19 March 2013

I will not do it again



Two delightful items, signed confessions to the Patriarch of Constantinople, by people who were behaving quite badly. They are found in volume 2 of Miklosich & Müller (I can send the Greek if you need it). Pierre MacKay made the translations.

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Confession by the monk Theodosius Thoudoules of
the practice of magic,
and a solemn promise never to do so again
CCCLXXVII. (1383)


Since I have many times been found making charms and magic spells, and have corrupted not only my own soul but that of others, and fallen away from faith in Christ, following the works of Satan, have corrupted others’ souls of many who came to me, on account of which (δι’ ἅ) Ι have undergone abuse, violence (ηὕρις, for ὕβρις) and persecution both at the hands of the church of Christ and those of all Christians, now that I have come to old age age and see death before my eyes I have sought safety with our lord, the ecumenical Patriarch, the defender in common of all Christians and the help and guide to salvation for all sinners. I have acknowledged in all truth whatever I did and sought assistance how I might be saved (πῶς ἵνα σοθῶ = πῶς νὰ σωθῶ). And, since he has imitated the loving God and has accepted my acknowledgement and change of heart, but insisted on a promise of commitment, I make this written promise, committing myself before his great holiness and that of the entire church, never again to be found, as I am now found, to be performing any magic or any other Satanic work. I do not limit this to occasions when someone might in future come to investigate me but I shall watch and guard myself until my last breath above ground and, keeping myself free of and, as nearly as I can untouched by, any suspicion of those Satanic works, I shall keep myself to my change of heart and in tears and utmost misery so that I may find God merciful and accepting on the day of divine retribution. I give this guarantee: that if I am caught in the sort of activity I once engaged in I am to be sentenced, not merely to expulsion and imprisonment, nor to bodily maiming, but to outright death, to be consumed by fire. To this end, I have written this out in my own hand, this month of May in the 7th indiction.
+ The wretched Theodosios Theodoules, monk +




Scottish verdict” against Demetrius and Andronicus Hatzikis,
freeing them from a fine for a
not-proven charge of taking silver from an icon
CCCCLV, (1394)

We Demetrios and his son Andronikos Hatzikis, promise to our most holy lord, the ecumenical Patriarch, that if we are discovered to be receivers of church silver stolen from the church of Ag. Sofia or from any other holy monastery or church, that we will penalize ourselves with a fine of 200 hyperpers payable to the great church of God. For the present we are set free of any penalty or fine, because we have not been convicted of being the thief who took the icon of the Virgin Comforter from the monastery of the Palatine Concord. But if, in future, we are found to be involved in anything else, we surrender ourselves to the payment of the 200 hyperpers.
Guaranteed by the present signed promise, which we have signed with our own hands in the month of January, 2nd indiction.  
+ Dimitrios Hatzikis +    + Andronikos Hatzikis +

 

3 comments:

  1. Congratulations for the wealth and quality of your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you. It is kind of you to write.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Do you know anything more about the monk? Does he genuinely repenting of devil worship or was he being coerced?

    ReplyDelete

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