ON ST. PORPHYRIUS THE MIME, MARTYR AT CAESAREA IN CAPPADOCIA,
AT AN UNCERTAIN TIME.
PRELIMINARY COMMENTARY
Porphyrius, mime, martyr at Caesarea in Cappadocia. (S.)
BY J. V. D. G.
§ I. Of the cult of St. Porphyrius.
[1] St. Porphyrius is celebrated That the Spirit of God breathes where he wills and that from stones there are made sons of Abraham the fasti of the saints have many times testified. But if in any, it is above all in those who, having gone forth into the theatre to mock the sacred rites, were by the sudden grace of God made martyrs out of mimes and actors. In our work similar prodigies of the divine mercy have already been recorded four times, Col. 022B namely in St. Gelasius at the 27th day of February, in St. Ardalion at the 14th of April, in St. Genesius at the 25th of August, and in St. Porphyrius, under Julian the Apostate, at the 15th day of September. Today among the Greeks there occurs again the unanimous commemoration of a certain Porphyrius, a mime.
[2] in the synaxarion, In the synaxarion the following elogium of him is read, which we have taken both from three codices of the Paris library, which are marked nos. 1590, 1592 and 1594, and from the Sirmond synaxarion, now preserved in the Berlin library and marked there Phillipps no. 1622 Cf. above p. 225, no. 2.. In these the martyrdom of St. Porphyrius is read at fol. 57v, 41v, 90v and 71r; codex no. 1590 we mark 1, and the others, namely nos. 1592, 1594 and the Berlin one, by the numbers 2, 3, 4.
Τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἄθλησις τοῦ ἁγίου Πορφυρίου, τοῦ ἐκ μίμων. Οὗτος ὑπῆρχεν ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλείας Αὐρηλιανοῦ Αὐριλλιανοῦ 2. ἐκ τῆς Ἐφεσίων πόλεως ὁρμώμενος καὶ ἐκ μικρᾶς ἡλικίας μίμοις καὶ θεάτροις ἐντραφείς. Ὡς ὃς 2, 3, 4. διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν αὐτοῦ 2. αἰτίαν τῷ κόμητι Ἀλεξανδρεῖας Ἀλεξάνδρου (sic for Ἀλεξάνδρῳ) 1, 4. ἐφεπόμενος εἰς Καισάρειαν ἤχθη ἤχ. ε. Κ. 3, 4., οὗτος τὰ τῇ 1, 3. τῶν χριστιανῶν ποτὲ ὑποκριθείς, ὑφ᾽ ἑτέρου μίμου τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ψευδομένου σχηματισαμένου 3, 4. βαπτίζεται καταπαίζοντος καταπαίζων 1, καταπαίζοντων 2. δῆθεν καὶ ἐπιχλευάζοντος τὰ ἡμέτερα. Οὗ γενομένου καὶ στολὴν λευκὴν ἀληθῶς adds 3, 4. ὑπόδυντος [ἀγγέλων ἁγίων αὐτοῦ προπορευομένων μετὰ λαμπάδων καὶ ψαλλόντων· ὅσοι εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθησαν adds 3, 4.], αὐτὸς μὲν τέλειον τὸν χριστιάνισμον ὑπεδέξατο. Ἄγγελοι [(Ἄγγελοι-καὶ
κατὰ omit 3, 4.] δὲ ὥφθησαν προηγοῦμενοι αὐτόν· οἱ καὶ κατὰ ἀνατολὰς προσεύχεσθαι προσηύχετο 3, 4. τοῦτον ἐδίδαξαν τ. ἐδ. omit 3, 4. καὶ τῷ μετώπῳ καὶ παντὶ πάντα 2. τῷ σώματι τὸν omits 2. σταυρὸν σταυρῷ 2. διαγράφειν διέγραφε 3, 4, which add τοῦτο διδαχθεὶς παρὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων.. Ὅθεν καὶ Ὅθ. κ. omit 3, 4. πολλοὶ δὲ add 3, 4. προσῆλθον τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πίστει τοῦτον ἴδοντες οὕτω λαμπρῶς ἔχοντα add 3, 4.. Οἱ καὶ διὰ νεφέλης [Maximus Margunius gives the following paraphrase of this somewhat obscure passage: οἱ ὁποῖοι ἐβαπτίσθησαν καὶ διὰ μέσον μιᾶς νεφέλης. Cf. Βίοι ἁγίων, at the 4th day of November. But we are moved to interpret the words καὶ διὰ νεφέλης as in the Holy Spirit by what, after Rossi and Garrucci, Kraus teaches, Real-Encykl. der christl. Altert., vol. II, p. 838, concerning the cloud as a symbol of the Holy Spirit.] ἐβαπτίσθησαν καὶ ἐν omit 3. 4. τῇ καθολικῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ προσῆλθον. Εἷτα τοῦ κόμητος τῷ κόμιτι 2. τὸν ἅγιον προσκαλεσαμένου, ἐπεὶ μὴ τὰ τῶν χριστιανῶν ἐξωμόσατο, ξίφει αὐτοῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποτέμνει καὶ οὗτως ἐπληρώθη αὐτοῦ ἡ μαρτυρία.
On the same day, the contest of St. Porphyrius, one of the mimes. He was, in the reign of Aurelian, a native of the city of the Ephesians, and from boyhood was brought up among mimes and in theatres. When, for this reason, following the count of Alexandria, he was brought to Caesarea, happening to represent the rites of the Christians, he was baptized by another stage actor playing the part of a bishop, who was indeed mocking and making sport of our mysteries. When this was done, clothed in a white robe, he truly received Christianity. There appeared also angels accompanying him, who taught him both to pray towards the east and to trace the cross on his forehead and also on his whole body. Thence also many came to the faith in Christ, who were baptized in the Holy Spirit and entered the catholic church. Afterwards the count, having called the saint to him, since he would not abjure the Christian doctrines, ordered him to be beheaded with the sword, and so his martyrdom was fulfilled.
[3] in the Menology of Basil, In the Menology of Basil the following notice of St. Porphyrius is read; it has been transcribed from codex D. 74 upper part of the Ambrosian library at Milan, fol. 44b – 44d. The variant readings which we give are those which differ in the edition of Cardinal Albani Vol. I, p. 165..
Ἄθλησις τοῦ ἁγίου μάρτυρος Πορφυρίου. Οὗτος Πορφύριος ὁ μάρτυς. ὑπῆρχεν ἐπὶ τῆς omits. βασιλείας Αὐρηλιανοῦ ἐκ τῆς πολέως Ἐφέσου· εἷς ὤν τῆς θυμέλης καὶ ἐν τῇ ὀρχηστικῇ εὐδοκιμῶν. Τοῦτον ἰδὼν (Τοῦτον ἰδὼν) τούτου τοῖς παιγνίοις τερφθεὶς. ὁ τῆς Καισαρέων κόμης Ἀλέξανδρος καὶ τερφθεὶς τοῖς παιγνίοις αὐτοῦ κ. τ. τ. π. α. omits., προσελάβετο αὐτὸν adds. καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐφέσου ἀ. τ. E omits. ἤγαγεν εἰς Καισάρειαν. Ἑορτῆς δὲ τοῖς δαίμοσιν ἡγουμένης τελουμένης., καὶ τοῦ κόμητος προκαθημένου κ. τ. κ. π. omits., καὶ τῶν παιγνίων γινομένων ἐκωμοδοῦντο διεπαίζοντο καὶ. οἱ τῶν χριστιανῶν τύποι. Καὶ προσήχθη Πορφύριος παρὰ τοῦ δῆθεν εἰς τύπον ἐπισκόπου σχηματισθέντος βαπτισθῆναι· ἐνεχθέντος οὖν ὕδατος, γυμνωθεὶς ὁ Πορφύριος omits. εἰσῆλθεν ἐν αὐτῷ, ἐπιβοωμένου omits. τοῦ ψευδοεπισκόπου, καθῶς ἔχουσιν (καθ. ἔχ.) ὡς. οἱ χριστιανοὶ, καὶ omits. λέγοντος· εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρός, καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος βαπτίζεται Πορφύριος. Καὶ τούτου γενομένου , ἦλθον οἱ ἄγγελοι στολὴν λευκὴν ἐνδύσαντες αὐτὸν μετὰ λαμπάδων (ἧλθον-λαμπάδων) καὶ ἐνέδυσαν στολὴν λευκὴν τὸν Πορφύριον. ψάλλοντες τὸ omits.. ὅσοι εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε, Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσασθε, ἀλληλουΐα. Καὶ ἐγένετο τὸ ἐν παιγνίῳ βάπτισμα εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτοῦ. Διὸ καὶ (καὶ ἐγένετο-πολλοὶ) ἰδόντες οὖν τὸ θαῦμα. πολλοὶ ἐπίστευσαν ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον, λογισάμενοι ὅτι εἰ τὸ ἐν σχήματι βάπτισμα οὕτως ἰσχύει πόσῳ μᾶλλον τὸ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν λογισάμενοι ὁθεν omits.. Ὅθεν αἰσχυνθεὶς ὁ κόμης Ὁ δὲ κόμης αἰσχυνθεὶς. ὑπεχώρησε, καὶ τῇ ἐπαύριον ἀγαγὼν τὸν Πορφύριον καὶ ὡς γόητα διαβαλὼν καὶ τιμωρησάμενος διὰ ξίφους ἐτελείωσεν (καὶ τιμωρησ.-ἐτελ.) ἀπεκεφάλισεν..
The contest of the holy martyr Porphyrius. He was, under the emperor Aurelian, from the city of Ephesus, an outstanding actor of stage plays. When Alexander, count of the people of Caesarea, had seen him, and was delighted by his comic art, he brought him with him from Ephesus to Caesarea. It happened that the chief day of the demons was being kept, with the count presiding, with a celebration of games, in which the rites of the Christians too were represented in jest. Porphyrius therefore was brought forward, to be baptized, namely, by the one who had put on the character of a bishop; the water having been brought, Porphyrius, stripped, went into it, while the false bishop meanwhile cried out, as Christians are wont, and said: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Porphyrius is baptized. When this was done, there were present angels who clothed him in a white robe, and, carrying torches, they chanted this: As many of you as have been baptized in Christ have put on Christ, alleluia. And that baptism in mockery was made for the remission of his sins. Wherefore many believed in the Lord, reasoning that if a feigned baptism availed so much, how much more that which is true. Thereupon the count, suffused with blushes, went away, and the next day, bringing Porphyrius forward on the pretext of the crime of the magic art, he punished him and destroyed him with the sword.
The metrical Martyrology comprises the praise of St. Porphyrius in these verses:
Ὁ Πορφύριος εὐστόλιστος ἐξ ὕψους Λαμπρὰν στολισθεὶς πορφύραν τῶν αἱμάτων.
Porphyrius, adorned by God, now you are adorned With the splendid purple of your outpoured blood.
[4] in the menology of Sirleto, In the menology of Cardinal Sirleto St. Porphyrius is announced in a very brief formula, which runs thus: The natal day of the holy martyr Porphyrius, who was from the city of Ephesus; having confessed the Christian faith under the emperor Aurelian, he was cut down with the sword. It is indeed to be wondered at that the most eminent interpreter, otherwise than he did elsewhere, reported the deeds of St. Porphyrius too sparingly. He passes over his condition as a mime, the baptism received in mockery, the place of the passion; all of which, however, are carefully recited in the menologies. To the present passage of Sirleto, therefore, this observation of Jacques Basnage will have to be applied: Although Sirleto was most skilled in these matters, yet, distracted by other cares, or because it irked him to write out so much, he omitted many things. These things we recite, not to attack the learning of a most illustrious man, but to warn the reader not to think, on account of this shorter recension of Sirleto, that the original Acts of St. Porphyrius, if there were any, were extended beyond the limits of truth by compilers in the course of time.
[5] among the Latins, Slavs and Syrians. There is no doubt that from the menology of Sirleto flowed the commemoration of St. Porphyrius which is to be found in the Roman martyrology, and which is enunciated thus: At Ephesus, of St. Porphyrius, martyr under the emperor Aurelian, very inaccurate as regards the place of martyrdom. For St. Porphyrius suffered not at Ephesus in Asia, from which indeed he came, but at Caesarea in Cappadocia, as the Greek Acts and the synaxaria state in express words. Baronius's error must be laid back upon Sirleto, who, having omitted the place of the passion, and added no mention of any region besides Ephesus, gave occasion of error to those who were content to draw from him as from a source. And from this also is resolved the doubt raised by our forebears Additions of October, general index p. 420., when, in the List of the saints whose Acts seem to call for elucidation in the continuation of the Bollandist work, they place a double St. Porphyrius on this fourth day of November, one crowned with martyrdom at Caesarea, the other at Ephesus. The old martyrologies of the western church do not mention St. Porphyrius, who has passed beyond the bounds of the Greek churches only by the authority of Cardinal Baronius, who himself relied on Sirleto. The Rev. Fr. John Martinov advises Annus ecclesiasticus graeco-slavicus, p. 269. that almost all the Slavonic fasti of this day pass over St. Porphyrius in silence, and that therefore the author of the annotations on the calendar of Ostromir, who asserts the contrary, errs. Only in the Novgorod codex of the Rumyantsev museum has the memory of St. Porphyrius been preserved among the Slavs. But a commemoration of St. Porphyrius exists in the calendar of the Syrians which Assemani published from a Vatican codex Bibl. Clement., vol. II, cod. xx, p. 118..
Annotations* cod. Αὐριλιανοῦ
* cod. γινομένου
* cod. τῶ ἐμπαιγνίω
* cod. τῷ
§ II. Of the Acts of St. Porphyrius.
[6] The Acts of St. Porphyrius are not those which Fabricius reports, Fabricius Bibl. graeca, vol. X, p. 316. indicates Acts of St. Porphyrius, who he relates underwent martyrdom at Caesarea in Cappadocia, by an author, as he himself professes, uncertain, and which he says begin with these words: Βασιλεύοντος τοῦ παρανόμου καὶ ἀσεβεστάτου Αὐρηλιανοῦ. Then he notes that Meursius in the Glossarium graeco-barbarum 2nd ed., Leiden, 1614, p. 477., under the word Ῥουβαίουβος, which is found in the Life of Porphyrius, gives the author as Julius (sic) Metaphrastes. In this last citation of Fabricius there are almost as many errors as words. First, indeed, Meursius adduces not Julius Metaphrastes but the Metaphrast. Next, and what is more serious, and into this error both Meursius and Fabricius fell, the Life of Porphyrius of which they treat here is by no means, as they falsely thought, the Life of Porphyrius the martyr of Caesarea, but the Life of Porphyrius bishop of Gaza, written by Mark the deacon. For in this, and not in that, are found, according to the Latin version of Gentian Hervet, which ours edited at the 27th day of February [Vol. III of February, p. 650, n. 26. The Greek text has lately come to light through the care of Moriz Haupt in the periodical Abhandlungen der köninglichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, 1874, p. 171 ff. For emendations of the same text see those proposed by A. Eberhard in Jahresbericht über die Fortschritten der klass. Alterthum, Berlin, 1877, p. 544 – 46, 554, and also those which Dräseke gives in Zeitschrift für wissensch. Theologie, vol. XXXI, p. 354 ff.], the words to which Meursius alludes, namely Ἱλάριός τις σουβαδίουβα τοῦ μαγιστριανοῦ [Cf. Du Cange's Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, in the latest edition 1886, vol. VII, p. 623, under Subadiuva; and also Abhandlungen der kön. Akad. der Wiss. zu Berlin, vol. cit., p. 184.]. From this error of Meursius it may be concluded, first, that he did not see with his eyes certain Acts of St. Porphyrius different from those which we know and which we shall shortly append, and moreover that his testimony is undeservedly adduced by Fabricius, as reporting false things. Indeed it must be greatly doubted whether Fabricius, and his emender Harles, had in their hands those different Acts of which they speak. Otherwise, would they not themselves also have retracted the fallacious testimony of Meursius? Would they not have corrected it, as Du Cange did? This is the reason why we suspect that not very different from the one which we shall hand down, and which begins Αὐρηλιανὸς βασιλεύσας,, is that Passion of which Fabricius indicates
the opening Βασιλεύοντος τοῦ παρανόμου καὶ ἀσεβεστάτου Αὐρηλιανοῦ, and of which we have been able to find a trace nowhere in the very many catalogues of Greek manuscripts which we have turned over.
[7] but they are found in the Venice codex of Saint Mark, The Acts which we shall shortly present to the reader are preserved at Venice in the library of St. Mark. They are contained in the codex marked no. CCCXLIX in the catalogue arranged by titles by the labour of Antonio Zanetti. He himself describes this codex thus P. 160.: In folio, of parchment, of 332 leaves, of about the 12th century. Lives of the saints by the Metaphrast and others; the first half of the month of November. The Acts of St. Porphyrius, which are not by the Metaphrast but by some other compiler, not indeed of better mark, as Zanetti himself notes, are read from folio 123v to 125r. From this codex this Passion of St. Porphyrius has already once been edited, in the Greek work whose title is: Μνημεῖα ἁγιολογικὰ νῦν πρῶτον ἐκδιδόμενα ὑπὸ ἱεροδιακόνου Θεοφίλου Ἰωάννου διδάκτορος τῆς φιλολογίας. Βενετίᾳ, τυποὶς φοίνικος, 1844 Pp. 357 – 360.. A briefer compendium of the same Acts was published in the 17th century by Maximus Margunius, afterwards made bishop of Cythera, but before that a teacher at Venice, as Henri Hilaire testifies in the notes on Philip of Cyprus's Chronicon ecclesiae Graecae P. 445. concerning Cyril Lucaris, whom he relates heard Maximus Margunius teaching at Venice. These things, though they may seem of less moment to someone, nevertheless suggest that Maximus Margunius more probably took his sketch of the Porphyrian Life from the Venice codex described above, since it has been stored in the library of Saint Mark since the 15th century, given by His Eminence Cardinal Bessarion, and since he also reports the ox raised to life by St. Porphyrius and the idols shattered by him; which, while they are found in the Acts of the Venice codex, are absent from the menologies and synaxaria. The Life of St. Porphyrius by Maximus Margunius appeared in his work first edited in the year 1629 and entitled thus: Βίοι ἁγίων ἐκ τῆς ἑλληνικῆς γλώττης, ἤτοι ἐκ τῶν συναξαρίων μεταφρασθέντες παρὰ Μαξίμου ταπεινοῦ ἐπισκόπου Κυθήρων εἰς κοινὴν ὠφέλειαν.
[8] whose various circumstances are weighed, As regards the Acts themselves, we judge that they were compiled in the 10th century or even later, from what their unknown author found in the menologies and synaxaria; nor do the menologies and synaxaria in any way flow from the Acts which are available to us. For, on the one hand, as will easily be plain to the reader, every single thing found in the synaxarion is read also in the Acts, not rarely in the same words; and on the other hand, and this is the chief reason for our opinion, in the former there is no allusion whatever to the miracle of the ox which was recalled to life by the prayers of St. Porphyrius. But in annals of this sort the deeds of the saints who are commemorated by them are usually indicated, at least by one or another word. Hence it is by no means to be maintained that our Acts are altogether genuine, especially on account of this miracle, such as it assuredly is that it seems rather to be ascribed to the poetic lucubration of a preposterous writer than to savour of the naked truth. The deeds themselves offer little to be disputed; for nothing need be said of the prefect Alexander, whose name was chosen by the anonymous author for no other reason than as one very common in the Acts of the martyrs, nor of the bishop of Caesarea, plainly unknown, since in the series of the pontiffs of this city mention of none of those who lived before the council of Nicaea has come down to us. At first sight a doubt may arise whether St. Porphyrius is not the same as that Porphyrius, himself a mime, who is venerated on the 15th day of September. But since, apart from the name, no other circumstances agree, and indeed there wholly differ both the names of the emperors, Julian and Aurelian, and the place of martyrdom, here Caesarea, there entirely concealed, and the occasion of the passion, in today's martyr illustrious and public, by a supernatural way, whereas the conversion of that Porphyrius who is venerated in the month of September is not so clear, it is better to keep the two Porphyrii, mimes, distinct. For an identical name ought not to move us much, since that name of Porphyrius comes into use so frequently among the Greeks that of itself it is by no means apt to indicate identity of persons. Accordingly we cannot, which greatly vexes us, champion the opinion of the most learned John Martinov Ann. eccl. gr.-slav., p. 269., a man so well deserving of our college, who argues from the title igrnik, that is, mime, which St. Porphyrius bears in the Rumyantsev codex, that our saint is not different from the one who is usually venerated on the 15th day of September, and accordingly that he was beheaded not under the emperor Aurelian, as Baronius, with Sirleto, wrote less correctly in the martyrology, but under Julian the Apostate. To be sure, we do not deny that from one St. Porphyrius his commemoration could in the course of time have recurred twice in the fasti, but no solid reason shines out to us why we should correct the very clear notices of our Acts and of the synaxaria handed down for this day from the less determinate formula with which St. Porphyrius is commemorated at the 15th day of September.
[9] above all the time of the martyrdom. Nothing certain can be determined about the year of the martyrdom of St. Porphyrius. He is said to have suffered under Aurelian, who reigned five years, from the year 270 to 275. Very recently the controversy, often stirred among the learned, about the truth of the persecution of Aurelian has been subjected to new examination. This the renowned Victor Duruy entirely denies, to whom both Aurelian's manner of acting towards Paul of Samosata and the peace which the Christians enjoyed in his reign do not seem to offer any handle for thinking that Aurelian ever contemplated harassing the disciples of Christ Histoire des Romains, 2nd ed., 1883, vol VI, p. 495.. In actual fact the ecclesiastical historians are almost silent about that persecution, or do not speak distinctly, and the renowned Benjamin Aubé, certainly too severe in judgment, says that the Acts of the martyrs which give the name of Aurelian do not establish it L'Église et l'État dans la seconde moitié du IIIe siècle, pp. 464 – 485., whose opinion the renowned Paul Allard has tempered, at least in some respects Les dernières persécutions du IIIe siècle, pp. 229 – 260.. Nevertheless, as Aubé himself concedes, it is not to be believed that the tradition lacks all foundation, even if it is not free from the prejudice of exaggerated truth, inasmuch as it admits a universal persecution, which asserts that in the reign of Aurelian, in various regions of the world, especially in Gaul, in Italy and in the eastern provinces, Christians were condemned and punished with tortures. Yet the passions of the martyrs are not to be referred to the first years of Aurelian's reign, but to the years 274 and 275; indeed the renowned Paul Allard shows that the force of the edict persisted seven or eight months after the death of Aurelian, who was killed in the month of March of the year 275. Wherefore to this same period belongs also the passion of St. Porphyrius, at which time, as Baronius writes Annales ecclesiast., year 275, VIII., Aurelian harassed the churches which were in Cappadocia, and above all that which was the metropolis of the whole province, namely Caesarea.
ACTS OF ST. PORPHYRIUS
edited from the work of Theophilus Ioannou entitled Μνημεῖα ἁγιολογικά, pp. 357 – 60, with a Latin interpretation added.
Porphyrius, mime, martyr at Caesarea in Cappadocia. (S.)
CHAPTER ONE.
Porphyrius the mime is baptized in mockery in the theatre of Caesarea.
Μαρτύριον τοῦ ἁγίου Πορφυρίου τοῦ ἐν Καισαρείᾳ τῆς Καππαδόκων μαρτυρήσαντος.
[1] Αὐρηλιανὸς βασιλεύσας Ῥωμαίων, διωγμὸν κατὰ χριστιανῶν ἐκίνησεν. Ἦν δέ τις ἐν τοῖς χρόνοις ἐκείνοις ἀνήρ, Πορφύριος τῷ ὀνόματι, Ἐφέσιος τῷ γένει, μῖμος τῷ ἐπιτηδεύματι, ἐν τοῖς θυμελικοῖς θεάτροις ἀνατραφείς. Τοῦτον ἰδὼν Ἀλέξανδρός τις, κόμης Καισαρέων, εὐφυῶς ὑποκρινόμενον καὶ τερφθεὶς ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ, μετῴκισεν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀσίας εἰς τὴν Καππαδοκίαν. Θεάτρου δὲ ἐν τῇ Καισαρέων ἐπιτελουμένου, προστάξει τοῦ Ἀλεξάνδρου, καὶ πολλῶν παιγνίων τελουμένων, εἰσῆλθον καὶ ὑποκριταὶ τῆς τῶν χριστιανῶν ἀμωμήτου μυσταγωγίας τῆς ἐν τῷ θείῳ βαπτίσματι τελουμένης. Καὶ δὴ καταστήσαντες ἐπισκόπους καὶ πρεσβυτέρους, διακόνους τε καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τάγματα, οἱ θυμελικοὶ * προεβάλοντο τὸν Πορφύριον, ὡς κατηχούμενον, ὑποδέχεσθαι τὸ βάπτισμα μέλλοντα. Καὶ σχηματίσαντες ἑαυτοὺς κατὰ τὸν τύπον τῆς ἁγίας Ἐκκλησίας, ἐνέπαιζον τὰ τῶν χριστιανῶν μυστήρια. Καὶ ἐνέγκαντες ὕδωρ, καὶ ἐκδύσαντες τὸν Πορφύριον ἔστησαν· καὶ ἐπικαλεσάμενος ὁ δῆθεν ἐπίσκοπος Πατέρα, καὶ Υἱόν, καὶ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, ἐβάπτισεν αὐτόν. Καὶ ἐνδύουσιν αὐτὸν στολὴν λευκήν, οὐκ εἰδότες οἱ ἄθλιοι ἀχλεύαστον οὖσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ ἐν χλεύῃ τὸ τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος ὄνομα ἐπικαλεσάμενοι, τὸ ἅγιον ἐξεμυκτήριζον βάπτισμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ὁ δὲ θαυμαστὸς ἐν δόξαις καὶ φιλάγαθος Κύριος, τὸ θεῖον ἐκεῖνο δώρημα τιμῶν παρὰ τοῖς ἀπίστοις, καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πίστιν μετ᾽ ἰσχύος βεβαιῶσαι βουλόμενος, θαῦμα εἰργάσατο, τῶν πώποτε γενομένων παραδοξότατον. Καὶ μή τις ἀπιστεῖν τολμήσῃ, ἵνα μὴ ἀκούσῃ, ὅτι ἔργον εἰργασάμην, ὅ οὐ μὴ πιστεύσετε ἐάν τις ἐκδιηγῆται ὑμῖν, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ ἀπιστήσας κατακριθήσεται. Τί γάρ; ἔστι τοῦτο πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναμιν ἀδύνατον; σημεῖα δὲ τοῖς ἀπίστοις, οὐ τοῖς πιστεύουσιν.
The martyrdom of St. Porphyrius, who suffered at Caesarea in Cappadocia.
[1] When Aurelian was ruling the Romans a, he set in motion a persecution against the Christians. Now there was in those times a certain man, Porphyrius by name, an Ephesian by birth, a mime by trade, as one who had been brought up in the stage theatres. When a certain Alexander b, count of the people of Caesarea, had seen him performing elegantly, being greatly delighted by his art, he brought him with him from Asia c into Cappadocia. A stage having been set up at Caesarea by order of Alexander, and various games having already been completed, actors came forward to represent the venerable rites of divine baptism of the Christians. And indeed, appointing bishops and presbyters, and deacons with the other orders, the stage-mimes d brought forward Porphyrius to receive baptism as a catechumen. Then, fashioning themselves after the pattern of the holy Church, they performed the mysteries of the Christians in jest. That is, water having been brought, they set Porphyrius there stripped of his clothes, and he who was playing the part of the bishop, invoking the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, baptized him. At the same time they clothed him in a white tunic, the wretches not knowing that the power of Christ is not mocked. They indeed, deriding, invoked the name of the holy Trinity and made sport of the holy baptism of Christ, but the Lord, wonderful in prodigies and most good, honouring that divine gift among the unbelievers and wishing to confirm faith in himself mightily, worked a miracle, the most incredible of all that have ever been done. And let no one dare to distrust, lest he hear that I work a work which you will not believe if anyone tells it to you, but he who does not believe will be condemned. What then? Is this impossible to the power of God? Signs indeed are for unbelievers, not for those who believe.
ANNOTATIONS.
* ed. θεμελικοὶ
CHAPTER TWO.
The conversion of St. Porphyrius.
[2] Ἅμα γὰρ τῷ βαπτισθῆναι τὸν ἄνδρα, ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάρις ἐπέπεσεν ἐπ᾽ αὐτόν· καὶ ὤφθησαν ἄγγελοι, λαμπαδηφοροῦντες καὶ προπορευόμενοι αὐτοῦ, καὶ φωνὴ ψαλμῶν ἠκούετο τερπνῶν, ὥστε ἀπὸ τῆς φωνῆς τῶν ἀγγελῶν σεισθῆναι τὸ θέατρον· οἱ δὲ ὄχλοι ἐταράττοντο σχιζόμενοι. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν ἔλεγον· οἱ θεοί εἰσιν οἱ σὺν τῶ Πορφυρίῳ ὁρώμενοι διὰ τὸ ἀγαπᾶν αὐτόν, ἄλλοι φαντασίαν ὑπενοοῦν τὸ πρᾶγμα, οἱ δὲ ἐθαύμαζον φάσκοντες· εἰ τὸ ἐν γέλωτι βάπτισμα τῶν χριστιανῶν τοῖουτόν ἐστιν, τὸ ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας ὁποῖον ἄρα ἔσται; Καὶ καταβάντες συναπῆλθον τῷ Πορφυρίῳ ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐκκλησίᾳ, αἰτοῦμενοι παρὰ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου τὸ ἀληθινὸν βάπτισμα.
[2] As soon as the man was baptized, the grace of the Spirit came upon him, and angels were seen carrying lights and approaching there. The singing of delightful psalms too was heard, so that the theatre was shaken by the voice of the angels. And the crowds were thrown into confusion in opposite directions. For some of them said: They are gods who appear with Porphyrius, because he is dear to them. Others thought the thing a phantasm, while others wondered, saying: If the mocking baptism of the Christians is so great, what then will it be like when received with the whole heart? And going down they went off with Porphyrius to the church of the Christians, asking the bishop for true baptism.
CHAPTER THREE.
St. Porphyrius, questioned by the judge, raises an ox to life, and at last is punished by beheading.
[3] Ὁ δὲ κόμης, τότε μὲν ὑπὸ ἐκπλήξεως ἔλυσε τὸ θέατρον, τῇ δὲ ἐπαύριον τὸν Πορφύριον προσκαλεσάμενος λέγει αὐτῷ. Οὐ μάγον σε, Πορφύριε, ᾔδειν, ἀλλὰ μῖμον· τί οὖν ἦν τὸ χθὲς ἐπὶ σοὶ γενόμενον φάντασμα; Ὁ ἅγιος Πορφύριος ἔφη· καὶ ὄντως εἰς τοσαύτην ἀθλιότητα μωρίας ἤλασας, ὡς φαντασίαν ἐκεῖνα πάντα δοκεῖν; Ὁ κόμης λέγει· ὑβρίζεις, μιαρώτατε· μὰ τοὺς θεούς, εἰ μὴ ταχέως πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐπιστρέψῃς * θανάτῳ σε παραδώσω. Πορφύριος εἶπεν· εἰ μὴ σημεῖον ἴδω παρ᾽ αὐτῶν τελούμενον, οὐκ ἐπιστρέφω.
[4] Τότε προσκαλεσάμενος ὁ κόμης τοὺς τῶν θεῶν αὐτοῦ ἱερεῖς, δι᾽ εὐχῆς θαυματουργεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐκέλευσεν. Οἱ δὲ στήσαντες ἐν μέσῳ ταῦρον, καὶ πρὸς τὸ οὖς αὐτοῦ λαλήσαντες, ἐθανάτωσαν αὐτόν. Λέγει οὖν ὁ κόμης· ἴδε, Πορφύριε, δύναμιν θεῶν ἀήττητον καὶ προσκύνησον αὐτοῖς. Λέγει ὁ ἅγιος· ζησάτω ὁ ταῦρος τῇ ἐπικλήσει τῶν θεῶν ὑμῶν, καὶ τότε ἡ δύναμις αὐτῶν ἀήττητος ἔσται. Ἀτονοῦντες δὲ πρὸς τοῦτο οἱ ἱερεῖς, εἶπον· ἡμεῖς διὰ τῶν θεῶν ἡμῶν ἀπεκτείναμεν, σὺ διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ σου ζώωσον, καὶ πιστεύσομεν * αὐτῷ. Καὶ ἤρεσεν ὁ λόγος τῷ τε δήμῳ καὶ τῷ κόμητι. Καὶ πεσὼν ἐπὶ τὴν γὴν προσηύξατο ὁ ἅγιος, καὶ πάλιν ἀναστάς, ἐπῆρε τὰς χεῖρας κατὰ ἀνατολὰς καὶ εἶπεν· ἐπάκουσον δή μου, Κύριε Ἰησοῦ Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, ὃν, εἰ καὶ ἀνάξιος ὢν, ἐπέγνων, καὶ δεῖξον τὴν σὴν δύναμιν τοῖς περιεστῶσι, καὶ τὴν τῶν νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν πίστωσον διὰ τοῦ βοὸς τούτου.
[5] Καὶ ἐπιστρέψας πρὸς τὸν ταῦρον, εἶπε· σοὶ λέγω, ἐν ὀνόματι τοῦ Πατρός, καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, ἀνάστηθι. Καὶ παραχρῆμα ἀνέστη ὁ βοῦς, καὶ μυκώμενος ἐξῆλθεν ἐναντίον πάντων. Τῶν δὲ, ἅπαξ τῇ ἀπωλείᾳ προσκειμένων, μὴ ἐπιστραφέντων, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἑαυτῶν θεοῖς καὶ τοῦτο ἐπιγραφόντων καὶ μεγαλυνόντων αὐτούς, δραμὼν ὁ ἅγιος ἐπὶ τοῖς λεγομένοις προσκηνίοις ἔνθα πλείονα ἵσταντο ἀγάλματα, θείῳ κινηθεὶς ζήλῳ, εἶπεν· ἐν ὀνόματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ μου, ἔλθετε κάτω. Πεσόντων οὖν αὐτῶν, εἷς τῶν ἱερέων ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐθανατώθη, διαῤῥαγεὶς ὑπὸ ἀγάλματος τὴν γαστέρα. Τότε ἀγανακτήσας ὁ κόμης, δίδωσι κατὰ τοῦ ἁγίου Πορφυρίου τὴν διὰ τοῦ ξίφους ἀπόφασιν· ὁ δὲ ἅγιος χαρᾶς πλησθείς, μετεπέμψατο τάχιστα τὸν ἐπίσκοπον Καισαρείας, καὶ παρακαλέσας τοὺς στρατιώτας ἄδειαν ἔλαβε, καὶ λάθρα τὴν ἁγίαν κοινωνίαν παρὰ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου λαβών, οὕτως ἐτελειώθη ὑπὸ τοῦ ξίφους καὶ πρὸς Χριστὸν διὰ τάχους ἀνέδραμε, τὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγῶσι κομιούμενος τῆς νίκης στέφανον ἐν Κυρίῳ· ᾧ ἡ δόξα, καὶ τὸ κράτος, νῦν καὶ ἀεί, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.
[3] The governor then in his amazement dismissed the theatre. But the next day, having summoned Porphyrius, he said to him: I knew you not as a magician, Porphyrius, but as a mime. What then was that phantasm which came upon you yesterday? St. Porphyrius said: Have you really come into such misery of madness that all these things seem to you a fiction? The prefect said: You utter insults, most wicked one. By the gods, unless you quickly return to them, I will deliver you to death. Porphyrius said: Unless I see a sign performed by them, I do not return.
[4] Then, when the count had called together the priests of his gods, he ordered them to work a prodigy by prayer. They, having brought a bull into the midst and having spoken into its ear, killed it. The prefect therefore said: Acknowledge, Porphyrius, the invincible power of the gods, and adore them. The saint answered: Let the bull come back to life at the invocation of your gods, and then their power will be invincible. The priests, unequal to this, said: We have killed by the work of our gods; do you make it live through your Christ, and we will believe in him. And the proposal pleased both the people and the prefect. And falling to the ground the saint prayed, and rising again he raised his hands towards the east and said: Hear me, Lord Jesus Christ, God, whom, unworthy though I am, I have acknowledged, and make manifest your power to those standing around, and confirm your resurrection from the dead through this ox.
[5] And turning to the bull, he said: I say to you, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, arise. And at once the ox arose, and lowing went out before all. But while they, intent solely on perdition and not at all converted, ascribed this to their gods and glorified them, the saint, running to the aforesaid proscenia a, where many statues stood, moved with divine zeal, said: In the name of my Christ, fall down. Accordingly, as they fell, one of the priests was killed, since his belly was torn open by the fall of a statue. Then the prefect, full of indignation, pronounced this sentence against St. Porphyrius, that he be put to death by the sword. But the saint, filled with joy, very quickly summoned the bishop of Caesarea, and when he had exhorted the soldiers, he received leave to take the sacred communion secretly from the bishop. Thus he was finished by the sword and swiftly ran to Christ, to carry off for his contests the crown of victory in the Lord, to whom be glory and power, now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
ANNOTATIONS.
* ed. ἐπιστρέψεις
* ed. πιστεύσωμεν