Notes from The virtues and faults of the Latin Christians by Tia Kolbaba (2012), (Edited by Paul Stephenson) in The Byzantine World.

Western Europe was accurately perceived by the Byzantines as being composed of many ethic groups, ethne (Kolbaba 114 : 2012), and the general attitude of the Byzantines to the western ethne changed over time. In late Byzantine society a perception of “the west” as an tyrannical enemy may have formed, with the phrase “Better the Turk than the Pope” (Brownsworth 2012) during the Palaiologian period (1204 -1453).

During the early period (600 -843 AD) Orthodox monks took shelter in Rome during the revival of iconoclasms in 815 and when Orthodoxy was reintroduced in 843 many expressed admiration for St Peter and a commitment to ecumenical canons and imperial laws that indicated Rome as the first of the patriarchates. Greek churches in Italy provided Greek leaders who worked to keep Latin and Greek churches together during the middle period (843 -1050), they functioned as flexible moderate middlemen between the two patriarchial sees (Kobaba 121 : 2012).

The issue of the Latin churches using unleavened bread (azyma) in the Eucharist, while the Greek churches used yeast in bread that rises (enzyme) was in part because non Chalcedonian Armenians using unleavened bread that was a symbol for the one nature of Jesus Christ and attachment to Judaic rites, and this argument was extended to the Latin churches as well. During the later stages growing contact with Latins in Byzantine service lead to an increasing awareness of differences in ritual and doctrine. There were a number of different responses, some like John of Antioch (1101) thought differences in the azymes, Filioque and other Latin variations were insignificant and his actions speak to a commitment to coexistence (Kolbaba 124 : 2012). The success of the reformed papacy and its claims to plenitude potestatis provoked resistance and criticism.

Byzantine criticism of fundamental developments in Latin theology included the meaning of John 14:28, “The Father is greater than I (the son)”. The Byzantine emperor Manual I (1143 -1180) adopted the Latin meaning and forced it on the Greek Church. There were different philosophical traditions and some of the issues the Latins were discussing the Greeks were unaware of and were brought to their attention by diplomats, subsequently they became embroiled in the theological controversies of the Latin world in the twelfth century (Kolbaba 126 : 2012).

After the sack of Constantinople in 1204 by the fourth Crusade, theological speculation using Latin philosophical innovations and attention to the theological issues the Latins discussed was subsumed by political motivations and sometimes violent resistance. As a rule the moderate middlemen were silenced. At the Second Council of Lyons (1274) Greeks who spent too much time with Latins were suspected of heresy, those who though the differences were inconsequential were either exiled or converted to Latin Christianity (Kolbab 127 : 2012). When imperial envoys returned to Constantinople from the Second Council of Lyons, following the news that they had agreed to a church union they were greeted with the cries “You have become Franks!” (Kolbaba 127 : 2012). The violence following the Fourth Crusade and the Latin papacies attempts to realise its plenitude of power, penitude potestatis had decisively created an irreparable schism (Kolbaba 127 : 2012).

Cover of The Byzantine World (2012)

Bibliography

Brownsworth, Lars.(December 2009). Lars Brownworth - Smithsonian Institute - Byzantium. @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ4ilVj1xLE. Approx 70 minutes long. Uploaded May 2011. Last viewed 10-7-2013.  

Kolbaba, Tia. (2012). The virtues and faults of the Latin Chrisitans. (Edited by Paul Stephenson). From The Byzantine World. Published by Routledge. Pages 114 -127.

Tabula Peutingeriana (Road Map of the Roman Empire, 4th century AD).

The Peutinger Table (Tabula Peutingeriana) is a copied road map of the Cursus Publicus, the Roman road network, and its origins are from maps that potentially date from the 4th century AD. It may have been derived from the Porticus Vipsaniae monument of ancient Rome, or they could share a similar origin. The current available copy is a 16th century printed copy of a 13th century manuscript, it is named after the Peutinger family who kept the map until 1714. The last surviving member of the Peutinger family Desiderius Ignatius Peutinger "parted with it to a bookseller of Augsburg of the name of Kutz" (Valpy & Barker (Editors) 53 : 1821) .

Section of Mediterranean, showing parts of Italy, Sicily, North Africa and Dalmatia.

A scan of the whole Peutinger table, with reconstructions of the Iberian peninsula is below.

Reconstructed Peutinger Table.

The road network covers most of the Mediterranean basin and contains representations of travel times in days by hook marks and the location of rest stops. The map also contains representations of the Near East,  India and the Ganges River and an indication of the far East. The elaborate decoration of the three major Roman cities of Rome, Constantinople and Antioch and the prominence of Ravenna assist in a chronology of the iteration of its copies. The presence of Pompeii, destroyed in 79 AD is potentially anachronistic.

The twelfth century copy of this map is described by Emily Albu (2011) as being part of an argument against the centrality of  papal Rome by placing ancient Rome as a center piece of the Byzantine world view oikoumene, which suited the Swabian producers of the twelfth century version of the map (Albu 495 : 2011). Medieval Catholics tended to see Jerusalem as the religious center of the world, Medieval Orthodox Christians perceived Constantinople as their religious center but perceived a heritage descending from ancient Rome. Emily Albu (498 : 2011) presents evidence of this in a quote from Anna Comnene in the Alexiad (I.13.4),

"The truth is that when power was transferred from Rome to our country and the Queen of Cities, not to mention the senate and the whole administration, the senior archbishopiric was also transferred here. From the beginning the emperors have acknowledged the primacy of the Constantinopolitan bishop and the Council of Chalcedon especially raised that bishop to the place of highest honour and subordinated to him all diocese throughout the world" (Alexiad 1.13.4) (Albu 498 : 2011).

This was part of a argument against Pope Gregory VII (1073 -1085) who was allied with Robert Guiscard, duke of Apulia and Calabria and the Norman enemy of Alexios Komnenos and the Byzantine Empire. Anna Comnene describes them both sarcastically as "the man of peace, too, and the disciple of the Man of Peace" (Alexiad 1.13.7) (Albu 500 : 2011).

Emily Albu indicates (2011) that Anna Comnene's regrettably venomous prose represents the prevailing views of twelfth century Constantinople (Albu 501 : 2011), with significant anti papal sentiments, inflamed by increasing papal power and an assertion of universal (Catholicism) claims of authority over Christian diocese. Lars Brownworth, in a December 2009 lecture at the Smithsonian Institute, during an interesting digression, speculated that because the Western Roman Empire had only one major city, Rome, which was the Western Roman Empires dominant diocese that the decision making network associated with the Catholic Pope tended to reach more autocratic conclusions, while the Eastern Roman Empire had four major Roman cities, each a separate diocese, so that despite the authoritarian nature of the power structure of Eastern Roman Empire, the decision making network may have been more about discussion and the development of consensus, but this was a conjecture only. A major theme in Lars Brownworth's December 2009 Smithsonian Institute lecture was, Byzantines during the Crusades were diplomatic, while the Western Crusaders were engaged in "Holy War", not so much about diplomacy and thus this theme may have influenced his digression. The political situation of Pope Gregory VII may actually be used to argue against this conjecture, Henry IV, the Holy Roman Emperor of the Salian line (1024 -1125), appointed Clement III as an oppositional Pope.

The script on the Peutinger Table indicates a writer educated in Swabia working between 1175 and 1225, the domain of the Hohestaufen German " Holy Roman" Emperors who struggled against the Papacy of Rome. Frederick Barbarossa was elected "King of the Romans" by German princes in 1152 and this Hohenstaufen line sought legitimacy for this title by claiming the imperial title held by Charlemagne and Otto the Great (Albu 507 : 2011). Though Frederick Barbarossa was reluctantly coronated by Pope Adrian IV in 1155 the Hohestaufen line eventually found itself in opposition to the papacy, significantly Pope Innocent III (1198 -1216). This would eventually lead to the puplic execution of Conradin, the last of the Hohenstaufen line in 1268 (Albu 508 : 2011). Internal evidence on the map suggests that the map was made during Pope Innocent III's papacy (1198 -1216), after the sack of Constantinople in 1204 by the fourth Crusade lead by Boniface of Montferrat (Albu 508 : 2011). Jerusalem is designated Aelia Capitolina, its Roman name but the map also features a depiction of the Mount of Olives, a Christian feature (Albu 509 : 2011). The swabian scriptorium has capitalized place names that have lost their opening letters (Albu 497 : 2011) and the tyche, personifications of fortune associated with the major cities of Rome and Constantinople resemble medieval emperors (Albu 509 : 2011).

The referred lecture/ talk at the Smithsonian Institute is a  you tube video of a lecture by Lars Brownworth. Lars Brownworth is the author of "Lost to the West : The Forgotten Byzantine Empire that rescued Western Civilization" (2010). The lecture provides a historical narrative that stretches from the 7th century of Heraclitus to the inclusion of the double headed eagle in the flag of the current Russian Federation. Lars Brownworth is the creator of "12 Byzantine Rulers" a popular series of lectures available as audio files on line, also described as "Podcast", "Webcast" educational lectures.

Bibliography

Albu, Emily. (2011). Viewing Rome from the Roman Empires. From Medieval Encounters. Volume 17. Pages 495 -511.

Brownworth, Lars. (prior 2006). 12 Byzantine Rulers : The History of the Byzantine Empire. @ http://12byzantinerulers.com. Uploaded prior 2006.  Last viewed 10-7-2013.

Brownworth, Lars. (December 2009). Lars Brownworth - Smithsonian Institute - Byzantium. @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ4ilVj1xLE. Approx 70 minutes long. Uploaded May 2011. Last viewed 10-7-2013.

Valpy, Abraham John & Barker, Edmund Henry. (Editors). (1821). The Classical Journal. Volume 23, March to June 1821. Published by the Cambridge Literary Collection. Page 53.

I Ching

Having read Phillip K Dicks "The Man in the High Tower", the centrality of the I Ching as a narrative device to maintain thematic continuity in the novel and the authors interest in it, I decided to read up on the I Ching. The I Ching can be described simply as a text used for bibliomancy as a form of divination. If you want to play with a random generator on line it's here

The I Ching 易經  (Book of Changes) is a classic book for divination used in ancient China, the surviving edition dates back to the Zhou Dynasty but there were at least three earlier editions (Hsu & Chiu 54 : 2008). It uses the symbols of Ying and Yang to designate objects and changing combinations of the two symbols to represent eight natural phenomena (the basic eight Kwas), developed by Fuxi to represent what will happen to people in eight situations. Over the period of three Dynasties (Zhou), (Xia 2070 -1600 BC), (Shang 1600 -1046 BC) the eight Kwa system was elaborated into 64 symbols with separate designations and interpretations.

Zhuxi describes the Emperor  Zhou Wenwang separated the 8 Kwas into upper Kwa and lower Kwas, creating 64 Kwa Ts'i and the Duke Zhou providing 6 Yaos per Kwa for the "divination to explain the recycling of things" (Hsu & Chiu 55 : 2008), designated Yao Ts'i.

From Hsu & Chu 2008.

Each Kwa Ts'i represents a general statement as well as a generalization of the Kwa, while the six Yao Ts'i of each Kwa are detailed explanations of the six situations. Confucius provided interpretations of the Kwa symbols with regards to education and life, a more philosophical approach and further influences over time included Taoism and Mosim. The I Ching was associated with Confucianism, thus part of an undercurrent of Late Choson thought but still essentially not popular as most Confucian scholarship in Korea focused on the "Four Books and the Book of Rites" (Wai-ming 65 : 2000) in Choson Confucianism (Wai-ming 65 :  2000) and had an increasing influence during the Tokugawa period of Japan. The Tokugawa Bakufu (徳川幕府) sought to govern along Neo-Confucian principles, which were argued in terms of rational and humanistic principles, the I Ching was associated with this so its use moved outside the temples into the wider secular educated strata of Tokugawa society (Wai-ming 568 : 1998). During the later Tokugawa period when there were attempts to separate indigenous Shinto thought by Kokugaku Shintoists from introduced Confucianism, many of the Kokugaku Shintoists were influenced by the metaphysics of the I Ching (Wai-ming 583 : 1998). Over time the interpretation and application of the I Ching has been extended to meet the historic demands of the societies where it has been a significant part of the societies intellectual repertoire.

From Guey 2012. (64 Guas = 64 Kwas)

The methodology of using the I Ching can be argued to be a methodology to access intuitive perception, modes of experience which compose two different scales of personality on the Myers-Briggs type indicator, based on Jung's typology model.  The I Ching can be described as containing a core of ancient Chinese thought that integrates the "empirical achievements of the exploration of natural and social rules in the long  historical development of Chinese civilization by summing them up into subtle philosophical thinking" (Hsu & Chiu 53 : 2008).

The I Ching focuses on change and thus the symbols and bibliomancy may contain configurations that may have an interpretive value to events. Thus Hsu & Chiu (2008) have done a study seeking to compare the I Ching's early management decision making models to "western management decision making models" (Hsu & Chiu 2008) with the conclusion that there is similarity between the I Ching's early management decision making model and Intuitive decision making models. Other papers have made a problematic attempt to represent learners emotional states using the I Ching (Guey 2012) or investigated the effects of belief on using the I Ching for the purposes of divination (Storm  59 : 2002).

Bibliography

Guey, Ching-Chung. (2012). A Tentative Model on Emotions under Various Levels of Tension in Learning: Perspectives from Chinese I-Ching. From the International Journal of Business and Social Science. Volume 3. Number 4. [Special Issue -February 2012]. Pages 1 -19.

Hsu, Mu-Lan & Chiu, Kuan-Yao. (2008). A  comparison between I-Ching's early management decision making model and western management decision making models. In Chinese Management Studies. Volume 2. Number 1. Pages 52 -75.

Storm, Lance. (2002). A Parapsychological investigation of the I Ching : Seeking PSI in an Ancient Chinese System of Divination. In the Australian Journal of Parapsychology. Volume 2, Number 1. Pages 44 -62.

Wai-ming Ng. (1998). The I Ching in the Shinto thought of Tokugawa Japan. In Philosophy East & West. Volume 48. Issue 4. Pages 568 -583.

Wai-ming Ng. (2000). The I Ching in Late-Choson Thought. In Korean Studies. Volume 24. Pages 53 -68.