Cu toate că [[Biserica Ortodoxă a Constantinopolului]] şi-a păstrat cu tărie şi în mod constant caracterul de ''Biserică sobornicească şi apostolească'', unii împăraţi bizantini şi-au depăşit atribuţiile care le erau permise de biserică (atribuţii destul de importante, ca dreptul de a convoca [[Sinod Ecumenic|Sinoade Ecumenice]], confirmarea [[episcop]]ilor etc.).<ref>Edward Gibbon, ''Istoria declinului şi a prăbuşirii imperiului roman'', Editura Minerva, Bucureşti, 1976</ref>
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This was embodied in the Byzantine version of Christianity, which spread Orthodoxy and eventually led to the creation of the "[[Byzantine commonwealth]]" (a term coined by 20th-century historians) throughout Eastern Europe. Early Byzantine missionary work spread Orthodox Christianity to various Slavic peoples, where it still is a predominant religion. Such modern-day countries are Bulgaria, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Romania, and Ukraine; of course, it has also remained the official religion of the Greeks via the uninterrupted continuity of the [[Biserica Ortodoxă a Greciei|Biserica Greciei]]. Less well known is the influence of the Byzantine religious sensibility on the millions of Christians in Ethiopia, the [[Coptic]] Christians of Egypt, and the Christians of Armenia, though they all belong to the [[Oriental Orthodox]] (as opposed to the Byzantine [[Eastern Orthodox]]) faith.
Robert Byron, one of the first 20th century Philhellenes, argued that the greatness of [[Byzantium]] lay in what he described as "the Triple Fusion": that of a Roman body, a Greek mind and an oriental, mystical soul.
===Artele, arhitectura, literatura===
[[Image:Hagia_Sophia_no_minarets.jpg|right|thumb|340px|Biserica [[Sfânta Sofia (Constantinopol)]]]]
[[Byzantine Art]] and [[Byzantine Architecture]] were largely based around the Christian story and its heralds, and the importance of icons in Orthodox society. In terms of architecture, Byzantines emphasized the Dome, the arch and the Grecian cross lay out. It is evidenced today in countless examples of old Byzantine Churches with their traditional mosaics depicting Saints and figures from the Bible. Its impact was such that it spawned a [[Neo-Byzantine]] architectural revival in later years. Byzantine Art was also important in this respect, its impact on Orthodoxy can be witnessed across southeast Europe, Russia, the [[Holy Land]] and parts of the Middle East, but also in those areas of Turkey where it was allowed to survive.
The finest Byzantine literary works were Hymns and devotionals.<!--, especially those of...--> The other area where the Byzantines excelled was in practical writing. While rarely works of genius, a series of competent, diligent writers, both male and female, produced many works of practical value in the fields of public administration, military affairs, and the practical sciences. The early theological work of the Byzantines was important in the development of western thought. Historiography influenced later Russian chroniclers.
Most of the writing was in classical Greek. Vernacular literature developed much more slowly than in the west. There was little fiction, the best-known work being the epic poem Digenis Acritas, written in something approaching the vernacular. Much of the writing of the day was history, theology, biography, and hagiography. Many letters have survived, some work-a-day correspondence, a few minor masterpieces, as well as a few large encyclopedic works, such as the huge Suda. Perhaps the Byzantine empire's greatest contribution to literature was their careful preservation of the best works of the ancient world, as well as compilations of works on certain subjects, with certain revisions, most specifically in the fields of medicine and history.
==Moştenirea Imperiului Bizantin==
==Note bibliografice==