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The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity


from its origins to circa AD 700, across the entire Christian world


Proclus of Constantinople composes his Homily 18, On *Andrew (the Apostle, S00288), which he delivers during a festival in Constantinople. Written in Greek, in the early 5th c.

Evidence ID

E05461

Type of Evidence

Literary - Sermons/Homilies

Major author/Major anonymous work

Proclus of Constantinople

Proclus of Constantinople, Homily 19, On Andrew the Apostle (CPG 5818 = BHG 103)

The sermon consists of rhetorical praise for the apostle and aspects of his life.

Liturgical Activities

Sermon/homily

Festivals

Saint’s feast

Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Ecclesiastics - bishops

Source

The life and career of Proclus of Constantinople (c. 380-446) are closely tied into the vibrant intellectual life and tumultuous ecclesiastical politics of Constantinople under the Theodosian dynasty. He was born around AD 380 in Constantinople, where he was trained in rhetoric. An associate of John Chrysostom, his clerical career started under bishop Atticus of Constantinople (406-425) whom he served as a secretary and author of his sermons, and by whom he was ordained to the priesthood. He was elected bishop of Cyzicus in 426, but never took up residence at his see, and continued to reside at Constantinople. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the episcopal throne of Constantinople in 426, 427, and 431, till he was appointed to it at the death of bishop Maximian (431-434). Proclus’ main claim to fame was his celebrated sermons on the Virgin Mary, which he delivered during the episcopate of Nestorius, and which became fundamental texts for the Christology and Mariology of the Council of Ephesus (431). Most of his surviving works are homiletic, on the major feast days of the Church of Constantinople, whose liturgical tradition and calendar were then taking their shape. The relatively small corpus of his genuine works has not been fully assembled yet, and there are a number of dubious or spurious works ascribed to him.

On the manuscript tradition, see:
http://pinakes.irht.cnrs.fr/notices/oeuvre/6892/


Discussion

The text provides no information about its occasion, venue or chronology. It is possible that it was delivered during a feast of the apostle celebrated at the Holy Apostles in Constantinople.


Bibliography

Text:
Migne, J.-P., Patrologiae Cursus Completus: Series Graeca 65 (Paris, 1864), 821-828 (Riccardi).

Further reading:
Constas, N.P., Proclus of Constantinople and the Cult of the Virgin in Late Antiquity: Homilies 1-5, Texts and Translations (Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae 66; Leiden: Brill, 2003).

Leroy, F.J., 
L'homilétique de Proclus de Constantinople (Studi e Testi 247; Città Vaticano, 1967).


Record Created By

Efthymios Rizos

Date of Entry

17/05/2018

Related Saint Records
IDNameName in SourceIdentity
S00288Andrew, the ApostleἈνδρέαςCertain


Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Efthymios Rizos, Cult of Saints, E05461 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E05461