Anastasius of Samaria

Who is Anastasius of Samaria?

Anastasius was a Byzantine official, active in the reign of Justin II. He held the positions of magister officiorum and quaestor sacri palatii. He seems to have died by the mid-570s.

Anastasius was a native of Samaria, as recorded by John of Ephesus. The same primary source calls Anastasius both a Samaritan and a Palestinian, presumably as geographic terms.

He is first mentioned as the subject of a panegyric composed by Flavius Cresconius Corippus. The poem is dated to late 565 or early 566. It describes Anastasius as holding the offices of magister officiorum and quaestor sacri palatii. This indicates that Anastasius had been appointed by Justin II, soon after the latter rose to the throne. He was presumably a loyal supporter or political ally of Justin. He probably succeeded Constantine as quaestor and Peter the Patrician as magister. Both men were long-serving ministers of Justinian I and Justin would want to replace them with his own loyalists.

By the time Corippus wrote In laudem Justini minoris, his 566 panegyric in honour of Justin II, Anastasius had been replaced as magister officiorum. His immediate successor was apparently Theodore "Kondocheres", a son of Peter the Patrician. On the other hand, Anastasius still held the position of quaestor into the 570s. Corripus keeps mentioning him as a quaestor in the second panegyric. John of Ephesus mentions him as the active quaestor in 571/572.