Photius, Library 89.67a27-67b9
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/147
Context
Photius I was ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople in 858-867 and
877-886, as well as an unparalleled intellectual luminary for his age. Apart from his
distinguished ecclesiastical career, he engaged in polymathic teaching and research,
supported by his vast personal library. Photius wrote an expansive compendium of
classical writings in 280 volumes or codices, his Library (Βιβλιοθήκη) or
Thousandsfold Book (Μυριόβιβλον), which included epitomes, excerpts,
and commentaries mainly on historical, rhetorical, and theological works, many of which
are otherwise lost. Several passages discuss the renowned leaders of the Church at
Caesarea in Palestine. In this passage, Photius continues his discussion from the
previous section about the writings by two or three different bishops of Caesarea all
named Gelasius, in this case a continuator of Church History by
Eusebius.
Text
Ἡ δὲ λοιπὴ βίβλος ἐπιγραφὴν μὲν ἔχει τοιαύτην· «Προοίμιον ἐπισκόπου
Καισαρείας Παλαιστίνης εἰς τὰ μετὰ τὴν ἐκκλησιαστικὴν ἱστορίαν
Εὐσεβίου τοῦ Παμφίλου», ἄρχεται δὲ οὕτω· «Τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους ἐπὶ τὸ συγγράφειν ὡρμημένους
καὶ τῶν γενομένων τὰς ἱστορίας τῇ μνήμῃ παραπέμπειν ἐγνωκότας» καὶ ἑξῆς. Λέγει δ’ ἑαυτὸν
ἀνεψιὸν πρὸς μητρὸς Κυρίλλου τοῦ Ἱεροσολύμων καὶ ὑπ’ ἐκείνου προτραπῆναι εἰς τήνδε τὴν
συγγραφήν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ εὕρομεν, ἀνεγνωκότες ἐν ἄλλοις, ὅτι αὐτός τε Κύριλλος καὶ Γελάσιος
οὗτος τὴν Ῥουφίνου τοῦ Ῥωμαίου μετέφρασαν ἱστορίαν εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα γλῶσσαν, οὐ μέντοι
ἰδίαν συνετάξαντο ἱστορίαν. Δῆλον δ’ ὡς ἀρχαιότερος ἦν οὗτος τοῦ προειρημένου, εἴ γε
κατὰ Κύριλλον ἤκμασε τὸν Ἱεροσολύμων. Ἀλλ’ οὗτος μὲν ὁ Γελάσιος ἐκείνου καὶ τῇ φράσει
ἐπὶ τὸ λογιώτερον διαφέρει. Ἑκάτερος μέντοι αὐτῶν πολὺ τοῦ κατὰ Ἀνομοίων συγγεγραφότος
ἐνδεέστερος ὑπάρχει. Ἐπίσκοπος δ’ ἄρα κἀκεῖνος τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπιγράφεται Παλαιστίνης. Ἀλλ’
ἐκεῖνός γε ὁ Γελάσιος τῇ φράσει καὶ πολυμαθίᾳ καὶ ταῖς λογικαῖς ἐφόδοις, αἷς οὐκ οἶδ’
ὅπως εἰπεῖν καὶ ἀπειροκάλως κατεχρήσατο, παρὰ πολὺ τούτους τὴν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις ἐλάττονα
τάξιν ἐπέχειν ἀπελαύνει. Εἰ δέ τις τούτων αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ γράψας, καὶ ταῦτα χρόνῳ συλλέξας
καὶ συναυξήσας τὰ λείποντα, οὔπω μαθεῖν ἔσχον. 1
Textual Note
Ed. Bekker 1824-1825 with ref. Henry 1959Translation
The other book [besides the one mentioned in codex 88] is entitled
Preface of the Bishop of Caesarea Palestinae to the
Continuation of the History of Eusebius Pamphili. It begins as follows:
“Others who have applied themselves to writing and have determined to hand down to
posterity a record of events,” and so on. The author states that he was on his mother’s
side nephew of Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem, and that he had been urged by (Cyril) to
compose this work. I have read elsewhere that Cyril himself and this Gelasius translated
the history of the Roman Rufinus into Greek, but did not compose any history of their
own. It is evident that this (author) was older than the other (Gelasius), if indeed he
reached his professional peak in the time of Cyril of Jerusalem. This Gelasius also
differs from the other in the greater eloquence of his expression; both however are
inferior to the author of Against the Anomoeans, who was also identified
on the cover as bishop of Palestine. For that Gelasius, by his expression, learning, and
logical methods, which he applies let’s say ineptly, leaves the other two far behind at
an inferior level of writing. I have not yet been able to learn whether one of these
(Gelasii) is the author of the work (mentioned), after he compiled the information over
time and supplemented what was left out.2
Translation Note
Adapted from Freese 1920 with ref. to Henry 1959Works Cited
- 1 Photius, Photii Bibliotheca, ed. Immanuel Bekker, 2 vols. (Berlin: G. Reimer, 1824), bk: 89, p: 67a27-67b9.
- 2 Photius, Photius: Bibliothèque, ed. René Henry and Jacques Schamp, 2nd printing, 9 vols., Collection Byzantine (Paris: Société d’édition «Les belles lettres», 1959), vol: 2, p: 15.
Additional Bibliography
- Photius, The Library of Photius, trans. John Henry Freese, Translations of Christian Literature 1 (London; New York: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge ; Macmillan Company, 1920), p: 155-156.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Photius, Library 89.67a27-67b9,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/147.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Photius, Library 89.67a27-67b9.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/147.About this Entry
Entry Title: Photius, Library 89.67a27-67b9
Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:
- Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
- Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
- David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “Photius, Library 89.67a27-67b9”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Photius, Library 89.67a27-67b9”
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