Pacatus Panegyric Of Theodius

SOURCE 1: Pacatus, Panegyric of Theodosius

This source is an extract from the Panegyric of Theodosius, delivered to the Emperor in the year 389 Panegyric being a public speech in appraisal of, in this case, the Emperor Theodosius. This panegyric referencing the victory over Magnus Maximus by Theodosius I. The writer, Pacatus Drepanius, was a French contemporary and is believed to have been a professor of rhetoric.

This source helps examine the attitudes of the Romans towards the barbarians. There is a clear mentality demonstrated through the source that those who weren’t Roman were considerably separate from those who were, even though geographical location and boundaries. This is important in understanding the perceptions of romans in this

In the source is states that “… I speak of the Goths admitted into service to supply soldiers for your camps, and farmers for our lands?”. This tells us more of the situation of the military, and how the Army couldn’t recruit enough troops so had to rely on barbarians to fill their ranks. This can be further research by investigations into integration with the barbarians, such as military records, and even on a domestic level one could compare roman censuses to monitor the increased levels of barbarians in the Roman empire. Further research can also lead to investigations into how the barbarians rose in ranks within the military, and even became prominent powerful members of it. One could use accounts provided from the perspective of said barbarians, from sources such as letters, to explore the attitude of integrated

This code was authorised by the Emperor Theodosian II in the fifth century AD. It consisted of a compilation of Roman laws and was designed to centralise and organise Roman legislation since the reign of Constantine. One of the significant aims of the Code was to solidify Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire.

One of the main themes within the first law appears to be religious tolerance, despite the aim of the code I mentioned above. “…[Christians] shall not abuse the authority of religion and dare to lay violent hands on Jews and pagans who are living quietly and attempting nothing disorderly or contrary to law.”: this shows us that whilst Christianity was being imposed as the official religion, Paganism was still be respected. Even to the extent that later in the first law punishments were imposed to those who attacked the pagans. The reasons for this seem to depend on their Christianity itself, as the source starts by addressing “…those persons who are truly Christians or who are said to be…”, which appears to appeal to the peaceful nature of Christianity, as they saw it, as incentive not be violent to the pagans. This can be explored through legal accounts and court cases of those who broke this law, and also a look into what punishments were actually given. This could give an insight into the levels of tolerance and sympathy for the