Gelasius of Cyzicus, Church History 3.3.6-3.4.6
created: This entry is taken from Church History 3.3.6-3.4.6 written by Gelasius of Cyzic
edition published: 2023-06-30-05:00
language: grc; grc
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Caesarea Maritima is indirectly attested at Gelasius of Cyzicus, Church History 3.3.6-3.4.6. This passage was written ca. 470-480 CE possibly in Cyzicus. 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.

(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.

[Ed. Hansen 2002]

(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. [Trans. J. L. Rife with ref. to Cameron and Hill 1999]

Works Cited

[...] 3.3.6-3.4.6 115-116

Additional Bibliography

[...]

[Cassiodorus, Church History 2.16.1-5

Eusebius, Life of Constantine 4.35-4.37

Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopoulos, Church History 8.27

Socrates of Constantinople, Church History 1.9.51-55

Theodoret of Cyrrus, Church History 1.16.1-4]

[Constantinople]

[Constantine I, Emperor

Eusebius of Caesarea]

[Byzantine History

Christian Bible

Christianity

Education (sacred)

Government and Law

Hebrew Bible

Society and Culture

Travel

Urban Topography]