E03500: Theodoret of Cyrrhus writes the Cure for Greek Maladies, which contains a defence of the cult of martyrs against its pagan critics. Written in Greek in the 420s, at the monastery of Nikerte near Apamea on the Orontes, or in Cyrrhus (both north Syria).

Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Cure for Greek Maladies (CPG 6210), 8

Lecture 8: On the Veneration of the Holy Martyrs

Summary

1-11. The source of wisdom, God, wished that all humanity regardless of background, rather than just a small group of intellectuals, partake of the knowledge of truth. He thus used fishermen, publicans, and a tanner (i.e. the Apostles) as his ministers in order to transmit divine knowledge to the people, like a host offering excellent wine in crude cups. Every person admires the Apostles and enjoys their teaching both while they are alive and now that that they are in heaven. Every person both in the Roman Empire and abroad reads their writings which are few, brief, and devoid of Hellenic elegance, but resplendent in wisdom. Only the unbelievers of paganism fail to appreciate them, because it is not only their style, but also their subject that is not lofty. They do not talk of a great earthly kingdom with power and armies, but of a baby born of a poor virgin in the stable of an unimportant village, who grew to be a poor man and suffered death on the cross. This story not only convinced all people, but also led many of them to willingly give up their lives and suffer manifold tortures for the sake of this faith. God has rendered their memory immortal. Their souls now have joined the angels, while their bodies have been shared by the cities which honour them as their guardians and protectors. Even the tiniest relic contains the full grace of the martyr ($E03501).

12-28. Even if these practices had been wrong, the Greeks are the last people who should protest against them, given the fact that they worship several human beings as semi-gods and deified heroes, like Hercules who was a common mortal, son of Alkmene and Amphitryon, as several authors assert. The whole of Greece, Europe, and Asia have dedicated altars and festivals to this man who was known for having slept with fifty maidens and for having died in a shameful way, falling victim to the magic of his wife, Deianira, on whom he had been cheating. Similar things can be said of Asklepios, Dionysos, the Dioscuri, the hero Kleomydes of Astypalaia, Antinoos, the lover of the emperor Hadrian, and other heroes.

29-34. Since they worship so many men as gods, the pagans have no right to criticise the Christians who do not worship the martyrs as gods, but honour them as true servants of God. Their criticism of the Christian honour of tombs is just a sign of ignorance, because several ancient authors attest to the fact that major pagan shrines were resting places of heroes: Kekrops was buried on the Acropolis of Athens; Kleomachos at Didyma; Lykophrone at the shrine of Artemis in Magnesia; Telmisseus under the altar of Apollo in Telmissos. Those who buried these people saw no defilement in the burial, as contemporary pagans do. Thucydides mentions the burial of the soldiers of the Peloponnesian War. Contemporary pagans know too well that the dead were honoured by libations, since they perform libations themselves at night, against the law. Theodoret quotes Homer’s description of Odysseus’ libation and invocation of the dead (Odyssey 11, 24-37), and other sources mentioning libations for the dead. The Christians do not offer sacrifices or libations for the martyrs, but simply honour them as divine and pious men.

35-52. Pindar asserts that the souls of the pious are in heaven, and Empedocles states that physicians, oracles, priests, and noble people receive divine honours from humans. Much more do the truly pious deserve such honours, because they thought it preferable to give up their own lives, lest they deviate from the ways of Christ. They are the noblest men and repel all evil caused by the demons. Heraclitus asserts that all those who have fallen in war deserve higher honours, but Theodoret suggests that only those who died for a just cause deserve to be honoured and not every person killed in war, regardless of their way of life. Theodoret cites Plato in Phaedo suggesting the existence of a better life after death for people who have lived a pure and virtuous life. Plato also suggests that the human soul can partake of a wisdom which is higher than human, if it is possessed by divine love. True philosophy is defined as a study of death. Hesiod states that those who lived a virtuous life become protective spirits and helpers of men after their death. Christians honour the pious dead as God’s friends and servants. Plato also states that a just person will suffer scorn, torture, and death, and asserts that the souls of good people intervene protectively in human affairs after death.

52-65. The Christian martyrs died out of love for God and for the sake of the faith they had dedicated their lives to, thus confirming Socrates’ statements in the Apology. Although Socrates had such a death and virtue, he never received veneration, because his piety was imperfect. The same applies to several philosophers and generals who died bravely, and to great kings. None of them has ever received honours like those of the martyrs, even though some of them were deified and temples were dedicated to them (examples of Hellenistic and Roman rulers are mentioned). After they died, their worship was abolished, and their temples were ruined. The shrines of the martyrs, however, stand resplendent and are constantly visited by people who receive healings and dedicate offerings commemorating their cure (see $E03501).

65-70. The people honoured like this are not famous men and rulers, but simple people, soldiers, slaves and servants, some married, others not. Thus the names of famous philosophers, rhetors, kings, and generals have now been forgotten, as people name their children after the martyrs, seeking their protection. The feasts of the gods have been forgotten and replaced by the festivals of the Apostles and the Martyrs (see $E03501).