Severus of Antioch, Letter to Stephen the Reader 8.1 [Book 7, Letter 392]
created: This entry is taken from Letter to Stephen the Reader 8.1 [Book 7, Letter 392] w
edition published: 2022-09-30-05:00
language: syr; grc
availability: Except for materials quoted from other sources, this entry is copyright 2022 by the contributors (David A. Michelson, et al.) and the Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project. It is licensed under the Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. Some texts quoted in this entry may be in the public domain in the United States. No copyright is asserted for these quotations. Some texts quoted in this entry may have copyright restrictions and are reused under Section 107 of the Copyright Act (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)

https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/405

ܗ̇ܝ ܕܩܣܪ̈ܝܐ܇ ܗ̇ܝ ܕܐܝܬܝܗ̇ ܡܝܛܪܦܘܠܝܣ ܕܦܠܝܣܛܝܢܐ ܗ̇ܝ ܩܕܡܝܬܐ

, and

the [city] of the Caesareans, which is the metropolis of Palestina Prima

are directly attested at Severus of Antioch, Letter to Stephen the Reader 8.1 [Book 7, Letter 392]. This passage was written ca. 513-518 CE possibly in Antioch. This letter was originally written in Greek by Severus of Antioch during the period of his sixth-century episcopacy as Patriarch of Antioch. It survives only in a later Syriac translation. The letter is addressed to a certain lector named Stephen who inquired about the practice of public reading of lives of the saints. Severus mentions a number of hagiographic texts and current locations where such texts are received and read by churches within the miaphysite or Non-Chalcedonian communion. The reading of The Life of Pamphilus of Caesarea in Caesarea Maritima is mentioned as one example. Although not specified in the text, this life may be the lost Vita written by Eusebius of Caesarea.

ܕܡܬ̣ܩܪܝܢ ܕܝܢ ܐܦ ܒܥܕ̈ܬܐ ܩܘ̈ܠܣܐ ܗ̇ܢܘܢ ܕܩܕܝ̈ܫ܆ ܣܗ̇ܕ ܡ̇ܢ ܡܐܡܪܗ ܕܚܟܝܡܐ ܒܣܝܠܝܘܣ ܗ̇ܘ ܕܥܠ ܐܪ̈ܒܥܝܢ ܣܗ̈ܕܐ܇ ܕܡܬܩܪܐ ܠܥܡܐ ܒܗ̇ܝ ܕܒܪ̈ܘܛܐܝܐ܆ ܐܦ ܗ̇ܘ ܕܝܢ ܕܩܕܝܫܐ ܦܐܡܦܝܠܘܣ܇ ܘܒܗ̇ ܘܒܗ̇ܝ ܕܩܣܪ̈ܝܐ܇ ܗ̇ܝ ܕܐܝܬܝܗ̇ ܡܝܛܪܦܘܠܝܣ ܕܦܠܝܣܛܝܢܐ ܗ̇ܝ ܩܕܡܝܬܐ.

[^1]

[^1: The numbering of Severus's Letters remains to be untangled by scholars. This letter is the first letter of section VIII in the Syriac translation. The Syriac text mentions that the letter was previously "the 392nd letter from the 7th book" likely referring to the Greek collection. The dating of this letter to Severus' episcopacy is also from a note found in the Syriac translation.]

That the praises of the saints are also read in churches is witnessed by the discourse of the wise Basil on the forty martyrs, which is read to the people in the [city] of the people of Berytus. Also that [vita] of the holy Pamphilus [is read], both there and in the [city] of the Caesareans, which is the metropolis of Palestina Prima .

[Translation by David Michelson, adapted from that of E.W. Brooks.]

Works Cited

[...] 441
[...] 392-393

[Basil of Caesarea, On the Forty Martyrs

Life of Saint Pamphilus of Caesarea]

[Berytus

Palastina Prima]

[Basil of Caesarea

Eusebius of Caesarea

Forty Martyrs of Sebaste

Pamphilus of Caesareas Maritima

Stephen the Lector]

[Christianity in Caesarea

Churches in Caesarea

Hagiography

Martyrdom

Non-Chalcedonian Christians]