BOOK I
54 Εἰς τὴν σταύρωσιν
Ὦ πάθος, ὦ σταυρός, παθέων ἐλατήριον αἷμα, πλῦνον ἐμῆς ψυχῆς πᾶσαν ἀτασθαλίην.
55 Εἰς τὴν αὐτήν
Παρθένου υἱὸν ἔφη τὸν παρθένον, ἄλλον ἑαυτόν. ἵλαθι, τῆς καθαρῆς δέσποτα παρθενίης.
Lemma τὴν αὐτήν Boissonade τὸν αὐτόν P56 Εἰς τὴν ἀνάστασιν
Χριστὸς ἐὼν Θεὸς εἷλε νέκυς ἐξ ᾅδου πάντας· μοῦνον δὲ βροτολοιγὸν ἀκήριον ἔλλιπεν ᾍδην.
57 Εἰς τὸν ἀμνὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ
Ψυχῆς ἐν φλιῇσιν ἐμῆς σωτήριον αἷμα ἀμνοῦ· ὀλοθρεύων, φεῦγε, μὴ ἐγγὺς ἴθι.
58 Εἰς τὸν πόκον Γεδεών
Εἷς πόκος ὄμβρον ἔχει, λεκάνῃ δρόσον ὤπασεν αὐτός· ἄβροχος αὐτὸς ὅδε· κρύπτε νόῳ κρύφια.
2 ὅδε Jacobs ὧδε PCHRISTIAN EPIGRAMS
54 On the crucifixion
O suffering, O cross, O blood that drives out suffering, cleanse my soul from all wickedness.
55 On the same
He said that the virgin1 should be the virgin’s son, his alter ego. Have mercy, master of pure virginity!
56 On the resurrection
Christ, being God, took all the dead out of Hades, and left Hades, the bane of humanity, alone and dispirited.
57 On the lamb of God
On the doorposts of my soul is the saving blood of the lamb. Away, destroyer; do not come near.1
58 On Gideon’s fleece
One fleece holds the rain, and gives its dew to the bowl; the same fleece has no moisture. Hide hidden things in your mind.1
- 1 The epigram characterizes the incident found in John 19:26. St. John the Divine was traditionally thought to be a virgin.
- 1 An analogy is made between the Passover sacrifice (see Exodus 12:3, 7, 13) and the crucifixion (see 1 Peter 1:18–19).
- 1 See Judges 6:36–40. Early Christians used the story as a parable; its meaning was that Israel had first received the word of God, while the rest of the world did not, but that with Christ the situation was reversed. See Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.17.3.