Choricius of Gaza, Speeches 3.10-3.19

https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/58

Context

Following his teacher Procopius, Choricius was the leading figure of the rhetorical flowering at Late Antique Gaza. Although we know nothing of his career, his evident professional success, references within his writings, and his reputation for stylistic sophistication among Byzantine scholars all point to the status and influence of Choricius among classicizing intellectuals of the Near East during roughly the second quarter of the 6th century. He apparently had personal experience with Alexandria and Caesarea, but his teaching and lecturing was chiefly based in Gaza. Among his surviving works are declamations, laudatory and apologetic speeches, funeral oratory, and treatises. This passage comes from his encomium to Aratius, dux of Palaestina Prima, and Stephanus, ἄρχων, possibly delivered at Caesarea on the occasion of Stephanus’ accession to the proconsulship in 534/5 C.E. Choricius here recounts with panegyrical flair the Samaritan and Jewish uprising in ca. 538-530, Justinian’s response, and Stephanus’s measured approach.

Text

(10) Ἐγένετο πρώην φορὰ δυσσεβῶν τοὺς Καισαρέων περιοίκους ληιζομένη καὶ μαχομένη πρὸς δόγμα θεοφιλὲς ἐκ δυοῖν βασιλέων, τοῦ μὲν ἐν οὐρανῷ προελθόν, τοῦ δὲ κατὰ γῆν ὁρισθέν. φυομένης τοίνυν τῆς ἐναγοῦς ἐκείνης καὶ περιβοήτου συστάσεως ἔμελε μὲν ὅπως σωφρονισθείη τῷ κορυφαίῳ τῶν ἱερέων, ἦν δὲ τοῖς πρότερον ἡγεμόσιν ἐπιμελές, οὐκ ἠμελεῖτο δὲ οὐδὲ τῷ τῶν φυλῶν ἀρχηγέτῃ. (11) καὶ δὴ πόλεμος ἦν πρᾶγμα βασιλεῖ μὲν οὐκ ἀρεστόν, ἐπὶ γὰρ ὑπηκόους συνεκροτεῖτο, τὴν δὲ τῶν ἀνοσίων ἑταιρείαν εὐφραῖνον, οὐχ ὅτι νίκης ἐλπίδα παρεῖχεν, ἔνηφον γάρ, οἶμαι, τοσοῦτον ὅσον μὴ προσδοκῆσαι νικᾶν, σεμνολογεῖσθαι δὲ προξενοῦν τοῖς ἀλαζόσι. (12) τοιαύταις <αἰτίαις> ἐδεήθη βασιλεὺς εἰς ἅλωσιν ἡμετέραν πολέμου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ψιλαῖς ἐντολαῖς πειθομένων ἡμῶν γε ἕνεκεν ὅπλα κινεῖται. (13) πῶς οὖν τοὺς οὕτω τετυφωμένους ἐπαίδευσας τὰ τῶν ἀρχομένων φρονεῖν; ᾔδεις ὡς φάλαγγες ὁπλιτῶν καὶ ψιλὸς ὅμιλος ἱππέων τε τάγμα καὶ βία χειρῶν καὶ ὅλως ἡ τοῦ πολέμου φύσις σωμάτων μὲν ἴσως, γνώμης δὲ κρατεῖν οὐ φιλεῖ, μᾶλλον δὲ φιλονεικοτέραν ποιεῖ πρὸς τὸ δοκοῦν ἀσύμφορον ἄγουσα. καὶ ἅμα τὸ δοκεῖν ἐξ ἴσου τοῖς ὅπλοις διαγωνίζεσθαι παρρησίαν αὐτοῖς εἰς ἀπόνοιαν ἐδωρεῖτο. (14) οὕτω ποτὲ καὶ Σκυθῶν οἱ νομάδες ἐπαναστάντων αὐτοῖς τῶν οἰκετῶν, μέχρι μὲν ἐν ὅπλοις ὁ πόλεμος ἦν, ἐρίζοντας εἶχον, τὸ γὰρ ἴσον τοῦ σχήματος ἐποίησε τοὺς θεράποντας ἐπιλαθέσθαι τῆς τύχης· ἀναλαβόντες δὲ μάστιγας τοῦτό τινος ὑποθεμένου ταχέως αὐτοὺς τῆς δουλείας ἀνέμνησαν δεσπόται φανέντες.(15) ὢ μεγάλης μὲν τῆς βασιλέως φιλανθρωπίας, μεγάλης δὲ τῆς σῆς πρὸς τοῦτο διακονίας. ἔδει γὰρ τὸν μὲν νομοθετῆσαι τῆς ἀσεβείας τὴν ἴασιν, σὲ δὲ ἤπια φάρμακα πάσσειν. (16) καθάπερ οὖν τῶν Ἀσκληπιαδῶν οἱ τεχνῖται φοιτῶσι πολλάκις παρὰ τὸν κάμνοντα τὰ μὲν ἡδέα καὶ προσηνῆ, τὰ δὲ πικρότερα φέροντες, ἵνα διαμαρτόντες, ἂν οὕτω τύχῃ, τῶν πρᾳοτέρων τοῖς ὀδυνηροῖς ἀποχρήσωνται μὴ βουλόμενοι μὲν εἰς τοῦτο χρείας ἐλθεῖν, τῇ δὲ βίᾳ τῆς νόσου νενικημένοι, οὕτω διπλῇ παρασκευῇ πεφραγμένος, ἡμέροις τε λόγοις καὶ πλήθει συντεταγμένῳ, πλησίον που τὴν ἔνοπλον δύναμιν παραστήσας τοῦ μὴ θόρυβον αὐτοῖς ἐμβαλεῖν ἴσως ἄνευ πολέμου πρὸς τὸ λυσιτελοῦν ἀγομένοις ἐχώρεις τῆς ἀσφαλείας ἐνέχυρον ἔχων τό· πολλάκις τοι μῦθος εἰς καιρὸν εἰρημένος κατορθοῖ τι ῥᾳδίως, ὅπερ βιαίως ἡ ῥώμη. (17) τί οὖν ἐκεῖνοι ἄνθρωποι, στρατόπεδον ὅλον, πάντες ἀπονενοημένοι, πάντες ἐξωπλισμένοι, αὐτὸς δὲ κατὰ τὴν ποίησιν ἐφέλκεται ἄνδρα σίδηρος; ἁπλῇ παραινέσει τὸ δέον ἐφρόνησαν. (18) οὐκοῦν δυνάμει μὲν τὴν δίκην λαβών, καλοκἀγαθίᾳ δὲ τρόπων τὴν ὀργὴν ἐκχαλάσας, διχόθεν αὐτοὺς παρεσκεύασας σωφρονεῖν τὴν μὲν ἀνδρείαν ὑφορωμένους, ὑπὲρ δὲ τῆς πρᾳότητος εὐνοοῦντας. (19) ἔξωθεν μὲν οὖν οὑτωσὶ τὰ πεπραγμένα τις θεωρῶν δόξειεν ἂν ἡμερότητα μόνον ἐπανθεῖν τοῖς εἰργασμένοις, ἐμβλέψας δὲ τῷ βάθει τῆς διανοίας καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀνδρείας ὄψεται μέγεθος. ὁ μὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀξίαν ἐκ τοῦ παραλόγου τι κατορθῶν, ἀσθενέστερος ὢν ἢ προσδοκῆσαι νίκην δευτέραν, μέχρι καὶ ἐς ὄλεθρον ἀμύνεται τοὺς λυπήσαντας, κἂν τύχωσιν ὄντες τῆς ἐσχάτης ἀνάξιοι δίκης· ὁ δὲ συνειδὼς ἑαυτῷ τὴν ὅτε βούλεται χειρώσασθαι τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἐξουσίαν, ὁ τοιοῦτος οὐκ ἀξιοῖ τῷ θυμῷ τὸ πᾶν ἐπιτρέπειν ἄλλως τε μηδὲ πρὸς ἀλλοφύλους γενησομένῳ.1

Textual Note

Ed. Foerster and Richsteig 1929

Textual Note

At start of §12 there is a lacuna in the best manuscript (Codex Bibliothecae Nationalis Matritensis N-101) thus: τοιαύταις … ἐδεήθη. Foerster 1929, p. 52 app. crit.: fort explendam una voce αἰτίαις.

Translation

There was recently a movement of an impious people plundering those living around Caesarea and fighting against the divine doctrine of the two rulers, originating from the one in heaven and decreed from the other one on earth. Then, after this accursed and scandalous alliance sprang up, it was an object of concern to the Archibishop that it should be punished. It was also a cause of anxiety to the former leaders, and it was not disregarded by the leader of the races (i.e., the emperor). (11) The war, of course, was not a pleasant thing for the emperor (Justinian), because it was organized against his subjects, but on the other hand, (the war) was a delight for the alliance of the impious ones, not because it gave them hope of victory, for I think they were sober-minded enough not to expect to win, but because it gave opportunity for them to speak in arrogant tones. (12) The emperor needed this kind of reason for war, so that (he might prevent) our destruction; and he campaigned (against them), of course, for our own sake, while all others obeyed his simple orders. (13) How then did you (Stephanos) teach those who had been so deluded in the matters of right thinking? You knew that phalanxes of hoplites, light troops, and array of cavalry, and the force of hands, and generally the nature of war may overcome bodies, but not the mind; instead (war) leads (the mind) to thinking in a prejudiced manner and makes (the mind) more contentious. And at the same time the belief that they were making an even fight of it gave them audacity as a gift produced by folly. (14) Similarly, when the slaves of the nomad Scythians once rebelled against them, as long as there was a war with arms they kept quarrelling, for the equality of their equipment made those who were servants forget their station in life; but when they (the Scythian masters) took up whips, upon someone's suggestion, they appeared as masters and quickly reminded them of (their) slavery.(15) Oh, how great is the emperor’s philanthropy, and how great is your contribution to this! For it was necessary that (the Emperor) ordain by law the method of healing the impiety, but that you “sprinkle the soothing drugs.” (16) And so just as the practitioners of medicine visit a sick person many times bringing first pleasant and gentle remedies and then harsher ones, so that, if it so happens they fail with the milder remedies, they may use the painful ones to the full, even though they do not wish to go to this degree of necessity, but have been compelled by the force of the disease; in the same way (you yourself) armed with a double preparation, with both gentle words and an army which had been assembled, (and you), having placed the armed forces somewhere close, in order not to introduce confusion among them, advanced in your attempt to achieve your goal, perhaps without war, but (at the same time) having this (army) as a pledge of safety. (For) certainly many times a word said at the appropriate time may accomplish successfully the same thing which strength does forcefully. (17) What then did these people do, the entire army, all desperate, all armed (when), as the poet says, “the very sight of iron draws men on”? As the result of mere advice they understood what was necessary. (18) Nevertheless, you did not take vengeance on them by (military) force, but you relaxed their anger with the gentleness of your manners; and you accustomed them to show moderation in two ways, by being suspicious of indolence and favorable toward gentleness. (19) Therefore, viewing from the outside the things done in this manner, one would suppose that only gentleness displayed itself in these accomplishments. However, considering it with deep thought, one will see also the greatness of manly spirit. For if a man accomplished something undeservedly and unexpectedly, being too weak to expect a second victory, he may defend himself even to death against those attacking him, even if, being unworthy, he will receive the ultimate punishment. But if another man is conscious of his power, whenever he wishes to overpower his enemies, such a man would not think it worthy to leave the matter entirely to his anger, especially when it is not even directed against foreigners.2

Translation Note

Rev. Litsas 1980

Discussion Note

Litsas (1980, pp. 158, 257 n. 15) translates τῷ κορυφαίῳ τῶν ἱερέων (10) as “Supreme Bishop” but notes that it is circumlocutory for the Metropolitan. Discussion: Choricius’s discussion of the rebellion against the Scythians (14) is indebted to Herodotus, History 4.3-4. He quotes “sprinkle the soothing drugs” (ἤπια φάρμακα πάσσειν, 15) from Homer, Iliad 10.830. He quotes “the very sight of iron draws men on” (ἐφέλκεται ἄνδρα σίδηρος, 17) from Homer, Odyssey 16.294.

Works Cited

1 Choricius of Gaza, Choricii Gazaei opera, ed. Eberhard Richtsteig and Richard Foerster, Bibliotheca scriptorum graecorum et latinorum Teubneriana (Leipzig: B. G. Teubner, 1929), section: 3.10-3.19, p: 51.19-54.5.
2 Choricius of Gaza and Fotios K. Litsas, Choricius of Gaza: An Approach to His Work. Introduction, Translation, Commentary (Ph.D., Chicago, University of Chicago, 1980), p: 157-160.

Additional Bibliography

Robert J. Penella, Introduction, in Rhetorical Exercises from Late Antiquity: A Translation of Choricius of Gaza’s Preliminary Talks and Declamations (Cambridge: Cambridge University Pres, 2009), xii + 323 pp

How to Cite This Entry

Joseph L. Rife, “Choricius of Gaza, Speeches 3.10-3.19,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published January 20, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/58.

Bibliography:

Joseph L. Rife, “Choricius of Gaza, Speeches 3.10-3.19.” 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 January 20, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/58.

About this Entry

Entry Title: Choricius of Gaza, Speeches 3.10-3.19

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, “Choricius of Gaza, Speeches 3.10-3.19”
Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Choricius of Gaza, Speeches 3.10-3.19”

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