Tag: Socrates Scholasticus

Ὑπὸ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον καὶ δαίμων τις ἀλάστωρ τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως ὠμότητι ἀπεχρήσατο· ἀνέπεισε γάρ τινας περιεργαζομένους, τίς μετὰ Οὐάλεντα βασιλεύσειεν, νεκυομαντείαν ποιήσασθαι. οἷστισι μαγικῇ τινὶ μαγγανείᾳ χρωμένοις ἀνεῖλεν ὁ δαίμων οὐ φανερὰ, ἀλλὰ συνήθως λοξά· δείξας τέσσαρα γράμματα, θʹ καὶ εʹ καὶ οʹ καὶ δʹ, εἰπὼν, ἐκ τούτων ἄρχεσθαι τοὔνομα τοῦ μετὰ Οὐάλεντα βασιλεύσοντος, εἶναι δὲ αὐτὸ σύνθετον. ἥκει δὲ εἰς τὰς ἀκοὰς τοῦ βασιλέως ἡ τῶν γενομένων φήμη. Καὶ γὰρ οὐ παρεχώρει τὸ μέλλον εἰδέναι Θεῷ, καὶ ποιεῖν ὃ ἐδόκει τῷ πάντα διοικοῦντι καλῶς· ἀλλὰ παρεὶς τὰ τοῦ Χριστιανισμοῦ παραγγέλματα, ὧν ζῆλον ἔχειν ἐνόμιζεν, πολλοὺς ἀπώλλυεν, οὓς τυραννήσειν ὑπώπτευεν. ἀπεκτίννυντο οὖν Θεόδωροι καὶ Θεόδοτοι καὶ Θεοδόσιοι καὶ Θεόδουλοι, καὶ ὅσοι τούτοις εἶχον ὀνόματα παραπλήσια. ἐν οἷς καὶ Θεοδοσίολός τις, ἀνὴρ γενναῖος ἐκ τῶν εὐπατριδῶν τῆς Ἱσπανίας καταγόμενος, ἀνῃρεῖτο. ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ ἐπικειμένου δέους, πολλοὶ τὰ ἑαυτῶν ὀνόματα μετετίθεσαν, ἀπαρνούμενοι ἃ οἱ γονεῖς τεχθεῖσιν ἐπέθεσαν, ὡς κίνδυνον ἔχοντα. περὶ μὲν δὴ τούτου τοσαῦτα εἰρήσθω.
(Socrates Scholasticus, Hist. Eccl. 4.18)

The cruel disposition of the emperor was at this time abused by an execrable demon, who induced certain curious persons to institute an inquiry by means of necromancy as to who should succeed Valens on the throne. To their magical incantations the demon gave responses not distinct and unequivocal, but as the general practice is, full of ambiguity; for displaying the four letters q, e, o, and d, he declared that the name of the successor of Valens began with these; and that it was a compound name. When the emperor was apprised of this oracle, instead of committing to God, who alone can penetrate futurity, the decision of this matter, in contravention of those Christian principles to which he pretended the most zealous adherence, he put to death very many persons of whom he had the suspicion that they aimed at the sovereign power: thus such as were named ‘Theodore,’ ‘Theodotus,’ ‘Theodosius,’ ‘Theodulus,’ and the like, were sacrificed to the emperor’s fears; and among the rest was Theodosiolus, a very brave man, descended from a noble family in Spain. Many persons therefore, to avoid the danger to which they were exposed, changed their names, giving up those which they had received from their parents in infancy as dangerous. This will be enough on that subject. (tr. Edward Walford, revised by Andrew Constantinides Zenos)

Λεκτέον δὲ οἷα καὶ ἐν Ἐδέσῃ τῆς Μεσοποταμίας ἐγίνετο. ἐν δὲ τῇδε τῇ πόλει Θωμᾶ τοῦ ἀποστόλου μαρτύριόν ἐστι λαμπρὸν καὶ περιφανὲς, συνεχεῖς τε ἐν αὐτῷ συνάξεις ἐπιτελοῦνται διὰ τὴν τοῦ τόπου ἁγιότητα. τοῦτο ἱστορῆσαι ὁ βασιλεὺς Οὐάλης θελήσας, καὶ μαθὼν πᾶν τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀπεχθεῖς αἱρέσεως εἶναι τῶν συνερχομένων τὸ πλῆθος, λέγεται τῇ χειρὶ πλῆξαι τὸν ὕπαρχον, ὅτι μὴ προὐνόησε ἐξελάσαι κἀκεῖθεν αὐτούς. Ὡς δὲ ὁ ὕπαρχος περιυβρισθεὶς ἕτοιμος ἦν ἄκων ὑπουργεῖν τῇ βασιλέως ὀργῇ (οὐ γὰρ ἐβούλετο τοσούτων ἀνδρῶν φόνον ἐργάζεσθαι), λαθραίως δηλοῖ, ὅπως ἂν μηδεὶς ἐν τῷ μαρτυρίῳ καταληφθῇ. ἀλλὰ προσεῖχεν οὐδεὶς οὐδὲ τῇ συμβουλῇ οὐδὲ τῇ ἀπειλῇ· πάντες γὰρ τῇ ἑξῆς εἰς τὸν εὐκτήριον τόπον συνέρρεον. ὡς δὲ ὁ ὕπαρχος σὺν χειρὶ πολλῶν στρατιωτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ μαρτύριον ἔσπευδεν, ἐκπληρώσων τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως ὀργὴν, γυνή τις πενιχρὰ, τὸ ἑαυτῆς παιδίον ἐκ χειρὸς ἕλκουσα, ἐπὶ τὸ μαρτύριον ἔτρεχε, καὶ διακόπτει τὸ τάγμα τῶν δορυφορούντων τὸν ὕπαρχον. ἀγανακτήσας δὲ ὁ ὕπαρχος προσάγεσθαι αὐτῷ τὴν γυναῖκα κελεύει, καὶ φησὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν, “ὦ ταλαίπωρον γύναιον, ποῦ τρέχεις οὕτως ἀκόσμως;” ἡ δὲ, “ἔνθα,” φησὶ, “καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι συντρέχουσι.” ὁ δὲ, “οὐκ ἀκήκοας,” ἔφη, “ὅτι ὁ ὕπαρχος μέλλει πάντας ἀναιρεῖν οὓς ἂν εὑρίσκῃ;” καὶ ἡ γυνὴ, “ἤκουσα,” ἔφη, “καὶ διὰ τοῦτο σπεύδω, ὥστε ἐκεῖ εὑρεθῆναι.” “καὶ ποῦ τοῦτο τὸ μικρὸν ἕλκεις παιδίον;” φήσαντος τοῦ ὑπάρχου, ἡ γυνὴ φησὶν, “ὥστε καὶ αὐτὸ μαρτυρίου καταξιωθῆναι.” ταῦτα ὡς ἤκουσεν ὁ ἀνὴρ, ἐτεκμῄρατο τῶν συνερχομένων τὴν ἀπόνοιαν· καὶ εὐθὺς παραγενόμενος πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἐδίδασκεν αὐτὸν, ὡς εἴησαν πάντες ἕτοιμοι ὑπὲρ τῆς αὐτῶν ἀποθνήσκειν πίστεως· καὶ ἄλογον εἶναι εἰπὼν, τοσούτους ἐν βραχεῖ χρόνῳ ἀνελεῖν, παρέπεισε τὸν βασιλέα παύσασθαι τῆς ὀργῆς. τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον Ἐδεσηνοὶ τὸ μὴ καταπολεμηθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ οἰκείου βασιλέως ἐξέφυγον.
(Socrates Scholasticus, Hist. Eccl. 4.18)

But we must here mention certain circumstances that occurred at Edessa in Mesopotamia. There is in that city a magnificent church dedicated to St. Thomas the Apostle, wherein, on account of the sanctity of the place, religious assemblies are incessantly held. The Emperor Valens wishing to inspect this edifice, and having learnt that all who usually congregated there were opposed to the heresy which he favored, he is said to have struck the prefect with his own hand, because he had neglected to expel them thence also. As the prefect after submitting to this ignominy, was most unwillingly constrained to subserve the emperor’s indignation against them,—for he did not desire to effect the slaughter of so great a number of persons,—he privately suggested that no one should be found there. But no one gave heed either to his admonitions or to his menaces; for on the following day they all crowded to the church. And when the prefect was going towards it with a large military force in order to satisfy the emperor’s rage, a poor woman leading her own little child by the hand hurried hastily by, on her way to the church, breaking through the ranks of the prefect’s company of soldiers. The prefect irritated at this, ordered her to be brought to him, and thus addressed her: ‘Wretched woman! whither are you running in so disorderly a manner?’ She replied, ‘To the same place that others are hastening.’ ‘Have you not heard,’ said he, ‘that the prefect is about to put to death all that shall be found there?’ ‘Yes,’ said the woman, ‘and therefore I hasten that I may be found there.’ ‘And whither are you dragging that little child?’ said the prefect: the woman answered, ‘That he also may be made worthy of martyrdom.’ The prefect on hearing these things, conjecturing that a similar resolution actuated the others who were assembled there, immediately went back to the emperor, and informed him that all were ready to die in behalf of their own faith. He added that it would be preposterous to destroy so many persons at one time, and thus persuaded the emperor to control his wrath. In this way were the Edessenes preserved from being massacred by order of their sovereign. (tr. Edward Walford, revised by Andrew Constantinides Zenos)