Tag: Patristics

Robert Bedrosian does Eusebius’ Chronicle into English

Posted on by Roger Pearse

I’ve just had a note from the excellent Robert Bedrosian.  It seems that he has translated Eusebius of Caesarea’s Chronicle book 1 directly from the Armenian into English!  It’s here.  Andrew Smith of Attalus.org translated it from Petermann’s Latin into English, but this is the first translation from the original langauge.  And… he’s made it public domain, so anyone can use it.

Robert has also scanned most of the Budge translation into English of Bar-Hebraeus Chronicon Syriacum (the secular history).

Robert’s site is much less well known than it deserves to be.  It’s impossible to get people to translate Classical Armenian into English, even for money (I’ve tried!).  Yet here is a great selection of primary Armenian sources, all free, all online, all of the highest historical interest.

More later when I have a chance to actually look at this!

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If you want to get ahead, get a hat.

Posted on by Roger Pearse

The linen which he spreads on the crown of your head denotes the freedom to which you have been called. You were before standing bareheaded, as this is the habit of the exiles and the slaves, but after you have been signed he throws on your head linen, which is the emblem of the freedom to which you have been called. Men such as these (=freemen) are in the habit of spreading linen on their heads, and it serves them as an adornment both in the house and in the market-place. — Theodore of Mopsuestia, Liber ad baptizandos.

While scanning the English translation of Theodore’s sermons to those awaiting baptism (now online here), I came across this interesting statement, that during the ceremony of manumission the ex-slave’s head was covered; and thus that being bare-headed was a mark of a slave.

I wonder how this relates to the oft-mocked injunction of Paul, that women should cover their heads, particularly since female slaves and prostitutes could be interchangeable.

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Nicaea II and missing books

Posted on by Roger Pearse

This post raises some interesting questions about the destruction of Iconoclast literature after the second council of Nicaea in 787 AD.  (Also commented on here at Labarum).

The thrust of the post is that the council ordered the destruction of iconoclast books, aside from those held in a private collection by the patriarch of Constantinople.  The existence of such a collection may explain some of the reading material listed by Photius in his Bibliotheca.

What I was not clear about, tho, was what the historical sources quoted were.  How do we know this?

Sadly a firewall prevents me posting a comment, but if you know, please let me know.

I find that this is supposedly from the 9th canon of the canons of the council.  In the NPNF translation these read:

Canon IX.

That none of the books containing the heresy of the traducers of the Christians are to be hid.

All the childish devices and mad ravings which have been falsely written against the venerable images, must be delivered up to the Episcopium of Constantinople, that they may be locked away with other heretical books. And if anyone is found hiding such books, if he be a bishop or presbyter or deacon, let him be deposed; but if he be a monk or layman, let him be anathema.

Notes.

Ancient Epitome of Canon IX.

If any one is found to have concealed a book written against the venerable images, if he is on the clergy list let him be deposed; if a layman or monk let him be cut off.

Van Espen.

What here is styled Episcopium was the palace of the Patriarch. In this palace were the archives, and this was called the “Cartophylacium,” in which the charts and episcopal laws were laid up. To this there was a prefect, the grand Chartophylax, one of the principal officials and of most exalted dignity of the Church of Constantinople, whose office Codinus explains as follows: “The Ghartophylax has in his keeping all the charts which pertain to ecclesiastical law (that is to say the letters in which privileges and other rights of the Church are contained) and is the judge of all ecclesiastical causes, and presides over marriage controversies which are taken cognizance of, and proceedings for dissolution of the marriage bond; moreover, he is judge in other clerical strifes, as the right hand of the Patriarch.”

In this Cartophylaceum or Archives, therefore, under the faithful guardianship of the Chartophylax, the fathers willed that the writings of the Iconoclasts should be laid up, lest in their perusal simple Catholics might be led astray.

But here at IntraText I find a different version of the text.  Now IntraText is not a scanning site; they just use what others upload.  So which translation is this?  The same text is here.  I also find it here with attribution to Peter L’Huillier. 

After much searching, I find online “Canons of the seven ecumenical councils from the Rudder trans. by D. Cummings, 1957, with intro by Archbishop Peter L’Huillier.” (Chicago: Orthodox Christian Educational Society) and discussed here.

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Feeling the crunch

Posted on by Roger Pearse

I have a number of projects on the go to create English translations of material never previously translated or — in some cases — not even edited.  The economic news here is now becoming so bad that it is starting to affect ordinary individuals.  As a freelance, my income is a little uncertain anyway; 2009 may involve rather a lot of “non-earning” time, which is quite stressful.  Rather worse news for me is that most of my “rainy day” savings were in the collapsed bank Icesave.  (If about 1,000 readers would care to buy my CDROM of the Fathers, that would be very welcome right now!).

So I’m going to have to cut back somewhat.  I was in the process of commissioning a translation of the Coptic fragments of Eusebius Quaestiones.  This I will now postpone.  I think that I can still afford the other three items I have on the go; the Greek of Eusebius, Cyril of Alexandria’s Apologeticus Ad Imperatorem and Al-Majdalus Commentary on the Nicene Creed.  I shall feel relieved when these complete, though!  Other ideas that I’ve had in mind will now be put on hold until times improve.

As might be expected, all of this has led me to some reflections on the impermanence of life.  I tend to place quite a bit of my faith in my savings, my ability to earn a living, and my confidence that my way of life will continue unchanged in a comfortable way.  In the last couple of days, all this has looked like an illusion.  But… is this not life?  Wouldn’t the ascetic fathers simply smile and nod their heads?

I learn from the news reports that politicians are having to change every assumption, and think originally and inventively to deal with the crisis.  Policies pursued for years suddenly turn out to be irrelevant, expensive luxuries.  Events like these bring us to ourselves.  They strip away the illusions in which we can so easily lose sight of what is going on.  In this sense, they are God’s anti-septic.  After all, all our money will mean nothing to us on the day we die.

At lunchtime today I was in a newsagent to buy a paper and a coke.  I stood behind someone, whom I gradually realised must be mentally disabled in some way.  But he stood there, forcing his reluctant body and mind to go through the process of buying some little purchase, of counting out money from his wallet.  Clearly he found it hard to keep in mind how much a few dollars was; or what change he should expect.

Stood behind him, I felt a little more reality creep into my mind.  My problem didn’t look so serious: one can always get more money, somehow.  We’re all very fortunate, very blessed, that we don’t have disabilities that will never go away, as that man did. 

Let’s keep our feet on the ground.  Here we have no abiding city, and all our projects, efforts and dreams will end with the grave.  Let’s make sure we cherish each day, and consider how we stand when we come before God.

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