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BARKER, E., Social and Political Thought in Byzantium. From Justinian I to the last Palaeologus. Passages from Byzantine writers and documents. Translated with an introduction and notes. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1957. 1st ed. XVI,239p. Original blue gilt titled cloth. ‘As Byzantine history becomes more widely known (…) classical scholars are in a position to appreciate more and more the vital role played by the classical tradition in providing a living source from which the national consciousness could draw enduring strength. Byzantine national pride in the intellectual and political achievements of Greece and Rome, and the ability of the classical tradition to absorb the new ethnic elements which came into the Empire, formed one of the well-recognised sources of the strength of Byzantium; and it was thanks to the preservation of the political tradition that our Greek heritage was transmitted to us. Sir Ernest Barker’s new book (…) makes it possible for the first time for English readers to find, within one volume, a representative collection of the documents which exemplify the continuity of the classical tradition in the Byzantine polity. Both secular and ecclesiastical sources are presented. Each translation is prefaces by an explanatory introduction in which, thanks to the editor’s learning and wit, the writer is recreated for us as a real person, or the legal code becomes a vivid piece of the life of the times, rather than a mere collection of laws. (…) The reader receives a very clear impression of the continuity and consistency of social and political views throughout Byzantine times. There was an ever-present sense of the unbroken link with the Greece and Rome of classical times, and the people of Byzantium were always keenly aware of their ancient roots and of the living quality of their heritage. (…) This sense of the responsibility for conserving and handing on the great tradition is also one of the basic characteristics of the Byzantine church (…). The books fills a real need. (…) It will serve both students and mature scholars as a valued source of information and will suggest new lines of study. (…) We must be grateful to Sir Ernest Barker for providing this stimulating addition to our teaching and research material.’ (GLANVILLE DOWNEY in Phoenix, 1959, pp.85-86). € 60.00 (Antiquarian)