St. Justinian

The Emperor Who Never Slept

The great emperor and confessor, St. Justinian, lived in the sixth century after the collapse of the Roman empire. In the century before his birth, the capital of the West moved from Rome to Byzantium, which took the name Constantinople after Emperor Constantine. In 482 Emperor Justin was reigning when his nephew Justinian arrived on the scene. Although Justinian was born to parents of humble means, he was taken in by his uncle and given an excellent education and increasing responsibilities in matters of state. Upon Justin’s death in 527, Justinian rose to power and reigned for nearly 40 years until his own death on November 14th, 565. Due to all of Justinian’s many accomplishments during his reign, it was said that he was the emperor “who never slept.”

St. Justinian’s legacy is remembered to this day for many reasons. First in the long list is his unification of the code of law, considered by many to be one of Justinian’s longest lasting accomplishments. During his rule, Justinian brought the various collections of laws from the Roman empire together. In many instances these codes contradicted one another and were hard to reconcile with one another. He then arranged them into twelve books of law. The Codex Justinianus laid dormant following Justinian’s death until the eleventh century, when it was rediscovered and became foundational again for law in the West.

Next came his efforts to unify the empire and return it to its former glory. He made huge strides toward this vision through successful military endeavors, recovering many of the territories that had previously been lost to the Germanic tribes. In addition to regaining lands, he also tracked down treasures from the Church’s past, which he returned to cathedrals in Jerusalem.

He was also known in the Church for his involvement in the theological controversies of the day. These controversies mainly dealt with the understanding and articulation of Christ’s two natures. As Justinian’s dream was to unify the empire, issues of theology were a primary concern for him. On one side of the issues of Justinian’s time were those who the upheld Council of Chalcedon in 451, which Pope Leo had confirmed in his Tome. On the other side were the Miaphysites, who rejected Chalcedon. The Miaphysites perceived that the council risked separating Christ’s divinity and humanity. However, those who upheld the Council saw in their adversaries an overemphasis on the unity of natures. In an attempt to end this divide, Justinian legislated the doctrine of Chalcedon in hopes of keeping the peace. His actions, made for the sake of unity, are articulated in “Justinian’s Hymn” (which he didn’t write but nevertheless received his name). Sung every Sunday during Justinian’s rule, the hymn’s words state:

Only-Begotten Son and Immortal Word of God,

Who for our salvation didst will to be incarnate of the holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary;

Who without change didst become man and was crucified;

Who art one of the Holy Trinity, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit:

O Christ our God, trampling down death by death, save us!

Finally, Justinian was a great builder of churches. For example, after the Nika revolt had destroyed much of Constantinople, including the Hagia Sophia, Justinian took on the mission of building the church once more. His aim was to outdo Solomon—thus the product of his endeavors was a magnificent and breathtaking church. In the end, Justinian rebuilt Constantinople’s main cathedral with even more splendor than ever before. The magnificent intricate mosaics, stately columns, and high, vaulted ceilings of the church still stand today in Istanbul, however the church was made into a mosque during the Ottoman Empire when the Turks took over the city in 1453. The biggest church in Christendom for many, many centuries, this physical confession of Justinian’s faith and his work to preserve the church ought to be admired by all.

Brief History

Although Justinian’s work is especially significant for the church of the East, his remembrance by the West (and his importance for Lutherans) centers on his concern for doctrinal unity within the Christian world. For example, Justinian’s reaffirmation of the Chalcedonian doctrine of Christ’s two natures finds echoes throughout the history of the Western Church and especially in the Reformation. To look to our own confessional writings, both Luthers explanation of the Second Article of the Creed in the Small Catechism and the third article of the Augsburg Confession are dripping with the Christology articulated by the Council of Chalcedon and affirmed by Justinian.

Moreover, Justinian’s legal code required the Christian religion among all those who were subject to Roman law. Thus, it was necessary to be a Catholic Christian to be a member in good standing of the Roman Empire. This requirement is one of the reasons why the Reformers went to great lengths in the Augsburg Confession (especially in the preface and at the end of Article XXI) and the other confessional writings to prove that Lutherans are members of the Church Catholic—indeed, that the Lutheran Church is the Western Catholic Church purified of errors.

While not all liturgical churches commemorate Justinian in their calendars, it is not surprising that those that do are largely Eastern Orthodox and Lutheran, both of which celebrate him on the anniversary of his birth to new life. For Eastern Orthodox Christians, Justinian can be seen as a great emperor of the East and patron of Eastern Churches, while Lutherans can also remember him as someone whose legacy had a profound impact on the confessional documents of our churches today.

Collect

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Resources

References:
1. Weedon, William. Celebrating the Saints. Concordia Publishing House. 2016.

Images:
1. Emperor Justinian Receiving the First Imported Silkworm Eggs from Nestorian Monks, Plate 2 from “The Introduction of the Silkworm” [Vermis Sericus], Karel van Mallery, Netherlands, ca. 1595.
2. Southwestern entrance mosaic of the former basilica Hagia Sophia  of Constantinople, (Istanbul, Turkey)
3. Emperor Justinian and Members of His Court, early 20th century (original dated 6th century).

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