Before getting distracted with the BHG 884 “Life” of John Damascene, I was investigating the massive anthology (CPG 8056) known as the Sacra Parallela, attributed to John Damascene but clearly earlier, and first published by Michel Lequien in 1712, in an oddball and unsatisfactory edition. This was reprinted in the PG 96.
I’m afraid that my urge to delve further into the Sacra has evaporated in the five months that I seem to have spent on John’s “Life”. I had hoped to find some interesting material in the prologues, but in truth these do not say much.
Running the Latin translation of the prologue printed by Lequien (vol. 1, p.278) through ChatGPT gives us the following:
Virtue is a precious thing, through which man is united with God and becomes an heir to the kingdom of heaven. Indeed, this is attained by observing the divine commandments. For the Lord, in the promises He made to the people who had lived in Egypt, said: “If you listen to Me and keep My commandments, you will be My chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.” Furthermore, He proclaimed that those who obey His divine commands would become children of God. How great this good is, no one can fully explain in words. For grace surpasses our nature, and the dignity of adoption exceeds all hope. Therefore, in order to attain such great blessings, we must diligently and willingly carry out what has been commanded of us.
The choice to do what is beneficial to us will be easy if we compare virtues with the vices opposed to them and to God, and if we consult what has been said about them both in sacred Scripture and by the saints and Fathers inspired by divine authority. From this, we will understand both the great rewards promised to the righteous and the punishments threatened to the wicked.
Moreover, it is important to know, for the glory of Christian truth, that we have also compiled teachings from the writings of Philo and Josephus, both of whom were Hebrew scholars. For this reason it is worth our while to pay careful attention to their accounts and pronouncements, so that in no way do they deviate from the purpose and end of the foremost men of faith and holiness who have flourished among us. Rather, they should show great similarity and agreement, both in their words and in their morals, and the words of the learned Fathers, which the educated teacher will present from them, should confirm and strengthen, rather than diminish or undermine, the truth.
This tells us no more than that the Sacra consists of a series of extracts from the fathers, organised by the virtues, and their corresponding vices – hence the “parallela”; and also that the author has mined the works of Philo and Josephus. Oh well.
The new German edition in the “Patristische Texte und Studien” series of the Schriften of “Johannes von Damaskos” has five volumes so far devoted to “book 2” of the Sacra. The volumes for “book 1” do not seem to have appeared as yet.
Just remember and remind that Sacra predates John of Damascus by 150 years.
Good thought – will modify the post to make that clearer.