Western And Byzantine Civilizations - Essay Example

The eastern part of the Roman Empire achieved greatness as the Byzantine civilization, which saw its days of glory during the rule of Justinian and Theodora. Eastern Orthodoxy was the dominant religious belief and a new imperial law was devised, which resulted in a unified imperial Government, unlike the fractured tribes of the Western civilization. The government was also centralized and under the rule of Justinian, art reached new heights since several new buildings and churches were built. The first document dealing with this period is a piece written by the Christian priest Salvian, which compares the Romans and the Barbarians and finds that the barbarians have superior moral values.

This document is titled “Of God’s Government” and is found in the book titled “Readings in European History” Vol 1 by James Harvey Robinson, published in 1904. The priest compares Roman customs to those of the barbarians and points out that the barbarians, despite their record of cruelty and sin, appear to demonstrate the values of love, kindness, and charity which the Romans ought to have. The Romans, on the contrary, persecute each other and the enormity of their sin is doubled because they are supposed to be civilized individuals.

On this basis, the priest concludes that the moral framework of the barbarians may, in fact, be superior to the Romans. The second document is written by the court historian and biographer Procopius. The article is titled “The character and innovations of Justinian and Theodora” and appears in the book titled “The secret history of Procopius” published in 1927 by Crown Publishers. In this article, Procopius presents a critical view of Justinian and Theodora. He points out the differences in the Roman manner of greeting where the dignity of high officials was preserved, while Justinian and Theodora demanded a more slavish form homage.