Nomophylax

Nomophylax ( Greek  νομοφύλαξ , "leader of the law") was a title in the Byzantine Empire . Its exact meaning is unclear.

history

The term nomophylax appeared in ancient Egypt at the time of the Ptolemies .

In the Byzantine Empire he was first mentioned after 1045 and first referred to the head of the legal department in the newly founded monastery of St. George in the imperial Mangana palace . The first nomophylax was the later Patriarch of Constantinople John VIII Xiphilinos .

Michael Psellos also used the title for a president of the court and for legal scholars. Since the 12th century, the title appeared repeatedly for clergy in the Patriarchate of Constantinople. In the 14th century it seems to be on a par with dikaiophylax .

Bearer of the title

• John VIII Xiphilinos , after 1045
• Michael Choumnos , 1121
• Alexios Aristenos
• Nilos doxopatros
• Theodoros Balsamon , around 1170
• Constantine Armenopoulos , 1349
• Johannes Eugenikos , around 1430

literature

• Kazhdan, Alexander Petrovich: The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford University Press, New York / Oxford 1991, ISBN 0-19-504652-8 , p. 1491