E01675: Gregory of Nyssa in his Life of *Makrina (ascetic S00899), of the early 380s, refers to the shrine of the *Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (S00103), built on his family estate in Pontus (northern Asia Minor). It contains the tomb of his parents and of Makrina (Gregory's sister). Written in Greek in Cappadocia (central Asia Minor).

Gregory of Nyssa, Life of *Makrina (CPG 3166, BHG 1012)

For the context of this passage, see E01660

34.15-28

ἑπτὰ δὲ ὄντων ἢ ὀκτὼ τῶν ἐν μέσῳ σταδίων ἀπὸ τῆς ἐσχατιᾶς ἐπὶ τὸν τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων οἶκον, ἐν ᾧ καὶ τὰ τῶν γονέων ἀπέκειτο σώματα, διὰ πάσης σχεδὸν τῆς διὰ πάσης σχεδὸν τῆς ἡμέρας μόλις τὴν ὁδὸν διηνύσαμεν. οὐ γὰρ εἴα τὸ πλῆθος τό τε συνερχόμενον καὶ τὸ ἀεὶ προσγινόμενον κατὰ γνώμην τὴν πρόοδον γίνεσθαι. ἐπειδὴ οὖν ἐντὸς τῶν θυρῶν τοῦ οἴκου κατέστημεν, ἀποθεμένοι τὴν κλίνην τὰ πρῶτα εἰς προσευχὴν ἐτρεπόμεθα· ἡ δὲ εὐχὴ θρήνων γίνεται ἀφορμὴ τῷ λαῷ. τῆς γὰρ ψαλμῳδίας κατασιγασθείσης ἐπειδὴ τὸ ἱερὸν ἐκεῖνο πρόσωπον αἱ παρθένοι προσέβλεψαν καὶ ἡ σορὸς ἤδη τῶν γονέων ἀπεκαλύπτετο, ἐν ᾗ καταθέσθαι δεδογμένον ἦν, μιᾶς τινος ἀτάκτως ἐκβοησάσης, ὅτι οὐκέτι μετὰ τὴν ὥραν ταύτην τὸ θεοειδὲς τοῦτο προσβλέψομεν πρόσωπον, ὡς καὶ αἱ λοιπαὶ παρθένοι τὸ ἴσον μετ᾽ αὐτῆς ἐξεβόησαν, σύγχυσις ἄτακτος τὴν εὔτακτον ἐκείνην καὶ ἱεροπρεπῆ ψαλμῳδίαν διέχεε, πάντων πρὸς τὴν τῶν παρθένων οἰμωγὴν ἐπικλασθέντων.

35.13 – 36.5

[…] καὶ οὕτως ὑποκρυφθέντων τῇ σινδόνι τῶν σωμάτων ἀράμενοι τῆς κλίνης τὸ ἱερὸν ἐκεῖνο σῶμα ἐγώ τε καὶ ὁ μνημονευθεὶς τῶν τόπων ἐπίσκοπος τῇ μητρὶ παρακατεκλίναμεν κοινὴν ἀμφοτέραις πληροῦντες εὐχήν. τοῦτο γὰρ παρὰ πᾶσαν τὴν ζωὴν συμφώνως ἀμφότεραι τὸν θεὸν ᾐτοῦντο, ἀνακραθῆναι μετὰ τὸν θάνατον ἀλλήλοις τὰ σώματα καὶ τὴν κατὰ τὸν βίον ἐν τῇ ζωῇ κοινωνίαν μηδὲ ἐπὶ τῷ θανάτῳ διαζευχθῆναι. Ἐπεὶ δὲ πάντα ἡμῖν τὰ ἐν τῇ κηδείᾳ νενομισμένα πεπλήρωτο καὶ ἔδει πάλιν τῆς ἐπανόδου γενέσθαι, ἐπιπεσὼν τῷ τάφῳ καὶ τὴν κόνιν ἀσπασάμενος εἰχόμην πάλιν τῆς ὁδοῦ κατηφής τε καὶ δεδακρυμένος, λογιζόμενος ὅσου ἀγαθοῦ διεζεύχθη ὁ βίος.


‘Although the distance between the retreat and the house of the holy martyrs, where the bodies of our parents also lay, was seven or eight stades, it took us almost the entire day to get there, and that with difficulty, because the crowd both of those following and those constantly joining the procession, did not allow us to proceed as we wished. At last, when we entered the doors of the house, we put down the bier, and turned first to prayer. The prayer, however, became a signal to the people for lamentations. For, when during a lull in the psalmody the virgins gazed on that holy face, and the tomb of our parents, where it had been decided that she would be laid, was already being uncovered, a woman cried out impulsively that “from this hour on we shall be seeing this godlike face no more!” [……]

[The sarcophagus of Gregory’s parents is opened for Makrina’s burial, and the corpses covered with a cloth]

‘And, once the bodies had been covered like this under the sheet, I and the aforementioned bishop of the district lifted that hallowed body from the bier, and laid it out beside her mother, thus fulfilling a common wish of them both. For, throughout their lives, both of them had been unanimously requesting this thing from God, that their bodies should be reunited with each other after death, and that the sharing of their way in life should not be broken even after death. And, when all the rites of the funeral had been performed and I had to set off for my journey home, I cast myself on the tomb, embraced the dust, and took the road again, sad and in tears, pondering how much goodness my life had been severed from.’

Text: Maraval 1971
Translation: Silvas 2008 (modified)