Myron

ON ST. MYRON, WONDERWORKER, BISHOP AND CONF.,

IN THE ISLAND OF CRETE.

Perhaps about the year 350.

PRELIMINARY COMMENTARY.

His cult, eulogies, the Saint's deeds, the time of his life, and a compendium of the Acts, which is given here.

Myron, bishop, confessor, Wonderworker, in the island of Crete (S.)

J. P.

"In Crete, of St. Myron the bishop, famous for miracles," is his annual memory announced among other Dwellers in heaven on this day in the Roman Martyrology. The sacred records of the Greeks had gone before. His announcements and eulogies For he is marked both in the Menaeum of Chifflet and in the Menologium translated into Latin by Cardinal Sirleto, which speaks thus: On the same day (the VIII of August) the commemoration of St. Myron, bishop of Crete, surnamed the Wonderworker. Then the following eulogy is fitted to him: He, born in the Cretan city of Aurace (rather Rhaucia) near Cnossus, adorned with divine piety, but especially notable for mercy and for charity toward the poor, and ordained presbyter in the holy Church of God, but afterward also appointed bishop, many miracles being wrought, in nearly his hundredth year departed to the Lord. The Synaxarion from the Menologium collected by order of the emperor Basil also gives this Saint the title of Wonderworker, and this eulogy, which, translated from the Greek, runs thus: Myron, a holy and great pontiff, sprang from the island of Crete, in the reign of Decius, the son of parents of famous stock: by whom, being joined in matrimony, he ordered his life religiously, and diligently tilling the earth, fed the poor from its fruits. And when at some time he had a garden sown with chickpeas, and had found some who had stolen some of the chickpeas in it, they seemed indeed to be gathering chickpeas, but they were taking thorns; whom, chickpeas being given them, he dismissed. And after he had found others on the threshing floor who had filled their sacks with grain, and could not lift them, he placed the sacks upon their shoulders, and, bidding them go and steal no more, dismissed them. Then, being consecrated priest, and afterward bishop, and by no means forgetful of mercy toward the poor, he fell asleep in peace. We have these things in the Acts which we shall give after this Commentary: yet since we are wont to translate into Latin the Greek text of the said Synaxarion, which we gave at the end of the first volume of this month, we have therefore judged that the same must be done here. Elsewhere St. Myron is noted on the IX day of this month, according to what is to be said at number 8.

[2] are brought forward. The great printed Menaea of the Greeks record things like this eulogy; but we excerpt from them the following, and render them into Latin, which are not in the eulogy just mentioned: He drove out a dragon which was laying waste that region, and restrained the overflowing of a river which has the name of Triton, when he was about to cross the river and saw it overflowing. Which, being bound at the Saint's command, could not be brought back to its former course, until the Saint had returned, and, having gone back home, had sent his staff: with which, after those who had been sent had stirred the water, the river turned to its own path. These and several other things being accomplished, and the remainder of his life being passed religiously and holily, intent upon splendidly celebrating the monuments of the Martyrs, when he already numbered about a hundred years, he departed to the Lord. By these things there are confirmed those which you will read in the aforesaid Acts. To the eulogy of the Menaea this distich is prefixed:

Μύρων ὁ θεῖος ἀρετῆς μύρου πνέων Εὐωδίας πρόσεισιν ὀσμὴ κυρίῳ.

Divine Myron, while you put forth the ointment of virtue, A sweet fragrance is given to the Lord.

[3] Besides these things which I have already given concerning our Saint, I have a transcript of his Greek Life from the Vatican codex 1190; His Greek Acts, although not given entire; concerning which more in our work at the day XXVII of May, volume VI of that month, page 692. But although that Life is there said to be given on this VIII day of August; yet, the matter being now weighed in its time and place, I shall not commit it to press whole and entire, as it stands, for the reasons to be alleged at number 5; but I shall excerpt certain singular things which the aforesaid transcript narrates concerning St. Myron, the credit of them being left with their author: He comes to a certain region whose name is Soreos, which meets one on the right sailing to the gulf of Nicomedia; and he is received as a guest with a man surnamed Cornelius, and lived with him for a long time. He instructed him in the disciplines. But after he had built a building sacred to praying to God, and had found that the seed committed by him to the earth had brought forth a manifold fruit of divine knowledge, he presently ascended to the grade of the presbyterate. But knowing that Diocletian, having set out to Nicomedia, was diligently giving his effort to this, that he might cut off every kind of Christians, every age, and especially that on which the Saint was bestowing lavish care, he sailed toward Mantinium and Crete, and was joined in matrimony. But his whole mind and thought was altogether intent upon mercy. And he tilled the earth, and from the fruits coming forth from it supplied abundantly to the poor themselves all things suited to their use, etc.

[4] But while, Christ favoring well, all things were proceeding according to his judgment, yet some things he again returns to Soreos; which, when he found it increased, the servant of Christ is initiated into the episcopal dignity; and departs into the region of Aurace:* where he tears up by the roots the thorns of error, and laboriously commits to the earth the seeds of piety. But divine grace showing great crops of piety, the showers of St. Myron watering them, he again arranged a return, and thence, having returned to the island of Crete, doing the same which he had performed on coming to Soreos, whose inhabitants he saw held in the deep darkness of ignorance, he leads the Cretans themselves also to the splendor of knowledge. Nor indeed was much time consumed by him in bringing back into the way those who were returning to good; but in a short time the power of grace was working in the minds of very many, who, seeking the saving baptism, were joined to the sacred flock of Christ. These things therefore being accomplished according to his wish by God's kindness, it happened that those who were still held in the error of impiety in the aforesaid Crete, at a certain feast of a demon which was worshipped by them, offered libations to the idols, and did all those things which souls beset by evil demons do. After the followers of Christ's flock, full of divine zeal, saw these things done rather often, and the things which were being done on that day with much frenzy, they rise up in just anger, and, exhorting one another, advance against the idols; which, when they had presently crushed them all and reduced them to earth and dust, they showed to those worshippers the weakness of the things which are worshipped.

[5] Which matter indeed then seized the gentiles with astonishment and fear, thence fragments are extracted, a long vision being omitted. judging that it was a time rather of mourning than of vengeance. But after they had watched for the day on which Myron, the servant of God, was performing the sacred mysteries, and water was poured over him from the railings which were near the ascent, he, judging this to have been done out of injury, performs the sacred liturgy on that day indeed; but afterward, the oratory being destroyed, builds another in the maritime places, not knowing namely that it was behind the shrine of a venerable Martyr who was celebrated by the working of many prodigies. It was said above that the Saint departed into the region of Aurace, and thence returned to the island of Crete; but how do these things cohere with Rhaucia, a city of the island of Crete near Cnossus, from the compendium of the Acts, of which below, at number 1? Consult besides what will be said below in the Annotations, letter b, concerning the corrupted word Αὐρακῇ in the Menaea. The author of the aforesaid narration subjoins a vision had by our Saint, and set forth by him to his own people; but because, first, it is so long that it fills the greatest part of the matter which the said narration embraces; secondly, because I have been taught by use and experience not to defer much to such by-works of the petty Greeks; therefore I keep the narration of that vision out of our Work. A synopsis of its substance is this: that St. Myron was led to a dreadful spectacle; that thence by Andrew and John the apostles, whom he thought them to be, he was led into the bosom of Abraham, then into a place which shadowed forth the many mansions with the Savior, suited to the merits of each according to the measure of his virtue; further, into a city whose beauty, symmetry, magnificence, delights, precious stones and gold, etc., that biographer there describes at length; finally to seven marshes, each furnished with its own kind of torments. But these things are enough: so that I judge the rest which follows should be passed over. What is there concerning the dragon put to flight, and the overflowing river restrained, is known from what has gone before.

[6] The wonderful entireness of St. Myron's body without corruption. I, says the writer of the said Life, seeing nature overcome by the Athlete even when he had departed life, rise up to the praise of God: for at some time, having cast my eyes into the sepulcher of the Saint, I contemplated his sacred corpse; which had remained surviving and not overcome by the force of death. For she who boasts that she dissolves every frame of a living creature in the space of three days, could not for two hundred years now corrupt a single hair of the noble Saint: for the hair of his head was thick and uncorrupted; but the character of his form remained, and the firmness of the skin was unharmed, not even the hairs of the beard being cast off: nay he even opened the orb of his eyes, etc.

[7] The age of the writer of the Life and of the Saint himself. If that author narrates true things in that copy as an eyewitness; from Decius and Diocletian, with whom St. Myron was contemporary according to what has been said above; likewise from the nearly hundred years which he was there recorded to have lived; and finally from the two hundred years elapsed since his death, with which that wonderful entireness of the body is connected; it follows, first, that the aforesaid author lived in the sixth century. If, I say, he narrates true things: for I would not dare to stand surety that this copy of the Life is, in all and each of its parts, genuine, free from petty Greek episodes, and originally written by one and the same author. It follows, secondly, that, these marks being thus set down and admitted, our Saint ceased to live about the middle of the fourth century of the common era. The great printed Menaea of the Greeks set down no determinate mark of time; although they record that μετὰ τὸ παύσασθαι τὸν διωγμόν, that is, "after the persecution had ceased"; or, as the manuscript version of the Menaea by Rader has it, "peace being given to the Church," he was raised to the episcopal throne. But if this is to be referred to the times of Constantine the great, it will be able to cohere excellently with the time of death already stated. The compendium of the Acts agrees with the preceding in marking the Saint's birth under Decius, as also in the nearly hundred-year age of his life. But since that copy is elsewhere stained with gross parachronisms, as I shall show in its place, it can scarcely help us at all here. Since these things are so, let us set down at least as a hypothesis that the holy Man died about the middle of the fourth century. But because we do not know that that compendium of the Acts has been published in print; and because it contains a brief summary of the things done by the Saint, therefore we print it, corrected, however, in various places.

[8] Further, the Acts which the said compendium reports were preserved among us with several others, The compendium of the Acts, under the same wrapper, written out, as he noted on the same

our Janning, from one ancient manuscript codex of the Imperial library, concerning which Lambeck, volume 8 of the Commentaries, page 100. But since almost the whole of that codex, certainly the greater part of it, had to be transcribed, and, as we were staying at Vienna in the year 1688, no suitable scribe could be found; by the special favor of the Most August Emperor it was permitted to bring that codex to Antwerp, and there all these things were transcribed, and the codex sent back to Vienna. For the rest, those Acts are entitled thus: Μηνὶ Αὐγούστῳ θ᾽ τοῦ ἁγίου Ἱερομάρτυρος Μύρωνος ἐπισκόπου Κρήτης. That is: In the month of August, on the ninth day, of the holy hieromartyr Myron, bishop of Crete. Lambeck, in book 8 of the Commentaries on the Imperial library at Vienna, page 122, rightly observes the following: This title of HIEROMARTYR belongs to St. Myron only by will, not also in act. Or did perhaps he who wrote this codex err by inadvertence, writing wrongly Ἱερομάρτυρος instead of Ἱεράρχου, which title is rightly attributed to St. Myron at the beginning of the narration itself?

[9] For similarly in the same place these words also, Βίος ἐν ἐπιτομῇ καὶ θαύματα, which we print, have been wrongly omitted, according to what the same writer has concerning this same codex and the same narration in the same place at page 200, number 44, where our Saint is also reported without the title of hieromartyr, and moreover on another day, in these words: Μηνὶ Αὐγούστῳ ιζ᾽. Βίος ἐν ἐπιτομῇ καὶ θαύματα τοῦ ἁγίου Μύρωνος ἐπισκόπου Κρήτης. That is: An epitome of the life and miracles of St. Myron, bishop of Crete. So he there. But let us return to what went before. For the rest, as Lambeck had premised on page 123, as to what pertains to the title of HIEROMARTYR which is there attributed to St. Myron, it is there improperly used, because in that very Life it is expressly read that HE DIED IN PEACE (see it below at number 5). "Will" therefore is there taken for "act," and the signification of the title of hieromartyr lies hidden in these words which are there read: Μαρτυρησάντων δὲ μετὰ τοὺς ἐκείνου χρόνους, etc. (which will be given below at number 3). St. Myron was therefore a martyr in the same way in which St. Anschar, first archbishop of Hamburg, was; concerning whom his successor St. Rembert, in his Life, subjoined to the first book of my Hamburg Origins, writes in this manner, etc. Further, Lambeck thus commends the aforesaid Codex on page 100: The fourteenth Greek historical manuscript codex is of parchment, very ancient, elegant, and of the best quality, in folio; but by the injury of time mutilated of some leaves at the end; and it now consists of three hundred and thirteen leaves, divided page by page into two columns, and was once procured at Constantinople by Ogier Busbecq, as he himself testifies by the customary inscription of his own hand.

[10] corrupted by parachronisms. For the rest, the chronological points which occur from the persons inserted into that compendium have been heaped together so rashly and unskillfully, as I hinted above, that I would not dare with sufficient safety to take any one of them as fixed, by force of which it might be permitted to fasten the birth, deeds, and end of the life of St. Myron to their chronological marks. By whose fault this was done, whether of him who first collected the Acts of the Saint into a compendium; or of another who, afterward transcribing them, carelessly and with clumsy wit interpolated them with additions drawn from his own store, I indeed do not know. But however it happened, this is established, that they have been wretchedly contaminated. For at number 1 the birth of the holy Man is placed under the emperor Decius; at number 3 his episcopal ordination under Gallus; both of whom, and one indeed immediately after the other, reigned in the middle of the third century: in the same place that ordination is said to have been performed by Pinytus; who does not seem to be any other than Pinytus, bishop of Cnossus, who flourished about the year of Christ 170, according to what I shall say in the Annotations, letter o. Finally, at the same number 3, our Saint is narrated, after the martyrdom of Fabian, Pope, of Babylas of Antioch, of Alexander of Cæsarea, and of the ten Cretan Saints, all of whom pertain to the middle of the third century, to have devoted himself to the churches, when he was already a presbyter. Who could put together all these things, most badly connected like the dreams of a sick man?

* read "of Rhaucia"

A COMPENDIUM OF THE ACTS,

By an anonymous author, from an ancient codex of the Imperial library at Vienna.

Myron, bishop, confessor, Wonderworker, in the island of Crete (S.)

By an Anonymous author.

The holy and wonderworking pontiff of Christ, Myron, is born in the island of Crete, in the city of Rhaucia near Cnossus, in the reign of the emperor Decius, sprung from noble parents; and, brought up in every God-inspired virtue, he is joined to a wife by his parents. And indeed, having increased his longing toward God, together with his consort he was tilling the earth, and supplying the poor from its fruits. And so great was the grace of fruitfulness upon his fields, that he was able to supply all the poor and needy of the island with grain and wine and oil, not only for their own need, but also for the taxes paid to the public treasury. And they say that once, wishing to supply wine to the poor from a certain jar, so much gushed forth, fragrant and abundant, that from such a miracle he was fittingly named Myron; and that at another time gold was given forth from the jar, and distributed to the brethren.

[2] This holy man had a field of chickpeas, into which thieves entering, and wishing to lay it waste, were pierced round about with thorns. And again at another time twelve thieves, having come to his threshing floor, and having filled their sacks, were not able to lift them. The holy man therefore coming, and seeing them toiling through the whole night and accomplishing nothing, himself alone lifted up the sacks and placed them upon their shoulders, charging them to say nothing to anyone: But if you have need of anything, come openly, and I will supply you. To him the Lord granted the grace of healings, and he healed those in sickness; and wherever he laid his hand, upon fruits and upon other kinds of things, they were multiplied.

[3] And when in those times there had been martyred Flavian, bishop of Rome, and Babylas of Antioch, and Alexander of Cæsarea, and the ten Saints in Crete, and many others, he himself devoted himself to the churches, having already been appointed presbyter by the bishops, urging all to martyrdom for Christ. But when Decius had died, and Gallus had begun to reign, the persecution of the Christians ceased, and by the vote of all the people he is ordained bishop in Cnossus by the most holy bishop Pinytus at Rhaucia; to whom also after the episcopate the Lord more abundantly gave the grace of miracles. For a fearful dragon, having a bloodthirsty demon dwelling in it, showed itself from ancient misfortunes, and greatly injured many; this one, seeing the holy man passing by, poured down its tears like a river, bowing its head. But the holy man first drove off the demon lurking in it, seen by all like smoke driven by the wind. Then he said to the dragon: Go out, you also, from these borders, never appearing to anyone, or injuring anyone. Straightway therefore, creeping away to another place, it became invisible.

[4] And when a Sunday had come, and he wished to go for a visitation of the brethren of the city of Cnossus, and not to be absent from the Sunday assembly, he came to the river which is called Triton, and, as it was in flood, he prayed and entered in with his horse, the river checking its own stream, and affording a passage to the holy man to cross dry-shod together with those with him. But when evening came on, he slept, and sees someone bound with his hands behind him, and beseeching him to loose him. Who, rising up, and understanding the constriction of the river, sent two men with his staff, and they, striking the water, said: You are loosed, O river, go harmlessly to your own place.

[5] And the Saint, having become about a hundred years old, carefully and conspicuously kept the memorials of the holy Martyrs, reading out to all their records, and stirring them up to the like zeal, and praying that all might obtain their portion. Having then taken to his bed in sickness, and having ordered that what things of use were left to him be given to the poor, he rested in peace, delivering up his spirit to the Lord, and was laid in his own enclosure, in which very many wonder-workings are performed, to the glory of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. To Him be glory and might unto the ages. Amen.

His birth, his mercy toward the poor The holy wonderworker and pontiff of Christ ^a Myron drew his birth in Rhaucia ^b, a city of the island of Crete ^c near Cnossus ^d, in the reign of Decius ^e, sprung from noble parents; and, brought up in every virtue, God inspiring him, he is joined in matrimony by his parents. But kindled with immense longing toward God, together with his wife he tilled the earth, and provided for the poor from its fruits. And so great was the abundance of crops in his fields, that from the grain, wine, and oil there was enough for him to pour out upon all the poor and needy of the island, and that not only for their use, but also for the taxes which were paid to the public treasury. It is reported that when at some time he wished to draw wine from a certain vessel for the poor, it flowed forth so fragrant and so copious, that from so great a miracle the name of Myron ^f was deservedly given him. Besides this, that at another time gold was rendered from the vessel, and distributed to the brethren.

[2] That Saint had a field sown with chickpeas; which when thieves entering wished to plunder, they were pierced through with thorns. made illustrious by miracles. It happened again at another time that twelve thieves entered his threshing floor; who, after they had filled their sacks, could not lift them. The Saint therefore came, and, having beheld them laboring through the whole night, and advancing nothing, he himself alone raised the sacks, and placed them on their shoulders, warning them that they should say nothing to anyone: but as often, he said, as you have need of anything, come openly; and I will give it to you. Him God endowed with the grace of healings, and he healed the sick; and wherever he laid his hand, whether upon fruits or upon things of another kind, they were filled up.

[3] Made a presbyter, he stirs others to martyrdom, But when Flavian ^g, then bishop of Rome, Babylas of Antioch ^h, Alexander of Cæsarea ⁱ, and the ten Cretan Saints ^k, and also many others were crowned with martyrdom, he devoted himself to the churches, having already been appointed presbyter by the bishops, and stirred up all to undergo martyrdom for Christ. Gallus reigning after the death of Decius ^l, the persecution of the Christians ceased ^m, and by the wishes of all he is consecrated ⁿ bishop in Cnossus by the most holy bishop Pinytus ^o at Rhaucia [p]: and to him after the episcopate the Lord conferred still more the grace of miracles. For a terrible dragon, which showed from ancient events that it had a demon dwelling in it most greedy of blood and hostile to many; when it saw the Saint passing by, poured tears abundantly

abundantly, bowing its head. But the Saint first drove out the demon lurking in it, which was seen by all like smoke driven out by the wind. Then he said to the dragon, Go out, you also, from these borders, never appearing to anyone, or inflicting harm on anyone. Straightway therefore, creeping away to another place, it ceased thereafter to be seen.

[4] and famous for miracles On a certain Sunday, when he wished to set out to visit the brethren of the city of Cnossus, and by no means to be missing at the solemnity of the Lord's day, he came to the river to which the name of Triton [q] had been given. While it was overflowing, the Saint prayed, and entered it with his horse; and it checked its flow, and afforded an approach to the Saint, so that together with his companions he crossed dry. But after evening had come on, he took sleep; and he sees someone with hands bound behind his back beseeching him to loose him. Who, rising up, and knowing the constriction of the river, sent two men furnished with his staff; and, the water being struck, they said: Be loosed, O river, and go without harm to your own place.

[5] in about the hundredth year of his age he departed to the Lord. But the Saint, being now about a hundred years old, diligently and splendidly celebrated the memory of the holy Martyrs, and, reading out their records to all, stirred them to a like zeal, and prayed that all might obtain a share with them. Falling sick therefore of a disease, and ordaining that the utensils which remained to him be given to the poor, he rested in peace, delivering his spirit to the Lord, and was laid in his own enclosure: where very many miracles are wrought to the glory of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. To Him be honor and dominion unto the ages. Amen.

ANNOTATIONS.

p. This equivocal and obscure sense I understand thus, that the author means to say that Pinytus was bishop of Cnossus, but Myron of Rhaucia. So also Lambeck cited above seems to have understood him; because on page 200 he has these words: An epitome of the life and miracles of St. Myron, bishop of Rhaucus or of the city of Rhaucia in the island of Crete. And in this sense, because this city is in Crete, our Saint could in some way be called bishop of Crete; as he is called in our Commentary above at numbers 1 and 8; and also in the title of our Vatican transcript, concerning which in the same place, number 3.

q. Marshes called by the name of Triton Ortelius enumerates in the Geographical Thesaurus at the word Triton. Diodorus Siculus also makes mention of this river, book 5.