Flavius Celer ( el, Κέλερ) was a

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 ...

general and ''

magister officiorum The ''magister officiorum'' (Latin literally for "Master of Offices", in gr, μάγιστρος τῶν ὀφφικίων, magistros tōn offikiōn) was one of the most senior administrative officials in the Later Roman Empire and the early centu ...

'' under Emperor Anastasius (r. 491–518) in the early 6th century.

Biography

Celer was an

Illyria In classical antiquity, Illyria (; grc, Ἰλλυρία, ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; la, Illyria, ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyr ...

n though nothing is known of his early life. In 503, Emperor Anastasius named him general in the ongoing war against the

Sassanid Persia The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...

ns in the East. In the spring of 504, he led his men to participate in the ongoing siege of Amida, but soon after left and engaged in an invasion of Persian-held territory, retaking several cities and returning with much booty. In late 504, Celer engaged in negotiations with the Persians, which resulted in a temporary truce.. In 505, he was again active on the eastern frontier, but is not reported to have engaged in major operations; he did, however, continue contacts with the Persians, ransoming Amida for 1,100 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 ...

. In autumn 506, Celer led the Byzantine negotiations with the Persians at

Dara Dara is a given name used for both males and females, with more than one origin. Dara is found in the Bible's Old Testament Books of Chronicles. Dara �רעwas a descendant of Judah (son of Jacob). (The Bible. 1 Chronicles 2:6). Dara (also known ...

, which resulted in the conclusion of a peace treaty. Perhaps as a reward, he was named

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

for 508; he had already been appointed as ''magister officiorum'' sometime around 503 to 504.. In 511, Celer conspired with Emperor Anastasius in a plan to have the

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 ...

, Macedonius,

exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

d by inducing Macedonius to sign a document that rejected the councils of Ephesus (431) and Chalcedon (451) and thus lose the support of the pro-Chalcedonian faction. Afterwards, Celer was ordered to ensure that

Severus Severus is the name of various historical and fictional figures, including: ;Emperors of the Roman empire *Septimius Severus (145–211), Roman emperor from 193 to 211 (rarely known as ''Severus I.'') *Severus Caracalla (188–217), Roman emperor f ...

and his

Monophysite Monophysitism ( or ) or monophysism () is a Christological term derived from the Greek (, "alone, solitary") and (, a word that has many meanings but in this context means "nature"). It is defined as "a doctrine that in the person of the incarn ...

monks were safely returned to their convents in

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. In 512, Celer was sent to

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 (" ...

, along with Patricius, to pacify the riotous Chalcedonian crowds, but ultimately failed.. Celer was still in office at the time of the ascension of Emperor

Justin I Justin I ( la, Iustinus; grc-gre, Ἰουστῖνος, ''Ioustînos''; 450 – 1 August 527) was the Eastern Roman emperor from 518 to 527. Born to a peasant family, he rose through the ranks of the army to become commander of the imperial ...

(r. 518–527) on 9 July 518, but was soon after removed from office (his first recorded successor was

Tatianus Tatian of Adiabene, or Tatian the Syrian or Tatian the Assyrian, (; la, Tatianus; grc, Τατιανός; syc, ܛܛܝܢܘܣ; c. 120 – c. 180 AD) was an Assyrian Christian writer and theologian of the 2nd century. Tatian's most influential w ...

in 520 though Symmachus may have held the position in 519). Following that, he participated in the negotiations of 519–520 with the

Patriarch of Rome The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certain ...

to end the

Acacian Schism The Acacian schism, between the Eastern and Western Christian Churches, lasted 35 years, from 484 to 519 AD. It resulted from a drift in the leaders of Eastern Christianity toward Miaphysitism and Emperor Zeno's unsuccessful attempt to reconcile th ...

. He is described by chroniclers as wise, well-educated, a capable administrator, and personally brave. The date or manner of his death is not recorded, save for a reference to it being "unfortunate".

References

Sources

* * {{DISPLAYTITLE:Celer (''magister officiorum'') 5th-century births 6th-century deaths 6th-century Byzantine people 6th-century Roman consuls Anastasian War Byzantine diplomats Byzantine generals Illyrian people Imperial Roman consuls Magistri officiorum People of the Roman–Sasanian Wars 6th-century diplomats