ABSTRACT
It is time to draw the threads together, to provide an overall picture of the warrior saints in Byzantine tradition. They are presented under the following headings:
(a) The terrestrial career of warrior saints (b) The beginnings of the cult of warrior saints (c) The early iconography of warrior saints (d) The emergence of an echelon of warrior saints (e) The function of warrior saints in the lives of terrestrial men (f) The aesthetics of warrior saints
(a) The terrestrial career of warrior saints
Two preliminary observations should be made. First, this theme is rarely developed in the literary texts; allusion to it is often made only at the moment when the warrior in question is arraigned before a judge. Secondly, it is usually impossible to control the historical authenticity of what the texts tell us. This point will be raised when the available information is blatantly plagiarized or legendary.
