Four - Divine Inspiration beyond the Fathers

Summary

Analysis of the textual and visual evidence illustrates that Byzantine authors of religious literature beyond the age of the Fathers were seen as heirs of traditions established in biblical and patristic literature. The associated iconography exhibits unusual features that highlight continuity and thus the authority of religious writings composed in eras distant from the emergence of the biblical and patristic canons. Imagining themselves to be following in the footsteps of the apostles and Church Fathers, emperors showcased themselves as divinely inspired in their quest to defend Byzantine Orthodoxy against heretical threats.