The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity

Miracles of Saint Thekla, 24

In the city of Olba [Asia Minor] there was a little boy who was just weaned. He was in danger of losing one of his eyes due to excessive weeping. Since the physicians were unable to cure him, his wet nurse took him to the neighbouring city of Seleucia and presented him to the martyr Thekla in her church, with lamentations, tears and prayers for his healing.

Ἐπὶ τούτοις εἶπε μὲν ἡ μάρτυς οὐδέν, οὐδὲ τὸ καὶ τὸ ποιῆσαι προσέταξε· παιδιᾶς δὲ μᾶλλον ἢ σπουδῆς ποιεῖται τὸ θαῦμα. Καὶ γάρ τι συμβαίνει τοιοῦτο κατὰ τὴν αὐλὴν αὐτοῦ τοῦ νεώ. Καταρρίπτει τις ἀεὶ καὶ διαρραίνει σπέρματα σίτων, ἤτοι κριθὰς ἢ καὶ ὀρόβους, ὡς εἶναι ταῦτα τροφὴν ταῖς αὐτόθι νεμομέναις περιστεραῖς, ἢ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὄρνισι· πολλὰ γὰρ δὴ καὶ ποικίλα τὰ νεμόμενα, κύκνοι, γέρανοι, χῆνες, περιστεραί, ἤδη δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου καὶ Φάσιδος, ἃ κατὰ πόθον ἢ λόγον εὐχῆς κομίζοντες ἀνατιθέασιν οἱ ἐπιδημοῦντες τῇ μάρτυρι. Ἐνταῦθα καὶ τὸ παιδίον τοῦτό ποτε ἀθύρον καὶ τερπόμενον ἦν, ποτὲ μὲν διῶκον ὄρνιν μετὰ γέλωτος, ποτὲ δὲ καὶ διωκόμενον ὑπό τινος τῶν ὀρνίθων, ὡς καὶ τέρψιν εἶναι τοῦτο τοῖς θεωμένοις καὶ γέλωτος ἀφορμήν. Καὶ δὴ μία τῶν γεράνων, ὡς ἅτε δὴ παρὰ τοῦ παιδίου κωλυομένη φαγεῖν, μᾶλλον δὲ ὡς προσταχθεῖσα τοῦτο παρὰ τῆς μάρτυρος, ἐμπηδᾷ τῷ παιδίῳ, καὶ τῷ ῥάμφει τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν ἐκεῖνον ἐγκολάπτει τὸν καὶ ἤδη πεπονθότα καὶ ἀποσβεσθέντα λοιπόν. Καὶ ἀνωλόλυξε μὲν τὸ παιδίον ὑπὸ τῆς πληγῆς, συνεξεβόησαν δὲ καὶ αἱ παροῦσαι γυναῖκες, ὡς ἂν καὶ ἀτόπου μεγάλου τινὸς γεγονότος. Ἡ δὲ πρεσβῦτις ἡ τίτθη—συμπαρῆν γάρ— μικροῦ καὶ ἀφῆκε τὴν ψυχήν, ὡς καὶ πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον ἔτι τοῦ πάθους ἐλάσαντος καὶ τὸ λεῖπον ἐκκόψαντος τῆς ἐλπίδος. Τόδε ἄρα θεραπεία ἦν τοῦ πάθους καὶ ἄκος· τοῦ γὰρ ὀφθαλμοῦ, καθάπερ ὑπὸ ἰατροῦ καὶ σιδηρίου τρηθέντος καὶ σὺν ἐπιστήμῃ τρωθέντος, ἐκρεῖ μὲν ἅπαν τὸ παχὺ ῥεῦμα καὶ ἀχλυῶδες τὴν κόρην ἐπισκοτοῦν—ἣν καὶ ὀφθαλμὸν εἴποι τις ἂν ὀφθαλμοῦ—, τούτου δὲ ἀποκενωθέντος, ἀναβλέπει τότε πρῶτον τὸ παιδίον, καὶ ἀπολαμβάνει τὸ ἐπιλεῖπον τοῖν ὀφθαλμοῖν φῶς· ὡς κατὰ μηδὲν ἐπιχωλεύειν τὴν ὄψιν, ἀπελθεῖν δὲ ἄρτιον καὶ ὁλόκληρον, πολὺ τῇ τε πόλει τῷ τε πατρὶ καὶ πάππῳ τὸ θαῦμα παρασχόν, ὧν ὁ μὲν καλεῖται Παρδάμιος, ὁ δὲ Ἀνατόλιος ὁ πάππος, ὁ καὶ ἱερεὺς ὢν τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐκείνης.

'To these entreaties the martyr responded not at all, nor did she prescribe doing this or that. Rather, the miracle was accomplished more through childish play than through a serious endeavor. This is what happened in the forecourt of the church. [Visitors] are always tossing and spreading about seeds of grain (either barley or vetch) to feed the pigeons that inhabit the place, and the other birds as well. For many different birds live there: swans, cranes, geese, pigeons, even birds from Egypt and Phasis [in Colchis] – these are the birds which the pilgrims, out of simple desire or in fulfillment of a vow, bring as an offering to the martyr.

One day this child was playing here and having fun, sometimes chasing a bird with peals of laughter and, the next moment, being chased by one of the birds, which resulted in great entertainment for the onlookers and gave them cause for laughter. One of the cranes, apparently because it was being hindered by the boy from its feeding, but rather acting upon the martyr's instructions, jumped at the boy and pecked with its beak that eye which was already afflicted and had now lost its light. The child started wailing at the attack, and all the women who where there also cried out, as if something terrible had happened. The elderly wet nurse – for she was present too – all but gave up the ghost because his malady had taken a turn for the worse and any hope for the future had been extinguished.

In reality, this event was the remedy and the cure of his suffering. For the eye, as if it had been pierced by a physician's scalpel and incised with skill, was flushed of all the thick discharge and haziness obscuring the pupil – which is, one might say, the eye within the eye. Once the eye was drained, the child regained his sight for the first time and recovered the light that had been lost to both his eyes. With his appearance in no way disfigured, he went back [home] sound in body and completely recovered, causing great astonishment to his city [Olba], his father, and his grandfather, the former is called Pardamios, the latter, the grandfather, Anatolios, who is the priest of that church [in Olba].'


Text: Dagron 1978.
Translation: Johnson 2012.
Summary: J. Doroszewska.

Cult building - independent (church)
Descriptions of cult places

Prayer/supplication/invocation
Saint as patron - of a community
Visiting graves and shrines

Miracle after death
Miracle with animals and plants
Healing diseases and disabilities

Women
Children
Other lay individuals/ people

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