E00015: Theophylact Simocatta in his History describes the miraculous flow of fragrant blood from the relics of *Euphemia (martyr of Chalcedon, S00017) at her church in Chalcedon (north-west Asia Minor, close to Constantinople), which the clergy collect and distribute to the people. The emperor Maurice (r. 582-602) doubts the miracle and attempts to suppress the cult, but the phenomenon persists with greater intensity. Written in Greek at Constantinople in the early 7th century.
Creators: name: Admin, CSLA
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2014
Subjects: History

description: Theophylact Simocatta, History 8.14<br><br>8.14.2-9<br>(2.) Χαλκηδὼν πόλις καθίδρυται ἐπὶ στόματος Πόντου, ἐς τὸ ἀντιπέρας τοῦ τῶν Βυζαντίων πολίσματος. ἐν ταύτῃ νεὼς ἵδρυται Εὐφημίας τῆς μάρτυρος, ἔνθα πρεσβύτης λόγος καθέστηκε τὸ πανίερον σῶμα ἐπὶ σηκῷ καθεστάναι τῆς μάρτυρος. (3.) γίνεται τοιγαροῦν καθ’ ἕκαστον ἐνιαυτὸν κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ κατ’ αὐτὴν μαρτυρίου σημεῖον παραδοξότατον καὶ τοῖς μὴ τεθεαμένοις συλλήβδην εἰπεῖν ἀπιστότατον διὰ τὴν ὑπεροχὴν τῆς θείας ἐνεργείας ἐκείνης. (4.) τετρακοσίοις γὰρ ἤδη που ἐνιαυτοῖς ἐν τῷ τάφῳ ἐγκειμένου τοῦ σώματος, κατὰ τὴν προαγορευθεῖσαν ἡμέραν ἐπ’ ὄψεσι τῶν ὄχλων ὁ τῆς ἱερατικῆς τῶν αὐτόθι προεστὼς ἐκκλησίας σπόγγοις ἀπὸ σώματος τεθνεῶτος πηγὰς αἱμάτων ἀρύεται· (5.) καὶ ἴδοις ἂν ὡς ἀπό τινος σώματος νεοσφαγοῦς ἰχῶρσι τραυμάτων ἀναμεμιγμένα τὰ αἵματα, μύροις συγκεκραμένα αὐτοφυέσι τισίν, καὶ τούτων τὰς διανομὰς ἐπὶ σκευῶν ἐξ ὑέλου πεποιημένων μικρῶν τοῖς ὄχλοις τὸν ἱερέα ποιούμενον. (6.) εἰσέρχεται τοίνυν εἰς τὸν βασιλέα Μαυρίκιον ἔννοιά τις τῷ δυοκαιδεκάτῳ χρόνῳ τῆς αὐτοκρατορικῆς ἐξουσίας ῥαθυμίᾳ περὶ τὰ θεῖα ψυχῆς, καὶ σμικρολογεῖται τὰ θαύματα, καὶ ἀποδοκιμάζεται παρ’ αὐτῷ τὸ παράδοξον, καὶ ῥᾳδιουργικαῖς ἐπινοίαις ἀνθρώπων ἀνατίθησι τὸ μυστήριον. (7.) ἀπογυμνοῦται τοιγαροῦν τὸν ἀργύρεον κόσμον ὁ τάφος, καὶ περιφρουρεῖται ταῖς σφραγῖσι τὸ μνῆμα˙ οὕτω γὰρ τὸ τῆς ἀπιστίας θράσος ἠβούλετο. (8.) ἐπεὶ δ’ ἡ κυρία ἐπεδήμει ἡμέρα, βασανίζεται τὸ ἀπόρρητον, ἐξετάζεται τὸ μυστήριον, τὰ θαύματα δοκιμάζεται, καὶ γίνεται τῆς ἑαυτῆς δυνάμεως διὰ τῶν θαυμάτων ἀπαράγραφος μάρτυς, καὶ πάλιν μεμυρισμένων αἱμάτων ἀπὸ τοῦ μνήματος πηγάζουσι ποταμοί, καὶ βλύζει ταῖς ἐκπομπαῖς τὸ μυστήριον, καὶ πιαίνονται σπόγγοι εὐωδίας αἱμάτων, καὶ πολυπλασιάζει ἡ μάρτυς τὴν ἔκροιαν· οὐκ οἶδε γὰρ γνώσεως φθονῆσαι θεὸς ἀπιστούμενος. (9.) οὕτω μὲν οὖν ἡ μάρτυς ἐπαιδαγώγει τοῦ βασιλέως τὸ ἄπιστον …<br><br>'(2.) Chalcedon is a city situated at the mouth of the Pontus, on the opposite shore from the city of the Byzantines. At it, stands a church of the martyr Euphemia, where ancient report has established that the most holy body of the martyr is placed in a shrine [ἐπὶ σηκῷ]. (3.) Now every year on the day of her martyrdom, there occurs a most extraordinary phenomenon which is, in short, utterly incredible to those who have not witnessed it, on account of the superior nature of that divine activity. (4.) For, although the body has been resting in the tomb for about four hundred years now, on the aforementioned day, before the eyes of the throngs, the head of the local assembly of priests [= the bishop of Chalcedon or the abbot of the monastery] draws up with sponges founts of blood from the dead body. (5.) And you may see, as if from a newly slain body, the blood mingled with flux from wounds and blended with aromatics of some kind, that flow by themselves, and the priest performing the distribution of these to the throngs in little vessels made out of glass. (6.) Then, in the twelfth year of his imperial reign, the emperor Maurice, being in a state of spiritual idleness with regard to divine things, was possessed by a certain manner of thinking, and he belittled the miracles, rejected the wonder outright and ascribed the mystery to men’s crafty devices. (7.) Accordingly, the grave was stripped of its silver decoration, and the tomb was sealed off. For that was the will of insolent disbelief. (8.) But when the great day came, the secret was tested, the mystery examined, the miracles investigated, and through the miracles the martyr became an indubitable witness to her own power: once again rivers of aromatic blood sprang from the tomb, the mystery gushed with discharges, sponges were enriched with fragrant blood, and the martyr multiplied the flow. For, when God is disbelieved, he is not accustomed to begrudge knowledge. (9.) And so this way the martyr educated the emperor’s disbelief.'<br><br>Text: de Boor and Wirth 1972. Translation: Whitby and Whitby 1986, modified.