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E00767: A decree of the emperor Constantine, of 324, orders the restoration of the resting places of martyrs and the sites of their death to the ownership of the Christian churches. Greek text quoted in the Life of Constantine by Eusebius of Caesarea, written in Palestine in 337/339.
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posted on 2015-10-13, 00:00 authored by BryanEusebius of Caesarea, Life of Constantine, 2.40. 1.
(1.) Καὶ μὴν καὶ τοὺς τόπους αὐτούς, οἳ τοῖς σώμασι τῶν μαρτύρων τετίμηνται καὶ τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως τῆς ἐνδόξου ὑπομνήματα καθεστᾶσιν, τίς ἂν ἀμφιβάλοι μὴ οὐχὶ ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις προσήκειν, ἢ οὐχὶ καὶ προστάξειεν ἄν; ἡνίκα μήτε δῶρον ἄμεινον μήτε κάματος χαριέστερος καὶ πολλὴν ἔχων τὴν ὠφέλειαν ἕτερος ἂν γένοιτο, ἢ τοῦ θείου προτρέποντος νεύματος τὴν περὶ τῶν τοιούτων ποιεῖσθαι σπουδήν, καὶ ἃ μετὰ πονηρῶν ἐξῃρέθη προφάσεων τῶν ἀδίκων καὶ μοχθηροτάτων ἀνδρῶν, ἀποκατασταθέντα δικαίως ταῖς εὐαγέσιν αὖθις ἐκκλησίαις ἀποσωθῆναι.
‘Furthermore, the places themselves which are honoured by the bodies of the martyrs and stand as monuments to their glorious decease: who could doubt whether they should belong to the churches, or would not so decree? Indeed no gift could be better nor any other labour more agreeable and rich in advantage, than to take care of such things, at the instigation of the divine will, and to have the things which were taken away on evil pretexts of the lawless and most foul men justly restored and reserved for the charitable churches.’
Text: Winkelmann 2008.
Translation: E. Rizos (using Cameron and Hall 1999)
(1.) Καὶ μὴν καὶ τοὺς τόπους αὐτούς, οἳ τοῖς σώμασι τῶν μαρτύρων τετίμηνται καὶ τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως τῆς ἐνδόξου ὑπομνήματα καθεστᾶσιν, τίς ἂν ἀμφιβάλοι μὴ οὐχὶ ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις προσήκειν, ἢ οὐχὶ καὶ προστάξειεν ἄν; ἡνίκα μήτε δῶρον ἄμεινον μήτε κάματος χαριέστερος καὶ πολλὴν ἔχων τὴν ὠφέλειαν ἕτερος ἂν γένοιτο, ἢ τοῦ θείου προτρέποντος νεύματος τὴν περὶ τῶν τοιούτων ποιεῖσθαι σπουδήν, καὶ ἃ μετὰ πονηρῶν ἐξῃρέθη προφάσεων τῶν ἀδίκων καὶ μοχθηροτάτων ἀνδρῶν, ἀποκατασταθέντα δικαίως ταῖς εὐαγέσιν αὖθις ἐκκλησίαις ἀποσωθῆναι.
‘Furthermore, the places themselves which are honoured by the bodies of the martyrs and stand as monuments to their glorious decease: who could doubt whether they should belong to the churches, or would not so decree? Indeed no gift could be better nor any other labour more agreeable and rich in advantage, than to take care of such things, at the instigation of the divine will, and to have the things which were taken away on evil pretexts of the lawless and most foul men justly restored and reserved for the charitable churches.’
Text: Winkelmann 2008.
Translation: E. Rizos (using Cameron and Hall 1999)
History
Evidence ID
E00767Saint Name
Martyrs, unnamed or name lost : S00060Related Saint Records
Type of Evidence
Literary - Other narrative texts (including Histories) Canonical and legal textsLanguage
- Greek