In the sixth century, Divine Providence raised up in the temporal order a man to combat the prevailing heresies and restore the true Faith. His name was Justinian and he became Emperor of the East in 527. Unfortunately, he was not faithful to this great mission.
Newsroom (02/12/2021 17:37, Gaudium Press) Born into a simple family, this “upright and good man, of austere manners, a sincere Catholic in a time of heresies, capable of imposing his will, was, moreover, endowed with great personal beauty and singular natural majesty“.
Soon after gaining the throne, the Emperor Justinian was taken in by Theodora, whose father had been a bear tamer in a circus and who had died when she was still a girl. Gifted with remarkable beauty, Theodora later fell into a dishonourable life. Adding to her impurity, she fell also into pride while pretending to occupy the highest office. She did everything she could to attract Justinian’s attention and in this she was successful.
The Emperor repealed the law that forbade the dignitaries of the Empire from consorting with women of bad life, and married Theodora, causing scandal throughout the population. Justinian’s mother died of grief on hearing of it. Moreover, Theodora supported Monophysitism, a heresy that denied the human nature of Jesus Christ, and exercised a very bad influence on the Emperor.
Revolt of Nika
In 532, at the hippodrome of Constantinople there were chariot races, attended by Justinian and Theodora. There was a large number of spectators, who were divided into several factions, the main ones being the blues and the greens.
The blues, most of whom were Catholics, railed against Theodora because of her status as the daughter of a bear tamer. And the Greens, many of them Monophysites, cried out against the Emperor, accusing him of being a tyrant.
As a result of having had the principal leaders of both parties executed, Justinian’s actions caused a bloody revolt to break out among the population. They set fire to the Church of St. Sophia, to palaces, and even to common dwellings; an immense fire spread throughout the city of Constantinople. For three days there was looting and massacres of the partisans of the Court, whose corpses were dragged through the streets and thrown into the Bosphorus.
The hippodrome was full of rioters shouting “Nika”, meaning ‘victory’, and Justinian ordered the General Belisarius to settle the matter. Belisarius gathered his army, surrounded the place and took charge. In the end, 30,000 people were dead, and the sedition, which passed into history under the name of the “Revolt of Nika”, was over.
Belisarius conquers North Africa and Rome
Justinian continued to govern, erected 25 churches and, among other pursuits, devoted himself to the study of law. “Very intelligent, he became a true jurist: it is shown that he presided over all important meetings of the codification of Roman Law, a work to which is due the safeguarding of the principal elements of that Law now known.”
Thus was published a collection of laws known as the “Code of Justinian”.
Dr. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira explains that, in order to restore the Western Roman Empire – choosing the good path, before the influence of Theodora took hold of him – Justinian, in 533, sent Belisarius to North Africa, which was held by the Vandals.
Besides an immense squadron, the great general took 6,000 knights as well as 10,000 infantrymen, and managed to defeat the barbarians.
Returning to Constantinople, Belisarius was received triumphantly. The Emperor took the name Justinian Vandalic African, and the Church began to flourish in North Africa.
In 536, the General took Rome which was also dominated by barbarians. In view of the large number of enemies he was facing, he asked for and received military aid from Justinian. Thus he was able to conquer other cities, one of which was Ravenna.
A Pope is dragged through the streets of Constantinople
The wicked Theodora, supporting heretics, persecuted Pope St. Sylvius, an uncompromising man in the face of evil, and who died in exile on an island in 547.
He was succeeded by Vigilius, who had previously been influenced by Theodora and was excommunicated by St. Sylvius. However, on assuming the pontificate, Vigilius received significant divine grace and acquired firmness of soul.
The Empress, a true tyrant, ordered him to appoint a heretic as Patriarch of Constantinople. He refused to betray the Holy Catholic Church and was forcibly taken from Rome to that city.
Vigilius was standing before Justinian and Theodora in the Imperial Palace when a man struck him on the face. The Pope managed to escape and entered a church – which was a place of asylum – and remained there, holding onto a pillar by the altar. By order of Theodora, Vigilius was taken from the temple and dragged, with a rope around his neck, through the streets of Constantinople. He was then thrown into prison, his only food being bread and water.
Shortly afterwards, Theodora was stricken with a cancer that caused her stabbing pain, and died. She was only 48 years old.
Plague that killed two thirds of the population
Justinian began to suspect Belisarius: he did not send him the troops he requested and withdrew those in Italy.
The ostrogoth king and brilliant military man, Totila, reconquered Rome. Belisarius, lacking the necessary resources, returned to Constantinople, thus failing in his offensive to restore Catholic rule in Italy.
Narses, a general who was not brilliant, but was a good strategist, took command of the imperial troops. Although he was 74 years old, he commanded 30,000 men, defeated Totila, and took over the command of the imperial troops. Although he was 74 years old, he commanded 30,000 men, defeated Totila, and entered Rome in 552, where he was enthusiastically welcomed by the clergy, senate and people.
Heeding the pleas of the Romans, Justinian allowed Pope Vigilius to return to Rome after eight years of great humiliation and physical suffering in the East. On the return journey, however, in 555, he died in Syracuse on the island of Sicily.
During Justinian’s rule, there occurred one of the most terrible pandemics to have struck up to that time, which killed two thirds of the world’s population and is known as “Justinian’s Plague”.
Similar to the Black Death – which decimated Europe in the 14th century – it was transmitted through rats. The worst hit city was Constantinople, where nearly 300,000 people died.
During Justinian’s last years, the Lombards devastated Italy and the Persians threatened to invade Constantinople. He died in 565 at the age of 83, having become greatly disliked by the people.
By Paulo Francisco Martos
Compiled by Sandra Chisholm
