In confirmation of her resolution, she took God, the priests, and all those ruled as witnesses to her self-dedication, consecrating a holy table of gold and precious stones, a remarkable fabric and very beautiful to see, in token of her virginity and the headship of her brother, in the church of Constantinople, and she inscribed these things on the front of the table, that they be clear to all. Resuming the care of government, she governed the Roman empire excellently and with great order; what she decided was quickly decreed and brought to realisation. She was able to write and to converse with perfect accuracy in the Greek and Latin languages. The value of all that was done she attributed to her brother. She took great care to raise him as a prince, educating him as befitted his years. Though in horsemanship, and the practice of arms and in letters he was taught but the wisest men, in conduct and princely bearing he was taught by his sister; she showed him how to gather up his robes, how to take a seat, how to walk, how to restrain laughter, how to assume a gentle or a formidable aspect for the occasion, and how to inquire fittingly into petitions. And no less did she lead him into piety, and continual prayer; she taught him to frequent the churches regularly, and to honour the houses of prayer with gifts and treasures; and to have reverence for priests and other good men, and for those who, in accordance with the law of Christianity, took to philosophy. And that religion might not be endangered by the innovation of spurious dogmas she provided zealously and wisely. That new heresies have not prevailed in our times, we shall find to be due especially to her, as we shall subsequently see. With how much fear she worshipped God, it would take long for any one to say, and also how many houses of prayer she built magnificently, and how many houses for the poor and strangers she set up, and the monastic communities she established, and the arrangement for the expenses for their perpetual support, and for the provision of the inhabitants. Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History, Book IX, Chapter 1

The Death Of An Empress

Τὴν βασιλίδα ζητείς; Ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις τὴν διαγωγὴν ἔχει. Ἀλλ᾽ ὀφθαλμῷ γνῶναι τοῦτο ποθείς; Οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι βασιλιδος θέαν περιεργάζεσθαι. Φοβερὰ περί αὐτήν ἡ τῶν δορυφόρων φρουρά· οὐ τούτων λέγω τῶν δορυφόρων, οἰς σίδηρος τὸ ὅπλον ἐστὶν. ἀλλὰ τῶν τῇ φλογίνῃ ῥομφαίᾳ καθωπλισμένων, ὠν τὸ εἰδος ἀνθρώπων ὅψεις οὐχ ὑποδέχεται. Ἐν οἶς ἀποῥῥήτοις τῆς βασιλείας ἡ οἴκησις, τότε ὅψει, ὅταν καὶ σὺ προκύψῃς τοῦ σώματος· οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἄλλως ἐντὸς τῶν ἀδύτων τῆς βασιλείας γενέσθαι, μὴ διασχόντα τὸ τῆς σαρκὸς παραπέτασμα. Ἥ κρεὶττον οἴει τὸ σαρκὸς μετέχειν τοῦ βίου;  Οὐκοῦν παιδευσάτω σε ὁ θείος Ἀπόστολος, ὁ τῶν ἀῥῥήτων τοῦ παραδείσου μετεσχηκὼς μυστηρίων. Τί λέγει περὶ τῆς ὦδε ζωῆς, τάχα ἐκ τοῦ κοινοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φθεγγόμενος; Ταλαίπωρος ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπος. Τις με ῥύσεται ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ θανάτου τούτου; Διὰ τί τοῦτο λέγει; Ὅτι τὸ ἀναλῦσαι, καὶ σὺν χριστῷ εἶναι, πολλῷ κρεῖττόν, φησιν. Τί δὲ ὁ μέγας Δαβὶδ, ὁ τοσαύτῃ δυναστείᾳ κομῶν, ὁ πάντα πρὸς ἡδονὴν καὶ κατ’ ἐξουσίαν εἰς ἀπόλαυσιν ἔχων; Οὐ στενοχωρείται τῷ βίῳ; Οὐ φυλακὴν ὀνομάζει τὴν ὧδε ζωήν; Οὐ βοᾷ πρὸς τὸν Κύριον. Ἐξάγατε ἐκ φυλακῆς τὴν ψυκήν μου; Οὐ πρὸς τὴν παράτασιν τῆς ζωῆς δυσχεραίνει, Οἰμοι, λέγων, δει ἡ παροιμία μου ἐμακρύνθη. Ἥ οὐκ ἤδεισαν διακρῖναι οἱ ἅγιοι τὸ καλὸν ἐκ τοῦ χειρονος, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο προτιμοτέραν ὤοντο τῇ ψυχῇ τὴν ἀπὸ σώματος ἔδοξον; Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσση, Ἐπιτάφιος Λόγος Εἰς Πλακιλλαν Βασίλισσαν Source: Migne PG 46.888a-c

Do you seek the Empress? She has passed into the royal palaces. But you desire to know this with the eye? It is not permitted that you should trouble a Queen. Around her are a fearful guard, equipped not with iron but bearing flashing blades, a sight which men cannot endure to see. The Empress' dwelling is inaccessible, and though you may look out from the body, you cannot otherwise be in the Empress' inner chamber unless you are stripped of the flesh. Do you think it better when flesh partakes of life? Let the divine Apostle teach you about participating in the hidden mysteries of paradise. What does he say about life? Regarding the common way of men he declares, 'I am a wretched man. Who will release me from this body of death?' Why does he say this? 'For to be dissolved and to be with Christ is much better,' 1 he says. What does the great David say who was adorned with such power that he had access to all pleasures and joys? Does he not groan in life? Does he not call this life a prison? Does he not cry out to the Lord, 'Lead my soul out of prison?' Is he not vexed by the extension of life when he says 'Alas, that my exile is prolonged?' 2 Did not the holy ones know how to discern good from evil, and by this did they not judge the soul's departure from the body superior? Saint Gregory of Nyssa, from the Funeral Oration for the Empress Flacilla 1 Rom 7.24, Phil 1.23 2 Ps 141.8, Ps 29.5

The Work of an Empress

Ἐἰκε δέ καὶ ἀλλην ἀφορμὴν ὠφελείας ὁ Βασιλεύς. Ἡ γὰρ τοῦ γάμου τὸν ζυγὸν μετ’ αὐτοῦ δεξαμένη, τῶν θείων αυτῷ συνεχῶς ἀνεμίμνησκε νόμων, ἑαυτὴν τούτους πρῶτον ἀκριβῶς ἐκπαιδεύσασα. Οὐ γὰρ ἑπῆρεν αὐτὴν τῆς βασιλείας ἡ δυναστεία, ἀλλὰ τὸν θεῖον πλέον ἐπύρσευσε πόθον. Τῆς γάρ εὐεργεσίας τὸ μέγεθος μεῖζον τὸ περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην εἰργάζετο φίλτρον. Αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ τῶν τὸ σῶμα πεπηρωμένων, καὶ ἀπαντα τὰ μέλη λελωβημένη, παντοδαπὴν ἐποιεῖτο φροντίδα, οὐκ οἰκέταις, οὐδὲ δορυφόποις ὑπουργοῖς κεχρημένη, ἀλλ’ αὐτουργός γιγνομένη, καὶ εἰς τὰς τούτων καταγωράς ἀφικνουμένη, καὶ ἐκαστῳ τὴν χρείαν πορίζουσα. Οὐτω καὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν τοὺς ξενῶνας περινοστοῦσα τοὺς κλινουπετεῖς δι’ ἐαυτῆς ἑνοσήλευεν, ἀῦτη καὶ χύτρας ἀπτομένη, καὶ ζωμοῦ γευομένη, καὶ τρύβλιον προσφέρουσα, καὶ ἄρτον κλῶσα, καὶ ψωμοὺς ὀρέγουσα, καὶ κύλικα ἀποκλύζουσα, καὶ τάλλα πάντα ἐργαζομένη, ὄσα οἰκετῶν καὶ θεραπαινίσων ἔργα νενόμισται. Καὶ τοῖς τὴν αὐτοργίαν ἐπέχειν πειρωμένοις ἐπέλεγεν, ὡς Τὸ μὲν χρυσίον διανέμειν τῇ βασιλείᾳ προσήκει· ἐγὼ δὲ ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς γε βασιλείας τὴν αὐτουργίαν τᾡ δεδωκότι προσφέρω.   Θεοδωρητος Ἐπισκοπος Κυρρος, Ἐκκλησιαστίκη Ἱστορία

And the Emperor had another occasion for improvement, for Flacilla, she given to the yoke of marriage with him, often reminded him of the Divine laws, a matter in which she had first carefully educated herself. For she was not exalted by the royal power, but she was rather inflamed by it with longing for the Divine; the magnitude of the greatness given to her making the love for Him who gave it all the greater. To the maimed and the mutilated she directed her attention, and not requiring assistance from her household and guards, she herself went to the resting houses, bringing what each one there needed. She also went around the guest chambers of the churches and herself nursed those laying therein, herself handling pots and pans, tasting soup, bringing in bowls, breaking bread, offering morsels, washing cups, and doing all such work which is proper to servants and maids. And to those who attempted to stop her doing these things she would say, ' As it befits a sovereign to hand out gold; I, on account of the sovereign power that has been given me, bring my service to He who gave it.' Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Ecclesiastical History

Educating an Empress

Reginam te orbis Romanus suspicit: et quia jam nihil est, quo amplius crescere debeas in rebus humanis, sublimitatibus non contenta terrenis, sacra in Deum fide coelestia desideras possidere, quae verus Filius Dei, in se pie credentibus pollicetur, quae haec quasi una de sapientissimus elaboras, intelligans omnem hanc regni sublitatem nihil profuturam, si non ad coelestem gloriam consequendam verae fidei cognitione et defensione contendas. Et tamen apparet, quam grata sis in Christo Deo et Domino nostro, qui vobis hoc regnum tribuit; cum sollicita interrogatione perquiris, quomodo capitula illa solvantur, quae ab Arianis adversus Catholicos sacrae legis interpretationibus opponuntur. Habens affectum verae fidei, cupis, prout possibile est, intelligere, quod fideliter credis. Quia est tunc magis anima religosa, velut divinis epulis pascitur, cum quod credit, intelligit. Sed et cum exsecreris impias voces haereticorum, tamen religioso studio instrui adversus eos desideras, ut et rationem jam respuas: ne hoc quod exsecraris, quasi ex regni potentia, praesumptionis videatur esse, non probationis.   De Trinitate, Sive de Fide Contra Arianos, Ad Augustam Flaccillam, Faustinus Presbyter

He has taken you up to the queenship of the Roman world, and since there is now nothing by which you can grow any more in human things, not content with the heights of the earth, you should desire to possess with faith the heavenly realms in God, which the true Son of God, in his own piety to the faithful promises, by which you may ponder like one of the most wise, understanding that this regal height will not profit if it not bring to celestial glory in the true knowledge of faith and that you may strive in its defence. And though it may appear that you may have grace with Christ God and our Lord, who has given to you this kingdom, you should with careful questioning seek after how those writings may be resolved, which the Arians, by interpretation of sacred law, employ against Catholics. Having the feeling of the true faith, you should desire, in so far as it is possible, to understand what you faithfully believe. Because it is then that the religious soul, as it were, feasts at the divine banquet, when it understands what it believes. Even when you execrate the impious voices of heretics, you should desire religious instruction, that you may with reason denounce, unless when you abhor, even with the royal power, it seem to be by presumption not prudence. On the Trinity, or On the Faith Against the Arians, To the Empress Flacilla, Faustinus the Presbyter

Advice to an Empress on the Treatment of Heretics

Si ergo praedicit nomen catholicum venerantur et diligunt, et inter Domini corporis volunt membra numerari, pravos errores, quos temere admiserent, detestentur, et agant poenitentiam impiarum blasphemiarum, cruentorumque factorum. Succumbant pro salute animarum suarum synodalibus, quae in civitate Chalcedonensi sunt confirmata, decretis. Et quia ad intelligendum sacramentum salutis humanae, nisi fides vera et humilitas quieta non pervenit, credant quod legunt in Evangelio, quod confitentur in symbolo, nec impiis dogmatibus misceantur. Fides enim catholica sicut damnat Nestorium, qui in uno Domino nostro Jesu Christo duas ausus est praedicare personas, ita damnat etiam Eutychen cum Dioscoro, qui ab unigenito Deo Verbo negant in utero Virginis matris veritatem carnis humanae susceptam. Si quid autem erga praedictorum conversionem exhortatio vestra profecerit, quod gloriam vobis praestabit aeteram, peto hoc mihi clementiae vestra litteris indicetis; ut et vos boni operis fructum cepisse, et illos gaudeam misericordia Domini non periisse.  Sanctus Leo Magnus, Epistola CXXIII, Ad Eudociam Augustam

Thus if the aforementioned venerate and love the Catholic name and wish to be numbered among the members of the Lord's body, let them despise the depraved errors which in recklessness they have committed, and let them make penitence for impious blasphemies and bloodshed. For the salvation of their souls let them yield to the synod's decrees which have been confirmed in the city of Chalcedon. And because the understanding of man's salvation does not come but with true faith and quiet humility, let them believe what they read in the Gospel and what they confess in the Creed, and let them not be mixed up with impious teachings. Just as the catholic faith condemns Nestorius, who dared to assert two persons in our one Lord Jesus Christ, so does it condemn Eutyches and Dioscorus who deny that the true human flesh was assumed in the womb of Virgin Mother's by the only begotten Word of God. If, then, your exhortations gain success in converting them, which will raise you to eternal glory, I ask your clemency to inform me in writing, so that I may grasp the fruit of your good work and the joy that they, through the Lord's mercy, have not perished. Pope Leo the Great, Letter 123, To the Empress Eudocia

Pope, Empress, Heretics

Leo Pulcheriae Augustae  Quantum praesidii Dominus Ecclessiae in vestra clementia praepararit multis saepe probavimus documentis. Et quidquid nostris temporibus contra impugnatores catholicae veritatis industria sacerdotalis obtinuit, ad vestram maxime gloriam redundavit: dum, sicut Spiritu Sancto deocente didicistis, illi per omnia potestatem vestram subjicitis, cuius munere et protectione regnatis. Unde quia contra integritatem fidei Christianae, dissensionem quamdam in Constantinopolitana Ecclesia Eutyche auctore generatem, fratris et coepiscopi mei Flaviani relatione cognovi, ita ut totius causae speciem synodalium gestorum textus ostenderit, dignum gloriae vestrae est, ut error, qui, ut arbitror, de imperitia magis quam de versutia natus est, auferatur, priusquam ullas sibi vires de consensu imprudentium pertinacia pravitatis acquirat. Quia etiam ignorantia graves nonnumquam incidit in lapsus, et plerumque in diaboli ruit foveam incauta simplicitas, per quam supradicto subrepsisse intelligo spiritum falsistatis, ut dum aestimat se religiosius de Filii Dei maiestate sentire, si ei naturae nostrae veritatem inesse non diceret, totum illud quod Verbum caro factum est, unius atque eiusdem putaret esse substantiae. Et quantum Nestorius a veritate excidit, dum Christum de matre solum hominem asseruit natum, tantum etiam hic a catholico tramite deviat, qui de eadem virgine non nostram credit editam esse substantiam; volans utique eam solius Deitatis intelligi ut quod formam servi gessit, et quod nostri similis fuit atque conformis, quaedam nostrae naturae fuerit imago, non veritas. Papa Leo I, Epistula XXXI

Leo to the Augusta Pulcheria How much protection the Lord has extended to the Church through your clemency, we have often demonstrated by many instances. And in our times whatever stand the dilgience of the priesthood has made against those who impugn the Catholic Truth, has redounded chiefly to your glory, while, as you have learned from the teaching of the Holy Spirit, you submit your authority in all things to Him, by whose favour and with whose guardianship you reign. Thus because a certain dissension which has begun through the agency of Eutyches in the church of Constantinople against the integrity of the Christian faith, a matter which has been made known to me by my brother and fellow bishop Flavian, and the text of the synod has shown me the cause of the whole affair, it is worthy of your glory that the error, which I judge is born more of ignorance than cunning, should be dispelled before it acquires support by the imprudent pertinacity of other men. Because even ignorance sometimes leads to a grave fall, and many simple folk by heedlessness rush into the devil's pit; it is thus, I think, that the spirit of falsehood has crept over Eutyches, so that while he judges himself to be one who appreciates the majesty of the Son of God more devoutly by not affirming the truth of our nature in Him, he thinks that the whole of that Word which became flesh was of one and the same essence. And as much as Nestorius fell away from the Truth in asserting that Christ was only born man of His mother, so this man wanders from the Catholic path in not crediting that our substance was brought forth from the same virgin, wishing that it be understood as belonging to His Godhead only, so that that which took the form of a slave, and was like us and of the same form, was some sort of image, not truth. Leo I, Letter 31