E04192: Eustratius of Constantinople in his tract On the State of Souls after Death, argues that miracles and visions are performed by the souls of the saints personally, responding to those who deny the posthumous activity of the soul and ascribe miracles to divine powers assuming the forms of the saints. He quotes from several hagiographic works. Written in Greek at Constantinople, 583/602.
Creators: name: Erizos
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2017
Subjects: History

description: Eustratius of Constantinople, On the State of the Souls after Death (CPG 7522)<br><br>(1-2048) The greatest part of the tract is dedicated to proving that the souls of the dead are active after death, and that the miracles and visions of the saints are performed by the souls of the saints themselves. <br><br>(2049-2342) The second part of the tract is dedicated to discussing the state of non-saintly souls. The author rejects the view that there may be a middle condition, but affirms that souls are either good and holy or evil. By analogy to the state of good souls, the evil ones are also active. They suffer for their evil works immediately after death, and are occasionally allowed to appear to people and can cause them harm. <br><br>(2342-2726) In the last section, the author defends the necessity and efficiency of prayers, liturgies, and alms offered for the souls of the departed. <br><br>The author’s arguments are expounded mainly in the form of extensive quotes from a broad range of biblical and patristic sources (Basil of Caesarea, Chrysostom, Gregory of Nazianzus, Hippolytus, Methodius, Eutychius of Constatinople, Eustathius of Antioch, ps.-Dionysius the Areopagite, Ephraem Graecus, Cyril of Jerusalem, and Cyril of Alexandria), and from the following hagiographical texts: Gregory of Nyssa, Life of *Gregory the Miracle Worker (808-856); Athanasius, Life of *Antony (955-970; 2224-2278); the Life of *Nicholas of Myra (1256-1276); Martyrdom of *Basileus of Amasea (1805-1825); Martyrdom of the *Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (1860-1865); Chryssipus, Encomium on *Theodore (1892-1944); Revelation of Loukianos on the Relics of *Stephen the First Martyr (1960-2000).<br><br>Here follow some important passages concerning the interpretation of the miracles of the saints by Eustratius and his opponents:<br><br>50-60. Τινὲς τῶν περὶ λόγους ἐσχολακότων καὶ φιλοσοφεῖν ἐθελόντων περὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ψυχῶν, οἱ καὶ τὴν περὶ αὐτῶν ἀμφισβήτησιν ποιούμενοι, διϊσχυρίζονται λέγοντες ὅτι μετὰ τὴν τοῦ βίου τοῦδε μετάστασιν καὶ τὴν τῶν ψυχῶν ἀπὸ τῶν σωμάτων ἀναχώρησιν, ἀνενέργητοι μένουσι καὶ αὐταὶ αἱ ψυχαί, εἴτε ἅγιαι, εἴτε ἄλλως πῶς ὑπάρχουσιν· κἂν οὖν φαίνονταί τισιν αἱ τῶν ἁγίων ψυχαί, κατ’ οὐσίαν ἢ ὕπαρξιν ἰδίαν ὡς αὐτοὶ φασὶν οὐ φαίνονται, δύναμις δέ τις θεία σχηματιζομένη, ψυχὰς ἁγίων ἐνεργούσας δείκνυσιν· ἐκεῖναι γὰρ ἔν τινι τόπῳ εἰσί, μηδέποτε δυνάμεναι μετὰ τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἐκδημίαν ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ τισὶν ἐμφανίζειν. <br><br>‘Some of those who spend their time in talks and claim to philosophise about the human souls, raise a debate about them and claim that, after our migration from this life and the departure of the souls from the bodies, even the souls themselves are left inactive, regardless of whether they are saintly or otherwise. They also claim that even if the souls of the saints appear to some people, they do not appear by their own substance or essence, but, as these people say, it is some divine power taking on a shape that presents the souls of the saints as acting; the latter are, in fact, in some place, and they are unable ever to appear to anyone in this life, after their departure from the body.’<br> <br><br>1217-1230<br>Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο διαποροῦντες φασὶν οἱ δοξάζοντες μὴ τὰς ψυχὰς εἶναι τὰς ἐμφανιζούσας μετὰ τὴν ἐνθένδε ἀποδημίαν, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐν σαρκὶ ὄντας ἁγίους καὶ ἐναρέτους ἄνδρας ἐπισκεπτομένους κατ’ ὄναρ βλέπουσι τινὲς ἐπιδεόμενοι τῆς αὐτῶν βοηθείας, καὶ μὴν οἱ δῆθεν ἐπισκεπτόμενοι μακρὰν ἄπεισιν, «Ἀλλά τις θεία χάρις ἡ τοῦτο δρῶσα τυγχάνει πρὸς δόξαν ἐκείνων, καὶ οὐκ αὐτοὺς λέγομεν ἐφίστασθαι τοῖς ἀσθενοῦσιν.» Τί οὖν πρὸς ταῦτα λέξομεν; Πρῶτον μὲν τοῦτο φαμέν, ὅτι πάντα δυνατὰ τῷ πιστεύοντι, καὶ ἐν σώματι ὄντας μεταρσίους ποιεῖν καὶ μεταφέρειν ὅπου δ’ ἂν βούλεται θεός, ὅπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀμβακοὺμ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Φιλίππου πεποίηκεν· τὸν μὲν γὰρ ὡς ἐν ῥιπῇ ὀφθαλμοῦ ἀπὸ Ἱερουσαλὴμ εἰς Βαβυλῶνα, τὸν δὲ πάλιν ἀπὸ Γάζης εἰς Ἄζωτον καὶ εἰς τὴν Καισάρειαν μετήγαγεν. <br><br>‘Now, in their search for arguments, those who believe that it is not the souls that cause visions after their departure from this world, say also this: some people who need assistance have dreams of still living holy and virtuous men visiting them; yet, since the presumed visitors are in fact far away, "it is a certain kind of divine grace that does this to the glory of those people, and we do not claim that they visit the sick themselves." How shall we answer to this? First, we say that All things are possible to him who believes [Mk 9:22], even people living in the body can be lifted up in the air and be transferred wherever God wills, as He did in the cases of Habbakuk and Philip; for He took the former from Jerusalem to Babylon in the twinkling of an eye [Bel and the Dragon 34-6], and transferred the latter from Gaza to Azotum and Caesarea [Acts 8.26, 40].’<br><br><br>1659-1694<br>Εἰ δὲ κατὰ τὸν ὑμέτερον λόγον μόνη τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ δύναμις, σχηματιζομένη πρὸς τὰς εἰδέας τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὁσίων καὶ θεραπόντων αὐτοῦ, τὰς ἐνεργείας καὶ τὰς ἰάσεις ποιεῖ, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἐξέστω ὑμῖν διανοεῖσθαι καὶ λέγειν· ἐν ἴσῃ γὰρ τάξει τῶν ἁγίων αἱ ψυχαὶ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ βίου ἔξοδον μετὰ τῶν ἀσωμάτων δυνάμεων ὑπάρχουσιν, κἂν τῇ δόξῃ καὶ τῇ πρωτογενεσίᾳ προτερεύουσιν οἱ ἅγιοι ἀρχάγγελοι καθὼς καὶ οἱ πατέρες ἐδίδαξαν. Εἰ δὲ μὴ ταῦθ’ οὕτως ἔχει, ψευδῶς αἱ τῶν ἁγίων ἐμφάνειαι καθ’ ὑμᾶς εἰπεῖν γίνονται, καθάπερ καὶ ἐν τοῖς θεάτροις ἄλλοι ὄντες ἑτέρων ὑποδύονται πρόσωπα, εἶθ’ οὕτως καθ’ ὑπόκρισιν τὰ τῆς παιδείας ἐπιτελοῦσιν. Τοὺς τοιούτους γ’ οὖν σχηματισμοὺς ἐλέγχων ὁ κύριος ἔλεγεν, μὴ ἐπιδεικτικῶς ἢ κατεσχηματισμένως ἐπιτελεῖν τὰς ἀρετάς, ὥσπερ οἱ ὑποκριταὶ ποιοῦσιν· ἀφανίζουσι γὰρ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν, ὅπως φανῶσιν, οὐ τῷ θεῷ ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις νηστεύοντες, παρ’ ὧν καὶ τὸν μισθὸν ἀπέχουσιν. Εἰ γὰρ ὃ μή ἐστιν, τίς ἐκεῖνο θέλει φαίνεσθαι, τῆς ἀληθείας ἔξω βαίνει· πᾶν δὲ τὸ μὴ ἀληθὲς ὄν, ψευδῶς ποῦ πάντως ἐστίν· τὸ δὲ ψεῦδος ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστίν. Τί λοιπὸν ἐκ τούτου περιγίνεται; Τὸ Ἀπολεῖ κύριος πάντας τοὺς λαλοῦντας τὸ ψεῦδος. Οὐκ οὖν οὐ ψεῦδος, ἵνα μὴ ἀπώλεια, ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ φαντασία, ὄντως οὖσα ὀπτασία. Μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν ἀλήθεια τῶν ἁγίων αἱ ἐμφάνειαι καὶ ἰάσεις γίνονται· οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἐπὶ σκηνῆς γελωτοποιῶν καὶ ἀπαταιώνων ἢ ὑποκριτῶν χρεία, ἀλλ’ ἀληθείας· ὠφελείας γὰρ ἕνεκεν ψυχικῆς τὲ καὶ σωματικῆς αἱ τῶν ἁγίων δείκνυνται χάριτες. Οἷοι γὰρ ζῶντες εἴ τε θανόντες εἰσί, τοιούτους φαίνεσθαι αὐτοὺς ποιεῖ ὁ θεός, μὴ καταψευδομένους τὴν χάριν, ἢ κατασοφιζομένους τὴν δωρεὰν τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν. Εἰ γὰρ ἄλλου τιμηθέντος ἄλλος ἔσται ὁ εὐφραινόμενος, ὡσαύτως τοὺς κεκρατημένους τῶν παθῶν ἀπαλλάττων φαντασίᾳ καὶ οὐκ ἀληθείᾳ, παρ’ οὗ τὴν ὠφέλειαν ὁ δεξάμενος ὡς δεξάμενος ἔτυχεν· καὶ ἀμφότεροι τῆς ἀληθείας ἐξέπεσον, ὅ τε εὐεργετηθείς, μὴ εἰδὼς παρ’ οὗ τὴν ἴασιν ἐδέξατο, ὅ τε πάλιν εὐεργετήσας, οὐχ’ ὡς ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ ἀλλ’ ὑπὲρ ἄλλου τὴν σωτηρίαν παρασχόμενος. Λέγειν δέ τι τοιοῦτον ἐπὶ τῶν ἁγίων, ἀλλότριον πάντη καὶ ξένον τῆς ἡμετέρας ὀρθοδόξου πίστεως.<br><br>‘But if, as you say, it is only God's power, taking on the form of the figures of the holy martyrs and his other saints and servants, that performs actions and healings, you should dare believe and say the same thing about the angels as well. Because the souls of the saints, when leaving this life, live together with the bodiless powers and on an equal rank, even if the holy archangels are senior in glory and antiquity of creation, as the fathers have taught us. Yet if it is not so, the apparitions of the saints, according to your argument, are fake, just as in theatres people put on the faces of others, and thus perform the acts of the play only in pretence. But it was such masquerades that the Lord denounced when He said that virtue should not be performed in an ostentatious or pretentious way, as the hypocrites do: for they disfigure their faces, in order to be seen fasting, not by God, but by men from whom they expect their reward (Mt 6:16). For if someone wishes to appear as something that he is not, this person departs from truth. But all things that are not true are by necessity in some way false, and falsehood comes from the Devil. So what is the outcome of all this, then? That the Lord will destroy all them that speak falsehood (Ps. 5:6). Therefore, what we are talking about is not a fraud―for that would mean doom―not even a fantasy, but rather a vision of real existence. Accordingly, the apparitions and cures of the saints occur in truth. For we have no need of clowns or frauds or hypocrites, like a stage, but of truth. Indeed, the graces of the saints are manifested for the purpose of spiritual and bodily benefit. God causes them to appear just as they were in their lifetime, even if they are dead, neither feigning the grace, nor counterfeiting the gift of their benefactions. Because if we honour one person, but someone else enjoys our gratitude―delivering, as they will be, the suffering from their tribulations in appearance, but not in truth―from whom has the recipient received the favour? Both of them have fallen short of the truth: both the recipient of the benefaction, ignoring whence he has received the healing, and the benefactor, having granted salvation not by themselves, but in someone else’s stead. But to say something like that about the saints is totally strange and foreign to our orthodox faith.’<br><br><br>1797-1800. <br>Καὶ τοῦτο δείκνυται μὲν διὰ πολλῶν ἐμφάσεων· ἐξαιρέτως δὲ καὶ διὰ τῶν μαρτυρογράφων τῶν ἀληθῶς συγγεγραμμένων δυνάμεθα δι’ ὀλίγων τὸ ἀληθὲς παραστῆσαι, ἢ καὶ διὰ τῶν ἀποκαλύψεων τῶν τισὶν ὑπ’ αὐτῶν γεγονότων ἁγίων μαρτύρων, αἳ καὶ τὸ ἀναμφισβήτητον καὶ ἀξιόπιστον ἔχουσιν.<br><br>‘This can be shown by several examples; especially, however, we can briefly demonstrate the truth also by means of the truthfully written martyrdom accounts and the revelations wrought to certain people by the holy martyrs themselves, which are both uncontested and reliable.’<br><br>The texts cited are: <br>(1805-1825) Life and Martyrdom of Basileus of Amasea (BHG 239; $E07127)<br>(1860-1865) the concluding paragra