Severus of Antioch and the Anti-Chalcedonian Movement

The Importance of Severus of Antioch in shaping the Anti-Chalcedonian Movement is hard to overstate, as his thought was vital in unifying the theology of the once disparate and divided Anti-Chalcedonians . His role extends even beyond the realm of theology and into politics where his activities played a major role in shaping the politics and policies of the last decade of the reign ofthe EmperorAnastasius. Even after his exile following the ascension of Justinian to power, Severus’s influence continued to be felt through the Anti-Chalcedonian movement, most especially in Syria. Where his legacy intellectual, culturalandpolitical was reshaped and redefined. To truly understand Severus’s importance in the Anti-Chalcedonian movement it is necessary to understand how Severus was shaped by the cultural and political world of the Late Roman Empire, especially the monastic culture of Late Roman Syria where Severus spent the better part of his adult life. In this way Severus’s life also serves to illuminate the monastic life in Late Antiquity and especially its connections with the Anti-Chalcedonian movement. In these ways and many other Severus’s life opens a door into the past, and helps illuminate the religious, political and cultural history of Late Antiquity as a whole of the Late Roman Near East in particular.