Choricius of Gaza, Speeches 3.35-3.37
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/432
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 praises
Stephanus's crackdown on crime on the roads between Caesarea and neighboring settling,
which not only facilitated safe travel but also improved commerce and relations
generally.
Text
(35) … δευτέρα δέ σου κηρύττεται πρᾶξις ἐκ τῆς
Καισαρέων ἅμα καὶ τῶν ἐκείνης ὁμόρων. τὰς γὰρ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν πόλεων
κακούργων ἐνέδραις ἐπισφαλεῖς λεωφόρους, αἷς οὐδὲ στρατιώτης ἀνὴρ ἐχρῆτο θαρρῶν, νυνὶ
καὶ παιδίον ἀκινδύνως πορεύεται, κἂν ἤδη ληγούσης ἀκτῖνος ἀνὴρ ὁδοιπόρος ἐξ ἑτέρας τῶν
πόλεων ἐπὶ τὴν ἑτέραν ἰὼν μεταξύ που καθεύδῃ χρυσὸν ἐπιφέρων, ἄσυλον αὐτῷ τὸ χρυσίον ἐν
ἐρημίᾳ καὶ νυκτὶ καὶ ὕπνῳ τῆς τοῦ κέρδους ἐπιθυμίας τῷ φόβῳ παραχωρούσης. (36) τέως δὲ
τῶν ὁδῶν κεκλειμένων λῃστρικαῖς ἐπηρείαις τὸ τῶν ἐπιμιξιῶν ἡδύ τε καὶ χρήσιμον τὰς
πόλεις ἐξέλειπεν· ἡδὺ μὲν γὰρ ἐκδημοῦντας ἱστορῆσαι γείτονα πόλιν, ἡδὺ δὲ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν
ἐμπλήσαντας πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκείαν ἰέναι· τό γε μὴν κερδαλέον καὶ λυσιτελὲς οὐδὲ τὸν λίαν
ἀπράγμονα καὶ διὰ παντὸς οἰκουροῦντα λανθάνει. (37) καὶ γὰρ πλείονα πεῖραν πραγμάτων καὶ
τριβὴν ὀξυτέραν καὶ τὸ ῥᾳδίως ὅτου δέοιντο πορίζεσθαι τῶν πόλεων αἱ πρὸς ἀλλήλας
ἐπιμιξίαι χαρίζονται. ἑκάστη γὰρ τὸ μὲν αὐτὴ κέκτηται, τὸ δὲ παρ’ ἑτέρας λαμβάνει τάχα
τῆς φύσεως ἐξεπίτηδες τοῦτο μηχανωμένης, ἵνα πρόφασις εἴη φιλίας ταῖς πόλεσιν ἡ πρὸς
ἀλλήλας τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἀντίδοσις.1
Textual Note
Ed. Foerster and Richsteig 1929Translation
(35) … A second deed of yours (Stephanos) is announced from the city
of Caesarea and its neighbors. For the roads between cities,
which were unsafe due to ambushes by bad men and which even an armed man would not dare
to use, now even a child may travel without any danger. And even if, when the sun has
already set, a traveler going from one city to another and carrying gold falls asleep
somewhere in between, his gold will remain intact, even though he would be alone and
asleep at night, because the desire for profit has given way to fear. (36) At the time
when the roads were closed because of assaults by robbers, the pleasant and useful
commerce between cities disappeared; for it is pleasant for travelers to explore a
neighboring city, and it is also pleasant for them to return satistfied to their home
city. To be sure, this beneficial and profitable experience does not escape even the
most inactive person who has been completely housebound. (37) It is the case that
interstate commerce freely grants to each city a greater engagement in affairs, more
focused business, and ready provision for the needs of each. For on the one hand, each
city has it possessions, but at the same time it easily receives (goods) from other
cities, as if nature had deliberately contrived that the mutual exchange of necessities
might be a justification for friendly relations between cities.2
Translation Note
Adapted from Litsas 1980Works 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: 3.35-3.37, p: 58.8-59.5.
- 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: 164-165.
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 3.35-3.37,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published January 20, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/432.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Choricius of Gaza, Speeches 3.35-3.37.” 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/432.About this Entry
Entry Title: Choricius of Gaza, Speeches 3.35-3.37
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- 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 3.35-3.37”
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