Originally, his position was considered that of a successor to the old Muslim governors of Palermo, but the importance of Palermo as the capital of the county and permanent seat of the Norman court, one of the largest cities in Europe and a major trading port, made his position of national significance.
He was put in charge of the building of a navy and he received the titles of protonobilissimus and protonotary and was the president of the council of state.
[tone] In 1123, Christodulus led a naval expedition against the Mahdia, but it failed miserably.
He had appointed as his second-in-command George of Antioch, who was also a Greek, and the latter's brilliance in defeat began to overshadow the old emir.
Christodulus was never out of favour, but his influence declined considerably after that and he was out of power by 1127, when he last appears beside George and King Roger at Montescaglioso, and he probably died around that time as well.