Λογιώτατοι ποίμενες : bishops and their authority in Byzantine society (11th-12th centuries) ; Λογιώτατοι ποίμενες : les évêques et leur autorité dans la société byzantine des XIè-XIIè siècles

Abstract

My dissertation studies the Byzantine episcopate at a crucial period in the history of the Empire. The evolutions of the episcopate revolve around the conception of the bishops' authority, which was based on their intellectual competence. The recruitment of a large part of the bishops among the literate clergy of Constantinople modifies the representation of their authority, which does not rest exclusively on the grace received during their chrismation and the power of order. The advanced intellectual training of the bishops and the relations they maintain with their friends living in the capital have consequences for the exercise of power in their diocese. The bishops' absenteeism being limited, the bishops took their role seriously in spite of the growing opposition between the capital from which they came and the provinces where they held their office. The bishops have implemented their intellectual, literary, theological and legal competence to govern their faithful, defend the interests of their diocese and participate in the pe1manent synod in Constantinople. The links with the Constantinopolitan aristocrats, materialized in the correspondences, appeared crucial for the good exercise of the episcopal government. The episcopate, however, does not resist ail its contradictions, especially that between the provinces and the capital. Their government is always liable to be contested by aristocrats, monks or lay people alike. ; Ma thèse constitue une étude de l'épiscopat byzantin à une période charnière de l'histoire de l'Empire. Les évolutions de l'épiscopat s'articulent autour de la conception de l'autorité des évêques, qu'ils fondent désormais davantage sur leur compétence intellectuelle. Le recrutement d'une partie importante de l'épiscopat parmi le clergé lettré de Constantinople modifie la représentation de leur autorité, qui ne repose pas exclusivement sur la grâce reçue lors de l'ordination et le pouvoir d'ordre. La formation poussée des évêques et les relations qu'ils maintiennent avec leurs amis ...