John Chrysostom, On Saint Pelagia

In sanctam Pelagiam

Encomium of the same author for the same holy martyr Pelagia.

Pelagia needed a greater theater; for the maiden's contests were great and worthy of a populous audience. Yet Christ suffices in place of the whole world, being present at the festival of the virgin; for where Christ is present, there is the chorus of all the angels. Every martyr, therefore, by more contentiously showing his body to swords and tortures, creates a great spectacle for the devil, conquering the bodiless one through a body and contending against iron through flesh. But when I see maidens also travailing in death for the sake of the Crucified One, I laugh more broadly at the audacity of the devil, who, fashioning many oracles as if foretelling the future through them, did not divine today his own mockery, which was worthy of much laughter. For what could one find more ridiculous than the mockery the devil endured today? For having a virgin in his net, he had fallen out of the hunt, and having taken hold of the girl, he did not take hold of her, as if grasping a shadow, not her herself. For the maiden, being mixed with the innocence of the dove and the wisdom of the serpent, ** as an innocent dove, she was caught, but as a wise serpent, she escaped. For having been captured, she did not despair of victory, nor was her understanding confined with her flesh; but she devised a stratagem, striking back at the audacity of her captors. What then? She feigns repentance, and though shipwrecked in so great a storm, she bids her face be cheerful. And they, being baited by the pretense and beguiled by the maiden's cheerfulness, felt some compassion towards her and grant permission to her request to put on bridal attire, as though not only doing a favor for the virgin, but also appearing better to the judge, if they should lead away an adorned maiden. But she, succeeding in her artifice, immediately put on the true adornment; for girding herself with courage and clothing herself with the hopes of the resurrection, she ran to the pinnacle of the roof and from there cast herself down, and she conquers the form of wrestling, which, as a great thing, <the> devil had once dared to propose to the Lord, saying, If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down. *** Before her faith, I am astonished at the courage of the maiden; for who would not have considered within herself: 'I give myself to a forced fall, fearing to commit fornication; the purpose is good, if the fall be confirmed by death; for even if they abuse me when I am dead, I will not know it; but if, having been dashed against the ground, I should break the vital parts of my body, but my soul remains in my limbs, lamenting the ruin of the body, I will suffer what I fear when brought before the judge. For with my body shattered, and having given me over to fornication, they will release me in dishonor, so that my misfortune will be twofold, both the use of my body being harmed by the fall and my virginity having been plundered from me.' These things would have troubled another maiden; but she, taking courage in her faith as if it were a guarantor of the outcome, rushed to the daring act of the fall. You were captured by a maiden, devil, you have been defeated by a virgin's daring; for what you proposed to your own Master, to these things a certain maiden, a servant of his, challenges you, and running to the pinnacle of the roof, from there she hurls herself like a javelin. She does not obey you when called by the judge, she does not accept the inserted battle; for she knows the meaning of your villainy; you often call virgins before judges as if to scourges, and without a fight you cast them out, defeated more bitterly than by a fight. But if you truly call to battle, or summon the maiden to the wrestling-ground, grapple with her as she throws herself from the roof, endure her as she falls from there. Stand and attempt the wrestling match, sharpen what villainy you wish; you have the earth instead of a wrestling-ground, fix in it the

In sanctam Pelagiam

Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐγκώμιον εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν ἁγίαν μάρτυρα Πελαγίαν.

Ἔδει μὲν μείζονος τῆι Πελαγίαι θεάτρου· μεγάλα γὰρ τῆς κόρης τὰ σκάμματα καὶ πολυανθρώπου θεωρίας ἀντάξια. ἀρκεῖ δὲ ὅμως ἀντὶ τοῦ κόσμου παντὸς ὁ Χριστός, τῆι τῆς παρθένου πανηγύρει παρών· ὅπου γὰρ Χριστὸς ὁ παρών, ἐκεῖ πάντων ὁ χορὸς τῶν ἀγγέλων. ἅπας μὲν οὖν μάρτυς ξιφῶν καὶ βασάνων δεικνὺς τὸ σῶμα φιλονεικότε ρον, μέγαν τῶι διαβόλωι κατασκευάζει θεατρισμόν, τὸν ἀσώματον νικῶν διὰ σώματος καὶ πρὸς σίδηρον ἐρίζων διὰ σαρκός. ὅταν δὲ ἴδω καὶ κό ρας τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Σταυρωθέντος τελευτὴν ὠδινούσας, πλατύτερον γελῶ τοῦ διαβόλου τὸ θράσος, ὃς μαντεῖα πλαττόμενος πάμπολλα, ὡς δὴ τὸ μέλλον δι' αὐτῶν προμηνύων, τὴν οἰκείαν σήμερον οὐκ ἐμαντεύσατο χλεύην, πολλοῦ τινος οὖσαν ἀντάξιον γέλωτος. τί γὰρ ἂν γελοιό τερον εὕροι τις ἧς ὑπέμεινε σήμερον ὁ διάβολος χλεύης; ἔχων γὰρ ἐν δικτύωι παρθένον, ἐκπεπτώκει τῆς θήρας, καὶ λαβόμενος τῆς παιδὸς οὐκ ἐλάβετο, καθάπερ σκιᾶς, οὐκ αὐτῆς δεδραγμένος. ἡ γὰρ κόρη καὶ τῶι τῆς περιστερᾶς ἀκεραίωι καὶ τῶι τοῦ ὄφεως κεκραμένη φρονίμωι, ** ὡς μὲν ἀκέραιος περιστερὰ συνηλήφθη, ὡς δὲ φρόνιμος ὑπεξέκλινεν ὄφις. οὐ γὰρ ἀπέγνω συλληφθεῖσα τὴν νίκην, οὐδὲ συγκατεσχέθη τῆι σαρκὶ καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν· ἀλλ' ἐσκοπεῖτο μηχανήν, τὸ τῶν συλλαβόντων ἀντεκλήττουσαν θράσος. τί οὖν; μεταμέλειαν ὑποκρίνεται, καὶ χειμῶνι ναυαγοῦσα τοσούτωι, παραγ γέλλει τῶι προσώπωι φαιδρότητα. οἱ δὲ δελεασθέντες τῶι πλάσματι καὶ τῆι τῆς κόρης ἱλαρότητι κλαπέντες, ἔπαθόν τι πρὸς αὐτὴν καὶ φιλάν θρωπον καὶ σχῆμα περιθέσθαι νυμφικὸν αἰτησάσηι διδόασιν ἄδειαν, ὡς οὐ τῆι παρθένωι χαριούμενοι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶι δικαστῆι φανούμενοι κρείττους, εἰ κεκαλλωπισμένην ἀπαγάγοιεν κόρην. ἡ δὲ τυχοῦσα τῆς τέχνης, τὸν ὄντως εὐθὺς ἠμφιέννυτο κόσμον· ζωσαμένη γὰρ τόλ μαν καὶ τὰς τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἐλπίδας ἐνδυσαμένη, πρὸς τὸ τοῦ στέ γους δραμοῦσα πτερύγιον, ἐκεῖθεν καθίησιν ἑαυτήν, καὶ νικᾶι πάλης ἰδέαν, ἣν ὡς μεγάλην ποτὲ τῶι Κυρίωι τετολμήκει προτεῖναι <ὁ> διά βολος, Εἰ υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, λέγων, βάλε σεαυτὸν κάτω. *** πρὸ τῆς πίστεως τὴν εὐτολμίαν τῆς κόρης ἐκπλήττομαι· τίς γὰρ οὐκ ἂν καθ' ἑαυτὴν ἀνεκίνησεν· Ἐκδίδωμι ἐμαυτὴν πρὸς κατάπτωσιν βεβιασ μένην, φοβουμένη πορνεύειν· καλὸς ὁ σκοπός, εἰ θανάτωι βεβαιωθείη τὸ πτῶμα· νεκρᾶι γὰρ κἂν παροινῶσιν, οὐκ εἴσομαι· ἂν δὲ δὴ προσραγεῖσα τῆι γῆι, θραύσω μὲν τὰ τοῦ σώματος καίρια, ἡ ψυχὴ δὲ ἐμμένηι τοῖς μέλεσιν, ὀδυρομένη τὴν τοῦ σώματος λώβην, ἃ δέδοικα πείσομαι τῷ δι καστῆι προσαχθεῖσα. τεθραυσμένην γὰρ τὸ σῶμα καὶ πορνείαι παρα δόντες, ἀπολύσουσιν ἄτιμον, ὡς εἶναί μοι τὴν δυσπραγίαν διττήν, καὶ τῆς τοῦ σώματος χρείας βλαβείσης τῶι πτώματι καὶ τῆς παρθενίας παρ' ἐμοῦ συληθείσης. ταῦτα ἂν ἄλλην παρετάραξε κόρην· ἡ δὲ ὥσπερ ἐγγυητῆι τοῦ τέλους τῆι πίστει θαρρήσασα, πρὸς τὴν τοῦ πτώ ματος εὐτολμίαν ἐξώρμα. ἑάλως ὑπὸ κόρης, διάβολε, νενίκησαι παρ θένου τολμήματι· ἃ γὰρ τῶι σαυτοῦ ∆εσπότηι προέτεινας, ἐπὶ ταῦτα δούλη τις ἐκείνου προκαλεῖταί σε κόρη, καὶ πρὸς τὸ τοῦ στέγους δρα μοῦσα πτερύγιον, ἐκεῖθεν ἑαυτὴν ἀκοντίζει. οὐχ ὑπακούει σου διὰ δικαστοῦ καλουμένη, οὐ δέχεται τὴν παρένθετον μάχην· γνωρίζει γάρ σου τῆς πανουργίας τὴν ἔννοιαν· καλεῖς πολλάκις παρθένους πρὸς δικα στὰς ὡς εἰς μάστιγας, καὶ ἄνευ μάχης τῶν ἐκ μάχης ἐκβάλλεις κεκρα τημένας πικρότερον. εἰ δὲ ὄντως καλεῖς πρὸς παράταξιν, ἢ πρὸς σκάμματα μεταστέλληι τὴν κόρην, ἐκ τοῦ στέγους ἐμβαλλούσηι συμ πλέκου, ἐκεῖθεν ἐκπεσουμένην ὑπόμεινον. στῆθι καὶ πειρῶ τοῦ πα λαίσματος, ἀκόνησον πανουργίαν ἣν βούλει· ἔχεις τὴν γῆν ἀντὶ σκάμ ματος, κατάπηξον ἐν αὐτῆι τοῦ