Paul the Silentiary, Description of Saint Sophia

Descriptio Sanctae Sophiae

We have come to you, men, from the hearth of the emperor to the hearth of the all-great Emperor, the maker of the universe, through whom victory is in

with fastenings of robes. Wiping the five-year tear from our sight, we will sing with auspicious lips hymns of happy feet. The scepter-bearer of the A

Having spoken he hastened to the sacred precincts, and soon the deed was swifter than the neighbouring word for rousing himself, as is right, he did

He was assembled, and every ruler of the seats, serving the commands of the mighty emperor and bringing pleasing gifts to Christ the King, with suppli

For in it a curved rim did not run around the middle space, like that on the eastern limits, where priests skilled in sacrifice set up thrones gleamin

they met upon a very golden h[ea]d but in the middle like a crown above [ ] the rim of the unhewn space, which art did not [make]. ]the form of the c

having gone up for the one rising towards the west is no longer equal to the other two, going beyond the narthex. But also at the western foot of the

A gold-flowing ray, unbearable to human faces, leaped upon them. One might say he was looking at Phaethon at midday in the season of spring, when he g

Where am I carried? Where does my unbridled story travel? Hold back, bold voice, with closed lip, and no longer lay bare what is not lawful for eyes t

but along the columns of the portico, here and there, they set up in a row a single-wicked lamp, one after another distinctly and it travels the whol

circles to the evening and morning light for to you, much-hymned one, dawn and evening know how to cease from cares. for you the harbors separate a g

of wrath, sitting unshaken upon a waveless calm. You have shaken off all the barking pains of troubles, and opening your kind heart as a channel of pi

Descriptio Sanctae Sophiae

OF PAUL THE SILENTIARY, A DESCRIPTION OF THE CHURCH OF HAGIA SOPHIA, Iambics to the Emperor Justinian

Is it possible to find a day greater than the present, on which both God and emperor

are glorified? It is not possible to say. We know Christ is Lord, we know it indeed; for by your words, most mighty one, you make this known even to barbarians; hence you have him present as a helper in your deeds, legislating, founding cities, raising up churches, moving arms if need be, arranging treaties and putting an end to battles, hence victory is congenital to your labors as if a distinguishing mark; (towards the west, is not the ocean the boundary of your power for us who have traversed the earth? And towards the east, have you not already turned some in battle, and won over others before they even arrived? And have you not long held all of Libya as your servant?) hence you easily escape diseases, when no one expected it; hence, with good reason, most mighty one, you have always learned of hidden dangers and escaped them, guarded not by spears, not by shields, but by the very hand of God. I admire you, all-powerful one, for your courage, I admire you for your judgment and for your faith. The ambush was formed, and the sword was prepared, and the appointed time was at hand, and the conspirators had already entered the palace, and they were touching the inner gate, after which they were about to attack your throne. But having known and learned this long ago, you endured and trusted only in your defender, I mean God, by whom you conquer all things; and you were not mistaken in your aim. For what happened then? The leader of the ambush fell by his own hand; for Justice did not wish to save him. And he knew clearly from the tyrants who had often suffered, that if you became master of him while he was alive, you would at once turn to pity, to mercy indeed, therein conquering all human nature. For sympathizing with the sins of life, you have often groaned at our failings, o best of men; and often with tears you royally wet your gentle eye, grieving for us; and looking especially at incontinence, the companion of life, you release everyone from the debts of their evils, just like the divine, and you hasten to forgiveness. And you ask yourself, when the magnitude of the requests does not allow others to begin the petitions; for you never permit your great mercy to be another's. From the unholy deeds we commit, you have grounds for boldness before God on high. Does not he who does not wish this emperor to rule—the gentle, the sweet, the one who in measure benefits both friends and non-friends—arm himself against God himself? These things save you; these things cause the soul of the empress, most mighty one—the blessed, the all-excellent, the beautiful and all-wise—to have boldness before God on your behalf, whom while she lived you had as a pious collaborator, but when she passed away, she provided for her subjects a helping oath, a most unbreakable oath, which you have not transgressed nor would willingly transgress. And so much for that; but to those wishing to proceed now to the church, grant courage. And let it also be one of your wonders, of course, that words should appear daring to describe a thing that surpasses all wonders in its excess. And a sign of your exceedingly great wonders is this great love, which the whole city nurtures for you, most mighty emperor, and for your church. For when you were conducting the festival as was proper, the whole populace at once, the senate, those who pursue a safe middle-class life, asked to extend the days of the festival; you granted it; they ran out; they asked again; again you granted it. And doing this many times you extended the festival lavishly. These things having been said in the palace, the reading was divided, and the remainder was spoken in the episcopal palace, in the presence of Eutychius the most holy patriarch, after the following iambics were recited.

Descriptio Sanctae Sophiae

ΠΑΥΛΟΥ ΣΙΛΕΝΤΙΑΡΙΟΥ ΕΚΦΡΑΣΙΣ ΤΟΥ ΝΑΟΥ ΤΗΣ ΑΓΙΑΣ ΣΟΦΙΑΣ Ἴαμβοι πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Ἰουστινιανόν

Ἄρ' ἔστιν εὑρεῖν μείζονα τῆς νῦν ἡμέρας, ἐν ἧι θεός τε καὶ βασιλεὺς

σεμνύνεται; οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν. Χριστὸν ἴσμεν δεσπότην, ἴσμεν δὲ πάντως· τοῦτο γὰρ τοῖς σοῖς λόγοις ποιεῖς, κράτιστε, γνώριμον καὶ βαρβάροις· ὅθεν συνεργὸν αὐτὸν ἐν ταῖς πράξεσιν ἔχεις παρόντα, νομοθετῶν, κτίζων πόλεις, νεὼς ἐγείρων, ὅπλα κινῶν εἰ δέοι, σπονδάς τε τάττων καὶ καταστέλλων μάχας, ὅθεν τὸ νικᾶν συμφυὲς τοῖς σοῖς πόνοις ὥσπερ ἐπίσημον· (οὐχὶ πρὸς τὴν ἑσπέραν ὅρος μὲν ἡμῖν ὠκεανὸς τοῦ σοῦ κράτους τὴν γῆν διεκδραμοῦσι; πρὸς δὲ τὴν ἕω οὐ πάντας ἤδη τοὺς μὲν ἐτρέψω μάχαις, τοὺς δὲ πρὶν ἐλθεῖν ἐς τόδε προσλαμβάνεις; Λίβυν δὲ πάντα δοῦλον οὐκ ἔχεις πάλαι;) ὅθεν νόσους μὲν διαδιδράσκεις εὐκόλως, οὐκ ἐλπίσαντος οὐδενός· ὅθεν εἰκότως τοὺς ἐν ἀφανεῖ, κράτιστε, κινδύνους ἀεὶ μαθὼν παρῆλθες, οὐ δόρασιν, οὐκ ἀσπίσιν, αὐτῆι δὲ χειρὶ τοῦ θεοῦ φρουρούμενος. Ἄγαμαί σε, παγκράτιστε, τῆς εὐψυχίας, ἄγαμαί σε τῆς γνώμης τε καὶ τῆς πίστεως. ὁ λόχος συνέστη, καὶ παρεσκευασμένον τὸ ξίφος ὑπῆρχε, καὶ παρῆν ἡ κυρία, καὶ τῶν βασιλείων ἐντὸς οἱ ξυνωμόται ἤδη παρῆλθον, τῆς πύλης τε τῆς ἔσω, μεθ' ἣν ἔμελλον προσβαλεῖν τοῖς σοῖς θρόνοις, ἥπτοντο. ταῦτα γνοὺς δὲ καὶ μαθὼν πάλαι ἐκαρτέρησας καὶ πεπίστευκας μόνωι τῶι σου προασπίζοντι, τὸν θεὸν λέγω, ὧι πάντα νικᾶις· τοῦ σκοποῦ δ' οὐκ ἐσφάλης. τί γὰρ ἐπὶ τούτοις; ἔπεσεν αὐτοχειρίαι ὁ τὸν λόχον ἄγων· οὐ γὰρ ἤθελεν ἡ ∆ίκη αὐτὸν διασώζειν. ἐμφανῶς δ' ἠπίστατο ἐκ τῶν τυράννων τῶν παθόντων πολλάκις, ὡς, εἴπερ αὐτοῦ ζῶντος ἐγκρατὴς ἔσηι, εἰς οἶκτον εὐθύς, εἰς ἔλεον πάντως τρέπηι κἀνταῦθα νικῶν πᾶσαν ἀνθρώπου φύσιν. ταῖς τοῦ βίου γὰρ συμπαθῶν ἁμαρτάσιν ἐπεστέναξας πολλάκις τοῖς πταίσμασιν ἡμῶν, ἄριστε· πολλάκις δὲ δακρύοις τὸ πρᾶον ὄμμα βασιλικῶς ὑποβρέχεις ἀλγῶν ἐφ' ἡμῖν· πρὸς δὲ τὴν ἀκρασίαν βλέπων μάλιστα, τὴν σύνοικον τῶι βίωι, λύεις ἅπαντας τῶν κακῶν ὀφλημάτων ὥσπερ τὸ θεῖον, πρὸς δὲ συγγνώμην τρέχεις. αἰτεῖς δὲ σαυτόν, ἡνίκα τῶν δεήσεων τὸ μέγεθος οὐ δίδωσι τῶν δεήσεων ἑτέρους κατάρχειν· καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἐᾶις ποτὲ ἄλλου γενέσθαι τὸν ἔλεόν σου τὸν πάνυ. ἐξ ὧν δὲ δρῶμεν οὐχ ὁσίων τολμημάτων ἔχεις ἀφορμὰς τῆς ἄνω παρρησίας. Οὐχὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν θεὸν ἐξοπλίζεται ὁ τὸν βασιλέα τοῦτον οὐ θέλων κρατεῖν, τὸν ἥμερον, τὸν ἡδύν, ἐν τῶι μετρίωι εὐεργετοῦντα καὶ φίλους καὶ μὴ φίλους; σώζει σε ταῦτα· ταῦτα τὴν ψυχὴν ποεῖ τῆς βασιλίδος, κράτιστε, τῆς εὐδαίμονος, τῆς πανταρίστης, τῆς καλῆς καὶ πανσόφου, ἔχειν ὑπὲρ σοῦ πρὸς θεὸν παρρησίαν, ἣν ζῶσαν εἶχες εὐσεβῆ συνεργάτιν, ἐπεὶ δὲ μετῆλθε, παρέσχε τοῖς ὑπηκόοις ὅρκον βοηθόν, ὅρκον ἀρραγέστατον, ὃν οὐ παρῆλθες οὐδ' ἑκὼν παραδράμοις. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν δὴ ταῦτα· πρὸς δὲ τὸν νεὼν ἤδη βαδίζειν βουλομένοις θαρρεῖν δίδου. ἔστω δὲ τῶν σῶν καὶ τὸ δήπου θαυμάτων, λόγους φανῆναι πρᾶγμα τολμῶντας φράσαι τὸ πάντα νικῶν θαυμάτων ὑπερβολῆι. ἔστιν δὲ δεῖγμα τῶν ἄγαν σου θαυμάτων ὁ τοσοῦτος ἔρως, ὃν ἡ πόλις πᾶσα τρέφει ἐπὶ σοί, βασιλεῦ κράτιστε, καὶ τῶι σῶι νεώι. ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἦγες τὴν ἑορτὴν ὡς ἔδει, ἅπας ὁ δῆμος εὐθύς, ἡ γερουσία, οἱ τὸν μέσον ζηλοῦντες ἀσφαλῆ βίον τὰς τῆς ἑορτῆς ἡμέρας ἐπεξάγειν ἤιτουν· παρεῖχες· ἐξέδραμον· ἤιτουν πάλιν· πάλιν παρεῖχες. τοῦτο δὲ δρῶν πολλάκις ἐπεξέτεινας τὴν ἑορτὴν πλουσίως. Τούτων λεχθέντων ἐν τῶι παλατίωι διηιρέθη ἡ ἀκρόασις, καὶ ἐλέχθη τὰ λοιπὰ ἐν τῶι ἐπισκοπείωι, ἐπὶ Εὐτυχίου τοῦ ἁγιωτάτου πατριάρχου, προλεχθέντων τῶν ὑποκειμένων ἰάμβων.