Month of September

care and zeal for the loathsome error of idols, and was breathing out great and savage threats against the pious, everyone, and above all the military, were forced to sacrifice to the demons. For letters were sent by the emperor everywhere, promoting impiety and ordering that Christians either sacrifice or be subjected to various punishments. Since these arrived at the army which was in the East, those men, as they were at that time occupied with preparations for war and were busy with constant and strenuous military training, and furthermore being devoted to the Christian religion, paid no heed to those imperial letters. Indeed, when a fierce battle broke out for them, they gained a most brilliant victory over their enemies. ^B II. This was reported to the emperor Trajan. But he, because of the oversight of his orders, did not even take into account the common good of everyone—that is, the victory itself—but exiled those who had disregarded the imperial decrees (the number of them was eleven thousand) to Melitene in Armenia and the surrounding areas. The rest of the army, however, was fearful and terrified by their exile, lest they, being grieved, might look toward rebellion and then harm them as well, as they had not shared in either their Christianity or their exile on account of it. But they neither did nor even thought of any such thing; rather, as true disciples of the Meek One, they were imitators both of their Teacher’s meekness and of his compassion; they bore the exile gently, and were not in the least bothered by the abuse. ^C III. Romulus, who was at that time the praepositus of the imperial palace, told the emperor Trajan that what had happened was to the advantage of neither him nor the city. But he, when he should have offered thanks to Romulus as one who was well-disposed toward him, acting like a fool and an ingrate, instead railed at him and grew angry, and brought forward piety as a crime. Romulus, however, caring not even a little for his words, prided himself all the more in the insults endured for the sake of Christ; and, being burned inwardly with the most ardent zeal for Him,

he openly and profusely reviles his gods with reproaches, while clearly confessing Christ and boldly professing piety. Trajan, therefore, being more intensely irritated, orders him to be stretched and beaten with rods.

^D IV. Romulus, however, receiving the blows with a great and brave spirit, cried out to Trajan: "Now know that I am being affected by the greatest benefit. For the body that is flowing around me with this red blood washes away the filth that I contracted from the stench of the idols, and the soul is clothed in a clean robe of incorruption." Trajan could not bear these things, but, moved to greater anger, he prepares for them a swift release and brings about a brief martyrdom; and he decrees that the head of Romulus be cut off. And he indeed gladly looked upon the sword for the sake of Christ, and most joyfully entered the stadium of martyrdom.

CHAPTER II

V. When much time had passed, Diocletian seizes the empire by civil blood and tyranny, and he strives to surpass the tyrants who had preceded him in cruelty and impiety, and to show that their savagery was but humanity. Whence also frequent edicts reached those who obeyed his rule, that all should either share with him in the communion of impiety, or death would be the penalty for them for disobedience. Consequently, because of the irresistible and fiercely savage nature of the man's wrath, some of the Christians preferred to live with wild beasts in the deserts rather than with men; others, entering mountains and caves and whatever could hide them, strove as much as was possible to escape even the sun itself.

VI. At that time, a certain pious man is denounced, and one who was truly undeserving of remaining hidden. His name was Eudoxius, or Marianus; for both were his proper names. Having been expelled from the dignity of *primicerius* because of his love for Christ, he had descended to a lower rank of counts; and even if he had not obtained this, he would have had enough, being consoled by Him alone whom he desired. He is denounced at that time to the governor of Melitene, who, since he had learned everything concerning the man, immediately sends those who were to fetch him. This did not escape the notice of Eudoxius; having put on a humbler garment so that it might not be manifest who he was, he appears to those who had been sent. When, therefore, they had met him, and not yet thinking that this man was the one sought, they asked where Count Eudoxius might be passing his time. But he, speaking most benignly to them, said, "If you would care to come under my roof and allow yourselves to rest a little from the fatigue of the journey, and to partake of bread and salt with me, I will show you the man you seek."

^A VII. Having therefore generously prepared the meal, he welcomes the men. When they had been sufficiently refreshed at the table, they then demanded that he keep his promise and asked him to reveal the man they were seeking; he immediately discloses to them that he is Eudoxius who was within, saying, "I am he whom you seek." This struck their souls more sharply than a sword; and answering, they said, "We will not betray you, our host, nor will we return such evil thanks for your hospitality. But this shall suffice for our defense: that although we labored greatly in our search, we were nevertheless unable to find Eudoxius at all." Such were the thanks they rendered to Eudoxius for his hospitality.

^B VIII. But he, who knew how to hide when it was necessary, and in turn not to hide when the time for this had come—for the divine grace which was present and teaching the athlete prompted him to follow the men—having called his wife Basilissa, or Mandane if you prefer, for she was called by those two names, he entrusts to her the matters relating to the household. And when he had committed all care for it to her, he gave her this final and sincere commandment: that she should not weep at his departure, nor lament, nor mourn his death at all, but rather adorn that day with lamp-bearing and other festivities. Immediately, therefore, Eudoxius despises ^C his own kindred; and for the sake of Christ, he forgets his affection for his children, that strong and inevitable bond for parents. For in order to gain Him, he considers all things to be loss and refuse. And he goes to the governor.

IX. And when he saw him, the governor said, "Hail, Count Eudoxius." And he in turn immediately returned the greeting, saying, "And hail to you, O governor." The governor said again, "We have summoned your Excellency that you may obey the emperor's decrees and offer the sacrifice due to the gods, especially to the father of all gods, the great Zeus, to Phoebus Apollo, and to the dear maiden Artemis." The martyr said, "I have one sacrifice: that of the true God, who brought all this universe into existence; and to Him I shall offer a sacrifice of praise, who is recognized as God in a trinity of persons, the dispenser of life and the provider of true salvation. ^D As for these whom you name as gods, I see them as wood and stones, differing in no way at all from any other inanimate material."

^A To this, the other was unable to look—from where indeed would he, since he was sleeping in the deep stupor of impiety? "I," he said, "exhorted you to carry out the emperor's commands and to perform the customary sacrifices to the gods; but you, as I see, show contempt both for the gods and for the emperor, in that you have so shamelessly insulted the gods whom he worships, and are introducing some new-fangled religion contrary to this, and, as has reached my ears, are persuading many to adopt it."

X. ^B The governor was saying these things, with many soldiers standing around. Looking fiercely and grimly at them in the meantime, he said, "Whoever of you also does not follow the imperial decrees, take off your military belts and acknowledge yourselves to be stripped of the symbols of your rank." Why did that wicked man say this? In order that, if any through the fellowship of military service felt kindly toward Eudoxius and were of the same mind as he, they might feel ashamed to be the only ones standing apart in such a great multitude; for he supposed them to be few in absolute number. And from this he intended both at the same time to put Eudoxius to shame, thinking thus that he held views alien from the whole army, and at the same time, having found him alone, to do with him whatever he wished. But He who catches the wise in their craftiness turned this maneuver against his own head. For he had not yet finished his entire speech, when the noble Eudoxius (for at that time he was still wearing the insignia of his rank) immediately removed his belt and threw it into the governor's face. ^C This became an exhortation to the others and ignited their zeal; and the whole company standing around, numbering one thousand one hundred and four, immediately taking the good example of Eudoxius, also cast their belts into his face.

XI. Trembling therefore at the multitude, the governor reported the state of the matter to Diocletian. He ordered the authors and ringleaders of such audacity to be punished with the most severe tortures, but left the verdict regarding the others to the senate. Having received such authority from the emperor's madness, he caused the noble Eudoxius to be brought before his tribunal and said, "Cast aside your foolish investigations and disputes of mind and tongue, and sacrifice to the gods willingly; for otherwise, the severity of the torments will compel you to do it even against your will." ^D And he immediately enumerated bonds, and blows, and prison, and fire, and the other most severe things, which were grievous even to hear by the mere mention of them. I know that you, too, grew dizzy hearing these things, and are anxious about the rest of the narrative; whether perhaps the speech troubled the young athlete. But be of good courage; for it only ignited a greater flame within him on behalf of piety, because…

he calculated that he would thereby obtain a far more glorious crown of victory. ^B XII. Accordingly, the martyr says to him: "You are playing, governor," he said. "I consider these things to be mere bugbears of children, for I look to the rewards that are from above, and I hang only upon the bounteous right hand of my Christ, the judge of my contest. For I am terrified by that fire which cannot be quenched, and the gnashing of teeth, and all those other most bitter things that are laid up as a portion for those who despise God and do not obey Him. But these torments of yours are, for me, entirely a game; even the fire with which you threaten me is colder than water itself. And the sword will confer a benefit upon me, for it will send me to the things I desire, and in place of this sun of yours, which sets and is quickly hidden, it will restore to me that Sun of Righteousness who never sets, and who emits a sweet and ineffable ray; and in place of this worldly spectacle, which a little later will be no more, it will give me those things which are firm and stable and which last forever. And as for the notion of considering a piece of wood, or a stone, or gold and silver—things which a hand has fashioned and art has polished, carving into them eyes and hands and the rest of the limbs—to be gods, how is this not altogether foolish and mindless?"

CHAPTER III

XIII. The governor, taking him up, said: "It seems that my great leniency and gentleness have led you to such folly and audacity. But as for the insults against us, so far as we are concerned, we shall endure them; but to tolerate your insulting the gods themselves and the emperor, that is truly foolish and not far from madness." Then the martyr said: "Not an insult," he said, "are these things to those who are sound in mind and have not destroyed their senses." This provoked the governor to greater fury; and he immediately ordered the athlete to be stretched by four men and beaten cruelly with fresh leather thongs. But when he had been scourged for a long time yet continued to display a philosophy of incorporeal things within a mortal body, and the tyrant saw that he had been shamefully mocked in the first encounter, he released the martyr from the lashes and cast him into prison.

XIV. When he had spent some days in prison, he ordered him to be brought before him again. And the governor said: "Has any repentance come upon you, and have you come to your senses from that madness and insanity?" But the noble one replied: "Not yet, as I see, have you understood our matters; but I know well that you will understand, and you will learn them, albeit late, when you have been more endangered and have subjected me to more bitter tortures." Unable to bear this, the governor… ^D

not, however, without being stirred to a far sharper madness ^A—crushes his neck with iron leaden globes, and displaces his joints, which is indeed more bitter than all deaths. This new and unusual engine was therefore applied to the athlete. But he stood like a tower that cannot be taken, not even in the slightest degree shaken by the other’s assaults. The governor, therefore, since he could not bear to be so shamefully defeated by him in all things, condemns him to death; for he deemed it sufficient if he might be rid of the man even in this way.

XV. When, therefore, the multitude of lictors had taken charge of him, after they arrived at the place of execution, the martyr, lifting his hands and his eyes together toward the heavens, said: "Master Lord God, who didst accept the sacrifice of Abel, the whole burnt offerings of Abraham, the blood of thy martyrs and prophets and just men from the beginning of the age, and their long labors, and their exceeding endurance; do thou also now behold with benign eyes my sacrifice, and despise not, O Lord, this small amount of blood about to be shed for thee, which is sacrificed to thee with a most fervent spirit. For behold, as thou seest, I lay down my soul for thee this day." Then adding again, he said: "May those who, because of me, call upon thy holy name, O kind Master, obtain the help that is from thee; remember thy heritage, which thou hast acquired, and may thy mercy, O Lord, not fail them." Having spoken these things to God, he turned from thence ^B and saw his wife, and when he had recalled to her memory the things which he had previously commanded her, and had received from her the faithful promise that she would rightly execute everything, he instructed her in this final command: that she should dig a grave for him in the place which is called Amimna, and bury his body therein.

XVI. When a not small multitude was standing around him, he saw someone standing in the midst named Zeno, a man most dear and familiar to him, lamenting his death. To him he said: "O dear Zeno, thou indeed, I know, art weeping for our parting; but God, whom I serve and in whom I trust, will not separate us from one another, whom a warm friendship of old and the love toward Him have joined together; but just as in a single ship, so shall we sail through life together." Moved by these words, Zeno was warmed in his heart ^C and set aflame; he took courage and immediately testified for all to see and hear that he was a Christian. ^D Now while he was shouting this with boldness, the lictors, having seized him according to that which had been commanded by the tyrant, take away his head with a sword; and the prediction of Eudoxius thus quickly finds its fulfillment, and he sees his friend Zeno immediately perfected by martyrdom.

XVII. Having thus provided for his friend, and having seen Zeno perfected by such an end, since a voice from above was calling to him even then, and he himself sought death just as one would a feast, he gladly submitted his blessed head to the sword.

The wife, moreover, beholding the man who had been slain for Christ, not only in body but also in spirit, did not look on with sloth, nor did she utter anything ignoble or womanish; but running with all speed, she receives the athlete’s blood in a fleece of wool, for this had been commanded to her by her husband. Having lifted the body, she honors it with burial just where she had been instructed, not neglecting any of his other commands; not because she had lost him, but because she had not departed with him, counting her widowhood a misery. ^B XVIII. When she was thereafter summoned to the tyrant, she came of her own accord and mocked his gods, making them a laughingstock, not even leaving him immune from scorn for enduring the honoring of such things. "But you," said the tyrant, "do these things wishing to be killed by me, and making haste to catch up with your husband, so that you might gain some reputation among these impious Galileans. I, however, shall by no means bring death upon you, even though you are worthy of many deaths; do not think that you will obtain this from me." But she said, "My Master sees my heart and accepts my intention before my deeds. Therefore, because I have not been slain by you, I am not deprived of my crowns; but because I dedicated myself in the readiness of my spirit, I shall partake of the same rewards and enjoy equal recompense." When she had said this, he drove her from the tribunal. XIX. Not yet had seven days passed when the glorious martyr Eudoxius appearing in a dream to his wife, ordered her to send to the praetorium Macarius, his familiar friend. When she reported the vision to Macarius, he went to the praetorium as quickly as possible; and when the attendants knew who he was, they immediately seized him and led him to the governor. And he immediately asked him what was his religion and what was his race. He answered him, "I am a Christian, a slave of Christ. I have long since learned to despise the gods of the gentiles and their profound deception, this having been taught to me by the wonder-working Eudoxius. Hence it is that I strive to offer myself as a sacrifice to the true God, through which I shall be able to reach my lord Eudoxius quickly." ^D XX. The governor, therefore, when he heard the name of Eudoxius and learned that this man was his disciple, was immediately perplexed in all things, for he knew that he would accomplish nothing more in the disciple than he had accomplished in the master. And the miserable man said, "Let this Macarius have his wicked head cut off with the sword forthwith."

the executioners did what had been commanded. Thus Macarius becomes truly “Macarius,” which is to say “blessed,” and is enrolled in the choir of the martyrs who preceded him. And such a trophy did these noble men raise up against the common enemy of our nature, in Christ himself, God, and the Father without beginning, and the holy and good Spirit; for to him is due glory and power, honor and adoration, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. ^A

THE MARTYRDOM OF THE HOLY AND GLORIOUS MARTYR OF CHRIST, SOZON, WHO SUFFERED IN CILICIA UNDER THE IMPIOUS MAXIMIAN.

I. ^B When Maximian was governor of Cilicia, and was striving with great zeal to increase and exalt impiety, in accordance with the edict of the emperors; and having arrived at the very city of Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, was honoring the golden idol worshipped there with splendid sacrifice and other attentions, and was thus displaying his own false religion: a certain young man, having Lycaonia as his fatherland, and named Tarasius from birth, but renamed Sozon in divine baptism—having cast off his name along with his former life—being a shepherd of sheep, became no less a shepherd of men. For in whatever places he would happen to be while tending his flock, he would welcome all there to the feast of the word of piety, and would lead many into the fold of God. This man, being cheerful and gentle in character, and having his will in the law of the Lord, and meditating upon it day and night, for this reason did not fail to attain the prophetic blessedness. ^C

II. When Sozon had one day come to a certain place ^D which had a spring, and due to the spring and the grass that grew

near it, where he was pasturing his flock, a very timely and sweet sleep fell upon him, and a certain divine vision came to him. The vision further strengthened him in piety and infused him with courage. It also revealed that grace was about to descend upon that place from above. For he said, "This place here shall be useful to many, and they shall find salvation at it, and shall glorify the Trinity." ^B Having arisen from there, that noble shepherd came to Pompeiopolis; and when he saw how piety was flourishing in it, and how the affairs of the Christians were despised and utterly neglected, he could not bear it calmly. But of a sudden a zeal took hold of his heart, and having arrived at the temple where the golden statue stood, he broke off its right hand; and having sold it, he helped many of the needy who were there. This did not escape the notice of the temple custodians; but because they did not know who had done it, many miserable people who had done no such thing were immediately seized and were accused of sacrilege, being considered the most wicked of all malefactors, as if they had stolen the image of their god. No one brought them aid, but even those who were formerly their friends turned away from them, and the prison guards (for so they thought they would be doing a favor to the gods) severely afflicted those who had been captured.

III. ^C But the noble Sozon, wishing to profess piety freely and to deliver those who knew nothing of the things that had occurred, gave himself up, coming to the temple custodians and saying that he was the one who had committed the evil deed against the image. When he had said this, he was immediately led away to Maximian. He, sitting on a very high tribunal and having caused him to be brought before him, and having appeared with as much arrogance as he could, first asked his name, then his religion, and lastly the country that had given birth to him. He, however, said: "My country indeed is Lycaonia, for that gave me birth; my parents, moreover, imposed the name Tarasius upon me from my birth; but they called me Sozon in divine baptism. For I am a Christian, worshipping Christ alone as the true God, who created heaven and earth." "But what business," said Maximian, "brought you here?" "I act, Sozon said, ^D as shepherd to a flock of sheep, and whatever places the seasons show to be flowering, well-watered, and lush with grass for grazing, there I drive the sheep." "What then," said Maximian, "how did you proceed to such audacity, as even to take away the right hand of the god?"

IV. Sozon then, replying, said: "That what has been done is not an act of audacity, nor should it be imputed as a sin, your god himself, as it seems to me, testifies. For he neither bears it ill, nor, as if moved by injury, speaks anything harshly. But if he were to be endowed with any voice, it seems to me he would rather accuse and openly rebuke you, because, having abandoned the Creator of all things, you are stunned by inanimate matter and think it to be God, showing yourselves ungrateful and unmindful toward your benefactor." "But if you wish," said the governor, "not only..."

to obtain forgiveness, but also to be deemed worthy of some reward, dismiss these trifles, Sozon; save yourself, and approach and sacrifice to the gods." "And how," he replied, "would I not be far more senseless than even your god, if I chose to honor one who, even when suffering himself, was neither able to defend himself, nor to utter any voice, nor to call upon those who might help him, nor—the most miserable thing of all—to protest what he was suffering? It is in your power, therefore, you who worship such things, to fashion gods every day, and to refashion others, placing the creation of gods in the craft of your hands." ^A

V. When Maximian’s spirit boiled over at these words, he handed the martyr over to grievous and bitter tortures, and first of all he tore him with iron claws. But since the torment reached even to his very bones, and he, on the other hand, was calling upon the Godhead as a good ally, and bore it as lightly as if he had a body composed of iron, and was more insensible to the tortures than the tormentors ^B themselves, Maximian turned again to other things. He put shoes studded with sharp nails upon the athlete and forced him to walk in them. But he ran as if walking upon roses, and seeing streams of blood descending from his feet, he seemed to be surrounded by sweet things, and considered the mockeries of the tyrant and the bystanders to be praises. And the athlete took more pride in this than that man did in his chlamys of office. Then Maximian, mocking him, said: "Play the flute, Sozon, tomorrow when the great goddess goes out, and I swear by that very one, you shall immediately be released from all inquiry and torture." But the martyr said: ^C "You speak such things to me in mockery and derision, with the evil demon breathing them into you against us. But I indeed have played the pipe well in the field before, gathering and recalling my sheep; and now also I sing a new song to my Lord, announcing His salvation to all. But your goddess would be, according to the proverb, 'an ass at the flute,' since she is entirely inanimate and endowed with no sense at all."

VI. At these things, Maximian rises up against him with more anger and inflicts upon him scourges more vehement than the former, in order that, he says, his joints might be dislocated, the connections loosened, and his inwards flow away like water. ^D Then, having ignited a fire, he threatened to burn whatever limb might still be left, so that he might not even attain the common burial of all. So Maximian thus prepared himself, and so he acted; and while the flesh of the martyr was being torn by the lashes and his inner anatomy was being laid bare, he behaved as if he were spending time in a green meadow and gently picking flowers, and joyfully he rendered his soul to God.

VII. But when the flame had already risen on high, a thunderclap from above, sounding something terrible and ominous, and bringing with it much rain and hail, dispersed the executioners and drove them from the midst. But the friends of the martyrs, and especially those of them who were more diligent,

securely gathering the martyr's relics. Meanwhile, when night had also arrived, their prompt and eager zeal was not retarded. For it was no longer night, but a most radiant light suddenly shining forth made manifest what ought not to be hidden, and enabled these ^A to be easily taken up and gathered by the pious. All these things, having been holily gathered, obtained a noble and magnificent burial on the seventh of September. For that light even came to the tomb itself, and remained at the burial of the relics. Then the night returned to its own nature; and everywhere Sozon was proclaimed a glorious victor to the glory of God the Father, and of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom belong honor, glory, and power unto the ages of ages. Amen.

MARTYRDOM OF THE HOLY AND GREAT MARTYR SEVERIANUS

^B I. When the impious Licinius was reigning, Lysias, who was then dux, was hastening to come from Caesarea to Sebaste; for the season of the martyrs of Christ was calling him—those, I say, forty glorious victors. When their martyrdom reached its finish, Severianus was also brought to the dux. This man was distinguished by his virtue. It was reported, indeed, that this Severianus not only held the Christian religion and openly visited the cult of the Gentiles with reproaches and insults, but that he was also drawing many of the Gentiles to his own God by deceiving them. Besides these things, they also brought other charges against him, to wit, that of those forty who had shortly before struggled manfully, and had yielded neither to the experience of torments nor to the promises of good things, but had maintained the same resolve until death, Severianus was the principal cause of their endurance; and that, since he possessed many riches, he would not allow any of those of the same belief to be in want; nay, even that he would not permit those who were shut up in custody because they had changed their religion to embrace a better resolve by reason of the lack of necessary things: but by supplying them abundantly, he rendered them more impudent. And these things, indeed, envy was taking ^C as pretexts from the truth.

^A II. The dux heard what was being reported, partly glad, but partly also immediately incited to wrath. For he was glad at the things he was about to punish later—which, due to his excess of cruelty, was most pleasing to him—but he was led to wrath that he should learn there was anyone at all who dared to despise his such great madness. For he wanted, even by the mere report of his ferocity, to make those who worship Christ fear him and hide in the furthest recesses and lurking places. And so that Lysias might not be named in vain (for he was raging with an unconquerable rage against the Christians), he sends some with a terrible command to seize Severianus at once and bring him to him. But what did the soldier of Christ do? He did not even wait for those who had been sent, but forestalling their arrival, he stood before the dux and, judging it to be the time for free speech, exclaimed: "Lysias, is it not enough for you to perish alone and drive the sword against yourself, but do you also wish to destroy our souls, and offer them as some sort of prize to your demons? But know now that you have fallen upon men who are brave, and who are not of a faint and abject spirit; for to me (as my teacher Paul says) to live is Christ, and to die for him is the greatest gain."

^B III. By these words, the athlete instantly shook the tower of the madman’s insanity, partly because, contrary to all expectation, he had appeared without even waiting to be called; and partly because he had used unbelievable boldness the moment he appeared. He kept silent, therefore, for a while, being utterly perplexed and in doubt. Then, looking hideously at those who were standing by, and pointing to the martyr with his hand, he said: "Let him be torn with raw thongs as quickly as possible, so that he may at least perceive in this way what it brings him to speak boldly at an improper time." But he, being beaten in this way, rejoiced in the torments he was suffering for Christ, and as a healing remedy he sang that psalm-song over his wounds, saying: "The sinners laid upon my back, they prolonged their iniquity" (Ps. cxxviii, 3); and he considered the blows to be an incitement to the love of Christ.

^C When the tyrant, however, saw that those who were doing the scourging were more exhausted, but that the martyr, through his suffering, was showing a face more radiant with the light of the Spirit, he ordered the scourging to be relaxed. ^D Then, having seemingly shifted to a milder tone, he said: "You are not a cowardly soldier, so far as I can tell from this first experience, but one who is strong and manly and capable of risking danger. You can learn from what is present that Christ has not brought you any joy or prosperous fortune." But the martyr, encouraged all the more, and having, as it were, made his tongue more eloquent by the experience of pain, said: "If the eyes of your soul were not darkened by the shadows of impiety, I would have shown you how many good things the punishment you have inflicted upon me has brought me. But now, what should I do, appearing and singing before a blind and deaf man?"

If you were not affected in this way, judge, you would have understood the grace and power of Christ which strengthens me. For do you think that without this, blood and flesh could be so easily disposed toward torments? If you think so, if you are unable to see these things that are before your feet, how is it that all your things are not deaf and blind, and like your own gods?

^A IV. The duke, laughing heartily while the martyr had not yet stopped speaking, said, "I am so far from thinking that you are in your right mind and from believing the things said by you, that I shall myself be the more eager to change you toward a sounder mind by future torments." The martyr said again: "These words convict you of great folly; but since you have such confidence in torments, and you think that by these you can persuade me, I am near, and the hands of the executioners are not far away. I shall speak freely, therefore, in the necessity of my spirit, and, according to the divine Job, I shall open my mouth, constricted by the bitterness of my soul; and you shall see me firmer than any statue, and superior to a passible nature. For with my God is my strength and my power, and in Him is my hope and my help."

When Lysias had received these words: "You are an audacious orator," he said, "and one flowing with a great abundance of speech against us, boasting and bragging against the gods. Does it escape your mind that you are speaking to a governor who has power over your life, when you are one of many, and are numbered among the legions of soldiers?" He, however, said, "I do not deny it, but piety toward Christ gives me such audacity and freedom of speech. But I am distressed in spirit, because there is no one to judge us impartially and at the same time wisely; for perhaps, Lysias, you might have recognized the power of the Creator God, and despised the false gods. ^B But why have you made our zeal of no account? And in what do you yourself take pleasure, and think so highly of yourself? For you are a ruler, and from the heights, I shall not deny; yet you differ in nothing from our common nature. For you too are a man, to whom death and corruption befall. Yet you have authority over us not absolutely, but only over the body; for the divine Oracles themselves teach me not to fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather to fear and dread Him who is able to condemn both soul and body to gehenna, which shall receive you, who now boast immoderately, to be punished eternally with your very gods and demons."

^C V. Incited to greater anger by these words, Lysias orders the martyr to be hung on a wooden beam and his body to be torn with iron claws. As the martyr felt the more acute torment (for how could there be crowns, if they did not receive labors and pains?), "Jesu Christ," he cried out, "You who alone do wonders from of old, You who were hung upon the cross, and thus cast down the proud one, You who even until this day are magnified and exalted because of Your admirable works, come to my

^A aid, and crush the arm of the sinner and the wicked one, and unite and bind together the loose joints of my limbs, O Good One, and grant me to complete this struggle of martyrdom. Dispel also the darkness that hangs over Your entire flock. You see to what height it has been raised, and how it has laid hold of almost everything. Thus, then, the martyr prayed while suspended. The tyrant, however, kept sending executioners one after another, contriving thereby even sharper pains. But when he saw the saint bearing what was being inflicted upon him with an unchanging and composed expression, he was perplexed and ordered him to be released from his bonds and cast into prison. The martyr, therefore, as he was being led away, glorying in a manner in his wounds, cried out through the midst of the city: “You who see the wounds of the athletes of Christ, consider their rewards and prizes. For the good things which the immortal King both gives now to those who suffer for His sake and stores up in the heavens for the future are neither to be grasped by the mind nor expressed in words. And this very thing—to suffer for Him—is sweet; but to die for Him is even sweeter.” Many followed the man, and a larger crowd flowed after him, being taught the things of salvation by him, until he reached the prison and had entered inside it. ^B

VI.

^A VII. When the duke heard these things, he immediately cast aside his mask and theatrical performance, and Lysias appeared again with his habitual harshness and cruelty. He ordered the martyr’s mouth to be crushed with stones, and then for him to be commanded: “Do not carry the crucified Christ upon your tongue, nor, by commemorating him, be a nuisance to the duke’s ears.” But that noble athlete, even while struggling with such torment, still added a reply: “You wretch,” he said, “having once made your own soul a dwelling-place for demons, it is natural that you cannot bear even the name of my Christ to enter your ears.” To this the duke replied again: “Severianus, believing that you had become more moderate through the preceding tortures, I shared my speech and gave the advice that was fitting as far as concerned me. But since you yourself contend all the more to conquer your former sufferings with subsequent ones, and to eclipse your past pains by the excess of these later ones, so that you might obtain some glory from those Christians who are as foolish as you are, I shall teach you by experience that your Christ will not help you even in the slightest.”

Then Severianus, himself also filled with the divine Spirit according to Paul, said: “We do not look at these things that are seen, O judge, but at those things that are not seen ^B. For the Liberator shall come, and the Holy One shall visit from heaven, and he shall prove all the torments inflicted upon me by you to be empty and entirely vain, as they truly are.” When the martyr had answered this, the duke turned to those standing around and said: “Since Severianus looks for rewards for these present evils, let him meanwhile hang suspended on the wood, and let iron claws consume his sides. And let there also be guards around him, so that he may be lacerated more vehemently, and perhaps he may give us some thanks, since we are thus the authors of more blessings for him.” ^C

VIII. These things he said, as if mocking; and a multitude of executioners, immediately surrounding him and lifting him on high, lacerated his sides more cruelly. But he said: “I consider only this one wound to be grievous, the one that separates me from Christ. But all these others are rather a pleasure to me; for by cutting me off from the things that are on earth, they join me to Christ alone.” Meanwhile, the duke kept saying: “Sacrifice, Severianus, to the gods, and be delivered from your torments.” But he, caring not in the least for his words, nor deigning to answer him, said quietly to himself: “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed ^D.” The duke, therefore, thinking the martyr’s silence to be contempt, as indeed it was, devised more serious things against him. Having taken him down from the wood, he led him to the wall and bound two stones, of massive size and heavy weight, one to his neck and the other to his feet; having girded the martyr with a rope, he let him hang suspended from the wall, so that by the weight of the stones his limbs might be pulled apart and he might violently yield up his soul. But truly he hoped in you, O Lord, and he was not...

^A ashamed; for while the formation of his limbs was being torn from its proper frame and his bones were being bared of his flesh, his determination remained entirely impassive. Lysias, mocking him from above, said: "Endure it, Severianus; for perhaps in this way your reward with your Christ will be greater." The martyr, now failing and coming to his final breaths, said: "If you knew, tyrant, what you obtain for me by this, you yourself would desire to endure the same thing"; by this he meant that he was yearning for even greater things on account of Christ. Lysias, therefore, admiring the man’s great endurance and fortitude, and especially that he had responded so opportunely even though he was involved in such evils, answered: "I thought, Severianus, that you were an uneducated man, ignorant of letters, as you are a soldier and trained for wars; but as I see, you are fluent of tongue and most eloquent in speech." To these things the saint replied: "God," he said, "whom I serve, being able to hold together ^B and sustain all things, if He takes an uneducated man, He makes him wise; if one who is mute and slow of speech, He demonstrates him to be an eloquent and articulate orator." He said these things, and having stretched out his hands a little, he said: "I give you thanks, Lord God, because you have strengthened me, and have made my arms a bronze bow, and have rescued my soul from the impious sword, from the enemies of your hand, and against those who were rising up against me, you have exalted me. Now I shall dwell in your courts, O Master, and in the good things of your house you shall make me dwell; for the dwelling place of all who rejoice is in you." Having offered this prayer, he immediately rendered his spirit to the Lord, on the ninth day of the month of September.

IX. On the following day, some of the pious [people], to whom the martyr while still living had entrusted his burial, ^C gathered together, and having magnificently prepared that martyr’s body, and having sung hymns over it, and having performed all that is customary for Christians—taking it up with longing and at the same time reverent hands—they carried it in the middle of the night to the martyr’s homeland. But when they arrived at a certain place, the arrival of the relic was announced there to his homeland. Everyone thought to go out to meet them, and all went out together, and there was no one who did not come: not an old man, not a boy, not the infirm, not the naturally slow; but each one deemed that he would snatch the blessing if he could only be the first to arrive to meet the relics. Since, therefore, everyone was rushing with ^D eagerness, the wife of the deceased was left behind alone (for one of the martyr’s servants had died at that time); and everything was bitter to the woman, both the loss of her husband and the solitude of one who would console her, and the fact that she did not know how to go out to meet the martyr. She, therefore, being left behind indoors, since she sought for someone to console her and there was none, and someone to grieve with her and found no one, with the body of her dead husband

apposito, she wept, she groaned, she lamented, and she spoke to the dead man just as if he were alive: "Rise, O husband, rise," she said, "let us go to meet our master, lest we seem alone sluggish and slothful, and someone charge us with negligence toward our master." And she touched his tunic gently, and released tears along with her voice. After she had suggested these things for a short time and had spoken to her husband, the body of the martyr being also soon to arrive, suddenly (O miracle!) he who was dead is seen alive; and having cast off the things that had been laid upon him, when he had straightway girded himself, he too goes to meet the martyr. This signal miracle bore both testimony to the athlete’s greater confidence toward the Lord and kindled the souls of all with greater longing. For the event which had taken place was not of such a kind that it could be rejected, nor could there be any doubt about it; but those who had been spectators of his passing, and who had taken care of the funeral, were also witnesses of his resurrection.

X. When the servant had sat for a long time at the martyr’s tomb, in the fifteenth year after that time, and a little more, he too departed from life. And then, indeed, as all who had gathered for this were considering where the martyr’s body should be laid by them, since no solution to the difficulty was afforded, they left it to a better and more divine providence to determine, and they placed a crown woven of flowers upon the relics. ^B Straightway, however, as if sent by someone, an eagle flying down from above took the crown and moved its wings gently, and had them less swift for flying. But the people followed it immediately. It, however, in a certain way led them, flying only so far ahead of them that it was not far removed from their eyes. And when it had come to a nearby wood, and then had let the crown fall from on high in a beautiful place on the mountain, it began to fly more swiftly, and departed to its own habitation. Viewing this as a divine indication, they, running together with pleasure and great zeal, deposited that sacred and divine body there, holily and divinely. In which place, even to the present day, the saint works frequent healings there and many miracles, appearing kindly to anyone who asks, and caring for him, in Christ Jesus our Lord: to whom is glory and power, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and to the ^C endless ages of ages. Amen.

THE MARTYRDOM OF THE HOLY WOMEN MENODORA, METRODORA, AND NYMPHODORA

^A I. The stadium of martyrdom is closed neither to women nor to young girls; rather, they, too, despise death and treat their departure as a game. Nay, they even honor and embrace it, thereby gaining for themselves beautiful rewards, namely the kingdom of heaven. For this reason, also the admirable trinity of virgins—Menodora, I say, and Nymphodora and Metrodora—who truly were the gifts and votive offerings of virginity, came readily to this, and with pleasure they bravely chose death—not one that leads them down to Hades, as is the way of the death of the impious, but one that transmits them briskly to eternal bridal chambers, to the sacred porticoes, and to the pleasant bridegroom Christ himself.

^B II. For they were educated in Bithynia in a most modest and liberal manner (for that region brought forth these virgins like noble branches), and the graces of virginity surrounded them. At the same time, there sprang up the flower on their faces and the blush on their cheeks. For they offered the most radiant sight, and through the beauty of the body, the nobility of the soul gently shone forth in them, and they were beautiful-natured without artifice. Little by little their age advanced, and being lovers of virginity, they fled the company of men and longed for solitude. For Christ’s sake, therefore, having left the land that bore them, they arrived at a certain hill not far from the Pythian hot springs, and they lived therein with temperance, and were studious and diligent in every other exercise of virtue. But as time went on, having received every grace of the divine Spirit, they shone brightly with good works and with miracles, and through the abundance of their graces, they were truly a city set upon a hill. And for this reason, they quickly became manifest, and many flocked to them; those who were not only freed from diseases and evil spirits but also became enriched with the light of the soul and with salvation. These things reached the ears of Fronton, to whose trust the administration of that region had been committed, while Maximian held the Roman empire: and he immediately sends Fronton

along with a great multitude of guards and soldiers, having entrusted him with the matters concerning the virgins.

III. And when they had been found, the judge said, "Whence have you such boldness that, to pass over other things, you worship a God whom neither the great Maximian himself nor we have been seen to worship to this very day?" But the virgins, not at all perturbed, remaining in the same state of soul, said, "We, O judge, have not been taught to know God by any human decree; but we confess Him who truly always is, and who beholds the universe, who also contains this order of all things, and is comprehended by the mind in His power, not in His essence; who delights in a pure life and in virtue, and is accustomed to appear, by the grace of His own goodness, to those who thus live purely and virtuously; and under whom kings rule and tyrants hold the earth in their dominion." ^B The governor, looking upon the virgins as they answered these things very firmly and skillfully, was greatly astonished at both their dignified bearing and the wisdom and prudence of their replies. And so he remained silent for a long time, considering these things a marvel. Yet, eventually, he brought forward a second interrogation, asking what their names were, and what their fatherland might be. But they said, "First, we are called by Christ. But if it is necessary to add the name imposed by baptism, one is called Menodora, the second Metrodora, and the one after her Nymphodora. Our fatherland is Bithynia. We were produced from the same seed, and were raised by the same mother, and were loved by the same parents, and we have called the same mother and the same father [ours]. We have also followed the same manner of life, and we still hold to the same opinion."

^C IV. Admiring, therefore, the nobility of their character and speech in silence, that wily man, having tried with great curiosity and craft, immediately attempted to seduce the virgins: "Do not, therefore," said he, "make vain and empty the good things which the gods have given you for concord, O dear maidens; but build other friendly works upon these, and obeying me, sacrifice together to the gods, and as sisters, agree together in kindness toward them from this moment on; nor may one sister endure to see another sister suffering the most disgraceful—O gods!—and most bitter [things], and the flower of her beauty being miserably affected by reproaches and insults. ^D Therefore, accept from me, as one who speaks what is fitting and useful for you, and obey me as a father, preserving a fatherly affection toward you. For thus you will attain the benevolence and glory of the emperor, and an abundance and sea of good things will receive you, and you will deservedly be considered happy forever and be consigned to memory; but if not, an immense and cruel torture will consume your beautiful and tender appearance." To these things Menodora, taking up the discourse, said, "But for us, O judge, neither the things which you promise seem to be great, nor can the things which you, in turn, threaten can

inspire any terror. For the enjoyment of wealth, of luxury, of glory, and of other pleasures, in as much as it possesses pleasure for a time, so much the more stable and lasting is the punishment that follows from it; but the punishments and the affliction of this corruptible body will, perhaps, cause us pain here and prepare us to suffer a little, but they will be for us the harbingers of a joy that never ceases. For the evil which is brought by you is for a time, and the good which is conferred passes away; but with our Lord, both that which causes pain is eternal, and that which gladdens remains forever. In this way we shall appear even more as sisters, sisters in soul rather than in body; if, just as one womb bore us, so also one death shall bring us to perfection for the sake of piety, and the same bridal chamber shall receive us. Thus our friendship shall not be dissolved, nor shall we be separated from one another, but we shall preserve for ourselves perpetual fraternity and union, if we show towards the one who formed us as sisters those dispositions that befit sisters. But we will not deny you, O bridegroom Christ, before men; do not, therefore, deny us before your Father who is in heaven. To these things, O judge, punish this flower of the body, which seems beautiful to you, and consume it with scourges; for no ornament is so beautiful, not gold, nor any magnificent and variegated garment, that would so adorn the body as your blows, your scourges, which we have for a long time thirsted for because of Christ, and which we desire even more. ^C V. The judge did not bear these things patiently, but let loose all his anger against this virgin; and immediately he orders the other two to be led away, and Menodora, having been stripped, to be flayed by four executioners, and for the herald to proclaim in this way: "Honor the gods; worship the emperor with good words and praises; do not insult the laws that have been established." And although she was being flayed by the blows for two hours, she felt no pain, as it were; so great was the abundance of her nobility that she did not even groan at the blows. The rose of her face did not pale even in the slightest; for with her whole eye she looked toward the things to come, and her soul was lifted up by the hope of those things. But the foolish ruler, not being able to see these things—for the eyes of his soul were blinded—thought that he would have the martyr softer because of the torments, and he exhorted her to the things he had before, and commanded her to sacrifice again. And she said, "And what other work, O vain man, is there for me besides this? Do you not see that I have sacrificed my whole self to my God? For what profit is there in my blood as I descend into destruction, if I do not first sacrifice it to my bridegroom?" These words, like a spark falling into the anger of the assessor, inflamed him the more and consumed him, and sharpened his madness the more vehemently against that holy soul; and the bones of the brave woman were crushed and shattered by the rods, yet she was not moved at all, nor did she fall. For she was bound on all sides by ^D the powerful longing for Christ. Then she signals her arrival to the bridegroom, and crying out with a loud voice, "Lord Jesus Christ, my joy, my love, I flee to you for refuge, my hope..."

accept my soul in peace," she gave up her spirit, and ^A ascended gloriously to the bridegroom whom she loved, adorned with the stigmata she had received for his sake and the scars of her wounds, and arrayed more beautifully and pleasantly than any flower.

VI. Four days later, the assessor, having deliberated with himself—lest he be defeated also by her other sisters—and having turned his mind in every direction and explored as it were the inner recesses of his thoughts, led Metrodora and Nymphodora to the tribunal. That wretched man brought them into his sight and placed before their virgin ^B feet that fair body of their sister, which had no covering, no garment, but was all swollen with wheals and worked over with the marks of the scourges and wounds clearly visible on every limb, and covered with wounds as if by thorns; a wondrous spectacle, and one not even to be believed by the eyes themselves. For he thought that by this he would stupefy them and fill them with fear, as they would dread that some such thing might happen to them. But although that body was thus set forth and all who stood around were perturbed in spirit and shed manifest tears and were moved to pity by the sight—all save the judge, whose soul was cruel and savage—it was not mercy, but rather anger and vengeance that possessed him. Although they were drawn to weep by their own ^C bowels of compassion, their conscience did not permit it. For they knew that their sister was a martyr, and that they themselves would soon be the same, and would soon come to her through the same consummation. Thus they were affected just as if they had come to the bridal chamber of their sister; and they were very joyful and full of delight, as though they were escorting her to bridal chambers into which death does not enter, and they hastened so that they themselves would not be far from them. But the judge, even though they were of such a strong and noble spirit at the sight of their sister, did not despair that he would persuade them; but (as the proverb says) he moved every stone, attempting partly to weaken their spirit with threats of tortures, and ^D partly to entice them with promises of good things; and, "If you will sacrifice," he says, "I will write immediately to the emperor. He will grant you much money and wealth, and will unite you in marriage to men most illustrious in lineage and dignity, and you will find bridegrooms worthy of your beauty."

VII. And this was what he said; but they replied: "How long, wretched man, will you not cease to speak contradictions not only to our purpose, but even to yourself? Now you call us sisters of this blessed one, and now you attack us as if we were strangers and easily overcome? If therefore you have believed that we are her sisters by blood, believe also in this constancy for piety’s sake, and that you will find nothing base or illiberal in us, unworthy of such a sister, or of the root from which we three branches have sprung. But if you wish to know of what sort our constancy is, learn accurately from that which has preceded."

For if, even without any exemplar, she manifested such great virtue, what indeed might we not do, looking upon such an exemplar—our own sister? Or do you not see how, even as she lies there, she exhorts us, calls our kinship to memory, and adds spirit to us for a like zeal, offering herself as a beautiful pattern for our struggle? Know that we shall not be left behind by her, nor shall we hold her nobility in contempt. We shall not deceive our parents by persuading them that she alone was their daughter, should we come into danger for the sake of piety. Farewell, riches; farewell, glory; let these things that are upon the earth flow back again into the earth. Farewell, suitors, upon whom death falls. We have Christ as our own Bridegroom, whom we love exceedingly, and to whom, having given as our only dowry the death we endure for his sake, we shall receive sacred, immortal, and eternal bridal chambers, and we shall reign brilliantly with him. ^B

VIII. From these things the judge, knowing that he would accomplish nothing further, yet indulging his burning anger, gave the second sister to be tortured in the second place. The bravest of women, Metrodora, was suspended aloft upon the stake, and lamps of fire burned her on every side; for the space of two hours, pressed by this harsh torment, she cried out only to her lover and invoked his assistance. Yet she did not neglect the deception of the idols, but even mocked them, and, as was the truth, showed them to be shameful and ridiculous. ^C Then he took down that noble virgin, subjected her to iron levers, and pressed and crushed her whole body. She, however, sensing that her nature was now failing, spoke to her beloved Bridegroom, as one who was approaching him through death, and prepared the bridal chamber for herself. Then she entrusted her soul to the hands of the angels, and departed entirely to him.

The lawless judge, abandoning all hope, and unable to bear the extreme disgrace, nevertheless left himself a certain consolation—namely, the third sister. Having seen to the bringing forward of Nymphodora, he shamelessly feigned a gentle and cheerful manner, and said to her: "Comply with me, beautiful maiden, whom I admire—the Graces, friends of the gods, know this—more than the others, both for your beauty, and I pity your youth. ^D Comply with me, who am inflamed with love for you no less than for a daughter of my own. And approach—what is so heavy about this?—and only worship the gods; the emperor will at once have the greatest gratitude toward you, and he will give both money and honors, and, what is by far the greatest thing, boldness of access to him. But if not, alas, you too shall perish miserably; and this bitter death will profit you nothing at all, just as it did not benefit your sisters."

IX. When the judge had spoken thus, and at the end had called her prudent and wiser than the others, she, caring for his other words no more than trifles, but taking up only that he called her "prudent," said, "Are you not ashamed, nor do you blush, now to call me prudent, and yet to abandon the true God?"

and to bid me approach your demons? And what ultimate madness and corruption of mind would this not be, to depart from the common Lord and Creator of all, to follow the works of hands, devoid of sense and mind, and to hold them equal to gods? For what, then, might I hope from them? What gain might I have? Tell me, and I shall accept; show me what good thing you have reaped from your expectation of them, and I shall be persuaded. But you cannot say; for truly the idols of the nations are silver and gold, the works of the hands of men. May those who worship them become like them. Regarding these things, spare nothing of what you wish to do. Behold, my flesh too is ready to suffer for Christ, and more so than you are to punish us." ^B Then the wicked man, not knowing what he might do, nor to what hope he should hold (for he had been thwarted in every way), hoisted her up upon the wood and tore her with iron claws. But she, for her part, uttered neither voice nor groan at this; rather, she clearly showed that she was speaking with God. And her moving lips and her eyes lifted up to heaven testified to this. That foolish man, therefore, again assailed her with words—not without force—and through a herald ordered her to sacrifice and be freed from the torments. But she said: "I have sacrificed myself to my Lord, for whom it is even a pleasure to suffer, and to die is gain." But this ignited a greater fury in the unjust judge. Then he crushed and broke her also with iron bars. But God, who cared for her just as he had for her sisters, was at work, causing her to prevail over the cruel torture and making her nature stand bravely against it; and then he called her to himself, and the virgin gladly laid her soul into the bosom of her Lover.

^C [10.] The unjust judge, therefore, taking the aid of his rage, makes war even upon the dead bodies; and having kindled a furnace, and nourished it with much suitable material, he casts the martyr-bodies into it. But God, the Lover of souls, did not neglect even the bodies; rather, a great force of thunder and lightning suddenly breaking forth forestalled the fire of the furnace, and reduced the judge himself and the multitude serving him to ash and soot. And they found this to be a prelude to the unceasing Gehenna, of which alone they were truly worthy. A violent, torrential rain suddenly falling then quenched the furnace; and when the pious had immediately lifted up the virgin-bodies with eager hands, and had magnificently adorned and laid them out, they dug a grave for them in the place of their consummation: God also providing for this wonderfully, so that those whom one womb had born, to them also one grave might be given; and that those whose souls had attained to one and the same bridal chamber, their dust might not be separated, even though it were deaf, but that they might be shown to be sisters in life, sisters in the heavens, and sisters upon the earth as well. A shrine even to this day

up to this point, a sacred place has been established before their tomb, like some river, pouring forth miracles within. ^A XI. Let sisters and virgins, and all who are under the yoke, hear these things. And let those [the virgins] love one another thus, and let the others [the married women] not condemn their own nature. For the door of martyrdom has been opened to women as well; let all likewise show contempt for both death and all things for Christ’s sake, so that they too may attain similar things from His kindness and goodness, the which may it be granted to us all to attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom, to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, honor, and power, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

LIFE AND CONVERSATION OF OUR HOLY MOTHER THEODORA OF ALEXANDRIA

^B A'. Zeno was already holding the Roman imperial power, and Gregory held the authority of prefect in the city of Alexandria in Egypt. But Alexandria boasted in no one else from among all the others as much as she did in Theodora, seeing that she was both her mother and the native land that had brought her forth, and had produced such a noble branch, and one so teeming with graces. For in it, this truly venerable woman, adorned in her morals, lived her worldly life. Having been joined in lawful marriage to a man, she paid him the honor that is owed to husbands; she was especially beloved by him because she was the chastest of all those in the city, and was benevolently and faithfully disposed toward him, keeping her love for him pure and undefiled by any base desires. Since, however, it is not possible for those who choose to live irreproachably not to be assailed by the snares of the evil one, a grievous temptation was stirred up against her by him. For he, seeing the moderation of this woman’s husband and envying the honesty of the holy woman, made it his task and labor to dissolve their union. ^C B'. And so, a certain young man, burdened with money and wealth, to whom abundance was mere fuel for vice, for the sake of her who was flourishing...

in her youth, stirred up a passion for her. But she, enduring not a nod, nor a gesture, nor any such thing at all, left no stone unturned by him to ensure he would bring his desire to fruition; thus, he would constantly send her women who were her acquaintances and neighbors, who were in the habit of serving him in this, promising to give whatever was desirable and would entice her appetite. She, however, would counter such words and insinuations with the fear of the day of judgment and of hell; nay, she would even say, "I am ashamed to have even the sun itself as a witness to such an abomination." When one of the procuresses caught this word—a woman possessing the art of sorcery, adding an escalation of evil—she deceitfully suggested to her, saying, "But let this be done after sunset, and you will have no one who knows of it, nor will there be any witness at all before God or men." She heard this, and her heart was immediately taken in; for she was a woman by nature easily deceived and captured, and especially because she heard the lie that God would be unaware of what was done, and she believed it; and thus the wicked plan was brought to fruition.

III. ^C But after the deed was done, recognizing how shameful and dishonorable sin is, with its biting stings—and with a conscience severely tormented, especially since she had previously pursued a virtuous life and had been attentive to philosophy—it began to tear at her soul, and she received a bitter sort of repentance: "Into what shame have I fallen from what honor!" "My wounds have putrefied and are corrupted," she said, "because of my foolishness," and, "I am become miserable, even bowed down until the end, while the thorn is fixed in me." Saying these things, she released hot fountains of tears, thus cleansing the stench and deformity of sin. Her husband, however, ignorant of the cause of her sadness, said and did everything to console her, trying as best he could to restore her. But she, with sin feeding upon her inner parts like some ulcer, and not allowing her conscience to rest, was inconsolable and paid no heed to any word that might comfort her. For this reason, she decided to arrive at one of the sacred monasteries, in which godly women were exercised, and thus in some way to contrive consolation for herself. ^D When, therefore, she had departed and had grasped the feet of the one who presided there, she begged her earnestly and requested that the divine Gospel be brought as quickly as possible. The reason was to become certain from it whether what had been done in the evening had escaped God’s open eyes. "And what," the abbess said to her, "is unknown to God? For does He who planted the ear, as the divine David said, not hear? Or does He who formed the eye not perceive, to whom even the first and slight movement of our heart is manifest? But if you do not wish to intensify your pain, explain to me what it is that gnaws at your soul; and perhaps we shall not lack a remedy." She, however, moved to tears by the memory of what had been done, once again requested the Gospel of Christ, which she had asked for from the beginning.

^A Upon opening it, the moment she cast her eyes upon it, she found that passage written: *What I have written, I have written.* And straightaway, stricken with heavy grief in her soul, and striking her own face with her hands, she cried out with a loud voice: "Woe is me, miserable woman! O the error, O the audacious deed! I have violated a man's marriage bed." Saying these things, and her heart filled with confusion, and the ground filled with her tears, she did not even dare to lift her eyes to heaven, but stated that she was barred even from this, as she had polluted even the air with the absurdity of her act, and resolved henceforth to remain no longer in the world, and in those things which are of the world, but with most wise contrivances to trip up him who had deceived her.

^B IV. Immediately, she clothed herself in a man's habit so that she might elude those who were pursuing her (for she knew that she would be of great concern to her husband, and that he would not cease searching for her). She approached a monastery of men, which is distant eighteen miles from Alexandria. Even while she was still outside the gate, she asked to be admitted inside and to be numbered among those who were in training. They replied that they would not admit her—even though they judged her to be a man and not a woman—unless she remained out in the open the entire night, and thus provided the brothers with proof of her endurance. She gladly accepted what had been commanded; and although she was not unaware that many wild beasts would enter through the desert and exceedingly savage place at night, she carried out the task that had been commanded, and thus spent the night waiting before the gate. ^C Wherefore, He who once tamed the cruelty of the lions for Daniel, He himself, knowing also to what height of virtue the saint was destined to arrive, preserved her so that she would not be seized by the beasts. When the monks learned of this by experience, they judged it pleasing to God that she dwell with them. Admitted gladly, therefore, the superior of the monastery spoke with her alone and diligently asked her who she was, and for what reason she had come to the monastery. "Is it," he said, "because you are burdened by debts, or are a convict of murder, or had no means to feed your children, that you decided to put off the secular habit?" "For none of these, O Father," said Theodora, "but in order to find rest from worldly tumult, and to weep for my own sins." "And how," added the great superior, "are you called?" ^D The noble woman said, "I have the name Theodorus." The other said, "Do not suppose, brother Theodore, that your life here will be without toil; but if you wish in truth to take up the yoke of obedience, know that you will serve the brothers in all things necessary, not only in the monastery—as one who is to care for the plants and vegetables, and to minister by carrying water and irrigating the garden—but

also to go into the city when need requires, not in the least refusing. Yet, do not let this pretext cause you to despise the labors of ascetic practice; rather, you must continue nonetheless to devote yourself to fasting and prayer, to chant as usual, and to perform the evening and morning glorification ^A daily. Furthermore, you must not let any of the so-called hours pass, and you must also practice genuflection, and in this way afflict the body on account of the ambushes of those who wage war from within. The blessed one, having received all these things into her ears, and having considered them as a delight for her soul, promised with great and eager zeal to perform them, and thus she was admitted into that same order with that noble choir of monks.

V. Since, however, her covenants with God were destined to be true and alien to falsehood, bidding farewell to all the wisdom of the flesh, she immediately stripped for the struggles, bringing no delay nor any pretext, so that she might not fulfill her service. And so, for eight years, she persevered daily in the irrigation ^B of the plants and vegetables which provided for the needs of those in the monastery, and she did not any the less perform the labor of grinding the grain, preparing the bread, and cooking the vegetables with which those who studied to mortify their bodies fed themselves; nor was she ever absent from the synaxis performed in the church, but in this, too, she displayed her pious spirit. But even while living in this way, and having chosen such a laborious life, the thought of her previous transgression did not allow her to rest at all. Rather, in the night that followed those daily ministries, when she ought to have enjoyed sleep and moderate rest, ^C she would strike her breast and stir her soul to tears, saying, "Forgive my sin, O Lord, which destroyed the beauty of my continence." Now, when the oil had at one time failed the monks, she was ordered to take the camels and, coming into the city, to bring them the oil that they needed. As she had already begun the journey, it happened that she unexpectedly caught sight of her husband, Divine Providence surely assisting in this. For her husband, unable to console himself, as one who had been separated from such a wife, and for that reason shedding tears without ceasing, and unable even with the passage of time to extinguish the sickness of his soul, begged of God—who knew the dart that was wounding his heart—that it might be made manifest to him whether ^D Theodora had determined to follow another man; for he was harboring this suspicion, and for that reason, the flame of his heart was fed all the more.

VI. He, therefore, who heals contrite souls sent an angel to him to dispel the distress of his suspicion. "If you wish," he said, "to come into her sight, see that you rise early in the morning and go straight to the martyrium of the Apostle Peter, and note the face of him who shall first meet you and look upon you. For thus," he said, "you will not be disappointed in the thing you seek."

He heard this, and did as he was commanded, and they met face to face and looked into one another's eyes. But how could he possibly suspect that this was his spouse, seeing before him a man dressed in men’s clothing, and moreover, wearing a monastic habit, the features of whose face had already faded from ^A excessive suffering and the harshness of asceticism? She, however, though she saw him only briefly, and his countenance revealed to her who it was that was seen (for his features kept their immutable marks), was instantly reminded of her own love for him and of her sin, and weeping, she said in a humble voice, "Woe is me, husband! To what labors have I consigned myself, while I seek a medicine for my transgression against you, and strive to wash it away with many tears!" And having come closer to him, and having said "Hail" to him, she passed by quickly. He also greeted her in return with the same voice. But he passed by, as if he had forgotten what the angel had said to him, for he was utterly deceived by the change of form and the dissimilarity of her appearance.

^B VII. Deeply afflicted, therefore, in the sorrow of his soul, as one who had been frustrated in the promise, he said, "Why, Lord, having overlooked me, did you not bring to an end the things that had been promised?" But again, he who had appeared to him stood before him and said, "You were not deceived. For the monk who met you yesterday and said 'Hail' to you was the very person, she herself, that wife who is being diligently sought by you." And thus his suspicion was dispelled, that she had not gone to another man; which indeed the wearing of the monastic garments made known. Yet he remained thereafter afflicted with grief and tormented by the loss of his spouse.

The blessed Theodora, however, being more inflamed with love for the Lord, as one who had already tasted of His sweetness, and being ready to cast herself into greater struggles, disciplined her body by eating once a day; then, adding to her labors, she took food every second day; and thus, advancing little by little to more arduous tasks, when she had reached the habit of supreme abstinence, she moved the monks who were practicing asceticism with her, to obtain permission from the superior for her to be content with receiving food once a week. ^C But even having obtained this according to her desire, she turned her mind to another petition: to wear out her body with haircloth, as if taking vengeance on the pleasure that had wounded her. For not even after so many struggles could she find forgetfulness of that stroke, but she remained always adding to her hardships, striking back at him who had struck her, and laying upon him a much greater shame than that which she herself had suffered—a woman overcoming the one who had conquered many men, and, bearing flesh, putting to flight the one who was incorporeal.

VIII. That God, who is great in mercy, might also be glorified, and her own admirable manner of life might be made known, such a miracle comes to pass, worthy of being written down and committed to memory. A lake existed near the monastery; a crocodile dwelt in it, ^D unto whomsoever it might happen to

^A approach the lake, whether man or beast, small or great, it would immediately devour them as food. Thus, the evil became so terrifying to those dwelling in the region that the prefect of the city himself (this was that Gregory whom the preceding account has already made known) posted soldiers at the place to restrain those passing through it. The superior of the monastery, therefore, knowing what the life of Theodora was, and how she was almost competing with the angels themselves, and knowing that she could by no means be devoid of divine grace, called for her and said: "Child, Theodore, take the vessel and make haste to bring us some water from the lake here." She, knowing it to be an apostolic mandate to obey those who preside, fulfilled what had been commanded. And though many ordered her to depart from the place, unless she wished to face death most openly, she, however, relying on faith in God and fulfilling a work of obedience—which she knew to procure life, not death—eluded all who were restraining her and approached the lake. And, O the marvelous works of Your hands, O Lord! ^B She was seen being carried by the beast; and when she had drawn water and filled the vessel that was in her hands, she was carried back again by that same beast and delivered to the dry land. And thus, she was preserved unharmed upon the land; but the beast, having been rebuked by her, paid the penalty for what it had committed up to that time, and immediately it was seen dead in that place. Thus, the matter became manifest to others as well, inasmuch as those who had perceived it with their eyes wished to entrust it to the ears of many; and for this reason, all gave thanks to God through her.

IX. But here, too, envy had to manifest its own characteristics, which are proper to itself. For certain of the monks (since no one is invulnerable to the snares of the enemy), struck by the goad of jealousy because they saw the blessed one arriving at the pinnacle of virtue, without the knowledge of the superior, sent her away to a certain monastery, one that was far off, delivering to her a letter—in appearance, indeed, as if it contained something urgent and requiring swift dispatch; but in truth, it was a piece of deceit, since it was done at night, so that she might fall prey ^C to beasts. For that road was deserted and nourished only wild animals. But the snare was in vain for the adversary, and it turned out otherwise than he himself had schemed. For as the holy one was wandering along the way, a certain beast approached her, and it became her unerring guide on the path, until it brought her and stood before the monastery to which she had been sent; nay, it did not even then depart. For when she entered, it also entered; and while she had gone to deliver the letter to the superior, the beast set upon the gatekeeper and was just about to tear him apart, had he not cried out; and the blessed one, having turned back at the clamor and having recognized what the disturbance was, found the man already being devoured by the beast. Therefore, she immediately, having seized ^D the throat of it

^A from his throat, she delivered the man from destruction. Anointing the injured limbs with oil and singing the name of Christ over them, she rendered him sound as before, and caused the beast immediately to fall and burst asunder.

X. She indeed wished to keep these things hidden, and after her return, she revealed nothing to the monks; those who had obtained the benefit, however, were themselves the very first to announce what had happened, saying: "By the prayers of Theodore, the man is delivered from a grievous death, and the throat of the beast has restored to us him who had already begun to be devoured." Astonished at these words, the overseer of the monastery questioned them in doubt as to who had sent him there. But after they all denied it, looking at the blessed one, he said, "Who is this, O Theodore, who, when it was a manifest danger, compelled you at the dead of night to hasten to that place?" And behold the shaping of a righteous soul, for while maintaining her own simplicity and preserving the brothers as free from any reproach, she said, "At that time, my eyes, both within and without, were so weighed down with sleep that I cannot name those who sent me." The devil, however, took it most ill, seeing her indeed, though tripped up, beating back the defeat with such victories, but himself being utterly overcome. Abandoning, therefore, his secret plotting, he stood before her openly and threatened that he would not cease from bringing temptations until he should fell her as a laughingstock, she who was now admired by all. He spoke, and he did not allow much time to intervene, but as the monastery was laboring under a shortage of grain, the overseer ordered the blessed one not to delay, but to take the camels again and, upon arriving at the city, to buy grain for them. It had also been commanded that, if it were impossible for her to return before evening, she should lodge at the monastery of the Ninth, and see that the camels rested there. Returning, therefore, from the city, because she already saw the sun towards its setting, she approached the monastery of the Ninth according to the command, and asked that a place be given to her and the camels for rest; this having been done, she herself rested at the feet of the camels.

XI. From this point, then, arises the beginning of the war against her; for the demon, who delights in wicked deeds and is always contriving to raise up temptations against the saints, and demonstrating an even greater frenzy against her—inasmuch as she had escaped his hands after the hunt—did not neglect to do his own work, but incited a certain young woman, who was at that time staying with some of the monks by reason of kinship, to the prick of lust. She, having judged the blessed one to be a man from what she saw, invited her to sleep with her, having cast off all shame, both of countenance and of soul. And when she saw that she did not obey this, and that she preferred rather to lie on the bare ground and by the camels, not being able to extinguish the fire of lust lurking within her, she gave herself to one of those who were sleeping there, who himself also was a traveler and in passing was lodg

lodging at the monastery. When, therefore, he who had committed the iniquity had departed at dawn for the place from whence he had come, the advancing time now showed the maiden’s womb swelling. And when she was questioned by her kinsfolk as to who had done this thing, she said that Theodore, a monk of the monastery of the Eighteenth, had corrupted her. The monks immediately believe the things that were said; for he who had threatened the blessed one with temptations had indeed taught the maiden to say this, and them to believe it. Then, when they had approached the monastery where the blessed one was practicing her asceticism, with much shouting and tumult, they cried out, “Theodore, the monk who is among you, has not shuddered to commit such an abomination.” Upon being questioned, therefore, by the abbot as to whether he had initiated such a loathsome deed, he said that he had done nothing of the sort worthy of such a charge. And so, those men returned to their own monastery at that time. ^B XII. But when the infant was born and brought into the light, they took it up and cast it into the middle of the monastery where the blessed one was living. This was, in every way, a ploy and artifice of the enemy, who was striving to cast dejection into her and to hinder her from her goal. But in vain, O wicked one, were your ambushes prepared again, or rather not in vain, but even fashioned against yourself; just as with those very arrows with which you hoped to wound her, she—the noble one—was wounding you. For what was the result thereof? Theodora was believed to be the father of the infant, and in silence she received the sentence that condemned her, and at once she was expelled from the monastery with the infant. She therefore became a nurse, and like a father, she was forced to nourish the newborn child, feeding it with the milk of sheep—for she could do no other—and begging for wool from the shepherds, with which she improvised clothing for the child. But what soul could have accepted such a heavy calumny? Or what hand would not have found such a burdensome office painful? For the space of seven years this blessed woman was afflicted. O eyes of God, that look upon all things! Being oppressed by an empty and false calumny, and cast out of the monastery, she did nothing small-minded or ignoble, nor did she say anything of the sort, but she chose the ignominy of such a reproach, in order that that which she had done dishonorably by her own will, she might again cover with a voluntary shame, and that she might appease those eyes—which she had not escaped when she performed the evil—once more, having them as her sole witnesses while she endured the calumny of the wicked deed. What manner of life did she lead among the others? For her food was whatever wild herbs were available, and her drink was water that was drawn from the lake as best it could be, unless one might prefer to call it her tears. For there was no time when they did not flow from her eyes, so that the Psalm was fulfilled in her: ^D “And I mingled my drink with weeping” (Ps. CI, 10). Thus, therefore, as her body was wasting away and being neglected, her nails became long, and to some of the

^A wilder beasts they were more fitting; her hair, meanwhile, was matted and coarse, and terribly like the mountain thickets. Her face, having already been scorched by the unobstructed rays of the sun, was blackened like an Ethiopian’s, and her eyelids were distorted by the intense necessity of keeping vigil. And yet, persevering in this manner and struggling against such an importation of terrors, and buffeted not only by the snowy air but also by the tempests of temptations, she did not endure to depart from the monastery even for a short time; but she remained thus, having set up a hut by the gate, gladly enduring, as the Prophet says, to be cast away in it.

^B XIII. But what again of the adversary of the good? Did he, having subjected her to such temptations, have his fill of his assaults, even while being defeated? By no means; but in addition to those that had preceded, he devises this as well. For, assuming the form of her husband and standing before her eyes, he shed tears from his eyes and used such words as a husband might use when approaching his beloved wife, calling her his light, his exultation, his joy, the light of his eyes, the consolation of his pains, and saying, “Come, my lady, stay the mourning which you have taken up for my sake for so many years, and be eager to return again to your own house.”

When she perceived him in truth to be her husband, she gave such an answer as he would have needed to hear if that were what he was assumed to be, and not a phantom that was visible: “I, having renounced the vain things of the world, am unable to be mingled with them again; but how, furthermore, shall I be bold enough to dwell with you, when the only cause of my flight was the sin which I ^C committed against you?” But when she came to the memory of those things and raised her hands to heaven, turning herself wholly to prayer, it was possible to see him fleeing, not being able to endure even the sight of her prayer. And then it was known to the saint who it was that had approached, and how manifold were his snares against her, and how varied his machinations.

XIV. Again, at another time, it seemed as if all the beasts at once, as many as inhabit the sea and as many as inhabit the earth, were moving against her; but it was not so, but they were the spirits of wickedness, having assumed their form. And a man appeared to them and was commanded to run at the saint and devour her. But she, using as a weapon the Davidic song, ^D said only, “They surrounded me, they even surrounded me,” and “In the name of the Lord I warded them off.” Immediately the phantom dissolved into the air. The Wicked One casts forward yet another temptation. For again, a great army was seen by her, and the prince of these, with a great multitude, was marching arrogantly; his attendants ordered her to render him worship. But she having said that God alone must be worshipped, the would-be prince commanded that stripes be inflicted upon her, and the commanded

^A effect was brought about. For both the stripes that appeared and the fact that she was seen as dead by those who had looked on, made this manifest. There were, however, those shepherds who went to the monastery and said that Theodore was dead, and that it was necessary to commit him to burial. But the blessed one, when she had returned to herself at midnight, was attributing the cause to herself, and said that what had happened was a discipline for her own fault. Having, therefore, fortified herself with the arms of prayer, she requested a respite from temptations: O my God, she said, Master of all, free me from the assault of the enemy, who envies thy creature, and who forgets my sin. When those shepherds who were there saw her praying—she who had been seen as dead by them a little before—they praised God, and announced to the monks that she had come back to life.

XV. ^B The superior of the monastery decided to receive the infant, considering how long the holy woman's affliction had been. For it was no small trouble that afflicted her, for the child to be wandering through the rugged places of the wilderness. But not even then did the enemy cease to assail her, God so permitting it, that she might weave for herself more crowns. For again it seemed to her that gold was cast upon the ground. A great multitude of men was present, who were gathering it up. This, however, was nothing other than a hollow vision. For in order solely to deceive her, and to cause her to love gold, he had contrived the whole thing. Not many days had passed when it appeared to her again that a multitude of servants was present, bearing in their hands food prepared in various ways, and one said to her: "He who inflicted the stripes upon you honors you with these victuals." These, indeed, she dissolved into nothingness, as they were, when she had signed herself with the light of the countenance of the Lord. When the one who had threatened that he would destroy earth and sea saw her unconquered by these things, and when he was affected with shame from the war he had waged against her, he decided to withdraw.

XVI. ^C When seven years had passed, ^D the monks of the monastery of the Laura, who had accused her of the committed rape—being ignorant that she was a woman—joined all the others in beseeching the superior of the monastery to readmit her to the place where she had formerly exercised herself, and to restore her to the number of the other monks. For it was enough, they said, that she had paid the penalty, having been out of the monastery for so long a time, and having spent seven whole years at the very entrance. They added, moreover, that they had been given assurance through a divine apparition that the sin had already been forgiven to Theodore. Yielding to their prayers, he released Theodora from that unjust condemnation, ordering her henceforth to remain in an inner cell, and never to go out, nor to be entrusted with any ministry of the monastery. Two years then passed, during which she was exercised in greater continence and more intent prayers. Then, when a drought had arisen, and the cisterns which were in the monastery showed that they did not have even the slightest drop of water to offer, since the superior of the monastery had heard reports and had himself seen the evidence of his own eyes,

^A he summoned her and ordered her to lower a vessel into the cistern and draw water. She, having learned to yield to the words of the Father, and making no curious inquiry, nor delaying, did what was commanded; and immediately she brought up the vessel full of water, from which the other cisterns also were seen to be full of water.

XVII. ^B When a few days had passed, she took the child in the sight of many as evening had already fallen, and shutting herself in, she began to exhort him just as a father would his own son. When this became known to the superior of the monastery, he sent some of the brothers to listen more accurately to the words which she was saying to the child. They, having applied their ears to the door and focused their attention, listened with interest to what was being said. These were the things which she was charging the child with, while kissing him: "The time of my life, my dearest son, is already looking toward its end, and I am hastening to depart for the age that is to come. ^C But I commend you to the Father of the fatherless and to God, and to the master of this our monastery. You shall also have monks who will maintain the affection of brothers toward you. What then? Will you perhaps seek nobility? Let that not be known to you from elsewhere than where true nobility is manifest. Do not look to the honor that comes from men; for this does not know how to make those who are honored blessed. You are not unaware that those who bear the insults and dishonor of men, and the false witness borne against them, are they who rather attain the beatitude that is in the Lord. But if any desire moves you toward this, namely to be deemed worthy of honor, first love to show honor; hate sleep. Embrace a hard and rough life; renounce soft clothing; never neglect the customary prayers, nor the hours that have been set for the brothers to assemble—I mean Matins, and the Third, the Sixth, and the Ninth hours, and Vespers. Abstain from what is another's; let it never even cross your mind to accuse a brother. When you are asked a question, answer with your gaze fixed on the ground. Do not laugh at the downfall of another, but weep, that you may be comforted. If you hear of some who are living badly, do not be negligent in praying for them. Do not refuse to go to those who are sick. ^D And to sum up: avoiding every evil, claim every virtue for yourself. Serve the brothers as your masters, that you may become a friend of Christ, who for your sake put on the form of a servant. Let your prayer be continuous, so as not to fall into temptation; but if you should fall, resist bravely, and pray again so that you may not be overcome. If you live thus, my beloved, He who helps you will not be far off, and He will stretch forth His right hand to you as you are being hard-pressed in battle." When she had exhorted the child in this way, she joyfully commended her spirit into the hands of God.

XVIII. And the child indeed began to weep and lament immediately, and the little hut was filled with crying; and those who had been sent for this purpose, upon hearing what was said to the

^A one who had sent them, reported it. When he heard this, he also told his monks the dream he had seen. “I thought,” he said, “that I saw two men lifting me up into the heights; and the height was beyond description, and I saw a rank of angels, and a voice resounded in my ears, saying: ‘Look at the good things that have been prepared for Theodora, my bride.’ Besides this, a bed appeared to me, entrusted to an angel, and a bridal chamber ineffable in beauty. When I sought to be instructed about that bed and chamber, and as to who she was for whom these were prepared, and when I asked those who were leading me about this, immediately a choir of prophets, apostles, and martyrs, together with the other just ones, appeared to me. And the choir had in its midst a woman adorned with a more divine glory, who was entering into the interior of the bridal chamber, and she appeared to me seated in the middle of the bed. Those who were leading me said that this was the abbot Theodore, ^B against whom the sin of fornication had been falsely charged; and she had endured rather to be afflicted, cast out of the monastery for seven whole years, and to be thought the father of another man's child, and to undertake the feeding and raising of that child, than to reveal who she was, and at the same time to be freed from so great a disgrace and hardship. For this reason, they said, she has attained the brightness you see.” When I had seen these things, sleep released me, and I set myself to weep for my own sins.

XIX. When he had related these things, he went immediately to the cell of the holy woman, with the monks following him; and having knocked on the door, he wakened the child. For he had already been overcome by sleep through much lamentation. He rose, therefore, and opening the door, gave them entry. They entered, and they saw her, who is truly alive, as dead; and drawing near, they shed tears upon the sacred body. However, it seemed inappropriate to the superior ^C to make the miracle known until he had sent for those who had constructed the accusation against her. When they arrived, and some parts of the sacred body were shown to them, “Look,” he said to them, “at this most novel spectacle, how the female sex, with what a bait, has trampled upon the prince of darkness.” All were struck with wonder at the sight; and fear followed the amazement, and tears followed the fear, as they considered against what labors those who are entangled in bodily affections must struggle.

XX. Since it was not right that even the husband of the holy woman should be at all deprived, who had preserved a pure and sincere love for her perpetually, an angel appearing to the superior of the monastery commanded that he send one of the monks on horseback to the city, and instruct him to place on his horse whoever should first meet him, and thus bring him ^D as quickly as possible. Yet truly, a divine apparition was also urging him toward this, and he was coming to the monastery of his own accord. When, therefore, the monk met him and asked for what reason he was running, he said, “My wife, for a long time...

I have not seen, and I have just learned that she has departed from life; I am going to bid her a final farewell.” When, therefore, he had taken him up ^A on his horse, he led him to the monastery in which that divine tabernacle lay. When he had rushed toward it, he called the holy woman by name, at the same time shedding bitter tears, in such a way that he provoked even all those who had gathered—for many of the monks who lived round about had also assembled—to tears, and brought them to a remembrance of their own lives. And so everything, both what was seen and what was heard, was a refreshment of conscience and, in truth, a medicine for the soul.

XXI. When the mourning had, with difficulty, finally ceased, psalms and hymns immediately took the place of the lamentations; and having thus performed the last rites for that body, which had endured so many labors and was most sacred, they hid it in the bosom of the earth, whose spirit the intellectual bosoms of Abraham had ^B received. What came after this? Her husband became the successor to her affairs. Having renounced all the things of this world, and having set himself among the number of the monks, and having come to a love of stillness and silence, he took the cell of Theodora; and having chosen a good and virtue-loving life, he ended his days with a good conclusion. Since, therefore, the monks had seen such a way of life, they considered it nothing inappropriate ^C that the grave should be the same for both, and for this reason they placed the remains of the two together in the same place. Furthermore, the child also advanced to such a degree of virtue that, by the righteous judgment of those who knew his life and had desired him to be set over them, he even presided over that monastery. Such was the end of the many labors of this blessed woman, and this is the narrative of her noble struggles. If, therefore, it ^D is true—just as the word of Paul is true—that each one shall receive his own reward according to his own labor, how is the blessed Theodora not in truth a gift of God, receiving such great rewards for such great labors? Through her intercessions may it be granted that we too may become part of the number of those being saved, by the grace and loving-kindness of Christ our true God, to whom be glory and power, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

THE CONTEST OF THE HOLY AND GLORIOUS MARTYR OF CHRIST, AUTONOMUS.

^A I. I consider it to be equally absurd both to speak things that are not fitting and to consign to silence things that are beautiful and honorable. For as much as he who relates what is not good harms the souls of his hearers, by just so much does he who consigns good deeds to silence deprive the pious of the profit they were to have gained from them. For this reason, we have determined not to bury in silence the life of the most godly Autonomus which has come down to us, but have eagerly desired to deliver it to pious ears. For the story of the martyr has reached us, partly indeed from someone who wrote of his affairs before us—who possessed a good intention, though he did not have the eloquence to explain his meaning clearly, but rather, through lack of skill, confused and obscured many things—and partly from men who were enrolled in the holy order at the very holy shrine of the martyr, and who, through more diligent inquiry, had brought to light and gathered the truth of the events themselves.

^B II. This divine Autonomus, therefore, a brave athlete of piety, was shining with the dignity of the episcopate in Italy when he learned that a sharp and violent war had broken out in the time of Diocletian against the Church of Christ. Remembering the divine commandments, by which he commands that those who are driven out of one city should flee to another—for he knew that he who remains, besides not being able to teach the word, will himself also perish; but if he has been removed from those who are persecuting, he will be able in time to address the flock of Christ by letters or even by word of mouth, to exhort them and confirm them in piety, and even to guide those wandering in the darkness of impiety to the light of truth—he left Italy and arrived in Bithynia. Following divine promptings, he approached a certain place by the name of Sorei, which lies on the right for one sailing into the gulf of Nicomedia, and he was received in hospitality by a man named Cornelius. Having spent a long time dwelling with him,

^A he perfects him with teaching; and having built a house of God as an oratory, dedicated to Michael, the prince of the angels, he ordains Cornelius to the dignity of the diaconate therein. Having committed to him the care of the faithful, he departs for Lycaonia and Isauria, desiring himself also to become a herald of piety. Then, having returned to Cornelius and having found that the seed of the knowledge of God sown in him had brought forth a manifold fruit, he immediately raises him to the rank of presbyter. When he learned that Diocletian had arrived in Nicomedia, who was eager to cut off every race and every age of Christians, and was seeking out in an exceptional and deliberate manner the one regarding Autonomus, he sets out for Mantinium and Claudiopolis (these cities are situated around the Euxine Pontus), desiring there also to sow the word of piety. When everything proceeded according to his mind by the cooperation of Christ, he returns again to Sorei in order to visit Cornelius and the Church under him. Having found it multiplied again, he perfects Cornelius with the dignity of the episcopacy; he himself traverses the region of the Asians, plucking up by the roots the thorns of error, and diligently sowing pious seeds. ^B Divine grace, through the showers of Autonomus, having brought to light a great harvest of piety, he departs again to Cornelius and his flock; and from there he arrives at Limnas. This is a village near Sorei, and seeing its inhabitants held in the deep darkness of ignorance, he leads them also to the light of knowledge. And not much time was exhausted by him in leading them to the way as they were converted; but in a short time grace worked in the souls of many, and seeking the saving baptism, they were added to the holy flock of Christ.

^C III. Since these things were accomplished through the favor of God according to the prayers of the martyr, it happened that those who were held in the error of impiety in the said village, during a certain festival of a demon honored among them, were offering libations to the idols and doing those things which souls possessed by evil demons perform. Those of Christ’s flock, often seeing these things happening, and being filled with divine zeal (and on that day [the rituals] were performed with greater frenzy), they stir themselves up to a righteous anger, and encouraging one another, they attack the idols; and having immediately crushed everything and consigned it to dust and ash, they showed those worshippers the weakness of those they worshipped. This at that time moved the pagans to astonishment and fear, and they considered it a time of lamentation rather than of vengeance. ^D Having observed, however, the day on which the servant of God, Autonomus, was celebrating the mystical ministry, and everyone having armed his right hand with wood and iron, they suddenly rush all at once into the oratory which was at Sorei. They put to flight those who were present, and with the weapons which they had in their hands, they slay the holy man at the very holy altar, his blood being poured out, just as previously that of the divine Zacharias, who

cried out even more to God than the blood of Abel unjustly shed. And therefore it testifies to the impiety of those who slew him for all eternity, punishing them with fire for the slaughter, and granting them not a brief time of pain, but eternal torture; while to the martyr it secures joy without end, life everlasting, and the kingdom of God.

^A IV. But while the martyrdom of the bishop and herald of piety had such a glorious end, his most holy relics were, by a certain Mary, who had been deemed worthy of the charisma of the diaconate, together with those from the neighboring markets who laid claim not only to piety but also to virtue, committed to burial with splendor and holiness, and honorably deposited ^B in a sarcophagus. As time went on, when Constantine, the most pious emperor, held the Roman scepters, trusting more in a divine hand than in army and arms, a certain Severianus, having received the governorship of Alexandria, while making his way by the path which is around the bay due to a fear of the sea, came near the sacred sarcophagus. He was, however, restrained by the power of Autonomus, which did not fall under sight: for although the mules were beaten with whips, they did not move in the slightest, but remained immobile just like stones. As Severianus was wondering at what had happened, a certain man, pious and religious, and who had received from God the grace of solving enigmas, offered his opinion, that the state of the mules signified this: that he who was being carried ought to stop here and erect a temple to the divine martyr. And that the admonition was correct, we shall show ^C immediately. For, said he, if you will only give your assent to the work, you will see those that are immobile immediately leaping forward. And he indeed acceded with a prompt and eager spirit; yet the mules went forward with the greatest impetus. Severianus straightway ordered an oratory to be built, and proceeded on his way. When he returned, he dedicated the temple, and saw to it that the memory of the martyr should be perpetual for posterity.

V. When no small amount of time had passed meanwhile, and the memorial of the martyr invited the unbloody sacrifice to be celebrated in the divine temple, he who then fulfilled the priestly office came to the holy place to perform the sacred mysteries. Since water had been poured out upon him from the wooden planks which were placed near the ascent, having assumed that this had been done as an insult, he performed the sacred ministry on that day: then, having torn down that oratory, he built another in places which are near the sea, ^D not knowing that Severianus had formerly erected an oratory exactly over the religious chest of the martyr, which he himself had torn down. When sixty years had passed, until the time of the death of Zeno, who was emperor of the Romans, a certain John, a soldier numbered among those who are called excubitors, was staying in those regions around Sorei and Limnae to serve the emperor in some matter. And once, while exercising his body, he went out hunting: and when he had been in the place where the martyr’s relics were buried, he aimed with his bow at a hare

^A and killed the prey with his own hand. Then, having hunted other animals as well, he returned, and in a dream he saw the martyr exhorting him to pitch a tent for a dwelling in the place where he had happened to hunt the hare, and to remain there as his neighbor. When he had quickly accomplished what he had been ordered, after some years the holy martyr appeared to him more clearly and taught him who he was, and that his sacred relics were treasured up beneath his tent. The soldier, considering that silence regarding what had been revealed to him from God was not free from danger, disclosed these things to the emperor. This was Anastasius, who did not indeed wish to be purely and sincerely pious, but by frequently feigning piety, he sought the favor of men. Wherefore, ^B by him was the oratory that now stands constructed; it was consecrated, however, by him who held the empire after him, Justin, I say, the lover of piety; which also remains to eternity, becoming a deliverance for men from many evils. Such, then, are the things recounted concerning the great Autonomus.

VI. But I, seeing the athlete overcoming nature even after death, arise to glorify God. For having once cast my eyes upon the sepulcher of the martyr, I beheld his sacred relics, which had remained unconquered by the powers of death. For that which boasts that it will dissolve the entire composition of an animal within the space of three days, for two hundred years already has not been able to corrupt even a hair of that noble man; but the hair of his head is thick and unharmed, and the character of his form stands entire, with firm and taut skin, not having even lost the hairs of the upper lip. ^C And the circle of his eyes is also open to him. Through which, to me beholding him, it seemed that he, reverencing only the law of death, was feigning silence. The whole figure of his body also stands, preserving its own harmony, and neither has anything of his head been broken off, nor has any separation of the remaining parts of his body occurred. For thus does the munificent Lord know how to glorify in turn those who have chosen to glorify Him with their own members; for to Him is due all glory, honor, and adoration, now and always, and unto the ages. Amen.

DE SANCTO NICETA GOTHO MARTYRE IN GOTHA ULTRA ISTRUM

^A, who by King Athanaric, for the sake of the Catholic faith, was sentenced to be burned by fire." Petrus de Natalibus, book v, chapter 4, composed a eulogy from the Acts to be provided below, but not without some errors, and he fixed the death of the saint, whom he calls Nicetus, on May 25. Hence it happened that Grevenus and a few other martyrologists inserted Nicetus, or rather Nicetas, into their calendars on May 25. Other Latins, however, together with Molanus, commemorate Saint Nicetas today. More ancient Latin martyrologists were unaware of this saint; but the Greeks, with great consensus, and the Moschi along with them, celebrate Saint Nicetas today as a great martyr, regarding whom an ecclesiastical office is prescribed to be performed on the same day in their ritual books. In the Sirletian Menology, this eulogy of Saint Nicetas is given: "Commemoration of the holy martyr Nicetas, who, born under the empire of Constantine the Great and brought up in the region of the Goths beyond the Danube, did not share in the ways of the Barbarians, but [lived] with pious men who worship God, having been taught the faith of Christ by the most holy bishop of the Goths, Theophilus; he was arrested by Athanasius (read Athanaric), a prince, on account of his profession of the Christian faith, and, after being tortured with many torments and consumed by fire, was perfected." The printed Menaea agree in every way, where the name of Athanaric, for which "Athanasius" is read here by mistake, is correctly expressed.

II. In the Basilian Menology, the Acts of Saint Nicetas are expounded in summary. For after this announcement, "The Contest of the holy great martyr Nicetas," follows a eulogy conceived as follows: "Nicetas, a renowned martyr of Christ, lived during the reign of Constantine the Great, a Goth by birth, flourishing among his people in nobility and wealth, and was taught the faith by Theophilus, the most religious bishop of Gothia. But when the entire Gothic nation had been split into two factions, and each had created a prince for itself, one of the princes fled to the Roman emperor, who, having undertaken an expedition against the tyrant of the opposing faction, obtained a remarkable victory from it and subdued the Goths, and from that time the race of Christians was multiplied among the Goths. The first of these was Saint Nicetas, who with great boldness proclaimed the Christian faith to the people. But after the emperor returned, the unbelieving Goths, gripped by fury, stirred up a persecution against the Christians; while they tortured others in various ways, they subjected Nicetas, after he had been exercised by manifold sufferings, to the fire." So far the Menology is sufficiently correct.

III. Regarding the translation of the body of Saint Nicetas the Goth, the Acts to be published treat the subject, and Petrus de Natalibus, already praised, agrees with them. It is read in both that a church was built for the saint at Mopsuestia in Cilicia, to which his sacred body had been carried. Petrus de Natalibus then adds: "With the passage of time, the body itself was transferred to Venice and is said to rest in the church of Saint Nicholas." Nicolaus Doglioni confirms the body is kept there in his Italian booklet on the *Notable Things of the City of Venice*, book II, page 345, as does the Latin booklet on the *City of Venice*, which was printed in the *Thesaurus of Italian Antiquities*, vol. v, part II. For in that work, the temple of Saint Nicholas, a parish of priests in the region of Dorsoduro, is discussed, and at the end it is said: Here the body of Saint Nicetas and other relics of the saints are kept.

IV. As to the time when Saint Nicetas was crowned with martyrdom, that can be assigned in some way from the time when the Gothic prince Athanaric moved persecution against the Christians. Our Papebrochius dealt very briefly with the ^B numerous class of Gothic martyrs on March 26. The same author dealt more lengthily and accurately with Saint Sabas the Goth, who also suffered in the same persecution, on April 12, the day on which he was killed in the year 372. Perhaps Saint Nicetas was crowned in the same year, certainly not many years earlier or later. The place of martyrdom was in the territory of the Goths, who were living beyond the Danube at that time. I truly do not know by what lapse of memory Castellanus, in his *Universal Martyrology*, could mark in the margin and in the index that the saint was killed near Mopsuestia in Cilicia, unless he confused the place to which the body was transferred with the place of martyrdom. For there is no reason why we should say that the Saint was killed outside the dominion of Athanaric, the king of the Goths, which was separated by an immense interval of lands from Cilicia. If, moreover, we wish to inquire more closely into the dominion of Athanaric, from Ammianus, who records the deeds of the Emperor Valens against Athanaric, book XXVII, chapter 5, we shall easily discover that Athanaric was at that time ruling in modern Moldavia, and perhaps in Wallachia and Bessarabia, or at least in some part of those provinces: for we do not know how widely he ruled.

V. The places mentioned by Ammianus, where Valens crossed the Ister in the first and third year of that war, and where he attempted to cross in vain in the second year, were in Lower Moesia, opposite the said provinces, especially Moldavia, and divided from them only by the Ister. Marcianopolis, a city of the same province, in which Valens had his winter quarters, and the peace concluded on the Ister itself between both princes, similarly show that the dominion of Athanaric was separated from Lower Moesia only by the Ister or Danube. Therefore, there is no doubt that Saint Nicetas suffered in modern Moldavia, or in the borderland of Wallachia ^C or Bessarabia. For Athanaric stirred up the persecution against the Christians before the Goths had crossed the Ister, when the Arian heresy had not yet prevailed among the Goths, as Saint Augustine observes, book XVIII, *On the City of God*, chapter 52, where he writes these things: "The king of the Goths persecuted the Christians in Gothia itself with marvelous cruelty, when there were none there but Catholics, several of whom were crowned with martyrdom; as we heard from certain brethren who were children there at that time and unhesitatingly remembered that they themselves saw these things." Paul Orosius, book VII, chapter 32, has this to say concerning the same persecution: "Moreover, Athanaric, king of the Goths, persecuted the Christians in his own nation most cruelly, having many

^A barbarorum ob fidem interfectos ad coronam martyrii sublimavit, etc. He records these things, after having said that Gratian had been made emperor. Yet from this it cannot be inferred that this happened in the same year, 367, in which Gratian was made emperor, that the persecution began; but only that it had not begun many years later: for Orosius does not report individual events at fixed years. From the testimonies cited earlier regarding Saint Sabas, it is certain that the persecution was flourishing in the year 372, and had begun even before that. For this reason, I have decided to set the martyrdom of Saint Nicetas around that same year, 372.

VI. The occasion of the persecution in the Acts is attributed to the dissension of the Goths, and to a war which is said to have broken out between the leaders of two parties, Phritigernes and Athanaric. If the Acts are to be believed, Phritigernes was first defeated by Athanaric; but afterwards, a treaty having been made with Valens, he is the victor with his help. Sozomen has similar details, lib. vi, cap. 37, writing: "Not long after, sedition having arisen among them [the Goths], they were divided into two parties: one was led by Athanaric, the other by Phritigernes. Soon, a battle having been fought between them, Phritigernes was defeated and implored the aid of the Romans. When the emperor had granted this, and had ordered the soldiers who were in Thrace to bring him aid, he engaged again, won the victory, and put the forces of Athanaric to flight." So far Sozomen. ^B He makes Phritigernes an Arian even then, because not long after they embraced that heresy, as Theodoret narrates, who is to be praised soon, and who attributes this to the perfidy of Ulphila, the bishop of the Goths. But what Theodoret recounts regarding the perversion of Ulphila is far more probable than what the Arian Philostorgius wrote about him. For Philostorgius says that he was ordained by Eusebius, bishop (insinuating the Arian of Nicomedia), "when he had been sent as an envoy, together with others, to the Emperor Constantius by the king who then ruled over the Goths." These things are improbable, because thus Ulphila would have been ordained before the death of Constantine, who died in the year 337, and indeed by Eusebius the Arian of Nicomedia. But it is not likely that Ulphila was a bishop so soon, or that he was ordained in the time of Constantine by an Arian man, when Saint Alexander was holding the Constantinopolitan see and was held in favor by Constantine. Therefore, those figments are of Philostorgius, who not infrequently wrote fallacies for the sake of his own Arians. It is also very uncertain, and less probable, what Socrates writes about Ulphila, lib. ii, cap. 41, that he was ^C at the Council of Constantinople in the year 360, where the Arians drew up a new formula of faith, to which Ulphila then consented. The same detail is found in Sozomen, lib. iv, cap. 24. But here, lib. vi, cap. 37, he thinks it was done imprudently by Ulphila, who, he says, "continued to commune with the bishops who followed the decrees of the Nicene Fathers."

VII. But the persecution of Athanaric raged when all the Goths were living beyond the Ister, as Saint Augustine, whom we praised earlier, testifies, and this is also evident from the time of the persecution assigned by Orosius. Furthermore, Saint Epiphanius, who flourished at that time, speaking of that violent persecution in his work on the 80 Audians, cap. 15, says it was "provoked by the hatred of the Romans, especially by the king of the Goths, because he saw that the Roman emperors were Christians." Therefore, it is to be feared that there is some confusion ^D as great as that found in Sozomen, and that the cause of the persecution was wrongly assigned thereby. For Athanaric had waged war against Valens before the persecution, and was defeated by him in the year 369, about which time the persecution began, perhaps as soon as Valens had retreated with the Roman army. Whether Phritigernes and Athanaric had clashed in war before that time is not as certain, although Socrates also has this, lib. iv, cap. 33. Whatever the case, the fact of the persecution is certain; and furthermore, it is certain that it was stirred up when the Goths were Catholic, as Saint Augustine observes, and it is evident from the time when the Goths were led into Arianism. Socrates indeed makes the Goths killed by Athanaric both Arians and martyrs, but that writer frequently and clearly writes in an inept and ridiculous manner about matters of faith, and makes the Goths Arians even then.

IX. Whatever, furthermore, may be the case regarding certain individual deeds of Ulphila, on whom the faith of the Goths does not depend; it is certain that the Goths, long before the time in question, had been converted, and that the metropolitan of the Goths, Theophilus, was at the Nicene Council in the year 325. Therefore, the Goths had long been Christians and Catholics; but they were led into perfidy by Valens around the year 376, when, driven from their homes by the Huns, they requested that they be allowed to settle within the limits of the Roman empire. Sozomen, who elsewhere follows Socrates too much, observes this; and he adds the following words concerning the bishop of the Goths in confirmation: "For Ulphila, who was then their bishop, at first did not dissent in any way from the Catholic Church." He soon adds that Ulphila, who had been sent as an envoy by the Goths to Valens, was corrupted by the promises of the Arian bishops.

X. But let us hear Theodoret, writing about these things, lib. iv, cap. 37, where he has it thus: "At the time when the Goths were crossing the Ister and had made a treaty with Valens, that abominable Eudoxius (it is likely one should read Euzoius, who was the Arian bishop of Antioch, where Valens was then staying), who was then present, suggested to the emperor that the Goths ought to be persuaded to commune with him. For since they had long ago been illuminated by the rays of divine knowledge, they had always been nurtured in the apostolic doctrine. Indeed, said Eudoxius, the communion of one dogma will make peace more secure." When he had approved this counsel,

[LATIN] Valens proposed to the Gothic nobles that they should agree with him in the doctrine of the faith. But they answered that they could never be induced to depart from the doctrine of their ancestors. Moreover, at that time Ulphila was bishop of the whole nation, a man of great authority among them, and whose words they held as most firm laws. Eudoxius, having coaxed him with words and enticed him with gifts, drove him to bring the Goths to embrace the communion of the emperor. He persuaded them to this by saying that the contention had arisen from ambition, but that there was no disagreement in dogmas. Thus, through the treachery of Ulphila, the Goths were led to heresy around the year 376.

XI. As regards the Greek Acts of Saint Nicetas, they have as their author Metaphrastes, who in all likelihood possessed older Acts which he adapted to his own style. They were published in Latin by Lipomanus and Surius, and there they are ascribed to Metaphrastes. Allatius also, in his *Opusculum on the Writings of the Simeons*, page 127, provides the beginning of these Acts and adds them to the catalogue of those which seem to be by Metaphrastes. Baillet, in his critical table for this day, observes that other Acts of Saint Nicetas once existed, but that they must be considered lost now that Metaphrastes has undertaken to adorn them with his own style. However, this censure seems just a little too vehement, and perhaps it does not originate from elsewhere ^A than from the name of Metaphrastes alone: for I do not find anything that could greatly displease in the Acts of Saint Nicetas, besides some things that scarcely pertain to the saint, and the occasion for the persecution of Athanaric, and his war against Phritigern, which, however, Socrates and Sozomen also contain.

XII. Perhaps Valens, at the instigation of Phritigern, undertook the war against Athanaric: although it is also read that he did this because Athanaric had sent reinforcements to the tyrant Procopius against Valens. Perhaps Athanaric attacked Phritigern after the peace had been made with Valens. Whatever the case may be, that war is more doubtful than it is certainly fictitious. The remaining things reported in the Acts concerning Saint Nicetas, although they are not as certain as facts written by a contemporary author, are narrated in a sufficiently probable manner. Those Greek Acts, indeed, which are the same, are noted in our transcript as being taken from a manuscript codex of the King of France. The Latin translation by Lipomanus and Surius generally corresponds to the Greek text, yet it is not always so accurate that it cannot be mended. For sometimes certain words have been omitted entirely in the Latin, which I shall add according to the Greek. Once or twice the interpreter seems to have strayed from the true meaning; and therefore I shall substitute the true translation, while keeping the ancient version wherever it shall appear legitimate.

THE CONTEST OF THE HOLY AND GREAT MARTYR NICETAS

I. We celebrate today the victorious contests of the martyr Nicetas; ^B not of him whom the prince of the apostles, Peter, instructed, and who was a brother of Clement, and whom the tyrant Commodus brought to the completion of martyrdom for Christ's sake. We are not gathered to celebrate the contests of this one, but of him (which, as regards praise...) ^C

[FOOTNOTE CONTENT] In the Latin version it reads "companion"; but the Greek phrase clearly signifies "brother." In the same version, "Pontiff" is added to the name of Clement, which the Greek does not have. In the *Recognitions* of St. Clement, Nicetas and Aquila occur as brothers of the Pope St. Clement. But the books of the *Recognitions* do not have authority; nor do I see Nicetas, brother of St. Clement, being celebrated in the Greek or Latin Martyrologies. Perhaps the author did not even wish to insinuate that such a saint is to be found anywhere: but only to say that he is not speaking of such a one.

Martyrdom of Saint Nicetas the Goth

^A ...we have come together, but—this being something more brilliant and honorable for praise—though a barbarian land brought him forth, barbarians nurtured his character, and they did not in the least corrupt the nobility innate to his fortune. Everyone knows the river Ister, famous for its size and abundance, as rivers go, which the local language also knows how to call the Danube. And the river nourished the Goths, who at that time had migrated from their fatherland and were living as neighbors. This admirable Nicetas, then, born of Gothic seed and having obtained the first honor among them, both because of the brilliance of his lineage and because of his other natural aptitude and dexterity of soul and body, was not a Goth in his life, nor in his ways, nor in his faith. For his mind overcame his race, his love for Christ overcame the barbarian conceit, and his love of virtue overcame Gothic intemperance and savagery.

^B II. This man, in the age of his youth, had drunk of the sacred streams of the doctrine of Theophilus. We have learned that this same Theophilus, who had been entrusted with the episcopal oversight of the Goths, was present at the first ecumenical and holy synod at Nicaea, and confirmed the dogmas of piety by hand and tongue before all. But when not much time had passed, and the Gothic nation had broken into rival and civil factions, and were divided into two parts—the one led by Fritigern, the other by Athanaric, a man exceedingly terrible in all things—this Athanaric, having undertaken an expedition with a great multitude of armed men against the kinsman and apostate party of Fritigern, set up a trophy. Wherefore Fritigern, being rejected, looked toward the Roman right hand, and coming as a deserter, asked for aid. ^C Valens, the enemy of Christ, was holding the Roman scepter at that time. When he ordered the soldiers who were in Thrace to bring aid to the exile, Fritigern, having taken the Thracian army and all the Gothic host that had remained under him, crossed the Ister. Carrying the divine cross of Christ, preceding all their forces, they joined battle with their adversaries, and easily defeated the one who had been victorious; and his multitude was divided between captivity and the sword, while Athanaric, having very shamefully escaped the slaughter, barely saved his own life with a few men.

III. This became the pretext and cause for many of those who preceded them ^D to embrace the Christian religion among the Goths. And Urphilas was the successor to the episcopal...

office who had also been present with him at the Council of Nicaea, holding the same views, and who later sat with those who were gathered at the second holy and ecumenical council in Constantinople. ^A This man, being learned and prudent, discovered letter-forms and sounds corresponding to the Gothic language; and having translated our holy and divinely inspired Scripture from Greek into the Gothic tongue using these, he saw to it with all zeal and diligence that those who were of his own race should learn them. Wherefore piety received great increase among the Barbarians, and day by day it progressed. Athanaric, however, having recovered himself in the course of time from the defeat he had suffered, and having returned to his former station, did not, however, return to piety, but subjected many of the Christian Goths and Barbarians to torments: he was moved even more against the noble Nicetas, who in clarity of birth and in piety surpassed those of his own race. ^B

IV. While Gratian, the pious and gentle, was administering the Roman and ancestral empire, the impious and murderous Athanaric, on his own initiative, contrived the slaughter against the pious and exhorted those under his authority to imitate him. These god-hating and accursed men, with impiety lurking in them daily, were indignant at the martyr; they threatened, they raged with anger, they attempted to do away with him. Nicetas, caring little for these things, nonetheless continued to preach piety. ^C Finally, bursting into open anger, they suddenly set upon him at the very time the martyr was preaching the word of truth; they seized him and dragged him by force, and compelled him to abjure his faith. But he, by his words and his deeds, never departing from piety, and in freely confessing Christ and rendering honor to Him as God, showed their assault to be mere sport and mockery. They, having crushed parts of his body—O the madness!—then also cast him into the fire. But even suffering thus, the holy man neither ceased to praise God with his tongue nor to believe in Him with his heart. Wherefore, keeping his confession steadfast unto the end, together with many others of the same race and faith, he was deemed worthy of martyr's crowns, having commended his soul into the hands of God. ^D

V. Now Marianus, a certain pious man, a Cilician by birth, sprung from the city of Mopsuestia there, was at that time residing in the regions about the Ister. By reason of their fellowship in faith and similarity of character—which, as is wont to happen, for the most part converges between such men—he had become an intimate and friend to the martyr, and dwelt in the same house for a long time. After he had met his martyr's end, he was reflecting and revolving many thoughts within himself, as to how it might be possible for his friend’s body, especially by such...

^A a goal being adorned, to be obtained; for he desired not to be separated from him, as far as possible, even after death. When therefore he was considering these things, at an untimely hour of the night, because of the fear of Athanaric (for he would not allow the martyr’s body to be taken), arriving at the place where the relics of the saints had been cast, since he was ignorant of which was the one being sought, he is taught by the same One from Whom the Magi also learned the adoration of Him. For a certain celestial and incorporeal power, having taken the form of a star, went before the good Marianus very clearly and manifestly; and that star that appeared did not cease doing this until it revealed what was desired. ^B This was not some relic or part, but the whole body of that truly blessed soul, which appeared greater than fire—just as indeed its very name intended—save in so far as it kept some traces, and not even these clear, but such that it was obvious that it had been in contact with fire. This sacred body, therefore, having placed in a casket, and honoring it with martyric prayers, as was fitting, he conveys to his own country.

VI. And while it remained in the private house, it dispensed public healings. For since it was the house of a good soul, it did not like to limit its own miracles to one house, but it was a common delight of the Mopsuestians—or rather, indeed, of those who traveled there from elsewhere—a fruit that was not consumed. In ^C process of time, a temple also is raised to the martyr, and it receives the venerable body itself, providing more evident benefits than before and never ceasing to stand against all manner of passions and diseases. Yet the house which first received the athlete in hospitality is enriched with the thumb of that holy hand, and this peculiar grace the noble Nicetas gives to his friend Marianus, honoring the laws of friendship and hospitality, an act he would not grant to anyone else, and perhaps, in this, glorifying his friend. For Auxentius, who was bishop of the said city, having attempted to divide and take some of the body, ^D received nothing of what he sought, but he did receive fear—fear not small, nor such that it remained hidden or secret, but such that his soul was greatly shaken, and he became a teacher to others of what he saw and what he himself was terrified by, that no one henceforth should stretch out a daring hand, nor tear away any part of the body against his will.

VII. How this fear happened, and by what words he was restrained from his undertaking, the account will declare. For this martyr-loving high priest had raised a temple to the victors among the martyrs, I mean Tarachus and Probus

^A and Andronicus, which is established before the walls of this city of Mopsuestia. Since he lacked the relics of these same holy ones for the consecration of the church that had been built, and the neighboring city of Anazarba possessed them, he received the relics of those martyrs upon the promise of a portion of the relics of this illustrious Nicetas. When, therefore, it was necessary to fulfill what had been promised, the tomb was dug open, and the stone which had been placed upon it was removed; the marble immediately broke for no apparent reason, and the dead man appeared, having his limbs decently arranged and his body no different from its former appearance. When, therefore, he had to take a portion of the body, and the hand of him who excavated the tomb touched it (here one must fix his attention), it received nothing; instead, it immediately became withered, and fear and trembling at once seized him who had dared this. Then an earthquake occurred, and thunders burst forth, and frequent flashes of lightning shone, bringing an intolerable fear upon those who were present.

^B VIII. When the most holy Auxentius saw this (for he was not ignorant of divine signs), he brought the withered hand of the sufferer to the relics, not that it might again take something, but rather that it might silently seek pardon for the audacity and obtain healing. "For it is much easier for you, O saint," he said, "as you are good and an imitator of the Good, to heal than to harm. And if you gave that even unwillingly, how will you not rather grant this according to your own will?" The afflicted hand is therefore healed, ^C and it becomes a herald of the power and kindness of him who had healed it—the former through the correction, the latter through the healing after the recognition of the error. Then the bishop, having honored his sacred tomb with doxologies and hymns, restored it to its former state, with no change in anything except that it appeared more comely and honorable. Thus does God glorify those who choose to glorify Him; thus does He magnify those who magnify Him—not giving everything here, by no means, but offering glimpses of the future from these things. For the things given here, even if they are the most excellent among all sensible things, are yet perceived by the ears and grasped by the eyes. But the things which await the saints there, ^D eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have they entered into the heart of man. For such, as we have learned, are the things prepared by God for those who love Him. May it be granted to us all to attain to these by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and power unto the ages of ages. Amen.

MARTYRDOM OF SAINT EUPHEMIA

^A I. While Diocletian held the Roman scepter and Priscus was proconsul over Asia, a grievous persecution breathed against the Christians, fierce and formidable. Priscus had as an assessor a certain Sophist named Apellianus, who fulfilled the priestly office of the god who is by them falsely called Mars. When, therefore, the annual festival of this spurious god approached, letters and proclamations circulated throughout all of Chalcedon; for in it the sacrifices were performed, as the temple of Mars and his famous idol were there. The edicts summoned the citizens and those living around Chalcedon to the festival; deaths and punishments were threatened in the mandates for those whom they might encounter, if they did not obey and worship the demons. Trumpets sounding clearly and terribly were the signal for the gathering and assembly at the temple. Those, therefore, to whom such execrable sacrifices and abominable religious observances were hateful—but whose holiness, piety, and faith in Christ were firm—avoiding association with the impious and the assembly of vanity, shut themselves away in houses or in deserts, and, devoting themselves to prayers and supplications, offered a rational worship to the true and only God. Among these, there was one holy chorus that was adorned in particular by the blessed and illustrious martyr Euphemia—Euphemia, I say, who in keeping with her name embraced the whole world with her fame. She had a father who was a member of the senate and had held various magistracies, Philophron by name, and a mother who was very pious and modest, called Theodorosia, who had been given as a gift from God to all the needy, doing for them all that was her own, and whose hand was generous and munificent toward them. From such parents Euphemia emerged, appearing as a sprout suited to the root, a branch inclining toward piety and true religion, and a fruit truly most rich in mercy.

^B II. As that demonic sacrifice was being carried out, Apellianus, considering nothing to be overlooked or of no concern

but having investigated and learned of these things as much as possible, ^A disclosed them to the proconsul. And immediately there were seized not only a great multitude of other Christians, but also that very divine chorus itself, in which was that illustrious virgin Euphemia, who, by the beauty of her body and the grace of her virtue, and by the flower of her age and the nobility of her birth, shone in their midst like some most brilliant star. This sacred chorus was gathered to the number of forty-nine, who, when they had been seized, were brought into the sight of the proconsul. He, however, first attempting to lead them away from piety by way of exhortation, desiring to entice with the goods of the earth those who desired heavenly things, said: "Sacrifice to the great god Mars, that you may make yourselves worthy of his benevolence and of the happiness to be bestowed by the emperors, and may obtain very many gifts and honors." To whom that divine chorus, as if with one mind and one tongue, said: "We, proconsul, have learned to worship the true God, by whose word the universe, heaven and earth, and all that is in them, were established from things that were not; nor do we know, nor will we ever endure (far be it, King Christ) to worship any other God besides Him. Your gifts and honors may entice others, and soothe those who are faint-hearted and desire small things. For these things are of little value to us, and we take hardly any account of them, since we love only that honor which is in the heavens, which we know to be called life immortal and the kingdom of God." Thus spoke that glorious army, which had the blessed Euphemia as its leader. ^B III. But the tyrant, not even thus despairing of being able to persuade them, but entertaining good hope for them (for he admired them as he looked at them, and saw their noble disposition and generous spirits, and did not wish a company so comely and excellent to be punished), made another attempt upon the constancy of the martyrs, and studied with all his might to divert them from their opinion. "Seeing," he said, "that much intelligence shines in you, I do not yet cast away hope for your change of heart, but I know that you will believe me as I counsel you what is good and useful, and that you would not choose ignominy instead of honor, and disgrace instead of delights and glory, and to see such beautiful youth and the flower of the body, which are most pleasing to all men, affected and mangled by grievous torments." ^C To this the saints again replied with liberty: "We, proconsul, have said it before, and now we hold to the same words, that we consider it the greatest disgrace if, having received mind and intelligence from God, we should call those things gods which are not only mute and deaf, but also void of mind and sense. But as for the tortures you threaten us with, so far are we from considering them terrible, that on the contrary we fear more, lest, if they be light and moderate, they may not be able to be a sufficiently accurate testimony of the power and strength of God in us. But let not your speech be longer; make trial of the matter, and then you shall know clearly that

we shall bear these torments more easily than you will inflict them.

^D IV. This speech kindled the tyrant’s rage, and forthwith the martyrs were subjected to torments. These torments were no small matter, nor did they last for a short time, but were prolonged for nineteen days. For all those who have had experience of painful things know that, when new stripes are inflicted upon the body while the former pain has not yet faded, but is still in its very vigor, they produce in those who suffer a sensation that is grievous and intolerable. The tribunal showed the martyrs being flayed each day, and then prisons awaited them after the scourging—affliction added to affliction, and an increase of pain. But they were so far from regarding these things as sorrow and pain that they rejoiced doubly: both because they were being punished for Christ’s sake, and because, by the increase of these grievous things, the good things which were in their hope also received an increase.

Now when the twentieth day arrived, these noble ones were again summoned by the tyrant. And the glorious Euphemia was also with them, like the moon shining in the midst of stars, full-orbed, radiant, and most delightful. What then did the tyrant say to them? "Having made trial," said he, "of those things which you never thought you would undergo, tell me if you have devised any counsel that is salutary and useful for yourselves. For it is better, having abandoned this vain innovation of glory and ceasing to oppose your own lives to your own injury—which is what all men do—that you likewise do the same and, drawing near, offer sacrifice." But the brave army of Christ, together with the blessed Euphemia, said: "How long, O judge, will you deceive yourself, attempting things that are impossible? For to think that you can persuade us to change our mind is the same as if you were to think you could move the stars from their stations or orbits, or shift any of those things that are immovable. Therefore, it is better that you convert from your error and acknowledge the true God, who has been the best steward of your own salvation."

[E] V. Priscus, seized by greater fury, ordered the faces of the saints to be struck with raw thongs, the senseless man requiting good words with evil deeds. Yet they, bearing this new torment also with courage, appeared with faces all the more radiant; for though blood flowed from their flesh, the grace of the Creator made beautiful the faces He had fashioned. But those who were doing the scourging, exhausted, fell to the ground half-dead. The other saints were then ordered by the judge to be cast back into prison until he should transmit them to Diocletian (for thus had Appellianus determined), but the blessed Euphemia remained alone standing before his tribunal; for he thought that, being left alone, she would be easily induced. When, therefore, he had taken care to have her stand very close, so that he might insinuate himself by more familiar address, he said: "Believe me, as for one who counsels you for the best, O Euphemia, and draw near to the great god Mars in sacri-

sacrifice; ^A for it shall be your lot to depart from all things sorrowful, and to gain without labor things most to be desired, namely, to enjoy wealth and glory, and henceforth to lead a blessed and happy life." But the martyr of Christ ^B said: "Do you think, O judge, when you see a woman, that you can easily deceive us? You shall see, however, that I am not, as you suppose, a woman exposed to your snares. For I trust in Christ that, having his unconquered right hand for my helper, I shall be shown to be superior to your crafty guiles." Since, therefore, the tyrant was thus defeated by her replies, and he who thought he could terrify multitudes by a look alone was despised by a single woman, shame laid hold of him; and shame stirred up anger, for such is an arrogance that has seized upon power. Then, deeming the previous torments small and such as could not force necessity, he devised new ones, and ordered wheels to be constructed with certain extraordinary machines, which were able to press flesh, to squeeze it from the bones, and to break the bones themselves most violently, and he commanded the most wise Euphemia to be cast into them.

VI. When these machines were constructed sooner than commanded, and the martyr was about to be cast in, having immediately equipped herself with strong weapons—namely, by marking herself with the sign of the divine cross, or, to speak better, being fortified by it—she advanced toward the wheels, showing no sadness upon her countenance, but with a grave and honest expression, blessing God and openly showing that she rejoiced exceedingly for those things which she suffered for his sake. ^C Nay, she even uttered something noble and highly worthy of her candor: "Your wheels, O tyrant," she said, "and these weak machines of yours, kindle in me a greater desire for Christ." Hearing these things, the ministers turned the wheels as strongly as they could, bringing a sharper sense of pain to the martyr. Wherefore her limbs and parts were broken, and were torn ^D asunder, and all her joints were dislocated; yet her mind did not depart from Christ, but lifting her eyes to heaven, from whence she hoped to have aid, she cried, "My Lord, Jesus Christ, illumination of my soul, fountain of life, who grantest salvation to those who trust in you, be present now to me as a helper, and let it be known to all that you are the only God, the unfailing hope of those who have confidence in you, and that no evil shall approach, nor scourge draw near to the tabernacle of those who have set you, the Most High, as their refuge.*" Thus indeed the martyr prayed; and God rendered the effect of what she prayed for. For a celestial power, arriving immediately, does all these things in a moment of time. It looses her from the wheel, and heals her body from the wounds so beautifully that not the slightest trace of the wounds appeared upon it. Then, also, by appearing in a terrible form, it strikes the ministers of iniquity with fear and makes them unable to act. And of the wheels, the prize-bearing...

^A champion, having emerged, was seen not only whole and sound, but also more radiant in countenance—O, the marvelous power of Thee, Christ, where even among others who are suffering, sadness often appears on the faces of those who look on and are more humane.

VII. But the Ethiopian does not grow white, and the crooked wood is not straightened, and the crab is not taught to walk straight. This was the wicked Priscus, and his vice was in no way curable. For when such a divine sign had occurred, he, being blinder than his own gods, not only understood nothing, but even threatened to burn the martyr alive. But she, not shrinking at all, said toward the temporary [threat]: "O tyrant, this fire that you now threaten me with is quickly kindled, and is quickly extinguished by anyone who so wishes. And I am not so faint-hearted and abject in my soul as to be afraid of such a fire. No, by the sacred contests of those who have behaved bravely and courageously for the sake of Christ, this brings no fear to me; but I fear that other fire—that fire which, merely coming into my mind, becomes dreadful—which awaits those who deny Christ, possessing an eternal and never-ceasing operation." ^B The tyrant, however, putting into action the things he had threatened, commands a furnace to be kindled, fed mightily with pitch and sulfur and tow and dry sticks, and the flame rose to five-and-forty cubits. But as the martyr was about to be cast into the fire, she assumes the armor of the Three Holy Youths, that is, prayer, and kindles a fire of prayer against the fire; and lifting her eyes to heaven, she said: "O God, who dwellest in the heights and lookest upon the humble; who preserved the three youths in Babylon, who were delivered to the fire for the sake of Thy law, unharmed by evils through Thy holy angel, and sent down dew upon them from above, be Thou also my helper, as I, Thy handmaid, struggle for Thy glory, O Christ." Thus she spoke, and having once again armed herself with the sign of the cross as with other weapons, she stood ready, ^C awaiting the command of the tyrant.

VIII. But as he committed her to the furnace, and the hands of the lictors were about to seize her, Sosthenes and Victor, who were in charge of those performing these tasks, approached Priscus and said, "That we are eager to serve what you command, we produce as witnesses none other than your own eyes. But now we are unable to touch the body of this virgin; for we see men standing there, terrible in appearance, looking at us very sharply and fiercely, and ready to protect the virgin and show her to be superior to the flame. For what else does it mean that they scatter the fire here and there?" ^D As soon as Priscus heard these things, he sent them to prison as those who had already defected from the worship of the gods, and in their place appoints Caesar and Vicarius (for so were they called) to that service. And they, with eager and ready spirit, [proceed to] the excellent virgin Euphemia, the divine power of the angels yielding—for truly...

they were unable to undergo a change toward piety—they cast them into the furnace. But they were immediately put to the test by the inanimate objects, and the impious were punished. For the fire, suddenly surging up and pouring around in a circle, as formerly in Babylon, took vengeance on those who had cast her in; but the glorious victorious athlete, as if she had not been handed over to punishment but to recreation and delights, remained for a sufficient time untouched by the fire. With great ease she moved her lips in divine hymns, while a soft and dewy breeze refreshed her. ^B

IX. But after the flame died down, and the heaven-sent punishment that had been directed at the Caesar and the Vicar scattered the other ministers to a distance, the martyr emerged, so whole and unharmed that not even a trace of the fire remained on her tunic, though the guard again kept her in custody as a prisoner. ^C

On the following day, the proconsul brought out Victor and Sosthenes and ordered them to sacrifice to his gods. But they said, "O proconsul, we, having been caught previously in a great error, just as you yourself are even now, have finally, by the nod of God, recovered our senses and have been deemed worthy to recognize the truth through this virgin. Know, therefore, that we will neither sacrifice to inanimate gods (far be it from us to be so bereft of mind and reason), nor will we yield to your decrees." When they had said these things, they were immediately taken to the stadium and ordered to fight with beasts. They accepted the command gladly, and they rejoiced, not only because they considered it better to contend with wild beasts than with such wicked men, but also because, through the teeth of the beasts, they were about to crush the jaws of that fleshless beast. ^D Having prayed for this, they heard from heaven a clear voice, signifying that their prayer had been heard. So when the beasts were set upon the martyrs, they leapt upon them, driven by the severe lash of hunger; and they merely bit them and drank their blood (for it was necessary for their prayer to be brought to completion), but they abstained from their bodies and did not consume them at all. For even then, that grace was not neglectful which had previously bridled the mouths of the lions for Daniel; and thus the athletes underwent a short martyrdom for Christ. Indeed, it was a care to the more devout among the pious to take up their sacred bodies and commit them to burial with psalms and hymns.

X. On the following day, the tyrant, presiding before the judicial tribunal, brought the glorious Euphemia out of prison. She was joyful in countenance, and even more joyful in soul; and as she approached the judge, she sang these Davidic canticles in a low voice: "I have taken delight in the way of thy testimonies as in all riches. I will meditate on thy justifications, I will not forget thy law," and what follows thereafter. The tyrant then said to her, "How long do you neglect yourself, suffering such things, and both vex the gods and provoke the emperor to wrath? Do something sa

^A sensible, and be persuaded to offer sacrifice to the gods."

But she said, "You exhort us to do something sensible, O judge? And what could anyone do more sensible than not being persuaded to consider stones, which are soulless and deaf, to be gods? Just as, on the contrary, to be persuaded is full of folly, and not even free from madness."

Enraged at what had been said, the tyrant turned to a newer torture. Stones and iron prepared such a torment; the stones were suspended from the instruments of torture at the corners, and the iron, being drawn continuously up and down by the force of the stones, thus ^B proceeded to cut and tear the body of the martyr. But when this punishment also took hold of the noble one, who was suffering nothing womanish or ignoble, but was rather giving thanks to God for whom she endured these things, the hands of the executioners grew weary from pulling the stones with the machine; and the stones themselves, being pulled by force, were shattered and dissolved into small fragments. The martyr, however, was seen to be entirely unharmed in these matters.

XI.

XII.

^A to understand whence this could be, he asked Apellianus: "Behold, for as you see, both fire and blows, and wheels, and beasts, have all been defeated by one woman." But he (for what else would a wicked soul, and one clearly blinded to the divine light, have assumed?) attributed the whole thing to sorcery, and said that by this means she was managing to accomplish the things she set her mind to. To which the proconsul, as if probing into the depths of the mind and introducing a deeper line of questioning, said: "Why then did the gods not take vengeance on her, since they hate the wicked?" And he, not being able to speak from the truth, termed her weakness benevolence, saying: "Being merciful, they spared her." In the meantime, the martyr, having emerged from the water sound and unharmed, stood before the proconsul in the sight of all. And at once the tyrants were conversing with one another, not in secret, but openly, so that those who were present might hear and gain something from what was being said, defending their own gods or demons, and they attributed sorcery to the martyr, and said that by this she had overcome the waters. On account of these things, Priscus, together with his assessor, being in a state of perplexity, and not knowing what more they could do, as if calling upon their own cruelty for counsel, again betook themselves to punishing her. ^B For what else could they do, being disciples of him who was a murderer from the beginning? Therefore, they again carved stones and fashioned sharp, iron obelisks and saws; then they ordered a pit to be dug, which was intended to have these sharp stones, obelisks, and saws hidden inside, fixed in place, with a little earth strewn over them from above, so that the martyr, proceeding on, might fall into it unawares and thus perish. For the foolish men thought that she was able to prevail only by that magic art, the knowledge of which she had—as they had already previously supposed—already received. And for this reason, they hastened to make the danger unknown to her; but it escaped them that You, O Lord, who fashioned the hearts of men one by one, are with them, and understand all their works.

XIII.

having fallen upon those sharp instruments, they swiftly perished. The saint, however, sang hymns by which she gave thanks to God, saying: ^A “Who shall speak the powers of the Lord, and shall make all his praises heard, O Lord?” Because thou hast preserved thy servant, who was scourged, unhurt by the scourges; because thou hast snatched me from the fire; because thou hast guarded me from the beasts, and the water, and the wheels, and hast saved me from the pit. And now, O merciful Master, deliver my soul from the hand of him who from ancient times is the enemy of nature. ^B “The sins of my youth and my ignorances do not remember”; but with the drops of thy blood which flowed for me, purge the defilements of my flesh and spirit. For thou art the purification, and the sanctification, and the illumination of thy servants. And she indeed prayed these things, and was not defrauded of her petition.

XIV. Priscus, however, again devises another pit for the martyr, which did not bring about the destruction of the body, but of the soul, and brought danger regarding the faith. For having summoned her, and having put aside his wrath and arrogance, but having covered the wolf with a dense fleece, and having simulated the greatest gentleness: You, he said, are false. Nor is it a marvel; for you are a woman. But we also have been too insolent toward you, a noble virgin (which would that it had not been done!). Granting us pardon for which, sacrifice to the great god Mars: and such wealth, and such a sea of good things shall receive you, that, having forgotten all those others, you shall live for the time after ^C this honorably and pleasantly, as befits such a virgin, so beautiful, and possessing such brightness and brilliance of lineage. But the truly all-praised Euphemia, looking upon the tyrant nobly and manfully, said: O wily soul, filled with deceit and bitterness! O demonic mind imitating a human form, will you never cease from trivialities and wicked works done in vain, and from fashioning countless snares against the servants of Christ? Shall I ever sacrifice to demons and idols after so many [miracles], after the aids of my Master? After the demonstration of the truth from such great works? After having openly and irrefutably put your arrogance to shame, and having refuted the weakness of the demons you worship, and having gained so brilliant a victory against error? I would be deemed ^D laughable to you, or rather worthy of tears by those who think rightly and fear the Lord. Remove, therefore, the scene, and the lamb which you have assumed for artifice, and the feigned gentleness; and show us the usual Priscus, with the cruelty and audacity which are pleasing to him: and do those things which are in your heart to do, or rather, which your master and teacher, the devil, suggests to you.

XV. Priscus, filled with wrath at these words (for the simulation was detected in a short time, and the cat shed its saffron-colored cloak), orders the martyr to be struck with very heavy rods. And when, being struck with rods and [enduring] the wounds at the same time, she mocked the tyrant—he, burning with greater wrath...

produced sharp saws and iron frying-pans. He commanded that the body of the martyr be cut in two with the saws, and that ^A the flesh, once cut, be dissolved quite forcefully in the frying-pans, so that even the bones might be melted into ash. But when the saws were brought to the virginal body, just as if they were touching some substance of adamant, their edges were blunted and they were deprived of their cutting power; the fire was extinguished, and the martyr was preserved unharmed. But what are these things to a soul that is willfully deaf, and incapable of accepting any pious thought? For even as these things were happening, Priscus persisted in the same ways, and did not cease from warring against God. For even the light, which is friendly to all, is not friendly, but inimical, to diseased eyes. Wherefore he again brought the blessed Euphemia into the stadium, and commanded her to contend with wild beasts. But she, as one burdened by not yet departing more quickly to her Spouse, and by still bearing the bonds of the body, raising her hands, her mind, and her eyes to Christ at the same time, said: "Lord, and Master of every principality, Thou hast shown in me Thy invincible power and unconquerable right hand; Thou hast rebuked the weakness of demons [and] the madness of tyrants; Thou hast made me stronger than torments and wounds; and now, just as Thou didst accept the slaughter and blood of those who have already gone before, accept also my sacrifice, offered to Thee in a contrite soul and with a spirit of humility, and having received my soul, let it rest ^B in the tabernacles of the saints and the choirs of the martyrs; for Thou art blessed unto the ages." ^C XVI. While she was praying thus, four lions and three bears were set upon her. These beasts displayed together both the prayer and the miracle of the martyr; for the lions, and two of the bears, approaching her cautiously and reverently at the same time, were kissing the soles of her feet in a human manner; but the third of the bears, having bitten a little piece of flesh, did not inflict a wound at all, yet it nevertheless became the occasion of her departure to God, on the sixteenth day of the month of September. A voice resounding from heaven was calling the admirable Euphemia to the divine tabernacles, saying, "Run to the Giver of crowns, thou who hast contested the beautiful contest and already finished the course, to receive the prizes of thy struggles." While the voice was still resounding, a great earthquake was shaking the city, and more than the created things, [it shook] the hearts of those dwelling [therein]. Whence also the parents of this noble girl, having obtained the opportunity and the authority, not weeping, but rejoicing, having entrusted that martyric and precious body not to the hands of others but to their own, buried it honorably and piously in a certain place ^D not far from the city of Chalcedon: having received a beautiful reward for her upbringing, in that they were called the parents of such a daughter, and gave to God a fruit more sacred than any blessing or offering, for to Him is due all honor, glory, and adoration unto the ages. Amen.

MARTYDOM OF THE HOLY MARTYRS TROPHIMUS, SABBATIUS, AND DORYMEDON

MARTYDOM OF THE HOLY MARTYRS TROPHIMUS, SABBATIUS, AND DORYMEDON

^A I. While the impious Probus held the scepter of the Roman empire, Atticus—whom they also called Heliodorus—held the office of vicar at Antioch. Now, as the destructive birthday of the Daphnaean Apollo was being celebrated, Antioch was, as is to be expected, passing the entire day in revelry, drunkenness, sacrifices, and wantonness. On that same day, Trophimus and Sabbatius, men god-fearing and worshippers of the truth—though their piety was not yet manifest—arrived from a foreign land. When they beheld such a great captivity of souls, Trophimus, sighing heavily from the bottom of his heart, cried out, "God," (mingling tears with his voice), "You who by your word created the universe out of what did not exist, and who with your own hand fashioned man in your image, look down now ^B kindly and snatch these away from the hand of the adversary." These things Trophimus said to God. Suddenly, certain of the pagans seized him along with Sabbatius and led them to the vicar. And he, having had them brought face-to-face, immediately separated in place those whom he could not separate in spirit. He asked Trophimus first his name, and his station, and what was his worship. The divine man said, "My name, from my very birth, is Trophimus. Though I was freeborn and free from the beginning, I was enslaved by the guile of sin; but again, through the baptism of my Christ, I have received that first nobility and freedom." ^C II. And the vicar said, "Whom then do you honor,

^A or do you seek religion?" Trophimus said, "I have already spoken, but hear yet more clearly: I am a Christian, a servant of Christ; and would that I might be a victim for Christ!" He then said, "Are you a stranger or a native?" Trophimus, who was truly a stranger to the world, answered, "A stranger." The magistrate said, "Have you read the decree which the imperial power has ordained?" "I have read it," Trophimus said, "but these things are nothing to us; for there is a great difference between the deception of demons and piety—a difference as great, I think, as between night and day." This report filled Heliodorus with rage, and he immediately ordered him to be stripped, stretched out by four men, and beaten more severely. The scourges consumed his body more cruelly than even a wild beast, and streams of blood flowing from thence dyed the ground beneath crimson. Meanwhile, Heliodorus said, "Sacrifice, wretch, and do not speak evil of the gods and the emperor! Do you not see your own flesh even now dissolving and flowing away?" But he said, "Looking at you, I feel greater pity for your own calamity, because, though you are a man, you have a soul more savage than wild beasts, showing no humanity toward your own kin. But just as I have been able, by the power of my Christ, to endure these blows without distress and with joy, so do I consider the sight of them a delight to the eyes, for the expectation of the things that are hoped for steals away the perception of pain. And, moreover, this blood which is shed for Christ knows how to purge the soul of every stain, having become for it a divine washing." When the vicar saw the martyr philosophizing in the very time of his torture, he decided to stop punishing him for the moment and instead to approach him with persuasion and exhortations.

III. ^B Having therefore had the man brought before him, he said, "Sacrifice to the gods, Trophimus, since I am going to send you to Dionysius Perennius, the governor of Phrygia Salutaris." For he was infamous for his cruelty. Trophimus said, "It makes no difference to me whether I am put to death by you or by him. ^C For whether Heliodorus or Dionysius is the one punishing, the same death awaits me; for the goal and purpose of both is the same: to punish and destroy those who have chosen to honor piety." Greatly agitated by this, Heliodorus suspended Trophimus upon a stake, and the executioners who stood around him immediately tore at his sides mercilessly, and reached even to his internal organs. But he maintained all the more the precise character of his own philosophy, saying softly and gently, "Lord, bring aid to your servant." ^D The governor Heliodorus, therefore, seeing the extraordinary fortitude of the athlete, since he could not look upon the light of his words, being blind in the eyes of his soul, said, "Where is your Christ, Trophimus?" And he said, "My Christ does not depart from me, and he is always present to all who call upon him in truth; and this is evident from the fact that we bear these pains so easily. For how could human nature bear such grievous tortures if it did not enjoy divine aid?" When he had said these things, the prison received the athlete, in which he was then afflicted with other...

^A torments, and the Father is stretched out into the four holes of the instrument of torture, so that, he says, even there he might not have space to breathe even for a little.

IV. After him, the noble Sabbatius is brought to the tribunal. And immediately the governor says to him: "I do not ask," he says, "whether you are a Christian"—for he turned away from the very word as he would from the sound, as a diseased eye could not bear to look upon the light, which is sweet to all—"but tell me first, what is your dignity?" Sabbatius says, "To me, O judge, my dignity, and country, and glory, and wealth is Christ, the Son of God, who lives forever, by whose providence all this universe is governed and directed." The judge, thinking that he had been subjected to the most extreme insult by the martyr's frank answer, dealt him a blow on the head, proclaiming at the same time: "Answer what is proposed, and before you make trial of the tortures, proceed and sacrifice to the gods. For to sacrifice after these things would be ungrateful and not so acceptable; moreover, the preceding torture detracts from the joy that follows afterwards." Sabbatius replied: "Of passing and fleeting pleasure, O judge, even the mere perception is slippery and dangerous. But if it also has impiety following it, how great is the evil! Therefore, the punishments which are endured for Christ are better for me; for these provide and retain ^B eternal rewards; but your things, the more they delight, by so much the more they will inflict pain. And would that they delighted for an equal time, albeit for a short time, or even for a moment of time, but they will inflict immortal and everlasting pain."

V. The governor becomes infuriated at this and grows more savage; he lifts the athlete up on a wooden frame, and tears his sides with iron nails, ^C and even touches his internal organs. Seeing the martyr afflicted with such great pain, the judge said, "If it is sweet for you to suffer for Christ, O Sabbatius, whence come the groans and these hot tears?" "So that you might know," the martyr said, "how I thirst for the matter and how much I value suffering for Him. For even if I receive the sense of most grave pain, so that tears openly burst forth from me and I bear it heavily, yet I am still held by a more vehement love for Him, and even so I do not wish to desist from the labors to be undertaken for Him." While he said these things, the nails were tearing his body; and the pain was more intense, and it fell more heavily upon his heart. And when the flesh had already flowed down to the ground, and naked bones were left, and the torture had finished off his belly and intestines, ^D and the executioners had nothing to touch, since there was no flesh subject to them, the athlete is taken down from the wood. And when he had been carried a little outside the stadium, he commends his soul to God.

VI. Since Sabbatius had therefore contended so brilliantly and had emerged victorious by a long interval, the governor, despairing thereafter also of Trophimus, decided to send the man to Perennius Dionysius, the governor of Phrygia Salutaris, whom we also mentioned before. And when

^A he had written of the many tortures to which the man had been subjected by him, and how he had shown himself by far stronger than the executioners, and how, by attending only to Christ, he mocked their gods and counted them as nothing, he commanded that iron shoes, spiked with sharp nails both underneath and along the sides, should be fitted to the pitiable feet of the martyr Trophimus. And having driven the nails through his feet, he ordered him to be marched off to Phrygia, for Dionysius was said to be residing there. But Trophimus, gladly and with joy submitting himself to the nails, led the way far in front of the infantry and the cavalry who were running alongside. For the pain of his feet was not able to overcome the nobility of his soul’s strength; rather, it gave him light wings, making him steadier and more constant.

VII. Having therefore completed the three-day journey, they arrived at Synada, a city of Phrygia. There, Dionysius read Heliodorus’ letter, and having learned how matters stood, he ordered the martyr to be brought to his tribunal and said, “Are you Trophimus?” The martyr replied, “I am; I am called Trophimus, and I am a servant of Christ, the true God, in whom those who have believed shall never be put to shame.” ^B “Why then,” he said, “do you still persist in these things and call upon this vain and empty Christ, who has been the cause of death to many? But if not before, at least now, having cast aside your trust in him, sacrifice to the gods, escape death, and win the present life.” Then the noble Trophimus, taking up the discourse, said, “I would not flee death even if I strongly desired to, for even if you do not bring it upon me, nature certainly will, and as a man, I shall pay her what is owed. But it is possible to trade for this life an eternal one, which by a long interval surpasses this transitory and fleeting life, both regarding its pleasure and its blessedness—so much so, that the things of that life can neither be seen by the eye, nor heard by the ear, nor have they entered into the heart of man. Of this life I am now captured by great love, and I give you many thanks that you urge me, as I am hastening thither, to cross over by means of that death which you threaten.”

VIII. Then ^C Dionysius, breathing rage at him, commanded that he be stretched by four men with raw ox-hide thongs and beaten; and as he was being beaten—for wickedness does not know how to delay or wait—the governor shouted, “Say only, ‘Trophimus, I will sacrifice to the gods,’ and you shall be delivered from evil at once.” But he regarded the man’s words like the crackling of thorns under a pot. For he knew that by however much his contests were the more severe, by that much more glorious and splendid would he become as a crown-bearer. What then does he do? He devises a new method of treachery against him, so that he might disturb the athlete with a strange and unusual punishment; having mixed vinegar with mustard, he poured it into the martyr’s nostrils. But he showed clearly that he had suffered no change at all from that most acrid mixture. Unable therefore to endure the disgrace, the wicked one had the athlete bound to a beam by those who ministered to his iniquity, and ^D

^A tore his sides, and having cut deep furrows in them, he brought down rivers of blood. But he, the higher he was raised from the earth, the closer he seemed to be to God; and he said, "Many ^B are the afflictions of the righteous, and out of them all the Lord will deliver them." When Dionysius heard this, he said, "Vain is this hope of yours, Trophimus, and a frivolous thought shall miserably destroy you. For who will come to you from the heavens to deliver you from your present pains? But come now, I advise you, abandon these many words and the empty happiness that you speak of, and approach and sacrifice to the gods; for thus you will profit yourself, and not otherwise. Since these things are but sounds poured into the ears." Hearing these things, he laughed at the governor’s wickedness. And he said, "Never, Dionysius, while I am in my right mind, would I deny my God, who is living and true. If, therefore, it is easy for you to transform men and make others out of them, expect that you might perchance hear the contrary from me; for as I, the same Trophimus, exist, even as I am now, I would sooner forget to be a man than fail to know my own Master and Creator."

IX. And the governor said: "You answer us, Trophimus, as if we were persuading you not to desist from your confession, but to persevere in the same ways and to embrace Christianity." And turning to the ^C lictors, he said, "More vehemently, to see if he might somehow at last desist from these trifles." He indeed suffered, and his body was being consumed; but it grew and flourished with an eager and ready spirit, and it contended vehemently for piety. And the governor, mocking the man, said, "Have you not yet sensed the torments, Trophimus?" And the martyr immediately replied, "Rather, I know that you feel the suffering; for you are clearly seen to be greatly tyrannized by your anger. But for me, the more my body is consumed, the more it is loosed from its bonds, and it is set free altogether, and the soul becomes more divine. For it does not remain in the body to die *with* it, but passes on to ^D the things it desires, and receives its own inheritance." He, indeed, was saying these things; but the lictors, taking turns one after another in scourging him, brought upon him more grievous pains. But he said, "Look down from heaven and deliver me, O God, from the snare of those hunting me; for you are my patience, O Lord." And with this mere word he struck the governor’s head greatly, and stirred up all his power and madness against his own blessed head. Indeed, having thrown salt into vinegar, and having mixed the sharpness of that with the saltiness of these, he commanded them to pour it onto the martyr’s wounds, thinking by this to overcome the athlete of piety. "But if I do not overcome him," he said, "I will at least render him weaker for things to come." But He who catches the wise in their craftiness turned what he had devised against his own malice. And the martyr said, "Thus, therefore, O governor, my body will not dissolve, nor will it depart; on the contrary, the salt itself will preserve it sound and will confirm and strengthen it against your insults, so that

it may overcome ^A them and master the craftiness of the adversary. At this, the judge, becoming more savage than himself, ordered torches of fire to be brought to the sides of the noble martyr, saying that the fire should consume what remained of his flesh. And the flesh was indeed being diminished and consumed by the fire, but the resolve of the martyr grew all the more inspired; he seemed to feel nothing of the exterior flame, for his heart was kindled with a warmer longing for Christ. ^B X. When Trophimus had bravely endured all these things at once, and had struck Dionysius with total astonishment, the athlete was taken down from the wooden stake; yet he was delivered to prison, not obtaining even this kindness, but rather was locked in the stocks, nor was he even able to stretch his legs. Now a certain man named Dorymedon, who honored piety and practiced virtue and held the first place among the senators, entering the prison, took care of the martyr, and tended his wounds, and wiped away the discharge, then bound them up and wrapped them with linen, and provided every other form of care; and for some time he did this in secret. But later, when the Dioscuria—that is, the festival of Castor and Pollux—had arrived, and the festival day was being celebrated ^C splendidly at Synnada, the whole senate was present at the public festivities; only Dorymedon was missing. Then, when the governor summoned him, he did not come even then, signifying that, being a Christian, it was in no way fitting for him to sacrifice to idols and demons. When these things were reported to Dionysius, he brought him through his guards even against his will, and asked the reason why he had not come to the festival, even though summoned by him. He replied, "As for other things, O governor, in which my soul is not harmed or damaged, I have never failed to come when you have summoned me, nor have I ever offered you any excuse; ^D but where I see the matter to be for the harm of the soul and an alienation from God, I who did not come am not the cause of my non-arrival, but the one who calls to such things." XI. When the governor heard these things—which he would not have expected regarding Dorymedon even if God Himself had foretold it—he was greatly astounded. And, because of the unexpectedness of the matter, being unable to enter into further discussion with him, he said, "For now, let the guard hold him. Tomorrow we shall consider how his affairs stand." And the martyr came into the prison as if into some gymnasium; but Dionysius, having sent some of his own men, attempted to lead him to repentance. Looking at them sternly and fiercely, the martyr said, "Depart from me, all you who work iniquity," and immediately he fell silent, and was "like a man not hearing, and having no reproofs in his mouth." On the following day, when Dionysius had ascended the judicial seat, he summoned Dorymedon and said, "Unworthy senator, what possessed you yesterday, or what were you thinking, that you renounced the gods and the imperial..."

^A edicts? Do you find it shameful to be enrolled in the same order as us, and to worship the gods alongside us, and to appear as the first in such a council, a position that even an extremely ambitious man would know to be enviable, even if he could scarce attain a small part of it?" "But these things," he replied, "are not great to one who loves God alone, and who discerns in his mind the beauty that is with Him, and the glory that awaits those who are worthy. For what does it matter to me—the tyrant’s title, or the syllables, or a cloak blooming with colors not its own, or the grandiloquence held by the senate, or for that matter, speaking with authority? And as for an inanimate god, and a goddess dwelling with him—perhaps a stone, or bronze, fashioned by the art of hands, sitting or standing as the craftsman might wish, or lying down, or creating, or remaining in some other form—these things are shameful even to bring to mind and cannot receive the blame they deserve, to say nothing of the evils that follow from them: the destruction of the souls that worship them; the fire of Gehenna that awaits them; the indescribable darkness; the undying worm; that incomparable sorrow; and the other threats that loom over those who do not recognize and worship the true God. For what are these things compared to the kingdom of heaven, which He promised to those who love Him?"

^B XII. Dionysius, increasingly astonished by this, said, "Whence, pray, have you obtained such boldness and freedom of speech, that you inveigh against us with such an audacious mouth?" "Because He is truthful, O governor, who said: 'When they deliver you up before kings and governors, do not worry how or what you should speak; for it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak, and wisdom, to which all those who oppose you will not be able to contradict.' ^C Because of this, Dionysius, breathing madness and having become terribly ferocious, said, "But I shall dry up the stream of your tongue with fire!" And he immediately ordered for the martyr's sides to be scorched with red-hot iron rods. And since he would not yield in the slightest, but called upon Christ for help, that fire did not restrain the madness of Dionysius. Therefore, having hung the athlete from a wooden frame, he tore at his already-scorched sides with iron claws, and said, "Let me see if Christ comes to help you." And he indeed called to God more intensely, ^D and invoked the name of Him whom he desired even more. Yet he did not neglect the gods of Dionysius; for he afflicted them with insults and curses, and with these dense and frequent wounds, he in turn wounded the governor. Dionysius, therefore, was at a loss; he blamed his soldiers greatly, as they were unable to overcome a single tongue. Thence the claws moved to the cheeks of the martyr and searched his jaws and dug out his teeth, but they were unable to topple the tower of his soul. Then, fire was spread beneath, and the soldier of piety was brought down; and with his feet he stepped into the fire, while the lictors held his head and beard with their hands, and plucked out the hairs with sharp

^A cruelty. The martyr, however, appeared as if he were standing upon roses; he offered his head as one being crowned, and his beard as one being entreated—offering them thus gently, and although he endured the present experience, he was once again taken off to prison.

XIII. Not long after, when Dionysius had also abandoned hope concerning him, he turned again to Trophimus. For a certain hope was deceiving him, that he might perhaps win him over, whom he had previously punished more severely. Having therefore caused the man to be brought out of the prison, "If," he said, "such a long time of respite has not persuaded you to change and reconsider what is necessary, the beasts will surely bring you to your senses, you who are endowed with reason, and they will make you an example to the many, so that from the extreme things you are about to suffer, you may become a source ^B of great gain to others." But the martyr replied, "I am the same Trophimus to you now, and indeed, in the time that has intervened, I have become far more fervent in piety, having been alone with myself, and having considered what good things I am to receive. Proceed, therefore, to do whatever you please; for I would willingly be an example to those who follow after me, so that if they look to me, they may not forsake a similar martyrdom." What next? The martyr is again suspended on the wood, and torn all over with iron claws from the extremities of his body; his eyes are gouged out with red-hot obelisks; and continuous machines were brought against him from every side, ^C to see if he might be overcome by the multiplicity of the torment, and relent in any way from his constancy. But he, to the contrary, was saying, "I give you thanks, Christ the Savior, that you have been pleased that, after first sacrificing the members of my body, and offering to you the first-fruits of the whole sacrifice, I am now to sacrifice my whole self for you and for your glorious name." He said this while his eyes were being gouged out. And he was again delivered into custody.

XIV. A short time occupied the governor, and having given the signal, and gathered a public theater, the prince himself sat as head-spectator on his lofty throne. Having brought forward the ^D martyrs Trophimus and Dorymedon into the midst, he first sent against them a bear, which had previously been fortified with hunger by design. She, until she had approached the martyrs, was a beast, and a most savage bear in her running, her rage, and her leaping. But when she approached, she forgot her nature and her hunger, and offered her mouth to them in a gentle and tame manner; and, standing in diametrical opposition to the ferocity of the governor, when Dorymedon touched her ear and moved it toward him, she actually showed him reverence. The governor, however, more savage than all the beasts, saying that the bear was too tame and humane, released a leopard upon them. But the leopard, too, proved the governor's cruelty, and followed the bear as its teacher. For it did not leap upon them impudently, nor did it look at them with fierce eyes, but it licked their shins, and wiped away the blood, and showed that it was honoring them and holding them in all reverence. The surrounding people,

[...was enflamed unto piety. But Dionysius, who had gathered the theater, did not perceive that he had gathered those who were present against himself, and had called them together as spectators of his own disgrace rather than of the contest of the martyrs. ^A On account of these things, he was the more infuriated, and threatened the man who had charge of the beasts with a most grievous death. He, however, being affected by fear, let loose a lion upon the martyrs. But not even this one was any less gentle than the previous beasts. On the contrary, he did a remarkable thing to him who was in charge of his care. For truly, while inclining his head downward, he approached the saints. But he was severely inciting it, crying out sharply, and urging it against the saints. The lion, however, suddenly leaping upon him, immediately tears and mangles him. ^B With all hope therefore cast aside, Dionysius condemns them so that death might be brought upon them by the sword; and, spurred by rage, he orders the executioners that, breaking into the stadium, they should cut off the heads of the glorious martyrs. Then, however, it was the nineteenth day of September. And the martyrs of Christ, having attained for his sake this end, committed their own souls into His hands. But certain pious men, with great zeal, though secretly on account of the fear of the governor, took up the martyr-bodies of these, and having honorably laid them out, they buried them, glorifying the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

CONCERNING SAINT MATTHEW THE APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST

§1. The memory of the Saint announced in the Fasti of various peoples: many acts are enumerated in the holy monument.

1. Since few things concerning the deeds of Saint Matthew the apostle and evangelist are known and certain, and for that reason more things come to be examined concerning him than simply narrated; it pleases one first to enumerate the older Martyrologies, in which the memory of the saint is read to be inserted; and presently not only to assign, but also ^C in some way to weigh the various documents, from which the deeds of Saint Matthew are to be drawn. The Latin Church celebrates Saint Matthew principally on the day of 21 September, on which day the memory of the same is inserted in almost all Latin Martyrologies and Calendars. For on this day it is read in the Martyrologies even in the Roman Martyrology and Breviary, and in all those everywhere more recent. I bring forward no eulogies here, because I will produce them each in their own places, where it shall seem expedient for elucidating the preaching, death, or other matters pertaining to the saint. To the Martyrologies conforms the book of Sacraments edited by Menard, and attributed to St. Gregory, in which for this day is read the Mass concerning Saint Matthew, and the vigil is noted on the day previous, just as the vigil of the same is announced in many more recent Calendars and Martyrologies. ^D However, Saint Matthew is mentioned in some Latin Martyrologies on other days. For in the Hieronymian [Martyrologies] it is also read on 4 May, and again on 6 May, and on 9 October. Also in some codices, namely in the Epternacian, the Corbeian, and others, mention of Saint Matthew is made on 21 May, where according to Flo-

Florarium it is read of Matthew; nor can it be stated with certainty which reading is more genuine, since we do not even know for what reason the memory of Saint Matthew has been repeated so often in other Fasti. We can suspect that these designate earlier translations of the body and the feasts arising from them; but there is no certainty regarding the time of these earlier translations, nor can that translation be identified by which the Salernitans received the body of the saint, since this event is long posterior to the praised Martyrologies. Nevertheless, the Salernitan translation has been inserted into more recent Fasti. In the manuscript Florarium of the saints, it is commemorated on 28 April, as was stated there in the *Prætermissa*. In the Hagenau codex of the Usuardine Martyrology, the same translation is announced on 6 May, just as in the Vatican codex, which reads: "At Salerno, the translation of Saint Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist." Baronius followed this, stating in the Roman Martyrology: "At Salerno, the translation of Saint Matthew the Apostle, whose sacred body, having once been brought from Ethiopia to diverse regions, and finally to that city, was interred there with highest honor in the church dedicated to his name." The proper offices of the Church of Salerno, which we have printed in the sixteenth century, consistent with this; for in them is noted the Office of the translation with an octave on 6 May. In the praised manuscript Florarium ^A, the translation of Saint Matthew is noted on the same day, but it is not added that it is the Salernitan one, as is added at 28 April. I shall discuss more concerning the translations in their proper place.

3. The Greeks, and those who follow them, principally celebrate Saint Matthew on 16 November. On this day, in all the Greek Fasti I have consulted, the memory of this holy apostle is recalled and a solemn festival is celebrated. The printed Menaea provide a very lengthy encomium, but a fabulous one, from which we shall offer in our proper places those things which seem to contribute to our purpose, just as we shall also do from the less lengthy encomium which is inserted into the Basilian Menology. The Greeks also honor Matthew along with the rest of the apostles on 30 June, where they present brief encomia in the Menaea and the previously praised Menology. The Armenians also agree with the Greeks for the celebration of the festival of Saint Matthew on 16 November, as I have from the *Perpetual Order of Celebrating Offices and Festivals among the Armenians*, which the most learned Assemanus rendered into Latin and edited in the *Bibliotheca Orientalis*, vol. III, page 645. Finally, the Egyptians and Abyssinians chose the same day, 16 November, on which Saint Matthew is announced in the Coptic Fasti edited by Ludolf, and in two other of their Menologies or manuscript Synaxaries. In Ludolf, mention of the Apostle Matthew is also made on 9 October; but I do not find it on that day in the praised manuscript Fasti. Let these suffice for now concerning the Martyrologies.

4. The Acts of Saint Matthew the Apostle, which have been known for many centuries in the Latin Church, and from which more recent writers have drawn what they have written about Saint Matthew ^B, are extant in very many manuscripts, and those very ancient; yet they are not in exactly the same way in all of them. We have these in seven different codices, the oldest of which seem to have been written in the ninth century. I have collated these codices in order to examine whether the principal faults which plague these Acts are found in all of them; nor did I find any of our codices in which the faults soon to be mentioned are not read, which are likewise read in the copy we have from the Utrecht codex, and in many others with which that copy was once collated. The author of those Acts, as well as those of other apostles, is commonly called Abdias, who falsely claimed to be the first bishop of Babylon. In *Saint Bartholomew*, Vol. V of August, page 32, I sufficiently demonstrated that the entire *History of the Apostles* of pseudo-Abdias is not worthy of credence, and there I brought forth the words of Bellarmine, who pronounces this concerning it: "The lives of the apostles which are circulated under his name are more like fables than true narration." This is now the common consensus of the learned concerning that entire *History*. It is pleasing, however, to add the censure of John Hesselius of Louvain, which is found printed after Molanus’ *Usuardus*. "The Passion," he says, "of Saint Matthew does not please." Then he gives the beginning of the prologue: "Since God has a care for men." And soon after, of the Acts: "There were, therefore, two magi, Zaroes and Arfaxat." In all our codices, with one exception in which the prologue is omitted, it is clearly the same ^C principle for both. In the Utrecht codex, similarly, both are found concerning the name of Matthew, which in that place make the other prologue. Let us now hear the reasons of Hesselius.

5. "He says that the eunuch whom Philip baptized was called Candaces, whereas Luke in Acts viii says that the Queen of the Ethiopians was called Candace. For Candace is a name of the Queens of Ethiopia, just as Pharaoh is for the kings of Egypt." It is said in the same history that Christ opened the earthly paradise to the thief and to holy souls departing from the body, and on the last day, to those rising again, the kingdoms of heaven: whereas according to Paul and the Catholic faith, the souls of the saints already reach the heavens even before the resurrection. He says also that the first man was able to speak in paradise with all animals. It is of the same authority as the *Life of Saint Bartholomew*, as is evident from his philosophy concerning the virginity of the earth from which man was made." Thus far Hesselius, who adds to these the authority of Bede, who reprobates that *History* of pseudo-Abdias. But Bede in his book of *Retractations* on the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 1, praises the said *History* for the apostles Simon and Jude, and thus speaks to our purpose: "The histories in which the passions of the apostles are contained, and which are reputed by many to be apocryphal, report that these men preached in Persia, and were killed there by the pontiffs of the temples in the city of Suanir. These things are read in Abdias, chapter 6, near the end." After a few words, Bede writes these things again:

"Since those who wrote the aforementioned passions of the apostles are more recent, and they contain the same things as others, but with corrections," ^A even though they might have written uncertain and false things, he declared himself to have written them most certainly. For he says that the eunuch of Candace, whom Philip had baptized in Judea, was in Ethiopia at that very time when Matthew was teaching there, and that he offered assistance to him as he taught, although it is manifest that 'Candace' is not the name of a man, but of a woman; that is, not of the eunuch, but of his mistress, the queen of the Ethiopians, as we have discovered from the monuments of the ancients, all of whom were called by that name in antiquity." These things Bede states, not only holding the Acts as apocryphal, but also convicting their author of falsehood. Many other things could be alleged from the Acts to destroy faith in them, since the author narrates from beginning to end things more miraculous than credible; and he trifles over many things regarding the earthly paradise, which Hesselius observed; and he expounds the conception of the most blessed Virgin in an incongruous and indecent manner, to say nothing of other things. But the statements suffice for abrogating all credit from the personated Abdias; yet from these a different doubt arises ^B for me. 6. In the year 1753 in the Vatican library we found other Acts of St. Matthew in Latin codex 1188, which we took care to have transcribed and we ourselves compared with the codex. These Acts lack all the flaws mentioned above, for which Hesselius rejected the Acts of pseudo-Abdias, yet they contain the same account of the deeds of St. Matthew. Wherefore it may be doubted whether pseudo-Abdias interpolated older Acts of the holy Apostle and filled them with many absurdities; or whether someone wanted to purge the work of Abdias concerning St. Matthew of its coarser errors, and thus render the Acts of this apostle somewhat probable. Both could have happened, but the following is more likely for various reasons. First, from the alleged words of Bede we have it that this apocryphal History concerning the deeds of the apostles is certainly older than the eighth century, since Bede flourished at the beginning of that century and alleges that History, not as something new or recently fabricated, but as apocryphal in the judgment of many. ^C From this I further conclude that already in the sixth century, when Venantius Fortunatus flourished, that History was seen as ancient, since he likely says, based on it, that the body of St. Matthew is in Naddaver. The antiquity of the Vatican codex, in which the more tolerable Acts of St. Matthew exist, is certainly not so great. For which reason they seem to have been somewhat corrected in that codex, and purged of more absurd flaws, especially since other codices contain Acts generally such as those in Abdias, and I have not yet seen another codex that agrees with that Vatican one. Furthermore, in this codex the common preface is omitted, and another is substituted which fights with the Acts themselves. For according to the preface, St. Matthew suffered in Persia; according to the Acts, in Ethiopia. To the Acts themselves another beginning has been stitched regarding the Gospel written by Matthew, and after that follow the Acts of the personated Abdias, but somewhat purged. Thus I can scarcely doubt that these ^D things indeed were so related as to make the deeds reported in them sufficiently probable, even if it were not agreed that their origin was from an impure source. For immediately upon Matthew's arrival in Ethiopia, it is said that the eunuch of Queen Candace, who had been baptized by Philip (Acts VIII), occurred to him, so that the author asserts precisely that Matthew came to the city where Queen Candace was reigning when the said eunuch was converted. But it is said that at that time the king was Egyppus, and the queen was Eufenissa. Of Candace, who had reigned a little before, there is no mention. Thus the name of Queen Eufenissa seems contrary to the words of Bede just given, when he asserts that the name Candace was common to all. Pliny agrees (lib. VI, cap. 29), teaching that "a woman named Candace reigns, a name which for many years already has passed to the queens," namely in that kingdom of Ethiopia, whose metropolis was Meroe. The mentioned Pliny further asserts that these things about the kingdoms of Ethiopia and Meroe were known and reported through the scouts of Nero. Therefore Queen Candace was reigning under the Emperor Nero, and Candace had already reigned there for a long time, at least from the times of Augustus, as is gathered from Strabo, who flourished under Augustus. For Strabo (lib. XVII, pag. 820) narrates the war in which "Candace, who," he says, "in our times ruled the Ethiopians, attacked the Romans, the masters of Egypt, under the Emperor Augustus." Thus queens reigned in Ethiopia whose name was Candace, at least from Augustus down to the time of Nero; nor does Pliny add that the kingdom of Ethiopia was administered in any other way in his time. But if saint Matthew preached in Ethiopia, he likely came there before the reign of Nero, or certainly when Nero had not been reigning long. Everything, therefore, which is handed down in the Acts about the state of the kingdom of Ethiopia seems entirely fictitious, and merits no belief. 7. Not less fictitious appear those things which the Acts hand down regarding the progress of the Christian faith in Ethiopia. For if one wished to believe the Acts, St. Matthew converted King Egyppus, Queen Eufenissa, and their son, previously raised from the dead, who is called Eufranon, and their daughter Ephigenia, now commonly called Iphigenia. A church also is said to have been constructed, in which Matthew sat for 23 years. In this time he built many churches, "appointed priests and deacons... and through cities and forts ordained bishops." Furthermore, "all idols, all temples" are asserted to have been "destroyed." The king's daughter, "Ephigenia," professing virginity, "was set over more than two hundred virgins." All these things are said to have been done while King Egyppus was living. Upon his passing, and the slaying of St. Matthew because of the marriage refused by Ephigenia with the new king Hyrtacus, the affairs of the Christians for a short time were less prosperous. But when Hyrtacus had been punished by himself, and had killed himself with his own sword, brother of Ephigenia is say-

- ^A ing to have attained the kingdom and to have held it for sixty-three years. "But all the provinces of the Ethiopians, filled with Catholic churches even to this present day," says the author, "bless God through Ephigenia, and great miracles occur for the confession of blessed Matthew the Apostle." Therefore, if we believe the Acts, towards the middle of the century the Church of Ethiopia flourished in the Catholic faith more than any other in the whole world.

9. But those things are entirely incredible, given the silence of all ancient writers. For since Ethiopia is contiguous to Egypt, the Fathers and other Christian writers who flourished in earlier centuries of the Church in Egypt, Palestine, Africa, or even in provinces more remote from Ethiopia, could not have been ignorant of the church of so vast a kingdom and remained entirely silent about it. Furthermore, if the Christian faith had been so well established in Ethiopia, it could not have been eliminated except by most grievous persecutions and over a long period. But these persecutions would at least have been known to the writers of those times, who would not have been silent about them, just as not all were silent regarding the persecutions of Christians in Persia, where the faith was never as well established as the author of the Acts invented it to have been in Ethiopia. However, I would not wish the reader to turn this argument against the actual preaching of Saint Matthew in Ethiopia, which I shall discuss in its proper place: for there is a great discrepancy between the simple preaching of the faith with some fruit, and the conversion of an entire kingdom, which, according to the Acts, would have continued for nearly an entire century without persecutions and would thus have been very well established. Moreover, there are many other things in the Acts that are improbable, which I shall briefly note in the annotations: for I decided to publish these Acts, however fabulous they may be, because later Latin writers who deal with Saint Matthew derived almost everything of theirs from them.

10. The Greek Acts, from which certain later writers deal with Saint Matthew, are likewise at hand for us, transcribed from Vatican codex 808 among the Greeks. These have nothing in common with the Latin ones just reprobated; but they are even more unformed and more ridiculous in comparison, since they contain the events of only a few days and relate nothing except certain facts and clearly incredible prodigies. A compendium of these Acts is given by Nicephorus Callistus, book 11 of his History, chapter 41. Regarding this compendium, Baronius speaks thus in his annotations to the Martyrology: "Nicephorus writes some things about Matthew in book 11, chapter 41; but they are confirmed by the testimony of no one at all." And yet, Nicephorus’s compendium is at least less ridiculous than the Acts themselves; since he omitted many things that were more openly fabulous, and in the beginning prefixed a few things known from elsewhere about Saint Matthew. From these same Acts, an encomium is contracted, which the printed Menaia exhibit for the 16th of November; but even there, at the beginning, some things are said to have been accepted from other documents. Since it is worth the effort, I shall give a very brief compendium, which will suffice for the purpose of detracting from their credibility.

^B 11. Saint Matthew is established, as if suddenly alone on a mountain praying, and sees boys singing with the child Jesus in paradise. Soon Jesus is present to the one praying, and the Apostle, seeing a most beautiful boy, expresses much concern as to how he might nourish him in a desert place, destitute of all food and drink. But Jesus explains who he is, and after many highly unlikely discourses, in which among other things he says that Herod is in hell for having killed eleven thousand children, he gives Matthew a rod, which he orders him to plant near the door of the church founded by himself and the apostle Andrew in the city of the Anthropophagi. He says the rod will turn into a flowering tree, and from it a fountain will arise, from which, as with the tree, many fables are appended; and finally, upon the aforementioned martyrdom of Matthew by fire, the boy suddenly returns to heaven. Matthew, however, hastens to the city, when Queen Phulbana, her son Phulbanus, and his wife Erba—all of them possessed—meet him and threaten Matthew not to plant the rod. But laying his hands on each of these, he cast out the demons and soon met Plato the bishop with the whole clergy. The people then having been gathered, he institutes a sermon, plants the rod, and, by the Apostle's command, Plato baptizes the queen and her son and daughter-in-law. On the following day, the rod had grown into a tree and a river was issuing from the tree. But the people, eating the fruit of the tree, realized they were naked and, blushing, ran individually to their homes to procure garments. I omit similar trifles, so that we may reach the catastrophe of the fable more quickly.

^C 12. King Phulbanus, stirred by the demon, tries for a long time in vain to capture Matthew, and finally, when he had summoned him, is struck with blindness. Healed by the Apostle, he captures him even so, and orders him to be fastened to the earth with long nails, and much easily combustible material to be gathered around him, and thus to be burned. But though the material piled around him was consumed, the Apostle was not harmed. The king therefore ordered twelve golden and silver statues of gods to be placed around the pyre, so that the power of the flames would not be hindered; and he himself approached the place. But when the pyre was ignited, the fire immediately receded from Matthew, consumed all the golden and silver gods, and, ^D pursuing the fleeing king in the form of a serpent, prevented him from entering his palace until he returned to Matthew and sought mercy from him. Then, while Matthew prayed, the fiery dragon vanished; but the Apostle, while praying, gave up his spirit to God, and indeed on the 16th of November, if we are to believe the fabulist. But the end of the fables is not yet. The king orders the body of the deceased, placed on a golden bier, to be carried to his palace; then to be enclosed in an iron chest, weighted also with lead, and thrown into the sea, so that he might believe if the body returned from the sea unharmed. These things having been performed, Saint Matthew appears to Plato the bishop and advises him to proceed to the sea with the rite

of his clergy. When they reached there, about the sixth hour of the day, the bishop sees from afar the saint walking upon the sea between two men; after a short time he sees a cross emerging from the sea, and a chest of the cross, in which was the body of the Saint. This cross followed him even to the land. 13. When the matter was understood, the people and the king himself ran up, and having laid aside every incredulity, approached, prostrated themselves, and embraced the faith. Wherefore the body of Saint Matthew is honorably carried to the church. Saint Matthew appeared to the king by night, and ordered him to be called, and ordained him a presbyter, and his son a deacon, and the wives of both deaconesses, with the names of all also changed. The king therefore ordered all in his kingdom to be Christians, and another king having been appointed, and he having died after three years, he was made bishop, just as his son after him. Thus far the Acts are sufficiently prolix, but much more fabulous, which I have patiently read and condensed, omitting however the visions and other not a few miracles, so that anyone can see they have been transmitted for the sake of belief in Nicephorus, in Metaphrastes, and perhaps elsewhere. The city of Myrmene, which is named instead of the Acts, is equally fictitious, I think, as all the rest; and the region of the Anthropophagi [man-eaters], even though there have not been those eating human flesh, similarly seems to have been invented by the author. Bishop Plato, and his successor Phulbanus, and the son of the latter, seem no less fictitious. Certainly concerning that Plato I find nothing elsewhere, to say nothing of the others, so that it seems likely that Plato is also mentioned in the elogium of Saint Matthew, which is found in the Basilian Menologion, and more in that elogium from these Acts ^A is deduced, although not all things agree. 14. Saint Matthew’s Acts were again written by Symeon Metaphrastes, which I do not have at hand, nor do I think they are to be held as such that they should be studiously sought: for Lipomanus published them in Latin, vol. V, fol. 137 and 138, and Surius to this day. These are less fabulous, but altogether brief and meager, so that they barely bring forth anything of the Saint that is not known from elsewhere. However, those few things that are said about the preaching of the Saint are not of the faith—[that is, matters of faith]—but only of such authority as the authority of the Metaphrast is accustomed to be. Surius published the same lucubration of the Metaphrast, but rendered in another way, by which it happened that Baronius ^B believed them to be [separate] lucubrations, when it is nothing but the same Greek text, which Allatius mentioned as written among the Lives by the Metaphrast, De Simeonum scriptis, pag. 126, reciting the beginning of the Greek Acts: ἤδη μὲν τὸν παρὰ τοῦ πλάσαντος ἡμᾶς δου φυλάττοντες ἐντολήν, which in Lipomanus is expressed thus: «Already indeed we, keeping the commandment given by Him who fashioned us». In Surius, however: «If that commandment given to us by Him who fashioned us, we had wished to keep». Either exposition is apt, except for the places in which one or the other translator erred, or had a corrupt codex, ^C as I shall say more broadly where the preaching of Saint Matthew is treated, to which both passages refer, or in the Annotations. I shall give these Acts, even though they are not of the highest authority, because we do not have better ones concerning Saint Matthew; and I shall follow the edition of Surius, as being more clear and better, I think, indeed, even given by Lipomanus himself, vol. VII, where on fol. 256 he teaches that the translator is Sirlet. From these Acts, however, the prudent reader will be able to collect that the Metaphrast is not the inventor of fables, as some critics frequently assert, especially Baillet. For if he had wished to invent, he could have done so no less concerning Saint Matthew and other apostles, of whose deeds he commemorated only a few, because he would not find more among ^D the ancients. Therefore the Metaphrast did not concoct fabulous Lives, but adopted some, and set them forth in his own style. 15. Nicetas the Paphlagonian, or David, who lived at about the same time as the Metaphrast, but seems somewhat older, also wrote an encomiastic oration concerning the apostle and evangelist Saint Matthew. Combefis published this Græco-Latin oration in his Auctarium novissimum, pag. 401. It does not please me to reprint it, because it has almost nothing concerning the deeds of Saint Matthew except his vocation and the written Gospel. Concerning his preaching, however, he narrated fewer things than the Metaphrast, although the oration is much more prolix because of vague praises. I shall therefore bring forth from it in the Commentary whatever shall seem useful for our purpose. The praised Allatius, pag. 122, counts it among the Lives of the Saints which are not by the Metaphrast. «The Acts of the holy apostle and evangelist Matthew, of which the beginning is such: Matthew the apostle and evangelist was from the city of Jerusalem.» The author is unknown, and likely later than Nicetas and the Metaphrast. He reveals by the already alleged words how worthless he is to be held, while he makes Saint Matthew a Jerusalemite, when there is scarcely any doubt that he is a Galilean, as will be said in its place; so that certainly there is no reason that could persuade one that he was a Jerusalemite. I do not have these Acts at hand, and the alleged beginning makes it so that I do not judge them to be studiously sought. There exist also several sermons concerning Saint Matthew, but which contribute nothing to examining or narrating his deeds. Saint Peter Damian has three sermons of this kind in vol. II of his Works. [Those] who wished to narrate the deeds of S. Matthew, drew almost everything from the Acts which are to be published in the first place, which are certainly older than they are probable. Vincent of Beauvais gives them almost entire in the Speculum, lib. 1, cap. 74 et seqq. Jacobus de Voragine in cap. 135 drew everything from those same Acts except

what he added by reasoning about the virtues of the Saint. Petrus de Natalibus follows the same Acts almost entirely in turn, lib. VIII, cap. 100; yet he does not stick to the Acts so closely as not to add or change something periodically according to what he had read elsewhere. Baronius, in his Annotations to the Martyrology, lists two writers of his own time concerning St. Matthew in these words: "Perionius recently wrote other things, specifically Acts. Most recently, however, the Reverend Lord Marcus Antonius Columna, Archbishop of Salerno, collected from ancient monuments and the writings of the holy Fathers, and indeed quite learnedly." Both had the primary Acts before their eyes and followed them without scruple, or rather, Perionius gave the very Acts of pseudo-Abdias, omitting only a very few things and adding a few at the beginning, just as he perhaps found the Acts in some codex; for in the edition of the History of the Apostles which Joannes Faber published in the year 1571, not a few things were omitted which are read in most codices. The most illustrious Columna collected his work from all sides without sufficient critical judgment, which can be forgiven given his age. Yet he seems to have preferred the fictitious History of Abdias to the remaining Acts, to which he joined some things from the Metaphrast and more from the Greek Acts, or from the compendium of Nicephorus. He did, however, provide better material from the Sacred Scriptures and the Fathers. I shall therefore examine and occasionally praise the assertions of Columna, as well as those of Baronius in his Annals, of Tillemont in the Monumenta Ecclesiæ, vol. 1, and of other moderns who profess a more accurate criticism. ^A

17. The lauded Archbishop Columna published not only a Commentary on the deeds and martyrdom of Saint Matthew but also recounted the various translations of his body in a style more prolix than probable. Baronius undoubtedly saw that Columna’s account did not cohere, since he was not ignorant of it, and yet he did not insert anything of it into his own Annals; although he deals with the discovery and translation of the body at the year 954 from Leo of Ostia, and at the year 1080 from an Epistle of Pope Gregory VII. Wherefore, by his silence alone, that most eminent writer declared that the circumstances of places, persons, and times found in Columna’s History of the translations were suspicious of falsehood. I possess manuscript Acts, once sent to Salerno to our ancestors, from which I see that the lauded Marcus Antonius Columna Marsilius drew his own. I would indeed wish that he had punished them with a severe critique or rejected them entirely as improbable. But since he did not do so, I see that this must be done by me for the purpose of our Work. There is a double text, one slightly longer than the other; but the same facts are recounted in both. The shorter one has this title: "Sermon of the venerable Paulinus, Bishop of the Legionensis city of Britannia, concerning the translation of the apostle Saint Matthew from Ethiopia to Britannia, and likewise from Britannia to Italy." After the middle, this title is read again: "Miracles of the holy apostle and evangelist Matthew by the same Paulinus." In the longer one, a single title is expressed in the beginning thus: "Here begins the translation of the blessed Matthew the apostle and evangelist." In both, a compendium of the Acts derived from the History of pseudo-Abdias is set forth, such that very few things, and those no better, were added or changed. ^B

18. Next follows a translation so ridiculously contrived from Ethiopia to Britannia that it is clear from this alone that the author was completely devoid of historical criticism. For, to pass over other improbabilities, the author leads British merchants into Ethiopia and brings them back to Britannia in a few days. Moreover, among the peoples by whom he imagines Ethiopia was ravaged around the fourth century, he names the Sarmatians. Both will certainly seem so improbable to any historian skilled in geography that it is unnecessary to argue against other clearly ridiculous circumstances of the event, especially since the author certainly did not live before the tenth century, nor does he name any ancient witnesses from whose writings he drew his own. Nay more, Paulinus himself, bishop of Legionensis or Leonensis in Armorican Brittany, to whom that writing is attributed, seems a fictitious person, since the Sammarthani in volume II of Gallia Christiana, where they provide a catalogue of the Leonensis bishops, show no Paulinus among them, nor can I find him elsewhere. The chronology is no better than the historical criticism: for he is stated to have died under Galba, that is, in the year of the Christian era 68 or 69. Then it is said that the Christian religion flourished in Ethiopia for three hundred years and more. Soon follows the devastation of the kingdom and the translation, so that this should be fixed at the end of the fourth or in the fifth century. Yet the author asserts that the body came to Armorican Britannia while Salomon was reigning there, who began to reign after the middle of the ninth century according to the chronology of Lobineau in the History of Armorica, at the year 857. Again, he counts forty-nine years from the translation of the body to Britannia to when King Salomon was killed by his own people. But the lauded Lobineau does not attribute twenty full years to the reign of Salomon. ^C

19. The foolish compiler of these commentaries introduces Flavius, a Roman patrician and father-in-law of the slain Salomon, writing of his death to the emperor Valentinian; and he asserts that Valentinian gathered a huge fleet in Italy and placed an army on it, and thus conquered the kingdom of Britannia, and on that occasion the body was translated to Italy. But anyone will see how inept those things are, provided he considers that the last of the three Valentinians died more than four centuries before Salomon, King of Britannia. I pass over the many other equally inept circumstances of the events, and proceed to the discovery recounted only in the longer writing. That is said to have occurred in the year 954, when Gisulphus held the principality of Salerno. This epoch will be confirmed in its own place. Meanwhile, I warn that many other improbable and inept things are admitted into the history of the discovery. For these reasons, I omit that entire history of the translation, as it is fouled by hundreds of fables or ineptitudes, ^D

and I shall compare it time and again with other documents, and with those related by the most illustrious Columna Marsilius, so that the studious reader may find in the Commentary whatever is tolerable appearing in those writings. Ughelli, in volume VII of *Italia sacra*, treats in various places of the translation and discovery of Saint Matthew in the archbishops of Salerno, and praises much the *Opusculum* of Marsilius, which was composed from the manuscripts of which we are speaking. Wherefore, we shall endeavor to examine studiously from the writers of the Middle Ages each thing in its own place.

§ II. The vocation of S. Matthew according to the Gospel, with observations

of the Fathers: certain controversies regarding the Saint.

20. Very few things are known about Saint Matthew from the Gospel, in which only the Saint’s vocation with the feast that followed, and then the election to the apostleship, are narrated, except, however, for a few things which are related in general about all the apostles. Matthew himself, chapter IX, having related the healing of the paralytic at Capharnaus, narrates his own vocation in these words: "And as Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man sitting at the tax office, named Matthew, and said to him: Follow me; and he arose and followed him." Mark, chapter II, verse 13, narrates the same in this way: "And he went out again (Jesus) by the sea: and all the multitude came to him, and he taught them. And when he was passing by, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax office, and said to him: Follow me, and he arose and followed him." Both subjoin those things which were done when they reclined with Jesus in the house of Matthew. But it will be enough if we deduce from that feast the words of Luke, who speaks thus in chapter V, verse 27, of the vocation and the feast that followed: "And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican named Levi, sitting at the tax office, and said to him: Follow me. And leaving all things, he arose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his own house, and there was a great multitude of publicans, and of others, that were at table with them. But the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying to his disciples: Why do you eat and drink with publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering, said to them: They that are whole need not the physician: but they that are sick. I came not to call the just, but sinners to penance." So much for the evangelists concerning his vocation.

21. But from the alleged words of the evangelists, we can observe that Saint Matthew was near the city of Capharnaus by the sea of Galilee, or Tiberias, otherwise called the lake of Gennesareth in the Scriptures, where taxes were to be paid. For Mark clearly says in chapter I, that Jesus came to Capharnaus, and there healed the paralytic, then again exited, and called Matthew—or Levi. Matthew himself, however, says that Jesus came into the city where, of course, he was then living, as the same Matthew in chapter IV, verse 13, testifies in these words: "And when Jesus had heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee: and leaving the city Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capharnaus on the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and of Nephthalim; that it might be fulfilled which was said by Isaias the prophet: Land of Zabulon and land of Nephthalim, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people that sat in darkness, saw a great light: and to them that sat in the region of the shadow of death, light is sprung up." Rightly does Chrysostom, in homily 29 or 30 on Matthew, say of the alleged words: "He calls Capharnaus his city; for Bethlehem was the city that bore him; Nazareth was the city that brought him up; and Capharnaus was the city that had him as an inhabitant." Jesus therefore lived at Capharnaus, where Matthew had without doubt frequently seen him, and had heard many miracles which had been performed by Jesus partly at Capharnaus and partly in neighboring places, before he called him, as Chrysostom again observes, in homily 30 or 31. Moreover, the observations given and the healing of the paralytic performed a short time before show how ineptly Julian and Porphyry threw in the vocation of Matthew to the Christians as incredible, as S. Jerome rightly notes in chapter IX of Matthew, where he replies more fully to them.

22. Or rather, let nothing be taken away from the prompt obedience of Matthew, concerning which the praised Chrysostom reasons thus: "As you have learned the power of him who calls, so learn the obedience of him who is called. For he did not object, nor did he say in hesitation: What is this? Does he call me, a man of this kind, fraudulently? For certainly such humility would have been untimley. But he obeyed immediately: nor did he ask that he be allowed to go home, that he might communicate the matter with his own, as the fishermen also did. For as they left their nets, the boat, and their father, so he too left the tax table and his profit, that he might follow, showing a mind prepared for all things: and by immediately cutting himself off from all secular things, he was testifying by his perfect obedience how timely his calling had been." S. Basil in the *Regulae fusius tractatae*, question 8, even more emphasizes the prompt obedience of the one who follows, writing thus: "But Matthew, when he arose from the very tax office and followed the Lord, (taught us that) he left not only the emoluments of the tax office, but also contemned the dangers which hung over him, both from the magistrates and from his own kinsmen, for having left the accounts of the taxes unfinished." ^A An ancient anonymous writer for the defense, whose Epistle is contained among the Works of S. Jerome in the Martian edition, tom. V, col. 146, observes other things as well, speaking thus: "Matthew sitting at the tax office hears: Follow me. Could he first have calculated his accounts, and returning home, suffered the tears of his own, and being solicitous about the auction of his properties, could he have followed the footsteps of the Lord in any way, unless he first freed himself from the burden of the world?" Thus, indeed, this anonymous writer seems to insinuate, with S. Basil, that accounts had to be rendered by Saint Matthew for the money received from the taxes, and yet that he was not solicitous about rendering them. But that observation seems to me equally in—

- ^A certain and little probable, and has appeared so to others, unless we understand it only as referring to his prompt will to do whatever the Lord might command, since he could know well enough that He would command nothing evil. But as for what concerns the rendering of accounts of his office to the magistrates, we can conjecture either that Matthew was not obliged to render them, because perhaps his father Alphaeus was still alive, or, if Matthew were entirely the head of his own household and prefect of the taxes, that the Lord—after his first obedience—commanded him either to render the accounts quickly or to entrust that task to another. Certainly the banquet which Matthew prepared in his house for Christ and many publicans abundantly implies that he could easily pass on to others whatever obligation he had contracted by reason of his office.

23. Moreover, the praised Chrysostom and Jerome observe with praise the candor and humility of Saint Matthew, because he himself in his Gospel confessed that he had been a publican, and used the name more common to him, while Mark and Luke call him Levi when they write of his vocation; but Matthew, when they list him among the apostles. If Matthew himself had done the same, and similarly had not called himself a publican in the list of the apostles, no one could afterward have known from the Gospel that Matthew had been a publican, or that he was the same person as Levi. Let us hear the words of Saint Jerome: "The other evangelists," he says, "out of respect and honor for Matthew, did not wish to call him by his common name, but said Levi; for he had a double name. But Matthew himself, according to that which is commanded by Solomon: 'The just man is his own accuser at the beginning of his speech,' and in another place: 'Tell your sins, that you may be justified,' calls himself Matthew and a publican, in order to show those who read that no one ought to despair of salvation if he has turned to better things, since he himself was suddenly changed from a publican into an apostle." Chrysostom observes almost the same thing, and adds the following: "Why then did He say that he was sitting at the toll booth? Showing the power of Him who calls: that when he had not yet ceased, and was clinging to the wicked toll booth, He dragged him out from the midst of evils." And shortly after, he declares his mind regarding the office of the publicans: "This method of profit was full of impudence and petulance, an unrighteous gain and an illiberal trade." Hence, S. Gregory, in Homily 24 on the Gospels, notes that Peter indeed sometimes returned to fishing, but Matthew ^B never to the office of publican, which was full of danger. For it is one thing, he says, to seek a living through fishing, but another to increase funds through the profits of the toll booth. For there are very many businesses which can be conducted without sins only with difficulty or not at all. Therefore, those things that implicate one in sin, it is necessary that after conversion the mind should not return to them. The aforementioned Gregory, in Book XVIII of the Morals on Job, chapter 27, speaks thus concerning the great conversion of Saint Matthew: "Was not Matthew found on earth, who, implicated in earthly business, served the uses of the toll booth? But, taken from the earth, he recovered the strength of iron: by whose tongue, indeed, like a sharpened sword, the Lord pierced the hearts of the faithless in the administration of the Gospel; and he who had formerly been weak and despised because of earthly business, was afterward made strong for the preaching of heavenly things."

24. Regarding what was said above by Jerome concerning the double name of the apostle, who was called Matthew and Levi, which everyone has noted everywhere, and which the Gospels clearly insinuate, Origen seems to have denied this in Book I *Against Celsus*, no. 62, where he has this: "Let there be also Levi the publican, who followed Jesus. But he was not from the number of the apostles, except according to certain copies of the Gospel according to Mark." The latest editor of the Works of Origen, Charles Delarue, vol. I, p. 376, adds others in his Annotations, writing thus: "Heracleon the Valentinian heretic also distinguishes Levi from Matthew, according to Clement of Alexandria in *Stromata* IV, p. 502, and among the more recent writers, Hugo Grotius, a great name among the Calvinists and other heterodox." He prefaces concerning Origen that "Levi seems to think that he is the very same man as Matthew in the Preface to the explanation of the Epistle to the Romans." I subjoin the very words of Origen from the old edition (for we do not yet have volume IV of the new one). Origen observes that many had two or three names, and among them he names Matthew, writing thus: "For Matthew himself reports of himself that when Jesus was passing by, He found a certain man sitting at the toll booth, named Matthew. Luke, however, says of the same, that when Jesus was passing by, He saw a certain publican, named Levi, and said, Follow me... But it is certain that the evangelists did not err in the names of the apostles; but because it was the custom of the Hebrews to use two or three names, individuals placed different vocabulary of names for one and the same man." Here Origen not only declares Matthew and Levi to be the same; but he also shows that he is the same person, since Luke, just as Mark, narrated entirely the same thing concerning Levi as Matthew did about himself. Wherefore, if Origen, writing against Celsus, truly believed Levi to be someone other than Matthew, he later corrected this error through the more frequent use of Sacred Scripture. But perhaps Origen only brought forward the alleged words from the mind or the sayings of Celsus, against whom he was arguing about a completely different matter. What pertains to Heracleon and Grotius, we shall leave to them their own improbable opinion, already refuted by many, and we shall proceed to another, more ambiguous controversy.

25. More recent Greeks, or those who flourished in the Middle Ages, believe Saint Matthew to be the brother of Saint James son of Alphaeus, and have ^D on their side some of the Fathers; but some learned moderns resist this. Our own Henschenius, in his examination of the opinion of the Greeks regarding Saint James on the 1st of May, or Vol. I of May, page 19, where he praises the Basilian Menologium for that opinion, as well as the ancient Synaxarium of Con-

- stantinople, the printed Menæa, and various Latin manuscripts of the Greeks, Nicetas David the Paphlagonian, a writer of the ninth century, and others. He shows further that Chrysostom and Theodoret are of the same opinion, because the former numbers two publicans among the apostles, Matthew and James, although there is no reason why we should say that James, son of Alphæus, was a publican, except that he appears to be the brother of Matthew; the other, however, calls them both Capharnaites, which likewise there is no reason to say, unless he believed him to be the brother of Matthew, who lived in Capharnaum: for nowhere in the Scriptures is it stated where James, son of Alphæus, was born, or what office he held before his apostleship. Our Papebroch, Vol. VI of May, under Alphæus, whom he establishes as the father of both, page 354, has embraced and confirmed the same opinion. The reason of the Greeks is undoubtedly that James, just as much as Matthew, had Alphæus for a father, and there is no reason to say that the Alphæus who was the father of Matthew was different from the father of James. Tillemont acknowledges that Chrysostom, Theodoret, and more recent Greeks all conspired in this opinion, so that they believed Matthew and James, son of Alphæus, to be brothers, because both are said to be sons of Alphæus. He asserts with Laconic brevity that there is no semblance of truth in this matter. Calmet adopted Tillemont’s Laconism at the beginning of his preface to Matthew, saying exactly the same thing, and wrongly assigning a place in our work to Tillemont, and in exactly the same way assigning it, so that he does not even seem to have read Henschen’s arguments in our Work. 26. If I were to say with the same brevity that Tillemont’s criticism, which Calmet adopted, is inept, he would be able to bear it with difficulty; because, just as the opinion of most of our own predecessors appeared to him to lack a semblance of truth, so this assertion of his appears to be devoid of all reason, and therefore most inept. I would not, however, say it alone and prove nothing. Wherefore, I explain the reasons more fully in the places mentioned above. Tillemont admits that the surname of Alphæus was likely given to holy Matthew from his father. James, however, in all four catalogs of the apostles, namely Matth. X, Marc. III, Luc. VI, and Acts I, is constantly named James of Alphæus, nor is he ever designated by another name in the sacred scriptures. I would like to know whence James has that name so constantly, if not from his father. Certainly, no adequate reason will be given except this. Now, however, I observe that the name of Alphæus is nowhere to be found in the sacred Scriptures except where Matthew and James are concerned, so that we can by no means say that the name is common to many: and for this reason it is so much more likely that he was the same Alphæus who was the father of Matthew and James, as all the Greeks have believed since Chrysostom and Theodoret. The argument taken from the surname of both should not, for sure, have appeared so feeble to Tillemont, who wished to use the same in note 2 on Saint Jude of James, or Thaddæus, where he argues against Chrysostom, distinguishing the apostle Saint Jude Thaddæus from Jude, the brother of James the Less. If ^A in that place the argument seemed adequate and of the highest importance, while it was not valid, because it was being used to investigate a brother, it should not appear here to lack a semblance of truth, when it is used to investigate the common father of both: for the father is usually signified by these surnames placed in the genitive, as Simon of John, that is, the son of John; James of Zebedee, that is, the son of Zebedee, not his brother; or certainly Tillemont has not produced any example of a brother indicated by such a surname. ^B 27. Therefore the argument should not seem to be despised: nor do I believe it appeared so to Tillemont. But he had another reason for denying that Matthew and James were the sons of Alphæus, and that, as I suppose, he did not wish to indicate. He had maintained, against the authority of most of the Fathers, and against what seem to be sufficiently clear arguments of Holy Scripture, that James, son of Alphæus, is the same person as James, the brother of the Lord. Wherefore, since it is certain that Matthew is not the brother of James, the brother of the Lord, he could no longer say that he was the brother of James, son of Alphæus; and therefore he preferred to discard Henschen’s ^C arguments contemptuously, rather than satisfy them with a difficult response. But I have examined that question, both for this reason and because of Saint Cleophas who is connected with it, in a preliminary Dissertation, and I believe I have sufficiently shown that Tillemont’s opinion can neither be reconciled with the sacred Scriptures nor is it certainly contrary to the Fathers, so that nothing at all can be had from it against the kinship of Matthew and James. I ask, therefore, for an adequate reason why Matthew and James, sons of Alphæus, cannot be brothers, and I find none at all. For when Matthew gave a banquet for Christ, at which the Lord deigned to be present with many publicans; it is sufficiently ^D probable that some of the guests were converted and drawn to Christ’s discipleship, and that, in particular, James, son of Alphæus, followed Him on that occasion. To the Pharisees murmuring about that banquet, Christ replied: “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Why, therefore, can we not suspect that James, son of Alphæus, who follows immediately after Matthew in the catalog of the apostles in Matt. X, just as also in Acts I, was called at that banquet or on the occasion of it? In the other two catalogs, Thomas is inserted alone. Therefore, everywhere in the catalogs of the apostles, James, son of Alphæus, follows not long after Matthew, so that it becomes most probable that James was called by Christ to follow Him not long after Matthew. 28. Perhaps someone will say: are not Matthew and James, sons of Alphæus, nowhere called brothers in the Gospel, just as Peter and Andrew, John and James, are often called brothers? But that cannot be objected by Tillemont and Calmet, nor by any who call James, son of Alphæus, the brother of Jude Thaddæus. For if they believe that these could have been brothers, even though they are never called brothers in the catalogs of the apostles

they will not unjustly deny the same thing concerning Matthew and James, the son of Alphæus. Indeed, there will not be wanting a reason why the evangelists might have omitted the kinship of these men. For Matthew was known from his own Gospel as a publican. Therefore, if the evangelists had called James, the son of Alphæus, the brother of ^A Matthew, they would have simultaneously suggested that he was a publican, or at least the brother of a publican. Yet, as Chrysostom and Jerome observed, when Mark and Luke narrate the calling of Matthew, they call him Levi, lest they indicate that Matthew was a publican. Why, therefore, could they not all be equally concerned for the honor of St. James, the son of Alphæus, and for that reason remain silent about his being the brother of a publican? The opinion, therefore, of Chrysostom, Theodoret, and the whole of the Greek Church appears to me highly likely and probable, both because it rests on a solid argument deduced from the surname "Alphæus" of both apostles, and because it suffers from no difficulties. Calmet, indeed, in his Biblical Dictionary establishes two Alphæuses, the one the father of St. Matthew, the other the father of St. James, the son of Alphæus, and desires that the latter be called by another name, Cleophas. But I answer that there is no necessity for establishing two Alphæuses, or for saying that Cleophas is called Alphæus by any other name, except for those who, against the holy Fathers, confuse James, the son of Alphæus, with James, the brother of the Lord, and I do not doubt in the least that they would immediately recognize that Matthew and James, the son of Alphæus, appear as brothers, if they did not wish for the latter to be the brother of the Lord.

29. Concerning the year and the month in which the calling of St. Matthew occurred, I do not inquire, lest I be compelled to treat other questions. I wish to say a few things only about the order in which he was called among the twelve. St. Matthew was not called among the first: for Andrew, Peter, James, John, Philip, and Nathanael, or Bartholomew, who in all the catalogs of the apostles are also numbered before Matthew, had certainly preceded him. Concerning Thomas, it can be doubted whether he was numbered among the disciples of Christ before or after Matthew. Matthew himself puts Thomas before himself, and in Acts 1, Thomas is put before not only Matthew, but also Bartholomew. But in the Gospels according to Mark and Luke, Thomas follows Matthew. Therefore, since the calling of Thomas is not set forth in the Gospels, and he is ^B now placed before and now after Matthew, it is clearly doubtful and uncertain which of them was called first. But the remaining four, namely James, the son of Alphæus, Judas Thaddæus, Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot the traitor, since they are constantly listed after Matthew in all the catalogs, were also likely called after him, so that Matthew appears to have been the seventh or eighth among the twelve apostles: for in two catalogs he is placed seventh, in others eighth. Moreover, the election of the twelve apostles is recounted by three evangelists not long after the calling of Matthew, with the calling of the four later ones, as well as Thomas, being overlooked. Then nothing particular concerning St. Matthew is narrated in the Gospels or in the Acts ^C of the apostles. Various things, however, are related about all the apostles in general, namely that Christ endowed them with the power of expelling demons and healing the infirm, and, instructed with brilliant warnings, sent them to preach through Judæa; that they were with Christ at the Last Supper, and went out to the village of Gethsemani, and then, after he was captured, they fled; that they saw Christ at various times after the resurrection, and finally beheld him ascending into heaven; that they persevered unanimously in prayer with Mary, the Mother of God, and certain others, where Matthias was also substituted for Judas, until they received the Holy Spirit there. These things are certainly narrated about the apostles in general, and they are true regarding St. Matthew. Thus it seems that it is narrated concerning all the apostles in Acts 5, that they were cast into prison by the high priest, were led out by an angel, and were captured and beaten again, and thus dismissed. After which it is subjoined, v. 41: "And they indeed (the apostles) went rejoicing from the presence of the council, because they were deemed worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus. And every day they did not cease in the temple and around the houses teaching and evangelizing Christ Jesus." I omit other things ^D not asserted with equal certainty about all of them.

§ III. The written Gospel: matters pertaining to it are examined.

30. Regarding the Gospel written by St. Matthew, before he departed from Judæa, intending to preach to other nations as well, Eusebius, lib. III, cap. 24, speaks thus: "Matthew, having first preached the faith to the Hebrews, then intending to go to other nations also, wrote his Gospel in his native tongue, and by his writing supplied that which was lacking to those whom he was leaving, for the sake of his presence." By the words cited, Eusebius insinuates that Matthew wrote in the Hebrew tongue, as it was then in use among the Jews, not indeed in a pure and ancient form, but somewhat corrupted by Chaldean and Syriac, as others have already observed. He indicates, moreover, that of all the evangelists, Matthew wrote first; for he presently adds that later Mark and Luke wrote, and finally John. Then, in cap. 38, he cites these words of Papias, who had lived with the disciples of the apostles, concerning St. Matthew: "Matthew indeed," he says, "compiled the divine oracles in the Hebrew tongue: and each one interpreted them as he was able." The words of St. Ireneaus, the cited Eusebius, lib. V, cap. 8, adduces about Matthew in this way: "Matthew," he says, "published a Gospel among the Hebrews, written in their own language, while Peter and Paul were preaching Christ at Rome and laying the foundations of the Church." The given words are read in Irenæus, lib. III, *Contra hæreses*, cap. 1, where it is similarly hinted that Matthew was the first among the evangelists; although they are not otherwise free from some difficulty as regards the time of the Gospel written by Matthew, as we shall see later. Eusebius also adduces, lib. VI, cap. 25, the words of Origen, saying from tradition that the first Gospel was written by Matthew, ... who that

^A wrote it in the Hebrew tongue, and published it for those who had been converted [from Judaism].

31. St. Jerome, in his *Catalogue of Ecclesiastical Writers*, speaks thus of St. Matthew: "Matthew, who is also Levi, being from a publican an apostle, was the first in Judea, for the sake of those who from the Circumcision (that is, from the Jews) had believed, to compose the Gospel of Christ in Hebrew letters and speech. Who it was who afterwards translated it into Greek is not sufficiently certain. Moreover, this very Hebrew itself is held to this day in the library of Caesarea, which the martyr Pamphilus compiled with great diligence. I also had the opportunity of copying it from the Nazarenes who use this volume in the city of Beroea in Syria. In which it is to be noted that, wherever the evangelist, whether in his own person or the person of the Lord Savior, makes use of the testimonies of the Old Scripture, he does not follow the authority of the seventy translators, but the Hebrew. By which these are: 'Out of Egypt I have called my Son.' And: 'For he shall be called a Nazarene.'" Chrysostom, hom. 1, on Matthew, writes these things concerning the same: "It is further related that Matthew, when the Jews who had believed came and asked him, left those things which he had spoken in words described in the same letters, and wrote the Gospel in Hebrew." The same author, in hom. 4, notes that Matthew wrote first among the evangelists. St. Augustine, lib. 1, *De consensu evangelistarum*, cap. 2, agrees with the others that the Gospel was written by Matthew first, and concerning the language in which he wrote it, he says: "Of these four, truly, Matthew alone is said to have written in the Hebrew tongue." Passing over others who affirm the same, I only add the words of St. Epiphanius, *Haeres.* 51, cap. 5, writing thus: "Matthew, therefore, was the first to get the province of writing the Gospel, as we have said; and this happened to him by just desert. For it was fitting that he himself, who had come to obtain salvation for the human race, and who had said thus: 'I came not to call the just, but sinners to repentance,' should entrust the office of preaching salvation especially to that man, who, converted from innumerable sins and risen from the toll-booth, had recalled himself from every wickedness and injustice; so that from him, mortals might learn how much humanity had been bestowed upon them by the coming of Christ... This Matthew therefore wrote and preached the Gospel in the Hebrew language," etc.

32. Concerning the Gospel written by Matthew, and indeed before other evangelists wrote, all agreed, at least in later centuries, in such a way that it is not necessary to say more about them. However, whatever the authority and antiquity of the agreeing Fathers may be, there have been some heterodox who have not doubted to oppose that very common opinion of the Fathers, and have preferred to believe that the Gospel was written by Matthew in Greek rather than in Hebrew. Among these is Samuel Basnage, who, in his *Annales politico-ecclesiastici* for the year of the Lord 64, num. 13, ^B confesses the consensus of the ancients in these words: "There is a great conspiracy of all the ancients that the Gospel of Matthew was published in the Hebrew tongue." Then he adds: "Which tradition, though it still smiles upon many learned men, is not indeed heard by us with indifferent ears." Basnage therefore confesses that what pleased all of antiquity is not heard by him with indifferent ears. Let us hear and judge the matter of another heterodox, namely William Cave in his *Historia litteraria*, cent. 1, pag. 6, on St. Matthew: "And indeed, that he wrote his own evangelical history in Hebrew, the ancients testify with a truly wonderful consensus, so that it would be a sacrilege to contradict the testimony of almost all antiquity in this matter. But I shall not weigh how much merit there is in departing from all sacred antiquity, since I know that heterodox are accustomed to do so in matters of much greater weight; but I shall only examine whether the reasons of Basnage are such that they are born to suggest a prudent doubt: the others, truly, who before or after Basnage similarly rejected the ancient opinion of the holy Fathers, I shall leave completely unmentioned, lest the discussion become more prolix than is necessary, and because I do not have the works of all at hand. The fountain, he says, of this tradition is Papias, a man of very small intellect and a credulous writer.... The report also holds that Pantaenus found the Gospel of Matthew in India, which Bartholomew had left written in Hebrew letters, which is recorded to have been preserved to the aforesaid times. It pleased Jerome to adorn this tradition, unknown to Eusebius, with pigments. Pantaenus, he says, returning to Alexandria, brought with him the Gospel of Matthew, written in Hebrew letters. This Basnage writes for his own reverence for the holy Fathers, not to say foolish confidence. He implies that all the Fathers were led into error by Papias, and calls Papias a writer of very small intellect, so that he may insinuate that he himself could also easily have erred in that matter. But Papias, who lived with the disciples of the apostles, and used to ask from them what Andrew, what Peter, what Philip, what Thomas, what James, ^C what John, what Matthew, what the other disciples of the Lord were accustomed to say, as he himself speaks in Eusebius, lib. III, cap. 38, at least had enough intellect to ask in what language Matthew had written his Gospel, and enough good faith and judgment to declare it, just as he could have learned from the disciples of the apostles, not rarely, and subsequently also through frequent conversation with the daughters of Philip, in what language he had used in writing. St. Matthew will deservedly be seen to be of much thinner judgment, in Hebrew or Greek, than Papias was of intellect, as Papias himself used. Wherefore, the authority of Papias is by no means to be despised in a matter of such easy cognition, but rather to be valued most highly on account of the antiquity of the man, especially since no one has contradicted him: for indeed there were no lacking other ecclesiastical writers who could have contradicted, if it were false

Yet we ought not assume ^A that all that the Fathers handed down concerning the Hebrew Gospel of Matthew flowed from the testimony of Papias alone, as I shall show below.

34. But I will clarify the argument which is held by the Gospel discovered by Pantaenus. Pantaenus flourished with an outstanding reputation for erudition, and he was in charge of the Alexandrian school at the beginning of the second century. Eusebius says (book 5, ch. 10) that he went to the Indians and there found that the "Gospel of Matthew, written in Hebrew characters," had been left behind by the apostle Bartholomew. But he does not add that this was brought to Alexandria by Pantaenus on his return; he only says, "Which, indeed, is recorded to have been preserved until the aforementioned times," that is, until the times of Pantaenus. St. Jerome, in the *Catalogue of Writers*, ch. 36, asserted something a little more substantial when he wrote of Pantaenus, "Which, written in Hebrew characters, he brought back with him when he returned to Alexandria." The most modest Basnage calls these inventions of Jerome unknown to Eusebius. But I do not see why Jerome could not have known a few more things about these than were written by Eusebius. Certainly, it is very plausible that the Hebrew Gospel was not left in India by Pantaenus, but was brought to Alexandria; and that Jerome learned this either from the Commentaries of Pantaenus himself, or from elsewhere. However, wherever the holy doctor understood this, he was of such integrity that one ought to trust his word, and we cannot say that it was fabricated by Jerome except through the greatest impudence. Now, if Pantaenus found in India the "Gospel of Matthew, written in Hebrew characters," Eusebius and Jerome agree on this; therefore it had been written in Hebrew by Matthew, as the Fathers affirm by common consensus.

35. "In many reasons," replies Basnage, "the tradition of the ancients does not win faith from us." Let us therefore examine the causes. "First of all," he says, "there is no one among the Fathers who certainly and assuredly testifies that he himself handled with his own hands or eyes that Hebrew Gospel of Matthew, which, however, having been transcribed by Hebrew Christians for reading, everywhere in places where they knew Hebrew, would have been dispersed." This is Basnage's first argument. He objects, secondly, that a Hebrew exemplar of Matthew did not shine forth upon St. Jerome in correcting the Latin text of the Gospels, but rather a Greek one. Thirdly, he proves at length that the Greek language was more vulgar and used by far more nations than the Hebrew, and from this he tries to infer that Matthew ought to have written in Greek ^B rather than in Hebrew, since the apostles were ordered to teach all nations. Fourthly, he observes that it seems Matthew used the language then in use by the Jews, not the ancient and pure language, if he wrote in Hebrew. He suspects, however, that the Fathers were thinking of the pure Hebrew language: "From which it is understood," he says, "that there is not much support in the testimony of the ancients on that matter." Fifthly, he suspects that the Gospel of the Nazarenes was taken from the authentic Matthew by the Fathers, and that it was taken by them for the authentic Matthew. Finally, he says that Matthew's autograph should have been most diligently preserved by the Jerusalem Church, if Matthew had written in Hebrew for the sake of the Jews; but that nothing had been preserved except the Gospel of the Nazarenes, and he suspects this to have been nothing but an ancient version made from Matthew's Greek text. These are the arguments or imaginations of Basnage, who does not hesitate to charge the Fathers frequently with error, so that he may procure some probability for his own dreams. Therefore, let us see if Basnage’s acumen was so great that he was able to perceive many things which did not come into the minds of the most learned Fathers, who were much closer in place and time to the matters discussed; and let us proceed to discuss his arguments, which I have proposed only in summary for the sake of brevity.

36. I respond, therefore, first of all, that Basnage's argument is absolutely false; for St. Jerome, cited at number 31 and presently to be cited more abundantly, testifies that he saw the Hebrew Gospel of St. Matthew interpreted, and he affirms that it was used by Origen, and seen by Pantaenus. Take, studious reader, another passage from St. Jerome from the *Epistle to Damasus* on the two sons (which was formerly 149; in the Verona edition it is 21): "Finally," he says, "Matthew, who wrote the Gospel in the Hebrew tongue, put it thus: *Hosanna barama*, that is, *Hosanna in the highest*." How does he quote Hebrew words of Matthew if he did not see his Hebrew Gospel? To the second, I respond that St. Jerome did not correct the Latin text from the Hebrew, but from the Greek, because he was less certain about the integrity and purity of the Hebrew text than of the Greek. To the third, I say that the Greek language was truly more in use in the world in Matthew's time than the Hebrew; but that the Hebrew language was the language of the Jews. Wherefore, since Christ the Lord willed that the apostles should first preach the faith to the Jews, then to the Gentiles, as they indeed did: so it was fitting that the first Gospel should be written for the sake of the Jews, and consequently in the tongue which all understood, at least in Judea. What he irreverently says fourthly ^C against the Fathers is certainly false regarding Jerome, Epiphanius, Origen, Pantaenus, Papias, and Eusebius, who did not ignore, nor could they have ignored, what language the Jews used when St. Matthew wrote the Gospel. Indeed, I believe that none of the Fathers thought that Matthew used any other Hebrew language than that which was in use in his time. But what Basnage objects fifthly and sixthly concerning the Gospel of the Nazarenes must be explained a little more at length, because it relates to our proposal, and I will respond to other doubts as well with that explanation.

37. St. Jerome does not rarely speak of the Gospel of the Nazarenes, which he also calls [Gospel] according to the Hebrews, and he brings up various things from it in various places,

which are not read in the vulgate Gospel of Matthew. ^A Regarding these words, it should be noted that St. Epiphanius did not call that Gospel "most absolute" or "most complete" (as his own Greek words sound) because he thought that no corruption had clearly crept into it, but because he believed that the copies of the Nazarenes were less corrupted than those of other heretics. For he soon adds these words: "But I do not know if they cut off those genealogies which lead from Abraham as far as Christ." Such a doubt, however, clearly insinuates that the Nazarenes also were suspect to Epiphanius of having introduced corruption into the Gospel of Matthew; though less so than the Ebionites or other heretics who had corrupted it more. The aforementioned Epiphanius had said in chapter 7 that the sect of the Nazarenes was especially strong in the city of Beroea. Whence I gather that the very Hebrew copy of which he speaks was the one copied by St. Jerome and rendered into the Greek and Latin language: for St. Jerome had received his own [copy] from the Nazarenes at Beroea. Again, Epiphanius, in heresy 30, which is that of the Ebionites, chapter 3, affirms that they also used a Hebrew Gospel of Matthew, and indeed that one alone, after the manner of the Cerinthians or Merinthians, and called it [the Gospel] according to the Hebrews. Then, in chapter 13, regarding the greater corruption of that Gospel among them, he speaks thus: "Therefore in that which is among them, the Gospel of Matthew—although they do not even have it integrated, but adulterated and mutilated—and they call that same [text] Hebrew, it is written thus," etc. Thus far Epiphanius, from whose words it is manifest that he did not doubt that the Hebrew Gospel of Matthew was preserved among the Nazarenes, but that he held it suspect of some corruption, just as he certainly knew that of the Ebionites to be most corrupt.

Yet, notwithstanding this, there seems no doubt that St. Jerome believed that the Gospel of the Nazarenes or Hebrews was written by St. Matthew, but had been corrupted by them in some way. In the *Catalog of Writers*, chapter 11, he praises it with these words: "The Gospel also which is called 'according to the Hebrews,' and [which] has been recently translated by me ^B into the Greek and Latin language, which I often use, etc." St. Jerome could not but know it very well if, as he asserts, he had converted it into the Greek and Latin language. Yet, soon after, in chapter 3, in [his commentary on] Matthew he speaks of no other Gospel, when he says: "Furthermore, the Hebrew [text] itself (of Matthew) is had to this day in the library at Caesarea... I also had the opportunity to copy it from the Nazarenes who use this volume in the city of Beroea in Syria." Here he calls it the Hebrew [text] of Matthew, which he affirms above is [the one] according to the Hebrews, which the Nazarenes also use. This is evident from those things which he has in other places. For in book III *Against the Pelagians*, around the beginning, he speaks thus: "In the Gospel according to the Hebrews, which is written in the Chaldean and Syrian language, but with Hebrew letters, which the Nazarenes use to this day, according to the apostles, or, as most suppose, according to Matthew; which is also held in the Caesarean library," etc. He clearly insinuates that the assertion about the Caesarean library is that it is the very same [text] which he calls above the Hebrew [text] of Matthew.

38. Again, in Matthew chapter 12, the same Gospel he praises thus: "In the Gospel which the Nazarenes and Ebionites use (which I have recently translated from the Hebrew tongue into Greek, and which is called by most [to be] the authentic [Gospel] of Matthew," etc.). Since he testifies here to his own translation, it is clear that he speaks again of the same Gospel, the same [one] he says he translated in chapter VII of Micah, where he calls it the Gospel edited according to the Hebrews. Finally, in chapter VII of Isaiah, in the same place, St. Jerome clearly insinuates his own mind, while he writes thus: "According to the Gospel which the Nazarenes read, written in the Hebrew tongue: 'The entire fount of the Holy Spirit shall descend upon him (Christ).'" And soon after: "In the same volume of Matthew we read that which is written in the following: 'Behold my Son, whom I chose,' etc." He most openly calls this same Gospel, which the Nazarenes read, the volume of Matthew. Thus, it is established concerning the mind of St. Jerome, who held the Gospel which the Nazarenes were using, and which he at other times calls "according to the Hebrews," as the very Hebrew Gospel of St. Matthew, though not [as] pure, as we shall soon see.

39. The opinion of St. Epiphanius is no different than [that of] St. Jerome. For in heresy 29, which is [that of] the Nazarenes, chapter 9, he has it thus: "There is in truth among them (the Nazarenes) the Gospel according to Matthew, written in Hebrew, and indeed most absolute. For they preserve it most certainly, just as it was written in the beginning with Hebrew letters, to this day."

40. Similarly, St. Jerome, though he not rarely alleges the Gospel of the Nazarenes, yet never attributes to it as much authority as to the Greek or Latin text received by the Church. He himself insinuates this in book II, *Against the Pelagians*, where he alleges some things from that Gospel and some place from St. Ignatius the martyr, and soon adds: "If you do not use these testimonies for authority, use them at least for antiquity, [as to] what all ecclesiastical men have thought." For this reason, St. Jerome, when, by the command of St. Pope Damasus, he undertook to correct the Latin text of the four Gospels, did not use any Hebrew copy, because he knew none was sufficiently uncorrupted: but [used] ancient Greek codices, as he himself writes to Damasus. In the same preface to Damasus, however, he teaches ^D that Matthew used Hebrew letters, writing thus: "I now speak regarding the New Testament: that it is Greek is not in doubt, except for the apostle Matthew, who was the first to publish the Gospel of Christ in Judea in Hebrew letters." Now let the studious reader judge for himself of the reasonings of Basnage, and of those things asserted in his reasoning. St. Jerome saw the Hebrew Gospel which the Nazarenes used, and [rendered] that Greek and Latin.

^A And after such an exact examination, he judged with St. Epiphanius that it was indeed Matthew’s Hebrew [work], but corrupted in some places, and therefore lacking its due authority; but Basnage, who never saw it, contends that that Gospel was a mere version from the Greek text of Matthew; he contends this, I say, against the authority of all the Fathers, and without any testimony from an ancient writer. I truly do not understand with what judgment he could think this, or with what effrontery he dared to declare it; since he all but openly proclaims that he could judge more correctly about a Gospel he never saw than the most learned Jerome [could] about the same, after he had frequently perused it and collated it with Greek and Latin copies. ^B [He cites] *Haeres.* 30, cap. 3, to prove that the New Testament was rendered into Hebrew from Greek. I will bring forward the entire passage which he cited in part, so that the reader may see that this very thing is most contrary to Basnage. “For indeed,” says Epiphanius, “we can truly affirm this, that among all the writers of the New Testament, Matthew alone wove the evangelical history in Hebrew and with Hebrew letters. Nor were there wanting those who confirmed concerning the Gospel of John that it was translated into Hebrew and kept in the treasuries of the Jews at Tiberias, and stored in certain more secret inner chambers: which thing some who had converted to the faith of Christ from Judaism declared to me most accurately. Indeed, it was also noised about by the talk of many that the Acts of the Apostles were likewise converted into the Hebrew language from the Greek, and kept in those same treasuries: and those who recounted these things to us received thereby an occasion to embrace the Christian faith.” Thus far Epiphanius. From that passage, however, Basnage ought to have learned that the Fathers distinguished between books written in Hebrew from the beginning, and those which were rendered into Hebrew from the Greek; and that they are far too accurate in narrating facts for their authority to be rashly rejected. For to infer from the cited passage that even Matthew’s Gospel was rendered into Hebrew from the Greek, is the act of a madman rather than a reasoner. Such also is what he adds, that the tradition concerning a Gospel written in Hebrew arose from a most ancient Hebrew version. For unless we wish to despise all the Fathers with intolerable arrogance, we cannot even suspect that they were all so deceived that neither those most ancient [ones], who were closest to the times of the apostles, could know in what language Matthew wrote, nor the most learned among them, and those most skilled in the Hebrew language (such as precisely were Jerome and Origen, and indeed even Epiphanius), wanted to detect that the Hebrew Gospel which the Nazarenes possessed was used from the Greek Matthew. But enough and more than enough concerning the ineptitudes of Basnage.

42. Concerning the year in which the holy Matthew wrote his Gospel, nothing certain is brought forward. That, however, it is certain ^C he composed the Gospel before he departed from Judea to preach to other nations, [is held by many]. St. Irenaeus, *lib.* III *Contra Haereses, cap.* 1, seems to date the writing of the Gospels later than the rest of the Fathers, unless his words perchance can be explained in another sense. The Latin interpretation in the latest edition reads thus: “Thus Matthew produced the scripture of the Gospel in the language of the Hebrews, when Peter and Paul were evangelizing at Rome and founding the Church.” Irenaeus will certainly be contrary to all the Fathers if he is to be explained in such a way that Matthew wrote at the same time in which Peter and Paul were preaching the Gospel at Rome. But I suspect that Irenaeus did not wish to indicate that, but only to insinuate who were the authors of the Gospels, and who indeed [were the authors] of the tradition of the Roman Church, and for that reason he spoke thus. Certainly, in that book he refutes the heretics first from the tradition of the Roman Church, of which he establishes Peter and Paul as the authors; and from the Scriptures of the New Testament, from which he mentions the Gospel of Matthew first. And indeed, the Greek text does not necessarily have to be explained in that sense, that the Gospel was said to be written at the exact same time as Peter and Paul were preaching in Rome. I subjoin the words with a literal explanation: ^D “Matthew indeed brought forth the writing of the Gospel in the Hebrews' own language, while Peter and Paul were evangelizing in Rome and founding the Church.” These words can easily be understood in such a way that the holy Irenaeus did not wish to say that both were done at the same time. But I willingly confess that the words of Irenaeus immediately following concerning the remaining evangelists can be explained with more difficulty, for he seems to say that they all wrote after the death of SS. Peter and Paul, unless the text is corrupt, as Tillemont suspects, *tom.* II, note 3, on Saint Mark. Whatever the case may be, if such is the opinion of Saint Irenaeus, as it appears, I would rather believe that he paid less attention to their exact chronology, because that would contribute little to his purpose compared to the matters themselves which he had proposed to himself: and thus to depart reverently from him, than from all the rest.

43. Baronius in his *Annales* reports the writing of [Matthew’s] Gospel at the year of Christ 41; but, when he counts that as the third year of the Emperor Gaius, it is designated from the chronology of Pagi, and others, as the thirty-ninth year of the Christian era. Baronius praises the *Chronicon* of Eusebius for the designated third year of Gaius, in which it is read, as it was edited in Latin before Baronius. But, just as Tillemont observed, those things are not read in the Greek edition, nor in the Latin of Scaliger, nor even in the Latin manuscript *Chronicon* of Eusebius, which is preserved in our Museum. Wherefore it can at least be doubted whether it was ever from the

^A Gospel of Matthew that Eusebius wrote, or even the interpreter Jerome; and consequently it is much more uncertain whether it was written in that year. Tillemont, in his *Chronological Index*, vol. I, fixes both the dispersion of the apostles and the Gospel of Matthew at about the year 36. Others prefer to admit that the year is uncertain, just as the year of the division of the apostles cannot be assigned by certain arguments. With us, the matter of the division of the apostles was treated on July 13th, and there it is fixed in the year 42 of the common era, according to the chronology of our Henschenius, by which the death of Christ the Lord is fixed under the consulship of the two Gemini, or in the year 29 of the common era, so that the division of the apostles is placed in the twelfth year after the Ascension of Christ. One may see what is said concerning the division of the apostles, and the *Diatribe* of Henschenius before volume 1 of April; for this place here does not require that I repeat what has been discussed elsewhere. It suffices to say that the Gospel was written by Matthew about the same time, or a little before, before the apostles were separated.

44. Furthermore it is equally uncertain who was the first Greek interpreter of the Gospel according to Matthew. In the *Synopsis* commonly attributed to Saint Athanasius, vol. II of the Works of Saint Athanasius in the Montfaucon edition, page 202, these things are read: "The Gospel according to Matthew was written by Matthew himself in the Hebrew dialect and published at Jerusalem, and it was interpreted by James, the brother of the Lord according to the flesh, who was also constituted the first bishop of Jerusalem by the holy apostles." This opinion does not please Tillemont, note 2 on Matthew. First, he says that these things are read only in an addition appended to the *Synopsis*. But he alleges no reason why he should think those things are not part of the same *Synopsis*: nor do I find any in Montfaucon. Secondly, he says that the Greek word ἑρμηνεύθη can be explained equally well as a mere explanation as a translation into another language. I gladly acknowledge that this is truly said of the Greek word; but when all the adjuncts and what follows a little later show that it is a question of a translation into the Greek language, that objection or just suspicion that the word should be understood here in that way is not sufficiently founded: for the same word frequently recurs regarding translation into another language, and it is uniquely concerned with that there. Thirdly, Tillemont says: "Saint James, to whom the care of the Jerusalemite Jews was committed, was the one among all the apostles to whom there was less opportunity and necessity for translating the Gospel of Saint Matthew into another language." But I do not see which of the apostles could have performed that office more opportunely and with greater convenience. For James remained at Jerusalem; all the apostles were setting out for other provinces, nor could they know how long they would remain in individual cities or even provinces. But it is more convenient for one dwelling constantly in one city to write or interpret a book than for one passing from city to city and constantly traveling. Therefore, that opinion is at least no less probable than others, who have attributed the Greek version to either the holy apostle John, or to holy Paul, or to holy Barnabas, or to holy Luke, or to Matthew himself, as testified by Calmet in his preface to Matthew, page 26. For the author of the *Synopsis*, even if he perhaps is not Athanasius, was at least very learned and seems more ancient than the patrons of other opinions. However, whoever the interpreter may have been, it seems certain that the Greek interpretation was made in the time of the apostles.

45. Theodorus Lector, lib. II, page 557 of the Valesius edition, in *Zenone* writes these things: ^B "The relics of the apostle Barnabas were found in Cyprus under a carob tree. Upon his chest was the Gospel of Matthew, described by the hand of Barnabas himself... Zeno deposited that Gospel in the palace, in the church of St. Stephen." Alexander the Cypriot monk writes more about these things in the *Acts of Saint Barnabas*, published by us on June 11. For on page 450, Saint Barnabas is said to have appeared to Anthemius, the bishop of Salamis, and to have indicated to him where his body had been deposited with the Gospel of Saint Matthew. I transfer here some words which Saint Barnabas is written to have said to Anthemius: "Dig under the carob tree: for you will find a cave and a chest, since my whole body is buried there, and the Gospel written in my own hand, which I received from the holy apostle and evangelist Matthew." And soon after the discovery of the body is reported, and it is added concerning the Gospel: "They found also the Gospel placed upon the chest of Barnabas." Then, indeed, when Anthemius had explained the matter to the emperor Zeno, and had obtained that Cyprus should not remain under the patriarch of Antioch, Zeno asked in return that the discovered Gospel of Matthew be sent to him. "The bishop assented to his petition," says Alexander, no. 44, "and sent a bishop, one of those whom he had with him (at Constantinople), along with a most faithful minister of the emperor, who brought that Gospel into the city of Constantinople. But the covers of the book were composed of thyine wood. The emperor took that Gospel into his hand, and kissed it, and adorned with much gold he deposited it in his palace, where it is kept to this very day, and in the great ^C week of Easter every year the Gospel is read from that book in the palace oratory." This reading demonstrates that this copy was written in Greek, since only the Greek language was common at Constantinople; and thence it is confirmed that the Greek version was made in the time of the apostles.

46. Our Papebrochius, in his *Annotations* on the words just given, observes the following regarding the apparent Barnabas: "The native sense of the words appears to be that Barnabas, having first received the Gospel published in Hebrew with his own hand from the mouth of Saint Matthew himself, who was dictating it in Greek, took it with him, just as Saint Bartholomew is also said to have done (concerning the Hebrew, of course), and perhaps many others, in one and the same tenor and time, without any difference

of that which should have been found, if each one had made his own version by his own hand ^A, for which there is nowhere any indication of its distinctness. And from this it may have happened, that some made James, others John, even others Luke or Paul the interpreter, according, of course, to the copy of the Gospel that each Church read from the autograph of this or that apostle. This conjecture seems likely; especially since the apostles do not appear to have set out for distant provinces before Matthew’s Gospel was written, so that it can hardly be doubted that each one carried with him some copy of that Gospel. But since not a few of them set out for provinces where the Greek language was almost exclusively used, it is very likely that they took a Greek copy, as is established in the case of Barnabas, rather than a Hebrew one, so that they could provide it to be read and transcribed in the churches when they were being established. However, these are only conjectures; and nothing certain can be set forth about uncertain matters.

47. Furthermore, the words of Papias, ^B at number 50, seem contrary to these conjectures, if they are to be understood in the sense in which they are commonly expounded. “Matthew indeed,” he says, “wrote the divine oracles in the Hebrew language: but each one interpreted them as he was able.” I see these words expounded by various people as if Papias had said that each one had undertaken a Greek interpretation according to his own inclination. But that exposition of Papias’s words does not seem to me necessary at all, indeed not even sufficiently probable; for the word “each” only implies the number of interpreters, so that it is not likely that Papias was speaking about the interpretation of the entire Gospel or its translation into the Greek language. Wherefore he says only that the divine Oracles were handed down in writing by Matthew; but were expounded by others—whether by word or by writing—according to each one’s capacity. Therefore, he in no way seems to be speaking about the translation of the Gospel into the Greek language, but rather only about the preaching of the Gospel, or about the exposition of those things which occurred as more difficult in the Gospel of Matthew. We readily believe that each of the learned men did this: but that everyone wished to make a Greek Gospel of Matthew according to his own inclination is neither likely, nor does Papias say it. Only the exposition of the moderns attributes that opinion to Papias, although the Greek word ^C *ἡρμήνευσε* (interpreted) does not at all require that exposition, but rather, because of the context, rejects it. Therefore it must be considered certain that the Greek version was made in the time of the apostles, and that it was the only one approved, since no one has mentioned several. I leave the remaining matters pertaining to the Gospel of Matthew to be examined by the interpreters of holy Scripture.

IV. The Preaching of Saint Matthew and his Martyrdom

48. Concerning the preaching of the Gospel in Judea, before the apostles departed for the provinces assigned to them, there is no doubt. Nicetas the Paphlagonian, in his Encomiastic Oration, in Combefis, page 404, shows that little or nothing was known to him about the preaching of Matthew. For he names no province or city in which Matthew preached the faith, except Hierapolis of Syria, in which he believed he was crowned with martyrdom. For this reason, I suspect, on page 404, he says from mere conjecture that he was physically weaker, and wrote the Gospel while others were preaching among various nations. The Orator certainly pursues this in more words, but a few will suffice, since the fact of the written Gospel is established ^D: “And the things which the rest (of the apostles) had handed down to the nations by the gift of tongues and not in writing, these the great Matthew, gathering them together in a summary written account, wove into the holy preachings, the whole mystery of the Word.” So he himself, as interpreted by Combefis, introduces Matthew writing, while other apostles were running through the world, and sowing the seeds of the holy Gospel on every side. But I believe that neither the weakness of his body, of which there is no mention among the ancients, was an impediment to Matthew from preaching the Gospel; nor do I agree with Nicetas that the Gospel was written by Matthew at the time when the other apostles had set out for distant provinces; but, since Nicetas himself on page 406 says he omits the brilliant deeds—namely of preaching and miracles—I would rather believe that the orator had found nothing certain about them, than that Matthew did not preach: for the writing of the Gospel ought not to have detained the holy man for such a long time that he could not have set out at the same time as the others to the province assigned to him.

49. Furthermore, the province which, in the Acts published and by the testimony of others, was assigned to Saint Matthew, is Ethiopia, the most extensive kingdom of Africa, if the word Ethiopia is to be understood in the most obvious sense. Rufinus, book x, chapter 9, writes this: “In that division of the world, which was celebrated by the lot among the apostles for the preaching of the word of God; when some provinces fell to some and others to others, Parthia to Thomas, and Ethiopia to Matthew, and closer India, which adjoins it, is said to have been decreed by lot to Bartholomew.” In almost the same way Socrates, book 1, chapter 49: “When the apostles, about to set out to the nations for the sake of preaching, had divided them among themselves by lot, Thomas indeed was allotted the apostolate of Parthia, but Matthew that of Ethiopia. India, which is adjacent to Ethiopia, fell to Bartholomew.” Also added is Fortunatus, to be lauded later with many others, among whom Milo the monk in his Metrical Life of St. Amandus, date of February 1, page 874, sings thus:

Matthew, the Ethiopians, scorched by burning heat, As the illustrious Geon washes with sacred stream, And makes their lot look as white as snow.

50. Florentinius in his Notes on the Index of the Apostles on Matthew, page 158, says: “But the more common opinion seems to be that Matthew preached in the near Ethiopia, which is closer to Egypt and which is called Sonnar today, and died in the city of Luch (in a Lapide, Luach) where even now the temple...

the boundary, since Candace once led her army from her kingdom into Egypt without passing through other territory, and conversely, the Romans likewise invaded her domain from Egypt. By what reasoning, then, could one deny that the faith had been preached in northern Ethiopia before the fourth century?

^A In honor of St. Matthew, and gathered from the traditions of the Ethiopians (and from the writings of missionaries, though he does not commend them), Cornelius a Lapide, in chapter 3 of his Preface to Matthew, notes that that kingdom of Ethiopia, which some call Sonnar and others Sennar, is situated between Egypt and the modern kingdom of Abyssinia. Job Ludolf, in his *Historia Ethiopica*, book I, chapter 2, says that the kingdom of Sennar is a part of ancient Nubia. Martiniere, in his *Dictionario geographico*, makes the kingdom of Sennar identical with the kingdom of Nubia. But it is not necessary for our purpose to investigate this more broadly. It is enough to have indicated that the kingdom of Sennar is in the northern part of Ethiopia and close to Egypt. That Queen Candace, whose eunuch was baptized by St. Philip the deacon, reigned in this same part of Ethiopia during the times of the apostles is gathered abundantly from what was said in § 1; but again, I do not inquire whether she reigned more or less widely. However, the opinion of those who think that St. Matthew preached in that part of Ethiopia appears to me quite probable and likely, both because it was close to the Roman empire on the side of Egypt, and because the eunuch of Queen Candace was converted, and his conversion was certainly known to the apostles, and because the churches of St. Matthew found there suggest the ancient tradition of the people, and finally because writers testify that Ethiopia was assigned to Matthew; nor was any region more properly called Ethiopia than that which all ancient geographers gave that name.

^B 51. However, this opinion displeases Tillemont: for here, in note 2 on Matthew, having cited the opinion of Cornelius a Lapide, which Florentinius rather reported than followed, he roundly declares that St. Matthew did not preach in northern Ethiopia. Baillet faithfully followed Tillemont. The only reason for both, and one born of error, is this: that northern Ethiopia, being close to Egypt, did not receive the Christian faith until the fourth century through St. Frumentius. Furthermore, both promise to demonstrate this in the *Life of St. Frumentius*. But I do not hesitate to answer, with the same brevity, that the objection of both arises from mere ignorance and error, because they have confused the kingdom of Abyssinia with northern Ethiopia; whereas the history of St. Frumentius is so far from hindering the preaching of St. Matthew in northern Ethiopia that it rather makes such preaching appear more likely. But before I discuss his argument, it is pleasing to show briefly how beautifully he himself is consistent. Tillemont, in Volume II on St. Philip the deacon, explains the deeds of the eunuch of Queen Candace, whom Philip the deacon taught the Christian faith and baptized (Acts 8). He praises there St. Irenaeus (book III, chapter 12), St. Cyril of Jerusalem (Catechesis 17), Jerome, Eusebius, and others, who teach that that eunuch was sent into Ethiopia to preach the Gospel; and Tillemont agrees with them, or at least does not contradict them. Yet it is certain that the kingdom of Queen Candace was close to Egypt and was near the final

^C ...boundary, since Candace once led her army from her kingdom into Egypt without passing through other territory, and conversely, the Romans likewise invaded her domain from Egypt. By what reasoning, then, could one deny that the faith had been preached in northern Ethiopia before the fourth century?

52. Let us hear now by what reasoning Tillemont, in *Frumentius* (Vol. VII, note 2), proves that the faith was not preached in northern Ethiopia before the fourth century. St. Frumentius, in the fourth century, according to Rufinus (book X, chapter 9), Socrates, and others, announced the faith to the peoples whom they call the further Indians, and to whom they testify the faith had never before been preached. Indeed, from the letters of the Emperor Constantius to St. Athanasius in the *Apologia ad Constantium* (Vol. I, p. 315), it is shown that Frumentius was Bishop of Auxum or Axum in Ethiopia. By "Indians," therefore, Ethiopians are to be understood, and it follows that we must say the faith was never preached to them before the fourth century. I answer that this whole line of reasoning would be tolerable if Axuma were in northern Ethiopia. But Axuma is in Abyssinia, of which it was once the metropolis, nor is it in the northern part of Ethiopia of which we are debating. The whole kingdom of Sennar, as it is called today, or the Nubian kingdom, or the kingdom of Meroë, where once Queen Candace held wide sway, lies between Egypt and the Auxumite or Axumite kingdom, just as the kingdom of Sennar now lies between Abyssinia and Egypt. Therefore, such is Tillemont's argument entirely, as if someone were to prove that the faith was not preached in Frisia before the seventh century, and from that wished to infer that it had not been preached in Gaul before the said century. The prince of Auxuma, before whom St. Frumentius preached the faith in the time of Constantius and Athanasius, could indeed exercise peace or hostility with the Romans, because he dominated the Arabian Gulf; but he was otherwise far removed from the borders of the Roman empire; but these things will come for more extensive examination under St. Frumentius on October 27, where it will also be inquired whether the region converted by St. Frumentius was rightly called India.

^D 53. Whatever Tillemont's argument may prove, and Job Ludolf proves more extensively in his *Historia Ethiopica sive regni Habessinorum* (book III, chapter 2), that the faith was not preached in the time of the Apostles in the kingdom of the Auxumites or Abyssinians, this makes the preaching of St. Matthew in the Ethiopia bordering on Egypt the more probable. Hence the aforementioned Ludolf, in his *Annotata* to book III, chapter 2, page 280, out of the *Historia Ethiopica* of Balthasar Tellezius, which he very frequently cites, brings forward these words and follows them: «That some say St. Matthew preached the Gospel in Ethiopia is a new idea among the Abyssinians and lacks foundation. When our religious men related this to them from our histories, they answered (and indeed rightly, says Ludolf) that this must be understood

^A of Lower Ethiopia (that is, Ethiopia properly so called, adds Fortunatus, Eucherius, Ado, Usuardus, and Rabanus, following Ludolf), which extends from Suakin as far as Egypt. Since they have no record at all that Saint Matthew or any other apostle entered Abyssinia (before Saint Frumentius, as Ludolf again adds), as their books and their learned men, who seem to themselves most knowledgeable in antiquity, certainly teach. ^B Ludolf subjoins: “Those, therefore, seem to come closest to the truth who have assigned the conversion of Nubia to the apostle Matthew, which is undoubtedly a part of ancient and properly so-called Ethiopia.” From these facts, therefore, it is clear that Ethiopia adjacent to Egypt, which at the time of Saint Matthew was called Ethiopia by its most proper name, and where the inhabitants have a darker color than in Abyssinia, was by no argument excluded from the preaching of Saint Matthew.

54. Moreover, that Ethiopia had been converted before the Council of Nicaea seems to be proven from the Arabic canons of the Council of Nicaea, which we possess in Labbe, Vol. II of the Councils; for in chapter 36 of these, column 302, it is read thus: “That the Ethiopians may not create or choose a patriarch; but rather their prelate shall be under the authority of him who holds the see of Alexandria. Yet let there be one among them in the place of a patriarch, and be called a Catholic. He shall not, however, have the right of appointing archbishops, as a patriarch has, since he ^C does not have the honor or power of a patriarch. But if it should happen that a council is held in Greece, and this prelate of the Ethiopians is present, he shall have the seventh place after the prelate of Seleucia. And when it has been granted to him to have the power of appointing archbishops in his province, it shall not be lawful for him to appoint any of them; and whoever does not obey, the synod excommunicates him.” I would not, however, contend that this canon was made by the Council of Nicaea; since I am not unaware that the Arabic canons are commonly rejected by scholars. I only observe this: that the canon, if it is worth anything, applies solely to Nubia, or to the Ethiopia situated between Abyssinia and Egypt. Ludolf had brought forward this same canon in his *History* to prove the conversion of Abyssinia; but afterward, in his *Annotations* on page 282, he saw and pointed out the anachronism, since Abyssinia was converted after the Council of Nicaea, as he himself acknowledges. Le Quien, vol. II of *Oriens Christianus*, page 641, brings forward the same canon for the conversion of the Abyssinians, and even so attributes their ^D conversion to Frumentius, who was ordained after the Council of Nicaea. However, that canon cannot be adduced for the faith of other Ethiopians, if it is believed to be Nicene, any better than for the Ethiopians adjacent to Egypt, who for that reason are most known to the ancients. Now it is certain that these were Christians of old, nor has it been sufficiently revealed by whom they were converted. Many of the Fathers identify the eunuch of Queen Candace, who certainly reigned in that part of Ethiopia, as the apostle there; but certainly that eunuch alone, being a layman, could not have instituted churches there. Rufinus and Socrates, with whom Saint Gregory, Fortunatus, Eucherius, Ado, Usuardus, and Rabanus agree, hand down that Matthew preached in Ethiopia, and I think that this is most probable, if one should not even call it historically certain.

55. Truly, other provinces are named where Saint Matthew may have preached or died. Saint Ambrose in *Psalm XLV*, number 20, says that Persia lay open to Matthew and India to Thomas, insinuating that the faith was preached in Persia by Saint Matthew. Saint Paulinus of Nola says in Poem 19: “Parthia embraces Matthew.” The Hieronymian Martyrologies, to be cited later, agree, in which the death of the saint is fixed in Persia. Others seem to say that the saint died in Parthia; but it must be considered that they did not distinguish Parthia from the empire of the Persians, since the Parthians were dominant at the time of Matthew. The *Indiculus* of Hippolytus in Combefis, Vol. III, col. 831, says this: “Matthew, when he had written the Gospel in Hebrew, published it at Jerusalem and fell asleep in the city of Hiera in Parthia.” But the authority of that *Indiculus* can be slight, defiled as it is by several open errors, and its author is uncertain. Combefis adds in the *Annotations*: “Dorotheus also records that he died in Hieropolis of Parthia.” But the pseudo-Dorotheus is no better than Hippolytus. Freculphus, in his *Chronicle*, book II, chapter 4, after listing the eulogy of Matthew given from Saint Jerome, adds this: “He first evangelized in Judea, afterward he preached in Macedonia; he rests in the mountains of the Parthians.” What is said about Macedonia does not seem sufficiently credible to me, because it would have been better known to the Greeks if it had happened. For the same reason I doubt whether the preaching of Matthew at Hierapolis in Syria—which Nicetas Paphlagon asserts, writing also that he died in the same city—is sufficiently probable.

56. Metaphrastes attributes [it] to the preaching of [Matthew] himself, but makes Ethiopia the final arena of Matthew’s preaching and martyrdom. In Assemani, *Bibliotheca Orientalis*, Vol. III, part II, page 5, Amrus, a writer of the fourteenth century, says of Matthew: “They say that Matthew the evangelist went to India and there preached.” But the authority of this Amrus is not so great that he can persuade us that Saint Matthew reached India. Assemani himself, page 3, observes that by the Syrians and Chaldeans also, Matthew is numbered among the apostles who preached in Syria and Chaldea; yet he is not numbered among the primary apostles of those provinces. The fact that Nicephorus with the Menaia says that Matthew preached and died at Mirmena among the Anthropophagi is scarcely worth recounting, as it arises from a history that is fabulous and plainly ridiculous. The studious reader sees, I believe, that all those accounts of Matthew’s preaching are more uncertain than that anything can be safely affirmed; yet many agree on Persia or Parthia, which provinces, although they are distinct, could easily have been confused, both because they are adjacent to one another and because at the time of Saint Matthew the empire was held by the Parthians, which the Persians received afterward.

57. Regarding the place of death or martyrdom, non-minor variations and mutual contradictions are found. In the Hieronymian Martyrologies, the memory of Saint Matthew is announced on four days; but in two, the location is omitted, while in the other two it is added. For this day, the Florentine text has: "In the city of Tarseum in Persida, the birth of Saint Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist." In the Corbie text: "In the city of Tarrium in Persida." In the Epternach text, older than others, it reads only, "In Persida," omitting the city; as is also the case in our Rhine text. The Reichenau text, however, agrees with the Corbie text, and has the city as Tarrium, just as the Corbie text is more concise. The remaining Hieronymian texts either signify only Persida, or they omit the place entirely. Thus, for the VI of May, Saint Matthew is announced "In Persida," without the place of martyrdom being specifically designated. Florentinius, in the Annotations for this day, offers the following conjecture: "The city of Tarsiana of Carmania or Persia is, according to Ptolemy, a promontory of Carmania or Persia, concerning which Arrian speaks in the Indika." Carmania is contiguous to Persida properly so-called, towards the Persian Gulf and India, and it was a province of the Persian Empire, having Parthia on its northern side, so that the Martyrologies, which place the death of the Saint in Persida or in the mountains of the Parthians—of whom at that time the Persian Empire consisted—could easily be explained in this way. A similar conjecture could be made concerning the city of Tariana or Tarsiana, which Cellarius lists in his *Ancient Geography* (p. 488) as being in Susiana, another province of the Persian Empire. Neither of these conjectures is hindered by those who said that Matthew fell in the mountains of the Parthians, such as Freculphus above, and Petrus de Natalibus (book VIII, cap. 100). The anonymous author mentioned in Oecumenius, who writes that Matthew died in the city of Hiera in Parthia, according to Florentinius (p. 159), just as Hippolytus and Dorotheus above [write of] Hieropolis in Parthia, name a place clearly unknown in the Parthian empire. Nor do I think those who write that Matthew died in Hieropolis in Syria near the Euphrates, such as Nicetas Paphlago and the author of the Basilian Menology, are to be greatly heeded. For it does not seem that Eusebius, Jerome, Chrysostom, Theodoret, and other Fathers who flourished in Syria or Palestine would all have been ignorant of, or would have remained silent about, the place of Saint Matthew’s death, had he died in Hieropolis in Syria.

58. The published Acts hold that Saint Matthew was crowned with martyrdom in Ethiopia, in the royal city, which is written there as Natdaber, otherwise Naddaber. This opinion regarding the preaching and death of Saint Matthew in Ethiopia seems to have more, and better, patrons than any other. For besides Rufinus and Socrates, Saint Eucherius of Lyon, a writer of the fifth century, in his work *On Questions of the New Testament* (vol. VI of the Library of the Fathers, Lyon edition, p. 852), speaks thus: "Bartholomew reached the Indians, Thomas extended his journey into Parthia, Matthew softened the Ethiopians by his preaching," etc. St. Gregory in his first book calls him the preacher of Ethiopia. St. Venantius Fortunatus, a contemporary of Gregory (lib. V, cap. 2), sings thus: Matthew tempers the vapors for the Ethiopians with his mouth, And pours out living rivers in the burnt field.

The same author again (lib. VIII, carm. 4): Thence India brings the triumphant Bartholomew, And Naddaver the lofty, the man Matthew, the excellent one.

In the following poem, Fortunatus again makes mention of Naddaver, implying that Matthew died and was buried there, just as Andrew died and was buried at Patrae and John at Ephesus. This verse is: Those whom Patrae, those whom Ephesus, Naddaver in its citadel holds.

This is Fortunatus, who without a doubt believed Naddaver to be a city of Ethiopia, since in the place previously cited he introduces Matthew as teaching none other than the Ethiopians.

59. However, Muratori is of the contrary opinion in his Annotations to Saint Paulinus (col. 451), where he says: "I believe the city of Naddaver to be situated in Parthia, to which the bones of Saint Matthew were transferred after his death." He does this to reconcile Saint Paulinus with Saint Venantius Fortunatus, believing that Matthew preached in both kingdoms, but died in Ethiopia, and that his body was transferred by his disciples from Ethiopia to Parthia or Persida. But with the indulgence of that most learned man, who died a few years ago, that conjecture seems to me to be destitute of every appearance of probability, and to lack any foundation. If Fortunatus had believed the city of Naddaver to be situated in Parthia, after he had shown Matthew teaching the Ethiopians, he would have also made mention of the translation of the body, so as not to lead his readers into error. Therefore it can be said more easily and more probably that Saint Paulinus is either speaking only of Matthew's preaching among the Parthians, where Saint Ambrose affirms only his preaching among the Persians; or that for both of them, the regions situated outside the Roman Empire were less well known, and therefore both may have believed that Matthew fell in some province of the most famous Persian or Parthian empire. This much is certain, that neither states in which part of that vast empire Saint Matthew was; therefore their authority is not to be valued here as highly as it would be if they spoke less vaguely.

60. Ado in his *Libellus* of the festivals of the apostles (p. 34) similarly places the martyrdom of Saint Matthew in Ethiopia, saying: "Who first wrote the Gospel of Christ in the Hebrew language in Judea. But afterwards, preaching in Ethiopia, he suffered martyrdom." Rabanus and Usuardus agree regarding his preaching and martyrdom in Ethiopia, as do many more recent authors. But having considered and weighed everything, this opinion seems to me more probable than the one which reports him as having died in Persida or Parthia. The first reason is that Ethiopia was contiguous to Egypt

and therefore it seems that the mission to the apostles ought not to have been overlooked, especially since the conversion of the eunuch of Queen Candace could provide great hope for the conversion of Ethiopia. Therefore, since there is no evidence of the preaching of any other of Christ's disciples in Ethiopia, and yet many Fathers make the eunuch himself a herald of the faith there, it seems entirely necessary to agree with those who assert that Matthew was sent there; for the efforts of the eunuch alone, being a layman, once he had returned there, could not suffice for the founding of churches, unless an apostle—or at least some priest—accompanied him. That he was Matthew is maintained by writers sufficiently ancient and significant to carry ^A belief in this matter. A second reason is that the saint’s preaching in Persia or Parthia is only briefly and vaguely asserted by Ambrose and Paulinus, from whom it could have passed into the Hieronymian Martyrology. Yet he could have preached there as well, and afterwards journeyed to Ethiopia: for the praised Fathers affirm nothing about his death or martyrdom. As regards the city, which is called Naddaver in the Acts and in Fortunatus, no trace of that name exists in Ethiopia. However, in the time of Augustus, there was a city named Napata, mentioned by Strabo on page 820, which Petronius, the prefect of the Roman army, captured and destroyed in the war against Queen Candace. In Napatis, according to the testimony of Strabo, the royal seat of Candace was located. Now, let others consider whether the Ethiopian city which the Greeks called Napata might not, by another explanation of the word or at least by corruption, be expressed as Naddaver. Cellarius observes in *Geographia antiqua*, book iv, chapter 8, page 156, that the same city is written elsewhere as Naggata.

61. Regarding the martyrdom of Saint Matthew, this itself seems doubtful. The Hieronymian Martyrologies and the Latin Acts, along with all the martyrologies of the Middle Ages, imply that Matthew died as a martyr. But the Basilian Menologion, at November 16, does not speak clearly of martyrdom, but uses the word ^B *teleioutai* ("is completed"), though by this word martyrdom can be implied, especially since a little before it is said that he suffered many torments among the Cannibals. In the same Menologion, at June 30, it is said that he was buried in stones. Metaphrastes and Nicetas the Paphlagonian assert his martyrdom in general terms. In the Menaea at November 16, it is first asserted that he was consumed by fire, and then a fabulous eulogy is given, in which he is said to have die—untouched by the fire—after a prayer, as Nicephorus also holds. Heracleon, the Valentinian heretic, in Clement of Alexandria’s *Stromata*, book IV, seems to deny the martyrdom not only of Matthew but also of Philip, Thomas, and Levi—whom he wrongly distinguishes from Matthew, unless by chance he wished to designate Lebbaeus, that is, Thaddaeus, by that name. However, the phrasing is obscure, and it is ambiguous to me whether Heracleon truly wished to deny that the praised apostles were martyrs. But if he truly intended that, such a statement ought to possess little authority among all, since Clement himself shortly after says: "Imitators of Christ are the apostles, as those who truly were endowed with knowledge and were perfect, suffered for the churches they founded." ^C

62. As for the manner of life and virtues of Saint Matthew, few things are found among the ancients. Clement of Alexandria, book II of the *Paedagogus*, chapter 1, praises his sobriety in diet, writing thus: "Matthew the apostle therefore used seeds, berries, and vegetables, without meat." Chrysostom, homily 47 (al. 48) on Matthew, weaves this together as follows: "Consider with me," he says, "this same evangelist, even if we do not have his whole life written down: yet from the few things that remain, it is permitted to see his shining image. That he was humble and contrite, hear him in the Gospel calling himself a publican; that he was merciful, see him following Jesus, having abandoned all things. That he was pious, is clear from his teachings. His intelligence and charity can be seen from the Gospel which he wrote: for he cared for the whole world. You have a proof of his good works from the throne upon which he is about to sit: [a proof of] his fortitude, that he returned rejoicing from the face of the council." Thus far Chrysostom. The Most Eminent Bona, in his *Rerum liturgicarum*, book I, chapter 8, number 2, reports that there exists also a Liturgy in the name of Saint Matthew, which is said to be of the Ethiopians. I find a Liturgy of the Ethiopians published by various people; but I do not see it attributed to Saint Matthew. Certainly, Renaudot, in his work *De Liturgiis Orientalibus*, published Ethiopian ones as well: but I saw none there marked with the name of Matthew. Wherefore I believe that it was not for long attributed to Saint Matthew.

^D

V. Concerning the translations of the body, which, having been found in Lucania, was transferred to Salerno, and subsequently an arm to Benevento.

63. Since we have no Acts of the translation of Saint Matthew that merit the faith of learned men, or that can obtain it at this time, and as the more ancient writers gave nothing but some vague and uncertain account concerning the place in which the body was kept before its translation to Europe, it will be difficult for anything certain to be discovered about the occasion and time when it was first brought to Italy. The already-cited Illustrious Columna, who applied more faith than criticism in following the manuscript Relations—which I showed to be improbable in §1—gave an account of the translation that is not at all plausible. For in chapter 5 he narrates that the saint’s body was carried from Ethiopia into Bri

Brittany ^A under King Solomon, who reigned after the middle of the ninth century; (for another Solomon, whom some formerly believed to have reigned in Brittany some centuries earlier, is now considered fictitious) and was deposited in the city of Legion. But all the writers of Gaul of those times, or a little later, would not have been ignorant of this, nor would they have kept silent, had it happened. Then in chapter 6 he relates that King Solomon was slain by his own Britons in the fiftieth year after the translation of the body; and for this reason the emperor Valentinian, who had died some centuries before Solomon, sent a huge fleet from Italy to conquer Brittany, and thus, with the capture of the city of Legion, the body of Saint Matthew was transferred into Lucania. To have reported these things, omitting even the improbable circumstances of the translation, is to have refuted them.

64. Soon, in chapter 7, the author admits that all memory of the body of Saint Matthew being kept in Italy had gradually faded; and he says that the discovery happened around the year 1050 after the birth of Christ. Trustworthy writers agree with these things concerning the body that was long hidden and finally found, but they fix that event almost a whole century earlier, as I shall presently show. Meanwhile, I observe that all the earlier accounts, which are reported concerning a twofold translation—namely, from Ethiopia into Brittany, and from Brittany into Lucania—could have been invented from uncertain conjectures; but they were presented so improbably that I would rather be ignorant of how and at what time that sacred body arrived in Lucania than to adopt even the slightest bit from that account. Concerning the head of the saint, which the Armoricans attribute to themselves, it will be treated later in its proper place.

Leo the Ostian, in the Chronicle of Monte Cassino, book II, chapter 5, writes these things regarding our subject: "In the fifth year of this abbot (Aligernus), which is the nine hundred and fifty-fourth year from the Nativity of the Lord, the body of the most blessed apostle and evangelist Matthew, which had first rested in Ethiopia, where he had also suffered, and afterward in Brittany for various times, was at last discovered by the revelation of the same holy evangelist, and was transferred to Salerno." Baronius, who quoted the words of Leo given for the year 954, no. 2, noted in the margin that for the words "in Brittany," elsewhere one reads "in Bithynia."

65. The Anonymous Salernitan in the *Chronicle*, part II, col. 280, speaks thus concerning the discovery: "In the times of this same Prince Gisulph, the most sacred body of the Blessed Matthew was discovered in the borders of Lucania, and with due honor, by the command of the already mentioned Prince Gisulph, was led into Salerno. But how many signs and miracles occurred, and how it was discovered, we omit to declare at all now. Later, God willing, we shall faithfully make it ^B known, and we shall make it attached to this History." This the Anonymous says, mentioning the discovery under Prince Gisulph of Salerno, although it does not appear in the alleged place, because the whole chapter in which Gisulph is discussed is omitted in that place. In the *Excerpts* which are held under the name of Herempert, in volume V of *Scriptorum Italiae*, page 32, the same things are read more clearly and better. Accept the words: "In the times of this same Prince Gisulph, the most sacred body of the Blessed Matthew was discovered in the borders of Lucania, and with due honor, by the command of the already mentioned Prince Gisulph, was led into Salerno. But how many signs and miracles occurred, and how it was discovered, we omit to declare at all now. Later, God willing, we shall make it known, and we shall make it attached to this History." So far the author, whoever he may be, which I do not inquire.

66. Regarding the year of the discovery, which Leo the Ostian called 954, even if perhaps he is not altogether certain, I do not think a dispute should be raised; since certainly in that year Gisulph, son of Guaimarius, held the principality of Salerno, under whom the Anonymous Salernitan says the discovery occurred. Ughellus, volume X, col. 157, among the bishops of Paestum, and Antonius Mazza in the *History of the City of Salerno*, chapter 5, no. 15, also agree on the year. Concerning the place, Ughellus says the body was discovered in the ruins of the destroyed city (of Paestum). Mazza says only that it was discovered in the borders of Lucania.

He narrates the translation with these words: "Gisulph, son of Guaimarius, reigned, having succeeded his father even while still a child. He transferred the body of the blessed apostle, evangelist, and martyr Matthew, discovered in the borders of Lucania... from the city of Paestum in the year 954, in the time of the episcopate of Bernard II, with the greatest veneration into the city of Salerno; the arrival of which Saint Grammatius II, Bishop of Salerno, predicted in the final hours of his life with these words: 'Not after much time shall the Salernitan church be adorned with a heavenly treasure, and be led to the highest pinnacle of honor.' Truly, the feast of said translation is celebrated every year on the day before the Nones of May, solemnly for eight days, with hymns, roses, and flowers, and a maximum gathering of the people: and the entire clergy, abbots, and all the provincial bishops are compelled to attend the first vespers, and also the solemn mass." This says Mazza. But as concerns the prediction of Saint Grammatius, Ughellus also reports it, in the *Archbishops of Salerno*, or volume VII, col. 352, under Saint Grammatius, who is said there to be honored on October 11; on which day it can be examined more broadly by us. Ughellus similarly agrees with Mazza regarding the rest, in (the section on) Bernard II, col. 362, and adds that the body was brought into the major church of Saint Mary. Gaspar Musca in his *Compendium of the Life of Saint Matthew* says of these: "In the year 954, however, under Agapitus II (pope), Bernard, the second bishop of this name, and Gisulph, prince of the Salernitans, on the sixth day of May, took care to have the body of the apostle transferred from the city of Paestum to Salerno, into the cathedral church under the title of Saint Mary of the Angels, in which it rested for 121 years." Therefore it does not seem one should doubt this translation. However, other matters come to be examined, which in the discovery of the body and before the translation

have been related in the manuscript as more improbable, and Athanasius is accused more than is necessary. Marsilius describes the Salerno narrative, and the briefly lauded Musca touches upon it with these words: "At that time the most blessed apostle, manifesting his own body in dreams to a certain nun named Pelagia, she herself [manifested it] to her son, the monk Athanasius, who, finding the sacred body in a certain altar destroyed by barbarians and covered on every side by briars, removed it from there to a small church near the city of Paestum. From there, indeed, John, the bishop of Paestum, transported it with great pomp to the cathedral by the name of Saint Mary." ^A Marsilius, chapter 7, together with the manuscript account, holds that Saint Matthew appeared to Pelagia for three consecutive nights and indicated various signs to her by which the sacred body could be discovered, and ordered her to tell everything to her son Athanasius and to seek the body with him. On the third night, however, if the author recounts the matter correctly, the same vision appeared also to the monk Athanasius; and the appearing apostle threatened both of them with punishment if they did not bestir themselves to seek the sacred body. Wherefore, in the morning, they go out together along the indicated path, seek the provided signs, and quickly find them. By digging, therefore, they uncover the altar and, having removed the marble slab, they find the sacred body. Athanasius then carries this to his mother’s house and orders it to be kept there, says Marsilius, "as long as he should be warned by some divine revelation what is to be done with it thereafter by them." Nothing is read in the manuscript regarding this expected revelation, nor concerning the mandate of the apostle which Marsilius asserts in chapter 8, namely that the body should be transferred to Salerno.

68. Regarding the apparitions to Pelagia and Athanasius, in the later of which threats were attached, the discovery is reported thus in the manuscript: "Compelled by this threat, Athanasius, taking up a pruning hook (an instrument like a scythe for cutting away briars), began to search the place indicated to him with curious investigation. But that place was covered by such a density of briars that no entry was available by which one might enter. And when he was cutting the density of the briars with all his effort, at length the church, overturned as it had been revealed to him, appeared to his eyes; but he could not see the altar, because it was exceedingly covered by a heap of thorns and nettles. Then, having cut down the thorns and briars that remained, he found the altar itself, for which he was already straining with burning desire ^B found, he attempted to open it with great caution: and as he had moved the marble which covered the same altar from its place, at once a place constructed of square stones appeared, in which the body of the most holy apostle and evangelist was resting. Then Athanasius, trembling, uncovering the body of the apostle, wrapped it with great diligence in a clean shroud, and placing it upon his own shoulders, returned to his own dwelling, and gave the precious treasure to his mother to be guarded." Soon it follows in the manuscript that Athanasius wanted to sail with the sacred body first to Constantinople, then to Rome, but was hindered from both journeys. Marsilius narrates the same in chapter 8, but not without additions: ^C "Meanwhile, he was planning in secret to carry the most holy body to the city of Constantinople, truly enticed not by the grace of religion, but by the desire for gain. Therefore, with his mother unaware, taking the body of the apostle, he attempted to go to Amalfi, hoping to find there some ship by which he might hasten to Constantinople. And when he had entered a small boat in haste, with the sailors striving with sail and oar, he proceeded to go to the place which he had arranged. But as the ship had departed a little from the land, swarms of winds rushed forth, and rain and a storm arose, indeed to such an extent that he barely returned to the port which he had left. Frustrated by that plan, he was considering again with himself how he might hasten with the most holy body to Rome: but he could by no means withstand the will of God, who deigned to transmit such a gift to these parts. For, a ship having been prepared anew, and strong men in rowing having been taken on, he entered upon placid seas. But before he had scarcely left the shore from his eyes, a huge storm suddenly erupted, so that they barely escaped the abyss of the sea. Finally, although with great sorrow, he returned half-alive to his own borders; and when he had truly known that God was opposing him, and that the insensible elements were fighting against him to such a degree, he hid the most sacred treasure in the church which was located not far from his cell." These things are in the manuscript, from which it cannot certainly be gathered that Athanasius wanted to sell the sacred body at Constantinople or Rome, as Marsilius writes. For he could hope for gain, even if he did not sell the body, from the benevolence and liberality of those to whom he might donate it. I omit the other additions of Marsilius.

70. After these words [the author] of the manuscript relates the discovery of the body of Saint Matthew to John, the bishop of Paestum; and that he, with some clerics, had proceeded through air, rain, and wind to the place where it had been deposited; and had ordered Athanasius to be called there. Him, when he had arrived, [the bishop] interrogates concerning the discovered body, and presses the hesitating man with threats, and thus obtains that he be led to see the sacred body, and he sees it with the clerics. "The bishop, however," says the author, ^D "signed the sacred body (already seen), once again wrapped in a shroud, with the impression of his ring, and having been signed, he replaced it in a chest secured by a lock, likewise consigned with seals." These things having been done, if we believe the author, the bishop requested that Athanasius the monk should seek and place food before them as they were hungry. But he indeed had food, but was entirely lacking wine. The bishop therefore, while they were eating, ordered a hollow vessel to be brought, which, if the anonymous author—who expounds these things in more detail—tells the truth, poured forth wine sufficient for all. Marsilius, however, adds still more. For me, to confess, all those things are more suspect of falsity than that I should wish to transfer the words themselves here. More evident is the fabrication which follows, as if at night through a window

^A Athanasius had wished to break into the church and secretly carry off the sacred body. Equally fabulous appear all the particulars of the translation to the city of Caputaquis. Therefore, omitting the rest, I only add the final words: "They ascended to the castle which is named Caput Aquis, and set it down with all reverence in the church of the holy Virgin Mary, in which the aforementioned bishop held his see." From these words, if they have any weight, it is correctly gathered that the bishops of Paestum had already settled in the city of Caputaquis in the tenth century, and consequently that the bishops of Caputaquis originated from those of Paestum, a matter about which Ughellus is in doubt. But let us return to the subject.

71. Gisulf, Prince of Salerno, heard of the invention and translation of the sacred body, and for that reason—"Overjoyed at the invention of such a treasure," says the anonymous author in the manuscript, "he sent the venerable Abbot John and other honorable men to the Bishop of Paestum, commanding that he should transmit to him with all speed the patronage of the Salernitan homeland that had been discovered. On the following day, the venerable abbot and those who had been sent with him returned, laden with the inestimable treasure. But before they approached the city more closely, the entire city, together with the venerable Prelate Bernard, went out to meet them. And when they had acquired the apostolic body, they were filled with such joy that they manifested their exultant gladness by gestures and shouts. The prelate, taking up the venerable body and having wrapped it in silken coverings, returned into the city with hymns and praises, and placed it with due reverence in the church of the Mother of God, in which the most holy evangelist manifested his presence by the miracles of his virtues." Soon there follow in both manuscripts certain benefits granted to the miserable by the patronage of St. Matthew, which I will communicate to the readers as they are read there, though omitting some superfluous matters, which I shall pass over in summary.

72. A certain man, named Andrew, had a daughter suffering under a protracted infirmity, to such an extent that the whole house was already awaiting her imminent death; moved by fatherly love, he wept for a long time, and finally, exhausted, was seized by sleep. He dreamed that his daughter was being snatched from his arms by a foul spirit; but soon he saw a venerable man standing by, who restored the daughter to the grieving father. The father asks who he is, and offers a gift. But he replied with a placid countenance: "I have no need of your gift; but know that I am the Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, whose body was translated to Salerno yesterday." And saying this, he vanished from his eyes. Andrew, awakened, sought his daughter with great trembling; but finding her now restored to health, he recounted to all those who were present what had been revealed to him in his sleep. At the very break of day he went to the venerable prelate, and recounted to him in order the wondrous act of the apostle which he had performed for his daughter. It is probable that the father had implored the help of St. Matthew for his daughter the day before: but the author passed this over.

73. At the same time, a woman had a daughter held fast by such grievous torments that the doctors, laboring for the sake of the remedy to be applied, could render no aid. Her mother, not enduring her agony, brought the daughter to the body of the apostle, where, with tearful prayers offered, she merited obtaining the salvation of her daughter, whom they sought with great desire, so that she who had been brought by others' hands returned home on her own feet. ^B

74. A third benefit is said to have been granted to a servant of a certain Rothilda, sister of Gisulf, Prince of Salerno, and widow of Athenolf, Prince of Benevento. Muratori mentions that Athenolf in his *Annals of Italy* up to the year 940, from which he conjectures that he died in that same year 940. It is not necessary for me to inquire more closely into the time of Athenolf's death. I only observe that his widow, Rothilda, could easily have survived until the year 954, in which year all these things are said to have occurred, especially since she is asserted in the manuscript to have persisted in widowhood, that is, to have been a widow for a long time. Now the servant of Rothilda, named Stephen, is said to have asked for water with impatience and with the invocation of the devil, and having drunk the water he received, he was possessed by a demon. The matter immediately became known not only to Rothilda, but also to Prince Gisulf, all the nobles, and the Bishop of Salerno. The demoniac was kept in the palace chapel bound in chains, and the bishop exhorted everyone to pour forth prayers for him. "While these things were being done," says the author, "the monk Athanasius (who discovered the body) was present, who, as we have already said, had received a tooth of the most holy evangelist from the hand of the Bishop of Paestum (namely, while he was handing over the body to him, as the author confirms). He approached and informed the ears of the aforementioned Rothilda, saying: 'I have in my possession a tooth of the Apostle and Evangelist Matthew. Let this be put by the hand of the prelate into blessed water, which when the demoniac drinks, you shall see the wonders of God.' And saying these things, Rothilda, ^C agreeing and requesting that it be done, handed the tooth to the prelate with her own hands. Therefore, the water having been brought, the same prelate made the sign of the cross, put the tooth into the water, and once the tooth was removed, he offered the water to him who was troubled by the evil spirit, commanding him to drink, and ordered him to do so. Once it was taken, he began to be violently troubled. And because the iniquitous enemy, resisted by the sacred drink, could not exit through the mouth, it departed through the lower parts with a great stench. Wherefore all returned thanks together to God the Savior, who deigned to work such a miracle through his apostle. But Athanasius, eager to collect the tooth which he had surrendered for the purpose of expelling the evil enemy, was unable to obtain it, even after many prayers were shed in vain." Thus far the prior benefits conferred upon the Salernitans. ^D

75. In both manuscripts, the translation of the arm to Benevento is appended, of which, however, I find nothing in Vipa and other Beneventan writers. What the cause for this may be, I cannot divine, unless perhaps that this arm did not remain long at Benevento. I will, however, append what I find in the manuscripts, and what from them also

^A Marsilius has narrated, cap. 10: "When, however, the fame of the signs and miracles was spread far and wide, and Landulph, Prince of Benevento, had heard that the Salernitan people possessed the body of the most blessed Matthew, by the gift of Christ, he called together his magnates and wise men and said: 'Know that a salvation granted by God has come to the Salernitans, and that they, at his own revelation, have found the body of the most holy apostle and evangelist Matthew in the borders of Lucania, and have placed it with hymns and praises within the walls of their city. Hence, if it pleases you, let us, by entreating the Salernitan prince and bishop alike, command that they deign to bestow some part of that same most holy body for the protection of our city as well.' When they approved the prince’s words, illustrious men were sent immediately to Salerno, bearing most humble prayers for a great gift. The prince and bishop, receiving them kindly and agreeing to their petitions, handed over an arm of the sacred body to them, to be carried to their fellow citizens with the greatest reverence. Having received this, rejoicing greatly, and rendering immense thanks to God and the apostle of Christ, and exulting in the incomparable gift, they returned at a rapid pace to Benevento. But before they had approached the city walls, the same prince and bishop, who at that time presided over the same city, went to meet them with all the people of both sexes and every age; and with hymns and praises they honorably conveyed the arm of the sacred body and reverently placed it within the walls of the city."

76. To this benefit is added that which is claimed by Landulph, surnamed the Greek, who was imprisoned in a dungeon at Benevento and bound hands and feet. For while he was hearing festive sounds, and understood that they were being made because of the arm of St. Matthew that had been brought, he commended himself to that same saint, and soon saw all his chains broken, to the wonder of all who were present. "And when this was reported to the prince," says the author, "he ordered him to be led out of prison immediately and brought before his presence; and having chided him with agreeable words, he immediately restored him to his former honor and gave back to him his former grace." Thus far the anonymous author, who likely flourished in the 10th century, since he hands down nothing concerning those things which we shall see were done in the following century. Indeed, I vehemently suspect that he is none other than the anonymous Salernitan, who in the words given in no. 65 promised that he would write at greater length about these matters.

§ VI. The body found again at Salerno, and translated to a new church. Various benefits of the Saint.

77. Although it is not sufficiently known by whose agency the body of St. Matthew was carried into Lucania, writers as ancient as the Anonymous Salernitan, who seems to have lived at almost the same time, and Leo Ostiensis, testify that it was found there in the year 954 and translated to Salerno through the efforts of Prince Gisulf and Bernard, Bishop of Salerno, such that we cannot deny them credence.

78. It is also certain that in the time of Pope St. Gregory VII, the body of St. Matthew was found at Salerno, and that this was the second finding of that sacred treasure in the Neapolitan kingdom, even if Marsilius, cap. 9, confuses the second finding with the first. I find no year assigned for the second finding anywhere. But since that finding took place in the times of Gregory VII, of Alphanus, Archbishop of Salerno, and while Robert Guiscard was holding Salerno, as is gathered from the letters of Gregory to Alphanus which are soon to be recited, it cannot be far from the year 1080, where it is referred by Baronius. For Muratori, in his *Annalibus Italiæ*, ^B considers that Salerno was occupied by Robert Guiscard in the year 1077. Others refer the storming of that city to the year 1075 or 1076. The praised Robert, however, died in the year 1085, as did Gregory VII, and indeed even Archbishop Alphanus, according to Ughelli. The discovery therefore certainly occurred between the year 1075 and 1085, and therefore, at a minimum, one hundred and twenty years after the first, so that by no reason can it be confused with it. Therefore, Gaspar Musca rightly distinguishes both findings in his *Compendio de Vita et translationibus sancti Matthæi* and in the *archiepiscopis Salernitanis*.

79. Epistle of St. Gregory VII, from which already mentioned facts are gathered, is cited in Baronius at the year 1080 in this manner: "Gregory, bishop, servant of the servants of God, to his brother and fellow bishop of Salerno, Alphanus, greeting and apostolic benediction. We render huge thanks ^C for the respect of divine pity, whose condescension has mercifully revealed in our times a great treasure that will be of benefit to the whole world. Not undeservedly do we also congratulate your devotion, which has solicitously managed to make us participants in so great a joy truly shown from heaven. For we believe and assert unhesitatingly that at the discovery of such a body not only the blessed apostle Matthew himself, but also the other co-apostles with all the Saints and the heavenly spirits themselves, and the glorious Mother of God, Mary, rejoice with mortals, and that the efforts of them all regarding the human race at this time are much more inclined and much more fruitful than at other times. If

^A indeed at other times the pious patronage of the saints does not desert us, then most certainly are their aids to be hoped for when their most holy bodies are manifested to us as if brought back to life by divine nod. And just as faith is perceived through the gaze of bodily sight, and hope is now held fast, so must we believe that their benefits are then renewed toward the devout and redound more abundantly. Whence also the holy universal Church, long impelled by great disturbances and various storms, should not doubt that its cry has been heard by the Lord, but, turning its eager eyes to the security of the quiet shore nearby, it may contemplate the protection of the blessed apostle Matthew; for now, without doubt, he surely dwells in the harbor, to whom the ancient governor shows his presence. Wherefore, regarding the revelation of such a treasure, let your fraternity rejoice in the Lord, and embracing the most blessed relics with worthy duties of veneration, let it exhort and admonish the glorious Duke Robert and his most noble spouse, so that they may deign to show decent reverence and honor to such an illustrious patron, who has deigned to show himself to them, and may strive with the highest efforts of devotion to earn his grace and aid for themselves and theirs. Given at Rome on the 10th day before the Kalends of October.» Thus far Gregory, whose letter was without doubt given after he had entered into peace with Robert Guiscard, which took place in the year 1078, as I have shown at September 16 in St. Victor III, § 8, since he makes honorable mention of Robert. Again, it is certain from the writing that it is a letter of Gregory, before he departed from Rome in the year 1084, and likely before the church of Saint Matthew was founded by Robert, of which I shall soon speak, so that it is necessary to date both the invention and the writing of Gregory’s letter around the year 1080: for it happened in this very year, or a year or two earlier or later.

80. Regarding the construction of the church of Saint Matthew after the conquering of Salerno, in the Chronicle of Monte Cassino, bk. III, cap. 45, the following are read: «The city having been taken, Robert ordered the church of the holy apostle and evangelist Matthew to be built therein, in which he also placed the sacred body of the same apostle with the greatest veneration, reserving the entire bone of his arm, hidden in a silver case, for the protection of himself and his children.» Regarding the construction of this church, the most illustrious Marsilius, cap. 9, p. 71, writes these things: «Robert Guiscard therefore reigning, and Gregory VII sitting, some thirty years had passed since the invention (or rather one hundred and twenty-five years since that invention, of which he speaks, in the parts of Lucania); the most magnificent temple is built for the divine apostle of that peculiar era of Robert, in which, by a translation that was as it were new, the sacred relics were finally deposited, and are observed today with the greatest religion; and every year, on the day before the Nones of May, the feast of his divine translation is solemnly celebrated, at which the whole clergy, ^B the abbots, and all the suffragan bishops come to attend, clothed in pontificals, they are held by a certain proposed penalty. Which also, indeed, has been kept most diligently without intermission heretofore, and is assiduously kept.» After this, the praised author turns to the description of the region of the Picentini, and the city of Salerno, which, being its metropolis, is situated on the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Gulf of Salerno. Then he describes at length the church already mentioned, which is the metropolitan, and says that it is ninety paces in length, and thirty in width, and of exactly the same height.

81. The subterranean crypt of the temple, in which the body of Saint Matthew is deposited, he likewise describes, and speaks as follows concerning the body preserved there, p. 80: «But that which is more venerable in the very crypt, and which attracts Christian men from the whole world, rests there: the most holy and glorious body of the apostle and evangelist Matthew, placed with the most religious care; for there is a square space in the middle of the crypt, which stone and latticed walls of two cubits surround, twelve cubits on every side, by which, as if by a partition, the most ancient altar is encircled, under which that treasure is deposited, so that the place itself can be conveniently seen through iron grilles. So great was the fame of this place once, and is today as well, that not only those of Salerno ^C but the inhabitants of all the surrounding provinces run there assiduously; nay, even the most remote peoples from all over Europe frequently confluence, to behold such vast blessedness, and from the merits of this apostle to seek from God the Lord riches, honor, length of life, and finally the desired happiness in this age, and (especially indeed, if they are wise) the grace to serve God well, and to obtain eternal glory in the future. The precious and holy liquid (commonly called manna) which flows from the most blessed body increases the piety with admiration, an most present antidote for repelling all evils, just as the frequent experience of many centuries has taught. Let these things suffice concerning the latest translation of his sacred body,» says the author, who proceeds to explain certain miracles. But I have already explained some of them, while other things seem to pertain to other saints rather than to Saint Matthew. Wherefore I only translate those things here briefly, to the extent that they can prudently be ascribed to the patronage of Saint Matthew.

82. Therefore, whatever Marsilius reports (cap. 11) concerning the bodies of the holy martyrs SS. Fortunatus, Caius, and Anthes translated to the church of Saint Matthew: for they do not pertain to Saint Matthew, and the aforementioned martyrs were treated by us on August 28, where any translation is explained more accurately. What he adds about a pious old woman, whose name was Polisena, cannot certainly be attributed to the benefit of Saint Matthew. Nevertheless, I transfer most of the author’s words here. She visited most diligently, as he reports at length, the church of Saint Matthew, going daily to

^A the church, and on the day before, as she went, she was moved by a beggar of Saint Geminianus, bishop of Modena, to implore his aid. When, however, on the following day she was present in the church of Saint Matthew at the divine service, as the bishop spoke those words: "Behold the wood of the cross," the author states, "Bernardino, who had advanced with supreme devotion, stirred by the divine Spirit, cried out in a loud voice: 'Behold the wood of the cross,' and thereafter explained one by one the other words which were spoken by the prelate, and immediately he fell down as if dead." But then, because he was known to the citizens, and no one was ignorant that he had previously been unable to speak, the whole populace shouted: "A miracle! A miracle!" And although at that time there is no use of bells in the churches, but according to the ancient rite of the Church a mournful clatter is wont to be excited by wooden clappers for as long as the Savior lay in the tomb, yet due to the novelty of this miracle, all the bells were immediately rung, and all the other instruments used in churches for chanting were played.

For it happened, he says, that when she was entering the temple on a certain solemn day to salute the glorious apostle with her whole heart, and poured upon herself holy water, all the drops that had touched her cloak and linen cloths were turned into the purest gold—a fact which even the whole populace beheld with great admiration, and it gave the family a name from the event, being called "Aurofino," just as the report has persisted through the traditions of the fathers to this very day. But it does not appear to me that this fact is sufficiently certain from tradition alone, let alone that it should be attributed with certainty to Saint Matthew. Perhaps it was also from tradition alone that Marsilius wrote what he subjoins concerning Salerno being divinely defended against Ferdinand Sanseverino, Prince of Salerno. However, I briefly set down the event. Valdemont, brother of the Duke of Lorraine, he says, had easily occupied Salerno, as Muratori relates at greater length in his *Annals of Italy* for the year 1527. Prince Ferdinand, realizing the matter, immediately collected a military troop to recover the city and punish the citizens. "The author says it was so far from the case that he obtained his wish that he was immediately repulsed and lost a great many of his soldiers in the space of one hour." Nor, in truth, did the townsmen, who were very few and unarmed, demonstrate such lucky and brave work; but in the sight of the enemy, there stood in great number, on behalf of the citizens, soldiers of the heavenly army in helmets and breastplates, led by four excellent commanders, whom it was surely no doubt at that time were the most glorious Matthew and three saintly guardians (Fortunatus and his companions); since it was a popular spectacle, and the prince himself and the individual soldiers, once things were calmed, proclaimed the same. Thus far the author, who wrote in the same century, though he was not present at the events, not yet having been born.

83. He subjoins another fact that he says occurred at about the same time. A little is sufficient for us about that. A sacrilegious thief plundered the place of Saint Matthew’s tomb. That man was caught for another reason, and on that occasion voluntarily confessed this crime as well. "And after a few days," he says, "he was seized by such a stench (I suppose) and grief, that the corruption of his own flesh that he had contracted was gradually turned into lice, the power of which multiplied so much that it not only filled all his garments but completely eroded his whole body here and there. For this reason, he quickly rotted from those most foul worms, and by the just anger of the divine Power (as he himself openly confessed to all) he vomited forth his miserable soul from that very disease." I shall similarly condense into a few words what the author affirms to have happened in the year 1525 and 1526. A certain Bernardino of the Naccarelli family, while on Good Friday of the previous year he was in the church of Saint Matthew, doubted concerning the particle of the sacrosanct cross proposed for veneration, and uttered these impious words: "Alas! What if Christ's cross were Mount Vesuvius itself?" Having said these things, he immediately fell silent, and remained mute until the same day the following year, although he grieved much for his sin. ^B

On the day before that day, as he was going to the church, he was moved by a beggar of Saint Geminianus, bishop of Modena, to implore his help. When, however, on the following day he was present in the church of Saint Matthew at the divine service, and the bishop spoke those words: "Behold the wood of the cross," the author says that Bernardino, who had advanced with supreme devotion, stirred by the divine Spirit, cried out in a loud voice: "Behold the wood of the cross," and explained all the other words that were spoken by the prelate—which he had been unable to speak before—and immediately he fell as if dead. And then, because he was known to the citizens, everyone shouted: "A miracle! A miracle!" And although at that time there was no use of bells in the churches, but it was the custom to stir up a mournful clatter in the churches with wooden clappers as long as the Savior lay in the tomb; yet because of the novelty of this miracle, all the bells were immediately rung, and all the other instruments which are kept in churches for chanting were played.

84. Meanwhile, Bernardino openly made known to all what he had hitherto agitated only in his heart, namely, that a year before on that very day he had been impious and faithless, for he had believed the particle of the most sacred cross to be adulterated and fabricated; and that for this reason he had deservedly been deprived of the faculty of speech; but that now, on the preceding night, the blessed Geminianus of Modena had spoken with him in dreams and warned him that at that very hour, at the place, he should deplore his sin before the most glorious apostle Matthew; and that he should believe it to be the true portion of the cross on which the Savior Jesus hung for the human race: that he had done a little earlier whatever that holy man had commanded, and had prayed to the most holy Matthew that he might deign to offer a protestation of his faith to Christ the Lord, and immediately he had recovered the lost power of speech. He openly explained all these things at greater length with many groans; and he asked the prelate to take care to have this miracle recorded in the acts for the perpetual memory of the matter. Therefore, he ordered this to be diligently recorded in public documents, which was then confirmed by the solemn attestation both of the oath of Bernardino himself and of all the canons who were present. ^C

85. After this, the author proceeds to the benefit of being divinely defended against the fleet of the Turks at Salerno. This happened, at least, while he was still alive, but not yet living in Salerno. According to Muratori’s Annals, the event took place in the year 1544. Let us hear Marsilius, having retrieved, however, some not strictly necessary additions: "At which time... Charles V, Emperor of the Romans, and Francis, King of the French, were contending for the primacy of almost the entire of Italy, the Frenchman obtained from Solyman, the Prince of the Turks, a strong and numerous fleet, with Haradiano Barbarossa as leader, so that he might harass and plunder the maritime coasts which were of the imperial faction. ^D

This event occurred in the year 1543. But, when in the following year Francis I, with better counsel, sent back that terrible fleet which had brought no advantage, Barbarossa, while passing through, tried to attack various maritime cities and islands, partly in vain, and partly he captured and plundered them, as the author sets forth at greater length. He wished to invade Salerno in ^A a similar manner. "Clearly, when he arrived within its sight," says Marsilius, "terrible in the flash of armor and the savagery of his appearance, he threatened all the citizens with chains and fetters, and the city with barbarian destruction. Wherefore, at the fierce sound of drums and the threatening melodies of pipes, the entire populace was so terrified that the inhabitants began to flee, and with constricted hearts and the greatest trepidation, almost everyone fled to the mountains. The summer was at its height, specifically on the seventh day before the Kalends of July, and the tranquility of the sky and sea was so great that the ocean seemed utterly motionless. Barbarossa, however, approaching with his extended line of ships and with artillery placed at the front, proclaimed that the soldiers should make a descent and set upon the booty and fires; when suddenly a most turbulent storm arose, and the sea between Amalfi and Salerno was shaken as if by a prodigious and horrible earthquake. Furthermore, due to an unusual ^B conspiracy of various winds, it was so agitated that the fleet, tossed by immense waves, was driven onto the shore, and all the ships, with masts swaying and crashing into one another with prows and sterns colliding, were crushed and shattered by a huge calamity, being drowned in a mournful shipwreck."

86. "There was also an additional miracle: a man of great height was seen in the sky, conspicuous for the whiteness of his long beard, who seemed to excite that storm and to fight, as it were, for his own state. There were also seen very strong cohorts of soldiers and citizens, most prompt to act, with shining helmets and breastplates along the wall's crown, defending the city by an almost perpetual station. From whence it is evident that that monstrous barbarian trembled on that day, and with a very few triremes, which hardly escaped unharmed, he was driven away beyond Palinurus as the winds grew strong. The ^C rest of the ships of any kind were either completely shattered and gradually swallowed up, or were cast upon the fatal shore, and all the booty which the barbarian had gathered from every place by hook or by crook was cast onto the Salerno shore and sought by the occupying inhabitants. When, therefore, not human strength but God Almighty had averted the imminent ruin with such a happy outcome, they attributed this to the prayers and merits of the apostles Matthew and Andrew: the latter had defended the Amalfi region, the former the Salerno region. For which reason, on the following day, the people of Salerno gave immense thanks to God; and from then on, every year on that same day, the memory of the miracle is renewed, because a proper Office is celebrated for this reason in the choir of the major church, and they walk through the city in a solemn procession, in which, amidst alternate prayers, ^D all the divine and holy ones are made propitious, and the holy solemnity of the Mass is performed." Thus far Marsilius, about thirty-five years after the deed was done, when many of the people of Salerno were undoubtedly alive who had seen that event and could judge all the circumstances. The same is reported more briefly by Musca, who lived with Marsilius, in *Archiepiscopi Salernitani*, p. 56; by Mazza, in *Historia Salernitana*, chap. 6; and by Ughellus, vol. VII, in *Archiepiscopi Salernitanis*, regarding Nicolaus Rodulphus, who at that time presided over the church of Salerno. I return to Marsilius.

87. "Lastly, it is fitting not to omit this," he says, "which happened to us ourselves while we were sitting in this church two years ago. For although, from that day on which that place where the most glorious apostle lies was contaminated by sacrilege, the divine liquid had always issued forth very sparingly, so that hardly a modest quantity could be drawn in the space of many days; yet, when the illustrious men from Sarmatia arrived, Georgius Radziroil, coadjutor of the bishopric of Wilna, and Albertus Radziroil, his brother and a duke in Olica, and devotedly requested that we make available to them the opportunity to see the place and to take some of the manna itself back to their homeland, we willingly granted both. For we found the vial itself, which had been almost dry the day before, so filled and overflowing with the sacred humor that we were able to distribute it liberally to the princes themselves and to their companions. Moreover, we even took care that two ampullae full of the same liquid be sent to Pope Gregory XIII, and we received word by letter that these had been most welcome. We were, therefore, greatly astonished at the novelty of so great a thing; and fearing lest the most blessed apostle be angry with this people for many sins, we never cease to pray to him that he may deign to protect this city and all its citizens out of his accustomed goodness."

88. "Finally, it is also fitting to mention among the miracles that men and women of every age are brought here from the entire province who are most severely harassed by evil spirits; and the priest, having laid his hand upon them, frees all of them when they are set before the altar of St. Matthew himself. Which indeed, although it was done assiduously from the very beginning of the translation, yet because it persists to these very times, and has at times been performed even in our presence, it was by no means to be passed over in silence." Thus the author. From the final words I gather that many of the benefits of St. Matthew were not committed to writing, for I do not find the liberations of the possessed recorded.

89. One such benefit of the saint is reported as having been bestowed upon the people of Salerno by Romualdus II, Archbishop of Salerno, who could see everything as an eyewitness, since he was a native of Salerno, and according to the *chronotaxis* of Ughellus was already presiding as archbishop over his native land when the event took place, or was made archbishop four years later according to the *chronotaxis* of Gaspar Musca. It is treated by Muratori in *Annali d'Italia*.

^A It is attributed to the year 1162, and is thus explained by Romuald, vol. VII of *Scriptorum Italiae*, col. 205: "William I, King of Sicily, surnamed the Bad, after the rebellions in the Neapolitan kingdom had been suppressed, and the whole land thus recovered (along with his army), came to Salerno. And because he was indignant at the citizens of Salerno, he did not wish to enter the city, but pitched his tents near it. He then began to demand a large sum of money from the citizens. When they could not pay it immediately, finding an occasion for his indignation, he had several of them hanged, threatening others that, unless they paid the money quickly, he would destroy the city. But the blessed Apostle Matthew, who is given as patron and defender to the city of Salerno by God, did not abandon his city in such great danger. For when the king was intent on inflicting many evils upon the Salernitans, at midday, when the serenity was such that no clouds appeared in the air, suddenly a strong wind from the north broke out with heavy rain and an impetuous whirlwind, which knocked down all the tents of the entire army; and the king’s tent, placed in a prominent position, was struck and moved from the place where it had been fixed in such a way that it almost prostrated the sleeping king. Awakening, and astonished by such a flood, the king began to flee, and to invoke the help of the Apostle, and with difficulty sought refuge in a small tent as he fled."

90. And although the king hid his fear of this event, the magnates of the court and prudent men clearly knew that this miracle was performed by apostolic power. For the Apostle, in this action, clearly consulted both for the people committed to his charge and for the king, since he saved the people entrusted to him from danger and prevented the king from carrying out his evil purpose. Therefore the king, thinking over what had happened, and fearing the apostolic wrath, although he had intended to stay around Salerno for a while, changed his plan, boarded his galleys (that is, triremes) the next day, and returned hastily to Sicily." Hugo Falcandus, who also wrote in the same century, in his *Historia Sicula*, published thereafter following Romuald’s chronicle, fully agrees regarding the prodigious deed; but he attributes the cause of the prodigy to the death of an innocent Salernitan, who, by the king’s order, had been hanged along with others. Regarding the whirlwind, which he believes arose for this reason, he speaks as follows, col. 299: "For when the air was so serene that not a single trace of a cloud appeared in it, such a sudden tempest arose, followed by thunder, lightning, and a flood of rain, that water flowed through the whole army like a most rapid torrent, and the storm overturned the tents of the king himself as well as those of everyone else, tearing them from their pegs and breaking their ropes; and so great a terror invaded the king and the entire army that, disregarding the loss of all their possessions, they were forced to despair of their own safety." This, as I said, he thinks occurred because of the slaughter of an innocent citizen, while Romuald thinks it occurred for the preservation of the city and the sparing of many innocent people from injuries. The hidden judgments ^B of God neither could know; but to me, Romuald’s conjecture seems preferable, because that terrible whirlwind truly produced the effect that no further harm was inflicted upon the Salernitans; but it did not restore life to the slain man.

VII. Relics preserved in various places: some sacred sites dedicated to S. Matthew.

91. There remain some things to be said about the relics of St. Matthew which are preserved separate from the rest of the body. Mazza, indeed, in *Historia Salernitana*, cap. 6, says the entire body of the holy Apostle Matthew, with the exception of a tooth and an arm, is preserved at the altar dedicated to him, of which I spoke in no. 81. But I would wish that to be proven by more certain testimony or the inspection of the bones, and certainly it should not be accepted so strictly as to believe that no relics of St. Matthew reached other places as well. Meanwhile, the aforementioned author testifies that one tooth and the arm of the Saint are preserved in the upper treasury of the same church. Marsilius also speaks of both, cap. 9, p. 79, where he explains what is kept in the treasury, and that the tooth is placed in a silver cross enriched with various relics. "In the right (part of the cross)," he says, "is another tooth of the most glorious Matthew, of which we also spoke above." He implies, therefore, that it is the very same tooth that had been granted to the monk Athanasius, the discoverer of the body, as stated in no. 74; and which was subsequently taken from him, as was set forth in no. 74. Regarding the arm, the illustrious Marsilius speaks thus: "There is also that arm of St. Matthew, which the prince of Benevento had once obtained by prayers from Gisulf; although it is enclosed in silver, the sight of the flesh and bones is nevertheless apparent to those looking through the lattices." Thus Marsilius, not explaining on what occasion the arm, which is asserted to have been transferred to Benevento in the 10th century, was later brought back to Salerno. But just as the body of St. Januarius was transferred from Naples to Benevento in the 9th century, then carried elsewhere and finally returned to Naples, so in a similar or the same way the arm of St. Matthew could have returned to Salerno. Certainly, that it is currently at Salerno, as is the tooth, is also asserted by Musca in the *Compendio* already praised.

92. But if that is the very same arm which was at Benevento in the 10th century, it seems that another arm was separated from the rest of the body in the 11th century. For Robert Guiscard, from the discovered body, kept an entire arm bone for himself, as we saw in no. 80. Regarding that bone, in *Chronico Casinensi*, lib. III, cap. 57, when reporting the death of Robert, these things are read: "Meanwhile, this (Robert) left the arm of the holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew to his chaplains and his son, to be carried to Salerno and returned, by the day of his death. But they, being poor in substance and poorer in faith, divide among themselves the silver case in which the holy arm was enclosed, and then, traveling toward Jerusalem, they kept the holy relics hidden with them until the day of their own deaths."

And when they were nearing death, they entrusted the aforementioned relics, without their companions knowing, to their servants, who, knowing how they had brought the holy arm to this place in the times of Abbot Girardus, wrote down in its place,"—as the praised author observes. Then in Book IV, chapter 73, the praised author writes thus: ^A "Meanwhile, the Abbot (Girardus of Monte Cassino), while he was at Benevento in the service of the Apostolic See, learned most certainly that the arm of the holy apostle and evangelist Matthew was hidden in that same city. Summoning the guards of the already mentioned arm to him, he began to inquire most studiously in what manner or in what order they possessed the arm of the same holy apostle. When they had related how Duke Robert had brought it with him on the expedition he had conducted against the Emperor Alexius, and finally had left it to his chaplains at his death, and how they subsequently, on the day of his passing, had committed it to them, the Abbot began to admonish them more attentively that they should confer such great treasures upon the monastery of Monte Cassino."

93. "But they were eager to fulfill these things, provided that the Abbot, at whatever hour they might wish to come for their conversion, would receive them into this monastery without any price. When the Abbot had most willingly promised that he would fulfill this, they immediately entrusted the holy relics to the same Abbot to be carried to this place. The same Abbot, therefore, receiving the holy relics and kissing them for a long time, took pains to send them through the brothers of this our congregation to this monastery. Upon its arrival, all those who inhabited this land went out to meet it with immense devotion and joy. Certainly, when these things had reached the knowledge of this our congregation, filled with inestimable exultation, and clad in solemn vestments, they went out with lamps and incense as far as the old gate, and prostrate on the ground, they adored the holy evangelist; rising, they kissed it with the greatest reverence, and bringing it into the monastery with hymns and praises, and enclosing the holy arm in a silver case fashioned in the likeness of a tower, they suspended it on a silver beam before the altar of Blessed Benedict, in the year of the Lord’s Incarnation 1122." ^B In the Annotations of Angelo de Nuce, the editor, it is added that that arm is currently kept in a silver case in the shape of an arm. Our Papebroch, in his Manuscript Itinerary, which he wrote from the time of his Roman stay until his return to Belgium, page 108, enumerates that bone of the arm of St. Matthew among the relics he saw in the Cassinese treasury.

94. Rome exhibits several relics of St. Matthew in various churches. Among the numerous churches of the City, one is dedicated to St. Matthew, which is surnamed "in Marulana," instead of "in Martana," because it is near the trophies of Marius, as various writers assert. Martinellus, in *Roma sacra*, page 257, deals with this church of St. Matthew in Merulana, otherwise Mariana, in the region of the mountains, as one goes from the Basilica of St. Mary Major to the Lateran. It has an adjoining monastery, and, as the praised author observes, it formerly belonged to the Friars who are called the Cruciferi; now it is under the care of the Friars of St. Augustine, specifically the Irish ones, as a most recent author adds. ^C Furthermore, authors observe that that church is numbered among the Cardinalitial titles, and indeed among the older ones, as most add. Some also assert that it was constructed circa the year 600, which I do not care to examine. It is more certain that it was dedicated by Paschal II, whether that was done after the first construction or after a restoration. For the praised Martinellus recites a long inscription, which that consecration is claimed to be in this manner: "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. In the year of the Lord’s Incarnation 1110, indiction 11, on Friday of the fourth week in Lent, the day of the Incarnation of the same Lord our Jesus Christ, in the 11th year of the pontificate of Pope Paschal II (all dates agree on the year 1110), this venerable church was dedicated in honor of God, the Blessed Mary ever Virgin, and the blessed apostle and evangelist Matthew, with four altars that are in it. Which consecration was performed by the aforementioned lord and most venerable Pontiff, Pope Paschal II. For on the major altar the same lord Pope celebrated mass in honor of Blessed Matthew. His coadjutors, however, were seven; namely, Raynerius of Ostia, Riccardus of Porto, Petrus of Tibur, Julianus of Ferentino, Anastasius of Albano, Petrus of Tusculum, Antonius of Amelia, with all the Cardinals of the S. R. E., priests, and deacons present, as well as an innumerable multitude of the Roman clergy and people. ^D Pope Paschal, to whom the aforementioned bishops also assisted, these relics were placed: and first of the wood of the holy Cross, the arm of St. Matthew, of the stone of Christ’s sepulcher, etc... And I, Pope Paschal, universal Pope of the Church, with the aforementioned bishops, saw these relics of the saints with my own eyes, touched them with my own hands, and re-interred them with the ancient title in a marble casket under the major altar." He adds indulgences for those visiting that church from the day of consecration, March 25, until the Octave of Pentecost; and on the feast of St. Matthew, September 21. Moreover, by the "arm of St. Matthew" which is interred in the altar, I think some bone of the arm is intended, not the whole arm. Pancirolus, in the Italian work *De Thesauris absconditis*, page 137, asserts that another arm of St. Matthew is kept in Rome in the church of St. Matthew; another, again, in the church of Pope St. Marcellus; and in an index of relics he adds that a rib of St. Matthew is held in the church of S. Nicola in Carcere. Piazza agrees with all these in his *Hemerologio sacro* for this day, where he adds that some relics of St. Matthew are also kept in the Vatican Basilica of St. Peter, and in the churches of the Holy Apostles and St. Cecilia; and he enumerates various chapels of St. Matthew in Rome, which I omit for the sake of brevity.

96. Masinus, in ^A *Bologna explored*, p. 460, testifies that there is a parish church in Bologna dedicated to St. Matthew, in which his feast day is celebrated especially, while in another parish church, sacred to St. Nicholas, some arm of the same apostle is preserved, and his solemnity is celebrated there with plenary indulgences. Laurentius Beyerlinck, in *Theatrum vitæ humanæ*, Vol. VI, under the head "Relics," lists on p. 303 many relics preserved in Naples, and among them he attributes relics of St. Matthew to the church of St. Mary of Wisdom (S. Maria de Sapientia), and on p. 304 bones of St. Matthew to St. Mary of the Virgins (S. Maria de virginibus). Among the many churches of the city of Venice, there is also one parish church sacred to St. Matthew; as the most illustrious writer, and our very good friend, Flaminius Cornelius, a Venetian senator, accurately explains in his elegant work *De ecclesiis Venetis* (On the Churches of Venice), dec. IV, p. 173, where he cites the foundation documents from the original. From these he correctly deduces that the foundation was made in the month of February in the year 1155, according to the Venetian custom and that of others of that time, as is clear from the 4th indiction added in the documents, by which the year 1156 is designated; but in the month of February the year 1156 continued to run until Easter, or at least until the Feast of the Annunciation, or the 25th of March. The founder of the church was Leonardus Cornarius, whose documents are recited, as is also another donation, which was added to the first in the year 1166. Then, decaying from age, the temple was restored in the year of our Lord 1615, as we are informed by a marble inscription affixed to the wall, ^B says Cornelius, citing it. He adds shortly thereafter: "Finally, when in these our times it was verging toward ruins, through the zeal of the parish priest Nicolai Milesii, it was restored from the foundations to a more elegant form and provided copiously with sacred furnishings and ornaments, and in the year of our Lord 1735 it was consecrated by Aloysius Foscari, Patriarch of Venice." Regarding the relics of the same church, the author writes on p. 175: "It is enriched with some relics of the saints, namely of the bones of the holy titular apostle, etc." More about that church can be seen carefully observed in the same place.

97. Regarding the Torcellans, which he added to the previous [section], he assigns two monasteries of nuns dedicated to St. Matthew. The first is the monastery of St. Matthew of Majurbio of the Cistercian order, which had previously been constructed on another island, namely in Constantiaco, and from there by the consent of the Bishop of Torcello was translated to the island of Majurbio, as is explained at length in part 1 of that *Opusculum*, p. 299 et seqq. The first foundation is noted as having been made in the year 1218, in Constantiaco, p. 316; but before the end of that same century the nuns translated their monastery to the island of Majurbio. The second is the monastery of nuns of the Order of St. Benedict on the island of Muriana of the same diocese of Torcello, as Cornelius explains, part II, p. 201. The foundation is noted on p. 104 as having been made in the year 1280, and at that time there was given to the nuns an ancient oratory dedicated to St. Matthew, as can be seen more extensively in the same place. In [the catalogue of relics of *both* monasteries] I find none of St. Matthew. But the relics of St. Matthew were included in the year 1554 in the altar of St. Abundius, which Andreas Crucius, Bishop of Tibur, then consecrated at Subiaco in Latium, as the inscription given in Vol. VI, August, p. 635, holds. Rocchus Pirrus in *Sicilia sacra*, Vol. II, p. 474, where he enumerates the relics of the cathedral church of Cefalù, says that it boasts of an entire foot with skin of the blessed Matthew. Scicli, a prominent town of Sicily, in the valley of Noto and the diocese of Syracuse, not far from the city of Noto, venerates St. Matthew as its titular patron, to whom the primary parish church is dedicated. I do not doubt that other particles of the relics of St. Matthew are also preserved in Italy and Sicily; but to enumerate them all is not of as much necessity as it is of difficulty. Therefore, I pass over into Germany, intending to designate some also in that place.

98. The Pragensians in Bohemia attribute many relics to their church. Thomas Joannes Pessina, in *Phosphorus Pragensis*, p. 518, enumerates them thus: "The entire foot of the holy apostle and evangelist Matthew, and an arm with skin: a rib surrounded with silver, and a tooth. Also four other bones, composed together in a silver case: also another notable part." This is called a part of the shoulder in the printed *Catalogue of Prague Relics*, which were translated into the metropolis from the royal castle of Karlstein in the year 1645, in which the relics are also listed. Indeed, there also, in the seventh order no. 56, the following is added, I do not know if sufficiently correctly: "Both arms of the holy apostle and evangelist Matthew with skin and flesh." But in the manuscript catalogue of relics, extracted from the Calendar of the Prague church, which Father Theodorus Moretus sent here in the year 1647, only these things are read at Sept. 21: "Of the holy apostle and evangelist Matthew, who suffered martyrdom while preaching in Ethiopia. Whose relics, namely a large image decorated with silver and gold, holding his rib in its hands, which the most pious prince Charles IV found, etc., he gave to the Prague church." So much for that point; but I gladly leave it to the Pragensians themselves to examine how many relics of St. Matthew they possess. Bucelinus in the *Sacrarium Benedictinum*, which he published in the year 1656, records these things regarding the relics of St. Matthew at Sept. 21: "A notable portion of this great evangelist is preserved in Andechs (a monastery of Bavaria), where two other parts of the same are shown, a tooth in Elnone (the monastery is otherwise called St. Amand in Flanders), two molar teeth and some other things in Weingarten; which is a monastery of Swabia with a town of the same name. Gelenius also attributes very many relics of St. Matthew to Cologne in his work, indeed p. 264 two particles to the collegiate church of St. Gereon; p. 372, something of the head of St. Matthew to the abbey church of St. Pantaleon; p. 412, something of the relics to the parish church of St. Lupus, just as p. 442 to the church of St. Catherine of the Teutonic Order, p. 456 co

to the church of the Carthusians, p. 483 to the church of the Carmelites, p. 547 to the church of the Augustinian nunnery, p. 560 to the church of the nuns of the same order in Greater Nazareth, p. 584 to the church of St. Vincent of the Third Order of St. Francis, and finally p. 627 to the chapel of St. Margaret. Yet all these seem to be but small fragments, so that the number occasions no difficulty.

99. In our Belgium, relics of St. Matthew are shown in many other places, and among them one is very notable. And certainly it would be a wonder to no one if Belgium had received more of this apostle’s relics than other provinces, since Emperor Charles V was born in Belgium and was accustomed to dwell there often, and he himself was at one time at Salerno, where he could have received them and sent or carried them from there into Belgium. Relics of St. Matthew could also have been transferred to Belgium long before by other means as well. But how they were brought there I do not find in Rayssius, who lists them in his *Hierogazophylacium Belgicum*. The head of the Saint certainly deserves the first place, which on page 394 he attributes to the oratory of the Brussels court with these words: "This place is, moreover, beautifully adorned in a wonderful way by that rare treasure, namely the intact head of the most holy apostle and evangelist Matthew, enclosed at great expense and with highest value in a silver image, representing the same apostle as far as the chest, exceeding the natural height of a man, around whose shoulders a hovering angel offers him an inkwell. It is set up on a very rich ebony stand, most artfully crafted, in which the principal miracles of the said apostle are engraved in silver crusts and plates, and which are decorated with various elegance of art." The same author, on page 463, attributes bones of St. Matthew, that is, a portion of the bones, to the collegiate church of St. Salvator at Bruges in Flanders; again, on page 314, two bones to the cathedral church of Tournai of the apostle and evangelist St. Matthew, one large, the other medium-sized; on page 451, a "large bone of the apostle and evangelist St. Matthew" to the Carthusian monastery of Rutilens on the Meuse (read: Moselle) in the Duchy of Luxembourg; on page 430, a silver arm to the Abbey of Phalempin of the Augustinian Order in Flanders, "where," he says, "an excellent part of the arm of St. Matthew... is preserved;" and on page 216, he says that some relics of St. Matthew, obtained as a gift from Margaret, Princess of Flanders, are held in the Cistercian Abbey of Fline for virgins. The abbeys of Lætiense and Maricolense, both Benedictine in Hainaut, believe they likewise possess something of the bones of St. Matthew. For the former, on page 279, Rayssius attributes a part of the finger of the apostle and evangelist Matthew along with the flesh; for the latter, on page 296, something of one of his ribs. Canons of the Augustinian order in the Abbey of St. Nicholas of Oignies on the Sambre have, according to the same witness on page 387, a portable altar of James of Vitry, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, and in it, along with other relics, something of St. Matthew; and he finally attributes something of him on page 401 to the Abbey of Parc of the Premonstratensian Order in Brabant near Leuven. This is praised by Rayssius, who also adds the tooth of Elnone, or in the monastery of St. Amandus, mentioned above, to the list of relics.

100. Let us pass to Gaul, where many places believe they have the head of St. Matthew. Albert le Grand in his French work on the saints of Armorican Brittany, page 600, in the *Life of St. Tanguidus the Abbot*, reports that the head of St. Matthew was secretly taken from Egypt in the 6th century by Armorican merchants ^A and translated to Armorican Britain, and a monastery was built there in the Diocese of Léon, in which the head of the saint was deposited. He adds a double miracle: namely, a reef standing in the sea was broken through by the ship while the head was being transported; the other was performed during the construction of the monastery; but both need proofs much older than can be produced to merit belief. The very carrying of the head from Egypt does not seem more certain than the previously mentioned translation of the body from Ethiopia. Nevertheless, the said translation of the head is also narrated by Charles le Cointe in his *Annales Ecclesiastici Francorum*, for the year 555, no. 21; by Ludovicus Bulteau in his *Compendium Historico-monasticum of the Order of St. Benedict*, book II, chapter 28, no. 2, as is also the construction of the monastery dedicated to St. Matthew, which cannot be doubted. Mabillon, in his *Annales Benedictini*, Vol. I, page 152, explains the founding of the monastery in the year 563, but he speaks hesitantly about the translation of the head of St. Matthew in this way: ^B "Then the monasteries built by Paul (Bishop of Léon, of whom we have treated in Vol. II, March, from page 108), especially those of Gerber, over which Abbot Tanguidus was set, he who is said to have built the monastery of St. Matthew on the furthest cape of Armorica among the Léon people, hence known as Finis-Terræ (Land’s End). They provide the tradition that the head of the holy apostle was brought from Egypt by certain merchants of Léon. Paul consecrated the new monastery, and Tanguidus led a colony there from the monastery of Gerber, to which Relec replaced it. The monastery of St. Matthew remains to our time under the congregation of St. Maur, situated, as I was just saying, in the diocese of Léon, not far from Conquet, and a little further from the very famous port of Brest. Almost no old monuments of this monastery survive after the various disasters inflicted by the English; although the distinguished ^C basilica, which is adorned with various relics of the saints, argues for its ancient splendor." Moreover, the persuasion regarding the head of St. Matthew preserved in that monastery has flourished at least from the 13th century: for Matthew of Westminster writes this for the year 1295 concerning the English fleet brought there, the inhabitants of the monastery having fled: "After this, many entered the abbey of St. Matthew and carried away the ecclesiastical utensils, with the head of the same saint, to Lord Edmund, the leader of the army. Lord Edmund caused all these things to be sequestered and restored to the ecclesiastical men." From these things, however, it cannot be correctly deduced that the head is complete,

^A nor does the monk of Westminster assert it. But whether that head, which is kept there, truly is the head of Saint Matthew, I do not inquire.

101. Andreas Saussay in his Gallican Martyrology for September 21 agrees with the almost common opinion regarding the body being translated to Salerno; and he adds: "From which (body) the venerable head was extracted and long ago brought into Gaul, and hidden away in the great cathedral of Beauvais, where it is preserved with distinguished devotion, except for the crown, which is kept at Chartres in the treasury of the noble house of the Virgin Mother of God with great veneration." In the Beauvais Necrology, which is lauded in volume IX of *Gallia Christiana*, col. 742, among other things regarding Bishop Milo I of Beauvais we read the following: "He (Milo) gave the head of the blessed Apostle Matthew and the rod of Aaron." But from where he might have received that head is not added in the aforementioned *Gallia Christiana*. Milo was in Egypt with the crusaders, and was likewise for a notable time in Italy. Whether he was also in Constantinople, and there received that head, as Baillet reports under this day for Saint Matthew, and indeed in the time of Philip Augustus—who died in the year 1223—I find nowhere. But it seems Baillet intended to reconcile the Necrology with the writings of du Cange, and thus said what no one had said before. Certainly, du Cange, whom he also cites in his historical treatise on the head of Saint John the Baptist, says something entirely different, recounting on page 104 the relics sent to the West by the Latins after the occupation of Constantinople. For he speaks thus of the head of Saint Matthew: "Gervasius of Châteauneuf, a canon of Chartres, and later Bishop of Nevers, donated the head of Saint Matthew to the church of Chartres." Sebastian Rouillard agrees, in his *Historia Carnotensis*, ch. 8, p. 207. Thus the people of Chartres believed that they had received that head from Constantinople; but they cannot prove that the head of Saint Matthew was ever in Constantinople, so that the tradition of the church of Chartres, like that of the church of Beauvais, seems quite uncertain.

102. We have already seen the head of Saint Matthew assigned to three places in Gaul. A fourth is added in Lorraine, namely, the Premonstratensian abbey in the diocese of Toul, called Regnis-vallis, not to be confused with another, which is called Regia-vallis, of the same order and in the same diocese. Saussay, in his Supplement to the Gallican Martyrology for September 21, announces the veneration of Saint Matthew at the monastery of Regis-vallis, as it is sometimes also called, and he adds: "Whose... part of the laurelled head,... is kept most honorably in the said monastery, and is today exhibited to be worshipped most religiously." He says a "part" of the head, I suspect, because he had already asserted heads at Beauvais and Chartres. Certainly Calmet, in his *Historia Lotharingiae*, vol. II, col. 22 of the first edition, attributes the head of Saint Matthew to the abbey of Regis-vallis, and on col. 265 he says it was brought from Palestine by Gobert, Lord of Apremont. ^B Hugo, in his *Annales Praemonstratenses*, vol. II, col. 649, writes the following about that head at the abbey of Regnis-vallis: "The head of Saint Matthew, enclosed in a silver casket, was famous in the fourteenth century due to the thronging of the people; for we have not read anything in older monuments before this time, from which a greater antiquity can be attributed to it." The diligent reader will sufficiently note that it is impossible for all those to be the heads of Saint Matthew, if they are complete, or nearly complete. Therefore, they themselves will be able to examine whether by chance they have a small fragment of a head placed upon an artificial head, and the name "head" was given to it, as I have learned from clearly certain experiments has been done elsewhere; or if perhaps they have the relics of some uncertain Saint, which were erroneously believed to be Saint Matthew’s, just as it also happens—not rarely.

104. Other particles of relics are mentioned in other places. Among many relics, which in the year 894 were brought to Reims to the district of Vermandois, and deposited in the village of Memnico in the church dedicated to Saint Martin, something of the relics of Saint Matthew is also counted, as can be seen in volume I of January, p. 180, and volume III of February, p. 99. In the *Life of Saint Angilbert*, Abbot of Saint-Riquier in Ponthieu (now the abbey is commonly called S. Riquier) who flourished in the time of Charlemagne, the construction and dedication of the Centulian temple of the Blessed Mary is reported, with thirteen altars and the relics which were placed in each. However, as to our purpose, these things are read there: "The altar of Saint Matthew, in which are his relics, and those of Mark and Luke." Again, p. 103, where the writing is given in the name of Angilbert, listing the relics which he had obtained with the help of Charlemagne and others from various regions, the relics of Saint Matthew are listed along with very many others. It is not added, however, whether there was anything from the bones of the Saint, or only from his garments. In the long *Catalogue of Relics* which were translated to Lisbon in the year 1585, and donated there to the professed house of the Society of Jesus, the relics of the Apostle Matthew are also listed, at our volume II of January, p. 612. But let this enumeration suffice, since it is impossible by any human industry to enumerate all the particles of relics which churches or private persons have, especially when they are frequently transferred from one place to another by way of donations. I have a particle of this kind in my possession, as I write these things, received in the year 1753 at Venice from the most excellent Lord Flaminio Cornelio, the Venetian senator praised above, who also kept another for himself.

104. Regarding the places sacred to Saint Matthew, beyond those mentioned thus far in the West, certainly many more exist, and some even in the oriental provinces. Assemanus, in his *Bibliotheca Orientalis*, vol. II, frequently mentions the famous monastery of Saint Matthew in Mesopotamia, which is now called Diarbechia, near the city of Mosul or new Nineveh. From those things, however, which he reports on page 408 about that monastery, it is clearly evident, at least from

813 LIFE OF ST. MATTHEW. 814 [The monastery] existed from the fourth century. The same author, Vol. II, page 403, makes mention of the "coenobium of Chucha, which is called the monastery of St. Matthew on Mount Elpheph." From that monastery, twelve monks with the bishop of Nineveh are said to have been killed by the order of Pherozes, king of the Persians, in the city of Nineveh or Mosul. The same history is narrated in Assemani, Vol. III, page 393, where it is similarly called the "coenobium of Cuchta," that is, of St. Matthew on Mount Elpheph; and the monks in that monastery are said to have been seized with the Metropolitan of Nineveh and led to Nineveh, where they were later killed because they refused to consent to the Nestorian heresy. From the fact, however, that the metropolitan of Nineveh was seized in the monastery, and that all were led to Nineveh, it is gathered with sufficient certainty that this is the same monastery as the preceding one near Mosul or Nineveh. Assemani also held it to be the same, in whose work more can be seen concerning that monastery, since those things pertain less to St. Matthew.

ACTS

^A I. If we had been willing to observe that commandment which was enjoined upon us by Him who formed us, it would have been permitted us to enjoy that blessed habitation of paradise and life, and, neglecting all bodily comforts, we should have had our mind occupied only with divine things, and would have meditated upon them continually with constant thoughts. Since he who fell away from the divine familiarity and also from the glory in which he was before, envied the human race, and for that reason strove to precipitate it along with himself into his own ruin by every device, he was the author to man that he should forget that first commandment. And so man himself, who was the first of all formed by God, was in a miserable way, alas! deprived of paradise. Yet the kindness of Him who formed us did not suffer us to be despised, having fallen into such ruin, nor that, having lost that first dignity, we should be left condemned in so ignoble a state. He, therefore, who from the beginning was always with the Father, who is coeternal, descending from the paternal bosom, emptied Himself, and for the salvation of the human race entered into the Virgin Mother, bore flesh, and endured all human things except sin: ^B for He took upon Him all things human, that He might take away the sin of the world, and prepare for those who are on earth a new path to the heavens. But since it was necessary to have ministers and servants for this task, through whom God might both reveal the discipline of the divine dispensation and secrets, and lead men themselves into the way of salvation, for that cause were called Andrew, Peter, James, John, and Matthew, of whom we must speak in this place.

II. This man, I say, the disciple of Christ, had formerly been a publican, a collector of money, and a calculator, inasmuch as he knew all the ways and arts of making profit, by sharpness of mind, and much experience of things. ^{C D}

^A Since the Lord had begun His sojourn on earth for the salvation of the world (behold, I beseech you, the sudden, swift, admirable, and truly divine conversion of the man), as He was passing by on one occasion, and looking into the inmost parts of the heart of the person sitting at the toll-booth, and—as one who knows hidden things and is a searcher of hearts—accurately perceiving the zeal for virtue lying deep within his soul, and foreseeing what kind of man he would become from the kind he then was, He called him and commanded him to follow. For it is written of him: "As Jesus passed by, He saw a publican named Levi sitting at the toll-booth and said to him, 'Follow Me.'" But he, detained neither by a store of money, nor by the multitude of those standing around, nor by this vain and fleeting glory of the world, nor—in short—caring for any of those things that usually subject the human mind to bondage on earth and draw it to themselves, immediately rose as he was and followed the Lord. There was no need for a long speech for him, nor much time, nor the spectacle of miracles, nor finally any diligent or prolonged acquaintance; but as soon as he heard that desirable and pleasant voice, "Follow Me," he immediately left the toll-booth, left his fellow-collectors, and abandoned all the ambition attending him, and with all that silver and gold which he previously possessed, he purchased the precious pearl.

^C III. Thus he who was previously called Levi, having changed his character in an admirable way and having also changed his former name, was called Matthew, who thereafter lived with Jesus Himself, such that when Christ later reclined at table in his house, Matthew reclined with Him. Regarding this, when the Pharisees were in doubt and asked His disciples why their Master ate with publicans, He, having heard this, answered: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick." And, "Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice." By which He declared that He had come not to call the just, but to call sinners to repentance. From that time forth, Matthew so left the world that, having taken up the cross, he renounced the world itself and all mundane desires, living to God alone and following in His footsteps, and having become a spectator and participant in all His signs and miracles—inasmuch as he lived with Jesus throughout the entire duration of the divine economy, was numbered among His chief disciples, and made progress in virtue as time went on. Now when that salutary time had arrived, in which ^D the Lord’s body was delivered up to burial after the cross, and He appeared to the disciples after the resurrection, and now was for the most part invisible to them, finally He was taken up into the heavens, and from there [sent] the Comforter in

the form of tongues of fire to the apostles, so that by His inspiration they might announce grace to the nations; and each of the disciples went off in a different direction, to every nation of the world, as each was allotted by Him.

IV. Since these things were so, and the disciples had partitioned the regions among themselves, then this admirable and great apostle Matthew—not wishing to be the sole partaker of such good things, but sharing that bounty with others—gathered himself together, as it were, and bracing himself, he inscribed his Gospel and recorded the faith, so that what the others taught by word of mouth, he might transmit ^B in writing. Beginning his genealogy from Abraham above, and proceeding in order, he announced first the birth of Christ according to the flesh, His manifestation, then the baptism, the election of the apostles, the temptations, and his own calling; and he related the sacred mysteries, as many as Christ spoke of through parables and as many as He spoke of openly to the disciples together with the crowds; the supernatural miracles, the healings of the sick, the deliverances of those troubled by demons, the blessing of the loaves, the walk upon the sea, and the transfiguration on Mount Thabor. ^C Then, having accurately delineated by his narrative the matters concerning His second coming, he went on to describe the mystical supper and all that happened concerning the betrayal at it; the judgment rendered by Pilate, and the condemnation of Him who had come to judge justly; then the burial, the resurrection, and the appearance to the apostles in Galilee, when He said that all authority had been given to Him in heaven and on earth.

V. And having set forth, to speak briefly, the entire dispensation of the Word, he preached salvation to the Parthians—who had not yet been added to the Persian empire—and traveled through the regions ^D of Palestine, and having become involved with multitudes speaking various tongues, and having struggled against hunger and thirst and frequent hardships and dangers, brought upon him partly by those who were leaders in impiety and partly by these most cruel of demagogues, he bravely proclaimed the Savior Christ.

^A And he proclaimed Him with both voice and mind, led those who had been ensnared by error toward the knowledge of God, turned them away from deceit, brought them to the truth, removed the practices of impiety from their midst, and led everyone to the true and only God. Not wishing to limit his teaching to those regions, he reached Hierapolis in Syria, which had been allotted to him and was situated by the Euphrates. And since he had returned those people to the knowledge of the truth and had established there a school of faith, having caught all whom he encountered in the net of the Word, having performed a multitude of miracles, and having brought those who believed to Christ through water and the Spirit, he built for them a holy church. He appointed priests and presbyters, and numbered deacons in the same rank, and gathering the church each day, he would partly exhort them to hold fast to the truth and partly deliver the mysteries to them. Those who were oppressed by sufferings, diseases, or the malice of demons, and whose lives were in danger, he would immediately free from all their torments by a word and the touch of his hand.

VI. But after he had achieved work worthy of his calling and had completed the task for which he was summoned, he rested in the Lord through martyrdom, leaving us, who dwell upon the earth, his body adorned with glory and hymns. In return, he adorns with great splendor those who celebrate his memory, and makes them holy—a fact which many among those who were deemed worthy of salvation through the Apostle himself have recorded in their memory, having observed his customary and holy celebration ^B with the most honorable sacred prayers. He himself now gazes with a pure vision upon the face of the Lord Jesus Christ without any interval, and is crowned with the crown of the glory that is there, and abides and rejoices with Him, to whom is due all glory, honor, and adoration, majesty, and magnificence, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. ^C

[Footnote 6: Here again the edition of Lipomanus differs greatly, and for Ethiopia it substitutes Hierapolis with these words: "Not wishing to stop his teaching so far away, he approached Hierapolis of Syria, which had been allotted to him, situated near the Euphrates," etc. But then I do not understand how everything that is said in Surius about Ethiopia can be referred here to Hierapolis. Wherefore I can hardly doubt that the Acts which Lipomanus published are corrupt and interpolated, and certainly one or the other is corrupt in two places. ^D Combefis, in the *Auctarium novissimum*, part 1, page 497, gives Annotations on the Oration of Nicetas on Matthew, and there twice asserts that those Acts of the Metaphrast, as they were published by Lipomanus, are more authentic than those of Surius, which were also published by Lipomanus himself in vol. VII, fol. 265; but he adds no reason: and certainly he would have been hard-pressed to provide a suitable one. For it is more probable that Matthew preached among the Parthians than among the Thebans, I know not whom, who were later joined to the Persian empire; it is also more probable that Ethiopia fell to him to be enlightened by his preaching than one single city of Syria, Hierapolis. In these respects alone do the Acts differ; in the rest they agree, except for a diversity in interpretation. But concerning the preaching of St. Matthew and the place of his martyrdom or death, I have discoursed more at length in the Commentary, § 4.]

MARTYDOM OF SAINT THECLA. CONCERNING THE HOLY, GLORIOUS, AND TRIUMPHANT MARTYR THECLA OF ICONIUM.

^A 1. When the great herald and preacher of truth, Paul—I speak of the loud-voiced trumpet of Christ—having left Antioch, a city in Syria, had reached Iconium and was there sowing the word of life as if it were divine seed, Demas and Hermogenes, men not living according to the truth but filled with hypocrisy, accompanied him. Now Paul, as a disciple of Christ and one filled with goodness in his soul, dwelt with them sincerely and in a friendly manner. He was managing everything for them according to the master’s dispensation, declaring the wonders of God and how the Lord had revealed Himself to him and drawn him to Himself. And when he had arrived in that very city of the Iconians, he was received into the house of a certain man named Onesiphorus, who, being a pious man and good in other respects, as soon as he heard that Paul was coming to Iconium, went out to meet him together with his wife and children. For he had learned from Titus what Paul was like in appearance, and being struck with a longing for him, he went out for the sake of seeing him. Upon seeing Paul coming, a man such as the report of Titus had described—short of stature, with a small head, crooked legs, hooked nose, meeting eyebrows, and, to relate the greater and most important thing, filled with divine grace—he said to him, "Hail, servant of the Blessed One." Paul himself, likewise discerning the man by the divine Spirit, showed a solemn smile on his face and a gracious manner toward him, and said, "May the grace of God be with you and your house." But Demas and Hermogenes, whom we have already said were following him, being struck in their souls with envy toward Paul, and being unable to contain the pangs of their hearts, brought them into the open. "As for us," they say to Onesiphorus, "do we not seem to you to belong to the Blessed One, since you gave your greeting not to us, but to Paul alone?" And he, having perceived from their very words the wickedness hidden within them, said, ^B "Since I do not see in you...

any fruit of justice, nevertheless, come also to my house and take your rest. ^A

II. The Mission of Paul and the Conversion of Thecla

II. Paul therefore entered there, and having first taken rest and then partaken of food, he began to speak and to sow the doctrine of piety in the souls of those who had gathered. The beginning and foundation of his teaching was the Beatitudes proclaimed by Christ. "Blessed," he said, "are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the continent, and those who have renounced this vain world, for they shall be well-pleasing to God. Blessed are they who travail with the fear of God in the womb of their heart and tremble at his oracles, for they shall see him and shall dwell with him forever like the angels. For upon whom," he says, "shall I look, unless upon the meek and quiet man who trembles at my words? Blessed are those who have received the divine baptism and thereafter kept their bodies pure from all filth, and in this manner have shown themselves to be peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of the Most High. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy and shall experience no taste of punishment in the day of judgment. Blessed are those whose bodies and souls alike have been kept chaste, like virgins; for they shall be well-pleasing to God, and shall find from him the reward of justice and purity, and shall possess eternal rest."

While Paul was discoursing in this manner in the house of Onesiphorus before those who had come to him—with some listening to him gladly and peaceably, but others receiving this discourse negligently and acting like the deaf, and others still, not only failing to pay attention to these things, but even harboring evil thoughts in their hearts—Thecla, a certain noble virgin, daughter of Theoclia, betrothed to a man named Thamyris and living in the vicinity of Onesiphorus, stretched out an eager ear through the window and hung upon the words of Paul. Although she was unable to see his face, she was so attached to his words that, having dismissed all concern for other things, she attended to him alone and, through him, was being bound to Christ. ^{B C}

Seeing, however, many women and virgins entering to Paul, she too desired to see the man from whose words she was receiving such fruit. But since this was not possible for her at the moment, imitating the fervent lovers, she contented herself with the window alone, and was constantly attached to it, being unceasingly irrigated by his words, like a tree planted by the waters, as mentioned in the Psalms. Her mother, however, seeing her fixed to the window for such a long time—being utterly ignorant of what lay hidden in her heart, yet suspicious of this immense sitting at the window—first attempted to restrain her with gentle, motherly words, saying, "Child, Thecla, what is this to you, and what is this tie with this stranger and deceiver, to whom you are listening all the time, and...

by whose words you are so completely captivated? Look ^A also at us, make us participants in your conversation, and think about taking some food." When she used this speech and achieved nothing, but was, as the saying goes, whispering into the ear of a corpse, she took to a more severe manner of speaking; "Why," she said, "do you sit there like one of the foolish and senseless, staring fixedly at an unknown man? Respect your relatives, respect your friends and companions; respect nature itself. And how is it that, being free, you possess a servile soul—and this, too, while being daughter to Theocleia and betrothed to Thamyris?" Saying this, she summoned the bridegroom, who came flying, thinking he had been called for the sake of the wedding. When he heard from her how Thecla was, and that three full days and nights had passed, and she had not once left the window, nor given even the slightest thought to food or drink, but remained hanging only ^B upon the words of Paul; when Thamyris heard this from the mother, and she added, "Do you go to her—for you are her betrothed—and try through your own words to make her leave the window," Thamyris approached immediately and became all things in his words, at one moment flattering, at another exhorting, and at another trying to turn her back with sharper phrases. "Why do you not look at your Thamyris," he said, "at your bridegroom, my dearest one? Whom else do you love, despising my love for you? Why are you so beside yourself, why are you so possessed? Have I perhaps offended you against your will, my dearest? Have we peradventure failed to serve you in accordance with your desires? We are perhaps ready for the wedding. The marriage songs are delayed by ^C songs of mourning. And if you wish, let everything be completed. Or are we to wait even longer? For I hang upon your will, Thecla, and upon your nod alone." He said these things, and he tried to lure her to himself with pleading gestures, also gently touching her linen garment. "Arise," he added, "let us eat; arise, let us drink. For what is the benefit to us of this great abstinence?" He spoke thus; but the mourning was common to all those in the house: to Thamyris, failing to win his bride; to Theocleia, for her child; to the maids, for their mistress; and there was great confusion in this, and grief beyond all consolation.

III. But Thecla had little care for even these things; she persisted in what she had begun and would not ^D at all leave the window, her mind entirely intent and fixed upon the words of Paul. When Thamyris saw this, and that he was bestowing his efforts on a matter that would by no means succeed, struck by bitter jealousy, anger, and rage, he went out into the street and was standing watch, to see who was entering to Paul and who was coming out. And indeed he saw two men fighting and arguing with each other. These were Demas and Hermogenes, whom the narrative has already previously identified, and [noted that] they followed Paul, but in no way followed his way of life; and when Thamyris happened upon them, and...

^A sought information regarding Paul, he found them in agreement with his own desires. For they stated that as for this man, they did not precisely know who he might be, but that he legislates virginity, saying that if you do not remain chaste, your bodies will not arise after death, nor would you become heirs of life. And saying these things, he deprives young men of wives, and virgins of husbands, asserting celibacy, and by this fact deceiving the minds of the simpler folk. Thamyris, therefore, having immediately gained the favor of these men, receives them into his own house to lodge, and having set before them a most sumptuous meal, he inquired more curiously concerning Paul and took them as counselors, as to how he might overcome him and, having removed him from the midst, might not be cheated of Thecla, who was betrothed to him. But Demas and Hermogenes said, "To the governor Castellius, make known the manner of his life: how he is subverting the crowds with this common and strange doctrine of the Christians; and for the rest, it will be his concern, according to the edict of Caesar, to destroy Paul; and thus it will be possible for you to possess your wife, free, in freedom. But we also will not neglect you, but rather, as much as we are able to do, we will assist together."

IV. Thamyris therefore, still full of jealousy and anger, ^B rising at daybreak, arrives at the house of Onesiphorus, together with magistrates and no small band [of men]; and then, falling upon Paul, he said, "You corrupt, O man, the city of the Iconians; and you have persuaded Thecla, who is betrothed to me, so that she holds my marriage in no account. Come, therefore, to render an account of this deed of yours before the governor." When he said these things, the whole multitude assented to him, crying out, "Away with the impostor, for he has ruined all our wives." Thamyris, therefore, standing before the tribunal, surrounded by a great multitude of men, said with a loud voice, "This man, we know not whence he is, but he forbids virgins to marry, and fills this city with confusion; let him say, then, for what reason he does this." But Demas and Hermogenes, those unlearned disciples of good things, and perhaps in no way inferior to the wickedness of Judas, suggested to him, saying "Speak, that he is a Christian, and he shall most quickly perish."

V. The governor ^C then, focusing his mind and having brought Paul to stand closer to himself, says, "Who are you, and what are those things you teach? For they do not accuse you of a trifle." But Paul, lifting his voice, said, "If I am examined today concerning my teaching, listen to my words, O proconsul. The living God, the God of vengeance, the God who is in need of nothing but seeks only the salvation of men, has sent me to proclaim His own Son, Jesus Christ, whom indeed I also proclaim, and I teach men to have their hope in Him, who alone has had compassion on the wandering world; so that [men] may no longer live in hypocrisy, but may have faith, and having their hearts constrained by the fear of God, may renounce all evil works, and live in purity and the love of the truth. If, therefore, I, O proconsul, teach those things which have been revealed to me by God, what injustice am I found to be doing?" Having heard these ^D things, Pau

^Al he orders to be bound and thus delivered into prison, until it might be convenient for him to inquire more fully into matters concerning him.

VI. Upon learning this, Thecla, moved by intense zeal, gives to the gatekeeper of her house the earrings, necklaces, and small ornaments she had, all fashioned of gold; and having thus obtained free exit, she arrives at the prison by night. Then, having again purchased entry from the jailer with a silver mirror, she goes in to Paul. Sitting at his feet, she lent attentive ears to his words, which were sweeter than any honeycomb or honey. Neither was there any fear in Paul of suffering anything harsh; and her faith, as she kissed his chains, increased more and more.

When, however, as soon as it was day, Thecla was sought by her own kin and by Thamyris as one lost, and was being pursued through the streets, and one of the gatekeeper’s fellow-servants revealed what had happened—that she had gone out at night—the gatekeeper, being handed over to interrogation, said she had gone to that stranger who was being held in prison. They went immediately to the jail and found her, in a certain way, bound to Paul by the chains of desire. And saying or doing nothing more than this, they left again. Then, having stirred up the crowds, they made this known to the governor, who ordered Paul to be led to the tribunal. ^B Thecla, in the meantime, was mourning, left behind, and rolling upon the spot where Paul, while sitting, had given his teaching.

Then, when the governor ordered her also to be brought, the celebrated virgin did not look to her nature, that she was a woman; but the very fact that she was about to face punishment with Paul, or rather for Paul, as if it were a glorious matter, added great alacrity to her spirit. The crowd, however, when Paul was again brought out, used great shouting, saying, "He is a sorcerer; let him perish." But they did not easily persuade the proconsul, whose favor the words of Paul had gained, and who gladly heard those things which he discoursed upon in public regarding the sacred works of Christ.

Having summoned Thecla, he said, "Why do you not marry Thamyris according to the law of the Iconians?" But Thecla held the proconsul, with his words and the pride of his office, to be of small account and indeed worthless; wherefore she did not answer him even one word, but was gazing entirely at Paul, ^C as if from his sight alone she had the power to breathe and live. Theoclea, her mother, seeing these things, and stirred by a surge of anger to such an extent that she forgot completely that she was a mother, said, "Burn the lawless one, burn the enemy of marriage, in the middle of the stadium and the theater."

VII. The governor was then exceedingly troubled in his soul, and being at a complete loss, he scourged Paul and cast him out of the city, but condemned Thecla to be burned. He himself arose and hurried to the theater, and all the crowd went out to see this spectacle. Thecla, however, as a lamb in the desert looks for its shepherd, so was she looking all around for Paul; and as she was thus looking about, Christ appeared to her, sitting in the form of Paul.

^A Then she said to herself, "Because I am not of a sufficiently great and generous spirit, for this reason Paul offers himself to my sight." And while she looked intently at him, he departed into the heavens before her very eyes. Meanwhile, the boys and maidens were bringing wood and brush to burn Thecla. When she was led in naked, the governor was immediately struck by the sight of her beauty and grace; a great compassion entered into him, that such a maiden was about to perish, and for this reason he was brought even to manifest tears. The wood now having been laid out, the executioners ordered her to mount it. She mounted, marking herself with the sign of the cross, and the executioners lit the fire. ^B The fire, having seized that great pile of material and grown vehemently, did not touch her at all. For it was necessary that what had been proclaimed by the divine Isaiah should be fulfilled in her: "Even if you pass through water, I am with you, and the rivers shall not overwhelm you; and if you pass through fire, you shall not be burned." And indeed she was not burned; for a cloud of water overshadowed her, and hail was poured out over the entire ground, so that the fire was extinguished, and many of those who were standing by perished, but Thecla was preserved without harm.

VIII. Meanwhile, Paul was occupied in fasting, along with Onesiphorus, his wife, and their children, in an open tomb lying by the road that leads from Iconium to Daphne. ^C Because their fast was prolonged for a long time, hunger began to afflict the children; and they approached Paul. "We are hungry," they said, "and we have nothing with which to buy bread." For Onesiphorus had already renounced the things of the world and was following Paul with his whole household. Paul, therefore, taking off his cloak, gave it to the boy and said, "Go, and with this buy as much bread as you can and bring it to us." When he was buying the bread, lo, he saw Thecla, and he was completely astonished, for he recognized her, since she lived in the same neighborhood as he. "Where, then, O Thecla," he said, "where are you going?" "I am pursuing Paul," she said, "having just been saved from the fire." And the boy said, ^D "But I will bring you to him, since he has great concern for you, and for six whole days now he has been occupied in fasting and prayer." When Thecla arrived at the tomb, Paul was bowed on his knees and saying, "Lord Jesus Christ, let not the fire touch your servant Thecla," while she stood behind him. "Father," she cried out, "who made heaven and earth, I bless you, because you have saved me from the fire, that I might see Paul." When Paul arose and saw Thecla, full of joy he said, "God, who knows the heart, Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, I give you thanks, because what I asked of you, you have granted me." And there was great cheer within the tomb, with Paul and Onesiphorus and all who were with them exulting for joy (they had five loaves of bread, and with them herbs and water), and they were rejoicing continually over the works of Christ which they perceived within themselves. Then Thecla said to Paul, "I will cut off my hair and change my garment, and with a ready mind I will

follow you wherever you may go." He replied, "The times are shameful, and you possess a beautiful appearance. See to it that another temptation, worse than the first, does not overtake you, and that you do not succumb to it out of timidity." But she said, "If only I am deemed worthy of the seal in Christ, no temptation shall ever touch me." Paul said to her, "You must be patient, and the gift of God will come to you." Having said this, Paul sent Onesiphorus back home with his whole family, but taking Thecla with him, he went away to Antioch.

^A IX. There, as soon as they entered the city, a certain Syrian named Alexander, a leading man among the Antiochenes and a person of great power throughout that entire region, saw Thecla and immediately fell in love with her. He fervently pleaded with Paul on her behalf, promising to deposit large sums of money and gifts. Paul replied, "I do not know this woman, nor does she belong to me." But Alexander, relying on his influence, which was very great in that city, impudently embraced her and tried to kiss her in the middle of the street. She, however, could not endure the man and pushed him away, seeking ^B Paul, her spiritual bridegroom. Raising her voice, she said, "Do not use force against me, for I am a servant of God. Do not use force! I am a leading woman of the Iconians, and I have been cast out of my city for this very reason: that I did not wish to marry Thamyris." Saying this with a great cry, she caught hold of Alexander's cloak, tore it, and took the wreath from his head, putting him to shame before everyone. Unable to bear the disgrace, he dragged her before the governor; and since she did not deny it but confessed what she had done, she was condemned to be thrown to the wild beasts. ^C However, the women who were present, moved by sympathy for a fellow member of their own sex and considering the matter to be something that concerned them all as well, censured the sentence, openly crying out before the tribunal, "An evil judgment!" But Thecla, still anxious for her chastity, implored the governor that she might remain pure until she was delivered to the beasts. Now there was a wealthy woman named Tryphaena, whose daughter, Falconilla, had died; she was entrusted with Thecla, and in the meantime, Thecla became a consolation to her. Then, as she was being led forth to fight the beasts, ^D they bound her to a bitter lioness. Tryphaena did not leave her side, but followed her until she had entered the very theater. The lioness, however, carrying Thecla, acted so gently and guardedly that she not only showed no wild or savage behavior toward her, but even touched her feet softly with its tongue, licking them. (Now the reason for the written charge brought against her was sacrilege.) When the crowd saw this, even those who were most passionate and who, out of hatred, had been pursuing the matter, were astounded and, calling God to witness, declared the judgment to be impious. Then Tryphaena took Thecla back once more, as she was destined to fight with the beasts again. However, her deceased daughter appearing to Tryphaena in a dream—for these things were an economy of God and of His philanthropy—said, "My mother, take the stranger Thecla to fill the place of my

position. For if she prays to the place of the righteous, she can move me there." When sleep left Tryphaena, having her daughter Falconilla's words in mind, she said to Thecla, "My second daughter, pray to your God so that Falconilla may live for the ages. For she asked this of me in a dream." Thecla, having heard these things, and stretching forth her hands and raising her voice, said, "O God, Son of the true God, grant to Tryphaena according to Thy will, so that her daughter may live for the eternal time with Thee." Tryphaena indeed rejoiced at hearing these things, but was tormented on the other side, because Thecla was to be cast again to the beasts. As it was already dawn, Alexander comes to the house of Tryphaena to take Thecla; for the [care of the] spectacle devolved upon him. But Tryphaena would not yield Thecla to him in any way; but crying out loudly, "What is this?" she said. "Why do you bring a second mourning upon me into my house, and there is no one to help me? I have no husband, for I am a widow; I have no child, for she is dead. God of Thecla, my child, become a helper to Thecla." Having spoken thus in the distress of her soul, she sends away the servant of Alexander's soul. The governor learns of these things, and soldiers are sent to bring Thecla. [I] Tryphaena did not even then depart from Thecla, but taking her by the hand, she went away, saying, "My daughter Falconilla I have sent to the tomb before; but you, my child Thecla, I accompany as you are about to fight with the beasts." The martyr, having heard these things, was brought to tears and groans, and said, "O Lord, my Lord and King, in whom I believed, to whom I fled, and from the fire was saved, render to Tryphaena a reward worthy of her humanity towards me, Thy servant, and in that she has kept me thus unstained." There was then a tumult and a crash and a very great clamor of the people, and confusion; with the women sitting together and speaking against one another, some saying, "Bring in the sacrilegious woman," but others, not at all acquiescing in what was happening, crying out, "Why, O governor, do you not destroy us all together? A wicked judgment, an unjust sentence passed against the virgin." Thecla, therefore, having been taken from the hands of Tryphaena, was stripped; and having taken a loincloth, she was thrown into the stadium, and lions and bears were let loose against her. One lioness, however, fiercer than the others, quickly lay down at the feet of the martyr, and the multitude of women immediately cried out. But a bear having rushed at the saint, the lioness, as if defending her, met and tore it to pieces. Then a lion is let loose against her, which belonged to Alexander but was trained to devour human beings; and this one also, as it came to a struggle with the lioness, both perish by being torn by one another. And then they let loose many of the beasts, while Thecla stood and was praying to God. And when the prayer also had an end, having turned, she sees a ditch full of water. Then, "Now is the time," she said, "for me to be washed," and at the same time she let herself down into the water. "In Thy name," she said,

^A "Lord Jesus Christ, on this my last day, I am baptized." The women, however, feeling deeply for her, and having pity upon her—for it seemed to them that she would perish—cried out, "Do not do thus!" Nor to them alone, but to the governor himself, the occurrence seemed worthy of mercy, lest the seals that were in the water should destroy a beauty so wonderful. But this was nowise to come to pass, since Christ, upon whom she wholly depended, was caring for Thecla. For the splendor of fire and lightning, shining upon the seals, destroyed all of them [as they] were floating on the surface; but a cloud of fire overshadowed Thecla, which not only made her untouchable to the beasts, but also allowed her not to be seen naked by anyone. The women, however, when other beasts were set upon her, raised a clamor, and one casting nard, another cassia, a third amomum, and another yet a different kind of spice upon Thecla, looked upon her as one possessing something of divinity, and as entirely superior to the human lot.

^A XI. Furthermore, all the beasts sent in against her, as if bound by some muzzle or lethargy, did not touch her even in the slightest, so that Alexander, despairing of all his contrivances, said to the governor, "O governor, to me, bulls are very formidable; let us therefore bind Thecla to these." And he, overcome by sadness, said, "Do what seems best to you." Having therefore stripped Thecla, they bind her by the feet between the bulls; then they apply irons glowing with fire to their genitals, so that the animals, thus distressed and further irritated to their natural ferocity, might ^B drag her more fiercely and destroy Thecla. But even thus their machinations were to no avail; and "Iniquity," to speak with the divine David, "lied to itself." For immediately the bulls leaped up, uttering a horrible bellowing, and the bonds of the ropes fastened to them were consumed by the fire; and Thecla was free, and as if she had not been bound at all in the stadium. This struck fear into the whole city. Tryphæna, struck by such a great calamity, was seen lying upon the raised benches of the amphitheater, like one dead. Alexander, too, fearing greatly for himself, begged the governor to release Thecla: "Lest," he said, "this city perish with you and with me. ^C For if Caesar hears of this, and of the suffering that his kinswoman Tryphæna endures through us, he will destroy us all together." The governor therefore summoned Thecla from the middle of the theater: "Who are you?" he asked, "and what is this about you, that not one of the beasts has touched you?" She said, "I am a servant of the living God. And the matters concerning me are these, that I have believed in His Son, Jesus Christ, in whom He is well pleased; because of whom not one of the beasts touched me; for He Himself is my salvation and the foundation of immortal life; and he who does not believe in Him shall not have life, ^D but shall die forever." Hearing these things, the governor, and [observing] how [she] and her words...

he was struck by the words of the martyr, ordered garments to be brought, and commanded her to clothe herself in them. To whom she said: "He who clothed me while I was naked and fighting against the beasts, He Himself will clothe you with salvation on the day of judgment." And having taken them, she put them on. ^A In addition to these things, the governor, adding to his good deed, sent a letter to the Iconians, writing as follows: "I dismiss to you Thecla, the pious worshiper of God." Upon this, all the women rejoiced and with a loud voice gave praise to God, crying out: "One is the God of Thecla; one is the God who preserved Thecla." With this voice the whole city resounded. And Tryphaena, having received such happy news, went out with a great multitude to meet her, so that she might embrace her; and she said, "Now I can believe that Thecla, my child, lives. Come now to my house, my daughter, and I will sign over all my possessions to you." Thecla therefore went home with Tryphaena; and having rested there for a few days, both of them taught the word of the Lord, so that most of the handmaidens believed, and the house of Tryphaena was filled with joy.

XII. But the spiritual love for Paul did not allow Thecla to remain quiet for long; rather, she was anxious in her heart, sending everywhere on earth and seeking him out. ^B And when she learned that he was in Myra of Lycia, she took many servants and handmaidens with her, and having changed her tunic into a cloak in the likeness of a man, she set out for him with great desire and fervor of spirit. She found Paul in Myra discussing things divine, and she suddenly stood before him, while he was unaware of any such thing; and when he and the crowd that was with him saw her, he was struck with astonishment, pondering whether what he saw was another temptation. But Thecla, approaching, said, "I have received the washing, Paul. For He who worked with you for the Gospel has also granted to me that I should be washed." ^C Then Paul took her with him and led her to the house of Hermias, and there Thecla recounted to Paul in detail everything that had happened to her in Antioch; so that he marveled greatly, and the faith of those who heard was strengthened, and they embraced the kindness of Tryphaena and prayed to God on her behalf, because she had sent a great abundance of gold and silver and clothing through Thecla to Paul, that the poor might be succored.

XIII. Further, when Thecla had reached Iconium according to the judgment of Paul, she was teaching the word of God there; and having gone to the house of Onesiphorus, she fell to the ground ^D where Paul used to sit and teach. For such is the power of desire, that when one cannot see the very person one longs for, the sight of anything that belonged to him brings solace to one’s ardor. Therefore, falling to the ground with joy, she watered it with hot tears; and having lifted up her hands in prayer, she said, "I thank You, O Lord my God, and this house where You, Christ Jesus, Son of the living God, shone Your light upon me; You who became my helper in prison, my helper before the governor, my helper among the beasts and in the fire. I thank You, for You alone are God, and to You alone belongs

^A glory and worship unto the ages." She found, however, [that] Thamyris [was] dead, but her own mother [was] still alive. Having taken her aside at leisure, she said: "Theoclea, my mother, can you believe that the Lord God is living in the heavens? For if you are a lover of riches, God will provide these for you through me; but if [you are a lover] of a child, I stand here for you." Saying these things and many more, she was entreating and imploring her. But to Theoclea these were merely empty sounds of words, which would indeed diffuse to the ears, but would not touch her heart even in the slightest; for she had stopped her ears, like the asp, so as not to hear the voice

^A of the enchanters, having become as one deaf. They confer among themselves, saying: "This virgin, since she is a priestess of the great Diana—as they supposed in their great folly—is beloved by her for keeping her virginity most strictly. And because of this, whatever she may ask of her, she obtains, and [the goddess] performs what she desires. Since, therefore, there is no other cause for her intimacy with the goddess than the excellence of her purity, let us destroy this; and taking men of wicked life and youths for these purposes, and having excited their passions with an abundance of wine and gifts of gold, let us set them upon her." Having devised this plan, they carry it out; and youths, the most wanton and abominable of all, were chosen by them and sent against the virgin to wage a most shameful contest; and, what was worse, having their wickedness already bound by pay, receiving the reward of their vile crime before the very victory.

They stand, therefore, at the cave and knock upon the door. But she (for she had learned by divine grace for what purpose the arrival of the wicked ones was approaching), said: "Children, what do you want?" Thus she spoke mildly, for she wished to turn aside their shameless and bold assault with the gentleness of her character and the simplicity of her words. They, however, ask: "Is there someone here by the name of Thecla?" And the blessed one said: "Why do you need to seek her? I am she." ^B And they immediately showed themselves to be those whose throat is an open sepulchre (Ps. v, 10), pouring forth an impure response from an impure source as from an impure fountain. "What else," they said shamelessly, "but to sleep with you? For we have come here for this." ^C But she—oh, the holy soul and voice of that woman!—said: "I am a humble old woman, yet I am a handmaid of our Lord Jesus Christ; and even if you try to compel me to do something wicked, you will not be able." The wicked ones persisted, confirming by this very thing that they were wicked, saying that it was impossible to depart before they had done what they desired. Saying these things and inciting one another, they seized her firmly; but she, both by her manner and by her gentle speech, said: "But wait, children, and you shall see the glory of God."

As she had no other course of action, held fast by that assembly of evildoers and surrounded by many dogs (for they had her in their hands and were rushing upon her with frantic violence), she lifted her eyes to heaven and said: "Lord Almighty, the only one who is powerful and merciful, the hope of the hopeless, the help of the helpless, ^D who delivered me from fire, from beasts, from Thamyris and Alexander, and from the deep, reaching out to me a helping hand everywhere; and who were pleased that your divine name should be glorified in me—even now, Lord my God, deliver me from the hand of these wicked men, and do not allow my virginity to be violated by outrage, which I have preserved for your sake and your name; because I love you, O blameless spouse, and I worship you, Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, now and unto the ages." And when she had finished saying "Amen," a voice came to her from heaven, saying: "Do not fear, Thecla; for I am with you, my true handmaid,"

just lift up your eyes and see how the rock before your sight has been opened. That will be your perpetual dwelling place; within it you shall receive your rest." ^A The martyr, paying heed to this, saw the rock opened before her, enough to accommodate a human being. Wherefore she, pursuant to the command given to her, slipped from the hands of those holding her and cast herself into the rock, the two parts of which immediately came together and fused into one, in such a way that no seam at all appeared.

As for those impure ones, beholding this great miracle, a huge helplessness of counsel and consternation of spirit befell them; nor were they able to do anything further, except that, since they were still holding her with their hands, they grasped at the cloak she wore on her shoulders and tore off a piece of it. This happened by divine dispensation, partly for the sake of confirming such a great event, and partly for the praise and consolation of those who would subsequently be pious worshippers and friends of God. ^B

This noble virgin was led to martyrdom in the eighteenth year of her age; but during her journey, the discipline of piety she practiced on the mountain, and the whole of that period, seventy-two years were passed, so that the protomartyr departed to God already in her ninetieth year. Such was the end of the admirable Thecla, such her life, such her martyrdom for Christ. Let us have her as an ever-watchful guardian of our souls, an advocate well-pleasing before God, and a ready help in dangers. That through her intercessions we might attain eternal blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen. ^C

CONCERNING THE LIFE AND STRUGGLE OF SAINT CYPRIAN OF ANTIOCH

BY D. ÉMILE BLAMPIGNON

ADMONITION

From a booklet which a licentiate presented to the Faculty of Letters in Paris, concerning St. Cyprian and the early Carthaginian Church. — 1862.

That Cyprian, who is falsely held by the Greeks to be the Bishop of Carthage, appears to have been a martyr of the fourth century from Antioch or Nicomedia. His history, replete with miraculous occurrences, and especially since it relied upon the name of the greatest and most well-known Cyprian, greatly delighted the peoples of the East, who were generally fond of prodigies. Photius indeed in his ^D *Bibliotheca* declares that Eudocia Augusta, the daughter of Leontius the philosopher of Athe-

daughter of the [emperor], and wife of Theodosius the Younger, composed the acts of Cyprian of Antioch and the holy Justina in verse, "not," she says, "deflecting or contracting the sense in any way, but keeping the meaning as strictly as she could." Martène and Durand first published the *Acta* in the *Thesaurus anecdotorum*, vol. III, from a manuscript of St. Ouen of Rouen. Finally, the Bollandists provided different acts in volume VII of September (published in 1760). Now, Aldhelm, an author of the seventh century, in his poem *De Virginibus*, appearing in Canisius’s *Lectiones antiquae* (b), sang of many things by which he shows most clearly to all that he believed—a point which many, even among modern writers, have not sufficiently noted—that the Cyprian who was skilled in the magic arts was the Antiochene, not the great bishop of Carthage (c).

Then famous was Cyprian, with tricky deceit, Learned in the horrifying art of wicked magicians, Who then promised to bring aid to the one requesting it, Structuring very many machinations of a sacred mind In such a way that he might contend with the dire arms of a demon.

Concerning whom the *Menaea* also sing on the second day of October: Satan grieves, seeing his old friend Loving to die with Justina by the sword; Cyprian was beheaded on the second, along with Justina.

The confession or repentance and prayer of that same Cyprian have sometimes been attributed to our own [Cyprian] thoughtlessly; they are found in the Oxford edition, and in Durand, Maran, and the Bollandist collections. Now, Symeon Metaphrastes narrates this history concerning Cyprian—a story at once most delightful and most fabulous—blending both, if I may say so, into one, which Surius translated into Latin. Since that narrative has never been published in Greek, it seems to us worth the effort to transcribe it from an ancient manuscript of the Parisian library. It certainly provides much delight, as it expresses from the truth the natures of the Greeks—and above all, of the Metaphrast—who are so fond of wondrous things. Indeed, it clearly declares how it came about that a history [once] sincere and original, [*authentikḗ*], ended up definitively as a fable, or, as we say, a legend.

THE LIFE AND MARTYRDOM OF THE HOLY CYPRIAN AND JUSTINA

^A [Manuscript codex of the Imperial Library of Paris, Coislin, no. 145, 10th century. A. Along with five other imperial library manuscripts with various readings: No. 1512, 12th century, indicated by the letter B; the catalogue does not identify this one, but it provided us with many various readings. No. 1524, 12th century, signified by C; it is intact. No. 1546, 13th century, in which many things are missing, D. No. 1555, 14th century, in which several pages are missing, E. No. 1558, 14th century, it is complete, F.]

I. Many things, and great ones, urge me to admire Antioch, seeing that even before the whole world ^B [Bandini in *Anecdota*. See *Patrologia Graeca* vol. LXXXV, col. 827. Eudocia took Cyprian for a magician, and does not think of the Carthaginian.]

But he, inflamed with anger, besought the man of evil deeds, Cyprian, knowledgeable in unholy magic, And, promising him two talents of gold And of bright silver, [persuaded him] so that he might by force compel The virgin, who was unwilling to nod consent to his love, Not fearing the strong, tireless power of Christ.

Incited further by these things, he calls upon the man Powerful in the wicked magic art, a suppliant seeking Cyprian by name, And promising two talents of gold and silver, He urges him to force the heart of the dear maiden, [which was] resisting, To yield to his burning love, Ignorant of how the virtue of Christ is incapable of being broken.

^A the earth joyfully received the seed cast by the holy disciples of Christ, and Christians were first named in it, according to the great Luke; and because it brought forth into life a hundred and sixty men who grew the spike of evangelical virtue, and not men only, but also not a few women. Forgoing, therefore, the admiration of the beauty of temples, and the magnitude of walls, and the multifarious plants, and the land flourishing with goods, which the flowing Orontes irrigates, I shall set forth the story of Justina in my discourse; she who, having renewed her heart after the long ages since the holy apostles with their teachings, sprouted an athletic spike, very beautiful indeed, and quite laden with fruit. Her fatherland was that which we have mentioned, Antioch, and Aedesius and Cledonia were her parents. But this beautiful plant first bore many thorns; for she herself also followed the error of her parents (for they were worshippers of idols and adversaries of God), and she honored and worshipped their idols.

^B When she was advancing in age in time, and reached a firmer understanding, the light of the knowledge of God entered her, as one who was a vessel worthy of such illumination and grace; and she began to condemn the weakness of the idols, and to acknowledge the true and only God. With such ascents of reasoning the virgin, first purging her soul, was being prepared for the sowing of the saving seed. While she was pondering these things within herself, and, being at leisure, was seeking the exact knowledge from God, a certain Praylius, a deacon in Antioch, having the maiden as a listener—as it so happened—set forth the things concerning the dispensation and incarnation of our Savior and God: how the Creator of the ages came to pity his own creation, and how Gabriel, the prince ^C of the heavenly orders, became the harbinger of the mystery to the Virgin who had been kept before the generations, and how she conceived in the womb, and having labored, gave birth, and how a star, more conspicuous than the others, made known the birth of the Child to the Magi; and following these things, he set forth His manifest appearance in His own world, His sojourn therein, the saving teachings, the miracles, the envy that arose because of these, the cross, the burial, and finally the divine resurrection itself. And these things did Praylius recount. But Justa (for so she was called previously) was committing these hearings to her own soul as good earth receives seeds, and thus penetrating more accurately into the truth ^D as the hours passed, she held the idols in great ridicule, but inscribed the things of the healthy faith upon the tablets of the heart; whence she desired to come into the sight of Praylius; alone

for she had only heard the things spoken by him, and she sought to be more perfectly initiated into the knowledge of these things.

^B III. But, not yet wishing her virginal face to be seen, she decided not to look upon the deacon; yet, going secretly to the church, she thus desired to see the Lord, who draws near to those who seek Him. A short time having intervened, she decided to share with her mother the things she had learned: Why, O mother, she said, do we worship gods whom our own hands fashion? Why do we worship the works of craftsmen? Why is it that we light the altar fire, but do not light the lamp of the soul, nor purchase the pearl? Do you not know the Galilaeans? (For so the inhabitants are accustomed to call the followers of Christ.) These are far more terrifying than the gods who are thought to exist among us. For if one of them ever appears where the idols are, immediately those who are worshipped by us fear and shudder, like thieves or fugitives. And rightly so; for they steal the honor due to God, and furthermore, they destroy our own souls.

^C IV. Justa said these things, but her mother did not agree with what was being said; for she was held fast by a foolish impiety. Whereupon she said, "See to it that your father does not learn of the contempt you have for the gods." But Justa said: "I would be more than content, even if it were known to my father and to everyone; for I will no longer endure walking in darkness from this point on, since I have come to know the Lord, who was made known to me through Praylius, as the only strong and living God, and the one who receives those who turn away from error."

The mother, therefore, gradually yielding, contended nothing against what was being said, but rather signified her assent by [her] silence. ^D Later, on one of the nights, she disclosed to her husband the things she had heard from her daughter. He neither rejected what he had heard entirely, nor was he again ready to accept it. Struggling in his sleep, he wrestled with anxieties, until, overtaken by sleep, he saw an angelic host appear to him, having Christ in its midst, surrounded by them; he was stunned by the vision, and listened as He himself called out and said: "Come unto me, and I will grant you the kingdom of heaven." Then, rising, he sought no other testimony; but taking his wife and daughter, he asked a certain deacon of the Church to lead them to Optatus, who was at that time the bishop of the city.

They, therefore, implored that they be marked with the seal of Christ; but he hesitated, until Aedesius, the father, recounted to him the spontaneous conversion of his daughter, and carefully explained to him the vision. When he had heard this, he no longer delayed, nor

^A had need of many deliberations; but at once he fortified them with the sign of the cross as with a certain bulwark, and at the same time deemed them worthy of enlightenment. Aedesius thereafter continued to mock and denounce the institutions of deceit; for before this he had been a priest of idols.

V. ^B When he had been deemed worthy of this rank in the Church, and in the seat of the presbyters, to say with the divine David (Ps. cvii, 32), he praised Christ, and chose a life pleasing to God and most pure, and having lived for one year and six months, he departed to the Lord, for whose sake he had longed. The virgin, however, suffered nothing base nor unworthy of a noble soul; but rather, upon the foundation of faith, she built up virtues far more precious than gold and precious stones, and progressed. But it was entirely impossible for her, living in such a way, to escape the snares of the evil one; whence she did not escape, but he even tempted her, and acted with extreme hostility. Nevertheless, it must be observed that the story is not unpleasing, and that it is necessary to learn how she endured the trial.

VI. ^C A certain scholasticus, Aglaidas (who perhaps chanced upon such a name from his beauty), ^A this Aglaidas, then, being of a patrician family and abounding in wealth, had the means for pleasures, and was given over to licentious impulses. Therefore, having often seen the virgin passing by and arriving at the house of God, he was grievously wounded by her beauty as if by a dart; even though she, realizing it was slippery and treacherous, was constantly contriving by fasts and prayers to wither and obscure it. But this man, having eyes that were very wanton, first watched the roads and kept guard, and meeting her, he would speak fair words to her, praise her beauty, and call her blessed for her good fortune; then he would also signify his desire through certain signs, and capture his prey with many nets, as one might say. But to the virgin, all these things were esteemed as sheer nonsense and disgrace, and seemed more worthy of being laughed at than of being heeded by chaste eyes and ears.

VII. Aglaidas, therefore, having failed in such a purpose, traveled another road; he determined to seek her in the communion of marriage. ^D Justa, however, having confessed herself to be a bride to Christ alone, nobly disdained the others, saying: "Sufficient is the bridegroom who preserves my virginity, and keeps it unalloyed by any defilement." By these words Aglaidas was wounded more than by darts (for love, when it fails, is heavier and more violent); and since, as it is said, he had moved every stone, he found

the virgin immovable, firm, and stable, and one who could in no wise be captured by deceitful words. ^A Having gathered a not insignificant band and enlisted those skilled in such amorous pursuits, he attacked her on the road and attempted by force to lead her off where he desired. But immediately, as this bold and wicked deed became known in the city and in her mother's house, a great number of very brave men went forth with arms. These, once they were seen, caused those wicked and execrable companions to vanish—not yielding so much to force as being powerfully expelled by the shame of the affair.

^B VIII. But Aglaidas (for his passion was more violent than any shame), heedless of swords, of the crowd, or of anything else, and clinging to the virgin, was prepared to suffer anything rather than depart from her. She, however, was truly the very image of Joseph, who was most temperate and noble; and presenting the form of the Cross as a weapon—not so much against him as against the one who, through him, was secretly attempting to assault her—she immediately repelled and cast off the wicked man, and heaped every insult upon him, and, since he was worthy of it, filled his face with blows and spittle. But for him, who had proceeded to the extreme of folly—or rather, to madness and erotic frenzy—these things were of little concern; for there was one thing heavier than death itself: to fail to obtain Justina. ^C For this reason, sadness held him for a short time, and grief constrained him. But after desire had flared up again, so to speak—and he, being wholly unpracticed in resisting it, and very undisciplined, and unable to combat the craving with a noble mind—he did exactly what his passion commanded, and prepared himself for other, less open struggles.

IX. And since the discourse has reached this point, I wish to make the narrative once again simple and clear, speaking those things which bear a certain and manifest truth.

X. ^D A certain Cyprian was staying in Antioch at the time when Decius held the scepter of the empire. His fatherland was indeed Carthage in Libya, and his parents were of noble and wealthy rank; he devoted himself to philosophy and the art of magic. Having applied himself to these from an early age, he arrived at the peak of both, having brought to them both diligence and a most acute intellect. Having attained a great name, he desired not only for his glory to reach Carthage, but also wished to have the illustrious city of Antioch as a witness to his wisdom and his mastery of magical things; perhaps also expecting to learn there something which he had not learned up to that time.

^A XI. Aglaidas, therefore, having come to him and having recounted how he was affected, and that though he had set in motion his every art and hand, he had found no remedy for the evil, but had seen the maiden to be superior to all, finally added: "You alone are left to me as a consolation for my calamity, and relying on you alone, I have restrained the impulse to prefer death to life even until now. But you will surely not be indifferent, once you have freed me from such a calamity—how much wealth and gold you will have from us—since I, for my part, will provide these things to you in abundance, and better than all expectations." He spoke, and he had Cyprian listening and promising to resolve his distress for him as quickly as possible. The man therefore went away rejoicing, and already imagining that he would have the maiden in his hands before long.

Cyprian, meanwhile, straightway looked at his books—those capable of accomplishing such things—and having called one of the evil spirits, whom he knew to be ready and eager to assist in such base deeds, and whom he used as his ministers, wishing to bring about something great and monstrous: "If thou wilt serve me well and quickly," he said, "in this service, I shall bestow upon thee the greatest things afterward, and I shall cause thee to be foremost among all the others." But the other, speaking with the arrogance and pride to which he was accustomed: "And what is it," he said, "that shall not be done easily by me if I should wish it? For often I have shaken whole cities; often I have prepared a parricidal hand to be swift and bold in this very thing; I have cast implacable hatred upon brothers and spouses; I have prevented many who wished to live in virginity; upon monks dwelling in the mountains, accustomed to every fast, and who scarcely remembered the flesh at all, I have cast the desire of the flesh, and I have caused them to look gladly toward pleasures; others who wished to renounce all carnal things and those in which we delight, and were wanting to shift over to virtue, I have opposed ^B from another quarter, and I have made them despair of these reasonings, so that they might again diligently cling to their customary habits. But why am I led to say many words? The matter itself will now show how very useful I am for carrying out this service."

Having therefore taken this potion (for the vessel that was given was full), he sprinkled it upon the house of the maiden; "And if all things do not turn out for you according to your will, I am to be despised by you henceforth and held as useless, and you may charge us with the utmost weakness." And so these things were indeed done.

^C XII. The maiden, having risen about the third hour of the night to render prayers to God, was already growing warmer, and felt the assault of the tempter. But the more these things increased, the more she increased her prayers. And when the fire of the opposing spirit was being very intensely enkindled, she, enduring the violence, said: "I have remembered Thy name, O Lord, in the night, and I have rejoiced" (Ps. CXVII, 55). They have prepared a snare for my feet, and...

have bowed down my soul (Ps. LVI, 7). But I, while they were troubling me, was clothed in sackcloth, and I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer shall return into my own bosom (Ps. XXXIV, 13). By this I knew that Thou hast favored me, because my enemy shall not rejoice over me (Ps. XL, 12). Let their sword enter into their hearts, and their bows be broken (Ps. XXXV, 15); for to Thee, the living God, I have dedicated myself with my whole soul and heart. Using these weapons against the tempter, the noble virgin, and then casting upon him the sign of the cross—intolerable to the enemy—filled him with shame, and with great fear she drove away the demon.

XIII. But he, having returned to Cyprian, was ashamed to confess that he had been defeated; and ^B by winding through many twistings, he turned himself this way and that. Nevertheless, being questioned diligently and subtly—although he is a friend of lies, and even against his will speaks the truth—he openly reveals what he wished greatly to conceal: "I saw a certain sign," he said, "and I trembled greatly, and I did not sustain his power." Being thus condemned, his demon is soon summoned, far more fierce than the previous one at acting. And when he went off and had immediately done similar things, he was repulsed and driven back by the same weapons, and with disgrace he approached him who had sent him. After these, he himself was present who was called the father and prince ^C of the demons; he threatened punishment to those who had been sent before, as people who had not handled this matter skillfully or fittingly, as he thought. For among demons, beyond other evils, arrogance and boastfulness abound. But he ordered Cyprian to be of good courage and that there should be no concern for him regarding what was proposed.

XIV. What, then, followed after these things? He himself stirs up a new and different war, which has much deceit and cunning; for departing, he sat beside the maiden in female attire; and although he is the most impudent and by far most audacious of all, he did not fear to say that he had been sent to her by God. "In order," he said, "that I may dwell with you, and for a long time sustain your manner of living with you; for I myself also am held ^D by the same desire for virginity. But what reward I shall receive for the sake of it, I wish to learn from you; for the matter truly seems to me great and dangerous, and requiring many struggles." But she said that the matter of truth indeed requires sweat; but when you look to the rewards and the crowns, you will count the slothfulness of the

^A good as nothing. From this point, wickedness, having seized an opportunity, began to perform its own work: "What," it said, "was the profit to Eve before the tasting of the tree? Whence then would the world have come to be? Whence would those who now exist have received their being, if marriage and connection had been abolished, had Eve not tasted the sweet eating of the tree, had she not known the man who was created for this very purpose, and if all had chosen to remain virgins? Whence would children be born, that sweet consolation to all mankind, that reviving of the world which is gradually passing away?"

XV. 15 Having heard these words, Justina did not suffer the fate of our first mother Eve, but she immediately rose up and turned aside the wicked counselor; whence she also sent forth the customary weapon against him, namely the sign of the cross. And he indeed, who had boasted more than others, affected by greater shame, was immediately cast out. As for her, she again returned to her prayers and supplications to God. After this, he whose spirits were formerly insolent and glorious, appeared humble and abject ^B to Cyprian, and showing clear signs of his defeat upon his face. And he said, "And you, who are so great, have you been overcome by such a girl? And in what did she trust to be able to do such great things against you who are so great?" Then the demon—though it was truly divine power that drove the adversary of truth to speak these things—said, "We cannot endure the sign of the cross; we cannot even bear to see it being formed, but we take to flight with all our might, even before it is completely traced." What necessity was there for the father of lies, the creator and procurer of wickedness, to reveal these things, so that it was no less a miracle for him to indicate that he, the arrogant and proud one, had been overcome, than that he had been so prostrated by a girl? ^C But these things were spoken to one who was intelligent; and having seized the opportunity, the wise man became wiser. For he immediately understood that if the Crucified One can do such things, how great is the folly of abandoning Him to follow His enemies, who are so feeble and so easily terrified.

XVI. 16 Having turned these things over in his mind, Cyprian immediately went to his books, and as though they were fountains of evils, as though they were treasures of demonic orgies, as though they were the delights and offerings of their wickedness, he decided to commit them to the fire. Telling his servants to carry them, he went to the church and, having met with the bishop (whose name was Anthimus), he requested to be inscribed among the sheep of Christ. But he—for he knew the man and recognized him ^D clearly as a wolf—thinking the matter was a trick, counseled him that those outside the Church were enough for him, and that he should not attempt to attack those within; "Lest," he said, "to you also..."

there fall an evil end." Cyprian recounted everything, and brought forward all the things by which he might make his faith credible, with the greatest moderation, and he testified that the faith of Christ was invincible. For he said that Justa had recently made this known to him, by which she had put many demons to flight. "But take also these books," he said, "which were the source of my evils, and commit them to the fire, so that the demons too may know that after this there shall be nothing in common between me and them; for these were the intercessors for procuring for me love toward them." The bishop, persuaded by these things that the man was changed, immediately committed those books to the fire, as was indeed fitting; but him he blessed and dismissed, after admonishing him much and securing him to remain in the things which he had resolved.

^B

XVII. Immediately, therefore, a great repentance for his former deeds came upon Cyprian, and from that time he departed from his wicked and flagitious life, and he became as great an enemy to base vices as he had previously held friendship with them. Moreover, he applied as much zeal to the things that are honest and pleasing to God, as he had not even previously applied to those that are evil. A token of this beautiful transformation, after the burning of his books, was also the destruction of his idols, which was accomplished with such accuracy that not even a trace of them remained at all, if indeed the preceding time had seen anything of the sort with him. Then what? Having strewn ashes upon his head in token of his ignominy, and emitting heavy groans and sighs, and washing himself in tears, he conversed alone with Him alone who is present everywhere; and his heart was so inflamed with the love of God, and the fire of it so depressed all loftiness of mind, that he himself, by reason of his singular humility, refused to offer prayer to God with his mouth. Thus, Cyprian was indeed great when he devoted his zeal to demons, holding a primary place of honor among them; but he was greater still before God and Christians when he had been changed by a beautiful transformation, and had entered upon the path which leads to virtue. When, therefore, he had thus spent the whole night in confession, groans, and tears, in the morning of the day which held the Great Sabbath, he arrived at the Lord's house, having many who were contending with one another to see who could get there first to see him. Entering, therefore, he deemed it a favorable sign of his entry into the temple if the words of the reading were found to be in accord with his intention. And he had, indeed, placed his feet inside the church; and he had also, miraculously and beyond expectation, the deacon pronouncing these words of the Apostle: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; just as also the words of the

^A Prophet: "You have seen, O Lord, do not be silent; O Lord, do not depart from me" (Ps. XXXIV, 22). And another was reading to him from Isaiah, saying: "Behold, my servant shall have understanding, whom I have chosen" (Isa. LII, 13). Having judged that all these things corresponded to his own intention, he confirmed his soul more perfectly in the faith toward God, as he was possessed of great intelligence, and was most sharp-sighted in discerning what was necessary.

But when the time also summoned the catechumens of the church to go outside, while he remained inside, a certain deacon, Asterius by name, ordered him to leave. Yet he, wishing to show even there how keen, as it seems, and magnanimous and steadfast his spirit was, and that he was not easily compliant with everyone nor ready to yield to anything at all, said: "For what reason, deacon, do you contend to cast me, who have become a servant of Christ, out of the church? And why do you seek to break the intensity of my resolve?" ^B Upon this, the deacon stood by what he had decided, and insisted on driving him from the church, adding this statement: "You have not yet become perfect." But he, being powerfully struck by that saying, said: "Christ, who has rendered the demons powerless, who saved the virgin, who had pity on me, who am unworthy, lives! You shall not bar me from the entrance to the church; I will not withdraw from it unless I have also become perfect."

Greatly stunned by the things spoken, the deacon makes these things known to the bishop, and how he himself was casting Cyprian out of the church, but he loved to remain inside, and did not deem it worthy to go out with the catechumens, wishing of himself to attain and be worthy not only of this but also of the mysteries that make one perfect. And Anthimus, who was most skillful in the saving of a soul, having carefully considered that the matter was divine, summons Cyprian ^C as quickly as possible, and after instructing him, he then cleanses him with the divine baptism; and on the eighth day he designates him a sacred herald and expositor of the mysteries of Christ, on the twentieth a subdeacon, and on the thirtieth he enrolls him among the deacons.

XVIII.

XIX.

^A moving along it so swiftly—as no other moved along the level and broad road that is easy for the many to tread—he attained in a short time the pinnacle of virtue. And he became the pastor of the Carthaginians, and not of Carthage alone, but also of all the West; or rather, he embraced the whole East as well with the wonder he inspired. He also took the truly noble virgin Justa, renamed her Justina, enrolled her among the deaconesses, entrusted to her the supervision of those in the convent, and set her over them as a mother. As for those who were set in opposition to the orthodox faith, by the light of his life and the sweetness of his tongue, he drew them, adding countless numbers to the Church each day. And, to sum up, as many as he addressed, whether present by his tongue or absent by his writings, he brought over to the right side; wherefore the flourishing state of the Greeks was at that time extinguished, and withered away like grass little by little. As he was thus faring, a war was stirred up against him by the wily one, not that he might ever prevail over him (for he knew that he could not possibly get the better of Cyprian), but so that, having seen Christ’s sheep deserted by their shepherd, he might then, like a wolf, fall upon them, tear them asunder, and destroy them.

XX. Having therefore managed to subject Decius ^B to himself (for he was at that time ruling the Romans), he incited him most bitterly against the Christians. And he was so much more eager to hunt down Cyprian alone than to capture all Christians combined; for he knew what a use that man’s tongue was to the Christians, and that if he captured him, he would easily subjugate those who were shepherded by him. When therefore he had moved every machine and trial against him, and saw that he was neither softened by promises of good things nor persuaded by threats of evils, he at last condemned the man to exile. But ^C he was so far from considering this punishment a great matter, even though it was an extreme evil, that, caring nothing for himself, he took care of others, and did not cease writing, admonishing, strengthening, and exhorting them to look only to the rewards proposed for virtue, and to hang upon the glory that is from above only, and to embrace swords, fire, and beasts as causes of good things, as they render the kingdom of heaven in exchange for brief and temporal pain. Cyprian did not only say these things, but he was also the first to do them, knowing that deeds are able to persuade far more than words, and by his own example he called others to a like zeal, as the discourse will show. For the wicked one, seeing that Cyprian was in the end thus striving to extinguish the error concerning ^D idols, bore it gravely, and it was intolerable to him

^A what was happening. He therefore approached certain men who were more fierce in their impiety and persuaded them to accuse him before the Count of the East (Eutolmius was his name), representing that, by employing terrible and inescapable sorcery, he was persuading everyone; that he inspired them with great boldness against our gods; and, what was more serious, that he did not do this only to those who came into his sight and met him secretly, but also to those with whom he might converse fearlessly through letters; and that, while he openly embraced the sect of the Christians, he mocked their religion and heaped insults upon the gods of their fathers. The Count, being most vehemently inflamed with anger by these things, and especially because he had learned that the virgin Justina also held the same opinions as Cyprian, cast them into bonds and, having handed them over to other custody, reserved them for the tribunal at Damascus.

^B XXI. When, therefore, the saints had been led into that city: "Are you the teacher of the Christians?" the Count said to Cyprian, uttering his words from high upon the tribunal, "you who persuade those who worship the gods to do the contrary, and confuse those who, on account of the weakness of their minds, easily fall into every kind of opinion? Did you not previously bring many to the gods, making yourself adept, as I have learned, in the stories concerning them? How, then, have you lately been changed? And what is the cause of your change? And why, preaching the Crucified, have you chosen to deceive men with strange doctrines?" Upon these things, the saint kept silent, composing and emboldening himself; then ^C, approaching with much composure and a dignified bearing, he said to the Count: "I, as you yourself bear witness, having much zeal for Greek studies, and being most hotly disposed toward rhetoric and the study of magical books, reaped from thence no great profit, nor any that pertained to the soul. But to me, so affected and occupied in vain labors, God, having pity on my empty toils and the worship of senseless gods, sends this virgin as an unerring guide and a good leader on the way that leads to Him; and if you should wish to hear the manner in which it was arranged and done, I know that you will marvel greatly. It is as follows."

^D XXII. A certain Aglaidas, of those from the house of Claudius, was overcome by a mad love for this virgin, and he sought her in marriage; but she refused, content with virginity as her spouse. He persisted, at one moment supplicating, at another applying force; but she did not depart from her first resolve. When he saw her standing immovably against every design he had, he could by no means find rest, but came to me, Aglaidas, and revealed the secret and the disdain from the virgin. And in the end

he requested that I bring what aid I could to his misfortune, and send along for her an irresistible philter, and move toward a desire for her lover one who was behaving so haughtily. ^A He asked for these things; but I, having confidence in magic books and in demons, told him to have no care, promising him the swiftest help. Having called one of the demons, therefore, I lay the matter bare and asked if there were any power in him to perform it; and he, before the trial, was high-minded and warm in his promise, and able, to all appearances, to do everything; but when he had gone and approached the girl, he appeared as a mouse attacking a lion, or a beetle struggling to wrestle an eagle. For he returned to us a fugitive, and very fearful—he who before was great and his attack irresistible. ^B Stupor seized me: how a maiden so delicate, and one who should be frightened by everything, not only did not yield to the force and maneuvering of a demon, but even became a terrifying thing to him, and relying on what armor did she not only push him away, but even sent him back to us a fugitive? For this reason I was full of suspicion and struggled with dire thoughts. And as I was inquiring, and thirsting to learn the cause, the demon indeed wished to conceal it and cover it up by every artifice. But when I would not desist, with difficulty and reluctantly he finally confesses, and reveals the secret, saying that a divine power was with her, and that some horrific sign appeared to him, the sight of which he could not even endure, let alone look upon, but he turned and fled. ^C Thus, with him condemned, I myself was not negligent, but I sent another, who, as he himself supposed, was much stronger than the first; yet in power he was in no way different. For he too, having seen and suffered the same things, returned. I, however, still wishing to examine the matter more, sent out the very prince of the demons himself, who called those sent before him ignorant and childish, and unable to perform any subtle or technical deception of the mind; but he filled me with good hopes, telling me that he would overcome the maiden, and that he would show her to be more compliant than I wished—what did he not say, what could be easier? But when he too had approached and returned, what did he not say, and what did he not do of the things that are used to entice? And what form of deception did he omit? ^D That woman proved them all vain and crumbling. And finally, she showed that same one, who was boasting such great things, to be so humble and a fugitive that he clearly admitted the power of the Crucified to be unconquerable, and that they are mightily driven out by it. To these things, what was I to do? Tell me by the truth itself, O judge. Should I weigh the matter in my mind and deem it worthy of inspection, to see what this widely rumored power of Christ is, by which even demons are made to tremble, and are only saved by flight; or follow so irrationally, as if being led by the nose, the things that have been handed down? I, therefore, having sought, found, and to him who knocks it was opened to me,

and when the light of knowledge shone upon my heart, I clearly knew that these idols, which are worshipped by you, are only deception and falsehood, worshipped in the name of God; but that Christ is the one true God, able to save those who believe in Him.

^B XXIII. The governor, moved to anger by these words, having nothing to answer to such power of speech, did what was at hand and what is consistent with those who are moved by anger; and he ordered the holy man to be suspended and torn, and Justina’s face and eyes to be struck, although she did not seem so much to be beaten by the torturers as to be, in a sense, reminding them of the glorification of God. For as she was being beaten in this way, she cried out the more loudly: "Glory to thee, O God, who, when I was unworthy, hast made me thy familiar, and hast deemed me worthy to suffer for thy name." And she endured, suffering in such a way that nothing ignoble, or befitting a feminine and weak nature, could be seen in her; and those who were striking her, their strength failing, ceased from the torture. ^C Divine Cyprian, too, being torn about the face, was nonetheless of such an unsubdued and great mind, and uttered such manly and blessed words, as to draw the bystanders who were listening to himself, and to lift them out of the depth of unbelief; for he said to the governor, looking at him very bravely and full of noble spirit: "Why have you become so senseless, regarding as unworthy the kingdom of heaven, for which I chose to suffer all things, as your own eyes—which do not see—are witnesses? Will you not understand? Will you not look up? Will you not know what the true light is, and, having left the darkness, turn to it?"

XXIV. Because of these things, the governor, imposing more severe pain upon him for each of the things that were said: "If," he said, "I appear to you to be the provider of an immortal kingdom, I will further multiply your punishment, and you will certainly owe me thanks for the benefit and favors of which I am to you the provider." Having said these things, and allowed him to be torn a little longer, he then ceased the punishment, not out of humanity, but out of helplessness, having despaired, as it were, of the turning of the saints. ^D For these reasons, he ordered Cyprian to be taken to prison, and Justina to the place called the monastery of Terentina. Again, after no long time, having brought the saints to a second examination, and feigning gentleness, he said: "Do not desire to follow a dead man, nor to trust your life to one who has been put to death; for he is by no means the giver of life who could not even help himself or save his own soul."

XXV. The saints, regarding this admonition as superfluous

and foolish, or rather as wicked and harmful, spoke thus to the count: "What of you, who are so keen of mind and sharp-witted? Have you not learned that immortality does not come about without death? And have you not understood the mystery of Him who conquered death by a death of three days? But you are indeed of a dull and obtuse mind regarding great and beneficial things, and therefore, though seeing, you will not see, and being foolish, you will not understand." At this, the count, not even waiting for the end of their speech, was immediately moved to anger, and his feigned mildness was easily cast aside; he therefore prepared a very severe punishment for the martyrs, ordering them to be received into a frying pan that had been heated intensely.

^B XXVI. Since the divine Cyprian had leaped into it first with a brave and noble spirit, Justina followed him immediately. When the martyr saw her seized by fear, as much as could be conjectured from the slowness of her entry, he encouraged her with words and the memory of her previous accomplishments, by which she had put demons to flight and had recalled him from unbelief. Having strengthened Justina with these words, then again, armed with the figure of the venerable cross, as if with weapons, they reclined upon the flame of the iron, as if upon a dew descending gently. The judge, although indeed greatly astonished, thought that what was happening was trickery, not truth. Hence, a certain Athanasius, one of those sitting with him and his familiar associate, fostering his madness, said: "I, he said, shall immediately expose the weakness of your Christ." He spoke, and at the same time dared more boldly to approach the burning of the fire-blazing frying pan. Calling upon Jove and Aesculapius—the former as the prince of ethereal and earthly fire, the latter as the one deemed the provider of health—he had no sooner touched the fire than the fool departed from life, immediately attaining aid worthy of the defenders he had called upon.

^C XXVII. The saints, however, remained in the frying pan for a long time unharmed, illuminated rather than burning. For the fire retreated from them and restrained its efficacy, as if revering the common Lord and Creator, for whom they had determined to suffer these things. The judge, therefore, seeing new and stupendous things, and that the fire, as if one of those things gifted with reason, was distinguishing the friend from the enemy, and was protecting and preserving the saints unharmed, while having dispatched Athanasius to death for his deserts, he himself was also nearly suffocated; and, "I am concerned for my friend," he said, "I am greatly concerned, and on his account I feel the greatest grief." When he had called a certain relative, whose name was Terentius, he took him aside from the others into counsel, as to how he should conduct himself regarding those matters which concerned the saints. Terentius, however, said ^D to him, "Let there be nothing between you and the righteous, not even thus

wish to resist the truth ^A foolishly. The power of Christ is clearly unconquerable. You would do well to consider for yourself whether you should send these men to the emperor, and explain accurately everything you have done to them, and with what great and noble spirit they have behaved in all things, and that you have not left out any punishment, but by your chastising have even surpassed the cruelty of wild beasts; yet not one of those torments has touched them, but up to this present hour have they remained unharmed."

XXVIII. Having heard these things, the Count at once sent a letter to Nicomedia to the one then holding power (he was Claudius), which read as follows:

XXIX. Count Eutolmius to Claudius ^B Caesar the Great, lord of land and sea, greetings. Seeing those who are under your authority, greatest emperor, enjoying such great tranquility, I know this to be the fitting reward for the benevolence of the great gods which they preserve toward you, and for the religion you possess. But since certain of those called Galileans are raging against their own people, and are worshiping and adoring Christ, whom the children of the Jews impaled as a malefactor, for this reason we have made it a matter of great importance to drive them—as seditious and pestilential people who do not change their ways after being brought before the tribunal—out of our cities. And those in whom some repentance for their ill-considered ^C actions has appeared even late, trusting in the benevolence of the great gods, we have not refused to admit and to show the appropriate grace. But those whom upon investigation I have found to be past cure, I have not neglected to chastise, to crucify, to rend with iron claws, and to punish in every way according to the established laws. For in no other way is it possible to get the better of souls that are desperate and have an innate passion for contention. And that you may not think me to be fabricating a story, this Cyprian also—who was not led by any necessity, but of his own volition departed from the savior gods and dedicated his whole self ^D to the Crucified—after I had punished him severely, I have now sent to your power; a man persuasive in speech, wicked in his ways, and most ready in his own defense. If I approached him gently, I found him not even willing to heed me at all; if I used harshness and inflicted tortures, I thought I was inflicting them not upon a man, but upon a statue or some other inanimate object; if I ordered him to be locked in prison, he considered the order to be one of helplessness, not of humanity; and even so, the senseless man was unwilling to hold his peace, as far as the gods and their subjects are concerned, but while under lock and key and guard, he mocked their forbearance, and ceased not to fill many others with his own disease. Since, therefore, something of the punishing hand has appeared—both among us, and superior to the executioners, and we all know that as much as the sun beholds so much does it wait upon you

since he seemed to be under an avenging hand, and the executioner, at least as far as we are concerned, was superior; but we all know that whatever land the sun beholds, it submits to you and is ruled by you. I have sent Cyprian to you, together with the virgin Justina; bring it about either that they decline from an odious and execrable religion, or perform upon them those things which are pleasing to the great Jupiter and the other gods. Their disobedience, moreover, the acts which have been done concerning them will declare in detail.

XXX. Admiration seized the emperor as he read the letters; and before he subjected them to trial, he was overcome by their strong and great spirit. Since, therefore, the tortures that had preceded seemed sufficient, and he judged that inflicting more was not only cruel but also superfluous (for he had learned that they despised with a vast superiority everything that was being inflicted upon them), he shared the plan with his friends. When he found that they also approved, he finally put an end to what had preceded; saying, "Let Cyprian and Justina, who have raged against the gods, and who have been persuaded neither by punishments to change their opinion, nor by the promises of goods, undergo death by the sword."

XXXI. When the saints heard these things, they did not show a sad countenance, nor an unbecoming or unnoble word, nor anything else that would be of a small and abject mind; but rather, joyful and manifesting great gladness of soul upon their faces, they were led to death past the river Gallus, with many people hastening to the spectacle, inasmuch as the report spread and immediately called everyone due to the renown of the persons.

XXXII. When they had requested and obtained a short time for prayer, and had asked from Christ tranquility for the Church and peace for all, the great Cyprian, not even then, when he was about to die, became forgetful of wisdom and greatness of soul; but, suspecting the weakness of the female, he asked those to whom the slaughter had been committed to execute Justina first. When this had been done, and she had received her blessed end, he himself, giving great thanks to God for this beautiful and desirable calling, was likewise soon joyfully consumed by the sword and carried up to heaven.

XXXIII. Since the bodies were lying there in this way, no one dared to take them up because of the great ferocity of the Gentiles and their readiness to inflict punishment. For when the sentence had already been passed against the holy martyrs, a certain passerby, whose name was Theoctistus, upon seeing the saints being led away, only said, "How unjustly have the saints been delivered to death!" And he was immediately and without any ado made a martyr. For as soon as he had said this, the assessor Felicius, to whom the emperor had primarily committed the punishment of the saints, throwing him from his horse, brought upon him the same death as that of the martyrs of Christ, he ^A whom the emperor had previously charged with matters concerning the saints. When, therefore, no small amount of time had passed, and thus—

as the precious remains were lying there, certain Christians, who were traveling from Rome to overseas regions, seeing the saint and immediately recognizing him, were unable to elude the eyes of the guards who were stationed for this very purpose—having been ordered to watch over the remains so that they might not be stolen by anyone before they were fully consumed by the birds and beasts. Nor did they themselves neglect to watch for an opportunity, until the guards were overcome by sleep. Then, having taken up the precious treasures, they sailed back in the direction of Rome, carrying with them also the records of their struggle, which they entrusted, along with the sacred bodies, to a certain woman of high rank ^B (Martona was her name, and Ruffina her surname), who boasted that she descended from the lineage of Claudius. In a most distinguished tomb of the city she honorably deposited them in a single shrine, providing abundant healings not only to those who inhabit Rome, but also to those who come there from every quarter, day by day, to the glory of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom is the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

THE MARTYRDOM OF THE HOLY GREAT MARTYR CALLISTRATUS AND THOSE WITH HIM

^A I. Seeing the flock of the Lord being multiplied day by day, the enemy, filled with great madness against it, devised to destroy it entirely. For he unleashed upon it certain wicked and savage wolves—Diocletian, I mean, and Maximian, those tyrants and beasts rather than emperors—who most bitterly and crudely

^A lacerated it through those men. For such force did they infuse into them against the Christians, that while they considered other matters small and worthy of only passing concern, this alone they esteemed deeply: to destroy, if possible, all Christians utterly, and they counted this task a matter of greater glory to them than all others. Therefore, governors more bitter than they were sent throughout every part of the earth, and edicts pervaded every region that obeyed their empire, which were worthy both of the purpose of the emperors and the mind of their subordinates. But the wicked persecutors were not, in the end, to show themselves the superiors of Christ’s sheep; for He who sent them into the midst of wolves brought it about in a new way that they would overcome the persecutors.

^B II. And indeed many others, standing above threats and tortures, were adorned with the crown of martyrdom; among them also was the noble soldier of Christ, who traversed the most beautiful path of martyrdom, Callistratus. He was originally from Carthage, and later was enrolled in the cohort which was called the Calenders. When he had come to Rome with the entire cohort, and being a fresh recruit, he alone shone forth, as it were, like a certain star in the night when the moon does not shine, illuminated by the faith of Christ, while his fellow soldiers were held fast in the darkness of error. For his paternal grandfather, Neocorus by name, when Pontius Pilate was governing Judea, had gone there and had seen the sufferings of Christ and had heard of His divine resurrection; and when he had considered the things which were then brought to pass as ^C marvelous, he approached the apostles and made himself known to them, having purchased the faith of Christ like something precious. Then, having returned home, he shared this good merchandise with all who were related to him by birth. ^D Thus Callistratus became the successor to this inheritance, and everywhere he brought in the faith in Christ, like riches that cannot be stolen. Wherefore, since he had become an object of suspicion to the soldiers, he was diligently observed by them as to what he might be doing.

III. When, therefore, one night they had seen him rise from his bed and pour out his customary prayers to God, they signified these things to the commander of the army, Persentinus. He, having immediately summoned him, said: "Is it true, Callistratus, what is being said about you by your companions and fellow soldiers?" He replied: "I do not know, he said, what they are saying against me; for I am conscious of no evil in myself." And he ordered the soldiers to speak. They said: "Command him to sacrifice to the gods, and thus you will know what his mind and his worship are." Immediately therefore, being urged to do so, Callistratus said: "I have not learned to sacrifice to gods, but rather to the one living and true God, who brought all things out of nothing and fashioned man from the earth; but as for the gods who are worshipped by you, which the hands of craftsmen have created, having bestowed upon them elegance and beauty through sculpture and casting, these—since I have learned from divine Scripture that they are not gods but rather demons—I call..."

“For all the gods of the nations,” it says, “are demons, and the idols of the nations are silver and gold, the works of men’s hands.” And from the same Scripture I have also been taught to offer a sacrifice of praise to God and to render my vows to the Most High. If, therefore, the difference in my belief placed any obstacle in the way of my military service, it would be reasonable for them to accuse me justly, and for your excellency to listen diligently to these charges, and to accuse me because I have not performed my duties fully. But since I am delinquent in nothing, for what reason—solely because I do not agree with your belief—do you so readily give ear to these men, and bring me to trial?

^B IV. Filled with rage at these words, the commander of the army said: “Now is not the time for rhetorical speeches, but for most bitter torments and terrible punishments, which you will experience before long, if you do not obey me and sacrifice to the gods whom the emperor himself worships. For you are not unaware of how terrifying I am, being able, by my mere look and leonine roar, to strike terror even before the tortures begin.” But Callistratus said: “Your roaring, whatever it may be, brings terror only for a short time and is fleeting; but that of the teeth is eternal, into which I have a great dread of falling, and I am filled with fear at the very memory of it.”

The commander of the army, no longer able to contain his anger, orders him to be stretched out and beaten unsparingly by the soldiers. And while he was being beaten, he did not emit a cry of pain, nor did he heave a sigh to provoke pity, but rather, as if someone else were enduring the torture, he himself was chanting, saying: “I have sworn and have determined to keep the judgments of thy righteousness, O Lord.” And again: “I have been humbled exceedingly: O Lord, quicken me according to thy word; and do not deliver me up to become a laughingstock to this pestilential man; but strengthen me, O Lord, to endure these torments, giving power to this humble and weak body, and making my soul more strong.”

When, after the martyr had been beaten for many hours, the iniquitous judge saw his blood flowing like a river, he ordered the tortures to be relaxed, and said to him: “These are the beginnings of the rewards of your disobedience, Callistratus. Therefore, wisely taking my advice, comply with my commands, that you may be freed from the tortures that yet await you. For I swear to you by the gods, if you do not yield to the imperial decree and offer sacrifices to them, tortures will destroy your body, and dogs will lick your blood, and lions will devour your flesh.” ^C But the noble Callistratus said: “I have hoped in God, the strong, the saving one, that He himself ^D will rescue me from the mouth of the lion, and will deliver my only-begotten soul from the hand of the dogs. For, in truth, I am the only one in the entire army under you who acknowledges this God. But I am confident in Him

that He will receive it, along with many others, having implanted in them as well the knowledge of His holy and adorable name.

^A V. Being further provoked by these words, that beast ordered a multitude of small potsherds to be spread out, and the martyr to be dragged prone upon them, so that his body, being thus flayed by the wounds, would have a sharper sense of pain. ^B This having been carried out faster than the word, he commanded a funnel to be put back into his mouth, and a basin of water to be poured in, so that the saint might be filled like a wineskin. But as he bore this torture also with fortitude, the judge said: If you do not obey me, the depths of the sea shall have you. For it is clear that unless I quickly dispatch you, you will destroy other of my soldiers for me as well. ^C But Callistratus said: For you, O most wicked one, there is much concern to keep the flock stationed under your father the devil undiminished; but for me, my hope and confidence is in God, that I will win this flock for my Christ, and confirm it in the true faith, and plant His Church in the midst of this city. And the commander, being the more disturbed in his soul, said: O you impious and wretched man, the vote of death already hangs over your head; and do you still intend to plant a Church and lead many of our men to your God? Having said this, he ordered a sack to be brought, and the saint to be cast into it, and immediately to be lowered into the middle of the sea. He himself stood upon the shore, trusting the thing to no one else but his own eyes. ^D But the sack, by some divine providence, being dashed against the fracture of an underwater rock by the rush of the waters, was torn open, the just man praying within it, just as in the belly of a whale. And God, wondrous in His works, was surely going to save him, just as He did Jonah before. Therefore, two dolphins, as if by command, swimming underneath and taking the saint upon their backs, lift him up, and then approaching the shore, they set him down on the ground gently and very cautiously. Whereupon the holy martyr, singing the things of David opportunely, said: I came into the depths of the sea; but neither did a storm submerge me, nor did I labor crying out, while I was praying to You, [E] O Lord. For You quickly heard my prayers, and from inevitable bonds and the lowest depth You snatched me away miraculously, and beyond expectation: and having torn my sack, You girded me with gladness.

VI. But the athlete was singing these things in a voice of exultation. The multitude of soldiers, however, being astounded at what had happened contrary to expectation, falling down immediately, took hold of the feet of the saint (they were forty and nine in number), begging to be delivered from the error of the idols and to be brought to Christ. For behold, they say, we have known that your God is truly great, He who miraculously rescued you even from the depth of the sea. But the blessed martyr said: My Master Christ does not repel those who come to Him; for He...

says: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Rejoice, therefore, and be glad, because your reward is great in the heavens" (Matt. xi, 28; v, 12). Having said this, and having lifted his hands to heaven, he said: "Lord, who dwellest in the heights, and lookest upon the lowly (Ps. cxiii, 5, 6), and abidest unto the ages, look upon this little flock of Yours, and preserve it from every harm, both of the beasts which are seen, and those which fall not under the sight. For Thou alone art glorified unto the ages of ages. Amen."

^B VII. When these things became known to the commander, looking toward the camp, he said: "By the most brilliant sun, this man is filled with great sorcery. For he both restrained the impetuosity of the water, emerging unharmed from evils, and, as he predicted, he drew these men, dazzling their eyes." Then, turning to the martyr, he said: "I will refute your sorceries, Callistratus. But before long you shall know who indeed is Persentinus, the worshipper of the great gods; and who the Crucified is, whom you yourself worship, and in whom, accursed one, you vainly trust." Having then sat upon the tribunal, he orders all the soldiers who had believed to be beaten with clubs; who, even while being beaten severely and having their limbs broken, as if with one mouth were saying: "Lord Jesus Christ, stand by Your servants, help them, and grant us patience until the end. For because of You and the faith in You, we have decided to suffer thus of our own accord. And may our own teacher and shepherd, Callistratus, also be preserved by You, so that, having been instructed more perfectly through him in the word of piety, we may receive a firmer knowledge of You. For now, Lord, we are before You like lost sheep." When at last the satiety of fury had seized him, who was full of all fury and wrath, he orders them to be released from the scourges, but to be led away into custody, there to be guarded until he should consider what he might decide regarding their destruction. For it bothered him not moderately that his army was immediately to be diminished by fifty soldiers, and that because of a change in religion.

^C VIII. Having been condemned to prison together with the holy Callistratus, they were instructed by him in the true knowledge of God. One of them, however, by name Dalmatus, standing in their midst, says to the holy man: "I beseech you, teacher, that we be taught the divine dogmas more clearly, so that our mind may be established in the faith of Christ, and we may know the hopes of the life that is expected, so that we may no longer, being unstable in our thinking, be easily deceived by those who wish to distort us. Let the mysteries of the economy, of the resurrection, and of the retribution also become known to us; for we have learned nothing about these things either from our fathers or from anyone else." The blessed Callistratus said: "Let each one of you ask about what he wishes." For "God, who teaches man ^D knowledge (Ps. xciii, 10)," will provide us also with the word_

of truth for your benefit, and will inspire you with understanding, so that you may rightly know the mysteries of piety.

When he had said this, another, named Bibrachmus, said: "We ask to know first, how Christ, being God, deemed it worthy to become also man in our likeness, and how he endured mockeries and insults, and furthermore, how he accepted buffets, outrages, scourges, and finally, the death of the cross."

[IX] The saint, beginning from on high, recounted more fully to them the mystery of the knowledge of God. He said: "God, having created the universe from nothing, fashions man with His own hand according to His own image, and gives him the paradise which He had made for his enjoyment, having shown him to be endowed with free will and lord of all visible creation. The devil, therefore, envying him this way of life and this honor, approaches him through deceit and prepares him to offend the Creator. Death, then, is the sentence for the first-created, and—alas!—the expulsion from that paradise and from that food. Upon this happening, the pride of the devil who had tripped him up was greatly lifted, as one who through this deceit had taken man under his power; and what evil did he not do? To what error, to what adoration of detestable idols, and of serpents and beasts, did he not subject him, as he taught him even to offer human slaughters as sacrifice to demons; and besides these things, he dragged him miserably into the passions of ignominy?

Seeing, therefore, His own figment being held in dominion by the devil, the Lord did not endure to leave it entirely devoid of help. But He also gave the Law, which checked the impulses of the wicked, and He sent prophets who taught whom one ought to worship, and pointed out the way of salvation. But when He saw that this help was not sufficient against such a force of evil, overcome by His own bowels of compassion for the perdition of His own figment, He gives that very own only-begotten Son of His, and prepares Him to become man as one of us, without having cast off the fact of being God, in order that, by the pretext of flesh and the human form, He might entice the one who had deceived us, so that while he thought he was attacking a man, he might fall upon God. Which indeed has come to pass. And having conquered the enemy who assaulted Him by main strength, He bestowed this victory upon us through the flesh assumed from us. But not even then did the adversary refrain from his innate malice. For when he saw many being drawn to the knowledge of the truth—both by the things which He taught and by the miracles which He performed, enlightening the blind, raising the dead, strengthening the paralyzed, and healing those possessed by demons—he stirs up the race of the Jews against Him, having injected envy into their wicked souls. And they, having seized Him—though He were willing, out of a loftier providence—crucify Him and put Him to death. For this happened rather for the ultimate destruction of the adversary, and for our perfect

^A restoration. For by descending into Hades, and then rising on the third day, He in this way puts the devil—who had introduced death—to death, and raises us up together with His own resurrection, and carries us up into the heavens, in that He has ascended together with our assumed nature. Before, therefore, His coming in the flesh, perhaps those who were stuck fast in the deception of idols through ignorance of the truth were worthy of some pardon, and some defense was left to them; but from the time that He took up abode on earth, and made the will of the Father manifest to all, there is no pardon to be given to one who prefers the false to the true after the acknowledgment of the truth, and darkness to light, after the light has shone. You, therefore, have also done well in abandoning that which is the worship of idols, and drawing near to Christ the true light, ^B so that you might be counted worthy of eternal life through the death He underwent for your sake.

X. When the saint had taught in this way, another arose in turn whose name was Heliodorus, and said: Tell me, my lord Callistratus, whither does each one's soul go when separated from the body, and what lot receives it, and what state succeeds this for it? To which the blessed one said: Two places, he says, are set apart for souls that are separated from the body: of which one is indeed very beautiful and full of graces, and brings great pleasure to the souls that have obtained it; the other, however, is full of gloom and foul to behold, and able to cause great sadness. Whatever souls, therefore, are good, and whatever are affected in the opposite way, both obtain the place convenient for them. But neither for the good ^C nor for those who are the opposite is there a perfect recompense, until the bodies rising from the tombs be reunited with these souls. For then Christ will come again to the earth; and all men shall be brought before Him, and each shall receive the recompense worthy of the life he has lived.

XI. Domitian, having risen after these, said: If, then, those who sin much in the present life do not pay the penalty here, but for them the payment for wicked deeds is stored up elsewhere? The blessed Callistratus answered: There indeed the perfect judgment exists, and the perfect recompense for their own works is kept for those who practice them; yet, nevertheless, the justice of God pursues many wicked men here also. For ^D since God is gentle and patient, and thirsts for the correction of each of those who sin, He brandishes His sword and bends His bow, terrifying by the preparation of weapons, and calling them to repentance. But when He sees them becoming no better from this, but rather becoming a cause of sloth for others, He straightaway brings in the cutting off, and exacts the punishment; to some proportionately to what they have sinned, and to others to a lesser degree, as if in any case the punishment that awaits them still remains, as happened in the case of Pharaoh and Sodom. For even if the punishment followed closely upon these, yet they have not yet fulfilled the whole of their retribution. It is fur->

further evident from this: "It shall be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of judgment than for that city," ^A he says, which does not receive the preaching of Christ’s faith. For it is shown in this way that the punishment here is not sufficient for the Sodomites in proportion to what they have sinned, but that the dregs of the cup of God’s judgment are still stored up there. But if harsh and bitter things are brought upon some just men in the present life, it is not to be wondered at; for these are a trial and test of the virtue they have gathered, and a payment for certain faults, through which, being thoroughly purged, they are sent on completely clean to the life that is there. Therefore, you too must strive not to take the side of those who are punished for their sins, but the side of those who please God, and to be deemed worthy of eternal rewards. For you have become vessels of election by believing in God; you will become perfect by being illuminated by holy baptism; and you will become more perfect still if you finish the course of martyrdom with a strong and eager spirit. Let us therefore stand bravely, ^B fortified by faith; let us resist the devil, let us contend lawfully, and let us put the enemy to flight; for so we shall obtain the greatest rewards from Christ the dispenser of the prize.

XII. Giving these and even more exhortations to them day and night, the divine Callistratus, teaching them like a tutor of boys, was preparing and encouraging their spirit for the proposed struggle. On the following day, the commander of the army, having taken his seat in a conspicuous place in the city, with his army standing by him, summoned the glorious victor Callistratus and the martyrs who were with him. And when they were brought forward, he said: Tell me, Callistratus, have you advised yourself and these men to sacrifice to the gods and be delivered from intolerable tortures, or do you still persist in your former disobedience? But the great Callistratus said: As for myself, ^C I give you my answer, that I am neither going to deny my honest confession, nor have I persuaded myself at all to abandon the side of the Christians, nor will it ever be possible to persuade me not to stand by the covenants entered into with Christ. But ask these men about themselves; they will declare their own position to you, for they are wise enough. Then the commander of the army, looking at them, said: What do you say, you who have been led astray by magical arts? But they answered: Why do you deceive yourself in vain, thinking that you will deceive us? For if you wish to examine us concerning the military service in which we are subject to you, we yield to you in all things and in no way do we resist you; but if you ask about faith and religion, you will hear nothing else from us but that we are Christians, ^D and we acknowledge one God, the creator of heaven and earth, in whom we also believe, and his only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, just as this wise teacher of ours has taught us.

XIII. When the forty-nine martyrs had answered these things as if with one mouth, he commands them to be beaten

^A then bound hand and foot, and thrown into a nearby pool, which was called Oceanus. So when they had bound them and were about to immerse them in the water, Callistratus prayed, saying: "Lord Master, who dwellest on high and lookest upon the lowly, cast thine eyes upon this little flock of thine and deign that it be washed in these waters with the laver of regeneration and adoption through the visitation of thy Holy Spirit, so that, having cast off all the vanity of the old man through him, they may become partakers of the inheritance of those who have pleased thee from the beginning of time." When they were cast into the waters, a thing worthy of hearing and of wonder occurred. For their bonds were loosened, and they emerged from the water immediately with cheerful countenances and cheerful garments. Divinely, Callistratus was seen wearing a most splendid crown upon his head, and a voice came to him from heaven, saying: "Take courage, Callistratus, with this flock of yours, and come now to rest in the eternal tabernacles." ^B At the same moment as the voice, God also caused a great earthquake, such that a statue standing nearby fell and was dissolved into dust. Seeing and hearing these things, other soldiers, one hundred and thirty-five in number, believed as well. They were not seized along with the rest of the forty-nine; but only those forty-nine, as the general had commanded, were delivered into custody. Therefore Callistratus says to them: "Behold, brethren, by the grace of the Lord you have been deemed worthy of the laver of regeneration. It behooves us, therefore, to give him the thanks that are due; and so, let us rise and pray." Having stretched his hands toward heaven, he said: "Lord God, who willest that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, who hast also snatched this thy flock from the mouth of the lion and called it to eternal salvation, deign that we all be perfected in thy faith and come unto thee, the Master, spotless and pure; for thou art blessed unto the ages."

XIV. ^C But these things were being done by the saints in the guardhouse. The general, fearing lest some might depart from him on account of the miracles which they performed, and that another portion might turn to Christ, having communicated the matter with his assessor, the Ducenarius Verus, and having consulted with him in common, sent soldiers by night who were commanded to cut the saints in the guardhouse limb from limb. And this is what occurred on the twenty-seventh day of the month of September. The one hundred and thirty-five soldiers who had believed arrived, took up the bodies of the saints, buried them honorably, and raised a temple to them, to which few are equal in beauty; it stands in the middle of Rome, the most royal of all cities. They also found a scroll in the guardhouse, on which was inscribed a certain teaching and account of the glorious and victorious martyr Callistratus. After their completion, Marinus also bears witness,

a man ^A of most illustrious glory and wisest in learning, who showed manly endurance to the very end for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom belongs all glory, honor, and adoration for ever and ever. Amen.

LIFE AND CONVERSATION AND STRUGGLES OF OUR HOLY FATHER AND CONFESSOR CHARITON[l]

I. There are many examples of the teaching of those who have lived well and as is pleasing to God, from which it is possible for him who wills to keep the commandments of Christ with all his strength, and to flee the stumbling-blocks that the enemy places upon the path. For one must turn the pages of the Holy Scriptures and, as if from certain perennial springs, draw forth from them the saving stream of the virtues. ^B Both testaments, and indeed the writings of those divinely inspired teachers and ascetics, show forth, as if upon a tablet, the deeds of each of the saints, correctly and virtuously performed, for those who wish to hear. But although what has been said is full of these things, yet since the majority of us are weak and dull, and have need—being slow of hearing—of the great and continuous echoes of the word, so that the ear may at last barely perceive what is sounded, I have deemed that one must not allow to sink into complete silence things worthy to be proclaimed upon the housetops—I speak of the divine and grace-filled Chariton. For even if we are heavy of heart because of the heart’s inclination toward earthly things, loving vanity and seeking lies, as the divine David says, yet the soul of man, like a stone receiving the dense and incessant drop of the word, is nonetheless touched with a certain desire, and is roused to bear with an exalted and strong spirit those things which the saints endured from enemies, both those who fall within sight ^C and those who do not. Hence, therefore, I shall begin.

II. There was a time when, like a certain vertigo and darkness, the gloom of impiety cast shadows over all the holy churches of God, and like a most severe tempest, the turmoil

^A insurrection of these men submerged not a few Christians in the abyss of impiety. For when Aurelian, that truly genuine minister of Satan, had taken up the scepters of the Roman Empire, at first, although he was a most ardent worshiper of idols, he nevertheless prevented no one from worshiping the true God. But afterwards, having been prompted by the demons he served, he afflicted all who confessed Christ as God with many and most bitter torments, and then heavily deprived them of life, either by slaying them with the sword, or delivering them to beasts, or to the fire, or even by attaching most heavy stones to them and thus consigning them to the deep of the sea. Then, in every city and region that fell under his empire, he published an impious edict in the marketplace and exhorted them diligently to carry out what had been commanded. It was therefore possible to see, as if a pack of wolves had fallen upon a great flock, the sheep of the true Shepherd scattered hither and thither. For as many as had read that impious edict formally posted in public, some indeed made use of flight and went away, while others, having first shut themselves in hidden chambers, afterwards fled by night; others, suddenly seized from their own homes, were led off to prison; ^B others, not even waiting for the first interrogations—alas for the soul-destroying perdition!—delivered themselves into the snare of the error, having loved the present age like Demas, and having renounced Christ to avoid danger; others, having fortified their souls with the zeal of piety, came of their own accord to the judge, saying they were ready to undergo all torments and thus depart from life by force, rather than fall away from the faith in Christ.

III. Concerning his struggle and martyrdom

III. Then, even then, this edict was announced in the city of Iconium in the province of Lycaonia, which was also the homeland of Chariton. Since this great man was illumined by the commands of the Savior and was famous among all, he was immediately seized and led to the tribunal of the impious governor. But let us hear how the Saint spoke when he was interrogated, and with what boldness he spoke! What then did the governor do? First, he asked him what his name was and what his religion was. And when he learned that he was a Christian ^C and that he occupied a leading position in the aforesaid city, "Why," he said, "

^A they are consumed, so that they may draw down upon themselves the fire prepared for them." The governor said: "It behooved me to be angry, and to inflict upon you immediately the ultimate punishment, for having thus insulted the almighty gods; yet, since they are mild and not at all prone to anger, I too, imitating them for the present, suggest that you do what is to your advantage. And that is, to leave off long speeches and offer sacrifice to the gods; for thus it will be possible for you to earn also the favor of the emperor."

IV. "If these things are indeed deaf and inanimate gods," the servant of Christ replied, "you do not act rightly, O consularis, in taking lightly the insults which we heap upon them; but if they are not gods, as in truth they are not, you threaten in vain and behave lawlessly to no purpose. For I shall not be overcome by any danger, nor will anything at all persuade me to abandon the living God and to venerate wicked and envious demons. For I myself am a disciple of Thecla, who like a beacon shines in this city of the Iconians with the splendors of martyrdom, and of Paul, the great herald of the truth, who himself also instructed her and adorned her to undertake struggles for Christ. And therefore I too say with him today: 'Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or danger, or sword, or anything else of all things?'"

The governor said: "And if they are not truly gods, as you claim, whom the emperors revere in their piety, how is it that we, who have believed in them, derive from them the means of life?"

"You are mistaken, O governor," said the great Chariton, "in calling those gods which have been fashioned by the hands of men, and which are devoid of all reason, ^C understanding, and sense; concerning whom our divine Scripture also said: 'They have a mouth, and will not speak; they have eyes, and will not see; they have ears, and will not hear; for there is no spirit in their mouth. May those who make them become like them, and all who trust in them.' Or does the Scripture not speak the truth in saying these things? Apply fire to their sides, if you wish, or command their legs to be broken with an axe, and you will know completely—unless you yourself are likewise affected—that they are devoid of all sense and are utterly unable to move or to speak."

V. ^D At these words, the lawless consularis, moved to anger, ordered the saint to be stripped of his garment, and, being stretched out in four directions, to be cruelly beaten with lashes. Then, when this had been carried out, the judge said to him: "Will you sacrifice, Chariton, to the immortal gods, or do you wish more wounds to be inflicted upon your body?"

"No," said the martyr, "I will not sacrifice to them. For if it were possible for me to die a thousand times for my Savior, I would gladly undertake it with a prompt and eager spirit, rather than deny His divinity and offer sacrifice to soul-destroying demons."

He therefore ordered him to be beaten again with ox-hide lashes for so long, that those who were tormenting him almost touched his internal organs. The saint, therefore, having remained silent for many hours, while the executioners unceasingly inflicted blows upon him, and

^A the wicked governor ordered them to desist—not that he thought them worthy of any pity (how could he?)—but so that by dying too quickly, he might not escape longer punishments. The attendants, having lifted him onto their shoulders (for he was not able to walk on his own feet), carried him off and deposited him in the prison, keeping him for a second examination. And, to say it briefly (for it is necessary to be concise), he was again led to the tribunal after his wounds had been treated, and the most cunning governor attempted to weaken his resolve, first with flatteries and then with promises of honors, so that he might sacrifice to the idols. But because the martyr of Christ appeared stronger than both the tortures and the flatteries, and mocked his words, having been subjected to even greater tortures than before, with his chest scorched by lamps, he was handed over to prison in iron bonds.

^B VI. Not much time passed before the wicked emperor, having paid the penalty worthy of what he had dared against the Christians, wretchedly departed from human life. What followed then? He who assumed the scepter of the impious Aurelian’s empire was disciplined by the example of his predecessor; fearing that by doing the same things against the Christians he might become liable to the same punishments, he ordered the persecution against the Christians to cease in every province. And so that many might not suffer the greatest loss by this divine man being finished by the end of his martyrdom, missing out on the benefit they were to enjoy, being fashioned by his life and exhorted to virtue by his words, Providence, which disposes all things well, provided something more useful for the common good. The martyr was released from his chains and custody, the royal decree permitting this; and as one already dead to this life, and desiring to live only for Christ, even if he was spared from undergoing death for Christ, he began his journey towards the holy city, bearing the marks of the Lord upon his own body. He immediately set out upon the narrow way, but he fell into trials that hindered his goal. For when he was not far from it, he encountered other persecutors who were in no way inferior to the former in wickedness. For they were evil and savage men, and ^C they regarded it as a mere game to slaughter men and to rob those passing by on the roads. When they saw the saint walking alone along the road, they quickly took whatever he might be carrying for his journey; and having bound both his hands behind his back, and having put an iron collar around his neck, like some prey, these wild beasts dragged him off to their own cave. Long ago, the multitude of the Jews was accused of having made that holy temple a den of thieves; but in the present case ^D the situation is the opposite. For this den of thieves, you will see

it become a church of God through him; but how and in what manner, the following parts of the discourse will clearly show. ^A VII. Those villains, as we have said, leaving the saint bound in the aforementioned cave, went roaming about the highways as was their custom, to see if they might inflict their usual evil upon other travelers. But he, first of all, poured forth prayers and gave thanks to God, gladly enduring his trials on account of the reward hoped for therefrom; then, too, he addressed the wicked demon who had devised such things against him in this most courageous manner: "Is it as one fearing the experience of death that you have delivered me to these murderers, O wicked one; or as one intending to prevent my purpose from being carried out? If the former, I despise death altogether, having the good grace of God as my guardian. But if it is to hinder me from my desire to live according to Christ, you will achieve nothing at all, if He himself wills it; and He does indeed will it, since He rejoices to see the purification of life and soul, that He may have an opportunity, being good, to grant good things to those who are zealous for virtue." But while these things were being said by him, a viper crept into a certain vessel that was full of wine and drank its fill; then, no differently ^B than wicked men, rendering evil for good and rewarding the drink with its venom, it departed. The thieves, upon returning home, being overcome with thirst, drank the undiluted wine straight away, and died together; and thus the evil are punished by evil, and divine justice exacts the deserved penalties from them on behalf of many who were wronged. Henceforth the den of those wicked thieves—which I promised to mention—becomes a holy temple of God, which is now called the Old Church, and is situated near the most holy Laura which is called Pharus, and had its foundation through this great Chariton. See also in this how fine and marvelous a dispensation was found. For what happens, and toward what ends do his affairs proceed? ^C VIII. Captured by the hands of the wicked, as we have already shown, he was profitably diverted from the road that led to Jerusalem; he was led like a captive into the cave, and he drew up his battle line against the murderers, bringing with him no sword, no shield, no missile, nor any other of the defensive weapons with which he might have avenged himself. But with holy prayers, just as Moses once did against the Amalekites—even though he did not extend his hands (for he was bound), but used prayers that had the same power and could be heard just as well—he struck the villains with as if they were missiles, with the venom of the viper. And then what? ^D He was spontaneously loosened from the bonds by which he was held, and he became the heir to the money that had been evilly amassed. This was rightly distributed, and he himself became an administrator of the divine command, in that he distributed a portion to the poor and to the Fathers who were living in the desert. Now these were then rare and not very great in number; and they themselves also, in the time of the persecution,

^A lived scattered in the caves of the reed-bed, located somewhere near the Dead Sea. With the rest of the moneys he builds the aforementioned sacred Laura, and in addition the most holy church thereof, which the divine Macarius dedicates, holding the helm of the Church of God that was then in Jerusalem, who also chanced to be one of the pious catalogue that gathered at Nicaea.

IX. Since the blessed one had therefore chosen ^B to live in silence and quiet in this cave, and had become manifest to all through the miracles he performed, he causes a multitude of Gentiles and Jews, surpassing in number, to receive holy baptism, and not to stop merely at this, but also to prepare themselves to choose the monastic life. Nor did he attract many merely by miracles, but also by his life. For it was a marvel to see him applying such diligence to the life lived according to God, and considering continence as luxury; wealth, as possessing nothing; and to see him so love sleeping upon the ground and spending the whole night in psalmody, that he considered those who are lovers of life—who sleep the whole night on soft bedding upon ivory beds—to have no advantage, while he himself took more pleasure in the hair-shirt pressing upon his holy frame, [which was covered in] welts, than those who are clothed in soft garments; for the hope of eternal bliss persuaded him to bear every labor easily. He was ^C merciful, compassionate, hospitable, gentle, quiet, and had an approach easy for all, being gifted with teaching, having a word that rejoiced the hearts of his listeners much more than wine. Wherefore, with all the people flowing to him like a river, and a multitude of the crowd making the desert, as it were, a city, the blessed one, having seen that he was being led away from the beloved silence by the tumult arising from this, and also being eager to flee the glory of men (for he knew that it has great power to confound the adornment of the soul), he gives commands to all his disciples concerning the things that befit the monastic state: fixing the time for taking food, which is at the end of the day; and not to eat to satiety, but to cease while the stomach ^D still craves; the food, moreover, to be bread alone, with salt satisfying the place of seasoning; and the drink to be water, and this too taken with measure and frugality. Next, having commanded concerning the psalmody and prayer, both the daily and that which occurs by night; and to hate idleness as the cause of many evils; and to give work to the hands, while being occupied with the holy Psalms; [he taught that] if any base thought, like some weed, should be sown in the soil of the heart by the common enemy of all, it is to be cut away by fasting and the sword of prayer, so that it might not have room to produce the bitter fruit of pleasure; for thus would the saying of Christ more befit [the situation]: "This kind of demon is cast out by nothing else than by fasting and prayer." In addition to these things, he taught that it is not fitting to go out frequently, but to delight in silence for the most part, as it is the mother of virtues, and aptly cleanses the rheum of the eyes of the soul. Nor did he omit

^A to speak about kindness, but he took care to say what was fitting concerning it: for he said that if it were possible, no one approaching the door should be sent away empty-handed, lest unknowingly you disregard Christ, who takes on the person of the poor.

10. Having said this and having chosen one of the disciples who was superior to the others in his life and capable of being entrusted with the oversight of the brothers, he commits the rule to him, with the concurrence of the other students also. He himself departed from the Laura, with the monks shedding many tears from their eyes and asking him to remain; but he would not yield to anyone, for he looked only to what was useful. "For if I move away from here, my children," he said, "with no one coming here to disturb the silence, it will be well for both parties: for it will be easier for me, your father in spirit, and for you, whom I have begotten in Christ through the Gospel, to dwell peacefully in your cells as in beehives, ^B and like bees to bring forth the honey of virtue." Having then embraced everyone with a holy kiss and blessed them and commended them to Christ, he set out on his way. After having traveled the journey of one day, he approaches another cave, which was situated in the parts of Jericho; it was desert, and most suitable for providing silence and rest. Having spent a considerable time there and using for food whatever herbs he could find, he lived continually for God alone, as was pleasing to God.

Thus God reveals him again, and makes him manifest again, him who was hidden; and He makes him manifest through the miracles he performed. For diseases were driven away through him, and the infirmities of bodies and souls at the same time. And of these the more so, since those often cause bodily infirmities. Many, therefore, having obtained healing from him, and having set their minds on imitating his way of life, he builds another dwelling-place of virtues here, which Elpidius later expanded, a man excelling in ascetic achievements. They called him the Duke, because like some duke he presided over that sacred Laura and warded off the assaults that were made against it, which the Hebrews then, who inhabited the farm called Noeron, bearing much envy, brought ^C against it.

11. Since, therefore, even here, because of many people approaching, his peace and silence were interrupted, after he had given the monks both instructions and advice on how it is fitting for those who care for their soul to live, and had designated the one who was to be in charge, he withdrew from there again and visited another part of the desert, fourteen stadia, more or less, distant from the estate called the Tekoan. Thus did the Savior of the world make him change his dwellings; what was He willing and what, pray, was the divine economy in this? To make him known and manifest to all; and as for those flocking to him (the majority of whom happened to be Gentiles), for the former to lead them to the cleansing of the soul, and for the latter all the more, through him, to guide them to faith in Him. And again many brothers

were gathered, who were renouncing the disorder—if one might so say—of the world, but were piously ^A uniting themselves to God and to those who live according to God (for they had heard this divine and holy word: "It is good for a man that he bear the yoke from his youth, and he shall sit alone"), and they settled in solitude, and the work according to their mind proceeded for them. Because of this, this admirable Chariton built another Laura there, which some in the Syrian tongue call Sucam, and others, in the Greek tongue, call the Old Laura.

XII. But our account now proceeds, little by little, to what is last in order, but first in power and in the magnitude of the miracle. For since he was concerned for quiet and silence more than anything else, not being ignorant of how much this can contribute to virtue, and having learned of a certain cave situated on a certain steep and precipitous mountain, not far distant ^B from this holy Laura, which is called Cremastos to this day, that is, "the hanging one" (for one cannot reach it otherwise than by a ladder), that noble man inhabited it. When much time had passed, and his body had become infirm, partly from old age and partly from the long labors of asceticism, and he was not able to minister to himself and carry water, being unwilling again to entrust this service to another, but wishing to escape the necessity of one’s natural needs, what does he do? He asks of God, who is able to make possible things that are impossible; and the rock, not struck by a rod but by prayer, pours forth water—not to a disobedient, stiff-necked, and iniquitous people, but to one that is very obedient and yielding to the laws of God. For from one side of the cave water immediately gushed forth, most cold and crystalline, which remains to this day, not merely ^C quenching thirst, but becoming also an accurate testimony of the intimacy which Chariton had with God.

XIII. What more? When he knew by divine revelation that the day of his departure from the body—or rather, his approach to God (for this is more fitting to say)—was at hand, he called all the shepherds and flocks of the three aforementioned monasteries to himself, and together with all of them, he came to the holy Laura of Pharan, where he first shed the sweats of his ascetic struggles. And as if leaving them a certain inheritance, he gives them his holy precepts, not providing money and transitory wealth, but those goods which he himself loved and which, for those who love similar things, can never perish; and he begins to speak to them, saying: "I, indeed, ^D children, am already hastening to God, and the time of my release is at hand. It behooves you, therefore, to take care of your own souls while there is time, knowing that after death there is no power of repentance; but there is the time of reward, whereas here is the time of labors and struggles; and as for the present things, even if there be something pleasant and delighting to the eye or the throat, it flows quickly and passes into non-existence, and if there be anything grievous and painful, this too has a quickly dissolving and temporary suffering. But of future things, both that which gives delight is eternal, and that which causes pain [remains] always.

^A First of all, then, let things concerning the faith be sound and firm among you, unshaken by any danger. Next, let your life also be pure, or let it be purified. And before all things, let the sanctification of the body be a study, so that the pure Spirit may come to you and dwell in you, as in undefiled temples, and fill the soul with His sanctification and good fragrance. Anger is an evil thing, and wrath, and whatever else can harm brotherly love. But among you, let peace and gentleness be cherished and kept in every way. And if an offense should ever happen between you, let not the sun go down upon you while you are so far removed from the light because of hatred. But the blessing of charity must be recalled as diligently as possible, since without it, it is not possible to see the Sun, which is perceived by the intellect.

^B If, however, an evil thought has been sown in your souls, let it be your concern to expel it quickly. For thus you will use an easier way to cast it out, since the longer it is allowed to remain, the more trouble it will provide, and the more difficult it will be to conquer for one wishing to fight against it. But let your weapons for this war be fasting, prayer, tears, the memory of death and of hell, and that which is the strongest of all and most terrible to the enemies: blessed humility. And let there be caution, that thoughts may never possess you wickedly, and a guarding of the senses, and above all others, of the eyes and ears. For from there is the entry for them against us, and death which enters into us through the windows.

XIV. ^C I know the possession of all things to be most precious—the state of having nothing—and this is wealth for the one who is truly noble and clearly free, to be bound by the desire for none of the present things. Yet the divine Apostle measures out the necessary need for the body, saying: "Having food and clothing, let us be satisfied with these." High-mindedness is a terrible thing, and there is nothing else that can so destroy, which by its nature generally follows a wealth of good deeds, and then becomes a painful shipwreck for such a person. But the divine Apostle stands again, stretching out his right hand to us, and by his word providing great security to those who have ears. "For let him who thinks he stands," he says, "take heed lest he fall."

^D One must avoid judging a brother as much as possible; for this is the offspring of a soul that has an arrogant disposition, and that desires, in the manner of a Pharisee, to justify itself through the condemnation of a neighbor. But do you, putting that aside, if you are seized by the desire to judge, since you have yourself close at hand, never cease each day judging and examining yourself, and correcting yourself as best you can. The belly is prone to petulance and insult, and it miserably rewards the one who cares for it; but it is bent by labors and tamed by fasting, and like a bold horse, it is kept from unruly prancings. You must not forget hospitality; and when receiving [guests] with hospitality, wash their feet humbly also; for this is the commandment of Christ, and having done it first himself, he commanded us to do likewise. For through this, not only is care taken of one’s neighbor, but it can also cure the heavy disease of the soul, namely,

^A the filth of sin. The Creator and Savior of our souls has discovered cleansings, such as tears, groanings, contrition of heart, fasting, prayer, sleeping on the ground, and whatever other medicine of repentance has been shown for the sake of philanthropy. But these are difficult and laborious, even if they provide great benefit. Yet I know of one [method] that is very effortless, and very powerful for easily cleansing the soul. What is this? Forgiving the offense to those who have transgressed. This is not only dear to God, and serves as an intercession for the absolution of our own evils from Him, but it also touches the one who has sinned more keenly than punishment often does, and makes him who was free a servant to the one who has granted forgiveness—which is why even those outside [the faith] seem to say that "forgiveness is more powerful than punishment."

^B XV. When he had said these and many other things of this kind to his disciples, and had prayed for the salvation of his soul, and had blessed them, having felt no sensation of illness, nor having felt any pain in any part of his body, he lay down upon one of the couches, stretched out his feet, and relinquished his blessed soul, handing it over to the angels who were rejoicing in his good deeds. And, as was fitting, being attended to his tomb by holy hands, he passed into the life that never ends, where pain, grief, and sighing have fled away; where the manifestation of the divine Trinity becomes visible, face to face, to those who are pure in heart; where there is consolation and rest for those who have labored in the good vineyard and who have walked the ^C laborious and rugged path of virtue. But such, indeed, was the end of Chariton’s life; and it was not unclear, nor did he leave this life without having known beforehand and predicted—just as we have already remarked—concerning it, but he had most accurately signified both regarding it and the storm that was about to disturb the churches.

XVI. Whatever, therefore, beloved, of his deeds and miracles, could escape [the ravages of] time and forgetfulness, these we have handed down to your studious ears. For the interval of time between the reign of Aurelian and the present day is not small. Since we have received nothing written from anyone—due to the scarcity of that time, not only of monks, but of Christians in general, and those who were marked by the light of knowledge, but also because those who did exist ^D were being harassed by daily persecutions—those things of which we have made mention here are those which pious and truth-loving men, receiving from father to son, have preserved down to our own times, both physically, so to speak, and spiritually, to the glory of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, the one and consubstantial Divinity, to whom is due all glory, honor, and worship, now and always, and unto the endless ages of ages. Amen.

LIFE AND CONVERSATION OF OUR HOLY FATHER CYRIACUS THE ANCHORITE

(September, day 29)

^A "Those who bless you, says God to Abraham, I will bless, and those who curse you I will curse." By these words, He does not just reward those who pursue virtue, but even extends the blessing to those who praise them. Hence, it is right not only to listen with the greatest fervor to the struggles and the labors of this blessed Cyriacus for the sake of virtue, and to admire and welcome them, but also to rouse ourselves to imitate him with all our strength, and to gird ourselves with a similar zeal; so that we may not only be deemed worthy of the blessing because we have praised him, but may also share in his crowns and become fellows in his rewards.

^B He was brought forth by Corinth, which is in Greece. The names of his parents were: his father, John, who had been ordained a presbyter of the church in Corinth; and his mother, Eudoxia. The time of his birth was at the end of the reign of Theodosius—the younger, that is. His maternal uncle was Peter, the bishop of the Corinthians. This Peter enrolled the blessed Cyriacus into the rank of reader of the same church while he was still at a tender age.

He, devoted to the divine Scriptures, and perusing them assiduously, spending all his nights and days in them, marveled within himself how God had (from the beginning) ordered all things for the salvation of the human race: and how those who, in each generation, had been well-pleasing to Him, He deemed worthy of such great honor, and how...

He rendered them so brilliant and illustrious—honoring Abel through his sacrifice, Enoch through his well-pleasing life and translation; preserving Noah as a spark of the human race through his righteousness; manifesting Abraham as the father of many nations through faith; accepting the pious priesthood of Melchizedek; providing Joseph as an image of patience and temperance for life, along with Job; manifesting Moses as a lawgiver, and Joshua the son of Nun as charioteer to the moon and sun; ^A manifesting David as prophet, king, and forefather of the awesome mystery; and transforming the flame of the Babylonian furnace into dew for the youths.

Furthermore, he was beset with yet deeper wonderings, reflecting on the seedless birth, the Virgin likewise being mother, and how, being God the Word, He became man without change; and how, through the cross, He despoiled Hades, rendered the deceitful serpent powerless, and led Adam back into Paradise. ^B

Pondering these and similar things in his mind, Cyriacus was inflamed in his heart with divine zeal, and a thought came to him to bid farewell to the world and to those things in the world, to arrive at the holy city, and to live holily in a holy place, devoted to silence. On a certain Sunday, therefore, having heard the divine voice in the Gospel: *If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me* (Matt. XVI, 24), he did not yield the matter to procrastination for anyone, ^C nor did he pause for even a brief time, nor did he deliberate, but immediately carried his intention into action. Silently slipping away from the church as best he could, he arrived at Cenchreae, and having embarked upon a ship departing for Palestine, he arrived with haste at Jerusalem, having already reached his eighteenth year—in the ninth year of the reign of Leo the Great, and the eighth of the episcopate of Anastasius of Jerusalem.

Having come from there to the holy city, he took lodging with the great Eustorgius, a man who was otherwise a lover of virtue and radiant with the gifts of the Spirit. ^D He, as a truly *philostorgos* (that is, loving) father, received him with great affection, as was fitting. And Cyriacus, when he was already established near the...

monastery that had been constructed by him near the holy city, and had passed the winter there, was seized by a desire for greater seclusion; and he set all his zeal upon finding that desert itself and dwelling there.

As he was being instructed by almost everyone concerning the divine Euthymius (for his virtue made him known everywhere), he was vehemently captivated by the desire to meet the man. Therefore, he earnestly begged the great Eustorgius that, having been deemed worthy of his prayers, he might be dismissed in peace. When he had obtained this, he arrived at the Laura of the wonderful Euthymius, and was received with hospitality by a certain presbyter, Anatolius, and the monk Olympius, brothers by kin and Corinthians by birth. Having spent many days with them, he eventually saw the great Euthymius, and those blessed hands touched his sacred head, at once investing him with the monastic habit and at ^B the same time invoking a more abundant operation of the Spirit upon him.

Euthymius, however, did not allow him to remain there because of his age; for he was very cautious about the conversation of beardless youths and adolescents in his own Laura, lest they should become an occasion of stumbling to the rest of the brothers toward unseemly thoughts. But when the great Theoctistus had already departed to Jesus, whom he desired, he himself sent Cyriacus to Saint Gerasimus, near the Jordan. And Gerasimus, having received Cyriacus as a truly divine gift, and seeing him at such an age, assigned him to the duties of the cenobium. The wonderful man lived there, splitting wood, carrying water, preparing food for the brothers, and serving the tasks of the kitchen. But although he was occupied in this way, and spent the whole day in such great labors and toils, he passed the nights in divine conversation and prayer; and again, more fervently and keenly after the work of his hands, he began the sacred hymns. To speak briefly, he demonstrated the life of the anchorites ^C in a cenobium and amidst so many activities, in all things, being nourished by bread and water alone, and that only every other day.

Led by these things, Gerasimus was prompted to love him dearly, and he was so delighted by the life of the younger man, and so convinced of his character and his love for spiritual matters, that in the days of the fasts he would take him into the desert of Rouba, and have him as a companion of his labors and spiritual ascent. Here, also, the wonderful Euthymius was said to reside, and to impart the divine sacraments to them each Sunday, until the day of Palms arrived.

After a short time had passed, having departed on a beautiful journey...^D

^A toward God, the great Euthymius went to his rest. Gerasimus saw his holy soul being escorted by angels and ascending brilliantly into the heavens, from whence he had been called. Immediately, therefore, Cyriacus took him up, ascended to his Laura, and with longing hands buried his holy body with the reverence that was his due; and having performed all that the law required there, he departed again.

In the ninth year of Cyriacus’s stay in Palestine, the wonderful Gerasimus also died, and he too departed to the common Lord on the fifth day of the month of March. Cyriacus had now reached his twenty-seventh year. Departing from there, he arrived at the Laura of Euthymius; he was received, however, by Elias—for he was the one in charge of it at that time—and he received a cell from him and enjoyed the desired quiet in abundance, having brought with him such burning zeal that he desired the Laura to be transformed into a coenobion.

There was in it a certain Thomas, who most gladly accepted labors for its sake and demonstrated the great philosophy of his soul. Cyriacus was bound to him in the bond of the Spirit, and following his guidance and conduct, he trained himself toward a more perfect virtue, while emulating his life and preparing himself for a similar imitation. This Thomas was later sent to Alexandria by the deacon Phidus, in order to purchase supplies for the construction of the monastery; for the monasteries of the fathers Euthymius and Theoctistus were at that time distinguished only by their names, as they shared a common training ^B and way of life, and were governed and shepherded under one and the same pastor, the great one.

^A And Euthymius had given commands to those who succeeded him. But the divine Thomas, too, who had completed his life here, had already been received into the eternal dwelling-place, and he also was numbered among the choir of the just. Twelve years after his passing, Longinus, the superior of the Monastery of Theoctistus, also departed this life. And when Paul had taken over the presidency of the monastery, Terebon the Hagarene, who had long ago been baptized by the sacred hands of Euthymius, being himself also near to death, had left behind a great deal of wealth to both of the monasteries.

But since Paul had dealt rather unjustly with the money and had acted more lawlessly than that man in carrying out the commands, and had taken away the very body of Terebon along with the funds, a sedition arose between the monasteries; and to this sedition, a division followed, so much so that Paul walled in the lands that had been annexed to the Laura of Euthymius, surrounded them with a bulwark, and built a tower upon them; and indeed, he even bought a public inn by the Laura of Souka near the Tower of David, and attributed it to the Laura of Euthymius.

The blessed Cyriacus, therefore, offended at the division of the brothers—because that which the sun always sees together, love had separated not for the sake of virtue or stillness, but for the sake of money—withdraws from there and arrives at the Laura of Souka. ^B Having spent a long time there, and having completed these four ministries in different years—the care of bread and the rest of the diet of the brothers, the care of the sick, the reception of guests, and the administration of the Laura—and having found the consciences of all the brothers to be witnesses of his patience and humility, as well as the other strictness which the divine canons require of priests, he was promoted to the honor of the priesthood in the fortieth year of his age. ^C And the keeping of the holy vessels and the care of the Church were entrusted to his keeping for eighteen years.

It is said, moreover, concerning Cyriacus, that during all those many years, not only did the sun not go down upon his anger, but he was not even initially moved to any anger at all, nor did the day see him eating; and that when he signaled the time of the divine hymns to the brothers, he would never cease from the striking [of the board] before his pure and immaculate tongue had gone through the entire Immaculate [Psalm] (that is, the Psalm, *Blessed are the undefiled in the way*). ^D In the seventy-seventh year of his age, however, having handed over the holy vessels, the keeping of which had been entrusted to him, he withdrew to the wilderness of Natupha, se-

- ^A quent disciple. Since, therefore, they were destitute of food and had nothing from which to satisfy the needs of nature—for not even wild vegetables grew in that wilderness, which would have been sufficient sustenance for them—the divine Cyriacus prayed to God to give them food from the squills that were there; for that wilderness abounded with them. Turning to his disciple, he said, "Gather, child, some of these squills, and after sprinkling salt on them, boil them in a pot; and blessed be God, for it will be possible for us to be satisfied by them."

This is what he instructed the disciple to do, but God, from above, was attentive to the prayer; He who once made water gush from a rock, and who changed that great bitterness of Mara into a corresponding sweetness. For the squills likewise set aside their innate bitterness, and from that time, for four years, they served as food for those blessed men. But as it is written, "The Lord will not abandon His holy ones," that which was spoken by holy David was opportunely fulfilled here. For a certain man from the village of the Thecoans, having inquired about Cyriacus from those who were pasturing their flocks in the wilderness, arrived with hot loaves of bread loaded upon a donkey; and having deposited the load with him, he left and went away; and by these things Cyriacus ^B henceforth lived together with his disciple.

But then, the disciple, having boiled the squills in the usual manner—not being ordered by the blessed Cyriacus to do so—set them out for supper. Then, because he could not bear their bitterness, together with his voice his strength also failed him, and he lay as if dead. Having then perceived the cause of the misfortune, the divine Cyriacus raised his hands in prayer for the disciple, raised him up, and having imparted the divine sacraments to him, immediately restored him to health, and kindly refreshed him from his fear.

A little while later, the bread having run out, they were again oppressed by a most severe famine. But the blessed one again urged the disciple to prepare a supper for them from the squills. Although the disciple had prepared the food and placed it before them, he was nevertheless afraid to use it. For the previous bitterness had come to his mind, and how, when he had eaten, not only his voice but even his movement had failed him. ^C Cyriacus, however, having given a blessing and having made the sign of the cross, took from what was set before them and ate first; and the disciple, having regained his confidence, partook of the food, and both ate with pleasure and were abundantly satisfied.

The fifth year since he had been staying in this Natupha was now coming to an end, and the son of a certain man from the village of the Thecoans was gripped by an evil spirit, and he was suffering grievously and distressingly. When the father had learned every detail regarding the divine Cyriacus, he brought the child to him and fervently begged him to bring aid to the boy who was suffering so terribly. He, having pity on both—on the one because of the sickness, and on the other because of the ^D mystery concerning the child, immediately restored him to health, and

^A by prayer ^B he releases the young man from that bitter madness, after anointing him with the oil of the cross. When the miracle had thus already spread to many, an innumerable multitude began to flow to him, interrupting his quiet and his prayer. The noble Cyriacus, avoiding this, crosses over to the more interior desert of Rouba. Having spent five years there, he would feed on the roots of melagria and the tips of reeds; and these were sufficient food for him, in no way inferior to the luxury of the tables of the wealthy. ^B Yet the efficacy of the divine charisms of Cyriacus transformed even this desert into a city by the multitude of those who flocked there. For all whom either an evil spirit troubled or another disease oppressed, ran to the man with prompt and eager spirit as if to a certain healing; and no one returned from there empty. But the divine Cyriacus, once again weary of the multitude of those approaching, travels to that part of the desert in which no anchorite had ever remained or even passed through; the place was called Susacim by the locals. And in it, both the rivers of the New Laura and those of the Souka meet and flow together, being the deepest and largest of those we know. It is said that these are they of whom it was spoken to Christ by David: You dried up the rivers of Etham (Ps. lxxiii, 15). But the faith which men had in the man, or rather the abundance of his divine graces, rendered even this admittedly inaccessible desert entirely easy and accessible for people; this also stirred up faith more warmly and drew pious souls into desire. For when Cyriacus had spent seven years there, because a plague had then fallen upon them and was doing such damage to all the surrounding areas, and kept killing many without ceasing, those of the Laura of Souka, afraid, ascended into this inaccessible desert; and they beg Cyriacus and implore him to return to the Laura again, so that they might have at least his arrival as a most effective remedy against the plague. ^C That good and philanthropic soul, therefore, having pity on them, descends to the Laura again; and having spent a fifth year at the cell of the blessed Chariton, he fought most valiantly against those who held the opinions of Origen. At that time, too, the admirable Cyril, having come from the Laura of the great Euthymius to the Laura of the blessed Sabas to see the hesychast bishop John, became his minister of letters to this blessed Cyriacus. The letters indicated the war stirred up against the Holy City and besought him to pray to God more fervently, so that those in the New Laura with Nonnus and Leontius, who from the dogmas of Origen...

^A had taken up the alliance and carried on the war against the orthodox, might be defeated, and might cast off that great arrogance of the faith. Cyrillus, therefore, having arrived at Souka, and having met with Zosimus and John, the first of his disciples, then goes with them to the great Cyriacus; he hands him the letter, and explains everything that had been told to him again by word of mouth. But he, weeping fervently and as if from the heart, said: "Tell him who sent you: Let us not be troubled, Father; for we shall soon see Nonnus and Leontius most miserably exchange their life for death; and the wolves that have infested the Laura being driven away from it most shamefully; and the rational sheep again treading it without grief and without fear, and being nourished and fed in it." To this he asked: "But what are these things, Father, which they defend?" For, he said, "they claim that the dogmas concerning pre-existence and the restoration ^B to the pristine state are indifferent and free from all danger, saying that those things testify to them in support of this which the great Gregory says somewhere in his Apologetic works: 'To me, indeed, it seems a task not of the least importance to give to each, in due time, the ration of the word, and to dispense in judgment the truth of our dogmas, whatever has been philosophized concerning worlds or the world, concerning matter, concerning the soul, concerning the mind, and concerning intelligent natures, ^C as well the superior as the inferior, concerning the Providence that connects all things; and whatever seems to happen according to reason, and whatever is beyond the lower and human reason; and still further, whatever concerns our primary constitution, its types and truth and covenants, and the first and second advent of Christ.' For in these things, they say, it is not useless to understand, and not to understand is free from danger." When the admirable Cyril had asked these things, the blessed Cyriacus said, "Not so; the dogmas concerning pre-existence are not indifferent and free from danger, ^D but on the contrary, rather, they are slippery and dangerous. But in order that I may briefly set before you their manifold impiety, they say that Christ is not one of the Trinity. They say that the bodies which we shall have after the resurrection will go to utter destruction, and that of Christ first. They say that the Trinity was not the creator of the world; and that in the restoration all rational beings, even up to the demons, will be able to create aeons, and that our bodies rise in the resurrection etherial and spherical; for so they say that the Lord's body also rose; and that we shall become his equals in the restoration." But as Cyril asked again, "Why then, Father, did they not endure such great labors for the sake of virtue, but"

^A consumed them in this useless wisdom that is being destroyed?" The blessed Cyriacus responded, "For they became vain," he said, "in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened; professing to be wise, they became fools." Now Nonnus was the beginning of these evils; he, having found in Leontius of Byzantium no mean minister for such things after the passing of our blessed Father Sabas, immediately sowed this foul disease in many places of the Church. And first, he led those in the New Laura who were supposedly more learned—or, to speak more truthfully, more ignorant—into his own heresy. Then he did not stop there, but regarding it as an affair worthy of great concern, he sought in the same way to share such corruption with many of the other hermitages of the desert. Then, what contention did he not employ to catch even humble and lowly me within his snares? But "iniquity belied itself," to speak with the divine David; and a divine vision appeared to me, accurately exposing the mire of his heresy. And not I alone overcame his wickedness, but those of the convent of Souka also, through our counsel, stood bravely against his wiles, and they overcame those deceitful habits and that clever ingenuity of his for evil.

But since he was defeated in this way by being so openly confronted, he plotted to subject the convent to his authority by another method. And he appointed a certain Peter, an Alexandrian—who from the beginning had been disposed toward him and held to his bad-dogma heresy—as head of the convent, to see if by this means, at least, he might gradually draw them over to communion. For those under authority generally love to conform themselves to their leader. But the fool was ignorant that he was setting out a bait that was easily detected and obvious. For as soon as a little of that usual evil of his was shown to the convent, the whole body was at once moved and drove Peter out of his position of leadership. ^B Then again, those around Nonnus appointed as leader for them another Peter, from Greece, who in no way differed from the former. But the community, seeing in him also the clear marks of the same wickedness as his predecessor, immediately rejected him as well; and coming to the Laura of the blessed Sabas, they took as their leader Cassian, a Scythopolitan by birth, very faithful in religion, and nurtured in virtue and learning. And with this, we were at last barely able to check and suppress the many-sided and turbulent impulse of those suffering from the disease of Origen.

When that sweet tongue had recounted these things, and he understood that Cyril was of the monastery of the great Euthymius, with great joy he said at once, "Look, brother, you are even one of my own coenobites." And he began in his discourse to pursue the deeds of the saints Euthymius and Sabas. And since he had learned them clearly from this blessed Cyriacus, he wrote down every detail in the books he composed about them, so that any person may learn from them there, if he does not read them perfunctorily but accurately.

^A Thus, then, did the divine Cyriacus, having filled that man's soul with pleasure through such conversation and narrations, send him away in peace. But when Nonnus, that diligent guardian of the laws of Origen, had brought his own life to a most shameful end, and all their strength was dissolved, and the war against the orthodox had ceased, and they began to incite battles and dangers against one another, many who were frequenting the cave of Chariton began to cause no small vexation to the divine Cyriacus, disturbing his silence and quiet. ^B Consequently, he withdrew again to Susakim, already fulfilling his ninety-ninth year of age. When he had remained there for eight years, a longing at some point took hold of Cyril to converse with Cyriacus. Coming, therefore, to the laura of Suca and taking with him its disciple, John, they both reached Susakim, which place was no less than ninety stadia away from the laura.

Now, when they were already near, a lion, most huge in size and most terrifying to behold, met them, and, as is natural, it disturbed Cyril and cast him into fear. Seeing the man in this state, the disciple John then said, "Do not fear." But the lion, when it recognized that they were going to the saint, immediately gave way from the path, and they passed by unharmed by any evil. ^C When that holy head beheld them, he was immediately overjoyed, and looking upon them sweetly and familiarly, he said in an aged, very good, and gracious manner, "Behold, my fellow-coenobite Cyril." Then the disciple John, mixing in a little playfulness, said, "But, Father, the lion terrified this man wonderfully and openly showed him to be a coward." That cheerful soul said, "But you, do not fear, my child; for this lion remains here with me as a diligent guardian of the vegetables, and he allows no wild beast to enter, nor, I think, do the vegetables fear the incursion of a wild goat, given this guardian is awake." ^D Then, having spoken much about the Fathers who were living in the desert, and having by this means aroused them and instilled in them a most intense love, as it were, for virtue, he sets out a table. At this point, the lion arrives. He reaches out bread to the beast with his hand and sends it away to the guardianship of the vegetables. Then, to those reclining, he said, "I have, O children, a good guardian of the field. For neither bear, nor any other wild beast, nor indeed a robber or barbarian, attacks those who pass through the field. For the lion punishes them severely and destroys them."

Now, to those who had spent the whole day with him and had enjoyed that teaching and the grace poured out upon his lips, he imparted a blessing for the future and sent them away in peace. And the lion gave way to them again and crouched down as they arrived, and they returned to their own places rejoicing.

^A Now this holy Cyriacus, while he remained in Susacim, since he had no water from springs (so that he might both use it himself and also water his vegetables), would draw out that which collected in the hollows of the rocks, and he watered them during the summer at midday, and he no longer allowed himself to thirst. For during the autumn season, the weather watered them sufficiently. But once, when a great drought had occurred during the summer, and the hollows in the rocks did not have even a trace of water, he lifted his eyes to heaven and begged water from God. And suddenly a cloud, having thickened over his head, burst into rain; and it filled his jars and all the hollows of the rocks, and this sufficed for a long time for the need of the holy man and for the watering of the vegetables. But it occurs to me here to mention something which, even if it does not belong to the narrative about the saint, will nonetheless provide no small benefit if it is told.

^B When the disciple of this saint was once coming into the wilderness together with his fellow-disciple Paramon, an image of a man appeared to him standing near some wild tamarisk. They, thinking that the figure they saw was one of the anchorites (for many lived in this wilderness at that time), immediately turned toward him. But when they were already near, and what had appeared was nowhere to be seen, they, on the contrary, thinking it was an evil spirit, began to pray; and having added the "Amen" to their prayer, they looked hither and thither, and a certain subterranean cave appeared to them. Judging this sign to be favorable—and thinking that the one who had appeared was a servant of God and had hidden himself in it and was lying concealed—they prayed that he might bestow a blessing and peace upon them.

^C At last, a voice sounded from within the cave, saying, "What do you want from me? For I am a woman. But where are you going?" she asked. They said, "To the anchorite Cyriacus. But tell us, who are you, and how are you here, and for what reason did you come here?" She replied, "Go now, but when you return, I will tell you." When they pressed her more urgently and said they would not depart even a little bit until they had first heard the things concerning that blessed woman, she said, "My name is Maria; and having been a chantress, I know I provided an occasion of scandal to many. Therefore, I prayed to God, and I besought him to deliver me from the snares of the evil one. ^D And once, heart-stricken and my soul inflamed with divine fire, I descended to the holy Siloam; and having filled this vessel with water (which remains with me even to this day), and having taken lupines in a basket, I arrived here. And none of these things has diminished until this day. But neither from that time have I seen a man, nor...

have I entered into conversations. But go now, you too, and when you return, visit me." ^A Having heard these things, they withdraw, and arriving at the blessed Cyriacus, they report everything to him. He was amazed, as was to be expected, and instructs the disciples to return and visit her again. Having reached the cave on their return, and having knocked on the entrance according to custom, since not even one person answered them from within, they went inside and found her already departed this life, and her lifeless body lying in the cave. ^B Therefore, having gone up to the Laura of Souka, and having taken whatever they needed for the burial, they come to the cave again; and having performed the customary rites over the blessed one, they make her dwelling her tomb, having deposited the remains in the cave itself.

But here the narrative has brought us—a most pleasant and useful point at the same time. We must return again to where we left off. ^C When, therefore, the blessed Cyriacus had completed this eighth year in Susakim, as we have said, those of the Laura of Souka, after the complete removal of those holding the opinions of Origen, having arrived there again, led him to the cave of the great Chariton. To this place also the admirable Cyril was frequently resorting, and was reaping much increase and benefit of virtue from this holy man. Cyriacus had already lived more than one hundred and seven years; to which fact his very sojourns and journeys through different places in his life bear witness. For he arrived in the holy city at about eighteen years of age; he remained for nine years with Saint Gerasimus; he spent his tenth year at the monastery of the great Euthymius; and he served for thirty-nine years under the Laura of Souka. Five years passed for him as he was nourished on squills in the desert of Natupha, and as many others again in that of Rouba. ^D As for Susakim, it is recorded that he remained there for the seventh year; and in the cave of Saint Chariton for the fifth; and again in Susakim for the eighth. Indeed, he went up two years before his death to the cave of Chariton again. Yet, having come to such an age, and having grown so very old, he did not relax even a little from his station for divine hymns and his ministry to those who came to him. But by as much as he aged in years, by so much the more did he flourish and bloom in zeal, and he engaged in divine struggles more warmly and more bravely. The man was gentle, cheerful, and approachable, tall to behold and upright, with his neck straight, still even appearing young, and not at all overcome by old age, adapted by his character to teaching; the...

most orthodox in religion. And so, having fallen into bodily infirmity and paying the debt of nature, he committed his spirit to Jesus, whom he desired. And now he is in the rest of the just, in the splendor of the angels, seeing those things which he always longed for, and receiving within himself the full radiance of the holy Trinity; in Christ himself our Lord, with whom to the Father, who is without beginning, and to the all-holy and life-giving Spirit, be glory, power, honor, and worship now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

LIFE AND CONDUCT AND MARTYRDOM OF SAINT GREGORY OF GREAT ARMENIA

^A 1. When the empire of the Persians had returned to the Parthians, and the dominion of the Parthians had reached such power that they ruled not only over the Persians, but also over the Armenians and the Indians, who are neighbors to the Persians in the East, and furthermore had brought the Massagetae under their authority, and since one man was not able to bear the weight of such great responsibilities, four brothers, Parthians by race and Arsacids by surname, divided the dominion of the four nations among themselves. And the first of the brothers, claiming the common title as his own proper name, was called Arsaces ^B and held the rule of the Parthian empire, excelling the others just as in time, so also in his gifts and other advantages. The one who followed him was king of the Persians. The third of the aforementioned men received the empire of the Indians by lot. The Massagetae were subject to the fourth. And the happiness of the Arsacids was not measured by a short time; but later, when Artabanus, the son of Valarsus, who was himself also of the Arsacids and held the empire over the Persians, ^C was free from

power concerning the star-gazing wisdom of the Chaldeans he studied, and having perceived something from there, he said to his wife while sleeping in the tent: "From those things which the courses of the stars teach me, if anyone were to contemplate an insurrection against their own master in the present time, he will not, I imagine, be frustrated in his goal and desire."

^B II. Having said these things, he turned to sleep. But one of those serving the queen, being a daughter of those illustrious by birth, was accustomed to physical intimacy with one of those who administered the first offices, who drew his origin from the Assyrians, and was called Artasiras. He often contemplated tyranny within himself, and communicated this secret to the most faithful of his friends; however, he deferred bringing it to fulfillment, fearing the event of failure. She, therefore, having secretly slipped out of the tent, reveals the entire prophecy to Artasiras, and incites him to the work, and demands words, so that, if he should become master of the Parthian empire, he might have her as a life companion, and might share the kingdom with her in both name and reality. He readily swore by his ancestral gods, and promised that what he had sworn would meet its end as soon as he had been proclaimed king. Having requested these things and received his pledge, she runs back with haste to the royal tent, taking great care to remain unobserved; the woman's name was Artaducta. Artasiras, therefore, revolving the woman's message in his mind, was seized by a vehement desire for reigning: and having gathered those among the Persians and Assyrians who held office, in whom, being most faithful, he trusted the most, and having brought into the middle of his speech to them the arrogance of the Parthians, he found them also advising similar things. For they too were praying to be delivered from the Parthian tyranny, and to see the power of the Persians directed by their own blood. They resolve, therefore, that Artasiras should be the leader of their counsel and of the deeds themselves, and they send messengers to Artabanus, advising him to depart from the kingdom without danger and the other evils which result from war. ^C But he, having referred it to his own divination and having inclined his head for a time, sends away the sent messengers without success; furthermore, he threatens that, if they should return to him again with similar reports, he will take punishment from them first for their insolence. Zecas and Carenas were their names.

III. Returning, they report to Artasiras and the others all that the king had said and threatened. Then war is prepared by both sides. Before this broke out, Artasiras having sent brought Artaducta to himself, and placed her in a most secure fortress with all her possessions. But when the forces of the Persians and Parthians joined in battle, many fell on both sides; however, victory looked upon Artasiras. And upon the second engagement taking place, the Parthian side was destroyed with full force by the enemy sword, and Artabanus himself was turned to flight. When, however, he had gathered himself again, and to war

^A Persians had forced him to take up arms again, and, having gathered a force for war, he took heart. For a whole year, sometimes the Persians showing many deeds of daring and experience against the Parthians, and sometimes the Parthians against the Persians, when finally the battle lines of each side were close, they say that Artasiras said to King Artabanus not to labor in vain, and to destroy the races of the Persians and Parthians; for the kingdom, he said, no longer wished to remain with Artabanus, but to pass to Artasiras. "But you," he said, "if you listen to me, will live without any trouble; for I will give you a region that will abundantly provide all things necessary for use. But you must not make another your master in what is useful, but yourself, and you must remember the oracle which you once uttered in the tent to the queen." But this was what Artasiras said.

IV. Artabanus, first looking toward some of his own household, said: "How grievous a thing, he said, is woman, and the love of marriage will harm rather than help." Having said this, in rage he ordered one of the guards to cross over and kill the queen; for he thought she had betrayed the oracle. Turning then toward Artasiras, he replied that it would be much more preferable for him to die than to yield the kingdom to Artasiras, who was a slave. And along with these words, he charged against the Persians in a Bacchic and frenzied manner. And he wounded many of them, and struck down more, and he directed his spear toward Artasiras. ^B But he (for he had skilled hands for shooting, and was always very diligently practiced in this) feigned flight, but while being pursued, he sent a missile into the chest near the nipple of his pursuer. And because of the strength of the one who had shot, it could not be withstood; it shattered the breastplate of Artabanus and, piercing his chest, exited through his back, and at once showed Artabanus to be a corpse. The Parthians and Persians, having immediately come to an agreement, proclaimed Artasiras king, as he showed much care and humanity toward them. And he, being in this state, took Artaducta as his wife, whom oaths had previously betrothed to him, and he crowned her queen. ^C

V. Cusaro, the brother of Artabanus, who held the kingdom of Great Armenia, having learned of what had happened, and that the empire of the Parthians had been transferred to the Persians, felt great grief. Having assembled a strong army from the Albanians and Iberians, and furthermore from various Huns, he prepared what was needed for war for a whole year. Leading a great force with him, he launched an expedition against the Persians and Artasiras himself. And Artasiras, who had recently usurped the empire of the Persians, though unwilling, drew up and led out an army against the king of Armenia. There occurred in the battle a great slaughter of the Persians. And Artasiras fled, and the enemies pressed on and covered the Persian land with the bodies of those being killed, and having taken many prisoners and driven off much plunder, they returned ^D to Armenia along with their king, their hands laden with riches. In the following year, again to the king of the Armenians in Syria

^A facienti incursiones, the nation of the Saracens came to his aid; and having carried out forays in Persia and Assyria, and plundered everything therein, the king himself returned to his own realm with a like victory. Having performed these deeds bravely and brilliantly, he was an object of admiration to his allies and a terror to his enemies for ten continuous years. Wherefore the King of the Persians, gripped by inconsolable grief, and his grief increasing by the perplexity of what he should do, gathering those who were under his authority, sought their counsel as to how they might wipe away the ignominy they had suffered and how the common and manifold calamities might cease. And for whoever should declare such a plan, he set as a reward the second rank of honor after the king. But a certain Anac, who was related by blood to the King of Armenia, rising from the assembly, promised that he would do a noble deed, whereby the affairs of the Persians would turn out more happily, and they would take vengeance upon their enemies.

^B VI. Receiving his word, Artasiras said: "In truth, if you do these things, I will straightway place a diadem upon your head, and I will make you second in the kingdom of the Persians, and I will hand over to you the Parthian kingdom." But as for his own part, he said the end was uncertain; yet, should anything happen to him in the interim beyond expectation, he begged Artasiras not to be ungrateful to those who might remain of his kin, but to be mindful of his prompt and eager spirit shown for him, and to show favor to them on that account. Having said these things, he took his brother as an accomplice, and under the guise of a deserter, with wives and children and his whole household and all his kin, he approached the King of Armenia. And he received them with all other honors, and greeted them very kindly. They, however, by their flatteries ingratiating themselves with him, rendered him entirely familiar with them and took care that he should have no suspicion of them, especially because they had deserted to him along with their wives and those most dear to them. And so Anac received the second honor after the king. Now ^C the winter gave the Armenians great rest in ease, and the spring bestowed upon them similar pleasures in their own land; but in summer, the south wind breathing hot compelled the king to migrate to Ararat ^D with his dignitaries, where they passed the summer in a spring-like temperature. While lingering there, the king moved again against Persia. But Anac, mindful of his oaths to Artasiras and inflamed by the desire for the promised rewards, pretending that he wished to speak privately with the King of Armenia along with his brother concerning certain urgent matters, and having entered in alone with him, struck him down with daggers. And the report of the murder reaching the army, they mounted their horses and fled with all their might.

VII. Now the satraps of Armenia, with their companies and commanders of troops, having occupied most of the passages, were planning in every way to [block] their flight

escape. Wherefore, their efforts were not in vain; for having intercepted them in flight upon a certain bridge, they cast them into the river to drown. When the pursuers returned, the whole generation of Anak himself and his brother was put to the sword, the Armenian king having commanded this final word with his dying breath: the total destruction of the race of those who had killed him. And so all perished, except for two of Anak's children, and these were mere infants, still in swaddling clothes and at the breast. One of those who belonged to his household took them away and placed one in the regions of Persia and the other in the Roman dominion. This was Gregory, whose illustrious contests for piety this oration has undertaken to describe from the beginning.

When the Armenian king had been slain in the manner we have described, the Persian, emboldened by this success, marched his army ^B against the disarrayed Armenians; and having seized great booty and taken as many captives as possible, he returned with glory to his own region. Having found among the captives one of the sons of Cursaro, by name Teridates, he did not kill him because of his tender age, but sent him into exile in the region of the Romans. This is Teridates, who at a later time acquired and received the kingdom of the Armenians with Roman aid, and who subjected the great Gregory to innumerable torments; he is the one who not only sought to alienate him from piety, but was himself eventually converted to his faith, moved by the man's admirable constancy and the blow sent from above by divine Providence. But the oration will declare these things in ^C detail as it proceeds.

VIII. Artasiras, therefore, who was then king of the Persians, made Armenia a province of his own empire. But Gregory, the son of Anak, as we have said, who had slain Cursaro, was living in the city of Caesarea in Cappadocia, where he learned other learning and was diligently trained in Christian matters. Teridates, then, being of royal blood, was reckoned among the number of Roman magistrates. Gregory, therefore, not ignorant of what his own father Anak had done, and what Teridates' father had suffered at his hands, yet keeping these things secret within himself, approached Teridates, delivering himself to his voluntary service; and without any excuse, he offered his faithful assistance to Teridates in all ^D things. When Teridates learned that Gregory held to the Christian religion, he was displeased, and although he made no headway, yet he did not cease to rebuke him.

At that time, the Goths were ravaging and devastating the fields of the Roman region. Wherefore, he who then held the Roman empire also rose up with all his might, and prepared all things that belonged to war, and summoned those who were under his command, and made himself fully ready to take vengeance on the Goths. When, therefore, each had pitched camp opposite the other, and both had drawn up their battle lines, and they were all but about to engage, the leader of the Goths challenged the Roman emperor to single combat. But he (for he was unable to fight with his own hands

was seeking someone from his own ranks who could pretend to be him and engage with the Goth.

^A IX. Licinianus, a man among those then distinguished in military commands, bade the emperor be of good courage: for there was, said he, one of those serving under him, that Tiridates who traced his lineage to the royal blood of Armenia, a man unconquerable in strength and by his arms, and one who had given great proof of his nobility in many [conflicts]. He is now, he says, present in the army. Tiridates is therefore brought into the center, and the emperor clothes him in the imperial purple and all the insignia of authority, so that he might appear to be the emperor himself, stepping forward to undertake the single combat against the barbarian. When, therefore, they had joined battle—Tiridates, acting the part of the Roman emperor, and the leader of the Goths himself—Tiridates overcame the barbarian to such a degree that he neither drew a sword against him nor brandished a spear, but easily seized him with his hands and brought him alive to the emperor himself. Having done this, he received rewards not unworthy of the deed. For he bestowed upon him a great quantity of money, clothed him in purple, adorned his head with the royal diadem, and not long after restored Tiridates to his ancestral kingdom. The Goths, however, having met with such a counter-intuitive turn of fortune, and having suddenly seen their leader captured, were all dispersed, and a few returned to their own home as messengers of the calamity. But the Roman emperor returned most happily with brilliant trophies.

^B X. Tiridates, henceforth reigning in Armenia, was more devoted to his ancestral superstition, sacrificing to other idols and especially to Artemis, whom he honored significantly and considered a beloved goddess. He wished, therefore, for the holy Gregory to share in the sacrifice; for he himself had also been a companion to Tiridates in this. But he would not accept it. Tiridates, therefore, acknowledging the great debt he owed him both for other service and for their communal life, commanded that he not dissent from him in religion. But divine Gregory said: "Corporate services, which do not corrupt the soul, our common Lord teaches us to perform for masters kindly and as friends, and we have never pretended to you that we had other business, nor have we performed these services carelessly. But things that lead the soul itself into danger and take it far from the Creator—one who is instructed would in no way endure to share in these with another, even if an ^C emperor, even if one who has life in his power, were to command it." Since the holy Gregory had extended his speech at length, Tiridates was filled with rage and moved most fiercely against him, and the noble man was immediately bound, his hands behind his back. Then, having inserted a piece of wood into his mouth, they stretched the upper part of his jaw as far as they could from the lower, and loaded his shoulders with chunks of the salt that is mined by the Armenians. Then

having bound ropes to his ^A sacred body and hoisted him up, they prolonged this bitter torture for seven whole days. After the seventh day, the king brought him down and asked whether he had learned anything better, whether he had changed his former opinion, and whether he had decided to offer sacrifice to the gods. But when he saw him breathing even more zeal for piety, he subjected him to a second set of torments, no less merciful than the first. He hung him head downward, suspended by one foot. Nor did he stop even there, but stationed ten executioners around him with rods in their hands, and spreading dung beneath him, set fire to it so that the martyr might be beaten with rods and at the same time receive the foul-smelling smoke into his nostrils. The intention was that, whereas he was forced by the lashes to release thick and continuous gasps, the smoke would hedge him in and choke him off, not even allowing him to breathe the air, but rather sending down the soot of the dung into his very bowels. I know that even just hearing this will make those present here grow faint. But he not only bore it all bravely, but also sent up great thanks to the Lord, and spoke much about God to those who were present, showing them piety—even if they did not perfectly understand—regarding how the first man ^B was created, the commandment, the transgression, and the condemnation of the one who fashioned him due to that transgression. Next, he recounted the good things from which we excluded ourselves by neglecting the commandment, and he was reminded again of the painful things that, alas, miserably overtook us after their failure. Following this, he brought in the themes of philanthropy, how the Creator, caring for our salvation, sent us teachers and prophets proclaiming the incarnation of the Only-Begotten, then His descent and the sufferings endured for us ungrateful ones—the blows, the cross, the lance, the voluntary death—and finally our restoration, our calling back, our return to the first Good; and after that, the kingdom of heaven awaiting the worthy, ^C and that which is laid up for the wicked: the darkness, the undying worm, and whatever other torment those who are slaves to sin have stored up for themselves.

XI. ^D Having discoursed on these things and prayed for a firm and unwavering confession for himself, he brought his prayer to an end. Some of those standing around, having taken down in writing what had been said by him, reported it immediately to the king. A second seven-day period was completed while Gregory was suspended by his foot. The king had him brought down again, thinking that he would surely be persuaded, having been overcome by the punishment. But when he saw that he was more ready and eager to depart from life than to depart from the faith in Christ, he prepared himself as a more severe adversary to the martyr and turned to inventing other torments, by which he might not...

^A be seen to be doing anything less than cruel. Having seized the front parts of his legs with boards, and then tightly binding them with a rope, he squeezed them in such a way that droplets of blood even dripped from the very tips of the toes of his feet. And so, when he had finally pulled his feet out from that affliction, he drove iron nails into the soles of his feet and forced the athlete to run, spattering the ground beneath him with much blood. Because of this, the martyr felt a great pain in his heart (for how could his longing for Christ be demonstrated if he did not feel pain?). "They went forth and wept, as they cast their seeds; but as they come, they shall come in exultation, carrying their sheaves" (Ps. CXV, 20). These things the saint sang to himself gladly. But Teridates ordered the bystanders to strike him more cruelly, saying that he might reach the pleasure expected from him in greater pain and weeping. But even while suffering such things—so as to satisfy even the souls of those who hated him by his sufferings—he nevertheless bore them most bravely for Christ.

^B XII. After these things, they stretched him out on his back upon the ground, as the tyrant had commanded. They trapped his head in a certain carpenter’s instrument and squeezed it most strongly. Having fitted a tube to his nose, they poured into it a mixture of nitre and salt with vinegar, and transmitted the acridity to the depths of his head and to the very brain itself. From there, they devised for him another method of torture, which displayed equally both their own cruelty and the fortitude of the martyr’s soul. For they brought a basket filled with furnace soot, thrust that martyrial head into it, tied the basket to the neck of the righteous man, and left him to be pressed by this heavy torment for six days. On the ^C seventh day, however, Teridates summoned him with his customary sneer and hateful mockery: "Whence, my man, have you now returned to us? Have you come from that kingdom and those goods which you previously described at such length, and which you expected that you would receive?" But that noble man, with great frankness and confidence, replied: "Not yet, O king, have I migrated to that ineffable happiness. For I am still entangled in this heavy burden of the body. But since I have been deemed worthy of these things for the sake of my Master, I shall come a little later with His glory, when all things will be bared and laid open before His tribunal. For the Word of God Himself will sit as judge—not only of deeds, but also of the conceptions of the mind and the thoughts of the heart—piercing even to the division of the soul and of the bones and marrow, and rendering to each according to his ^D merits. At that time, woe is me! What danger will beset you! To what punishment, O wretch, will you be condemned!" These words provoked the king to greater fury, and the martyr was immediately bound by the feet and suspended head downward, and they poured much water through his rear passage into his stomach, the wicked men considering this as both a punishment and a mockery. For there is no shame in such

eyes, whose souls were full of licentiousness and wickedness. ^A XIII. When he had been brought down from there, the king again tried to persuade him, and said to him, "Obey me, and sacrifice to the greatest gods. For otherwise you will perish miserably; I swear by their power which is dear to me." "I will sacrifice," said the great Gregory, "but to my God, in every way a sacrifice of praise. But those things which lack sense and mind, and are altogether inanimate and deaf, may it never be, my Christ, my King, that I deem them worthy of any honor or word, even if yet more numerous and grievous punishments are brought upon me." At these things Teridates was torn apart and choked with rage. And so, having wronged the saint again, he tore his sides with iron claws—he who was harder than any iron—to such an extent that the very earth was polluted with fountains of blood. Having cut and made deep furrows in them, he strewed iron spikes on the ground; then he who had clothed himself entirely in Christ was dragged naked over them. ^B Meanwhile, as the hands of the executioners were dragging him most bitterly over the spikes, he, being irrigated by his own blood, blossomed and budded more than noble plants, and abounded in the fruit of faith. But he said, "Where is your God, Gregory, in whom you hoped? Let Him come now and snatch you from my hands." And he, having thus passed through all punishments and afflictions, and having borne them more easily than others bear pleasures, and having come out superior to all, is again cast into prison. ^C XIV. On the following day, when Teridates had again summoned him and saw him standing with a prompt and alacriuos spirit, and with a sound body—and this even though his flesh had been previously consumed by tortures—he was inwardly amazed and puzzled as to how his breath had not failed him simultaneously with his flesh. But the viper did not cast off its poison, nor did the leopard shed its spots; but Teridates remained the same as before, and maintained the same cruelty and inhumanity toward the martyr. Seeing him therefore in such a state, he did not even then despair of his change, but the fool strove to overcome that invincible soul. Whence, having encased his blessed knees in iron greaves, and having pierced them through and fastened them with wedges which were also of iron, ^D and having hung the martyr up, he kept him suspended for three whole days. But he was so far from being affected by this torture other than as becomes a noble man, or from speaking back, that he seemed to mock both the tortures themselves and those who brought them, if they hoped that by such means they would change his firmness to the contrary opinion. And so, to the righteous man hanging there, Teridates said, "Have you not yet perceived, Gregory, that you have trusted in your God in vain? Or otherwise show us if you have obtained any good from your hope in Him." But he immediately answered, "You yourself are foolish, and you conduct yourself in a thoroughly stolid and irrational manner, you who are bringing so grave a judgment against yourself, and heaping up the fire of Gehenna upon your own head."

But I trust in my Lord, who is my defender and my refuge, and in him have I hoped. As for the flesh of mine that is being torn apart by you, I care little for it; for in as much as our outward man is corrupted, so much, we are taught and we believe, is the inward man renewed.

^A XV. Upon this, wrath seized the king, and looking bitterly at the martyr, he said: "Since you claim you are being renewed, and yet have threatened that we shall be delivered to a fire that cannot be quenched, I shall now instruct you with this fire which *can* be quenched, so that you might not be so openly insolent toward our power." And immediately he ordered lead to be cast into a cauldron and brought to a violent boil, and then poured over the whole body of the martyr. This was done just as he had commanded. But the martyr bore it with such a noble spirit, just as if cool water were being poured over him. This was evident from the fact that he was clearly refuting the king’s error even at the very moment of his torture, and was freely and confidently offering the word of piety to those who were present. ^B The Armenian was struck with wonder at this, and strove by every means to win the man over, thinking that if he could not succeed in this, the religion of the nations would suffer a great loss. Wishing, therefore, to trip him up and draw him away from that firmness and resoluteness, he devised how he might snare him with flatteries and entice him with the promises of wealth, pleasures, honors, and other goods. But in the midst of this, one of the satraps cried out in a clear and loud voice: "It is not permitted for him to live, O king, nor to look upon this sun, for he is the son of the Parthian Anak, who by treachery killed your father Chosroes, and rendered all of Armenia captive to the tyrant of the Persians."

^C XVI. When Tiridates heard this, a fierce zeal for his father took hold of him, and immediately, because of the blood of his father, he forgot all that he had been considering. He ordered the saint to be bound, neck, hands, and feet alike, and to be cast into the pit located at the city of Artaxata. This pit was a thing frightening even to hear of: it contained rotting mire within, and venomous snakes and worms, and was a dwelling place for everything that crawls upon the earth, having been dug out long ago by the Armenians for the purpose of devising a terrible punishment. ^D Among those who had been cast into it before, not only did no one ever emerge from it, but no one could endure for even a whole day. Into such a pit, then, after those many and insurmountable assaults in regard to the matter of wickedness, the sacrosanct Gregory was cast and was besieged by the affliction arising from it for fourteen whole years. A certain woman, widowed of her husband and living at the fortress of Artaxata, when a divine vision appeared to her in a dream, used to throw a piece of bread into the pit each day; and this, becoming nourishment for the blessed man, refreshed his body, which had labored, and did not permit him to

die completely. But the discourse leaves much to be told, being unwilling to depart even a little from the memory of such a man. We, however, must return to what follows in the history.

XVII. Teridates, therefore, thinking that he had rightly consigned the just man to an inescapable death, as it was then winter and very cold, repaired to the royal palace in Armenia. Thence he undertook an expedition against the Persians and began to ravage their country; he crossed into Assyria, was victorious in single combat, and became renowned for his justly and successfully performed deeds. Yet he attributed the victory to Zeus, Artemis, and Heracles. Nor did he expend his zeal only on their worship, but he also breathed fiercely and insanely against the Christians themselves and against piety. In the time that intervened, Diocletian, who had not worn the Roman purple happily, desired to take a wife and sought to procure a marriage for himself. When all the fathers who reared virgins were present before him, and each of them was busy contriving how to betroth his own to him, he passed them all by. For, having learned that in one of the cities under his rule a choir of holy virgins was being trained in a monastery, presided over by Gaiana, and that among them was one named Ripsime—as was Gaiana, both were of Christian lineage and blood, and Ripsime was renowned as much for the beauty of her body as for the appearance of her virtue—the emperor was inflamed by Ripsime once he heard of her, and even more so when a certain painter brought him her portrait; for the image itself ignited him, and he loved her most vehemently, and was goaded by the gadfly of passion. And his love was mere madness and sheer rabies. He was long preparing the nuptials and proclaiming the festival; he was gathering those who were to serve at the wedding and was sending flatterers to Ripsime, who would announce the marriage to her and declare that all things, as far as he was concerned, were already prepared.

XVIII. But she (for what could she who had long since chosen self-restraint as her companion, who lived on pulse alone, who spent whole nights in prayer, and who did not desist from hymns to God even by day, think or say regarding these things?) cried out, "I will not deceive thee, Christ my Bridegroom; I will not shame thee, O beloved virginity; I will not betray thee, Mother Continence." And truly, trusting in God alone, who could grant her salvation, she was not fortified by relatives, friends, parents, or by any others at all. Therefore, she immediately consulted about migrating elsewhere and found other good virgins as companions, who were also partners with her in her way of life and virtue. And they did not hesitate, even though they had already languished from great fasting, but migrated with her like sparrows to the barbaric region of the Armenians. For the Lord’s commandment also urged them to migrate, saying: "If they persecute you from this city, flee into...

^A another." Therefore, with a ready and eager mind, they depart thence and arrive at the city of Ararat. Wine presses served them as a dwelling. Since all necessities were failing them, some of them, placing their hope of life in their own hands, turned to the art of wool-working and toiled at it, and what they earned from this, they spent on the support of the virgins. Diocletian, however, now being wickedly seized by love and no longer able to remain quiet, since, having moved every stone, he had learned that Ripsime had migrated to the region of the Armenians, as he was, he writes immediately to the king of Armenia, Teridates, concerning many other things against the Christians, and how Ripsime, whom he loved, having been lured by crafty and bewitching speech, had been persuaded to prefer a life in a foreign region and to wander about in disgrace and ignominy, rather than to dwell with him. For woman, he said, is a thing easily deceived. He asked, however, that when he had found her by all means in Armenia, he should send her back to him. But if he himself should prefer to join her to himself, he said that this would fill him with no less joy.

^B XIX. After these letters had come to Teridates, he immediately investigated and searched for the virgins. But when he had learned that they were hiding in the wine presses, fearing lest, if they perceived they were being sought, they might flee thence and depart to an uncertain place, he occupied that area with a guard. And having learned from those who had seen Ripsime that she was of extraordinary beauty, and that she possessed great allurements in abundance of grace, he already burned with love for her, and he immediately sends royal vestments and other finery to her, and orders Ripsime, once she has put these on, to come to him in the palace, and for the remaining women to be kept under guard. But she, inflamed with longing for Christ, and burning with love for Him whom she alone knew as her bridegroom, and becoming even more fervent through the exhortations and counsels of Gaiane, who had reared her from infancy and led her to that age, rejected equally the words of the lover who was hateful to her, and the things that had been sent, and gave herself to prayer with those who were with her. In the meantime, while the prayer was being completed, a thunderclap suddenly broke, and a voice from above resounded ^C from the thunder, saying: "Be strong and take heart, for I am with you; and you shall be kept for Me untouched by the insults of the enemy, and you shall enter with Me into My bridal chamber, and you shall receive the kingdom prepared for you." This is what the voice said, and the thunder roared terribly, and continued along with it for a long time, and by suddenly striking the hearing, it cast many to the ground and took away their power of speech; and many horsemen it cast from their very horses, which horses, leaping upon and trampling them, killed them, and utterly disturbed those who were present and cast them into perplexity. Those, however, who had been sent by King Teridates to summon Ripsime, terrified in heart, turn back to the king, looking down

and report to him what had occurred: that Ripsime neither received the things sent, nor would she at all consent to come. He, having become fiercely savage and giving no thought at all to what they reported to him—for how could a soul intoxicated with lust do so?—nor fearing to disgrace the virgin, said, "But you, bring her here, even against her will." So they, having rushed with all speed to Ripsime, and laying hold of her from every side, dragged her along with great force and presented her to the king. But she, even though she was seized in this manner and reduced to such an evil plight, still sang with a great and courageous spirit as she was being led: "Deliver my soul from the sword, and mine only-begotten from the hand of the dog," and she kept calling upon the name of her desirable Bridegroom.

^B

XX. But after she was brought inside the royal bedchamber, raising her eyes and her mind to Christ, she called to remembrance the marvels that had taken place in the Red Sea and in the wilderness; she brought forth in the midst Jonah with his wondrous shipwreck and his unexpected return to life; she remembered Daniel and the three youths, and how they walked in the flame as if upon dewy grass; then she also recounted the conspiracy against Susanna and her redemption; and she prayed that a similar helper might stand by her in her similar straits. Meanwhile, a more grievous demon of intemperance fell upon Teridates as he entered the bedchamber, and he cried out, raving insanely and madly from love, and he burned and melted away; he sought to beguile Ripsime, and flattered her, and attacked her in every most crafty way. But she turned away from him as he approached, and was distressed when he touched her, and she would not endure his stretching out his neck to kiss her with his unchaste lips, as was fitting for a maiden rightly instructed; her face was filled with modest shame, and she rebuked the unchaste man, and called Christ her Bridegroom, and was inflamed with a more fervent love for Him. And to speak briefly, she overcame him who was of such great stature and such great strength, and preserved both the beauty of her body and the nobility of her soul pure for her Bridegroom, Christ. So, there is nothing so impregnable as goodwill and hope in Christ; if you arm yourself with these alone, no evils will approach you, nor will a scourge draw near to your tabernacle.

XXI. Teridates, therefore, having been most shamefully defeated by the virgin, leaves the bedchamber; and, wishing to wash away his ignominy, or rather, not being able to restrain his intemperance and not enduring to live if he did not shamelessly inflict an outrage upon the virgin, he orders Gaiana to be brought in bound with a collar, and, as she stood outside at the door, he orders the ministers to compel her to persuade Ripsime, who was inside, to obey the king and to offer no contradiction to anything he might wish. For he knew that Gaiana was Ripsime's pedagogue and teacher in things pertaining to virtue, and that if she alone were to wish it, Ripsime would not contradict anything. Wretched man, for he did not love

^A only those whom he had defeated in Ripsime, but he also brought a second evil upon his own head in Gaiana. When she stood by, she was beaten by his satellites on account of Ripsime and torn apart; yet she, though suffering such things, nevertheless did the exact opposite. For she reminded the virgin of the covenants she had made with God; she described in words the splendor of the righteous that exists there; she set against it, in turn, the helliness threatened for the wicked. And the satellites, hearing what was said in the meantime, knocked out her teeth with stones and forced her to speak what was agreeable to the king. But she, as if strengthened by the blows, rather than feeling pain at all, added even more. But the satellites immediately seized her, cast her far away, and commanded her to depart again from whence she had come.

^B XXII. Teridates, even here more openly defeated and utterly frustrated of his lust for Ripsime, cast himself upon the ground and rolled about. The victorious Ripsime, however, having vanquished her adversary by force, departs like some Olympic victor—for the night already granted her much freedom—and coming through the middle of the city, she becomes a messenger to the other virgins of her own victory and of the trophies won against the enemy; or rather, she comes as the trophy herself, having thus cast down her fierce antagonist in a grievous fall, and having preserved her own virginity intact. Having therefore stolen away in the night, and having escaped from that winepress as best they were able to elude them, they arrived at a certain sandy place nearby and gave thanks to their Bridegroom, Christ, and communed with Him in their minds, and by this means they comforted their love; then they also begged for their release to Him. ^C While they were diligently intent upon this prayer, and when some had reported where they were, the king's chief cook arrives as the night was already well advanced, sent by him with satellites carrying torches in their hands. And having seized the blessed Ripsime, they bind her with her hands turned behind her, and command her to stick out her tongue. When she had done what was ordered swifter than the command, they cut it out. Afterwards, having torn her tunic and stretched out both her hands and her feet, the wicked men bound her to upright stakes and burned her with torches. Then, having sliced open the parts around her belly with a sharp stone, they poured her entrails onto the ground, and while she was still palpitating a little, they gouged out her eyes, and tore her whole body to pieces. But she, just as she had departed from her virginal chambers so beautiful and graceful, stood before her Bridegroom, Christ, worthy of His eyes and chambers—all the more worthy than of precious stones, necklaces, and pendants, and all bridal garments—adorned on every side by the stigmata received for His sake. As for the choir of virgins who had been companions in her flight, thirty-seven in number, thirty-three who had come to seek the martyr's relics ^D when they were subsequently discovered by the satellites,

^A suffered the same death by the sword, having found a far more profitable danger in their quest; for they found not just a relic—that which they had hastened to seek—but the whole woman herself alive, and they entered the same bridal chamber as her, and were deemed worthy of the same bridegroom. The parricides, however, divided their bodies among the beasts, and when the latter had consumed the greater part of them with tortures, they set the remains before the beasts to be eaten, not even allowing the Christians who thirsted for them to commit even a little earth to them.

XXIII. The chief cook having returned, and asking in what manner he might also destroy Gaiana, [he said], "Already, Ripsime has been put to death according to our orders." Teridates, as one who had no recollection of the things he had commanded—for his wretched love was destroying him, and did not allow him even to breathe freely—was saying, "Where is Ripsime? But when will I see Ripsime?" But after he returned to himself, as if from sleep or drunkenness, and understood clearly all that he had ordered and all that those commanded to do so had done, he was troubled, he wailed, he cried out, and finally said that he would not live if he were not with Ripsime. ^B And at once he ordered that Gaiana’s tongue be pulled back through the sinew and torn from her throat, and that she then be put to death in the same cruel and inhuman way; for he said that even so, she would not be paying the penalty she deserved. "For this evil tongue," he said, "robbed me of my beautiful Ripsime, this [tongue] destroyed the delight of my soul." ^C When the chief cook heard these things being said in the meantime, he brought out Gaiana along with two virgins who were with her to the bridge of the river—as it is called—the deepest one, where they were accustomed to punish criminals, and he himself added many more tortures of his own. For he thought he would please the king greatly if he breathed out such vehement and mad [fury] against the virgins. And first of all he tore their clothes, then he stretched out their hands and feet, and after boring through their ankles, he filled them with wind through pipes. And when the skin was separated from its union with the flesh, the wretches flayed the virgins alive—a sight which not even a humane eye could have endured to look upon. ^D Yet the women, even though they were being flayed of their skins in this way, were nevertheless not stripped of divine grace, helped by which they sought Christ, whose desire gripped them, saying, "Remember us, O kind and merciful Lord; for Your sake we are being put to death all the day long, and we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter for Your sake."

XXIV. When the chief cook saw them having cast off their skin so painlessly, just as if someone were taking off a garment, and at the same time heard them in the meantime addressing the Lord, as Teridates had commanded, he ordered their tongues to be removed. And indeed, the virgins’ necks having been pierced from behind,

^A their tongues were cut out by the roots. Then, having had their bellies slit open with stones sharpened like knives, and having seen the entire internal frame poured out before their feet, their heads were cut off in this way. On the twenty-sixth day of the month of September, the noble Ripsime received the martyr’s crown. The same day also witnessed those who had hastened to the scene for the recovery of her remains as martyrs. On the following day, the blessed Gaiana together with her fellow virgins reached the stadium of perfection.

Six days had subsequently passed, and as the flame of desire was already beginning to wane in Teridates, he prepared and set out for a hunt. He went out of the city in a chariot; but justice did not delay, and instead a certain madness began to struggle against him. He raved in a most demonic way, and was completely driven out of his mind by the disease, gnawing his own flesh with his teeth, and his very appearance was changed into that of a pig. He was transformed into the shape of Nebuchadnezzar; for having taken on this form, he was unaware of it. ^B Let anyone learn the manner of this, and how Teridates underwent the same change as him, and through this paid for his intemperance and his defilement, and so bitterly. Teridates was outwardly a pig, at once an image and a punishment for his inner cruelty and the mire of his pleasures and his other swinishness of soul and conduct, and retribution for them. Nor was the wretched Teridates the only one thus affected, but also all the soldiers who were with him, and as many among the magistrates and other citizens who had rejoiced together at what had been perpetrated, struggled with the same demon; ^C not because they themselves were clothed in the appearance of pigs, but they had been driven into a frenzy and had completely lost their senses. There was, therefore, among those who were held by this affliction, whenever they regained their reason, a great desire for relief; and no less was the concern of their relatives, partly that they might not fall into similar things, and partly that those near to them might be relieved of the disease.

XXV. While Armenia was being tested by such afflictions, a dream visited the king’s sister, Cusaroducta. The dream was a light resembling the form of a man. It seemed to say that if they should draw out that Gregory, whom they had cast into the pit in the city of Artaxat, immediately after there would follow a release from the calamity. But if these things were not done, they would by no means find any other cure for the evil. ^D When the dream had said this, Cusaroducta went to the people (for her grief over her brother overcame her sense of shame) and communicated the vision. But they, judging her to be insane (for how could it be hoped that any bone of Gregory remained among them at all?), mocked and ridiculed the words of Cusaroducta in derision. But because the evil was intensifying, and the dream did not cease from visiting, and the woman persisted more vehemently, compelling the people to carry out the vision, a certain illustrious man named Autaias was sent to the fortress of Artaxat. When, therefore, those who were there asked why Autaias had come, and wh

as the cause of his arrival, and at the same time they laughed and marveled that he should still be sought among the living, for they did not think that he, even if dead, would have been preserved throughout the time that had passed, but would have already dissolved into dust; the satrap (for he had attained this honor) related to them his dream and the oracle, and standing by the pit, called for Gregory by name. And he immediately answered. When the other heard only his voice in response, he at once let down ropes and urged him to take hold of them so that he might be drawn up, saying that his God had ordered that he ascend. Thus drawn up from there by the ropes, the holy Gregory, though his whole body had been blackened by his long affliction in the mire and mud, was washed by them with water as much as possible, and, being cleanly clothed, was brought with honor and reverence to the city where the king resided. ^B

XXVI. Here King Teridates, in swinish form and vexed by madness and rage, together with the satraps and all the other multitude—not, however, with the appearance of swine, but similarly maddened and deranged by the disease—met him. All of them therefore threw themselves at his blessed feet, entreating him most fervently to appease the Divinity for them and to deliver them from the madness and evil of that wicked demon. But he, before anything else, sought the relics of the holy martyrs, and after they had pointed them out to him, he gathered them (for they had lain for nine days and as many nights, without exhaling any foul odor, and entirely untouched by dogs, birds, or beasts), and having arranged them becomingly with their garments—though the king himself and the magistrates who were with him offered most precious robes—he deposited them in a coffin, together with the garments which had previously contained the martyrs while they were alive and which had been trodden by their virginal feet. And when he had prayed throughout the night and entreated God, on the following day he delivered a catechetical discourse to the king and his retinue, extensive and at length. For these were his prayers to God: that before Teridates should shed his swinish form, he might receive understanding of speech and might grasp each of the things being said. But then, indeed, the holy Gregory set before them the power of God and the care He takes for us—for ^C his experiences were beyond human nature, and one might say that divine power had descended upon him; nor was it easy to believe these things—and then, having rebuked their audacity and cruelty toward the holy virgins, and having taught them that it was necessary for them first to depart from the folly of idols and then to approach the true God, and that if they turned from their impiety, a release from their calamity would follow immediately; and having discoursed a little concerning the creation of the world, the future age, and the mystery of the New Testament, and the great benignity and clemency of God toward men; and having added also that an angel flying down from above was present with him in the pit, strengthening him and preserving him unharmed from evils, and that he did not even then wish to depart, but even now appeared ^D

to his eyes, shining forth most sweetly and clearly. Finally, after he had commanded that churches be built for the martyrs, and had discoursed on many other matters, and had initiated those present into the mysteries, as it was already evening, he dismissed the assembly. ^A

XXVII. On the following day, he proclaimed a fast for the entire multitude for sixty full days. And he himself, taking up again what had previously been taught in the initial mysteries, and adding what was lacking, and bringing forward the lives of those who excelled in virtue, kindled their souls toward imitation and zeal for such things, and provided that they might enjoy [the memory of] such men in their gatherings abundantly. Here he also laid before the common hearing of all the vision of which he alone had been deemed worthy; and it was one that left no pinnacle of wonder unreached, but was such as to be fearful to look upon, yet salutary to the ears when heard. For he said, "It seemed to me that heaven was opened, and the waters which in the beginning had been let remain in the firmament, having been divided on this side and that, remained fixed on either side. ^B A certain human form, shedding a radiant splendor of some kind, and shining everywhere with much light, was striking the earth, holding a golden mallet in its hand. And light from above, flashing repeatedly with rays from the heavens, filled the ends of the earth. And indeed, certain winged hosts—themselves each one being light—were traveling toward the heavens. And a pillar of fire, fixed upon a golden base, was running up toward them, and again [there appeared] light. But the shape of that light itself bore the form of a cross, whereas the other was like a vast pillar. And three other smaller pillars were standing upon similar bases. ^C But one stood over the martyrium (the place of conflict) of the blessed Ripsime and the thirty-three virgins; another, where the noble Gaiana, with two companions, received the crown of perfection; and another was over the winepress, which had at first received all the virgins fleeing together,, but later received the blood of one, sweeter than any wine or nectar. For when she had fallen ill with a disease, and was unable to follow the other virgins, she had remained there at the winepress, like a beautiful grape, bringing a certain gladness and sweetness to the eyes, not being crushed by the feet of the righteous, but taken away by the hands of the impious. After these things, the vision let me see a great multitude of fiery altars, and upon each altar a cross formed of the same matter. ^D A certain spring flowed from them, clear and at the same time pouring forth so abundantly that it flooded the entire face of the field below. And yet, I also saw a herd of goats, glistening in the blackness of their fleece. But when they had crossed that water, their appearance was changed into sheep; and the blackness of the fleece was transformed into the whiteness of snow. You would have said that in a moment the black ones had flowed away, and the others, namely the white ones, had appeared. And the sheep seemed to be giving birth; and the fleece even of the newborn lambs was white, and the multitude surpassed both number and the space, as much as the eye could measure. From these

others also seemed to be born; and some lambs, having changed into wolves, were harming the sheep and were rushing to devour and tear them to pieces. But some of them grew wings in the meantime and flew to the armies of light; others, however, were captured by the wolves. When this happened, suddenly streams of fire, having poured forth against the wolves, fell upon them and consumed them, and it was no longer possible for them to escape. After all these things, other columns were seen again fixed in the clouds; and the head, in length and breadth similar to these, provided a marvelous spectacle to behold.

^B XXVIII. By these and similar things, he says, I was astonished in my mind, especially because the marvelous vision seemed silently to signify certain things. But he who was present with me and was pointing out what was being seen (this was an angel of the Lord Almighty), he himself turned my astonishment into sweet admiration and explained what each of the things that were being seen signified. For the expanse of the sky, opened in two parts, he taught, signified that the bowels of divine mercy, having been closed before to his own creation, were then opened; and the waters, which were established and made firm above the waters, signify that there is no longer any impediment for those who wish to pass from earth to heaven. For the glorious martyrs, he says, and the rest of the choir of fellow-athletes, have made their path to the heavens without difficulty through so broad a way, having inaugurated it and walked upon it first. And he who holds a golden hammer in his hand and strikes the earth signifies the divine visitation, through which the error of idols was indeed driven from it, and truth was introduced in their place. The light, truly, which was diffused over the entire earth, signifies the extension of the preaching of the Gospel, and the brightness proceeding from it, which comprehends all things. ^C The meeting of the angels with the martyrs, and their concurrence, and their association and conversation with other men, is a clear sign of the descent of this luminous and winged army. The column is a golden base; it signifies the divinity and purity of the faith of the Christians. And the cross of light is a sign of the gift of the priesthood; for the priest also bears the image of the first High Priest, who for our sake undertook the death of the cross. The column of light is an image of the Catholic Church, through which we are raised to the light of piety and salvation, to which access is not open. But the three shorter columns, which are standing upon bases, describe the infinite number of temples, in each place of which foundations will be laid and they will be raised up by those who have chosen to die for Christ for the place of their consummation. ^D And again, concerning the construction of oratories throughout the whole region, he said that these altars were a sign. And the fiery cross above them signifies that by the fire of the most Holy Spirit, the unbloody sacrifice, which is offered as a burnt offering, is performed in memory and glory of him who was crucified for us.

^A The flock of goats, however, and the crossing of the water, and the change of these into sheep, and the turning of the black wool into white, and the multiplication, announce the cleansing of sinners through baptism, the remission of committed sins, the transition to piety, the high fecundity and fruitfulness of virtues, and the increase and growth into a multitude of the pious. And as for the portion that turned into wolves, it signifies the future insurrection of the pseudo-Christians against piety and against those of the same race. And those who will bravely resist this insolence, he says, will fly even to heaven itself upon the swift and light wing of faith. The rivers of fire, to be sure, depict the Gehenna that will receive those who rise up against piety. The sheep captured by beasts are intended to signify those who shall have been miserably caught in the hunting of the evil one; and the pillars upon the clouds, the ascent from the earth after the resurrection from the dead, for the ascent is unerring and light. And the chariot of the righteous, in which they will be caught up to meet the Lord in his second coming, is that head which is above the columns, a sufficient evidence of the glory that awaits them.

^B XXIX. When the holy Gregory had thus recounted that marvelous vision, and said that he had been led to these things by the angel who stood by, and when he had both astonished and softened those who were present, he orders that the relics of the martyrs be translated and entombed. At first, indeed, they labored eagerly and diligently on the construction of the houses of prayer, ^C some carrying stones, others cedar wood—and this, aromatic—and others bricks; and matters were so arranged that every hand seemed to be falling short if it did not contribute its own portion of the finest material to the building; and they all thought they would be blessed if they could bestow something upon the martyrs for the building of their tombs; and those whom they had previously, alas, most cruelly killed, they now clearly showed they were honoring as highly as possible. ^D So much did that sweet mouth of Gregory, and the grace resting upon his lips, incite them to the honor of the martyrs. But God was also here, rewarding the devotion of the virgins toward him—He who did not depart from his Gregory even in the midst of trials, nor even in the pit itself. And this divine Gregory, to lead our account to what follows, marked out and drafted the construction with a cord, and the builders immediately set to work. The craftsmen, in turn, were making caskets of the finest cedar wood. But when each of the caskets had been quickly joined together, the divine Gregory keeps the king and the magistrates from the ministry, saying: "It is not permitted for you to lay hands upon the martyrs' relics, nor to approach, since you still remain in the same state and have not yet been deemed worthy of divine baptism. But I," he says, "with my own hands will minister to the deposition." And he, indeed, the

martyr, was occupied with the burial, and he applied himself to this with great zeal. But Teridates, and his spouse, and his kin—nay, the magistrates also and the whole multitude—bringing precious garments and vestments variegated with gold, and gold itself, and unguents, laid them before the doors of the wine-press. ^A When then the holy Gregory had deposited the bodies of the three martyrs in as many chests within the wine-press, and had performed what was fitting for the festival, upon coming to the doors and seeing what had been offered, he was indeed greatly pleased by their promptness of spirit; but he did not accept them, saying that they ought to be kept by those who offered them until the holy monuments should be perfectly built, and they themselves should have washed away the stain of impiety through baptism. Teridates, therefore, still clothed in the swine's form, begged the holy man from his heart that he might be revealed as a human at least in some part. "Even if," he said, "I am not worthy to put off the whole persona of disgrace, and to see Teridates entirely in his former shape here and now, yet by the hands, or at least by the feet, console this calamity in some measure, so that I myself also may labor with my own hands in the work of the building."

XXX. ^B Moved, therefore, by compassion, the great Gregory becomes himself a suppliant to God, and sends the martyrs to him as intercessors. And immediately Teridates was a man in his hands and feet, and he remembered the benefit received and gave thanks, being himself a laborer in digging the trenches in which they were about to deposit the chests. And he, indeed, while digging, would cast the earth upwards, while the queen Asichene (for this was the name of his spouse) and his sister Cusaroducta, granted by the divine Gregory at the request of Teridates, carried out the dirt in their own tunics. And as the trench was becoming proportional to the size of the chests, the king would carry stones of such a size as no other could lift, for the building. Then, too, he did not entrust the doorposts of the sepulchers and the lintels to the hands of others, but himself carried them, having placed them upon his shoulders; for now these also had received the perfect adornment of the building. ^C Then, having lit lamps and candles, they transport the chests of the martyrs; and a proper place receives each of them; and the divine Gregory plants the sign of the Lord’s passion, the venerable cross of Christ, at each of them. And not only were these three temples built, but also one that rose above them in the midst, which the very sight of it named the Catholic Church; and around this they built a high wall, making it inaccessible to the many, ^D and setting it apart as a holy place. There, then, the martyr plants the saving cross, and commands the multitude, which was assiduously gathering there and flocking to it, to offer worship to God with prompt and eager zeal of spirit through the adoration of the Cross. And all did these things, not only obeying the command, but now giving to God faith, and fastings, and prayers, as if from

the good seeds of the words of Gregory, they themselves also springing forth. ^A He, having then gone into the midst of those gathered together, gave himself to more intense prayer with the multitude; and while all were asking for the restoration of the king of Armenia, Tiridates, to his original form—for God, who pities those who fear Him as a father pities his children, strengthens His mercy even here—He removes from Tiridates the outer porcine appearance that had been imposed upon him, and drives out the wicked dweller from within.

XXXI. Nor did He stop the mercy here, but it extended also to those in authority and to the military, and their souls also enjoyed profound peace, having been delivered from the molestation of the wicked demon. ^B There, too, a myriad other multitudes found salvation; and lepers, and the paralyzed, and the dropsical, and the maimed, and whomever any other evil oppressed, they laid down all these things there, and no less cast off the marks and stains upon their souls; and with great gain they returned with great joy, having reaped the healing not only of bodies, but also of souls. Hence it was that the multitudes flocked to the saint from every side, seeking to be initiated in the mysteries of piety by him, and to gather for those of their own who were suffering, a stable and secure consolation. ^C But King Tiridates, and as many as were in authority, and those in the army, and as many others as inhabited Armenia, having eagerly received the rays of piety into the depths of their hearts, and having looked upon them with a healthy and pure eye of the soul, could not endure not to tear even the habitations of deceit from their foundations, so as not to see these things with the eyes with which they saw piety. Unhesitatingly, therefore, along with Gregory, they encompassed the temples and altars of the Greeks, and they besieged them, they shook them down, they dug up the ground, they uncovered the foundations, they walked inside into the treasuries of their wealth, they took away the riches, they carried out the treasures; they searched everything, so that not even a small remnant of impiety might be left behind. ^D Then they rebuilt them as sanctuaries for God and His martyrs, and enclosed them with walls from the outside, and dedicated to them that same wealth and those costly garments, and the estates and the treasures, and they made the matter that was previously dishonorable and superfluous, from then on useful and beneficial. Thus, therefore, not even the wretched demons passing their time by those altars and temples gained any benefit from their dwelling, but they too were driven out by a most grievous persecution, and fearing and greatly trembling at the unconquerable power and authority of our God, they cried out.

XXXII. Not only was Armenia moved and incited more fervently toward piety in this way, but many also of the neighboring nations were led to a similar emulation.

^A The King himself contributed greatly to this piety, as he recounted his former impiety to all who could see and hear him, and denounced his own cruelty toward the great Gregory, his brutality and slaughter of the glorious virgins, and made mention of that coarse passion, explaining what penalties he had suffered on account of it when God was angry with him, and, in turn, how great a kindness and how vast a benefit he had received through the intercessions of the marvelous Gregory. By detailing these matters one by one, the King was a good example to many, and he kindled and inflamed many toward the same frame of mind. For such is the nature of authority, that those who are subject to it are always remade in its image; they are accustomed to love the same things and to practice those same habits in which they perceive their ruler to take delight. ^B Consequently, piety grew and advanced among them by leaps and bounds, as the saying goes. Wherefore they also resolved to appoint the great Gregory as the prelate of their Church, so that they might have as their permanent governor the very man whom they had previously found to be the steward of their salvation, and that he might guide them into the harbor of God. He, however, considering both the height of the office and the weight of the concerns involved—and that the plant of the faith was still tender, requiring great diligence and abundant watering—hesitated and delayed taking on the leadership of the Church, until a vision of an angel of the Lord, appearing both to the King himself, Tiridates, and to the great Gregory, commanded the one to pursue his purpose and the other to accept the high priesthood. ^C When the King saw that the man who had previously refused was now consenting, he chose sixteen of the most prominent men among those in high office and sent them to Caesarea in Cappadocia along with Gregory, so that he might receive the gift of the high priesthood from Leontius (who was then the pontiff there), having also written to him an epistle which runs as follows:

XXXIII. Deep darkness had long covered us, as much from other sins as especially from impiety. ^D Hence it was that we were unable to look upon the truth or to acknowledge the common Creator of all. For when He sent forth the great Gregory—another sun for us upon the earth—and revealed the holy virgins, so that through them we might acknowledge His goodness and philanthropy, we, in our madness, most savagely punished them; and alas, those holy ones were miserably put to death by us. But he, fortified by the invincible strength of God, always survived our cruelty and snares. Yet even so, the abyss of His mercies and the infinite sea of His clemency did not overlook us in our perdition, but through the teachings and prayers of this divine Gregory, and the intercessions of those glorious virgins and martyrs, He removed that thick gloom from the eyes of our souls and led us to the light of truth and the knowledge and faith of Him. Therefore, Him who has been for us the author of so many good things and the sure guide and dispenser of our salvation,

^A we have not only chosen as teacher and shepherd for the remainder of our life and our virtue, but a divine vision also sealed this same judgment from above, through which we have sent him, also consenting, to your Holiness, so that by your hand and tongue he might be consecrated in the pontificate, and quickly be restored to us, who are his flock.

^B XXXIV. Having received this letter, Leontius received the great Gregory and the envoys honorably, and having consecrated him, along with the bishops who were present, he dismissed him with equal kindness and honor. The divine Gregory, therefore, having returned from there, would advise those in the cities situated near his path whom he saw to be worthy to be ordained as priests and suitable to be entrusted with the word of doctrine, and what was necessary for them; and taking them with him, he led them along to assist him in the things of piety and to be future priests of Armenia itself and of the neighboring cities. But as he had just set foot on the borders of Armenia, it was reported to him that a temple of Hercules remained in the vicinity, situated above the river Euphrates, and that there was an altar by it where it was the custom for sacrifices to be made to demons and to Hercules. And so, having arrived at this temple, by prayer alone (for no human hands were laid upon it, the demons within it fighting back against its destruction with every contrivance and apparition), he overthrew it to its very foundations ^C and raised up another in its place to the Lord; and he deposited in it the relics of the Forerunner and Baptist and of the martyr Athenogenes, for these were being carried with him. Then he also consecrates an altar and offers bloodless sacrifices upon it to God. And he baptizes the satraps who were with him first. Next, having spent twenty days there, he grants the divine baptism to more than one hundred and ten thousand people. Having commanded them to celebrate a festival on the seventh of October (for on that day he had consecrated this altar to God for the first time), he establishes priests and Levites, and he equips the entire surrounding region with churches, presbyters, and deacons.

XXXV. The king of the Armenians, Tiridates, having learned that the high priest was now approaching, goes out to meet him by the bank of the river Euphrates with the forces that were present, and with his wife and sister; and they look upon each other joyfully, ^D and embrace with gladness and were filled with rejoicing. But while he was setting forth the teaching of the apostles, they were listening diligently and were most attentive in their listening. Therefore, having commanded them to fast and pray for thirty whole days, beginning from the king himself, and the queen, and his sister, and proceeding through those who held office and through all the rest, he baptizes everyone in the Euphrates, and restores them as sons of light.

^A He also shows them the light of day, and next he raises another temple by the Euphrates, and in it the divine mysteries are celebrated, and he performs the duties of the priesthood as is fitting. God, however, did not even here forget His own miracles concerning them. For while they were being baptized in the Euphrates, the current itself stopped, and a pillar of light seemed to have descended upon the waters, surpassing the rays of the sun themselves in brightness by a wide margin, passing through the space between. And there also rose up with it above the head a cross, and whatever of this was seen was a marvel. Throughout that whole day it was visible to the eyes of those who had been baptized, and the precise number of that multitude was fifteen myriads. ^B After the pontiff had spent seven days in that place and had baptized another multitude beyond counting (if one must believe reports that have spread among the masses, they were four hundred myriads), he departed from there on the eighth day, and built churches throughout all Armenia, and appointed priests in them.

XXXVI.

^A XXXVII. Furthermore, the holy Gregory took the children of those who were previously unbelievers, and having deemed them worthy of better upbringing and more refined education, and having imparted the spiritual life and grace to them, he led them to such a state of perfection and virtue that he even advanced them to the great episcopal sees themselves. To one he entrusted the region that is by the Euphrates—his name was Alcinus—and to another (this one was called Euthalius), the region of the Basinorum which lies round about. A third was Bassus, and the number proceeded up to ten. Indeed, he also committed the bishopric of churches to many others of a different descent. It is said that in a short space of time, they all became four hundred. Now, concerning Alcinus, inasmuch as he was at the summit of the exercise of virtue, and was besides gentle and moderate, when this great Gregory was about to depart to the highest Armenian mountains in order to dwell in his beloved solitude, he set this very Alcinus over the palace, commanding him to do those things which he himself would do were he present. Although, when he was about to withdraw, the king struggled vehemently with the flock against Gregory, that he should by no means depart from them, the love of quiet and silence nevertheless prevailed over their pleas; and straightaway he wished to go to a place where he might make use of an abode in underground rocks with a few of his disciples, and have converse alone with Him for whom he yearned, not even giving a little thought to the care of his body. For he tasted bread or other suitable foodstuffs only once every forty days. ^{B C} XXXVIII. King Teridates, a little later, since he bore the separation from Gregory ill and lamented his disjunction and absence most grievously, upon learning that two sons had been born of him and his lawful wife when he was in the youth and prime of his life—of whom the one was named Orthanes and the second Arostanes, both friends of virtue and guardians of piety—but that of these two sons, the one had been enrolled in the rank of priesthood (this Orthanes was the elder), while Arostanes had chosen the solitary life, uncommunicating with any, from his very mother's milk and while still an infant; for he was said to dwell in the wilderness wearing a single tunic, contending with cold and heat, feeding only upon herbs, while all-night stations, vigils, daily prayers, and familiarity with the divine Scriptures had grown up with Arostanes from his tender years. Having learned this, the king, since he now honored virtue and was seized by repentance for his former evils, and was manifest in his desire to wash away his earlier deeds with his later ones, sent three of the most distinguished men to Caesarea in search of the sons of Gregory. When they had arrived, and had found the one presiding over the church and the other philosophizing in the desert, they brought them to the king, having persuaded Arostanes with difficulty and much effort. He, having received them most graciously and with joy, besought the holy Gregory through messengers, together with the people, that—as if he were a kind of image and archetypal pattern of himself—he might leave Arostanes to them, and advance him to the throne,

and entrust to him the episcopal authority. ^A He does this not lightly or rashly; but because he knew that all virtue was planted in the soul of the young man, he quickly laid his sacred hands upon him. And having ordained him, and having traveled around the surrounding region with him, and having confirmed them further with the word of faith, he returns to the desert for which he had long labored.

XXXIX. At the same time, Constantine, the son of Constantius, is proclaimed emperor of the Romans. By the power of the Cross and by his piety toward Christ, he cast down the tyrants and, ^B by himself, obtained sole rule and authority over the Romans. I would call him a disciple of Christ among emperors, and a herald of His piety, for he tore down the detestable temples and altars of the demons, erected sacred houses to God, and set forth, by imperial letters and decrees, the pure confession and orthodox dogma in Christ to the whole region that was subject to his rule. He showed such zeal for piety that he summoned the three hundred and eighteen holy Fathers, and gathered that sacred council so that he might cut out the weeds that had sprung up, and separate them from the wheat of the true faith. ^C These men, I say, Constantine and Teridates, were like shining stars—Constantine, indeed, traversing the West, and the other traversing the East—shining clearly and sweetly. Teridates had already become most fervent in piety, and he yielded to no one in fasting and prayer, not even to the monks who practiced such things in monasteries. In this sacred synod, therefore, the emperors refreshed one another, and each honored the other with various tokens of respect, and they rejoiced especially in their communion of mind regarding piety. However, the Archbishop of Armenia, Arostanes, also arrives, having been summoned ^D by the Emperor Constantine, and he too became a part of that holy assembly. Having received the dogmas written by common vote, he returned to his own city, appearing as a sweet sight and most welcome after his travels to his flock, and he filled the most religious King Teridates and the whole of Armenia with joy at the agreement of the dogmas. And these things remained so for a long time, with piety always growing among the people, and the God of peace being glorified in all things through our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom, to the Father, together with the holy Spirit, be glory, honor, and power, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

MARTYRIUM S. CHARITINAE. MARTYRIUM SANCTAE CHARITINAE.

^A I. Impiety once held dominion, and stirred up emperors against those who held the opinion of the Christians. It was the duty of the satellites and ministers to search out Christians, and threats of manifold torments were leveled at the pious. To a certain count, therefore, a noble virgin named Charitine is also brought, because she not only holds Christians in honor, but also induces many to her own religion; nay, she even renders those who have taken up the opinion of the Christians more secure in their worship. The count, therefore, approaches her, living in hope, and dwelling apart with herself and with God. He approaches, however, full of anger, and immediately inflicts blows upon her, and places an iron collar upon her; and he hands her over to the most unjust consular judge. He, however, immediately proposes the instruments of torture; and when he had taken care to have the martyr brought to his tribunal: "Have pity," he says, "on yourself, before you make trial of the torments, using wise consideration; and offer sacrifice to the immortals. For thus you will make three greatest gains. For you will render the power of the gods propitious to yourself; and you will attract the benevolence of the emperors; and you will not cause your flourishing beauty to wither from sharp torments." ^B