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Religious History

OF THEODORET, BISHOP OF CYRRHUS, THE GOD-LOVING HISTORY OR THE ASCETIC

POLITY. PROLOGUE p.1 Of the best men and the athletes of virtue, it is a fine thing to see their contests and to draw benefit with the eyes. For things that are praised, when seen, appear both worthy of acquisition and become worthy of love, and they urge the spectators towards their acquisition. Nevertheless, the narratives of such right actions also bring no small benefit, when brought by those who know to the ears of those who do not know. For some say that sight is more trustworthy than hearing; nevertheless, hearing is also persuaded by the truth of the speakers, judging the things said. For just as the tongue and the palate are entrusted to judge sweetness and bitterness and the other such qualities, and cast their vote in the same way, so hearing has been entrusted with the discernment of words, and knows how to separate those that bring some benefit from the harmful. p.2 If, then, the memory of beneficial narratives remained inviolate, and the plague of forgetfulness, spreading over it like a mist, did not render it faded, it would surely have been superfluous and redundant to record such things in writing, since the benefit from them would very easily pass on even to those who would come later. But since time outrages bodies by bringing on old age and death, and outrages right actions by instilling forgetfulness and dulling the memory, no one would rightly be angry with us for attempting to write down the way of life of God-loving men. For just as those entrusted with healing bodies prepare medicines, warring against disease and defending the sick, so the diligent labor of such a composition becomes a kind of remedy against evil, an enemy of forgetfulness and an ally of memory. For how is it not absurd for poets and historians to write of brave deeds in wars, and for tragedians to dramatize openly misfortunes that were well hidden and to leave a written record of them, and for certain others to expend their words on comedy and laughter, but for us to overlook men being handed over to forgetfulness who, in a mortal and passible body, have demonstrated impassibility and emulated the incorporeal nature? What penalty would we not justly pay for overlooking the memory of these admirable contests being obscured? For if they themselves, emulating the highest philosophy of the saints of old, did not engrave their memory on bronze and in letters, but by fully modeling all their virtue, have made themselves, as it were, living icons and pillars of them, what pardon could we reasonably obtain, not even honoring their celebrated life in writing? p.3 And this while the athletes and pancratiasts who compete in the Olympics are honored with statues, and moreover, while the victorious charioteers who appear in the hippodromes receive this very same prize. And not only these, but also effeminate men and womanish ones and those of doubtful gender, whether they be men or women, the spectators fond of seeing these things inscribe on tablets, striving to make their memory last as long as possible, although the memory brings injury to souls, not benefit; but nevertheless, some men loving these, and others those, and this while they are corrupting,

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Historia religiosa

ΘΕΟ∆ΩΡΗΤΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΚΥΡΡΟΥ ΦΙΛΟΘΕΟΣ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ Η ΑΣΚΗΤΙΚΗ

ΠΟΛΙΤΕΙΑ ΠΡΟΛΟΓΟΣ p.1 Τῶν ἀρίστων ἀνδρῶν καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀθλητῶν καλὸν μὲν ἰδεῖν τοὺς ἀγῶνας καὶ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τὴν ὠφέλειαν ἀρύσασθαι. Ὁρώμενα γὰρ τὰ ἐπαινούμενα ἀξιόκτητά τε φαίνεται καὶ ἀξιέραστα γίνεται, καὶ πρὸς τὴν κτῆσιν ἐπείγει τοὺς θεατάς. Φέρει δὲ ὅμως ὄνησιν οὐ μετρίαν τῶν τοιούτων κατορθωμάτων καὶ τὰ διηγήματα, παρὰ τῶν εἰδότων ταῖς τῶν οὐκ εἰδότων ἀκοαῖς προσφερόμενα. Πιστοτέραν μὲν γὰρ τῆς ἀκοῆς εἶναι τὴν ὄψιν φασί τινες· πείθεται δὲ ὅμως καὶ ἀκοὴ τῇ τῶν λεγόντων ἀληθείᾳ κρίνουσα τὰ λεγόμενα. Καθάπερ γὰρ γλυκύτητι καὶ πικρότητι καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις ταῖς τοιαύταις ποιότησι γλῶττά τε καὶ ὑπερῴα δικάζειν πεπίστευται καὶ κατὰ ταὐτὸν τὴν ψῆφον ἐκφέρου σιν, οὕτως ἀκοὴ τὴν τῶν λόγων ἐνεχειρίσθη διάγνωσιν, καὶ τοὺς ὄνησίν τινα φέροντας τῶν βλαβερῶν ἀποκρίνειν ἐπίσταται. p.2 Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἄσυλος ἔμενε τῶν ὀνησιφόρων διηγημάτων ἡ μνήμη, καὶ μὴ τῆς λήθης ἡ λώβη οἷόν τις ἀχλὺς ἐπιπατ τομένη ἐξίτηλον αὐτὴν ἀπειργάζετο, περιττὸν ἦν δήπουθεν καὶ παρέλκον λογογραφεῖν τὰ τοιαῦτα, τῆς ἐντεῦθεν ὠφελείας καὶ εἰς τοὺς ὕστερον ἐσομένους εὐπετῶς μάλα διαβαινούσης. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ χρόνος λωβᾶται μὲν σώμασι γῆρας ἐπιφέρων καὶ θάνατον, λωβᾶται δὲ κατορθώμασι λήθην ἐμποιῶν καὶ τὴν μνήμην ἀμβλύνων, οὐκ ἄν τις ἡμῖν εἰκότως νεμεσήσειε τῶν φιλοθέων ἀνδρῶν τὴν πολιτείαν συγγράφειν ἐπιχει ροῦσιν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ τὰ σώματα θεραπεύειν πεπιστευμένοι φάρμακα κατασκευάζουσι, τῇ νόσῳ πολεμοῦντες καὶ τοῖς κάμνουσιν ἐπαμύνοντες, οὕτως ἡ τῆς τοιᾶσδε συγγραφῆς φιλοπονία, οἷόν τι φάρμακον ἀλεξίκακον γίνεται, λήθης ἐπίβουλον καὶ μνήμης ἐπίκουρον. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον, ποιητὰς μὲν καὶ συγγραφέας τὰς ἐν πολέμοις ἀνδραγαθίας συγγράψαι, τραγῳδοποιοὺς δὲ τὰς καλῶς κεκρυμμένας συμφορὰς προφανῶς τραγῳδῆσαι καὶ τούτων ἀνάγραπτον τὴν μνήμην καταλιπεῖν, ἄλλους δέ τινας εἰς κωμῳδίαν καὶ γέλωτα καταναλῶσαι τοὺς λόγους, ἡμᾶς δὲ περιϊδεῖν λήθῃ παραδιδομένους ἄνδρας ἐν σώματι θνητῷ τε καὶ παθητῷ ἀπάθειαν ἐπιδεδειγμένους καὶ τὴν ἀσώματον φύσιν ἐζηλωκότας; Ποίαν δὲ οὐκ ἂν δικαίως τίσαιμεν δίκην τῶν ἀξιαγάστων τούτων ἀγώνων περιορῶντες ἀμαυρουμένην τὴν μνήμην; Εἰ γὰρ αὐτοὶ τῶν πάλαι γεγενημένων ἁγίων τὴν ἄκραν φιλοσοφίαν ζηλώσαντες, οὐ χαλκῷ καὶ γράμμασι τὴν ἐκείνων ἐνεκόλαψαν μνήμην, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν αὐτῶν τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐκμαξάμενοι, οἷόν τινας εἰκόνας αὐτῶν ἐμψύχους καὶ στήλας σφᾶς αὐτοὺς πεποιήκασι, ποίας ἂν ἡμεῖς τύχοιμεν εἰκότως συγγνώμης, μηδὲ γράμμασι τὸν ἀοίδιμον τούτων γεραίροντες βίον; p.3 Καὶ ταῦτα τῶν ἐν Ὀλυμπιάσιν ἀγωνιζομένων ἀθλητῶν τε καὶ παγκρατιαστῶν εἰκόσι τιμωμένων καὶ μέντοι κἀν ταῖς ἱπποδρομίαις τῶν νικηφόρων ἀναφαινομένων ἡνιόχων τοῦτο αὐτὸ δεχομένων τὸ γέρας. Οὐ μόνον δὲ τούτους, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναικώδεις ἄνδρας καὶ θηλυδρίας καὶ ἀμφιβόλους εἴτε ἄνδρες εἶεν εἴτε γυναῖκες, οἱ τῆς τούτων θεωρίας φιλοθεάμονες ταῖς σανίσιν ἐγγράφουσιν, ἐπὶ πλεῖστον αὐτῶν τὴν μνήμην διαρκέσαι φιλονεικοῦντες, καίτοι τῆς μνήμης λώβην ταῖς ψυχαῖς, οὐκ ὄνησιν ἐμποιούσης· ἀλλ' ὅμως οἱ μὲν τούτων ἐρῶντες τούτους, οἱ δὲ ἐκείνων ἐκείνους, καὶ ταῦτα λυμαίνοντας,