E00670: Basil of Caesarea in his homily On *Ioulitta (martyr of Kaisareia/Caesarea of Cappadocia, S00416), delivered during a feast at the saint's shrine in Caesarea (central Asia Minor), summarises her martyrdom story, and mentions a spring of sweet water at her burial site. The martyr is presented as a model of bravery for both women and men. Written in Greek at Caesarea (central Asia Minor) in the 370s.

Basil of Caesarea, On Ioulitta (CPG 2849, BHG 972)

ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΜΑΡΤΥΡΑ ΙΟΥΛΙΤΤΑΝ καὶ εἰς τὰ λειπόμενα τῆς προλεχθείσης ὁμιλίας τῆς περὶ εὐχαριστίας.

Ἡ μὲν ὑπόθεσις τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐστὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τῇ μακαρίᾳ μάρτυρι γενόμενον κήρυγμα. Περιηγγείλαμεν γὰρ ὑμῖν τὴν ἡμέραν ταύτην, ὡς ὑπόμνημα ἔχουσαν τῆς μεγάλης ἀθλήσεως, ἣν ἐν γυναικείῳ σώματι ἀνδρειοτάτην καὶ πᾶσαν ἔκπληξιν ἐμποιοῦσαν τοῖς τότε παροῦσι τῷ θεάματι καὶ τοῖς εἰς ὕστερον ἐκ τῆς τῶν πεπειραμένων διηγήσεως δεχομένοις τὴν ἀκοὴν ἡ μακαριωτάτη γυναικῶν Ἰουλίττα ἤθλησεν, εἴπερ δὴ γυναῖκα προσαγορεύειν εὐπρεπὲς τὴν τῷ μεγαλοφυεῖ τῆς ψυχῆς τῆς γυναικείας φύσεως τὴν ἀσθένειαν ἀποκρύψασαν·

'On the Martyr Ioulitta, and on the remaining parts of an homily given earlier, on giving thanks.

The subject of our gathering is the lesson given on the blessed martyr. Indeed we singled out this day for you, because it preserves the memory of a great contest which Ioulitta, most blessed among women (if it is proper at all to call someone who concealed the weakness of womanly nature by the greatness of her soul a woman), fought in an entirely manly way, though in the body of a woman, and in a way that causes the general astonishment of both those present at the sight of it, and those hearing about it from the account of people who witnessed it. …'

The author summarises briefly the martyrdom account: Ioulitta is engaged in a trial against an avaricious local magnate who has usurped her property, by bringing false witnesses in courts and by bribing judges. Ioulitta presents her case to the court, but her opponent objects that she has no right to sue him, because she is Christian. The magistrate accepts the objection and orders an altar and incense to be brought forth. He orders the martyr to sacrifice, otherwise she will be deprived of the protection of the law. The martyr without hesitation declares that she prefers to be deprived of all her possessions and of her very life, rather than commit blasphemy. After repeated interrogations, the magistrate rules for all property to be removed from her, and condemns her to be burnt alive. As she is taken to the pyre, she encourages the women attending as follows:

Ἡ δὲ πρὸς οὐδὲν οὕτω τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον τερπνῶν ἠπειγμένως ἔδραμεν, ὡς ἐπὶ τὴν φλόγα ἦλθεν ἐκείνην, προσώπῳ καὶ σχήματι, καὶ οἷς ἐφθέγγετο, καὶ τῇ ἐπανθούσῃ φαιδρότητι, τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ περιχαρὲς ἐμφαίνουσα· παρακαλοῦσα τὰς παρεστηκυίας τῶν γυναικῶν, μὴ καταμαλακίζεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας πόνους, μηδὲ τὴν τῆς φύσεως ἀσθένειαν προφασίζεσθαι. Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ φυράματος, λέγουσα, τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἐσμέν. Κατ’ εἰκόνα Θεοῦ γεγόναμεν, ὡς καὶ οὗτοι. Ἀρετῆς δεκτικὸν τὸ θῆλυ ὁμοτίμως τῷ ἄῤῥενι παρὰ τοῦ κτίσαντος γέγονε. Καὶ τί γὰρ ἢ συγγενεῖς τοῖς ἀνδράσι διὰ πάντων ἐσμέν; Οὐ γὰρ σὰρξ μόνον ἐλήφθη πρὸς γυναικὸς κατασκευὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὀστοῦν ἐκ τῶν ὀστέων. Ὥστε τὸ στεῤῥὸν, καὶ εὔτονον, καὶ ὑπομονητικὸν, ἐξ ἴσου τοῖς ἀνδράσι καὶ παρ’ ἡμῶν ὀφείλεται τῷ Δεσπότῃ. Ταῦτα εἰποῦσα, πρὸς τὴν πυρὰν ἥλατο· ἡ δὲ περισχοῦσα τῆς ἁγίας τὸ σῶμα, ὥσπερ τις θάλαμος φωτεινὸς, τὴν μὲν ψυχὴν ἐπὶ τὴν οὐράνιον χώραν, καὶ τὴν πρέπουσαν αὐτῇ λῆξιν ἀνέπεμψε, τὸ δὲ τίμιον σῶμα ἀκέραιον διεσώσατο τοῖς προσήκουσιν· ὅπερ ἐν τῷ καλλίστῳ προτεμενίσματι τῆς πόλεως κείμενον ἁγιάζει μὲν τὸν τόπον, ἁγιάζει δὲ τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν συνιόντας. Γῆ δὲ ἡ κατευλογηθεῖσα τῇ ἐπιδημίᾳ τῆς μακαρίας, ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων λαγόνων ὕδατος φύσιν χαριεστάτην ἀνῆκεν· ὥστε τὴν μάρτυρα ἀντὶ μητρὸς γενομένην οἷόν τινι γάλακτι κοινῷ τιθηνεῖσθαι τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει. Τοῦτο καὶ ὑγιαίνουσι φυλακτήριον, καὶ τρυφῶσι σωφρόνως ἡδονῆς χορηγία, καὶ ἀῤῥωστοῦσι παραμυθία· τὴν τοῦ Ἑλισσαίου χάριν εἰς Ἱεριχουντίους, ταύτην εἰς ἡμᾶς παρασχομένης τῆς μάρτυρος, τὸ ἁλμυρὸν τῆς κοινῆς φύσεως τῶν περὶ τὸν τόπον ὑδάτων εἰς γλυκεῖαν καὶ ἁπαλὴν καὶ προσηνῆ πᾶσιν αἴσθησιν διὰ τῆς εὐλογίας μεταβαλούσης. Οἱ ἄνδρες, μὴ καταδέξησθε γυναικῶν ἐλάττους ὀφθῆναι πρὸς τὴν εὐσέβειαν. Αἱ γυναῖκες, μὴ ἀπολειφθῆτε τοῦ ὑποδείγματος· ἀλλ’ ἀπροφασίστως τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀντέχεσθε· ἔργῳ πεῖραν λαβοῦσαι, ὅτι πρὸς οὐδὲν ὑμῖν τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὸ ἐλάττωμα τῆς φύσεως ἐμποδίζει.

Πολλὰ περὶ τῆς μάρτυρος εἰπεῖν ὡρμημένον, χθὲς ἡμῖν κινηθεὶς λόγος, ἀτελὴς καταλειφθεὶς, τὴν ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐν τούτοις διατριβὴν οὐκ ἐπιτρέπει. Δυσχερὴς δέ τις ἐγὼ φύσει πρὸς πᾶν τὸ ἀτέλεστον. …

‘For none of the pleasures of life did she hurry towards as urgently as she approached that flame, demonstrating the rejoicing of her soul by her face and expression, and by what she was saying, and by the cheerfulness blooming over her. And she encouraged those of the women present there not to show cowardice with regard to suffering for the true faith, nor to use the weakness of their nature as an excuse. "We are of the same material as men," she said. "We have been made according to God’s image like them. The female sex has been made by the Creator equally receptive of virtue to the male one. For what are we, if not members of the same race as men in every way? Not only flesh was taken for the making of woman, but also bone from bones. Consequently, firmness, vigour, and endurance are equally required from us by the Lord as from men." Having said these things, she jumped onto the pyre which surrounded the body of the saint like some sort of luminous chamber, and it sent her soul up to the heavenly land, and to the end it deserved, whereas the body it preserved intact for her people. Resting at the most beautiful suburb (protemenisma) of the city, it sanctifies the place, and also sanctifies those gathered at it. And the earth, filled with blessing by the presence of the blessed one, has gushed forth from its guts a most wonderful kind of water, so that the martyr like a mother nurses the inhabitants of the city with some sort of common milk, as it were. This is at the same time protection for the healthy, a source of pleasure for those enjoying themselves in moderation, and solace for the infirm. Indeed the martyr has granted us the same grace which Elisha granted to the people of Jericho, as she transformed by her blessing the saltiness which is naturally common for waters in this region, into a sweet, mild and agreeable taste for all. Men, do not deign to be seen inferior to women in piety. Women, do not fall short of this example, but hold firmly to piety without excuses, since you have learned in practice that the shortcoming of your nature by no means hinders you from virtue.

Although I intended to talk at length on the martyr, the fact that the sermon I started yesterday was left unfinished, does not allow me to dwell on this subject any more. By character, I somehow cannot stand anything incomplete. …'

There follows a lengthy sermon on prayer and thanksgiving.

Text: Migne 1857-1866. Summary and translation: E. Rizos.