Caesarius of Nazianzus (circa 330 – circa 369) was a physician, a politician and, later in life a quaestor under Emperor Valens (the one killed by the Goths at Adrianople in 378). He is considered a saint in both the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox church. His relevance for us is that he may have composed a set of “Dialogues” – a series of didactic questions and answers on various topics.
We say “may have” because his authorship of the same has been questioned. The original claim for Caesarius’ authorship of the Dialogues comes from Photius, an eight century Patriarch of Constantinople who said that, according to tradition, these were written by a brother of Saint Gregory of Naziansus (Codex 210 of Photius’ Bibliotheca). That brother would have been Caesarius. However, this claim has been disputed since Gregory, who outlived Caesarius, does not mention in his panegyric the Dialogues as a book that his brother had written and, more importantly, since – apparently – certain statements in the book suggest it may have been written later as in the 5th or 6th century. For that reason the author is also referred to occasionally as Pseudo-Caesarius. (was it Caesarius of Arles? (circa 470-542)).
What is interesting is that the Dialogues mention the Slavs and the Lombards. If Caesarius of Naziansus was the author he would be the first one mentioning the Slavs (but see here) – even ahead of Procopius and Jordanes. But, even if he was not, and the Dialogues were written later they would still be one of the earliest sources on the Slavs.
In the passage the author questions the validity of the so-called theory of climes (i.e., that various peoples’ disposition depended on where they lived – that is, in what climate). Caesarius compares the outrageous Slavs with the gentle Physonites (think Morlocks & Eloi).
The passage in question is in the 110th Q&A – shown here from Jacques Paul Migne’s Patrologia Graeca (Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Graeca) volume 38 (Dialogues II, 985/986):
“Why is it that those who live at the end of the world, Slavs and Physonites* who are also called Danubians; [why] some of these people eat the breasts of women (since they are full of milk) and smash unweaned babes on rocks like rats while the others refuse to eat even the clean meat which the law allows? And some of these are daring, independent and won’t be led by any government; frequently, they kill their leaders at mealtime or during an expedition; and they eating foxes and wild cats and pigs; and they signal to one another by howling like wolves; whereas the others abstain from gluttony/piggishness and give themselves up/subject themselves to any leader?”
The Slavs are Coming!
“Aut quomodo in sectione alia ejusdem tractus Sclaveni et Physonitae qui et Danubiani appellantur, alii quidem ubera mulierum libenter comedunt, quod plena lacte fuerint, instar murium infantes saxis allidentes; alii vero etiam a legitimo et irreprehensibili carnium esu abstinent? Qui eorum alii praefracti sunt, suo jure viventes absque cujusquam imperio, ac nonnunquam comedentem secum vel iter facientem principem sujum interficientes, vulpes et silvestres feles porcosque comedentes, et luporum utulatu se provocantes; alii vero a voracitate abstinent, et cuivis principi se subjicientes obediunt?”
* Physonites because the Danube was seen by the writer as the Biblical Physon of the Garden of Eden in this comparison.
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