E04052: Sozomen in his Ecclesiastical History recounts the transfer of the head of *John (the Baptist, S00020) to Constantinople: discovered by Macedonianist monks in Palestine, and brought to a village in the territory of Chalcedon (north-west Asia Minor, near Constantinople) under Valens, probably in the late 360s or 370s, it was deposited at Hebdomon (suburb of Constantinople) under Theodosius I, after 381. Written in Greek at Constantinople, 439/450.
Creators: name: Erizos
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2017
Subjects: History

description: Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History, 7.21<br><br>(1) Ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον διεκομίσθη εἰς Κωνσταντινούπολιν ἡ Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ κεφαλή, ἣν Ἡρῳδιὰς ᾐτήσατο παρὰ Ἡρῴδου τοῦ τετράρχου. λέγεται δὲ εὑρεθῆναι παρὰ ἀνδράσι μοναχοῖς τῆς Μακεδονίου αἱρέσεως, οἳ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις διέτριβον, ὕστερον δὲ εἰς Κιλικίαν μετῳκίσθησαν. (2) ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς πρὸ ταύτης ἡγεμονίας Μαρδονίου μηνύσαντος, ὃς τῆς βασιλικῆς οἰκίας μείζων ἦν εὐνοῦχος, προσέταξεν Οὐάλης εἰς Κωνσταντινούπολιν αὐτὴν κομισθῆναι. καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἀποσταλέντες ἐπιθέντες ὀχήματι δημοσίῳ ἦγον· ὡς δὲ εἰς τὸ Παντείχιον ἧκον (χωρίον δὲ τοῦτο Χαλκηδόνος), οὐκέτι προσωτέρω βαδίζειν ἠνείχοντο αἱ τὸ ὄχημα καθέλκουσαι ἡμίονοι, καὶ ταῦτα τῶν ἱπποκόμων ἐπαπειλούντων καὶ τοῦ ἡνιόχου χαλεπῶς τῇ μάστιγι κεντοῦντος. (3) ὡς δὲ οὐδὲν ἤνυον (ἐδόκει δὲ πᾶσι καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ βασιλεῖ παράδοξον εἶναι καὶ θεῖον τὸ πρᾶγμα), ἀπέθεντο ταύτην τὴν ἱερὰν κεφαλὴν ἐν τῇ Κοσιλάου κώμῃ· ἔτυχε γὰρ ἐκ γειτόνων οὖσα καὶ Μαρδονίου τούτου κτῆμα. (4) περὶ δὲ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον ἢ τοῦ θεοῦ ἢ αὐτοῦ τοῦ προφήτου κινοῦντος ἧκεν εἰς τήνδε τὴν κώμην Θεοδόσιος ὁ βασιλεύς, βουλομένῳ τε τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ τὸ λείψανον λαβεῖν μόνην φασὶν ἀντειπεῖν Ματρώναν, ἣ παρθένος μὲν ἦν ἱερά, εἵπετο δὲ αὐτῷ διάκονος καὶ φύλαξ· ἀνθισταμένην δὲ παντὶ σθένει βιάσασθαι οὐχ ἡγήσατο δεῖν, ἀντιβολῶν δὲ ἐδεῖτο συγχωρεῖν. (5) ἐπεὶ δὲ μόλις εἶξεν ἀνήνυτον εἶναι νομίσασα τῷ κρατοῦντι τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν κατὰ τὸ συμβὰν ἐπὶ τῶν Οὐάλεντος χρόνων, περιλαβὼν τῇ ἁλουργίδι τὴν θήκην ἐν ᾗ ἔκειτο ἔχων ἐπανῆλθε, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ ἄστεως Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἔθετο ἐν τῷ καλουμένῳ Ἑβδόμῳ, μέγιστον καὶ περικαλλέστατον τῷ θεῷ ἐνθάδε ναὸν ἐγείρας. πολλὰ δὲ πολλάκις λιπαρήσας Ματρώναν καὶ κεχαρισμένα ὑποσχόμενος οὐκ ἔπεισε μεταθέσθαι τῆς δόξης· ἦν γὰρ τῆς Μακεδονίου αἱρέσεως. (6) καίτοι γε Βικέντιος πρεσβύτερος, ὁμόδοξος ὢν αὐτῇ καὶ τὴν σορὸν τοῦ προφήτου ἐπίσης θεραπεύων καὶ περὶ ταύτην ἱερώμενος, ἠκολούθησεν αὐτίκα καὶ τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς καθόλου ἐκκλησίας ἐκοινώνησεν, ἀπώμοτον μέν, ὡς λέγουσιν οἱ τὰ Μακεδονίου φρονοῦντες, ποιησάμενος μήποτε μεταθήσεσθαι τῆς αὐτῶν δόξης, τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον εἰς τὸ προφανὲς ὁρίσας, ὡς εἰ ἕλοιτο ὁ βαπτιστὴς ἀκολουθῆσαι τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ αὐτὸν κοινωνήσειν αὐτῷ μηδὲν διαφερόμενον. (7) ἐγένετο δὲ οὗτος Πέρσης τὸ γένος, ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς Κωνσταντίου βασιλείας διωγμοῦ καταλαβόντος τοὺς ἐν Περσίδι Χριστιανοὺς φεύγων ἅμα Ἀδδᾷ τῷ αὐτοῦ ἀνεψιῷ εἰς Ῥωμαίους ἦλθεν. (8) ἀλλ’ ὁ μὲν κλήρῳ ἐγκατελέγη καὶ εἰς πρεσβυτέρου προῆλθεν ἀξίαν· Ἀδδᾶς δὲ γήμας μέγιστα τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ὠφέλησε παῖδα καταλιπὼν Αὐξέντιον, ἄνδρα περὶ τὸ θεῖον πιστότατον καὶ περὶ φίλους σπουδαῖον, ἐμμελῆ δὲ τὸν βίον καὶ φιλόλογον καὶ πολυμαθῆ τῶν Ἕλλησι καὶ τοῖς ἐκκλησιαστικοῖς συγγραφεῦσιν ἱστορημένων, μέτριον δὲ τὸ ἦθος καὶ βασιλεῖ καὶ τοῖς ἀμφ’ αὐτὸν ἐπιτήδειον καὶ λαμπρᾶς ἐπειλημμένον στρατείας. ἀλλὰ τοῦδε μὲν πολύς ἐστι λόγος παρά τε εὐδοκιμωτάτοις μοναχοῖς καὶ σπουδαίοις ἀνδράσι, οἵπερ αὐτοῦ ἐπειράθησαν. (9) ἡ δὲ Ματρώνα μέχρι τελευτῆς ἐν τῇ Κοσιλάου κώμῃ διέτριβε· διεβίω δὲ ἱεροπρεπῶς μάλα καὶ σωφρόνως ἱερῶν παρθένων ἡγουμένη· ὧν εἰσέτι νῦν πολλὰς περιεῖναι ἐπυθόμην, τῆς ὑπὸ Ματρώναν παιδεύσεως ἄξιον φερούσας ἦθος.<br><br><br>‘(1) About this time, the head of John the Baptist, which Herodias had asked of Herod the tetrarch, was transferred to Constantinople. It is said that it was discovered by monks of the sect of Makedonios, who originally dwelt at Constantinople, and were later resettled in Cilicia. (2) Under the previous emperor, Mardonios who was the chief eunuch of the palace had made this discovery known, and Valens commanded that the relic be brought to Constantinople. The men appointed for the task took it on a state carriage and set off. When they arrived at Panteichion, which is a settlement in the territory of Chalcedon, the mules drawing the carriage refused to advance further, even though the drivers kept threatening them and the driver was scourging them terribly with the lash. (3) Yet they would not move at all, and everyone, including the emperor himself, thought that the incident was extraordinary and of divine provenance; so they deposited this holy head at the village of Kosilaos, which happened to be nearby and belonged to the said Mardonios. <br><br>(4) Now during the period we are talking about here, the emperor Theodosius, induced by God or by the Prophet himself, arrived at this village. As he intended to take away the relic of the Baptist, they say that the only person who opposed him was Matrona, a consecrated virgin who was serving as its minister and guardian. As she was resisting with all her strength, he thought it inappropriate to use coercion and instead begged her for permission. <br><br>(5) She consented very reluctantly, believing that the emperor would fail in his endeavour, as it had happened with Valens. The emperor wrapped the chest where the relic was resting with his purple cloak, and departed with it. He deposited it outside the city of Constantinople at the place called Hebdomon, where he erected a very large and beautiful shrine. As for Matrona, although he besought her profusely and persistently, promising splendid rewards, he failed to persuade her to change her religious views. For she adhered to the sect of Makedonios. <br><br>(6) By contrast, Vikentios, a presbyter of her creed, who also used to worship and serve as a cleric by the coffin of the Prophet, immediately followed the emperor and entered into communion with the Catholic Church. Indeed, although he had taken an oath, as the Macedonianists affirm, never to swerve from their creed, in the end he openly declared that, if the Baptist had decided to follow the emperor, he also would enter into communion with him unreservedly. (7) He was a Persian and, when a persecution befell the Christians of Persia, during the reign of Constantius, he fled together with his nephew, Addas, and moved to the Roman Empire. (8) He joined the clergy and advanced to the office of presbyter. As for Addas, he married and rendered great service to the Church, for he has left a son named Auxentios who is a man highly devoted to our religion and faithful to his friends, proper in his lifestyle, a keen scholar well versed in the writings of both pagan and ecclesiastical authors, and also a moderate character. He is very close to the emperor and his entourage and has been appointed to a splendid office in the imperial service. The monks and zealous people who have known him speak of him very highly. <br><br>(9) As for Matrona, she lived at the village of Kosilaos to the end of her life. She lived a very godly and pious life, leading a community of consecrated virgins, many of whom, I understand, are still alive, displaying a conduct worthy of their training under Matrona.’<br><br>Text: Bidez and Hansen 1995. Translation: E. Rizos.