Mark the Deacon, Life of Porphyry 61-62
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/468
Context
Mark, a native of Asia, was a calligrapher in Jerusalem who joined
Porphyry of Gaza as his companion and agent from 395 to 420 C.E. During that time
Porphyry, originally from a wealthy family in Thessalonica, was appointed bishop of Gaza
by John the archbishop at Caesarea, and Mark became a deacon in his church, later
writing an account of the holy man’s career from his privileged perspective. The
hagiography, an important historical document in its own right but not unproblematic,
paints a vivid picture of the open and destructive conflict between the pagan
(“idolators,” “idolomaniacs”) and Christian residents of Gaza, as well as the
interaction between the metropolitan and the other Palestinian sees. In this passage,
John of Caesarea and Porphyry of Gaza return by ship in spring of 402 C.E. from their
sojourn in Constantinople to Maiumas and thence inland to Gaza, where they are joyously
received by the Christian residents. After a demon was driven out of a popular statue of
Aphrodite, many convert to Christianity, John presides over a service at the Church of
Holy Peace, and he departs ceremoniously for his own see at Caesarea.
Text
(61) Ἐκπλευσάντων δὲ ἡμῶν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, καθὼς εἴρηται, ὡς ἐφθάσαμεν τὸν
τόπον ἔνθα ὑπῆρχεν τὸ εἰρημένον εἴδωλον τῆς Ἀφροδίτης (ἐβάσταζον δὲ Χριστιανοὶ τὸ τίμιον
ξύλον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τουτέστιν τὸν τύπον τοῦ σταυροῦ), ἑωρακὼς ὁ ἐνοικῶν δαίμων ἐν τῇ
στήλῃ, μὴ φέρων ἰδεῖν τὸ φοβερὸν σημεῖον, ἐξελθὼν ἐκ τοῦ μαρμάρου μετὰ ἀταξίας πολλῆς,
ἔρριψεν αὐτὴν τὴν στήλην καὶ συνέκλασεν αὐτὴν εἰς πολλὰ κλάσματα. Ἔτυχεν δὲ δύο ἄνδρας
τῶν εἰδωλολατρῶν παρίστασθαι τῷ βωμῷ ἐν ᾧ ἵστατο ἡ στήλη, καὶ συμπεσοῦσα, τοῦ μὲν τὴν
κεφαλὴν ἐδιχοτόμησεν, τοῦ δὲ τὸν ὦμον καὶ τὸν καρπὸν κατέκλασεν· ἵσταντο γὰρ ἀμφότεροι
μυκτηρίζοντες τὸν ἅγιον λαόν. (62) Πολλοὶ δὲ τῶν Ἑλλήνων θεασάμενοι τὸ σημεῖον τὸ
γενόμενον ἐπίστευσαν, καὶ συμμιγέντες τοῖς λαϊκοῖς συνεισῆλθον αὐτοῖς εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν
ἐκκλησίαν τὴν ἐπώνυμον Εἰρήνην. Ἐγένετο δὲ χαρὰ μεγάλη τοῖς Χριστιανοῖς ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ
ἡμέρᾳ καὶ κατὰ τρεῖς τρόπους· κατὰ πρώτην τάξιν ὅτι ἀπέλαβον τὸν ἱερέα ὑγιαίνοντα καὶ
καταθυμίως πράξαντα, κατὰ δὲ τὴν δευτέραν ὅτι συνετρίβησαν οἱ θεοὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ
ἐγένοντο ‘ὡσεὶ κονιορτὸς διασκορπιζόμενος ἀπὸ ἅλωνος θερινῆς,’ ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ὅμοιοι αὐτῶν
συγκεκλασμένοι ἐγένοντο, πεποιθότες ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς, κατὰ τὴν τρίτην δὲ τὴν μείζονα τῶν ἄλλων
ὅτι καὶ ἐσώθησαν ψυχαὶ πλανώμεναι καὶ προσετέθησαν τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ποίμνῃ. Σφραγίσας δὲ
αὐτοὺς ὁ ἐπίσκοπος, ἀπέλυσεν μετ’ εἰρήνης, παραγγείλας αὐτοῖς σχολάζειν ταῖς ἁγίαις
προσευχαῖς. Ἦσαν δὲ τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἄνδρες τριάκοντα δύο καὶ γυναῖκες ἑπτά. Ποιήσας δὲ ὁ
ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Ἰωάννης ἄλλας δύο ἡμέρας ἐν Γάζῃ, ἐξῆλθεν ἐπὶ
Καισάρειαν, πάντων τῶν Χριστιανῶν καὶ τοῦ ὁσίου ἐπισκόπου
ἀποκαταστησάντων αὐτὸν ἕως δύο μιλίων.1
Textual Note
Ed. Haupt 1895 and Grégoire and Kugener 1930Translation
(61) After we had disembarked for the city (of Gaza), as we have
said, we came to the place where the idol of Aphrodite (already) mentioned was located;
the Christians were carrying the precious wood of Christ, that is, the figure of the
cross. When the demon dwelling in the status saw (it), not bearing to behold the
terrible sign, departed from the marble with much confusion, threw down the statue
itself, and broke it into many fragments. Two idolators happened to be standing by the
altar on which the statue was set up. when it fell over, it split asunder the head of
one man, and smashed the shoulder and wrist of the other, for both of them were standing
there mocking the holy people.(62) Many of the pagans, when they saw this sign, had
faith, joined in the crowd of common people, and entered with them the holy church named
Peace. There was great joy among the Christians on that day for three reasons. First,
they had received back the bishop in a healthy state after accomplishing his desires.
Second, the gods of the heathen had fallen apart and become “like dust scattered about
from the summer threshing-floor,” but also “those who were like them” shattered, because
they “had put their trust in them”. Third, and most importantly, souls wandering astray
had been saved and added to the flock of Christ. The bishop blessed them with the sign
of the cross and let them go in peace, bidding them to devote themselves to holy
prayers. They numbered 32 men and seven women. After the archbishop John had spent
another two days in Gaza, he left for Caesarea, and all the
Christians and the holy bishop accompanied him for up to two miles outside.2
Translation Note
Trans. J. L. Rife with ref. to Hill 1913, Grégoire and Kugener 1930, and Hübner 2013Discussion Note
The phrases “like dust scattered about from the summer threshing floor,” “those who were like them,” and “had put their trust in them” (§62) are quotations from Daniel 2:35, Psalms 115:8, and Psalms 135:18.Works Cited
- 1 Mark the Deacon, Marci Diaconi Vita Porphyrii, episcopi gazensis, ed. Moriz Haupt and Societatis philologae Bonnensis sodales (Leipzig: B. G. Teubner, 1895), ch: 61-62, p: 50-52.
- 2 Mark the Deacon, The Life of Porphyry, Bishop of Gaza, trans. George Francis Hill (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913), p: 70-72.
Additional Bibliography
- Mark the Deacon, Marc le diacre, vie de Porphyre, èvêque de Gaza, ed. Henri Grégoire and M. A. Kugener, Collection byzantine (Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 1930), ch: 61-62, p: 49-50.
- Mark the Deacon, Vita Sancti Porphyrii = Leben des heiligen Porphyrius, trans. Adelheid Hübner, Fontes Christiani (Freiburg am Breisgau: Herder, 2013), p: 172-175.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Mark the Deacon, Life of Porphyry 61-62,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/468.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Mark the Deacon, Life of Porphyry 61-62.” 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/468.About this Entry
Entry Title: Mark the Deacon, Life of Porphyry 61-62
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, “Mark the Deacon, Life of Porphyry 61-62”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Mark the Deacon, Life of Porphyry 61-62”
Additional Credit:
- Testimonium edited by Joseph L. Rife
- TEI record created by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium translated by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium transcribed by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium identified by Joseph L. Rife
- Editorial review by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium edited by Joseph L. Rife
- TEI record created by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium translated by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium transcribed by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium identified by Joseph L. Rife
- Editorial review by Joseph L. Rife