Julian the Apostate mentioned in one of St. Kosmas the Aitolian's parables
The following comes from a Hellenic Nationalist comrade.
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Julian the Apostate mentioned in one of St. Kosmas the Aitolian's parables
The following is a translation from one of Saint Kosmas the Aitolian's parables concerning the sign of the cross. Aside from the important religious instruction Saint Kosmas offers us, the parable also makes mention of Julian the Apostate, the pagan emperor of the East Roman Empire, and the sorcery involved in bringing about his ascent to power and inevitable descent into eternal damnation shortly thereafter.
Aside from telling us that the Julian mentioned eventually became anemperor, we are also given other major pieces of evidence which prove conclusively that the man described was none other than Julian the Apostate: the fact that he studied with Basil the Great (which Julian the Apostate did) and the fact that he only ruled for 2 years just asJulian the Apostate did (from AD 361 to AD 363).
For the most part my translation of the parable from Greek to English is pretty literal translation without any major attempt on my behalf to make the text flow better by substituting words and alteringsentence structure for a more readable translation. Although, I did make some very minor changes for better readability and comprehension these should not subtract from the original text in the least. Foranyone interested, I also have the original Greek available for transcription.
As for the text itself it was copied from a book titled "Kosmas oAitolos (1714-1779): Synaxarion - Didachai - Profiteiai - Akolouthia",published in 1971 (4th revised edition), and with a prologue and notes by Bishop Augoustinos N. Kantiotis, Metropolitan of Florina.
Here it is:
With Clean Hands the Sign of the Cross
Do you want to hear another one about the sign of the cross, how it doesn't work, when the hand is unclean from sin? There was a person named Julian, who was studying with Basil the Great, and wished to become emperor. He goes then and finds a Jewish sorceror and says to him: "Are you capable of making me emperor and for me to make you visier?" The sorcerer says to him: "Renounce Christ and I will make you one." Julian says to him: "I deny Him." The sorcerer then makes a symbol and says to him: "Take this parchment, go to an ancient Greek tomb and throw it high and demons will appear; and whatever they do to you don't get frightened and don't cross yourself because they will leave." Julian went to the tomb and, throwing the parchment, the demons were summoned. Scared, he crossed himself and the demons left. He returns straight to the sorcerer and tells him what happened. Then the sorcerer says to him: "Go and slaughter a child and bring me his heart." He left and slaughtered a child and brought him his heart. Then the sorcerer summons the demons again.He, again out of his fear, crossed himself; but the demons were not scared away because he was tainted from the murder. That is how he consummated his wishes and ruled as emperor for two years before going to Hell to burn forever. We, too, must be clean from sin, and then the devil leaves.
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Julian the Apostate mentioned in one of St. Kosmas the Aitolian's parables
The following is a translation from one of Saint Kosmas the Aitolian's parables concerning the sign of the cross. Aside from the important religious instruction Saint Kosmas offers us, the parable also makes mention of Julian the Apostate, the pagan emperor of the East Roman Empire, and the sorcery involved in bringing about his ascent to power and inevitable descent into eternal damnation shortly thereafter.
Aside from telling us that the Julian mentioned eventually became anemperor, we are also given other major pieces of evidence which prove conclusively that the man described was none other than Julian the Apostate: the fact that he studied with Basil the Great (which Julian the Apostate did) and the fact that he only ruled for 2 years just asJulian the Apostate did (from AD 361 to AD 363).
For the most part my translation of the parable from Greek to English is pretty literal translation without any major attempt on my behalf to make the text flow better by substituting words and alteringsentence structure for a more readable translation. Although, I did make some very minor changes for better readability and comprehension these should not subtract from the original text in the least. Foranyone interested, I also have the original Greek available for transcription.
As for the text itself it was copied from a book titled "Kosmas oAitolos (1714-1779): Synaxarion - Didachai - Profiteiai - Akolouthia",published in 1971 (4th revised edition), and with a prologue and notes by Bishop Augoustinos N. Kantiotis, Metropolitan of Florina.
Here it is:
With Clean Hands the Sign of the Cross
Do you want to hear another one about the sign of the cross, how it doesn't work, when the hand is unclean from sin? There was a person named Julian, who was studying with Basil the Great, and wished to become emperor. He goes then and finds a Jewish sorceror and says to him: "Are you capable of making me emperor and for me to make you visier?" The sorcerer says to him: "Renounce Christ and I will make you one." Julian says to him: "I deny Him." The sorcerer then makes a symbol and says to him: "Take this parchment, go to an ancient Greek tomb and throw it high and demons will appear; and whatever they do to you don't get frightened and don't cross yourself because they will leave." Julian went to the tomb and, throwing the parchment, the demons were summoned. Scared, he crossed himself and the demons left. He returns straight to the sorcerer and tells him what happened. Then the sorcerer says to him: "Go and slaughter a child and bring me his heart." He left and slaughtered a child and brought him his heart. Then the sorcerer summons the demons again.He, again out of his fear, crossed himself; but the demons were not scared away because he was tainted from the murder. That is how he consummated his wishes and ruled as emperor for two years before going to Hell to burn forever. We, too, must be clean from sin, and then the devil leaves.
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