Church History 5.38–5.39 (Church History)

Theodoret of Cyrus

Church History 5.38–5.39

Theodoret of Cyrus · Church History · ca. 449-450 · Cyrrhus · 2 passages

Greek text: GCS 19.English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0). Compare: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 3 (1892), trans. B. Jackson.

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Chapter 5

5.38GCS 19:342–347

Κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον Ἰσδιγέρδης ὁ Περσῶν βασιλεὺς τὸν κατὰ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἐκίνησε πόλεμον, πρόφασιν ἐνθένδε λαβών. "Ἄβδας τις ἐπίσκοπος ἦν, πολλοῖς κοσμούμενος εἴδεσιν ἀρετῆς" οὗτος οὐχ εἰς δέον τῷ ζήλῳ χρησάμενος πυρεῖον κατέλυσε. πυρεῖα δὲ καλοῦσιν ἐκεῖνοι τοῦ πυρὸς τοὺς νεώς" θεὸν γὰρ τὸ πῦρ ὑπειλήφασι. τοῦτο μαθὼν παρὰ τῶν μάγων ὁ βασιλεὺς μετεστείλατο τὸν Ἀβδαν. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ἠπίως τὸ πραχθὲν ἠτιάσατο καὶ τὸ πυρεῖον οἰχοδομῆσαι προσέταξεν" ἐκείνου δὲ ἀντιλέγοντος καὶ τοῦτο δράσειν ἥκιστα φάσκοντος, πάσας καταλύσειν τὰς ἐκκλησίας ἠπείλησε, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τέλος ἐπέθηκεν οἷς ἠπείλησε. πρότερον γὰρ τὸν θεῖον ἄνδρα ἐκεῖνον ἀναιρεθῆναι κελεύσας, καταλυθῆναι τὰς ἐκκλησίας προσέταξεν. Ἐγὼ δὲ τὴν μὲν τοῦ πυρείου κατάλυσιν οὐχ εἰς καιρὸν γεγενῆσθαί φημι. οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος, εἰς τὰς Ἀθήνας ἀφικόμενος καὶ τὴν πόλιν κατείδωλον θεασάμενος, τῶν βωμῶν τινα τῶν ὑπ᾽ ἐκείνων τιμωμένων κατέλυσεν, ἀλλὰ λόγῳ καὶ τὴν ἄγνοιαν ἤλεγξε καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἔδειξε. τὸ δὲ τὸν καταλυθέντα μὴ ἀνοικοδομῆσαι νεὼν ἀλλὰ τὴν σφαγὴν ἐλέσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ τοῦτο δρᾶσαι, κομιδῇ θαυμάξω καὶ στεφάνων τιμῶμαι" ἴσον γάρ μοι δοκεῖ τοῦ προσκυνῆσαι τὸ πῖρ τὸ τούτῳ τέμενος δείμασθαι. ᾿ἘἘντεῦθεν ὃ κλύδων ἀρχὴν λαβὼν παγχάλεπά τε καὶ ἄγρια κατὰ τῶν τῆς εὐσεβείας τροφίμων ἐκίνησε κύματα. καὶ τριάκοντα διελὴηλυθότων ἐνιαυτῶν ἡ ζάλη μεμένηκεν, ὑπὸ τῶν μάγων χαθάπερ ὑπό τινων κχκαταιγίδων διπιξζομένη. (μάγους δὲ καλοῦσιν οἱ Πέρσαι τοὺς τὰ στοιχεῖα θεοποιοῦντας" τὴν ὁὲ τούτων μυθολογίαν ἐν ἑτέρῳ συγγράμματι δεδηλώκαμεν, ἐν ᾧ τὴν λύσιν ταῖς τούτων πεύσεσι προσηνέγκαμεν.) καὶ Γοροράνης δὲ ὁ Ἰσδιγέρδου μετὰ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς τελευτὴν σὺν τῇ βασιλείᾳ καὶ τὸν κατὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας διεδέξατο πόλεμον, καὶ τελευτῶν ἄμφω ταῦτα συνεζευγμένα καταλέλοιπε τῷ παιδί. Ἰὰς δὲ τῶν τιμωριῶν ἰδέας καὶ τῶν κολαστηρίων τὰς ἐπινοίας ἃς τοῖς εὐσεβέσι προσήνεγκαν οὐ ῥάδιον φράσαι. τῶν μὲν γὰρ τὰς χεῖρας ἀπέδειραν, τῶν δὲ τὰ νῶτα ἄλλων δὲ τὰς κεφαλὰς ἀπὸ τῶν μετώπων ἐναρξάμενοι μέχρι τοῦ ἐνίου γυμνὰς τῶν δερμάτων εἰργάσαντο. ἐνίους δὲ καλάμοις ἡμιτόμοις καλύψαντες καὶ τὰς τομὰς τῷ σώματι προσαρμόσαντες, εἶτα δεσμὰ στεγανὰ ἀπὸ τῆς κεφαλῆς μέχρι τῶν ποδῶν περιθέντες, βίᾳ ἕκαστον τῶν καλάμων ἐξεῖλκον, ἵνα τὸ πελάζον τοῦ δέρματος παρασύροντες πικρὰς τὰς ὀδύνας ἐργάσωνται. καὶ λάκκους δὲ ὀρύξαντες καὶ τούτους ἀκριβῶς καταχρίσαντες, μυῶν μεγάλων ἀγέλας ἐν τούτοις καθεῖρξαν καὶ τροφὴν αὐτοῖς τοὺς τῆς εὐσεβείας προσέφερον ἀθλητάς, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς πόδας δεσμοῦντες ὅπως ἀπὸ σφῶν αὐτῶν ἀπελαύνειν τὰ θηρία μὴ δύνωνται. οἱ δὲ μύες ὑπὸ τοῦ λιμοῦ πιεζόμενοι κατὰ βραχὺ τὰς τῶν ἁγίων καταγήλισχον σάρκας, μακρὰν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀλγεινὴν τὴν τιμωρίαν προσφέροντες. καὶ ἄλλας δὲ τούτων χαλεπωτέρας ἐπενόησαν τιμωρίας, τὸν τῆς φύσεως ἀλάστορα καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας πολέμιον διδάσκαλον ἔχοντες. ἀλλ οὐκ ἤλεγξαν τῶν ἀθλητῶν τὴν ἀνδρείαν" αὐτόματοι γὰρ ἔτρεχον, τὸν τῆς ἀνωλέθρου ζωῆς πρόξενον λαβεῖν ὀριγνώμενοι θάνατον. δύο δὲ ἢ τριῶν μνησθήσομαι ἵνα διὰ: τούτων ἐπιδείξω καὶ τὴν τῶν ἄλλων ἀνδρείαν. Ὁρμίσδης τις τῶν ἄγαν περιφανῶν παρὰ Πέρσαις ἐτύγχανεν ὧν, ᾿Ἀχαιμενίδης ἀνήρ, πατέρα ὕπαρχον ἐσχηκώς. τοῦτον Χριστιανὸν εἶναι μεμαθηκὼς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἤγαγέ τε καὶ προσέταξε ἀρνηθῆναι τὸν σεσωκότα θεόν. ὃ δὲ ἔφη μήτε δίκαια μήτε συμφέροντα προστεταχέναι τὸν βασιλέα. ὁ γάρ τοι παιδευόμενος ῥᾳδίως τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων καταφρονεῖν καὶ τοῦτον ἀρνεῖσθαι, δᾷον ἂν καὶ βασιλέως καταφρονήσοι᾽ ἄνθρωπος γὰρ δὴ οὗτος, θνητὴν φύσιν κεκληρωμέγος. εἰ δὲ τιμωρίας ἐσχάτης ἄξιος ὃ τὰ σά, ὦ βασιλεῦ, ἀρνούμενος σχῆπτρα, πολλαπλασίων κολάσεων ἀξιώτερος ὁ τὸν τοῦ παντὸς ἀρνούμενος ποιητήνε. ὃ δὲ βασιλεύς, τὴν τῶν εἰρημένων δέον θαυμάσαι σοφίαν, ἐγύμνωσε μὲν καὶ τοῦ πλούτου καὶ τῶν ἀξιωμάτων τὸν γενναιότατον ἀγωνιστήν, γυμνὸν δὲ ἕλκειν τῆς στρατιᾶς τὰς καμήλους ἐκέλευσε, διαξώματε χρώμενον μόνῳ. πολλῶν δὲ διελθουσῶν ἡμερῶν, διακύψας ἀπὸ τῆς καμάρας εἶδε τὸν ἄριστον ἄνδρα ἐκεῖνον ὑπὸ τῆς ἀκτένος φλεγόμενον καὶ κόνεως ἀναπιμπλάμενον. καὶ τῆς πατρῴας περιφανείας ἀναμνησθεὶς ἤγαγέ τε καὶ ἐνδύσασθαι χιτωνίσκον ἐκ λίνου πεποιημένον ἐκέλευσεν. εἶτα νομίσας ὑπό τε τοῦ προτέρου πόνου “χαὶ τῆς γεγενημένης φιλανθρωπίας μαλακισθῆναι τὸ φρόνημα ννῦν γοῦνε, ἔφη, τῆς ἔριδος ἐκείνης ἀπαλλαγεὶς ἀρνήθητι τοῦ τέκτονος τὸν υἱόνε. ὁ δὲ ζήλου θείου πλησθεὶς διέρρηξέ τε τὸν χιτωνίσκον καὶ προσέρριψεν εἰπών" νεἰ διὰ τοῦτό με οἴει τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐχστήσεσθαι, ἔχε τὸ δῶρον μετὰ τῆς δυσσεβείαςς. ταύτην αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐνδρείαν ὃ βασιλεὺς θεασάμενος γυμνὸν οὕτω τῆς βασιλείας ἐξήλασε. Καὶ Σαήνην δὲ χιλίων οἰκετῶν δεσπότην, ἀντειπόντα αὐτῷ καὶ ἀρνηθῆναι τὸν ποιητὴν οὐκ ἀνεχόμεγον, ἐρόμενος ὁστις εἴη τῶν οἰκετῶν ὁ κάκιστος, ἐχείνω τῶν ἄλλων τὴν δεσποτείαν παρέδωκε καὶ τὸν δεσπότην ἐκείνῳ δουλεύειν προσέταξε. συνέζευξε δὲ αὐτῷ κιὰ τὴν δέσποιναν τὴν τοῦ δεσπότου ὁμόζυγα, ταύτῃ μεταπείσειν ὑποτοπήσας τῆς ἀληθείας τὸν πρόμαχον. ἀλλ᾽ ἐψεύσθη τῆς ἐλπίδος" ἐπὶ γὰρ τῆς πέτρας φχοδομημένην εἶχε τὴν οἰκίαν. Βενιαμὶν δέ τινα διάκονον συλλαβὼν καθεῖρξε. δύο δὲ διεληλυθότων ἐτῶν, πρεσβευτὴς Ῥωμαίων ἀφίκετο περὶ ἑτέρων τινῶν πρεσβεύων πραγμάτων" εἶτα τοῦτο μαθὼν ἤτησε τὸν βασιλέα τοῦ διακόνου τὴν ἄφεσιν. ὃ δὲ βασιλεὺς ὑποσχέσθαι προσέταξε τὸν Βενιαμὶν οὃς οὐδενὶ τῶν μάγων τὴν Χριστιανικὴν διδασκαλίαν προσοἰσει. καὶ ὃ μὲν πρεσβευτὴς φυλάξειν τὸν Βενιαμὶν τὰ προσταχθέντα ἐπηγγείλατο. ὁ δὲ "Βενιαμὶν ἀκούσας τῶν τοῦ πρεσβευτοῦ παραινέσεων". ἀδύνατονε," ἔφη, "μὴ μεταδοῦναί με τοῦ φωτὸς οὗ μετέλαχον. ὁπόσης γὰρ ἄξιον τιμωρίας τὸ καταχρύψαι τὸ τάλαντον, ἡ τῶν ἱερῶν εὐαγγελίων ἱστορία διδάσκεις. ἀλλὰ τούτων μὲν οὐδὲν τηνικαῦτα γνοὺς ὃ βασιλεὺς ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν τῶν δεσμῶν. ἀφεθῆναι. ἐκεῖνος δὲ τὰ συνήθη ὁρῶν διετέλει, καὶ ζωγρῶν τοὺς τῷ ζόφῳ τῆς ἀγνοίας κατεχομένους καὶ τῷ νοερῷ προσάγων φωτί. ἐνιαυτοῦ δὲ διελθόντος, ἐμηνύθη τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰ παρ᾽ ἐχείνου γιγνόμενα, καὶ ἀγαγὼν αὐτὸν ἀρνηθῆναι προσέταξε τὸν ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ προσκυνούμενον᾽ ὁ δὲ ἤρετο τὸν βασιλέα τίνος τιμᾶται τὸν τὴν μὲν ἑαυτοῦ καταλιπόντα βασιλείαν, ἑτέραν δὲ προαιρούμενον. ἐχείνου δὲ εἰπόντος ὅτι θαγνάτου καὶ τιμωρίας ἐσχάτης, εἶπεν ὁ σοφώτατος ἀνήρ᾽ τί οὖν οὐχ ἂν πάθοι δικαίως ἄνθρωπος, τὸν μὲν ποιητὴν καὶ δημιουργὸν καὶ τροφέα καὶ σωτῆρα καταλιμπάνων, ἕνα δὲ τῶν ὁμοδούλων θεοποιῶν καὶ τὸ ὀφειλόμενον ἐκείνῳ σέβας τούτῳ προσφέρων; χαλεπήνας δὴ οὖν πρὸς τοὺς τοιούτους λόγους ὁ βασιλεύς, εἴκοσι καλάμους ὀξύνας τοῖς τῶν χειρῶν καὶ τῶν ποδῶν ἐνέπειρεν ὄνυξιν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἑώρα παίγνιον τὴν τιμωρίαν ὑπολαμβάνοντα, ἕτερον αὖ πάλιν κάλαμον ὀξύνας ἐνέβαλε τῷ παιδογόνῳ μορίῳ καὶ τοῦτον συνεχῶς ἐξαίρων τε καὶ ἐνείρων ἀρρήτους τινὰς ἀλγηδόνας εἰργάζετο. μετὰ τήνδε τὴν τιμωρίαν ὃ δυσσεβὴς καὶ. θηριώδης δάβδον παχεῖαν ὄζους πάντοθεν ἔχουσαν εἰσωθῆναι διὰ τῆςξ ἕδρας ἐκέλευσεν. οὕτω τὸ πνεῦμα παρέδῶχεν ὁ γενναῖος ἀγωνιστής. καὶ ἄλλα δὲ μυρία τοιαῦτα παρ᾽ ἐκείνων ἐτολμήθη τῶν δυσσεβῶν. Οὐ χρὴ δὲ θαυμάξειν ὅτι τῆς ἐχείρων θηριωδίας καὶ δυσσεβείας ἀνέχεται τῶν ὅλων ὁ πρύτανις. καὶ γὰρ πρὸ τῆς Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ μεγάλου βασιλείας ὅσοι Ρωμαίων ἐγένοντο βασιλεῖς κατὰ τῶν θιασωτῶν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐλύττησαν. “ιοκλητιανὸς δὲ ἐν τῇ τοῦ σωτηρίου πάθους ἡμέρᾳ τὰς ἐν ἁπάσῃ τῇ Ρωμαίων ἡγεμονίᾳ κατέλυσεν ἐκπλησίας" ἀλλ᾽ ἐννέα διεληλυθότων ἐτῶν αὐταὶ μὲν ἤνθησαν καὶ πολλαπλάσιον ἐδέξαντο μέγεθός τε καὶ κάλλος, ἐκεῖνος δὲ μετὰ τῆς δυσσεβείας ἀπέσβη. καὶ τοὺς πολέμους δὲ τούτους προείρηκεν ὁ δεσπότης καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀήττητον. καὶ αὐτὰ δὲ ἡμᾶς διδάσκει τὰ πράγματα ὡς πλείονα ἡμῖν τῆς εἰρήνης ὃ πόλεμος πορίξει τὴν ὠφέλειαν" ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἁβροὺς ἡμᾶς καὶ ἀνειμένους καὶ δειλοὺς ἀπεργάξεται, ὁ δὲ πόλεμος τά τε φρονήματα παραθήγει καὶ τῶν παρόντων οἷς δεόντων παρασκευάζει καταφρονεῖν. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν καὶ ἐν ἑτέραις πραγματείαις πολλάκις εἰρήκαμεν.

Kata touton ton chronon Isdigerdēs ho Persōn basileus ton kata tōn ekklēsiōn ekinēse polemon, prophasin enthende labōn. "Abdas tis episkopos ēn, pollois kosmoumenos eidesin aretēs" houtos ouch eis deon tǭ zēlǭ chrēsamenos pyreion katelyse. pyreia de kalousin ekeinoi tou pyros tous neōs" theon gar to pyr hypeilēphasi. touto mathōn para tōn magōn ho basileus metesteilato ton Abdan. kai prōton men ēpiōs to prachthen ētiasato kai to pyreion oichodomēsai prosetaxen" ekeinou de antilegontos kai touto drasein hēkista phaskontos, pasas katalysein tas ekklēsias ēpeilēse, kai mentoi kai telos epethēken hois ēpeilēse. proteron gar ton theion andra ekeinon anairethēnai keleusas, katalythēnai tas ekklēsias prosetaxen. Egō de tēn men tou pyreiou katalysin ouch eis kairon gegenēsthai phēmi. oude gar ho theios apostolos, eis tas Athēnas aphikomenos kai tēn polin kateidōlon theasamenos, tōn bōmōn tina tōn hyp᾽ ekeinōn timōmenōn katelysen, alla logǭ kai tēn agnoian ēlenxe kai tēn alētheian edeixe. to de ton katalythenta mē anoikodomēsai neōn alla tēn sphagēn elesthai mallon ē touto drasai, komidę̄ thaumaxō kai stephanōn timōmai" ison gar moi dokei tou proskynēsai to pir to toutǭ temenos deimasthai. ᾿EEnteuthen ho klydōn archēn labōn panchalepa te kai agria kata tōn tēs eusebeias trophimōn ekinēse kymata. kai triakonta dielēēlythotōn eniautōn hē zalē memenēken, hypo tōn magōn chathaper hypo tinōn kchkataigidōn dipixzomenē. (magous de kalousin hoi Persai tous ta stoicheia theopoiountas" tēn hoe toutōn mythologian en heterǭ syngrammati dedēlōkamen, en hǭ tēn lysin tais toutōn peusesi prosēnenkamen.) kai Gororanēs de ho Isdigerdou meta tēn tou patros teleutēn syn tę̄ basileią kai ton kata tēs eusebeias diedexato polemon, kai teleutōn amphō tauta synezeugmena kataleloipe tǭ paidi. Ias de tōn timōriōn ideas kai tōn kolastēriōn tas epinoias has tois eusebesi prosēnenkan ou rhadion phrasai. tōn men gar tas cheiras apedeiran, tōn de ta nōta allōn de tas kephalas apo tōn metōpōn enarxamenoi mechri tou eniou gymnas tōn dermatōn eirgasanto. enious de kalamois hēmitomois kalypsantes kai tas tomas tǭ sōmati prosarmosantes, eita desma stegana apo tēs kephalēs mechri tōn podōn perithentes, bią hekaston tōn kalamōn exeilkon, hina to pelazon tou dermatos parasyrontes pikras tas odynas ergasōntai. kai lakkous de oryxantes kai toutous akribōs katachrisantes, myōn megalōn agelas en toutois katheirxan kai trophēn autois tous tēs eusebeias prosepheron athlētas, kai tas cheiras autōn kai tous podas desmountes hopōs apo sphōn autōn apelaunein ta thēria mē dynōntai. hoi de myes hypo tou limou piezomenoi kata brachy tas tōn hagiōn katagēlischon sarkas, makran autois kai algeinēn tēn timōrian prospherontes. kai allas de toutōn chalepōteras epenoēsan timōrias, ton tēs physeōs alastora kai tēs alētheias polemion didaskalon echontes. all ouk ēlenxan tōn athlētōn tēn andreian" automatoi gar etrechon, ton tēs anōlethrou zōēs proxenon labein orignōmenoi thanaton. dyo de ē triōn mnēsthēsomai hina dia: toutōn epideixō kai tēn tōn allōn andreian. Hormisdēs tis tōn agan periphanōn para Persais etynchanen hōn, ᾿Achaimenidēs anēr, patera hyparchon eschēkōs. touton Christianon einai memathēkōs ho basileus ēgage te kai prosetaxe arnēthēnai ton sesōkota theon. ho de ephē mēte dikaia mēte sympheronta prostetachenai ton basilea. ho gar toi paideuomenos rhądiōs tou theou tōn holōn kataphronein kai touton arneisthai, dąon an kai basileōs kataphronēsoi᾽ anthrōpos gar dē houtos, thnētēn physin keklērōmegos. ei de timōrias eschatēs axios ho ta sa, ō basileu, arnoumenos schēptra, pollaplasiōn kolaseōn axiōteros ho ton tou pantos arnoumenos poiētēne. ho de basileus, tēn tōn eirēmenōn deon thaumasai sophian, egymnōse men kai tou ploutou kai tōn axiōmatōn ton gennaiotaton agōnistēn, gymnon de helkein tēs stratias tas kamēlous ekeleuse, diaxōmate chrōmenon monǭ. pollōn de dielthousōn hēmerōn, diakypsas apo tēs kamaras eide ton ariston andra ekeinon hypo tēs aktenos phlegomenon kai koneōs anapimplamenon. kai tēs patrǭas periphaneias anamnēstheis ēgage te kai endysasthai chitōniskon ek linou pepoiēmenon ekeleusen. eita nomisas hypo te tou proterou ponou “chai tēs gegenēmenēs philanthrōpias malakisthēnai to phronēma nnyn goune, ephē, tēs eridos ekeinēs apallageis arnēthēti tou tektonos ton huione. ho de zēlou theiou plēstheis dierrēxe te ton chitōniskon kai proserripsen eipōn" nei dia touto me oiei tēs eusebeias echstēsesthai, eche to dōron meta tēs dyssebeiass. tautēn autou tēn endreian ho basileus theasamenos gymnon houtō tēs basileias exēlase. Kai Saēnēn de chiliōn oiketōn despotēn, anteiponta autǭ kai arnēthēnai ton poiētēn ouk anechomegon, eromenos hostis eiē tōn oiketōn ho kakistos, echeinō tōn allōn tēn despoteian paredōke kai ton despotēn ekeinǭ douleuein prosetaxe. synezeuxe de autǭ kia tēn despoinan tēn tou despotou homozyga, tautę̄ metapeisein hypotopēsas tēs alētheias ton promachon. all᾽ epseusthē tēs elpidos" epi gar tēs petras phchodomēmenēn eiche tēn oikian. Beniamin de tina diakonon syllabōn katheirxe. dyo de dielēlythotōn etōn, presbeutēs Rhōmaiōn aphiketo peri heterōn tinōn presbeuōn pragmatōn" eita touto mathōn ētēse ton basilea tou diakonou tēn aphesin. ho de basileus hyposchesthai prosetaxe ton Beniamin hoos oudeni tōn magōn tēn Christianikēn didaskalian prosoisei. kai ho men presbeutēs phylaxein ton Beniamin ta prostachthenta epēngeilato. ho de "Beniamin akousas tōn tou presbeutou paraineseōn". adynatone," ephē, "mē metadounai me tou phōtos hou metelachon. hoposēs gar axion timōrias to katachrypsai to talanton, hē tōn hierōn euangeliōn historia didaskeis. alla toutōn men ouden tēnikauta gnous ho basileus ekeleusen auton tōn desmōn. aphethēnai. ekeinos de ta synēthē horōn dietelei, kai zōgrōn tous tǭ zophǭ tēs agnoias katechomenous kai tǭ noerǭ prosagōn phōti. eniautou de dielthontos, emēnythē tǭ basilei ta par᾽ echeinou gignomena, kai agagōn auton arnēthēnai prosetaxe ton hyp᾽ autou proskynoumenon᾽ ho de ēreto ton basilea tinos timatai ton tēn men heautou kataliponta basileian, heteran de proairoumenon. echeinou de eipontos hoti thagnatou kai timōrias eschatēs, eipen ho sophōtatos anēr᾽ ti oun ouch an pathoi dikaiōs anthrōpos, ton men poiētēn kai dēmiourgon kai trophea kai sōtēra katalimpanōn, hena de tōn homodoulōn theopoiōn kai to opheilomenon ekeinǭ sebas toutǭ prospherōn? chalepēnas dē oun pros tous toioutous logous ho basileus, eikosi kalamous oxynas tois tōn cheirōn kai tōn podōn enepeiren onyxin. epeidē de heōra paignion tēn timōrian hypolambanonta, heteron au palin kalamon oxynas enebale tǭ paidogonǭ moriǭ kai touton synechōs exairōn te kai eneirōn arrētous tinas algēdonas eirgazeto. meta tēnde tēn timōrian ho dyssebēs kai. thēriōdēs dabdon pacheian ozous pantothen echousan eisōthēnai dia tēsx hedras ekeleusen. houtō to pneuma paredōchen ho gennaios agōnistēs. kai alla de myria toiauta par᾽ ekeinōn etolmēthē tōn dyssebōn. Ou chrē de thaumaxein hoti tēs echeirōn thēriōdias kai dyssebeias anechetai tōn holōn ho prytanis. kai gar pro tēs Kōnstantinou tou megalou basileias hosoi Rōmaiōn egenonto basileis kata tōn thiasōtōn tēs alētheias elyttēsan. “ioklētianos de en tę̄ tou sōtēriou pathous hēmerą tas en hapasę̄ tę̄ Rōmaiōn hēgemonią katelysen ekplēsias" all᾽ ennea dielēlythotōn etōn autai men ēnthēsan kai pollaplasion edexanto megethos te kai kallos, ekeinos de meta tēs dyssebeias apesbē. kai tous polemous de toutous proeirēken ho despotēs kai to tēs ekklēsias aēttēton. kai auta de hēmas didaskei ta pragmata hōs pleiona hēmin tēs eirēnēs ho polemos porixei tēn ōpheleian" hē men gar habrous hēmas kai aneimenous kai deilous apergaxetai, ho de polemos ta te phronēmata parathēgei kai tōn parontōn hois deontōn paraskeuazei kataphronein. alla tauta men kai en heterais pragmateiais pollakis eirēkamen.

At this time Isdigerdes, king of the Persians, stirred up war against the churches, taking his pretext from the following event. There was a bishop named Abdas, adorned with many kinds of virtue. Using his zeal not as he ought, he destroyed a fire-temple; for the Persians call the temples of fire pyreia, since they have taken fire to be a god. When the king learned this from the magi, he summoned Abdas. At first he blamed the deed mildly and ordered him to rebuild the fire-temple; but when Abdas refused and said he would by no means do it, the king threatened to destroy all the churches, and he carried out what he threatened. First he ordered that divine man to be put to death, and then he ordered the churches to be destroyed. I say that the destruction of the fire-temple was untimely. For the divine apostle, when he came to Athens and saw the city full of idols, did not destroy any of the altars they honoured, but by word refuted their ignorance and showed them the truth. But that he did not rebuild the temple once destroyed, and chose to be slain rather than do it, I greatly admire and count worthy of crowns; for to build a precinct for fire seems to me the same as worshipping it. From this beginning the storm raised very harsh and savage waves against the nurslings of true religion; thirty years have now passed, and the tempest has continued, fanned by the magi as though by gusts of wind. (The Persians call magi those who make gods of the elements; their mythology we have set out in another work, in which we gave answers to their questions.) Gororanes, son of Isdigerdes, inherited along with his father's kingdom the war against true religion when his father died, and at his own death left both, yoked together, to his son. It is not easy to describe the kinds of punishment and the tortures they devised for the pious. Some they flayed on the hands, others on the back; others they stripped of the skin of the head from the forehead down to the chin. Some they covered with split reeds, fitting the cut edges to the body; then they bound them tightly from head to foot and forcibly drew out each of the reeds, tearing away the adjoining skin and causing bitter pain. They also dug pits, carefully smeared them smooth, shut up droves of large rats in them, and offered the athletes of true religion to them as food, binding their hands and feet so that they could not drive the beasts away from themselves. The rats, driven by hunger, little by little devoured the flesh of the saints, inflicting on them a long and painful punishment. They devised other punishments harsher than these, having as their teacher the avenging enemy of human nature and foe of the truth. But they did not overcome the courage of the athletes, who ran of their own accord, longing to receive the death that brings indestructible life. I shall mention two or three, so as to show through them the courage of the rest. Hormisdas was one of the most eminent men among the Persians, an Achaemenid, whose father had been a governor. When the king learned that he was a Christian, he summoned him and ordered him to deny the God who had saved him. He replied that the king had commanded what was neither just nor expedient. "For one who is taught to despise and deny the God of all lightly would still more easily despise a king, who is a man and has received a mortal nature. And if one who denies your sceptre, O king, deserves the extreme penalty, much more does one who denies the Maker of all deserve punishments many times greater." The king, who ought to have admired the wisdom of these words, stripped that most noble contender of his wealth and his ranks and ordered him to drive the army's camels naked, wearing only a loincloth. Many days later, looking out from his chamber, the king saw that excellent man scorched by the sun and covered with dust; remembering the eminence of his father, he summoned him and ordered him to put on a tunic made of linen. Then, thinking that the earlier hardship and the kindness he had shown had softened his resolve, he said, "Now at least give up that obstinacy and deny the son of the carpenter." But Hormisdas, filled with divine zeal, tore the tunic and threw it at him, saying, "If you think that for this I will forsake true religion, keep your gift along with your impiety." When the king saw his courage, he drove him naked from the palace. Saenes too, master of a thousand slaves, opposed the king and would not consent to deny his Maker. The king asked which of his slaves was the worst, gave that slave authority over the others, and ordered the master to serve him. He also gave him the mistress, the master's wife, as his partner, supposing that in this way he would win over the champion of the truth. But he was disappointed in his hope, for Saenes had his house built on the rock. The king also arrested a deacon named Benjamin and imprisoned him. After two years an envoy of the Romans arrived on an embassy about other matters; learning of this, he asked the king to release the deacon. The king ordered Benjamin to promise that he would not offer the Christian teaching to any of the magi. The envoy promised that Benjamin would keep the order. But when Benjamin heard the envoy's advice, he said, "It is impossible for me not to share the light I have received; for the history of the holy Gospels teaches what punishment is deserved by hiding the talent." The king, knowing nothing of this at the time, ordered him to be released from his bonds. Benjamin went on doing as he had always done, taking captive those held in the darkness of ignorance and bringing them to the light of the mind. When a year had passed, his doings were reported to the king; the king summoned him and ordered him to deny the one he worshipped. Benjamin asked the king what penalty he would assign to one who deserted his kingdom and chose another. When the king said death and the extreme penalty, that most wise man said, "What then would a man not justly suffer who deserts his Maker, Creator, Nourisher, and Saviour, makes a god of one of his fellow servants, and offers him the worship due to God?" Angered at these words, the king sharpened twenty reeds and drove them into the nails of his hands and feet. When he saw that Benjamin took the torture as a game, he sharpened another reed and thrust it into his genital member, and by continually drawing it out and driving it in caused unspeakable pain. After this torture the impious and bestial man ordered a thick staff, covered all over with knots, to be thrust in through his anus. So the noble contender gave up his spirit. Countless other such things were dared by those impious men. We should not wonder that the Ruler of all endures their savagery and impiety. For before the reign of Constantine the Great, all who became emperors of the Romans raged against the followers of the truth; and Diocletian, on the day of the saving Passion, destroyed the churches throughout the Roman empire. Yet after nine years had passed the churches flourished and received size and beauty many times greater, while he was extinguished together with his impiety. The Master foretold both these wars and the invincibility of the church. And events themselves teach us that war brings us more profit than peace: peace makes us soft, slack, and cowardly, but war whets our spirits and prepares us to despise present things as passing away. But we have said this often in other treatises as well.

Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.

Acts 17:16–31 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 13:55 (allusion, medium confidence) · Matt 7:24–25 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 25:24–30 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 16:18 (allusion, medium confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: Bishop Abdas's destruction of a fire-temple provokes a Persian persecution lasting thirty years; Theodoret describes its tortures and the confessions of Hormisdas, Saenes, and the deacon Benjamin, and explains why God permits persecution.

Isdigerdes is Yazdegerd I (399–420); Gororanes is his son Varahran V (420–438), whose son was Yazdegerd II. The destruction of the fire-temple by Abdas is dated ca. 420.
Theodoret judges Abdas's destruction of the fire-temple wrong but his refusal to rebuild it admirable; both judgments are his own.
"Thirty years" dates this passage to ca. 450.
The "other work" answering the magi's questions does not survive.
"To the chin": the text reads ἐνίου, probably for γενείου ("chin"); ἰνίου ("nape of the neck") is also possible.
"Chamber" renders καμάρα, a vaulted room or covered carriage; the king looks out and sees Hormisdas with the camels.
The name Saenes is given as printed; other forms of it occur in the manuscripts and translations.
"Passing away" translates by sense the damaged phrase οἷς δεόντων (probably ὡς ῥεόντων, "as flowing away").
Diocletian's first edict against the churches (303) was enforced around the feast of the Passion; the churches were restored under Constantine and Licinius in 311–313.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (OCR debris (a garbled line from the page margin, repeating words from above) removed from inside διεληλυθότων.; OCR debris (a garbled line of non-Greek text from the page) removed.): ἀφικόμενος καὶ Ῥ, Ῥροίοσβ, ὕπθ ραββίου δυγαόπίθηηθ ἀθ5 Αράδθβ, Ἠουτηϊβᾶαβ, βῷμτη οὖ Βθη]αταΐη, τὴν πόλιν → ἀφικόμενος καὶ τὴν πόλιν; διεληνρῖὶ. Μαΐξίῃ. γενναιότατον ἀγωνιστήν Β [ογέϊδδίγηεηι αἰδιίδίαγε Οδξξβ. γενναῖον ἀθλητήν λυθότων → διεληλυθότων.

Topics: Martyrdom, Persecution

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 5.38 (GCS 19:342–347; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-ecclesiastica/5-38). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-ecclesiastica/5-38

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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Parmentier's Greek text (GCS 19, 1911; OCR by this project); every chapter compared afterwards with Jackson's English in NPNF² 3.

5.39GCS 19:347–349

Κατ᾽ ἐκεῖνον δὲ τὸν χρόνον καθ᾿ ὃν ὁ θεῖος Θεόδοτος τὴν Ἀντιοχέων ἴθυνεν ἐκκλησίαν, Θεόδωρος ὃ Μοψουεστίας μὲν ἐπίσκοπος, πάσης δὲ ἐχκχλησίας διδάσκαλος κατὰ πάσης φάλαγγος αἱρετικῆς ἀριστεύσας, τοῦ βίου τὸ τέλος ἐδέξατο. οὗτος τῆς μὲν Διοδώρου τοῦ πάνυ διδασκαλίας ἀπήλαυσεν, Ἰωάννου δὲ τοῦ θειοτάτου γεγένηται κοινωνός τε καὶ συνεργός" κοινῇ γὰρ τῶν πνευματικῶν Διοδώρου ναμάτων ἀπήλαυον. ἕξ δὲ καὶ τριάκοντα ἐν τῇ προεδρίᾳ διετέλεσεν ἔτη, κατὰ τῆς ᾿ἀρείου καὶ Εὐνομίου παραταττόμενος φάλαγγος καὶ τὸν λῃστρικὸν Ἀπολιναρίου καταγωνιζόμενος λόχον καὶ τὴν ἀρίστην πόαν τοῖς θείοις προβάτοις προσφέρων. καὶ ὁ τούτου δὲ ἀδελφὸς Πολυχρόνιος τὴν Ἀπαμέων ἐκκλησίαν ἐποίμαινεν ἄριστα, καὶ τῇ τοῦ λόγου χάριτι καὶ τῇ τοῦ βίου λαμπρότητι χρώμενος. ἔγὼ δὲ τῆς συγγραφῆς ἐνταῦθα παυσάμενος, τους ἐντευξομένους ἀντιβολῶ προσευχαῖς τὸν πόνον ἀμείψασθαι. πέντε μέντοι καὶ ἑκατὸν ἐτῶν ἥδε ἡ ἱστορία περιέχει χρόνον, ἀρξαμένη μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀρείου λύττης, δεξαμένη δὲ πέρας τῶν ἀξιεπαίνων ἀνδρῶν Θεοδώρου καὶ Θεοδότου τὴν τελευτήν. Καταλέξω δὲ κατὰ τάξιν καὶ τοὺς μετὰ τὸν διωγμὸν τῶν μεγάλων ἡγεμονεύσαντας πόλεων. Ῥώμης Μιλτιάδης, Σίλβεστρος, Ἰούλιος, Λιβέριος, Δάμασος, Σιρίκιος, Αναστασιος, Ἰννοκέντιος, Βονιφάτιος, Ζώσιμος, Κελεστῖνος. Ἀντιοχείας" Βιτάλιος, Φιλογόνιος, Εὐστάθιος" οὗτοι ὀρθόδοξοι. Μετὰ τούτους αἱρετικοὶὲ δῆθεν κοινωνικοί; Εὐλάλιος, Εὐφρόνιος, Φλάκιλλος, Στέφανος, Λεόντιος, Εὐδόξιος. εἶτα ὀρθόδοξοι" Μελέτιος, Φλαβιανός, Πορφύριος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Θεόδοτος" καὶ συνήφθησαν τούτοις Παυλῖνος, Εὐάγριος. γόριος αἱρετικός, εἶτα πάλιν Ἀθανάσιος, Γεώργιος αἱρετικός, εἶτα πάλιν Ἀθανάσιος, μετὰ τοῦτον Πέτρος, εἶτα Λούκιος αἱρετικός, εἶτα πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς Πέτρος, Τιμόθεος, Θεόφιλος, Κύριλλος. Ἱεροσολύμων" Μακάριος. Μάξιμος, Κύριλλος, Ἰωάννης, Πραὔλιος, Ἰουβενάλιος. Κωνσταντινουπόλεως: Ἀλέξανδρος, εἶτα Εὐσέβιος ὁ ἐκ Νικομηδείας ἐκ μεταθέσεως, αἱρετικός, μετὰ τοῦτον Παῦλος ὀρθόδοξός τε καὶ μάρτυς, μετὰ τοῦτον “Μακεδόνιος αἱρεσιάρχης π πνευματομάχος" τοῦτον παρωσάμενος Εὐδόξιος ὁ δυσσεβὴς κατέσχε τὴν ἐκκλησίαν" μετὰ τοῦτον Δημόφελος ὁ Βερόης τῆς Θρῴκης ἑαυτὸν ἐκεῖ μετέθηκεν" εἶτα Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζοῦ γενόμενος ὕστερον, μετὰ τοῦτον Νεκτάριος, Ἰωάννης, Ἀρσάκιος, Ἀττικός, Σισίννιος.

Kat᾽ ekeinon de ton chronon kath᾿ hon ho theios Theodotos tēn Antiocheōn ithynen ekklēsian, Theodōros ho Mopsouestias men episkopos, pasēs de echkchlēsias didaskalos kata pasēs phalangos hairetikēs aristeusas, tou biou to telos edexato. houtos tēs men Diodōrou tou pany didaskalias apēlausen, Iōannou de tou theiotatou gegenētai koinōnos te kai synergos" koinę̄ gar tōn pneumatikōn Diodōrou namatōn apēlauon. hex de kai triakonta en tę̄ proedrią dietelesen etē, kata tēs ᾿areiou kai Eunomiou paratattomenos phalangos kai ton lę̄strikon Apolinariou katagōnizomenos lochon kai tēn aristēn poan tois theiois probatois prospherōn. kai ho toutou de adelphos Polychronios tēn Apameōn ekklēsian epoimainen arista, kai tę̄ tou logou chariti kai tę̄ tou biou lamprotēti chrōmenos. egō de tēs syngraphēs entautha pausamenos, tous enteuxomenous antibolō proseuchais ton ponon ameipsasthai. pente mentoi kai hekaton etōn hēde hē historia periechei chronon, arxamenē men apo tēs Areiou lyttēs, dexamenē de peras tōn axiepainōn andrōn Theodōrou kai Theodotou tēn teleutēn. Katalexō de kata taxin kai tous meta ton diōgmon tōn megalōn hēgemoneusantas poleōn. Rhōmēs Miltiadēs, Silbestros, Ioulios, Liberios, Damasos, Sirikios, Anastasios, Innokentios, Boniphatios, Zōsimos, Kelestinos. Antiocheias" Bitalios, Philogonios, Eustathios" houtoi orthodoxoi. Meta toutous hairetikoie dēthen koinōnikoi? Eulalios, Euphronios, Phlakillos, Stephanos, Leontios, Eudoxios. eita orthodoxoi" Meletios, Phlabianos, Porphyrios, Alexandros, Theodotos" kai synēphthēsan toutois Paulinos, Euagrios. gorios hairetikos, eita palin Athanasios, Geōrgios hairetikos, eita palin Athanasios, meta touton Petros, eita Loukios hairetikos, eita palin ho autos Petros, Timotheos, Theophilos, Kyrillos. Hierosolymōn" Makarios. Maximos, Kyrillos, Iōannēs, Praulios, Ioubenalios. Kōnstantinoupoleōs: Alexandros, eita Eusebios ho ek Nikomēdeias ek metatheseōs, hairetikos, meta touton Paulos orthodoxos te kai martys, meta touton “Makedonios hairesiarchēs p pneumatomachos" touton parōsamenos Eudoxios ho dyssebēs katesche tēn ekklēsian" meta touton Dēmophelos ho Beroēs tēs Thrǭkēs heauton ekei metethēken" eita Grēgorios ho Nazianzou genomenos hysteron, meta touton Nektarios, Iōannēs, Arsakios, Attikos, Sisinnios.

At the time when the divine Theodotus was governing the church of Antioch, Theodore, bishop of Mopsuestia and teacher of the whole church, who had fought with distinction against every heretical phalanx, came to the end of his life. He had enjoyed the teaching of the renowned Diodorus and had been the companion and fellow-worker of the most divine John; for together they had drunk from the spiritual streams of Diodorus. He spent thirty-six years as bishop, drawn up against the phalanx of Arius and Eunomius, fighting down the robber band of Apolinarius, and offering the best pasture to the divine sheep. His brother Polychronius also shepherded the church of Apamea excellently, endowed with grace of speech and brilliance of life. Here I end my history, and I beg those who will read it to repay my labour with their prayers. This history covers a period of one hundred and five years, beginning from the madness of Arius and ending with the death of those praiseworthy men Theodore and Theodotus. I shall also list in order those who governed the great cities after the persecution. Of Rome: Miltiades, Silvester, Julius, Liberius, Damasus, Siricius, Anastasius, Innocent, Boniface, Zosimus, Celestine. Of Antioch: Vitalius, Philogonius, Eustathius; these were orthodox. After them, heretics who were nominally in communion: Eulalius, Euphronius, Flacillus, Stephen, Leontius, Eudoxius. Then orthodox: Meletius, Flavian, Porphyrius, Alexander, Theodotus; and to these were joined Paulinus and Evagrius. [Of Alexandria: Alexander, Athanasius, then Gre]gory, a heretic; then Athanasius again; George, a heretic; then Athanasius again; after him Peter; then Lucius, a heretic; then the same Peter again; Timothy, Theophilus, Cyril. Of Jerusalem: Macarius, Maximus, Cyril, John, Praylius, Juvenal. Of Constantinople: Alexander; then Eusebius, translated from Nicomedia, a heretic; after him Paul, orthodox and a martyr; after him Macedonius, the heresiarch who fought against the Spirit; thrusting him aside, the impious Eudoxius seized the church; after him Demophilus of Beroea in Thrace transferred himself there; then Gregory, later of Nazianzus; after him Nectarius, John, Arsacius, Atticus, Sisinnius.

Notes and citation

Summary: Theodoret records the death of Theodore of Mopsuestia, closes his history (covering 105 years from Arius), and lists the bishops of Rome, Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem, and Constantinople since the persecution.

Theodore of Mopsuestia died in 428; Theodoret praises him as "teacher of the whole church". Theodore was condemned more than a century later, at the Council of Constantinople in 553.
"After the persecution" means the persecution under Diocletian and his successors.
In the list, the heading "Of Alexandria" and the first names are lost in the OCR, which runs Evagrius straight into "-gory". The bracketed words are supplied from the known succession (Alexander, Athanasius, Gregory) and are not in the printed text as digitized.
Garbled names in the list are corrected only where the reading is certain (Innocent, Eulalius, Flacillus, Meletius, Evagrius, Alexander, Nectarius, Nazianzus).
"Gregory, later of Nazianzus": the Greek is compressed; Theodoret means Gregory who afterwards returned to Nazianzus.
As in 5.37, the printed order of the Roman bishops puts Boniface before Zosimus.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (Initial letter of the name Innocent lost in the OCR.; OCR debris before the heading removed and the rough breathing restored.; OCR debris removed.; OCR misreading of the initial Ἀ; stray semicolon removed.; OCR misreading of the name Alexander.; OCR misreading of the name Arius.; OCR misreading of the name Eulalius.; OCR misreading of the name Eunomius.; OCR misreading of the name Evagrius.; OCR misreading of the name Flacillus.; OCR misreading of the name Meletius.; OCR misreading of the name Nazianzus.; OCR misreading of the name Nectarius.): ἀρίστην ᾿δ πόαν → ἀρίστην πόαν; ᾿“παμέων ἐκκλησίαν; → Ἀπαμέων ἐκκλησίαν; Βὐνομίου → Εὐνομίου; ιδ “Ρώμης → Ῥώμης; ννοκέντιος → Ἰννοκέντιος; Πὐλάλιος → Εὐλάλιος; Φλάκιτος → Φλάκιλλος; Λλήελέτιος → Μελέτιος; Πὐάγριος → Εὐάγριος; Ἰλέξανδρος → Ἀλέξανδρος; ΝΥχτάριος → Νεκτάριος; Ναϊζιανξοῦ → Ναζιανζοῦ; ᾿ἱρείου λύττης → Ἀρείου λύττης.

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 5.39 (GCS 19:347–349; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-ecclesiastica/5-39). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-ecclesiastica/5-39

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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Parmentier's Greek text (GCS 19, 1911; OCR by this project); every chapter compared afterwards with Jackson's English in NPNF² 3.