Evagrius Scholasticus, Church History 4.7c
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/231
Context
Evagrius Scholasticus came from a background of wealth and education in
Syria and rose to prominence in the circles of power in the early Byzantine empire and
church, as legal advisor of the Patriarchate of Antioch and honorary officeholder under
Maurice and Tiberius II. His Church History covering the First Council of
Ephesus to the middle reign of Maurice (431-593/4 C.E.) provides especially rich evidence
for the history of Late Antique Syria. His famous portrait of Zosimas of Synda reveals the
holy man’s close connection to Caesarea (4.7), in particular his association with the
otherwise unknown grandee Arcesilaus, who became the venerable monk’s discussant and likely
patron. In this passage, which adopts the form of a parable or folktale, retells Zosimas’
journey to Caesarea on a donkey and his supernatural exchange with a lion.
Text
Τούτῳ τῷ Ζωσιμᾷ καί
ποτε ἐπὶ τὴν Καίσαρος ἰόντι ὀνάριόν τε παρασυρομένῳ ἐν ᾧ τῶν τινά οἱ
ἐπιτηδείων ἐπεβέβλητο, λέων ἔπεισι καὶ τὸν ὄνον ἁρπάσας ἀπῄει. Ὁ δὲ Ζωσιμᾶς ἀνὰ τὴν ὕλην
εἵπετο μέχρις ὅτου διακορὴσὁ λέων ἐκ τῆς θοίνης τοῦ ζῴου γέγονε· πρὸς ὃν ἐπιγελάσας ὁ
Ζωσιμᾶς φησιν· Ἀλλὰ γάρ, ὦ ἑταῖρε, τὰ τῆς πορείας ἐμοὶ διακέκοπται πάχητί τε ὄντι πόρρω τε
τῆς ἡλικίας ἀφιγμένῳ, καὶ μὴ δυναμένῳ νωτοφορεῖν τὰ ἐπὶ τοῦ ζῴου σεσαγμένα. Ἀχθοφορεῖν οὖν
ἀνάγκη σεπαρὰ τὸν θεσμὸν τῆς φύσεως, εἴπερ ἐθέλεις τῶν ἐντεῦθεν τὸν Ζωσιμᾶν ἀπαλλάττεσθαι
καὶ θηρίον αὖθις εἶναι. Ὁ δὲ τοῦ θυμοῦ καθάπαξ ἐπιλελησμένος ὑπέσαινε καὶ τῷ Ζωσιμᾷ
προσέτρεχε πράως εὐθύς, καὶ διὰ τοῦ σχήματος ἐβόα τὸ πειθήνιον. Ὧι περιθεὶς ὁ Ζωσιμᾶς τοῦ
ὄνου τὸ φορτίον μέχρι τῶν πυλῶν τῆς Καίσαρος ἤγαγε, δεικνὺς τοῦ θεοῦ
τὴν δύναμιν καὶ ὡς ἅπαντα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις δοῦλά τε καὶ πειθήνια, ὅταν αὐτῷ ζῶμεν καὶ τὴν
δεδομένην ἡμῖν χάριν οὐ παραχαράττομεν.
1
Textual Note
Ed. Bidez and Parmentier 1898Translation
Once when this Zosimas was going to the city of
Caesar and was leading along an ass on which he had loaded some of his
necessities, a lion came up, seized the ass, and departed. Zosimas followed him into the
wood until the lion became satiated from his feast on the animal. Zosimas smiled at it
and said, “Look here, my friend, my journey has been interrupted. While I am stout, I
have reached an advanced age, and am incapable of carrying on my back what was loaded
onto the animal. Therefore it is necessary for you, contrary to the law of nature, to
carry the burden, if indeed you wish Zosimas to leave these parts and you to become a
wild animal again.” And the lion, forgetting its ferocity, fawned and at once ran gently
up to Zosimas, and through its demeanor proclaimed obedience. Zosimas put on him the
ass’s burden and led him as far as the gates of the city of
Caesar, showing God’s power, and how all things are obedient slaves to
men when we live for Him and do not debase the grace given to us.
2
Translation Note
Rev. Whitby 2000Works Cited
- 1 Jerome, S. Eusebii Hieronymi Opera I.2: Epistulae LXXI-CXX, ed. Isidor Hilberg and Conrad Slovak, Corpus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum latinorum 55 (Vienna: Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1996), bk: 4.7c, p: 158-159.
- 2 Evagrius Scholasticus, The Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius Scholasticus, trans. Michael Whitby, Translated Texts for Historians 33 (Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2000), bk: 4.7c, p: 207.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Evagrius Scholasticus, Church History 4.7c,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/231.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Evagrius Scholasticus, Church History 4.7c.” 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/231.About this Entry
Entry Title: Evagrius Scholasticus, Church History 4.7c
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, “Evagrius Scholasticus, Church History 4.7c”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Evagrius Scholasticus, Church History 4.7c”
Additional Credit:
- TEI encoding by William L. Potter
- Electronic text added by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife