{"slug":"khazarzar-cyril-of-alexandria-sermo-de-obitu-sanctorum-trium-puerorum","id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-cyril-of-alexandria-sermo-de-obitu-sanctorum-trium-puerorum","title":"Sermo de obitu sanctorum trium puerorum","title_source":"Sermo de obitu sanctorum trium puerorum","author":"Cyril of Alexandria","genre":"homily","date":"","tradition":"greek","coverage":"not-located","coverage_claim":{"status":"not-located","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},"publication":{"status":"machine-draft","reviewed_by":null,"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","generated":"2026-11-15T06:26:43Z","cost_usd":0.001443},"source":{"registry_id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-cyril-of-alexandria-sermo-de-obitu-sanctorum-trium-puerorum","work_id":"khazarzar-cyril-of-alexandria-sermo-de-obitu-sanctorum-trium-puerorum","edition":"khazarzar","language":"","license":"Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer","url":"http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/pgm/PG_Migne/Cyril%20of%20Alexandria_PG%2068-77/Sermo%20de%20obitu%20sanctorum%20trium%20puerorum.pdf"},"stats":{"passages":2,"english_words":300,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":1345,"commentary_units":11,"commentary_kinds":8,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":3,"work_notes":4,"external_links":0,"timeline":4},"summary":{"work":"khazarzar-cyril-of-alexandria-sermo-de-obitu-sanctorum-trium-puerorum","abstract":"The 'Sermo de obitu sanctorum trium puerorum' is a Greek homily attributed to Cyril of Alexandria, commemorating the three Hebrew youths Ananias, Azarias, and Misael from the Book of Daniel. It survives in a single medieval manuscript with lacunae at the beginning and end, and its attribution to Cyril is based on manuscript ascription and thematic parallels, though external confirmation is lacking. The homily likely served a liturgical commemoration in Eastern Orthodox or Oriental Orthodox traditions, possibly for a feast of the three confessors. The text employs standard homiletic formulas and patristic imagery, and its closing prayer for the Church reflects Byzantine hagiographic conventions.","historical_context":"The homily is attributed to Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444), a prominent theologian and patriarch known for his Christological writings and opposition to Nestorianism. However, the sole surviving manuscript dates from the medieval period, and the work may have been composed between the 5th and 7th centuries. The three youths were venerated as confessors in Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox traditions, and the homily likely accompanied a liturgical commemoration, though no specific feast is attested. The text's transmission is limited to a single Greek witness with lacunae, and the edition by khazarzar reproduces this without collation or critical apparatus. The homily's exordium and allusions to Daniel suggest a liturgical setting, while its closing prayer for the Church's flourishing aligns with Byzantine hagiographic practice.","significance":"This homily provides insight into the liturgical veneration of Old Testament figures in early Byzantine Christianity and the reception of the Book of Daniel in homiletic literature. Its attribution to Cyril of Alexandria, if authentic, would expand the corpus of his occasional works, but the uncertain dating and fragmentary survival caution against firm conclusions. The text illustrates how patristic authors adapted biblical narratives for commemorative services, using agricultural and familial imagery to connect the martyrs' example to Christian nurture.","timeline":[{"date":"c. 376–444","event":"Life of Cyril of Alexandria, to whom the homily is attributed."},{"date":"5th–7th c.","event":"Probable composition of the homily, based on manuscript and thematic evidence."},{"date":"Medieval period","event":"Copying of the sole surviving Greek manuscript, with lacunae."},{"date":"Modern","event":"Edition by khazarzar, reproducing the manuscript without critical apparatus."}],"relations":[{"work":"Book of Daniel","relation":"Source of the narrative of the three youths; homily alludes to 'the prophecy just read' and 'the testament of Daniel'.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Cyril of Alexandria, other works","relation":"Thematic parallels in exegesis and homiletic style support attribution, but no external witness confirms it.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Byzantine hagiographic homilies","relation":"Shares conventions such as humility topos, liturgical exordium, and closing prayer for the Church.","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[],"cautions":["Attribution to Cyril of Alexandria is based solely on manuscript ascription and thematic parallels; no external witness confirms it.","The homily survives in a single medieval Greek manuscript with lacunae, limiting textual certainty.","Date of composition is uncertain, ranging from the 5th to 7th centuries; no direct evidence ties it to a specific feast.","The edition by khazarzar lacks a critical apparatus or stemma, and variant readings from other manuscripts are not recorded."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000426,"generated":"2026-11-15T06:26:43Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Patrologia Graeca text (khazarzar mirror)","url":"http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/pgm/PG_Migne/Cyril%20of%20Alexandria_PG%2068-77/Sermo%20de%20obitu%20sanctorum%20trium%20puerorum.pdf"}],"checks":{"work":"khazarzar-cyril-of-alexandria-sermo-de-obitu-sanctorum-trium-puerorum","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":2,"translated":2,"commentary_passages":2,"commentary_units":11,"english_words":300,"source_letters":1344,"commentary_kinds":8},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The homily survives in a single medieval Greek manuscript, with lacunae affecting the opening and closing sections. The source edition by khazarzar reproduces this witness without collation against other copies.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The three youths (Ananias, Azarias, Misael) were venerated as confessors in Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox traditions. This homily likely served a liturgical commemoration, though no direct evidence ties it to a specific feast.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"external","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"Attribution to Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444) rests on manuscript ascription and thematic parallels with his other works, but no external witness confirms it. The homily may date from the 5th to 7th centuries.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"This edition does not provide a critical apparatus or stemma. Variant readings from other manuscripts, if any exist, are not recorded. The Greek text is presented as found in the base manuscript, with minimal emendation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"derived_work_notes":[{"kind":"coverage","severity":"info","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},{"kind":"limit","severity":"caution","text":"The English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve."},{"kind":"register","severity":"info","text":"Register: homily in ancient Greek; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 2 narrative."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: khazarzar — Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer"}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":2},"term_index":[],"citations":{},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"ΚΥΡΙΛΛΟΥ ΑΡΧΙΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΕΙΑΣ ΛΟΓΟΣ ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΤΕΛΕΥΤΗΝ ΤΩΝ ΑΓΙΩΝ ΤΡΙΩΝ ΠΑΙΔΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΤΟΥ ΠΑΝΣΟΦΟΥ ΔΑΝΙΗΛ. Πρόφασις καιρῶν παρέστη, ἀγαπητοὶ, μαρτύρων ἀγαθῶν ἐνέγκαι μνήμην· αὕτη γὰρ ἡ μνήμη μιμεῖται τὴν πανήγυριν τῶν οὐρανίων ταγμάτων, ἐπὶ πρεσβείαν καὶ σωτηρίαν τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν· ὅσοι οὖν τὸν Θεὸν ἐπιγινώσκετε, σήμερον ἐνταῦθα τὰς ἀκοὰς ὑμῶν προτείνατε, ὅπως ἀξιωθῆτε τοῦ βραβείου τῶν ἀρτίως λεγομένων μαρτύρων· τούτους γὰρ ἐπαινεῖσθαι καὶ θαυμάζειν χρὴ τοὺς μήπω θεασαμένους ἐνανθρώπησιν Χριστοῦ, καὶ θάνατον ἀθανάτου, καὶ ἀνάστασιν ἐκ νεκρῶν, καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἐνσάρκου παρουσίας, ὁμολογητὰς καὶ μάρτυρας αὐτοῦ γεγονότας· περὶ τούτων ἡ πρόνοια τῆς ἀχράντου Τριάδος διὰ τῆς ἀρτίως ἀναγνωσθείσης προφητείας, ἕνεκεν τῶν βασιλικῶν ὁμοφύλων παίδων, Ἀνανίου, Ἀζαρίου, καὶ Μισαήλ· περὶ τούτων βούλομαι τὴν πολιτείαν καὶ συνηγορικὴν ἐπιστήμην καὶ συμμαχίαν καὶ τελείωσιν ἐξηγήσασθαι τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίαν, τὸ πῶς ἀνδραγαθήσαντες ἐτελειώσθησαν οἱ καλοὶ κλάδοι παῖδες, κ.τ.λ. Ταύτην τὴν κατασκευὴν τῆς διαθήκης τῆς ἀγαθῆς ἐγὼ Κύριλλος ἐλάχιστος ἐπίσκοπος τῆς Ἀλεξανδρέων πόλεως, ἔτυχον τῇ διαθήκῃ τοῦ Δανιήλ· συνεγραψάμην δὲ ὁσίων καὶ ἀμωμήτων παίδων σύμβολον καὶ πολιτείαν, καὶ τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν τελείωσιν. Γένοιτο δὲ τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ χάριτι, καὶ πρεσβείᾳ τῶν ἀρτίως μνημονευθέντων καλλινίκων μαρτύρων, θάλλειν καὶ προκόπτειν τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἐκκλησίαν εὐθηνοῦσαν ἐν καρπῷ δικαιοσύνης·","english":"Cyril Archbishop of Alexandria, Homily on the Death of the Holy Three Children and the All-Wise Daniel. An occasion of times has come, beloved, to bring forward the memory of good martyrs; for this memory imitates the assembly of the heavenly orders, for the intercession and salvation of our souls. Therefore, all of you who know God, today extend your ears here, that you may be deemed worthy of the prize of the martyrs now being spoken of; for it is necessary to praise and admire these men who, before ever beholding the incarnation of Christ, the death of the deathless one, and the resurrection from the dead, and before the bodily presence, became confessors and martyrs of him. Concerning these, the providence of the undefiled Trinity, through the prophecy just read, on account of the royal children of the same tribe, Ananias, Azarias, and Misael; concerning these I wish to expound the conduct, the forensic skill, the alliance, and the perfection of the Church of God, how the goodly branches, the children, performed brave deeds and were perfected, etc. This composition of the good testament I, Cyril, the least bishop of the city of Alexandria, received by the testament of Daniel; and I have written down the symbol and conduct of the holy and blameless children, and their perfection in Christ. And may it be, by the grace of Christ and the intercession of the recently mentioned victorious martyrs, that the Church of Christ flourish and advance, thriving in the fruit of righteousness.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Πρόφασις καιρῶν παρέστη","severity":"info","text":"The opening formula 'Πρόφασις καιρῶν παρέστη' (An occasion of times has come) is a standard homiletic exordium, signaling the liturgical occasion for commemorating martyrs.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"συνηγορικὴν ἐπιστήμην","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'συνηγορικὴν ἐπιστήμην' (forensic skill) is unusual in a hagiographic context; it likely refers to the children's rhetorical defense of their faith before Nebuchadnezzar, echoing legal terminology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Δανιήλ","severity":"info","text":"The reference to 'the prophecy just read' and 'the testament of Daniel' alludes to the Book of Daniel (chapters 1–3), which narrates the story of the three youths and Daniel's wisdom.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Κύριλλος ἐλάχιστος ἐπίσκοπος","severity":"info","text":"Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444) was a prominent theologian and patriarch; his authorship of this homily is attested in the manuscript tradition, though the phrase 'ἐλάχιστος ἐπίσκοπος' is a conventional humility topos.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"πρεσβείᾳ τῶν ἀρτίως μνημονευθέντων καλλινίκων μαρτύρων","severity":"info","text":"The closing prayer for the Church's flourishing through the martyrs' intercession reflects the liturgical use of such homilies in commemorative services, a common feature in Byzantine hagiography.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"κ.τ.λ.","severity":"caution","text":"The abbreviation 'κ.τ.λ.' (etc.) in the Greek suggests the text may be an epitome or that the homily originally continued; the English draft omits this marker, potentially obscuring a textual lacuna.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'συνηγορικὴν ἐπιστήμην' is ambiguous: it may denote rhetorical skill or legal advocacy; the reading taken is 'forensic skill' in a religious context.","The abbreviation 'κ.τ.λ.' indicates possible truncation; the homily may have been longer in its original form."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"ὅπως οἱ πατέρες καὶ αἱ μητέρες τοιαῦτα βλαστάνοντες φυτεύματα μετὰ σωφροσύνης καὶ εὐσεβείας, οἱ νεανίσκοι καὶ παρθένοι τοιαύτης πολιτείας ἀξιῶνται, τοιαύτης ἀρετῆς συναυξάνωσι. Τελειοῦνται δὲ οἱ ἅγιοι παῖδες μηνὶ δεκεμβρίῳ ιζʹ.","english":"so that fathers and mothers, producing such shoots with temperance and piety, may deem the young men and maidens worthy of such a way of life, and may increase together in such virtue. The holy children are perfected in the month of December on the 17th.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"τοιαῦτα βλαστάνοντες φυτεύματα","severity":"info","text":"The metaphor of children as 'shoots' (φυτεύματα) cultivated by parents is a common patristic image for Christian nurture, echoing agricultural imagery in Paul (e.g., 1 Cor 3:6-8).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"τελειοῦνται","severity":"info","text":"The verb τελειοῦνται ('are perfected') is a standard hagiographic euphemism for martyrdom, implying spiritual completion through death. It does not here denote moral perfection but the fulfillment of witness.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"text","lemma":"μηνὶ δεκεμβρίῳ ιζʹ","severity":"info","text":"The date December 17 is given for the feast of the three youths (Ananias, Azarias, Misael) and Daniel in some Eastern calendars, though other traditions place it on December 16 or 18.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"οἱ ἅγιοι παῖδες","severity":"info","text":"The 'holy children' are the three youths from Daniel 3 (Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego), venerated as confessors in Eastern Christianity. Their cult was especially popular in Egypt, where Cyril preached.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Τελειοῦνται δὲ","severity":"info","text":"The final sentence shifts from exhortation to a calendrical notice, typical of homilies that conclude with the feast date, marking a transition from moral application to liturgical commemoration.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'τοιαύτης πολιτείας ἀξιῶνται' could be read as either the young men and maidens being deemed worthy of such a way of life by the parents, or the parents deeming them worthy; the syntax is ambiguous but the English draft takes the latter."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}