The Homilies of the Emperor Leo VI

by Theodora Antonopoulou

This highly original study provides an extensive and careful analysis of the Homilies of the Byzantine emperor Leo VI (AD 886-912) in order to place them in their historical and cultural contexts. This neglected corpus of forty-two texts comprises both panegyrics on ecclesiastical feasts and discourses on special occasions. The first part deals with the Homilies in the framework of Leo VI's career by examining topics such as the circumstances of the delivery of the Homilies and their political significance. The second part places the Homilies within the Byzantine homiletic tradition of the fourth to tenth centuries. The book, the first monograph on this collection, establishes Leo VI as a prominent literary figure of his time, and sheds new light on both the emperor's fascinating personality and the development of Byzantine homiletics. It will be of great benefit to all those who are interested both in Byzantine literature and the Eastern Church.