Byzantium had some interesting history. They certainly did keep the edomites at bay with those rules though I think some cryptos may have actually ruled it from time to time. The secret history by procopius is about justinian, theodora and belasarius, written by an attendant of belasarius. if the stuff in that book is true they were either cryptos or outright Satan worshipers. It basically reads like the story of the democratic party today. It just goes on and on about the debauchery of those three and how they basically tried to destroy the empire on purpose.