Christopher Sprecher. Emperor and God: Passion Relics and the Divinisation of Byzantine Rulers, 944–1204. Kulturelles Erbe: Materialität – Text – Edition (KEMTE), 5. Heidelberg University Publishing, 2024. [Open Access, DOI: https://doi.org/10.17885/heiup.1240] 

From Heidelberg University Publishing

This study examines how the understanding of the Byzantine emperor as a sacred or divine figure changed in the Middle Byzantine period. It draws on close reading and study of three medieval Passion relics held in Constantinople: the Mandylion, the Limburg Staurotheke relic ensemble, and the Sacred Stone. Accompanied by medieval Greek source texts translated into English that refer to these relics, Sprecher shows that the Passion relics served at this time not only to present the emperor as a divinely appointed and anointed ruler, but also to make him appear divine himself in a surprising way.