TO ERR IS HUMAN

Finally, the lives and opinions of our heroes will almost inevitably disappoint us at some point. When one looks behind the curtain of a hero one only meets the human. Historical reputations evolve over time as well. One only needs to recall the reverence that the general public may have had for Mahatma Gandhi or Mother Theresa in the early 2000s compared to the current moment. One could also look at the complicated legacies of any of the titular historical figures above and realize just how flawed, and in what way that each of them fall short of our expectations. The Great Man theory ignores the human flaws of individuals and can put figures on pedestals on which they do not deserve to be. People at the top are just as complicated and broken as anyone else. This does not to give them a pass, the purpose is only to contextualize the problem of oversimplification. The only Byzantine Empress, Irene of Athens, to rule in her own right, may be praised for the accomplishment. It becomes more complicated when you learn that she blinded and possibly killed her own son to rule, which manages to stand out even in the long history of Byzantine court intrigue as one of the most ruthless acts of regicide. It is also less than inspiring to learn that this act also destabilized the state after her death, due to the lack of an imperial heir. Irene, by all accounts, was supremely competent in the same ways that many other “greats” were, but the brutality and disregard for her family and the stable transition of power leaves a significant mark on her legacy. The heroes of one age may turn out to be monsters and some of the the monsters may be heroes, and it may not always be as simple to label them as either, sometimes it is more complicated than that.

Appropriately to the question of “church, state, and idealism”, the biblical narratives seem to thrive on this sort of hero, who is also fallen short of how they ought to be. For example King David the exemplar and model for all Israelite kings after him, slew a loyal officer to take his wife, which in time caused most of the internal turmoil in his reign. His son, building the temple of God and renown for his wisdom fell into idolatrous, and decadent living which destabilized the kingdom. This is not to mention the cycles of Israel’s obedience and disobedience. In these scriptures it is taken for granted that all people are capable of both good, being made in the image of God, and sin, being by nature corrupted. Regardless of one’s posture towards these stories, it is important to note that when we read history the same vices which have effected every generation of humanity are common at all times, to all people, though the particulars may be different. It is in recognition of this pattern that the Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Romans “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:9). So some understanding is needed when looking at any other person out there, that “I too, am less than perfect” or “If not for the grace of God there go I“. By other means this sort of thinking is not exclusive to Christianity in our present moment, one only needs to look at how often modern storytelling tries to examine antagonists or antiheroes. There are reasons why people become villains, but the capacity to do the wrong thing as much as the right thing is inherent to each of us, and as such we should have enough empathy to ask ourselves if given the same context that we should do any different. However, having a mechanism of forgiveness or empathy should not be an excuse for the figures that we look at historically or contemporaneously. Paul also goes on to say that merely because there is grace, ie forgiveness for falling short of expectations does not let one off of the hook “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!…” (Rom 6:1-2). There is still a need for everyone to try do the right thing.

Now clearly the above will not be directly correlated with many today who do not claim Christianity but the basic framework remains:
1) People being well meaning, competent, cruel, or incompetent – none are perfect
2) I am “people” and am subject to imperfection so should temper judgements of other people accordingly
3) However, this does not let people off of the hook either. Understanding does not erase culpability.
It is a careful tension to hold. It can be pretty straight forward in many cases, anyone can see that the Nazis were evil. But in other cases it is much more complicated, like the legacy of Justinian, Irene or Heraclius. Acknowledging both the good and the bad is a balance in these cases and is instrumental to a synthesis of understanding the full legacy of a person. And though it is jumping ahead of my schedule Constantine is a perfect example of this dichotomy as well.

FURTHER INFORMATION:
For an in-depth overview Byzantine History
https://thehistoryofbyzantium.com/
see episodes
14-32 for Justinian
42-49 for Heraclius
78, 79 for Irene

For a simplified summary of Justinian’s reign See Extra History’s “Justinian and Theodora” series
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_2E0RxVHH4&t=4s