The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity

Miracles of Saint Thekla, 34

Ἥκοντες γὰρ ἅμα δύο ἐκ ταύτης τῆς πόλεως, καὶ ἅμα πάλιν ἀνελθόντες εἰς τὸν νεών, οὐχ ὑπὲρ εὐχῆς ἀλλ’ ὑπὲρ τρυφῆς, ἅμα πάλιν περιπίπτουσι τῷ κακῷ. Καὶ γὰρ ἀδίκως ποθὲν χρυσίον ἀποκερδάναντες—οἶμαι δὲ καὶ ὡς ἀπὸ τῶν τῷ βασιλεῖ καταβαλλομένων ὑφ’ ὧν καὶ καταβάλλεσθαι νόμος, ἀδικώτερον κατεχρῶντο τῷ κακῷ τούτῳ λήμματι, κραιπαλῶντες, μεθύοντες, πάντα τρόπον κατεξωλευόμενοι, καὶ ταῦτα ὑπὸ μάρτυρι τῇ παρθένῳ.

Καὶ γὰρ ἐν ἑνὶ τῶν αὐτῆς ἠριστοποιοῦντο κήπων οἱ δείλαιοι, καὶ δὴ κάκιστον πέρας τῆς κακίστης εὕραντο τρυφῆς. Καὶ γὰρ ὡς ὑπὸ τῆς ἀμέτρου διεφλέχθησαν οἰνοποσίας, ἤδη καὶ πρὸς ἀνοσιουργίας ἔβλεπον, ὅπερ καὶ τέλος ἐστὶν οἰνοφλυγίας ἀρίδηλον, καὶ δήποτε παρθένον ἔξω τῶν ἱερῶν σηκῶν περιπλανωμένην εὑρόντες—οὕτω καὶ τοῦτο τοῦ δαίμονος ἐπισκευάσαντος, ἵνα καὶ τὸ ἐνδόσιμον ἡ κακὴ λάβῃ βουλή, καὶ τέλος ἡ τιμωρία, καὶ κέντρον ἡ ἁμαρτία—, ἐφέλκονταί τε πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς τὴν παρθένον ταύτην, καὶ ποιοῦνται ὁμοτράπεζον, ἤδη δὲ καὶ ὁμόκοιτον.

Ἔνθα καὶ θαυμάσειεν ἄν τις τὸ συμβεβηκός· αἰσθομένη γὰρ ἡ μάρτυς ὡς ἄρα μία τις τῶν αὐτῆς παρθένων περιβέβληταί που λοιπὸν βρόχοις ἁμαρτίας, καὶ μεταξὺ δύο λύκων ἡ ἀμνὰς συμπεπόδισται, πρὸς ἕτοιμον ἀπωλείας ἑλκομένη βάραθρον, ὡς εἶχε τάχους ἐφίσταται τῷ κήπῳ, καὶ τούτοις ἔτι καθεύδουσι, μηδέπω δὲ μηδὲ ἁψαμένοις τῆς κόρης—τῆς γὰρ μέθης προδουλωσαμένης αὐτοὺς τῷ ὕπνῳ, οὐκ ἔσχε χώραν ἡ ἁμαρτία, ὥστε γενέσθαι καὶ μέθης τι κέρδος τότε—, «Εἰς τί, φησίν, ὦ κάκιστοι, τὴν περιστερὰν τὴν ἐμὴν ἀπελάσαντες τῶν ἐμῶν οἴκων ἐν μέσῳ ὑμῶν ἀπειλήφατε, καὶ διαφθεῖραι βούλεσθε; ἀλλ’ ἐμοί, φησίν, ὅπως δῶτε δίκας ὑπὲρ οὕτω παρανόμου τολμήματος μελήσει». Καὶ δὴ ταῦτα εἰποῦσα, πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτῆς ἀπῆλθε νεὼν καὶ χῶρον.


'Two men came together [to Seleucia] from that city [Eirenoupolis], and together they went up to the church - not for prayer, but to enjoy themselves – and together they fell into evil ways. They had unjustly obtained a piece of gold from some source or other – I think it came from the taxes paid to the emperor by those who are legally required to pay them. Even more unjustly did they use it for this evil purpose, that is, getting drunk and carousing, and engaging in every kind of debauchery, right under the eyes of the virgin martyr.

These wretched men were eating in one of the gardens when they reached a most immoral conclusion to their immoral debauchery. For while they were inflamed by excessive consumption of wine and were already looking to commit a sacrilege (the manifest goal of intoxication), at some point they came across a virgin wandering outside the holy precincts – just as the demon had arranged, so as to provide an occasion for their immoral plan, a realization of their punishment, and a goad to their sin. The men dragged this virgin off with them and made her share their meal and expected her to share their bed.

One should marvel at what happened next. The martyr perceived that one of her virgins had somehow been snared in a net of sin, that a she-lamb was entangled between two wolves, and that she was being dragged to the pit prepared for her destruction. As speedily as she could Thekla made a visitation to the garden, and to the men who were still sleeping and had not yet in any way touched the girl – for their drunkenness had already made them slaves to sleep, and sin did not have opportunity, so that at least there was some benefit to their intoxication. "Immoral men," she said, "why have you driven my dove away from my dwelling and taken her among you? Do you mean to corrupt her? It will be my duty," she said "to see that you are punished for such a lawless and brazen act." And after speaking these words, she went away to her church and sanctuary.'

The men, frightened by this vision, and stupefied by their terrible deed and by what they had heard from the martyr, immediately sent back the virgin untouched and ran away. They did not know, however, that they were unable to escape. Since not long afterwards they were brought to justice because of the theft of the golden piece that they had spent on drunkenness. They foolishly tried to escape punishment by changing their routes and taking different paths, shortcuts and roads, but they failed to escape the eye of the martyr. The first one died by falling into the river when he was ferried over by a boat to the shore by the city of Seleucia. The other also died, but in a different way. They both perished at the same time and place.


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

Cult building - independent (church)

Saint as patron - of a community

Miracle after death
Punishing miracle
Apparition, vision, dream, revelation
Other specified miracle

Women
The socially marginal (beggars, prostitutes, thieves)

Source

Bibliography