Nicephorus the Philosopher

181 VITA S. ANTONII CAULEÆ PATRIARCHÆ CP.

Nicholas Mysticus, but they do not express for how many years he sat. ^A Zonaras seems to have expressed it, but through the carelessness of a scribe, or the fault of an ancient codex, it is omitted in the published copies. In Greek it is held thus: *Toù yàp 'Avtwviou θρόνῳ τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐπιζήσαντος ἔτη.... καὶ μεταθεμένου τὴν ζωήν, ὁ Μυστικός Νικόλαος πατριάρχης ἐκεχειροτόνητο.* Wolf translates: "For when Antonius had died, having governed the Constantinopolitan See for... years, Nicholas Mysticus was designated patriarch." But as to the error we contend exists in the cited Series of Patriarchs, it seems to have happened such that for *ιη* [18] was placed *ι*; or instead of *ιια* [11], only *ι*. Whereas perhaps the author might have written correctly: *'Αντώνιος ὁ Καυλέας, ἐπὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ Λέοντος ἔτη η'* [Antoniu Cauleas, under the same Leo, 8 years].

^B And later by Surius: "Funeral Oration of the most blessed philosopher and orator Nicephorus, or Life woven with encomium, of Antonius, great among the priests of God and admirable among the patriarchs." Which we also include here from that source. Who this Nicephorus might have been, and whether he published other works, we have nowhere read. That he lived under the Emperor Leo the Wise, under whom Antonius also lived, is evident from the oration itself. His oration, compiled and extant in the Menaea, indicates that some monastery existed under his name, perhaps founded by him, or in which he himself had once taken up the monastic habit. The Menaeon has it thus: *Τελεῖται δὲ ἡ αὐτοῦ σύνταξις ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ μονῇ.* That is, "His commemoration is celebrated in his own monastery."

ORATION ON ST. ANTONIUS CAULEAS BY NICEPHORUS THE PHILOSOPHER. EXORDIUM AND PROPOSITION.

If time, even when appearing to have grown old, were capable of bringing forth shoots similar to the famous ones that existed before, and through its final birth were to prove the admirability of the preceding fruits by the very things and deeds themselves, it would be another matter. For when the Creator had fashioned human nature from the beginning, and had implanted in it the substance of good seeds, He did not allow it to grow old with time, but to grow young again day by day, and to bear fruit kindred to the preceding ones, carrying in itself the unadulterated nobility of a heavenly lineage. For virtue does not receive its dimension from that which is later or earlier in time, but from the pure and incorrupt mind of those who conduct themselves rightly: just as he who is now proposed for praise in this oration, who by daily accessions ascended the whole scale of virtues, and arrived at the summit. ^C It would have been right, in my opinion, for those who throughout their whole life have placed their effort in oratorical skill, who are indeed good and powerful of tongue, to weave a crown of virtue—to exercise themselves in this—and to admire the things clearly and rightly done by him; but for me to compress my mouth in long silence, and to restrain my tongue with a bridle; and while others performed the duty of an orator, for me to be counted among the number of the listeners; and to revolve in my mind the memory of those whose inspection and experience, not long ago, could have been a teacher, so that I might be able to bear true and firm witness; and to receive through an oration knowledge of those things which are unknown: but not, with an unlearned tongue and a mind confused by the cloud of mental distress, to approach the magnitude of such a task, fearing the danger that threatens those who undertake things that are above their strength. For nature is so constituted that words cannot overtake deeds. But as for this man, now, where the longest time has measured out virtue, and his well-done deeds imitate a most flowering meadow, since no reasoning can cover them, I retreat with good reason. For neither because they are ignorant of their own talent, nor because they are ignorant of the magnitude of the matter, hoping however that they will receive something rather than give, do they think they will hide their own weakness by the magnitude of the virtues: for no one judges orations when stupefied by the admiration of the facts. Wherefore they hope that it will come to pass that they are simultaneously concealed and proclaimed, while because of the connection of ^D these things they are held in admiration. But since the opinion—which holds first place among all—of the mind that deems what is just must be bestowed upon the Father after his funeral rites prevails, granting the right of speaking entirely to grace (which, even if it be necessary to fall short, will add entirely what is missing, or rather will provide a complete correction to the oration), we approach the narrative, placing first in order, as a foundation as it were, his fatherland.

CAPUT I. • The birth, upbringing, and monastic life of Saint Antonius: since neither any of those things which pertained to the flesh in truth could Antonius have abandoned.

^A For it was surely proper to him, who already dwelt in the possession of the heavenly city—which is not far distant from the city that we inhabit, and who, virtually devoid of the flesh, knew only that celestial homeland into which are enrolled those who are workers of virtue—to have had a fatherland and ancestors. But since we see the Maker and Lord of all, who for our sake became like us by the assumption of our mass, having acknowledged both a fatherland and ancestors, and whose birthplace, Bethlehem the humble, is proclaimed by every tongue, it is not right to set aside or omit these details even in the case of the holy Pontiff; rather, it is pleasing to dwell upon them, in a way rendering thanks for his sustenance. In others, perhaps, the fatherland and family proposed bring praise from their own merit; in the man with whom we are now concerned, however, his birth imparts immortal glory to those from whom he sprang, sending back a radiance from below, similar to the reflections of solar rays.

Therefore, one single fatherland cannot be found. For Asia and Europe share the glory between them: the one claims his birth for itself on account of Thrace, the other on account of Phrygia. Yet as the matter is a subject of dispute between them, a third fatherland appears: namely, the Queen of Cities, which also nourished him, taking him into her arms almost from the time he was swaddled in childhood, as one who was later to be her honor and ornament. And this city, in her capacity as the capital, yields to him easily and with a ready mind, hoping to enjoy his glory. Asia, for her part, takes it ill, yet is not carried away into immoderate contention, but submits to the Queen; she is content with the glory of his ancestors, from whom the springs of his generation flowed. The Queen of Cities had as inhabitants those whom his family, tracing its lineage from Phrygia, brought as residents on account of the imperial offices they held in the Emperor’s army—men strong in spirit and strong in body, already describing within themselves the fortitude and constancy against vices that was to be produced by one of their own.

^B Born in a place of residence that was not far from the city, and avoiding the urban tumults ^C and the madness of the Iconoclasts which was then raging, he was nourished more by piety than by milk. When he had already begun to lisp, he provided his parents with pleasant wonderment. For to his lisping tongue he offered almost nothing to say except whatever belonged to our mystical worship—as much as can be expressed and pass from the lips of a child’s soft and tender nature—and this, steadily increasing with the growth of his body, had a corresponding and simultaneous increase in wonderment; and whoever saw it was a prophet of what was to come.

He was taught the figures of the letters by the Holy Spirit (for he did not need to go to a schoolmaster, and he turned away from the mockery of boys and other childish trifles) and brought them into his mind. Ingeniously, he would recite from memory all the holy prayers, especially those which, though not mystical and uttered in secret, reach the ears of those who are being initiated by the voice of the sacrifice; furthermore, he would also imitate and represent the things themselves, setting forth bread and holding a censer in his hand, just as if his holy soul could not tolerate not performing divine things even at an imperfect age, and would begin before the time of perfection those things which pertain to perfection. And for this holy boy, the work and study were instead of any game, accompanying his mother little, but for the most part being occupied with these things separately.

After she migrated to the blessed inheritance that never grows old, he associated with his father, then exercising himself in learning the holy psalms. As for the felicity of his disposition, he offered for view an understanding that was greater than his years, and a stature of body more mature than the time of his life, while his mind was more capable of what is good and honest than could be granted by the dimension of time. ^D Applying himself to considering matters more diligently—O stable mind! O good purpose!—he discerned and chose a mode of life; rejecting others, he looked toward the monastic life and burned with desire. For the beginnings of things, judged from their end, provide a safe election of that which is better. For he did not have a judgment that proceeded according to the proportion of his age, but in a youthful body, he displayed a hoary intelligence, by his deeds indicating his conjunction with that which is good and honest. By the things to which he extended himself, he signified the stability of an uncorrupted mind; and while despising glory, he rejected whatever did not lead to [God].

He chose the path that leads to Him—a rugged path, to be sure, but one that is profitable, and the only one that can convey good merchants to that truly ^A precious pearl. For he knew that the soul, once captured by divine love, contends entirely for that which is desired, and considers as nothing all things that do not contribute to what is sought. For that which has been chosen by the whole soul for acquisition is firm and stable; and that which is firmly acquired is prompt to be preserved. For he who had once been incited toward what is honorable, as if emerging from some prison, was borne along by the virtue of his parents, continually carried by the impulse of seeking God and contending toward Him.

As he presented a countenance full of grace, which consists in action, the meadow of philosophy flourished within him at the same time; and by arranging "ascensions" in his heart, he undertook more perfect works with more perfect counsel. He consulted, indeed, not by employing the divine muse, nor the vehemence of Demosthenes, but by a certain divine prudence; he surpassed man, and everywhere found a great possession—a divine thing, I say, namely charity, which makes men like gods; or rather, by bringing forth what he possessed, he was borne toward the goal, needing nothing of the (3) art of Hermogenes. Through this, there was present in him a gentleness and moderation of character, gravity, meekness, simplicity, sweetness, and the prudence of the serpent tempered by the sincerity of the dove. Hence it also came about that he knew the measure of speech and silence, the movement of the hand, the step of the foot, the limit of taste, the boundary of sight, the precision of smell, and the caution of hearing: so that the soul might remain in a mirror that is pure and according to nature, and that death—namely, he who uses his own ^B judgment—might not enter in secretly through the windows, as it is in the proverb. And beyond that, his one study was to make the flesh serve the spirit, to hunt the wild beasts of his thoughts, and to purge the caves with the notions of the mind as they investigated, sober and vigilant, like dogs, with the rapid motions of the mind toward better things.

There was a holy monastery, and he was distinguished in virtue: and action and contemplation, which apportioned the movements of body and soul, acquired for him great glory. When [the superior] had immediately joined him to himself, and, as far as can be in a youth, foresaw his virtue, he led him to his own habit and clothing: as if by a certain tablet, he formed him by his own proposed virtues, and by his own example he was to him a teacher of good disciplines rather than by speech. Exercised by him in the circle of the disciplines, he drew in the sweet stream of the divine Scriptures, repelling the intoxication of worldly drunkenness through that instructor; and from that time, never turning back, he sets his hand to the plow of exercise, cutting deep furrows of virtue and rightly preparing to bear fruit. And his nights, indeed, had a tongue vacant for prayers and hymns, and for the meditation of divine things; but his days had hands vehemently serving those who were exercised together with him. For he knew openly that other labors provide a great deal—for why should they not?—but not as much profit; whereas those which are brought to serve one's neighbor, bearing multiplied fruit, multiply the talent given by God to each one, whose sum is charity, which is the fountain of good things: from which a stream flows that cleanses filth, and which magnificently presents those who are splendid to God, describing by divine imitation, through compassion, that which is according to His image, which is indelible. For, dividing this charity within himself most excellently and wisely, he employed it as a companion throughout his whole life, through which the soul, flying away from sensible things, returns to the knowledge which it alone knows by actual experience how to reconcile with its first dignity. ^C

He laid a stable and firm foundation of virtue. Through it, he admitted not a trace of vain glory. For this vice is accustomed to follow the love of oneself. For that which is held by the love of self is also entirely held by the desire for glory; but he who loves his brothers is not held by the love of self. It is, therefore, above vice, which serves through charity, and reduces into servitude the wild beasts that are within—the furious impulses of the passions of the mind, I say: and he was subject to no anger, which tends to destruction, and which has an innate tendency to dissolve in time; he held not glory, nor riches, nor the very wisdom that is in speaking; but he had unique riches, namely, virtue and true philosophy. For he knew that even if philosophy is the knowledge of things that are, action is rather the ascent of true contemplation. But from the contemplation of things that are comes exquisite consideration. Therefore, by action he is seen to acquire true philosophy. Such then was the new Joseph, a rule of temperance, who erected clear trophies against vices and demons, and he himself was indeed illustrious, but made many others more illustrious by his own example. What to me are the Socratic admonitions to these things, or the Platonic laws, or the entire virtue of the Gentiles, which is ^D adorned by a fictitious petition concerning invention, the forms of speaking, gravity, etc.? He gave entrance, as one who would repel it by some bridle, so that he might be beautifully carried and borne toward virtue. Nor did he entirely indulge in cupidity, transferring, from the love of one's neighbor and of created things, to the Creator—which is indeed the last of things desired and the first of things to be sought. Through this, he preserved his liberality entirely unadulterated, from his earliest age repelling its contrary affection; and when he had acquired from it the compassion that dwelt within him, he became entirely God's. Thus, then, conducting himself rightly from his earliest age, he was in the mouth of all, and turned the eyes of all toward himself.

9. ^A Now, he was in the flower of his youth, with the down upon his face, which was full of grace; and as he progressed in his actions, the meadow of philosophy flourished within him simultaneously and beautifully. Disposing his ascents in his heart, he pressed on to more perfect deeds with a more perfect counsel. He did not consult the Muses, nor did he use the vehemence of Demosthenes; but he possessed a certain divine prudence that surpassed man, and everywhere he found a great treasure—a treasure, I say, that is divine, namely, that charity which makes gods, or rather, the charity he possessed. Being carried along toward this goal, he stood in no need of Hermogenes. ^B With this, there was present in him a mildness and moderation of character, a gravity, a gentleness, and a simplicity—a bridle for the serpent’s prudence, tempered by a dove-like sincerity. Hence he knew also the measure of speech and silence, the movement of his hands, the step of his feet, the taste of his palate, the boundary of his vision, and the rule of his sense of smell, along with the caution of his hearing; so that his soul might remain pure and, according to nature, a mirror; for it is not death, but he who uses his own will through the windows, who secretly ascends to it, as the proverb says. ^C Furthermore, his one single study was that the flesh should serve the spirit, and that he should hunt the wild beasts of thought, and cleanse the interior for those investigating the notions of the mind, being sober and vigilant like hounds, with minds swift for better movements.

10. Wherefore, he considered none of those things that tend toward destruction—things in which it is inborn to waste away in time—to be great: not glory, not riches, nor even speech itself, but wisdom. He held as his only riches, namely, virtue and true knowledge, which philosophy alone knows how to bestow. For he knew that even if philosophy is the knowledge of these things, action is the ascent to true contemplation. ^D And contemplation is the refined consideration of those things. Therefore, it seems that he who acquires virtue and defeats vices and demons with clear trophies, himself being illustrious and rendering others more illustrious by his example, is the one who acquires true philosophy. For what to me are the Socratic admonitions, or the Platonic laws, or the entire virtue of the Gentiles, which is exercised in appearance? Or who is Solon, with the decrees of his laws, who led men to better pursuits, although there was no access opened to them on account of his harshness? Or who is Epimenides, so wise in divine matters, who was the occasion of a divine life for many? Through whom, indeed, were vices put to death, and the soul and body were purified, and a life quiet and removed from business shone forth: in which both the bridle of anger and the rein of the tongue were fashioned, and the harmony of the parts of the soul was exercised. From these, and through these, one race was beautifully produced, which emitted the divine splendors of ancient beauty.

CHAPTER II

^{A B C D} ... (note: original source transition point)

of the monastery: his distinguished virtues as a father of monks. 11. When in the course of time he reached the age of manhood and was practicing the active philosophy, his teacher, because of his incorporeal life in the body and because he led him as his own child toward Him Who then held the kingdom llbracket(4), judged him worthy to be initiated into the priesthood of the royal city. Nor did he only lead him to the steps of the priesthood, but by his testimony he also ordained him to preside over the monastery; and as for the rest, it is revealed as a new Moses directing the people, so that from a small philosophy he might gather much skill in feeding them well. For he established that perfection consisted not only in acting rightly himself, but also that, through a kind of overflow, it should be a rule for everyone. For there are no such loud trumpets at the time when a battle-line stands ready, and soldiers are stirred up to combat—since those who are subject to him are stirred up to fight against enemies whom they perceive with the mind—as the way a commander of an army acts when, once he has begun the battle, he stirs them to virtue by his deeds; thus also he, whose leaders against the vices, once they have been adorned with the glorious victories of virtue, become an effective admonition for everyone.

12. The result was perpetual fasting, and watching, and prayer that was never interrupted: from which, and through which, was the maceration of the body, and in the flesh freedom from the flesh, and peace of mind. Hence, there was for them what was fitting: a sincere discernment and judgment, and, at the same time, contempt for all pleasures; and he accepted the trainer in winter and summer, with no equipment of the table, and with bread and herbs; not for many years, but from the tenderest nails, from the first onset of age, even to the last and to old age. Hence that austerity was tempered by sweetness, and the harshness by gentleness; so that neither was the reprimand useless because of austerity, nor was the discipline ^A a reason for avoidance, due to the difficulty. It was possible to see (for there my meditation resides) the priest standing during the time of the divine mystery, not otherwise than as the oration writes of that Samuel, with his whole soul fixed on the heavenly tribunal; and when he had returned from his intercourse with God, and from his divine contemplations, he was changed by the entire transformation. To me, indeed, it seems that the divine virtues also stood around him and ministered to him. O divine sacrifice! Performing the perfect mystery! O life, which was consumed by it, for him who was in the body as though incorporeal.

13. Seeing this, his father according to the flesh desired to change his way of life and to put on the monastic habit. For as far as the reasoning of virtue is concerned, he had nothing else, since his whole life depended on a better instruction. Nor did he strive for this through another hand, but through that sacred hand, by which he himself had been brought forth, he desired to receive this grace also. He asked for nourishment for all, that he might be initiated by the hand of his son, and might change his own way of living. He who had been regenerated by him, and who had provided the fountain of his bodily birth, made his son the author of a pure ^B regeneration. And when he had borne the monastic yoke for many years, full of days, full of virtues, full of graces, as though he were some fruit brought home to the heavenly granaries, when the time arrived in which the good hope is transmitted to accept crowns worthy of the labors—and so indeed did he conduct himself in an admirable manner. Nor can speech describe everything.

14. But having accepted the time as a gain, merciful in spirit, just as he had long before expected, he opened the fountains and sent forth the rivers of mercy, dissolving the filth of the poor, bringing forth—if anything was redundant—what was for their use: and bringing forth many other necessary things. For he did not distribute to them things that were redundant, but he truly established charity. And at the same time, a common benefit was proposed for the rich and the poor: for he relieved them by snatching them from envy, which is set against those who are not moved by mercy: a common benefactor, a common curator, ^C for magistrates and for private individuals, he was directing and composing the minds of all toward better things, though indeed he did little in words. Hence he was also venerable to the magistrates, venerable to those who were in high positions, and even to the emperors: and the whole work of administration went well for him, with no one opposing. But from these things it was not incredible that God, in order to contribute utility, also did admirable things through him, to the extent that virtue was potent to perform miracles, so much did he hide and...

temper the way he went about it, so that his own mind might be kept tranquil and the tears of all be changed. For what widow, what orphan, if they had come into his sight, either lamented their bereavement afterward, or was not relieved of their calamity? His own providence reached out to all, taking away through his benefits the evil that brought trouble to each one, consoling them with words, bringing aid with gold, covering them with garments. They saw also that certain things beyond reason met in him, which do not usually meet according to nature: austerity and sweetness, humility and gravity, severity and lenity. He applied some of these to those upon whom force was being brought to bear, while others he applied to those who were bringing the force. Some were remedies that would humble the pride and arrogance of those who lifted up their eyebrows against their neighbor; others refreshed that which was afflicted. ^B And God, being propitious, and the great emperor, rejoicing, were delighted.

Seeing the judgment of an incorrupt soul in his election, a judgment which could not be deceived in the matters themselves, since through him he had determined to bring the old ulcer of the Church, or schism, to a scar, he brought together the Eastern and Western [factions]. And having tempered the flower of philosophy with the art of rhetoric, he brought forth a salutary tongue, and with just persuasion, a happy countenance, and laughing eyes, he solved offenses, and in the very deed he showed how much difference there is between a king educated in doctrine and a power that does not participate in it. At that time, he especially tempered the living crater of the Church in the pontiff, who set a table rich and filled with the goods of active philosophy. And it was fitting for both the work and study of the philosopher-emperor and the industrious pontiff in action to be that great and admirable work, through which judgment is incorrupt, and the tribunal is unstained by gifts, and there is a wise contrivance of continuous judgments; through which truth is spoken freely and justice is conducted, and its adversary finds no place; through which the tears of orphans and the groans of widows could be repressed, and all the knots of malicious and deceitful machination dissolved, and the leader of the army could receive command as a reward for virtue, and from base gain could offer a hand clean to common and public affairs; and the rich would not endure the forfeiture of their goods, and the poor be affected by no contumely; and the farmer could happily cut his furrows, not fearing the payment of taxes on land whose fruits he did not reap. Their hands, extended to heaven, and the rivers of tears released from their eyes, had long since appeased God, and the just wrath which those who were subject to them had provoked against themselves by their sins, they repressed with the streams of tears, ^C flowing with the tears of mercy, and through their own mercy toward those who were of the same nature, they drew down divine mercy from above, and compelled the face of the earth, which was perishing from squalor and dryness, to renew the divine mercies, which are akin to the deeds of Moses and Aaron, to be compared with the deeds of Elijah and Elisha, and similar to the deeds of David and Samuel.

It is a great indication of his virtue that he sustained the pontifical care at a time when the emperor, having been nurtured from childhood in habits of justice, did not give himself up to pleasures, nor refuse labors, the fruits of which bring sincere pleasure; but dedicating himself to doctrine and eloquence, judging that philosophy was to be chosen more than other goods, as those things are brought about on its account, he moved a tongue that preached, which poured forth words sweeter than honey, similar to the words of Solomon and comparable to those of David. During which time he set a table of words more than of food, and emitted the sense of the depth of Scripture, which lay hidden from him without offense, in abundance as if from some fountain, and the whole chorus of the good was able to speak freely. Seeing doctrine together with virtues in the soul of the emperor, who used a youthful body, and the traces of ancient happiness, and the whole other subsequent state both civil and economic, and whatever discourse was held concerning the judgment of things, he attributed it to the discipline of characters, and he was entirely diffused with joy, and praised God, considering that occasion as a reason for thanksgiving, and saying that he was willingly surpassed by the emperor; who, even if he were overwhelmed by worldly cares, nonetheless followed things more accurately than those who had grown old in spiritual matters, both by the happiness of his genius and the faculty of speech: and he also knew well those things that pertain to the soul, as one who commands not only bodies, but also souls by the cleverness of his genius and the acuteness of his mind.

That admirable man despised all care of himself in that senile age, neglecting his body entirely, and those things by which he knew it was refreshed, and those things which would not hurt the body in bringing aid to the soul in the contests of virtue. Wherefore, in a long fast, and by conquering the pains of the body, he undertook labors that surpassed the strengths of the body; which indeed is contrary to nature and which the art of medicine hates. Even if his body was warmer in temperament, and signaled that what was lacking was not suitable for him, lest nevertheless he might appear...

to be remote from the nature of men, what happens? His soul, sometimes as if contracted within itself, and departing to God by the force of nature, as if by design providing relief to the body, relaxed the constant strain of his labors. This, however, to those who were unwilling to look rightly, seemed to be ostentation; but to those who were upright in heart, and not slow to look at the ancient examples of the Fathers, it was virtue and the height of virtues, and in truth an excess and emigration to God. Such was his course, such his life, such his righteous deeds. In necessities, endurance; in the chances of fortune, a great and lofty spirit; in labors, perpetual constancy; in hardships, fortitude; in labors for the sake of virtue, alacrity of mind; in weaknesses, ^A a spiritless ferocity! Securely henceforth invade, insult the prostrate: with the breaking of the body, the hope of life is also broken, the provision of the poor has perished. O what Fury has mangled the soles of my feet, so that I cannot even follow the funeral procession of him who drew many from the sepulcher of troubles? When the poor woman was saying these and many other things, as is likely, with weeping, and was being suffused with bitter tears, and her strength had failed her from distress and pain, she is overcome by sleep, and in a sweet dream sees the patriarch approaching, fashioning the sign of the cross upon her fracture with his hand, and saying: "Now you are healed, and you may enter without impediment"; and that he vanished immediately from her eyes. But the dream was confirmed by the fact itself, and the vision which was in sleep was verified.

CHAPTER IV. The death of Saint Anthony, his burial, and miracles.

And human weakness was being tested, as a fever penetrated within, and consumed the natural humor, and dissolved those adamant powers. He, however, with a benign look, following everyone with blessings, gave his final salutation: and while his tongue was powerless, his sacred hand signed those blessings that could not be uttered, and God was calling him to the heavenly tabernacle, and the choir of Angels was seeking him, who imitated Him truly on earth: and when the divine soul was separated from the ^B venerable and sacred body, when the lamps were lit, he was taken up to the great light with the lamp of virginity full of oil.

What can be compared with the miracles that have ever been, which published his genuine confidence towards God, and openly described the greatness of his virtue? For when the customary sign from on high had signaled the patriarch’s departure to the city around the great temple, a poor woman, who by the hand of him who afforded her a benefit provided herself with daily food, since from a violent fall she had a broken leg, lying immobile in a hut made of hay and straw, when the cause of what was being signaled was heard, at the sad news she suddenly grew faint in voice, and was tending toward apoplexy and paralysis. But when she had breathed a little, and had returned to herself, she wept and wailed miserably, and beginning to lament, she tragically deplored the calamity, calling upon the benefactor, the savior, the nourishment of the hungry, the covering of the naked, the wealth of the destitute, saying: "O harsh and cruel night, in which the blessed light of the poor was extinguished! O sad night, which poured out dark shadows for the eyes of the poor! O Eve, first parent, and disobedience, and envy, and serpent, and death, the inescapable punishments of human nature! O poverty bred with me, which perpetually sits by, and bitterly invades, you have no more the venerable ^C hand and the sacred hand that would drive away your trouble from us, as if by design procuring relief for the body! You may securely henceforth invade, insult the prostrate! With the breaking of the body, the hope of life is also broken, the provision of the poor has perished. O what Fury has mangled the soles of my feet, so that I cannot even follow the funeral procession of him who drew many from the sepulcher of troubles! When the poor woman was saying these and many other things, as is likely, with weeping, and was being suffused with bitter tears, and her strength had failed her from distress and pain, she is overcome by sleep, and in a sweet dream sees the patriarch approaching, fashioning the sign of the cross upon her fracture with his hand, and saying: 'Now you are healed, and you may enter without impediment'; and that he vanished immediately from her eyes." But the dream was confirmed by the fact itself, and the vision which was in sleep was verified. For when she had been awakened from sleep, although the pains brought her no further trouble, the woman could not believe such an admirable thing, and so contrary to expectation, but thought she was still in a dream. But when, having ^D been more perfectly awakened, she removed her doubt, she jumped up joyfully, recounting the miracle with voices of thanksgiving, and publicly celebrating the salvation given to her.

The plague of a hidden disease, not otherwise than she who labored with an issue of blood, steals salvation by the touch of the coffin, and finds liberation from long torment in a brief moment of time. What Aesculapius, what Chiron prepared such a remedy? What discipline of healing can be found for this kind of cure? When she had at last barely escaped the hands of many; others from elsewhere were hastening to receive some part; for a multitude was flowing in from all sides, of every kind, of every age, since, as the funeral rites approached, very many of the infirm in their violent impulse were struggling to snatch some part and carry away some food for the salvation of their soul; yet by the strength and effort of those to whom it had been committed by wise counsel to repress these things, after the body was consigned to the sepulcher, and nature paid the debt of the earth, and the clay was given to the dust; not even then did the potter leave the clay unhonored, but even when hidden in the sepulcher, he honors it with a miracle.

One of the silken garments of the emperor, seized by a disease of the side, when he had seen every hope of salvation cut off for him, and the physician counting the days, and observing the hours, and curiously inquiring after the time, and wasting time with these things; but his wife and children sprinkling him with final tears, and making the pain heavier with their wailings; when therefore he had seen these things, and that the disease was more powerful than any human aid, he fled to his divine servant Anthony: and when he had anointed himself with the oil that fed the light in the coffin, (for being a believer, he had a little that he had received) he immediately puts the disease to flight, and enjoys the cure, and beyond all

195 expectation approaches the coffin, confessing and proclaiming the gift with a loud voice. As for what occurred in his prayer, because it seemed not right that it should be changed for the better, a certain new and remarkable odor of most sacred ointment filled the senses of those who were present, silently honoring him who lay there, and describing the union and familiarity he had with God. For he who honored Christ in that flesh into which corruption falls, had had a mystical, pleasant odor shown to him, as is previously described by apostolic utterances; he is deservedly honored also by the grace that exhales that ointment, proclaiming the virtue of his operation.

25. The ninth [miracle] provided a more magnificent wonder, for the benefit of the poor who were accustomed to be fed by him, or rather by God through him, who even through Moses rained down marvelous food in the desert: and he multiplied the small provisions of the widow of Zarephath at the arrival of the prophet; and with five loaves, [he fed] five thousand; and again with seven, he fed four thousand, and provided certain witnesses, the baskets that remained over and above the satiety of the remnants. Here, too, there was a miraculous increase of the food that was distributed to the poor. This was bread and cooked grain, not indeed in an indefinite number, but as much as a defined measure of distribution was accustomed to suffice for a thousand souls. Moreover, the measurements were all the same as usual, the same baskets were used, the same hands of those who ministered were used. And while the number of those who carried the tallies in their hands was exhausted (for these having been distributed first, the multitude of a thousand men was counted), three baskets remained, which sufficed for the poor who arrived without tallies.

26. For certain of those who were in charge of the woolen and silk weaving, struck by disease in their sides, when they saw that all hope of health for them had been cut off, and were counting the hours and the time, their wives and children shedding their final tears and making greater lamentations in their shouting; when therefore he had seen these things, and that he was stronger than the human disease, he took refuge in the servant of God, Anthony: and when he had anointed himself with the oil that fed the light in the coffin, (for being a believer, he had a little that he had received) he immediately puts the disease to flight, and enjoys the cure, and beyond all expectation he approaches the coffin, confessing and proclaiming the benefit in a loud voice.

27. But what happened regarding Leo the Patrician, who was in command of the military units, let it be said by us. That man was suffering from a difficulty in breathing, because the instruments [of the body] had become obstructed by the causes that had flowed in, and his breathing did not have a free passage. When he was weighed down so heavily and was emitting a thin and feeble voice, there were present those who were related to him, wailing greatly (for death more violently agitates those who are distinguished by glory); but for him there was nowhere any solution to the disease, except from the divine Shepherd alone. For He approaches him as he sleeps, and when He had roused him from the bed, He asked how the disease was faring. He, touching his head and the limb that pained him, did not apply a Paeanic remedy nor the medicines of Chiron with His hands (for neither is there healing from these things for others), but when He had applied prayers appropriate to the disease, and had invoked Christ, the incomparable healer of our ills, he is indeed liberated from the grave disease; and the outcome of the prayers was true: for he immediately recovered, revealing the miracle without impediment, and celebrating his health throughout the house. These are the things omitted regarding the pontiff; the miracles done in his youthful age, I will recount repeating them.

He was plucking the lyre in the temple of the Martyr St. Theodore, which was situated over a certain cemetery into which the bodies of the condemned were cast; he saw two who were deformed in appearance (for such are accustomed to appear as they are) saying angrily to themselves: "Let us depart from here. For while the youth is present, we shall not endure to remain here." And they, suddenly fleeing, vanished together with this word. This shows the power that had previously been given to the saint over them.

What happened before this was of an equal time. An illustrious woman, passing by the monastery on a horse with her feminine finery, fell to the ground nearly broken. For when the divine Anthony was then among the youths, and had suddenly come out of the gate, the carriage happened to be suddenly disturbed, so that it might have cast her downward from on high, had she not been saved by those who were walking with her. She, however, being disturbed by what had happened, was mocking his venerated habit, as those who are of a small and abject mind are accustomed to do in such matters. To her, he who was perfect in his youth said: "Woman, do not attack him with curses; for it is by my hands that you will come to this habit." The saint said these things; and when many years had passed, the prediction came to effect, when he himself, the blessed one, had forgotten these things, but the woman had recalled them to his memory, and had revealed that he was the one who had then declared these things to her.

Chapter 5. Saint Anthony compared with the ancient saints: invoked by the author.

...transforms, who gives food to all flesh, who opens His hand and fills every living thing with a blessing; who glorifies those who glorify Him, and is wonderful in His saints. But since we have drawn a small draught from the great sea, the life of the wonderful Anthony, and the great among the patriarchs, let us learn the disciple from a comparison of the leaders. Adam is held in admiration as the beginning and root of the race. But this man also was a prince and author of many, who were not born from the conjunction of bodies, but were multiplied by a spiritual conjunction: to whom the pains of paternal condemnation did not befall; but rather [they were] heirs of gifts, namely eternal life, not death, having procured it for themselves: through which a true and genuine paternal kinship is expressed. And to him [Adam] the nature of wild beasts yielded; but not [the nature] of those who were within and lived with him. Hence the serpent and envy and deceit fabricated death. This man, however, when by the command of reason he had rendered everything that is bestial and wild obedient, left no instrument suitable for the enemy for fraud. Abel was the first operator of things acceptable to God.

^A but those were blood-stained and of that part which is void of reason. This man, however, is a sacrificer of the unbloody sacrifice, of which those were the type and shadow, sacrificing with reason and in spirit, and daily immolating himself by the mortification of passions foreign to reason; he was superior to envy and its progeny, to guile and slaughter, and finally to the whole similar chain. Seth was great; he had descendants from the union of kinship, which had slain a brother, who by the magnitude of their bodies described the magnitude of their transgression. But this man truly surpassed the virtue of the former; and to those who were born of him spiritually, he gave almost no access through his good precepts and warnings to become partakers of vice. Enoch and Noah are indeed considered blessed for their translation; the latter, however, because he preserved every genus of living things in the flood. ^B Our man, indeed, is not inferior to these in examples, and is superior in morals: and his translation does not hold a joy which might be interrupted by the expectation of death, but the succession of eternal life perceives pure pleasure: and he preserves the Ark, not full of animals lacking reason; but the Church, of which those are images, filled with every genus and age of those who are partakers of reason.

Having left his paternal home, being made a pilgrim by emigrating, he obeyed even unto death. But that man, indeed, fleeing the error of the worship of demons, which even nature itself and the mind—which has not entirely lost the power of judging through the dominion of the worse—teaches to flee, exchanged darkness and death for light, and impiety for piety, which are things to be sought by the whole of nature that is a partaker of reason. But this man, nurtured from boyhood on the milk of piety, and living in those things which were to be sought (for he had never admitted even a trace of any fugitive thing), sought with a more perfect judgment a more pious state and one more worthy of choice; life for life, and light for light, and—to speak at once—exchanging things to be chosen for things more worthy of choice. But how much difference there is between things to be chosen and those which are more worthy of choice; so much also is there altogether between those who choose. But Abraham indeed, receiving them with hospitality, those who were passing through Mamre, once unwarily received angels. This man, however, receiving the poor of the whole earth perpetually, received Christ with hospitality through his whole life, ^C who with ineffable kindness attributes their things to himself: through which, not in the appearance of angels, but in the truth of the matter, admitting into his soul the Trinity that is the creator of all things, he did not have the promise of one son who was to be born of carnal union beyond hope; but rather, that by the marriage of active philosophy he might be called a father in spirit, he had the promise, and beyond hope he saw a multiplication worthy of the promise, as he who, not by an incursion of three hundred servants, repressed the onset of many kings; but by the manly impulse of the tripartite soul, overturned the entire battle-line of those who were invading, and tyrannically reduced to captivity that which is akin—through pleasure—under the feigned appearance of a kingdom. ^D He who commands, not into some tomb, but into the mountain of virtues, laden with the wood of contemplation. Through which, kindling in the altar of the heart the fire of desire for God, he offered himself as an acceptable sacrifice. I find, however, that he very much imitated Jacob, not only in the fact that he did not order his life variously with feigned morals, but also in the fact that he withdrew from his fatherland and resolved to live in a foreign region: but not on account of the cohabitation of women, sisters, but on account of the desire for the sisters of virtues, I mean, contemplation and action; so that by action he might be a partaker of contemplation, and those things which are indeed referred and erected to one fountain, namely to the Supreme Good; through which by the multiplication of signal acts, not of cattle alien to reason, but of those endowed with reason, he became signal among the patriarchs.

Of the shadowy tabernacle. This man, however, [is of] the true [tabernacle], and of that of which that was a figure. He was with Moses the leader of the new Israel. He was with Samuel holy from infancy, and serving God even unto old age. He imitated the gentleness of David, and, if you will, also his fortitude: as one who did not bear himself rightly against Goliath, a certain man boasting in the magnitude of his body; but against the Goliath who is perceived by the intelligence, I mean the malignant demon, devoid of flesh, having gone out with the rod of continence, he raised a glorious trophy with the rod of faith. Elijah escaped the snares of Jezebel. This man, however, the snares of shameless sin. He had with Elisha a double grace of the Spirit, as one who was adorned with monastic and priestly gifts. ^A And that we may omit those who intercede on account of their multitude, not leading a solitary life like John, he imitated philosophy in the midst of the city. He also, as far as it pertained to him, had a table without any show, and he gathered his body in a garment woven from hair, and as if with a certain leathern girdle, namely, with the mortification of the passions of the soul, he girded his loins; and there flowed to him not one city, nor one nation, but a great multitude of the populous city, gathered from every genus of nations and cities, both eastern and western; not to be dyed with water, but to be purified by the spiritual mystery, which was performed by the divine instruments of his hand and tongue, and he initiated those who were worthy of the communion of deifying participation. ^{B C} traditions, and always composing his life to them, he confirmed by his deeds a genuine martyrdom, in which he had the zeal of the martyrs for piety, and died daily by his conscience; by the long-enduring and bitter suffering of monastic labors: because with martyr-like virtue in no thing is he more abject. Therefore, the morals of all the saints and just men, the course of some, and the action of others, he imitated, but most vehemently and constantly the desire for the Supreme Good of all. Which now openly enjoying, may you protect and defend, O

divine and sacred head, the sacred flock, and with your prayers strengthen the sceptres of piety, and extend a hand of holy power, sharing with him the cares of the world: and interceding before God, stand without ceasing for him, because you prayed when you were with him, and took part in his life: and calm for him all the storms and tempests of the wicked, and overwhelm the insults of his enemies, both those which fall under the eyes, and those which do not, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power now and always, and for ages of ages, Amen.

ANDREAS ARCHBISHOP OF CAESAREA IN CAPPADOCIA

NOTITIA

Andreas, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, of whom William Cave speaks remarkably in his *History of Ecclesiastical Writers*, at the year 500, page 379, in these words: "Andreas, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, seems to have lived towards the end of the 6th century and flourished in the year 500. His time is entirely uncertain, nor is there any mention of him among the ancients. This only is certain, that he wrote after Basil and Cyril of Alexandria, and before Arethas of Caesarea." He wrote to a certain Macarius *Commentaries on the Apocalypse*, which Theodore Peltanus of the Society of Jesus translated into Latin. They exist in Greek and Latin at the end of the *Commentaries of Saint Chrysostom on the Gospel of John*, in the Morellian edition, volume VIII. This is almost word for word from Bellarmine, whom Cave also expressed without naming him; a fault for which Cave, who often copies others, so frequently reproaches me. Bellarmine, however, adds one thing which Cave suppressed, namely, that because he had not read those commentaries inscribed with the name of Andreas of Caesarea, he feared to err after Bellarmine. Bellarmine therefore adds that Andreas often cites Basil of Caesarea in his commentary. This is certainly false, for Andreas did not allege him even once in his commentary, although he did express both the words and names of many other Fathers in his work. Moreover, the manuscript codices of this commentary vary greatly, especially in the libraries, as Lambecius states in book IV, or volume IV of the *Commentaries of the Imperial Vienna Library*, on the Greek theological manuscripts 172, 173, and 174, page 180, in these words: "Manuscript Theologicus Græcus 172 is paper, of moderate antiquity, folio, consisting of 120 leaves, and once belonged to Andreas Taumarus of Epidaurus. It contains the *Commentary on the Apocalypse of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist* by Andreas, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, whose preface is inscribed and begins in this way: *An Epistle of Andreas, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, to my Lord, brother, and fellow-minister. Having been often asked by many out of love, as though they had an opinion of me beyond my power, etc.* The commentary itself begins with these words: *The Apocalypse is the manifestation of hidden mysteries, the commanding faculty being illuminated either by divine dreams, or, etc.*" Theodore Peltanus of the Society of Jesus first published this commentary, but in Latin only, at Ingolstadt, at the press of David Sartorius, 1584, in 4to. In the same way, the same commentary also exists in the *Magna Bibliotheca veterum Patrum Græco-Latina* of Paris, 1654, volume I, from column 1529 to col. 1622.

Manuscript Theologicus Græcus 173 is paper, of moderate antiquity, in quarto, consisting of 151 leaves. It contains the *Commentary on the Apocalypse of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist* by Andreas, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, but it is wrongly attributed to Origen, as can be seen from the title of the Preface, which is there as follows: *An Explanation of the Apocalypse of the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian by Origen, wonderfully bringing its obscurity to light.* The preface itself is also mutilated at the beginning, and, as if it were intact, begins in this way: *Proemium. First of all, then, as you yourself know, all Scripture is God-breathed, etc.* — *Commentary of Origen on the Apocalypse of the holy apostle and evangelist John the Theologian, bringing its obscurity to light in a wonderful way.*

Manuscript Theologicus Græcus 174 is paper and of good note, in 4to, consisting of 83 leaves, which once belonged to Joannes Sambucus, as he himself testifies by the usual inscription in his own hand. It contains the *Commentary on the Apocalypse of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist* by Andreas, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, but incorrectly attributed there to the monk Methodius, as...