# Encomium on Theodore the Martyr - Author: [Gregory of Nyssa](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/gregory-of-nyssa/) - Latin title: *In Theodorum martyrem* - Date: ca. 380 (probable) - Source: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae cursus completus, Series Graeca 46 (Paris: Migne, 1863), cols. 735-749 (OCR by the Internet Archive; lines extracted for this site) - Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator - Editions and translations: Gregorii Nysseni Sermones, Gregorii Nysseni Opera 9-10 (Leiden: Brill) (volume and editors not yet checked; cited only; not reproduced) - Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-theodorum/ - Passages: 7 ## Encomium on Theodore the Martyr, Migne cols. 735–736 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-theodorum/735/#p-735 - Source: PG 46:735–736 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12 Summary: Gregory greets the crowds who have gathered in winter for the feast of the soldier-martyr Theodore, who has summoned them like a trumpeter. ### Greek text Ὑμεῖς ὁ τοῦ Χριστοῦ λαὸς, ἡ ἁγία ποίμνη, τὸ βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα, οἱ πανταχόθεν ἀστικοί τε καὶ χωριτικοί συῤῥεύσαντες δῆμοι, πόθεν λαβόντες τὸ σύνθημα τῆς ὁδοῦ, πρὸς τὸν ἱερὸν τοῦτον ἐδημαγωγήθητε τόπον; Τίς ὑμῖν τῆς ἐνθάδε σπουδαίαν οὕτω καὶ ἐμπρόθεσμον ἀνάγκην ἐπέθηκεν; καὶ ταῦτα ὥρᾳ χειμῶνος, ἡνίκα καὶ πόλεμος ἠρεμεῖ, καὶ στρατιώτης τὴν πανοπλίαν ἀποσκευάζεται, καὶ πλωτὴρ ὑπὲρ καπνοῦ τίθησι τὸ πηδάλιον, καὶ γεωργὸς ἡσυχάζει τοὺς ἀροτῆρας βοῦς θεραπεύων ἐπὶ τῆς φάτνης; Ἢ πρόδηλον, ὡς ἐσάλπισε μὲν ἐκ τῶν στρατιωτικῶν καταλόγων ὁ ἅγιος μάρτυς· κινήσας δὲ πολλοὺς ἐκ διαφόρων πατρίδων πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν ἀνάπαυσιν καὶ ### English translation (Claude) You people of Christ, the holy flock, the royal priesthood, you crowds who have streamed together from everywhere, from town and country: where did you get the signal for your journey, to be drawn to this holy place? Who laid on you so urgent and so timely a need to be here, and that in winter, when war is at rest, the soldier puts away his armour, the sailor hangs his rudder above the smoke, and the farmer is idle, tending his ploughing oxen at the manger? Or is it plain that the holy martyr sounded the trumpet from the army rolls, and, moving many from different homelands, called them to his own resting place and ### Scripture references - 1 Pet 2:9: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Hesiod, Op. 45 (Hesiod, Works and Days): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “Royal priesthood”: 1 Pet 2:9. Hanging the rudder above the smoke for the winter is a proverbial phrase from Hesiod, Works and Days 45 and 629. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nyssa, Thdr. 735 (PG 46:735–736; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-theodorum/735). ## Encomium on Theodore the Martyr, Migne cols. 737–738 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-theodorum/735/#p-737 - Source: PG 46:737–738 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12 Summary: Theodore, believed to have turned back the Scythians the year before, is honoured in a splendid shrine whose carvings and paintings tell his story; the bodies of martyrs are honoured as other remains are not. ### Greek text ἑστίαν ἐκάλεσεν, οὐκ εἰς πολεμικὴν εὐτρεπίζων παρασκευὴν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν γλυκεῖαν καὶ μάλιστα δὴ Χριστιανοῖς πρέπουσαν συνάγων εἰρήνην; Οὗτος γὰρ, ὡς πιστεύομεν, καὶ τοῦ παρελθόντος ἐνιαυτοῦ τὴν βαρβαρικὴν ζάλην ἐκοίμισε, καὶ τὸν φρικώδη τῶν ἀγρίων Σκυθῶν ἔστησε πόλεμον, δεινὸν αὐτοῖς ἐπισείσας καὶ φοβερὸν ἤδη βλεπομένοις καὶ πλησιάσασιν, οὐ κράνος τρίλοφον, οὐδὲ ξίφος εὖ τεθηγμένον, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον ἀποστίλβον, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἀλεξίκακον καὶ παντοδύναμον σταυρὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὑπὲρ οὗ καὶ αὐτὸς παθὼν, τὴν δόξαν ταύτην ἐκτήσατο. Καί μοι λοιπὸν τὸν νοῦν ἐπιστήσαντες διασκέψασθε, οἱ τῆς καθαρᾶς ταύτης θρησκείας ὑπηρέται καὶ φιλομάρτυρὲς, ἡλίκον χρῆμα δίκαιος, καὶ ὅσων ἀξιοῦται τῶν ἀμοιβῶν (τῶν ἐγκοσμίων τε, λέγω, καὶ τῶν παρ᾿ ἡμῖν· τῶν γὰρ ἀοράτων οὐδεὶς ἱκανὸς λογίσασθαι τὴν μεγαλοπρέπειαν καὶ διορίσαντες τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας καρπὸν, ζηλώσατε τῶν οὕτω προτιμωμένων τὴν γνώμην. Ἐπιθυμήσατε δὲ τῶν γερῶν ὁ Χριστὸς πρὸς ἀξίαν διανέμει τοῖς ἀθληταῖς. Καὶ τέως, εἰ δοκεῖ, τῆς ἀπολαύσεως τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν σχολαζούσης, ἣν ἐλπὶς ἀγαθὴ ταμιεύεται τοῖς δικαίοις, ἡνίκα ἂν ὁ τῶν ἡμετέρων βίων δικαστὴς ἐπιφοιτήσῃ, τὴν παροῦσαν ἴδωμεν τῶν ἁγίων κατάστασιν, ὅπως καλλίστη ἐστὶ καὶ μεγαλοπρεπής. Ψυχὴ μὲν γὰρ ἀνελθοῦσα περὶ τὸν ἴδιον κλῆρον ἐμφιλοχωρεῖ, καὶ ἀσωμάτως τοῖς ὁμοίοις συνδιαιτᾶται· σῶμα δὲ τὸ σεμνὸν καὶ ἀκηλίδωτον ἐκείνης ὄργανον, οὐδαμοῦ τοῖς ἰδίοις πάθεσι βλάψαν τῆς ἐνοικησάσης τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν, μετὰ πολλῆς τιμῆς καὶ θεραπείας περισταλὲν, σεμνῶς ἐν ἱερῷ τόπῳ κατάκειται, ὥσπερ τι κειμήλιον πολυτίμητον τῷ καιρῷ τῆς παλιγγενεσίας τηρούμενον, πολὺ τὸ ἀσύγκριτον ἔχον πρὸς τὰ ἄλλα τῶν σωμάτων, ἃ κοινῷ καὶ τῷ τυχόντι διελύθη θανάτῳ, καὶ ταῦτα ἐν ὁμοίᾳ ὕλῃ τῆς φύσεως. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλα τῶν λειψάνων, καὶ βδελυκτὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐστι, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἡδέως παρέρχεται τάφον, ἢ καὶ ἀνεῳγότι τυχὼν ἐκ τοῦ παραδόξου, ἐπιβαλὼν δὲ τὴν ὄψιν τῇ ἀμορφίᾳ τῶν ἐγκειμένων, πάσης ἀηδίας πληρωθείς, καὶ βαρέα καταστενάξας τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος παρατρέχει. Ἐλθὼν δὲ εἴς τι χωρίον ὅμοιον τούτῳ, ἔνθα σήμερον ὁ ἡμέτερος σύλλογος, ὅπου μνήμη δικαίου καὶ ἅγιον λείψανον· πρῶτον μὲν τῇ μεγαλοπρεπείᾳ τῶν ὁρωμένων ψυχαγωγεῖται, οἶκον βλέπων ὡς Θεοῦ ναὸν, ἐξησκημένον λαμπρῶς τῷ μεγέθει τῆς οἰκοδομῆς, καὶ τῷ τῆς ἐπικοσμήσεως κάλλει, ἔνθα καὶ τέκτων εἰς ζώων φαντασίαν τὸ ξύλον ἐμόρφωσε, καὶ λιθοξόος εἰς ἀργύρου λειότητα τὰς πλάκας ἀπέξεσεν. Ἐπέχρωσε δὲ καὶ ζωγράφος τὰ ἄνθη τῆς τέχνης ἐν εἰκόνι διαγραψάμενος, τὰς ἀριστείας τοῦ μάρτυρος, τὰς ἐνστάσεις, τὰς ἀλγηδόνας, τὰς θηριώδεις τῶν τυράννων μορφὰς, τὰς ἐπηρείας, τὴν φλογοτρόφον ἐκείνην κάμινον, τὴν μακαριωτάτην τελείωσιν τοῦ ἀθλητοῦ, τοῦ ἀγωνοθέτου Χριστοῦ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης μορφῆς τὸ ἐκτύπωμα, πάντα ἡμῶν ὡς ἐν βιβλίῳ τινὶ γλωττοφόρῳ διὰ χρωμάτων τεχνουργησάμενος, σαφῶς διηγόρευσε τοὺς ἀγῶνας τοῦ μάρτυρος, καὶ ὡς λειμῶνα λαμπρὸν τὸν νεὼν κατηγλάῖσεν· οἶδε γὰρ καὶ γραφή σιωπῶσα ἐν τοίχῳ λαλεῖν, καὶ τὰ μέγιστα ὠφελεῖν· ### English translation (Claude) hearth, not equipping them for warlike preparation, but gathering them to sweet peace, which most of all befits Christians? For he, as we believe, last year too lulled the barbarian storm and stopped the terrible war of the savage Scythians, brandishing at them, as they came into view and drew near, a terror and a fright: not a three-crested helmet nor a well-sharpened sword flashing in the sun, but the all-powerful cross of Christ that wards off evil, for which he himself suffered and won this glory. And now, fixing your minds on it, consider, you servants of this pure worship and lovers of the martyrs, what a thing a righteous man is and what rewards he is counted worthy of (I mean those in this world and among us; for no one is able to reckon the magnificence of the invisible ones); and, having recognized the fruit of true religion, emulate the mind of those who are so preferred in honour. Desire the prizes which Christ distributes to the athletes according to their worth. And meanwhile, if you please, since the enjoyment of the good things to come, which good hope stores up for the righteous, waits until the judge of our lives comes, let us look at the present state of the saints, how very beautiful and magnificent it is. The soul, having gone up, dwells gladly in its own inheritance and lives bodilessly with those like it; but the body, the holy and spotless instrument of that soul, which never harmed by its own passions the incorruption of the soul that dwelt in it, is wrapped with much honour and care and lies reverently in a holy place, like a precious treasure kept for the time of regeneration, far beyond comparison with the other bodies that have been dissolved by common and ordinary death, though they are of the same natural material. For other remains are loathsome to most people, and no one passes a tomb gladly; or if he happens to come upon one that is open and casts his eye on the shapelessness of what lies within, he is filled with every disgust and, groaning heavily over humanity, hurries past. But when he comes to a place like this one, where our assembly is today, where there is the memorial of a righteous man and a holy relic, first he is delighted by the magnificence of what he sees, beholding a house adorned brilliantly as a temple of God with the size of the building and the beauty of its decoration, where the carpenter has shaped the wood into the likeness of animals and the stonecutter has polished the slabs to the smoothness of silver. And the painter too has laid on his colours, depicting the flowers of his art in an image: the martyr’s feats of valour, his resistance, his pains, the beastlike forms of the tyrants, their abuses, that flame-fed furnace, the most blessed consummation of the athlete, the likeness in human form of Christ who presided over the contest; crafting all these for us in colours as in a book that speaks, he has clearly told the martyr’s contests and made the church bright as a shining meadow; for painting, though silent on the wall, knows how to speak and to do the greatest good. ### Translation notes - The “Scythians” are probably the Goths; the invasion is not otherwise identified in the text. The description of the martyr’s church, its carvings, and its paintings of his passion and of Christ is translated as written. The opening parenthesis on the invisible rewards is not closed in the digitized text. In “Desire the prizes which Christ distributes” a relative pronoun is missing in the printed text and supplied by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nyssa, Thdr. 737 (PG 46:737–738; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-theodorum/737). ## Encomium on Theodore the Martyr, Migne cols. 739–740 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-theodorum/735/#p-739 - Source: PG 46:739–740 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12 Summary: Pilgrims touch the martyr’s tomb and relics and ask his intercession, showing that the death of the saints is precious to God; Gregory turns to Theodore’s own story, an eastern-born recruit. ### Greek text καὶ ὁ τῶν ψηφίδων συνθέτης, ἱστορίας ἄξιον ἐποίησε τὸ πατούμενον ἔδαφος. Καὶ τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς οὕτω φιλοτεχνήμασιν ἐνευπαθήσας τὴν ὄψιν, ἐπιθυμεῖ λοιπὸν καὶ αὐτῇ πλησιάσαι τῇ θήκῃ· ἁγιασμὸν καὶ εὐλογίαν τὴν ἐπαφὴν εἶναι πιστεύων. Εἰ δὲ καὶ κόνιν τις δοίη φέρειν τὴν ἐπικειμένην τῇ ἐπιφανείᾳ τῆς ἀναπαύσεως, δῶρον ὁ χοῦς λαμβάνεται, καὶ ὡς κειμήλιον ἡ γῆ θησαυρίζεται. Τὸ γὰρ αὐτοῦ τοῦ λειψάνου προσάψασθαι, εἴ ποτέ τις ἐπιτυχία τοιαύτη παράσχοι τὴν ἐξουσίαν, ὅπως ἐστὶ πολυπόθητον, καὶ εὐχῆς τῆς ἀνωτάτω τὸ δῶρον, ἴσασιν οἱ πεπειραμένοι, καὶ τῆς τοιαύτης ἐπιθυμίας ἐμφορηθέντες. Ὡς σῶμα γὰρ αὐτὸ ζῶν καὶ ἀνθοῦν οἱ βλέποντες κατασπάζονται, τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς, τῷ στόματι, ταῖς ἀκοαῖς, πάσαις προσἀγοντες ταῖς αἰσθήσεσιν, εἶτα τὸ τῆς εὐλαβείας καὶ τὸ τοῦ πάθους ἐπιχέοντες δάκρυον, ὡς ὁλοκλήρῳ καὶ φαινομένῳ τῷ μάρτυρι τὴν τοῦ πρεσβεύειν ἱκεσίαν προσάγουσιν, ὡς δορυφόρον τοῦ Θεοῦ παρακαλοῦντες, ὡς λαμβάνοντα τὰς δωρεὰς ὅταν ἐθέλῃ ἐπικαλούμενοι. Ἐκ τούτων πάντων, ὁ εὐσεβὴς λαὸς, καταμάθετε, ὅτι Τίμιος ἐναντίον Κυρίου ὁ θάνατος τῶν ὁσίων αὐτοῦ. Ἔν μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ σῶμα πάντων ἀνθρώπων, ἐξ ἑνὸς φυράματος ἔχον τὴν σύστασιν· ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν ἁπλῶς ἀποθανὸν, ῥίπτεται ὡς τὸ τυχόν· τὸ δὲ τῷ πάθει τοῦ μαρτυρίου χαριτωθὲν, οὕτως ἐστὶν ἐράσμιον καὶ ἀμφισβητήσιμον, ὡς ὁ προλαβὼν λόγος ἐδίδαξεν. Διὰ τοῦτο πιστεύσωμεν ἐκ τῶν φαινομένων τοῖς ἀοράτοις, ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ πείρας τῇ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπαγγελίᾳ. Πολλοὶ γὰρ οἱ τὴν γαστέρα, καὶ τὴν κενοδοξίαν, καὶ τὸν ἐνθάδε συρφετὸν πάντων ἐπίπροσθεν ἄγοντες, οὐδὲν ἡγοῦνται τὸ μέλλον τῷ τέλει δὲ τοῦ βίου συμπεραιοῦσθαι τὰ πάντα νομίζουσιν. Αλλ' ὁ φρονῶν οὕτως, ἐκ τῶν μικρῶν τὰ μεγάλα κατάμαθε, ἐκ τῶν σκιῶν τὰ ἀρχέτυπα νόησον. Τίς τῶν βασιλέων τοιαύτην τιμᾶται τιμὴν; τίς τῶν καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἐν ἀνθρώποις φανέντων τοιαύτῃ μνήμῃ δοξάζεται; τίς τῶν στρατηγῶν τῶν πόλεις τειχήρεις ἑλόντων, καὶ ἔθνη δουλωσαμένων μυρία, οὕτως ἐστὶν ἀοίδιμος, ὡς ὁ στρατιώτης οὗτος, ὁ πένης, ὁ νεόλεκτος, ὃν Παῦλος ὤπλισεν, ὃν ἄγγελος πρὸς τὸν ἀγῶνα ἤλειψαν, καὶ νικήσαντα Χριστὸς ἐστεφάνωσεν Μᾶλλον δὲ ἐπειδὴ ἐγγὺς ἐγενόμην τῷ λόγῳ τῶν ἀγώνων τοῦ μάρτυρος, φέρε, τὰ κοινὰ καταλιπόντες, τὸν ἐξαίρετον τοῦ ἁγίου λόγον ποιήσωμεν· φίλον γὰρ ἑκάστῳ τὸ ἴδιον. Πατρὶς τοίνυν τῷ γενναίῳ, ἡ πρὸς ἥλιον ἀνίσχουσα χώρα· εὐγενὴς γὰρ καὶ οὗτος κατὰ τὸν Ἰὼβ τῶν ἀφ᾿ ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν, καὶ τῆς πατρίδος ἐκείνῳ κοινωνῶν, οὐκ ἀπελείφθη τῆς τοῦ ἤθους μιμήσεως. Νῦν δὲ πάσῃ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ ἐστὶ μάρτυς κοινὸς τῆς ὑφ᾽ ἡλίῳ πολίτης ληφθεὶς δὲ ἐκεῖθεν πρὸς ὁπλιτικοὺς καταλόγους, ### English translation (Claude) And the craftsman who put together the mosaic stones made the floor that is trodden on worthy of history. And having delighted his eyes with such works of art for the senses, the visitor then longs to approach the tomb itself, believing that touching it is sanctification and blessing. And if someone allows him to carry away the dust lying on the surface of the resting place, the dust is received as a gift and the earth is treasured as a keepsake. As for touching the relic itself, if ever such good fortune should give the opportunity, how much longed for that is, and a gift answering the highest prayer, those know who have experienced it and been filled with such a desire. For those who see it embrace it as if it were the living and blooming body itself, applying to it eyes, mouth, ears, all the senses; then, shedding the tear of reverence and of feeling, they bring their petition for intercession to the martyr as though he were whole and present, entreating him as a bodyguard of God, calling on him as one who receives gifts when he wishes. From all these things, godly people, learn that “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his holy ones.” For the body of all men is one and the same, having its constitution from one lump; but the body that has simply died is thrown aside as a common thing, while the one graced by the suffering of martyrdom is so lovely and so much sought after, as the preceding discourse has taught. Therefore let us believe the invisible from the visible, the promise of the things to come from our experience in the world. For many who put the belly and vainglory and the rubbish of this world before everything think nothing of the future and suppose that everything is finished with the end of life. But you who think so, learn the great things from the small, perceive the archetypes from the shadows. Which of the kings is honoured with such honour? Which of those who appeared most eminent among men is glorified with such remembrance? Which of the generals who took walled cities and enslaved countless nations is so celebrated as this soldier, the poor man, the new recruit, whom Paul armed, whom angels anointed for the contest, and whom Christ crowned when he had conquered? But rather, since in my discourse I have come near the martyr’s contests, come, let us leave what is general and make our discourse about what belongs to the saint; for to each his own is dear. The noble man’s homeland, then, was the country towards the rising sun; for he too, like Job, was nobly born among those from the rising of the sun, and, sharing his homeland with him, did not fall short in imitating his character. But now he is a common martyr of the whole world, a citizen of all under the sun. Taken from there into the soldiers’ rolls, ### Scripture references - Ps 116:15 (115:6 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Rom 9:21: echo, medium confidence - Phil 3:19: echo, medium confidence - Eph 6:11: allusion, medium confidence - Job 1:3: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The pilgrims’ veneration of the relics and their petitions for the martyr’s intercession are described as written. “Precious in the sight of the Lord …”: Ps 116:15 (LXX 115:6). “One lump”: Rom 9:21. “Whose god is the belly”: Phil 3:19. Paul’s armour: Eph 6:11–17. Job “nobly born among those from the rising of the sun”: Job 1:3 LXX. “Whom angels anointed” translates ὃν ἄγγελος … ἤλειψαν, where the printed singular noun and plural verb disagree. The page ends inside a word, completed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nyssa, Thdr. 739 (PG 46:739–740; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-theodorum/739). ## Encomium on Theodore the Martyr, Migne cols. 741–742 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-theodorum/735/#p-741 - Source: PG 46:741–742 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12 Summary: Theodore, wintering with his unit in Pontus during the persecution, confesses Christ before the governor and commander, rejects the gods as demons, and answers a mocking officer about the Son of God. ### Greek text οὕτω μετὰ τοῦ ἰδίου τάγματος πρὸς τὴν ἡμετέραν διέβη χώραν, τῆς χειμερινῆς ἀναπαύσεως τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐνθάδε παρὰ τῶν κρατούντων διαταχθείσης. Πολέμου δὲ κινηθέντος ἀθρόον, οὐκ ἐξ ἐφόδου βαρβαρικῆς, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ νόμου Σατανικοῦ, καὶ δόγματος θεομάχου (πᾶς γὰρ Χριστιανὸς ἡλαύνετο τῷ δυσσεβεῖ γράμματι, καὶ πρὸς θάνατον ἤγετο)· τότε δὴ, τότε ὁ τρισμακάριος οὗτος, γνώριμος ὧν ἐπ᾿ εὐσεβείᾳ, καὶ τὴν πίστιν τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν πανταχοῦ περιφέρων, μόνον οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου τὴν ὁμολογίαν γραψάμενος, οὐκέτι νεόλεκτος ἦν τὴν ἀνδρείαν, οὐδὲ ἄπειρος πολέμου καὶ μάχης· ἀλλὰ γενναῖος τὴν ψυχὴν, ἰσχυρὰν ποιησάμενος πρὸς τοὺς κινδύνους τὴν ἔνστασιν, οὐχ ὑφειμένος, οὐ δειλιῶν, οὐ λόγον ἀπαῤῥησίαστον προβαλλόμενος. Ὡς γὰρ ἐκάθισε τὸ πονηρὸν ἐκεῖνο δικαστήριον, ὅ τε ἡγεμὼν καὶ ὁ ταξίαρχος εἰς ταὐτὸ συνελθόντες, ὡς Ἡρώδης ποτὲ καὶ Πιλάτος, τὸν δοῦλον τοῦ σταυρωθέντος, εἰς κρίσιν ὁμοίαν τοῦ Δεσπότου κατέστησαν. Καὶ λέγε, φησί, πόθεν σοι θρασύτητος καὶ τόλμης ἐγγινομένης, εἰς τὸν βασιλικὸν ἐξυβρίζεις νόμον, οὐχ ὑποκύπτεις δὲ τρέμων τοῖς τοῦ Δεσπότου προστάγμασιν, οὐδὲ προσκυνεῖς κατὰ τὸ δοκοῦν τοῖς κρατοῦσιν Οἱ γὰρ ἀμφὶ Μαξιμιανὸν τότε τῆς βασιλείας ἡγοῦντο. "Ος στεῤῥῷ τῷ προσώπῳ καὶ ἀκατα[π]λήκτῳ τῇ γνώμῃ, εἰστοχον τὴν ἀπόκρισιν τοῖς λεχθεῖσιν ἐπέθηκεν· Θεοὺς μὲν οὐκ οἶδα (οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰσὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν)· δαίμονας δὲ ὑμεῖς ἀπατεῶνας πλανᾶσθε τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ τιμῶντες προσηγορίᾳ· ἐμοὶ δὲ Θεὸς ὁ Χριστὸς, ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ μονογενής Υἱός. Ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας τοίνυν καὶ τῆς ὁμολογίας τῆς εἰς ἐκεῖνον, καὶ ὁ τιτρώσκων τεμνέτω, καὶ ὁ μαστίζων ξαινέτω, καὶ ὁ καίων προσαγέτω τὴν φλόγα, καὶ ὁ ταῖς φωναῖς μου ταύταις ἀχθόμενος ἐξαιρέτω τὴν γλῶσσαν· καθ' ἕκαστον γὰρ μέλος, τὸ σῶμα τῷ κτίσαντι χρεωστεί τὴν ὑπομονήν. Ηττήθησαν τῶν λόγων οἱ τύραννοι· καὶ τὴν πρώτην προσβολὴν τοῦ ἀριστέως οὐκ ἤνεγκαν, νεανίσκον βλέποντες πρὸς τὸ πάθος σφριγῶντα, καὶ ὡς ἡδύ τι πόμα τὴν τελευτὴν ἐφελκόμενον. Ως δὲ ἐκεῖνοι μικρὸν ἐπεῖχον ἠπορημένοι, καὶ βουλευόμενοι τὸ πρακτέον εἷς τις τῶν ἐν τέλει στρατιώτης κομψὸς εἶναι οἱόμενος, ἐπιχλευάζων ὁμοῦ τὴν ἀπόκρισιν τὴν τοῦ μάρτυρος, Ἔστι γὰρ, ἔφη, «Υιός, ὦ Θεόδωρε, τῷ σῷ Θεῷ; καὶ γεννᾷ ἐκεῖνος, ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἐμπαθῶς;» Ἐμπαθῶς μὲν ὁ ἐμὸς, ἔφη, Θεὸς οὐκ ἐγέννησεν· ἀλλὰ καὶ Υἱὸν ὁμολογῶ, καὶ θεοπρεπῆ λέγω τὴν γέννησιν· σὺ, ὦ νηπιώδη τὸν λογισμὸν καὶ ἄθλιε, οὐκ ἐρυθριᾷς οὐδὲ ἐγκαλύπτῃ καὶ θήλειαν ὁμολογῶν θεὰν, καὶ ὡς μητέρα δώδεκα παίδων τὴν αὐτὴν προσκυνῶν, πολύτοκόν τινα δαίμονα κατὰ τοὺς λαγωοὺς ἢ τὰς ἷας εὐκόλως καὶ ἐγκυϊσκομένην καὶ ἀποτίκτουσαν Οὕτως δὲ τοῦ ἁγίου διπλοῦν ἀντιστρέψαντος τῷ εἰδωλολάτρῃ τὸν καταγέλωτα, σχῆμα πλασάμενοι φιλανθρωπίας οἱ τύραννοι, Ὀλίγος, φησὶ, πρὸς διάσκεψιν ἐνδοθήτω τῷ μαινομένῳ καιρός ἴσως κατὰ ### English translation (Claude) he crossed with his own unit to our country, since the soldiers’ winter quarters had been assigned here by the rulers. When war was suddenly stirred up, not by a barbarian attack but by a satanic law and a God-fighting decree (for every Christian was hunted down by the impious edict and led to death), then, then this thrice-blessed man, known for his piety and carrying about everywhere his faith in Christ, all but having his confession written on his forehead, was no longer a new recruit in courage, nor inexperienced in war and battle; but, noble in soul, he made his resistance to the dangers strong, not giving way, not cowardly, not putting forward a word lacking boldness. For when that wicked court sat, the governor and the commander came together into one, as Herod and Pilate once did, and set the servant of the Crucified on trial like his Master’s. “And tell me,” he says, “where do you get the audacity and daring to insult the imperial law, and not bow trembling to the commands of our master, nor worship as the rulers have decided?” (For Maximian and his colleagues then held the empire.) He, with a firm face and an undaunted mind, put a well-aimed answer to what was said: “I do not know gods (for in truth there are none); but you are deceived, honouring deceiving demons with the name of God. For me, God is Christ, the only-begotten Son of God. For true religion, then, and for my confession of him, let the wounder cut, let the scourger tear, let the burner bring the flame, and let the one who is vexed by these words of mine tear out my tongue; for in each member the body owes endurance to its Creator.” The tyrants were defeated by the words, and could not bear the first assault of the champion, seeing a young man bursting with eagerness for suffering and drawing death to himself like a sweet drink. While they paused for a little, at a loss and deliberating what to do, one of the officers, a soldier who thought himself witty, mocking the martyr’s answer, said: “Has your God a Son, Theodore? And does he beget, as a man does, with passion?” “My God,” he said, “did not beget with passion; but I both confess a Son and call the begetting one worthy of God. But you, childish in your reasoning and wretched, do you not blush or hide your face, when you confess a female goddess too and worship her as the mother of twelve children, a prolific demon who, like hares or sows, easily conceives and gives birth?” When the saint had thus turned the ridicule back double on the idolater, the tyrants, putting on a show of kindness, said: “Let the madman be given a little time for reflection; perhaps, ### Scripture references - Luke 23:12: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Herod and Pilate: Luke 23:12. “The commands of our master” (τοῦ Δεσπότου): the emperor. The persecution named is that under Maximian and his colleagues (the Great Persecution, early fourth century); the date of Theodore’s death is not given. The “mother of twelve children” is the pagan mother of the gods (Cybele/Rhea); the gibe is Theodore’s, translated as written. In ἀκατα[π]λήκτῳ the bracketed letter is as printed. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nyssa, Thdr. 741 (PG 46:741–742; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-theodorum/741). ## Encomium on Theodore the Martyr, Migne cols. 743–744 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-theodorum/735/#p-743 - Source: PG 46:743–744 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12 Summary: Given time to reconsider, Theodore burns the temple of the mother of the gods at Amasea, confesses it openly, and laughs at the offer of a pagan high priesthood, mocking the emperors who take the title of high priest. ### Greek text σχολὴν δοὺς ἑαυτῷ γνώμην, μετάθηται πρὸς τὸ βέλτιον. Μανίαν γὰρ οἱ ἔκφρονες τὴν σωφροσύνην ἐκάλουν· ἔκστασιν δὲ καὶ παραφορὰν, τὴν εὐλάβειαν ὥσπερ ὅταν οἱ μεθύοντες, τὸ ἴδιον πάθος τοῖς νήφουσιν ὀνειδίζωσιν. Ἀλλ᾿ ὁ εὐσεβής ἄνθρωπος καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ στρατιώτης,εἰς ἀνδρικὴν πρᾶξιν τῇ δοθείσῃ σχολῇ κατεχρήσατο. Ποίᾳ ταύτῃ; Καιρὸς ὑμῖν μετ' εὐφροσύνης ὑποδέξασθαι τὸ διήγημα· Τῇ μυθευομένῃ μητρὶ τῶν θεῶν, ναὸς ἦν ἐπὶ τῆς μετροπόλεως ᾿Αμασείας, ὃν οἱ τότε πλανώμενοι, αὐτοῦ που περὶ τὰς ὄχθας τοῦ ποταμοῦ τῇ ματαιότητι κατεσκεύασαν. Τοῦτον ὁ γενναῖος, ἐν τῷ τῆς δοθείσης ἀδείας καιρῷ ἐπιτηρήσας εὔκαιρον ὥραν, καὶ αὖραν ἐπίφορον, ἐμπρήσας κατέφλεξεν, ἔργῳ τοῖς ἀλιτηρίοις δοὺς τὴν ἀπόκρισιν, ἣν πάντως ἀνέμενον μετὰ τὴν διάσκεψιν. Ἐπιδήλου δὲ τοῦ πράγματος ταχέως ἅπασι γενομένου (καὶ γὰρ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ τῆς πόλεως φανερώτατον ἐξήφθη τὸ πῦρ), οὐκ ἐπεκρύψατο τὴν ἐγχείρησιν, οὐδὲ ἐσπούδασε τὸ λαθεῖν· ἀλλ᾽ ἔνδηλος ἦν, καὶ σφόδρα γε τῷ κατορθώματι γαυριῶν, καὶ ὑπερχαίρων τῇ ταραχῇ τῶν ἀθέων, ἣν ἐταράττοντο, τῷ ναῷ περιαλγοῦντες καὶ τῷ ξοάνῳ. Καὶ μέντοι κατεμηνύθη τοῖς ἄρχουσιν, ὡς αὐτουργήσας τὸν ἐμπρησμόν· καὶ πάλιν κριτήριον φοβερώτερον τοῦ προτέρου ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ εἰκὸς, ἐπισυμβάντος τηλικούτου τοῦ παροξύναντος. Καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τὸν δικαστικὸν ἀνέβησαν θρόνον. Θεόδωρος δὲ εὐπαῤῥησίαστος ἐν τοῖς μέσοις ἄρχοντος θάρσος ἔχων ἐν τῇ στάσει τοῦ κρινομένου έρωτώμενος, καὶ τῷ τάχει τῆς ὁμολογίας τὴν ἐρώτησιν ἐπικόπτων. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀκατάπληκτος ἦν, καὶ πρὸς οὐδὲν ἐφείδετο τῶν ἀπειλουμένων δεινῶν, εἰς τοὐναντίον μετεβλήθησαν τρόπον· καὶ φιλανθρώπως διαλεγόμενοι, ἐπαγγελίαις ὑποσύρειν ἐπειρῶντο τὸν δίκαιον. Καὶ γίνωσκε, φησὶν, «ὡς εἰ βουληθείης εὐπειθῶς τὴν συμβουλὴν τὴν ἡμετέραν προσδέξασθαι, εὐθὺς σε καταστήσομεν ἐξ ἀφανῶν γνώριμον, ἐξ ἀδόξων ἔντιμον καί σοι τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης ἐπαγγελλόμεθα τὴν ἀξίαν. Ὡς δὲ τοῦ τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης ἀξιώματος ἤκουσεν, ἐγγελάσας μακρὸν ὁ τρισμακάριος εἶπεν Ἐγὼ καὶ τοὺς ἱερέας τῶν εἰδώλων ἀθλίους κρίνων, καὶ ὡς ματαίας πράξεως ὑπηρέτας, οἰκτείρω· τοὺς δὲ ἀρχιερέας ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐλεῶ καὶ βδελύσσομαι· ἐπὶ γὰρ τῶν χειρόνων, ὁ μείζων καὶ πρωτοτακτῶν ἀθλιώτερος· ὡς ἐν τοῖς ἀδίκοις, ὁ ἀδικώτερος ὡς ἐν τοῖς φονεῦσιν, ὁ μᾶλλον ὠμός· ὡς ἐν τοῖς ἀκολάστοις, ὁ ἀσελγέστερος· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη διὰ τῶν ὀλεθρίων ἐπαγγελιῶν καταβάλετε λελήθατε γάρ μοι, ὦ οὗτοι, τὴν κορυφὴν τῶν κακῶν ὑποσχόμενοι τῷ δὲ εὐσεβῶς καὶ ὀρθῶς ζῇν προαιρουμένῳ, παραῤῥιπτεῖσθαι καλὸν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ μᾶλλον, ἢ οἰκεῖν ἐν σκηνώμασιν ἁμαρτωλῶν. Ἐγὼ καὶ τοὺς βασιλέας τούτους, ὧν τὸν ἄνομον συνεχῶς ὑπαναγινώσκετε νόμον, ἐλεῶ, ὅτι αὔταρκες ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἀξίωμα τὸ κράτος τῆς βασιλείας ἔχοντες, τὴν τοῦ ἀρχιερέως ἑαυτοῖς προσηγορίαν ἀνέθεσαν, καὶ τὴν πενθήρη καὶ σκοτεινὴν πορφύραν ἐκεῖθεν ἀμπίσχονται, κατὰ μίμησιν τῶν κακοδαιμόνων ἀρχιερέων, ἀξιώματι φαιδρῷ σκυθρωπὸν περιφέροντες ἔνδυμα· ἔστι δὲ ὅτε καὶ μιαρῷ βωμῷ πλησιάζοντες, ἀντὶ βασιλέων γίνονται ### English translation (Claude) giving himself time to think at leisure, he will change his mind for the better.” For the senseless men called sound sense madness, and reverence ecstasy and derangement, as when drunkards reproach the sober with their own condition. But the godly man and soldier of Christ used the time given him for a manly deed. What was it? It is time for you to receive the story with gladness. The so-called mother of the gods had a temple in the metropolis of Amasea, which those who were then in error had built in their vanity somewhere there by the banks of the river. This the noble man, during the respite given him, watching for a suitable hour and a favourable wind, set on fire and burned down, giving the sinners in deed the answer they were surely awaiting after his reflection. When the matter quickly became known to all (for the fire blazed up most conspicuously in the middle of the city), he did not conceal the undertaking nor try to escape notice, but was openly known, exulting greatly in the achievement and rejoicing exceedingly at the turmoil of the godless, who were in turmoil, grieving for the temple and the wooden image. He was denounced to the rulers as having done the burning with his own hand; and again there was a court more fearsome than the first, as was natural, since so great a provocation had occurred. They went up to the judgment seat; and Theodore stood boldly in the midst, with the confidence of a ruler while in the position of the accused, was questioned, and cut the question short by the speed of his confession. Since he was undaunted and paid no heed to any of the terrors threatened, they changed to the opposite manner; and, speaking kindly, they tried to draw the righteous man away with promises. “Know,” he says, “that if you are willing obediently to accept our advice, we will at once make you known instead of obscure, honoured instead of inglorious; and we promise you the dignity of the high priesthood.” When he heard of the dignity of the high priesthood, the thrice-blessed man laughed long and said: “I judge even the priests of the idols wretched and pity them as servants of a vain practice; but the high priests I pity still more and abhor; for among the worse, the greater and the one of first rank is the more wretched, as among the unjust the more unjust, as among murderers the more savage, as among the licentious the more debauched. And so by these destructive promises you are already bringing me down; for you have not noticed, sirs, that you are promising me the summit of evils. But for one who chooses to live godly and rightly, it is good to be cast aside in the house of God rather than to dwell in the tents of sinners. I pity even these emperors whose lawless law you keep reading out, because, though in the power of empire they have a dignity sufficient among men, they have taken for themselves the title of high priest, and because of it they wear the mournful and dark purple, in imitation of the wretched high priests, carrying about a gloomy garment with a bright dignity; and sometimes, approaching a polluted altar, instead of emperors they become ### Scripture references - Ps 84:10 (83:11 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Amasea in Pontus, on the river Iris. The burning of the temple and Theodore’s ridicule of the pagan priesthood are translated as written. “It is good to be cast aside in the house of God …”: Ps 84:10 (LXX 83:11). The emperors’ priestly title is that of pontifex maximus. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nyssa, Thdr. 743 (PG 46:743–744; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-theodorum/743). ## Encomium on Theodore the Martyr, Migne cols. 745–746 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-theodorum/735/#p-745 - Source: PG 46:745–746 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12 Summary: Theodore is tortured on the rack while singing a psalm, is heard with a heavenly choir in prison, and is burned; his shrine has become a place of healing and pilgrimage, and Gregory calls on him to come to his feast. ### Greek text μάγειροι ὄρνεις θύοντες, καὶ βοσκημάτων ἀθλίων σπλάγχνα διερευνώμενοι, καὶ τῷ λύθρῳ τοῦ αἵματος, ὡς κρεωπῶλαί τινες τὴν ἐσθῆτα μολύνοντες. Μετὰ ταύτας τὰς φωνὰς τοῦ δικαίου, οὐκέτι οὐδὲ τὴν πλαστὴν φιλανθρωπίαν καὶ ἐσχηματισμένην οἱ ἄρχοντες ἐπεδείκνυντο· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀσεβέστατον πρὸς τοὺς Θεοὺς καλοῦντες, καὶ ἔτι τῶν βασιλέων ὑβριστὴν καὶ βλάσφημον, πρῶτον μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ βασανιστηρίου ξύλου κρεμάσαντες, τὸ σῶμα κατέξαινον· ὁ δὲ, τῶν δημίων σφοδρῶς ἐνεργούντων, καρτερὸς ἦν καὶ ἀνένδοτος, καὶ στίχον ἐκ τῆς Ψαλμωδίας ταῖς βασάνοις ἐπῇδεν· Εὐλογήσω τὸν Κύριον ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ, διὰ παντὸς ἡ αἵνεσις αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ στόματί μου. Καὶ οἱ μὲν τῶν σαρκῶν ἀπέξεον· ὁ δὲ ἔψαλλεν, ὡς ἄλλου τινὸς ὑφισταμένου τὴν τιμωρίαν. Διεδέξατο τὴν κόλασιν ταύτην τὸ δεσμωτήριον, καὶ πάλιν ἐκεῖ θαῦμα ἐτελεῖτο περὶ τὸν ἄγιον, καὶ νύκτωρ φωνή πλήθους ψαλλόντων ἠκούετο, καὶ λαμπάδων ἐπιφαινουσῶν, ὡς ἐν παννυχίδι αὐγὴ ἑωρᾶτο τοῖς ἔξωθεν, ὡς καὶ τὸν δεσμοφύλακα πρὸς τὴν παράδοξον ὄψιν καὶ ἀκοὴν ταραχθέντα, εἰσπηδῆσαι εἰς τὸν οἰκίσκον, καὶ μηδένα εὑρεῖν πλὴν τοῦ μάρτυρος ἡσυχάζοντος, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων δεσμωτῶν καθευδόντων. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πολλῶν γινομένων ἤκμαζε πρὸς τὴν ὁμολογίαν καὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν, ἦλθεν ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν ἡ κατακρίνουσα ψῆφος, καὶ πυρὶ τελειωθῆναι κελευσθεὶς, αὐτὸς μὲν ἀπῆλθε τὴν καλὴν καὶ μακαρίαν πρὸς Θεὸν πορείαν ἡμῖν δὲ τὴν μνήμην τοῦ ἀγῶνος διδασκάλιον κατέλιπε, λαοὺς ἀθροίζων, ἐκκλησίαν παιδεύων, δαίμονας ἀπελαύνων, ἀγγέλους εἰρηνικοὺς κατάγων, ζητῶν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν παρὰ Θεοῦ τὰ συμφέροντα, ἰατρεῖον νόσων ποικίλων τὸν τόπον τοῦτον ἀπεργασάμενος, λιμένα τῶν χειμαζομένων ταῖς θλίψεσι, πενήτων εὐθηνουμένων ταμιεῖον, ὁδοιπόρων ἀνεκτὸν καταγώγιον, πανήγυριν τῶν ἑορταζόντων ἄληκτον. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐνιαυσιαίοις ἑορταῖς τὴν ἡμέραν ταύτην τελοῦμεν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐδέποτε λήγει τῶν κατὰ σπουδὴν ἀφικνουμένων τὸ πλῆθος, τῶν μυρμήκων δὲ σώζει τὴν ὁμοιότητα, ἡ ἐπὶ τάδε φέρουσα λεωφόρος, τῶν μὲν ἀνιόντων, τῶν δὲ ὑποχωρούντων τοῖς ἐρχομένοις. Ἡμεῖς μὲν οὖν, ὦ μακάριε, τὸν τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ κύκλον καταλαβόντες φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ κτίσαντος, ἠθροίσαμέν σοι τὴν πανήγυριν, τὸν ἱερὸν τῶν φιλομαρτύρων σύλλογον, τόν τε κοινὸν προσκυνοῦντες Δεσπότην, καὶ τὴν ἐπινίκιον πληρώσαντες τῶν σῶν ἀγώνων ὑπόμνησιν· σὺ δὲ, δεῦρο δὴ πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ὅπου ποτ᾿ ἂν ἧς, τῆς ἑορτῆς ἔφορος (καλέσαντα γάρ σε ἀντικαλοῦμεν)· καὶ εἴτε τῷ ὑψηλῷ αἰθέριον διαιτᾷ, εἴτε τινὰ ἐπουράνιον ἀψίδα περιπολεῖς, ἢ χοροῖς ### English translation (Claude) cooks, sacrificing birds, searching the entrails of wretched cattle, and staining their clothing with gore like butchers.” After these words of the righteous man, the rulers no longer displayed even their feigned and assumed kindness; but calling him most impious towards the gods and, besides, an insulter and blasphemer of the emperors, they first hung him on the wooden rack and tore his body; but he, while the executioners worked hard, was steadfast and unyielding, and sang over his tortures a verse from the Psalter: “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” They scraped off his flesh, but he sang psalms, as though someone else were undergoing the punishment. Prison succeeded this punishment, and there again a wonder took place about the saint: by night the sound of a multitude singing psalms was heard, and a light was seen by those outside as of lamps shining at an all-night vigil, so that the jailer, troubled at the strange sight and sound, rushed into the cell and found no one but the martyr at rest and the other prisoners asleep. When, after many such things had happened, he was at the height of his confession and true religion, the condemning sentence came upon him; and, ordered to be perfected by fire, he himself departed on the fair and blessed journey to God, but left us the memory of his contest as a lesson, gathering peoples, instructing the church, driving out demons, bringing down peaceful angels, asking God for what is good for us, and making this place a house of healing for various diseases, a harbour for those storm-tossed by afflictions, a storehouse of plenty for the poor, a welcome lodging for travellers, an unceasing festival for those keeping feast. For even if we keep this day with yearly festivals, the crowd of those who come eagerly never ceases, and the highway that leads here looks like a trail of ants, some going up, others making way for those coming. We, then, O blessed one, having reached the circle of the year by the kindness of the Creator, have gathered your festival for you, the holy assembly of lovers of the martyrs, both worshipping the common Master and fulfilling the victory commemoration of your contests; and you, come here to us, wherever you may be, as overseer of the feast (for you called us, and we call you in return); and whether you dwell in the lofty ether, or travel round some heavenly vault, or, ranked with the choirs ### Scripture references - Ps 34:1 (33:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - “I will bless the Lord at all times …”: Ps 34:1 (LXX 33:2). Gregory’s address to the martyr and his account of the shrine’s benefits are translated as written. The word for the trail of ants carries stray Latin letters in the digitized text, removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nyssa, Thdr. 745 (PG 46:745–746; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-theodorum/745). ## Encomium on Theodore the Martyr, Migne cols. 747–748 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-theodorum/735/#p-747 - Source: PG 46:747–748 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12 Summary: Gregory asks Theodore to intercede for his country against the threatening Scythians and, with the martyrs and apostles, to guard the churches from idolatry and heresy. ### Greek text ἀγγέλων συντεταγμένος τῷ Δεσπότῃ παρέστηκας, ἢ μετὰ δυνάμεων καὶ ἐξουσιῶν, ὡς δοῦλος πιστὸς προσκυνεῖς· μικρὸν τὰ αὐτόθι παραιτησάμενος, ἧκε πρὸς τοὺς τιμῶντάς σε ἀόρατος φίλος· ἱστόρησον τὰ τελούμενα, ἵνα τὴν εἰς Θεὸν εὐχαριστίαν διπλασιάσῃς, τὸν ἀντὶ πάθους ἑνὸς, καὶ μιᾶς εὐσεβοῦς ὁμολογίας, τοσαύτας σοι τὰς ἀμοιβὰς χαρισάμενον· εὐφρανθείης δὲ τῷ αἵματι καὶ τῇ τοῦ πυρὸς ἀλγηδόνι. Ὅσους γὰρ εἶχες τότε λαοὺς τῆς τιμωρίας θεατὰς, τοσούτους νῦν τῆς τιμῆς ἔχεις ὑπηρέτας. Χρήζομεν πολλῶν εὐεργεσιῶν· πρέσβευσον ὑπὲρ τῆς πατρίδος πρὸς τὸν κοινὸν βασιλέα πατρὶς γὰρ μάρτυρος, τοῦ πάθους ἡ χώρα· πολίται δὲ καὶ συγγενεῖς, οἱ περιστείλαντες καὶ ἔχοντες καὶ τιμῶντες. Ὑφορώμεθα θλίψεις, προσδοκῶμεν κινδύνους, οὐ μακρὰν οἱ ἀλιτήριοι Σκῦθαι τὸν καθ' ἡμῶν ὠδίνοντες πόλεμον· ὡς στρατιώτης ὑπερμάχησον ὡς μάρτυς ὑπὲρ τῶν ὁμοδούλων χρῆσαι τῇ παῤῥησίᾳ. Εἰ καὶ ὑπερέβης τὸν βίον, ἀλλ᾿ οἶδας τὰ πάθη καὶ τὰς χρείας τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος αἴτησον εἰρήνην, ἵνα αἱ πανηγύρεις αὗται μὴ λήξωσιν, ἵνα μὴ κωμάσῃ κατὰ ναῶν ἢ θυσιαστηρίων λυσσῶν καὶ ἄθεσμος βάρβαρος, ἵνα μὴ πατήσῃ τὰ ἅγια βέβηλος. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ καὶ ὑπὲρ ὧν ἀπαθεῖς ἐφυλάχθημεν, σοἱ λογιζόμεθα τὴν εὐεργεσίαν· αἰτοῦμεν δὲ καὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος τὴν ἀσφάλειαν. "Αν χρεία γένηται καὶ πλείονος δυσωπίας, ἄθροισον τὸν χορὸν τῶν σῶν ἀδελφῶν τῶν μαρτύρων, καὶ μετὰ πάντων δεήθητι· πολλῶν δικαίων εὐχαὶ, λαῶν καὶ δήμων ἁμαρτίας λυσάτωσαν· ὑπόμνησον Πέτρον, διέγειρον Παῦλον, Ἰωάννην ὁμοίως τὸν θεολόγον καὶ φιλούμενον μαθητήν· ἵν᾿ ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν ἃς συνεστήσαντο μεριμνήσωσιν, ὑπὲρ ὧν τὰς ἀλύσεις ἐφόρεσαν, ὑπὲρ ὧν τοὺς κινδύνους καὶ τοὺς θανάτους ἤνεγκαν· μὴ εἰδωλολατρεία ἄρῃ καθ' ἡμῶν κεφαλὴν, μὴ αἱρέσεις ὡς ἄκανθαι τῷ ἀμπελῶνι ὑποβλαστήσωσι, μὴ ζιζάνιον ἐγερθὲν πνίξῃ τὸν σἴτον· μή τις πέτρα γένηται καθ᾽ ἡμῶν λειπομένη τῆς πιότητος τῆς ἀληθινῆς δρόσου, καὶ ἄριζον ἀποδείξῃ τῆς εὐκαρπίας τοῦ λόγου τὴν δύναμιν· ἀλλὰ τῇ δυνάμει τῆς σῆς πρεσβείας καὶ τῶν σὺν σοὶ, θαυμαστὲ, καὶ ὑπερλάμπον ἐν τοῖς μάρτυσι λήῖον ἀποδειχθείη τὸ τῶν Χριστιανῶν πολίτευμα μέχρι τέλους μένον, ἐν τῇ λιπαρᾷ καὶ εὐκάρπῳ τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ πίστεως ἀρούρᾳ ἀεὶ καρποφοροῦν τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν, τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν. Μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Αμήν. ### English translation (Claude) of angels, you stand beside the Master, or worship with the powers and authorities as a faithful servant, excuse yourself for a little from things there and come to those who honour you, an invisible friend; observe what is being done, so that you may redouble your thanksgiving to God, who, in return for one suffering and one godly confession, has granted you such great rewards. May you rejoice in the blood and in the pain of the fire! For as many peoples as you then had as spectators of your punishment, so many you now have as ministers of your honour. We need many benefits: intercede for your homeland with the common King; for the martyr’s homeland is the country of his suffering, and his fellow citizens and kin are those who laid him out, keep him, and honour him. We foresee afflictions, we expect dangers; the accursed Scythians are not far off, in labour with war against us. As a soldier, fight for us; as a martyr, use your freedom of speech for your fellow servants. Even if you have passed beyond this life, yet you know the sufferings and needs of humanity: ask for peace, so that these festivals may not cease, so that no raging and lawless barbarian may riot against temples or altars, so that the profane may not trample on holy things. For we reckon it your kindness that we have been kept unharmed, and we ask also for safety in the future. If there is need of more entreaty, gather the choir of your brothers the martyrs and pray with all of them: let the prayers of many righteous men loose the sins of peoples and multitudes. Remind Peter, rouse Paul, and John likewise, the theologian and beloved disciple, that they may care for the churches they founded, for which they wore chains, for which they bore dangers and deaths: that idolatry may not raise its head against us, that heresies may not spring up like thorns in the vineyard, that tares may not spring up and choke the wheat, that no rock lacking the richness of the true dew may arise against us and make the fruitful power of the word rootless; but by the power of your intercession and of those with you, O wonderful one, may the commonwealth of Christians be shown to be a harvest field shining out among the martyrs, remaining to the end, ever bearing, in the rich and fruitful field of faith in Christ, the fruit of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honour, now and always and for ever and ever. Amen. ### Scripture references - Jas 5:16: echo, low confidence - John 13:23: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 13:7: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 13:25: allusion, high confidence - Luke 8:6: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The direct appeal to the martyr’s intercession and to Peter, Paul, and John is translated as written. “The prayers of many righteous”: cf. Jas 5:16. The beloved disciple: John 13:23. Thorns and tares: Matt 13:7, 25; the rock without moisture: Luke 8:6. The “Scythians” are probably the Goths. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nyssa, Thdr. 747 (PG 46:747–748; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-theodorum/747).