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E05890: Hesychius of Jerusalem composes his Homily 8, On *Antony (‘the Great’, monk of Egypt, S00098), which he preaches during the celebration of the saint at the church of the Anastasis in Jerusalem on 17 January. Written in Greek at Jerusalem, in the early 5th c.

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posted on 2018-06-28, 00:00 authored by erizos

Hesychius of Jerusalem, Homily 8, On Antony (CPG 6572 = BHG 141f)

1. Proem. Lauds of Antony.

2. Comparison. Antony compared with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Daniel, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist, and Paul the Apostle.

3. Captatio benevolentiae: Hesychius cannot offer an adequate praise.

4-9. Antony ‘s life is praised in the light of biblical quotations concerning righteousness.

History

Evidence ID

E05890

Saint Name

Antony, 'the Great', monk of Egypt, ob. 356 : S00098

Saint Name in Source

Ἀντώνιος

Related Saint Records

https://oxford.figshare.com/articles/Antony_the_Great_monk_of_Egypt_ob_356/13729378

Type of Evidence

Literary - Hagiographical - Other saint-related texts Literary - Sermons/Homilies

Language

Greek

Evidence not before

410

Evidence not after

450

Activity not before

410

Activity not after

450

Place of Evidence - Region

Palestine with Sinai

Place of Evidence - City, village, etc

Jerusalem

Place of evidence - City name in other Language(s)

Jerusalem Caesarea Maritima Καισάρεια Kaisareia Caesarea Kayseri Turris Stratonis

Major author/Major anonymous work

Hesychius of Jerusalem

Cult activities - Liturgical Activity

Service for the Saint

Cult activities - Festivals

Saint’s feast

Cult Activities - Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Ecclesiastics - lesser clergy Ecclesiastics - monks/nuns/hermits

Source

Hesychius lived as a monk and priest in Palestine and Jerusalem in the first half of the 5th century. A member of the clergy of the Holy Sepulchre, he was a leading theologian and author, flourishing from the 410s to perhaps after 451. He was a close associate of Juvenal (bishop of Jerusalem 422-458), and participated in the theological debate against Nestorius, supporting Cyril of Alexandria. The date of his death is uncertain. Theophanes reports that he died in the same year as Melania the Younger (ed. de Boor 92, 20: AM 5926), but he is also reported to have been alive when the Council of Chalcedon took place in 451, and to have opposed it. His surviving works include commentaries and homilies. He is known to have published an ecclesiastical history, which has not survived. The circulation of his works in the Middle Ages seems to have been geographically limited, since they tend to be found in manuscripts from Jerusalem and southern Italy, but hardly ever in Constantinopolitan ones. His homilies are important testimonies for the early stages of development of the liturgical traditions of the church of Jerusalem, and the appearance of a number of feasts with a strong Marian dimension like the 14 February feast of Hypapante (Candlemas) and 15 August. Homily 8 survives in three manuscripts, on which see Aubineau 1978, 277-279: http://pinakes.irht.cnrs.fr/notices/oeuvre/9019/

Discussion

This homily is the earliest known homiletic work associated with the celebration of the great monastic father. It partly follows the literary conventions of a funerary encomium, constructing the praises of its hero on the base of comparison, and by presenting aspects of Antony’s life as the fulfilment of biblical references to righteousness. In doing this, Hesychius is partly inspired by the biblical readings of the day. The homily was probably preached during the saint’s feast on 17 January, which, according to the Armenian lectionary of Jerusalem, was celebrated at the Anastasis.

Bibliography

Text, French translation, and commentary: Aubineau, M., Les homélies festales d’Hésychius de Jérusalem I: les homélies I-XV (Subsidia Hagiographica 59: Brussels, 1978).