On Pascha: With the Fragments of Melito and Other Material Related to the Quartodecimans

116 Pages·2001·1.597 MB·English

by  Melito of Sardis, Alistair Stewart-Sykes

ON PASCHA
st vladimir's seminary press
Popular Patristics Series
Number 20
The Popular Patristics Series published by St Vladimir’s Seminary
Press provides readable and accurate translations of a wide range
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Recognized scholars in their fields provide short but compre­
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mission of the series is to mine the riches of the early Church and
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Series Editor
John Behr
On 'Pascha
With the 'Fragments of jTkfelito
and Other Material Related to
the jQuartodecimans
MELITO OF SARDIS
Translated, introduced, and annotated by
Alistair Stewart-Sykes
st vladimir’s seminary press
CRESTWOOD, NEW YORK
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Melito, Saint, Bishop of Sardis, 2nd cent.
[Homily on the passion. English]
On Pascha: with the fragments of Melito and other material related to the
quartodecimans / Melito of Sardis; translated, introduced and annotated by
Alistair Stewart-Sykes
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-88141-217-1 (alk. paper)
ISBN 978-0-88141-217-8
ISSN 1555-5755
1. Jesus Christ—Passion—Sermons—Early works to 1800. 2. Sermons,
Greek—Early works to 1800. 3. Sermons, English—Early works to 1800.
I. Stewart-Sykes, Alistair. II. Title.
BR65.M453 H6513 2001
252'.63—dc2i
00-051815
COPYRIGHT © 2001
st vladim ir’s seminary press
575 Scarsdale Rd., Crestwood, NY 10707
1-800-204-2665
www.svspress.com
ISBN 0- 88141-217-1
ISBN 978- 0- 88141-217-8
ISSN 1555-5755
All Rights Reserved
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Contents
PREFACE...............................................................ix
INTRODUCTION....................................................1
M elito.....................................................................1
On Pascha.....................................................................9
Sardis .....................................................................12
Melito the sophist......................................................14
The Quartodeciman liturgy and Melito’s
On Pascha..............................................................18
The Fast.................................................................18
The Vigil..................................................................19
The Celebration......................................................20
The Quartodeciman Pascha and the
Jewish Pesah..............................................................23
Melito’s anti-Judaism..............................................25
The Theology of Melito...........................................28
a) Melito’s doctrine of God in Christ.......................28
b) Eschatology..........................................................30
c) Typology..............................................................31
Conclusion: Melito’s liturgical theology................34
Melito of Sardis ON PASCHA................................37
THE FRAGMENTS AND OTHER
MATERIAL................................................................69
The Fragments..........................................................69
a) Fragment 1 ......................................... 69
vi ON PASCHA
b) Fragment 3 ......................................................71
c) Fragment 4 ......................................................73
d) Fragment 7 . . . ..........................................73
e) Fragment 8b......................................................73
f) Fragments 9-11 ..............................................76
g) Fragment 17......................................................78
Testimonies to Melito from later authors . . . . 79
a) From Eusebius...............................................79
b) From Jerome......................................................80
Selections from other authors concerning
Quartodeciman practice........................................81
a) Apollinarius. . . . ..........................................81
b) Hippolytus..........................................................82
c) Eusebius’ account of the Quartodeciman
controversy at Rome at the end of the second
century ..............................................................84
d) From the Life of Poly carp, 1 ...............................91
e) A selection from the Syrian Didascalia, 21 . . . 92
f) From Theodoret’s Compendium of Heretical
Tales, 3.4 ........................................................94
g) Epistula Apostolorum 1 5 ...................................95
Bibliography...........................................................97
Index . ..................................................................103
For Alice
with love

PREFACE
This work is not a scientific translation of On Pascha, but a
fairly free rendition intended for students, seminarians, work­
ing clergy and faithful Christians. I would hope that this audi­
ence would get an idea of the contents and style of On Pascha,
and some indication of its significance, particularly with re­
gard to our understanding of the earliest paschal liturgy. In
translating I have had a view to the rhetorical quality of the
text, and in particular to the fact that the piece was designed to
be spoken aloud, and scientific accuracy was therefore prized
less highly than euphony.
The text employed is that of Hall, who also provides an ex­
cellent translation; my debt to Hall’s work will be manifest on
every page and those requiring an apparatus and accuracy at
every point should turn to Hall, rather than to the present work.
The reader will also find frequent reference to my work The
Lamb's High Feast, published two years ago; I have taken the
opportunity here to correct some of the less guarded state­
ments found in that work, particularly with regard to
Hippolytus, and to expand on a few points, particularly with
regard to Melito’s eunouchia (as a result of a conversation
with colleagues in a tea-shop!)
The class on “The Jewish roots of Christian liturgy,”
taught at the General Seminary in New York in 2000, was sub­
jected to some of this material, and even managed to make
some contributions to the effort. The manuscript was
proofread by Gloria Bowden of the Diocese of Atlanta, and the
editor of this series, Dr John Behr, showed diligence and pa­
tience in equal measure in preparing it for the press.