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E02299: John Chrysostom, in his Homily 5 to the People of Antioch, refers to a pilgrimage site in Arabia associated with the suffering of *Job (Old Testament Patriarch, S01191). Written in Greek at Antioch (Syria), 387.
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posted on 2017-02-01, 00:00 authored by erizosJohn Chrysostom, To the people of Antioch (On the statues), Homily 5 (CPG 4330, BHG 488k)
αʹ. Τῶν τριῶν παίδων καὶ τῆς Βαβυλωνίας καμίνου ἡ διήγησις οὐ μετρίως ὡς ἔοικε παρεκάλεσεν ὑμῶν τὴν ἀγάπην χθές· ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὸ παράδειγμα τὸ κατὰ τὸν Ἰὼβ, καὶ ἡ κοπρία ἡ παντὸς θρόνου βασιλικοῦ σεμνοτέρα. Ἀπὸ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ θρόνον ἰδεῖν βασιλικὸν οὐδὲν ἔσται τοῖς θεωμένοις τὸ κέρδος, ἀλλὰ πρόσκαιρος μόνον τέρψις, ὄνησιν οὐδεμίαν ἔχουσα· ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ τὴν κοπρίαν ἰδεῖν τοῦ Ἰὼβ πᾶσάν τις δέξεται ὠφέλειαν, καὶ φιλοσοφίαν πολλὴν, καὶ παράκλησιν εἰς ὑπομονῆς λόγον. Διὰ τοῦτο πολλοὶ νῦν μακράν τινα καὶ διαπόντιον ἀποδημίαν στέλλονται ἀπὸ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς εἰς τὴν Ἀραβίαν τρέχοντες, ἵνα τὴν κοπρίαν ἐκείνην ἴδωσι, καὶ θεασάμενοι καταφιλήσωσι τὴν γῆν τὴν τὰ σκάμματα τοῦ στεφανίτου δεξαμένην ἐκείνου, καὶ τὸ χρυσίου παντὸς τιμιώτερον αἷμα. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτως ἐστὶν ἁλουργὶς λαμπρὰ, ὡς τὸ σῶμα ἐκεῖνο τότε ἀπέστιλβεν, οὐκ ἀλλοτρίῳ, ἀλλ’ οἰκείῳ βαπτιζόμενον αἵματι. Καὶ τὰ τραύματα δὲ ἐκεῖνα ἁπάντων λίθων ἦν τιμιώτερα.
‘The story of the three youths and the Babylonian furnace gave, as it seems, no small comfort to your charity yesterday, and even more so did the example of Job’s story, and that dunghill which is more dignified than any royal throne. For from seeing a royal throne spectators would earn no gain, but only temporary pleasure which brings no benefit. From the sight of Job's dunghill, however, one may derive every kind of benefit, plenty of equanimity and consolation nurturing patience. For this reason, nowadays many undertake a long and overseas journey, hastening from the ends of the world to as far as Arabia, in order to see that dunghill and, having beheld it, kiss the land which contained the wrestling-ground of that champion and received his blood that was more precious than all gold. For purple does not shine as brilliantly as did that body, when it was dyed, not in foreign blood, but in its own. As for those wounds, they were more precious than all manner of gems.’
Text: J.-P. Migne, Patrologiae cursus completus (series Graeca) 49, Paris: Migne, 1857-1866: 67-69.
Translation: E. Rizos.
αʹ. Τῶν τριῶν παίδων καὶ τῆς Βαβυλωνίας καμίνου ἡ διήγησις οὐ μετρίως ὡς ἔοικε παρεκάλεσεν ὑμῶν τὴν ἀγάπην χθές· ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὸ παράδειγμα τὸ κατὰ τὸν Ἰὼβ, καὶ ἡ κοπρία ἡ παντὸς θρόνου βασιλικοῦ σεμνοτέρα. Ἀπὸ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ θρόνον ἰδεῖν βασιλικὸν οὐδὲν ἔσται τοῖς θεωμένοις τὸ κέρδος, ἀλλὰ πρόσκαιρος μόνον τέρψις, ὄνησιν οὐδεμίαν ἔχουσα· ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ τὴν κοπρίαν ἰδεῖν τοῦ Ἰὼβ πᾶσάν τις δέξεται ὠφέλειαν, καὶ φιλοσοφίαν πολλὴν, καὶ παράκλησιν εἰς ὑπομονῆς λόγον. Διὰ τοῦτο πολλοὶ νῦν μακράν τινα καὶ διαπόντιον ἀποδημίαν στέλλονται ἀπὸ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς εἰς τὴν Ἀραβίαν τρέχοντες, ἵνα τὴν κοπρίαν ἐκείνην ἴδωσι, καὶ θεασάμενοι καταφιλήσωσι τὴν γῆν τὴν τὰ σκάμματα τοῦ στεφανίτου δεξαμένην ἐκείνου, καὶ τὸ χρυσίου παντὸς τιμιώτερον αἷμα. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτως ἐστὶν ἁλουργὶς λαμπρὰ, ὡς τὸ σῶμα ἐκεῖνο τότε ἀπέστιλβεν, οὐκ ἀλλοτρίῳ, ἀλλ’ οἰκείῳ βαπτιζόμενον αἵματι. Καὶ τὰ τραύματα δὲ ἐκεῖνα ἁπάντων λίθων ἦν τιμιώτερα.
‘The story of the three youths and the Babylonian furnace gave, as it seems, no small comfort to your charity yesterday, and even more so did the example of Job’s story, and that dunghill which is more dignified than any royal throne. For from seeing a royal throne spectators would earn no gain, but only temporary pleasure which brings no benefit. From the sight of Job's dunghill, however, one may derive every kind of benefit, plenty of equanimity and consolation nurturing patience. For this reason, nowadays many undertake a long and overseas journey, hastening from the ends of the world to as far as Arabia, in order to see that dunghill and, having beheld it, kiss the land which contained the wrestling-ground of that champion and received his blood that was more precious than all gold. For purple does not shine as brilliantly as did that body, when it was dyed, not in foreign blood, but in its own. As for those wounds, they were more precious than all manner of gems.’
Text: J.-P. Migne, Patrologiae cursus completus (series Graeca) 49, Paris: Migne, 1857-1866: 67-69.
Translation: E. Rizos.
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