The Byzantine world has often proven how distant the theoretically high values and ideals it emphasized were from their practical application and realization. One such value, in my opinion, was friendship.

The Byzantines, for a multitude of reasons examined in this book, which are not unrelated to the historical events of the time, on one hand praise friendship and on the other hand undermine it with their behavior. This reveals the significant gap between words and actions, as well as the underlying tendencies toward aversion from sincere friendship.

This is the era of the elevation of another friendship, that of friendship as a political connection, as a means of social restoration and validation. This role is what a friendly relationship is called to play in reality, beyond the unbearably sentimental letters that Byzantines send to each other, which reveal the emotional emptiness that dominates among the literate elite of Constantinople.

However, the gap between words and actions does not overshadow all interpersonal relationships. Through the examination of primary material, one can discover that feelings have not disappeared; they are preserved, however, not in friendship but in homosexuality.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]