E00017: Theophylact Simocatta in his History reports that the relics of *Glykeria (martyr of Perinthus/Heraclea, S00018) at her church in Heraclea (eastern Balkans) produce a miraculous flow of myrrh. The miracle is interrupted when a vessel previously used for magic is used as a receptacle for the myrrh. Written in Greek at Constantinople in the early 7th century.
Creators: name: Admin
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2014
Subjects: History

description: Theophylact Simocatta, History 1.11<br><br>1.11.3-13<br>(3.) Κατὰ τοῦτον δὴ τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν Παυλῖνός τις, ἀνὴρ τῶν οὐκ ἀσήμων τῆς πόλεως, πλείστης παιδείας μετειληφώς, ἐπὶ τὸ τῶν γοήτων βάραθρον τὴν ψυχὴν κατωθήσας κατάφωρος γίνεται. ὁ δὲ τῆς ἐλέγξεως τρόπος τῶν παραδοξολογουμένων λόγων καθέστηκεν ἴδιος. λέξω δὲ τοῦτον πάνυ καθεστηκότα θαύματος ἄξιον. (4.) ἀργύρεος λεκανίς τις ὑπῆρχε τῷ γόητι, δι’ ἧς τὰς τῶν αἱμάτων χύσεις συνήθροιζεν, ὁπόταν ταῖς ἀποστατικαῖς προσωμίλει δυνάμεσιν. ταύτην τὴν λεκανίδα διαπωλεῖ ἄργυρον ἐμπορευομένοις ἀνδράσιν. (5.) οἱ μὲν οὖν ἔμποροι τὰς τῆς λεκανίδος τιμὰς ἀποδόμενοι τῷ Παυλίνῳ μετεκχωρεῖν ἐνεχείρουν τὸ σκεῦος καὶ πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν τοῦ ἑαυτῶν οἰκίσκου ταύτην προετίθεσαν ἐξουσίαν διδόντες ὠνήσασθαι τῷ βουλομένῳ παντί. (6.) ἐδέησε τοίνυν τὸν ἐπισκοποῦντα τὴν πόλιν Ἡράκλειαν, ἣν Πείρινθον οἱ πάλαι ποτὲ κατωνόμαζον, κατ’ ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ ἐς Βυζάντιον διατρίβειν καὶ θεάσασθαι πρὸς ἐκποίησιν ἠρτημένην τὴν λεκανίδα τοῦ γόητος. ταύτην ὠνεῖται περιχαρῶς καὶ ἀπεκδημήσας τοῦ ἄστεος πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ θρόνον ἐπάνεισιν. (7.) ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰ θεότευκτα μύρα Γλυκερίας τῆς μάρτυρος χαλκῆ τις λεκανὶς ὑπεδέχετο, αἰδοῖ τοῦ σεβάσματος ὁ ἱερεὺς ὑπαλλάττει τὰ σκεύη, καὶ τὴν μὲν χαλκῆν ἀφαιρεῖται τῆς ἱερωτάτης ἐκείνης λατρείας, τὴν δὲ ἀργυρᾶν δεξαμενὴν προεστήσατο τῶν θεορρύτων μύρων. (8.) ἐντεῦθεν ὁ ποταμὸς ἀποπαύεται τῶν θαυμάτων, καὶ ἡ τῆς χάριτος πηγὴ κατακρύπτεται. οὐ στηλιτεύει τὰς δυνάμεις ἡ μάρτυς, συστέλλει τὸ χάρισμα, ἀφαιρεῖται τὸ δώρημα, καὶ νομοθετεῖ διὰ τὸ μύσος μὴ πηγάζειν τὸ μύρον· τῷ ὄντι γὰρ τὸ καθαρὸν τοῦ μὴ καθαροῦ οὐ θέμις ἐφάψασθαι, ἵνα καί τι τῆς θύραθεν παιδείας προσφόρως ἐνείρω τοῖς διηγήμασιν. (9.) Τούτου δῆτα ἐπὶ συχνὰς γενομένου ἡμέρας, καὶ τῆς συμφορᾶς ἐπιφανοῦς γενομένης τῇ πόλει, πρὸς πένθος ὁ ἱερεὺς ἐτέτραπτο· ὀδύρεται τὸ πραττόμενον, θρηνεῖ τῶν θαυμάτων τὴν ἐγκοπήν, ἀνακαλεῖται τὸ χάρισμα, τὴν ζημίαν οὐ φέρει, τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπιζητεῖ, τὴν αἰσχύνην οὐ καρτερεῖ, καὶ ἦν αὐτῷ ὁ βίος ἀβίωτος, χηρευούσης τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοῦ θαύματος. (10.) διά τοι τοῦτο νηστεῖαι καὶ προσευχαὶ καταβάλλονται, στρατεύονται δάκρυα, συμμαχοῦσιν οἱ στεναγμοί, παννύχιοι δεήσεις ὁπλίζονται, καὶ πάντα συνέρχονται ὁπόσα δύνανται λύπην θεοῦ μεταβάλλειν πρὸς τὸν ἔλεον. (11.) τοῦ τοίνυν θεοῦ καὶ τὸ μύσος ἀποστραφέντος καλῶς καὶ τὴν ἄγνοιαν δικαίως οἰκτείραντος, γίνεται κατ’ ὄναρ τῷ ἐπισκοποῦντι τὴν πόλιν κατάδηλα τὰ περὶ τὴν λεκάνην βδελύγματα. (12.) ὁ μὲν οὖν ἱερεὺς ὑπεξάγει παραχρῆμα τοῦ ἱεροῦ τὴν ὠνηθεῖσαν λεκάνην καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τὴν χαλκῆν ἐνεγκάμενος προτίθησι τῷ σεβάσματι ὡς ἁγνὴν καὶ πρεσβύτιδα λάτριν, οἷα παρθένον τινὰ καὶ ἄχραντον βδελυρᾶς γοητείας. (13.) καὶ δῆτα παραυτίκα ἐπιφαίνονται αὖθις τὰ θαύματα, καὶ κατομβρίζεται μύρον. βλύζει τὸ χάρισμα, πηγάζει τὸ δώρημα, τὸ δάκρυον στέλλεται, τὸ πένθος ἐγκόπτεται, τὸ σκυθρωπὸν διαλύεται, τὸ βδέλυγμα στηλιτεύεται, καὶ πάλιν ἡ πόλις τὴν ἑαυτῆς περιβάλλεται δόξαν· ἕτοιμος γὰρ οἰκτειρῆσαι θεὸς εὐσεβῶς πρεσβευόμενος.<br><br>'(3.) In this very year, a certain Paulinos, a man not undistinguished in the city, was discovered to have thrust his soul down to the abyss of witchcraft. The manner of his uncovering has become one of the wondrous stories, and I shall relate it, since it is certainly astonishing. (4.) The wizard had a silver basin, in which he used to collect the streams of blood whenever he communed with the apostate powers. This basin he sold to silver merchants. (5.) And so the merchants, having paid Paulinos the price of the basin, undertook to resell the vessel and placed it before the doors of their shop, allowing anyone who wished to buy it. (6.) Now it happened that the bishop of the city of Heraclea, which the ancients once named Peirinthos, was that time staying in Byzantium and saw the wizard’s basin hung up for sale. He joyfully purchased it, left the city and returned to his see. (7.) Since a bronze basin used to receive the divine myrrh of the martyr Glykeria, the bishop, out of respect for the relic, exchanged the vessels: he removed the bronze one from that most sacred service and set up the silver one as receptacle of the divinely flowing myrrh. (8.) Hence the river of miracles ceased and the fountain of grace was hidden. The martyr did not manifest her powers; she withdrew her benefaction; removed her gift and ordained that the myrrh should not well forth on account of the pollution. For in truth, "it is not right for the pure to touch the impure" (to insert appropriately a piece of secular learning into my narrations as well) [Simocatta is quoting Plato, Phaedo 67B]. (9.) As this happened for several days and the misfortune became known in the city, the bishop fell into grief: he bemoaned the affair, mourned the interruption of the miracles, implored the return of the benefaction, was unable to bear the loss and could not endure the shame. Life was unbearable for him, while the church was bereft of the miracle. (10.) For this reason, fasts and prayers were offered, tears were conscripted, lamentations were made allies, all-night supplications were marshalled, and everything that can turn God’s irritation into mercy was assembled. (11.) Then, once God had properly shunned the pollution and justly pitied the ignorance, the abominations concerning the basin were revealed in a dream to the bishop of the city. (12.) Thus the priest immediately removed from the shrine the basin he had purchased, and, bringing out the bronze one, he placed it before the relic as a pure and venerable servant, like a maiden untainted by abominable witchcraft. (13.) Next miracles occurred at once and and myrrh showered down. The benefaction gushed forth, the gift welled up, weeping dispatched, mourning checked, gloom dispelled, the abomination publicised, and once again the city donned its own glory. For God is ready to pity when he is piously implored.'<br><br>In the rest of the narrative, the bishop of Heraclea goes to Constantinople and finds out who the initial owner of the basin was, which he reports to Patriarch John the Faster. The latter goes to the palace and demands the execution of Paulinos, which the emperor Maurice reluctantly orders.<br><br>Text: de Boor and Wirth 1972. Translation: Whitby and Whitby 1986, modified.