Palladius of Aspuna, Dialog on the Life of St. John Chrysostom 20.143-157

https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/158

Context

During an era of revolutionary religious practice and intense theological debate, Palladius of Aspuna is famous as the author of one of the most influential works of Late Antiquity, the collection of biographies of holy persons in his Lausiac History. Palladius entered the monastic life in the late 4th century, travelled to Alexandria and Nitria (where he stayed for nine years among the Desert Fathers), and after a sojourn in Palestine returned to Asia Minor in 400 C.E. as bishop of Bithynian Hellenopolis. In the years immediately following he served as a staunch advocate of John Chrysostom, who had fallen into deep controversy among the ecclesiastical hierarchs and the Imperial circle in his see at Constantinople. The Dialog on the Life of St. John Chrysostom, which is fashioned as a discourse in political and moral philosophy between Palladius and Theodorus, deacon at Rome, was most likely written by Palladius in the wake of John’s second expulsion. In this passage near the work’s end, the author narrates how those bishops aligned with Theophilus, patriarch of Alexandria, against the Johannine faction persecuted his followers, among whom Eulogius, bishop of Caesarea, is named as especially cruel.

Text

Εἰς τοσοῦτον δὲ ὠμότητος οἱ κατὰ τόπον ἤκμασαν ἐπίσκοποι τῶν κοινωνικῶν Θεοφίλου κατὰ τὴν ἀνατολὴν πᾶσαν, ὡς ἔλεγεν ὁ ἐλθὼν ἀσκητής, ὥς τινας αὐτῶν οὐχὶ μόνον μὴ ἐνδείξασθαι τὴν ὀφειλομένην σωφροσύνην ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ δώρων πείθειν τοὺς ἐπαρχικοὺς τάχιον ἐξελαύνειν τῶν πόλεων. Εἰσὶ δὲ οἱ μάλιστα τοῦτο πεποιηκότες, ὁ Ταρσοῦ καὶ ὁ Ἀντιοχείας καὶ Εὐλόγιος ὁ Καισαρείας τῆς Παλαιστίνης, ὅ τε Ἀγκύρας πρὸ πάντων καὶ Ἀμμώνιος ὁ τοῦ Πηλουσίου, τοῦτο μὲν δόμασι, τοῦτο δὲ ἀπειλαῖς πλέον κατ’ αὐτῶν τοὺς διάγοντας στρατιώτας ἐξαγριοῦντες, ἵνα μήτε τοὺς τῶν βουλομένων λαϊκῶν ἐπιδέχεσθαι αὐτοὺς συγχωρῶσιν … 1

Textual Note

Ed. Malingrey and Leclerq 1988

Translation

The local bishops in communion with Theophilus throughout the East reached such a level of savage cruelty that, according to a monk who came (from there), some of them not only failed to show the necessary moderation, but they even bribed the provincial officials to remove (their prisoners) more quickly from the cities. The prime offenders in this regard were the Bishops of Tarsus and Antioch, Eulogius, Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, and above all the Bishop of Ancyra and Ammonius, Bishop of Pelusium. They made the soldiers in charge (of the prisoners) more savage towards them, sometimes using payments, sometimes threats, so that they did not even allow those of the laity who wished to do so to receive (the prisoners) in their homes … 2

Translation Note

Trans. J. L Rife with ref. to Moore 1921 and Malingrey and Leclerq 1988

Works Cited

1 Palladius of Galatia, Palladios: Dialogue sur la vie de Jean Chrysostome, ed. Anne-Marie Malingrey and Philippe Leclercq, Sources chrétiennes 341 (Paris: Éditions du Cerf, 1988), ch: 20, line: 143-157.
2 Palladius of Galatia, The Dialogue of Palladius Concerning the Life of Chrysostom, trans. Herbert Moore, Translations of Christian Literature: Greek Series (London; New York: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge ; Macmillan, 1921)

How to Cite This Entry

Joseph L. Rife, “Palladius of Aspuna, Dialog on the Life of St. John Chrysostom 20.143-157,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/158.

Bibliography:

Joseph L. Rife, “Palladius of Aspuna, Dialog on the Life of St. John Chrysostom 20.143-157.” 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/158.

About this Entry

Entry Title: Palladius of Aspuna, Dialog on the Life of St. John Chrysostom 20.143-157

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, “Palladius of Aspuna, Dialog on the Life of St. John Chrysostom 20.143-157”
Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Palladius of Aspuna, Dialog on the Life of St. John Chrysostom 20.143-157”

Additional Credit:

TEI record created by Joseph L. Rife
Testimonium translated by Joseph L. Rife
Testimonium transcribed by Joseph L. Rife
Testimonium identified by Joseph L. Rife

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