Hesychius of Jerusalem composes his Homily 8, On *Antony (‘the Great’, monk of Egypt, S00098), which he preaches during the celebration of the saint at the church of the Anastasis in Jerusalem on 17 January. Written in Greek at Jerusalem, in the early 5th c.
Evidence ID
E05890
Type of Evidence
Literary - Hagiographical - Other saint-related texts
Literary - Sermons/Homilies
Major author/Major anonymous work
Hesychius of Jerusalem
Hesychius of Jerusalem, Homily 8, On Antony (CPG 6572 = BHG 141f)
Brief summary:
1. Proem. Lauds of Antony.
2. Comparison. Antony compared with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Daniel, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist, and Paul the Apostle.
3. Captatio benevolentiae: Hesychius cannot offer an adequate praise.
4-9. Antony ‘s life is praised in the light of biblical quotations concerning righteousness.
Liturgical ActivitiesService for the saint
FestivalsEcclesiastics - lesser clergy
Service for the saint
Sermon/homily
FestivalsSaint’s feast
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - lesser clergy
Ecclesiastics - monks/nuns/hermits
Source
Hesychius lived as a monk and priest in Palestine and Jerusalem in the first half of the 5th century. A member of the clergy of the Holy Sepulchre, he was a leading theologian and author, flourishing from the 410s to perhaps after 451. He was a close associate of Juvenal (bishop of Jerusalem 422-458), and participated in the theological debate against Nestorius, supporting Cyril of Alexandria. The date of his death is uncertain. Theophanes reports that he died in the same year as Melania the Younger (ed. de Boor 92, 20: AM 5926), but he is also reported to have been alive when the Council of Chalcedon took place in 451, and to have opposed it.His surviving works include commentaries and homilies. He is known to have published an ecclesiastical history, which has not survived. The circulation of his works in the Middle Ages seems to have been geographically limited, since they tend to be found in manuscripts from Jerusalem and southern Italy, but hardly ever in Constantinopolitan ones. His homilies are important testimonies for the early stages of development of the liturgical traditions of the church of Jerusalem, and the appearance of a number of feasts with a strong Marian dimension like the 14 February feast of Hypapante (Candlemas) and 15 August.
Homily 8 survives in three manuscripts, on which see Aubineau 1978, 277-279:
http://pinakes.irht.cnrs.fr/notices/oeuvre/9019/
Discussion
This homily is the earliest known homiletic work associated with the celebration of the great monastic father. It partly follows the literary conventions of a funerary encomium, constructing the praises of its hero on the base of comparison, and by presenting aspects of Antony’s life as the fulfilment of biblical references to righteousness. In doing this, Hesychius is partly inspired by the biblical readings of the day. The homily was probably preached during the saint’s feast on 17 January, which, according to the Armenian lectionary of Jerusalem, was celebrated at the Anastasis.Bibliography
Text, French translation, and commentary:Aubineau, M., Les homélies festales d’Hésychius de Jérusalem I: les homélies I-XV (Subsidia Hagiographica 59: Brussels, 1978).
Record Created By
Efthymios Rizos
Date of Entry
29/06/2018
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00098 | Antony, 'the Great', monk of Egypt, ob. 356 | Ἀντώνιος | Certain |
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