Cyril of Scythopolis, Life of Sabas 70.172.1-70.173.11
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/493
Context
Cyril from Scythopolis (ca. 525-559 C.E.) was a monk who wrote
detailed hagiographies of seven roughly contemporary monks. His works are essential
historical sources for Palestinian monasticism, theology, and political relationships
during roughly the first half of the 6th century. He wrote one of his two major works
about the Cappadocian Saint Sabas, at whose lavra he served from 555 C.E. until his
death. In this important passage, Cyril records the uprising of the Samaritans led by
Julian ben Sabar in 529-531 C.E.
Text
τῷ οὖν τετάρτωι μηνὶ τῆς τοῦ ἀββᾶ Θεοδοσίου κοιμήσεως οἱ κατὰ
Παλαιστίνην Σαμαρεῖται τὸ ἔθνος ἅπαν κατὰ τῶν Χριστιανῶν στρατεύσαντες πολλὰ ἀθέμιτα
διεπράξαντο, τὰς μὲν ἐμπιπτούσας ἐκκλησίας πραιδεύοντές τε καὶ πυρὶ παραδιδόντες, τοὺς
δὲ ἐμπίπτοντας Χριστιανοὺς διαφόροις κολάσεσιν ἀφειδῶς ἀποκτείνοντες καὶ χωρία ὁλόκληρα
τῶι πυρὶ παραδιδόντες ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα περὶ Νεάπολιν τόποις. ἔνθα τυραννήσαντες ἔστεψαν
ἑαυτοῖς βασιλέα Ἰουλιανόν τινα σύνεθνον αὐτῶν. τότε δὴ τὸν μὲν ἐπίσκοπον Νεαπόλεως
Μαμωνᾶν κατέσφαξαν, τινὰς δὲ συλλαβόμενοι πρεσβυτέρους καὶ τούτους κατακόψαντες
ἀπετηγάνισαν μετὰ λειψάνων ἁγίων μαρτύρων. καὶ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα πεποιήκασιν, ὥστε τὰς
βασιλικὰς καλουμένας ὁδοὺς ἀβάτους καὶ ἀδιοδεύτους τοῖς Χριστιανοῖς γενέσθαι. τούτων οὖν
ἁπάντων εἰς ἀκοὰς ἐλθόντων τοῦ εὐσεβεστάτου ἡμῶν βασιλέως Ἰουστινιανοῦ ἐκελεύσθησαν
Θεόδωρος καὶ Ἰωάννης οἱ ἐνδοξότατοι στρατὸν συναγεῖραι καὶ τῶν Σαμαρειτῶν καταστρατεῦσαι
καὶ συμβολῆς γενομένης ἀνηιρέθη Ἰουλιανὸς καὶ πλῆθος πολὺ Σαμαρειτῶν σὺν αὐτῶι. τότε δὴ
Σιλουανὸς ὁ ἀνωτέρω μνημονευθεὶς ὡς ἐπὶ εἰρήνηι ἐν Σκυθοπόλει ἐλθὼν χωρὶς κελεύσεως
βασιλικῆς ἁρπαγεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν Χριστιανῶν εἰς τὸ μέσον ἐκαύθη τῆς πόλεως καὶ ἐπληρώθη ἡ περὶ
αὐτοῦ πρὸς Ἰωάννην τὸν τοῦ ἐκσπελλευτοῦ ῥηθεῖσα ἐν τῶι ἐπισκοπείωι προφητεία τοῦ ἐν
ἁγίοις πατρὸς ἡμῶν Σάβα. Ἀρσένιος δέ τις τοῦ καέντος Σιλουανοῦ υἱὸς ἰλλουστρίου ἀξίωμα
ἔχων καὶ ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει τὸ τηνικαῦτα διατρίβων καὶ πολλὴν οὐκ οἶδα ὅθεν πάροδον
ἔχων παρά τε τῶι θεοφυλάκτῷ ἡμῶν βασιλεῖ καὶ Θεοδώρᾳ τῇ βασιλίσσῇ παραδιδάξας τὴν αὐτῶν
εὐσέβειαν εἰς ὀργὴν κατὰ τῶν ἐν Παλαιστίνῇ Χριστιανῶν κεκίνηκεν. τότε τοίνυν ὁ
ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Πέτρος σὺν τοῖς ὑπ’ αὐτὸν ἐπισκόποις παρακαλεῖ τὸν πατέρα ἡμῶν Σάβαν
ἀνελθεῖν ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει καὶ δεηθῆναι τοῦ βασιλέως συγχώρησιν φιλοτιμήσασθαι
δημοσίων πρώτης καὶ δευτέρας Παλαιστίνης διὰ τοὺς γεγονότας ὑπὸ τῶν Σαμαρειτῶν φόνους τε
καὶ ἀφανισμούς. καὶ εἴξας ταῖς τῶν ἀρχιερέων παρακλήσεσιν ὁ πρεσβύτης ἀνέρχεται ἐν
Κωνσταντινουπόλει περὶ τὸν Ἀπρίλλιον μῆνα τῆς ὀγδόης ἰνδικτιόνος.1
Textual Note
Ed. Schwatrz 1939Translation
In the fourth month after the death of Abba Theodosius, the
Samaritans in Palestine marshalled their whole nation against the Christians and
performed many lawless acts. They pillaged and set fire to the churches that fell into
their hands, mercilessly killing by various tortures the Christians who fell into their
hands, and setting fire to whole estates, especially in the region of Neapolis.
Thereupon they claimed absolute sovereignty and crowned their own king, Julianus, one of
their own people. Then they slaughtered the bishop of Neapolis, Mamonas, and, having
captured and butchered some priests, they roasted them together with the remains of the
martyrs. They enacted many such acts, so that the so-called Imperial Roads became
unusable and impassable for the Christians. When all this came to the ears of our most
pious emperor, Justinian, the most glorious (counts) Theodore and John received orders
to gather an army and march against the Samaritans. A battle ensued, in which Julian and
a great multitude of Samaritans with him were killed. At this point Silvanus, mentioned
above, who came as if peacably to Scythopolis without an imperial order, was seized by
the Christians and burned in the middle of the city, and this fulfilled the prophecy
concerning him uttered in the bishop’s palace to John, son of the compulsor, by our
sainted father Sabas. One Arsenius, son of the burned Silvanus and having the rank of
illustris, who was at this time living in Constantinople and
enjoyed (I know not how) easy access to our divinely protected Emperor [Justinian I] and
the Empress Theodora, used misinformation to stir their piety into anger against the
Christians of Palestine. So then the Archbishop Peter with the bishops under him asked
our father Sabas to go up to Constantinople and to beg the Emperor to grant remission of
the taxes of Palestinae I and II on account of the murders and destruction perpetrated
by the Samaritans. When he had yielded to the requests of the bishops, the old man went
up to Constantinople in April of the eighth indiction.2
Translation Note
Revised from Price and Binns 1990Works Cited
- 1 Cyril of Scythopolis, Kyrillos von Skythopolis, ed. Eduard Schwartz, Texte und Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der altchristlichen Literatur, 49.2 (Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs, 1939), ch: 70, p: 172.1-173.11.
- 2 Cyril of Scythopolis, Life of Our Father Saint Euthymius, in Cyril of Scythopolis: The Lives of the Monks of Palestine, trans. R. M. Price, Cistercian Studies 114 (Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1990), lii + 306 pp, p: 181-182.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Cyril of Scythopolis, Life of Sabas 70.172.1-70.173.11,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/493.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Cyril of Scythopolis, Life of Sabas 70.172.1-70.173.11.” 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/493.About this Entry
Entry Title: Cyril of Scythopolis, Life of Sabas 70.172.1-70.173.11
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, “Cyril of Scythopolis, Life of Sabas 70.172.1-70.173.11”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Cyril of Scythopolis, Life of Sabas 70.172.1-70.173.11”
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