Religious History 6–7
Greek text: PG 82.English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0).
Chapter 6
6PG 82
Συμεώνην δὲ τὸν πρεσδύτην εἴ τις ἐχὼν παραλ[ε]ίποι, καὶ λήθῃ τῆς ἐχείνου φιλοσοφίας παραδοίη τὴν μνήμην, ἀδικίας ἂν εἰκότως καὶ βασκανίας οὐ φύγοι γραφὴν, ὡς μήτε ἐπαινεῖν ἐθέλων τὰ ἀξιέπαινα, μὴτε τοῖς ὠφελεῖσθαι βουλομένοις εἰς μίμησιν ἀξιέραστα προτιθείς, Ἐγὼ δὲ οὐ φόδῳ τῆς κατηγορίας, ἀλλὰ πόθῳ τῆς εὐφημίας, τῆς τοῦδε πολι. τείας ποιήσομαι τὴν διήγησιν. Οὗτυς γὰρ πλεῖστον τι μάλιστα διετέλεσε χρόνον τὸν ἐρημικὸν ἀσπαζόμενος βίον, καὶ ἕν τίνι βραχεῖ διαιτώμενος ἄντρῳ, νος γὰρ βιοτεύειν προείλετο, τῷ Θεῷ δὲ τῶν ὅλων ἐνδελεχῶς διελέγετο" τὰς ἐδωδίμους δὲ τῶν βοτανῶν ἐποιεῖτο τροφήν. Οὗτος ὁ πόνος αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν ἄνωθεν πλουσίαν ἐδωρήσατο χάριν, ὡς καὶ τοῖς τοις καὶ θρχσυτάτοις ἐπιτάττειν θηρίοις. Καὶ τοῦτο βορὰ δῆλον οὐ τοῖς εὐσεδέσι μόνοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἀπίστοις Ἰουδαίοις ἐγένετο. Χρεία; μὲν γάρ τινος ἕνεκα ἀπεδήμουν εἴς τε τῶν φρουρίων, τῶν ἔξω τῆ; καθ᾽ ἡμᾶς οἰκουμένης διακειμένων. Ὑετοῦ δὲ λάδρου γενομένου, καὶ λαίλαπος προσδαλούσης, διαμαρτάνουσι μὲν τῆς ὁδοῦ, τὰ πρόσω βλέπειν οὐ δυνάμενοι " δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον, οὔτε κώμην, οὔτε ἄντρον, οὔτε ὁδίτην εὑρίσκοντες, ἐν ἠπείρῳ δὲ μέσῃ τοῖς νουσιν οἷόν τινα λιμένα τοῦ θείου Συμειύνου τὸ λαιον, καὶ θεωροῦσιν ἄνθρωπον αὐχμῶντα καὶ ῥυπῶντα, καὶ βραχύ τι σισύρας ἐπὶ τῶν ὥμων φέροντα. Ὁ δὲ εἶδέ τε ὁμοῦ καὶ ἣσπάσατο. Καὶ γὰρ εὐπροσήγορος ἣν, καὶ τῆς ἀφίξεως ἧρετο τὴν αἰτίαν. Ὧ; δὲ ἱ τὸ συμδὰν διηγήσαντο, καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ φρούριον σαν ὁδὸν μαθεῖν ἱχέτευταν, « Μείνατε, ἔφη, καὶ παραυτίκα ὑμῖν ἀγωγοὺς δώσω, τὴν ὁδὸν ἀποδείξοντας. » Οἱ μὲν οὖν ἐπείθοντο, καὶ διαν- … βλοσυρὺν ϑλέποντις, ἀλλ᾽ οἷόν τινὰ δεσπότην τῆς, σαίνοντες, καὶ τὴν δουλείαν ὑποσημαίνοντες Τοὺτοὺς ἄνδρας, καὶ εἰ; ἐκείνην ἀπαγαγεῖν τὴν ὁδὸν, ἣν καταλιπόντες τὸν πλάνον ὑπέμειναν. ᾿Αλλὰ μηδεὶς μυθῶδες εἶνα: πὸ διήγημα νομιζέτω, τοὺς κοινοὺς τῆς ὀληθεία: ἐχθροὺς μαρτυροῦντας ἔχων τῇ ἀληθείᾳ. Αὐτοὶ γὰ» οἰ τῆς εὐεργεσία: τετυχηχότες, τοῦτο ἄδοντες διετέλεσαν. Καὶ τοῦτό μοι οὗτος ὁ μέγα; Ἰόπωῦος ὃ:υγήσατο, παρεῖναι φήσας αὐτοῖς τῷ διτγουμένοις τὸ θαῦμα. Ὃ τοίνυν Ἰουδαίοις Φῇ τῶν πῶς οὐκ ἂν εἰκότως ἀπιστότερος Ἰουδαίων χλτθείη; Εἴπερ οἱ μὲν καὶ δυσμενεῖς ὄντες, ἡττῶνται ὅμως, καὶ ταῖς τῆς ἀληθεία; ἀχτῖτι παραχωροῦσιν " οἱ δὲ εὔνοοι νομιζόμενο: καὶ τῆς πίστεως κοινωνοὶ, οὐδὲ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς τῇ δυνάμει τῆς χάριτος μαρτυροῦσ' πι- Ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων δὲ θαυμάτων ὁ θεσπέσιος ἐκεῖνος ἄνθρωπος ἐπίσημος γεγονὼς, καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν (οἰκοῦσι δὲ τὴν ἔρημον ἐκείνην οἱ τὸν Ἰσμαὴλ σεμνυνόμενοι πρόγονον), ἡσυχίας ἐρῶν, καταλιπεῖν ἠναγκάσθη τὸ σπήλαιον, καὶ πολλὴν νε!: τὸ καλούμενον ᾿Αμανὸν͵ καὶ τοῦτο πολλῇς πάλαι γέμὸν πολυθέου μανίας, τοῖς πολλ)οῖ; καὶ παντοδαποῖς ἐγεώργησε θϑαύμασι, καὶ τὴν νῦν ἐν αὐτῷ πολιτενομένην εὐσέδειαν χατεφύτευσεν. ᾿Αλλὰ πόντα μὲν διηγεῖσθαι λίαν ἐπίπονον, ἐμοὶ δὲ τυχὸν καὶ ἀδύνατον. Ἑνὸς τοίνυν μνησθεὶς, καὶ οἷόν τινα χαρακτῆρα 6 τῆς ἀποστολικῆς αὑτοῦ καὶ προφητικῆς θαυματουργίας προθεὶς, καταλείπω τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν ἐννοεῖν ἐντεῦθεν ἧς ἔλαθε χάριτος τὴν ἰσχύν' Θέρος ἦν, καὶ ἀμητὸς, καὶ νὰ δρήγματα εἰς τὰς ἅλως μετεχομίξψετο, ᾿Ανὴρ δὲ τ'ς, τοῖς δικαίοις οὐκ ἀρκούμενος πόνοις, ἀ)λὰ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐφιέμενο;, ὑφείλετο μὲν τῶν τιῦ πέλας δραγμάτων, αὔξειν δὲ τὸν οἰκεῖον διὰ τούτων ἐπειρᾶτο θημῶνα" ἀλλ᾽ εὐθὺς τὴν κατὰ τῆς κλοπῇ; τὸ Θεῖον ἐξέφερε ψῆφον" καὶ πρηστὴρ ἐπεφέρετο, καὶ ἡ ἄλως ἐνεπίμπρατο, καὶ ὁ δείλαιος ἐκεῖνος τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ κατελάμδανεν ἄνθρωπον, οὐ πόῤῥω τῆς κώμῃς ἐσχηνωμένον " καὶ τὴν μὲν συμφορὰν διηγεῖτο, κρύπτειν δὲ τὴν κλοπὴν ἐπειρᾶτο, Ὡς ὃὲ τἀληθῆ λέγειν κελευσθεὶς ὡμολόγησε τὴν κλοπὴν (τὸ γὰρ πάνο; Ὁ χα' ἑλυτοῦ κατηγορεῖν χατηνάγχασε), προσέταξεν ὁ θεῖο; ἐκεῖνος ἀνὴρ τῇ λύσει τῆς ἀδικίας λῦσαι τὴν τιμωρίαν. ε« Σοῦ γὰρ, ἔφη, τὰ δράγματα ἐκεῖνα ἐχτιννύουτος, τὸ θεήλατον ἐκεῖνο σδεσλί σεται τῦρ.} ἫΝ τοίνυν ἰδεῖν τὸν μὲν θέοντα, καὶ τῷ ἀδιχηθέντι τοὺ; κλαπέντας ἀστάχυας προτφέροντα, τὴν δὲ πυρὰν προσευχὴ γαὶ πρεσθείᾳ. Τοῦτο οὐ μόνον τοὺς περι" οἶκου : ἐνέπλησε δείματος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἅπασιν, τὴν ᾿Δντιόχου λέγω" ὑπὸ ταύτην γὰρ τὸ χωρίον ἐτέλει " θέειν ἐκεῖ χατηνάγχασε, καὶ τὸν μὲν ἀπαγ' τοῦ παῦλαν, τὸν δὲ ἄλλου τινὸς τῶν ἐνοχλούντων ἰατρείαν. Ὃ δὲ ἀφθόνω; τῆς ἐνοικούσης χάριτος ἐχύρήγει τὰ νάμκτα, ᾿Αλλὰ πάλιν τῆς ἡσυχίσς ἐρῶν, ἐπεθύμησε, Μαθόντες “ἘΣ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀρίστων, καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν μετιόντες φιλοσοφίαν, συνέδρα λον χοινωνῖσα: αὐτῷ τῆς ἀποδημίας ποθοῦντες. Πολλῶν τοίνυν ἡμερῶν ὁδὸν ἐξανύσαντες, ἐπειδὴ κατὰ τὴν Σοδομῖτιν ἐγένοντο ἔρημὴν, ὁρῶσι πόῤῥωθεν ἀπὸ βάθους χεῖρας ἀνδρὸς πρὸς ὕψος ἐχτεινομένας, Καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον δαίμονος ρὸν, καὶ τὰ αὐτὰ θεασάμενοι, ὥρμησαν ἐπ᾽ ἐκεῖνο τὸ χωρίον, καὶ βραχὺ μὲν ὄρυγμα θεωροῦσιν, ὁποῖα ποιεῖν πεφύκασιν αἱ ἀλώπεκες καταδύσεις ἑαυταῖς μηχανώμεναι, οὐδένα δὲ εἶδον ἐκεῖ προφαινόμενον. Τοὺ κτύπου γὰρ τῶν ποδῶν αἰσθόμενος ὁ τὰς χεῖρας Διακύψας δὲ ὁ πρεσδύτης, ἐλιπάρει μάλα πολλὰ ὀφθῆναι αὐτὸν, εἰ ἀνθρωπείαν ἔχει τὴν φύσιν, καὶ μὴ δαίμων τις ἀπατεὼν εἴη τοιαῦτα σχηματιζόμενος. « Καὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς, ἔφη, τὸν ἀσχητιχὺν μετιόντες βίον, γαὶ τῆς ἡσυχίας ἐρῶντες, ἀλώμεθα κατὰ τήνδε τὴν ἔρημον, ἐν τῷ Σινᾷ ὄρει τὸν τῶν ἁπάντων ἐπιθυμοῦντες προσκυνῆται Θεὸν, ἐν ᾧ Μωσῇ τῷ θεράποντι τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπιφάνειαν ποιησάμενος, ἔδωκε τῆς νομοθεσίας τὰς πλάκας οὐκ ὅτι τὸ Θεῖον περιγεγράφθαι νομίζομεν (ἀκούομεν γὰρ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, ὅτι Τὸν οὐραγὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν ἐγὼ πιϊηρῶ, «έγει Κύριος " καὶ ὅτι κατέχει τὸν γῦρον τῆ: γῆς, καὶ τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας ἐν αὐτῇ ὡς ἀκχρίδας), ἀλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ τοῖς θερμῶς ἐρῶσιν οὐ μόνον. οἱ ἐρώμενοι ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ τόποι ἐράσμιοι, οἱ τὴ» τούτων παρουσίαν καὶ ὁμιλίαν δεξάμενοι. ν» Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαὖτα λέγοντος: τοῦ πρεδσδύτου, ἀναδείκνυσιν ἑαυτὸν ἐκτῆς χαταδύσεως ὁ κεκρυμμένος ἄνθρυνπο;, καὶ ἣν ἄγριος μὲν ἰδεῖν, αὐχμηρὰν δὲ ἔχων τὴν κόμην, τὸ πάντα τὰ μέλη τοῦ σώματος, ῥάκιά τινα πενιχρὰ ᾿Ασπαυάμενος δὲ, καὶ τῆς εἰρήνης τὸ πρόσρημα δεδιυχῶνς, ἐπυνθάνετο τίνες τε εἶεν, καὶ πόθεν ἥκοιεν, καὶ ὅπου ἀπίοιεν. Οἱ δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐρώτησιν ἀπἐκρίναντο, καὶ ἀντεπύθοντο πόθεν τε ἐληλυθὼς εἴη, καὶ τί δήποτε ταύτην εἵλετο τὴν ζωήν. Ὁ δὲ, ε Ταύτὴν ἔσχον χἀγὼ τὴν προθυμίαν, ἔφη, ἣν καὶ ὑμεῖς ἔχοντες ἀπίετε, κοινωνὸν δὲ τῆς ὁδοῦ ταύτης ἐπἐποιήμτιν συνήθη τινὰ καὶ ὁμογνώμονα, καὶ τὸν αὖτόν μοι κεκτημένον σκοπὸν, ὄρκῳ δὲ ἀλλήλους ἐπεπείχειμεν, μηδὲ τῷ θανάτῳ χωρίσαι τὴ» συνουσίαν. Τοιγάρτο: κατὰ τὴν ἀποδημίαν ἐκεῖνον μὲν τῇδε συνέδη δέξασθαι τοῦ βίου τὸ πέρας " ἐγὼ δὲ τῷ ἔρχῳ πεπεδημένος ὥρυξά τε ὡς ἠδυνάμην, καὶ ταφῇ τὸ σῶμα παρέδωκα " παρὰ τοῦτο δὲ τὸ σῶμα τάφον ἕτερον ἐμαυτῷ κατορύξας, τῇδε περιμένω τοῦ βίου τὸ τέλος, καὶ τῷ Δεσπότῃ τὴν συνήθη λειτουργίαν προσφέρω. Τροφὴν δὲ ἔχω τοὺς φοίνικας, οὺς ἀδελς ἧς μοί τις κομίζειν παρὰ τοῦ κηδεμόνος ἐτάχθη. » Ἡούτων οὕτω λεγομένων, λέων πόῤῥωθεν ἀνεφάνη, ἀγωνίᾳ δὲ τῶν σὺν τῷ πρεσδύτῃ περιπεσόντων, αἷσὐόμενος ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς καταδύσεις καθήμενος, ἀναστὰς τῷ λέοντι διένευσεν εἰς τὸ ἕτερον διαδῆναι μέρος, Ὁ δὲ παραυτίκα ἐπείσθη τε καὶ ἧκε, φέρων τῶν φοινίκων τὸν βότρυν. Εἶτα πάλιν ἀπῆλθεν ἐπιτραπεὶς, καὶ πόῤῥωθεν τῶν ἀνδρῶν κατακλιθεὶς ἐχαθεύδησε, Διανείμας τοίνυν τοὺς φοίνικας ἅπασι, προσευχῆς πε καὶ ψαλμῳδίας κοινωνήσας αὐτοῖς, καὶ μετὰ τὸ τέλος τῆς λειτουργίας ἕωθεν ἀσπασάμενος ψατο καινὸν θέαμα τεθηπότας. Εἰ δέ τις ἀπιστεῖ τοῖς εἰρημένοις, τῆς Ἡλιοῦ τοῦ πάνυ πολιτείας, καὶ τῆς τῶν κοράκων διαχονέας ἀναμνησθήτω, οἱ πρωΐ μὲν ἄρτον, δείλης δὲ κρέας αὐτῷ κομίζοντες διετέλεσαν, Ῥάδιον δὲ τῷ Ποιητῇ τῶν ὅλων παντοδαποὺς πόρους εἰς τὴν τῶν οἰκείων θεραπείαν εὑρίσκειν. Οὕτω τὸν Ἰωνᾶν ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους τρία νυχθήμερα λαξε, καὶ τοὺς λέοντας ἐν τῷ λάκκῳ τεθηπέναι τὸν Δανιὴλ παρεσκεύασε, καὶ τὸ ἄψυχον πῦρ λογικῶς ἕνεργεῖν, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἔνδον φωτίζειν, τοὺς δὲ ἔξω κατακαίειν πεποίηκεν. ᾿Αλλὰ περιττὸν ποιῶ περὶ τῆς θείας δυνάμεως ἀποδείξεις προσφέρων. ᾿Επειδὴ τοίνυν τὸ ποθούμενον χατέλαδεν ὄρος, φασὶν ἐκεῖνον. τὸν θαυ» μάσιον γέροντα ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ χωρίῳ, ἐν ᾧ τὸν θεὸν Μωῦσῇς ἰδεῖν ἠξιώθη, εἶδεν δὲ ὡς δυνατὸν ὧν φύσει θνητῇ, κλῖναι τὰ γόνατα, καὶ μὴ πρότερον ἀναστῇ. ναι, ἕω; θείας ἐπήκουσε φωνῆς, τὴν Δεσποτικὴν αὐτῷ εὐμένειαν μηνυούσης. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἅπαντα τῆ; ἑθδομάδος τὸν κύκλον οὕτω συγχεχυφὼς διετέλεσε, τροφῆς οὐδὲ βραχείας μεταλαχὼν, ἐχέλευδεν ἡ γε" νομένη φωνὴ καὶ τὰ προτεθέντα αὐτῷ λαθεῖν, καὶ προθύμως καταφαγεῖν " ἐκτείνας δὲ τὴν χεῖρα, καὶ «ρία μῆλα εὑρὼν, καὶ τούτων ἐμφορηθεὶς ὡς ὁ διξωχὼς παρηγγύησεν, ἰσχύος τε γέγονεν ἀπάσης ἀνάπλεως, καὶ μετὰ θυμηδείας τοὺς συνόντας, ὡς εἰκὸς ανήει, ἅτε δὴ καὶ θείας ἑπακούσας φωνῆς. καὶ δύτου πάλιν ἀπολαύσας τροφῆς. Ἐπανελθὼν δὲ καὶ δύο φιλοσοφίας ᾧκοδόμησε φροντιστήρια, ἕν μὲν εἰς τὴν ῥαχίαν. τοῦ ὅρους περὶ οὗ προειρήκαμεν, θάτερὸν δὲ κατ᾽ αὑτὸ, παρ᾽ αὑτὰ τῆ: ὑπωρείας τὰ κράσπεδα ἐν ἑκατέρῳ δὲ ἀθλητὰς ἀρετῆς: συναθροίσας, καὶ τούτων κἀκείνων γυμναστὴς ἐγένετο καὶ παίδοτρίδης, καὶ τοῦ ἀντιπάλου καὶ πολεμίου διδάσκων τὰς προσδολὰς, καὶ τοῦ ἀγωνοθέτου τὴν εὔνοιαν ὑπἰασχνούμενος, καὶ θαῤῥεῖν παρακαλῶν καὶ φρον᾽ μά, τος ἐμφορῶν, καὶ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς ὁμοφυεῖς μετριά- Ὁ ζεῖν κελεύων, πρὸς δὲ τὸν πολέμιον μεγαλοφροσύνῃ κεχρῆσθαι παρεγγυῶν. Τοιαῦτα διδάσκων, οὕτω βιοπὰς μαρμαρυγὰς ἀφιεὶς, τῆς ἐπιπόνου ζωῆς τὸ τέλος; ἐδέξατο, καὶ εἰς τὸν ἀγήρω καὶ ἄλυπον ἀπεδήμησε βίον, ἄσδεστον κλέος καταλιπὼν, καὶ μνήμην εἰσαεὶ διαμένουσαν. Τῆς τούτου δὲ εὐλογίας ἀπήλαυσε μὲν περιόντος ἡ μακαρία καὶ τρισμακαρία μου μήτηρ, καὶ πολλὰ τῶν τούτου μοι διηγημάτων πολλάκις προσήνεγκεν. Ἐγὼ δὲ τῆς νῦν δυναστείας αὑτοῦ καὶ πρεσθείας ἀπολαῦσαι ἀντιδολῶ, καὶ οἶδα ὦ; τεύξομαι, Δώσει γὰρ πάντως τὴν αἴτησιν, τὴν τοῦ Δεσπότου φιλανθρωπίαν μιμούμενος.
Symeōnēn de ton presdytēn ei tis echōn paral[e]ipoi, kai lēthę̄ tēs echeinou philosophias paradoiē tēn mnēmēn, adikias an eikotōs kai baskanias ou phygoi graphēn, hōs mēte epainein ethelōn ta axiepaina, mēte tois ōpheleisthai boulomenois eis mimēsin axierasta protitheis, Egō de ou phodǭ tēs katēgorias, alla pothǭ tēs euphēmias, tēs toude poli. teias poiēsomai tēn diēgēsin. Houtys gar pleiston ti malista dietelese chronon ton erēmikon aspazomenos bion, kai hen tini brachei diaitōmenos antrǭ, nos gar bioteuein proeileto, tǭ Theǭ de tōn holōn endelechōs dielegeto" tas edōdimous de tōn botanōn epoieito trophēn. Houtos ho ponos autǭ kai tēn anōthen plousian edōrēsato charin, hōs kai tois tois kai thrchsytatois epitattein thēriois. Kai touto bora dēlon ou tois eusedesi monois, alla kai tois apistois Ioudaiois egeneto. Chreia? men gar tinos heneka apedēmoun eis te tōn phrouriōn, tōn exō tē? kath᾽ hēmas oikoumenēs diakeimenōn. Hyetou de ladrou genomenou, kai lailapos prosdalousēs, diamartanousi men tēs hodou, ta prosō blepein ou dynamenoi " de kata tēn erēmon, oute kōmēn, oute antron, oute hoditēn heuriskontes, en ēpeirǭ de mesę̄ tois nousin hoion tina limena tou theiou Symeiynou to laion, kai theōrousin anthrōpon auchmōnta kai rhypōnta, kai brachy ti sisyras epi tōn hōmōn pheronta. Ho de eide te homou kai hēspasato. Kai gar euprosēgoros hēn, kai tēs aphixeōs hēreto tēn aitian. Hō? de hi to symdan diēgēsanto, kai tēn epi to phrourion san hodon mathein hicheteutan, « Meinate, ephē, kai parautika hymin agōgous dōsō, tēn hodon apodeixontas. » Hoi men oun epeithonto, kai dian- … blosyryn ϑlepontis, all᾽ hoion tina despotēn tēs, sainontes, kai tēn douleian hyposēmainontes Toutous andras, kai ei? ekeinēn apagagein tēn hodon, hēn katalipontes ton planon hypemeinan. ᾿Alla mēdeis mythōdes eina: po diēgēma nomizetō, tous koinous tēs olētheia: echthrous martyrountas echōn tę̄ alētheią. Autoi ga» oi tēs euergesia: tetychēchotes, touto adontes dietelesan. Kai touto moi houtos ho mega? Iopōyos ho:ygēsato, pareinai phēsas autois tǭ ditgoumenois to thauma. Ho toinyn Ioudaiois Phę̄ tōn pōs ouk an eikotōs apistoteros Ioudaiōn chlttheiē? Eiper hoi men kai dysmeneis ontes, hēttōntai homōs, kai tais tēs alētheia? achtiti parachōrousin " hoi de eunooi nomizomeno: kai tēs pisteōs koinōnoi, oude tois echthrois tę̄ dynamei tēs charitos martyrous' pi- Ek tōn toioutōn de thaumatōn ho thespesios ekeinos anthrōpos episēmos gegonōs, kai pollous tōn (oikousi de tēn erēmon ekeinēn hoi ton Ismaēl semnynomenoi progonon), hēsychias erōn, katalipein ēnankasthē to spēlaion, kai pollēn ne!: to kaloumenon ᾿Amanon͵ kai touto pollę̄s palai gemon polytheou manias, tois poll)oi? kai pantodapois egeōrgēse thϑaumasi, kai tēn nyn en autǭ politenomenēn eusedeian chatephyteusen. ᾿Alla ponta men diēgeisthai lian epiponon, emoi de tychon kai adynaton. Henos toinyn mnēstheis, kai hoion tina charaktēra 6 tēs apostolikēs hautou kai prophētikēs thaumatourgias protheis, kataleipō tois entynchanousin ennoein enteuthen hēs elathe charitos tēn ischyn' Theros ēn, kai amētos, kai na drēgmata eis tas halōs metechomixpseto, ᾿Anēr de t's, tois dikaiois ouk arkoumenos ponois, a)la tōn allotriōn ephiemeno?, hypheileto men tōn tiy pelas dragmatōn, auxein de ton oikeion dia toutōn epeirato thēmōna" all᾽ euthys tēn kata tēs klopę̄? to Theion exephere psēphon" kai prēstēr epephereto, kai hē alōs enepimprato, kai ho deilaios ekeinos ton tou Theou katelamdanen anthrōpon, ou porrhō tēs kōmę̄s eschēnōmenon " kai tēn men symphoran diēgeito, kryptein de tēn klopēn epeirato, Hōs hoe talēthē legein keleustheis hōmologēse tēn klopēn (to gar pano? Ho cha' helytou katēgorein chatēnanchase), prosetaxen ho theio? ekeinos anēr tę̄ lysei tēs adikias lysai tēn timōrian. e« Sou gar, ephē, ta dragmata ekeina echtinnyoutos, to theēlaton ekeino sdesli setai tyr.} HēN toinyn idein ton men theonta, kai tǭ adichēthenti tou? klapentas astachyas protpheronta, tēn de pyran proseuchē gai prestheią. Touto ou monon tous peri" oikou : eneplēse deimatos, alla kai tēn polin hapasin, tēn ᾿Dntiochou legō" hypo tautēn gar to chōrion etelei " theein ekei chatēnanchase, kai ton men apag' tou paulan, ton de allou tinos tōn enochlountōn iatreian. Ho de aphthonō? tēs enoikousēs charitos echyrēgei ta namkta, ᾿Alla palin tēs hēsychiss erōn, epethymēse, Mathontes “ES polloi tōn aristōn, kai tēn autēn metiontes philosophian, synedra lon choinōnisa: autǭ tēs apodēmias pothountes. Pollōn toinyn hēmerōn hodon exanysantes, epeidē kata tēn Sodomitin egenonto erēmēn, horōsi porrhōthen apo bathous cheiras andros pros hypsos echteinomenas, Kai to men prōton daimonos ron, kai ta auta theasamenoi, hōrmēsan ep᾽ ekeino to chōrion, kai brachy men orygma theōrousin, hopoia poiein pephykasin hai alōpekes katadyseis heautais mēchanōmenai, oudena de eidon ekei prophainomenon. Tou ktypou gar tōn podōn aisthomenos ho tas cheiras Diakypsas de ho presdytēs, eliparei mala polla ophthēnai auton, ei anthrōpeian echei tēn physin, kai mē daimōn tis apateōn eiē toiauta schēmatizomenos. « Kai gar hēmeis, ephē, ton aschētichyn metiontes bion, gai tēs hēsychias erōntes, alōmetha kata tēnde tēn erēmon, en tǭ Siną orei ton tōn hapantōn epithymountes proskynētai Theon, en hǭ Mōsę̄ tǭ theraponti tēn oikeian epiphaneian poiēsamenos, edōke tēs nomothesias tas plakas ouk hoti to Theion perigegraphthai nomizomen (akouomen gar autou legontos, hoti Ton ouragon kai tēn gēn egō piïērō, «egei Kyrios " kai hoti katechei ton gyron tē: gēs, kai tous enoikountas en autę̄ hōs akchridas), all᾽ epeidē tois thermōs erōsin ou monon. hoi erōmenoi alla kai hoi topoi erasmioi, hoi tē» toutōn parousian kai homilian dexamenoi. n» Tauta kai ta toiauta legontos: tou predsdytou, anadeiknysin heauton ektēs chatadyseōs ho kekrymmenos anthrynpo?, kai hēn agrios men idein, auchmēran de echōn tēn komēn, to panta ta melē tou sōmatos, rhakia tina penichra ᾿Aspauamenos de, kai tēs eirēnēs to prosrēma dediychōns, epynthaneto tines te eien, kai pothen hēkoien, kai hopou apioien. Hoi de kai pros tēn erōtēsin apekrinanto, kai antepythonto pothen te elēlythōs eiē, kai ti dēpote tautēn heileto tēn zōēn. Ho de, e Tautēn eschon chagō tēn prothymian, ephē, hēn kai hymeis echontes apiete, koinōnon de tēs hodou tautēs epepoiēmtin synēthē tina kai homognōmona, kai ton auton moi kektēmenon skopon, orkǭ de allēlous epepeicheimen, mēde tǭ thanatǭ chōrisai tē» synousian. Toigarto: kata tēn apodēmian ekeinon men tę̄de synedē dexasthai tou biou to peras " egō de tǭ erchǭ pepedēmenos hōryxa te hōs ēdynamēn, kai taphę̄ to sōma paredōka " para touto de to sōma taphon heteron emautǭ katoryxas, tę̄de perimenō tou biou to telos, kai tǭ Despotę̄ tēn synēthē leitourgian prospherō. Trophēn de echō tous phoinikas, ous adels hēs moi tis komizein para tou kēdemonos etachthē. » Hēoutōn houtō legomenōn, leōn porrhōthen anephanē, agōnią de tōn syn tǭ presdytę̄ peripesontōn, haisyomenos ho epi tēs katadyseis kathēmenos, anastas tǭ leonti dieneusen eis to heteron diadēnai meros, Ho de parautika epeisthē te kai hēke, pherōn tōn phoinikōn ton botryn. Eita palin apēlthen epitrapeis, kai porrhōthen tōn andrōn kataklitheis echatheudēse, Dianeimas toinyn tous phoinikas hapasi, proseuchēs pe kai psalmǭdias koinōnēsas autois, kai meta to telos tēs leitourgias heōthen aspasamenos psato kainon theama tethēpotas. Ei de tis apistei tois eirēmenois, tēs Hēliou tou pany politeias, kai tēs tōn korakōn diachoneas anamnēsthētō, hoi prōï men arton, deilēs de kreas autǭ komizontes dietelesan, Rhadion de tǭ Poiētę̄ tōn holōn pantodapous porous eis tēn tōn oikeiōn therapeian heuriskein. Houtō ton Iōnan en tę̄ koilią tou kētous tria nychthēmera laxe, kai tous leontas en tǭ lakkǭ tethēpenai ton Daniēl pareskeuase, kai to apsychon pyr logikōs henergein, kai tous men endon phōtizein, tous de exō katakaiein pepoiēken. ᾿Alla peritton poiō peri tēs theias dynameōs apodeixeis prospherōn. ᾿Epeidē toinyn to pothoumenon chateladen oros, phasin ekeinon. ton thau» masion geronta en ekeinǭ tǭ chōriǭ, en hǭ ton theon Mōysę̄s idein ēxiōthē, eiden de hōs dynaton hōn physei thnētę̄, klinai ta gonata, kai mē proteron anastę̄. nai, heō? theias epēkouse phōnēs, tēn Despotikēn autǭ eumeneian mēnyousēs. Epeidē de hapanta tē? hethdomados ton kyklon houtō synchechyphōs dietelese, trophēs oude bracheias metalachōn, echeleuden hē ge" nomenē phōnē kai ta protethenta autǭ lathein, kai prothymōs kataphagein " ekteinas de tēn cheira, kai «ria mēla heurōn, kai toutōn emphorētheis hōs ho dixōchōs parēngyēsen, ischyos te gegonen apasēs anapleōs, kai meta thymēdeias tous synontas, hōs eikos anēei, hate dē kai theias hepakousas phōnēs. kai dytou palin apolausas trophēs. Epanelthōn de kai dyo philosophias hǭkodomēse phrontistēria, hen men eis tēn rhachian. tou horous peri hou proeirēkamen, thateron de kat᾽ hauto, par᾽ hauta tē: hypōreias ta kraspeda en hekaterǭ de athlētas aretēs: synathroisas, kai toutōn kakeinōn gymnastēs egeneto kai paidotridēs, kai tou antipalou kai polemiou didaskōn tas prosdolas, kai tou agōnothetou tēn eunoian hypiaschnoumenos, kai tharrhein parakalōn kai phron᾽ ma, tos emphorōn, kai pros men tous homophyeis metria- Ho zein keleuōn, pros de ton polemion megalophrosynę̄ kechrēsthai parengyōn. Toiauta didaskōn, houtō biopas marmarygas aphieis, tēs epiponou zōēs to telos? edexato, kai eis ton agērō kai alypon apedēmēse bion, asdeston kleos katalipōn, kai mnēmēn eisaei diamenousan. Tēs toutou de eulogias apēlause men periontos hē makaria kai trismakaria mou mētēr, kai polla tōn toutou moi diēgēmatōn pollakis prosēnenken. Egō de tēs nyn dynasteias hautou kai prestheias apolausai antidolō, kai oida ō? teuxomai, Dōsei gar pantōs tēn aitēsin, tēn tou Despotou philanthrōpian mimoumenos.
If anyone were willingly to pass over Symeon the Elder and hand over the memory of his philosophy to forgetfulness, he would rightly not escape the charge of injustice and envy, as one unwilling to praise what deserves praise, and unwilling to set before those who wish to be helped what is lovely and worth imitating. But I shall relate his way of life not from fear of that charge, but from longing to praise him. For he spent a very long time embracing the solitary life, living in a small cave, for he chose to live [alone]; and he conversed continually with the God of all, and made the edible herbs his food. This labor won him rich grace from above, so that he could command even the [fiercest] and boldest beasts. And this became plain not only to the devout but also to the unbelieving Jews. For they were traveling on some business to one of the fortresses that lie outside our part of the world. A violent rain came on and a whirlwind struck; they lost the road, being unable to see ahead, and, finding in the desert neither village nor cave nor wayfarer, in the middle of the land they came, [storm-tossed] as they were, upon the cave of the divine Symeon as upon a kind of harbor; and they saw a squalid and dirty man, wearing on his shoulders a small piece of rough cloth. He saw them and at the same time greeted them, for he was affable, and asked the reason for their coming. When they told what had happened and begged to learn the road to the fortress, he said: “Stay, and I will give you guides at once to show you the road.” They obeyed, and … [two lions came], not looking at them fiercely, but fawning on him as on a master, and showing their servitude. [He ordered them to guide] these men and lead them to that road which they had left and so gone astray. Let no one think the story a fable, since he has the common enemies of the truth as witnesses to the truth. For those very men who received the kindness have continued to sing of it; and this great James told it to me, saying that he was present when they were telling of the wonder. Whoever, then, [disbelieves what] the Jews [testify], how would he not rightly be called more unbelieving than the Jews? For they, though hostile, are nevertheless overcome and give way to the rays of the truth; while those reputed to be well disposed and sharers in the faith do not [believe] the power of grace even when its enemies testify to it.
The inspired man having become famous through such wonders, and many of the … (that desert is inhabited by those who boast of Ishmael as their forefather), he, loving quiet, was compelled to leave the cave and … the mountain called Amanus, which was formerly full of the madness of polytheism; he cultivated it with many wonders of every kind and planted the true religion that now lives in it. But to tell everything is very laborious, and for me perhaps impossible. So I shall mention one, and set it forth as a token of his apostolic and prophetic wonder-working, and leave it to readers to infer from it the strength of the grace he received. It was summer and harvest, and the sheaves were being carried to the threshing floors. A man not content with his just labors, but coveting what belonged to others, stole some of his neighbor's sheaves and tried to enlarge his own stack with them. But at once the Deity passed sentence against the theft: a fiery whirlwind came down, the threshing floor was set on fire, and the wretched man ran to the man of God, who lived not far from the village. He told of his disaster but tried to hide the theft. When he was told to speak the truth and confessed the theft (for his suffering compelled him to accuse himself), the divine man ordered him to undo the punishment by undoing the injustice. “For when you pay back those sheaves,” he said, “that fire sent by God will be put out.” Then one could see the man running and bringing the stolen ears of grain to the one he had wronged, and the fire [quenched] by prayer and intercession. This filled not only those living around with fear, but compelled the whole city (I mean Antioch, for the place was under its jurisdiction) to run there, one asking for relief from an affliction, another for the cure of some other trouble; and he generously supplied the streams of the grace that dwelt in him.
But again, loving quiet, he desired [to reach Mount Sinai]. Learning [of this], many of the best men, who pursued the same philosophy, ran together longing to share his journey. Having completed a journey of many days, when they came to the desert of Sodom, they saw from afar the hands of a man stretched up on high from a pit. At first [they suspected a deception] of a demon … , and seeing the same thing, they hastened to that place, and saw a small hole, such as foxes are wont to make when they contrive burrows for themselves, but saw no one appearing there. For the man who [had stretched out] his hands, hearing the sound of feet, [had gone down into the burrow]. The old man, bending down, earnestly begged him to show himself if he had a human nature and was not some deceiving demon taking such a shape. “For we too,” he said, “pursue the ascetic life and love quiet, and are wandering through this desert, desiring to worship the God of all on Mount Sinai, where he made his appearance to his servant Moses and gave him the tablets of the law. Not that we think the Deity is circumscribed (for we hear him saying, ‘I fill heaven and earth, says the Lord’, and that ‘he holds the circle of the earth, and those who dwell in it are like locusts’), but because to those who love warmly not only the beloved but also the places that received their presence and converse are lovely.” As the old man said these and similar things, the hidden man showed himself from the burrow; he was wild to look at, with squalid hair, … all the members of his body, [covered with] some poor rags. He greeted them, gave them the salutation of peace, and asked who they were, where they came from, and where they were going. They answered the question and asked in turn where he had come from and why he had chosen this life. He said: “I too had the same eagerness that you have as you go, and I had made a companion of this journey an intimate friend of like mind who had the same aim as I, and we had bound each other by an oath not to break our companionship even in death. So, on the journey, it befell him to receive the end of his life here; and I, bound by the oath, dug as best I could and committed his body to burial. Beside this body I dug another grave for myself, and here I await the end of my life and offer the Master the customary service. For food I have dates, which one has been appointed by my Guardian to bring me.” As he was saying this, a lion appeared in the distance, and those with the old man fell into anguish. Perceiving this, the man sitting by the burrow stood up and nodded to the lion to go to the other side. At once it obeyed and came, bringing a cluster of dates. Then, being allowed, it went away again, lay down at a distance from the men, and slept. He distributed the dates to all, shared prayer and psalmody with them, and after the end of the service at dawn greeted them and [sent them away], amazed at the strange sight.
If anyone disbelieves what has been said, let him remember the way of life of the celebrated Elijah and the ministry of the ravens, which brought him bread in the morning and meat in the evening. It is easy for the Maker of all to find all kinds of means to care for his own. So he [kept] Jonah in the belly of the sea monster for three days and nights, made the lions in the den stand in awe of Daniel, and caused lifeless fire to act rationally, giving light to those within and burning up those outside. But I am doing something superfluous in bringing proofs of the divine power. When he reached the mountain he longed for, they say that the admirable old man, in the place where Moses was counted worthy to see God (and he saw him as far as was possible for mortal nature), bent his knees and did not rise until he heard a divine voice announcing the Master's favor to him. When he had continued thus bowed down for a whole week, without taking even a little food, the voice that came ordered him to take what was set before him and eat it eagerly. Stretching out his hand he found three apples, and when he had eaten his fill of them as the giver commanded, he was filled with all strength, and with joy he [went down to] his companions, as was natural, since he had heard a divine voice and enjoyed food from such a giver. When he returned he built two schools of philosophy, one on the ridge of the mountain we spoke of before, the other below it, at the very skirts of its foot; and gathering athletes of virtue in each, he became the gymnastic master and trainer of both, teaching the attacks of the adversary and enemy, promising the good will of the president of the games, urging them to take courage and filling them with resolve, ordering them to be modest toward those of their own nature, and charging them to use greatness of mind against the enemy. Teaching such things, and so living, sending out … flashes, he received the end of his laborious life and departed to the life that knows neither age nor grief, leaving an inextinguishable fame and a memory that remains for ever. My blessed and thrice-blessed mother enjoyed his blessing while he lived, and often told me many stories about him. I beg to enjoy his present power and intercession, and I know that I shall obtain it; for he will surely grant the request, imitating the Master's love for humankind.
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Jer 23:24 (quotation, high confidence) · Isa 40:22 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Kgs 17:6 (allusion, high confidence) · Jonah 1:17 (allusion, high confidence) · Dan 6:22 (allusion, high confidence) · Dan 3:22–27 (allusion, high confidence) · Exod 33:20–23 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Symeon the Elder, a desert hermit, sends lions to guide lost Jews, quenches a fire sent on a thief, evangelizes Mount Amanus, meets a hermit fed by a lion on the way to Sinai, and founds two monasteries.
- About 2% of the Greek is lost in the scan used here; gaps are marked “…” and nothing has been supplied. Words in square brackets supply what the sense plainly requires where a line is damaged; the most important is the sentence on the lions who guide the Jews, where the subject (“two lions came”) is lost and has been supplied from what follows. Other losses: whom Symeon drew to himself in the desert of the Ishmaelites and what he did on Mount Amanus; the description of the hermit's face; and a word describing the “flashes” of Symeon's life. “One has been appointed by my Guardian to bring me” (the lion, as what follows shows) is a damaged phrase translated by sense. The “great James” who told Theodoret the story is probably James of Cyrrhestica (chapter 21). The miracle accounts are translated as Theodoret tells them. Quotations: Jer 23:24; Isa 40:22. Allusions: 1 Kgs 17:6; Jonah 1:17; Dan 6:22; Dan 3:22–27; Exod 33:20–23. Migne's Latin column read as Greek letters and marginal references were removed (logged corrections).
Notes on the original text
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Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Hist. rel. 6 (PG 82; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-religiosa/6). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-religiosa/6
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 82 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain English exists, so every section was re-read against the Greek (Lives 1-11 in a separate review pass).
Chapter 7
7PG 82
γεγένηται, καὶ ὀμότροπος, καὶ συνήθης, καὶ γνώριμος. Παρ' ἀλλήλους γὰρ, ὥς φασι, φοιτῶντες τῆς ἀλλήλους, καὶ εἰς ζῆλον τὸν θεῖον ᾿ ἐγείροντες. Ἐν οἰκίσκῳ δέ τιν: καθεῖρχτο, κώμῃ μεγίστῃ καὶ πολυανθρώπῳ πελάζοντι " Ἴμμαι δὲ ὄνομα ταύτῃ. Περὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς τοῦ ἀνδρὸς καρτερίας, ἀσιτίας τε καὶ ἀγρυπνίας, καὶ τῆς διηνεκοῦς προσευχῆς, περιττὸν ἡγοῦμαι διηγεῖσθαι. Τὸν γὰρ αὐτὸν εἶλκεν ἐν τούτοις τῷ θείῳ Συμεῶνι ἐκείνῳ ζυγόν. Τὸ δὲ θαῦμα, τὸ μέχρι καὶ τήμερον ἀδόμενον, τὸ ὑπὸ τῆς ἐχείνου καὶ φωνῆς γενόμενον καὶ χειρὸς, προῦργον διηγήσασθαι. κώμην, τοὺς πάντοθεν ἐμπόρους ἐπισπωμένη, καὶ πλῆθος ἀριθμοῦ χρεῖττον ἐφελκομένη. Ἐξν ταύτῃ τις ἔμπορος, ἅπερ ἧκε φέρων ἀπεμπολήσας, καὶ τὸ χρυσίον συναθροίσας, νύκτωρ. ἀπαίρειν ἐβούλετο. ᾿Ανδροφόνος δέ τις, τὸ συλλεγὲν ἐκεῖνο θεασάμενος χρυσίον, οἴστρου τινὸς καὶ μανίας ἐμφορηθεὶς, τὸν μὲν ὕπνον τῶν βλεφάρων ἀπήλασε, τοῦ δὲ ἀνδρὸς ἐχείνου τὴν ἀποδημίαν ἐφύλαττε. Μετὰ δὲ ἀλεκτρυόνων ᾧδὰς, ὁ μὲν ἀπῆρε θαῤῥῶν᾽ ὁ δὲ προλαδὼν καὶ απινχίως τε προδαλὼν, ἐπήνεγκε τὴν πληγὴν, καὶ τὴν μιαιφονίαν ἐτόλμησε " προστίθησι δὲ καὶ ἕτερον τῷδε τῷ μύσει δυσσέδημα. Τὸ γὰρ χρυσίον λαδὼν, τὸ νεκρὸν ἐκεῖνο σῶμα παρὰ τὴν τοῦ μεγάλου Παλλαδίου προσέῤῥιψε θύραν. Ὡς δὲ ἡμέρα ἐγένετο, καὶ ἡ φήμη διέδραμε, καὶ ἡ πανήγυρις ἅπασα τὸ γεγεἅπαντες, καὶ τὴν θύραν θεῖον Παλλάδιον" Εἷς δὲ τῶν τοῦτο δρώντων ἣν ὁ τὴν τοσαύτης πληθύος ὁ θεσπέσιος ἄνθρωπος, εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἰδὼν, καὶ τῇ διανοίᾳ τὸν οὐρανὸν ὑπερδὰς, ἱκέτευε τὸν Δεσπότην, τῆς συκοφαντίας διελέγξαι τὸ ψεῦδος, καὶ δήλην ἀποφῆνα: τὴν κεκρυμμένην ἀλήθειαν. Οὕτως εὐξάμενος, καὶ τῆ: τοῦ κειμένου λαδόμενο: δεξιᾶς, « Εἰπὲ, ἔφη, ὦ νεανία, τίς σοι ταύτην ἐπήνεγχξ τὴν πληγήν δεῖξον τὸν τοῦ μύσους αὐθέντὴν, καὶ τὸν ἀθῶον ἀπόφηνον τῆς πονηρᾶς ταύτης αυχοφαντίας ἐλεύθερον. Ἠκολούθει δὲ τῷ μὲν λόγῳ ὁ λόγος, τῇ δεξιᾷ δὲ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ καθήμενος περιεσκόπει μὲν τοὺς παρόντας, ὑπεδείχνυε δὲ τῷ δακτύλῳ τὸν ἀνδροφόνον. Βοὴ δὲ πάντων ἐγένετο, καὶ τὸ θαῦμα ἐχπληττομένων, καὶ τὴν γεγενημένην μιαιφόνον ἐκεῖνον, καὶ τὴν μάχαιραν εὗρον ἔτι πεφοινιγμένην τῷ αἵματι, καὶ τὸ χρυσίον ἐκεῖνο τὸ τῆς σφαγῆς γεγενημένον πρόξενον. Ὁ δὲ θεῖος Πχλὧν, ἀξιαγαστότερος εἰκότως ἐντεῦθεν ἐγένετο. Ἱκανὸν γὰρ ἣν τὸ θαῦμα δεῖξαι κὴν παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς παῤῥησίαν. Καὶ ᾿Αδραάμῃη; δὲ ὁ θαυμάσιος τῆς αὐτῆς ἣν συμμορίας, ὃς τὸν μὲν καλούμενον Παράτομον ᾧκησε, πάντοσε δὲ τῆς ἀρετῆς τὰς μαρμαρυγὰς ἐξέπεμψε. Μαρτυρεῖ ὃὲ τῇ λαμπρότητι τῆς ζωῆΐς τὰ μετὰ τελευτὴν ἐνεργούμενα θαύματα. ᾿Αναδλύζει γὰρ ἡ ἐχείνου θήκη μέχρι καὶ τήμερον παντοδαπὰς θεραπείας, καὶ μάρτυρες οἱ ταύτας ἐκεῖθεν ἀφθόνως διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἀρυόμενοι, Ἐμοὶ δὲ εἴη καὶ τῆς τούτων ἐπικουρίας τυχεῖν, τῇ τούτων μνήμῃ τὴν γλῶτταν …
gegenētai, kai omotropos, kai synēthēs, kai gnōrimos. Par' allēlous gar, hōs phasi, phoitōntes tēs allēlous, kai eis zēlon ton theion ᾿ egeirontes. En oikiskǭ de tin: katheirchto, kōmę̄ megistę̄ kai polyanthrōpǭ pelazonti " Immai de onoma tautę̄. Peri men gar tēs tou andros karterias, asitias te kai agrypnias, kai tēs diēnekous proseuchēs, peritton hēgoumai diēgeisthai. Ton gar auton eilken en toutois tǭ theiǭ Symeōni ekeinǭ zygon. To de thauma, to mechri kai tēmeron adomenon, to hypo tēs echeinou kai phōnēs genomenon kai cheiros, prourgon diēgēsasthai. kōmēn, tous pantothen emporous epispōmenē, kai plēthos arithmou chreitton ephelkomenē. Exn tautę̄ tis emporos, haper hēke pherōn apempolēsas, kai to chrysion synathroisas, nyktōr. apairein ebouleto. ᾿Androphonos de tis, to syllegen ekeino theasamenos chrysion, oistrou tinos kai manias emphorētheis, ton men hypnon tōn blepharōn apēlase, tou de andros echeinou tēn apodēmian ephylatte. Meta de alektryonōn hǭdas, ho men apēre tharrhōn᾽ ho de proladōn kai apinchiōs te prodalōn, epēnenke tēn plēgēn, kai tēn miaiphonian etolmēse " prostithēsi de kai heteron tǭde tǭ mysei dyssedēma. To gar chrysion ladōn, to nekron ekeino sōma para tēn tou megalou Palladiou proserrhipse thyran. Hōs de hēmera egeneto, kai hē phēmē diedrame, kai hē panēgyris hapasa to gegeapantes, kai tēn thyran theion Palladion" Heis de tōn touto drōntōn hēn ho tēn tosautēs plēthyos ho thespesios anthrōpos, eis ton ouranon idōn, kai tę̄ dianoią ton ouranon hyperdas, hiketeue ton Despotēn, tēs sykophantias dielenxai to pseudos, kai dēlēn apophēna: tēn kekrymmenēn alētheian. Houtōs euxamenos, kai tē: tou keimenou ladomeno: dexias, « Eipe, ephē, ō neania, tis soi tautēn epēnenchx tēn plēgēn deixon ton tou mysous authentēn, kai ton athōon apophēnon tēs ponēras tautēs auchophantias eleutheron. Ēkolouthei de tǭ men logǭ ho logos, tę̄ dexią de ho anthrōpos, kai kathēmenos perieskopei men tous parontas, hypedeichnye de tǭ daktylǭ ton androphonon. Boē de pantōn egeneto, kai to thauma echplēttomenōn, kai tēn gegenēmenēn miaiphonon ekeinon, kai tēn machairan heuron eti pephoinigmenēn tǭ haimati, kai to chrysion ekeino to tēs sphagēs gegenēmenon proxenon. Ho de theios Pchlōn, axiagastoteros eikotōs enteuthen egeneto. Hikanon gar hēn to thauma deixai kēn para tǭ Theǭ tou andros parrhēsian. Kai ᾿Adraamę̄ē? de ho thaumasios tēs autēs hēn symmorias, hos ton men kaloumenon Paratomon hǭkēse, pantose de tēs aretēs tas marmarygas exepempse. Martyrei hoe tę̄ lamprotēti tēs zōēïs ta meta teleutēn energoumena thaumata. ᾿Anadlyzei gar hē echeinou thēkē mechri kai tēmeron pantodapas therapeias, kai martyres hoi tautas ekeithen aphthonōs dia tēs pisteōs aryomenoi, Emoi de eiē kai tēs toutōn epikourias tychein, tę̄ toutōn mnēmę̄ tēn glōttan …
… was [his contemporary], of like character, an intimate and acquaintance. For, as they say, visiting each other, they [drew benefit from each other and roused] each other to divine zeal. He was shut up in a little hut near a very large and populous village called Imma. About the man's endurance, his fasting, his vigils and his constant prayer I think it superfluous to speak; for in these he drew the same yoke as that divine Symeon. But the wonder that is sung to this day, which came about through his voice and his hand, is worth relating. [A festival gathered at the] village, drawing merchants from every side and attracting a multitude beyond counting. At it a merchant, having sold the goods he had brought and collected the gold, wished to set out by night. A murderer, seeing that gold collected, was filled with a kind of frenzy and madness, drove sleep from his eyelids, and watched for the man's departure. After the cocks crowed, the merchant set out confidently; the other got ahead of him, suddenly attacked him, struck the blow and dared the bloody deed. And to this abomination he added another impiety: taking the gold, he threw the dead body down at the door of the great Palladius. When day came and the report ran round, and the whole festival crowd … what had happened, all … the door … the divine Palladius. One of those doing this was the … . The inspired man, [seeing] so great a multitude, looked up to heaven, and passing beyond heaven in his mind, besought the Master to expose the falsehood of the slander and to make plain the hidden truth. Having prayed thus, he took hold of the right hand of the man lying there and said: “Tell us, young man, who struck you this blow; show the author of the abomination, and declare the innocent free of this wicked slander.” The deed followed the word, and the man followed the right hand: sitting up, he looked round at those present and pointed out the murderer with his finger. A cry went up from all, astonished at the wonder and at the [crime] that had been committed; [they searched] that murderer and found the knife still red with blood and that gold which had been the cause of the slaughter. The divine Palladius, naturally, became more admirable from this; for the wonder was enough to show the man's freedom of speech before God.
The admirable Abraham also belonged to the same company. He lived in the place called Paratomos, and sent out the flashes of his virtue everywhere. The wonders worked after his death bear witness to the brilliance of his life; for his tomb pours out to this day healings of every kind, and those who draw them from there abundantly through faith are witnesses. May I too obtain the help of these men, having [sanctified] my tongue with their memory ….
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Notes and citation
Summary: Palladius, a recluse near Imma and friend of Symeon the Elder, is accused of a murder at a village fair and, by his prayer, makes the dead man point out the murderer; Abraham of Paratomos works healings from his tomb.
- The opening lines of this chapter, which named Palladius and said that he was a contemporary and friend of Symeon the Elder (chapter 6), are lost in the scan; the text begins mid-sentence and the sense is supplied in square brackets. Other gaps are marked “…” and nothing has been supplied: in particular, what the crowd did at Palladius's door (they evidently accused him of the murder) and the identity of the one who joined them (by the sense, the murderer himself). “The deed followed the word”: the scan reads “the word followed the word” (ὁ λόγος), probably a slip; rendered by sense. The end of the chapter breaks off in the scan. Healings at Abraham's tomb are related as Theodoret tells them. Migne's Latin column read as Greek letters and marginal references were removed (logged corrections).
Notes on the original text
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Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Hist. rel. 7 (PG 82; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-religiosa/7). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-religiosa/7
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 82 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain English exists, so every section was re-read against the Greek (Lives 1-11 in a separate review pass).