E02297: John Chrysostom, in his homily On the Ascension, delivered during a service for the feast of the Ascension of Christ held at the extramural martyr shrine of the Romanesian Gate of Antioch (Syria), records how Bishop Flavianos had the relics of the saints exhumed and deposited in a separate place for veneration, in order to separate them from the burials of heretics. Written in Greek at Antioch, 386/397.

John Chrysostom, On the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ (CPG 4342, BHG 1191n)

Εἰς τὴν ἀνάληψιν τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἐλέχθη δὲ ἐν τῷ μαρτυρίῳ τῆς Ῥωμανησίας, ἔνθα μαρτύρων σώματα, ὑπὸ τὸ ἔδαφος κείμενα ἐγγὺς λειψάνων αἱρετικῶν, ἀνηνέχθησαν, καὶ ἄνω κατ’ ἰδίαν ἐτάφησαν.

‘On the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. Delivered at the martyrion of the Romanesia (gate), where bodies of martyrs, resting under the ground near the remains of heretics, were collected and buried separately above.

αʹ. Καὶ ὅτε τοῦ σταυροῦ μνείαν ἐπετελοῦμεν, ἔξω τῆς πόλεως τὴν ἑορτὴν ἐπετελέσαμεν, καὶ νῦν ὅτε τοῦ σταυρωθέντος τὴν ἀνάληψιν ἄγομεν τὴν φαιδρὰν ταύτην καὶ ἐξαστράπτουσαν ἡμέραν, ἔξω τῆς πόλεως πάλιν τὴν ἑορτὴν ἐπιτελοῦμεν. Ποιοῦμεν δὲ τοῦτο, οὐχὶ τὴν πόλιν ἀτιμάσαι βουλόμενοι, ἀλλὰ τιμῆσαι τοὺς μάρτυρας σπεύδοντες. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ ἐγκαλῶσιν ἡμῖν οἱ ἅγιοι οὗτοι, καὶ λέγωσιν· ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἦμεν (442.) ἄξιοι μίαν ἡμέραν τοῦ Δεσπότου ἡμῶν ἐν ταῖς ἡμετέραις σκηναῖς ἐπιτελουμένην ἰδεῖν· ἵνα μὴ ἐγκαλέσωσιν ἡμῖν οἱ ἅγιοι οὗτοι καὶ λέγωσιν· ὅτι τὸ μὲν αἷμα ἡμῶν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἐξεχέαμεν, καὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς ἡμῶν ἀποτμηθῆναι κατηξιώθημεν· τὴν δὲ ἡμέραν τῆς ἑορτῆς αὐτοῦ οὐ κατηξιώθημεν ἰδεῖν ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις καταγωγίοις τελουμένην· διὰ ταῦτα τὴν πόλιν ἀφέντες, πρὸς τοὺς πόδας τῶν ἁγίων τούτων ἐδράμομεν, διὰ τῆς παρούσης ἡμέρας, καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ χρόνου τοῦ παρελθόντος ἀπολογούμενοι πρὸς αὐτούς. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ πρὸ τούτου ἔδει πρὸς τοὺς γενναίους τούτους τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀθλητὰς τρέχειν, ὅτε ὑπὸ τὸ (443.) ἔδαφος ἔκειντο· πολλῷ μᾶλλον νῦν τοῦτο ποιεῖν χρὴ, ὅτε καθ’ ἑαυτοὺς οἱ μαργαρῖται, ὅτε ἀπηλλάγη τῶν λύκων τὰ πρόβατα, ὅτε ἀπέστησαν τῶν νεκρῶν οἱ ζῶντες. Αὐτοῖς μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ πρὸ τούτου βλάβη τις ἦν ἀπὸ τῆς κοινωνίας τῆς κατὰ τὴν ταφήν· ὧν γὰρ τὰ πνεύματα ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, οὐδὲν τὰ σώματα ἐβλάπτετο ἀπὸ τῆς γειτνιάσεως· ὧν ἡ ψυχὴ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐδὲν τὰ λείψανα ἀπὸ τῆς θέσεως ἔπασχεν. Αὐτοῖς μὲν οὖν οὐδεμία βλάβη ἦν, οὐδὲ πρὸ τούτου· ὁ δὲ λαὸς ἡμῖν οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ζημίαν ὑπέμεινεν ἀπὸ τῶν τόπων, τρέχων μὲν πρὸς τὰ λείψανα τῶν μαρτύρων, μετὰ δὲ ἀμφιβολίας καὶ διακρίσεως ποιούμενος τὰς εὐχὰς διὰ τὸ ἀγνοεῖσθαι τὰς θήκας τῶν ἁγίων, καὶ ποῦ κεῖνται οἱ θησαυροὶ οἱ ἀληθινοί. Καὶ ταυτὸν ἐγίνετο, ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ ποίμνια προβάτων καθαρῶν ἀπολαῦσαι ῥείθρων ἐπειγόμενα ἔρχοιτο μὲν ἐπὶ τὰς πηγὰς τὰς καθαρὰς, βρώμου δέ ποθεν ἐγγύθεν καὶ δυσωδίας ἐμπεσούσης ἀναχαιτίζοιτο πάλιν· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ποίμνης ταύτης συνέβαινεν. Ἐβάδιζε μὲν ὁ λαὸς πρὸς τὰς καθαρὰς τῶν μαρτύρων πηγάς· αἰσθανόμενος δὲ δυσωδίας αἱρετικῆς ἐγγύθεν ἀνιούσης, ἀνεχαιτίζετο πάλιν. Ὅπερ οὖν συνειδὼς ὁ σοφὸς οὗτος ποιμὴν καὶ κοινὸς διδάσκαλος, ὁ πάντα πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας οἰκονομῶν, οὐκ ἠνέσχετο μέχρι πολλοῦ ταύτην τὴν ζημίαν περιιδεῖν οὗτος ὁ θερμὸς ἐραστὴς καὶ ζηλωτὴς τῶν μαρτύρων. Ἀλλὰ τί ποιεῖ; Θεάσασθε τὴν σοφίαν· τὰ μὲν θολερὰ καὶ δυσώδη ῥεύματα κατέχωσε καὶ ἀπέφραξε κάτω, τὰς δὲ καθαρὰς τῶν μαρτύρων πηγὰς ἐν καθαρῷ χωρίῳ κατέστησε. Καὶ σκοπεῖτε ὅσην καὶ περὶ τοὺς κατοιχομένους τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν ἐπεδείξατο, καὶ περὶ τοὺς μάρτυρας τὴν τιμὴν, καὶ περὶ τὸν λαὸν τὴν κηδεμονίαν. Περὶ μὲν τοὺς κατοιχομένους φιλανθρωπίαν ἐπεδείξατο, μὴ κινήσας αὐτῶν τὰ ὀστᾶ, ἀλλ’ ἀφεὶς ἐπὶ τοῦ τόπου μένειν· περὶ δὲ τοὺς μάρτυρας τιμὴν, ἀπαλλάξας αὐτοὺς τοῦ πονηροῦ γειτονήματος· περὶ δὲ τὸν λαὸν κηδεμονίαν, οὐκ ἀφεὶς αὐτοὺς μετὰ διακρίσεως ποιεῖσθαι τὰς εὐχάς. Διὰ ταῦτα ὑμᾶς ἐνταῦθα ἠγάγομεν, ἵνα φαιδρότερος ὁ σύλλογος γένηται, ἵνα λαμπρότερον τὸ θέατρον, οὐχὶ ἀνθρώπων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μαρτύρων συλλεγομένων· οὐχὶ μαρτύρων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀγγέλων.

‘When we were celebrating the memory of the Cross, we held the festival outside the city, and now also, that we celebrate the Ascension of the Crucifix on this bright and splendid day, again we hold the feast outside the city. We do not do this, in order to downgrade the city, but out of eagerness to honour the martyrs. So that these saints may not complain to us and say: “Didn’t we deserve to see a day of our Lord being celebrated at our dwellings?” That these saints may not complain to us and say that: “We were granted to pour out our blood for Him and to have our heads cut off, but we have not been granted to see the day of His feast being celebrated at our lodgings!” For these reasons, we have left the city and hastened to the feet of these saints, offering, through the present day, an apology to them also for the time that has passed. For, if it was necessary to hasten towards these champions of the true religion in the past, when they lay under ground, much more do we need to do that now that the pearls are on their own, that the sheep have been rid of the wolves, that the living have been separated from the dead. Of course, even before this moment, they suffered no harm from their company in burial. The bodies of those whose spirits are in heaven suffered no harm from what surrounded them. The relics of those whose soul is in the hand of God suffered nothing from their location. Indeed, there was no harm for them, even before this occasion. Our people, however, suffered no mean damage from the place, as, on the one hand, they hastened towards the relics of the martyrs, but, on the other, they said their prayers in doubt and ambiguity, because it was unknown where the burials of the saints were, and where the true treasures lay. It was as if flocks of sheep were arriving eager to enjoy a pure stream of water from pure springs, but were turned back by a stench coming from the vicinity. That is precisely what used to happen to this flock: the people walked to the pure springs of the martyrs, but, sensing heretical odour coming up from the vicinity, they were driven away again. This thing, then, was known to this wise shepherd and common teacher of ours [the bishop of Antioch Flavianos], who arranges everything to the edification of the Church, and he did not suffer to overlook this damage for too long – this fervent lover and enthusiast of the martyrs! But what has he done? Consider his wisdom: on the on hand, he buried and blocked off the muddy and stinking streams in the ground; on the other, he placed the pure sources of the martyrs in a clean place. And consider how much sympathy for the dead, how much honour for the martyrs, and how much care for the people he has displayed: for the dead, he displayed sympathy, as he did not move their bones, but allowed them to remain on the site; for the martyrs, he showed honour, having rid them from their evil company; for the people he displayed care, for he did not abandon them offering their prayers in ambiguity. For these reasons, we have brought you here, in order that the assembly may become brighter and the spectacle more splendid, for it will not be just people gathering, but also martyrs, and not just martyrs, but also angels. (…)’

There follows a contemplation on the invisible protective presence of angels during worship.

Text: Migne 1862, 441-452. Translation: Efthymios Rizos.