E00051: Theophylact Simocatta in his History recounts the celebration of a liturgy and feast of thanksgiving in 590, by Dometianos, bishop of Melitene, at the basilica of the *Persian Martyrs of Martyropolis (S00041), after the return of Martyropolis (Mesopotamia) by the Persians to the Romans. In his sermon, the bishop makes several references to the saints, and presents the Persian surrender of the city as an offering to them. Written in Greek at Constantinople in the early 7th century.
Creators: name: Bryan
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2014
Subjects: History

description: Theophylact Simocatta, History 4.15.18-4.16.28<br><br>4.15.18<br>(18.) … ὁ ἱερεὺς τῆς σωτηρίας τὴν ἑορτὴν ἐγκαινίζων τῆς πόλεως πανήγυρίν τε τοῖς καλλινίκοις συστησάμενος μάρτυσιν ἐπὶ τῶν βημάτων τῶν ὑψηλῶν τῆς ἐκκλησίας γενόμενος, παιωνίζων ᾆσμα καινὸν τῷ Χριστῷ ἐπινίκιον τοῖς ὠσὶ τοῦ κατεκκλησιασθέντος λαοῦ τάδε που διηγόρευεν.<br><br>'(18.) … the priest [Dometianos] inaugurated a festival for the city’s [Martyropolis] salvation and arranged a feast for its gloriously victorious martyrs [the Persian Martyrs]. Standing on the lofty pulpit in the church, he chanted a new victory-song to Christ, and addressed words such as these to the ears of the assembled people.'<br><br>There follows the sermon of Dometianos which celebrates the recovery of Martyropolis in Old Testament terms as a triumph of true over false religion. In the following passage, the bishop refers to Zoroastrian religion and fire worship and to their abolition after the recapture of Martyropolis: <br><br>4.16.5<br>(5.) δουλαγωγοῦνται γὰρ λέοντες, καὶ δράκοντες ἀποπνίγονται, καὶ Βὴλ καὶ Μίθρας ἀνδραποδίζονται, καὶ μαλθακεύεται πῦρ μήτε μαρτύρων ἐσθῆτος τυραννῆσαι δυνάμενον, ὑπὸ νάφθας καὶ πίττης ἀφθόνως καταρδευόμενον.<br><br>'(5.) For lions are enslaved, serpents choked, Bel and Mithras sold into slavery, and the fire has its power removed, the fire which cannot conquer the cloth of the martyrs, although liberally sprinkled with tar and pitch.'<br><br>Next the bishop addresses the city calling upon it to rejoice at its liberation, and referring several times to the martyrs. He also addresses the martyrs themselves referring to the surrender of the city by Khosrau II as an offering to them from a humiliated tyrant:<br><br>4.16.10-23 <br>(10.) σὺ γὰρ δήμους μαρτύρων ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν καὶ πρεσβυτέροις χρόνοις ἐκέκτησο πᾶσαν ἀτραπὸν καὶ λεωφόρον τῶν σῶν λαγόνων ἐπικυμαίνοντας. (11.) ἐπιφανεστέρα σοι τῆς ἁλώσεως ἡ ἀνάζευξις· ἣν γὰρ ἔκλεψε δόλος, νῦν φόβος ἀπέδοτο, καὶ ἣν βασιλέως βαρβάρου πανουργία κακῶς ἀπεσύλησεν, νῦν ἐπιφανεστάτη δουλαγωγία καλῶς ἀντιδίδωσιν. (12.) ταύτην οἰκέτης ἐσταλμένος ὑμῖν, ὦ μάρτυρες, προσηγάγετο συμμάχους ἑλέσθαι θηρώμενος, οὓς ἀντιθέως τὸ πρότερον οὐκ ἐπρέσβευεν, ἐξ ἀποτεύξεως διδαχθεὶς τὴν εὐσέβειαν, ἐπεὶ καὶ Φαραὼ ὁ πάλαι μαστιζόμενος ἢ νουθετούμενος θεὸν σέβειν ἠνείχετο. (13.) ταύτην ὑμῖν ἀνατίθησιν, μάρτυρες, Βαβυλώνιος τύραννός τε καὶ ἔπηλυς, ὁ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ βασιλείας δραπέτης, ὁ νῦν Ῥωμαίοις ἀντὶ πολεμίου πειθήνιος· τοσαῦτα γὰρ ὑμεῖς τοῖς ἀνθεστηκόσιν ἐπαλαμήσασθε.<br><br>'(10.) For in ancient bygone times you [Martyropolis] had acquired companies of martyrs overflowing every highway and path of your vitals. (11.) Your return is more glorious than your capture: for what trickery stole, fear has now surrendered, what the villainy of a barbarian monarch wickedly despoiled, a most public slavery now excellently repays. (12.) The slave [Khosrau II] has dispatched this as an offering to you, o martyrs, in his search to gain as allies those whom he had earlier godlessly disregarded, being taught piety by failure, for even the Pharaoh of old was brought to honour God by punishment rather than admonition. (13.) This, martyrs, is your offering from the Babylonian tyrant and foreigner, the fugitive from his own kingdom, who is now obedient to the Romans rather than hostile. For such great deeds have you executed against your enemies.'<br><br>(16.) ᾄσωμεν ᾠδὴν τῷ κυρίῳ σωτήριον, ᾄσωμεν αὐτῷ μετὰ τῶν μαρτύρων ἐπινίκιον ὕμνον. ...<br><br>''(16.) Let us sing a song of salvation to the Lord, let us sing to him together with his martyrs a victory hymn.' ...<br><br>(23.) … ἀνενέργητον γὰρ καὶ νῦν τῶν Χαλδαίων τὸ πῦρ καταφλέξαι τῶν μαρτύρων τὸ πόλισμα. ...<br><br>'… for even now the fire of the Chaldeans has been made inefficacious to consume the city of the martyrs. ...'<br><br>After his account of the sermon, Simocatta tells of the Eucharist held to celebrate the victory, and the seven days of festivities that followed:<br><br>(28.) ὁ μὲν οὖν ἱερεὺς σφαγιάσας τὸν ἄρτον τόν τε οἶνον ἱερουργήσας τοῖς θεανδρικοῖς μυστηρίοις τὸ συνεληλυθὸς τῇ μεταλήψει ἡγίαζεν. καὶ οὕτω που ἡ πόλις ἡμέραις ἑπτὰ ταῖς θυμηδίαις καθεωρτάζετο.<br><br>'(28.) And so the priest, having slaughtered the bread and sacrificed the wine in the mysteries of the Incarnate God [= the Eucharist], sanctified the congregation through their partaking [= distributed communion]. And in such a way the city celebrated with festivities for seven days.'<br><br>Text: de Boor and Wirth 1972. Translation: Whitby and Whitby 1986, modified.