Severus, bishop of Antioch, preaches extemporaneously On *Thalelaios (martyr of Aigai in Cilicia, S01137). Cathedral homily 110, delivered in Greek, probably in Aigai in 517. Preserved in Syriac.
E08602
Literary - Sermons/Homilies
Severus of Antioch
Severus of Antioch, Cathedral Homily 110 (CPG 7035.110)
Excerpts
1
ܠܝ ܕܒܙܒܢ ܡܢ ܩܕܝܡ ܪܐܓ ܗܘܝܬ : ܕܠܕܘܟܬܐ ܒܝܬ ܗܕܐ ܩܕܝܫܬܐ ܘܠܗܝܟܠܐ ܕܬܐܠܐܠܐܘܣ ܣܗܕܐ ܐܚܙܐ : ܘܐܥܦܩ ܠܩܒܪܗ ܐܬܠܝܛܝܐ ܕܒܬܕܡܪ̈ܬܐ ܣܓ̈ܝܐܬܐ ܡܬܟܠܠ ܒܟܠ ܝܘܡ̈ܝܢ ܘܒܐܣ̈ܝܩܬܐ ܕܟܠ ܙܢܝ̈ܢ ܕܟܘܪ̈ܗܢܐ. ܝܗܒ ܥܠܬܐ ܕܠܚܡܐ. ܗ̇ܘ ܕܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܥܠܬܐ ܕܟܠܗܝܢ ܛܒ̈ܬܐ. ܘܡ̈ܛܝܒܐ ܠܡܡ̇ܠܝܘ ܠܪ̈ܓܝܓܬܐ ܗܠܝܢ ܕܡ̈ܝܬܝܢ ܠܘܬ ܗ̇ܝ ܪܡܝܬܪܐ. ܠܗ̇ܝ ܕܐܫܬܘܐ ܠܪܓܬܐ ܗܕܐ ܡܬܩܠܣܢܝܬܐ. ܘܡܘܬܪܢܝܬܐ ܘܕܫܩܝܐ ܠܨܠܘܬܐ. ܡܢܐ ܗܝ ܕܝܢ ܗ̣ܝ ܥܠܬܐ. ܡܫܒܚܐ ܘܪ̈ܚܡ ܐܠܗܐ ܣܛܪܐܛܝܓܘܣ ܐܘܟܝܬ ܪܝܫ ܚܝܠܐ. ܕܡܛܠ ܬܘܪܨܐ ܕܣܘܥܪ̈ܢܐ ܓܘ̈ܝܐ ܕܦܘܠܝܛܝܐ ܐܬܐ ܠܗܪܟܐ. ܕܐܢܐ ܓܝܪ ܟܕ ܒܡܕܝܢܬܐ ܕܐܢܛܝܘܟܘܣ ܐܣܝܪ ܐܢܐ : ܒܐܣܘܪ̈ܐ ܗ̇ܢܘܢ ܕܪܝܫܘܬ ܟܗܢܘܬܐ : ܢܡ̈ܘܣܝܐ ܡܢ ܥܡܝ̈ܠܐ ܕܝܢ ܒܪܡ ܘܕܟܢܣܝܢܐ ܒܠܚܘܕܘܗܝ ܡܬܝܕܥܝܢ : ܠܒܪ ܡܢ ܡܕܝܢܬܐ ܒܕܘܟ ܐܗܘܐ : ܟܕ ܠܘ ܥܠܬܐ ܕܣܓܝ ܪܒܐ ܠܗܕܐ ܡܝܬܝܐ. ...
2
ܐܝܟܢܐ ܗܟܝܠ ܠܐ ܙܕܩ ܗܘܐ ܐܦ ܠܝ ܝܘܡܢܐ ܇ ܕܠܫܢܐ ܡܩܒܠ ܛܝܒܘܬܐ ܐܙܝܥ ܇ ܥܠ ܗܠܝܢ ܕܫܦܝܪ ܚܫܬ ܇ ܕܩܕܒܬ ܠܩܒܪܗ ܡܐܣܝܢܐ ܕܣܗܕܐ. ܠܗ̇ܢܘܢ ܡ̇ܢ ܓܝܪ ܐܚܪ̈ܢܐ ܆ ܣܓܝܦܘܬܐ ܕܗܕܡ̈ܐ ܕܦܓܪܐ ܇ ܗ̇ܝ ܕܒܥܘܡܩܐ ܡܬܚܒܠܐ ܘܡܘܠܕܐ ܟܘܪ̈ܗܢܐ ܇ ܢܓܕܐ ܠܘܬ ܚܘ̈ܠܡܢܐ ܕܪܕܢ ܡܢ ܓܘܪܢܐ ܩܕܝܫܬܐ ܣܓܝ ܫܦܝܥܐܝܬ ܇ ܝܬܝܪ ܡܢ ܟܠ ܡܒܘܥܐ ܐܡ̣ܝܢ. ܪܕܝܐ. ܠܝ ܕܝܢ ܡܫܪܝܘܬܐ ܕܢܦܫܝ ܗ̇ܝ ܕܣ̈ܓܝܐܬܐ ܛܒ ܚܛܬ : ܘܟܘܪܗܢܐ ܗ̇ܘ ܕܝܬܝܪ ܡܢ ܟܠ ܩܫܐ ܆ ܘܪܓܬܐ ܕܓܗܝܬܐ ܕܡܢ ܗܠܝܢ ܀ ...
3
ܠܗܕܐ ܗܟܝܠ ܬܫܒܘܚܬܐ ܐܥܒܕܝܗ̇ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܡܥܕܪܢܐ ܇ ܠܗ̇ܝ ܕܓܒܝܬ ܡ̇ܢ ܕܐܩܠܣ ܠܗ̇ܘ ܕܚܠܦܘܗܝ ܡܥܙܝܢܐܝܬ ܐܬܟ̇ܬܫ ܘܥ̣ܢܕ ܣܗܕܘܬܐ ܇ ܐܙܕܟܝܬ ܕܝܢ ܡܢ ܩܘ̈ܠܣܘܗܝ ܕܣܗܕܐ. ܠܗ̇ܘ ܕܕܘܒܪܐ ܡ̇ܢ ܩܕܝܣܐ ܘܥܘܬܕܐ ܕܚ̈ܐ ܢܟ̈ܦܐ : ܠܘܬ ܢܨܚܢܐ ܗܢܐ ܐܝ̣ܬܝܗ : ܧܠܘܬ ܙܟܧܬܐ ܡܫܡܠܝܬܐ ܕܠܘܩܟܠ ܐܟ̇ܠ ܩܪܨܐ ܆ ܠܐ ܡܬܦ̇ܠܓ ܐܢܐ ܕܐܓܘ̈ܢܐ ܓܝܪ ܕܣܓܝ ܪܘܪܒܝܢ. ܢܩܦܐ ܠܡܬܪܢܥܘ ܆ ܕܪܘ̇ܪ̈ܒܬܐ ܡܕܡ ܐܝܬܝܗܝܢ ܩ̇ܕܝܡܘܐ ܕܘܪ̈ܫܐ ܕܝܠܗܘܢ. ܒܪܡ ܟܕ ܠܗܠܝܢ ܫܒܩܬ݀ ܘܒܫ̣ܬܩܐ ܝܘܪܬ ܆ ܒܗ̇ܝ ܣܓ̇ܝ ܐܬܕܡܪܬ. ܘܝܟܢܐ ܩܕܡ ܡܦܩܢܗܘܢ ܕܣܘܥܪ̈ܢܐ ܇ ܩ̣̇ܕܡ ܐܬܩ̣ܪܝ ܒܫܡܐ ܬܐܠܐܠܐܘܣ ܇ ܗ̇ܝ ܒܝܬ ܕܥܬܝܕܐ ܗܘܬ ܠܡܗܘܐ ܇ ܟܕ ܒܕܡ̣ܘܬ ܐܝܠܢܐ ܕܛܒܠܢܐ ܕܛܒܐܝܬ ܐܝܬ ܠܗ ܠܘܬ ܡܘܠܕܢܘܬܐ ܕܦܐܪ̈ܐ ܇ ܡ̇ܫܘܚ ܘܡ̇ܦܩ ܡܢ ܩܒܪܗ ܪ̈ܚܡ̣ܐ ܥܬܝܪ̈ܐ ܥܠ ܗ̇ܢܘܢ ܕܟܪܝܗܝܢ ܇ ܘܠܡܠܬܐ ܗ̇ܝ ܕܡܙܡܘܪܐ ܒܗܘܢ ܒܠܒ̈ܕܐ ܡ̇ܙܥܩ ܇ ܐܢܐ ܕܝܢ ܐܝܟ ܙܝܬܐ ܛܥܝܢ. ܦܠܪ̈ܐ ܒܝܬܗ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܀
ܡܢ ܐܝܒܐ ܗܟܝܠ ܗܕܐ ܡܘܗܒܬܐ ܗ̣ܘܬ ܠܗ ܠܣܗܕܐ ܇ ܠܒܪ ܡܢ ܗܠܝܢ ܣܗ̈ܕܐ ܐܚܪ̈ܢܐ. ܠܝ ܡܣܬܒܪܐ ܆ ܕܡܛܠ ܗ̇ܝ ܕܒܪܚܡܬܐ ܕܒ̣ܝܬܐ ܘܤܪܝܪܬܐ ܇ ܟܕ ܐܦܠܐ ܚܕܐ ܕܚܠܬܐ ܚܠܝܛܐ ܇ ܩ̣̇ܒܠ ܕܘܡ̣ܝܐ ܕܚܫ̈ܐ ܕܡܫܝܚܐ ܘܕܡ̇ܘܬܗ ܦܪܘܩܝܐ ܇ ܒܕܡܘܬ ܗ̇ܢܘܢ ܕܠܘܬ ܙܘܪܬܐ ܡܕܡ ܕܫܦܝܪ ܨܝܪܐ ܥܠ ܕܦܐ ܪܚܡ̣ܬܢܐܝܬ ܐܬܬܣܝܡܘ ܇ ܘܠܗܕܐ ܒܗܠܝܢ ܕܕܡ̈ܝܢ ܫܘܙܒܘ ܕܡ̣ܝܘܗ̇. ...
4
ܡܛܠ ܗܟܝܠ ܕܬܐܠܐܠܐܘܣ ܗ̇ܘ ܐܓܘܢܝܣܛܐ ܕܫܦܝܪܘܬ ܕܚܠܬܐ : ܒܗܕܐ ܕܒܚܬܐ ܕܚܠܝܛܐ ܐܟܚܕܐ ܒܪ̈ܚܡܐ ܪܝܫܐܝܬ ܕܡܝ: ܟܕ ܒܚܘܒܐ ܠܡܘܬܐ ܡܬܩܠܣܢܐ ܚܒܒ ܫܘ̈ܘܕܥܐ ܗܠܝܢ ܕܨܠܡܐ ܡ̇ܐܝܬܐ. ܘܟܕ ܐܬܩܒܪ ܡܐܠܠܘܢ ܕܝܢ ܚܝ ܝܝ̈ܐ ܫܪ̈ܝܪܐ ܆ ܡܫܘܚ ܘܡܐܝܬܐ ܪ̈ܚܡܐ ܠܗܢܘܢ ܕܣܢܝܩܝܢ. ܡܛܠܗܕܐ ܐܝܟ ܕܡܢ ܡܥܝܢܐ ܡܫܬܬܝܢܝܬܐ ܫܦܝܥܐܝܬ. ܕܠܝܢ ܚܢܢ ܐܣܝܘܬܐ ܠܐ ܡܘܦܝܢܝܬܐ. ܘܕܪ̈ܒܝܐ ܘܣܓܝܐ ܒܗ̇ܝ ܕܡܬܢ̇ܦܩܐ. ܒܕܡܘܬ ܥܒܘܕܘܬ ܬܕܡܪ̈ܬܐ ܗ̇ܝ ܕܠܚ̈ܡܐ. ܕܐܠܗܢ ܘܦܪܘܩܢ ܀
ܐܠܐ ܟܕ ܗܠܝܢ ܐܡ̇ܪ ܐܢܐ : ܡܢ ܟܘܢܝܐ ܕܬܐܠܐܠܐܘܣ ܘܡܢ ܡܘܗܒܬܐ ܫܦܝܥܬܐ ܕܪ̈ܚܡܐ ܆ ܠܘܬ ܥܘܗܕܢܐ ܡܕܡ ܢܒܝܝܐ ܘܕܠܚܡ ܠܗܕܐ ܕܣܝܡܐ ܩܕܡܝܢ ܡܬܥܠܐ ܐܢܐ. ܐܢܬܬܐ ܓܝܪ ܒܙܒܢ : ܕܩܪܒܬ ܠܘܬ ܠܝܫܥ ܢܒܝܐ : ܕܠܐܪܡܠܘܬܐ ܘܠܡܣܟܢܘܬܐ ܕܡܩܦܚܐ ܗܘܬ ܠܗ̇ ܐ ܠܝܐ ܗܘܬ : ܘܠܬܒܥܬܐ ܕܦܘܪܥܢܐ ܕܚܘ̈ܒܬܐ : ܘܒܟܠܗ ܩܢܝܢܗ̇ ܐܡ̇ܪܐ ܗܘܬ ܕܩܢܝܐ ܡܫܚܐ ܕܡܘܝܟ ܒܫܛܝܦܬܐ ܚܕܐ ܙܥܘܪܬܐ܆. ܫܡܥܐ ܗܘܬ ܡܚܕܐ ܡܢܗ ܆ ܙܠܝ ܪܝ ܫܘܠܝ ܠܟܝ ܡ̈ܐܢܐ ܡܢ ܠܒܪ ܡܢ ܟܠܗܘܢ ܫܒ̈ܒܝܟܝ ܓܝ̈ܢܐ ܣܦܝ̈ܩܐ ܆ ܘܠܐ ܬܙܥܪܝܢ ܘܬܥܠܝܢ ܘܬܐܚܕܝܢ ܬܪܥܐ ܥܠܝܟܝ ܘܥܠ ܒܢܝ̈ܟܝ. ܘܬܢܣܟܝܢ ܒܡ̈ܐܢܐ ܗܠܝܢ. ܘܠܐ ܐܬܪܚܩܝܢ ܐܢܘܢ ܘܗ̇ܘ ܕܢܡ̣ܠܐ ܬܣܒܝܢ. ܘܥܒܕܬ ܗܟܢܐ. ܘܡܠܬܗ ܕܢܒܝܐ ܡܪܕܝܐ ܗܘܬ ܡ̣ܫܚܐ ܆ ܘܠܐ ܒܛܠܬ ܥܕܡܐ ܕܠܐܢܬܬܐ ܗ̇ܝ ܚܝܣܪ ܡܢܝܢܐ ܕܓܪܢ̈ܐ. ܢܦܬܐ ܗܟܝܠ ܐܦ ܚܢܢ ܠܡ̈ܐܢܐ ܕܗܝܢܘܬܐ ܘܢ̇ܥܟܕ ܚܢܘܢ ܚܪ̈ܬܐ. ܟܕ ܡܕܟܝܢ ܚܢܢ ܠܗܘܢ ܡܢ ܒܝܫܘܬܐ ܥܬܝܩܬܐ. ܘܠܐ ܒܙܥܘܪܘܬ ܗܝܡܢܘܬܐ ܢܐܠܘܨ ܐܢܘܢ ܆ ܘܠܐ ܢܚܣܪܘܢ ܠܢ ܡܬܘܡ ܪ̈ܚܡ̣ܘܗܝ ܕܣܗܕܐ. ܘܫܘܒܩܢܐ ܕܚܘ̈ܒܬܐ ܗܠܝܢ ܕܡܢ ܚܛܝܛܐ. ܒܡܫܝܚܐ ܝܫܘܥ ܡܪܢ ܠܗ ܬܫܒܘܚܬܐ ܠܥܠܡܝܢ ܐܡܝܢ ܀
ܫܠܡ ܕܩܝ ܀
Excerpts
1
It was to me, who had already longed to visit this holy place and the temple of the martyr Thalelaios, and to embrace his tomb, that of a champion crowned daily with many miracles and healings of all kinds of diseases, that a fitting opportunity was granted by the One who is the source of all good things and ready to fulfil desires that lead to what is excellent, so that I might achieve the object of this praiseworthy, beneficial, and desirable (ἐπευκτός) wish. And what is this opportunity? It is the illustrious and God-loving (φιλόθεος), strategos (στρατηγός), that is, the chief of the army, who came here to oversee the general affairs of the administration (πολιτεία). Indeed, it was not possible for me, tied as I am to the city of Antioch by the bonds of the chief priesthood, for the practices of the workers and congregations are known only through living them, to be outside the city by chance, without being led to it by a very significant reason. …
2
How, then, could I not today stir my tongue to give thanks for the blessings I have received, I who have well pondered these things and approached the tomb of the martyr, which works healings? For others, the weakness of the body’s members, which causes corruption in the depths and produces diseases, leads them to the healings that flow most abundantly from the holy sarcophagus, more than from any constantly flowing spring; but for me, it is the paralysis of my soul that greatly erred, and the disease that is graver than all, and the desire to be freed from them. ...
3
I will, therefore, make this the praise of the God who grants His help, namely, that I have chosen to praise the one who fought for Him with strength and endured martyrdom, and that I have been overcome by the renown (κλέος) of the martyr. A holy way of life and the preparation of a pure life led him to this triumph and complete victory over the Slanderer, I have no doubt. Indeed, it is fitting to keep in mind that great deeds are the preliminary training (προγυμνασία) for very great struggles (ἀγών). Yet, having passed over these and honoured them with silence, I greatly admired this, namely, how, before the events took place, (the saint) was called in advance by the name of Thalelaios—which indeed was to come true—when, like a tree that is good for producing fruit, he causes abundant mercy to sprout and flow from his tomb for the sick and proclaims through the deeds themselves the word of the psalm: And I, (I am) like a fruitful (καρποφόρος) olive tree in the house of God (Ps. 51:10).
From where, then, was this gift given to the martyr himself, to the exclusion of other martyrs? It seems to me that it is because, through a pure and true mercy, unmixed with any fear, he received the likeness of the sufferings of Christ and His saving death, like those who have been mercifully placed before a well-painted image on a panel and have imitated it while preserving the likeness. ...
4
Thus, because Thalelaios, the champion (ἀγωνιστής) of piety (εὐσέβεια), primarily imitated this sacrifice mixed with mercy, when he fervently loved a praiseworthy death, he bears the marks of the image; and, when he was laid in the earth, or rather (μᾶλλον δέ) when he lives the true life, he causes mercy to sprout and produce for those in need. Therefore, it is from a source where one can drink deeply that we draw unceasing healing, which grows and multiplies by the very fact that it flows, in the likeness of the miracle (θαυματουργία) of the loaves of our God and our Savior.
But in saying this about the name of Thalelaios and about the abundant gift of mercy, I rise to a memory of a prophet that fits the present matter. Once, indeed, a woman who approached the prophet Elisha, who complained of widowhood and the poverty that oppressed her and of a demand for payment of her debts and said that for all her possessions she had the oil contained in a small vessel, heard him immediately say: Go, then, ask for vessels from outside from all your neighbours, empty vessels; do not ask for a few; you will enter and close the door on yourself and your children; you will pour into these vessels without moving them; and what is filled, you will take (2 Kings 4:3-4 LXX). And she did so. And the word of the prophet caused the oil to flow, and it did not stop until the number of vessels ran out for that woman. Let us, too, widen the vessels of our faith and renew them, purifying them of ancient wickedness, and let us not narrow them through our little faith (ὀλιγοπιστία). And the mercy of the martyr will never fail us, nor will the forgiveness of the debts that come from sin, through Christ Jesus Our Lord. To Him be glory forever! Amen!
Text: M. Brière, PO 25.3, 782-788.
Translation: K. Papadopoulos, using M. Brière.
Sermon/homily
Service for the saint
Cult PlacesBurial site of a saint - tomb/grave
Burial site of a saint - sarcophagus/coffin
Non Liturgical ActivityTransmission, copying and reading saint-related texts
Visiting graves and shrines
MiraclesMiracle after death
Healing diseases and disabilities
RelicsBodily relic - entire body
Theorising on SanctityConsiderations about the veneration of saints
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 110: On Thalelaios
Manuscripts, fragments
No Greek or Coptic fragments have been identified to date.
Manuscripts, sixth-century Syriac translation
BAV, Vat. sir. 143, fol. 63rb-65rb 563 AD
BAV, Vat. sir. 256, fol. 50r-51r 6th cent. [start of hom. 110 missing]
Manuscripts, Jacob of Edessa’s revision
British Library, Add MS 12159, fol. 254vb-255vb 868 AD
Edition
Brière 1976 (PO 25.2), 782–788. Syriac text.
The PO edition, prepared by M. Brière, is based on the ninth-century British Library, Add MS 12159.
Discussion
Which commemoration?The subject of Homily 110 is *Thalelaios (martyr of Aigai in Cilicia, S01137), who is praised as a ‘champion (ἀγωνιστής) of piety (εὐσέβεια)’ and for his posthumous role as a miracle worker. Severus does not give sufficient detail to identify this martyr with certainty. Attempts to associate him with *Thalelaios (monk of Syria, S00375), mentioned in Theodoret’s Religious History have not been convincing (Bröcker 1976; Halkin 1977). The scant evidence points to a local martyr instead. The Greek martyrdom of Thalalaios (E06678), which seems legendary, may be related but does not seem to have inspired Severus directly (Sauget 1969). Although there is no direct evidence that the homily was delivered on the saint’s feast day, this possibility cannot be ruled out.
When?
Both the title and the contents of Homily 110 suggest Severus preached this extemporaneously during a visit to the martyrium dedicated to Thalelaios. This visit, long-desired, arose because a ‘God-loving’ military governor or strategos (στρατηγός) visited the region to manage public or administrative matters (πολιτεία).
This strategos has been identified as Hypatius, the nephew of the emperor Anastasius, on the basis of the title of Severus’ Hymn 198-1-7 which states the hymn was ‘spoken by the patriarch Severus when he entered Aigai to meet Hypatius the stratelates (στρατηλάτης) who was going down to the land of the Persians on the 25th of the month of tāmūz in the tenth indiction’, that is on 25 July 517 (PO 7.5:661). Severus had also corresponded with Hypatius on a matter in Tarsus (Select Letter 1.40; see also 1.45). Hypatius is well attested as magister militum per Orientem (ca. 515–518 CE) and Severus’ use of the term strategos correlates with the most common Greek term for the magister militum at this time. The term stratelates is used in the hymn and letter titles by later editors and likely represents a variant of the same office.
There is no indication that this was a commemoration day for Thalelaios, although this possibility cannot be ruled out. Severus’ only stated reason for his own presence is the strategos who ‘came here’ (ܐܬܐ ܠܗܪܟܐ) on official business.
Brière assigns it to Saturday 20 May, likely based on Thalelaios’ feast day in the Greek Synaxarium, which postdates Severus by several centuries The seventh-century Georgian Lectionary of Jerusalem commemorates ‘Thalelaios and Marcus’ (თალელესი და მარკოზ) on 24 May (TITUS, entry 988; E03161).
Our only secure clue to the delivery date comes from the ordering of the homilies. Assuming the homilies were in chronological order, the placement and numbering of this homily indicate it was preached in Severus’ fifth year, after Easter week, given Homily 109 can be confidently ascribed to Holy Wednesday, 22 March 517. As Homily 111 was pronounced during the same visit on the following day and provides no dating clue, we can only surmise that the Homily 110 was also before Homily 112 preached on the anniversary of dedication of the Great Church and/or the next anniversary of his enthronement as bishop (18 November). A date in July 517 would be most plausible based on the homily sequence and the hymn annotation.
Where?
Homily 110 was delivered ‘outside of the city’ of Antioch at the ‘holy place’ (ܒܝܬ ܗܕܐ ܩܕܝܫܬܐ) and ‘temple (ܗܝܟܠܐ) of the martyr Thalelaios’. This was likely a martyrion, as the structure also housed ‘his tomb’ (ܩܒܪܗ) or ‘sarcophagus’ (ܓܘܪܢܐ), a common setup for martyr saints.
While the location of this martyrion is not explicitly named, it is a significant pilgrimage destination, accessible to the speaker from Antioch, suggesting it is within a reasonable distance or of notable importance to warrant the journey.
No other details are offered in Homily 110 itself, but the homily’s title indicates that it was delivered in a church dedicated to the martyr Thalelaios in Aigai, in the Roman province of Cilicia II. If at Aigai, this would be the earliest and only attestation of a church dedicated to Thalelaios in that city.
Aigai in Cicilia had a long association with healing cults. It was home to an important sanctuary of Asclepius, the revered Greek god of healing (Philostratus, Life of Apollonius of Tyana 1.7, 9-12), until it was reportedly destroyed by the emperor Constantine (Eusebius, Life of Constantine 3.56). However, the cult was still active under Julian (e.g., Libanius, Oration 30.39). Thecla performed a series of miracles at Aigai according to a fifth-century miracle collection of Thecla (Csepregi 2015). Aigai is also said to be the place where the famous anargyroi saints Cosmas and Damian lived, worked and ultimately died—at least according to the Arab recension of their Martyrdom of *Kosmas and Damianos (BHG 378, E07077) and where anargyroi Zenobius and Zenobia practiced according to the Martyrdom of *Zenobius and Zenobia (BHG 1884, E06668). However, there is no allusion to any of these in Severus’ Homily 110.
What?
Homily 110’s title on Add MS 12159 indicates Severus preached this extemporaneously and the contents suggest he was somewhat unfamiliar with Thalelaios. Consequently, unlike Severus’ other homilies on saints, there is little that parallels known martyrdom accounts. There are no obvious parallels for example, with the Greek Life and Martyrdom of *Thalelaios (E06778) which places his death in ‘the city of the Aegeans in Edessa’ (ἐν Ἐδέσῃ τῶν Αἰγαίων πόλεως). Severus’ extemporaneous approach may explain the homily’s focus on universal Christian themes like mercy and virtue rather than historical specifics.
Severus does not give any historical details about Thalelaios’ origins or life. The time, place or manner of Thalelaios’ death are not stated. Instead, Thalelaios is presented as a moral exemplar whose holy life and martyrdom are a model of victory over evil (‘the Slanderer’), achieved through purity and preparation for spiritual struggle (ἀγών).
He is portrayed as imitating Christ’s mercy and sacrificial death, distinguishing him among martyrs for his pure, fearless compassion, which enables his posthumous miracles. Thalelaios’ name, meaning ‘flourishing’ or ‘blooming’ according to Severus, is interpreted as prophetic, reflecting his ability to produce abundant mercy, likened to a fruitful olive tree (Ps. 51:10). (A marginal note next to the homily title on Add MS 12159 explains that the name Thalelaios derives from ‘that which germinates’ (θαλλός) and ‘mercy’ (ἔλεος)).
Thalelaios’ posthumous role as a miracle worker is emphasised. His tomb is a site of daily miracles, healing various diseases, likened to a constant spring of healing. His miracles are compared to Elisha’s oil miracle (cf. 2 Kings 4:1-7) and Christ’s multiplication of loaves (cf. Mk 6:30–44 and parallels), framing him as a conduit of divine grace and mercy. He is also contrasted with physicians who charge, placing him in the tradition of the anargyroi (ἀνάργυροι, ‘silverless’ or ‘unmercenaries’), charitable doctors who offer treatment without accepting payment. Severus also presents Thalelaios’ tomb as a site for curing the ‘paralysis of the soul’ due to sin, portraying the martyr as mediator of both physical and spiritual healing.
These miracles are closely tied to the physical space of Thalelaios’ veneration. The homily emphasises a specific ‘holy place’ or ‘temple’ dedicated to Thalelaios (i.e., a martyrion), housing a tomb likely containing his relics, marking it as a significant cultic site where pilgrims, including Severus himself, visit to venerate the martyr. The homily is delivered in a setting described as a ‘Jerusalem’ (a metaphorical vision of peace), suggesting Thalelaios’ cult is integrated into formal Christian worship.
The presence of both the martyrion and its function as a pilgrimage centre indicate a well-developed cult with widespread recognition of the saint’s efficacious miracle working. Severus’ stated desire to visit the shrine and his reports that Thalelaios’ fame (κλέος) draws pilgrims, including high-ranking figures like the devout strategos (στρατηγός), reinforce the martyr’s widespread recognition.
Bibliography
Syriac text and French Translation:Brière, M., (ed. and trans.), “Les Homiliae cathedrales de Sévère d’Antioche: Homélies CIV à CXII”, Patrologia Orientalis 25.4 (1943), 782-788.
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).
Thalelaios
Allen, P., “Severus of Antioch. Homilies and Hymns on Martyrs,” in: F. P. Barone, C. Macé and P. A. Ubierna (eds.), Philologie, herméneutique et histoire des textes entre Orient et Occident: Mélanges en hommage à Sever J. Voicu (Instrumenta Patristica et Mediaevalia 78; Turnout: Brepols, 20179), 323-341.
Bröcker, H., Der hl. Thalelaios: Texte und Untersuchungen (Forschungen zur Volkskunde 48; Münster: Verlag Regensburg, 1976).
Brooks, E.W. (ed. and. trans.), “James of Edessa: The Hymns of Severus of Antioch and Others II”, Patrologia Orientalis 7.5 (1914), 661-62.
Brooks, E.W. (ed. and trans.), The Sixth Book of the Select Letters of Severus, Patriarch of Antioch in the Syriac Version of Athanasius of Nisibis, 2 vols. in 4 (London: Williams & Norgate, 1902–1904).
Gippert, J. (ed.), Lectionarium Hirosolymitanum Magnum. Versione georgica e codice Parisiensi. The Old Georgian Lectionary as Contained in the Paris, Kal and Latal Manuscripts. Berlin/Bamberg/Frankfurt a/M, 1988-2004; TITUS version by Jost Gippert, Franfkurt a/M, 21.2.2004 / 1.11.2005 / 21.3.2007 / 15.12.2013 / 19.6.2014 / 1.1.2021. http://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcs/cauc/ageo/lekt/lektpar/lektp.htm.
Greatrex, G., “Flavius Hypatius, quem vidit validum parthus sensitque timendum. An investigation of his career”, Byzantion 66, no. 1 (1996), 120-142.
Halkin, F., “Saint Thalélée, anachorète ou martyr?” Analecta Bollandiana 95, no. 1-2 (1977), 72.
Peeters, P., “Hypatius et Vitalien: autour de la succession de l’empereur Anastase”, Annuaire de l’institut de philologie et d’histoire orientales 10 (1950), 5-51.
Sauget, J.-M., “Taleleo, eremita a Gabala presso Laodicea, sancto”, “Talleleo, Asterio, e Alessandro, santi, martiri in Egea et Cilicia”, in: Bibliotheca Sanctorum, vol. 12 (Istituto Giovanni XXIII nella Pontificia Università Lateranense: Rome, 1969), 107-108, 109-110.
Healing Cults and Anargyroi
Csepregi, I., “Christian transformation of pagan cult places: The Case of Aegae, Cilicia”, in: A. Kouremenos and S. Chandrasekaran (eds.), Continuity and Destruction in Alexander’s East. The Transformation of Monumental Space from the Hellenistic Period to Late Antiquity (BAR International Series 2765; Oxford: British Archaeological Reports, 2015), 49-57.
Pattengale, J. A., Benevolent physicians in Late Antiquity: The cult of the anargyroi (PhD diss.; Miami University, 1993).
Pattengale, J. A., “Benevolent physicians in Late Antiquity: The multifaceted appeal of the anargyroi”, in J. D. Wineland (ed.), The Light of Discovery: Studies in Honor of Edwin M. Yamauchi (Evangelical Theological Society Monograph Series 6; Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2007), 127-147.
Martyria
Bowes, K. D., Private Worship, Public Values, and Religious Change in Late Antiquity Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008).
Grabar, A., Martyrium. Recherches sur le culte des reliques et l'art chrétien antique, 2 vols, and atlas (Paris: Collège de France, 1943–1946).
Krautheimer, R., Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture (Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1986).
Yasin, A. M., Saints and Church Spaces in the Late Antique Mediterranean (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009).
Katherin Papadopoulos
19/07/2025
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S01137 | Thalelaios, martyr of Aigai in Cilicia | ܬܐܠܐܠܐܘܣ | Certain |
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