ABSTRACT
Ed., trans., and comm. P. Speck, Theodoros Studites, Jamben auf verschiedene Gegenstiinde (Berlin 1968); text and translations also in Thiimmel, Bilderlehre und Bilderstreit, 170--9. See Hunger, Literatur, II, 167-8; see also idem, 'Parerga zu den Epigrammen des Theodoros Studites', Ellenika 18 (1964) 11--43, 270f. For further discussion,
Theodore's iconoclast opponents John, Ignatios, Sergios, and Stephanos also wrote epigrams of a political-religious character;4 while an iconophile poem of the early ninth century celebrated the iconophile victory.s Later verses were composed which celebrated the struggle of the two brothers Theophanes and Theodoros graptoi as well as the role of the patriarch Methodios. 6 The poetess Kassia, product of a wealthy Constantinopolitan family, supporter of the iconophile cause, and founder and first abbess of a monastery (shortly after 830), was the author of a number of sharply critical verses directed against iconoclasts as well as, among others, Armenians and those of limited spiritual character.? The patriarchs Methodios and Ignatios similarly composed verse and epigrams, valuable in so far as they reflect the cultural and political concerns of their authors, but containing only a little factual information.8 While anacreontic verse reappears, some exampless of encomiastic verse have also survived from the eighth and ninth centuries, although it should be emphasised that verse composition never seems to have ceased absolutely: a certain Theodosios grammatikos composed a short poem about the siege of 717-18;9 while an anonymous writer composed a - now fragmentary - poem in praise of the emperor Basil 1.10 But in the early ninth century Theodore of Stoudios wrote in this form about the persecutions of iconophile monks; while Ignatios the deacon (possibly in explicit rivalry with Theodore) composed a laudatory poem about the defeat of the rebel Thomas the Slav at the hands of the legitimate emperor Michael II. Indeed, the verse epigramme seems to have recovered its relevance as a means of communicating political and theological hostility and criticism, a step which marks
see P. Speck, 'TA THAE BATTAPI~MATA IIAANA Uberlegungen zur Aussendekoration der Chalke im achten Jahrhundert', in: Studien zur byzantinischen Kunstgeschichte. Festschrift for Horst Hallensleben zum 65. Geburtstag (Amsterdam 1995) 211-20; and esp. Kazhdan, Literature, 254-7.
