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After the Byzantine reconquest of North Africa, many young educated North Africans settled in Constantinople to integrate the Byzantine administration. Junillus Africanus, a North African jurist, became Emperor Justinian’s main legal counselor. As the Questor of the Palace, in charge of writing laws, he was one of the most influential figures in the Empire.
Junillus Africanus was born in North Africa during the Vandal era. His exact birthplace is unknown. He grew up in a context characterized by tension between the indigenous North African population, who spoke Latin and were Catholic Christians, and the Vandal invaders who were seeking to impose their Arian doctrine. He knew Fulgentius of Ruspe, as attested by the correspondence between this bishop and a woman from his family.
Nothing is known of his education, but he probably studied law and rhetoric, maybe in Carthage. He was also highly knowledgeable in Christian theology.
After the Byzantine reconquest of North Africa, he left his native region for a career in Constantinople. In the Imperial capital, he made himself known to the Emperor Justinian, who appreciated his talent. At the same time, he discovered the Eastern Christian tradition, which was still little known in the West. This discovery enabled him to deepen his own theological thought. He was particularly influenced by the bishop and theologian Theodore of Mopsuestia.
In 542, he was named “Questor of the Sacred Palace”, a prestigious function that made him the Emperor’s main legal advisor, in charge of writing laws. He kept this function until his death in 549. His mandate was marked by territorial reconquest, important administrative reforms and religious controversies, like the “Three Chapters Controversy”.
The Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea wrote that Junillus was highly versed in Latin letters, but that he spoke Greek, the official language of the Byzantine Empire, very poorly, which was a problem in his function. Procopius also describes Junillus as a greedy and corrupt man, who sold imperial decrees. This description should not be taken at face value: it illustrates the Byzantine elite’s hostility to a provincial newcomer more than historical truth.
Even at the height of his responsibilities, Junillus remained very interested in theology. He even wrote a theological treatise, which he dedicated to Bishop Primasius of Hadrumetum (Sousse), whom he met in 542, when a delegation of North African bishops visited Constantinople. At this meeting, Primasius, impressed by his knowledge of Greek Christian thought, asked him who he believed was the greatest Eastern theologian. Junillus Africanus answered that it was Paul the Persian, a Syriac theologian from the School of Nisibis, who lived at the court of the Emperor of Persia. Primasius then asked him to write a book in Latin to introduce the West to this theologian.
Junillus’ theological treatise is a translation and an adaptation of Paul the Persian’s biblical exegesis. The author explains that he himself took part in a remarkable course by Paul the Persian on the Epistle to the Romans, and that he took notes, but that his heavy work load didn’t allow him to put order into his notes. He probably took part in this course before he was named Questor. Junillus’ book, later promoted by Cassiodorus whom Junilllus met in Constantinople, played a major role in familiarizing Western theologians with Eastern theological thought.
