DOI 10.1515/zac-2013-0027 ZAC 2013; 17(3): 560–575 Peter Van Nuffelen, Andy Hilkens Recruitment and conflict in sixth-century Antioch: A micro-study of Select Letters 6,1,5 of Severus of Antioch Abstract: This article reconstructs the context of the conflict between Severus of Antioch and Peter of Apamea concerning the ordination of Leontius by Severus, known through Severus, Select letters 6,1,5. Peter had good reasons to be irked by the actions of his patriarch, but both faced the same difficulty: finding good and trustworthy clergy for their embattled sees. Severus’ response to Peter in the letter should not be taken at face value and surely not as a testimony to the strict application of canon law: the letter has all the features of late ancient legal argument: it is rhetorical, seeks to redefine the issue at hand in Severus’ favour, and deploys a particular interpretation of the church canons within an appeal to wider principles. Read against the grain, the letter provides enough indications to believe that Severus had indeed overstepped the boundaries of the admissible. Peter Van Nuffelen: Department of History, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 35 UFO, 9000 Gent; e-Mail: Peter.VanNuffelen@UGent.be Andy Hilkens: Department of History, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 35 UFO, 9000 Gent; e-Mail: Andy.Hilkens@UGent.be Severus of Antioch is a key figure in the history of the church of the early sixth century. Bishop of Antioch from 512 until he was deposed in 518, he spent the rest of his life, until 538, struggling to keep alive what would become the Syrian Orthodox Church. 1 His abundant writings provide a wealth of information about the church of Antioch and the miaphysite controversy at the beginning of the sixth century. From a historian’s point of view, pride of place is taken by the so- called Select Letters. 1 Pauline Allen and Robert Hayward, Severus of Antioch (The Early Church Fathers; London: Routledge, 2004), 3-30; Frédéric Alpi, La route royale: Sévère d’Antioche et les Églises d’Antioche (512-518) (2 vols.; Bibiothèque archéologique et historique 188; Beyrouth: Institut Français du Proche-Orient, 2009), here vol. 1, 39-58. See also Martin Peisker, Severus von Antiochien: Ein kritischer Quellenbeitrag zur Geschichte des Monophysitismus (Halle: Wischan Wettengel, 1903). Brought to you by | Ecole Normale Superieure de Paris Authenticated | 129.199.59.166 Download Date | 6/5/14 2:24 PM