The life of Saint Pankratios of Taormina : Greek text, English translation, and commentary

The Life of St Pankratios of Taormina describes the mission and martyrdom of St Pankratios, a disciple of the Apostle Peter sent to evangelize Taormina as its first bishop, and purports to have been written by St Pankratios’ successor, Euagrios. The text was composed in the early eighth century and is of Sicilian provenance. The Life contributes to our understanding of the Byzantine attitude to the past and of the novelistic approach to hagiography. It touches on the topography of Sicily and Calabria, ecclesiastical arrangements in Sicily, civil and military administration, the Sicilian language question, church decoration, liturgical rites, book production, and the attitude to religious images. ‎Contents ‎Editor’s Note ‎Preface ‎Abbreviations ‎List of Maps ‎Introduction ‎English Summary of the Life of St Pankratios of Taormina ‎Principal Characters ‎St Pankratios’ Conversion and Early Life ‎St Pankratios is Given His Commission ‎The Mission Begins at Taormina ‎St Pankratios Expounds the Scriptures ‎St Pankratios Overcomes the Demons ‎Miracles of Healing ‎The Army is Converted ‎The Martyrdom of Two Virgins ‎The Avar Prisoners Convert ‎Elidos is Tried ‎The Deacon Neophytos Dies ‎Epaphroditos’ Mission to Southern Sicily ‎A Jurisdictional Dispute ‎St Markianos’ Mission in Syracuse ‎St Markianos Visits Taormina and St Pankratios Visits Syracuse ‎The Story of Tauros and Menia ‎Akulinos Attacks Taormina ‎A Visit from St Pankratios’ Slaves ‎Euagrios Receives His Commission ‎The Martyrdom of St Pankratios ‎Euagrios is Consecrated in Rome ‎Boniphatios is Baptized and a Martyrium is Built ‎The Nature of the Life of St Pankratios ‎The Date of the Life ‎The Provenance of the Life ‎The Author of the Life ‎The Sources of the Life ‎The Life as an Historical Source ‎The Edition ‎The Manuscripts ‎The Textual Tradition ‎Notes on the Present Edition ‎The Use of the Life of St Pankratios in Later Literature ‎Iconodule Literature ‎Homiletic Literature ‎Hymnography ‎Hagiography ‎Conspectus Siglorum ‎Explanation of the Apparatus Criticus ‎Text and Translation ‎Βίος τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις πατρὸς ἡμῶν Παγκρατίου ἀρχιπροέδρου τῆς Ταυρομενιτῶν πόλεως, συγγραφεὶς ὑπὸ Εὐαγρίου τοῦ αὐτοῦ μαθητοῦ καὶ οἰκέτου ‎[Appendicula] ‎Appendix ‎1. The Avars ‎2. Rhemaldos ‎3. Menia ‎4. Akulinos ‎5. Tauros ‎Bibliography ‎Primary Sources ‎Secondary Sources ‎Index The Life Of St Pankratios Of Taormina, Despite Its Novelistic Approach To Hagiography, Provides Unique Insights Into The Administrative And Ecclesiastical World Of Eighth-century Byzantine Sicily.