Constantius III, Galla Placidia, and Libanius the Magician: Olympiodorus of Thebes and the Reconstruction of Imperial Politics in Ravenna in 421

In Fragmentum 36, the ninth-century Photius, patriarch of Constantinople, summarises Olympiodorus of Thebes teratological story about Libanius the magician and the contradictory responses to his presence in Ravenna by Constantius III and his wife, Galla Placidia. The story of the dispute between the couple and of Galla Placidia’s success in having Libanius put to death is to be believed, in the light of what else we can reconstruct about how this married couple operated in other situations. Although R.C. Blockley assessed this story in terms of Olympiodorus’ interest in paganism and magic, it will be argued here that it is best seen in terms of the poet-historian’s hostility to Constantius—something Blockley noted but did not explain. That hostility is to be understood as flowing from Olympiodorus’ aim of providing an encomium for Theodosius II in Constantinople, who was ill-disposed towards Constantius, parallel as it were with the efforts of Claudian for Stilicho, detailed a generation ago by Alan Cameron

Epistolary sleight of hand : diplomatic manipulation in Zosimus' letter to Patroclus of Arles (Quid de Proculi)

Zosimus’ Epistula 7 (JK 333 = J3 739, Quid de Proculi) to Patroclus, bishop of Arles, would suggest the normal operations of ecclesiastical judicial procedures: Proclus had been condemned, the validity of an earlier synodal decision had been overturned, and Patroclus’ own authority had been upheld. Appearances, however, can be deceiving. Other letters in Liber auctoritatem ecclesiae Arelatensis, particularly three written by Zosimus also in September 417, inform us about just how controversial were not only Patroclus’ claims to authority in southern Gaul but Zosimus’ support of Patroclus and his assertion that the Roman church had a role in arbitrating these claims. The evidence in the collection is of a dispute conducted with anything but diplomacy. This paper sets Quid de Proculi in its broader context to reveal how both Zosimus and the church of Arles tried, unwittingly or not, to promote a false memory about the church of Arles.https://brill.com/view/journals/vc/vc-overview.xml2021-05-23hj2019Ancient Language

Flavius Constantius, Galla Placidia, and the Aquitanian settlement of the Goths

No abstract available.http://phoenix.chass.utoronto.caAncient Language

An African in Rome: Victor I, the Date of Easter, and Pluralist Christianity

At the end of the second century, Christianity in Rome existed as a federation of individual communities, despite the narrative provided in the fourth century by Eusebius. There was a multiplicity of leaders, of social backgrounds, of languages, of beliefs, and of practices among the Christians of Rome. How did the church of Rome maintain unity internally and externally in the presence of such diversity? By the end of the second century, with Victor, that forbearance came to a dramatic end. The best-known example is the Quartodeciman controversy over the dating of Easter. Other examples include his reaction to Monarchians, Montanists, and Valentinians. In itself, this is not evidence that Victor was attempting to act as sole bishop of Rome, but simply that he used the structures of the pluralist communities to push for greater theological conformity, which contributed to the centralisation of leadership in Rome. As a qualifier, it will be argued that he was not opposed to pluralism per se, but was opposed to it when he became aware of any particular threat divergence presented to Christian life and thought.https://brill.com/view/journals/scri/scri-overview.xmlhj2024Ancient LanguagesNon

"With length of days I will gratify him” : Augustine, the Psalms, and old age

The Bible has a variety of perspectives on old age. On the one hand, as exemplified in Ps 91(90):16 and 92(91):15, old age is a sign of God’s blessing and the elderly are held in high regard as valuable, while on the other, as exemplified in Ps 39(38):5; 71(70):9; and 90(89):10, life is seen as fleeting and length of days as insignificant and the elderly fear neglect. The psalms held a high place in Augustine’s Christian identity. This paper explores Augustine’s use of these verses to consider the extent to which his religious outlook shaped his perspectives on ageing, as well as addressing the question of whether or not he was aware of the conflict between the two perspectives. It will be argued that Augustine was not interested in the contradictions presented by the psalmist, and that he interpreted all the verses through an eschatological framework, such that an evaluation of the meaning and value of life is to be found only through a perception of eternity.https://brill.com/view/journals/scri/scri-overview.xmlam2019Ancient Language

Placuit apostolicae (Ep. 1) of Zosimus of Rome and the ecclesiastical reorganization of Gaul

Around the beginning of the fifth century the praetorian prefect for Gaul and the governor of Viennensis relocated their headquarters from Trier and Vienne respectively to Arles, which created a dispute between the bishops of Vienne and Arles as to whom should be metropolitan of the province of Viennensis. While the synod of Turin had proposed dividing the province in two ecclesiastically, problems emerged in 417 when Zosimus, bishop of Rome, within the first week of his election, asserted in his Epistula 1 (JK 328) that the bishop of Arles was to be metropolitan not only of Viennensis but over several provinces in the civil diocese of Septem Provinciae as well (depriving the bishops of Marseille, Vienne, and Narbonne of their metropolitan status) and thereby making him virtual papal vicar in the exercise of Roman prerogatives. This new arrangement created enormous religious conflict, as a further seven letters and synod in Rome in September 417 attest, including the efforts of Zosimus to declare the synod of Turin invalid. Ralph Mathisen investigated this episode and concluded that Zosimus’s efforts to assert his own authority over Gaul resulted only in uniting the Gallic churches against him. This paper seeks to analyse Zosimus’s involvement in Gaul and argues that this was not really his plan but rather that of the bishop of Arles. It also seeks to ask whether or not Zosimus anticipated the resultant conflict, as well as the authority by which he sought to make these changes.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual conference of the Canadian Society of Patristic Studies, at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, Waterloo, Ontario in May 2012.https://www.press.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_early_christian_studies`am201

Increased 5-HT3-mediated signalling in pelvic afferent neurons from mice deficient in P2X2 and/or P2X3 receptor subunits

Extracellular ATP and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) are both involved in visceral sensory pathways by interacting with P2X and 5-HT3 receptors, respectively. We have investigated the changes in P2X and 5-HT3-mediated signalling in pelvic afferent neurons in mice deficient in P2X2 and/or P2X3 subunits by whole-cell recording of L6–S2 dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons and by multi-unit recording of pelvic afferents of the colorectum. In wildtype DRG neurons, ATP evoked transient, sustained or mixed (biphasic) inward currents. Transient currents were absent in P2X3−/− neurons, whereas sustained currents were absent in P2X2−/− DRG neurons. Neither transient nor sustained currents were observed following application of ATP or α,β-methylene ATP (α,β-meATP) in P2X2/P2X3Dbl−/− DRG neurons. 5-HT was found to induce a fast inward current in 63% of DRG neurons from wildtype mice, which was blocked by tropisetron, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist. The percentage of DRG neurons responding to 5-HT was significantly increased in P2X 2−/−, P2X3−/− and P2X2/P2X3Dbl−/− mice, and the amplitude of 5-HT response was significantly increased in P2X2/P2X3Dbl−/− mice. The pelvic afferent response to colorectal distension was attenuated in P2X2/P2X3Dbl−/− mice, but the response to serosal application of 5-HT was enhanced. Furthermore, tropisetron resulted in a greater reduction in pelvic afferent responses to colorectal distension in the P2X2/P2X3Dbl−/− preparations. These data suggest that P2X receptors containing the P2X2 and/or P2X3 subunits mediate purinergic activation of colorectal afferents and that 5-HT signalling in pelvic afferent neurons is up-regulated in mice lacking P2X2 or P2X3 receptor genes. This effect is more pronounced when both subunits are absent

Evaluation of a standard provision versus an autonomy promotive exercise referral programme: rationale and study design

Background The National Institute of Clinical Excellence in the UK has recommended that the effectiveness of ongoing exercise referral schemes to promote physical activity should be examined in research trials. Recent empirical evidence in health care and physical activity promotion contexts provides a foundation for testing the utility of a Self Determination Theory (SDT) -based exercise referral consultation. Methods/Design Design: An exploratory cluster randomised controlled trial comparing standard provision exercise on prescription with a Self Determination Theory-based (SDT) exercise on prescription intervention. Participants: 347 people referred to the Birmingham Exercise on Prescription scheme between November 2007 and July 2008. The 13 exercise on prescription sites in Birmingham were randomised to current practice (n=7) or to the SDT-based intervention (n=6). Outcomes measured at 3 and 6-months: Minutes of moderate or vigorous physical activity per week assessed using the 7-day Physical Activity Recall; physical health: blood pressure and weight; health status measured using the Dartmouth CO-OP charts; anxiety and depression measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and vitality measured by the subjective vitality score; motivation and processes of change: perceptions of autonomy support from the advisor, satisfaction of the needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness via physical activity, and motivational regulations for exercise. Discussion This trial will determine whether an exercise referral programme based on Self Determination Theory increases physical activity and other health outcomes compared to a standard programme and will test the underlying SDT-based process model (perceived autonomy support, need satisfaction, motivation regulations, outcomes) via structural equation modelling. Trial registration The trial is registered as Current Controlled trials ISRCTN07682833

Constructing and evaluating a continent‐wide migratory songbird network across the annual cycle

Determining how migratory animals are spatially connected between breeding and non‐breeding periods is essential for predicting the effects of environmental change and for developing optimal conservation strategies. Yet, despite recent advances in tracking technology, we lack comprehensive information on the spatial structure of migratory networks across a species’ range, particularly for small‐bodied, long‐distance migratory animals. We constructed a migratory network for a songbird and used network‐based metrics to characterize the spatial structure and prioritize regions for conservation. The network was constructed using year‐round movements derived from 133 archival light‐level geolocators attached to Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) originating from 12 breeding sites across their North American breeding range. From these breeding sites, we identified 10 autumn stopover nodes (regions) in North America, 13 non‐breeding nodes located around the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, Florida, and the Caribbean, and 136 unique edges (migratory routes) connecting nodes. We found strong migratory connectivity between breeding and autumn stopover sites and moderate migratory connectivity between the breeding and non‐breeding sites. We identified three distinct “communities” of nodes that corresponded to western, central, and eastern North American flyways. Several regions were important for maintaining network connectivity, with South Florida and Louisiana as the top ranked non‐breeding nodes and the Midwest as the top ranked stopover node. We show that migratory songbird networks can have both a high degree of mixing between seasons yet still show regionally distinct migratory flyways. Such information will be crucial for accurately predicting factors that limit and regulate migratory songbirds throughout the annual cycle. Our study highlights how network‐based metrics can be valuable for identifying overall network structure and prioritizing specific regions within a network for conserving a wide variety of migratory animals

The state of the Martian climate

60°N was +2.0°C, relative to the 1981–2010 average value (Fig. 5.1). This marks a new high for the record. The average annual surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly for 2016 for land stations north of starting in 1900, and is a significant increase over the previous highest value of +1.2°C, which was observed in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Average global annual temperatures also showed record values in 2015 and 2016. Currently, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of lower latitudes