60 Chapter 1 to safeguard the purity and dignity of monks, which Justinian regarded as vital for the wellbeing of the state.208 According to the Novel, the responsibility for maintaining the dignity of monks lies not by the monks themselves. Justinian ends the Novel with the prescription that bishops and archimandrites should prevent monks from transferring to a different monastery, in order to upkeep monastic venerability (μοναχικὴν σεμνότητα).209 The Novel changes perspective from mobile monks to monastic leaders when stating that accepting monks from another monastery is not appropriate (προσῆκον … μὴ) for hegumens. From the perspective of the monastic leader it is not appropriate to accept the monk. The Novel thus propagates the idea that the monastic leader is responsible for the appropriate behaviour of monks and for safeguarding monastic dignity (τὴν μοναχικὴν σεμνότητα), possibly referring both to the venerable status of monks in society as well as to the spiritual integrity of the monks themselves. Another Novel is sometimes also cited in support of an ideal of stabilitas loci, namely Novel 133.1:210 […] πρῶτον μὲν μὴ πολλὰς εἶναι τὰς εἰς τὸ μοναστήριον εἰσόδους, ἀλλὰ μίαν ἢ δύο τυχόν, ἐφεστάναι τε τῇ πυλίδι ἄνδρας γεγηρακότας καὶ σώφρονας καὶ μεμαρτυρημένους ἐξ ἁπάντων. Οἵπερ οὔτε τοῖς εὐλαβεστάτοις μοναχοῖς συγχωρήσουσι χωρὶς τῆς τοῦ ἡγουμένου γνώμης ἐκφοιτᾶν ἐκ τοῦ μοναστηρίου, ἀλλ’ εἴσω τούτους καθέξουσι τὰ πρὸς θεὸν ζηλοῦντας καὶ μὴ διασπῶντας ἑαυτούς, μήτε τὰς πράξεις μήτε τὰς ἐπιτηδεύσεις, οὔτε ἑτέρους τινὰς γενέσθαι κατὰ τὸ μοναστήριον νύκτωρ τε καὶ μεθ’ ἡμέραν ἐάσουσιν, οἵπερ οὐκ ὀρθὴν μένειν τὴν τῶν εὐλαβεστάτων μοναχῶν παρασκευάσουσι δόξαν. Ἔστω δὲ ἀκριβεῖ θριγκίῳ περιπεφραγμένον τὸ μοναστήριον, ὥστε μηδεμίαν ἔξοδον ἀλλαχόθεν πλὴν ἢ διὰ τῶν πυλίδων εἶναι.211 Firstly, there should not be several entrances to the monastery, but only one or perhaps two, with men in charge of the wicket-gate who are advanced in age, of good moral character and well-attested by all, who will not permit the most reverend monks to go outside the monastery without the consent of the hegumen, but will keep them enclosed and zealous for their religion, not distracting themselves in either their actions or their pursuits; and, night and day, they will prevent the presence of others in the monastery who will cause the most reverend monks’ reputation not to remain upstanding. The monastery is to 208 Justinian, Novel 133 preamble. Also observed by Hatlie (2007), p. 28. 209 Which the Novel indicates complies with canon law (κατὰ τοὺς θείους κανόνας) Novel 3.2; This presumbably refers to the canon discussed above. 210 Auzépy (2009), par. 4; Booth (2014), p. 17 and note 45. 211 Justinian, Novel 133.1; in Scholl and Kroll (1959), p. 668.
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