Severus, bishop of Antioch, preaches On the example of *Jonah (Old Testament Prophet, S01237). Cathedral homily 3, delivered in Greek, probably in Antioch on the Orontes in 512. Partially preserved in Syriac.
E08597
Literary - Sermons/Homilies
Severus of Antioch
Severus of Antioch, Cathedral Homily 3 (CPG 7035.3)
Syriac masora
Masora entries are pointed but the texts are presented as given in the editions. We have however, corrected transcription errors. The translations are literal and approximate given there is no context.
1. Bibliothèque nationale de France, syr. 64, fol. 197v, a 7:
ܡ. ܕܓ : ܕܡܬܡ̣ܫܚ ܐܦ ܚܝܠܐ ܕܝܠܝ. ܕܠܝ̣̈ܠܐ ܓܝܪ ܐܝܬܝܗܘܢ ܠܡ̇ܘܬܐ ܒܒ̣ܣܪ ܛܥܡ. ܘܗ̇ܘ ܢܛܥ̣ܐ ܕܒܠܥܗ. ܚܕܝܘܬܐ ܪܝܫܝܬܐ ܘܠܐ ܡ̇ܬ̣ܦ̇ܠܓܢܝܬܐ. ⸣ܒܟ̣ܪܣܐ ܕܩܝܛܘܣ⸢. ܚܒ̣ܝܩ ܗܘܐ ܘܙܪܝܒ. ܥܡܕ ܪܝܫ̇ܐ ܕܝܠܝ ܒܨܪ̈ܝܐ ܕܛܘ̣ܪ̈ܐ. ܨܪ̈ܝܐ ܠܟ̣ܪܣܐ ܕܩܝܛܘܣ. ܕܐܣܬܪܩܬܿ ܦ̇ܠܓܐ. ܡ̇ܢܗܪ ܐܢܬ ⸣ܗ̇ܢܘܢ ܕܡܣ̇ܡܝܢ ܒܫܘܒܚܘܢܐ⸢.
M(emrā) no. 4: Since my strength (lit. power) is also perfected. For if it weren’t for them, he would not have tasted death in the flesh. And he, the deceiver, who swallowed it. The fundamental and indivisible unity. ⸢In the belly of a sea monster⸣. He was surrounded and constrained. I baptised my head in the springs of the mountains (Cf. ‘My head went down in the crevices of the mountains’ Jonah 2:6 LXX). Crevices (to) the belly of a sea monster. That I was emptied of half/a portion. You enlighten. ⸢Those who are blinded by vainglory (lit. small glory)⸣.
Text: M. Brière and F. Graffin, corrected against BnF syr. 64.
Translation: K. Papadopoulos and Fr Y. Habil.
2. British Library, Add MS 14684, fol. 109v:
In the margin: ܥܠ ܬܚܘܝܬܐ ܕܝܘܢܢ
ܓ. ܕܩܝܛܘܣ. ܢܩܬ. ܕܡܠܘܢ. ܚܒ̣ܝܩ. ܒܨܪ̈ܝܐ. ܐܚ̈ܘܕܐ. ܒ̇ܫܘܒ̣ܚܘܢܐ܇
In the margin: On the example of Jonah
3. Of the sea-monster. Will remain fixed. That rather/more (μᾶλλον). Surrounded. in the crevices. Governors. By vainglory (lit. small glory).
Text: M. Brière and F. Graffin, PO 38.2, 292.
Translation: K. Papadopoulos.
3. Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate syr. 7/16, fol. 184r, b 3–12
ܕܡܶܬ̥ܡܫܰܚ ܐܦ ܚܝ̇ܰܠܴܐ ܕܝܠܝ.
ܕ̈ܰܠܝܷܳΗ ܓܝܪ.
ܠܡ̇ܽܘܬܴܐ ܒܰܒܣܰܪ ܛܥ̣ܶܡ.
ܘܗ̇ܘ ܢܛܥ̣ܐ ܕܒܰܠܥܶܗ.
ܚܕ̥ܳܝܘܽܬ̥ܳܐ ܪܝܫܳܝܬ̊ܳܐ.
ܘΗ ܡܶܬ̥ܦ̱ܰܠܓ̥ܳܢܺܝܬ̥ܳܐ.
ܚܒ̥̣ܝܺܩ ܗܘܐ ܘܰܙܕܺܝܒ̥
ܒܨܶܖ̈ܝܶܐ ܕܛܘܽܖܷ̈ܐ.
ܠܟ̥ܪܣܐ ܕܩܺܝܛܘܳܣ.
ܥܡ̣ܰܕ̥ܪܺܝܫܳܐ ܕܝܠܝ.
ܕܐܷܣܬܰܕܩܰܬ݀ ܦܠܳܓܳܐ
ܡܢܗܪ ܐܢܬ.
ܕܰܡܣܰܡܝܶܢ ܒܫܽܘ̣ܒ̥ܚ[ܘܽ]ܢܳܐ :
For my strength is also perfected.
For without them.
He tasted death in the flesh
And he, the deceiver, who swallowed it.
The fundamental unity
And not divided
He was silent and *hastened
in the springs (or crevices) of the mountains
for the womb of silence
I baptized my head
that I was *emptied of half
you enlighten
who are *adorned in glory
*possible transcription error in Loopstra; translation based on best fit
Text: J. Loopstra, CSCO 689, 336.
Translation: K. Papadopoulos and Fr Y. Habil.
[ܡܐܡܪܐ ܬܠܝܬܝܐ]
[The third discourse]: (lacuna in BL, Add MS 12159; title from BL, Add. MS 14684)
...* ܐܝܟ ܐܝܟܐ ܕܗ̇ܘ ܕܡܪܡܪ ܐ̇ܡܪ ܠܘܬ ܐܠܗܐ ܕܥܠ ܟܠ ܇ ܡܢ̣ܗܪ ܐܢܬ ܐܢܬ ܬܡܝܗܐܝܬ ܡܢ ܛܘ̣ܪ̈ܐ ܕܠܥܠܡ. ܠܗܠܝܢ ܕܝܢ ܣܩ̈ܘܒܠܝܐ ܆ ܐܝܟ ܐܝܟܐ ܕܒܐܪܡܝܐ ܠܘܬ ܐ̇ܟܠ ܩܪܨܐ ܪܝܫ ܩܘܡܐ ܕܝܠܗܘܢ ܗ̣ܘ ܡܪܝܐ ܡ̇ܬܚ ܟܕ ܐ̇ܡܪ ܇ ܗܐ ܐܢܐ ܥܠܝܟ ܛܘ̣ܪܐ ܡܚ̇ܒܠܢܐ ܇ ܗ̇ܘ ܕܡܚ̇ܒܠ ܠܟܠܗ̇ ܐܪܥܐ. ܐܠܐ ܐܦ ܗ̇ܝ ܕܢ̇ܚܬܬ ܠܐܪܥܐ. ܗ̇ܝ ܕܡܘ̈ܟܠܐ ܕܝܠܗ̇ ܐܚ̈ܘܕܐ ܕܠܥܠܡ. ܟܕ ܠܝܘܢܢ. ܘܠܐ ܣܟ ܠܚܡܐ ܐܬ̇ܠ̇ܚܡ. ܘܛܒ ܟܐܢܐܝܬ ܆ ܠܡܫܝܠܐ ܗ̇ܘ ܕܠܬܪ̈ܥܐ ܕܢܚܫܐ ܬ̇ܒ̣ܪ ܇ ܘܠܡܘ̈ܟܠܐ ܕܦܪܙܠܐ ܓ̣̇ܕܡ. ܬ̇ܪ̈ܥܐ ܓܝܪ ܕܫܝܘܠ ܟܕ ܚܙܐܘܗܝ ܐܣܬ̇ܪܕܘ : ܘܐܡ̣ܪ ܠܗ̇ܢܘܢ ܕܒܐܣܘܪ̈ܐ ܦܘܩܘ : ܘܠܗ̇ܢܘܢ ܕܒܚܫܘܕܐ ܐܬܓ̣̇ܠܘ ܆ ܐܝܟ ܒܪܬ ܩܠܐ ܕܐܝܘܒ ܘܕܐܫܥܝܐ ܢܒܝܐ. ܘܐܦ ܗ̇ܝ ܕܢܣ̣ܩܘܢ ܡܢ ܚ̇ܒܠܐ ܚ̈ܝܐ ܕܝܠܝ ܆ ܕܡܢ ܝܘܢܢ ܐܡܝܪܐ ܆ ܬܘܒ ܙ̇ܕܩ ܕܬܣ̣ܒܝܗ̇ ܆ ܠܡܫܝܚܐ ܗ̇ܘ ܕܥܠܘܗܝ ܟܬܝܒ ܇ ܕܠܐ ܐܫܬܒܩܬ̇ ܢܦܫܐ ܕܥܠܗ ܒܫܝܘܠ ܇ ܘܐܦܠܐ ܒܣܪܐ ܕܝܠܗ ܚ̣ܙܐ ܚ̇ܒܠܐ ܀
ܘܠܐ ܐܢܫ ܢܥ̇ܩܒܝܗ̇ ܠܡܠܬܐ. ܕܐ̇ܝܟܢܐ ܟܕ ܬܠܬܐ ܐܝܡ̈ܡܝܢ ܘܬܠܬܐ ܠܝ̈ܠܘܢ ܗ̣ܘܐ ܝܘܢܢ ܒܟܪܣܐ ܕܩܝܬܘܣ ܇ ܠܐ ܐܬܚ̇ܒܠ. ܟܕ ܓܝܪ ܠܡܪܝܐ ܫ̇ܡܥ ܐܢܬ ܕܐ̇ܡܪ ܇ ܐ̇ܬܐ ܕܝܘܢܢ ܢܒܝܐ ܆ ܠܐ ܬܥ̇ܩܒ ܠܙܢܗ̇ ܕܬܕܡܘܪܬܐ. ܠܐܓܝܪ ܡܩ̇ܘܝܐ ܐ̇ܬܐ ܇ ܐܢ ܡ̇ܐܝܬܐ ܐܢܬ ܠܗ̇ ܬܚܝܬ ܡ̈ܠܐ ܕܟܝܢܐ. ܕܝܠܝܬܐ ܗܝ ܓܝܪ ܗܕܐ ܇ ܕܬܕܡܪ̈ܬܐ ܘܕܣܘܥܪ̈ܢܐ ܬܡ̣̈ܝܗܐ ܇ ܕܢܗܘܘܢ ܥ̇ܒܪܝܢ ܠܛܟܣܐ ܕܟܝܢܐ. ܘܐܢ ܕܝܢ ܠܐ. ܐܢ ܠܘ ܗܕܐ ܢܬܠ ܆ ܐܕܓܠ ܢܩܦܐܝܬ ܆ ܐܦ ܠܬܕܡܘܪܬܐ ܕܩܘܡܬܗ ܕܥܡܢܘܐܝܠ ܀
ܠܘܬ ܗܠܝܢ ܆ ܡܢܐ ܐ̇ܡܪܝܢ ܠܢ ܇ ܗ̇ܢܘܢ ܕܡܣ̇ܡܝܢ ܒܫܘܒܚܘܢܐ ܕܘܝܐ ܕܗܓܓܘܬܐ. ܐܢ ܓܝܪ ܫܪܝܪܐ ܡ̇ܢ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܛܘܦ̣ܣܐ ܗ̇ܘ ܕܝܘܢܢ : ܘܟܕ ܒܪܢܫܐ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܕܝܠܗ̇ ܟܕ ܕܝܠܗ̃ ܕܐܘܣܝܐ ܫܘܝܐܝܬ ܠܢ : ܡܢ ܩܝܬܘܣ ܐܬܒܠܥ ܘܐܬܬܝܒ : ܟܕ ܠܘ ܐܬܚ̇ܒܠ ܘܐܦܠܐ ܐܬܒ̇ܨܪ : ܒܦܢܛܐܣܥܐ ܕܝܢ ܐܬܢ̇ܪܫ ܡܪܢ ܘܐܣܬ̣ܒܪ ܕܣܒ̣ܠ ܨܠܝܒܐ ܗ̇ܘ ܕܚܠܦܝܢ ܆ ܘܕܥܕܡܐ ܠܗܘܢ ܠܬܪ̈ܥܐ ܕܫܥܘܠ ܢܚ̣ܬ ܆ ܐ̇ܝܟܢܐ ܠܘ ܕܓܘܚܟܐ ܐܝܬܝܗ̇ ܇ ܐܢܗ̣ܘ ܕܫܪܪܐ ܢܗܘܐ ܛܘܦ̣ܣܐ ܕܦܢܛܐܣܝܐ. ܕܠܩܘܒܠܐ ܓܝܪ ܐܝܬ ܠܡܚܙܐ. ܕܠܛܘ̈ܦ̣ܣܐ ܡ̇ܢ ܚܝܠܐ ܕܕܡ̣ܘܬܐ ܘܕܝܘܩܢܐ ܒܗܘܪܐ ܐܝܬ ܠܗܘܢ. ܗ̇ܘ ܕܝܢ ܕܡܢܗܘܢ ܕܛܘ̈ܦ̣ܣܐ ܡܬܚܘܐ ܣܘܥܪܢܐ ܡܠ̣ܝܐ ܕܡܢ ܫܪܪܐ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܀
ܐܠܐ ܡܢ ܫܡܝܐ ܐ̇ܡܪ ܐܢܬ : ܕܐܝ̣ܬܝ ܠܗ ܡܠܬܐ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܒܣ̣ܪܐ ܆ ܐܠܐ ܐܕܡ ܗ̇ܘ ܕܐܣ̣ܟܠ : ܘܣܢܝܩ ܗܘܐ ܥܠ ܐܣܝܘܬܐ ܆ ܐܪܥܢܝܐ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܗܘܐ. ܘܡܢ ܛܝܢܐ ܓܒܝ̣ܠ ܗܘܐ ܇ ܡܢ ܗ̇ܘ ܕܐܦ ܚܢܢ ܗ̣ܘܝܢܢ ܇ ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܐ̇ܡܪ ܟܬܒܐ ܕܐܝܘܒ. ܐܘ ܗܟܝܠ ܗܒ ܠܝ : ܕܐܕܡ ܗ̇ܘ ܩܕܡܝܐ : ܗ̇ܘ ܕܬܚܝܬ ܚܛܝ̣ܬܐ ܢܦܠ ܆ ܫܡ̇ܝܢܐ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܗܘܐ ܆ ܐܘ ܐܢ ܠܘ ܗܕܐ ܬܬܠ ܆ ܕܠܐ ܗܘܢܐ ܗܝܓܝܕ ܆ ܢ̇ܩܦܐ ܡܕܝܢ ܠܡܘܕܝܘ ܆ ܕܡܠܬܐ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܗ̇ܘ ܫܡ̇ܝܢܐ ܘܕܩܕܡ ܥ̈ܠܡܐ ܆ ܒܣ̣ܪܐ ܫ̣̇ܘܐ ܒܓܢܣܐ ܕܐܕܡ ܆ ܘܕܠܢ ܫ̇ܘ̣ܐ ܒܐܘܣܝܐ ܚ̇ܝܕ ܠܗ ܩܢܘܡܐܝܬ ܆ ܗ̇ܘ ܕܡܛܠܬܗ ܐܦ ܐܕܡ ܬܪܝܢܐ ܐܫܬ̇ܡܗ ܆ ܘܥܠ ܐܪܥܐ ܐܬܚܙܝ ܆ ܘܥܡ ܒܢܝ̈ܢܫܐ ܐܬܗ̇ܦܟ ܆ ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܠܢ ܠܘܬ ܫܡܝܐ ܢ̇ܣܩ ܆ ܘܗ̣ܘ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܗ̇ܘ ܕܡܛܠܬܗ ܐܦ ܐܝܘܫ ܩ̣̇ܕܡ ܐܙܥ̣ܩ : ܟܕ ܡܫ̇ܘܕܥ ܐܟܚܕܐ ܘܐܦ ܠܛܘܦ̣ܣܐ ܕܝܘܢܢ ܇ ܘܐܦ ܠܙܟܘܬܗ ܕܝܠܗ ܕܠܘܩܒܠ ܐ̇ܟܠ ܩܪܨܐ ܇ ܟܕ ܗܟܢܐ ܐ̇ܡܪ ܇ ܐܠܐ ܢܠܘܛܝܘܣܝ ܗ̇ܘ ܕܠ̣ܛ ܠܝܘܡܐ ܗ̇ܘ ܇ ܗ̇ܘ ܕܥܬܝܕ ܕܠܩܝܛܘܣ ܪܒܐ ܢܩܛܘܠ ܀
ܟܕ ܗܟܝܠ ܒܝܘܬܪܢܐ ܕܐܝܟ ܗܢܐ ܕܕܘ̈ܓܡܛܐ ܐܠܗ̈ܝܐ. ܐܬܒ̇ܣܡܢܢ : ܡܢ ܡ̈ܠܐ ܕܡܪܢ ܘܡܢ ܬܫܥܝܬܐ ܕܥܠ ܘܢܢ ܆ ܢ̈ܬܢ ܐܦ ܒܡܝܬܪܘܬܗ. ܘܥܝܪ̈ܐ ܢܗܘܐ. ܘܐܦ ܒܨܠܘ̈ܬܐ. ܕܠܐ ܦܣܩ ܢܚ̇ܡܣܢ. ܐܠܘ ܠܐ ܓܝܪ ܕܐܡܝܢܐܝܬ ܗ̇ܘ ܡܨ̇ܠܐ ܗܘܐ : ܘܠܗܕܐ ܗܘܓܢܐ ܥ̇ܒܕ ܗܘܐ ܆ ܠܘ ܟܕ ܚܒܝ̣ܫ ܒܟܪܣܐ ܕܩܝܬܘܣ ܠܐܠܗܐ ܡܬܟ̇ܫܦ ܗܘܐ. ܢܩ̇ܢ̣ܐ ܗܟܠ ܐܦ ܚܢܢ ܠܗܢܐ ܗܘܓܢܐ ܡܬܩܠܣܢܐ ܆ ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܐܡܬܝ ܕܡܢ ܢܣܝܘܢܐ. ܐܝܟ ܕܡܢ ܩܝܬܘܣ ܢܬܒ̣ܠܥ ܆ ܢܬܬܝܒ ܒܥܕܨܠܘܬܐ ܆ ܒܬܝܒܘܬܐ ܘܒܪܚܡ̣ܐ ܘܒܪܚܡ̣ܬ ܐܢܫܘܬܐ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܪܒܐ ܘܦܪܘܩܢ ܝܫܘܥ ܡܫܝܚܐ܇ ܕܠܗ ܬܫܒܘܚܬܐ܇ ܥܡ ܐܒܐ. ܘܪܘܚܐ ܩܕܝܫܐ ܆ ܠܥܠܡ ܥܠܡܝܢ. ܐܡܝܢ ܀
… * as where the one who sings (the psalms) says to God who is above the universe: You shine, you, marvellously, from the eternal mountains (Ps 75:5). But to the adversaries, as where in Jeremiah the Lord speaks at length to the Slanderer, chief of their faction, saying: Here am I against you, mountain of destruction, who destroy all the earth (Jer 11:25). But also these (words): I have descended into a land, the bolts of which close for eternity (Jon. 2:7), since these words do not at all apply to Jonah, I will make them apply, and quite rightly, to Christ, who broke the gates of bronze and tore to pieces the bolts of iron (Ps 107:16). Indeed, the gatekeepers of Sheol, when they saw him, were seized with fear [terrified] (Job. 38:17 [Lucian]); and he said to those who were in bonds, Come out, and to those who were in darkness, Reveal yourselves (Isa 49:9), according to the saying of Job and of the prophet Isaiah. And also: Let my life ascend out of corruption (Jon 2:7), which were spoken by Jonah, are yet to be applied to Christ, of whom it is written: His soul was not forsaken in Sheol, nor his flesh did not see corruption (Асts 2:31; Cf. Рs. 15:10; Cf. Acts 13:35, 37).
Let no one examine these words, (to know) how, after Jonah was in the belly of the sea monster (ܩܝܬܘܣ, κῆτος) three days and three nights, he was not corrupted. Indeed, when you hear the Lord speak of the sign of Jonah, the prophet (Matt 12: 39), you will not look for the how of the miracle (ܬܕܡܘܪܬܐ), because there is no more sign if you present it for natural reasons. It is indeed the nature of miracles and extraordinary facts to go beyond the natural order. Otherwise, if we do not concede this, I will consequently declare false even the miracle of the resurrection of Emmanuel.
And what do those who are blinded by the miserable vainglory of the imagination say to us? If on the one hand, indeed, the type (ܛܘܦ̣ܣܐ, τύπος) of Jonas is real, the man who is consubstantial with us has been swallowed and vomited by the sea monster without having been corrupted or diminished; if, on the other hand, it was in imagination that Our Lord became man, that he seemed to bear the cross for us and descended to the very gates of Sheol, how is this not a subject of derision, that reality is the type (ܛܘܦ̣ܣܐ) of the imagination? But it must be seen, on the contrary, that the types (ܛܘ̈ܦ̣ܣܐ) on the one hand have value as a likeness (ܕܡܘܬܐ) and as an obscure image (ܝܘܩܢܐ), and, on the other hand, that what is shown in types (ܛܘ̈ܦ̣ܣܐ) is an entirely real event.
But you say that it is from heaven that the Word of God procured flesh. Adam, however, who had committed the fault and needed healing, was earthly and formed of the mud from which we too were made (Job 4:19), as the book of Job says. Either then, concede to me that the first Adam who fell under sin, was celestial; or else, if you do not concede it — it is indeed meaningless — then it is appropriate to confess that the Word of God, heavenly and who is before the ages, hypostatically united flesh of the same гасе as Adam and consubstantial with us, which is why he was also called the second Adam, and he appeared on earth and associated with men (Baruch 3:38), in order to make us ascend to heaven; and he himself is the one about whom Job also exclaimed beforehand, pointing both to the type of Jonah and his victory over the Slanderer, saying: But let him curse him who cursed this day, the one who must kill the great sea monster! (Job 3:8)
So, having savoured such profit from the divine dogmas, following the words of Our Lord and the story of Jonah, let us burn with zeal also for his virtue, let us be vigilant and persevere without interruption in prayers. Indeed, where did he pray and do this continual exercise, if not when he was locked in the belly of the sea monster and imploring God (Jon 2:2). We therefore also practice this worthy exercise, praise, that whenever we are swallowed up by trials, as by a sea monster, we may be vomited out through prayer, through the grace, mercy, and charity of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom (be) praise with the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
Text: M. Brière and F. Graffin, PO 38.2, 294, 296.
Translation: K. Papadopoulos from M. Brière and F. Graffin
Sermon/homily
Source
Severus of AntiochSeverus was born c. 465 in Sozopolis in Pisidia to pagan parents. He studied in Alexandria and completed legal studies in Beirut. While in Beirut, he converted to Christianity, and was baptized at the shrine of Leontius in Tripoli around 488. En route back to Pisidia via Jerusalem to embark on a legal career, he was persuaded instead to adopt monastic life in Peter the Iberian’s monastery near Gaza. He progressed to solitary life in the desert of Eleutheropolis before ill health forced him to recover at the nearby monastery of Romanus. He eventually founded his own cenobitic community in Maiuma, near Gaza.
Facing increasing opposition from pro-Chalcedonian monks in Palestine, Severus joined other non-Chalcedonian monks in Constantinople from 508 to 511 to promote miaphysite theology and push back against the pro-Chalcedonian patriarchs of Constantinople (Makedonios II), Jerusalem (Elijah I) and Antioch (Flavian II). He eventually won the trust of the emperor Anastasius (491-518).
Severus was elected bishop of Antioch, possibly on 6 November 512 (Malalas, Chronicle 16), at a synod of Laodicea (Syria I), after a protracted campaign led by Philoxenus of Mabbug to depose Flavian II. He was consecrated at the Great Church in Antioch on 16 November 512, at which time he preached the first of his 125 Cathedral Homilies, so named to reflect that they were delivered from the cathedra or episcopal throne while he was bishop. While bishop, he travelled and preached extensively, wrote hymns, and engaged in polemics against both radical anti-Chalcedonians such as Sergius the Grammarian and Chalcedonian opponents.
With the accession of Justin I to the imperial throne in 518, ecclesiastical policy favoured Chalcedonian orthodoxy, and Severus, along with 52 other non-Chalcedonian bishops from Syria and Asia Minor, was deposed. Severus fled to Egypt to escape arrest and initially settled in the monastery at Enaton. For the next twenty years, Severus travelled extensively in Egypt, continuing his polemics against Chalcedonians and combatting doctrinal divisions among the non-Chalcedonians. During this time, he effectively became the leader of the Egyptian church while still maintaining oversight of non-Chalcedonian affairs in Antioch.
In an attempt at unification, Justin’s successor Justinian (527-565) invited Severus to Constantinople. Severus travelled to the capital with his protegé Peter of Apamea and the monk Zeʿora of Amida in winter 534–535. After failing to negotiate a settlement, the three men were condemned by the council of Constantinople in 536, which also deposed patriarch Anthimius I of Constantinople for his miaphysite leanings. On 6 August 536, an imperial edict ratified the council’s decision, exiled Severus, and ordered Severus’s works be destroyed with threats of amputation of the hand should any scribe copy them (Justinian, Novella 42). Defeated, Severus fled from Constantinople and died in semi-obscurity two years later, on 8 February 538, in Chois, Upper Egypt. A small group of adherents transported his remains by boat to the monastery of Glass at Enaton, where he had resided for many years.
A prolific author, Severus left, in addition to his 125 Cathedral Homilies, several dogmatic and polemical works, about 4000 letters of which only about 200 have survived, and over 200 hymns. A baptismal liturgy ascribed to him is not considered authentic. His homilies and hymns in particular show him to be an enthusiastic promoter of the cult of saints.
The Cathedral Homilies
Text, translation, transmission
Severus’s 125 Cathedral Homilies were delivered during the six years of his episcopacy in the see of Antioch (512–518), but only Homily 77 and a few fragments survive in the original Greek. Today, the homilies are largely known through the Syriac translation, in Coptic, and in much later translations into Arabic and Ethiopic (Ge’ez).
Soon after they were delivered, Severus’s Cathedral Homilies were collected and organized in chronological order of their composition and numbered sequentially. This arrangement probably goes back to the time of Severus himself, since Julian of Halicarnassus’ first letter to Severus, written sometime after 518, refers to one of Severus’s homilies by its number (Brière, PO 29.1, 63). The chronological order and numbering are maintained throughout the manuscript tradition.
The Cathedral Homilies were translated into Syriac no later than the mid-sixth century and organized into four books containing homilies 1-30, 31-72, 73-100, and 101-25. A large portion of the homilies are still extant in this version in four manuscripts held in the British Library and the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (BAV):
Repository Shelfmark Date Contents
British Library Add MS 14599 569 AD hom. 31-59
BAV Vat. sir 142 before 576 AD hom. 73-100
BAV Vat. sir. 143 563 AD hom. 101-125
BAV Vat. sir. 256 6th cent. hom. 101-125
Homilies 1-30 (Book 1) and 60-72 (part of Book 2) are missing except for a few fragments.
Wright (1894, 94-95) ascribed the sixth-century translation of the homilies to Paul of Callinicum, and ostensibly did so based on the translation’s stylistic similarities with Paul’s Syriac translation of Severus’s correspondence with Julian of Halicarnassus and his three polemical works against Julian’s theology (Brière, PO 29.1, 17). Many commentators since have followed suit. But while Paul is known with certainty to have translated Severus’ anti-Julianist corpus in 528 (see note on BAV, Vat. sir. 140, fol. 145v), none of the four manuscripts which carry unrevised translations of Severus’s homilies carry Paul’s name and the attribution remains contestable.
The sixth-century translations were subsequently revised by Jacob of Edessa (c. 640-708) at the end of the seventh century. Jacob, for his part, never referred to any sixth-century translator by name and always referred to translators in the plural as “the ancients” (ܩܕܡ̈ܝܐ) (Lash 1981, 372-373). Jacob’s version seems to have been divided into three books although the exact book division varies. In British Library, Add MS 12159 the books contain homilies 1-50, 51-90, 91-125, whereas BAV, Vat. sir. 141 contains homilies 44-91 suggesting the other parts contained 1-43 and 92-125. A colophon in BAV, Vat. sir. 141 indicates Jacob completed this revision in 700/701 but this date may simply refer to the completion of the homilies in the manuscript rather than the whole collection.
Both the sixth-century translation(s) and Jacob’s revision of Severus’s homilies include titles reflecting each homily’s contents and/or occasion. These titles sometimes differ between the sixth and seventh-century translations, and it is possible that Severus himself used shorthand titles as he does when referring to two of his homilies in his apology for Philalethes (CSCO 319, 112-113). The first homily in each new year of his episcopacy is also noted in the manuscript tradition.
Severus’s works were copied and transmitted with great care by the non-Chalcedonian churches which eventually split from the pro-Chalcedonian, imperially backed Byzantine church. Unusual names, special words and terms were also collected and added to patristic masora, that is, handbooks titled “words and readings” giving vocalisations of ambiguous or unfamiliar words to assist readers. Masora manuscripts such as British Library Add MS 14684, Bibliothèque nationale de France syr. 64 and Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate syr. 7/16 provide valuable information on titles or contents of homilies which are otherwise missing in the manuscript tradition.
The Coptic tradition preserves Cathedral Homilies 1 and 27 in their entirety, Homily 60 almost complete, and fragments from Homilies 2, 7, 14, 24, 28, 50, 77, 103 and 115, all in the Sahidic dialect. Additional fragments may be identified in future. The Sahidic version of the Cathedral Homilies reflects another tradition from the Syriac. A few homily fragments are also preserved in the Bohairic catenae on the gospels, most importantly British Library, Or. 8812, completed in 888/9 probably from a Greek original and published by de Lagarde (1886).
Extant quotations from Homily 22 in the 11th-century Arabic Confessions of the Fathers derive from a Coptic rather than a Syriac text (Youssef 2003). Homily fragments preserved in the Arabic gospel catenae, whose earliest extant manuscript BAV, Vat. arab. 452 dates from the 1214, seem to derive from the Bohairic (Caubet Iturbe 1969). Witakowski (2004) lists a very small inventory of Severus in Ethiopic including one inauthentic homily and two other homily fragments which have not have yet been examined.
Editions
All of Severus’s Cathedral Homilies in Syriac translation have been edited and published in Patrologia Orientalis (PO). The base manuscript for the PO edition is British Library, Add MS 12159, written in AD 867/868, which reflects Jacob of Edessa’s revision. As this manuscript is damaged at the beginning, homilies 1-17 have been recovered in whole or in part from other manuscripts or versions. The edition for Homily 77 includes the Greek text which is extant in its entirety. A small number of Greek, Syriac and Coptic fragments of these homilies have been published since the PO editions, and these are noted in individual entries on this database, where relevant.
Except for Homily 77 on the resurrection (Kugener and Triffaux, PO 16.5) and Homily 52 on the Maccabees (Bensly and Barnes 1895), the sixth-century version remains unpublished.
Themes
Between 512 and 518, Severus preached a cycle of homilies each year beginning on the anniversary of his consecration, in various churches and martyr shrines in Antioch, its suburb Daphne, and towns in the surrounding regions. These locations are sometimes given in the titles. Most homilies were pre-prepared; a few were repeated (e.g., Homily 1) or extemporaneous (e.g., Homily 111). The number of times that Severus preached in each annual cycle seems to have decreased: from 33 in his first year to 14 in his fifth and 13 in his sixth (which was cut short).
The Cathedral Homilies cover a wide range of themes which Baumstark (1897, 36-39) categorised into four groups: A – important (dominical) feasts; B – saints; C – exegetical homilies for an ordinary Sunday; and D – occasional homilies preached in response to particular circumstances. Most modern commentators follow or adapt this taxonomy. About a third of the Cathedral Homilies relate to saints, but various aspects of the cult of saints are also mentioned in some of the remaining homilies. Alpi (2009, 68) counts 117 homilies addressed to the people of Antioch, thus making these homilies a valuable source for saints’ commemorations in the Antiochene church.
Homilies on saints
Severus preached annually on 1 January at the shrine of *Ignatius (bishop of Antioch and martyr of Rome, S00649) on *Basil (bishop of Caesarea, ob. 379, S00780) and *Gregory (the Theologian, of Nazianzos, $S00837), whose works were influential on his formation. He also preached on feast days for *Athanasios (bishop of Alexandria, ob. 373, S00294) and *Antony (‘the Great’, monk of Egypt, ob. 356, S00098) whom he also admired. Absent are homilies on *John Chrysostom (bishop of Constantinople, ob. 407, S00779) and *Kyrillos/Cyril (bishop of Alexandria, ob. 444, S00874) whom he cited frequently but only eulogized in hymns.
In Antioch he also preached on commemoration days for *Mary (Mother of Christ, S00033) and for various biblical saints: *Jonah (Old Testament Prophet, S01237), the *Maccabean Martyrs (pre-Christian Jewish martyrs of Antioch, S00303), the *Innocents (children killed on the orders of Herod, S00268), *John the Baptist (S00020), and *Stephen (the First Martyr, S00030). He mentions the commemorations of local martyrs *Ignatius (bishop of Antioch and martyr of Rome, S00649) and *Loukianos (either the theologian and martyr of Nicomedia, S00151, or the martyr of Heliopolis-Baalbek, S00831) in passing but preaches on days commemorating *Babylas (bishop and martyr of Antioch, S00061), *Barlaam/Barlāhā (martyr of Antioch, S00417), *Romanos (deacon of Caesarea, martyred at Antioch, S00120), *Symeon the Stylite (the Elder, S00343), and *Thekla (follower of the Apostle Paul, S00092). He also preached three times on the commemoration day for *Drosis (virgin and martyr of Antioch, S01189) whose martyrium in Antioch he was refurbishing, as well as twice on the feast day of his patron saint, Leontios (martyr of Tripolis, Phoenicia, S00216), whose cult he probably introduced into Antioch. He preached on foreign saints *Dometios (monk of Syria, later 4th c., S00414), the *Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (S00103), *Ioulianos (martyr of Cilicia, buried at Antioch or in Egypt, S00305), Theodoros (soldier and martyr of Amaseia and Euchaita, S00480), and *Tarachos, Probos, and Andronikos (martyrs of Anazarbos, Cilicia, S00710), who were all commemorated in Antioch at the time, and he presided over the deposition of the relics of *Prokopios (martyr of Caesarea of Palestine, S00118) and *Phokas (martyr of Antioch, S00413) at the shrine dedicated to *Michael (the Archangel, S00181) in Antioch. In the countryside, he preached on *Thomas (the Apostle, S00199) at Seleucia, *Sergios (soldier and martyr of Rusafa, S00023) and *Bakchos (soldier and martyr of Barbalissos, S00079) at Chalcis/Qinnasrin, and *Thalelaios (martyr of Aigai, Cilicia, S01137), at Aigai.
Cathedral Homily 3: On the trials of Jonah
Manuscripts, Jacob of Edessa’s revision
British Library, Add MS 12159, fol. 2ra-b 868 AD [start of hom. 3 missing]
Manuscripts, Syriac masora
Bibliothèque nationale de France, syr. 64, fol. 197v, a 7
British Library, Add MS 14684, fol. 109v
Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate, syr. 7/16, fol. 184r, b 3-12
Discussion
Which commemoration?The first part of Homily 3 is missing on the only Syriac manuscript with this homily, but the masora indicate Homily 3 was on the example (or demonstration) of Jonah. The masora on the Damascus manuscript titles it ‘on the sea-monster (κῆτος)’, although a marginal note repeats the other masora. The phrases in the Masora relating to the lost part of the homily suggest that the whole homily was dedicated to Jonah, the Old Testament Prophet. It is not possible to tell, however, whether Severus preached this for a commemoration of Jonah or in response to a lectionary reading or some other circumstance.
Commemorations for Old Testament saints began to appear in the Eastern church around the fourth and fifth centuries and are thought to have arisen in part from the Jewish visiting of tombs and fuelled by the flurry of discoveries or ‘inventions’. See, for instance, the pilgrim Egeria's report of the discovery of Job’s tomb: E05221.
When?
The date on which this homily was preached is not given in the homily’s title or the masora. Assuming the homilies were organised in chronological order, it was preached early in Severus’ first year, after his elevation as bishop on 16 November 512 (Homily 1), and before the Nativity on 25 December 512 (Homily 7). More precision is difficult due to the uncertain order and dates of Homilies 2 – 6.
A date of 10 December is possible as this would also accord with the 10 December commemoration of Jonah (ჴსენებაჲ იონა) in the church of the Anastasis in the Jerusalem liturgy, as preserved in the Georgian Lectionary of Jerusalem (E03457) and reflect the influence of the Jerusalem rite’s Old Testament feasts (Van Esbroeck, Outtier), often tied to local sites. However, this commemoration is one of ten commemorations for Old Testament prophets which are included in the Georgian Lectionary but excluded in the Armenian Lectionary. The ten excluded are Obadiah (June 22), Amos (June 17), Elijah (June 22, August 2, September 29), Jonah (Dec. 10), Moses (September 4), Samuel (August 20).
If this homily was preached around 10 December, it would still preserve the homily order for Homily 5 on Drosis, which could still have been preached around 14 December, but creates a question around the date of Homily 4, two weeks before Christmas.
Where?
The location where this homily was delivered is unknown. A likely venue is the Great Church, which functioned as Antioch’s cathedral at this time (Mayer and Allen 2012, 68-80).
What?
In the extant portion of this homily, Severus cites several Old Testament passages which foreshadow Christ’s descent into and ascent from Sheol, including one passage from the book of Jonah (2:7). Severus discourages people from inquiring how it is that Jonah survived for three days and nights in the belly of a sea-monster when they hear of the ‘sign of Jonah’, since miracles, by their nature, are beyond the natural order, otherwise even the resurrection would be false. While he terms Jonah’s survival a miracle (ܬܕܡܘܪܬܐ), he does not ascribe any miracles to Jonah himself.
Severus uses this miracle (which presupposes the historicity and humanity of Jonah) as an opportunity to press his theology of the incarnation and Christ’s hypostatic union with humanity.
Severus closes with a general exhortation to strive after Jonah’s virtue and follow his example of prayer, even in the most overwhelming circumstances. He makes no call for his audience to ask Jonah for intercession.
Holding up Old Testament saints (most commonly patriarchs and prophets) as examples and models finds its basis in the New Testament’s Letter to the Hebrews (11) and the exhortations of the early church fathers, most notably *Ignatius (bishop of Antioch and martyr of Rome, S00649), who pointed out that the prophets, in fact, suffered for Christ (Letter to the Magnesians 8:2) and are owed homage (Letter to the Philadelphians 5, 2-6, 1). Some patriarchs and prophets were also believed to be among those raised from the dead at Christ’s resurrection (Letter to the Magnesians 9, cf. Matt 27:52-53). Severus may well have been influenced by Ignatius since he refers to Ignatius by name several times in his homilies and correspondence, acknowledging his status as a foundational figure in the Antiochene church as well as a martyr (e.g. Select Letter I.57, Collected Letters 69, 116), and even quoting Ignatius to argue that the prophets suffered for Christ and were Jesus’ ‘disciples in the spirit’ and were raised by Christ from the dead (Collected Letters 69, 116 cf. Ignatius, Letter to the Magnesians 8, 9).
Bibliography
Syriac Text and French Translation:Brière, M., and F. Graffin (eds. and trans.), “Les Homiliae cathedrales de Sévère d'Antioche: Homélies I à XVII”, Patrologia Orientalis 38.2 (1976), 294-297
Syriac masora
Brière, M., and F. Graffin (eds. and trans.), “Les Homiliae cathedrales de Sévère d'Antioche: Homélies I à XVII”, Patrologia Orientalis 38.2 (1976), 292.
Loopstra, J., The Patristic “Masora”: A Study of Patristic Collections in Syriac Handbooks from the Near East (CSCO 689 / Syr. 265; Louvain: Peeters, 2020).
Further reading:
Severus
Allen, P., and C. T. R. Hayward, Severus of Antioch (The Early Church Fathers; London: Routledge, 2004), 3-55.
Alpi, F., La route royale: Sévère d’Antioche et les églises d’Orient (512-518). 2 vols. (Bibliothèque archéologique et historique 188; Beirut: Institut français du Proche-Orient, 2009), 1:188-193.
Hay, K., “Severus of Antioch: An inheritor of Palestinian monasticism”, ARAM 15 (2003), 159-171.
Cathedral Homilies Text, Transmission and Studies
Baumstark, A. “Das Kirchenjahr in Antiocheia zwischen 512 und 518”, Römische Quartalschrift für christliche Altertumskunde und Kirchengeschichte 11 (1898), 31-66.
Bensly, R.L., and W.E. Barnes, The Fourth Book of Maccabees and Kindred Documents in Syriac (Cambridge, 1895), 76-88 (hom. 55 sixth century) and 90-102 (Jacob’s revision).
Brière, M. et al., “Les Homiliae Cathedrales de Sévère d’Antioche. Traduction syriaque de Jacques d’Edesse”, Patrologia Orientalis 4.1, 8.2, 12.1, 16.5, 20.2, 22.2, 23.1, 25.1, 25.4, 26.3, 29.1, 35.3, 36.1, 36.3, 36.4, 37.1, 38.2 (1908-1976).
Brière, M., “Introduction générale aux homélies de Sévère d’Antioche”, Patrologia Orientalis 29.1 (1960), 7-76.
Brock, S. P., “Jacob the Annotator: Jacob’s Annotations to His Revised Translation of Severus’ Cathedral Homilies”, in: Gregorios Ibrahim and George Kiraz (eds.), Studies on Jacob of Edessa (Gorgias Eastern Christian Studies 28; Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2010), 1-14.
de Lagarde, P., Catenae in Evangelia Aegyptiacae quae supersunt (Göttingen, 1886).
Caubet Iturbe, F. J., La cadena arabe del Evangelio de San Mateo, 2 vols. (Studi e Testi 254-255; Vatican City: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, 1969-1970).
King, D., “Paul of Callinicum and his Place in the History of Syriac Literature”, Le Muséon 120 (2007), 327-349.
Lash, C. J. A., “Techniques of a Translator: Work-Notes on the Methods of Jacob of Edessa in Translating the Homilies of Severus of Antioch”, in: F. Paschke (ed.), Uberlieferungsgeschichtliche Untersuchungen (TU 125; Berlin: Akademie, 1981), 365-383.
Loopstra, J., The Patristic “Masora”: A Study of Patristic Collections in Syriac Handbooks from the Near East (CSCO 689 / Syr. 265; Louvain: Peeters, 2020).
Petit, F., La Chaîne sur la Genèse. Édition integrale, 4 vols. (Traditio Exegetica Graeca 1-4; Louvain: Peeters, 1991-1996).
Petit, F., La chaîne sur l’Exode. Edition integrale I: Fragments de Sévère d’Antioche (Traditio Exegetica Graeca 1; Louvain: Peeters, 1999).
Petit, F. (ed. and French trans.), and L. Van Rompay (Syriac glossary), Sévère d’Antioche: Fragments grecs tirés des chaînes sur les derniers livres de l’Octateuque et sur les Règnes(Traditio Exegetica Graeca 14; Louvain: Peeters, 2006).
Roux, R., L’exegese biblique dans les Homelies Cathedrales de Severe d’Antioche (Studia Ephemeridis Augustinianum 87; Rome: Institutum Patristicum Augustinianum, 2002).
Schulz, M. H. O., “14. An Overview of Research on Bohairic Catena Manuscripts on the Gospels with a Grouping of Arabic and Ethiopic (Gəʿəz) Sources and a Checklist of Manuscripts”, in: H. A. G. Houghton (ed.), Commentaries, Catenae and Biblical Tradition (Text and Studies 13; Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2016), 295-330.
Toilliez, G., “Rendre témoignage à la maison de Jacob: Sévère d’Antioche, pasteur et prédicateur, d’après ses ‘Homélies Cathédrales’ (512-518)” (PhD diss.; Université de Strasbourg, 2020).
Van Rompay, L., “Jacob of Edessa and The Sixth-Century Syriac Translator of Severus of Antioch’s Cathedral Homilies”, in: B. ter Haar Romeny (ed.), Jacob of Edessa and the Syriac Culture of His Day (Monographs of the Peshitta Institute 18; Leiden: Brill, 2006), 189-204.
Van Rompay, L., “Severus, patriarch of Antioch (512-538), in the Greek, Syriac, and Coptic traditions”, Journal of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies 8 (2008), 3-22.
Witakowski, W., “Severus of Antioch in Ethiopian Tradition”, in: V. Böll, D. Nosnitsin, T. Rave, W. Smidt, E. Sokolinskaia (eds.), Studia Aethiopica. In Honour of Siegbert Uhlig on the Occasion of his 65th Birthday (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2004), 115-25.
Wright, W., A Short History of Syriac Literature (Cambridge, 1894), 94-95.
Youssef, Y. N., “The Quotations of Severus of Antioch in the Book of the Confessions of the Fathers”, Ancient Near East Studies 40 (2003), 173-224.
Antioch
Alpi, F., “Société et vie profane à Antioche sous le patriarcat de Sévère (512-518)”, in: B. Cabouret, P.-L. Gatier, C. Saliou (eds.), Antioche de Syrie. Histoires, images et traces de la ville antique (Topoi. Orient-Occident. Supplément 5; Lyon: Maison de l'Orient Meìditerraneìen - Jean Pouilloux, 2004), 519-542.
De Giorgi, A. U., and A. Asa Eger, Antioch: A History (Abingdon: Routledge, 2021).
Downey, G., Ancient Antioch (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1961).
Mayer, W., and P. Allen, The Churches of Syrian Antioch (300–638 CE) (Late Antique History and Religion 5; Leuven: Peeters, 2012).
Old Testament saints
Botte, Bernard, “Les saints de l’Ancien Testament”, in: La Maison-Dieu 52 (1957): 109-120.
Simon, Marcel. “Les Saints d’Israël dans la dévotion de l’Eglise ancienne”, in: Revue d'histoire et de philosophie religieuses 34, no. 2 (1954): 98-127.
Charkiewicz, J. Kult świętych w Kościele prawo sławnym. Teologia. Historia. Formy. Typologia. Warszawa, 2015.
Daniélou, Jean, Les saints « païens » de l'Ancien Testament. Paris, Editions du Seuil, 1956.
Verhelst, Stéphane, “La place des prophètes dans le sanctoral de Jérusalem”, in: Questions Liturgiques/Studies in Liturgy 84, no. 3 (2003): 182-204.
Early Lectionaries
Outtier, Bernard. “Le Typicon de Jérusalem en Géorgie”, in Le Muséon: Revue d’Études Orientales 94, no. 1–2 (1981): 73–92.
Renoux, Athanase. “Le codex arménien Jérusalem 121,” in: Patrologia Orientalis 35, no.1 [163] (1969) and 36, no. 2 [168] (1971): 1[141]–388 [250].
van Esbroeck, Michael. Les plus anciens homéliaires géorgiens: Étude descriptive et historique, suivie d'une étude comparative avec les versions arméniennes (Publications de l’Institut orientaliste de Louvain 10 Louvain, Institut orientaliste 1975).
Katherin Papadopoulos
17/07/2025
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S01237 | Jonah, Old Testament prophet | ܝܢܢ | Certain |
|---|
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Katherin Papadopoulos
, Cult of Saints, E08597 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E08597