Chrysaphius was a powerful eunuch at the Eastern Roman court, who became the chief minister of Theodosius II.
Having a great influence on the rule of the empire during his ascendancy, he pursued a policy of appeasement towards the Huns, which cost the empire far more gold than any military campaign, while amassing a vast fortune in bribes himself. He is depicted as a sinister figure in all the ancient accounts.
According to Malalas:
The emperor Theodosius was passionately in love with the cubicularius Chrysaphios, known as Ztoummas, since he was extremely beautiful. He gave him many gifts, whatever he asked for, and Chrysaphios had free access to the emperor. He had control over all affairs and plundered everything. He was the patron and protector of the Greens. (Adamavit autem Theodosius Chrysaphium quendam, Cubicularium, cognomento Ztummam: egregia enim forma praeditus erat)
Chrysaphius was the main patron of the Monophysites (MONOPHYSITISM , meaning "one nature" and referring to the person of Jesus Christ, is the name given to the rift that gradually developed in Eastern Christendom after the Council of Chalcedon in 451).
"The angels' appearance, stature, gait, and role in the celestial palace mirror the functions of eunuchs in the terrestrial court. As in the celestial court, access to the emperor passes through the rings of eunuchs surrounding his throne. This angelic guard is characterized with long and slender bodies, snowy white skin, and radiant garments of purple and gold. The image of these angels reveals the Byzantine perception of the ideal court eunuch: young, possessing extraordinary beauty, with radiant skin and hair, dressed in purple-golden silks and linens (Res: Anthropology and Aesthetics, 51: Spring 2007)"
"Another possible explanation can also be derived from physiognomy, though coining to adverse conclusion. The handsome eunuch, whose physical beauty reflects the beauty of his soul, is a common subject in writings from the early Byzantine period. The vision of the luminous beauty of eunuchs, associated with purity and the soul's beauty, finds an important development in relation to angels, resulting in eunuchophilia. Eunuchs and angels are both royal messengers and they both introduce dignitaries to the sovereign. A dream-interpreting work, dated from the ninth to the eleventh centuries, indicates that if one dreams of a gracious and tall eunuch, the eunuch should be considered an angel, because a eunuch resembles an angel an being pure and does not feel carnal desire (Drexl 1925:10)."

Reference: "An emperor, probably Nicephorus III (r. 1078β1081), with four officialsβthe second from the left is a eunuch, as the lack of beard indicates" and angels, whose appearance and clothes were copied from the palace eunuchs (Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy).
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2021-08-11 03:36:27 +0000 UTC