Gelasius of Cyzicus, Church History 3.3.6-3.4.6
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/321
Context
We know almost nothing about Gelasius, who tells his readers that he
was the son of a priest in Cyzicus in Mysia. He wrote an ecclesiastical history in
defense of Orthodoxy against Monophysitism that concentrated on the Constantinian era.
In this passage, Gelasius quotes the same letter from Constantine to Eusebius of
Caesarea, with slight variations in wording, that was given firsthand by Eusebius in his
Life of Constantine (4.35-4.37) roughly a century and a half earlier.
In this famous missive, the emperor ordered 50 special bibles (“Divine Scriptures”) for
use by the churches of Constantinople, which were growing as the new capital flourished.
The production of these copies apparently in multivolume sets of lavish codices would
have been carried out at the Library of Caesarea.
Text
(3.6) ὁποῖα δὲ καὶ περὶ τῆς τῶν ἱερῶν βιβλίων κατασκευῆς πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν
Εὐσέβιον τὸν Παλαιστινὸν ἔγραψεν, ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν γραμμάτων καταμαθεῖν εὐχερές. (4.1)
“Νικητὴς Κωνσταντῖνος Μέγιστος Σεβαστὸς Εὐσεβίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ. Κατὰ τὴν ἐπώνυμον ἡμῶν πόλιν,
θεοῦ συναιρομένης προνοίας, μέγιστον πλῆθος ἀνθρώπων τῇ ἁγιωτάτῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἑαυτοῦ ὁ
Χριστὸς ἀνατέθεικεν, ὡς πάντων ἐκεῖσε πολλὴν λαμβανόντων τὴν αὔξησιν σφόδρα ἄξιον ἡμῖν
καταφαίνεσθαι καὶ ἐκκλησίας ἐν αὐτῇ κατασκευασθῆναι πλείους. (4.2) τοιγάρτοι δέδεξο
προθυμότατα τὸ δόξαν τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ προαιρέσει. πρέπον τοῦτο κατεφάνη ἡμῖν δηλῶσαι τῇ σῇ
συνέσει, ὅπως ἂν πεντήκοντα σωμάτια ἐν διφθέραις ἐγκατασκεύοις εὐανάγνωστά τε καὶ πρὸς
τὴν χρῆσιν εὐπαρακόμιστα ὑπὸ τεχνικῶν καλλιγράφων καὶ ἀκριβῶς τὴν τέχνην ἐπισταμένων
γραφῆναι κελεύσειας, τῶν θείων μάλιστα, ὧν τήν τε ἐπισκευὴν καὶ τὴν χρῆσιν τῷ τῆς
ἐκκλησίας λόγῳ ἀναγκαίαν εἶναι γινώσκεις. (4.3) ἀπέσταλται δὲ γράμματα παρὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας
ἡμερότητος πρὸς τὸν τῆς διοικήσεως καθολικόν, ὅπως ἅπαντα τὰ πρὸς τὴν ἐπισκευὴν αὐτῶν
ἐπιτήδεια παρασχεῖν φροντίσῃ. (4.4) ἵνα γὰρ ὡς τάχιστα τὰ γραφέντα σωμάτια
κατασκευασθείη, τῆς σῆς ἐπιμελείας ἔργον τοῦτο γενήσεται, καὶ γὰρ δύο δημοσίων ὀχημάτων
ἐξουσίαν εἰς διακομιδὴν ἐκ τῆς αὐθεντίας τοῦ γράμματος ἡμῶν λαβεῖν σε προσήκει. (4.5)
οὕτω γὰρ ἂν μάλιστα τὰ καλῶς γραφέντα καὶ μέχρι τῶν ἡμετέρων ὄψεων ῥᾷστα διακομισθείη,
ἑνὸς δηλαδὴ τοῦτο πληροῦντος τῶν ἐκ τῆς σῆς ἐκκλησίας διακόνων, ὃς ἐπειδὰν ἀφίκοιτο πρὸς
ἡμᾶς, τῆς ἡμετέρας πειραθήσεται φιλανθρωπίας. ὁ θεὸς διαφυλάξει σε, ἀδελφὲ ἀγαπητέ.”
(4.6) Ἱκανὰ μὲν οὖν καὶ ταῦτα τεκμηριῶσαι, μᾶλλον δὲ διδάξαι σαφῶς, ὅπως ὁ πανεύφημος
βασιλεύς, ὡς καὶ ἀνωτέρω εἰρήκαμεν, πᾶσαν εἰς τὰ θεῖα μετατέθεικε τὴν σπουδήν.
1
Textual Note
Ed. Hansen 2002Translation
(Constantine) also wrote such things about the provision of Holy
Bibles to Eusebius of Palestine himself, a topic easy to learn about fully from the
actual correspondence: “Victor Constantine Maximus Augustus to Eusebius. Through the
sustaining Providence of God, it happens that Christ has united great numbers to his own
most Holy Church in the city which is called by my name. It seems to me, therefore,
highly requisite, since that city is rapidly advancing in prosperity in all other
respects, that the number of churches should also be increased. Do you, therefore,
receive with all readiness my determination on this behalf. I have thought it expedient
to instruct your Intelligence to order fifty volumes, leatherbound and ornate, to be
written in a highly legible way, easy to carry for use, by skilled calligraphers, keenly
knowledgable of their craft, copies that is of the Divine (Scriptures), the provision
and use of which you know are necessary for discourse in church. The catholicus of the
diocese has also received instructions by letter from our Clemency to take care to
furnish all things necessary for the preparation of such copies; and the task for your
special oversight is to furnish the completed copies as quickly as possible. You are
also authorized by virtue of this letter to use two of the public carriages for their
conveyance, by which arrangement the copies, when fairly written, will most easily be
forwarded for my personal inspection; and one of the deacons of your church may be
entrusted with this service, who, on his arrival here, will enjoy my generosity. God
will protect you, dear brother!” (6) That is enough to give evidence, or rather to teach
us clearly, that the all-blessed emperor, as we said above, dedicated all his attention
to the workship of God.
Translation Note
Trans. J. L. Rife with ref. to Cameron and Hill 1999Works Cited
- 1 Gelasius of Cyzicus, Anonyme Kirchengeschichte (Gelasius Cyzicenus, CPG 6034), ed. Günther Christian Hansen, Die griechischen christlichen Schriftsteller der ersten drei Jahrhunderte, neue Folge 9 (Berlin and New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2002), bk: 3.3.6-3.4.6, p: 115-116.
Additional Bibliography
- Eusebius of Caesarea, Life of Constantine, trans. Averil Cameron and Stuart G. Hill, Clarendon Ancient History Series (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1999)
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Gelasius of Cyzicus, Church History 3.3.6-3.4.6,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/321.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Gelasius of Cyzicus, Church History 3.3.6-3.4.6.” 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/321.About this Entry
Entry Title: Gelasius of Cyzicus, Church History 3.3.6-3.4.6
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, “Gelasius of Cyzicus, Church History 3.3.6-3.4.6”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Gelasius of Cyzicus, Church History 3.3.6-3.4.6”
Additional Credit:
- TEI encoding by William L. Potter
- Electronic text added by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife