The Parabalani (

Late Latin Late Latin ( la, Latinitas serior) is the scholarly name for the form of Literary Latin of late antiquity.Roberts (1996), p. 537. English dictionary definitions of Late Latin date this period from the , and continuing into the 7th century in t ...

'' parabalānī'' "persons who risk their lives as nurses", from grc, ) or Parabolani (from or ) were the members of a brotherhood, who in

early Christianity Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewis ...

voluntarily undertook the care of the sick and the burial of the dead, knowing that they themselves could die. Generally drawn from the lower strata of society, they also functioned as attendants to local bishops and were sometimes used by them as bodyguards and in violent clashes with their opponents.

History

The parabalani had neither orders nor vows, but were enumerated among the clergy and enjoyed clerical privileges and immunities. In addition to performing works of mercy they constituted a bodyguard for the bishop. Their presence at public gatherings or in the theaters was forbidden by law. At times they took a very active part in ecclesiastical controversies, as at the

Second Council of Ephesus The Second Council of Ephesus was a Christological church synod in 449 AD convened by Emperor Theodosius II under the presidency of Pope Dioscorus I of Alexandria. It was intended to be an ecumenical council, and it is accepted as such by the ...

. They received their name from the fact that they were hospital attendants, although the alternative name parabolani also became current, because they risked their lives () in exposing themselves to contagious diseases. It has been asserted, though without sufficient proof, that the brotherhood was first organized during the great plague in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

in the episcopate of

Pope Dionysius of Alexandria Dionysius the Great ( grc, Διονύσιος Ἀλεξανδρείας) was the 14th Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria from 28 December 248 until his death on 22 March 264. Most information known about him comes from his large surviving correspo ...

(second half of the 3rd century). Though they were chosen by the bishop and always remained under his control, the '' Codex Theodosianus'' placed them under the supervision of the ''praefectus augustalis'', the imperial governor of Roman Egypt. The ''parabalani'' were believed to have helped murder the Alexandrian philosopher-scientist

Hypatia Hypatia, Koine pronunciation (born 350–370; died 415 AD) was a neoplatonist philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician, who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, then part of the Eastern Roman Empire. She was a prominent thinker in Alexandria where ...

in 415. Because their fanaticism resulted in riots, successive laws limited their numbers: thus a law issued in 416 restricted the enrollment in Alexandria to 500, a number increased two years later to 600. In

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 ( ...

, the number was reduced from 1100 to 950.'' Codex Justinianus'', I.2.4 The ''parabolani'' are not mentioned after

Justinian I Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renova ...

's time.

In film

In the 2009 film '' Agora'', focusing on the life of Hypatia, the ''parabolani'' start out as Christian volunteers who distribute bread to the poor, but gradually turn into fanatical death squads who murder pagans,

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

and Christians opposing their intolerant bishop, Cyril of Alexandria.

References

External links

* {{Catholic, wstitle=Parabolani Christian clergy by type Roman Alexandria