Lexithereo in Socrates’ HE 6.22: Heresy or Belletrism?

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the use of the verb λεξιθηρέω in the work of the Church historian Socrates Scholasticus. The usage of this uncommon verb in Greek literature is discussed, as it has cultural and religious implications relating to the religious milieu of Socrates’ time. Christian authors used λεξιθηρέω disparagingly and linked it to heresy and dilettantism. However, Socrates Scholasticus used this verb to describe the literary activity of the Novatian bishop Sisinnius, an apparently contradictory use of λεξιθηρέω prompted by the historian’s sympathy for Novatianism. My working assumption is that Socrates used λεξιθηρέω as a stylistic term and applied it to Sisinnius in order to portray him as a learned bishop capable of competing with other well-educated bishops.