Procopius of Gaza, Letter 42
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/442
Context
Procopius, later followed by his student Choricius, was a leading
figure in the rhetorical flowering at Late Antique Gaza. During his career spanning the
late 5th to early 6th centuries, he was a celebrated teacher and orator whose extant
writings include rhetorical works, letters, and biblical exegesis. Procopius wrote the
following letter to Thomas, a rhetorician who had worked in the provincial
administration, spent time abroad, and was recalled to serve in Caesarea again,
presumably by the governor (cf. Letter 88). Procopius here praises Thomas
for his excellence in both fields of oratory and jurisprudence, expresses his own
decorous humility, and recommends his former student, Megas, who has apparently taken a
government post in Caesarea.
Text
ΘωμᾶιΝῦν ὄντως ἡμῖν ἀνθοῦσι Δίκη καὶ Μοῦσαι καὶ σύνοικοι γίνονται.
τὴν σὴν εὑροῦσαι ψυχὴν μεριζομένην ψήφῳ δικαίᾳ καὶ λόγοις σύνεισι τὰ νῦν ἀλλήλαις ὥσπερ
εἰκός, ἀδελφαί τε οὖσαι καὶ κοινὸν ἔχουσαι πατέρα τὸν Δία. ἐξ οὗ γὰρ ἀπέλιπες πάλαι διὰ
χειρὸς οὐκ ἔχων ἔτι τὴν Καίσαρος, οἷα δήπου καὶ γέγονεν, ἀπέλιπον
μὲν τὰς πόλεις ἡμῖν, ὑπερορᾶται δὲ τὰ ἡμέτερα, ἦσαν δὲ παρὰ τῷ πατρὶ κατηγοροῦσαι τῶν
ἐπὶ γῆς. ἀλλ’ ἐπένευσε πάλιν, καὶ γέγονας παρ’ ἡμῖν, καὶ νεάζει πάλιν τοῖς ὑπηκόοις ἡ
τύχη. κἂν γὰρ ψῆφον ἐνέγκῃς, οὐκ ἀρνεῖται ταύτην ἡ Δίκη, κἂν λόγον εἴπῃς, ἐπαινοῦσι
πάντως αἱ Μοῦσαι. ὃ δὲ μάλιστα τεθαύμακα λέξω. τὸ γὰρ τοσοῦτον προὔχοντα μὴ τῶν
ἐλαττόνων ὑπεριδεῖν ἀλλὰ καὶ λόγων ἄρχειν καὶ φιλίας μεμνῆσθαι καί τι καὶ λεγόντων
ἐθέλειν ἀκούειν, σοὶ μὲν προσθήκη τοῦτο τοῦ θαύματος, τὰ Σωκράτους οἶμαι φιλοσοφοῦντι,
ἐμοὶ δὲ τὸ χρῆμα βαρὺ κατ’ ἐμαυτὸν ὡς δύναμαι ζῶντι καὶ εὐχομένῳ λαθεῖν. καὶ εἰ μὴ
κερδαίνειν ἐβουλόμην ὑμετέραν αὖθις ἐπιστολήν, ἐσίγων ἂν ἀπορῶν ὅ τι φθέγξωμαι μετὰ σέ.
νυνὶ δὲ καὶ γράφειν ἐρυθριῶ καὶ σιωπᾶν οὐκ ἀνέχομαι, τὴν σὴν ἐγείρων γλῶτταν μουσικὸν
αὖθις ἠχῆσαι καὶ μικροῖς τὰ μεγάλα θηρώμενος. πολλὰ δὲ κἀγαθὰ γένοιτο τῷ τὰς πόλεις ἡμῖν
ἐπιτροπεύειν λαχόντι· δεῖξαι γὰρ πρὸ τῆς πείρας τὸ μέλλον βουλόμενος καὶ παλαιᾶς τύχης
ἄγων εἰς μνήμην, ὑμᾶς ἐκάλει συνεργοὺς καὶ πᾶσι τὸ μέλλον εὐθὺς ἐμαντεύετο. τὸν δὲ καλὸν
Μέγαν ἠγάπων μὲν καὶ πρῴην ὥσπερ εἰκός, καὶ ὅσον εἶχον ἐδίδουν. ὁ γὰρ τῆς τέχνης οὕτω
βούλεται νόμος· ἀλλὰ καὶ πατὴρ ὑπάρχει καὶ κηδεστὴς ἱκανοὶ δι’ ἀρετὴν ἐμποιῆσαι καὶ τῷ
ῥαθυμοῦντι σπουδήν. ὑμῶν δὲ νυνὶ προστεθέντων τῷ νέω εὔξομαι δικαίαν εὐχήν· Ζεῦ ἄλλοι τε
θεοί, δυναίμην τι μεῖζον ἢ πρότερον, καὶ ὄναιτο Μέγας ἡμῶν ὁπόσον ὁ κηδόμενος
βούλεται.1
Textual Note
Ed. Garzya and Loenertz 1963 with ref. to Amato and Ciccolella 2010Translation
To Thomas,Now indeed Justice and the Muses blossom and live with
us. Having found your soul torn between law and rhetoric, now they get along, as is
natural, because they are sisters and have the same father, Zeus. In fact, ever since
long ago you left without holding Caesarea in your hand anymore,
what troubles have happened! (Justice and the Muses) left our cities, our activities are
neglected, and they stood by their father (Zeus) to accuse those on earth. But again
(Zeus? the governor?) assented and you came back to us, and fortune has renewed vigor
for (your) subjects. In fact, if you issue a verdict, Justice does not deny it, and, if
you deliver a speech, the Muses thoroughly praise it.But I will tell you what has
amazed me most: the fact that you, despite your superiority, do not overlook those who
are inferior—indeed, you not only arrange lectures but you remember the bonds of
friendship, and want to listen to those who have something to say. On the one hand, this
adds to the admiration for you (a philosopher after Socrates, I think!); on the other
hand, it is a serious matter for me, living on my own as much as I can and praying that
I will escape notice. And if I did not want to get another letter from you, I would keep
silent with no idea what I would say to follow up. Now I am embarrased to write and yet
I cannot bear to be silent, stirring your musical tongue to resonate again and hunting
for your impressive (words in response) with my small (words of greeting).Many and
great success to the one who manages our cities! (The governor), wanting to reveal the
future before it came about and remembering the ancient fortune(?), called upon you to
be his collaborator and immediately prophesied the future for all.I loved my dear
Megas also earlier, naturally, and I gave him everything I had; for that’s how the law
of skill wants it. But he has both a father and a caretaker who are able through their
virtue to instill discipline even in an idle child. Now that you have been put in charge
of the youth, I will pray a just prayer: O Zeus and other gods, might I be more able
than before, and might Megas benefit from me as much as his caretaker desires.2
Translation Note
J. L. Rife with ref. to Amato and Ciccolella 2010Works Cited
- 1 Procopius of Gaza, Procopii Gazaei epistolae et declamationes, ed. Antonio Garzya and Raymond-Joseph Loenertz, Studia patristica et Byzantina (Ettal: Buch-Kunstverlag, 1963), bk: 42, p: 25-26.
- 2 Procopius of Gaza, Rose di Gaza: gli scritti retorico-sofistici e le Epistole di Procopio di Gaza, ed. Eugenio Amato, Frederica Ciccolella, and Gianluca Ventrella (Alessandria: Edizioni dell’Orso, 2010), p: 314-315.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Procopius of Gaza, Letter 42,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/442.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Procopius of Gaza, Letter 42.” 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/442.About this Entry
Entry Title: Procopius of Gaza, Letter 42
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, “Procopius of Gaza, Letter 42”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Procopius of Gaza, Letter 42”
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