ABSTRACT
In addition to an introduction the authors give a very helpful mixture of comment and paraphrase for the whole work. Syria was the focus of his attention, whereas other parts of the empire were mentioned only occasionally, with the exception of Constantinople as the political centre. Kaldellis explains this by the need to grasp reality adequately, the authors show how the Greek tradition stepped in to bridge the gap when reality could no longer be described in purely Christian terms'. This subtext will be the main subject of this chapter. The author seeks to argue that Evagrius, perhaps unwillingly, shows that the secular representatives of the Roman order were failing, whereas good bishops, in his case an exemplary bishop, his patron Gregory, were able to keep Roman identity alive. The defence of the Roman borders was obviously first of all the task of the Roman emperors. Highlighting divine intervention in the defence of towns was nothing new in ancient historiography.
