Passion of St. Demetrius
BHL 2122
David Woods’ Introduction
Anastasius the Librarian ("Bibliothecarius") was the leading Greek scholar in the West during the 9th-century and served Popes Adrian II (867-72) and John VIII (872-82) as their librarian. Hence his nickname. He attended the final session of the 8th Ecumenical Council at Constantinople in 870 and translated its proceedings into Latin in 871. He also translated the proceedings of the 7th Ecumenical Council, which had been held at Nicaea in 787, into Latin in 871. He sent his translation of the Greek acts of St. Demetrius, together with his translation of a collection of miracles of St. Demetrius, to the Frankish king Charles the Bald (823-78) in 876. In general on him, see the entry in the Catholic Encyclopedia (1913 edition). The exact recension of the Greek acts of St. Demetrius which he used for his translation has been lost, but it is clear that he did not merely translate his material. He severely abbreviated it also. The following translation is based on the text in PL 129, cols. 715-26.
[col. 715]
Introductory Letter
Anastasius the humble to the most pious and ever august lord, the emperor Charles, [who holds his] crown and kingdom with Christ.
I have recently translated the passion and miracles of the blessed martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica from Greek into Latin at the encouragement of [my] brothers, especially of that most learned man John the Deacon, who is very well known [to you] because of the orthodoxy of your faith and the splendour of your knowledge. This aforementioned John had a chapel of wondrous antiquity and beauty dedicated to this martyr in his own house even, yet he did not know what sort of martyr this man was. So I, since I am familiar with Thessalonica where his precious body lies buried and redolent and shines forth in splendid miracles, explained [the story] to him in sequence. But because I do not want your imperiousness to be robbed of the knowledge of such a great athlete [of Christ], I have taken care, and the opportunity, to send this very [account] to you also to the end that, with the intercession of the saints and friends of God and the prayer of this man also, your greatness may be able to obtain grace before God and merit the enjoyment of eternal glory. May the King of Kings and Lord of Lords protect your kingliness with his right hand, and convey [you] from the the temporal to the eternal realm.
When the emperor Maximianus was spending time in the city of the Thessalonians, being a superstitious man he persecuted those who heeded just religion and killed them. Among these was blessed Demetrius, he who had both performed good works since his youth and had taught others, who displayed himself and was without fear. For he taught how divine Wisdom had descended to the earth from heaven in order to bring back to life by means of his own blood man who had died because of sin. When he was preaching these and other things, some imperial servants who had been entrusted with the capture of Christians, seized saint Demetrius and presented him to the emperor Maximianus. It happened that the emperor had gone to the city's stadium on account of those who had been about to join together in single combat. A circular enclosure was being readied there by means of some fencing where he was about to watch [col. 716] those who fought each other face-to-face in turn in the manner of the theatre because it was a delight to him to witness the spilling of human blood. Nevertheless, not without care and concern did he regard that which was perceived as delightful to him. For he burned with support for a certain single-combatsman, Lyaeus by name, who, abusing the strength and size of his body, had already vanquished many and possessed a knowledge of killing gained through theory and practice. Because all were afraid of this man and there seemed to be no-one to withstand him, Maximianus held him in high regard, prized him, and used watch him with great pleasure. He praised and admired him, and gloried in the arrogance of the man as if concerning something important. When he had arrived near the stadium, those who had seized blessed Demetrius, brought him forward to him. Hearing that he was a Christian, the emperor, because he was entirely focussed on the spectacle that was at hand, ordered blessed Demetrius to be held there next to the stadium and to be kept under guard in the public bath. So the emperor took his seat, and when Lyaeus had been brought in, he asked who was willing to enter into single-combat with him, offering and promising gifts. And a certain young man by the name of Nestor leaped forth from the higher seats, and, desiring single-combat, took his stand opposite Lyaeus, so that, stupefied, Maximianus called Nestor, he who had leaped forth for this reason, to himself, and advised him, saying, "I realise that lack of money has caused you to be raised to such a state of fantasy so that you either win and acquire sudden wealth or, cheated by your desire, rid yourself of your poverty along with your life. But because of my pity for the youth with which you are adorned, I will even give to you worthy and fitting gifts on account of your unique daring. So come on, take the gifts too along with your life. Do not hurl yourself against Lyaeus, since he has conquered many more powerful than you. When Nestor heard these things, he neither accepted the emperor's advice nor feared concerning Lyaeus' strength. He answered the emperor, "I have not come to this contest for gain, as you have asserted, but in order to prove myself better than Lyaeus. So then [col. 717] both the emperor and those who were about him, supporters of Lyaeus [like Goliath], rose in anger at Nestor's [like David's] words, not tolerating his boastfulness. The emperor reassured Lyaeus and restored his confidence. He, for his part, hastened to show himself worthy of the imperial judgement. And when battle had been joined, Lyaeus received a mortal blow, immediately fell dead, and caused the emperor extreme confusion. For this reason, without paying Nestor any of the monies that had been agreed and promised, he then leaped forth from his seat and returned in sadness to the palace. When some mentioned about Demetrius to him, roused to anger, he ordered him immediately to be pierced with lances in the very place where he was being detained. In this way blessed Demetrius completed the martyrdom of a good confession. His body was counted as little by his killers, but some religious men came secretly by night and rescued it from the dirt where it had been thrown, and having gathered as much earth as they were able, they carefully buried it so that it would not receive injury from any fierce and cruel animals. After these events, no-one cared to move the saint's body, but it remained beneath its marker. Furthermore, to say little, no few miracles and healings were worked in the same place for those who called upon him with faith. When the martyr's merit had presently been made common knowledge, Leontius, assuredly beloved of God, a man who adorned the seat of the prefecture of Illyricum, cleaned the building which contained the most holy body of the martyr, and freed it from all harm, since it was very humble, concealed on all sides, and restricted by the porticoes of the public bath and the stadium. He enlarged it by means of further lots of land, and erected there an oratory in honour of the holy martyr Demetrius for the praise of Our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom the Father and the Holy Spirit share glory, honour and power through ages of ages.
But we do not believe that that which we heard from the most holy archbishop ought to be omitted here. For he told us about a certain custodian of the temple of the martyr Demetrius, Honesiphorus by name. "When one day I was going to to church of the aforementioned martyr, I found the aforementioned custodian Honesiphorus lying half-dead before the door of the holy martyr. And when, troubled, I wept at the illness of my friend, Honesiphorus came to, saw me crying, and said, "Why are you sad on my account, Lord Eusebius ? If you love me, do not be troubled, but order my tomb to be readied, and toss me alive into it." Disturbed by this, I said to him in my sadness, "What is the reason for this, brother ?" He replied, "Because I roused the holy martyr to anger by my guilt. For the holy martyr appeared to me, a sinner, in my sleep, and addressed me in a sweet voice, "Brother Honesiphorus, that which you do does not please me. The salvation of a soul pleases me more than thousands of pounds of gold. Do you not realise that the longer the candle which is offered up for sins blazes, the longer it continues [to move] the saints to intercede for sinners ? So allow the greater and smaller candles to blaze away, for it is altogether fitting for my house gleam with candles." But wretched me when I awoke, I thought that I had seen a phantom, and said to myself, "The saint does not appear to sinners." Twice, indeed, and three times did I receive the same warnings in my dreams, and I wished to heed these things, and desired to obverse [them] right up to the end [tonight]. On this very night, indeed, a certain devout man came to the church bringing [some] big candles. After he had prayed, he left the church. I decided to put his candles out, forgetting about the martyr's decree. And when I began to move in order to exstinguish the candles, saint Demetrius spoke to me, shouting out from his silver chamber in a loud and terrible voice, "O greedy man !", and again, "O greedy man !" In great misery, indeed, and extremely terrified, do I lie almost dead [here] where you found me, having been cast down upon the ground and thrown out the doors of the monastery." Our father the archbishop often told us these things. And so we ought to obey the commands given to us by the saints with divine authority. May their kindness always protect us and make us persevere in the instructions of Christ, Amen.
*David Woods’ translation continues with BHL 2123, the Miracles of St Demetrius.
