Saint Méliton de Sardes
À son époque, l'évêque de
Sardes, Méliton (mort vers 190), a joui d'un grand prestige. Polycrate d'Éphèse
dit que toutes ses actions furent animées par l'Esprit de Dieu. Eusèbe de
Césarée (mort en 340) le présente comme l'une des grandes lumières de son temps
et Saint Jérôme (mort en 420), comme un remarquable orateur et écrivain.
Méliton va se documenter en Palestine sur les livres de l'Ancien Testament et
adresse à l'empereur Marc-Aurèle une apologie en faveur des chrétiens. Son
homélie sur la Pâque, récemment reconstituée à partir de fragments, est l'une
des premières prédications chrétiennes et la plus ancienne homélie sur le
mystère pascal que nous ayons.
Saint Méliton de Sardes
Évêque de Sardes (+ 190)
Évêque de Sardes en Lydie
(Asie Mineure), il s'était volontairement fait eunuque pour gagner le Royaume
des cieux. Il composa de nombreux ouvrages à l'intention de ses fidèles. De lui
nous reste un très beau discours sur la Pâque qui inspira par la suite la
poésie liturgique byzantine et qui est proposée aux "Livres des
Heures" de la liturgie latine.
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/903/Saint-Meliton-de-Sardes.html
MÉLITON DE SARDES
L’intérêt de parler de
cet évêque n’est pas dans les détails de sa vie, que nous ne connaissons
pratiquement pas, mais pour l’excellence de ses écrits, et tout
particulièrement pour son homélie sur la Pâque, tout récemment reconstituée à
partir de fragments, dont on citera tout-à-l’heure deux longs passages.
Méliton fut évêque de
Sardes en Lydie1 ,
au second siècle, sous les empereurs romains Antonin le Pieux († 161) et
Marc-Aurèle († 180). Sa mort doit se placer avant 190.
Sardes était encore
importante au début du christianisme : saint Jean la mentionne dans
l’Apocalypse (Ap 1:11 ; 3:1-6).
Parlant de Méliton de
Sardes, l’évêque Polycrate d’Éphèse, qui vivait vingt ans après lui, atteste
que toutes ses actions furent animées de l’Esprit de Dieu.
Consulté par les fidèles
de son temps sur l’autorité de l’Écriture sainte, il fit un voyage en Palestine
pour apprendre quels étaient les véritables livres de l’Ancien Testament et
dans quel ordre on devait les ranger. Il composa une Apologie adressée à
l’empereur Marc-Aurèle en faveur des chrétiens. On lui a attribué d’autres
ouvrages ; Eusèbe a donné le titre d’une vingtaine. De tout cela, en dehors des
citations d’Eusèbe et d’Anastase le Sinaïte, il ne subsiste que des fragments
grecs et syriaques qui ne sont pas tous d’une authenticité garantie. Tertullien
et saint Jérôme ont qualifié Méliton d’excellent orateur et d’habile écrivain.
Polycrate se contente de
dire que le corps de Méliton repose dans la ville de Sardes. Le Martyrologe
Romain ne le mentionne pas actuellement, sans doute par manque d’informations
historiques suffisantes, ce qui n’enlève rien à sa gloire.
Voici maintenant les deux
passages de son Homélie sur la Pâque, repris dans la Liturgie
des Heures (le Jeudi Saint et le Lundi de Pâques).
Bien des choses ont été
annoncées par de nombreux prophètes en vue du mystère de Pâques qui est le
Christ : à lui la gloire pour les siècles des siècles. Amen.
C’est lui qui est venu
des cieux sur la terre en faveur de l’homme qui souffre ; il a revêtu cette
nature dans le sein de la Vierge et, quand il en est sorti, il était devenu
homme ; il a pris sur lui les souffrances de l’homme qui souffre, avec un corps
capable de souffrir, et il a détruit les souffrances de la chair ; par l’esprit
incapable de mourir, il a tué la mort homicide.
Conduit comme un agneau
et immolé comme une brebis, il nous a délivrés de l’idolâtrie du monde comme de
la terre d’Egypte ; il nous a libérés de l’esclavage du démon comme de la
puissance de Pharaon ; il a marqué nos âmes de son propre Esprit, et de son
sang les membres de notre corps.
C’est lui qui a plongé la
mort dans la honte et qui a mis le démon dans le deuil, comme Moïse a vaincu
Pharaon. C’est lui qui a frappé le péché et a condamné l’injustice à la
stérilité, comme Moïse a condamné l’Egypte.
C’est lui qui nous a fait
passer de l’esclavage à la liberté, des ténèbres à la lumière, de la mort à la
vie, de la tyrannie à la royauté éternelle, lui qui a fait de nous un sacerdoce
nouveau, un peuple choisi, pour toujours. C’est lui qui est la Pâque de notre
salut.
C’est lui qui endura bien
des épreuves en un grand nombre de personnages qui le préfiguraient : en Abel
il a été tué ; en Isaac il a été lié sur le bois ; en Jacob il a été exilé ; en
Joseph il a été vendu ; en Moïse il a été exposé à la mort ; dans l’agneau il a
été égorgé ; en David il a été en butte aux persécutions ; dans les prophètes
il a été méprisé.
C’est lui qui s’est
incarné dans une vierge, a été suspendu au bois, enseveli dans la terre,
ressuscité d’entre les morts, élevé dans les hauteurs des cieux.
C’est lui, l’agneau muet
; c’est lui, l’agneau égorgé ; c’est lui qui est né de Marie, la brebis sans
tache ; c’est lui qui a été pris du troupeau, traîné à la boucherie, immolé sur
le soir, mis au tombeau vers la nuit. Sur le bois, ses os n’ont pas été brisés
; dans la terre, il n’a pas connu la corruption ; il est ressuscité d’entre les
morts et il a ressuscité l’humanité gisant au fond du tombeau.
Comprenez-le, mes
bien-aimés : le mystère de la Pâque est ancien et nouveau, provisoire et
éternel, corruptible et incorruptible, mortel et immortel.
Il est ancien en raison
de la Loi, mais nouveau en raison du Verbe ; provisoire en ce qu’il est
figuratif, mais éternel parce qu’il donne la grâce ; corruptible puisqu’on
immole une brebis, mais incorruptible parce qu’il contient la vie du Seigneur ;
mortel, puisque le Seigneur est enseveli dans la terre, mais immortel par sa
résurrection d’entre les morts.
Oui, la Loi est ancienne,
mais le Verbe est nouveau ; la figure est provisoire, mais la grâce est
éternelle ; la brebis est corruptible, mais le Seigneur est incorruptible, lui
qui a été immolé comme l’agneau, et qui ressuscita comme Dieu.
Car il a été conduit
comme une brebis vers l’abattoir, alors qu’il n’était pas une brebis
; il est comparé à l’agneau muet, alors qu’il n’était pas un agneau.
En effet, la figure a passé, et la vérité a été réalisée : Dieu a remplacé
l’agneau, un homme a remplacé la brebis, dans cet homme, le Christ, qui
contient toute chose.
Ainsi donc, l’immolation
de la brebis et le rite de la Pâque et la lettre de la Loi ont abouti au Christ
Jésus en vue de qui tout arriva dans la loi ancienne et davantage encore dans
l’ordre nouveau.
Car la Loi est devenue le
Verbe, et, d’ancienne, elle est devenue nouvelle (l’une et l’autre sorties de
Sion et de Jérusalem), le commandement s’est transformé en grâce, la figure en
vérité, l’agneau est devenu fils, la brebis est devenue homme et l’homme est
devenu Dieu.
Le Seigneur, étant Dieu,
revêtit l’homme, souffrit pour celui qui souffrait, fut enchaîné pour celui qui
était captif, fut jugé pour le coupable, fut enseveli pour celui qui était
enseveli. Il ressuscita des morts et déclara à haute voix : Qui disputera
contre moi ? Qu’il se présente en face de moi ! C’est moi qui ai délivré
le condamné ; c’est moi qui ai rendu la vie au mort ; c’est moi qui ai
ressuscité l’enseveli. Qui ose me contredire ? C’est moi, dit-il, qui suis le
Christ, qui ai détruit la mort, qui ai triomphé de l’adversaire, qui ai lié
l’ennemi puissant, et qui ai emporté l’homme vers les hauteurs des cieux ;
c’est moi, dit-il, qui suis le Christ.
Venez donc, toutes les
familles des hommes, pétries de péchés, et recevez le pardon des péchés. Car
c’est moi qui suis votre pardon, moi la Pâque du salut, moi l’agneau immolé
pour vous, moi votre rançon, moi votre vie, moi votre résurrection, moi votre
lumière, moi votre salut, moi votre roi. C’est moi qui vous emmène vers les
hauteurs des cieux ; c’est moi qui vous ressusciterai ; c’est moi qui vous
ferai voir le Père qui existe de toute éternité ; c’est moi qui vous
ressusciterai par ma main puissante.
1 La Lydie était un
royaume d’Asie Mineure, à l’ouest de l’actuelle Turquie d’Asie, sur la Mer
Égée, et dont la capitale était Sardes. Là régna le fameux Crésus, puis la
Lydie fut conquise par Cyrus, par Alexandre le Grand, enfin par Rome. Les
restes archéologiques de Sardes sont près de l’actuelle Salihli, non loin de
Izmir, le port de Smyrne.
SOURCE : http://alexandrina.balasar.free.fr/meliton_de_sardes.htm
Marie, la belle agnelle :
homélie sur la Pâques de Méliton de Sardes (vers 160-170)
Méliton, évêque de Sardes
en Asie mineure, fut très estimé de ses contemporains, comme étant un grand
charismatique. Parmi ses nombreuses oeuvres, presque toutes perdues, est restée
une homélie sur la Pâque, très belle dans la forme, substantielle dans les
contenus. Il prononça l’homélie sur la Pâque, vers 160-170, dans le cadre de la
veillée pascale, l’unique fête annuelle à cette époque (avant le concile de
Nicée) qui, selon la tradition asiatique, avait lieu le 14 Nisan ; durant cette
veillée on lisait Exode12, c’est-à-dire le récit de l’institution de la fête
juive de Pâques. Au cours de l’homélie, Méliton mentionne quatre fois (§
66.70.71.104) la Mère de Jésus, en mettant en évidence sa condition de Vierge,
(§ 66. 70. 104), et en l’appelant « la belle (ou bonne - kalos en grec),
agnelle » (§ 71). Marie, la belle agnelle C’est lui qui en une Vierge fut
incarné, Qui sur le bois fut suspendu, Qui en terre fut enseveli, Qui d’entre
les morts fut ressuscité, Qui vers les hauteurs des cieux fut élevé. C’est lui
l’agneau sans voix, C’est lui l’agneau égorgé, C’est lui qui est né de Marie la
bonne agnelle, C’est lui qui fut pris du troupeau Et à l’immolation fut traîné
et le soir tué Et de nuit enseveli, Qui sur le bois ne fut pas broyé, En terre
ne fut pas corrompu, Ressuscita des morts Et ressuscita l’homme du fond du
tombeau. (Méliton de Sardes, sur la Pâque, n.70-71.Sources chrétiennes 123,
Paris, Cerf, 1966, p.98-100) Une nuance cultuelle : L’affirmation « lui qui en
une Vierge fut incarné » répond à des motivations d’ordre doctrinal mais le
terme "Vierge" et surtout l’expression "la Vierge"
désignent, en certains contextes, simplement et directement la mère du Seigneur
et ont une nuance cultuelle, c’est-à-dire que ces expressions sont utilisées
avec un sens de vénération et d’émerveillement devant le prodige de la
maternité divine et virginale de Marie. L’attention des historiens de la pitié
mariale est surtout attirée par la phrase : « C’est lui qui est né de Marie la
bonne agnelle ». Dans le cadre du commentaire de l’Exode 12, l’évêque de Sardes
projette sur la Vierge les caractéristiques du Fils, "l’agneau
pascal", agneau "sans défauts et sans tache" (1 Pt 1,19; cfr. Ex
12,5). Elle est l’agnelle pure. Servite de Marie, professeur de la Pontificia
Facoltà Marianum et au Pontificio Istituto Liturgico sant’Anselmo Une valeur
doctrinale : Méliton, en associant l'incarnation, la croix et la résurrection,
suggère que Marie est celle par qui le Christ a pu souffrir et ressusciter
parce que d'abord il est né d'elle, véritablement homme. Méliton a eu
l'intuition que la Vierge de l'Annonciation est déjà tendue vers l'oblation
sacrificielle du Fils. Méliton fait ensuite le lien avec la Pâque juive où les
hébreux immolaient l'agneau pascal et il montre le Christ comme le véritable
agneau. Marie est appelée la bonne agnelle : la chair de l'agneau vient de
l'agnelle. Marie est associée à la croix parce qu'elle a consenti au
sacrifice. Calabuig (Père Ignazio Calabuig)
- See more at: http://www.mariedenazareth.com/qui-est-marie/st-meliton-de-sardes-2deg-siecle-marie-lagnelle-pure-0#sthash.wc5ZM5HZ.dpuf
SOURCE : http://www.mariedenazareth.com/qui-est-marie/st-meliton-de-sardes-2deg-siecle-marie-lagnelle-pure-0
L'Agneau sans défaut et
sans tache
Bien des choses ont été
annoncées par de nombreux prophètes en vue du mystère de Pâques qui est le
Christ: à lui la gloire pour les siècles des siècles. Amen.
C'est lui qui est venu
des cieux sur la terre en faveur de l'homme qui souffre; il a revêtu cette
nature dans le sein de la Vierge et, quand il en est sorti, il était devenu
homme; il a pris sur lui les souffrances de l'homme qui souffre, avec un corps
capable de souffrir, et il a détruit les souffrances de la chair; par l'esprit
incapable de mourir, il a tué la mort homicide.
Conduit comme un agneau
et immolé comme une brebis, il nous a délivrés de l'idolâtrie du monde comme de
la terre d'Egypte; il nous a libérés de l'esclavage du démon comme de la
puissance de Pharaon; il a marqué nos âmes de son propre Esprit, et de son sang
les membres de notre corps.
C'est lui qui a plongé la
mort dans la honte et qui a mis le démon dans le deuil, comme Moïse a vaincu
Pharaon. C'est lui qui a frappé le péché et a condamné l'injustice à la
stérilité, comme Moïse a condamné l'Egypte.
C'est lui qui nous a fait
passer de l'esclavage à la liberté, des ténèbres à la lumière, de la mort à la
vie, de la tyrannie à la royauté éternelle, lui qui a fait de nous un sacerdoce
nouveau, un peuple choisi, pour toujours. C'est lui qui est la Pâque de notre
salut.
C'est lui qui endura bien
des épreuves en un grand nombre de personnages qui le préfiguraient: en Abel il
a été tué; en Isaac il a été lié sur le bois; en Jacob il a été exilé; en
Joseph il a été vendu; en Moïse il a été exposé à la mort; dans l'agneau il a
été égorgé; en David il a été en butte aux persécutions; dans les prophètes il
a été méprisé.
C'est lui qui s'est
incarné dans une vierge, a été suspendu au bois, enseveli dans la terre,
ressuscité d'entre les morts, élevé dans les hauteurs des cieux.
C'est lui, l'agneau muet;
c'est lui, l'agneau égorgé; c'est lui qui est né de Marie, la brebis sans tache
; c'est lui qui a été pris du troupeau, traîné à la boucherie, immolé sur le
soir, mis au tombeau vers la nuit. Sur le bois, ses os n'ont pas été brisés;
dans la terre, il n'a pas connu la corruption; il est ressuscité d'entre les
morts et il a ressuscité l'humanité gisant au fond du tombeau."
Homélie de Méliton
de Sardes sur la Pâque
Prière
Notre Père
Dieu qu'il est juste
d'aimer par-dessus tout, multiplie en nous les dons de ta grâce; dans la mort
de ton Fils, tu nous fais espérer ce que nous croyons, accorde-nous, par sa
résurrection, d'atteindre ce que nous espérons.
Préparé par l'Institut de
Spiritualité:
Université Pontificale
Saint Thomas d'Aquin
SOURCE : http://www.vatican.va/spirit/documents/spirit_20010412_melitoni_fr.html
« Le mystère du Seigneur
– qui a été préfiguré depuis longtemps et, aujourd’hui, est rendu visible –
trouve sa créance parce qu’il a été accompli, bien qu’il soit jugé inouï pour
les hommes. En effet ancien et nouveau est le mystère du Seigneur. Ancien selon
la préfiguration, nouveau selon la grâce. Mais si tu regardes vers la
préfiguration, tu verras le vrai à travers sa réalisation. Si donc tu veux que
le mystère du Seigneur apparaisse, regarde vers Abel pareillement tué, vers
Isaac pareillement lié, vers Joseph pareillement vendu, vers Moïse pareillement
exposé, vers David pareillement persécuté, vers les prophètes pareillement
souffrants à cause du Christ ; regarde aussi vers l’agneau qui fut immolé en
Égypte, vers celui qui frappa l’Égypte et sauva Israël par le sang.
C’est lui, le Seigneur, qui pour avoir été amené comme une brebis et immolé
comme un agneau, nous délivra du service du monde comme de la terre d’Égypte,
nous délia des liens de l’esclavage du démon comme de la main de Pharaon,
marqua nos âmes de son propre Esprit comme d’un sceau et les membres de notre
corps de son propre sang. C’est lui qui couvrit la mort de confusion, qui mit
le démon dans le deuil, comme Moïse Pharaon. C’est lui qui frappa l’iniquité,
qui priva l’injustice de postérité comme Moïse l’Égypte, c’est lui qui nous
arracha de l’esclavage pour la liberté, des ténèbres pour la lumière, de la
mort pour la vie, de la tyrannie pour une royauté éternelle, lui qui fit de
nous un sacerdoce nouveau et un peuple élu, éternel. C’est lui qui est la Pâque
de notre salut. C’est lui qui en une vierge prit chair, qui sur le bois fut
suspendu, qui en terre fut enseveli, qui ressuscita d’entre les morts et vers
les hauteurs fut exalté. C’est lui, l’agneau sans voix, lui l’agneau égorgé,
lui, né de Marie, lui pris du troupeau et traîné à l’immolation, et le soir,
tué, et de nuit enseveli. »
Méliton de Sardes, IIIe
siècle, Sur la Pâque 58.64...71, SC 123, p. 93..123.
Source : Portail Internet des Fraternités
de Jérusalem
SOURCE : http://www.chemindamourverslepere.com/meliton-de-sardes/
Also known as
Melito of Asia
Meliton…
Melitone…
Melitus…
31 August on
some calendars
Profile
Bishop of
Sardis, Lydia (part of modern Turkey). Ecclesiastical writer;
he wrote an Apology (defense
of Christianity)
addressed to emperor Marcus Aurelius. Almost nothing else is known about his
life.
c.180 of
natural causes
interred at
Sardis, Lydia (part of modern Turkey)
Additional Information
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Ramsgate
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Butler
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of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
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Works
Eclogues
On His prophecy
On baptism
On faith
On hospitality
On the Apocalypse of John
On the Corporeality of God
On the Lord’s day
On the church
On the devil
On the generation of Christ
On the lives of the prophets
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The Key
Readings
The Lord, though he was God, became man.
He suffered for the sake of whose who suffer, he was bound for those in bonds,
condemned for the guilty, buried for those who lie in the grave; but he rose
from the dead, and cried aloud: “Who will contend with me?
Let him confront me.”
I have freed the condemned, brought the dead back to life, raised men from
their graves.
Who has anything to say against me?
I, he said, am the Christ; I have destroyed death, triumphed over the enemy,
trampled hell underfoot, bound the strong one, and taken men up to the heights
of heaven: I am the Christ.
Come, then, all you nations of men, receive forgiveness for the sins that
defile you.
I am your forgiveness.
I am the Passover that brings salvation.
I am the lamb who was immolated for you.
I am your ransom, you life, your resurrection, you light, I am your salvation
and your king.
I will bring you to the heights of heaven.
With my own right hand I will raise you up, and I will show you the eternal
Father.
– from a letter by Saint Melito of Sardis
Born as a son,
led forth as a lamb,
sacrificed as a sheep,
buried as a man,
he rose from the dead as a God,
for he was by nature God and man.
He is all things:
he judges, and so he is Law;
he teaches, and so he is Wisdom;
he saves, and so he is Grace;
he begets, and so he is Father;
he is begotten, and so he is Son;
he suffers, and os he is Sacrifice;
he is buried, and so he is man;
he rises again, and so he is God.
This is Jesus Christ,
to whom belongs glory for all ages.
– prayer by Saint Melito
MLA Citation
“Saint Melito of Sardis“. CatholicSaints.Info. 12
June 2023. Web. 1 June 2024.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-melito-of-sardis/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-melito-of-sardis/
April 1
St. Melito, Bishop
of Sardes in Lydia, Confessor
[In the reign of
Marcus Aurelius] TO that emperor, in 175, he addressed an elegant
and modest apology for the faith. From an eminent spirit of prophecy with which
he was endued by God, he was surnamed The Prophet, as St. Jerom 1 and
Eusebius testify. 2
Note
1. Catal. c. 24.
Note
2. Eus. b. 4. Hist. c. 26. b. 5. c. 24.
Rev. Alban
Butler (1711–73). Volume IV: April. The Lives of the
Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/4/012.html
Melito of Sardis B (AC)
Died c. 180. Bishop
Melito of Sardis, Lydia, was an ecclesiastical writer of the period of the
apologists. There are some writings attributed him that are now believed to
have been composed by an unknown writer. Nevertheless, he was endowed with a
powerful gift of prophecy, which led to the surname of "the Prophet,"
as attested by Saint Jerome and Eusebius (Attwater2, Benedictines, Husenbeth).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0401.shtml
St. Melito of Sardis
Feastday: April 1
Death: 180
Bishop of Sardis in
Lydia, Asia Minor.
He was praised by Eusebius and had the gift of prophecy. Melito had a great
reputation as an ecclesiastical writer, authoring an Apologia for Christianity to
Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
He was also revered by Tertullian as
a prophet.
Little is known about
the life of
St. Melito of Sardis, a II Century exegete and apologist who
served as bishop of
Sardis near Lydia, Asia Minor (near
modern Izmir, ancient Smyrna). Thought to have been a hermit and a eunuch, he
travelled in Palestine, but the reasons for his journey and the details of his
itinerary are lost. Most of his work is also lost. What little survives exists
in quotations in the works of others or in fragments. Eusebius preserves
Melito's list of Old
Testament scriptures, the first such list known to scholars, and
fragments of his discourse recommending that Marcus Aurelius adopt Christianity as
the religion of
the Roman Empire. Melito's best-known work is the Peri-Pascha, a Holy (Good)
Friday sermon pieced together from manuscript fragments in the XX Century which
shows parallels between Easter (the
new passover) and the Passover haggadah.
Melito's contemporaries praise his skill in exegesis and comment on his ability
to demonstrate parallels between the Old and New Testaments. His contemporaries
also called Melito a prophet or
a beacon, but his rhetorical style caused later writers to question the
soundness of his theology, some of which seems to akin to the philosophy of
the Stoics. Melito's work, which fell out of favor in the IV Century,
influenced the thinking of Irenćus of Lyons, Clement of Alexandria, and
Tertullian.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=5068
https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1017
MELITO, (d. c.190),
Bishop. of Sardis. Apart from the fact that he made a visit to Palestine to
visit the Holy Places, practically nothing is known of his life. He was
described by Polycrates (ap. Eusebius, HE 5.
24. 5) as one of the great lights of Asia and an upholder of Quartodeciman
practice, and the author of the ‘Little Labyrinth’ applauded him as an upholder
of orthodox Christology. He was a prolific writer, but only fragments of his
works were known until 1940, when C. Bonner published a work preserved in a
papyrus shared between the Chester Beatty collection and the University of
Michigan. The work bore no title in this papyrus, but a further text found
among the Bodmer papyri (pub. 1960) and also the Coptic and Georgian versions
provide the title ‘On the Pasch’ (Περὶ Πάσχα, Peri Pascha). A Latin
epitome survives among the sermons of both Augustine and Leo I. Its main theme
is the new Pasch inaugurated by Christ. The liturgical context appears to be
the Quartodeciman Pasch, and there are interesting parallels with the Jewish
Passover haggadah. There is much polemic against the Jews who crucified the
Lord. The Christology of the work bears out Melito’s reputation: he describes
Christ as ‘by nature God and Man’ (φύσει θεὸς ὢν καὶ ἄνθρωπος). There is an
anti-Gnostic insistence on the true humanity of Christ and on the unity of the
Old and New Covenants. Man was created a harmonious unity of body and soul, and
Redemption consists in the restoration of this unity, which has been dissolved
by sin and death. The surviving fragments of his other works include parts of
an ‘apology’ addressed to the Emp. Marcus
Aurelius and a treatise on Baptism, which seems to owe something to Stoic
sources. Melito’s theology prob. influenced Irenaeus and Tertullian. Feast day,
1 Apr.
Crit. edn. with Fr. tr.
of Peri Pascha and frags. of other works by O. Perler (SC 123; 1966);
and with Eng. tr. by S. G. Hall (Oxford Early Christian Texts, 1979). Chester
Beatty—Michigan papyrus of the Peri Pascha ed. C. Bonner (Studies and
Documents, 12; Philadelphia and London, 1940); the Bodmer text by M. Testuz
(Papyrus Bodmer, 13; Cologny and Geneva, 1960); and the Georgian version, with
Eng. tr., by J. N. Birdsall in Muséon, 130 (1967), pp. 121–38. H.
Chadwick, ‘A Latin Epitome of Melito’s Homily on the Pascha’, JTS NS11
(1960), pp. 76–82. A. Stewart-Sykes, The Lamb’s High Feast: Melito, Peri
Pascha and the Quartodeciman Paschal Liturgy at Sardis (Supplements
to VC,
42; 1998). F. L. Cross, The Early Christian Fathers (1960), pp.
103–9. CPG 1 (1983), pp. 35–43 (nos. 1092–8) and Suppl. (1998), p.
10. O. Perler in Dict. Sp. 10 (1980),
cols. 979–90, s.v., with bibl.
SOURCE : http://ldysinger.stjohnsem.edu/@texts/0170_melito/00a_start.htm
St. Melito
Bishop of
Sardis, prominent ecclesiastical writer
in the latter half of the second century. Few details of his life are known.
A letter of Polycrates of Ephesus to Pope
Victor about 194 (Eusebius, Church
History V.24) states that "Melito the eunuch [this is interpreted
"the virgin" by Rufinus in his translation of Eusebius],
whose whole walk was in the Holy Spirit", was interred at
Sardis, and had been one of the great authorities in the Church of Asia who
held the Quartodeciman theory. His name is cited also in the
"Labyrinth" of Hippolytus as
one of the second-century writers who taught the duality of natures in Jesus. St.
Jerome, speaking of the canon of Melito, quotes Tertullian's statement
that he was esteemed a prophet by
many of the faithful.
Of Melito's numerous
works almost all have perished, fortunately, Eusebius has
preserved the names of the majority and given a few extracts (Church
History IV.13, IV.26). They are (1) "An Apology for
the Christian Faith", appealing to Marcus
Aurelius to examine into the accusations against the Christians and
to end the persecution (written
apparently about 172 or before 177). This is a different work from
the Syriac apology attributed to Melito, published in Svriae
and English by Cureton from a British Museum manuscript.
The latter, a vigorous confutation of idolatry and polytheism addressed
to Antoninus
Caesar, seems from internal evidence to be of Syrian origin,
though some authorities have identified it with Melito's Peri
aletheias. (2) Peri tou pascha, on Easter,
written probably in 167-8. A fragment cited by Eusebius refers
to a dispute that had broken out in Laodicea regarding Easter,
but does not mention the precise matter in controversy. (3) Eklogai,
six books of extracts from the Law and
the Prophets concerning Christ and the Faith, the
passage cited by Eusebius contains
a canon of the Old
Testament. (4) He kleis, for a long time considered to be preserved in
the "Melitonis clavis sanctae scripturae", which is now known to be
an original Latin compilation of the Middle
Ages. (5) Peri ensomatou theou, on the corporeity of God,
of which some Syriac fragments have been preserved. It is referred to
by Origen (In
Gen., i, 26) as showing Melito to have been an Anthropomorphite,
the Syriac fragments, however, prove that the author held
the opposite doctrine.
Fourteen additional works
are cited by Eusebius. Anastasius
Sinaita in his Hodegos (P.G., LXXXIX) quotes from two other
writings: Eis to pathos (on the Passion), and Peri
sarkoseos (on the Incarnation), a work in three books, probably
written against the Marcionites. Routh (see
below) has published four scholia in Greek from a Catena on
the Sacrifice of Isaac as typifying
the Sacrifice of the Cross, probably taken from a corrupt
version of the Eklogai. Four Syriac fragments from works on the
Body and Soul, the Cross, and Faith, are apparently compositions
of Melito, though often referred to Alexander of Alexandria.
Many spurious writings have been attributed to Melito in addition to the
"Melitonis clavis sanctae scripturae" already mentioned e.g., a
"Let ter to Eutrepius, "Catena in Apocalypsin", a manifest forgery compiled
after A.D. 1200; "De passione S. Joannis Evangelistae" (probably not
earlier than the seventh century), "De transitu Beatae Mariae
Virginis" (see Apocrypha in I,
607). Melito's feast is observed on 1 April.
MacErlean,
Andrew. "St. Melito." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol.
10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 1 Apr.
2015 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10166b.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Scott Lumsden, PTS.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2023 by Kevin Knight.
Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10166b.htm
Lives of
Illustrious Men – Melito the bishop
Article
Melito of Asia, bishop of
Sardis, addressed a book to the emperor Marcus Antoninus Verus, a disciple of
Fronto the orator, in behalf of the Christian doctrine. He wrote other things
also, among which are the following: On the passover, two books, one
book On the lives of the prophets, one book On the church, one
book On the Lord’s day, one book On faith, one book On the
psalms, one On the senses, one On the soul and body, one On
baptism, one On truth, one On the generation of Christ, On His
prophecy, one On hospitality and another which is called the Key,
one On the devil, one On the Apocalypse of John, one On the
corporeality of God, and six books of Eclogues. Of his fine oratorical
genius, Tertullian, in the seven books which he wrote against the church on
behalf of Montanus, satirically says that he was considered a prophet by many
of us.
MLA
Citation
Saint Jerome.
“Melito the bishop”. Lives of Illustrious Men,
translated by Ernest Cushing Richardson. CatholicSaints.Info. 20 November
2014. Web. 1 June 2024.
<https://catholicsaints.info/lives-of-illustrious-men-melito-the-bishop/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/lives-of-illustrious-men-melito-the-bishop/
Melito, the Philosopher.
[a.d. 160–170–177.]
Melito 3540 may
have been the immediate successor of the “angel” (or “apostle”) of the church
of Sardis, to whom our Great High Priest addressed one of the apocalyptic
messages. He was an “Apostolic Father” in point of fact; he very probably
knew the blessed Polycarp and his disciple Irenæus. He is justly revered
for the diligence with which he sought out the evidence which, in his day,
established the Canon of the Old Testament, then just complete.
In the following
fragments we find him called Bishop of Sardis, Bishop of Attica, and Bishop of
Ittica. He is also introduced to us as “the Philosopher,” and we shall
find him styled “the Eunuch” by Polycrates. It is supposed that he had
made himself a cœlebs “for the kingdom of heaven’s sake,” without mistaking our
Lord’s intent, as did Origen. He was not a monk, but accepted a single
estate to be the more free and single-eyed in the Master’s service. From
the encyclopedic erudition of Lightfoot we glean some particulars, as follows:—
1. I have adopted
his date, as Lightfoot gives it,—that is, the period of his writings,—under the
Antonines. The improbability of seventy years in the episcopate is reason
enough for rejecting the idea that he was himself the “angel of the church of
Sardis,” to whom our Lord sent the terrible rebuke.
2. His silence
concerning persecutions under Vespasian, Trojan, and Antoninus Pius cannot be
pleaded to exempt them from this stain, against positive evidence to the
contrary.
3. A coincidence
with Ignatius to the Ephesians 3541 will
be noted hereafter.
4. Melito, with
Claudius Apollinaris and even Polycrates, may have been personally acquainted
with Ignatius; 3542 of
course, one with another. These lived not far from Smyrna; Asia Minor
was, in the first century, the focus of Christian activity.
5. We know of his
visit to the East from his own account, preserved by Eusebius. The
Christians of proconsular Asia were accustomed to such journeys. Even
Clement of Alexandria may have met him, as he seems to have met Tatian and
Theodotus.3543
6. Melito vouches
for the rescript of Hadrian, 3544 but
his supposed reference to the edict of Antoninus does not bear close scrutiny
as warrant for its authenticity. 3545
7517.
The Apology of our author was addressed to Aurelius in his mid-career as a
sovereign, about a.d. 170. Justin, Melito, Athenagoras, and
Theophilus all tell the same sad story of imperial cruelty. Even when
Justin wrote to Antoninus, Marcus was supreme in the councils of the elder
emperor.3546
8. He became a
martyr, probably under Marcus Aurelius, circa a.d. 177;3547 some
eminent critics have even dated his Apology as late as this.
3540
Routh, R. S., vol. i. p. 113. And see Westcott, Canon, p. 245.
3541
Lightfoot, A. F., vol. ii. p. 48.
3542 Ib.,
vol. i. p. 428.
3543
Vol. ii. (Stromata) p. 301, this series.
3544
Vol. i. p. 186, this series.
3545
Lightfoot, A. F., vol. i. p. 468.
3546
Lightfoot, A. F., vol. ii.
3547 Ibid.,
pp. 446, 494.
SOURCE : https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf08.x.v.i.html
On the Passover
Melito of Sardis
Introduction (1-10)
1. First of all, the
Scripture about the Hebrew Exodus has been read and the words of the mystery
have been explained as to how the sheep was sacrificed and the people were
saved.
2. Therefore, understand
this, O beloved: The mystery of the passover is new and old, eternal and
temporal, corruptible and incorruptible, mortal and immortal in this fashion:
3. It is old insofar as
it concerns the law, but new insofar as it concerns the gospel; temporal
insofar as it concerns the type, eternal because of grace; corruptible because
of the sacrifice of the sheep, incorruptible because of the life of the Lord;
mortal because of his burial in the earth, immortal because of his resurrection
from the dead.
4. The law is old, but
the gospel is new; the type was for a time, but grace is forever. The sheep was
corruptible, but the Lord is incorruptible, who was crushed as a lamb, but who
was resurrected as God. For although he was led to sacrifice as a sheep, yet he
was not a sheep; and although he was as a lamb without voice, yet indeed he was
not a lamb. The one was the model; the other was found to be the finished
product.
5. For God replaced the
lamb, and a man the sheep; but in the man was Christ, who contains all things.
6. Hence, the sacrifice
of the sheep, and the sending of the lamb to slaughter, and the writing of the
law–each led to and issued in Christ, for whose sake everything happened in the
ancient law, and even more so in the new gospel.
7. For indeed the law issued
in the gospel–the old in the new, both coming forth together from Zion and
Jerusalem; and the commandment issued in grace, and the type in the finished
product, and the lamb in the Son, and the sheep in a man, and the man in God.
8. For the one who was
born as Son, and led to slaughter as a lamb, and sacrificed as a sheep, and
buried as a man, rose up from the dead as God, since he is by nature both God
and man.
9. He is everything: in
that he judges he is law, in that he teaches he is gospel, in that he saves he
is grace, in that he begets he is Father, in that he is begotten he is Son, in
that he suffers he is sheep, in that he is buried he is man, in that he comes
to life again he is God.
10. Such is Jesus Christ,
to whom be the glory forever. Amen.
I. The Meaning of the OT
Passover (11-71)
A. The Biblical
Setting–Exodus 12:11-30 (11-15)
11. Now comes the mystery
of the passover, even as it stands written in the law, just as it has been read
aloud only moments ago. But I will clearly set forth the significance of the
words of this Scripture, showing how God commanded Moses in Egypt, when he had
made his decision, to bind Pharaoh under the lash, but to release Israel from
the lash through the hand of Moses.
12. For see to it, he
says, that you take a flawless and perfect lamb, and that you sacrifice it in
the evening with the sons of Israel, and that you eat it at night, and in
haste. You are not to break any of its bones.
13. You will do it like
this, he says: In a single night you will eat it by families and by tribes,
your loins girded, and your staves in your hands. For this is the Lord's
passover, an eternal reminder for the sons of Israel.
14. Then take the blood
of the sheep, and anoint the front door of your houses by placing upon the
posts of your entrance-way the sign of the blood, in order to ward off the
angel. For behold I will strike Egypt, and in a single night she will be made
childless from beast to man.
15. Then, when Moses
sacrificed the sheep and completed the mystery at night together with the sons
of Israel, he sealed the doors of their houses in order to protect the people
and to ward off the angel.
B. Egypt's Calamities
(16-29)
16. But when the sheep
was sacrificed, and the passover consumed, and the mystery completed, and the
people made glad, and Israel sealed, then the angel arrived to strike Egypt,
who was neither initiated into the mystery, participant of the passover, sealed
by the blood, nor protected by the Spirit, but who was the enemy and the
unbeliever.
17. In a single night the
angel struck and made Egypt childless. For when the angel had encompassed
Israel, and had seen her sealed with the blood of the sheep, he advanced
against Egypt, and by means of grief subdued the stubborn Pharaoh, clothing
him, not with a cloak of mourning, nor with a torn mantle, but with all of
Egypt, torn, and mourning for her firstborn.
18. For all Egypt,
plunged in troubles and calamities, in tears and lamentations, came to Pharaoh
in utter sadness, not in appearance only, but also in soul, having torn not
only her garments but her tender breasts as well.
19. Indeed it was
possible to observe an extraordinary sight: in one place people beating their
breasts, in another those wailing, and in the middle of them Pharaoh, mourning,
sitting in sackcloth and cinders, shrouded in thick darkness as in a funeral
garment, girded with all Egypt as with a tunic of grief.
20. For Egypt clothed
Pharaoh as a cloak of wailing. Such was the mantle that had been woven for his
royal body. With just such a cloak did the angel of righteousness clothe the
self-willed Pharaoh: with bitter mournfulness, and with thick darkness, and
with childlessness. For that angel warred against the firstborn of Egypt.
Indeed, swift and insatiate was the death of the firstborn.
21. And an unusual
monument of defeat, set up over those who had fallen dead in a moment, could be
seen. For the defeat of those who lay dead became the provisions of death.
22. If you listen to the
narration of this extraordinary event you will be astonished. For these things
befell the Egyptians: a long night, and darkness which was touchable, and death
which touched, and an angel who oppressed, and Hades which devoured their
firstborn.
23. But you must listen
to something still more extraordinary and terrifying: in the darkness which
could be touched was hidden death which could not be touched. And the
ill-starred Egyptians touched the darkness, while death, on the watch, touched
the firstborn of the Egyptians as the angel had commanded.
24. Therefore, if anyone
touched the darkness he was led out by death. Indeed one firstborn, touching a
dark body with his hand, and utterly frightened in his soul, cried aloud in
misery and in terror: What has my right hand laid hold of? At what does my soul
tremble? Who cloaks my whole body with darkness? If you are my father, help me;
if my mother, feel sympathy for me; if my brother, speak to me; if my friend,
sit with me; if my enemy, go away from me since I am a firstborn son!
25. And before the
firstborn was silent, the long silence held him in its power, saying: You are
mine, O firstborn! I, the silence of death, am your destiny.
26. And another firstborn,
taking note of the capture of the firstborn, denied his identity, so that he
might not die a bitter death: I am not a firstborn son; I was born like a third
child. But he who could not be deceived touched that firstborn, and he fell
forward in silence. In a single moment the firstborn fruit of the Egyptians was
destroyed. The one first conceived, the one first born, the one sought after,
the one chosen was dashed to the ground; not only that of men but that of
irrational animals as well.
27. A lowing was heard in
the fields of the earth, of cattle bellowing for their nurslings, a cow
standing over her calf, and a mare over her colt. And the rest of the cattle,
having just given birth to their offspring and swollen with milk, were
lamenting bitterly and piteously for their firstborn.
28. And there was a
wailing and lamentation because of the destruction of the men, because of the
destruction of the firstborn who were dead. And all Egypt stank, because of the
unburied bodies.
29. Indeed one could see a
frightful spectacle: of the Egyptians there were mothers with dishevelled hair,
and fathers who had lost their minds, wailing aloud in terrifying fashion in
the Egyptian tongue: O wretched persons that we are! We have lost our firstborn
in a single moment! And they were striking their breasts with their hands,
beating time in hammerlike fashion to the dance for their dead.
C. Israel's Safety
(30-33)
30. Such was the
misfortune which encompassed Egypt. In an instant it made her childless. But
Israel, all the while, was being protected by the sacrifice of the sheep and
truly was being illumined by its blood which was shed; for the death of the
sheep was found to be a rampart for the people.
31. O inexpressible
mystery! the sacrifice of the sheep was found to be the salvation of the
people, and the death of the sheep became the life of the people. For its blood
warded off the angel.
32. Tell me, O angel, At
what were you turned away? At the sacrifice of the sheep, or the life of the
Lord? At the death of the sheep, or the type of the Lord? At the blood of the
sheep, or the Spirit of the Lord? Clearly, you were turned away
33. because you saw the
mystery of the Lord taking place in the sheep, the life of the Lord in the
sacrifice of the sheep, the type of the Lord in the death of the sheep. For
this reason you did not strike Israel, but it was Egypt alone that you made
childless.
D. Model versus Finished
Product (34-38)
34. What was this
extraordinary mystery? It was Egypt struck to destruction but Israel kept for
salvation. Listen to the meaning of this mystery:
35. Beloved, no speech or
event takes place without a pattern or design; every event and speech involves
a pattern–that which is spoken, a pattern, and that which happens, a
prefiguration–in order that as the event is disclosed through the
prefiguration, so also the speech may be brought to expression through its
outline.
36. Without the model, no
work of art arises. Is not that which is to come into existence seen through
the model which typifies it? For this reason a pattern of that which is to be
is made either out of wax, or out of clay, or out of wood, in order that by the
smallness of the model, destined to be destroyed, might be seen that thing
which is to arise from it–higher than it in size, and mightier than it in
power, and more beautiful than it in appearance, and more elaborate than it in
ornamentation.
37. So whenever the thing
arises for which the model was made, then that which carried the image of that
future thing is destroyed as no longer of use, since it has transmitted its
resemblance to that which is by nature true. Therefore, that which once was
valuable, is now without value because that which is truly valuable has
appeared.
38. For each thing has
its own time: there is a distinct time for the type, there is a distinct time
for the material, and there is a distinct time for the truth. You construct the
model. You want this, because you see in it the image of the future work. You
procure the material for the model. You want this, on account of that which is
going to arise because of it. You complete the work and cherish it alone, for
only in it do you see both type and the truth.
E. Relationship Between
Old Testament and New Testament (39-45)
39. Therefore, if it was
like this with models of perishable objects, so indeed will it also be with
those of imperishable objects. If it was like this with earthly things, so
indeed also will it be with heavenly things. For even the Lord's salvation and
his truth were prefigured in the people, and the teaching of the gospel was proclaimed
in advance by the law.
40. The people,
therefore, became the model for the church, and the law a parabolic sketch. But
the gospel became the explanation of the law and its fulfillment, while the
church became the storehouse of truth.
41. Therefore, the type
had value prior to its realization, and the parable was wonderful prior to its
interpretation. This is to say that the people had value before the church came
on the scene, and the law was wonderful before the gospel was brought to light.
42. But when the church
came on the scene, and the gospel was set forth, the type lost its value by
surrendering its significance to the truth, and the law was fulfilled by surrendering
its significance to the gospel. Just as the type lost its significance by
surrendering its image to that which is true by nature, and as the parable lost
its significance by being illumined through the interpretation,
43. so indeed also the
law was fulfilled when the gospel was brought to light, and the people lost
their significance when the church came on the scene, and the type was
destroyed when the Lord appeared. Therefore, those things which once had value
are today without value, because the things which have true value have
appeared.
44. For at one time the
sacrifice to the sheep was valuable, but now it is without value because of the
life of the Lord. The death of the sheep once was valuable, but now it is
without value because of the salvation of the Lord. The blood of the sheep once
was valuable, but now it is without value because of the Spirit of the Lord.
The silent lamb once was valuable, but now it has no value because of the
blameless Son. The temple here below once was valuable, but now it is without
value because of the Christ from above.
45. The Jerusalem here
below once had value, but now it is without value because of the Jerusalem from
above. The meager inheritance once had value; now it is without value because
of the abundant grace. For not in one place alone, nor yet in narrow confines,
has the glory of God been established, but his grace has been poured out upon
the uttermost parts of the inhabited world, and there the almighty God has
taken up his dwelling place through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for
ever. Amen.
F. Components of the
Mystery of the Passover (46-71)
1. The Passover (46-47a)
46. Now that you have
heard the explanation of the type and of that which corresponds to it, hear
also what goes into making up the mystery. What is the passover? Indeed its
name is derived from that event–"to celebrate the passover" (to
paschein) is derived from "to suffer" (tou pathein). Therefore, learn
who the sufferer is and who he is who suffers along with the sufferer.
47. Why indeed was the
Lord present upon the earth? In order that having clothed himself with the one
who suffers, he might lift him up to the heights of heaven.
2. The Creation and Fall
of Man (47b-48)
In the beginning, when
God made heaven and earth, and everything in them through his word, he himself
formed man from the earth and shared with that form his own breath, he himself
placed him in paradise, which was eastward in Eden, and there they lived most
luxuriously.
Then by way of command
God gave them this law: For your food you may eat from any tree, but you are
not to eat from the tree of the one who knows good and evil. For on the day you
eat from it, you most certainly will die.
48. But man, who is by
nature capable of receiving good and evil as soil of the earth is capable of
receiving seeds from both sides, welcomed the hostile and greedy counselor, and
by having touched that tree transgressed the command, and disobeyed God. As a
consequence, he was cast out into this world as a condemned man is cast into
prison.
3. Consequences of the
Fall (49-56)
49. And when he had
fathered many children, and had grown very old, and had returned to the earth
through having tasted of the tree, an inheritance was left behind by him for
his children. Indeed, he left his children an inheritance–not of chastity but
of unchastity, not of immortality but of corruptibility, not of honor but of
dishonor, not of freedom but of slavery, not of sovereignty but of tyranny, not
of life but of death, not of salvation but of destruction.
50. Extraordinary and
terrifying indeed was the destruction of men upon the earth. For the following
things happened to them: They were carried off as slaves by sin, the tyrant,
and were led away into the regions of desire where they were totally engulfed
by insatiable sensual pleasures–by adultery, by unchastity, by debauchery, by
inordinate desires, by avarice, by murders, by bloodshed, by the tyranny of
wickedness, by the tyranny of lawlessness.
51. For even a father of
his own accord lifted up a dagger against his son; and a son used his hands
against his father; and the impious person smote the breasts that nourished
him; and brother murdered brother; and host wronged his guest; and friend
assassinated friend; and one man cut the throat of another with his tyrannous
right hand.
52. Therefore all men on
the earth became either murderers, or parricides, or killers of their children.
And yet a thing still more dreadful and extraordinary was to be found: A mother
attacked the flesh which she gave birth to, a mother attacked those whom her
breasts had nourished; and she buried in her belly the fruit of her belly.
Indeed, the ill-starred mother became a dreadful tomb, when she devoured the child
which she bore in her womb.
53. But in addition to
this there were to be found among men many things still more monstrous and
terrifying and brutal: father cohabits with his child, and son and with his
mother, and brother with sister, and male with male, and each man lusting after
the wife of his neighbor.
54. Because of these
things sin exulted, which, because it was death's collaborator, entered first
into the souls of men, and prepared as food for him the bodies of the dead. In
every soul sin left its mark, and those in whom it placed its mark were
destined to die.
55. Therefore, all flesh
fell under the power of sin, and every body under the dominion of death, for
every soul was driven out from its house of flesh. Indeed, that which had been
taken from the earth was dissolved again into earth, and that which had been
given from God was locked up in Hades. And that beautiful ordered arrangement
was dissolved, when the beautiful body was separated (from the soul).
56. Yes, man was divided
up into parts by death. Yes, an extraordinary misfortune and captivity
enveloped him: he was dragged away captive under the shadow of death, and the
image of the Father remained there desolate. For this reason, therefore, the
mystery of the passover has been completed in the body of the Lord.
4. Predictions of
Christ's Sufferings (57-65)
57. Indeed, the Lord
prearranged his own sufferings in the patriarchs, and in the prophets, and in
the whole people of God, giving his sanction to them through the law and the
prophets. For that which was to exist in a new and grandiose fashion was
pre-planned long in advance, in order that when it should come into existence
one might attain to faith, just because it had been predicted long in advance.
58. So indeed also the
suffering of the Lord, predicted long in advance by means of types, but seen
today, has brought about faith, just because it has taken place as predicted.
And yet men have taken it as something completely new. Well, the truth of the matter
is the mystery of the Lord is both old and new–old insofar as it involved the
type, but new insofar as it concerns grace. And what is more, if you pay close
attention to this type you will see the real thing through its fulfillment.
59. Accordingly, if you
desire to see the mystery of the Lord, pay close attention to Abel who likewise
was put to death, to Isaac who likewise was bound hand and foot, to Joseph who
likewise was sold, to Moses who likewise was exposed, to David who likewise was
hunted down, to the prophets who likewise suffered because they were the Lord's
anointed.
60. Pay close attention
also to the one who was sacrificed as a sheep in the land of Egypt, to the one
who smote Egypt and who saved Israel by his blood.
61. For it was through
the voice of prophecy that the mystery of the Lord was proclaimed. Moses,
indeed, said to his people: Surely you will see your life suspended before your
eyes night and day, but you surely will not believe on your
Life. Deut. 28:66.
62. And David said: Why
were the nations haughty and the people concerned about nothing? The kings of
the earth presented themselves and the princes assembled themselves together
against the Lord and against his anointed. Ps. 2:1-2.
63. And Jeremiah: I am as
an innocent lamb being led away to be sacrificed. They plotted evil against me
and said: Come! let us throw him a tree for his food, and let us exterminate
him from the land of the living, so that his name will never be recalled.
Jer. 11:19.
64. And Isaiah: He was
led as a sheep to slaughter, and, as a lamb is silent in the presence of the
one who shears it, he did not open his mouth. Therefore who will tell his
offspring? Isa. 53:7
65. And indeed there were
many other things proclaimed by numerous prophets concerning the mystery of the
passover, which is Christ, to whom be the glory forever. Amen.
5. Deliverance of Mankind
through Christ (66-71)
66. When this one came
from heaven to earth for the sake of the one who suffers, and had clothed himself
with that very one through the womb of a virgin, and having come forth as man,
he accepted the sufferings of the sufferer through his body which was capable
of suffering. And he destroyed those human sufferings by his spirit which was
incapable of dying. He killed death which had put man to death.
67. For this one, who was
led away as a lamb, and who was sacrificed as a sheep, by himself delivered us
from servitude to the world as from the land of Egypt, and released us from
bondage to the devil as from the hand of Pharaoh, and sealed our souls by his
own spirit and the members of our bodies by his own blood.
68. This is the one who
covered death with shame and who plunged the devil into mourning as Moses did
Pharaoh. This is the one who smote lawlessness and deprived injustice of its
offspring, as Moses deprived Egypt. This is the one who delivered us from
slavery into freedom, from darkness into light, from death into life, from
tyranny into an eternal kingdom, and who made us a new priesthood, and a
special people forever.
69. This one is the
passover of our salvation. This is the one who patiently endured many things in
many people: This is the one who was murdered in Abel, and bound as a sacrifice
in Isaac, and exiled in Jacob, and sold in Joseph, and exposed in Moses, and
sacrificed in the lamb, and hunted down in David, and dishonored in the
prophets.
70. This is the one who
became human in a virgin, who was hanged on the tree, who was buried in the
earth, who was resurrected from among the dead, and who raised mankind up out
of the grave below to the heights of heaven.
71. This is the lamb that
was slain. This is the lamb that was silent. This is the one who was born of
Mary, that beautiful ewe-lamb. This is the one who was taken from the flock,
and was dragged to sacrifice, and was killed in the evening, and was buried at
night; the one who was not broken while on the tree, who did not see
dissolution while in the earth, who rose up from the dead, and who raised up
mankind from the grave below.
II. The Death of Christ
and Israel's Sin (72-99)
A. Place and Cause of
Christ's Death (72-86)
72. This one was
murdered. And where was he murdered? In the very center of Jerusalem! Why?
Because he had healed their lame, and had cleansed their lepers, and had guided
their blind with light, and had raised up their dead. For this reason he
suffered. Somewhere it has been written in the law and prophets,
"They paid me back
evil for good, and my soul with barrenness Ps.
34:12
plotting evil against me Ps. 34:4; 40:8
saying, Let us bind this just man because he is troublesome to
us." Isa. 3:10 (LXX).
73. Why, O Israel did you
do this strange injustice? You dishonored the one who had honored you. You held
in contempt the one who held you in esteem. You denied the one who publicly
acknowledged you. You renounced the one who proclaimed you his own. You killed
the one who made you to live. Why did you do this, O Israel?
74. Hast it not been
written for your benefit: "Do not shed innocent blood lest you die a
terrible death"? Nevertheless, Israel admits, I killed the Lord! Why?
Because it was necessary for him to die. You have deceived yourself, O Israel,
rationalizing thus about the death of the Lord.
75. It was necessary for
him to suffer, yes, but not by you; it was necessary for him to be dishonored,
but not by you; it was necessary for him to be judged, but not by you; it was
necessary for him to be crucified, but not by you, nor by your right hand.
76. O Israel! You ought
to have cried aloud to God with this voice: "O Lord, if it was necessary
for your Son to suffer, and if this was your will, let him suffer indeed, but
not at my hands. Let him suffer at the hands of strangers. Let him be judged by
the uncircumcised. Let him be crucified by the tyrannical right hand, but not
by mine."
77. But you, O Israel,
did not cry out to God with this voice, nor did you absolve yourself of guilt
before the Lord, nor were you persuaded by his works.
78. The withered hand
which was restored whole to its body did not persuade you; nor did the eyes of
the blind which were opened by his hand; nor did the paralyzed bodies restored
to health again through his voice; nor did that most extraordinary miracle persuade
you, namely, the dead man raised to life from the tomb where already he had
been lying for four days. Indeed, dismissing these things, you, to your
detriment, prepared the following for the sacrifice of the Lord at eventide:
sharp nails, and false witnesses, and fetters, and scourges,
79. and vinegar, and
gall, and a sword, and affliction, and all as though it were for a
blood-stained robber. For you brought to him scourges for his body, and the
thorns for his head. And you bound those beautiful hands of his, which had
formed you from the earth. And that beautiful mouth of his, which had nourished
you with life, you filled with gall. And you killed your Lord at the time of
the great feast.
80. Surely you were
filled with gaiety, but he was filled with hunger; you drank wine and ate
bread, but he vinegar and gall; you wore a happy smile, but he had a sad
countenance; you were full of joy, but he was full of trouble; you sang songs,
but he was judged; you issued the command, he was crucified; you danced, he was
buried; you lay down on a soft bed, but he in a tomb and coffin.
81. O lawless Israel, why
did you commit this extraordinary crime of casting your Lord into new
sufferings–your master, the one who formed you, the one who made you, the one
who honored you, the one who called you Israel?
82. But you were found
not really to be Israel, for you did not see God, you did not recognize the
Lord, you did not know, O Israel, that this one was the firstborn of God, the
one who was begotten before the morning star, the one who caused the light to
shine forth, the one who made bright the day, the one who parted the darkness,
the one who established the primordial starting point, the one who suspended
the earth, the one who quenched the abyss, the one who stretched out the
firmament, the one who formed the universe,
83. the one who set in
motion the stars of heaven, the one who caused those luminaries to shine, the
one who made the angels in heaven, the one who established their thrones in
that place, the one who by himself fashioned man upon the earth. This was the
one who chose you, the one who guided you from Adam to Noah, from Noah to
Abraham, from Abraham to Isaac and Jacob and the Twelve Patriarchs.
84. This was the one who
guided you into Egypt, and guarded you, and himself kept you well supplied
there. This was the one who lighted your route with a column of fire, and
provided shade for you by means of a cloud, the one who divided the Red Sea,
and led you across it, and scattered your enemy abroad.
85. This is the one who
provided you with manna from heaven, the one who gave you water to drink from a
rock, the one who established your laws in Horeb, the one who gave you an
inheritance in the land, the one who sent out his prophets to you, the one who
raised up your kings.
86. This is the one who
came to you, the one who healed your suffering ones and who resurrected your
dead. This is the one whom you sinned against. This is the one whom you
wronged. This is the one whom you killed. This is the one whom you sold for
silver, although you asked him for the didrachma.
B. Israel Brought to
Trial (87-93)
87. O ungrateful Israel,
come here and be judged before me for your ingratitude. How high a price did
you place on being created by him? How high a price did you place on the
discovery of your fathers? How high a price did you place on the descent into
Egypt, and the provision made for you there through the noble Joseph?
88. How high a price did
you place on the ten plagues? How high a price did you place on the nightly
column of fire, and the daily cloud, and the crossing of the Red Sea? How high
a price did you place on the gift of manna from heaven, and the gift of water
from the rock, and the gift of law in Horeb, and the land as an inheritance,
and the benefits accorded you there?
89. How high a price did
you place on your suffering people whom he healed when he was present? Set me a
price on the withered hand, which he restored whole to its body.
90. Put me a price on the
men born blind, whom he led into light by his voice. Put me a price on those
who lay dead, whom he raised up alive from the tomb. Inestimable are the
benefits that come to you from him. But you, shamefully, have paid him back with
ingratitude, returning to him evil for good, and affliction for favor and death
for life–
91. a person for whom you
should have died. Furthermore, if the king of some nation is captured by an
enemy, a war is started because of him, fortifications are shattered because of
him, cities are plundered because of him, ransom is sent because of him,
ambassadors are commissioned because of him in order that he might be
surrendered, so that either he might be returned if living, or that he might be
buried if dead.
92. But you, quite to the
contrary, voted against your Lord, whom indeed the nations worshipped, and the
uncircumcised admired, and the foreigners glorified, over whom Pilate washed
his hands. But as for you–you killed this one at the time of the great feast.
93. Therefore, the feast
of unleavened bread has become bitter to you just as it was written: "You
will eat unleavened bread with bitter herbs." Bitter to you are the nails
which you made pointed. Bitter to you is the tongue which you sharpened. Bitter
to you are the false witnesses whom you brought forward. Bitter to you are the
fetters which you prepared. Bitter to you are the scourges which you wove.
Bitter to you is Judas whom you furnished with pay. Bitter to you is Herod whom
you followed. Bitter to you is Caiaphas whom you obeyed. Bitter to you is the
gall which you made ready. Bitter to you is the vinegar which you produced.
Bitter to you are the thorns which you plucked. Bitter to you are your hands
which you bloodied, when you killed your Lord in the midst of Jerusalem.
C. Gentiles Are Witnesses
of Israel's Crime (94-98)
94. Pay attention, all
families of the nations, and observe! An extraordinary murder has taken place
in the center of Jerusalem, in the city devoted to God's law, in the city of
the Hebrews, in the city of the prophets, in the city thought of as just. And
who has been murdered? And who is the murderer? I am ashamed to give the
answer, but give it I must. For if this murder had taken place at night, or if
he had been slain in a desert place, it would be well to keep silent; but it
was in the middle of the main street, even in the center of the city, while all
were looking on, that the unjust murder of this just person took place.
95. And thus he was
lifted up upon the tree, and an inscription was affixed identifying the one who
had been murdered. Who was he? It is painful to tell, but it is more dreadful
not to tell. Therefore, hear and tremble because of him for whom the earth
trembled.
96. The one who hung the
earth in space, is himself hanged; the one who fixed the heavens in place, is
himself impaled; the one who firmly fixed all things, is himself firmly fixed
to the tree. The Lord is insulted, God has been murdered, the King of Israel
has been destroyed by the right hand of Israel.
97. O frightful murder! O
unheard of injustice! The Lord is disfigured and he is not deemed worthy of a
cloak for his naked body, so that he might not be seen exposed. For this reason
the stars turned and fled, and the day grew quite dark, in order to hide the
naked person hanging on the tree, darkening not the body of the Lord, but the
eyes of men.
98. Yes, even though the
people did not tremble, the earth trembled instead; although the people were
not afraid, the heavens grew frightened; although the people did not tear their
garments, the angels tore theirs; although the people did not lament, the Lord
thundered from heaven, and the most high uttered his voice.
D. Israel Questioned and
Sentenced to Death (99)
99. Why was it like this,
O Israel? You did not tremble for the Lord. You did not fear for the Lord. You
did not lament for the Lord, yet you lamented for your firstborn. You did not
tear your garments at the crucifixion of the Lord, yet you tore your garments
for your own who were murdered. You forsook the Lord; you were not found by
him. You dashed the Lord to the ground; you, too, were dashed to the ground,
and lie quite dead.
III. The Final Triumph of
Christ (100-105)
100. But he arose from
the dead and mounted up to the heights of heaven. When the Lord had clothed
himself with humanity, and had suffered for the sake of the sufferer, and had
been bound for the sake of the imprisoned, and had been judged for the sake of the
condemned, and buried for the sake of the one who was buried,
101. he rose up from the
dead, and cried aloud with this voice: Who is he who contends with me? Let him
stand in opposition to me. I set the condemned man free; I gave the dead man
life; I raised up the one who had been entombed.
102. Who is my opponent?
I, he says, am the Christ. I am the one who destroyed death, and triumphed over
the enemy, and trampled Hades under foot, and bound the strong one, and carried
off man to the heights of heaven, I, he says, am the Christ.
103. Therefore, come, all
families of men, you who have been befouled with sins, and receive forgiveness
for your sins. I am your forgiveness, I am the passover of your salvation, I am
the lamb which was sacrificed for you, I am your ransom, I am your light, I am
your saviour, I am your resurrection, I am your king, I am leading you up to
the heights of heaven, I will show you the eternal Father, I will raise you up
by my right hand.
104. This is the one who
made the heavens and the earth, and who in the beginning created man, who was
proclaimed through the law and prophets, who became human via the virgin, who
was hanged upon a tree, who was buried in the earth, who was resurrected from
the dead, and who ascended to the heights of heaven, who sits at the right hand
of the Father, who has authority to judge and to save everything, through whom
the Father created everything from the beginning of the world to the end of the
age.
105. This is the alpha
and the omega. This is the beginning and the end–an indescribable beginning and
an incomprehensible end. This is the Christ. This is the king. This is Jesus.
This is the general. This is the Lord. This is the one who rose up from the
dead. This is the one who sits at the right hand of the Father. He bears the
Father and is borne by the Father, to whom be the glory and the power forever.
Amen.
The Peri Pascha of
Melito. Peace to the one who wrote, and to the one who reads, and to those who
love the Lord in simplicity of heart.
SOURCE : http://www.kerux.com/doc/0401A1.asp
San Melitone di Sardi Vescovo
Non è un santo molto
noto, ma tutti i cristiani, che amano seguire l’ufficiatura del Giovedì Santo
in preparazione alla Pasqua, hanno certamente ascoltato la sua più celebre
Omelia che in quel giorno viene proclamata in tutte le Chiese. Essa è la
più antica omelia pasquale cristiana giunta fino a noi, ed è tutta una
contemplazione della Persona e del Mistero di Cristo, messo al centro del cosmo
e della storia: «È Lui, che in una Vergine s’incarnò, che sul legno fu sospeso,
che in terra fu sepolto, che dai morti fu risuscitato, che alle altezze del
cielo fu elevato. È Lui l’agnello muto, è Lui l’agnello sgozzato, è Lui che
nacque da Maria, l’Agnella pura, è Lui che fu preso dal gregge e
all’immolazione fu trascinato, è Lui che di sera fu immolato e di notte
seppellito; è Lui che sul legno non fu spezzato, che in terra non andò
dissolto, che dai morti è risuscitato. È Lui che ha risollevato l’uomo dal
profondo della tomba». Anche l’inno dell’«Exultet», che ascoltiamo sempre con
gioia durante la notte di Pasqua, s’ispira agli scritti di questo santo che fu
vescovo della Chiesa di Sardi, in Asia minore sul finire del II secolo. È
perciò bello ricordarlo in questo primo giorno di aprile in cui la sua festa
(secondo il rito orientale) coincide con la Domenica delle Palme, che apre la
Settimana Santa. Di lui lo storico Eusebio di Cesarea ci dà una sola notizia,
ma affascinante, narrando che «viveva completamente nello Spirito Santo». E
sembra anche che egli sia stato uno dei primi vescovi a recarsi pellegrino in
Palestina per compiere ricerche e verifiche sui luoghi biblici. Fu martirizzato
nell’anno 194.
Ben poche cose si conoscono di questo personaggio; le fonti storiche tacciono quasi completamente sul suo conto e la sua abbondante produzione letteraria è quasi completamente scomparsa. Secondo Eusebio di Cesarea, Policrate, vescovo di Efeso, è il primo a fare il nome di Melitone in una lettera scritta verso il 190 al papa Vittore per difendere l'uso asiatico di celebrare la Pasqua il 14 del mese di nisn (quartodecimani). Per appoggiare la sua tesi Policrate citava, «fra i grandi luminari che riposano (quindi già morti) in Asia», diversi vescovi e terminava il suo elenco con il nome di Melitone «l'eunuco (cioè continente volontario), che viveva completamente nello Spirito Santo, e riposa a Sardi nell'attesa della visita che viene dai Cieli e nella quale risusciterà dai morti».
Sebbene Policrate non qualifichi esplicitamente Melitone come vescovo, il fatto che lo citi in una lista di vescovi permette di concludere che lo fosse. O. Perler, il recente editore dell'omelia di Melitone sulla Pasqua, riassume in modo assai conciso le altre scarse informazioni su di lui che si possono trarre da antichi autori: «Clemente d'Alessandria fa menzione di Melitone, ma probabilmente senza qualifica, in occasione della controversia pasquale. Delle due citazioni di Origene una sola ricorda la sua origine asiatica. L'autore del Piccolo labirinto (Ippolito) enumera il nostro autore, strettamente legato a sant'Ireneo, tra gli scrittori che hanno proclamato che il Cristo è Dio e uomo (Eusebio, op. cit., V. XXVIII, 5). In tutti questi testi sembra si tratti di uno stesso personaggio, scrittore e teologo, di cui si trovano tracce anche in altri autori come Apollinare di Gerapoli (?), Tertulliano, sant'Ireneo, Ippolito, Clemente, Metodio, Alessandro di Alessandria, ecc. Occorre giungere però ad Eusebio di Cesarea per trovare la qualifica di vescovo della Chiesa di Sardi.
«S. Girolamo, nel De viris illustribus riferisce che Tertulliano (montanista) "si è fatto gioco del genio elegante e retorico di Melitone nei sette libri scritti contro la Chiesa in favore di Montano, dicendo che la maggior parte dei nostri (i cattolici) lo consideravano un profeta"».
Eusebio fa l'elenco degli scritti di Melitone di cui cita anche qualche frammento nel corso di tutta la sua opera. Non è nostra intenzione riprodurre in questa sede l'elenco, ma dato che esso potrebbe essere d'aiuto per precisare la cronologia di questo santo, converrà tenere conto di alcune delle informazioni fornite da Eusebio.
Secondo O. Perler «Melitone sarebbe stato un personaggio noto già ai tempi di Antonino Pio (138-161). Al tempo di Marc'Aurelio poi, egli usava di tutte le sue risorse. A questo imperatore, infatti, indirizzò, tra il 169 e il 177, un'apologia (una difesa della filosofia, cioè del modo di vita, cristiana). Secondo un frammento tratto dalle Eclogae Melitone si recò in Oriente e visitò i luoghi santi per informarsi sul canone dei libri dell'Antico Testamento.
Un recente studio di I. Wellesz ha messo in rilievo come la già citata Omelia sulla Pasqua, oltre ad informarci sulla teologia cristologica di Melitone, è un prezioso documento che ebbe profonda influenza sull'enfatica e declamatoria letteratura innografica bizantina.
Non sembra che Melitone abbia goduto di un culto molto esteso né in Oriente né in Occidente. Diversi calendari (Acta SS., citt.) lo celebrano il 1° aprile associandolo talvolta con un omonimo vescovo di Sulcitana in Sardegna.
Autore: Joseph-Marie Sauget
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/95644
Den hellige Meliton av
Sardis ( -~180)
Minnedag: 1.
april
Den hellige Meliton
(Melito) var en biskop av Sardis i Lydia hvis kirkelige skrifter ble høyt
priset av den hellige Hieronymus, Eusebius og av andre. Han fikk tilnavnet
"profeten" av disse sine beundrere. Han regnes som en av de store av
tidens apologeter. Han døde omkring år 180. Enkelte av de skrifter som er blitt
tilregnet ham, blir av endel forskere idag regnet som skrevet av en annen, og
ukjent, forfatter.
Kilder:
Attwater/Cumming; KIR - Sist oppdatert: 2000-03-30 23:29
SOURCE : https://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/melito
Meliton von Sardes
auch: Melito
latinisiert: Melitus
Gedenktag katholisch: 1.
April
Gedenktag orthodox: 1.
April
Name bedeutet: der
Honigsüße (latein.)
Bischof von Sardes
† 177 (?) in Sardes,
heute Ruinen bei Sart nahe Salihli in der Türkei
Meliton war Bischof
von Sardes.
Er verfasste eine Apologie des Christentums, die er Kaiser Mark Aurel widmete,
eine Homilie über
die Osterfeier
und Schriften über die Kirche, über Seele, Leib und Geist, sowie über die
Menschwerdung Jesu.
Erhalten ist eine von ihm erstellte Liste der kanonischen Bücher des Alten
Testaments; um diese zu erforschen, unternahm Meliton eine Pilgerreise ins
Heilige Land – eine der ersten Heilig-Land-Fahrten, die in der Geschichte
bezeugt sind.
Meliton war ein Vertreter
der Quartodezimaner, die am apostolischen Brauch festhielten, das Osterfest immer
am Tag des jüdischen Pessachfestes, also am 14. Nisan, und unabhängig vom
Wochentag zu feiern, während andernorts das Osterfest schon früh auf einen
Sonntag verlegt wurde. Im 2. Jahrhundert wurden dann um die Datierung des
Osterfestes heftige Auseinandersetzungen geführt. In einem Brief des
Bischofs Polykrates
von Ephesus an Papst Victor I. verteidigte
Polykrates die Quartodezimaner und führte als Zeugen für ihre von Victor
bezweifelte Rechtgläubigkeit unter anderen Meliton an, welcher stets im
Heiligen Geiste wandelte und nun in Sardes ruht,
wartend auf die Heimsuchung vom Himmel, da er von den Toten erstehen soll.
Die Nachrichten über
Meliton und die Überlieferung der Fragmente seiner Schriften stammen v. a.
von Eusebius
von Cäsarea. Tertullian lobte
die Vollkommenheit von Melitons Schreibstil und erzählte, dass viele ihn als
Propheten betrachteten. Polykrates
von Ephesus nannte ihn einen Eunuchen. In den Orthodoxen
Kirchen wird Meliton als Kirchenvater verehrt.
Eusebius
von Cäsarea erzählte in seiner Kirchengeschichte über Melito
und seine Berichte, zu finden auf Deutsch in der Bibliothek der
Kirchenväter der Université
Fribourg.
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Autor: Joachim
Schäfer - zuletzt aktualisiert am 12.11.2023
Quellen:
• Vollständiges Heiligen-Lexikon …, 4. Band: M-P. Herausgegeben von Johann Evangelist Stadler, Fortgesetzt von J. N. Ginal, B. Schmid'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung (A. Manz), Augsburg, 1875
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- abgerufen am 12.11.2023
korrekt zitieren: Joachim Schäfer: Artikel Meliton von Sardes, aus dem Ökumenischen Heiligenlexikon - https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienM/Meliton_von_Sardes.html, abgerufen am 31. 5. 2024
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet das Ökumenische
Heiligenlexikon in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte
bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über https://d-nb.info/1175439177 und https://d-nb.info/969828497 abrufbar.
SOURCE : https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienM/Meliton_von_Sardes.html
San Melitón de Sardes. M. c. 180.
De miel. Agradable.
Se ignoran datos de su
origen y vida en familia. Sus biógrafos afirman que vivió en Turquía, Asia
Menor. Obispo de Sardes en Lidia; escritor eclesiástico de la época de los
Apologistas; gozó de gran reputación, pero hoy queda muy poco de su obra.
Su obra literaria consta
de la célebre “Apología” dirigida al emperador Marco Aurelio y de textos
teológicos, bíblicos y litúrgicos, de los cuales en nuestros días sólo se
conocen fragmentos. Durante su época fue testigo de alguno de los ordenamientos
de libros canónicos de la Sagrada Escritura. En los albores del siglo XX se
localizó la “Homilía sobre la Pascua”, cuya autoría se le atribuye. Sus
escritos versan sobre cristología y soteriolgía, las consecuencias del pecado y
el triunfo del Cristo resucitado, la Iglesia y los que viven de acuerdo a la
nueva era de Cristo y las figuras del Antiguo Testamento. Se le reconoce como
Padre apologista.
SOURCE : https://hagiopedia.blogspot.com/2013/04/otros-santos-del-dia.html
R Cantalamessa « Méliton de
Sardes. Une christologie antignostique du IIe siècle »
Revue
des Sciences Religieuses Année 1963 Volume 37 Numéro
1 pp. 1-26 -http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/rscir_0035-2217_1963_num_37_1_2334
R.-G. Coquin. « Méliton de
Sardes. Sur la Pâque ( et fragments) [compte-rendu] », Revue de l'histoire des religions Année
1969 176-2 pp.
210-211 : https://www.persee.fr/doc/rhr_0035-1423_1969_num_176_2_9595
Voir aussi : http://faithofthefathersearlychurchfathers.blogspot.ca/2005/12/saint-melito-of-sardis-early-church.html
