It’s now available here:
http://jdhomie.com/2014/06/08/patristics-carnival-xxxv-pentecost-edition
Category: Announcements
General announcements
Some 1860 photos of the lost Meta Sudans fountain in Rome
The meta sudans was an ancient Roman fountain outside the Colosseum. It was demolished, atypically, by Mussolini in 1936 as part of his improvements to Roman road transport. By then it was in a sad state.
Two marvellous photos have been found by @ste_trombetti[1] on Twitter in a volume of photographs taken in 1860 by Altobelli and Molins[2], and now online at the Bibliotheque Nationale Francais (here). Here they are. The first from here:
And from the other side, excerpted from here:
Wonderful!
How to download a book at the German Arachne – DAI site
I had trouble with this, so I am going to document it here! With pictures. Because it’s about as user-friendly as a cornered rat; but obvious once you know.
Say you want to download a volume of the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum? These are here. So go to that link. You get a page like this (you can switch the language to English somewhere on the site, at top right – may as well).
Click on a volume.
When you get it, there will be a floppy disk icon top right.
When you do, you will get a pop-up:
IGNORE the “Download” button!!! All that will give you is some crappy catalogue info.
Instead click on the “Download book as PDF file”. And … your download will begin.
Be warned: the size of these books is in gigabytes. Which won’t matter a bit once the internet speeds up a bit, but may make your eyes pop a bit in the mean time!
From my diary
It’s been a busy 24 hours. Another chunk of the translation of Eusebius’ Commentary on Luke has appeared – this work now nearly done, thankfully.
As previous posts have indicated, Severian’s De pace came in. I have commissioned another Severian, and a second gentleman has expressed interest in doing Severian as well. I’m willing. In fact there are homilies of Severian extant only in Armenian, and I am willing to pay someone to translate these as well. But we’ll get there.
I also spent time trying to untangle the account in Vermaseren’s Corpus Inscriptionum et Monumentum Religionis Mithriacae of the items from Chester; but to some purpose, for I realised that in fact there were four monuments, not three, and that this had confused Vermaseren himself.
Various items scanned during the week had to be processed, OCR’d and stored away. The British copyright libraries wanted their free copies of Origen, Exegetical works on Ezekiel. It all takes time…
I also had to finish that translation of Bosio on the grave of Maria; because I had done too much to drop it. And I noted in the WordPress dashboard a half-written post on Palladas, so felt I’d better finish that off. Another half-written post on Hippolytus can stay that way! Another post that I started, on some daft decision-making in US journals, was, I decided, really politics and so I deleted it. For some reason I seem to have done a lot of starting posts which I don’t finish lately.
Much else that isn’t deserving of mention was done.
But it all ended with a pleasing email from Lightning Source: the Origen book has already sold four paperback copies through Amazon. And I only made it available about a week ago. Thank you very much, whoever you are!
The epigrams of Palladas of Alexandria
On twitter a couple of days ago I came across this item by Bettany Hughes:
Palladas of Alexandria c.350AD ‘in the darkness of night Zeus stood beside me and said: “Even I, a god, have learned to live with the times”. @Bettany_Hughes
I confess that Palladas is not a name that I had ever heard of. But he is a pagan epigrammist, whose work is preserved in the Greek Anthology, of the 5th century – or so the introduction to the Loeb edition states.
From a selection from this available online at Gutenberg[1] I learn the following:
Palladas of Alexandria is the author of one hundred and fifty-one epigrams (besides twenty-three more doubtful) in the Anthology. His somber and melancholy figure is one of the last of the purely pagan world in its losing battle against Christianity. One of the epigrams attributed to him on the authority of Planudes is an eulogy on the celebrated Hypatia, daughter of Theon of Alexandria, whose tragic death took place A.D. 415 in the reign of Theodosius the Second. Another was, according to a scholium in the Palatine MS., written in the reign of Valentinian and Valens, joint-emperors, 364-375 A.D.
Thankfully the Greek Anthology is accessible online in the Loeb edition in five volumes.[2] Better yet, since it is on Archive.org, it is possible to search through the OCR’d text for his name.
This I have done, and have found what seems to be the real version of the quotation, in volume 3, on p.247, no. 441:
441.— PALLADAS OF ALEXANDRIA
On a Statue of Heracles.[1]
I marvelled, seeing at the cross-roads Jove’s brazen son, once constantly invoked, now cast aside, and in wrath I said : “Averter of woes, offspring of three nights, thou, who never didst suffer defeat, art to-day laid low.” But at night the god stood by my bed smiling, and said : “Even though I am a god I have learnt to serve the times.”
[1] The statue had doubtless been cast down by the Christians.
I must confess that my search through the Greek Anthology moves me, rather, to read it! I hesitate, however, to add five volumes to my straightened shelves.
What did the Romans bury with a 5th century empress?
The demolition of the Constantinian basilica of St Peter’s in Rome, in the 16th century, in order to build the present church, also required the demolition of the neighbouring circular chapel of St Petronilla. This building stood next to the south door, and probably predated the basilica. Like the chapel of St Andrew nearby, it was probably a Roman tomb of the 2-3rd century, half-buried by the earth platform on which St Peter’s was built.
Inside the chapel, the process of demolition revealed a Roman imperial burial of the 5th century AD. The owner was the empress Maria, daughter of Stilicho and wife of the emperor Honorius.
The following report appears in Bosio’s Roma Sotteranea (16xx).[1] It seemed interesting enough to translate it. I can’t quite understand it all, but I’ll have a go![2]
After listing papal interments, and then mentioning emperors who appear in the literary record as interred here, he continues:
Of the Augustas we know of one who was buried on the Vatican, Maria, daughter of Stilicho and of the most noble Lady Serena, and wife of the aforementioned Emperor Honorius. Her sepulchre was discovered in the year 1544, on the 4th of February, in the pontificate of Paul III; during the demolition of the old round chapel of St. Petronilla, situated on the right-hand side of the basilica. In excavating the foundations of the new chapel, a great sarcophagus of marble was found, approximately six feet under the floor, covered by a slab also of marble, and surrounded in turn by a very thick wall. When this was opened, a body was seen in it, dressed in gold clothing. The head was covered by a veil with many wrappings, but separate; and many ornaments of gold which taken together weighed about 40 pounds. Nearly all the bones were reduced to dust, and there only remained the shins, teeth and skull; which gave an indication that this was the body of a young girl, and it was easy to work out that it was the aforementioned Maria, wife of Honorius, from the items found inside the sarcophagus. To one side was a chest of silver, filled with various vases of crystal, of agate, of other stones; and similarly with little animals of various kinds, with some ornaments of gold. Below this was a box, covered with gilded silver, with some ornaments of heads of chiodetti (?) of silver, inside which were many gold rings, all with precious stones; some necklaces, and other items and toys. All of them are minutely described by Lucio Fauno, and we found them listed one-by-one in a handwritten book of that time, and they are as follows:
Vases, and various pieces of crystal, large and small, 30 in number; between two ancient cups of medium size, one round and one ovate shape with very beautiful little figures in medium relief.
A piece of crystal shaped like a seashell, fashioned as a lamp with gold fittings; which covered up the mouth of the seashell, leaving only a small hole in the middle through which to put oil; beside which was a moveable fly of gold, which you could move with a nail to cover and uncover the hole. Likewise of gold was the tip con il pippioda porvi lo stopino, tirato in lungo, & acuto, con bellissima gratia (?); and so attached to the crystal that they seemed to have been born together.
Some pieces of agate with some small animals, and some vases in number eight, among which there were two beautiful vases, one looking like a big glass ampoule, of the sort used to keep oil or similar liquid; and so made, and so beautiful, that it was a marvel when first seen; and the other vase was made in the manner of a skimmer with its handle, used in Rome to separate water from vettine.
Four little vases of gold of various sorts, and another very small vessel of gold, of ovate form, with its lid adorned with jewels.
A small heart of gold in the form of a pendant with six jewels inset.
Two earring pendants of emerald, or plasma (?), with two jacinths.
A pendent in the form of a group of vua(?), made of pavonazze (?) stone.
Eight other small gold pendents of various sorts, set with various stones.
Rings, and verghette, of gold, of various sorts, set with various jewels and precious stones, in total numbering fifty-eight; and among these one of red bone (osso rosso?) with various stones.
Three little animals of red bone.
A clasp or trinket or necklace of gold, with five jewels of various sorts, set inside; and twenty-four other clasps of various sorts with various jewels embedded in them.
A piece of a very small thin necklace, inset with green stones.
Another gold necklace, with twenty-two “pater nostri” of plasma (?).
Another small necklace, with nine “pater nostri” of sapphire set in an oval.
Another small necklace tirato raccolto, broken into four pieces.
Two gold buttons and fourteen golden shirts.
A tondo of gold, with an “Agnus Dei”, with letters around it, reading: MARIA OUR MOST FLOWER-LIKE LADY. And on the other side LONG LIVE STILICHO.
Two gold handles of gold, with some green stones in them.
Two large hair-pins, or hair-rollers; one of gold, approximately a foot long, with letters, reading on one side: FOR OUR LORD HONORIUS. And on the other side: FOR OUR LADY MARIA. The other silver and without letters.
A plate of gold on which were carved in Greek letters Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel.
An emerald bound in gold, on which a head was carved, which was judged to be the aforementioned emperor Honorius, as a seal, estimated to be worth 500 scudi.
There were also fragments of other emeralds, and other stones, and some large pearls, destroyed by the humidity; that the other things had been preserved so well seemed to be by chance.
All the things found were taken to Pope Paul III, who at that time was pontiff; who (as Giulio Herculano and the aforementioned Lucio Fauno note) obtained forty pounds of gold from the sale of these ne cavo (?), and applied it to the construction of the new basilica.
He goes on to add that these were probably wedding gifts, and references Claudian. Maria was married to Honorius when she was only 12 and he not much older, and she died aged between 18-21, between 404-7.
There are further accounts of the find, and Lanciani gives more here (at Lacus Curtius). It would be good to have these manuscript accounts online. It is perhaps not realised just how much there is, unpublished, in Italian archives which might be of tremendous value. I suspect that the primary accounts might contain drawings of these finds!
- [1]Low-quality scan on Google books here; much better scans, but incredibly unusable viewer at Arachne here: look at p.68-70 in the viewer, get the largest pic you can, and then download it.↩
- [2]I transcribed the Italian which is as follows:
Delle Auguste sappiamo de certe, che nel Vaticano fu sepellita Maria, figliuola di Stilicone, e di Serena nobilissima Donna, sposa del sudetto Honorio Imperatore. Il cui sepolcro su scoperto l’anno 1544 a di. 4. di Febraro del Pontificato di Paolo Terzo: poiche rovinandosi il vecchio Tempio rotondo di Santa Petronilla, situato nella destra parte della Basilica; e cavandosi i fondamenti della nuova Cappella, si ritrovo una grand’Arca di marmo, sei piedi incirca sotto il pavimento, coperta d’una pietra parimente di marmo, circondata intorno di grossissimo muro; la quale essendosi aperta, si vide in essa un corpo, vestito di vestimenti d’oro; il cui capo con molti inuolti era circondato di un velo, ma pero disteso; de’quali ornamenti d’oro (essendo stati fusi) se ne cavo di peso circa libre quaranta. Erano quasi tutte le ossa ridotte in polvere; e vi rimanevano solo i stinchi, i denti, & i capelli; i quali davano inditio, che quello fosse il corpo d’una tenera fanciulla; e si conietturo facilmente esser di detta Maria sposa d’Honorio, dalle cose ritrovate dentro dett’Arca. Percioche dal lato haveva una scattola d’argento piena di diversi vasi di christallo, di agate, e d’altre pietre; e similmente di diversi animaletti con alcuni ornamenti d’oro; & appresso a questa era una cassetta, coperta d’argento indorato con alcuni ornamenti di teste di chiodetti d’argento; nella quale erano molti anelli d’oro, tutti con pietre pretiose; alcune collane, catenette, & altri lavori con gioie; le quali cose tutte sono minutamente descritte da Lucio Fauno, e noi l’habbiamo ancora ritrovate notate in un libro manoscritto di quel tempo, e sono le seguenti.
Vasi, e diversi pezzi di christalo, fra grandi, e piccoli, numero trenta; fra’ quali venerando due, come tazze non molto grandi, l’una rotonda, e l’altra di figura ovata con figurette di mezo-rilievo bellissime.
Una lumaca di christallo in forma d’una conchiglia marina, acconcia in una lucerna con oro sino; del quale n’e prima coperta la bocca della lumaca, restandovi solo un buco in mezo da porvi l’olio; a lato al quale si vedeva con un chiodo consitta una mosca d’oro mobile, che copriva, e discopriva il buco. Era d’oro similmente la punta con il pippio da porvi lo stopino, tirato in lungo, & acuto, con bellissima gratia; & in modo attaccato con il christallo, che pareva esservi nato insieme.
Alcuni pezzi d’agata con certi animaletti, & alcuni vasi fra tutti numero otto, fra’ quali vi erano due vasi bellissimi, l’uno sembrava una di quelle ampolle di vetro grandi, e piatte da tenervi olio, o altro simile liquore; in modo fatto, e cosi bello, e sottile, ch’era una mariviglia a mirarlo; e l’altro vaso era fatto a guisa d’una di quelle schiumarole con il suo manico, chusano in Roma per cavar l’acqua dalle vettine.
Quattro vasetti d’oro di diverse sorti, & un’altro vaso picciolo d’oro, di forma ovata, con il suo coperchio con gioie attorno.
Un cuore d’oro picciolo a guisa d’un pendente con sei gioie incassate.
Due pendenti da orecchi di smeraldo, o plasma, con due giacinti.
Un pendente in forma di un grappo d’vua, fatto di pietre pavonazze.
Otto altri pendenti piccioli d’oro di diverse sorti, con varie pietre incastrate.
Anelli, e verghette d’oro di diverse sorti, con diverse gioie, e pietre pretiose incastratevi, in tutto numero cinquant’otto; e fra quelli uno di osso rosso con diverse pietre.
Tre animaletti di osso rosso.
Un fermaglio o monile, o collana d’oro, con cinque gioie di diverse sorti, legativi dentro; e ventiquattro altri fermagli d’oro di diverse sorti, con varie gioie incastrate in essi.
Un pezzo di una collana picciola sottile, con certe pietre verdi infilzate.
Un’altra collanina d’oro, con ventidue pater nostri di plasma.
Un’altra collanina, con nove pater nostri di Zaffiro intagliati a mandole.
Un’altra collanina d’oro tirato raccolto, rotta in quatro pezzi.
Doi bottoncini d’oro, e quattordici magliette d’oro.
Un tondo d’oro, come una Agnus Dei, con lettere attorno, che dicevano: MARIA DOMINA NOSTRA FLORENTISSIMA. E dall’altra parte: STILICO VIVAT.
Doi manichi d’oro, con certe pietre verdi.
Due aggucchie grosse, o stillette per dirizzari crini; l’uno d’oro, lungo un palmo incirca, con lettere, che dicevano da una parte: DOMINO NOSTRO HONORIO. E dall’altra pare: DOMINA NOSTRA MARIA. E l’altro d’argento senza lettere.
Una lamina d’oro, nella quale erano scolpiti con lettere greche Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel.
Un smeraldo legato in oro, nel qual’era intagliata una testa, che fu giudicata esser de detto Imperatore Honorio, da sigillare, stimata di valore di scudi 500.
E parechi altri frammenti di smeraldi, e d’altre pietre, e certe perle grosse, ma guaste per l’humidita; se bene l’altre cose sudette erano tanto ben conservate, che parevano fatte all’hora.
Tutte le sudette cose furano portate a Papa Paulo Terzo, che all’hora era Pontefice; il quale (come ha notato Giulio Herculano, e detto Lucio Fauno) dalla vendita di esse ne cavo quaranta libre d’oro (come si e detto) e gli applico alla nuova fabrica della basilica.↩
English translations of Chrysostom “De Severiano Recipiendo” and Severian’s “De pace” now online
Long ago I became aware that there were two related sermons in the Patrologia Graeca. The first was given by John Chrysostom, after the empress had interceded to patch up a dispute between him and another bishop, and entitled De Severiano Recipiendo (CPG 4395) – That Severian must be received. The other was delivered the next day, by his enemy, Severian of Gabala, and entitled De pace (CPG 4214) – On peace.
The peace did not last, and Chrysostom was driven into an exile from which he did not return.
The two sermons are very short, in the PG, and in Latin. They reach us as part of a collection of sermons, made in antiquity, perhaps by Ananias of Celeda. They take Greek sermons, and produce abbreviated Latin versions of them.
The original text of Chrysostom’s sermon has not reached us; but Severian’s Greek was discovered in the monastery of Mar Saba, and published in 1891.
I first tried to get these translated longer ago than I can remember. This failed. I then had another go in 2010, which also failed after a short sample – 3 sentences – was produced.
After his work on the 3 sermons of Chrysostom on the Devil, Bryson Sewell has kindly rattled off a translation of both of these. It is great to have them; and even better to have them so quickly.
Both are of the highest interest. Chrysostom’s sermon is interrupted by the cheers of his supporters, even in the abbreviated version; while Severian, clearly preaching to a not-very-friendly crowd, strains every nerve and produces a marvellous display of rhetoric.
As ever, the results are now online, and in the public domain. Copy freely and use as you will.
- Chrysostom_Severian_De_Severiano_Recipiendo_and_De_Pace_Sewell (PDF)
- Chrysostom_Severian_De_Severiano_Recipiendo_and_De_Pace_Sewell (Word .docx)
These files will also appear on Archive.org once its new and wonky uploader allows it!
UPDATE: Now at Archive.org here.
UPDATE: Files updated to correct an error in the introduction – the speeches were delivered before John’s first exile, not after it.
UPDATE (24/03/2022): A correspondent has asked me where he can find the Greek text of De Pace. It is hard to find. Here are the files from which both were translated:
- Severian_De_Pace_full (PDF)
- pg52_de_pace (PDF)
Severian of Gabala – bibliography (updated)
I uploaded a list of the works of Severian of Gabala here. I’ve worked on it a bit more since, and revised versions are now available:
- Severian of Gabala – works (PDF)
- Severian of Gabala – works (DOCX)
I don’t seem to have done anything on these for a week, so best to park them here!
UPDATE: Newer version here.
Academic hoaxes, academic feuding – an article in the Oldie
The Oldie magazine is probably read by few of us, being mainly for people who are, well, old. A correspondent has sent me a copy of an article in this week’s issue, written by the editor, Richard Ingrams.
Harvey’s revenge
We love a spot of academic intrigue and so were delighted to receive an email from one Dr A D Harvey. Harvey, who describes himself as a ‘failed academic’, won notoriety after publishing academic articles under various pseudonyms and inventing a meeting between Dickens and Dostoevsky that fellow academics accepted as fact for years. American scholars finally uncovered the hoax and Harvey became the subject of a six page take-down in the Times Literary Supplement.
Not content to let sleeping feuds lie, Dr Harvey’s email to The Oldie is a copy of a letter he has sent to the TLS accusing it of running a hoax story in its own pages. The piece in question, by Janetta Goldstein, is about an alternative ending to the Hans Christian Andersen Story, ‘The Invisible Robe’. But, Harvey writes, ‘The manuscript in Hackney Archives on which it is purportedly based seems to have no more physical existence than the new clothes the emperor was so proud of. I checked. Hackney Archives have a negative of a portrait of Mary Howitt but none of her papers, let alone a manuscript of a Hans Christian Andersen story with a previously unpublished variant ending.’ With some relish, Harvey adds, ‘It makes you wonder how many more bogus contributions have appeared in the TLS in recent months.’
Most would suspect that Harvey himself had a hand in the Hans Christian Andersen hoax, if indeed the alternative ending proves to be fake at all. But Harvey claims it bears none of his modus operandi — not that we can really take his word for that.
One thing we can be sure of: the TLS fact-checkers will be frantically searching for evidence of the Hackney manuscript and hoping that Dr Harvey has not been able to spectacularly settle his score with their scholarly journal.
The urge to twist the tail of the spectacularly aloof and patronisingly self-important is one that is probably common to most of us. In this sense the activities of Dr Harvey are something that most of us will feel sympathy with.
Until we find that our own research has been compromised by such pranks, at any rate.
Verifying the raw data is never time wasted.
“You’re not the same religion as me” – Severian of Gabala and his editors and reviewers
Severian of Gabala (fl. 398 AD) was the enemy of John Chrysostom, patriarch of Constantinople, and assisted in driving the latter into exile and to his death. The disagreement between them was not ideological, but arose from perceived snubs by John’s officials. It seems that the patriarchal officialdom created enemies for Chrysostom faster than he could deal with them, since Severian was by no means the only one offended in this way.
St. John Chrysostom is perhaps the most important of the Greek fathers. So it is not surprising that the Greek church does not remember Severian. Our accounts of the affair are all written from a pro-Chrysostom perspective. In that age, as today, personal smears are the main weapon used against an enemy, so it is important to note that nothing really damaging could be found to say about him.
All the same, his works have been neglected. This is not surprising. For everyone has their own special interests, which will dispose them to listen, or not, to a writer. Severian manages to be outside the area of sympathy for almost everyone involved in patristics, in the past and now.
Firstly, scholars interested in Orthodoxy will see him the enemy of the greatest of their saints.
Roman Catholics will feel the same, to a lesser degree. So he won’t really get a hearing for himself.
Secularists will – and do! – don’t believe in the bible, and so sneer at him for his literal-minded Antiochene exegesis.
So who, precisely, will read him with an open mind?
Fortunately there is today a constituency which might. Modern bible-believing Christians with an interest in patristics are not invested in any of these biases. Which means that, other things being equal, we may hope for a fairly unbiased evaluation of this ancient writer, untroubled by theological odium.
I have mentioned before that IVP Academic, from this background, has arranged to publish his six sermons on Genesis. It is my intention to review this translation, and to review what Severian has to say. On the face of it his interpretation is bonkers; but at least I won’t have any a priori reason not to listen.
This is why it is really useful to have a variety of religious and political outlooks in academia. It means that obscure writers who appeal to no-one may find a partisan, and be edited, translated and commentated; in short, become accessible to us all.
I’m even grateful for all the ex-hippies working on the Nag Hammadi texts. They may be a bit daft, and their “conclusions” best explicable as the product of chemical-induced brain damage; but the fact is that nothing on earth would have induced any sensible person – alright, very few – to spend the huge amounts of time on these daft gnostic texts that they have felt inclined to do. In consequence, we are all the gainer.
Which is rather nice, really.
Severian, if you’re up there, you owe me a beer when we meet.