The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity

Miracles of Saint Thekla, 33

Ἦν ἡ τῆς μάρτυρος αὐτῆς ἑορτή, καὶ ἡ τελευταία τῆς ἑορτῆς ἡμέρα, ἣν δὴ καὶ ἀπόλυσιν καλεῖν ἡμῖν ἔθος, ὡς ἂν καὶ πέρας ἐχούσης λοιπὸν τῆς ἑορτῆς. Ἐν ταύτῃ πᾶς τις ἐπείγεται καὶ ἀστὸς καὶ ξένος, καὶ ἀνὴρ καὶ γυνὴ καὶ παιδίον, καὶ ἄρχων καὶ ἀρχόμενος, καὶ στρατηγὸς καὶ στρατιώτης, καὶ δημαγωγὸς καὶ ἰδιώτης, καὶ νέος καὶ πρεσβύτης, καὶ ναυτίλος καὶ γεωργός, καὶ πᾶς τις ἁπλῶς πρόθυμος συλλεγῆναι σπουδαιότερον, καὶ Θεῷ τε προσεύξασθαι, καὶ ἱκετεῦσαι τὴν παρθένον, καὶ τυχὼν τῶν θείων μυστηρίων ἀπελθεῖν ἡγιασμένος καὶ ὥσπερ τις νεοτελὴς ἀνακαινισθεὶς καὶ σῶμα καὶ ψυχήν.

Μετὰ δὲ τῆς πληθύος ἐκείνης καί τινες ἤστην δύο ἐκ τῆς καθ’ ἡμᾶς ταύτης Εἰρηνουπόλεως ὁρμηθέντες. Οὗτοι τοίνυν, τῆς ἑορτῆς καὶ συνάξεως διαλυθείσης, εἱστιῶντό τε μετ’ ἀλλήλων καὶ ἑτέρων δὲ πλειόνων καί, οἷάπερ εἰκός, ἕκαστός τι τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἑορτὴν ἐθαύμαζεν· ὁ μὲν τὸ λαμπρὸν αὐτῆς καὶ φαιδρόν, ὁ δὲ τῶν συνεληλυθότων τὸ μυρίον πλῆθος, ὁ δὲ τῶν ἀρχιερέων τὸν πολὺν σύλλογον, ὁ δὲ τῶν διδασκάλων τὸ εὔμουσον, ὁ δὲ τῆς ψαλμῳδίας τὸ εὔηχον, ὁ δὲ τῆς νυκτεγερσίας τὸ διαρκές, ὁ δὲ τῆς λοιπῆς λειτουργίας τὸ τεταγμένον καὶ εὔρυθμον, ὁ δὲ τῶν εὐχομένων τὸ ἔντονον, ὁ δὲ καὶ τοῦ ὄχλου τὸν ὠθισμόν, ὁ δὲ καὶ τοῦ πνίγους τὴν ὑπερβολήν, ὁ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς φρικτῆς μυσταγωγίας τὴν ἔνστασιν ἅμα καὶ σύστασιν τῶν ἄρτι προσιόντων, τῶν ἤδη ἀπιόντων, τῶν ἐπεισιόντων πάλιν, τῶν ὑποχωρούντων αὖθις, τῶν βοώντων, τῶν φιλονεικούντων, τῶν ἀλλήλοις ἐμπλεκομένων καὶ μὴ εἰκόντων ἀλλήλοις διὰ τὸ πρῶτός τις μάλιστα βούλεσθαι μετασχεῖν τῶν ἁγιασμάτων.

Ἐν τούτοις δὲ ὑπολαβὼν καὶ τοῖν δυοῖν ὁ ἕτερος, ᾧ καὶ ὄνομα ἦν Ὀρεντίων· «Ἕκαστος μέν, φησίν, ὑμῶν ὃ βούλεται θαυμαζέτω τῆς ἑορτῆς· ἐγὼ δὲ οἶμαι ὡς θαυμασιωτέρου πάντων καὶ ἡδίονος ἀπολέλαυκα θαύματος καὶ θεάματος· καὶ γὰρ ἐθεασάμην γύναιον, ἀπό τινος τῶν κατὰ τὸν νεὼν στοῶν διακύπτων, οὕτω κάλλιστον, οὕτως εὐπρεπὲς ἢ καὶ ἀριπρεπὲς καὶ χαρίτων μεστόν, ὡς πάντα τὸν τῆς τῶν συνάξεως καιρὸν τῷ ἐκείνης θαυμασίῳ κάλλει προσδεδέσθαι τε καὶ προσηλῶσθαι τὰ ἐμὰ ὄμματα, ὡς καὶ τοῦτο μόνον εὔξασθαί με τῇ μάρτυρι, τοῦ ἐκείνης ἐπιτυχεῖν κάλλους, ἑτέρου δὲ μηδενός.» Καὶ οἱ μὲν παρὰ τὴν ἑστίαν λόγοι τοσοῦτοί τε καὶ τοιοῦτοί τινες ἦσαν.

Νυκτὸς δὲ ἐπιγενομένης ἐκαθεύδησαν μὲν πάντες, ὁ δὲ Ὀρεντίων ἐκ τῶν μεθημερινῶν φροντισμάτων οὐδὲ καθεύδων τῶν ἴσων ἀπελείφθη φαντασμάτων. Καὶ γὰρ ἔδοξεν, ὡς αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος τοῖς παροῦσι διηγεῖτο, ὁρᾶν ἐν ὄψει τὴν μάρτυρα ἐν τῷ αὐτῆς μὲν καθεζομένην νεῲ ἐφ’ ὑψηλοῦ τινος καὶ χρυσηλάτου καὶ ἐπηρμένου θρόνου, διανέμειν δὲ ἑκάστῳ τῶν συνεληλυθότων κατὰ τὴν πανήγυριν τὰ ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς τῆς πανηγύρεως δῶρα λαμπρά τε καὶ πολλὰ καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς παρεχούσης ἄξια· «Τελευταῖον δέ, φησί, καὶ πρὸς ἐμὲ αὐτὴν ἀποβλέψασαν εἰπεῖν· ‘Σὺ δὲ τί βούλει, φησίν, ὦ τάν, τῶν δώρων τούτων λαβεῖν; ἢ βούλει τοῦ γυναίου ἐκείνου οὗπερ καὶ ἐρασθεὶς ἐκτόπως ηὔξω μοι τυχεῖν; τοιγαροῦν λαβὼν ἄπιθι, καὶ ἔχε, καὶ ἀπόλαυε τοῦ δώρου.’ Καὶ ἐγώ, φησίν, ὑπερησθεὶς καὶ λαβὼν τὸ δῶρον ἀπῆλθον. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὸ γύναιον, μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ὧν διένειμεν, ἑστὸς ἔτυχε.» Καὶ ἡ μὲν ὄψις καὶ ἡ διήγησις εἰς τοῦτο ἐτελεύτησεν.

Ὥρας δὲ μιᾶς καὶ ὅσον διαγενομένης, ἐπιπηδᾷ τις δαίμων αὐτῷ λυσσητὴρ καὶ ἄγριος, καὶ καταρρήγνυσι μὲν αὐτὸν καὶ διεσπάραττε, κατὰ δὲ τὸν τῶν Περσῶν νόμον δείρας αὐτὸν τῆς δορᾶς γυμνὸν ἐποίησε, καὶ σκωλήκων τε εὐθὺς καὶ ἰχῶρος ἐπλήρωσεν· ὡς τοὺς παρεστῶτας πλησίον πάντας ἄπνους τε καὶ ἀναύδους γενέσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ συμβεβηκότος οὕτως ἀθρόως κακοῦ, μικροῦ δὲ καὶ ἀπολέσθαι. Τοσοῦτον ἦν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς τὸ κακόν, καὶ τοῦτο ἦν ἄρα ἡ γυνή, ἡ κακῶς μὲν καὶ ἀνοσίως ὀφθεῖσα παρ’ αὐτοῦ, κάκιον δὲ συμπλακεῖσα, τελευταῖον δὲ καὶ διαφθείρασα τὸν τρισάθλιον. Καὶ γὰρ οὐδὲ εἰς τρίτην ἡμέραν διαρκέσας, ἀνῃρέθη παρὰ τοῦ δαίμονος, καὶ τίνει ταύτην δίκην ἀκολάστου τε βλέμματος καὶ τῆς εἰς τὴν παρθένον ὕβρεως καὶ παροινίας.


'The festival of the martyr [Thekla] was taking place [at her shrine], and the final day of the festival arrived, which we customarily call the "dismissal" (apolysis), since it signals the end of the festivities. On this day, everyone, both citizen and foreigner, man, woman, and child, both ruler and ruled, general and soldier, magistrate and private citizen, young and old, seaman and farmer, simply everyone who was zealous, would eagerly hasten to assemble, to pray to God, and to beseech the virgin martyr, and after taking part in the divine mysteries, they would depart sanctified and renewed in body and soul, just like a newly baptized initiate.

Among that mass of people were two men who came from the neighbouring city of Eirenoupolis. Once the festival and service had concluded, these men ate dinner together with several others and, as one would expect, each related one of the festival's admirable features. One spoke about its brilliance and splendor, another about the immense multitude of people that gathered together, another about the assembly of so many bishops, another about the artistic talent of the preachers, another about the melodiousness of the psalmody, another about the length of the night vigil, another about the well-paced arrangement of the rest of the liturgy, another about the intensity of those who prayed, another about the press of the crowd, another about the excessive stifling heat, another about the jostling back and forth during the awesome mysteries, as some were just coming forward, others already leaving, others coming back in again, and others withdrawing again, all the while shouting, competing with each other, entangled with one another, and not ceding ground to others in the slightest because each wanted to be the first to partake of the holy elements.

During these recollections one of two men, who was named Orention, piped up: "Let each of you marvel," he said," at his favourite part of the festival. But I think that I have experienced a miracle and a vision that are more marvelous and sweeter than anything. For I observed a woman who was peering out from one of the colonnades of the church [of Thekla], so beautiful, so comely, so distinguished and full of grace that I was transfixed and had my eyes glued to her marvelous beauty throughout the whole service. The only prayer I could utter to the martyr was that I might encounter that woman's beauty and nothing else." Such were the stories told at the dinner table.

As night came on they all went to sleep, but Orention, because of his preoccupation with the day's events, did not fail to see similar apparitions as he slept. As he himself recounted to those present, he seemed to see the martyr in a vision. She was seated in her church upon a lofty, gilded, and elevated throne, and she was distributing to everyone who assembled for her festival numerous magnificent gifts for the sake of her festival and worthy of the women who presenting them: "Finally," he said, "looking straight at me, she said, 'You, my good sir, which of these gifts do you wish to receive? Do you want that woman of whom you have become enamored and offered me such a strange prayer that you might meet her? Then take her and go away and keep her, and enjoy the gift!' And I," he said, "with exceeding joy took the gift and went away. For the woman happened to be standing there among the gifts which the martyr was distributing." And the vision and his retelling both ended at that point.

Not more than an hour after he related this story, a raging and savage demon assaulted him, tore him to pieces, and ripped him apart; flaying him in the custom of the Persians, it stripped him naked of his skin and suddenly filled him with worms and pus. As a result all of those standing nearby lost their breath and their voices because of the sudden onset of this horrific event, and they themselves almost died. So terrible was the event that occurred before their eyes. This demon was in truth the woman whom he had gazed upon wickedly and impiously, and with whom he had even more wickedly engaged in intercourse, and in the end she had destroyed the thrice-unhappy man. Orention did not survive three days; he was killed by the demon and received this punishment for his unbridled gaze and for his drunken hubris toward the virgin martyr.'


Text: Dagron 1978.
Translation: Johnson 2012.

Service for the saint
Chant and religious singing
Sermon/homily

Saint’s feast

Cult building - independent (church)
Descriptions of cult places

Saint as patron - of a community
Prayer/supplication/invocation
Vigils

Miracle after death
Punishing miracle
Apparition, vision, dream, revelation
Other miracles with demons and demonic creatures
Other specified miracle

Ecclesiastics - bishops
Crowds
Ecclesiastics – unspecified
Women
Children
Foreigners (including Barbarians)
Soldiers
Other lay individuals/ people
Demons

Source

Bibliography