Type 4671
(formerly typ/2756)
| Καὶ τοῦτο δεῖγμα τῆς ἀριστοβουλίας | |
| νοὸς Μανουήλ, τοῦ νόων βασιλέως, | |
| Ῥώμης νέας ἄνακτος, ἔρνους πορφύρας, | |
| ὃς πάντα δρᾶν σώζοντα τοὺς ὑπηκόους | |
| θέλων ἀειμέριμνον αὐχεῖ καρδίαν. | |
| Καὶ γὰρ μυριόλεκτος ἐκ πάσης βίβλου | |
| χρῆσις Γραφῶν ἐνταῦθα συγκατεγράφη, | |
| δι᾿ ὧν μαθεῖν ἔξεστιν ἀτρέπτοις λόγοις | |
| τοῦ Πνεύματος μὲν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Κυρίου | |
| τὴν ἐκπόρευσιν ἐκ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς μόνου, | |
| πάντας δ᾿ ἀνορθοῦν τὰς φρένας στρεβλουμένους | |
| πρὸς γνῶσιν ὀρθῶν συνοδικῶν δογμάτων. | |
| Καὶ γὰρ ὁρᾶν ἔξεστι καὶ γεγραμμένον | |
| τοῦτον τὸν ἀσύγκριτον εἰς νοῦν, εἰ σθένος· | |
| ἐνταῦθα μὲν πῶς ἐκ μελιχρῶν χειλέων | |
| τῆς ἐκ παλαιᾶς προσλαλεῖ Ῥώμης θύταις, | |
| τοῖς δ᾿ ἀρχιθύταις ἀλλαχοῦ καὶ προκρίτοις | |
| τῶν Ἀλαμανῶν συνομιλεῖ πανσόφως, | |
| αὖθις δὲ θύταις, λευίταις, δικασπόλοις | |
| τῶν Σικελῶν σύνεστιν εἰς ὁμιλίαν, | |
| ἀναμφιλέκτοις συλλογισμοῖς δεικνύων | |
| τὸ Πνεῦμα Πατρὸς ἐκπορεύεσθαι μόνου | |
| ὡς μὴ πρὸς ἀρχὰς ἐκκυλισθῶμεν δύο, | |
| Θεὸν μαθόντες ἐν μοναρχίᾳ σέβειν· | |
| τῶν δ᾿ Ἀρμενικῶν προστάτας θρησκευμάτων, | |
| καινὴν μίαν λέγοντας ἐν Χριστῷ φύσιν, | |
| ἐκ συλλογισμῶν γραφικῶν πείθει λέγειν | |
| διπλὰς ἐν αὐτῷ τὰς φύσεις ἀσυγχύτως, | |
| ψευδεῖς ἐλέγχει τετραρίθμους αἱρέσεις | |
| ὅτι μόνη θέλησις ἐν Χριστῷ μία, | |
| ὡς ἡ Θεοῦ πέπονθεν ἐν σταυρῷ φύσις, | |
| ὡς σὰρξ φθορᾶς ὕπερθεν, ὡς φαντασία. | |
| Ταύτην τὸ λοιπὸν πᾶς ἀναπτύσσων βίβλον | |
| καὶ καρδίας λάρυγγα καὶ ψυχῆς στόμα | |
| καταγλυκάζων Δαυιτικῶς κρινέτω | |
| τύπον νοητῆς βιβλίου κεφαλίδος | |
| Ἰεζεκιὴλ ἐκμελιτούσης στόμα, | |
| ἢ λαβίδα φέρουσαν ἄνθρακος φλόγα | |
| ῥύπασμα πάσης ἐκκαθαίρουσαν πλάνης, | |
| ἢ γοῦν τὸ Χριστοῦ μυστικώτατον πτύον, | |
| ἐπεὶ διιστᾷ σῖτον ἐκ τῶν ἀχύρων, | |
| καὶ τὸν μὲν ἐντὸς ἀποθηκῶν εἰσάγει | |
| ἀποστολικῆς εὐσεβοῦς ἐκκλησίας· | |
| ὃς Χριστὸν οἶδε κατὰ γῆς πεπτωκότα | |
| κόκκον καθάπερ καὶ θανόντα σαρκίῳ, | |
| πολὺν δὲ καρπὸν αὖθις ἐκδεδωκότα, | |
| τοὺς δ᾿ ἀχυρώδεις ἀντιδοξούντων λόγους | |
| ἐκπυρπολεῖ καὶ μέχρις εἰς χοῦν λεπτύνει. | |
| Ταύτην ἂν εἴποι καὶ κιβωτόν τις νέαν | |
| πλήρη καθαρῶν μὴ καθαρῶν τε στίφους | |
| ὀρθοφρονούντων δηλαδὴ καὶ δυσφρόνων, | |
| ἐξ ἧς κόραξ μὲν τοῦ Σατὰν πλήρης ζόφου, | |
| θύραν παρελθών, Χριστόν, οὐκ ἀναστρέφει, | |
| ὁ δ᾿ ἀκέραιος ὡς περιστερᾶς τρόπος | |
| οὐκ ἐκτὸς αὐτῆς ἐνδιατρίβειν θέλει, | |
| κάρφος δ᾿ ἐλαίας ἀμφὶ τὸ στόμα φέρει, | |
| ὡς οἷα Χριστοῦ σάρκα κηρύττειν ἔχων | |
| θείας ἐλαίῳ φύσεως κεχρισμένην· | |
| οὐ χρήσεων δὲ Γραφικῶν γέμει μόνον, | |
| ἀλλ᾿ ἐξελέγχειν τοὺς ἐναντίους ἔχει | |
| καὶ συλλογισμοῖς ἀποδεικτικωτάτοις | |
| ὡς ἐμφέρειαν εἰσφέρειν φραγελλίου, | |
| ὃ σχοινίοις ἔπλεξε Χριστοῦ παλάμη, | |
| δι᾿ οὗπερ ἀνέστρεψε τραπέζας ὅλας | |
| τῶν κερματιστῶν ἱεροῦ ῥίπτων μέσον· | |
| ἐν γὰρ ἀφύκτοις συλλογισμῶν πλεκτάναις | |
| στερρῶς ἀπάγχειν τοὺς θρασυστόμους σθένει | |
| μίαν Τριάδος κερματίζοντας φύσιν | |
| εἰς ἀσυνάπτους ἀλλοφύλους οὐσίας, | |
| ἢ συγχέοντας εἰς ὑπόστασιν μίαν, | |
| ὅσοι τε Χριστοῦ κολλυβίζοντες φύσεις | |
| ἢ πρὸς μίαν φύρουσι τὰς δύο κρᾶσιν, | |
| ἢ γοῦν διπλᾶς λέγουσι τὰς ὑποστάσεις. | |
| Τοιόνδε τὸ σπούδασμα τοῦ βασιλέως, | |
| τοσοῦτον ἔργον εὐσεβοφρόνων βάθρον, | |
| ἀντιφρόνων δὲ δογμάτων ἀστασίαν | |
| εἰς νοῦν μὲν ὠδίνησεν ὁ σκηπτροκράτωρ, | |
| πνεῦμα σοφίας συλλαβῶν σωτηρίου, | |
| εἰς φῶς δὲ νῦν ἤνεγκε τούτου τὸν τόκον | |
| ὡς δεύτερος δ᾿ ὢν Ἰσραὴλ Θεὸς νέου. | |
| Πιστῷ μὲν εἰς πᾶν ἐκ γεναρχῶν οἰκέτῃ | |
| οὕτω θελήσας, τόνδε πιστεύει πόνον, | |
| ὅς ἐστιν Ἀνδρόνικος ἐκ μητρὸς Δούκας, | |
| ὁ πανσέβαστος Καματηρὸς πατρόθεν, | |
| μέγας τε Δρουγγάριος ἐκ τῆς ἀξίας | |
| ὡς δ᾿ οἷα πλάκας μυστικὰς ἄλλας νέας | |
| τῷ παντὶ κόσμῳ τήνδε τὴν βίβλον νέμει, | |
| τὴν Ὁπλοθήκην Ἱερὰν καλουμένην | |
| θεογράφων φέρουσαν ὕψος δογμάτων. | |
| Θεὸς δὲ τριὰς ἡ μόναρχος οὐσία | |
| ζωῆς μὲν αὐτῷ καὶ θρόνου τὰς ἡμέρας | |
| εἴη συναύξων οὐρανοῦ ταῖς ἡμέραις, | |
| δοίη δὲ πᾶσαν κοσμικὴν μοναρχίαν | |
| καὶ τὴν συναυτάνασσαν ἐκ ῥηγῶν γένους | |
| καὶ πριγκιπικῆς εὐκλεοῦς ῥιζουχίας, | |
| γένοιτο τηρῶν εἰς μακρὰν συζωΐαν | |
| σὺν τῷ νεανθεῖ πορφυροβλάστῳ ῥόδῳ, | |
| στέφος φέροντι τοῦ κράτους Ἀλεξίῳ, | |
| τῶν οὐρανῶν δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν τέλος | |
| κλήρωμα τούτοις ἀμετάτρεπτον νέμοι. |
| Title(s) | Ἐπίγραμμα τῆς βίβλου δι' ἴαμβων στίχων τοῦ πρωτοκουροπαλάτου κυροῦ Γεωργίου τοῦ Σκυλίτζη |
| Text source | A. Bucossi 2009, George Skylitzes’ dedicatory verses for the Sacred Arsenal by Andronikos Kamateros and the Codex Marcianus Graecus 524, Jahrbuch der Österreichischen Byzantinistik (JÖB), 59, 37-50: 45-48 |
| Text status | Text completely known |
| Editorial status | Critical text |
| Genre(s) | |
| Person(s) | |
| Metre(s) | Dodecasyllable |
| Subject(s) |
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| Tag(s) | |
| Translation(s) |
Epigram for the book in iambic verses by the protokouropalates Lord George Skylitzes This too is a sample of the excellent counsel of the mind of Manuel, king of minds, Lord of the new Rome, scion of purple, who because he wishes to accomplish whatever action can rescue his subjects, he is well known for his ever anxious heart. And indeed countless passages from every book of the Scriptures were collected here, [passages] through which it is possible to learn in unchangeable words the procession of the Spirit, God and Lord, from God the Father only, to redirect all twisted minds towards the knowledge of the right synodical dogmas. And, indeed, if one has the strength, it is possible to see this incomparable mind also written down: here how he speaks from honey-sweetened lips to the sacrificers from the old Rome, and elsewhere how he most cleverly converses with the German chief sacrificers and the princes, and again how he joins in conversations with Sicilian sacrificers, deacons, judges explaining through unquestionable syllogisms that the Spirit proceeds from the Father only so that we do not degenerate into confessing two principles because we have learnt to honor God in a single originating role and again [how] the proponents of the Armenian beliefs, who say that there is one, newly invented, nature in Christ he persuades through scriptural syllogisms to say that there are two natures without confusion in Him, he proves false four heresies [that teach] that there is only one will in Christ, that the nature of God would have suffered on the cross, that [Christ’s] flesh is above corruption, that it was only an appearance. Henceforward everyone leafing through this book sweetening both the larynx of the heart and the mouth of the soul, as David did, should judge this book as the image of the spiritual roll that sweetened the mouth of Ezekiel, or as tongs that bring the flame of the charcoal that clears out pollution of every false doctrine, or indeed as the mystical winnowing fan of Christ when he separates the wheat from chaff and gathers the wheat into the barns of the apostolic pious church; he who knows that Christ fell to the ground exactly like a kernel and died in the flesh and again bears many fruits, he consumes with fire the chaff-like words of heresies and grinds them to dust. One would say that this is a new ark full of pure and impure people that is orthodox and heretic people from which the raven full of gloom of Satan passing by the door, which is Christ, does not turn back, but he, the pure, guise of a dove, does not want to waste time outside this ark and brings an olive branch in the mouth as announcing the flesh of Christ anointed with the oil of the Holy Nature; and [this new ark] is filled up not only with passages from the Scriptures but can confute the opponents also with demonstrative syllogisms, as bringing in a likeness of the whip that the palm of the hand of Christ made out of cords [and] by which [Christ] throwing in the middle of the temple overturned all the tables of the money-changers; indeed in coils of syllogisms, from which there is no escape, he has strength to strangle tightly those insolent men who cut into pieces the one nature of the Trinity into unconnected alien substances, or who commingled in one hypostasis, and those who changing the natures of Christ either mix into one combination the two natures or at least then they say two hypostases. For the delivery of such an imperial commission, this great work − solid base of pious thought but unsteadiness for opposing dogmas − the mind of the Emperor was in labour, although having with him the spirit of salvific wisdom, but now he has brought to the light this offspring, as being a second God of a new Israel. With this intention, he entrusted this labor to a completely trustworthy relative from his family, and this is Andronikos, Doukas on his mother’s side, the pansebastos from a Kamateros father, who holds the office of megas droungarios, and like other new mystical Tablets he distributes this book to all the world, that is called the Sacred Arsenal that brings the height of the dogmas written by God. May God, the trine and one substance, increase for him [the Emperor] the days of life and reign through the days of Heaven, may He give him the complete monarchy of the world and his co-empress from kings’ blood and glorious princely family roots may He preserve in a long life with the new-born purple sprig of the rose Alexios who bears the crown of empire and may He finally grant them as their inalienable inheritance the kingdom of Heaven. |
| Bibliography | |
| Number of verses | 100 |
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| Acknowledgements |
The credits system has been implemented in 2019. Credits from before the new system was in use might be incomplete. |
| Identification |
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| Permalink | https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/types/4671 |
Last modified: 2022-10-07.
