Zur Selbstrepräsentation von Bischöfen des 3. und 4. Jahrhunderts in verbaler Kommunikation

Abstract

The self-representation of bishops in the third and fourth century AD is characterized by a high level of continuity. The transformation of the episcopal ministry,which results from the Constantinian shift, hardlymanifests itself here.The new fields of action in the public sphere neither lead to the establishment of new behavior patterns nor to any further need of legitimacy concerning the episcopate. So there is no need for a bishop to create or communicate a new imago.