Cyrus of Panopolis
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Flavius Taurus Seleucus Cyrus (Greek : Kyros Panopolites ; born at Panopolis; fl. 426-441AD), better know as Cyrus of Panopolis, he was a politician, an epic poet, a philosopher and a lover of Greek Arts. He lived in Constantinople during the reign of eastern emperor Theodosius II.
Author of eulogies and epigrams, Cyrus met Theodosius thanks to Eudocia’s suffrage. His political career was praefectus urbi of Constantinopla in the 426: he was the first prefect to emanate his edicts in Greek, and he was responsible for edification project that was the most important since Constantine I's time. With the assistance of Imperator Theodosius I and his wife, he enlarged the small university of Constantinople. It was agreed the instruction of the university would be in Greek instead of Latin, there were established five Greek chairs and only three Latin chairs. Between 439 and 441, he was Praefectus Praetorio Orientem, Praetorian Prefect of Orient, and in 441 he received the honor of the consulate without Co-Consul.
He became too influential and estranged Theodosius' political will. The people started to acclaim the prefect, not Constantine the Great, the builder of Constantinople. And so the Emperor accused Cyrus of Hellenism and sympathy with paganism, and exiled him. Although he was suspected of being a pagan, Cyrus was a devoted Christian, so he became then priest. Theodosius promoted him to the rank of Bishop of Cotyaeum, Phrygia. It is possible his choice was not casual, the people of that place have already assassinated four bishops. He arrived in the city at Christmas period, the suspicions of pagan sympathy persisted, he requested a sermon to put an end to the defamation and to verify his orthodoxy.
[edit] Bibliography
- Dzielska, Maria, Hypatia of Alexandria, Harvard University Press, 1995, ISBN 0674437764, p. 31.
- Grillmeier, Aloys, e Theresia Hainthaler, Christ in Christian Tradition, Westminster John Knox Press, 1996, ISBN 0664223001, pp. 90-91.
| Preceded by Imperator Caesar Flavius Placidius Valentinianus Augustus, Anatolius |
Consul of the Roman Empire without Co-Consul |
Succeeded by Flavius Dioscorus, Flavius Eudoxius |
