Panegyric, the art of publicly praising prominent political figures, occupied an important place in the Roman Empire throughout late antiquity. Orators were skilled political actors who manipulated the conventions of praise giving, taking great license with what they chose to present (or omit). Their ancient speeches are rare windows into the world of panegyrists, emperors, and their audiences. In Emperors and Rhetoricians, Moysés Marcos offers an original, comprehensive look at all panegyrics to and by Julian, who in 355/56 CE promoted himself as a learned caesar by producing his own panegyric on his cousin and Augustan benefactor, Constantius II. During key stages in his public career and throughout the time he held imperial power, Julian experimented with and utilized panegyric as both political communication and political opportunity. Marcos expertly mines this vast body of work to uncover a startlingly new picture of Julian the Apostate, explore anew the arc of his career in imperial office, and model new ways to interpret and understand imperial speeches of praise.

About the Author

Moysés Marcos is Lecturer in History at California State University, Northridge.

Contents

List of Illustrations
Preface and Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Maps

Introduction. Emperors, Rhetoricians, and Panegyric
(Re)constructing Julian
The Panegyrist-Caesar at Work
Praise-Giving, Philosophy, Politics, and Genre
Reading Panegyrics: Methodology
Communication and Power: Panegyric as Political Prose
Praise Operationalized

1. Panegyric, Paideia, and the (De)construction of the Emperor’s Image and Power: Themistius,
Julian, and Constantius, ca. 350–356 CE
A Literary and Political Apparitor: Themistius as Panegyrist and Senator
A Political and Literary Apparitor: Julian as Caesar and Panegyrist
Conclusion

2. Panegyric, Diplomacy, and (Self-)Presentation: Julian, Themistius, and Constantius in the
West, 357–359
Eusebia and Constantius: Binary Praise, Communication, and Patronage
Representing Constantinople: Constantius and Themistius at Rome
Venturing on Self-Glorification: Julian as Caesar and Self-Promoter
Conclusion

3. Laudatiua Materia : Panegyric, History, and Legitimization in a Period of Imperial Transition, 360–361
Res gestae: Between History and Panegyric
Confronting Constantius: The Epistle as Apology, Polemic, Autobiography, and Auto-Panegyric
Conclusion

4. Panegyric, Consensus, and the Reinforcement of Nascent Government: Claudius Mamertinus,
Himerius, and Julian in Constantinople, 361–362
The Native Son Returns: Reconciling the West and the East after Civil War
Himerius and Julian: Refounding Constantinople and Relating New Policy
Conclusion

5. Panegyric, Promotion, Punishment, and Advisement: Libanius and Julian in Antioch, 362–363
Administering the East by Epistle-Edicts
Libanius and Julian: Curating and Promoting New Policy
Administering Antioch: Emperor, Populace, and (Lack of) Consensus
Conclusion
Conclusion. Emperors, Rhetoricians, and the Usefulness of Praise

Appendix A. The Date of Themistius’s Oration 1
Appendix B. Julian, an Experienced Soldier before His Promotion to Caesar?
Appendix C. The Date of Julian’s Oration 1
Appendix D. Some Emperors’ Residencies at and Responses to Antioch
Works Cited
Index

Reviews

"Emperors and Rhetoricians serves as an intriguing examination of the communicative strategies of Roman regimes and elites in the middle of the fourth century, and a useful reconsideration of the public presentation and career of Julian in particular."
— Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"A sophisticated analysis of late Roman speeches of praise, this book demonstrates how Julian's fellow panegyrists, all of whom were members of the elite, engaged in a literary back-and forth that communicated their own demands and hopes to the emperor but also translated the emperor's intentions to those through whom he governed. The result is a series of lively, engaging snapshots of late Roman politics in action, as close to a look into the imperial mind as read by contemporaries as it is possible to get."—Susanna Elm, Sidney H. Ehrman Professor of History, University of California, Berkeley

"The rhetorical outpourings of interested parties make for curious historical documents, and classical scholarship has not always been up to the challenge. Moysés Marcos's great achievement in this lively and rangy analysis of the Julianic moment is to show how high-profile panegyric could be, at once, commentary on and constitutive of imperial power play."—Roger Rees, St Andrews University, Scotland

"This alert and erudite book demonstrates the powerful versatility of praise discourse as a means of political communication in the fourth century and sheds a vivid light on the emperor Julian and his entourage."—Laurent Pernot, member of the Institut de France and author of Epideictic Rhetoric

"Emperors and Rhetoricians demonstrates the versatility of the panegyric as a medium of political and personal interests and offers valuable insights into communication between emperor and people in late antiquity. Marcos looks beyond the rhetoric of imperial praise to examine what was unspoken: self-promotion, insecurity, promises, and threats."—Catherine Ware, Lecturer in Classics, University College Cork, Ireland

"The emperor Julian is unique in being both subject and author of imperial panegyric. Marcos has given us an invaluable and comprehensive account of Julianic panegyric, which shows just how central epideictic rhetoric was to the emperor’s communicative agenda."—Alan J. Ross, Associate Professor of Classics, Ohio State University

About the Book

About the Author

Table of Contents

Reviews