Did Byzanthium Have a Concept of Human Dignity?

Concept of “dignitas humana” was first worked out by Cicero; however, due to dependence of the latter on Hellenic philosophy, there is no Greek prototype of this phrase. During the Byzantine era, on the other hand, there was a phrase “axia anthropine” and it appears to be a full analogue to “dignitas humana” but in reality it has a different meaning. The paper dwells upon the analysis of this phrase as well as “axioprepeia” term (also Byzantine) that correlates with the concept of “human dignity” in modern Greek language.

Scientific works have enough materials on the fate of “human dignity” on the Latin West (due to Thomas Aquinas and the Renaissance). However, Byzantine materials remain untouched. Everyone remembers a memorable paper by S. Averintsev Humiliation and human dignity. However, no one has yet posed a question of how theological postulates worked in everyday life.