Problematic clergymen, pointed ceremonials, and imperial anxieties. Justin I's letter to Hypatius (ACO 4.1.199–200) reconsidered’

<p dir="ltr">This article re-examines one letter sent by Justin I to his <i>magister militum Orientis </i>Hypatius, dated to 7 August 520 and preserved in the acts from the second Council of Constantinople in 553. As a command to investigate local hearings into potentially “heterodox” activities in Cyrrhus, this communication has been mined for its information on imperial governance, military affairs, and doctrinal conflicts in the sixth century. However, the significance of the events which allegedly took place in Cyrrhus has not yet been fully explored. This paper focuses on these events, which consisted of two rituals: first, the procession of an image of the deceased bishop, Theodoret, into Cyrrhus; and second, the celebration of Theodoret and other theologians of questioned “orthodoxy” in a public festival held in the city. A closer examination of these reported activities reveals an imperial concern that the participants had parodied well-known ceremonials to signal the return of problematic theologies to Cyrrhus. To Justin and his advisers, the procession and the festival were emphatic reminders of the city’s troubling doctrinal heritage, and as such were as much of an issue as the messages they asserted.</p>