627Returning to the Gospel read the day before, Severian expounds the parable of the prodigal son: the two sons are the righteous and the penitent, the far country is a way of life far from God, and the squandered inheritance is creation turned to idolatry instead of to praise of the Creator.
629Severian finishes the prodigal son (the father’s love runs ahead of repentance; robe and sandals against the serpent), defends God’s creation against those who blame him for the serpent and the tree, explains the name “tree of knowledge,” and ends with the penitent thief, whose confession on the cross won paradise.
disputed · Printed by Migne among the spuria of Chrysostom (PG 59); the Clavis Patrum Graecorum (Supplementum 1998) lists it as Severian of Gabala's (CPG 4200).
Standing
Not honoured as a saint or in a church calendar by the Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant traditions. Not commemorated as a saint by any of the three traditions; a bishop in communion with the church of his time, so not outside it despite his quarrel with Chrysostom.
Date
ca. 400 (approximate) · Severian preached at Constantinople about 400; the individual homily is not dated more closely.
Written at
Constantinople, Thrace (probable)
Language
Greek
Genre
homily
Reference system
section numerals as printed by Migne; where the piece has none, Migne column
SBL abbreviation
Prod.Not yet checked
Clavis
CPG 4200 (unverified)
Text from
J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Graeca 59 (Paris, 1862), cols. 627-636 (among the spuria of Chrysostom) (Printed edition in the public domain; OCR transcription (archive.org) of public-domain page images)
Critical editions
J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Graeca 59 (Paris, 1862) (cited, not reproduced)