RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Probation Procopius
the University of Konigsberg; was made extraordinary professor at Greifswald in 1906, and ordinary professor in 1909. He has written Ueber die Blutrache bei den vorislamischen Arabern und Mohammeds Stellung zu ihr (Leipsic, 1899) ; Geschichtsbetrachtung und geschichtliche Ueberlieferung bei den vorexilischen Propheten (1902); Das nordhebraische Sagenbuch (1906); Johannes der Taufer (1907); and Studien zur Geschichte der Septuaginta (1910).
PROCLUS. See Neo-Platonism, III., § 3.
PROCOPIUS OF CSESAREA: Byzantine historian; b. at Csesarea in Palestine toward the close of the fifth century; d. probably after 562. After 527 he was the legal companion and secretary of Belisarius in the campaigns in Persia, Africa, and Italy, so that as an eye-witness he described in eight books the wars against the Persians, Vandals, and Goths. More important for ecclesiastical conditions were his six books, Peri ktismaton (De mdificiis Justiniani imperatoris, Paris, 1663, Eng. transl., On Justinian's Buildings, London, 1886); his Anecdota contain only scandals concerning Justinian, Theodora, Belisarius and his wife, and the entire court. Theologically he was orthodox; to him Christ was God, and Mary the mother of God. He was plainly disinclined to dogmatic partizanship, and Christian and classical elements appear unfused in his writings. As a historian he is of the highest importance. His works have been edited by L. Dindorf in CSHB (3 vols., Bonn., 1833-38) ; by J. Haury (3 vols., Leipsic, 1905-06) ; and there is an edition, with Italian translation, of the wars of the Goths by D. Comparetti (2 vols., Rome, 1895- 1896), and a German translation in Geschichtsschreiber der deutschen Vorzeit (6th year, vols, ii.-iii., by D. Costi, Leipsic, 1885). (N. Bonwetsch.)
Bibliography: F. Dahn, Prokop von Casarea, Berlin, 1885; L. von Ranke, Weltgeschichte, iv. 2, pp. 285 sqq., Leipsic, 1883; F. J. Hartmann, Vntersuchungen uber den Gebrauch des Modi in der Historien des Prokops, Regensburg, 1903; Krumbacher, Geschichte, pp. 230—236 (with fine list of helps) ; DCB, iv. 487-488.
PROCOPIUS OF GAZA: Christian rhetorician; b. in Gaza c. 465; d. there before 528. The school of rhetoric at Gaza was widely celebrated for its teachers, among whom were Mne&s (see ^Eneas of Gaza), and Procopius, " the Christian sophist." Of the latter's life little is known except that he spent it in the town of his birth, refusing calls to Antioch and Tyre. He is known to have carried on an extensive correspondence with contemporaries, and Choricius describes him as modest, unpretentious, and idealistic. His writings are partly rhetorical, partly exegetical. Of his speeches only one is extant — the bombastic encomium of the Emperor Anastasius I., probably written between 512 and 515. The description of the Church of St. Sophia and the lament over the falling of its cupola during an earthquake in 558 are not genuine. On account of the loss of so much of his work the more valuable is the possession of 162 letters, partly recommendations to pupils and others, partly on philosophical or rhetorical themes, which give insight into the ecclesiastical species of sophistics of the period. Among his exegetical works is his com-
mentary in the form of a Catena? (q.v., §§ 3, 7) on the Octateuch, in which the attempt has been made by Lindl (see bibliography below) to prove that the complete Hexaplar text as it was in the time of Procopius is in existence. It has been shown by Wendland, Klostermann, and Eisenhofer that Procopius drew upon Philo, Origen, Basil of Csesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, Apollinaris of Laodicea, and Cyril of Alexandria. The commentary on Kings and Chronicles is practically all from Theodoret. For Isaiah and the epitome of the Octateuch, Cyril, Eusebius of Csesarea, and Theodore of Heraclea are the sources. The best preserved is the commentary on the Song of Songs. The commentary on Proverbs is but an epitome by Procopius of his catena. His works, so far as they are preserved, are in MPG, Ixxxvii. 1-242; his letters are best found in Epistolographi Grceci, ed. R. Hercher, pp. 533-598 (Paris, 1873). (G. Keuger.)
Bibliography: The funeral oration of Choricius is in Boissonade, Choricii Gazasi Orationes . fragmenta, pp. 1— 24, Paris, 1846. Consult: L. Eisenhofer, Procopius von Gaza, Freiburg, 1897; T. Zahn, Forschungen zur Geschichte des neutestamentlichen Kanons, ii. 239—256, Leipsic, 1883; P. Wendland, Neuentdeckte Fragmente Philos, Berlin, 1891; E. Klostermann, Griechische Exzerpte aus Homilien des Origines, in TV, xii. 3 (1894), 1-12; E. Lindl, Die Oktateuchcatene des Prokop von Gaza, Munich, 1902; Ceillier, Auteurs sacres, xi. 176-180; DCB, iv. 486-487.
PROCOPIUS, ANDREAS, THE GREAT: Bohemian priest; b. in Bohemia about 1380; d. at Lipau, near Bohmisch-Brod (20 m. e. of Prague), May 30, 1434. On the death of Zizka, in 1424, he succeeded him as leader of the Hussite army. He was sprung from the lower nobility, and had been a follower of John Huss (see Huss, John, Hussites). As a priest he never bore arms; but he learned warfare under Zizka, and conducted campaigns with consummate skill. He was more of a statesman than Zizka, and his policy was to terrify Europe into peace with Bohemia. In 1426 he invaded Saxony, and defeated the Germans at Aussig. In 1427 he turned to flight a vast host of Crusaders at Tachau, and in 1431 he routed the forces of Germany at Tauss. These victories rendered inevitable the assembling of the Council of Basel. In Jan., 1433, Procopius and fourteen other Bohemian leaders came to Basel to confer with the council (see Basel, Council of). Bohemia, anxious to present a united front to the council, strove to reduce the town of Pilsen, which still held to Roman Catholicism. The siege did not succeed, a mutiny against Procopius arose in the army, and he retired from the management of affairs in Sept., 1433. Soon after this, the Bohemian Diet accepted the " compacts " of the council. The idea of peace spread rapidly; and a party in favor of the restoration of Sigismund as king of Bohemia began to form. Procopius roused himself to oppose the royalist league. In May, 1434, the royalist army met the Taborites, under Procopius, at Lipau, and after a desperate fight, he was defeated and killed.
Bibliography: Creighton, Papacy, ii. 188-262; F. Palacky, Geschichte von B ohmen, vol. hi., Prag, 1850; idem, Urkundliche Beitrage zur Geschichte des Hussitenkriegs, 1419-86, 2 vols., ib. 1873-74; C. Hofler, Geschichtsschreiber der hussitischen Bewegung, 3 vols., Vienna, 1856-66; E. H. Gillett, Life and Times of John Huss, vol. i. passim, Phila-
Procter Propaganda