Emperor Herakleos & The Precious Cross - The Akathist Hymn

Format: Paperback

Pages: 104

I was very moved by your decision to publish a study on this great emperor of ours, who had become very dear to me as early as my student years for his patriotism and heroism. Herakleos belongs among the major Emperors of Romanity. That is why you have rightly included in the title of the book: 'Emperor Herakleos of the Romans', which reveals the author’s solid historical knowledge and sensitivity.

With the founding of New Rome (inaugurated on the 11th of May 330 AD) by Constantine the Great (and our Saint) began the historical life of our Empire, which, during the 6th and the 7th centuries, under the emperors Justinian (518-565) and Herakleos (610-641) was fully Hellenized.

The empire’s name was never “Byzantium”, nor were its citizens called “Byzantines”. The empire of New Rome was named ROMANIA as of the 4th century (ref. Saint Athanasius the Great) and its citizens were called Romans (=of New Rome, that is, Neo-Romans) and in common usage were called “Romioi”. This of course does not imply that we are denying the Hellenicity of ancient Byzantium; but we are obliged to remain faithful to History. After all, Ancient Rome (of Italy) was also founded by Greeks, after the Trojan events – hence the reason in the 4th century BC that Heraclides the Pontic (=of Pontus) called it a Hellenic city («πόλιν ἑλληνίδα»). The Greek Language and Greek culture were the connecting elements of the Peoples of the Empire, its main and basic population element being Greeks by origin, with the all-uniting force being Christian Orthodoxy.