142 Chapter 3 saint’s body to Thessaloniki. Moreover, in the title of the Life Euthymius is indicated as a saint of that city.464 It is not known when Basil died for a terminus ante quem, but since the author has known the saint personally, the Life must have been written up to a few decades after Euthymius’ death. According to the narrative, Euthymius died on October 15. Based on events in the narrative, the year of death is thought to be 898.465 The last event the author relates in the narrative is the translation of the relics of Euthymius to Thessaloniki on January 13, 899, which can serve as a terminus post quem.466 Except for the supposedly uncorrupted state of the body of the saint (despite being dead for three months), no posthumous miracles are mentioned. This might indicate that the text was written soon after the translation of the relics, possibly still in 899 (nearing Euthymius’ commemoration day on October 15). However, due to a lack of further definitive indicators any early tenth-century date would be possible as well. In the prologue and epilogue Basil addresses a personal aim for the creation of his text, namely to be obedient to one of the ten commandments, as well as multiple aims directed at the multiple audiences of the text. He frames his personal aim as a fulfilment of the Old Testament commandment to honour one’s parents. That is, he starts the prologue with elaborating on the commandment and introduces Euthymius as his spiritual parent by means of explicit metaphors of nourishing and of giving birth.467 By writing the text, Basil indicates, he honours Euthymius and is thereby obedient to the divine commandment.468 Honour is bestowed on Euthymius by praising his deeds and virtue, as the author further specifies.469 The Life is thus a text of praise. That the hagiographer himself thought so is 464 Life of Euthymius 38. See comments on the title in the various manuscripts above (footnote 455). One of the four surviving manuscripts with the Life, Athonensis Βατοπεδίου 546, indicates in the title that the Life was written by ‘Basil, archbishop of Thessaloniki’: συγραφεὶς παρὰ βασιλείου ἀρχιεπισκόπου θεσσαλονίκης. This manuscript is from 1422 (called V in the edition) and it is impossible to establish whether the fifteenth-century scribe (or in fact the scribe of the earlier model) has added this information him- or herself and if this information is correct. The two earlier manuscripts do not add this detail. On the other hand, it is not impossible that V does reflect an early reliable witness: the editor of the text, Alexander Alexakis, postulates that this manuscript V ‘possibly copied a manuscript that was textually very close to the lost archetype of L [Athonensis Megistes Lavras Δ.78, of the eleventh century] and M [Mosquensis Bibl. Synod. 174 of the tenth/eleventh century, originally belonging to the Great Lavra at Mount Athos]’. Greenfield and Talbot (2016), pp. 643–644. 465 Ibid., p. p.672; Life of Euthymius 37.3. 466 The narrative indicates that the transfer of relics took place on January 13, and seems to imply it is a few months after Euthymius’ death on October 15 (in 898). Life of Euthymius the Younger 38. 467 E.g., ‘who labored to give birth to my through the gospel’ (1 Corinthians 4:15) (τῷ διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἡμᾶς ὠδινήσαντι), and ‘who suckled me [literally: who reared me] with the milk of virtues and nourished me with the living bread of divine knowledge’ (γάλακτί τε ἀρετῶν παιδοτροφήσαντι καὶ ἄρτῳ ζωτικῷ θείας ἐπιγνώσεως θρέψαντι). Life of Euthymius 2; translated by Talbot in in Alexakis (2016). The reference to the commandments: Life of Euthymius 1; cf. Exodus 20:12. 468 ‘as the commemoration day of our father is upon us [πατρικῆς ἡμῖν ἐφεστηκυίας μνήμης] and demands to be deservedly honored by us, let me demonstrate the appropriate obedience and, to the extent of my ability, let me turn my strength to the narrative […]’. Life of Euthymius 2; translated by Talbot in Alexakis (2016). 469 ‘whether my narrative equals the magnitude of his deeds […]’ and ‘for if my narrative […] is indeed able to include all of Euthymios’ virtue’ Life of Euthymius 2; translated by Talbot in Alexakis (2016).
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