Emperor Glycerius and Praetorian Prefect Himelco on ‘Simony’: A New Critical Edition of a Legal Dossier

Abstract

This article offers a study of a fifth-century Roman legal dossier concerning the ordination of clergy. The dossier consists of a letter by Emperor Glycerius (473-474) and an edict by Praetorian Prefect Himelco. The dossier is preserved in two Carolingian manuscripts, and has not yet been critically edited. Its current edition is that of the Ballerini brothers, published in 1757, on the basis of only one manuscript. The article is divided in three sections: (I) an introduction to the dossier and the edition, (II) the new critical edition with English translation, and (III) notes in which I explain where the text of the edition may not be immediately evident from the manuscript readings. The introduction will discuss the textual transmission, the style of both texts, and the editorial principles of the new edition.