E06469: In 555/557, Cyril of Scythopolis in the Life of Euthymios mentions the shrines of *Polyeuktos (martyr of Melitene, S00325) and the *Thirty-three Martyrs of Melitene (S01750), which functioned as monasteries. The hero of the text, Euthymios, was born after his parents prayed at the shrine of Polyeuktos. Written in Greek at the New Laura in Palestine.
Creators: name: Erizos
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2018
Subjects: History

description: Cyril of Scythopolis, Life of Euthymios 3 and 5 (CPG 7535 = BHG 647-648b)<br><br>3. Ὁ οὐρανοπολίτης Εὐθύμιος γονέων ὑπῆρχεν Παύλου καὶ Διονυσίας προσαγορευομένων, οὐκ ἀσήμων ὄντων, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν εὐγενεστάτων καὶ πάσηι τῆι κατὰ θεὸν ἀρετῆι κεκοσμημένων, πατρίδα δὲ καὶ οἴκησιν ἐχόντων Μελιτηνὴν τὴν τῶν Ἀρμενίων περιφανῆ μητρόπολιν. ἡ οὖν μακαρία Διονυσία ἐπὶ ἱκανὰ ἔτη συζήσασα τῶι ἀνδρὶ στεῖρα οὖσα οὐκ ἔτικτεν· δι’ ὃ ἐν πολλῆι ἀθυμίαι διάγοντες οἱ ἀμφότεροι ἐπὶ συχνὸν χρόνον διέμειναν δεόμενοι τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκτενῶς δωρηθῆναι αὐτοῖς παιδίον. καὶ γενόμενοι εἰς τὸν αὐτόθι πλησίον τῆς πόλεως ἱερὸν οἶκον τοῦ ἐνδόξου καὶ καλλινίκου μάρτυρος Πολυεύκτου ἐπὶ ἡμέρας πλείους τῆι προσευχῆι προσεκαρτέρουν, ὡς ὁ τῶν ἀρχαίων εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐνεχθεὶς περιήγαγεν λόγος, καὶ ἐν μιᾶι τῶν νυκτῶν εὐχομένων αὐτῶν μόνων θεία τις ὀπτασία φαίνεται αὐτοῖς λέγουσα· εὐθυμεῖτε εὐθυμεῖτε· ἰδοὺ γὰρ κεχάρισται ὑμῖν ὁ θεὸς παῖδα εὐθυμίας φερώνυμον, ὅτι ἐπὶ τῆι γεννήσει αὐτοῦ εὐθυμίαν ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ ἐκκλησίαις δωρήσεται ὁ τοῦτον ὑμῖν χαριζόμενος. αὐτοὶ δὲ τὸν τῆς ὀπτασίας καιρὸν σημειωσάμενοι ὑπέστρεψαν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτῶν καὶ ἐκ τοῦ χρόνου τῆς κυήσεως γνόντες ἀληθῆ συμβεβηκέναι τὰ τῆς ὀπτασίας ἅμα μὲν τῶι γεννηθῆναι τὸν παῖδα Εὐθύμιον ἐπωνόμασαν ὑποσχόμενοι ἀναθέσθαι αὐτὸν τῶι θεῶι·<br><br>'3. The parents of Euthymios, the citizen of heaven, were called Paulos and Dionysia. They were not undistinguished, but indeed of most noble birth and adorned with every godly virtue. Their home and residence town was Melitene, the famous metropolis of Armenia. Blessed Dionysia, having lived with her husband for many years, did not give birth, for she was sterile. Being as a result much disheartened, the two of them continued for a long time to entreat God earnestly to give them a child. They visited the local shrine of the glorious and victorious martyr Polyeuktos, which is near the city, and they persevered in prayer for several days, as the account of the ancient monks that has come down to us has made known. One night, while they were praying alone, a divine vision appeared to them and said: “Be cheerful, be cheerful! Behold, God has granted to you a child who will bear the name of good cheer (euthymia), for He who is granting him to you will grant good cheer to His churches at his birth.” They noted the moment of the vision and returned home. From the duration of the pregnancy, they were convinced that the vision had been true, and when the child was born, they named him Euthymios, promising to dedicate him to God.’<br><br><br>5. (…) τραφεὶς μέντοι καὶ παιδευθεὶς ὡς εἴρηται, καὶ διὰ πάσης τῆς τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν βαθμῶν ἀκολουθίας διεξελθὼν ὑπὸ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον ἐπισκόπου χειροτονεῖται ἀκουσίως πρεσβύτερος τῆς κατὰ Μελιτηνὴν ἁγιωτάτης ἐκκλησίας καὶ ἐπιτρέπεται φροντίζειν καὶ προΐστασθαι τῶν περὶ τὴν πόλιν μοναστηρίων. ταύτην δὲ τὴν φροντίδα ἐνεχειρίσθη, ἐπειδὴ φιλομόναχός τε ὑπῆρχεν ἐκ παιδόθεν καὶ ὅτι ἐπιποθῶν τὴν ἡσυχίαν εἰς τὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πολυεύκτου μοναστήριον καὶ εἰς τὸ τῶν ἁγίων τριάκοντα τριῶν μαρτύρων τὸν πλεῖστον διέτριβεν χρόνον·<br><br>‘Reared and educated as described, and after proceeding through the whole sequence of the ecclesiastical grades, he was ordained by the bishop of that time, despite his own reluctance, as priest of the most holy church of Melitene, and was charged with the care and running of the monasteries around the city. He was entrusted with this duty, because he had been fond of monasticism since childhood and, seeking solitude, used to spend most of his time at the monasteries of Saint Polyeuktos and the Holy Thirty-Three Martyrs.’<br><br>Text: Schwartz 1939.<br>Translation: Efthymios Rizos.