E02741: Gregory of Nazianzus, in his First Oration against Julian, of 361/363, reports that the emperor Julian the Apostate and his brother, Gallus, built a shrine for martyrs during their youth; the work sponsored by Julian was miraculously rejected and destroyed. Written in Greek at Nazianzus (central Asia Minr).
Creators: name: Bryan
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2017
Subjects: History

description: Gregory of Nazianzus, Oration 4, Against Julian I, 24-26 (CPG 3010. 4)<br><br>ΚΔʹ. Μαρτύρων τε μνήμασι πολυτελεστάτοις, καὶ ἀναθημάτων φιλοτιμίαις, καὶ πᾶσιν οἷς ὁ θεῖος φόβος χαρακτηρίζεται, τὸ φιλόσοφον καὶ φιλόχριστον κατεμήνυον· ὁ μὲν, καὶ κατ’ ἀλήθειαν εὐσεβῶν· καὶ γὰρ ἦν, εἰ καὶ τὴν φύσιν θερμότερος, ἀλλ’ οὖν γνήσιος εἰς εὐσέβειαν· ὁ δὲ, τὸν καιρὸν ἐξωνούμενος, καὶ κρύπτων ἐν ἐπιεικείας πλάσματι τὸ κακόηθες. Τεκμήριον δέ· καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην παραδραμεῖν τὸ συμβὰν θαῦμα, σφόδρα τε ὂν μνήμης ἄξιον, καὶ πολλοὺς παιδεῦσαι τῶν ἀσεβῶν δυνάμενον.<br><br>ΚΕʹ. Ἔκαμνον μὲν τοῖς μάρτυσιν, ὅπερ εἶπον, ἀμφότεροι, καὶ ἀντεφιλοτιμοῦντο λαμπρῶς ἀλλήλοις, καὶ χειρὶ πολλῇ καὶ δαπάνῃ τὸν οἶκον ἐγείροντες· ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐκ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς προαιρέσεως, οὐδὲ εἰς ὅμοιον πέρας προέβαινεν ἀμφοτέροις ὁ πόνος· τοῦ μὲν γὰρ τὸ ἔργον ἠνύετο, καὶ κατὰ λόγον ἐχώρει, τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου λέγω τῶν ἀδελφῶν, οἷα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἐπίδοσιν ἑτοίμως προσιεμένου, κατὰ τὴν Ἄβελ θυσίαν, ὀρθῶς καὶ προσενεχθεῖσαν καὶ διαιρεθεῖσαν· καὶ ἦν ὥσπερ πρωτοτόκου τις καθιέρωσις ἡ ἐπίδοσις· τοῦ δὲ, φεῦ τῆς ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἀτιμίας τὰ ἐκεῖθεν μαρτυρομένης, καὶ μικροῖς μηνύμασι τὰ μεγάλα προκηρυττούσης, ὥσπερ τὴν Κάϊν θυσίαν ὁ τῶν μαρτύρων Θεὸς ἀπεπέμπετο.<br><br>ΚϚʹ. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐπόνει, ἡ δὲ γῆ τὸ πονηθὲν ἀπεσείετο. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐφιλονείκει μᾶλλον, ἡ δὲ ἀπηξίου δέχεσθαι θεμελίους τοῦ σαθροῦ πρὸς εὐσέβειαν, οἷα βοῶσα τὸν ἐσόμενον ἐξ ἐκείνου σεισμὸν, καὶ τιμῶσα τοὺς μάρτυρας τῇ περὶ τὸν ἀσεβέστατον ἀτιμίᾳ. Τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον προφητεία τις ἦν τῆς ὕστερον τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐθαδείας καὶ ἀπονοίας, καὶ τῆς εἰς μάρτυρας ἀτιμίας, καὶ περὶ τοὺς ἁγίους οἴκους παρανομίας· τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους λανθάνουσα, τὸν δὲ διώκτην πόῤῥωθεν προδιώκουσα, καὶ τὰ τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐπίχειρα προσημαίνουσα.<br><br><br>‘24. They displayed their love of wisdom and their love of Christ by extremely sumptuous monuments for martyrs, by demonstrations of largesse in offerings, and by all other things by which fear of God is expressed. The one of them did so out of sincere piety, for although he was more quick-tempered in character, nevertheless he was genuine in his piety. The other was just buying time, concealing his wickedness under a mask of kindness. There is a proof to that – I indeed could not possibly pass by the wonder which took place back then, for it greatly deserves to be remembered and can instruct many of the impious.<br><br>25. So, as I have said, they were both labouring in the service of the martyrs and were eminently vying with one another in erecting their shrines at a great expense of work and money. Yet, since it did not proceed from the same motive, their effort did not lead to the same outcome either. For the work of the one was accomplished and progressed according to plan – I am talking about the elder brother – as though God was readily welcoming his offering, like Abel's sacrifice which was offered and carved in the right way. And this offering was indeed, in some sort, the consecration of a first-born. As for the other one – alas for the disgrace of the impious which already in this world attests to the other and forewarns of great things through trivial signs! – the God of the Martyrs rejected it like the sacrifice of Cain.<br><br>26. And he continued his efforts, but the earth shook off the product of his toils. And he insisted further on, but it did not deign to accept the foundation stones of a man who was shaky in the faith, roaring, as it were, about the turbulence that was going to be caused by him, and honouring the martyrs by dishonouring the utterly impious one. This incident was a kind of presage of the later insolence and madness of the man, of his disrespect for the martyrs and of his offence against the holy shrines. It escaped the notice of the others, but it was following the persecutor long in advance and foreshadowed the rewards of his impiety.’<br><br>Text: Migne 1857.<br>Translation: E. Rizos