E00069: John Chrysostom composes a sermon on *Ioventinos/Iuventinus and Maximinos (soldiers and martyrs under Julian, S00053), which he delivers during their feast in Antioch on the Orontes (Syria), celebrated shortly after that of *Babylas (bishop and martyr of Antioch, S00061). He recounts the saints’ martyrdom and the collection of their bodies, and encourages the veneration of their relics. Written in Greek in Antioch, 386/397.

John Chrysostom, On Iuventinus and Maximinus (CPG 4349, BHG 975)

§ 1. Shortly after a gathering for the feast of Babylas and his Companions, the community gathers to celebrate the memory of two recently martyred soldiers:

Ὁ μακάριος Βαβύλας πρώην ἡμᾶς ἐνταῦθα μετὰ παίδων τριῶν συνήγαγε· σήμερον στρατιωτῶν ξυνωρὶς ἁγίων τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ στρατόπεδον ἐπὶ τῆς παρατάξεως ἔστησε·

'The other day, the blessed Babylas together with three boys gathered us here; today, it is a pair of soldiers that has marshalled Christ's army in array.'

Although recent, their martyrdom is honoured as enthusiastically as that of the older martyrs. The relevant passage reads as follows:

ἀλλ’ ἀεὶ καὶ διαπαντὸς ἐν ἴσῃ μένουσιν ἀκμῇ καὶ νεότητι λάμποντες καὶ ἀποστίλβοντες τὴν τῆς οἰκείας λαμπρότητος δόξαν οἱ μάρτυρες. Ὃ δὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς εἰδότες, οὐχ ἑτέρως μὲν τοὺς παλαιοὺς, ἑτέρως δὲ τοὺς νέους τιμᾶτε· ἀλλὰ μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς προθυμίας, μετὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ φίλτρου, μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς διαθέσεως, ἅπαντας τιμᾶτε καὶ ἀποδέχεσθε.

'Rather, the martyrs always and perpetually remain in equal vigour and youth, shining and glowing in the splendour of their own brilliance. And since you know this, you do not honour the old ones in one way, and the new ones in another; rather, you honour and welcome them with the same eagerness, with the same love, with the same disposition.'

§§ 2-3. Before relating the saints’ death, the author talks of the emperor Julian and of his policy of avoiding an open, violent persecution of Christians.

§§ 4-5. Iouventinos and Maximinos serve as soldiers in Julian’s army, while in Antioch during the war with Persia. During a drinking party they bemoan the prevalence of pagan customs, and their words are reported to Julian. The emperor has them arrested and imprisoned, and has their property confiscated.

§§ 6-8. Although it is forbidden to have contact with them, numerous people from the city visit the martyrs in gaol, in order to pray with them. In response, the emperor sends agents to wear down the martyrs and to convince them to apostatise. After a long time, they are led away and beheaded during the night.

§§ 9-10. Their bodies are collected by Christians and buried together in a single grave/coffin (‘larnax’). Their faces shine with a particular grace. The author encourages the audience to visit the saints’ tomb constantly in order to receive blessings from them.

Καὶ ἐν μέσῳ σκότει οἱ φωστῆρες ἐξήγοντο, καὶ ἀπετέμνοντο. Τότε καὶ φοβερώτεραι λοιπὸν ἦσαν αἱ κεφαλαὶ τῷ διαβόλῳ μᾶλλον ἢ ὅτε φωνὴν ἠφίεσαν … Μετὰ δὲ τὴν μακαρίαν ἐκείνην σφαγὴν, οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα θηρεύοντες λείψανα, τὴν ἑαυτῶν ὑποθέντες σωτηρίαν, ἀνείλοντο τοὺς ἀριστέας τούτους· καὶ ἦσαν κἀκεῖνοι μάρτυρες ζῶντες. Καὶ γὰρ εἰ καὶ μὴ ἀπετμήθησαν, ἀλλ’ ἑλόμενοι πρότερον τοῦτο παθεῖν, οὕτως ἐπὶ τὴν ἄγραν τῶν σωμάτων ὥρμησαν. Λέγουσι τοίνυν οἱ τότε παραγενόμενοι καὶ ταῦτα τὰ σώματα νεοσφαγῆ καταξιωθέντες ἰδεῖν, ὅτι κειμένων αὐτῶν παρ’ ἀλλήλων πρὸ τῆς ταφῆς, τοσαύτη τις ἐπήνθησεν αὐτῶν ταῖς ὄψεσι χάρις, οἵαν ἐπὶ Στεφάνου φησὶν ὁ Λουκᾶς γεγενῆσθαι μέλλοντος ἀπολογεῖσθαι τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεὶς ὃς χωρὶς φρίκης παρέστη τότε αὐτοῖς. Οὕτω καὶ αὕτη ἡ ὄψις πάντας τοὺς ὁρῶντας ἐξέπληττε, καὶ πάντες ἐπεβόων ἐκεῖνο τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Δαυῒδ εἰρημένον· Ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτῶν οὐ κεχωρισμένοι, καὶ ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ αὐτῶν οὐ διεχωρίσθησαν. Κοινῇ γὰρ καὶ ὡμολόγησαν καὶ τὸ δεσμωτήριον ᾤκησαν, καὶ εἰς τὸ βάραθρον ἀπηνέχθησαν, καὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς ἀπέθεντο, καὶ μία λάρναξ ἀμφοτέρων ἔχει τὰ σώματα· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ μία σκηνὴ δέξεται αὐτὰ πάλιν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ὅταν αὐτὰ μετὰ πλείονος δόξης ἀνελέσθαι μέλλωσι.

Συνεχῶς τοίνυν αὐτοῖς ἐπιχωριάζωμεν, καὶ τῆς λάρνακος ἁπτώμεθα, καὶ μετὰ πίστεως τοῖς λειψάνοις αὐτῶν περιπλεκώμεθα, ἵνα εὐλογίαν τινὰ ἐπισπασώμεθα ἐκεῖθεν. Καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ στρατιῶται τραύματα ἐπιδείξαντες, ἅπερ ἐκ τῶν πολεμίων ἔλαβον, μετὰ παῤῥησίας τῷ βασιλεῖ διαλέγονται· οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι τὰς κεφαλὰς ἃς ἀπετμήθησαν ἐπὶ τῶν χειρῶν βαστάζοντες, καὶ εἰς μέσον παράγοντες, εὐκόλως ἅπαντα, ὅσα ἂν θέλωσι, παρὰ τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνύειν δύνανται. Μετὰ πολλῆς τοίνυν τῆς πίστεως, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς προθυμίας ἐκεῖ βαδίζωμεν, ἵνα καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ὄψεως τῶν ἁγίων τούτων μνημάτων, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐννοίας τῶν ἄθλων, καὶ πανταχόθεν πολλοὺς καὶ μεγάλους λαβόντες θησαυροὺς, καὶ τὸν παρόντα βίον δυνηθῶμεν κατὰ τὸ τῷ Θεῷ δοκοῦν διανύσαι καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἐμπορίας εἰς ἐκεῖνον καταπλεῦσαι τὸν λιμένα, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐπιτυχεῖν ...

'And in thick darkness, the luminaries were taken out and beheaded. From that time on, their heads were even more terrifying for the devil than when they emitted sound … And, after that blessed slaughter, the hunters of such relics (leipsana), risking their own safety, collected these champions; these were indeed martyrs themselves, although they were alive. For, although they were not beheaded, they would have rather preferred to suffer this, and thus rushed to gather the bodies. Now, those that were present at that point and had the fortune of seeing these bodies freshly slaughtered, say that, as they were lying next to each other before burial, so much grace bloomed on their faces, like the grace Luke says to have been on Stephen’s face, as he was about to defend himself to the Jews [Acts 6:15], and there was no one that stood by them at that time without awe. And this sight amazed all those beholding it so much, that everyone cried out those words of David: "In their life, they were not separated and in their death they were not divided." [2 Kings 1:23] For together they confessed, stayed in prison, were taken away to the pit, and lost their heads, and one coffin (larnax) contains the bodies of them both. Accordingly, one dwelling will be receiving them again in heaven, when they are to be taken up with greater glory.

So, let us constantly keep visiting them, and touching their sarcophagus (λάρναξ) and embracing their relics with faith, so that we might gain some blessing from them. For just as soldiers, showing off their wounds which they received in battle, boldly converse with their king, so too these men, brandishing in their hands the heads, which were cut off, and bringing them forth, are able easily to procure everything we wish from the King of Heaven. Let us then keep going there with plenty of faith, with plenty of zeal, so that, by seeing their holy memorials, and by thinking about their contests, and having received many and great treasures from all these, we may also be able to travel through the present life according to God’s will, and to sail with plenty of merchandise into that harbour, and to be granted the kingdom of heaven …'

Text: PG 50, 571-578. Summary and translation: Efthymios Rizos.