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| Discovery of the Honored Head of the Forerunner of our Lord, and the Events about it.
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Chapter XXI.—Discovery
of the Honored Head of the Forerunner of our Lord, and the Events about
it.
About this time the head of
John the Baptist, which Herodias had asked of Herod the tetrarch, was
removed to Constantinople.1562
| 1562An independent chapter. Cf. Philost. vii. 4;
Theodoret, H. E. iii. 7; Marcell. Chron. a.d. 453; Ruf. H. E. ii. 28.
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It is said that it was discovered by some monks of the Macedonian
heresy, who originally dwelt at Constantinople, and afterwards fixed
their abode in Cilicia. Mardonius, the first eunuch of the palace, made
known this discovery at court, during the preceding reign; and Valens
commanded that the relic should be removed to Constantinople. The
officers appointed to carry it thither, placed it in a public chariot,
and proceeded with it as far as Pantichium, a district in the territory
of Chalcedon. Here the mules of the chariot suddenly stopped; and
neither the application of the lash, nor the threats of the hostlers,
could induce them to advance further. So extraordinary an event was
considered by all, and even by the emperor himself, to be of God; and
the holy head was therefore deposited at Cosilaos, a village in the
neighborhood, which belonged to Mardonius. Soon after, the Emperor
Theodosius, impelled by an impulse from God, or from the prophet,
repaired to the village. He determined upon removing the remains of the
Baptist, and it is said met with no opposition, except from a holy
virgin, Matrona, who had been the servant and guardian of the relic. He
laid aside all authority and force, and after many entreaties, extorted
a reluctant consent from her to remove the head; for she bore in mind
what had occurred at the period when Valens commanded its removal. The
emperor placed it, with the box in which it was encased, in his purple
robe, and conveyed it to a place called Hebdomos, in the suburbs of
Constantinople, where he erected a spacious and magnificent temple. The
woman who had been appointed to the charge of the relic could not be
persuaded by the emperor to renounce her religious sentiments, although
he had recourse to entreaty and promises; for she was, it appears, of
the Macedonian heresy. A presbyter of the same tendency, named Vincent,
who also took charge of the coffin of the prophet, and performed the
sacerdotal functions over it, followed the religious opinions of the
emperor, and entered into communion with the Catholic Church. He had
taken an oath, as the Macedonians affirm, never to swerve from their
doctrines; but he afterwards openly declared that, if the Baptist would
follow the emperor, he also would enter into communion with him and be
separated. He was a Persian, and had left his country in company with a
relative named Addas, during the reign of Constantius, in order to
avoid the persecution which the Christians were then suffering in
Persia. On his arrival in the Roman territories, he was placed in the
ranks of the clergy, and advanced to the office of presbyter. Addas
married and rendered great service to the Church. He left a son named
Auxentius, who was noted for his very faithful piety, his zeal for his
friends, the moderation of his life, his love of letters, and the
greatness of his attainments in
pagan and ecclesiastical literature. He was modest and retiring in
deportment, although admitted to familiarity with the emperor and the
courtiers, and possessed of a very illustrious appointment. His memory
is still revered by the monks and zealous men, who were all acquainted
with him. The woman who had been entrusted with the relic remained
during the rest of her life at Cosilaos. She was greatly distinguished
by her piety and wisdom, and instructed many holy virgins; and I have
been assured that many still survive who reflect the honorable
character which was the result of training under Matrona.
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