| In the late-fourth century of the Roman empire, the province of Cappadocia housed a population of persons from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. While other studies have emphasized the "christianization" of eastern Rome, this dissertation examines the manner through which the Cappadocian Fathers accommodated and administered mixed Christian and non-Christian polities. By drawing on a culture of leadership steeped in ancient Greek values, the bishops Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 330-390), Basil of Caesarea (330-379), and Gregory of Nyssa (331/40-c. 395) petitioned non-Christian state officials and served as patrons for non-Christians. Toward this function, the Cappadocians incorporated into their episcopal office their notions of paid3i&d12; a ---a system of mediation and protocol based on exempla set forth by Hellenic historians, poets, and literati. This dependence on a classical past transformed the bishop's capacity in the civic realm.;During the first three centuries of Christianity, an episcopal hierarchy emerged that often mirrored Greco-Roman civic administration. Bishops who employed classical discourse adapted it to their role as overseer of Christians. After Constantine legitimated Christianity in 313, however, the clergy increasingly served as quasi-state functionaries over communities of both Christians and non-Christians. By the late-fourth century, this development challenged the Cappadocians to adopt a platform of governance that would neither compromise their religious views nor alienate non-Christians holding state office. Ancient Greek ideals of patronage and public authority---based on texts by Homer, Hesiod, Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, Euripides, and Plutarch---provided a model on which the Cappadocians could address local and imperial functionaries.;As their extensive correspondence demonstrates, the Cappadocians accentuated their mutual training in paid3i&d12; a in epistles to the non-Christian officials whom they petitioned. Through the use of a rhetoric that celebrated this culture, these bishops incorporated into the church cultural elements rooted in centuries-old Hellenic society. This discourse suited a well-educated audience, but did not speak directly to eastern Romans with little or no training in the Greek heritage. Thus the Cappadocians contributed to a conception of Christianity that embraced elite leaders gifted in the eloquent exposition of a classical past. |
