A Do not marvel that while the water flowing into the sea is fresh and potable, this alone appears salt and undrinkable. For because of that smoky exhalation which is near it, and which, as it were, scorches and parches it, and imparts to it a salty quality, the salt water remains as a sort of residue. The water of rivers should indeed also appear salty, as it too experiences exhalations and is scorched; however, the continuous motion of it does not allow this. But that water, stagnating in a hollow place and remaining and standing by itself, is easily susceptible to the causes of saltiness. John Damascene confirms this view, saying: “The Ocean, being potable and very sweet, supplies water to the sea; yet, as it lingers and stands still and motionless, it becomes bitter, as the sun is always drawing up the finer part, even through siphons, whence clouds are formed and rains occur through the percolation, the water being sweetened.” Thus, also, the most divine Anastasius the Sinaite explains this matter in his *Hexaemeron*, saying: “The sea was sweet at the beginning and had a potable stream; but later, in time and by [the interaction of] the elements, it received this change.” For the sun, as has been said, by its own heat causes the sea to evaporate, and drawing up and lightening the sweeter part toward the air, it leaves the saltier and heavier part below. And that sea water is thicker than river water, the thing itself demonstrates; for in rivers ships bearing a heavy load cannot sail, but in the sea they are carried easily because of the underlying thickness. B There is no reason for you to wonder that the waters flowing into the sea are fresh and drinkable, while the sea itself is bitter and of no use for drinking. For because of that smoky exhalation which is in it, which as it were draws out the fumes and burns the sea, and imparts to it an C amarulent quality, the saltish water is left behind like a sort of sediment. And the riverine water would surely be rendered salty as well, since it too is affected by exhalations and is burned; but the perpetual motion of it does not allow this. But the sea, stagnating in a hollow place and remaining and standing apart by itself, easily admits the causes of saltiness. Our reasoning is confirmed by John Damascene when he says: “The Ocean, which is otherwise potable and sweet, supplies water to the sea. But when it persists for a long time in one place and is not moved, it becomes bitter, the sun, of course, perpetually drawing up what is finer, and likewise by certain siphons, whence clouds exist and rains are produced, the water having been sweetened by a certain percolation.” In the same way, Anastasius the Sinaite explains this matter in his commentary on the works of the first six days. D “The sea,” he says, “was sweet in the beginning and contained a potable liquid; but subsequently, by the lapse of time and the elements themselves, it received this change which we now experience. For the sun, by its heat, creates certain exhalations of the sea, and drawing upward the sweeter part and lifting it into the air, leaves behind what is heavy and saltier; and that the water of the sea is thicker than river waters, the fact itself teaches. For in rivers, heavily laden ships cannot be carried, whereas the sea bears them quite lightly due, clearly, to its thickness.”
In addition to these things, you must also know this: that all waters, both fountain and well waters, have their beginnings from the sea. For the land neighboring the sea is porous and has underground channels, having, as it were, certain veins through which it receives water from the sea and sends forth springs. Therefore, according to the quality of the earth, the water of the springs also rises. Hence, there are waters that are acidic, or oily, or ash-colored, and all such things; for they all partake of the quality from the earth through which they pass and rise. Thus, also, warm waters, passing through fiery earth, as the great Basil says, or being compressed and broken through by force, draw their heat from thence. Furthermore, great springs occur in mountains for this reason: that the drawing and exhalation from the depths reaches even to the very summit of the mountain, especially if the mountain happens to be porous and suited for this attraction. Then, the water flowing down from here and there, and collecting in some place, bursts the earth there and thus issues forth with force. And the spring is perennial because the sun’s attraction from the depths is continuous. The greatest of the mountains bear witness to this argument: Caucasus, Parnassus, Pyrene, and such like; for therefrom the mightiest rivers arise, having sprung from great fountains. And what
so that it might be a vehicle for that first-born light. For just as fire is one thing and a lamp is another—the former having the power of giving light, while the latter was made to provide light for those in need—so now (on the fourth day, that is) the luminaries were prepared to be vehicles for that most pure light, which is separated from all dense matter.
Not long after, the same Basil speaks to this point: "And let the sun," says Moses, "be for the rule of the day." And how, he asks, does the sun have the rule of the day? Because, carrying the light within itself, as soon as it passes the horizon, it provides us with the day, having dissipated the darkness; and one would not be greatly mistaken in defining day as the air illuminated by the sun. In these words, this exceptional man shows quite clearly that only light-receptacles B were fashioned on the fourth day, and not light itself. These were indeed produced to receive that first light and to shine upon the earth. God did this, as Theodoret relates, in order that the first-born light, being divided into small and great luminaries, might emit a radiance commensurate with the eyes of living creatures. For had this not been so, creatures endowed with eyes would not have been able to endure the excessive brightness of the light. The same great Basil confirms these things, saying: "The sun itself is truly beautiful—that is, the solar disk—in which, as in a lamp, that first-born light was deposited; but it is beautiful also because of its moderation; for neither does the fire, because of that light's subtlety, pass through and burn up all things, nor does it, because of its density, transmit a duller efficacy toward us."
As for the time before the fourth day, that is, before the disks of the stars were created, as that philosopher C and witness of Christ, Justin, says—with the rest of the assembly of the Fathers in agreement—the light, being diffused everywhere throughout the air, neither moved with a steady motion nor defined the boundaries of the day; but, being gathered together, it gave way to the night. "And there was," as Scripture says, "evening and morning, one day." But when it was later joined to the solar disk, it perfectly fulfills the course of the day's hours through the body of the sun; and from this, the sun rising makes the day, while setting under the earth, it becomes the cause of the night. For this night is nothing else but the shadow of the earth, as the sun passes under the earth. This darkness was called "night" [νύξ] because it "stings" [νύττει] sleeping man, and, as it were, says to him: "Learn, O man, that being mortal, you are a slave to sleep." That night is a kind of stinging D is also shown by the prophet David, saying: "What you say in your hearts, be stung on your beds." According to these [reasonings], light, being something gentle and pleasant, is called "day" [ἡμέρα] because it makes all things "tame" [ἡμεροῦν]—whence also the domesticated animals are called "tame" [ἥμερα] for this reason.
B some might call the birth of four-winged fledglings and of four-footed creatures—this happens, and for those who are ignorant of the cause, such things excite great amazement; yet it is not so for those who participate in reason. In this same way, one might see a two-headed snake and all such things as are full of wonder; but do not you be troubled because of these, nor introduce the rays of malignant stars on their account. Leave them to be vain about their vanities. For in all these cases the cause is clear. If twin and triplet infants were not born, you might have something to say; but since you see such things happening almost daily, there is nothing at all novel if twins are often born conjoined and not separated from the maternal womb.
C Furthermore, that one might foresee and, even if obscurely, conjecture about the future from certain signs—this we admit without contradiction. For we have no power to contend further against matters so self-evident. Even if man sinned in paradise, and even if he lost the prophetic grace given to him entirely, yet the all-merciful God did not permit him to be compared completely to senseless beasts. For which reason He provides him certain signs to see beforehand at times the things to come, and from thence to secure safety for himself. And why is there need to say much? The comets appearing in the air are constituted by natural reason, yet they announce the deaths of kings or illustrious persons, as the great and heaven-shining Basil said. But such things are also at times indicators of droughts or winds, even if they seem to be stars, while they are not. For how could they be? Since they are constituted, yet do not remain; for the matter being consumed by the fire, of which the comet is composed, of necessity it also is extinguished and dissolves. D But then, what is its generation and whence did it take its beginning? It is drawn up from the smoky and dry exhalation as far as the moon itself because of its lightness, being smoke in its essence, but flame in its power. For which reason Aristotle called this a "fuel," that is, a remitted fire; for smoke is indeed hot, but nonetheless it is not fire acting by itself. It is ignited when moved about by the rotation of the universe. Yet it is not seen during the day because of the radiance of the sun, but at night such things become manifest. When, therefore, a part of the fuel is ignited due to motion, if it does not encounter other substances suitable for ignition, it is more quickly extinguished; but when moving, it happens upon some thick matter, it takes hold there; and so such matter being ignited through and through is called a "goat" and a "comet." For by scintillating it seems to have a certain mane hanging down and to be heavy with what looks like tufts of hair like those of goats; and for this reason such a phantom has been named a "comet." This comet is sometimes also of many days' duration, [alt-version omitted]
A because the subject matter is sufficient for a long-lasting inflammation. From the same cause there also arises that fire which is seen to fall from heaven on clear nights, and which some of the more unsophisticated consider to be a heavenly star, although those who are occupied with such matters call such a phantom a "shooting star." For when that which has been kindled by motion encounters matter suitable for ignition, and then from this, as the flame is carried from one thing to another, the fire becomes transmissible and is extended in the shape of a spear, such a thing is named a "shooting star" according to the visible shapes, and they fulfill the denominations for the phantoms.
God therefore set these things in heaven as signs, as has been said, so that from them no ordinary security might accrue to us. For behold how even clouds, when they sometimes appear similar to tufts of wool, occasionally portend storms. But also the rainbow—that is, the arc which is seen in the heavens—does not present itself to our eyes simply and by chance; for when it appears during storm weather it brings on a serene condition, but if it should appear when the weather is clear, it signifies the opposite, a storm. For it says, He set these things for signs. But the rainbow lacks its own peculiar essence; it is merely an imaginary species of the beholding vision, arising from the sun striking into clouds of dissimilar parts. B And the appearance of the moon is likewise entirely an appearance, not an essence, arising from the refraction of the vision.
However, the lightning fire does have an essence, yet it does not have the power to burn; for the substance of it is of fine parts. And it passes by bodies quickly, whence it neither burns nor blackens them. For even if such a lightning bolt is fire and has the power of burning by nature, yet its thinness, and furthermore its speed, not lingering in bodies, leaves them unburnt. But the *prester* [whirlwind], as the name itself also indicates, scorches the bodies it encounters. And it scorches because it drags along with itself from the cloud a thicker substance, and inflames it. A wind precedes this *prester*. And it is clear from the fact that the things about to be burnt are first rent by a wind; for the wind of the *prester*, being sulfurous, strikes and rents. For this reason even the things struck by lightning remain separated for some time.
However, my son, consider that the lightning—that is, the fire of the lightning itself—happens either by the collision of the clouds or by "ecpyrenism" [expression], when, that is to say, an igneous essence falling into the clouds is forcibly expelled from there, being cast out and, so to speak, pushed by the cloud itself. C For "ecpyrenism" is a kind of ejaculation made by compression, just as we also, when we compress olive pits with our fingers, cast them either up or down. And such is the lightning which comes about by "ecpyrenism," when especially the thickness of the cloud D, having been condensed from above, does not allow the substance that has fallen into it to pass through and rise toward its own place.
A He set these as signs and for seasons. It is worthwhile for you to pay attention here to the great Basil, for in his sixth homily on the Hexaemeron he says these things regarding the observation of the stars: "Observation of the luminaries is necessary for human life, provided that one does not inquire into signs from them beyond measure. For many things regarding the lack of rain can be learned, and many things regarding droughts and the movement of winds, whether partial or universal, violent or gentle. For even the Lord handed down to us one of the things indicated by the sun, saying that there will be a storm, for the sky is red and gloomy. For when the rising occurs through a mist, the rays of the sun are dimmed, and it appears coal-like and blood-colored in appearance, as the thickness of the air produces this image for the eyes. But also when the moon is surrounded by a halo, it proclaims either a large amount of moisture in the air or a violent movement of the south wind. And when the sun is surrounded by what are called haloes, or what they name parhelia, when they rotate together with the course of the sun, critical signs of certain events occur; just as also the rays that appear in the clouds, fashioned in the color of the rainbow, indicate storms and excessive tempests, or generally a very great change in the air. B Many things also concerning the waxing or waning moon have been observed as significant by those who have spent time on these things, since the air around the earth necessarily changes along with its phases. For when it is thin about the third day and clear, it promises steady fair weather, but when it appears thick at the horns and reddish, it threatens heavy water from the clouds or a violent movement of the south wind. No one is ignorant of how much benefit for life is provided by the notation from these things. For look at how even those sailing look to the stars to travel an accurate path and, paying attention to their position, steer the vessel. Since the nature of the waters does not retain tracks, by which travelers might pay attention and make their journey without doubt, God gave to those crossing great seas the position of the stars as if they were tracks of maritime paths. And so, this is the opinion of the holy Fathers concerning these matters."
C But when you hear it said, "He set them as signs and for seasons," note alongside it what is taught by Basil. For in his homily on the six-day works, the sixth one, he brings forward certain things of this kind concerning the observation of the stars. "The observations of the luminaries are necessary for human life, unless one inquires into their signs beyond measure and more curiously than is proper. For it is permitted to learn much about rain storms from these, much about the agitation of droughts and winds, whether particular or universal, violent or mild. Indeed, one of the things that the sun is accustomed to show is handed down by the Lord himself, when he says: "There will be a storm, because the sky is red and gloomy" (Matth. XVI, 3). For when certain exhalations with haze tend upwards, the rays of the sun are obscured, and the sun itself appears rutilant like a coal and similar in appearance to blood, the thickness of the air causing this effect in the eyes. Just as often as the moon is surrounded by misty humors, it threatens either a quantity of rain in the air or a violent commotion of the south wind. When haloes (as they are called) surround the sun, signs of certain occurrences of the air exist. D Likewise, the rods which imitate the color of the rainbow and are seen directly in the clouds portend immeasurable showers and tempests, or entirely a long-lasting change of the air. Beyond these, those who are students of these matters have observed many things in the waxing or waning moon, from which certain indications can be gathered, because the air adjacent to the earth is also changed along with the forms of that star. For if it is thin and pure on the third day, it promises lasting serenity: but if it appears thick and reddish towards the extremities, it threatens either much water from the clouds or a more violent blowing of the south wind. But no one is ignorant of how much utility the indication of these things brings to human life. For even those who navigate, looking to the stars, institute a straight path and, having regard for their position, direct their vessel. Since the nature of waters is so constituted that no tracks remain in them, by observing which those making journeys by sea might proceed without doubt, God has conceded to those who traverse the wide seas the position of the stars as if they were the tracks of marine paths. And so, this is the sentiment of the holy Fathers concerning these things. But certain others, misinterpreting that Mosaic saying which has been discussed by us, teach that all human affairs are managed and conducted through the mixture and distance of the stars, deriving prosperity and adversity from thence, and simply everything whatsoever that happens unexpectedly to the lives of mortals on each day. But do not you, beloved child, allow yourself to be persuaded by such considerations, unless you wish for the stars to be found to be unjust for that reason, since they make some people fornicators, others adulterers, and others again murderers and robbers. But even before the stars, God himself, their maker, would be found to be unjust, threatening the fire of Gehenna and the outer darkness to sinners. But it is not...
The other kind of lightning is born from clouds colliding with one another. For it is the rupture that produces the lightning, the cloud being violently torn apart; and at that moment, like a bag that has been burst, the rain is sent down. The very sound of this rupture generates the thunder. Yet in that case, the cloud must first be rent for the lightning to be seen, whereas we perceive the fire first. The cause of this is the structure of the ears and the eyes. For our eyes, being in immediate contact with the air, perceive the visible object more quickly, whereas the gelatinous passage shaped like a seashell, which is placed before our ears, admits the sound slowly. Our Creator, God, fashioned this passage in a seashell-like shape so that our brain might not be seriously harmed by the sudden falling upon us of either gravel or cold air. And if the lightning bursts from a very dry cloud, it is of a crimson hue and its essence is fiery, but if from a moister cloud, it has a white color and is not very scorching. Thus, as has been said from above, the Maker and Lord of all set even the stars, both the fixed and the wandering, for signs and for seasons. But one who is possessed of reason would never say that they have lordship over the virtues and vices that depend upon us, especially after having heard God speaking through the prophet: "If you are willing and obey me, you shall eat the good things of the earth" (Isa. 1, 19). For by saying "If you are willing," He clearly showed that each one of us is free, and that as acknowledged, everyone is by nature master of his own actions.
B You must also know, my beloved, in addition to what has been said above, that those who say that the sun does not pass beneath the earth after its setting, but that it makes its passage sideways to the east and from there goes again to enlighten the earth, will be judged as saying things not acceptable to those who think rightly, unless perhaps they are prompted to say such things according to a plan of economy. For if night is nothing else but the shadow of the earth, as the sun passes beneath the earth, as John Damascene says, C how then can deep night follow the day, while the sun, according to them, is turning very close to us, and beams are consequently falling to us and enlightening the parts near the earth? And if you are not persuaded by these words, be persuaded by the facts themselves. In the island of Britain the day has a length of eighteen hours, while the night has six. And it is not only six hours long, but also its darkness is not very deep, being of such a kind as what we call twilight. For the rays of the sun fall upon them. For what reason? Because even during those nights the sun D revolves very close to them because of its very short
part which sinks beneath the earth. And those of the Britons who are most keen-sighted see clearly during the night and encompass almost everything with their eyes. Learn therefore from this that if, in our own climate, the sun did not pass beneath the earth, but revolved as close to us as it does there, the night would truly not be night, nor would its darkness be very deep, but rather such as the discourse has already indicated, insofar as the earth would not block the solar rays at all. For night is nothing else but the shadowing of the earth, as the great Basil says. Therefore, if the sun were not passing under the earth, but revolving nearby, as was said above, it would be utterly impossible for the night to be profound. And what need is there to say much and to enumerate things one by one? Since the earth is spherical and suspended in the middle of all things, the sun rises and sets differently for different people, and from this it makes the days and nights equal for some, and unequal for others. Do not marvel if the night is six hours long among the Britons, where for others—those for whom the northern or southern pole is raised to such a height that they have one of them overhead—the entire inhabited region is shaded because of the sun’s revolution around them, and their yearly cycle is likewise divided into one day and one night, so that for them the day is six months long and the night is of equal length. And so much for these things.
But I know, beloved, that you inquire also about this along with the other matters: B Why, you ask, was that primal light diffused for three days, but on the fourth day was divided among the luminaries, namely the sun, the moon, and the remaining stars? But do not investigate the divine texts too curiously, since we are not able to satisfy your desire for learning on these points. Know, therefore, that God brought forth that pure and immaterial light, but not the disk itself, that we might learn from this of what works He is the creator, and that by learning this we might admire the master artisan, God, all the more; for from the greatness and beauty of the creatures, the wisdom and power of the Creator are understood. But later He deposited such light into a disk, so that the ray springing forth from it, being shaded by the disk, might be made proportionate; for animal creatures possessing eyes could not have borne [the direct light], as Theodoret says somewhere. But this the discourse has run through for you according to history.
C If, however, you wish to interpret the Mosaic and divine texts at a higher level, so as to learn for what reason that light was diffused everywhere for three days, and was afterwards deposited in the luminaries, you have the most divine Anastasius allegorizing such things. The light, then, of the three preceding days, concerning which holy Scripture speaks D
matter is sufficient for a long-lasting inflammation. From the same cause there also arises that fire which is seen to slip down from the sky on clear nights, which some of the more unsophisticated consider to be a celestial star, although men experienced in these disciplines call its appearance a "trajection" (shooting star). For whenever that which is kindled by motion encounters materials suitable for the conception of fire, and then the flame is carried from one material to another and spreads further, the fire extended into the shape of a spear becomes what they call a "trajection." We are accustomed to assigning names to such sights in proportion to the shapes in which they are seen.
B Consequently, God placed these things in the heaven, as has been said, that they might be signs to us from which we might gather no ordinary methods of securing ourselves. For look at the clouds for me, which, when they are seen to be like the fleeces of wool, for the most part portend rainy storms. And also the iris, that bow which we see in the heaven, does not offer itself to our eyes simply or by chance; but when seen in rainy weather, it brings serenity with it, and when the weather is serene, it signals rain. For God set these as signs.
C Indeed, as was said, God placed these things that are in the heaven as signs, that from them no common security might come to us. For see that the clouds, appearing at times similar to the fleeces of sheep, sometimes signify winters. But also the iris, that is to say the bow that appears in the heaven, is not presented to our eyes simply and as it happens; for when it appears in winter, it brings in a fair state of weather, but if it should appear when there is fair weather, it signals the contrary, a winter. And He set these, he says, as signs. But the iris is without substance, and is merely a fantasy of the seeing eye, consisting of the sun falling upon clouds of disparate components. D And the appearance that occurs around the moon altogether is likewise, for it does not have substance, but comes from the refraction of vision. But the lightning fire has substance, yet it does not possess a burning quality; for its substance is of fine parts. And it passes by bodies quickly, which is why it neither burns nor blackens them. For even if such a bolt is fire and has the power of burning by nature, yet its subtlety, and also its swiftness—not lingering upon bodies—leaves them unburnt. But the *prester* (whirlwind), as the name itself signifies, burns up the bodies it encounters. And it burns because it pulls along with itself from the cloud a somewhat thicker matter, and inflames this. A wind also precedes this *prester*. And this is clear because the things that are about to be set on fire are first rent by the wind; for the breath of the *prester*, being sulphurous, has the power of striking and breaking. Thus, beloved, consider that the lightning—that is, the fire of the lightning itself—happens either by the collision of the clouds or by "ecpyrenism" (ejaculation by compression), when a certain fiery substance falling into clouds is forcefully broken out from there, being thrown and, so to speak, pushed by the cloud itself. For ecpyrenism is that which happens by compression; it is a shooting-forth, as when we also, by pressing the pits of olives with our fingers, shoot them either upwards or downwards. And such is the lightning that occurs by ecpyrenism, whenever the thickness of the cloud, having been condensed from above, does not allow the substance that has fallen into it to pass through and go up to its place.
A with these words: “And God said, Let there be light, and there was light,” which was spread over the whole universe, represents to us the light of the uncreated Trinity, reaching everywhere as something unlimited. But when it was set inside the disk—which was dark at first, but later bright because of the union—it was prefiguring the economy of the Incarnation. For us, who were dark by sin, He enlightened through the unification according to hypostasis, just as He had previously illuminated the universe by a singular light. On the fourth day, however, He flooded all things with a triple light, when, that is, the Sun, Christ, rose. For that singular light was a type of the monarchy of the Godhead, while this triple light was, in turn, a type of the three hypostases. This is the sun of whom Solomon says: “The sun rises” (that is, Christ) “upon the earth, and the sun sets” (that is, He withdraws to the tomb), “and again he returns to his place” (Ps. CXVII, 20). And from the sun, light is supplied to the moon, because the Church and all the saints are illuminated by Christ, the intellectual Sun; for “of his fullness,” he says, “we all have received” (John 1, 16). Behold, you have the events of the fourth day, even if not according to your desire, certainly due to our own weakness.
FIFTH DAY. On the fifth day, He brings forth the fish of the sea and the birds of the heaven. And first, it is worth inquiring regarding these why fish perish when separated from water. It is because they do not have respiration so as to draw in this air; but what air is to land animals, water is to the race of swimming creatures. The reason is evident: in us, the lungs are situated—a porous and multi-channelled organ—which, through the expansion of the chest, receives the air and rouses and cools the heat within us; in them, the expansion and contraction B of the gills, receiving the water and passing it through, fulfills the role of respiration. Know also this: that no fish at all is half-equipped with teeth, as the ox and sheep are among us; for nothing ruminates among them, unless some record that the parrotfish does. But all are densely packed with very sharp-edged teeth, so that their food might not slip away through protracted chewing. For it was bound—if it were not sharply cut and sent into the stomach—to be dissipated by the water during the process of breaking down. But if you also ask for what reason fish are carried through the Propontis into the Euxine like some current, they themselves almost shout that they are undertaking this long journey for the preservation of their race. They lack individual reason, but they have the law of nature firmly implanted and know what must be done. C
A TABLE OF MICHAEL GLYCAS
A Concerning Mahomet the pseudo-prophet. Concerning the reign of Constantine Pogonatus. Concerning the reign of Justinian the Slit-nosed. Concerning the reign of Leontius. Concerning the reign of Tiberius Apsimarius. Concerning the reign of Theodosius. Concerning the reign of Leo the Isaurian. Concerning a fornicator and a merciful man. Concerning a virgin defiled by the Emperor Zeno. Concerning an excommunicated monk. Concerning an excommunicated presbyter. Concerning the reign of Constantine Copronymus. Concerning the reign of Leo the Khazar. Concerning the dog. Concerning the reign of Constantine, son of Irene. Concerning the reign of Nicephorus. Concerning the reign of Michael Rangabe. Concerning Bardanes. Concerning the reign of Leo the Armenian. Concerning the reign of Michael the Stammerer. Concerning the reign of Theophilus the Iconoclast. Concerning the patriarch Methodius. Concerning the reign of Michael the Drunkard. Concerning the reign of Basil the Macedonian. Concerning the reign of Leo the Wise. Concerning the reign of Alexander. Concerning the reign of Constantine. Concerning the reign of Romanus Lacapenus. Concerning the reign of Nicephorus Phocas. Concerning the reign of John Tzimiskes. Concerning the reign of Basil Porphyrogenitus. Concerning the reign of Constantine. Concerning the reign of Romanus Argyropulus. Concerning the reign of Michael the Paphlagonian. Concerning the reign of Michael Calaphates. Concerning the reign of Constantine Monomachus. Concerning the Empress Theodora. Concerning the reign of Michael Stratioticus. Concerning the reign of Isaac Comnenus. Concerning the reign of Constantine Ducas the Magistrate. Concerning the reign of Romanus Diogenes. Concerning the reign of Michael Parapinaces. Concerning the reign of Nicephorus Botaniates. Concerning the reign of Alexius Comnenus, who left his son John as successor. D
THE END OF THE TABLE OF THE ANNALS OF MICHAEL GLYCAS THE SICILIAN, PREFIXED TO THE CODEX MS. OF THE LIBRARY OF THE ARCH-MONASTERY OF THE CISTERCIAN ORDER, BY THE PRINCE, JOANNA BAPTISTE BORBONIA, COMMUNICATED MOST GENEROUSLY BY THE MOTHER SUPERIOR OF THE WHOLE ORDER.
is brought around in close proximity, because a small part of it sinks beneath the earth. Indeed, those among the Britons who are keen of sight see clearly during the night and almost completely comprehend everything with their eyes. Learn, therefore, from this that if in our own climate the sun were not traveling beneath the earth, but was circling around in close proximity just as it is there, night would not truly be night, nor would its darkness be very deep, but rather of such a kind as reason has already indicated, B since it would not be completely blocking the solar rays. For night is nothing else but the shadowing of the earth, as the great Basil says. Therefore, if the sun were not passing beneath the earth, but rather circling around in close proximity, as was said above, it would be utterly impossible for us to have deep night. And why is there any need to say much and to recount the details? Since the earth is spherical and hangs in the middle of the whole, the sun rises and sets differently for different people, and from this fact it produces equal days and nights for some, but unequal for others. Do not be surprised if for the Britons the night is six hours long, where for others—for whom the northern or southern pole is raised to such a height that they have one of them completely at their zenith—the entire inhabited world is shadowed for them because of the sun’s revolution around it, and their annual cycle is likewise divided into one day and one night, so that for them, therefore, the day is six months and the night the same in number. And let these things be said in this way.
I am not unaware, beloved son, that—beyond other things—you will solicitously inquire about this too. For what reason, you will ask, was that primal light diffused throughout the entire three days, but on the fourth day was divided into luminaries, namely the sun, the moon, and the remaining stars? I would not wish for you to examine the words of Holy Scripture too curiously, since in this part we are not able to satisfy your love of learning. Know, however, that God originally brought forth that pure light, devoid of coarse matter, but not the disk itself, in order that we might learn from this of what works He is the creator, and in order that, having learned of the master-artisan, we might admire Him all the more; for from the greatness and beauty of created things, the wisdom and power of the Creator are perceived. But God later deposited such light into a disk, so that He might render the ray leaping forth from there—being somewhat shadowed by the disk—suitable and appropriate for our use. For since animals are endowed with eyes, they could not have endured that light, as Theodoret says somewhere. You have the explanation of the matter sought from history.
But if you wish to understand the Mosaic and divine sayings even more loftily, so as to learn for what reason that light was diffused everywhere for three days and afterwards deposited in the luminaries, you have the most divine Anastasios, who declares such things through allegories. That light of the preceding three days, of which the sacred writings C speak— D
A indicating it. They say, "Let us depart to that northern sea, whose water is sweeter than the rest of the sea; for the sun, lingering in it for a short time, does not draw out all its potable water through its rays." And sea creatures also delight in fresh water; whence it happens that they very often swim up rivers and are carried far from the sea. And for this reason, the Pontus is more pleasing to them than other gulfs, as it is suitable for bringing forth and raising their offspring. This, among other things, the great Basil also relates. He says, "I learned from a certain man living by the sea that the sea urchin, a creature completely tiny and of no account, often becomes a teacher of calm or storm to those sailing; for when it foresees a disturbance from the winds, it creeps under a certain pebble and, as if on a firm anchor, it fluctuates, supported by its weight, so that it might not easily be pulled away by the waves." When sailors see this sign, they know of the apprehended violent movement of the winds. But also, if a squid appears, it is a sign of a storm. For the squid is a small fish having a smooth surface of flesh, for which reason it is also called *malakion* (soft creature). Since it is entirely naked and covered by nothing—for it is not contained by a shell or skin—it senses a storm all the more quickly on account of its sensitivity; thus it leaps away, fleeing the cold and the disturbance in the depth of the sea. When, therefore, they see this little fish swimming on the sea, they infer a storm; just as when they see an octopus clinging to a rock, they gather a presage of the movement of the winds. For God has implanted in animals certain prophetic powers for the preservation of their own life. And some of the sea beasts are indeed fearful. No less so are the sting of the sea stingray, even when it is dead, and the sea hare, which bring a swift and inescapable destruction to man. B Know also that there is lechery among fish. For a female mullet, bound at the shore, makes the males, keeping to the open sea, draw near to that place and, so to speak, gambol about the female. And when the dogfish perceives some noise, it hides its pups in its own belly, and then leads them out in turn. See for me, C the wisdom and cunning of a tiny and weak animal. The crab desires the flesh of the oyster. But the prey is difficult for it to take due to the covering of the shell; for nature has protected the tender [part] of the flesh with a virtually unbreakable enclosure, which is why the animal is called *ostrakodermon* (shell-skinned). And since two cavities, precisely joined together, embrace the oyster itself, the claws of the crab are necessarily ineffective. What, then, does it do? When it sees [the oyster] warming itself with pleasure in places not exposed to wind and spreading its folds to the rays of the sun, then indeed it secretly inserts a pebble to prevent its closing; and what it cannot [achieve] by strength, it finds by craft. This D
with his son, John Comnenus, left as his successor A (98). When the emperor's illness increased daily, by the common opinion of the physicians, a burning iron was pressed upon his stomach. And because the air of the royal palace seemed to be somewhat temperate, and as it were rather southern, he was carried to the palace of the Manganon, with fate—as it is reasonable to believe—drawing him there. For they maintain that the common saying, "He shall fall in the Acesodynes" (in the place of painless death), was written concerning him, for those who are very skilled in interpreting such oracles. There, therefore, he closed his final day on earth, having left his son, John Comnenus, as successor to the empire.
THE END OF THE ANNALS OF MICHAEL GLYCAS.
A CONTINUATION OF THE ANNALS OF GLYCAS: FROM JOHN COMNENUS TO THE FALL OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE, BY JOHN LEUNCLAVIUS.
With these things added to the foregoing, readers possess the entire body of Byzantine History.
When Emperor Alexius was breathing his last, John, the eldest of his sons, with the help of his brother Isaac, the Sebastokrator—and with the knowledge, as it was reported, of his father, but against the will of his mother, who would have preferred that her son-in-law Bryennius, along with her daughter, the Caesarissa Anna, should possess the empire—obtained the paternal ring. Partly by showing this to the guards, and partly by forcing the gates from their hinges, he entered the great palace and, having proclaimed himself emperor, began to administer the state. Having confirmed his empire, he made use especially of the work of his kinsmen in the government: of John Comnenus the accubitor, who by his own arrogance soon cast himself down, and of Gregory Taronites, a modest man; furthermore, of Gregory Camaterus, born of an obscure family, and of John Axuch the Persian, whom he loved wonderfully on account of their long-standing acquaintance, and whom he honored with the office of Great Domestic. Before the first year had even passed, a sedition was incited against the emperor, of which Bryennius and the Caesarissa Anna were the leaders. But it was settled in due time, the emperor humanity punishing the seditious.
B After these things, the Turks having been defeated in Phrygia, he fortified Laodicea, which had been recovered; and having undertaken a second expedition, he skillfully lured the garrisons into the snares of a trap and, having cut them off from the city, captured Sozopolis, along with many other towns and fortified places which the Turks had taken from the Romans. He also defeated in a huge battle the Scythians, who are called the Pechenegs, and likewise the Triballians and the Serbians, whom he reduced to his power and for the most part transferred to the province of Nicomedia in Asia. He had four sons: Alexius, Andronicus, Isaac, and Manuel. After his coronation, he was seen—or so it appeared in a dream—to see Alexius sitting on a lion, which he was steering by its ears with reins instead of nothing else to control such a wild beast. C When this was seen, it was signified that he would possess the empire in name, but without the power, a thing he would soon lose, as in fact later came to pass.
John also conducted a war successfully against the Huns, who had invaded the Roman borders, using for a pretext the stripping of his merchants, though the secret and truer cause was the humanity he declared to Almuzen, the brother of Stephen, king of the Huns, who had fled to him. In this expedition, the borders of the empire were greatly extended towards the west. Having then defeated the Persarmenians and occupied Castamone, he entered Constantinople on foot in triumph, by no means mounting the triumphal chariot, but having placed in it an image of the Mother of God, to whom he attributed his victories as to a colleague in the empire. Soon returning to the East, he recaptured Castamone, which had been taken by Tanismanius, and he took by assault Gangra, Adana, Tarsus, and Baka, a most heavily fortified castle, as well as Anabarza. And having entered Coelesyria, he was honorably received at Antioch by Prince Raymond, and he struck a treaty both with Raymond and with the Count of Tripoli. Thence, penetrating to the Euphrates, he occupied Piza and several other fortresses. Not much later, death carried away Alexius, his firstborn, whom he had admitted to a partnership in the empire, and Andronicus, who was next to him; he did not survive them for long, having been wounded in the hunt by his own poisoned arrow, which a solitary boar had struck from his quiver. Dying, he held an address to his people, and appointed Manuel—the youngest of his sons, who happened to be present at that time—over the elder Isaac.
is a certain kind of skill found in animals that possess neither reason nor the use of voice. For though you might scarcely find anyone who counts the dolphin among the great whales along with seals, whales, and the zygænae, A know that whales observe the place prescribed to them by nature in which they dwell. For they occupy the sea that extends beyond the regions inhabited by mortals and lies beyond the islands; where no further continent remains that might be a hindrance to their dwelling. Nor does any history or usage encourage sailors to venture anything against them. Having followed [nature] to that sea, these whales—resembling the largest mountains in their magnitude, as those who have seen them relate—remain within their own limits, neither harming the islands nor approaching the coastal cities, but remaining in those parts of the sea that were assigned to them from the beginning. Among other whales, moreover, there is one called the "saw-fish": if it sees a ship billowing its sails, it imitates the ship. There is also another whale named the "shield-turtle" B which, when it is hungry, opens its mouth; and because a fragrant odor issues from it, smaller fish enter, and thus the beast is sated. We see something of this sort happen also with humans and the evil spirit. For he never ceases to pursue them and, having misled them in various ways, he ensnares them, especially those who are somewhat pusillanimous in spirit; for he devours them, lured by the pleasures and delights of life, although he is never sated by devouring. There are also other kinds of whales, seals, whales, dolphins, zygænae (or libellae), and other such creatures, regarding which this from the C Sacred Scriptures must be understood: "And God created the great whales," living in separately prescribed places, so that no one who encounters them might be harmed. "And God created the great whales." In these words, you should not think they are called great because they are larger than a shrimp or a herring, but because, on account of the bulk of their bodies, they can be compared to the largest mountains. Indeed, they often provide the appearance of islands whenever they swim upon the surface of the water. Being of such a size, they do not loiter along the shores or the beaches, but dwell in the Atlantic Ocean. And these animals were created for our fear and trembling. But D truly, when you hear that great vessels, which are carried with sails spread by a favorable wind, are brought to a stop so easily by the minute little fish, the echeneis, so as to hold the ship motionless for a long period of time as if it were fixed with roots in the very sea, do you not perceive the power of the Creator in this tiny animal as well? Surely, from all things, as much from the great as from the small, you must take arguments concerning the power of the Creator. What, I pray, happens to the hands of those who…
A It is clear, then, from this that the noetic serpent also draws men to itself by a certain hiss, by bait, and by the simulation of a good character and good counsel, and associates with them according to its own will, having first estranged them from the water and the Spirit; for it would not otherwise be able to impart its own seed to them unless it moved every string to draw them away from these two. And what need is there to say much and to enumerate things one by one, since there is an infinite number of creeping things? And they are called creeping things because they creep in the water and thus make their course, yet they do not fall under number, so as to fail by being gradually consumed. For those that are more powerful feed upon those that are weaker, yet they are not exhausted; for the increase overcomes the consumption.
B But observe the voice of God—or rather not the voice of God, but His will alone, which brought forth the omnitudinous kinds of fishes from the waters. For this will became a nature for the waters. Indeed, these waters from the very beginning received a vital power. For if this had not been, the Spirit of God would not have been borne upon them. But being borne, He imparted vital power to the waters, as John Chrysostom says, and because after a little while living creatures would be brought forth from them. And the golden-tongued one, as has been said, says that a vital energy is signified thereby; but the great Basil discourses more broadly on these matters and says thus: “Whether this Spirit means the diffusion of the air, take it that the writer is enumerating for you the parts of the world, namely that God created heaven, earth, water, and air, and that this was already diffusing and flowing. Or—which is indeed more true and has been judged so by those before us—that the Holy Spirit of God is called by this name (for in Scripture no other spirit is named the Spirit of God except the Holy Spirit, which completes the divine and blessed Trinity), and by accepting this understanding you will find greater profit from it. For the Spirit was borne upon them, as a certain Syrian—a marvelous man—used to say, that is, He was cherishing and vivifying the nature of the waters after the image of a hen incubating, and imparting a certain vital power C to those being cherished, so that it is clearly demonstrated from this that the Holy Spirit is not excluded from the creative energy.” And so much for the fishes.
It would be consequent to discourse a little also on the birds, because these too have their origin from the waters. For because of this, a certain kinship resides in them toward the swimming creatures. For just as fishes cleave the water, moving forward by the motion of their fins, and steering their rotations and direct impulses by the movement of their tails, so it is possible to see among birds also, as they swim through the air with their wings in a similar manner. And that the origin of birds is from the waters, D by...
fish for a living if, at some point, they pull up a torpedo fish A within their nets? The air has been allotted a nature that is particularly susceptible to being affected. For it is naturally pervasive, transparent, and permeable to scent, with nothing standing in the way to obstruct it. Thus, it is the cause of many affections and actions. Or do those who suffer from eye ailments not often make those who look at them participants in their condition? Therefore, by means of the air contained within it, the torpedo is able to effect a condition in those who approach it, even if they do not touch it. And this should not be a cause for wonder; for the magnet—which they also call the Heraclean stone—is separated from the iron, and yet we see its efficacy exerted through the intervening air toward the stone. And as for the amatory passion of the palm tree—how the female, even when standing at a distance, bows its branches toward the male, and how it returns again to an upright posture as if having enjoyed the fruition of union—what ear does not fill with wonder at this? It is in no way absurd, then, for the torpedo fish also to enact a condition upon those who hunt it. And why is it that other fish are accustomed to abiding in the Pontus, while the octopus turns away from that northern gulf? Because some fish require cold, such as those that seek out drinkable streams, while others yearn for heat and turn back toward the sea, for this is established as warmer than other waters. At any rate, the octopus is hostile to the Pontic Sea, for the northern sea is by nature colder, and also sweeter than the rest of the sea, since it is flowed into by many large rivers. But both cold and sweetness are contrary to the octopus. I will tell you a sufficient argument as proof. When an octopus has entwined itself with a rock, it clings to it so as not to be pulled away; for this reason, those skilled in hunting pour fresh water onto the rock, and in doing so they obtain the sought-after prey, and the octopus, even against its will, departs from its own nature. It is said that this octopus, when it is hungry, eats its own tentacle and grows another in its place. Know also this: that squids and octopuses possess ink, but, as Aristotle says, it is located near the nose, whereas in the cuttlefish it is found near the belly B, and in greater quantity. For it lacks any other defense, such as the octopus's change of color; for it changes its hue according to the rock to which it attaches its tentacles, although without the white color. For these are bloodless animals, and for this reason they are cold and timorous. Just as with some who are frightened the belly is stirred, and with others an excretion flows from the bladder, so it happens to these of necessity—to emit their ink out of cowardice. But nature C uses this excretion at the same time for the safety and aid of the animal. All bloodless animals are content with very little nourishment, not so much because of their smallness as because of their coldness; for heat digests
the food, and what is cold is in need of nourishment and is itself devoid of nourishment. But the species of cicadas is even more devoid of nourishment because it is also colder than other animals; for this reason, becoming enlivened in the summer season, it begins its song. A sufficient nourishment for the cicada is the moisture remaining from its body, which it possesses from its birth, just as the ephemera (day-long) animals that come to be around the Pontus; however, those live for only the duration of one day, and for this reason they are called ephemera, but these live for longer. A Soft-shelled animals are called crabs, lobsters, crawfish, and shrimp. These, with the exception of the shrimp, have claws, not for the sake of walking, but for grasping something. Whence also the right ones are larger; for animals are naturally accustomed to perform actions more with their right parts. Regarding these, the prophet David says, "And those that traverse the paths of the seas." Cuttlefish, squids, and octopuses have eight feet, and the octopus alone has the largest ones. Fish have a difference also concerning their mouth; for some have the mouth directly in front, while others have it on the underside, such as dolphins and rays, and for this reason they take their food by turning upside down. No fish has testicles, neither inside nor outside, nor does any other of the footless animals, which is why snakes do not either. Dolphins and whales and all creatures of the whale kind have no gills, but they have lungs instead. For gills are useful for those that do not breathe, and it is impossible to have them and to breathe. These are in a way both land and water-dwelling creatures, land-dwelling in that they receive air, and water-dwelling in that they are footless and take their food from the water. However, the soft-bodied ones, such as squids, cuttlefish, and others of that kind, are all fleshy and soft; for they do not happen to have anything bony or earthy concealed within them. Now, so that their body might not be easily corruptible, just as is the case with fleshy things, it has a nature between flesh and nerve; for it is soft like flesh, but it has tension like a nerve. B It is necessary for you to know this also regarding fish: the male and the female swim separately and do not copulate, but they are born without seed from the water and the breath of the wind, pre-signifying from this our spiritual and seedless birth from water and spirit, as the most divine Anastasius says. But this, too, is not worth letting pass by you: the land snake, approaching the shore, hisses, and by hissing it invites the moray eel to a union. Thus, the sea snake, or rather the moray eel, hearing the hiss, immediately returns. And having entwined with each other, the land snake having first vomited up [its poison], each goes off to its own place. C
A If, however, a bird, by the necessity of nature, is drawn to cross with another, it indicates that a certain satisfaction is derived from this. But if this is the case, what shall we do—we, who have been honored with reason, yet are to such a degree firmly rooted in the pleasures of this life?
And what should be said concerning the pelican, of which David also makes mention, saying: *I have become like a pelican of the wilderness*? This bird builds its nest on the highest rocks, taking care to avoid potential enemies. But the malicious serpent, when it sees the father flying off a little way from its young, immediately seizes the opportunity for mischief. And since it cannot gain access to the nest, it pours its venom upon them; for, having first surveyed from where the wind blows, it breathes the venom upon them from afar and thus brings about their destruction. But the father, flying back to them again, and by some natural instinct perceiving the treachery, knows how they may be restored to life; for it flutters gently over their heads, and striking its sides with its wings, lets fall drops of blood upon them, and from this, the dead fledglings paradoxically come to life again. B Recognize, therefore, my beloved, for what reason this paradoxical affection of the pelican for its offspring exists. For the Lord intended to outline all human affairs through this bird from the beginning—that paradise was created, and that the first-formed were placed within it, that the intellectual serpent brought about the death of their souls, and that the Creator of all, God, moved by fatherly affection like a father over his dead children, stoops down to them, becomes human, and accepts all the rest, and is finally raised upon the cross, and from his side pours forth life-giving blood for the re-formation of those first-formed ones who had died by the venom of the serpent. It was for this reason that he originally instilled such affection for its offspring in the pelican. For David, anticipating this, said: *I have become like a pelican of the wilderness.* For the pelican is Christ himself, the nest is paradise, the fledglings are the first-formed, the treacherous serpent is the devil himself, the venom of the serpent is the deception of the devil, death is the separation from God, and the paternal affection is the incarnation of the Word of God for our sake. C The fluttering of the wings above the fledglings is the hanging of Christ upon the cross above the first-formed; the striking of the sides is the piercing of the divine side; and finally, there is the life-giving blood dripping onto the dead—for if it were not life-giving, it would not have granted the resurrection to those lying below. Well, therefore, did the Lord say through the prophet: *I have become like a pelican of the wilderness.*
The Gospel according to Luke says concerning the ravens that they neither sow nor reap, and God feeds them. For what reason is mention made of the ravens specifically by name here? It is said that the raven D
A It is evident from this that the intelligible serpent also attracts men with a certain hiss and bait, through a simulation of a kind character and good counsel, and associates with them according to its own will, having first made them depart from the water and the Spirit; for it would not otherwise be able to impart its own seed to them, unless it had moved every cable to draw them away from there. And what need is there to say many words and to enumerate things one by one, since the creeping things are without number? And they are "creeping things" because they creep in the water and thus make their own journey, yet they do not fall under number, so they might not fail by being gradually consumed. For the stronger ones feed upon the weaker, and they are not used up, for the increase overcomes the consumption.
B But observe the voice of God, or rather not the voice of God, but the will alone, which brought forth the diverse kinds of fish from the waters. For this will became a nature for the waters. These waters, indeed, even from the very beginning, received a vital power. For if this had not been, the Spirit of God would not have been borne upon them. But being borne, it gave the vital power to the waters, as John Chrysostom says, and because after a little while living things would be brought forth from them. And the golden-tongued one, as has been said, says that a vital energy is hereby signified; but the great Basil discourses more broadly concerning these things, and says as follows: "Whether this Spirit speaks of the diffusion of the air, take the writer as enumerating the parts of the world for you, that God made heaven, earth, water, and air, and this last already diffusing and flowing. Or, which is even more true and has been judged so by those before us, the Holy Spirit of God is referred to (for no other Spirit of God is named in the Scripture than the Holy Spirit, which is the completion of the divine and blessed Trinity), and if you accept this understanding, you will find greater benefit from it. For the Spirit was being borne over them, as a certain Syrian, an admirable man, used to say, that is, he was warming and quickening C the nature of the waters after the image of a hen incubating and imparting a certain vital power to the things being warmed, whereby it is clearly demonstrated that the Holy Spirit is not excluded even from the creative energy."
And so much concerning the fish. It would be consistent to discourse a little concerning the birds, because these too have had their origin from the waters. Through this, therefore, there is also a certain kinship belonging to them with the swimming things. For just as the fish cut through the water, moving forward by the motion of their fins, and steering their rotations and straight impulses for themselves by the movement of their tail, D so also among the birds it is possible to see them swimming through the air with their wings in a similar manner. And that the origin of the birds is from the waters, [is shown] by
A considers its own offspring to be hateful, and for that reason casts aside all care for its chicks. But it is reported that they are nourished by the providence of God through certain small animals that are born from the air for their sake and fall into their mouths. This very thing, I ask, how great an admiration does it merit? When bees have once detected drones, they attack them sparingly and gently, and drive them away from their company. If, however, they catch them again, they put them to death. Some of them act as a bodyguard to the king, others keep the night watches—because the others are resting at that time, wearied by their labors—and others have the task of carrying the dead out. One ought not to wonder if the air is changed by the increases and decreases of the moon, since one can see this in certain animals as well. For they say that the ibis does not see anywhere when the heaven is moonless, but keeps its eyes closed and remains without food. The ape called the cercops displays its motions more clearly; for when the moon increases, the circle of its eyes is dilated to him, and when it decreases, it is contracted. But also the weasel, when the moon’s light is fading, finds that its liver is diminished; and when the moon is waxing again, this same part is increased along with it. They also say that in the Hydaspes river a stone is produced which they call *lichne*, which, as the moon waxes, emits the sound of a melody. And that in a certain Celtic river there exists a fish called by the natives *clopias*, which turns white as the moon increases and black as it wanes. These things the great Anastasius has encompassed in his work on the six days of the creation.
B But also for the sake of those who do not believe or rather, one might say, who laugh at the resurrection, as the great Epiphanius says, some strange things were preordained to happen. The *phasca* dies for forty days and rises again. The *myops*—or gadfly—dies for six months and rises again. The phoenix, the Arabian bird, is said to be unique, solitary in its creation; every five hundred years it suffers this, and provides a clear demonstration of the resurrection. For the Greeks themselves also recount concerning it that, foreknowing its end, it comes to Egypt and stands opposite the sun, then it is turned to ash, and from its dust a worm is born, and it itself is transformed again into a winged creature. This phoenix, as we have said, is accustomed to happen after five hundred years. The Libyan ostrich is indeed a bird and has wings, but it does not fly because its feathers are not useful for flight; for they are hair-like. It is bipedal like a bird, but has cloven feet like a quadruped. Further, no bird is a single-egg layer C except for the cuckoo, due to the coldness of its nature. And that it is cold is clear from its cowardice; for if it were not a coward, it would not be chased by all the birds, and for this reason it laid its eggs in the nests of others. Everywhere, coldness is the cause of cowardice.
the fact that not one of the winged creatures lacks feet, for the reason that its sustenance is gained from the earth. And all necessarily [need them]; for to birds of prey, the sharpness of their claws is granted for catching their prey, while for the rest the service of their feet is provided for the conduct of their life. Few birds are weak-footed, being unfit either for walking or for hunting with their feet, such as the swallows and those called swifts, for whom food has been devised from things borne about in the air.
Mark this, then. For there is one construction for seed-eating birds, and another for the carnivorous, suited to the manner of their diet: the sharpness of claws, a hooked beak, and swift wings, so that the prey may be captured easily. For this reason, also, the claws of animals are harder than those of man, for the latter’s [hands] were made softer because his skin also is softer, from which the nails take their origin; and because the hardness and softness of nails were bestowed upon each of the animals according to their use. Furthermore, among winged creatures, some are leaderless and, as it were, autonomous, while others submit to being placed under a leader, such as the cranes. But also the bees perform their tasks under a king and a sort of battalion commander, nor do they consent to go out to the meadows until they see their king having initiated the flight. This [king] is not appointed by vote, but possesses from nature the primacy over all, distinguished in magnitude, in shape, and in the gentleness of his character. For the king has a sting, but he does not use it for vengeance. These are certain unwritten laws of nature: that those who attain the highest powers should be slow to punish. In this way, those [bees] that do not follow the example of the king die from the wound of the sting, finding the reward deserved by their own cruelty. It is also worthy of admiration how cranes undertake their night watches by rotation; while some sleep, others walk in a circle and provide them complete safety during their sleep. Then, when the time for the watch is fulfilled, the one that gave the cry betakes itself to sleep, and the one that received the turn, [repaying] the safety it [the former] chanced to enjoy, renders it back to the rest.
Thus, therefore, the behavior of the storks also brings everyone to astonishment, being no less than the things already mentioned. For they surround their father, who has shed his feathers through old age, circle him, and warm him with their own wings; and, providing food abundantly, they supply him with assistance in flying, gently lifting him on both sides with their wings. And this is so famous to all that from this event some have come to call the return of benefits “antipelargosis” (mutuality of the storks). Let no one, therefore, despair of his own life on account of poverty. And who would not be exceedingly moved by the ingenuity of the swallow
of dryness, it is deadened. Therefore, the snake avoids rue for this reason, just as it also avoids winter, on account of the excess of cold.
Thus, indeed, all animals know by nature what is salutary and what is destructive. And regarding the presages of a change in the air which exist among them, what rational prudence do they not conceal? Where, for instance, the sheep, as winter progresses, feeds ravenously, as if provisioning itself against the coming scarcity. Indeed, one of those men of industry A even observed the land hedgehog devising for itself double breathings for its own hibernation, and, should the North wind be about to blow, blocking the northern opening, and when the South wind shifts, moving to the northern one. But one might also see a great abundance of the senses among animals. For if this were not so, a lamb would not, while leaping up among a thousand sheep in the sheepfolds, recognize the color and voice of its mother and hasten to her, and this after running past many udders that were burdened. For there is in them a sense sharper than our own apprehension, according to which there is available to each a discernment of its own kind. The puppy does not yet have teeth, and yet it defends itself by its mouth against one who has hurt it. The calf does not yet have horns, and yet it knows where its weapons will grow. Well, therefore, did Hippocrates say, "The natures of animals are untaught." And the memory of the dog—which of those who are ungrateful toward their benefactors does it not shame? Seeing that many dogs are remembered to have died along with their masters who were murdered in the wilderness. Indeed, some, while the foul deed was still fresh, guided those seeking the murderers and caused the criminals to be brought to justice. For a certain dog, having seen in an inn the murderer of its master, and from there having used an uncontrolled barking against him, gave rise to a suspicion regarding the man, by which he was led to judgment as a criminal and punished.
B See, then, the wisdom of God: how to carnivorous animals He adapted sharp teeth, for such was their need, according to the nature of their food. And for those that are armed with only half the number of teeth, He provided many and varied storehouses for their food; for because at the first instance the food is not sufficiently ground up, He gave them the capacity for that which has been swallowed to be brought back up, so that, having been softened by rumination, it might be made suitable for the animal being nourished. But animals also differ from one another in their very weapons. For according to the character of their souls, as Aristotle also says, God gives also the formations of the body and their activities. Of what sort of thing do I speak? To the
A? For when she constructs her nest, she carries the twigs with her mouth; but since she cannot lift the mud with her feet (for they are completely unsuited for any such service), she dips the tips of her wings in water and then rolls them in the finest dust. Thus she contrives the matter of the mud, and by binding the twigs together little by little with the mud as if with some glue, she rears her fledglings in it. If one should pierce their eyes, she has a certain medicinal aid from nature, by which she restores the sight of her offspring. The halcyon is a sea bird B. It is her nature to nest by the very shores in the winter time, placing her eggs on the sand, even when the sea is being dashed against the land by many violent winds; yet all the winds fall asleep and the sea waves grow calm, because the halcyon is brooding—for seven days, to be sure. And since they also have need of food, God, the great giver, has granted her another seven days for the growth of the fledglings. So all mariners are aware of this, and they call those days "Halcyon Days." They say also that the turtledove, once separated from its mate, admits no fellowship with another, in memory of the bird with whom it was once paired. Let C women hear how the dignity of widowhood is to be preferred, even among the irrational animals, to the indecency of multiple marriages. The eagle is most unjust in the feeding of its offspring. For when it has brought forth two fledglings, it thrusts one to the ground, driving it away with blows of its wings, rejecting the offspring it produced because of the labor of feeding it. But the *phene* (the osprey) does not allow this one to perish, but takes it up and rears it with its own fledglings. However, the eaglet that the eagle takes and rears, it takes and flies together with it; and if it sees it bravely swimming through the air and gazing sharply at the brilliance of the sun, it keeps it as its own, but if not, it casts it out as a bastard. But the inventiveness shown by the crow D is worthy of praise, for it follows its fledglings even when they are already flying, feeding and rearing them for a long time. Regarding the crows, the great Basil also says this in his discourse *On Providence*: “It is a great wonder how the crows fly off together with the storks, acting as their escort and accompanying them—in my opinion, they even provide them with a certain alliance against hostile birds. The evidence for this is, first, that not a single crow is seen during that time; and then, that they return with wounds, bringing clear signs of their alliance.” That which is more paradoxical than the rest is that they say vultures beget without copulation, and this despite them being very long-lived, their life extending even to a hundred years. For what reason is this, and for what purpose? It is so that no one might laugh at the mystery
hare and the deer, being timid by nature, He gave the faculty of running, that they might escape the hands of the hunters. To the boar, which is spirited and pugnacious, He gave tusks; to the bull, horns; and to the lion, teeth and claws. And thus He armed all things fittingly, but brought man A into life naked, and gave him comfort in the abundance of reason; for in reason there resides for him dominion over all things. By means of reason he brings down the birds from the air; he draws the fish from the waters. By means of reason he makes all things that are necessary for the preservation of his life—houses, garments, clothing, weapons, and suchlike. On this account God also gave him hands, that the reason proceeding from within might perform through these all things that it should choose. Accordingly, the great Basil also, in his interpretation of the B prophet Isaiah, discourses concerning these things, saying: "To the irrational animals He gave easy means for living; food provided automatically, natural shelter, and the covering of hair and feathers were granted to them by that Power which governs all things; but having brought man into the world naked, He gave him reason instead of all else, from which were produced the supplying arts—architecture, weaving, and the rest—the soul making up what is lacking to the bodies by the abundance of reason." It might indeed have been possible for all things to be born together C with man, along with his reason, in greater generosity; but the grace of reason would not have been manifested thereby. For if there were no necessity, by what means would his active energy have been revealed? For this reason, also, in irrational animals the senses—since reason is absent—are more acute; for the Maker of all things most wisely compensated for the lack of reason by the abundance of the senses.
But look, even in these things, at the care of God. Why is the neck of the camel long? That it may be level with its feet, and it may reach the herbage on which it lives. But as for those animals that do not get their life from the D earth, nor are compelled to bow down to the ground—since they are carnivorous—they have a short neck, set within the shoulders. For this reason, also, the proboscis is given to the elephant, bringing food and drink in place of the neck. And since its body is fashioned as something very large for the amazement of those who see it, for this very reason its feet are unjointed, like certain columns supporting the weight; for if it had been set upon soft and fluid limbs, the joints would have been constantly slipping. Moreover, some report that the elephant lives for three hundred years. But, he says, I do not admire the elephant more on account of its size than the mouse, because it is a terror to the elephant; just as I also admire the most minute sting of the scorpion, how the Craftsman hollowed it out like a pipe, so that through it the poison might be injected into those wounded. But they also say that the elephant does not drink before it has troubled the waters with its proboscis. Why? Because the elephant is frightened seeing its own shadow in the water. For this reason, they say, the Indians wait for a moonless night, when they transport
miracle of our Lord, as if it were impossible for a virgin to give birth and yet still remain a virgin; He has provided from nature itself nearly infinite grounds for believing in things that are otherwise paradoxical. And thus does the great Basil discourse concerning these matters.
Others, however, who have studied the natures of animals, recount the prodigy that vultures gestate for three years. How is this heard? There is no such thing as a male vulture to be seen; for the laws of nature ordain that they breed without any pairing; whence it is that their entire race consists of females. Understanding this, and fearing for the desolation of their offspring, the whole race embarks on a kind of expedition to reproduce. They observe a most excellent device: they fly facing the South Wind. If there is no South Wind, they spread their wings to the kindred wind, the Eurus; then, keeping their beaks open, they are filled by the wind rushing in, and they bring forth living young, and not "wind-eggs." This is why nature requires so much time for the bringing to perfection of the living creature: for it is difficult and extremely laborious for nature to consolidate the wind and, from what is most subtle, to fashion a living beast. Therefore, when you hear that the All-Holy One conceived without any union, since the Holy Spirit had first overshadowed her and, according to the prophet, the Lord had come from Teman, do not disbelieve the fact at all, even if in truth it seems great and paradoxical; for it was precisely for this reason that even the supernatural pregnancy of vultures was so wondrously prepared by God. It is said that when the vulture becomes pregnant, it travels to India, and having found a stone—the one called the "Eutocium" (easy-birth stone)—it sits upon it, being gripped by birth pangs, and thus gives birth. The stone itself is round, the size of a hazelnut, and when moved it gives forth a sound like a bell, because of another stone moving inside it. They also report this about the vulture: that if it is anointed with rose oil, it dies.
One might also not wonder less at the account of the ravens mentioned. The ravens suffer a certain malady during the summer season, and the malady is a flux of the belly. Consequently, rivers and springs and ponds are of no use to the ravens during the summer, lest the moisture of the body cause an increase in the distress of the belly. And so the ravens know the art of diet, not having been taught the remedies of Hippocrates, nor of Chiron, nor of Machaon; and thus, though they long for the rivers, they cannot drink from them, but suffer a harsher punishment as if they were indeed Tantaluses being punished.
It is also worth your admiration why the cicadas begin their song in the middle of summer. Cicadas are cold by nature, which is why they begin their song after the summer solstice, and they pursue their own cry as the sun begins to rise. On which account they are most tuneful at midday. The female cicada, however, being much colder than the male, sits silent in the trees, as if she had been taught the teachings of Pythagoras.
Man alone, among animals, stands on two feet, while with the others progression occurs by degrees. In some animals, beloved son, custom truly becomes nature. For observe, I pray you, the Libyan animals, which during the summer, when they are most thirsty, abstain from drinking, but during the winter, when they are less thirsty, they drink. For this reason, it happens entirely that Libya labors under a lack of water during the summer. Therefore, in the winter time, they draw water, when they have an abundance of it. And when they have become accustomed to this in those places, even when carried to other regions, they retain their habit. And concerning these, we have spoken enough. A And those navigating who have exhausted their supply are quite sufficiently comforted from them; for then, sponging up the vapors rising from them, they find a remedy for their needs. Well, therefore, did the prophet say: "He who draws the water of the sea and pours it out upon the face of the earth." For the air, having been condensed by the vapors from below, releases drops and makes the earth fruitful. Likewise, the sun, when it turns from the southern regions toward the northern, produces summer, not only drawing up waters and rendering our bodies drier, but also drying up the rivers, even if they are smaller. By the same logic, it happens that they report the Nile overflows at a time when the other rivers are low; that is, in the middle of summer, when the celestial sun moves through the northern part of the zodiac, and is furthest away from the other rivers, which are hindered by it, but is very far from this one. The nature of vapors themselves is nothing other than water, specifically attenuated. These, therefore, are lifted up by the attraction of the sun, as has been said, and in the heights, the air is condensed, and rains, snows, hails, and such things, being born of moisture, fall down. And thus much for these matters.
I do not doubt, however, beloved son, after you have now read those things written by Moses concerning the first heaven and concerning the firmament, and the waters comprehended between the two heavens, that you will study completely what your diligence is to learn, so that you may search out what sublime truth can be elicited from these. For this reason, I bring forward to you the divine man, Anastasius the Sinaite, who, having received from Paul C all matters, both celestial and terrestrial, showing them to be as it were likenesses and images of Christ, interpreted most things in the old covenant according to the allegorical sense. B Wherefore, hear what he hands down concerning these two heavens. The nature of the heavens, he says, is incomprehensible to us, and it seems to me to be a likeness of that ineffable and incomprehensible divinity, just as the firmament below has a similarity to human nature, which he took from the lower parts; while in the meantime, the water in the midst of the two heavens, comprehended by us, represents a soul void of all taint, and the density of flesh. For behold, that heaven above is called heaven from the beginning, just as God is God from the beginning, but the lower and material firmament is not so from the beginning, but after its conjunction with that superior one, it received the name of heaven, and when that most holy body of Christ, on account of its deification and union, is called God, not by its own nature. D The same Paul witnesses to this, calling the holy flesh of Christ a veil, which was fashioned below and from blood, just as the firmament itself was made from the lower waters. You have what you should think in this part.
A Observe then: when a snake is struck, it exposes its entire body to the blows but conceals its head, as if it knew that its life is contained within it. So too we, in a time of persecution, must do likewise: we must indeed surrender everything, provided that we retain and preserve our head, which is Christ and the faith itself. When the same serpent has aged and begun to suffer from a dimness of the eyes, it first lives temperately and remains fasting for a time; then, crawling through a certain narrow passage into the earth and shedding its entire skin in an unusual way, it emerges young again. So too we, having grown old in our sins, must walk the narrow and constricted path, and thus, being renewed, return to our ancient state and condition. If at any time a serpent is thirsty and is about to touch water in a well, it first vomits its venom and only then approaches the spring. So too we, when we are about to approach that divine cup to heal the sins that burn us, must first cast away all malice, and thus approach the holy mysteries. Therefore, we understand that it was aptly said by the Lord concerning what has been mentioned: "Be wise as serpents." And so much for these matters.
B Know also, beloved, that there are various and diverse kinds of serpents. For some kill more quickly, others more slowly; some bring destruction by their bites, others in a different way. Take the serpent called the basilisk, of which the wise Galen also makes mention in his discourse to Piso on the theriac; it kills those who look upon it by its gaze alone. Hence the Sacred Scripture says that the envious eye is in no way different from such a serpent. For just as some destructive influence flows from this animal which possesses the power to cause death immediately, so too from the eyes of the envious. And the wondrous thing is that they sometimes bring destruction even to their own kin and acquaintances. Yet let this seem strange to no one, for they do what they are naturally configured to do, not what they might wish. And do not be astonished at this; for if, as Plutarch says, Eutelidas fascinated his own eyes by seeing them in the water and being amazed at his own beauty, how much more will the envious eye bring destruction to others, casting a poisoned dart, as it were, into those whom it surveys. And this is something that experience and former times have long since demonstrated; for the eyes both act and are acted upon, sometimes emitting, sometimes receiving, as we see happen in the case of those who are in love and those who are loved. The great Basil, in explaining the inscription of the thirty-third Psalm, says: "But I myself reject the notion C that eyes shoot forth a kind of poisoned dart, as something common and introduced into the chambers of women by old wives. I say, however, that the demons who hate what is good, whenever they find inclinations compatible with their own, use them entirely according to their own will and pleasure; thus they even use the eyes of those who practice fascination for the service of their own will." The serpent we are now discussing, therefore—that is, the basilisk—damages those who look upon it not only by its gaze D
A If the bird is ever forced by the necessity of nature to pair with another, it implies that it is representing the shame stemming from this. But if these things are so, what shall we do, we who are honored with reason, yet are still so firmly held by the pleasures of life? And what must we say about the pelican, of which David also makes mention, saying: "I have become like a pelican in the wilderness"? This bird builds its nest on the highest rocks, taking care to avoid malicious plotters. But the malicious serpent, when it sees the father has flown away a little distance from its children, immediately sets about its treachery. And because it cannot approach the nest, it pours its venom upon them; for having first scouted from afar from where the wind blows, and having breathed the venom onto them from there, it brings about their destruction. But the father, flying back again to them and understanding the treachery through certain natural reasons, knows how they might come to life again; for it flutters gently right over their heads, and beating its sides on either side with its wings, it releases drops of blood upon them, and from this, the dead chicks come back to life in a paradoxical manner.
B Recognize, therefore, beloved, for what reason this paradoxical sympathy for its offspring exists in the pelican. For the Lord wished to outline from of old all that concerns us in this bird: that Paradise was created, that the first-created were placed in it, that the intellectual serpent caused their psychic death, and that the Creator of all, God, as a loving father, bends down over his children who are dead, is called a man, and accepts all the rest, until finally he is lifted up on the cross, and pours out the life-giving blood from his side for the restoration of those first-created ones who had died by the venom of the serpent—he planted such sympathy for its offspring in the pelican from the beginning. For this cause David beforehand also said: "I have become like a pelican in the wilderness." For the pelican is Christ himself, the nest is Paradise, the chicks are the first-created, C the malicious serpent is the devil himself, the venom of the serpent is the deception entirely from the devil, death is the separation from God, and the paternal sympathy is the incarnation of the Word of God for our sake. The fluttering above the chicks is the suspension of Christ on the cross above the first-created, the beating of the sides is the piercing of the divine side, and finally the life-giving blood dripping onto the dead; for if it were not life-giving, it would not have granted resurrection to those lying below. Well, therefore, did the Lord say through the prophet: "I have become like a pelican in the wilderness."
The Gospel according to Luke says concerning the ravens that they neither sow nor reap, and God feeds them. For what reason is mention made of the ravens by name here? It is said, therefore, that they are...
fed by the providence of God on small creatures that come to exist in the air and fall into their mouths. And how worthy of wonder is this also? That, although they are mothers, they do not feed their own nestlings; A for the bees, once they have caught the drones, strike them sparingly and release them, but if they stop them again, they put them to death. And some of them act as a bodyguard for the king, while others keep watch during the night, because those that have toiled are then resting, and the task of others is to carry out the dead. One ought not to be surprised if the air changes with the waxing and waning of the moon, since it is possible to see this same thing even in some animals. For they say that the ibis does not see anywhere when the sky is moonless, but remains with eyes closed and without food. The cercopithecus has more clear operations: for when the moon waxes, the circle of its eyes widens, but when it wanes, it contracts. But also the weasel loses part of its liver when the moon is waning; and when it waxes again, that part of it increases. They also say that a stone called "lichnes" is born in the Hydaspes river, which emits a sound of music when the moon is waxing. Item, in a Celtic river, they say there lives a fish called locally the "clopias," which turns white when the moon is waxing and black when it is waning. B Great Anastasius has included these things in his Six Days' Work. But also, because of those who do not believe or rather, one might say, who mock the resurrection, as the great Epiphanius says, certain wondrous things have been ordained to occur. The phascusa dies for forty days and rises again. The tabanus (gadfly) dies for six months and rises again. The Phoenix is said to be an Arabian bird, solitary, without a mate in creation; every five hundred years it suffers this and presents a bright resurrection. For even the Greeks themselves relate concerning it that, foreknowing its end, it comes to Egypt and stands opposite the sun, then it is turned to ash, and from its dust a worm is born, and it itself is transformed again into a winged creature. This phoenix, as we have said, is accustomed to happen after five hundred years. The Libyan sparrow is indeed a bird, and winged, but it does not fly, because its feathers are not useful for flying; for they are like hair. And it is two-legged like a bird, but it has cloven feet like a four-legged animal. C But also, no bird produces a single offspring, except only the cuckoo, due to the coldness of its nature. That it is cold is clear from its cowardice; for if it were not a coward, it would not be pursued by all the birds, and for this reason it laid its eggs in strange nests. For coldness is everywhere the cause of cowardice.
A This illness, which they call hydrophobia from the fear of water, approaches. For those who have been bitten by rabid dogs fear water, whether they see it or approach it. Some dogs bark and bite as they attack, and by such a bite they propagate the evil itself. But as for what the cause of the remaining symptoms may be, it is clear. For when the venom has occupied all the limbs and even the brain itself, it brings about such symptoms. But as for the reason why they fear water, some have said that this occurs because of an excessive dryness, as if they were entirely estranged from the substance of moisture. Rufus, however, declares that a certain kind of melancholy happens to them, the venom mimicking that humor on account of which others fear different things. And what need is there for many words here? For just as in the case of the melancholic we see it happen that some seem to themselves to be brute animals and because of this imitate their voices, others believe themselves to be earthenware vessels and for this reason fear vehemently that they might be broken, while others think Atlas is falling upon them and therefore shout in a strange manner, so too one may see this same thing happen to those bitten by rabid dogs. For the venom of the dog, like some noxious humor, having occupied their brain, makes them fear water; and in this fear, the imagination of the dog that bit them arises; and in this way they are convulsed and finally exchange life for death. It is said, indeed, that a certain philosopher who was bitten by a rabid dog, having entered a bath and seen the dog in the basin, said, without being terrified: "What does a dog have in common with a bath?" But enough of these matters.
B The bear delivers flesh that has neither figure nor form. But afterward, by licking it with its mouth, it creates joints in it. The cubs of the same do not suckle from teats, but grow by sucking their own feet. The bear gives birth before the season, so that it may consort with the male. But the bear also runs risks in giving birth. When in labor at night, it pays heed to the star of the Bear, and in this way it gives birth easily. The bear is very gluttonous, and during the winter it sits in its den and, being hungry, licks its foot and is nourished; this is unique to it alone among terrestrial animals, just as the octopus is among those of the sea. C But also, the nomads of the wild asses, when they give birth to males, cut their genitals so that they may not sire offspring. The wild ass is a very dry animal, and on this account it is also thirsty; D for regarding this, David, discussing waters, says thus: "The wild asses shall expect them for their thirst." It is also said that the fox, when lacking food, lies supine as if dead and holds its breath, and then, as it swells up, the birds, seeing it, descend upon it and touch it as if it were dead. Then, leaping up suddenly, the one thought to be dead seizes and devours them. But the wild goat is a most swift animal and lives among the crags, and if one pursues it, it leaps upon its horns and sustains no injury.
A Nor do I wish you to pass by in silence, my beloved, a matter which is more strange and remarkable than the others, which Aelian records concerning the bird called the bee-eater. The Bee-eater, he says, is a bird that flies backward. And it occurs to me to marvel at the noteworthy reference which this animal embodies. As for the cock crowing at night at specific hours, not long before the rising of the sun, some have explained the cause in this way: that since this animal is naturally very hot and greedy in its appetite for food, on account of its innate heat it digests the food it has been given more quickly, and by the natural greed of its constitution it announces its appetite in advance, as if inviting one to feed it. Others say that each of the things existing and happening here is assigned to one of the luminaries, just as the lotus plant is solar, whence it spreads its leaves when the luminary rises, and draws them in when it sets. In this way, then, the cock is also under the solar order. For this reason, it rejoices in a mysterious and natural way when its own leader returns toward the east, and as if composing a song for him, it clears its voice and cries aloud. B And these men say these things; but you, my beloved, do not fear to count such sounds among the myths. For God, the guardian of all things, ordained for the cock to sing at night, so that from this we might be stirred from our beds even against our will, and not spend the whole night in vanity, but that some might turn to their work, and others might rise for divine praise; for God is not averse to teaching us in such ways, both through words and through animals. And pay attention to Solomon saying, "Go to the ant, O sluggard." C Know also this, that they say a fly does not settle on Attic honey. For one can see Attica abounding in thyme, upon which Attic bees settle more frequently. From this it has a sharper scent. Therefore, just as if it were something sacred, a fly does not settle on Attic honey. Know also in addition to this that flies and bees and ants are destroyed by oil, because they have narrow breathing passages, and the sticky oil obstructs them. Snakes experience this too, because of things with heavy odors; for the narrowness of their breathing passages is obstructed by the thickness of the fumigations. D For this reason, even the stag's horn when burned, the snake flees, and all the more so the snake; for it forces it to lose consciousness. In addition to all these things, nature did not give the birds a bladder or kidneys, because much moisture was needed for the production of feathers. But also, the exercise in flying consumes this. They also have dung that comes out with a considerable amount of moisture. And for this reason, the urine
PART II OF THE ANNALS
A and many times. At that time he approaches the high priest Abiathar; then he also ate the showbread. From there he flees again to Abimelech; then he also feigns the symptoms of those suffering from epilepsy.
In addition to these things, David, finding Saul B once and twice, and being able to kill him easily, did not wish to do this, attributing everything concerning himself to God. And so much for these matters.
The Philistines again wage war against the Jews, for which reason Achish also calls the same as allies. Saul also attacks Mount Gilboa, and seeing the crowded camp of the Gentiles, he was disturbed, and his heart failed him. And he inquired of the Lord through the Ephod, and He did not answer him; for if they were not pleasing to Him, He would not listen to them. For this reason, he seeks a ventriloquist, even though their kind had previously gone out of his city, as he had formerly been pious toward God. Ventriloquists were so called because they had a demon sitting in their belly C telling tales oracles about the future. That woman is persuaded with difficulty, and she brings up the soul of Samuel from Hades, as Josephus records. For the one wise in divine things, Theodoret, calls this account impious and unholy; for he is not persuaded that the soul of a corpse can be brought up from Hades, let alone that of such a great prophet. But others, not wishing to accept this account as unholy, say that a certain deceiver of the people, a demon, reported what concerned Saul to the ventriloquist. Theodoret accepts neither the first, as being impious, nor again the second; for if it were a demon that appeared, it would not have spoken true words. Therefore, he says that God Himself, having fashioned the form of Samuel, willed to D declare the sentence; for He said also through one of the prophets: "If you go to the false prophet, I, the Lord God, will answer through him." So, through Balaam, He blessed the people, and through an impious diviner the things to come were announced. These things come to pass, and the Philistines attack the Hebrews. Finally, Saul and his sons fall. However, Saul, having received many wounds, and not being able to endure, orders one of his men to apply his sword, so that he might not be handed over to the hands of the enemies. But he did not obey. Therefore he falls upon his own sword, and not even then being able to bring the end upon himself, he persuades one of the Amalekites, and he finishes him. And the Philistines, despoiling the enemies, encounter Saul and his sons, and having cut off their heads, they carry them through all the country, and they crucify their bodies outside the wall, as Josephus records.
A of whose extremity no one has seen because it is covered with snow. And such is the opinion held by Theodoret, but the great Basil says that "into one gathering" was well said. For in order that the water flowing in might not overflow the regions receiving it, and by going on from one to another might not incessantly flood the entire continent, He said, "Let the waters be gathered into one gathering," that is to say, let no other be separated from this one, but let that which is gathered remain in the first collection. Accordingly, the Ecclesiastes also says that all the torrents run into the sea, and the sea is not filled, because the waters have their flowing from the divine command: "Let the waters B be gathered." And that the sea is inscribed within boundaries is from the first legislation. Take heed, beloved. "The water was gathered into one gathering, and the dry land appeared." Because the earth was invisible and unorganized as long as the water was floating above it, for this reason the water was gathered into its gatherings, and thus that which was previously invisible became visible. Then, indeed, it was then adorned with all kinds of plants by divine command, as has been mentioned above.
But if you also ask for what reason the earth received its proper adornment part by part, and was not produced finished from the beginning, I will tell you, or rather not I, but he who is golden-tongued. Since the earth is our mother and nurse, since all have been born from it and return to it again, C and since it grants us to enjoy everything, in order that everything might not be attributed to it and divine worship on that account be offered to it, as if it had become the cause of so many good things for us by its own power, for this reason He first covers it with water and makes it unorganized, and after this He gathers the water into one gathering, and thus prepares it to be seen. But this also is worth asking, where the water was gathered, so that from this the dry land might be seen, if the entire face of the earth, as the Scripture says, was covered by the waters. Justin the philosopher and witness of Christ and the great Basil say that cavities were D made at that time by divine command (and the islands found in various places are irrefutable witnesses of this fact), and thus these received the water that had subsided. For if the water had not been gathered in such cavities, the dry land would not have had time to be revealed. But, O the care of God! For He also caused islands to accompany the cavities. For what reason? So that those sailing might rest there, whenever they abandon themselves to longer journeys.
A Since this is the starting point, that divine man who was mentioned above discusses the soul as follows: "I esteem that the faculty of the soul is twofold, although it is one and the same; the one part is vital to the body, while the other is the contemplative faculty of beings, which we also call intellectual. B Now, the vital faculty, since it is joined with the body, the soul provides naturally, not by election, because of the temperament of these; but the contemplative faculty has its motion in election and counsel."
The most divine Maximus, explaining these things, says that that part of the soul which is purer is impassible and indivisible, and contemplates in an intellectual manner things which are intelligible, while the other part of the soul is passible and divisible; C this part, being divided among the senses, sympathizes with the body when it suffers, and rejoices with it when it finds pleasure. For the soul, as the prelate of Nyssa also said, is, as it were, joined and united through the bodily senses to the pleasant things of life. Through the eyes, it is delighted by the elegance of things, through the hearing it has an inclination toward pleasant sounds, and in the rest of the senses it is likewise disposed toward each one. D For this reason, John of Damascus also taught that the more irrational part of the soul is passible and has the power of desiring. These are also his words: "When the soul is affected in the sectioning of the body, it is not itself cut as the body is, yet nonetheless it sorrows with it and suffers with the one who suffers." Hence it comes about that there are pleasures common to the soul and the body, which are perceived from unions and the enjoyment of foods, as the aforementioned divine man said; but those pleasures which arise from the liberal arts belong specifically to the soul alone, since one would never find pleasures belonging to the body alone.
That there is in the soul a certain part that can be affected and suffer, through which it suffers together with the suffering body, and because of which it is troubled and grieves and experiences the rest of the passions—to which it became subject after the fall—is evident from the words which the Lord spoke: "Now my soul is troubled" (John XII, 27). For it was granted to His holy soul, just as to His body, to suffer at times the things that are proper to both, and He observed the measure of emptying in every respect, as the most divine Cyril said. For these passions—namely, pleasure, pain, and despondency—were not created along with the nature of men from the beginning, but, as the most divine Maximus says, they crept in later on account of the loss of perfection, and adhered to that part of our nature which is irrational. Consistently with these things, Basil the Great also discusses the matter, saying: "Consider the mutual affection that penetrates from the flesh to the soul; how the body receives life from the soul, and in turn the soul receives pains from the body."
And these men spoke thus; but Aristotle, relying on human reasonings, maintains that the ruling mind makes its dwelling in the heart itself, so that from there its elective power may easily be distributed throughout the entire body. Others, however, assert that the head has been built like a kind of acropolis.
A because of the excessive power of dryness. Accordingly, the snake flees from rue, just as it also avoids winter, obviously on account of the excess of cold. So therefore all animals know instinctively what is life-saving and what is destructive. But what rational intelligence do they not conceal by their prognostications of changes in the air? Since, moreover, when winter approaches, the sheep feeds greedily, as if providing for itself against the future scarcity. Indeed, some of the diligent have observed that even the land hedgehog constructs double breathing-holes for its own den, and when the north wind is about to blow, it blocks the northern entrance, and when the south wind in turn changes, it moves to the one facing north. But one might also see a great excellence of the senses in animals. For if this were not so, a lamb among ten thousand sheep could not have identified the color and voice of its mother as it leapt from the stalls, and hurried toward her, passing by many other udders that were heavy [with milk]. For there is in them a sense sharper than our own understanding, by which the recognition of its own is present to each. The puppy does not yet have its teeth, and yet it defends itself by its mouth against the one who has harmed it. The calf does not yet have its horns, and yet it knows where its weapons will grow. Well, therefore, did Hippocrates say: "The natures of animals are untaught." And whose shame does the memory of the dog not stir up regarding those ungrateful toward their benefactors, seeing that many dogs are recorded to have died with their masters who were murdered in the wilderness? Indeed, some at the very heat of the occurrence even became guides for those seeking the murderers, and caused the criminals to be brought to justice. For a certain dog, having seen the murderer of its master in an inn, and from then on using barking against him, gave a disparaging suspicion to those around him, upon which he was brought to judgment and punished as a criminal. B C D Look attentively at the wisdom of God, how He adapted sharp teeth to carnivorous animals; for such was the need for them according to the type of their food. But to those that are only half-armed with teeth, He has prepared many and varied storehouses of food; for because at the first stage the food is not sufficiently broken down, He gave them the ability to regurgitate what has been swallowed, so that, having been softened by the cud-chewing, it might be suitable for the one being nourished. But animals also differ from one another in their weapons. For according to the character of their souls, as Aristotle also says, God grants both the formations of the body and its functions. For example, what do I mean? To the...
B hare and the deer, being cowardly by nature of soul, He granted speed, so that they might escape the hands of the hunters. To the boar, being spirited and a warrior, He grants tusks; to the bull, horns; and to the lion, teeth and claws. And thus He armed all things suitably, while bringing man naked into life, He consoled him with the excellence of reason; for in reason there belongs to him the command over all things. By reason he brings down birds from the air, and draws fish from the waters. By reason he makes all things that are for the preservation of his life: houses, clothing, armor, and as many such things. For this reason God also gave him hands, so that thereby his proceeding reason might perform all things he wishes without hindrance. C Hence also the great Basil, in his interpretation of the prophet Isaiah, speaks thus concerning these things: "To the irrational animals, He granted an easy means of living; the governing power of all things granted them food that is automatic, native shelter, and the coverings of hair and feathers; but having brought man forth naked, He granted him reason in place of all things, through which the arts of procurement were established—building, weaving, and the rest—the soul supplying what was needed by the bodies through the excellence of reason." Indeed, it might have been that all things were born together with man along with his reason, by a greater bounty. But the grace of reason would not then have been shown. For if there were no necessity, by what means would his action have become manifest? D For this reason, in brute animals, perceptions are sharpened, since reason is lacking; for the Ruler of all things most wisely compensated for the lack of reason with the excellence of the senses. But observe even in these the providence of God. Why is the neck of the camel long? So that it may be equal to its feet and reach the herbage on which it lives. But those animals that do not get their life from the earth, and are not compelled to stoop toward it, as they are flesh-eaters, have a short neck buried in their shoulders. For this reason, the proboscis was gifted to the elephant, providing food and drink in place of a neck. And since his body is fashioned for the astonishment of beholders and is very large, for this very reason his feet are also without joints, supporting this weight like certain columns; for if his limbs were spongy and fluid, the slipping of the joints would be constant. But some also relate that the elephant lives for three hundred years. "Yet," he says, "I do not admire the elephant more for its size than the mouse, because it is a terror to the elephant; just as I also admire the most minute sting of the scorpion—how the craftsman hollowed it out like a pipe, so that through it the poison might be injected into the wounded." But they also say that the elephant does not drink until it has muddied the waters with its proboscis. For what reason? Because the elephant is frightened seeing its own shadow in the water. Wherefore they say the Indians keep watch for a moonless night, when they cross
Furthermore, we see that these intellectual natures are universally called powers, as they are free from bodily affections and therefore capable of fulfilling what is commanded them. "They are strong," says David, "in power, doing his word" (Ps. cii, 20). Moreover, in each of these sacred ranks, the superior orders possess the illuminations and powers of the lower ones, whereas the latter are not participants in the excellences of the former. It is necessary for you to know this also: that every appellation of those celestial minds holds in the Hebrew tongue an indication of each one's divine property, which John Chrysostom also points out in his third discourse on the Incomprehensible.
To this end, some are called Cherubim and others Seraphim; for such names declare their operations. And just as an angel receives this name because it announces to us the mysteries of divine things, and an archangel because it rules over the angels, so too these appellations indicate to us their wisdom and purity. Just as wings signify the loftiness of their nature (for Gabriel is not described as flying because that angel has feathers, but so that you may learn that he has come from the highest regions to human nature), so too is the matter arranged among the Cherubim and Seraphim; for their wings denote nothing else but the loftiness of their nature, just as eyes declare their perspicacity and perpetual celebration denotes their supreme vigilance.
In this way, their appellations have indications partly of wisdom and partly of purity. For what else does the name Cherubim mean than "multiplied knowledge"? What do the Seraphim mean other than "fiery mouths"? The term "Thrones" signifies nothing other than their excellence, separated from all lowly things, and their readiness for receiving divine ministrations. And this first rank is indeed established by the very author and prince of all natures, without any intermediary. The appellation of "Dominions" denotes a certain not-at-all servile and entirely noble elevation, which unceasingly desires to obey the truly princely lordship. The word "Powers" signifies a certain manly effectiveness, firm in all divine actions; "Authorities" signifies an orderly and unconfused arrangement in divine duties. This middle description of those celestial minds is perfected and illuminated by the first order, and it in turn communicates its illuminations to the one that follows. In this, the voice of the "Principalities" indicates that they themselves are like God and hold a principality, and that they conform themselves to that primary principality as far as they are able; that of the "Archangels" signifies that they follow the extremes, as they communicate both with the principalities and with the angels—with the principalities, because they have turned themselves toward that supernatural principality, and with the angels, because they make visible the thearchic illuminations through the first powers.
A the water with this animal. And for this reason they stir up the waters with their trunks as they drink. There is also this other thing worthy of wonder in elephants. Whenever they want to cross the Indian river, they do not make the passage simply and as it happens, but the smallest of all is the first to begin the crossing, then another larger than it, then another still greater than both of them. And in sequence, using such order, they cross the river without hindrance. For if the larger ones were to begin the journey, perhaps by the weight of their feet they would create pits in the very mud of the riverbed, B and would no longer allow those possessing the smallest bodies to proceed; nay rather, they would force such animals to be suffocated in the mire of the river. And that the elephant does not approach into pairing in any other way, as those who are expert in such matters say, unless it tastes the mandrake (for there is no inclination to copulation before this, where the female, having taken the mandrake and eaten of it, gives to the male, and thus they come to intercourse), is clearly referred to the first-created; for they, too, before the tasting of the plant, had a life equal to the angels, but after the tasting of the tree and the introduction of disobedience, C *Adam knew Eve his wife and she brought forth Cain*. But what need is there even to speak of the ant-lion? For it is written in Job, *The ant-lion has perished for having no food*. The ant-lion is a certain animal begotten from an ant and a lion, but it soon meets its end because it does not find food appropriate to it; for as a lion it seeks meat, but as an ant it seeks grain, and for this reason it easily perishes. These things are all referred to the devil himself, who begins from small things but arrives at great ones. Concerning whom also one of the Fathers said: D *The devil knows how to belittle the smallness of sins; for otherwise he could not bring you to a greater evil.* Whence he also perishes, and dies, so to speak, like the ant-lion, finding neither food nor rest from us.
Now the elephant, if it falls, is unable to rise because it does not have joints in its feet. Moreover, these creatures, even though they bear the largest bodies, are uniparous. For this very reason they ought properly to be multiparous—I speak of the elephant, the horse, and the camel; but since the nourishment is consumed for the growth of the body, they cannot feed a multitude of embryos. And concerning these, let this suffice. But they say that hares bring forth some of their offspring, while others they have brought forth, and others still incomplete are carried in the womb. The reason is that the nature of hares is most fruitful. For see that hare rennet placed upon a barren woman quickly makes her pregnant, and grants to a sterile woman a child to nurse. Thus conception is not fixed in hares, but while the offspring are still being carried, a super-conception occurs in them. Therefore, some that have been brought forth
A The title of angel also represents their manifestative ministry. The word thus showed that the first orders receive illuminations immediately from God, while the second [receive them] from the first, and so on for the others, that is to say, the third from the second.
That there is a certain difference among the celestial powers, and that they possess this according to their station, order, and knowledge, the most divine Cyril also pointed out in his *Thesaurus*, having said as follows: "Knowledge is measured out to every rational being, so that one is to believe that there is one measure in angels, a greater one in archangels, and one that surmounts even these in the superior powers." B But also John Damascene says thus concerning these things: "The superior powers differ from one another in illumination and in station—whether they hold their station in relation to the illumination, or they participate in the illumination according to their station—and they illuminate one another on account of the excellence of order or nature." It is clear, as has also been said above, that those who are superior communicate both illumination and knowledge to those who are beneath them.
In addition to what has been said, he also says this: that the celestial powers also guard parts of the earth and preside over nations and places, just as they were ordained by the Creator. That these things are so, the most holy among the patriarchs, Germanus, shows this more clearly. For in his discourse on the Dormition of the Mother of God, he says these things concerning this matter: C "As soon as the generations of men were established, angels were ordered to be the guardians of their lives. For he set," he says, "the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God; and the angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear him." But when men turned aside to idolatry, the angels also withdrew from them. But at the time when the all-immaculate one brought forth, those things in heaven were united with those on earth, and a harmonious life became [shared] by angels and men, and one doxology." D Something of this kind the gold-tongued John also details concerning the angels. For he says that the prophet Daniel calls the angels a great thing, and that by the command of God the whole creation was distributed [among them], and that they preside over [different] nations, and that one of these looks after the Persians, while the archangel Michael guards the people of the circumcision. And [he says] that both [powers] stood in contention with one another, not according to the passion of anger, but according to a certain divine and ineffable reason, while the one compelled the Jews to serve the Persians, as if they were despisers of God, while the other pulled them back toward freedom and said: "Cease, guardians of the Persians; for God...
as it is said, and the hare, because it is full of excremental humors—for hirsuteness is a sign of an abundance of such humors. Hence this animal also superfoetates. Because of this, men who are hirsute are more aphrodisiacal and more prolific in seed than those who are smooth. So much for these matters. But Aelian relates something paradoxical and very extraordinary concerning the hare: for the fetus begotten of it carries another fetus inside it. Similarly, they say that both the hare and the hyena become hermaphroditic. But the hare is also cowardly. For what reason? Because it has a very large heart, just as the deer, mouse, hyena, donkey, panther, weasel, and simply all things that are manifestly cowardly or malicious out of fear. For since their hearts are very large, the heat is diffused and not concentrated; on which account it happens that they are cowardly. Those, however, which have a small heart have their innate heat of necessity concentrated; on which account such creatures are quick to fight.
Know also this, that gestation in elephants lasts two years. For what reason? Because larger fetuses require more time for perfection; for some are ten months, others a year, as in the horse. According to this, therefore, the birthing of elephants is long-lived. For their gestation is two years due to the excess of size, as Aristotle says.
The deer, having cast off its horns, hides itself, being ashamed, as it were, at their nakedness. But when they come to growth, it speaks boldly again as it did before. So also the righteous man, having turned aside in any way from his duty and having been stripped of his virtues, hides from God, just as Adam once suffered in paradise when he saw himself naked due to the transgression. But when, having struggled, he reforms and sees that the virtues have increased, he then returns to God and manifests himself as a participant in his former boldness. And wishing to declare this, David said: "Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have looked upon all thy commandments." And these people say so. But others say that the deer do not flee from their accustomed haunts ashamed at the loss of their horns, but rather taking thought for themselves. For there is perception even in irrational animals, according to which they have taken hold of the discernment of their own safety. The cuttlefish knows the artifice of mist, and it has often caused the invisibility of its prey to its hunters. Those with curved claws know the power that comes through their claws. The hare knows through its running and the swiftness of its feet how to avert the plots of hunters. The deer knows that when its horns have been cut away, its nature is weaker—
A manner, will be produced from man alone, but from the union of both and the law of marriage. God therefore casts a deep sleep upon Adam, and taking one of his ribs, constructs Eve. For it was necessary that Eve should not also come forth from the earth, but from the essence of Adam, so that from this a bond of love might be implanted in the spouses. He casts a deep sleep, that is, He implants a stupor in Adam, so that he might not perceive pain in the removal of the rib, as the Golden-mouthed says, and consequently feel hostilely disposed toward his spouse. He removes, then, one of his ribs, and constructs the woman, and filled in flesh in its place. "Why, then, did He fill it in?" So that, after passing out of sleep, he might not, by perceiving what was missing, feel what had happened; for if he had been unaware at the time of the removal, he would yet have been bound to perceive what had happened afterwards, for which reason He filled the lack of the rib with flesh. B
And God said, "Increase and multiply, and fill the earth." We must pay attention to the great Basil here as well. For he says that increase is twofold: one is of the body, and the other of the soul; but the increase of the body is the restoration from small to the proper size, while the increase of the soul is achieved additionally through learning. But John, the golden-mouthed, also says this about the soul, that once it has received existence from God, it does not further tend toward increase in the way that the body does; for how could this be possible for it, being as it is without quantity or shape, as an image of God? Therefore, the rational soul was fashioned perfect from the beginning, even if it seems to grow little by little along with the body. And this is clear from what he of Nyssa says: "The form of the soul C is seen in proportion to the underlying instrument. For the association with the passionate and animal generation did not make the divine image shine forth in the creaturely form straight away, but it leads man to perfection by a certain way and sequence, not because a different soul comes into being for the infant and a different one for the mature, but because the same one shows imperfection in the former, while in the latter it shows perfection." Therefore, the soul is indeed perfect even in infancy, but it is unable to display the whole of its activity. For just as an excellent musician plays some thin and discordant melody on small flutes, but when he finds them wide, he then displays his whole art, so also the soul, as Gregory the Theologian relates in his measured verses; for according to the disposition of the instrument, so does it show its activity. D
and that it cannot defend itself against those doing it harm; therefore, it hides itself like an unarmed soldier who dares not face the enemy. A However, the deer alone sheds its horns for the sake of utility, as Aristotle says; for it relieves itself of a heavy burden out of necessity, because their horns are not entirely solid. The horns of other animals are hollow up to a certain point, while their tips are solid, because they serve to catch blows in order to defend against those who would hurt them; therefore, it hides itself. B Know also this: that the creators of that scent which we call musk are the deer that dwell in India. For this much-fabled perfume is nothing other than the blood of the deer, which has formed in the navel; however, towards the end of spring it is cast off like some excrement. When gathered, no part of it has any fragrant scent; but when it has been stored for some time and carried over to another continent, only then does it exhale that fragrant spirit. It is said that the deer, being charmed by the sound of pipes and rattles, does not see the archer standing nearby and is shot. So we, too, being charmed as if by the pipes of this world's pleasures, nowhere see the enemy using invisible arrows against us. Also, they say that the deer constantly trains its young to run. God surely ordained this to put to shame parents who are lazier. But consider, even here, God’s providence. C Since this animal—the deer, obviously—is timid and therefore always resorts to flight, God fashioned it so as to safely hold and keep its offspring in the womb. And this is evident in those things which are contained in the books of the blessed Job. At that time, when he wanted to contend with God, God said among other things: “Did you observe the birthings of the deer, or have you numbered the months of their pregnancies?” It is indeed a wonder how a deer, running and leaping so much, does not miscarry. D Besides the things already mentioned, this is also told about the deer: that with the breath of its nostrils it draws snakes from their lair and devours them, and for fear of the poison it eats the crab, and is not harmed by it. The beaver, when it is chased by hunters for the sake of its genital organs, and perceives that it is being caught, cuts them off and throws them to the hunter. But if, after this, it is chased by another hunter, it throws itself on its back; the hunter, noticing from this that it lacks the necessary members, lets it go. Also, if you ask this, beloved, why is it that in quadrupeds and other animals the offspring generally bear a resemblance to their parents, while in humans this is not so much the case? Because man’s mind is affected in many ways even during the act of sexual union, and because of this—
A "Increase, and multiply, and replenish the earth," not, however, by habitation, but by your authority, as the great Basil says. For surely humans are not under a necessity to fill also that which is scorched and untilled, and that which is frozen and impassable; but God made us masters to replenish it. And we replenish it by our reason. For when we see how much the measure of the scorched and uninhabited [region] is, when we see how much the northern climate is, which on account of the excessive cold is untilled and useless, we have not replenished the earth, but choosing the useful part, we have left aside that which is useless for the habitation of humans.
B "And God said: Behold, I have given you every tree which has fruit in itself. To you it shall be for food, and to all the beasts of the earth." Observe, then: for God made man the ruler of the fish and of the rest, but He did not grant him the enjoyment of them. So the first law granted [only] the enjoyment of fruits. For we were still considered worthy to be in Paradise: fruit, therefore, and herbs and grass were for our food, and for the birds of the air and all the beasts of the earth. For even if now the lion and the leopard delight in blood, nevertheless, these too, being subject to the law of nature, were nourished by fruits. But when God saw man living dissolutely, He granted him the enjoyment of all things by a second law after the flood, saying, "All these, as the herbs of the grass, you shall eat." By this permission, then, the rest of the animals also received license to eat [of all things]. From that time forward, therefore, the lion is bloodthirsty, and from that time vultures wait for carrion. For surely vultures did not scan the earth alongside the birth of animals, so that they might be nourished thence; but all these wandered about the meadows. And even now we see dogs often grazing on grass for the sake of remedy, not because the food is naturally theirs, but because, by a certain untaught instruction of nature, irrational animals come to what is useful. Consider that the carnivorous animals were like this C at that time, devising grass for themselves for food, and not plotting against one another. The enjoyment, therefore, was granted after the flood, as has been said. Yet even now, those who wish to lead their lives in imitation of the life in Paradise, fleeing this over-abundant enjoyment of foods, and leading themselves toward that manner of life as much as is possible, draw upon fruits and seeds and the produce of trees for their sustenance; and we turn away from that which is beyond this as unnecessary. For they are not detestable on account of the Creator, nor are they to be chosen on account of the comfort of the flesh.
On the consumption of meat.
I know, beloved, that you have also been perplexed D on this point.
125 just as the father and mother are disposed, so too do the offspring vary. Other animals, however, insofar as they think of nothing else during the time of union, to that extent they produce offspring that are entirely similar. But do not be surprised if among humans the offspring bear both likenesses and unlikenesses to their parents. For instance, whichever of the seeds becomes more dominant in the mixing and blending, the form of the one being fashioned bears the likeness to that. But if the seeds, when mixed, have an equal bearing toward one another, then the one produced has an equal likeness to both the female and the male; that is to say, those born are born resembling both father and mother. Frequently, even if the woman forms an image in her mind during sexual union—of this one or that one—the one being conceived is modeled after what was imagined. This indeed conceals an unspeakable and marvelous explanation. And hear what Dioscorides says regarding a certain Stratonicus, a leader from Sicily. He and his spouse, although ugly, were eager to be the parents of beautiful children, and they devised this: they placed images—that is, statues—before them, and so, while they were united, the infant was fashioned for them according to the likeness of the statues. This can also be seen in the case of dogs; for when their copulation takes place, to whatever the female directs her gaze, the likeness of the offspring tends toward that. But we find the most wise Galen agreeing with this point, speaking thus literally: “An ancient account also informed me that a certain ruler, who was ugly, desiring to beget a beautiful child, had a beautiful child painted on a flat wooden panel, and told his wife to look at that form of the painting while she was being embraced. She, looking intently, and, if one may say so, bringing her whole mind to bear upon that spot, brought forth a child that was not like the father but like the painted image in its appearance.” If you wish to learn about the nature of serpents, Nicander will teach you more than others. For immediately in his poems he records these things concerning vipers. The female viper receives the head of the male into her mouth, and having intercourse in this way, she kills him. Consequently, to avenge the father, it seems, the offspring kill the mother; for at the time of birth they tear through the mother's womb and thus come forth. For this reason, the Precursor of the Lord called the Jews a “brood of vipers,” 126 as they were the ones who had killed their prophets and fathers. But if this is the case with serpents, how should one understand the evangelical saying which states: “Be wise as serpents, and innocent as doves”? The serpent is indeed wicked and truly most evil, but it also possesses certain things into which we are commanded to look and to imitate them; for just as the bee, when it alights upon a deadly plant, picks out what is useful from it, while another leaves the worst part there—
A I would have you turn your mind to this. When a serpent is struck, it exposes its whole body to the blows, but covers only its head, as if it knew that its life is contained therein. So too ought we act in times of persecution: letting everything else go, provided we keep and preserve our head, which is Christ and our very faith. The same serpent, when it has grown old and begun to suffer from dimness of sight, first lives temperately and remains fasting for a time; then, passing through a certain narrow passage into the earth, and in an unusual manner shedding its entire skin, it departs young once again. Thus we, too, having grown old through sins, must walk the narrow and constricted path, so that by this means we may be renewed and return to our former state and condition. And if it should ever be thirsty and about to touch water in a well, it first vomits its venom, and then approaches the fountain. Just so must we, when we are about to approach that divine cup—and we heal the sins that burn us—first cast away all depravity, and then bring ourselves to the holy mysteries. Wherefore, it was well said by the Lord concerning these things: “Be ye wise as serpents.” And of these matters, let this suffice. B You must also know, however, that there are various and diverse kinds of serpents. For some kill most rapidly, others more slowly. Likewise, some bring destruction by a bite, others in some other way. That serpent which they call the basilisk, whom the wise Galen also mentions in his discourse to Piso on the theriaca, kills by his mere gaze the one who has looked upon him. Hence it is that the Holy Scriptures teach that the envious eye is no different from such a serpent. For just as there flows from this beast a certain deadly discharge capable of destroying a man immediately, so too does something similar issue from the eyes of the envious. And it is wonderful, above all, that they sometimes bring destruction upon their own kin. Yet let this seem strange to no one: for they do that for which they were fashioned by nature, not what they desire. For if Eutelidas, as is found in Plutarch, bewitched his own eyes when he saw them in the water, having been amazed at the beauty of his own form, much more will the envious eye bring destruction to another, as if casting a certain poisonous dart into the bodies of those it beholds. And these things have been taught both by experience and by times past. For eyes act in part and suffer in part, sometimes emitting [something], sometimes receiving it, just as we see happens in the case of lovers and the beloved. The great Basil, in explaining the title of the thirty-third Psalm, says: “Indeed, I reject that which is said, that the eyes ejaculate a certain poisonous dart, as something vulgar and devised by old women in the women’s quarters. But I say that the evil spirits, who burn with hatred of the good, if they find wills consonant and addicted to themselves, abuse them in every way according to their own desire and will. Thus it comes about that they use even the eyes of the envious for the service of their will.” C D The basilisk, then, of whom we are now speaking, harms the ears not only by this manner, but also by his hissing.
A makes this discourse clearer in his discourse on the Resurrection, where he says: “Such as it was from the beginning, such has the body which fell been raised from the dead, having cast off everything which it had previously reached—that is, the things that occurred to it through sin.” Pay attention, then. For if it has been raised such as it was from the beginning, and that body which is raised is acknowledged to have been raised better than death and corruption, and the all-great Paul confirms the discourse, saying: “This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (I Cor. xv, 53), it is entirely clear that that body, I mean the one first fashioned by God, was truly immortal and incorruptible, as we have already said many times. B The divine Gregory of Nyssa demonstrates this very thing precisely when he is explaining the scriptural passage from Ecclesiastes, which is set forth in these words: “What is that which has been? The same as that which shall be. And what is that which has been made? The same as that which shall be made.” For he says that man, fashioned by the hand of God, was not that which he now is because of sin—namely, subject to change and corruption—but what he shall be later—that is to say, immutable and incorruptible. If, therefore, God created man for incorruption, according to the image of His eternity, as Solomon says; if He showed His own favor by bestowing upon him an intellectual soul so that he might even be immortal throughout time, as the golden-tongued one says; if God granted to man the enjoyment of eternal life from the beginning, as the great Basil says; if the first creation of Adam was incorrupt according to the divine Anastasius of Sinai; if God gave to man from the beginning C the dignity of being immortal and deathless, as the divine Andrew is found saying; if God, having honored man with the power of self-direction and immortality, appointed him king of all earthly things, as the blessed Barlaam says, how then shall we say that he was brought forth by God as both mortal and immortal? This is inadmissible, as I think, and very much so. And how, pray tell, is it not inadmissible, when the great Gregory, in his theology, does not allow us to imagine such things about the first man? For by saying that he was from the beginning devoid of every covering and screen, he clearly showed that the man first formed by God was clothed in a garment of immortality. But it is not allowed to contradict these things. For either that body was subject to natural passions and was admittedly corruptible, or it was superior to all passions, as the discourse has already distinguished. And there is no need to doubt concerning its incorruption, for it is manifest that, not being subject to any corruption, it was truly incorruptible. D Thus, then, beloved, the body of our Lord Jesus Christ is also acknowledged to have been corruptible before the passion, since it was subject to natural passions, and incorruptible again after the passion and the resurrection, regarding the immortality of the first man, Adam, which those who wander far from the truth, as many theologians and interpreters of Holy Scripture have set forth, whom you may consult, have erred in.
313 Ephon’s son completely destroyed the three sons of Enac, namely Susem, Tholmeus, and Schimas; these were giants with bodies of extraordinary stature, for which reason they are called the sons of Enac in the Holy Scriptures.
It ought to be known that the first law among the Hebrews is written in Exodus as follows: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, nor any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath.” There is no tautology here between the “graven image” (idolum) and the “likeness” (similitudo), for the likeness is of something—whether a terrestrial animal, a marine one, or a winged one. But the idol, according to Origen’s interpretation, is a construct of the mind that has no substantial existence, such as the cynocephalus honored by the Egyptians or the hippocentaur among the Greeks. Furthermore, you should know that the first law among the Hebrews was written in the book that concerns their exodus from Egypt; and these are the first words of the law: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make to thyself a sculpture, nor an image of anything whatsoever that exists either above in heaven or below on earth.” There is no inept repetition of the same thing here, for an idol and an image do not signify the same thing; for an image is of either a land animal, or a sea animal, or a flying one, whereas an idol, according to the opinion and explanation of Origen, exists as an invention of the mind, just as that cynocephalus, which was held in religious veneration by the Egyptians, was a mental construct, or as the Hippocentaur of the Greeks.
314 After Jesus, the son of Nave, the people were governed by judges. The first of these was Judas who overcame Adonibezec and maimed his hands and feet, for he was a king of foreign nations. For the Canaanites, taking heart after the death of Jesus to overcome the Judeans, entrusted the leadership to Adonibezec and went out against them. But they were disappointed in their goal; for not a few of them were slain, and Adonibezec was captured; and having his hands and feet maimed, he said: “Seventy kings, with the extremities of their hands and feet cut off, gathered the scraps under my table. As I have done, so has God repaid me.”
But also Barach, together with the prophetess Debbora, judged Israel for forty years. Debbora was a prophetess. She kept the Judeans—who wished to retreat because of the multitude of the Canaanites who had mobilized against them—and persuaded them to engage the enemy; hence they killed many of them. For a heavy winter having occurred harmed the Canaanites greatly, but the Judeans not at all. Then also Sisaras, seeing the rout that had occurred, leaped from his chariot and fled to a certain woman named Jael, so that he might be saved by her. And to this Sisaras, asking for a drink, she gave milk that was already starting to spoil. And having drunk more than the measure, he fell into a deep sleep. Then indeed Jael slew him by driving a peg through his temples. And thus victory was theirs according to the prophecy of Debbora. Thus the Scripture rightly called Susem, Tholmeus, and Schimas the sons of Enac, giants.
For God A fashioned man for incorruption, established him as lord of all earthly things, and granted him immortality throughout, as has been set forth above; and so it was his until the ages, for God’s gifts are irrevocable. But because He saw him sliding toward sin, and thereby falling from that exalted and angelic manner of life, for this reason He permits death to take place against him, for it was no longer advantageous that immortality should be his from that time on. For had such a thing not occurred, had that concession not been given from above for the sake of philanthropy, so that evil might not be immortal, death would not have approached that first Adam who was created for incorruption in the image of God’s eternity; nor would that body, which was superior to corruption and death, have become subject to them. But if these things are so, how shall we say that he was brought into existence by God as both immortal and mortal? For even if he became subject to death by failing to keep the commandment given to him, we shall nevertheless find that this is the final reach of the dispensation, as has already been stated, if we choose to attend to the sequence of Holy Scripture. For not when God was bringing man forth, as we were saying above, did He then speak to him, saying: "On the day you eat of the plant, you will surely die," but rather long after his formation. B For after He had established him as king, after He had brought the animals to him, after the conclusion had been reached concerning him in the divine counsel, only then did such a divine voice come to him, and then, truly, then did death find a place against him. And why these things, and for what cause? Lest, had he remained immortal after the transgression, evil should also of necessity remain immortal with him.
That man was destined to remain immortal after the sin, had not a divine dispensation occurred so that we should not also suffer immortal things like the fallen angels, the divine Gregory of Nyssa allows those without knowledge to understand for now. "For since," he says, "the first men fell into forbidden things and were stripped of that blessedness, He economically clothed the nature created for immortality with skin tunics—that is, the mortality derived from animals—lest the evil C should be immortal." And this divine man said "economically" well; for God, being concerned for us, that we might not sin immortally and that we might not remain forever in this painful and wretched life, as the golden-tongued one also says, yields to death to make its way against the immortal. And in this way, the immortal becomes mortal, and the incorruptible likewise becomes corruptible. And let the great Basil further persuade us, speaking thus about this: D
Certain men were cutting wheat when they were seized by thirst. Hence they ran to a vessel full of wine, hoping to find there an end to their thirst. But they were disappointed in their purpose; for a viper suddenly leapt out from it and checked their impulse. What followed from this? They take the wine and give it to a certain man afflicted with disease, so that he might thereby be more quickly freed from his state and not lead a life so painful. The man receives the wine offered, drinks it with pleasure, and immediately finds deliverance from his malady. From that time on, then, the flesh of the viper is included in the medicine. But they also call such a thing "theriac" on account of the flesh of the wild beasts, and because it is very suitable for bites from serpents. And a certain Andromachus became the author of such an invention, as Galen says, who was contemporary with Nero.
Furthermore, in addition to the things mentioned, know that serpents coil themselves up to mate, just as hedgehogs are seen standing upright on account of their spines. If you also wish to know the reason why serpents go down into the earth in winter and seek out places above in the summer, it is clear that this is the cause. A The serpent is cold, dry, nervous, and possesses little blood, on account of which it always necessarily seeks warm places. And since in winter the heat is accustomed to travel downward, and in summer it abounds from above, for this reason the serpent changes its abodes according to the condition of the air. For see that even well-water is cold in summer and warm in winter. At that time, as the cold prevails from above, the heat travels to the depths, whence the water happens to be warm in winter. For nature did not ordain that cold and heat should remain together in the same place and at the same time.
B But I wish for you to know this also, in addition to the rest: Holy Scripture is accustomed to call the largest serpents "dragons," especially when it speaks of the rod of Moses, which was indeed changed into a serpent first, and then after that into a dragon, and from there swallowed the rods of the magicians of Pharaoh, which had themselves supposedly been changed into serpents. But also the prophet David, intimating the whale kind, speaks thus: "This dragon which you have formed to play in it" (Ps. CIII, 26). But we have nowhere found recorded, even until today, such a kind of dragon as the multitude report. For the lightning fire from above does not break down to burn such C dragons. D The dragon kind is dry by nature and fiery in essence; for fire even flashes from their eyes. And the poison which they vomit out is smoky, and it dissolves the bodies which it touches. Hence the dragon is combustible on account of the dryness it possesses, and is prone to inflammation. Therefore, it fears the thunderbolt, and at times leaping forth, it is carried through the air, and seeks out places
A [the wrong,] unless indeed the man were destined to live on after the deception in immortality, just as he was before? It is therefore permitted to the immortal, as has been said before, to fall into death, so that evil might not be immortal; which even the Theologian called a gain. But do not be troubled by this. For if Adam was mortal even before the transgression, and mortal also after the transgression, when then did he receive the penalty of death? And when did he put on the coats of skin? It is manifest, therefore, that he, speaking of the common nature of men, said that man was ephemeral in body but immortal in soul. For in this sense he also said that he suffers for the sake of reminder and instruction; for how would that body have been subject to passions, which did not need a covering and was thus known to be impassible? To argue, therefore, any further is not reasonable; for if Adam was ephemeral from the beginning, if he existed mortal before the sin, the great Paul would not have said, "The wages of sin is death." B By this he showed that before the sin man was immortal. And if this is true, then such a one was also superior to all bodily necessities. From which it follows, then, that man did not taste of sensible food from the beginning. For though God allowed Adam to eat of all the trees in the garden, yet it does not follow that food there was sensible and transient. And this, as the discourse proceeds, will show you more clearly. For either, as the great Athanasius says to Antiochus, the plants in paradise are incorruptible, and how were they cut by teeth? How were they eaten? For that which is incorruptible is not by nature susceptible of being cut or consumed. Or they are subject to corruption, as some suspect, and how did Adam use them for nourishment? Let them give an answer to these things. For either the body he then possessed was perspirable and subject to corruption and flow, and was of necessity hungry, or it remained unperspirable, being free from flux and incorruptible—and what then compelled it to partake of sensible food? But they would not have anything to say, since the one after the image of God was rather superior to bodily necessities, as he of the golden tongue says; C for hunger and thirst and toil and sleep and pain and corruption, as indeed has been said before, entered into human life after the transgression. Look, therefore, with understanding, and do not thoughtlessly open your ears to those who are found here and there and who relate other things, but turn away from [the] Rom. vi, 23.
on water or flees to pools; for it knows that because of the dryness inherent in it, even from a distance it is consumed by the fire of the lightning. Wherever, then, the dragon happens to go, hissing and passing through, when it is driven by the fire, then the neighboring parts are also consumed. For often, even without a dragon, certain indistinct sounds are heard, when the fire breaks from above and falls upon such and such bodies. And whoever among those who have encountered such conflagrations say that they have seen a pig grunting, or a flock of goats bleating, or an ox lowing, they are lying to themselves and to their hearers; for they have seen nothing, but fear has fashioned for them such appearances. If, however, perhaps a malicious demon, having donned the body of the dragon, leads the beast into those parts—driven as if by fire—upon which it has been accustomed from the beginning to cast an evil eye, not even this account is to be rejected. For such a kind of being was an ancient dwelling-place for him, when he even made us exiles from Paradise itself through it, whence it is no new thing if he desires out of envy to push us from this earth as well. And about these things, so it is.
If, however, you seek the reason why cats and bats see accurately only by night, this is it: They possess a visual spirit that is altogether very fine. Therefore, at night, when it is moderately thickened by the absence of the sun, it becomes suitable for the perception of visible things; for during the day it is dissipated and scattered because it is very fine. This is also to be seen in other creatures, and in the lions themselves. Hence it is that lions flee the sun’s brightness and lie hidden all day long against their will; for if this were not so, perhaps they would wander about freely by day and inflict no small harm on those encountering them. A Know also this, that a lion, when pursued, draws in its tracks. Thus did the Lord, descending to earth, completely contract the time of His advent because of the devil who had long been watching for virgins. The lion’s cub is born dead, but it is brought to life by the breathing of its father. So also did God act first regarding Adam, and later regarding His own Son, who was dead for our sake. Wherefore also Jacob said: «He lay down and slept as a lion, and as a lion’s whelp; who shall rouse him?» (Gen. XLIX, 9). And if the same is called both lion and whelp, it is no novel thing; for Christ was both King and the Son of a King. The wolf fears the plant called squill. The fox, knowing this, sleeps near such a plant if by chance it happens to be staying outside its den, so that it may not be eaten by wolves. B If the fox does this, then much more ought we—[here the text shifts to the discourse on Incarnation]
A thus also the most divine Gregory of Nyssa reads these words: "We are persuaded that that tree forbidden for food was neither a fig tree, as some say, nor any other fruit-bearing tree. For although the God-seeing Moses seems to speak here of sensible food, yet I, he says, when I hear the holy Scriptures, acknowledge not only a corporeal food, but I know there is also another nutriment, the enjoyment of which pertains only to the soul." For Wisdom exhorts those who are hungry in these words: B "Eat my bread, and drink the wine which I have mixed for you." But also the Lord, foreshadowing the salvation of the Samaritans, said, "I have food to eat that you do not know," and elsewhere: "Let him who thirsts come to me and drink." Therefore, it is fitting to conceive of a certain fruit of the planting in Eden (for Eden is interpreted as 'delight') and not to doubt that man was nourished by this; and one should by no means think of this transitory and fleeting food during the life in Paradise. Thus, then, the most divine Anastasius also desires that that food be intellectual, not sensible and carnal. For if the divine utterances indicated such food, the first men, having tasted of it, would have died carnally as well. But because they sinned by the reason of the mind, they immediately receive the death of the soul. C Thus, then, the theologian Gregory also said that that plant, namely the tree of knowledge, was a contemplation, that is to say, a certain more perfect knowledge, to which it is not safe for those who are more greedy in their desire to ascend. Take heed, therefore. For it has been demonstrated from many sources that Adam in Paradise was not in need of sensible food; for having been brought forth by God as immortal, he was in need of nothing. And what need is there to say many things? If man is to live in the resurrection according to the likeness of the angels (for He says, "All shall be as the angels of God"), and the grace of the resurrection is nothing else, according to the divine Fathers, than the restoration of those who have fallen to their ancient state, it is entirely evident that before the transgression Adam had a life equal to angels, D not using either food or drink, as has been said, because no such thing is seen to exist even among the angels themselves. Do not, therefore, suppose that man in Paradise was filled with sensible food, since he had no need of it there on account of the impassibility that belonged to him at that time. But it was not proper to doubt these things. For since these natural passions—I mean hunger, thirst, fatigue, sleep, pain, grief, and the rest—entered into human life after the transgression, as the discourse has already made known, it is entirely evident that before the sin man did not have that which would compel him to partake of sensible food. And what need is there to speak at length? If man were in need of nourishment from the beginning, as some have assumed, he would also necessarily have been hungry, and shivering, and sleeping. But if he were such as that, it is entirely evident that he was mortal from the beginning and corruptible; for it is impossible for him who is incorruptible to remain so, as John of Damascus says, if he possesses...
these things? Prayer and fasting; for "this kind," he says, "is not cast out except by prayer and fasting." [Matt. XVII, 20.]
The camelopard is reported to be seen in Libya. The cause of such a mixing is the drought of that region; for the various animals collected there are few in number because of the waters, and thence, as they mingle with one another, multiform beasts are born. And know, my beloved son, that such composite animals, just as also mules, are not fit for conception and birth. Why is this? Because, consisting of different kinds, they have suffered a corruption of their power to beget. And it is reasonable; for neither did the earth at the beginning of things bring these forth, as it did the other animals (for the coition of donkeys and horses was thought of later by human artifice), nor did they hear that divine voice which said to the others, "Increase and multiply." [Gen. I, 22.] Hence, they have a ruined power of procreation.
The unicorn is a very wild animal, captured neither by hunters nor in any other way. However, such a beast, fierce as it is, approaches a virgin woman, who is clothed in splendid garments and adorned with various finery, and it rests at her knees. This can be seen in that invisible and incomprehensible divinity and in the true and only Virgin; for if this most pure temple had not been found, God would not have been seen on earth nor would He have conversed with men.
The ant, climbing upon the ear of grain, B smells it, and if it finds barley, it flees from it and goes to the ear of wheat. If the ant does this, how much more ought we to avoid doctrine that is alienated from the truth, and come to the wheat, that is, the most upright doctrine. For the enmity which the wolf has toward the sheep can be seen from this: for if its gut-string is found in a lyre, the rest of the strings made from sheep-gut are silent and emit no sound. This is also to be seen in timbrels. Why, then, was this strange and unusual thing permitted at the beginning of things? That from this it might be more clearly seen what enmity that intellectual wolf possesses against the flock of Christ.
Aelian says that the chameleon appears in various forms, as if it were deceiving the eyes of those looking at it, in imitation of Satan, who transforms himself into an angel of light. But Aristotle says that the chameleon is the most lean among animals that lay eggs and are terrestrial, because it has very little blood. This is also the cause of the soul's character in this animal; for it becomes multiform because of fear; for fear arises from a lack of heat.
A The male pig has tusks, as it is sharper for striking, while the female does not have them, and so it bites in defense. So too with deer: the male bears antlers, but the female does not. Moreover, those that are castrated do not have tusks, because their nature changes toward the feminine; for the females of these are deprived of them. Know also this, that wild pigs, which use simple nourishment, give birth once a year, while tame ones give birth twice because of their rich diet. When they are fattened, they lose their hair and bristles; for as they become fat, they become fleshy—or rather, such are those that digest well—and those that digest well lack waste matter, and the hair comes from the waste matter. B The reason why the pig and the horse carry foam at the mouth is this: heat and motion are accustomed to bleach liquids. And see the sea: it is whitened when moved by the winds. Look at pots placed over a fire. Look at the humidity in the air: in winter it is whitened when moved by the winds, and once whitened, it freezes due to the cold at that time, and thus snow is brought down; for snow is nothing else but semi-frozen water. So then, in the pig and the horse, humors, thinned into bubbles by heat and motion, are transformed into foam. C But if you also wish to know the reason why dogs alone go mad during the summer, here it is clearly set before you. Dogs go mad because of the accumulation of a dry temperament. They are dry by nature, and more so during heat waves. Therefore, the humors within them, heating up and drying out, become inflamed, and thence, because of excessive dryness, they go mad, just like those suffering from frenzy. Whence also their saliva becomes poisonous and drier. That they are inflamed is clear from their frequent panting, from having fiery eyes, and an open mouth for the cooling of the air. Not all dogs go mad, but as many of them as are drier. Some also say that the star, the Dog, contributes to this madness by some sort of emanation. Having gone mad, as Paul the Sinopian says, they turn away from both food and drink, and they let out copious and foamy saliva, and they are altogether voiceless, and moreover senseless, so that they do not even recognize their own masters. They rush upon everyone without barking and bite, and when they bite, they do not cause anything troublesome immediately, except for the pain from the wound. D Later, however, they produce the affliction called hydrophobia; for those bitten by rabid dogs flee from water, both when they see it and when it is brought to them. Some of them also, as... Sinopensis. Synoptes, or... to maintain. notated text: at the foot of the Latin column, the text regarding Paulus Sinopensis references the uncertainty of the identity of the author, mentioning the possibility of him being Paulus Silentiarius, the author of works on the Pythian Baths, but leaving the question open until further evidence is found.
A then added, after his formation properly speaking, "male and female He created them," it showed obviously that this creation is one thing and that creation another: the former representing the generosity of the Creator (for "in the image of God He created him"), and the latter indicating the difference of forms ("male and female He created them"). This discourse indeed seems burdensome, but only to those who follow their own reasoning. For those who search the holy Scriptures of the Fathers, it is worthy of all acceptance, because such a discourse is clear. And hear what the wise-in-divine-matters Anastasius says. For to the things said beforehand he added these also, wishing to clarify from many things what had been stated: B "The second creation is the formation of the male and female, which was added to the molding [of the man], the one who had been made in accordance with the first creation, clearly, in the image of God, in whom there was no difference of forms, because not even in that divine and blessed image was any such thing devised." If these things are so, it is reasonable to say that God, out of foreknowledge, gave such a structure to Adam from the beginning, if indeed such a difference of forms belongs to the second creation, which He necessarily added after the first formation, as has been said; for He was not ignorant of what was to happen. And attend, if you wish, to John Damascene speaking about the first man: "But God, the Foreknower, knowing that he would fall into transgression and would be subject to corruption, for this reason brought forth the female from him." C So if he had not fallen from the angelic life, this difference of forms would not have been added, because the one who had been made in the image of God would have had no need of it for the propagation of the race, since he was going to be multiplied like the angels, as was discussed above. But we must take up the discourse again.
On the Serpent.
God’s sentence after the transgression to the serpent: "On thy breast and belly thou shalt go." Since thou didst deceive the heart and didst persuade the belly to take of the food, on thy breast and belly thou shalt go. For He does not declare the walking upon the belly—as if he possessed feet beforehand, as Josephus and the so-called "Little Genesis" D say—but since, according to the golden-tongued John, because of his upright posture he had such liberty as to draw near to the ear of Eve and converse concerning such things, he was most justly condemned to drag himself upon the earth. For even if he had been formed footless from the beginning, yet by circles of certain lower coils, he used to move, riding high with his chest extended. For this reason, even today the serpent, when angered, often raises himself and runs coiled in circles. But having proceeded as much as to show the memory of his former gait, he is again cast down by the law of the sentence. And observe with intelligence that it is so burdensome for one to...
[if] by the manner of dogs, bark and bite those who approach them, and by such a bite they propagate the evil itself. But the cause of the other symptoms is clear. For when the venom has occupied all the limbs and the brain itself, it brings about such symptoms. But concerning the cause of their fear of water, some say it comes from an excessive dryness, as if they were entirely alienated from the moist substance; but Rufus declares that a certain species of melancholy happens to them, in that the venom imitates that humor on account of which others fear various things. And what need is there to speak at length? For just as we see it happen with the melancholic that some seem to be brute animals and therefore imitate their voices, while others believe themselves to be earthenware vessels and for this reason fear vehemently that they might be broken, and others think Atlas is falling upon them and therefore are forced to shout loudly, so too among those bitten by mad dogs one may see the same. For the venom of the dog, like a certain wretched humor, having occupied their brain, makes them fear water, and in that fear, the imagination of the dog that bit them [arises]; and in that way they are convulsed and finally exchange life for death. It is indeed said that a certain philosopher, having been bitten by a mad dog, entered a bath, and seeing the dog in the basin, and not being terrified, said: “What does a dog have in common with a bath?” But enough of these.
B The bear brings forth flesh that has neither shape nor form. But afterwards, by licking it with its mouth, it forms its limbs. Furthermore, its cubs do not suckle at its breasts, but by sucking their own feet, they grow from that. It brings forth before the time, so that it may come together with the male. But the bear is also in danger during birth. And being in labor at night, it watches the star of the Bear, and thus brings forth easily. The bear is very gluttonous, yet during winter it sits in its den and being hungry, it licks its foot and is nourished; this is unique to it alone among land animals, just as it is to the octopus among sea creatures.
But of the wild asses, the females, whenever they bring forth a male, cut off its genitals so that it may not propagate. The wild ass is a very dry animal, and on that account, thirsty. For which reason David, while speaking about waters, says: “The wild asses will wait for their thirst.” C It is also said that the fox, when lacking food, lies on its back as if it were dead and holds its breath; and because of this, the birds, seeing it swollen, descend upon it and touch it as if it were dead. Then, suddenly leaping up, the one they believed dead captures and devours them. But the ibex is a swiftest animal and dwells upon the cliffs, and when chased, it leaps onto its horns, and is not injured.
A and frequently. At that time, he approaches the high priest Abiathar; then he also ate the loaves of the presence. From there, he flees again to Abimelech; at that time, he also feigns the symptoms of those suffering from epilepsy. Beyond these things, David, finding Saul B once and twice, and having the power easily to kill him, did not wish to do so, committing everything concerning himself to God. And concerning these things, so be it. But the Philistines again wage war against the Jews, for which reason Achish also summons the same as allies. Saul also attacks Mount Gilboa, and seeing the massive encampment of the foreigners, he was troubled, and his heart failed him. And he inquired of the Lord through the Ephod, and He did not answer him; for if they were not in favor with Him, He did not hear them. Wherefore C he seeks a ventriloquist, even though he had previously managed to expel their kind from his city, as he was previously pious toward God. Now they were called ventriloquists because they have a demon dwelling in their belly, speaking oracles about the future. That woman is persuaded with difficulty, and she brings up the soul of Samuel from Hades, just as Josephus records. For the one wise in divine things, Theodoret, calls this account impious and profane; for he is not persuaded D that the soul of a dead man is brought up from Hades and that any soul at random could be, let alone that of such a great prophet. But others, not wishing to accept this account as profane, say that a certain deceiver of the people, a demon, reported the things concerning Saul to the ventriloquist. Theodoret accepts neither the first, as it is impious, nor again the second; for if the one who appeared were a demon, he would not have uttered true words. Therefore, he says that God himself, having fashioned the appearance of Samuel, willed it and brought forth the decree; for He said through one of the prophets: "If you approach a false prophet, I, the Lord God, shall answer through him." So, through Balaam, He blessed the people, and through a profane seer, the things to come were announced. These things come to pass, and the Philistines attack the Hebrews. Finally, Saul and his sons fall. Saul, however, having received many wounds, and being unable to bear it, commands one of his men to turn his sword upon him, so that he might not be handed over to the hands of his enemies. He did not obey. Finally, he falls upon his own sword, and being unable even thus to bring about his own end, he persuades one of the Amalekites, and he finishes him. And the Philistines, despoiling the enemies, encounter Saul and his sons, and having cut off their heads, they carry them about through all the country, and they crucify their bodies outside the wall, as Josephus records.
B He was compared to the senseless cattle and became like them." For in accordance with this, the great Maximus also said in his letters to Thalassius that these passions—that is, pleasure, sorrow, desire, and all the rest—were not primarily created with the nature of men, but that they entered in after the fall from perfection, taking root in that part of the nature which is more irrational, through which, instead of the divine and blessed image, the likeness of irrational beasts became immediately manifest and apparent in man upon his transgression. For it was necessary, when the dignity of the intellect was hidden by those characteristics of irrational animals which he had drawn upon himself by his own will, that the nature of men should be justly punished, God rightfully guiding man to a consciousness of his rational greatness.
Yet it was not by necessity, in truth, that God bound us after the transgression to these desires, by which we are carried off toward food and drink and venery. For this is the reason why, for our born bodies, the birth, the nourishment, and the endurance for as long as each one's bodily constitution allows, exist. For being composed of four elements, it possesses its dissolution by necessity. For composition is the beginning of decomposition, as the theologian Gregory says. It is resolved, therefore, in some more quickly, in others more slowly. And be persuaded by the great Cyril, who says: "God left each one after the fall to complete his own life as his temperament happened to be." For this reason, nature also protected the essential parts of our life—that is, the heart, the brain, the liver, and all such things—everywhere with firm bones, so that they might not be easily harmed by any chance pretexts, and death not follow immediately.
However, He mixed pleasure in with these desires like some kind of bait, so that through it we might be easily drawn along. For if this were not the case, we would not run to food and drink, nor would we be entirely given over to venery. And were it not for this, the human race would perhaps have perished of necessity. In this regard, therefore, even the semen, being as it were a superfluity, urges and distresses and compels the creature to hasten to its discharge, God permitting even this by plan for the sake of the preservation of the race. C These things Mani and Valentinus, as it seems, being ignorant of, said that it was a creation of the devil, and that we are set aflame by him and rolled toward dishonor. But God did not abandon us to be entirely inclined toward connections, nor did He allow us to live without perception like the irrational animals. For He joined unpleasantness to pleasure and made it mixed, so that from the one side we might be drawn to the increase of the race, and from the other we might torment ourselves, and remember our earlier state, and cry out loudly against the sin because of which we were compared to the senseless cattle.
A ...animals, however, perform their movement gently by means of the others. Thus, beloved son, custom becomes nature in some creatures. For observe that in Libya, animals do not drink during the summer, when the thirst is greatest, but they drink in the winter, when they are less thirsty. This happens entirely because there is no water in Libya during the summer, and because there is water available in the winter, they drink it. Thus, what they are accustomed to there, these animals preserve by custom even when they come to other places. And so much for these matters.
B After these things, that is, after the production of land animals, God forms man and places him in Paradise. But pay attention here as well, beloved. For although some say that God created Paradise after the seventh day, claiming to follow the Mosaic history, they are clearly mistaken, as they pass over the Scriptures cursorily rather than with the intention of investigation. And hear what the spectator of God, Moses, says: "And God finished on the sixth day all the things that He made; and on the seventh day He rested from all His works which He had begun to make." If, then, after the seventh day He brought nothing from non-existence into existence, how did He create Paradise after the seventh day? The Scripture seems to say that Paradise was created after the seventh day, but its meaning is not what many suspect. And be convinced by the golden-mouthed John in his twelfth homily on the *Hexaemeron*, where he says that Moses, by recapitulating what had been briefly narrated before, caused simpler minds to think and say such things. Furthermore, if, as they say, Paradise was created after the seventh day, it is absolutely necessary to say that the formation of Adam from the dust, as well as the structure of Eve from his side, took place after the seventh day. For what reason? Because Moses is found narrating this later, that is, after the seventh day. Therefore, Paradise was before Adam. And hear what John Damascene says in his chapter concerning Paradise: "Since God was about to create man according to His own image and likeness, as a king and ruler of all the earth and the things within it, He prepares for him Paradise as a kind of royal palace, so that he might possess a happy and most blessed life from thence." D Mark this well: because, as it has been said, He establishes Paradise for him before Adam is formed, it is entirely evident that He planted this too on the sixth day, provided that He ceased from creating after the seventh day, as the golden-tongued one says.
C And since your zeal for learning is well known to me, I shall deem it worthwhile to mention certain narratives from the Book of Judith. Nabuchodonosor, because the other nations did not bring him aid when he was at war with Arphaxad, sent his general Olophernes against the whole earth, saying to him: "Thus says the great king, the lord of all the earth." D Upon this, as Olophernes was setting out according to this command against the Jews, the Ammonite Achior also said these things: "If there is indeed an error in this people, and they sin against their God, we shall go up and make war upon them; but if not, let my lord pass by." And Olophernes said to Achior, "And who is the God,
A He therefore plants the divine paradise in Eden toward the east at the time of the formation of Adam. For, as the great Theodoret, Basil, and John of Damascus say, having chosen a certain place toward the east, which was called Eden, and which was conspicuous and higher than all the rest of the earth, He plants the paradise in it, so that, as Severianus says, it might be delicate and flourish forever; for Eden is translated as "delight." God willed that man, having been created, should dwell in the place He bestowed upon him. For, He says, "He placed him in the paradise." But from this, beloved, we learn also this, that God formed Adam from another earth, but after these things He placed him in the paradise. And hear what the Scripture says: "And God cast out Adam from the paradise of delight, to till the earth from which he was taken." But why, and for what reason, does God form man outside the paradise, and then introduce him into it? It is so that he might learn from this, as the golden-tongued John says, of what honor he was deemed worthy by God, and what enjoyment was granted to him by Him. For observe that even those who are raised from the lowest rank to a higher and first position know by necessity what they were before and what they have subsequently attained to, a fact which also becomes the cause of no small rejoicing. B C God therefore forms man with His own hands, as it has been said. For He says, "And God took dust from the earth, and formed man, and breathed into his face the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Most rightly, therefore, are all land animals liable to death; for they came forth, as He says, from the earth together with their soul: "Let the earth bring forth," for He says, "a living soul." But man alone has shared in immortality, because he received his soul through the divine inbreathing and not from the earth: "He breathed," for He says, "into his face the breath of life," that is, the rational soul itself. For this did not come from the earth. And let the theologian Gregory persuade thee, as he goes through the formation of man word for word: "And having taken the body from the matter which already pre-existed, and having infused a breath from Himself, which the word recognizes as the rational soul of God, He brings forth man." D Pay attention, therefore. Since the rational soul was placed in man by God through inbreathing, for this reason it is also immortal. But the soul of irrational animals, having come forth from the earth according to the divine voice, is earthy; for this reason it is also mortal. And so much for these things. But it is necessary for thee to know, beloved, what the man of golden tongue says concerning these things also: "And God, creating the quadrupeds together with their bodies...
A and brought forth their souls, but when forming man, He first fabricates the body as an instrument, and then places the soul within after it has been created; for He does not wish for the soul to be present at the creation, lest it boast as a fellow-worker of God." Pay attention, therefore. For He says, "He breathed"; that is, this body made from dust was willed and commanded to possess a vital power, which became the living creature into a living soul, that is, one acting and demonstrating that same art through the movement of the limbs. And so, beloved, these words are spoken in condescension, just as also [the words], "Let us make man." For God does not truly stand in need of deliberation or consideration, but by the guise of the speech He wishes to indicate to us the immense honor with which that being who was formed by Him is deemed worthy. He creates man, therefore, after the likeness of an image [that was] dead, as the golden-tongued one says. For the body lay at that time dead, needing that which would move it. Then He says, "And He breathed into his face the breath of life." These things, then, are said by the divinest John [Chrysostom] and in a very methodical way, putting to shame those who say that he follows the opinions of Origen. For from the stated words he appears to uproot the pre-existence of souls, which the foolish Origen championed.
And *He breathed into his face the breath of life*. But some, hearing the word "breathed" here, and not pondering the thickness of the terms and [the fact] that Scripture represents certain things through others, have supposed the soul to share in the very essence of God. But they have missed the mark. For if we grant this, God would be found punishing Himself in the gehenna of fire, if indeed, according to the holy Scripture, He delivers the soul there along with the body to be punished eternally; "For do not fear," He says, "them who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in gehenna." B The breath, therefore, was not changed into a soul in order to create a soul, just as the hand does indeed write a letter, but yet it is not changed into letters, but the hand remains a hand and the letters are letters.
See, therefore, with a sensible mind. For He said "He breathed" here, in order that He might demonstrate the Holy Spirit, along with the Father and the Son, as the creator of man. For He says, "And God said, Let us make man." And God, taking dust from the earth, formed man. Who is it that said it? The Father. And who is it that took [the dust]? The Son. In order, therefore, that the Holy Spirit might not appear alien to the creation of man, He has adopted the word "breathed" quite wonderfully, through it indicating, as has been said, the Holy Spirit, C and that man was produced at that time as a participant in the grace of the all-holy Spirit, as the divinest Cyril says, even if the transgression later dimmed such a gift.
A For this reason, also, when the Lord rose from the dead, he breathed upon the disciples and said: "Receive the Holy Spirit." For he could not bear that we should not again be shown to be participants of the all-holy Spirit—a thing which the priest even today breathes into the one being baptized, quickening as it were his soul, which had already been deadened by the transgression of Adam. But one must return again to the sequence of the discourse. B "He breathed into his face the breath of life." Our view, then, and the more truthful one regarding the union of the soul with the body, is simple and clear. For the body is from dust, but the soul is derived directly from God. And from this, when they are joined to one another, a single composite animal comes to be, and this is the union according to hypostasis, the coming together of two natures according to him. This is what the golden-tongued man wondered at when he said: "How is man formed in the womb? And how does the God-like soul suddenly appear together with the body?" Those, however, who boast of the wisdom that is from without, because they were ignorant of the creator of man, necessarily went astray regarding the actual formation. It is from the earth, then, as it has been said, that the dust is, but the soul is from God. C And this is what the Scripture says: "And he breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul." Pay attention, therefore. For it is plain from this that the soul is one, possessing different powers. Whence it is always present throughout the whole of the body and attaches itself to each limb in a fitting manner. For immediately they say that the irascible power of it makes its home in the heart, while the appetitive power similarly [makes its home] in the liver, and its rational power, touching upon the brain itself, shines through it to all things and is made manifest. And some, among whom is also Apollinaris, the bishop of Laodicea, believe there are two souls in man. For they say that the irrational part, that is to say the more irrational part of our soul, exists by itself, being an irrational soul and not a part of the rational one, first because it is found by itself D even in irrational animals, from which it is clear that it is a complete thing and not a part of another, and then because it is among the most absurd things that the irrational should be a part of the rational soul. But these men, in this way, believe in two souls in man; yet they are refuted by the divine Scripture which says: "And man became a living soul"; for it did not say "into living souls," but "into a living soul." But also Plotinus the wise, whom Apollinaris of Laodicea followed, says that man consists of three things: of mind, soul, and body. But even in this he has been deceived; for the mind, as the great Basil says, is of the same nature as the soul, and just as the eye is in the body, so also is the mind in the soul itself. For the cleaner and more authoritative part of it is named so; just as the soul of man is also called "noetic" [intelligent], by its total participation in the mind itself.
Starting from this premise, that divine man who was discussed [in this work] narrates the following concerning the soul: "I believe the power of the soul, though it be one and the same, to be twofold: the one is vital, subservient to the body; the other is a contemplator of existing things, which we call 'noetic' [intelligent]." Now the vital power, since it is mingled with the body, the soul provides naturally—due to that mixture—and not by the power of choice; but the contemplative power holds its motion within the scope of choice. B These things, therefore, that most holy Maximus also explains, saying that the part of the soul which is cleaner is free from passion and indivisible, comprehending intelligible things in an intelligible manner, while the part of the soul that is subject to passion and divisible—which is indeed partitioned into the senses—suffers with the body when it feels pain, and likewise takes pleasure when it is pleased; for the soul, as has been said, grows together with the pleasant things of life through the bodily senses, as the [Bishop] of Nyssa also says. For it is delighted by the fair color of matter through the eyes, and in its hearing it has a proclivity toward pleasant sounds, and in the rest it is similarly disposed according to each of the senses. In this regard, John Damascene also stated that the more irrational part of the soul is subject to passion and is appetitive. And again, the soul, being subject to passion, even though the body be cut, it is not itself cut as is the body, but nevertheless it suffers with it and experiences the same pain as the one who is suffering. C Hence arise both the pleasures common to soul and body, which come from their union and from food—as the aforementioned divine man said—and those [pleasures] arising from learning are peculiar to the soul alone, nor would anyone ever find pleasures belonging to the body alone. That the soul possesses a part subject to passion, through which it suffers with the body when it suffers, and is on this account anxious and sorrowful and receives the rest of the passions into which it fell after the sin, is clear from what the Lord said: "Now is my soul troubled." For it was permitted to His holy soul, just as to His body, to suffer at times what is proper [to them], and He observed the measure of the "emptying" [kenosis] everywhere, as the most divine Cyril said. For these passions—namely pleasure and sorrow and despondency—were not built into the nature of men from the beginning; but, as the most divine Maximus says, these were introduced later due to the fall from perfection, growing onto the more irrational part of nature. D Consistent with these things, the great Basil also narrates, saying: "Consider what the sympathy is that returns from the flesh to the soul: how the body receives life from the soul, and the soul receives pains from the body." And these [are] thus; but Aristotle, relying on human reasonings, insists that the ruling mind makes its dwelling within the very heart, so that its power of choice is easily distributed from there throughout the entire body. Others, however, [say that] the head has been built as a kind of acropolis...
GOD and the devil in their midst, and thus to converse before the Lord, the divine Chrysostom says is a prosopopoeia. Josephus, however, says that Baal is the god of the Tyrians, and Astarte is of the Sidonians, and Baalim is the shrine of Baal. And concerning these matters, so much. Josaphat, even having sought a prophet and learned such things, nonetheless went up to war with Ahab; yet because of his other virtue, as has been said above, he was preserved. Micah, however, having been cast into prison by Ahab, said with frankness: “If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken through us.” But also the divine prophecy upon Ahab through Elijah came to pass. Being wounded, he stood for a long time in the chariot so that he might not cause a retreat by his flight. And the blood flowing was stuck to the chariot. The charioteer washed this by a spring, and the dogs licked it up. And the harlots bathed there at dawn according to custom; for the water was spring-fed, but dyed with the blood. B Joram, having emulated the impiety of his father-in-law Ahab, found worthy punishment. For the great Elijah, by means of letters, made known the sentence: “Thus says the Lord: Because you did not walk in the way of Josaphat your father, but killed your brothers, behold the Lord strikes a great plague in your house, and you shall be in evil ailments, in an ailment of the belly, until your intestines go out.” Therefore, those of other nations turned against him, and they enslaved everyone, and killed all his children except for Ochozias. And the disease also fell upon him, and not even after death was he deemed worthy of a royal burial. Truly, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. After him came Ochozias, himself also an emulator of his fatherly impiety. Therefore, two captains of fifty with severity are sent to the great Elijah, summoning him so that he might be questioned concerning the king's disease; upon whom, having brought down fire from above, he consumed them. But here those accusing the cruelty of the prophet accuse God; for through him are all things. Therefore a third captain of fifty is sent, and using mild words he escaped the punishment. Descending, therefore, and having met those sent to the idols, he said, “Because there is no God in Israel, do you go to seek Baal-zebub, god of Accaron? The bed on which you have gone up, you shall not come down.” Let them know, therefore, from this C...
A that this intelligible being can be seduced by certain deceptions and flatteries and by the simulation of a kind character and good counsel, and that its nature is led to become accustomed to them according to its own will and desire—before it makes the effort to pour out its water and its spirit, for it cannot be separated from these two unless every rope is cut. But why should I mention many things in words? There are reptiles which, even though they progress in such a way, yet do not fall under number, since they are implicitly assumed to be deficient. For if they were infinite in number, they could not in any way suffice for use, since they are consumed both together and by men. Indeed, the stronger feed themselves by devouring the weaker, yet they are not entirely consumed, when there is a growth that can be consumed.
And consider this point for me: the voice of God, or rather not the voice of God, but His will alone, which brought forth every species of fish from the waters. For this very will of God imparts its nature to the waters, which from the beginning received a certain vital power. For were it not so, the Spirit of God would not have been borne over them, a Spirit B by whose transformation He imparted that vital power to the waters, just as Chrysostom says, and that they would a little later come forth from them. For Chrysostom transmits that by these words a certain vital efficacy is signified. But Basil discourses more broadly on them in these words: “Whether Moses speaks of the diffusion of the air, I understand that our author enumerates the parts of the world, namely that God established heaven, earth, waters, and air, which were already being diffused and flowing at that time. Or if this is true, which is handed down earlier, it is thought to be spoken of the Holy Spirit of God. For in the sacred Scriptures no other spirit of God is called by name except that Spirit who resolves and completes the divine and blessed Trinity. C If you wish to embrace this opinion, you will perceive a greater fruit from it. For a certain Syrian, a man of admirable doctrine, used to say that ‘the Spirit hovered over,’ that is, fostered and enlarged the nature of the waters, just as a hen brooding over eggs imparts a certain vital power to them, as if they were being incubated; and from this it is clearly demonstrated that the Holy Spirit does not lack the power to create.”
And so much for the fish. Now the order of things demands that we also mention a few things about the birds, which themselves also have their origin from the waters. And for that reason they hold a certain kinship to the swimming creatures. For just as fish D living in the waters progress by the agitation of fins, and various movements of the tails regulate their direct courses, so also is it to be seen that in a similar manner they traverse the air with their wings. And they delight in the waters, the birds, because they arose from the waters. This alone is the difference from fish.
On the Soul
image. Hence, much has been philosophized about it, yet no one has ever been able to grasp its essence, created, as has been said, in the image of the incomprehensible and inconceivable God. But God, also instructing us so that we might have a humble mind and not imagine we can encompass everything that pertains to us, has placed such incomprehensibility in the soul. It is, by necessity, also incomprehensible in the archetype. Pay attention, my beloved. For the discourse, having arrived, has established that the soul stands together with the body, and from this a breathing composite being is fulfilled, which is man. And this is the union according to hypostasis, this is the co-existence of disparate natures according to their union. Therefore, in the way that both body and soul suddenly come together in the womb, in the same way, again, they are suddenly separated from each other at the time of death. Therefore, whoever thinks that the soul withdraws bit by bit from the body at the time of death—because the extremities of those who do not end suddenly grow cold and are completely insensible, as though it began to contract and curl up in parts from the furthest reaches of the body, so that when it is all gathered towards the heart it is then suddenly taken up—such a person is deceived. For it is not so, but just as the sun shines suddenly upon the body, lighting up the air in an instant, in the same way it flies off from it. Therefore, it is not extended, as we said above, nor is it divided, but while it enlivens the whole through the whole, it stands no less on its own. What then is that which is extended along with the body and enlivens it? It is nature and the irrational life. For it was not fitting for the soul to associate with the gross body without some intermediate link attached to the extremities. And this indeed is extinguished along with the extremities before the final expiration, it does not withdraw from there. For it would be immortal if it returned into itself. But when this intermediate bond is dissolved, the soul departs the body, as if in an atom or the twinkling of an eye, as the Apostle says. And the discourse has already set out so much concerning the soul itself. B It showed that it is suddenly in the womb as the God-like [image].
It is necessary to dwell a little on those things that have been physiologically theorized of old concerning the body. For what reason? Because the soul is accustomed to act according to the state of the body. For just as this brilliant sun emits its rays toward us according to the thickness or thinness of the air, so also the intellectual soul shows its own operation according to the state of the organ. Hence it is possible to see those who are foolish and those who are not, the sleepy and the quick, the irascible and the gentle, the brave and the cowardly, and many other...
others of this kind. And do not regard what is said as a myth; for you have the divine Anastasius of Sinai saying that God is not the cause of such things, but rather nature itself and the concurrence and convergence of the four elements. A For if an abundance of the hot element is found at the time of the infant's conception, that which is born becomes of a hot temperament; but if the cold element prevails, that which is born is found to be of a colder disposition. From this, then, come the irascible and the mild, the brave and the cowardly. Consider the boar and the deer; the one is ready for battle because of heat, while the other flees the fight because of the cowardice resulting from cold. But if the dry element prevails, it produces a person who is sober and quick. Regarding which a certain wise man, whose name was Heraclitus, said, "A drier soul is wiser," calling the substance of the brain "soul" in this instance. But if the moist element abounds, it makes one sluggish and difficult to rouse. According to this, therefore, natural mildness, prudence, and temperance are not judged by the divine Fathers to be virtues, but natural advantages. And pay attention to the great Basil himself, who says, "I have known many who by nature hate sexual intercourse with a woman. Shall we therefore call them temperate? By no means; for temperance is that very power of self-control B and the overcoming of the pleasures that fight against us." And so much for these matters.
Regarding the passage: "Let us make man." Why, when molding man, did God not take a clod, but rather dust, which is the finest substance? He did this partly to curb our puffing up, and partly to provide from this source a hope for the resurrection. Since He foresaw that this creature was destined to die and return to dust, He anticipated this in the creation by granting the hope of the resurrection. He takes dust from the earth so that, when you see dust in a tomb, you may know that He who molded it will also raise it up. But you also ask, for what reason He creates man double, consisting of an intellectual soul and a body? So that he might be a bond between the intelligible world and the sensible world. For since these two worlds are separated by their essence, in order that He might not introduce different creators, He set man as a double creature in the world, so that from this, one Creator of both the things above and the things below might be proclaimed.
"Let us make man in our image." Why does Holy Scripture call the creature composed of body and soul "man" (*anthropos*)? In the Hebrew language, "man" denotes fire. And because God foresaw that the ends of the inhabited world would be filled with human bodies from a single man, just as one lamp lights many lamps, for this reason He called such a creature "man," that is to say, fire. For as for the others...
each element remains as it is. Take, for example, a clod of A earth: it remains as it is. If you take water by a certain measure, it remains the same water and receives no addition. If you fill a skin with air, you cannot fill another skin from it. But fire does not remain as it is; rather, if you take an equal amount of material, the fire increases. And if you light many lamps from one lamp, you do not innovate upon it. Fittingly, therefore, He called Him "man" (anthropos). For this reason He also called him by the name of Adam. For because the four regions of the world were about to be filled by him, He bestowed such a name upon him. And observe the letters of such a name: for they signify the four climates: Alpha, the East (anatole); Delta, the West (dysis); Alpha, the North (arktos); and M, the South (mesembria). Well, therefore, did He call such a creature both Adam and man; for from him, as has been said before, the four regions have been filled. For Scripture says: "And God planted a paradise in Eden toward the East." But why did He not plant the paradise in another region, but toward the East? From where the beginning of the course of the luminaries is, from there also is the conduct of men. God gives a forewarning of the future. He places the man toward the East in the paradise, that He might show that just as these luminaries rise and run toward the West and set, so also it is necessary for this man to run from life to death and set according to the pattern of the luminaries, and to receive another rising again, the resurrection from the dead. Adam ran toward the West, he sank into the grave. Christ came and made the one who had set to rise. For this reason the B prophet says: "Behold a man whose name is the East." Know also this, that the river which goes out from the paradise is divided into four beginnings, that is to say, sources, from which the four rivers arise. And if these four rivers have their beginning from one river, why is not also their water one? Why is not their quality one for them? They participate in the earth and in the quality of the places through which they pass, and for this reason they have a varied taste and quality. For observe that even water itself has one nature and quality, but if wormwood is cast into it, it produces a different quality, if dill, another, and immediately another if rue. Moreover, God ordered the rivers to pass through certain subterranean places and to reappear from other sources, so that those following their banks might not attempt to reach the paradise itself. I know, my beloved, C that you seek this among other things: why it is that Moses, explaining in turn about heaven and earth and all things, nowhere appears to make mention of the creation of the angels. Know, therefore, that those to whom these laws were given had nothing solid or firm. For if this had not been the case, they would not have proclaimed the image of a calf as God, even after they had viewed such miracles. But those who with such ease [turned] the things of beasts
into idols while calling them gods, what would they not have done if they had received the knowledge of the invisible natures? Therefore, since Moses kept silent regarding these matters, the prophet David, after a long interval of time, makes mention of their creation—albeit cursorily, due to the infirmity of his hearers—and says: “He spoke, and they were made; He commanded, and they were created.” A And that great interpreter of divine things, Dionysius, discourses more broadly concerning the invisible natures, as one who directs his teaching toward those capable of grasping such things. For he has admirably distinguished their station, their order, their knowledge, their illumination, their difference from one another, and the operation inherent in each, which he taught to those who were ignorant of them.
Concerning the Angelic Orders
Furthermore, I wish you to know this in addition to the other things: that the orders of the celestial hierarchies are nine in number, and they are these: Cherubim, Seraphim, Thrones, Dominions, Powers, Authorities, Principalities, Archangels, Angels. But if there are other orders in the heavens, concerning which we are to hear and learn in the age to come, the blessed Paul knows, having said: B “Christ is seated above every principality and authority and power and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come.” The divine Dionysius, however, divides the specified nine orders into three hierarchies; he says that the first consists of the Seraphim, the Cherubim, and the Thrones, which stand immediately and directly before God; the second, of the Dominions, the Powers, and the Authorities; and the third and last, of the Principalities, the Archangels, and the Angels. The last order among them, as has been said before, is properly called Angels, as they announce and convey the divine manifestations to us. This angelic title is also granted to all the intellectual natures because the thearchic C illumination occurs to them first, and thus through them the things beyond us are conveyed to us; for even the law itself was given to us through angels, and angels guided those illustrious Fathers, both before the law and after the law, to the divine; for through the first, the things that are second are led upward toward the divine. Nor are there only intellectual natures above us, but within these very same co-ordinate hierarchies there are first, middle, and last ranks, and the more divine among them become guides for the lesser ones toward divine approach and illumination. And while the theologians call the most holy D orders of the highest essences "angels," as has been said (for they too are interpreters of the thearchic illumination), it is unreasonable to designate the last order of the celestial minds—that is, the angels—as Cherubim or Seraphim or Thrones; for it does not share in the essence of the highest powers. Beyond these, therefore...
we see that all these intellectual natures are called powers, as being free from bodily passions and, consequently, able to fulfill what is commanded: "Mighty in strength," it says, "doing His word." But also, according to every sacred arrangement, the superior orders possess the enlightenments and powers of the subordinate arrangements, whereas the last are not partakers of those that rank above them. It is necessary for you to know this besides: that every name of the celestial minds contains a declaration of each one’s God-like property in the Hebrew tongue, just as the golden-mouthed John also says in his third discourse on the Incomprehensible. For some are called Cherubim, and others Seraphim. B Such names indeed signify their operations; and just as an angel is so called because he announces the divine manifestations to us, and an archangel because he rules over the angels, so such titles show us their wisdom and purity. And just as wings signify the height of their nature (for Gabriel appears flying, not because an angel has wings, but so that you may learn that he has arrived from the highest regions to the human nature), so also in the case of the Cherubim and Seraphim, the wings signify nothing other than the height of their nature, and the eyes their keen-sightedness. Likewise, the singing of hymns at all times indicates their wakefulness C and swiftness. In this way, the names of some signify their wisdom, and of others their purity. For what is Cherubim if not "multiplied knowledge"? And what are Seraphim if not "fiery mouths"? The designation of "Thrones" signifies nothing else than their exemption from all things lowly, and their openness and readiness for divine receptions. This, then, is the first rank, being initiated directly by the Essence-producing Godhead; the title of "Dominions" indicates a certain unenslaved and entirely free subjection, constantly yearning for the truly sovereign dominion. The title of "Powers" represents a certain virile and unshakable force toward all God-like operations, and that of "Authorities" a certain orderly and unconfused arrangement D concerning divine receptions. This, therefore, is the middle arrangement of the celestial minds, which is perfected and illuminated through the first hierarchic arrangement, and in turn conveys the enlightenments to the one after it. And indeed, the name of "Principalities" indicates their God-like and princely nature, and their being fashioned, as far as possible, after the Principle-producing Principle. The title of "Archangels" signifies that they partake of the extremities; for it holds in common with the Principalities and the angels—with the former, because it is turned principially toward the super-essential Principle, and with the latter, because it is of the sub-prophetic order, revealing the thearchic enlightenments through the first-mentioned powers to the angels…
A revealing their mission. The name of angels depicts their manifesting ministry. The discourse therefore has shown that the first orders receive the illuminations directly from God, and the second from the first, and subsequently the rest, that is, the third from the second. Concerning the fact that there is a certain difference among the supernal powers, and that they possess knowledge according to their position, order, and rank, the most divine Cyril also indicated this in his book of *Treasures* (*Thesauris*), saying: “Knowledge is proportioned to every rational being, so that we believe there is one [measure] in angels, a greater one in archangels, and one exceeding these in the higher powers.” But also Johannes Damascenus says this about them: “The supernal powers differ from one another in illumination and in station, whether they hold their station according to the illumination B or partake of the illumination according to their station, and they illuminate one another on account of the excellence of order or nature.” It is clear, as has also been said above, that those who excel communicate of their illumination and knowledge to those below them. In addition to the things said, he also states this, that the supernal powers guard parts of the earth, and preside over nations and places, just as they were ordered by the Creator. That these things are so, the most holy Patriarch Germanus demonstrates more clearly. For in his discourse on the Dormition of the Theotokos, he says these things about this matter: “At the same time that the races of men were established, angels were ordered to oversee their lives. For He set, he says, the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God C, and the angel of the Lord camps around those who fear him. When men deviated into idolatry, the angels also withdrew from them. But at the time when the all-immaculate [Virgin] was giving birth, those in heaven were united with those on earth, and there became a harmonious commonwealth for angels and men, and one doxology.” Something similar is recounted by the golden-tongued John about the angels. For he says that the prophet Daniel calls the angels a great thing, and that by the command of God the entire creation was distributed, and they were set in charge of the nations, and that one of them watches over the Persians, while the archangel Michael guards the people of the circumcision. D That a dispute arose between both protectors, not out of the passion of anger, but according to some divine and ineffable reason, while the one compelled the Jews to serve the Persians as if they were despisers of God, while the other drew them back toward freedom, and said: “Cease, you protectors of the Persians, for God...
A has punished those who were sinning, but does not turn away from those who are converted.” And that a divine angel attends upon each of the faithful for the purpose of guardianship has been described by the great Basil among others. He says: “Just as smoke drives away bees, and an offensive odor repels doves, so also does sin, being full of tears and stinking, separate from us the angel who is the guardian of our life.” The same has also been made known by Theodoret. For in his *Therapeutic* he says these words: “The devil is said to have fallen because of being puffed up with pride, and thereupon to have raged against men who were honored as the divine image, and to have entered into war against them. Hence it is that the Creator has appointed the supervision of angels to guard the human race, so that he [the devil] might not, by exercising force and tyranny, come upon them invisibly and destroy without fear those whom he hated out of envy.” And that these things are so, and that each of the faithful possesses a guardian angel, is also described in the Gospel according to Matthew. For it says: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.” And concerning these matters, let these things be indicated.
Furthermore, it has been questioned by some whether these intellective powers were created before the production of heaven and earth, or after their creation. B Theodoret, therefore, along with Gennadius, asserts that this observable world was brought forth before those invisible natures. For since angels are circumscribed by limits, it was altogether fitting that there should be some place in which they might be circumscribed. But the rest of the list of Fathers seems not to admit this at all. And then hear what the great Basil says in his *Hexaemeron*: “There was a state of being older than the creation of the world, befitting those ultramundane powers. And in it the Creator of all things brought forth creations, an intellective light, befitting the blessedness of the angels who love the Lord.” But hear also what Gregory, called the Theologian, says: “First, God conceives of the angelic and heavenly powers, and that thought was a work, completed by the Word and perfected by the Spirit; and second, He conceives of the material and visible world.” C His brother Caesarius also relates things similar to this, saying: “All the fleshless choirs of angels were living in light even before this world was generated.” And the most divine Anastasius Sinaites speaks thus concerning these matters: “Our God, who is always existing, before all creation conceives and makes the angelic and heavenly powers, as He alone knew.” But besides these, both Severus and Diodorus, and the great Amphilochius himself, demonstrate the creation of the D invisible natures to be prior to this observable and sensible world.
A John Damascene says the following about this: "Some say that after the first heaven the invisible powers were brought forth; but I agree with Gregory the Theologian. For it was fitting that the intellectual essence be created first, then the sensible, and thus man from both." God brings forth the celestial powers, as has been said before, and then the heaven and the earth, the sea, and all things in them. Finally, with His own hands He fashions man, having taken dust from the earth and breathed into him, as was said above. "Let us make man according to our image and likeness," and let them have authority over the fish of the earth. Why did He mention the fish here first, B having said, "And let them have authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth"? Because of the order of creation; for first the fish came from the sea, then the birds, and after these the quadrupeds from the earth. And they ask this too, beloved, for what reason did God lead the animals to Adam? He had previously said, "Let us make man according to our image, and let him have authority over the fish." Consequently, so that what He had said might become clear by deeds themselves, for this reason He led the animals to Adam, so that from this their subjection might be acknowledged (for indeed they all stood by as if they were slaves), and the wisdom granted by God to Adam might become evident to everyone; for upon each of the animals he bestowed a name appropriate to its nature. "Let us make man according to our image and likeness," that is to say, let us give him an abundance of reason, as the great Basil says: "And the 'according to the image' I received from God, that is, to be rational; but the 'according to the likeness' He left to me. For if I had received this as well from there, what merit is mine? I therefore possess the 'according to the likeness' when I become good of my own accord." Consistent with these, John Damascene also says that God created us according to the likeness, so that we might be likened to Him as much as is possible for a man; for virtue was indeed given by God to our nature, but it rests with us to remain in it and follow God, or to depart from it and follow the devil. And John of the golden tongue (Chrysostom), in his homily on the Hexaemeron, says this: "On the day God created Adam, He created him according to the image of God, that is, He gave him authority over all things. For just as God has authority over all things, both visible and invisible, being the creator of all, so too, having created this rational animal, He willed it to have authority over all seen things. Therefore He also graced him with the essence of his soul, willing him to be immortal unto eternity. But even when he had transgressed the commandment, He did not turn away from him completely, but deprived him of immortality, and having condemned him to death upon the...
A earth, He left him in that same dominion. For man, by the reason with which he is endowed, even today holds all things in his power. For although we see wild beasts sometimes rushing upon man according to their own impulse, we should not marvel at this to such an extent, since it happens by divine providence, so that in this way we may be reminded, even against our will, of the sin for which we were condemned to fear and tremble as though beneath a yoke. That man was appointed by God as the ruler of all things upon the earth is evident even from his form; for, as you see, man’s form is upright, reaching toward heaven and looking upward. All these things, as the Nyssen says, seem to be marks of authority and to signify royal dignity; for the fact that man alone among all existing things is such, while all other creatures have their bodies inclined toward the earth, clearly shows the difference in his status. B Observe, therefore, beloved, the beginning that He allowed to exist. For by that which is present in him...
Pay attention, beloved. Wishing to honor man, God plants a paradise first, and only then places him within it, even though Pyrrhus the chronicler writes that Adam entered Paradise after forty days. But I do not know where Adam was dwelling before, if he spent forty days outside of Paradise. Now the golden-tongued John [Chrysostom] casts this suspicion aside, saying: "It was possible for Adam to dwell even outside Paradise. But those places were not marked out and destined for the habitation of man, but for the beasts of burden and all the wild animals of the earth. Paradise, however, was a royal dwelling place for them; for this reason, God led the animals to Adam as beings separated from him." If these things are so, do not offer your ears to Pyrrhus, but to this golden-tongued orator, for he is truly a disciple of the all-holy Spirit. C
Following this, the text says: "Let us make for him a helper according to him," that is, similar to him in all things and of the same nature, but not similar to the remaining animals, because they do not happen to share the same nature with him. But here, Manes called God a liar, and Aquila did the same; for in their Greek version they interpreted the phrase "according to him" in a way contrary to Him, because perhaps this helper caused Adam to transgress, and hence the helper became a conspirator. And these are the opinions of such men; but according to the most divine Cyril and John Damascene, this helper was named for Adam for the sake of the constitution of the human race. Therefore, God casts a deep sleep upon Adam, and extracting one of his ribs, He builds the woman. And Adam, having beheld her later, most prophetically said: "This is now bone of my bones." For not even the woman, D even still the same...
will be produced from man alone, but through the conjunction of both and the law of marriage. Therefore, God casts an ecstasy upon Adam, and taking one of his ribs, builds Eve. For it was necessary that Eve should not come forth from the earth, but from the substance of Adam, so that out of this a bond of love might be placed within the consorts. He casts an ecstasy, therefore—that is, He places a deep sleep upon Adam—so that he would not have the sensation of pain in the removal of the rib, as the Golden-mouthed one says, and from that point be disposed with hostility toward his consort. He takes, therefore, one of his ribs and builds the woman, and He filled in with flesh in its stead. Why, then, did He fill it in? So that he would not, after the release from sleep, have the sensation of what had happened from what was missing; for if he had remained ignorant during the time of the removal, nevertheless he was going to recognize what had occurred afterward. On account of this, God filled in the defect of the rib with flesh. A "And God said, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth." We must attend to the great Basil here also. For he says that increase is twofold: the one of the body, the other of the soul. But the increase of the body is the restoration from small size to the befitting magnitude, whereas the increase of the soul comes about additionally through instructions. But also, John of the Golden Mouth so speaks concerning the soul: that once having received existence from God, it does not further tend toward increase as the body does; for how could this be, being in itself without quantity and without form, as the image of God? Therefore, the intellectual soul was created perfect from the beginning, even if it appears to grow little by little along with the body. And this is clear from what Gregory of Nyssa says: B "The form of the soul appears according to the proportion of the organ underlying it. For the communion with the impassioned and animal generation did not cause the divine image to shine forth in the creature at once, but by a certain way and sequence leads man unto the perfect—not that another soul is produced for the infant and another for the perfect man, but [the same] itself shows its imperfection in the former and its perfection in the latter." Therefore, the soul is indeed perfect even in infant age, but it is unable to display the whole of its operation. For just as an excellent musician plays a narrow and distorted melody on small pipes, but when he finds broad ones, then he demonstrates his art in full, so also the soul, as Gregory the Theologian discusses in his metrical verses; for according to the disposition of the instrument, so does it display its operation. C D
A “Increase and multiply, and fill the earth.” Not by habitation, however, but by authority, as the great Basil says. For men are not duty-bound to fill the scorched, uncultivated, frozen, and inaccessible regions; but God made us lords to fill it. And we fill it by our reason. For when we see how great is the extent of the scorched and uninhabitable land, and when we see how vast is the northern climate—which, by reason of the excessive cold, is uncultivated and useless—we find that we have not filled the earth; but by choosing what is useful, we have left aside that which is useless for the habitation of men.
B “And God said: Behold, I have given you every tree which has fruit in itself; to you it shall be for food, and to all the beasts of the earth.” Take heed, therefore: for God made man the master of the fish and the rest, yet He did not grant him their enjoyment. So the first law granted only the enjoyment of fruits. For we were still considered worthy of paradise; and so fruit, herbs, and grass were for our food, as they were for the birds of the air and all the beasts of the earth. For even if now the lion and the leopard rejoice in blood, nevertheless, these too, being subject to the law of nature, were nurtured on fruits. But when God saw man had become intemperate, He granted him, by a second law after the flood, the enjoyment of all things, saying: “All these things you shall eat as the herbs of the grass.” By this permission, the other animals also received license to eat [flesh]. From that time on, the lion became bloodthirsty, and from that time, vultures began to look for carcasses. For vultures did not, immediately upon being born, survey the earth looking for animals so that they could feed upon them; rather, they all roamed the meadows. And even today, we see dogs often grazing on grass for the sake of health—not because that is their natural food, but because the irrational animals approach what is beneficial by a certain untaught instruction of nature. You should consider the carnivorous animals to have been like that then, intending grass for themselves as food, and not conspiring against one another. The enjoyment of these things was therefore granted, as has been said, after the flood; C nevertheless, even now, those who wish to lead their lives in imitation of the life in paradise—fleeing from this excessive indulgence in food and drawing themselves toward that life as much as is possible—use fruits and seeds and the products of fruit-bearing trees; and we turn away from the excess of these things as unnecessary; for they are not detestable in themselves because of the Creator, nor are they to be chosen because of the desires of the flesh. D *On using meat.* I know, beloved, that you have also been perplexed by this.
And the Evangelist, making this clear, said that even when he had taken the morsel, he went out; and it was night. He departs, therefore, to those with whom he had agreed to deliver up the Lord. And the Lord, having settled the final matters with his disciples, goes then to a place which the traitor also knew, who immediately, having taken the cohort from the chief priests and the officers of the Pharisees, comes there with lanterns and torches. He questions them, therefore; they fall to the ground. Peter cuts off the ear of Malchus, even if he was not able to cut off his head; for this was indeed what he was striving to do. Then, at that very moment, the Lord said to him, “Dost thou think that I cannot now beseech my Father, and He will provide for me more than twelve legions of angels? How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” The Savior said these things to the disciples, striking fear into them and persuading them from that point on not to meddle curiously with any of the things taking place. For if, he says, this is pleasing to the Scriptures—that I must suffer, namely—how do you oppose, using swords? The cup which the Father has given me, shall I not drink it? Having therefore bound Jesus, they led Him away to Annas first, and there He is judged. He is questioned concerning His teaching and His disciples. He answers as is fitting. He receives a blow to the face, and He says, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil,” and the rest. B From there, therefore, He is led to Caiaphas, then to Pilate, it being morning. Before the cock crows, He is led to Caiaphas; but in the morning, to Pilate. The Evangelist shows that for the entire half of the night, being questioned by Caiaphas, He was convicted of nothing; for which reason he also sent Him on to Pilate. And Mark, discussing the matter of the cock-crow, speaks thus: “Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt thrice deny me” (for when he denied once, the cock crowed the first time; but when he denied the third time, it crowed the second), explaining more accurately the weakness of Peter, having learned it from the teacher himself, that he was also a pupil of his. But Matthew, having said, “Before the cock crow, thou shalt thrice deny me,” indicated the whole of the cock-crowing—that is, the first, which occurs through different vocalizations, just as the second cock-crowing occurs, and the third. Therefore, by Matthew saying “Before the cock crow,” thou shalt thrice deny me, he was saying, as it were, that even before the first cock-crowing reached its end, thou shalt thrice deny me. After, however, the Lord was judged by Pilate, His back is scourged with braided thongs; for such is also the meaning of the word *flagellum* (scourge). After that, He is delivered up to be crucified. And all these things have been brought about by the unseasonable cowardice of Pilate; for the Jews...
A should they eat from the tree, by death you shall die," they might have had something to say who call him a medium between immortality and mortality. But since the commandment—from which death indeed took occasion against us (for if you eat, He says, "by death you shall die")—was given long after his production, those who study the Scripture should not have hesitated at all. For God created man for incorruption from the beginning; that is, He immediately brought him forth incorruptible according to the image of His own eternity. B But do not be troubled concerning this. You have the divine Anastasius of Sinai, who in his discourse on the Resurrection speaks of these things as follows: "And God made man; in the image of God He made him. This first creation was simple, unmarried, incorruptible." If, then, the first creation was incorruptible, as this holy man who has been discussed said, what must one say about that first man? For God immediately brought him forth incorruptible, as has already been said, and honored him with immortality. And these words are not my own. The most divine Andrew of Crete, in his discourse On Those Who Have Fallen Asleep, is found speaking of these matters in this way: "God fashioned man, and granted him the dignity of being rational, intellectual, immortal, and indestructible." If, then, God granted immortality as a dignity to man, how can we henceforth call him mortal and immortal, or similarly corruptible and incorruptible? C This is inadmissible, I think, and, moreover, it is not fitting to ascribe to that which is immortal and indestructible the mortal and corruptible at all. But I do not know whence those men, having taken their pretexts, not only mix the unmixable—when they say that the body of Adam was a medium between immortality and mortality—but also do not refrain from attributing natural passions to him who was impassible and incorruptible before sin, and this without any scriptural demonstration. But do not fear for this reason. For that he who was to the image of God existed from the beginning with such a nature—namely, incorruptible and immortal—and that that body of Adam in a certain way did not suffer, being above all corruption, the golden-tongued John will teach you more extensively and more clearly, D as he handles the discourse upon this in his book of the Homilies *ad Populum*. For since certain persons had so disparaged this body as being corruptible, to the extent of calling it unworthy of God's creation (for they said that if it were a figment of divine hands, it would not have been subject to such myriads of passions), he used such words toward them: "Let no one present to me this man who has offended, who has been condemned, who has been disgraced; but if you wish to learn what kind of body God fashioned for us from the beginning, let us go to paradise."
A And let us behold that man who was created from the beginning. For that body was not then corruptible and subject to decay; but, like some golden statue newly emerged from the furnace and gleaming brightly, that body was exempt from all corruption, and neither did toil trouble it, nor did sweat defile it, nor did cares lay snares for it, nor did sadness besiege it, nor was it troubled by filth, by tears, or by any other such passions. But since he behaved insolently toward his Benefactor, and hoped to become God, and conceived a conceit greater than his own worth, then indeed, then, in order to discipline him, God made him corruptible and mortal, and bound him to these many necessities. » These are the words of the most divine John. On this account, the word rightly called that body incorruptible; for that which is not subject to any corruption is confessedly incorruptible. But if it was incorruptible, how then and in what manner did it suffer? We are anxious to learn this. For we are not able to conceive from ourselves how a body liberated from all corruption could fall under passions, and for this reason we ask to learn. That that body was incorruptible and immortal, the blessed Cyril has shown in his discourse on the creation of man, speaking word for word as follows: «The body of Adam had been made from earth, but it was superior to death and corruption; for the Giver of life implanted life within it.» But the great Basil also, demonstrating this very same thing, said: «Having fashioned man, God granted him the enjoyment of eternal life.» In addition to the things mentioned, the most divine Barlaam is also found speaking thus to Joasaph: «God honored the man from the beginning with self-determination and immortality, and established him as king of all earthly things.» B But look, and do not pass over such sacred statements carelessly. For at the same time he was brought forth according to the image, and at the same time he was deemed worthy of self-determination and immortality by God. And how then shall we say he was a participant of both immortality and mortality? This is, as I believe, most illogical. For if we were able to conceive that He established him as king of earthly things, having honored him beforehand with immortality, we would not there mingle in mortality, nor would we conceive such illogical things regarding him who was made according to the image of God. But the golden-tongued John also demonstrates this same point, setting it forth word for word in his homily on the Hexaemeron: «Having created man, God wished him to have authority over all visible things. Therefore, He also granted him the essence of the soul, wishing him to be immortal into the perpetual. But since he slipped through sloth and transgressed the commandment given to him, He did not even then turn away from him completely, but deprived him of immortality, and having condemned him to death, He left him in almost the same authority.» C But when the stag casts off its horns, it hides itself, as if acting out of shame because it is naked. And when they begin to grow again, it comes forward once more, just as before. Thus also does the righteous man, having in some way stripped himself of duty and of virtues, hide himself from God, just as Adam once suffered in paradise when he saw himself naked due to his transgression. When, however, he has struggled and set himself straight, and has seen that the virtues have grown once more, then he is returned to God with boldness, showing himself a participant of his former liberty. Wishing to indicate this, David said: «Then I shall not be ashamed when I look upon all your commandments.» D And these are thus; others say that it is not out of shame for the loss of their horns that stags flee from their accustomed places, but that they are most of all providing for themselves. For there is a certain sense even in irrational animals, by which they have grasped the discernment of their own safety. The cuttlefish knows the trickery of the mist, and sometimes employs it for the hunting of prey. The hedgehog knows how to wrap its body in its claws. The hare knows how to send away the plots of hunters through the speed of its feet. The stag, having shed its horns, knows that its nature is weaker.
A But here it is worth paying attention. For God did not merely desire to establish man as king of the things that are observed, but he also demonstrated that rule as completed in the very things themselves. For at that time he led all the animals to him, even though he was not ignorant of what was to come. Thus, all things, standing before him in a servile manner, received their designations from him. Indeed, in this way he reached him with the rational soul and honored him with immortality. For even though he was not ignorant of his impending transgression which would occur before long, still, since he does not wish to condemn him solely on the basis of intention, he fulfills his counsel for him in a manner befitting God, and, as was said before, imparts to him a rational soul, so that from this he might be immortal forever. But why did he make man the ruler of earthly things and immortal immediately? In order that we might learn from this that God, who made us, also rules over all the powers above, and that he is immortal, incorruptible, and indestructible. For it was for this reason that he, having taken dust beforehand, said: “Let us make man in our own image.” And Solomon, knowing this, said, “God did not make death, but created man into incorruptibility in the image of his own eternity.” B Yet, even if he did condemn man to death afterwards, he did not leave him without consolation for long. For he translates Enoch, and at that time he taught our mortal nature to await that immortality from which it fell because of the transgression. And hear what the great Athanasius says concerning these things in his discourse on the Assumption: “Death indeed entered through disobedience; yet God, loosening the sharpness of the threat, immediately caused a hope of immortality to rise for the human race, and snatches Enoch from the midst, and from this he taught our mortal nature that it should await borders of immortality.” These things are indeed confirmed also by the disciples of Christ, saying that the events concerning Enoch and Elijah clearly represent our own deliverance from destruction and eternal life. Pay attention, therefore: for Enoch, having received from God our deliverance from destruction and our immortality through that translation, taught our mortal nature, as has been said before, to await the borders of immortality. And these men spoke in this manner; but our own golden John showed more clearly that the first man possessed this deliverance from destruction, saying exactly as follows: “Enoch pleased God, and is translated. And behold the goodness of the Master. For having found a man who had achieved virtue, he did not deprive him of the dignity which he had bestowed upon the first-formed man before the violation of the commandment.” If this is so, what need is there to speak further? For if that first man possessed this deliverance from destruction, which Enoch, by being translated, taught that human nature should await, it is entirely evident C that man was produced by God at the beginning such as the divine oracles declare he will be when raised from the dead. Do not, therefore, disbelieve these things that are said. For look, the divine Anastasius of Sinai also, in his discourse on the resurrection, declares the same things most clearly.
and such indeed were the passions it discarded altogether after rising from the dead. Hence, moreover, the nakedness A in his discourse on the resurrection, makes the account concerning this clearer, saying: “Such is the body that has been resurrected from the dead, having fallen, as it was from the beginning, having cast off all that happened to it beforehand on account of sin.” Pay attention, then. For if it has been resurrected such as it was from the beginning, and that body which is being resurrected is acknowledged to have been resurrected in a state superior to death and corruption—and the great Paul confirms this saying, “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality”—it is altogether evident that even that body, I mean the one first created by God, was truly immortal and incorruptible, as we have already said many times. The divine Gregory of Nyssa demonstrates this very thing B when he is found elucidating the saying of Ecclesiastes, which runs as follows in his words: “What is that which has been? That very thing which shall be. And what is that which has been made? That very thing which shall be made.” For he says that man created by the hand of God was not what he now is on account of sin—namely, mutable and corruptible—but that this is what he was from the beginning, but rather that which shall be wrought later, that is to say, immutable and incorruptible. If, therefore, God created man in incorruption, according to the image of His own eternity, as Solomon says; if He displayed His own generosity by sharing with him an intellectual soul so that he might even be immortal for all time, as the golden-tongued one says; if God C granted man the enjoyment of eternal life from the beginning, as the great Basil says; if the first creation of Adam was incorruptible, as the divine Anastasius of Sinai says; if God gave man the dignity of being immortal and indestructible from the beginning, as the divine Andrew is found saying; if God, having honored man with free will and immortality, established him as king of all earthly things, as the blessed Barlaam says: how then shall we say that he was produced by God as both mortal and immortal at once? This is unacceptable, as I think, and highly so. And how indeed is it not unacceptable, when the great Gregory in theology does not allow us to imagine such things regarding the first man? For by saying that he was from the beginning in need of no covering or external garment, he showed D clearly that the first man created by God was clothed in the vesture of immortality. But to gainsay these things is not permitted. For either that body was subject to natural passions and was by confession corruptible, or it was superior to every kind of passion, as the discourse has already distinguished. And there is no need to doubt concerning incorruption; for it is evident that it was truly incorruptible, as it was not subject to corruption of any kind. Thus, then, beloved, the body of our Lord Jesus Christ is acknowledged to have been corruptible before the passion, since it was subject to natural passions, and incorruptible again after the passion and the resurrection; [alt-version omitted] regarding the immortality of the first man Adam, which those who err far from the truth—as many theologians and interpreters of sacred Scripture whom you consult have set forth—
and such passions; for it rose from the dead A entirely free from these. On this account, it leaped forth from the grave naked, having entirely left behind there the burial clothes; for as it had become incorruptible, as has been said, it had no need of any covering. But why is there need of many words? If that first Adam was at once mortal and immortal—if he was subject to natural passions, as is the opinion of the many—then it is absolutely necessary that our own condition hereafter should reach such a state, since we have our return towards that first Adam indeed. But it is not right to say such a thing about these matters, provided that the facts themselves are sufficient to persuade us, even before words. For if this human being, subject to corruption, after having been buried in the ground and putrefied, is raised from the dead incorruptible and immortal—and the blessed Paul confirms this teaching by saying of it: "It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption"— it is entirely clear that that Adam before the sin was such starting from the beginning, namely, incorruptible and immortal. And do not marvel at this, if indeed seed cast into the ground is accustomed to produce exactly what it was before. For whether you call it a grain of wheat or barley or any other seed, it is by nature destined to return entirely to that from which it has clearly fallen. But do not consider what is said to be a myth. For see that the great B Athanasius, wishing to demonstrate that we were made corruptible from an incorruptible nature, and that we shall rise again as incorruptible from a corruptible one, used the example of the grain quite aptly, speaking thus to Antiochus: "Just as God created the ear of grain from the beginning in the grain, and when the ear was crushed the grain came to be, and again the grain being sown sprouts the ear, so man was created by God incorruptible; then, through disobedience, he was crushed and fell into corruption; but being sown through death and buried in the earth, he sprouts and becomes as he was, incorruptible from the beginning." And do not tell me: "If he was previously immortal, how did he subsequently fall into corruption and mortality?" Abandon the "how." It was God who said: "In the day that you eat of the tree, you shall die the death." And you ask, "How did a mortal come to be, who was immortal?" Cease asking the "how." The golden-tongued John, in his discourse on the exile of Adam, will solve this question for you, saying thus: "Adam transgressed the commandment; he ate of that from which he was told not to eat; and for this reason, he who was immortal became mortal." Abandon the "how," lest you be held by a greater difficulty regarding this mortal body: how, you say, will it rise immortal from the dead, if it is mortal and corruptible? For he who is in doubt about the former—how he who was immortal became mortal—will necessarily also have questions about this. Therefore, abandon the "how." Wherever God is, there place has no room
A For God created man for incorruptibility; He appointed him ruler of all earthly things, and gave immortality to him, as has been discussed above. And he was to have it thus for ages, because divine gifts are irrevocable. But since He saw him sliding into sin, and from there falling away from that high and angelic conduct, for this reason He permits and death takes its place against him, because it was no longer advantageous from that point for immortality to be present in him. For if something of this sort had not happened, if there were not a concession given from thence for the sake of philanthropy, so that evil might not be immortal, the first Adam—who was created for incorruptibility according to the image of the eternity of God—would not have been approached by death; that body, which was previously superior B to corruption and death, would not have fallen subject to destruction. But if these things are so, how shall we say he was produced by God as both immortal and mortal? For even if he fell into death by not keeping the commandment given to him, nevertheless we shall all find this to be the end of the dispensation, as has already been said, if we choose to attend to the sequence of the Holy Scripture. For not when God was producing man, as was discussed above, did He speak to him then: "In the day you eat of the tree, you shall die the death," but long after his production. For after seating him as king, after conducting the animals to him, after receiving the conclusion of the divine counsel upon him, then to him did such a divine voice come; then indeed, then death also took place against him. And for what reason, and for whose sake? So that, he not having remained immortal after the transgression, evil might not also of necessity remain immortal with him. And that man was going to remain immortal after his sin, if there had not been some divine dispensation so that we might not also suffer immortal things according to the fallen angels, the divine Gregory of Nyssa gives us to understand for the time being. "Since," he says, "the first men came to be in the things that were forbidden and were stripped of that beatitude, He provided 'coats of skins'—that is, the mortality of the animals—for the nature created for immortality, as a matter of dispensation, so that evil might not be immortal." And well did this divine man say "as a matter of dispensation"; for God, being solicitous of us so that we might not sin immortally and so that we might not stay forever in this painful and wretched life, as also the golden-tongued one says, permits death to take place against the immortal, and in this way the immortal becomes mortal, and the incorruptible similarly becomes corruptible. And may the great Basil further persuade us, speaking thus about this matter:
A "God did not hinder death, so that He might not preserve our infirmity as immortal. Death is, therefore, for our gain, and this punishment is given for our benefit, according to the great Gregory, who is great in theology. Wherefore it is not reasonable to be saddened by these things. For even if we return to the earth from whence we were taken, according to that curse which says, 'Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return,' yet from thence, as the golden-mouthed John says, we are taken up again, and from thence we are transformed for the better, and we become again such as we were before, that is to say, incorruptible and immortal. To doubt these things, therefore, is not right, especially since the divine Fathers say that the resurrection from the dead promises us nothing other than the restoration of those who have fallen to their ancient condition. And give heed, if you will, before all others to what the most divine Anastasius says concerning these things: 'And God made man; in the image of God He made him. This was the first creation, simple, unique, incorruptible; and the resurrection of the bodies looks towards this creation.' And why is there need to say much? The parable in the Gospels of the wandering sheep and similarly that of the lost drachma show forth entirely this very wandering and fall of man, and his restoration and recall. For on this account God bent the heavens and descended and became man, so that He might lead us who had fallen back to our ancient and first honor. For indeed, if this were not so, the prodigal son would not have heard after he returned, 'Put on him the first robe.' If, however, some say that Adam was indeed created immortal by God, but that he was potentially mortal, that is, that he was capable of falling into mortality if he were not to be a guardian of the commandment given to him, we accept their statement—for it seems acceptable, especially to those who do not wish to fathom the writings of the holy Fathers—but that he suffered at all, that is, that he was subject to any natural passion before the transgression, this we in no way admit. For how could we, when we find no one among the holy Fathers discussing such a thing concerning the first man? Rather, indeed, they say that he was free from passion, and superior to all bodily necessities. For immediately the most divine John Damascene said that the man before the transgression possessed extreme freedom from passion; for hunger and thirst, labor and sleep and sweat, as this divine man is found saying in his sixty-fourth chapter, entered into human life after the transgression. But also the divine Anastasius of Sinai, in his discourse on the Resurrection, said that these blameless passions followed upon our entry into evil along with the putting on of the tunic of skin. For this was not connatural to the rational nature, as it was to the B irrational, but he placed it upon him later, punishing him who was once in honor but…
did not understand, and from that point bringing him to a remembrance of the goods from which he fell. But even John, golden of tongue, setting forth the passionlessness of the first man, said: "Consider for me the abundance of blessedness, how those first-formed were above all bodily things, how they inhabited the earth just as the heaven, and being in a body, did not endure the things of bodies." For they needed neither roof, nor ceiling, nor garments, nor any other such thing. But also the theologian Gregory, saying that the man from the beginning did not need a covering or shelter, altogether signified the same things as the Golden-mouthed. For the body was subject neither to frosts nor to heats. For if any such affection had grieved him, he would have been in need of shelter and B covering by necessity. The divine man would not have thought that he suffered anything, had he possessed the thicker and mortal flesh, from which our suffering also proceeds, saying that Adam was clothed in the investing of the garment of skin. He showed from this that before such an investing, man was passionless, as having been clothed in a subtler flesh, immortal and incorruptible. But one must not be exasperated at these words. For according to John Chrysostom, that body was exempt from all corruption. For which reason, reason rightly called it incorruptible. And if it was incorruptible, it is clear that it was also immortal. For if diseases and deaths are accustomed to be brought on by both the excess and the deficiency of the four humors, just as it seems to the Golden-mouthed, and yet the body of Adam dwelt in passionlessness and was always in the same state (for it did not admit of any change similar to us, as being above all sufferings), it is entirely evident that it was also a participant in immortality, as the discourse has already previously shown. That man was above natural affections in that time, the great Basil also showed, passing through it word for word in his Ascetic works: "Just as if we were in the paradise of delight, we would not have needed the careful consideration and labor of agriculture, so if we were in passionlessness according to the grace in the creation before the fall, we would have needed nothing from the medical art for solace." If, therefore, man had the grace of passionlessness in the creation before the fall, how should we say that he fell into any natural D affection in the time of his passionlessness? But also the great Maximus used to say that these affections—sorrow, pleasure, desire, and all other such things which are present to human nature today—ran into man from the portion of the irrational; for since he was condemned to be likened to the irrational beasts according to birth, from thence he of necessity drew these affections to himself. For these were not co-created primarily with man, as this divine man said in his works to Thalassius, but through the fall from perfection, they crept into the more irrational part of nature that had grown on. If
these things are thus, how shall we say that the first man suffered anything at all in that very perfection? It has therefore been demonstrated from many things that before the transgression, man was not subject to any natural suffering, as he was not lacking in immortality by grace. If this is so, how was he suffering? For if he suffered, he would of necessity have had a mortal and corruptible nature. But the choir of the holy men already discussed prohibits us from thinking this way regarding these matters, and even more so does the synod that gathered in Carthage forbid it, saying in its one hundred and nineteenth canon: "If anyone says that Adam was created mortal by God and did not come into corruption after the sin, let him be anathema." For this reason, it has seemed to us neither seemly nor pious to bring forward here the theologian Gregory. For even if he seems to say that the man from the beginning was earthly in body and heavenly in soul, likewise temporal and immortal, visible and intelligible, midway between greatness and lowliness, spirit and flesh—the one that he might remain and glorify the benefactor, the other that he might suffer and, suffering, be reminded and disciplined, being proud of his greatness—we do not think thus about this, because we do not believe these divine sayings were spoken for the sake of the first man. For how could we, when we have heard the theologian himself elsewhere literally saying thus: "Since through the envy of the devil death entered the world and cheated man through deceit, for this reason God, becoming man, is affected by our suffering." But I ask that you pay attention here. For if death cheated man, as the Theologian says, through deceit, it is patent that this divine man considered man to have been immortal in body before the deceit. And if this is so, how did he say: "that he might suffer and, suffering, be reminded and disciplined"? For that which is immortal is not of such a nature as to be able to suffer in any way. And what need is there of many words? If man was subject to passions before the sin, he was of necessity mutable; and if that one was mutable, it is evident that he was also mortal. And if he was mortal from the beginning, then corruption and death are not from disobedience. But I do not think anyone possessed of reason would say this. For how could they, since the aforementioned holy synod subjects those who think thus to anathema? Furthermore, if he thought Adam was temporal before the transgression, how did he say later that he received death as a gain? For he says that Adam was permitted to fall into death so that evil might not be immortal. But it is worth paying attention here as well. For it appears that before the sin man was immortal, since how was he to remain immortal
A if, after the deception, man was intended to live in immortality, just as he was beforehand? The immortal being was permitted, as has been said before, to fall into death, so that the evil might not be immortal—which the Theologian also termed a gain. But do not be troubled on this account. For if Adam was mortal even before the transgression, and mortal also after the transgression, when then did he receive the penalty of death? And when did he clothe himself in coats of skin? It is evident, therefore, that in discussing the common nature of men, he was saying that man is temporary according to the body, but immortal according to the soul. For according to this, he also said that he suffers for the sake of admonition and instruction; since how else would that body have been subject to passions, a body which had no need of a covering, and was hence known to be impassible? To argue, therefore, any further is not reasonable. For if Adam was temporary from the beginning, if he existed mortal before the sin, then the great Paul would not have said: "The wages of sin is death" (Rom. VI, 23). For he showed thereby that before sin, man was immortal. And if this is so, then such a one was also superior to all physical needs. B It is evident from this that from the beginning man was also untasting of sensory food. For even if God permitted Adam to [eat], yet it does not follow that food there was sensory and fleeting. And the discourse will show you this more clearly as it proceeds. For, as the great Athanasius says to Antiochus, either the plants in Paradise were incorruptible, and how were they cut by the teeth? How were they eaten? For that which is incorruptible can be neither cut nor eaten, as some suspect; and how did Adam use them for food? Let them provide an answer to these things. For did the body that he possessed at that time have the capacity for respiration C and was it subject to corruption and flux, so that he was of necessity hungry? Or did it remain without the capacity for respiration, as being untouched by flux and incorruptible? And what was it that compelled it to partake of sensory food? But they would not have anything to say, if the one made according to the image of God was indeed superior to bodily needs, as he of the golden tongue says; for hunger and thirst and fatigue and sleep and pain and corruption, as has been said before, entered into human life after the transgression. See, therefore, with understanding, and do not foolishly open your ears to those who tell other things from here and there, turn away D
A from them and count them as nothing; reject them, just as we ourselves did a little while ago. For we found and read many such things, and we relegated them to the category of myths, because we recognized that they fall quite far from the orthodox mindset of the Fathers. Do not, therefore, suppose that there was a liquid food in Paradise, and do not attend to the scriptural expressions in such a jejune way, since the holy Scripture B often teaches other things through other things. Of such a kind is that which says, "And God formed man, taking dust from the earth," and that which says, "And He breathed into his face the breath of life," and that which says, "And God walked in Paradise in the evening." For these things are wholly unsuitable to the bodiless God; yet the holy Scripture says these things, accommodating itself to our weaknesses. For if we do not grant this, C many absurdities will follow for us. For we shall attribute a mouth to Him, and hands, and feet, and all such things: for if He did not have hands, how did He fashion man? If He did not have a mouth, how did He breathe into his face? If He did not have feet, why does Scripture say He was walking in Paradise in the evening? But this is not so, it is not so; for the choir of the holy Fathers arrived to go over these divine utterances and to teach us how one must receive them, and not to let ourselves be dragged along by our own will, D jumping off cliffs and being carried far away from the straight path.
On the tree of knowledge
Thus, therefore, it is right for you to think concerning that plant, that is to say, the tree of knowledge, even if we do have some disagreement occurring on these points. For the most divine Isidore of Pelusium is found straightaway discussing this matter as follows: Christ curses the fig tree, so that He might show the Jews that He is also able to inflict punishment. But at the same time some secret doctrine is entwined with this, which has circulated to us from wise elders, that this was the tree of the transgression, of which the transgressors also used the leaves for a covering. And it was cursed by Christ out of philanthropy, so that it might no longer bear the cause of sin. And the wise Joannes Damascenus, most learned in divine matters, called the divine knowledge the food of Paradise. For God gives Adam authority over all the plants in Paradise, not indeed for the sake of food, but so that he might be led from them back to the Creator Himself; for from the magnitude and beauty of (the) creatures, as Solomon says, their Creator is accustomed to be recognized. And see how this divine Joannes interprets the things concerning Paradise, and what he says about them. "Of every tree that is in Paradise, you shall eat." That is, I say, "By means of all creatures, ascend to Me the Creator, and pluck one fruit from all, Me who am truly the life. Let all things bear life for you, and let your existence be a participation in Me." And these things he has handed down.
Thus these men; but the most divine Gregory of Nyssa states word for word that we are persuaded that that tree which was forbidden for food was neither a fig tree, as some say, nor any other fruit-bearing tree. "For although," he says, "the visionary Moses seems to speak here of sensory food, I, hearing the holy Scriptures, understand not only bodily food, but I know of another nourishment whose enjoyment extends only to the soul." For Wisdom exhorts those who hunger: "Eat my bread, and drink the wine which I have mixed for you." And the Lord, also signifying the salvation of the Samaritans, said: "I have food to eat which you do not know of," and elsewhere: "Let him who thirsts come to me and drink." Therefore, it is fitting to conceive of a certain fruit worthy of the plantation in Eden (for Eden is interpreted as 'delight') and not to doubt that7man was nourished through this, and one should not by any means conceive of this transitory and fleeting food during [his] existence in paradise.
In this way, then, the most divine Anastasius also wills that that food be intellectual, and not sensory and carnal. For if the divine texts signified such food, those who tasted of it would have died carnally; but since they sinned intellectually, they immediately receive the death of the soul. In this way, also, the theologian Gregory said that that plant, namely the tree of knowledge, was contemplation—that is, a certain more perfect knowledge, to which it is not safe for those with an overly greedy desire to aspire. A Observe, therefore. For it has been shown from many things that Adam was not in need of sensory food in paradise; for being created by God as immortal, he was in need of nothing. And what need is there to say much? If man will live in the resurrection according to the likeness of the angels ("For they shall all be, he says, as the angels of God"), and the grace of the resurrection is nothing else, according to the divine Fathers, than the restoration of those who have fallen to their ancient [state], it is entirely clear that before the transgression, Adam had an angelic life, using neither food nor drink, as has been said, because nothing of the sort is observed even among the angels themselves. B Do not, therefore, suppose that man in paradise was filled with sensory food, because he had no need of it there, by reason of the apathy that was present in him at that time.
But it was not fitting to doubt these things. For since these natural passions—I mean hunger and thirst, labor, sleep, pain, grief, and the rest—entered into human life after the transgression, as the discourse has already shown, it is entirely evident that before the sin, man did not have [the necessity] compelling him to partake of sensory food. And what need is there to speak at length? If man were in need of nourishment from the beginning, as some have supposed, he would also have been hungry, by necessity, and shivering, and sleeping. If he were such a one, it is entirely clear that he was mortal from the beginning and corruptible; for it is impossible, as John Damascene says, for that which is C corruptible to remain...
A partaker of sensory nourishment. But let those people be, for the recorded holy synod in no way permits us to think this way concerning the first man. For it speaks as follows, word for word: "If anyone says that Adam was created mortal by God, and did not pass into corruption after the sin, let him be anathema." And concerning these matters, thus it is. B Nevertheless, such a plant is planted in Paradise, from which Adam was forbidden to eat. For what reason? So that he might acknowledge from this the bestower of so many good things and know that he himself is under a Master, as he of the golden tongue says, and so that he might not suffer from arrogance that which the fallen Lucifer suffered, being unable to bear the splendor bestowed upon him. But what, then, are the things that follow? Adam transgresses the commandment, he touches the plant, he is immediately made naked, he falls into corruption, he is cast out of Paradise, he knows Eve, and he begets three sons: Cain, Abel, and Seth. John speaks of the goodness of God. But take heed, beloved, and do not be snatched away by those who say such things: "If God knew that Adam was going to transgress the commandment and therefore fall out of C Paradise, why on earth did He bring him forth? For it was necessary either not to bring him forth, or, once brought forth, to prevent him from that forbidden eating." Let such people be, if they think such things, and rather be persuaded by the most divine Gregory of Nyssa, saying thus: "That the human condition would turn aside from the good was not unknown to God, who knows all things. Yet He did not prevent it; for just as He foresaw the turning aside, so He also perceived its recall back to the good." What, then? Was it better not to bring our nature into existence at all, since He foresaw that man would miss the good, or to call him back again through repentance to the original grace after he had been brought forth and had fallen ill? The latter, by all means. Furthermore, by reason of His own goodness, God desired to bring forth the human race, and it is universally admitted that He foresaw his future swerving. If, therefore, He had not brought forth man for this reason, our wickedness would have conquered, as the Damascene says; for God does all things well, whatever He does, yet each of us turns toward the good or the evil by our own choice. For even if the Lord says: "It would have been better for that man if he had not been born," D He was not speaking to disparage His own creation, but rather because of the wickedness that had come upon His creature from his own choice. For the sluggishness of his own judgment rendered the Creator’s benevolence useless to him, just as it is possible to see in our own case. And pay heed, if you wish, to what is said. A king, wishing to bestow a favor upon one of his subjects...
A by entrusting to him a position of the greatest authority. And he, immediately looking up to the height of this authority, and being unable to bear it, becomes puffed up in his own mind; he can neither endure to remain in peace, nor does he, but conjures up things beyond his station, employs tyranny, and proceeds to rebellion. What is to be done in this case? The king is not a little vexed at the matter; he is dismayed. What is this? He says, "How has this ungrateful man turned the glory that came to him into disgrace?" And he desires not to destroy the ingrate, but yet he cannot neglect the tyranny. Therefore, he subdues the deserter, strips him of his dignity, subjects him to severe punishments, and sometimes even removes him from his present life. It would have been more advantageous for him not to have received authority from the king at all, if he were to be in danger of suffering such things through his own madness. Pay attention, therefore, beloved, and do not be carried away with those who attempt to scrutinize the divine economies B. For the benevolence of God is not the cause of our evils, but rather our own sloth and the movement of our will toward the worse. But neither was it fitting to restrain man when he attempted to eat of the plant. For how, since he was endowed with free will? For if God had intended to restrain man when He saw him wandering far from the straight path, where then would be the reason present in him? And where would be the free will, if it is the property of irrational nature to be led and carried hither and thither without choice? If man had been prevented from sinning, where then would be virtue? And where would be the crowns given on its account? And on what grounds would the kingdom of heaven be set before him as a prize, if he were not to become a partaker of the good through zeal, effort, and good choice? He ought not to have been restrained, lest the rational man be numbered among the irrational C, inasmuch as he did not possess the grace of free will. On this matter, the great Basil also says: "He who asks why God did not make us sinless, chooses nothing other than to prefer irrational nature to rational, and the immovable and unmotivated to that which is capable of choice and action." Adam is therefore left to himself, he touches [the fruit of] the plant, he is bared, and forthwith becomes an exile from paradise. What follows from these things? The eyes of his soul are opened, and from there he sees clearly what a good thing the keeping of the commandment is, and, conversely, how great an evil the transgression of it is. For that plant, as Josephus and Nemesius, the bishop of Emesa, say, did not possess such a nature as to instill in those who touched it the wisdom to know good and evil. For if the Holy Scripture calls it the tree of knowledge, it is not for this reason that it had such
A a nature as to instill in those who touched it the wisdom to know good and evil; but because the transgression of the commandment took place in it, and from that point on the knowledge of sin and shame entered in, for this reason it received this appellation. It is a custom of Holy Scripture to assign names based on subsequent events. And listen to what the golden-mouthed John says regarding these things: "A single spring in the desert was called the water of contention, not because it had such a nature as immediately to turn those who drew from it into contention—for if this were so, Moses himself, having drunk from it, would have contended with God. Just as that spring, therefore, was called the water of contention not because of its own nature, but because of the disobedience of the people which occurred there toward God, so too let us say that that plant B did not possess such a power. But because it had become the knowledge of good and evil—not that it possessed knowledge, but that everyone who sins comes to the knowledge of understanding that it is good to obey, and evil to transgress. Whence it also received such an appellation, as we have said, from the events that occurred in it afterward.
But after Adam had fallen into corruption and mortality after the transgression, God said: "Behold, Adam has become as one of us." And pay attention, beloved. Some have said that God spoke this word ironically; thinking that Adam, having conceived a desire for deification, had miserably fallen from the good things of which he was a participant, and the immortal had become mortal. Others have understood such a C statement by way of anticipation, according to the idiom of Scripture, saying, "Behold, Adam has become as one of us," that is, in the end of time, a man shall become one of us, similar to Adam. This, as we have said, is spoken by anticipation according to the idiom of Scripture, which is accustomed to declare those things that are about to come to pass as if they were already present or happened, just as we find it stated even regarding our first mother. For even though she had not yet been brought forth, it says that "God made man, and male and female he made them," although the most divine Anastasius understood such a divine statement in another sense. For in his discourse concerning the resurrection, he is found saying these things D regarding these: "Double is the construction of our nature, the one conformed toward the Divine, and the one divided toward this difference of forms that was constructed last." And not these things only, but this divine man also brings in Holy Scripture, so that this doctrine might be made clearer. For he says, "And God made man; according to the image of God he made him." This is the first creation, simple, uniform, solitary, not having any difference. For "according to the image of God he made him." But the second creation: "Male and female he made them." That these things are thus, is evident from the words themselves. There, he said "him"—"according to the image of God he made him"; but here he said "them"—"male and female he made them." And pay attention. Since Holy Scripture, having anticipated, said, "according to the image of God he made
CHAPTER: ON THE TWO CREATIONS OF MAN
his formulation, so to speak, added: "male and female he made them," it clearly showed that the former formation was one thing, and this latter is another; the one representing the generosity of the Creator (for "according to the image of God he made him"), the other indicating the difference of forms ("male and female he made them"). This argument may seem burdensome, but only to those who follow their own reasoning. For to those who search the sacred writings of the Fathers, it is worthy of all acceptance, because it is also clear. And hear what divine Anastasius, wise in spiritual things, says. For he added the following to what was said before, wishing to clarify from many things what was being spoken: "The second creation is the formation of the male and the female added to the creature, the one which had been made according to the first, namely according to the image of God, in which there was no difference of forms, because in the divine and blessed image no such thing is conceived." If these things are so, it is reasonable to say that out of foreknowledge God gave such a construction to Adam from the beginning, if indeed such a difference of forms belongs to the second creation, which He necessarily brought in after the first, as has been said; for He was not ignorant of what would happen. And pay attention, if you will, to John of Damascus speaking about the first man: "Since the God who knows the future knew that he would fall into transgression and would be subject to corruption, for this reason He brings forth the female from him." So that if he had not fallen from the angelic life, this difference of forms would not have been added, because he who was made according to the image of God would not have needed it for the continuation of the race by succession, since he was destined to be multiplied like the angels, as has been discussed above. But we must return to the discourse, even if B again. Regarding the serpent. The divine sentence toward the serpent after the transgression: "Upon thy breast and belly thou shalt go." Since thou hast deceived the heart and persuaded the belly to take food, "upon thy breast and belly thou shalt go." For He does not declare that the serpent will now walk upon its belly as if it had possessed feet before, as Josephus and the so-called "Little Genesis" say. But since, according to John the Gold-tongued [Chrysostom], it had from its upright posture such an opportunity, so that it could approach Eve’s ear and discourse about such things, it was most justly condemned to drag itself upon the ground. For even if it had been fashioned footless from the beginning, still, by certain circles of coils beneath, it was raised up and moved alonged upon its extended chest. Hence even now the serpent, often angered, raises itself and runs, coiling in circles. And having proceeded as far as to show the memory of its ancient gait, it is again cast down by the law of the sentence. See also, with understanding, that it is so burdensome C for someone to be by himself—
and that it is equally grave to impel others toward sin as it is to commit the sin oneself. Therefore, the punishment of the serpent was heavier than that of Eve, and that of Eve heavier than that of Adam, because Eve deceived Adam, and the serpent deceived Eve. A Based on this account, the Manichaeans thought that brute beasts also possess a rational soul. For if this were not so, they say, God would not have punished the serpent, nor would he have subjected it to a curse. But this is not so, it is not. And this is evident from what the prophet David says: B "Do not be like the horse and the mule, which have no understanding." * Otherwise, if they think that brute beasts participate in a soul endowed with intelligence because the serpent was punished, there is absolutely nothing to prevent this same opinion from applying to trees as well, since Christ subjected the fig tree to a curse when, being hungry, he found no fruit upon it. God therefore casts the serpent to the ground so that, even if one does not see what happened to the devil, by seeing the serpent—which, as the Golden-mouthed says, once stood erect—perpetually crawling, one may receive a reminder that if the minister of wickedness is punished to such a degree, what must one say regarding the prime author? God punishes the serpent by doing something similar to what C a loving father does. For he does not only punish the murderer of his Son, but he also shatters and hacks into many pieces the very instrument of the murder. "He shall watch your head." You will no longer, he says, be bold, O serpent, to lay snares for men as you did before, but you will have such fear of men that even at the sound of them walking you will hide yourself in holes. The great Macarius, for his part, says in his Epistles regarding the devil that as soon as he fell he was to be delivered to Gehenna, but that God permitted him to war against men so that the soldiers of Christ might be revealed; D for if an adversary were not present, the genuine soldiers of the King would not be revealed. Hence, as one more condemned, he will find a more severe punishment. The great Basil, in his interpretation of the prophet Isaiah, also discusses the following concerning the devil: Perhaps even before man was created, a place for repentance was left for the devil, and the proud one—even if it was an older affliction—could have restored himself to his original state through repentance, having applied the remedy to himself. But from the time of the creation of the world and of paradise, and man began to exist within it, and the commandment and the envy of the devil and the murder of him who was honored arrived, the place of repentance was locked away from him. For if Esau did not find a place for repentance having sold his birthright, what place of repentance is left for him who killed the one formed by God and brought death upon him? But even the great apostle Paul in his epistles...
those who are utterly despaired of to conversion, says this verbatim: “If God received Manasseh through repentance, I dare to say that He would also receive the devil, if he repented with his whole heart.” He did well to say "I dare to say," for behold, John of Damascus does not allow repentance to the devil. He says, in fact, that what death is for men, the fall is for angels; for after the fall there is no repentance for them, just as there is not for men after death. And indeed, repentance was not granted to the fallen angels, as Nemesius says, because their nature is incorporeal; for man obtained repentance because of the weakness of the body. But this statement, so far as it concerns Adam, is in my view not worthy of acceptance. For Adam was not found to be a transgressor of the commandment having been defeated by bodily desires (away with the insanity of Origen), since these had no place in him before the transgression. And why is there need of many words? Adam himself, having been cast out of paradise and having sat opposite it, spent his whole life lamenting. B Because of this, God is softened, and does everything and suffers everything for him. But the devil, once fallen, not only did not lament, but also raged against the creature of God, and slandered God Himself to Adam. Consequently, for one so disposed after his sin, to obtain repentance is utterly impossible. Hear also what Theodoret says in his *Therapeutic* about this. The devil is said to have fallen having been puffed up with pride, and then, incited by a kind of frenzy, he waged war against men, who were honored as the image of God. But the Creator of all protected the human race, commanding the angels to oversee them, so that he might not, by using force and tyranny and attacking invisibly, destroy those whom he hated out of envy. Therefore, this envy, and especially his pride and madness (for even now there are under him principalities and powers, as Paul says), and besides these, the despair (for if this were not so, they would not have said, “Why have you come to torment us before the time?”), do not allow the apostate to repent.
Concerning the apostate.
Beyond what has been said, I want you to know this also: that this apostate devil was the leader among the angelic powers, having been created good by God and bearing no trace of vice or wickedness in himself. For all things that God made were good, and very good. And God made nothing evil. For evil is nothing else than a withdrawal from the good, just as darkness is nothing else than the deprivation of light. Therefore, the discourse said well:
A of non-beings. For if good things are said to have been created by God, these entirely exist. But evil, since it was not created by God, would not even exist. Consequently, God is not the author of evil, since, as we have said, He is not the author of non-beings; and it is said that evil is nothing, since it is insubstantial and does not subsist by itself.
B That God is not the author of evil. He is not the same. Such a one, then—that is to say, good—having been created by God, the devil was entrusted by Him with the guardianship of the terrestrial order and of the earth. But not bearing the illumination and the honor which God had granted him, he turned from that which is according to nature to that which is against nature, and he was lifted up against the God who had created him; for he said: “I will set my throne upon the clouds, and I will be like the Most High.” Hence it is that, according to the voice of the Lord, he fell from heaven to earth like lightning. And a boundless multitude of the angels ranked under him was torn away and fell with him. C This the prophet Isaiah also showed, saying thus: “How has Lucifer, the one rising in the morning, fallen, and been broken to the ground!” He called him Lucifer on account of the brightness he had received from God. Accordingly, this has also been distinguished by Gregory the Theologian. For he said he was Lucifer because of the brightness, and darkness because of the pride [he both became and is called]. From that time, the unclean demons undertook the war against us. For they do not endure to see humans striving to ascend thither whence they themselves, with evil counsel, fell, as the great Basil says. For since they are receptacles of every wickedness, D they also received the disease of envy. For the devil was not created by God as our enemy; but he wars against us out of jealousy. For seeing himself cast down from the angels, he could not bear to behold the earthly one being exalted to the dignity of the angels through progress. And there is one essence among the angels and the demons, but not the same choice—just as, in the case of good and wicked men, one can see that the nature is indeed one among them, but not the judgment and the will.
And the orthodox thinking of the Church holds to this manner. But the sages of the Greeks, Porphyry and Iamblichus, say that the demons differ according to their essence, and that some of them are irrational and material, and that they fall upon us not as ill-disposed, but as our chastisers. But they also say that they foresee and know the future, though not all of them; for they claim that the demons who have been allotted the higher regions speak the truth entirely, while those who have been consigned to Tartarus are liars, and those who are more terrestrial and in the middle are oblique and ambiguous. But
the souls of the others, some vigilant, others irritable, others mild; others strong, others timid: to these 74 add those which are of that same kind. Nor are these things to be taken by you as fables. For that excellent man, Anastasius Sinaites, says that God is not the author of such things, but rather nature itself and the concurrence of the four elements. For if there is found an abundance of the hot element at the time of the conception of the fetus, the being that is then generated becomes of a hot temperament. If the element of cold B is greater, the fetus is born cold. For this reason either irritable or mild, strong or timid men are born. Look here at the boar with the stag; the former is ready for battle because of heat, while the latter flees from the battle because of the timidity it has from the cold. If the dry element prevails, the person born is sober and vigilant. Upon which a certain ancient philosopher, Heraclitus, said that the soul was drier and therefore wiser; he calls the substance of the brain by the words he uses. But if the moist element prevails, it makes the person sluggish and dull. According to these things, then, those who are mild by nature are not to be judged by the divine Fathers as possessing the virtues of prudence and temperance, but as having a certain physical advantage over others. And mark what the great Basil says to this: C "I know many who are by nature averse to having intercourse with women. But we shall not call them temperate; by no means; for temperance is a certain kind of continence, by which we conquer the pleasures that fight against us." And so much for these things.
On "Let us make man."
Why did God, when creating man, not take clay, but the finest dust; and at the same time by this [act] tempering our breath, and at the same time giving thereby the hope of the resurrection? For because the living being was destined to die and to arrive at [the state of] being earth, He provides the hope of the resurrection in the very act of creation. He takes dust from the earth, so that when you see the D dust in the tomb, you may know that He who formed that one will also resurrect this one. But for what reason does He fashion the human being as a double [creature], of soul, [that is,] intellectual, and of body; so that he might be a bond of the intelligible world and the sensible one? For because these two worlds are separate in their essence, the creator introduces the human being not to be at variance [with them], but places him as a double living being in the world, so that from this [he] might be a creator of things above and an announcer of things below.
"Let us make man according to our image." Why did the Scripture call the human being a living creature composed of body and soul? "Man," it says, [is named] by the Hebrew language. And because God proceeds from one man to fill the ends of the inhabited world with human bodies, [just as] one lamp lights up so many lamps, for this reason He called this living creature "man," that is, fire. For the other
A parts as well, as for example, if you take a clod of earth, it remains as it is. If you take water by a certain measure, it remains the same water and receives no addition. If you fill a skin with air, you cannot fill it from another, unless that one is exhausted. But fire does not remain as it is, but it becomes greater as it acquires material. In the same way, if you light many other lamps from one lamp, it is not exhausted. Therefore, the name was rightly given to him, just as for the same reason He called Adam God. For because he was to be completed by the four climates, such a name was imposed upon him. And look at the letters of such a name. For the four climates indicate: Alpha, the East (Anatole); Delta, the West (Dysis); Alpha, the North (Arktos); Mu, the South (Mesembría). Rightly, therefore, this animal was called Adam and man — from him, as has been said before, the four climates have been completed. For Scripture says: "And God planted a paradise in Eden towards the East." B Why toward the east rather than another climate did He plant the paradise? The beginning of the course of the luminaries, and the dwelling place of men, He wished to be there. Besides, signifying what was to come, He placed the man in the paradise towards the east; to show that, just as the luminaries rise towards the east and set towards the west, so also [man] must run from life to death and set according to the pattern of the luminaries, and take another rising again from the dead. "Adam ran to the west, he set in the grave. Christ came, and He caused the one who set to rise again." Therefore the prophet says: "Behold the man, whose name is the Rising."
You must also know this, that the river which flows out of the paradise is divided into four sources, that is, fountains, from which the four rivers originate. And if these four rivers have their beginning from one source, why is the quality of their water not one? Why is the quality not the same? It is because the quality of the places of the earth through which they flow makes them participants of it; so that it happens that they are as different in taste as in quality. Look at the water itself for me. It has the same nature and the same quality. But if you cast wormwood into it, it results in one quality; if anise, another; if rue, another. God likewise, with D a certain counsel, wished these rivers to originate and to be perceived from 76 subterranean sources, so that those who follow them might not occupy the paradise.
Among other things, beloved son, know also this, that you might ask why Moses, clearly distinguishing all things in the order of the heaven and the earth, seems nowhere to have made mention of the creation of the angels. Here, consider those whom Moses was instructing, that they were not sufficiently confirmed [in the faith]. For had it not been for that, they would not have worshipped the image of the calf after seeing so many miracles. Now, when they were so relaxed in their discipline, he did not mention them, lest those C who were easily led astray should think that the angels, too, were gods. But he did not speak of the angels, lest they should be worshipped alongside God. He mentioned only the things that they could see, so that they might not worship the creation instead of the Creator.
Concerning leather tunics.
"And He clothed them with leather tunics." If, then, the divine Gregory of Nyssa says that the Lord puts leather tunics on the first-formed pair, and not skins—for which butchered and flayed animals could the covering for them be conceived? From the nature of the irrational animals, He has economically placed death into the nature created for immortality, so that evil might not be immortal. But John the Golden-Mouthed, taking these tunics according to the letter, says the following: "If those who allegorize are ambitious to say from where the skins were found since no animals were slaughtered, then I also hear of blood in Egypt, and I ask whence He turned the Nile into blood, and what animals He sacrificed? The river became blood, and no blood of animals was shed. Two skins came into being, and they ask from what animals they were made. But just as there was blood outside an animal, so here there was a skin outside an animal." Know, however, that the father is not as concerned for the upbringing of the children as the mother is, because she herself heard at that time: "In sorrows you shall bring forth children; the earth is cursed in your works." I sin, and the earth is scourged by droughts. The earth is cursed because of our works, meaning that the things generated from it are not found ready as they were before. And they sewed fig leaves, they stripped off immortality, the robe of glory was drenched, the body was laid bare, and it was henceforth clay. Whence also they sew fig leaves. Do not inquire whence he found the art of sewing; for if he was the image of God, do not doubt concerning his knowledge. At this point, then, John the Golden-Mouthed mocks those who say that paradise is in heaven and is spiritual. For if it were above, the rivers would be said to flow down, not to flow out. Hence, therefore, the accursed Origen appears to be suffocating, and especially in what he uttered about Adam being bodiless. For if he were bodiless, God would not have taken one of his ribs and built the woman; it is therefore evident that since He took a rib from Adam, and a rib does not belong to the bodiless, the first-formed man was not, according to him, bodiless. After being cast out of paradise, Adam knew Eve his wife, and she bears Cain. And how did he know her? With passion; for the man, having fallen from the angelic manner of life, since he was found a transgressor of the commandment, fell into this beastly and passionate way. For this reason, also, David, lamenting, said: "Alas, being in honor, man did not understand." He was compared to the foolish A to the irrational ones.A For in this matter, the great Maximus also, in his writings to Thalassius, said that these passions—namely, pleasure, pain, desire, and all the rest—were not primarily created with the nature of men, but that, through the fall from perfection, they entered in, attaching themselves to the more irrational part of the nature. Through these, instead of the divine and blessed image, immediately upon the transgression, the likeness of irrational beasts became transparent and evident in man. For it was necessary, with the dignity of reason being covered over by the marks of the irrational that he had willfully drawn to himself, that the nature of men should be justly punished, God wisely bringing man to a consciousness of his rational greatness.
Indeed, God did not of necessity bind us after the transgression to these desires, through which we are carried away toward eating, drinking, and sexual pleasures; for from this source, in our generated bodies, comes the fact of being born and nourished and continuing for as long as each one’s constitution of body admits. For since it is composed of four elements, it possesses by necessity the dissolution that follows. For composition is the beginning of decomposition, as the Theologian Gregory says. It is dissolved, therefore, in some more quickly, and in others more slowly. And be persuaded by the great Cyril, who says: "God permitted each one after the fall to complete his own life as the temperament of each might happen to be." For this reason nature has guarded the constituent parts of our life—that is, the heart, the brain, the liver, and whatever else is of such a kind—with solid bones on all sides, so that, by being injured through any chance occurrences, death might not thus readily follow.
However, He mingled pleasure with these desires like a certain bait, so that we might naturally be drawn along by it. For if this were not so, we would not rush toward eating and drinking; we would not be completely devoted to sexual pleasures. And if not for this, the human race would perhaps have necessarily perished. For this reason, also, the seed, being as it were a residue, urges and troubles and compels the creature to hasten to its discharge, God having permitted this, too, in a manner, for the sake of the preservation of the race. B Manes and Valentinus, failing to understand these things, as it seems, said that it was a creation of the devil, and that it was ignited by him and carried off toward base practices. Yet God did not leave us to be entirely prone toward unions, nor did He allow us to live without perception like the irrational creatures. For He joined unpleasantness to pleasure and made it a mixture, so that from this [pleasure] we are drawn toward the increase of the race, but from that [unpleasantness] we castigate ourselves, remember what was before, and cry out greatly against the sin for which we were compared to the foolish beasts.
A Since they have received that blessing with the others? For thus we read written in the Sacred Scriptures: "And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good." If, therefore, the pig as a thing created by God was good, why was it afterwards made unclean? From all of which it can be clearly understood that God, wishing to correct the inclination of the Israelites to vice, promulgated laws of this kind and employed remedies of this sort. For the same reason, in the time of Noah, He instituted a division of animals. For because He foresaw that humans would deflect toward the foolish worship of idols, He distinguished the animals with sound judgment, as we have said, into those which are clean and those which are unclean. For what reason, I ask? Namely, that by partly living on those which are regarded as clean, and partly avoiding others as unclean, they might not venerate either as a god. For otherwise He would not have called those things unclean which, with others, had received a common blessing from God at the beginning of things. And truly, that the division of animals made at that time proceeded from the counsel of God, who humbled Himself for our sake, Paul also shows with these words: "Every creature of God is good, if it be received with thanksgiving." The same is confirmed even more by that voice of God, by which He called the greatest of the apostles, Peter, at the time when he caught sight of the sheet let down from heaven: "Rise, Peter, kill and eat." Likewise: "What God has cleansed, do not call common." B Nor indeed should it seem strange to you that even now certain things are held as unclean, for example, the wolf, the lion, the panther. For that great Basil explained and illustrated these matters in his *Ascetica*—which books contain the rationale for the exercises of piety—in this manner: "Just as among vegetables we separate what is harmful from that which is suitable to our nature, so also among meats we distinguish those things which are harmful from the useful. For hemlock is spoken of under the title of herbs, just as the flesh of vultures is counted among meats. Yet no one of sound mind would eat henbane, nor would he taste dog's meat, unless perhaps some great necessity urges; and if this happens, he who eats in this fashion does not sin." Wherefore you should know that we deliberately avoid harmful things, and we eat those animals which are of good juice and afford useful nourishment, but shrink from others which might perhaps bring us inconvenient health or some other unpleasantness if they were eaten. Those early Fathers indeed prescribed certain laws for us in this regard, that they might set a limit to our wantonness and pleasure. And let this much be said concerning these things. C Since, however, I am well acquainted with your zeal for learning, it will be worth the effort if I make mention of some narratives from the Book of Judith. Nabuchodonosor, because other nations had not brought him aid when he was waging war against Arphaxad, dispatched his general, Holofernes, against all the earth, and called himself the great king and lord of the whole world. Having received this command, Holofernes moved his troops against the Jews. Achior the Ammonite warned him to this effect: if there were any transgression of that nation by which they had offended God, they would do rightly if they invaded that region, since D
A nonetheless, the order of the disciples also contains them, just as those who receive divine illuminations from the first powers and in turn explain them to the angels. Finally, the word "angel" contains the signification of those who announce divine things.
The word therefore indicated that while the first orders receive illuminations directly from God, the second receive them from the first, and the third from the second, and so on. That there is some distinction among the heavenly powers, and that they have their station, order, and knowledge according to their nature, the most divine Cyril also pointed out in his book *Thesaurus*, saying thus: “Every nature that shares in reason has a certain measure of its knowledge, so that it is believed that one thing exists in the angels and another, greater, in the archangels, and still another, one that surpasses these, in the higher powers.” B And John of Damascus also speaks of them as follows: “The heavenly powers differ from one another in illumination and in station, whether they are those possessing the station of illumination, or those participating in the station of illumination and illuminating others because of the excellence of their order and nature.” It is clear, then, as was also mentioned above, that those who surpass impart the illumination and knowledge to those who are subordinate.
Furthermore, the same author adds to what has been said that these heavenly powers also guard parts of the earth and preside over nations, just as they were ordained by the Creator. C That this is so, the most holy Patriarch Germanus also makes clear in his discourse. For in his homily on the Falling Asleep of the Mother of God, he says these things regarding this matter: “At the time when the races of men were established, angels were appointed to be the guardians of their lives. For He set, he says, the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God, and the angel of the Lord encamps round about those who fear Him. When men inclined toward idolatry and departed from Him, they also departed from the angels. But when the all-blameless one later brought forth at the time, they were gathered again in heaven and on earth, and a harmonious polity was formed of angels and men, and one doxology.” D Gold-mouthed John also speaks of the angels in this way. For he says that the prophet Daniel calls the angels a great thing, suggesting that they had been ordered by God to take charge of the nations, and that one of them looks over the Persians, while the archangel Michael guards the people of the circumcision—not out of a fit of passion, but out of a certain divine and ineffable reason—for he does not serve the Jews but forces the Persians, as if despising the command of God, to not struggle against His will, but rather to yield to freedom, saying: “Cease, prince of the Persians; for God…”
has indeed punished those who were sinning, but toward those who have turned back, He is not turned away.”
A B Regarding the fact that a divine angel stands by each of the faithful for their protection, the great Basil has taught this among others. Just as he says that bees are driven away by smoke and the stench of the dove is repelled, so too is the angel who guards our life separated from us by many tears and by the stench of sin. The same is pointed out by Theodoret in his *Therapeutica*. For he uses these words there: “The devil is said to have fallen from pride, and to have subsequently raged in divine madness against men, and to have undertaken this war against them. For this reason, the Maker of things, by the inspection and guardianship of angels, shelters the human race, so that he might not, by using force and tyranny, attack them invisibly, whom he hated out of envy, without any fear on their part, and destroy them.” That this is indeed the case, and that each of the faithful possesses an angel as a guardian, is explained in the Gospel according to Matthew in these small words: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for their angels always behold the face of My Father who is in heaven.” And let these things be indicated regarding this.
Moreover, it is inquired by some whether these intellectual powers of heaven and earth were created after the world was made. And Theodoret indeed, with Gennadius, asserts that this world visible to the eyes was produced before the invisible natures. For since the angels are circumscribed by certain limits, it was fitting, they say, that there should be some place that contained them, so that from there they might be enclosed in it. But the rest of the body of the Fathers does not seem to accept this. What the great Basil says in his book on the works of the six days of the world, hear: “There was a certain state and condition of the ancient origin of the world, C suitable to those supra-mundane powers. For in it, the Maker of all things produced a certain intellectual light, fitting for the blessed angels who love the Lord.” Hear also what Gregory, known as the Theologian, says: “First, God conceives the angelic and divine powers in His mind. And this thought was immediately a work, completed by the Word and perfected by the Spirit. Second, He conceives the material and visible world.” Similar things to this are handed down by his brother Caesarius: “All,” he says, “the choirs of angels existed and lived in light even before this world was born.” Likewise, Anastasius Sinaites, truly a man of God, said of these things: “God, our Lord, who is always, before all created things, conceives and makes the angelic and heavenly powers, which He alone knows.” But Severus, and Diodorus indeed, and the great Amphilochius, prove that the invisible natures [were created] before the visible and sensible world. D
A of our life, and has fortified it with hairs and, before these, with hard bones. Nature has made it tender, since it supplies the sources to all the senses. And lest it be damaged in its own nature by being crushed against the hardness of the bones—for it is, indeed, tender—He has enclosed it with two membranes; and these not simply so, but with the inner one being tender for the sake of the rest of the brain, and the outer one, again, being harder, so that by this means both might be preserved. Thus, then, He has also done likewise for the heart, as indeed the golden-tongued John says, having surrounded it with bones, but having placed beside it the lungs as if a tender cushion, so that it might not be crushed against the bones by its perpetual motion. B But it has the sources of much safety from many places—for the vapor is exhaled from it, so that it is not suffocated by the rising vapors. And if a blow should ever be struck, the damage does not become total; for if the bone were one and continuous, even one blow brought down would have damaged the whole, but now that it is divided into many parts, this is altogether impossible. For even if it should happen that one part is wounded, it is absolutely necessary that the bone situated at that part be damaged, but the rest all remain unhurt, the continuity of the blow being interrupted by the division of the bones. And what should one say about the excrements of the head, if the sense of smell, as you see, is entrusted with their secretions? Since, because the head, being situated above the body, is accustomed to receive the vapors rising from below, and the flood of these would have caused very much damage to the brain, the Creator of all things did not neglect this either, but having wrought certain passages in the bones, He guided the moist and thick parts of the excrements onto the palate and the nostrils, and assigned two parts for these secretions, so that the harmful matter might speedily be carried out. But the vaporous excrement is pushed out upwards through the sutures of the cranium. Do not marvel if the brain is cold by nature, and that man possesses a greater one than the other animals. For Aristotle says that the heat and boiling in the heart is tempered from there, so that the brain itself might not be overheated by the heat rising to it. And observe with understanding: because such heat is greater, a correspondingly greater coldness and moisture from the brain opposes it, on account of which moisture the bone around the head, which some call the bregma, solidifies very late. But man also possesses more sutures, and especially the male. For what reason? Because a larger brain is present in him; therefore, so that the structure might be airy, the male had need of more sutures. And such a [brain] that is dry and free from superfluities makes a man someone prudent and sober, while one that is over-moist does the opposite, namely, it makes him sluggish and sleepy and slothful. And pay attention, if you wish, to the wise Heraclitus: a dry soul C and D
A it: “That He assumed substance in the human manner, we have learned from the sacred Oracles; but we are ignorant of how, from virginal blood, He was formed by another law contrary to nature.” Well did the great Athanasius say: “When She brought forth, She did not behold the things of labor.” For if this were not so, she would not be the same one both giving birth, and swaddling, and laying the child in the manger. And so the divine Fathers, whom we have distinguished, discoursed concerning that Gospel saying: “And he knew her not until she brought forth her firstborn Son.” But those heirs of Manes, the Paulicians, twisting such a saying to their own will, monstrously imagine that the spotless Mother of the Lord bore other sons from Joseph after the saving birth.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is born, and Magi from Persia arise, having beheld that most novel star, and they come for His adoration, having that star in the lead as it were pointing out the way. But pay attention, beloved, for no small disagreement occurs among the saints concerning the adoration by the Magi. For first, the great Epiphanius, in his book the *Panarion*, says that Christ was adored by the Magi when He was two years old and in a house. Because the star that appeared in their country revealed the birth of Christ according to the flesh, and it anticipated the Magi by a little while in bringing them to Jerusalem (for, according to this, Herod also ordered B the infants to be destroyed up to the age of two, according to the time he accurately ascertained from the Magi), for this reason, the divine man, being mindful of this, said that Christ was adored by the Magi at two years of age. But John of the golden speech does not hold so; for he does not say that the star appeared to the Magi at the very same time that Christ was born. And hear what he sets forth word for word in his interpretation of Matthew: “The star appeared to the Magi long before the birth, so that they might adore Christ in swaddling clothes. For they were going to spend much time on the road. For God, he says, measured out the time which the Magi were going to spend on the road; and thus, according to him, He anticipated them with the star, so that from this they might adore the Lord in swaddling clothes.” But also the great Athanasius, and John Damascene himself, saying that Christ was adored by the Magi in a cave, entirely confirm the explanation of the golden-mouthed one. C
I know, beloved, that you are not a little in doubt regarding the rest of the things concerning such a star—the paradoxical motion, the standing still, the hiding, the descent from on high, and absolutely all such D things. But do not doubt any further; for the fact that He was manly established from the holy Oracles, we have learned; but we are ignorant how, from virginal blood, He was formed by another law contrary to nature. Well did the great Athanasius say: “When She brought forth, She did not behold the things of labor.” For if this were not so, she would not be the same one both giving birth, and swaddling, and laying the child in the manger. And so the divine Fathers, whom we have distinguished, discoursed concerning that Gospel saying: “And he knew her not until she brought forth her firstborn Son.” But those heirs of Manes, the Paulicians, twisting such a saying to their own will, monstrously imagine that the spotless Mother of the Lord bore other sons from Joseph after the saving birth. Our Lord Jesus Christ is born, and Magi from Persia arise, having beheld that most novel star, and they come for His adoration, having that star in the lead as it were pointing out the way.
A a wiser one. For in moist brains the animal spirit, being as it were submerged—which can be seen in women—is unable to fulfill its functions perfectly. On this account, the most divine Cyril said that the female sex is inferior to the disposition of men by half. And let these things be said concerning the natural state and condition of the brain. But when it becomes drier than it should be, it is necessary for a man to be harmed and afflicted. For certain vehement disturbances of the just temperament are accustomed to blunt the operations of the parts themselves. Therefore, it usually happens that either fasts or vigils, increasing the natural dryness of the brain beyond what is proper, beget such diseases. B And it is therefore necessary that men affected in this way should use a diet that is somewhat more moist; for diseases born of dryness are cured by moisture. Again, if by reason of some disease the brain happens to be more moist than it should be, forgetfulness and a certain stupidity usually follow, and that so great that often a man may altogether forget his arts, his letters, and even his own name. For by three membranes is the brain divided, and its anterior ventricle is the instrument of the imaginative faculty, the middle one of the cogitative, and the posterior, finally, of the mnemonic. For first we conceive of this or that thing by a certain information; then we reason about what has been informed—what it is and how manifold by nature—and thus we finally store it in the memory. And these things are to be understood regarding those who are rightly affected and healthy. But if any one of these should by any disease at all be affected, then through the condition of that part the soul cannot be purely effective. These things, my dear son, I submit to you as warnings, that you may not blame the configurations and aspects of the stars, since such things are accustomed to happen by certain natural reasons.
PART II. FROM ADAM UNTO THE EMPIRE OF CAESAR
C These things, then, even if they have been said rather as a digression, have been said entirely for the sake of your love of learning. For, as you see, yielding to your desire, I have gathered these things laboriously and have studiously arranged them in this treatise. And while we have hitherto used rather long digressions in this exposition, the whole of it is attributed to your zeal for learning, with which you so singularly burn. For, while we gratify your desire, as you see, we have collected these things with great labor and industry and have studiously digested them into this commentary.
A His divinity was not rendered manifest from this, since he wrought no miracle there at that time, but only showed the grace insident upon his lips, after which he hid himself again from view, as the golden-tongued one says in his interpretation of the Gospel according to John.
B Following these things—namely, after the baptism and the miracle performed at Cana—he chose twelve disciples, all of them needy and untaught, as it were fishermen, rude in letters and doctrine, and of obscure station. But why were these things so, and for what cause? In order that whatever was excellently accomplished by them might be attributed to the power and wisdom of God. And this is that very thing which the Lord said to Paul: "My grace is sufficient for thee, for my power is made perfect in weakness." [2 Cor. XII, 9] True reason confirms that poverty and lack of learning were present in the disciples of Christ. Nevertheless, a certain Epiphanius, a presbyter, in a discourse he gave concerning the birth—ostensibly—of the all-pure Mother of the Lord, says these things: that John, the son of Zebedee, after his father had died, sold all his possessions in Zebedee and, coming to Jerusalem, bought the holy Sion. Whence, because Caiaphas was present at the purchase made by John, the latter is said to be an acquaintance of the high priest. And he gave half of his goods to the high priest, and with the remaining half he prepared the Passover, that is to say, the mystical supper of Christ. For when Christ said to the disciples, "Go to such a one," he meant John the Theologian. There, then, they performed the mystical supper, and there they remained. And if I were not there, do not believe me. For the golden-mouthed John said that Zebedee and his sons had such great poverty that they would sit by their boat and mend old and torn nets. But how does that man who has been discussed dare to say that the mystical supper was prepared in the house of John, and that he himself was "the such a one" to whom the Lord sent the disciples? For if John himself was sent with Peter for the sake of preparing the Passover, according to the evangelical history, it is manifest that this presbyter never read the Gospel. For if he had succeeded in reading it, he would have known that John was sent to "such a one," and not that John himself was "such a one." C But he whom our fathers longed to see, behold, he has arrived. And having at once left everything behind, she reached the temple, and falling before Christ, she entreated him to enter her house, and indeed he arrived. And this is the house in which he performed the Passover with his disciples. And a story has come down to us from on high that the one carrying a pitcher of water, whom Christ permitted the disciples to follow, was Mark the wise, the son of this Mary; and it was in such a house that the apostles, having returned after the Ascension, went up with the rest of the brethren, among whom were also Barnabas and Mark. But a certain Epiphanius, if... etc. D (Note: "The Metaphrast also says concerning the martyrdom of the holy apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas... "—the rest is omitted as it is absent from the Meursius edition, the Leunclavius version, and the V. and C. codices.)
A “Everyone who finds me will kill me.” He said this with regard to that shaking of his limbs. But do not fear, said the Lord; for whoever kills you will pay sevenfold, that is to say, he will make himself liable to seven punishments. And this is how we read these things recorded. Georgius, however, records that Cain died a miserable death through ignorance, as one whom Lamech, being deprived of his sight, killed; which certainly cannot merit belief. For who, I ask, can know whether Cain was still alive at the time of Lamech? Nothing certain can be established about this, since Moses does not record the years of the descendants of Cain as he does those of the descendants of Seth. Moreover, since God gave a sign to Cain that he should not be killed (and by the sign one must understand either the judgment of God itself, or the trembling of his limbs), how then was he killed?
If you ask why Moses does not record the years of the descendants of Cain, that great Cyril in his *Glaphyra* or *Varieties* will teach you, saying that this was not done out of ignorance on God’s part, but because He does not wish for the years of sinners, or their life as a whole, to be contained in the book of the living. The same Cyril relates that Cain and Abel were a type of the firstborn people of Christ and of those who believed in Him. For just as Cain, burning with envy and having shed the blood of his brother, fled from the face of God and fell into such a curse that he wandered and trembled upon the earth, so also the Jewish nation, because of the envy with which it burned and the blood of Christ which it shed, departed from the face of God and now wanders trembling and groaning. B In this way God set a mark upon Cain so that he might not be killed by anyone, which was what he feared would happen. For he himself had said: “It shall happen that everyone who finds me will kill me.” Josephus relates that Cain entreated God that he might not, by chance, fall into the hands of wild beasts while wandering, and says that the man perished in this way.
But if you desire to know whence Cain learned the way to kill his brother, since he knew of no one else yet having been killed by anyone, you shall learn this from the great Athanasius, who says that the devil in a dream showed Cain the method of the killing. Envy, then, as has been said, having settled in the soul of Cain as in a dwelling, gave birth to the murder of Abel. For such are the passions to which the souls of men have become subject since the fall from that state free from perturbation and from that perfection. Nevertheless, some souls are found to be superior to such passions, while others, again, not wishing to oppose them, succumb to whatever occasions arise, even the most trivial; something of which kind is also to be seen in bodies themselves. For some of them partake of good health throughout, [no external things having any effect upon them, while others...]
A And another harlot again, as Luke says, is she who approached the house of Simon the Pharisee, who was also scandalized in Christ Himself and said thus: "If He were a prophet, He would have known what kind of woman she is who touches Him." And yet another in the house of Simon the leper came to Christ, as Matthew narrates. And the third was herself also a harlot, as Luke indicates, who met Christ in the house of Simon the Pharisee, who was offended on that account, and spoke words to this effect: "If this man were a prophet, he would have known what sort of woman this is who touched him."
I know also, beloved son, that some contend and assert that the transformation of our Lord Jesus Christ happened on that great fourth day; but the argument upon which they rely seems to me to be little B probable. For if this miracle occurred on Mount Tabor, but the Lord was feasting in Jerusalem on the day of that great fourth day in the house of Simon the leper, it is manifest that this miracle of the transformation occurred on another day, and not on that fourth day itself. Especially since the distance between Tabor and Jerusalem is about two days' journey, how then can they say that Christ was in Mount Tabor and in Jerusalem on one and the same day? He could, indeed, as God, have brought it about that He was found here and there at the same time; but lest the thing be thought of as a mere appearance, He did not wish to do this before the Passion. Wherefore, also, in accordance with the common nature of bodies, He made His transitions from place to place.
After these things, He sends two of His disciples to a certain man for the preparation of the legal Passover; which He ate in advance on the evening of the Great Thursday, as the golden-tongued John says. C Then, reclining, He gave His own Passover to the disciples through bread and wine, when He used these words: "Take, eat, this is my body," and, "Drink all of you; this is my blood." And indeed, before the disciples, He Himself partook of His own body and blood. For what reason? So that the disciples might not be disturbed again, as had happened before, when they heard Christ saying: "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you." At which time, leaving Him, they walked no longer with Him, saying that this is a hard saying, which no one can easily hear. Wherefore, so that something of this kind might not happen to them again, as they were about to eat flesh and drink blood, He first tasted His own flesh Himself, wanting them to be fulfilled by these things without any hesitation. And the Savior instituted this supper for the consolation of the disciples; for He saw them D not a little dejected and broken in spirits because of His departure from them. Therefore, as has been said, He communicates His own body and blood to them, adding these words: "Do this in remembrance of me." Judas also partakes among the others, and then goes away to the Jews, reporting to them the things done by the Lord.
and are not in the least harmed by external events, while others are rendered so feeble and prone to diseases by their natural constitution that they cannot resist external causes in the slightest degree; indeed, if they are warmed slightly, or cooled, or if they keep watch, or sleep more than is proper, sickness immediately follows—this you should consider also to be the case with souls.
After these things, God, comforting Adam regarding both his distress at being cast out of paradise and the death of Abel, gave him the virtuous Seth. For it was concerning this that Eve also said: "God has raised up for me another seed in place of Abel, whom Cain killed." Know also that, in addition to other heresies, the great Epiphanius wrote about the so-called sect of the Cainites. These people honored B Cain as a certain power, and they said that good and evil do not exist for men by choice, but by nature. They also honor Judas; for because he delivered up the Lord, he performed a good work, that is, he brought about our salvation. There is also a book circulating among them called the "Anabaticon," containing the things that Paul saw when he ascended to the third heaven. Such is the book held by them, not noticing that Paul confesses that he heard certain words at that time which it is unlawful for human tongues to utter. And that those words were neither spoken nor known to anyone until now, Gregory the Theologian also demonstrates in his treatise on theology, saying: "If, then, it had been possible to utter the things which the third heaven and the progress up to that point provided to Paul, we might perhaps have known more about God." But also the golden-mouthed John, in his homilies on the *Hexaemeron*, speaks thus: "If the great Paul, who was deemed worthy to hear those ineffable words which no one else to this day has heard, writing, said: 'I buffet my body and bring it into bondage,' what should we say of ourselves?" And so much for these matters.
Adam however, after being cast out of paradise (for from this point chronological history begins), having lived nine hundred and thirty years, died in Judaea and was buried there. D And how this is so, hear. The great Epiphanius in his *Panarion*, and likewise the great Basil in his interpretation of the prophet Isaiah, say that an unwritten tradition is preserved in the Church concerning Adam, that immediately after being cast out of paradise he came to Judaea for the sake of comfort for what he had lost; for this land is called fertile. Therefore he lived there, and there he was buried. It seemed a marvel, then, to those who saw his skull, the flesh having wasted away, that Judaea first received that man as a corpse. Therefore, having deposited such a skull in a certain place, they called the place itself the place of Calvary; which place…
Great Thursday, as it is the day that prox- A imately precedes the day of the unleavened bread. For just as Mark called the preparation the day before the Sabbath, as being before the Sabbath, so too does Matthew call the Great Thursday the first of the unleavened bread, as being before the unleavened bread, as the one with the golden tongue says: "He completely revealed the Great Preparation." Likewise, Luke also, in saying that the day of the unleavened bread had come—that is, had drawn near—intimated the same things as Matthew. But John also, saying that the supper happened before the feast of the Passover, called it the preparation itself, and the things that follow declare this; for he says: "And they B themselves did not enter, so that they might not be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover," and again, "But it is a custom for you that I should release one man to you at the Passover," that is, at the one then present. But he also indicates the time when Pilate sat down at a place called the Pavement, saying thus: "And it was the preparation of the Passover, and the hour was about the sixth." And further on, "For that day of the Sabbath was great." And he would not have called it great in any other way unless the first day of the unleavened bread, which is also called holy by the Law, had happened to coincide with that Sabbath. All these things clearly imply that the Passover was admittedly slaughtered C on the evening of that preparation. For this reason he also called it the preparation of the Passover, as preparing the things for the Passover that was absolutely present. Therefore, without contradiction, it appears that the Passover took place on the evening of the preparation. If this were not so, the evangelist John would not have said this: "And they themselves did not enter into the praetorium, so that they might not be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover." And attend, if you wish, to the great Cyril, who, before the others, seals such things and says that by honoring the type—that is, the sheep—and therefore not choosing to enter the praetorium, they were insulting the truth itself, which is Christ; for they were about to sacrifice the Passover according to the Law, which had no power among them. If these things are so, those who say that the typical sheep is eaten on the evening of Great Thursday are obviously talking nonsense; for in striving to establish the unleavened bread, they wickedly attempt to corrupt the truth. And do not bring forward to me the golden-mouthed John in his eighty-fourth homily on Matthew, saying that the Jews, having unexpectedly seized Christ, also chose to overlook the feast of the Passover then coinciding. For you have him in his interpretation of the Gospel according to John, when it is said: "And they themselves did not enter, so that they might not be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover," completely abolishing such a suspicion. Hence, we judge that when the words of the divine man are examined—when they appear rather to be opposed to one another—we should not deem them to have power through silence, and especially [by] honoring such things; and it is even more reasonable to hold the last [interpretations], because these appear to be in agreement with the explanations of the rest of the Fathers. For he says that Christ ate the Passover one day before, which indeed D signifies the following things for understanding. For thus he says: "They themselves did not enter into the praetorium, that they might not be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover." And again: "It is a custom for you that I should release one man to you at the Passover, evidently the one now present." Furthermore, indicating the time when Pilate sat down in a certain place that was called the Pavement, he says thus: "And it was the preparation of the Passover, and the hour was about the sixth." Going onwards: "For that day of the Sabbath was great." But he would not have called this day great if the first day of the unleavened bread did not fall upon that Sabbath, which indeed is also called holy in the Law. All these things clearly indicate that it was the custom for the Passover to be slaughtered on the evening of the preparation. Therefore, for this reason the evangelist called it the preparation of the Passover, as preparing things for the surely present Passover. Thus, without any contradiction, it appears that the lamb was wont to be slaughtered on the very evening of the preparation. For if the matter were not so, the evangelist John would not have said: "They did not enter into the praetorium, that they might not be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover." See what that great Cyril says, when he confirms such things by sealing them with the following words: "Since they were honoring the figure, that is, the lamb, and therefore did not want to enter into the praetorium, they were insulting the truth itself, namely, Christ. For according to the Law, it had power and authority among them." Since these things are so, it is clear that they speak in vain who hand down that the typical lamb was wont to be slaughtered on the evening of Great Thursday. For while they strive with notable contention to prove the use of unleavened bread, they malevolently endeavor to deprave the truth. Nor shall you oppose to me in this place John Chrysostom, who in those eighty-fourth homilies, in which he explained the Gospel of Matthew, writes that the Jews, having taken Christ contrary to expectation, did not hesitate to neglect the feast of the Passover, which coincided on that day. Indeed, you have other words of the same man in the explanation of the Gospel written by John,
A the Lord is subsequently crucified, that he might restore to life by the wood him who had become subject to mortality through the wood. Wherefore it is necessary to consider the Tatianists as speaking trifles, when they say that Adam did not attain salvation. Josephus, moreover, having learned it from Hebrew history, records that the same [Adam], as we have said, was carried into Judaea and buried there. However, writers differ in the noting of the times. For according to the authority of the Seventy translators, there are found in the ten generations from Adam to Noah 2242 years. The Hebrew text of the Jews hands down in the same generations 1656 years. The books of the Samaritans have 1507 Hebrew years. It is also related that the divine angel Uriel, whose station is among the stars, descended to Seth and Enoch and instructed them concerning the differences of the hours, months, conversions, and the years themselves. George records that Seth was the first to discover Hebrew letters, the signs of the heavens, the conversions of the years, the months, the weeks, and that he gave names to the stars and the five planets, so that they might be recognized. This Seth, when he had lived 912 years, passed away, being deemed a god on account of his virtue and because he was the first to have discovered Hebrew letters and the names of the stars. He begat Enos, who also deserved to be considered a god for his virtue. Having lived 905 years, he departed from human affairs. He had a son, Cainan, who, when he had completed his 910th year of age, died, leaving his son Mahalaleel, who died after completing 895 years of life. He had a son, Jared, who left the earth after 962 years of life. He begat Enoch, from whom Methuselah was born; and when Enoch had lived 365 years, he was taken up by God and was nowhere to be found. B And the holy Scripture says twice that Enoch begat Methuselah. Therefore the golden-mouthed John, explaining these things, says: “Marriage is no obstacle to those who wish to please God; for this is why the divine Scripture says once and again that after begetting Methuselah, Enoch pleased God,” on account of which he is translated. And behold, consider here the goodness of the Lord. For having found a man who had perfected virtue, He did not deprive him of the dignity with which He had adorned the first-formed man before the violation of the commandment. And indeed, that God translated Enoch to console those who fell into mortality on account of sin, that great Athanasius in his discourse on the Assumption clearly signifies with these words: “Death indeed entered on account of disobedience; but nevertheless, God, mitigating the extreme severity of His threat, at once displays to the human race the hope of immortality by snatching Enoch from the midst of mortals. By this very act, He taught us that mortal nature is to expect the boundaries of immortality, and the status of the righteous man became a station against death.” C The same George says that when Lamech, that is, the brother of Enoch, had killed his own brothers and taken their wives...
as this saying declares: A “They themselves did not enter, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.”
The fact, however, that the leavened bread given by the Lord to the apostles at the supper was not unleavened, as those others assert, this most divine man demonstrates to you most clearly. For, speaking of the Old and New Covenants, he proceeds step by step, saying: “There was the letter, here the Spirit; there the ark, here the Virgin; there the rod of Aaron, here the cross; there the lamb, here Christ; there the unleavened bread, here the bread.” These things have been inscribed for you in summary, as you see; for the time does not allow us to dwell longer on discussions regarding these matters.
Next, our Lord Jesus Christ is delivered to be crucified: observe what followed. For from the sixth hour of the day, darkness covered the whole earth until the ninth hour, as it is credible that God was indignant because of the things that were being perpetrated. For that this was not an eclipse, as he of the golden tongue says, but rather the wrath and indignation of God, is clear even from the time; for the eclipse B remained for three hours, whereas it C usually occurs in but a single moment of time. Such is the reasoning of Chrysostom. But that divine man, Dionysius the Areopagite, teaches that these universal shadows did not occur so simply, but in a new and unusual way through the obstruction of the lunar body, appearing as it were to block the sun. For in writing to the hierarch Polycarp regarding the fact that the sophist Apollophanes would not embrace the Christian religion, he brings forward these words to him: “But say to him, that is, to Apollophanes: What do you think about that eclipse which occurred at the time of the saving passion? For we were both together at that time at Heliopolis, and standing in the same place, we watched the moon falling upon the sun in an unusual way (for it was not the time for the conjunction of those luminaries). And then again we watched it, from the ninth hour until evening, by some supernatural way, having been restored to such a position that it had the sun diametrically opposite to itself. And he himself was so struck with fear at the time that he was astonished, and turning to me he said: ‘These, O Dionysius, are the vicissitudes of divine things.’” D In this manner Dionysius speaks regarding this matter. Concerning these same shadows that arose at the time of the saving passion, the prophet Zechariah also speaks in a certain admirable way: “In that day,” he says, “there shall be no light,” namely, when Christ is to be crucified, “but cold and frost shall be for one day, and that day is known to the Lord.” For God had everything known beforehand. For it will not be day, nor likewise night. For it could not properly be called day, because of that three-hour darkness, nor truly night, because of the light that occurred until the sixth hour and after the ninth. The prophet, himself declaring this, said: “And toward evening there shall be light.” These things, beloved, not only did the prophets foretell, but they are also found in many Greek commentaries; for a great earthquake is also said to have occurred at that time.
for himself, this righteous man prayed that he might not look upon anything of this sort any longer.
B Cain also, after having intercourse with his wife, she conceived and bore Enoch. To this Enoch is born Gaidan, and Gaidan begets Malaleel, and Malaleel begets Mathusala, and Mathusala begat Lamech. Lamech took for himself two wives, Ada and Sella, and said to them: “Hear my voice, wives of Lamech, give ear to my words: for I have killed a man to my injury, and a young man to my bruise; because vengeance has been taken sevenfold from Cain, but from Lamech seventy times seven.” And it is asked here why vengeance was taken sevenfold from Cain, even though he had committed the deed of murder against his own brother, whereas from Lamech it was seventy times seven. We say that Cain did not yet know what a great evil murder was; he had not yet seen a manifest punishment, he had not yet seen God indignant at it—wherefore he did not receive such a heavy punishment. But Lamech is burdened with the torment because he was a murderer after the law and the condemnation, and because he did not make himself prudent by the example of Cain; hence he receives a heavier punishment than the other. C Yet Cain did not obtain forgiveness for the murder, because when he was being rebuked by God, he strove to hide his sin. But Lamech is absolved from the blood-guilt because he alone brought the verdict against himself, and showed himself worthy of a greater punishment, saying thus: “And from Lamech seventy times seven.”
But if you also explore this point, beloved, regarding what God said to Cain—that whoever killed Cain would loosen seven-fold vengeance—the golden-mouthed John, in his sixth discourse against the Jews, will teach you, by going through it word for word, as follows: “Do not fear,” he says, “you will live a long life; and if someone kills you, he will be liable to many punishments. For the number seven in Scripture is indicative of an indefinite multitude. D Whoever kills you, he says, will release you from the punishments lying upon you, but will draw the punishment upon himself.” And what is said seems to be little, but it is of great providence. For wishing to make those who came after prudent, He devised such a method of punishment, which could also deliver him from the penalty. For if He had killed him immediately, he would have departed taking his sin with him, and he would not have become known to those who came after. Now, having been allowed to live a long time in that terror, he became a teacher to all who met him, through the sight of him. But why, pray, having confessed his sin, and having said that his sin was greater than would allow for forgiveness, was he not able to wash away the transgression? And yet the Prophet says, “You speak your iniquities first, that you may be justified.”
A The Jews, however, so that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the Sabbath, since it was the day of preparation (for that day of the Sabbath was a great day), asked Pilate, and so forth. They take Jesus down from the wood, therefore, and lay Him in a new tomb. But look here also, my beloved, at the wisdom of God, so that we might not be deprived of the cross itself; so that the Jews, using their customary madness, might not make the all-holy body of the Lord a work of fire or of the sea, [God] stirred up Augustus Caesar to register the whole world. These things happen, and the race of the Hebrews falls under the authority of the Romans. For this reason, they present the Lord to Pilate, who had obtained the governorship over them, not being allowed to carry out their own will upon Him. For indeed, if they had been permitted, they would have put Christ to death with stones or sawn Him with a wooden saw, and from that we would have been deprived of our guardian, the cross. For if they threw Jeremiah, the friend of God, into a pit of mire, what would they not have done to the Lord’s body, had they not had the Roman law restraining them? Thus the registration takes place, the matters of good order are introduced, and from this the body of the Lord is consigned to a complete burial.
I know, beloved, that you have also made much inquiry concerning the three-day burial of the Lord, being unable, as it were, to measure out three days for this event. But leave aside, if you wish, the opinions of the many, for they are inventions of human reasoning. Rather, place your trust in Isidore of Pelusium, who hands down something of this sort: just as we are accustomed to act in the case of those who have passed away, in that at whatever hour one might die, we set aside the following day, and on the dawn of the second day we count it as his third day; and so you must think regarding Christ Himself. For on the day of Preparation He gave up His spirit; this, therefore, is one day. He spent the whole Sabbath in the tomb; behold, you have the second day. And after this, as the Lord’s day was dawning, He rose from the tomb; behold, you have the third day. And you will grant this as true, if you wish to believe Luke and Cleopas, who say to Christ Himself: "Further, with all these things, it is now the third day since these things happened."
D And if He rose from the tomb even sooner, He will by no means be blamed for this; rather, He will be worshipped by all, because, having endured for the sake of the appointed promise, He brought about His own resurrection from the dead more quickly. And the divine man, whom we have mentioned, thus discussed these things; but the golden-mouthed John says that Christ did well even by rising from the dead before the completion of three days. For if He had not risen at that time while the soldiers were sitting there keeping watch, but had risen after the third day had passed, those most wicked men would have had something to say. He therefore anticipated [the time] and rose. For it was necessary that the resurrection should take place while they were sitting [beside Him]. Therefore He was compelled to rise from the dead within the three days,
A For this reason he was condemned, because he did not speak as the Prophet commanded. For this is what is required: not merely to speak, but to speak first—not to wait for the one who accuses. But Cain did not speak first, but waited to be accused by God, and only then spoke of his sin. Which is not a confession. For to speak first, that truly justifies.
And these are the words of Chrysostom: “After Enoch came Methuselah, and after him Lamech, and from him Noah. He begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And it came to pass that when men began to multiply upon the earth, daughters were born unto them. And the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the Lord God said: ‘My Spirit shall not always strive with these men, for they are flesh. And their days shall be one hundred and twenty years.’ And there were giants in the earth in those days. At that time God brought about the flood.” B And the cause is also very clear. And hear Josephus, speaking before the others: “For seven generations men lived regarding God as Lord and looking toward virtue in all things. But after this, they changed for the worse. For many of God’s people mingled with women and begat arrogant children, who held every noble thing in contempt because of their trust in their own power. Wherefore God purposed to destroy all of the human race along with them, and to make another generation pure of wickedness, cutting short the very years that they lived before.”
But the great Cyril also says that when the sons of God—that is, those descended from Seth (for they called him ‘god’ because of his virtue)—saw the daughters of men—that is, the ones from Cain—that they were fair in appearance, they took them as wives. C Whence the giants were born, men of unsightly appearance and doing every possible evil, God having distorted them because of their profane mingling. Whence also He flooded them, as the foremost Peter indicated in his second Catholic Epistle, saying thus: “Bringing a flood upon the world of the ungodly.” But why did he call those who worshipped the one God “ungodly”? Because they raged so violently in their lusts that a woman was brought around to twenty men. For from this, they drew in the sons of God—those, namely, from Seth—into carnal union. Now, the sons of God are called such also because of their virtue, just as Israel is called the firstborn son, as the divine Ephraim said. And the golden-tongued one [Chrysostom] also says that the windows of heaven were opened for no other reason than this intermingling of the races. And that it was because of self-indulgence and that profane mingling, for which reasons he called the giants “ungodly”... D
it was perceived at Tiberias; He was seen by James, the brother of God; He was seen by more than five hundred men. And finally, He appeared A to them on the Mount of Olives, where, as we have said, after forty days, He made His ascension from the earth.
Now, if you also wish to learn why He spent forty days on earth after His resurrection from the dead, and neither more nor fewer, the great Epiphanius, behold, will briefly resolve this mystery for you. "For in the same way," he says, "that after Christ was born, He was laid in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and after forty days was brought into the divine temple and, according to the law of Moses, presented to God—so, too, having become the firstborn from the dead, He stays on earth for forty days, and after that returns to the Jerusalem above, to appear before the face of God for us. And be persuaded by the great Paul, who says: 'For Christ did not enter into holy places made by hands, which are copies of the true ones, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.'"
The Lord was taken up. Ten days pass after this, and the descent of the all-holy Spirit occurs. This descent takes place after the completion of ten days because the number ten is perfect. Since, then, the Holy Spirit was descending for this purpose—that He might make the imperfect disciples perfect—for this reason He descended B upon them in a perfect number, that is, on the tenth day.
And that He rendered the imperfect disciples perfect, the chief apostle, Peter, demonstrated. For observe with intelligence that previously, having been terrified by a certain miserable maidservant, he denied his Master three times; yet, later, emboldened by the all-holy Spirit, he preached with great boldness in the midst of the people and from then on persuaded everyone to come to Christ without hesitation.
After fifty days, then, as has been said, from the resurrection of Christ from the dead, the descent of the all-holy Spirit occurs. For what reason? Because the old law was also given on the fiftieth day after God’s manifestation. For according to the golden-tongued and divine John, or rather according to the history of the God-seer Moses, fifty days had passed after the exodus of the Jews from Egypt when Moses received the God-inscribed tablets. If, therefore, the old law was given in fifty days, it was absolutely necessary that the grace of the all-holy Spirit be given on that same day, so that from this, beloved, it might be shown—both in the Old and New Testaments—that the nature of the Godhead is indivisible, and that the Holy Spirit was the lawgiver both then and now.
"And there appeared to them cloven tongues as of fire." Why tongues? Because there was need for preaching, and as there was need for preaching, and in order that the D proclamation might be carried out, as it was necessary to instruct the nations and to explain to the Gentiles the hidden things of the mystery. For this reason, then, the tongues appeared. But why did they appear as "of fire"? Because, as the Lord said, "I came to cast fire upon the earth," which is said to be the fire of the Holy Spirit. And because the fire is both light and heat; therefore, the Spirit is also light and heat, enlightening the understanding and inflaming the will. And thus, those who were cold and dark were immediately made bright and burning, and they became witnesses to God, enlightening the whole world with their instruction as with a burning lamp.
A that there was no other cause for the flood being brought on, the most divine Cyril clearly demonstrates this in the book against Julian, saying: “The human beings descended from Adam down to Noah honored one true God. But after the construction of the tower and the division of the languages, they held an incompatible opinion regarding God; for having been scattered everywhere, they possessed the delusion of polytheism.” That the universal deluge occurred because of the debauchery of both parties, God Himself indicated, saying: “My Spirit shall not remain in these men, because they are flesh,” that is to say, because they live passionately and carnally. Thus, therefore, the great Paul calls those who live temperately “not in the flesh,” saying: “But you are not in the flesh.” B Indeed, it is the custom of Scripture to call them “flesh,” just as it also calls them “ungodly,” those who lead a profligate life; for ungodliness is not only the worship of idols, but also the very life that is lascivious and profligate. And the blessed David declares this, saying: “I said, I will confess my transgression against me to the Lord, and You forgave the ungodliness of my heart.” For was David an unbeliever? Did he entirely abjure God? No, but he called by the name of ungodliness the desire which gave birth to adultery. And God brought that universal flood because all those people were in need of a purgation. And Scripture presents this, saying: “And the Lord God saw the earth, and it was corrupted, because all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth.” C Pay attention, therefore, beloved. For if God did not spare anyone at that time, but drowned them all utterly, having gained nothing from their honoring God by words alone, it is surely evident that He will not spare us either on that day, even if we bear the name of Christians. For our Master Christ, the Lord of all, will truly say to us, that which He said to the Jews when they spoke boastfully: “We are from our father Abraham.” For just as He said to them, “If you were from Abraham, you would do the works of Abraham,” so He will also say to us: “If you considered yourselves Christians, you would do the works that are fitting for Christians.” Do not, therefore, doubt these things; for by that universal flood and the conflagration at Sodom, God D clearly showed what kind of end awaits those who spend their lives in debauchery. Now Noah, having reached five hundred years, begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth. On account of which the man is worthy of admiration, that he passed over so much time, and did not wish to submit to even lawful unions. And as the Golden-mouthed says, if there had not been a divine dispensation,
A And that the form might interpret the effect, as he who is golden of tongue says: for the apostles were fishermen, and they had need of the gift of speech for their preaching. He spoke of "cloven" tongues, because the fire appeared descending in a single form, then was divided to the apostles. That fire was not the Spirit itself, but a power of the Spirit. Moreover, the tongues were not cast into their mouths, but sat upon their heads; for they were being ordained as rulers of the inhabited world and as heralds. For you see that even until now this custom persists; for the Gospel is placed upon the head of the man who is to be ordained high priest, and when it is placed there, there is nothing else to be seen but a tongue lying upon the head. It appeared in the form of fire because of Him who said: "I am come to send fire upon the earth" for the sake of the passions that had run wild like a jungle.
C "And it sat upon each one of them." Therefore, everyone serving God is a throne of God; for this reason, he said "it sat." "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Upon which those who stood by said, "Are not all these who are speaking Galilaeans? And how do we hear, each in our own language, Parthians and Medes and Elamites and the rest?" They received the gifts of fifteen languages for the time being, as he who is golden of tongue says, as far as those who were present were concerned. For what was the need for the Persian language, with no Persians present? There appeared to be fifteen languages for this reason also, that the power of the Trinity might be seen, and the twelve as ministers. And it was possible to see the Galilaean Peter speaking in the Roman tongue, a language he had not learned, just as one could see each of the others speaking a particular tongue. For the Holy Spirit ordained this, that there might not be contention among the apostles as to where each one ought to go. Wherefore a particular tongue is given to each as a rule. That is to say: Do you speak Roman? Go to Rome. Do you speak Persian? Go to Persia. And in that language, as has been said, they received the rule; but because, again, they had to pass through many nations as they went to Rome, they received other tongues as assistants, having the first as if in place of an ordination. For each of the apostles is found speaking even in various tongues, since they were passing through many nations. This is clear from what Paul says: "I thank God that I speak in tongues more than you all." Then, at that time, the prophecy of the most divine Joel received its fulfillment, which says: "I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh," that is to say, upon that which believes. For not only did the apostles receive [the gift of] tongues—
A that the human race was to be restored through him, he would never have submitted to carnal desires at all. For this reason God calls him perfect in his generation—that is, in the perverse one.
But behold the long-suffering of God. He does not bring on the flood immediately, but for a hundred years He prepares the ark, even though the foolish mocked Noah as he served the divine will. But even seeing all the beasts gathering, as the divine Ephrem says—lions and leopards coming from India and Persia with sheep and goats mingled together, and reptiles and birds coming without anyone chasing them and dwelling around the ark—they were not in the least pricked to the heart. May this not happen to us, that we should always be wakeful.
B Whence did Noah know which animals were clean and which were unclean, since their separation by Moses had not yet taken place, as the Golden-mouthed says? From the natural knowledge stored within him, or from the wisdom given to him by God. How excellent is virtue! It translated Enoch; it saved Noah. For look how God, delivering all those others to destruction, said to Noah: "Enter you and all your house into the ark, for I have seen you [to be] righteous before Me in this generation, which is wicked and perverse." Yet, giving them an appointed time for repentance, He says: "And their days shall be 120 years," even though they did not all live this long on account of their wickedness; for those who did not succeed in repenting during the hundred years would not have repented even in the twenty.
Observe also that sometimes God cuts short the life He promised to give, as here, if we do not repent; and sometimes, when threatening to destroy, He does not do so if we repent, as may be seen in the case of the Ninevites.
C The water rose above the mountains to fifteen cubits, so that the divine decree might be fulfilled: "For I will blot out," He says, "every living thing that I have made, from man unto beast, and from reptiles unto birds under heaven." If it had not risen so high, the race of birds would not have perished. That the water was raised above the highest mountains at the time of the flood is proven from this: some people, while moving stones from the heights of Lebanon for buildings, maintained that they found inside the hollows of Lebanon fish salted and stuck in the mud, as even Josephus says.
After the cessation of the flood, Noah offered a sacrifice to God. Why so? So that He might render God forgiving and serene toward those who would be in weakness, as the great D Cyril, lest another vote should again come against all, by a second flood the...
human race subjecting. Concerning which God also said to him: "Having considered, I will no longer add to curse the earth because of the works of men, for the thought of man is intent upon evil from his youth." Because of this, as has been said, he offered a sacrifice to God. According to this, also, God commanded that seven A seven of the clean animals be brought into the ark, and two by two of the unclean. For because He was about to concede to men to partake of flesh, and those fostered by Him were also about to offer sacrifices to Him of piety, He commanded that the clean ones be preserved in greater number—the three pairs for the increase of the race, and the one remaining for sacrifice. This is also what he did after the flood, offering from all the clean ones to God, so that it is manifest that on this account He commanded that seven of each kind of the clean animals be brought into the ark, so that Noah, by offering one animal from each kind, might not destroy the pairs. God so greatly accepted the disposition of Noah at the first bringing of the sacrifice B that Scripture also says: "And the Lord smelled an odor of sweetness." Henceforth with a sound mind also we must do everything. If not, even if we bring anything whatsoever, God will turn away from it. For you see that here the virtue of the righteous man made the smoke and the savor into an odor of sweetness. But among the Jews, the wickedness of those offering caused the fragrant incense to be seen as an abomination.
Now Josephus, concerning the raven itself which was released by Noah to see if the water had abated, appears to be in conflict with the history of Moses. For he says the raven returned to the ark, as if on all the earth the water were still standing. But Moses says of these things thus: "And the raven did not return C until the earth was dried." For according to this, he sent out a dove afterwards, inasmuch as the raven did not wish to return to him. But Josephus also introduces some historians who say concerning some very high mountain of Armenia that during the time of the flood some men fled, and there obtained salvation because of the height. But those men cast themselves outside the mark and are carried far from the straight path. For if the water was then raised above the highest mountains by fifteen cubits, as Moses records, no mountain, I think, would have remained at that time that had the power to keep those who had taken refuge on it safe and unharmed. D The ark itself indeed was of three hundred cubits in length, fifty in width, and thirty in height. Hearing the word "cubit," do not think it to be such as is in use among us, but a geometric one. For Moses, being a geometer from Egypt, used such...
...has not yet covered.
[GREEK COLUMN] A does. For the Egyptians, as Cyril says, were the first to find geometry, out of [the necessity of measuring] the vastness of the land and its division. But the theory of phenomena was perfected among the Greeks, the first observations having occurred in Babylon. And the study of numbers began from the Phoenician merchants. And so much for these things.
He spoke of a cubit on the ark, which [represents] the largest fathom. B After five hundred and thirty-six years from the flood, the building of the tower took place, those people having labored in vain on this for forty years. "For it says," he relates, "a man said to his neighbor, 'Come, let us make bricks and let us burn them with fire,' and 'let us build for ourselves a city and a tower, whose head shall be up to heaven.'" But why and for what purpose [did they do] this? So that if a second flood should occur, they might run up to its summit, and from thence escape destruction from the water. For this reason God hindered their vainglorious labor through the confusion of the tongues. And hear the Scripture speaking thus: “And the Lord said, 'Behold, there is one race and one lip of all. Come and let us descend and confuse the language there, so that they may not each hear the voice of his neighbor.' And the Lord God scattered them from thence upon the face of all the earth." C At that time they were also called *Meropes* from the division of the speech and of the earth. But the senseless Julian said this, among other things, that [God], seeing them being exalted by means of the tower, and being not a little perturbed by this, methodically hindered their ascent through the confusion of the tongues. The tower, however, was being built, with seventy-two [individuals] as the leaders of the construction. According to them, therefore, the division of the languages occurred, there being one lip and one voice for all, as was said above. Heber alone, not having consented to the vainglorious labor of the rest, remained in his own language. From the beginning, therefore, [is] the Hebrew tongue. That those from Adam used the language of the Hebrews is clear also from the fact that those around Abraham utilized such a dialect, and it is clear also from the fact that the second Adam, Christ our God, utilized the Hebrew tongue. And the matters on the cross declare this, D and no less those things in which He said, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened," and again elsewhere, "Talitha cumi," which is, "I say to you, little girl." In addition to these things, the great Epiphanius also says of these: "After the flood, the tower, then Heber, the ancestor of the Hebrews, who they say, not having wished to join with those building the tower, remained in his own language. Of him is Abraham a descendant, whence also the Hebrew tongue." Josephus also says the same things as these. And these, then, are so; but Theodoret says that those from Adam used the Syrian language. One should know, however, that Chanaan, the son of Ham, having seen that the land towards Lebanon was still good, after...
the division of the earth had been made by lot among the sons of Noah, seized it by force, and expelled the heirs of Sem from there. And thus the whole land of promise was called the region of Chanaan. Josephus also mentions that it was called Chananæa after Chanaan. Sem begat Arphaxad, and Arphaxad begat Cainan, who, according to Georgius, wrote books on astronomy, having discovered the naming of the stars as set forth by Seth and his descendants and inscribed upon a stone tablet. For since they had been instructed long before that it would come to pass that mankind would perish both by fire and by water, they erected two columns, one of stone and the other of brick, and inscribed upon them all the celestial things set forth by their forefather Seth, having reasoned that if it should come to pass that the world were destroyed by water, the stone column with its inscribed letters would survive (which column, as Josephus testifies, remained safe after the flood on Mount Sideros and exists even today); but if the world were to be destroyed by fire, the brick column would remain.
B There appeared from the offspring of Sem another of gigantic origin, whose name was Cronus. Having become very powerful and having subjected many, he was the first to demonstrate how to rule and keep others in subjection, and having been the first to rule as king of the Assyrians for 56 years, he subjected the entire land of Persia. After Cronus, Ninus reigned for 52 years, who, having taken his own mother, Semiramis, as his wife, established a law among the Persians to take their own mothers and sisters [as wives]. From this family also came Zoroaster, that famous and well-known astronomer of the Persians, who said to the Persians: "If the heavenly fire burns me" (for this is what he also prayed for), "take from my bones, and preserve them for the stability of your kingdom." And that which was [predicted] did indeed happen.
In the histories which the great theologian Gregory used against Julian, these words are also found: "Astronomy is said to have been first discovered by the Babylonians through Zoroaster, and the Egyptians subsequently received it. Magic was discovered by the Medes, and then by the Persians." But magic differs from sorcery. For magic is, as they say, the invocation of beneficent spirits for the establishment of some good, while sorcery is the invocation of maleficent spirits, which hover around graves, for the establishment of some evil. The name sorcery (*goeteia*) is derived from the wailings and lamentations which habitually occur at graves, whereas magic is derived from the Magusaeans, that is, the Persians, from whom it also had its origin; for the Persians are called Magi in their own tongue. The great Cyril, however, in his writings against Julian, is found to have written that nine hundred years after the flood, Arbylus reigned as the first of men over the Assyrians. He was the first to take upon himself the name of divinity. But Ninus, the son of that man, is also said to have been the first to rule prominently among the Assyrians, from whom is named Nineveh, the walls of which Semiramis magnificently constructed.
A After the building of the tower, as has been said, men were scattered hither and thither and lapsed into absurd actions, and finally were led astray into idolatry, being deceived by the demons in this way, the miserable wretches. For the eighth from Noah, Seruch, discovered the practice of images from the beginning; for it is said that he honored with statues and pillars those who had displayed any brilliant work whatsoever. But those who came after them, ignorant of the intention of their ancestors—and that they had erected the statues for the sake of memory—gradually wandering through the cooperation of the author of all evil, added people who were affected by the same passions and subject to destruction as immortal gods, and devised sacrifices for them, as the demons inhabited the wooden images. From this, the human race served other and different gods. But the Egyptians sank into atheism more than the others; for they worshipped cats and monkeys, and likewise goats and bulls and crocodiles. More than the others, they worshipped Apis, the ox that was many-colored. For when such a bull was born among them, bearing marks on its tongue and tail, and similarly on its forehead something like a replica of a half-moon, they danced joyfully and held festivals, as if a new god had arrived for them. And concerning these matters, so much. B It is said that the eighth from Noah is Seruch; for Cainan begets Sala, Sala begets Heber, Heber begets Phalec, Phalec begets Ragau, Ragau begets Seruch. And this Seruch begets Nachor, Nachor begets Thara, and Thara begets the divine Abraham. Abraham begets Isaac, Isaac begets Jacob, and Jacob the twelve patriarchs, Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Juda and the rest, from whom are the twelve tribes of Israel. And at that time, concerning Abraham, Josephus says this, that having gone down into Egypt he bestowed upon them arithmetic and delivered to them the matters concerning astronomy; for before Abraham’s presence there, the Egyptians were ignorant of such things. From the Chaldeans, therefore, these things flowed down into Egypt, and from there to the Greeks. And Georgios says these things concerning this: Abraham, being fourteen years old, began the knowledge of God, and was the first to proclaim God the Creator. For seeing the heaven at one time bright and at another cloudy, he said to himself: "Even if others honor it, it is not God." Likewise he said this concerning the sun, the moon, and the remaining stars; for indeed he was a master astronomer. For which reason, seeing such things, God called him. But he also says that in the time of Abimelech he went down into Egypt because of the famine, and shamed the wise men there who were glorifying fate and the stars. For after the knowledge of God he no longer wished to pay attention to the stars, and it was possible to see fulfilled in him the word of the Apostle saying: "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made." For God the Creator is seen from the created things.
A For the most divine Abraham grasped the Creator God from the things created. In accordance with this, Plutarch also said: "For I have gained a notion of God; for always the sun and moon and the remaining stars, being borne under the earth, arise again similar in times, and equal in magnitudes, and in the same places." Great indeed was Abraham. For having heard God saying, "Depart from your land and from the land of your kindred, and come into the land which I will show you," he immediately followed, disregarding the difficulties in between, and not even knowing whither he was going. But we, hearing the Lord calling daily, neither wish to depart from earthly things, nor to come to that promised land. But also, the golden-tongued John, admiring his humility, says these things: "True humility is when one yields the first places to another, just as Abraham also does, so that he might not enter into litigation with Lot and his shepherds; by which it came to pass that Lot received the better land, that is, the Sodomites', while Abraham dwelt by the oak of Mamre." And look also at the divine rewards. For God said to Abraham that, "All the land which you see from this place, I will give it to you and to your seed forever." But that better land which Lot received, which in no way differed from Paradise, did not turn out for the best for him who took it; for a little while later he was carried off as a captive by the five kings who had campaigned against him. But the divine Abraham rescues him, having attacked them with his three hundred and eighteen house-born servants and having cut them down. B And this is what Paul says, that Melchisedec welcomes Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings with bread and wine, and he gave tithes to him from the spoils which he brought. Consider this carefully. For, in truth, the real Melchisedec welcomes us, too, returning from the intelligible war with bread and wine, namely, with His own body and blood. If this is so, according to Abraham, we too must by all means offer our ten senses to Him instead of tithes, of the soul namely and of the body. Abraham, then, sitting by the oak of Mamre, gave hospitality to all who were passing by, believers and unbelievers alike, making no distinction between them in these matters; and he was so simply hospitable that the holy Trinity Itself came down to his tent and gladly partook of the things set before It. One must not marvel. You hear in the Scripture of angels eating; C for by an invisible activity they consumed the things set before them, under the pretext of eating. But also, Theodoret says thus: "They were not men by nature, but seemed to be, D
D; for by an invisible activity they consumed the things set before them, under the pretext of eating." But if the Scripture says that he set before them, and they ate, there is nothing strange; for perhaps the Scripture called the consumption of them a "eating." And three men appear in the tent, as he of the golden tongue phrases it, but only two arrive at Sodom. For there, both the angels and the Master of them were seen at the same time. But the former were sent off as ministers, while the Lord remained, as it were, communicating as a friend with a friend to the just man concerning what he was about to do: "For truly," he says, "shall I conceal from Abraham my servant what I am about to do?" And Cyril the Great speaks thus concerning these: "They were three who at first approached Abraham at the oak of Mamre, but two who visited the Sodomites. For the Father judges no one, but has handed over all judgment to the Son, according to the voice of the Lord himself, with the Holy Spirit naturally accompanying him." That the Son and the Spirit were traveling to Sodom, the hospitality of Abraham clearly shows, as the great Athanasius says. For if the Son and the Spirit were not there, they would not have sat down with God and the Father. That they did sit down is evident from how he speaks concerning these: "Then they rose up, looking toward the face of Sodom." If, therefore, they rose up, they certainly sat down together. And if the Son sits at the right hand, it remains that the Spirit necessarily sits at the left. Yes, if the Father were circumscribed by place; otherwise, with him there is neither left nor right. Therefore, the Son sitting together, the Spirit also sits together, since he remains in him, that is, in the Son. Such a good did this hospitality of Abraham merit for him, that even the Holy Trinity came down upon him and granted him the fruit of the womb, at least A in the time of old age; for Sarah was so advanced in years that she even laughed upon hearing of this. After these things, Abraham becomes a wanderer on the pretext of famine; from there he comes to Gerar, arrives at Egypt, and is again deprived of Sarah, and by Abimelech—for he wished to take her for marital union, as she was very beautiful, and she was even more declared to be the sister of Abraham. For if Josephus says that Sarah was the cousin of Abraham, yet according to the Mosaic history, she was from the same mother, but of a different father. Therefore, concealing the one, so that he might not be killed, as if he were her husband, he said the other, that "she is my sister." Truly great-souled was Abraham. For having gone down into Egypt twice under the pretext of famine, and twice being deprived of Sarah, by both Pharaoh and later by Abimelech himself, he bore the deprivation nobly; for having once decided to follow God, he did not wish to meddle curiously in his ineffable dispensations. For which the divine rewards followed him in turn.
A Furthermore, that most evil custom of the Sodomites persuaded them to display their lewdness even toward the angels themselves; wherefore they also became the object of unquenchable fire. For those Sodoms, which stood so fair and beautiful, are in truth nothing but ash (for even the very air together with the waters there is set ablaze)—a clear token that their punishment continues eternally. These things concerning Palestine, Ascalon, and Gaza, lying above near the outlet of the Jordan, did not differ at that time at all from the paradise of old. Therefore, let he who does not believe in hell reflect upon Sodom, and thus let him flee gluttony; for such is it accustomed to generate such passions. In accordance with this, Moses also said to Israel: “When you have eaten and drunk, take heed to yourself, lest you forget the Lord your God.” Moreover, Galen, that most excellent of the art of medicine, shows that luxury itself is the cause of such passions. In our Mysia, which is adjacent to Pergamum, he says, one would rarely find a woman committing adultery, and even rarer to find lewd men accustomed to the most unspeakable amours, but in Rome, because of the prevailing and common luxury, these things are easy to commit. But if, as Ptolemy says, because some are affiliated with the first trigon of the zodiac—that is, the ram, the lion, and the archer—they do certain nefarious things, and think they do nothing abominable because they are under signs that are masculine in front but feminine behind, is God then unjust for having reduced Sodom to ashes by fire? But it is impossible that the Just One should ever be unjust. For such people, living in the abundance of bread as the Scripture says, and not being [so disposed] because of such a trigon, having rolled themselves into lawless beds, have reasonably become the fuel for fire. We learn, therefore, from this that on that day the righteous, just as Noah and Lot were here, will be found above these tortures, while sinners, even if they should be the entire world, will be subjected to almost eternal punishments, just as here all those who did the worst things were delivered to the flood and fire.
B Now Abraham was called Abram at first, which is said to mean “a crosser”; for as it seems, his mother named him thus by divine providence, since he was to cross the Euphrates and dwell in Palestine. Abraham was seventy-five years old when he received the promises. He begat Ishmael when he was eighty-six years old. And when he had reached the age of ninety-nine, God appeared to him, saying: “I am God.” Then the righteous man was circumcised, serving as a canon set before all. And that the boldness of the righteous who are in the cities is the cause of God’s long-suffering toward us, you may learn from the very history of Sodom itself; for He says: “If I find ten righteous men, I will not destroy the cities.” And often, even because of the virtue of those who have departed, or even because of the world itself, [Next page begins: λέγων· ο Υπερασπιῶ τῆς πόλεως ταύτης δι' ἐμὲ καὶ διὰ Δαβὶδ τὸν παϊδά μου. » κεία…]
A saying: "I will defend this city for my own sake, and for the sake of my servant David." And with what long-suffering He cares for the lives of the living, and how... But how is Abraham called faithful, having said to God: "By what shall I know that I shall inherit it?"—namely, Palestine. The expression "by what" is not that of one who is disbelieving, but of one longing to learn the manner of the inheritance. For countless nations inhabited Palestine at that time. And because of this, God said after the sacrifice: "Know for certain that your seed will be sojourners in a land not their own, and they will afflict them for four hundred years; but in the fourth generation they shall return hither, for not yet have the sins of the Amorites reached their fullness." Besides, there were some among them who were devout; this is clear from both Melchisedech and Abimelech. And regarding these, let it be said in this manner B regarding the present.
Melchisedech, although spoken of in Scripture as being without father and mother, nevertheless drew his lineage from Sidon, the son of Egypt, who also founded Sidon. Having built a city on Mount Sion, Salem, and having reigned therein for thirteen years, he fell asleep, a just man and a virgin. This is the celebrated...
Now Abraham, with Sarah, begat Isaac, and with Hagar, Ishmael; and Isaac, with Rebecca, [begat] Esau and Jacob, who, because of the impiety of Esau, migrated to Laban, his mother's brother, from whom he also took his daughters, Leah and Rachel, as wives. This Jacob, therefore, begat the twelve patriarchs, that is, the twelve tribes of Israel.
It should be known that after the three men were entertained by Abraham, the two proceeded to the burning of the Sodomites, C who also reached the dwelling of Lot. The licentious Sodomites, learning of this, arrived there, seeking the strangers in order to satisfy their unlawful acts. Lot went out to meet them to the uttermost, and being greatly pressured by them, delivered up his own daughter to that defiling usage, only so that no such disgrace should befall the strangers. But the wicked ones would not be persuaded, and seeking the strangers with violence, they fought with Lot. The strangers opened the doors of the gateway, and appearing to them, they consumed everyone with fire alone. Stunned at what had occurred, Lot fell on his face and besought them to know who they were. They said to him: "Take all who are with you, and depart from this place; for tomorrow all will be burned, and the place will be winnowed and destroyed because of the [too] D small sexual immoralities of its inhabitants." Lot, doing so quickly, escaped to the mountain of Segor. And the Lord having rained fire, all were burned according to the prophecy of the angels. But the wife of Lot, being a woman and not fearing the command of the angels, and having turned to see what had happened, was immediately turned to stone and became a pillar.
...that the whole world was already lost, and no seed would be born to them anymore, they made their father drunk with wine, and he had relations with them, not knowing, because of the drunkenness, what had happened through him. When his uncle, the divine Abraham, learned of this from him, he was grieved and sent him to the regions of the river Nile to fetch three staves from it, as though to show that he was innocent, but in truth so that he might be devoured by wild beasts and thus expiate the sin. Lot, having run swiftly by divine economy, offered to Abraham three staves—that is, of cypress, of pine, and of cedar. And Abraham, marveling that he had been saved from the beasts unscathed, glorified God. Both went up with the staves to the mountain, and Abraham planted them on a rock, apart from one another, yet near, as if forming a triangle. He commanded Lot to go away and draw water from the Jordan and to water them daily; this he did. The mountain was about twenty-four miles from the Jordan. Within three months the staves sprouted. And Lot, having gone down, told this to Abraham. And having gone up to see what had occurred, they found that the three staves had united and had become one, though the roots were left behind remaining as they had been planted, separate. Abraham, seeing the event in the dry wood, fell and worshipped the Lord, and said: "This wood shall be for the sin, an absolution." The wood became a great tree, and it lasted even until the kingdom of Solomon. Abraham received assurance concerning the forgiveness of Lot's sin. When the temple of Jerusalem was being built, this tree was also cut down with the others, and having been hewn, it lay idle in the Temple, also by the economy of God. And when Christ and our God was about to suffer the saving passion for the world, He was crucified upon it by the Jews.
A the renowned Jerusalem. And because he was descended from such an impure race, Scripture left him without a genealogy, even though some thought him to be God, as if he were without beginning and without end, clinging to the text and especially to the apostolic word which says: “Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life.” On this account he is called an image of Christ, who is without mother at the first, and without father at the second; and because He Himself, Christ, delivered the unbloody sacrifice to the disciples, he (Melchisedec) foreshadowed it from of old. And hear what he who is golden in tongue says about this: “God, foretelling the dissolution of the legal priesthood, said through David: ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedec.’ Who did not offer legal sacrifices, but prayers and bread and wine, as history teaches.” On this account he is also called by Scripture a priest of the Most High God, a self-ordained priest, as the Gold-mouthed says; for such were the priests at that time also, in that he was sacrificing as Abel, as Noah, and the rest. B But if Melchisedec was a man, how is it said that he has neither beginning nor end? And it is possible to say that Scripture, by genealogizing those descended from Seth, does so thus: Adam, having become of such-and-such years, begets Seth, and Seth again, having become of such-and-such years, departs from here. The beginning of the days of Seth and the end of his life are therefore manifest from this. But in the case of Melchisedec, since it did nothing of the sort, it misled some to say he is without beginning and without end, and from thence to think he was a great power of God. Melchisedec was therefore king and priest, as has been said from above, because he was both a type and an image of Christ. Whence, if you wish, my beloved, to learn how great is the excellence of our priesthood, attend to the Gold-mouthed John. For in his fifth discourse against the Jews he says that our excellence of priesthood is shown even in the types. For Abraham was the father of Isaac, and the grandfather of Jacob, and the ancestor of Levi; for Levi was the son of Jacob, and from Levi the priesthood received its beginning among the Jews. But this Abraham, C the ancestor of the Levites, that is to say of the Jewish priests, held the rank of a layman under Melchisedec, who was a type of our priesthood. And he indicated this through both things, through giving tithes and because he received a blessing from him; for laymen both give tithes to the priests and are blessed by them. But Abraham, who received the promises, was also less than Melchisedec. And how? Because the less is blessed by the greater. But also he who receives tithes, Levi, has been tithed, as the
[THEOPHANE]S the Confessor and prefect of the Agri, gathered the remainder in writing up until the end of the reign of the emperor Nicephorus, he who was from the [family of the] Genikoi. Upon whose work Scylitzes began his own chronicle, starting from Michael Rangabe.
PART IV.
CONCERNING THE CONSTANTINOPOLITAN EMPERORS WHO RULED THEREAFTER.
B247 At the time when Constantine the Great was leading his forces against Maxentius, he beheld the sign of the venerable cross in the air, whereby he emerged victorious in his subsequent encounter with the enemy. But later, having become negligent, when he rushed against the enemy once more, he was defeated. Having suffered this loss, he fell into sorrow and slumbered. In his sleep, he appeared to be struck on the nostrils by a certain rod; presently, blood flowing from his nostrils marked the sign of the cross upon his linen vestment. Having seen this, he was led to repentance for the act, and thus he became superior to his enemies again. Following these events, through his wife Fausta, he lapsed into the furious cult of the stars, but God drew him back again through leprosy; for when it had gripped the body of this great man, it pressed and tormented the individual in every way. There, upon the counsel of the priests of the Capitoline Jupiter, certain infants were ordered to be collected so that they might be slaughtered and he might be immersed in their blood, and thus purportedly be freed from the disease. But as he was passing by and heard the mothers of the infants lamenting, and learned the cause of their weeping, he said: "It is better that I suffer than that I should decree the death of so many infants." For which reason, by night, the apostles stood before him, telling him to summon Bishop Silvester. The holy man is therefore called, and after baptizing him, he frees him from the leprosy. The great emperor later struggled so much for the faith that he even changed all the customs, fasting on the fourth day and the day of preparation, resting on the Lord's Day, forbidding the Jews from buying servants, and no longer condemning anyone to the cross, out of reverence for the venerable cross of Christ. Among other things, he also renamed the days of the week, which were previously named after Saturn, Mars, and the other stars.
DThe wife of the Great [Constantine], Fausta, daughter of Maximian, whom he caused to cast off her soul by the searing heat in a bath. The cause for this was her stepson [Crispus], because of the accusations of the stepmother.
A Apostle says: "Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham his father," even though he was not yet born; for he was still in the loins of Abraham when Melchisedec met him. Observe, then, that the Jewish rites were a shadow and a figure. For if there were perfection through the Jewish history and priesthood, what need was there still for another priest to be raised up according to the order of Melchisedec, and not to be called according to the order of Aaron? Since, therefore, another priesthood was to come, it was absolutely necessary for another way of life to follow as well. And Paul, wishing to indicate this, said that when the priesthood is changed, there is of necessity a change of law. And these are the things taught by the golden-tongued one.
B But when we pray and are not immediately heard, we must not grow faint; since even Isaac besought God for twenty years on account of their childlessness. For it says: "He besought God regarding his wife Rebecca, because she was barren." And when Rebecca was troubled while pregnant with both Esau and Jacob (for they leaped not a little in her womb, signaling, as it seems, the conflict that would later exist between them), the Lord said: "Two nations shall be parted from thy womb, and one people shall surpass another, and the greater shall serve the lesser." Observe then, for God clearly indicated the state of the Jewish and Gentile peoples.
Upon Isaac, a second famine occurs, for which he goes down into Gerar, though he is not permitted by God to go off into Egypt. For even if Abraham had been permitted to go down, it was for the sake of his virtue also being known to those there. Isaac sows barley, C and paradoxically it yields a hundredfold. And if the earth yielded a hundredfold for what was cast into it, how shall he who performs almsgiving and deposits what is given into the hands of God not receive a hundredfold reward? For if here one bears a hundredfold, much more so there. Isaac, when he blessed Jacob, was about a hundred years old; for this reason his eyes were dimmed. But Rebecca, after this praiseworthy theft of the blessing, advised Jacob to go away to Laban, so that he might escape the peak of Esau's fury. Therefore, fleeing from Esau, Jacob slept on the road and had a dream. And behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, whose head reached to heaven. And the angels of God were ascending and descending D upon it, and the Lord leaned upon it and said: "I am with you, and do not fear." Now those ascending and descending the ladder, as the great Cyril also says, [signify] the...
A [The city] besieged by the Romans, and having endured the war for three years, was later captured, as the vital supplies failed its inhabitants. Its walls were razed, its civic rights withdrawn, and it was thus subjected to Perinthus; for Perinthus is Heraclea. Hence, the ordination of the patriarch has been assigned to the [throne] of Heraclea, such that the bishop of Byzantium is ordained by him.
B Great Constantine, therefore, having renovated the wall built by Byzantas, king of Thrace, added another space, and thus named this city New Rome. This great city is finished, and indeed dedicated, on the 11th of the month of May, in the year 5808. At that time, Valens—a man purportedly most accurate among the astronomers—was summoned; he cast a horoscope, by which he auspiciously decreed that this city should endure for 696 years. From this point, therefore, the prediction of Valens is proven false, and his art is clearly shown to have failed. Seeing his city thinly populated, the Great [Constantine] brought over from Rome the most distinguished men; among whom are these: Olybrius, Berus, Urbicius, Callistratus, Zoticus, Eugenius, Eubulus, Studius, Florentius, Maurianus, Severus, and Isidorus, who built houses, churches, and xenones. By such means did Great Constantine relocate these aforementioned Roman men here. For, having taken their signet rings, he sent them to the king of the Persians, Sarbarus, whom they defeated and then returned; but during the time of their departure, he sent the rings to Rome and brought their wives here. C He also built 464 houses, according to the length and shape of those they possessed in Rome. Upon returning and learning of this drama, those men were astonished. Of these, four were masters, and eight were patricians. Know, therefore, beloved, that while the city was being leveled at the time it was being built, stones were hewn by stonemasons, which they placed as a bulwark against the violence of the sea, guarding the wall from near the Barbara [gate] to the Golden Gate itself. Similarly, he also transported here the monolith column [that now stands] in the Forum, and established upon it that statue which he brought from Heliopolis in Phrygia. This very stone was transported by sea for three years, and was being raised for an entire year where it now stands. After these things, having made Constans Caesar here and Licinius, his son-in-law, in Nicomedia, he campaigned against the Persians. This Licinius began to stir up a persecution against the Christians. It was then, indeed then, that he killed the bishop of Amasea named Basileus. It was then, indeed then, that serpents in Melitene fought against each other so fiercely that the land was left seething with their slaughter. Then also the synod in Nicaea was held, in which the great and simple-in-speech Spiridon overcame the invincible Eulogius the Hellene. Such a synod also ordained that we celebrate Easter according to the custom now prevailing; for previously Easter was performed according to the fourteenth day of the moon, whence the holy and ecumenical second council, in its seventh canon, calls those who celebrate in this way "quartodecimans" and "tetradites." For they did not celebrate Easter on a Sunday, but whenever the fourteenth day of the moon occurred, on whatever day it happened to fall, [provided it was] complete. They celebrate when others are fasting and keeping vigil. Know also this, that Constantius, the son of Great Constantine, having turned Arian, hastened to overthrow the first synod. Learning of this, the Pope of Elder Rome reported it to Constans, the brother of Constantius, and he threatened his brother with war by letter if he did not cease shaking the orthodox faith. Upon which, by counsel of the emperors, a synod was [convened] in
A divine ministry; for of these Paul also said: "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them that shall be heirs of salvation?" B Through these He showed clearly that He manages all things by angelic powers, and that nothing here below is without providence or happens by chance. And do not ask me, why did holy Scripture say first that the angels ascend, and after that, descend? For you possess the holy Scripture itself, which clarifies the account of this matter for you. Each of the men possesses a divine angel as a guardian of his own life, so that from this even the impulse of the demons against us is checked ("The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear him," for He says), and our petitions are brought up to God through them. And let the Lord Himself persuade us in the Gospels, saying: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for their angels always behold the face of My Father who is in heaven," C doing nothing else, as the renowned patriarch Nicephorus says among the patriarchs, than bringing our petitions into the ears of the Lord Sabaoth. Most divine Raphael confirms these things to Tobit, saying thus: "When you and your bride prayed, I brought the memorial of your prayer before the holy God, and now He has sent me to heal you and your bride Sarah." But also the divine angel who was sent to Cornelius the centurion spoke thus D to him: "Cornelius, your prayers and your alms have gone up for a memorial before God. Call Peter from Joppa." If these things are so, if, as has been demonstrated, each of the men possesses an angel bringing our petitions into the ears of the Lord Sabaoth, it is of necessity that the angels must first ascend, and through them our petitions, and then afterwards the divine gifts from above must descend to us. For it was for this that blessed Jacob saw angels ascending and descending; for through these, as has been said, being ministering spirits, all things here are managed and conducted. And so much for these things. But God encourages Jacob returning from Laban, and fearing Esau, and again He wrestles with him until morning, persuading him from this [event] not to fear; for if he was strong with God, much more [would he be strong] with men. This Jacob also declared, saying: "I have seen God face to face, and my soul was saved," that is, the soul which was as if dead from fear was filled with courage. At that time he is also renamed Israel, as having been in the vision of God. Jacob, however, waking up, was limping, as the history shows. But so that the care of God for him might not be extinguished after the passing of the righteous man, He wisely devised [a way to preserve] the memory of this...
A Sardica, by 341 fathers, confirming the holy Creed; and Sardica is what is now called Triaditza. The Great Constantine later sent Arius to the Great Athanasius so that he might receive him into communion; for he asserted under oath that he held the right faith. But the Great one would not receive him; on account of which they removed him from his throne, for those who leaned toward Arianism had prejudiced the imperial ears, and spoke much evil of the holy man. How great an evil, therefore, it is from that point on to accept accusers and to pass judgments against the accused, the events that transpired between the holy Emperor and holy Athanasius demonstrated. But he suffered the same things under Constantius, for which, having taken refuge with a certain virgin, he continued to be hidden by her for six years. After his death, B he returned again. When Julian, who followed, threw everything into confusion, the holy man again took refuge near the temple of Sarapis. Crows were cawing. Being asked by the Greeks, "What are they crying out, you evil old man?" he said, "The 'cra' in the Syrian tongue signifies 'tomorrow'; for tomorrow you shall see the providence of God." Upon which the death of that wretch was announced.
The Great Constantine, however, reigned in Rome for 12 years, here for twenty, and he died in Nicomedia while setting out against the Persians. He ended his life through the treachery of his half-brothers, who poured poison into his drink, with a star—as they say, a comet—foreshadowing his death; for it is customary in such things for comets to appear in the heavens frequently, and the great Basil, declaring this, said, "Comets appear, bearing signs of the succession of kings." Now, the monk Alexander, in his history concerning the finding of the precious Cross, says that holy Constantine died in Nicomedia seized by a mortal illness, and that he was baptized then; for he postponed it, as he says, wishing to receive the divine washing in the Jordan. C But this seems truly improbable. For it appears more truthful that he was baptized in Old Rome by holy Sylvester. For even if some Arians contend that he was baptized by Eusebius of Nicomedia because it happened that he passed away there, the baptistery of the Great one in Rome clearly presents the truth, especially since it was impossible for him to be excommunicate during the council held at Nicaea; for how could he have either prayed with or concelebrated with them, holding such a position? Therefore, to say and to think thus about the Great one is most absurd.
How much the holy soul of the Great Constantine was given to condescension and to forgiving the weaknesses of many is evident from this, too. Written accusations were brought to him against bishops; and he immediately burned the papers, saying, "If I saw a priest sinning, I would cover him with my chlamys, so that God might also cover my sins." And Severus, as has been said D above, gave the first structure to the hippodrome, but the Great Constantine provided the porticoes, the steps, and the rest of its embellishment. From Nicomedia, Antioch, and other cities, statues were brought into it; for at that time the veneration of them had been abolished. In these, many things concerning future events are also inscribed. And the Manganas themselves were built by the Great Constantine; for all the military equipment and books of engineering were stored there. The Great Constantine, having found the prisons of Byzantium in the strategic headquarters, also kept them there, and this lasted until Phocas. A certain patrician widow, Mare by name, having taken pity on those who were imprisoned because of the stench they endured, gave her own house to the emperor by way of payment/reward, and it became what is now called the Praetorium. And regarding these matters, this much is so.
perpetuate this. He says: “The sons of Israel shall not eat the sinew of the thigh, which has withered.” And it is possible to learn here that the cause of the majority of the observances is this: that they should not forget God and His benefits, B and as being indeed ungrateful. But also Jacob, separating from Laban and being about to meet Esau, sees a camp of angels, so that from this he might take courage and not fear those with Esau.
Laban, after the completion of the twenty years, having promised to send Jacob away with wages, was delaying, persuaded by certain persons; wherefore also to Leah and Rachel Jacob said: “I see the countenance of your father, that it is not toward me as yesterday and the day before. But the God of my father was with me.” C And it is clear that to Laban pursuing Jacob, a dream stood by saying: “Guard thyself never to speak anything evil to Jacob.” Great is the benefit of the presence of a just man. And it is clear from what Jacob was saying to Laban: “God has blessed you for my sake.” But on account of his wives he was making such a defense to him: Not I, but the love insituted for their husbands persuaded them to depart from their own land. According to Georgius, however, D Jacob, returning from Laban, again saw a vision in Bethel, and having tithed all that he possessed, he sets aside his children last. And having numbered them, beginning again from Benjamin, and having come to Levi, since he found him to be the tenth, he brought him to God, tithing him; and all that he had previously acquired, as also having promised, he said to God in fleeing: “All that You shall give me, I will tithe a tithe of them to You.” And immediately, having clothed Levi in priestly vestments, through him he offered sacrifices to God in Bethel. And thence those of the old covenant are called Levites, but those of the new are called clerics, because it has been written: “There shall not be to the Levites a portion, that is, a lot, among the sons of Israel; for the Lord is their portion and lot.”
Regarding the Mosaic history, we find that Esau and Jacob were reconciled to one another; but Josephus adds these things to the history concerning these matters. A Isaac, being about to finish his life, spoke concerning harmony to Jacob and to Esau. But when he had died, Esau pursued Jacob. He, having entered into a certain city and looking down from above, reminded him of the paternal instructions. But he was not persuaded. And stretching his bow, he shot Esau in the breast. Then therefore the prophecy of Isaac was fulfilled: “Whenever you shall take off the yoke of your brother from
your neck, you shall commit a capital transgression.” These things are from Josephus, but it is not right to accept them as true. For the words, “You shall commit a capital transgression,” are an addition by Josephus; for such a statement is not found recorded in the prophecy. And so much for these things.
After these, Sardanapalus also rules over the Assyrians, living in an entirely soft and luxurious manner, shut up within with eunuchs and women, not being seen by any of those under him, and by means of colors, dyes, and the cutting of his beard, making himself effeminate, so that from this he became detestable to all. And not one of those under his hand was able to see him, though he wished to. Once, therefore, having attained his desire, he pushes a sword against him, and miserably deprives him of life.
After Sardanapalus, the son of Picus, also called Zeus, Perseus, rules over the Assyrians, who, having conquered the Lycaonians and built a city there, and having set up his own stele, called it Iconium from his own image. Then, having come to Isauria and Cilicia, and having climbed down from his horse and struck the sole of his foot upon the ground, and having built a city there, he named it Tarsus. On account of his name, therefore, he called the Assyrians Persians. During his reign, fire fell from heaven, and having built a temple over it, he taught them to worship the fire. Therefore the first kingdom was that of the Assyrians, or Babylonians, and the second was that of the Persians, who were also called by the common name of Babylonians.
Know also that during the reign of Phoenix, the Tyrian philosopher Hercules flourished, who was the inventor of the purple shell. For having seen the wool that had been wiped off by a shepherd dog, and having understood that it was not blood, but a substance for dyeing (for this dog had happened to find a shell-fish by the shore and eaten it), he brought it as a gift to the king. The Phoenician, therefore, was the first to wear the purple, and he ordered no one else to wear such a color, and thus the king would be recognized by the purple robe; before this, the king had seemed like the common people. This was discovered in Tyre.
When Croesus, having received an oracle, crossed the Halys, Cyrus hurried into flight, but his wife restrained him, saying to bring the captive Daniel and learn everything through him. Which indeed happened. And thus that man took courage. And calling for Daniel with his whole bodyguard, he said to him, “Thus says the Lord concerning the good Cyrus: ‘You shall also conquer Croesus.’” Which also happened. [alt-version omitted]
A For he set the camels in front of the battle line, and when the opposing horses turned to flee, Croesus was captured, and four hundred thousand men perished; for they could not cross the river, which had overflowed beyond measure.
After Cyrus came his son Darius, then Artaxerxes, under whom there was a certain man in Italy named Palas. He built a house and called it “Palatium,” whence the royal residence is called a palace. This is Georgios’ account; but Zonaras records the following about this: “The residence of the emperors was called a palace because Caesar dwelt on the hill called Palatinus, where Faustulus, who raised Romulus, lived; and for this reason, even if he stays anywhere else, his lodging keeps the name of palace.”
After these things came Romus, who founded Rome, and his brother Remus. These men built a temple to Zeus and named it the Capitol of Rome, which means the head of the city. However, Romus, having murdered Remus, and seeing the people rioting, was the first to institute equestrian games in honor of the sun and the four elements. But even so, the city was troubled. Having asked the oracle why the city was shaken so much, he heard: “Unless your brother sits with you, the city will not be at peace.” Having made a golden statue of his brother, he sat him down with himself and reconciled them.
B When the son of Artaxerxes, Ochus, occupied Egypt, its king, Nectanebo, changed his clothes and fled to Macedonia, having foreknown the occupation of Egypt through lecanomancy; and through his sorceries he became known to Philip and his wife, Olympias, and, having had intercourse with her through devices, he begot Alexander. Philip, having reigned over Macedonia and subdued Thessaly, founded a city in it and called it Thessalonica. After him came Alexander. When he set out against the Persians and the Medes, he requested an alliance from the Jews. And not receiving it (for they had treaties with Darius not to wage war against him), he marched against them. The high priest, for the sake of causing astonishment, put on that wondrous robe and met Alexander; and the latter, smitten with fear, dismounted from his horse and fell before the high priest. As the Gentiles were astonished, he said: “I do not worship the priest, but the God honored by him; for in such a form I also saw God encouraging me against the Persians.” D Wherefore he offered a sacrifice there to God.
Thus our chroniclers, who place another Darius as successor to Cyrus, and Artaxerxes under Darius, and say that Palas lived in Italy under his reign, from whom the palace is said to be named, even though Romulus lived two hundred and fifty years before Darius and Artaxerxes, and Pallas the son of Evander is to be referred to the times of Aeneas, some centuries before Romulus.
A in the custom of patriarchs, he opposes the empress Eudoxia, and for this reason he endures many trials on his back. For when the great Epiphanius had come to the Hebdomon, against the will of John, he initiated many into the sacred rites and held assemblies; indeed, he had been preoccupied by the slanders devised against the holy man by Theophilus. And Eudoxia also incited the great Epiphanius against Chrysostom, saying that while the Roman empire was contained under her own power, this John alone pursued enmities and afflicted the empress with extreme injuries. Nor did he offend in this alone, but he also favored a certain opinion entirely abhorrent to the doctrine of the Church. For this reason, she said, she granted all power to Epiphanius to assemble a council and to remove John from his throne by the most just right. Having heard these things, Epiphanius replied: "If he holds some peculiar sect, that would be a matter for another place and argument. But if you have determined to drive John from the Church by public proclamation for this reason alone, that he has spoken reproach to you, you will by no means have Epiphanius as one who approves of your instituting." Eudoxia proposed these things to the aforementioned holy man because she had understood that some dissension had arisen between them. B After these acts, John, a most divine man, being proscribed for a second time and deported to Cucusus for the sake of exile, after he had spent three years and two months there, he was brought to Pityus, and there migrated to the Lord, having functioned in the office of bishop for six years and six months. Following these things, Innocent, Pope of Rome, sent a letter to Arcadius, written in these words: "The voice of the blood of my brother John, O emperor, calls out to God against you, just as it once cried out from Abel the just against Cain the fratricide. And you will pay the penalty entirely, who have not only done this, but have also moved a persecution against the Church of God and His priests in a time of peace and tranquility. You have expelled that great teacher of the whole world from the throne of his episcopacy without a trial, and together with him you have driven out Christ. And the blessed John has indeed left this life, having kept the faith and strengthened those who were wavering C as if by a storm of doubt, but he has entered into the inheritance of the pleasures and delights that shall never fail and of the perpetual life in the ages that have no end. But that new Delilah, who gradually binds you with the razor of deceit, has gathered curses upon herself and has tied up a heavy burden of sins, difficult to carry, and has added it to her previous atrocious and numerous transgressions. Therefore, I, the least of all, as one to whom the throne of the great apostle Peter has been entrusted and committed, separate you and her from the participation of the sacred mysteries of Christ our God..." D [Regarding the letter of Innocent to Arcadius, and the reply of the same emperor Arcadius to Innocent, and those supposed by an unskilled storyteller, [index: entries preserved] the entire history of those times, which we have arranged year by year in our Chronicles in historical and chronological order.]
A This man, therefore, managed all things very wisely and skillfully; for, changing his attire, he would enter everywhere, and, having reconnoitered, he would thus conquer. He did this also in the case of the widow Candace. But he was caught; for she, having learned his customary actions (for he had eyes of different colors, the one blue, the other black), as soon as she saw him, said: "King Alexander, you have taken the world, but a woman has taken you." Having taken her as a wife, he went into Egypt, founded the great Alexandria, and then returning to Babylon, he died at thirty-two years of age, having reigned for twelve years only, the most prudent and courageous of all. For it was for this reason that the prophet foresaw him as a winged leopard, signifying his swiftness and sharpness, and his sudden flying over the civilized world with his trophies. It is said that he heard a certain philosopher say that there are infinite worlds, and he groaned deeply and said: "Alas, that since they are infinite, I have conquered not one." He was also admired for his temperance; for, having taken the daughters of Darius captive, he would not even endure to look at them, saying that it was unbecoming for one who had conquered men to be conquered by women. Likewise also in philosophy and quick-wittedness; for he was tutored by Aristotle. Being most warlike and daring, he saw a certain youth who had the same name as himself fighting cowardly, and said: "Either change your conduct or your name." B Therefore, he occupied everything quite prudently and skillfully; for, with his garment changed, he betook himself to any places, and having explored all things, he obtained victory easily. By the same art, he was intercepted after approaching the widow Candace; for when she had perceived his tokens and natural indications—that is, that one eye was blue and the other black—as soon as she looked upon him, she said: "You have indeed occupied the world, King Alexander, and a woman has captured you." Therefore, having taken this as his wife, he set out for Egypt and founded that great Alexandria. Departing thence, he returned to Babylon and, aged 32 years, he passed from human affairs, having reigned but twelve years, a man undoubtedly the most wise and valiant of all. For which reason the seer records that he saw him in the form of a winged leopard, wishing in this way to show his impetuosity and swiftness, and that he suddenly flew over the whole world with his victories. They assert that he once heard it from a certain philosopher who said that there were infinite worlds. Then indeed, having uttered a great groan: "Is it so," he said, "that they are infinite, when I have not yet conquered one?" He also won great praise in the name of modesty and chastity. For when he held the daughters of Darius captive in his power, he would not even deign to look at them, because he said it was in no way fitting for one who had conquered men to be overcome by women. He obtained praises no less from philosophy and quickness of mind, as one who had heard Aristotle; and since he was very impetuous and daring in battles, having happened to see a certain youth of the same name who was fighting timidly: "Change," he said, "either this disposition and mind, or your name." C This Alexander, having arrived even as far as the interior Indians and the ocean itself and the greatest island of the Brahmans, whose wonderful life and whose piety and worship toward God he admired and was astonished at, in which place he also set up a pillar and inscribed: "I, the great King Alexander, reached as far as this." On that island dwell those called the Macrobians; for the majority of them live to about one hundred and fifty years because of the mildness of the air and the unsearchable judgments of God. There, fruit never fails throughout the whole time. There are the greatest nuts and spices difficult to obtain and the magnet stone; among whom there is no quadruped, no wine, no bread, no garment. They enjoy small fruits and water, dwelling near the river and worshipping God sincerely. And the men dwell near the river, but their women are on this side of the river Ganges, which flows past into the ocean toward the part of India. And the men cross over to the women in July and August, during which months it is cooler, with the sun rising higher toward us. For then, having become temperate, they are said to be moved according to the star. And having spent forty days with their women, they cross back again. After the woman has borne two children, they no longer cohabit. If anyone is found to be barren up to five years, D When he had reached the extreme Indians and the very Ocean and the greatest island of the Brahmans, he marveled at their piety and worship toward God, and set up a column with an inscription of this sort: "I, King Alexander, have penetrated as far as this." In that island dwell those who are called Macrobians, from their longevity. For the people there for the most part live to the age of 150 because of the exceedingly suitable temperament of the air and the unsearchable judgments of God. At no time of the year are ripe fruits wanting. They abound also in the largest nuts and in spices, which we redeem at such a price, and in the magnet stone. They possess no four-footed beasts, neither wine nor bread nor clothes. Dwellers toward the light, they are content with small fruits and water, and serve God with a pure and upright religion. The men dwell on the banks of the river, the women live on the other side of the Ganges river, toward India, which river in fact discharges itself into the Ocean. In the months of July and August, the men cross over to their wives, because it is cooler for them, with the sun rising more sublimely toward our horizon. Then, naturally, having attained the best temperament of body, they are said to be aroused by a certain oestrus. After 40 days spent with their wives, they cross over again in turn. The women, after they have brought two children into the light, have no further intercourse with the men. But if any woman is found to be barren for five whole years, by a certain religious observance, from intercourse...
thenceforth she remains apart for the sake of piety. The river itself, however, is difficult to cross because of the Odontotyrannos animal; for this is an amphibious creature of immense size, such that it even swallows elephants, although it does no harm to these men as they cross over. In the more desert places there are dragons about seventy cubits long, scorpions a cubit long, and ants the size of a palm. For this reason those places remain uninhabited. But elephants also graze there in herds. Further inland there are men who eat human flesh. Among the Chaldeans it is legal to marry one’s mother and to defile one's sisters and daughters. Among the Agilaioi the women have authority over the men and commit fornication as they please, without jealousy from their husbands; and they perform farming, building, and all masculine tasks. In Britain, many men sleep with one woman, and many women with one man. The Amazons have no men, but like the animals, they mate with their neighbors in the spring, and having celebrated a great festival, they return home; and at the time of birth, they kill the male offspring and raise the female. A When they have brought the birth into the light, these customs among various and geographically separated nations, as if passed from hand to hand by their ancestors, gradually turned into laws, as the great Caesar wrote. After the death of Alexander, his kingdom was divided into many principalities and powers, and they did not cease to rise up against one another, until the Roman power abolished all these local lordships. And so much for these matters.
Now Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, and the rest in order. He loved Joseph more than the others, both because he was the youngest and because of the virtue with which he was singularly endowed. Therefore, his other brothers were jealous of him. They were not only jealous for these reasons, but also because of the visions of which he had been a spectator. For he saw eleven stars, together with the sun and the moon, bowing down to him. The stars signified his brothers, the sun his father, and the moon his mother. B If someone asks how the mother is said to have bowed down, since she had died long before, let him hear that when Jacob went down into Egypt and bowed down, his wife is also said to have bowed down with him, because these two were one body. Thus, for this reason, his brothers were jealous of him. And, driven by jealousy, they proceed openly to a plot, and wishing to kill him, they cast him into a terrible pit. But by the counsels of one of their number—Reuben, since he felt kindly toward him—they lead him out of the pit, and according to Josephus’ history, they sell him to some merchants for twenty minae. C After this, they returned to their father and said they had not seen Joseph, but that they had found this tunic stained with blood and torn, so as to give the impression, perhaps, that he had been destroyed by wild beasts. Therefore, he is brought down by the merchants into Egypt, and as a slave D
B After this man, Leo—his grandson and son of Zeno of Isauria—reigned for two years. For Leo the Great, having passed over his son-in-law Zeno, who was married to his daughter Ariadne, entrusted the scepter of the empire to his own grandson. After this Leo had departed from human affairs, his father Zeno, who also bore the surname Isaurian, reigned for 16 years. After he had come to the empire, he was plotted against by his mother-in-law Verina, as one who did not administer the empire according to her counsel, and he fled to his own homeland. On account of this, Verina’s brother, Basiliscus, presided over affairs for two years. He built a palace in Constantinople and named it the Palace of Basiliscus. However, after Basiliscus had tasted of imperial power for a very short time, he fell into the hands of Zeno, who had already returned from Isauria. Included with his wife in a certain rather sturdy tower, where no one had access to him, he was killed by starvation. Zeno, having returned from thence, as we have said, punished Harmatius—who had previously provided him with assistance against Basiliscus—with death, as a traitor to his own master; but he made Harmatius' son Caesar, just as he had promised. But not long after, having shorn his hair, he made him bishop of the Cyzicenes, even against his will. An astrologer once predicted to this emperor that he would die shortly, and that a man of the senatorial order would receive his empire and his wife. Having learned this, he put many to death who were either illustrious or wealthy. But he was unaware that he was fighting against God and His providence. For when Zeno had exchanged life for death and had left the empire, it fell to that Anastasius, who was a Dyrrhachian by homeland and was called "Dicorus": for he had one pupil that was black, and the other blue. In his reign, lightnings and thunders occurred around the palace, by which the emperor was dismayed, running to and fro for fear, until he finally perished in a certain chamber by divine vengeance. For the chamber collapsed and crushed and extinguished the emperor with its ruins. Also, a fire was seen in the heaven, portending, as it seems, the sedition that had arisen under him. For the logothete, with the city prefect, by order of the emperor, ascended the ambo, or pulpit, of the Great Church in order to chant the Trisagion with the phrase, "Who was crucified for us." But as soon as he had uttered the word "Us," he stirred up all the people against himself. And such a great urgency arose that they burned down houses, and slaughtered a certain leader and a stylite who were siding with the emperor's party, consuming their bodies even with fire; and they insulted the emperor to his face. This man saw in a dream a person holding a codex, saying to him, "Behold, because of your perversity of faith, I am erasing fourteen years from your life." And this indeed happened; for, struck by lightning, he died at the age of 88. He built the Mocesius cistern. Understand also that there are some who…
A he is sold there. Not long after, he is lured into shameful loves by his mistress. But he would not be persuaded; for although he was a slave in body, yet he was free in his mind. For this reason he stirs her to anger. She plots against him, accuses him, and persuades her husband to cast him into prison. These things come to pass, and for thirteen years he was kept in confinement. Two others were with him in such a prison, a cupbearer and a baker; for whom, paradoxically, he foretold what was to come. And to the cupbearer, he declared freedom would come within three days; for he saw in a dream that through him grapes were being squeezed from three branches into a cup, and the king was gracefully receiving it from him. Whence he also said to him: "Do not disregard us when you depart on account of these things; for we have come into bonds having committed no sin, but we have been condemned to endure the lot of criminals for the sake of our chastity." And to the baker, who said that he was carrying three baskets upon his own head, two of which were full of bread, while the third contained baked goods and various foods, and that birds had flown down and were consuming everything, and who expected that he would receive a prophecy similar to that of the cupbearer, he said that he had but two days in all remaining in his life; for the two baskets signified this, and on the third day he would be crucified, and his body would be food for the birds. The king celebrates his birthday, and at that time those things of the prophecy come to pass. But the cupbearer forgets him. Two years pass by. B Pharaoh sees two visions in the night. The wise men of the Egyptians are at a loss regarding these. Joseph is called, at the urging of the cupbearer. The vision was of seven well-fed cows coming up from the river into the marsh; and others equal in number meeting them from the marsh, exceedingly wasted, and consuming the well-fed and large ones, and yet they were not at all benefited from the eating. And the second vision was of ears of grain; seven well-fed ones from one root, being consumed by another seven decayed and weak ones. Joseph was completing his thirtieth year at that time. He interprets the visions, is honored by Pharaoh, and is established as ruler of Egypt. Moreover, Pharaoh addresses him as Psomthophanichus, which is to say, the discoverer of hidden things. The history records that that famine came to pass because neither did the Nile rise then nor did dew descend from above. Joseph also begets two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. And Manasseh signifies "forgetting"; for having prospered, he received a forgetting of his misfortunes. And Ephraim "repaying"; for he himself repaid the freedom to his ancestors. And these things indeed have this manner.
for he had attained such happiness that he had obtained oblivion of his former calamities. Ephraem signifies just as much as if you were to say "one who restores him," for he restored liberty to his ancestors. And these things came about in this way. A But the sons of Jacob, having heard what had been done by Shechem the son of Hamor regarding their sister Dinah, were stung—that is, they were grieved, and deemed the affair an indecency. Wherefore they also performed a work of slaughter upon the inhabitants of that place. Hence God permitted them to be afflicted for a sufficient time in Egypt. This, therefore, was the cause of their long and first captivity. Jacob, however, being sought by Joseph—when his brothers came to him on account of the need for grain—came down into Egypt with 75 souls. The Scripture sets forth the number so that we may learn how many they became from so many. Jacob himself, as Josephus mentions in his history, nearly expired from the unexpected joy, had not Joseph revived him; for even if he himself was overcome by pleasure, he was not in the same manner as Jacob. The Pharaoh, however, seeing the grey-haired Jacob, asks about his years. And he answered, saying: “The days of the years of my life, as I sojourn, total one hundred and thirty, few and evil.” These things he said because of the trials he had endured. After these things, he lived another 15 years to the consolation of the terrible things he had suffered before. And the ancients used to live a long time, so that the race might increase in the longer time. For this reason they also attached themselves to many wives. Immediately, therefore, even after the flood, they were long-lived. But since they filled the inhabited world, the number of years was henceforth lessened. According to the most divine Cyril, the years were lessened because nature itself had become weaker with time and was unable to reach out to more years. And they were long-lived, for which cause the account has managed to say: but Josephus said that men became long-lived due to the food present at that time. C And Jacob begets, as has been said, the twelve patriarchs, from whom are the twelve tribes of Israel; for this reason that account also called them patriarchs as being rulers of the patriai, that is, of the tribes. But according to the great Epiphanius, there are thirteen tribes. For if there is no tribe from Joseph, yet those from his sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, are known as two tribes of Joseph. Yet, with the tribe of Levi being excepted as one that does no work, they are twelve tribes again. And Jacob begets Levi, Levi begets Kohath, Kohath begets Amram, and Amram begets Moses and Aaron. And Moses is the sixth from Abraham. D Reckoning the genealogy from there, Job is found to be the fifth. This Job, according to the great Cyril
A at the beginning of his temptation was seventy-eight years old, and having spent seven years in the affliction, he reached the age of eighty-five. And whence is this evident? From the years given to him after the affliction. For since God later gave everything to Job in double measure, of necessity He also granted him double the years of his life. Therefore, the halves of the one hundred and seventy are eighty-five. From this, then, the total years of Job are found to be two hundred and fifty-five. But if the Scripture says B the entire time of his life was two hundred and forty-eight years, do not be surprised; for the author did not join the seven years of his affliction to the time of his life, since he did not reckon the time of the affliction as a time of life on account of the deadening caused by the suffering. Thus, blessed Job seems to have assigned the names to his daughters in demonstration of the goods later granted to him by God; for in accordance with the reality, he applied the names to them. And the first he called Day, as if after a certain deep night from the hardships that surrounded him, a bright day had shone upon him; and the second he named C Cassia, as if he were already living in a certain fragrance and enjoyment of good things; and the third he called Amalthea’s Horn, as if he were henceforth overflowing with every good thing. For the ancients called abundance the "horn of Amalthea"; for it is said that there was a certain goatherd who had a goat named Amalthea, which by digging with its horn revealed a treasure to its master. And it is said, "There were not found, according to the daughters of Job, others more beautiful than they under heaven." And why this? So that by the sight of them, the memory of the suffering might be completely erased. And Job received ten children after the affliction, because he had D lost those ten also. If the Scripture says that Job received everything double, do not be surprised. For all other things—camels, mules, herds of sheep, and all such things—he received double according to the Scripture; for these things are all mortal and will not rise again then. But the children, it is agreed, will rise again then. Wherefore he receives only ten here after the affliction. For he will recover those others that he lost, so that from this he has twice ten children, that is to say, twenty. Rightly, then, the Scripture said that Job received everything double after the affliction. And Amram, as has been said, begets Moses, and they immediately throw him into the river, having first placed him in a crate, because of the fear of Pharaoh; for he ordered the male children of the Hebrews to be killed in order that they might not subjugate anyone through their number. But the daughter of Pharaoh, walking along the shore, and seeing the crate, commands it to be taken out.
A Then, having learned where the child came from and how he had been thrown into the river, she takes him from that same person and gives him to be nursed. Thus, he comes to manhood. He sees a Hebrew being oppressed by an Egyptian; he does not endure it, kills the Egyptian, and hides him in the sand. After this, he sees two Hebrews arguing with one another and attempted to reconcile them. But they said to him, “Who set you up as a ruler over us? Do you wish to kill us, as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?” Hearing these things, therefore, and being fearful lest he be found out, Moses departs from the borders of Egypt and flees to the desert. Then he sees God, and from there he is sent to Pharaoh to lead out the people. These things the Mosaic history relates.
Josephus, however, adds these details about this matter: One of the B sacred scribes (for they were clever in the truth regarding future events) announces to the king that one would be born to the Israelites at that time, who would humble the sovereignty of the Egyptians, and, having been raised, would increase the Israelites, would surpass everyone in virtue, and would acquire an undying glory. The king, fearing according to that person’s counsel, orders every male born to the Hebrews to be thrown into the river and destroyed, and orders the Egyptian midwives to watch the birth-pains of the Hebrew women; for he commanded that they alone should act as midwives for them. This plan was intended for the infants born to be destroyed by them. The child, therefore, is born according to the prediction, eluding the guards because of the gentleness of the pains and because the mother did not suffer violent pangs in birth. And for three months they feed him secretly in their own home; then Amram, fearing lest it become known, C makes a papyrus basket of some kind, and having coated it with pitch, he places the child in it and throws him into the river. Then Thermuthis, the king’s daughter, playing by the river and seeing the basket, sends swimmers, and they bring it to her. And seeing him, she loved the child exceedingly for his size and beauty, and she worries about how he might be nursed. But he would not accept an Egyptian woman. From which point Miriam, who was present, saying that the child seeks his own kindred, encourages her to bring a Hebrew woman. Hence, his own mother is cleverly called. She gave him his name according to the occurrence; for the Egyptians call water *mo*, and *yses* are those who have been saved from the water. He was the seventh from Abraham. And when he was three years old, God raised the height of his stature in a wonderful D way. And no one was so unrefined that, having seen Moses, they were not struck by his beauty. From which point Thermuthis, being barren, makes him her own. Whereupon she also brings him to the king and tells him everything, and that "He will be your successor," and since he was not a child of your own
there was no one who, upon seeing Moses, did not stand amazed at the remarkable elegance of his form. Hence it happened that Thermutis, herself being barren, adopted him, brought him to the king, and explained to him the whole sentiment of her mind, namely, that this man would be the king's successor, seeing as he had no son born of his own. And having said these things, she placed the infant into the hands of her father, who presently adorned him with the royal diadem. A Then Moses, with a certain childish simplicity, pulled it from his head and trampled it with his feet. Having seen this, that man, most learned in the Sacred Letters, rushed to kill the infant, and exhorted Pharaoh that this should be done entirely. But Thermutis anticipated him and spirited Moses away. From that time he was being educated most excellently, and his virtue became known even to the Egyptians themselves, who, when they saw that the Ethiopians were at some time undertaking an expedition against them, they also opposed their camps to the hostile camps. Since not a few were falling on both sides, it was suggested to the king by a certain divine instinct that he should grant Moses to his own people as a leader and commander. Moses allowed this duty to be imposed upon himself, and led his forces against the Ethiopian enemy; and because he was about to traverse a certain desert ground, in which there was a great abundance of harmful reptiles, he devised a certain remarkable thing. He saw to it that some round baskets were made, and having thrown ibises into them, he carried them with him; for ibises are most hostile to serpents, which indeed flee when they approach, and if they resist, they are swallowed up just as if [they were] by stags. And the ibises are entirely tame and gentle, and rave savagely only against the genus of serpents. With their help, therefore, Moses traversed the otherwise inaccessible land; he joined battle with the Ethiopians, who were living on a certain island [that was] difficult of access because it was closed off by rivers flowing around it on all sides. Then Tharbis, the daughter of the king of the Ethiopians, who saw Moses fighting most valiantly, was captured by a vehement love for him, and sent her most faithful servants to him for the sake of indicating the affection of her mind; at the same time, mention having been made of marriage, she promised the betrayal of the city. B Moses assented to these demands of hers; the nuptials were celebrated, the Ethiopians were killed, and the Egyptians were led back to their ancestral soil. From that time Moses was exposed to envy, the Egyptians fearing lest he should at some time stir up new things against them as well. These things having been observed, Moses withdrew himself, and having learned that the ways and journeys were being obstructed everywhere by guards, he consulted for his own safety by instituting a flight through the wilderness. Thence he arrived at the well where the daughters of Raguel were watering their father's flock. Presently, the things which Moses had done were reported to Raguel—who he was, and in what manner he had not hesitated to succor the daughters of the man himself. Moved by these things, he took Moses as his son-in-law. Moses, affected by such benefits from Jothor (for that was the cognomen of Raguel), lived with him and grazed the father-in-law's flock. And when he was leading it around near Mount Sinai, God [was seen] by him [as he was] C
"κτῆνος, καὶ τελευτῶν αὐτίκα οἱ βάτραχοι, κἂν ὁ Φαραὼ θεασάμενος ὅτι γέγονεν ἄνεσις, ἐπαίρεται καὶ πάλιν εἶναι σκληρός. B Τρίτη δὲ πληγὴ ἡ τῶν σκινιφῶν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν Αἰγύπτου γένεσις. Ὁ γὰρ Κύριος εἶπε πρὸς Μωσέα · « Εἰπὸν Ἀαρὼν, ἔκτεινον τὴν χεῖρα, καὶ πάταξον τῇ βακτηρίᾳ τὸν χοῦν τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἔσται σκινίφες ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις καὶ ἐν τοῖς τετράποσιν. » Ἐποίησε δὲ ταὐτὰ Ἀαρών, καὶ οἱ ἐπαοιδοὶ οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν, καὶ εἶπον · « Δάκτυλος Θεοῦ ἐστι τοῦτο. » Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἀσθενῆ τὰ τῶν μάγων, καὶ ἀδυνατοῦντα πρὸς τὰ θεῖα καὶ ἄκτιστα; Τετάρτη δὲ πληγὴ ἡ τῶν κυνυμιῶν. « Κἀγὼ , φησὶν ὁ Κύριος, παταξω ἐν σοὶ καὶ ἐν τοῖς θεράπουσί σου καὶ ἐν τῷ λαῷ σου κυνυμιὰν. » Ἐπισημήνασθαι δὲ δεῖ, ὅτι ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ πληγῇ διεχώρισε ὁ Θεὸς τὴν γῆν Γεσὲμ, ἐν ᾗ ἦσαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραήλ, ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς Αἰγύπτου, ἵνα μὴ ἐκείνοις συμπαθῶσι τῆς πληγῆς οἱ Ἰσραηλῖται. Πέμπτη δὲ πληγὴ ὁ θάνατος τῶν κτηνῶν Αἰγυπτίων. « Ἰδοὺ , φησὶν, ἡ χεὶρ Κυρίου ἐπὶ τὰ κτήνη τὰ ἐν τοῖς πεδίοις, καὶ ἔσται θάνατος μέγας σφόδρα. » Ἕκτη δὲ πληγὴ τὰ ἐλκή. « Λάβετε, φησὶν, ὑμῖν πλήρη τὰς χεῖρας αἰθάλης καμιναίας, καὶ πασπάσει αὐτὴν Μωσῆς εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐναντίον Φαραὼ, καὶ ἔσται κονιορτὸς ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ἔσται ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ κτήνη ἕλκη φλυκτίδες ἀναζέουσαι. » Ἑβδόμη δὲ πληγὴ ἡ τῆς χαλάζης καὶ τοῦ πυρὸς ἐπιφορὰ, καὶ ὅτι τῇ χαλάζῃ πῦρ ἐμίγνυτο. Ὀγδόη δὲ πληγὴ ἡ τῶν ἀκρίδων ἐπίθεσις. Ἔνατη δὲ πληγὴ τὸ σκότος τὸ ψηλαφητόν. Δεκάτη δὲ πληγὴ ὁ θάνατος τῶν πρωτοτόκων Αἰγυπτίων.
ΤΜΗΜΑ ΔΕΥΤΕΡΟΝ
PARS II.
AB ADAMO USQUE AD CÆSARIS IMPERIUM.
D Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν εἰ καὶ παρεκβατικώτερον εἴρηται, ἀλλὰ φιλομαθείας ἕνεκα πάντως τῆς σῆς. Ἐφέσει γὰρ, ὡς ὁρᾷς, τῇ σῇ χαριζόμενος, καὶ φιλοπόνως ταῦτα συνέλεξα καὶ φιλοτίμως, τῇδε διείληφα τῷ συντάγματι. cattle; and then the frogs immediately died, and even if Pharaoh, seeing that there was a respite, became arrogant and stubborn again. B The third plague was the origin of the gnats throughout the land of Egypt. For the Lord said to Moses: "Say to Aaron, stretch out your hand, and strike the dust of the earth with your staff, and there shall be gnats on the men and on the four-footed beasts." Aaron did these things, and the enchanters could not, and they said: "It is the finger of God." Do you see that the works of the magicians are weak and powerless before divine and uncreated things? The fourth plague was that of the dog-flies. "And I," says the Lord, "will send on you and on your servants and on your people a dog-fly." And it is necessary to point out that in this plague God separated the land of Goshen, in which the sons of Israel were, from the land of Egypt, so that the Israelites might not suffer because of the plague along with them. The fifth plague was the death of the Egyptian livestock. "Behold," he says, "the hand of the Lord is upon the livestock that are in the fields, and there shall be a very great death." The sixth plague was the boils. "Take for yourselves," he says, "full handfuls of furnace soot, and Moses shall sprinkle it toward heaven before Pharaoh, and it shall be dust upon all the land of Egypt, and there shall be boils breaking out into blisters upon the men and upon the livestock." The seventh plague was the sending of hail and fire, and that fire was mingled with the hail. The eighth plague was the attack of the locusts. The ninth plague was the darkness that could be felt. The tenth plague was the death of the firstborn of the Egyptians.PART II
FROM ADAM UNTO THE EMPIRE OF CÆSAR
D These things, therefore, even if they have been said somewhat digressively, have been said certainly for the sake of your love of learning. For, as you see, yielding to your desire, I have laboriously and ambitiously collected these things, and have thus divided them in this treatise.A God’s Moses, and the frogs die immediately, even though Pharaoh, seeing that there was a respite, remained in his former disobedience. The third plague is the producing of lice from the dust. For it says: "Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, exactly as the Lord spoke, and he struck the dust of the earth, and the lice came to be upon both men and upon four-footed animals." Know therefore that the creature of the lice, even if it is very small, is nevertheless most troublesome; for it not only ruins the surface of the skin, causing unpleasant itching with its unseen bites, but it also forces its way into the interior through the nostrils and ears. In addition to these things, it also harms the pupils of the eyes by flying into them. Likewise, the enchanters of the Egyptians also tried to bring forth the louse, and they could not. Therefore they said to Pharaoh that this is the finger of God. The fourth plague is through the dog-fly. For as it says, "The Lord acted, and the dog-fly came in a multitude into the houses of Pharaoh and into all the land of Egypt. And the land was grievously destroyed by the dog-fly." For this creature indeed grows into bodies through its bite. When you hear "dog-fly," understand the audacity of the animal; for flying in like an arrow, it was stinging only the Egyptians. And the Scripture, indicating this, says literally: "And I will distinguish the land of Gesem, upon which my people are, upon which the dog-fly is not there, so that you may see that I am the Lord thy God of all the earth. And I will make a distinction between my people and between your people." Moses therefore prays to God concerning these things, and he took away the dog-fly from Pharaoh, but he did not wish to send them away. The fifth plague is the destruction of four-footed animals. "For behold," says Moses to Pharaoh, "the hand of the Lord is upon all your cattle, and there is a very great death. And the Lord did this word, and all the cattle of the Egyptians died, but of the cattle of the children of Israel not even one died." The heart of Pharaoh was therefore hardened, and he did not send away the people. The sixth plague is the infliction of blisters, as it says: "The Lord spoke and Moses took the soot of the furnace before Pharaoh, and he cast it up to heaven. And there became ulcers, blisters boiling up on both men and four-footed animals, and the sorcerers could not stand before Moses because of the ulcers. And the Lord said to Moses: Rise up early, and say to Pharaoh: Unless..."
thou let my people go, I will put forth my hand and smite thee, and I will slay thy people. And for this cause thou hast been kept, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared in all the earth. B The seventh plague was that of hail and fire. For the Lord rained hail upon all the land of Egypt, and the fire ran along upon the ground. And the hail smote all that was in the field, from man even to beasts. But in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail. C And so Moses prays again to God according to the word of Pharaoh, and the noises and the hail ceased. Know, however, that the Egyptians were struck with terror not only by the extraordinary descent of hail along with fire, but also by the strangeness of the phenomenon itself; for Egypt does not experience winter, because it is not far from the torrid zone; for the fiery heat flowing secretly from thence is wont to make everything in the surrounding region mild. The eighth plague was that of the locusts. For Moses lifted up his rod toward heaven; and the Lord brought in a south wind all that day and all that night, and it took up the locusts, and brought them upon all the land of Egypt. Whereupon Pharaoh said to God: I have sinned. Then Moses prays again to God, and he brings out a wind from the sea, and cast all the locusts into the Red Sea. Concerning these, David also says thus: He spake, and the locust came, and the bruchus, of which there was no number. D Now the bruchus is the newly-born and wingless locust. The ninth plague was that of the palpable darkness. For Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven, and there was darkness and gloom and a tempest upon all the land of Egypt for three days. No one saw his brother, and no one rose from his bed for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in all their dwellings. For because they had left the Creator and were worshipping the creatures, through the creatures He most justly chastised them. For because of this, while other regions were shining with light, Egypt alone was surrounded by the palpable darkness. For indeed, when an Egyptian was constrained to go out for some necessary reason, he could not find the door, even though he felt about much. The tenth plague was the death of the firstborn. This plague was the last in order of time, but in power and in the pain it caused, as David also says, it was the beginning and the first of all. For about the middle of the night, and without sickness, their children were being slain. And rising in the morning, and seeing their most beloved dead, and being no longer able to hold
themselves back, they cried out to Pharaoh, at which point he also released the people, albeit against his will.
But regarding these things, beloved, do not resist, nor say, "If God hardens the heart of Pharaoh, why does He blame him for being hardened?" Know that the delay of the scourges was the cause of the hardening for him, as the great Basil says. For He did not take his heart when it was yielding and obedient to His commands and turn it toward being hard and disobedient. By His longsuffering, therefore, He caused it to become hardened all the more. For observe how, whenever He brought the plagues upon him, he promised to release the people, but when He released him from the torments, he was hardened. The Scripture also indicating this said: "But Pharaoh seeing that there was a respite, he hardened his heart, and did not hear them." But also when God Himself says: "For this very reason I raised you up, so that I might show my power in you, and so that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Do not say, with irritation, "For the sake of your own reputation, do you punish a man?" Dismiss these thoughts, and attend to this example. The art of medicine, striving to do something beneficial for human nature, used to dissect living men. But this was itself unjust, that for the salvation of others, living men were sacrificed. What, then, did the ancients do? Taking the one condemned to suffer death because of robbery or sorcery, they would cut him open while alive, neither wronging the one being punished nor failing to discover an aid to human nature. They cut into him while alive, then, so that while the innards were still quivering, they might ascertain their activity. Thus, then, even the master-craftsman God shows great signs through the incurably sinful Pharaoh, both punishing the one worthy of punishment and bestowing the most excellent healing upon those who came after, providing that one's punishment as a cause of salvation for them. And concerning these matters, so be it.
C After the tenth plague, the Hebrews sacrifice the lamb and thus depart from Egypt on the fourteenth day of the moon. Wherefore even now, according to custom, they still sacrifice in this way, calling the feast "Pascha," which signifies "passing over." But as Josephus says, it is because on that evening God, passing over them, cast the plague upon the Egyptians. The Hebrews then, fleeing and having no abundance of supplies from the land because of the wilderness, were nourished by bread made of flour mixed and set only by a slight heat from them. And they used these for thirty days; for they did not suffice for a longer time.
barley. Then, the earth in Mesopotamia having split open, a mule came forth, signaling an incursion of enemies with a human voice. At that time, a certain eunuch named Nicetas, who held the highest position under Copronymus and knew nothing other than eating and drinking, was ordained patriarch. Once, while reading the Gospel in his cell, instead of saying “according to Matthew,” he uttered “according to Matthaion.” Whereupon one of those standing by said, “Do not divide the diphthong ‘ai.’” To him he replied with anger, “You are talking nonsense; my soul hates many diphthongs and triphthongs!” B The tyrant, returning from an expedition, developed gangrene in his legs, and died near the Strougylon, seized by a violent fever, saying only this at the end: “Living, I am delivered to unquenchable fire because of Mary; but from now on, let her be honored.” Know, beloved, that having searched many times for why he was called Copronymus, we found nothing other than this: there is a region called Kabala. Those who originated from there were naturally called Kabalinoi. He himself had his birth from there, and since by a certain custom dung is called kabalina, that basest of men was justly nicknamed Copronymus, as though he were carrying the name of dung within himself.
After him, his son Leo, from the Chazar, ruled for 5 years, being pious at the beginning. Afterward, he wore the ecclesiastical crown, from which he died, having been incinerated as if by a violent fever. At that time, that dog also existed which recognized the murderer of its master as he entered a tavern to drink wine. For after the murder of its master, the dog became a wayfarer accompanying a certain evildoer. The murderer, having chanced to enter there, was recognized C by the dog, and the dog barked at him so much that it caused suspicion about him. The murderer was subsequently held, brought before the magistrate, examined strictly, confessed against his will, and was finally executed as an evildoer.
After him, his son Constantine, with his mother Irene, ruled for 17 years, by whom piety was strengthened and monasteries were expanded. At that time also, someone excavating in Thrace found a sarcophagus on which was written: “Christ is about to be born of Mary the Virgin, and I believe in Him. In the time of Constantine and Irene, the pious emperors, you shall see me again, O sun.” This Irene, co-reigning with her son Constantine, and not bearing what was being done by him (for he had caused her to fall from power, although he repented and brought her back to the palace, and he cast out his own wife, who was chaste and very good, and introduced the union of another woman), for this reason blinded him while he was sleeping, so that from that time the sun did not give forth its pure rays for many days. But Empress Irene, having felt remorse for what she had done, D and wishing to wash herself clean of the hatred, emptied the treasures of wealth into the city and resolved its debts. Nevertheless, the all-seeing eye did not slumber; for, having tasted the pleasure of power for a brief time, she drank a cup that tasted of wormwood. For one of the senators, by the name of Nicephorus, a patrician by title from the generals, rose up and dishonorably displaced her from the kingdom.
This Nicephorus, therefore, ruled for 9 years, a man most murderous, a slave to gold, another Midas in every sense, making the offices available to those who would buy them. He seemed gloomy to everyone, but when they brought him gold, he appeared very charming. But he also imposed a heavy burden on the Byzantines, and because of the aging walls, he ordered the collection of the so-called “dikeron.” In addition to these things, the arrears owed to the army also prevailed. At that time, the relic of Saint Euphemia, which had been cast into the sea by Copronymus, was recovered on the island of Lesbos. And concerning these matters, thus it is. But Zonaras...
A And the great Basil says these things concerning Moses: that he is the one testified to be handsome before God, even when he was an infant at the breast; whom the daughter of Pharaoh adopted and reared in the royal manner, having set over him the wise teachers of the Egyptians for his instruction; who, having despised the burden of tyranny and having returned to the lowliness of his own kindred, chose to suffer affliction with the people of God; he who was driven into exile by those toward whom he had acted well, and from there arrived in Ethiopia, and there spent his entire leisure from other things, and for forty whole years busied himself in the contemplation of beings; he who, having already reached his eightieth year, saw God as it is possible for a human to see, or rather as no other was privileged to, according to the testimony of God Himself: «If there shall be a prophet of yours to the Lord, I will be known to him in a vision and I will speak to him in a dream; not so as my servant Moses, who is faithful in all my house; mouth to mouth I will speak to him, in appearance and not in riddles.» B And after these things he is sent to Pharaoh for the sake of leading the people out from there. Having arrived, therefore, in Egypt, he took his wife and his children, and he entered. For this reason an angel also appears, frightening him; for he was not being sent there to live, but to lead out Israel. Which he himself, perceiving, sends away his wife. And it is clear from Jethro meeting him as he was coming out with his wife. However, he subjects Pharaoh, who was not persuaded to return the people, to unbearable scourges.
And why on earth did God permit the sorcerers to do the same things as Moses? So that the difference between falsehood and truth might be shown. For they, too, were changing their rods into serpents, but the rod of Moses swallowed the rods of those men. They also changed the water into blood, but they did not have the power to recall the water to its former nature. And they brought forth frogs, but they could not rid the houses of the Egyptians of them. D And while they were permitted to afflict the Egyptians, they were no longer permitted to stop the punishment. Rather, [God] brought the boils upon their own bodies as well, so that it might be manifest from this that not only are they unable to restrain the divinely-sent wraths, but they are also punished together with the others. Whence the magicians even said that the signs were happening by the finger of God. Let no one, therefore, marvel if the Antichrist, when he comes, performs signs and wonders; for even those magicians, both Zambres and Jannes, were changing rods into serpents. But Simon the magician also used to make statues walk, and by rolling into fire he was not burned, and he flew into the air, and he made bread out of stones; he changed form, he became double-faced, he was turned into gold, doors
A in his chronological work says these things concerning this matter. Two accounts are circulated: for the one says that Saint Euphemia was delivered to the fire by Copronymus, even if he failed in his hope (for another body was burned in her stead), while the other says that she was cast into the depths and, by divine grace, was recovered near the island of Lesbos. At that time, while Nicephorus was thus managing the affairs of the empire badly, there was a tumultuous uproar among the people and much sedition. At that time, too, they compelled Bardanes the commander to don the imperial power. Whereupon, fearing the uncertainty of fortune, he approached a certain seer to learn his future, and indeed he learned unerringly everything that would come to pass. However, divine justice pursued Nicephorus because he had sent the great Theodore the Studite into exile, despite the latter speaking on behalf of justice and the canons; for having campaigned against the Bulgarians, he fell in the war and was beheaded. He left the scepter to his son Stauracius. But Stauracius also was quickly removed from the midst, having been wounded by a spear in this same battle, having reigned for two months. After him, Michael Rangabe reigned, B the son-in-law of Nicephorus through his daughter Procopia, for four years and nine months, a man worthy of the empire; for besides other things, he also restored those saints who were in exile. Scylitzes, however, makes this Michael the beginning of his own chronological work. The aforementioned Bardanes, C when he approached the seer monk at Philomelium, had as his companions Leo the Armenian, Michael the Stammerer, and a certain Thomas. And Bardanes, according to the monk's prediction, was blinded because he aspired to tyranny, while Leo later and Michael became masters of the empire. However, the loss of the empire by Michael Rangabe happened in this way. There was a certain household slave girl belonging to Michael; she would be seized by fits of madness at the time of the lunar conjunctions. Whenever she was held by the spell, she would go to the Boukoleon and cry out loudly to the emperor, "Come down, come down; depart from what is alien!" This happened many times. The emperor was astounded. He consulted about this with a certain kinsman of his named Theodotus. And he, as soon as the girl became possessed by the demon, questioned it and learned to whom the palace belonged and what its signs were. And it was Leo the Armenian. Much time in the middle passed, and the Armenian, being a general, was sent by Michael to the East. Then the military revolted and rose up against Michael. Finally, he donned the hairshirt and willingly stepped aside from the empire.
that were closed, he caused to open of themselves; he caused domestic vessels to appear as if carried of themselves for service; he caused many shadows to go before him, which he claimed were the souls of the dead. Being sought once by the Caesar and becoming afraid, he fled, having cast his own form onto another. But if this man accomplishes such and so many things by the cooperation of Satan, he will have nothing new at all for the time of the consummation, having found an instrument even more suitable than Simon himself—namely, the Antichrist—and through him he will perform greater signs and wonders. For the Apostle himself discusses this very thing regarding the Antichrist, saying, "whose coming will be according to the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders." B
Pharaoh, then, is subjected to ten plagues. For what reason, then? Because the number ten is perfect. Therefore, he who has sinned perfectly is also punished perfectly. For after the death of Joseph and of the Pharaoh who ruled over the Egyptians, another ruler arose for the Egyptians, and one who was very bitter, and he too was called Pharaoh. For just as the kings of the Romans wished to call themselves Caesars, as if acquiring for themselves the glory of the one who had been sole ruler, Julius Caesar, so too the rulers of the Egyptians wished to be called Pharaohs from that first Pharaoh.
Concerning the Decalogue to Moses
1. "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. There shall be no other gods for you besides me. You shall not make for yourself an idol nor any likeness of all that is in the heaven above, and all that is on the earth below. You shall not worship them, nor shall you serve them. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain."
2. "Honor your father and your mother, that it may be well with you because of them. And pray to inherit the prayer of your father and your mother, and you shall be long-lived in your old age."
3. "You shall not commit adultery, you shall not act lewdly, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not make a slander against your neighbor." C
4. "You shall not desire your neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his field, nor his oxen, nor his beast of burden, nor any of his creation, nor all things that are your neighbor's."
5. "Remember the seventh day of the Sabbath to keep it holy. Six days you shall do all your work. But on the day of the Sabbath you shall do nothing, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your maidservant, nor your beast of burden, nor your ox, nor the stranger who dwells in your house, nor your bondman; but all shall rest in your house; and you shall go to the holy place, and learn the law and the commandments, and you shall be blessed by the priest, and [receive] ransom."
6. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: "Speak to the children of Israel, and you shall say to them: A man who curses his God shall receive a great sin. Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death; all the congregation of the children of Israel shall stone him with a stone, whether he be a stranger or a native."
7. "From the presence of a gray head you shall rise, and you shall honor the person of an elder, and you shall fear the Lord your God." D
8. "If a man strikes his father or his mother, let him be put to death. For fathers shall not be put to death for [the sins of] their children, and children [shall not be put to death] for their fathers. Each shall die for his own sin. And whoever insults his father or his mother, let him be put to death; for he is a murderer."
9. "You shall not receive a vain report. You shall not join with a lawless man to be an unjust witness. You shall not be with the many in wickedness."
10. "You shall not have pity on a poor man in judgment. You shall not pervert the judgment of a poor man in his cause. From every unjust word you shall withdraw. You shall not kill the innocent and the righteous, and you shall not justify the wicked for the sake of bribes. For bribes blind the eyes of those who see, and pervert just causes. You shall not do injustice in judgment; you shall not show partiality to a poor man, nor shall you respect the person of a powerful man. In justice you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not walk with guile among your people, and the earth shall be shaken by the blood of your neighbor."
534 Being sent into exile, he stood upright and would offer a greeting to someone. Having been asked what this meant, and to whom he was offering the greeting, he would say it was to Theophanes the Confessor, the abbot of the Field, because he welcomed us with candles and incense. Upon these things, Leo, reflecting on the monk’s prediction regarding himself, kept Michael in bonds, since such a man was even more bold and shameless. Wherefore, a vote was taken by the senate for Michael to become fodder for the fire. This would have indeed come to pass, had the Augusta not prevented such a thing, perhaps putting forward as intercession the holy birth of Christ which was present at that time. Leo, however, being terrified by dreams and oracles and other such things, hastened his execution; but he also said to his spouse, “Michael is already being finished off because of you, and you and those from you will soon know why.” Not long after, Michael, emboldened by the prediction of the aforementioned monk, plotted an ambush against Leo, having revealed this even to Pappias, who was guarding him. Thus it was that by night he brought in armed soldiers together with the chanters. And Michael was raised to the imperial throne, though his feet were held by an iron shackle; but Leo, who had fled to the holy church, he cut down mercilessly with swords. Therefore, after Leo, the stammering Michael reigned for 8 years, he who originated from Amorium and was impious, yet he did not force the pious to be impious. Upon this, the saints were released at that time, and the great Theodore was brought back from his exile; for the Armenian had forestalled him by exiling him and doing many evils, inasmuch as he defended the holy icons. During the reign of this Michael, a certain Thomas, having gathered a heavy force from the East and the West, and having made not a few triremes, campaigned against the Queen of Cities. So great was his power that he reached the extent of breaking the chain that was suspended on the acropolis and went towards Blachernae. For three whole years, then, the matters of the war were beaten out. Then Thomas was defeated, fled, and came to Adrianople. He was kept under watch there in a circle by Michael for a sufficient time. He gave up, even though unwilling; he was seized, his hands and feet were cut off, he was set upon a donkey, saying only this: “Have mercy on me, O true emperor.” After Michael, his son Theophilus reigned for 12 years and 3 months. At that time, he made a selection of maidens, one of whom was Kasia, whom he sent away because of her answer full of wisdom; for having offered her an apple, as if he had fallen in love on account of her beauty, and saying, “From a woman flowed the base things,” he heard from her that from a woman also flowed the better things. Wherefore he took the Paphlagonian Theodora as his wife. Every week he would ride on horseback through the market to the church in Blachernae; for even if he did not pay honor to the holy icons, he kept his faith to the Savior and the Theotokos herself, as he used to say. He would also inquire about the goods for sale in the market, and if they were being sold for a high price, he would become angry at the Eparch. To him came a woman wronged by Petronas, the kinsman of the Augusta; for by raising a certain dwelling, he was harming her who was his neighbor. Petronas had indeed been spoken to, but he did not rectify it. Wherefore he was punished severely, and the dwelling having been torn down, all the material was given to the woman. When, having looked out, he saw the Empress’s cargo ship, he ordered it to be committed to the flames, saying, “The Lord having shown me to be emperor, you are forcing me to be a shipmaster? Besides, if we are hastening to acquire for ourselves things from commerce along with the royal prosperity, from where would private citizens procure the things for life?” So magnificent an emperor was Theophilus that he even fashioned some marvelous devices. For spirit, sent up from there in a certain mechanism, would echo music
A
Regarding the Law and the Desert Journey of the Israelites
He was occupied with the promulgation of the law to the people. Therefore he ascends the mount of Sinai. There he passes eighty days, as Georgius has recorded, abstaining from food. For he ascended the mountain twice—the second time when he had broken the tablets he had previously received from God, having been angered justifiably against those who had made the calf. Having descended from the mount to see the people acting lawlessly, how could he have partaken of food, unless he had immediately ascended again and propitiated God? On account of which it became necessary for him to fast for eighty days—for he ascended the mountain twice, since he had smashed the first tablets, judging that impious and lawless people unworthy of them.
Such are the views of Georgius, and this is his mode of reasoning. But I do not know if the actual events transpired just as he has supposed. For if this were the case, Moses would not have said in Deuteronomy, "Forty days I did not eat bread and did not drink water." He ascended the mountain twice, indeed, and he fasted twice; but in the days between these, he appears to have eaten bread and drunk water. For if this were not so, he would have said in Deuteronomy that he fasted eighty days, not forty, which is the number expressed there.
And this opinion of ours is supported by the golden orator. For B in his discourse on the beginning and entrance of the holy Quadragesima, he says the following: "For lest it be thought that the Lord assumed flesh by mere appearance, He fasted for forty days, equal to Moses and Elijah, and no more." For if Moses had managed to fast for eighty days, as Georgius says, without touching food in any way during those days, golden-mouthed John would by no means have said that the Lord fasted an equal number of days to Moses.
Besides these things, you ought to know that even if someone commits a sin for the sake of some perceived benefit, he is not therefore guiltless. For Aaron, who carved the calf for the people in order to keep them in check, was not entirely worthy of pardon; on account of which he needed divine philanthropy to escape punishment. And Moses, manifesting this, said: "I prayed to the Lord for Aaron my brother, and he did not die." This man, who was granted the vision of God face to face, equally as the angels, as the great [Basil] says. C
These things and many others God ordained for Moses. And Moses was on Mount Sinai for forty days and nights. But the people gathered and sacrificed to the calf, which Aaron had made by smelting.
Amalek. And after these things, Amalek came with thousands and myriads to join battle with the Hebrews, who were under arms. Moses went up the mountain and stretched forth his hands in prayer. And when Moses lifted his hands on the mount, he would rout Amalek. But when he grew weary and lowered them, Amalek would rout the Jews. D Upon these things, notice that Aaron and Hur, having paid attention to this, entered, one on the right and the other on the left; and they supported the hands of Moses aloft, and thus, in the end, Amalek perished. And the saying of David was fulfilled: "The sinner is caught in the works of his own hands." And when the Jews had reached the desert of Kadesh, the serpents were devouring them, and they were dying. Then Moses, having fixed the bronze serpent crosswise on high, the serpents that were biting ceased; but also, as many as were bitten by the serpents, by looking intently upon the bronze serpent, were delivered from death.
A Basil, by reason of the contradiction at the water, is commanded to go up into the mountain of Abarim, which was also called Nabo, and to see the land of promise, and thus to end his life there. For God does not allow his death to be made known, that those who had worshipped the calf might not take his bones and declare them to be divine. Yet, that this most divine man Moses was buried by holy angels, the great Epiphanius says. For even if the devil stood by at that time—as B Judas says in his catholic epistle—seeking after him as a murderer and as one who died in contradiction, yet the archangel Michael withstands him and says to him, "The Lord rebuke thee." If these things are so, where shall we place the things of Josephus, or how shall we accept them? Nevertheless, these things must be added to what has been said above for the sake of elucidation. For he brings forward Moses, at the time of his death, speaking these very words to the people: "Fellow soldiers, since it has already seemed good to God, and by reason of old age, one hundred and twenty-five C years having been completed, I must depart from life, I suggest to you even now the things that are necessary; I myself depart rejoicing in your good things." And as he went to where he was about to disappear, all went weeping. As he was embracing both Eleazar and Joshua and speaking with them, still on the mountain of Abarim, a cloud suddenly stood over him, and he vanishes down into some ravine. And Josephus, at times, thus appears to be mythologizing. But Moses, at his end, lays his hands upon Joshua the son of Nun, even though it had been testified beforehand that he had the Holy Spirit. From D which, indeed, custom has prevailed that the high priests lay hands upon those being ordained, and so they partake of divine grace; for He says, "And thou shalt lay thy hands upon him." When this Joshua was fighting for the Gibeonites (for some made war against them as if they had defected to Joshua), a miracle occurred regarding the sun in the midst of the heavens; for it stood still from its forward motion for the space of an entire day. But if you, like others, are gripped by the dilemma of why the generation of the Hebrews, exiting from Egypt, wandered forty years in the wilderness, hear: for in the book of Numbers the cause is clearly set before you. When those sent by Moses for the reconnaissance of the land of the Canaanites returned and intimidated the people to such an extent that they even murmured much against God, apart from Caleb and Joshua, God said: "Ye shall not enter into the land for which I stretched out my hand, but Caleb and Joshua the son of Nun, and the children whom ye said would be for plunder. But your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. And your sons shall be grazing...
A in the wilderness for forty years, and they shall finish your journey until your bones be consumed in the wilderness, according to the number of the days in which ye searched the land, forty days; and ye shall know my wrath." For together with other things, the scouts brought forth this also for the corruption of the people: "There we saw the generation of Enaq, men of surpassing height, giants, in whose presence we were as locusts." They even brought back from there a cluster of grapes of such size that it had to be carried on poles. That the Israelites, being chastised according to divine wrath, spent such a long time in the wilderness, the great Cyril also testifies in his words, in that book which he inscribed *On Worship in Spirit*, stating: Because the Israelites offended God with their roaring, they wandered through the wilderness for forty years. For God confirmed with an oath that He would not bring them into the Land of Promise. And David set forth this oath of God, saying: "I swore in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest." The limit of this wrath was defined by as many years as were explained above; and when those had elapsed, it was entirely extinguished. Then their children crossed the Jordan and entered the promised land, that divine indignation not exceeding the fortieth year. There was also a figure of this in that those who had sinned received a number of stripes. For after that number, the time of liberation succeeds, which carries with it the mystical crossing of the Jordan; for they also crossed the Jordan after forty years. Now this Joshua the son of Nun was previously called Auses, but after he had returned from the spying he was renamed by Moses. To this Joshua, indeed, after the forty years B which the people spent in the wilderness, God said: "Circumcise the people with stone knives, and thus cross the Jordan." For Moses was not permitted to cross, although he asked God many things about this. For after he had spoken the words of the poem to the people, God said to him: "Go up into Mount Abarim. This is Mount Nabo, over against Jericho. And behold the land of Canaan, and die, in the same manner as Aaron thy brother died in Mount Hor, because ye were disobedient to my word at the waters of contradiction." That he begged God to cross the Jordan, he himself indicated when he said: "And the Lord looked down upon me for your sakes, and did not hear me; and the Lord said to me: Let it suffice thee, speak no more to me of this matter. Go up into the mount, and see with thine eyes, for thou shalt not cross this Jordan." And why was it that, because of a small transgression, Moses was ordered to see the land from afar, but was forbidden to lead the people in? The Master teaches us through these things that He requires extreme precision from those who are perfect in virtue—for as the Wisdom of Solomon says C, "The least one is deemed worthy of mercy, but the mighty shall be mightily tested."
D That the transgression of Moses was deemed great, God himself revealed by saying: "Go up and die, because you disobeyed my word at the waters of contention." All these things were caused by distress. For the Jews, rising up against the divine Moses when he was despondent over the death of Miriam, and pressing him on account of the water, as is written in the Book of Numbers, forced him to utter that dubious voice. Therefore, set aside the accounts of Josephus, for they appear to contradict the Holy Scriptures in everything; for he died because of divine wrath, not because of old age, as that man claims. That it was because God was angry at the spies that the people spent forty years in the desert is also clearly shown in Deuteronomy. For when Moses spoke his final words to the people, he said, among other things: "We came even before to cross over and inherit the land of Canaan; but those perverse spies and the murmuring of the people caused them to wander in the desert." He said these things to them upon his second return, that is, when the forty years were completed. Pay attention, then; for it is evident from this that if it were not for the divine wrath arising from the perversity of the spies, they would have passed through the desert in a short time and crossed the Jordan. Therefore, walking through the desert for forty years, they ate manna, an unsown and unplowed food. For God rained it down every day, with the exception of the Sabbath, teaching them from this as well to do nothing on the Sabbath. For this reason, the manna that came down on Preparation Day was double, so that they might have food even on the Sabbath. If someone on a second or third day took from the manna and kept some for the following day, it was necessarily seen to be corrupted. For what reason? Because it was a transgression of the law. Teaching them to live a life free from anxieties, He promised to provide them with necessary food each day. But they, disbelieving, kept a portion of what was collected for the next day. This is why it stank. For that this condition was not of the nature of the manna is witnessed by the Sabbath, on which that which was collected and kept on account of it on the Preparation Day was preserved uncorrupted. It is also witnessed by that which was preserved for many generations in the ark. This manna was collected only in the morning; for when the sun rose, it would melt. This manna, however—as the most divine Nyssen says, taking his cues from the Wisdom of Solomon—was uniform, but the quality of the desire [was what arose in them...].
rendered it manifold, so that it tasted to each person according to the nature of his longing. Thus, too, the bread that descended from heaven, that is, the intelligible manna, is accustomed to be disposed according to the disposition of each person’s soul. This manna had the appearance of coriander, and they say its entire nature has the quality of a seed, so that even when it is broken down, its power to be sown does not disappear. Thus, too, the divine and spiritual manna, though scattered and distributed everywhere, is found whole and entire in every part. And why need I say much? Just as when that manna came down from above, the race of the Hebrews, being utterly astonished, said, "What is this?" B so too, concerning this intelligible manna, the bread of life—the Only-begotten Son of God himself, who descended from heaven and was seen upon earth—all were struck with amazement and said, "What is this? How did the Son of God descend to the earth? How did he wear flesh? How did he become a man?" And so much for these things.
After the death of Moses, God said to Joshua: "Moses my servant is dead; now, therefore, arise and cross the Jordan, you, and all this people." And when the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan heard that the Lord God had dried up the river Jordan, their minds were melted away, and there was no prudence left in them before the face of the children of Israel. And they suffered something similar to that which Jacob experienced C from joy, when he had gone down into Egypt and beheld Joseph; for from joy there comes a dilation, while from fear there comes a contraction of the power that gives us life, and in one way or another, death sometimes necessarily follows. After crossing over, they took Jericho without weapons, and for this reason they devoted it, that is, they consecrated it to God. But Achar, the son of Charmi, took a garment and a mass of gold from the things devoted to the Lord, and stirred God to anger. Joshua, therefore, having besought God and learned the cause of the wrath, buried him and his entire household with stones. In this war against Jericho, the Sabbath began to be broken; for they circled it for seven days with trumpets, D within which period the Sabbath was necessarily included. And when Joshua was fighting against the five kings, as has been mentioned above, the sun stood still in the middle of the sky and did not proceed towards the west until the end of one day. And Israel took all the possessions of the Canaanites in war, because it was done through the Lord. But also Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, destroyed the three sons of Enak, Sousi, Tholmi, and Schiman. These, too, were giants and very tall; for if this were not so, they would not have named them the sons of Enak.
A You must know that the first law written among the Hebrews in Exodus is this: "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, nor any representation of whatever is in the heaven above or in the earth below." There is no tautology here in "idol" and "representation," for the "representation" is an image of something—whether of a land animal, or a sea creature, or a bird—but the "idol," according to the exegesis of Origen, is a baseless mental construct, such as the cynocephalus worshipped by the Egyptians or the hippocentaur among the Greeks. Thus, you should also know in this place that the first law was written among the Hebrews in that book which is about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt; and these are the first words of the law: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make for thyself an idol, nor an image of anything whatsoever that exists either above in heaven or below on earth." There is no inept repetition of the same thing here; for "idol" and "image" do not mean the same thing, since an image is [the likeness] of either a terrestrial, marine, or flying animal, but an idol, according to Origen's opinion and explanation, is a mental concept that exists, such as that imaginary construct, the cynocephalus, which was worshipped among the Egyptians, or the Hippocentaur of the Greeks.
B After Jesus the son of Nave, the people were governed by judges. The first of them was Judas, who overcame Adonibezec and cut off his hands and feet, he being a king of the Gentiles. For the Canaanites, after the death of Jesus, emboldened to overcome the Jews, entrusted the leadership to Adonibezec and marched against them. But they were disappointed in their purpose; for not a few of them were killed, and Adonibezec himself was captured. Being mutilated in his hands and feet, he said: "Seventy kings with their hands and feet cut off used to gather [scraps] under my table. As I have done, so God has requited me."
C Also, Barach, along with Debbora the prophetess, judged Israel for forty years. Debbora was a prophetess. When she saw the Jews wishing to withdraw because of the multitude of Canaanites marching against them, she checked them and persuaded them to engage the enemy; and from this they killed many of them. For a heavy winter storm occurred which injured the Canaanites in the greatest measure, but did not hurt the Jews at all. Then Sisara, seeing the rout that had occurred, leaped from his chariot and fled to a certain woman named Jahel to be saved by her. Sisara, having asked for a drink, she gave him milk that was already spoiled. And having drunk more than enough, he fell into a deep sleep. Then indeed, Jahel killed him by driving a tent-peg through his temples. D And thus the victory fell to them according to the prophecy of Debbora. Therefore, Scripture rightly called Sousi, Tholmi, and Schiman the sons of Enak, giants. [alt-version omitted]
who, by reason of the size of their bodies and forms in no way resembling other men, were a wonder to behold and a terrible tale to hear. And even now the bones of these men are shown, which pass belief. At their age, namely that of Barach and Debbora, the wisest men among the Greeks, Prometheus and Orpheus of Thracia, were famous, as well as the physician Aesculapius and Lycurgus, the lawgiver of the Lacedaemonians. A They say that Aesculapius had acquired the medical art so accurately that he even restored a certain dead man to life; upon which accomplishment Jupiter, being angry, struck the man with a thunderbolt and removed him from human affairs. Wishing to demonstrate that all things happen by His power and not by the multitude of a people, God advised Gedeon, when he wished to attack the Madianites, to lead his army to the river at midday, when the heat was most intense; and to count those who knelt and drank as brave, but to consider those who drank hurriedly and with noise as doing so out of fear. Gedeon having carried out these instructions of God, three hundred men were found who, with trepidation, brought the water they had scooped with their hands to their mouths, as Josephus has recorded. B Whence God told him to attack the enemy with these same men. Thus, at night, they fall upon them, carrying trumpets in their hands as well as lighted torches inside certain vessels. And Gedeon, old with age, departs this life, leaving seventy sons born of legitimate marriage—because he had taken many wives—and one illegitimate son born of a concubine. From a divine promise, Manoas begets a child, who is called Samson, which, according to the interpretation of Josephus, signifies "strong." At that time, Hercules also flourished. So brave was Samson that when he had entered Gaza and stayed with a certain harlot, and was being watched by all the inhabitants of the town, he tore out the gates with their fastenings by his hands and thus departed the city. But even before this happened, upon undertaking a war against the Palestinians, he did something of this sort: It was summer, and the fruits had already matured so that the harvest was approaching, when Samson, having captured three hundred foxes, bound lighted torches to their tails and thus set them loose into the fields of the Palestinians. In this way their crops were burned. Those foreigners, after their fields were set afire, wage war against the Israelites, demanding the surrender of Samson. What, then, did the Israelites do? Fearing the attack of the enemies, they hand over Samson to them bound. C But Glycas, as I have already warned, does not aim to correct or refute these accounts, nor does he sincerely relate what the sacred pages report regarding the three hundred soldiers prepared for battle by Gedeon.
They surrendered him to those who had come upon him. But he, A seeing them rush against him, broke his bonds, and taking the jawbone of an ass, killed a thousand men of the Philistines. Hence, struggling in such a contest, he was consumed by thirst. He therefore prays to God, and at that moment He comforts him; for the jawbone produced an abundant flow of water when pressed by him. From this, such a spring appears even to this day in the suburbs of Eleutheropolis, called the Spring of the Jawbone. Now Josephus says that because he attributed the victory to his own strength and not to God, he was permitted to suffer such thirst. Yet this man, so mighty in strength, was later made a laughingstock by a woman. For after these things he loved Dalila, who was from the Philistines, who, having been bribed by the foreigners, asked him to tell her in what his strength consisted. And he, at first deceiving her, said: "If they bind me with seven moist sinews, that is, bowstrings, I shall be weakened and be like one of the men." She, taking the sinews, bound him, and then shouted: "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he, rising, broke them. Deceived, she persisted and again asked to learn whence his strength came. And he, misleading her, said: "If they bind me with seven new ropes, my strength shall fail." She having done this as well, and having shouted: "The Philistines are upon you, Samson," he immediately broke them from his arms. Again, therefore, when she asked him, he said: "If you weave the seven locks of my head B and fasten them with pegs and nail them to the wall, I shall be weak and be like the rest of men." Having failed in this as well, she again implored him, so he reveals the secret, and says to her: "A razor has not come upon my head, for I am a Nazarite of God from my mother's womb. And if I am shaven, I shall be weak, and my strength will depart from me, and I shall be like one of the men." Dalila, therefore, having lulled him to sleep, shaved him, and having done this, shouted: "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he, rising, could no longer exert himself as he had before. Accordingly, the foreigners fall upon him, and having seized him, they put out his eyes. But what happened after this? Samson wept to the Lord, and said: "Adonai, Lord of hosts, remember me now, and strengthen me yet this once, O God, and I shall take one vengeance for my two eyes upon the Philistines." Wherefore God did not overlook him, who was being mocked; for he was set before boys for laughter after he was blinded. Paradoxically, therefore, He strengthens him. Wherefore, while they were sitting and getting drunk (for they were celebrating for the sake of victory to their idols), he laid hold of the two pillars of the house in which they were sitting, and after seizing them said: "Let my soul die with the Philistines." Which also came to pass. From which God also shows that not [through his own power] C did it happen, but by the will of God through his prayer.
A For He granted such strength to Samson that he was able to shake the pillars supporting the shrine of the idols, and to bring down the roof along with them, and to bury three thousand men, and an equal number of women. God does not overlook those who are wronged and call upon Him, nor does He abandon their benefactor into the hands of those who are hostile. The most divine Anastasius the Sinaite is greatly astonished at this, marveling at the ineffable dispensation and philanthropy of God, B contemplating how He deemed Samson worthy of the portion of the saved, even though he had delivered himself to death for the sake of those who had wronged him.
But it is not worth passing over for what reason Samson acquired such strength from his mother’s womb. Because the Israelites, having served the foreigners for forty years, had completely forgotten God, and there being no righteous man among them, for this reason God provided them from infancy with such a righteous and strong man, so that by seeing the salvation afforded to them through his virtuous conduct and marvelous bravery, they might amend themselves and seek out the God of all things. But they chose rather to be forgetful of God, C and they would cast the man who had done them such great service into the hands of the enemy. Hence, the providence of God quite reasonably abandoned them; for after Samson, there was no longer a judge among the Hebrews.
If, beloved, you also ask this: for what reason did God permit the daughter of Jephthah to be slaughtered (for he too was a judge among the Hebrews), hear the answer. The vow of Jephthah was exceedingly foolish; for he ought, as was likely, to have considered that a dog or an ass might first meet him, animals considered unclean according to the law. Therefore, God, instructing others through him so that they might make their vows with foresight (for he had promised to sacrifice to God whatever met him when he came out of the house), did not prevent the slaughter. D Yet the daughter was far superior to Jephthah; for seeing him rending his garments and lamenting, she said: "If you have opened your mouth concerning me, do to me in the manner that went out of your mouth, for the things for which the Lord has wrought vengeance for you against your enemies, the sons of Ammon."
Know also this, in addition to what has been said: that after the death of Samson, the tribe of Benjamin perceived the desire of the Sodomites, which is contrary to nature, and they lusted after those who were visiting as guests. A Levite...
who was dwelling in Jerudim, brought home a wife from Bethlehem, a concubine, who out of a certain faint-heartedness had returned to her parents. Wherefore the Levite also journeyed thither, and having been honorably received by his father-in-law, he took his wife and departed for Gabaa, a city of the tribe of Benjamin, and lodged with an old man who was a resident of that city. The people of Benjamin who lived in that city, having learned of this, surrounded the house of the old man and broke down the doors, seeking to commit acts of violence against the guest. The old man offered them his daughter, who was not yet married, and the guest’s concubine, to be used at their pleasure, begging them to spare the guest. But they would not be persuaded. The Levite also went out and handed over his concubine, and they abused her for the whole night and then sent her away. She crawled to the door where he was lodging and immediately gave up the ghost. Her husband, finding her dead, placed her upon his beast and brought her home, and having divided her into twelve pieces, he sent one piece to each tribe, proclaiming the lawlessness of the tribe of Benjamin. Upon this, Israel was enraged and they besought God. Consequently, they attacked them, and since they would not hand over the guilty parties for punishment, they slaughtered them and set the city on fire. A
The problem which Samson proposed to the Philistines was of this sort: "Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness." By the sweetness he meant the honey, and by the eater and the strong he meant the lion, in whose dead body bees had fashioned honey, which Samson took and ate. But it is worth observing here, my beloved, that the Jews call us unclean in vain. For if we are unclean because we eat hares, swine, and other such things, which are not eaten according to the Law, it must necessarily follow that Elijah, the greatest among the prophets, is also bound by the same charges. For what reason? Because he ate bread received from an unclean animal, namely, the raven. And for what reason did these things happen, and why? That we might learn that even before grace was revealed, the Old Testament violated the commands of the Law. For if the raven is unclean, how did that great man Elijah receive food from it? How also did Samson, being a Nazirite and subject to the Law, eat of the honeycomb which bees had fashioned in the carcass of a lion? How, again, did God refresh a man afflicted with thirst by means of an unclean and blood-stained jawbone, if the raven, the lion’s carcass, and the jawbone of the ass are unclean? How did God heal his own servants by means of such things? And how, if they are unclean, did they receive common praise from the beginning? For He says, "God saw them, and said it was good." If, therefore, the swine is good as a creature of God, how is the same animal subsequently unclean? It is evident, then, that the Law of Israel was for a time. B C D
of the vital power breathed into him, it is not at all surprising if, having become corruptible from an incorruptible state due to the transgression. Do not, therefore, doubt any longer. For if from the beginning God made man from dust incorruptible, he was all the more able to make him corruptible from an incorruptible state, as we have already said. And do not tell me: "If Adam had already succumbed to corruption and mortality through sin, why did the fallen angels not suffer the same thing as the first-formed man? Why did they not also become corruptible and mortal through their fall?" Away with such talk, if you please, say nothing of the kind; for that Adam was not simple, but of A a double nature, consisting of soul and body. And according to his soul, he was akin to the immaterial and invisible powers, while according to his body, he was akin to this material and visible world; for this reason, having transgressed the divine commandment, he fell under death according to the divine decree, but not in both parts. But rather, according to that part which had been taken from the earth by God, for thus he heard: "You are earth, and into earth you shall go." However, the soul did not become mortal in the same way as the body, because it did not take its origin from the earth, though it did fall into countless passions, as seems to be the opinion of the Golden-mouthed [Chrysostom] concerning this. But what are these? Forgetfulness, ignorance, griefs, anxieties, despondencies, cares, and B whatsoever things of such a kind. Hence it was not appropriate to doubt any longer. For it is evident that, if the multitude of the fallen angels had also been composite, possessing their composition from both body and spirit, they would have suffered the same things as the first-formed man. Do not say, therefore: "If Adam was immortal, how did he become mortal, how did he become corruptible?" Let go of the "how"; for where God is, the "how" has no place. For God fashioned man for incorruptibility and established him as lord of all earthly things, and gave him everlasting immortality, as has been discussed above, and his affairs were indeed to stand thus for all ages, because the divine gifts are without regret. But when God saw him slipping into sin, and therefore falling from that C lofty and angelic way of life, he permits this, and it takes place against him.
A except for Nebuchadnezzar? He will send his power and shall destroy them from the face of the earth." Upon which his head was cut off, truly wisely and methodically, by a woman, Judith, and all his possessions were plundered by the Jews. Then, and only then, did Achior also believe in God and was circumcised. In the days of the judges, a famine having occurred, Naomi departed from Bethlehem with her children into the country of Moab; and there they took wives, Orpah and Ruth. After ten years, the men having died, Naomi returned. Both daughters-in-law followed her. And Orpah, having been persuaded by the words of Naomi, returned, but the admirable Ruth was not persuaded, saying: "Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." And coming together, she was joined to Boaz and bore Obed, the father of Jesse, from whom came David. Among those taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar were Mordecai, his wife Esther, and others who lived under Artaxerxes. This Mordecai, having heard in the king's court two eunuchs plotting against the king, reported them to him; and they were put to death. Because of these things, Haman, who was the greatest before the king, being grieved, persuaded the king to attack the Jews and to send letters to the rulers of the hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India even to Ethiopia, to utterly slaughter the Jews wherever they might be found on the fourteenth day of the twelfth month. Queen Esther learns of these things and, having fasted for three days, entreats first God, and then the king Artaxerxes himself, saying: "I saw thee, my lord, as an angel of God, and my heart was troubled from fear of Thy glory," and she fell down, fainting. But he urged her to ask what she wished. And Haman, having seen Mordecai in the courtyard, prepares to have him hanged on B towards the fourteenth day of the twelfth month, to slaughter—he learns these things Queen Esther, oversight—for being sleepless at night, he came to reading. Upon which he remembered what Mordecai had done for him. And he told his servant to bring the books of the daily records so that they might read to him. And he found the writings recorded concerning Mordecai, etc.
[LATIN COLUMN]
which they would undoubtedly have captured in war: but if not, it led to the fact that, once the war was set in motion, the head of Holofernes was cut off by Judith, and all his wealth was plundered by the Jews. Then Achior embraced the divine faith. He consulted to offer himself to Holofernes as his master, so that he might let that nation go. Having heard these things, Holofernes in turn interrogated Achior, asking whether there was any God besides Nebuchadnezzar: that he would surely send his forces and utterly destroy that nation. This plan of the woman was indeed cunning and turned out successfully. Achior embraced the divine faith and was circumcised. C Rush. 1, 16. ex V et F. Glycas did not consult the sacred text of Esther; for the words which pertain to the letter (for the day destined for the slaughter of the Jews was the fourteenth of the twelfth month, Adar) he joined with the following and rendered them in this way: "When Queen Esther had recognized this matter, at the twelfth month, complete (a), etc." The same also did not express quite conveniently the things narrated above regarding Naomi and her daughters-in-law, and those things which pertain to Ruth he attributed—by an intolerable error, or rather by an oversight and singular thoughtlessness—to Orpah, whom we know returned to her fatherland, while only Ruth followed her mother-in-law Naomi to Bethlehem. We have changed these things to the mind of the annotator. Otherwise, at the time when the judges were presiding over the nation of Israel, a famine having arisen, Naomi left Bethlehem and set out into the land of the Moabites. There, when the sons had taken wives, Orpah to wit and Ruth, and, ten years having passed, they had died, Naomi returned to her own land D with her daughters-in-law accompanying her. For Orpah did not want to obey her when she asked them to remain there, because she said she would acknowledge her nation as her own, and finally would have her mother-in-law's God as her own. In this way, having set out, she was married to Boaz with her mother-in-law, and bore Obed, the father of Jesse, the grandfather of David. Among others whom Nebuchadnezzar had led away captive were Mordecai and the woman Esther. When these were still surviving under the reign of Artaxerxes, it happened by chance that when Mordecai had discovered in the royal court the plots of two eunuchs initiated against the king, he reported the whole matter to the king, by which disclosure they were punished with death. Haman was offended by this, who had the greatest power before the king, and was the cause for the king to attack the Jews, and having sent letters to the governors of the hundred and twenty-seven regions, which regions are situated between India and Ethiopia, he commanded that however many Jews were found anywhere at all, they should be utterly put to death on the 14th day of the 12th month. When Queen Esther had recognized this matter, having completed a fast of three days, she first prays to God, then addresses King Artaxerxes with these words: "When I gazed upon thee, O king, as like unto a divine angel, my heart fell, struck by terror at the majesty of thy presence." and reaching the end, she contracted marriages with Boaz. Following at the beginning of the page, he erred in the interpretation of the meaning of that sentence: For Glycas looked to those words of the sixth chapter: which the vulgate interpreter rendered thus: "The king spent that night sleepless, and ordered the histories and annals of former times to be brought to him. When these were read in his presence, it came to that place where it was written how Mordecai had reported the plots of the eunuchs Bagathan and Thares who wished to slay King Assuerus, etc."
some were slain, others captured, and still others—whosoever had happened to survive in any way—yielded themselves up even against their will. He even occupied Achrida itself, in which town the royal palace of the Bulgarians happened to be; from there he took away great riches, namely jewels, pearls, and a hundred centenaria of gold.
Following these events, he set out for Athens, and after offering up to the Mother of God the thanksgivings due for his victory, and having adorned her temple with many splendid and costly votive gifts, he returned to Constantinople A. He celebrated his triumph by entering through the Great Gates, wearing a golden crown that had a crest and a peak on its upper part; preceding him were Maria, the wife of Vladislav, along with the daughters of Samuel and the rest of the Bulgarians. Thus, amidst trophies, he entered the church. At that time, the Patriarch Sergius implored him repeatedly to abolish that tax which was called the *Allelengyon*; for the Emperor had promised to do this if he should prevail over the Bulgarians. But he did not persuade him.
The Emperor, having accomplished all these things, wished to undertake an expedition against Sicily. But he was prevented; for he was seized by a sudden illness and died, and was buried in the church of the Theologian, B which is near the Hebdomon. He had enthroned Alexius, a monk from the Studion Monastery, as patriarch; for he happened to have come to visit him, bringing with him the venerable head of the Precursor—for the Emperor was accustomed to use him as a counselor in the administration of the commonweal.
After the death of Basil, the entire power of the empire was transferred to his successor and brother, Constantine, who reigned for three years. He did not decorate the empire by the example of his brother Basil; he was a man addicted to dancing-girls and buffoons. Moreover, he was so engrossed in horse-races, as no other mortal ever was, that he held all concern and care for the commonweal as nothing. If he found any men of any worth, he cast them down from their station C and blinded them, and in their place raised up to the magistracies others who were utterly foolish and laughable. He oppressed not only the poor but also the wealthy. For in the three years which contain the time of his reign, he demanded five exactions; of which his brother had previously remitted two for his subjects.
Following these things, seized by a sudden illness, he began to deliberate with himself whom he should leave as successor to the empire. When he was taught by some that the power would pass after him to Romanus, who was of the senatorial order and held the surname of Argyropulus, by a certain necessity D he ordered such a man to be summoned, and gave him the option—even against his will—either to divorce his lawful wife and be joined in marriage to the daughter of the Emperor and thus be proclaimed emperor, or else to lose his eyes through blinding. While Romanus remained dizzy and hesitant between the two, his wife, fearing lest he should suffer some terrible fate, of her own accord laid aside her worldly hair, and thus, along with his sight, she granted her husband the empire as well. Of the three daughters that the Emperor Constantine had, the first was rejected, and the third declined. Thus, one is joined...
A Since he was sleepless during the night, he began reading, and thus he was reminded of what Mordecai had done for him. Hence, even against the will of Haman, he was exceedingly honored. Haman himself bore the culpability of the evil; for he was hanged upon a cross, at the request and arrangement of Esther. And other letters were sent, not only for their salvation, but that they might also defend themselves against their adversaries; for they slew 500 men, and others still. The ten sons of Haman were also hanged. Concerning this, Scripture says: “And the thirteenth and fourteenth days of the month of Adar shall be a festive day for their generations.”
B Tobit was led into captivity during the reign of Enemessar, king of the Assyrians. “I, Tobit, walked in the ways of truth and righteousness all the days of my life. And when I was led captive with Sarah and Tobias to Nineveh, all of my kin ate of the bread of the Gentiles, but I did not. And if Sennacherib the king slew any, because he came fleeing from Judea, I buried them by stealth; for he slew many in his wrath. And at night, for fear, I buried many. Hence it happened that I laid down to sleep by the wall of the courtyard with my face uncovered, and I did not know that there were sparrows in the wall. And they voided hot dung into my eyes, and white spots formed in them. My wife brought me a kid which she had received as the wage of her labor. But I, thinking it was stolen property, would not eat it, and I was reproached by her as if I profited nothing from virtue. And I wept unto the Lord: ‘It is more profitable for me to die than to live, for I have heard false reproaches.’”
C At that time, Sarah the daughter of Raguel was also reproached as if she had throttled the seven husbands she had taken; but Asmodeus, the wicked demon, slew them before they could be with her, so that she even wished to hang herself because of it. But God overlooked the reproach of neither Tobit nor Sarah. For when Tobias was sent to retrieve the paternal silver that had been left in trust, Raphael, the angel of the Lord, accompanied him. And upon the road, a fish appearing by the river, the lad was terrified. But the angel permitted him to take it and eat it, and to keep the heart and the liver—the liver for the fumigation of Asmodeus, and the heart for the anointing of his father’s eyes. He led him to the house of Raguel, where he took Sarah as his wife, and cast out Asmodeus who loved her. D By this same means, when the eyes of Tobit were anointed, a miracle occurred. After these things, the holy angel said unto them: “Almsgiving is…
delivers from death, and it shall purge away all sin. And now, when you and Sarah, your bride, prayed, I brought the memorial of your prayer before the holy God. And when you buried the dead, I was with you. And when you did not delay to rise and leave your breakfast, that you might go and cover the dead person, you did not escape my notice in acting well, but I was with you. And now God has sent me to heal you and your bride, Sarah. I am Raphael, one of the seven angels, who bring up the prayers of the saints.” And having given this counsel, he ascended to Him who had sent him. Indeed, you have already learned this name of Raphael from the account of Tobit; but the name Uriel, as the truly wise Psellus has written, is known to us in neither the books of the Old nor the New Testament. There is, however, a certain Hebrew book unknown to the many, inscribed *The Prayer of Joseph*, where Joseph’s father, Jacob, is introduced as speaking with this angel Raphael, even if it is currently rejected and discounted by the Hebrews, just as are the other apocrypha. Now, Tobit lived to be one hundred and fifty years old, and Tobias one hundred and twenty-seven. After burying his parents, he went to his father-in-law, Raguel, and before he died, he heard of the destruction of Nineveh, which Nebuchadnezzar captured, according to the prophecy of Tobit. B
To return to Samson: after his death, until the priest Eli, there was an,ararchy among them for forty years, and they were destroyed by rising against one another. As for the evil of overlooking those under one’s authority who sin and failing to restrain them sharply, the events concerning Eli, the Ark, and the people demonstrated this. For at that time, Eli fell into a pitiful death, the Ark was captured, and the people were slain by the sword. For the Philistines rushed against the Jews, they joined battle, and about four thousand Hebrews fell. Then, taking up the Ark, they rushed against their enemies, having trusted that they would be victorious as usual. They joined battle, and not a few of the Hebrews fell, and the Ark itself was captured. Therefore, news that was not good reached Eli; he bore the destruction of his sons bravely, even though faults accompanied them—fornication and gluttony (for they would violate the marriages of others, and they would eat the meat before it had been sanctified); C but not being able to bear the capture of the Ark, he fell from his seat and died; for he happened at that time to be sitting on a chair by the gates of the sanctuary, having lived ninety-eight years. D
A The Philistines, having taken the Ark, led it captive to the city of Azotus. Then Dagon also was shattered, having fallen from his own base and lying as if in the posture of one worshipping. For God showed there that the Ark was not captured as if He were weak (for if this were the case, their god Dagon would not have been shattered in its presence, so that, if divine grace were not present in it, [yet because it was]) it was captured [in fact] due to the wickedness of the Jews. At that very time, those who had captured it were dying from dysentery, casting out their entrails, which were corrupted. Moreover, a great multitude of mice arose and harmed the produce of the land. The Azotians, therefore, barely understood that such things were happening to them on account of the Ark; hence they request the Ascalonites to accept it to themselves. And having received it, they meet with similar evils. The Ascalonites send it to others, and they in turn to others; and all suffer the same things. The chieftains of those five cities that had been afflicted by these punishments—namely, Accaron, Gaza, Azotus, and the rest—come together and deliberate about this matter. Wherefore they yoke two cows that have recently calved, place the Ark upon them, and leaving them at a crossroads, they grant them power to go along whichever road they wish. If they should depart into the lands of the Hebrews, they say one must consider the Ark to be the cause of such evils; but if they should turn another way, let us pursue it, they said, as one that has no such power. These things happen, and they recognized that a divine power was present with the Ark. B The Hebrews, therefore, suffering such things, seek a king and receive Saul, even though God did not bear this kind of request gently, on account of which He also said to Samuel: " They have not rejected you, but Me, so that I should not reign over them." Now this Saul was of the tribe of Benjamin, son of Cis, who was both excellent in form and great in stature. He lost his father's donkeys and comes to the prophet Samuel, intending to ask about them. The prophet, taking the holy oil, pours it over the young man's head and, having kissed him, "Know," he says, "you are king; you have been appointed today by God." But he also told him the things that would happen to him on the way, that he would join prophets and, having become inspired, would prophesy together with them. He anoints him while the multitude is also looking on. And in this way the commonwealth of the Hebrews was transformed into a kingdom. He said to them, "You have greatly provoked God by requesting a king." And it is evident from this: for just as one had never seen winter in the height of summer, so you have beheld this happen. And when the prophet had said these things, lightnings and thunders and hail were brought down, as if C from that the people said [they had committed] a sin against God. Saul, however, being about to rush against the Philistines, orders the high priest to take the priestly
garment and prophesy to him concerning the outcome of that war. Once the oracle signaled [success], Saul led his forces out against the Philistines; but intoxicated by victory, he bound the Hebrews with a certain imprecation: if anyone, sparing the enemy, took food—and did not persevere in slaughtering the enemies until nightfall brought an end to the killing—that man should be accursed and devoted to destruction. A While Saul was saying this, it happened by chance that, as the soldiers entered a certain forest that was full of bees, Saul’s son, not having heard the father’s curse, pressed out a honeycomb and ate it. And when he later understood what had been done, he said that his father had not done right to impose such a curse; for it is settled that a man attacks an adversary most courageously once he has found food and refreshed himself a little. Saul, having attained victory B and offered sacrifices to God, orders the high priest to learn again whether God would grant them to reach the enemy camp and destroy them. The high priest responding that the divine oracle was silent, Saul said: "This does not happen without a certain cause, but there is some hidden sin of ours that is the reason for God’s silence. And I take an oath, even if my own son Jonathan were the one who committed this sin, I would certainly kill him and thus appease God." In this way it happened that the lot fell upon Jonathan; and when his father asked him what crime he had committed and how he had sinned against God, he answered that he was conscious of nothing other than having tasted honey the day before, being ignorant of the curse with which his father had bound C the people. Upon hearing this, Saul swears that he will kill him; and since the son did not resist at all and was about to submit to the oath, the people, feeling pity, rescued Jonathan from the hand of Saul and appeased God with supplications. And let these things be recounted in this manner.
He said that Samuel spoke of God saying that, since the Amalekites had treated the Hebrews very evilly in the wilderness, when they were marching out of Egypt, He commanded Saul to punish them with war and to spare none of them. Saul therefore conquered them by main force, but took their king Agag captive, whose beauty and size of body, as Josephus says, he admired and judged worthy of salvation. And he offered sacrifices to God from those spoils. Because of this, God said to Samuel: "It repenteth me that I have appointed Saul king; therefore I have rendered him unworthy to rule over Israel." D Hence also Samuel spoke thus to Saul when he had spared Agag, the king of the Amalekites: "Thou hast acted foolishly, because thou didst not keep the commandment which the Lord commanded thee. Therefore the kingdom shall not abide with thee, and the Lord shall seek a man after His own heart to be ruler over His people." In addition to these things, he also said to him, when [1 Reg. xiv, 24. 1 Reg. xv, 11.]
he offered his sacrifice: "The Lord has no delight in burnt offerings, but rather in heeding His voice." And again: "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from thy hand this day, and will give it to thy neighbor who is better than thou" (I Kings XV, 22, 28). Hence, as the prophet A was much concerned about Saul, God said to him, "And taking the holy oil, go to Bethlehem to Jesse, and anoint one of his sons as king" (I Kings XVI, 1). He comes, therefore, and since all the other sons of Jesse were rejected (for the holy oil did not flow for them), David, the youngest of all, is anointed. For this reason, the Holy Spirit was henceforth in him, while an evil spirit came upon Saul. As he was being choked, the physicians said, as Josephus states, that such a malady would not be abated unless someone were found who knew how to sing with a harp. B Therefore, when search was made for whether such a person existed, David was brought. He therefore makes him his shield-bearer and treats him with honor. And thus Josephus. But as for that evil spirit that choked Saul, the harp of David quieted it, provided it were moved by the all-holy Spirit; for he sang to that, and the other, even though unwillingly, was calmed by it.
After these things, the Philistines go on an expedition against the Judeans. From their camp comes down a man of enormous size named Goliath (for he was six cubits and a span in height), clad in a breastplate weighing five thousand shekels, with other armor in proportion; he uttered a great cry and demanded to fight in single combat. As everyone was in despair, David was brought in, and after comforting Saul—and with difficulty persuading him (for Saul was not confident, looking at the youth of David)—he rushed against Goliath and killed him with a sling. From then on, since the women were saying that Saul had struck down thousands of Philistines, but David tens of thousands, Saul became afraid for his own kingdom; for which reason he henceforth held David in suspicion and harbored no small envy. C Whence he also sent him on military expeditions so that he might be killed there in the war. But David, having God with him, performed heroically everywhere, so that even the daughter of Saul, being a virgin, fell in love with him. These things become known to Saul. And he, seizing the opportunity for treachery against him, as Josephus relates, said he would give his daughter if he would bring me a thousand heads of the enemy. These things happen, and he takes Melchol as his wife. Saul does not endure this, but envies him even more, as he was also fearing for his own kingdom. D He therefore plans to kill him. He charges these things to his son Jonathan and the most faithful of his household. But he reveals the counsel to David and speaks to his father in his behalf. After these things, he pursues David once and twice
and many times. At that time, he approaches the high priest Abiathar; then he also ate the showbread. From there, he flees again to Abimelech; and at that time, he also feigns the symptoms of an epileptic. Upon these things, David, having found Saul once and twice, and being able to kill him easily, did not wish to do this, committing all his affairs to God. And so much for these things. The Philistines, however, again wage war against the Jews, for which reason Achish also summons his allies. Saul also attacks Mount Gilboa, and seeing the massive encampment of the foreigners, he was troubled, and his heart failed him. And he inquired of the Lord through the Ephod, and He did not answer him; for if they were not well-regarded by Him, He would not listen to them. For this reason, he seeks a ventriloquist, even though he had previously managed to expel their kind from his city, as he was formerly pious towards God. They were called ventriloquists because they have a demon dwelling within their belly, which foretells oracles or prophecies about future events. That woman, however, is persuaded with difficulty, and she brings up the soul of Samuel from Hades, just as Josephus narrates. For the wise in divine matters, Theodoret, calls this account impious and unholy; for he is not persuaded that the soul of any dead man, let alone that of such a great prophet, can be brought up from Hades. Others, not wishing to accept that this account is unholy, say that a certain demon who deceives the people reported the things concerning Saul to the ventriloquist. Theodoret, however, accepts neither the first as pious nor the second; for if the one who appeared was a demon, he would not have spoken true words. Therefore, he says that God himself, having fashioned the form of Samuel, willed to deliver the pronouncement; for He indeed said through one of the prophets: "If you approach the false prophet, I, the Lord God, will answer through him." Thus, He blessed the people through Balaam, and through an impious seer, the things that were to come were announced. These things come to pass, and the Philistines attack the Hebrews. Finally, Saul and his sons fall. Saul, however, having received many wounds and being unable to endure, orders one of his men to bring his sword against him, so that he might not be surrendered to the hands of the enemies. But he did not obey. So he falls upon his own sword, and not being able to end his life even so, he persuades a certain Amalekite, who finishes him off. The Philistines, despoiling the enemies, encounter Saul and his sons, and having cut off their heads, they carry them through the whole land, and they crucify their bodies outside the wall, just as Josephus narrates.
A Thus Saul ended his life, because he had disobeyed God regarding the Amalekites and because he had delivered the race of the priests to destruction; for through Doeg the Syrian he slew about three hundred and fifty priests who were wearing the ephod. Saul held sway over Israel for forty years, standing head and shoulders above all Israel. God, wishing to gratify the Hebrews, had chosen such a man to reign over them; for it was by reason of his prowess in wars, and not for his piety, that they had requested a king. Thus He chooses the greatest of all men, since we admire not the virtue of the soul, but the stature of the body. B After the death of Saul, his son Memphiboseth reigned over Israel, and David over Judah; for he had already been anointed by Samuel. Then Richab and Baneas slew Memphiboseth in secret and came to David as if they had done something praiseworthy. But he destroyed them, just as he had earlier destroyed that Amalekite through whom Saul met his end. At that point, David was established as king over all the people. As for the daughter of Saul—if not as Josephus narrates, then in any case he received her as a prize when he struck down Goliath with a sling; for so it had been agreed between them. David, therefore, after being proclaimed king, takes up a position at Jerusalem, and having routed the Jebusites dwelling there, he makes Jerusalem the seat of his own kingdom. C David was the first, as Josephus narrates, to drive the Jebusites out from there, and he named the city after himself; for it was called Solyma in the time of Abraham. After this, he sees Bersabee bathing in her house, and from this he falls in love with her. He is joined to her, and arranges for Urias, who was her husband, to fall in death. Not long after, he is convicted by Nathan. Then he flees because of the revolt of Abesalom, having left his ten concubines to guard his house. The cause of Abesalom’s becoming a parricide was this: David had a daughter of great beauty, who had the same mother as Abesalom. Amnon, the eldest of the sons of Memphiboseth, D fell in love with her, and not being able to satisfy his desire, he wasted away with it. Because of this, he feigns sickness. He begs his father that his sister remain with him for the sake of his care. This comes to pass. He reveals his passion to her, but she did not agree. He forces himself upon her, at which he is seen to be disobedient. Immediately, hatred arises in Amnon against her, for which reason he casts her out. She is distressed in no small way. Richas and Branas, Richas, Richaios and Baneas.
A revealing these things to Absalom. The opportunity is observed, and he goes out to the shearing of his sheep, taking his brothers with him. A feast is held, and when Amnon is stupefied, his servants kill him. From this point, therefore, Absalom, being terrified, begins to devise schemes against his father. And first of all, Achitophel persuades him to enter into his father's concubines; then he counsels him to rush against David with an army. But not being heard because the counsel of Chousai seemed better (for it happened that Chousai was a friend to David), he resorted to the noose. On this account, Absalom is pursued all the more, and is indeed caught. But O, the soul of David! For, having suffered such things from a parricide, he kept saying: "Spare the lad Absalom." But even when Joab had pierced the heart of Absalom, when he was hanging by his hair from the tree, he mourned beyond measure.
B However, to David, who was pondering the building of a temple to the Lord, Nathan said: "Whatever is in your heart, go and do, for God is with you." For even he was unaware of the future, just as Samuel did not recognize the son of Jesse who was to be anointed, and as Elisha was unaware of the affliction of the Shunammite. By night, however, the Lord appeared to him and said: "Go and say to my servant David: That you shall not build a house for me, because you poured out much blood upon the earth before me." 1 Par. xvii, 4.
C This seems to have been said for the benefit of those who commit murders; for he would not have condemned a just murder to the king, he who called the just murder of Phinehas a sacrifice. On which account David also gives to Solomon his son the pattern of the temple and of his houses. Everything he gave to him in writing from the hand of the Lord. But Nathan himself, when he was sent to him by God, said: "You did this well, that it came into your heart about building a house; but not you, he who comes from you shall build it." 1 Reg. xviii, 5.
D Even if God is long-suffering when sin is dared, yet He punishes at some time. For see that with the Gibeonites the Israelites had agreed not to kill them, yet Saul, along with other foreign nations, killed them also. However, the penalties of such a daring deed He exacted in the time of David, bringing on a pestilence. And if they had not killed the seven children of Saul, the divine wrath would not have ceased. We learn, therefore, from this that the Master knows no difference of race, but God justly defends those who have been wronged, even if they are of another nation. And David himself, having wronged Uriah, who was of another nation (for he was a Hittite), did not remain unpunished. But the child of adultery, who was first born to Bathsheba, who had been debauched by David, was s
B rotting with worms and teeming with stench, his life miserably ended, his body’s dust deposited on the island of Prote, where he had constructed new cells intended for religious exercises.
Michael, surnamed Parapinakes, reigned after him for six years, a man entirely soft, and, if I may put it so, womanly regarding the administration of the commonweal. He entrusted the power of managing affairs to the prelate of Side, John, A by whom all was managed excellently, as he was a man outstanding and industrious in his dealings. But to this good wheat eventually some weeds were mixed in. For a certain eunuch named Nicephorus, also called by the diminutive name Nicephoritzes, who had been accused of countless crimes before this Michael’s reign and ordered into exile, was now recalled by Michael and invested with all power—a man who was a eunuch, yet most skilled in confounding affairs and turning things upside down. C Everywhere there were accusations, confiscations of property, and unjust exactions; after which followed public groans and wailing, along with a demonstration of divine wrath. For when the Turks saw that the peace treaties entered into with Diogenes had utterly come to nothing, and that the one they had held in high honor had been so cruelly slain by the Romans, they set out from Persia with great forces and invaded the Roman provinces. Moved by this event, Michael also himself convened an army, to which he gave as commander Isaac Comnenus, who, having set out against the enemy, was taken captive when he engaged in battle with the Turks at Caesarea, and lost all his forces. D The emperor, having received the messenger of the unhappy battle, could not but grieve, yet he was not at all improved, as one who was led by the suggestions and authority of Nicephorus like some slave. A Isaac having been ransomed for a set price, John Caesar was chosen in his place as commander of the forces. And indeed, it is impossible to set forth in words how great the calamities were that befell the Romans in this incursion of the Turks. For the Caesar himself also came into the power of the enemies, and when he had offered himself, with his head shorn, he betook himself to the palace. B And these were those famous deeds of Nicephoritzes, who among his other wickednesses, also with singular solicitude desiring gain, as a man most fertile in devising evils, saw to it that a shortage of grain should arise. For everywhere he prevented merchants from selling grain; meanwhile, he alone, nearby Rhaedestus, having established a *phoundax* and monopolies, so that thence...
After him, Michael Parapinakes held power for 6 years; the man was entirely slack and, so to speak, womanly C toward the administration of the commonwealth, for which reason he entrusts the power to John, the Metropolitan of Side. And all things were well managed by him, as he was a man good and clever in affairs, but to this good wheat a weed is also mingled. For a certain eunuch, Nicephorus, also called Nicephoritzes, who had been accused of myriad evils before Michael and was hence an exile, is summoned by Michael and is invested with all power; a man indeed a eunuch, but skilled at confounding affairs and turning things upside down. For there were accusations everywhere, confiscations and unjust exactions, D
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and lamentation and woe everywhere. Henceforth divine wrath takes hold. For the Turks, seeing that the treaties with Diogenes had remained without effect, and that those whom they themselves had honored in having taken them by the hand, had been so badly treated by the Romans, and hence having been filled with anger, they set out in great numbers from Persia and make an expedition against the Roman provinces. Michael, therefore, collects an army there, and appoints as its general Isaac Comnenus; and he, having gone and having engaged with the Turks at Caesarea, immediately becomes a prisoner, and the whole army is destroyed. The emperor learns of these things and is downcast, but he is not corrected at all, being led by the suggestions of Nicephorus like a slave. Isaac becomes an anchorite. In his place, John the Caesar is put forward as commander. As many disasters then as befell the Romans from the incursion of the Turks, it is not possible to tell. And the Caesar himself, having been bound, and afterwards having been released and having become suspect, as it were, to the emperor, has his hair shorn, and thus reaches the palace. These were then, the achievements of Nicephoritzes. This man, along with his other wickednesses, also caring for gain—as he was most ingenious—maneuvers for evil and famine. For the eunuch Nicephoritzes, having prevented those selling everywhere, he himself alone, having established a *phoundax* and monopolies near Rhaedestus, so that hence...A snatched away by God. For he was destined to be a reproach to the pious king and a proof of his transgression. The Master, therefore, caring for him, did not allow such a one to live. The first book of the Chronicles hints that all the psalms belong to David, as Theodoret says. For he says that David at the beginning ordained that the Lord be praised by the hand of Asaph and his brothers. However, David, having reigned for thirty years, as Theodoret says, met his end at about seventy. One must add to the matters above these things also, which belong to the history of Josephus. David makes an expedition against the Philistines, and having pursued them for a long way, he was separated from all his men. And one of the enemies, who was B a descendant of the Giants, seeing him alone and exhausted by labor, hastened to kill him. And this would have happened, had not Abishai, the brother of Joab, having been found there instantly, killed the enemy and restored David safe to his own. From this the whole people bound him by an oath that he would never again meet them in battle. The Philistines encamp again against the Hebrews, among whom was a man six cubits in height, who had more fingers on each of his feet and hands than is natural; for he was also a descendant of the Giants. Jonathan the Sudean killed this man in single combat, and thus became the cause of victory for his side. From that time forth, the Philistines ceased to make war against the Hebrews. Upon which, receiving respite, David began to praise God and compose sacred odes. One must know that David gained many soldiers, invincible in strength, but five were exceptional. For one of them C killed six hundred in a single day, and another, having leapt against the enemies, did not stop until he killed nine hundred. For they were so bold that three of them went to Bethlehem and brought water to David, who was within Jerusalem, entering and exiting through the midst of the Philistines, who were encamped outside, and did not dare to oppose them because of their great boldness. And David did not want to drink the water, but poured it as a libation to God, and admired the soldiers. After these things, Solomon, having been appointed by David, sat upon the throne of the Lord for the kingdom, that is to say, upon the throne given to him by the Lord. The end of the first book of the Chronicles shows that Samuel the seer, and Nathan the prophet, and Gad the seer had books written. D One must know that Hurnias and Adonias were the same, a son of David; for he had two names. This man, having invited Joab and Abiathar to a banquet, was plotting about the kingdom. But the prophet Nathan makes known the things concerning
A these to Bathsheba (for she knew the purpose and counsel of God), and she reports the matter to David. David, who did not wish to punish Joab himself, as he had labored much for his sake, advised Solomon his son to kill him, so that he might not despise his youth. He gives him the same counsel concerning Semei, a downright seditious man; whom he himself had nonetheless tolerated, even though he had been insulted by him many times and in many ways. Solomon prevails, and at that time kills his brother Adonias. But he does the same concerning Joab, even though he had fled to the altar of God. For divine law orders that a murderer who has fled to the temple be slain.
B Solomon, having sacrificed a thousand offerings, supplicated God, and asked to obtain wisdom and understanding. The Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Ask what you shall ask for yourself.” He replied, “You have made your servant king in place of David my father, and I am a small child, and I do not know my going in and my going out, and you shall give to your servant a heart to listen to and discern your people in righteousness.” And the Lord said to him, “Because you have asked this word from me, and have not asked for many days, nor wealth, nor the souls of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to listen to justice, behold I have done according to your word. Behold, I have given you a prudent and wise heart, such that there has not been anyone before you, and after you there shall not arise one like you among kings. And if you walk in my way, as David your father, I will multiply your days.” After these things he builds a temple to God, and asks that His eyes be kept open upon the divine house and that He might listen to them. And the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, just as He appeared in Gabaon, and said, “I have heard the voice of your prayer, and I have sanctified this temple; and my eyes and my heart shall be there all the days. But if you turn away from me, I will root out Israel from this land, and this house which I have sanctified to my name, I will cast away from my presence.” When Solomon had prayed, fire came down from heaven and consumed the offered sacrifices. Observe, therefore, how great was the piety of Solomon before, as even fire was brought down upon C his sacrifices. And he builds the temple with unhewn stones (for they were found self-formed by divine providence, so that they needed no harmony of iron, as Theodoret says), but he built the temple's enclosure with cut stones, and there he also needed quarrymen. The length of the temple was sixty cubits, and the breadth twenty. Around the temple, chambers were built for the sake of the Levites and the storage of the vessels; for only the holy places were accessible to the priests. The height of the temple was one hundred and twenty cubits. Gold covered the entire temple. These things, as for all the temple, the grace of the Holy Spirit pointed out to David, and he himself to Solomon. He builds
A that divine house three hundred and twenty years after the Exodus. And so many years passed, so that, having been purified by their wandering in the mountains, they might love the one place, Jerusalem.
These things concern the ancient temple, which is divided into three parts: into the station of the laity, that of the priests and the Levites (which was called the Holy Place), and into the inner sanctuary itself, which was called the Holy of Holies, into which no one entered except the high priest alone, and he but once a year, and that not without blood. And you will find these things in the heavens as well. For in the heaven nearest to us, clearly the air, are all the promiscuous animals; deeper within the visible firmament, as the Sinaite theologian Anastasius says, the celestial powers reside, and perhaps even the souls of the saints themselves. Higher than the second and invisible heaven, no one has entered except the true High Priest, Christ, the antitype of the true things. B That the things of this earthly temple have been built according to the image of the heavenly is something that the great Paul himself declared, saying thus: “For Christ has not entered into the handmade holy places, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” Behold, then, with understanding, that even the visible beauties of this temple are representational images of that invisible beauty, and that the sensory fragrances are models of that intelligible diffusion. And the material lights are images of that other illumination; for through these material things we are led by the hand toward that ineffable contemplation, just as it seems to the great Dionysius.
But that Solomon surpassed all in all things, let Scripture teach you, saying: “And Solomon was magnified above all the kings of Egypt in wealth and wisdom, C and all the kings of the earth sought the face of Solomon to hear his wisdom. For his wisdom was increased above every wise man of Egypt.” Regarding the books of Solomon, from which even the students of medicine took their starting points: after receiving wisdom from God, he spoke three thousand parables and five thousand odes concerning all the D plants on the earth and all the animals.
A The Sabaeans are an Ethiopian nation. Their queen was that admirable Sybil who, since she neither knew the Law nor had heard the prophets, praised the Giver of wisdom through Solomon: “Blessed be,” she said, “the Lord thy God, who was pleased to set thee upon the throne of Israel.” Among the tests by which she tried Solomon, she devised this as well: she adorned several beautiful boys and girls with the same clothing and the same haircut, and presented them to him, asking him to distinguish between the two sexes. He ordered them to wash their faces, and thus discerned the nature of each, as the males washed their faces in a manly way, while the females did so gently. She was struck with wonder and said, “I have seen more than I heard.” She gave him 120 talents of gold, and spices, and precious stones, and even the root of the opobalsam, from which source, as Josephus says, Palestine subsequently possessed this plant, and then she returned. A talent contains 125 pounds, from which it can be gathered that he received from the queen 15,000 of our gold centenarii.
Not only these things, but so long as he was pious, he held all the nations from the Euphrates to the Nile as tributaries. But from that time on B he became vulnerable to his enemies. In the beginning, Solomon was an object of wonder as he wrote his Proverbs and erected the temple—as the great Cyril says—at the very time that Homer was singing the tragedies of the Trojan disasters, 160 years after the fall of Ilium. But later he fell into impiety. This is clear from what the divine Scripture details about him, saying: “And strange women turned the heart of Solomon after other gods.” Nor less clearly do we learn, from that which the prophet Ahijah said to his servant Jeroboam, that Solomon worshiped idols. He spoke thus: “Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give thee ten sceptres, and I will give two sceptres to him for David my servant’s sake and for Jerusalem my city, for he hath forsaken me and hath served Astarte the abomination of the Sidonians, and Chamos the idol of Moab, and Melchom the offence of the children of Ammon.” C Some say that Astarte is Lucifer himself, that is to say, the same goddess as Venus. Scripture calls idols abominations and offences. And it appears that God also speaks thus to Solomon himself: “Because these things have happened with thee, and thou hast not kept my commandment and my statutes, which I commanded thee, I will rend and tear thy kingdom out of thy hand, and I will give it to thy servant.” D
753 EPISTOLA VI. To the same John Aspiotes. Further, this also is questioned, whether human bodies will rise again as male and female.
Whatever you have doubted, most holy man, asking how human bodies will rise from the dead, and in what form, and whether there is a distinction between male and female; a not small perplexity and lack of counsel has held us for a long time now, for which we do not possess the strength to respond to you easily. For even if great Athanasius himself, the divine Anastasius of Sinai, the divine Gregory of Nyssa, and others of the saints might seem to resolve the matter which is proposed by you today, yet we are nonetheless sluggish regarding investigating such things and contending over such topics. For what reason? Because these things are doubted by almost everyone, as they are considered to be carried outside of ecclesiastical tradition. But since you compel us meanwhile to set before you the sayings of the aforementioned saints, so that from them you may learn what is their force and how one must receive them, and what is gathered for us from them, behold, you have us obeying in this, even though we are unwilling. And if you wish, before others, pay heed to the most divine Athanasius himself. For in the 754 Chapters against Antiochus he is found saying: “Just as God made one human from the beginning, so in the regeneration we all rise as one human,” that is to say, every image of a human being will then be similar to the image and fashion and stature and shape of Adam. Therefore in the resurrection there is no male and female, and small and great, nor a distinction of faces and figures. B Regarding those things about which, most holy man, you doubted, asking how human bodies shall rise from the dead, and with what figure, and whether the distinction of male and female will exist in them, it is a long time that not a small hesitation and poverty of counsel have been tormenting us, since those powers are not available to us so that we might be able to answer you easily concerning these matters. For if even great Athanasius himself, and divine Anastasius the Sinaite, and divine Gregory of Nyssa, and the rest of the saints were to appear to resolve the controversy which is today proposed by you, yet they would be loath to scrutinize such things or to clash over such topics. Why? Because they are doubted by almost all, as they are deemed to wander outside of ecclesiastical tradition. But since you force us to bring into the midst for you the sayings of the praised saints meanwhile, so that you may know what is their power and how they ought to be understood, and what we might collect from them, behold, we, though unwilling, are satisfying your wish in this. And, if you wish, lend your ear first to divine Athanasius himself; for in the C Chapters to Antiochus he is found saying this: “Just as God made only one human being from the beginning, so in the regeneration we shall all rise as one human”; that is, every image of a human being will then be similar to the image, and formation, and magnitude, and figure of Adam. Therefore male and female, small and great, black and yellow, do not exist in the resurrection, nor the distinction of faces and figures.
ANNAL QUARTER II
The Holy Scripture, looking to the disposition of those who were drinking, called the honey "water" A in a certain solitude, when, water having been found, they thought they were being sated with honey. Hence it comes that the Holy Letters, out of consideration for the affection of those who were drawing water, deemed it worthy of the very name of honey.
"After these things Joas held power, who did what was right in the eyes of God all the days of Iodas the high priest. Having lived for one hundred and thirty years, and having died, he was deemed worthy of a royal tomb. But after he died, Joas turned aside to impiety." For which cause prophets were sent to him, Joas himself, among whom was also Zacharias, the son of Iodas, whom they stoned inside the open court in the temple. And as he was dying he said, "Look, Lord, and judge." And he did not fail in his entreaty; for having fallen ill, he was slaughtered by his subjects.
His son, Amasias, having reigned and having conquered the Idumaeans by divine aid and having enslaved B their gods, later—the foolish man—honored them, attributing the victory to them. To whom the prophet said, "I know that the Lord has counseled to destroy you," for he ended in the same way as his father.
Thus, having obtained the empire, Joas conducted himself righteously toward God as long as the high priest Iodas was alive; who, when he had attained to one hundred and thirty years of age and had fulfilled his destiny, attained such honor that he was interred in the royal sepulcher. But when he had been removed from human affairs, King Joas then turned aside to impiety. For this reason, not a few prophets were sent to him, among whom was Zacharias, the son of the high priest Iodas, whom King Joas overwhelmed with stones in the part of the temple situated in the open air. As he was dying, he used words of this manner: "Look upon these things, Lord, and punish C." Nor was his petition in vain; for the king, when he had fallen into sickness, was killed by his subjects.
His son Amasias, when he had seized the kingdom and had reported a victory over the Idumaeans by divine aid and had overthrown their gods, the foolish man eventually honored those religiously consecrated ones and attributed the victory gained to them themselves. On account of which a certain prophet denounced him, saying that God had resolved to take Amasias from the midst. Nor long after, he was extinguished by a similar manner of death as his father.
"The Holy Scripture praises Ozias: 'For he was,' it says, 'inquiring after the Lord, in the fear of the Lord, in the days of Zacharias.' But after these things, having desired to enter into the inner sanctum and to burn incense, and having been rebuked by the high priest and the eighty priests—for they said to him, 'It is not D allowed for you, Ozias, to burn incense, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron'—he, [said], 'Am I not king, and have I not been clothed with the royal purple?' He was therefore struck with leprosy because of this. And while he sat inside because of the leprosy, his son Joatham was conducting the kingdom."
And another was Zacharias, the son of Iodas, whom Joas stoned, and another was he in the time of Ozias. "I think this is the one," says Theodoret, "about whom the Lord spoke to Isaiah, 'Make for me as faithful witnesses men, Urias the priest and Zacharias the son of Barachias.'"
Achaz, the son of Joatham, surpassed all in impiety, for which cause he found many evils. And not even so did he understand, but, "I will seek," he said, "the gods of the nations who smite me, and I will sacrifice to them, and they will assist me." And he even led his own sons through fire. But what is this? As Josephus reports, he burned one of his own sons as a whole burnt offering to Baal. "I think," says Theodoret, "that the species of error which reached even unto us is hinted at from this. For once of the year we see fires being lit, and certain boys and men jumping over these, but even infants being carried through the flame by their mothers. This seemed to be a certain averruncation and purification." I think this was the accusation brought against Achaz, whom those who died did not deem worthy of royal honor.
He subsequently succeeded to the empire upon the death of his father, who had reigned for 33 years; and, having held power for a long time, he ended his life, leaving his son John, aged six, as his heir.
Michael Palaiologos, however, who even while Theodore was alive had long been inciting innovations, transferred the sum of power to himself and blinded John. The same man recovered Constantinople, over which the fourth emperor from Flanders, Baldwin II, brother of the now-deceased Robert, then presided. Thus, a certain form of empire was re-established through Michael, with the Latins entirely expelled from the jurisdiction of the Greeks, except for meager remnants still clinging to the Peloponnese. And since it seemed neither safe nor conducive to peace for Michael to have a crowd of workmen and merchants, consisting of Venetians and Pisans, who remained after the expulsion of the Latins, living within the city along with the Genoese, their perpetual enemies, he assigned Galata to the Genoese, situated across the water, granting freedom from duties on goods, which he had promised them even before he possessed the city, if he were helped by them in recovering it. Magistrates from their homeland were sent to these people at fixed times, to dispense justice and preside over their own. And the Venetians, indeed, called their own a Bailiff or curator, the Pisans a consul, and the Genoese a Podestà.
Baldwin of Flanders, liberated from danger at Constantinople and having escaped, once he had arrived in Italy, formed an alliance with the Neapolitan King Charles—the brother of the King of the French, who had slaughtered Conradin of Swabia, the legitimate heir to that kingdom—betrothing the king’s daughter to his own son, hoping that with his resources he would recover Constantinople. But this desire and effort was altogether in vain. During the reign of Palaiologos, on the 25th day of May, in the year 6775, around the third hour before noon, the moon obscured the sun, and there was a total eclipse of almost 12 points. So great, moreover, was the darkness that arose in its midst that many stars appeared; which, indeed, portended the greatest calamities of the Romans, impending from the Turks.
Following these things, the emperor betrothed his son Andronikos to Anna of Pannonia, and at the same time adorned him with the emblems of the empire, having promised under oath that he would piously venerate the Church, keep its privileges inviolate, and never plot against his father.
However, when King Charles of Naples was making great preparations in favor of Baldwin of Flanders, Palaiologos stirred up domestic wars against him, inciting the surrounding peoples, the Sicilian king and the Venetians, to make war upon him. Furthermore, he sent legates to the Pope concerning the establishment of concord between the churches of old and new Rome, provided that he would turn aside the expedition of Charles. And the legation having been kindly heard by the Pope, the terms of concord were begun, the heads of which were as follows: First, that in the hymns of the sacred volumes, the Pope should be mentioned along with the four patriarchs. Second, that it should be permitted to anyone to appeal to old Rome, as it was a greater and more perfect curia.
Gradually, however, they felt more mildly, after the books of Nikephoros Blemmydes—who, having been consulted during the reign of Emperor John Doukas concerning these same controversies against the Latins, had written much—were exhibited to John Bekkos the Chartophylax. In this way it came about that Bekkos, who had long and most bitterly opposed the Latins, changed his opinion, rendered the victory ambiguous, and, having ascended the patriarchal throne, he was admitted to the intimate friendship of the emperor.
Upon the death of Michael, his son Andronikos succeeded to the empire; during his reign, the Turkish princes, Carmanus Alisurius, Sarchanes, Calames, Cerasus, Atman (who is also Oomanus), and the sons of Amurius, divided among themselves the Asiatic provinces taken from the Greeks. Against these, the Catalans were summoned from Spain by the leader Ronzerius, with great promises of rewards, if they would turn the Turks away from the borders of the Greeks. But when, after the matter against the Turks had been conducted successfully, their stipends were not paid to them as had been agreed, they turned their arms against the Greeks themselves, ravaged Asia, and crossed over into Europe again. And when Callipolis was occupied, and Ronzerius—whom the emperor had previously honored with the title of Caesar—was sent to Adrianople, where Michael, the son of Andronikos, the designated emperor, was staying at that time, to demand their stipends, Ronzerius was killed by the Greeks at the royal command. Upon the news of his murder, the Catalans prepared themselves for war, ravaged the property of the Greeks, and roamed through Thrace, striking down Michael in open battle at Aper (this is the name of a town in Thrace); trusting in their victory, they invaded Macedonia and, having crossed the mountains and valleys which are called Tempe, they burst into Thessaly. And when the Thessalians decided that the Catalans should not be provoked at all, they obtained, by giving money and guides for their journey, that they would depart from their borders.
Therefore, having been brought into Boeotia, they sought peaceful passage through his lands from the Duke of Athens and Thebes. He, having scorned the Catalans and their demands with pride and mockery, gathered his forces through the autumn and winter until the spring. Thus, the Catalans at the beginning of spring, having pitched camp not far from the river Cephissus, awaited the enemy. Their cavalry numbered 3,500, and there were 4,000 infantry. While they awaited the arrival of the enemy, they plowed all that land where they had decided to fight; then, having erected a rampart and dug trenches to the river, they irrigated the entire plain so that it became a marsh. In the middle of spring, the prince of the region arrived with great forces, leading 6,400 cavalry and more than 8,000 infantry. And his opinion and arrogance were far greater. For he hoped that, once the Catalans were defeated, he would bring everything under his own power as far as Byzantium. And when he saw the plain lying between his own men and the enemy, green with much grass, suspecting nothing of what had been done, he charged against them with his cavalry, while they were standing in battle array outside the field. But before the Atticans arrived at the middle of the plain
357 ANNALIUM PARS II. 358 cum ossibus divini hominis, e Judæa profecti, et omnia prolocuti quæ Josias deinceps exsecutus est, sepulta fuisse. Itidem divinum hunc hominem A Ἰωσίας, ὁ ὡσαύτως καὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ μὲν Ἰώσηπος Ἰαδὼν αὐτὸν ὀνομάζει, ἡ δὲ βίβλος τῶν Παραλειπομένων Ἰωὴλ αὐτὸν ἡμᾶς καλεῖσθαι ἐδίδαξεν. Josephus quidem Jadonem appellat, Omissorum vero liber docet ei nomen Joeli fuisse. A Ἐπαινεῖ ἡ Γραφὴ καὶ τοῦ ᾿Ασᾶ τὴν προτέραν εὐσέβειαν· Ἐποίησε γάρ φησιν, ὁ ᾿Ασᾶ τὸ εὐθὺ ἐνώπιον Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ αὐτοῦ (3 Reg. xv, 11). Ὅθεν καὶ τοὺς ἐμόρους πάντας ὑπέταξεν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑορτὴν ἐπινίκιον ἐκτελέσας ὀμόσαι παρεσκεύασεν ἅπαντας ὡς τῆς ἐννόμου πολιτείας οὐκ ἀποστήσονται. ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ τῇ Ἀστάρτῃ λατρεῦσαι προελομένην τῆς βασιλείας ἐγύμνωσεν. Οὐκ ἐν πᾶσι δὲ τέλειος ἦν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐξῆρε τὰ ὑψηλά. Καὶ τοῦ Βασὰ δὲ στρατεύσαντος κατ' αὐτοῦ, οὐ τὸν Θεὸν εἰς συμμαχίαν ἐκάλεσεν, ἀλλὰ τὸν βασιλέα Συρίας. Ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ δι' ᾿Ανανῆ τοῦ προφήτου τὴν ἀπιστίαν διήλεγξεν ὁ Θεός εἰπών, «Ἐν τῷ πεποιθέναι σε βασιλεῖ Συρίας, καὶ μὴ ἐπὶ Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου, ἧται ὁ Βασᾶν κατὰ σοῦ, διὰ τοῦτο ἐσώθη ἡ δύναμις βασιλείας Ἰσραήλ» (2 Paral. xvi, 6). Ὁ δὲ Ἀσᾶ μὴ θρηνήσας ἐπὶ τούτοις, ὡς δέον ἦν, τὸν προφήτην ἐφυλάκισε, καὶ νοσήσας ὕστερον οὐ τὸν Κύριον ἐζήτησεν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἰατρούς, ἴσως δὲ τοὺς φαρμακούς.
Secundum hæc prædicant Litteræ sacræ regis Asæ pietatem, quam ab initio declaraverit, Recte, inquiunt, se gessit Asa erga Dominum Deum suum. Quo factum ut finitimos omnes imperio suo subjiceret. Quin etiam triumphali festo instituto cunctos sacramento devinxit se a præscripta in lege disciplina vivendique ratione non discessuros. Præterea matrem suam quæ Astarte cultum probaret, regno abdicavit. Non tamen in omnibus perfectum sese gessit. Nec enim sacella editorum sustulit, ac deinceps Basa Israelicorum rege cum exercitu adversus ipsum profecto auxilium opemque Dei non imploravit, sed Syriæ regem arcessivit. Idcirco per Ananem vatem Deus ipsius diffidentiam hujusmodi verbis objurgavit: Quoniam Syriæ regi, non Domino Deo tuo innixus es, propterea manus tuas Israelici regis exercitus evasit. Tum Asa, nequaquam deplorato delicto suo, quemadmodum facere debuerat, etiam fatidicum in carcerem conjecit. Deinde morbo correptus non ad opem Domini confugit, sed ad medicos; quorum appellatione fortassis venefici et excantores veniunt.
B Ἐπαινεῖ δὲ καὶ τὸν Ἰωσαφὰτ ὡς τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐζηλωκότα κατ' ἀρχὰς τοῦ Δαβίδ. Τὸ γὰρ, «Ὕψωθη αὐτοῦ ἡ καρδία», οὐ κατηγορία, ἀλλ᾽ ἔπαινος· ἐπήγαγε γὰρ, «ἐν ὁδοῖς Κυρίου». Ἐπιμέμφεται δὲ αὐτῷ τὴν γαμικὴν ἐπιμιξίαν ἣν πρὸς τὸν ᾿Αχαάβ ἐποιήσατο· Γοθολίαν γὰρ τοῦ ᾿Αχαὰβ τὴν θυγατέρα κατεγγύησε τῷ παιδὶ αὐτοῦ. Ὅπερ δὲ ἀφῆκεν ἡ τῶν βασιλειῶν ἱστορία, ἐνταῦθα ῥηθήσεται. Ἐπανιόντι γὰρ αὐτῷ ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ ᾿Αχαὰβ παρατάξεως τῷ Ἰωσαφὰτ ἀπήντησεν Ἰηοῦ προφήτης ὁ τοῦ ᾿Ανανῆ, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ. «Βασιλεῦ Ἰωσαφάτ, εἰ ἁμαρτωλῷ σὺ βοηθεῖς; εἰ μισουμένῳ ὑπὸ Κυρίου σὺ φιλιάζῃ; διὰ τοῦτο ἐγένετο ἐπὶ σὲ ὀργὴ παρὰ Κυρίου. Ἀλλ' οἱ ὀλίγοι ἀγαθοὶ εὑρέθησαν ἐν σοὶ, ὅτι ἐξῆρας τὰ ἄλση ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς Ἰούδα». Ἐντεῦθεν οὖν μανθάνομεν ὡς ἐλαττοῖ τὰς ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι τιμωρίας τὰ πρῶτα κατορθώματα. Ὁ τοίνυν Ἰωσαφὰτ δεξάμενος τὸν ἔλεγχον διωρθώσατο ἐπὶ πᾶσι, καὶ κριτὰς τῇ πόλει ἐπέστησεν, ἵνα δικαίως πάντα πράττοιντο. Ἀλλὰ καὶ πολεμίων ἐπιστάντων πρὸς Θεὸν κατέφυγεν, ὃς καὶ παρεθάρρυνεν αὐτὸν διὰ τοῦ Ἰεζεκιήλ λέγων· «Μὴ φοβηθῆτε τὸ πολὺ πλῆθος, ἀλλ' αὔριον ἐξέλθετε». Πρώτους δὲ τοὺς Λευΐτας ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐξήγαγεν· ὅθεν καὶ οἱ πολέμιοι ἀλλήλους κατέκοψαν. Ὅρα δὲ καὶ ἑτέραν βίβλον προφητικήν· λέγει γὰρ ἡ ἱστορία· «Καὶ οἱ πολλοὶ λόγοι Ἰωσαφὰτ οἱ πρῶτοι καὶ οἱ ἔσχατοι οὐκ ἰδοὺ γεγραμμένοι εἰσὶν ἐν λόγοις Ἰηοῦ υἱοῦ ᾿Ανανή».
Laudant et Litteræ sacræ Josaphatum, ut qui virtutem exemplo Davidis, unius ex majoribus suis, unice dilexerit. Nam quod in eis perscriptum legimus: «Elatum est cor ejus», id vero non ad vituperationem spectat, sed ad laudem atque commendationem: subjiciuntur enim hujusmodi quædam verba, «In præscriptis et institutis a Domino». Unum in eo reprehenditur, conjugalis videlicet vinculi et affinitatis conjunctio cum Achaabo instituta. Quippe Gotholiam Achaabi filiam suo filio conjugem dedit. Atque hoc loco recitandum est, quod scripta de regibus historia memoriæ non prodidit. Cum ex acie Josaphatus reverteretur, qua suppetias Achaabo tulerat, Iehu vates Ananis filius occurrit, ac regem in hunc modum compellavit: «Tene, Josaphate rex, homini scelerato ferre auxilium? Tene cum exosis Domino amicitiam colere? Ergo istius rei Domino irato pœnas dares: sed exstiterunt in te laudabilia quædam, quod lucos scilicet e solo ditioneque Judaica exterminaveris». Quibus ex verbis discere licet præclara hominum facta, quæ prius sint præstita, delictorum sequentium pœnas imminuere. Josaphatus quidem certe cum hanc reprehensionem benigne tulisset, cunctis in actionibus se deinceps egregie gessit, ac judices reipublicæ præfecit, eisdem imperans ut omnia de juris et æqui præscripto facerent cumque hostes ipsum invasissent, ad Deum confugit. Is hominis animo robur addidit, hujusmodi verbis per Jezecielum vatem editis: Nolite tantam istam multitudinem metuere, sed cras ad illam egredimini.
A And there was a woman, a lady of the family of the Malatestas, marquises of the 346th, who was truly a woman of excellent beauty and other endowments. It is said that hot vinegar was poured into his eyes—which indeed happened afterwards (though with fruitless effort, for he had recovered his sight at that time)—together with his son John, seeking aid so that he might take possession of the Byzantine Empire. When they had obtained 4,000 horsemen, they marched on Byzantium. B John the emperor and his son Manuel, having heard of Andronicus' arrival, entered the fortress which they call the Golden, preparing themselves to endure a siege. But Andronicus received the fortress into surrender through negotiations, and confined both in a very cramped wooden tower: in which they spent three years, while Bajazet warned in vain that they should be killed. In the fourth year, they persuaded the prison warden, who provided food to the captives, to supply them with iron in secret. This being done, they escaped to Bajazet, promising a huge tribute for their reinstatement. After exploring the intentions of the Byzantines, Manuel was given to them as emperor by the authority of Bajazet, who would pay thirty thousand gold pieces annually to the Turk, with Andronicus and his son John deported to the court of Bajazet, where they were to be maintained. C With Manuel's help, Bajazet took Philadelphia, a fortified city of Lydia, which was the only one in Asia still under Greek law.
But when Manuel did not fulfill the promises made to Bajazet, and refused to come to the court of the Turk, the siege of Constantinople began, which lasted a whole decade, and the city would have been completely captured, had not Tamberlanes the Scythian, having waged war on the Turks, captured Bajazet himself. While this siege was ongoing, Manuel, having entrusted the city to John, the son of Andronicus, who had defected to him from Bajazet, set out for Italy to the Venetians and the Duke of Milan for the sake of aid. Thence he entered Gaul and found the King of the Gauls, Charles, suffering from insanity, nor could he obtain from any of the Gallic dukes that for which he had come. Wherefore, upon the advice of the nobles who were there, he decided to wait for so long until the king should recover. But when the illness was protracted for a long time, he did not dare to remain any longer, and therefore, having crossed Germany and Pannonia, he returned home.
When Mahomet died—whom the Greeks found to be very kind and friendly—his firstborn son Amurates assumed the Turkish kingdom in the 12th year of his reign. D By inaugurating this rule of his, the Greeks hastened their own affairs toward complete ruin. For they summoned from Lemnos Mustapha, who claimed to be the son of Bajazet, although Mahomet, who had died a little earlier (as has been said), had stated that he was a pretender, and had obtained from the Greeks that he be kept closed in prison. But when, on account of the violence of the winds, Mustapha could not be transported from Lemnos into the Hellespont, nor be set up as king in Europe, they intercepted the crossings into Europe in the Propontis and Hellespont with triremes in order to block Amurates. Meanwhile, they sailed to Calliopolis, an opulent city of the Chersonese, so that they might hold a conference there with the arriving Mustapha, and when they had made him king of Europe, they asked him to restore Calliopolis to them, and they easily obtained that. Then indeed the commanders of Amurates, left in Europe by his father Mahomet, sent a certain Bajazet from the number of the nobles to Byzantium to Manuel, to ask that the treaty entered into with Mahomet should not be violated, and at the same time offer twelve of the highest-ranking hostages, two hundred thousand gold pieces, and finally a large region adjacent to Calliopolis, whichever the Greeks asked for, if the Byzantine emperor would abandon Mustapha and not bring aid to either side, but rather let them collide with hostile arms.
After the death of Bajazet, when his son Mahomet had come to power after his brothers and had made a perpetual peace with the Greeks, the emperor Manuel set out to the Peloponnese and surrounded the Isthmus with a wall, so that the whole region might be safe. Manuel had sons: John, Andronicus, Theodore, Constantine, Demetrius, and Thomas. He admitted John the firstborn, who seemed to excel the others, into a partnership of the empire. He gave him as a wife one from Italy, daughter of the prince of Montferrat, endowed indeed with an excellent temperament, but of unliberal appearance; for which reason she was little to his heart, nor did he live with her, nor did he observe the law of marriage. She, however, noticing that she was unloved by her husband, boarded a ship and betook herself to her own relatives. Andronicus, corrupted by elephantiasis, did not live long. Theodore was sent by his father to his uncle Theodore the purple-born, so that, educated by his uncle, he might succeed him in the principality of the Peloponnese. When these things were understood, John, son of Manuel, a youth desirous of power, thought at first that his affairs would be better if those men waged enmity among themselves, and that they would lose their own affairs by mutual discord. Furthermore, he thought it would not be of little benefit to himself if both were in need of his help. And if they were to divide the kingdom between themselves, he decided that each could more easily be suppressed by him, who however was not in reality equal to either. But afterwards, he followed a far different opinion, wholly addicted to Mustapha's party. But Manuel, the father of John, thought differently from his son, establishing that the religion of treaties must not be violated. Nevertheless, the son won, and aid was decreed for Mustapha. Soon Calliopolis was besieged and taken by storm, and when the Greeks asked for it back, Mustapha said that this would be unpleasant for the Turks, as the kingdom had not yet been acquired, and at the same time asked them to wait only a little while. Subsequently, Adrianople was occupied, the seat of the Turkish kingdom in Europe; upon which being done, troops of Turks defected to him everywhere, as if he were the son of Bajazet. Having brought Europe into his power, he crossed into Asia with the Azapides, the foot-soldiers of the Turks, and other European troops, and with Zunaites, the prince of Smyrna, in order to gain control of that as well. At the same time, having sent ambassadors to the Greeks, he begged that they not innovate anything in his absence: he would return Calliopolis once Amurates was defeated. Amurates also sent his own, who would promise the most ample things if they would follow his sides...
Quo facto, rex primos omnium levitas eduxit, nec multo post ipsimet hostes se mutuis vulneribus conciderunt. Licet autem ex indiciis quibusdam colligere, quemdam alium quoque librum de Josaphato scriptum fuisse: nam hujusmodi verba exstant in historiæ monumentis: An non multæ Josaphati orationes et facta tum ineuntis ætatis tirocinii defecta in libris Iei vatis, Ananis filii, perscripta sunt?
Caeterum præclare divinus ille Davides canit: A Libera me ab hominum calumnia. Nam de Nabuthæo perscriptum legimus, fuisse qui verbis hujusmodi hominem deferrent: Nabuthæus Deo et regi bene precatus est, hoc est maledixit. Sic enim verbum istud hoc loco debet accipi, quemadmodum et in Jobo legimus: In os profecto bene tibi precabitur. Hoc pacto delatus vitam amisit, Jezabele rem consilio et astu suo procurante. Hinc factum ut magnus ille vates Elias verbis talibus Achaabum compellare non dubitaret: Hæc tibi Dominus denuntiat: Tune hominem occideris et ejus bona possidens? At enim a Domino sic habeto. Quo in loco linxere porci et canes Nabuthæi sanguinem, ibidem canes tuum quoque cruorem lingent, seque scorta tuo sanguine alluent. Quibus B verbis Achaabus admodum contristatus non mox pœnas luit propterea quod mærore affectus fuisset. Quin etiam Deus Aderis filium, qui Samariam obsidebat, cum duobus et triginta regibus in potestatem ei dedit; quem ubi vita donatum præter edictum divinum, satellitibus etiam adjunctis, dimisisset, iram Dei adversus se concitavit. Nam is continuo per vatem Michæam (hoc enim ipsius nomen Josephus memoriæ prodidit) quodam a viatore læsum ac vulneratum in capite, verbis hujusmodi allocutus est: Quoniam tu exitialem virum de manu emisisti, tam vita illius tua vita quam populus populo rependetur.
Post hæc tribus elapsis annis, sumpto secum Josaphato Judææ rege, vates suos quadringentos consulit, censerentne sibi cum exercitu pergendum adversus Rema Galaaditidis oppidum, an expeditionem potius omittendam. Respondent Baalis vates omnino pergendum. At cum Josaphatus quæreret ecquis præ- C terea Domini vates adesset (ejus enim opera Dominum esse consulendum): Est, inquit Achaabus, adhuc quidam vates cui Michææ nomen. Sed nunquam ille animo meo grata vaticinatur. Nihilominus arcessitur; et primo quidem respondet cundum esse, quod Domino favente regi feliciter res omnes sint successura. Verum deinceps eum obtestante per sacramentum rege, divinam mentem aperit. Tum Achaabo ad Josaphatum dicente: Nonne prædixi vatem hunc mihi nihil boni denuntiare, sed tantum infausta?, subjecit Michæas: Videbam Dominum, Deum Israelitarum, in solio suo considentem, cumque universæ copiæ cœlestes ipsi astarent, hæc fatus est: Quis Achaabum regem Israelicum decipiet, ut cum exercitu Rema Galaaditidis oppidum proficiscatur atque D ibi perdat? Et exiit spiritus, et stetit coram Domino, et dixit: Ego decipiam illum. Et dixit Dominus ad eum: In quo? Et ego dixi: Exibo, et ero spiritus mendax in ore omnium prophetarum ejus, et decepi eum. Et dixit: Potes exire, et facito. Hæc autem omnia, ut ait Theodoretus, per prosopopœiam dicta sunt, edocentia nos divinam permissionem. Ita nimirum et ea quæ de Job scripta sunt, in quibus Scriptura ait angelos coram Deo et diabolum in medio eorum adstitisse, et sic f…
But while they persisted in their friendship with Mustapha, claiming to have spoken with him—men who all said they would journey to Rome—and having dismissed the envoys of Amurates with their business unfinished, they returned to the camp and spread the rumor that the Greeks had been won over to Amurates. At the same time, they threatened the soldiers of Mustapha with the worst, as if they were clearly about to perish in Asia, with the return to Europe cut off. As this rumor flew through Mustapha’s camp, and the envoys he himself had sent were not yet present, the spirits of the Turks began to waver, and immediately Zunaites fled to his paternal domain, with the other leaders and troops also slipping away. Upon this, Mustapha fled to the sea to secure his own safety, and betook himself to Europe.
While these things were happening in Asia, the Byzantine Emperor in the Peloponnese was besotted with a certain woman—the daughter of a priest—at a completely inopportune time, meanwhile neglecting the excellent opportunity to exclude Amurates from crossing into Europe. Amurates, having crossed over with his own forces through the help of a certain Genoese shipmaster, pursued Mustapha most fiercely, captured him, and strangled him. Hostile to the Greeks, he besieged Constantinople, though with a futile attempt, for they resisted so bravely that he was compelled to lift the siege. But since he was not willing to grant peace even to the Greeks, they summoned Mustapha—thirteen years of age—the brother of Amurates, and promised to secure the kingdom for him, so that he might create trouble for Amurates. However, he too was led by the Greeks into Asia, and betrayed to Amurates and killed by his tutor, to whom he had been entrusted by his father Mahomet for his upbringing.
Following these events, envoys were sent again to Amurates, especially the illustrious men Notaras and Caroluca, and finally the Greeks obtained peace. While it lasted, the Genoese, provoked by the son of John Manuel, waged war on Constantinople and besieged it; but when they could not capture it, being fortified at Galata (which was a Genoese city across from Byzantium, also having the name Pera), they returned to Italy. Nevertheless, war continued to be waged between the Galatians and the Byzantines until, after many Genoese had been captured by the general John Leontaris, a return to friendship was achieved.
That war finished, the son of John Manuel sent envoys to the Roman pontiff Eugenius, to request that a council be convoked at which the controversies of the Greeks and Latins might be settled. He was testing the spirits of the Westerners in this way, to see if they appeared disposed to return to concord with the Greeks. These envoys set out to the Germans, who, gathered at Basel, were holding a council against Eugenius and, having rejected him, had created Felix, Duke of Savoy, a man of manifest integrity, as supreme pontiff. Therefore, both pontiffs, having equipped triremes, summoned the Byzantine emperor John. For both wished that a council be held under them, and that the religious controversy which existed with the Greeks be finished. When triremes were present from both, the emperor dismissed the embassy of the Basel council with kind words; regarding the Romans, Venetians, and the rest of Italy, he had already decided to travel there, as he had previously arranged.
When he had arrived at Venice, he set out from there for Ferrara, where he had learned that the pontiff Eugenius was residing. When he had come to him, he was wearied by pleas to assist the pontiff in the contention that had arisen with the Germans. From there they set out for Florence, where, when the Greeks had arrived, they dealt much and long with the pontiff so that the affair of the diverse religion might be brought to a happy conclusion. When this had been brought to an end, they sanctioned by writings and sacred protestations that they would henceforth be unanimous in the same religion. This done, the pontiff promoted two most noble men among the Greeks to the order of cardinals and joined them to himself in familiarity: Bessarion, the Trapezuntian of Nicaea, and Isidore, the prelate of Sarmatia or Russia. For he had been greatly helped by their work in entering into concord with the Greeks. Bessarion was endowed with such power of intellect that he did not merely equal the most outstanding of the Greeks, but even surpassed them. In judgment on any matter, he was of great worth. He excelled in such knowledge of Greek and Latin letters that he easily took the palm of erudition among all. Nicholas, who succeeded Eugenius, made much of the man and held him in singular regard. For this reason, he was appointed by him prefect of Bologna, that he might govern it in the pontifical name. However, when that city was agitated by various seditions, Bessarion demonstrated his own divine prudence and virtue in those tumults. It is certain that Isidore, no less wise and a lover of his fatherland, namely Byzantium, was subsequently captured by the Turks when Mahomet the Second stormed the city, for whose salvation Isidore was then fighting bravely. Eugenius returned this man to the number of cardinals, as his authority was held in highest regard among the Greeks, because he thought he would contribute greatly to his own affairs in establishing concord with the Greeks, as indeed happened.
When the Greek emperor sought from the pontiff a garrison to retain Byzantium, the latter replied in such a way that he promised the empire of the Greeks would be his care for the future, and said he would not cease in stirring up the Germans and Hungarians to take up arms against the Turks for the use of the Greeks. These things done, the emperor returns to Byzantium. Returning home, however, the Greeks were no longer willing to abide by those things that we have said were agreed and settled in Italy. Therefore, the Roman pontiff, moved, sent certain learned men to Byzantium to come into conversation with the Greeks; they did not admit the synod convened in Italy nor its decrees. For Marcus, the prelate of Ephesus, and Scholarius, the most learned of the Greeks, were just as unwilling then as before to agree with the Latins. When it came to conversation and disputation, the Romans could accomplish nothing, but returned home with their business unfinished. Moved by this, the pontiff did not send the promised aid to the Greeks; they, themselves estranged from the pontiff,
διαλεχθῆναι πρὸς τὸν Κύριον [to converse with the Lord], the divine Chrysostom says that this is a personification. Josephus, however, says that Baal is the god of the Tyrians, Astarte of the Sidonians, and Baalim the shrine of Baal. And thus much for these matters. A Jehoshaphat, although he sought a prophet and learned such things, nevertheless marched off to war with Ahab; yet, on account of his other virtue, as has been said above, he was preserved. Micaiah, however, when thrown into prison by Ahab, said with frankness: "If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken through me." But the divine prophecy concerning Ahab delivered through Elijah also reached its end. Having been wounded, he stood for a long time in his chariot so that he would not cause a rout by flight. The blood flowing from the wound was congealed in the chariot. The charioteer washed this by a fountain, and the dogs licked it up. The harlots also came at dawn to wash themselves according to custom, for the water was stagnant and stained with blood. B Joram, the kinsman of Ahab, having emulated the impiety of his father-in-law, met with a punishment worthy of it. For the great prophet Elijah made known the decree by letter: "Thus says the Lord: 'Because you have not walked in the way of Jehoshaphat your father, but have killed your brothers, behold, the Lord strikes a great blow in your house, and you shall be in evil sicknesses, in sickness of the bowels, until your intestines come out.'" The Philistines therefore turned against him and enslaved everyone, and killed all his children except for Ochozias. The disease also fell upon him, and even after death he was not deemed worthy of a royal burial. Truly it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. C After him came Ochozias, who himself was an emulator of the impiety of his fathers. Therefore, two captains of fifty were sent to the great Elijah with arrogance, calling him to inquire about the king's sickness; upon which, bringing down fire from above, he consumed them. But here those who accuse the prophet of cruelty are accusing God Himself; for everything is done through Him. A third captain of fifty is therefore sent, and using gentle words, he escaped the punishment. Descending, therefore, and meeting those who had been sent to the idols, he said: "Because there is no God in Israel, do you go to seek Beelzebub, the god of Ekron? The bed on which you have gone up, you shall not come down from." Let them therefore know from this D that
A regarding the thirst of those drinking, the Scripture called the water "honey." Following these things, Joas holds power, who did what was right in the sight of God all the days of the high priest Joiada. Having lived for one hundred and thirty years and died, he was deemed worthy of a royal tomb. But after he died, Joas turned toward impiety. On account of which, prophets were sent to him, the Joas, among whom was also Zacharias, the son of Joiada, whom they stoned inside the open space in the temple. And as he was dying he said, "Look, O Lord, and judge." And he did not fail in his request; for having fallen into an illness, he was slain by his subjects. His son, Amasias, having become king and having conquered the Idumaeans with divine assistance and made slaves of their gods, later the senseless man honored *them* B, attributing the victory to them. To whom the prophet said: "I know that the Lord has purposed to destroy you." For he perished similarly to his father. The divine Scripture praises Ozias: "For he was," it says, "seeking the Lord in the fear of the Lord in the days of Zacharias." But after these things, desiring to enter the holy place and to offer incense, and being rebuked by the high priest and the eighty priests—for they said to him, "It is not for you, Ozias, to offer incense, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron"—he said, "Am I not king and clothed in a royal purple robe?" He was therefore rendered leprous on account of this. While he remained inside because of the leprosy, his son Joatham was directing the kingdom. But there was one Zacharias, the son of Joiada, whom Joas stoned, and another who was during the time of Ozias. I think this one is, says Theodoret, he C regarding whom the Lord said to Isaiah, "Make me witnesses, faithful men, Urias the priest and Zacharias the son of Barachias." Achaz, the son of Joatham, surpassed all in impiety, on account of which he also found many evils. And not even so did he understand, but, "I will seek," he said, "the gods of the nations who strike me, and I will sacrifice to them, and they will support me." But he also led his sons through fire. But what is this? As Josephus records, he offered one of his sons as a whole burnt offering to Baal. "I think," says Theodoret, "the form of error that has reached until our times is alluded to from this. For once in the year we see fires being lit, and certain boys and men jumping over them, and indeed infants being carried through the flame by their mothers. This seemed to be a certain diversion of evil and purification. I think this accusation was made against Achaz, whom, when he died, they did not deem worthy of royal honor."
A His son Jezechias was endowed with the highest virtue, and he performed all that his father David had done. Among other things, he destroyed the bronze serpent which Moses had made; for until those days, the children of Israel were burning incense to it. He also took the greatest care of the temple. Then, when there were not enough priests for the sacrifices, as the Book of Chronicles says, the Levites also assisted. This is something we can see even now; for when a priest is not present and the need is pressing, even a deacon is compelled to administer baptism to one who requests it. When Sennacherib had undertaken an expedition against him, he sent to Isaiah, saying: "This day is a day of anguish, and of searching, and of provocation, for the children are come to the birth, and there is no strength to the woman who is giving birth." By this he meant: We are burning and inflamed with anger at hearing the blasphemies of the Rabsaces, yet we are unable to punish the impious. For Sennacherib had ordered him, through the Rabsaces, to say: "Let not your God, in whom you trust, deceive you." But God, as soon as the king went into the temple and prayed, dispatched the prophet Isaiah, announcing the good things that would happen to him, using, among other words, these: "I will shield this city for my own sake and for the sake of David my servant." These things were spoken by God so that Jezechias would not think his prayer was heard because of his own righteousness. From this we learn that the just, even after they are dead, act as patrons of the living. Jezechias, however, both trusted in God and contributed his own diligence. First, he blocked the springs that were before the city; then he raised the towers to a greater height and built another outer wall. It happened also at that time that he fell ill to the point of death, such that, having become humble, he turned to the Lord, B as it is related in the Book of Chronicles: "And Jezechias humbled himself," it says, "from the pride of his heart." Since his father, Achaz, had received the prophecy: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive," he thought himself to be the Emmanuel and that the promise would reach its conclusion in him. Wherefore, practicing virginity, he had no desire to enter into marriage. But even when he had seen the destruction of the aliens (for in one night thousands were destroyed by an angel), he became all the more confirmed in his own foolish opinion. Wherefore he was disciplined by the Lord, being afflicted in his foot with a rot; but then God gave him a sign so that he would know he would not die at that time: "Behold, I will turn the shadow of the steps, which the sun has already gone down, ten steps on the steps of your father's house." They say that Achaz had constructed by some mechanism in his house certain steps which were like a clock and measured the path of the sun. Then, therefore, God—so that he might believe what was said (for fifteen years of life were added to him)—caused the shadow of the sun to go backward, since Jezechias himself was also returning from the sunset of his life to a second beginning of life; on account of which the sign of the sun, and no other, was given. D
A And according to Hippolytus, that day became thirty-two hours long; for the sun, having traversed ten levels, ran back over the same ones, and then, having used its own order, came to the sunset having traversed the twelve again. And so much for Hippolytus; but Eustathius, the patriarch of Antioch, says that that day came to be twenty-two hours; for he seems to say that the retrogradation of the sun occurred in the twinkling of an eye, not in ten hours. Thus, that day indeed became twenty-four hours long, in which Jesus, the son of Nave, caused the sun to stand in the very zenith for the duration of a whole day; for it had ascended for six hours, and through similar ones again to the middle of the heaven. B Know, however, beloved, that the sun did not stand still primarily, nor did the miracle happen concerning the sun alone, but concerning the first heaven itself; for it being hindered from its forward movement by the divine command, it was an absolute necessity that the sun, which is moved along with it, should also stand still. And be persuaded by the great Maximus, who, in his writings to Thalassius, discusses this matter in these very words: “God restrained the unrestrained course of the sun and the moon in a paradoxical manner, having caused the ever-moving nature of the universe to be motionless. These things, however, the God who works wonders for all things brings about, so that from this he might clearly show that neither law nor necessity is laid upon the stars, just as the many thought, seeing them always moving in the same way. He causes them, therefore, to stand, presenting the power that is inherent in Him over all things, and allows them to be carried again according to the law entrusted to them from the beginning.” C Accordingly, Merodach, the king of Babylon, sends his ambassadors to Ezechias on account of both the sickness and the miracle concerning the sun. But he, having passed over all other things, showed his wealth to the ambassadors, on account of which the following things were said to him by Isaias the prophet: “Behold, days are coming, and all that is in your house shall be taken, and they shall go away to Babylon. And your sons, whom you shall beget, shall be eunuchs in the house of the king of Babylon.” By “sons” he means the three children together with the prophet Daniel; for these have become descendants of Ezechias. Therefore, the Scripture is accustomed to name descendants as sons, just as it also calls David the father of Ezechias; for Ezechias is not a son of David, but certainly his descendant. Merodach, however, as has been said from above, sent to Ezechias for the sake of the miracle concerning the sun; for the Ares [i.e., the Chaldean astronomer] says that its retrogradation was most paradoxical. D sendit, nisi propter prodigium illud de sole. Narrat enim re- trogradationem ejus tantam fuisse, ut rem plane inusitatam et paradoxam judicarit.
certainly would not have received such gentle treatment from them, nor would they have so readily accepted his suggestions. This, therefore, was the reason, according to the opinion of our holy fathers and teachers discussed above, why the A all-wicked one used the serpent—and no other instrument—to deceive our first parents.
But whence is it clear that the devil spoke through the serpent, since Scripture says nothing of the sort anywhere? Behold, for even Paul makes mention of the serpent, saying: "I am afraid that the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness." Whence, then, is it clear that the devil speaks through the serpent? The Lord Himself removed the difficulty, lest anyone should attribute sin to the serpent alone. For to the Jews, when they said to Him, "We are from God," He said, "If you were from God, you would do the will of God. Now you are from your father the devil. He was a murderer from the beginning." Hence it is clearly demonstrated that by speaking through the serpent itself, the devil brought about the human race's subjection to death. If this were not so, he who was immortal would not have become mortal. And if you do not believe what is said, trust the wise Solomon, who says: "God did not make death, but created man for incorruption; but through the envy of the devil, death entered the world." It is therefore manifest C that the all-wicked one himself spoke through the serpent; for if this were not so, the Lord would not have called him a murderer.
And since these things are so, for what reason does Scripture mention only the serpent, and remain completely silent about matters concerning the devil? Because of the idolatrous madness of the Jews. For, as the divine Anastasius of Sinai says, so they would not, upon learning that there are certain other natures, deify them, the Mosaic book does not discourse D on the nature of demons or angels. For if, even after so many miracles, they declared the image of the calf to be God, what would they not have done if they had received the knowledge of invisible natures? That these things are so is clear from what...
A and returned, bringing with him the holy tile—that hand-made-by-no-human-effort imprint of the form of Christ our God, which he found in Hierapolis, having coveted that city—and a lock of the hair of John the Baptist, matted with blood. Even though Nicephorus was such a man, and had increased the Roman state to such a degree (for he occupied more than a hundred cities and fortresses in Cilicia, Syria, and Phoenicia, the greatest and most illustrious of which were Anazarbus, Adana, and the others, or Mamistra, also called Mopsus' Hearth, Tarsus, Pagrae, Synephium, Aleppo, and Laodicea, and moreover made those in Phoenicia, namely Tripoli and Damascus, tributary), nevertheless he became hateful to every man, and everyone thirsted to see his destruction. For even if many most beautiful qualities shone in him, yet two evils stained him: his illicit union with Theophano, and his miserliness and lack of generosity toward all.
For a famine once gripped the city, such that one medimnos [of wheat] was sold for a gold coin. Phocas learned of this and remedied the affliction in a petty manner; for having opened the public granaries, he ordered two medimnoi to be sold for a gold coin, not imitating in this the Macedonian Basil. For that emperor, seeing the Byzantines mourning and learning that the famine was the cause of their sorrow, ordered that twelve medimnoi be sold for a gold coin.
Also, when the Emperor Phocas at that very time had gone out as if to exercise the army, and a man white-haired with age came and tried to be enrolled among the soldiers, he said to him: “But you, O man, being old, how are you eager to be enrolled in my army?” The other, answering aptly, said: “I am much stronger now than when I was in my prime.” The same emperor asked: “And how so?” The man, using irony, said that he had previously loaded two mules with the grain of one gold coin, but under his reign, he was able to carry on his shoulders the grain bought for two gold coins. Understanding the irony, he went away, not at all disturbed.
Furthermore, having overthrown the cities counted above, he left only Antioch passed by, even though he was capable of overthrowing it. He left it specifically, fearing the rumor that was spread; for it was said that as soon as the city of Antioch was captured, the emperor would die. Wherefore, having left Michael Bourtzes as guardian in those parts, and a certain eunuch named Peter as commander of the camp, and having enjoined them by no means to assault Antioch, he came to the imperial city. But Bourtzes, wishing to gain a reputation for himself, despised his orders, and having besieged the city in every way, captured it. Phocas, learning this, was not a little vexed, and he lashed out at Bourtzes with insults and removed him from his command. From this, therefore, the hatred against him took its beginning; in addition to these things, also those under his hand [to the frequent...]
A Although God led these to him, and although He subjected all things under his feet, as David says, yet sin deprived him of this dominion too. But how did it deprive him? Not because such dominion was inherently susceptible to anarchy, as most people suppose, but because Adam, by transgressing the commandment given to him, fell away from all those things which had been entrusted to him by God through grace.
So it is, most holy one, even regarding immortality itself. For if we believe that God does all things and transforms them by His own will, as the prophet Amos also says concerning this, we must of necessity believe that He makes the mortal out of the immortal, and conversely, makes the immortal out of the mortal and corruptible. Therefore, let no one say that Adam was created susceptible to death from the beginning, if indeed after a short time he fell into corruption and death. Pay no mind to them, since they are clearly playing with things that are not for play. For at the same time that Adam transgressed the commandment, at that same time he became susceptible to death. And the Holy Scripture confirms this word, saying: "On whatever day you eat from the plant, you shall die the death." And what need is there to say much? If Adam had been created susceptible to death from the beginning, Solomon would not have said, "God did not make death." For these things are in complete harmony with one another. It appears, therefore, from this that at the moment he transgressed the commandment, at that same moment he became what he was not. But what is this? Was Adam not susceptible to death from the beginning? But having eaten from the wood, only then did he become susceptible to death. For, it says, at the hour you eat from the plant, you shall die the death. And do not wonder at this. For even if God imparted to him an intellectual soul, so that he was thenceforth immortal B for all time—and the Golden-Tongued one confirms this word—yet the transgression of the commandment, as has been said before, both stripped him of immortality and cast him out of Paradise, and caused him to turn back to the earth from whence he was taken. The prophet Amos, therefore, well said that God does and transforms all things by His own will for our benefit.
Recognize this, then. For if, as the argument has shown from many things, Adam was created by God incorruptible and immortal, whence then do those people launch into saying he was a medium between immortality and mortality? C Mortal, Adam could not be from the beginning—not because the body is not by its own nature mortal and dissoluble, but because the will of God is a stronger bond for every thing than that it could be dissolved for any reason, according to the golden doctrine of Plato in the *Timaeus*, where he introduces God the Creator addressing the gods thus: "Attend to these things, you who have arisen from the sowing of the gods: those works of which I am parent and effector are not dissoluble against my will: although everything that is bound can be solved. But it is by no means in the nature of goodness to wish to dissolve a bond. But since you have been born, you cannot be immortal or indissoluble. Yet you shall not be dissolved by any means, nor shall any fates of death destroy you, nor is fraud mightier than my counsel: which is a greater bond for your perpetuity than those by which you were bound when you were being begotten," as M. Tullius translated Plato's words into Latin. However, what Glycas says, that Adam began to be able to die after sin, does not look to free will but to the condition of the body; for even before sin, by his own choice, he could die—namely, by sinning—and fall into a mortal condition. Let Peter Lombard be consulted, Book II of the *Sentences*, dist. XIX, and Thomas, I, I, Q. xcvii, art. 1, where it is shown that Adam was immortal only by the gift of God, not by his own nature, which they learned from Augustine, *De civitate Dei*, bk. XIII, ch. 20, 23; bk. VIII, *De Genesi ad litteram*, ch. 4 and 5, and the author of the *Questions of the Old and New Testament*, qu. 19.
It seems rightly said that Adam could be considered a medium between mortality and immortality before sin: for he was immortal by the gift of God, mortal by nature and condition; immortal if he had wished to remain obedient, mortal if he had failed by sinning against God. Excellently, Peter Lombard, Book II of the *Sentences*, dist. XIX: "The first man, therefore..."
EPISTLE VIII
To the most venerable monk, lord Esaias. — Concerning whether the just are destined to progress in knowledge and glory, or not, after the restitution which will occur there.First of all, it is necessary to speak concerning these things, O divinely-like man, as to what is the condition laid up there for the just, and how each one of them and in what manner they will rest after the life here; for thus the discussion concerning this head will become more evident to those who attend. For if we hear our Savior Jesus Christ saying in the Gospels, "In my Father's house there are many mansions" (John XIV, 2), he does not thereby make mention of a difference of dwellings raised up here or there and allotted to the just, but rather the properties of the charismata in reference to the evangelical and divine Word. For the rest, the difference is in the charismata; for the mansion is one and not many. But what is that mansion, and whence are the charismata distributed to the just? Our Lord Jesus Christ himself is then established as all things to all. He himself is the mansion, and the ineffable joy of the just; he himself is the enjoyment, he himself is the resurrection of all. And this is manifest from those things which [Gregory] the Theologian is found saying in this way: "Henceforth I will not cast off what was agreed upon by me in baptism, so that I might not fall from the blessedness of that place. And this is the more expressive comprehension of the Trinity."
In addition to these, the most holy Barlaam, having been asked what the kingdom of heaven is, gave such an answer to that Joasaph: "As I have learned from the Scripture, it is to become near to the contemplation of the holy Trinity; and with unveiled face to behold its glory." Hence, all the just will gaze upon the intelligible sun, and will become participants of that divine light, even if not all equally; but each one according to his own purity. For just as this sensible sun is set forth for the sight of all, and it sends forth its rays to one less, and to another more vehemently; but just as it is received by each accordingly, according to the disposition of the eyes; so you must believe it will be then concerning that inaccessible splendor, and those who cling to it. For according to the blessed Paul, a transformation
A they contend with their whole heart that he had, and they do not pronounce him immortal in every way according to the dignity conferred upon him before sin. Let them give an answer to these points. But they could not say anything. For those men, as you see, do not only insist that he was in a middle state, but they also do not hesitate to attribute natural afflictions to him who, before sin, was free from corruption and destruction and impassible. And they do this without any proof, as was said, from Scripture. But do not fear on this account. For that man was of such a nature from the beginning, namely incorruptible and impassible, and that in some way he did not suffer, being superior to any corruption, the Gold-Tongued [Chrysostom] showed in his seventeenth homily on the *Hexaemeron*, saying that man before sin possessed such impassibility as angels have, and that he was a participant in ineffable glory; and he showed it much more clearly in his book *On the Statues*, since he was making an argument about this. For because some were calumniating this corruptible body to such an extent that they even called it unworthy of the creation of God—for they said that if it were a creature of the divine hands, it would not be subject to such a myriad of afflictions—he used arguments against them like this: "Let no one speak to me of this man who has offended, who has been condemned, who has been disgraced. But if you wish to learn what kind of body God fashioned for us from the beginning, let us go to paradise and look at the man who was created at the beginning." For that body was not then corruptible and subject to time, but, like some golden statue having come forth from a furnace and shining brilliantly, thus that body was exempt from all corruption; and B neither did toil trouble it, nor did sweat damage it, nor did anxieties plot against it, nor did sadnesses besiege it, nor was it vexed by dirt, nor tears, nor any other such passion. But after he behaved insolently toward his benefactor, and hoped to become God, and took up an understanding beyond his own dignity, then, truly then, God, schooling him, made him corruptible and mortal, and bound him to these many necessities. Thus far that most divine John. Therefore, the discourse rightly called that body incorruptible. For that which is not subject to any kind of corruption is certainly incorruptible. But if it was incorruptible, how, I ask, and in what way did it suffer? We desire to learn this. For we cannot understand by our own reflections how a body [remained] from any corruption... C according to the nature of an earthly body, he was immortal in a certain way, in one sense, because he could not die, and mortal in a certain way, because he could die. For in that first state he had the ability to die and the ability not to die. Therefore, Augustine says of him in book XII of *The City of God*, chap. 23: "He was prevented from the necessity of death not by an absolute and indissoluble immortality, but by the tree of life." It is therefore a source of wonder that Glycas is not afraid to attack these such manifest things. See a little lower down.
[Note: The remaining paragraph summarizes that man is said to be free from natural pains before sin in the sense that he was not disturbed by passions that cause nature to decay, but rather possessed capacities whereby nature is restored, as Thomas teaches (I, q. 97, art. 2). Hence, the great Augustine writes in book XIV of *The City of God*, chap. 10: "How happy, then, were they, and by no perturbations of mind were they agitated, and by no bodily inconveniences were they harmed..."]
A of it; and he said: "My father committed many wicked acts from his youth, and in his old age he repented. And now I will go as my soul desires, and afterwards I will return to the Lord." For this reason God did not wait, because he was not brought to his senses by the things his father suffered. Amosus formed a certain wicked thought in his mind, for he said: "My father committed many wicked acts from his youth, and in his old age he repented. Therefore I also at this age will carry on according to the lust of my soul, and then I will turn to the Lord." On this account, God did not wait for his repentance, since he had not become better because of his father’s calamities. Josiah his grandson succeeded him in the kingdom. This one acquired the piety of his ancestor David. And first of all he took care of the temple, having destroyed, among other things, the house which Solomon had built for Astarte, the abomination of the Sidonians; then, having heard the divine words in Deuteronomy, he both tore his garments and lamented greatly. For this reason God indeed pronounced the sentence against the people and the temple, but for the king He predicted good things: "Because," He says, "you heard my words and your heart was softened, and you tore your garments and wept before me, your eyes will not see all the evils that I am bringing upon this house." He smashed the vessels of the idols into the brook of Cedron, and he burned the priests of the idols in Bethel, according to the prophecy of Joel, that man of God. In the times of King Josiah, as George says, the city of Byzantium was founded by Byzas, king of Thrace (40). B It must be known that Nebuchadnezzar pillaged Jerusalem three times: under Joakim, under Jechonias, and later under Zedekiah, as George says. Theodoret, following the most divine Jeremiah, says that Joakim and Jechonias are the same person. Zedekiah, according to the great Epiphanius, was blinded, led off to Babylon, and cast into a mill for twenty-six years, even if he was later honored. Thus, the years of those who reigned in Jerusalem from David until Zedekiah amount to 498, and there were twenty-two kings in all from the single line of David. Those who reigned in Samaria were 18, from Jeroboam until Oseas, under whom Samaria ceased and perished at the hands of Salmanasar. In place of the Samaritans, Assyrians settled there, from whom the heretical Samaritans and Sadducees C arose. These, being consumed by lions that suddenly set upon them, and having learned from the old men there the God honored in that place, and that it was from Him that such things were suffered—though some say Byzas. From this passage, and certain others, the reader will learn that the chronicle of George Syncellus is not complete and finished in all its parts, as it appeared in print, issued from the manuscript copy of the Royal Library by the Rev. Father Jacques Goar of the Order of Preachers at the Royal Press, but that certain things are still missing from it, to be supplied from other, more abundant records, if any should happen to occur. Let the reader observe, however, that our Glycas was deceived while he confused King Jechonias with his successor Zedekiah, contrary to the authority D of the sacred pages. For neither was Zedekiah, when led to Babylon, honored later, but Joachim, the son of Joakim, who was also called Jechonias, concerning whom the sacred writer says in the last chapter of the fourth book of Kings: "And it happened in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Joachim, king of Judah." It happened indeed in the thirty-seventh year of the transmigration of Joachim, king of Judah, in the 12th month, on the 27th day of the month, Evilmerodach, King of Babylon, lifted up the head of Joachim, king of Judah, from prison, and he spoke to him, etc.
A for the sake of reminder and instruction? That which suffers is of necessity corruptible. But if Adam was corruptible, because he was subject to suffering, how do they again insist that he was a nature intermediate between the incorruptible and the corruptible? These B things seem to us, for the time being, to be irrational and very unlearned; for if, as they say, the divine Gregory said that the body of Adam was a medium between magnitude and humility, that is between immortality and mortality, why did this great man beforehand call it temporary? Let them render an answer to these points. For if it was temporary, it is evident that it was also mortal. And if Adam was mortal, because he had a body that was temporary, how did he later say it was a medium between magnitude and humility? Understand therefore, O holy head, that in discussing a few C things regarding the common nature of men, the divine Gregory gave, I know not how, the opportunity to the aforementioned Father to opine that he was discussing such things regarding the first Adam. Thus therefore, most holy one, even the medium of magnitude and humility was not written by the great man, as I suppose, concerning corruption and incorruption, but altogether concerning soul and body. For the soul of a man, having received its existence through the divine inbreathing, was admittedly greater than this clay body. And what need is there to say much? D If you should carefully examine the theological syllables, and furthermore the explanation issued upon them, then you have to learn what the difference is among them, and that such an explanation seems to oppose the pious rationale to a very high degree. For at once, the "temporary and immortal," and "the existence in order to suffer, and by suffering, that one be reminded and instructed," and "that the animal be managed from thence, and transferred elsewhere," none of these will in any way fit that progenitor A and first Adam; unless perhaps we say that even before the transgression he was subject to corruption and mortality—he who was created for incorruption according to the image of the eternity of God. It would have been better to be silent on these matters, since we have perceived that the divine Gregory himself said nothing of the sort, at least concerning the first Adam for the time being. For how could he, if in proceeding further he even gives him a body exempt from all corruption, B and confirms the argument in which he spoke thus word for word: "And without any covering and protection; for such it was fitting for him who was from the beginning to be"? On which it is also worthy to note: if it was fitting for him who was from the beginning to be such—not in need, that is, of any covering and protection, and this is entirely perfect impassibility—it is evident that the "temporary and immortal" and "the existence in order to suffer, and by suffering, that one be reminded and instructed," pertained to the common nature of men... C (Thus Plato writes in his *Statesman* that in the golden age men lived for the most part nude and without any coverings under the open sky. "Naked, indeed," he says, "and unburdened, and wandering, they lived for the most part.") D (Lucretius, book V: "Nor did they yet know how to handle things with fire, nor to use/ Skins, and clothe the body with the spoils of beasts./ But they frequented groves, and hollow mountains and forests,/ And amid the thickets were hiding their squalid limbs, etc.") (Not only as concerning the soul, which the Stoics strove to introduce, but also concerning the body. Concerning the apathia of the Stoics, see what we have noted lower down regarding this same epistle.)
801 A nor was man merely the handiwork of divine hands.” And these things, indeed, this aforementioned divine man discourses concerning paradise; from which it is possible for the attentive reader to learn that he is a more divine creature, and superior to this corruptible creation. For if this were not so, never would that Adam, while dwelling therein, have exulted and rejoiced; never would he who was incorruptible, living in an incorruptible state, have enjoyed a blessed life. That these things are so, and that that place was of such a kind, the great Basil himself clearly demonstrated regarding paradise, discoursing as follows: “Thus also, he made the habitancy of man the work of his own hand, a place superior to the whole of creation, situated in a conspicuous spot, inaccessible to darkness, and on account of its height, easily seen; no hurricane there, no tempest, no hail, no wintry freezing; the earth was rich and soft, watered by most fertile streams. But how shall I bring into your sight the things that are in that fatherland? How shall I call you back to it from this exile?” Learn therefore from this, O sacred head, of what nature paradise is. For even if we grant, along with all the rest, that it also is bounded by the ocean which encompasses the whole earth, just as the majority have thought, nevertheless, consider it to be superior to this life which is being altered and is changing at every hour. For if this were not so, it would not have been said to be situated in a conspicuous spot; it would not have been B higher than the whole earth; it would not have been adorned with ever-blooming and immortal plants. That these things are so, and that paradise is above this earth, the one wise in divine things, Theodoret, also indicated, saying thus: “Out of the whole earth, then, as a certain excellent spot towards the East, God having chosen what is called Eden, in it he constructed paradise; in which, desiring to honor man whom he had created, he commanded him to dwell.” Attend therefore: for it appears from this that paradise was free from corruption. For if this were not so, he would not have placed man in it when he wished to honor him; and these things are attested by the entire holy Scripture, which testifies that this was created free from corruption. And what need is there to say many things? Paradise was free from corruption; if it were bounded by the ocean which encompasses the whole earth, as they say, that universal deluge would necessarily have reached even it, C and corrupted it along with the rest as being subject to corruption, since at that time the water, as the Scripture says, was raised fifteen cubits above all the mountains. It is manifest, therefore, also from this that paradise is superior to this mutable life. But if it is superior to this life, it is manifest that it is also free from corruption; and if it is free from corruption, it is an absolute necessity that all the plants in it also be superior to corruption. For if, as some think, these were subject to corruption and change, then it must be said that he who tasted of the sensible food was entirely in the state of participation in it. And what need is there to say many things? If paradise was corruptible, the most divine Ambrose and the martyr of Christ, Justin, would not have said that it was shameful to assert that the D of [the world...].
A For the phrase "according to the image" signifies nothing other than the principle of rule and dominion. For just as the God of all things holds rule over all, both visible and invisible, being the creator of all, so too, having created this rational animal, He willed him to have dominion over all seen things; for which reason He also graced him with the essence of his soul, willing him to be immortal for all time. But do not doubt what is said, since even Solomon set this forth, saying: "God created man for incorruption, and [as] an image of His own eternity" (Wis. 2:23). And his state would indeed have been thus perpetual; but because he slipped through sloth and transgressed the commandment given to him, He did not even then turn away from him completely; but having deprived him of immortality, and having condemned him to death, He left him in almost the same principle of rule.
B 5: It is not at all implausible to say that the likeness to God resides in man according to the principle of rule. For the governing of all things upon the earth has been given to him.
He was not, however, cast out of it entirely, lest the grace be found worthless, but it was mutilated. For it was not just that the one who was defeated should also be crowned, but that he should be disciplined by the fear of wild beasts.
Furthermore, even having transgressed the commandment, He did not turn away from him completely, but having deprived him of immortality, and having condemned [him] to death, He left him in that same rule. Therefore, it is clear that before the eating, man was immortal; for if he were not at that time, He would not have brought death upon him after the eating in the order of punishment, as the golden-tongued John says in his sixteenth homily. But it is worth attending here. For God did not only will to appoint him king of all things seen, but He also showed his established rule through the works themselves. For He brought all the animals to him at that time, even though He was not ignorant of the future, and so all things, standing in a servile state, received their names from him. Thus, therefore, He honored him through his intellectual soul and immortality; for if, inasmuch as he possesses reason, he holds power even today. For if you see wild beasts exercising arrogance and sometimes looking shamelessly at him, do not wonder; for even this happens by all means according to divine economy, so that from this we might be reminded, even against our will, of the sin on account of which we were condemned to fear and tremble before those subjected to our rule. C It is not, however, inconsistent with truth to say that the likeness to God also exists in man in respect to his capacity to rule. For the power to rule over all things on earth was given to him. Theodoret asks, in question 20 on Genesis: Some have said that man was created according to the image of God in respect to the faculty of ruling, using a most clear argument from the fact that the Creator added, “And let him have dominion over the fish of the sea, and the birds of the sky, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and all the reptiles that creep upon the earth.” For just as He Himself holds the rule over all, so He gave to man dominion over the irrational animals. Theodoret himself was of this opinion in his comment on 1 Corinthians 11:7; also Isidore of Pelusium, book 3, epistle 95; John Chrysostom, homily 10 on Genesis; and Diodorus of Tarsus, according to Theodoret. And Augustine seems not to dissent from this in book 1 of *De Genesi contra Manichæos*, chapter 17.
Isidore of Pelusium, epistle 95, book 3, teaches that Adam's rule was indeed mutilated after the sin, but not entirely taken away. For he was not cast out of all rule, lest the grace be found empty and void, but it was truncated. For it was not just that he who was defeated should also be crowned, but that he should be chastised by the fear of wild beasts. Thus our Glycas in the first part of his *Annales*.
Moreover, He did not entirely turn away from him [who had] transgressed His commandment, but having stripped him of immortality and condemned him to death, He left him in almost the same rule. For man, by means of the reason with which he is endowed, still retains all things in his power today. Although we see wild beasts occasionally rushing at man at their own will, we ought not to marvel at this so much, since it happens by divine counsel, so that in this way we may be admonished, even against our will, of the sin for whose cause this punishment befell us: that we should fear those subjected to our rule. The same is taught by John Chrysostom, homily 9 on Genesis. Excellently, Ambrose, book 6 of *Hexaemeron*: "Nothing seemed more robust in the created order than the elephant, nothing so terrible or tall: nothing so wild as lions or tigers: and these serve man, and lay aside their nature through human instruction; they forget what they were born, they put on what they are ordered. Why say more! They are taught like little ones, they serve like the infirm, they are beaten like the timid, they are corrected like subjects: they pass into our customs, because they have lost their own motions."
Man was immortal not only as regards the soul, but the soul itself, before the first man's sin, was the provider of immortality for the body, as Thomas teaches, 1, 1, Quest. xcv, Art. 1. For he writes: For his body was not indissoluble by any vigor of immortality; but there was in the soul a certain power, supernaturally given by God, by which the body was able to be preserved from all corruption…
generation of those who were allotted to rule. Christ was born, he who was also the expectation of the nations. This man, Herod, as has been recounted, having fought alongside Augustus Caesar with his own expenses when he marched against Cleopatra, received the kingship in Judea as a sort of honorary gift from him. And concerning these matters, so be it.
When Nebuchadnezzar was boasting and speaking great things regarding the beautiful city which he had built, a voice came from heaven saying: "Nebuchadnezzar, your kingdom has passed from you, and they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts, and they shall feed you grass like an ox. And seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of men." And in that very hour these things were fulfilled, and along with the others, his hair was magnified like a lion’s, and his nails like a bird’s. He suffered these things because he boasted about the vision of the image; for from that point he supposed himself to be a god. Whence he also set up his own image for the sake of it being worshipped, and he lit that furnace. After this, he sees a second dream: a tree reaching to heaven, covered on all sides with birds. A voice from above threatened the cutting down of the tree, without its root, however. Daniel clarifies this vision, and says that for seven years he would herd with the beasts on the mountains, then return to his kingdom. And this is indeed what happened.
Furthermore, when Nebuchadnezzar was boasting magnificently regarding the name of that city which, by building it, he had brought to impressive elegance, a voice from heaven was heard, which uttered words of this sort: "Your kingdom, Nebuchadnezzar, has now departed from you, and you will be driven away from the gatherings of mortals; you will live among wild beasts; you will feed on the grass of the field; and seven years will be spent by you in this way, until you acknowledge that there is a certain Most High, by whose judgment and power the kingdoms of mortals are held." When these things had been spoken, the outcome answered in that very hour. For among other things, his hair grew to the size of lion's hair, and likewise he acquired claws that matched the claws of birds. He suffered these things because, among other reasons, he had taken too great airs after the vision he saw in his sleep; for he thought he was a god. Led by this opinion, he erected his own statue so that it might be worshipped, and he even lit a furnace into which those who refused to do what was commanded would be thrown.
Following these, he had that other dream in which he saw a tree reaching even to heaven, in which birds of every kind were singing. A voice issued from heaven which threatened the cutting down of the tree, the root being excepted, however. Daniel also interprets that dream, and predicts that it would come to pass that he would wander for seven years among the mountain beasts; when that time passed, he would recover his kingdom, just as also occurred.
Nebuchadnezzar’s successor in the empire was his son, and after him another son, Belshazzar. When this man had given a banquet and invited his magnates, he sat drinking and gluttonizing, having for service at such a banquet those sacred vessels which Nebuchadnezzar had taken away from the divine temple in Jerusalem. On account of this, God is angered. Because of this, He decrees the total destruction of those who despise Him. Belshazzar therefore sees on the plaster of the wall of the house in which he was sitting, while he was celebrating the banquet, the knuckles of a hand and letters declaring: "Mene, Tekel, Phares." Whence the king is not a little troubled by these things. He asks his wise men about them; but they swear that they know nothing. The prophet Daniel is also summoned; for the prophetic power in him had become clearly manifest when he both spoke and clarified that marvelous vision of Nebuchadnezzar. For he saw in a dream a multi-colored image and a stone cut without hands from a mountain, which shattered the image. But he had forgotten the vision. Having become awake, he sought to learn the vision. And while all his wise men were at a loss, and...
A And thus he speaks word for word: "Enoch was pleasing to God, and he is transferred." And observe the goodness of the Master. For when he had found a man who had performed the duties of virtue, he did not deprive him of that dignity which he had bestowed upon the first-formed man before the transgression of the commandment. But what was the dignity which God bestowed upon the first man in the beginning? It was to be incorruptible, immortal, and exempt from destruction, as the argument has already clearly shown. This dignity Adam indeed received, but he lost it nonetheless, because he transgressed the commandment and because he touched the tree with a perverse design. Wherefore, so that we do not despair completely, as though we were never to recover that immortality, he transfers Enoch, deems him worthy of incorruptibility, and thus prepares him to live for ages, teaching by this that our mortal nature awaits the boundaries of that immortality B from which it fell through the transgression of sin. Take heed, therefore. For if this is so, what need is there to say more? For if that first man possessed this incorruptibility, which God taught that the mortal nature awaits by transferring Enoch, it appears clearly that man was created by God from the beginning such as the divine oracles declare he will rise from the dead. So do not hesitate. Reflect with yourself on what Anastasius of Sinai also set forth most clearly in his oration *On the Resurrection* concerning these things in this manner C: "Such a body is raised from the dead as it was from the beginning, having cast off all that had befallen it on account of sin." Attend, therefore: if it rises such as it was from the beginning—and it is certain that the body then rising will be superior to death and corruption, which the great Paul testifies: "It is necessary..." [In this section, the text follows the argumentation of the Latin doctors, in particular as noted by Augustine, *De peccatorum meritis et remissione*, book 3, affirming that Enoch and Elijah do not remain alive in any other way than the first man and his descendants, had he not sinned, would have been immortal. For if God, he says, provided for the Israelites that their garments and sandals did not wear out for so many years, what is the wonder if the same power were provided to an obedient man, so that, having an animate and mortal body, he might have in it a certain state of life without decay of years, D at a time which God might will, to move from mortality to immortality without undergoing intermediate death? For just as this very flesh which we now have is not non-vulnerable because it is not necessary that it be wounded, so that body was not non-mortal because it was not necessary that it die. I believe such a condition was granted even to those who were translated from here without death, while still in an animate and mortal body. For neither did Enoch and Elijah wither from old age through so long a time, nor yet do I believe them to have been already changed into that spiritual quality of body which is promised in the resurrection, etc.] [Augustine, *De civitate Dei*, book 13, chapter 20, speaks thus concerning the body of the saints restored in the final resurrection: "Not only will it not be such as it is now in every best state of health, but not even such as it was in the first men before sin. Who, though they would not have died unless they had sinned, used food like men, not yet carrying spiritual, but as yet earthly animate bodies." Chapter 23 follows: "The first man was made of the earth, earthy, into a living soul, not into a life-giving spirit, which was reserved for him through the merit of obedience. Therefore, his body, which required food and drink so that it would not be afflicted by hunger and thirst, and was restrained from the necessity of death not by that absolute and indissoluble immortality, but by the tree of life, and was kept in the flower of youth, was without doubt not spiritual, but animate; never to die, however, unless he had sinned by transgressing the judgment of the One who foretold and warned."]
A others adopted other such notions out of poor judgment. Whence it is that even the older of the ecclesiastical expositors—Philo the philosopher and Papias of Hierapolis, who was contemporary with the Apostles, Irenæus of Lyons, Justin the martyr and philosopher, Clement the secretary, and the divine Cappadocian Gregories—while they wished to overturn these most shameful notions, yet, at the same time, looking to the divinely inspired Scripture, as Paul counsels, they contemplated all matters regarding Paradise spiritually, truly handling their own treatises for the sake of dispensation [oikonomikos].
But perhaps you produce the great Basil, the golden-tongued and divine John, the blessed Epiphanius, and the most divine Cyril, and you say that they went through all matters in Paradise according to the letter. We know this also, and we would not deny it. But observe the dispensation [oikonomia] of the divine, God-minded Fathers; observe that Davidic utterance receiving its completion in them, which says: “A wise man will dispense his words in judgment.” For when they found the execrable Origen allegorizing the entire Hexaemeron into mythical tragedies, understanding nothing according to the letter—for he spoke vacuously of Adam and the Paradise as incorporeal, and understood all other things intellectually—they decided to leave aside the allegorists and to interpret their own treatises on the Hexaemeron according to the letter, and most wisely so. For they would not have called the fig tree a fig, and the fig again the tree of eating, if they had heard anyone speaking vainly about that first woman in relation to a tree of eating. B That Adam did not experience sensible eating in Paradise, the golden-tongued John himself, who used such great condescension [synkatabasis], clearly showed in his homilies on the Hexaemeron, by saying: “Adam had a wonderful life; for just as an angel, so did man dwell upon the earth, clothed in a body, yet existing outside of bodily needs.” If, therefore, he was superior to bodily needs, how or in what manner was he drawn to eating, neither exhaling his flesh through transpiration, nor being compelled by nature itself, as he possessed total freedom from passions? It appears, therefore, from this that that eating was something else, which the plants in Paradise provided to Adam, if indeed sensible eating is the replenishment of that which flows out secretly. And thus matters stand in this regard.
Do not approach the divine Scripture in a cursory manner, nor choose to attend to some teachers while thoughtlessly overlooking and turning away from others; for this is not without danger. But strive to reconcile all of them together with good will, as having spoken in one and the same Spirit. If they seem perhaps to differ among themselves, blame not the teachers themselves, but the times and the circumstances. For these, too, according to the blessed Paul, C striving for all things, by means of dispensation...
A sleep, sweat, and all such things as entered into human life after the transgression. And why? In order that, having refined all these in the fire of the divinity, he might purify humanity and restore it again to the ancient dignity of incorruption, and impassibility, and immortality. For this reason, also, in becoming incarnate, he did not see fit to wear the body of the first Adam; for that body, being incorrupt, as that divine man already mentioned B says, had no need of healing. Rather, he assumed my flesh, which had fallen ill and turned aside, that he might heal it and deliver it from the passions to which man fell subject after sin; and that he might bring us back to himself—we who, because of wickedness, had flowed away from existence, as the divine Theologian Gregory says—through his incarnation. He is, therefore, as has been said, a man even as we are; he does all things and suffers for our salvation all those things that are recorded in the holy Gospels; finally, he is nailed to the cross, he is put to death, C and is deemed worthy of burial according to the Jewish law. Then why does he rise naked from the tomb, leaving the burial cloths there? He did this altogether to show that his most holy body was transformed into the incorrupt and immortal, and that it became such as the body of Adam was from the beginning, when, being naked, it was not in need of any covering, since it was not lacking the immortality bestowed by grace.
Thus, therefore, most holy one, the Lord’s body also, because it was subject to corruption before the passion, necessarily D stood in need of the protection of garments. But after the passion and the resurrection, having become incorrupt, it no longer stood in need of any covering. It was transformed, and as has been said, became incorrupt through the divinity of the Word dwelling within it, so that the whole nature of men might share in incorruption from that source and return to the ancient dignity of immortality. For if this were not the case, if he did not intend to renovate man, who had been broken by sin, and restore him to be as he was from the beginning, what else would have compelled him to become man as we are, and to do and suffer everything that the evangelical account has taught us? Let them go, therefore. For see how the Theologian Gregory also presents this very thing, discoursing thus: "A head of the mysteries of Christ is my perfection, and recreation, and return to the first Adam." If therefore, most holy one, God came to us in the flesh in order to refashion man who had been broken, and to renovate him who had grown old through sin, and to bring him back to his original dignity—that is, to that immortal and indestructible state, as the discourse has argued above—then those who dogmatize otherwise from their own heads, and who do not walk in accordance with the orthodox mind of the Church, are in error. Let them therefore go...
A ...those who in their ignorance ended their lives in impiety; we made before Him such a response, saying: "For the salvation of mankind [the Word] truly became man." On which one might also be at a loss, saying: "Why did the events of the Incarnation not take place in the times before, so that from this everyone might have known the mystery concerning Christ?" But since we have heard the Lord in the Gospels saying: "Father, the hour has come," that is, the proper time, which was foreordained before the foundation of the world for the salvation of men (for if this were not so, He would not have said, "The Son of man goes according to the appointed time"), who is so confident in himself as to oppose so clearly those things which the Lord himself affirms? And this time seemed fitting, and suitable to the divine will, because that most holy Virgin B who was to serve the mystery concerning Christ was then brought into the world, and because at that time the disease of wickedness was waning (according to the divine Gregory of Nyssa), which had from the beginning afflicted the nature of humanity. For if He had become man beforehand, the wickedness that dwelt within would not have easily yielded to the remedies; nor would the nations, being called at that time, have heard; for a malady that is crude, as a certain wise man said, does not yield—that is, a corrupted humor that has penetrated into the depths is not easily drawn forth by the applications of medicines.
C ...When the cursed demons, with the devil leading them, left nothing in order, but were filled with every injustice and greed; and knowing no satiety of the evil they wrought, drove men to the furthest extreme of passions—then, even then, the King of all, the Word of the Father, having hated the tyranny of the one side and pitied the calamities of the other, putting on human nature, stood in the battle line. Therefore, some trophies stood, others were being raised, and others were in hope. And the barbaric troop of demons, with their commander, lamented their misfortunes; but human nature ran back toward liberty. "When the wicked demons with their leader the devil had not allowed anything to remain in order, but gorging themselves on every kind of iniquity and violence, and finding no satiety in any injury or insolence, had driven men to extreme evils: then truly, then that King of all, the Word of the Father, and having hated the tyranny of those [demons], and having pitied the distresses of these [men], assuming human nature, emerged into the battle line. Wherefore, D trophies partly stood fixed, partly were erected, and partly remained to be hoped for: and that ferocious throng of demons with their evil leader grieved over the blow they had received: but human nature was restored again to liberty." Cyril of Alexandria also, in his book against the Anthropomorphites, chapter 24, discourses at length, and affirms that human nature was assumed by the divine Word when the darkness of wickedness had grown to its highest measure, and sin had superabounded. He himself also uses the example of the physician, but clearly to insinuate the opposite. Furthermore, Glykas discourses on these same things in the second part of his Annals.
ANNALS PART III. FROM THE REIGN OF CAESAR UNTIL CONSTANTINE THE GREAT
A Maccabaeus, who, moved by a certain divine zeal, slew the royal commander and performed countless other glorious deeds. But King Antiochus, having set out against Persia, and returning in dishonor, seized by a most grievous disease, recognized his state, saying: "It is just that I suffer for those things which I have committed against Jerusalem." And casting forth worms, he breathed out his soul. B After him, his son Antiochus Eupator, during whose reign Judas Maccabaeus, having routed the commanders of Antiochus, stirred up Antiochus against himself with an infinite multitude and fifty-five elephants, upon which were wooden towers, each containing thirty-two armed soldiers. Then, indeed, then Judas performed great deeds, so as even to receive the high priesthood from the people. During his time, Jesus, the son of Sirach, having composed the all-virtuous work, was known to the Jews.
The affairs of the Romans were previously conducted by consuls for 464 years C until Julius Caesar, the "Caesar" — that is, the one not born by natural birth; for his mother having died in the ninth month of her pregnancy, they cut her open and brought him forth, whence he was called Caesar, from whom all the Roman emperors were called Caesars. He was dictator for ten years.
*PART III. FROM THE REIGN OF CAESAR UNTIL CONSTANTINE THE GREAT.*
Joannes Meursius, a Dutchman, a man excellently deserving of the literary republic, especially in publishing Greek writers—at Leiden in the year 1618, first published and translated into the Latin language the *Roman History* of Theodore Metochites from Julius Caesar to Constantine the Great, adding very brief notes, with a preface concerning Theodore Metochites himself, whose deeds he pursues, and Nicephorus Gregoras’s "Nenia" or Funeral Oration upon the same. D But the learned man was deceived in his opinion, and led many into error, whether deluded by some little Greek who sold this fragment of our Glykas to him, or to the Reverend Father Andreas Schottus (from whom he confesses to have received it) as if it had been compiled by Theodore Metochites; or whether the name of the possessor, which the title "Metochitov" displayed, transitioned into the appellation of the true author, which in this case was missing; or for whatever other reason. Therefore, the book of the singular *Roman History* is nothing other than the third book of Michael Glykas, and that not entirely complete—namely, from page 204 of this Royal edition to 245, where the unhappy death of Galerius Maximianus is described.
Concerning what else may be lacking in our work, we shall diligently compare the edition of Joannes Meursius with other manuscript codices which we have used thus far, and we shall attach his notes and emendations, designated by the capital letters JM.
Roman affairs were administered by consuls for 464 years-—564 years, according to Constantinus Manasses, at PG 157. The Alexandrian Chronicle holds for 393 years. To our Theodore (correct this, reader, and replace Theodore with Glykas), Cedrenus agrees, and he is the author of other things as well. Florus counts up to Augustus. Indeed, the opinion of Manasses is closer, which is confirmed by the Capitoline Fasti, from which it is thought that from the first consuls to the monarchy of Julius were 460 years—namely, as I am accustomed to think, from the year of the City 245, in which Lucius Junius Brutus and Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus first entered the consulship, up to the year 705 of the same Rome, in which C. Julius Caesar, created Dictator by Marcus Lepidus, prefect of the City, abdicated the dictatorship after the eleventh day, when he had been declared consul for the following year. On the same page, write for "eight" [in the text]. In the codex JM, mistakenly for "Ibidem" [it says] "eight." Leunclavius in his manuscript seems to have read "12," and thus translated "12 years," from which Joannes Meursius wrote this note: "Glykas [counts] 12 years, Cedrenus counts 4 years, 7 months," from which the Sicilian Fasti do not deviate. But instead of our Metochites (the *palimpsest* volume, which it is a wonder he did not recognize from the mutual comparison of the Leunclavian version as being indeed Glykas himself), the Capitoline Fasti prevail, which explicitly attribute the years to him. But falsely. For how many you will have counted from that first dictatorship initialized in the year U.C. 705, up to the Ides of March of the year 709, not yet finished, in which he perished, struck by many wounds in the Senate; you will have rightly declared that so many monarchs have existed.
C They cut open her womb and he is said to have been taken out alive and unharmed from there. From this they say he was given the name Caesar, from which all the emperors of the Romans were called Caesars; for in the Roman tongue, cutting is called *Caesar*. This Julius Caesar was called dictator, that is to say, monarch; for he alone and first held the Roman scepter for 18 years. He gave laws to the Romans, and introduced the indictions and the leap year, and named the month of July, which was formerly called Quintilis. B After Julius, the one who from infancy was Octavius, but later was called Augustus because of his brilliance—though some others say he was the son of Octavius—reigned for 56 years. From him the emperors of the Romans were called *Sebastoi* and *Augusti*; and the month which was formerly called Sextilis was named August. Now Augustus or Caesar is called among the Romans as one who is something more than human; for all the most sacred and venerable things are called *augusta*. For this reason they also called him *sebastón* (venerable), from being revered, as a kind of sacred person. C Caesar, after having conquered his opponents, including Antony himself in a naval battle, held all power and became a monarch. And at the place of the camp, having built a city, he named it Nicopolis. He also set up bronze statues of a man and a donkey. For it is said that while it was still night, on the day the naval battle took place, he encountered a man driving a donkey; and when asked, he said: "For me, the name is Eutyches (Fortunate), but for the donkey, Nicon (Victor)." D These statues were later brought to Byzantium and set up in the Hippodrome. But he also, having conquered Cleopatra and subjected all of Egypt, destroyed the kingdom of the Ptolemies, which had lasted for 290 years. And having mastered the whole earth and having abolished the local rulers, he killed those who had murdered his uncle Julius. Then, truly then, the prophecy of Isaiah reached its end: "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation." For the local governorships and kingdoms and the wars between them were abolished. Or do you not know? When these things were being prophesied, one was ruling over Jerusalem, another over Samaria, and another over the Moabites. And Christ being born according to the flesh under the Roman Empire...
all the dominions of all nations were subject to its rule. A Here, note that from the rebuilding of Jerusalem, which took place under Nehemiah and Ezra, up to the last high priest Hyrcanus, whom Herod put to death, the number of his years is completed. From then on, and up to the manifestation of the Lord in the Jordan, the remaining seven weeks are counted, according to the prophecy of Daniel, which says thus: "Seventy weeks have been narrowed to destroy the vision and prophet, and to anoint the Holy of Holies," that is, Christ himself, the Son of God and God. However, after the killing of Hyrcanus, the high priests were appointed unlawfully; for they were not descended from him.
It is also said of Augustus Caesar that he was quick to anger, but was changed very quickly. B This man had pronounced the death sentence upon many people, but a certain wise man of that time, having written on a paper, threw it before Caesar. The letters said: "Executioner, cease judging." Reading these, Caesar departed from the throne and rendered all his decrees void. He was very fond of women, and especially of those who were married; and, what is worse, he would order husbands, even against their will, to be servants of such filth. But a certain wise Alexandrian by the name of Athenodorus, having often advised Caesar regarding such things, and being unable to persuade him at all, takes another route. For, having seen a certain man in the senate lamenting—for he was forced to enclose his own wife in a covered litter and send her to Caesar—he urged him to mourn no longer, but to enclose himself in the litter in place of his wife and be sent to Caesar. The man is persuaded, though with difficulty. And what transpired after this? Athenodorus enters, carrying a sword, and is thus sent through the litter to Caesar. Caesar receives him and breaks the seals. Athenodorus comes out brandishing the sword. Caesar is terrified, and promises by oaths never again to be defiled by alien beds. After this, Athenodorus, departing to the one who had brought him, and knowing Caesar to be temperamental, yet quick to change his mind, bows to his ear as though C as if to...
Apollodorus, the rhetorician of Pergamum, who became the teacher of Caesar Augustus, and who taught him together with the philosopher Athenodorus of Tarsus, lived for eighty-two years, the same as Athenodorus. D [Note: This section refers to scholarly discussion regarding the identity of Athenodorus.]
you have given me the command to carry out my duties for the remainder of my life, as if to someone who is about to defile the marriages of others. Upon this, Athenodorus, on the point of returning to his homeland—knowing that the Caesar was a man of precipitous anger, but of a kind that would suddenly burn out—leaned toward his ear as if to kiss him, and said: "Caesar Augustus, one thing only is still wanting to you. Do not pass sentence upon the accused before you have recited the twenty-four letters to yourself." Moreover, Caesar was so beloved by his subjects that a certain Roman citizen, when about to depart from life, commanded his children to offer thank-offerings to the gods, because he left Augustus alive behind him. When Caesar himself was departing from life, he said: "I found the city earthen, I have left it adorned with beautiful towers and marble." Furthermore, he said that he wished for many to clap their hands for him when he died, as is accustomed to be done at the death of a mime or a player. These words, in truth, looked to nothing else than that he was mocking this life. And so much for these matters.
Know, however, beloved son, that in the 42nd year of the reign of the aforementioned Augustus Caesar, our Lord Jesus Christ was born, according to the flesh, from the ever-virgin Mary. For this blameless woman was born according to a divine promise, and when she had reached her third year, she was led to the temple and spent a sufficient time in its inner sanctums, with her food provided by an angel, until she was fourteen years of age. Concerning this, the high priests, as was fitting, took counsel and offered prayers to God. At that time, she was betrothed to Joseph, God himself prompting this by means of the staff that sprouted. Then, indeed, the prophetic utterance received its fulfillment, which says: C "Behold, a sealed book is given to a man who knows letters," (that is, to one who had lived in marriage), "and he shall say, I cannot read it, for it is sealed." Not much time passed before a divine angel was sent to her, saying: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you." She, having become startled at the word, and saying, "How shall this be, since I know not a man?" hears from Gabriel these things: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." Observe that by saying "Holy Spirit" and "power of the Most High," by which Christ is signified (for Christ is the power of God), He revealed the whole holy Trinity in this. For even if the Son alone was incarnate, nevertheless the Father and the Holy Spirit were present with Him as He was being incarnate, according to the indivisibility of the consubstantiality, as the great Athanasius says. According to this, Paul also used to say that in Him D dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, that is, substantially.
B Accordingly, at that point her virgin womb conceives and swells. Joseph is troubled in no small measure by these things and considers secretly dismissing the pregnant woman. A divine angel stands by him in a dream, saying, "Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife; for that which is born in her is from the Holy Spirit." Having awakened, he took his wife, and knew her not until she had brought forth her firstborn Son. The great Basil says that Joseph knew not the all-holy one neither before the birth nor after the birth. For the word "until" is found in many places in Scripture to be indefinite, as when it says, "And the raven did not return until the earth was dried up"; for indeed, even after the drying up of the earth, the raven did not return. And elsewhere: "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool.'" If "until" were not indefinite, we would say the Lord ceases to sit after His enemies are placed under His feet. But the Savior Christ also said to His disciples, "And I will be with you all the days until the end of the age." If "until" were not indefinite, then after the end of the age Christ would not be with His disciples. Moreover, Paul says this: "We shall be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord." These things are dealt with in this way, but the great Athanasius says that he did not truly know her until she had brought forth the Lord. He did not know what was in her. Only when she had brought forth, then indeed he came to know. Then Joseph knew what the power of the Virgin was. Then he knew, when she had given birth and did not experience the conditions of childbirth, when she provided milk in an unusual way and a nipple strange to natural sustenance, when she gave the breast and did not undergo the veins' flowing. Do not consider this a strange thing. Since the one being born was God and man, of necessity He joined to Himself both the divine and the human. Human were the swelling of the womb, the nine-month period of gestation, the usual exit of the one being born, the nourishment of milk, and the growth from a small to His appropriate bodily stature; for according to the blessed Paul, He experienced all our attributes without the debt of sin. Divine, on the other hand, were the seedless conception, the miraculous pregnancy, and the undefiled birth. And this is what the theologian tongue said: "The laws of nature are dissolved." For among other things, the all-holy one brought forth Christ without maternal pangs; for according to the Damascene, where pleasure did not precede, reasonably neither did pain follow. That the signs of the gestation were miraculous, the Areopagite Dionysius also showed, speaking thus about
A And God... but Adam lived two hundred and thirty years and begat a son according to his likeness and his image, that is to say, such as the image and radiance he had from the beginning, and he called his name Seth, which means "resurrection"; because he saw that miraculous form restored, for which reason even the people who lived at that time called him God. These things, then, the divine Macarius the Egyptian also seems to intimate. For through that glory which then shone upon the face of the God-seer Moses, into which no one could gaze, he represented both these things: namely, the glory which Adam had from the beginning, and that which the choir of the just will have hereafter. And hear what this divine man says word for word in his chapters: "I consider the glorified face of Moses to be a type and pattern of the first man fashioned by the hands of God." B And again: "The blessed Moses showed a type, through the glory of the Spirit shining on his face, of how the bodies of the saints will be glorified in the resurrection of the just." Well, therefore, did that discourse say that the resurrection is a return to that original and first life. Moreover, regarding what has already been said, the Savior showed something else by being transfigured. What is this? That glory which he is about to reveal at his second coming. And trust the Theologian Gregory, who says: "Christ will come with his body, such as he appeared to the disciples on the mount, his divinity overcoming the flesh." C Well, therefore, did the Lord say that the just would shine like the sun at that time. For once they have received the radiance leaping forth from the Lordly body, they will then be transformed, and although they will be seen directly, they will be like some translucent body receiving the brightness of the sun. In this regard, the all-great Paul also said that the Savior will then transform the body of our lowliness, so that it might become conformed to the body of his glory; for this reason, it is not worthy to doubt these things. For if Adam from the very beginning, when he was fashioned by divine hands, received such brightness through the divine in-breathing, it is entirely evident that the man who rises from the dead will attain the same. D
A tionen, on the descent from the sublime, and other things of that sort. But do not doubt further; for such a star was not one of the many which God set in the firmament at the beginning, but a certain invisible power, transformed into such an appearance, as John the gold-tongued says. For it was necessary that at such a paradoxical birth there should also be a paradoxical star as a messenger and proclaimer, as the most divine Cyril says. For if this were not so, it would not have shone to such an extent, nor would it have surpassed the solar rays at midday. If this were not so, it would not have persuaded the Magi to rise from there and undertake so great a journey, nor would it have led them so wondrously to Jerusalem, nor, having descended from on high, would it have stood above the child who was born, nor would it have disappeared after these things. For since, being led by it, they had approached Christ and had become firmly established in the unerring faith concerning Him, they no longer needed such a guiding hand. Hence it is that, having been warned in a dream, they departed by another way to their country.
Beside these things, my beloved, you bring forward the explanation of the Archbishop of Bulgaria into the middle, and from that you persist in arguing that the worship by the Magi occurred not in the cave itself, but in a certain house. For this divine man, as it seems, taking his starting point from the words of the Gospel according to Matthew, which speak of the Magi in this way: “And having entered the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother,” B says as much, that after the Lord was born and reclined in the manger, it was likely that a house was found in which to receive the worship from the Magi. And that person who was discussed seems clearly to say that the Magi did not see Christ in the cave in which the manger was. But he who has a tongue of gold, reconciling both the things said about the house and those about the manger itself, speaks thus: that when she had given birth, she immediately laid him down; for since many were gathering because of the registration, there was no house to be found. He brings forward also the most divine Luke, noting this and saying that because there was no place in the inn, she laid him in the manger, but after this she took him up and had him upon her knees. C But also in the sixth homily on the Gospel according to Matthew concerning the Magi, he says thus: “But what sign of a kingdom did they see at all, seeing a hut and a manger and a child in swaddling clothes and a poor mother?” And after a little: “But tell me, how did the star show such a narrow place of a manger and a hut, if it had not left the sublime, descended below, and stood above the head of the child itself?” And after these things: “Since therefore it led and gave guidance, and stood them by the manger, it no longer speaks to them through a star, but through an angel thenceforth.” And in the eighth homily, word for word, he says thus concerning the Magi: “But what is it that persuaded them to D offer [their gifts]?”
[ENGLISH SO FAR ENDS:] A be deemed worthy of brightness through the grace of the all-holy Spirit. And believe the blessed David, who speaks thus concerning this: "You shall send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth." Observe, then. Since the Savior, when He was transfigured on the mount, showed in Himself what beauty Adam possessed from the beginning, and what beauty the just are soon to receive, for this reason the divine Gregory of Nyssa also said that they bear within themselves the divine image, both the man before the transgression and he who is to be resurrected from the dead hereafter.
That these things are so, and that the grace which is hoped for is a return to that first life, as we have often said, the Lord Himself showed before others. For when He embraced the prodigal son as he was returning, He said, among other things: "Clothe him with the first robe." Do not, therefore, doubt any further. For by calling it the "first" robe, He indicated clearly that the resurrection is nothing other than a restoration of the fallen into their ancient state.
EPISTLE IV
To the same. For what reason did the devil attack Adam through the serpent and not through any other of the animals, and from whence, finally, is it evident that he attacked Adam through the serpent, since Scripture does not say this clearly? And if there is truly a reason, why did Scripture completely conceal it?
Since you heard our Savior Jesus Christ saying in the Gospels, "A man's enemies will be those of his own household," and that, due to such creatures, kings and others are plotted against by men, it is not worth wondering so much, if the many-wiled dragon himself also made use of the serpent as an instrument to deceive the first man. For, according to the most divine Chry- B C D
A For he says: “Quid tandem eis persuasit ut puerum summopere venerarentur? Nec enim Virgo speciem quamdam illustrem præ se ferebat, nec domus erat splendida.” And a little later: “Nihil istic magnum et insigne conspiciebatur, ex iis quidem rebus quæ sensu percipiebantur, sed tantum præsepe ac tugurium materque paupercula, ut nimirum hinc nudam Magorum philosophiam agnoscas.” Concerning all of which, you may observe that Chrysostom in that place, where the manger was contained, called it both a house, a tugurium, and a cave. Wherefore, let not your mind wander here and there, but pay heed rather to this golden orator, for he was a golden-beaten trumpet of the all-holy Spirit.
Christ, therefore, as it has been said, is born, and then is circumcised on the eighth day, and is brought into the temple after B 40 days. For scripture says: “And when the days of her C purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem” (Luke II, 22). And the law is of this sort: “If a woman shall conceive seed and bear a male child, she shall be unclean 40 days; but if she shall bear a female, 80 days” (Leviticus XII, 2-5). But why, I ask, and for what reason were these things instituted? And why was this period prescribed for the mother of a female doubled? Theodoret speaks in this manner regarding these things, explaining that this time of uncleanness was legislated of old for the sake of rest for women, who are burdened in the time of pregnancy; for through fear of uncleanness the law restrains husbands, and persuades them not to approach their wives at that time. And because a female offspring subjects the one bearing it to greater distress (for it is said that such a one stirs sooner in the womb than a male), for this reason the time of uncleanness was granted as twofold to those bearing females, as from this they obtained twofold rest. And such are the things of D Theodoret. The most divine Cyril, however, says that the male is shaped in 40 days, but the female requires 80 days for the emergence into human form. And because the male was brought to the temple for the sake of purification on the fortieth day, but the female on the eightieth, it appears entirely that such a formation stands in need of purification from God. And thus indeed the divine Fathers spoke concerning this; but the so-called *Leptogenesis*, by whomsoever it was written and how, says that after 40 days Adam entered into paradise, and Eve after 80, and for this reason both male and female are brought to the temple in such number of days, analogous perhaps to Adam and Eve. But leave it aside; for the true history of Moses shows that on the sixth day God formed Adam, and placed him straightaway in paradise; and likewise He forms Eve in paradise itself on the sixth day, having taken one of the ribs of Adam; for after the sixth day He created nothing.
A If we believe that all men will rise again superior to corruption, answer me now: what is it that will compel them to take sensible food? But if man will live in the resurrection according to the likeness of the angels, as divine Gregory of Nyssa says (for he says, "And they shall all be as the angels of God"), how shall we say that he is in need of food and drink? This is impossible; absolutely impossible. For even if we use foods in the present time, it is because we have that very nature which compels us; but, as Nyssen says, man will then be freed from this ministry and will be disposed on an equal footing with the angels, just as the Lord said in the Gospels. But John Damascene also, in his hundredth chapter On the Resurrection, says word for word: "A natural body is sown, that is to say, dense and mortal; a spiritual body is raised, such as was the Lord's body after the resurrection, passing through closed doors, indefatigable, and devoid of the need for food, sleep, and drink. For man will then live in all things a life equal to the angels, according to him who says: 'And they shall all be as the angels of God.'"
And what need is there to say many words? If we are bound to have Christ himself before all things—those who are about to receive those good things "which eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and which have not entered into the heart of man"—they will never be brought, as I think, to participate in any other kind of diet. That this blessedness is not sensible food, but rather the intelligible joy produced in the saints through sight, the Lord himself showed when he spoke thus: "Father, those whom you have given me, I desire that where I am, they also may be with me, that they may behold my glory." B Observe then: he did not say, "that they may partake," but "that they may behold my glory." He showed, therefore, from this, as the golden-tongued John says while expounding this divine utterance, that all this rest consists in looking upon the Son of God. For just as those who gaze upon the rays of the sun and enjoy themselves in the air have a most refined delight from the sight, so too will it be then. For an intelligible joy will be excited there in the saints through sight, as has been said. This doctrine is also established by the most divine John Damascene when he treats the subject of the immaculate mysteries of Christ, and says the following: "These holy mysteries are called the antitypes of those to come, not because C they are allegorically [untrue or mere symbols]..." D
[alt-version omitted]
Therefore, some theologians falsely maintain that the blessed in heaven will also enjoy tastes and drinks and delicacies of that kind; and hence the heresy of Cerinthus is excluded, as well as those of the Chiliasts, who affirm that men, after they have risen, will reign with Christ in this world, abounding in all delicacies and pleasures. Concerning whom, see Eusebius of Caesarea, *Ecclesiastical History*, Book III, chapter 28, and Book VII, chapter 25; and Augustine, *On the City of God*, Book XX, chapter 7, to omit the others.
Thus, the learned man Avicenna rightly explains the happiness of the just after death according to the views of Muhammad, placing it in the single contemplation of God, and interpreting that which he seems to suggest concerning sensible pleasures. See his work *On the Afterlife* (De Almahad).
A God determined that this should be, for He was to be the reproach of the pious king and the refutation of his iniquity. The Lord, however, desiring him to live, did not allow such a thing, and it was brought about by divine care and providence that David’s life was prolonged.
The first book of Paralipomenon implies that all the psalms are David’s. Theodoret also testifies to this, saying that David first ordained that God should be celebrated by the work of Asaph and his brethren. According to the same Theodoret, David reigned for thirty years and passed away around the age of seventy. I am pleased in this place to add to these also the narrative of Josephus. It came to pass sometimes that David led his troops against the Philistines, and having pursued them for a long time, he was separated from all his own by a long interval. B Then a certain man from the enemies, born of the race of the Giants, seeing him alone and exhausted from labor and devoid of strength, hastened to kill him; and this would have happened, had not Abishai, the brother of Joab, come up and killed the enemy, thus saving David and restoring him safely. For this reason, the whole people bound themselves with an oath, that from then on he should not meet with them in battle. Again, the Philistines pitched their camp against the Hebrews. They had with them a man six cubits tall, who had many more fingers on each foot and each hand than nature provides; for he himself was of the race of the Giants. C A certain Jonathan, a Shimeathite, killed this man in single combat, and thus became the cause of victory. From that point on, the Philistines ceased to fight against the Hebrews. Upon which, receiving respite from his troubles, David began to praise God and compose sacred odes.
Knowing that David possessed many soldiers of invincible strength, yet five who were altogether exceptional. Among their number was one who killed six hundred enemies in a single day, and another who would not cease from leaping upon the enemies until he had killed nine hundred. They were so bold that three of them went to Bethlehem to bring water to David, who was then in Jerusalem, and they returned through the midst of the Philistines who were encamped outside the city, and, because of this remarkable boldness, dared to expose themselves to danger. D And David would not drink this water, but poured it out as a libation to God, and admired the virtue of the soldiers.
After these things, Solomon, having been designated by David, sat on the throne of the Lord to reign; that is to say, on the throne given to him by the Lord. We read in the first book of Paralipomenon, written by Samuel, Nathan, and Gad, that these chronicles contain the deeds done by David. One must know that he was the same as Orniam and Adonias, as he was called by those names. He, having invited Joab and Abiathar to a banquet, was anxiously meditating on seizing the kingdom. Then the prophet Nathan, learning of these plans of Berse-
and showed his hands to the disciples, doing the one according to nature—for it is the nature of a spiritual body to pass through solid things without hindrance—but the other according to A economy, so that they might believe that the body which had suffered had risen; thus it is shown.” These things therefore, as the aforementioned divine Fathers say, were so that the resurrection might be believed, and so that they might learn that it was he who had been crucified, and that no other than he had risen. Consistent with this, the Lord also said to the disciples: “See my hands, that it is I myself.” If these things are thus, it is by all means irrational for us, being persuaded by our own reasoning, to interpret the evangelical and divine sayings differently, if we have those very B men explaining such things by the Spirit. And why must one say much? Unless, according to the golden-tongued John, we say that the figures of the nails were shown by [divine] economy for the sake of the disciples, it is absolutely necessary that those rising from the dead—of whom Christ himself became the first-born—should rise at that time just as they had been consigned to the earth, whether they had some deformity or were otherwise bearing mutilated bodies. And the body of the Lord was not a spirit, as the trembling disciples supposed. For if it were this, he would not have eaten in their presence, the women would not have C kissed his feet, the Lord himself would not have said: “A spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see me having.” Wherefore the body of the Lord was not a spirit, but it was nevertheless subtle and light and spiritual, as being guided by the all-holy Spirit. For if this were not so, he would not have appeared in different places in a single hour; nor would he who was seen and known yesterday be invisible and unknown today. For having become incorruptible, as has been said, he was not easily seen or known by corruptible eyes, but only when he himself altogether willed it, and as he himself permitted the disciples to behold him. And this is that which the evangelist D John said: “Jesus manifested himself to his disciples having risen from the dead.” For by saying “manifested,” he showed clearly that the disciples would not have seen him after the resurrection unless he had used a condescension, unless he were altered into another form. For in accordance with this also, the evangelical history says that he was seen by the disciples in another form. For he shows from this that a spiritual body is not seen by the eyes of flesh, unless it be altered paradoxically into another form. For it is altered according to the intention of the one using [it].
-Aba (for he knew God's purpose and ordinance), informs David about the matter. David, however, not wishing to have Joab punished by his own hand—since he had endured many toils on his behalf—counsels his son Solomon not to despise his youth. He gives him the same advice regarding Semei, as a seditious man, whom he himself had nevertheless tolerated, even though he had been insulted by him many times. Solomon prevails, and at that time executes his brother Adonias. But the same also happens to Joab, although he had fled to the house of God. For divine law commands that a homicide who has fled to the temple be put to death.
Solomon, B having sacrificed a hecatomb at one time, supplicates God, and asks for wisdom and prudence. And the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Ask what I shall give thee.” And he said, “Thou hast given unto Thy servant David my father, and I am a small youth, and I know not the going out and the coming in, and Thou shalt give to Thy servant a heart to hear and to judge Thy people in righteousness.” And the Lord said to him, “In that thou hast asked this thing from Me, and hast not asked for thyself many days, nor riches, nor the lives of thy enemies, but thou hast asked for thyself wisdom to hear judgment, behold, I have done according to thy word. Behold, I have given thee a heart wise and prudent, so that there has not been anyone like thee before thee, and after thee there shall not arise any like unto thee. And if thou walkest in My way, as David thy father, I will multiply thy days.” C After this, he builds a temple to God, and asks that His eyes be kept open over the divine house and that He hear them. And the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, as He had appeared in Gabaon, and said, “I have heard the voice of thy prayer, and I have sanctified this temple which thou hast built, and My eyes shall be there and My heart all the days. And if thou turnest away from Me, I will remove Israel from this land, and I shall cast away this house which I have sanctified to My name, and I shall cast them out from My presence.” However, when Solomon was praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifices which had been offered. Behold how great the piety of Solomon was beforehand, if fire was even brought down upon his sacrifices. And the stones of the temple were wrought without tools D (for they were found by divine providence in such a way that they needed no joining of iron, as Theodorus says), but he used stone-cutters for the trimming of the stones for the circuit of the temple. The length of the temple was sixty cubits, and the width twenty. Around the temple, chambers were built for the housing of the Levites and the storage of the vessels; for these were accessible only to the priests. The height of the temple was eighty cubits. Everything in the temple was overlaid with gold. All these things the grace of the Holy Spirit showed to David, and he to Solomon. He builds
A And there is that which is in the brain, which is also called the animal [part], which through the nerves and muscles provides both sensation and movement of the whole body. For by such animal powers our entire life consists. That the animal body possesses such an expression and is constituted from thence in the way the preceding discourse indicated, is clear both from the things themselves and no less from the lawful commandments contained in the Gospel according to Mark: "For you shall love," he says, "the Lord your God with all your mind," etc. By saying heart, and soul, and mind, he indicated the different powers of the soul: the vital, which he revealed through the heart; the natural, which he signified through the soul; and the rational, which the discourse represented through the mind. For he exhorts one to love God through all the powers of the soul. B And now our body is enlivened in this way—wherefore it is also called animal; but then, delivered from all these things, as it has become incorruptible, it will be altogether spiritual, governed and ordered in an ineffable way by the all-holy Spirit. Hence also Paul said: "It is sown an animal body, it is raised a spiritual body." Take heed therefore: "It is sown an animal body," that is to say, dense and mortal; it is "raised a spiritual body," that is, thin and light and ethereal, and altogether freed from density and weight; but also [it is] governed by the Spirit alone, as the divine Isidore of Pelusium says. For now, even if the Holy Spirit is present with us, the soul possesses the authority of the actions; but then it [the body] will be such as to perform all things according to the laws of the Spirit; and this is what Paul meant when he said: "It is sown an animal body, it is raised a spiritual body." C D
A three [such temples]. One of these was that which the blessed John mentioned, that is, a truly renowned woman and sister of Lazarus. The second, however, who had previously prostituted herself, approached Christ in the house of Simon the leper, as Matthew narrates. The third was also a harlot, as Luke indicates, who met Christ in the house of Simon the Pharisee, who was offended on that account and spoke to himself words of this sort: "If this man were a prophet, he would have known what kind of woman this is who touches him." I also know, beloved son, that some contend and assert that the transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ took place on that great Wednesday; but the argument on which they rely, to me at least, seems little to be probable. For if this miracle occurred on Mount Tabor, but the Lord was feasting in Jerusalem on that great Wednesday in the house of Simon the leper, it is manifest B that this miracle of the transfiguration occurred on some other day, and not on that Wednesday at all. For since there is an interval of about two days between Tabor and Jerusalem, how then will they say that Christ was found both on Tabor and in Jerusalem on one and the same day? He could, of course, as God, have caused Himself to be found here and there at the same time; but he did not wish to do this before the passion, so that the matter might not be thought to be something imaginary. Wherefore, according to the common nature of bodies, He was making His local transitions from one place to another.
After these things, He sends two of the disciples to a certain man for the sake of preparing the legal pascha, which He ate beforehand on the evening of the great Thursday, as John the gold-tongued says. C Then, reclining, He delivered His own pascha to the disciples through bread and wine, using these words: "Take, eat; this is my body," and "Drink all of you: this is my blood." And indeed, before the disciples, He Himself partook of His own body and blood. For what reason? So that the disciples might not be troubled again, as had happened before, when they heard Christ saying: "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." At that time, those who turned back from Him no longer walked with Him, saying that this word was hard, which no one could easily hear. Therefore, so that something of this kind might not happen to them again, as they were about to eat flesh and drink blood, He first tasted His own flesh, wishing that they too should be filled with these things without any hesitation. And the Savior prepares this supper for the consolation of the disciples; for He saw them to be not a little fearful and broken in spirit because of His departure from them. D Therefore, as has been said, He communicates His own body and blood with them, adding these words: "Do this in remembrance of me." Judas also partakes besides the others, and then goes away to the Jews, revealing to them the things done by the Lord.
A And the Evangelist, indicating this, said that even he, having taken the morsel, went out; and it was night. He goes, therefore, to those with whom he had agreed to deliver up the Lord. And the Lord, indeed, arranges the final things for his disciples; then thus he comes to a place that the betrayer also knew, who immediately, having taken the band of soldiers and ministers from the chief priests and Pharisees, comes there with lanterns and torches. Then he questions them; they fall to the ground. Peter cuts off the ear of Malchus, though he was not able to cut off his head; for this was what he was striving to do. Then, truly then, the Lord said to him: "Dost thou think that I cannot now beseech my Father, and he shall present to me more than twelve legions of angels? How then may the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?" These things the Savior said to the disciples, striking fear into them and persuading them from then on not to busy themselves with any of the things happening. For if to the Scriptures, he says, this seems good—that is, for me to suffer—how do you oppose, using swords? The cup which the Father has given me, shall I not drink it? B Having, therefore, bound Jesus, they led him away to Annas first, and there he is judged. He is questioned regarding his teaching and his disciples. He answers as is fitting. He receives a blow, and says: "If I have spoken evil, and so on." Thence, therefore, he is led to Caiaphas, then to Pilate when it is morning; before the cock crows he is led to Caiaphas, but in the morning to Pilate. The Evangelist shows that during the entire half of the night he was interrogated by Caiaphas and was convicted of nothing, and for this reason he sent him on to Pilate. And indeed Mark, recounting the matter regarding the cock-crowing, says thus: "Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice" (for when he had denied once, the cock crowed the first time, but when he had denied the third time, it crowed the second), explaining more accurately the weakness of Peter, having learned from the teacher himself, for he was also a student of his. But Matthew, having said that "Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice," indicated the whole cock-crowing, that is, the first, which occurs through various utterances, just as the second cock-crowing does, and the third. Therefore, in having said "Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice," Matthew seemed to say, as it were, that even before the first cock-crowing arrives, thou shalt deny me three times. However, after the Lord is judged by Pilate, his back is scourged with braided thongs; for such, in fact, is what the whip is. Then, thus, he is delivered up to be crucified. And all these things have been done by the untimely cowardice of Pilate; for [he wished to appease the Jews regarding the things of which they accused him, showing him to be a rebel, to...]
have him crucified, having first scourged him with lashes. For this reason, Pilate is also worthy of punishment, because, although he was able to release him (for he says: "I have power to release you, and I have power to crucify you"), he did not do so, fearing the Jews, and especially those crying out: "If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar." Consequently, he is condemned; and this is made clear by what the Lord said to him: "He who delivered me to you has the greater sin."
However, the evangelist John, while demonstrating the time when Pilate sat in the place called the Pavement A in order to judge the matters concerning Jesus, said: "It was the preparation of the Passover, and it was about the sixth hour." But why is the sixth day of the week called the preparation of the Passover by the evangelist John? The reason is clearly set before you. Just as the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week, yet is called Sabbath—that is, rest—because of the rest that occurred on it from all works (for then the servant, the beast of burden, and all others rest), so the preparation is indeed the sixth day of the week, but it is called "preparation" because on it the Jews prepare and, so to speak, make ready those things for the Sabbath. For on that day, they are not permitted to light a fire, nor collect wood, nor even simply prepare food. So, B because the sixth day makes these preparations by the evening, it has been named "Preparation." Therefore, the evangelist John, calling such a day the "preparation of the Passover," clearly showed that at that time the Jews were preparing for the first feast of the Passover according to the ordinance of the Law. For from the sixth hour of the fourteenth day of the moon, all leavened bread was destroyed by fire, and they prepared the unleavened bread according to custom. If these things are so, it is clearly evident that that which was given by Christ through bread and wine on the evening of Great Thursday was leavened, because the time for unleavened bread had not yet arrived then, contrary to the common opinion of the many. Therefore, dismiss the words of the many, and attend to the sequence C of the sacred oracles. That the lamb was to be sacrificed on the day of the Preparation, not on Great Thursday, is evident from many other things, and not least from what we are about to mention. They were accustomed to call that day, on the evening of which the Passover was sacrificed, both "day of unleavened bread" and "Passover" alike, definitively from its evening. For because the lamb was sacrificed and the unleavened bread was eaten on the evening of the fourteenth, for this reason this fourteenth day was called both "Passover" and "day of unleavened bread." And we find that these names had also been given to the Great Preparation. And attend, if you will, to what is said. The first of the unleavened bread is called the...
Great Thursday, as being before the unleavened bread. For just as Mark calls the Preparation "the day before the Sabbath," as being before the Sabbath, so too does Matthew call the Great Thursday "the first of the unleavened bread," as being before the unleavened bread, as the golden-tongued one says: "He clearly indicated the Great Preparation." Likewise, Luke also, in saying that the day of the unleavened bread had come—that is, had approached—hinted at the same things as Matthew. Moreover, John also, by saying that the supper took place before the feast of the Passover, called the Preparation itself by that name, and the things that follow clarify this; for he says: "And they themselves did not enter, so that they might not be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover," and again, "It is a custom for you that I should release one to you at the Passover," that is, the one now imminent. Furthermore, indicating the time when Pilate sat in a place called the Pavement, he says thus: "And it was the Preparation of the Passover, and it was about the sixth hour." And proceeding further, "For that day of the Sabbath was a great day." He would not have called it great in any other way unless that first day of the unleavened bread—which is also called holy by the Law—had fallen upon that Sabbath. All these things clearly suggest that, by agreement, the Passover was slaughtered on the evening of that Preparation. For this reason, he called it the Preparation of the Passover, as preparing those things for the Passover that was truly imminent. Therefore, without any argument, it appears that the Passover took place on the evening of the Preparation. For if this were not the case, the evangelist John would not have said, "And they themselves did not enter the praetorium so that they might not be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover." B And attend, if you wish, to the great Cyril, who, before others, seals such things, saying that while they were honoring the type—that is, the lamb—and on this account were not choosing to enter the praetorium, they were insulting the Truth himself, Christ; for they were intending to sacrifice the Passover according to the Law, which had no power among them. If these things are so, they are clearly speaking in vain who say that the typical lamb is eaten on the evening of Great Thursday; for in competing to establish the unleavened bread, they attempt to maliciously corrupt the truth. And do not oppose me with John Chrysostom, in his eighty-fourth homily on Matthew, who says that the Jews, having unexpectedly seized Christ, also chose to overlook the feast of the Passover then falling at that time. For you have him in his interpretation of the [Gospel] according to John, when it is said: "And they themselves did not enter, so that they might not be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover," completely nullifying such a conjecture. Hence it is that we refrain from inquiring into the things of the divine man when he is even more contradictory to himself, having no strength; we judge that such things ought to be honored in silence, especially if it is more reasonable to hold to the later [statements], because these appear to be in harmony with the explanations of the other Fathers. For he says that Christ ate the Passover one day early,
deferring his own slaughter to the day of Preparation, when the legal Passover was wont to be slaughtered. That the bread which the Lord gave to the apostles at the supper was leavened bread, not unleavened, as those [others] assert, this most divine man clearly indicates to you. For, speaking concerning the Old and New Covenants, A he says: "There was the letter; here is the spirit. There was the ark; here is the Virgin. There was Aaron’s rod; here is the Cross. There was the lamb; here is Christ. There were the unleavened loaves; here is the bread." These things have been written down for you in summary, as you see; for the time does not permit us to dwell longer on discussions concerning these matters. Next, our Lord Jesus Christ is delivered up to be crucified; and see what things followed. For from the sixth hour, darkness covered the whole earth until the ninth hour, God being indignant, as is to be supposed, at the things which were being dared. For that it was not an eclipse, as Chrysostom says, but rather wrath and divine indignation, is clear even from the time itself; for the darkness lasted for three hours, whereas an eclipse happens in a single moment of time. Such is the argument of Chrysostom. That divine man, B Dionysius the Areopagite, however, does not speak simply so, but reports that the universal darkness happened in a new and unusual manner by the opposition of the lunar body obstructing the sun. For writing to the hierarch Polycarp concerning the fact that the sophist Apollophanes did not accept the Christian religion, he sets forth these words: "Say to him—to Apollophanes—‘What do you think of that eclipse which happened at the time of the saving passion? For we both were in Heliopolis at that time, and standing together, we saw the moon in an unusual manner falling upon the sun; for it was not the time of their conjunction. And then again we saw it from the ninth hour until the evening, in a supernatural manner, having moved to the diameter of the sun.’" And he himself was so struck with fear at the time that he turned to me and said: "These, Dionysius, are the vicissitudes of divine things." In this manner does Dionysius speak of this. The prophet Zechariah speaks in a wonderful way C of that same darkness which occurred at the time of the saving passion. He says: "In that day there shall be no light (namely, when Christ shall be crucified), but there shall be cold and frost for one day, and that day shall be known to the Lord." For God has advance knowledge of all things. It shall not be a day, nor yet a night. For it could not properly be called a day because of that three-hour darkness, nor truly night because of the light which existed until the sixth hour and returned after the ninth. The prophet, signifying this, said, "And towards evening there shall be light." These things, my beloved, not only did the prophets foretell, but they are found also in many Greek commentaries; for even a great earthquake...
is said to have occurred at that time, and such darkness that the stars appeared. Then, truly then, he also brings forth the prophetic word on the cross which says: A "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He said these things in Hebrew: *Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani*. For what reason? So that these things might be clear even to the Jews. But those men, being so licentious and shameless, as the man of golden tongue says, thought he was calling Elijah. And these were thus. But that voice also tore the veil and opened the tombs. Yet those foolish men, even seeing such things, did not want to understand at all. Rather, they were saying, "Let him come down from the cross, that we may see and believe." But he, remaining on the cross, as the Golden-mouthed says, showed this abundantly in the bodies of his servants; for if it was a great thing for Lazarus, who had been dead four days, to come out, B it was far greater for many of those who had fallen asleep long ago to appear alive all at once. And pay close attention to the most divine Matthew speaking about these things: "And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and they entered the holy city and appeared to many after his resurrection." But here it is worth your attention. For if, according to John of the Golden mouth, these bodies were raised while Christ was still on the cross, how does the evangelist record that they appeared after Christ's resurrection? I fear lest "his" ought to be read instead of "their"; for those bodies, after their resurrection from the dead, entered the holy city and appeared to many. Then, truly then, that prophetic utterance also received fulfillment which says to those in bonds, "Come forth," C and to those in darkness, "Be revealed." And according to the sixth hour, as the Scriptures say, the Lord is crucified, but according to the ninth he entrusts his spirit into the Father's hands. But if you also hear of his holy soul descending to Hades, do not marvel at this, nor say that it is impossible for it both to have descended to Hades and to have been entrusted into the Father's hands. For the hand of God, that is, the power holding all things, is both above in heaven and below on earth, and never ceases from the recesses of Hades. So that even if the holy soul of Christ was descending to Hades at that time, yet it was not separated from the power that holds all things, as we have said; rather, the power of the Father is Christ himself, as Paul says. He therefore entrusts his soul to the Father's hands, so that from this D and to all
the souls of the just, the journey to the regions above and to the heavens might be granted: for he did not die in vain and without purpose for us. He descends, however, to Hades, so that he might preach to those who were detained there as well, and instruct and demonstrate that religious piety of which they had previously been ignorant. Have faith in this matter in that chief, Peter, who discourses on these things in the following manner: "He went and preached also to the spirits that were in prison, which sometime were disobedient." Following these words, Gregory the Theologian reflects upon this matter as follows: "Did the Lord, having manifested himself in Hades, save all, or only those who had believed?" Do not, I say, doubt this. For just as he announced a message of peace to men living upon the earth, and to those who believed he became the author of salvation, while to the disobedient he was proof of their own incredulity, as John Damascene speaks, so also did he deal with those who were in Hades. Nor, beloved son, should it seem a marvel to you if some souls held in Hades did not admit the preaching of Christ. For just as we see that when God caused the foundations of the prison to be shaken for Paul's sake, the jailer himself immediately embraced the faith, while the other captives persisted in their incredulity, even though they saw their own iron fetters suddenly broken and torn apart, so you must believe it happened with those who were held in Hades. B But if you also wish to know the reason why the Savior preached even to the souls who were in Hades, know that it is this. The Savior assumed our nature in the year 5500 from the creation of the world. Why at that time? Because at that time that which was to serve the mystery of Christ was brought to light, as the great Basil says. For the disease of vice, as that divine Gregory of Nyssa speaks, which had invaded human nature from the beginning, had already lost its strength. For the Gentiles were then about to believe through the call, as that great Paul also signifies with these words: "When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son." Rightly, therefore, in the year already indicated, the Lord assumed flesh, because it was altogether appropriate and convenient for this purpose. But since some of those who had closed their lives in ignorance of piety were endowed with such excellent souls that, had they been called, they would surely have approached and embraced the Gospel concerning Christ, if indeed they had seen him dwelling on earth with the flesh in previous ages, for this reason he does not refuse to descend even to Hades and to preach to the souls detained there, so that in this way no place for excusing themselves would remain for anyone, nor would the good lose their own goodness, nor could the wicked reply with words of this kind: "If we had seen, we would surely have believed." Let these things be said concerning these matters.
A It was necessary that they take part in the blessing. That the life of man was angelic and equal to the angels, this is shown more clearly from whence the nature is found at the point where marriage finds its origin. Since, therefore, the construction of Eve was urgent, as has been said before, God anticipated it and made her even before Adam fell. For after his fall, there was no longer a time for creation, but rather one of curse and anger, pain and grief, sweat of the brow, a life of suffering, the donning of garments of skin, and a turning back to the earth. At such a time, therefore, to remove a rib, to build Eve, and to bless them, was, as I suppose, unacceptable and entirely improper. For that was not a time for blessing, but for anger, for a curse, for turning away, and for death. "For earth," he says, "you are, and to earth you shall depart." Why then, even before Adam fell, did He bring Eve forth from his rib? By way of indulgence, absolutely, as was said before. For if this were not the case, the great Paul would not have said, "It is good not to touch a woman." And why is it necessary to say much, that He brought forth the female, if he would not later, through Paul, advise not to touch a woman? He who brought her forth from the beginning was the one speaking in Paul, and if he did not bring forth the female at that time by way of concession, he shows from this that before the production of the female there was another type of noble life that was equal to the angels. For according to this, he also drew upon it elsewhere, saying, "Let him who is able to receive it, receive it." B That these things are so, and that before the production of the female there was a lofty and angelic state, the expectation of that state makes manifest. And do not marvel on account of this. For if the Lord promises celibacy in the life to come—"For they shall be," he says, "all as the angels of God"—and for this reason the Nyssen says it is a return to that ancient and first life, what needs to be said regarding the first Adam and his way of life other than that he was equal in honor to the angels, and that he lived an angelic life, just as has been said before? Pay attention, therefore. For the condition of that Adam clearly presents what the expected grace is, inasmuch as it is a return to that first state, as has already been said. For even if we are bound by the law of marriage today, yet this law was not given from the very beginning, but by way of indulgence later, because of the fall from perfection, on account of which one is also deprived of crowns, as the golden-tongued one says. If, therefore, as has been said, the female herself was brought forth by way of indulgence, and marriage was given, it is entirely necessary that these all pass away at some point, C and that there be found then two such persons, who will be raised from the dead, such as that first Adam was, as the great Athanasius says to Antiochus. But the most divine Anastasius is also found speaking of these things thus: "We shall then put aside everything foreign that has entered into us because of sin." If, however, these things are so regarding the female herself, what is there to say? If for this reason [the female was produced]...
A resurrection was such that, if it had occurred secretly, the thing would have been suspicious; therefore Pilate allowed the tomb to be sealed as they wished. Since these things are so, do not search too curiously into the divine words, nor seek three days and three nights in the burial of Christ and our Savior, especially when you have the most divine Isidore measuring out this interval for you. The Lord was crucified at the sixth hour of Friday. From this hour until the ninth hour, darkness occurred: consider this as a night for me. Again, from the ninth hour until evening, there was light: consider this again as a day. Behold, you have a day-night B interval. Again, the night of Friday and the day of Saturday constitute a day-night interval; behold, you have two day-night intervals. Again, the night of Saturday and the dawn of Sunday make a day-night interval; behold, you have a third day-night interval, in which the Lord also rose, although the hour of the resurrection was unclear, just as the hour of his second coming will also be.
I remember, beloved son, that among other things you also inquired about this: for what reason the burial of the Lord was for three days, and not for a longer or shorter C interval. It was fitting that Christ should die for the entire nature of humanity, that is to say, for those who had already died before, for those still living, and for those who were to be born in the future, since there are also three times: past, present, and future. He saved those who had already died by descending into Hades; he saved those living at that time as having believed in him; and those who were to come after, as having believed in the preaching of the apostles and having been baptized. If, therefore, he took our whole nature, it is clear that he also refashioned our whole nature. D Thus, the burial of the Lord was properly for three days.
The Lord rises from the dead, therefore, but he is not immediately taken up to the heavens. For according to the opinion of the great Athanasius, the Lord spent forty days on earth because he wished to confirm the disciples. For this reason, he manifested himself to them at times and conversed with them in peace, showing the scars in that divine body, eating and drinking with them—not as one in need of food, but to provide proof—and doing all the other things that were accustomed to strengthen those who were weak. First of all, he was seen by two women, at which time they held his feet and embraced them. Then he appears to the Magdalene alone; after this to the chief, Peter, just as Paul also says: "The Lord, having been raised from the dead, was seen first by Cephas." He was seen by those with Luke and Cleopas, he was seen by the ten, then by the eleven; he was seen by them in Galilee, likewise
A Abraham the rich man; for if he did not know him, how could he have called him by name? No one, I think, will consider this impossible. Is it not possible for this child, and this woman, and that old man, to recognize each other then, even if they rise with one age and one figure? For here there is no recognition from signs and figures and ages; but with the insightful eye of the soul we shall all recognize all, as it pleased our Maker and Creator. This very thing the most divine Anastasius sets before you more clearly, and thus he says: "And there will not be recognition then from signs." Nor do these generative parts represent the female and the male, because neither is there male and female in Christ, as Paul says. If then these things are so, and according to great Athanasius we all rise as one man in the regeneration—for there is one age among all, one creation, one form, one figure and size—it would be superfluous to seek a difference in figures; for if corruption introduced such a difference, it is absolutely necessary, now that incorruption has come, for all these things to pass away along with corruption. And thus indeed [thinks] Athanasius, who is truly wise in divine matters: that the difference of figures and the beginning of marriage were on account of sin; for in the beginning there was no such thing, since the multiplication of human beings was intended to be as the angels, as has been said before; and from this there was no need of help from the female; and indeed if Adam had not been seen as disobedient, there would have been no need of marriage, and of the construction that subsequently serves for marriage. For to what purpose would it have served, if it was not forbidden for [the human race] to advance [in numbers] without it?
The discourse has previously discussed this for you B more clearly. But if these things are so, if marriage had its beginning on account of disobedience and the corruption that comes from death, as he of the golden tongue says; if after the height of creation God brought upon man the property of irrational construction, as he of Nyssa says; if the difference of figures is of the second creation, according to the divine Sinaite Anastasius; if all rise according to that first man in one form and one figure, as the great Athanasius says, seeing that the difference according to male and female was later fashioned by God for a reason which has been discussed above—what must one say in regard to the proposed question? C These things we ask to learn.
If John Damascene also seems to counter the things that have been said. For in the forty-fourth of his Dogmatic Chapters, he is found saying these things concerning the first man: "God, however, fashioned this man male, having imparted to him His own divine grace, and furthermore also rule over all earthly things." From this, therefore, he seems to be in opposition; for by saying that that first man was fashioned by God as male, he has placed before us no minor difficulty. For if, as the great Athanasius says, we shall all rise as one in the regeneration, that is to say, similar to the first man in figure and creation; [and if] he is male...
toward Tiberias; he was seen by James, the brother of God; he was seen above five hundred men. And lastly, he appeared to them on the Mount of Olives, in which place he also made his ascent from the earth after the fortieth day, as has been said. If you wish to learn why he spent these forty days on earth after his resurrection from the dead, and not more or fewer, behold, the great Epiphanius shall resolve such a mystery for you in few words: "For in the same way," he says, "that after his birth Christ was laid in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and after forty days was brought into the divine temple and presented to God according to the law of Moses, so too, having become the firstborn from the dead, he remains on earth for forty days, and then returns to the Jerusalem above, to appear before the face of God on our behalf." And be persuaded by the great Paul, who says: "For Christ did not enter into sanctuaries made by hands, which are copies of the true ones, but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God on our behalf."
B Consequently, the Lord was taken up. Ten days pass after this, and the descent of the all-holy Spirit occurs. This descent occurs after the completion of ten days, because the number ten is perfect. Since, therefore, the Holy Spirit was descending for this purpose—that he might make the imperfect disciples perfect—on that account he came upon them in a perfect number, that is, on the tenth day. That he made the imperfect disciples perfect, the chief, Peter, demonstrated. For look mindfully at how previously, having been thrown into confusion by a wretched servant girl, he denied his teacher three times; but later, having been sharpened by the all-holy Spirit, he harangued with great boldness in the midst of the people, and from there he persuaded everyone to come to Christ without hesitation.
After fifty days, then, as has been said, from the resurrection of Christ from the dead, the descent of the all-holy Spirit occurs. For what reason? Because the old law also was given on the fiftieth day after the manifestation of God. For according to the golden-tongued and divine John, or rather according to the history of the God-seer Moses, fifty days passed after the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, and at that time Moses received the God-inscribed tablets. If, therefore, the old law was given within fifty days, it was entirely necessary for the grace of the all-holy Spirit to be given on that same day, so that from this, beloved, according to both the Old and the New Covenants, the nature of the Godhead might be shown to be indivisible, and that the Holy Spirit was the lawgiver both then and now. "And there appeared to them tongues parting asunder, as of fire." Why tongues? Because there was need of preaching, and so that by his preaching, the world might be saved.
A by God, as that man wise in divine things, John, says: what need is there to speak further on these points? For if all shall rise in a male figure, or if all according to some other figure, as God who fashioned us knows—even if he does further assert that there is neither male nor female there, because the figure is the same—otherwise, if the first man possessed the difference according to the male [sex] as innate to his existence, it was then possible to see the female immediately coexisting with him. For the male was made because of the female, and the female because of the male, of necessity, and the all-encompassing kinds of living creatures make this manifest. For none of them emerged from the earth without union; for their copulation was necessary for the succession of the race, because He did not desire that these should be multiplied like the angels.
But these things require a more elevated mind, in order for them to be reconciled with one another; but as for us, we are not only at a loss regarding these matters, but also in those where man himself, by coming down to his own level, appears to be contradicting himself. For he has already B beforehand stated that the first man was produced by God as a male, that he was considered worthy of divine grace, and that he was entrusted with the lordship of earthly things; but after these things, he has added these words verbatim: "But God, the foreknower, knowing that he would fall into transgression and that he would be subjected to corruption, brought forth the female from him as a helper for him according to him, for the sake of the constitution of the race by succession." For this reason we have doubted not a little. For it appears that, if he were not to have been subjected to corruption, He would not have brought forth the female from him. But if He had not brought her forth, how would the multiplication of men have taken place? But [it would have occurred] like the angels, without union, as the Nyssene says. And for what reason he says that Adam was produced at the beginning in the figure of the male, we desire to learn these things. For the divine [author] from this point C appears to be contradicting both the aforementioned Fathers and even more so himself, unless we say that the Saint took the word "male" here according to another meaning; for this word signifies sometimes also the active, the strong, and the perfect, as the etymology of such a word shows. For, producing him such from the beginning, God made him a participant in His own divinity and entrusted to him the lordship of all earthly things.
Pay attention, therefore. For if our generation today is animal, yet sin has become the cause of this. And if it does not burden your ears, I shall take up this discourse again a little. For God fashioned man, He placed him in paradise, and there was neither any reason for marriage in his case, nor did he need the helper of the female. For even if God, while fashioning him, saw how great the human race would be according to number, yet according to that first one, if he had not been found disobedient, all would have been produced without union; for if God was not ignorant of the future, yet He desired D to show what His intention was for man beforehand. For it was for this reason that He produced him alone, and honored him with immortality. According to that first one, therefore, if he had remained obedient, all the human race was to have been produced.
and so that the form might interpret the function, as that golden-mouthed one says of the tongue. For the apostles were fishermen, and they had need of the word for their preaching. And he said "parting," because the fire appeared descending [in a] uniform [manner], then was divided and distributed among the apostles. And that fire was not the Spirit himself, but a power of the Spirit. But these tongues were not cast into their mouths, but sat upon their heads; for they were being ordained as rulers and heralds of the world. For see that this custom prevails even until now; for the Gospel is placed upon the head of the one about to be ordained as high priest, and when it is placed there, there is nothing else to be seen but a tongue resting upon the head. And it appeared in the form of fire because of Him who said: "I came to cast fire upon the earth" for the sake of the passions that were growing wild like a forest.
B And it sat upon each one of them. Therefore everyone who serves God is a throne of God; for it is for this reason that he said "it sat." And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them the power to speak. Upon which also those standing by said: "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how do we hear each in our own dialect, Parthians and Medes and Elamites and the rest?" And they received the gifts of fifteen tongues for the time being, as the one who is golden of tongue says, as far as those present were concerned. For what was the need of the Persian tongue when no Persians were present? And fifteen tongues appeared for this reason too, so that the activity of the Trinity might be shown, and the twelve [apostles] as ministers. And it was possible to see the Galilean Peter speaking in the Roman tongue, a language he had not learned, just as it was possible to see each one of the others speaking in a peculiar tongue. For the Holy Spirit ordains this, so that there might not be contention among the apostles about where each ought to go. Upon which also to each one a particular tongue is given as a rule. That is, do you speak in the Roman tongue? Go away to Rome. Do you speak Persian? C Go away to Persia. And in one tongue, as has been said, they received the rule; but since it was necessary for them, as they departed to Rome, to pass through many nations, they received other tongues as auxiliaries, having the first [one] in place of an ordination. For every one of the apostles is found speaking in diverse tongues, since they were passing also through many nations. This is clear from what Paul says: "I thank God that I speak in the tongues of you all." Then, indeed, then the prophecy of the most divine Joel was receiving its fulfillment, which says thus: "I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh," that is, upon that which has believed. For not only did the apostles receive [the gift of] tongues...
A Hence, therefore, the teachers of the Church, having seized upon this occasion, confirmed the dogma concerning that recognition alongside others. For if here men recognize one another by means of signs, since the perspicacious eye of our soul has been darkened by sin and is unable to see as it did before, but there it is without signs—for there is one age among all, and one form, as the Scriptures say B—all will recognize all, as the discourse will shortly demonstrate to you. For if here all had one and the same character, no small confusion would occur in this life. For what reason? Because our mind does not currently possess the power of discernment in a healthy state, as it did formerly. Divine providence, therefore, aiding our infirmities, has permitted the variation of bodies to exist among us by dispensation, C so that all might thereby be recognized by one another. But there, O godlike man, there is nothing of the kind. And if you wish, hear first from John of the Golden Speech, who confirms and says these things regarding this matter: that we shall recognize not only those known to us here, but also those we have never seen. For you have not seen Abraham, nor Isaac, nor the other ancient fathers; but seeing them at that fearful D and common assembly, you will recognize them, and having recognized them, you will say: "Behold Abraham, behold Isaac, behold Jacob, behold Peter and Paul, and the rest in order." And for this reason, do not wonder, nor consider it something strange. For if those bodies which rose from the dead at the time of the Savior’s passion, being a prefiguration of the last and common resurrection, entered into the holy city and appeared to many—that is, were recognized (for had they not been destined to be recognized, they would not have appeared, but since they appeared, they were nevertheless known)—and [this happened] even among those who had no prior knowledge of those seen; for none of those who were present at that time, as the golden-mouthed one is found saying in his eighty-eighth homily on the holy Gospel according to Matthew, recognized the sight of the righteous who had long since fallen asleep—much more will such a recognition occur at that true and final resurrection. For when this thick flesh has become thin and light, and patriarchal, the perspicacious eye of our soul will not be hindered in the clearest way. And let that first Adam persuade you; A for having become awake and seeing that Eve, he recognized her, and having recognized her, he said: "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh." Do not, therefore, disbelieve what is said; for when we come to that Adam—for the resurrection is nothing else than a restoration to the ancient state of those who have fallen—we shall of necessity recognize even those whom we have never seen, O brethren; for we are one body, and all have one head: Christ. Of necessity, therefore, we shall all recognize all. For even if we were born at different times, yet of all there is one Father, God. Wherefore it is fitting that all from the beginning unto the end should gather together at the same time, and be carried forth collectively in that patriarchal joy. For on this account also, those who received the promise, according to the great Paul, shall not [apart from us be perfected].
not only spoke in foreign tongues, but also all A who were baptized by them received a like gift. And this is just what the Lord said: "And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues." And see what happened to those twelve men in Ephesus, as Luke relates, who, having been baptized into the baptism of John, said they did not even know what the Spirit was; but when Paul laid his hands upon them, then they received the gift of tongues. For because the Holy Spirit was invisible, it was altogether necessary that there should be some sensible proof of His presence, so that from this point on all might come to the divine laver without hesitation. This gift, however, stirred Simon also to approach the apostles and ask for baptism; for had he not seen the power of the Spirit as something sensible, he would not have approached the disciples of Christ, nor would he have appeared so needy of their work. And at that time those who were baptized received the gift of tongues by the outpouring of the all-holy Spirit; but upon those with Cornelius, B the Holy Spirit fell even before they were baptized, and they spoke in tongues. But why, I ask, did they receive the efficacy of the all-holy Spirit even before they were baptized? Because of the great prejudice of those who had believed from among the circumcision. For these were divided, not wishing to mingle with the Gentiles who were being baptized.
I know, however, beloved, that you also desire to learn the time at which the calling of the blessed Paul took place. And according to certain historians, and especially Hippolytus the Theban, seven years had passed after the resurrection of the Lord from the dead when Stephen, the first martyr, received his blessed end; and after this, about six months passed, and the calling of Paul occurred. But the History of Eusebius Pamphili relates that not even one year had been completed after the resurrection of the Lord from the dead, when all these things took place, both the struggles of the first martyr and the approach of the blessed Paul. But one could have seen fulfilled in him at that time the saying which declares: "Where you are going, you know; but what you are about to suffer, you do not know." For having received letters from the chief priests in order to go and slay the Christians found anywhere, he is blinded C in his eyes along the way; for an ineffable light from above flashed around him, and thus the lamps of his body were immediately extinguished. But he also heard a voice from above saying to him: "Saul, Saul" (that is, brother, brother, why do you persecute me?). He is then sent to Ananias and receives baptism, and thence he is enlightened in his psychic and bodily eyes. The all-great Paul then preaches for 35 years. For in the eighteenth year of Tiberius Caesar the saving passion of Christ took place.
A know one another, when there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither Scythian nor barbarian, neither small nor great, neither male and female, neither black nor fair, neither slave nor free; but all are like the angels?’ It is entirely impossible for such as these to know or be known. And such indeed is what they think and say. But we, opposing them, say this: Those who abandon themselves to human reasonings and on this account contend that we shall not recognize one another there, will end by rejecting the very resurrection of the dead from their bodies. And this is not so surprising as it might seem to them; for a body that has flowed away, a body that has perhaps been devoured by a beast, or fish, or bird, how shall it be gathered into one again and rise? And how shall it, having been so dispersed, return to its former state? But leave, if you wish, those who pry into such things; for being "natural" (psychical) men themselves, according to the apostle Paul—if indeed one must call such a great person [by that name]—they do not receive the things of the Spirit. Leave them, if such is their mindset.
I say, then, that [the claim] that we shall not recognize one another there is destructive of the future judgment itself, as the aforementioned divine man said. For judgment is accustomed to take place with the persons being known, just as it is written: “I will convict thee, and set thy sins before thy face” (Ps. XLIX, 21). So that if we do not recognize one another, we shall not be judged; and not being judged, we shall not receive what is worthy of how we have lived. How, moreover, shall the apostles sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel, C if they do not recognize those whom they judge? And how shall the blessed Job receive twice as many children again, if he does not recognize them in the kingdom of heaven? Since the former he received here, but the latter he had been promised he would receive in the age to come. Therefore, brethren, believing, we shall believe that we shall both rise and recognize one another as we were, but in the beauties of incorruptibility, just as it has been said before. For our first parents in paradise, even before the transgression, recognized one another when they were incorrupt, and after the transgression, when they were subject to corruption, they recognized one another likewise. Whence it must be believed that brother will recognize brother, and father child, and wife husband, and friend friend. I would add also that the ascetic will recognize the ascetic, the confessor the confessor, the martyr his fellow-contender, the apostle his fellow-apostle, and all will recognize all, so that the dwelling of all may be in God, who along with all blessings grants also the recognition of one another.
But also, as he was making his arrangements at the time when this divine man was departing [this life], he said these things word for word: “If I attain salvation, I will not cease to pray to the Lord boldly for all of you, expecting to see, receive, and embrace you one by one through the departure from the world; for I have such confidence, that His goodness will keep us all together in the age to come, just as here, if we have kept His commandments.” D
That we shall all recognize all, and not just the righteous those who are righteous, as some think, and in their own
A This eighteenth year had not yet been completed when the aforementioned events occurred. The nineteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar began to run its course, and Paul began his preaching, as history relates. Thus the four remaining years of the reign of Tiberius pass; for he is found to have held power for twenty-two years in total. The four years of the reign of Gaius pass by similarly, and likewise, the roughly fourteen years of Claudius pass by. Nero succeeds this man, and in the thirteenth year of his reign, he kills the Apostle. Consequently, thirty-five years are found during which Paul preached. And he carried out his ministry so diligently that he even went to see James the brother of the Lord and received counsel from him regarding the need to shear himself and purify himself on account of the Jews.
C This James served as the first high priest of Jerusalem; for they chose him so that Peter and John and James would not contend for the sake of glory, as Clement the Stromateus relates. This James was called "the Just" because of his virtue. This is the one who was cast down from the pinnacle and struck on the head with a club by the fuller, leading to his death. For the Jews, when Paul appealed to Caesar and was sent to Caesar by Festus—having failed in the hope for which they had concocted their plot against him—turned their attention to this James and said, "Restrain the people, since they have been led astray into Jesus; for we bear witness to you, and all the people do, that you are a just man." It was the Passover at that time. And having set him upon the pinnacle, they said, "O Just One, we all obey you. Since the people are led astray after Jesus who was crucified, proclaim to us what is the door of God." But when he replied that Jesus is seated in heaven at the right hand of the great power, and is about to come upon the clouds of heaven, they all shouted, "Alas! Alas! Even the Just One has been led astray." They cast him down therefore, and pelted him with stones. And immediately, Vespasian besieged them. D James was so just that the prudent among the Jews supposed these things had happened because of him. Josephus also writes: "These things happened to the Jews as retribution for James the Just, who was the brother of Jesus, the one called Christ."
Now concerning the manner of his end—that is, his being cast down and stoned, and his kneeling and praying for them, and his being struck with a club and perfected—Clement has recounted it, while Josephus says these things: "He drank no wine or strong drink, he ate no meat, no razor passed upon his head, he did not anoint himself with oil, and he made no use of a bath." It was permitted to him alone to enter into the holy places and pray for the people, so that his knees had become hardened like a camel's from kneeling and praying for the forgiveness of the people. But the Jews killed him after the death of Festus, having found a moment of anarchy.
A Now this James, namely the brother of the Lord, was not numbered among the twelve disciples, but nonetheless held the first rank among them. For when the Lord had risen from the dead, as Clement says, He imparted the knowledge to Peter, John, and James the brother of the Lord, and they to the rest. For before the resurrection, the brothers of the Lord were indignant at the Lord and did not believe Him, as the evangelist John says. But pay attention, beloved. For even if the Lord chose those twelve first, and even if He deemed them worthy of greater honor, and even if He promised that they would sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel, and that they would be His fellow-guests on that day because they remained with Him, still we have the Lord Himself elsewhere saying to the sons of Zebedee, when they asked for a seat on the right and on the left: "It is not Mine to give this, but to those for whom it has been prepared by My Father." If, therefore, that honor is not given by grace but according to the struggles that each individual will demonstrate, do not marvel if those who, like Paul, and indeed James the brother of the Lord, have struggled, are found to be partners and sharers in the honor of the twelve. For this is what he who had the golden tongue said, that no one would be greater than Paul at that time. That the disciples of Christ were intended to be twelve in number, and not more or fewer, has been declared from the beginning. And give attention, if you will, to what is said. For in the way that this sensible sun, beginning from the first sign and having made its own cycle through the twelve signs of the zodiac, and having fulfilled all its own course in them, returns again to where it began its journey, so also the intelligible Sun of righteousness, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God, having risen upon the world as He Himself willed, and having run through the world beneath the heavens through the twelve disciples, having accomplished all His will through them, returned again to where He came from. B And that the twelve disciples chosen by the Lord, and indeed those who struggled like them, have obtained a better place than those patriarchs of old, the golden-tongued John showed more clearly. For He said that they would sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel, an honor which he did not give to the patriarchs. And although many shall come from the east and west, and shall recline with Abraham and Isaac, no other person shall be a fellow-sitter with the apostles. And that they, having appeared at that time under a shadow, are less than those who have flourished in the truth. And these things, indeed, were said by the golden-tongued one, while Theodore [sic]...
B asserts that those who think and speak thus of those ancient fathers are in error. For although they did not see the Lord with their senses, they did see Him in their intellect. And how could he be inferior who receives the saints into his bosom? And what of Moses, who was transformed along with the Lord’s transformation, with Elias also present, with such majesty and glory that they could speak with Him concerning both the cross and the death to follow? This is the opinion of Theodoret. You, however, beloved son, should rather adhere to the words of that golden orator. And for what reason? Because they are in harmony with the words of the Lord, who also speaks to the apostles in the Gospel according to Luke: "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it" (Luke X, 23). What, then, are these things? They are, clearly, all those things that occurred during the administration of the Word in the flesh, the sight of which was granted to the apostles alone. Wherefore the apostles excel the prophets in two respects: both in having seen Christ bodily and in having been initiated into divine matters spiritually.
And if you seek to learn how many there are who have been raised from the dead, and who they were, we will not hesitate to enumerate these very resurrections for you. There are, in total, eight such resuscitations recorded. The first, the son of the woman of Sarephta, whom the prophet Elias restored to life. The second, the son of the Shunamite, whom Elisha raised. The third, that soldier who, upon touching the relics of Elisha, leaped up as if from a fire. The fourth, the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue. The fifth, the son of the widow. The sixth, Lazarus. The seventh, the many bodies of the saints. The eighth, finally, was that most holy and Lordly body itself; although certain heretics, the Apellians, were so mad as to claim that the body of the Lord was dissolved in the tomb into the four elements of which it consisted. But those many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep arose C primarily so that through this very miracle, He who was then suffering might be publicly proclaimed to be God; and at the same time, that faith in the final and common resurrection of mortals might be confirmed, and that the liberation and return of the souls that had been held in the underworld might be made manifest. For the souls that believed in Christ as He descended to the underworld were immediately released and set free. And because it was not possible for souls to be seen with sensible eyes, by a divine plan the souls of those holy men who had fallen asleep appeared with their bodies, so that faith might be more perfect; and then they flew back again to the places destined for them. Beware, however, beloved son, lest your mind also be led astray by the fables that are rumored here and there. For if it is claimed by many that Magdalen...
Magdalene, and heard from her that Christ healed a man blind from birth, and hence remarked to her that He must have known well the minerals of the earth (for if this were not so, He would not have enlightened that blind man), we too are aware of this, but we class such a rumor among the myths. For it is impossible that Galen could have met the Magdalene, as they say, given that he mentions the Emperor Marcus in his writings to Piso, and Commodus again in the first book of his work *On Morals*; for from our Lord Jesus Christ to that very reign of Commodus, about one hundred and fifty years are found. And so much for this.
I know, however, beloved son, that you have also proposed this among other questions: Why, you ask, did the disciples of Christ and the apostles, in recording other matters, keep silent altogether concerning the Dormition of the Ever-Virgin? And it is possible to answer that the evangelists, in narrating the economy of our Savior in the flesh, proceeded up to His very ascension from earth. But the immaculate Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ is said to have reached a deep old age, as the most divine Andrew of Crete maintains. Therefore, it was impossible for the Dormition of the Ever-Virgin to be intermingled with the evangelical history, seeing that it occurred, as we said, a long time afterward. Furthermore, the disciples of Christ did not themselves record anything separately concerning this, because they were occupied with the account of the economy, and were concerned that they might make the unbelievers believers and might bring all to the blameless faith in Christ; thus they overlooked other things, especially those that did not contribute to the divine preaching.
Yet the story of that divine Dormition has not been kept entirely silent, for the divinely-inspired and great Dionysius is found to have written some wondrous things concerning it in his letters to Timothy. And pay attention, if you will, to what is said. For that divine man discusses this matter in these very words: "And we ourselves, as you know, along with many of our holy brethren, had gathered for the viewing of the life-giving and God-receiving body, and there were present also James the brother of the Lord and Peter, the chiefest of the apostles." To these he also brings forward the one who led that divine hymn, who had become possessed by God, standing outside himself and, as it were, departing for the hymnody as he was transformed. And what need is there for many words? The inspired Dionysius reveals through his own words—to Piso, about 180 years, for from our Lord Jesus Christ to that very reign of Commodus—
A he brings food from Judea to him in such a way, such are the prodigies. The same prophet is present for Daniel, and he is not lacking for the reapers.
After Cyrus, Cambyses his son, who also had the surname Nebuchadnezzar, followed him. Holophernes was the commander of his forces, whom the prudent Judith killed, and although she possessed all his wealth, she did not become insolent in spirit, but dedicated all these things to the Lord and served Him in widowhood, living in her accustomed continence until her 85th year. After him, Smerdis the Magus, then Darius the son of Hystaspes, under whom Zerubbabel and Jesus finished the temple that had been neglected, occupied the kingdom. After Darius, Artabanus reigned, whom Artaxerxes Longimanus succeeded. In his time Sophocles, Heraclitus, Anaxagoras, Pythagoras, Thucydides, Euripides, Herodotus, Empedocles, Diogenes, Hippocrates, Plato, and Aristotle were famous. After Artaxerxes, another Artaxerxes arose, and others in order succeeded as kings of the Persians up to Darius the son of Arsames, who being defeated and the Persian kingdom B overthrown, Alexander took over and possessed the empire of the world.
From this, therefore, learn that the first kingdom was of the Assyrians, or the Babylonians; the second of the Medes, by whom the first was destroyed; then after this, the Persians, who succeeded the empire of the Medes; the fourth of the Macedonians, by whom the Persians were defeated; and lastly, the Romans.
After Alexander, his attendants and princes divided the kingdom. Ptolemy the son of Lagos ruled over Egypt, whom fifteen other Ptolemies followed in order up to Cleopatra. Antigonus occupied Asia, while Seleucus Nicator occupied Syria and Palestine, and founded two cities in Cilicia and one in Syria. Of these he named the first Seleucia, the second Antioch, and the third Laodicea, from his own name and that of his son and daughter. In his time, the Rhodians, having gained the empire of the sea, erected a statue of the sun in bronze on their island, which, because of its great size, they called the Colossus, and they themselves were subsequently called Colossians. After Seleucus, his son Antiochus reigned, and five of the same name later on. Then Antiochus Illustris, the son of Seleucus Philopator, obtained the kingdom, under whom Jerusalem was C captured a second time. For, having seized all of Egypt like a grasping and unjust man, he returned to Jerusalem in wrath, whither he sent a commander who brought many evils upon the holy city and forced the people to embrace the Greek religion. There existed then a certain Matthias, who had five sons, and among others, Judas, who, moved by divine zeal, initiated the military campaign. D
(12) Some suspect that the Rhodians were called Colossians from the Colossus of the sun which was erected, to which Glycas refers. Who this Artabanus is, whom he places between Darius the son of Hystaspes and Artaxerxes Longimanus—I know not, unless perhaps it is an error of the name; for it is Xerxes who was the son of Darius and the father of Artaxerxes. What he adds, however, that he was illustrious, Sophocles, Heraclitus, Anaxagoras, Pythagoras, Thucydides, Euripides, Herodotus, Empedocles, Diogenes, Hippocrates, Plato, and Aristotle, this is clearly a mistake, as in our universal library, from which I recently excerpted the chronological library of ecclesiastical and secular affairs, he demonstrates.
A all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily, that is, essentially. As that renowned Athanasius of ours says. Therefore also Paul B said that in Christ the whole fullness of divinity dwells corporally, that is, essentially.
In this manner she conceives in her womb, the virginal belly swells: Joseph is not a little troubled by this, and contemplates putting away the pregnant woman secretly. A divine angel stands by him in a dream, saying, “Do not fear to take Mary your wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” C Therefore, having awakened from sleep, he took his wife, and did not know her until she brought forth her firstborn Son. Now, the great Basil says that Joseph did not know this most pure virgin either before the birth or after the birth. For the word “until” is found in many places of the Holy Scripture to be indefinite, as when it says, “And the raven did not turn back until the earth was dried.” And indeed, the raven did not turn back even after the earth was dried. And in another place: “The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” If the word “until” were not indefinite, we would then say that the Lord ceases to sit after his enemies have been placed under his feet. Also the Savior Christ said to his disciples: “And I will be with you always, until the end of the age.” If the word “until” were not indefinite, it follows that Christ will not be with his disciples after the consummation of the world. And yet Paul says thus: “We shall be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.” And these things are thus. But the great Athanasius says that Joseph did not truly know her until she brought forth the Lord. He did not know what that was which was in her. Only when she brought forth, then indeed he began to know. Then Joseph knew what was the power of the virgin. Then he knew, when she had been delivered, and he did not perceive the things of childbed, when she provided milk in a strange way and a breast alien to natural nourishment, when she gave the teat and yet did not suffer any D vein-depletion. But do not consider the matter strange. For because the one being born was God and man, He necessarily joined to Himself both divine and human things. Human things were the swelling of the belly, the nine-month period of the pregnancy, the customary exit of the one being born, the nourishment with milk, and the growth from a small size to the appropriate stature of his body: for, as the blessed Paul says, He experienced all our things, sin alone excepted. Again, the divine things were the seedless conception, the miraculous pregnancy, and the undefiled birth. And this is what the theological tongue said: “The laws of nature are dissolved.” For among other things, the most pure one bore Christ without maternal pangs; for according to the Damascene, where pleasure did not precede, reasonably neither did pain follow. That the things of the pregnancy were miraculous, even Dionysius the Areopagite showed, saying thus concerning
[GREEK COLUMN] Maximianus his son. After Georgius, the Confessor Theophanes, also hegoumenos of the [Monastery of the] Agros, composed the remainder up to the death of the Emperor Nikephoros, the one from the *genikoi* [officials]. Under whom Scylitzes began his chronological history from Michael Rangabe.
The Great Constantine, when he campaigned against Maxentius, then saw in the heavens the honorable cross, by which he conquered. Then, having become slothful and having rushed against his enemies, he was defeated; and, despondent, he fell asleep, and in a dream was struck on his nostrils by a rod, and the blood issuing from there he traced into the form of a cross upon a linen cloth. Having seen these things, and having become repentant for the matter, he conquered his enemies again. But after these things, he was led astray into idol-mania by his wife Fausta. But God drew him back again through leprosy; for that disease, having taken hold of him, severely straitened and afflicted him in every way. And as the priests of the Capitoline Zeus advised, infants were gathered so that they might be slaughtered and he might be immersed in their blood, and thus, supposedly, be delivered from the disease. Passing by, therefore, and hearing their mothers lamenting, and having learned the cause of the lamentation, he said: "It is better for me to suffer than to condemn so many infants to death." Wherefore, at night, the apostles stood before him, saying that he should call for Bishop Sylvester. The saint is called, therefore, and having baptized him, releases him from the leprosy. The great man afterwards fought so much for the faith that he transformed all the customs: to fast on Wednesday and Friday, to rest on Sunday, not to purchase Jewish servants, and no longer to condemn anyone to the cross because of the reverence for the honorable cross of Christ. Among other things, he also renames the days of the week, which were previously named after Cronus and Ares and the other stars. The spouse of the great one, however, Fausta, daughter of Maximianus, whom he caused to cast off her soul by heat in a bath; the cause was her stepson Priscus Crispus,
[LATIN COLUMN] ANNALIUM PARS IV.
PART IV. CONCERNING THE CONSTANTINOPOLITAN EMPERORS WHO REIGNED THEREAFTER.
At that time when Constantine the Great was leading forces against Maxentius, he beheld the sign of the venerable cross in the air, and thence going to meet the enemy, he departed a victor. But then he became somewhat negligent, and where he rushed against the enemy again, he was defeated. Having accepted this setback, he fell into some sort of sadness and fell asleep. Here in a dream he saw himself struck in the nostrils by some rod; soon the blood flowing from his nostrils expressed the mark of the cross on a linen garment. Having seen this thing, he was led by repentance for his crime, and therefore he proved superior to his enemies again. After these things, God drew him back again by way of the leprosy from the extravagant furor of the worship of gods, to which he had been led by his wife Fausta. For when it had occupied the body of this great man, it was pressing and torturing the man in every way. There, by the counsel of the priests of the Capitoline Jove, certain infants were ordered to be gathered, in whose slaughtered blood he might be immersed and freed from that disease. But when he was passing by somewhere and had heard the mothers of the infants lamenting and had learned the cause of the weeping, "It is better," he said, "for me to be tortured in this way than for so many infants to be killed." Therefore, it seemed to him by night that the apostles were standing before him, who warned him to summon the pontiff Sylvester. When he had been brought to Constantine, he baptized him and freed him from the leprosy. From which time, indeed, this great emperor fought for the faith to such a degree that he himself undertook to perform all things which are the custom for Christians to observe. For both on Wednesday and on the day of preparation he fasted; he abstained from all work on the Lord's Day; he forbade Jews from buying servants henceforth; he condemned no one to the cross any longer, so that he might show this religious honor to Christ's precious cross. Among other things, he also gave other names to the days of the week, which were previously called after Saturn, Mars, and the other stars.[The remainder of this paragraph is fragmented and unreliable; it concerns] other things [which] are suspected and mixed with fables. He killed his wife Fausta, who was the daughter of Maximianus, in a bath that was heated beyond measure. The cause of this was Priscus, Faust's stepson, on account of a crime of the stepmother; [which story] is also found in manuscripts V and F, for which should be substituted, as all antiquity speak[s]...
475 MICHAELIS GLYCÆ
Secundum hæc ab impiæ sententiæ sectatoribus impulsus hic Constantius antistites accersivit, ut synodus coiret, per quam decerneretur Trinitatem unius et ejusdem essentiæ non esse. Verum conatus omnis irritus fuit; nam cum gravem in morbum incidisset deque vita jam desperasset, Euzoium Antiochenum antistitem ad se venire jussit, illustrationemque divinam celeriter consecutus vivendi finem fecit. Ipso vivente pontifex Hierosolymorum erat A Cyrillus, vir eximius, qui ad Constantium in hæc verba perscripsit: Patre tuo regnante crux in terris reperta est. Rursum te regnante crux de cœlo est patefacta. Nam in Golgothæ loco, circiter horam diei tertiam, in ipso Quinquagesima festo, signum crucis conspectum est, de luce quadam fulgentissima compactum. Neque tantum ab uno conspectum est vel per imaginationem quamdam, sed ab omnibus et multas quidem in horas.
Post Constantium successit in imperio Julianus, annisque duobus et septem mensibus eo potitus est. Princeps hic nequissimus ante inita regni tempora, quemadmodum magnus ille Cyrillus antistes Alexandrinus commemorat, in numero fidelium erat, ipsum quoque baptismum consecutus, utut deinceps illum per sanguinem impurum et exsecrandum deposuit, et egregie sacris erat in libris exercitatus. Verum deinceps viri quidam superstitiosi cum familiares ei facti fuissent, habilis ad ipsum de fidei desertione sermonibus tandem perfecerunt ut qui sacrosanctis in ecclesiis et monasteriis educatus erat, impurorum dæmoniorum B evaderet: cumque facundus esset a natura, linguam suam adversus Salvatorem nostrum Jesum Christum exacuit, et libros adversus religiosum Christianorum cultum tres conscripsit. Tanto furore sanctos oppugnabat, ac præsertim illo ipso tempore quo delapsus ignis e cœlo pulcherrimum illud Antiochiæ suburbium, quod Daphnen vocant, una cum ipsis simulacris exusserat, ut aheneam Christi statuam, a muliere sanguinis fluxum perpessa collocatam Cæsareæ Philippi, quam nunc Paneadem vocant, inhumaniter confregerit; et sacras Joannis Baptistæ reliquias brutorum ossibus permistas concremaverit. Præterea Judæos adversus Christianos armabat, eosdemque juvabat in exstructione templi sui, quanquam in hoc conatu sunt impediti a vento, gravi terræ motu, et igne denique. Nam ignis e fundamentis ipsis cum prosiliisset, eos ab opere instituto deterruit et detraxit.
Sciendum est autem tibi, dilecte fili, quod in hodiernum usque diem nomen illius, qui Julianum in expeditione Persica jaculo confixit, ignoretur. Quanquam enim perscriptum reperiamus in libro C de sancti Basilii miraculis, quæ magnus ille vir Amphilochius litteris commendasse perhibetur, mandato perpetuæ Virginis Deiparæ per sanctum Mercurium magni Basilii precibus desertorem hunc trajectum fuisse, non tamen hæc narratio meretur ut ei continuo fidem adhibeas. Quamobrem istuc? Quoniam in eodem scripto legimus magnum Basili- D um archiepiscopum Cæsareæ fuisse, quum per ea loca transiret...
A and at the time in Tiberias; he was seen by James, the brother of the Lord; he was seen by more than five hundred men. And lastly, he was seen by them on the Mount of Olives, where he was also taken up from the earth after forty days, as we have said.
If you wish to learn also the reason why, after his rising from the dead, he spent forty days on earth and neither more nor less, the great Epiphanius resolves this mystery for you in a few words: "For in the same way," he says, "that after Christ was born, he was laid in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and after forty days was brought into the divine temple and presented to God according to the law of Moses, so too does he do here; and thus he is returned to the Jerusalem above, so that he may appear before the face of God on our behalf." And be persuaded by the great Paul, who says: "For Christ has entered not into things made by hands, which are copies of the true ones, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us" (Heb. IX, 24).
The Lord was therefore taken up. Ten days pass after that, and the descent of the Holy Spirit takes place. That such a descent occurs after the completion of ten days is because the number ten is perfect. Since, therefore, the Holy Spirit descended for this reason, that he might render the still imperfect disciples perfect, for this cause he descended upon them in this perfect number, that is, on the tenth day. And that he did show the imperfect disciples to be perfect, the chief, Peter, clearly demonstrated. For you who are diligent will see that he, who previously had been terrified by a poor little maid and had denied his master three times, later, having been strengthened by the Holy Spirit, preached with much boldness in the midst of the people, and from that point persuaded all to approach Christ without hesitation.
After fifty days had passed since the resurrection of Christ from the dead, as has been said, the descent of the Holy Spirit takes place. Why? Because the old law was also given, with God appearing on the fiftieth day. For, according to the golden-tongued and divine John—or rather, according to the history of the seer Moses—fifty days had passed from the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, and at that time the tablets which Moses received, B engraved by God, were given to him. Therefore, if the old law was given in fifty days, it necessarily had to follow that on that same day the grace of the Holy Spirit should be given; and from this, beloved, one can gather both in the old and in the new covenant that the nature of the Godhead is shown to be indivisible, and that the Holy Spirit was ordained both then and now.
And there appeared to them cloven tongues as of fire. Why tongues? Because there was need of preaching, C D [alt-version omitted]
lived in shadow, are entirely inferior to those who have existed in the very vigor of the truth. These things are from Chrysostom. Theodoret, however, says that those who feel and speak in this way about those ancient fathers are in error. For although they did not see the Lord sensibly, they nonetheless beheld Him by the understanding of the mind. And who is inferior and lesser than the one who receives the saints into his own bosom? Who was Moses, who, when the Lord was transformed, was himself also transformed, with Elijah also present, with such majesty and glory that they could even converse with Him about both the cross and the death that was to follow? Such is the opinion of Theodoret. B But you, beloved son, rather incline toward the words of that golden orator. And for what reason? Because such things harmonize with the words of the Lord, who in the Gospel recorded by Luke speaks to the apostles as follows: “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” What, then, are these things? They are, by all means, the things regarding the economy in the flesh, which the apostles alone were deemed worthy to see. Consequently, the apostles surpass the prophets in two respects: both in having seen Christ bodily and in having been initiated by Him into divine matters spiritually.
C But if you also desire to learn how many have been raised from the dead, and who they were, we will not hesitate to recount these very resurrections by listing them. There have occurred in all eight resurrections of the dead. The first: the son of the woman of Zarephath, whom the prophet Elijah restored to life, came back to life. The second: the son of the Shunammite, whom Elisha raised. The third: that soldier who, upon touching the remains of Elisha, leaped up as if from a fire. The fourth: the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue. The fifth: the son of the widow. The sixth: Lazarus. The seventh: the many bodies of the saints. The eighth, finally, was that most holy body of the Lord which was resurrected; although there were certain heretics, Apellians, who frantically claimed that the body of the Lord in the tomb was dissolved into the four elements of which it had been composed. However, those many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were resurrected primarily so that through this very prodigy it might be publicly declared that He who was then suffering was God; and at the same time, by the mystery of the 231 last and common resurrection, faith might be brought about, so that the liberation and return of their souls might be made manifest, as well as those that had been held in Hades. For those souls that believed in Christ as He descended into Hades were immediately released and set free. D And since it was impossible for souls thus naked to be seen by sensible eyes, by a certain divine providence the souls of those holy men who had fallen asleep appeared with their very bodies, so that faith might be increased; and afterward they flew back again to the places destined for them.
Beware, however, beloved son, lest by the fabulous tales that are spread here and there your own mind be perverted. For the rumor has gained ground among many...
that he ordered the wealthy to be destroyed and their properties to be seized. The same man, observing mud in a narrow street of Rome, ordered it to be thrown into the lap of Vespasian, a most strategic man. A At that time, Philo the wise and Josephus flourished. This Josephus was called a lover of the truth, because he praised the Lord's Baptist and likewise testified that Christ was a wise man and a worker of great signs, and that after being crucified, He appeared alive on the third day. But do not wonder, beloved, if even some barbarians chose what is good; for God, in fashioning man, implanted in him the discernment of good and evil. For this reason, not only did many of those who were not barbarians loathe an unjust life, but even not a few of the barbarians. For they say that the Hyperboreans dwell beyond the Rhipaean mountains, and that they practice justice, living on tree fruits and water. But also that the Brahmans practice beyond human measure, covering their bodies with leaves and living in the woods. And Anacharsis the Scythian was so possessed by the love of temperance and discipline that even when he slept, he would keep his lips and his private parts with his own hands; for he showed that these parts need such great guardianship not only when one is awake, but also when he is asleep.
B After Gaius, Claudius held power for 13 years. This Claudius is said to have been so fearful that he would have those standing by him searched, lest they carry a sword in their bosoms. After him, Nero his son [reigned] for 14 years. This most unclean person, being about 17 years old, was the first to begin the persecution and killed the chief apostles, as some other historians say, on one and the same day, but in different years; but as Eusebius of Pamphilus says, in the same year and on the same day. But a certain Tertullian, a man among the illustrious in Rome, and Gaius, an ecclesiastical man, and Dionysius, bishop of Corinth, write that Peter and Paul suffered martyrdom at one and the same time, in the thirteenth year of the reign of Nero. And he killed Peter for such a cause as this. During the time of Nero, there was Simon the Magician, to whom the chief apostle came and found a dog chained in his entryway, devouring those who attempted to enter to see Simon without permission. C He commanded it to enter, and with a human voice to announce Peter. And at that time it did this, and all who were within were amazed. Simon himself did this same thing and called for Peter. Simon, however, conversing with the chief apostle, said this among other things: "If Adam had foreknowledge, why did he not foresee the deception of the serpent?" And Peter said: "If he did not have foreknowledge, how did he impose names upon his sons according to their future actions at the very moment they were born? For he named one Cain, which means 'zeal'—for being zealous, he killed his brother..."
He called the other Abel, which name signifies 'mourning'; for because he was killed, his parents were in mourning. But if Adam, who was the handiwork of God, possessed knowledge of future events, much more must that be attributed to the Creator." But that insane man B inferred that a certain ignorance fell upon God because the Sacred Scriptures say that God tempted Abraham; and also because they record that God spoke thus with Himself: "I will go down and look at Sodom." Then, after other illusions, Simon was raised into the air, promising that he would send down certain good things to the people from there. But I, Peter, prayed by myself, and looking fixedly at him, I said: "If I am an apostle of Jesus Christ and not an impostor, as Simon claims, I command the evil powers to let him go and hold him no longer." And immediately he was brought down to the earth and shattered into pieces. Hence the Romans keep that day as a notable one; for it was a Sabbath, on which the faithful also engaged in prayer and fasting on behalf of the teacher. This practice prevails there even to this day. Having learned these things, Nero crucified Peter. And Paul, as the golden-tongued orator says in his discourse to those who forbid solitude, he finished by the sword, inasmuch as he had instructed Eperastus, his concubine. For this reason he also stirred up the persecution; for being a lascivious man, he could not bear that his concubines should turn to the Lord. C The divine John Chrysostom, a man truly inspired by God, also addresses Paul somewhere in such-like words: "What place, I ask, received that milky blood of yours, seen on the garment of him who impaled you? Which indeed, rendering his barbarian soul sweeter than honey by its great power, made him who was previously an unbeliever into a believer." Both of them, as the same Chrysostom testifies, fell asleep in the city of Rome, on the 29th of June, under the Emperor Nero.
I know, beloved son, that you, while reading through the history of the Acts of the Apostles by the divine Luke, have reasonably doubted whether it is consistent that Luke, having set forth all the other deeds of Paul, should have chosen to pass over in silence his blessed migration from this life. It is possible to answer this question in this way: that Luke composed the book of the Acts at that time when Paul had arrived in Rome for the first time; and for this reason it came to be that he recounted the other deeds of Paul but omitted the testimony of his faith, as it had not yet come to pass. D For Paul, being free at Rome for two whole years, was carrying out the duty of preaching; and up to this time Luke was with him. Then, having returned to Rome a second time, and having taught the rudiments of the Christian religion to Eperastus, Nero's cupbearer and also his concubine, he closed his life with a blessed end. That Luke himself was not with Paul earlier, Paul confesses in the second Epistle to Timothy, which he wrote when cast into chains by Nero. "In my first," he says, "defense..."
He was the grandson of Heraclius, and reigned for 27 years. At that time, that false prophet Moameth appeared. For the Israelites, up to the time of Heraclius, practiced idolatry, worshiping Astarte—that is, the moon—whom they also called Chaber, which means "great." At that time, Moameth arose among them. Serving a certain wealthy woman, he later took her as his wife. He also suffered from epilepsy, and wishing to conceal this affliction, he claimed to see the angel Gabriel; being unable to bear his sight, he would grow faint and fall. The things concerning him appeared worthy of belief on account of a certain Arian monk who bore false witness for him for the sake of base profit. This Moameth, having gone to Palestine and encountered Jews, Arians, and also Nestorians, drew from them all and handed down a religion of his own. He does not use the law in its entirety; for he taught circumcision, but not the observance of the Sabbath. He also calls himself the gatekeeper of paradise, and says that three rivers flow within it: of honey, of wine, and of milk. He further says that only a shadow of Christ was crucified by the Jews out of envy, for God had taken Christ himself up because He loved him. To the inquiry of that time—"Did you, O Jesus, claim yourself to be God?"—he alleges that Christ replied that he did not name himself God, but that men did so. He taught that all things are determined and come to be for men from God. Moses and Aaron, he claimed, would indeed stand at the judgment of Christ, but would be sent away to punishment as deceptive men. He also said that we are to have life there through perishable food and drink. Furthermore, they secretly worship Aphrodite. This is clear from their prayer; for they say thus: "Alla alla ua, cabar alla," which is to say, "God, God is greater," and the great one, that is, the moon, the goddess Aphrodite.
After the death of the God-rejected Moameth, a comet-star appeared toward the south for thirty days, signifying the inroad of the Arabs; for at that time they seized Damascus and many other places. Their land is praised, for it is very fruitful on account of the temperate air. Moreover, the rue tree does not differ from the fig tree in height. And in Palestine there is a fountain that provides healing, in which they say the Lord washed while traveling. And a tree stands there that is a remedy for every infirmity; this tree bent down to the earth and, as it were, worshiped the Lord as He was fleeing into Egypt; it still preserves the shape of that worship. There is also the "bataritis" root, a flame-like one, to which no one dares to draw near; it is pulled up by a dog tied near the root. The root, when carried by a demon-possessed person, puts the demon to flight. Opobalsam is also cultivated in abundance there. For this reason, God gave this land to the people of Israel as something exceptional. In it, the Lord also accomplished all things. Consequently, the interpreters of the land called it the eye of the earth.
...and in the same mode it became known to all, at the same hour that the deacon had read that prayer over the tomb, that by a new and admirable arrangement that brother had been freed from his sacred bond. From this, too, one may sufficiently estimate what great power resides in that bond by which mortals are bound by priests. In the ecclesiastical history of Philo the philosopher, it is found that during a certain time of the old persecutions, a certain elder was excommunicated by his bishop. But when that aforementioned elder had gone away somewhere for a necessary cause, it happened that he was seized by the Gentiles and sealed the truth with his testimony. For this reason, a A church was built on that spot, and dedication ceremonies were performed; and when the bishop pronounced these words, "Peace to all," the bier left the church, and this did not happen once, but two or three times. Hence, the elder appeared in a dream to the bishop, saying, "Go, and be the author of my case to my bishop that he may come here and loose me from my bonds. For he excluded me from my sacred office, and for that reason I am unable to participate in the sacred rites with you. I have indeed attained the crown of testimony, but I have not yet looked upon the face of God. But if he who bound me does not come here to set me free, no other person will be able to do so." When, therefore, these things were complied with, the bier ceased to leave the church. And for this reason all gave glory to God, who had granted such power to His servants. John, that golden-mouthed orator, discourses on this matter in words of this kind: "We, indeed, according to the ecclesiastical law and prescription, impose bonds upon some. If anyone makes little of these, let him know that the time of death and judgment will approach, which shall teach him that the word of God and the laws of His Church are in no way false or mendaciously devised."
After Leo, his son Constantine, by the surname Copronymus, held the empire for 34 years—a variable leopard from a most savage lion. There was no sort of iniquity in him. He forbade by law that the saints be called by this name; he ordered their relics to be spit upon; he proclaimed that no one should implore their intercession, asserting that they could, forsooth, provide nothing; and, what is greater than every blasphemy, he held the same opinion concerning the Mother of God. For concerning her he said that as long as she carried Christ within herself, she was to be honored and venerated; but from the moment she gave birth to Him (oh, what is Your patience, Christ!), she differed in nothing from other women. A reflection and image of this matter can be taken from a purse; when it is filled with gold coins, it is accustomed to be held in value, but when it is emptied, it is considered worth nothing. C Furthermore, he endeavored with great zeal to profane the sacred houses. For he blotted out the religious images that had been brought in, and in their place, he substituted paintings of circus games and hunts. And he did not only contrive crimes of this kind, but he also persecuted the followers of the monastic life and slaughtered them like lambs. When Artabasdus, of whom we have made mention above, saw these things, he brought war against Constantine, and having cast him down, he himself was proclaimed emperor. Then, indeed, piety began to flourish again, and the churches recovered their former beauty. But that Beliar could not endure these things. For Constantine wormed his way into the armies, inflamed them with flatteries, and gathered military forces. He engaged in battle with Artabasdus, won a D decisive victory, and overpowered him.
A ...making the expedition against the Persians. But these things do not seem [correct] also to the great Gregory the Theologian; for if, as he says in the prefaces, the great Basil was sitting in Pontus after this man [Valens] had subsequently ascended to power, with Eusebius being the high priest of the Caesareans at that time, then it is far more certain that he [Basil] was not yet a high priest in the times of Julian. From this it appears, therefore, that Julian, when passing by, neither found the great Basil to be high priest, nor did he threaten him and his Church. But neither did he [Basil] make any petition for this reason [to have him killed], nor was Christ’s martyr Mercurius sent to destroy the apostate; for if these things had happened this way, the one who threw the spear at him would not have remained unknown until today. Therefore, the wretched man is struck by a spear, though the one who threw it is unknown. But as I heard from someone, says the Theologian, he was not even taken into the tomb, but was rejected and cast out by the earth that was shaken on his account, a prelude, I believe, of the punishment hereafter. For after doing many abominable things, he died at about the age of thirty. But also, having sent a demon from Persia to the West to bring back a response quickly, he was frustrated there as well regarding his goal; for the demon he sent, upon encountering a certain monk named Publius who was praying, could not go on for ten days, and having returned with his mission unaccomplished, it shouted [of his defeat]. And the heartless man, slicing open women, would divine by their entrails. B After Julian, Jovian reigned excellently for one year, who, when being chosen by all, said: "I cannot be emperor of polluted men," upon which all cried out, "We are Christians." Yet after eight months of his reign, he died in Cilicia, leaving great grief for all. After him, Valentinian [reigned] for twelve years, having received the empire from God as a reward for his having been cast out by Julian on account of his confession for the sake of Christ. He had his own brother, the most disgraceful Valens, as co-emperor in the East. And how is this man not the most wicked, if he even burned on a ship the eighty priests who were sent to him from Constantinople for the sake of an embassy? This man, being warred against by the Goths, sought help from his most divine brother. But he not only did not give it, but even rebuked him, saying: "It is not right to help a man who is warring against God." And Valens, having reigned impiously for fourteen years, was delivered to the fire by the enemy in a barn; but that monk, Isaacius, who was rebuking him—and having been imprisoned by him and delivered to the jail—smelled the stench in the prison D of the one burned there, as has been said. Moreover, Valentinian built the aqueduct and brought water into the city. This man also, because of the wife of a certain praepositus...
[LATIN COLUMN] rum secludo et arceo. Praeterea clericos omnes, qui ea vobiscum ausi fuerint ab eo tempore communicare quo colligationem et vinculum hoc meum resciveritis, ordine moveo. Consimiliter Arsacium, quem in solium episcopatus loco magni Joannis illius substituistis, etiam post mortem cùm omnibus qui eum ipso commercium habuerunt ordine movemus, neve perscribatur ejus nomen sacris in tabulis vetamus. Hoc enim indignus est honore, ut qui episcopatum adulterio quasi commisso polluerit. Atque huic nostræ de his ordine movendis sententiæ Theophili segregationem, exsecrationem, absolutam denique Christianorum a cœtu exclusionem adjungimus. » Quas litteras ubi recitari Arcadius audivisset, in hæc verba Innocentio rescripsit: « Norunt omnes homines mentis compotes commissa per ignorationem nec divinitus nec per leges puniri, neque adeo quemquam alterius nomine supplicium luere. A Quod quidem propterea scripsi, ut mansuetudinem tuam certam redderem nos nihil eorum cognitum habuisse quæ nostris antistitibus et clericis acciderunt, cujus rei testem benignum illum Deum imploramus. Nimirum purus et innocens sum, quod ipsorum condemnationem attinet; quippe cum eorum communione sim usus, causæ nihil erat quamobrem eos affligerem. Quod autem attinet filiam tuam Eudoxiam, scito me illâ parum moderate pro ratione delicti mercedem retulisse. Quo sane factum est ut ex eo mærore ac angustia difficili gravissimaque correpta ægritudine decumbat. Igitur, quod superest, enixe te obsecro ut nos a segregatione liberes nec multipliciter punias; nec enim ipse Dominus idem ob delictum bis hominem percutit. » Ad hasce litteras Innocentius in hunc modum respondit: « Studium diligentiamque vestram Dei præscripto et voluntati consentaneam, quam propter ipsius nomen declarastis, accepimus et probavimus. Quapropter sacris a vinculis soluti ad signa Dominica confirmatis animis accedite. » Hanc ob causam sollicite cogitare cœpit Arcadius quo pacto virum sanctum magnam hanc in urbem reduceret.
Rebus autem humanis exempto Arcadio,
filius C ejus Theodosius, qui ab elegantia scripturæ, qua pulcherrime libros exarabat, Calligraphus nuncupatus fuit, annos XLVIII imperavit. Cum equo conscenso profecturus aliquo foret, una cum ipso collapsus equo fatoque functus est. Deiparæ templum in Chalcopratiis exstruxit, quod antea collegium et conventiculum Judæorum erat. Itidem urbis murum longius extendit. Ingens sub ipso terræ motus exstitit, quo et muri et magna pars urbis corruerunt, durante per omnem vicinum agrum hac succussione soli totos tres menses. Itaque patriarcha Proclo et imperatore discalceatis supplicationes instituentibus, accidit ut puer quidam abriperetur in aera et rationem hymni sanctissimi concinendi edoceretur; quo facto ira divina sedata fuit. Eodem tempore Judæus quidam paralyticus, cum baptizatus esset, sanitatem corporis recuperavit. Proclus ille patriarcha, cujus modo mentionem faciebamus, Cyzici primum episcopus erat designatus; cujus ab orbis civibus non admissus Cpolim factus est antistes. Exstitit his ipsis annis impius ille Nestorius, quod cum aliis sex opinionis consortibus aiebat se duum triumve mensium Deum probare non posse. Hic Nestorius cum jam ordine sacro fuisset motus, Joannes Antiochenus episcopus ad concilium venit, graviterque offensus quod absque auctoritate sua Nestorius ordine dejectus fuisset, D [GREEK COLUMN] A τὰ κατὰ ἄγνοιαν γινόμενα οὔτε Θεὸς οὔτε νόμοι κολάζουσιν· ἀλλ' οὐδέ τις ὑπὲρ ἑτέρου δίκην εἰσπράττεται. Ὅθεν ταῦτα γέγραφα πληροφορῶν τὴν ὑμετέραν πραότητα ὡς ἐπιμαρτυροῦντος τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ οὐκ ἔγνων τι τῶν συμβάντων τοῖς ἡμετέροις ἐπισκόποις καὶ κληρικοῖς, ἀλλ' ἀθῷός εἰμι τοῦ κρίματος αὐτῶν· εἰ γὰρ ἤμην συμμέτοχος αὐτῶν εἰς τοῦτο, οὐκ εἶχον τούτους κακῶσαι. Περὶ δὲ τῆς σῆς θυγατρὸς Εὐδοξίας γνῶθι ὅτι καὶ αὐτῇ ἀνταπέδωκα κατὰ τὸ σφάλμα αὐτῆς οὐ μετρίως, ὡς ἐκ τῆς τοιαύτης λύπης καὶ θλίψεως ἐν ἀρρωστίᾳ βαρυτάτῃ κατακεῖσθαι αὐτήν. Παρακαλῶ λοιπὸν ἵνα τοῦ ἀφορισμοῦ λύσῃς ἡμᾶς καὶ μὴ ἐπαδικήσῃς πολλαχῶς· οὐ γὰρ πατάξει Κύριος δὶς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό. B Πρὸς ταῦτα καὶ πάλιν Ἰννοκέντιος· « Ἀπεδεξάμην ὑμῶν τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν σπουδήν, ἥνπερ διὰ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἀνεδείξασθε. Ὅθεν τῶν ἱερῶν δεσμῶν ἀνεθέντες ἐν τοῖς δεσποτικοῖς συμβόλοις προσέλθετε ἐῤῥωμένοι. » Ταύτῃ τοι καὶ διὰ φροντίδος ὁ Ἀρκάδιος ποιεῖται τὴν τοῦ ἁγίου πρὸς τὴν μεγαλόπολιν ἐπάνοδον.Μετὰ δὲ Ἀρκάδιον ἐβασίλευσε Θεοδόσιος ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, ὁ καὶ Καλλιγράφος, ἔτη μβ'. Οὗτος ἐξελθὼν ἱππασθῆναι καὶ συμπεσὼν τῷ ἵππῳ τὸν βίον τελευτᾷ. Οὗτος τὸν ἐν τοῖς Χαλκοπρατείοις τῆς Θεοτόκου ναὸν ἔκτισε, πρότερον ὄντα συναγωγὴν Ἰουδαίων. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ τεῖχος τῆς πόλεως παρεξέβαλεν. Ἐφ' ᾧ σεισμὸς μέγας ἐγένετο, ὥστε πεσεῖν τὰ τείχη τῆς πόλεως καὶ πολὺ μέρος αὐτῆς. Ἐπικράτει δὲ ὁ σεισμὸς καὶ κατὰ πᾶσαν χώραν μῆνας τρεῖς. Τότε δὴ τότε τοῦ πατριάρχου Πρόκλου καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀνυποδέτων λιτανευόντων, συνέβη παιδίον ἁρπαγῆναι καὶ τὸν τρισάγιον ὕμνον μυηθῆναι, καὶ οὕτω τὴν θείαν στῆναι ὀργήν. Τότε καὶ Ἰουδαῖος παράλυτος βαπτισθεὶς ὑγιὴς εὑρέθη. Ὁ μέντοι διαληφθεὶς πατριάρχης Πρόκλος ἐν Κυζίκῳ χειροτονεῖται πρότερον καὶ μὴ δεχθεὶς παρὰ τῶν ἐκεῖσε, χειροτονεῖται ἐνταῦθα. Ὁ δὲ δυσσεβὴς Νεστόριος σὺν ἓξ ὁμόφροσιν αὐτοῦ ἔλεγεν ὅτι Διμηναῖον καὶ τριμηναῖον οὐ δύναμαι λέγειν Θεόν. Ἰωάννης δὲ ὁ Ἀντιοχείας μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Νεστορίου καθαίρεσιν καταλαβών, καὶ λυπηθεὶς ὅτι χωρὶς αὐτοῦ καθηρέθη Νεστόριος, παραλαβὼν τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ ἐπισκόπους, ἐν οἷς καὶ Θεοδώρητος Κύρου καὶ Ἰβας ὁ Ἐδέσσης, καθαίρεσιν ὑπαγορεύει τοῦ μεγάλου Κυρίλλου.
Some say that this Anastasius was A seized by the comitial disease and was thus committed to the tomb, and that afterward a voice was heard from the tomb, which, when opened, revealed a corpse whose arms were missing, having evidently been devoured by the man himself from hunger. At the church of Saint Menas in the acropolis, an excavation was found in which there were many bones of giants; Emperor Anastasius ordered these to be placed in the palace as a curiosity. Similarly, at Saint Mamas, there was a bridge over a great river; because it was believed that a dragon dwelt under this bridge, virgins were sacrificed there among other offerings. These things Emperor Zeno suppressed.
You should know that Emperor Anastasius possessed one very beautiful quality intermingled with his vices; and had he not erred in his divine worship, this goodness might well have outweighed all his other evils. For he completely eradicated a most wicked tax, which history is eager to relate. Every individual—man and woman, maiden, boy and infant, beggar, free-born citizen and slave—had to pay a silver coin to the treasury for excrement, dung, and urine. This burden was imposed even upon animals themselves, for six obols, called "folles," were exacted from the owner for each beast. Anastasius, therefore, respecting certain men of the solitary life who had interceded with him for this cause, completely removed this B burden. Now, Kavadh, the king of the Persians, having learned that precious stones lay in a certain fortress and being prevented from seizing them by the demons who dwelt there, had recourse to every kind of sorcery. He summoned Jews and all others, but none of them could achieve anything; only the bishop of that place, by the sign of the cross, drove the spirits away. And so much for these matters.
After Anastasius, Justin the Thracian reigned for 9 years. C Under him, a peculiar star appeared in the heavens above the Brazen Gate of the palace for 26 days, and a most dreadful earthquake occurred. Constantinople suffered collapses in various places, but that great city of Antioch was almost entirely swallowed up by a chasm in the earth and became a tomb for its inhabitants; those who remained alive were consumed by fire bursting forth from below. Pompeiopolis was split in the middle, and half of it was swallowed up along with its inhabitants. This shaking of the earth lasted for an entire year. A woman also came from Cilicia D of the race of the giants, who exceeded any man, however tall, by one cubit; she was also quite stout in proportion to her height.
After him, Justinian the Great reigned for 39 years. This emperor, even before his reign, was affectionately disposed toward Hilderich, the king of the Vandals. When he had attained the throne, having received letters signifying that Gelimer had risen up against him and had shut him up in prison along with his wife and children.
CONCERNING VARIOUS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
A ...had committed when they yielded. But what a heavy penalty they incurred, and what wrath of God they brought upon themselves, those who place their hopes in astrologers and soothsayers! And it is indeed a matter to be lamented, the senseless absurdity of impious men. For not only did they deify the largest animals, but even the smallest and most foul. For what could be more loathsome than a fly? Yet nevertheless they proclaimed even the image of this creature to be a god, and that which living they drive away with a fan, they called God in its likeness.
But Elias, the prince of the prophets, he who possessed such freedom of speech that he even spoke thus to Ahab, “As the Lord my God liveth, if there shall be dew or rain these years, except by the word of my mouth” (III Reg. xvii, 1)—he who covered the priests of Baal with such shame that they were all slain by the Israelites at his exhortation—so that he might not suffer from any pride, he was allowed by God to be persecuted by Jezebel to such an extent that he even said to God, B “It is enough; take, I pray thee, my life from me; for I am not better than my fathers” (III Reg. xix, 4). One might ask how the prophet, being holy and living according to the law, ate the food provided by ravens. The Lawgiver himself provided this for him by means of ravens, bread in the morning and flesh in the evening. For these laws were established because of the weakness of the Jews. For indeed, Samson was stripped of his grace because of drunkenness and lust, but he received no accusation for having eaten the honeycomb which bees had woven in the carcass of a C lion. But observe this, beloved. When the prophet came to Sarepta and was welcomed with a humble bread in the time of famine, he prayed over those vessels, saying: “The jar of flour shall not fail, and the cruse of oil shall not diminish” (III Reg. xvii, 14). But here it is worth inquiring whether there was truly oil in that cruse. For when I hear the prophet saying, “And the cruse of oil shall not diminish, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth,” I do not believe that the prophet prayed concerning oil. For when there was such a drought, and men were dying at that time from the lack of water, what benefit would it have been if the cruse provided oil? That cruse was not, therefore, a cruse of oil, since there was no need of oil for those who were suffering because of water. But since oil in Scripture signifies joy, for D this reason the prophet called that cruse a cruse of oil. For there is nothing that brings such joy as water during the time of drought. And let the Holy Scripture convince you, which calls water honey. For the Hebrews, being seized by unbearable thirst in the desert, and finding water, seemed to be filled with honey. As regards the...
A rest, that Joseph [this was the surname of this Joseph], seeing Nicephorus dressed in this way, fell at his feet and said that he would never again believe anyone who spoke against him. By this reasoning, Phocas got away safely from there, and presently Joseph began to repent of his deed, because he had let the prey that had been brought within his nets escape so carelessly. Consequently, by writing letters to John Tzimiskes, the general of the East at that time—a spirited man and one suited for conducting affairs, and, after Phocas, the most illustrious among the other generals—and likewise writing to others, he adjudged that they should make a move and, having separated from Nicephorus, depose him from his position and consign him to the tonsure of the monastic life; and that Tzimiskes should receive the office of Domestic of the East, and might appoint whomever he wished as Domestic of the West. But all of them, being kindly disposed toward Nicephorus, showed the letters of Joseph to him and exhorted him to prepare himself for defense with a strong spirit. In this way, Phocas was proclaimed emperor by the armies of the East, even though for a long time he had been burning with the desire of obtaining both the empire and the Empress Theophano. B Then, with his forces, he betook himself to Chrysopolis, and from Chrysopolis he crossed over toward the Hebdomon, and with the whole people he proceeded through the Golden Gate to the church, and there he was girded with the diadem by Polyeuctus. He presided over the empire for six years. At the beginning, he ordered Theophano to be cast out of the palace and to change her place of residence, Joseph also being punished with the same penalty; at the same time, he created his own father Caesar. Afterward, having put aside the mask and the scene, he joined Theophano to himself in lawful marriage, and he began to eat meat again, from which he had abstained from the time when Bardas, his son by his former wife, while intent upon equestrian exercises in the field and playing with his kinsman Pleusa, had been struck by a spear and died against the will of the striker. The marriage having been celebrated in the new temple at the palace, when it was time to enter into the sanctuary, Polyeuctus, holding Phocas by the hand as he approached the holy rails, entered into the adyton himself, C but pushing out the emperor, he said that he would not be admitted until he had paid the penalties for proceeding to a second marriage. Furthermore, a rumor had been spread far and wide, which caused no small disturbances in the Church, that one of the children of Theophano had been received by Nicephorus from the holy baptism. And the patriarch did not hesitate to amplify these very things. But the Caesar informed Polyeuctus—who was stalling and refusing to share in sacred things with the emperor—of the whole matter. Stylianus also, the proto-priest of the great palace, from whom this rumor was said to have emanated to everyone, confirmed with an oath that Phocas had done nothing of the sort. Polyeuctus, therefore, although he knew clearly and manifestly that Stylianus was perjuring himself, forgave the emperor for the sin of compaternity; and he who formerly insisted that punishment be inflicted upon him on account of the second marriage, even left this great fault unpunished. After Phocas had arrived at the empire, he instituted an expedition into Syria; and after he had D destroyed many
...the enemy, and having been defeated, he donned A a robe of purple belonging to one of his own men, and he fled secretly. Having paid the penalty for that war, he was fulfilling the saying: "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." [John xv, 13]
Constans went down to Sicily, wishing to establish a royal seat there, since he was greatly hated by the Byzantines for having brought Pope Martin from Rome to Constantinople with contumely and having sent him into exile to Cherson, because he had disciplined that eminent man for not approving the sect of the Monothelites. When he had lived in Sicily for six years, expecting that his children might come from Constantinople, he was killed in a bath. In those years there appeared Constantine, who also had the name Silvanus, a successor of Paul of Samosata, who taught to attend only to the evangelists and the Apostle, and was corrupted by them. B
After Constans, his son Constantine, surnamed Pogonatus or Barbatus, obtained the empire for 17 years. He accepted the appellation of Barbatus for a reason of this kind: having learned in Sicily that his father had died, he set out; upon returning from there, he began to be called Barbatus, because he had returned with a full, thick beard, whereas he had gone there without a beard, having matured. He departed this life from dysentery.
After Constantine was dead, Justinian obtained the empire for 16 years, and having had his nose slit, obtained the name Rhinotmetus. This emperor was hated beyond measure by the whole populace, being a hard man and a scorner of others, thinking that he held all things in his grasp. By reason of this, it came about that Leontius, a patrician, having stirred up a sedition by night, was proclaimed emperor by the Venetians; and when the day had come, he seized Justinian and, having slit his nose, ordered him to be exiled to Cherson. In this way Leontius reigned for three years, C at the end of which the same thing happened to him that had happened to Justinian. For, being sent by him against the Arabs—who had a very great army—and having borne his previous misfortune with an unequal mind when he was once and for all defeated by them, he sailed straight to Byzantium, intending to fight. Wherefore Apsimarus—whom others called Tiberius—having been placed in command by Leontius, cut off his nose and shut him in prison. He himself presided over the kingdom for seven years. Leontius was extraordinarily troubled by the prognostications that he held from the stars regarding what would happen to him in the future. For he writes to the Chagan, the ruler of the Chazars, promising money if he would seize Justinian and send him back so that he might cut off his head. Justinian learns of these things and D gouges out his eyes, and again becomes emperor of those who had been captured in any way whatever and did not wish to approach him. He even occupied Achrida itself, where the royal palaces of the Bulgarians happened to be; from which he also took many treasures, namely, stones and pearls and one hundred centers of gold. After all these things, having arrived in Athens, and having rendered the thanksgiving of victory to the Theotokos, and having adorned that temple with many brilliant and expensive offerings, he returned to Constantinople, and marched through the great gates wearing a golden crown having a crest on top, with Maria, the wife of Vladislav, and the daughters of Samuel and the rest of the Bulgarians preceding him, and thus he entered the church with the trophies. That patriarch Sergius, who at that time was beseeching him much to abolish the "allelengyon"—for he had promised to do this if he were to prevail over the Bulgarians—was not persuaded. The emperor, having accomplished all these things, also wished to undertake an expedition against Sicily. But he was prevented; for having been seized by a sudden illness, he departed, and is buried in the church of the Theologian at the Hebdomon, having installed Alexius, a monk from the Studion monastery, as patriarch. For it happened that he came to visit him along with the precious head of the Forerunner; for he also had him as a counselor for the administration of the common weal.
A he takes him alive, gouges his eyes out, and by this means Julianus the second truly recovers the empire. For he himself was also accustomed to sacrifice human victims to Venus. Wherefore, during his reign, certain dire diseases spread everywhere by divine wrath, and the plague destroyed such a mass of men that it was no less than that which occurred in the days of Justinian; for entire houses were completely closed up. Moreover, certain horrible terrors appeared to mortals, for when they were beside themselves and carried out of their minds, they thought they encountered certain savage men. Then there arose a great and bitter cold, so that the sea from the northern part of the Pontus petrified from the frost for a hundred miles from the shore, and the thickness of this ice reached thirty cubits, and as snow fell upon it subsequently, it increased by another twenty cubits. In the month of February, the ice having been divided into various fragments, it was carried down as far as the city itself and Abydos; in these fragments, it was possible to see many beasts frozen fast. If anyone wished to go on foot from the acropolis as far as Chrysopolis, he could do so completely unimpeded. And these fragments, striking the walls of the city, shook them vehemently. During the reign of the same Copronymus, a modius of barley sold for 12 aurei. And as the earth cracked in Mesopotamia, a mule came out and with a human voice signaled the incursions of enemies to those who were about to follow. And then a certain eunuch, Nicetas, who held the first rank with Copronymus and knew nothing else but how to eat and drink, was ordained patriarch. At one time, while reading the Gospel in his cell, instead of saying, “From the Gospel according to Matthew,” B he pronounced: “From the Gospel according to Matthaeum.” Whereupon one of those standing by said: “Do not divide the diphthong.” To which he replied with anger: “You are babbling; for my soul greatly hates the diphthongs and triphthongs.” The tyrant, returning from an expedition, developed C carbuncles on his legs, and died near the Strongylum, seized by a violent fever, having said this and only this on these matters: “I am delivered to unquenchable fire for the sake of the Virgin, yet from now on let her be honored.” Know also, beloved, that having sought many and many times whence he was called Copronymus, we found nothing else but this alone. There is a certain region so called Caballa. Those, therefore, who originate from there were naturally called Caballini. From there, therefore, he also had his birth, and since, according to a certain custom, dung is called *caballina*, most justly that wickedest man was called Copronymus, as if carrying the name D of dung in himself. I wish you to observe in this place, beloved son, that we have made many and frequent inquiries as to why this emperor was called Copronymus, and have found only this: that there is a certain region which is called Caballa; from it, whoever originated were called Caballini. Wherefore, since this Constantine derived his origin from there, and as the custom has taken root that we say *stercus caballinum* (horse dung), not without reason was that most wicked man called Copronymus, as one who carried a dung-derived name in himself.
After him, his son Leo from the Khazar woman reigns for five years, being pious at first; but then he wears the crown of the Church, whence he is charred as if by a violent fever and dies. At that time, there was also that dog which recognized the murderer of its master as he entered the tavern.
…the name of the foolish one), but when I looked into the mirror, I saw the forms represented there by reflection, and I called them puppets.” So much did Theophilus loathe the images, insomuch that he even shut up that religious man, Methodios, who was a champion of the images, in a certain cavern just as a corpse is hidden in a tomb. And not only this, but he also joined two robbers with him. Then, indeed, when one of them died, he became a cause of much stench to the blessed man. At that time, those who had their foreheads branded and were being sent into exile, through the agency of a certain fisherman, wrote to Methodios in these words, included in iambic verses: A
290 To the living corpse and the life-bearing dead man, Dwelling on earth and yet treading the pole, The bound write to the bound, and those inscribed to the inscribed.
To this, Methodios wrote back in this sense:
To those who are in turn enrolled in the books of heaven, And who are not without praise for having their faces marked, The living buried one greets them as fellow-prisoners.
B However, God brought Methodios out of that cave in a strange and admirable way. For Theophilus, being a lover of learning, encountered certain writings difficult to understand, whose meaning he could not find. Having heard from someone that no other mortal could explain such writings more successfully than Methodios, who was in the tomb, he immediately called him back from there and thereafter held him in great esteem. And because the jaws of Methodios had been paralyzed by Theophilus on account of his speaking out on behalf of the holy images (for after the Seventh Synod this emperor renewed the iconoclasm), they were bound with a thin cloth. C Hence, a custom has prevailed even until now, as I think, among chief priests, to have bands bound on their front parts.
But also, as Theophilus was dying, he requested that the holy images should not be restored, nor that the patriarch John, a renowned sorcerer, should be removed. But after he had departed this life, Theodora removed John, and having deposed him, substituted the holy man Methodios in his place. Then, indeed, his adversaries suborned a certain prostitute to bring charges against Methodios; when this matter was brought into court, Methodios lifted the hem of his garment and exposed his private parts. They were completely cold and withered. Being asked for what reason his manhood had withered so greatly, he replied that he had once been sent to Rome for a certain necessity, and having suffered an inflammation of carnal desire there, he begged for the help of the disciples of Christ. Upon which he thought he saw in a dream the primate Peter, and that when he touched his private parts, he felt a fire consuming them. From that time on, those members of his had been dead, and the inflammation of desire had no longer troubled him. But as the first woman led Adam out of Paradise, so Lady Theodora led her spouse into Paradise. D When she, therefore, received proof of the matter, she showed kindness to these holy Fathers, through whom...
putrefactis vermibus et fœtore scateret, misere vitam finiit, in Prote insula pulvere corporis deposito, ubi novas ædes exstruxerat, religiosis exercitiis destinatas. A Imperavit post ipsum Michaelus cognomento Parapinaces annos sex, homo plane mollis, et ad rei publicæ gubernationem, ut ita dixerim, femina. Rerum administrandarum potestatem Joanni Sidæ antistiti commisit, a quo præclare omnia gerebantur, ut qui vir egregius et industrius esset: verum huic bono tritico tandem etiam malarum herbarum aliquid admixtum fuit. Nicephorus enim, eunuchus, qui diminuto vocabulo Nicephoritzes appellabatur, ante imperium Michaeli hujus accusatus ob sexcenta flagitia solumque vertere jussus, nunc a Michaelo revocatus omnem potestatem accepit, spado quidem ille, sed rerum perturbandarum et ima sursum vertendi peritissimus. B Posteaquam is ad gubernationem accessit, ubique sunt auditæ querelæ, bonorum publicationes, exactiones injustæ; quas consecuti sunt publici gemitus et ejulationes cum iræ divinæ declaratione. Cum enim Turci viderent fœdera pacis inita cum Diogene prorsus in irritum recidisse, quemque suam in potestatem redactum magno in honore habuissent, eum a Romanis crudeliter interfectum esse, magnis cum copiis a Perside profecti provincias Romanas invaserunt. Ea re motus Michaelus etiam ipse conscribit exercitum, cui prætorem dat Isaacium Comnenum, qui profectus in hostem ad Cæsaream commisso cum Turcis prælio captivus abducitur, C omnesque copias amittit. Imperator accepto infelicis pugnæ nuntio, non poterat non ille quidem mærere, totus tamen non emendabatur, ut qui tanquam mancipium aliquod Nicephori consiliis et auctoritate duceretur. Cum Isaacius pretio numerato redemptus fuisset, Joannes Cæsar ejus loco dux copiarum est delectus. Neque vero verbis exponi potest quantæ Romanis in hac Turcorum incursione calamitates acciderint. Nam ipse quoque Cæsar in hostium potestatem venit, cumque de se præbuisset, rasis crinibus in regiam sese contulit. Atque hæc erant illa præclara Nicephoritzæ facinora, qui reliquas inter improbitates etiam singulari sollicitudine lucris inhians, ut in excogitandis malis fecundissimus, quo annonæ caritas exsisteret procuravit. Etenim ubique D locorum prohibebat ne qui mercatores annonam venderent; atque interim ipse solus juxta Rhædestum fundacum et monopoliis institutis, ut inde fundaca a fundo, Michael gnarus quidam dicens, si non adderet etiam Parapinacem, non esset cito agnitus, eo quod tunc modius [pinakion], id est patina, numismate venderetur. Parapinaces dicitur, eo quod tunc modius patina venderetur numismate.
or permitted her, especially since he was already lying ill in bed. Moreover, the empress was somewhat alienated in spirit from the son of John, the emperor-designate, and had transferred all her goodwill to Bryennius. For this reason, John studiously cultivated the senate and the other orders in favor of his eldest daughter and her husband.
C Now, one of those Latins who had set out toward the East, named Bohemond, having made a treaty with the emperor and received great sums of money, set upon Antioch in the emperor's name. Having taken it by force, he forgot their pacts and did not hesitate to invade the Romans themselves. Then, intending to journey toward the West, and fearing he might be intercepted by the Romans, he spread a false rumor of his own death, and thus achieved what he wished. Yet later he returned to friendship with the emperor.
But soon after this, the sovereign was seized by such a grave illness that he seemed to be failing in spirit. D Therefore, there was brought to him an image of our Savior which stands at the Chalke, which is seen suspended on a veil before the image itself. When this had been spread over the sick man's bed, he recovered his strength entirely. This event struck not only the common people, but even the nobles and magistrates with a kind of fear. For a rumor was prevalent among the masses that the emperor was destined to pay the debt of nature on that very Great Sabbath; which, indeed, when brought to the emperor, tormented his spirit not a little, although the event itself proved it to have been false.
From then on, the emperor spent the entire spring and summer near Philippopolis. The reason was his discussion concerning religion with the Manichaeans, whom the common tongue calls Paulicians. This race of people is settled in great numbers in that region, having been brought down from the East and placed in colonies by the emperor John Tzimiskes. Debating with them, he brought many back to the orthodox faith.
At that time, many fires broke out here and there. And when spring approached, [E] such violent gusts of wind arose that, among other downfalls and ruins of works, the statue set upon the column in the forum called the Plakoton also fell, and many of those who happened to be there were killed; and a torrential rainstorm broke out on the memorial of the holy apostles, so severe that buildings collapsed and both men and beasts were drowned by the waters.
In the midst of these things, there was an incursion of Turks against the Romans. The sovereign, not being able to campaign in person, as he was bedridden, sent out an army under the leadership of Eustathius Camytzes, who, having clashed with the Turks, was taken prisoner and lost his army. The sovereign could no longer tolerate this, but went there himself and dispersed the Turks like smoke. And those who were holding Camytzes prisoner, turning deserters, came with him to the emperor. [F] After this, the ruler of the Turks made a treaty with the emperor, and each party went home.
But when, after this, his illness grew worse, by the common opinion of the physicians, he received a burning iron against his stomach. And because the air in the palaces seemed unwholesome, being somewhat humid, he was moved to the palaces of the Manganes, as fate—it seems—was dragging him down; for those skilled in such things say that it was written concerning him: "He will fall in birth-pains." He died, therefore, in that place, having reigned...
631 MICHAELIS GLYCE ANNALIUM 632 bastocrator, and Manuel the emperor’s brother through his daughter, Alexius Branas, is appointed commander. He, having returned after a successful war, and Alexius Comnenus, his nephew through the brother of the same Manuel, incites William, King of Sicily, to seize Dyrrachium and Thessalonica; upon the capture of which, enormous cruelty was exercised by the Sicilians. Hence, Epidamnus, Amphipolis, and Mosynopolis came into the power of the enemy, as Andronicus, through folly and luxury, did not come to the aid of his own [people]. As these evils increased daily, Andronicus began to be anxious about his successor. Therefore, having learned through wicked arts that some man whose name was Isaac would be his successor, he himself thought that the Isaac who (as has been said) had occupied Cyprus was meant; but his intimates feared Isaac Angelus, to whom Andronicus was thoroughly opposed. Wherefore, by his own counsel, Stephen Hagiochristophorites, the most savage administrator of Andronicus’s crimes, prepares himself to kill Isaac; who, as if in a desperate situation, anticipating Stephen, kills him with his own hand. Then, betaking himself to the Great Church, he implores the aid of the thronging people. They, arming themselves more and more, proclaim Isaac Angelus Emperor and lead him to the palace. From there, guards were sent to pursue the fleeing Andronicus. He had reached the Tauroscythians with his wife Anna and a certain harlot named Chelen, intending to cross from there. But, having been cast back onto the shore several times by sea storms, he was captured by those pursuing him. A Brought to Isaac, after various insults, his right hand is cut off. After a few days, having had his other eye gouged out, he was placed upon a mangy camel and led through the forum in a triumphal display. Then some struck his head with clubs; others befouled his nostrils with dung; others squeezed sponges filled with the excrement of men and beasts into his face; others assailed his parents with obscene words; certain ones pricked his sides with spits; finally, an impudent harlot poured a pot full of boiling water onto his face. Led in this way into the theater, he was suspended by his feet, bound with a rope. Meanwhile, he himself kept crying out, "Lord, have mercy," and, "Why do you break a bruised reed?" Yet the fury of the mob was not even then satisfied by Andronicus being suspended. For with his tunic torn, his private parts were abused; and a certain man thrust a long sword through his jaws as far as his intestines. Also, two of the Latin race drove swords with both hands into his buttocks, to make a trial of which was sharper. After so many hardships, he with difficulty cut off his life, with his right hand moved to his mouth in pain, so that many thought he was sucking the warm blood still dripping from it due to his recent wound. He reigned for two years, having previously also possessed power for the space of one year without the purple and diadem. After his death, his sons also, John and Manuel, perished by blinding.
Henceforth, Isaac, intent on routing the Sicilians who were already threatening even Constantinople, B having administered [matters] carefully, beyond the hope of all destroys the Sicilians and recovers the captured cities. More than 10,000 of the Sicilians perished in the war, and about four thousand in prisons from cold and hunger. Commanders were also captured, Richard and Baldwin, together with Alexius Comnenus, the author of the war, whose eyes were soon gouged out. Following these things, Cyprus was unsuccessfully attempted, and the movements of the Vlach nation followed; against whom nothing was done rightly by John, the emperor’s paternal uncle, nor by John Cantacuzenus. Yet Alexius Branas, being sent to subdue them, having aspired to the empire, returned to Constantinople and besieged it. But not long after, his attempt proving vain, he was slain by Conrad, Marquess of Montferrat, upon whom the emperor had bestowed the honor of Caesar—a man very sturdy and strong, summoned from Italy to Constantinople with very great largesse, so that he might join in marriage with Theodora, the emperor’s sister. Mention of him was made above, that he had captured the city of Mainz, having conquered it in battle. He met an untimely death, killed through treachery by a certain Chasius in Palestine, where, having captured Loppe (which they now call Accouen) and other towns, he had given a great specimen of virtue and prudence, to the great terror of the Saracens. While the war against the Vlachs was still ongoing, Theodore Mangaphas, whom they later called Morotheodorus, having occupied his native Philadelphia, tried in vain for the empire, being later shut away in perpetual imprisonment.
C Frederick, too, the King of the Germans, undertook an expedition to snatch Palestine from the Egyptian Saracens. Isaac tried to hinder this journey of his, contrary to the word given, but when he saw that he could accomplish nothing, he finally granted the Germans free passage. The extraordinary hospitality of the Laodiceans toward the travelers shone forth at that time. Wherefore the Germans prayed for every most favorable thing for them from God, and Frederick himself, with hands and eyes raised to heaven, and knees bent on the ground, prayed that they might obtain from God, the governor of this universe, whatever might be useful for life, whatever might bring salvation to their souls. He added this also, that if the remaining provinces of the Romans had received the soldiers of Christ as kindly, he would have very willingly given them [his] wealth brought with him, and that they would have already crossed the Roman borders long ago with spears unstained by the blood of any Christian. But when Frederick, having entered the territory of the Sultan of Iconium, who had himself also granted him peaceful passage, was violated contrary to the faith pledged, he so laid low the Turks at Philomelium and Cingularium in two battles that he became both famous and formidable among the eastern nations, especially after a not long interval of time had passed, when he inflicted similar defeats upon them at Iconium itself, which soon surrendered to him. Having taken possession of the city, the Germans, content with suburban dwellings, and having at least taken away provisions, departed without wrongdoing. Hence, honorably [received] by the Armenians
the second, who was called Zoe, and in this way is proclaimed empress, having held power for five years. At that time, she began with favorable preludes; for she ordered that eighty pounds of gold be given annually from the imperial treasuries to the Great Church of God. She also suppressed the *allelengyon*, emptied the prisons, and did many other such things. In the month of October, on the 31st day, A a comet appeared, moving its course from west to east; on this same day, a not inconsiderable defeat of the Roman army occurred, while Michael Spondyles, the prefect of great Antioch, was in command. There was also an inundation of rain that persisted until the month of March itself, with the rivers having overflowed and the low-lying areas forming seas, so that almost all the animals and the crops sown in the earth were choked and perished, and consequently a severe famine followed in the ensuing year. However, the misfortune of the Roman army occurred in Syria. At that same time, a certain prodigy also occurred in the theme of the Thracesians, near the foothills of Mount Kouzinai, where there is a spring of clear and transparent water; at this spring, a certain miserable voice was heard, mixed with wailing and woe, and a lamentation similar to the mourning of women. And this did not happen once or twice, but from the month of March until June of that same year, day and night. When some people went to inspect the place where the voice was resounding, the wailing migrated elsewhere. This, as it seems, portended the misfortune that had befallen the Romans in Coele-Syria. For after Emperor Nicephorus Phocas had restored the majority of the cities of Syria and Phoenicia to the Roman Empire, and after B John, his successor, had fortified what had been captured and extended the dominion as far as Damascus—since the emperor who came after them, being obstructed both by civil wars and by constantly campaigning against the Bulgarians, could not well secure the affairs in the East; for he had arrived there only in appearance and had returned at that time, having a constant preoccupation with subjugating the Bulgarians. From that point, then, those in the East, having seized an opportunity, began to consider seeking their own liberty. For this reason, the rebellion was meditated upon during the reign of Basil, but was concealed. But during the reign of Constantine, who was guiding the empire carelessly, the Saracens—with no one to stop them—boldly ravaged the fortifications in the cities, having engaged in great incursions everywhere. With affairs in this state, the emperor [Romanus] C set out with an impulse against the Saracens. He came to Philomelion. Ambassadors were sent to him from Beroea, requesting sympathy and admitting to the previous subjugation and the tribute-bearing taxes. But Romanus, wishing to demonstrate some bravery against Syria, just as the emperors before him, does not receive the ambassadors, but rushes against them, neither taking into account the shortage of water, nor the Saracens themselves, who are rather unstoppable in the summer season, as is their custom. He joins battle with such [opponents], and flees; he is defeated, when the account D cannot easily express it.
[They were] few, and unarmed, opposing [the soldiers] with swords. A They fall, then, to the number of about three thousand. For all that, the citizens, because of their great numbers, forced the gates, burst into the palace, and immediately snatched the gold in the secret vaults and rushed against the emperor himself. He, having become a fugitive, came to the monastery of Stoudios and remained there with his uncle.
It is a small number of the people, therefore, that was slain, on account of the fact that they were unarmed and opposed to armed men. In the end, however, the citizens, having become superior on account of their number, broke down the doors and entered the palace. And when they had plundered the gold stored in the secret vaults, they marched against the emperor; who, in total desperation, betook himself to flight to the monastery of Stoudios, and joined his uncle.
Again, the Empress Zoe is preferred, along with her sister Theodora, whom the people had favored at the beginning B since she had declared her benevolence toward them; it seemed necessary that Michael should be sought out immediately. And as the voices of the people were groaning over matters of this magnitude, saying, "Let him be crucified, let him be blinded," Zoe seemed to be swayed by pity for him, but Theodora, appointed by the city prefect, stirred up the masses of men so that they would rush to find them both. And when they arrived, and sensed that they were in the inner sanctuary of the temple, they took refuge there. But being dragged from there, and dragged through the marketplace, they were blinded at the place called Sigma, as Theodora had planned. C From that time, Zoe and her sister Theodora governed the public affairs and the senate for about a month with great praise, seeing to it that the abolished magistracy was everywhere granted without price, whereas previously they were for sale.
A deliberation arose as to how Zoe might be lawfully joined in matrimony to one who, through this union, might attain the imperial height. She thought to marry Constantine, who was called Artoklines; for he was comely in form, and was said to be intimate with her. But he was not destined to be her husband, as he was carried off by poison. D For this reason, she summoned Monomachos from his exile, whom the Orphanotrophos had sent to Mytilene, to remain there. A rumor had been spread among the commoners that he would be the one to rule. This other [writer], Scylitzes, also recorded that the governors who had previously held [the city] were removed, and the Empress summoned Monomachos from Lesbos, who it was said had been banished by Michael because he was having a relationship with the empress. And although earlier he was not far from the danger of losing his eyes, now, being recalled, he was joined to her in lawful marriage, with the priests of the New Rome reciting the holy prayers, in the year of the world 6550. He gave a brilliant beginning to his imperial administration, and he reigned for twelve years. And while indeed he was utterly ignorant of affairs of war, and [furthermore]...
the immortal, and the incorruptible. And being [so], he will not be a body exempt from all corruption; we are not capable, and for this reason, the...
[663 A] confirms what has been stated; whose words are read thus in the one hundred and ninth [canon]: "If anyone says that Adam was created by God as mortal, and did not become subject to corruption after sin, let him be anathema." So too, most holy man, as many as suppose Adam to be intermediate between immortality and mortality, fall far from the truth of reason.
[663 B] Nor should you hesitate over these things. For if, when God brought forth man, He had then said to him, "In the day that you eat of the tree, you shall die the death," those who opine that he was by nature both mortal and immortal from the beginning would have had something to say. But since the commandment was given long after his creation—from which death indeed took occasion against us, for He says, "If you eat, you shall die the death"—it was not at all appropriate for those who seek to investigate the first man, who are even now reading and searching the Holy Scripture, to be overly curious, since from this they were perfectly aware of the nature in which he was formed, who was in fact fashioned according to the image of God. For it is manifest that God, wishing to honor the workmanship of His own hands, from the very start and from that very beginning, adorned it with the gift of incorruption. And the whole choir of the saints bears witness to this word; so do not disbelieve what is said. For since God wished to appoint man as prince of all earthly things, for this reason (as the gold-tongued John says) He granted him the essence of a soul, desiring thereby that he should also be immortal forever. For if this had not been the case, if Adam had not received from God an intellectual soul, he was going to be nothing according to the most divine John, inasmuch as he was formed from dust, from which site the irrational animals were also brought forth.
[663 C] Understand therefore, O sacred head, that through the great goodness of God, who bestows such things, incorruption was then given to the first-formed Adam, and the grace was at once in him perfect and entirely complete in all respects. For if this had not been, the divine paradise would not have been granted to him to inhabit.
[alt-version omitted]
[663 D] To be born: nothing from nothing, and nothing can revert to nothing. He would not have been going to be nothing, but he would have been resolved into those principles of which he consisted. That Adam entered paradise after 40 days, and Eve after 80, as Glycas reports in the first part of his Annals. Divine interpreters differ greatly among themselves as they desire to explain what is to be understood by the name of paradise. Let Augustine be heard in Book VIII *On Genesis to the Letter*, chapter 1: "I am not unaware that many have said many things about paradise. Nevertheless, there are three general opinions about this matter: one of those who wish paradise to be understood only corporally; another of those who wish it understood only spiritually; a third of those who accept paradise in both ways, sometimes corporally, sometimes spiritually. To speak briefly, therefore, I confess that the third opinion pleases me." Augustine confesses that he is in this opinion also in his book *On Genesis against the Manichaeans*, and in book XIII *Of the City of God*, chapter 21. Ambrose was also of the same mind in his book *On Paradise*, as was Jerome in epistle 61 to Pammachius and his Commentary on chapter 10 of Daniel, and the Hebrew scholars.
πιπτε πάθεσι σῶμα πάσης ἀπηλλαγμένον φθορᾶς, οὐκ ἐσμὲν ἱκανοὶ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο παρακαλοῦμεν μαθεῖν. Οὕτω μὲν οὖν, ἐσιώτατε, καὶ τὰ τοῦ Ηρακλείας, εἰ καὶ θεῖα σοφὸς ἦν ὁ ἀνὴρ, ἀμφιβολίαν ἡμῖν οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ἐνίησι. Ταύτῃ τοι καὶ προσφέρειν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ μέσου τό γε νῦν ἔχον οὐκ ἔπρεπε. Τίνος ένεκεν; Οτι τοὺς λόγους ἐκεῖνος ἐπεξηγούμενος ἐν οἷς ἔφθασε περὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου διαλαβεῖν ὁ ἐν θεολογία μέγας Γρηγόριος, πῶς τε τὴν πλάσιν ἔσχηκε κατ' ἀρχὰς ἐκ Θεοῦ καὶ οἶας αὐτίκα μετείληχε φύσεως, ὁποῖος τε ἦν καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἔκπτωσιν γέγονε, και οἷας ἔτυχε καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα λήξεως, ἵνα μὴ τὸ κακ ἀθάνατον ᾖ, δύο ταῦτα δίδωσιν ἡμῖν ἐννοεῖν· ἡ ὅτι τῶν θεολογικῶν ἰχνῶν ἀκολουθῆσαι κατόπιν ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἔφθασεν, εἰ καὶ τολμηρὸν ἡμᾶς οὕτως εἰπεῖν, ἢ ὅτι, τὰ πολλῷ τολμηρότερον, αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ λοιπὸν ἐναντιούμενος ἦν ὁ μέγας Γρηγόριος. Ἀλλὰ χαλε- παίνειν ἐπὶ τούτοις οὐχ ὅσιον. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ φορτι κοὺς ἡμᾶς οἱ πλείους ἡγοῦνται, καὶ δὴ ἀσυνέτους ἀποκαλοῦσι τοιαῦτα δῆθεν ἀποφαινομένους οὐκ εὐμα- θῶς τὸ δοκεῖν· ἀλλ᾽ εἴ τις ἀκριβῶς ἐξετάσεις πῶς ἄρα καὶ τίνα τρόπον ἐπεξηγήθη τὰ θεολογικὰ ταῦτα ῥητά, τὸ πρᾶγμα κἀκεῖνος θαυμάσειε, κἀντεῦθεν ἡμᾶς ἀπολύσει τῆς αἰτιάσεως. Καλῶς οὖν ὁ μακάς ριος ἔλεγε Παῦλος, Ο λαλών γλώσσῃ προσευχές σθω ἵνα καὶ διερμηνεύῃ. "Ορα γὰρ ὅτι ποτὲ μὲν ἐκεῖνος ἐν τῷδε τῷ λόγῳ πρόσκαιρον εἶναι ἔλεγε κατά γε τὸ σῶμα πρὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὸν ἄνθρωπον ποτὲ δὲ φθορᾶς ὁμοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀφθαρσίας, ὥσπερ οὖν ἀθανασίας καὶ θνητότητος, μέσον εἶναι διετείνετο τὸν πρῶτον ἐκεῖνον Αδάμ, καὶ τοῖς φυσικοῖς ὑπέ κειτο πάθεσιν, ὡς ἂν οὕτω πάσχῃ, καὶ πάσχων ὑπομιμνήσκηται καὶ παιδεύηται τῷ μεγέθει τοῦ νοὸς ἐπαιρόμενος· ἐνίοτε δὲ πάλιν ἄκραν ἔχειν αὐτ τὸν ἀπάθειαν ἔλεγε· καὶ ὅτι τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Αδάμ φθορᾶς ἀπάτης ὑπέρτερον ἦν, ἅτε δὴ τῆς κατὰ χάριν, ἀθανασίας οὐκ ἀμοιροῦν. Οθεν οὐκ εὐπαρά- δεκτα ταῦτα τοῖς ἀκριβῶς τὰ θεῖα κατεξετάζουσι κρίνεται. Καὶ μή μοι τὸν λόγον ἡγοῦ τουτονὶ φορ- τικόν. Εἰ γὰρ οὔτε τοῦτο ἦν ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος οὔτε ἐκεῖνο, τοῦτ' ἔστιν, οὔτε φθαρτός, οὔτε ἄφθαρ τος, οὔτε θνητὸς οὔτε ἀθάνατος, ὡς ἐκείνῳ δοκεῖ· πῶς αὖθις αὐτὸν ἄκραν ἔχειν ἀπάθειαν ἔλεγε τῆς τε κατὰ χάριν οὐκ ἀμοιρεῖν ἀθανασίας αὐτόν ; Εγω γε τέως ἀμηχανίᾳ συνέχομαι, πῶς εἰς τοσοῦτον ἐλήλυθε διαφωνίας ὁ θαυμαστὸς ἐκεῖνος ἀνήρ· πῶς αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ κατὰ τὸ δοκοῦν τέως ἡμῖν ἐναντιού- μενος φαίνεται. Εἰ γὰρ οὔτε φθαρτὸς ἦν ὁ πρῶτος Αδάμ, οὔτε μὴν ἄφθαρτος, πῶς ἔπασχε λοιπὸν
EPISTOLA II. Porro, sanctissime vir, etiam ab Heracleæ episcopo, quanquam in divinis rebus sapiente, disputata dubitationem non vulgarem nobis injiciunt. Quapropter illum in præsens adducere in medium non decebat. Quæ est igitur illa dubitatio? Quoniam ille explanans quæ de homine disseruit celebris in theologia Gregorius, quomodo scilicet ab initio effictus sit a Deo, et qualem mox naturam sortitus, qualisque post casum factus sit, et qualem deinde sortem adeptus, ne malum foret sempiternum, hæc duo nobis cogitanda reliquit, aut se theologicis vestigiis non institisse (etsi hoc audacius a nobis dicitur), aut, quod longe audacius est, magnum hunc Gregorium ipsum sibi contradicere. Verum idcirco mihi succensere A laud quum est. Licet enim plures nos pro superbis habeant et insipientes vocent, qui hæc nimirum ad fidem, ut videtur, difficiliora affirmemus; tamen si quis accurate inquisierit, quomodo et qua ratione theologicas Gregorii sententias exposuerit, admirabitur, et inde nos accusare desinet. Bene igitur Paulus : Qui loquitur linguis, oret ut interpretetur. Ecce enim in hoc libro aliquando dixit, hominem esse temporarium secundum corpus ante peccatum; aliquando inter corruptionem simul et incorruptionem, sicut inter mortalitatem et immortalitatem, medium primum illum Adamum et naturalibus passionibus subjectum fuisse contenderit, ut ita patiens admoneretur, et de præstantia mentis superbiens emendaretur; aliquando summam ipsum apathiam habuisse, et corpus ejus, omni corruptione superius, utpote immortalitatis secundum gratiam minime expers, fuisse dixit. Hæc divina accuratius perpendentibus nequaquam admittenda B censentur. Cave autem arroganter hoc a me dictum existimes. Si enim neque hoc erat primus homo, neque illud; id est, nec corruptibilis, nec incorruptibilis, nec mortalis, nec immortalis, ut illi placet, quomodo rursus eumdem summam habuisse apathiam, et secundum gratiam immortalitatis non expertem fuisse asserit? Equidem præ stupore vix me capio, quomodo admirandus ille vir in tantam discrepantiam devenerit : quomodo, ut nobis quidem videtur, ipse secum pugnet. Si enim nec corruptibilis erat primus homo nec C incorruptibilis, quomodo igitur admonitionis et castigationis causa patiebatur? D
with him to the emperor. While these things were happening, the prince of the Turks struck a treaty with the emperor; this initiated, both sides departed for home. But because the emperor's illness was worsening day by day, by common opinion of the physicians a red-hot iron was applied to his stomach. And because the air of the palace seemed little suited, as it was somewhat more southern, he was transported to the Mangana palace, with fate, as is reasonable to believe, drawing him thither. For the common saying—"He shall fall in Acesodynes"—they claim was written of him, as they are very skilled at interpreting such oracles. There, then, he closed his final day on earth, leaving behind his son John Comnenus as successor to the empire. A
THE END OF MICHAEL GLYCAS'S ANNALS.
CONTINUATION OF THE ANNALS OF GLYCAS, FROM JOHN COMNENUS TO THE FALL OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE, BY JOANNES LEUNCLAVIUS.
By adding what follows to the preceding, readers will have the complete corpus of Byzantine history.
336 When the emperor Alexius was breathing his last, John, the eldest son, with the aid of his brother Isaac, the Sebastocrator, and with the father aware—or so it was rumored—but against the wishes of his mother, who would have preferred that her son-in-law Bryennius, together with her daughter the Caesarissa Anna, should possess the empire, having obtained the paternal ring, partly by showing it to the guards and partly by force, having had the gates unhinged, entered the great palace and, hailing himself emperor, began to administer the republic. With his power confirmed, he used the help of his kinsmen in government, especially John Comnenus, his chamberlain, who soon cast himself down through his own arrogance, and Gregory Taronites, a modest man, and furthermore Gregory Camaterus, born of obscure lineage, and John Axuch the Persian, whom he loved wonderfully because of long-standing intimacy, and he honored him with the office of Grand Domestic. Before the first year had passed, a sedition was stirred up against the emperor, whose leaders were Bryennius and the Caesarissa Anna. But it was suppressed in time, with the emperor punishing the seditious with humanity.
After these things, having defeated the Turks in Phrygia, he fortified the recovered Laodicea. And having undertaken a second expedition, he skillfully lured the garrison from their ambush posts and, cutting them off from the city, took Sozopolis along with many other towns and fortified places that the Turks had taken from the Romans. He also conquered in a massive battle the Scythians who are called the Patzinaks, and likewise the Triballians and the Serbs, whom, having brought them under his power, he largely transferred to the Nicomedian province of Asia. He had four sons: Alexius, Andronicus, Isaac, and Manuel. After his coronation, he was seen through a dream B sitting on a lion, which he guided with the reins, although otherwise he had nothing suited for taming the beast. Seeing this, it was signified that he would possess the empire in title but without the reality, which he would soon lose, as subsequently happened. John also waged a successful war against the Huns who had invaded the Roman borders, using for a pretext the stripping of his merchants, although the hidden and truer cause was declared to be humanity toward Almuzen, brother of the king of the Huns, who had fled to him as a refugee. In this expedition, the borders of the empire were greatly extended toward the west.
Having then defeated the Persarmenians and occupied Castamone, he entered Constantinople on foot in triumph, by no means having mounted the triumphal chariot, but having placed upon it an image of the Mother of God, to whom he offered the victories received as if to his colleague in the empire. Soon having returned to the East, he recaptured Castamone, which had been taken by Tanisman, and took by storm Gangra, Adana, Tarsus, and Baca—a most fortified castle—and Anazarbus. Entering Coelesyria, he was received most honorably by Prince Raymond at Antioch, and he struck a pact both with Raymond and with the Count of Tripoli. Then, penetrating to the Euphrates, he occupied Piza and some other fortifications. Not long after, death carried off his firstborn, Alexius, whom he had admitted to a share in the empire, and Andronicus, who was next to him—he was not long to survive them, wounded during a hunt by his own poisonous arrow, which a wild boar, left alone, had struck from his quiver. While dying, having made an address to his men, he preferred Manuel, the youngest of his sons, who happened to be present at the time, over the elder Isaac C.
received, he intended to go to Antioch, for the man’s glory was growing from day to day and his name was celebrated, as much for his prudence as for his invincible army, so that no enemy dared to engage with him. But when he had arrived at a certain river, he was suffocated by the whirlpools of the water: a man worthy of honest and perpetual memory, and in the judgment of the wise even at such a passing fortunate, not only because he was born of noble lineage and held the ancestral empire over many peoples, but rather for this reason, that beyond all the princes of Christian nations, burning with desire for Christ, he despised his homeland, royal delights, tranquility, and a blessed and proud life at home with his dearest ones, and chose instead to endure hardships with the Christian inhabitants of Palestine. After his father died, his son subjected Laodicea in Coelesyria, Beirut, and other cities of Syria, and after exhausting himself with many labors for the name of Christ, he closed his final day at Acre, which he was besieging. The remainder of the army climbed onto their ships at Tyre and returned unscathed to their own people.
Nor did the Germans alone during this time bear arms against the Saracens who occupied Palestine; the kings of the Franks and the English also brought their great fleets to Tyre. And although they could not drive the Saracens from the holy city, they returned home with their objective unachieved. On the journey, however, the Englishman occupied Cyprus, having captured the tyrant Isaac Comnenus, of whom we spoke above, and he granted the island to the King of Jerusalem, so that he might live there, having lost his kingdom.
Furthermore, it was not only the frequent seditions of those who coveted the empire that troubled Isaac, but also the nation of the Vlachs, which advanced and invaded fortified cities. For they were devastating Anchialus, subduing Varna, destroying Triaditza or Sardica, and casting out the citizens of Stumpio. Finally, on an expedition against the Vlachs, undertaken with magnificent equipment, while Isaac was intent upon the hunt, he was stripped of both his eyes and his empire by his brother Alexius, concerning whom he had not just suspected no evil, but had even expected the highest affection and deference. He reigned for 9 years and 8 months, not yet 40 years old when he lost the kingdom.
Emperor Alexius, having been designated in the camp, abandoned the war against the Vlachs and returned to Constantinople, where, after he had been inaugurated, something memorable occurred. For as he departed the temple and was about to mount an Arabian horse, it would not admit its rider, but with eyes suffused with blood, ears erect, repeatedly striking the ground, and raising its fore-hooves with a snort, it gave a sign as if it disdained to receive Alexius upon its back. But when, after many soothing sounds and stroking of its neck, it appeared pacified and seemed about to forgo those frequent circles and kickings, the emperor leapt upon it and took the reins. Nevertheless, it grew fierce, and would not cease its ill-timed prancing until the jewelled crown was knocked from the emperor’s head and partially crushed, and it had thrown him off as well. When another horse was brought, the broken crown was seen as an inauspicious omen of the disasters of his reign. A
It was not unknown, and portended imminent ruin and future misfortunes. After this, the emperor wished to be called Comnenus, with the surname Angelus, either because he was of a B more humble origin, or because he wished to be dissociated from his brother who had been repudiated. His entire life was soft, and his mind perpetually sluggish. Everything was done generally according to the will of the empress, whose spirit was masculine and whose foresight was singular, but whose life was clearly unchaste, which truly dishonored her husband as well.
At this time, Amerigus [Henry], King of the Germans, the son of Frederick, having accepted his paternal principate, and having subdued Sicily and Italy, was provoking the Greeks; although he was being restrained from this course by his adversary, the Pope of Old Rome. He demanded, furthermore, through C his legates that the Roman provinces—from Dyrrachium as far as Thessalonica—be restored to him, just as they had recently been subjected by the right of war by the King of Sicily, to whom he had now succeeded. He added paternal grievances, namely that Emperor Manuel had incited and armed the Pope of Old Rome against Frederick. Therefore, he threatened the Romans that they must either redeem peace with a great sum of money, or endure war immediately. The sum of money, however, that was to be paid annually in the name of peace was initially estimated at fifty centenarii of gold, but was finally reduced to 16 centenarii. In order for Alexius to pay this, he despoiled the tombs of the emperors and scraped together 70 centenarii of silver and some gold. But before the money could be sent, the King of Germany paid the debt of nature, after he had taken very grave vengeance upon the Sicilians who had incited the uprising. He ordered the elected king and leader of the faction to be crowned with an iron crown, which had four holes, as it was affixed to his head with the same number of nails. Which, when it had been finished, "You have," said Amerigus, "the crown you hunted; no one envies you this." D He, however, soon fell to the ground after a vertigo arose, and expired. After Sicily was captured, Irene, the daughter of the Emperor Isaac, was abducted as a captive along with the others, and betrothed to Philip, the brother of the King of Germany, having lost a previous wife, and who had obtained the kingdom of Sicily after the death of Tancred the father.
There followed, thereafter, most grave disasters for Constantinople. For Isaac, formerly emperor, while he was conferring with the Latins on secret plans about avenging his injuries and overthrowing his brother Alexius, was sending letters to Irene, his daughter, the wife of Philip, King of the Germans, by which he incited her to bring him aid, and was receiving letters from her, by which he was advised as to what ought to be done. Then his son Alexius was also led out of custody and walked freely where he pleased. Therefore, according to his father's plan, with the help of a certain Pisan, he was led into Sicily and presented to his sister, who, having sent a just guard, embraced her brother and begged her husband Philip to lend aid to her father as best he could, and also to help her brother, an exile and a fugitive. Other evils also happened. For when, due to the avarice of the ministers and relatives of the emperor, certain ancient privileges were being taken away from the Venetian merchants,
[643] desire. But as they persisted in the friendship of Mustapha, and, their business unaccomplished, dismissed the envoys of Amurath, they returned to their camp and spread the rumor that the Greeks had been won over to Amurath; at the same time, they threatened the soldiers of Mustapha with every extreme, as if they were clearly about to perish in Asia, with the return to Europe cut off. When this rumor flew through the camp of Mustapha, and the envoys whom he himself had sent were not yet at hand, the minds of the Turks began to waver, and immediately Zunaites fled toward the paternal domains, with the other leaders and troops also slipping away. A Upon this act, Mustapha fled to the sea, in order to look to his own safety, and betook himself into Europe.
While these things were happening in Asia, the Byzantine emperor in the Peloponnese was love-struck with a certain woman, the daughter of a priest, at an entirely inappropriate time, neglecting meanwhile a brilliant opportunity for excluding Amurath from the crossing into Europe. When he, having crossed his men with the help of a certain Genoese boatman, had caught Mustapha after an intense pursuit and strangled him, he became hostile to the Greeks and besieged Constantinople, though with an unsuccessful attempt, for they resisted so bravely that he was compelled to lift the siege. But when he did not even then wish to grant peace to the Greeks, they summoned Mustapha’s brother, a boy of thirteen years, and promised that they would reconcile the kingdom to him, so that he might create difficulties for Amurath. B But he too, led by the Greeks into Asia, was surrendered to Amurath by his tutor, to whom he had been entrusted to be educated by his father Mahomet, and was killed.
Following these things, with envoys sent again to Amurath, especially illustrious men, Notaras and Caroluca, the Greeks at last obtained peace. While this was lasting, the Genoese, irritated by the son of John Manuel, waged war against Constantinople and besieged it, surrounding it with a blockade: which, when they could not take, they returned to Italy, after fortifying Galata (which was a city of the Genoese, in the region of Byzantium, also having the name Pera). Nevertheless, war was waged between the Galatans and the Byzantines, until at last, many Genoese having been captured by the leader Joannes Leontares, a return to concord was made.
After that war was finished, the son of John Manuel sent envoys to the Roman pontiff Eugenius, intending to request that a council be announced by which the controversies of the Greeks and Latins might be settled. C In this way he was testing the spirits of the Westerners, to see whether they might seem likely to return to concord with the Greeks. These envoys set out to the Germans who, gathered at Basel, were celebrating a council against Eugenius and, having rejected him, had created Felix, Duke of Savoy, a man of demonstrated probity, as supreme pontiff. Therefore, both pontiffs, having equipped triremes, were summoning John, the Byzantine emperor. For each wished for the council to be celebrated under himself and for the religious controversy that stood between him and the Greeks to be finished. When triremes from both were present, the emperor dismissed the legation of the Council of Basel with kindly words; [644] declaring that he had already made arrangements with the Romans, Venetians, and the rest of Italy to set out for Rome.
When he had arrived at Venice, he proceeded from there to Ferrara, where he had learned that the pontiff Eugenius was residing. When he came to him, he was wearied by entreaties, that he might aid the pontiff in the contention which had arisen with the Germans. From there they set out to Florence, where, when the Greeks had come, they had much work with the pontiff for a long time, so that the affair of the differing religion might be successfully settled. When this had been brought to an end, they confirmed with writings and sacred obtestations that they would henceforth be unanimous in the same religion. This being done, the pontiff chose into the order of cardinals two most noble men among the Greeks and joined them to himself in familiarity: Bessarion, the Trapezuntine, and Isidore, the prelates of Nicaea and of Sarmatia or Russia, respectively. For by the work of these men he was greatly aided in entering into concord with the Greeks. Bessarion was endowed with such power of intellect that he not only equaled the most outstanding of the Greeks, but even surpassed them. He was of great value in any judgment in any matter. He excelled in such skill of Greek and Latin literature that he easily captured the palm of erudition among all. Nicolaus, who succeeded Eugenius, esteemed the man greatly and honored him singularly. Wherefore he was appointed by him at Bologna to govern it in the name of the pontificate. But when that city was agitated by various seditions, Bessarion demonstrated his divine wisdom and virtue in those tumults. It is established that Isidore, no less wise and a lover of his fatherland—namely, Byzantium—was captured by the Turks subsequently, when Mahomet the Second was storming the city, for whose safety Isidore was then fighting bravely. Eugenius, since his authority was held in the highest regard among the Greeks, brought this man into the number of the cardinals, because he thought he would contribute greatly to his affairs in establishing concord with the Greeks, as indeed it happened.
But when the Greek emperor was seeking protection from the pontiff for holding Byzantium, he replied that he would promise that the empire of the Greeks would be a care to him in the future, and did not say that he would cease in inciting the Germans and Hungarians so that they might take up arms against the Turks according to the needs of the Greeks. These things done, the emperor returns to Byzantium. But the Greeks, returning home, no longer wished to stand by those things which we have said were agreed upon and settled in Italy. Wherefore, the Roman pontiff, moved, sent certain learned men to Byzantium so that they might come into colloquy with the Greeks: who did not admit the synod gathered in Italy or its decrees. For Marcus, the prelate of Ephesus, and Scholarius, most learned of the Greeks, wished then no more than before to assent to the Latins. When the time came for colloquy and disputation, the Romans could accomplish nothing, but returned home with their business unperfected. Moved by this matter, the pontiff did not send the promised aids to the Greeks: whom, even though they were turned away from the pontiff,
A you continue to soothe and soften with your commemorations as if by a magic spell. But such is your opinion of me. I, however, am truly nothing but an owl, deformed in every respect, and blinded by the very light of day; wherefore, even now, when called to the works of light, I flinch and shrink back, as the business is truly beyond my nature and my powers. Therefore, do not be overcome by your love for us and deem us to be something when we are nothing; nor compel us to treat of divine matters, we who have an impure life and a tongue likewise unskilled in explaining such things. For we would not go so far into madness as to be utterly ignorant of who we are and to what depth of evils we have fallen through sin. Truly, I fear that that prophetic word might be pronounced against us: "Why do you declare my statutes, and take my covenant into your mouth?" B Therefore, it would have been better for us to write praises than to be so free and absolute in refusing nothing, and heedlessly undertaking things beyond our strength. But in truth, lest by spurning your commands we incur the fault of disobedience, behold, trusting in your holiness, we dare to approach that which we cannot reach, and we unravel your inquiries as best we can. Therefore, give me your ear.
That one must not immediately descend to those wallowing in sins—such as fornication or adultery, O most holy man—but rather pursue such with those reproofs by which the wounds of the soul are accustomed to be healed, Holy Scripture has sufficiently and more than sufficiently demonstrated; and no less do the physicians of bodies show this by clear proof. For you see them cut at times when necessity demands cutting. Furthermore, they apply cauteries and bitter medicines; they often despair of health and augur death to the sick. And why, for what end? C That they might restore them to health. For in his Olympic Oration he says: "But you, having such delightful spectacles to gaze upon, and such things to hear—rhetoricians who are powerful, and writers most sweet in both metrical and unmetrical discourse, and peacocks of diverse color, and so many sophists puffed up by glory and disciples as if by wings—you, I say, leaving these aside, come to me and wish to hear one who knows nothing, nor claims to know. May I not rightly liken your eagerness to what happens to the owl, though hardly without some divine will?"
In this way you too, having so many pleasant spectacles and so many things to hear—some of them vehement rhetoricians, others most pleasant writers in both verse and prose, and others various peacocks, namely many sophists puffed up by glory and disciples as if by wings—you, I say, leaving these aside, come to me and wish to hear one who knows nothing, nor asserts that he knows. But might I not rightly liken your eagerness to what tends to happen to the owl, almost not without some divine will? D
EPISTLE III. To the same. Concerning the glory and brightness with which Adam shone from the beginning.
B If you also seek to learn this, most holy man, from what glory and brightness the first man fell through his transgression, the Lord’s voice will teach you, speaking in the words we present: "Then the righteous will shine as the sun." For from this, if we attend, we shall find what is sought—and all the more so, since Holy Scripture instructs us again and again, some things through others. For since the grace that is hoped for is nothing but a return to that first life, as Gregory of Nyssa says, stating: "The righteous shall shine then like the sun," it is manifest in every way that the human essence from the beginning did not differ at all from the brightness of the sun. For the resurrection is nothing other than the restoration of those who have fallen to their ancient state. For this very reason, all will rise in the same age, in the same form, and in the same figure according to the habit of that first man, as the great Athanasius affirms in his *Questions to Antiochus*.
That these things are so, and that such brightness belonged to that Adam from the beginning—as much as the Lord’s voice says will be for the saints on that day—our Lord Jesus Christ himself showed more clearly when he was transfigured on Mount Tabor; and the hymnographers and divine melodists, namely the great Cosmas and John Damascene, will teach you wisely how this is so. For they say: "When you had driven away the darkness added to Adam by sin, you shone forth with your divine light, O Savior, and that archetypal beauty of the image of the first man," C that is to say, of Adam, [you restored].
As Cyril of Alexandria also thinks in his book against the Anthropomorphites, chapter 10: "Sin," he says, "obliterated the beauty of the God-like image, and Satan rendered the brilliant face of humanity full of filth. But the restorer appeared, who transforms into its ancient state that which had been wronged, and transforms us again into his own image, so that the characters of his divine nature may shine in us through sanctification and righteousness, and through a life well-ordered according to virtue."
is necessarily corruptible. But if Adam were corruptible, since he was suffering, how do they attempt to prove that he was naturally the midpoint between corruptible and incorruptible? A To us, who are unlearned, these things seem to be poorly concluded by them. For if, as they maintain, the divine Gregory teaches that the body of Adam was a midpoint between magnitude and lowliness, that is, between immortality and mortality, why did the same great man previously call it "temporary"? Let them offer an answer to this. For if it was temporary, it is evident that it was also mortal. And if Adam was mortal, since he possessed a body that lasted only for a time, how did he later say that it was a midpoint between magnitude and lowliness? Know therefore, O sacred head, that while discoursing on the common nature of men, the divine Gregory gave occasion, I know not how, to the aforementioned Father to think that he was discoursing on these things concerning the first man. Thus, therefore, most holy one, the great man wrote of the midpoint of magnitude and lowliness not, as I think, concerning corruption and incorruption, but universally concerning soul and body. For indeed the soul of every man, having obtained its being through the divine inbreathing, was without doubt greater than this clay body. And why say more? For if you read the theological words attentively, and then consider the exposition issued upon them, then, I say, you will learn how much they differ, and you will learn that in pious judgment such an explanation seems exceedingly contradictory. For immediately [one finds] "temporary and immortal, and so that he might suffer, and by suffering might be reminded and instructed." And that the living creature was thus arranged, and removed elsewhere, B will not in any way apply to that progenitor and first Adam; unless perhaps we say that even before the transgression he was subject to corruption and mortality—he who was created for incorruption and according to the image of the eternity of God. It would have been better to be silent on these matters, since we recognize that the divine Gregory himself said no such thing concerning the first Adam for the time being. For how, since as he proceeds he also gives him a body superior to all corruption and confirms the argument in the words which he speaks literally: "And without any covering and protection. For it was fitting that such a one should be as he who was first created C (37), not needing, namely, any covering or protection (this, however, is perfect apathia (38))," it is evident that "temporary" and "immortal," and "so that he might suffer, and while suffering might be reminded and instructed"—these things, I say, must be understood concerning the common nature of men, as we have already warned. For it was impossible for the great Gregory to disagree with himself, now declaring the body of Adam to be impassible, now declaring it to be D suffering. For if it were fitting for him to be such from the beginning, namely, free from any covering and protection—and this is truly the height of apathia—it is evident that "temporary and immortal," and "so that he might suffer, and [while] suffering be reminded and instructed," [refers], regarding the common human
(37) Plato writes in his Golden Age that men lived naked and for the most part in the open air. "They were naked, even being unencumbered," he says, "and wandering; they fed for the most part on fruit. For the temperate climate was harmless to them, and soft beds were provided everywhere," etc. Lucretius, book v: "They did not yet know how to handle things with fire, nor to use / Skins, and to clothe their bodies with the spoils of wild beasts." (38) Not only in respect of the soul, as the Stoics attempted to introduce, but also in respect of the body. Concerning the apathia of the Stoics, see what we noted below on this same epistle.
it was upon it by reason of sin. A Observe, therefore: if such a one is raised as he was from the beginning, then that which is raised is acknowledged to be better than death and corruption, and confirms the saying of the great Paul, saying: *It is necessary for this corruptible to put on incorruption, and for this mortal to put on immortality*, and that that body, I mean the one first made by God, was truly immortal, as we have already said many times.
The divine Gregory of Nyssa also shows this, when he explains the divine text of the *Ecclesiastes* more fully, distinguishing it thus in his discourse: *What is that which has been? That which shall be. What is that which has been made? That which shall be made.* He says that man was not made by the hand of God as he is now, on account of sin, namely, mutable and corruptible; but that which he was from the beginning, that B which shall be made later, is manifestly immutable and incorruptible. If, therefore, God created man in incorruption after the image of His own eternity, as Solomon showed, if He showed that it was His own intention to impart to him a rational soul, that he might also be immortal forever, as Chrysostom says—if, therefore, he granted the enjoyment of eternal life to man from the beginning, as the great Basil says—if the first creation of man was incorrupt, as the divine Anastasius of Sinai says—if God originally gave a body to man that was immortal and incorruptible, as the blessed Andrew found and said—if, therefore, God honored man, the king of all earthly things, with free will and immortality, as the blessed C Barlaam says, how can we hereafter say that he was made by God both immortal and mortal? This is unacceptable, I think, and altogether too much so. And how, indeed, could the great Gregory in his theology not fall into such fancies about the first man? For having said that he is void of such an affliction and problem from the beginning, he showed clearly that the first man was clothed in a robe of immortality by God. For if this were not so, the final resurrection of bodies would not be called a return to that ancient and first state. Be persuaded also by this, by the great Paul who says: *It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption*, which the Lord D granted to human nature through his wondrous resurrection from the dead. And the divine Anastasius says the same in the holy book written by him, entitled *The Guide*: "In the beginning, man was incorrupt and immortal, having been made by God; but because of sin, he became corrupt and mortal, and material and flowing. Indeed, God having permitted upon him, as he was made man, natural and blameless passions—I mean hunger and thirst, labor, and everything else that human life contracted after the transgression—He felt mercy for him, and having been moved, deemed it not unworthy to have him put on..."
added to man, but when He distinguished the difference between male and female. If, before imposing such a difference upon nature, He had not said: A “Increase and multiply,” we would not have had need of this kind of generation through which irrational creatures are begotten. For this reason, David also, lamenting the misery of man, said: “Woe to me, for man, being in honor, did not understand. He was compared to the senseless cattle, and became like them.” For having accepted this animal generation by nature because of his inclination toward the material, he who was previously equal in honor to the angels has truly become bestial.
B These points, then, most holy one, John of Damascus also seems to confirm regarding the first man, discussing them as follows: “But God, knowing [all things] beforehand, aware that he would fall into transgression and that corruption would befall him, brought forth from him a female as a helper for him, suitable for the preservation of the race by succession after the transgression.”
The same things have been discussed as those set forth by John of the golden mouth. For in the chapters in which he set out the matter concerning marriage and virginity, he discusses this as follows: “God, having formed man, placed him in paradise, and there was no account of marriage; there was a need for a helper to be made for him, and she was made; and not even then did marriage seem to be necessary. But after they received corruption from death, and pain, and the curse, and the laborious life, then marriage also supervened.” C You see from whence it is shown that marriage became necessary? From disobedience, from the curse, from death. For where there is death, there is marriage. For these reasons, therefore, marriage came in later; as long as Adam remained obedient, there would have been no need for such. For even without this, the multitude of men was not prohibited from coming forth. For if ten thousand times ten thousand angels minister to God, and thousands of thousands of archangels stand by Him, and no one of these came to be through succession and births, and...
707 MICHAELIS GLYCE 708 A sent to him, after these things were subject to him; after he had received from him their names? How did he say after all these things: "Let us make him a helper," if indeed the female was present from the beginning? In what way was she intended to help Adam, if he had not fallen from that state of his soul? For when his perfection was given up for lost, then he received a helper from God. For what reason? So that the race of men might from then on increase in number. It is evident, therefore, that if Adam had remained obedient, if he had not fallen from the equality of honor with the angels, he would not have needed help from the female. He did need it, however, as one who had already fallen in the manner in which the angels grew toward a multitude. And this is what the Nyssen B said above: "For this reason God mixed something of the irrational with his own image, that is, he made them male and female; for this seems to the divine Father to be of the irrational portion, since nothing such exists in the divine and blessed nature, so that man might bring some likeness to that from this." Therefore, if because of the deviation, the difference according to male and female was mixed by God into his image, it is evident that the image was altogether free from such a difference at the beginning. But if the sacred Scripture speaks in this crude way, that God made them from the beginning, still, as I think, one should not use this accommodation of the Word to defend it. For see that the Lord was addressing the Jews, when they approached him and asked him if it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause. C Hence, indeed, instructing them not to think such things, he said: "Male and female God made them from the beginning," and "What God has joined together, let not man put asunder." These words, as I think, are of accommodation. For if this were not so, if the production of the female had occurred according to the first purpose of God, the Lord himself would not later have negotiated the separation from her; for how would he have been hindering later, in a methodical way, what he permitted in the beginning, saying "Leave everything, and take up your cross and follow me"? According to indulgence, therefore, the production of the female occurred, and according to indulgence was marriage. Whence, as gold says, the tongue is deprived of praise. But in addition to what has been said, the most divine Cyril also said: D "If marriage is according to indulgence, as the blessed Paul says, how can that which is healed by indulgence be a virtue?" Rightly, therefore, is marriage deprived of praise, because it is not a virtue; for it is according to indulgence. Do not, however, reject this argument. For see that the Theologian Gregory also used to call the generation that comes to us from marriage nocturnal, and servile, and full of passion. And we do not contradict him on this account. For if marriage has become honorable, as having been blessed by God for the sake of begetting children; if the matter is blameless, according to him who spoke thus: "But if you have also taken a wife, you have not sinned,"—yet they said that the female was not a helper then, but turned out to be an entrapper of man into sin. (GLYCAS, part. 1 Annal.)
EPISTOLA VI.
Abraham the rich; for if he did not know him, how would he have called him by name? No one, I believe, will think this impossible. Should it not also be that this child, and this woman, and that old man, will be known by one another then, even if they rise with the same age and form? For recognition there is not through signs and forms and ages; but we shall all know one another with the discerning eye of the soul, just as our Maker and Creator has been pleased. This very thing the most divine Anastasius sets forth for you more clearly, and he says thus: “And there will not be recognition through signs then.” But he does not even represent these reproductive organs as male and female, because in Christ there is neither male nor female, as Paul says. If, however, these things are so, and according to the great Athanasius we all rise as one man in the regeneration—for there is one age among all, one creation, one species, one habit, and one size—it would be superfluous to seek a difference in forms; for if corruption introduced such a difference, it is absolutely necessary that, with the arrival of incorruption, all these things should pass away along with corruption. And thus, indeed, Athanasius, who is truly wise in divine matters, states that the difference of forms and the beginning of marriage were due to sin; for in the beginning there was nothing of the kind, since the multiplication of men was destined to be like the angels, as has been said before, and hence did not need help from the female; for if Adam had not been seen to be disobedient, he would not have needed marriage and the structure that contributes to marriage thereafter. For what purpose would this have served, if the proceeding of men without it was not forbidden? The preceding discourse has reasoned with you more clearly about this.
If, however, these things are so; if on account of disobedience and the corruption that comes from death, marriage had its beginning, as the Golden-Tongued says; if after the sublimity of creation God brought into man the property of an irrational structure, as the Nyssen says; if the difference of forms is of the second creation, according to the divine Sinaite Anastasius; if, according to that first man, all arise with one species and one form, as the great Athanasius says, inasmuch as the difference according to male and female was later fashioned by God for a reason which has been discussed above—what is there left to say regarding the proposed question? These are the things we ask to learn.
If, moreover, John of Damascus seems to contradict what has been said. For in the forty-fourth of his Dogmatic Chapters he is found saying these things also about the first man: “God, however, made this man male, making him a partaker of His own divine grace, and furthermore of the rule of all earthly things.” From this, therefore, he seems to contradict; for by saying that that first man was created male by God, he has introduced an uncertainty that is not to be overlooked. For if, as the great Athanasius says, we shall all rise as one in the regeneration—that is, similar to the first man in form and fashion—and that first one produced by God was male, as [the] divine [ruler] of matters...
Imaginem Deum appellaverunt, quid non utique A ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ὁσηὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐλάλησε fecissent, si invisibilium etiam naturarum cogni- τὸν Ἰσραήλ· «Ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου ὁ στερεῶν tionem habuissent? Hæc autem ita se habere οὐρανὸν καὶ κτίζων γῆν, οὗ αἱ χεῖρες ἔκτισαν στρα- liquet ex iis quæ Deus per prophetam Oseam ipsi τιὰν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἀπεκάλυψα σοι αὐτὸν Israeli locutus est: «Ego Dominus Deus tuus, τοῦ πορεύεσθαι ὀπίσω αὐτῶν.» Κατὰ τοῦτο καὶ firmans cœlum, et creans terram: cujus manus ἡ τῶν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ φυτευθέντων δύο ξύλων δια- militiam cœli creaverunt, et illud non revelavi φορά τε καὶ φύσις τῷ παναγίῳ σεσίγηται Πνεύ- tibi, ut ambulares post illa.» Ob hoc ipsum et ματι· ἐφ᾽ ᾧ καὶ τοῖς ἁγίοις Πατράσιν ἀσύμφωνα duorum lignorum in paradiso plantatorum diffe- γέγονεν ἡ περὶ τούτων ἐξέτασις. quare et sanctorum rentiam atque naturam Spiritus sanctus reticuit : D Patrum discors fuit de hisce disquisitio.
EPISTOLA V
B Ad honorabilem monachum dominum Joannem B Τῷ τιμιωτάτῳ μοναχῷ κυρῷ Ἰωάννῃ τῷ Ἀσπιώ- Aspioten. — Quali natura hominum corpora a τη. — Περὶ τοῦ ὁποῖα τῇ φύσει τὰ τῶν ἀν- mortuis resurrectura sint, et an sensilem cibum θρώπων σώματα ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγερθήσονται, καὶ tunc manducatura, ut quidam perhibent. εἰ βρώσιν αἰσθητὴν ἐσθίειν ἐκεῖσε μέλλουσιν, ὥς τινες ἐπιφέρουσιν.Dominus noster Jesus Christus, Dei Filius et Ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Deus, ille qui carnem propter ineffabilem suam Θεοῦ καὶ Θεὸς, ὁ σάρκα φορήσας δι᾽ ἄφατον ἔλεος, misericordiam circumtulit, homo nostri instar ef- καὶ καθ᾽ ἡμᾶς χρηματίσας ἄνθρωπος, ὁ διὰ τὴν σω- fectus; qui propter nostram salutem ea omnia τηρίαν ἡμῶν καὶ ποιήσας πάντα καὶ παθὼν ὅσαπερ fecit et perpessus est quæ evangelica narrat histo- ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις ἱστόρηται, ὁ διὰ σταυροῦ καταδεξά- ria; qui in crucem actus mortem obiit, et tertia μενος θάνατον, ὁ τριήμερος ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάς, die a mortuis resurrexit, illæ eorum qui dormie- κἀντεῦθεν τὴν τελευταίαν ἀνάστασιν δωρησάμενος runt primitiæ, cum primogenitus mortuorum ex- ἅπασιν, ἡ ἀπαρχὴ τῶν κεκοιμημένων ὁ πρωτότοκος stitisset, manifeste in semetipso demonstravit qua- ἐκ νεκρῶν γεγονὼς, ἀριδήλως ἐν τοῖς καθ᾽ ἑαυτὸν lia nostra corpora in illa resurrectione suscitanda ὑπετύπωσεν, ὁποῖα τὰ ἡμέτερα σώματα κατὰ ἐκεί- sint. Quare de his disputare non decet. Cla- νην ἀνάστασιν ἐγερθήσονται. Ὅθεν καὶ περὶ τούτων rum siquidem animum intendere volentibus exem- ἐξετάζειν οὐκ εὔλογον· ὅτι καὶ σαφὲς τοῖς προσέ- plum perspicuumque proponitur. Vere enim cor- C χειν ἐθέλουσιν τὸ ὑπόδειγμα πρόκειται. Ἄφθαρτα ruptionis expertia, neque operimenti, neque cibi, μὲν γὰρ ἀληθῶς ἀναστήσονται μήτε σκέπης δεύ- neque potionis, neque rei ejusmodi alicujus, indiga μενα, μήτε βρώσεως καὶ πόσεως, μήτε ἄλλου τοιού- resurgent. Prudenter siquidem animadvertere est, του τινός. Ὅρα γὰρ νουνεχῶς, ὅτι καὶ τὸ τοῦ Κυ- et ipsum Domini corpus ejusmodi, ut evan- ρίου σῶμα τοιοῦτον ἐκ τάφου ἐγήγερται κατὰ αὐτὴν gelica historia prodit, e sepulcro resurrexisse, om- εὐαγγελικὴν ἱστορίαν ἐκεῖσε πάντα καταλιπὸν τὰ nibus ibidem relictis sepulcralibus exuviis. Si vero, ἐντάφια. Εἰ δὲ, καθάπερ εἴρηται, γυμνὸν ἐκ τάφου prout dictum est, nudum e sepulcro Domini cor- τὸ τοῦ Κυρίου σῶμα ἐξέθορεν, εὔδηλον πάντως ὡς [cœtera pergit]
the divine wisdom, Anastasius, in view of the urgent economy regarding the soul. But if the all-holy body of Christ A was of such a kind, from which the grace of the resurrection has been bestowed upon all our bodies (and how, indeed, has it not been bestowed, if they shall be caught up through the clouds to meet the Lord in the air?), it is no longer worthy for you to doubt further regarding the proposed question, especially since you heard the great Paul saying as follows: "The Savior will then transform the body of our humiliation, so that it may become conformed to the body of his glory."
For this body B, O godlike man, with which we are now clothed, is an animal body, that is to say, thick and mortal, governed by natural and animal qualities and powers, and made to live by the vital power which is observed in the heart, by means of the arteries which, by bringing [it] in and taking [it] out, hold together our life; and by the natural [power] in the liver, which is also called nutritive, which, through the veins springing up there, irrigates and feeds the whole body, C and keeps [it] diffused through all the members of the body, and does not reside in any one peculiar part of the body, contrary to Aristotle, who placed it in the heart, and Plato, who placed it in the head and in certain [other] seats. Michael further appears to admit in man a Platonic vehicle or intermediary bodily substance, concerning which so much can be read among the Platonists and the ancient Fathers of the Church, such as Origen, Jerome, and others, whom it is not possible to list at this moment.
D (49) [He] quite correctly and wisely derives the origin of the arteries from the heart, as can be seen in Thomas Bartholin’s booklet *De arteriis*. But that he should call them "leading out" and "leading in," seems to introduce a certain circulation of the humors, a thing which was also believed by many of the ancients, and by the author of the book *On Regimen*; by Hippocrates in the middle of his booklet *On the Nature of Bones*, and at the end of his book *On the Nature of Man*; by the author of the book *On Food*; by Diogenes of Apollonia in Aristotle, *History of Animals*, book 3, chapter 2, and in the book *On Sleep*, chapter 3; and by Plato in the *Timaeus*. And that this is indeed to be understood primarily concerning the blood is the opinion of Jo. Walaeus in his *Epistle on the Motion of Chyle and Blood*, to Thomas Bartholin. But it is surprising that, although all these authors, as it seems to some, had anticipated the knowledge of the circular motion of the blood, this thing had remained hidden from learned men for so many centuries, until in more recent times, with Michael Servetus, Paolo Servita, Cesalpino, Colombo, and finally William Harvey as leaders, they came into it by a certain prosperous fate, and perceived the very true matter clearly and lucidly, as the praised epistle of Jo. Walaeus and Jo. Bapt. Morgagni, V. C., have handed down to memory.
(50) It is not indeed surprising if our Glycas derives the beginnings of the veins from the liver; for this was believed by many of the ancients, and among those closer to our own age [by] Th. Bartholin in his booklet *On Veins*, chapter 1. And indeed, with regard to the portal vein and the vena cava, from which cava all the other nearly all veins are propagated through the body, [see] Paulo Barbette, *Practical Anatomy*, chapter 8; Jo. Munnicks, *On Anatomy*, and Mangelo, to omit Walaeus, Heurnius, and others. Unless perhaps it may seem that Glycas wished to oppose Aristotle.
A nor should we ask in what kind of body we shall rise. For no one knows the shape or constitution of an incorruptible and spiritual body. It is for this reason that the blessed Paul, skillfully silencing those who curiously pry into such things, said that one thing is committed to the earth, and another, by a miracle, rises from it, as God fully willed; for he says, "Thou fool, that which thou sowest, thou sowest not the body that shall be," and what follows.
B There shall be another mode of life hereafter, ineffable and beyond human conception. There will be no need then for the liver or the vena cava, from which and through which blood is now dispersed into all the members and parts of the body; for men will not then possess such flesh, which is dense and transitory, and has its composition from the four humors. For if the Lord, when He had risen from the dead, said thus to His disciples: "A spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have," do not be troubled within thyself; for the Lord was rather condescending everywhere to His own disciples. For if He said He bore flesh after the resurrection from the dead, yet the blessed Paul, saying, "We henceforth know no man after the flesh" [Christ], clearly showed that the Lord said and did most things by way of condescension. If this were not so, He would not have shown His wounds in such a refined and spiritual body. But you ask, What is this great condescension? Since He had risen from the dead, the disciples thought they were seeing a spirit. In order, therefore, that Satan might not find an opportunity to sow the thought that Christ had not truly risen—and if Christ has not risen, there will be no resurrection of bodies—it was for this reason that He ate before His disciples and showed them wounds in an incorruptible body, C so that, while He was not flesh in reality, He appeared to be flesh to those who wished to see Him so. "For unless I see," he says, "in His hands the print of the nails, I will not believe." Mark this, then. If He had not condescended, as has been said before, to appear as flesh to the disciples, He would not have shown them the print of the nails.
A Churches did not refuse to gather while naked, whereas others for some such reasons held bad counsel. Hence, the more ancient of the ecclesiastical expositors—Philo the philosopher and Papias of Hierapolis, a contemporary of the Apostles; Irenaeus of Lyons; Justin the martyr and philosopher; Clement the secretary (86); and the divine Cappadocian Gregories—while they wished to overturn these most disgraceful opinions and yet look also to the divinely inspired Scripture, as Paul counsels, contemplated all matters pertaining to the paradise spiritually, truly approaching their own compositions with economy.
B But perhaps you produce the great Basil, the golden-tongued and divine John, the blessed Epiphanius, and the most divine Cyril, and say that they went through all things in paradise according to the letter. We know this too, and would not deny it. But look at the economy of the divine, god-minded Fathers; look at that Davidic saying finding its end in them, which says: "A wise man will dispose his words in judgment." For when they found that cursed Origen had allegorized the whole of the Hexaemeron into mythical tragedies, understanding nothing according to the letter—since he spoke nonsense that Adam and paradise were incorporeal, and took all other things intellectually—they decided, while letting go of the allegories, to interpret their own compositions on the Hexaemeron according to the letter, and indeed most wisely. For they would not have called the fig-tree a fig-tree, and again the fig the tree of eating, if they had heard anyone speaking nonsense about that first woman having a "tree of eating."
C That Adam did not experience sensible eating in paradise, even the golden-tongued John himself, who used such condescension, clearly showed in his homilies on the Hexaemeron, saying thus: "Adam had a wondrous life; for just like some angel, so the man spent his time on earth, being clothed with a body, yet existing outside of bodily needs." If, therefore, he was superior to bodily needs, how and in what manner was he drawn to eating, neither exhaling his own flesh through transpiration nor being compelled by nature itself, as having a total lack of passions? It is evident, therefore, from this that that eating which the plants in paradise provided to Adam must have been of another kind, if indeed sensible eating is the replenishment of that which secretes. And these things have their way thus.
D Do not approach the divine Scripture in a cursory manner, neither choose to attend to some teachers while disregarding and turning away from others thoughtlessly; for this is not without danger. But strive to reconcile all of them together with good will, as having spoken in one and the same Spirit. But if they happen to seem to disagree with one another, do not blame the teachers themselves, but the times and the circumstances; for they too, according to the blessed Paul, sought to gain all, striving through dispensation.
819 MICHAELIS GLYCÆ 820 A nor that it is spherical, nor that it revolves in a circle by day and night, B following its path from the east and resting in the west, such that the sun itself is moved by the velocity of this rotation; this is unknown to absolutely no one who has applied himself to His holy books. Nevertheless, it is not without design, as it seems to me, that these words were poured forth from the golden-tongued one concerning the heavens; wherefore do not wonder. For if the great Paul says of one, “If you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing,” yet in another place he is seen circumcising Timothy; and at one time among the Jews he acts as a Jew, while at another time among those without the law he becomes as one without the law, and elsewhere he termed himself a Roman, though he was indeed descended from Jewish stock: what is strange if the most divine John, correcting certain ones who were pondering the motion of the heavens and reasoning from the opposite side about the universe, calls the heaven semi-sected and immobile? C This discourse, therefore, as we have said, was fashioned by the aforementioned Father as an accommodation: for, in the manner of a teacher, he also here—following the Apostle’s example—strives to lead everyone toward divine knowledge. Chrysostom, desiring to lead all toward divine knowledge, did not always care for exactness of speech or opinion, just as he did in the production of the great luminary, and in the making and molding of Adam, and in the all-pure mysteries of Christ themselves. For he says D that this luminary was produced so that it might make the day more brilliant; he says that the body of man is older than the soul; and in delivering the mystical sacrifice of the sanctifications, he appears to deliver it to the faithful by wine alone, so that from this the sacrilegious Armenians are even more confirmed in their own—as they call it—heresy. But we maintain that these things were said by the golden-tongued one as an accommodation. Why? Because while others in the council of the holy Fathers have spoken differently, regarding the obscuration of the luminaries, if it happens for the same reason—that is, if it is beyond controversy that many other things, being on the same and equal plane, escape the sight on account of the length of the interval, just as ships at sea, one not being seen by another, the breadth above the surface of the waters defining the sight so that it does not extend beyond the horizon—what wonder is it if the occultation of the stars happens for the same reason? And in the solution to question 130, he contends that the heaven has the form of a chamber, contrary to the opinions of the Greek philosophers, and says it is supported in a way by waters: “The waters therefore support the heaven, and the earth supports the waters, and the divine command supports the earth.” That these things contradict the natural philosophers there is no one who does not know. I deliberately pass over the Latin Fathers who went along with this same opinion, and indeed did away with the antipodes, among whom are Augustine (*De civit. Dei*, Book xvi, chap. 9), Lactantius (*De falsa sapient. philosoph.*, chap. 24), and very many others, whose paradoxes Macrobius appeared to have sufficiently refuted in Book I, *In Somn. Scip.*, where he defends the opposite and certain opinion.
our generation likewise has its progress, with perturbation, indeed, anticipating it; for which reason that theologian called it sickly and servile. The divine David also confirms these things, saying thus: "In iniquities I was conceived, and in sins my mother conceived me." For if this were not so, if he had not seen this animate A and irrational generation—to which he who had been made in the image of God was brought down through the transgression—he would not have lamented so much, saying: "Man, when he was in honor, did not understand; he was compared to the senseless beasts and became like them." If these things are so, what need is there to say whether, before the female was produced, before marriage was permitted, some other way of life and a different structure of the body existed, befitting that initial constitution in which man was equal in honor to the angels? Let the facts themselves teach you, before the argument, that it was so before the fall. For why did Paul command virgins and widows to remain as he was? If, therefore, God made male and female from the beginning, how do married people sometimes voluntarily dissolve their marriages and separate from each other? Why also do some afflict themselves with fasting and other harsh treatment of the body, even though God has produced countless edible things for our enjoyment? It is clear, therefore, that it is by looking toward that ancient life that men practice virginity, and sometimes dissolve marriages, B and embrace fasting, and endure every other bodily affliction. For the female, as it has been said, and the union of marriage did not exist from the beginning, when, of course, He brought forth him who was in His image. And if these were not present, neither was there any difference of forms at all; for how could there be, if, as Nyssen says, this was crafted for the creature last, after the construction of the image? Understand this, therefore. For neither from the beginning, as it has been said, did God make such a difference; but the first Adam himself provided it for himself later, falling away already from perfection. For if he were not about to transgress, if he were not in danger of falling into corruption, there would have been no place, as has been set forth above, for the difference of forms, C of the male and the female.
If, therefore, O most holy one, as the majority say, the fall of Adam happened first, and then the female was produced, the things said seem to be easily acceptable from this point of view; but we must know that the bringing forth of Eve from the side of Adam was absolutely necessary at that time. For what reason? So that she might not be considered of another nature because of the difference of form, and so that it might lead the genders to concord and cause a certain natural affection to be implanted in them. Besides these things, moreover, it was necessary that Eve should not come forth from the earth, but from the substance of Adam, so that an endearment might be implanted in the spouses from this. D There was need, therefore, O most holy man, as the majority maintain, that the ruin of Adam should happen first, and then the female be produced, so that from this point, the things that are said might seem easily acceptable. Yet it must not be ignored that the production of Eve from Adam's side was altogether necessary for man after he had fallen into sin. For the sake of what? So that she might not be deemed of another nature on account of the diversity of form, and so that it might lead the genders to consension and concord, and implant in them a certain natural love. It was this, that the woman was made from the side of the man? But be it so, let us believe that it behoved this to be done to commend the power of the conjunction itself. Furthermore, Cajetan interprets and explains this production of Eve from Adam's rib entirely allegorically, concluding.
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the learned John says; what further is to be said on these matters? For if all shall rise in a masculine form, or all in some other form, as God who fashioned us knows; if he says that there is neither male nor female there, because the form is one and the same; furthermore, if the first man had the difference of his substance connatural to the male aspect, one could immediately see the female also coexisting with him. For the male, on account of the female, and the female, on account of the male, were of necessity made, and all species of animals demonstrate this. For none of them emerged from the earth without union. For their coition was necessary for the succession of the species; because He did not desire that even these be multiplied according to the angels. B But these things require a loftier mind, so that they may be reconciled with one another; we, however, not only are at a loss regarding these matters, but also in those things in which man, by descending to himself, appears to contradict himself. For he had already said that the first man was produced by God as a male, deemed worthy of divine grace, and obtained the dominion of earthly things; but after these things, he added word for word: “But God, the All-knowing, seeing that he would be in transgression and fall into corruption, produces the female from him, as a helper for him according to him, for the constitution of the species through succession.” On account of which we have not uninquiringly doubted; for it appears that, if he were not to be subject to corruption at all, He would not have produced the female from him; and if He had not produced her, how would the multiplication of men have occurred? But according to the angels without union, as Nyssenus says; and for what reason he says that Adam was produced at the beginning in the form of the male, these things we ask to learn. For the divine father is seen from this to be more in contradiction to the aforementioned Fathers and to himself, unless perhaps we say that the holy man here took the word "male" according to another signification; for this word sometimes signifies the active, and the strong, and the perfect, as the etymology of such a word shows. For producing him such from the beginning, God made him a participant of His own divinity and gave him the dominion of all earthly things.
C Attend, therefore. For if this generation of animals is ours today, yet sin has been the cause of it. And lest it seem heavy to your ears, I will resume this discourse a little. For God fashioned man, He placed him in paradise, and there was no account of marriage with him, nor did he have need of the helper the female. For even if God, while fashioning him, saw how great the human race would be in number, yet even according to that first man, had he not been found disobedient, all would undoubtedly have been produced without union; for even if God was not ignorant of the future, yet He desired to show what the purpose was concerning man beforehand. For this reason He produced him alone, and honored him with incorruptibility. According to that first man, therefore, if he had remained obedient, the whole human race was to have been produced. D
A are incorruptible and will recognize one another, when there is no Jew, nor Greek? No Scythian, no Barbarian? No small and great; no male and female; no black and yellow; no slave and free? But all will be like the angels? It is utterly impossible that such as these should recognize or be recognized. And this is indeed what they think and say. But we, standing against them, say this: Those who are addicted to human reasonings, and thus maintain that they will not recognize one another there, in the first place reject the very resurrection of the bodies from the dead. And this matter is not so wonderful as it seems to them. For the body that has flowed away, the body that may have been devoured by a beast, or by a fish or a bird, how will it be gathered together into one again and rise? And how, having been so dissolved, will it return to its former condition? But away, if you wish, with those who curiously scrutinize such things; for as they are sensual, according to the Apostle Paul, if indeed it is right to say of the great one, they do not accept the things of the Spirit. Away with them if they think such things. I say indeed that not to recognize one another there also overturns the future judgment itself, as the praised divine man says. For judgment is accustomed to take place of persons who are recognized, just as it is written: “I will convict you, and set your sins before your face.” So that if we do not recognize one another, we shall not even be judged. But if we are not judged, we shall not receive the things worthy of what we have done in life. And how will the Apostles sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel, if they do not recognize those whom they judge? And how will the blessed Job B receive double for his children, if he does not recognize them in the kingdom of heaven? Since he received some here, but had the promise that he would receive others in the age to come. Therefore, brothers, believing, we shall believe that we shall both rise and recognize ourselves as we are; but in the beauties of incorruptibility, as was also said before. For our forefathers in paradise, even before the transgression, recognized one another when they were incorruptible; and after the transgression, being subject to corruption, they recognized one another just the same. Whence it must be believed that brother will be recognized by brother, and son by father, and wife by husband, and friend by friend; I would add also the ascetic by the ascetic, and the confessor by the confessor, and the martyr by his fellow-contestant, and the apostle by the fellow-apostle, and all by all, so that the dwelling of all may be in God, who with all good things grants also to recognize one another. But also the divine person here, while he was departing, declared and said these things word for word: “If I attain salvation, I shall not cease to pray boldly to the Lord for all of you, expecting to see, and to receive, and to embrace you one by one through the departure from this world. For I have such confidence that His goodness will preserve us all in the same state in the age to come as it does here, provided we have kept His commandments.”
That we all shall recognize all, and not the just only the just, as some think, and in their C D
EPISTOLA XIV
A ...of empty things, but by which all the nations, being drawn and falling down before Christ, condemn their former error and vanity. And hear Jeremiah speaking: "Lord, my strength and my refuge in the day of evil, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, and there was no help in them." Tell me, then, to whom does this prophetic word apply: to Christ, or to some other? Let Zephaniah also persuade you to confess Christ as Lord, saying thus: "The Lord shall appear unto all the Gentiles, and shall destroy all the gods of the nations; and all shall worship him, everyone from his own place." What do you say to this? Has this Lordly appearing come, or has it not? Are the gods of the nations—Jupiter, Apollo, Venus, and Diana—destroyed, or not? The Lord has therefore appeared, according to the prophecy of Zephaniah, unto all the nations. And who is this, if not our Lord Jesus Christ? For by His arrival all the gods of the nations were brought down. That the nations, who knew neither the law, nor heard the prophets, nor sought the Lord at all, were destined, when the time arrived, to run unto Him and truly find the Lord, is evident from hence: "I was found of them that sought me not, I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me"; and again, "They to whom it was not told concerning me shall see, and they that have not heard shall understand." Hearing such and so many prophetic sayings clearly announcing the appearing of the Saviour Christ, why do you continue to fall into vain folly, watching for a Christ in empty things, while hoping for the Antichrist? You deaf ones, hear: for Isaiah, announcing the time of the Saviour, and that salvation would not come through any other prophet or any just man, says these things: "He himself will come and save us. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall hear, and the lame man shall leap as an hart." Did these things come to pass at the arrival of Christ, who was crucified by you, or did they not? Why do you disbelieve, seeing the words of the prophets taking their fulfillment in Christ Himself? B That the mystery concerning Christ was destined to be disbelieved by you because of the greatness of the miracle, God declared long ago, saying: "Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which you shall in no wise believe, though a man declares it unto you." Rightly did the prophet say, "He himself will come and save us"; for in the same way that God, when forming man at the beginning, did not make use of any assistant, so too now, in renewing the corrupted image, He did not entrust the restoration to another. C ...and the Spirit who inspired them did not cease to proclaim their wondrous power. Yet there is no one who does not know that trifling men have made it a point to find fault with the all-wise John, and have studied to fasten upon him a blot of heresy because he had argued that John was of rustic breeding and unskilled, not yet having been filled with the Holy Spirit. You may consult his most absolute work on the training of the apostles, a storehouse of all manner of sacred erudition, from which, as from a pantry, it will be possible to draw whatever you may need to become more learned and more cultured—and you will also learn with what great shame those ill-disposed men must have been suffused, who, driven by a certain mania for slandering, thus insulted such a great man. D
871 Emmanuel shall be called, whoever is a master of reason; for this is common and familiar, and happens daily. If, therefore, a sign was given to Achaz by God, as Isaias says, the change of word contributes nothing at all to your distortion, since the Virgin must both be and be called the mother of this child for the sake of the confirmation of the sign. I pass over speaking of that of David: «He said to me, You are my Son, today I have begotten you :» for you immediately seize the word, and using your customary craftiness, you invert the meaning of the statement, and you pervert the divine voice, which clearly indicates Christ himself, and transfer it to David; and this, while knowing clearly that such a voice corresponds to Christ, who is worshipped everywhere in every nation and place. For to David, who sat and ruled in only one part of the world, were neither all nations given as an inheritance, nor the ends of the earth as a possession. But that these things are so, Isaias, who came after David, showed more clearly, saying: «And the peoples of the Sabaeans, men of high stature, shall pass over to you, and shall worship you, and shall pray in you; because God is in you, and there is no God except you; you are God, and we knew not.» Of whom does God say these things? To whom did the chosen servants of the Indians approach, worshipping and praying in him, if not to the Savior of all, Christ the Son of God and God? And things are precisely in this way. Since he endured to wear flesh, it was a consequence that he should also accept the natural passions of the flesh, without sin, however, because it in no way contradicts this. And Isaias, revealing this, was saying: «Sin he did not commit, nor was deceit found in his mouth.» For who else could it be, of whom such a prophecy has been uttered, if we do not say it is Christ himself, the Son of God, who endured to wear flesh for our sake? For according to the wise Solomon, «There is no man who has not sinned.» C But you present this also to me, saying: if it was to happen that the Word of God would become flesh, and suffer these things, and do these things, why did the prophets not reveal the things concerning these matters more clearly, so that they might not be open to contradiction, and so that the things concerning Christ might not become a stone of stumbling? But hear: God, foreknowing that your race is stiff-necked and evil, and that the firstborn son of Israel would be spurned, and that a people from the nations would be introduced, speaks of these things obscurely and with difficulty; for the sign of Achaz foretold by Isaias, the world has recognized as most openly fulfilled in the Virgin Mother; «For a sign, to use the words of Theodoret, and a great sign, this birth is called.» No one calls that a sign which happens every day. For if it is not a virginal, but a marriage-bed birth, how is that which follows according to nature called a sign? All the Fathers indeed clearly agree on this, that this passage is to be understood concerning the Savior of the world, and there is no reason why we should be detained by the teachers of the Hebrews, who, to deceive their own, cast about dreams and utter more unrefined trifles. See also the Dialogue of St. Justin the martyr with Trypho, where he refutes the Jews because they attempted to invert the genuine reading of the text. Divine wisdom, which indeed reaching from one end to another, willed that we be enriched by the spoils of the Jews, and instructed by their own books; for the things which are contained in them do not look only to them, but also to us, even better, they make us realize that we have been grafted onto the good olive tree through the death of Christ, so that we may bear fruit. D
Præterea aliud est quod dicam. Quoniam Christus hominem se ipsum, non tamen Deum, ut fateris, dicebat esse, cur ipsum crucifixerunt? At non ob hoc; quanam igitur de causa? Utpote contra legem agentem et solventem Sabbata. At quomodo et qua ratione? Dic, quæeso. Quia paralyticum Sabbato ire fecit, quia curvam erexit, quia mortuum quadriduanum excitavit. Sed in hisce quænam legis prævaricatio? Jumentum e fovea educens in Sabbatum prævaricari non dicitur, et contra legem peccat qui mortuum fœtentem ad vitam revocat? Heu quam injustum judicium, heu quænam vestræ mentis seductio, ut præstantius a vobis vere brutis jumentum judicetur quam homo! Sed quid ita mordicus Sabbati honorem tueris, o miser et insane? Antiquitus mandans Deus honorari Sabbatum, nullumque in eo a nobis opus patrari, si tamen octavus ab ortu pueri fuerit dies, solvere Sabbatum, et consequenter ipsum circumcidere, manifeste ostendit, quod adveniente sub vespere octava diei circumcisione, quæ quodammodo est sancta Dominica, ipsa enim post septimam, ex quo et octava vocatur, Sabbati honor dissolvetur. Circumcisio vero merito sane dicitur; in ipsa enim ex mortuis Dominus noster Jesus Christus cum resurrexisset, et peccatum sublatum fuit, et dæmonum superbus fastus contritus est. Verum quid plura? Quum Deus Sabbati solutionem innuit per circumcisionem octava die faciendam (23), ut jam superius diximus, æque ac per Jeremiam postea, cum nuntiavit novum fœdus constituendum. Ne graveris igitur, neque contra nos eristice pugnes, si una cum aliis Sabbati etiam honor immutetur; novo enim constituto fœdere, novæ etiam quædam constitutiones ejus esse debent. Novum vero prorsus illud B
EPISTOLA XIV.
Ἔχω δέ σοι καὶ ἕτερον ἐπὶ τούτοις εἰπεῖν. Ἐπειδὴ ὁ Χριστὸς ἄνθρωπον ἑαυτὸν, οὐ μέντοι Θεὸν, ὡς σὺ μαρτυρεῖς, ἔλεγεν εἶναι, πῶς αὐτὸν ἐσταύρωσαν; Ἀλλ' οὐ διὰ τοῦτο. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν; Ὡς παρανομοῦντα καὶ τὰ Σάββατα λύοντα. Καὶ πῶς καὶ τίνα τρόπον; εἰπέ. Ὅτι τὸν παράλυτον ἐν Σαββάτῳ βαδίζειν ἐποίησεν· ὅτι τὴν συγκύπτουσαν ὤρθωσε· ὅτι νεκρὸν τετραήμερον ἤγειρε. Καὶ ποία τούτων παρανομία; Ὁ τὸ κτῆνος ἀνάγων ἐκ βάθρου κατὰ τὸ Σάββατον παρανομεῖν οὐ λέγεται, καὶ ὁ νεκρὸν ὀδωδότα ζωώσας παρανομεῖ; Ὦ τῆς ἀδίκου κρίσεως, ὦ τῆς παραπληξίας ὑμῶν, ὅτι τὸ κτῆνος κρεῖσσον ἀνθρώπου παρ' ὑμῖν τοῖς κτήνεσι κρίνεται! Ἀλλὰ τί τοσοῦτον ἀντέχῃ τῆς τοῦ Σαββάτου τιμῆς, ὦ ἄθλιε σὺ καὶ ἀνόητε; Πάλαι ὁ Θεὸς ἐντειλάμενος τιμᾶσθαι τὸ Σάββατον, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ μηδὲν ἡμᾶς ἐργάζεσθαι, παιδίον δὲ εἰ τύχοι ὀκταήμερον, λύειν τὸ Σάββατον, καὶ ἀκωλύτως αὐτὸ περιτέμνειν, σαφῶς ἐδήλωσεν, ὡς ἐλθούσης ὀψέ ποτε τῆς ὄντως ὀγδόης περιτομῆς, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἡ ἁγία Κυριακή, μετὰ γὰρ τὴν ἑβδόμην αὕτη, ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ ὀγδόη καλεῖται, ἡ τοῦ Σαββάτου τιμὴ καταλυθήσεται. Περιτομὴ δὲ λέγοιτ' ἂν καὶ μάλα εἰκότως· ἐν αὐτῇ γὰρ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγερθέντος τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία περιελύθη, καὶ ἡ τῶν δαιμόνων ὀφρὺς καθηρέθη. Καὶ τί χρὴ πολλὰ λέγειν; Πάλαι ὁ Θεὸς τὴν τοῦ Σαββάτου κατάλυσιν ἐνέδειξατο μὲν καὶ διὰ τῆς ὀκταημέρου περιτομῆς, ὡς ἤδη φθάσαντες εἴπομεν, οὐχ ἧττον δὲ καὶ διὰ τοῦ Ἱερεμίου ὕστερον, ἡνίκα διαθήσειν διαθήκην καινὴν ἐπηγγείλατο. Μὴ οὖν δυσχέραινε, μηδὲ καθ' ἡμῶν ἐριστικῶς διαμάχου, εἴπερ πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ ἡ τοῦ Σαββάτου τιμὴ μετατίθεται· καινῆς γὰρ οὔσης τῆς διαθήκης, καινά τινα εἶναι ὀφείλουσι καὶ τὰ ταύτης θεσπίσματα. Καινὸν δὲ πάντως ἐκεῖνόC D [alt-version omitted]ἐκεῖνό A γέ τοι πλέον, οὐ μὴν αὐτὸν εἶναι σφαιροειδῆ, οὐδὲ κυκλικῶς τὴν αὐτοῦ περίοδον διὰ νυχθημέρου ποιούμενον ἐξ ἀνατολῶν ἄρχεσθαι, καὶ εἰς ἀνατολὰς καταλήγειν ὡς ἐντεῦθεν τῇ ὀξείᾳ τούτου φορᾷ καὶ αὐτὸν συγχρονεῖσθαι τὸν ἥλιον· οὐδενὶ πάντως τῶν ταῖς ἱεραῖς αὐτοῦ βίβλοις ἐνασχολούμενον ἠγνόηται. Πλὴν οἰκονομικῶς, ὡς ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ, τὰ περὶ τούτου τῷ χρυσορρήμονι ἐσχεδίασται. Καὶ τούτων χάριν μὴ θαύμαζε. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ πάμμεγας Παῦλος τοῦ μὲν ἔλεγε· «Ἐὰν περιτέμνησθε, Χριστὸς ὑμᾶς οὐδὲν ὠφέλησεν·» τοῦ δὲ περιτέμνων τὸν Τιμόθεον φαίνεται, καὶ ποτὲ μὲν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ὡς Ἰουδαῖος, ποτὲ δὲ τοῖς ἀνόμοις ὡς ἄνομος γίνεται, καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ Ῥωμαῖον ἑαυτὸν ἐπωνόμαζεν, ἐκ γένους καὶ ταῦτα Ἰουδαϊκοῦ καταγόμενος· τί καινὸν εἰ καί τινα B ὁ θειότατος Ἰωάννης ἐπανορθούμενος, τῇ τῶν οὐρανῶν κινήσει προσέχοντας, καὶ ἀντιλογιζομένους τὸ πᾶν, ἀκίνητον λέγει τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἡμίτομον; Οἰκονομικῶς οὖν οὗτος ὁ λόγος, ὡς ἔφημεν, τῷ διαληφθέντι περιεσχεδίασται· διδασκαλικῷ γὰρ τρόπῳ καὶ οὗτος κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον Χρυσόστομος, θέλων ἅπαντας πρὸς θείαν ἐπίγνωσιν ὁδηγεῖν, οὐ τοσοῦτον ἔστιν ὅτε τῆς ἀκριβείας ἐφρόντιζεν, ὁποῖον δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ παραγωγῇ τοῦ μεγάλου φωστῆρος πεποίηκεν, ἐπὶ τῇ ποιήσει τε καὶ πλάσει τοῦ Ἀδάμ, καὶ ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἀχράντοις τοῦ Χριστοῦ μυστηρίοις· αὐτίκα γὰρ καὶ λέγει τὸν φωστήρα τοῦτον παραχθῆναι, ἵνα τὴν ἡμέραν λαμπροτέραν ἐργάσηται· λέγει τὸ σῶμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου πρεσβύτερον εἶναι τῆς ψυχῆς· τὴν δὲ τῶν ἁγιασμάτων μυστικὴν τελειωτικὴν δι’ οἴνου καὶ μόνου φαίνεται παραδιδοὺς τοῖς πιστοῖς, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν τοὺς δυσσεβεῖς Ἀρμενίους ἐπιπλέον κρατῦναι τὴν ἑαυτῶν, ὡς φασιν, αἵρεσιν. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν οἰκονομικῶς λέγομεν εἰρῆσθαι τῷ χρυσορρήμονι. Τίνος ἕνεκεν; Ὅτι ἄλλων τῶν ἁγίων Πατέρων ὁ σύλλογος [καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἅπαντες... C ...διὸ] οὐκ ἐφίεται, μήτε τὸ ἀποτείνεσθαι τοῦ ὁρίζοντος. Τί θαυμαστόν, εἰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν φωστῆρων γίνεται ἡ ἐπίκρυψις διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν αἰτίαν; Ἦτοι, εἰ δήπουθεν ἄδηλα ἄττα ἐστὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ καὶ ἴσῳ ἐπιπέδῳ ὄντα, καὶ διὰ τὸ μῆκος τοῦ διαστήματος κεκρυμμένα ὄντα τῆς ὄψεως, ὡς τὰ πλοῖα τὰ ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ὑπὸ ἀλλήλων μὴ ὁρώμενα, τοῦ πλάτους τῇ τῶν ὑδάτων ἐπιφανείᾳ, ὡς οἱονεί, circulo quodam, τὴν δίψιν περαιοῦντος, καὶ μὴ ἐπιτρέποντος ultra ἑαυτοῦ D τοῦ ὁρίζοντος, τί θαυμαστόν, εἰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν φωστῆρων γίνεται ἡ ἐπίκρυψις διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν αἰτίαν; Καὶ ἐν τῇ λύσει τῆς ρλ΄ ἀποκρίσεως, instar cameræ, φησὶ τὸ εἶναι τὸν οὐρανὸν κατὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων φιλοσόφων σκαιὰν, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ὑδάτων πως ἀνέχεσθαι λέγων· «Βαστάζει οὖν τὸν μὲν οὐρανὸν τὰ ὕδατα, τὰ δὲ ὕδατα ἡ γῆ, τὴν δὲ γῆν τὸ θεῖον πρόσταγμα.» Ἅπερ πᾶσι τοῖς φυσικοῖς ἀντιμάχεσθαι τίς οὐκ οἶδεν; Ἐπιτηδὲς παρατρέχω τοὺς Λατίνους Πατέρας, οἵτινες εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν δόξαν συνεβάδισαν, καὶ οὕτως τοὺς Ἀντίποδας ἀνεῖλον, ἐν οἷς ἐστιν Αὐγουστῖνος, De civit. Dei, βιβλ. ιβ΄, κεφ. θ΄· Λακτάντιος, De falsa sapient. philosoph., κεφ. κδ΄, καὶ πλεῖστοι ἕτεροι, ὧν τὰ παράδοξα ἱκανῶς καὶ ὑπερβαλλόντως ἀνασκευάσαι φανεὶς ὁ Μακρόβιος βιβλίῳ α΄, ἐν τῷ Ὑπομνήματι τῆς τοῦ Σκιπίωνος Ὀνείρου, ὅπου τῆς ἐναντίας καὶ βεβαίας δόξης ὑπερασπίζεται.
ὑπερασπίζεται.» A you will be circumcised in all your male members, and it shall be for a sign of the covenant between me and you.” Do not, therefore, boast of carnal circumcision, nor exalt yourself against us who are uncircumcised, especially when the new covenant, as we have said, has been given to us—a covenant far more exalted and greater than the former one.
The same things must also be said concerning the animal sacrifices that we have used without distinction. For the new legislation, having arrived, has utterly abolished those observances of the Law that had been given at that time, as we said, because of the weakness of Israel. For in order that they might be kept entirely from Egyptian impiety, God established such laws and distinguished all animals into clean and unclean; and He commanded that they must slaughter those which were counted in the rank of gods in Egypt, while, on the other hand, they were not to touch those which were considered unclean, even though they served as food for Israel there.
But if you call us unclean because, forsooth, we eat the pig, the hare, and other things of that sort against the Law, it is absolutely necessary for you to subject the greatest of the prophets, Elijah, to the same accusations. For he went to a foreign woman, he partook of a table provided by her, he built an altar on Carmel on the Sabbath, he wore himself out with long journeys, and he ate bread he received from an unclean animal, the raven. B But how did these things happen, and for what reason? It was that you might learn that, even before grace, the old covenant used to overturn the things of the Law.
For if the raven were unclean, how could so great a man as Elijah receive food from it? And how could Samson, being a Nazirite and subject to the Law, have eaten the honeycomb which bees had fashioned inside a dead lion? And how could God have comforted him when he was thirsty by means of an unclean and blood-stained jawbone? If the raven, the dead lion, and the ass's jawbone were unclean, how could God have healed His servants through such things? How could the Lawgiver himself overturn what He had established? Not at all.
If the hare and the pig are unclean, how did they receive a general commendation from the beginning? "For God saw them," it says, "and said that they were good." If, therefore, the hare is good as a creature of God, and very good, it remains so thereafter. It is evident, therefore, from many things that God, intending to correct the propensity of Israel toward evil, established such laws and had recourse to such treatments. For if God had delighted in the savors of meat or had accepted sacrifices, He would not have said through Isaiah, "Who has sought these things from your hands?" And if He had really taken pleasure in musical instruments, He would not have said later, "Remove from me the sounds of your songs." And, to speak simply, unless you yourself had been given to asking for gods, unless you had performed dances around the molded...
calf—for "the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play"—God would certainly not have commanded you to engage in sacrifices and musical instruments. For the most wise physician, seeing the disease festering, does not immediately employ harsh medicines, nor does he quell the vehemence of the suffering with incisions, but rather he treats the circumstances of the illness gently and cheerfully, lest the suffering become malignant and intractable to the physician's arts; but when the time calls for it, eventually he applies a milder remedy and uses cautery, and thus in due time grants a cure.
But why say many things? When he said through Jeremiah: "I will establish a new covenant," he completely abolished the observances of the Law, which he had permitted of old for your sake. Thus, therefore, since you were carnal at that time, he secured you with a carnal sign, namely circumcision. Do not, therefore, call us unclean because we are uncircumcised: we are indeed uncircumcised, but we are justified by faith, just as Abraham was, before Christ himself, and we live securely and shall live. But your disobedient race, impatient of the reins as usual, was utterly destroyed according to the pronouncement of Moses, and succumbed completely to annihilation. "For the Lord your God," he says, "will raise up a prophet for you from among your brethren, like me, and it will be that every soul that does not listen to him will be destroyed." And do not tell me that this prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus Nave; for he was neither deemed worthy of such a theophany as Moses was, nor did he become a lawgiver like him, nor did he find such grace as did Moses, who saw God. From that time forth, therefore, my Jesus, the Savior of the world, truly Christ and Lord, was announced. "The Lord your God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brethren, like me"—that is, equal to me in all respects. For just as I, because of the infant-slaying Pharaoh, was cast from my very swaddling clothes into the marsh, so too will He, because of the infant-slaying Herod, flee into Egypt. This, indeed, Isaiah also foretold, saying: "Behold, the Lord sits on a light cloud and will come into Egypt, and the idols of Egypt will be shaken." That is, if anyone is the one who took the idols of Egypt out of the way, and prepared the worship to be offered there to one and the only God, then admit, even against your will, the advent of my Christ; for this truly happened, and there is no room for contradiction in these matters.
He declared this same thing more clearly: "In that day there shall be an altar to the Lord in the land of the Egyptians, and the Egyptians shall fear the Lord." For just as I killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand of the sea, so too will He hide the legion of evil spirits in the depths of the sea along with the swine themselves. And with reason: for where there is a swinish life, there, by all means, are the demons. "Like me." Just as I, reconciling the quarreling Israelites, seemed overall burdensome and troublesome, on which account I even fled to Ethiopia, and there I led a foreign people...
so too will he, having been sent away by his fellow tribesmen, proceed to another people, namely, the Church from the nations. "Like me." Just as I was sent by God to deliver the people from Egypt, so too will he be sent by his own Father, that he might deliver the world from the dark error and sin that possess it. "Like me." Just as I, by stretching out my hands, put Amalek to flight, so too will he, extending his hands upon the cross, defeat the spiritual Amalek. "Like me." Just as I, not to mention things one by one, was appointed lawgiver and leader of the people, so too will he appear as a new lawgiver, "And it shall be, that every soul which will not hear him shall be destroyed." A And these things have this manner. But you still set yourself against the truth, trusting in your glosses, and refer this prophecy to Joshua the son of Nun. I accept your gloss. But where shall we place that of Isaiah, you thrice-wretched and miserable man? Will you have the strength to repel his prophecy as well? Certainly not. For God says through him to Israel: "I will indeed destroy you with my sword, and a new name shall be called over those who serve me." What do you say? Did he destroy you, or not? Do others serve God, or not? Even if you do not confess it, the new name itself cries out more clearly than a trumpet and bears witness. Therefore, either show another new name, or acknowledge, even against your will, that of the Christians; for one would not find a name more recent than this title. But if these things are so, why do you still act vainly? Why do you hunt for times among the new, and await the Anointed One himself, when you are unable even to conceive of who this Anointed One is, and whence his origin of birth consists? But is he a mere man? And yet the prophets heap upon the one who is to come the signs of divinity. But is he God-man? And what else must be said? For look, you unwittingly confess another person of divinity; for you cannot say the Father, when the prophet says: "A child was born to us, a son was given to us." At last, having squeezed the grape cluster of the letter, drink the wine that gladdens the heart of man. B But, in truth, because you still feel against the truth, and say that Christ's presence has not yet come, seeking pretexts from Isaiah who says: "And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; and nation shall not lift up sword against nation, and they shall not learn to make war anymore." Why, having left aside the other prophets who were clearer heralds of Christ and of his presence, do you hold this saying of Isaiah with both hands, and carry it everywhere, and strive to pervert simple-minded souls, because they distort the Scriptures at will; for they explain this most evident prophecy regarding Christ against all truth, and think that their return from Babylon is being predicted by Isaiah in these words, though falsely. For, "Wars," says Theodoret, "were continuous throughout the whole inhabited world, as it was divided into many kingdoms, and those of the kings C by nation...
insurgent against one another." For wars were mutual throughout the whole earth, that kingdom being divided into many parts, and the kings of individual nations rising up against one another. "Out of Sion went forth the law," by which the New Testament is understood, which was first given there to the apostles, and through them was exhibited from thence to all nations; and upon the advent of our Savior God, the Roman empire flourished completely, which, destroying many other kingdoms and obtaining the sovereignty of all, bestowed peace upon land and sea, when, according to the mind of Jerome and Eusebius, the gate of Janus having been closed by Augustus, there was most secure peace throughout the whole world; and the nations subject to the Roman empire, adds Theodoret, "are no longer using military instruments against one another, but all enjoy the goods of agriculture." No longer do they use weapons against one another, but all generally enjoy the fruits of agriculture. Refer also to the dialogue of Justin Martyr with Trypho.
The doctors of the Jews, relying on the prophecy of Isaiah, seek after another argument at the advent of the Savior, so that they may attempt to weaken our faith, but in vain; for we are taught that the letter kills, and therefore we study not the mere voices of the Scriptures, but the spirit. The word of the Lord went forth from Jerusalem, and it was sanctioned by law that mutual love and charity ought to be used among us as the most faithful token of the New Testament; yet if we are unjustly attacked, we are not forbidden to render the attempts of our enemies futile, or to protect ourselves and our own. Besides the Jews who falsely applaud themselves, Luther and the Anabaptists also erred, and once the Manichaeans, who held the opinion that war can never be waged by Christians, even if provoked—which is both contrary to nature and to truth, as Tertullian in book III *Against Marcion*, Origen in book V *Against Celsus*, Athanasius in book I *On the Incarnation of the Word*, and Irenaeus in book IV, chapter 67, demonstrated at length. But concerning the right of war, and by what reason it ought to be declared and conducted, you may refer to the most absolute work which H. Grotius entitled *De Jure Belli*.
A and it says this: "And now, indeed, after the creation of the sun it is day, when the air is illuminated by the sun in the hemisphere above the earth; and night is the shadow of the earth caused by the sun being hidden."
That these things are so, and that if the sun did not travel under the earth the air would not be so devoid of light, we shall know from the very facts themselves. In the island of Britain, the day is eighteen hours long, and the night is six hours; and not only is it six hours long, but its darkness is not very deep, but—to put it this way—such as is called by us the "twilight"; for the rays of the sun strike them. For what reason? Because even in those very nights the sun revolves very close by, due to the fact that the briefest part of it sinks beneath the earth, and the most sharp-sighted of the Britons clearly see during the night, and almost perceive everything with their eyes. Learn, therefore, from this, that even in our climate, if the sun were not passing under the earth but were revolving very close by here and there, the night would truly not be night, nor would its darkness be very deep, but such as the argument heretofore made known, inasmuch as the earth would not be obstructing the solar rays at all; for night is nothing other than the shadow of the earth, as the great Basil said. Therefore, since the sun is not circling under the earth but is revolving very close by, as was said above, it is entirely impossible for there to be a deep night.
That the heaven is not bipartite, B and that this is not only what appears from above according to the prophetic saying that states: "Who set up the heaven like an arch," is clearly revealed by the things already explained; and it is no less easy for those paying attention to understand this from the things that shall be explained. For in the explained chapter, John Damascene also sets forth these things word for word: "The heaven has three hundred and sixty degrees, the hemisphere above the earth having one hundred and eighty, and that which is under the earth likewise one hundred and eighty degrees."
That the heaven is also spherical, the divine Anastasius the Sinaite has shown most clearly; for in his discourse on the *Hexaemeron*, in which he demonstrates that the things of God are above nature and the reasoning of art, he says this: "God created the heaven, that is to say the sphere, then the earth, that is to say the center." C For it would have been necessary to speak in reverse: "God created the earth and the heaven, that is, the center, and then the sphere." For if the center were not fixed, the circle of the year would not be traced.
The same things concerning the heaven the wise Origen, who previously contemplated divine matters, also gives us clearly to understand. For, rebuking those who approach the things of God in a crude manner—D that is to say, [alt-version omitted]—or again, one should have said: "God created the earth, and the heaven, the center namely, and then the sphere." For if the center were not fixed, the circle of the year would not be traced. Moreover, Origen, wise in divine things, gives us clearly to understand the same concerning the heaven; for he overturns those who approach to explain Scripture with unwashed hands, and hence imagine God to be endowed with human form, and added these things to the rest: "How can the round..."
dam semper mobile cœlum sedes Dei esse potest? Si autem hæc ita se habent, ut præcedens sermo demonstravit, ne amplius repugnes, neque hujusmodi divinæ Scripturæ testimonia afferas; supra enim laudato Apostoli dicto: « Quod fixit Dominus, et non homo, » nihil aliud significatum existima, quam certam cœli productionem, et constitutionem, et perpetuam illius conjunctionem, et concentum: nam si immobile esset cœlum propter firmitatem, qua a Deo fixum fuisse dicitur, lunam quoque in eodem loco manere, non semper mobilem esse, oportebat; siquidem fundamentis ædificaverat firmis: « Lunam enim, dicit, et stellas, quas tu fundasti. » B
Ex his ergo omnibus edisce, o sacrum caput, non sine consilio ab aurea verba fundente divino Joannes de his disputatum esse. Nisi enim hoc esset, nonne laudatis sanctis Patribus adversans crederetur? Impossibile quippe est ad invicem aliter unquam sentire, prout mihi videtur, qui in uno eodemque Spiritu locuti sunt.
EPISTOLA XII
Adhuc et hoc quæritur, cum Deus prima die lucem creaverit, qua de causa die quarta luminaria condiderit.
Aurea verba fundens et divinus Joannes in quinta ipsius in Hexaemeron homilia Mosaicum dictum enarrans quod ait: « Et fecit Deus luminaria C magna, » non parvi momenti contradictionem inducere videtur. Neque enim accuratius in hujusmodi rationibus immorari voluit; cum opportunitate temporis pari passu gradiens, ut videtur, sicut etiam alias hoc fecisse repertus est, despicit, aliquando enim sedulitati parcit divinus hic vir. Nisi enim hoc esset, nullo modo ad verbum sic dicere visus esset, elementum hoc, scilicet solem quarta die conditum, ad hoc productum fuisse, ut lucidiorem faceret diem. Attende igitur: hinc enim apparet, aliud fuisse quod prima die productum est lumen, et aliud solem istum, qui quarta die conditus est; primamque illam lucem subobscuriorem fuisse ea, quæ die quarta producta est. Hoc tamen omnino verum non est. Tunc enim ipsa D producta est lucis essentia; ait enim: « Dixit Deus, Fiet lux, et facta est lux; » quarta vero non lux,
A but what more? Unless God had spared the root from the beginning, inasmuch as He foresight saw the beautiful fruits that would come from it—the evangelists, surely, the apostles, the righteous, and before all, the very assumption of our Christ and Savior’s humanity—He would have mercilessly crushed all of Israel from that time on. And the prophet, revealing this, said: "Unless the Lord had left us a seed, we would have become as Sodom, and would have been made like unto Gomorrah"—that is, we would have been delivered to total destruction. Therefore, because of the fruits, as we said, He spared the root, which was then acting with ingratitude, so that together with it He might not cut them off also; but after it had brought forth the fruit, He no longer endured to keep it, but mercilessly harvested it.
B Cease, therefore, from the prophets; you peruse their books in vain, for there is no gain for you from them. No one has ever read a book that is sealed. Why, then, do you willfully deceive yourself? Know who you are and into what misfortune you have fallen; understand that, besides other things, you have also been deprived of the treasure of knowledge. And these are not my words; your own Isaiah cries out to you plainly: "And these words shall be to you as the words of a book that is sealed." For your heart has been hardened, you have heard heavily with your ears, and you have willingly closed your eyes. And to you, once intelligent and wise, the things of divine knowledge have been sealed; but to us, the foolish nations, they have been entirely laid open. And do not marvel; for we have heard, we have also seen, we have understood, and we have known the truth. And if you are not persuaded by what is said, be persuaded by your own prophet again; for he says: "And in that day the C deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind, who are in darkness and in the mist, shall see."
It is clear, then, from this, that knowledge has departed from you Jews; but the nations, who were previously dull and senseless, have become understanding through the knowledge of the Law. "For to those," He says, "to whom it was not told concerning Me, they shall see, and they who have not heard shall understand." For although Israel was the first-born son, and received the promises first, yet as a parricide he became an exile, and from that time the wretch has justly fallen from the gifts of God; wherefore, lamenting them, the prophet said: "The rich have become poor D and have hungered." And deservedly so; for having killed the Bread of Life, they have been held in perpetual hunger. Do not any longer lay claim to the ancient honor and order; for it is impossible for those who have fallen from there, as we have said, to return again. Cain was the first-born, but he gained nothing from it; for because of the blood of Abel and the unjust murder he committed against him, he went out from the presence of God, and from that time on he was groaning and trembling throughout his whole life. Esau was the first-born, but because of his wickedness and gluttony, he gave away the birthright itself and fell from the blessing. Therefore, let these and similar things persuade you, too, who are the first-born, to accept the fall even against your will, and not to
A frown, nor oppose manifest facts; for this very word, "first-born," gives one to conceive of a second son. If this were not so, and if a second son had not been kept in store by God from the beginning, Israel would not have been called "first-born"; for, as you know, if a second does not follow, a first cannot be called "first." For these things are mutually dependent on one another: the first on the second, and the second on the first. But you still move your lips and turn to other discourses; yet we shall keep silent, for no one who knocks, even if he knocks quite loudly at a deaf man's door, will ever be heard. But the divine Amos will fight on our behalf, saying: "The house of Israel has fallen; it shall not rise again."
And so much for that point, O most divine man, for we are unable to write more, being pierced—the Lord knows—by many arrows of dejection; and if we did not have the holy Books in our hands, and did not draw no small relief therefrom, we might perhaps have made use of a halter and shamefully departed from life itself. And do not think what is said is a fable; for the blessed David also adumbrating this same thing said: "Unless thy law had been my meditation, then B I should have perished in my humiliation." Let us not, therefore, neglect reading; for we must return to whence we departed just now. Let us believe Solomon who says: "Become wise, my son, that thy heart may be glad." For if that eunuch of Candace was so intent on reading that he meditated on the prophet Isaiah even while riding in a chariot on the road, what excuse shall we satisfy, who do not even endure to look at the Books at home? Who procured for that Ethiopian the purity that comes from the divine bath? Was it not reading? Who led the apostle Philip to him? Was it not his eagerness for the Word? Let us be put to shame by him, both as he read and as he was illuminated; we, too, are Ethiopians in soul, having contracted much blackness from sin. Let us learn that there is no other way for us to be cast down and re-clothed. "They have," he says, "Moses and the prophets." Let us run to reading, let us be changed in a beautiful change. Instead of a pool, we have the Books; instead of Philip, the One proclaimed by him. Let us go through C the whole of Scripture, if possible, so that we may both make ourselves better and block the blasphemous mouths of those who oppose us. For if we have known certain trees that were healed of their natural malignancy by some industry and art, much more would the wounds we have contracted from our own choice be healed by the counter-teaching of the Spirit. If we read once and twice, and do not understand, let us not lose heart; let us persevere, let us keep watch. "My eyes," he says, "prevented the morning, that I might meditate on thy words." Indeed, how beneficial it is to attend is shown by that widow who was able to soften the judge of injustice, who was harder than a stone. Let us meditate, let us inquire, let us approach those wiser than ourselves. "For if you see," he says, "rain, rise early for it." And if D we always do this, if we have, in a manner, prepared the ground of our soul and cast such seeds into it, let us be certain that we shall
897 EPISTOLA XV. 898
so let us ever act, if we thus divide our soul, and cast such seeds, let us be confident that we shall also reap a harvest of glory in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
EPISTLE XV.
To the most honorable and in our Lord brother, lord John Trichas. — How is to be understood that which is found in the Apocalypse of the theologian John the evangelist: "I saw a new heaven and a new earth, and the sea is no more"?It must be known that in the sixty-fifth chapter of the Apocalypse of the evangelist and divine John, these things are also set forth: "I saw a new heaven and a new earth, and the sea is no more." Pay attention, therefore. For as regards heaven and earth, the text does not signify non-existence, but rather points to their renewal for the better. For according to the exceedingly great Paul, "the creation itself shall be liberated from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God." And the divine psalmodist is also found speaking thus about the heavens: "Thou shalt fold them up, and they shall be changed." For that which waxes old, when it is renewed, does not undergo the destruction of its substance, but the removal of old age and wrinkles. And so far did he go in speaking about heaven and earth; but regarding the sea, he did not say so, but what? "And the sea is no more." For what need is there of the sea, when men no longer have need to sail it, or to procure by its means the commodities produced in countries lying far away? The great Basil also confirms this view, bringing forward the saying of Isaiah which says: "Who says to the deep, be desolate, and I will dry up all thy rivers." And such is the interpretation of those who explain the divine words of the Apocalypse. But the great Basil, in his third homily on the Hexaemeron, treats the discourse on this subject more clearly, and speaks as follows: "Why, and for what reason, is the place of the world we inhabit surrounded by water, bound by infinite seas, and watered by countless ever-flowing rivers? Because of the ineffable wisdom of Him who ordained that a nature contrary to fire should be difficult to consume. For the Creator of the creation knew how much time He had destined for the existence of this world, and for this reason He made such an allotment of supply for the fire, so that this terrestrial sphere might not be burned up before the time by the excess of heat. There will, however, be a time when even all the waters will be scorched by fire, as says Isaiah, where he discourses to the God of all: 'Who says to the deep, be desolate, and I will dry up all thy rivers.'" And this meaning B
A of the sea's no longer existing, in my opinion, does not differ at all from this. If this is the case, we ought to accept what is written and not hold notions contrary to those who were mouthpieces of the Spirit. For it is sufficient, he says, for the disciple if he should become as his teacher.
EPISTOLA XVI.
To the most venerable monk, Lord Chariton. — On whether the blessed John the Evangelist departed by death, or not.B That the one who committed to record the acts of the apostles, and the great Hippolytus among the martyrs himself, heard those words of the Gospel, as it seems, which say, "If I will that he remain until I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me," and say that the Evangelist and divine John is among the living and enjoys the company of Enoch and Elijah, this has by no means escaped our notice. For even if we are ignorant to such a degree, nevertheless we have long since found and read the treatises composed on this very subject by the men mentioned. And from this it was necessary to respect what was written, not at all to oppose and fight against these points. But since we also have not a few other holy men C drawing from that source, and declaring other things concerning this matter, and we are of necessity persuaded by and submissive to their words, as we are not able at all to act against the sacred canons. For if the divine canons exhort us to prefer the vote of the majority, it is right that we too should accept this same thing. For even if the aforementioned divine Hippolytus shone among the martyrs of Christ, and from there it is incumbent to agree with his treatises; still it is not worthy that we should appear to incline toward him in all these matters, especially if they are opposed to the orthodox mind of the Church. For see, he says that that Antichrist, whose coming will be according to the working of Satan in great power and signs and wonders of lying, as the Apostle says, D is the devil himself in his discourse on the end; and from there [he says] he is to be born of a virgin woman precisely like Christ, and so to have walked about in the world according to an appearance, and at that time to have performed signs and wonders through himself. And such things regarding the Evangelist John, as we have already said, appear to the men mentioned. But the golden-tongued John interpreted the aforementioned Gospel passage that says, "If I will that he remain until I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me," not about life, nor did he make his explanation according to such a reasoning, but rather, "You, O Peter, follow me," that is, "Go out teaching everywhere, and separate yourself from John; but let him remain here, until I go forth to crush those who crucified me with the Roman rod."
A And the elder Ammonius also says concerning this Gospel passage, "If I will that he remain until I come," that it hints at the longevity of his life from that time forward. For he died in the times of Trajan, without punishment. Moreover, Apollinaris also says that the brethren supposed out of ignorance that he would not die. And John, who is among the saints, the Damascene, also says these things concerning this matter: "Enoch, that is to say, and Elias will be sent, and they will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and they will be slain by the Antichrist." Of the Evangelist John, however, he makes no mention, or at least he forgot about such a one, and thus he is found to mention only those two, Enoch, that is to say, and Elias. He did not consider him among the living. But the great apostle himself in his Apocalypse introduces two who shall prophesy in the last days and perform signs for three years and a half, saying as follows: "And I will give to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." These commentators understood to be Enoch and Elias; another person is not set forth in such a Revelation. And after a few words: "And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them who are slain, and shall send gifts one to another: because these two prophets tormented those who dwelled upon the earth; afterwards, however, they shall rise again." B But the historian Hippolytus also, when discussing the apostles, witnesses that the blessed John the Evangelist was recalled from exile under the Emperor Nerva, and that he afterwards finished his life in such a way that his remains were found nowhere. Prochorus also handed down things consistent with these. For he says that by his command a pit was dug, into which, having fallen and having been covered with earth, he rendered up his spirit to us. Afterwards, having narrated these things to those in the city, we returned and found the place empty. But the brother of the divine Gregory C the Theologian, Caesarius, being asked secretly at Constantinople about this matter, said that John himself had made this clear in the Gospel according to him, in which he discourses thus: "The saying therefore went out unto the brethren, that that disciple does not die. And Jesus did not say to him that he does not die, but, 'If I will him to remain until I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me.' For he said this most excellently, correcting their erroneous supposition, as he has done in many places, calling them foolish and slow of heart." But also in the epistle of Polycrates, successor and archbishop of Ephesus, to Victor, successor and archbishop of the great D Rome, these things are written: "Great elements have fallen asleep throughout Asia, which shall rise again in the last day. Philip, one of the twelve apostles, who has fallen asleep in Hierapolis with his daughters; also John, who reclined upon the breast of Jesus; this one has fallen asleep in Ephesus." And the great Athanasius also in the [book On the Resurrection, says that Enoch and Elias are living, and he mentions no other one in any way. Even the great Gregorius, the expounder, says that James was killed, but that John departed from life in peace. Finally, the divinest Ephrem, in a sermon concerning the second coming, is found to have cited only two men as being foretold, namely Enoch and Elias. And these things have been handed down by the aforementioned Fathers concerning the blessed evangelist John. Whether he still lives and is associated with Enoch and Elias, or not, is to be judged by your sublimity, and I leave it to be ministered to the eyes of the unknowing according to custom.
A hard and resistant, it is altogether unfruitful and least suitable for performing its duty; but where it is rich and temperate, there it produces an abundance of herbs. This same thing can be seen in the female womb: "For increase," God says, "and multiply." Wherefore, through the mutual conjunction of spouses, the human race is increased into a multitude. But when a womb is found to be intemperate in any way, it is sterile in every respect, and has proven itself altogether unsuitable for generation. Thus, therefore, you should understand the question proposed. For if God said, "Let us make man according to our image"; and the image of God, as was said above, is our mind; yet it shows its own operation according to the condition of the organ. Hence, when the organ is in a correct state according to nature, the mind also operates; but when the same is in any way corrupted, then the mind is not fit for its operations, even if it itself receives no harm in itself. For just as B in a citharode, and in the cithara, it is possible to observe that the harmony of the organ is often corrupted, while the artisan himself does not in the least have his art impaired; so truly, and in our mind, and in the very instrument through which it is accustomed to operate, consider it to happen in the same unchanging manner.
Therefore, the mind is indeed the same in all, according to the image of the sun, since it was created through the divine inbreathing; but the organs are diverse, inasmuch as they are constructed from the four elements. According to them, therefore, the mind also operates; and do not wonder anymore. For very beneficially, as it has been said, God commanded in the beginning for the four elements to come together C and through these to make the earthly man. Hence comes the difference of our bodies, so that they may be recognized by one another as easily as possible. For our mind has not yet obtained such a sound power of discernment as to have grasped the notion of all things without signs. So that if it had one and the… [the text breaks off here]
evident, A have clearly erred who, because of the purchase of that field, supposed that Judas lived on after his hanging. For if it is recorded in the Book of Acts that Judas was hanged, and falling prostrate, burst asunder in the midst, as we said above, the aforementioned book and the holy Gospels themselves would thence appear to contradict one another; yet it is not worth wondering so much at these things. For it is likely that both of these occurrences took place at that time: namely, his departing this life by the noose, and the spilling out of his bowels, as has often been recounted—since the cord by which he was suspended broke, and from that point he was carried down to the earth, and thus burst asunder in the midst, so that it lay as a spectacle extraordinary to all. For who would have considered one who had become his own executioner as B worthy of burial, or would have sought to assist him in any other way? Learn, therefore, from this, that he received the end of his life in the very act of hanging. For see how he who is golden of tongue, in his eighty-fifth homily on the Gospel according to Matthew, discusses indeed the hanging of Judas and his decease; yet he says no more than that. Whence the saint implies that Judas did not survive for even a moment afterwards, as the majority have supposed. But the most divine Nilus also sets forth this very thing, saying: "What did the teaching and wonder-working of Christ profit Judas, if he ended his life later by the noose?" And the presbyter Ammonius confirms these things, saying that when Christ descended into Hades, all souls, even that of Judas himself, were released from their bonds, but not all followed Christ back up, only those that believed. If therefore Judas lived on after the hanging, how did the Lord find his soul bound in Hades? It is clear, C therefore, from this too, that he fulfilled his due in the very act of hanging. Yet he did not come to the noose, as some have supposed, with the intent of anticipating Christ and, by descending into Hades, obtaining forgiveness from Him there. For no one who is in possession of his senses would ever accept this. For he who had become so hardened in his understanding, and who had altogether despaired of his own salvation, how or in what manner would he have pondered such things within himself? How would he have contemplated descending into Hades and working out repentance there? Furthermore, from where did he hear, or by whose report did he learn, that Christ would descend to Hades and preach a message of repentance to those who were there, especially if indeed he hears daily the Prophet saying: "But in hell, who shall confess to Thee?" D Besides what has already been said, O most holy man, I desire that you should know what George Cedrenus the chronicler reports concerning Judas, so that this also might not be hidden from you. For he relates that Judas, being urged by the Apostles to approach and repent of his deed, constantly refused; and therefore, hearing that Christ had ascended into the heavens, he became so swollen that he burst asunder. And these things indeed concern the vanity of that opinion. That he, having despaired of his own salvation, and not hoping for salvation in Hades, sought the end of his life by the noose, the great Athanasius has clearly taught in his questions to Antiochus in these words: "There is nothing de-[...]
- speratione deterius qua correptus Judas sibi laqueum induit. Quod si res ita se habent, quomodo juxta Pappiam historicum Judas veluti magnum impietatis signum per mundum incessisset? Disce igitur hinc, o sacrum caput, non inconsulte, sed sedulo divinas legere Scripturas. De hoc enim Dominus dixit : Scrutamini Scripturas; illæ enim sunt quæ testimonium perhibent de me. Itaque hinc patet, quod nisi scrutati fuerimus Christum, id est veritatem, eum non inveniemus; veritas enim Christus, et Christus veritas. Δαβὶδ καθ' ἑκάστην ἀκούων λέγοντος, Ἐν δὲ τῷ ᾅδῃ τὶς ἐξομολογήσεταί σοι; Πρὸς δέ γε τοῖς εἰρημένοις, ὁσιώτατε ἄνερ, καὶ τί περὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα φησὶν ὁ χρονογράφος ἐκεῖνος Γεώργιος ὁ Κεδρηνός, εἰδέναι βούλομαί σε δι' εἴδησιν. Λέγει γὰρ ὅτι πολλὰ παρακαλούμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων ὁ Ἰούδας, ὥστε προσελθεῖν καὶ βαλεῖν μετάνοιαν, οὐκ ἠθέλησεν, ἐφ᾽ ᾧ καὶ ἀκούσας, ὅτι ἀνελήφθη ὁ Χριστὸς, ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ὠγκώθη, ὥστε καὶ μέσον λαχίσαι. Καὶ περὶ μὲν τῆς ματαιολογίας ταύτης οὕτως· ὅτι δὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίαν ὁ ἄθλιος ἀπογνούς, οὐ μὴν ἐν θέᾳ σωτηρίας ἐλπίζων τυχεῖν, τῷ δι' ἀγχόνης τέλει ἐχρήσατο, καὶ ὁ μέγας Ἀθανάσιος ἀριδήλως τοῦτο δεδήλωκεν, ἐν τοῖς πρὸς Ἀντίοχον κεφαλαίοις οὕτως εἰπών· Οὐδὲν χεῖρον ἀπογνώσεως, ᾗ συσχεθεὶς ὁ Ἰούδας ἀπήγξατο. Εἰ δὲ ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει, πότε λοιπὸν ὁ Ἰούδας κατὰ τὸν ἱστορικὸν ἐκεῖνον Παππίαν μέγα τῷ κόσμῳ περιεπάτησε ἀσεβείας ὑπόδειγμα; Μάνθανε οὖν ἐντεῦθεν, ὦ ἱερὰ κεφαλή, μὴ παροδευτικῶς, ἀλλ' ἐρευνητικῶς τὴν θεόπνευστον ἀναγινώσκειν Γραφήν. Ἐπὶ τούτῳ γὰρ καὶ ὁ Κύριος, Ἐρευνᾶτε τὰς Γραφάς, ἔλεγεν· αὗται γὰρ μαρτυροῦσι περὶ ἐμοῦ. Εὔδηλον οὖν ἐντεῦθεν, ὡς εἴγε μὴ ἐρευνήσομεν, οὐκ ἂν εὑρήσομεν τὸν Χριστόν, τουτέστιν αὐτὴν τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Ἀλήθεια γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ Χριστὸς ἡ ἀλήθεια.
IN EPISTOLAM SEQUENTEM MONITUM
(MAL, Bibliotheca nova PP. tom. VI, p. 553.)The reading of the lives of the Saints, the blessed passing of the same, and their migration into heaven, impels the soul to desire the kingdom of heaven and those most joyful rewards which God has truly prepared for His worshippers. Yet, this most sweet hope is not slightly infringed, or certainly weakened, by the most pernicious and false opinion of certain Greeks, that the rewards (and therefore also the punishments) of souls are to be deferred until the consummation of the world and the resurrection of the bodies. A preeminent error, indeed, and one long since condemned by the Apostolic See and by the œcumenical synod of Florence; which, nevertheless, Thomas Burnet the Englishman attempted to revive: against whose importunate lucubration our great Muratori immediately cut the cords. In various works of the Greeks which we have published sparingly, we have demonstrated to the readers at different times the passages which favor the truth of this dogma. And indeed, in the seventh volume of the *Scriptores Veteres*, we also printed the Latin booklet of an anonymous ancient against the error of the Greeks. But now, in the Vallicellian papers of Leo Allatius, we have also observed some letters or sermons of Michael Glycas, that is, excellent disputations of a Greek man against his own countrymen; in which, with many arguments and many testimonies of the Fathers and ecclesiastical authors, he contends and demonstrates that the rewards of pious souls released from their bodies are not deferred; likewise their intercession with God for us, the knowledge and care they have of our affairs, and altogether the relationship of the saints among themselves, that is to say, the communion of the blessed with us, who are still journeying on earth. From the three letters of Glycas therefore transcribed by Allatius, we commit to the press the last one, as it is longer and more excellent: omitting the former ones, parts or fragments of which Allatius himself produced in his dissertation on the ecclesiastical books of the Greeks. Furthermore, to the writing of Glycas which we have selected, we have prefixed another fragment by an anonymous author; which the same Allatius noted he had transcribed from the Vatican Palatine codex 146, f. 60, 6; in which fragment likewise the aforementioned dogma is clearly defended.
INCERTI, UTRUM IN COELIS SINT ANIMAE. ἈΔΗΛΟΥ, ΕΙ ἘΝ ΟΥΡΑΝΟΙΣ ΕΙΣΙΝ ΑΙ ΨΥΧΑΙ.
a'. That the souls of the saints are in heaven, Gregory of Nyssa says: "Let us not, therefore, be troubled, brethren, at being released from these earthly things; for he who from here...
behaves himself as a rational creature, will remember the things that were clearer and more distinct than if he were still in life." A For much more will the soul, after death, being freed from the shackles of the body, and having become naked of its own passions, bearing its faculty of memory then more purely, and its intellectual perception, remember its own deeds more clearly than while it was still living... (The leaf is missing.) B And there are three ranks: the first is the triadical order: Thrones, Cherubim, Seraphim. These are the places of rest; here the water of rest is God, sitting upon a throne of glory and bestowing hundredfold rewards upon those who have borne fruit to the perfect measure of the hundred. The second is: Dominions, Virtues, and Powers. These are the verdant places of refreshment—the verdure of the rest of the Holy Spirit—affording manifold rewards to those who have borne fruit to the measure of the sixty. The third is: Principalities, Archangels, and Angels. These are the bright and divine places where there is the tabernacle of rest, the new heavens and the new earth, and the sun of righteousness is Christ our God, bestowing the crowns of righteousness upon those who have borne hundredfold fruit to the thirty-fold measure of protection and reception. For every holy man among us will acquire his own hierarchy and rank C among the celestial virtues; and whose place he filled in the ecclesiastical hierarchy among us, to that one he ascends after death, being joined to it, and he rests, finding it to be a bright place of God’s rest.
D And the souls of the sinners, as if full of darkness and foul odor and filth, are taken by angels who are ministers of punishment and darkness, against their will and with terrible fear, trembling, and dread, into the recesses of Hades and into gloomy prisons; they are delivered to the jailers, the unclean spirits, where the prince of darkness is kept in everlasting fire with his fellows. One must know that the mystical rites and sacrifices offered for those who have committed the sin that is unto death are performed in vain; but to those who have not so sinned, they are of the greatest benefit. And the sin unto death is unbelief, and despair, and an impenitent heart, and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and to deny Christ, and to die as a heretic in some heresy.
§ 5. One must also know this, that the apostles divided the forty days of the old mourning into three parts: into the third, the ninth, and the fortieth day. For so also the Lord Himself, after His three-day resurrection, manifested Himself to the disciples, the doors being shut, and breathed on them, saying: "Receive the Holy Ghost." And after eight days, lo, after the resurrection, He appeared to them a second time within the eight days; for when the Evangelist said "after eight days," he did not count the day of the resurrection; if that is included, nine are counted. According to this model, we perform the memorials of the holy departed a second time from the day of burial until the ninth day; likewise also for the forty days, since on the fortieth day the Lord was taken up.
A Were the Creator not the one who suffered, surely the creatures would not have suffered with Him. With respect to the darkness at the time of the cross, it was already predicted by Isaiah who says: "I will clothe the heaven with darkness, and will make sackcloth its covering." It was also predicted by Amos himself: "The sun," he says, "shall set at midday, and the light shall grow dark upon the earth in the day." What is more paradoxical, the prophet adding something even more incredible with the words: "The sun shall set at midday," speaking of the very hour in which the Lord was crucified: "For it was about the sixth hour."
But you do not accept these things that are said; you think them a deception and a falsehood, and you do not believe them, nor have you ever believed. You have long been hard-hearted; you have suffered from unbelief from the beginning. Having once enjoyed so many good things in the desert, and having become a spectator of so many miracles, you did not remain with the God who worked these things, but you grumbled at every hour and tempted the Lord, saying: "Is the Lord among us, or not?" B And, greatest of all, you sought gods who would go before you. And what need is there to contend about miracles? If you wish, maintain that this very arrival of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to us, which took place in the five thousand five hundredth year from the foundation of the world, has not yet come, and thus you will show us to be entirely occupied with vanity. But you deceive yourself, O contentious, arrogant, and puffed up one; the Lord has rendered this counsel of yours void, just as He did long ago the counsel of Ahithophel, by the same noose of helplessness in which you are being choked according to him.
C Hearing also from Theodoret as an interpreter on Psalm VII, who recounts the matter thus: "The blessed David, fleeing the wretch and parricidal son, found Hushai as a helper; he persuaded Absalom not to pursue his father immediately upon the suggestion of Ahithophel, but to gather all the people, and only then to campaign against his begetter. Ahithophel, therefore, being vexed and greatly distressed because the counsel of Hushai had appeared preferable, became his own executioner and received his end by hanging." The blessed David, fleeing his wicked and parricidal son, found for his aid Hushai, who persuaded Absalom not to pursue his father immediately according to the counsel of Ahithophel, but to first gather all the people, and then move war against his parent. Deeply affected by grief and thoroughly troubled, Ahithophel, because the counsel of Hushai had appeared more excellent, became his own murderer and ended his life by hanging. You may also see Josephus, *Jewish Antiquities*, book VII, chapter 9, recounting this history more fully. Salianus in *Annales Eccles. Vet. Test.* at the year of the world 2980, volume III, page 420, number 18, bringing forth the words of verse 23, chapter XVII, book II of Kings, which are of this kind: "The counsel of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if a man had consulted the oracle of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel," mistakenly thinks that Ahithophel is praised by Scripture, and, against the faith of the Holy Fathers, calls him the most prudent of all the king's counselors. "But truly," says Estius, "it is the cunning of Ahithophel that is praised, not his probity or virtue in a true sense; and Ahithophel is praised in the way the Lord in Luke praises the steward of iniquity, and says that the children of this world are wiser in their own generation than the children of light."
A and to depart and be with Christ. What then, O holy head, could anyone say to this? If, therefore, the departed souls of the saints are present with Christ and behold His glory, as they themselves desired, what prevents them from interceding face to face for us and making Him propitious regarding our transgressions? For if that seer of God, Moses, was so near to God—and this while walking in this life—that he conversed with God Himself mouth to mouth and in bodily form, and interceded for Israel without hesitation, saying: "If You will forgive them, forgive; but if not, blot me out also with them," why should we not say that those who have changed their life in the Lord, having become closer to God, intercede for us face to face before God? Do those who stand before earthly kings and share their confidence not offer petitions, and sometimes even free certain condemned men from their guilt?
B And who will have the strength to contradict this? And this is so, even as the blessed Theodore the Studite disposed regarding his own disciples at the time he was traveling abroad, saying: "If, having departed, I find confidence before God, I shall not cease to pray for you." That these things are so, the theologian Gregory also showed more clearly in his funeral oration for Basil the Great, saying of that divine man: "And now indeed he is in the heavenly sanctuaries, entering into the inner parts of the veil, interceding face to face with God for us." And of this, do not marvel, nor say: "How do those who have been so completely freed from the body remember again those in the body?" For if that rich man, scorched in the flames of Hades, so dwelled upon his past life within himself that he remembered his father's house and fervently prayed for his brothers, saying: "Father Abraham, send Lazarus to the house of my father, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them so they do not suffer the same things, nor arrive at this place of torment," why should we not say that the departed souls of the saints remember the things here even more clearly, and pray to God more fervently for those whom they desire?
C And do not tell me that these things concerning the rich man were spoken parabolically, and that therefore an evident truth is not derived from them; for you have the great Basil himself accepting this parable, and setting out from there, speaking thus: "For even if those who have acted like that rich man pay the just penalties for what they owe, yet their intellectual faculty is not turned to madness by way of punishment; for they will not appear as inferior to the prior knowledge which they held firmly in the flesh, but rather will have a clearer vision." Do not, therefore, doubt that the departed souls of the saints are present with Christ, even with the blessed Paul saying, as was said above: "I desire to depart and be with Christ." And they dwell in Paradise; for the Lord says to the blessed thief, and to every saint: "Today you will be with me in Paradise"; but furthermore, they are not prohibited from entering heaven itself. For this way He Himself...
has granted us to tread, entering as the forerunner into the upper dwelling-place. For if this were not so, the Apostle himself would not have called Him the forerunner; for a forerunner is strictly both and is called a forerunner. And just as He did not name Him the first-born from the dead without reason or by chance, because of those who will rise in common at the final time, so too he said that He entered as a forerunner into the upper dwelling-place, not idly, but strictly for the sake of those who A are to enter there after Him. But if these things are so, if those who have changed their life in Him are present with Christ, why should we deny that they intercede for us, and appear in visions and in sleep?
We find this dogma confirmed by others before the rest; for in the life of the great martyr Anastasia the Roman, it says also this: Blessed Theodota, appearing to the martyr Anastasia who was in prison about the sixth hour of the night, strengthened her for the contests; and she, having left nothing good unexamined, asked this too, saying, in what way, after having died, did she visit her? And she said that this had been granted by God to the souls of the martyrs, that after the departure from here, they should visit whomsoever they wished, and deem them worthy of conversation and consolation. This the theologian Gregory also confirms, saying: B "Then I shall see Caesarius, splendid, glorious, rejoicing, such as you appeared to me in a dream, most beloved of brothers."
7. Do not, therefore, disbelieve the things that are said; for see that also at the time when those who have lived according to God depart, they have seen visions of saints; and this is manifest from what happened to the great Daniel the Stylite, to the great Sabas, and to others of the saints, not a few. For when they were being separated from the body, saints from the ages, both righteous men and martyrs, stood by them, calling them with the heavenly powers. If, therefore, it were not true that the souls of the saints, having departed from here, stand by those on earth, that patriarch Photius, following the great Gregory the Dialogist, would not have said thus: "To the small C remains of the saints, the operation of signs is given all the more because of the unbelief of the many; for to them as a whole, no reasoning stands in the way, that these things cannot perform miracles by the oversight of the triumphant souls, who struggled together in the contests and labors of the bodies." What is clearer than this? For by the oversight, he says, of the triumphant souls, the relics of the saints perform wonders. For truthful is God, who said to those who in them—to the apostles and all who have lived in a manner pleasing to God—"Behold, I am with you all the days, even unto the end of the world."
8. Do not, therefore, doubt any longer, nor say, how can those moved elsewhere be present to those here? For even to the saints who have passed away, the grace of the all-holy Spirit is present; D and hence they appear in their temples, and stand by those who call upon them, and do all other things according to the will of God.
A For, he says, "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Do not, therefore, inquire further how those who have departed elsewhere appear again to those who are here. For if that prophet Habakkuk, while still detained by the burden of the flesh, reached the Chaldean land from Jerusalem in one and the same hour, bringing food to the prophet Daniel in the lions' den, why should we not say that the souls of the saints also appear to those who call upon them? Dismiss, therefore, the "how," for where the grace of God is, there is no place for inquiring into the "how." That they appear, I know, for I do not oppose the traditions of the Fathers; but how, I do not know. He who is wonderful in his saints knows. That I live and am nourished, I know; but how, I do not know. And that the soul is joined to the body, I know; but how, I do not know. And that it is incorporeal and immaterial, I know, for I have heard it; but what is its form and what it is in its essence, I do not know, because this has remained inexpressible. For how could anyone know that which was created in the image of the uncircumscribed and incomprehensible God? If the essence of the soul could be grasped, so too could the prototype of the image itself. But if the prototype is incomprehensible, the image of the prototype is of necessity also incomprehensible. Hence, many things have been philosophized concerning it, but no one has ever been able to grasp its nature, as it was created in the image, as has been said, of the incomprehensible and inaccessible God.
B Dismiss, therefore, the "how" in the case of paradoxes, lest you also be judged for unbelief in this matter. "For if you do not believe," he says, "you will not understand." How did the apostles from the ends of the earth, and these burdened by this heavy body, gather together at the time of the transition of the all-holy Theotokos? Why should we not say that angels came here in place of the apostles? How did Paul ascend to the third heaven and thence be carried away into paradise and hear ineffable words? How shall the just be caught up to meet the Lord in the air? How did Moses and Elias stand together on the mountain with the transfigured Christ? Just as all these things are paradoxical, yet they happened and we believe them, so it is fitting for you to think concerning the souls of the saints that have departed. And that they appear to those who are here, believe from what you have heard above; but the "how," leave to the Lord Himself. For we are not permitted to conceive of anything more than what He allows, lest we suffer something like what Lucifer, who fell, suffered. For not being able to bear the splendor given to him by the Lord—inasmuch as it was immense—he was suddenly overturned and fell in a great collapse to the earth. C For this reason, also, the things revealed to the great Paul at the time he was caught up were transmitted in silence. For if they had resulted in ruin it would have been profitable, but surely he who is the teacher of the world would not have passed them over in silence! For how would he not have decided to be silent? Since he himself said that he was given a thorn for his own flesh, lest he be exalted by the abundance of the revelations.
__ A that we should in no way touch those things which are above comprehension, but rather acknowledge our defeat in these matters, and say with the divine David: "Thy knowledge is become wonderful from me; it is strengthened, I shall not be able to attain to it." For to the saints who have fallen asleep in Christ, supernatural gifts have also been imparted; they hear us when we pray, and they assist the oppressed for the sake of comfort, as has been said from above. For if those who, like me, have passed their lives in sloth, perceive the good deeds performed here on their behalf, as we are taught by the holy Scriptures, how much more do those who have served the commandments in Christ himself. Hence also the Theologian Gregory, in his funeral oration to his sister, among other things said: "Accept the present discourse, O blessed one; for this was granted to those like you by God, that they might perceive such things."
B
Epistola XIX.
If these things are so, whence do we, setting out, deprive the departed souls of the saints of such grace? And this, when the prince of the apostles, Peter, says that God has lavished upon men good things, into which even the angels desire to look. And what need is there to say much? For if we have heard even regarding certain saints still remaining in this life, that through their prayers some who ended their lives in impiety were freed from everlasting punishment, what is there to prevent those who have changed their life, and have become (so to speak) nearer to God, from doing the same as those who came before them, and from having the same energy and power—not to say much greater—because of the laying aside of this flesh? Let us not, therefore, oppose ourselves to the traditions of the Fathers, nor let us examine curiously how these things might be; for these things were written, not that we might be over-inquisitive, but that we might believe, and that by believing, we might have eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory forever. Amen.To Nitum the monk.
Epistola XIX. Prayers for the dead and alms are not performed in vain.
That therefore we ought not to hesitate at all regarding the good deeds performed by some—for the sake of the pious, but also for sinners—let the disciples of Christ and the apostles persuade us before others, who ordained that the third, ninth, and fortieth day, and indeed even the annual commemoration, be performed publicly for the departed. For if the divine Gregory of Nyssa, following the holy apostles, is found saying: "Nothing is handed down from the disciples of Christ without reason or without profit, but the matter is entirely useful, to perform the memorial of the sleeping faithful at the divine mystery," C much more does it behoove us to follow without hesitation. For if, as we have said, we are not forbidden to offer sacrifice on behalf of those who have died in sins, and the great Basil, in the third prayer which is said on the day of Pentecost, clearly teaches this, [it is a subject] that has been sufficiently argued before God, both by many critics and by theologians. D
A The divinest Malachi, crying out with a loud voice, spoke the same things to those who have been discussed: "I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord, neither will I accept an offering at your hands; for from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same, my name is glorified among the Gentiles, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure sacrifice; but you profane them." Did these things happen, or not? Is the unbloody and pure sacrifice offered to God in every place among the Gentiles, or not? But why speak at length? Let us hear the prophet saying: "Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem; and he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people." Tell me, then, what is the law that went forth from Zion, and who are those who received it? The nations, certainly; for they were convicted as having wandered from the faith, and they received the law of Christ, which he indeed gave to his disciples in Jerusalem, and through them to all the nations. "Out of Zion shall go forth the law"—for it was necessary for the new people from the nations to be given a new law, just as Jeremiah says: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt." Therefore, let them either say what is the law that was given from Zion, B or let them accept the new legislation of Christ. For after his resurrection from the dead, just as the prophets had foretold, he ascended into the heavens and thundered—that is, he granted this very new covenant through the all-holy Spirit. But you say to me: if he were the Son of God, he truly rose again. And listen: if this happened, would you have believed? Certainly not; for he who did not believe those things which had gone before would not have believed in his resurrection even if it had happened in the sight of all. Do you not know of Lazarus, who was raised from the dead on the fourth day? How did you not believe? What is more incredible than the sun being darkened when Christ was crucified? What is greater than the dead rising, rocks being split, and the very veil of the temple being torn in two? Are these not more wonderful than all miracles, indeed, even excluding the resurrection itself? How, having been a spectator of such wonders, did you not believe? C Truly, that of Isaiah has been fulfilled: "Their heart has grown fat; they have ears, and do not hear; they have eyes, and do not see." But concerning the resurrection of the dead that occurred in the time of Christ our Savior, it was spoken by the divinest prophet: "He will heal and cure us after two days; but on the third day we shall rise again, and we shall live in his presence."
Truly, however, you put this forward to me as well, saying: "What is new here? If your Christ, having performed signs, led a not-insignificant people into error? For behold, we learn that Muhammad also performed many signs, and from that he has deceived a not-insignificant people. If, therefore, Christ is God on account of the signs performed by him, then by this same reasoning Muhammad will also be God." But listen: the signs of Muhammad are D manifest
A in their own way, and by many other things, but especially because no prophet was able to predict him in any way whatsoever; and those things concerning Christ are found to be perfectly true, having their foundation in the prophets. And if you wish, I will again cite the testimony of the Word from Sophonias. "The Lord shall appear over all the nations, and they shall worship him, each from his own place." B Who is he that appeared to all the nations, Christ or Muhammad? Which of those gods of the nations did he utterly destroy, and he who caused one God to be worshipped by all, in all places—is it Christ or Muhammad? Answer, if you are able. If the prophecy of Sophonias does not end in Christ, then it is in Muhammad, or simply in some other person from the ages. But you cannot say this, unless you refer it to the one and only Christ, condemned by you, the Son of God! But that the prophets were C formerly proclaiming the things concerning him is evident from this: for after his presence, no prophet arose according to his prediction. For the Law and the prophets were until John; since when the one who was to be proclaimed had come, the mystery concerning him was understood, so there was no longer any need for a prophet. And why is there need to say much, when all the prophets were proclaiming with a great voice the presence of Christ? The admirable Daniel has pointed him out almost clearly, specifying even the moment of his arrival. For what reason, D and to what end? "Lest, through ignorance, men should be led astray, and we should receive one Christ instead of another." This, then, is the problem regarding Muhammad, my friend, and it is a rotten and unstable one.
"But having turned away from trouble towards another path, and mindful of the evangelical words, you add, saying to me: 'How shall I reckon him to be God, since he says according to the Law to the one who said to him, "Good Teacher," he said, "No one is good except God alone"?'" And first, I ask of you: "What fellowship has light with darkness?" How is it that you attempt to open the evangelical sense while the veil of your mind is drawn over your eyes? A "Remove the veil, and you will see the glory of the Lord." For it is said, "Reveal my eyes, and I will consider the wondrous things of your Law." "Remove the bitterness from your mouth, and you will taste the honey of the Gospel, and feast upon ineffable sweetness." These are the words that are a stumbling block to you.
A in order to inform his own servant regarding this matter, inspired the word of truth into the withered skull of the high priest of the idols, which he had happened upon on his journey; and when questioned, it replied as follows: "When you offer sacrifices for the dead, then we feel slight consolation. Therefore, we must assist one another as much as we have strength, and in the manner we have spoken, help must be given to the departed." For, according to John Damascene, God readily accepts things offered even for those who departed unready and unprepared, and these offerings made by their relatives in fulfillment of their deficiencies, He treats and reckons as a deed and act for them. Pay heed, therefore. For this God-filled man, in his discourse on those who have fallen asleep, brings forward the great Athanasius, who says of these things: "Even if one who has been perfected in piety is placed in the air, do not refuse to place candles and oil at the tomb, having invoked Christ the B God. For these are acceptable to God, and carry with them from Him a great reward; and the candle and the oil are even more like a whole burnt offering; just as the bloodless sacrifice is an expiation, and benevolence toward the poor is an addition to every good reward. Whence they are not slightly helpful, even if such things are offered to God by others." C And wanting to demonstrate this, and to make his servant certain concerning this matter, the Lord inspired the word of truth into the withered skull of the high priest of the idols, which he himself had happened upon on his journey; and when questioned, it replied: "When you offer sacrifices for the dead, then we feel a small consolation. Therefore, we must assist one another as much as we have strength, and in the manner in which we have spoken, help must be given to the dead." For, according to John of Damascus, He readily accepts what is offered even for those who have departed unprovided and unprepared, if anything is offered by their relatives and kin in supplementing their debts, and He ascribes and reckons these things in place of works and actions. Pay attention, therefore. For this God-filled author, in his oration on the dead, brings forward the great Athanasius, who discourses about these very things as follows: "Even if someone is laid to rest in the air, provided he has finished his life in piety, do you nevertheless by no means refrain from setting candles and oil at the sepulcher, having first invoked Christ God. For these are acceptable to God, and they elicit that He give back to us more than He has received. For we set oil and candles as a burnt offering; by the sacrifice that is void of blood, we appease and soothe God; by D beneficence toward the poor, we obtain a greater retribution of all good things. Hence they provide no little utility, even if they are offered to God by others." The great Cyril, confirming these same things and showing that commemorations benefit the departed in the highest degree, and that it is no wonder if the sacrifice is offered to God by one person but the benefit passes to another, adds these things: "Our Lord Jesus Christ, speaking in this way to the centurion, when he said to Him: 'I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof, but only speak a word, and my servant shall be healed' (Matt. VIII, 8; Luke VII, 6), said: 'Go, and as thou hast believed, so let it be done to thee' (Matt. VIII, 13), most clearly showed that through the faith of another, even he who is not present is saved. Do not, therefore, hesitate any further. For if things offered by one for another are useless, then even the things performed in the divine bath for the sake of the one being enlightened benefit him in no way, since the assent and the renunciation are performed by others, and not by those receiving the illumination." If these things are so, and the commemorations are in every way most profitable and truly acceptable—for if this were not so, the apostles and disciples of Christ would never have ordained, as has been said above, that commemorations be held for the dead at prescribed times, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
EPISTOLA XX. (Fragm.)
That the prayers of the just are useful even to dead impious men. And what do I say of pious men, when the prayer of a just man has brought the solution of transgressions even to some dead impious men, as the discourse will now make known to you?A Verily, if you give all the worldly wealth of the world for such infidels, as the disciples of Christ declare, it will profit them nothing at all. If these things are so, what must we say concerning the power of holy prayers? For what the giving of worldly goods to the poor cannot accomplish, the prayer of a just man has accomplished paradoxically. For the great Gregory, called the Dialogist, having supplicated God for the remission of the sins of the Emperor Trajan, who ended his life in impiety, did not fail in his request. But also the first martyr, Thecla, having supplicated God for a certain Gentile woman, by name Falconilla, delivered her from eternal torments. And the great Macarius, having encountered on the road the dried-up skull of the high priest of the idols, and having asked it about those things he desired to learn, heard from it—for God then inspired true words into it—B "When you offer sacrifices for the dead, then we feel small consolations." Furthermore, the Emperor Maurice, having walked in sin, even worse than what might be forgiven—for he delivered a countless throng of the army to the sword of the barbarians—escaped eternal punishment through the prayers of holy men.
EPISTLE XXI. (Fragment)
And if the most divine Andrew of Crete hands down that her blessed soul descended into the underworld after death, as one initiated into the mysteries accomplished there by Christ, and how she overcame, and how, having broken those bars, she is raised up, do not marvel at this, nor consider the matter strange, saying that it is impossible that it should be deposited in the hands of the Lord and yet descend into Hades. For in the same way as the Lord, saying, "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit," was nevertheless descending into Hades at that time, in this same mode are the things pertaining to the Virgin also to be judged.EPISTLE XXII. (Fragment)
Not only the soul of the Virgin, but also the souls of other men are granted to descend into Hades after death, as he proves, with this difference: that to the just, for the sake of contemplating the mysteries of Christ performed even in that region, there is granted a place of passage to the heavenly realms; but to the impious, it serves as a seat in which they remain to be tortured by eternal supplications. But later, when the Lord at the time of the passion said, "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit," the journey to the things above was granted to the souls of the just at that time—for Christ did not die for them in vain—but the souls of the sinners remained then just as they had been before, in the lower places. And this is evident from what the most divine Andrew of Crete discourses upon in his oration on the Dormition of the most holy Theotokos. For he speaks thus: "And now, indeed, of all men, and of the just ones themselves,A the souls of the saints pass through the joyless place of Hades, yet they are not detained, except for those who, living in luxury and delights, brought upon themselves the death that comes through sin. Wherefore, the souls of the saints will indeed pass through the gates of Hades. For the disciple is not above the master. Yet, they will not be held fast as heretofore, when sin reigned together with death. They will pass through, however, that they may learn the mysteries there, accomplished beyond nature by the Lord: how He conquered, and how, having shattered those bars, He has risen. This same thing also the Theologian Gregory, intimating in his oration on Pascha, says: 'If He descended into Hades, descend thou also. Know also the mysteries of Christ there, and what was the stewardship of the twofold descent.'"
EPISTLE XXIII
That those who rashly surmise that Paul was one of the twelve disciples of Christ are not to be heeded.
Regarding the difficulty you propose B concerning the blessed Paul, most noble man, as to whether he was co-opted into the choir of the twelve disciples of Christ: you ought to know that this most great Apostle exists outside that number of twelve. For his calling occurred much later, as you know, even after the ascension of our Savior and the descent itself of the most Holy Spirit—after, that is, he had persecuted the Church of Christ, after he had consented to the taking-off of Stephen the Protomartyr, and after he had received letters from the high priests to go against the Christians. For then that unspeakable lightning C shone round about him in the midst of the way; then he heard a voice from above saying: "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" And then the lamps of his body were quenched. Whence he is sent to Ananias and receives baptism from him. But all these things happened long after the arrival of the Holy Spirit.
What need is there to say much? Read the book of the Acts. It recounts by name the twelve disciples of Christ, who had received that paradoxical gift of tongues through the arrival of the Holy Spirit. But you will not find Paul there, but Peter, and Andrew, John, James his brother, Matthew, Philip, Bartholomew, Simon the Zealot, James the son of Alphaeus, and Judas his brother, Thomas, and that Matthias who, being previously one of the seventy disciples, was nevertheless D chosen by lot in place of Judas the traitor by Peter together with the eleven, as the God-inspired Luke records. These men, then, who have been mentioned, twelve in number, were alone at that time and were the first to receive the grace of the most Holy Spirit. Whence we say that the blessed Paul is outside that number of twelve. But as for those who say that he too was one of the twelve...
let them either show one who fell away, and again from there let them cease saying that Paul was one of the twelve. For if no one had departed from there, and if the disciples had not again become eleven, how did the blessed one enter? And in what way was he reckoned with the company of the twelve? Do not, therefore, consider as easily acceptable those things which are brought forward so truly by some, even though you have been nurtured in the divine writings of the Fathers. For since each of the disciples completed his own race, since he kept the faith even to his own end—and the records set forth for their sake by Dorotheus, bishop of Tyre and martyr, make this clear—then, therefore, how can we say that anyone was cast out of the choir so that Paul might enter in his place? There is that one wretched man who fell from the choir and left his position to another, Judas Iscariot, concerning whom it is also written in the Psalms A that "his bishopric let another take."
But even if Paul is not reckoned with the choir of the twelve, his honors are not thereby diminished, nor does he take second place to the remaining disciples. Far from it! For if the Lord chose those first twelve, if He deemed them worthy of much honor, if He promised that they would sit upon twelve thrones, if they will be fellow-diners with Him on that day because they remained with Him—yet we have elsewhere the Lord Himself saying thus to the sons of Zebedee, when they asked for the right and left seat: "It is not mine to give this, but to those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." Therefore, if the things of that honor are not given by grace, but according to the struggles which each one displays, do not marvel if those who have struggled like Paul are found to be B partners and fellow-participants in the honor of the twelve. And why say many things? If no one laboured more than Paul, it is clear that no one would stand higher than Paul there, as the golden-tongued John says. Learn, therefore, from this, that Paul is a partner and participant in that ineffable glory which the twelve and the first disciples of Christ obtained, and yet he does not fill their number, as the discourse has already made known.
To Andronicus Palaeologus
Nevertheless, although Paul is not included in the number twelve, his honors are not on that account diminished, nor is he inferior to the remaining disciples. Perish the thought. For although the Lord chose those first twelve, whom He also honored with the greatest dignities; C although He promised that they would sit on twelve thrones; although they will be table-companions to Him on that day, because they remained with Him; yet we have the Lord Himself elsewhere saying thus to the sons of Zebedee, when they requested the right and left seat: "It is not mine to grant this, but to those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." Therefore, if that honor is not exhibited by grace, but according to the contests which each has fought, it is not to be wondered at if those who have contended like Paul are to be companions and fellow-participants in the honor of the twelve. Why are many things brought forward? If no one toiled more than Paul, it is plain that no one will sit higher than Paul there, as John of the golden mouth says. Learn, therefore, from this, that Paul is D a companion and participant in that glory which cannot be expressed in words, of which the twelve and the first disciples of Christ became partakers, and yet he does not fill the number of those, just as the discourse has already demonstrated.
Epistle XXIV. On the Day of Lights. Whether it is more worthy than the Solemnity of Christ's Nativity.
If you too, most noble man, along with others, have heard Gregory the Theologian calling the day of Lights more radiant than the very birth of Christ—which John of the golden mouth extols to such a degree that he even calls it the metropolis of all the feasts—do not marvel at this, nor assume that the expounders of the Spirit are at variance with one another. For if you apply your mind, you will discover that the golden-tongued one exalts the Nativity for one reason, while the Theologian calls the day of Lights more radiant for another. For the divine John, looking to the very ineffable dispensation of God, and how He inclined the heavens and descended...
and became man according to us, A exalts the matter, and holds it in great wonder. And how indeed would he not wonder at this great mystery, if even to those hearing it, it seemed incredible alone? And hear what God Himself says to the Jews through the most loud-voiced of the prophets: "Behold, you despisers, and wonder; for I work a work in your days, which you will not believe, if one should declare it unto you" (Hab. 1, 5). Therefore, the Holy Scripture calls Him a stone of stumbling and a rock of scandal for no other reason whatever than for those who take scandal at Him, and do not piously receive the mystery that God became man. Pay attention, therefore. For the baptism of the Son of God is not as worthy of wonder as the fact that He became man, just like us. For if He had not become man, He would never have come to be baptized. And this is manifest from the words of the Lord Himself: "It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matth. 3, 15); that is, since He has become man, it is necessary to fulfill all human things. This is the cause for which the most divine John so greatly exalts the birth; for it stuns the mind, the hearing, and the understanding.
But nonetheless, Gregory the Theologian, making a comparison not of the events themselves—I mean of the birth and the baptism—but of what followed upon them, called the feast of Lights more radiant. And with good reason. For there, in the birth, there is the course of a newly appearing star, the arrival of the Magi, the amazement of the shepherds, and the hymn of the angels; but here, that is to say in the baptism, not the course of a star, but a voice from above from the Father Himself, most clearly saying, "This is my Son" (Matth. 3, 17), and the Holy Spirit descending upon the Son, and confirming the word of the Father. For regarding this, the Forerunner also said: "I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize, He said to me, 'Upon whom you shall see the Spirit descending, He is my beloved Son'" (John 1, 33). And to speak simply, in the Jordan the knowledge of the Holy Trinity came to be. Since, therefore, these things are greater than those which were seen and done at the birth, for this reason the Theologian called the feast of Lights more radiant. B For at that time, things hitherto hidden were revealed. For even if the mystery of the incarnation is great, it was not made clear to anyone. For it shrouded His ineffable birth, as being not easily acceptable due to the incredibility of the miracle. For if this had not been the case, the woman who had not known man would not have been called the wife of Joseph. Thus, therefore, most noble one, by taking the sayings of the saints and interpreting them in this way correctly, you will never fall from the truth.
EPISTLE XXV. To Esaias the monk. — Regarding not assimilating the monastic life to baptism (1).
That he is indeed a farsighted and divine man...
EPISTLE XIV
A I have yet another thing to say to you regarding these matters. Since Christ called himself man, though not God—as you yourself testify—why then did they crucify him? Yet not for this reason. For what cause, then? Because he was considered to be acting against the law and breaking the Sabbath. And how and in what manner? Tell me. Because he made the paralytic walk on the Sabbath; because he straightened the woman who was bent over; because he raised the man who had been dead four days. And what law-breaking was in these deeds? If one who pulls a beast out of a pit on the Sabbath is not said to break the law, does he who brings a dead man, already stinking, back to life break the law? Oh, what unjust judgment! Oh, the delusion of your minds, that among you a beast is judged to be worth more than a man! But why, O wretched and senseless man, do you hold so tenaciously to the honor of the Sabbath? Long ago, when God gave the commandment that the Sabbath should be honored and that no work should be done by us upon it, if it happened that a child was eight days old, He commanded us to break the Sabbath and to circumcise him without hindrance; He thereby clearly showed that when the age of the truly eighth day should come—which is the holy Lord’s Day, for it follows the seventh, whence it is also called the eighth—the honor of the Sabbath would be abolished. And this can very fittingly be called a circumcision: for in it our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and sin was set aside, and the arrogant pride of the demons was crushed. And what need is there to say much? B Long ago, God signified the abolition of the Sabbath through the eighth-day circumcision, as we have already stated, and no less also later through Jeremiah, when He promised to establish a new covenant. Do not, therefore, be vexed, nor contend against us contentiously, if, along with other things, the honor of the Sabbath is also transformed; for since the covenant is new, its decrees must also be new.
Now, that was altogether a thing inclined to the worship of many gods, whence Clement of Alexandria calls them most justly "idol-maniacs," a view held by almost all the Greek Fathers, as also by our Glycas. Theodoretus, in his Discourse of Healings, clearly teaches this, saying: "The all-wise Lord did not teach all the dogmas concerning the Trinity idlely, lest they find a pretext for polytheism by leaning toward the error of the Egyptians." That is to say: The most wise God did not in any way deliver all the mysteries of the Trinity to them openly, lest those prone to the error of the Egyptians should find an occasion for a multitude of gods. C But Isidore of Pelusium, in the above-cited epistle, examining the matter more precisely, says: "If someone should ask, 'Why were these things not proclaimed clearly and explicitly from the beginning?' I would answer that, for those who listen understandingly, this is indeed a brilliant demonstration and instruction, as also seemed good to the wise Philo. But if it was spoken in a shadowed way, one must consider that, in legislating for the Jews who were prone to polytheism, He did not see fit to introduce a distinction of persons, lest, by defining that there is a different nature in the hypostases, they should devolve into idolatry; but rather, having learned the lesson of the monarchy from the beginning, they might gradually be taught the dogma of the hypostases, which again reverts to the unity of nature." This is: "If someone asks the cause why these things were not preached from the beginning in clear and transparent words, I would answer him: first and foremost, that for those who listen prudently and sharply, this is a clear and open demonstration and doctrine, just as it seemed to the learned Philo. And even if we grant that it was delivered obscurely and figuratively, it must be observed that, because He was prescribing laws for the Jews who were inclined toward the worship of many gods, He did not speak of a distinction of persons at all, D lest they—professing that there is a different nature in the [divine] persons—should lapse into the worship of idols; rather, having been first educated in the dogma of the one principality and authority, they might gradually learn the doctrine of the persons. This is to be understood regarding the base rabble of the Jews and subsequent times, not regarding their holy and ancient prophets."
(22) The Fathers who fought for the truth of the Christian faith used the same argument to restrain the perfidy of the Jews, who boast only in circumcision and the religion of the Sabbath. Above all, however, the martyr Justin should be consulted in his Dialogue, where he refutes Trypho, showing in a more expansive discourse than our Glycas that God would never have commanded that newborn infants be circumcised on the eighth day, and that priests should offer sacrifices on the Sabbath, if the religion of this day were to be kept forever, as they contend, who are "uncircumcised in the flesh," yet even more "crass in heart and spirit." See also the same author’s Response to Question 27 to the Orthodox, in which one may read almost similar things.
is a mark of the grievance, and [here] it is black; for the garment of mourning would be that alone which is indicative of tears. For see that all men also, when they mourn their own dead, encircle themselves with black garments. Therefore, those who approach through repentance are dressed in black, since they have chosen to mourn themselves as being already dead in their transgressions. The black color, then, signifies nothing other than mourning, as has been said, and tears. For if this [color] also provided forgiveness of faults, just as does the divine laver, he would not have called such a thing a laborious baptism; but having called it "laborious," he clearly showed that it cannot release sins without toil and tears. For according to the divine Fathers, one baptism is acknowledged—an arduous and laborious granting of the solution of offenses. Concerning this, the golden-mouthed John also explains word for word in his interpretation of the Gospel according to Matthew, thus: "Has someone fallen into fornication after baptism? No consolation is left here for the sin."
B Let not the holy rite of this monastic habit therefore beguile us who are too sluggish. That it renders the one tonsured worthy of divine understanding, and fills him with much boldness against the intellectual enemies, I myself also agree. But that it is able to remit sins for the one being perfected, I cannot altogether see. For if this were the case, it would be much more fitting for the one being ordained for any reason—because of the sacred liturgy performed over him and the visitation of the All-Holy Spirit—to be completely delivered from his own offenses. And yet, he drags his lawlessness behind him like a long rope, even if the most holy high priest of all should sing over him, if I may say so, divine chants and incantations, and invoke the grace of the All-Holy Spirit. But also, the divine Gregory of Nyssa, by granting the participation of the mysteries to some who had fallen into terrible crimes at the time of their departure, yet forbidding them from their communion should they unexpectedly recover, shows plainly that accessing C repentance does not grant the effortless solution of errors. For if it granted it straightway, as does the divine laver, he would not have prevented those who had recovered from participating in the holy mysteries of Christ. That soul-sicknesses, just like bodily wounds, require much care and D time before they are healed, is clear from the things that follow them afterward; the history of the prophet David sets this forth most clearly. For the forgiveness of his transgressions was not granted to him without toil, as the majority think, when Nathan the prophet rebuked him and he confessed to have sinned, but [it was granted] in much toil and in the bringing upon him of myriad misfortunes. And yet, it was a great thing that a king, having been rebuked by a private individual, was neither angered nor incensed, but was rather humbled and confessed his sin. But not even in this way was the easy solution of the sin awarded to him. For while he was listening to the things being rebuked by Nathan, David said, "The Lord liveth"
A" , and he heard from him again this very judgment: "You are the one who has done this. And now the sword shall not depart from your house unto eternity. Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your house, and I will take your wives before your eyes, and I will give them to your neighbor, and they shall sleep with them in the sight of the sun; for you did it in secret, but I will do this thing in the sight of all Israel."
Upon these things, then, David said to Nathan: "I have sinned against the Lord." And Nathan said: "The Lord has also put away your sin; you shall not die." For you, he says, passed sentence of death upon the person brought before you, and death was the penalty for him. But you shall not die. For the Lord has "put away" your sin, that is, He postponed the vengeance because of your humility and the confession of the sin. That an amnesty for his transgressions was not being given to him through the prophet, nor a perfect remission, is understood thence by those who pay attention. For the history says that he suffered everything that had been threatened against him through the prophet before his confession, even after his confession.
If, however, for David, who received the reproof so gently—and that while in royal power—the remission of his sins was not granted without labor (for he fell into myriad calamities on account of them), what must be said regarding others? I myself have not been able, up to this point, to easily think or pronounce anything about this matter, especially since the very name of this monastic and sacred habit clearly shows C that it cannot provide in itself, by itself, the solution of sins. For it is called a "profession" of repentance. Indeed, he who is invested with this professes repentance for the transgressions already committed. But he who has made a profession is not immediately reckoned as having already done it. And he who has not done what he promised, but is still lingering, how shall he receive the reward as if he had worked? Nothing, therefore, of advantage would the profession yield, if the professions do not also proceed to the deed.
For if you see a certain youth being invested with military garb by the ruler, and from that point promising to proceed against enemies and to join battle, and to endure blows and wounds, and to despise life itself, and to face death; if he has not, however, actually reached the point of bringing his promises to completion, how do you think the judge of the contest would be disposed towards him? Will he welcome him with honor, and deem him worthy of a higher rank, and reward him with royal gifts? By no means at all, by no means; but he will bestow such things upon him who has also proceeded to finish the things promised entirely.
Let not the covering of the habit alone, therefore, soothe us who are more sluggish, as if it were a second baptism. For it is only the divine bath of regeneration that is able to refashion and regenerate, and to render those coming to it new instead of old, and not this habit D; as the Theologian Gregory declares, this...
A monastic state, as he says, goes through the matter word for word: And this arises not being a second regeneration, nor a refashioning, nor a restoration to the ancient state, although we seek it even more in many groanings and tears, from which a scarring indeed comes, but with difficulty according to my own definition and reasoning. For it comes, and we believe. But if we also expunge the scars, I would be glad, since I myself need philanthropy. It appears, therefore, from this, that this garment does not grant, without toil, healing from the wounds and weals of wickedness. B I consider such a garment sacred, and very much so, because it is the way toward salvation, and because it is a profession of repentance, and a symbol of mortification; but that it is not able in itself alone to provide forgiveness, unless labors also accompany it, and fountains of tears, and the practice of virtues. For if even these provide healing with difficulty, as the aforementioned divine man said, what must be said if we do not happen to have the means to use these, because of the urgency and narrowness of the time? The Lord is merciful, therefore, but there is need of much toil for those who call upon His mercy from C there. And this is what the divine David said, hinting at the difficult nature of repentance: "I chastened my soul with fasting, and my flesh was changed for oil"; and again: "Because I kept silence, my bones waxed old from my crying all the day." Rightly, therefore, did the most holy Ephrem say that it is not the tonsure and the clothing that constitute the monk, but the heavenly way of life and the divine conduct. On account of which he also gives us to understand that, because of our slippery nature, such clothing was shown in a most wondrous D way to the great Pachomius by an angel. Why? So that it might restrain those approaching repentance, like a bridle, and not allow them at all to remember their flight back; and this is altogether clearer, as he said thus: "Monk, observe the habit with which you are clothed, and acknowledge that it sets you apart from this world, and draws you completely toward spiritual work." In accordance with this, the most holy John of the Ladder also said: "Let your very garment persuade you to the work of mourning. For all who mourn the dead clothe themselves in black garments." Because, therefore, of our slippery nature, the sacred rite of the garment was given. For if this were not so, those desiring to be monks would not have needed such a thing. And observe the great Antony, the most divine Paul the Theban, and all who were living as monks at that time, that even without this habit, since they possessed a firm soul, they reached the supreme peak of holiness.
True repentance, therefore, is not a black cloak and the shedding of hair, but a turning toward the Lord, and a condemnation of an unhappy life, and an abstinence from former evils, and hot tears after these for one's sins. "For, son," it says, "you have sinned. Do not add, but also pray concerning your former things."
A for it is not enough for repentance, as the golden-tongued Chrysostom says, merely to cease from sin, but it is necessary also to perform fruits worthy of repentance. Since for those who are wounded it is not sufficient only to extract the arrow, unless they also apply remedies suitable to the wound. Therefore, this repentance, the author of the *Ladder* also, when setting it forth, said: "Repentance is a reconciliation with the Lord through the practice of works contrary to the sins." It is clear, therefore, from this, that this habit alone, without much labor and the exercise of virtues, does not give a release from entanglements. If these things are so, if it does not immediately provide a release from past sins to those who approach it willingly, how—for we truly require so many tears thereafter, such that we might be brought to parity with the fountain of baptism, according to Gregory the Great in his *Theology*—how might He grant a remission of errors to those who run to it unwillingly, so to speak, and by sheer necessity?
I am afraid, indeed, that the sacred rite of the habit is altogether inappropriate for such people. For I do not know what he who is being clothed in it might actually do, already breathing his last. He is prepared for battle, but his hands are constrained. He is girded with the full armor, but it is no longer the time for war. He promises to stay in the cell, but he is snatched away from these things by force. He promises to yield to the superior, but the tyranny of death permits no such thing. He confesses that he renounces wife and children, and at once he lays down his own soul. He protests that he has not approached the habit by force, but pleurisy pressing upon him forces him, even against his will, to cut his hair. He gives away to those in need those things which he is unwillingly leaving behind here. He promises many other things, such as to be reproached, to be insulted, and all such things. But he performs none of them, for the end of his life is set for him as narrow and beyond what is fair, in which rewards have been prepared; but a person so affected, as I suppose, receives nothing. For to one who promises, as has been said before, but does not perform, the royal gifts do not by any means pertain.
Therefore, we do not safely apply to these people the parable in the Gospels of the vineyard and those called into it. For it does not bear the image of those who confess themselves to be pious, and yet approach repentance, as it were, at the time of death. For even if those who came at the eleventh hour received the same reward as those who had labored in advance, their readiness to work provided them with an equal reward. For since they defended their own idleness by saying, "No one has hired us," they clearly showed that if they had been called earlier, they would have immediately gone out into the vineyard. Nevertheless, even those called at the eleventh hour followed the one calling them readily and without hesitation, for which reason they received no less than those who had been called before. If these things are so, what defense shall we have? Can we say, as they did, that no one hired us? And truly, it does not cease day by day.
A according to the prediction of Isaiah, and caused the things of peace to arise in splendor; but hear how. The law of Christ, arriving and gathering all into one, Jews and Gentiles alike, made them live in peace with one another as those who are of one faith. But you do not agree with what is said; yet you must perforce accept what will be said. Has the Roman Empire not allowed those peoples who were about to destroy many dominions to use weapons of war against each other? Do you not see how, while these things were being prophesied, one ruled in Jerusalem, another in Samaria, another commanded the Moabite Arabs, and another, Ascalon; but when the Lord was born in the flesh, all the lordships of the nations became subject to the Roman power? Being forced, therefore, to submit themselves to such a power, all kept peace with one another, even if unwillingly, and gave themselves up entirely to the labors of agriculture, casting their instruments of war far from them.
And these things indeed are so. But if you do not yet think that Christ has arrived because universal peace has not yet been established, why do you not also say that Moses did not enter in before Pharaoh according to the divine command, and did not lead Israel out of Egypt? For when God said to Moses: "I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and I have descended to deliver them, and to lead them into a good land, into a land flowing with milk and honey," this did not yet take place, as we learn from history; for all who went out of Egypt were slaughtered in the desert, and none of them entered into that land except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Jesus the son of Nave. Therefore, one of two things must be answered: either that God lies and deceives men, or that that time had not yet come of which God spoke to Moses. But just as God then willed indeed to deliver Israel from the distress by which it was oppressed, and to lead them into a land of rest and a peaceful condition; but His will did not reach its end, for all gave up their souls in the desert, since they murmured against God, since they coveted— B C
For wars were mutual in the whole earth, that kingdom being divided into many parts, and the kings of individual nations rising up against one another. Out of Zion went forth the law, by which the New Testament is understood, which was given first to the apostles there, and through them was exhibited from thence to all nations; and under the advent of our God and Savior, the Roman Empire flourished completely, which, indeed, destroying many other kingdoms and obtaining the supremacy of all, granted peace on land and sea, when, to be sure, in the opinion of Jerome and Eusebius, the Temple of Janus being closed under Augustus the third, there was the safest peace in all the world; and the nations subject to the Roman Empire, adds Theodoret, "no longer use warlike instruments against one another; but all enjoy the goods from agriculture." D No longer do they use weapons against one another, but all universally rejoice in the goods of agriculture. You may also approach the Dialogue with Trypho of Justin Martyr.
…the teachers of the Jews, relying on the prophecy of Isaiah, hunt for another argument to try to weaken our faith, but in vain; for we are taught that the letter kills, and therefore we study not the voices of the Scriptures, but the spirit. The Word of the Lord went out from Jerusalem, and it was decreed by law that mutual love and charity among us ought to be used as the most faithful token of the New Testament; but if we are unjustly attacked, we are not forbidden from making the efforts of our enemies of no effect, and from protecting ourselves and our own. Besides the Jews who vainly applaud themselves, Luther and the Anabaptists also erred, as did formerly the Manichaeans who went into that free-handed opinion, that war can never be waged by Christians even if provoked, which is both contrary to nature and to truth, as Tertullian showed at greater length, lib. 3 Contra Marcionem; Origen, lib. 5 Contra Celsum; Athanasius, lib. 1 De Incarnatione Verbi; and Irenaeus, lib. 4, cap. 67. But concerning the law of war, and in what manner it must be declared and conducted, you should approach that most absolute work which H. Grotius entitled De jure belli.
EPISTOLA XXV.
A ...and for one to be the first to speak is of no avail; nor can it fully avail for justification, as the divine voice says. And consider that Cain: for since he did not say it first, but after he had been rebuked by the Lord, saying, "My sin is greater than that I should merit forgiveness," he did not obtain forgiveness, because, as the golden-tongued John says, such a thing was not even a confession. Moreover, the great Basil terrifies me, saying: "Grace, O man, to death, not to thee; for if thou wert immortal, thou wouldst never have remembered the commandments." Even the herald of repentance himself terrifies me, when he says: "There is no almsgiving when one is dying and is no longer lord [of his property]; for thou dost not give from thine own, but from necessity itself." Grace to death, and not to thee. Hence, we do not safely bring forward the thief here, who only said "Remember me," and was B immediately deemed worthy of paradise. For times and persons must be examined before all else. The thief’s benevolence was great, great was his recognition. For when Peter was denying, not bearing the threats of a maid, and the rest of the apostles had turned to flight, he at that time confessed God in Christ, who had been abandoned by all. And not only this, but he also vehemently rebuked the thief who had been crucified along with him and who was blaspheming against Christ Himself, saying: "We indeed receive the due reward of our deeds." Wherefore he was at that time deemed worthy of paradise, saying, "Remember me, O Lord, when thou comest in thy kingdom." To take heart, therefore, from this is not reasonable; for paradise was not so readily granted to him by Christ. But if, having said only, "Remember me, O Lord," he immediately heard a voice from there, it is not C to be wondered at. For if this earthly king welcomes with joy foreigners from any place who have fled to him for refuge, and immediately deems them worthy of the greatest gifts and much honor, how much more would that munificent King, seeing that thief—and that too at such a time—approaching Him with such great faith, not have welcomed him with joy, and not have immediately made him an inhabitant of paradise? And of these things, so be it. But me, more than others, the narrative that is in the Lives of the Fathers terrifies; for it is written that a certain Elder went to a city to sell his wares, and was quickly called to the gateway of a certain rich man who was about to die. Sitting there, therefore, he gave attention, and he sees some black men, mounted on horses that were also black, and having fiery rods in their hands. And having arrived at the gateway, they left the horses outside; D but they themselves entered in. And the sick man, having seen them, cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, have mercy on me and help me." Those men say to him, "Now that the sun has set, art thou mindful of God? Why, when the day was shining, didst thou not seek Him? Now there is no hope of salvation." And thus, having violently snatched away his soul, they departed. If these things are so, what shall we do, who are hopeful of demonstrating repentance in our final breaths?
931 A Baptism, therefore, is truly the second repentance, and it renews the first, as we have said; but it requires many tears, as our discourse has already demonstrated. For if this were not so, our holy Fathers would not have called it a laborious baptism. These same garments themselves, more than any others, shout and bear witness to this, for black is indeed symbolic of mourning. But where there is no disposition of the will, nor a sufficient shedding of tears—so as to be able to wash away the one who repents—but instead the tyranny of death is choking one, what hope of salvation is there, or what sort of repentance is this? If yesterday we were carefree and completely despised the divine commands, but today, being cut down by the sickle of death, we call upon the divine mercy with a feeble and inarticulate voice, this is an iniquity greater than that which can be forgiven us, and all the more so because it is inexcusable, and because death itself compels and forces it. Therefore, if we do not seize the time in advance, if we do not forestall the divine countenance in confession, and if we make use of repentance without a settled intention, then only the merciful God knows how the forgiveness of sins will be ours. For who is so confident in himself that he dares to make assertions in matters so uncertain B and known only to God? And this even as he hears Him saying through the Prophet every day: *Declare thou thy sins first, that thou mayest be justified.* For even if the Lord, who is easy to be reconciled, did not turn away the prodigal when he returned, but rather embraced him and kissed him warmly and thought him worthy of much honor, still, it was his good disposition, his true conversion, and his repentance that brought this about. For he did not await death, as these do, so as to then try to take hold of repentance; rather, coming to his senses by himself out of that delusion, considering who he had been before, and where he had eventually arrived, he turned back with haste to his loving Father—but not in the confidence of a son; for having sinned, he had set that aside, and so, in a humble habit and with downcast eyes, he begged to be numbered as one of the Father’s hired servants. On account of this, the all-compassionate God receives him and does for him all that we have heard in the Gospels. These things, then, have been recounted by us, who are unskilled in divine matters, concerning the monastic and divine C habit; but it is certainly the duty of your holiness to discuss what has been said, to remove ambiguity from the middle, and to outline the truth nakedly, as it were, and according to custom.
EPISTOLA XXVI.
(Fragment.) To Alypius the monk—Concerning the celebration of the fast before the Nativity of Christ.Many indeed and often, O divine and sacred head, have questioned concerning the forty days' fast celebrated before the holy Nativity of Christ, from whom it was instituted, and how it came to be, since the disciples of Christ and the apostles...
A have been found to have prescribed nothing whatsoever regarding this? And one ought not to marvel at this. For perhaps they have failed to know that the greater part of our canons and dogmas were delivered and legislated by the holy Fathers themselves. For if this were not the case, for what reason did those innumerable and divine Fathers gather together in the same place and so frequently? For as the Gospel according to Christ was spread abroad, so also the rules of life were defined more accurately by them. For some things they completely changed, while others they increased; such as, above all others, the more mystical tradition of the divine laver, the solemnity of sacred seemliness, and the entire remainder of the Church’s decorum. Since the majority of people, as we have said, have been ignorant of these things, they are held fast in perplexity, even in the current question. Which, indeed, I think you B have been experiencing.
EPISTLE XXVI (Fragment). To the illustrious Alypius. Regarding second nuptials among the Greeks.
That these things are indeed so, and that it is necessary for us to fast during these solemn days, that very council of union will teach you most clearly. For when it granted those third nuptials, it imposed certain limitations, just as if they had not been permitted by the apostles according to the laws. There, therefore, this fast is imposed indefinitely, in which some fast in one way, others in another, and others for a full forty days. “For he who can receive it,” it says, “let him receive it.” The aforementioned council therefore ordains that those who have contracted a third marriage are not to be deprived C completely and at all times of the immaculate mysteries of Christ, but to partake of them; yet not without consideration; but that they should live quietly by themselves for four years, as those who have not contracted marriage according to the law; but thereafter, three times a year, to approach the immaculate mysteries—namely, on the day of the Nativity of Christ, at the Dormition of the most holy Theotokos, and at the Resurrection of Christ—because the fast of such feasts precedes them. And these things have been well decreed by the holy council regarding the third and unlawful marriage. And indeed, how is this marriage not unlawful, if even the second marriage is permitted by the blessed Paul only D because of our infirmity? For if this were not so, Gregory, who excelled in theology, would not have been seen writing these things concerning it: “The first is law, the second is permission, the third is lawlessness, and that which is above this is swine-like living”; nor would the great Basil have said that there is no law in a third marriage. For even if the Novella of the Emperor, the Lord Constantine Porphyrogenitus, allows third nuptials, nevertheless the holy Fathers have called it polygamy and punished fornication. That he condescends with Paul...
to our infirmities, and not as though legislating for what is seasonal, that second marriage is granted, is evident from what that great man himself said: "I wish all to be as I am, in continence." And therefore, also when speaking about second [marriage], he said: "I say it, and not the Lord." A Hence, therefore, the first marriage is openly shown to be legitimate, since the Church also took one husband, Christ, and not two, and so forth.
EPISTLE XXVIII. (Fragment.) To the monk Alypius. — He excuses his Greeks for using Jewish rites.
Hear what we are about to say with attention and very soberly. The race of the Hebrews celebrated three most ample solemnities each year; and let divine Scripture persuade us of this when it says: "Three times in the year shall every male appear before the Lord thy God," B at the time when the sheep was sacrificed, when Pentecost fell among them, and when the feast of Tabernacles arrived. Three times already we also, following them, celebrate festivals each year. For when the Lord said to the Jews: "The kingdom shall be taken from you, and shall be given to the nations," then the bright things of the Hebrews shifted their step toward us. But they, indeed, were celebrating solemnities in memory of the things that had occurred in Egypt and in the desert; we, however, in memory of Christ himself, just as the Lord himself, when he was establishing the mysteries of the New Testament, commanded, saying: "Do this in C remembrance of me." For they, celebrating the lamb, were eating; we, however, [eat] Christ himself, the truly Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. That our things are not alien to Judaic customs, even if they differ in manner, Paul teaches: "The old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new." And from this it is even more evident. Twice in the week the Jews used to fast; twice we also fast according to the apostolic tradition. But they [did so] on the second and fifth day; we, however, on the fourth and sixth, even if we owe much more than they. D "For unless," he says, "your righteousness abounds more than that of the Pharisees and Scribes, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." And why is it necessary to say many things, and to enumerate them one by one? Among them was circumcision, among us is the divine laver; among them the Ark, among us the Virgin; among them the rod of Aaron, among us the wood of the Cross flowers; among them was the lamb, among us Christ himself. And this is what the very famous Gregory, in treating of theological matters, said: "The letter departs, the spirit receives an increase; shadows fly past, the truth arrives." Hence, therefore, learn that there are also three with us, just as with them, the greatest solemnities, verily solemnities. For among them oxen and sheep in
turos in Christo Jesu Domino nostro, cui gloria in saecula. Amen.
EPISTLE XV
To my most venerable brother in the Lord, the lord John Tricha. — How should one understand that which is found in the Apocalypse of the divine evangelist John: "I saw a new heaven and a new earth, and there is no more sea." B It must be known that in the sixty-fifth chapter of the Apocalypse of the blessed evangelist and divine John, these things are also set forth: "I saw a new heaven and a new earth, and there is no more sea." Give heed, therefore. For he did not signify the non-existence of the heaven and the earth, but rather the word indicated a restoration unto something better. For according to the great Paul, "the creation itself shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God" (Rom. viii, 21). And the divine psalmist is also found speaking thus concerning the heavens: "You shall change them, and they shall be changed" (Ps. ci, 27). For that which grows old and is being renewed admits not of the destruction of its essence, but of the removal of its old age and wrinkles. And so far he has spoken concerning the heaven and the earth; but concerning the sea, not so. But what? "And there is no more sea." For what use is there for a sea, when men C no longer need to sail it, nor by means of it to procure freight/goods grown in far-off lands? The great Basil also confirms this view, bringing forward the saying of Isaiah which says: "Who says to the deep, Be desolate, and I will dry up all your rivers" (Isa. xliv, 27). And thus do those who explain the divine words of the Apocalypse understand these things. But the great Basil, in his third homily on the Hexaemeron, has a still clearer discourse concerning this, and thus he says: "Why and for what reason is the place of our world surrounded by water, bound by vast seas, and irrigated by myriad perennial rivers?" On account of the unspeakable wisdom of Him who ordained that the nature contrary to fire should be difficult to consume. D For the Creator of the universe knew how much time He had destined for the constitution of this world, and for this reason He beforehand bestowed upon the fire such a quantity of fuel/consumption, so that this earthly realm might not be set ablaze before its time by the excess of heat. Yet there will be a time when all the waters will be scorched by fire, as says Isaiah, where he discourses to the God of the universe: "Who says to the deep, Be desolate, and I will dry up all your rivers." And these things hold this meaning: if, therefore, he said that the deep will be destroyed, and indeed that the waters will be dried up in the rivers and seas, it is not fitting to marvel that the blessed John himself also says this in the Apocalypse, among other things: "And there is no more sea." For the deep will be desolate then and
[LATIN COLUMN]
OF JOANNES DIACONUS OF ADRIANOPLE IN PRAISE OF JOANNES PALAEOLOGUS — A POLITICAL POEM.
(Edited by Angelo Maria Bandini, Florence 1765, 4º, with other Greek works.)ARGUMENT
. Code XXIII, shelf VIII, of the Medicean-Laurentian Library, containing various kinds of works, especially theological ones, concludes with a fairly long poem, expressed in political verses, in praise, as it seems, of the Emperor Joannes Palaeologus, namely the one who, urged by Pope Eugenius IV so that the dissensions of the Eastern and Western Churches might finally be removed, and both, bound by one bond of love, might feel and worship the same things, traveled to Italy for the council (in the year 1439). The author of the poem, as also elicited from its title in verse, is a certain Joannes, oeconomus and deacon of the church of Adrianople (for thus we interpret the word *Adrianopolitauos*). This man, therefore, in order to comply with Polycarpus, the prelate of the same church, by whom this task had been demanded of him, pursues the praises of the emperor in such a way that he directed all the forces of his ingenuity and the sinews of his industry into the vigorous performance of this charge. For having begun the poem from the nobility of his race and the royal splendor of his ancestors, he proceeds to extol his own personal gifts, both of body and of mind; on account of which he commends him for the form and grace of his face, his gait, his movement, and his speech, proclaiming him most similar to that Joseph whose beauty is mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. He extols the excellence of his mind with such praises that he declares him to be compared to Samson in fortitude, to David in the sweetness of morals, and to Solomon in wisdom. He later lingers long in singing of his munificence toward his subjects and his profuse liberality, whom he does not hesitate at all to compare to Titus, prince of the Romans, and, in poetic fashion, to the Pactolus and Nile, rivers flowing with gold. A great part of the poem also comprises the journeys and voyages he undertook for the health and safety of the peoples, the dangers he approached, the labors he endured, the wars he waged; in which place he puts before the eyes how foreign nations, captivated by his humanity, surrendered themselves to him of their own accord, and kings themselves, admiring the new virtue, wisdom, and moderation of such an emperor, not only did not obstruct his councils and endeavors, but studied to provide their own service and show obedience with a willing spirit. To these things, he adds also a certain propensity of things even lacking reason toward him, and a certain appearance of benevolence, so that, just as Cicero affirms about the great Pompey, his currents, so to speak, were favored by the winds, the rivers obeyed, and the seas yielded. Having set these things forth, the poet rouses David from the dead and invites him to sing the illustrious deeds of the king, and at the same time exhorts Rome itself (understand Constantinople) to receive him as a protector and liberator of liberty with applause. Finally, he pours out prayers to God, best and greatest, and asks that He keep him safe and sound for many years, and provides that his empire be firm and secure against all the attempts of enemies, where he drew almost everything from the Divine Scriptures, and especially from the Psalter of the royal prophet, from which, besides many other things, he derived the whole of Psalm CVII almost word for word into his poem: at the end of which, also touching upon some things in praise of Polycarpus, he extols his singular piety toward God and his marvelous zeal for the emperor’s successful affairs in such a way that he presents him to us, and in a way graphically depicts him, as a new Moses offering prayers with outstretched hands for the Israelite people. This is the sum and compendium of the whole work. Now, the method of our discourse would demand that we say something about its author: but since no mention of him occurs among writers—Cave, Oudin, and Fabricius (for which reason we were the more willing to bring into the middle a work of an author previously unknown)—we shall cull a few things concerning the dignity in which he shone in the Church of Adrianople. The task of the Oeconomus, or steward of the Church, was to have the administration of ecclesiastical matters and sacred moneys, and to distribute and dispense them to individual Christ-faithful according to the judgment of his own bishop, and to perform all those things which Isidore, in a certain epistle to [index: entries preserved]THE POLITICAL POEM OF JOANNES DIACONUS.
A Of him who is the humble oikonomos of Orestias, And deacon of the same blessed church, By surname called John, A work of excellent desire, for the divine, crowned Palaiologos, strong and grace-named, Who by his graces set in motion the seas of the oceans, Composed by the commands of the divine shepherd Of Orestias, the brilliant and extraordinary Polycarp. If I had breasts made of solid metal, And tongues many-voiced, and piercing sounds, Or rather, if one were truly found all tongue, And if this pole, the many, and the wet earth, and other things Which of existing things have had their arrangement by the Creator, And I wished to weave for you hymns of praise, [[alt-version omitted]] B Of him who is the humble oikonomos of Orestias, And deacon of the same blessed church, By surname called John, A work of excellent desire, for the divine, crowned Palaiologos, the strong and the beautiful-named, The victor far and wide over the sea by the grace of God, Composed at the command of the holy and illustrious, And also the wondrous Polycarp, Bishop of Orestias.
. 1023 THEODORI AGALLIANI 1024 and the processions of God’s providence over all things.” And speaking of the will of God regarding the creatures, Damascene says: “The eternal and everlasting generation and procession is a work of the divine nature, but creation is a work of the divine will.” And the Fifth Ecumenical Council speaks thus: “God,” says Origen, “in coming from not creating to creating, was by all means turned from one thing to another; but we say that He was not turned according to nature, but according to action; or rather, not even according to that, for He always had the power to create and to fashion; but such power was brought into action because He willed it.” Does this man not agree with these Fathers, whose own definitions regarding creatures he applies to the procession of the Holy Spirit? For when he says that when the Father brings forth the Spirit, the will that accompanies the essence—an origin and power through the action of projection, or breathing—becomes the productive cause of the hypostasis of the Holy Spirit. But the absurdities—or rather, the blasphemies—arising from this are manifest to all, and there is no need for many words; he also divides the will, insofar as it is an origin of certain things, dividing it into an autonomous one and a constrained one, saying I know not what regarding each—for proceeding further he says, “Not as an autonomous origin, but as a necessary and natural power and origin,” and then he adds: ARGYROPOULOS. Hence the divine Spirit is called love by the theologians; for the power of love is will. AGALLIANOS. Well then did we speak, or rather the theologians, that the creation of the God of all, who is immobile, with regard to the creation, is His will, which is not B C chap. of the book *On the Trinity*: “Laughable,” he says, “is the dialectic of Eunomius, from which the Eunomian heretics have sprung up. Who, not able to understand, or not willing to believe, that the only-begotten Word of God, through whom all things were made, is Son of God by nature—that is, begotten from the essence of the Father—said He was Son not of the nature or essence, but of the will of God; wishing, clearly, to testify to a will inherent in God, in accordance with which He begat the Son.” How then would he himself, mocking the heretics who say these things, fall into the same errors? For he would surely be more laughable. And what he says regarding memory and will, he contends does not derive from Scripture, but that he gathers it from his own mind by a certain intuitive reasoning from the created image of God, which is man, delivering a certain conjecture regarding the uncreated God as he proceeds. For in the same chapter which we just mentioned, he says thus: “But regarding the creation which God made, whenever we were able, we instructed those who demanded a word concerning such matters, so that His invisible things are understood and seen through the things that have been made as much as they are able, and especially through the rational or intellectual creation, which was made according to the image of God, through which, as through a mirror, as much as they are able—if they are able—to see God the Trinity in our memory, and in the understanding and in the will. These three, being naturally established in the same mind from God, each one vividly contemplates, and how great it is in him, where the eternal and immutable essence is also naturally meant to be remembered, and seen, and desired. For it is remembered through memory, it is seen through the understanding, it is embraced through love, [and] he entirely finds [that it] is separated from the divine hypostases; for it is a common action and one power, the creative [power]. Behold, the divine Spirit is called love, it has will as a power productive of itself; and the Latins will never wash off this filth of calling the Holy Spirit a creature, since they also suppose it to be brought forth from the will of God. ARGYROPOULOS. He says that the things said are in agreement with the voices of those who theologize, and no less with the things said by the holy Augustine in his book *On the Trinity*, in which he called memory the generative power and will the pneummatic [power]. AGALLIANOS. Alas for this calumny! And which of the theologians handed down these voices with which the things said agree? None, surely. For he slanders the most blessed Augustine, as calling the memory and the will of the Father powers, the one generative, and the will pneumatic. For it has not been found anywhere in his writings, as far as we know, that these things are said in such a way, but rather the entire opposite. For he also agrees with the rest of the saints of the D For both the memory of man, and especially that which the beasts do not have—that is, according to which intelligible things are contained in such a way that they do not reach it through the senses of the body—has in this image of the Trinity, according to its own measure, an incomparably dissimilar, yet nonetheless some sort of, likeness of the Father. And further, the understanding of man, which is fashioned from thence through the purpose of the reasoning mind, whenever what is known is spoken, and not of any tongue, but of the heart in which the Word is, has in its own great dissimilarity also some likeness of the Son. And indeed, the love of man, proceeding from knowledge and joining the memory and the understanding, as if common to the Father and to the begotten, whence it is perceived as being neither Father nor begotten, has in this image, even if very dissimilar, some likeness of the Holy Spirit.” And again: “But regarding the Holy Spirit, I have demonstrated nothing in this enigma which would seem to be like Him, except for our will, or love, or charity, which is a stronger will.” And in the 21st again: “This name fits the Holy Spirit, just as love; and what is love other than…”
nature’s natural movement toward the good?”
PRAISE OF JOHN PALAEOLOGUS
The lion, the roaring beast, by breathing out a roar, is wont to strike fear, as one fearsome, into the races of all living things. “The lion,” it says, “shall roar, and who shall not tremble?” For which of these, when cowed, does not dread this trembling, or run to flight and dens and hiding-places? A
His radiant [presence] transformed your cheerfulness, alas for the misery! The great Ister saw you sailing upon him, stretched out smooth backs, gave no thought to the surge, neither of the tumultuous, grievous, and rough swell; with gentle currents, he welcomed you, the mild one, and received you into his embrace with these made tame, and without a wind he bore the vessels of your power, as if imitating the marks and minds of sentient beings, acting thus like another loyal and good servant, and prudently fearing, as I think, your B depths.
Since it can neither hide its own voice, nor altogether endure the trembling from that [roar]. But you, pouring forth a roar from the mouth of your serenity, the most gentle one, the one who has been rendered tranquil, you speak to all with this, and address them with gentleness, and you strike away far from them every panic. Those who turn to you, their gentle master, enjoy ten thousand blessings.
The bird-king, having fixed his nest according to his custom in a tree of good foliage, shaded by its trunks, knows how to gather there the refuse for his sparrows, setting the nests under his nest; as he preserves them outside of harm by his own shelter, and by the fear which all birds naturally have for him; for neither was a hostile serpent, nor a debt-collecting bird, nor any other thing of the rapacious and active birds, of those biting from the beak, of those tearing from the claws, C ever able to approach them, or to press them at all. But having extended the wings of the power that is yours, like unfledged chicks you warm the Roman Land, covering it in your own way, and shame the destroyers, like the great bird-king his own hiding-places.
The bright Morning Star—arising from Theman, as it was commanded by the word of the Lord, and bringing the day with torches until the very evening, until the lightless sunsets—ends his course, and again begins his course from the east, and again ends the course until the same sunsets. D And the long struggles, the courses and the labors, which you sustain most steadfastly on behalf of the subjects, or rather to speak more truly, on behalf of the Christians, in heat, and in cold, and wrestling against violent forces, not sparing, O sovereign lord, your body, nor your flesh, truly despising life itself excessively, and hastening most powerfully, as one sympathetic by nature, to rescue the bright Roman Land from the lawless beast, having fallen everywhere into grievous nooses.
Neither did physical luxury, and grace, and ease drag you, nor charm you, nor soften you. For to fight brilliantly on behalf of the subjects, to carry powerful arms, to run risks entirely by land and by sea, and by every country, you deem luxury, and a boast, and an extraordinary grace. A shield is a blanket to you, when you look toward sleep, and a breastplate a covering instead of the purple, instead of a holy cowl a helmet of iron, instead of silken sandals leggings again; and you bear these for us, as one sympathetic by nature.
The neighbors of the Ister saw the deeds done by you: Scythians, Moesians, and Triballians together with those from the Rhos, all at once, the greatest ones, foreigners, generals, satraps, commanders of divisions, fell before your power, and slavishly approached, bent the knee to you, offered the loyal worship of slaves, applauded with pæans, shouted out in high spirits, and did the rest of their own duties before you, the Ausonian ruler, just as the law directs a servant to perform before a master. The lord of the Moesians knows the nature of your mind, and seeing this, he shows it always as a decree of God, fulfilling the order of his master, like a loyal servant.
But you, lightless, unillumined, running from Byzantium, and making the impulses of your course toward the west (for thus the gloom of events has placed you, shedding darkness upon us from an hidden storm, and hiding your radiance; and the light-bearing [quality] of your power, like the brightness of the sun or the denseness of the clouds) like a Morning Star shining upon the land of the Ausonians, a joyous sun arise from the west, brightly flashing with the gleams of events, like another giant straightway running earthward; even if the multitude of the many and grievous failings, and their weighty counsels that are beyond mind and wits, and the strongest part of their quick-wittedness has been set. The divine, the illustrious, the king of the Paeonians knows, he admired the all-delightful and strange quality of your beauty, he admired the altogether elect quality of your nature, he admired the altogether excellent quality of your knowledge, he received you with outstretched hands, the one of the Word, even if some cloud flowing in again from transgressions changed your bright onsets all at once.
Come forth from the graves, O David, running more mystically, and hither to a second light of burial, fleeing the evening. Now strike the psaltery again and the harp.
A and to preach there? And these things, while David the prophet hears daily, saying: "And in Hades who will acknowledge Thee?" But in addition to what has been said, O most holy man, I wish you to know for your information what that chronicler George Cedrenus says concerning Judas. For he says that Judas, being often exhorted by the apostles to draw near and repent, did not wish to; wherefore, having also heard that Christ was taken up, he became so puffed up that he even burst in the middle. And concerning this vain talk, it is thus; but that the wretch despaired of his own salvation, not indeed hoping to find a place for salvation, and resorted to the end of hanging, the great Athanasius has also clearly demonstrated this in his chapters addressed to Antiochus, saying thus: "There is nothing worse than despair, gripped by which Judas hanged himself." If these things are so, when then did Judas walk about the world as a great example of impiety according to that historian Papias? Learn then from this, O sacred head, not to read the God-inspired Scripture cursorily, but searchingly. For on this account the Lord also said: "Search the Scriptures, for they bear witness concerning Me." It is clear, therefore, from this that if we do not search, we shall not find Christ, that is to say, the Truth itself. For Christ is Truth, and Christ is the truth.
NOTICE REGARDING THE FOLLOWING EPISTLE
(Mal, Bibliotheca nova PP. vol. VI, p. 553.)The reading of the lives of the saints, and of the blessed passing of the same, and of their migration to heaven, impels the soul to desire the kingdom of heaven and those most joyful rewards which God has prepared for those who truly worship Him. Yet this most sweet hope is not slightly infringed, or at least weakened, by the most pernicious and false opinion of certain Greeks, that the rewards (and therefore also the punishments) of souls are to be deferred until the consummation of the world and the resurrection of the bodies. A palmary error, surely, and long since condemned by the Apostolic See and by the ecumenical Council of Florence; which, however, Thomas Burnet the Englishman attempted to renew; against whose man's immediately importunate lucubration our great Muratori cut the nerves. In various writings of the Greeks which we have published sparingly, we have again and again demonstrated to the readers places which favor the truth of this dogma. And indeed, in volume VII of the *Scriptores Veteres*, we also printed a Latin booklet by an ancient anonymous author against the error of the Greeks.
But now, among the Vallicellian papers of Leo Allatius, we have also observed some letters or sermons of Michael Glycas, that is, excellent disputations of a Greek man against his own countrymen; in which, with many arguments and many testimonies of the Fathers and of ecclesiastical authors, he contends and demonstrates that the rewards of souls released from their bodies are not deferred; likewise their intercession before God for us, the knowledge and care they have for our affairs, and altogether the connection of the saints among themselves, namely, the communion of the blessed with us who still wander upon the earth. From the three letters of Glycas transcribed by Allatius, therefore, we commit the last, longer and more excellent one, to the press: omitting the former ones, of which Allatius himself produced certain parts or fragments in his dissertation on the ecclesiastical books of the Greeks. Indeed, before the writing of Glycas which we have chosen, we have placed a certain other fragment of an anonymous author; which the same Allatius noted that he had transcribed from Vatican Palatine codex 146, f. 60, b; in which fragment the aforementioned dogma is likewise excellently defended.
OF AN UNKNOWN AUTHOR, WHETHER SOULS ARE IN HEAVEN
1. That the souls of the saints are in heaven, Gregory Nyssenus testifies: "Far be it, therefore, from us to grieve, brothers, when we are released from earthly things; for he who from here...A departs, dwells in the royal courts in heaven. There are two elements in the whole of creation divided for the conduct of rational nature: earth and heaven. The earth is the place of those who have been allotted life in the flesh, while heaven is for the incorporeal; it is therefore absolutely necessary that we live our life somewhere. As long as we are not transplanted from the earth, we all remain on the earth; but if we depart from here, we shall be moved to heaven." And not only do the souls recognize one another, but—what is better—they even know each other more than they did when living together in this life; indeed, rejoicing together, they enjoy the fruition of that ineffable and blessed and inconceivable splendor of visions. That souls are active after the separation of the body, the great herald Athanasius teaches us; he speaks thus in his discourse against idols: B "If the body is moved by the soul, it follows that the soul is moved by itself, and consequently after the burial of the body it is moved again by itself; for it is not the soul that dies, but it is the body that dies through the soul’s departure. For if they are of one nature, so are their operations; and those whose work is equal, to them belongs the same reward."
2. Indeed, according to the angels, having been released from the bodily bond, [the soul] ascends and descends, and is sent for the benefit and utility of others, as it is holy and good. Every righteous soul dances with the angels and rejoices with them; and to dance with the angels is a form of active operation, not of inactivity; for the souls of the saints are directed toward the goal of true service C equal to that of the angels. The service of the angels is unceasing praise to God, and ministering, and serving, and being sent, and helping those in need, and guiding the straying by the hand. Yet neither the holy angels nor the souls of the saints ever make appearances without God's command; but indeed, this applies even to those who have sinned more gravely than to be beyond pardon. For the man who is destitute of charity, but full of hardness of heart, being held to account for the debts he owed, would by no means ignore the care of his brothers, so that, returning from wickedness to virtue, he might rescue those of his own blood and D from the punishment that awaits them. For even if they pay the penalty for what they owe, it does not mean that their knowledge is turned into folly as a punishment; for those whose knowledge they possessed securely while in the flesh would not only appear less in light of their previous understanding, but would be advanced to a more accurate perception. And those with whom they shared in evil deeds, they are able to remember along with them in their deliberations. Yet a slave does not set a slave free, nor can a dead man bring one to life. But if a man who is asleep carries the images of his daily cares in his dreams, and remembers the things he has done, as seems to the great Basil, and in his dreams his soul talks of these things with others and with itself; and if, once awake, he recalls to memory what was presented to his eyes in sleep, much more so does the soul, after the death of the body, released from its bonds and immune to its pains, more clearly possess a memory of itself and a greater knowledge.
A
3. And there are three choirs: the first is the triadic order, Thrones, Cherubim, Seraphim; these are places of rest; where the water of rest is God, sitting upon a throne of glory, and rendering hundredfold rewards to those who have borne the fruit of the hundredfold measure. The second order, Dominions, Virtues, and Powers; these are the verdant places of refreshment, where the gentle grace of the Holy Spirit extends innumerable rewards to those who have borne the fruit of the sixtyfold measure. The third order, Principalities, Archangels, Angels; these are the radiant places of divinity, where the tabernacle of rest is, and new heavens and a new earth; here the Sun of righteousness, Christ our God, bestowing crowns of righteousness, grants to those who have borne the fruit of the thirtyfold measure of ministry their reward; for a holy man, according to this hierarchy and order, earns among the celestial virtues a place in his own proper merit; one who occupies a place in the ecclesiastical hierarchy, and after this life is lifted up to it, and becomes an heir of this state, obtains the place itself, the domicile of the light of God’s rest; and rising after death to that place, and being joined to it, he rests, finding that place to be a luminous rest in God. B
4. The souls of sinners, full of darkness, and filth, and dung, are defiled by the angels who are ministers of wrath; and enwrapped in that darkness, against their will and with trembling and fear and dread, they are pushed into the depths of Hades and into dark prisons, and handed over to unclean spirits who are their guards. Here the prince of eternal darkness is enclosed with his own associates. It is necessary to know that mystic rites and sacrifices offered for those who have committed the sin unto death are in vain; but they greatly benefit those who have not committed such sins. Mortal sin is unbelief, and despair, an unrepentant heart, and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and denying Christ, and to die as a heretic in some heresy. C
5. But it is necessary to know this also, that the forty days of ancient mourning are divided in three ways by the apostles: in the third, in the ninth, and in the fortieth. Thus also the Lord, after His three-day resurrection, showed Himself to the disciples, the doors being shut, and breathed on them saying: Receive the Holy Spirit. And after eight days, behold again, after the resurrection, within eight days, He appeared to them anew. The Evangelist says that He did not count the day of the resurrection, which is included, but they are counted as nine. According to this method, therefore, we perform the memorials of those who have fallen asleep on the ninth day from the burial; likewise also the forty days, since on the fortieth day the Lord was taken up. D
973 ESALE CYPRII DE PROCESSIONE SPIRITUS SANCTI 974
D Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father. I ask you, and answer, not contentiously and ignorantly, but with reason and prudence. Is the Paraclete whom the Son sends someone else, and the Spirit who proceeds from the Father someone else, or are they one and the same? Next, why is the Spirit of truth called Spirit? I pass over indeed that, *He will glorify me, for he will take of mine, and will declare it to you* [John xvi, 14]; and, *All things that the Father hath are mine* [ibid. 15]. For this reason I said, *He will take of mine, and will declare it to you*. And in the sixteenth chapter he says: *But the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name* [John xiv, 26]. Behold, the Father also sends, not grace, but the Paraclete, and the Holy Spirit. And that, *He that seeth me seeth the Father* [John xiv, 9]. And in the Apocalypse: *He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb* [Apoc. xxii, 1]; and again, *I saw a two-edged sharp sword, proceeding out of the mouth of Christ* [Apoc. i, 16].
B These things all I pass over, and others similar because of their number. You say, however, that the Father is the sole fountain of the supersubstantial Godhead. And we confess this even better than you, and more theologically. We confess, however, that the Son is also a fountain of the Holy Spirit, following the great Athanasius, and Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom. For the first, in his discourse on the Incarnate Economy, says: "For he knows the Son standing with God the Father, the fountain of the Holy Spirit." And Gregory, in the discourse on the Holy Spirit, C calls the Father the eye, the Son the fountain, and the Holy Spirit the river. And the golden-mouthed John, in the discourse on the mystery of baptism, "For this reason," he says, "the Savior shows himself to be the fountain of life, and the Holy Spirit to be living water." As for what you put in the fourth place, it moves me to laughter. For you say, "The Holy Spirit proceeds, and nothing more." Do we deny that he proceeds? The Holy Spirit is also said to be from the Father. Add the rest: "And it is attested that he is from the Son." For it is not the Damascene, but Gregory of Nyssa, who says this in his interpretation of the *Our Father*, which is rather in favor of the truth, and against you, just as are all the other things. Therefore, it seems to me supererogatory and futile to answer you on each point individually. For preach these things to the smiths, the cup-bearers, the furriers, D and other sordid craftsmen. These, naturally, will admire you and praise you, as they do not know what you are saying. But those who understand consider these things to be the arrows and babblings of infants. Nevertheless, though, O acutely-minded theologian and master, tell me this: Why do all the saints say, "Everything that the Father has, the Son also has, except for begetting, except for producing, except for being Father"; and no one has said, "excepting also, sending forth"? Why do all the saints say that the Father gives everything to the Son in begetting? And you say "not everything"? If, therefore,
A everything is according to you, then he is not consubstantial with the Father; which is far from being able to enter the mind of any Christian. These few things, then, out of many, I have said to you. But you, going through the sayings of the Fathers, diligently examine them, and zealously seek out their meaning, and learn these things from those who know, lest you incur laughter, whether in writing or speaking. For you see that whatever authorities you have recorded in writing are all against you rather than for you. And if you have a desire to grasp the truth of my words with your own hand, come to me, and you will see; if not, I will come to you, and I will argue from your own books, and, God helping, I will demonstrate the truth. For the doorkeeper will open, I am not mistaken, the door of the sheepfold, because we do not climb in from elsewhere like thieves; and B he will reveal to us what is hidden therein. Would that he might for you as well!
NOTICE ON HILARION THE MONK
(Fabric. Bibl. Græc. ed. Harles, vol. XI, p. 459.) Hilarion, a monk, wrote after the Council of Florence on behalf of the Latins against his own fellow Greeks his *Dialectical Dissertation on the mystical bread of the Greeks and the unleavened bread of the Latins*, against Nicetas. It begins: *Ev tῷ μὲν διαλέγεσθαί με*. J. Meursius first published this in Greek from the Leiden library manuscript in *Variis divinis*, Leiden, 1619, 4to. Leo Allatius later added a version and published both languages in *Graecia orthodoxa*, vol. I, pp. 655–662. Nic. Comnenus, *Praenot. mystagog.* p. 361 (1), praises another book of his, *On the Procession of the Holy Spirit*. There is an older Hilarion, a monk, mentioned in the *Life of Nilus the Younger*, p. 5: "For he always loved the lives of the Fathers from his youth, of Anthony, that is, and Sabas and Hilarion." This is the one whose Life we have handed down by St. Jerome. Concerning the little book of Q. Julius Hilarion, *On the Duration of the World*, written in year of Christ 397 (according to some), see Usserius, *Diss. de Cainane*, p. 19, and Sandius, *Animadvers. ad Vossium de historicis Latinis*. (Fabr.) Regarding Hilarion Cigala, see a little later, § 27. Theodore the Studite wrote epistles to Hilarion the archimandrite and another Hilarion. See Montfauc., *Bibl. Coislin.* pp. 147, 245, 314, and 317; and he is praised on p. 100. For the Lives of St. Hilarion and Hilarion the Younger, see above in vol. X, p. 235, and in many other codices which are indicated by Montfaucon in *Bibl. biblioth. mss.* The Life of Hilarion, who was both a monk and an Arlesian, is narrated. See Ind. I to that work under the word "Hilarion." Hilarion the monk's *Compendium of Aristotle's Books to Sixtus IV*, in the Vatican library at Rome, no. 5009. See Montfaucon, l.c. p. 107. Consult Oudin in *Comm. de SS. eccl.* I, p. 2703, regarding the year 1460, the time in which he flourished and was a monk of SS. Nazarius and Celsus at Verona in Italy, of the congregation of St. Justina; he cites Onuphrius Panvinius of Verona, in book VI of his *Antiquities of Verona*, Verona 1678, fol. p. 166. Hilarion translated into the Latin tongue, as Oudin further proves, the *Dialectics* of St. John Damascene and the twenty-four doctrines of Dorotheus the archimandrite (in *Bibl. S. Patrum*, Paris 1579, vol. III, p. 158; and ibid. 1589, vol. II, col. 803); he also published a *Compendium of Hermogenic Rhetoric*; then he first published the *Life of St. Simeon the Monk*. But when Oudin, Vossius, and others contend that this Hilarion added an appendix to the Lives of the Saints written by Jacob de Voragine, Milan 1494, and that he dealt with the translation of St. George (ms. in Venice in the monastery of St. George Major), as well as the translation of the arm of the same saint to the same monastery of St. George, Armellinus in his *Biblioth. Benedictino-Cassinense*, part 1, p. 223, shows that they have confused two Hilarions and mingled them into one, and he distinguishes between them; Mansing subscribes to his judgment in Fabric. *Bibl. media et infim. Latinit.*, vol. III, book VI, p. 252. For he who wrote the *Appendix* and *On the Translation*, etc., was born of the Lauteria family in Milan, later became an abbot, and died at Mantua in 1521. (Harl.)DIALECTICAL DISCOURSE OF HILARION THE MONK CONCERNING THE MYSTICAL BREAD OF THE GREEKS AND THE AZYME OF THE LATINS
A When I was discerning the mystical bread of the Greeks and the azyme of the Latins, a certain discourse or exposition of Nicetas, a most learned Father among the Greeks, was shown to me, in which he ran through many arguments concerning azymes during the Lord’s Supper, directed against the Latins: "On that Thursday there was no azyme, since the moon was on its thirteenth day. For on its fifteenth day it was prescribed by law that the Azymes should take place. And for this reason, the divine Luke and the other evangelists among the apostles say: 'Taking bread and giving thanks, he broke bread,' that is, common bread and not azyme; for it was not yet time." These are the words of Nicetas. And in another place: "If, however, Christ was sacrificed and crucified on the fourteenth day of the moon, on the day of Preparation [Friday], but on the Sabbath there was the feast of Azymes, when did he eat the azymes, and when did he hand it down to the apostles to do in the New Testament?" and the rest.
I, for my part, would say that I am greatly astonished that these things were set forth by Nicetas, a man certainly educated and learned. For he clearly declares two things contrary to the Gospels and to the words of the Law regarding the eating of the lamb, that is to say, and the Paschal time—namely, that it was on the Sabbath and not on the Friday. All these things we can easily demonstrate to be false and to contain no truth. And the first point, to say that Christ, while eating the lamb, did not eat the azymes, is wrapped in contradiction. For never in the Law did God give a commandment regarding the Paschal lamb without also mentioning the Azymes. For to Moses and Aaron he spoke as follows: *Let every man take a lamb according to their families and their houses, a lamb perfect, a male, one year old, from the lambs and the kids; and the whole multitude shall sacrifice it, and they shall eat the flesh in that night roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with bitter herbs* [Exod. xii, 3-8]. And infra, much more clearly: *On the fourteenth day of the first month at evening, you shall eat azymes until...*
the twenty-first day of the month at evening. Seven days leaven shall not be found in your houses. Everyone who eats that which is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the assembly of the sons of Israel* [Exod. xii, 18-19]. These are the words of divine law to the lawgivers. If, therefore, Christ ate the lamb according to the prescription of the law, how shall it be said that He did not eat azymes? And in the New Testament, the Evangelist Matthew: *On the first day of the Azymes, the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him: Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Pascha?* [Matth. xxvi, 17]. And Mark: *On the first day of the Azymes, when they sacrificed the Pascha, the disciples of His say to Him: Where do You want us to go, and prepare for You, that You may eat the Pascha?* [Marc. xiv, 12]. And Luke: *It was, moreover, the day of the Azymes, on which the Pascha had to be sacrificed, and He sent Peter and John, saying: Going, prepare for us the Pascha, that we may eat* [Luc. xxii, 7-9]. Which Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria, a Greek interpreter, explains in this manner: "The evangelist names the 'first of the Azymes' as one preceding the Parasceve, and on which at evening they ate azymes."
See therefore, beloved Greeks, that it is gathered most openly both from the old law and from the New Testament, how Christ, when He ate the lamb, also ate the azymes. To these we may add the custom of the Jews, who always ate azymes on the evening of the fourteenth moon. But if you refute the Latins from the appellation of bread—that indeed, Christ, taking bread and giving thanks, broke it—I say that every leavened thing is bread. And when someone says "bread," he denotes both, both azyme and leavened. And by what reason do some foolishly and irrationally assert that azyme is not bread, taking arguments from a certain new etymology of bread? Namely, that *artos* (bread) is so called because it contains in itself the *arsin* (lifting/rising) of the leaven; but azyme, not having this lifting, cannot be called bread. These etymologies are trifles. We, however, not without reason, and as befits philosophers, declare the pure matter: that bread is a genus, and is divided into its species, azyme and leavened, just as an animal is divided into man and horse, and the genus is predicated univocally of its species. And just as man and horse admit the name and definition of animal—the name, because both are animals; the definition, because both are animate and sensible essence—in no other way do azyme and the leavened pertain to bread. For they share the same name, in that both are bread, and the definition, in that both are said to be the essence of wheat and bread. Besides, who will correctly call leaven the perfection of bread, which corrupts the very bread itself? For Paul says: *Do you not know, brothers, that a little leaven corrupts the whole mass?* [1 Cor. v, 6]. Furthermore, from the Mosaic law, in which it is written, *On the fourteenth day of the first month at evening, the Pascha to the Lord, and on the fifteenth day of the month, this shall be a festive day of the Azymes to the Lord. A I speak according to the custom of those who apply themselves to philosophy, always naming... B C D
not to touch upon things beyond comprehension at all, but in these matters to confess one's defeat, and to say with the divine David: "Thy knowledge is become wonderful from me; it is strengthened, we cannot attain unto it." For to the saints who have fallen asleep in Christ, supernatural gifts have been imparted; and they hearken to us A when we pray, and stand by those in affliction for the sake of consolation, as has been said from above. For if those who, like me, have spent their lives slothfully are yet made aware of the good deeds performed here on their behalf, as we are taught by the sacred Scriptures, how much more so are those who have served the debts in Christ Himself? Hence it is that the Theologian Gregory, in his funeral oration for his sister, said these things among others: "Receive the present discourse, O blessed one; for God has granted to those like you, that they should enjoy such things."
11. But if these things are so, whence do we derive the authority B to deprive the departed souls of the saints of such grace? And this, while Peter, the chief of the apostles, says that God has bestowed good things upon men, which even the angels desire to look into. And what need is there to say much? For if we heard concerning some saints still remaining in this life that, through their prayer, even some who had ended their lives in impiety were delivered from eternal punishment, what stands in the way that they, having changed their life and having become, as it were, closer to God, should not do the same for those who have gone before, and possess the same energy and power—not to mention a much greater one, because of the laying aside of this flesh? C Let us not, therefore, oppose the patristic traditions, nor let us curiously inquire how these things can be; for these things were written, not that we might be overly inquisitive, but that we might believe, and that by believing we might have eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
EPISTOLA XIX.
Prayers for the dead and alms are not in vain.
That one should not waver at all regarding the good deeds performed by some—on behalf of the pious, indeed, but also for sinners—let the disciples of Christ and the apostles persuade us, before all others, who ordained that the third, ninth, and fortieth day—and indeed also the annual—memorials be performed in common for the dead. For if the divine Gregory of Nyssa, following the holy apostles, D is found saying thus: "Nothing is handed down by the disciples of Christ without reason nor without gain, but the matter is entirely profitable, to make a memorial during the divine liturgical service for those of the faithful who have fallen asleep," then how much more does it behoove us to follow without questioning. For if, as we have said, we are not forbidden to offer sacrifice on behalf of those who have died in sins, and the great Basil, in the third prayer which is said on the day of Pentecost, clearly teaches it, so to God...
who at that very feast and saving day grants us to accept expiatory supplications on behalf of those who have descended into Hades, providing great hopes, and rest to those who are held by their oppressors. And if the dead shall not praise you, O Lord, nor shall those who are in Hades present themselves with boldness to bring sacrifice to you, but we who are living intercede for their souls. A And if one should say to me: "If it were the case that sacrifices were offered for all of the dead to God, and generally, that all would attain salvation, you have here the great Dionysius who puts this opinion aside," and he makes clear which ones of those who have departed life in sins are forgiven, and which are not. For, in going through the lives of those who have departed, he says: "If there were some light things, they have benefit on account of the good deeds which are done for them; but if they were heavy and excessive," he concludes that God stands against them. Added to this, the great Epiphanius in *Panarion* also has things to this effect: "Prayers of the pious are useful for the departed, if great crimes do not hinder."
And these indeed hand down these things. But John of Damascus presents these same things more openly, showing, from this point forward, which of the transgressions can easily be forgiven, and which cannot be forgiven at all, saying in his discourse, *On Those Who Have Fallen Asleep*: "Those who, together with other inhumanity and cruelty, were entirely unmerciful, and were not moved by the entreaties of those who were in need, but even robbed them—truly these will not be helped; for God, as the great Dionysius says, has closed himself against them." B Whosoever were of a good conscience, but yet, on account of premature death, did not reach the completion of divine laws for themselves, these will benefit most from the prayers made on their behalf. Yet, no less, the divine Chrysostom adds to this topic, saying: "You did not attain in your life to set all things regarding your soul in order, yet even at the end of life you can command your own people following your death to give you help through good works—I mean through almsgiving—and thereby render the Savior propitious to you; for these are pleasing and acceptable to Him." And if the great Basil somewhere says: "Be not deceived, God is not mocked; do not bring a dead man to the altar, offer your sacrifice for the living," he does not mean this as a prohibition, nor consequently that good works are to be neglected for the dead. For know that he is directing this speech against those who are greedy, C unyielding, and completely inhuman, and that it is clear which ones this divine man is addressing: one with a heart of stone. Therefore he did well, for if he had not used stronger language, he would never have, at that time, fed those who were perishing from famine.
[LATIN COLUMN]
And what necessity is there to say that Christ was one day early on account of the crucifixion that was to happen on the day of Prepare-day [Friday]? Since holy Luke stands against this, writing thus of the fifth feria [Thursday]: "It was the day of Azymes when the Pasch ought to be sacrificed." For by saying "ought," he reveals the necessity of the law, and not the free will of Christ. Let us conclude, therefore, from the opinion and sentiment of the learned Latin theologians, that Christ was fixed to the cross on the very day of the Pasch, that is, on the Parasceve, when he had decided to suffer, and to sacrifice himself as the true Lamb at the time of the typical lamb, and according to astronomers, on that same Parasceve occurred the fifteenth moon from the vernal equinox. The translation of the Pasch to the Sabbath, however, happened from the ancient custom of the Jews, who, perceiving the difficulty between these two solemnities, at which time food could not be prepared, joined two feast days into one Sabbath; and for this reason John wrote: "For that day of the Sabbath was great," as if to imply that it was a double feast day. And this we can likewise learn from the Jews themselves, who never celebrate the Pasch on the day of the Parasceve. And about the azymes, and the Paschal sacrifice, these things suffice. And these things I have written to you, most friendly Greeks, not disparaging your bread—for which, being worshipped, I have as much reverence as our own azymes—but explaining that you are not acting well, nor as a Christian, while you injure and treat with contempt the azymes of the Latins. For in both, as has been said, the true Christ is contained. Being admonished, therefore, lovingly, cease from audacity and slander in the future.
NOTICE OF JOANNES ARGYROPHILUS
Most say that he set out for Italy, and specifically that this happened when Constantinople was captured by the Turks in the year 1453. Paulus Jovius, however, after having written that Theodore Gaza fled to Italy when Amurath was shaking all of Greece with his victorious arms, reports that Argyrophilus was also ejected from Greece by the same Turkish onset, and by this very fact seems to signify that he had crossed into Italy before the capture of Constantinople. Nic. Comn. Papadopoli relates that he came to Italy a second time, and that upon his first arrival he was sent by Bessarion to Padua, where he learned the Latin letters in the gymnasium of that city and was occupied with Aristotle; then, however, he returned to Constantinople, stayed there for some years, and before the city was conquered by the Turks, migrated to Italy and fixed his residence there. A most ample field for displaying the riches of his learning fell to Argyrophilus at Florence. For Cosmas Medici, who flourished above all others in that city by both wealth and authority, so that he was proclaimed father of the fatherland by public decree, followed men of letters with the highest love and fostered them with incomparable munificence; he received him most honorably, and gave him as a tutor to his son Peter and his grandson Lorenzo, who held him in the place of a parent. Moreover, he gave him the power to teach the Aristotelian philosophy, to which he was addicted, and to explain Greek authors to the studious youth in public lectures. Argyrophilus performed the assigned duty with great praise; and he not only imbued Lorenzo Medici, as yet but a boy, with dialectics and that part of philosophy which concerns morals, but he also taught very many Italians who, to use the words of Cortesius, compelled by the admirable fame of his learning, had surrendered themselves to his discipline. From the number of auditors he had at Florence, the same Cortesius produces Donatus Acciaiolus and Matthæus Palmerius. Among his disciples, however, he who holds first place, and who shone forth more brightly from that source in every kind of Greek and Latin learning, is Angelus Politianus. He explicitly professes that that Byzantine Argyrophilus was once his preceptor in philosophy, and adds that he was held to be most erudite, not only in Latin letters, but also in the decrees of wisdom and all the disciplines which are called cyclic by Martianus. There exist two Greek epigrams of this same Politianus in praise of this preceptor of his, written in the ninth year of his age. How much he valued the knowledge of Greek letters in this most excellent disciple of his can be understood from the fact that Scipio Carteromachus testifies that he himself saw Politianus writing in Greek, which was often a source of admiration to Joannes Argyrophilus. After he had for a sufficiently long time discharged the office of teacher of philosophy and Greek letters at Florence, and had been distinguished in both authority and favor with Cosmas Medici, and subsequently with his son Peter and grandson Lorenzo, to whom he also dedicated certain books of Aristotle translated by himself into Latin, because a grave pestilence was falling upon that city and devastating Etruria, around the year 1475.
JOANNES ARGYROPULUS. — NOTITIA.
Argyropulus moved to Rome, and there he undertook the task of teaching Greek letters, and especially the philosophy of Aristotle. In that city, and indeed in the Vatican, Johannes Reuchlin, our countryman, heard Argyropulus lecturing publicly; having already had his grounding in Greek letters at Basel from Andronicus Contoblacus, and then at Paris from Hieronymus Spartiate. They say that when Reuchlin, at Argyropulus’s own command, recited and interpreted a part of a certain Thucydidean speech, Argyropulus not only marveled that he had pronounced the words fluently, but had also explored their meaning altogether excellently, and exclaimed to the men of high standing who were present: "Alas, Greece has flown across the Alps into our exile," in much the same manner as the orator Apollonius once, having heard Cicero declaiming at Rhodes, affected by admiration as much as by grief, said that he had transferred Greek letters and eloquence to the Romans. In his old age at Rome, Argyropulus also had a student from among our own, Jacob Questeberg of Friberg, who learned from him not only the Greek language, but also grasped the rudiments of philosophy.
Worn out by old age, Argyropulus died at Rome, when, as Jovius relates, he had fallen into a fever from an immoderate consumption of watermelons, leaving behind a son, Isaac, a musician noble and famous. As for the year of his death, writers do not agree among themselves, nor does it seem capable of being defined with certainty.
Argyropulus was of an altogether outstanding natural talent and of famous learning and scholarship in Greek letters, being most skilled above all in the Aristotelian philosophy. For this reason, those who knew him more closely, and who were the most suitable judges and assessors, vied with one another in extolling him with great praises. Among these, first and foremost, is Francesco Filelfo, in his letters of recommendation written to Th. Francus from Milan in the year 1461, and [Reuchlin] himself, in his work on the Hebrew language, book 1, page 20, where he expounds upon the teachers he had in learning the Greek language: "I did not receive the Greek language from the Ionians, nor anywhere in Greece, but first at Basel from Andronicus Contoblacus, then at Paris from Georgius Hieronymus Spartiate, afterwards at Rome from Argyropulus the Byzantine, who was lecturing publicly on Thucydides under Pope Sixtus IV, and finally at Florence and Milan from Demetrius Chalcocondyles, receiving it bit by bit, as if it were crumbs falling from the master's table."
[The remainder of the page consists of bibliographic notes, citations, and critical commentary regarding the biographical timeline of Argyropulus and his students.]
A Verily, if you hand over to the infidels all the wealth of the world, as the disciples of Christ say, it will be of no benefit to them. And if this is the case, what must be said about the prayers that are offered for them? For what the prayers of the poor cannot effect for the sake of earthly things, the prayer of a just man has achieved miraculously. For the great Gregory, surnamed Dialogus, did not yield to the requests made to him for the remission of the sins of the emperor Trajan, who had ended his life in impiety. But the great martyr Thecla, when she was entreated for a certain Greek woman, Falconilla by name, snatched her from eternal punishments. Macarius, too, meeting on the path the skull of the arch-priest of the idols, which was drying up, and inquiring about the things he wished to learn from it, heard the truth of the Word which, at that time, God had breathed into it; B for if, when we perform the sacrifices for the dead, we then perceive little consolation, we are indeed feeble. Even the emperor Maurice, having fallen into a sin greater than that which could be forgiven him—for he gave up an army of ten thousand men to be slaughtered by the barbarians—escaped eternal punishment through the prayers of the holy men.
EPISTOLA XXI. (Frag.)
C And if he also says that the blessed soul of the Virgin descended to Hades, it is that it might learn the mysteries performed there by Christ, and how he overcame them and how he broke the bars; do not wonder at this, nor consider the matter strange. For if you say it is impossible and that it cannot be subjected to the hands of the Lord, and that it descended into Hades, [then I answer that] the Lord himself, when he said, "Into thy hands, Father, I commend my spirit," was nonetheless descending into Hades; and in the same way, the circumstances of the Virgin are to be considered as worthy of belief.EPISTOLA XXII. (Frag.)
Not only the Virgin’s [soul], but also the souls of the rest of men descend into Hades after death, and D this is proven; yet there is this difference, that the souls of the just, in order to contemplate the mysteries of Christ, proceed even to that region, a place of passage to the heavenly things; while for the impious, it is like a seat in which they remain for eternal punishments.For when later, at the time of the Passion, the Lord said, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit," the souls of the just were then granted an ascent to the heights; for Christ did not die for them gratuitously. The souls of the sinners, however, remain as they were before in the lower places. And this is evident from those things which he treats in the narrative of the Dormition of the most holy Theotokos. For even Andreas of Crete, as he says, [speaks] of all men, and of the just also.
the souls of the saints pass through the joyless place of Hades, and they are not detained, except for those who, through the ease of life, have drawn upon themselves the death that comes through sin. Thus, the souls of the saints will indeed pass through the gates of Hades. For the disciple is not above his master. However, they will not be held fast as before, when sin reigned together with death. But they shall pass through so that they may be initiated into the mysteries accomplished there by the Lord beyond nature, how He conquered, and how He rose, having shattered those bars. This very thing the Theologian Gregory also implies in his oration on Pascha, and says as follows: "If He descends into Hades, descend with Him. Know also the mysteries of Christ there, and what is the economy of the double descent." B
EPISTOLA XXIII. To Constantine Palaiologos. That those should not be heeded who rashly opine that Paul is one of the twelve disciples of Christ.
Regarding the question you propose concerning the blessed Paul, most noble man, as to whether he was co-opted into the college of the twelve disciples of Christ, you ought to know that this great Apostle is outside this number of twelve. For his calling occurred long after, as I know, both the ascension of our Savior and the very descent of the most Holy Spirit; that is to say, after he had persecuted the Church of Christ, after he had consented to the killing of the protomartyr Stephen, and after he had received letters from the high priests and had gone out against the Christians. C For at that time that mystical lightning flashed around him in the middle of the road; at that time also he heard a voice from above saying thus: "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"; and at that time he was also blinded in the lamps of his body. Hence it is that he is sent to Ananias, and receives baptism from him. Moreover, all these things happened long after the arrival of the Holy Spirit. And what need is there to say much? Read the book of the Acts. For it mentions by name the twelve disciples of Christ, who, through the arrival of the Holy Spirit, had received that wondrous gift of tongues; and you will not find Paul there, but Peter, and Andrew, and John, and James his brother, Matthew, Philip, D Bartholomew, Simon the Zealot, James of Alphaeus, and Judas his brother, Thomas, and that Matthias, who, although he was previously of the number of the seventy disciples, was nevertheless elected by lot by Peter in place of Judas the traitor, together with the eleven, as the divinely-inspired Luke records. These twelve men, then, who have been mentioned, and they alone, received at that time and first the grace of the All-Holy Spirit. Hence, therefore, we say that the blessed Paul is outside this number of twelve. But those who say that this man is also one of the twelve...
EPISTOLA XXIV.
A and let them show the one who has fallen, and again, whence he fell, and let them cease calling Paul one of the twelve. For if he did not go out from there, if he did not again become one of the eleven, how did the blessed one enter? By what manner was he numbered with the choir of the twelve? Do not, therefore, lightly accept what is introduced by some as true in this way, even if it is supported by the writings of the Fathers. For since each of the disciples finished his own course, since he kept the faith even to his end, and the memorials drawn up for their sake by Dorotheus, bishop of Tyre and martyr, testify to this, how then can we speak of anyone being cast out of the choir, such that Paul entered in his place? If that wretch fell from the choir, and left his rank to another, the Iscariot—concerning whom it is written in the Psalms, "And let another take his office"— B nevertheless, even if Paul is not counted in the number of the twelve, his honors are not on that account diminished, nor is he rendered inferior to the other disciples. Far be it. Even if the Lord chose those twelve first, and honored them with the greatest of dignities; even if He promised that they would sit upon twelve thrones, and will be His companions on that day, because they have remained with Him; yet we have it elsewhere, that the Lord Himself, when the sons of Zebedee sought the right and left throne, said to them: "It is not mine to give this, but for whom it has been prepared by my Father." Therefore, if that honor is not given by grace, but according to struggles, and the one who strives as Paul did will be found a consort and participant of the twelve-fold honor, do not marvel. And why say many things? If no one toiled more than Paul, it is plain that no one is greater than Paul C among those who stand there, as the gold-tongued John says. Learn, therefore, from this, that Paul is a consort and participant of that ineffable glory which the twelve first disciples of Christ attained, and that he is not filling the number of those, as the argument has already made known.
EPISTOLA XXV.
D To Andronicus Palaeologus.—Concerning the Feast of Lights. On the solemnity of the Nativity of Christ, he might be more worthy (1).
If you, O most noble man, among others, have heard the theologian Gregory calling the day of Lights more splendid than the day of Christ's nativity—which the gold-tongued John extols to such a degree that he calls it the metropolis of all the feasts of Christ—do not marvel at this, nor think that the interpreters of the Spirit are at variance with one another. For if you apply your mind, you will find in one sense that one praises the birth because of the tongue, and in another that the theologian again calls the day of Lights more glorious. For the divine John, looking to the same ineffable economy of God, and [rest of page content missing]
producing, nor are they produced: for this is proper to the hypostasis; for they are neither perfections nor faculties, since these things are in the hypostasis and with the A hypostasis. And they are called by theologians, the one generative, and the other productive faculty; and for this reason the product of the former is called offspring and Son, and the product of the latter is called projection and Spirit. For things which are from principles must, in those which are of the same kind, resemble their own proper principles, and from them also derive their name.
γ. Since both of those which are produced are said to be from the essence of the Father, but He Himself neither generates nor is generated, nor yet projects nor is projected, as the theologians say, it is necessary that the essence of both be such a principle whereby the Father produces both, the Son and the Holy Spirit. B Otherwise, as they are of the same essence, both the things produced by the producer and the things produced [in relation] to one another could not exist otherwise than from the essence of the Father, as from a principle and a faculty; which neither produces nor is produced, nor in that which is "from something," nor in that which is defined "in relation to something," existing namely in the Father and in the Son and in the Spirit, and as a principle and as a species, in so far as it is bestowed. But yet, the hypostasis of the Father being one when He produces the persons, and the essence being again one and the same principle and C faculty, the things produced would be in all ways and entirely the same. Or rather, the produced person would be one in reality, if there were not other things joined to the essence, through which the faculties—by which the Son and the Spirit are produced—might in some way differ. And these [faculties] would be mind and will: the former, being together with the essence a principle and faculty through the energy of generation, is productive of the Son (for which reason the Son of God has been named 'Word' by the theological thunder; for the word is the offspring of the mind); and the latter, the will, being together with the same essence a principle and faculty D through the energy of projection, or spiration, is productive of the hypostasis of the Holy Spirit, not as a free-willed principle, but as a necessary and natural faculty and principle (for which reason the divine Spirit is called 'Love' by those treating theology; for the faculty of love is the will). And what we have said harmonizes with the voices of the theologians, and no less with those things said by the holy Augustine in his book *On the Trinity*, in which he called both the generative faculty memory, and the spirative faculty will.
δ. It is evident, therefore, from what has been said, that the Father is the fount of Deity, and the sole cause, and the sole source of the supersubstantial Deity, and the sole Begetter at once and Projector, and whatever else the school of the theologians has named Him; not only because He possesses the aforementioned faculties and fruitfulnesses from no one, but because He alone among divine things is the sole producer. For He alone is the producer by the aforementioned faculties, as a fount and principle and cause, and
whatever else any one might imagine in such a matter and likeness, He produces. It is also clear that the two aforementioned faculties are altogether the divine essence, and [all] that is attributed to God—mind and will. Mind, then, and will are perfections. But since the two persons who are produced, the Son and the Divine Spirit, are, the one indeed proceeds from the Father, as Father, and so is referred to Him by sonship: for the Son is of the Father, just as the Father also is called Father of the Son; but the other, again, proceeds from the same Father, not as Father, but as producer, of course, and as one who puts forth, and as one who breathes, and as many things as happen to be of similar power. And for this reason, the Divine Spirit is referred to Him by procession. For the issue is called of the producer, just as the producer is the producer of the issue. Just as, therefore, A the Father is conceived before the producer, not according to eternity—for in that respect Father and producer are contemporaneous, existing as such from all eternity—but according to the power and the act of bringing forth. For He brings forth the Son before the Spirit, being already understood to exist by the property toward the Son, namely by paternity; so also the Son, again, is conceived before the Spirit, not because they are not at the same time and coternally [with each other]; for in this way the three persons are altogether and coternally [existent], and in no way is one before another; but because to be begotten is by the nature of the matter before being put forth, and to beget is before putting forth, by which the Father is conceived before the producer. And this is altogether the order of the divine hypostases, rising also from the fount-like principle of the Father, according to which the Father is B before both, and the Son is before the Divine Spirit; and these things [exist] at the same instant of eternity, the Father, the Son, and the Divine Spirit being together.
5. But further, it is just to add to the things already said, as it is most theological, that the Father brings forth each of the divine persons, equal to Himself in all respects and altogether similar in the same perfections in number. For all things that reside in the Father without paternity, and all things that correspond to the divine paternity, even without paternity and breathing taken together, and as many as correspond to them in common—theological discourse C hands down that these are common also to those from the Father. For those things themselves, that is to say, paternity, and paternity together with breathing, and as many things as follow upon paternity, and the relations again of paternity and breathing, are mere relations, not perfections, just as also sonship is, and the breathing in the Spirit; and for this reason these are properties, each belonging to one only of the persons, [a property] which in no way is moved or transformed. But apart from these, all things are the same in number, common to the three, so that the Son is God equal and similar to God the Father in the same respects, and D the Spirit is God to God the Father and to the Son; and for this reason there is one God in three, by the same and one essence, and by the same perfections, with the mode alone being in some way altered, such that in the Father these are as in a fount, and are without beginning, and without cause, and are not given by any other, but in the Son and Spirit...
they are given by another, that is, by the Father, not indeed as from a fount, nor without beginning and cause. For the Father alone is the fount of the supersubstantial divinity, and He alone is cause and causator, because He alone is without cause and without beginning. For He Himself is not from any other, so that He too might be in some way caused, and that the things that are in Him might be from some other and not without beginning and, as it were, in a fount. Since He alone is the principle of the Son and of the Spirit, without beginning and without cause, as we were saying.
6 The Father, therefore, in bringing forth the Son, imparts to Him the divine essence and all its perfections, so that He also imparts the power of generation and of procession simultaneously. For the persons being of the same essence also have the same perfections, as was shown; and both intellect and will are perfections. Moreover, who does not know that intellect and will are entirely and in every way the same in the Father and the Son and the Spirit? But indeed, when the Son was being brought forth from the Father as Father, the Holy Spirit is not understood as being brought forth from the Father as Producer. For the Father is pre-conceived as Father, before the Producer as he is Producer, as was stated. Furthermore, with the paternity subsisting—being one property—supporting the paternal hypostasis, just as the Son is supported by filiation and the Spirit by procession, there could not be both paternity and the procession that is in the Father simultaneously. For paternity will be pre-conceived before that which is in the Father—or, to say the same thing, before the active procession. Wherefore the Son also, when the Father as Producer brings forth the Holy Spirit, possessing the same power from the Father through generation—namely, the productive power—will be co-conceived with the Father in regard to the procession of the Spirit, which is one from the Father through the Son, namely by one power and one principle, that which is in the Father and the Son; in the former, indeed, as in a fount and without beginning and not from another, but in the Son, being given through generation from the Father, as from a principle without beginning and a fount and a cause, from which both the Son and the Holy Spirit forth-proceed. Hence, the Holy Spirit is reasonably said to proceed from the Father through the Son, according to the knit-together theology. For He is not from the Father alone, lest the Son be thought unlike Him, not possessing the same perfections as the Father, and for this reason not consubstantial—which is in no way different from the heresy of Arius, which alienates the Son from the divine nature of the Father; for those whose powers are different, their essences also would be different. Nor, again, is He from the Son, lest the Son in turn be thought a principle without beginning, and thence again be alien to the paternal essence and nature; and besides, lest the Holy Spirit be thought a grandson of the Father, and the Son once more a son of the Son of God; for thus the Son might again be a Father. And besides, lest one should think that something belongs to the Son as a power productive of the Holy Spirit, which is not the same in number as that which is in God and Father. For this would also introduce once again the unlikeness of essence, and these things are all impious and atheistic.
A And that this is so, even the Theologian Gregory indicates, setting it forth word for word thus: "But these things are not a second regeneration, nor a restoration to the ancient state, even if we seek it with many sighs and tears, from which a scar eventually comes, though with difficulty according to my own account and discourse." For it comes, and we believe it. But if we desire to escape the scars, I would certainly wish, when he himself also shows kindness, that he would not display this to us without the labor of stripes and wounds, which come from sin, to health. I very much think that it is a sacred garment, which is for salvation, and a profession of repentance, and a symbol of mortification; but it cannot itself by itself grant forgiveness, unless labors and fountains of tears and works of virtue follow it. For if it were with difficulty led to a scar, as the aforesaid man said, what must be said if we are to use them, owing to the inconveniences and straits of time, and the lack of facility? Are they not merciful, therefore, the Lord? But yet, for those calling upon His mercy with exceeding labor there is work. And this is what the divine psalmist David noted, signifying the toil of repentance: "My soul was humbled in fasting, and my flesh was changed because of the oil." And again: "Since I kept silent, my bones grew old from my crying all the day." B Therefore, the most holy Ephrem rightly declared: "The monk is not constituted by the tonsure and the habit, but by the heavenly way of life and the divine institution." By which he warns us, on account of our slippery nature, that this habit should be held with great wonder, as it was to the great Pachomius, by an angel. Why? Lest it check those coming to repentance like a rein, and not permit them at all to turn back to the former state. He expressed this with these manifest words: "Monk, consider the habit with which you are clothed, and know that you have departed from this world, and are wholly drawn to spiritual work." The most holy John, author of the Scale, rebuked this, saying: "Let the labor of mourning excite you, and the habit itself yours. For all who mourn for the dead clothe themselves in black garments. Therefore, on account of our slippery nature, the sacred habit is offered as a mystery. For if it were not so, those who might desire the monastic life would not have need of it." C And he shows that the great Antony, the most divine Paul the Theban, and all the rest who have put on the monastic habit, even without this habit, while bearing their soul and body, attained to absolute perfection and the summit of holiness.
Wherefore true repentance will not be the black cloak, the casting off of hair, but a turning to the Lord, and not a correct despising of the former evils, abstaining from them, and after that a loving of tears. "For my child," he says, "you have sinned; do not add further, but pray for your former sins"; for it is not enough for repentance D that he should be the one to use them, due to the pressure of the time and the straits: for the Lord is merciful, but he also has need of much toil by those calling upon Him for mercy. And this is that which the Godly David said of the repentance that is toilsome: "My soul was humbled in fasting, and my flesh was changed because of the oil." And again: "Since I kept silent, my bones grew old from my crying all the day long." Rightly, therefore, the most holy Ephrem said that the monk is not constituted by the tonsure and the habit, but by the heavenly manner of life, and the divinely inspired way of life. "For," he says, "he gives us to understand that such a habit is slippery for us, and he describes the great Pachomius as taught by an angel in a wonderful way." For what cause? "To curb those coming to repentance like a rein, and not to permit them at all; but rather to be insistent upon their turning back." And this is entirely reasonable, as he who said, "Monk, behold the scheme which you have put on, and know how you depart from this world, and are wholly drawn to spiritual work." Also, the most holy John of the Ladder said: "Let him apply himself to the work of mourning, and this itself is the garment. For all who mourn for the dead clothe themselves in black. Therefore, for the sake of our slipperiness, the sacred rite of the garment is given." For if this were not so, those who desire to be monastics would not have accepted the need for it. And see the great Antony, the most divine Paul the Theban, and those who at that time were monastics, that even without this scheme, as being those who had their soul at the highest peak, they reached the highest summit of holiness.
True repentance therefore is not a black cloak and the casting off of hair, but to turn to the Lord, and to condemn evil, and to love what is good, and, after this, to shed warm tears for one’s sins. "For my child," he says, "you have sinned; do not add further, but pray for your former sins." For it is not sufficient for repentance...
as the golden-tongued Chrysostom says, merely to cease from sin, but it is necessary that fruits worthy of repentance be produced, since for those who are wounded it is not enough merely to extract the arrow, but one must also soothe the wound with appropriate medicinal plasters. A Confirming this repentance, the author of the *Scala* also used to say: "Repentance is a reconciliation with God through the exercise of good works which are contrary to the sins." From this it appears that this habit alone, without great labor and the exercise of virtues, by no means grants the remission of sins. If these things are so, and if it does not immediately offer the forgiveness of iniquities to those who come to it voluntarily (for how would it, as we require so many tears afterwards, so that we may be made equal to the fountain of baptism according to the great Gregory, who is so profound in treating theological matters?), by what reasoning will it grant the remission of transgressions to those who flee to it, as I may say, against their will and by force? I am indeed doubtful, lest the tradition of this habit be entirely disadvantageous and inappropriate for such people. B For I do not grasp what he can do, who is clothed in it while he is drawing his final breath. For he is prepared for the struggle, but is hindered by his hands; he is fortified with the full armor, but the time for battle has passed; he promises to remain in solitude, but he is snatched away by force from these human affairs; he promises obedience to the superior, but the tyranny of death does not grant it; he professes to renounce his wife and children, and immediately lays down his soul. He protests that he is not coming to the habit by force, but a pleurisy pressing upon him forces him, even against his will, to cut his hair; he bestows his possessions to those in need, which he is unwillingly abandoning here; and he professes many other things, such as being disgraced, suffering injuries, and the like, but he performs nothing from these, because the end of his life, in which the rewards are prepared, is narrowed for him and is shorter than is fitting; but such a man, C as I suspect, receives nothing. For to him who makes promises, as has been said, but does not perform them, royal gifts are by no means granted. Therefore, we do not safely apply to these people the parable in the Gospels of the vineyard and of those who were called into it; for it does not represent the image of those who profess to be pious, yet run to repentance at the moment of death, as it seems to them. For even though those who arrived at the eleventh hour received the same reward as those who had previously expended labor, nevertheless, a ready and prompt operation provided them with an equal reward. For when they excused themselves for their own idleness, saying, "No one has hired us," * they clearly showed that if they had been called earlier, they would have immediately run off into the vineyard. Nevertheless, even those called about the eleventh hour followed the one calling them very promptly and without any hesitation, and for this reason they had no smaller reward than those who had been called earlier. If these things are so, what defense shall we have? Can we say as they did, "No one has hired us," no one...
has preached the truth to us? A nor any other thing absurd or impossible follows upon this. For in the one productive power, the persons, that is, the hypostases, are divided—Father and Son—just as in the one essence there are Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They do not exist as two producers, but as one; yet they are two who produce, differing only in their mode of operation. For the former refers to the power, which is one, and not a plurality in each, and therefore the producer is altogether one; but the latter refers to the hypostases as effectively distinguished. And for this reason, very theologically, we say that there are two who produce. This is the piety of the Roman Church, which is the same as saying the piety of the universal faith regarding the procession of the Holy Spirit. In such dogmas have we been nurtured and instructed; we follow not sophisms, as some slanderously claim, nor the persuasive words of wisdom, nor naked human thoughts, but the theologians of the Church and whatever they have uttered from God. B Hence, it is possible through these passages even to think that the saints speak in harmony with themselves, and do not differ regarding the same things—which is what those who are ignorant of theological wisdom suffer, either by transfixing the proclamations of the saints with an obelus, or by adulterating them with forgeries, or by denying them, or by interpreting them wrongly, unwittingly, and just as they please.
C But may you not suffer such a thing, you whom I truly deem happy in all other respects, and especially in your precision regarding piety and the correctness of orthodox dogmas. Rather, having weighed with precision what is brought forward by both sides, follow those who treat theological matters with reason, rather than the unskilled who, with ignorance, offer no account that could be considered reasonable, but who rather evade judgment, cover up the truth, and destroy the race of the Greeks by both their deeds and their words. I wished to extend the present discourse and to write much more to you about these same things, but I deemed these sufficient for the present for your inquiring soul, being able to perceive the many from the very few. In the time that follows, if you should command it, we shall discuss theology more thoroughly, D going through the dogmas of theology with greater precision. For I must surely obey you, as a father and guardian of the race.
EPISTLE OF JOANNES ARGYROPULUS TO DOMINICUS ROBOREUS, CARDINAL OF TURIN
In the Turin codex 433 (Pasini, *Cod. Taurin.*, p. 102) is the work of Aristotle *De Anima*, translated by Joannes Argyropulus with a final, more elegant revision for the sake of Dominicus Roboreus, Cardinal of Turin. On the front of the whole work is a most elegant epistle of Argyropulus to Cardinal Roboreus, for whose sake he had undertaken this more accurate interpretation. It will not be useless to submit the whole of it here, inasmuch as it commends the cardinal’s wonderful inclination toward letters and the sciences.
Joannes Argyropulus to Dominicus Roboreus, Cardinal of Turin, wishes eternal health and happiness.
My love and highest benevolence toward you, most wise Father, compel me by their own best right to do this: which if I did not do, there would surely be no man who would not think that I either did not know or was neglecting and slighting my duty and office, both of which would show a not mediocre shame.
A For there is no one who does not know what love implies, what benevolence demands. It is indeed the mark of a man who is too dull and too senseless not to know what the reason of benevolence requires, and to neglect or set aside what springs from the depths of love is truly the mark of one who is pleased and displeased by the same things, and who, even in the greatest and most honorable matters, fails of his own accord. I pass over narrating the merits and mutual rights of benevolence and mutual love, for if anyone should fail to respond to these to the extent of his powers, he would not unjustly be held liable for the crime of ingratitude or injustice—things from which human uprightness and noble character seem to recoil above all else.
You have established such a course of life for yourself most beautifully, that with your domestic and family affairs disposed of well and elegantly, you live in part for the duty and office of a high magistracy for the sake of other men, and in part satisfy yourself in your studies of literature and most noble doctrines, having embraced both supreme manners of living. In this, you have also taken me as your companion and associate, not unaware that the studies to which we apply ourselves can be done more expeditiously, accurately, and well in this way. I, who have always thought that all human affairs, when the best end is removed, are vain and matters to be held of no account—he whose settled opinion it was that a man who has embraced either manner of life, if deprived of both eyes, is like a body lacking one, like a one-eyed man, while he who is endowed with both has the more excellent sight from the right and the inferior from the left, and he who is deprived of both is entirely akin to the blind—to whom our most holy religion, divinely offered to us, is also exceedingly pleasing in this respect, because it endeavors by its most beautiful laws and institutions to render men adorned and perfected in both manners of living, both according to nature and to their Maker; B who finally, setting aside honesty and the studies of wisdom, finds nothing to delight in; what, I ask, should I do towards you? What should I perform that would be most accommodating to both of us, whether urged by the present, pressing, and fitting love, or moving as both our life’s institution and nature itself dictates, and as if commanded by right reason? Would it not be everything that you desire, provided only that the opportunity is available to us, so that we may not seem inept or utterly ignorant of reason by offering things other than those which are necessary? Would it not be everything that can lead you to the easy attainment of man's desired goal, to which you are already proceeding with all study and effort?
Furthermore, to assist your most excellent and honorable studies with my strength and to give you frequent service, having neglected and set aside other matters, I considered it worth the effort; and I thought that the ways and paths by which one proceeds straight to human happiness and blessedness ought to be demonstrated to you. I decided that, together with you, the writers and authors of the liberal arts ought to be read and perused by me. I believed that all the truth enclosed in them ought to be summoned into the light. Finally, I judged that the formulas and reasons for the faculty of disputation ought to be tasted and not neglected, without which I considered the investigation and perception of truth ought to be neglected—which indeed will certainly confer upon us no small benefit for that toward which we strive with all our might. I mean, to translate more elegantly and offer to you some of the works of Aristotle, that most excellent philosopher of ours and supreme craftsman—those works which in my judgment are the sole fountains of all good things, from which human ends emanate—taking the beginning especially from where the science of the soul is handed down. By this, clearly, we can perceive not only the nature of all other living creatures but also our own most exactly, and the origins, causes, principles, and fountains of human happiness. C For, as it does not escape you, we have long since determined that both are not unjustly of concern to us: I mean the knowledge of things—both those which have need of no service of ours, and those of which we are the authors, and which are placed under our power—and the elegance of language: the method of speaking, the choice of words, the ornament, grace, and abundance, so that things and their meanings may be convenient and accommodated to the diction, and the diction to things and meanings, if meanings are to be accommodated to speeches, as both their reason and nature, and the institution of wise men, seek, demand, and require. For those are not to be proposed to us as examples who use ornamentation of words without knowledge of things, or who are endowed with science without skill in the art of speaking. It is truly a matter of marked disgrace to speak both vainly and depravedly, although the latter, perhaps by fortune of inability or by reason of sloth, is the second to be avoided. Let us join together those things which must be joined—for no one can ever join those things which cannot be joined without their own disgrace—and let us not separate wisdom from elegance, charm, and the grace of words and speech.
Therefore, this labor, in my opinion, being not dishonorable, not useless, not unpleasant, and not dissenting from or abhorring our common purpose or our mutual benevolence, I have deemed, decided, and defined ought to be given by me to you as if by a certain law, persistent and frequent, and, indeed, such that unless the necessity of nature intervene, no force can take it from us. D Since these things are so, set yourself to read with good fortune the work of Aristotle on the soul, which has been translated by us for your sake—having been polished with the latest emendation more elegantly, as the subject matter allows and the rule of interpreting prescribes (for in such matters a wide field is not granted). You will have us also in this reading and perceiving, since we have so willed and established it, as companions, helpers, and guides, not indeed sluggish, not inert, not slothful, but most prompt for undergoing every labor, the fruit of which is the end to be attained by you, for which nature brought you forth, and for which God, the Maker of all things, adorned you with so many great powers and faculties. Farewell, more than half of my soul, and persuade yourself that no one is dearer to me than you.
THEODORUS AGALLIANUS AGAINST JOANNES ARGYROPOULUS
EXCERPT from the preface of DOSITHEUS, Patriarch of Jerusalem. (Taken from the volume *Tomo Agapes* edited in the press at Jassy in Moldovachia, 1698 fol.)
The twelfth writing is that of Theodorus Dikaiophylax Agallianus, who is called Hieromnemon in the *Katallage* [Reconciliation], because he held a different office when he wrote that work, and another office when he wrote the present one. He also wrote other works of this kind, which we shall print, God willing, in another volume later on. It should be known that this Joannes Argyropulus wrote certain discourses in favor of the Council of Florence, and he wrote a letter to the Grand Duke, which Agallianus refutes, demonstrating that Argyropulus is not only blasphemous and audacious, but also unlearned. From this it becomes clear that everything that Argyropulus wrote elsewhere regarding the Council of Florence is falsely fabricated and far from the truth. Moreover, in the aforementioned letter, he wrote very blasphemously in favor of the Council of Florence, confirming its most audacious decree; and see how Agallianus refutes him.
REFUTATION by the most honorable Theodorus Agallianus, Dikaiophylax of the Great Church, of the book of Joannes Argyropulus in defense of the Latin dogma.
...whom I and anyone else who thinks rightly would justly count equal [to the ancients], if they were able, or were willing—which is worse—to understand neither the voice nor the theology nor the purpose, but chose to be the cause of spiritual ruin for themselves and for all of us who follow, which some furies-driven or envious person, or rather one who would boast of having fallen away from his senses, might claim. Many thanks to the all-excellent and wise Argyropulus, that he has also delivered us from fear by signifying, in what he writes to the admirable Grand Duke, the opinion of the Roman Church, and how it will concur in mind, and in what manner it will unite with the Church of the East in the questions concerning the procession of the Holy Spirit, so that the Son is also considered and proclaimed the principle and cause of the Holy Spirit, as that [Church] teaches, taking this as a point of origin; as if it were something acknowledged, although it has been contradicted and refuted by many noble arguments by many of those who have shone no less in wisdom or holiness in the churches of the East; dragging the things of the saints, and reframing them toward such a mind, and writing these things to such and so great a man, who possesses much of the knowledge in such matters, as he himself testifies, condemning, as I think, not only him, but us all who follow such teachers, and even the wise and holy men before us. This fear troubled me greatly and bridled my soul: that there might be some who say they can demonstrate that the Latin dogma is found in the saints, or rather, who insist and claim that such is the truth; and that we do not understand [the truth], being carried along by irrationality and other passions, so that I did not trust my own knowledge of such matters, which I had gathered over a long time of studying such things, and I suspected the accounts of others who discourse on such things, and, so to speak, I feared no small fear: if it were as they themselves say, and I, being unable to understand it from my own resources, and following others, was not correctly...
1013 REFUTATION OF ARGYROPULOS. 1014: not only of those whose right-thinking is known to him, but also of those who do not hold such views, in order that he may select the good from all, like the wise bee; I would not call this graceful myself, as one might say, but rather noble and admirable, and truly characteristic of a learned soul. Whence it is for me, having dismissed the matters concerning these things, to proceed already to those that are more theological, not doing this out of curiosity, either now or at any other time—for this happens to be, above all, a matter of necessity—nor negligently; for if anything is worthy of perfect attention, this is it, unless perhaps one should say it is meddlesome to theologize, or even more meddlesome to theologize, if one calls him who speaks or is going to speak nothing necessary, unworthy of sacred theology. What then do the affairs of theology say? Had I been found departing from the correct opinion, or rather should I share with others concerning these things, not even being deceived in the greatest matter. But now, having beheld in these things the full strength of the argument, and having discerned that the hope of the union of the Churches is at risk on these points—since indeed for this reason some think the wiser men will be drawn in, for they believe that those who are not such are perhaps more easily taken—we wondered how wise men, well-endowed with intellect and education, and appearing to have advanced by the experience of theology, attempt to judge and weigh the faith and the theology of the Fathers by such things, either deceiving themselves or thinking that others will easily be persuaded by them. But I have been freed, as I said, from fear, better established in the ancestral glory. For it is as if the character of opponents, when tested, makes those who differ with them more steadfast or even more noble. And he who touches upon a refutation of any kind might perhaps appear to do so while possessed by some passion, by which he distorts and misinterprets things that are well-established, and clings to more rotten ones, and drinks with this alone as his goal: how he might seem to overcome the antagonist sufficiently; I, however, deem this to be unseemly and unjust in any matter whatsoever. For it is a condemnation of the truth and a corruption of the conscience, not least in those things where discourses concerning the faith occur, which is a new matter, and the greatest, and the head of all. I consider it impious and profane not to pass judgment on these things with an impassive and pure [mind].
ARGYROPULOS. A And the theological outlines and principles, of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, being one in essence, distinguished according to the idioms [properties]... [Distinguished by] the idioms of the three persons existing in the Divine...
AGALLIANOS. B The fundamental principle, as pious and true and most theological, is the most true start and hypothesis of the faith, even if what is built upon it were to be imposed in accordance with those [principles] of the architects, and those which we are commanded to follow. For he says the divine persons are to be distinguished by their idioms. It is good, therefore, to ask the theological Fathers: what are the idioms of the persons which also distinguish the persons, and are of such a nature that they do not change, and are named impassible and uncommunicable? For this would be a Lydian stone, not to guess, but [to test] against any other human [argument] of those who frame these words. Therefore, I call upon the truth itself as my witness in these matters, that I am coming to speak of as many things as my conscience clearly dictates to me, having learned them from the wise and holy men who preceded me, and from the common teachers of piety and the principles of the faith; or rather I should say, I will not even render the verdict from my own tribunal. But having merely laid these before the writings of the saints, and having examined the sense of these against theirs, I will set up as judges those who are fair-minded and who will pass through the present matters impassibly; whom I ask not to pay attention to the wording, which is simple, but to examine the sense and seek the truth. I also offer thanks for the praises bestowed upon the most glorious great Doukas, together with all the others; for we all together owe thanks to such a man, being as he is zealous in common and beneficial matters, and each one of us individually [owes thanks] because of his goodwill toward each, having offered himself as a common storehouse of good and of all need and assistance to each one; but these praises of him, I too confess, are few in comparison to the many and great things that befit him, and [I confess that I have treated] them with extreme restraint, and having touched upon them as it were with the tips of my fingers, so that the present time might be surrendered to the brevity [of the task], and because perhaps the season for more complete praises has not yet arrived; for for the good, all time is open for praise. But the grace of his virtues is that he is able not only to attend to dogmas... D ...the sequence [of the argument], showing both the counterfeit and the sincere. For if he maintains that position, he will reserve the beginning and the cause within the Godhead solely for the Father, as the Father's own idiom; but if he legislates [them as] common to the Father and the Son, he will entirely disturb the theological outlines. For immediately, the Theologian Gregory says: "The idioms [are signs] of the Father, as the Unbegotten and the Principle, being conceived and called [as such]." And the holy Dionysius: "The Father is the sole source of the super-essential Godhead." And Cyril: "If fruit-generation, or rather God-generation, is a mark of the hypostasis of the Father, it is entirely a natural idiom of His." And the great Basil: "The unbegottenness and being called Father is the idiom of the Father." Expanding on this, Gregory says: "This is the Father: Begetter and Producer. And it is the idiom of the Son to be called Son, and to be begotten from the Father. And it is the idiom of the Spirit to be called Holy Spirit, and to proceed from the Father." But let these things, as I said, be laid down as if they were a square and a rule, from which it will be clear what fits his subsequent conclusions; but what is it that follows?
ARGYROPULOS. The Father brings forth the One, but generates the Two, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
AGALLIANOS. From which of the theologians have you heard, man, this [terminology]...
compassionate toward our weaknesses, and not as a legislator, A providing what is fitting, second marriage is granted, as is evident from what he himself, the very great [Apostle], said: "I wish all to be as I am myself in continence." For this reason, also discussing the subject of a second [marriage], he said: "I say it, and not the Lord." From this, therefore, the first marriage is clearly shown to be lawful, since the Church also has taken one husband, Christ, and not two, and so on.
EPISTLE XXVIII.
(Fragment.) To the monk Alypius. — He excuses his Greeks who practice the rites of the Jews.As for what we are about to say, pay attention and listen with great sobriety. The race of the Hebrews celebrated three most magnificent B festivals each year; and may the divine Scripture convince us of this, when it says: "Three times a year every male shall appear before your God," at which time the sheep was sacrificed, when Pentecost fell for them, and when the feast of Tabernacles arrived. Three times already we also, in accordance with their custom, celebrate feasts throughout the year. For when the Lord said to the Jews: "The kingdom shall be taken from you, and it shall be given to the nations," then the bright things of the Hebrews fell away and passed over to us. C But they used to hold their feasts in memory of the events that had occurred to them in Egypt and the wilderness; we, however, do so in memory of Christ himself. Just as the Lord himself, when he was establishing the mysteries of the New Testament, had commanded, saying: "Do this in my remembrance." For they, while celebrating, ate the lamb; we, however, eat Christ himself, truly the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. That our practices do not run counter to Jewish customs, even if they differ in manner, Paul transmits, saying: "The old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new." And this is further evident from the following. Twice in the week the Jews used to fast; twice already we also fast according to the apostolic tradition. D However, they [fasted] on the second and fifth days; we, however, on the Wednesday and Friday, even though we owe [it] much more than they. "For if," he says, "your righteousness does not exceed that of the Pharisees and Scribes, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven." And what need is there to say more and to enumerate them one by one? Among them was circumcision, among us the divine laver; among them the Ark, among us the Virgin; among them the rod of Aaron, among us the wood of the Cross flowers; among them was the lamb, among us Christ himself. And this is what the most celebrated [Father] said when discussing theological matters: "The letter departs, the spirit receives increase; the shadows fly past, the truth arrives." From this, therefore, learn that there are also three most magnificent festivals among us, just as there were among them, indeed, festivals. For among them oxen and sheep were...
REFUTATION OF ARGYROPULOS
1017 A nourished by undistorted conceptions, I think he would desire to resemble it, as he does in regards to being distinguished. So too would he gainsay this: that all divine attributes belong to the whole Godhead according to the perfect divine reason. But as for those things which appertain to the hypostases—or rather to such hypostases—they are altogether incommunicable and unmingled, as properties, with no inversion or any commonality at all being introduced among them, says the same Dionysius. For how could a property remain if it were moving and changing? The theologians of the Church have not handed down to us any intermediate position regarding these things; rather, this new theology of his, looking to what it falls into from both sides—if indeed it confesses it, or even understands it—in order not to declare the Spirit to be of a different essence (if he were to call these powers essential, without the Spirit itself participating in some such productive power), nor yet to fall into the dyarchy by calling them hypostatic: he sets these things, as it were, in a middle ground, but grants neither attribute to them, until he names them B "principles" and "fecundities" common to the Father and the Son, though not to the Spirit. He is contrary to the teachers even in this, who call what is common to the Father and the Son common also to the Spirit.
ARGYROPULOS: Or common to the Spirit as well, but in the former cases with the energy, while in the latter without the energy.
AGALLIANOS: Has any man heard anything more monstrous than this?
ARGYROPULOS: And he says they are "principles" and "fecundities" that neither produce nor are produced; for each of these is a property of a hypostasis.
AGALLIANOS: And what is this great zeal to devise "powers," and to name them "principles" and "fecundities," and all that no theologian has ventured, if indeed the property of a hypostasis is to bring forth or to proceed? And how are there not as many principles as there are producing hypostases? Or what power do these invented powers have to blend the hypostases blamelessly—a thing which not even Sabellius was able to devise, on which account he might have been innocent of the condemnation? Thus, this kind of invention of "powers" delivers to us a way that is newer and unheard-of by the saints; as if one might say the Son was begotten through the one power of the Father, and then having laid hold of the other one of His, He brings forth the Holy Spirit through it, along with the Father, lagging behind in generation and not even participating in any of the powers—as if that were sufficient by word alone, being co-eternal, timeless, and neither being said to be of the other. And he does not observe how these things are shown from the positions to be in agreement with the arguments, but rather that the opposite is concluded by them.
If he said the powers were distinguished, he should also have added the mode of the distinction. For then we would have been able to recognize in what genus of distinction he places the distinction of the powers, as if he were distinguishing them C factually from the argument. For he says that the persons being distinguished are brought forth through them. Perhaps, therefore, by the mode of the distinction—since he also pre-conceives the generative as prior to the projective, as it is there also clearly prior—just as he says the begotten is prior to the proceeding. If he wishes to say something else, he will give little aid to his argument. He says they are principles, and powers, and fecundities. Let someone of the saints be brought forward who says these things—"principles" and "fecundities." But there is none. Yet he himself, proceeding as if in repentance, will say that the essence of the Father is the principle and the power of the production of the divine persons. Then, as if fearing the theologians, who declare that the essence neither produces nor proceeds, he will say that it resides with the essence, and other things that differentiate the powers.
ARGYROPULOS: These would be mind and will.
AGALLIANOS: I know not from where he took this. For if he wishes the power to be the same as the essence, he will call the one essence the principle, just as he calls the principles and powers essences. But if he does not wish this, he asserts that the essence defined in the Father is the principle of the persons proceeding from Him. But as for these "powers" and "fecundities" which he says reside with the essence, and which he calls "mind" and "will"—in a novel way, as properties viewed upon the essence, in order that this, along with the property, might be a hypostasis, a productive principle—by what necessity will he demonstrate that these properties are recognized by the Son, but not by the Spirit? I think that even having labored much, he will not show it, but will only lay down many things that are rotten and dangerous, and unknown to the usage of the theologians. And what saint ever spoke of "fecundities"? We have learned of a "fountal Deity," perhaps—and of the Father as the sole fount, and root, and cause, and begetter of God, with the theologians putting these forward in the singular, since all piously place one fecundity in the Father, and one productive power according to the mode of habit; it is divided only by the comparison towards the things produced, according to the reason of energy. For the Areopagite says at once, regarding the Trinity, on account of the most fecund manifestation of the super-essential, "from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named"—which Maximus, explaining it, says is "fecundity," the paternal progression beyond conception, unto the manifestation of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And again, Dionysius: "That the whole Godhead has the mastery of all," regarding the begetting Deity, or the material, I cannot even say. Wherefore, even by the disjunctive he shows that he does not wish the "begetting" to belong to the Son at all. And the great Athanasius: "The Father is the sole unbegotten and sole fount of Deity." And the theologian Gregory: "Into one cause, the Father, the Son and Spirit are referred." And Cyril: "How is it not life, having its root and as it were a fount, the natures of the God beyond all begotten things?" And again: "If a characteristic of the Father's..."
JOANNIS DIACONI HADRIANOPOLEOS (OF JOHN THE DEACON OF ADRIANOPLE)
IN LAUDEM JOANNIS PALEOLOGI — CARMEN POLITICUM
(Edited by Angelo Maria Bandini, Florence 1765, 4º, with other Greek works.)ARGUMENTUM
The twenty-third codex of the eighth shelf of the Laurentian Medici Library, which contains miscellaneous works, especially theological ones, concludes with a fairly long poem, written in political verses, in praise, as it seems, of the Emperor John Palaiologos. This is certainly the one who, urged by Pope Eugenius IV so that the schisms of the Eastern and Western Church might finally be removed and both might be yoked together by a single bond of love and might hold and cultivate the same beliefs, set out for Italy for the council (in the year 1439). The author of the poem, as is derived from the title which is also metric, is a certain John, steward and deacon of the church of Adrianople (for this is how we interpret the word *Adrianopolitês*). Therefore, in order to comply with Polycarp, the prelate of that same church, by whom this task had been assigned to him, he pursues the praises of the emperor in verse, in such a way that he has applied all the powers of his intellect and the energies of his industry to the diligent fulfillment of this responsibility. Having begun the poem from the nobility of his lineage and the royal splendor of his ancestors, he proceeds to celebrate his personal gifts, of both body and soul; for this reason, he commends him for the form and beauty of his face, his gait, his movements, and his speech, declaring him most similar to that Joseph whose beauty is mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. He extols the preeminence of his soul with such praises that he proclaims him comparable to Samson in fortitude, to David in the sweetness of his character, and to Solomon in wisdom. He then dwells at length upon celebrating his munificence toward his subjects and his profuse liberality, and he does not hesitate in the slightest to compare him, in the manner of poets, to Titus, the Roman prince, and to the Pactolus and the Nile, rivers flowing with gold. A great part of the poem is also taken up by the journeys and sea voyages he undertook for the safety and security of his people, the dangers he faced, the labors he endured, and the wars he waged. In this place, he places before the eyes how foreign nations, bound by his kindness, surrendered themselves to him of their own accord, and how kings themselves, admiring the virtue, wisdom, and moderation of such an emperor, not only did not obstruct his counsels and undertakings, but studied to offer their services and show their obedience with a willing spirit. To these things, he adds the eager interest shown toward him by even inanimate things, and a certain appearance of benevolence, such that, as Cicero affirms of the great Pompeius, the winds favored his courses, the currents obeyed, and the seas yielded—so to speak. Having explained these things, the poet rouses David from the dead and invites him to sing the illustrious deeds of the king, and together he urges Rome herself (understand Constantinople) to receive him with applause as the champion and liberator of her liberty. Finally, he pours out prayers to God, the best and greatest, that He may keep him safe and sound for many years, and may make his empire firm and secure against all the attempts of his enemies. Here he has drawn almost everything from the Holy Scriptures, and especially from the Psalter of the royal prophet, from which, apart from many other things, he derived the whole of Psalm 107 almost word for word into his poem. At the end of this, touching also upon some things in praise of Polycarp, he extols his singular piety toward God and his remarkable zeal for the prosperity of the emperor in such a way that he presents him to us, and in a manner depicts him graphically, as a second Moses making vows with outstretched hands for the Israelite people. This is the sum and compendium of the entire work.Now, the order of our discourse would demand that we should say something about the author himself; but since no mention of him occurs in the writers Cave, Oudin, and Fabricius (for which reason we were the more willing to bring into the light the work of an author previously unknown), we shall touch upon a few things regarding the dignity in which he shone in the Church of Adrianople. The office of steward, or dispenser, of the Church, therefore, was to have the administration of ecclesiastical affairs and sacred funds, and to distribute and dispense them to individual faithful of Christ according to the judgment of his own bishop, and to perform all those things which Isidore, in a certain epistle to...
A Leudefred, Bishop of Córdoba, discusses more extensively. This office in the earlier centuries of the Church belonged only to presbyters, as is manifest from various councils. For in the Council of Ephesus, act VI, occurs Charisius, presbyter and oikonomos of the holy church of the city of Philadelphia. Likewise, in the Council of Chalcedon, act III, Proterius is "presbyter and oikonomos of the great city of Alexandria." As Greece grew older, this office was transferred also to deacons, and it was the first dignity among those five held by those who were known as the *exokatakoiloi*; these were the great oikonomos, the great sakellarios, the great chartophylax, the chartophylax, and the sakellarios. Their rights and privileges are reviewed by Du Cange in the *Glossarium mediae et infimae Graecitatis*, Vol. I, p. 409 sqq., who also records there various opinions of writers concerning the etymology of this name, p. 411.
The name of Polycarp, too, the prelate of the church of Hadrianopolis, by whose command the poem was composed, is as unknown to writers as that of Joannes Diaconus, and was omitted in Michael Le Quien’s *Oriens Christianus*, Vol. I, p. 1171 sqq., where he enumerates the bishops of Hadrianopolis. Perhaps, however, he is the twenty-second bishop of that church, and indeed the very person on whose behalf George, Bishop of Synnada, is read to have subscribed at the Synod of Constantinople held in the temple of St. Sophia around the year 1440, in which the Greeks abjured the union sanctioned at Florence with the Latins. For Allatius, in his *Addenda* to the third book *De Consensu*, col. 1387—where he reports the *hypographai* of the individual patriarchs, metropolitans, and others who had been present at that synod—has this to say concerning our subject: "George of Synnada, holding also the opinion of the blessed Bishop of Rhodes, and of Hadrianopolis, and of Menas of Mitylene." This conjecture might not seem entirely alien to reason to anyone, if the time of the aforementioned abjuration by the Greeks is compared with the poem completed at that time, in which the poet points to the return of John Palaiologos to the Orient.
Regarding the city of Hadrianopolis, it should be noted that many cities are called by this name, as can be seen among geographers, who place one in Paphlagonia of the Pontic diocese, another in Caria of the Asian diocese, a third in Pamphylia, and a fourth in Pisidia of the same diocese. Ours, however, is distinct from these, since it pertains to the Thracian diocese and is the capital of the province of Haemimontus. This city, once called Orestias after Orestes, its founder as they say, afterwards took the name Hadrianopolis from its restorer, Hadrian Augustus. It lies on the river Hebrus at 53° 50' longitude, 43° 20' latitude; and before the capture of Constantinople—from which it is distant 130 miles—it was the royal city of the Turks, as Leunclavius testifies. Regarding this, Phil. Cluverius in his *Introductio Geographica*, lib. IV, cap. 15, p. 459 (Amstelod. edition), has this: "Hadrianopolis holds the second place among the Thracian cities after Constantinople; it is called Endrem by the Turks; it is indeed great and vast, yet not surrounded by walls, and built with common buildings." See Mich. Ant. Baudrand in his *Lexicon Geographicum*, Christoph. Cellarius' *Notitia Orbis Antiqui*, p. 1080, and Crusius in *Turco-Graecia*, p. 336. With these premises, let us proceed to the poem itself:
POLITICAL POEM OF JOHN THE DEACON
Of that humble oikonomos of Orestias, A And deacon of that same blessed church, Named John, I call to mind his title, A work of great longing for the divine crowned one, Palaiologos the steadfast and the grace-named, Who by his graces stirred the currents of the sea, Arranged by the commands of the shepherd Of Orestias, the brilliant and noble Polycarp.
If I had steadfast lungs, a chest of bronze, B And mouths with many tongues, and piercing bores, Or rather, if in truth every part were a mouth, Truly, both this vast axis, the moist earth, and the rest Which of existing things has achieved structure from the Creator, Would I wish to weave together for you, singing praises,
A having breathed a roar, the beast of roaring is Want to strike fear, as it is fearful, into all kinds of living things. A lion, he says, will roar, and who will not tremble? For what among these, when it shrinks away and trembles at this, does not run to flight and into crevices and hiding places? Since it can neither endure its sound, nor even bear the tremor that comes from it. But you, though pouring a roar from your calm mouth, being most gentle, most tranquil in nature, speak with this to all, and address them mildly, and smite away all terror from them from afar. Those who turn to you, their gentle master, enjoy myriads of blessings.
Like the bird-sovereign B who has fixed his nest upon a tree with shady foliage, roofed by its trunks, knows how to gather the litter of sparrows underneath this nest, setting the nestlings—how he keeps them outside of harm under his protection, and by the natural trembling of all birds toward him; for neither a malevolent snake, nor a bird that is a debtor, nor anything else from [those] that are rapacious and predatory birds, those biting with their beaks, those with snatching talons, ever drew near to them, ever harmed them entirely. But extending the wings of the power that is yours, like flightless hatchlings you cherish the Romais, shielding it as it pertains to you, and putting to shame the destroyers, just as the great bird-sovereign does for the nestlings beneath him.
The bright Morning Star, rising from Thaiman, just as it had been commanded by the word of the master, and lighting up the day until evening, finishes its course [as far as] the sunless settings, and again starts its course from the east, and again finishes its course until the same settings. And seeing this, he shows it completely as a limit of God, fulfilling the master’s command as a loyal servant. But you, lightless, unilluminated, running from Byzantium, and making the impulses of your course toward the evening (for thus indeed has the cloud of affairs placed you, pouring darkness over us from an hidden storm, and hiding your light-bearing and beam-shining power, just as the density of clouds does the brightness of the sun) like a morning star shining upon the land of the Ausonians, D as a joyful sun you rise again from the west, all-shining, flashing with the rays of [your] deeds, another giant opposite, running the path on earth; even if the multitude of many and harsh [falls]!
A It has changed your brightness, alas for the misfortune! The great Ister saw you having sailed across it, it spread out its calm back, it did not remember the wave, nor the turbulent, troublesome swell from the high seas; with gentle streams it greeted you, the gentle one, and received them into its bosom, making them tame, and the windless air bore the transport ships of the power, as if mimicking the signs and intelligence of rational beings, acting in these things as another loyal and good servant, and mindfully fearing, as I think, your [middle limbs / threats], since it could not even contain its sound, nor even endure at all the trembling that comes from it.
B And of the long struggles, [you bear] the races and the toils, which you endure very steadfastly for the sake of your subjects, or rather to speak more truly, for the sake of the Christians, in summer and winter, and struggling against violent forces, not sparing [your] body, supreme sovereign, nor [your] flesh, truly despising life itself strangely, and hastening that you might strongly, as one sympathetic by nature, rescue the bright Romais from the lawless beast, having fallen everywhere into grievous snares. Neither did any bodily luxury, nor grace, nor ease drag you, nor charm you, nor soften you. For to stand brilliantly for the subjects, to bear powerful arms, to be in danger entirely by land and sea, and on every soil, you consider luxury, and boast, and singular grace. A carpet is your shield when you look toward sleep, and a breastplate is a covering instead of the purple, C instead of a holy veil, a helmet of iron, instead of silken sandals, greaves again; and these you bear for our sake, as you are sympathetic by nature.
Istrian-neighbors saw the things being done by you, Scythians, Mysians, and Triballians along with those from Rus in a crowd, the greatest [among them], strangers, generals, satraps, commanders, fell before your power, and approaches slavishly; they bent the knee to you, they offered the faithful reverence of slaves, they applauded with paeans, they shouted with fervor, and they have done the rest of their affairs [as subjects] to you, the Ausonian-ruler, just as it is the law to perform for a servant to a master. The ruler of the Mysians knows the [power] of your mind, and also their counsels that are profound, above mind and [intellect], and the best of their shrewdness has been placed. The divine, the renowned, the king of the Paeonians knows, he marveled at the all-delightful and strange beauty of yours, he marveled at the all-chosen nature of yours, he marveled at the all-exceptional knowledge of yours, with upturned hands he received you, the [word] of the discourse, even if again some cloud flowing in from sins has changed your bright onsets at once. David coming forth from the graves, running more mystically, and hither, a light toward a second evening, fleeing the burial. Now he stirs the psaltery again and the lyre.
A Your radiance has been changed—alas for this misfortune! The great Ister saw you sailing across it, It spread out its calm back, mindful not of the surge, Nor of the turbulent, oppressive, and three-fold swelling of the sea; With gentle streams it greeted you, the mild one, And received you into its bosom, making them tame; And windless it bore the transports of your imperial power, As if it had taken on the marks and mind of sensible beings, Like another noble and good servant doing these things, And sensibly fearing, as I imagine, your avengers. B Since it cannot even endure the sound of that voice, Nor withstand the terror arising from it altogether. But you, pouring forth a roar from your calm mouth, Most gentle one, you who are appeased, You converse with all with this, and address them mildly, And you banish every terror far away from them. Those who turn to you, their gentle master, Enjoy myriads of benefits. The bird-ruler, having fixed its nest above, In a tree with dense shade and thick foliage, Knows how to gather here the heap of fledglings, Fixing the nests beneath its own nest; So that it keeps them outside of harm by its own protection, And by the natural trembling of all birds toward it; For it is neither a hostile serpent, nor a bird of prey, C Nor any other thing from among the rapacious and predatory birds, Those that are biting with their beaks, or snatching with their talons; It did not approach them at all, nor oppress them in the slightest. But spreading its wings over the power that is yours, You warm the Roman land like flightless fledglings, Sheltering it with your own, and putting the destroyers to shame, As the great bird-ruler does the nests beneath it. The Phosphoros, the bright one, rising from Theman, As it was ordered by the word of the Master, And lighting the day until its very evening, Ends its course at the setting of the light, And again from the east begins the course, And again to the same settings it ends its course. And the paths and the labors of the long struggles, Which you bear most patiently on behalf of your subjects, Or to speak more truly, on behalf of the Christ-named, D In summer and winter, and struggling against fierce violence, Not sparing the body, O self-ruler, nor the flesh, Despising life itself as truly and strangely as you do, And hastening with all your might, being sympathetic by nature, To rescue the bright Roman land from the lawless beast, Which has fallen everywhere into grievous snares. Neither did any bodily luxury, nor grace, nor sloth drag you down, nor entice you, nor soften you. For to fight brilliantly on behalf of the subjects, To bear mighty arms, to be in danger entirely By land and by sea, and upon every shore— This you consider luxury, and boasting, and extraordinary grace. A shield is a carpet for you, when you look toward sleep, And a breastplate is a cloak in place of the purple, In place of a holy veil, a helmet of iron, In place of silk sandals, greaves once again; And these you bear for us, as you are sympathetic by nature. The neighbors of the Ister saw the deeds done under you, Scythians, Moesians, and Triballians, with those from Rhos in a throng, The greatest, strangers, generals, satraps, commanders of companies, Fell prostrate before your power, and approached as slaves, They bent the knee to you, offered the faithful reverence of slaves, They clapped, they shouted with zeal, And they have done other things in your regard, O Auson-ruler, As is the custom for a servant to fulfill to a master. The ruler of the Moesians knows the power of your mind, And seeing this, he shows the bounds of God at all times, Fulfilling the command of the Master, like a good servant. But you, lightless and unillumined, running from Byzantium, And making the impulses of your course toward the west (For so the darkness of things has placed you, Pouring gloom upon us from a hidden storm, And hiding your light-bearing and radiance of power, Like the brightness of the sun, or the density of the clouds), Shining like the Phosphoros into the land of the Ausonians, As the cheerful sun you rise from the west, All-brilliant, flashing with the rays of events, Another giant, directly running over the path; Even if the multitude of many and grievous failings, And their counsels, which are heavy and beyond mind and sense, And their setting is the best of their acuteness. The divine and glorious king of the Paeonians knows, He admired the pleasant and strange quality of your beauty, He admired the pre-eminent quality of your nature, He admired the set-apart quality of your knowledge, With upturned hands he received you, the word of the Word, Even if again some cloud flowing in from sins, Suddenly changed your bright impulses. David went forth from the tombs running more mystically, And hither, the light, having fled the evening of the burial. Now he stirs the psaltery again and the lyre,
A And clearly confuse the soul with the tremor of your wrath. Whom the scorching fire shall consume out of the whirlwind, And burn up the fruit of these—the end of them. For from the descendants of their children, as seeds, Because they inclined against me most grievous and evil things, They reasoned thoughts toward themselves which shall not stand. The God who makes the foolish turn as to the simple, And changing their form among those remaining. Do not, O God, be silent, nor grow weary. For the enemies of the emperor have raged against this, They indeed have lifted up their heads, they who hate him, And with craftiness have plotted against those who are hostile to them. Do away with them like Midian and Sisera, And destroy them at Endor at once, In your pattern of the wrath and of the total ruin, And yours, O Most High, just as the former ones Oreb and Zeeb, and Zebah and Zalmunna the second. Make them as a wheel driven by the wind, And again as reed shaken by the breezes, As a thicket consumed by a fire that is raging, And pursue them with the tempest of your wrath. Fill their faces with shame and dishonor, And may all be put to shame until many years, Grant to them the judgment and the righteousness, As a descendant chosen of godly kings. Give to them the good of his own heart, For I know this one is good from the inner works, And fulfill all the will of his heart. C Send safely for him the rod of your power, So that in the midst of his enemies he may rule. In his days may the light of Themis shine, And again the multitude of the good of the peace that is hoped for. May they fall before his face at once, Showing, indeed, that the base and the wicked are in their hearts, And may all those who rule bring gifts to him, Every nation may bend the knee to him, May your name be honorable among these, And may you bless him through all the day, And may the whole fullness of the nations call him blessed. To the Trinity, the praise in every silence. If a mouth of evil is opened against him, And a tongue speaks guile again against him, D And words of insult surround with hatred, And they wage war unsparingly against him out of envy, Instead of loving, they slandered him godlessly. And he, praying, bears the afflictions from them— Instead of good, they do the worst against him, Instead of love, they hate him exceedingly. Let the condition of the sinners be against those who treat him unjustly, And may the devil stand at the right hand of these. In the time of judgment, may they be condemned of their own, And may their every prayer be for sin. May their children be made fatherless, May the day again, unluckily, reproach those after them, And may time make their wives widows.
REFUTATION OF ARGYROPOULOS
A And thus Sabellius lives again, or the powers will be those of the Spirit, and from this also a "producer." But he is not the cause of the Holy Spirit, which is even worse. But the mechanism of the sophistry is also ridiculous. For he says, "The Father is in the divine things only as the producer, since according to him the Son is both producing and produced," in order to show that the Fathers were considering this whenever they say that the Father is solely the cause and solely the source. And who is so simple as either to condemn such simplicity in the Fathers, or to wish to dispute when they are defining things so clearly? For if he himself knows that the Latin conclusion will fail unless "Sole cause" and "Sole source" is added, then either the holy men were ignorant of how to speak well, saying that the Father alone is the cause (while the Son in some way is also a cause within the divinity), or if they were not ignorant—which he himself knows—by being silent about what he himself adds, he fights against the Latin conclusion and against himself. Then, the addition of "sole" would have some justification if there were someone saying that the Son is producing and produced, and cause and caused, or something of this sort. But now, with no one saying this, how does he dare to reshape the clear meaning of the patristic sayings with ineffable additions?ARGYROPOULOS. He says it is manifest that the two aforementioned powers are altogether the divine essence, and what is attributed to God, intellect and will. And intellect and will therefore are perfections.
AGALLIANOS. And whence is this manifest, and which of the theologians formulated these things? But let this part also be refuted, since it touches upon another treatise; let it be passed over for now, and let us consider what follows.
ARGYROPOULOS. Two persons being produced, the Son and the divine Spirit, the one proceeds from the Father as Father, for which reason he is also referred to Him by sonship; for He is the Son of the Father, just as the Father is called the Father of the Son. But the other, again, proceeds from the same Father, not as Father, but as producer, of course, and projecting and breathing, and as many things as happen to be of the same power.
AGALLIANOS. Since, in the manner of a deduction, although in no way is it B necessarily presupposed that the Son is the cause of the Spirit—for in this way the Father would also be presupposed as the cause of the producer—if these things differ even more dimly in the Father, or the Son and the Spirit who are brought forth, it makes no difference. For in whatever category of distinction they might be placed, the Father will be the cause of the producer in the Father. But this is impossible; therefore, neither is that necessary. For if the Father is presupposed before the Son as His cause, it is not necessary that the Son also be presupposed because of the cause; for there is no necessity that makes this so; for if there were, the ancient theologians would have known it. And it is clear from the holy Basil, who says regarding the Son in relation to the Father: "How could the Son be presupposed before His own cause?" but regarding the Spirit in relation to the Son, he does not give the same argument. For if he thought this, he would have said it. But what does he say? "How could the immediate relationship of the Son to the Father be severed?" And again in the letter *To the Canonical Letters*: "But not even is the Spirit before the Only-Begotten, clearly; for there is nothing between the Son and the Father." And the Theologian Gregory, fearing to prefer the Father to the Son because of the *archē*, lest he declare Him to be an *archē* of lesser things, adds: "I wish," he says, "the Son to be preferred to the Spirit as Son, but not indeed as an *archē* and he also." For what prevented him, if he thought this, from saying: "as an *archē* and he also with the Father," and he was not taught this by the Father? Whence it is clear that the theologians neither thought the Son to be a cause, nor did they believe for this reason that He was declared before the Spirit. Since, however, there had to be some order in the declaration of the divine names, it was more likely that the Son should be placed before the Spirit, for many other reasons, and because their common *archē* is designated by the name referred to the Son, namely, the fatherly one. And it is clear from the saints, as they call Him Son, and [say] there is nothing between the Son and the Father, and such like, but as a cause, in no way; for this did not seem [right] to the saints, and all of them testify this to the Father alone.
ARGYROPOULOS. Therefore, as for the producer, the Father is presupposed, in accordance with His eternal existence, for according to that He is Father and producer co-eternally, being such, but according to the ability and to bring forth—for He brings forth the Son before the Spirit, already being understood to exist—I having just concluded the [arguments] of the Christians regarding the Son in the peculiarity of the fatherhood: thus he also has set down principles, and these with a change and addition according to his own interest, or, to say it more truthfully, he takes them on to his own detriment, that the Son proceeds from the Father as He is Father, but the Spirit proceeds from the Father C as He is producer, even if he [does so] simply, but because he indicates it by the word, and he suffers countless such things in these words. Then he adds that the Father is presupposed before the producer, so that he may show the Son also presupposed, and the Son, again, is presupposed before the Spirit.
AGALLIANOS. And by what necessity did it appear, or by which of the theologians was it demonstrated that the Father is presupposed before the producer? But if [it is] because the Son is presupposed before the production, if the Son is not presupposed necessarily as a cause, how from the generator being presupposed before the producer will the Son necessarily be the cause of the generated? For on account of this he...
: : : ! : F ; ; 1033 REFUTATIO ARGYROPULI. 1034 A and the preconceptions and the orders B towards the begetter, alongside the producer, he posits; and if it is not possible, either for the moving power to be one in the Father, or for the begetter and producer to be one because the power is preconceived before the power, so that from this the preconception of the proceeding persons might follow, and the order within them, how shall the Father and the Son be one principle of the Spirit, in those things where the producing and the principle and such things are of the realm of preconception? For they would not deny the power in the Father to be preconceived before the one in both, if indeed they would not deny the Father altogether to be preconceived before the Son. C Then if one understands "Father" as "the cause," it is preconceived at that time before the producer, and it is also therefore preconceived before the begetter, just as the more common things are preconceived before the less common in the more perfect activity of the mind. *Contrariwise*, or it falls into the less perfect, and from this there would not be any necessity that the Son also be a cause of the Spirit; for at once he will be begetter and producer, as distinct things, and at once Son and Spirit, not through the order of cause with the Son being previewed by preconception, as we have said. But if one understands "Father" as "the one begetting," how is the Father preconceived before the producer? For if indeed in the way the Father is spoken of in relation to the Son, in this same way the producer is also preconceived before the begetter, in the way he is also spoken of in relation to the production. And from this there is no necessity toward the Son being prior, as he himself claims. But if these are understood as certain states or activities having this order in the Father—for they are not preconceived as they are in the Father, but rather they are spoken of as in relation to the things that proceed—what could be more absurd than this? D For without many other things that follow, just as the difference between begetting and producing in the Father—being in the weaker genus of distinctions, and according to the Latins, shining forth more strongly in those things that are brought forward, as they are actually distinguished—in this way, too, the preconception would no longer be the same in the begetter and producer and Son and production, but it will be much stronger than that other, and it would no longer be a preconception so much as some other sort of leading-on of forbidden things, which he himself also seems to desire. Or what does he want, that the Father brings forth the Son prior to the Spirit, and that he exists by the property relative to the Son before he produces the Spirit? For thus he clearly claims. But who, having heard these things, would not immediately think of all the Arians? For what else did those men say, other than that God brought forth the Son first, then the Spirit, and some that the Son brought this forth? For they did not simply place the difference in time; for they said the Son was begotten from eternity, and the Spirit proceeded not in this universe. But by positing such preconceptions not piously, they of necessity also introduced a difference according to substance. But if they knew how one ought to speak of the preview and the preconception, and how that of being set before, and how "prior" is in no way truly to be understood or spoken of concerning divine things, one would not fall into such things, such as saying that the begetting is later than those things which come from the unbegotten. For let it be granted that the begetter is preconceived before the producer; but not the Son, because of this, before the producer, so that the producer or the producing might be common to the Father and the Son, but rather both causes, even if we should grant them to have some order among themselves, or that such causes alone are preconceived before the caused, it would be more reasonable for us, taking our conception concerning them insofar as it lies within us from the order of the persons brought forward according to them, while believing there is no necessity there that it be the case as our preconception presupposes—for the mode and order of those divine processions is ineffable and beyond thought, as we hear the theologians saying, and that to seek concerning these things is the property of heretics, as [the Church] of the ecumenical [councils] has declared. In this way we shall not partake of the insanity of Arius and Eunomius. For Eunomius himself, setting out as if from certain ill-posited preconceptions, transferred the distinction according to the account of the cause and the mode of the three hypostases in the unity of nature over into a difference in nature, and spoke riskily of the previews and pre-enumerations from the account of the cause, which render the non-confused nature of the hypostases as a rising or falling of ranks and natures; he was composing certain degrees of natures as ranks or processions, which Gregory of Nyssa, striking him down, says: "If he who previews the Father of the Son solely by the account of cause were positing a temporal impression of the hypostasis of the Only-Begotten, the account of the indivisibility regarding the Son held by us would naturally be in danger." Then he adds: "The same account applies for us also regarding the Spirit, having the difference solely in the order; for just as the Son is joined to the Father, and having his being from Him, does not lag behind in existence, so again the Holy Spirit is held by the Only-Begotten, with only the hypostasis of the Spirit being previewed by preconception according to the account of the cause, so that with the account of the cause excluded, the Holy Trinity has nothing in disagreement with itself. For at least the account of the cause is previewed in each of the persons solely by conception, and the divine persons are declared, for He himself is the one giving the properties by which they are distinguished, or this very receiving of everything from the Father along with the nature, that is, the property relative to Him, with the ineffable difference of modes, also distinguishes them from one another. And the Father is distinguished from those from Him according to cause and caused, as the same Gregory claims, saying: 'We do not deny the difference according to cause and caused, in which alone we grasp that one thing is distinguished from another, but that from the cause it is distinguished by another difference, and not by the same one.' For he says we understand another difference, which he here calls the account of the cause. To which Justinus also, having arrived, spoke in agreement, that as the Son is from the Father, so also the Holy Spirit is from the Father, except that through the mode
A of existence it receives its origin. And Gregory says: "Nature to the three is one; but the union is the Father, from whom and toward whom the subsequent things are referred—not in the sense of being blended, but in the sense of being held together." And Nyssen in the sixth book of his *Against Eunomius*: "The Son, as has been said, indicates with Himself the Spirit of life and of truth." And Cyril says: "He is united in union to the Son by the logic of consubstantiality, even if He proceeds from God the Father." And Dionysius calls the Father the root, but the shoots or flowers are those which come from Him, not proceeding in any such order and by succession, but simultaneously and immediately, both being held by one another and by the root supernaturally, B because of the entirely immaterial and infinite nature.
These things being laid down as the principles of piety and the foundations of theology, upon which the discourse of truth is built and the sound dogma is revealed, namely, that the Father alone is the cause, the fountain, the root, and the principle. For to Him alone such things are attributed, according to the divine speaker from Damascus, as His proper characteristic. And in no way do they shift, nor are they made common to any that are from Him; for these are only those things which have a cause from Him, and neither of these is a co-cause of the remainder with the Father, and in no way is the one prior or posterior to the other, both proceeding together and immediately, closely and conjointly; so that the Spirit is applied to the Son in the order of similar things only, but is applied to the Father C according to nature and cause, just as the Son also is applied to the Father, Cyril vociferating this in his *Against Hermias*. For, he says, the Son is spoken of in two ways, that is, He is spoken of as belonging to the Father, and the Spirit is spoken of as third, that is, He is spoken of as belonging to the Son through a certain sequence; for the Son follows the Father, so that the Spirit also follows the Son, and through the Son to the Father, but we do not say that the Son is second, or the Spirit is third, from which it follows that the Son is posterior to the Father and prior to the Spirit; and whatever other things introduce a difference of natures according to Eunomius. But it makes a great difference whether, while naming some things, one says the second and the third, or says that this is third; just as it is not the same thing in those cases wherein the order of cause is confessedly D present, to seek to declare one thing prior to another, even if they are contemporaneous by nature as possessing one nature, and by intellect on account of the reference, and those cases wherein the order of cause is disputed, so that the order of cause among them might be demonstrated. For it is necessary that both the prior and the posterior be found in one of the other modes, namely, in time or in nature. But if it be also by intellect, thus the order according to cause would not be manifested in them. Therefore, having himself said, "In no wise is one thing prior to another"—perhaps someone might say, "in time"—he immediately adds a cause, for which the Father is prior to the two, and the Son to the Holy Spirit. "Because there is," he says, "an order of the hypostases because of the processions, because begetting [is prior] to spirating, and to be begotten [is prior] to being spirated," and because of this the divine persons are thus ordered, and
A you [yourselves] say, "Not all things?" If, therefore, [they are] not all things according to you, [then he is] not consubstantial with the Father; which may it be far from any Christian even to bring into his mind. These things, then, I have said as a few out of many; but as for you, in passing through the sayings of the saints, pass through them diligently, and track down their mind, and learn these things from those who know, that you may not incur laughter by writing or speaking. For you see that all the words which you have inscribed are against you rather than for you. And if you wish to see if I am speaking the truth, come to us, and you shall see; or if not that, we shall come to you, and we shall discourse from your books, and we shall demonstrate the truth, God helping. For the gatekeeper, I know well, will open the door of the sheepfold, because we do not climb up from elsewhere B like thieves, and he will reveal to us the things hidden within it. And would that he might to you also!
HILARIO MONACHUS
NOTICE
(Fabric. Bibl. Græc., ed. Harles, vol. XI, p. 459.)Hilario, a monk, after the Synod of Florence, wrote in defense of the Latins against the Greeks his *Dialectical Dissertation on the mystical bread of the Greeks and the unleavened bread of the Latins*, against Nicetas. It begins: *'Εν τῷ μὲν διαλέγεσθαί με*. J. Meursius first published this in Greek from a codex of the Leiden Library in *Variis divinis*, Lugd. Bat., 1619, 4to. Then Allatius added a version and published it in both languages in *Græcia orthodoxa*, vol. I, pp. 655-662. Nic. Comnenus, in *Prænot. mystagog.*, p. 361 (1), praises his book *On the Procession of the Holy Spirit*. There is another, more ancient Hilario the monk, of whom it is written in the *Life of Nilus the Younger*, p. 5: "For he loved always the lives of the Fathers from his youth, namely Antony, Sabas, and Hilarion." This is he whose *Life* we have as handed down by St. Jerome. Regarding the little book of Q. Julius Hilarion, *On the Duration of the World*, written in the year 397 A.D., see Ussher’s *Diss. on Cainan*, p. 19, and Sandius’ *Animadversions on Vossius concerning Latin Historians*. (Fabr.) Regarding Hilarion Cicada, see a little later, § 27. Regarding Hilarion the archimandrite: Theodore the Studite wrote epistles to him and to another Hilarion. See Montfaucon, *Bibl. Coislin.*, p. 147, 245, 314, and 317; and he is praised on p. 100. Regarding the Lives of St. Hilarion and Hilarion the Younger, see above in vol. X, p. 235, and in many other codices indicated by Montfaucon. In the *Bibliotheca bibliothecarum mss.*, the Life of Hilarion, both the monk and the Arelatensis, is narrated. See Ind. I to that work under the word "Hilarion." Hilario the monk’s *Compendium of the books of Aristotle* addressed to Sixtus IV is in the Vatican Library, Rome, n. 5009. See Montfaucon, l. c., p. 107.
REFUTATIO ARGYROPULI. A ... AGALLIANOS: 1038 For it is an hypothesis which one ought to accept with reverence, that the persons are of the same essence, and do not have—to correct this by human reason—the same perfections. For if we were to say just one hypostatic characteristic of the Father, namely the fatherhood, and thus make the procession or the spiration common to the Son, we would be showing it to be something incidental and superfluous; especially since we do not find the teachers distinguishing these, and as if thinking of two such things in the Father, but rather assigning the fatherhood—or the fruit-bearing, or the theogony, or the cause, or any of the rest—to Him as a single hypostatic property, or personal perfection. For not in vain did Gregory turn back the name "Father" to the begetter and the source. For in the comparison with the Son, he shows the one who begets; but when He is called "Father" simply, as Cause, he says, it is understood as of the divinity contemplated in the Son and the Spirit; for this reason [he is called] only Father, that is, sole cause and not with a consort.
As, then, the paternal person exists, fatherhood and procession—which indeed, again in common under the name of fatherhood, or if you like, under the name of unbegottenness—characterize the paternal person, and are, in a way, perfections of the paternal [person]; for they are not only perfections of the nature in which He is simply whatever He is, but also of the hypostasis in which He is this specific thing. Wherefore the teachers call those [traits] properties of the divine nature, but others [they call] properties of each of the hypostases. As, then, the hypostatic properties are certain perfections, inasmuch as they are constituent of the persons and principles of the operations, they are also [perfections] of the powers and processions, whether these are understood energetically or passively. And thus, if the paternal person causes the theogony and the fatherhood to exist in the unsharable, and the principle of the divinity and the cause, and whatever else one might wish of such things—each of which, for the sake of clarity, we divide into fatherhood and procession—the specifically named [properties] are for the sake of what is brought forward. B The hypostatic property is the beginning of the person's operations and powers, inasmuch as He is such a person, that one being unsharable, and all these things must be unsharable. And since properties of the nature are shared with those from the Father, it is true to say that He differs only in mode; and in the Father there are sources, as it were, and without cause, and such things; for goodness and wisdom and creative power and such things are one in number in the Father and Son and Holy Spirit, provided, however, with this stated difference, that they exist for them from Him congenitally; but since the properties of the hypostasis are unsharable, those things which he has gathered and set forth are nothing but a mere clatter and noise in the Father. Hence, even as they have been refuted and [are contrary] to what was said before, we must stand firm on them, concerned for brevity.
ARGYROPULOS: Bringing forward, therefore, the Son, the Father gives to Him the divine essence, and as many perfections as it has, so that even the generative and the processive [powers] at the same time.
AGALLIANOS: Very good. And how, O wonderful man, can the person of the Son or of the Holy Spirit be generative and processive? Or will there be something having generative power that is not generative, or will something be generative among divine things, yet never begetting? No, that is a falsehood altogether. The Father does indeed give them the divine essence, and as many perfections as the nature has, yet not the generative or processive power; for they are not simply perfections of the nature, but are of the paternal person as His own property; wherefore they are unsharable in the Father, as has been shown. For god-befitting things belong only to the whole Godhead, and those things which are fitting for the whole Godhead would be the god-befitting perfections. But whatever does not belong to the whole Godhead are personal properties; and whatever strictly belongs to one person would not be called perfections of the nature, since the nature encompasses all the divine persons, but rather [they are] as they exist in that person, and thus they would be personal rather.
ARGYROPULOS: But indeed, when the Son was produced from the Father, the Holy Spirit is not conceived of as being produced from the Father as from a processor; for the Father is presupposed as Father, before the processor is [presupposed] as processor, as was said.
AGALLIANOS: But the argument showed the opposite: that as the Son proceeds from the Father inasmuch as the Father is Begetter, so also the Holy Spirit proceeds from the same Father as from a processor. And in the Father, the Begetter is not presupposed inasmuch as He is in the Father, but because we presuppose the Son of the Spirit from the sequence of the names, the general meaning of the Father being drawn together with the paternal and filial [names], or it signifies the Cause, toward the specific [name] whereby he wishes [to signify] the begetter. Hence we also presuppose the Begetter before the processor. For it is necessary that to whatever person the Father is referred to regarding what is conceived, that also must be presupposed in the Father before that to which He is referred regarding the rest, so that everything might be appropriately assigned, even in those very presuppositions. And nothing inconsistent with the properties of the persons happens, because we cannot conceive and speak of things that are simultaneous and proceeding at the same time, but in sequence, which is the mode of our thinking—not because the generative power arrives at being completed in the Father by the act before the processive is completed by the act. But what a wonderful thing he has suffered: he presupposes in the Father the fatherhood before the procession, as if distinguishing them in the Father as prior and posterior, and he believes that one follows the other in sequence, [following] the order of the powers and operations according to his view, which cast him into the position of not even declaring fatherhood and procession to be simultaneous, because of not positing that in a pious manner; not...
to mention what could be worse? To which likewise the phrase "when the Son was brought forth," and such like expressions, are not to be borne by pious ears. For even the divine among theologians, Gregory, being compelled to respond to the questions of the heretics—as he discusses in the first of his discourses concerning the Son, when they asked, "When was the Son begotten?" and "When did the Spirit proceed?"—replied, concerning the "when," and as if he were correcting his own language, he admitted he was compelled. For he says A that "when" and "before this" and "after this" and "from the beginning" are not timeless, even if we are strictly compelled. If therefore that man, such a great and illustrious theologian, having used the term "when"—and that along with others, with which he indicates more an abolition than a positing—did not even then dare to assume that he was far from being the cause by introducing a temporal emphasis in the presentation of that which is beyond time, by what confidence did this present theologian use "When the Son was brought forth," and "When the Father brings forth the Spirit," and before that, "The Father brings forth the Son through the Spirit"? Do not these very clearly represent those eternal and super-temporal processions as occurring in time? Or what logic B will release him from this terrible impiety of setting down as temporal the divine processions, namely the generation and the procession, by the terms he uses?
ARGYROPULUS. Therefore, the Son also, when the Father as the sole producer brings forth the Holy Spirit, the same relationship through generation—that is to say, the power of producing—will be considered to exist in the Son with the Father in relation to the procession of the Spirit, which is one, from the Father through the Son, namely by one power and principle in the Father and the Son.
AGALLIANOS. And what necessity demands this? For neither does time mediate there, nor, as he says, is it possible for the producing power to be made common to the Son, being as it is an C idiosyncrasy of the Father, as has already been demonstrated through the saints. Hence the "through the Son" has also fallen away for him; for it cannot signify the one principle in the Father and the Son, the cause of the procession of the Spirit. For how, since the Son is not found to be a co-cause and co-producer, or producer and cause, nor is there any higher necessity of commingling or duality of principles, and the other terrible things conjoined to the dogma—so that "through the Son" signifies something else and not the cause? What more?
ARGYROPULUS. By one, clearly, power and principle in the Father and the Son, in the former existently as a source, and without beginning, and not from another; in the Son, however, D given through generation from the Father, as from an unbegun beginning and source and cause, from which each proceeds, both the Son and the Holy Spirit.
ARGYROPULUS. So that the Holy Spirit is reasonably said to proceed from the Father through the Son, according to the condensed theology.
AGALLIANOS. And how is the theology condensed by the "through the Son"? It was expanded by the Latins by the "from the Son," if indeed the Latins, when checked on the "and from the Son," resort to the "through the Son," and make this their apology for the dogma.
ARGYROPULUS. What sort this is, and how it is, there is no need to say at present, and how they misinterpret "through the Son." But it is enough to say here that they resort to the "through the Son" as being clearer and more recognizable, and more expanded.
AGALLIANOS. You are permitted to say what you wish, and to call the expanded things condensed whenever you want, and the opposite again. But for us, Cyril suffices to show where the "condensed" is most present, where he mentions the "essentially from both," or the Spirit set forth from the Father through the Son. Unless Cyril was ignorant, instead of expanding, rather condensing; or else the "through the Son" must have a different relation to the "from both," or the "and from the Son" in the discourse concerning the eternal procession of the Spirit according to you, and another way concerning the participation of the Spirit which occurs from the Father through the Son, concerning which Cyril also treats there—at least as far as the argument regarding what is clearer and what is less clear goes. But so much for this. But how is it also not said at any time that he proceeds "through the Son" simply, just as things that exist are said to be generated "through the Son"? Or is it clear that there it is pious to say that there is one creative power in the Father and the Son, and that that distinction has place, and the power is made common to the Son, and through this it is also made common to the Spirit, and for this reason the creation is said to be created from the Father and through the Son, and from the Father through the Son in the Spirit, and each of the three persons is a creator and at once one is the creator of all, and there is no room to say that the creation is from the Father alone, because the power of creating, not as it pertains to the Father as Father, but as God—and one is God, the Trinity—but here it is not possible to say that there is one producing power in the Father and the Son that is not common also to the Spirit; for that would be...
A a different essence, falling short of the common nature of the Godhead. And the great Athanasius, in his *Against the Arians*, says: And for this reason, there is nothing terrible in saying that the Holy Spirit is from the Father alone; since the act of proceeding, just like the act of begetting, pertains to the Father alone, or to the Unbegotten and God-begetter and Source, and whatever else is similar. For the Trinity is not the cause, within the Godhead, clearly, as if it were a single creator of the creation; for this reason, the Father is the sole cause; for he is not acting in conjunction, according to the Theologian Gregory, but this man [Argyropulus] is certainly moving in the opposite direction to the saints.
ARGYROPULUS: For it is not from the Father alone, so that the Son might not be thought unlike him, not having the same perfections as the Father. And for this reason, not even consubstantial, which in no way differs from the heresy of Arius, which alienates the Son from the divine nature of the Father.
AGALLIANUS: But, my good man, Arius did not alienate only the Son from the divine nature, B but also the Holy Spirit. Macedonius is no less of a heretic than Arius, being diseased with this same opinion regarding the Spirit alone. If, therefore, we are Arians, and [if we are] granting to the Son the perfections of the Father—which you perhaps believe to be natural—then you certainly have no argument left with which you will escape the madness of Macedonius. But for us who provide reasonable accounts regarding this, confirmed by the saints, it is easy to dissolve the accusation. You, however, entrenched in such a position, and thinking that things are as you propose the arguments, will never be able to escape Macedonianism. For he himself declared earlier that if powers are different, then those things themselves would be different in essence. If, therefore, you really think it necessary for the powers and perfections of the Father to belong to the Son, it is absolutely necessary that they also belong to the Spirit. Then the Son will be generative and procreative. Similarly, the Spirit will also be generative and procreative, even if neither is begetting and proceeding in vain. C But if the Son acts according to the one, and the Spirit according to neither, and the Father according to both, and if their energies are different, then they themselves would be different in their essences, and much more so as [they are] of the powers, given that the energies exist: consider to what this matter will lead. So that you have appeared not only as a Macedonian, but also as an Arian himself, and no argument will deliver you from this disaster.
We, however, say that to beget and to proceed are hypostatic perfections of the paternal person, as not co-existing with the essence of the Father, but, insofar as it is in the Father, we hear from the theologians that this is his property: the Source, and the God-begetter, and the Fruit-bearing, in which are [the acts of] begetting and proceeding; and for this reason, it is necessary that neither of these—or at least, begetting and proceeding—should be shared with another of the persons from him, but belong to him alone. For all things befitting God exist in the whole Godhead, concerning which Gregory is in agreement, calling it common to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that they are unbegun and... D Come then, let us see, he says, the things of the Father, so that we may recognize the image if it is his. Is the Father eternal? Immortal, King, Powerful, Light, Almighty, God, Lord, Creator, and Maker. These must be in the image, so that he who has truly seen the Son has seen the Father. If, therefore, the saints had known that it was without danger to believe the Son was a cause or a co-cause with the Father, and that from this his equality and consubstantiality with the Father was acquired, in what other struggles would they have used this? Or from where else in the discourses against Nestorius would they have attempted it, earlier and more nobly, than from this? But nowhere among such discourses, though there are many, is such a thing found, as if it had been overlooked because it was weak, or as if it were a matter of secondary importance. For if it were true, it would be the most powerful and important of all.
But one will find countless other things in the writings of the saints that establish the consubstantiality in the super-essential Trinity from common attributes befitting God, but never from the hypostatic perfections and properties; for they are not of the nature to be shared. Rather, this has seemed to the saints a source of heresies and blasphemy, from which all retreated as from fire. If, therefore, the Father is the sole source of the super-essential Godhead, and it is his property to be the source and cause of the Godhead contemplated in the Son and the Spirit, and he is proclaimed as the sole cause, and from him is the Spirit and from no other—for we do not say the Spirit is from the Son—there is no reasonable cause why anyone should not be considered an Arian, saying that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone. For how [could one be an Arian], if what is said is most pious and in agreement with the theology of the teachers? But he who fears so much and turns away from the unlikeness of essence, has fallen into such an abyss by the very things you have devised.
ARGYROPULUS: For this reason, the teachers of the Church and the Seventh Ecumenical Council declared that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son, not as if the Son were a cause, nor simply a source and producer of the manifestation of the Spirit, but as a co-cause and source, and from a source.
AGALLIANUS: And these things have been said in calumny of the teachers and of the Seventh Council; for since neither the origin nor the co-cause of the Holy Spirit did the Son contemplate, nor did any of the saints say it, as has in fact been demonstrated by the stated points, how would it have been possible in the phrase "through the Son" to conceive of the Son as a co-cause with the Father of the Holy Spirit? But that some of the teachers, theologizing about the eternal existence of the Spirit, used the phrase "through the Son," and what their pious mind was, others before us have explained; it would have been graceful if the Latins had called the Son a cause and source simply, so as to have been more impious than all heretics. For this...
1043 THEODORI AGALLIANI 1044 just as when I say "begetter," I conceive of the generator beforehand; the things of the one projecting, thus also when I say "projector," I conceive beforehand of the one who projects the one generating. And at the same time the Father is begetter and projector, as we have already shown by going through the saints. It is not an invention, but thinking of the Son as a co-cause and an origin from an origin is what they are wrongly convicted of, and of holding this view. For the statement of Gregory, "the origin from the origin," does not help them at all, as he himself explains and says, "the origin of all things," A which is confirmed by his other statement, "All things that the Father has, belong to the Son, except for causality." Neither he nor any other of the theologians has called the Son an "origin from an origin" of the Spirit. And since the Father is not as Father, but as projector, projecting, just as when it is said, "proceeds from the Father," I conceive of the projector beforehand, but I am not compelled on this account to also posit the Spirit as Father of the Son, the generative power being shared with Him by the Father; so neither is there any necessity here, because of the prior conception of the Son, for a projector, or to consider Him a co-origin or co-cause. For if the Son were acknowledged to be an origin of the Spirit, He would be an origin from an origin and a co-cause; but since He is never called an origin, nor cause, nor anything else of this kind—for all such things must be fitted to the Father alone, while the Son is Son only, and only and entirely Son—therefore He is not a co-cause nor an origin from an origin within the godhead. For the Father is the sole cause, B and the Son is the origin of creation according to the theologian Gregory. ARGYROPULUS. Nor is it as if the Father were not able alone to bring forth the holy Spirit; for otherwise the Father would not have been able to beget the Son without some other person, to whom belongs the same perfection and power of those brought forth. For the Father sufficiently begets the Son, and projects the holy Spirit. AGALLIANUS. You have relieved us of problems by saying these things, man; for if the Father sufficiently begets and projects, then it is superfluous to speak of the Son as projecting. And there is nothing redundant in divine matters, especially where one ought not to posit anything in natural matters without reason. If you offer the argument from the example of creation, saying that the Father creates sufficiently, yet "creating" is said also of each of the other persons, you will hear in reply: "The Father, as He is God, has in Himself both the Son and the holy Spirit; and just as He is alone one and perfect God, so also with the Son and the Spirit He is one and perfect God." And this same thing is believed indistinguishably also of each of the others. By their properties they are distinguished, but in godhead they are one. C For if the one being conceived of as cause belongs to this, then the communion of power will follow. If some saints say the power to project is common, the Son will immediately appear to be the cause of the Spirit, or a co-cause with the Father. But being conceived of beforehand is not sufficient for this; for even if the Father is conceived of before the Son and Spirit by the order of causality, it is not necessary that the Son should also be conceived of before the Spirit in this way, until such time as neither any of the theologians states this clearly, and a reason for such a prior conception is provided by us, separated from the reference according to causality. For as long as we are not unable to provide a reason, and you do not demonstrate it as necessary, we are winning. For if that is not a necessity, but this is possible, and all the hypotheses of the faith and the writings of the saints and the councils struggle along with our argument, this is indeed true. ARGYROPULUS. Wherefore also he says the holy Spirit proceeds from the Father "origin-wise" and "primarily," and I would say "pre-originatively" and "properly," but from the Son not so, even if He is brought forth from Him by the same power and projection. AGALLIANUS. Behold, he has dug another pit and has fallen into it, the Psalmic one, with uncovered head, having surrendered the duality of the origin. And first, how he corrupts the hearings of some of the saints: D "Each of the three persons, as He is God," having combined them, he placed first "properly" and "originally," and [as] creator, unitedly and inseparably with the others, and because of this "sufficiently"; because the whole godhead is what is creating, which is perfectly in each. The Father projects, not as God—for it is not the whole Trinity—but as He is a person that is originative and god-generating. If therefore He does not project alone, but with some other person, He is not "sufficiently" alone; or if He is sufficient, the rest is superfluous; and it is clear that He alone sufficiently begets the Son, even according to you. What then is the fulfillment that He "alone" projects the Spirit? But if you speak of the other hypotheses, that is, the priorizations and prior conceptions, those are stale, and a new fabrication, and have been proven to be the roots of heresies. Rather, I say that if it is permitted to say [He proceeds] "pre-originatively" and "origin-wise" from the Father, then he added, "but from the Son not so." But those who said these things, O best of men, did not dogmatize that the Son is cause, nor origin, nor co-cause, nor projector of the holy Spirit. So these adverbs, spoken differently by some of the saints, are for the one [adverb] "alone." And it might mean the same for "properly from the Father He proceeds" as for "having existence from the Father alone [is] the holy Spirit." For at any rate by such adverbs they disinherit the Son of such causality, holding the procession of the holy Spirit from Him to be only toward creation, which you might call a temporal mission with the
A adverb: they disinherit the Son of such causality, holding the procession of the holy Spirit from Him to be only toward creation, which you might call a temporal mission with the adverb of the holy ones. But the political law also says: "He is a heretic and subject to the laws of heretics, who deviates even a little from the right faith."
ARGYROPULUS. Thomas. But you, unfolding their condensed theology according to your own opinion, have confirmed a dogma—bareheaded, as it were, and separating it from the whole of the Godhead—that is unknown to them and contrary to the words of Orthodoxy. For how could those most divine men have held this, when they had received it neither from the divine tradition, nor from the apostolic teaching, nor from the Church herself; but, on the contrary, had received a definition confirmed by countless bonds and penalties, that the holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, and is co-worshipped and co-glorified with the Father and the Son, and thus to believe and preach? And the implication that you brought in seems to me very bold, namely, when you said: "From the Son, but not in this way." For from this, the duality of the cause is manifest. For if the Father is the cause of the holy Spirit in one way, and the Son in another, and the "in another and another" introduces a difference, and you believe it this way, you have surely fallen into ditheism. For how could there be one and the same cause, given that the persons are distinct, while they proceed—not as they are in the essence—and the modes of the progression are different? And the notion of "by the same power and by procession" seems to me to be the same as saying that two carpenters, coming together by the one power of the same craft residing in them, produce one bed. How much blasphemy is in that, it is not difficult for the wise to understand.
ARGYROPULUS. Because if anywhere he [the author] says the Son is a cause and origin of the Spirit’s subsistence, just as it is written in the definition of the sacred eighth ecumenical council at Florence, he does not wish for Him to be an origin or cause simply, but an "origin from an origin" and "cause as a co-cause."
AGALLIANUS. How graceful this council would have been—if this is what it must be called—if one were to heed what this man added, instead of the exact opposite, as if he brought forth this blasphemy along with the others.
ARGYROPULUS. By dogmatizing the Son as "origin and caused"; for in this way he would have surpassed every heresy in impiety!
AGALLIANUS. If he makes the "cause" and "co-cause" two causes, and through the mediation of the divine substance the holy Spirit subsists [as decreed] from the Father, then by understanding it as "proceeding through the Son," he ranks the Spirit with the things of which the Son is an "origin from an origin." But perhaps these things result in the absurdity of those people. And yet, if two blasphemies are poured forth, one greater and one lesser, the lesser is not to be chosen simply because the other is vehemently forbidden, if indeed in sacred theology there must be degrees of such things. Since by power, all of it equally destroys the whole, according to the Theologian Gregory, who states in the first of his *Peace* [orations]: "To cut off anything from the Three, or to alienate it, is for us the same as to destroy the whole." For it would fall into contradiction if it were B thus in things, while proclaiming the Spirit from the Son.
AGALLIANUS. And indeed, it falls into the very same contradiction now, by confessing the Spirit to be God and yet making it a creature—because it deprives it of essential and natural power, and for that reason, of the power of procession common to the Father and the Son; and furthermore, by handing down a difference of origins, calling the Father an "unoriginate origin" and the Son an "origin from an origin," which difference clearly introduces ditheism.
ARGYROPULUS. He says that one origin of the holy Spirit is venerated.
AGALLIANUS. But the Theologian Gregory does not hand it down this way, nor does he call the Father an "unoriginate origin" so that this new theology might have room, as if the Son were an origin from an "unoriginate" within the Godhead; but rather he understands the "unoriginate" and the "origin" as the property of the Father’s person, saying: "The properties of the Father are that He is conceived as unoriginate and as an origin, while the Son is called Son; but the Son is nowhere unoriginate, though He is the origin of all." Then how does he not make two origins, by referring the Spirit—who is one person—to two persons, hypostatically and personally? For the relations inside are of persons, not of essence and power.
ARGYROPULUS. But if, these things having been said by us, someone should ask, firstly, why the Son does not beget, just as He proceeds, partaking of the same generating power as the Father? Or how the holy Spirit neither proceeds nor begets, if the powers are different in Him as they are in the Father and the Son?
AGALLIANUS. Now, with bared head, he has let out the absurdity: that the Son has the generating power of the Father along with the processing one, and likewise the Spirit. And look at what forced him to this. Realizing that if the Son has the processing power, the Spirit must also have the generating one—and indeed the processing one as well, as is always said by us to follow as absurdities. If the Son were a producer and he had no way to escape, he does not grant these as not being absurd; and in order to show that these things are not absurd, he assigns to the divine persons impotence rather than powers, and deprivations, and such like. Thus, having proposed two questions, as it were, so that by his solutions he might confirm the absurdities, he brings in treatments and solutions—which seem
A forced, not being present, so that the difficulties are not resolved any more, or else they are bound together all the more tightly. And to the first of the difficulties, which we have already set out just now, he provides this solution:
ARGYROPULUS. While the Father begets the Son, by the generative power, as we were saying, the generation is joined to its own power, just as the Son is, and so forth.
AGALLIANUS. To these things we also make answer, saying thus: The Word knows how to call one generation in the Father and the Son, though it is not viewed in the same way in both. For that which is taken from "to beget" is active and corresponds to the identifying mark conjoined with it, the name "Father"; but that which is taken from "to be begotten" and corresponds to the name "Son," which signifies a begotten hypostasis, is not generative. B Therefore, in the same way, the power for begetting differs from the power for being begotten, even if the one is in the Father and the other is in the Son. And just as the being of the Father and the being of the Son is one and the same, but it does not befit the Son to be the Father, nor the converse; so, even if we posit that the generative power and the generation are in the Father and the Son with respect to all other things, yet they differ in their definitions, being distinguished relationally, just as all other things are one in the Father and the Son—the one according to the relation of the Giver, the other according to that of the Receiver. And thus, neither must the generation which is in the Father be in the Son, lest the Son be the Father, nor must the generation which is in the Son be in the Father, lest the Father become the Son.
ARGYROPULUS. As also the generative power.
AGALLIANUS. If, therefore, the Father were giving to the Son the generation by which he begets, and the power towards it, the Son would also have to beget. But if the Son does not beget, He does not give Him such power and operation, but rather, one might say, something of the opposites—namely, the power C of being begotten, and the passive generation. Therefore, while this man says that the generation is connected to its own power by which the Son is begotten from the Father, one must ask: which generation and which power are we to understand—that which is conceived actively, or that which is conceived passively? For if this is not defined, the argument is utterly hopeless. But according to the foundations of the faith, and as the truth dictates, it would be pious to say that when the Word looks towards the Father, one must receive the power and the generation actively; for it is the property of the Father to beget. But when it looks towards the Son, one must understand both the power and the generation passively; for it is His property to be begotten, according to the theologians. For by being begotten, He receives existence through generation, and for this reason, He is Son. It would not, however, be pious to say that He receives the act of begetting through generation, for He is not the Father.
D ... generative power is given to the Son, not as a power, but as a perfection. It is perhaps sufficient that he himself confessed that the generative power is not given to the Son as a power, but as a perfection. Yet he said afterward that the Son has the generative power—that is, the power to beget—contradicting himself. And not only that, but he also says that the generative and [the Spirit’s] productive [power] is shared with the Spirit. I do not know what happened to him or what moved him to fall into such an absurdity, and to dishonor the divine hypostases so, judging them worthy to be called participants in ineffective powers, in the same way that we speak of an infant as "potentially a grammarian." Thus, the Spirit too [is said] to have come forth from a power, which power, when the Son was being begotten, did not yet have the operation combined with it, but received it when the Son was begotten, and other such things he fabricated.
One might perhaps think that he arranged his argument this way for fear that the unity of the essence might be broken, and that, considering these powers as perfections of nature, he distributed them equally to the divine Trinity of persons; but [he does not do so] equally, if he gives them to the Father alone with the operation, but to the others he gives them as inactive and common. Wherefore he has fallen heavily into the very thing he was trying extremely hard to avoid: for how could things that do not operate equally with the same perfection be of the same essence? But if the Son’s having the generative [power] without operation is sufficient for the unity of the essence, because it is joined to the generation, and if the Holy Spirit has both [generative and productive] without the operations themselves—what is the necessity for the Son to have the productive [power] with the operation, given that many absurdities grow from this? For the unity of the essence, for which he seems to be contending, would be preserved even in this way, in addition to the fact that the absurdities would be kept silent.
But rather, if the generation is with its own power, and the generation according to operation is not given to the Son nor to the Spirit, then neither is the power of it [given] to the Son at the same time as the procession, as the Word was delivered through the saints. Then, as if overturning himself, he says, "The Father shares the powers with those who are from Him as perfections only, not as powers." And what perfection could there be in God that is not also perfected in act, or to which the operation—according to which He never ceases to act—does not belong? Which, then, would have been better: to isolate the productive powers of the divine persons in one person, the Father, so that He alone is producing, while the rest are, as he said at the beginning—rightly saying this—the ones being produced, and to assign the responding passive [powers] to these, which are no less capable of the logic of equality (for there is nothing to the honor of God, in being the begetter, [that is lacking] in being begotten from God), and likewise also concerning the Spirit? Or [is it better] to make the Son a producer only to establish the productive powers—which, as hypostatic properties, are constitutive of the Father’s person and are reckoned to the Father alone—[and] to give them to those who proceed from Him, and after having deprived the Father of His own? Then also [those] from Him...
calls him a philosopher most noble, and the same man most eloquent, and flourishing in every kind of field and excellence, and by this one thing confirms that no one in the whole Greek race was either more learned or wiser. He writes an opinion to the same effect about him to Donatus Acciaiolus (25), and he praises him and the rest of the Florentine youth because they yielded themselves to the discipline of such a great orator and philosopher. That Acciaiolus himself, however, praising this teacher of his (26), says: "For many years now, he has taught us doctrine with such abundance, with such manifold and varied discourses, that it seemed, in our times, to renew the memory of the ancient philosophers." By Cortesius (27) he is called almost a perfect Peripatetic and a truly tolerable writer; by Alcyonius (28), easily the prince of the philosophers of his own memory. How well Ang. Politianus thought of the same man, his teacher, we have explained above. I am silent about many more testimonies of learned men, by which they proclaimed his signal and exceptional erudition.
That common vice which many learned men possess, that the arrogance of the knowledge in which they flourish is a companion and comrade, and puffed up by this they think that they alone are wise and despise others in comparison to themselves, from this Argyropulus was so far from being free that he rather wished to appear as one who stood alone among all in every kind of learning, and he looked down upon the erudition of even the greatest men quite insolently. He was so completely different in this from his old companion, Theodorus Gaza, who gave a singular proof of his modesty toward him. For indeed, when Argyropulus had translated Aristotle’s *Naturalia* and *Moralia* into Latin, Gaza burned some works that had been translated by himself in like manner, lest, as Jovius says, they should hinder the growing fame of a most friendly man if they were to struggle in an odious comparison regarding emulation. For the Latin, he adds, was more eloquent in fruitfulness, and the most modest of the Greeks easily yielded this to the arrogantly ambitious man who was very desirous of greater fortune. Politianus records a shining example of his arrogance, where he relates that he argued that his own teacher, Cicero, was unskilled in philosophy as well as in Greek literature; and since he was the sharpest of all in disputing and, as Persius says, "washed his ear with biting vinegar," he says he easily persuaded himself and others, and even his followers at that time, that it should be taken for granted among them—a thing which is almost a sin to even say—that Marcus Tullius was neither a philosopher nor skilled in Greek letters (29).
But Argyropulus also cast a stain upon his own fame through drunkenness and voracity, if indeed Jovius is to be believed, who reports that he was equally greedy and capable of wine and food, and that he was pot-bellied with a large abdomen (30). According to the same author, he led his life at Rome on such rich stipends that his entire substance was equal to his daily expenses, and at the final act of his life, having joked, he left his wealthier friends as heirs to his debts in his prepared will.
The principal monuments of Argyropulus’s learning and genius are the Latin interpretations of many of Aristotle’s books, which he produced in Florence, and he wished them to exist as witnesses of his gratitude toward the Medici house, that nurse of true virtue. From the Greek, he certainly translated into Latin Aristotle’s *Category*; the *De Interpretatione* book; the *Posterior Analytics* books; the eight books of the *Physics*; the four books *De Caelo*; the three books *De Anima*; the twelve books of the *Metaphysics*; the ten books of the *Nicomachean Ethics*; and the eight books of the *Politics*. These versions are read in the older Latin editions of Aristotle’s works, and some even in certain Greco-Latin ones. The manuscripts are preserved in the Laurentian Medicean library, and in it exist some parchment codices containing these, adorned with the most elegant portraits of Cosimo and Piero, the Medici, and of the interpreter himself (31). D The judgments of learned men concerning Argyropulus’s versions are diverse and contrary to one another (32). R. Volaterranus (33) thinks he translated Aristotle’s books more elegantly than faithfully. Contrary to this, Joach. Periontus (34) says they were translated by him more faithfully than ornately and elegantly. Petrus Nannius (35), however, believes that Argyropulus attended more to the words than to the meaning, and that his interpretations were therefore neither faithful nor elegant.
[JOSEPH OF CONSTANTINOPLE, CONFESSION OF FAITH]
...or that we should abolish those things with arguments, syllogisms, and reductions—which would indeed have been appropriate for the resolution of the difficulties that he poses as if coming from us; but rather, towards the assumptions by which he hoped to establish [his position] by proceeding step by step, we have added to the theology of the saints the views of the Latins that seem to accord with the truth, setting these forth. And may this be spoken with God. We have shown them to be discordant through the teachers and inadmissible, and concluding in certain absurd and blasphemous things; and rather [to be] in harmony with many of the heresies, or even as sources of heresies. It is sufficient, therefore, in the present case, to show that nothing necessary is assumed. But as for searching out the difficulties against the Latin view, they themselves have contrived solutions—a task that has been for many others, and perhaps will one day be for us.
CONFESSION OF FAITH OF JOSEPH, PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE
(Council of Florence, Session XXV. — Mansi, Vol. XXXI, col. 1007.)SENTENCE OF THE PATRIARCH AT THE END
Joseph, by the mercy of God, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch.
Since I have reached the end of my life, wishing now to pay the common debt, by the grace of God I write and subscribe my opinion openly to the community of my spiritual children. All things, therefore, which the Catholic and Apostolic Church of our Lord Jesus Christ of the Elder Rome believes and defines, I myself also believe, and to these I grant my assent and offer my devotion. I confess also the most blessed Father of fathers, the supreme pontiff and vicar of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Pope of the Elder Rome, to be the certain faith of all; and likewise the purgatory of souls. For the confirmation of these things, it was written on the ninth day of the month of June, in the year one thousand four hundred and thirty-nine, in the second indiction.
[List of Signatories:] The Great Sakellarios. The Great Skeuophylax, the Deacon of Xanthopolis. The Great Chartophylax, Michael Balsamon. The Great Ecclesiarch of Syropoulos. John the Cappadocian, the Protekdikos. Gerontios, abbot of the Pantokrator. Athanasios, abbot of the Kaleos. The Abbot of Saint Basil. Pachomios, abbot of Saint Paul of Latros. Moses, hieromonk and representative of the Lavra. Dorotheos, representative of Vatopedi. Constantine, representative of Wallachia. The representative of Trebizond. The representative of Iberia.
PROLOGUE OF JOB THE MONK TO THE PSALMS. AN EPITAPH OF PATRIARCH JOSEPH.
(Acta conc. Florent, ab Horatio Justipiano collecta. Romae 1638, fol., p. 284.)
I, who was the great prelate of the Church of the East, Lie here, great in religion, Joseph. I have desired this one thing, inflamed by a wondrous love, That the worship of Europe be one, and the faith be one. I sought Italy; we struck a single covenant; And under my guidance the Greek faith was joined to the Roman. Delay was not long; I passed away, and now Florence guards me, The city where the holy council now flourishes. Happy is he who is gifted with such a reward while living, Who dies having attained his own prayer.
A NOTICE BY JOB THE MONK.
The Turin Codex CLXXVIII b, II, 32, on paper, consisting of 70 leaves, of the sixteenth century. 'Iὼβ ἁμαρτωλοῦ ἠθικὴ θεωρία εἰς τὰς ἁγίας φωνὰς τοῦ προφήτου Δαβίδ. * The moral theory of Job the sinner on the holy voices of the prophet David. * It is, indeed, a commentary on the Psalms, not all of them, but merely the first fifteen. Its author is called Job the sinner. But as to who this Job the sinner was, although we have applied great diligence, we have not been able to find out from any of those who have written about the interpreters of Scripture, whether Greek or Latin. At the beginning, a prologue is set before it, which is of this sort:
PROLOGUE OF JOB THE SINNER TO HIS COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
A Our aim in taking it upon ourselves to rub together once more the holy Davidic voices, as if searching for a certain aromatic fragrance of incense, an aim by which the soul, the mind, and the entire sense might be exhilarated, is not that the ancient teachers and theologians of the Church had explained them deficiently alongside other things, or that they had considered and contemplated them in any way carelessly, and passed them on to us who come after them. Not at all; that is far from their wisdom and grace. For they have been spoken and recorded by them fully, completely, and in a way that could not be better, and the missing parts, according to this promise of the Master, have been fulfilled by them through the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. But since I have determined to breathe of and speak of nothing else after the canonical Scriptures, or these in particular, and to revolve them in my mind, and to dwell in them through my whole life, and to have nothing else...
A to do in this time and state, if not to spend the remainder of the time partly in investigating these matters and partly in prayer (which I would that other Christians also performed), led me to illustrate the words of eternal life and the precepts of that first and true light illuminating every man coming into this world, and, relying on the prayers of those men, I launched my own rotten and small vessel of the mind into the sea of their spiritual knowledge; and because of this, I now sail swiftly and am borne along, secured by their useful and very grand B ships and burdens. And someone may say that this current method of ours of treating the subject will perhaps seem more elegant to some. Therefore, I have trusted in the most wise helmsman and Lord of all things, God, and in His Word, and in those very ministers whom He uses as instruments, and who are leaders and guardians of our reason and soul, and in favorable winds, as well as in the help and grace of the Holy Spirit, by whose power and by whose prayers I have been brought into the harbor in both work and word of the divine will. Whence it is not likely that anyone would easily condemn us if we have proposed anything with such confidence, and if, after many and excellent men who have followed them until now, we too have sufficed for something. B
EPISTLE OF BARTHOLOMEW OF JANO, OF THE ORDER OF FRIARS MINOR, CONCERNING THE CRUELTY OF THE TURKS
(From codex 1130 of the library of St. Michael in Venice.)To the venerable religious and excellent preacher, brother C Albert of Sartiano of the Order of Friars Minor, preaching in Venice, his most beloved father in Christ Jesus. For a long time, venerable father, I have desired to see you, to speak with you likewise, and to embrace your person, but this grace has not yet been granted to me. For while I dwell in the parts of the West, you proceed toward the East; seeking you in the East, you return to the country of the West. But I should think that all this was done by the counsel of God, since, as I have heard, your preaching was not a little useful in Venice this year, as it is accustomed to be. But now I would desire vehemently, provided that by the favor of the Lord the union of both Churches is celebrated, that you visit these and further parts, with the usual magisterium of your preaching and likewise of your knowledge and life, since we perceive that a very great fruit of souls can be made there through the friars. For with Greece omitted, and furthermore all of Turkey, which was otherwise called Asia, where those seven churches are which are read in the Apocalypse, and where the enemy of Christ, the Teucer, reigns, there still remain for the present countless Christian peoples beyond the Moorish sea, under the Greek rite even to...
the ten or fifteen thousand—I say fewer, so that you may believe—captures souls! I would say fifty thousand, if you would believe it, and compels them to deny Christ Jesus both by threats and by blandishments? Indeed, no small wonder arises in me if even one Christian is still found in those parts. For Corinth alone sends out thousands and thousands of ducats as toll for captives passing from Gallipoli into Turkey. Oh, therefore, sins of the Christians, A whither do you tend? Whither do you lead yourselves, to what servitude, to what disgrace do you compel yourselves to submit? But why do I delay longer, most humane Father? Why do I defer telling of the new—not new, but too often practiced—calamitous and tearful slaughter of Christians, which we have seen in these days? My hand trembles, my eyes weep, my mind today creates horror. First, of the Georgians, B that is, the kingdom of Georgia is not small, where King Alexander reigns today, beyond Trebizond. Who can travel through the homeland of the Russians and the Ruthenians up to the Maeotic marshes, which is called the sea of Abbachuc? I omit the Circassians and the Voguls, Mingrelia, Wallachia, and Patras near the sea, yet under the Greek rite. I am silent about the Armenians, whom I hope you will see coming to Italy at present together with our father, Brother Jacob, to be reduced to the Catholic faith; they are far easier to convert and more eager to grasp the truth than other nations, and are most benevolent to the Latins. Furthermore, you will have known of countless Christians in the Gray Mountains, and dispersed here and there in Persia and Scythia, where the places of our brothers stand empty of brothers, C even today living among the Tartars themselves. For which reason I deem it not useless, but rather most opportune, for your person and those like you to be in those parts, provided, however, that the holy union has first been celebrated, if God permits. But, alas! alas! why do I commemorate these things, when it is far more pleasing to weep than to have hoped for anything good through the aforementioned? To weep, I say, from the depths of my heart, and to cry out to the stars, that the Almighty, having mercy, may some day oversee the liberation of these parts, in the midst of which we are as it were, nor look upon the sins of the peoples for so long, until the name of Christianity is extinguished in the parts of the Orient and the North. Christians are failing, alas, daily, and the followers of the devil are increasing both in number and in the strength of their arms. For there is scarcely a city, castle, or village, and there is scarcely a day, in which—both in Turkey and in Greece—the most holy name of Christ is not denied, not only through fear or threats, but much more through delights and honors; and Mahomet, the son of the devil, is carried to the heights; and what you will perhaps wonder at, at times by those who were enjoying riches, honors, and worldly prudence. But that I may be silent about past evils, for the telling of which I think no tongue can suffice, I will touch briefly on what I have recently seen with my own eyes, so that you may know and weep with me, and if you find any who are not stripped of all piety, you may compel them also to weep. My paper and pen note these things. Where is that prophet Jeremiah, who would lament not one single city, but three, but four, but innumerable castles and villages, a great and notable homeland, I say, most opulent in inhabitants and riches, now destroyed and reduced to ashes, in the month of August of the present year, indeed? I speak of the homeland of the faithful peoples, who are called Saxons in the Transylvanian country, which, as a brother who was redeemed from the booty narrates to me, extended eight days in length and three in breadth, which was previously called Septemsolia, but now I know not what it is called, unless perhaps a place of lamentation and wailing. Who, therefore, will give water to my head, that I may weep day and night, D not for walls and buildings destroyed, but for innumerable souls carried away, and now handed over to the devil to be devoured, which, as it is said, extend to the number of thirty, and perhaps forty thousand? Oh! who would give me not the eloquence of Maro or Tully to write it—for it would surely succumb in these things—but rather the voice of thunder and the wings of the winds to ascend, and to fly over the homeland of the Christians, so that not only stony hearts might be terrified by the magnitude of the voice, but the mountains and valleys themselves? The wretched Christians do not hear these things, and perhaps, if they had heard, they would not believe. I believe they heard, and more willingly believed, that the Teucer had been defeated; that this is not true is manifestly demonstrated by the fact that he has already sent his army to those parts twice or three times up to now, after his return. And if it is also true that many of his men have not died—rather from labor, plague, and hunger than by the sword—what, I ask, is there of wonder in the death of some in an army of three hundred thousand men, whom you know to be Christians for the greater part? For which reason, wherever you turn, you have abundant material for weeping. Where now, therefore, are the churches in that homeland, the crosses, the chalices, the missals, the vestments? Where are the relics of the saints? And, which is greatest of all, in many places, the consecrated body of the Lord? Alas! by what disgrace, by what derision, by what great illusion have they been cast down and trampled underfoot? Where is that Almighty God now, who was angry at King Balthassar, who basely abused the vessels of the temple of the Lord? Certainly, as it manifestly appears, if you can be mindful, as I believe, beloved Father, when we, having been sent by our most holy Lord the Pope to those parts, departed from Venice—where you also unexpectedly arrived upon returning from Jerusalem—how it was rumored there in recent days that the Hungarians had burned some of the Teucri's ships, and furthermore had killed very many of them. These things, I say, were all true. But if you have not heard afterwards, I know not, that the Teucer himself, having been angered by this, approached that place in person with a great army and carried away more than sixty thousand souls, as it is said, from the kingdom of Rasia, neighboring Hungary; of whom, if any still remember Christ at present, it is uncertain. Do you wonder at this? But you would wonder and grieve much more that, for twenty-five and thirty years now, he has brought upon himself no small damage and shame.
A And those things given by Another do not exist in the Son and Spirit without a beginning, nor without a cause. For the Father alone is the source of the supersubstantial divinity, and he alone is cause and causative, because he alone is causeless and without beginning. For he himself is not from anyone, so that he might himself be in a way caused, or that the things belonging to him might be from another and not without beginning, nor as from a source. For he alone is the beginning of the Son and of the Spirit, without beginning and without cause, as we were saying.
6. [6.] Drawing forth, therefore, the Son, the Father gives to him the divine essence, and as many perfections as belong to it, so that he gives also the generative and producing power together. For the persons of the same essence possess the same perfections, as has been demonstrated; and intellect, indeed, and will are perfections. Besides, who does not know that intellect and will are the same altogether and in every respect in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Spirit? But yet, when the Son was produced from the Father as Father, the Holy Spirit is not understood to be produced from the Father as the Producer. For the Father as Father is considered before the Producer as Producer, as was said. Moreover, with paternity subsisting—which is one of the properties—the paternal hypostasis B is constituted, just as sonship constitutes the Son, and production the Spirit; paternity and the production that is in the Father cannot be the same at the same time. For paternity will be considered before that which is in the Father—that is to say, before the active production. Therefore, also C when the Father as producer brings forth the Holy Spirit, the Son, having the same power from the Father through generation—namely, the productive power—will be considered together with the Father in the procession of the Spirit, which is one from the Father through the Son, namely by one power and principle, which is in the Father and the Son, being in the former as in a source, without beginning and not from another, but in the Son being given through generation from the Father, as from an unoriginate principle and source and cause, from which both the Son and the Holy Spirit proceed. So that the Holy Spirit is aptly said to proceed from the Father through the Son, according to the condensed theology. For it is not from the Father alone, lest the Son be thought unlike him, not having the same perfections as the Father, and for this reason not even consubstantial, which is in no way different from the heresy of Arius, which despoiled the Son of the divine nature of the Father; for if their powers were different, then the essences themselves would also be different. Nor, again, is it only from the Son, lest the Son be thought again a principle without beginning, and thence again alien to the paternal essence and nature; and besides, lest the Holy Spirit be thought the grandson of the Father, and the Son, in turn, the son of the Son of God—for the Son would have been, in turn, a Father. And furthermore, lest we suppose that something resides in the Son, such as the productive power of the Holy Spirit, which would not be numerically the same in God and Father. For this also imports, again, the unlikeness of essence, D all of which are impious and atheistical.
A 7. For this reason the teachers of the Church and the seventh B universal synod declared that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son, not as if the Son were a cause, and an absolute principle, and the producer of the Spirit’s hypostasis; but as a co-cause and a principle from a principle; nor as if the Father were not able to produce the Holy Spirit by Himself alone. For the Father could not have generated the Son even without the help of another person, since both of those who are produced possess the same perfection and power. For the Father Himself sufficiently generates the Son by Himself, and produces the Holy Spirit; and when He is, both the Son and the Spirit will also be. And if He were to be absent in our thought, there would be no Son at all, nor any Spirit from the Son, nor indeed any of the persons, let alone a procession or operation toward the existence of the persons. The Son, however, as one who produces, in a way also brings forth the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father, and He produces Him as one who proceeds from the Father, and as one who produces, He is dependent upon the Father—not as being generated, but in that He is producing; since by generation He has partaken of the same power of the Father as a producer, and He also produces, together with the Father, that which is produced from the Father. For if, in our thought, the producer—the Father—were to precede, and the Holy Spirit were somehow to be produced before the Son from the producer, then the Son would be from the producer through the Spirit; and the Spirit, by that C same power which is in the Father—that is to say, the generative power of the Son—would Himself have produced the Son from the producer as if from a Father. Not that the producer, in that He is Father, would not be sufficient to generate His own Son, since even now He generates Him sufficiently alone—just as He would have then, alone and sufficiently, produced the Holy Spirit—but because He would have possessed the same generative power as the Father, given to Him by means of spiration as a perfection and power from the Father, while the Son had not yet been produced in our thought. The Roman Church, having unfolded this compressed theology, also taught that the Spirit proceeds from the Son, desiring to denote by this the "through the Son from the Father," in order that it might proclaim the Father as the cause, and fountain, and principle from a principle, and the fountain-head of the hypostasis of the Holy Spirit; and, according to the word of the Word of God, proclaim the Son as a co-cause, and a fountain from a fountain, D and a principle of the same hypostasis, because He possesses from the Father the productive power—as we were saying—by which the Father brings forth the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it says that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father primarily and conceptually, I might say, and as the cause of causes, and as the principle, and strictly. But from the Son, it is not so, even if He is brought forth from Him by the same power and production. For the Son is not a cause without a cause, nor an unoriginate principle of the hypostasis of the Spirit.
8. For this reason, the Church has ordained that it should also be said from the Son...
signifying by this the Holy Spirit, which is revealed thereby from the Father. For just as by the Son it places the Father before, and pre-conceives Him as the primary cause and fountain and unoriginate principle of the same action, so also it makes manifest that the expression “from the Son” implies the Son as a co-cause and a principle from a principle, but the Father as the simple cause and unoriginate principle of the Spirit. Hence, even if in some place it calls the Son a principle and cause, or permits it to be said, regarding the hypostasis of the Spirit—as is written in the definition of the holy universal eighth council held at Florence—it does not wish Him to be an absolute principle nor a cause, but a principle from a principle, and a cause—that is to say, a cause with another. Just as again, that which is contained in the same definition, that the Spirit is likewise produced from the Son in the same manner by which He is produced from the Father, does not understand this according to the mode of procession, so that in like manner, namely, as from a fountain and without origin and without cause, and as if from the Son Himself the Spirit is brought forth, just as from the Father Himself: for it would contradict itself B if it understood those words in this way, and proclaimed the Spirit from the Son, but rather relates it to the identity of the power, which is one in number in the Father and the Son, distributed through generation, as we have said, from the Father to the Son, just as the essence itself is distributed. Therefore it also declares that the Son brings forth the Spirit from the Father, and that He is one who brings Him forth from the Father, and whatever else is of such power.
9. If anyone, however, has doubts about these things stated by us, first: How is it that the Son does not beget, just as He also brings forth, since He is a partaker of the same generative power as the Father? Or how is it that the Holy Spirit neither brings forth nor begets, when both these powers reside in Him in the same manner as in the Father and the Son? Second: How will there not be two principles, when there are two who bring forth? Or how will there not be a contraction, while two concur into one principle? In the first place, let him learn regarding the first point, that since the Father begets the Son with the generative power, as we have said, the generation is joined to its own power, by which the Son is begotten from the Father. Similarly, while the Father brings forth the Spirit through the Son, the procession is joined to its own power, by which the Holy C Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son. Therefore, neither does the Son beget for these reasons, nor does the Holy Spirit beget or send forth anything. For the Father imparts the aforementioned powers—the generative one to the Son, and the generative and productive ones to the Holy Spirit—already joined to their own operations, as perfections only, and not as powers. Moreover, both powers are infinite, and commensurate with those which are from the Father, and are themselves infinite with one and the same infinitude, and are always being brought forth according to the voice of the theologians. And therefore the Father, with one generative power, begets no more than one filial hypostasis, nor with one productive power does He produce more spirits. On this account, no more than three hypostases are reckoned in the D
EPISTLE AGAINST THE TURKS
A Brother, I fear that the time of the final tribulation has already arrived. I am vehemently distressed, my beloved, to revolve these things, since very many matters equal to or greater than those already spoken of remain, which I pass over out of the very weariness of the narration. Yet I have taken care to indicate these few things—of which I have spoken as if by way of a prelude, without explaining them—to you, for this purpose: first, that you may know these things to be true as related by a faithful reporter, and knowing them, may be moved to compassion, and may proclaim and announce them to others who do not believe these things. And [I wish] that you may induce faithful souls—if any are found in the world bearing the bowels of piety—to pray, to cry out, and to weep before the feet of the Divine Majesty, so that He may deign to succor His faithful in such great danger, or at least to succor His own Name. For if our help does not come from Him, it is sought in vain from man, in whom salvation is empty, and who trusts in him is rather cursed.
But this also is the most potent reason that prompted me to write these things to you: that you, clearly, who are kindled with the piety of Christ and with a zeal for souls, and who are distinguished by your knowledge and eloquence, might direct, garnish, and compose this letter which I am fashioning for you with due piety and gravity, so that it may become worthy to appear in the sight of kings and princes, if perchance they might hear and be converted at some time to avenge the injury of Christ Jesus. Unless, rather, you judge the contrary—that it is more apt to win belief for itself B the more everyone recognizes it to have been written not in composed or adorned speech, but in a simple style; leave all this to your judgment. I pledge my faith with words, not with tears or grief, which are rather renewed every day, praying and protesting to you by the bowels of Jesus Christ that you write these things, that you say these things, that you proclaim these things to the whole world, to both small and great lords and prelates, so that those who can may assist by fighting, and those who cannot may at least assist by praying. Which if they were willing to do, by the permission of the Lord, it would be as easy to succor such a great malady as it would seem incredible, or even impossible, to him who has read the aforesaid.
As for the rest, brother, have compassion on us who see and touch the aforesaid daily; have compassion even more on the miserable captives whose danger of soul is far graver than the very servitude of the body. But let your heart melt with the piety of compassion most of all over the remaining Christians, whom we see destroyed by such miserable circumstances. Finally, the brothers who are with me, nine in number between novices and professed, commend themselves to your prayers and those of the other fathers. Moreover, may it please you most zealously to pray, and to commend to others, this city, which fears the Teucrus most vehemently for the coming year; and in the judgment of all, it is greatly to be feared, since he has conducted three thousand and more young Christians to the sea, and has had them instructed most thoroughly in rowing, and is continuously preparing galleys for battle. But if he should capture this city, which God avert, C alas! alas! for the remaining Christians whom he could easily attack afterward, both by sea and by land, since at present he can only direct his hand to one place. It must be that if the event of a siege occurs, God Himself should help, since from Italy—whence he might perhaps have feared that this city would be succored, especially by the Venetians—he is entirely secure; as to which it is believed that at no time in his life has he been so strongly spirited, and so disposed to this, as he is now; which other signs already mentioned clearly demonstrate. For he has ordered thirty thousand pickaxes, and the same number of hammers and large iron stakes to be prepared in this manner. You yourself, consider: for what are these? Furthermore, he never eats, and speaks rarely with his men, when the city of Constantinople is brought into the discussion with a sigh. And not undeservingly, since through its power of the sea he could easily acquire [the world]. Add, if there is any weight in it, that from all the villages, cities, and castles subject to his empire—which are perhaps one hundred thousand—he has recently taken a tenth part of the boys from the Christians, which he had never done before, from ten to twenty years of age, and has made them his special Slaves and Armigers, and what is worse, Saracens. Whence it clearly appears, to conclude the sum of all in a brief word, that the times are now infallibly at hand where either he must destroy the Christians, or he must be utterly deleted by the Christians; the former of which I vehemently dread, the latter may God Himself rather grant.
Which nonetheless is not to be despaired of. For the public rumor spread among the Saracens and the Teucri is reported, that the time of their destruction is at hand, and has already passed, as certain of their prophecies declare. But because of their alms and piety toward the poor, which is true, and because of the chastisement of our own, which is truer, it has been delayed until the present, and is yet to be delayed still longer. D O where now is that most Christian duke, brave, pious Godfrey, Bohemond, Baldwin, and the remaining princes glorious for infinite ages? Who liberated the sepulcher of Christ Jesus from the hands of the infidels? And to repeat a little further back, where is that noble Charles, king of the Franks, whose celestial and eternal glory no age shall erase, nor any oblivion? Who not only by courage and arms, but much more by prudence and piety, avenged the injury of Christ Jesus, and whose faith and worship he amplified in the parts of the West and the East? And so great is the glory of him and his followers even now, that the very name of the Franks seems terrible even to barbarians, and all the Christians of the Western regions are called by the name of Franks throughout the whole East. O therefore kings and Christian princes, arise now, because it is time. The example is present, the honor is present, the necessity is present; justice, religion, faith exhort you; behold the common enemy is in sight, who has raised his head against Christ, brave against the timid, cowardly against the bold, what are you doing? Strengths that would suffice not only for resisting the pagans, but for amplifying the name of Christ, you consume among yourselves, and it has pleased you to wage wars that will have no triumphs. Whence, I ask, to Alexander of such great glory to him? Whence Hannibal...
11. Thus, therefore, it remains manifest that no division or contraction follows from this, nor anything absurd, nor anything impossible; for A in a single productive potency, just as in the one essence, Pater and Filii and Spiritus sanctus are divided hypostatically—not being two producers, but one; though two as to the manner only. For the former refers to the faculty, which is one, and not plural in both. Therefore, he is one producer: in this one way the hypostases are, as it were, separated. And therefore we call them producers, according to the teaching of this very theology. This is what the Roman Church—which is the same as to say, that of the universal faith—holds concerning the procession of the Spiritus sanctus in its piety. We have been educated and instructed in these dogmas, not by sophisms, as some babblers say, following humanly conceived and naked reasonings, but by the theologians of the Church B and as they spoke from God. Hence, one can conclude and judge that the holy Fathers pronounce in agreement with themselves, and do not hold to different or contrary things, nor do they contradict themselves, in which opinion those who are ignorant of theological matters err, when they either transfix with an obelus the pronouncements of the saints, or corrupt them, or deny them, or interpret them badly and ignorantly, and as it pleases themselves.
12. But you, whom I esteem above all others and especially hold to be truly fortunate in your exquisite study of piety and in the integrity of right dogmas, will suffer none of this. And, weighing matters carefully with a diligent mind, follow rather those who treat theological matters with reason, than the ignorant who give no reason for what is said, but rather avoid judgment C and obscure the truth, and miserably lose the Greek race both in deeds and in words. I desired to extend the present discourse and to compose much more concerning these same things, but I have judged that what is enough for the present has been said, which from very few things can conjecture and grasp much more. In the future time, if you permit, we shall have a broader discussion of divine things, reviewing the theological sentiments more accurately. For it must be that I be persuaded by you in everything, just as by a father and guardian of the race. D
JOANNES ARGYROPULUS’ EPISTLE TO DOMINICUS ROBOREUS, CARDINAL OF TURIN
In the Turin codex 455 (Pasini Cod. Taurin. p. 102) is held Aristotle’s work *De anima*, translated by Joannes Argyropulus in his latest and more elegant revision for Dominicus Roboreus, Cardinal of Turin. On the front of the whole most elegant work is held Argyropulus’ epistle to Cardinal Roboreus, whose grace for this interpretation I have accepted. It will not be useless to place it here, as it commends the Cardinal’s wonderful propensity for letters and sciences.
Joannes Argyropulus to Dominicus Roboreus, Cardinal of Turin, sends greetings and eternal happiness.
My love and highest benevolence toward you, most wise Father, compel me to do this as my supreme duty; since, if I were not to do this, there would be no man who would not think that I either ignore or neglect or set aside my duty and office, both of which would bring no small shame upon myself.
For it is well known that nobody is ignorant of what love expresses, and what benevolence calls for; to be ignorant of this is surely characteristic of a person who is exceedingly dull, or excessively thoughtless. And to neglect or set aside what the nature of benevolence requires—that which emerges from the very depths of love—is, in truth, the act of one who is pleased and displeased by the same things, and who, in the most important and honorable matters, fails of his own accord. I omit to recount the mutual merits and duties of benevolence and mutual love; if anyone, as far as his strength allows, should not respond to these, he would not unjustly be held liable to the charge of ingratitude or injustice—things from which human decency and noble character are especially averse. B You have instituted such a beautiful course of life, whereby, having arranged your domestic and private affairs well and sumptuously, you live in part for the duty and office of a high magistrate for other men; and in part provide for yourself through studies of letters and most noble doctrines, having embraced both as the sum of a way of life. In this, you have taken me as your companion and associate: not unaware that the studies to which we apply ourselves can be accomplished more expeditiously, more accurately, and better in this way. I, who have always thought that all human affairs, if the best end is removed, are vain and to be held as nothing—whose constant sentiment has been that a man who has embraced either way of life is like someone with a body endowed with both eyes but blind in one, possessing a superior right view but an inferior left, and is almost completely like one who is blind in both eyes. C And our most holy religion, which was divinely offered to us, pleases me vehemently for this very reason: because it endeavors to render men adorned and perfect in both ways of living, according to its own most beautiful laws and institutions, to nature and to its Creator alike; for, finally, since nothing delights him except virtue and the pursuit of wisdom, what, I ask, should I do towards you? What course should I take that would be most adapted to us both—both by the urging, pressing, and compelling love we share, and also by our way of life, which moves just as nature moves, and as if right reason were commanding it? Would this not be all that you desire, provided we have the means at hand, so that we do not appear inept or completely ignorant of reason, offering other things than those which are necessary? Would this not be everything that can conduce to the easy attainment of that desired human end D toward which you are already pressing with all your study and effort? Furthermore, I decided it was worth the effort and my duty to help you as far as my powers allow in your most excellent and honest studies, and to give you frequent assistance, with other matters neglected and set aside; and I thought that I should demonstrate the ways and paths by which one proceeds straight to human happiness and beatitude. I judged that the writers and authors of the liberal arts should be read through with you. I thought that the truth enclosed within them should be brought to light. Finally, I decided that the formulas and methods of the art of disputation should be sampled and not set aside; without these, the investigation and perception of the truth A cannot be rightly achieved at any cost. For this reason, I judged that it should not be neglected—a thing which will undoubtedly confer upon us no small benefit toward that which we strive for most keenly. I refer to the works of Aristotle, that most excellent philosopher of ours and supreme artificer, some of which are, in my judgment, the sole fonts of all good things, from which the human end emanates; these I have now translated more elegantly in order to offer to you, taking as our starting point that from which the science of the soul is handed down. From this, we can most accurately understand not only the nature of all other living things, but also our own, and the origins, causes, principles, and sources of human happiness. For as it does not escape you, we have long since decided that both are objects of our concern—the knowledge of things, I mean: both those which do not need our effort and those of which we are the authors, and which are placed under our power; and the elegance of language: the method of speaking, the choice of words, the ornament, charm, and abundance, so that the subject matter and thoughts may be convenient and accommodated to the style, and the style to the subject matter and thoughts—if the speech is to be accommodated to the senses, and the senses to the subject matter—just as the reason and nature of those things themselves, and the institution of wise men, requires, demands, and expects. For those are not to be proposed to us as models who use fine words without knowledge of things, or who are endowed with knowledge but lack skill in the art of speaking. It is surely a mark of distinct shame to do both, to speak as vainly as one speaks wickedly, although the latter, whether by misfortune of impotence or by reason of sloth, is the one that should be avoided. Let us join together things that must absolutely be joined, and not those which no one can ever join without his own disgrace, and let us not separate wisdom from elegance, and the charm and grace of words and speech. This task, therefore, I decided in my own mind to be not dishonest, not useless, not unpleasant, and not dissenting or contrary to our common goal or our mutual benevolence, and I decided by a sort of law that it should be given to you by me frequently and assiduously; and, consequently, that unless the necessity of nature intervene, no force could take it away from us. Since these things are so, proceed with good fortune to read the work of Aristotle on the soul, which has now been translated more elegantly, with the latest revision and more polished for your sake, as the subject matter allows, and as the method of interpreting prescribes (for a wide scope is not conceded in such things), and offered to you by us. In this reading and perceiving, you will also have us—since we so wished and intended—as companions, helpers, and guides, not indeed idle, not stagnant, not sluggish, but most ready for the undertaking of every labor, the fruit of which is the end for you to attain, for which nature brought you into being, and God, the Creator of things, endowed you with so many and such great powers and faculties. Farewell, more than half of my soul, and persuade yourself that you are dearer to me than anyone.
NICOLAI BARBARI PATRICII VENETI AD CONSTANTINOPOLIM OPPUGNATAM DIARIUM
April 14. Satan’s torment against the walls A armed with two triremes. But he places opposing quadripartite structures for the Genoese (cf. Phrantzes, who writes: "In fourteen places the walls of the City were struck"). Then three bombards were directed at the Emperor’s palace in Blachernae; likewise three against the Gate of the Spring; two at the Golden Gate, and four at the Gate of St. Romanus; among which that huge one of 1200 pounds and another of 800 pounds are mentioned.
April 12-17. On the twelfth day of April (according to Phrantzes, on the fifteenth) the Turkish fleet dropped anchor in the region of the port of Constantinople; its number, according to Barbaro, was 145, of which 12 were fully armed triremes, 70-80 were larger liburnians, 20-25 were parandariae (cargo ships for war use), and the rest were light craft. Add to this a cargo vessel (more veritably, however, filled with stone projectiles) laden with war material from Sinope. The Turkish fleet holds the Anatolian shore far from the city. Those besieged in the city wait constantly in arms for the enemy’s aggression. Within, besides the cannons fired incessantly and slight skirmishes against the Janissaries, nothing worth mentioning happens.
April 18. The aggression of the Turks on the night preceding the eighteenth of April is repelled, first by the Greeks who were slightly shaken; more than two hundred Turks died.
April 20. On the twentieth day of the siege, four Genoese auxiliary ships entered the Hellespont, which after a battle of 2 or 3 hours, aided by luck, repelled the Turkish aggression; as the sun set the defenders' triremes met the Genoese and brought them into the port with joy and a concert of music.
April 21. Mahomet proceeds with 10,000 horsemen to the fleet, rails bitterly against the naval commander, and orders him to resign his office with his life intact; the son of Piero Loredan, of boastful memory (perhaps some defector of the Venetian cause), is placed in charge of the fleet. On the same day, a dire devastation was wrought by enemy projectiles in the western region, with the ruin of the tower situated at the Gate of St. Romanus; the attempts of the besieged to repair the damage are recorded.
April 22. On this day, which was Sunday, 5,000 Italian ships C were transported by land from the Bosphorus into the port of Constantinople. Our author records, not without grief of soul, that 72 armed ships were placed on rollers and dragged by hand by the Turkish camp-followers and plebeians over the mountain upon which Pera sits to the north. The Constantinopolitans enclosed in the city, for whom danger impends from the enemy fleet even with few ships, place one trireme as a guard post at the strait that adjoins Pera, to give a signal to the naval commander where the enemies might attempt an aggression.
April 23. In the church of St. Mary (of the Hodegetria, as it seems), men summoned for this purpose deliberate on how the ships of the enemy ought to be driven from the port.
April 24. Lord Jac. Cocus, patron of that Trapezuntine trireme, two cargo ships, the prefect of those living in Pera, informs the Sultan about that matter; and the Genoese themselves, most treacherous men, together with the Venetian captains, persuade them to reserve the proposed attempt for another night, promising their own help, but in reality intending to bring help to the Turks with all their might.
April 25-27. In this interval of time, in which nothing worth mentioning happened, Barbaro opines that the further misfortunes are an action of the divine Godhead due to the sins of which that age was guilty.
April 28. That night two triremes, commanded by Gabr. Trevisano and Hier. Morosino, knight, and Jac. Cocus, are disappointed in their hope of burning the Turkish ships in the port with fire. Barbaro narrates this attempt more extensively than all the others.
April 29. The navigator Diedus names Dolphinus to the place of the Trapezuntine trireme’s captain, in the vacancy left by Cocus; Jo. Loredanus is substituted for him in guarding the Blachernae gate. The damages that the besiegers inflict on the besieged are immediately repaired by them. Besides this, nothing worth mentioning was done in the month of April.
May 1, 2. The same must be said of these two days. A shortage of food in the city.
May 3, 4. The Constantinopolitans oppose two bombards to the enemies in the port; the Turks place two machines of the same kind. Then for ten days and as many nights, cannons work on both sides without any remarkable effect. By the Emperor’s order, a light ship is sent toward the island of Negroponte to seek out the Venetian fleet and to ask J. Loredanus to help the city, which was in extreme peril, without delay. And this, indeed, travels through the Archipelago under a Turkish banner and disguised in Turkish clothing, but returns to Constantinople with the business unsuccessful.
May 5. The Turks set up more bombards on the mountain looming over Pera, and from there they shoot at the enemy ships in the port throughout the entire length of the great chain with cannon fire. And indeed a third bronze ball, thrown, sinks a Genoese ship full of merchandise and provisions to the depths of the sea. The ships of the Christians then return to the walls of Pera not without damage. The Turks, after having directed the same cannons toward Kynegion without effect, finally added those that were covering the inner walls.
May 6. On this Sunday also, the cannons thunder perpetually.
May 7. A nocturnal aggression made by 30,000 Turks is bravely repelled; in which stupendous cries reaching as far as the Anatolian sea caused the defenders of the city to gird themselves for battle by land and sea. Nevertheless, nothing further was attempted by the Turks, except that in departing they set fire to the Palatine gate; which the Greeks then blocked with a wall. The ships took up their previous station around the chain.
May 8. It was decreed by the Twelve-Man Council that the Tana ships, having been unloaded, should be transported into the arsenal. With the ships thus being unloaded by armed hand
how great a mass of arrows they cast into the city, so that those who were inside were affected with extreme fear. The captains said that for them the ships were their homes; that they should not endure life or death on the mainland. This opinion prevailed; and both they and the admiral remained on the shore at Pera. Engines around the gate of St. Romanus perpetually threw balls.
May 9. On Sunday, Gabriel Trevisano, by the will of the Twelve-Man Council so ordering, employed 400 soldiers fetched from two triremes to guard the land wall.
May 10. In a meeting held by the Twelve in the church of St. Mary, Lord Diedo is designated admiral of the fleet, on the condition that he should manage the care of the port and all maritime matters at his discretion.
May 11. The same deadly toil of the engines.
May 19. At this time at last, a bridge constructed by joining ships began to exist from Galata to the Kynegion, as Barbarus says; according to Phrantzes, however, it took place after the ships were transported, that we may be silent about the more confused chronology of Leonardo, who judges it to have been made before the naval battle with a difference of a whole month. Certainly Ducas agrees more closely with our Barbarus in this matter. The Turks do not cease to hurl bronze balls at the enemy and fill the air with shouts; the besieged repair the damage inflicted.
May 20. Barbarus reports the efforts of the besieged to repair the gaping walls, for which work women, children, and old men, even the clergy, were expending their strength. Mention is also made of that huge machine emitting 1200 lb stones, by which, when inflamed, not only the walls but the pavement of the city and the ships in the port were most violently shaken.
May 12. 50,000 Turks, with the usual shouts and the dissonant noise of drums and pipes, assail the wall situated around the palace; but the mercy of Jesus Christ averted extreme destruction from the city this time, because, as Barbarus opines, the destruction of Constantinople according to the prophecy of the holy Emperor Constantine was reserved not for the present, but for a further phase of the moon.
May 13. Lord Trevisano, prefect of the fleet, with his soldiers arrives at the land to defend the damaged walls. He does not retreat from that place until the city was taken. According to Phrantzes, he behaved as a shepherd, not a hireling, between the Kynegion and the Caesarean palace. Throughout that time, there was an uninterrupted fire of engines against the western wall.
May 14. The Turks, as we have already seen, drag the engines from the mount of St. Theodore through Pera towards the Kynegion gate from the direction of the harbor and afterwards place them behind the gate of St. Romanus, where the wall was suffering badly, although the besieged were eager to remedy the damages inflicted with all their might. Three hundred men, for the most part pyrotechnicians and archers, occupy that gate, all foreigners, except the Greeks, whose cowardice our author severely chastises.
May 15. The restless explosion of the engines and the assiduous repair of the parts damaged therefrom; otherwise, a truce.
May 21. The whole host of the enemy threatens an aggression long before sunrise; but after they had seen the ships of the besieged prepared for battle around the great chain, they attempted nothing, indeed they withdrew. When they had detected a mine dug by the Turks near the Caligarian gate, they blocked it and slaughtered the diggers. Nevertheless on this day the wall and the tower near it were quite badly damaged, and those who were inside the city had sick bodies from tireless labor and hardships.
May 22. A mine near the Caligarian gate, blocked again, frustrated the hope of the diggers. But a wondrous celestial spectacle having been seen (Barbarus calls it a common eclipse of the moon), the Constantinopolitans, mindful of the prophecy of Emperor Constantine, saw it as a sign of imminent ruin, and the Turks as a pledge of victory.
May 23. A third mine, furthermore, found near the Caligarian gate and the emperor's palace, was the reason why some of the artificers of war machines were taken prisoner; who, after they had said under orders where other mines had been built, were beheaded and thrown over the walls into the Turkish camps. On this same day, an actuaria ship, sent on the fourth day of that month to seek the Venetian fleet in the Archipelago, having escaped the ambush of the Turkish ships, returns to the port. The city is continuously harassed by the labor of the engines.
May 16. Some Turkish actuaria ships approach the chain around the port and attack the ships of the besieged; but suddenly, for fear that they might be repelled, they unwillingly withdraw. The mines dug by the Turks around the Kaligarian gate were detected and frustrated by the Grand Duke.
May 17. Five Turkish ships proceed as far as the chain of the port for the sake of exploring, but having been received by 70 shots, and those ineffective, they flee with the greatest speed they could. But everyone fears that the enemy might attack the city with all his forces, which everyone despaired of being able to resist.
May 18. The Turks, throughout the space of the night, construct those turreted machines, also mentioned with admiration by our Barbarus; nor could he wonder enough that the Turks finished in four hours what all the Christians living in Constantinople could not have done in the space of a whole month. From this great tower the Turks [cast] a huge...
May 24. A fourth mine, which they detected again near the Caligaria gate, damaged the wall not a little. Fierce shouting and jubilation thence from the Turkish camps because of the gambling-like battle now instantaneous.
The last mine found near the aforementioned gate terrified those shut up in the city the most. The war machines do not cease to emit fire and stones into the city.
May 26. Festal fires extending widely and jubilation in the Turkish camps because of the city to be assaulted the next day. The Constantinopolitans, with prayers and supplications to the Theotokos...
and all the saints, prostrated themselves, and cried out with groans and tears as they fervently begged for liberation from the hands of the pagans. But God our Lord decreed, in accordance with His inscrutable will, that on that very day the head of the Greeks should fall into the hands of Muhammad (and our Lord God of harsh judgment against the Greeks, who willed that this city should go on this day into the hand of Muhammad!).
May 29. Barbaro recalls ancient prophecies concerning the destruction of the Greek empire, the fulfillment of which, according to many signs, was reserved for this very day. In the third hour before sunrise, the Sultan ordered three armies, each of which numbered 50,000 armed men, to move against the city. The first cohort, in fact, consisted of Christians whom the Turks had forced into the company of the battle; the second was a rabble of untrained men (a disorganized crowd, that is, low-class people); the third, however, was composed of the Janissaries and the elite of the army; behind these finally the Sultan took his place. And the first of his troops when they tried to move their ladders to the walls, were repelled with great loss, but they were driven to the walls with such violence by those following behind that they had to perish in one way or another. As Barbaro notes, the Sultan had positioned those Christians in the first rank so that they would be exposed to certain death, while he spared the lives of the Turks, and so that he might wear out the defenders of the city through their futile aggression; this indeed happened in reality, although the second line of battle was repelled with much bloodshed by the arrows and the artillery of the city. Then the third line of the Sultan, with new strength and with a shout heard far and wide, the Janissaries and the flower of the army broke forth like lions. Not even the prayers and lamentations of the urban throng, especially the women, could stop them, and although the defenders fought most bravely on the walls, at sunrise the Turks, covered by the dust from that greatest cannon, were the first three hundred to cross the walls. But after these too had paid for their boldness with death, and the same stratagem had been repeated, finally up to 30,000 soldiers burst into the city with an assault, such as is the wont of wild beasts, through the parts of the wall that had been destroyed around the gate of St. Romanus. So many Turks fell in that slaughter that, if one trusts Barbaro, 40 merchant ships could barely suffice to transport the corpses. He reports further that Justinian was wounded and, shouting that the Turks were already taking control of the city, he became the cause of flight for all. Once the city was taken by force, the Turks poured out blood without any regard for age or sex, until they judged it better to sell the unarmed, among whom were the Venetian merchants who had hidden themselves in cellars. The standards of Saint Mark and the Emperor were torn down from the towers, and the dog of the Turks, as they call it, was substituted in their place. Thus, once the conquest of the city was known, whoever held the 70 ships in the harbor and the great fleet present through the Hellespont, lest they be frustrated of the huge spoils which at that very moment of time had begun to be placed on the ships, all joined in. Barbaro relates that the Turks placed a little flag on every house, monastery, or church that they had entered, which called back those who followed behind for the sake of plundering from proceeding further. More than 200,000 such signs seem to have been affixed throughout the city, inasmuch as a great part of the houses were decorated with ten such signs. The slaughter of the Christians thereafter was so great that the public streets were inundated with blood as they are after a rain with water, and the corpses thrown into the Propontis floated on the sea like fruit. Our author says that nothing certain was discovered concerning the life and death of the Emperor, except that, as some relate, his body was found among those who had been crushed by the Turks entering the gate of St. Romanus. Barbaro also reports that the surviving Venetians strove to place their property, especially their ships, in safety. Among those who escaped with their lives...
the author of these Ephemerides provides the names: 1) of the Venetian nobles who fell in the battle against the Turks; 2) of those who escaped unscathed with their ships (33); these were redeemed at a price of 800 up to 2000 gold pieces; 4) of all the Venetian nobles who were present in Constantinople on the very day of the invasion (68); 5) of those who perished throughout the entire duration of the siege (60-68). You have there the most illustrious names of the Venetian Republic: Bembo, Contarini, Mocenigo, Cornaro, Naui, Gritti, Loredano, Pisani, etc., though allowing for errors perhaps committed by the copyists. What is reported concerning the slaughter of the Greek magistrates there seems to be relegated to the apocryphal accounts. The prefect of the Tana galleys, Diedo, who was equal in fidelity to the author of these Ephemerides and to the admiral Fiurianus, paid his ransom with gold; others report a lower number. In the end, the Genoese commander at Pera, who was later set free, and he who reached the sea with a broken harbor chain on his galley, escaped. The galley of Hieronymus Morosini, and the Trapezuntine under the command of Dolphinus, who had succeeded to his place, and which had lost its own on April 28, escaped. Those who fled safely were the galley of Gab. Trevisani, which had been captured by the Turks, and three Cretan ships which escaped because of the absence of the Turks, who were dispersed throughout the higher regions of the city. Less is known regarding the Genoese ships that were saved, and the imperial vessels were denuded and fell as prey to the enemy. There is brief mention of a Venetian prefect who was led to execution. The number of captives, as Barbaro writes, is 60,000; the booty taken by the Turks amounts to 200,000.
ANONYMOUS NARRATION ON THE LIFE OF MOHAMMED
(From the Rehdiger Codex, ed. Dr. W. Gass in the Appendix to *Gennadius and Pletho*.)A The thrice-cursed and godless Mohammed, who is also called Mahomet among the Hagarenes subject to him, and who is considered a great prophet by them and is honored as if by God, appeared indeed in the days of the Emperor Heraclius. Born in a certain part of Ethiopia of Ethiopian parents, he was brought up and reached this point, progressing toward the worse in truth, in the following manner. A certain monk named Gerasimus, an extreme Arian and a *Pneumatomach* as they say, coming from Isauria, having been reared both in Constantinople and in the city of the Romans, when pressured by the pious to renounce Arianism and the other heresies by which he was held, would not be persuaded. Therefore, so that he might not be a source of ruin to many—being otherwise a learned man—he was exiled by the Orthodox to the regions of Coelesyria. Living there in a cave by a royal road in order to beg for his sustenance, since he was hated, he occupied himself mostly with astronomy and the method of prognostications. Viewing the passersby, he saw one day, among other travelers, a certain young man, namely the aforementioned Mahomet, driving a few camels and descending from Mesopotamia to Jerusalem for trade. This aforementioned Mohammed, having been orphaned while still quite young, went about to everyone’s door, feeding on what was left over. A certain very wealthy widow named Fatuma, seeing him, took him into her own house and raised him, and sent him B every day to pasture her own camels. When he matured, the woman fell in love with him and had sexual relations with him. Being caught and wishing to escape the disgrace of such a thing in the eyes of many, she openly made him her husband. Giving him a portion of her own possessions, she sent him out to trade. She was troubled, however, because he was subject to fits of epilepsy and caused her no small amount of mockery, so she commanded him to seek and inquire, wherever he might happen to go, if he could perhaps find a physician capable of freeing him from this affliction. Therefore, the aforementioned monk, sitting on the road and seeing Mohammed passing, asked him from what city he was coming; and after much questioning on his part as to why he was waiting by the road—but simply as one questioning another—when Mohammed, in the presence of others, heard that he [the monk] also practiced medical science, he became overjoyed. Having reported his epilepsy and hearing that the monk could free him from such an affliction, he gave him a portion for his expenses and let him go, saying, "Upon my return from Jerusalem, I shall take you up with me to my house in Mesopotamia for the sake of your treatment and that of many others, since the country is completely destitute of a physician, so that you may gather wealth and lead a relaxed and painless life." Having descended to Jerusalem and conversed with some of the heretics, and especially with the Jews and Nestorians, as he was very fond of study—but indeed also with the learned Jews...
A of our nature, and that our understanding and word are able to conceive and speak of those things all at once. For it is not even the case that, in the act of conceiving and speaking, we can say that this thing is at once, and that this thing is, without one of the two being conceived and brought forth before the other, since they are two in their hypostases. For this reason, he handed down this order in the discourse concerning baptism, with the Son’s hypostasis being set prior to that of the Spirit, according to the great Basil, who asserts in his letter B to the canons: "It is written that the Holy Spirit is from God; but if He is from God, how is that from which He is, older? And what is the folly, when the unbegotten is one, to speak of someone being above the unbegotten, or even prior to the Only-Begotten? For there is no mean between the Son and the Father."
Where C he also renders another cause for not saying that the Spirit is prior to the Only-Begotten, and it is not the same which he spoke of regarding the Father. "For there," he says, "the cause is an obstacle, for that from which something is cannot be prior (to it); but here there is nothing of the sort," he says, "but rather the immediate relation of the name of the Father to the Son." Then he adds: "So that the innovation concerning the order involves the negation of the very subsistence itself, and the denial of the whole faith." And he received such an order from the divine Scripture. For he had previously said: "It is ordered as we have been taught in the Gospels by the Lord, who said, 'Go, baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.'" They say, therefore, that this order, which comes about for the sake of the mentioned divine names, must be un-innovated, and neither in baptism nor elsewhere is it to be altered.
The teacher, however, did not speak of the order, nor does any other of the theologians, that this new theology has discovered, which is composed of certain degrees D and precidences, in that the production of the Son, as he himself says, is prior to the hypostasis of the Spirit, because the generative power—which is the principle of the Son—precedes in the Father, while the propletic principle is that of the Spirit, and because the generator is prior to the propletic (source), because the mind, or memory, precedes that which the word spoke of concerning the will.
For these things did not even enter the minds of the theologians; for how could they, when they lead to countless absurdities? And yet, while he himself boasts of avoiding absurdities, there are places where he gilds [E] (them) with a prior conception. The saints do indeed say that the Father is conceived prior to the Son as a cause, so that they might eliminate the precedence of time; but they do not say He is the cause of the Son because of this prior conception. But that He is the cause is posited, and that it is set in order as a cause is likewise (posited), but they refute the time being prior by the priority of the mental conception. But in cases where the order according to cause is disputed, a prior conception is not sufficient to demonstrate this. And regarding the powers which he speaks of, a prior conception is much more useless for his need, even if one were to grant that there are these two powers in the Father.
INDEX: AUTHORS OR EDITORS, BOTH PUBLISHED AND UNPUBLISHED, CITED IN THE ANNALS OF GLYCAS
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and the processions of His providence toward all. A And speaking of the creatures as the will of God. For the Damascene indeed says: "The begetting and procession of the divine nature is eternal and everlasting, but creation is the work of the divine will." And the 5th Ecumenical Council speaks thus: "God," says Origen, "in coming from not creating to creating, was surely changed from one thing to another; but we say that He was not changed according to nature, but according to energy; or rather, not even according to that, for He always had the power to create and to fashion; for such a power was energized because He willed it."
Does not this man also agree with those Fathers regarding what they declare concerning the creatures, while he himself speaks the same things concerning the procession of the Holy Spirit? For when, he says, the Father produces the Spirit, the will which accompanies the essence, being both source and power through the energy of projection, or of breathing, becomes the producing cause of the subsistence of the Holy Spirit. But these absurdities, or rather blasphemies, flowing from this are evident to all, and there is no need to speak at length; he even divides the will, insofar as it is a source of certain things, dividing it into one that is self-determining and one that is constrained—I do not know what kind he calls each—for as he proceeds he says: "Not as a self-determining source, but as a necessary and physical power of some kind and source," and then he adds:
ARGYROPULOS. Therefore, among those speaking theologically, the divine Spirit is called Love; for the power of love is will.
AGALLIANOS. Rightly, then, were we saying—or rather, the theologians were—that the creation of the universe by the immutable God is His will, which is not separated from any B of the divine subsistences; for the energy and the one power, the creative, is common. Behold, for the divine Spirit, being called Love, has as a power the will that produces Itself; and the Latins will never wash off this filth of saying that the Holy Spirit is a creature, since they also glory that It is produced from the will of God.
ARGYROPULOS. The things said, he says, harmonize with the utterances of the theologians, and no less with those things said by the holy Augustine in his book *On the Trinity*, in which he called memory the generative power and will the processional power.
AGALLIANOS. Alas for the slander! And which of the theologians have passed down these terms with which the things said harmonize? None, surely. For he even calumniates the most blessed Augustine, as calling the memory and the will of the Father powers—the one generative, the will processional. For it is not found anywhere in his writings, so far as we know, that these things are said thus; rather, the exact opposite is the case. For he also harmonizes with the rest of the saints of the C chapter of the book *On the Trinity*. "Ridiculous," he says, "is the dialectic of Eunomius, from which the Eunomian heretics sprang up. He who, not having been able to understand, or not having willed to believe, that the only-begotten Word of God, through whom all things were made, is by nature the Son of God—that is, begotten from the essence of the Father—did not say that He is Son by nature or by essence, but by the will of God, wishing evidently to testify to a will in God according to which He begat the Son."
How then, while mocking those heretics for saying these things, could he himself fall into similar ones? For he would surely be more ridiculous. But what he says concerning memory and will he does not contend to have from Scripture, but claims to deduce it of his own accord by some conjecture of reasoning, from the created image of God, which is man, setting forth some likeness of the uncreated God as he proceeds. For in the same chapter of which we spoke just now, he says thus: "But concerning the creation which God made, insofar as we have been able, we have instructed those who demand reason concerning such matters, that His invisible things are perceived as far as possible through the things that have been made, and especially through the rational or intellectual creation, which was made in the image of God, through which, as through a mirror, insofar as they are able—if indeed they are able—they may see God, the Trinity, in our memory, and in our understanding, and in our will. And these three things, existing naturally in the same mind from God, each one vividly contemplates, and how great it is in him, where it is natural also for the eternal and immutable D essence to be remembered, and to be seen, and to be desired. For it is recalled through memory, it is seen through the understanding, it is embraced through love, and he finds entirely the image of the supreme Trinity." And again in chapter 23: "For indeed, the memory of man, and especially that which the beasts do not have, that is, that through which intelligible things are so contained that they do not come to it through the senses of the body, has in this image of the Trinity—incomparably dissimilar indeed, yet nevertheless possessing some likeness of the Father—its due measure. Moreover, also the understanding of man, which is fashioned thence through the intention of the reason, when that which is known is spoken, and not of any tongue, but of the heart whose word it is, has in its own great dissimilarity also a certain likeness of the Son. And indeed, the love of a man flowing from knowledge and joining the memory and the understanding, as if common to both the Father and the offspring—whence it is understood to be neither Father nor offspring—has in this image, even if very dissimilar, a certain likeness of the Holy Spirit." And again: "But concerning the Holy Spirit, I have proved that there is nothing in this enigma which would seem similar to Him, except our will, or love, or affection, which is a stronger will." And again in the 24th: "This name is fitting for the Holy Spirit, just as love; but what else is love, if..."
not will?" These things are not taken from the remaining teachers without sense, and especially not from the eastern philosophers. For they preach that the Father has a mind, and that the Son is the Word, the Son of Thunder, and that the Spirit is Love—for they say that the love of man is a stronger will—Augustine, however, says that it is not the will, or rather the faculty of affection that generates love, that is, of the Holy Spirit; for the one who says this is opposed by Macedonius.
So what the Father wills, this is the mind, this is the will according to Augustine; and what the Son wills, this is the intellect according to the same; and what the Spirit wills, these are the names and attributes the theologians say obscurely distinguish those who are in essence the persons, and signify their relations and reference. For the attributes, St. Basil says in the second book *Against Eunomius*, are like certain forms and characters observed in the essence, which separate the common from the peculiar characters; but those which are of the same essence do not divide—like common in the Divinity, while the attributes of fatherhood and sonship are certain peculiarities. "From the combination of each, both the common and the particular, the comprehension of the truth comes to us." And the Areopagite says, "The name of Father, and Son, and Spirit are distinguished, and no reversal or total community of these is introduced." And Gregory the Theologian says, "That the Father is unbegotten, the Son is begotten, and the procession, the Father is the Father, the Son is the Son, that which is said to be the Holy Spirit," in order that the distinct persons may be saved without confusion. And Nyssen says, "Each attribute observed in the hypostases clearly and purely distinguishes one from the other."
Things being so, and these names in relation to the distinct and distinguished hypostases—or rather the persons themselves—being the unity devised by the theologians; for if the Father be called, or the mind, or the will, or Love, or the volition, we do not understand them as powers residing or joined, or in any way attributed to the essence; for just as the same essence is in the person because of the powers, sometimes as Father, sometimes as Son, sometimes as Spirit; not as Sabellius babbled, but as only distinguishing the persons, [not] confusing the holy ones; O best of men, you who are eager to unite with the voices of other theologians the things said by you!
For he has thus theologized the Father as having as a power the mind, or the generative mind, by which he produces the Son; then the will, by which he produces the Holy Spirit, as he himself claimed to theologize, not understanding that these are the voices of heretics, unless he himself also puts them forward and strives to involve others in them.
And he slanders the blessed Augustine, twisting and misinterpreting the things well and rightly said in his [Augustine's] mind, or rather, I should say, making them up himself, which will appear in what follows to the other theologians, which were not said by him at all. But blessed Cyril also says that the Son is not of the will of the Father in another way. "For He is not of the treasures, but He says that some things have come to be of will, but the Son is as if He were the will existing in the Father." He was so far from thinking of the will as some creative power—as he [the author] says, claiming that Augustine says another way for the Spirit, and another for the Father, as he himself says. Some, so that the Son might not be said to be of the counsel or of the will of God...
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A a different one, having coined a definition, "The Father alone is Begetter and at the same time Producer;" perhaps he is speaking of those he supposes; for is the Son a producer, and not a begotten one?
But it belongs to a pious mind to take care, in the holy Scriptures, to be cautious of affixing terms to the Holy Spirit. Do you not hear he who is of Cyril saying, "Do not remove the eternal boundaries which your fathers have set;" for they were not the ones speaking, but the Spirit of God. But if you, from the Fathers' definitions, are moving boundaries, and are legislating things against the mark, is it not clear that it is not from the same Spirit that you speak?
We, from the definition set by the Father, do not move it, but we believe the Father to be begotten, the Son to be begotten, and the Holy Spirit to be the producer of the Holy Spirit, B the Son begotten by the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeding even he from the Father, as He himself defined, led to it by the Word of God; for He adds where he says, "God is Spirit." Together with this also agrees he of Nyssa saying, "And one and the same person of the Father, from whom the Son is begotten and the Holy Spirit proceeds;" so that we also rightly call the one Cause, together with His own caused [effects], one God with confidence. And it is not with the co-caused and the caused, nor any other of such things.
For we have not heard from any of the holy ones C that the Son is [a cause] of anyone, nor co-cause, nor cause-making, nor source of the Holy Spirit, nor of the same things similarly. But rather, we reject such things from ourselves, saying, "And if we say that the Spirit is from the Son, we say the Son is a cause," and He has everything the Father has, except the cause. But you, while advancing these and removing the definitions by which you are [adding?], for they cannot be saved together with those.
ARGYROPULUS
By only "Of these in the divine to be the only one producing;" for it is only to produce in the mentioned powers the source and beginning and cause, D and whatever one might say of the likes.
AGALLIANUS
But the Son, O most excellent one, by what other powers is He producing the Spirit, as you yourself say? If indeed by other powers, and otherwise He is the beginning and cause, the Son, besides having partaken of another essence according to your position, so that even to the blind the duality is clear if you are the one who is making these powers common with the Father, as it is permitted to you to do everything and to refashion and flee to yourself and the holy ones; if you deem to avoid us, doing business only with the sound, rather than seeming to the simpler ones to be wise and to be holding the holy ones, but thinking nothing sound.
How can He be "alone" together with the Son? And in the powers, how is it possible? For what are the Hypostases, joined by the powers, that will produce the Spirit?
nothing sound. How can He be "alone" together with the Son? And in the powers, how is it possible? For what are the Hypostases, joined by the powers, that will produce the Spirit?
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A This is a nonsensical aberration. And how is it not an ancient folly to say that in the Unbegotten there is something that "proceeds" later from one who is Unbegotten? For let us assume that the Begetter proceeds from the Producer—no, rather, [let us assume] the Son is not because of this [the product] of the producer, so that the producer has the "producing" in common with the Father and the Son, but rather that both have the causes. And if we were to grant that in themselves they have a certain order, or that it is reasonable instead that only one of the causes be presupposed by the things caused—which is to say, from the persons advancing according to them—our conception of them, insofar as it falls under our grasp, has no necessity to be believed to have a certain order, as our mind imposes it; for the manner of those divine processions is ineffable, and we hear the theologians saying that to search into these things is the work of heretical minds and is a pronouncement of the oecumenical councils. In this way, I shall also share in the foolishness of Arius and Eunomius. For Eunomius himself, relying on such wretchedly posited presuppositions, as if from a starting point, incorrectly transfers the logic of cause and the manner of the three hypostases in unity of nature B to a distinction in terms of nature, and [by doing so] creates a confusion of the unconfused hypostases and hypostatic dignities, and—as another, Gregory of Nyssa, says, while rejecting the temporal implication of the Only-Begotten's hypostasis—he dangerously puts forward certain grades of nature, C and weaves together dignities, or processions. [Gregory] rejects the temporal implication of the Only-Begotten's hypostasis; [he says] the Father is the only cause of the Son, and rightly so, since the property is not endangered regarding the Son. Then he adds, "The same is true also concerning the Spirit; the only difference in order being that the Son is joined to the Father and has his being from Him, and does not lag behind in terms of existence, so too, in turn, the Holy Spirit follows the Only-Begotten, with the sole conceptual difference being the order of the cause of the Spirit’s hypostasis, so that, with the logic of the cause yielded, He creates in no way a dissonance within the Holy Trinity." For in each of the persons, he has the logic of the cause alone presupposed in terms of conception, and sets forth the divine persons, for it is He who gives the properties by which they are distinguished, or rather, this very receiving from the Father of all things along with D the nature—that is, toward the Father—is the property, the ineffable manner of differentiation, and they distinguish themselves from one another through these things. And the Father who is from [no] cause is distinguished according to the cause, as the same Gregory says: "We do not deny the difference according to cause and that which is caused, but we do not grasp how the one is distinguished from the other by some other difference, nor is it the same [thing that is] distinguished. For, he says, we understand a difference, and here he speaks of the logic of the cause." And having already reached agreement regarding this in the *Against Eunomius*, "As the Son is from the Father, so too is the Holy Spirit from the Father, except for the manner..." [index: entries preserved]
such great glory to the Great? Whence to Hannibal the African, to Scipio, and to Caesar? Truly, not because they waged most famous wars, but because they brought them upon foreign nations; but, alas! woe is me! such is the lust for dominion in our princes at present, that they perceive neither the losses of the faithful nor their own dangers. They swell with pride in themselves; but let them go forth for a little while into the field, and let them teach the barbarian nations what their virtue is; but if no other cause were to invite them to take up arms, such as faith, liberty, and glory, it is surely a wonder if temporal gain itself does not seize their hearts, since these nations, of which we speak, are full of gold and silver and precious stones; they themselves, and their women especially, are clothed in nothing but silk, and walk about adorned to their feet with pearls and gems; and they make use not only of cups and dishes, but of silver tables and chests, and golden bridles and saddles, and, what is horrible to hear, countless numbers of them drink from nothing but gilded chalices taken from the temples of Christians, to the reproach of Christ and to their own exaltation. Why, therefore, do we delay any longer? Behold what you seek. But why do I consume both time and words on such things? Since, unless God himself illuminates their eyes and moves their hearts, all exhortation of man is in vain. Wherefore, O my fathers and brothers, when these things have reached your ears, strike God, I beseech you, with cries, entreat, run through cities and camps, call the people, gather the assembly, prick the hearts of small and great concerning these things, so that they may at last abstain from sins, persist in diligent prayers, and strive to the best of their ability in works of piety, so that God himself, pious and merciful, moved to wrath on account of the sins of men, may be mitigated by their contrary good works, and may look for a little while with an eye of piety and clemency upon the Christian people, may infuse charity into their hearts, and may grant holy union and peace to prelates and princes, so that the devil, the inventor and instigator of all evils, who has sown so many scandals in the Church of Christ until now, may be confounded and thrust back into the depths of hell, the faithful of the Church may exult, and the infidels, who to this day mock and deride Christ and Christians, may blush and be confounded and perish. Which, if, by the favor of the Lord, this sacred union is celebrated, cross the sea securely, brothers, (with hearts prepared and willing), for in your sight there is much land, abounding in eternal fruits. You, however, beloved brother, I invite all the more confidently, as I recognize the secrets of your heart. Amen. From Constantinople, 12 December, 1438. Your entirely devoted brother, Bartholomew of Jano, of the Order of Friars Minor, though unworthy.
EPHEMERIDES OF CONSTANTINOPLE BESIEGED AND TAKEN IN THE YEAR 1453 This narrative is the work of a man who seems to relate with the greatest care what he himself saw at the time when Byzantium was besieged by the Turks. For whatever happened from the 5th of April until the 29th of May has been committed to memory by the author in such an exact order of daily notes that I do not know if it has been done more accurately by another. Hence it seemed good to bring forward the narrative of Barbaro in chronological order, yet in such a way that we may recall to the minds of the readers in what respects he differs from other writers of Turkish affairs. Let us say in passing that the Ephemerides of Barbaro, written in the ancient Venetian dialect, differ much from good Italian language. Wherefore an accurate translation of this document into Italian seems to us to be placed among the most desirable things. I will also not pass over in silence that, besides the difference of dialect, the author, a patrician originating from Venice itself, very often inveighs with manifest anger against whatever pertains to Genoa (Zenovexe, as he himself speaks), in which he does not even spare Justiniani himself; wherefore our author must be read with caution where there is talk of the Genoese, as the Ephemerides relate the cause and prelude of the war according to the author's own particular judgment. 1452. March. Sultan Mahomet (Machomet bej), having brought two envoys from the Greek Emperor with a fleet of 40 ships, having left Gallipoli, betakes himself to the Bosphorus (beca de mar mazor), intending to construct the castle of Bogas-Kesen, 6 Italian miles distant from Constantinople. Then in the middle of August, the sultan cuts off heads at the castle to the end and thus began the war. Hence with an army of 50,000 men he surrounds the city for three days. At the same time, the fleet also returns to Gallipoli at the beginning of September. Nov. 26. The ship of Antonio Rizio, returning from the Euxine Sea... Journal of the siege of Constantinople 1453 by Nicolo Barbaro, edited by Henricus Cornet, from the manuscript codex which is preserved in the Venetian library of St. Mark, published in Vienna 1856. We give an epitome, translated into Latin, which D'A. Ellissen made in the German vernacular in Anecdota (Leipzig 1837).
[Greek Text] ...shall be our understanding, and the word at the same time to understand and to say those things; for we are not able, even in the very act of understanding and saying that this and that are at the same time, not to foresee and bring forth one before the other, since they are two according to the hypostases; for this reason he delivered this order in the discourse on baptism, with the hypostasis of the Spirit perhaps being placed before the Son by other necessary and pious words, according to the great Basil in his letter to the canonicals, saying: "The Holy Spirit is written as being from God; but if from God, how is that from which it is, older?" And what is the madness of one being unbegotten, but that one says it is higher than the unbegotten, but not even before the Only-Begotten? For there is nothing between the Son and the Father. ...the fruit-bearing or theogony of the hypostasis, knowing the nature of our own, and that it is not possible that it is entirely his own property. Whence it is clear that the teachers do not wish there to be two fertilities, and two distinct powers and ordered principles in the Father, as unworthy of theology and dangerous; nor having learned the generative power and this additionally conceived, and the projective power before, have they thus named the things brought forth according to them, but rather having learned that the Word of God is his Son, and the Holy Spirit in some ineffable way, and it also having existence, from God the Father himself, they reasonably understood also a certain power for the sake of the clarity of the word as fruit-bearing to the Father. And fertility, divided by the looking toward the fruits, being two, but in the Father, in the manner of the state, being understood in a gathered and unified way. And much more as the holy Dionysius says concerning the creation of beings, that the divine word has gathered the causes of all things into himself in a unified way. And Cyril says that through one power God creates the diverse natures of beings, wherefore they also decreed that the things proceeding from him do not proceed by any such order, as would be the case of other things proceeding from one, in which that which is closer to the first is in a way the cause of those further away, nor that the generator is conceived before the projector in the Father himself; nor did they deliver to us the generative before the projective power, nor any other such thing, having perfected all theology. For how could those who taught that both proceed at once and immediately and closely from the Father, [have taught] that which sounds into the fertile and practical power of the Father? For Dionysius did not say root and stem and flower, but that the Son and the Spirit are God-planted shoots, clearly rising from one root at once and immediately and closely, or two flowers, in one shoot clearly, when one must understand the Father as the shoot, bringing forth two flowers at once, neither before the other or closer, or as super-essential lights shining from one lamp. And he says he received these things from the holy oracles, not legislating from himself. And Gregory the Theologian, writing to Evagrius, says, "As if some rays of the Father were sent to us, both the luminous Jesus and the Holy Spirit." And after a little: "In the same way also our Savior and the Holy Spirit, the twin ray of the Father, as if from one sun, the Father, both shine forth at once." But he also calls the Son and the Spirit a two-channeled river, clearly proceeding from one source, the Father. And all the others use similar things, by which they might indicate the procession of both the Son and the Spirit to be at once, and immediately and closely from the Father, and both bearing the second [place] by the looking toward their common cause, from which they proceed together as caused only, and by nothing else. But the ineffable wisdom of God [overcomes] the weakness... Where he also gives another reason for not saying the Spirit before the Only-Begotten, and not the same which he said concerning the Father. For there, he says, the cause prevents it, for that from which it is could not be before; but here, he says, there is no such thing, but the immediate relation of the name of the Father to the Son. Then he adds: "So that the innovation concerning the order has the setting aside of the existence itself, and the denial of the whole faith." And he took such an order from the divine Scripture. For having anticipated, he said, "It is ordered as we have been taught in the Gospels by the Lord saying, 'Go, baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.'" This order, therefore, which comes about through the mentioned divine names, they say must be un-innovated, and neither in baptism nor elsewhere to be changed. Therefore, the teacher, or any other of the theologians, did not speak of an order which this new theology invented, composed of certain degrees and precedences, by the production of the Son being before, as he himself says, the hypostasis of the Spirit, by the generative power preceding in the Father, being the principle of the Son, the projective principle being that of the Spirit, nor by the generator being before the projector, by the mind or memory preceding, as the one to whom the discourse was said, of the will. For these things did not even enter the minds of the theologians; for how could they, leading into myriad absurdities? Although he himself boasts of avoiding absurdities, there are places where he colors over the pre-conception. The saints indeed say that the Father is conceived before the Son as cause, so that they may abolish the precedence of time; but they do not say he is the cause of the Son because of being conceived before. But it is posited that he is the cause and that he is placed before as cause likewise; but they refute the priority of time by the priority of conception. But in those cases where the order according to cause is disputed, the pre-conception is not sufficient to show this. And in the case of the powers which he mentions, the pre-conception is much more useless for his need, even if one were to grant that these two powers exist in the Father.
of the generation so that it does not oppose the Spirit; for if the Spirit is God to the Son and to the Father, [then] the Son is perhaps God to the Father and to the Spirit, as proceeding from them—an assumption [he makes], even if he does not clearly assert it as such.
If the Spirit were joined to the Father in the generation of the Son, then it would be a "joining," and [this] joining would imply a "procession" of the Spirit in the way he describes. The Theologian’s discourse does not define and separate the divine hypostases in this way, such that the Father is distinguished from the Son by paternity, and [the Father is distinguished] from the Spirit by paternity—for the blessed Theologian did not teach that we should conceive B these things as distinguished in the Father. Rather, it seemed pious to believe in the monarchy of his cause, and not to conceive of [them] as a plurality in the Father, as if they were two [different things] starting from one principle and flowing into the things that proceed, as he has shown.
For one must avoid all innovation. Therefore, the divine Dionysius also says that the Father is "beyond-nature," which Maximus interprets wisely, saying: "The Father, being beyond concept, is the source of the generation of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." And regarding the others, the teachers say that [one is] the cause, the other the root, the other the principle, C and another something else of those who are distinct, according to which he speaks of the Father.
They say that the divine persons are to be distinguished: the Father from those who are from Him, by the difference of cause and causality, and they [the Son and Spirit] are distinguished from one another by the mode of their existence, by the rationale of each cause, clearly by the one being begotten and the other proceeding. For, he says, we stand upon our own boundaries, introducing the unbegotten, and the one proceeding from the Father, as the Theologian himself says. These are the things the Theologian’s discourse D hands down, and it is most true and agreed upon by all, [namely], that apart from the hypostatic properties, all things are common to the three. As he says further:
REFUTATION OF ARGYROPULOS
ARG YROPULOS: But he himself, perhaps because of the powers—since they are distinctions of God to us, and we recognize their processions—begins to sow falsehood from the powers, so that it might appear in the persons, and [he makes] the whole and sole Son, according to the Theologian—even if he himself has spoken previously of the [Son] as being produced—a producer, a cause, and a principle; and he will construct these things from the order, [arguing] that the Son is second to the Father, but first to the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit third, because of the powers that precede, or the causes, because the one precedes, and the other follows. And if he were closer to the Father in power, which he claims is the essence, then he is also the essence; but [to claim] what is more remote, and other things more blasphemous and worse than these, anyone looking on rightly and dispassionately will detect in the argument. And proceeding further, he says:
ARGYROPULOS: But surely, of the Father’s hypostasis being the same when he produces the persons, and of the essence being one again as principle and power, the things produced would be the same in every way. Instead, the produced person would be one in reality, if not for the essence, and other things were present through which the powers became somehow different, by which the Son and the Spirit are produced; and [by which] there would also be a will.
AGALLIANOS: It is necessary for the ends to agree with the principles. And so, the argument moved by false principles will also have such a result. For he presupposes things that introduce time into the proof of the eternal. For he says, when he produces the persons, there is no time in these. For they were always produced and always proceed, or rather they were produced from the beginning. For we have learned this from the most theological Gregory, who answered one of the heretics who was questioning him provocatively about the divine generation, saying: "But the Son was begotten from the beginning, clearly," so that we might easily avoid their curious and time-focused objections. Although he himself, being aware of himself, defines the eternal everywhere, as if one were speaking temporally yet eternally—holding to the eternal for the true [Son], while not caring if he follows the words regarding the other, out of an intense desire to establish his own opinion. And the powers he took up and spoke of as distinguished—as by the very fact of them being distinguished, the divine persons proceed as distinguished—look, now he identifies or unifies them, so that, as it seems, with the introduction of the others that are present with the essence—namely, mind and will—he may divide it, legislating that the one is conceived of as prior, and the other as coming after.
ARGYROPULOS: And the mind, being a principle and power, as he himself asserts [it] acts through generation, produces the Son together with the essence.
[He who is] at once a principle and power with the essence, through the act of generation, is productive of the Son, for which reason the Son of God is named the Word by the Theologian’s thunder. For the Word is the offspring of the mind, and the will is together with the essence, being a principle and power productive of the Holy Spirit’s hypostasis through the act of procession, or breathing.
AGALLIANOS: But a swarm of principles appears to us from these words; for both the hypostasis, and the powers, and the essence, and now even the mind. Therefore, the Father is a thing of many principles according to these words, just as he was also of many powers before, or—if they are distinguished from the essence by their "what it was to be"—they are entirely one in the thing itself, as some of the Latins might say. What is the need to join these things, and divide them, and turn them upside down? It was sufficient to say that the Father produces the Son and the Holy Spirit by his essence, which we observe—let us look at what happens as we proceed; for the other [claims] are superfluous. Now he calls the mind a power and another principle, besides the generative power, of course. Since, because of the mind and the will, he says the powers become different, and these he will again call essence as he proceeds, which results in the division of the essence.
Then he calls the mind a power in God the Father, and the word an offspring of the mind. Whence, the word is an offspring of the power, which no one has ever said, for this is human. But the Theologian Gregory, in the second [discourse] concerning the Son: "The Son," he says, "is called the Word, because he is related to the Father as word to mind." Furthermore, he says that the power is the essence, and he famously said that the essence neither begets nor is begotten. But in calling the will in the Father the power and principle productive of the Holy Spirit, does it not seem that he is numbering the one of the Trinity—I mean the Paraclete—together with the creatures? For by this [criterion] they distinguish the divine persons from the creatures: that the former are from the nature, and the latter from the will of God. And [God] produces the former because he is of such a nature, and he produces the latter because he wills it. We will also bring forth the teachers who testify to this. Justin the philosopher and martyr of the truth says thus: "Of God possessing essence for existence, but will for creation, he who rejects the distinction between essence and will also rejects the existence of God and his creation—his own existence, and the creation of things that do not exist." And the divine Maximus in his expositions on Saint Dionysius says: "The will of him concerning the beings is spoken of properly as of him who is unmoved and existing ever in the same way."
1097 IN THE ANNALS OF MICH. GLYCAS. Furni, so called by the emperor by way of irony, the patriarch’s pride and wickedness, 325. His punishment, ibid. Knowledge of future events peculiar to God alone, 107. G God, the avenger of the Gibeonites, 139. Galata, a town of the Genoese, occupied by the Turks, 518. Galba, emperor, 238. Duration of his reign, ibid. Galen on Tityus, 111. A passage of Galen, 56, 57, 59, 133. The fabulous dialogue between Galen and Magdalene, 131. Galerius and Constans, emperors, 245. Death of the emperor Galerius, ibid. Gallus and Volusianus, emperors, 244. Why the rooster crows at certain hours of the night, 47. Of what he reminds us by his crowing, ibid. On the crowing of the rooster, the discrepant passages of the Evangelists reconciled, 216. The Ganges river, 142. The deeds of Gideon, 165, 191. How many sons Gideon had, 164. Gelimer, king of the Vandals, 166. Books of Solomon on gems, 183. The Little Genesis, 101. The perverse narrative of the Little Genesis, 108. Refutation, 211. A genie expelled by the prescription of Solomon, 185. Hindered by the prayers of a monk, 287. The prophecy of an evil genie, 287. Genies infesting a castle are driven away by the sign of the cross, being in reality malicious plotters, 196. How Solomon commanded the genies, 183. Solomon’s book on the genie, ibid. The opinion of Porphyry and Iamblichus, 107. The peculiar opinion of Gennadius and Theodoret on the creation of angels, 80. War with the Genoese, 346. Inventors of geometry, 127. Georgius Syngellus or Syncellus on the children of Adam, 117. The lie of Georgius the Chronographer, 118. A passage of Georgius Syngellus, 156. Germanicopolis besieged in vain by Basil the Macedonian, 295, 296. The arguments used by Patriarch Germanus against Leo, 79. Testimony concerning the falling asleep of the Virgin Mary, 233. Gesema, the dwelling place of the Israelites, always immune from the plagues of Egypt, 153. Giants, 71. Cut down by Caleb, 162. Bones of giants discovered under Anastasius, 265. Gilimer. See Gelimer. Gizerichus, prince of Libya, 262. He spares Marcianus, ibid. Goetia, whence so called, 129. The distinction between goetia and magic, 130. Goliath struck down by David with a sling-shot, 175. The size of Goliath, ibid. Gotholla, daughter of Ahab, married to the son of Jehoshaphat, 187. Gordianus, emperor, 243. Greeks, inventors of astronomy, 127. How they destroyed themselves, 346. They followed the side of the Hungarians, 547. Concord between the Greeks and Romans, ibid. Tumult against the same, ibid. Diversity in the numbering of years among the Greeks and Hebrews, 121. Hail under Iconomachus, 315. The sending of hail and fire, the seventh plague of Egypt, 153. The origin of hailstones, 9. Gratian, emperor, 253. Most skilled in archery, ibid. The moderation of Gratian, ibid. Greg. Nazianzen. See Nazianzen. Greg. Nyssen. See Nyssen. Encomium of Gregory of Nyssa, 2. Pope Gregory, 259. Pope Gregory forbids the payment of taxes to the emperor Leo and turns Italy away, 281. He absolves a dead man, 282. Grossi, 13. The watch of cranes, 40. William, king of Sicily, 340. H Habakkuk, 202. Hadrian, and Hadrianopolis. See Adrian. Hæcaterina, wife of Isaac Comnenus, 321. Where buried, ibid. Hæmorrhois, a serpent, 58. The halcyon bird, 41. Halcedonia, whence so called, ibid. Halo around the sun, 23. What a halo of the moon is, 30. Halys river, 140. Harmatius the traitor is killed, 264. That Heber alone retained his language during the confusion of tongues, 128. 1099 The Hebrews demand a king, 173. The republic of the Hebrews changed into the form of a kingdom, ibid. What is frequent among the Hebrews, 9. Diversity in the numbering of years among the Hebrews and Greeks, 121. Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, 218. Heliogabalus, emperor, 243. Prodigiously lascivious, ibid. Henry, king of the Germans, 541. Heraclea preferred to Byzantium, 249. Formerly called Perinthus, ibid. When Heraclitus lived, 202. The saying of Heraclitus, 74, 116. Heraclius, emperor, 276. Heraclius’s victory over the Persians, ibid. Death, ibid. Heracleones, emperor, 276. The punishments of Heracleon and Martin, ibid. No poisonous herb made without some fruit, 12. Why not all herbs are edible, 11. Why some are poisonous, 12. Hercules and Samson contemporaries, 164. Hercules the Tyrian philosopher, inventor of purple, 140. Who are hermaphrodites, 113. Hermes, 28. Hermes Trismegistus, 114. How Herod obtained the kingdom, 199. When Herodotus lived, 202. Herricus, emperor, 342. He puts the Vlachs to flight, ibid. The hydrus, enemy of the crocodile, 274. How it kills him, ibid. A severe plague under Phocas, 275. Savage under Constantine Copronymus, 284. The first violation of the Sabbath during the siege of Jericho, 162. Jerusalem plundered three times by Nebuchadnezzar, 198. Called Solyma in the age of Abraham, 135, 177. Jerusalem called Aelia, 240. For what reason, ibid. Jerusalem never to be restored, 238. Captured for the second time under Antiochus Epiphanes, 202. Several thousand men slaughtered there, ibid. The first bishop of Jerusalem was James, 248. Why he was called the Just, ibid. His murder, ibid. Bishop Juvenal, 232. His narrative concerning the burial of the Virgin Mary, ibid. The destruction of Jerusalem, 237, 258. What prodigies preceded it, 237. When the destruction occurred, 238. Why God wished the history of the destruction of Jerusalem to be written by Josephus, 238. Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, 257. The siege of Jerusalem imputed to the murder of James the Just, 228. Hieus the prophet, 188. Hildericus or Hinderichus, king of the Vandals, 266. On his account Justinian moves for war, ibid. 10. When Hippocrates lived, 202. The saying of Hippocrates, 101. Born naked into life, excelling in the excellence of reason, 51. That man fears wild beasts, a sign of what, 80. If he had not fallen from the angelic life, there would have been no distinction of sexes, 103. What the food of man was before the fall, 97. On the creation of man, 66. An angel is the guardian of every man’s life, 157. A passage of Nazianzen on the formation of man, 68. Providence in the formation of man, 114, 113. The twofold growth of man, 83. The fall, 100. What it argues that man was established by God as prince of all, 80. Why God created man from the very beginning as king of earthly things and immortal, 88. The petulance of the devil against man, 196. Why the men of old lived long, 146. Why they had many wives, ibid. Whence men were called Meropes, 128. Why something was taken away from the years of men, 146. Whether minds rule the stars, 113. Why the offspring of men partly reflect and partly do not reflect the likeness of their parents, 56. That men were made corruptible from an incorruptible nature, and will rise again incorruptible from a corruptible one, is declared by a similitude, 91. Honorius and Arcadius, sons of Theodosius by Placilla, 256. Why fire consumed the offered sacrifices in the beginning, whereas it does not happen now, 118. Incursions of enemies signaled by fires, 292.
A And again in the same chapter: "And the processions of his providence over all things." And speaking of the will of God regarding creatures, the Damascene says: "The birth and procession which are before the ages and eternal are an act of the divine nature, but creation is an act of the divine will." And the fifth Ecumenical Council says thus: "God, says Origen, having come from not creating to creating, was entirely changed from one thing to another; but we say that he was not changed according to nature, but according to energy—or rather, not even according to that; for he always had the power to create and to produce; for such power was made active because he willed it." Does not this man also contradict these Fathers in what he says about the procession of the Holy Spirit, just as they declare themselves concerning creatures? For he says, when the Father produces the Spirit, the will which accompanies the essence becomes a productive cause of the hypostasis of the Holy Spirit, by way of the energy of the projection, or breathing. But the absurdities—or rather, the blasphemies—arising from this are manifest to all, and there is no need for many words; he even divides the will (insofar as it is the principle of certain things) by splitting it into that which is self-determining and that which is constrained—I do not know what kind he calls each since, proceeding, he says: "Not as a self-determining principle, but as a necessary and natural power and principle," and then adds:
ARGYROPOULOS. For which reason the divine Spirit is called love by those who theologize; for the power of love is will.
AGALLIANOS. Rightly, then, did we say—or rather, the theologians—that the creation of the God of the universe, who is immovable, is his will regarding the creation, which is not B C one of the hypostases of the supreme Trinity; for it is a common energy and one power, the creative one. Behold, the divine Spirit, being called love, has the will as a power productive of itself! And the Latins will never wash away this filth of saying that the Holy Spirit is a creature, since they also consider him to be produced from the will of God.
ARGYROPOULOS. And what is said, he says, is in agreement with the voices of those who theologize, and no less with what was said by holy Augustine in his book *On the Trinity*, in which he called memory generative, and will a spiritual power.
AGALLIANOS. Alas for the calumny! And which of the theologians handed down these voices with which what is said agrees? None, surely. For he slanders even the most blessed Augustine, as if he called the memory and the will powers of the Father, the one generative, and the will spiritual. For nowhere in his writings, at least as far as we know, are these things found said in this way; rather, the exact opposite is true. For he, too, agrees with the other saints of the Church D of the book *On the Trinity*, chapter [XV, 3], where he says: "Ridiculous," he says, "is the dialectic of Eunomius, from whom the Eunomian heretics sprouted. He, not being able to understand, or not wishing to believe, that the only-begotten Word of God, through whom all things were made, is the Son of God by nature—that is, born from the essence of the Father—did not say he was the Son of the nature or of the essence, but of the will of God; wishing, evidently, to bear witness to a will accidental to God, according to which he begat the Son." How then could he himself, while mocking the heretics for saying such things, fall into similar errors? For he would have been, one supposes, more ridiculous. And what he says about memory and will, he does not contend that it has its source in Scripture, but he gathers it from himself through a certain mental conception derived from the created image of God, which is man, handing down a certain likeness of the uncreated God as he proceeds. For in the same chapter that we just mentioned, he says thus: "But concerning the creation which God made, whenever we were able to do so, we instructed those who request reasons regarding such matters, that his invisible things are able to be clearly seen, being understood through the things that are made, insofar as they are able, and especially through the rational or intellectual creation, which was made in the image of God, through which, as through a mirror, insofar as they are able—if indeed they are able—they see God, the Trinity, in our memory, and in our understanding, and in our will. And each person vividly contemplates these three being naturally established in the same mind from God, and how great they are in him, where even the eternal and immutable essence is accustomed to be remembered, and seen, and desired. For it is recalled through memory, it is seen through the mind, it is embraced through love, and it finds altogether [that it is] separated from the divine hypostases." And again in the 23rd chapter: "For also the memory of man, and especially that which the beasts do not have—that is, according to which intelligible things are contained in such a way as not to come to it through the senses of the body—has in this image of the Trinity, according to the measure of itself, incomparably dissimilar, yet still some likeness of the Father. Furthermore, even the understanding of man, which is shaped from that place through the intention of reason when that which is known is spoken of, and is not of one language, but of the heart whose word it is, has in its own great dissimilarity also some likeness of the Son. And indeed, the love of man, proceeding from knowledge and connecting the memory and the understanding, as if common to the Father and the offspring—whence neither Father nor offspring is understood [separately]—has in this image, even if very dissimilar, some likeness of the Holy Spirit." And again: "But regarding the Holy Spirit, I have demonstrated nothing in this riddle that would seem like to him, except for our will, or desire, or love, which is a stronger will." And again in the 21st chapter: "This name fits the Holy Spirit, just as love does; and what else is love, or..."
desire? These things, even if they were in that very creation which we ourselves are, I wished to demonstrate as something similar to that reality—to some notion of ours—[but] an insufficient phrase followed, even if, in that very notion, I felt myself attempting rather than completing, and that in one person—which is man—to find the image of the supreme Trinity, and in a changeable reality, so that those three might be more easily understood." Thus, then, the teacher, since he heard from Scripture that man is an image of God, delivers a certain conjecture from such an image, so far as it is possible through it to conceive of the archetype, and from those things established by God naturally in the human mind, which are memory, intellection, and will—which, in man, who is changeable and under time, are likewise observed as if through some mirror, he says—[it is possible] for one who is able to contemplate and understand the three persons in the eternal and immutable essence, even if there is a great dissimilarity of these to those, so far as the investigative human mind can have some foundation in its notions about God, and to enjoy a certain apprehension, even if very dim, or even if it is entirely dissimilar, having acquired it from things pertaining to itself. Nevertheless, he adds that he does not have these from Scripture, but rather teaches from himself those who demand a human account of such matters, he says; and that the failure of the phrase to follow perfectly does not matter, but rather that he is attempting the effort of the concept. Theologians say that names are properties that reveal those things which distinguish the persons in the essence, and indicate the relations and references they have to one another. For the properties, says Basil in the second [book] *Against Eunomius*, are like certain forms and characters viewed in the essence, dividing indeed the common from the individuating characters, but not dividing the same-natured essence; so, for example, the Godhead is common, but fatherhood and sonship are certain idioms. And from the conjunction of each—both the common and the proper—the apprehension of the truth is produced in us. And the Areopagite says: "The supersubstantial name and reality of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Spirit, are distinguished, with no interchange in these, nor any commonality being introduced." And Gregory the Theologian says: "That very thing of not having been begotten, and of having been begotten, and of the procession, designated the Father, the Son, and that which is called the Holy Spirit, so that the unconfused nature of the three hypostases might be preserved." And [Gregory] of Nyssa: "The property viewed in each of the hypostases clearly and purely separates the one from the other." C Whence it is clear that the present teacher knows memory, intellection, and will—which he also names love and affection—as powers and energies in the human mind; but in the blessed Trinity he does not understand them as powers, but names the hypostases themselves in this way. For the memory of man, he says, neither having comparison nor similarity, yet still has some similarity to the Father, and the intellection in us—that is, the output of the mind and the memory, namely the internal word, not the vocal [word] of the tongue—even if dissimilar, it has some similarity to the Son. And the love and will of man has a similarity to the Holy Spirit. And this name, he says, fits the Holy Spirit, just as love does; for what else, he says, is love, or will? These things are not beside the point of the rest of the teachers, and especially the Eastern [fathers], that he philosophizes. For there are those who have called the Father the mind, and the Son the Word—the son of thunder—and the Holy Spirit love; for Augustine says the love of man is a stronger will, but he did not call the will—that is, the desire [as] a power—an effect of love, that is, of the Holy Spirit; for anyone who says this [is] outright a Macedonian. So that what the Father and the mind are intended to be, that also is the memory according to Augustine; and what the Son and the Word are intended to be, that also is the intellection according to the same; and what the Spirit and... D These things being so, and these names having been discovered by the theologians to distinguish and separate the hypostases—that is, the persons—in the unity of the essence: for whether you say "Father," or "mind," or "memory," or "love," or "will," we do not understand them as powers existing or co-existing, and generally attributed to the essence—for in this way, just as one essence and one person through the powers, at one time called Father, at another Son, at another Spirit, as Sabellius babbled, but as properties only distinguishing the persons, as you yourself have heard from the saints, oh excellent and novel theologian; yet to whose other theologians' voices do those things said by you harmonize? For who ever theologized in this way, saying that the Father, having the mind as a power, or memory, is begetting, and through it brings forth the Son? Then [saying] the will, and through it brings forth the Holy Spirit, as you yourself deemed it worthy to theologize, not understanding that these are the voices of heretics, unless perhaps you yourself establish them for these [reasons], and attempt to snatch others away? And you also slander the blessed Augustine, twisting and misinterpreting the things well and rightly thought by him, or rather, I should say, fabricating yourself things not at all said by him, or by the other theologians, which indeed will appear in what follows. But at least the blessed Cyril says that the will of the Father is the Son in another way. For in the 7th [book] of the *Treasury* he says: "But things as creations have come into being from a will, whereas the Son, as being Himself the will, was eternally in the Father." So far did he, who calls the Son the will of the Father, differ from understanding the will as some spiritual power, as Augustine [does in] one way the Spirit, and in another the Father, as the same says. But some, that they might not call [Him] the Son of the counsel or the will of God...
[GREEK COLUMN] 1043 THEODORI AGALLIANI 1044 as when I say "begetter," I conceive beforehand of him who begets that which is brought forth, so also when I say "producer," I conceive beforehand of him who produces that which begets. At the same time, the Father is begetter and producer, as we have already demonstrated by the saints. A nor is it a fabrication, but those who think of the Son as a co-cause and an origin from an origin are wrongly rebuked and think this. For the saying of Gregory, "the origin from the origin," does not help them at all, he himself explaining it and saying, "The origin of all," which is also confirmed by his other phrase, "All that the Father has belongs to the Son, except the cause." Nor has the Son been called by anyone of the theologians, either himself or another, the origin from an origin of the Spirit. Since the Father is not insofar as he is Father, but insofar as he is producer, he produces; just as when it is said, "He proceeds from the Father," I conceive beforehand of the producer; yet I am not therefore compelled to posit the Spirit as Father of the Son, the generative power of the Father being made common to him. Thus, not even here is there any necessity, because of the conception of the Son as producer, to consider him also (as) a co-cause. For if the Son were acknowledged as the origin of the Spirit, he would also be an origin, from an origin, and a co-cause. But since neither origin, nor cause, nor any other such thing is said of him—for all such things must be attributed to the Father alone, while the Son is solely Son, and solely and wholly Son—accordingly, he is neither a co-cause nor an origin B from an origin within the Godhead. For the Father alone is the cause; the Son, however, is the origin of creation according to Gregory the Theologian.
ARGYROPOULOS. Nor as if it were impossible for the Father alone to produce the Holy Spirit. For otherwise the Father would not have been able to beget the Son alone without some other person, to whom both and the power of the things produced belong of the same perfection. For the Father sufficiently begets the Son, and produces the Holy Spirit.
AGALLIANOS. You have relieved us of labors by saying these things, man; for if the Father sufficiently begets and produces, then it is superfluous to say that the Son also produces. But nothing is superfluous in divine matters, where one should not posit anything at random even in natural things. But if you will justify the argument from the example of creation, saying that the Father creates sufficiently, yet it is nevertheless said that creating applies to each of the other persons as well, but you hear, "The Father, insofar as he is God, has in himself both the Son and the Holy Spirit; and just as he alone is one and perfect God, so also with the Son and the Spirit he is one and perfect God." This same thing is believed C without distinction also for each of the other persons. At any rate, they are distinguished by their properties, but are one in Godhead. For if he is conceived of beforehand as a cause, this must be examined; and immediately the communion of power will follow. Since some saints say that the power to produce is common, soon the Son also will appear as the cause of the Spirit, or a co-cause with the Father. But the mere being conceived of beforehand is not sufficient for this. For it is not the case that if the Father is conceived of beforehand as the cause of the Son and of the Spirit by the order of causality, there is a necessity that the Son also be so conceived of in regard to the Spirit, as long as neither of the theologians says this clearly, and a reason for such a prior conception is given by us, separated from the reference to the cause. For as long as we are not unable to give a reason, and you cannot demonstrate it necessarily, we prevail. For if the one is not a necessity, but the other is possible, and all the hypotheses of the faith and the Scriptures of the saints and the councils support our argument, then this is indeed true.
ARGYROPOULOS. Wherefore he says that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, in an primordial and primary way, and I would say also substantially and properly, but not so from the Son, even if he is produced by him with the same power and production.
AGALLIANOS. Behold, he has dug another pit and has fallen into it, the Psalmic (pit), with uncovered head, having delivered the dualism of the origin. And first, indeed, by gathering together the voices of some saints in order to corrupt the hearing of some, he set forth [the argument that] D each of the three persons, insofar as he is God and Creator, is unified and inseparable from the others, and therefore (acts) sufficiently; because the whole Godhead is that which creates, and is perfectly in each. But the Father produces, not insofar as he is God—for the whole Trinity is not (the producer)—but insofar as he is an originative and god-bearing person. If, therefore, he does not produce alone by himself, but with some other person, he is not sufficiently alone; or if he is sufficient, the rest is superfluous. And it is clear that he alone sufficiently begets the Son, even according to you. What, then, is the completion, that he alone produces the Spirit? But if you speak of other hypotheses, that is, the priorizations and preconceptions, those are stale, a new fabrication, and have been proven to be the beginnings of heresies. Rather, then, I say that if it is possible, he spoke of (the Spirit) proceeding from the Father, even having said "substantially" and "primordially," and then he added, "but not so from the Son." But those who said these things, O best one, did not define the Son as the cause, nor the origin, nor the co-cause, nor the producer of the Holy Spirit. So these adverbs, being said in various ways by some of the saints, stand in place of the one (adverb): "solely." And the statement "properly proceeds from the Father" could mean the same as the Spirit having existence solely from the Father. Through such adverbs, therefore, they exclude the Son from such a cause, believing only in the procession of the Holy Spirit from him toward creation, which you would call a temporal mission together with the
A Son, and separate from every nature of the Godhead. But the political law also says: He is a heretic and subject to the laws against heretics, who deviates even a little from the right faith.”
ARGYROPOULOS. “For he would fall into error if he spoke thus, and preached the Spirit from the Son.”
AGALLIANOS. “And yet, he is indeed falling into the same error even now, confessing the Spirit to be God, and yet a creature, inasmuch as he does not assign this to his essence or physical power, nor to the fact that he is from the Father and from the Son by way of procession; and furthermore, by introducing a difference of origin, calling the Father an unbegotten origin, but the B Son an origin from an origin, which distinction clearly introduces discomfort.”
ARGYROPOULOS. “He says he professes one origin of the Holy Spirit.”
AGALLIANOS. “But the Theologian Gregory does not teach in this way, nor does he say the Father is an unbegotten origin; nor, if he does have this theology, does he say the Son is an origin from an unbegotten one in the Godhead; but rather he thinks of what is unbegotten as proceeding from the paternal [source], saying, ‘The Father is the unbegotten one and the origin of all.’ But how does he make two origins? He does not bring up a person relative to origin or personhood; for the internal relations are of persons, not of substance or power.”
ARGYROPOULOS. “If anyone finds fault with these things said by us, why does he wonder how the Son begets, just as he also proceeds, sharing in the same begetting power from the Father; and how the Holy Spirit neither proceeds nor begets while having other powers in himself just as in the Father and C Son?”
AGALLIANOS. “Indeed, now this unmasked impiety proves that the Son has the begetting power of the Father along with the causative one, and likewise with the Spirit. And behold: his compulsion. Having perceived that if the Son has the causative [power], the Spirit must also have the begetting [power], and this one also the causative, as is taught by us, it follows as an absurdity. But if he proceeds and has not put [it] away, he is forced to [say it] as if it were not absurd; and to show that these things are not absurd, he D rather attributes these powers to the divine persons, and the lacks to the created ones.
“A question, then, having been put forth concerning the two, and having put the dilemmas to those who deserve the accusations, regarding the remedy, he offers it; but...”
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he, being compelled to confess, says that the generative power is given to the Son, not as a power, but as a perfection. It suffices, then, perhaps, that he also admits that the generative power is given to the Son, but not as power, but as perfection. However, he says further that the Son possesses the generative power, that is, that of generating, contradicting himself. And he does not stop here, but says that the generative and the productive power are bestowed by the Spirit. I do not know what has happened to him or by what he is moved to fall into such an absurdity, and to dishonor the divine hypostases by making them participants in ineffective powers; having considered them, in the way we speak of a child as possessing power by grammar, to proceed as having powers, or a power when the Son was generated, not yet having the energy joined to it, but having taken this after the Son was generated, and whatever similar things he uttered.
One might think that he, perhaps, in order that the unity of the essence might not be disrupted, was disposed in this way, and thought of these powers as perfections of the nature; however, not equally, if he grants them to the Father alone with the energy, while assigning them as empty and common to the others. Wherefore he has fallen into a great difficulty, from which he has not escaped. For how is it that they are not equally acting by the same perfection? If it suffices for the unity of the essence that the Son possesses the generative power without activity, because it is joined to the generation, and the Holy Spirit has both apart from the energies, who is the necessity of having the Son [possess] the productive [power] together with the activity, with many absurdities arising from this? For thus [the unity] might be saved, and the unity of the essence might seem to be preserved, without the absurdities being suppressed. But rather, if the generation is joined to its own power, and the generation is not by activity [given] to the Son nor to the Spirit, nor is [there] a power of it, nor to the Son does it [the power] proceed together with it, as the Word [has been] taught by the saints.
For just as he overturns himself, saying: “As he bestows, he says, the Father on those from him the powers, by perfections only, and not as powers.” And who could say what perfection in the Son is, and not by act, or what is his energy? Was it then better to assign the practical powers of the divine persons to one person, for him to define it by the paternal [person], so that only that one is the active, and the others are the derived, as he said at the beginning, speaking well of this, but answering the passive ones by giving to these, being no less powerful in the account of equality? For nothing is to the honor of generating God from God, and likewise concerning the Spirit, so that he might construct the Son the producer, and by his own [acts] of the paternal person, which are constitutive of the hypostases, and which are reckoned to the Father alone, to give to those who proceed from him, and after the Father, his own; then also the...
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1109 IN ANNALES MICH. GLYCA
Pulcheria virgin, 261. Sister of Theodosius, 262. Corrects her brother, ibid. Who invented purple dye, 140. Ulceration of pustules, the sixth plague of Egypt, 152. The error of the chronographer Pyron, 82. When Pythagoras lived, 202. The oak serpent, 58. Q. What to a dog with a bath, whence the proverb, 64. The month of Quinctilis, which was later called July, 204. Emperor Quintilius, 244. His death, ibid. How it is that, to have no place where God is, 91. How it is that, the voice in divine matters is to be dismissed, 91. R. Ragueus by the surname Jothorus, 208. The origin of frogs, 44. The filth of those swarming from the waters, the second plague of Egypt, 131. That frogs do not differ from venomous reptiles, ibid. That the name of Raphael is known from the narrative of Tobias, 171. The blasphemies of Rabshakeh, 193. How much reason operates in man, 51. Recab. See Rechab. The splendor of the kingdom’s burial, 267. The duration of the Egyptian kingdom, 205. Its end, ibid. The duration of the Judaic and Israelite kingdoms, 198. The remora fish, 36. Renovation of Byzantium, better [called] Dedications, of Constantinople, in what year celebrated, 249. A great abundance of those criticized, 263. The vicissitudes of human affairs, 295. Of what kind is the benefit of resurrection, 99. The uncertain hour of Christ’s resurrection, 223. The appearances of Christ after the resurrection, 224. Why Christ did not ascend at once to the heavens, 224. The resuscitation of the dead at that time, 230. Rechab and Baanah, the slayers of Mephibosheth, are punished with death by David, 177. Emperor Robert, 313. The kingdom of Rehoboam, 186. Roger of Sicily, 337. Rome preserved by geese, 44. New Rome. See New Rome. The impurity of Rome, 134. Its origin, 141. The end of the empire, 264. Romanus Argyropulos. See Argyropulos. Emperor Romanus Argyropulos, 311. At first he conducted himself rightly, 312. Romanus Boilus raised to a high degree of dignity, 320. Emperor Romanus, son of Constantine, 303. Emperor Romanus Diogenes, 326. See Diogenes. Emperor Romanus Lacapenus, 300. He becomes the father of Emperor Constantine, ibid. Romanus is despoiled of his imperial power, 302. The arrogance of the Romans, 313. Fraud, 301. Death, ibid. Perfidy, 301. The meeting of Romanus Lacapenus and Simeon of Bulgaria concerning peace, 300. The slaughter of the Romans, 337. The disaster, 313. The concord of Romans and Greeks, 317. Tumults against the same, ibid. Why God subjected the Jews to the Romans, 222. The Saracens as tributaries, 313. The defection of the cities of Syria from the Romans, 312. By whom Romulus was raised, 141. The builder of Rome, ibid. Romulus and Remus as brothers, ibid. Roozerius, leader of the Catalans, 314. Whence dews arise, 9. The odor of roses hateful to vultures and beetles, 50. Why thorns were added to roses, 11. The Russians embrace the Christian religion, 298. The movement of the Russians, 319. The wheel of chariots, an image of the instability of human affairs, 295. How Rupert the Frank was deceived by Alexius, 333. His crossing into Greece, ibid. 50. The nature of the chamois, 64. Russians and Ruthenians. See Russians. How rue becomes sharper, 13. Hateful to the Libyan serpent.S. Sabbatios the monk, 287. Violation of the Sabbath first at the siege of Jericho, 161. That no work is to be done on the Sabbath, 161. Sabellius condemned in the Council, 271. When he lived, 213.
1110 Priests of the old covenant why called Levites; of the new, clergy, 139. How much the old priesthood is surpassed by the new, 136. The origin of the sect of the Sadducees, 198. Saites, the general of Chosroes, 276. How he was punished by him, ibid. Salem, which is also Jerusalem, 135. Solomon. See Solomon. A witty remark, 306. The origin of the sect of the Samaritans, 198. Samonas the patrician, 299. His ruin, 300. Why Samson was most robust from his mother’s womb, 166. Captivated by the love of Delilah of Palestine, 161. Why Samson and Elias were violators of the law, 167, 191. Samson and Hercules as contemporaries, 16. The last judge of the Hebrews, 166. What the voice signifies, 165. The manly spirit of Samson, 161. That after the death of Samson, the Israelites obeyed no one’s command for forty years, 171. The riddle of Samson, 167. His deeds, 16 et seq. Whence Samson’s great thirst, 161. Whether the soul of Samuel was raised, 176. The death of Samuel of Bulgaria, 310. Why the bodies of many saints were resurrected, 230, 231. Santabarenus offended by Leo, 296. His prestidigitations, 296. The tallness of Sapor, king of the Persians, 243. Saracens as tributaries to the Romans, 313. An expedition against the Saracens, 313. Serapis. See Serapis. Sarbarus, king of the Persians, 249. The softness of Sardanapalus, 139. His death, ibid. Sardica, the same as Triaditza, 250. Council of Sardica. See Council of Sardica. Sarah, wife and sister of Abraham, 133. Saturn, or Cronus, whence he originated, 129. King Saul, 173. How long he held the kingdom, 177. How much he stood out above all the Israelites, ibid. Whence he originated, 173. Endowed with a most excellent form, ibid. The end of Saul, 177. History, 173 seq. A bad spirit invaded Saul, 175. The odor of roses hateful to beetles, 50. That the scarus is the only fish that chews the cud, 34. Schimas the giant, 162, 163. The tree of knowledge of science. See Tree, Tree of knowledge. Why the tree of knowledge is so called, 102. The sting of the scorpion, 52. The scorpions among the Brahmins are very large, 113. Sacred Scripture. See Sacred Letters. For how many years Origen illustrated Sacred Scripture with commentaries, 212. Diversity of writers, 265. Scylitzes. See John Scylitzes. Scilla plant hateful to the wolf, 61. What it means to be worshipped, 205. The learned age, 202. Zedekiah held captive in Babylon for twenty-six years, 198. Sedition against Alexius Comnenus, 331. Against John Comnenus, 336. Sedition of Eroticus, etc. See Eroticus, etc. Sedition. Sedition of the people, 320. The Servian sedition and the Roman disaster, 319. How the author of the sedition was punished, 341. Sela and Ada, wives of Lamech, 122. By whom Seleucia was founded, 202. Whence it is so called, ibid. Seleucus Nicanor, after Alexander died, obtained Syria and Palestine, 202. The descendants of Seleucus, ibid. Semeius, a man clearly seditious, 180. Semiramis married to the son of Ninus, 129. That Semiramis surrounded Nineveh with walls, 129. Sennacherib killed by his own sons, 186. Blasphemies of Sennacherib through Rabshakeh, 193. The power of the senses in animals, 50. Senuphius, a holy man, 257. By his staff and cloak enemies are conquered, 258. The artifice of the cuttlefish of darkening itself, 54. Why the sixth day of the week is called the preparation of the Passover by the evangelist, 117. Seth, the inventor of weeks, 121. Concerning the weeks of years according to Daniel, 205. Why the burial of Christ comprised three days, 224. Calculation of the days of Christ’s burial, 223 et seq. Seraphim, 76, 77. What the name of the Seraphim signifies, 78. The temple of Serapis, 251. Destroyed, 237. Serapio the mathematician, 245. Silk began to be made among the Romans, 270. Serpent harmful to the pelican, 44. How it rejuvenates, heals, 50. The cunning of the serpent, which is imitable, 57. The mating of the serpent and the lamprey, 38, 39. An image of an angry serpent, 104. What is its nature, 60. Rue hateful to the Libyan serpent, 46. Why serpents are extinguished by a foul odor, 50. Why...
1111 INDEX 1112
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1051 A and without confusion, and some things are included in the logical inferences, which would have been better suited to the refutations of the objections, such as he himself sets forth from us — but regarding the premises by which he presumed to establish his point, we have proposed to ourselves to set forth the things that seem true in accordance with the truth, after the Apostles and the holy theologians. B Let this be said with God. We have shown these things through the teachers, and without confusion, and some things are included in the logical inferences, and [they are] rather blasphemous, and more like the heresies, or rather the principles of heresies. It suffices, therefore, for the present, to show nothing necessary having been presupposed. But as for the things which the Latin opinion adds, these very refutations have been contrived to involve others, and, for the first time, it will perhaps be C equal.
JOSEPH OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PATRIARCH. CONFESSION OF FAITH.
(Conc. Florent. sess. xxv.—Mansi, tom. XXXI, col. 1007.)
THE FINAL SENTENCE OF THE PATRIARCH.
Joseph, by divine mercy Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch.
Since I have reached the end of my life, wishing to fulfill the common debt, by the grace of God I write and sign my opinion openly to all the faithful. Everything that the holy and apostolic Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the elder Rome, believes and teaches, I myself also believe and agree to and declare. I profess also the most blessed Father of fathers, and D supreme pontiff, and vicar of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Pope of old Rome, to be the certain faith of all: and indeed the purgatory of souls. For the confirmation of these things, it is written, on the ninth day of the month of June, in the year one thousand four hundred and thirty-nine, the second indiction.
1053 JOBI MONACHI PROCEMIUM IN PSALMOS.
EPITAPH OF PATRIARCH JOSEPH
(Acta conc. Florent., collected by Horatius Justinianus, Rome 1638, fol., p. 284.)I, who was the great prelate of the Eastern Church, Here lie, great in religion, Joseph. This one thing I desired, inflamed by wondrous love, That there might be one cult and one faith for Europe. I sought Italy; we struck a single pact; A And with me as leader, the Greek faith is joined to the Roman. No delay; I succumbed, and now Florence guards me, In which city the sacred council now flourishes. Happy, I who was gifted with such a reward while living, And who died having attained even my own desire.
1054
JOB MONACHUS
NOTICE
The Turin Codex CLXXVIII b, II, 32, paper, consisting of 70 folios, of the sixteenth century. *Iōb hamartolou ēthikē theōria eis tas hagias phōnās tou prophētou David. Jobi peccatoris theoria moralis in sanctas voces prophetæ Davidis.* It is, to be sure, a commentary on the Psalms, not indeed on all of them, but on the first fifteen only. Its author is called Job the Sinner. But who this Job the Sinner may have been, although great diligence has been applied, we have been able to find in no one among those who have written about the interpreters of Scripture, whether Greeks or Latins. A proemium is prefixed at the beginning, which is of this sort.
PROEMIUM OF JOB THE SINNER TO THE COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
Our purpose in these impromptus of ours is to stir again the sacred Davidic utterances, as if investigating a certain aromatic fragrance of incense, whereby the soul and mind and every sense may be gladdened: not indeed that the ancient masters and theologians of the Church explained them imperfectly or, in any way whatever, examined and contemplated them negligently, and left them to us who come after them to be clarified. Not at all: far be this injury to their wisdom and grace. For everything has been said and recorded by them fully and completely, and in a way than which no other could be better; and the things lacking, according to the promise made by the Lord, have been filled up by them by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. But since I have resolved that there is nothing else besides the canonical Scriptures—or these specifically—that I should pursue with vehement desire, or speak of, or revolve in my mind, or investigate throughout my whole life, and that there is nothing more useful
ORDER OF THE CONTENTS CONTAINED IN THIS VOLUME
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BARTHOLOMÆUS DE JANO ORDINIS MINORUM
EPISTOLA DE CRUDELITATE TURCARUM
(Ex cod. 1130 bibliothecæ S. Michaelis Venetæ.)Venerable Religious and excellent Preacher, Brother Albert of Sarteano of the Order of Friars Minor, preaching in Venice, my father in Christ Jesus, I send many greetings.
For a long time, my venerable father, have I desired to see you, to speak with you, and to embrace your person; but this grace has not yet been granted to me. For while I am engaged in the regions of the West, you are proceeding to the East; looking for you in the East, you are returning to the homeland of the West. I have deemed this whole matter to have been done by counsel, both as I have heard by report, and it has been, as usual, of little use that I am in Venice this year, and that your preaching is here. But now, with a vehement desire, while by the favor of the Lord the union of both Churches is being celebrated, I would wish that you visit these and further parts, with the usual mastery of preaching and science, since we perceive that the greatest fruit for souls can be achieved there by the friars. For with Greece left behind, and all of Turkey besides, which went by other names, where those seven churches are found which are read of in the Apocalypse, where the enemy of Christ, the Turk, is prince, there still remain at present innumerable Christians up to the Maurum sea; and the rites of the Greeks are practiced—
today governed. The kingdom of the Georgians, for one, that is to say, a kingdom not small, where King Alexander reigns today, exists beyond Trebizond. And who can traverse the fatherland of the Russians and the Ruthenians A under the northern sky as far as the Maeotian marshes, which is called the Abbachuc Sea? I omit the Circassians, the Vogulians, the Mingrelians, the Wallachians, and Patras by the sea, though they are under the rite of the Greeks. I am silent regarding the Armenians, whom I hope you will presently see coming to Italy along with our father, Brother Jacob, to be brought back to the Catholic faith; they are far easier to convert and are more eager to grasp the truth than other nations, and they are most benevolent towards the Latins. Furthermore, there are countless Christians in the Caesian mountains and dispersed here and there in Persia and Scythia, where the places of our brethren stand emptied of brothers, although you may have known that today they live among the Tartars themselves. For which reason I consider it not useless, but rather most opportune, that your person and those of your like should be in those parts, provided, however, that a holy union is first celebrated, if God permits. But, alas! alas! why do I recount these things, when it would be far better to weep than to hope for any good from the aforesaid? To weep, I say, from the depths of my heart, and to cry out to the stars, that the Almighty might look down in mercy, so that these parts, in the midst of which we almost are, might be liberated, and that He might not regard the sins of the peoples for so long, until the name of Christianity is extinguished in the parts of the Orient and the Septentrion. Christians, alas, daily fail, and the followers of the devil increase in number and in the strength of their arms. For there is scarcely a city, castle, or village, and there is scarcely a day, in which, in Turkey and in Greece, the most holy name of Christ is not denied, not only by fear or threats, but far more by delights and honors, and Mahomet, that son of the devil, is exalted to the heights; and, what you will perhaps wonder at, B sometimes by those who were endowed with the riches, honors, and prudence of the world. But that I may be silent about past evils, for the telling of which I think no tongue can suffice, I will briefly touch upon what I myself recently inspected with my own eyes, that you may know and mourn with me, and if you find any others not stripped of all piety, you may compel them to weep as well.
You can be mindful, I believe, beloved Father, when, appointed by our most holy Lord the Pope, we departed from Venice for these parts—where you also unexpectedly arrived upon returning from Jerusalem—how it was rumored there in those days that the Hungarians had burned some ships of the Turks and had also slain very many of them. These things, I say, were all true. But if you have heard afterwards, I know not, that for this reason the Turk himself, having been angered, proceeded thither in person with a great army and carried off more than sixty thousand souls, as it is said, from the kingdom of Rasia, neighboring Hungary; of whom it is uncertain if any even now remember Christ. Do you marvel at this? But you will marvel and grieve much more that, for twenty-five or thirty years now, for how great a loss to himself and to his shame, and C he thinks [it might be], because in any given year he carries off no less than ten or fifteen thousand—I say fewer, so that you might believe—souls! Should I say fifty thousand, if you would believe it, and he compels them to deny Christ Jesus both by threats and by blandishments? But no small wonder arises in me if a single Christian is still to be found in those parts. For Corinth alone sends forth every year thousands and thousands of ducats as a toll for captives passing from Gallipoli into Turkey. Oh, therefore, sins of the Christians, where are you tending? To what are you leading yourselves; to what servitude and to what disgrace are you compelling yourselves to be subjected? But why do I delay longer, most kind Father; why do I delay telling of the new—no, not new, but often wonted—calamitous slaughter and tearful ruin of the Christians, which we have seen in these days? My hand trembles, my eyes weep, my heart shudders to note these things on paper with a pen. Where is that prophet Jeremiah, who would lament not one city alone, but three, or four, or countless camps and villages—I speak of a great and notable country, most opulent in inhabitants and riches, already destroyed and reduced to ashes in the month, indeed, of August of the present year; I speak of the land of the faithful peoples who are called Saxons in the land of Transylvania, which, as a brother who was ransomed from the booty tells me, extended for a length of eight days and a width of three, which was previously called Septemsolia, but now I know not what it is called, unless perhaps a place of lamentation and wailing. Who, therefore, will give water to my head, that I may weep day and night, not for the destroyed walls and partitions, but for the countless souls carried off and now delivered to the devil to be devoured, who, as is said, extend to the number of thirty, and perhaps forty, thousand? Oh! who would give me, not the eloquence of Maro or Tully for writing—which would surely fail in these things—but rather the voice of thunder and the wings of the winds to ascend, and to fly over the land of the Christians, not so that, as now, stony hearts, but the very mountains and valleys might be terrified by the magnitude of the voice? D The miserable Christians do not hear these things, and perhaps if they heard them, they would not believe. They heard, I believe, and more readily believed, that the Teucer was conflicted; which, that it is not true, this clearly demonstrates, because he has sent his army to those parts twice or thrice already since his return. But if it is also true that many of his men have not perished—rather from toil, pestilence, and hunger than by the sword—what, I ask, is there to wonder at if, in an army of three hundred thousand men, some die; whom you may also know to be for the greater part Christians? For which reason, whithersoever you turn, you have abundant material for lamentation. Where, then, now are the churches any longer in that land, the crosses, the chalices, the missals, the vestments? Where are the relics of the saints? And, what is greater than all, in very many places, the body of the Lord consecrated? Alas! with what disgrace, with what mockery, with what great illusion have they been cast down and trampled underfoot? Where now is that omnipotent God, who was angered against King Balthassar for foully abusing the vessels of the temple of the Lord? Certainly, as is clearly apparent, if
we saw A them—or perhaps if we were to see them—we would be miserably ruined. I am lying if there were not more of us who today preach Christ most fervently, only to deny Him foully tomorrow. Therefore, I believe it is useful to trust no one, but to fear for everyone. But let us return to the first point.
We, therefore, who dwell in these parts, and know and feel that all the aforesaid things are true—and are even greater and worse than we relate—what do they not do to our hearts? I confess, such pain, such anguish of mind, such bitterness has taken hold of us, that for a long time now neither food nor sleep appears to these eyes, save for that which is sad. The very sight of the sun, and of the green lands and the earth, stirs up lamentation rather than solace; nor, since we have been in these parts, have we been able to have quiet for even one hour from these things which we continually hear, and, less than that, which we see with our eyes. For we are in Constantinople, in B a most eminent place, in the Chapel, namely, of Constantine's own palace, which Saint Jerome and Augustine and Nicholas, together with the other three hundred and eighteen Fathers of the Council of Chalcedon, consecrated; from which, ascending the watchtower, we can easily see the whole city, once the most excellent in the world, now indeed cast down by such calamity, that it pleases one rather to weep for it than to wonder at it, as it appears to be a paradise of delights—if a change of place and buildings and other conveniences could make it so—and churches and monasteries fallen in the most stupendous ruin, both inside and out, so that you would have thought it previously a forest of monasteries, in each of which twelve hundred or a thousand monks resided, chanting praises to the Most High in such sweet melody that the very air in the nights round about resounded like angelic harmony. But now, alas for the pain, thorns and briars grow over the walls, and there screech owls and eagle-owls. But truly, if anyone should see these cities destroyed, once so wondrous, as Chalcedon and Nicaea, as if adjacent to this city, and many others, of which no sign now appears—I do not think he could restrain himself from weeping, which were destroyed by the hands of the infidels. These things we speak of often, these we lament, and in this and similar times of mourning we consume ourselves, wishing rather to die than to see these final evils, which are daily increasing to the sorrow of our nation. And what causes more pain D and confirms it—that we have no way to communicate these things or to alleviate the penalty—is this: for those who dwell in these parts, or arrive here, Christians, are so inflamed with the greed for temporal gain that they do not consider, or what is horrendous to say, they secretly desire it. Behold, they fill their purses with the gains of the Turks, and enrich themselves with the blood of Christians; but we have heard this from the relief of such great pain, which is of the highest truth: after our return from the...
A army of the Turks, suddenly—or having turned back from around twenty thousand—they have unexpectedly invaded the Hungarians, who were as if already secure, in a certain province which is called the land of the Siculorum, as if in the middle of Hungary; from which, it is reported, they have carried off thirty thousand souls. There are witnesses who saw not only the captives being led away, but even the heads of many nobles and princes cut off and thrown before the feet of their emperor by the captain who accomplished these things, and this in the month of September. And in the very month of October, he sent another army; whether it did any evil is not narrated; and so three times, and four times, and ten times a year, now here, now there, going and returning after the manner of ants, and always bringing back spoils, as if God had delivered all the land of the Christians to them to possess. And they are so strengthened and fortified by the security of their victories, and urged on by such a desire for gain, that they all equally believe without a doubt that they will destroy all of Christendom in a short time. And who, I ask, would not believe these things, if he himself were to see what we see? For we see in their army passing by not only peasants and unarmed shepherds, equipped only with a bow or sword, but everywhere old men and those bent with extreme age being carried on donkeys, and after a few days returning to lead away with them three or four young men, with their necks and hands bound behind their backs, through the middle of Constantinople, and to pass in sight of the Venetian and Genoese merchants. There, in the sight of all, they sometimes make them halt, so that all may see them, and they cover them with insults and blows, so that no one dares to contradict them; if one wishes to consider how the truth of the matter stands? Because those who were led off as captives the previous year, this year have become Turks, and crueler than all the Turks, being the first in the army and more prompt in boldness and bravery, as if moved by the piety of their religion, once they have discovered, as they believe, the truth of the Faith, and they hasten to deliver their own fatherland; they also desire this above all things, to capture their father, mother, brothers and sisters, and the rest of their kin, and lead them to the light of the truth. O astounding, O profound judgment of God, yet not otherwise than just, how long will Your wrath rage against us? How long will the Most High forget us? Would that it be not to the end! Truly, truly, most loving Father, it is to be feared that because of our sins, which we see growing daily rather than diminishing, the wrath of divine justice will flare up so much that this fire, which is seen to spread day by day and embrace wider expanses, might occupy the ends of the earth. Behold, it is some two hundred years since all of Asia, up to Antioch and beyond, was inhabited by multitudes of Christians; but now it has been gradually consumed by such a fire, that you would find few Christians there, unless perhaps the Slavs assigned to the service of the Turks. I omit Syria, the Holy Land, Armenia, Arabia, and the surrounding countries up to Alexandria, all of which it is clear have not for long been mostly Christian. I pass over Egypt, Ethiopia, Persia, and what is greater than all, the whole of Africa, where, unless perhaps one finds some merchants, you will hardly find one Christian. And yet it is certain that all these lands mentioned above were once Christian. But these things have now been lulled to sleep by the length of time. I return to our own days. It is eighty or a few more years since not even one Turk was to be found in Greece. They crossed over, brought in by the Christians themselves, and filled that entire land, which, if it is not provided with help quickly, will soon be made like Arabia or Egypt. I speak of a land broad, populous, and decorated with most glorious cities, all of which at present, so to speak, have been reduced to nothing, vacated of inhabitants; where Alexander the Great ruled; where the cities of Athens, Corinth, of the Spartans, the Thessalonians, and the Philippians—which it is a grief to behold now. It is little what I have said, in respect to what follows and what has been done and what is to be done, unless one looks upon it and brings help. Where now, I ask, is the homeland of Dalmatia, Croatia, Bosnia, Rascia, Bulgaria, Albania, and Walachia, kingdoms not small, despoiled of inhabitants in a few years? I come to Hungary, from which, it is said, in not many days more than three hundred thousand—I would more truthfully have said six hundred thousand—souls have been carried off. Do you therefore believe it possible, which I fear, that namely by the just judgment of God, this fire might proceed so far that it could occupy the Christian borders? What then are the miserable Christians doing now? What are their princes? What are the shepherds of the Church? Do they sleep, or rather do they suffer from a lethargy, that they may gradually wait for Christendom to be consumed? They play with lances and dances, or rather they tear themselves apart. Meanwhile, the Turk extinguishes the name of Christ; he has already sworn, he has already devoted himself to his own God, not to rest by any means unless he makes the praises of Mahomet to be sung throughout all Hungary as quickly as possible. Alas, alas, not many years have passed since the Turks were not even named in the world, unless as shepherds near Damascus living in I know not what mountains, rustic, unlearned, wild, without letters, without any science, as they are even to this day. But now, dressed in gold and gems, they rule over kings and emperors, and they do not work with their own hands, but like lords they recline on golden carpets and soft cushions, and in their foul and filthy luxuries, the once noble and now miserable Christians perform the service of slaves. For those of them who do not have eight or ten, or even a greater number, thirty or a hundred, at the very least two or three Slavic Christians, are few. With what reproaches, with what mockery, with what injuries and blows they tyrannize them, let those who feel it tell, let the Christians say. Would that those who are the cause of so much evil would prove such things, and when they could provide help, do not do so. C My time would run out, most humane Father, if I wished to discuss all the losses and disgraces of the Christians which we see in these parts, and I am confident that I could not sufficiently express even the thousandth part of them. Let that Joseph, that excellent rhetor, rather rise up; let Homer rise up, and not just of one city, as they did, but of ten and a hundred, but
a thousand, rather three or four thousand, nay, thirty or forty kingdoms—if they can—to recount their ruins and calamities. Let Jeremiah rise up with them at the same time and sigh in weeping, and say: "How doth the city sit solitary that was full of people! How is she become as a widow that was great among the nations! Princess of the provinces, how is she made tributary? She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies." The ways of Sion indeed do now mourn, because there is none that cometh to the solemn feast, etc. A Do you marvel, brother, that I said thirty or forty kingdoms? I beseech you, do not marvel, since these same evils, and ones equal to or greater than these, which the Turks have done in these parts, the Tartars have also wrought, and continue to work in regions far more remote; and, to omit other fatherlands which could scarcely be numbered, they bring about such evils daily in Russia that there is no year when thirty and more ships filled with Slavs do not come to Constantinople, who are sold by the Tartars like cattle in Moncastro, in Tana, and in the city of Caffa; and these are not the tenth or the hundredth part of those captured by them. Specifically this year in Tana, into which such a multitude of Slavs was brought to be sold, I myself heard from one who saw it that for four, or six, or ten florins one could have bought even thousands of youths. But because of the multitude and famine they were rejected; and, that you may the more rejoice and exult in the glory of the Christians, know that from Cairo, from Alexandria, and from other parts of the East, Saracen merchants arrive every year, sometimes directed by the Sultan, to Caffa, to Tana, and to Moncastro, and to other lands of the Christians, and there they buy Christians from Christians at a high price, and carry them on Christian ships—because they themselves have none—to their own country, not only to have Slavs, but that they may more willingly make them Saracens, subsequently enemies of the Christians. Oh divine justice, it is certainly a wonder why He endures the Christians so much! But the mystery is at work daily. Wait a little, venerable father, to hear another thing that is wondrous and not a little delightful. B The Turks have no weapons, as it is said; if you believe this to be impossible, since they have despoiled such great Christian fatherlands, behold, Latin merchants come from Italy, both Venetians and Genoese and others, and out of their great piety and grace, against law and right, they carry galleys and ships full—not of iron, but of steel—in such great abundance that I can scarcely believe that in any city of Italy could be found such good bargains and such plenty as is found in Gallipoli, Pera, and Adrianople; I would be lying if I said I did not see it with my own eyes, and on the very galleys in which we arrived. But hear how they are excused: they do not sell to the Turks, but to Jews and to Greeks, and they subsequently hand them over to them with their own hands. And this, so that they may craft sharper swords to pour out Christian bowels. O the piety of God, how much You endure! how long You delay in taking vengeance! C It is a wonder, how Italy and Genoa and other cities of Italy are shaken! It is certainly more to be wondered at why they have not been utterly destroyed. We have seen in these days forty ships laden with steel being led from this city to Adrianople, where even the Turks themselves mock the Christians shamefully, saying openly: "Look, wretches, at your blindness; behold, you provide us with arms that we may utterly slay you." What do these things seem to you, beloved brother? Why do you not, for this reason alone, proclaim to them in the city where you preach their manifest ruin? But I know undoubtedly that you do. You cry out, and are not heard. But the scourge of God is present, which justly lashes the delinquents. But do you wish that we return for a little while to the Tartars?
In this year of the month of August, when the Turk was destroying Hungary, the new emperor elect, as is reported here by many—I do not affirm it, because I did not see it—while fighting against the Poles for the kingdom of Hungary, vanquished them and slew innumerable ones—understand, Christians. Then the Tartars, neighbors to the Poles, seeing the Christian peoples occupied in wars, invaded Poland. What they did there, I have not the strength to recount. Ask those themselves, if any have come from there. Such are the fortifications of princes, such are the counsels, such is the militia against infidel peoples. Alas for the wretches, who both ought to and can come to help and do not. Nor was there a lack of warning to them before the time. For I myself, on behalf of my elders and brothers, directed and wrote more than thirty letters long before, in the month of December, when he was preparing an army against them; and I sent these to the emperor and the dukes, which they both had and read, yet they did not care, as the outcome itself demonstrates. That pipe of God, our brother James, also cried out in the presence of the king and the princes, and inflicted reproaches upon them to their faces: "Behold," he said, "wretches, strangers despoil your fatherland, they insult your wives in your presence, and they lead your brothers and sons in chains, yet you do not care." They, indeed, hearing these and similar things and laughing, seemed insensible. D And what is more, our most holy lord the Pope sent them eternal gifts, namely the indulgence of sins, if any had taken up arms against the infidels. When, therefore, when shall the wretched Christians be roused? O when shall that time be? If I see it with my own eyes, before I die. This is my hope, but it is very weak, and very far off, and already almost near to despair. Where now is the glorious kingdom of France, which long ago drove the Saracens from Spain? Where is the great power of the English? These two have consumed one another. Where now is the king of Aragon, the terror of the infidels? Where are the remaining powers and other Christian princes? The Germans are odious to the Hungarians and the Bohemians. The Hungarians fight with the Poles. The pastors of the churches are divided from other pastors, barons with barons, cities with cities consume one another, so that, if no other persecution were brought from the outside, they are sufficient unto their own ruin. And that I may silently insinuate it, I fear,
A brother, that the time of the final tribulation has already arrived. I am vehemently distressed, my beloved, to recount these things, since many things remain which are equally greater than those already spoken of, which I omit from the very weariness of the narration.
But these few things, which I have touched upon as if by way of preamble, not explaining them fully, I have taken care to signify to you for so great a reason: that, first, you may know these things to be true, as coming from a faithful narrator; that, knowing them, you may grieve, and that by preaching them to others you may warn those who do not believe these things; and that you may lead faithful souls—if any such be found in the world, bearing the bowels of piety—to pray, to cry out, and to weep before the feet of the Divine Majesty, so that in such great danger He may deign to succor His own faithful, or at least His own Name. For if our help does not come from Him, it is in vain that it is expected from man, in whom there is empty salvation, and whoever hopes in him is rather cursed. B But this is also the most powerful reason that moved me to write these things to you: that you, specifically—you who are kindled with the piety of Christ and a zeal for souls, and who flourish in knowledge and eloquence—might direct and adorn this letter which I am drawing up for you, and compose it with proper piety and gravity, so that it may become worthy to appear in the sight of kings and princes, in case perhaps they should listen and be converted at some point to avenging the injury done to Christ Jesus. Unless, rather, you judge the contrary: that it is more apt to win them over the more one recognizes it to have been written not in a composed, ornate eloquence, but in a simple style; I leave all of this to your judgment. I give credence to the words, not to the tears, not to the grief, which are instead renewed daily, praying and protesting to you by the bowels of Jesus Christ that you write these things, that you say these things, that you preach these things to the whole world, to small and great lords and prelates, so that those who can may aid by fighting, and those who cannot, may at least aid by praying. And if they were willing, by the Lord’s permission, it would be as easy to succor such a great malady as it would appear incredible, nay impossible, to one who has read what has been said before. C For the rest, brother, have compassion on us, who see and touch the things written above daily; have compassion even more on the miserable captives, for whom the danger to souls is much more grievous than the slavery of the body itself. But above all, let your heart dissolve with the piety of compassion moved over the remaining Christians, whom we see lost in such wretched blindness. Finally, brothers, the nine who are with me, both novices and professed, commend themselves to your prayers and those of the other fathers. Most of all, however, let it please you to pray, and to commend to others, this city, which fears the Turk most vehemently for the coming year, and which, by the judgment of all, is much to be feared, since he has led three thousand and more young Christians to the sea and has had them taught to row most excellently, and continuously prepares galleys for battle. And if he captures this city—which God forbid!—alas, alas for the other Christians, whom he will easily be able to attack thereafter, by both sea and land, when at present he can exert only one hand D to do injury. Wherefore, one must most cordially pray that, if the event of a siege should happen, God Himself may help, since from Italy—whence he might perhaps have feared aid would come to this city, especially from the Venetians—he is now completely secure; for which reason it is not believed that he has ever in his whole life been so strongly emboldened and so disposed to this as he is now; which other indications, already mentioned, also clearly demonstrate. For he has ordered thirty thousand pikes, and as many mallets and large iron stakes, to be prepared in this way. But you—to what end are these things? Consider. Moreover, he never eats, and speaks rarely with his own men, when the city of Constantinople is brought into the discussion with a sigh. And not without cause; since through it he could easily acquire even the power of the sea. Add, if it has any weight, that from all the villages, cities, and castles subject to his empire—which are perhaps one hundred thousand—he has recently taken a tenth of the boys from the Christians, which he had never done before, from ten up to twenty years of age, whom he has made his own special Slavs and men-at-arms, and, what is worse, Saracens. Whence it is clearly apparent, to conclude the sum of all in a brief word, that the time is now infallibly at hand when either he must destroy the Christians, or he must be utterly destroyed by the Christians, the first of which I vehemently dread, the second may God Himself rather grant. Which, however, is not to be despaired of. For the report is being spread publicly among the Saracens and the Turks that the time of their destruction is at hand, and indeed has already passed, as certain of their prophecies declare. But because of their alms and piety toward the poor, which is true, and because of our own chastisement, which is truer, it has been delayed up to the present, and is still to be deferred even longer.
Where is that most Christian duke
now, the brave, pious Godfrey, Bouillon, Baldwin, and the remaining princes glorious for infinite ages? Who liberated the sepulcher of Christ Jesus from the hands of the infidels? And, to repeat from a little further back, where is that noble Charles, king of the Franks, whose heavenly and eternal glory no age shall erase, nor any oblivion? Who not only by courage and arms, but much more by prudence and piety, avenged the injury to Christ Jesus, and whose faith and worship he extended in the parts of the West and the East? And so great is the glory of him and his followers even now, that the very name of the Franks seems terrible even to the barbarians, and all the Christians of the Western regions are called by the name of Franks throughout the entire East. O therefore, Christian kings and princes, rise up now, for the time is at hand. The example is present, the honor is present, the necessity is present; justice, religion, and faith exhort you; behold, the common enemy is in sight, who has risen up against Christ the head, strong against the timid, fearful among the bold; what are you doing? The forces, which would suffice not only for resisting the pagans but for extending the name of Christ, you are consuming among yourselves, and it has pleased you that wars be waged which will have no triumphs. Whence, I ask, to Alexanderto that Great one such glory? Whence to Hannibal the African, to Scipio, and to Caesar? Truly, not because they waged most famous wars, but because they brought those wars upon foreign nations; but, alas! O the grief! such is the desire for ruling present in our princes, that they feel neither the losses of the faithful nor their own dangers. They are swollen with self-importance; but let them go forth for a little while into the field, and let them teach the barbarian nations what their virtue is; and if no other cause invited them to take up arms—such as the cause of faith, liberty, and glory—it is surely a wonder if temporal gain itself does not seize their hearts, since these nations, of whom we speak, are full of gold and silver and precious stones; they themselves, and their wives in the highest degree, are clad in nothing but silk, and walk with feet weighed down by pearls and gems; and they not only squander cups and dishes, but even silver tables and caskets, and golden bridles and saddles, and, which is horrible to hear, their countless numbers drink from nothing but gilded chalices taken from Christian temples, to the reviling of Christ and in their own exaltation. Why, therefore, do we delay any longer? Behold what you seek. But why do I consume both time and words on such things? Since, unless God Himself illuminates their eyes and moves their hearts, every exhortation of man is vain. For which reason, O my fathers and brothers, when these things shall have reached your ears, I beseech you, beat upon God with cries, A call upon Him with sighs, with holy and sacred prayers, run through the cities and camps, call the people, gather the assembly, pierce the hearts of low and high concerning these things, so that they may at last abstain from sins, persist in assiduous prayers, and strive as much as possible for works of piety, so that the pious and merciful God Himself, stirred to anger on account of the sins of men, may be mitigated by their contrary good works, and may look for a little while with an eye of piety and clemency upon the Christian people, may infuse charity into their hearts, may grant holy union and peace to prelates and princes, so that the devil, the inventor and instigator of all evils, who has up to this time sown so many scandals in the Church of Christ, may be confounded and thrust back into the dungeons, so that the faithful of the Church may exult, and the infidels, who to this day deride and mock Christ and Christians, may blush and be confounded and perish. But if, by the favor of the Lord, this sacred union is celebrated, safely, brothers, (saying that they are apt and voluntary) cross the sea, since before your eyes there is much land, abounding in everlasting fruits. But you, beloved brother, I invite with so much the more confidence as I know the secrets of your heart. Amen. Given at Constantinople, December XII, MCCCCXXXVIII. Your altogether devoted brother, Bartholomæus de Jano, of the Order of Minors, though unworthy.
NICOLAUS BARBARUS, PATRICIAN OF VENICE. EPHEMERIDES OF CONSTANTINOPLE, BESIEGED AND TAKEN IN THE YEAR 1453
This narrative is the work of a man who appears to relate with the greatest care what he himself saw at the time when Byzantium was besieged by the Turks. For whatever things occurred from the 5th of April up to the 29th of May have been committed to memory by the author in such an exact order of noted days that I know not whether anyone else could have done so more exactly. Hence it seemed good to bring the narrative of Barbaro forward in chronological order, yet in such a way that we may remind the readers wherein he differs from other writers of Turkish affairs. Let us say in passing that the Ephemerides of Barbaro, written in the old Venetian dialect, differ much from correct Italian. Wherefore an accurate and Italian translation of this document seems to us to be placed among things most greatly to be desired. Nor will I pass over in silence the fact that, besides the difference in dialect, the author, a patrician born in Venice itself, very often inveighs with manifest anger against anything that pertains to Genoa (Zenovexe, as he himself speaks), in which he does not even spare Justiniano himself; wherefore our author is to be read cautiously where there is talk of the Genoese. The Ephemerides relate the cause and prelude of the war according to the author's own particular judgment.
1452. March. Mahomet the Sultan (Machomet bej), having brought with him two legates from the Greek Emperor and a fleet of 40 ships, C leaving Callipoli, betakes himself to the Bosporus (the sea of Marmara), intending to construct the castle of Bogasun Kes., 6 Italian miles from Constantinople. Then in the middle of August, the Sultan at the castle to the end beheads the leaders and thus began the war. Thence with a 50,000-man army he surrounds the city for three days. By sea also at the same time the fleet returns to Callipoli, at the beginning of September. Nov. 26. The ship of Antonius Rizius, returning from the Euxine Sea.
Epistle against the Turks
B ...of the army of the Turks, having suddenly turned back, they unexpectedly invaded the Hungarians as if they were already secure, in a certain province which is called that of the Szeklers, as if in the middle of Hungary; from which, it is reported, they carried off thirty thousand souls. Witnesses are those who saw not only captives being led away, but the heads of many nobles and princes thrown before the feet of their emperor by the captain who carried out these things, and this in the month of September. And again he sent another army in the very month of October; whether it did any evil is not narrated, and thus three times, four times, and ten times a year, going and coming now here, now there, like ants, and always bringing back spoils, as if God had handed over the whole land of the Christians to them for possession. And they are established and strengthened in such security by their victories, and are impelled by such a desire for gain, all alike, that without doubt they believe they will destroy the whole of Christendom in a short time. And who, I ask, would not believe these things if he saw what we see? For we see in the army passing by not only peasants and shepherds unarmed, protected only by a bow or a sword, but everywhere old men, and men bent by C extreme old age carried on donkeys, returning after a few days, leading with them three or four youths tied by the neck and hands behind their backs through the middle of Constantinople, and passing in the sight of the Venetian and Genoese merchants. There, in the sight of all, they sometimes cause them to halt so that everyone may see them, and they strike them with insults and blows, so that no one dares to contradict them; if one wishes to consider how the truth stands: because those who were taken captive the previous year, this year have become Turks, and crueler than all the Turks, first in the army, readier in audacity and strength, as if moved by religious piety, having found the truth of the Faith, as they believe, they hasten to betray their own country; and this, too, they desire above all things, to capture father, mother, brothers and sisters, and the rest of their kin, and to lead them to the truth of the Imam. O astonishing, O profound judgment of God, but none save a just one, how long will His wrath rage against us? How long will the Most High forget us? Would that it might not be until the end! Truly, truly, most loving Father, it is to be feared, lest by our sins, which we see increasing daily rather than diminishing, such fire of divine justice flare up that it might occupy even to the ends of the earth this [fire], which we see spreading by the day and encompassing broader spaces. Behold, there are two hundred years or thereabouts since all Asia as far as Antioch and beyond was inhabited by Christian peoples; but now it has been consumed little by little by such a fire, that you would find few Christians therein, unless perhaps Slavs consigned to the service of the Turks. I omit Syria, the Holy Land, Armenia, Arabia, and the countries surrounding as far as Alexandria, all of which it is manifest have belonged to the Christians for the greater part not long ago. I hold my peace regarding Egypt, Ethiopia, Persia, and what is greater than all, the whole of Africa, where, unless perhaps for some merchants, all the aforementioned countries were Christian. But these things have now been lulled to sleep by the length of time. I return to our own days. Eighty years or little more have passed since not one Turk was to be found in Greece. They crossed over, brought in by the Christians themselves, and filled that whole country, which, unless a remedy is provided quickly, will soon become like Arabia or Egypt. I speak of a broad, populous country, adorned with the most glorious cities, all of which at present, so to speak, have been reduced to nothing, emptied of inhabitants; where Alexander the Great ruled; where were the cities of Athens, Corinth, of the Spartans, the Thessalonians, the Philippians, which now it is a sorrow to behold. Little is what I have said, with respect to the things following, both done and to be done, unless He look upon us and succor us. Where now, I ask, is the country of Dalmatia, Croatia, Bosnia, Rascia, Bulgaria, Albania, the Wallachias, kingdoms not small, in a few years despoiled of their inhabitants? I come to Hungary, concerning which, as it is said, from days not many [ago] more than three hundred thousand, I might have more truly said six hundred thousand souls have been carried away. Do you believe it to be possible, therefore, that which I fear: namely, that by the just judgment of God, this fire may advance so as to be able to occupy the borders of the Christians? What, therefore, do the miserable Christians do now? What do their princes? What do the shepherds of the Church? Do they sleep, or do they suffer from lethargy, so that they look to see Christendom consumed little by little? They play with lances and dances, or rather they lacerate themselves. Meanwhile the Turk extinguishes the name of Christ; he has already sworn, he has already vowed to his god to rest in no way until, as soon as possible, he makes the praises of Mahomet to be sung throughout all of Hungary. Alas, alas, not many years have passed since not even the name of Turk was heard in the world, except for those shepherds living near Damascus in mountains I know not which, rustic, unlearned, wild, without letters, without any science, as they are even to this day. But now, dressed in gold and gems, they rule over kings and emperors, and they do not labor with their own hands, but as lords they recline on golden carpets and soft cushions, and in their foul and unclean luxuries, once noble [people], now the miserable Christians, serve as slaves. For few of them are those who do not have eight or ten, but the great [have] thirty and a hundred; and the least do not have at least two or three Christian slaves. With what reproaches, with what mockery, with what insults and blows they tyrannize them, let those narrate who feel it; let the Christians speak. Would that those who are the cause of so much evil would demonstrate such things, nor, when they could assist, do they procure it. D Time would fail me, most humane Father, if I wished to treat of all the losses and reproaches of the Christians which we see in these parts, nor do I trust that I could sufficiently express the thousandth part of them. Let that Joseph, that excellent rhetor, rather arise; let Homer arise; and not of one city alone, as did they, but of ten and a hundred, but
April 11. The Sultan places artillery against the walls by the sea at four intervals (cf. Phrantzes, who writes: "In fourteen places the walls of the city were breached"). Then three bombards were directed at the Emperor's palace at Blachernae; likewise three against the Gate of the Spring; two at the Golden Gate, and four at the Gate of St. Romanus; of which that huge one of 1200 pounds and another of 800 pounds are mentioned.
April 12-17. On the twelfth day of April (according to Phrantzes, the fifteenth), the Turkish fleet drops anchor in the region of the port of Constantinople; its number, as Barbaro states, was 145, of which 12 were fully armed triremes, 70-80 were larger liburnians, 20-25 were *parandariae* (cargo ships for war use), and the rest are reported as smaller craft. Add to this a Sinopian cargo vessel laden with bronze cannonballs (though it is more likely they were stone projectiles) and military material. The Turkish fleet keeps to the Anatolian shore, far from the city. Those who are besieged in the city wait in arms for the enemy's attack. Inside, besides the artillery being fired incessantly and minor skirmishes against the Janissaries, nothing worth recording happens.
April 18. An attack by the Turks on the night preceding the eighteenth of April is at first repelled by the Greeks, who were slightly shaken; more than two hundred Turks were killed.
April 20. On the twentieth day of the siege, four Genoese auxiliary ships enter the Hellespont, which, after a battle of 2 or 3 hours, are aided by fortune and repel the Turkish attack; then at sunset, the triremes of the besieged meet the Genoese and usher them into the port with jubilation and a concert of music.
April 21. Muhammad proceeds to the fleet with 10,000 cavalry, inveighs harshly against the prefect of the naval forces, and orders him to abdicate the office with his life intact; in his place is appointed to the fleet the son of Pietro Loredan, a boastful man (perhaps some deserter of the Venetian cause). On the same day, a dire devastation was caused by enemy projectiles in the western region, with the ruin of the tower situated at the Gate of St. Romanus; the efforts of the besieged are directed toward repairing the damage. B
April 22. Sunday. On this day, 5,000 Turkish ships are transported by land from the Bosphorus into the port of Constantinople. Our author reports, not without anguish of soul, that 72 armed ships were placed on cylinders and hauled over the mountain which Pera overlooks from the north by Turkish laborers and the common rabble. The Constantinopolitans, shut up in the city, for whom there is peril on both sides from the enemy fleet, place one trireme as a guard at the strait which adjoins Pera, which was to give a signal to the naval prefect where the enemy might attempt an attack.
April 23. In the church of St. Mary (of the Hodegetria, it seems), men called for this purpose deliberate on how the enemy ships might be expelled from the port.
April 24. Lord Jac. Cocus, patron of that Trebizond trireme, taking two cargo ships, the prefect of those inhabiting Pera informs the Sultan about that matter; and those Genoese themselves, most perfidious men, move the Venetian commanders to reserve the proposed attempt for another night, promising their own aid, while in reality they were about to assist the Turks with all their strength.
April 25-27. During this interval of time, in which nothing worth noting happened, Barbarus opines that further misfortunes were the vengeance of the divine God for the sins of which that age was guilty.
April 28. That night, two triremes under the command of Gabr. Trevisano and the knight Hier. Morosino, along with Jac. Cocus, were frustrated in their hope of burning the Turkish ships in the port with fire. Barbarus narrates this attempt more expansively than all the others.
April 29. The admiral Diedo appoints Dolphinus to replace the leader of the Trebizond trireme who had been dismissed; in his place for guarding the Gate of Blachernae, Jo. Loredanus is substituted. Whatever damage the besiegers inflict on the besieged is immediately repaired by them. Nothing further that is worth remembering was done in the month of April.
May 1, 2. The same is to be said of these two days. There is a scarcity of food in the city.
May 3, 4. The Constantinopolitans oppose the enemies in the port with two bombards; the Turks place two machines of the same kind. For the next ten days and as many nights, artillery fire erupts on both sides without any remarkable effect. By order of the Emperor, a small light vessel is sent toward the island of Negroponte to seek out the Venetian fleet and to ask J. Loredanus to come to the aid of the city, which was in dire straits, without delay. And this [vessel], indeed, traverses the Archipelago under a Turkish flag and in simulated Turkish garb, but returns to Constantinople with the business left undone. C
May 5. The Turks set up several bombards on the mountain looming over Pera, and from thence they strike the enemy ships in the port along the entire length of the great chain with artillery fire. And a third bronze ball, having been projected, sinks a Genoese ship full of merchandise and provisions to the bottom of the sea. From there, the Christian ships return to the walls of Pera not without damage. After the Turks had directed the same artillery toward the Kynegion without effect, they finally added those [artillery pieces] which were covering the inner walls. D
May 6. On this Sunday also, the artillery thunders perpetually.
May 7. A night attack made by 30,000 Turks is stoutly repelled; in which stupendous clamors, reaching as far as the Anatolian sea, caused the city's defenders to prepare themselves for battle by land and by sea. Nothing more, however, was attempted by the Turks, except that, as they were leaving, they set fire to the Palatine Gate; which the Greeks then blocked up with a wall. The ships took up their previous station around the chain.
May 8. It was decreed by the Board of Twelve that the Tana ships, having been unloaded, should be transported to the arsenal. As the ships were being unloaded by armed hand
they resisted so as not to fall under the authority of the Greeks, saying that the triremes were their homes; that they should neither live nor die on land. This view prevailed; both they and the admiral remained on the shore of Pera. The guns perpetually fired balls around the Gate of St. Romanus.
May 9. By the will of the Board of Twelve, Lord Gabriele Trevisan commanded that 400 soldiers, drawn from the two triremes, be assigned to guard the land walls.
May 10. In a council held by the Twelve in the Church of St. Mary, Lord Diedus was designated admiral of the fleet, with the provision that he should exercise control over the port and all maritime affairs as he saw fit.
May 11. The same deadly toil of the guns.
May 12. The Turks, with their usual clamor and the discordant din of drums and pipes, attacked the wall around the palace; but the mercy of Jesus Christ averted the extreme danger from the city on this occasion, because, as Barbaro opines, the destruction of Constantinople, according to the prophecy of the holy Emperor Constantine, was reserved not for the present, but for a later phase of the moon. A
May 13. Lord Trevisan, commander of the fleet, landed with his soldiers to defend the damaged walls. He did not withdraw from that place until the city was taken. According to Phrantzes, between the Kynegion and the Imperial Palace, he acted as a shepherd, not a mercenary. Throughout this time, there was uninterrupted fire from the guns against the western wall.
May 14. The Turks, as we have already seen, dragged their guns from the hill of St. Theodore toward Pera, near the Kynegion gate, and placed them opposite the port, and later behind the Gate of St. Romanus, where the wall was suffering the worst damage, although the besieged strove to repair the inflicted damage with all their might. Three hundred men, mostly pyrotechnicians and archers, occupied that gate, all of them foreigners, except for the Greeks, whose pusillanimity our author severely criticizes. B
May 15. The restless explosion of the guns and the diligent repair of the damaged sections followed; otherwise, a truce.
May 16. Several Turkish dispatch boats approached the chain around the port and attacked the ships of the besieged; but suddenly, fearing they might be repelled against their will, they retreated. Mines dug by the Turks around the Caligaria Gate were discovered and thwarted by the Grand Duke.
May 17. Five Turkish ships proceeded as far as the chain of the port for the purpose of scouting, but were met with 70 shots, which, though they hit nothing, caused them to flee with the greatest speed they could muster. Yet everyone feared that the enemy would attack the city with all its forces, an attack that all despaired of being able to resist.
May 18. Throughout the night, the Turks constructed those turreted machines, also mentioned with admiration by our own Barbaro; nor could he sufficiently marvel that the Turks had accomplished in four hours what all the Christians living in Constantinople could not have done in a whole month. From this great tower, the Turks hurled an immense D mass of arrows into the city, so that those within were struck with extreme terror.
May 19. It was at this time that the bridge constructed of joined ships began to appear from Galata to the Kynegion, as Barbaro claims; according to Phrantzes, however, it took place after the ships had been transported, C putting aside the more confused chronology of Leonardo, who believes it was made before the naval battle, with a difference of a whole month. Certainly, Doukas agrees more closely with our Barbaro in this matter. The Turks did not cease to hurl bronze balls at the enemy and fill the air with their shouts; the besieged repaired the damage inflicted.
May 20. Barbaro reports the efforts of the besieged to repair the gaping walls, for which work women, children, and the elderly clergy expended their strength. Mention is also made of that huge machine that emitted 1200-pound stones, by which not only the walls, but the pavement of the city and the ships in the port were most violently shaken.
May 21. The entire host of the enemy threatened an assault well before sunrise; but after they saw the ships of the besieged prepared for battle around the great chain, they attempted nothing, but rather withdrew. They also discovered a mine dug by the Turks near the Caligaria Gate, blocked it, and slaughtered the diggers. Nevertheless, on this day, the wall and the tower near it were quite heavily damaged, and those who were inside the city had sick bodies from tireless labor and hardships.
May 22. The mine near the Caligaria Gate, having been blocked again, thwarted the hope of the diggers. But upon seeing a wondrous celestial spectacle (Barbaro calls it a common eclipse of the moon), the Constantinopolitans, mindful of the prophecy of the Emperor Constantine, saw it as a sign of imminent ruin, while the Turks saw it as a pledge of victory.
May 23. Furthermore, a third mine discovered near the Caligaria Gate and the Emperor’s palace was the reason why several makers of war machines were taken prisoner; who, after being ordered to say where other mines had been built, had their heads cut off and were thrown over the walls into the Turkish camp. On this same day, the light galley, which had been sent on the fourth day of this month to search for the Venetian fleet in the Archipelago, having escaped the traps of the Turkish ships, returned to the harbor. The city was continuously harassed by the labor of the guns.
May 24. The fourth mine, which they discovered again near the Caligaria Gate, damaged the wall not a little. Fierce shouting and jubilation followed from the Turkish camp on account of the chance battle that was now imminent. The last mine discovered near the aforementioned gate greatly terrified those trapped in the city. The war machines did not cease to emit fire and stones into the city.
May 26. Festive fires burned far and wide, and there was jubilation in the Turkish camp on account of the attack they were to launch by force the next day. The Constantinopolitans, with prayers and supplications to the Mother of God...
A and all the saints, kept begging for deliverance from the hands of the Gentiles with deep groaning and tears. But God our Lord, in accordance with His inexorable will, decreed that on that very day the head of the Greeks should fall into the hands of Muhammad (and, as our Lord God decreed because of the cruel sentence against the Greeks, that He willed that this city should go on this day into the hand of Muhammad!).
May 29. Barbarus recalls the ancient prophecies concerning the destruction of the Greek empire, the fulfillment of which, according to many signs, was reserved for this very time. In the third hour before sunrise, the sultan ordered three armies, each of 50,000 armed men, to advance toward the city. The first cohort consisted of Christians whom the Turks had forced into the company of the battle; the second, of an unskilled rabble (an unrefined crowd, that is, a vile mob of that sort); the third was composed of Janissaries and the strength of the army; behind these, the sultan finally occupied his position. D And as the first of them attempted to apply ladders to the walls, they were repulsed with huge losses. Yet they were driven toward the walls by those following with such violence that they had to perish in one way or another. As Barbarus observes, the sultan had positioned these Christians in the front line so that they would be exposed to certain death, while he spared the lives of the Turks, and in order to tire out the defenders of the city with their assault, even if it were futile. This is what happened in reality, even though the second rank was repulsed with much bloodshed by the archers and bombardiers of the city. Then the third rank of the sultan, with new strength and with a shout heard far and wide, the Janissaries and the flower of the army, burst forth like lions.
Notwithstanding the prayers and lamentations of the urban multitude, especially the women, and although the defenders fought most bravely on the walls, at sunrise the Turks, enveloped by the dust raised by that great engine of war, were the first three hundred to cross the walls. But after they themselves paid for their audacity with death, and the same stratagem was repeated, finally up to 30,000 soldiers burst into the city with an impetus such as that of wild beasts, through the broken parts of the wall around the Gate of St. Romanus. Indeed, so many Turks fell in that slaughter that, if Barbarus is to be believed, 40 merchant ships could scarcely suffice to transport the corpses. The same author reports, moreover, that Justiniani was wounded, and that his shouting that the Turks were already taking the city was the cause of flight for everyone.
Once the city was captured by force, the Turks shed blood without any regard for age or sex, until they judged it better to sell those who were unarmed—among whom were the Venetian merchants who had hidden themselves in cellars—for a price. The banners of St. Mark and the Emperor were torn down from the towers, and a banner of the Turkish cur, as they call it, was substituted in their place. Therefore, when the capture of the city became known, whoever held ships in the port, and the great fleet that was present along the Hellespont, hurried to leave so they would not be frustrated of a great prize, which at that very moment in time had begun to be loaded onto the ships. Barbarus reports that the Turks affixed a small flag to every house, monastery, or church they had entered, which called back those who followed for the sake of plundering from proceeding any further. It appears that more than 200,000 such marks were affixed throughout the city, since a large part of the houses was decorated with ten such signs.
The slaughter of the Christians thereafter was such that the public streets were flooded with blood just as they are by water after a rain, and the corpses thrown into the Propontis floated on the sea like fruit. Our author says that nothing certain is known about the life and death of the Emperor, except for what some record, that his body was found among those who were crushed by the Turks entering the gate of St. Romanus. Barbarus also reports that the surviving Venetians took care to place their possessions, especially their ships, in safety. Among those who escaped with their lives...
The author of the Ephemerides provides the names 1) of the Venetian leaders who died in the battle against the Turks; 2) of those who escaped unharmed with the ships (33); 3) of those who remained in captivity, some of whom were redeemed below the price of 2000 gold pieces; 4) of all the Venetian nobles who were at Constantinople on the day of the invasion (68); 5) of those who perished during the whole time of the siege (60-68). You have here the most illustrious names of the Venetian Republic: Bembo, Contarini, Mocenighi, Cornaro, Naui, Gritti, Loredano, Pisani, etc., though there are errors perhaps committed by the scribes. What is reported there concerning the killing of the Greek magistrates seems to be consigned to apocryphal accounts. A ...commander of the Tana triremes, Diedo, whom equally with the author of these Ephemerides and the commander of the ships, Fiurianus, the Genoese governor captured and later set free, and who with a broken trireme reached the port chain in the sea. The trireme of Hieronymus Morosini also, and the Trapezuntine [trireme/ship] under the commander Dolphinus, who had succeeded to the position and which had lost its men on 28 Apr. [1453], escaped. Furthermore, the trireme of Gab. Trevisani escaped unharmed, and [those who were] captured by the Turks, and three Cretan ships which, because of the absence of the Turks, escaped through the upper regions of the city [which were] scattered. It is less certain regarding the ships of the Genoese saved and [the fact that] 5 imperial ships were stripped and fell as booty to the enemy. There is a brief mention of the Venetian commander given up to punishment. The number of captives, as Barbarus writes, is 60,000; the booty taken by the Turks is 200,000 gold pieces; others report a smaller number.
ANONYMOUS NARRATION ON THE LIFE OF MOHAMMED
(From the Rehdiger Codex, edited by Dr. W. Gass in the Appendix to Gennadius and Pletho.)The thrice-cursed and godless Mohammed—who is also named by the Hagarenes, his subjects, Machumet, and [is considered] a great prophet among them and honored by God—appeared in the days of Heraclius the King. Born in a part of Ethiopia of Ethiopian parents, he grew up and reached this point, having progressed toward the worse regarding the truth in the following way: B A certain monk named Gerasimus, being an extreme Arian and a Pneumatomachian, originating, as they say, from Isauria, having been raised both in Constantinople and in the city of the Romans, and having been much urged by the pious to renounce Arianism and the other heresies by which he was possessed, was not persuaded. Therefore, so that he might not be a stumbling block of ruin to many, wise though he was otherwise, he was exiled by the orthodox to the regions of Coelesyria. Living there in a cave by a royal road to beg in order to survive—since he was despised—he was occupied greatly with astronomy and with the method of effectiveness. Watching the passersby, one day he saw, among other travelers, a certain young man, the aforementioned Machumet, driving a few camels and coming down from Mesopotamia for trade in Jerusalem. For this aforementioned Mohammed, orphaned and while still very young wandering from door to door and being fed by leftovers, a certain very wealthy widow named Fatumah saw him, took him into her own house, and raised him, [and] sent him [out] in daily [life] to pasture her own camels.
And as he became a man, the woman, having fallen in love with him, had intercourse with him in harlotry; but having been caught, and wishing to escape the disgrace of the many, she openly made him her husband. She gave him a portion of her own property and sent him off for trade; but she was troubled in another way, because, being constantly afflicted with the falling sickness, he caused her no small disgrace; whence she instructed him to seek and inquire, wherever he might happen to arrive, if he could possibly find some healer or physician to free him from the affliction. Therefore, sitting on the road, the aforementioned monk saw Mohammed traveling and inquired of him from which city he came; but after much [else], he himself asked him for what reason he was waiting by the road; but simply, one asking the other, as Mohammed heard from others that he also practiced the science of medicine, he became as if overjoyed and announced his affliction of the falling sickness. As he heard that the monk could free him from such an affliction, giving him a portion [as] payment, he let him go, saying, "On my return from Jerusalem, I will take you up with me into my house to Mesopotamia for the sake of both my own [health] and that of others of many cures, since the region is very much in need of a physician, in order to collect money and lead a relaxed and painless life." Having therefore gone down into Jerusalem and having conversed with some of the heretics, and especially with Jews and Nestorians, as he was very fond of learning, but also with learned Jews...
A who were practitioners of medicine, as fellow-travelers to Mesopotamia, he was overjoyed; and as he was about to be healed by them, as they themselves insisted, he completed the journey with them. And when they arrived at the place where he found the aforementioned monk living by the road, he took him up according to the signal previously agreed upon, and seating him upon the camel, they continued their journey. Along the way, the monk instructed him thoroughly in Arianism, while the Hebrews—having made the custom of circumcision a condition with him—persuaded Muhammad to choose their religion, provided only that he be healed by them. Having safely reached his own native country of Mesopotamia, he took the monk and the Jews and hosted them at his own house, giving the monk a separate, very small house near his own in which to reside. Since many disputes had arisen among them—both the monk with the Jews and those [the Jews] with him, each party insisting B by what means Muhammad had been taught their respective religion—the monk wished to be separated from Muhammad. But when he was entreated to remain, and to do whatever he (Muhammad) might ask, the monk made a horoscope regarding Muhammad, and finding that Muhammad would be great and would increase in power if he were to adopt some heresy and religion, he called Muhammad to him and said: "If you listen to my advice, you shall soon become great." And when he agreed to obey, he said to him: "When you fall to the ground and suffer a seizure, upon rising say that I fall because I cannot bear to look upon the face of the angel Gabriel as he approaches me and speaks to me, as you see me fall to the ground." And the monk, having seen that the local people were completely barbarian and superstitious, and ready to accept the trifles he intended to utter to them, said to those present who saw the one suffering the seizure: "Observe what is happening, for in seeing God and the angels, Muhammad becomes ecstatic." And when he rose, acting according to the monk’s suggestion, he said C that he fell because he was seeing an angel; and the monk called him a prophet, deceiving those who heard him. And when Muhammad’s wife was distressed, thinking that he might consume all her wealth, the monk, defending him to her, said: "Do not be troubled, for Muhammad is a great prophet." Upon hearing these things and believing them, as a woman will, she exhorted the other women and proclaimed that Muhammad was a great prophet. And the error, having passed from the women to the men, who were barbarians and very ignorant, the aforementioned person was believed to be a prophet of God.
As the monk saw his scheme progressing, he thought it necessary to give those people both a faith and a law, for the establishment, indeed, of Arianism and the other heresies for which he had been exiled. And sitting down, he wrote a book, that which is called the Quran, which is God’s law, having sown into it all his own impiety, teaching that God has neither Word nor Spirit, and that Christ is not God, but a great prophet, and he wrote many other trifles; and having given it to his disciple Muhammad, he proclaimed to those foolish people that this book had been sent down to Muhammad from heaven by the angel Gabriel while he was asleep. And they believed that it was so, just as the monk had insured regarding the new law. But the aforementioned Jews, being vexed with Muhammad and not wanting him to be healed, since he did not follow their religion entirely but rather the monk’s suggestions, and wishing to satisfy them as well, he accepted the custom of circumcision from the Jewish customs and the naming of the prophets alone; but as for what was written by Moses and the rest of the prophets, he did as the monk deemed best regarding these.
When these things had come to pass and the local inhabitants had believed in the new law of Muhammad, being at a loss for authority, by the suggestion of the monk, they made him their ruler, so that he was at once lawgiver, prophet, and king. Then, having created a military system, he began to plunder the surrounding villages. When report of this reached the Emperor Heraclius, he sent an army against him, and the Romans arrived there and killed Muhammad’s subordinates. But he himself, having fled with a few men, sent an embassy to the king, calling himself the king’s slave and asking that he be allowed to rest in one part of Ethiopia, offering to pay tribute to the king. And he, being persuaded, allowed this. D After the death of Heraclius, when many upheavals had occurred in the Roman Empire, Muhammad, finding an opening, began to plunder Syria. Then, having progressed from little or nothing to much on account of our sins, he destroyed much of the Roman Empire. After him, his successors completely destroyed, ravaged, and obliterated the remainder. This has been said in summary regarding all that is the truth. The End.
A for I think that in every single year he carries off no less than ten or fifteen thousand—I speak of fewer, so that you may believe it—souls! I would say fifty thousand, if you would believe it, and he compels them to deny Christ Jesus both by threats and by blandishments. But no small wonder rises in me if even one Christian is still found in those parts. For Corinth alone sends out every year thousands and thousands of ducats as a toll for captives passing from Gallipoli into Turkey. Oh, therefore, you sins of Christians, whither do you tend? Whither do you lead yourselves, to what servitude, to what opprobrium do you compel yourselves to be subjected? But why do I delay longer, most humane Father, why do I defer recounting the new—not new, but too often practiced—calamitous slaughter and tearful ruin of Christians, which we have seen in these days? The hand trembles, the eyes weep, the mind today shrinks from noting these things with paper and pen. Where is that prophet Jeremiah, who might lament not one city alone, but three, but four, but innumerable encampments and villages, a great and notable country, I say, most opulent in inhabitants and riches, now destroyed and reduced to ashes, namely in the month of August of the present year? I speak of the country of the faithful people who are called Saxons in the Transylvanian fatherland, which—as a brother tells me who was redeemed from the plunder—extended for a length of eight days and a width of three; which was previously called Septemsolia, but now I know not what it is called, unless perhaps a place of lamentation and weeping. Who, therefore, will give water to my head, that I might weep day and night, not for the walls and broken partitions, but for the innumerable souls carried off and now delivered to the devil to be devoured, whose number is said to reach thirty, and perhaps forty thousand? Oh! who would give me not the eloquence of Maro or of Tully to write—which would surely succumb in these matters—but rather the voice of thunder and the wings of the winds to ascend and fly over the land of the Christians, not merely that hearts of stone might be moved, but that the very mountains and valleys might be terrified by the magnitude of the cry? The wretched Christians do not hear these things, and perhaps, having heard, they will not believe. They heard, I believe, and more readily believed, that the Turk had been defeated; that this is not true, this clearly demonstrates, that already twice or thrice since then he has sent an army to those parts. But if it is also true that many of his own have not died—rather from labor, plague, and hunger than by the sword—what, I ask, is there to wonder at if, in an army of three hundred thousand men, some die; men whom you may also know to be for the most part Christians? For which reason, wherever you turn, you have abundant matter for lamentation. Where, then, are the churches in that country any longer, the crosses, chalices, missals, vestments? where are the relics of the saints? and what is greater than all, in many places, the consecrated body of the Lord? Alas! by what opprobrium, by what mockery, with what great delusion have they been cast down and trampled under foot? Where is now that God Almighty, who grew angry at King Balthasar for basely abusing the vessels of the temple of the Lord? Certainly, as it clearly appears, if He B remembers—as I believe He does, beloved Father—when we were sent by our most holy Lord the Pope to these parts and departed from Venice, where you also suddenly arrived returning from Jerusalem, how it was rumored there in recent days that the Hungarians had burned some ships of the Turks, and also had killed very many of them. These things, I say, were all true. But if you have heard since then—I know not—that because of this the Turk himself was angered, and approaching there personally with a large army, he carried away more than sixty thousand souls, as it is said, from the kingdom of Rascia, neighboring Hungary; of whom, if any even now remember Christ, it is uncertain. Do you wonder at this? But you would wonder and grieve much more that, for twenty-five or thirty years now, what he has done with no small damage to himself and shame to the governors. First of the Georgians, that is, the kingdom of Georgia is not small, where King Alexander reigns today, beyond Trebizond. Who can travel under the northern sky through the fatherland of the Russians and Ruthenians as far as the Maeotian marshes, which is called the sea of Abbachuc? I omit Circassia and Vogaria, Mingrelia, Wallachia, Patras near the sea, yet [all] under the rite of the Greeks. Of the Armenians I am silent, whom I hope you will soon see coming to Italy along with our father, Brother Jacob, to be reduced to the Catholic faith, [they being] of much easier conversion and more eager to grasp the truth than other nations, and most benevolent to the Latins. Furthermore, you will have known of innumerable Christians in the Cæsian mountains, and scattered here and there in Persia and Scythia, where the places of our brethren stand emptied of our brethren, still today living among the Tartars themselves. For which reason I consider not useless, but rather most opportune, your person and those like you in those parts, provided, however, that the sacred union is first celebrated, if God should permit. But, alas! alas! why do I commemorate these things, when one ought to weep much rather than hope for any good through the aforementioned? To weep, I say, from the depths of my heart, and to cry out to the stars, that the Almighty, pitying, might at some time oversee the deliverance of these parts, in the midst of which we almost are, and not look upon the sins of the people so long, until the name of Christianity is extinguished in the regions of the East and the North. They are failing, alas, daily, the Christians, and the followers of the devil are increasing both in number and in the strength of arms. For there is scarcely a city, citadel, or village, and there is scarcely a day, in which—both in Turkey and in Greece—not only by fear or threats, but much more by luxuries and honors, the most holy name of Christ is not denied, and Mahomet, the son of the devil, is exalted to the heights; and what perhaps you will wonder at, [it is done] sometimes by those who abounded in wealth, and honor, and the prudence of the world. But that I may be silent about past evils, for the telling of which I think no tongue could suffice, I will touch briefly upon what I myself recently inspected with my own eyes, that you might know and weep with me, and if you find any not stripped of every piety, you might compel them also to weep.
INDEX
Hippolytus Thebanus, historian, distinct from the martyr, concerning the time of the death of St. Stephen, 227. Homer, prince of poets, 7, 184, 195.
I Innocent I, Pope, letters to Arcadius, 259, 260. Isidore of Pelusium, disciple of St. Chrysostom, 98, 223, 258.
J Jamblichus, philosopher, concerning demons or angels, 107. Jeremiah, prophet, 287. Jesus, son of Sirach, 203. John (St.), apostle and evangelist, passim. John, astronomer, 300. John (St.) Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, passim, 2, 4, 8, 9, 12, 18, 27, 59, 66, 67, 68, 69, 72, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 85, 87, 88, 89, 91. In his oration on the exile of Adam, 123, 124, 125, 131, 132, 133, 157, 189, 209, 210, 212, 214, 215, 218, 219, 220, 223, 225, 226, 227, 236, 258, 259. John (St.) Climacus, or author of the Ladder, 112. John (St.) of Damascus, monk, passim, 8, 15, 16, 17, 21, 52, 65, 66, 71, 78, 80, 81, 82, 93, 98, 99, 100, 103, 107, 111, 208, 209, 221. John Scylitzes, or Curopalates, historian, 245, 246, 286, 293, 294, 297. John Zonaras, historian, 140, 286, 291, 297. John Xiphilinus, Patriarch of Constantinople, 325, 326. Job, patriarch, 116, 147. Joseph, patriarch, Prayer of, apocryphal book, 259. Josephus, Jew, historian, 1, 12, 40, 102, 119, 121, 123, 125, 127, 130, 135, 139, 143, 145, 148, 150, 155, 158, 163, 164, 174, 175, 176, 177, 179, 183, 184, 185, 187, 188, 192, 198, 228, 234, 238. Julian of Halicarnassus, heretic, 243. Julian, emperor, the apostate, called ὁ παράφρων ("the madman"), 117, 128, 185, 199, 251, 253, 254. Julius Caesar, dictator, 201. Justinian the Great, emperor, 266, 272. Justin, philosopher and martyr, 4, 15, 19, 241. Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, on the burial of the Blessed Virgin, 252, 270.
L Leo (St.), Roman pontiff, 271. Leo the Wise or Philosopher, emperor, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300. Leo, a learned man, Archbishop of Thessalonica, 291, 292. Libanius, sophist of Antioch, 258. Sacred books, of Solomon, apocryphal. See Esdras, Genesis, Josephus, Solomon. Book of the miracles of St. Basil, usually attributed to Amphilochius, 235. Luke (St.), evangelist, 236, 237, 281.
M Macarius (St.), abbot, in his epistles, 105, 255. Manes, heretic, 82, 111, 214. Marcus Antoninus, emperor, 241. Mark (St.), evangelist, 216. Mark, steward (oikonomos) and monk, who completed the Tetraodion of Cosmas, 298, in the notes. Matthew (St.), apostle and evangelist, 284. Maximus (St.), monk and confessor, 3, 5, 6, 25, 70, 71, 95, 110, 194. In the items he wrote concerning Thalassius. Metaphrastes. See Simeon. Methodius, Patriarch of Constantinople, 289. Michael Parapinakios, emperor, unskilled poet, 330. Michael Psellus, who is "the wise in reality" (ὁ σοφὸς τῷ ὄντι), 171, 181, 328, 330. Michael Cerularius, Patriarch of Constantinople, 319. Moses, lawgiver of the Hebrews, passim up to pages 157, 160, 211.
N Nazianzen. See Gregory. Nectarius, Patriarch of Constantinople, 256. Nestorius, from Germanicea in Syria, Patriarch of Constantinople, heretic, 245, 260, 271. Nemesius, Bishop of Emesa, philosopher, on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and other things, 64, 102, 165. Nicander of Colophon, Greek poet, on serpents, 25. Nicephorus, Patriarch of Constantinople, "the renowned among patriarchs" (ὁ ἐν πατριάρχαις ἀοίδιμος), on angels offering our prayers, 137, 244, 287. Nyssenus. See Gregory.
O Origen Adamantius, Alexandrian presbyter, whom he calls "accursed and empty-minded" (κατάρατον καὶ ματαιόφρονα), 109, 162, 241, 242, 243, 271.
P Parva Genesis. See Genesis. Patricius, Bishop of Prusa, from the oration on St. Pionius, 17. Paul (St.), Apostle, often cited, 136, 213, 214, 217, 228, 229, 235, 236, 237, 239. Paul of Samosata, heretic, 244, 278. Paul of Sinope, on the madness of dogs, 63. Peter (St.), prince of the apostles, 124, 233, 236. Peter, writing to Faustus concerning the natal star, 26, 113. Philo, the Jew, 234. Philo the philosopher, Ecclesiastical History on the power of anathemas, 282, 283. Philolaus, Pythagorean philosopher, 20. Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople, 293, 297, 298. Plato, philosopher, 5, 202. Plotinus, follower of Plato, 70. Plutarch, philosopher of Chaeronea, 58, 131. Porphyry, Platonic philosopher, 107. Prayer of Joseph (προσευχὴ τοῦ Ἰωσήφ), apocryphal book, 239. Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople, 260. Procopius, historian of Caesarea, 270. Psellus. See Michael. Ptolemy of Alexandria, astrologer, 134. Pyron, or Pyrrhon, writer of Annals; he wrote that Adam entered paradise after 40 days, 82. Pythagoras, philosopher, 202.
R Rufus, physician, writer on the cause of hydrophobia, 63.
S Sabellius, heretic, 213. Books of Solomon, King of the Jews, on angels and demons, on gemstones, etc., 182, 183, 184, 185. Scylitzes. See John Scylitzes. Serapion, mathematician, 243. Seth, inventor of the conversion of the year and other things, 121. Severianus, Bishop of Gabala, 67. Severus, an Acephalous heretic, 80, 271. Simeon or Symeon, Metaphrastes, 245, 252. Sophocles, poet, 202. Symmachus, 242.
T Tertullian, Latin writer, "a man famous in Rome" (ἀνὴρ ὁ ἐν Ῥώμῃ λαμπρός), 235. Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrrhus, 14, 19, 33, 63, 79. In Therapeutica, 80, 106, 132, 176, 179, 181, 187, 189, 192, 198, 211, 230, 261, 263, 270. Theodore, Bishop of Mopsuestia, 245. Theophanes the Confessor, chronographer, continuator of George Syncellus, 246, 287. Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria, 257, 258, 259. Theophylact, Archbishop of the Bulgarians, 210. Thucydides, historian, 202. Timothy, Patriarch of Alexandria, 271.
V Valens, astronomer, "the most accurate of astronomers" (ἀκριβέστατος ἀστρονόμων), 249. Valentinus, heresiarch, 111, 142.
X Xenophanes, philosopher, 20. Xiphilinus. See John.
Z Zonaras. See John. Zoroaster, King of the Persians or astrologer, 199.
1085 IN ANNALES MICH. GLYCÆ
INDEX OF MATTERS AND WORDS IN THE ANNALS OF MICHAEL GLYCAS, CHIEFLY OF NOTEWORTHY THINGS.
A Aaron, died on Mount Hor, 159. Abaris, a mountain, which is also called Nebo, 157, 159; Moses died upon it, 160. Habakkuk, or Abacuc, feeds Daniel in the lions' den, 202. Abel and Cain, concerning their typology, 119. What the name Abel means, 235. Why God regarded the sacrifices of Abel, 117. Abesatomus, or Absalom, his destruction, 178. What was the cause for Absalom to plot parricide, ibid. Abisai (Ab), or Abishag, David preserved by, 279. Abraham the astronomer, 131. How he was faithful, when he said: "Whereby shall I know that I shall inherit this land?" 134; how he was lesser than Melchizedek, 136. Abraham's constancy, 133. History, 131 et seq. Hospitality, 152. Meekness, 131. Obedience, ibid. From whence comes the name of Abraham, 134. Hawk, how it heals itself, 50. Acre, which was formerly called Joppa, 340. Ahab, his destruction, 189. Achar, son of Charmi, why he was stoned with his whole house, 168. Ahaz, son of Jotham, most impious, 192. Achior the Ammonite, 169. Achish the king, 176. Ahithophel's counsel, 178; his destruction, ibid. Acontias, the serpent, 58. Ada and Sillah, wives of Lamech, 122. Adam, was he created mortal and immortal at the same time? 87. Of what kind he was created by God, 85. Since he was previously immortal, how he subsequently became subject to destruction, 90 et seq. Why he was made mortal after the fall, 92. Created from other earth, placed in paradise, 67. Why God did not prevent Adam from eating of the tree of knowledge, 101. After the fall he knew Eve, and begets Cain, 110. When he was cast out of paradise, 120. In what way he was created mortal by God, 93, 94. Where he lived as an exile, and died, 120. From whence the appellation of Adam, 75. Concerning the condition of Adam, the words of the Council of Carthage, 95. Adam's body created incorruptible by God, 90. A discourse of Chrysostom concerning the exile of Adam, 91. Adam's children, 117. That Adam before the fall was free from passions, 93, 94. Why all animals were led by God to Adam, 81. Adonibezek, the punishment of the Canaanite leader, 162. Adrianople, the seat of the Turkish kingdom in Europe, 316. Hadrian the Emperor, 240. His destruction, ibid. Under Hadrian, the slaughter of the Jews, ibid. Egypt, upon the death of Alexander, to whom it fell, 202. Why the heart has no winter, 153. The plagues of Egypt, 151 et seq. In Egypt, what things were [provided] for the sake of charity in the famine, 145. Egyptians, inventors of geometry, 198. Struck by a multitude of lice, 151. The extreme superstition of the Egyptians, 50. Aelia, as Jerusalem is called, 210. For what reason, ibid. Aemilianus the Emperor, 244. Treasury's deficiency under Basil the Macedonian, 294. Aesculapius, when he lived, 163. His skill in the medical art, ibid. Summer, why the Nile overflows, 10, 16. Queen of the Ethiopians, the Sibyl, 183. How she tempted Solomon, ibid. What she gave to Solomon, 184. Air, that it is easily affected, 56. That in the sacred letters it is also called heaven, 8. Origin of natural affections, 93, 94. Agag, because he was spared, God is angry with Saul, 173. Agilei, subject to women, 113. Paschal Lamb, when it was accustomed to be slain, 228.
Agrippina, mother of Nero, killed by her tyrant son, 237. Elagabalus, see Heliogabalus. Alemana, married to Manuel Comnenus, 336. Her exceeding virtue, ibid. Alexander the Great, deceived by Candace, 141. Why Alexander is compared by Daniel to a leopard, ibid. He worships the high priest of the Jews, 142. At what age Alexander died, 141. The overthrower of the Persian kingdom, 202. Alexander's great-mindedness, 142. Chastity, ibid. Learning, ibid. Alexander's column on the island of the Brahmans, ibid. Division of the monarchy, 202. Alexander's eyes, one blue, one black, [after] his death was divided, 112. That Alexander performed a sacred rite to God in Jerusalem, 141. Alexander, bishop of Alexandria, 214. Alexander, son of Mamea, Emperor, 213. Alexander the monk, concerning the baptism of Constantine, 251. A refutation of the same, ibid. Alexandria, by whom founded, ibid. The separation of Alexandria from Constantinople, 263. Alexius Branas, 310. Alexius Comnenus, emperor, 332 et seq. Sent against Bryennius, 331. He dissipates the hostile Turkish forces, 335. Uses cautery, ibid. He dies, ibid. He recalls the Manichaeans to life, 335. Concerning the mother and wife of Alexius Comnenus, 331. The disease and cure of Alexius Comnenus, 335. How Rupert the Frank was deceived by Alexius Comnenus, 333. Alexius Ducas Murzuphlus, emperor, 342. His punishments, ibid. Alexius, son of the Emperor Isaac, 342. Captured by Alexius Ducas, ibid. His destruction, ibid. Alexius, patriarch, corrupted by gifts, 314. Allelengyon, removed by Argyropulus, 312. What kind of exaction the Allelengyon is, 310. Whence it was so named, ibid. Amalthea, the goat, 147. What the horn of Amalthea is, ibid. Amalthea's horn, daughter of Job, ibid. Whence so called, ibid. Amaziah the king, 192. His destruction, ibid. Amazons, unmarried, 143. Concerning canvassing [for office], the law of Marcian, 263. Ambrose, a disciple of Origen, 242. Ambrose's frankness, 257. Ammerigus, king of the Germans, 341. His perfidy, 337. Fidelity of a friend, 278. Ammon's incest with his sister, 178. Mutual love of spouses, 82. Amosus the king, 197. Amphilochius's opinion concerning the creation of the angels, 80. Amurath, son of Mahomet, 346. His destruction, 343, 348. Anabatianus, a book of the Cainites, 120. Anacharsis, burning with the love of chastity and virtuous exercises, 251. Anastasius Sinaita's allegory, 10, 53. Opinion on the creation of the angels, 80. Passage, 15, 21, 38, 49, 74, 86, 89, 93, 94, 99, 102, 105, 166, 182, 197. Anastasius Dicorus, Emperor, 264. His dream, 263. A distinguished deed, 265. His end, 265. Anatolius's counsel, 263. A striking likeness from anatomy, 154. Anaxagoras, when he lived, 202. His ravings concerning the stars, 20. Opinion concerning the sun, 21. Anaximander's ravings concerning the nature of the stars, 20. Opinion concerning the sun, 21. Anaximenes's opinion concerning the sun, ibid. Passage of Andrew of Crete, 86. Andromachus, inventor of theriac, 59. Andronicus Comnenus first escapes from prison, 338. How he reached Galiza, ibid. The empire and wickedness of the tyrant Andronicus Comnenus, 338. Incest with Theodora, [339]. Andronicus, son of John, Palaiologos, emperor, 343, 345. Andronicus the younger, having deposed his grandfather, [becomes] emperor, 341.
INDEX OF MATTERS AND WORDS
AAngels: the overseer of the life of every man, 337. The oath of the angels, 268. The change of the name of the angels in the case of Komnenos, 341. By an angel, one hundred and eighty-five thousand [were] slain in one night, 193. Angels, 76, 78. Ministers of the spirit, 137. What those ascending and descending Jacob’s ladder signify, ibid. Whether they were created before the creation of heaven and earth, or after, 110. How they are said to have eaten in the Holy Scriptures, 132. Whence the appellation of angels comes, 76, 77. The camps seen by Jacob, 138. Why the mention of the creation [of angels] is not explicit, 75, 76. Divergent opinions regarding the creation of angels, 79, 80. Whence the angels’ predictions of future events arise, 107. What the word signifies, 78. Given to us by the angels themselves, 77. What they signify in the angels, ibid. A passage of Nicephorus the Patriarch on the angels, 137. Moses buried by the angels, 158. On the angels of individuals, a passage from Basil, [ibid. reference note omitted]. The expedition of the English and French into Palestine, 311. The origin of eels, 44. Whether the soul is a participant in the divine essence, 68. One in man, endowed with diverse faculties, 69. The drier it is, the wiser it is, 74, 116. How it exists in the body, 71. The soul’s essence is incomprehensible, 72. The sudden convergence of soul and body in the maternal womb, and their sudden separation at the time of death, 73. Expert of soul, entirely dead, 72. Faculties of the soul, 70. How we attain growth, 83. Three parts, and 111 et seq. On the seat of the soul, the opinions of Aristotle and others, 71, 72. On the soul of brute animals, the error of the Manichaeans, 104. A timid soul, 37. Ephemeral animalcules, 38. Whence so called, ibid. Animals having a large heart, why they are timid: and on the contrary, why they are still unclean today, 168. How certain [animals are] unclean, though they received a common blessing with the rest at the beginning of things, 168. The keen senses of terrestrial animals, 49. None of the footless animals [are without], a certain natural prudence given by God, ibid. Brute animals do not labor under envy, 44. Whence Noah was able to discern clean animals from unclean, 126. The power of the senses in animals, 50. Why offspring in brute animals show more likeness to their parents than in humans, 56. The liberality of Anna the woman, 267. The Annals of John Skylitzes, 286. The high price of grain under Constantine Copronymus, 284. What a year is, 25. The diversity of years in numbers among the Hebrews and Greeks, 121. The calculation of the years of Paul’s preaching, 227. On the weeks of years according to Daniel, 205. That the heresy of the Anomoeans originated from Origen, 242. Watchful geese, 44. Rome saved by geese, ibid. Anthropophagi among the Indians, 143. The prodigies of the Antichrist, 156. Antigonus, after Alexander died, gained possession of Asia, 202. By whom Antioch was founded, ibid. The calamity of Antioch, 269. Why Phocas abstained from Antioch, 307. The empress’s statue thrown down by the Antiochians, 357. Antiochus Epiphanes, 202. The ruin of Antiochus Epiphanes, 202, 203. Antiochus Eupator, 203. How Antiochus the Ostiarius was circumvented, 267. Anti-pelargosis (mutual filial care), 41. Antonius Caracalla, emperor, 243. Antoninus Philosophus, emperor, 241. He sells the imperial world, ibid. The doctrine of Antoninus Philosophus, emperor, ibid. Antonius Pius, 241. Antonius, by Augustus in the naval battle defeated, 203. The error of the Appellians, 20. The worship of Apis by the Egyptians, 130. Why bees are extinguished by oil, 47. How they punish drones, 45. The republic of bees, 40, 45. The cause of the foam of boars, 63. Apochaudas defeated by Nicephorus, 304. Apollinarius, in which council was he condemned, 271. When he lived, 244. His heretical dogma, ibid. The dogma of Apollinarius, 70. The illusions of Apollonius, 239. Why the Apostles are greater than the patriarchs, 230. How many gifts of tongues they received, 226. Why they were only twelve at first, ibid. B Aspidochelone, a species of whale, 36. An image of the devil, ibid. The water of contradiction, whence the fountain was so called, 102. Why water was placed by God above the firmament, 8. Why also below, ibid. What the water and fire in the mountains of Lycia conjoined remind us of, 17. Why river water is not salty, [it is] collected, 15. How it is said in the Scriptures that [honey] is everywhere, 14. [That] the water of the flood rose fifteen cubits above the mountains themselves, 126, 127. Whence it is evident that sea water is thicker than river water, 16. On sea water, that it is potable, how it may be extracted, 9. The fountain and principle of aerial waters, the sea, 9. Whence the heat of hot springs, 6. Whence the flux and reflux in the Euripus occurs, 22. The change, the first plague of Egypt, 131, and why, ibid. That all waters originate from the sea, 16. An eagle having become a Christian, 141. He does not abandon astrology, ibid. He is circumcised, and the holy writings are tainted, ibid. An eagle provides shade for Marcianus, 262. The eagle of the augury, 294. The iniquity of the eagle toward its offspring, 41. The augury of eagles, 300. The interpretation thereof, ibid. Feather, 43. The blasphemy of the eagle and the Mani, 82. The fertility of Arabia, 77. Arbaces the Mede, the slayer of Sardanapalus, 139. Why the tree of knowledge was planted in paradise, 100. Miracles of the tree and the spring, 277, 278. Great dissension among all concerning the nature and enjoyment of the tree of knowledge, 85. Various opinions on the tree of knowledge, 98, 99. Evergreen trees, or on the contrary, deciduous, 14. Golden trees with small birds, 289. Why the leaves of trees are diverse, 12. Arbylus, king of the Assyrians, 130. Why the Ark of the Lord was captured, 172. Because of the Ark, the Philistines were evilly punished, 172. The measure of Noah’s Ark, 126, 127. To the Ark the raven returned, 127. Why seven [clean] and two [unclean] animals were received, 126, 127. Arcadius, emperor, 258. Arcadius and Honorius, sons of Theodosius by Placilla, 256. Arcadius excommunicated by the letters of Pope Innocent, 249. The reply of Arcadius to the same, ibid., 260. Absolution, ibid. Archangels, 76, 77. What the word archangels signifies, 78. Ardeola, or the heron, of what kind of bird, 44. The virtue of Argyropulus’s wife, 312. What [the] asterisks designate, 1. Arius condemned in the first Council, 270, 271. His death, 252. That the Arians derived the occasion of their heresy from Origen, 241. When Aristotle lived, 202. The opinion of Aristotle concerning the essence of heaven, 5. Passage, 29, 51, 53, 62, 116. The inventors of arithmetic, 227. Armatius, see Harmatius. Armemunes, 291. Arsenius, having fled in fear of Arcadius being punished, 256. He is recalled with a petition for forgiveness, ibid. Sent to Theodosius, ibid. Artabanes, king, 202. Artabasdus makes himself emperor, 283. His end, 280. Son-in-law of Leo, 202. Artaxerxes, king, successor of Darius, 140. Artemius, emperor, 280. Artoclines killed by his wife, 318. King Asa, in what he sinned, 187. His piety, ibid. The Ascetica of Basil, 91, 168. Why the donkey is timid, 54. The donkey’s keen hearing, 49. Astarte, the idol of the Sidonians, 189. The same as Venus, 181. Asmodeus, a wicked genius, 170. Lover of Sarah, ibid. Three species of vipers, 58. Whence the Assyrians were called Persians, 140. The prediction of a certain astrologer, 261, 299. Astrologer, 279. Proscribed from Italy, 238. Refuted, 26, 27 et seq. The inventors of astronomy, 127. Asua, daughter of Adam, wed to Seth, 117. Athanasius driven from his throne by the Arians, 250. His exiles, ibid. Passage, 89, 91, 97, 119, 122, 207, 208, ibid. Athenais, later called Eudocia, sets out for Constantinople, 261. She marries Theodosius, the calligrapher emperor, ibid. The Catalans gained possession of Athens and Thebes, 344. The defeat of the Athenian general, ibid. Athenodorus, the restrainer of the lusts of Augustine, 206.
A The same's final precept given to Augustus, 206. Atlas mountain, 14. Atlantic sea, whence so named, ibid. Ink, which fish possess it, 37. Augustus Caesar, victor over Cleopatra, 58. Christ born in the forty-second year of Augustus, 207. Duration of his empire, 205. How anger is chastised, 206. Lusts restrained, ibid. Words of the dying, ibid. Whence the name, 205. Affection of subjects toward Augustus, 206. Nicopolis built by Augustus, 205. Peace under Augustus, ibid. Month of August, whence named, ibid. Singing golden birds, 192. Birds that lack breath and bladders, 48. Origin of birds, 44. What is to be wondered at in birds, 196. Aurelian the emperor, 244. Silver flooded under him, 245. Why the passages of the ears are fashioned winding like a snail shell, 31. Auses, previously called Joshua, 159. Azura, daughter of Adam, married to Cain, 117.
B Baal, idol of the Assyrians, 189. Baalim, shrine of Baal, ibid. Babylonians, the first inventors of astronomy through Zoroaster, 129. Bajazet, emperor of the Turks, 345, 1, 2. Bohemond, who is also Raymond, his craftiness, 334. Balbinus and Maximus, emperors, 243. Whales, a species of sea monster, 36. How they are called "great" in Scripture, 22. Baldwin, Emperor of Flanders, 342. Captured by the Vlachs, ibid. Belshazzar the king, 200. Baanah and Rechab, assassins of Ish-bosheth, punished with death by David, 177. Barak, a judge of Israel, 165. Valor even in barbarians themselves, 234. Barbarossa. See Frederick Barbarossa. Bardanes, pretender to the empire, 286. Bardas, killed by his nephew by chance, 205. Brother of the patriarch Xiphilinus, 326. The slaughter of Bardas, 293. His wicked deeds, 292. His dream, 293. The ends of Bardas and Photius, 293. Barlaam’s passage, 88. Seditious uprising of Basilacius, 331. Council of Basel, celebrated by the Germans against Pope Eugenius, 346, 2. Basil, adopted by Michael the Drunkard, 293. Basil the Macedonian, emperor, 204. He perishes nearly in a hunt, 297. Ingratitude of Basil the Macedonian, 291. His justice, 297. Liberality, 298. Death, 306. Frugality, 291. How the kingdom was signified to Basil the Macedonian, 294. Cisterns cleansed by Basil the Macedonian, 296. Temples built by Basil the Macedonian, ibid. Basil, son of Romanos, emperor, 109. Wars of Basil with the Bulgarians, 310. Triumphs, 311. Basil, pontiff of Caesarea, 303. Concerning the aquatic sea urchin, 303, 34. Basil’s opinion on the creation of angels, 80. Passage of Basil, 18, 19, 21, 25, 34, 39, 42, 51, 58, 70, 71, 74, 79, 80, 81, 83, 84, 88, 93, 94, 101, 105, 108, 112, 114, 120, 151, 155, 157, 168, 195, 207, 222, 251. Basil and Constantine, sons of Romanos, emperors, 305. Basilius, bishop of Amasea, killed by Licinius, 250. Basiliscus the emperor, 264. His death, ibid. What kind of animal the basilisk is, 57, 58. That the basilisk also harms the ears of those who hear its hiss, 58. That it kills by a mere look, 57. That an envious eye differs nothing from a basilisk, ibid. Root of the bryony, 278. Its use, ibid. Eyes of Batatzes gouged out, 320. How Beccus became patriarch, 345. Belisarius sets out against the Vandals, 266. Loved by all, ibid. He is cast into prison, 267. Deeds of Belisarius, 266. War with the Genoese, 346. Cause of the devil’s war with men, 106. When Daniel abolished the mud, 202. What to pray well means, 188. Commendation of beneficence, 171. Reward for kindness to the needy, 137. Concerning Bathsheba, why the first son of David died, 179. Bessarion and Isidorus, Greek cardinals, 347, 1. Eulogy of Bessarion, ibid. Tame beasts (ἡμερα ζῶα), 19, 20. Castle of Vodena, 309. Heresy of the Bogomils, 334. Boilus Romanus, raised to a high rank of dignity, 320. Whence the goodness of the Lord is manifest, 96. Botaniates. See Nicephorus Botaniates. Unlucky excavation of an ox's head, 304. Pestilence of oxen, 304.
B Brahmans, cultivators of virtue, 234. Abstinence of the Brahmans, 142. Their island, ibid. In that same island, the column of Alexander, ibid. Dragons, scorpions, and giant ants among the Brahmans, 143. Those fish that lack gills, 38. What the bregma (crown of the head) is, 115. Confused lust of the Britons, 143. What a bruchus (locust) is, 133. That certain brute animals provide for themselves in various ways, 65. The distinction between the cunning of brutes and human prudence, 65. Bryennius blinded, 331. Movements of Bryennius, 330. Equity of Botaniates toward Bryennius, ibid. Defection of the Bulgarians, 309. Fifteen thousand blinded, and by whom, 310. End of the Bulgarian kingdom, 311. When and by whom Byzantium, or Constantinople, was founded, 198. Siege of Byzantium, 342. A three-year siege, 249. A ten-year siege, 345. How it was finally abandoned, 235. In what year the renovations were celebrated, 249. Heraclea preferred to Byzantium, 249.
C Caballa region, 284. What the jar of oil in the history of Elijah means, 191. Slaughter of citizens in Thessalonica, 257. Certain just slaughters, 178. Caesarius, brother of Gregory of Nazianzus, 80. Caesarius’s opinion on the creation of angels, ibid. Passage of Caesarius, 143. Chaganus. See Chaganus. What the sect of the Cainites is, 120. Age of Cain, 121. Cainan, the first to include astronomy in his books, 129. Why Cain envied Abel, 117. Why he was not punished immediately, 122. Why he did not die at once, 118. Cain and Abel, figures of whom, 119. Whence Cain understood that God did not respect his offerings, 118. Whence he received the method of killing his brother, 119. What the word "Cain" signifies, 235. What the confession of Cain was like, 123. Comparison with Lamech, 122. Posterity of Cain, ibid. Why the years of his descendants are not recorded, 119. Azura married to Cain, 117. What mark was added, 119. That Cain sinned more gravely than Adam, 119. What induced Cain to offer sacrifice to God, 118. Gaius Caligula Caesar, 234. Duration of his reign, ibid. Death of the tyrant, ibid. His extravagance and rapacity, ibid. Gaius, an ecclesiastical writer, 235. What darkness (caligo) is, 106. Calligraphy of Theodosius, 262. Patriarch Callinicus proscribed, 279. Cause of fear being lack of heat, 62. What the place of Calvary is, 121, 1. Cambyses, by the name of Nebuchadnezzar, son of Cyrus, 202. His reign, ibid. A camel that cures itself, 49. A camel’s desire for revenge, ibid. Why a camel has a long neck, 52. Canaan. See Chanaan. Giraffe (camelopardalis), 61. Concerning the crab and the oyster, 35. Crab as an antidote for deer against venom, 55. Candace married to Alexander, 141. Alexander outwitted by Candace, ibid. Property of the dog star, 56. Dog, a grateful and faithful animal, 50. How it purges black bile, ibid. The dog of Simon Magus, 234. Fidelity of a dog, 285. Nature of the sea dog, 35. Hydrophobia from the bite of a rabid dog, 63. A memorable example concerning a dog, 51. Dogs alone are rabid in the summer time, 65. Dogs often eat grass for the sake of medicine, 84. Why a man has several sutures in his head, 115. Whence the Capitol was named, 141. Nature of the wild goat, 64. What the cause of the Egyptian captivity was, 145. Prisons changed, 252. Greek cardinals, 347, 1. What "flesh" (caro) is in Scripture, 124. Eating of meat allowed after the flood, 85. If there was no use for it before the flood, why then was Abel a shepherd? ibid. That meat tied to a fig tree softens, 13. King Charles of Naples, 343. How he was repressed by Palaiologos, ibid. 543.
343. Carns and Carinus, emperors, 245. Cassia, daughter of Job, 147; whence so named, ibid. Cassia’s response to Theophilus the emperor, 288. Chastity: without it no one shall see God, 324. Catalans: their political activity in Thebes and Athens, 314; deeds of the Catalans in Asia and Greece, 343, 1; their stratagem, ibid. Catherine, wife of Isaac Comnenus, 321, 1. Caucasus, a mountain, 16. Caucus: what it is, 275. Cephalus, a fish, its salacity, 55. Cephissus, a river, 344. Ceratium: how many coins it contains, 286. Cercopis: its nature, 46. Cerebrum: an instrument of the mind, 114; with what perverse humors it is said to be filled, ibid.; the amplitude of the cerebrum in man, and to what purpose it serves, 115; the ventricles, 116; why dry cerebra are superior, ibid. Deer: how the fetuses of hinds are not injured in running, 55; of the hind, an elegant image, ibid.; why the stag sheds its antlers, 54; why it is timid, 55; an image of a good man, 54; one who heals his own wounds, 49; that the stag hides itself after losing its antlers, and why, ibid.; that serpents are devoured by deer, 55. Cetacean (Cetus) captured, which was called Porphyrius, 270; species of the cetacean called Prion, 36; also the Aspidochelone, ibid.; also the seal, whales, etc., ibid.; why cetaceans are called huge, ibid.; how the greatest of them are spoken of in Scripture, 22; the habitat of cetaceans, 35. Ceyx: that this bird lays only one egg because of cold, 46. Chaganus, prince of the Chazars, 279. Chaldeans: incest among them, 143. Chalebo: giants slaughtered by him, 162. Chameleon: an image of the devil, 62; on the chameleon, ibid. Canaanites: the tyrannical invasion of strange lands, 129. Charadrius: why it closes its eyes when it sees someone suffering from the king’s disease (jaundice), 43. Charmione, 59. Chelidonium, 41. Chersonites: the cruelty of Justinian Rhinotmetus toward them, 391. Cherub: 76, 77; what the name of the Cherubim signifies, ibid. Chorda of the lupine, 62. Chosroes, king of the Persians, 275; the Persian wars of Chosroes, 276. Christ: the power of God, 207; the power of the Father, 221; why He placed His soul in the hands of the Father, ibid.; why He spent forty days on earth, no more or less, after the resurrection, 224; why He chose poor and unlearned disciples, 213; why He rose again within the third day, 223; why He did not ascend into heaven immediately after the resurrection, 224; when He first became known, 212; wherefore He descended into hell, 221; in what year of the world He was born, ibid.; on Christ’s descent into hell, 221; a brilliant comparison of Christ to the pelican, 45; Abel as a figure of Christ and of those who trust in Christ, 233; Christ incorruptible, 90; that He rose from the sepulcher naked, ibid.; the image of Christ sent to Abgar by Thaddaeus, 281; image of the sun, 24; in what year of Augustus His nativity occurred, 207; the new pasch of Christ, 213; when the passion occurred, 227; apparitions after the resurrection, 224; the hour of Christ’s passion uncertain, 223; why the burial covered three days, ibid.; the statue placed at Caesarea Philippi, 253; on the transfiguration of Christ, 214; six sacred feasts of Christ, 269; that He anticipated the day of sacrificing the paschal lamb of Christ, 217; why the Holy Spirit descended upon Christ, 212; that Christ was not in two places at the same time before the passion, 215; that He used leavened bread at the supper, 217, 219; that He partook of it Himself, 215; which three women poured ointment, 214; why the dead rose again when Christ was dying, 220. Christians: the first persecutor Nero, 235; that Christians are falsely called unclean by the Jews, 167, 168. Chronography: from whence the beginning is to be taken, 120. Chronographers: who they were, 245, 246. Chrysostom, patriarch, 258; attacked by certain calumnies, 68; contentions of Chrysostom with Eudoxia, 258; oration on the exile of Adam, 91; on the opinion of the Magi, 209; the discrepant opinions of Chrysostom and Epiphanius the presbyter regarding John the Theologian, 212, 213; the exiles of Chrysostom, 79, 80, 81, 83, 85, 87, 88, 89, 92, 93, 94, 102, 109, 115, 117, 118, 120, 121, 123, 124, 131, 135, 157, 189, 209, 210, 212, 214, 219, 220, 223, 225, 226, 229, 236, 283; what was objected against Chrysostom, 258; defense of Isidore, ibid.; Epiphanius alienated from Chrysostom, 258.
Food of man before the fall, what it was, 99; what the food of paradise was, 98. Cicada: ἄτρωτοι (invulnerable), 38; cold, 43; why they begin their song at the middle of summer, ibid. Storks: their piety, 41. Hemlock: its use, 12; that starlings eat hemlock, ibid. Circus: the equestrian circus began to be built by the emperor Severus, 241; adorned by Constantine the Great, 252. Cisterns: cleansed by Basil, 296. Slaughter of citizens, 267. Roman slaughter and the Servian sedition, 319. Claudius Caesar, 235, 244; his fearfulness, ibid.; the duration of his reign, ibid.; ancestor of Constantine the Great, ibid. Κληδονίζεσθαι (to divine by omens): what it is, 195. Κληδών (an omen): what it is, ibid. Clement Stromateus: when he lived, 241; a passage from him, 228. Cleopatra: on her death, 38. Clerics: why they are called priests of the new covenant, 139. Clopias, a fish, 46. With rennet (coagulum), sharp and vehement pains are calmed, 12. Heaven: what it is properly, 8; that other things come under the name of heaven, ibid.; on the essence of heaven, various opinions, 5; the image of heaven, the old temple, 181, 182; that the name of heaven is also attributed to the firmament created from the waters, 8; why earth was created by God later than heaven, 23; the three heavens, 8. Supper: that Christ instituted it to console the disciples, 219. On knowledge (cognitionis): from the tree, various opinions, 98, 99. Colossians: whence so named, 202. Colossus: a statue, ibid. Comet: 251; whence so named, 30; a comet under Constans, 277; what it portended, ibid.; under Constantine the Duke, 318; under Zimiskes, 308; whether comets are stars, 29; what they portend, ibid.; the rising of comets, ibid. Commodus, emperor, 241; how he became effeminate, ibid. Council of Basel, 347; Nicaea, 250; celebrated under Justinian, 270; Sardica, 350; words of the Council of Carthage concerning the condition of Adam, 95; councils, at what times and places they were celebrated, 270, 271. Confession: what kind is required of us, 122. Confirmation: the custom of the ancients, 225. Marriage: that it does not hinder the cultivation of piety and virtue, 168. Mutual love of spouses, 82. Conradin, the Swabian, put to death, 343. Conrad, Marquis of Montferrat, an illustrious man, 340; expedition of Conrad Caesar to Palestine, 337; his victory over the Turks, ibid. Constans, emperor, 276; hateful to his own, 277. Constans, father of Constantine the Great, a religious prince, 245. Constans and Galerius, emperors, 245. Constans and Licinius, Caesars, 230. Death of Constans, 278; his piety, ibid.; dream, 250. Constantine Barbatus, emperor, 278; whence so called, ibid.; his end, ibid. Constantine Copronymus, emperor, 283; what he thought about the saints and their invocation, ibid.; his cruelty and tyranny, ibid.; death of Constantine Copronymus, 281; what occurred under Constantine Copronymus, ibid. Constantine, Duke, emperor, 324; children of Constantine the Duke, 326; his studies, of little use, 325; avarice, ibid.; pious deed, ibid. Constantine and Basil, Roman Emperors, 305, 311. Constantine, son of Heraclius, emperor, 277. Constantine, son of Leo, emperor, 285; some of his vices, ibid.; he recovers the empire, 302; restores letters, ibid. Constantine Palaiologus, the last emperor of Byzantium, 348. Constantine, an illustrious patriarch, 323. Constantine Silvanus, a heretic, 278. The column of Constantine struck by lightning, 332. Constantine the Great baptized by Silvester, 231; and that at Rome, ibid.; he is baptized, 248; followed the party of the Arians, 250; Alexander the Monk on the baptism of Constantine the Great, 251; a refutation of the same, ibid.; the war of Constantine the Great with Maxentius, 217; empire, ibid.; his fall, ibid.; children, 248; death, 251; moderation, 231; dream, 218; plots against Constantine detected, 321.
A Constantinopolis, or Byzantium, when and by whom it was founded, 198. In what year and day it was captured by Mohammed II, the same having survived all destructions, 318. Its beginning, 248. Its recovery, 343. How Constantine adorned Constantinople, 252. The Roman patricians transferred to Constantinople, 249. By what art this was achieved, ibid. The separation of Alexandria from Constantinople, 263. The beginning and end of the Constantinopolitan empire, 348. Constantius, emperor, 252. From where man discovered the art of sewing, 109. Custom (from) nature, 66. The administration of the consuls, 201. The inventor of the conversion of years, Seth, 121. Abusive speech against God, to say that all things are subject to the fate of the stars, 26, 27. The origin of the name Copronymus, 281. Why animals with large hearts are timid, and conversely, 57. The knowledge of hearts is peculiar to God alone, 114. The crow, a lover of its offspring, 42. Crows as companions of storks, ibid. A passage of Basil on crows, ibid. What the horn of Amalthea is, 147. That deer horns repel snakes, 47. As body and soul suddenly come together in the maternal womb, so are they suddenly separated from one another, 73. What the growth of the body is, 83. That men admire the stature of the body, not virtue, 177. How the soul exists in the body, 69. The reason for the diversity of temperaments in bodies, 73, 74. Whether the crow sent out by Noah returned to the ark, 127. The greed of crows, 45. Their disease, 45. Patriarch Cosmas abdicates, 332. Cosroes the Persian. See Chosroes. The crab as a plague of cattle, 304. Crales killed by his own men, 314. The majesty and greatness of the Creator described by no bounds, 5. The rebellion of Crete, 333. What a crocodile is, 273. The hidrys, enemy of the crocodile, ibid. How it kills him, 274. Disaster received from crocodiles, 273. The disaster of Croesus crossing the river Halys, 140. Cronus, or Saturn, his origin, 129. The Cross discovered on earth under Constantine, 253. Revealed under Constantius, ibid. The adoration of the Cross confirmed at the Seventh Council, 272. What a cubit is, 127. Chrysostom deported to Cucusus for the sake of exile, 259. Why the gnat is a most troublesome animal, 151. The production of gnats born from dust, a third plague of Egypt, 152. Impossible for the Egyptian sorcerers, ibid. Cazina Mountain, 312. How the swan looks out for itself, 50. Cyprus occupied by the English and given to another, 341. The rebellion of Cyprus, 333. Cyril condemned, 261. Cyril’s letter to Constantius: you are a spiritual book, 159. A discourse on the creation of man, 88. A disquisition on Job, 146. A passage on the time of pollution for women in childbirth, 211. Cyril’s *Glaphyra*, 119. A passage of Cyril, 24, 69, 78, 82, 88, 110, 116, 118, 119, 123, 124, 126, 130, 132, 137, 146, 184, 199, 210, 218, 233. Cyril’s book *Thesaurus*, 78. The kingdom of Cyrus, 201. Victory over Croesus, 140.
D Dagon dashed to the ground and prostrated before the ark, 172. Samson captivated by the love of the Philistine Dalilah, 164. Damascene’s opinion on the creation of angels, 111. A passage of Damascene, 15, 16, 24, 65, 66, 71, 78, 80, 81, 82, 93, 98, 99, 100, 103, 105, 107, 221. Damatyri Mountains, 280. Dandulus, Duke of the Venetians, 312. Daniel escapes unharmed from the lions’ den, 201. In high esteem with Darius, ibid. When he abolished Bel, 261. Daniel the Stylite, 261. The power and skill of Daniel the prophet in prophesying, 201. His vision, ibid. Daniel compares Alexander to a panther, 142. Daphne, a suburb of Antioch, 253. Darius, son of Hystaspes, king, 202. Darius the Mede, son of Astyages, 201. Darius, successor to Cyrus, 110. Darius, the last king, 201.
B David saved by Abishai, 179. Created armor-bearer to Saul, 173. Overthroweth Goliath with a sling-shot, ibid. Anointed king, 178. David’s adultery and murder, 178. Why the first son died, 279. David’s five noble soldiers, 177. His reign, 180. David’s flight because of Absalom’s rebellion, 177, 178. That David handed down to Solomon the pattern for building the temple, 179. Peculiar narratives about David, 180. On the continuation of the Davidic line, a passage of Cyril, 199. The virtue of Deborah, 163. Decius, emperor, 244. Dolphins, a species of whale, 36. Demetrius, brother of Constantine Palaiologos, 316. The ravings of Democritus about the nature of the stars, 20. The number ten, a perfect number, 150, 156. Denderis the fool, 289. Why God regarded Abel’s sacrifices and turned away from Cain’s, 117. Why He created man from the very beginning as king of earthly things and immortal, 89. Why He subjected the Jews to the Romans, 222. Why He awaited the repentance of Manasseh, but not that of Amos, his son, 197. Why He did not also deem terrestrial animals, like fish, worthy of a favorable blessing, 48. Why He did not prevent man from eating of the tree of knowledge, 101. Why He willed the history of the destruction of Jerusalem to be written by Josephus, 238. God is not the creator of death, 85, 86. God, at the request of the Hebrews for a king to be given, was gravely offended, 173. Whence this was evident, ibid. Where God is, how He does not lack a place, 91. Where He wills, the order of nature is overcome, 3. God the avenger of the Gibeonites, 179. God’s care and providence, 51. What divinity is, 221. He is everywhere, ibid. That a certain notion of God is perceived from His works themselves, 131. That all works exceed the laws of nature and every series of art, 3. God’s providence in the formation of man, 114, 115. His tolerance, 125. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, 190. What is pleasing to God, 174. That the knowledge of future things together with the knowledge of hearts is peculiar to God alone, 107. That God lowers Himself to our capacity, 68. That He does not neglect those suffering injuries, 165. That He vindicates those justly suffering injury by His judgment, 179. That although long-suffering, He yet eventually punishes, ibid. That He is not the author of evil, 106. That sometimes He cuts off the promised life when we are not looking, and vice versa. C The Devil. See Genius. The Devil good from the beginning, 106. The image of the Devil is the Aspidochelone, 36. Also the chameleon, 62. Also the ant-lion, 53. The wiles of the Devil, 39, 108, 196. Through the envy of the Devil death entered the world, 96. He circumscribed man, ibid. The fall of the Devil, 106. A passage of Basil on the punishments of the Devil, 105. The illusions of the Devil, 60. Why God granted the Devil the assault on the human race, 105. No repentance granted to him, ibid., and why, ibid. and 106. That the Devil knows how to minimize trifling faults, 53. The cause of war between devils and men, 107. From where shooting stars arise, 30. Dies, daughter of Job, 147. Whence so called, ibid. What a day is, 19. For what are day and night useful to men, 19. Whether the Evangelist may be called a Day, 217. How many hours the day had under Hezekiah, 191. Under Joshua, twenty-four, ibid. One day, instead of the first, 4. How the sun has authority over the day, 19. Night followed the day in creation, 32. Why all things were not created in one day, 1, 2. Days and the British "Doctes," 32. Of what the vicissitudes of days and nights in this life should remind us, 20. The calculation of the days of Christ’s burial, 123 et seq. The Flood under Argyropulus, 312. That the water of the Flood rose to fifteen cubits above the very mountains, 126, 127. The causes of the Flood, 124. After the Flood, the eating of flesh was granted, 85. Of what we are reminded by the Flood, 125. A passage of Josephus on the Flood, 123. The violation of Dinah, 145. Diocletian and Maximian, emperors, 245. Why they abdicated the empire, ibid. Diodorus’s opinion on the creation of angels, 80. Diogenes the Cynic, 112. When he lived, 202. His ravings about the nature of the stars, 20. Emperor Diogenes, having fought excellently, is captured, 329. His eyes put out, he ends his life miserably on the island of Prote, ibid. Diogenes’s wars against the Turks, 327. The conversation of Diogenes and the Sultan, 328. The Turks avenge the death of Diogenes, 329. The cruelty of his own men toward Diogenes, 328. Dionysius the Areopagite, 197. On the darkness existing while Christ was suffering, 219. A passage of Dionysius the Areopagite on the nine orders, 76 et seq.
Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth, 255. Martyr under Antoninus Pius, 211. Dioscorides, his narrative concerning Stratonicus, 56. Dioscorus and Eutyches, heretics, 263. Dipsas, the serpent, 58. Discipline, military, neglect of, 325. Disciples, why Christ chose them poor and unlearned, 312. Divinations (against), 195. A passage of Basil concerning various divinations, ibid. Divinity, the nature of, is indivisible, 225. Divite (concerning a certain), a whoremonger, 281. Docea, a castle, 328. Doeg the Syrian, by his works the priests were slain, 177. Dolores (pains), sharp and vehement, by what means they are soothed, 12. Dominatus (rule), 76, 78. What the designation of "dominatus" denotes, 78. Dominus (the Lord), His goodness, in what it is conspicuous, 89. Domitian, Emperor, 239. He orders an astrologer to his wife, ibid. Dissimilarity between the brothers Domitian and Titus, 239. The end of Domitian, ibid. John was relegated to Patmos by Domitian, ibid. Donec (concerning the word), a passage of Basil, 207. Dragons, among the Brahmins are very large, 145. Fabled, 60. The nature of dragons, ibid. On dragons, ibid.
E Church, its image is the moon, 24. Echeneis, the fish, 36. Echinus (sea urchin) of the water, an indicator of a storm, 34. The skill of the land urchin, 50, 65. On the sea urchin, a passage of Basil, 34. Eclipse of the sun. See Solar Eclipse. Ecnephias, a wind, 7. Ekpyronismos (conflagration), what? 31. Edem (Eden), what the word signifies, 67, 98. Electrum, what it is, 15. Its origin, ibid. Elements, when they were created, 5. Elephants, offspring of only one, 53. Why their feet lack joints, 52. Proboscis, ibid. Life, ibid. That a mouse is a terror to the elephant, 52. That a fallen elephant cannot rise, 53. That they fear their own shadow, 52. In the elephant, anger is long-lasting, 49. What excites procreation, 52, 53. Why elephants carry the fetus for two years, 51. How they cross rivers, 52. Eleutheropolis, the fountain of jaws, 161. Elias, the prophet, 188 et seq. Prince of prophets, 190. Elias and Samson, why they were violators of the law, 167, 191. The liberty of the mouth of Elias, 191. Persecutions, ibid. Eli the priest, his history, 172. His death, ibid. Sins of his sons, ibid. Hellebore, its use, 12. That turtledoves feed on hellebore, ibid. Empedocles, when he lived, 202. Enaq, the sons of, 162. Enaqim, the family of, 159. Encænia (dedication festival) of Constantinople, 249. Engastrimythi (ventriloquists), what they are called, 176. Enoch, born at 165 years of age, was taken up by God, 121. And why, ibid., 122. Parent of Methuselah, 121. What the translation of Enoch teaches us, 89. On Enoch, a passage of Athanasius, 122. Enosh, his age, 121. Epærastus, converted by Paul, 236. Cupbearer and concubine to Nero, ibid., 237. Ephræmus, what it signifies, 145. A passage of Ephræmus, 124, 125. Ephræma, a town, 214. Epiphanius, alienated from Chrysostom, 238. Presbyter, not bishop, 213. Response of Epiphanius to the slander of Eudoxia, 138. Opinion concerning the magi, 209. Passage of Epiphanius, 120, 128, 146, 158, 198, 200, 221. Discrepant opinions of Epiphanius the presbyter and Chrysostom concerning John the Theologian, 213. Bishop, made from an emperor, 331. Horses, the cause of their foam, 63. Hedgehogs, their coitus, 50. Erodius, or the heron, what kind of bird, 44. Its modesty, ibid. Eroticus, the sedition of, 319. Esaias, sawn asunder by a wooden saw, 197. Esdras, 182. Keeper of the sacred books, 199. By his writings, he embraced the return of the Jews from Persia, 198. The deeds of Esdras, 199. Esther, the history of, 169, 170. Etesian winds, 7. When they exist and whence they arise, ibid.
Eve, why she is called the helper of Adam, 82. Evangelists, the discrepant passages concerning the cock's crowing reconciled, 216. Eudocia, Empress, previously called Athenais, 161. She rules with her son, 326. Why she valued Paulinus greatly, 261. The cunning counsel of Eudocia, 126. Occasion of the discord between Eudocia and Theodosius, 261. Eudoxia, slander of, 238. Response of Epiphanius to her, ibid. Contention of Chrysostom with Eudoxia, 238. Eugenius IV, Roman pontiff, an embassy from Emperor John, 346. Eulogius, conquered by Spyridon, 250. Euripides, when he lived, 202. Euripus, the flow and reflux of the waters in it, whence it happens, 22. History of Eusebius Pamphili, 227. Passage, 182. Eustathius Camyzizes, captured, 333. Eustathius of Antioch, opinion concerning the hours of the day under Hezekiah, 194. Eutelida, a passage of Plutarch, 58. Euthymius, patriarch, 299. Eutocius, what kind of stone, 45. Eutyches and Dioscorus, heretics, 263. Their heresy, 251. Condemned in the 4th Council, ibid. Eutychius, the patriarch, relegation of, 272. Euxine, why fish seek it in shoals, 31. Exactions, new, 333. Excommunicated person becomes a martyr, 283. Example, illustrious, 100. Hezekiah. See Jezechias. Hezekiah, the purifier of the Psalms of David, 183. The piety of Hezekiah, ibid. Ezekiel. See Jezechiel.
F Famine under Valerian, very great, 214. A huge plague followed this, ibid. Fastening of bandages and lines, the custom whence, 290. Fate, what it is, 114. Refuted, 27 et seq. Fausta, wife of Constantine, death, 248. Faustulus, educator of Romulus, 140. Cats, why they see more keenly at night, 61. Felix, Duke of Savoy, created supreme pontiff by the Germans, 346. Female, for those giving birth, how much time of pollution is prescribed in the law, 211. And the reason, ibid. Femina (For a barren woman), a remedy, 53. The Agitæi subject to women, 143. Wild beasts in Libya, monstrous ones whence, 61. That we fear wild beasts, of what it should warn us, 80. Feasts sacred to Christ, six, 269. Beavers, their nature, 55. Fig tree, full of sap, 13. That meats tied to a fig tree become tender, ibid. Bulls are tamed, ibid. How figs become sweet, 13. Son, who plotted against the life of his father, 303. Expedition of a son against his father, 315. Sons for their nephews, 195. Punishments of rebellious sons, 345. Firmament, established from the waters, the name of heaven is also attributed to it, 8. Why water was placed by God above the firmament, 8. Why likewise below, ibid. Flagellum (whip), the signification of, 216. Flavianus, prelate of Constantinople, 263. In the "robber" synod, punished with blows, he died from the injury, ibid. River, flowing from paradise, divided into four fountains, 75. Why the four rivers flowing from one fountain of paradise did not have one water and quality, ibid. Leaves of trees, why diverse, 12. Fig leaves, why the first parents sewed them for themselves, 109. Fountain and tree, miracles of, 278. Longevity of fountains, whence, 16. Whence their diverse flavor, 16. Ant, that it guards itself against barley, 62. Ants among the Brahmins are very large, 145. Why they are extinguished by oil, 47. Fear, the cause of which is coldness, 46. That from fear the vital faculty undergoes contraction, 162. Fortune, he who does not weigh and revere the unforeseen accidents of, is foolish, 328. Fragrance, how it may be increased, 13. Franks and English, expedition into Palestine, 341. Expedition of the Franks or Teutons into Palestine, 333. Frederick Barbarossa, his expedition into Palestine, 341. Death, and his eulogy, ibid. Machinations of Manuel Comnenus against Frederick Barbarossa, 337, 338. Turks slain by Frederick Barbarossa, 340. Drones, how bees punish them, 45. Lightning, why it does not burn, 30. Why thunder is perceived first, 31. Thunderbolt, double, 31.
is sunk by the shot of a larger cannon because it omitted the military salute; after fourteen days of captivity, the captain is impaled by order of the sultan, having summoned to the palace a scribe, the son of Dominici Maistri; the sailors, with the exception of a few who were sent to Constantinople, were sawn through the middle of their bodies. There are some who say the cause was a war against the Venetians, Fabr. Cornerum having returned to Constantinople with the business unfinished. 1453. From this point Barbaro narrates certain matters outside the order of time. In the month of January 1453, the sultan brings a great force of infantry and navy against the city. In the month of February, he brings cannons near the city, with a cohort of ten thousand men attending. In the same month, Greeks enter Turkey with three ships and sell captives in Constantinople, inciting the sultan’s wrath. 1452. Mention of two Venetian triremes under the command of Gabriele Trevisano having arrived at Constantinople, which by order of the Venetian senate were accompanying three merchant ships that had set out from the Sea of Azov. Also, a Genoese ship sent by the Pope is mentioned, carrying Cardinal Isidore (el gardenal de Rosia) to reconcile both Churches, attended by 200 archers who would defend the beleaguered city; likewise, eight ships with supplies were present from Crete. Nov. 10. Two large ships coming from the Tauric Chersonese under the command of Hieronymo Morosino (Jeroluemo Norexini), though commanded by the Turks from the castle to drop anchor, barely obeyed and yet escaped death. When Barbaro had related these things, he proceeds at once in chronological order as before. Dec. 2. Soldiers of the Turkish castle garrison mistreat a Venetian trireme under the command of Jac. Coco, coming from Trebizond (Trabexonda); yet it arrived in Constantinople unharmed. 1452. Dec. 12 and 13. The union of both Churches is solemnly confirmed in the church of St. Sophia. The emperor, the cardinal of the Russians, the bishop of Mitylene (Leonardus Chiensis), and the Greek barons deliberate in the same church on the necessity of retaining the Venetian ships for the aid of the city. C Dec. 14. There follows whatever was deliberated by viva voce and in writing between the cardinal, the bishop of Mitylene, the Greek magistrates, the Venetian bailo, the ship-masters, and 21 most respected Venetians in the city of Constantinople, and a decree was added that the aforementioned triremes should not leave Byzantium. (Cf. Phrantz. 238.) Dec. 17-20. Twelve men of the Venetian nobility, after mature deliberation, determine by what plan and manner the newly-made decrees are to be deferred to the Venetian senate. 1453. Jan. 26. The Venetians make an agreement with the emperor on the condition that their ships should not desert the city without his permission, and that the opportunity to load and unload them should always be available. On the same day, Justinianus, having set out from Genoa with two ships and 700 auxiliary soldiers, came to Constantinople and was declared by the emperor as the commander of the infantry forces and prefect of the western part of the city besieged by the sultanic army. 1070 A Feb. 26. One of the Venetian ships, which by force of the pact ought not to have left, commanded by P. Davanzo with 6 merchant ships, escaped from the harbor aided by a favorable wind. March 14. The emperor, soliciting this, hands over the rowers of the Tanaan triremes to be used for the fortification of the sites and for surrounding the palace near the Cynegetic gate. March 31. Furthermore, on that same day of Holy Saturday, which indeed corresponds with May 29, which was a Tuesday, the rowers, by order of Diedo, the ship’s captain, make trenches before the emperor and the magnates. April 2. Barthol. Soligus, thus commanded by the emperor, shuts the mouth of the harbor between Constantinople and Pera with that famous iron chain (which is exactly described). The emperor, at the request of four Venetian nobles, hands over the guard of the four primary gates of the city toward the land: the Gate of St. Romanus (what is named Pylai) to Catarino Contarino; the second to Fabr. Cornaro; the third, which is named the Gate of the Pigai, to Nic. Mozenigo; and finally the Blachernae gate to Dolphino. There follow the names of 68 Venetian nobles who were present in the besieged city, among whom the author of the Ephemerides is named as a physician of the Tanaan ships. April 5. Sultan Mahomet pitches camp with 160,000 soldiers about 2 Italian miles from the city. April 6. From here he proceeds to one mile from the walls facing the sea, and a little later he places his camp in the western region of the city, from the Golden Gate as far as the Cynegetic gate for 6 Italian miles. On the same day, we are told that the emperor with many nobles and knights occupied their places at the Golden Gate; but the bailo Minotto, with very many Venetian merchants, in the imperial palace. We read further that the Grand Duke, holding the position second to the emperor, was in charge of the harbor, where 100 horses were kept ready for him; that the guard of the maritime walls was committed to the monks under the command of Manuel Giagaro (whom the Greeks call Iagari) and Neophytus of Rhodes; that finally, another region of the city was handed over to be guarded by Dorgano (who is without doubt the same as Prince Orchan) and a cohort of Turkish mercenaries who had defected from the sultan: all of which, just as other things we have now related, we dispense with comparing and discussing with the report of Phrantzes. On the same day, the emperor ordered the sailors, who were acting in a line, to lead the three aforementioned Tanaan triremes of the Venetians, as well as two others which Trevisanus commanded, so that he might add spirit to the inhabitants of the city and strike fear into the enemies. April 9. A council having been convened, they deliberate about using the fleet well and usefully. Then nine or ten larger ships, together with their commanders, are named (5 Genoese, 3 Cretan, 1 Anconitan, 1 imperial)—all of which, destined for the future battle, encircle the great harbor chain, while 17 others are reserved in the upper region of the harbor; among them, 3 Tanaan triremes together with two others of the Venetians consecrated to the common security, and 2 imperial ships stripped of their masts and arms, are catalogued.
April 14. Satan places his siege engines against the walls of the city in fourteen places (cf. Phrantzes, who writes: "The walls of the city were divided into fourteen places"). Then, three bombards were directed at the Emperor's Blachernae palace; likewise three against the gate of the Pēgē; two at the Golden Gate, and four at the gate of St. Romanus; among these, that huge one of 1200 pounds and another of 800 pounds are mentioned.
April 12-17. On the twelfth (according to Phrantzes, the fifteenth) of April, the Turkish fleet cast anchor in the region of the port of Constantinople; its number, on the authority of Barbarus, was 145, of which 12 were fully armed triremes, 70-80 were larger liburnians, 20-25 were parandariae (cargo ships used for war), and the rest are reported to be actuary ships. To this, add a merchant vessel from Sinope carrying war supplies and bronze balls (though it is more likely they were stone projectiles). The Turkish fleet holds the Anatolian shore far from the city. Those besieged within the city wait in arms for the enemy’s assault. Within, aside from the incessantly firing siege engines and light skirmishes against the Janissaries, nothing worth mentioning happens.
April 18. The assault of the Turks, which preceded the night of April 18, is repulsed at first by the Greeks, who were slightly shaken; more than two hundred Turks were killed.
April 20. On the twentieth day of the siege, four Genoese auxiliary ships enter the Hellespont, which, after a battle of 2 or 3 hours, aided by fortune, repulse the Turkish assault; then, as the sun set, the triremes of the besieged met the Genoese and brought them into the port with joy and a concert of music.
April 21. Mehmed proceeds to the fleet with 10,000 horsemen, inveighs bitterly against the commander of the naval forces, and orders him to resign from his office while his life is still spared; in his place, a man boastful of his memory, the son of Pietro Loredan (perhaps some deserter of the Venetian cause), is put in command of the fleet. On the same day, a terrible destruction was wrought by the enemy's projectiles in the western region, causing the ruin of the tower situated at the gate of St. Romanus; the attempts of the besieged to repair the damage are recorded.
April 22. On this day, which was Sunday, the Turks transport 5,000 ships [worth of equipment] over the land route from the Bosphorus into the port of Constantinople. Our author records, not without anguish of mind, that 72 armed ships, placed on rollers, were dragged by hand over the mountain which Pera sits upon to the north, by the Turkish camp-followers and the rabble. The Constantinopolitans, trapped in the city, for whom danger impended on all sides from the enemy fleet, placed one trireme as a guard to the strait which adjoins Pera, to give a sign to the naval commander if the enemy should attempt an assault.
April 23. In the church of St. Mary (of the Hodegetria, as it seems), men summoned for this purpose deliberate on how the enemy ships were to be driven from the port.
April 24. Lord Giacomo Coco, the patron of that Trapezuntine trireme, [prepared] two transport ships... the commander of those living in Pera was alerted by the Sultan regarding this matter; and the Genoese themselves, most treacherous men, urged the Venetian leaders to postpone the intended attempt for another night, promising their own help, while in reality intending to bring aid to the Turks with all their might.
April 25-27. During this interval of time, in which nothing worth noting occurred, Barbarus thinks that further misfortunes are the action of the divine God on account of the sins of which this age was guilty.
April 28. That night, two triremes, under the command of Gabriel Trevisano, the knight Girolamo Morosino, and Giacomo Coco, were deprived of the hope of burning the Turkish ships in the port with fire. Barbarus narrates this attempt more extensively than all others.
April 29. The admiral Diedo appoints Dolphinus to the place of the abandoned Trapezuntine trireme; and in his place, Giovanni Loredan is substituted to guard the Blachernae gate. The damages that the besiegers inflict upon the besieged are immediately repaired by the latter. Nothing else worthy of memory was done in the month of April.
May 1, 2. The same must be said of these two days. There is a shortage of food in the city.
May 3, 4. The Constantinopolitans oppose the enemy in the port with two bombards; the Turks place two machines of the same kind. Then, for ten days and as many nights, the siege engines toil on both sides without any memorable effect. By order of the Emperor, an actuary ship is sent toward the island of Negroponte to seek out the Venetian fleet and to ask Giovanni Loredan that he should come without delay to the aid of the city in its extremities. And this ship does indeed traverse the Archipelago under a Turkish flag and with a simulated Turkish disguise, but returned to Constantinople with its mission unaccomplished.
May 5. The Turks set up several bombards on the mountain dominating Pera, and from there they struck the enemy ships in the port with siege engines throughout the whole length of the great chain. Indeed, the third bronze ball projected sent a Genoese ship, full of merchandise and provisions, to the bottom of the sea. The ships of the Christians then withdrew to the walls of Pera, not without damage. The Turks, after they had directed the same engines toward the Kynegion without effect, finally added them to those which protected the inner walls.
May 6. On this Sunday also, the siege engines thundered continuously.
May 7. A nocturnal assault made by 30,000 Turks was bravely repulsed; in which, stupendous shouts reaching to the Anatolian sea forced the defenders of the city to prepare themselves for battle by land and by sea. Nothing, however, was attempted further by the Turks, except that, as they departed, they set fire to the Palatine gate; which the Greeks then obstructed with a wall. The ships held their previous position around the chain.
May 8. It was decreed by the Council of Twelve that the Tanaan triremes, having been unloaded, should be transported into the arsenal. Engaging the arm—
A a great mass of arrows, they cast them into the city, so that those within were affected by extreme fear. They said that their triremes were for them as homes; that they ought not live or die on the mainland. This opinion prevailed; and both they and the naval commander remained on the shore at Pera. Engines around the gate of St. Romanus continuously cast balls.
May 9. Sunday. Gabriel Trevisan, by the will of the Twelve, ordered 400 soldiers brought from two triremes to be spent on guarding the land wall.
May 10. In an assembly held by the Twelve in the church of St. Mary, Lord Diedus was designated commander of the fleet, on the condition that he have authority to oversee the harbor and all maritime affairs as he pleased.
May 11. The same deadly labor of the engines ensued.
May 12. The Turks, with their customary shouts and the discordant din of drums and flutes, attacked the wall situated near the palace; but the mercy of Jesus Christ averted extreme ruin from the city on this occasion, because, as Barbarus opines, the destruction of Constantinople was reserved according to the prophecy of the holy Emperor Constantine not for the present, but for a later phase of the moon.
May 13. Lord Trevisan, prefect of the fleet, landed with his soldiers to defend the damaged walls. From that place he did not withdraw until the city was taken. According to Phrantzes, between the Kynegion and the imperial palace, he behaved as a shepherd, not a mercenary. During this time, there was uninterrupted fire from engines against the western wall.
May 14. The Turks, as we have already seen, dragged the engines from Mount B St. Theodore, through Pera toward the gate of the Kynegion, from the direction of the harbor, and afterwards placed them behind the gate of St. Romanus, where the wall was suffering the worst damage, although the besieged studied how to repair the harm inflicted as best they could. Three hundred men, most of them pyrotechnicians and archers, occupied that gate, all foreigners, except for the Greeks, whose pusillanimity our author severely chastises.
May 15. Unceasing explosion of the engines and diligent repair of the damaged parts; otherwise, a truce.
May 16. A few Turkish light vessels approached the chain around the harbor and attacked the ships of the besieged; but suddenly, for fear that they would be repulsed, they retreated against their will. Mines dug by the Turks around the Kaligaria Gate were detected by the Grand Duke and thwarted.
May 17. Five Turkish ships advanced as far as the chain of the harbor for the sake of reconnaissance, but, received by 70 shots—all of which were vain—they fled with the greatest speed they could. But everyone feared that the enemy would attack the city with all his might, which everyone despaired of being able to resist.
May 18. The Turks, throughout the space of the night, constructed those turreted machines, which our Barbarus also mentions with admiration; nor could he wonder enough that the Turks had finished in four hours what all the Christians living in Constantinople could not have done in the space of a whole month. From this highest tower, the Turks made C an immense mention besides of that huge machine emitting 1200 lb. stones, and which, once ignited, not only walls but the very pavement of the city and the ships in the harbor were most violently shaken.
May 19. At this time at last, a bridge constructed by joining ships began to exist from Galata to the Kynegion, as Barbarus says; but according to Phrantzes, it took place after the ships had been transported, if we pass over the more confused chronology of Leonard, who judges it to have been made before the naval battle, with a difference of a whole month. Certainly Ducas agrees more closely with our Barbarus in this matter. The Turks did not cease to hurl bronze balls at the enemy and fill the air with shouts; the besieged repaired the losses inflicted.
May 20. Barbarus reports the attempts of those included to repair the yawning walls, to which work women, children, and old men, and ecclesiastics were exerting their strength.
May 21. The whole host of the enemy threatened an aggression long before sunrise; but after they had seen the ships of the besieged prepared for battle around the great chain, they attempted nothing; indeed, they withdrew. The same men, when they had detected a mine dug by the Turks near the Kaligaria Gate, obstructed it and slaughtered the diggers. Nevertheless, on this day the wall and the tower adjacent to it were very much damaged, and those who were within the city had sickly members from indefatigable labor and D hardships.
May 22. A tunnel near the Kaligaria Gate was again obstructed, frustrating the expectation of the diggers. But observing a wonderful celestial spectacle (Barbarus calls it a common eclipse of the moon), the Constantinopolitans, mindful of the prophecy of Emperor Constantine, saw a sign of impending ruin, while the Turks saw it as a pledge of victory.
May 23. Furthermore, a third mine found near the Kaligaria Gate and the emperor's palace was the reason why several makers of war machines were taken prisoner; and when, having been ordered, they had said where else mines had been constructed, their heads were cut off and they were thrown over the walls into the Turkish camp. On this same day, the light vessel sent on the fourth day of that month to seek the Venetian fleet in the Archipelago, having escaped the traps of the Turkish ships, returned into the harbor. The city was continuously harassed by the labor of the engines.
May 24. A fourth mine, which they again detected near the Kaligaria Gate, damaged the wall not a little. From the Turkish camp came a fierce shout and jubilation because of the hazardous battle now impending.
May 25. The last mine, found near the above-mentioned gate, greatly terrified those enclosed in the city. War machines did not cease to emit fire and stones into the city.
May 26. Festive fires spreading widely and jubilation in the Turkish camps because the city was to be attacked by force on the next day. The Constantinopolitans, with prayers and supplications to the Mother of God...
A they approached so that they might be liberated from the fury of the gentiles. An ominous trepidation in the Turkish ships.
May 27. Lord's Day. The following night, too, is illuminated by Turkish festive fires. The shouts raised strike the ears of the besieged, spreading even to the shores of Asia. Huge ruins of the crumbling wall collapse with a crash, a matter which the Constantinopolitans try in vain to remedy.
May 28. The Sultan orders it to be proclaimed throughout the camp to the sound of a drum that everyone should remain in his own place, threatening death to anyone who does otherwise, because the city is to be pressed with all forces on the following morning. Therefore, 2,000 ladders are already being brought up. In the Turkish camps, they inflame one another with greedy anticipation; for they were going to seize so many Christian captives that for one gold piece they would have two. They joked that they would use the beards of the Greeks for twisting nooses, with which to tie up their dogs. The machines vomit stones with extreme heat. Barbaro strenuously vituperates the avarice and perversity of the Greeks. For they did not sell their help except for money, and by this act they brought an immense amount of harm to the city. B Then, at the commander’s order, the Venetians stand at the inner wall so that (for so their commander advised them) they might live and die through the immortal God, for the salvation of the earth and the honor of all Christians. Nor do the sailors equip themselves any less for battle around the great chain of the port. Meanwhile, the Sultan proceeds to the fleet with 40,000 soldiers, and after he had indulged most lavishly in Bacchus with the admiral and the other warlords until he was drunk, he returns to the camp. Throughout that whole day, the heavy Turkish drum resonates, and the following night is very conspicuous for its festive fires and resonates with shouts which, to our author, seem to come from the depths of hell; and while the Turks fatigue Mohammed day and night with prayers for obtaining victory and booty, the Christians, prostrated before the Theotokos and all the saints, with groans and tears insistently implore liberation from the hands of the gentiles. But God our Lord decreed according to His inexorable will that on that very day the head of the Greeks should fall into the hands of Muhammad (and our Lord God [had] an harsh sentence against the Greeks, for He willed that this city go on this day into the hands of Mahomet!).
May 29. Barbaro recalls the ancient prophecies about the destruction of the Greek kingdom, C whose fulfillment, according to very many signs, was reserved for this very day. At the third hour before sunrise, the Sultan orders three armies, each of which had 50,000 armed men, to proceed toward the city. The first cohort indeed consisted of Christians whom the Turks had forced into partnership in the battle; the second was composed of an unwarlike rabble (nude people, that is, villains of that kind); the third, however, was composed of Janissaries and the strength of the army; after whom the Sultan finally occupied his place. And as for his first deeds, neither alive nor dead; but some say that he was seen among the number of the dead bodies; which it was said that he was suffocated at the entrance which the Turks made at the D gate of San Romano. On the margin of the Venetian manuscript it is read: "The Emperor prayed that his own men would kill him, and he threw himself into the fury with his sword, and fell, and rose again, then fell again; and thus he died."
1076 Those attempting to move ladders to the walls are repelled with huge loss, but they are driven to the walls by those following with such violence that they had to perish in one way or another. As Barbaro notes, the Sultan had placed those Christians in the front rank so that they would be exposed to certain death, while he spared the lives of the Turks, and so that he might tire out the defenders of the city through even their futile aggression; that which indeed happened, even though they were repelled from the second rank by the archers and bombardiers of the city with much blood. Then the third rank of the Sultan, with new strength and with a shout heard far and wide, the Janissaries and the strength of the army, break forth like lions. Notwithstanding the prayers and lamentations of the urban multitude, especially the women, and although the defenders fought most bravely on the walls, at sunrise the Turks, covered by dust from that great cannon, were the first three hundred to cross the walls. But after these themselves had paid for their audacity with death, and the same stratagem had been renewed, finally up to 30,000 soldiers burst into the city with an impetus such as is common to wild beasts, through parts of the wall around the gate of St. Romanus that had been torn down. So many Turks fell in that slaughter that, if one believes Barbaro, 40 cargo ships would hardly have sufficed for transporting the corpses. He further reports that Justinian was wounded, crying out that the Turks were already taking the city, which became the cause of flight for everyone. With the city taken by force, the Turks spill blood without regard for age or sex, until they judged it better to sell the unarmed, among whom were the Venetian merchants who had hidden themselves in cellars, for a price. The standards of Saint Mark and the Emperor were torn from the towers, and the dog of the Turks, as it is called, was substituted. Thus, the conquest of the city being known, those who held 70 ships in the port and a great fleet present through the Hellespont, lest they be frustrated of huge spoils, which at that very moment of time began to be loaded onto the ships. Barbaro relates that the Turks fixed a small flag to every house, monastery, or church which they had entered, which called back those who followed for the sake of plundering from proceeding further. More than 200,000 such tokens seem to have been affixed throughout the whole city, since a great part of the houses was decorated with ten such signs. Furthermore, the slaughter of the Christians was so great that the public streets, even after rain with water, were flooded with blood, and the corpses thrown into the Propontis floated on the sea like fruit. Our author says that nothing certain was discovered about the life and death of the Emperor, except that, as some relate, his body was found among those who had been crushed by the Turks entering the gate of St. Romanus. Barbaro also relates that the surviving Venetians took care to place their affairs, especially their ships, in safety. Among those who escaped with their lives...
1105 IN ANNALES MICH. GLYCÆ. 1106
pudicitiæ sua tuenda strenuitas, 315. Mulieres tres, quæ Christum unguento perfuderunt, 214. Mulius sub Constant. Copronymo loquitur, 284. Muli cur non gignant, 61. Mulorum procreatio humana solertia inventa, ibid. Mundus hic sex dierum spatio a Deo conditus, 1. Igni periturus, 8. Mundi hujus opificium cur non uno, sed sex diebus conditum, 1, 2. Linguæ septuaginta duæ, 128. Murænæ et serpentis coitus, 58. Mus cur timidus, 54. Murem terrori esse elephanto, 52. Murium ortus, 44. Musæ, deus Accaronitarum, 190. Muscæ caninæ, quarta Ægypti plaga, 152. Cur sic dictæ, ibid. Muscæ cur mel Atticum fugiant, 47. Cur oleo exstinguantur, ibid. Muscus odoramentum unde oriatur, 55. Quid sit, ibid. Mustela cur timida, 51. Mustelæ natura, 46. Myrmecoleon, sive leo formicarius, animal cujusmodi, 53. Imago diaboli, ibid.
# N Nabo mons, qui et Abaris, 157, 159. In eo mortuus Moses, ibid. Nabuchodonosoris pœna, 200. Ejusdem causæ, ibid. A Nabuchodonosore ter spoliata Hierosolyma, 198. Naira, 59. Narionis usus, 115. Narrationes de Christo apocryphæ rejiciendæ, 212. Natura ex consuetudine, 65. Supra naturæ leges etiam hodie non pauca accidere, 3. Naturæ ordinem, ubi Deus velit, vinci, ibid. Naturæ providentia, 51. Naturæ repugnare, grave, 112. Nautis respectus siderum necessarius, 26. Nazianzenus fit patriarcha, 256. Sponte sua solio cedit, ibid. Nazianzeni de angelorum creatione opinio, 80. Nazianzeni dictum, 282. Locus, 68, 85, 93, 94, 95, 99, 107, 110, 112, 120, 129, 208, 221, 231. Nectarius Nazianzeni successor, 256. Nectenabo rex Ægyptius, 141. Nemesii de ligno scientiæ, sententia, 102. Locus, 64, 105. Nero Cæsar, 235. Ejusdem imperii duratio, ibid. Parricida, 237. Primus Christianorum persecutor, 235. Se-ipsum interficit, 237. Neronis persecutio, 235. Neronis quoto anno Paulus interfectus, 128. Neronis vitia, 237. Nerva imp., 239. Sub Nerva ab exsilio revocatus Joannes Theologus, ibid. Nestorius quando vixerit, 214. Nestorii hæresis, 271. Contra eam in concilio III conventum, ibid. Secta, 260. Nicæa collapsa, 255. Nicææ obsidio, 331. Nicænum concilium. V. Concilium Nicænum. Nicephoritæ facinora, 329. Nicephorus Botaniates imper., 330. Ejusdem in Bryennium æquitas, 331. Cur imperio dejectus, 332. Nicephorus Heracleæ præses, 303. Nicephorus imp., 285. Ejusdem avaritia, ibid. et 286. Mors, ibid. Nicephorus Phocas. Vide Phocas. Nicephorus Phocas Imp. 303. In Apochandam pergit, 304. Invidia revocatus, 304. Nicephori Phocæ res gestæ, 304. Nicephori Phocæ et Polyeucti patriarchæ lites, 305, 306. Nicephori canon, 244. Nicephori patriarchæ de angelis locus, 127. Exsilium, 287. Nicetas Rangabis filius castratus, deinceps patriarcha, 287. Post dictus Ignatius, ibid. Nicetæ patriarchæ iustitia, 284. Nicopolis a quo exstructa, 205. Nilus cur per æstatem exundet, 10, 16. Nili prodigium cujus nos admoneat, 17. A Nilo cur auræ nullæ proveniant, 17. Ninueve seu Ninive a Nabuchodonosore capta, 171. Urbs unde dicta, 130. Ninus Semiramidem matrem duxit uxorem, 129. Nix quid, 63. Nivium ortus, 9. Noa cur post diluvium Deo sacrificium obtulerit, 126. Unde animalia munda ab immundis discernere potuerit, 126. Noæ continentia, 125. Filii tres, 123, 125. Pater quis, 123. A Noa dimissus corvus an in arcam redierit, 127. Nodi ecliptici, 23. Nominis mutatio, 341. Nomina de rerum eventis indere, Scripturæ frequens, 102. Nova Roma, 249. Nox quid, 19, 32. Nox et dies ad quid hominibus utiles, 20. Nox in creatione diem secuta, 4. A Nocte mensura temporis, 20. Noctes et dies Britannicæ, 32. Noctium et dierum vicissitudines in hac vita cujus nos admoneant, 20. Numerus denarius perfectus, 150, 156, 223. Numerus septenarius in Scripturis sacris quid denotet, 123. Nysseni locus, 28, 82, 83, 89, 92, 98, 108, 109, 130, 161, 222. Nῦξ unde dicta, 19.
# O Obedus Davidis avus, 169 Obliviones vehementes unde, 116. Ochozias rex, 190. Ex filiis Jorami regis solus superstes, ibid. Ochus Artaxerxis filius, 141. Octavius Augustus, 205. Unde sic dictus, ibid. Oculus quod corpori, hoc mens est animæ, 70. Oculi effectio celerior quam auris, 31. Oculum invidum a basilisco nihil differre, 57. Oculorum natura, 58. Odontotyrannus animal cujusmodi, 142. Oleam et pinum abjicere folia, 14. Olei cadus in Elisæ historia, quid, 191. Oleo cur muscæ, apes, formicæ exstinguantur, 47. Olophernis et Judithæ historia, 169. Omen de Leone Armenio, 287. Infelicis imperii, 311. Onagrorum natura, 61. Operarii quomodo alacres effecti, 268. Opera Dei omnia naturæ leges, et omnem artis seriem excedere, 2. Ex operibus Dei quamdam notionem percipi, 85. Opobalsamum, 278. Oratione (In) instandum, 136. Orationes prolixæ tædiosæ, 1. Ordinum novem tres gradus, 76. De ordinibus novem, Dionysii dogma, 76. Organum musicum a Theophilo imp. repertum, 289. Origenes qua ratione a fide desciverit, 212. Hierosolymam se confert, ibid. Exsecrationi ecclesiasticæ obnoxius, 215. Quando vixerit, 211. Quomodo libidines exstinxerit, 212. Quomodo simulacrum accipiat, 162. Origenis Scripturarum enarrationibus illustrarit, 212. Quot libros scripserit, ibid. Quoto ætatis anno mortuus, ibid. Origenis delictum ob verecundiam, 212. Discipulus Ambrosius, 213. Error, 109. Errores, 271. In concilio V damnati, ibid. Pater Leontius, 242. Temperantia, ibid. Vita, 242. Vitia et errores, ibid. In Origenem patris amor, 242. Orniam fratrem interficit Solomo, 180. Oro (In) monte mortuus Aaron, 159. Orphanotrophium instauratum, 334. Orpheus quando vixerit, 163. Ossa gigantum sub Anastasio inventa, 263. Ossifragæ pietas, 41. Ostenta sub Leone Magno, 263, 264. Ostreo (De) et cancro, 55. Otho imp., 238. Ovis cur pecus simplex, nec subdolum in Scripturis vocetur, 65. Ovis prudentia, 50. De ovium lanis vestes cur hominibus fieri voluerit Deus, 85. Ozias rex, 192. Lepra cur percussus, ibid.
# P Palæstina, oculus orbis terrarum, 278. In Palæstinam Franci et Angli expeditio, 341. Francorum sive Teutonum, 333. Item Friderici Barbarossæ, 340. Contra Palæstinos prælium ultimum, 180. Palæologus quomodo Carolum regem Neapol. represserit, 315. Ejusdem cum papa concordia, ibid. Palæologorum fratrum discordia, 348. Palas exstructor palatii, 110. Palatinus mons, ibid. Palatium unde dictum, ibid. Palma, arbor amatoria, 57. Palmam semper florere, iisdem retentis foliis, 14. Palmarum natura et proprietas, 13. Palmis (In) sexus discrimen, ibid. Paradisus cur ad Orientem constitutus, 75. Quando conditus, 66. Paradisi cibus, quis, 98. E paradiso cur homo creatus, 67; In paradiso cur arbor cognitionis consita, 100. De paradiso promanans fluvius, in quatuor principia divisus, 75. E paradiso quando exclusus Adamus, 120. Pardalis cur timida, 51. Quomodo ipsam necet, 50. Pardalidis in homines odium maxime, 19. Pardalidis cur comparatus Alexander, 112.
MICHAELIS GLYCAE TABULA
A DAY III. On the third day of the creation of the world. On the plants, trees, and herbs that sprouted from the earth together. On the differences between herbs, and which are poisonous and which are useful. On the differences between trees. On the green fig, and what power it possesses. How the fig tree emits a hot, sharp, and incisive breath. On amber. On evergreen plants. On Atlas. On the gathering together of the water. On the collection of the water into a gathering. How the sea is salt. On the Nile. On hot waters. On hot springs. On rainwater, and how it becomes putrid.
B DAY IV. On the fourth day of the creation of the world. On the two luminaries: the sun and the moon. On the primogenial light of the luminaries. On the night. How "day" is named. The vain labors of the ancients concerning the sun and the moon. On the sun, and the stars, and light, and size. On the great luminaries. How the moon contributes to animals, and plants, and certain other things. On the eclipse of the sun and the moon. On the moon, its power and its symptoms, and why he does not call it an eclipse of the sun, but an obscuration. On the year. On why the sky becomes gloomy. On the signs of the moon. On fate. On the signs of the stars. On comets, and whence they are constituted. C On the shooting star. Certain observations on clouds, and also on lightning, and thunder, and whirlwinds, and how they are constituted. On the rainbow. On lightning. On the whirlwind. On the thunderbolt. That the sun runs beneath the earth. On the primogenial light.
DAY V. On the fifth day of the creation of the world. That fishes come from the Propontis toward the Euxine. On the sea urchin. On the squid. On the octopus. On the crab. On sea monsters. On the sawfish. On the remora or the echeneis. On the magnet or magnetic stone. On the palm. On the octopus. On squids and cuttlefish. On the cicada. On crustaceans. On cuttlefish, squids, and octopuses. Which fish have gills, and which do not. On fishes, that they do not copulate. How the serpent copulates with the moray eel. On birds, or winged creatures. On the bee.
must be numbered the commander of the Tana triremes, Diedo, whom, alongside the author of these Ephemerides and the commander of the fleet, the Genoese prefect of Pera later set free, as well as the one who reached the sea by breaking the chain of the harbor with his trireme. Furthermore, the trireme of Gerolamo Morosini escaped—as did the Trapezuntine, under the command of Dolphinus, who had succeeded to the post and who, on the 28th of April, had lost some of his men—along with the trireme of Gabriel Trevisanus, who had been captured by the Turks, and the three Cretan ships which escaped due to the absence of the Turks, who were dispersed in the upper regions of the city. Less is known regarding the ships of the Genoese that were saved, and the five imperial vessels that were left bare and fell as booty to the enemy. Mention is briefly made of the Venetian prefect who was handed over for execution. The number of captives, as Barbaro writes, is 60,000; the booty taken by the Turks is 200,000.
ANONYMOUS NARRATIVE ON THE LIFE OF MOHAMMED
(From the Rehdiger Codex, ed. Dr. W. Gass in the Appendix to *Gennadius and Pletho*)B The thrice-cursed and godless Mohammed—who among the Hagarenes, his subjects, is called Mahomet and is considered a great prophet and honored by them as if he were God—appeared in the days of Emperor Heraclius, having been born in a part of Ethiopia to Ethiopian parents. He grew up and progressed to this point, advancing for the worst in truth, in the following manner. A certain monk named Gerasimus, an extreme Arian and, as they say, a *Pneumatomachus*, hailing from Isauria—having been raised in Constantinople and in the city of the Romans, and having been pressured many times by those of the faith to renounce Arianism and the other heresies by which he was held—was not persuaded. Consequently, so that he might not be a scandal of perdition to many, he, being otherwise wise, was exiled by the Orthodox to the regions of Coele-Syria. Living there in a certain cave beside the royal road to beg for his sustenance, since he was shunned, he occupied himself for the most part with astronomy and the method of horoscopy. C Seeing those passing by, he saw one day, along with other travelers, a certain young man—the aforementioned Mahomet driving a few camels—who was descending from Mesopotamia for trade in Jerusalem. For this same Mohammed, having been orphaned while quite young, used to go around to every door, being fed by the leftovers of others. A certain widow, a very wealthy woman named Fatuma, seeing him, took him into her house to raise, and would send him to graze her own camels. Having reached manhood, the woman, having fallen in love with him, cohabited with him in fornication. When she was discovered, and wishing to escape the disgrace of the many, she openly made him her husband. She gave him a portion of her property and sent him out for trade. She was, however, distressed in another way, because he was subject to falling, which constantly caused her not a little disgrace; therefore, she ordered him to seek and inquire, wherever he might happen to arrive, if he could find some physician and healer to free him from the affliction. D Therefore, the aforementioned monk, sitting on the road and seeing Mohammed traveling, asked him from what city he was coming; after many questions, he asked him for what reason he was waiting by the road. But as the one questioned the other, once Mohammed heard, along with the others, that he occupied himself also with the medical art, he became, as it were, overjoyed; and, reporting his own falling sickness—since he heard that the monk was able to free him from such an affliction—he gave him a portion for his expenses, saying as he left: "Upon my return from Jerusalem, I shall take you up with me to my house in Mesopotamia for the sake of my own and many others' medical treatment, since the land is entirely lacking a physician, in order to collect money and lead a relaxed and painless life." Having descended to Jerusalem and conversed with some of the heretics—and especially with Jews and Nestorians, as he was very fond of learning, but indeed also with wise Jews...
σοφοῖς A περιτυχών, καὶ διδαχθεὶς ἐξ Ἰουδαίων μὲν μοναρ..., ἀπὸ Πνευματομάχων δὲ πνευματομαχίαν, ἐξ Ἡμεροβαπτιστῶν δὲ τὸ καθ' ἑκάστην λούεσθαι, ἐπὶ ἀφέσει δῆθεν τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων, κακῶς ἐξηγουμένων τὴν τοῦ Ἡσαΐου φωνήν, τὸ, «λούσασθε καὶ καθαροὶ γίνεσθε», ἐκ δὲ Νεστοριανῶν αὖ καὶ Ἀρειανῶν τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἀληθῆ Θεὸν τὸν Χριστὸν, ἀλλὰ προφήτην μέγαν ἐλθόντα ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τοῦ κόσμου, ταύτας καὶ ἄλλας τῶν ἀσεβῶν σπορὰς συλλεξάμενος ἐκεῖθεν, νέος ὢν καὶ πυρσολάτρης ἔτι, ἐν τῷ ἐπανακάμπτειν αὐτὸν δυσὶ περιτυχὼν Ἰουδαίοις μετερχομένοις τὴν ἰατρικὴν συνοδοιπόροις τούτῳ ἐς Μεσοποταμίαν εἶναι προσειποῦσι, καὶ περιχαρὴς γεγονώς, ὡς μέλλων καὶ ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἰατρευθῆναι, ὡς ἐκεῖνοι διισχυρίσαντο, ἤνυε τὴν ὁδὸν μετὰ αὐτῶν. Ἐν δὲ τῷ τόπῳ γενόμενοι, ἔνθα τὸν ῥηθέντα μοναχὸν εὗρεν οἰκοῦντα παρὰ τὴν B ὁδὸν, ἀνελόμενος αὐτὸν κατὰ τὸ πρὸς αὐτὸν σύνθημα καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς καμήλου τοῦτον ἀναβιβάσας ἤνυον τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν· κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ἀναδιδάξαντες αὐτὸν ὁ μὲν μοναχὸς τελείως τὸν Ἀρειανισμόν, οἱ δὲ Ἑβραῖο τὴν περιτομὴν, ὡς σύνθημα ποιησάμενοι μετ' αὐτοῦ, ἑλέσθαι τὴν ἑαυτῶν θρησκείαν τὸν Μωάμεδ, μόνον εἰ ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἰατρευθείη. Ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ τοίνυν τούτου πατρίδι, τῇ Μεσοποταμίᾳ ἀνασωθέντες, λαβὼν τὸν μοναχὸν καὶ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, ἐξένισεν αὐτοὺς παρὰ τὸν ἴδιον οἶκον, δοὺς τῷ μοναχῷ ἰδίως οἶκον σμικρότατον ἐγγὺς τοῦ αὐτοῦ οἴκου εἰς τὸ καταμένειν. Πολλῶν δὲ φιλονεικιῶν γεγονυιῶν μετ' ἀλλήλων, τοῦ μοναχοῦ μετὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ αἱ ἐκείνων πρὸς αὐτὸν διισχυριζομένων, καὶ ἀμφοτέρων, ὡς ἄρα ὁ Μωάμεδ ἐδιδάχθη τὴν σφετέραν θρησκείαν, ὁ μοναχὸς ἠθέλησε τοῦ Μωάμεδ χωρισθῆναι. Ὡς δὲ παρεκλήθη προσμεῖναι καὶ ὅ, ἂν αὐτὸς εἴπῃ πρᾶξαι, θεμάτιον ὁ μοναχὸς ποιησάμενος περὶ τοῦ Μωάμεδ, καὶ εὑρὼν ἐν αὐτῷ ὡς μέγας γενήσεται Μωάμεδ καὶ αὐξήσει, εἰ αἵρεσίν τινα καὶ θρησκείαν ἐπαναλάβηται, προσκαλεσάμενος τὸν Μωάμεδ, ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· «Εἰ ἀκούσεις μου τῆς συμβουλῆς, ὅσον οὔπω μέγας γενήσῃ». Τοῦ δὲ ὑπακούειν συνθεμένου, ἔφη αὐτῷ· «Ὅτε πίπτων εἰς τὴν γῆν σεληνιάζῃ, ἀνιστάμενος λέγε, ὅτι τὸν ἄγγελον Γαβριὴλ ὁρῶν πρὸς ἐμὲ ἐρχόμενον καὶ ὁμιλοῦντα, μὴ δυνάμενος ἀντοφθαλμῆσαι τῇ λαμπρότητι τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ, πίπτω, ὡς ὁρᾶτε, ἐς γῆν». Καὶ ὁ μοναχὸς, ἰδὼν τοὺς ἐγχωρίους τελείως βαρβάρους καὶ δεισιδαίμονας καὶ ἑτοίμους δέξασθαι ἃς πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐρεῖν φλυαρίας ἐσκαιωρήσατο, ἔλεγε τοῖς παροῦσι καὶ ὁρῶσι τὸν δαιμονιζόμενον· «Θεωρεῖτε ἃ γίνεται, βλέπων τὸν Θεὸν καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους ὁ Μωάμεδ ἔνθεος γίνεται». Ὡς δὲ ἀνίστατο οὗτος, καὶ κατὰ τὴν ὑποθήκην τοῦ μοναχοῦ ἔλεγεν ὡς ἄγγελον θεωρῶν πίπτει, ὁ δὲ μοναχὸς προφήτην τοῦτον ἐκάλει, πλανῶν τοὺς ἀκούοντας. Ὡς δὲ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ τοῦ Μωάμεδ ἤχθετο, ὡς C καταφάγοι τὸν αὐτῆς ἅπαντα πλοῦτον, ὁ μοναχὸς ἀπολογούμενος αὐτῇ ἔλεγε· «Μὴ δυσχέραινε, καθότι ὁ Μαχούμετ μέγας προφήτης ἐστί». Ἀκούουσα δὲ ταῦτα καὶ πιστεύουσα, οἷα γυνή, ταῖς ἄλλαις τῶν γυναικῶν ἐνουθέτει καὶ ἐκήρυσσεν, ὡς ὅτι μέγας προφήτης ἐστὶν ὁ Μωάμεδ· ἐκ δὲ τῶν γυναικῶν εἰς ἄνδρας διελθοῦσα ἡ πλάνη, βαρβάρους ὄντας καὶ λίαν ἀμαθεῖς, ἐπιστεύετο εἶναι ὁ ῥηθεὶς προφήτης Θεοῦ. Ὡς δὲ εἶδεν ὁ μοναχὸς προκόπτον τὸ αὐτοῦ βούλημα, ᾠήθη δεῖν καὶ πίστιν καὶ νόμον ἐκείνοις δοῦναι ἐπὶ συστάσει δῆθεν τοῦ Ἀρειανισμοῦ καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν αἱρέσεων, ὧν εἵνεκα ἐξόριστος ἦν· καὶ καθίσας ἔγραψε βιβλίον, τὸ λεγόμενον Κοῤῥάν, ὅ ἐστι Θεοῦ νόμος, ἐγκατασπείρας ἐν αὐτῷ ἅπασαν τὴν ἰδίαν ἀσέβειαν, διδάσκων μὴ ἔχειν τὸν Θεὸν μήτε Λόγον μήτε Πνεῦμα, καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν οὐ Θεὸν εἶναι, ἀλλὰ μέγαν προφήτην, καὶ ἄλλας πλείστας φλυαρίας συνεγράψατο· δοὺς δὲ τῷ ἰδίῳ μαθητῇ Μωάμεδ, ἐξεφώνησε τοῖς ἀνοήτοις ἐκείνοις κατεληλυθέναι τῷ Μαχούμετ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ τὸ βιβλίον τοῦτο παρὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου Γαβριὴλ κοιμωμένῳ· οἱ δὲ ἐπίστευον οὕτως ἔχειν, ὡς ὁ μοναχὸς ἡσφαλίσατο περὶ τοῦ νέου νόμου. Οἱ δὲ προῤῥηθέντες Ἰουδαῖοι δυσχεράναντες τῷ Μωάμεδ καὶ μὴ θέλοντες αὐτὸν λατρεύειν ὡς μὴ ἐξακολουθήσαντα τῇ αὐτῶν θρησκείᾳ μᾶλλον ἢ ταῖς ὑποθήκαις τοῦ μοναχοῦ, θέλων καὶ αὐτοὺς ἱκανοποιῆσαι, παρεδέξατο ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαϊκῶν ἠθῶν τήν τε περιτομὴν καὶ τὸ ὑπονομάζειν μόνον τοὺς προφήτας· τὰ δὲ γεγραμμένα ὑπό τε Μωσέως καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν προφητῶν, ὡς τῷ μοναχῷ ἔδοξε, πέπραχε περὶ τούτων. Τούτων οὕτως γενομένων καὶ τῶν ἐγχωρίων πιστευσάντων τῷ νέῳ νόμῳ τοῦ Μωάμεδ, ἀποροῦντες ἀρχῆς, ἐξ ὑποθήκης τοῦ μοναχοῦ ἄρχοντα τοῦτον ἑαυτοῖς ἐποιήσαντο, ὡς εἶναι ὁμοῦ καὶ νομοθέτην καὶ προφήτην καὶ βασιλέα· τότε καὶ στρατιωτικὸν σύστημα ποιησάμενος, ἐληίζετο τὰς πέριξ κωμοπόλεις. Ἀκουσθεὶς δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ Ἡρακλείῳ, ἀπέστειλε στρατὸν πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ παραγενόμενοι οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι ἐκεῖσε ἄρδην τοὺς ὑπουργοὺς Μωάμεδ ἀποκτείνουσιν· αὐτὸς δὲ φυγὼν μετ' ὀλίγων τινῶν στέλλει πρὸς βασιλέα πρεσβείαν, καλῶν ἑαυτὸν δοῦλον τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἀξιῶν ἵνα ἐάσῃ τοῦτον ἀναπαύεσθαι ἐν ἑνὶ μέρει τῆς Αἰθιοπίας, διδόναι τῷ βασιλεῖ φόρον· ὁ δὲ πεισθεὶς εἴασε. D Μετὰ δὲ τὴν τελευτὴν Ἡρακλείου, συγχύσεων οὐκ ὀλίγων παρὰ τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν γεγονυιῶν, εὑρὼν ὁ Μωάμεδ ἄδειαν ἐληίζετο τὴν Συρίαν· εἶτα ἐξ ὀλίγου ἢ ἐκ μηδενὸς εἰς πολὺ ἀποκαταστὰς διὰ τὰς ἡμῶν ἁμαρτίας, διέφθειρε τὸ πολὺ τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς. Μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον οἱ διάδοχοι αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ὑπόλοιπον τελείως ἀπώλεσαν καὶ διέφθειραν καὶ ἠφάνισαν. Τοῦτο μὲν ἐν συνάψει εἴρηται περὶ τούτου ἅπαν τὸ ἀληθές. Τέλος.
SYLLABUS OF AUTHORS, BOTH PUBLISHED AND NOT YET PUBLISHED, CITED IN THE ANNALS OF GLYCAS. The reader is referred to the bold numerals inserted into the Latin text.
A Alexander, monk, in the *History of the invention of the holy Cross*, wrote that Constantine was baptized at the end of his life; he is refuted by Glycas, **251**. Ambrose (S.), Archbishop of Milan, **257**. Amphilochius, Archbishop of Iconium. His opinion on the creation of the angels, **80**, **233**. Anabatianus, a book of the Cainite heretics, which contained the things that Saint Paul saw in heaven, **180**. Anastasius Sinaita, Patriarch of Antioch, interpreted most things in the Old Testament allegorically, **10**, **15**, **17**, **24**, **33**, **38**, **46**, **74**, **80**, **86**, **89**, **93**, **94**, **99**, **102**, **105**, **166**, **183**, **197**. His *Commentary on the Hexaemeron*, or on the works of the first six days. His oration on the Resurrection. Anaxagoras, philosopher, along with Anaximander and Anaximenes, **20**, **21**, **202**. Andreas, of Jerusalem, Archbishop of Crete, in an *Oration on those who have fallen asleep*, **86**, **231**, **233**. Andromachus, physician, inventor of the Theriac, **59**. Antoninus, philosopher emperor, **241**. Apollinaris, Bishop of Laodicea, **70**, **244**, **271**. Apollonius, Tyanean magician, **239**. Aquila, of Pontus, from a Christian a Jew, **241**. Arcadius, emperor, response to the letters of Pope Innocent, **259**. Aristotle, the Stagirite, **5**, **7**, **29**, **51**, **53**, **62**, **116**, **202**. Athanasius (S.), Patriarch of Alexandria, in his *Oration on the Assumption*, **89**, **122**. Discoursing to the Prince of Antioch, **91**, **97**. Passim from other works, **28**, **89**, **91**, **97**, **119**, **122**, **132**, **207**, **208**, **209**, **224**, **241**, **250**, **251**. Athenodorus, philosopher, gives precepts to Augustus, **206**. Babylonians. See Zoroaster.
B Barlaam, wrote to Ioasaph; his words, **88**. Basilius (S.), Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, cited passim in the *Ascetica*, in the *Hexaemeron*, and in others, **3**, **4**, **6**, **8**, **9**, **11**, **12**, **14**, **18**, **19**, **21**, **25**, **27**, **29**, **32**, **34**, **42**, **51**, **58**, **67**, **70**, **71**, **74**, **79**, **80**, **81**, **83**, **84**, **88**, **93**, **94**, **101**, **120**, **131**, **155**, **157**, **168**, **193**, **207**, **222**, **231**, **234**. Basilius, physician, author of the heresy of the Bogomils, **334**.
C Caesarius (S.), brother of Saint Gregory Nazianzen, **80**, **143**. Caius, ancient theologian, writes that Peter and Paul died at the same time, **235**. Chrysostom (S.). See Joannes. Claudius Aelianus, **51**, **62**. Claudius Galenus, physician of Pergamum, **56**, **58**, **59**, **96**, **111**, **131**, **133**, **231**. Clement of Alexandria, called the *Stromateus*, **228**, **242**. Cosmas the Great, author of the *Tetraodion*, **298**, in the Notes. Cyrill (S.), Patriarch of Alexandria, in the book of *Treasures*, **78**. In his *Oration on the creation of man*, **88**. *On adoration in spirit*, **159**. In the *Glaphyra*, or *Varieties*, **118**, **119**, **123**, **124**, **126**, **127**, **130**, **132**, **137**, **146**, **181**, **185**, **193**, **210**, **211**, **218**, **253**, **261**, **271**. Cyrill, Bishop of Jerusalem, in letters concerning the visible sign of the Cross to the Emperor Constantine, **253**, **271**.
D Damascenus (S.). See Joannes. Damasus, Pope, **271**. Daniel, prophet, **101**, **143**. Democritus, philosopher, **20**. Diodorus, of Tarsus, as I think, bishop, **80**. Diogenes, the Cynic, what he felt about the stars, **20**, **112**, **203**. Dionysius (S.), the Areopagite, ὁ θεοφάντωρ καὶ μέγας, **76**, **182**, **193**, **208**, **219**, **232**. Dionysius (S.), Bishop of Corinth, **255**, **271**. Dioscorides, of Anazarbus, as I think, physician, on Stratonicus, the Sicilian general, **56**.
E Empedocles, philosopher, **282**. Ephraem (S.), deacon of Edessa, **124**, **125**, and perhaps others. Epiphanius (S.), Bishop of Constantia in Cyprus, in the *Panaria* passim, **46**, **120**, **128**, **146**, **158**, **198**, **200**, **221**, **259**. Epiphanius, Presbyter, not bishop, in his oration on the immaculate Nativity of the Mother of God, **213**, **290**. Concerning John the Theologian, he thinks otherwise than Chrysostom, **213**. Esdras, preserves the sacred books, **182**, **198**, **199**. Eustathius, Patriarch of Antioch, on the day under Hezekiah, **194**. Eusebius Pamphili, Metropolitan of Caesarea, ὁ πολυμαθὴς καὶ πολυΐστωρ, **182**, **227**, **235**. Hezekiah, king of Judah, **183**, **194**. Eutyches, heretic, **263**. Eutychius, Patriarch of CP., **272**.
G Galenus. See Claudius. On Gems. See Salomon. Genesis, little, ἡ λεπτὴ Γένεσις, an apocryphal book, is cited three times, **104**, **108**, **211**. On Genii, or on angels and demons. See Salomon. Gennadius, Patriarch of CP., on the creation of the angels, **79**, **80**. Georgius, syncellus or syngellus of Tarasius, Patriarch of CP., and chronicler, **117**, **118**, **121**, **122**, **131**, **139**, **140**, **156**, **197**, **198**, **215**, **216**. Germanus (S.), Patriarch of CP., **79**, **280**, **281**. In his oration on the Falling Asleep of the Mother of God, Mary, **233**. Gregory (S.), Bishop of Nazianzus, **3**, **68**, **80**, **83**. From the poem *On the Soul*, **93**, **94**, **95**, **99**, **107**, **110**, **112**, **120**, **129**, **208**, **221**, **251**, **256**, **271**, **282**. Gregory (S.), Bishop of Nyssa, brother of Basil, **2**, **11**, **28**, **82**, **83**, **89**, **92**, **98**, **100**, **108**, **109**, **150**, **161**, **222**. Gregory (S.), Roman Pope, **240**, **282**. Gregory II, Pope, **281**.
H Hadrian, emperor, **240**. Heraclitus, philosopher, **74**, **116**, **202**. Hermes Trismegistus, **28**, **114**. In his epistle to Ammon the Wise. Herodotus, historian, **202**. Hippocrates, prince of physicians, **51**, **202**. Hippolytus, perhaps a martyr, on the day under Hezekiah, **194**. On St. John the Apostle, **239**.
INDEX
A Hippolytus the Theban, historian, distinct from the martyr, concerning the time of the death of St. Stephen, **227**. Homer, prince of poets, **7**, **184**, **195**. Innocent I, Pope, letters to Arcadius, **259**, **260**. Isidore of Pelusium, disciple of St. Chrysostom, **98**, **223**, **258**. Iamblichus the philosopher, regarding the creation or origin of angels, **107**. Jeremiah the prophet, **287**. Jesus Sirach, **203**. John (St.) the Apostle and Evangelist, passim. John the astronomer, **300**. John (St.) Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, passim, **2**, **4**, **8**, **9**, **12**, **18**, **27**, **59**, **66**, **67**, **68**, **69**, **72**, **77**, **79**, **80**, **81**, **82**, **83**, **85**, **87**, **88**, **89**, **91**. In his oration on the exile of Adam, **123**, **124**, **125**, **131**, **132**, **133**, **157**, **189**, **209**, **210**, **212**, **214**, **215**, **218**, **219**, **220**, **223**, **225**, **226**, **227**, **236**, **258**, **259**. John (St.) Climacus, or author of the Ladder, **112**. John (St.) of Damascus, monk, passim, **8**, **15**, **16**, **17**, **21**, **52**, **65**, **66**, **71**, **78**, **80**, **81**, **82**, **93**, **98**, **99**, **100**, **103**, **105**, **107**, **111**, **208**, **209**, **221**. John Scylitzes, or Curopalates, historian, **245**, **246**, **286**, **293**, **294**, **297**. John Zonaras, historian, **140**, **286**, **291**, **297**. John Xiphilinus, Patriarch of Constantinople, **325**, **326**. Job the Patriarch, **116**, **147**. Prayer of Joseph the Patriarch, an apocryphal book, **259**. Josephus the Jew, historian, **1**, **12**, **40**, **102**, **119**, **121**, **123**, **128**, **129**, **130**, **135**, **139**, **143**, **145**, **148**, **150**, **155**, **158**, **163**, **164**, **174**, **175**, **176**, **177**, **179**, **185**, **186**, **187**, **188**, **192**, **198**, **228**, **254**, **258**. Julian of Halicarnassus, heretic, **243**. Julian the Emperor, called the apostate, or "perverted-minded," **117**, **128**, **185**, **199**, **251**, **253**, **254**. Julius Caesar, dictator, **201**. Justinian the Great, Emperor, **266**, **272**. Justin, philosopher and martyr, **4**, **15**, **19**, **241**. Juvenal, prelate of Jerusalem, on the burial of the Blessed Virgin, **252**, **270**. Leo (St.), Roman pontiff, **271**. Leo the Wise or the Philosopher, Emperor, **296**, **297**, **298**, **299**, **300**. Leo, a learned man, Archbishop of Thessalonica, **291**, **292**. Libanius, Sophist of Antioch, **258**. Sacred Books, of Solomon, apocryphal. See Esdras, Genesis, Josephus, Solomon. Book on the miracles of St. Basil, usually attributed to Amphilochius, **235**. Luke (St.) the Evangelist, **236**, **237**, **281**. Macarius (St.), abbot, in his letters, **105**, **255**. Manes the heretic, **82**, **111**, **214**. Marcus Antoninus the Emperor, **241**. Mark (St.) the Evangelist, **216**. Mark, oikonomos and monk, who completed the Tetraodion of Kosmas, **298**, in the Notes. Matthew (St.) the Apostle and Evangelist, **284**. Maximus (St.), monk and confessor, **3**, **5**, **6**, **25**, **70**, **71**, **95**, **110**, **194**. In his writings to Thalassius. Metaphrastes. See Simeon. Methodius, Patriarch of Constantinople, **289**. Michael Parapinakēs, Emperor, an inept poet, **330**. Michael Psellos, who is "the wise in truth," **171**, **181**, **328**, **350**. Michael Cerularius, Patriarch of Constantinople, **319**. Moses, lawgiver of the Hebrews, passim up to pages **157**, **160**, **211**. Nazianzen. See Gregory. Nectarius, Patriarch of Constantinople, **256**. Nestorius, from Germanicia in Syria, Patriarch of Constantinople, heretic, **245**, **260**, **271**. Nemesius, prelate of Emesa, philosopher, on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and other things, **64**, **102**, **165**. Nicander of Colophon, a Greek poet, on serpents, **25**. Nicephorus, Patriarch of Constantinople, lauded among the patriarchs, on angels who offer our prayers, **137**, **244**, **287**. Nyssen. See Gregory. Origen Adamantius, Alexandrian presbyter, whom he calls "the accursed and foolish-minded," **109**, **162**, **241**, **242**, **243**, **271**. Lesser Genesis. See Genesis. Patricius, prelate of Prusa, from an oration on St. Pionius, **1083**. Paul (St.), the Apostle, often cited, **136**, **213**, **214**, **217**, **228**, **229**, **235**, **236**, **237**, **239**. Paul of Samosata, heretic, **244**, **278**. Paul of Sinope, on the rabies of dogs, **63**. Peter (St.), prince of the apostles, **124**, **233**, **236**. Peter, writing to Faustus about the natal star, **26**, **113**. Philo the Jew, **234**. Philon the philosopher, on ecclesiastical history regarding the power of anathemas, **282**, **283**. Philolaus, Pythagorean philosopher, **20**. Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople, **293**, **297**, **298**. Plato the philosopher, **5**, **202**. Plotinus, a follower of Plato, **70**. Plutarch, philosopher of Chaeronea, **58**, **131**. Porphyry, Platonic philosopher, **107**. Prayer of Joseph, the apocryphal book, **239**. Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople, **260**. Procopius of Caesarea, historian, **270**. Psellos. See Michael. Ptolemy, Alexandrian astrologer, **134**. Pyron, or Pyrrhon, writer of Annals, wrote that Adam entered Paradise after 200 days, **82**. Pythagoras the philosopher, **202**. Rufus, a medical writer on the cause of hydrophobia, **63**. Sabellius, heretic, **213**. Books of Solomon the king of the Jews on angels and demons, on gems, etc., **182**, **183**, **184**, **185**. Scylitzes. See John Scylitzes. Serapio or Sarapion, mathematician, **243**. Seth, inventor of the conversion of the year and other things, **121**. Severianus, Bishop of Gabala, **67**. Severus, an Acephalous heretic? **80**, **271**. Simeon or Symeon Metaphrastes, **245**, **252**. Sophocles the poet, **202**. Symmachus, **242**. Tertullian, a Latin writer, a man of brilliant reputation at Rome, **235**. Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrrhus, **14**, **19**, **33**, **63**, **79**. In the Therapeutica, **80**, **106**, **132**, **176**, **179**, **181**, **187**, **189**, **192**, **198**, **211**, **230**, **261**, **263**, **270**. Theodore, Bishop of Mopsuestia, **245**. Theophanes the Confessor, chronographer, continuator of George Syncellus, **246**, **287**. Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria, **257**, **258**, **259**. Theophylact, Archbishop of the Bulgarians, **210**. Thucydides the historian, **202**. Timothy, Patriarch of Alexandria, **271**. Valens the astronomer, most accurate among astronomers, **249**. Valentinus the heresiarch, **111**, **142**. Xenophanes the philosopher, **20**. Xiphilinus. See John. Zonaras. See John. Zoroaster, King of the Persians or an astrologer, **199**.Table of Contents of the Matters Contained in This Volume
[LATIN] A occasion for death, 309. The death of the same, ibid. Letters of Joseph to Zimisces, 305. Zoe married to Argyropulus, 312. A lewd woman plots against her husband, 314. From Zoe Carbonopsia a son is born to Leo the philosopher, 299. Place in Zonaras, 140, 286, 294, 297. Zoroaster the Persian astronomer, 129. Zorobabel, son of Salathiel, takes the kingdom from the Jewish tribe, 199. The history of Zorobabel, 198. Zonaitas, prince of Smyrna, 346. Zygenae, a species of whale, 36.
TABLE OF CONTENTS OF THE MATTERS CONTAINED IN THIS VOLUME
MICHAEL GLYCAS. Notice from Fabricius, ed. Harles, I. Joannes Lamius’s first Dissertation on Michael Glycas and his writings, in which is inserted an index of authors and books, both published and unpublished, from which Michael Glycas collected his own material, VII. The same author’s second Dissertation, XIX. Casimir Oudin’s Dissertation on the age and writings of Michael Glycas, XXII. A review of the letters of Michael Glycas from the Greek theological manuscript Codex 160 of the Vienna Library, XXXVI. A review of the same letters according to Codex 193 of the Royal Library of Turin, XXXIX.
MICHAEL GLYCAS’S ANNALS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD TO THE DEATH OF EMPEROR ALEXIUS COMNENUS, IN THE YEAR 1118. Philippus Labbe, S. J., Commendatory Epistle to Cardinal Mazarin, 1. Preface by the same to the Reader, 3. Preface of Joannes Leunclavius, 5. Table of Michael Glycas from the manuscript codex of Fontisebrault, transcribed and translated by Philippus Labbe, 465. Part I, containing the history of the universe, 27. Part II, from Adam to the empire of Caesar, 231. Part III, from the empire of Caesar to Constantine the Great, 385. Part IV, concerning the emperors of Constantinople who reigned subsequently, 465. Continuation of the Glycan Annals from Joannes Comnenus to the capture of Constantinople by the Turks, by the author J. Leunclavius, 625.
MICHAEL GLYCAS’S EPISTLES. Epistle I. To the lord Joannes Sinaites, monk and stylite, most venerable. Whether one ought to show indulgence to those who have fallen into sin, or whether, as reason demands, they should be rebuked, 647. Epist. II. To the venerable monk, first of all, the lord Joannes Smeniotas. Whether those are to be heard who say that man from the beginning had a perishable body, and was subject to passions, or natural inconveniences, even before the transgression; and that he used sensible food in Paradise, and that the tree of knowledge was a fig tree, 659. Epist. III. To the same. Concerning the glory and brightness with which Adam shone from the beginning, 715. Epist. IV. To the same. For what reason the devil attacked Adam through the serpent and not through another animal, and from what it is eventually established that Adam was attacked by him through the serpent, when Scripture does not expressly say so, and whether Scripture has hidden that very thing for some true reason, 721. Epist. V. To the honorable monk, the lord Joannes Aspiotes. Of what nature the bodies of men will be when they rise from the dead, and whether they will then eat sensible food, as some assert, 727. Epist. VI. To the same. Whether the bodies of men will rise with the distinction of male and female, 753. Epist. VII. To the same. Whether one ought to pay attention to those who say that those who are about to rise will not recognize one another; and if they do recognize one another, whether the just will be recognized by sinners, but sinners not by the just, 782. Epist. VIII. To the very venerable monk, the lord Esaias. Whether the just ought to progress in knowledge and glory, or not, after that restitution which will be there, 795. B Epist. IX. To the same. Whether one ought to pay attention to those who say that Paradise is corruptible and that the thief did not enter into it immediately after the Cross, 799. Epist. X. Why the Lord was incarnate in the last times, and did not come into the world much earlier; for if He had done this earlier, that vast multitude would perhaps not have finished their lives in impiety out of ignorance, 811. Epist. XI. To the most honorable Father, the lord Gregorius Acropolita. Whether the heaven is round and immobile or not, according to St. Chrysostom, 817. Epist. XII. And this is also asked: since God created light on the first day, for what reason He established the luminaries on the fourth, 831. Epist. XIII. To the very venerable monk, the lord Esaias. If our mind was created according to the image of God, how is it that the same mind is intelligent in one person but not intelligent in another; and for what reason do all people differ from one another in form, age, and other things, 838. Epist. XIV. To the same. Concerning the manner in which it is proper to respond against the Jews, when they strive to twist the mystery of God even more, 845. Epist. XV. To the most venerable brother in the Lord, the lord Joannes Tricha. In what manner one must understand that which we find in the Apocalypse of the divine evangelist Joannes: "I saw a new heaven and a new earth, and the sea is no more," 897. Epist. XVI. To the most venerable monk, the lord Chariton. Whether the blessed John the evangelist yielded to death, or not, 899. Epist. XVII. To the most venerable monk, the lord Nectarius. Concerning Judas, whether he hanged himself with a noose according to the evangelical history, or whether, surviving after these things, as some say, he suffered from dropsy and thus died, 903. Epist. XVIII. To the most venerable and intimate lord Esaias. Whether faith should be given to those who say that the souls of the saints, having departed from here to some place of rest, do not now make prayers for us, and, standing in the sight of Christ, in no way care for the earth: likewise concerning the soul. There precedes [a treatise of] a certain Unknown on the same argument, 913. Epist. XIX. To the monk Nilus. That prayers and alms for the dead are not in vain, 921. Epist. XX. (Fragment) To... That the prayers of the just are beneficial even to the impious dead, 927. Epist. XXI. (Fragment) To... It relates that the Virgin’s soul descended to the underworld after death, 929. Epist. XXII. (Fragment) It declares and proves that not only the Virgin’s soul, but also the souls of the rest of mankind descend to the underworld after death, but with this difference: that to the just, for the sake of contemplating the mysteries of Christ even in that region, a place of passage to the heavenly realms is granted; to the impious, a place in which they remain to be tormented by eternal punishments, 929. Epist. XXIII. To Constantine Palaeologus. That those who have rashly opined that Paul was one of the twelve disciples of Christ are not to be heard, 931. Epist. XXIV. To Andronicus Palaeologus. Concerning the day of Lights [Epiphany]. Whether it is more worthy than the solemnity of the Nativity of Christ, 955. Epist. XXV. To the monk Esaias. Concerning not assimilating the monk to baptism, 935. Epist. XXVI. (Fragment) To the monk Alypius. Concerning celebrating the fast before the Nativity of the Lord, 951. Epist. XXVII. (Fragment) To the recluse Alypius. Whether second marriages are prohibited among the Greeks, 955. Epist. XXVIII. (Fragment) To the monk Alypius. He excuses his Greeks who use the rites of the Jews, 957. Epist. XXIX. Concerning the procession of the Holy Spirit, 959.
JOANNES DIACONUS OF ADRIANOPLE. Political poem in praise of Joannes Palaeologus, to which Ang. Maria Bandinius prefixes [an introduction], 959.
ESAIAS CYPRIUS. On the procession of the Holy Spirit, to Nicolaus Sciengia, 971.
HILARIO MONACHUS. On the mystical bread of the Greeks and the unleavened bread of the Latins, 977.
JOANNES ARGYROPULUS. Notice from Boerner on learned Greek men, 985. ON THE PROCESSION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO THE GRAND DUKE, WITH AN EXPLANATION OF THE DECREE MADE IN THE SYNOD OF FLORENCE, 991. Epistle to Dominicus Roboreus (de la Rovere), Cardinal of Turin, by whose grace he had undertaken the interpretation of Aristotle’s *De Anima*, 1007.
THEODORUS AGALLIANUS. Refutation of the book of J. Argyropulus "On the Holy Spirit," 1011.
JOSEPHUS CPOLITANUS, PATRIARCH. Confession of faith when he was in his last moments, 1051. His epitaph, 1053.
JOB MONACHUS. Proemium to the commentary on the Psalms, 1055.
BARTHOLOMEUS DE JANO. Epistle against the Turks, to Albertus de Sarthiano, 1055.
NICOLAUS BARBARUS, PONTIFICAL VENETIAN. Ephemerides of the siege and conquest of the city from the month of March until the 29th day of May, 1455, 1067.
ANONYMUS. NARRATIVE concerning the life of Mohammed, 1077.
sistere volui, quod futurum plane mihi persuaderem, ut si tibi, censori polito et incorrupto, probaretur, eo facilius aliorum sibi gratiam atque benevolentiam conciliaret.
Præterea jure quodam tuo tibi se offert, quod hominis opera, degentis in tua familia, vestem Romanam induerit. Denique Sambucum, qui princeps in eum beneficium hoc lucis liberioris contulit, in os laudare præ verecundia non ausus, apud te virum præclare de litteris meritum, et adhuc quotidie merentem prædicare voluit, quem sciret eruditorum studiis, ad reipublicæ commoda spectantibus, quam honestissime cupere. Dixi.
GLYCAS SAMBUCO. Non proditurum me Sambuce sperabas Solum, toga recens amictum Romana, Qui palliatus more antehac eram Graio. Comitarier me nimirum imperatorum Themis meorum et dulcis ille debebat, Mecum Manasses, qui delituit invitus, Sed surripuit illam ungulæ leoninæ Nequiterque clamque clepsit et fugiens secum Quidam abstulit, Phrygia de gente cui nomen Nunquam hoc aperto pol Gradivo facturus, Imbellis ille comes Berecynthiæ matris. Et sunt, vereri qui solent, ne tam longo Dum tempore exspectamus hunc Phrygem, demum Cum risu anus Phrygia prosultet in scenam. Hunc alterum ante me gnarum Ausonum linguæ Premens acerba sors et invidum fatum, Exire non sinunt foras, secuturum Tamen brevi, sub ipsam scilicet brumam. Sic dum latet Themis, nos ambo prodimus. Usa venit, jactari quod solet vulgo: Primi ultimi fiunt, et ultimi primi.
TABLE OF THE MOST WISE MICHAEL GLYCAS
From the manuscript codex of the Abbey of Fontevraud; transcribed and interpreted by Philippe Labbe, Society of Jesus.Preface.
A DIES I. On the work of the six days. On the first day of the creation of the world. That night does not precede the day. That it did not say "the first day," but "one." On the essence of the heaven. On the earth, that it hangs in the middle of the universe. B On winds and earthquakes. On wind: what wind is, and where it has its formation. On the typhoon. On the wind called "ecnephias."DIES II. On the second day of the creation of the world. That there are waters above the firmament, and below, and for what reason. That God produced the firmament from the waters. On the heaven and the firmament. On the things that are generated from the exhalations of the earth. How the Nile floods Egypt at the time of summer. On the nature of the vapors which arise from the waters, according to the anagogical sense from Anastasius.
[GREEK COLUMN] [LATIN COLUMN] for from there the rivers flow, having their beginnings from great springs. And what need is there to say much? B The sun is the cause of all flow and ebb of rivers, and of all things that have natural motions and origins, having received from God this multifarious energy. For observe that by a natural power and abundance of heat, it is attractive of the humidity that is in the depths. Whence in spring and summer, approaching us, it draws up the moisture in the trees and makes them fruit-bearing. Its is the summer, its is the autumn, the winter, and the rest. The Nile, however, beloved, increases during the summer season; for every cloud being driven by the winds as far as the scorched zone, and thence a heavy rain breaking forth, the Nile swells and does not endure to be a river; for it exits its own banks and submerges Egypt. And the Nile is sweet (for it is from rains), but tepid, as having originated from heat. According to this, it does not give off breezes, like the other rivers; for as the clouds are driven, as has been said, by the etesian winds, all the vapor contained in them is evaporated by the intense heat of the places, and for this reason the Nile does not give off breezes. But if, as some have thought, it were increased from melting snow, copious breezes would be sent forth from there. However, the wonder concerning the Nile, beloved, as the divine Anastasius says, God permitted to happen for the proving of the ancient creation of the world; for who, seeing the Nile submerging Egypt and again being restored, would not also take faith in that day on which, the water having been gathered into one collection, the dry land appeared? But also in the places bordering on those in the barbarous Pentapolis, in the inaccessible waters, the nature of stones being ascendant and floating on them refutes those who do not believe that over nature God suspended this heavy earth upon the waters. But also in the mountains called Lycian, water and fire coming together demonstrate to us the indivisible union in Christ of the two natures, I mean of the divinity and the humanity. But how, because of these things, could one worthily praise the Creator? Since the diseases that befall us are of many kinds, C so also are the hot waters given up from the earth many and various. For some of them relax those things of the nerves that are tense, while others tighten and tone those that are relaxed; and some are hostile to phlegm, others to black bile; and others again provide another need by the command of the One who produced them, even if we appear ungrateful toward the benefactor. And how, beloved, and in what manner the hot waters come up from below, has been stated above, but it is necessary to include in the discourse what a certain Patricius, bishop of Prusa D, has been found saying about the earthly—Patricius of Prusa recounts from the account of holy Pionios about the hot waters.