04 — The Myrrh and the Miracles
The two pillars of the developed cult: the fragrant myron (holy oil) that the tradition reports flowing from the saint’s tomb — the wonder that earned him the title Myroblytes, the Myrrh-Streamer — and the great two-book collection of the Miracula Sancti Demetrii, the miracle-narratives that are at once the record of the cult and, incidentally, a major historical source for the Avar-Slav sieges. These files present the myrrh-tradition pinned to its attestation and survey the Miracula as document and as evidence.
Tradition: Pan-Orthodox (Great Martyr; the Myrrh-Streamer)
If the Passio gives Demetrios his death, the cult of the tomb gives him his life in the Church — and two things define that cult above all: the myrrh and the miracles. This section treats the myron flowing from the tomb (the title Myroblytes) as the tradition reports it, dated to its attestation (METHODOLOGY §3.5), and surveys the Miracula — Book I by Archbishop John of Thessaloniki, Book II anonymous and later — as the central documentary witness, edited by Paul Lemerle, on which most of what follows in this guide depends.
Files in This Section
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| The Myrrh-Streamer | The myron/holy oil reported flowing from the tomb; the title Myroblytes; when the myrrh-tradition is first attested and how it developed; its place in pilgrimage and devotion; the wonder pinned to its sources, not asserted as fact. |
| The Miracula | The Miracula Sancti Demetrii, Books I and II; their authorship (John of Thessaloniki for Book I), date, and contents; Lemerle’s critical edition; their double character as devotional collection and historical source for the sieges. |
See Also
- The Defender Against the Sieges — the apparitions the Miracula record
- The Miracula as History — the source-critical handling of the collection
- The Relics and Their Fate — the tomb, the relics, and the myrrh
- The Great Feasts — the liturgical frame of the cult
References
- Miracula Sancti Demetrii, Books I–II. Ed. Paul Lemerle, Les plus anciens recueils des miracles de saint Démétrius. 2 vols. Paris: CNRS, 1979–1981.
- Skedros, James C. Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki: Civic Patron and Divine Protector. Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, 1999.