Stephen Morris’s scientific contributions

In Justinian and the Making of the Syrian Orthodox Church, Volker Menze provides an excellent examination of the process by which a church is established and provides for itself the founding mythology of its earliest experiences. As he points out, this mythology "is past remembered, not actual history" (276). How the past is remembered by a community reveals how that community understands itself and its relation to other communities, thus providing a guide to how that community will act in the future. Menze examines a wide variety of sources to demonstrate how the Syrian Orthodox remember their founding and the role the imperial household—Theodora, as well as Justinian—in that founding. He begins by discussing the origin of the schism between the Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian parties and then goes on to discuss how the Libellus of Hormisdas is used to "spin" that history. He points out how monastic centers of resistance supported these parties. But these are in fact only "parties" and not churches until distinctive canons, clergy, and liturgical celebrations are established. Of particular interest is how the memory of that process is institutionalized in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy by the selective commemoration of clergy and civil authorities in the diptychs proclaimed on solemn or festive occasions. While diptychs, under normal circumstances, are difficult to rewrite due to reverence for the dead and the fear that those stricken from commemoration will be denied participation in the heavenly Eucharist the diptychs were rewritten by both the Chalcedonians and non-Chalcedonians to announce which hierarchs had acted as true, authentic shepherds of their flocks without regard to the "historicity" of those claims. By proclaiming which hierarchs were faithful and which civil authorities were "God-fearing" (Theodora for the non-Chalcedonians, her husband for the Chalcedonians), each community established their claims to apostolic authenticity and imperial legitimacy. Menze also argues, against much received wisdom, that Justinian was less a theologian than a bureaucrat and administrator who cared less about theology and more about ecclesiastical and imperial unity. He makes interesting points—Justinian's reliance on advisors and outside opinions; his speedy change of heart on the various issues involved; his emphasis on elegant political solutions to theological quandaries—in what will surely be an ongoing discussion. This is a well-written study that enables the reader to follow what could easily be a confusing melodrama or soap opera of ecclesiastical bickering. It presumes that most of the players are already known to the reader, so the study would prove most useful for specialists or well-read interested parties. It demonstrates the importance of liturgical practice in formulating and expressing a sense of history as well as the primary means of imparting that sense to later generations. The wonderful discussion of the role of memory is applicable to so many areas of church life that this text could easily serve as a "case study" of one instance of how these aspects of ecclesiastical practice influence each other. Further fruitful work would include studies of other schisms and the establishment of other churches that illustrate how these same principles act over time and geography and how in which instances these new churches maintain communion with their predecessors (or not!). While the book's cost may make it difficult to include this study in a personal library, it is well worth the reading.