E05648: The Miracles of Saint Thekla recounts how *Thekla (follower of the Apostle Paul, S00092) punished with death Marianos, bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, the hometown of *Paul (the Apostle, S00008) for preventing the Tarsians from coming to her festival at Seleucia. Written in Greek at Seleucia ad Calycadnum (southern Asia Minor) in the 470s.

Miracles of Saint Thekla, 29

There was a certain Marianos, who was at that time bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia. This city took pride in being beautiful and prosperous, but most of all, in being the hometown of the Apostle Paul.

Marianos was a man of a reckless and impulsive nature; it happened that he was at odd with Dexianos, bishop of the neighbouring city of Seleucia, where the church of Thekla was located. Dexianos was very powerful, so Marianos, much weaker in every aspect, could not avenge himself other than through offensive behaviour toward the martyr.

The time of the festival of the virgin came and all the people, specially Cilicians were hastening to Seleucia to take part in celebrations. But Marianos, standing up in his church, forbade and prevented everyone from going to Seleucia and honouring the martyr in her shrine. This was his revenge against Dexianos: to remove the customary presence of the Tarsians at the festival. But in only five or six days he was severely punished for his mindless behaviour in the following way.

Κάστωρ τις, ἀνὴρ βέλτιος, ἐκ μὲν τῆς Λυκαονίας τὸ γένος ἕλκων, τὴν δὲ Σελεύκειαν ταύτην οἰκῶν, καὶ τὴν ἐπάρχοις ὑπηρετουμένην διέπων στρατείαν, οὗτος κατ’ αὐτὴν τὴν τῆς πανηγύρεως νυκτεγερσίαν ὄψιν ὁρᾷ τοιαύτην· τὴν παρθένον αὐτὴν μετὰ ἀγριωτέρου καὶ σχήματος καὶ βλέμματος καὶ βαδίσματος ἀνὰ τὴν πόλιν ἅπασαν περιθέουσαν, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας συχνότερον ἀποκροτοῦσαν, καὶ τὸν Μαριανὸν καὶ τὴν ὕβριν ἀναβοῶσαν, καὶ τὸ ἤδη λήψεσθαι δίκην ἐπαπειλοῦσαν. Τὸ δὲ ἦν ὕπαρ λοιπόν, οὐκ ὄναρ ἔτι. Τῇ γὰρ ὄψει ταύτῃ εὐθὺς καὶ ὁ ἐκείνου θάνατος ἐπηκολούθησεν· ὡς συμβῆναι κατὰ ταὐτὸν ἄμφω, καὶ τὸν Κάστορα διηγεῖσθαι τὴν ὄψιν, καί τινας ἑτέρους τὸν Μαριανοῦ θάνατον ἀπαγγέλλειν· ὡς καὶ πᾶσιν ἅμα πολλὴν ἐγγενέσθαι φρίκην, καὶ οὐχ οὕτως ἀπὸ τοῦ πράγματος, ὅσον ἀπὸ τοῦ τάχους.

'A certain Kastor, an excellent man and native of Lykaonia, though a resident of our Seleucia, served as a functionary in the provincial administration. This man, during the night vigil of the festival, saw the following vision: the virgin herself, with a savage appearance, gaze, and gait, was running around the whole city and clapping her hands together repeatedly, while denouncing Marianos and his hubris and threatening that he would soon pay the penalty. This was a waking vision, and not really a dream. For this man's [i.e., Marianos'] death followed immediately upon the vision, so that both events happened as one: Kastor recounting the vision, and some others announcing Marianos' death. Everyone experienced great shock as a result, not so much from Marianos' fate, as from the speed with which it occurred.'

Text: Dagron 1978. Translation: Johnson 2012, lightly modified. Summary: J. Doroszewska.