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De ostentis

OF JOHN LAURENTIUS THE LYDIAN, ON DIVINE SIGNS

PROOEMIVM The learned men of the Hebrews divide the account concerning foreknowledge in two, into signs and wonders; and they wish signs to be those things formed in the heavens, and wonders those things on earth appearing contrary to nature, such as that which is related in what is called the Exodus of the Hebrews concerning Moses himself: “and he saw that the bush was burning, but the bush was not consumed” Exod. 3, 2̣, and again; “Moses threw his staff upon the ground and it became a serpent” Exod. 4, 3 , and again; “Moses put his hand into his bosom and his hand became as snow” Exod. 4, 6 , then again; “and God said to Moses: You shall take from the water of the river onto the dry land and it shall be blood” Exod. 4, 9 ; then further on; “and the Lord said to Moses: If Pharaoh speaks to you, saying 'Give a sign or a wonder,' take your staff and throw it on the ground and it will become a great serpent” Exod. 7, 8. 9̣. And not only these things, but also another more fearsome wonder: the change of all the Egyptian water into gore Exod. 7, 20 and the multitude of frogs Exod. 8, 9 and the so-called gnats and the gadflies, which they themselves call dog-flies Exod. 8, 17. 18̣, and the destruction of the cattle Exod. 9, 3. 6̣ and the ulcerous dust, boils and locusts; all these things would rightly be called wonders; but signs are those appearing from on high, such as that which is mentioned in the same scripture: “and the Lord rained hail upon all the land of Egypt; indeed there was hail and fire flashing within the hail” Exod. 9, 23. 24̣, and again; “and Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven and there was darkness, gloom and storm over all the land of Egypt” Exod. 10, 22̣. Such then for the Hebrews is the account concerning signs; from which, I think, the other nations also came to call these portents "diosemeias"; for Zeus is the air, according to the natural philosophers, because it is life-giving, so that a "diosemeia" is a sign of the air, just as "eudion" is what the mild and calm state of the air is called. Therefore the more simple should not, being disturbed by the names, shrink from learning; for it says, "I will give signs in the heaven above and wonders on the earth below; blood and fire and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood Joel 3, 3. 4. Act. ap. II 19. 20 ." ........ having professed to do this. I too formerly happened to be of the opinion of the many, and I considered the things written about these matters by the ancients to be mere letters. But since experience has shown the truth about them, and the recent appearance of the comet (the so-called shape was, it seems, that of a horseman) and the attack of the ill-fated Persians which happened on account of it, reaching as far as the regions of the Orontes a. 540 p. Chr. , and having made the swiftest possible return (for it certainly signified also the victory of the most mighty emperor), I was induced, then, by the events themselves and by the testimony from them to write about such things, at the same time thinking the matter would be for my own memory, and at the same time considering it to be absurd and full of envy that so many labors expended by the ancients on the accounts concerning these things should remain hidden forever. 2 And I think it is fitting for one wishing to write about such things, to say both whence the comprehension of such things began, and from where it had its origins, and how it advanced so far, as even them, if it is right

1

De ostentis

ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ ΛΑΥΡΕΝΤΙΟΥ ΛΥ∆ΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ∆ΙΟΣΗΜΕΙΩΝ

PROOEMIVM Οἱ τῶν Ἑβραίων λόγιοι τὸν περὶ προγνώσεως λόγον διχῆ τέμνουσιν εἰς σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα· καὶ σημεῖα μὲν εἶναι βούλονται τὰ ἐν μετεώροις συνιστάμενα, τέρατα δὲ τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς ὡς παρὰ φύσιν φαινόμενα, ὁποῖον ἐκεῖνο τὸ ἐπὶ τῆς καλουμένης τῶν Ἑβραίων ἐξόδου ἀναφερόμενον περὶ Μωϋσέως αὐτοῦ· «καὶ εἶδεν ὅτι ἡ βάτος καίεται, ἡ δὲ βάτος οὐ κατεκαίετο» ̣Exod. 3, 2̣, καὶ πάλιν· «ἔρριψε Μωϋσῆς τὴν ῥάβδον ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐγένετο ὄφις» ̣Exod. 4, 3 ̣, καὶ πάλιν· «εἰσήνεγκε Μωϋσῆς τὴν χεῖρα εἰς τὸν κόλπον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐγένετο ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ χιών» ̣Exod. 4, 6 ̣, εἶτα αὖθις· «καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸς Μωϋσῆν· λήψῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ ξηρὸν καὶ ἔσται αἷμα» ̣Exod. 4, 9 ̣· εἶτα ὑποβάς· «καὶ εἶπε κύριος πρὸς Μωϋσῆν· ἐὰν λαλήσῃ Φαραὼ πρὸς ὑμᾶς λέγων "δότε σημεῖον ἢ τέρας", λάβε τὴν ῥάβδον σου καὶ ῥῖψον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἔσται δράκων» ̣Exod. 7, 8. 9̣. καὶ οὐ ταῦτα μόνον, ἀλλ' ἔτι τέρας ἄλλο φοβερώτερον ἡ τοῦ παντὸς Αἰγυπτίου ὕδατος εἰς λύθρον μεταβολὴ ̣Exod. 7, 20 ̣ καὶ τῶν βατράχων τὸ πλῆθος ̣Exod. 8, 9 ̣ καὶ οἱ λεγόμενοι σκνῖπες καὶ οἱ μύωπες, οὓς αὐτοὶ καλοῦσι κυνομυίας ̣Exod. 8, 17. 18̣, καὶ ἡ τῶν κτηνῶν φθορὰ ̣Exod. 9, 3. 6̣ καὶ ὁ κονιορτὸς ὁ ἑλκώδης, φλυκταῖναι καὶ ἀκρίδες· ταῦτα πάντα τέρατα ἂν δικαίως λέγοιντο· σημεῖα δὲ τὰ ἐξ ὑπερτέρων φαινόμενα, οἷον ἐκεῖνο ὃ ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς φέρεται γραφῆς· «καὶ ἔβρεξε κύριος τὴν χάλαζαν ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν Αἰγύπτου· ἦν δὴ ἡ χάλαζα καὶ τὸ πῦρ φλογίζον ἐν τῇ χαλάζῃ» ̣Exod. 9, 23. 24̣, καὶ πάλιν· «ἐξέτεινε δὲ Μωϋσῆς τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἐγένετο σκότος, γνόφος καὶ θύελλα ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν Αἰγύπτου» ̣Exod. 10, 22̣. Τοιοῦτος τοίνυν Ἑβραίοις ὁ περὶ σημείων λόγος· ἐξ ὧν, οἶμαι, καὶ τἆλλα τῶν ἐθνῶν διοσημείας ταῦτα καλεῖν ἔγνω τὰ σήματα· Ζεὺς γὰρ ὁ ἀὴρ κατὰ τοὺς φυσικοὺς λέγεται, ὅτι ζωοποιός ἐστιν ὥστε διοσημεία τὸ τοῦ ἀέρος σημεῖον, ὥσπερ εὔδιον τὸ πρᾶον καὶ γαληνὸν τοῦ ἀέρος καλεῖται σχῆμα. οὐ χρὴ οὖν πρὸς τὰ ὀνόματα ταραττομένους τοὺς ἁπλουστέρους ἀποπηδᾷν τοῦ μαθεῖν· «δώσω», γάρ φησι, «σημεῖα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἄνω καὶ τέρατα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κάτω· αἷμα καὶ πῦρ καὶ ἀτμίδα καπνοῦ· ὁ Ἥλιος μεταστραφήσεται εἰς σκότος καὶ ἡ σελήνη εἰς αἷμα ̣Joel 3, 3. 4. Act. ap. II 19. 20 ̣.» ........ τουτὶ πράττειν ἐπαγγειλάμενοι. τῆς μὲν οὖν τῶν πολλῶν δόξης κἀγὼ πρῴην ἐτύγχανον ὤν, καὶ γράμματα μόνα τὰ περὶ τούτων γεγραμμένα τοῖς ἀρχαίοις ἐνόμιζον. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἡ πεῖρα τὴν περὶ αὐτῶν ἀλήθειαν ἔδειξε καὶ ἡ γενομένη τοῦ κομήτου πρῴην ἐπιτολὴ ἱππέως δὲ ἄρα ἦν τὸ λεγόμενον σχῆμα καὶ ἡ διὰ ταύτην συμβᾶσα τῶν κακοδαιμόνων Περσῶν ἔφοδος, μέχρι μὲν τῶν Ὀρόντου γενομένη μερῶν ̣a. 540 p. Chr. ̣, συντομωτάτην δὲ τὴν ὑπο στροφὴν ὡς οἷόν τε λαβοῦσα ἐδήλου γὰρ δὴ καὶ τὴν τοῦ κραταιοτάτου βασιλέως νίκην, ὑπ' αὐτῶν λοιπὸν τῶν πραγμάτων καὶ τῆς ἐξ αὐτῶν μαρτυρίας γράφειν περὶ τῶν τοιούτων προήχθην, ἅμα μὲν πρὸς τῆς ἐμῆς ἔσεσθαι μνήμης τὸ πρᾶγμα νομίζων, ἅμα δὲ ἄτοπον καὶ φθόνου γέμον ἡγούμενος εἶναι τὸ πόνους τοσούτους τοῖς ἀρχαίοις καταβεβλημένους εἰς τοὺς περὶ τούτων λόγους ἄχρι παντὸς μεῖναι λανθάνοντας. 2 Ἁρμόδιον δὲ εἶναι νομίζω τῷ περὶ τῶν τοιούτων γράφειν ἐθέλοντι, πόθεν τε ἡ τῶν τοιούτων κατάληψις ἤρξατο, λέγειν, καὶ ὅθεν ἔσχε τὰς ἀφορμάς, καὶ ὅπως ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον προῆλθεν, ὡς καὶ αὐτούς, εἰ θέμις