The ''nomophylax'' ( el, νομοφύλαξ, "guardian of the laws") was a senior

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

judicial office of the 11th–15th centuries.

History

The office of ''nomophylax'' was established by Emperor

Constantine IX Monomachos Constantine IX Monomachos ( grc-x-medieval, Κωνσταντῖνος Μονομάχος, translit=Kōnstantinos IX Monomachos; 1004 – 11 January 1055), reigned as Byzantine emperor from June 1042 to January 1055. Empress Zoë Porphyrogenita ...

(r. 1042–1055) either in 1043, 1045, or 1047 for John Xiphilinos, the future

Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of th ...

. The office held extraordinary authority and was of high distinction: he presided over the law school of the capital,

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

, was a member of the

Byzantine Senate The Byzantine senate or eastern Roman senate ( el, Σύγκλητος, ''Synklētos'', or , ''Gerousia'') was a continuation of the Roman Senate, established in the 4th century by Constantine I. It survived for centuries, but the senate's powers ...

, held the seat next to the ''

epi ton kriseon The ''epi ton kriseon'' ( el, ἐπὶ τῶν κρίσεων, "in charge of judgements") was a judicial official of the Byzantine Empire responsible for presiding over tribunals involving civil lawsuits. The position was first established by Emper ...

'', and was accorded an annual salary (''roga'') of 4 pounds of

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

and a silk tunic, not counting various imperial donations and gifts on holidays. The post's authority was further strengthened by precisely specifying the few cases in which an incumbent could be dismissed. The post did not long survive in its original conception, however, and quickly became associated with

ecclesiastical law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

, enjoying, according to J. Darrouzès, an intermediate position between the civil and ecclesiastical administrations. Thus in the 12th century, it was held by several notable canonists, such as

Alexios Aristenos Alexios Aristenos ( gr, Ἀλέξιος Ἀριστηνός) was ''oikonomos'' and ''nomophylax'' of the Great Church at Constantinople. He flourished around 1166 AD, in which year he was present at the Council of Constantinople. He edited a ''S ...

Neilos Doxapatres Neilos Doxapatres ( gr, Νεῖλος ὁ Δοξοπατρῆς) was a Byzantine Greek monk, theologian, and writer active in Constantinople and Sicily during the first half of the 12th century. Biography Born into a native Greek family of Consta ...

, and

Theodore Balsamon Theodore Balsamon ( el, Θεόδωρος Βαλσαμῶν) was a canonist of the Eastern Orthodox Church and 12th-century Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch. Biography Born in the second half of the 12th century at Constantinople; died there, ...

. In the 14th century, there were both civil and ecclesiastical ''nomophylakes'', with the latter analogous to another ecclesiastical judicial office, the ''

dikaiophylax The ''dikaiophylax'' ( el, δικαιοφύλαξ, "guardian of the laws") was a Byzantine judicial office of the 11th–15th centuries. The title is first attested in the middle of the 11th century, both in Constantinople and the provinces. Its ho ...

''.

References

Sources

*{{cite encyclopedia, editor-last=Kazhdan, editor-first=Alexander, editor-link=Alexander Kazhdan, title=

The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium The ''Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium'' (ODB) is a three-volume historical dictionary published by the English Oxford University Press. With more than 5,000 entries, it contains comprehensive information in English on topics relating to the Byzant ...

, location=New York and Oxford, publisher=Oxford University Press, year=1991, isbn=978-0-19-504652-6, ref={{harvid, ODB Byzantine ecclesiastical titles and offices Byzantine judicial offices * 1040s establishments in the Byzantine Empire