Acts of St Demetrius

tr. Conybeare, 1894

demetrius

I. At this time there was much wickedness in high places, and Maximianus the emperor, the enemy of God, was in the city of Thessalonica, where the ministers of religion were subjected to every kind of torture. For he was sunk in the depths of idolatry; so that he made strict search and enquiry after those who had embraced the religion of God, and imprisoned and tortured them. But of the Christians who were in the city, some took the advice of the wise Paul, and bowed their heads before the storm, and hid themselves for a season; but others were more courageous, and publicly avowed their faith in the middle of the crowded city. II. Of the latter, there was one whose name was Demetrius,¹ a brave and virtuous man, who had no fear of the death allotted by nature to us. He spurned the terrible threats of the Emperor, and openly avowed himself to be a Christian; and in and out of season with the greatest boldness he taught the saving Name, which he upheld in his own soul, to all who came near him, in accordance with apostolic commands. Now this saint was very learned in the divine scriptures; and would expound before all the life-giving mysteries which were hidden in them, and this, too, was part of his teaching—that it was his disobedience which caused the first man to go astray from the truth; wherefore also we became liable to death, and idolatry entered into the world. For this cause, also, the allwise Word, God, born in ineffable wise of God the Father, came into the world, having put on flesh;² and He shone forth as the light of the world, He lifted up the fallen, and raised up the sunken, and found the lost, and made us pure from all the filth of sin. And not only did he do these good works, but he also taught unto all who received his word, the righteousness of holiness, gentleness and tranquillity, love and peace, to despise what is transitory, and, in the hope of what is to come, to welcome the earnest of life that is eternal, and passes not away. III. With such language the saint would comfort all who came to him; and in consequence many came to him because his fame was spread abroad in many places. At that time then, the officers of the Emperor went about in search of the Christians; and having taken the blessed Demetrius, they brought him before Maximianus the enemy of God, as if they had taken some great quarry. IV. Now it happened that the Emperor just then was going forth to take his seat in the arena of the city, in order to witness the gladiators, who were going to exhibit in the sight of all the common people; and the place of the arena was fitted up with scaffolding, and was itself built of cut stone, in order to contain those who came and sat therein.³ And there was there a man by name Leos, strong of limb, and powerful as a giant.⁴ V. He was the terror of all when he fought in the shows; but in his life he was reckless and murderous, and was therefore a special favourite in the eyes of Maximianus, who reckoned him among his foremost champions, because in that land there was none found like him. When therefore the Emperor entered the circus, the executioners set Demetrius before him. VI. And the Emperor, after asking him if he were a Christian, commanded that they should take him close up to the portico of the baths, where a red-hot fire was kindled; for the baths were close to the Court of Justice.⁵ VII. Then he bade them bring Leos into his presence, and a herald made a public proclamation, asking who was willing to engage in combat with him, and promising great rewards. Then there rose up in the middle of the court a young man, whose name was Nestor, a Christian, who had formerly gone to the blessed Demetrius, to ask him to pray for him; and he had blessed him, and prophesied: “By the name of our Lord Jesus Christ thou shalt conquer Leos, and by reason of Him art thou martyred.”⁶ VIII. The young man laid aside his garments, and binding round himself a single loin-cloth, he leaped into the level of the arena, full opposite Maximianus, and championed Leos to do combat with him.

But when the Emperor saw his tender age, he wondered, and called Nestor to himself, and began to give him good advice, saying: “I know, little son, that because you would fain be rich and because of your poverty, you are so eager to lose your life at the hands of Leos, a man mighty and strong of limb. But I am sorry for the comeliness of your youth, which is graced with all beauty; and therefore I give you much wealth; only give up this desire of yours to do battle with one who is powerful as a giant, and who conquers all; and depart rejoicing in your own fair looks.” IX. Then the stripling, Nestor, was in no wise deceived by the promises of the Emperor, nor in any way took his advice, nor had any fear because of the praise bestowed upon Leos. For he trusted alone in the prophecy of Demetrius, and he drew his strength from the might of Christ, and he therefore answered the Emperor thus: “I, O Emperor, am not come hither for the sake of wealth, or of the life that passes, but that I may prove myself a choicer man than Leos, and because I shall attain to the better life.” And when the Emperor and all his great men of state around him heard this, they were filled with anger, and considered that the words of Nestor were mere braggadocio; so they incited Leos to fight with him, and to give him a death blow, so that he might die at once. X. And then when they met one another face to face, the stripling Nestor, made strong in spirit, hurled himself at Leos, dashed him to the ground, and in a moment slew him.⁷ XI. But the Emperor, seeing this, was very wroth, especially when he ascertained that Nestor was also a Christian; and instead of bestowing upon him the rewards which by proclamation he had beforehand promised to any one who would fight in the arena with Leos, he ordered the youth to be beheaded as a Christian.⁸ Thus the Emperor was very vexed at what had taken place, for he was sorry for the death of both;⁹ and he accordingly rose from his throne with a sad countenance, resolved to go to his palace. XII. Then some evil speakers came and maligned Demetrius to him, saying that he was the origin of it all; whereat the Emperor was so incensed, that he became like a wild animal, and commanded the saint to be transfixed with a javelin, there in the very Court of Justice. And thus died the saint, making a goodly confession of Christ, on the 26th day of the month of October.¹⁰ XIII. But Maximianus the enemy of God, ordered his holy body to be thrown out to feed the wild beasts and birds; and then some brethren, who were reverent, and loved the martyrs, came in the night and stole his body, and bore it away,¹¹ and buried it in a certain house in the city, there to wait for a while until the Lord should visit and reveal the relics of His saints.

But after a little while great signs and acts of power began to occur unto those who called upon the holy martyr to help them; and thus the cures which were wrought in the name of the saint came to be known far and wide. XIV. Then a certain Leontius,¹² a God-fearing man, who belonged to the land of Illyria, a bishop, came to Thessalonica; and he acquired the house in which were the relics of the saint;¹³ and finding it narrow and confined, he threw it down, and enlarged the place, and sanctified it, and built a magnificent temple in honour of the saint’s name, wherein great acts of healing were wrought, to the glory and praise of the All Holy Trinity, and of the consubstantial nature of the Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.

II. A history of the wonders which took place through the holy Demetrius; how that after a long time, in the days of Justinian and Maurice, emperors of the Greeks, search was made for his relics.

Let us now, dear brethren, glide over a long period of time, and relate the miracles which took place through the God-clad martyr Demetrius. In order that a little attention to a few details may give you an understanding of many ineffable works wrought by the almighty power of Christ through His saints. Now on every occasion when the saints died, the Christians, who loved the martyrs, were careful to take their bodies and inter them in a secret spot, in order that the foul smoke of the sacrifices of the heathen might not come nigh them to pollute them. And for this reason their tombs are sometimes certainly known, but sometimes not so; even though we see beautifully decorated shrines erected in their memory by certain pious people. So it is in Thessalonica, where although a great many martyrs lie hidden and although their shrines are shown, and among the rest that of the blessed Demetrius, celebrated for its miracles; yet their real tombs, and the spots consecrated by the relics of these same saints, are not anywhere to be found, with the sole exception of the holy virgin Mamrinus. But in the time of the pious emperor Maurice, by his reverent and devout wishes, search was made for many saints who had died in Thessalonica, and especially for the holy Demetrius, because of the great fame of his miracles; and a letter was written to the blessed Eusebius, who was at that time Bishop of Thessalonica, asking him to send to the Emperor some part of the relics of the blessed saint Demetrius. On which occasion Eusebius wrote the following letter in answer to the Emperor: “We know full well, O Emperor, that your request is dictated by the true faith which you have in the holy martyrs of Christ. But while informing your reverence of the faith of the Thessalonicaeans, and of the miracles wrought among them, I must yet in respect of this request of yours, say that the faith of this city is not of such a kind, as that the people desire to worship God and to honour His saints by means of anything sensible. For they have received the faith from the Lord’s holy testimonies, to the effect that God is a spirit, and that those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. And for this cause there are hidden in this city all the bodies of the saints, so as to be altogether out of the ken of man. And this is what your pious father, Justinian, who was filled with the same devout zeal as yourself, found to be the case by actual trial. For he in martyr-loving mood wrote a letter to my predecessor in the bishopric of the city, such as your worship has written to us, asking for some part of the relics of the holy martyr Demetrius, which it was his pious and royal desire to enshrine. So they went and dug into the shrine of the holy martyr, and dug into the floor of the church, where they thought had been laid the remains of the saint. And the bishop entrusted such a work to God-fearing priests, of whose merits he was well assured. But when they had made the hole deep enough, and others stood round with psalms and hymns, and lighted tapers, and fragrant incense, they wanted to dig still further, when suddenly a fire issued from within and filled all the hole they had dug, and enveloped without burning them; and they heard a voice which said: ‘Cease henceforth from any more tempting the power of Christ, which is united with the bones of the saints.’ But they were filled with fear and trembling, and took clay from the hollow, and sent it to the Emperor, and acquainted him in writing with the wonders which had happened.

“This then, O Emperor, took place in the reign of the pious Justinian, your father. And we in the same way have sent to your devout majesty a portion of the same blessed clay, which was laid in the chest in this church with a view to the healing of the sick. This we pray your majesty also to welcome gratefully, and to receive it without misgiving; as if therein you had with you the entire martyr, as beseems your faith. And by trial of it, you will learn its wonderful properties, and will not deem us to have been disregardful of your pious majesty. Glory be to Christ for ever and ever. Amen.”

Notes

According to the Gk. Anon. and metaphrast, Demetrius was ἐκ γένους τῶν περιδόξων, καὶ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς ὑπάρχων, ἐκσκέπτωρ τὸ πρώτον στρατευσάμενος καὶ ἀνθύπατος γεγονώς τῆς Ἐλλάδος, καὶ ὑπάτου ὠραίωνα ἔλαβεν ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως Μαξιμιανοῦ.
ἡ πάνσοφος τοῦ θεοῦ Λόγου κατὰ σάρκα παρουσία. The outline of the saint’s teaching, as given in the Armenian, is almost identical with that of the Gk. Anon.; the metaphrast garbles it, introducing more pronounced dogmatic, and omitting the moral elements, e.g. ζωῆς ἄρτον. . . . τῷ πατρὶ συνάναρχος λόγος, οὔτε τῆς θεότητος ἀποστὰς καὶ σάρκα λαβῶν ἐκ παρθένου. . . . καὶ ἡ φήμη πανταχοῦ τὸν ἄνδρα παρέπεμπε κηρύττοντα τὴν τριάδα.
The Gk. Anon. adds that Demetrius taught ἐν τῇ ἐκεῖσε (i.e. in Thessalonica) χαλκευτικῇ λεγομένη στοᾶ, ἔνθα καὶ εἰώθει τὰς συνόδους ποιεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τὰς τοῦ ἐγγὺς δημοσίου λουτροῦ ὑπογαίους καμάρας. Such details evince an early and close knowledge of the city.
Gk. Anon. and metaphrast say nothing of the cut stone, but the former has as follows: ἐκεῖ γὰρ αὐτῷ παρεσκεύαστο. διά τινων σανίδων περιπεφραγμένος κύκλῳ ἐν ὕψει κρεμάμενος, ὁ δέχεσθαι μέλλων τοὺς ἐν αὐτῶ εἰσιόντας. The metaphrast gives similar particulars later on.
The Gk. Anon. spells the name Λυαῖος, and says he was a Vandal, who in the ludi had slain many both in Rome and Sirmium.
Here the Gk. Anon. and the metaphrast, add a miracle. As the saint sits confined under the portico (καμάρα) of the baths, he sees a scorpion about to sting him. He makes the sign of a cross over it, and it instantly dies. Then an angel appears and crowns the martyr with a crown, saying: “Peace to thee, athlete of Christ, be strong and of good courage.”
The Gk. Anon. and the metaphrast have: καὶ τὸν Λυαῖον νικήσεις, καὶ ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ μαρτυρήσεις. The metaphrast elaborates this incident. The Anon. agrees better with the Armenian.
The Greek § is much longer, for a prayer is put into Nestor’s mouth: “O God of Demetrius Thy servant, and Thy loved Son Jesus Christ, who didst subject Goliath the alien to the faithful David, do Thou Thyself cast down the boasting of Lyaius and of the tyrant Maximianus.” The metaphrast gives a similar prayer, but does not mention Demetrius.
In the Gk. Anon. the Emperor accuses Nestor of γοητεία. Nestor replies that an angel really wielded his sword. He is then beheaded, ἐν τοῖς δυτικοῖς τῆς πόλεως μέρεσιν ἐν τῇ ἐπονομαζομένη χρυσέᾳ πυλῇ, by the hand of Menutianus, a protector (προτέκτορος), and so receives the crown of martyrdom. The metaphrast gives a similar, but more elaborate, account of Nestor’s death; omitting, however, the topographical details supplied by the Anon.
The Gk. Anon. omits this touch, which being favourable to Maximian’s character, may be genuine.
The Greek omits the date, but adds a § about Lupus, the saint’s servant, who took τὸ ὀράριον of the saint and caught his blood in it; also dipt in the blood a royal ring, which then wrought cures. Lupus also is martyred. Similarly the metaphrast.
The Gk. Anon. says they buried the body deep down under the rubbish heap on which it had been cast. The metaph. that they buried it on the very spot where the saint was executed.
According to the Gk. Anon. and metaphrast Leontius was τις ἀνήρ τοὺς ἐπαρχικοὺς τῶν Ἰλλυρίων κατακοσμῶν θρόνους.
According to the Gk. Anon. Leontius, being miraculously cured of his disease. threw down the porticoes or vaults (καμάρας) of the furnaces (τών καμίνων), as also of the hot baths; and cleared away the public entrances and shops (δημοσίων ἐμβόλων καὶ προπινῶν), and raised a solemn house (πάνσεπτον οἶκον) to the martyr. It is in the metaphrast that we here find the original of the Armenian: καὶ τὸν μικρὸν οἰκίσκον ὃς τὸ ἱερὸν εἶχε τοῦ μάρτυρος σῶμα. ἐπὶ βραχέος κομιδῆ καὶ στενοῦ τοῦ σχήματος ὄντα, τοῖς περιβόλοις τε τοῦ λουτροῦ καὶ τῷ σταδίῳ ἀπειλημμένον, καταστρέψας αὐτὸς, εἰς ναὸν αὐτῷ τῷ ἄστει Θεσσαλονίκης ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐδείματο τῶν κρηπίδων ὃς καὶ νῦν ὁρᾶται. The metaphrast in the 10th century could not have seen the original church, which was burned down in the 7th century.
The Greek forms add two §§ relating how Leontius took a garment (χλαμύδα) drenched in the saint’s blood, and returned homewards to Dacia. But he could not cross the Danube because of the wintry weather. Then he had a vision of the saint, after which he mounted his chariot and drove across the Danube, dryshod, to Sirmium, where he deposited the relic in the church of Demetrius, near the shrine of Anastasia.
In the above the geography is confused, for, though Dacia was across the Danube, Sirmium was not. …