E02544: John Chrysostom delivers a homily On *Ioulianos (martyr of Cilicia, S00305) during the saint's festival held at Antioch (Syria). He recounts Ioulianos' martyrdom and refers to relics venerated at Antioch; he forbids Christians to attend a pagan festival coinciding with the second day of the saint's feast; he mentions picnics at the martyr’s shrine and possibly a procession of relics. Written in Greek at Antioch, 386/397.

John Chrysostom, On Ioulianos (CPG 4360, BHG 0967)

Summary:

1. The martyrs already enjoy great rewards, and even greater ones await them at the time of resurrection.

2. This martyr came from Cilicia. He confronted an evil judge who attempted to break his determination by a prolonged and gradual martyrdom. For an entire year, he transferred him from place to place through all Cilicia. His words and example strengthen the Christians, while the sight of his wounds is unbearable to the demons. Even now, possessed people cannot bear to be near the saint’s tomb. The saint’s wounds are brighter than the stars of heaven.

3. Although his body was torn apart, his torturers failed to remove his faith, as the martyr endured. Accepting his defeat, the persecutor decided to kill him by having him placed in a sack full of sand, scorpions and snakes, and thrown into the sea. The martyrdom recalls the story of Daniel in the den of the lions.

4. His bones are now kept by the church as a treasure and exemplar of bravery. The speaker warns his audience about the habit of visiting the suburb of Daphne on the second day of the festival. The Christians should rather prefer the spiritual garden of the martyr’s shrine. Chrysostom does not prohibit visits to Daphne altogether, but on that particular day only, because of the pagan festival taking place at the suburb.

[...] Οὐ κωλύω ἀπελθεῖν εἰς τὸ προάστειον, ἀλλ’ αὔριον κωλύω· τίνος ἕνεκεν; Ἵνα ἡ τέρψις μὴ ἔχῃ κατάγνωσιν, ἵνα καθαρὰ ᾖ ἡ ἡδονὴ, μὴ ὑπεισέλθῃ δὲ ἡ κατάγνωσις· καὶ γὰρ ἔξεστιν ἐν ἄλλῃ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ τῇ τέρψει χαρίσασθαι, καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀπαλλαγῆναι. Εἰ δὲ βούλει καὶ νῦν τέρψεως ἀπολαῦσαι, τί τερπνότερον τοῦ συλλόγου τούτου; τί χαριέστερον τοῦ θεάτρου τοῦ πνευματικοῦ; τῶν μελῶν τῶν σῶν; τῆς τῶν ἀδελφῶν συνουσίας; Ἀλλὰ καὶ σωματικῆς θέλεις τραπέζης μετασχεῖν; ἐνταῦθα ἔξεστι μετὰ τὸ λυθῆναι τὸν σύλλογον, τοῦ μαρτυρίου πλησίον ὑπὸ συκῆν καὶ ἄμπελον καταλύσαντι, καὶ τῷ σώματι χαρίσασθαι τὴν ἄνεσιν, καὶ τὸ συνειδὸς ἀπαλλάξαι καταγνώσεως. Ὁ γὰρ μάρτυς ἐγγύθεν ὁρώμενος καὶ πλησίον ὢν καὶ παρεστηκὼς αὐτῇ τῇ τραπέζῃ, οὐκ ἀφίησι τὴν ἡδονὴν εἰς ἁμαρτίαν ἐκχυθῆναι, ἀλλ’ ὥσπερ τις παιδαγωγὸς, ἢ πατὴρ ἄριστος τοῖς τῆς πίστεως ὁρώμενος ὀφθαλμοῖς καταστέλλει τὸν γέλωτα, περικόπτει τὰς ἡδονὰς τὰς ἀτόπους, τὰ σκιρτήματα τῆς σαρκὸς ἅπαντα ἀναιρεῖ, ἅπερ ἐκεῖ οὐκ ἔστι διαφυγεῖν. Τίνος ἕνεκεν; Ὅτι χοροὶ ἀνδρῶν αὔριον τὸ προάστειον καταλαμβάνουσιν· ἡ δὲ τῶν τοιούτων ὄψις καὶ τὸν βουλόμενον σωφρονεῖν ἄκοντα ὑπεξάγει πολλάκις πρὸς τὴν τῆς αὐτῆς ἀσχημοσύνης μίμησιν, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν καὶ ὁ διάβολος μέσος ἐκείνοις παρῇ· καὶ γὰρ πάρεστιν ὑπὸ τῶν πορνικῶν ᾀσμάτων, ὑπὸ τῶν αἰσχρῶν ῥημάτων, ὑπὸ τῆς δαιμονικῆς πομπῆς καλούμενος. Σὺ δὲ ἀπετάξω πάσῃ ταύτῃ τῇ πομπῇ, καὶ τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ λατρείᾳ συνετάξω κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην, καθ’ ἣν τῶν ἱερῶν κατηξιώθης μυστηρίων. Ἀναμνήσθητι τοίνυν τῶν ῥημάτων ἐκείνων καὶ τῆς συνθήκης, καὶ φύγε τὴν παράβασιν.

‘[...] I am not forbidding you to go to the suburb, but I am forbidding you to do so tomorrow. For what reason? So that your pleasure might not hold condemnation. So that your enjoyment might be pure and condemnation might not sneak its way in. After all, on another day, you can both indulge in the pleasure and be free of the sin. But, if you wish to enjoy pleasure even now, what is more delightful than this gathering? What is more gratifying than this spiritual theatre? Than the members of your own body? The company of your brethren? But do you wish to share also a material table? After the gathering is dissolved, you can sit down here under fig and vine by the shrine (martyrion), and comfort your body and rid your conscience of the blame. For the martyr, seen nearby, and being close at hand, and joining the table itself, does not allow pleasure to outpour into sin. Instead, like a tutor or excellent father, he watches with the eyes of faith and checks the laughter, cuts out inappropriate enjoyments, removes all the leaps of the flesh – things which one cannot escape over there. Why? Because tomorrow choruses of men will arrive at the suburb. And the sight of such things often seduces even a person intending to be restrained into unwittingly imitating the same indecency – especially when the Devil himself is present in their midst. For he certainly is present, summoned by the obscene songs, by the shameless words, by the demonic pageantry. But you rejected all this pageantry, and ranked yourself in Christ’s service on that day when you were found worthy of the holy mysteries [= baptism]. Therefore, remember those words and that commitment and flee the transgression.’

5. Addressing those who do not intend to go to Daphne, Chrysostom suggests that, next day, they should go out to the streets and gates and prevent people from going to Daphne. They should do that for the salvation of their brethren, even if it means enduring beating or being taken to court. He suggests that they take the martyr with them (the relics?) and present him before the eyes of the lax. They should grab all the Christians around the town and bring them to the church, so that the service of the second day will be as well attended as the current one.

Εἰ βούλεσθε, καὶ τὸν μάρτυρα λάβωμεν μεθ’ ἑαυτῶν· οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεται γὰρ ἐλθεῖν καὶ σῶσαι τοὺς ἀδελφούς. Ἐπιστήσωμεν αὐτοῖς ἐκείνων ὀφθαλμοῖς, φοβηθῶσι παρόντα, αἰδεσθῶσι παρακαλοῦντα καὶ δεόμενον· οὐ γὰρ αἰσχύνεται καὶ παρακαλέσαι. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ Δεσπότης αὐτοῦ παρακαλεῖ τὴν ἡμετέραν φύσιν· Ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ πρεσβεύομεν, φησὶν ὁ Παῦλος, ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ παρακαλοῦντος δι’ ἡμῶν, Καταλλάγητε τῷ Θεῷ· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ δοῦλος τοῦτο ποιήσει· ἓν αὐτὸν λυπεῖ μόνον, ἡ ἀπώλεια ἡ ἡμετέρα· ἓν εὐφραίνει, ἡ σωτηρία ἡ ἡμετέρα, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐ παραιτήσεται οὐδὲν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς ποιῆσαι. [... ] Ἐννοοῦντες τοίνυν τὸ κέρδος τὸ ἐκεῖθεν ἡμῖν προσγινόμενον, πρὸ τῆς πόλεως ἐκχυθέντες ἅπαντες, καὶ συλλαβόντες τοὺς ἡμετέρους ἀδελφοὺς ἐπαναγάγωμεν ἐνταῦθα, ἵνα καὶ αὔριον ἡμῖν πλῆρες τὸ θέατρον γένηται, καὶ οὕτω ἀπηρτισμένη ἡ πανήγυρις· [...]

‘If you like, let us take the martyr with us too. For he is not ashamed of coming and saving our brethren. Let us set him in front of their very eyes, that they may fear his presence, and be embarrassed to see him urging and entreating them. For he is not ashamed even to urge us. For, if his Master urges our nature (Paul says: ‘We are ambassadors for Christ, seeing that God urges through us: “Be reconciled to God”’ [2 Cor. 5:20]), even more so will his servant do this. Just one thing grieves him – our doom. One thing delights him – our salvation – and for this reason he won’t deny doing anything for its sake. [...] Therefore, considering the reward that attaches to us from the action, let us all pour out in front of the city and grab hold of our brethren and bring them back here so that tomorrow too our theatre may be filled and the festal gathering may be as complete as this one. [...]’

Text: Migne 1862, 665-676.
Translation: E. Rizos, using Mayer 2003.