Homilies 9.1–9.4
Greek text: PG 40.English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0).
Chapter 9
9.1PG 40:401
θ. Ἐγκώμιον εἰς ἅγιον ἱερομαρτυρα Καλὴ καὶ συμφόέρουσα τοῖς ἀσχουμένοις τὰ σπου… μόνον τοὺς ἐπιθυμοῦντας ἀρετῆς καὶ εὐσεδείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς πράξεις τῶν βεδιωχότων ὀρθῶς ἐναργεῖς διδασχάλους προτίθῃησι. Διὸ καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν, τὰς τῶν ἀρίστων χατορθωμάτων ὑποθήχας διδοὺς, φησίν" “Ὃς δ' ἂν ποιήσῃ καὶ διδάξῃ. οὗτος μέγας κιληθήσεται" καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ" Λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμὼν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσι τὰ ἔργα, καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν Πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ἢ γὰρ λογιχὴ παίδευσις, τῆς πραχτιχῆς ἐνεργείας ἥττων καὶ ἀσθενεστέρα διδάσχαλος " καὶ ὅσῳ τῆς ἀχοῆς τὴν ὄψιν ἀχριθεστέραν εἶναί φαμεν, “ τοσούτῳ διωμολόγηται τοῦ λόγου τὴν πρᾶξιν χρατεῖν. Ούτω τὰς ἐπιστήμας μανθάνομεν" οὕτω τὰς τέχνας ἐχπαιδευόμεθα, λόγῳ πρότερον πρὸς τὴν μάθησιν ἐναγόμενοι, εἶτα χειρὶ καὶ πείρᾳ τὴν ἀμοιδρὰν ᾽5 χρατύνοντες. Καὶ πολλὰ μὲν ὁ γεωμέτρης περὶ τὴν βίδλον χαμὼν, καὶ πληρωθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ διδασχάλου τὴν ἀχοὴν, οὐκ ἄλλως χαταλήψεται τῶν τοιχίλων ᾽σχημάτων τὴν δύναμιν, ἂν μὴ χαταμάθῃ κὰ κέντρα, καὶ τὰς γραμμὰς, καὶ τοὺς χύχλους ἐπὶ τοῦ πίναχος. Οὐ μέντοι οὐδὲ τὸν ἁστρονομίας ἐπιθυμήσαντα,, ὁ λόγος μόνον παιδεύει τὸ σπουδαζόμενον, ἂν μὴ τὴν σφαῖραν αὑτῷ περιδινήσας ἐπιστημόνως ὁ παιδευτὴς, τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς παραδῷ τοῦ πόλου τὴν χίνησιν. Καὶ ὁ ἰατρὸς δὲ, πολλὰ τῷ Ἱπποχράτει χαμὼν καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις χαθηγηταῖς, ἐστὶ θεραπευτὴς, πρὶν ἂν πρὸς τοὺς πολλοὺς βαδίσας ἀῤῥώστους, παρ᾽ αὐτῶν μάθῃ τῶν νοσούντων τὸ θεραπεύειν. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ μαθηταὶ τῶν μαρτύ- (ων, τὰς πράξεις τῶν χαρτερῶν ἀνδρῶν, πρὸ τῆς ὁμολογίας διδασχάλους ποιούμενοι, μανθάνομεν ἄχρι τῶν ἐσχάτων χινδύνων φυλάττειν εὐσέῤειαν, αὐτὰς τὰς ἱερὰς θήχας αὐτῶν χαθάπερ στῆλας προσθλέποντοῦ μαρτυρίου τὴν ἀγωνίαν. Ὥσπερ δὲ οἱ πλησιάζοντες τῇ δρυῖ τῇ Μαμόρῆ, ἣ τῷ σπηλαίῳ τῷ ὠνητῷ, ὅπερ Ἐφραῖμ ν᾽ ὁ Χετταῖος εἰς ταφὴν τῆς Σάῤῥας ἀπέδοτο, ἔνθα δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς οὺν τοῖς παισὶν ὁ πατριάρχης ἀπόχειται, εὐθέως μετὰ τῆς θέας τῶν τόπων, ἐν τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἀνανεοῦνται τὴν φαντασίαν, καὶ βλέπουσι τῇ διανοίᾳ τὸν πιστὸν πατριάρχην, τὴν ἀπαρχὴν τῆς εὐσεδείας, τὴν ἐν ἐχείνῳ περιτομὴν ᾿ λογίζονται δὲ καὶ τοὺς τῆς ἐκχεί… καὶ μετὰ τῆς μνήμης τῶν ἀνδρῶν, ὅλης τῆς ἐπ᾽ αὐὖτοὺς ἱστορίας γίνονται θεαταί " οὕτω χἀγὼ σήμερον, ἐχ τοῦ τόπου πληροῦμαι τῆς μνήμης πάντων ὁμοῦ τῶν ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ λεγομένων διηγημάτων" βλέπω τὸν χηπουρὸν τὸ ἐπιτήδευμα, τὸν ἄπλαστον τὴν ψυχὴν, τὸν φιλόξενον, τὸν τῆς παραλίας ἐξαίρετον, τὸν τῆς μεσογείου εὐεργέτην, τῶν ἁγίων τὸν ἅγιον, καὶ τῶν δεδοξασμένων διὰ Χριστὸν ᾿ἐνδοξότερον. Ἱερὸς μὲν γὰρ καὶ θεσπέσιος ἅπας ὁ τῶν γενναίων μαρτύρων κατάλογος, πάθει τὴν ὑπὲρ πάθους ἀποδοὺς χάριν, αἴματι δὲ τὴν ὑπὲρ αἵματος τῷ Σωτῆρι τῶν ὅλων ἀμοιδὴν ἐχπληρώσας. Πλὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς τούτοις, οὗ μία τῶν πάντων ἡ δόξα, οὐδὲ πρὸς ἕν μέτρον ἴσα τὰ γέρα τοῖς ὅλοις ἀποχεχλήρωται " ἀλλὰ τὸ πρῶτον καὶ δεύτερον, οὐδὲ ὁ τῶν ἁγίων ἐχφεύγει χατάλογος. Αἴτιον δὲ οἶμαι τούτου, τὸ λίαν ἀπηχριθωμένον τοῦ χριτοῦ καὶ ἀπρόσχλιτον. Ἐφορᾷ γὰρ καὶ τιμωριῶν μεγέθη, καὶ χαρτερίας ἐνστάσεις, καὶ βασανίζων τὰ ἀγωνίσματα, τὰς πρὸς ἀξίαν ἀμοιδὰς διανέμει τοῖς ἀθληταῖς. Καὶ παράδοξον οὐδαμῶς, εἰ παρὰ Θεοῦ οὕτω τιμᾶται τὸ δίχαιον, ὁπότε καὶ παρ᾽ ἡμῖν στρατηγοὶ καὶ ἀγωνοθέται οὐχ ἴσοι γίνονται τοῖς ἀριστεῦσιν, ἣ τοῖς ἀγωνισταῖς " ἀλλὰ δὴ ἐχάστῳ χατά τὸ μέτρον τοῦ χατορθώματος, τὰς δωρεὰς ἀνα- Ταῦτα δὲ διῆλθον, ἵνα δείξω, ὡς ὁ σήμερον ἡμῖν παρασχὼν τοῦ συλλόγου τὴν ἀφορμὴν, τῶν ἑταίρων καὶ συναγωνιστῶν ἐστι περιφανέστερος. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοι, οὐ πάντες παρὰ πᾶσι γνωρίζονται, οὐδὲ βεὃς ἀγνοεῖ" ἀλλ᾽ ὥσπερ ἀχτὶς ἡ τοῦ ἡλίου πᾶσιν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐφήπλωται, οὕτω καὶ ἣ τοῦ μάρτυρος τούτου φήμη πᾶσαν ἀχοὴν περιήχησε καὶ ἵνα συνελὼν εἴπω, ὅσοι τὸν Δεσπότην ἐγνώρισαν Χριστὸν, οὗτοι καὶ τὸν πιστὸν δοῦλον ἐγνώρισαν" μᾶλλον δὲ, εἰ δοχεῖ, τῶν χοινῶν πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους ἐγχωμίων ἀφέμε-νος, τὰ ἐξαίοετα τοῦ μάρτυρος διηγήματα ὑμῖν τοῖς Ἤνεγχε τοίνυν τὸν ἅγιον ἄνδρα τοῦτον, τὸ μέγα Χριστιανῶν ὄφελος, ἡ γείτων Σινώπη, πόλις ἀρκαία καὶ γνώριμος, εὔπορος καρτερῶν "7 καὶ φιλοσόφων ἀνδρῶν. Μὴ γάρ μοί τις λογιζέσθω νῦν τὸ τῆς θρησχείας διάφορον, ἀλλ᾽ εἰ σπουδαίων ὅλως ἀνδρῶν τροφὸς καὶ μήτηρ ἐδείχθη. ᾿Επιτήδευμα δὲ αὐτῷ τοῦ βίου, χήπου γεωργία καὶ ἐπιμέλεια, ὄνπερ αὐτοῦ που πρὸ τῆς πύλης τοῦ ἄστεος ἐπὶ τοῦ στόματος τοῦ Ἰσθμοῦ χεχτημένος, ἤσχει φιλοπόνως, ἑαυτῷ καὶ τοῖς δεομένοις παραμυθίαν τοῦ βίον. "ἤνοιγε δὲ καὶ τοῖς ξένοις μάλα προθύμως τὴν μιχρὰν καὶ πενομένην ἑστίαν. Ἐποἰκῶν δὲ τῇ λεωφόρῳ, χοινὰ τοῖς ἐπιδημοῦσι θει τὰ ὄντα" καὶ μέσος "5 ἦν Λὼτ, οὐ Σοδομιτῶν, ἀλλὰ Σινωπέων. Τοῦ δὲ χρόνου προελθόντος, τὴν ἐντολὴν εὖρεν οὐχ ἄμισθον' ἀπὸ γὰρ φιλοξενίας ἐχέρδανε τοῦ ζωοποιοῦ θανάτου τὴν πρόφασιν" ὅθεν δὲ καὶ ὅπως, μιχρὸν ἀναλαδόντος ἀχούσατε.
th. Enkōmion eis hagion hieromartyra Kalē kai symphoerousa tois aschoumenois ta spou… monon tous epithymountas aretēs kai eusedeias, alla kai tas praxeis tōn bediōchotōn orthōs enargeis didaschalous protithę̄ēsi. Dio kai ho Kyrios hēmōn, tas tōn aristōn chatorthōmatōn hypothēchas didous, phēsin" “Hos d' an poiēsę̄ kai didaxę̄. houtos megas kilēthēsetai" kai allachou" Lampsatō to phōs hymōn emprosthen tōn anthrōpōn, hopōs idōsi ta erga, kai doxasōsi ton Patera hymōn ton en tois ouranois. Ē gar logichē paideusis, tēs prachtichēs energeias hēttōn kai asthenestera didaschalos " kai hosǭ tēs achoēs tēn opsin achrithesteran einai phamen, “ tosoutǭ diōmologētai tou logou tēn praxin chratein. Outō tas epistēmas manthanomen" houtō tas technas echpaideuometha, logǭ proteron pros tēn mathēsin enagomenoi, eita cheiri kai peirą tēn amoidran ᾽5 chratynontes. Kai polla men ho geōmetrēs peri tēn bidlon chamōn, kai plērōtheis para tou didaschalou tēn achoēn, ouk allōs chatalēpsetai tōn toichilōn ᾽schēmatōn tēn dynamin, an mē chatamathę̄ ka kentra, kai tas grammas, kai tous chychlous epi tou pinachos. Ou mentoi oude ton hastronomias epithymēsanta,, ho logos monon paideuei to spoudazomenon, an mē tēn sphairan hautǭ peridinēsas epistēmonōs ho paideutēs, tois ophthalmois paradǭ tou polou tēn chinēsin. Kai ho iatros de, polla tǭ Hippochratei chamōn kai tois allois chathēgētais, esti therapeutēs, prin an pros tous pollous badisas arrhōstous, par᾽ autōn mathę̄ tōn nosountōn to therapeuein. Houtō dē kai hēmeis hoi mathētai tōn marty- (ōn, tas praxeis tōn charterōn andrōn, pro tēs homologias didaschalous poioumenoi, manthanomen achri tōn eschatōn chindynōn phylattein eusereian, autas tas hieras thēchas autōn chathaper stēlas prosthlepontou martyriou tēn agōnian. Hōsper de hoi plēsiazontes tę̄ drui tę̄ Mamorē, hē tǭ spēlaiǭ tǭ ōnētǭ, hoper Ephraim n᾽ ho Chettaios eis taphēn tēs Sarrhas apedoto, entha dē kai autos oun tois paisin ho patriarchēs apocheitai, eutheōs meta tēs theas tōn topōn, en tois logismois ananeountai tēn phantasian, kai blepousi tę̄ dianoią ton piston patriarchēn, tēn aparchēn tēs eusedeias, tēn en echeinǭ peritomēn ᾿ logizontai de kai tous tēs ekchei… kai meta tēs mnēmēs tōn andrōn, holēs tēs ep᾽ auytous historias ginontai theatai " houtō chagō sēmeron, ech tou topou plēroumai tēs mnēmēs pantōn homou tōn ep᾽ autǭ legomenōn diēgēmatōn" blepō ton chēpouron to epitēdeuma, ton aplaston tēn psychēn, ton philoxenon, ton tēs paralias exaireton, ton tēs mesogeiou euergetēn, tōn hagiōn ton hagion, kai tōn dedoxasmenōn dia Christon ᾿endoxoteron. Hieros men gar kai thespesios hapas ho tōn gennaiōn martyrōn katalogos, pathei tēn hyper pathous apodous charin, aimati de tēn hyper haimatos tǭ Sōtēri tōn holōn amoidēn echplērōsas. Plēn en autois toutois, hou mia tōn pantōn hē doxa, oude pros hen metron isa ta gera tois holois apochechlērōtai " alla to prōton kai deuteron, oude ho tōn hagiōn echpheugei chatalogos. Aition de oimai toutou, to lian apēchrithōmenon tou chritou kai aproschliton. Ephorą gar kai timōriōn megethē, kai charterias enstaseis, kai basanizōn ta agōnismata, tas pros axian amoidas dianemei tois athlētais. Kai paradoxon oudamōs, ei para Theou houtō timatai to dichaion, hopote kai par᾽ hēmin stratēgoi kai agōnothetai ouch isoi ginontai tois aristeusin, hē tois agōnistais " alla dē echastǭ chata to metron tou chatorthōmatos, tas dōreas ana- Tauta de diēlthon, hina deixō, hōs ho sēmeron hēmin paraschōn tou syllogou tēn aphormēn, tōn hetairōn kai synagōnistōn esti periphanesteros. Hoi men gar alloi, ou pantes para pasi gnōrizontai, oude beos agnoei" all᾽ hōsper achtis hē tou hēliou pasin ophthalmois ephēplōtai, houtō kai hē tou martyros toutou phēmē pasan achoēn periēchēse kai hina synelōn eipō, hosoi ton Despotēn egnōrisan Christon, houtoi kai ton piston doulon egnōrisan" mallon de, ei dochei, tōn choinōn pros tous allous enchōmiōn apheme-nos, ta exaioeta tou martyros diēgēmata hymin tois Ēnenche toinyn ton hagion andra touton, to mega Christianōn ophelos, hē geitōn Sinōpē, polis arkaia kai gnōrimos, euporos karterōn "7 kai philosophōn andrōn. Mē gar moi tis logizesthō nyn to tēs thrēscheias diaphoron, all᾽ ei spoudaiōn holōs andrōn trophos kai mētēr edeichthē. ᾿Epitēdeuma de autǭ tou biou, chēpou geōrgia kai epimeleia, onper autou pou pro tēs pylēs tou asteos epi tou stomatos tou Isthmou chechtēmenos, ēschei philoponōs, heautǭ kai tois deomenois paramythian tou bion. "ēnoige de kai tois xenois mala prothymōs tēn michran kai penomenēn hestian. Epoikōn de tę̄ leōphorǭ, choina tois epidēmousi thei ta onta" kai mesos "5 ēn Lōt, ou Sodomitōn, alla Sinōpeōn. Tou de chronou proelthontos, tēn entolēn euren ouch amisthon' apo gar philoxenias echerdane tou zōopoiou thanatou tēn prophasin" hothen de kai hopōs, michron analadontos achousate.
Homily 9. Encomium on the holy priest-martyr [Phocas]. A fine and profitable thing for those who practise … not only [words] for those who desire virtue and godliness, but it also sets the deeds of those who have lived rightly before them as vivid teachers. That is why our Lord, giving precepts for the best achievements, says, “Whoever does and teaches, he will be called great”; and elsewhere, “Let your light shine before men, so that they may see your works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” For instruction by words is a weaker and lesser teacher than practical activity; and as much as we say sight is more exact than hearing, so much is it agreed that deed prevails over word. So we learn the sciences, so we are trained in the arts: first we are led to learning by words, then we confirm the lesson by hand and experience. The geometer may toil long over his book and have his ears filled by his teacher, but he will not grasp the force of the various figures unless he learns the centres, the lines and the circles on the board. Nor do words alone teach the student of astronomy his subject, unless his teacher skilfully turns the sphere for him and hands the movement of the pole over to his eyes. And the physician, though he has toiled long over Hippocrates and the other masters, is [not yet] a healer until he goes among the many sick and learns healing from the sick themselves. So too we, the disciples of the martyrs, take the deeds of these steadfast men as our teachers before we make our own confession, and learn to keep godliness to the uttermost dangers, looking at their sacred tombs as at monuments … the struggle of martyrdom. Those who come to the oak of Mamre, or to the cave that was bought, which Ephron the Hittite sold for Sarah's burial, where the patriarch himself also lies with his sons, at once renew the picture in their thoughts at the sight of the places, and see in their minds the faithful patriarch, the firstfruits of godliness, the circumcision given in him; they reckon also … and with the memory of the men they become spectators of the whole history about them. So I too today am filled, from this place, with the memory of all the stories told about him at once. I see the gardener by trade, the guileless soul, the hospitable man, the pride of the coast and benefactor of the inland, the saint among saints, more glorious than those glorified for Christ. For the whole list of noble martyrs is sacred and divine, having paid back suffering for suffering, and fulfilled to the Saviour of all a return of blood for blood. Yet among these very men, whose glory is one and shared by all, the rewards have not all been allotted equally by one measure; even the list of the saints does not escape a first and a second. The cause of this, I think, is the great exactness and impartiality of the Judge. He looks upon the greatness of the punishments and the firmness of the endurance, tests the contests, and distributes to the athletes rewards according to their worth. And it is not at all strange that justice is so honoured by God, since among us too generals and presidents of the games do not treat champions or contestants as equals, but distribute their gifts to each according to the measure of his achievement. I have gone through this to show that the man who has given us today the occasion of our assembly is more illustrious than his companions and fellow contestants. For the others are not all known to everyone, nor … ; but as the sun's rays are spread out before all eyes, so the fame of this martyr has resounded in every ear; and to put it briefly, all who have come to know Christ the Master have come to know his faithful servant too. But rather, if you please, leaving aside the praises he shares with the others, [I will tell] you the martyr's own particular story. This holy man, the great benefit of Christians, was born at our neighbour Sinope, an ancient and well-known city, rich in steadfast and philosophic men. Let no one reckon against me now the difference of religion, but only whether the city was shown at all to be the nurse and mother of good men. His occupation in life was the cultivation and care of a garden, which he owned in front of the city gate at the mouth of the isthmus; he worked it industriously, as a means of life for himself and for the needy. He very readily opened his small and poor hearth to strangers too. Living on the highway, he set what he had before the travellers in common; and he was a Lot in their midst, not among Sodomites but among Sinopeans. As time went on, he found the commandment not without reward: for from his hospitality he gained the occasion of his life-giving death. Whence and how, hear as I take the story up a little.
Matt 5:19 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 5:16 (quotation, high confidence) · Gen 18:1 (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 23:9–20 (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 49:29–31 (allusion, medium confidence) · Gen 17:10 (allusion, medium confidence) · 1 Cor 15:41 (echo, low confidence) · Gen 19:1–3 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Asterius explains that the martyrs' deeds teach better than words, and begins his praise of Phocas, the hospitable gardener of Sinope, whose fame surpasses that of other martyrs.
- The homily honours Phocas the gardener of Sinope; Migne's title calls him a priest-martyr (ἱερομάρτυς), a title belonging to a bishop Phocas with whom he was later confused. Asterius describes visits to martyrs' tombs and to the tombs of the patriarchs at Mamre and Machpelah as renewing the memory of their deeds, and ranks the martyrs by their rewards, translated exactly as written. “The difference of religion” refers to the pagan philosophers of Sinope. Leaked Latin was removed by logged corrections; lost words are marked “…”. References: Matt 5:19; Matt 5:16; Gen 18:1; Gen 23:9–20; Gen 49:29–31; Gen 17:10; Gen 19:1–3.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (leaked fragment of Migne's Latin column; Greek lost; leaked margin letter and Latin fragment splitting a word; stray margin letter): ποι ΐηθ, ἢ}}}}} Ρῃοοώ ἢ} } οὐτη ἀπο! οἱ Ῥομΐ 0 8. 8, → … ; ἀλλὰ Α καὶ → ἀλλὰ καὶ; Β περὶ τὴν βίδλον → περὶ τὴν βίδλον; ἰδ ρἰυγίιπυ αι ἰη Ηἰρροογδία, ἃς γοι αυΐβ πο σα ἀγιΐβ ἀογὶι, αἱ βίου ΠΣ ροϑὶ Ευρδυ ἢ ΐα (ἢ βϑηΐογοηι σά → … ; ἐχέρ- Α Ραηδίαπι δανε → ἐχέρδανε.
Extrabiblical texts: Hippocrates (Hippocrates, Hippocratic Corpus; allusion)
Topics: Martyrdom
Cite (SBL): Asterius, Hom. 9.1 (PG 40:401; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/asterius-amasea-homiliae/9-1). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/asterius-amasea-homiliae/9-1
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek (PG 40, archive.org OCR; divisions are the staging's, not Migne's); re-read against the Greek, since no public-domain English exists.
9.2PG 40:401
Τοῦ λόγου τῆς εὐσεδείας ἡμῶν χαταγγελθέντος, χαι ποῦ θεσπεσίου χηρύγματος πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀχοὴν ἐξελϑόντος, γνωρίζοντος ὃὲ Χριστὸν καὶ τὰ ἐχείνου μυστήρια, ἐφρύαξαν ἔθνη, κατὰ τὸν Ψαλμῳδὸν, καὶ οἱ βασιμζεῖς καὶ ἄρχοντες συγήγοντο ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό" καὶ οἱ τῆς πλάνης λαοὶ ὠργίζοντο, τοῦ Ἰησοῦ βασιλεύοντος. Ἐζητεῖτο δὲ πᾶς Χριστιανὸς, ὡς χαχοῦργος, καὶ ὁ ἐγγὺς ἐχολάζετο, καὶ ὁ μαχρὰν ἀνιχνεύετο. Διὸ Φωχᾶν, οὔτε ἡ εὐτέλεια τοῦ ἐπιτηδεύματος, καὶ ὁ χηπουρὸς ἔχρυψεν" ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτος, ὡς γνήσιος μάλιστα τοῦ Χριστοῦ μύστης, ἐμηνύθη. Καὶ δὴ καὶ … ἦλθον ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν οἱ τοῦ δυστήνου τοῦδε βίου καὶ ῥέοντος χελευσθέντες ἀπαγαγεῖν αὐτὸν ἄχριτον, ἀναπολόγητην. Καὶ γὰρ ἦν τὸ ἔγχλημα τοιοῦτον, ὃ λαμπρᾷ τῇ φωνῇ ὁ γεννάδας καθωμολόγει" καὶ μηδενὸς ἐρωτῶντος, ἔργοις 3" ἐδείχνυε" πυνθανομένον δὲ, πε- Ἑλθόντες γοῦν οἱ τῆς ἐχείνου τιμωρίας δήμιοι, καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἑορτῆς αἴτιοι, παρ᾽ αὐτῷ τῷ ζητουμένῳ χατέλυσαν, οὔτε γινώσχοντες, οὔτε μὴν γιγωσχόμενοι. Ἐν ἀποῤῥήτῳ δὲ τέως εἶχον τῆς ἐπιδηἑίας τὴν πρόφασιν, ἵνα πρότερον ἐχδιδαχθέντες παρὰ τῶν ἔξω τῆς πόλεως, τίς ὁ Φωχᾶς, καὶ ὅποι διάγων, ἀθρόον ἐπιστάντες συλλάδωσιν, ὡς οἱ Ἑ ὁραϊοί 3 ποτε ἂν τῷ χήπῳ μετὰ Ἰούδα τὸν Κύριον. ᾿Ελελήθεσαν δὲ εἴσω διχτύων τὴν θήραν ἔχοντες, οἱ χύνες τὸν ἀρνειὸν, οἱ λύχοι τὸν ἀμνὸν, τὴν περιστερὰν οἱ ἁρπαχτιχοὶ καὶ γαμψώνυχες: χαθὼς δὲ ὁ προφήτης Ἡσαΐας φησί" Συνανεπαύετο ταῖς παρδάλεσιν ὁ ἔριφος, καὶ τοῖς λύχοῖς ὁ ἀρνειὸς συνεδόσχετο, καὶ οἱ λέοντες ἅμα τῷ “όσχῳ χοινὴν εἶχον τὴν δίαιταν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ, οἷα φιλεῖ γίνεσθαι, τράπεζα καὶ συνήθεια τὸ θαῤῥεῖν ἀλλήλοις παρέσχον, διεπυνθάνετο παρ᾽ αὐτῶν ὁ μάρτυς, «τίνες εἶεν, καὶ τίνος χάριν τὴν αὐτοῦ πόλιν χατέλαδον. Οἱ δὲ τὴν πρόθυμον δεξίωσιν καὶ φιλοξενίαν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αἰδεσθέντες, μηδενί τε τὸ λεχθησόμενον ἐξεἰπεῖν παραγγείλαντες, ἐγνώρισαν αὑτῶν τὸ ἀπόῤῥητον, καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐπιθουλῆς ἐξαγορεύουσι δρᾶμα, ὅτι Ῥωχᾶν ἐπὶ τιμωρίᾳ ζητοῦσι λαδεῖν " ὅθεν πρὸς τῇ φιλοξενίᾳ, καὶ ταύτην ἠξίουν τὴν ὐεργεσίαν ναι, συγχαμεῖν αὐτοῖς εἰς τὴν θήραν τοῦ ζητουμένον. ἬἬχουσεν ὁ τοῦ Κυρίου θεράπων, καὶ ἀτρέπτῳ τῇ ψυχῇ τὸν λόγον δεξάμενος, οὐ ταπεινόν τι καὶ ἀγεννὲς ἔπαθεν, ἣ ἐφθέγξατο " οὐδὲ ἀποδειλιάσας τὸν κίνδυνον, φυγεῖν ἐθουλεύσατο" καὶ ταῦτα, πολλὴν ἔχων καὶ ἄνετον ἀποδιδράσχειν τὴν ἐξουσίαν - ὅτι … τούμενος " ἀλλὰ πᾶν τοὐναντίον ἐποίει, ἀνδρίζεσθαι μᾶλλον, καὶ οὐχὶ φεύγειν προῃρημένος. ᾿Αμέλει πρὸς τὴν ἀξίωσιν ἐπινεύει " Κἀγὼ, φησὶν, ὑμῖν εἰς τὸ προχείμενον συλλήψομαι. Γινώσχω γὰρ τὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ ῥᾳδίως ἀναζητήσας εὑρήσω" οὖχ εἰς μαχρὰν δὲ τοῦτον, ἀλλὰ εἰς τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν καὶ αὐτοῖς ὑμῖν ἐπιδείξω" μόνον ὑμεῖς ἐπὶ τῆς πενιχρᾶς ταύτης χαταγωγῆς τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν, πράγμασιν ἑαυτὸν χαταμερίζει δυσὶ, τῇ τε δεξιώσει τῶν ἑαυτοῦ φονέων, καὶ τῇ ἐτοιμασίᾳ τοῦ τάφου. Εὐτρεπίσας δὲ τό τε ὄρυγμα καὶ τὰ περὶ ταφὴν ἀναγχαῖα, προσελθὼν αὐτοῖς τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ, Ἐπιμελῶς ὑμῖν, ἔφη, τὸν Φωχᾶν ἀνεζήτησα, χαὺ ἕτοιμον ἤδη τὸ θήραμα " καὶ εἰ δοχεῖ, συλληφθήτω. Τῶν δὲ εἰπόντων. ἐκ περιχαρείας " Καὶ ποῦ ὁ ἀνήρ; Οὐ πόῤῥω, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν " αὑτὸς δὲ ὑμῖν οὗτος ἐγώ " καὶ χρήσασθε τῷ πράγματι, καὶ πληρώσατε τὸν τῆς ὁδοιπορίας καὶ τοῦ πόνου σχοπόν. Ἐπλάγησαν τὰς ψυχὰς οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀχοὴν ἀπεπάγησαν, τοὺς ἅλας καὶ τὴν τράπεζαν αἷδεσθέντες, καὶ τὸν ἐν πενίᾳ φιλότιμον ἑστιάτορα. Ὁ. δὲ καὶ ἔτι παρεχάλει πρὸς τὴν τόλμαν τῆς ἀναιρέσεως, καὶ μηδὲ πρὸς ὀλίγον διστάζειν ξἐπεχελεύδτη, λέγων, ὡς οὔτ᾽ ἐχείνων χειρὸς ὁ φόνος, ἀλλὰ τῶν προσταξάντων ἡ ἐπιχείρησις. Εἶπεν, ἔπεισεν, ἔπαθε, καὶ τὴν χεφαλὴν ἀποτμηθεὶς, ἱερεῖον τῶ Θεῶ χεχα- Στύλος ὃ" καὶ ἔρεισμα τῶν θείων τῆς οἰχουμένης.
Tou logou tēs eusedeias hēmōn chatangelthentos, chai pou thespesiou chērygmatos pros pasan achoēn exelϑontos, gnōrizontos hoe Christon kai ta echeinou mystēria, ephryaxan ethnē, kata ton Psalmǭdon, kai hoi basimzeis kai archontes sygēgonto epi to auto" kai hoi tēs planēs laoi ōrgizonto, tou Iēsou basileuontos. Ezēteito de pas Christianos, hōs chachourgos, kai ho engys echolazeto, kai ho machran anichneueto. Dio Phōchan, oute hē euteleia tou epitēdeumatos, kai ho chēpouros echrypsen" alla kai houtos, hōs gnēsios malista tou Christou mystēs, emēnythē. Kai dē kai … ēlthon ep᾽ auton hoi tou dystēnou toude biou kai rheontos cheleusthentes apagagein auton achriton, anapologētēn. Kai gar ēn to enchlēma toiouton, ho lamprą tę̄ phōnę̄ ho gennadas kathōmologei" kai mēdenos erōtōntos, ergois 3" edeichnye" pynthanomenon de, pe- Helthontes goun hoi tēs echeinou timōrias dēmioi, kai tēs hēmeteras heortēs aitioi, par᾽ autǭ tǭ zētoumenǭ chatelysan, oute ginōschontes, oute mēn gigōschomenoi. En aporrhētǭ de teōs eichon tēs epidēeias tēn prophasin, hina proteron echdidachthentes para tōn exō tēs poleōs, tis ho Phōchas, kai hopoi diagōn, athroon epistantes sylladōsin, hōs hoi He horaïoi 3 pote an tǭ chēpǭ meta Iouda ton Kyrion. ᾿Elelēthesan de eisō dichtyōn tēn thēran echontes, hoi chynes ton arneion, hoi lychoi ton amnon, tēn peristeran hoi harpachtichoi kai gampsōnyches: chathōs de ho prophētēs Hēsaïas phēsi" Synanepaueto tais pardalesin ho eriphos, kai tois lychois ho arneios synedoscheto, kai hoi leontes hama tǭ “oschǭ choinēn eichon tēn diaitan. Epeidē de, hoia philei ginesthai, trapeza kai synētheia to tharrhein allēlois pareschon, diepynthaneto par᾽ autōn ho martys, «tines eien, kai tinos charin tēn autou polin chateladon. Hoi de tēn prothymon dexiōsin kai philoxenian tou andros aidesthentes, mēdeni te to lechthēsomenon exeipein parangeilantes, egnōrisan hautōn to aporrhēton, kai to tēs epithoulēs exagoreuousi drama, hoti Rhōchan epi timōrią zētousi ladein " hothen pros tę̄ philoxenią, kai tautēn ēxioun tēn yergesian nai, synchamein autois eis tēn thēran tou zētoumenon. ĒĒchousen ho tou Kyriou therapōn, kai atreptǭ tę̄ psychę̄ ton logon dexamenos, ou tapeinon ti kai agennes epathen, hē ephthenxato " oude apodeiliasas ton kindynon, phygein ethouleusato" kai tauta, pollēn echōn kai aneton apodidraschein tēn exousian - hoti … toumenos " alla pan tounantion epoiei, andrizesthai mallon, kai ouchi pheugein proę̄rēmenos. ᾿Amelei pros tēn axiōsin epineuei " Kagō, phēsin, hymin eis to procheimenon syllēpsomai. Ginōschō gar ton andra, kai rhądiōs anazētēsas heurēsō" ouch eis machran de touton, alla eis tēn epiousan kai autois hymin epideixō" monon hymeis epi tēs penichras tautēs chatagōgēs tēn hyposchesin, pragmasin heauton chatamerizei dysi, tę̄ te dexiōsei tōn heautou phoneōn, kai tę̄ etoimasią tou taphou. Eutrepisas de to te orygma kai ta peri taphēn ananchaia, proselthōn autois tę̄ hysteraią, Epimelōs hymin, ephē, ton Phōchan anezētēsa, chau hetoimon ēdē to thērama " kai ei dochei, syllēphthētō. Tōn de eipontōn. ek perichareias " Kai pou ho anēr? Ou porrhō, phēsin, alla meth᾽ hymōn " hautos de hymin houtos egō " kai chrēsasthe tǭ pragmati, kai plērōsate ton tēs hodoiporias kai tou ponou schopon. Eplagēsan tas psychas hoi anthrōpoi, kai pros tēn achoēn apepagēsan, tous halas kai tēn trapezan haidesthentes, kai ton en penią philotimon hestiatora. Ho. de kai eti parechalei pros tēn tolman tēs anaireseōs, kai mēde pros oligon distazein xepecheleudtē, legōn, hōs out᾽ echeinōn cheiros ho phonos, alla tōn prostaxantōn hē epicheirēsis. Eipen, epeisen, epathe, kai tēn chephalēn apotmētheis, hiereion tō Theō checha- Stylos ho" kai ereisma tōn theiōn tēs oichoumenēs.
When the word of our godliness had been proclaimed, and the divine preaching had gone out to every ear, making Christ and his mysteries known, the nations raged, as the Psalmist says, and the kings and rulers gathered together, and the peoples of error were angry that Jesus reigned. Every Christian was sought as a criminal: the one nearby was punished, the one far away tracked down. So neither the lowliness of his occupation nor his being a gardener hid Phocas; he too, as a most genuine initiate of Christ, was informed against. And … came against him those of this wretched and fleeting life, ordered to lead him away without trial or defence. For the charge was one which the noble man confessed in a clear voice; when no one asked, he showed it in his deeds; when asked, … So the executioners appointed for his punishment, who became the cause of our feast, came and lodged with the very man they were seeking, neither knowing him nor being known. For the time they kept the reason for their visit secret, so that, having first learned from people outside the city who Phocas was and where he lived, they might come upon him suddenly and seize him, as the Hebrews once seized the Lord in the garden with Judas. They did not notice that they had their game inside their nets: the dogs the ram, the wolves the lamb, the predatory birds with hooked claws the dove; as the prophet Isaiah says: the kid rested with the leopards, the lamb fed with the wolves, and the lions shared their living with the calf. And since table and familiarity gave them confidence with one another, as usually happens, the martyr asked them who they were and why they had come to his city. They, ashamed before the man's eager welcome and hospitality, charged him to tell no one what they were about to say, and made their secret known, disclosing the drama of the plot: they were seeking to take Phocas for punishment. And so, besides his hospitality, they asked him for this kindness too: to toil with them in hunting down the man they sought. The servant of the Lord heard, and received the word with an unmoved soul. He felt and uttered nothing lowly or ignoble; nor did he shrink from the danger and plan to flee, though he had ample and free opportunity to escape; … but he did quite the opposite, choosing rather to play the man and not to flee. Indeed he nodded assent to their request: “I too,” he said, “will help you in the matter in hand. For I know the man, and I shall easily search him out and find him; and not long hence, but tomorrow, I will show him to you yourselves. Only [rest] in this poor lodging.” [Having made] the promise, he divided himself between two tasks: the welcome of his own murderers and the preparation of his tomb. When he had made ready the grave and what was needed for burial, he came to them the next day and said: “I have searched carefully for Phocas for you, and the catch is now ready; if you please, let him be seized.” When they said in great joy, “And where is the man?”, he said: “Not far, but here with you; I myself am he. Do your business, and fulfil the purpose of your journey and your labour.” The men were struck in their souls and froze at what they heard, ashamed before the salt and the table, and before the host so generous in his poverty. But he went on urging them to dare the killing, and bade them not hesitate even a little, saying that the murder was not the work of their hands, but the undertaking of those who had given the order. He spoke, he persuaded, he suffered; and having his head cut off, he became a sacrifice to God. [Since then] the pillar and support of the divine [Churches] of the world …
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Ps 2:1–2 (allusion, high confidence) · John 18:1–3 (allusion, high confidence) · Isa 11:6 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Asterius tells how the soldiers sent to kill Phocas lodged with him unknowingly, how he prepared his own grave, revealed himself to them, and urged them to carry out his execution.
- A leaked block of Migne's Latin and a variant note was removed by a logged correction; lost words are marked “…”. Phocas's welcome of his executioners and his preparation of his own grave are Asterius's account of the saint's story, translated as written. References: Ps 2:1–2; Matt 26:47–50; John 18:1–3; Isa 11:6.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (leaked fragment of Migne's Latin column and a variant note repeating an earlier line; stray margin letter and marks; Greek lost): καὶ Β μς ἦλθον → καὶ … ἦλθον; δ Πὰ πὸ δηΐπηαπι ἰηάϊοαγεὶ, μβ βου δὺϊ ἰοουίι δεῖ; α τοιοῦτον. Ῥδυῖο αἰτοῦ Ἀοπηᾶπυ5 σοίοχ δὺ 9 Γ-᾿ ἡ πάϊ : Καὶ γὰρ ἣν θεοσέδεια ἔγχλημα, ὃ λαμπρᾷ τῇ → … .
Topics: Martyrdom, Persecution
Cite (SBL): Asterius, Hom. 9.2 (PG 40:401; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/asterius-amasea-homiliae/9-2). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/asterius-amasea-homiliae/9-2
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek (PG 40, archive.org OCR; divisions are the staging's, not Migne's); re-read against the Greek, since no public-domain English exists.
9.3PG 40:401
Ἐχχλησιῶν, ἐξ ἐχείνου μέχρι τοῦ νῦν τοῦτον ἔχομεν, ἄνθρωποι " καὶ μαρτύρων ἐστὶν οὗτος περιφανέστατος, ἐν τοῖς ἀρίστοις ἔχων αὐτὸς τὸ πρωτεῖον. Οὗτος ἐφέλχεται πανδημεὶ πάντας πρὸς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ χαταγὼγιον, καὶ πλήρεις. αἱ λεωφόροι τῶν ἀφ᾽ ἑχάστης χώρας πρὸς τὸν τόπον ἐπειγομένων τῆς προσευχῆς. Ἔστι μὲν οὖν ὁ μεγαλοπρεπὴς ἐκεῖνος ναὸς, ὃς καὶ τὸ ἱερὸν ἔχειν τοῦ μάρτυρος ἐχληρώθη σῶμα, θλιθοτράπεζα. Δαψιλέστερον γὰρ τρέφει Φωχᾶς νῦν τελευτήσας, ἧπερ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ὁ Ἰωσὴφ τὸ πρότερον. Ἐχεῖνος μὲν γὰρ ἀργυρίου τὸν οἶτον διένειμε" οὗτος δὲ προῖχα, τοῖς δεομένοις χαρίζεται. Οὕτω πτωχῶν. καὶ ἀλητευόντων φῦλα προστρέχει τῷ τῆς Σινώπης ἰσθμῷ, χαθάπερ τινὶ χοινῷ ταμιείῳ. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἐχεῖ μὲν. Ὁ οὕτως. Εἰ δέ που καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ διὰ μιχρῶν λειψάνων, οἷον ἀποιχίαν τινὰ μητροπόλεως ὁ μάρτυς ἑαυτῷ. Χριστιανοῖς περισπούδαστος᾽ ὥσπερ δὴ οὗτος ὁ καρ᾽ ἡμῖν χῶρος, καταγώγιον ἑορταζόντων ἐστί. Τίμιος γὰρ ἐναντίον τοῦ Κυρίου ὁ θάνατος τῶν ὁσίων αὑτοῦ" καὶ πολλαχοῦ μερισθέντα τὰ λείψανα, ὁλόχληροὸν πανταχοῦ τῷ τρισμαχαρίῳ σώζει τὴν εὐφημίαν. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ χατὰ τὴν βασιλεύουσαν πόλιν, τὴν χορυφὴν Ἰταλίας, καὶ βασιλίδα τοῦ κόσμου, ἔστι τῷ μάρτυρι δορυφορία πάνδημος καὶ τιμὴ, οἶχός τε περιφανὴς, ἢσχη μένος εἷς χάλλος. Οὐχ ἧττον δὲ τὸν Φωχᾶν θεραπεύουσιν, ἣ Πέτρον καὶ Παῦλον. Διὸ καὶ, ὡς λόγος διδάσχει, τὴν χεφαλὴν τοῦ μάρτυρος χατεστίσατο, θαυμαστὸς καὶ οὗτος ὁ τόπος, καὶ πᾶσι … Ἡρωδιάδος ἑλόμενοι γνώμην. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ, αἵματος διψῶσα, δικαίου κεφαλὴν τιμίαν εἰς ὕδριν ἐζήτησεν" οἱ δὲ, τιμῦς χάριν καὶ ὠφελείας τῆς ἑαυτῶν, μαρτυ- Ναῦται δὲ καὶ πλωτῆρες οἱ πανταχοῦ, οὐχ οἱ τὸν Εὔξεινον διαπλέοντες Πόντον, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ τὸν ᾿Αδρίαν τέμνοντες, --ὶ ὑπὲρ Αἰγαίου φερόμενοι, καὶ ὅσοι τὸν χόλποις ἐνθαλαττεύουσι, τὰ συνήθη χελεύσματα, οἷς «οὔ πλοῦ τὸν πόνον προσαναπαύουσιν, εἰς χαινὴν τοῦ μάρτυρος μετέθαλον εὐφημίαν" καὶ διὰ γλώσσης ἐστὶν ὅλος ὁ Φωχᾶς αὑτοῖς ὑπαδόμενος " ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐναργῆ παρέχει τῆς βοηθείας τὰ σύμθολα. Πολλάχις μὲν γὰρ ὥφθη, νῦν μὲν νύχτωρ προσογχουμένου χειμῶνος διεγείρων τὸν χυδερνήτην, τῷ πηδαλίῳ … καὶ τῆς ὀθόνης ἐπιμελούμενος, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς πρώρας προοπτεύων τὰ βράχη. "Ὅθεν καὶ νόμος ἐγένετο ναύταις, Φωχᾶν ἔχειν συνεστιάτορα. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ τὸν νῦν ἀσώματον, σύσσιτον εἶναι καὶ χοινωνὸν τραπέζης, ἀμήχανον" μάθετε πῶς ἄρα φιλευσεδὴς λογισμὸς ἐσοφίσατο τὸ ἀδύνατον. Καθ᾿ ἐχάστην γὰρ τὴν ἡμέρᾶν τὴν τῶν ὄψων μερίδα πρὸς ἰσομοιρίαν τῶν ἐσθιόντων ἀποχληροῦσι τῷ μάρτυρι. Ταύτην δέ τις ται, καὶ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ἄλλος, καὶ ἄλλοτε ἕτερος " … ὅ οὗτος ὁ κλῆρος της ἀγσρασίας περιϊὼν ἅπαντας, δί- Α δὲ ὅρμος αὐτοὺς ὑποδέξηται, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀφίχωνται, μερίζεται τὸ ἀργύριον τοῖς πεινῶσι" τοῦτο ἡ μερὶς τοῦ Φωχᾶ, πενήτων εὐεργεσία.
Echchlēsiōn, ex echeinou mechri tou nyn touton echomen, anthrōpoi " kai martyrōn estin houtos periphanestatos, en tois aristois echōn autos to prōteion. Houtos ephelchetai pandēmei pantas pros to heautou chatagōgion, kai plēreis. hai leōphoroi tōn aph᾽ hechastēs chōras pros ton topon epeigomenōn tēs proseuchēs. Esti men oun ho megaloprepēs ekeinos naos, hos kai to hieron echein tou martyros echlērōthē sōma, thlithotrapeza. Dapsilesteron gar trephei Phōchas nyn teleutēsas, hēper en Aigyptǭ ho Iōsēph to proteron. Echeinos men gar argyriou ton oiton dieneime" houtos de proicha, tois deomenois charizetai. Houtō ptōchōn. kai alēteuontōn phyla prostrechei tǭ tēs Sinōpēs isthmǭ, chathaper tini choinǭ tamieiǭ. ᾿All᾽ echei men. Ho houtōs. Ei de pou kai allachou dia michrōn leipsanōn, hoion apoichian tina mētropoleōs ho martys heautǭ. Christianois perispoudastos᾽ hōsper dē houtos ho kar᾽ hēmin chōros, katagōgion heortazontōn esti. Timios gar enantion tou Kyriou ho thanatos tōn hosiōn hautou" kai pollachou meristhenta ta leipsana, holochlēroon pantachou tǭ trismachariǭ sōzei tēn euphēmian. Houtō goun kai chata tēn basileuousan polin, tēn choryphēn Italias, kai basilida tou kosmou, esti tǭ martyri doryphoria pandēmos kai timē, oichos te periphanēs, ēschē menos heis challos. Ouch hētton de ton Phōchan therapeuousin, hē Petron kai Paulon. Dio kai, hōs logos didaschei, tēn chephalēn tou martyros chatestisato, thaumastos kai houtos ho topos, kai pasi … Hērōdiados helomenoi gnōmēn. Hē men gar, haimatos dipsōsa, dikaiou kephalēn timian eis hydrin ezētēsen" hoi de, timys charin kai ōpheleias tēs heautōn, marty- Nautai de kai plōtēres hoi pantachou, ouch hoi ton Euxeinon diapleontes Ponton, alla kai hoi ton ᾿Adrian temnontes, --i hyper Aigaiou pheromenoi, kai hosoi ton cholpois enthalatteuousi, ta synēthē cheleusmata, hois «ou plou ton ponon prosanapauousin, eis chainēn tou martyros metethalon euphēmian" kai dia glōssēs estin holos ho Phōchas hautois hypadomenos " epei kai enargē parechei tēs boētheias ta symthola. Pollachis men gar hōphthē, nyn men nychtōr prosonchoumenou cheimōnos diegeirōn ton chydernētēn, tǭ pēdaliǭ … kai tēs othonēs epimeloumenos, kai apo tēs prōras proopteuōn ta brachē. "Hothen kai nomos egeneto nautais, Phōchan echein synestiatora. Kai epeidē ton nyn asōmaton, syssiton einai kai choinōnon trapezēs, amēchanon" mathete pōs ara phileusedēs logismos esophisato to adynaton. Kath᾿ echastēn gar tēn hēmeran tēn tōn opsōn merida pros isomoirian tōn esthiontōn apochlērousi tǭ martyri. Tautēn de tis tai, kai tę̄ hysteraią allos, kai allote heteros " … ho houtos ho klēros tēs agsrasias periïōn hapantas, di- A de hormos autous hypodexētai, kai eis gēn aphichōntai, merizetai to argyrion tois peinōsi" touto hē meris tou Phōcha, penētōn euergesia.
… we people have had him from that day to this; and he is the most illustrious of martyrs, holding the first place among the best. He draws all people in a body to his lodging, and the highways are full of those hastening from every land to the place of prayer. That magnificent temple which was allotted to hold the sacred body of the martyr is a relief for the afflicted, a table … For Phocas, now that he is dead, feeds people more abundantly than Joseph did in Egypt long ago. Joseph distributed the grain for silver; Phocas gives freely to the needy. So tribes of the poor and of vagrants run to the isthmus of Sinope as to a common storehouse. So it is there. And if anywhere else the martyr has, through small relics, made himself a kind of colony from the mother city, [that place too becomes] much sought after by Christians; just as this place of ours is a lodging for those who keep festival. For “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his holy ones”; and his relics, divided among many places, keep the praise of the thrice-blessed one whole everywhere. So too in the ruling city, the summit of Italy and queen of the world, the martyr has a public escort and honour, and a splendid house adorned for beauty. They tend Phocas there no less than Peter and Paul. That is why, as the story tells, [the city] received the martyr's head; this place too is wonderful, and to all … choosing [the opposite of] Herodias's mind. For she, thirsting for blood, demanded the precious head of a righteous man in order to outrage it; but they, for honour and for their own benefit, [sought] the martyr's [head]. Sailors and seafarers everywhere, not only those who sail the Euxine Sea but also those who cut through the Adriatic, those carried over the Aegean, and all who sail in the gulfs, have changed their customary shanties, with which they lighten the toil of sailing, into a new praise of the martyr; Phocas is always on their tongue in song, since he gives clear signs of his help. He has often been seen, now at night when a storm was swelling, rousing the helmsman at the rudder …, and taking care of the sail, and looking out from the prow for the shoals. Hence it has become a law for sailors to have Phocas as their table companion. And since it is impossible for one who is now without a body to share their food and their table, learn how a pious reckoning contrived the impossible. Every day they allot to the martyr a portion of the food equal to the share of those eating. One man buys it, the next day another, another at another time; … so this lot of purchase goes round them all … And when the harbour receives them and they reach land, the silver is distributed to the hungry. This is the portion of Phocas: a benefaction to the poor.
Gen 41:56–57 (allusion, high confidence) · Ps 116:15 (115:6 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 14:8 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Asterius describes the pilgrimages, almsgiving and veneration at Phocas's shrine in Sinope, the honour paid to his relics and head at Rome, and the sailors' custom of setting aside a daily portion for him and giving its price to the poor.
- Asterius describes the cult of Phocas, translated exactly as written: crowds visiting his shrine at Sinope, relics divided among many places, the martyr's head honoured at Rome as much as Peter and Paul, appearances to sailors in storms, and the sailors' custom of buying his daily portion and giving the money to the poor. The scan's OCR interleaves this section with two long passages from Migne's notes (Byzantine hymns to Phocas and a Synaxarion notice), which are not by Asterius and were removed by logged corrections; other lost words are marked “…”. References: Gen 41:56–57; Ps 116:15 (LXX 115:6); Matt 14:8.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (leaked margin letter and Latin fragment; Greek lost; leaked passage of Migne's notes (Latin and Byzantine hymns to Phocas), not part of Asterius's text; leaked passage of Migne's notes (hymn and Synaxarion notice of Phocas), not part of Asterius's text; stray margin letter and numerals): Α ναϊυι! → … ; Β 435: διψῶσα → διψῶσα; ἐμ )εἰ Ἰυυάσι Διί γι π 718 86. ργοόγοοθι, ᾿ΘΠΡΟΓΟ, δἰ ο 40 1586 ἰῃ ΟὈδουγιπ), υἱ Υἱχ υἱὰ ν] 468 γόβρογδβ, ἰγΟρ. ὅ : Ταῖς τῶν θαυμάτων ἀχτῖσι πᾶσαν, φωτίζεις τὴν γῆν " τοῖς ἐν θαλάσσῃ, Πάτερ, βοηθεὶς χαθ᾽ ἐχάστην νοσήματα διώχεις, παύεις ψυχῆς καὶ σαρχὸς ἀῤῥωστήματα, παρὰ Κυρίου τὴν χάριν, μάρ- Ἡ χάρις τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐν σοὶ σχηνώσασα. πηγήν σε Κνέδειεε πολλῶν χαρίτων, Φωχᾶ, πλουσίως ἀναἑχάστην, πίστει ἐπιζητοῦσι τὴν ἰἰοήθειαν, Πάτερ᾽ σὺν τούτοις, καὶ ἡμῖν ἰλασμὸν νέμοις, θεόσοφε " Ἀ}} νὴν τὴν θάλασσαν τῆς ἀπάτης, πολυθεῖας λαίλαπι, ἐογρογδ ἐπὶ ἰγίθυμηι, Οὐδ ὅ : Θάλασσαν ἀθεῖας ἐξήσίων' νῦν ὃὲ θαυμάτων ἐπομόρίαις ἀχρότης, καὶ ἀθλοφόρων τὸ χλέος, Φωχᾶ, καὶ μέγας Ας ᾳιδηάϊι ἰὰ 8 ἀφ πηῦ5., διὰ 805 Γα νἱ δαίυγ, τυρὸς Φωχᾶ τοῦ θαυματουργοῦ. Οὗτος υἱὸς Γ γετο Παμφίλου καὶ Μαρίας χατὰ τὸν τόπον Σινώπης. Ἑθὺς δὲ ἐξ ἁπαλῶν ὀνύχων τῇ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἀριτι θαύρατα ἐπετέλει παράδοξα, καὶ παρέτεινε αυματουργῶν μέχρις ἐσχάτης ἀναπνοῆς. Ὅθεν καὶ τὸ συμδησόμενον αὐτῷ ἐμυΐήθη τέλος τοῦ μαρτυρίου, περιστερᾶς τῇ χεφαλῇ αὑτοῦ χαθεσθείσης, καὶ στέεἰπούσης" Ποτήριον χεχέρασται, καὶ δεῖ σε αὐτὸ πιεῖν ὃ καὶ χκατηξιώθη πιεῖν ἐπὶ Τραϊανοῦ βασιλέως, ξίφει, πυρὶ τελειωθείς. Πολλὰ δὲ καὶ μετὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ - Κύριον ἐχδημίαν γεγόνασι θαύματα παρ᾽ εἰς. σγουβ ἰδ οδηοη οὐ. 7 : ᾿Ἐδοχιμάσθης ὡς ἐν εἴ, ὁ Θεός μου, κραυγάζων, καὶ Κύριος. Ὁ θεῖος πόθος προσανάφλέγων τὴν χαρδίαν σου, θείῳ δροἀρ- » → …; καὶ σοφὸν ἱεράρχην τιμήσωμεν, ὡς ποιμένα πιστῶν καὶ διδάσχαλον᾽ ὅτι ἐν τῷ λειμῶνι τῆς ἀθλήσεως ἐξῆνθησε ῥόδον ἱερώτατον, καὶ ἡμᾶς τοὺς πιστοὺς χατεμύρισε βολαῖς θαυμάτων τε καὶ πράξεσιν ἐναρέτοις " Μνήμη τοῦ ἀγίου Φωχᾶ τοῦ χηπωροῦ. Οὗτος ἐχ πόλεως ἐγεγόνει Σινώπης, ἀρκαίας καὶ γνωρίμου χατὰ τὸν τόπον ἐπι τ τυ μά δὲ ἣν αὐτῷ στηπίον χἥπιον ], περὶ ὃ ἠσχολεῖτο" καὶ ἐργαζόμενος, χοινὰ προετίθει τὰ ὄντα. ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς φιλοχαλίαν περὶ πλείονος εἶχε. Διὰ τοῦτο οὐ διέλαθεν" ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτος ὡς δοῦλος γνήσιος Χριστοῦ ἐμηνύθη τῷ τότε χρατοῦντι. Ἑλθόντες δὲ οἱ δήμιοι παρ᾽ ἀναπαύσας ἐπυνθάνετο, τίνες τε Ἦσαν, καὶ τὴν αὑτοῦ πόλιν τίνος χάριν χατέλαθον. Οἱ δὲ γνωρίζουσιν αὑτῷ πὸ ἀπόῤῥητον, καὶ ὅτι Φωχᾶν ἐπὶ τιμωρίᾳ ζητοῦσι λαδεῖν. “Ἤχουσεν ὁ τοῦ Κυρίου θεράπων, καὶ τὴν ἑτοιμασίαν τοῦ τάφου εὐτρεπέσας, ἐφανέρωσεν ἕαυτὸν τοῖς ζητοῦσιν. Οἱ δὲ ἐπλάγησαν τὰς ψυχάς. Ὁ δὲ καὶ ἔτι παρεχάλει αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὴν ολμαν τῆς παραινέσεως " καὶ τὴν χεφαλὴν ἀποτμηθεὶς, ἱερεῖον δι → … .
Topics: Martyrdom
Cite (SBL): Asterius, Hom. 9.3 (PG 40:401; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/asterius-amasea-homiliae/9-3). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/asterius-amasea-homiliae/9-3
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek (PG 40, archive.org OCR; divisions are the staging's, not Migne's); re-read against the Greek, since no public-domain English exists.
9.4PG 40:401
Τεθήπασι τοῦτον καὶ βασιλεῖς τὸν χαρτεριχώτατον καὶ φιλόθεον, καὶ φιλοτίμοις χειμηλίοις χαταχοσμοῦσι τοῦ περιδλέπτου πένητος τὸν ναόν. Φιλονειχοῦσι δὲ Καὶ οὔπω ϑαυμαστὸν, εἰ τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας ἄνδρες φιλευσεθδεῖς, θεσμοῖς καὶ νόμοις σύντροφοι, οὕτως εὐλαδῶς ἔχουσι περὶ τὸν θεράποντα τοῦ πριστοῦ, ὁπότε καὶ εἰς βαρδάρους ἔφθη τὸ θαῦμα καὶ πάντες οἱ ἀγριώτατοι Σχύθαι, ὅσοι δὴ τὴν ἀντιπέρας λίμνης, καὶ ποταμοῦ Τανάϊδος πρόσοιχοι, ὅσοι τε τὸν Βόσπορον οἰχοῦσι, καὶ ἄχρι Φάσιδος ποταμοῦ παρατοῖς δὲ πᾶσιν ἔθεσι καὶ ἐπιτηδεύμασι διεστῶτες ἡμῶν, εἰς τοῦτο μόνον ὁμογνώμονες γίνονται, τὴν ἀγριότητα τῶν τρόπων ὑπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐξημερούμενοι. ἘΠς- γοῦν ἄρχων καὶ βασιλεὺς ἐκχεῖθεν τὸν στέφανον τῆς χεφαλῆς ἀποθέμενος, χρυσῷ καὶ ἄνθεσι λίθων περιλαμπόμενον, καὶ τὸν θώραχα τὸν πογὰρ καὶ θρυπτομένη τῶν βαρδάρων ἣ πανοπλία)" ἔπεμψεν ἀμφότερα ἀναθήματα, διὰ τοῦ μάρτυρος -Ξῷ Θεῷ καὶ δυνάμεως καὶ ἀξιώματος χαθιερώσας τὰς ἀφορμάς. Πρόδηλον γὰρ, ὡς ὁ μὲν στέφανος τῆς βασιλείας Ἦν χαριστήριον" ὁ δὲ θώραξ, τῆς χατὰ ᾿ πολέμους ἰσχύος. Τὰς δὲ συνεχῶς ἐπὶ τούτοις συμόαινούσας εὑερτεσίας διὰ τῶν ἐν ὀνείρασιν ὄψεων, καὶ διὰ τῶν θεραπειῶν, ὧν οἱ χάμνοντες ἀπολαύουσι, πῶς ἄν τις καὶ διηγήσαιτο, ἀδυνάτου χαθεστῶτος ταῖς χαθέχαστον ἐνεργείαις ἐπαφεῖναι τὸν λόγον; Ἡμεῖς τοίνυν ἐνταῦθα λήξαντες, δόξαν τῷ Σωτῆρι προσοίσωμεν, οὗ δοῦλοι πιστοὶ τοσαύτης ἠξιώθησαν χάριτος, ὥστε πρὸς πᾶσαν χρείαν καὶ περίστασιν, κατὰ τὴν δοθεῖσαν αὐτοῖς δωρεὰν, τοὺς ὁμοδούλους εὐεργετεῖν " καὶ ταῦτα μετὰ τὴν ἐνθένδε ἄφιξιν, καὶ τὸν τοῦ σώματος χωρισμόν" ὧν ἡ μνήμη μετὰ τοῦ ἔργου καθ᾽ ἡμέραν διατρέχει πόλεις καὶ χώμας, πανταχοῦ τὸν εὐεργέτην κηρύσσουσα Κύριον. ᾧ πρέπει πᾶσα | δόξα, καὶ ] τιμὴ, καὶ χράτος, καὶ μεγαλοπρέπεια, νῦν καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ᾿Αμῆν.
Tethēpasi touton kai basileis ton charterichōtaton kai philotheon, kai philotimois cheimēliois chatachosmousi tou peridleptou penētos ton naon. Philoneichousi de Kai oupō ϑaumaston, ei tēs Rhōmaiōn hēgemonias andres phileusethdeis, thesmois kai nomois syntrophoi, houtōs euladōs echousi peri ton theraponta tou pristou, hopote kai eis bardarous ephthē to thauma kai pantes hoi agriōtatoi Schythai, hosoi dē tēn antiperas limnēs, kai potamou Tanaïdos prosoichoi, hosoi te ton Bosporon oichousi, kai achri Phasidos potamou paratois de pasin ethesi kai epitēdeumasi diestōtes hēmōn, eis touto monon homognōmones ginontai, tēn agriotēta tōn tropōn hypo tēs alētheias exēmeroumenoi. EPs- goun archōn kai basileus ekcheithen ton stephanon tēs chephalēs apothemenos, chrysǭ kai anthesi lithōn perilampomenon, kai ton thōracha ton pogar kai thryptomenē tōn bardarōn hē panoplia)" epempsen amphotera anathēmata, dia tou martyros -Xǭ Theǭ kai dynameōs kai axiōmatos chathierōsas tas aphormas. Prodēlon gar, hōs ho men stephanos tēs basileias Ēn charistērion" ho de thōrax, tēs chata ᾿ polemous ischyos. Tas de synechōs epi toutois symoainousas heuertesias dia tōn en oneirasin opseōn, kai dia tōn therapeiōn, hōn hoi chamnontes apolauousi, pōs an tis kai diēgēsaito, adynatou chathestōtos tais chathechaston energeiais epapheinai ton logon? Hēmeis toinyn entautha lēxantes, doxan tǭ Sōtēri prosoisōmen, hou douloi pistoi tosautēs ēxiōthēsan charitos, hōste pros pasan chreian kai peristasin, kata tēn dotheisan autois dōrean, tous homodoulous euergetein " kai tauta meta tēn enthende aphixin, kai ton tou sōmatos chōrismon" hōn hē mnēmē meta tou ergou kath᾽ hēmeran diatrechei poleis kai chōmas, pantachou ton euergetēn kēryssousa Kyrion. hǭ prepei pasa | doxa, kai ] timē, kai chratos, kai megaloprepeia, nyn kai eis tous aiōnas tōn aiōnōn. ᾿Amēn.
Kings too admire this most steadfast and God-loving man, and adorn the temple of the celebrated poor man with munificent treasures. They contend … And it is not yet so wonderful that pious men of the Roman dominion, brought up with ordinances and laws, should be so reverent toward the servant of Christ, since the wonder has reached even the barbarians: all the most savage Scythians, those who live beyond the lake and by the river Tanais, those who inhabit the Bosporus, and those [who live] along as far as the river Phasis, though they differ from us in all their customs and pursuits, are of one mind in this alone, the savagery of their ways being tamed by the truth. One ruler and king from there took off the crown from his head, shining with gold and the flowers of precious stones, and the breastplate … (for the panoply of the barbarians is … and luxurious), and sent both as offerings, dedicating through the martyr to God the sources both of his power and of his dignity. For plainly the crown was a thank-offering for his kingship, and the breastplate for his strength in war. And the benefactions that continually follow upon these, through visions in dreams and through the healings that the suffering enjoy, how could anyone recount them, when it is impossible to apply the discourse to each work one by one? Let us then end here and offer glory to the Saviour, whose faithful servants have been thought worthy of such grace that they benefit their fellow servants in every need and circumstance, according to the gift given them, and this after their departure from here and their separation from the body; whose memory, together with their work, runs daily through cities and villages, everywhere proclaiming the Lord as benefactor; to whom belongs all glory, honour, might and majesty, now and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Notes and citation
Summary: Asterius tells how even a Scythian king sent his crown and breastplate as offerings to Phocas's shrine, mentions healings and visions there, and glorifies Christ, whose servants benefit others even after death.
- Asterius attributes to the martyrs, after their death, the power to benefit their fellow servants through visions and healings, and describes offerings sent to the shrine, translated exactly as written. “The lake” is Lake Maeotis (the Sea of Azov). Words lost in the scan's OCR are marked “…”.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray marks splitting a word): εἰς ἢ τυπι.. «οὺς → εἰς τοὺς.
Topics: Martyrdom
Cite (SBL): Asterius, Hom. 9.4 (PG 40:401; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/asterius-amasea-homiliae/9-4). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/asterius-amasea-homiliae/9-4
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek (PG 40, archive.org OCR; divisions are the staging's, not Migne's); re-read against the Greek, since no public-domain English exists.