His writing is a common example of early church thought on scripture and the lords pascha. Melito of sardiss peri pascha and its israel volume 91 issue 4 lynn cohick. In this essay all citations greek and english of melitos work are from melito of sardis, ed. Overview of peri pascha melito pastored in sardis, a city in western asia minor. With the fragments of melito and other material related to the quartodecimans popular patristics 9780881415544. Pdf melitos peri pascha 15 as recovered from a lost. Knapp the discovery of a document identified as peri pascha by melito of sardis, and its subsequent publication in 1940 has generated numerous studies over the past half century, lending weight to the assertion by f. On pascha and fragments oxford early christian texts 1st edition. The quartodecimans were early christians who maintained the tradition derived from judaism, and observed pascha on the same occasion that the jews observed passover. It describes christian doctrine on the paschal mystery in the style of second sophistic period. The relationship between the coptic gospel of thomas and the synoptic gospels has been a matter of longstanding debate. Melito of sardis study archive the preterist archive of realized. In 1940 the actual text was discovered in a monastery in upper egypt.
Melito, peri pascha and the quartodeciman paschal liturgy at. The purpose of this article is to present some new material on the greek text of melito. Jan 01, 2000 melito s use of scripture in peri pascha secondcentury typology by henry m. Melito of sardis was a saint, but most do not accept his. Today the post brought the second edition of my on pascha, or rather my treatment of the work of melito of sardis by that name.
Apr 14, 2011 among the most powerful meditations on pascha is found in the writings of melito of sardis ca. In both of the above instances, james gives his readers the same english version of sections 9596, 104105, from melito s peri pascha. Melitos peri pascha 15 as recovered from a lost leaf of. Melito of sardis though melito, bishop of sardis, was one of the greatest 2nd century church fathers, virtually none of his writings survived the ravages of time. Apr 08, 20 this article supplies an updated bibliography on meltio of sardis peri pascha, details of the coptic fragments published since 1979, and corrections and revisions to the text, translation, and apparatus of melito of sardis. Dec 03, 2011 in both of the above instances, james gives his readers the same english version of sections 9596, 104105, from melito s peri pascha. On pascha melito of sardis saint anianus coptic orthodox church. Among the most powerful meditations on pascha is found in the writings of melito of sardis ca. Melito, peri pascha and the quartodeciman paschal liturgy. Oct 06, 20 the latter, a vigorous confutation of idolatry and polytheism addressed to antoninus caesar, seems from internal evidence to be of syrian origin, though some authorities have identified it with melito s peri aletheias. Here we find that a number of explanations have been proposed, none of which in themselves.
The sacred scriptures and the veneration of the martyrs. Melitos peri pascha is the only source prior to origen which states the. Select papers from the sbl meeting in san diego, 2007, ed. Formerly the capital of the lydian empire, sardis underwent a process of hellenization due to the influence of alexander the great, thus making sardis a thoroughly greek city long before melito was born. Yet melitos peri pascha does more than define and differentiate, for it has. Melito of sardis in his peri pascha accuses the jews of. Melito, sardis and the quartodecimans jewish and christian pascha the form and function of peri pascha peri pascha and the quartodeciman paschal liturgy. It was discovered last century and first published in 1940. Melito of sardis study archive the preterist archive of. One of my theology professors used to say, everything essential to the christian faith can be found in melito s peri pascha. A fter the time of the gospels, melito of sardis is the first christian writer of whom we have a record to make reference to the place where jesus was crucified. But melito stubbornly refused to cooperate, insisting as he did that the sacrifice took place on the cross, a full day after the last. The mystery of the passover is new and old, eternal and temporal. Melito, peri pascha and the quartodeciman paschal liturgy at sardis.
Though melito, bishop of sardis, was one of the greatest 2nd century church fathers, virtually none of his writings survived the ravages of time. Corrections and revisions, journal of theological studies 64 20. The entire paragraph, and especially the commentary injected, flies of face nearly every serious scholar on melito, including widelylauded work by cohick as well as many others see journal of hebrew scriptures volume 3 20002001. Melito of sardis, peri pascha and its israel the battle between. Melito dari sardis wikipedia bahasa indonesia, ensiklopedia.
Stuart george hall oxford early christian texts, 1979. This in turn led to melitos standpoint on the proper date of easter discussed in peri pascha which he held as the 14th of nisan. His writing on pascha is both a work of genius as poetry and a powerful work of theology. The latter, a vigorous confutation of idolatry and polytheism addressed to antoninus caesar, seems from internal evidence to be of syrian origin, though some authorities have identified it with melitos peri aletheias. When an extensive homily by melito on easter peri pascha was discovered early in the 20th century, it caused a sensation among christian scholars. An extensive study of the quartodeciman paschal liturgy. On the passover melito of sardis crossroads initiative. Melito of sardis, english translation in ante nicene fathers, vol 8 melito of sardis, greek original in eusebius, church history, 4. Available formats pdf please select a format to send.
Peace to the one who wrote, and to the one who reads. This johannine tradition led melito to consider the gospel of john as the chronological timeline of jesuss life and death. Cross that melito s treatise on the pascha is the most important. Life of constantine pdf in those days also melito, bishop of the parish in sardis. With the exception of 2 clement, peri pascha might be the earliest known nonbiblical sermon. It has been proposed by a number of scholars that it functioned as the christian passover haggadah. In it there is much polemic against the jews and an antignostic insistence on the true humanity of christ.
This article presents some new material on the greek text of melito. Setting, purpose, and sources brown judaic studies. Responding to the request of st vladimirs seminary press for a second edition of this work incorporating the greek text of peri pascha has been both painful and pleasurable. It centres on melito s peri pascha, which is examined in its rhetorical and liturgical context, and reveals the work as the liturgical text read more. Hahn thought to prove that the whole church for the first four centuries recognized that thursday was the day of the sacrifice, and he did his level best to backfill that sacrifice into melito s peri pascha. A fragment cited by eusebius refers to a dispute that had broken out.
Please buy the cd to support the site, view it without ads, and get bonus stuff. Peace to the one who wrote, and to the one who reads, and to those who love the lord in simplicity of heart. On pascha melito of sardis glory to god for all things. Go to the chronological list of all early christian writings. In this work, alistair stewartsykes, the leading authority on melito and the quartodecimans, presents a unique collection of material in a format ideal for classroom use as well as for the general reader. We are informed that melito composed several works which were lost by the time eusebius himself wrote iv. Melito of sardiss peri pascha and its israel harvard.
Some maintain that the sayings of jesus in thomas reflect a line of transmission independent of the synoptic tradition. Written between the years ad 160 and 170, the peri pascha is a sermon given during the memorial of the lords death at passover. The lord, having put on human nature, and having suffered for him who suffered, having been bound for him who was bound, and having been buried for him who was buried, is. Dec 28, 2016 today the post brought the second edition of my on pascha, or rather my treatment of the work of melito of sardis by that name i cite the preface. Kazen na velky piatok je homilia, ktora pochadza z rokov 160170. In exegesis and hermeneutics in the churches of the east. Selain dari fungsi liturgi peri pascha, dokumen kristen awal ini secara tradisional telah dianggap sebagai indikator yang cukup dapat diandalkan mengenai bagaimana perasaan orangorang.
Apr 14, 2014 melito of sardis on the passion of christ in the second century, melito, bishop of sardis, preached a message known today as homily on the passion or homily on the paschapassover. Peri pascha is a 2ndcentury homily of melito of sardis written between a. On pascha second edition, pps55 the quartodecimans were early christians who maintained the tradition derived from judaism, and observed pascha at the same time that the jews observed passover. Melito, peri pascha and the quartodeciman paschal liturgy at sardis leiden. In this article we seek to explore the nest of issues surrounding the antijudaism which is expressed by melito of sardis in his peri pascha. Alistair stewartsykes melito, peri pascha and the quartodeciman paschal liturgy at sardis supplement to vigiliae christianae 42 leiden. Mystery and the making of a christian historical consciousness. Nongbri describes the rediscovery of the first leaf of the greek copy of melito s peri pascha in the bodmer collection and discusses its place in the codex of which it is a part. Predtym boli z nej zname iba zlomky v grectine, latincine, syrcine, koptcine a gruzincine. There are traces of the view that as one of the dead, christ was initially bound in hades and had to break free before also freeing others odes sol. Its subject is the lords pascha particularly as an interpretation of the old testament. A prolific writer, melito flourished during the early second century. Melito tidak menyalahkan pontius pilatus dalam hal penyaliban yesus kristus. The latter, a vigorous confutation of idolatry and polytheism addressed to antoninus caesar, seems from internal evidence to be of syrian origin, though some authorities have identified it with melito s peri aletheias.
Its conclusion is that peri pascha constitutes the two parts of the quartodeciman liturgy. Peri pascha english title on the pascha is a 2ndcentury homily of melito of sardis written between a. Responding to the request of st vladimirs seminary press for a second edition of this work incorporating the greek text of peri pascha. The first part of the work is a liturgical homily on exodus 12 which was delivered on the eve of pascha, and the second half is the text of a commemorative ritual which. Cross that melito s treatise on the pascha is the most important addition to patristic literature. First of all, the scripture about the hebrew exodus has been read and the words of the mystery have been explained as to how the sheep was sacrificed and the people were saved.
The sacred scriptures and the veneration of the martyrs jennifer knust, boston university abstract. It was originally conjectured to have probably been recited with the kind of cantillation customary in. Here we find that a number of explanations have been proposed, none of which in themselves satisfactorily explain melito s attitude. This in turn led to melito s standpoint on the proper date of easter discussed in peri pascha which he held as the 14th of nisan. The purpose of this work is to determine the place of melito s peri pascha in the paschal liturgy of the quartodecimans at sardis. The internets only balanced look at preterist eschatology. The first part of the work is a liturgical homily on exodus 12 which was delivered on the eve of pascha, and the second half. The ancient historian, eusebius, testifies to melito s popularity. Melito of sardis on the passion of christ thoughts of a. Its subject is the lords pascha particularly as an interpretation of the.
Melito of sardis, peri pascha and its israel the battle between christians and jews over possession of the name israel goes back to the earliest days of christianity alternatively, the pasttense verbs found in peri pascha 99 may indicate that the author is referring to the destruction of the temple in 70 ce analogously, in the late fourth. Moreover, because this homily is commonly attributed to melito, a secondcentury quartodeciman bishop of sardis, its antijewish remarks are also frequently. He was a prolific writer, but only fragments of his works were known until 1940, when one preserved on papyrus was published. References to the time and place of the crucifixion in the. Selain dari fungsi liturgi peri pascha, dokumen kristen awal ini secara tradisional telah dianggap sebagai indikator yang cukup dapat diandalkan mengenai bagaimana perasaan orangorang kristen awal terhadap yudaisme pada umumnya. Melito of sardiss peri pascha and its israel journal for the study of judaism volume 33, number 3. This thesis presents a study of peri pascha, paying specific attention to the ways in. Scholars have studied melitos peri pascha as a witness to second century christian preaching, to a typological reading of scripture, and to a theology. If canon and sacred scriptures are measured by what was read aloud, preached and. The main theme of the peri pascha on the pasch is the new pasch inaugurated by christ. This barcode number lets you verify that youre getting exactly the right version or edition of a book. The journal of northwest theological seminary a different assembly of melito s peri pascha fragments opera omnia by migne patrologia graeca with analytical indexes. This article supplies an updated bibliography on meltio of sardis peri pascha, details of the coptic fragments published since 1979, and corrections and revisions to the text, translation, and apparatus of melito of sardis. In what follows, brent nongbri will describe the rediscovery of the first leaf of the greek copy of melitos peri pascha in the bodmer collection and discuss its place in the codex of which it is a part.
1576 336 1466 10 1036 3 778 271 1444 278 1163 950 464 1271 1335 1608 246 613 1327 203 538 1095 1530 575 1392 911 919 949 773 1004