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Epigrams

OF GREGORY THE THEOLOGIAN

To the same. It was the fourth day, and Lazarus was raised from the tomb.

1.92 OF GREGORY THE THEOLOGIAN

In Caesarea, in the church of Saint Basil. It was when Christ slept an innate sleep on a ship, and the sea was troubled by tumult-bearing winds, and the sailors in fear cried out: “Awake, Savior; help us who are perishing.” And the Lord, arising, commanded the winds and waves to be still, and so it was; and those present in wonder considered the nature of God.

8. p FROM THE EPICS OF SAINT GREGORY THE THEOLOGIAN

8.1 Here a tomb holds godlike, excellent men, divine John, the most noble Theodosius, whose much-blessed virtue went to the vaults of heaven and showed them to be partakers of unblemished light.

8.2 I used to think a body would live without a soul before I would live without you, Basil, beloved servant of Christ; but I endured and remained. What are we waiting for? Will you not lift me up and place me in your choir-stance of the blessed? Do not leave me, no, I swear by your tomb; I will never forget you, not even if I wanted to. The word of Gregory.

8.3 When the Trinity joyfully seized the spirit of the godly-minded Basil as he hastened from here, all the heavenly host rejoiced at his coming, but every city of the Cappadocians groaned; not only they, but the world cried out loudly: “The herald has perished, the bond of glorious peace has perished.”

8.4 The whole world is shamefully shaken by opposing doctrines, the inheritance of the co-powerful Trinity; alas, but the closed lips of Basil are silent. Awake; and let the tempest cease by your words and by your sacrifices; for you alone have shown your life equal to your doctrine and your doctrine to your life.

8.5 One God ruling on high; and our generation has seen one worthy high priest in you, Basil, a loud-sounding messenger of truth, a shining eye for Christians, radiant in the beauties of your soul, the great glory of Pontus and Cappadocia; even still now, I beseech you, stand on behalf of the world, offering gifts.

8.6 Here the Caesareans placed Basil the high priest, son of Basil, me, a friend of Gregory, whom I loved with all my heart; and may God grant him blessed things, both other things and to encounter our life as soon as possible. But what profit is it for one tarrying on earth to waste away, mindful of heavenly friendship?

8.7 For a short time longer you were breathing on earth, but you gave and brought all things to Christ—soul, body, word, hands—O Basil, great glory of Christ, bulwark of priests, a bulwark now more than ever for much-divided truth.

8.8 O words, O common home of friendship, O dear Athens, O covenants of a divine life from afar, know this: that Basil is in heaven, as he longed to be, while Gregory is on earth, wearing fetters on his lips.

8.9 Great song of the Caesareans, O most radiant Basil, your speech was thunder, and your life lightning; but even so you left your sacred see; Christ willed it so, that you might mingle as quickly as possible with the heavenly ones.

8.10 You knew all the depths of the Spirit, and all that there is of earthly wisdom; you were a living temple. For eight years holding the reins of a godly people, this, O Basil, is a small part of your labors.

8.11 Farewell, O Basil, even if you have left us, nevertheless. This is Gregory's epitaph for you, this word which you loved; you have a debt, O Basil, of friendship, though a most unwelcome gift. Gregory, O Basil, to your dust

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Epigrammata

ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΟΥ

Εἰς τὸν αὐτόν Τέτρατον ἦμαρ ἔην, καὶ Λάζαρος ἔγρετο τύμβου.

1.92 ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΟΥ

Ἐν Καισαρείᾳ εἰς τὸν ναὸν τοῦ ἁγίου Βασιλείου Ἦν ὅτε Χριστὸς ἴαυεν ἐφ'

ὁλκάδος ἔμφυτον ὕπνον, τετρήχει δὲ θάλασσα κυδοιμοτόκοισιν ἀήταις, δείματί τε πλωτῆρες ἀνίαχον· «Ἔγρεο, σῶτερ· ὀλλυμένοις ἐπάμυνον.» ἄναξ δὲ κέλευεν ἀναστὰς ἀτρεμέειν ἀνέμους καὶ κύματα, καὶ πέλεν οὕτως· θαύματι δὲ φράζοντο Θεοῦ φύσιν οἱ παρεόντες.

8. p ΕΚ ΤΩΝ ΕΠΩΝ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΟΥ

8.1 Ἐνθάδε τύμβος ἔχει θεοειδέας ἀνέρας ἐσθλούς, θεῖον Ἰωάννην, τὸν πάνυ

Θευδόσιον, ὧν ἀρετὴ πολύολβος ἐς οὐρανοῦ ἄντυγας ἦλθε καὶ φωτὸς μετόχους δεῖξεν ἀκηρασίου. 8.2 Σῶμα δίχα ψυχῆς ζώειν πάρος ἢ ἐμὲ σεῖο, Βασίλιε, Χριστοῦ λάτρι φίλ', ὠιόμην· ἀλλ' ἔτλην καὶ ἔμεινα. τί μέλλομεν; οὔ μ' ἀναείρας θήσεις ἐς μακάρων σήν τε χοροστασίην; μή με λίπῃς, μή, τύμβον ἐπόμνυμι· οὔποτε σεῖο λήσομαι, οὐδ' ἐθέλων. Γρηγορίοιο λόγος. 8.3 Ἡνίκα Βασιλίοιο θεόφρονος ἥρπασε πνεῦμα ἡ Τριὰς ἀσπασίως ἔνθεν ἐπειγομένου, πᾶσα μὲν οὐρανίη στρατιὴ γήθησεν ἰόντι, πᾶσα δὲ Καππαδοκῶν ἐστονάχησε πόλις· οὐκ οἶον, κόσμος δὲ μέγ' ἴαχεν· «Ὤλετο κῆρυξ, ὤλετο εἰρήνης δεσμὸς ἀριπρεπέος.» 8.4 Κόσμος ὅλος μύθοισιν ὑπ' ἀντιπάλοισιν ἀεικῶς σείεται, ὁ Τριάδος κλῆρος ὁμοσθενέος· αἰαῖ, Βασιλίου δὲ μεμυκότα χείλεα σιγᾷ. ἔγρεο· καὶ στήτω σοῖσι λόγοισι σάλος σαῖς τε θυηπολίῃσι· σὺ γὰρ μόνος ἶσον ἔφηνας καὶ βίοτον μύθῳ καὶ βιότητι λόγον. 8.5 Εἷς θεὸς ὑψιμέδων· ἕνα δ' ἄξιον ἀρχιερῆα ἡμετέρη γενεὴ εἶδέ σε, Βασίλιε, ἄγγελον ἀτρεκίης ἐριηχέα, ὄμμα φαεινὸν Χριστιανοῖς, ψυχῆς κάλλεσι λαμπόμενον, Πόντου Καππαδοκῶν τε μέγα κλέος· εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν, λίσσομ', ὑπὲρ κόσμου ἵστασο δῶρ' ἀνάγων. 8.6 Ἐνθάδε Βασιλίοιο Βασίλιον ἀρχιερῆα θέντο με Καισαρέες, Γρηγορίοιο φίλον, ὃν περὶ κῆρι φίλησα· Θεὸς δέ οἱ ὄλβια δοίη ἄλλα τε καὶ ζωῆς ὡς τάχος ἀντιάσαι ἡμετέρης. τί δ' ὄνειαρ ἐπὶ χθονὶ δηθύνοντα τήκεσθ' οὐρανίης μνωόμενον φιλίης; 8.7 Τυτθὸν ἔτι πνείεσκες ἐπὶ χθονί, πάντα δὲ Χριστῷ δῶκας ἄγων, ψυχήν, σῶμα, λόγον, παλάμας, Βασίλιε, Χριστοῖο μέγα κλέος, ἕρμ' ἱερήων, ἕρμα πολυσχίστου νῦν πλέον ἀτρεκίης. 8.8 Ὦ μύθοι, ὦ ξυνὸς φιλίης δόμος, ὦ φίλ' Ἀθῆναι, ὦ θείου βιότου τηλόθε συνθεσίαι, ἴστε τόδ', ὡς Βασίλειος ἐς οὐρανόν, ὡς ποθέεσκεν, Γρηγόριος δ' ἐπὶ γῆς χείλεσι δεσμὰ φέρων. 8.9 Καισαρέων μέγ' ἄεισμα, φαάντατε ὦ Βασίλειε, βροντὴ σεῖο λόγος, ἀστεροπὴ δὲ βίος· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὣς ἕδρην ἱερὴν λίπες· ἤθελεν οὕτω Χριστός, ὅπως μίξῃ ὡς τάχος οὐρανίοις. 8.10 Βένθε' ἅπαντ' ἐδάης τὰ πνεύματος, ὅσσα τ' ἔασιν τῆς χθονίης σοφίης· ἔμπνοον ἱρὸν ἔης. ὀκτάετες λαοῖο θεόφρονος ἡνία τείνας, τοῦτο πόνων τῶν σῶν, ὦ Βασίλει', ὀλίγον. 8.11 Χαίροις, ὦ Βασίλειε, καὶ εἰ λίπες ἡμέας, ἔμπης· Γρηγορίου τόδε σοι γράμμ' ἐπιτυμβίδιον, μῦθος ὅδ', ὃν φιλέεσκες· ἔχεις χρέος, ὦ Βασίλειε, τῆς φιλίης καίτοι δῶρον ἀπευκτότατον. Γρηγόριος, Βασίλειε, τεῇ κόνι