Symeon the Stylite the Younger

YEAR OF OUR LORD 596. ST. SYMEON THE YOUNGER.

DE S. SYMEONE STYLITA IN MONTE MIRABILI PROPE ANTIOCHIAM SYRIÆ, COMMENTARIUS PRÆVIUS CONR. JANNINGHI, SOCIETATIS JESU.

(BOLLAND. Act. Sanct. t. V Maii, p. 298.)

§ 1. Trium ejusdem nominis Stylitarum diversitas, cognomina, et cultus.

1. The practice of the Greeks, current in their churches from the Sunday of Septuagesima until the octave of Pentecost, in the Canon of the Friday before Quinquagesima Sunday—when the memory of all the saints and God-bearing Fathers who shone forth with singularity in monastic exercise is kept—proposes that the more famous of them be lauded individually and in alphabetical order through a sufficiently long Canon. ^A In the sixth ode, third strophe, of this canon (which Baronius also mentions at the year 842, no. 27), four Symeons are commemorated as follows: "A four-rayed Heaven appeared on earth; through this doubling of the name of Symeon, there are three on [their] columns, and one is the Salvation." This homonymy of two sets of two Symeons appeared on earth as a heaven distinguished by four luminaries, of whom three lived on columns [and] one is called "Salvation." The last is venerated on the 1st of July. ^B Two of the Stylites are most well-known, even among the Moschus [monks] and all others who use the Greek rites: the Senior, on January 5th among the Latins, and on September 1st among the Greeks; the Junior, unknown in Latin calendars until the renovation of the Martyrology performed by Baronius, has a most celebrated festival throughout the whole East on May 24th. I do not know on what authority he is listed by the same Baronius on September 5th, with the settled opinion that this is the one whom the Greeks themselves celebrate on the very Calends [of September]. The third of the Stylites, with the titles of Presbyter and Archimandrite, is thus far known to us almost only by name; for it is not sufficiently established that he is the one who lived in Cilicia and died struck by lightning, whom John Moschus lauded in the *Pratum Spirituale*; the Greeks recall his memory on July 27th.

2. The distinction of at least three Symeons was so well known throughout the East that it even extended to the Copts or Egyptian Christians; this was apparent from their calendars, published by John Selden, *Lib. de Synedriis Hebræorum c. 15*, at the end of the Gospels, written very beautifully in Arabic in Egypt in the year of the martyrs 1002, that is, 1286 of Christ; and they are listed therein as follows: 4 of the month Vhot or September 1st, Symeon the Detained, the reason for whose surname does not easily appear; 29 of the month Bachnes or May 24th, Saint Symeon the Great; 3 of the month Musre, that is, July 27th, Symeon the Stylite. Likewise, on the same days they are also listed in the Syriac Calendar which, for our Fathers Henschenius and Papebrochius, at Rome in the Maronite college, D. Joseph, an alumnus of the same college, dictated in Latin in this manner: "Death of Saint Symeon the first of the Stylites, Saint Symeon... Saint Symeon the Stylite." And in almost the same way, with points even noted for the second name, in the place of a word missing and worn away by use, they are found in Selden, likewise where supra, in another calendar which Mahumed Achmed Calcasendius compiled concerning the festivals of the Copts, where the names are read as follows: 1 September Symeon the Stylite, 22 for May 24th Festival of Symeon, 27 July Festival of Symeon the Stylite: and indeed at September 14th is added, unknown to all others, the festival of Symeon the Stylite; and Selden added in his own hand, "of the other or the Junior"; how correctly, let him judge for himself. In the Arab-Egyptian Martyrology, which was interpreted for the same Fathers by Gratia Simonius, then an alumnus of that same college, now Archbishop of Tripoli in Syria, there is only found the Memory of the holy Father Symeon the Miraculous, ascribed to May 24th. ^C Leo Allatius, who has done the best service regarding the writings of the Symeons, dealing with the Junior, says: "The modern Greeks, in order to distinguish the first from this second one, call the first Symeon 'he of the mandra', [and] this second one 'he of the Wonderful Mountain'": in any case, by the place in which each ended the final day of his life, each on his own column; the first farther from Antioch, between that [city] and Aleppo, as is witness to this one who recently still saw the column, the Friar Antonius Gonzales the Minorite: the second not far ^D

from the suburb of Daphne, on the mountain which we shall describe more fully below. Concerning the first, Bollandus has written abundantly in January, and he has given an understanding of the name of the aforementioned from Evagrius, an author of no small antiquity, by citing his words, which distribute the years of his life in such a way that you may say he spent in that which is called ^A *Mandra* forty-seven years, namely, the final years of his life, and that upon various successive columns, erected within the same *Mandra*, as is understood from the *Life* written by his disciple Antonius. Now *Mandra*, in its primary and original meaning, is a place enclosed by a stone wall, such as shepherds in the plains of Syria were accustomed to make for themselves, and within it to gather their sheep, where they would be safe from wolves and thieves. Such, and no other, was the *Mandra* which first gave a name to Symeon; for he, besides the one attendant who served him, Antonius, is not known to have had any disciples; and to that end alone he built a wall around the place which his column occupied, so that the access to him might not be indiscriminate even to women: joined to this was a second *mandra*, within which pilgrims and guests might receive shelter until they were admitted to the holy man.

4. However, because gradually the custom prevailed that the monasteries of the monks were called *Mandra*, and their superiors were called Archimandrites; hence it happened that the elder Symeon, who already was commonly nicknamed "Symeon in the Mandra," is called Archimandrite in the printed Greek Rituals, contrary to the truth of the whole history. The author of the Clermont *Synaxarion* strayed less far, though he still erred, ending his *elogium* thus: 'Since he dwelt in the *laura* named *Mandra*, he is called Symeon of the *Mandra*; and from being raised upon various pillars, he is called Symeon ^B the Stylite.' Because he lived in the monastery that was called *Mandra*, he is called Symeon in the *Mandra*; but from the fact that he ascended various *stylos*, that is, columns, he is named Symeon the Stylite. For although, as Evagrius testifies, he lived for nine years in the monastery where he first learned the divine precepts of living, this monastery was not called by its own name *Mandra*, but *Timothei*; nor was it fitting that it should derive its name from the place where he had dwelt when almost a boy after his death. It could have happened, however, that not only did others ascend those columns which he had successively abandoned long after, but also, although his body was at Antioch, many others gathered there, some Stylites, some Coenobites, made the *Mandra* ample and famous: to which, because people gathered from all sides as pilgrims desiring to visit the famous column of Symeon there, it prevailed among the more recent writers that he whose column stood in the *Mandra* should himself also be called "in the *Mandra*." These points, less explained by Bollandus in that place, it has pleased us to deduce here.

5. The second Symeon, however, can properly be called Archimandrite: for not only is his column said in the *Life* of his mother to have appeared in the lower part of the *mandra* in which the column was; but the same *mandra* is understood to have had parts not open to the sky, but covered in the manner of a monastic cloister with surrounding monks' cells, which had a view into the open air and toward the column, just as I remember hearing from those who had returned from Jerusalem, who said they had also been to Antioch, that it can be seen even today. And this is the monastery of which mention is made in the *Life* of the saint, no. 168, where mention is also made of a lower monastery placed at the foot of the mountain, I believe, for the receiving of guests and other travelers, just as in Italy a monastery can be seen placed at the foot of a mountain and the Camaldolese hermitage. And in both, the holy man had a large number of disciples for whom he had prescribed a rule of life, the observance of which he recommended as he was about to die. Therefore, this Symeon was truly an Archimandrite. Yet there was no need to call him by such a title, who already had from all memory a known nomenclature: *of the mountain called the Wondrous [Thaumastoros]*, whence Allatius, having combined the name, calls him the Thaumastorite. The ancient *Menologion* of Crypta Ferrata, collected by order of the Emperor Basil, and the *Horologion* of the Basilian rite, recently printed and received from it, attributes this to the 23rd of May, by a one-day anticipation, frequently observed by us in that *Menologion*, though it is uncertain whether it should be imputed to the collector or only to the scribe. All other documents, both manuscript and printed *Menaea* and *Synaxaria*, adhere to the day noted by ^C the author of the *Life*, which is this 24th of May, when even the *Menaea*, which is otherwise rare, perform the entire office for this saint in such a way that they do not even add a commemoration of any other.

6. The author of the office and *canon* appears to be holy Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople: for to his name is ascribed the *troparium*, after the *Similaria* to the *Gloria*, which is such: 'Having ascended in symbol the Wondrous mountain as a high place, and having entered the holy ark as into an *adytum*, you have shown an excellent discipline and ascent of contemplations, having brightened your life, adorned with iron chains as with golden necklaces; there seeing God and being seen, and alone speaking to the Alone; whom entreat, venerable Symeon, for our souls.' The author seems to have looked toward the noetic ark, resting on the highest mountains of Armenia, as we read in Genesis VIII. I render the words themselves into Latin thus: 'Having ascended in symbol the Wondrous mountain as a high place, and having entered as it were the sacred *adytum* of the holy ark, you showed that you had attained an excellent discipline and a sublime degree of divine contemplations: here indeed adorning your body with iron chains, as with golden necklaces; there indeed seeing God and being seen by Him, while you spoke to the Alone alone: whom you ^D entreat for our souls, we beseech you, venerable Symeon.' A *distich* of this kind is prefixed to the *elogium*:

'You dwelt, Symeon, on the mountain of the earth before, But now you dwell upon the mountain far more wonderful.'

By which it is indicated that he who once inhabited a wonderful mountain on earth, now inhabits the most wonderful mountain of heaven; and to this sense the metrical *Ephemeris* also points:

'On the twenty-fourth Symeon exchanged his mountain.'

Finally, the Gospel is prescribed as an argument appropriate to the words of Matthew v: "You are the light of the world: a city cannot be hidden if it is built upon a mountain, etc."

7. The same second junior Symeon was also a presbyter, as is known from chapter 49 of his *Life*: yet no doubt arises in me from this regarding the third, who was not only equal to that presbyter, but was specifically called Archimandrite. For although another also was of this kind, he was commonly called by another name. That nothing, however, prevented him from being at once a Stylite and an Archimandrite is clear from the *Life* of the second: whom we also understand from the same [text] not to have stayed so fixedly upon his column that he did not frequently descend from it, not only to visit his disciples within the *mandra*, but also the lower monastery. And perhaps that station on the column was interrupted by certain intervals of common intercourse. Indeed, this was also necessary for him who was a presbyter, so that he could celebrate the divine mysteries, just as it is read in number 71 of the *Life* of this holy saint that he, the holy Symeon of whom we are speaking, did on the anniversary of his mother. Furthermore, the *Life* of the third Stylite Symeon is more easily to be desired than hoped for. For whereas our Father Papebrochius, in the Greek-Moscow *Ephemerides* on July 21st, after he had treated of the holy Symeon Salos, indicates that he had found the *Life* of a certain holy Symeon the Junior, Hegumen of Saint Mamas in Xeracercos (more correctly Xerocerco), concerning whom he doubted whether he could be reckoned among the saints, and indeed [that he might be] for the previously mentioned July 26th; he wished this to be retracted here by me in his name, after he had read what Leo Allatius very accurately gathers about his unsound faith on page 137. For the latter demonstrates that the heresy of the Omphalopsychoi concerning the Light of Tabor was propagated among Greek monks primarily from his writings; which later Gregory Palamas and other followers, with the name of the master concealed, very pertinaciously championed and widely disseminated; and that it was for this reason that that *Life* was written and the feigned miracles were attached to it, so that greater authority might be reconciled to him. But since Palamas flourished around the middle of the fourteenth century, it is not credible that the *Menaea* treat of one so recent. But if the *Life* itself were at hand now, having been inspected long ago with a light gaze and only as far as the title, it would perhaps show this Symeon, of whatever faith he might be, to have died on a completely different day, and prove that he never lived on a column. It remains, therefore, that what is retracted here be deleted there. Moreover, Allatius's *Diatribe* on the writings of the Symeons was published four years after our brothers in Paris had conferred with Combefis: so it is no wonder if he did not then give them anything certain concerning the orthodox faith of the Hegumen of Xerocerco and the doctrine of the opuscula together with [his] *Life*.

§ II. — Concerning the Wonderful Mountain, on which the holy Symeon the Junior lived.

8. Antioch, the most renowned city of Syria, received the holy Symeon the Junior, the Stylite, of whom we treat, when he was first brought into the light, and soon transferred him to a neighboring mountain. Thence he betook himself to the Wonderful Mountain, which was so called as the principal training-ground of the holy man, not (as some suspect) before his arrival there, as if the name had been linked to this [reason]; but from his own unheard-of and truly admirable works; as the Prologue of the *Life* which we offer soon indicates: nay, from the very will of God, as is expressly narrated in number 79. Since, therefore, in the course of it, frequent mention is made not only of that Wonderful Mountain, but of Antioch and Daphne as well, it would not be useless to refer to the entire description of these places, certainly elegant and accurate, from John Phocas, who, having traveled there in the year 1185, relates what he saw; so that the reader might have at hand, as it were delineated, the situation of the whole place in which we are engaged. Thus he says in number 11:

"There existed then, while it was, *Theopolis* of Antioch upon the Orontes, proud and swelling with the size of its theaters, the splendors of its porticoes, the structures of its temples, and the abundance likewise of its citizens and riches, and it far surpassed almost all other eastern cities. But time and the violence of the barbarian drained its prosperity: although it is still conspicuous both for the height of its towers and the strength of its ramparts, and for the multifarious fertility of its meadows and flowers, and the murmurings of its waters dividing themselves into many parts; for the river flows placidly around the city and surrounds it, and with a soft touch embraces its towers. Furthermore, it is magnificently irrigated by the flowing Castalian spring; whose waters are driven like torrents, and with frequent streams from furrows bedew the whole city and sprinkle it with their flows; with an abundance of works and the magnificence of its founder, [the water] flowing from those springs through the mountains is channeled straight to the city itself. Here fame [spread] throughout the world of the suburb of Daphne, adorned with every kind of tree; and it is a most noble mountain, which the admirable Symeon adapted for his dwelling.

10. Near to these is the mountain of Maurus and Scopulus, in which in ancient times many men most addicted to God, when seeking, found [a place], and they endure to these times, and, enticed by the beauty of the praised mountains, inhabit the forests. The Castalian spring, gushing forth between two hills, vomits out from its lower part, which runs into the sea, a certain extraordinary irrigation of waters; in which a large colonnade rises, arching over the course of the spring. Thence the waters, flowing forth abundantly, are divided into two rivulets. One part of them, led through very high conduits like furrows, [is directed]...

^A flows into the city on the right and higher side; the other, overflowing into the flat lands on the left, stagnates in marshes and waters the entire meadows of Daphne; finally, it mingles with the flowing Orontes. The mountain itself, however, which is admirable, being elevated between the city and the sea, is seen as an extraordinary and spectacular thing, and a delight to the eyes of those arriving: for it is conterminous with the city and Rhosus, and is enclosed on both sides by the mountains Scopulus and Caucasus. The river Orontes flows at the feet of the mountain with countless winding eddies, and discharges its waters into the sea.

11. On the summit of this mountain, that man, leading a tranquil life and setting his heart upon ascents, is lifted up sublime in body, and even with the body itself strives to become celestial and exist midway between God and men. And I myself shall tell by what means this thing ^B worthy of admiration happened to the man dedicated to God. By the labors of stonemasons, having excavated the summit of the Mount of Admiration deeply, he built a monastery from a single stone of the same nature, in the middle of which he caused a native column to be hewn, and upon it he placed his tracks, confirming, as the sacred Scriptures sound, *he set my feet upon the rock* (Ps. XXXIX, 3). Toward the rising sun, moreover, he erected a most beautiful temple to God, which he called the disciples to attend: and thus while he himself remained under the open sky, they, standing in the temple throughout the night, as was fitting for saints, offered the due worship to God.

12. Thus far, John Phocas does very well. In these, however, toward the end there are a few things from the translation of Allatius—which we also present in full in the assigned place—[that are] rather obscure; these I have rendered more clearly here, having compared them with the Greek text. For what does this mean: "He painted steps on the column," where in the Greek it is *ἐν κίονι τὰς βάσεις*? You will interpret it more correctly and more comfortably to the present argument: "He placed his tracks or feet upon the column." For the writer indeed wishes to imply that Symeon ascended the column, and standing upon it under the open sky, praised God.

13. Therefore, conceive the location of the mountain. Not very far from Antioch, founded by the river Orontes, the city of Rhosus lies adjacent to the sea towards the north: between both lands, protruding quite far westward into the sea, they contain Seleucia at the end, situated 130 stadia from Antioch, so that these three cities represent a triangular form, being distant from one another by almost equal space. Hence the mountain, which is said to connect Antioch and Rhosus, includes Seleucia and separates it from the rest of the continent. And thus it is rightly placed between the Antiochene city and the sea, being elevated: which fact can also be established from Vita no. 77. Moreover, this mountain has two other mountains opposite it; the one which is called Scopulus occurs midway along the path for one traveling from Seleucia to Rhosus, looming over the sea; and from this city, I believe, it is called the Rhosian Scopulus; the other, to which the name Caucasus befell, ^D seems to be on the opposite side of the Mount of Miracles, that is, on the eastern side, as is evident from the account. But if some other less noble hills or mountains, as is wont to happen and as is also brought forth in the Vita, were to be added as appendages, neither the name of any others, except for Maurus, could be found or recorded in memory, either here or in the Vita, or perhaps anywhere else: here he must be said to have stood out among all.

14. And certainly, the place which the author calls a delight to those arriving from a distance need not be unpleasant, although in the Vita, no. 92, it is said to be deserted and uncultivated, and not furnished with water, shelter, or any other thing necessary for life. Indeed, it could have deserved commendation by its very sterility and roughness, with which it pleased the eyes more agreeably, accustomed as they were to the surrounding smiling and verdant meadows. It could also have been praised because the prospect from there was most delightful. For whether (which to saints is the most delicious of all delights) it pleases them to lift their faces erected to heaven, here it is seen more spaciously and brightly, not intercepted by any unpleasant vapors of the smoking earth: or if it pleases them to contemplate earthly things, from there one would ascend more securely to the contemplation of heavenly things; where, I ask, is there a wider campus of earthly delights and a more fertile one of holy thoughts? The cities below, especially Antioch and Seleucia, most memorable and beautiful, what do they not represent? Hence Scopulus, pleasant by its roughness; thence the celebrated Daphne, known in everyone’s writings, as it deserves—how much they refresh! Nearby, at the very foot of the mountain, the Orontes plays with various meanders and coils: in the distance lies a most spacious sea, interminable to the eyes; there also appears the varied face of the earth, here raised into hills, there depressed into valleys, elsewhere arid, elsewhere planted. What, then, is missing for this mountain to be called a delight?

III. Concerning the age of Saint Symeon the Younger.

15. Having pursued until now the very obscure matters which relate to the distinction of the Symeons Stylites and to the Mount of Miracles, known for a long time almost by name alone; a somewhat greater difficulty lies in defining, if possible, the certain time in which the younger Symeon was born and died. It has not been possible to find any author who would affirm anything more specifically than that Symeon lived in the times of Justin the Elder. Indeed, neither the Vita which we present sets down the day or year of his birth or death; yet it suggests certain things here and there from which more certain facts might be defined. For soon in no. 10 it is held that Symeon was five years old when a grave earthquake shook Antioch, by which his house also was overturned among others, and his father, involved in the ruins, perished. It would have been defined here, if Antioch had been more fortunate and had been shaken by less frequent tremors. Two authors, Evagrius and Theophanes, made mention [of them], who flourished at nearly the same time, with an interval of no more than thirty months. In these same times of Justin, frequent and grave conflagrations occurred in Antioch, which were, as it were, the precursors of the terrifying earthquakes that followed there later.

For shortly thereafter, in the seventh year of the reign of Justin and in the tenth month—the month of Artemisius or May—on the twenty-ninth day of the month, at the very noon of the sixth day of the week, as it is called, a trembling and an earthquake, invading the city, almost completely overthrew it from its foundations. After these things, fire also followed, and shared in the calamity as if by agreement with them. For in those places where the shaking and the movement had spared, the fire, consuming round about, reduced them to ashes and embers. John the Rhetor, concluding his History here, followed with a mournful oration on which parts of the city fell, how many men perished by the flames and the movements (as is most likely), and what prodigies occurred that were greater than any power of speech to describe. Euphrasius, however, was caught in the ruins and ended his life; and by his death he increased the public calamity, since no one remained anymore who might suggest what ought to be done. Theophanes adds: All the houses and churches also fell, and all the beauty of the city was destroyed; but such a calamity did not befall any city in other centuries. The most pious emperor Justin, when he learned of this, struck with immense grief of mind, having removed the ornament of his head and laid aside his purple, mourned for many days clothed in sackcloth; so much so that even when going forth into the temple on a feast day, he refused to wear his crown or chlamys: but rather, he went forth in a simple habit with only a purple mantle, and groaned before the entire senate, and all the rest, dressed in mourning garments, mourned with him. These things are what they say regarding the first earthquake in Antioch.

^C 17. But before we proceed to the other, I would want to advise the reader that we correct that passage of Evagrius, "in the seventh year, in the tenth month of the reign of Justin" (which caused Baronius to err, and for which he is accused of error by Valesius in his Annotations here), by interjecting the conjunction "and," thus: "in the seventh year and the tenth month of the reign of Justin," so that it may be established—as it ought to be—that this earthquake occurred at the end of the eighth year of his reign, which refers to the year of the common era 526, when the Dominical letter caused May 29 to fall on the sixth day of the week. That it was also written thus by Evagrius is suggested by the very express mention of the time that elapsed between the two earthquakes, which he says was thirty months; if you add that time to May 29 of the aforementioned common era year 526, there arises the year of the same era 528, November 29, the date on which it is manifest from Theophanes and others that the latter earthquake occurred with precision. Nor is it believable that an author who observed the most minute details so accurately, that he even expressed the hour and the point of time at which the movement began, would have erred by a full year, especially since he could hardly have passed over the distinct time of the second movement, determined by Theophanes, who was far later. Add, if it has any weight, the very words of the author, using a different form of speech in almost the same period, where nevertheless they wish to signify the same thing. He says: "In the seventh year of the reign of Justin, in the tenth month; during the month of Artemisius, that is May, on the twenty-ninth day thereof." If he wishes for the tenth month of the seventh year to be understood, just as he understands the twenty-ninth day of the month of Artemisius or May, why, I ask, does he not speak uniformly in both places? In the second place, he indicates the day of the month explicitly by the relative ^D *autou*, "of it," but not likewise the month of the year; there is no mention of a relation here. He intended, therefore, to signify not the tenth month of the seventh year, but the month after that; and it seemed good to him to add the particle *kai*, although it is hardly necessary and the sense we indicated remains even without it, so that it might be clearer and not lead anyone into error thereafter.

18. But let us return to where we digressed. Theophanes narrates the calamity of the latter movement thus in the second year of Justinian, which is 528 of the common era: "In the same year, on the twenty-ninth day of the month of November, at the third hour of the day, on the fourth day of the week, in the seventh indiction, two years after the former calamity, Antioch, the great city, suffered again the damage of a plague sent from heaven. For a huge earthquake occurred for one hour, and a loud, entirely horrid roaring was heard from heaven; and all the buildings and walls were leveled to the ground; and whatever old foundations had remained in the former earthquake, these were now utterly overturned: finally, whatever of beauty and ornament had been procured for the city, as much by the liberality of the emperors as by the private expenses of the citizens, was then all cast down to the earth." Having perceived these things, the neighboring cities were poured into mourning and public supplications. By that ruin four thousand, eight hundred and seventy men perished. These things [are reported] by Theophanes, with Evagrius recording nothing other than that after thirty months had elapsed, the city was again shaken by other movements. Procopius makes no mention at all of this second movement: he reports only these things concerning the former in Book II, Chapter 14 of the Persian War: "When Justin ruled the Romans, the entire city [of Antioch] was shaken by a very great earthquake, and most of its most glorious buildings suddenly collapsed; and fame holds that three hundred thousand Antiochenes perished at that time."

19. Having established the time of both earthquakes, the one in the eighth year of Justin, which is ending, of the common era 526, on the twenty-ninth day of May; the other in the second year of Justinian, of the common era 528, on the twenty-ninth day of November; it remains to investigate to which one more especially the movement belongs that shook Antioch when our Symeon was already five years old. Thus I conclude: since the author of the *Life* remembered only one earthquake around that time, he remembered the one that was most mournful, which was more memorable for its various events, and which was known to more people by its fame having spread more widely. For such things are what writers customarily record first of all, especially when they desire to express that something happened at a certain time; while omitting things more obscure and less known, lest anything igno-

insignificant or equally unknown, or not much more known, should confuse rather than illustrate. Why, then, should we not refer to the earlier earthquake, at the five-year mark, as the age of Symeon? Certainly, if we believe Theophanes, never did such a calamity occur in any city in other centuries. What is more sad or more memorable than the fact that three hundred thousand people perished in a ruined city, that the bishop, who should have been revered, added to the public calamity by his own death, and that the most august emperor mourned in an unusual and unheard-of way? Nothing of this kind is read to have happened in the second earthquake; indeed, there is hardly any memory of it among the authors who approach those times more closely, as we have seen, with only Theophanes describing the affair more lugubriously.

20. Yet it would be helpful to note, according to the same author, that in dealing with the first earthquake, he says it lasted for one year; regarding the second, for only one hour. If this cannot be proven solidly, since other authors do not support it, it will certainly hold that the former lasted for a longer space of time, the latter for a shorter one. The earthquake, however, which is treated in the *Life*, could not have been completed in the interval of one hour, since Symeon first occupied himself in prayer in the temple of the Proto-Martyr, afterwards fled from there as the buildings were collapsing everywhere, and finally, having gone outside, wandered about the city, intending to return if the earthquake had ceased; but as it persisted, he was finally found by a certain woman and abducted to a mountain, very close to the city, and remained there for seven days. But, I think, if the end of the tremors had occurred earlier, he would have either returned to his paternal home by himself, or would have been returned through the woman to his mother, who was enduring the loss of her son most grievously, especially in such a state of affairs. Let this be, then, the fifth year of Symeon, the five hundred and twenty-sixth of the common era: and it will be manifest that his birth falls in the year 521, and his death in 596, when he died at the age of 75.

21. He lived, therefore, under five emperors: Justin the Elder, Justinian, Justin the Younger, Tiberius II, and finally under Maurice; born in the fourth year of the former, he died in the fifteenth of the latter, on the twenty-fourth day of the month of May. The interval of these terms comprises 75 years, which as it is clear from the *Life*, Symeon completed. He spent five years in his paternal home until the earthquake; from there, one year slipped by on the mountain and in the first rudiments of monastic life, before he was admitted to the column. In this more humble state, and more as a base than a column, under the eyes of John for 6 years, in the second, rising 40 feet, 8 years were passed. Thus he was 20 years old, as the *Life* expressly mentions in number 72, when he migrated from there to the Wondrous Mountain: where he finished the remainder of his life, spending 10 years in the open air among the rocks, and 45 years—until his death—on the column. The *Menaea* and *Synaxaria* agree with these, if you except one place where, for his standing on the 40-foot column, they attribute 18 years instead of 8—an error, as you see, that is easily made: to which, following as a consequence, they make the total time of his life and his years on the column extend to 85, which others later copied from one another.

IV. On the writings of Saint Symeon the Younger.

Leo Allatius, who deserves the best regarding the Symeons, in his *Diatriba* on their writings, reviews some of this our Symeon's as well: of which, since no mention is made anywhere in the *Life*, it will be helpful to enumerate them here from the said author, who is not accessible to everyone, as singular monuments of a man of authority among princes, of zeal for the Church, and of piety toward the Saints. First, therefore, that he wrote on images is evident from John of Damascus, who in *Oration 3 on Images* recites a part from it, with this indication of the author: *On Images, by the Great Symeon, of the Wondrous Mountain*. Secondly, that he sharpened his style against the heretics is extracted from Photius's *Bibliotheca*, Cod. 231, where Saint Sophronius, patriarch of Jerusalem, in a Synodal letter sent to Pope Honorius of Rome (not the emperor, as the interpreter wrongly posits, since he had been dead for two hundred years and more), collecting testimonies of the Fathers to prove the double operation in Christ, also mentions this our Symeon, as it seems, with praise. Thus writes Photius in the assigned place: *Also Symeon, monk and presbyter*. The testimony, however, which acknowledges the saint as the author, is taken from his letter sent to the Emperor Justinian, which also debates against the Nestorians and Eutychians. Indeed, the pious emperor Justinian himself, in those things which he wrote to Zoilus, patriarch of Alexandria, called this letter a treasure.

23. Thirdly, his same fifth letter is recited, addressed to Justin the Younger or rather to the Emperor Justinian, in the Sixth General Council, dealing with the insolence of the Samaritans; which we shall present as described in the following §. Although it is said in this place to be inscribed to Justin the Younger, my inclination is not a little toward the opinion that it was given to Justinian rather, the predecessor of that Justin: partly because the audacity of the Samaritans grew more than usual under Justinian, and was hardly known under Justin from any other source than this one, about which we are in doubt, as if it were from the later one, as they say in the Schools: partly because the letter of Charlemagne, from the *Capitulary on the non-adoration of images* 1. IV, c. 5, produced here by Allatius; and another from Pope Hadrian I to the same Charles for the second Council of Nicaea, appended to the said council in the Labbæan edition of the Councils (each written not long after), express the name of Justinian, not Justin: then finally, most of all, because at the very beginning of the Epistle it is said that the Samaritans ravaged the holy temple, which the emperor had taken care to have built, with the greatest wickedness and impiety. It remains uncertain from the letter which one took care; it does not remain uncertain from probable conjecture. For since Procopius has encompassed in six whole books the substructures and buildings of almost every kind, and everywhere, by Justinian...

^A raised, and among them is numbered the temple of the Mother of God, the Virgin, at Porphyreon; around which city the tempest is particularly indicated to have raged, while only a few monuments of Justin are mentioned by the authors; anyone will easily judge to which it is more likely and certain that this epistle was inscribed.

24. Allatius enumerates the remaining writings of the same author in this way: 4. His

Troparia on the holy great martyr Demetrius in the Sticho

Prayer to the Son, specifically for repelling distracting thoughts

Prayer, said with tears to our Lord Jesus Christ, when thoughts of fornication arise

Prayer to the most holy Mother of God for evil thoughts

Epistle in the Life of the blessed mother Martha

§ V. Epistle of Saint Symeon to Justin the Younger against the heretical Samaritans.

25. We take up the faith, which with Bollandus at 5 January in the Life of the before-mentioned Symeon Stylites the Elder, written by Metaphrastes, c. 11, annot. d, it promises to deal here more broadly with the Samaritans. Neapolis, to the Hebrews Sichen, or Sichem and Sichima, is a city of Palestine in Samaria, episcopal, today almost extinct and inhabited by a few: it is distant from the city of Samaria 9 miles to the South. A high mountain looms over the city, by the name of Garizim, which the Samaritans formerly held in veneration and ascended for the sake of prayer: whose sect, even at the times of Christ, Baronius, vol. I of the Annals, in various places, especially in the Apparatus, describes; furthermore, he brings forth these things among others from Epiphanius: That, indeed, there were Samaritans, no one versed in the divine Scriptures is ignorant. These are they who, since they were divided from the Jews, had neither temple, nor sacrifices, nor common ceremonies with them: and since they retained only the five books of Moses, they negligently rejected the prophets and the other volumes of divine Scripture; not believing in the resurrection of the dead; denying also the Holy Spirit. If you want more, seek it in Epiphanius himself in the Panarion.

26. Others in successive centuries, famous for impiety and wickedness, began to act more licentiously in the times of Zeno. For when they had gathered suddenly, as Procopius writes, l. v, De Aedif., c. 7, having made an attack at Neapolis on the Christians who were celebrating a feast in the church, which is called Pentecost, they finished many; they occupy the bishop Terebinthius standing at the holy table, and they strike with swords him who is offering the ineffable sacrifice, they cut him with wounds, they cut off the fingers of his hands; and treating the mysteries injuriously, they perpetrate crimes ^B worthy of Samaritans, to be passed over by us in silence. Upon Terebinthius reporting these things to Constantinople and showing the crimes committed against him, the insolence of the Samaritans was repressed by the emperor with arms. Then, having plotted various things again under the emperor Anastasius, they again paid penalties, even supreme ones. Finally, under Justinian, raging more cruelly than all, they committed such deeds as cannot be heard without horror. Thus they are described by Cyril in the Life of Saint Sabas, which is in Greek in our possession, to be given on 5 December.

27. Now, having obtained the empire, Justinian was governing, when in Palestine the Samaritan race, choosing for themselves a certain king, Julian, and himself a Samaritan, dared many ^C contumelious things against the Christian name. For, having torn down temples, they subjected them to fire; Christians, tortured by infinite torments, they finally handed over to death; they ravaged neighboring villages with incursions; breaking open the reliquaries of the saints, they threw them into the flames: and this cruelty raged especially in places not too remote from Neapolis. Furthermore, they slew the bishop with the sword, and having seized certain presbyters, they first cut them limb from limb and piece by piece, and fried the relics of the martyrs in a frying pan: finally, they refrained from no kind of audacity or insult against the Christians. These most heinous crimes, and whatever besides, we think, were committed around Porphyreon, were able to extort from a most mild man, and one most prompt to succor the miserable, where the glory of God and the safety of the Church ^D are in peril, after the example of other saints, such an epistle as we submit, directed (as we probably hold above) to Justinian. Receive it yourself here—not as Baronius has it from the Latin edition of the Nicene council, but from the Greek-Latin, although not sufficiently accurately translated, as it is turned there in Action 5, inasmuch as it is more in agreement with the context of the Greek author.

^A hateful and full of wickedness, although it is not prepared with the adornment of oratorical speech; yet this should not count for anything (as the epistle, which Allatius produces here in his Diatriba under the name of Charlemagne, wishes) against it being called the genuine work of Saint Symeon, since it regards the force of the meaning rather than the paint of speech. Allatius, in the cited place, refutes the said epistle, which includes these principal arguments: that he should have invoked the divine ears of the Emperor Justinian; that he should have forbidden the same to use mercy; that he who ought to have restrained the king's anger, should have inflamed it more and more; that he should not have used the example of Him who does not wish any to perish; that, finally, he should have said that God co-reigns with the same emperor. You see how ineffective all these things are, so that it is not worth the labor to refute them. Let the prophet Elias rise, burning with zeal for the divine glory, and he would inveigh much more gravely against such wickedness, just as he once did, summoning fire from heaven. If anyone desires to have these refuted at greater length, let him go to the cited place of Allatius: we, in a matter not much pertaining to our project, have been longer than is right: but we are fulfilling the promises made to Bolland.

§ VI. — Memorabilia of Saint Symeon from Evagrius

32. Evagrius Scholasticus ought to provide much authority for our Life through those things which he mentions in his Ecclesiastical History concerning Saint Symeon the Stylite the Younger. For besides the fact that he is a historian of the highest reliability, he was a contemporary of Symeon, and frequently used him, as can be gathered from his own words, which he will soon add: for he says that the lethal illness of Saint Symeon became known to Gregory, Patriarch of Antioch, by his own indication. He also shows that a correspondence of letters passed between them, when he says that he was admonished by the Saint through letters concerning a certain matter which he thought was hidden from everyone. The Life also brings forward more certain indications of mutual familiarity at number 238, where what Symeon had learned in the spirit, he ordered to be told to Evagrius, because of his singular propensity of mind toward him. Furthermore, it conciliates authority to the Life by its frequency of unusual and stupendous miracles and the unheard-of mode of life it contains; because while he was scarcely dead, it does not hesitate to honor him with the title of Saint; because it proclaims that he far surpassed all the mortals of his time in virtue; because it relates a miracle performed on himself, the same that is placed in the Life at number 258. Nor yet does our Life embrace everything ^B that he relates here concerning Saint Symeon; most things are missing; and for that reason we give them primarily, so that nothing worthy of being known might be passed over.

33. And so, reading book 5, chapter 21, among other signs which portended the empire to Maurice, he says: "Finally, Symeon, who spent his life standing on a column near the city of Antioch, a man most apt for getting things done, and distinguished by every divine virtue ^C significant, said and did things which announced the empire to Maurice." But I do not remember reading anywhere what those things were, specifically expressed—not even in our more prolix Life; which contains many things indeed about Justin the Younger, and the empire predicted to him, but nothing at all about Maurice: whence, as also from the following, it is easy to collect that, although the most prolix Life contains many things, yet it has passed over more. Then, in the sixth book, chapter 23 in its entirety, he wove together as it were a compendium of the life of Symeon thus: "At the same time, when Gregory had learned from my indication that Saint Symeon was suffering from a lethal disease, he ran off to him in haste, so that he might perform the duty of a last greeting. But that which he desired, he could not obtain. Moreover, this Symeon far surpassed all mortals of his time in virtue. For from his tender infancy he had cultivated a harsh way of living on a column: to such a degree that the teeth in the station of the column were changed for him."

34. He climbed a column of this kind for this reason: When he was still at a very tender age, playing and leaping, he was wandering over the mountain ridges: and when he had encountered a leopard, he threw a collar around its neck; and leading the beast, forgetful of its innate wildness, as if in play, he led it to his monastery. His master, who was living a life on a column, having contemplated this, asked the boy what this was. He replied that it was a cat, which are commonly called *caltam*. And taking a conjecture from this deed, as to what kind and how great Symeon would be in the pursuit of virtue, he admitted him onto the column. On which column, and on the other which is on the summit of the mountain peak, he passed sixty-eight years, gifted with every kind of grace. For he would both drive off demons, and heal all diseases and languors, and foresee future things just as well as present ones. He certainly predicted to Gregory that he would indeed not see his own death; but that he would be ignorant of what things would be in the future after his death.

35. And when I ^D was being drawn into various musings, and was asking myself what the cause was why the same thing might not happen to the Gentiles, to whom there are many children; although I had not opened this thought to absolutely anyone, yet he, peering into the thoughts of my mind, wrote to me that I should abstain from these thoughts; since they did not at all please God. The same man, when the milk of the wife of one of my amanuenses had been obstructed after childbirth, and the infant was in the highest danger; having touched the right hand of the husband, he ordered him to place it on the breasts of his spouse. Which having been done, the milk forthwith gushed forth as if from a certain fountain, so that it soaked the woman's entire garment. But also a certain boy, left behind on the road by his companions on the journey in the dead of the night through forgetfulness, a lion carried, having been placed on its back, to Symeon's monastery; and at Symeon's command, the ministers went out and brought in the boy, who was being guarded by the lion. He also did many other things, surpassing all memory, which require both an eloquent tongue, and leisure, and a special work: which indeed almost all mortals

celebrate in their own tongues. For men of all nations, not only Romans but even barbarians, kept flocking to him; and whatever they asked, they obtained. As for food and drink, he lived on the branches of a certain shrub that grew on that mountain. Nicephorus Callistus translated both these passages of Evagrius for his own use, in almost the same words.

§ VII. Other memorabilia on the same, from the Nicene Council II and Saint John of Damascus.

This paragraph will also serve the same purpose as the previous one, namely, to show that the Life is considered of greater authority insofar as the authors who have provided testimonies, if not explicitly from it, certainly provided the same content as is contained therein, are more weighty. And first, indeed, the Nicene Council II, the seventh general council, in the year 787, under Pope Adrian I and the emperors Constantine and Irene, held against the Iconoclasts, in session 4, in the Greco-Latin edition of Labbe, speaks as follows: Joseph, most reverend monk and Hegumen of the monastery of Heraclia, said: "And I, a sinner, carry the book containing the Life of Saint Symeon the Stylite of the Wonderful Mountain, as you command." The holy synod said: "Let it be read." And Cosmas, the deacon beloved by God and Cubuclesius, read it. From the Life of our holy Father Symeon the Stylite of the Wonderful Mountain, chapter 118, *Of a woman who was sterile in Rhosopolis, oppressed by a powerful demon, who, having been made whole and fertile, placed an image of the Just One in her house, which performed magnificent miracles.* Although the same miracle is related below also in the Life, no. 123, because there is some difference, especially regarding the phrasing, and since the whole book receives authority from this approved narrative of such a great council, we may seem to not be doing the work in vain if we add that narrative here. Thus, therefore, Cosmas the deacon continued his reading: ^C "There was a certain woman in Rhosopolis of Cilicia, called Theotecna, who had lived with her husband for twenty years and had not had a son. It happened, however, that she was also troubled by a demon from childhood and would chew her tongue. Her husband, no longer able to endure the anguish of her tribulation, dismissed her from his house, and for four years she was not associated with any woman. She, however, having found company, fled to the Just One. But when the demon saw him, he immediately raged and was tormented before him, seeing his spiritual image with the woman, saying with a human voice: 'I will separate you from her, you malignant and unclean spirit, and she shall return to her husband, and a son shall be born to her next year.' And the demon screamed, violently disturbed: 'O violence against me! It is not yours to effect the dissolution of a marriage: and why do you give them a son, when I have made her not have a son? What evil have I done to you, or what have I sinned in your sight, that you separate me from my woman? If you had bought me as a slave, you would perhaps give me away as well into servitude to men.' But Symeon said: 'Because you are an evil slave, acknowledge yourself, malignant one, and run into the flames of fire, you who are about to burn; and bring water and gather wood.' And immediately, the demon, like a wind, running and burning vehemently, taking in the woman’s amphora of water, threatened; and having filled it, and gathered wood from the forest, he brought it, yelling and saying: 'Woe to me, an evil slave and the inventor of evils! What have I suffered? For holy Symeon separates me from my woman, and what I shall do, wretched one, I know not.' ^B When these things had been said before the people who had gathered, after he had fulfilled the service that had been commanded to him, he cried out with a high voice, saying; and looking at the lightning of fire coming against him, he ran around the woman in the circuit of his status, tortured greatly and painfully; and thus he immediately exited: and with the woman restored to her former state, Symeon dismissed her whole; saying to her: 'Go, woman, into your house and cohabit with your husband; for behold, the Lord has directed his heart, that he may receive you with great joy.' And that which was done came to pass. And when she had returned, the heart of her husband was immediately made right to love her; and he entered unto her, and immediately she conceived in her womb: and at the end of the year they brought the boy to the servant of God, praising and glorifying God. But when they had completed their prayer, and had returned to their own home, the woman, led by faith, erected an image of the Saint in her inner house: which performed miracles, overshadowed by the Spirit who dwelt in the Saint: and those troubled by the demon were cleansed there, and those sick with various infirmities were healed. Among whom also a woman, suffering a flow of blood incessantly for fifteen years, in faith approached to see the image; and immediately the flow ceased. For she said within herself, 'If I but see his likeness, I shall be saved.' But seeing that the fountain of her blood had been dried up, she immediately ran to the man of God, praying before him, praising and glorifying God, and announcing the miracle performed in herself."

^D 59. Another miracle is also added to this with the title: *Item, (the deacon Cosmas) reads another miracle of the holy Father Symeon:* and it is the same one that Saint John of Damascus brings forward in oration 3, *On Images*, not far from the end, with this title prefixed: *From the Life of holy Symeon, the worker of wonderful deeds, the narrative of Arcadius, Archbishop of Cyprus, miracle 132.* But to one comparing the two texts with each other, there is no doubt for me that they were translated from the exact same Greek, so much do the beginning, the end, the periods, and everything agree. If by chance the Greek text of Damascus exists, which we lack, it will prove what has been said. Yet there is another version, another one not a little more polished and elegant. We have already seen the less pleasing one of the council; let there follow the one that is more agreeable, of Damascus. Nor do I think we shall be wasting our effort here by transcribing this narrative, although we shall give the same, differing only in words, in the Life, no. 171, in our style; for there will be use for both soon & following. Thus, therefore, to the title already adduced above, Damascus adds:

40. It happened, however, in those days, that a certain merchant of the city of Antioch was suffering great distress from a wicked demon and was troubled for a long time, to such an extent that he was suffocated, with his power of breathing cut off. He, having gone to the Saint, and having obtained health through his prayers, in such a way that it was as if he had never suffered anything—when he had returned to his own home, in order to give a sign of his gratitude, he set up a portrait in a public and illustrious place of the city, above the doors of his own workshop. Some of the infidels, having caught sight of this, decorated with lights and veils, and being full of zeal, stirred up men like themselves—unruly men—so that a multitude gathered and began to clamor in confusion: "Let him who did this be removed from life, and let the image be taken down!" But it happened by divine providence that he was not found at his home at that time. For they desired to kill him; with one shouting one thing, another another: for their wickedness was great and very much in the sight of God, and immense was the envy by which they were indeed moved to gather there, thinking they had found an occasion by which they might oppress the holy man and subject him to ignominy, because he had often refuted the impiety and error of those who felt wrongly about religion along with them. Since, therefore, they could not restrain such madness, they ordered one of the soldiers to climb the steps and remove the image. And when he had climbed up and stretched out his hands to carry out what was ordered, he was immediately struck down, falling from the higher level down to the ground: and a great tumult was stirred up in the crowd. And inflamed, they proceeded to procure another, who, while he himself also tried to pull down the image with outstretched hand, was struck down to the ground in the same way. By which deed, all were terrified with fear and began to apply to themselves the sign of the cross. But while those infidels still raged, they did not cease to urge a third to do the same: who, when he had stretched out his hand to throw down the image, he too, being broken in the same manner, fell to the ground. Then a great fear seized all the faithful who were standing around; and marveling at the blindness and audacity of the infidels, they departed with prayers, worshiping the image. Thus far Damascenus. These miracles having been recited by Cosmas the deacon before the Fathers of the council, these words were immediately added, increasing the faith and authority of those, as well as of our entire Life: Constantine the most holy bishop of Constantia of Cyprus said: These things, indeed, venerable Fathers, concerning what has been read, we have heard and we believe.

VIII. Concerning the Life of Saint Symeon, now first published by us, and its author.

41. To you, Reader, studious of the glory of the saints—as we are indebted—is the Reverend Father Petrus Possinus of our Society. My name is here; the rest will be spoken by the book itself, edited by him, and the frequent mention in these Acts. He saw to it, after the departure of our own Henschenius and Papebrochius, that this Life be transcribed in Rome from the Greek codex of the Vallicellian Library, which belongs to the Congregation of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri. But hear it rather from himself, in letters dated Rome, July 11, 1656, as follows: Regarding the codex you ask about, from which it was transcribed, it was indeed mutilated in the Vallicellian Library and ^A *acephalous*; but Laurentius Portius (he is the brother of Symon, who published the Latin, Graeco-barbarous, and literal Dictionary at Paris in 1635; and he let out his labor to us for a moderate price in transcribing the Greek Acts, being very skilled in that idiom), but Laurentius, he says, Portius, who transcribed it from another exemplar found there, with a very ancient hand and and now fading script, supplied with no small labor what was missing, and restored this work to an almost original integrity. Moreover, the head [of the work], which is said to have been missing in the codex for the rest of the body and supplied from elsewhere, is that part of the Prologue which we have included in the first two numbers. Moreover, Possinus offers in that same letter his own judgment on these Acts, [which is] quite laudable and of no little weight: "From my own heart," he says, "I declare that, having read them carefully, I have observed nothing written except in a likely, prudent, and elegant manner. From the moment I began to read, I could not restrain myself until I finished. Such was the pleasure; and no less the sense of tender religion, melting the heart even to tears. Therefore, I believe it is rare to find ecclesiastical monuments of that kind, which, with their faith, authority, elegance of composition, and the admirability of events narrated not incredibly, merit by right equal with these Acts an edition and the light of day. I add no word more to these. The remaining Acts will themselves provide faith concerning themselves: read through."

42. As much as it is permitted to gather about the author, we say: In the beginning of the Life, this title was prefixed:

Βίος καὶ πολιτεία τοῦ ὁσίου Πατρὸς ἡμῶν Συμεὼν τοῦ ἐν τῷ Θαυμαστῷ Ὄρει, συγγραφέντα παρὰ Νικηφόρου τοῦ Μαγίστρου Ἀντιοχείας τοῦ Οὐρανοῦ· Vita et conversatio sancti Patris nostri Symeonis in Monte Mirabili, conscripta a Nicephoro Magistro Antiochiæ, Cœlum dicto.

life, makes mention [of it]; and it is translated into Latin by the interpreter Langius—as if it had not been written with as much learning as the magnitude of the subject matter demanded. For he uses the adverb *ἀξίως*, "not worthily," a term that could also be applied to Ciceronian eloquence to express a singular excellence, one sublime above all human speech. Otherwise, Nicephorus admits that when he came upon this Life, he was struck by the greatness and the outstanding multitude of the holy man's deeds. These, he says, are celebrated even to this day in all tongues, described *ὑπὸ Συμεῶνι* (he wanted to write *Νικηφόρῳ*, or perhaps he even wrote it, but some sciolist changed the name, wishing for the Metaphrast to be understood). *Μέγιστον ^A τοῦ Οὐρανοῦ*, which is abbreviated in writing, according to a custom very common among the Greeks, for *Οὐρανοῦ*—Langius, not grasping this, omitted it; but it becomes clear from the same title spelled out in full before the Life. ^B

43. We gather from the previous paragraph that the Life of this Symeon was committed to writing and transmitted to posterity by someone other than Nicephorus—the author of which, although the council does not name him, we recognize from Damascenus to be Arcadius, Archbishop of Cyprus, who is no better known to our Nicephorus, unless you would wish him to be even more obscure; seeing that he is not even known through his writings, which have perished. I also infer that that Life was very prolix, and not much unlike our own in length; thus Chapter 118 and Miracle 132, cited above, hold sway; for many things must have preceded them. Indeed, there is no doubt that one Life was copied from the other, and our own rather from that of Arcadius, with the addition of a few matters, whether exclamations, or apostrophes, or other things, as the exigency of the matter and the piety of the author allowed. For to one comparing the first miracle of the previous paragraph with the number 123 of the Life, and the second with number 171, it is apparent that the fundamentals, the notable points, and even the circumstances are the same in both. In the former: the place is Rhosus or Rhosopolis, a city of Cilicia; the woman's name is Theotecna; the duration of the marriage is twenty years; the time of separation four years; the hemorrhage was of fifteen years; the reason for approaching the saint; the aversion of the demon; its complaints; the dragging around the column; the promises made to the woman; the conception, birth, and offering of the son; the gratitude; the setting up of the icon; and the healings brought about by it. What more is there to say? All the same things are noted in both. They could not, therefore, but appear to be either one copied from the other, or both copied from the same records. You will be confirmed in this opinion if you conceive that that Life was distinguished by chapters roughly equal in number to our own; for in this way that miracle would have fallen almost at an identical interval in both, beginning from a shared point: there, Chapter 118; here, number 125. What a great interval! The other miracle recedes a little further in our Life than in the Arcadian [Life]; but it should be noted that the numbers in our Life are more contracted around the middle than toward the beginning: and so our numbers here would agree more closely with the number of that miracle, if we had encountered ours everywhere at an equal tenor and span.

44. But let us return to the comparison of the miracle and see what might be seen as added in our Life, whether for the sake of decorum or clarity. Those things are very opportune and spring from the matter itself. Where the demon is concerned, he interjects: "Just as this scoundrel speaks only of wickedness." Then he enumerates the benefits received at once and includes them as if in a parenthesis: (For she was not immune from the demon coetaneous to her, but was also restored to her husband, perfectly healed; in addition to this, a boy was also born of her, which had never happened before). Finally, he adds this conclusion at the end: "Thus, the holy man’s aspect, even if subtle in an image—the sign of the cross, the rod, the form, the word, the invocation, and whatever else of his things there might be—sufficed for warding off any kind of disease."

45. It would be tedious to compare the later [miracles] to the former in a similar way: let anyone who wishes compare them; he will find the same things in both. I relate only those things which appear to be added. First, he adds its own ornament to the erected icon when he describes it: "Very beautifully adorned, not only with colors, but also with vestments and coverings." A little later he interjects this exclamation: "O God, how great are the things that enemies have plotted against Thy Saint!" Soon, when one extended his hand against the icon, he is said to have been repelled by this beautiful and pious apostrophe: "By those hands which Thou, O Christ, didst raise up over their pride, [casting them down]." Finally, when the third was also cast down, it is said as if in place of an epiphonema: "He was worthy of a much greater mockery than the former ones, because he had learned nothing more from their example." What are these if not parentheses, exclamations, apostrophes, and epiphonemata, born from matters that are unchanged, and added beautifully for the sake of emphasis?

46. Moreover, the whole order in this history is natural, beginning from birth, progressing with the years, and ending in death: indeed, it will not be a vain suspicion if the majority of the miracles are thought to have been described first in the order of time in which they occurred: for the order of age and these particles—"afterward," "then," "after these things," "these things having been performed," and the like, which are repeatedly used at the beginning of the miracles—seem to suggest this. Further, having such an abundant fountain, there is no need to follow the rivulets of the Synaxaria, in which the eulogy is read to be sometimes shorter, sometimes more prolix.

THE LIFE OF SAINT SYMEON THE YOUNGER

WRITTEN BY NICEPHORUS, MAGISTRATE OF ANTIOCH, CALLED "THE HEAVEN"

PROLOGUE

^A 1. Blessed be God! For He is worthy to be praised, and especially by us, who set ourselves to commemorate the divine Symeon and have taken upon ourselves the task of recording his deeds—that Symeon, I mean, who by instituting an angelic life on the Wondrous Mountain caused that mountain to be so named, and in turn drew the name from it, or rather, bestowed his own name upon it. For he was clearly given to the world as a gift of God, chosen by God before he was formed, announced before his conception, and sanctified before his birth: that we might have him not only as an intercessor, mediator, and arbiter capable of healing our bodies and souls, but also as an expression of the solitary life and an exemplar of practical philosophy, if perhaps ^B any might be able to emulate even a few of his achievements, as much as fragile human nature permits; for to imitate most or all of them is beyond our power, being a matter of immaterial, incorruptible, and divine nature.

2. Moreover, there is nothing so apt to inflame the soul with a love of righteousness and to provoke it to the imitation of men endowed with virtue as the life of such a man, who was granted such a store of divine grace and such familiarity and freedom of action with God, that men are struck with wonder and softened by the magnitude of his signs and the excellence of his works, and are inflamed to perform—if not altogether equal deeds (for how could anyone reach the level of his virtue?), yet ones that have some congruence with them—having found such an exemplary life as an accurate teacher. ^C It suggests what things one must abstain from, and conversely, what things one must strive for with all effort, and as if by the hand it leads us straight to the most perfect and most divine summit of virtue; and having led us there, it shows how many rewards await that man who has traversed this path with an unoffending foot, in the presence of God, the common distributor of prizes to all, and what great recompense for his labors awaits him. But what voice should I employ for the present matter? What speech shall I find for the

^A tasks equal to the magnitude of the events? Particularly when the paradoxes of his birth alone, and all that pertains to his virtue cultivated from boyhood, and his struggles beyond the likelihood of nature—even if not in the same manner, yet certainly some of them, or rather, each of them individually—know how to place every art and power of speech behind them.

3. Moreover, if we desired to treat of the multitude and magnitude of his signs and miracles, and those divine visions which were revealed to Symeon not rarely, in a mystical and ineffable way, toward what nature of speech should we turn for an interpretation of things beyond speech? For everything that cannot be encompassed by speech is also not to be spoken. For how will he who cannot grasp it be able to describe it? Nevertheless, even if the undertaking is greater than the power of speech, some of it, at any rate, that divine and compassionate soul of Symeon will surely assist us in, for it now delights without intermediary in the God who is so intensely desired; and in part, it will also grant pardon to our weakness. You also, whoever you are who are listeners to this eminent and unheard-of manner of life, will grant it, as we will omit nothing that is within our strength, although we leave out very many things if you gaze upon the dignity of the events. However, it is necessary to trace the account back a little further, and set before our eyes from what parents such a man was born, and what the manner of his conception was, so that we may recognize the tree from such fruit, or rather, not be ignorant of the root which sprouted so beautiful a branch.

CHAPTER I. Parents, birth, baptism and childhood of Saint Symeon.

4. ^C Many years ago, a certain man named John, hailing from Edessa and flourishing in his youth, had come to Antioch with the parents he had. These parents were craftsmen by trade, laboring in the collection and sale of perfumes, and they made whatever that craft might procure for them the means of their livelihood. But when the son was already mature enough for marriage and a union, they conversed with the parents of a certain girl (Martha was her name), with the intention of taking her in marriage for the young man. And they, indeed, gladly accepting the proposal, informed their daughter. She, however, embraced virginity, rather choosing to bring her soul to Christ, the immortal Bridegroom, as a virgin for His bridal chamber. Yet as they pressured her and would not let up, thinking it neither holy nor pious not to obey her parents in all things, she committed the judgment of the matter to God, and yielding her own concerns to Him, she arrived at the divine temple of the Forerunner which was situated before Antioch, and there she fell down, praying and entreating, ^D begging with tears more powerfully than with words to be granted certainty regarding the matter at hand. Having received this, she yielded to the will of her parents and was joined in union of marriage to John. She, for her part, living virtuously, made her husband a partner in her manner of life, not

only becoming an assistant to him in his life, but also an guide to his salvation. Then she withdrew once more to the temple of the holy Forerunner, prostrating herself upon the ground; and tasting of nothing else but bread, water, and salt, taking her sleep right there without inclining her body to her side; and turning her tears by day and night into bread to the end that a child might be granted to her through the intercession of holy John the Baptist, whom she might offer back to God, as another Samuel, through oblation. For our discourse dares to proceed thus far, looking toward the things that follow. ^A

5. Not much time passed when, see: a certain pleasant night vision, the Forerunner himself appears, saying to her: "Take heart, woman; for your prayer has been accepted, and may this composition of most sweet fragrance be a sign of this thing; when you perceive it, you shall fumigate the whole house with it; for there will be a sufficiently great supply for you." The woman, having immediately awakened, perceived herself to be filled both with fear and with joy; with fear, indeed, due to the strangeness of the spectacle, but with joy due to the promise of the offspring she had requested (and who, our King Christ, could worthily celebrate the multitude of your goodness!). She held as it were a great globe of incense in her hands; and, at the same time, prostrating herself upon the ground, and leaning her face upon the pavement before the altar with her knees, what voices of a grateful spirit did she not emit! What rivers of tears did she not shed! Then, seizing a censer, she filled the place with such sweetness of odor that those who perceived it did not know well what it was; and indeed, what manner of ointment that fragrance might be (so ineffable and divine a thing was it) could not be explained in words. ^B

6. She therefore consumed almost the whole globe of incense by burning it throughout that day, fumigating the temple, with only a small portion left over, which she wrapped in a headband she held in her hand. But at the following dawn, having been roused from sleep, she found the whole quantity of incense again—O, miracle!—just as the holy Forerunner had given it. And she, for her part, did to the temple the same things as the day before, and again filled it with the sweetness of the odor. But after some time had passed, the Forerunner again came upon her in a pleasant dream: "Arise," he says, "woman, and go to your own husband; for you shall conceive a son, and you shall call his name Symeon. He shall suckle milk from your right breast, and he shall abstain entirely from the left; for the child shall be of the right. He shall not partake of meat or wine, or whatever industry and human art knows how to prepare, but bread and water, and honey and salt, shall be his nourishment. He must be guarded with care by you, as a sacred vessel to be dedicated to divine ministry. And when a space of two years has elapsed, he shall receive holy baptism in this very church, and he shall declare the grace that follows his baptism, and what shall happen concerning him." ^C

7. The woman, therefore, having been deemed worthy of such and so divine a visitation, trembling and afraid, ^D [returned] to her own home.

which was within the gates of Antioch. She found her husband intent upon reading a certain book, which contained the narrative of the holy Forerunner’s head, and how such a treasure, worthy of not being overlooked, [had been] discovered while lying hidden beneath the earth. I think this was also a symbol of the prophecy announced to her, that he who was to come would be something great and good for the life [of the world]. Sitting beside her husband, therefore, she listened to the reading. When it had come to an end, the woman, taking the vision into her mind, was so filled with fear and joy that she could not contain her spirits, but pretended to be lamenting as if some sorrowful thing had befallen her, so that her husband, who was asking the reason, would not force her to reveal it by answering, but she kept what she had seen locked within the secrets of her heart. ^B Having intercourse with her husband, she immediately conceived, as the holy John had foretold; and she preserved herself in every place, just as if she were carrying some holy vessel. To many, indeed, in whom she confided, and especially to her husband, she often clearly indicated that she was pregnant with a male child, and that the one to be born should be named Symeon. When the time of labor was already completed, she gave birth, the pains of childbirth not affecting her according to their own nature, but she experienced a painless delivery. On the fortieth day after the birth, she brought the infant to the temple of the Forerunner, returning him just as she had received him, and consecrating him to God the Giver.

8. The right breast, as had been told by the Forerunner ^C, was what she offered him, and with it the infant was fed. But a few days later, it occurred to the mother to offer him the left one as well; and so, seeing him demanding the breast, she offered him the left one. But he would not touch it, and turning away, he kept crying. When she persisted in offering it nearly all that day, and the child had remained all that night without tasting the breast (how shall I recount your wonders, O Christ!), the left breast of the mother, which had been distended and swollen with milk, shrank away, and the breast that had previously been ^D protuberant, soft, and moist, became dry and altogether similar to a male one; the right one, however, as it had been before, retained an abundance of milk, from which the child could be fed. The witnesses of this most wonderful miracle are as many of the neighboring women as were present, to whom the mother, blushing for modesty, showed that very breast and explained the series of events.

9. When the child had become two years old, he received baptism in the temple of the Forerunner, according to that [saint's] prophecy, and emerged from the water named Symeon. And a miracle more wonderful than the previous one took place regarding him. For he immediately began to speak with a clear tongue, which also had been foretold by the Baptist himself: "I have a father and I do not have [one]; I have a mother and I do not have [one]." And he continued saying this until the seventh day, signifying thereby his own renunciation and withdrawal from earthly things, and his greater intimacy with heavenly things and his ascent toward them. From that time on, therefore, as often as his mother would partake of meat...

for that entire day the child would abstain from the breast. Since this happened quite frequently, his mother was persuaded to abstain from meat altogether. And when he was already able to partake of food, his mother would offer him bread smeared with honey, and water for drink. But if she tried to take him to the baths, he would conduct himself so terribly and would appear so indignant that, as he resisted, his voice would immediately fail him. Having observed this, his mother ceased to attempt that as well in the future.

CHAPTER II. Fleeing the earthquake, he is led to the mountain, heals an enemy, and ascends a column. Various visions.

10. It came to pass that, when our Symeon had already reached his fifth year, Antioch ^A was shaken by such a great earthquake that not only did the house where his parents were staying collapse, but his father himself, being caught in the ruins, ended his life with a sorrowful death. Now the mother at that time happened to have gone to a house of prayer, while the child was kept in the church of the protomartyr Stephen located in Antioch. But as the earthquake destroyed the city in a pitiable manner, he was carried about like one wandering, until a certain pious woman, who was familiar with his parents, found him and took him to a mountain very close to the city. For seven days, therefore, the mother could in no way find him as she sought through the city; and believing that he had perished, wrapped in the ruins of the buildings that were collapsing everywhere, she was pressed by a most grievous sorrow deep in her marrow, until she was refreshed by a joyous vision of the Forerunner appearing again, and was made certain as to the place where she might find her son. Departing therefore, she found him at the house of the said woman, who was recounting these things about him with the greatest admiration: that in the space of seven days, having been persuaded twice to take some food, he had been content with bread and water alone. Having therefore recovered the child, the mother went to the temple of the Baptist, and having there rendered thanks to God and to the saint, as was fitting, she returned to the city.

11. Now, while she was by herself, she began to call to mind all that had been seen and said to her regarding the child, and all the astonishing things she had already seen happen concerning him; and she remained in doubt as to whether those visions would in fact ever truly be fulfilled. She saw in a dream that she was being lifted on high, winged, holding her son in her hands, and was offering him as a gift acceptable to God, and was addressing him with these words: "I desired, my son, to see this your glorious ascent, so that the Most High might release me, his handmaid, for I have found grace among women, to be able to return to Him the fruit of my womb, my pains, and my labors." Having seen such a vision, the holy woman ^D broke forth into words very similar to those of that prophet Symeon, as if she too had seen with her own eyes a certain salvation, and she kept all these things in her heart.

^A 12. After these events, Symeon happening to be at that place in Antioch which is rightly and deservedly called "the Cherubim," because Titus, having overthrown Jerusalem, brought the more famous statues of the Cherubim from the temple there to Antioch and set them in a very conspicuous place in the city: while he was dwelling in that same place, there appeared to him, as he looked upon an old wall, a terrifying sight. For behold, Christ, the Lord of all and God, appeared (how could any speech worthily describe the greatness of that shining spectacle?) on a high and exalted throne, and a terrible judgment seat was seen before Him; ^B at that time a vast multitude of the just was gathering, and the book of life was being opened. On the eastern side was visible the Garden of Delight, full of pleasures, and on the western side a lake of fire boiling over; and the Spirit of the Lord was saying to him: "Listen and understand the words of life; for these things you see are set before you for your choice of virtue. For the splendor of the just and the Garden of Delight signify eternal exultation; but that gehenna of fire threatens never-ending punishments. Depart, therefore, and choose what is good, so that after the end of this life you may not only be freed from sorrows that have no end, but may also become a partaker of the unspeakable goods prepared for those who love God."

^C 13. After this vision had been shown to Symeon, there was miraculously added to him a wisdom more divine and a knowledge of secrets previously invisible. A few days later, he saw again before his eyes a man clothed in white, who said, "Follow me." And he followed the shadow of the one who had appeared to him immediately. He led him into the region of Tiberina, which lies adjacent to the neighboring Seleucia, to a certain place called, in the local idiom, Pila. And there, Symeon began to live in the wilderness of the mountain among wild beasts—which were his only companions in living—enjoying night and day the rich light poured out from above, ^D and being guided in all things by that man in white who had appeared to him, who also provided the necessities of life. He persevered there for some days, and then, ascending the mountain itself, he discovered a small monastery. In it lived a certain man named John (4), a man very zealous for virtue, who stood upon a base; to this man, even before Symeon had arrived at the mountain, frequent visions concerning him had occurred. For at one time he had seen a boy, wrapped in a white garment, being carried into the monastery in a chariot; at another time again, in mid-air, guided by a pillar of light and surrounded by it, entering into the monastery; and at other times, bringing the boy to the monastery while an angel pointed him out with an eagle, saying, "This is he through whom you are about to find salvation." These things he would recount to the monks who were with him while he was seeing them; now that Symeon was [index: entries preserved]

^A present, the divine man immediately referred it to his own revelations, and understanding that this was the same one who had often appeared to him, he was filled in his soul with delight, and he gave thanks to God with tears rather than with his lips.

14. From then on for seven days ^B Symeon remained at peace and alone with himself, neither uttering a word nor taking any food, to the astonishment of the aforementioned man of God, at how in such a tender and youthful age he could follow so arduous and rigid a mode of life. Later, however, every third, or seventh, or even tenth day he would restore his strength with a few legumes macerated in water. Thus he progressed in the exercise of virtues just as he did in age, although the former far surpassed the latter. He was, moreover, of a beautiful and graceful form, with hair the color of gold and striking for the dignity of his eyes; he was ready in speech, but prudent in answering, with divine grace from above plainly shining forth in him. This beauty, he who envies all good, that enemy who from the very beginning has been most hostile to our race, could not bear; but, having deceitfully entered into a certain shepherd of animals who lived not far from the monastery—a manner of his malice—he kindled such envy in the man’s soul against the man of God, because of the radiance of his virtue, that he even conceived of murder against him, and was already attempting to devise how he might remove him by taking him away from the monastery.

15. While he was turning these things over in his mind and trying to act with zeal, God, who had predestined to Himself Symeon before he was conceived, did not abandon His servant; for the hand of the wicked man, already about to be moved to the crime, suddenly withers, a manifest sign of God’s just threat and impulse; and such straits of soul invade him that, unable to bear the pains, he went to the archimandrite, showing how his hand was, and lamenting his misfortune miserably. ^C When he asked the cause, he remained silent, hiding his distress out of fear and confusion. After several days had passed, as the pain increased more and more and his body wasted away, he returned to the monastery secretly, unknown to all, to the archimandrite, revealed the sin, confessed that wicked pang of his heart, wept bitterly, and begged for a cure for his suffering. ^D The archimandrite, therefore, having immediately called for Symeon, whom he knew to be graced with an even more abundant gift of the Holy Spirit, explains to him what had been done and what plan had been conceived; he sets before his eyes the just retribution of God upon the wretched man; he shows how miserably the man’s hand has been afflicted; then, as if requesting of a true son, or more truly a father, he asks him to grant pardon to the afflicted man and to obtain a cure for his wounds through prayer.

16. Symeon, the one chosen by God even before

^A birth, not only immediately forgave the man from his heart who had sinned against him, but also gladly accepted the prayers to be offered on his behalf, as if he were about to receive a great favor rather than grant one. Having placed his head as he was able and his knees upon the ground, and having besought the kindness and mercy of God—and having drawn forth the oil from those compassionate bowels of God—he rose, and extending his hands toward heaven, he signed the hand that was withered and suffering so grievously. And immediately (who, hearing these things, my God, will cease to offer you praises?) it was seen to be whole and similar to the other. And not only was his hand immediately strengthened, but his whole body was restored to its former fitness. This event filled those present with such great wonder that from that time forth they looked upon Symeon with unique reverence, and John himself spoke to him only with fear from that time on. ^B But this was such and so worthy of wonder; what follows is much more wonderful still. For just as Symeon, goading himself toward virtue and already touching upon a higher rule of life, asked for a base to be erected opposite to John, which being done he immediately climbed upon it and stood—and this covering for Symeon was a *modius* made of walnut wood.

17. He sees again, as if from the side, a youth beautiful in appearance, and, inflamed in his whole heart at the sight, and having recognized that he was Christ the Lord and God, he does not hesitate—after the example of the beloved disciple—to question him about his passion, saying: "Lord, how did the Jews crucify you?" ^C But the Lord, prescribing patience and endurance—or rather, voluntary mortification of the body—as a rule of living to him who questioned him, extending his hands in the form of a cross, said: "Thus, having desired it alone, they fixed me to the cross. But you, be strong and act manfully." At that time, Symeon did not understand the things that were said. But afterward, when he understood what those words meant, he did not cease, adding labor to labor and exercise to exercise each day. While John's prayer every night was thirty psalms, Symeon's would be sometimes fifty, sometimes eighty, and often the entire Psalter, allowing no sleep to his eyes at all, nor allowing his tongue to cease from chanting divine praises by day; so that John not only feared greatly for his strength, but also, by such exhortations, ^D would set upon him, being too severe with himself: "It suffices you, my son, that from your very swaddling clothes you have crucified yourself to Christ. What have you to do with these exercises of penance, and finally, [as mentioned] from the things said before the Life § 1, that the place of the column was within the *mandra*, that is, a stone enclosure, so that no one could approach unless admitted by the brother who performed the office of messenger: and it is said in Evagrius, bk. 1, ch. 13, that the *modius* of Symeon the Elder was two cubits wide. Also below, no. 46, it is established that the *modius* was not always open at the top, but was sometimes closed on every side."

human powers? We must also take care of the body, and indulge it with moderate sleep and nourishment, so that it may suffice for the labors of the ascetic life; for neither food nor drink defiles a man, as holy Scripture says: "I have given you all things as the green herb of the field." ^A

18. To this Symeon responded quite prudently: Although, he said, those things do not defile a man, nevertheless they excite defiling thoughts, and make them murky and morose, and they affix the subtlest part of the human mind to the earth, and wrap it, as it were, in certain shadows. For when we meditate day and night on the law of the Lord, there is no danger that we shall be carried away by the allurements of sleep, as the Prophet complains, saying: "My soul hath slumbered from tedium" (which tedium the incursions of evil thoughts certainly bring, gradually relaxing the intensity of the soul), but rather we open our mouth (by which I understand desire and the fervor of the heart for keeping the divine commandments) so that we may draw down ^B supernal grace, or rather the Holy Spirit. But, for the love of the Lord, let my words have nothing to do with you, Father; I am enacting these laws for myself, not for others; for it is incumbent upon me, because of my youth, to treat my body so harshly.

CHAPTER III.

19. And this speech of Symeon, brought forth beyond his age and expectation, could strike those who heard it. But Christ, who had sanctified him, and who before He suffered had said to His holy disciples and apostles: "Have confidence, I have overcome the world," and had infused into them the grace and power to work miracles; since He was about to bestow similar gifts upon Symeon, ^C and to ennoble him with palms obtained by fighting against the devil, He deigned to use similar words toward him, saying: "Have confidence, I have overcome the world." Then he is also surrounded by the brightness of divine light, and the entire magnificence and empire of the devil is immediately uncovered: he wore a diadem on his head; entire phalanxes of demons stood by him; for the adornment of pleasure, gold, precious stones, and pearls were ready at hand, as being more apt for inducing the allurements of pleasure; the sound of pipes and flutes was heard, and various musical melodies; sin was seen in the form of a girl, with its companions, luring men to baseness: here the spirit of curiosity and wickedness, there the spirits of diffidence, ^D of sloth, and of forgetfulness resided; but the spirit of avarice gaped with huge jaws opened wide, as if it could not be sated unless it had swallowed everything; those who presented such species of things were trying to entice Symeon also to themselves. But he, arming himself with his accustomed weapons, with the saving name of Jesus and the sign of the cross, instantly [all the specters]

casts everything aside, just as darkness is wont to be dispelled by the brilliance of the sun.

20. Having been shaken off, those nocturnal visions, worthy of the night, are deemed worthy of a better illumination; for it is necessary that light should succeed once the darkness has been driven away. For looking intently, he sees a divine temple in heaven, and the glory from it immediately shone round about him; and one of the patriarchs, having in his hands a precious ointment that smelled of something sweet and divine, approached him and, after sealing him, anointed him saying: "By this ointment you will put the demons to flight, and having girt your loins with divine power from on high, you will prove their assaults and snares to be hollow. Take courage, therefore, trusting in the sign of Christ who created you; for the enemy shall not prevail against you, and the son of iniquity shall not continue to afflict you."

21. In such visions as these did the divine Symeon delight from God, and of such favor from above was he deemed worthy for the ascetic struggles. These things did not escape the notice of John; for as though from his own bowels [Symeon] had sprung, so did he view Symeon, due to the magnitude and, for his age, the rarity of his virtue, and he took care to learn everything about him, to which the following events, of course, correspond. A certain man, indeed, having ^B long since been deprived of his strength and already for some time being struck with sharp pains, so that he was not at all able to stand upright, continually visiting the monastery and seeing the unusual way of life of Symeon at such an age, is persuaded in his soul that, if he were to pray on his behalf, God would restore him to health as before. And going forth to John, he begs earnestly that he would again intercede for him, and pray for him. John, therefore, feeling compassion for the man’s suffering, commands him to stand at the base of Symeon’s pillar; then he exhorts and counsels Symeon, himself becoming a suppliant for him, not to disregard the sufferer who was in such severe pain, but to pray for him and lay hands upon him. But he, being greatly troubled, called himself a sinner and, as if it were beyond his own capacity, refused the command. But since John, together with those with him, would not desist, but insisted even more fervently, finally and reluctantly persuaded, he laid his hand upon the sufferer and, abandoning himself entirely to prayer, said: "I, the sinner, seal you with the sign of Christ; but according to your faith, let it be done to the sufferer." And having obtained healing immediately, he went away, proclaiming with all his tongue the mighty works of God.

22. Thereafter, a certain man possessed by a demon is brought to him; and ^C the demon, as soon as he saw the holy man, snatched the man away wretchedly from those who were holding him, and the one whose inhabitant he was, he drove through the wilderness of the mountain. But Symeon, taking pity on the sufferer, and calling him in the name of the Lord, commands him to return; and he, at the call, was present and stood before him. ^D And the man of God, having immediately rebuked the demon and by the sign of the cross

Christ ^A cast him out from there, and drove him away, sets the man free, healthy. Thus, the grace from above was always present with him, and no one of those who approached him ever returned empty, but obtained whatever he had desired.

23. Furthermore, desiring to be built up in virtue through all things and to be always perfected in patience, Symeon says at one time to John: "How widely the dominion of Satan extends, and how great is his destructive wealth, and with how much zeal he applies all his craftiness to stir up war against those who are zealous for virtue, the Lord has shown me before." And John said: "The Lord, my child, will deliver you from his wicked craftiness." Symeon, responding, said: "Cursed and ineffectual will be the concern of his powers, with which he prepares his wicked deeds." John, therefore, seeing how he held the treacheries of the enemy in no account, as if suppressing his own pride of mind—lest, unnoticed, he should inject arrogance and pride into his soul—thereupon caused the misguided man to change his opinion: "Do not have such a thought, my child," he said, "nor consider the enemy so weak; but, rather, clad in iron shoes, he is perpetually laying snares for monks, and if he finds a convenient opportunity, he violently attacks. We must rather pray to and call upon Emmanuel; He will be with us perpetually; He, by the manifestation of His own presence, will render every power of the enemy ^B null and void."

24. These things drove the wicked one to such a frenzy against Symeon, that he would suddenly appear and raise up frequent, horribly sounding clatterings above the sheepskin that covered him; and beneath it, he would cast demons like snakes, hissing most terribly and striking such intense fear that the monks could not bear it with their ears. And even when they had pulled away the sheepskin all around, seeing nothing at all, they would retreat, fortifying themselves against such terrors with the unconquerable sign of the cross. The craftiness of the wicked enemy did not stop here; those were only the prelude. He gathered a vast number of serpents against Symeon ^C and devised multifarious nocturnal apparitions, with which he tried for a long time to terrify him and deter him from those excellent labors of the ascetic life. But that noble soul, for the sake of Christ, not only yielding nothing to these terrors, but on the contrary becoming even more emulous of virtue, and putting greater trust in the very things by which he was supposed to be terrified, lifted up his voice and sang: "I have made the Most High my refuge; therefore I will not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the thing moving in darkness, nor of the ruin and the demon of noonday."

25. The wicked one, therefore, knowing that he was laboring in vain, for a time ceased from such machinations. But later, in the month of Apellaios, which in our ^D

^A language is called December, having drawn up, as it seemed, all his phalanxes, at the second watch of the night he attacks Symeon; and he immediately seizes the hollowed-out modius, along with the skin itself, and casts it down the precipice. But the right hand of the Lord was immediately upon him, the right hand of the Lord working power; for while he stood unmoved upon the column and prayed, the demon stirred up rains, winds, hurricanes, blasts, and tempests from the sea; and fiery, flaming lightnings and heavy, harsh thunders burst forth, so that the monks were not only terrified in their souls, but their ears were so deafened that they seemed to be like the deaf. Symeon, however, remained unmoved and unturned, standing against those assaults not only in body, but especially in mind. ^B

26. Meanwhile, the divine John was tormented in his inmost being on his account, weeping abundantly, and calling the monks together one by one and in a body. Stupefied by the unexpected violence of the storm, they were all unable to give any reply; but they said to one another, "Perhaps Symeon has already met his death." Then they began to add [things] proceeding from the evil spirit, saying: "Where now is his manner of life, more sublime than a man’s? Where that insane kind of exercise? Where the display of wonders? Let him now be a helper to himself, and let him ward off the danger from his own head." While John did not cease, but rather continued in an even more intense and sorrowful voice, the answer of Symeon is heard: "Do not, my Father, for my sake be tormented or sorrowful; the machinations of the enemy, who has been shamefully defeated, fall in vain; if you but look at me and the ^C column (which is by the grace of those above), all is safe." As soon as it dawned, the monks went forward together, intending to take up him whom they supposed was already dead; but as they went, a hope better than their expectation occurred, for Symeon himself met them, rejoicing both in mind and countenance; the external signs of his face not obscurely testifying to the internal joy of his soul. The monks, moreover, having been rebuked by the divine John as they deserved, returned each to his own place.

CAPUT IV.

Symeon’s twofold exhortation, and penitence.

27. When Symeon happened once to be in conversation with the monks, he spoke to them such things beyond expectation—or rather, he spoke by the power of the holy Spirit, who had chosen in him a perpetual and pleasing habitation and rested in him sweetly; ^D namely: "That when God in the beginning created man, He placed a mind in him as a leader, an arbiter, and as it were a judge of the thoughts arising in us, both good and evil, so that no one might be able to allege ignorance of what is good and what is not. If, therefore, the desires of pleasures overcome us, and we are held captive by them in a certain way, and we do not rather fight bravely against them and resist their assaults with all our strength, our profession, which we made to Christ at our baptism and...

^A of this monastic habit before the elect angels, we have confessed. For by nature indeed, there is in us a desire planted; for who can deny that he desires? But not to be overcome by desires is the work of the prevailing reason, which restrains our inclination toward the worse as if with a bridle. Similarly, we are able to compare gluttony, self-love, anger, envy, and whatever other perturbation of the soul there may be, with each opposite virtue, and distinguish them by judgment; and thus, on the other hand, to choose what is more joined to integrity, and to reject what is alien to it. For our Lord God shows us two paths: one narrow and overgrown with the thorns of hardships, which leads those who walk upon it to life; but the other open and broad, the end of which is the abyss of perdition. Therefore, brothers, let us do violence to ourselves, so that we may seize the kingdom of God, which suffers violence, and He will preserve us all to the glory of His majesty. Amen.

28. Symeon indeed was relating these things to them; but John affirmed that those words were not Symeon’s, but those of the most holy and perfecting Spirit, Whom he had clearly seen speaking also through his mouth. Ephraim, indeed, who at that time was presiding as archbishop over the great city of Antioch, having been made more certain of the custom of those holy men of standing, and especially of Symeon, and of his austere and very laborious institution of life, and his sublime manner of life joined with perpetual struggle, set out on the way himself, to be a spectator in person. And when he saw how Symeon was crucified to Christ in that flower of his age, having made his eyes now witnesses of those things which he had previously heard, he magnified God with full mouth, and confessed ^C not less with tears than with words: and the things which had been realized in the present miracle, were never absent from his mouth when he returned to his own.

29. Furthermore, Symeon, as fire upon fire, ever increasing the fire of his love for Christ, by adding one fire unto another, and being desirous to burn more brightly, was not satisfied by any satiety of most heavy torments; he asked at times for a rope from one of those visiting him; and having received it, he immediately wraps and tightens it around his body so ^D tightly that, with the flesh having been eaten away—which in that place is very soft and tender—his bare ribs stood out. And so his body, ulcerated, was in a very bad state; and the discharge of the ulcers, mixed with congealed blood, became stuck to his cloth garment. But he who was suffering these things was in no way more moved by the bitterness of the pains than if he had suffered them in another’s body. But in the process of time, such a stench was generated from the putrefying sores that, being carried to the nostrils of many, it was oppressive to the monks, and indeed even to John himself; wherefore, as they were inquiring into the cause of the most grave odor, Symeon always invented some pretexts for his own purification, until one of the monks, having looked through a chink in the window, and having caught sight of a pool of pure blood and pus, learned the secret of his pains; and immediately [next page begins]

he went to announce it to John. ^A He, being not slightly grieved and dismayed, compelled Symeon to remove the rope little by little; for there was no hope of unbinding it at once, seeing that it had already consumed and rotted the flesh, and had made its way right to the bones.

30. In the meantime, as he hurried to Symeon, adding the goads of a contrite heart to his tears, ^B John chided him and reproached him with fatherly affection, saying: "Certainly not, my son; it is not right for you to treat your body in such a barbaric manner." Yielding then to this paternal correction, he unfastened the rope; but not long after, he took it up again and wrapped it around his body in like manner, though not with the same tightness or tension, but somewhat more loosely and tolerably. For he was always striving to chastise his body and wear it down, hearing of the wars that rise up against the soul from it; ^C these things threw the monks, especially at such an age, into [an state of] astonishment. Therefore, they asked to hear words of salvation from him, and Symeon, taking up his discourse again, or rather being moved by the indwelling Spirit, by whom he was chosen even before his mother's labor, began to speak.

31. "Fathers," he said, "and brothers, it is not proper for foolish me to speak to your grey hair about the salvation of the soul; ^D yet, since it is not possible not to obey the words of a father, I think the work of a monk is [to cultivate] self-control, so that the pleasures of the body may be at rest for him—having his mind in peace—and that he may continually celebrate the psalms and pray in his mind without ceasing. The work of a monk is love, and obedience with a humble heart, by which even Christ chose to die, becoming obedient even unto death, even the death of the cross, so that we too might mortify the desires of the flesh through it. Then, to weep in confession, and to pray to the Lord with a contrite heart like the Publican; to have a measured voice, a decorous manner of speech, and a conduct of gentleness and tranquility. The work of a monk is not to swear at all, except to say 'Believe' or 'Forgive'; to flee from the scandals of avarice; to distribute one’s possessions; not only never to speak ill of anyone, but not even to endure anyone who is speaking ill; to suffer with those in pain, to wash the feet of the brothers, and to serve their needs; and not to be overcome by the grievous passion of pride, but to consider himself the last of all."

32. "The work of a monk is to show pure brotherly love and hospitality, and service devoid of any hypocrisy, to all men—great and small, famous and obscure, rich and poor—as [if showen] to Christ Himself. For a monk who looks to worldly status, and considers the personas of such people, but pushes away and rejects a beggar or a poor and needy man who approaches him, such a one will not be granted entry to the bridal chamber, nor will he meet, nor enter with—

the immortal Bridegroom, but rather he will be wretchedly shut out by Him for lack of oil, his lamp having gone out. For it is the nature of almsgiving to procure mercy for those who are merciful to the needy and deliver them from grievous tribulations, as Christ Himself testifies and confesses, regarding the mercy shown to the poor as having been shown to Himself. For He says: "As long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me." Just as he who does not show mercy to his brother has clearly denied the Son of God, in a way imitating the Sadducees, not believing in the resurrection and not turning his eyes toward the hopes that flow from it. Do not, therefore, value the demon hidden beneath gold more than helping the needs of the brethren—the demon, I say, who did not even fear to attack Christ Himself, saying: "All these things will I give Thee, if falling down Thou wilt adore me." Do not dishonor Christ, who preferred the poverty of the poor and "not having where to lay His head" to the empty opinion of the world—Him, I say, Christ, in whose power are heaven and earth. For when Abraham exercised hospitality toward all, he was counted worthy to see God, accompanied by two angels, in the guise of a traveler; and likewise Lot, who received angels as guests. Do, however, strive sedulously to seek God equally in the rich and in the poor; which you will accomplish if you consider the rich man in the poor, and conversely the poor man in the rich; ^C if you wash their feet with thanksgiving and charity as a testimony of soul, if you cheerfully provide from your own means whatever their need requires, if, in short, you look upon them all as one, or rather consider that you see Christ in them all. The wealth of monks, Fathers and brethren, is to possess nothing; but if anyone should have abundance, let him not enrich himself with it, but rather his neighbor.

33. A monk’s work is the chastity of the body, but also of the soul. But if, brothers, a thought of impurity should enter into any one of you, in anxiety of spirit and with a wailing of heart, let him cry out to God with tears: "Lord Christ, God of compassion and mercy, Lord of all consolation, Who art and remainest forever, the only loving Father, Who dost not let those who trust in Thee be put to shame, deliver me from the hand of my enemies, pay heed to my soul, save me in Thy mercy, Thou who art my exultation. Deliver me from the snares of those who have surrounded me; for Thou knowest, Who alone knowest all things, Whom not even the hidden things of the heart can escape, that these things are not the cultivation of my own will, but have sprung up in me against my will and much to my resistance. Remember that I am dust, and do not, I beseech Thee, let these things be reckoned to my condemnation. Lord, Lord, strength of my salvation, overshadow my head in the day of battle. Do not deliver me, O Lord, from my desires to the sinner; have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for my soul trusts in Thee, and under the shadow of Thy wings I will hope. O my God, do not distance Thyself from me; O my God, pay heed to my aid; Thou art my helper and deliverer, O my God, do not delay."

^A 34. Therefore, whoever is assailed by impure thoughts, pray to God; then cast away your own weakness before His goodness, and He will immediately overshadow you in His own bowels. Withdraw yourselves, therefore, brethren, from the impure thoughts which the fullness of the belly begets; but pursue rather peace and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord, who indeed has not hidden from us the machinations of the enemy; for we are not ignorant of his schemes. But if any of you feels himself stirred by an immoderate appetite for food, let him consider who stimulates that appetite; if any feels himself inflamed by carnal concupiscence, let him investigate who kindles that fire, and let him contrive to cut off the root of the beginning of evil. Stand, therefore, as noble athletes, judging yourselves at all times, brethren, and the activity of sin will depart from you. By always meditating on these things, and examining them within yourselves, be well-disposed toward your own Master, ^B so that your progress may be manifest, to glory in the Lord according to what is written, and to say: *"If they do not have dominion over me, then I shall be blameless, and I shall be cleansed from a great sin, and the words of my mouth shall be for acceptance."* And they will be then all the more, my brethren and Fathers, for acceptance, when, having remained unsubdued, they shall also have been seasoned with the tears of the heart.

35. Let the psalmody come from a contrite heart; let the voices to God and the work of your hands be performed as if the angels were standing by you. He who has two tunics, let him share with him who has none; let your fasting be extended daily until the ninth hour. But when we fast, we must not look sullen after the manner of hypocrites, but let us set a guard for our mouth and a door of restraint for our lips. When you encounter a strange brother, quickly offer a bow, saying, "How are we?" then give place to silence. If, however, it is necessary to converse with anyone, incite the brother to receive love; then he should be entertained with the bread of life, and with god-loving narratives, and the lives of the Fathers. Let us not become vainglorious in our speech, but let our keeping of the commandments rather procure for us the true glory, while we are humbled in simplicity of heart. Let our love for the poor be from our own want and destitution; let the thanksgiving due to God never be lacking, but let the name of the Lord be sanctified in all things in your mouth, ^C or rather, let your mouth sanctify your heart. The love of voluntary poverty should take increase from the very want and destitution; the thanksgiving due to God should never be lacking to you, but in your mouth let the name of the Lord be sanctified in all things, or rather let your mouth sanctify your heart.

36. You must not conspire with a brother concerning any evil matter, but rather give heed to yourselves, brethren, and test all things first; then pursue with all your might that which is closer to virtue. Let there be no devil among you; for he is of the portion of the devil who disturbs ^D

their hearts and tongues shall perpetually speak the truth. If you should be thirsty while at table, do not say, "Give me something to drink," but indicate your need with a gesture to the one who is serving the brethren; and when your thirst is quenched, silently put down the cup. If the need to expectorate arises, remember not to spit phlegm in the sight of the brethren; but rise, and having bade the Fathers farewell, withdraw to a distance, and when you have satisfied your need, return in silence to your place, and partake of the things set before you religiously, as though they were brought thither by the ministry of angels. The use of wine must be strictly forbidden to monks. If, however, anyone must use it on account of bodily infirmity, let him use it as sparingly as possible. For you ought not to be ignorant that through drunkenness you become a dwelling-place fit for demons; for surely it kindles the flames of lust in the body, it is the cause of heavy sleep, and it renders the senses duller, and, as it were, drives the mind—the most excellent guide of man—out of its place, so that, to say nothing more, it disturbs the whole character.

^B 57. Let God be your physician when you are ill. If any brother has fallen into a sickness that emits a foul odor, let no monk refuse the ministry of care, let him not fear to lend a hand, and let him cleanse and tend the wounds; nay, let him make the invalid’s bed, and if he hears that he needs anything, let him promptly provide it, and in such a way that he casts no reproach and considers it nothing great that he has done, but serves as a servant kindly serves his master, until the common Lord of all, visiting us from on high, refreshes the sufferer and restores him to himself. These are the things, brothers, that I wish you to observe: strive to perform these things if you desire at some time to hear that ^C desirable voice: "Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me drink, naked and you clothed me, sick and in prison, and you came to visit me." He who has ears to hear, let him hear, says the Lord, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

CAPUT V

38. Hearing these things, the monks were filled with astonishment and admiration, especially John, who, as far as regarded spiritual wisdom and the efficacy of speech, called Symeon a new David, and he added that on that night a divine power had appeared to him in a dream, one which poured from its right hand honey pressed from a honeycomb and ^D instructed Symeon with manifold knowledge. Another elder from the circle of brethren standing by asked whether there were any doves in that place. When all denied it, he related how he had seen a white dove flying through the window to Symeon, and again flying back from thence and departing on high. While they were conferring these things among themselves, Symeon felt himself in a certain way caught up into heaven, and wandering through all the regions of the world; then, being led through seven ladders,

^A and inquiring what those things which were being presented to his eyes might someday signify, a voice was heard saying: "These are the seven heavens through which you were brought up." After this, he beheld paradise itself, and within it a most shining palace and a fountain gushing forth precious ointment; over the fountain stood an arch, a work truly worthy of a divine architect, yet he saw no man there except Adam alone and the good Thief. Having returned to himself, he reported the vision to John, who with lips of exultation praised and blessed God at the same time, for that He had bestowed such great grace upon His servant. And so it was with such ascents that Symeon was exalted toward God.

39. Whenever any person in need of clothing approached him, he would strip himself of his own garment, hiding every sense of pity as much as he could, and offer it to the one in need; and he would sit naked for the most part, even in winter, shielded by the cloak of divine grace from above. But this manner of self-chastisement, which was beyond nature, caused a heavy feeling of distress in John, who was no less anxious about Symeon than a father or mother is wont to be. At one time, Symeon, calling to mind the struggles of the holy forty martyrs for the sake of piety, and how in the winter season they persevered exposed in the lake amidst the frost, started beating his breast and shedding showers of tears from his eyes. "Woe is me," he would say, "woe is me! How great were the struggles of the martyrs, how great the torments they endured for Christ, so that they escaped the punishments to come ^B and attained to the promised blessings! But what shall I do? How, wretch that I am, shall I escape the gnashing of teeth—teeth which will here gnaw and consume the body, and there, no less, will tear me apart forever?" ^C Such things he would repeatedly utter with his mouth, such things he would meditate upon in his mind, and in such a miserable way did he lament entirely; then, having placed his knees and hands upon the ground, he would remain prone, so bitterly did he deplore himself throughout all that night, pouring out his life as it were with his tears, that the divine man John, moved to his deepest vitals, was heard to say: "What then, Symeon? Only the sword is lacking, so that you might lay violent hands upon yourself."

40. Afterward, however, Symeon exerted himself in another exercise greater than the previous ones; for he determined to sit upon his own feet, which he indeed did for an entire year, remaining unmoved, just as if he were firmly established upon the rock of the love of Christ. Through the length of time spent in this sitting position, and due to the tenderness of the flesh, his thighs grew together with his shins, so that they appeared as a single limb; from this, a putrefaction was generated, full of a foul odor, which filled not only John but the other brethren as well. When the cause of the stench had been investigated and discovered, John sent for a physician, desiring him to apply a remedy to the afflicted body by his art. But what did Symeon say to this? Breaking into laughter, he said: "The Lord my God lives; far be it that human art or hand should handle my wounds. I have cast my care upon the Lord, and He Himself will heal me." These things he said; and God did not let faith in his prediction fall short, ^D and Symeon was healed of the wound, his thighs were restored, and he made use of his shins; and of such thanksgiving to God

he rendered as a due, for the whole of that time which he had prescribed for his customary contemplations, himself standing while performing his duty with his feet and knees. ^A

41. And now ^B Pentecost was drawing near, when Symeon said: "Who is worthy to receive the Holy Spirit as He was seen by the disciples and apostles of Christ, descending in the likeness of fiery tongues?" When John replied to him that it was not safe to ask for such things, he took up the discourse, saying: "The Lord will do the will of those who fear Him, and He will hear their prayer, and save them (Ps. CXLIV, 19)." Having said this, and having lifted his eyes and heart at once to heaven, he prayed thus: "Lord Almighty, who by Thy Holy Spirit didst once strengthen the power of the heavens and renew the face of the earth (Ps. CIII, 30), and in later times didst bestow Him upon Thy holy apostles and disciples in the likeness of fire, whereby it came to pass that they spoke not only their mother tongue but also in foreign languages; send Him down now also upon me, a sinner. I am Thy servant, instruct me, and I shall learn Thy commandments (Ps. CXVIII, 73), for Thou art mighty to fashion praise for Thyself even from the mouth of an infant (Ps. VIII, 2)." Having so prayed, behold—and who, O Creator of all things, God, could recount Thy kindness?—behold, like a torch flying down from heaven, He filled Symeon with such grace that he did not merely astonish all with the eloquence of his speech and the Spirit with which he spoke, but he would also discourse with dread on the solitary life, on repentance, and on the judgment to come. He also interpreted many obscure passages of the Holy Scriptures, and set them forth clearly to all with lucid explanation. ^C And this matter filled John with even greater astonishment, compelling him to say such things of Symeon: "How wonderful are the works that this one will do! And how little do they fall short of the prodigies of the apostles themselves, for he has been anticipated by nearly equal grace!" But he instilled an even greater fear of God into the souls of the monks, who are moved more by the efficacy of signs than by the power of words.

42. Furthermore, even visions in their sleep appeared paradoxically to the monks, and some of them seemed to see three steps, and three thrones upon them. And when they asked whose these were, and for whom they were being prepared for reception and glory, they heard a voice saying that they were destined for the boy Symeon. Symeon, therefore, radiating both the appearance ^D and virtue of the sun, and being filled with divine charity, just as he had arranged even more sublime ascents in his heart, so, leaving behind the conversation of earthly things, he ordered a pillar to be erected, forty feet high at the least. When this fact became known to the man who was then Archbishop of Antioch, both he and the Bishop of Seleucia came, and, having lit many torches, they led Symeon with much light and hymns—a devotion that can hardly be described—to the altar, ordained him deacon, and escorted him to this pillar; afterwards

^A he had spent six years under the discipline of the divine John on that base. It was a delight ^B for each of those present to behold the devotion of the others, especially those serving at the altar; some lifting the saint up from the ground, others desiring to touch his garments, and many pressing as close as they could, all as if holding the conviction that those who had shown the most zeal would receive a greater blessing.

43. Beatus ^B Indeed, the holy Symeon remained on the pillar, persisting there for an eighth year, as the narrative will show as it proceeds. John, although he had made a covenant with Symeon to remain joined to him always by the bond of spiritual union, and never to be separated from him at any time, nevertheless, because he was not permitted to gaze with his eyes upon that sweet countenance of his, blooming with divine graces, he was anguished in his heart and suffered so greatly that he would often break into visible tears. Meanwhile, the striving of the virtues of Symeon on the pillar grew greater than before: his meekness increased, the compunction of his heart grew, his tears imitated the downpour of rains, and his tongue in singing hymns to God yielded nothing to the blessed spirits of heaven.

44. “For let not all flesh boast,” it is said, when he arrived at that age which is naturally accustomed to sprout the seeds of nature, Satan armed himself mightily so as to attack him at night with dreams. But for him, even if the body at that hour had succumbed to sleep, the soul notwithstanding kept watch and was alert, so attentive to itself that not only did it suffer no inclination or softness, but, immediately casting off sleep, he would strike his troubled and tearful face, and would lament thus to himself: “Woe to me in my misery! How close I was to such a crime! How near an injury was inflicted upon me, which no doctor, no art, no medicine, nor any other thing could have healed! But to thee, the only Master and Savior of souls, to thee alone, the searcher of reins and hearts, I fall as a suppliant, revealing my own infirmity, since thou art accustomed to have mercy on all, O thou who canst do all things clearly.” Having said these things, ^C behold, he sees someone descending to him from the sky, venerable in form, hoary-headed, in appearance and attire a priest, holding a cup of salvation in his hands; and the place was filled with a fragrance of sweet odor. And he who appeared, having seemed to communicate the undefiled mysteries to Symeon, said: “Acquit yourself manfully, and let your heart be strengthened; you shall not succumb hereafter to the illusions of dreams, if you entrust the custody of your heart to God by hoping in him firmly.” This event added so much to the previous mourning and contrition of spirit of Symeon that for some days, until the ninth hour, he would not open the window in any way, but keeping it well locked, he remained hidden inside, abstaining from all human interaction, and occupying himself with God alone.

45. In this ^D interval, John was also performing his customary exercises on his own base, being healthy in body and feeling no signs of infirmity: yet, foreknowing that his departure was now at hand, Symeon—

addressed him with these words: "Do not be distressed, Father, if you should hear that the day of death, which awaits the entire human race without distinction, is now imminent for you as well; for I have understood that you have been summoned by God—a summons which, for you and for those who emulate your virtues, is rather rest and life, but for sinners it is anguish, mourning, and the most certain death (which would that it were not!). But for now, impart to me your paternal and spiritual blessing; and remember me as you cross over to the joys you have longed for, and as you are deemed worthy of that blessed vision which transcends all desire, so that we too, having overcome the world, may eventually cross over to you and, having attained our wishes, enjoy one another's sight again with good hopes." ^B John was not at all troubled at this news, as he had long since prepared his mind for it; he only replied thus: "May God the Father, whom you have sought, bless you, my son; and may His only-begotten Son, whom you have desired, and the life-giving Spirit, with whose holy grace you have been enriched—may that single and immense Deity guide you through all things, keep you secure, and console you. Those who bless you will be blessed by Him, and those who curse you will be cursed. May God add honor to you because of the honor you have shown me, since you have honored me as a second parent. But what of your mother? May she obtain grace and mercy from God, for she has provided me with such great assistance." When the brothers who were present heard these things and realized that these were the final words of someone saying farewell, they stood there astonished and breathless; only with difficulty did they finally ask what command he had for them regarding Symeon. He said: "I desire that an ardent zeal to emulate the virtues of Symeon may inflame the souls of all, and that they may be found worthy to be aided by his prayers; for he is a great and honorable vessel of election to God." After he had instructed them with these words and at the same time commended them to God in prayer, he rested a little and, as if overtaken by a gentle sleep, he departed. ^C

CHAPTER VI.

46. This departure of John was the beginning of more severe struggles for Symeon; for he, desiring to give himself over to greater grief and compunction, climbed into another modius, one lacking any small window, placed upon the pillar, thus depriving himself, as it were, of the enjoyment and sight of light itself. ^D Here, for almost the entire day—that is, until the ninth hour—he was occupied in continuous prayer; at the ninth hour, another prayer, the office of incense, succeeded it; then, as the sun was already setting, he would begin another, from which he would finally desist when the sun brought back the day. And only then would he sing to himself: "I will sleep and rest in peace, for you, O Lord, have made me dwell in hope alone" (Ps. IV, 9, 10); and he would summon sleep as a servant, and indulged in it most sparingly, solely for the necessary use of the body. His prayer consisted of the entire Psalter and the Odes of Moses, with blows to the chest with his right hand (for his left was stretched out toward God) and streams of tears...

^A wetting his ragged and worn-out cloak: for this, he occupied himself with the reading and meditation of the divine oracles. Moreover, taking incense in his right hand, he often offered it to God, and the smoke (O who shall declare the mighty acts of the Lord!) rose up without coals. At other times, even when the crowd was chanting with him, he perceived it and would join in, answering with the "Alleluia." Often he would not taste sleep at all, so that he continued for thirty full days and as many nights, praying to be released from the intoxication of sleep; but it was said to him mystically and ineffably by Grace: "It is necessary for you to yield a little to rest."

^B 47. The Evil One again armed himself fiercely against him, using for his deception the same ancient instrument; yet with this difference, that whereas he had tried to persuade with pleasant enticements in Paradise, here he attempted to cast him down with grave terror. He therefore sent a serpent toward him, horribly gaping and hissing, and threatening to bite; but the saint, with bold hand and mind, having seized it, struck it and crushed it, until, slipping from those holy hands and falling to the ground, it vanished, leaving its skin behind at the feet of the saint, as an irrefutable testimony of the miracle, covered in scales as it was. The impostor felt this most grievously; then, gathering all his strength into one, he endeavored to bring the column down to the ground by gripping it around its circumference: but divine Grace, flashing like lightning from above, compelled those who were driving it to take flight as if by a whip, howling and wailing horribly. Nor did the envy of the enemy stop here: he adapted to himself the wings of a bird, and, assuming the countenance of a child, offered himself to the sight of Symeon; but he, having formed ^C the sign of the cross, instantly dissipated the enemy like wind-blown smoke. Then, he employed aerial clappings and noises and sounds over his head, as if advancing upon him; and not only this, but he also suddenly threw a large stone at the column from the south side: it would have been overturned by that blow, had not divine Grace, appearing in the likeness of a dove, stayed its fall. Afterwards, when the Evil One also tried to bind his hands with the same spirit, he, having recourse to the remedy which had long ago proved most effective against that poison—namely, the soul-saving sign of the cross—broke all the powers of the tempter.

^D 48. Finally, as if some shameless boy, he approached him, all black and ugly to behold, and eagerly reaching out to lay his hands upon him and enter into a scuffle, he said, "One more time, I will wrestle with you; and if I do not prevail over you, I will depart for the present." Saying this, he rushed upon him with a great sound and noise, filling all things with tumult, so that he might strike terror by the very insolence of the attack. But he, not at all turning away, seized his accustomed weapons—namely, the hope placed in Christ—and, bravely and manfully undertaking the struggle, he grasped the hands of the enemy, and having brought them behind his back and bound them, he made him vanish, proving his threats to be empty. Then, looking sweetly toward heaven,

he offered hymns of thanksgiving, or if you prefer, hymns of victory to God, having made lights and holding a wax candle in each hand, with which he measured out the victory anthem; for his tongue did not cease from song before the light was extinguished by the melting of the wax.

49. But in the meantime he sees (and how, indeed, could any speech describe things beyond speech? For a shivering comes over me even at the memory of it), he sees, I say—and behold, the heaven was opened from the east, and our Lord Jesus Christ, the God, was upon it; and the vision was as a circle of electrum shining with much light and flame spinning around Him, with Michael and Gabriel, the foremost of the holy angels, standing quietly, one at the right and the other at the left; and a multitude of clouds ^B serving as a footstool for Him, like the dust of His feet. Simeon therefore immediately lifted up his hands and the eyes of his heart, and besought Him who appeared, that He might deign to bring forth good fruits in him according to His good pleasure. What then? God, who knows how to glorify those who glorify Him, and who is supremely exalted, signified by His fingers and sealed him three times; and behold, the demons, like herds of goats and swine upon the face of the earth (against whom power had been given to Simeon, and a rod in his hand to confirm that power), were all rendered unwarlike, and fled headlong, passing away like smoke or dust from before his face.

50. Miracles indeed followed this vision; for as many as were vexed by evil spirits or any other affliction came to Simeon, and each returned freed from what had been tormenting him. For there were seen by the Saint himself, and by many others who had been granted the grace to behold such things, three angels of God, one standing at the right, another at the left, and a third behind Symeon, holding ink in their hands; and those who were about to receive healing, at the Saint's command, were written down as if on a linen cloth whiter than snow; and not just individuals, but very many at the same time who had come for the sake of health reported that they had obtained it. For once, many who were possessed by demons came to Simeon, spitting foam from their mouths; and he impressed upon each the saving sign of the cross; and having commanded the spirits in the name of the Son of God, who was crucified for us, to depart, he caused them to depart immediately, while the men departing, left behind, were crying out loudly and were in a healthy state, magnifying the praises of God with sober mouth. Now the angels who surrounded him, ministering to the miracles and the healings, remained thus with him for a time; then, when commanded by the Saint to write as they were accustomed, they refused to do so hereafter, saying: "You have been increased by the manifest power and virtue of God: everything from now on will happen through your intercession according to the faith of those approaching you; miracles will be performed through the laying on of your hands, through the touch of your sheepskin, through the hem of your sackcloth, through your palm-wood staff, and indeed also through the mere dust from you

^A and the mere calling upon your name: for where your memory is, there also is the divine grace, healing every infirmity at every time. Many shall see you, both in houses and on the roads, and in all their works; and all those who shall beseech God through you as intercessor, in deserts, in mountains, on the sea, on land, in prison, in captivity, shall receive salvation from you. To all those who are afflicted you shall be a refuge, and to all who rejoice you shall be safety. And everyone who has believed you to be the elect servant of God shall step upon the asp and the basilisk, and shall trample over snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Having spoken these things, they departed; but from that time on, wonders streamed to Symeon even more abundantly, so that for the blind, the light of their eyes was granted by his prayer alone. Now let us follow these things one by one. ^B

Chapter VII. Miracles concerning those possessed by spirits, the dead, and sorcery; others performed by his disciples; a wondrous vision.

51. A certain woman approached him ^C who had a son who was mute and possessed by a demon. And seeing the window fastened, she placed him at the base of the pillar. Immediately, like lightning, something shone down from above from the sheepskin of Symeon, and to it was joined a sound, and a voice was heard from behind saying: “Go out, you unclean spirit, chased away by Christ through the grace that is in Symeon.” And the boy was immediately healed of the double evil, not only being delivered from the vexation of the demon, but also with a clear voice magnifying God and His servant. Then there approached him a man from Cappadocia who was being sorely tormented by a fierce demon, crying out: “Have pity on me, servant of God, for I am being put to death by a demon.” And he persevered in doing this for three continuous days. When at last the holy man looked forth and rebuked the unclean spirit, and then gave a piece of his own sackcloth as an amulet to the man, he sent him off home healthy. And as for the man, upon whomever he happened to meet who was suffering from a similar evil (for he had learned compassion from what he himself had suffered), he would readily impart the particle given to him; and they also, becoming partakers of health, would betake themselves to the common benefactor, God, to give thanks. ^D

52. A demon so troubled a certain young man that he would throw himself to the ground and tear himself in an unseemly way, and he was even wretchedly gnawing his own tongue. Him, therefore, as he came to the divine Symeon and fervently besought him, he liberated by rebuking the evil spirit, and showed him back in perfect health. A certain man of Antioch was gripped by a malady involving his stomach, so severely twisting his insides such that he was often cast to the ground as if floored by a demon. This man therefore approached the saint, testifying to his heart’s anguish with tears, and striving in prayer to be relieved of them; and, moved by these, Symeon, praying

^A extends a portion of his own garment, and this immediately becomes a healing for the sufferer.

53. It happened that a man’s son had died, and being fully persuaded that the saint was unable to fail in anything he might ask of God (since it is the way of nature that whatever a man desires fervently, he also easily believes will come to pass), he hastened at once to the divine Symeon, weeping bitterly, howling, beating his breast, and in many other ways and actions expressing the fever of his heart; and he cried out, saying: "Have mercy on me, servant of God, have mercy on my son who was recently taken by death; whom I have not yet buried according to the common law of the deceased, nor have I cast earth upon him as he lies there, believing that whatever you might wish, you fulfill before God; and furthermore, trusting in your kindness, that you will not spurn me, who am so fiercely burning in my inward parts with a father’s natural love." ^B Taking pity on him, and having placed his knees upon the earth, he himself begged once more for mercy from above, and having secretly learned through the grace of God that the soul would indeed return to the boy, he arose and, turning to the boy’s father, said: "Go in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, your son lives." And the man, believing immediately at his word and returning home with the utmost speed (what hearing, O immortal and only King of the ages, could suffice to grasp such a miracle!), finds his son alive; and having taken him—or rather, having received him beyond all hope—he retraced his steps and presented him to Symeon. Into what exultant cries did he not resolve his voice! What hymns of thanksgiving did he not offer to God and to Symeon as a testimony of his grateful spirit!

54. But as it was to be expected that Symeon would advance in grace as he advanced in age, and would draw closer to God who was drawing close to him, he saw again after this (but what power of speech could explain that which the mind cannot comprehend? For even the mere mention of the event makes the mind grow dark and afraid to proceed further)—he saw, I say, our Lord and God. ^C Hosts of holy angels were present, and a horse, white in color, stood before Symeon; the foremost of the angels carried a diadem, which was made of precious stone, and a cross was fixed upon it; and a star, shining like a lightning bolt, hovered above it, and they seemed to be about to crown Symeon with it and make him a king. But he spoke to them thus: "Will you not take from me this hair-shirt, which I have put on for the glory of Christ?" But they said: "Be crowned through this for God and for His only-begotten Son, and put on the Holy Spirit as a purple robe, and you shall reign with the saints in a kingdom that shall never end." After Symeon heard these things, insatiably desiring to mortify his body, and eager to be torn away from the world and the things of the world, and to be drawn closer toward God and divine things, he looked up at the Lord toward whom he had cast his eyes and said: "Lord and Creator of all, seeing that You have deigned to count me, unworthy as I am, worthy of equal glory and kingdom with Your saints, I beseech Your kindness that I may no longer partake of the foods of this life, nor use human bread." Having prayed thus to God, he heard the Lord’s

^A voice graciously assenting to his petition, and immediately the angels, flying to him, clothed him over his ascetic rags with a robe of glory, majesty, and beauty; they placed a diadem upon his head, and set him upon the horse that had appeared. Then a hymn consonant with all the angels was sung to Christ and His servant Symeon; and the evil one himself, along with the companions of his malice, appeared to the saint as if routed.

55. After this divine manifestation, actions followed akin to those that had preceded. For a certain man, pursuing an old man with grave hatred and no less intense envy, had attempted to attack him with poisons; but they had wrought so much that while the old man (for he was a father) and his children were struck to the ground ^B, his cattle, driven over precipices, were carried away. At that time, as often happens in the desert, there being a scarcity of grain and the bread failing for the monks and the poor, an angel stood by the old man in a dream and said: "Arise, take grain, and go to the man of God, Symeon; and you shall carry the grain to feed the poor and the monks; but as for you, once you have received a shred of his hair-shirt, you shall rejoice in having your family freed from the bonds ^C with which it is held." He went at once with eager step, and an even more eager spirit, and brought the grain. Thereafter, having taken a clod of earth and water, he placed them under the pillar; then he poured out his own prayer before the saint, explained his calamity, and prayed most fervently that he would intercede for him, that he would bless the provisions that had been brought, and would bestow upon him a portion of those rags. Having obtained what he asked for, and having returned home as he was, he sprinkled it, beginning with himself down to the smallest thing, and this sufficed against the sorceries; health was restored to the old man, the children, the beasts, and indeed the entire ^D household.

56. Then many came to him at the same time suffering from various afflictions, some from diverse diseases, others possessed by demons. And he, having prayed fervently for each of them, and having also laid on his hands—which he always kept lifted according to the divine commandments—he delivered them all from what was tormenting them. As the fame of him and his daily miracles spread everywhere, and an immense crowd flowed toward him—and he himself, being one, could not suffice for such numbers—he blessed rods and provided them to his disciples, which they in turn applied to those who were suffering, and especially to those possessed by evil spirits, saying, "Thus says the servant of God, Symeon (that we also may be sanctified by the commemoration of those words uttered by his angelic tongue): Come out, impure spirits, from the creatures of God." And without delay, they were seen being driven out through every sense. However, the miraculous power imbued in each rod was limited to the healing of three men; then, being touched again by him, it was blessed, and in like manner it continued to produce miracles as before.

^A and wisely had the saint ordained this, so that the disciples might not be puffed up by thoughts of vainglory.

CAPUT VIII. Wild beasts and enemies are driven off; calamities are revealed and come to pass; Saint Symeon is left by his disciples.

57. But, in truth, who could recount every single miraculous deed of Symeon? What tongue would suffice to tell of them, what hand to record them, what speech to explain them? A certain man, George by name, having proceeded not very far into the wilderness, fell in with wild beasts; being at a loss what to do, he invoked the name of the saint for help, and upon this happening, the jaws of the beasts were instantly bound. And not only this, but all of them, just as they were, ran at full speed to the saint and placed their mouths against the base of the column, just as if they knew who had cast this bond upon them, and remaining there in the manner of those praying, they were released. And this is even more worthy of admiration, that even before the arrival of the beasts, Symeon had foretold to those standing by what was to happen to them.

58. The region of Antioch was abounding with wild beasts of diverse species and pernicious in their craftiness, so that not only were men and women not safe from being torn apart by them, but even infants were snatched from their homes where they were hiding and became their prey; all the roads were blocked, and agriculture ceased, unless it chanced that they gathered in such numbers as to form a force capable of offering resistance. Therefore, some from that region were sent to the saint, begging to be delivered from such savage neighbors. He, however, as he was gentle, gave this answer to those pleading: These are signs of the just wrath with which God is angry at us. For his apostle Paul says ^B: "For because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience"; such, namely, as are fornications, impurity, passions, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Wherefore, let us keep ourselves with all diligence, lest we henceforth cause sorrow to the Holy Spirit, in whom we were sealed for the day of redemption, in whom we also received the pledge for the hope of eternal life; for the Father of mercies desires that we, libidinous children straying far from him, should do penance, so that through the pure sacrifice of his only-begotten Son, our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, we might be turned back to him. Through whom we have already obtained remission, and have had access to the Father, he now also, having become propitious to us, will punish the wild beasts of the forest, and never again shall you have reason to fear them, but you will enjoy perpetual safety. Having heard these things, they gave thanks with full voice to God and to Symeon; and the wild beasts, from that time forth, departing from that region, ^D changed their soil.

59. A certain youth above Daphne, having gazed intently at the rising sun, had lost the faculty of sight; his parents, having despaired of all other remedies, in the name of Christ and his servant Symeon, lit a lamp...

and also offered incense; and straightway for the youth (how great is the multitude of thy kindness, O Lord, which thou hast lavished upon those who hope in thee!) the light of his eyes returned again. Another man, whose belly had swelled from a certain disease, having found no relief through medical arts, called upon the divine Symeon for the healing of his ailment. And sleep showed him the man of salvation, placing the Gospel upon the painful member. And with the sleep the disease vanished, and the man who had been ill, having awakened healthy, went to the Saint and reported what had occurred. ^B

60. Thus Symeon poured forth his miraculous benefits as from a full channel, and it happened at times that crowds would flock to him in great numbers, carrying lighted candles fixed to the tops of reeds, offering them as gifts to God through him; for everyone knew that this was an acceptable sacrifice which might be offered through him. But he viewed these things with utter disfavor; yet he addressed the crowds thus: "Even if I were willing, brothers, to accept what is brought by you, I would not wish to, lest I violate an ancient and contemporary custom; but they have already become acceptable to God, who is in need of nothing, and who asks of us nothing but a good intention toward what is good." This disturbed the crowds, and touched each person’s heart deeply, as if the sacrifice had not been acceptable to Him. Seeing this, the disciples made a plan among themselves to take the offerings secretly. But Symeon, whom their thoughts did not escape, called them with a sterner voice and said: "Are you ignorant of what Israel once suffered on account of the man who gave himself over to the grave passion of avarice and snatched [the] golden tongue from the anathema? Or what of Giezi, the servant of Elisha; was he not condemned with the leprosy with which Naaman had been infected? Why need I mention Judas, who fell from the number and grace of the apostles, became the betrayer of his Master, and having been strangled, burst asunder?" Terrified by these words, the disciples cast themselves to the ground, begging for forgiveness; and when they obtained it, they rose up, accusing themselves greatly for their previous thoughts. ^C

61. It was revealed at one time to Symeon what evils were about to be brought upon Antioch. These were of this kind: an angel holding a sword in his hand was being carried above the city in the air. The saint therefore cried out to the Lord for it with all his heart, and he stood like another Moses before Him, that He might turn away His wrath and not kindle all His anger. And the Lord said to him: "Behold, the cry of the sins of that city has come up to me; this city has fallen into my wrath and fury; I will destroy it in its sins, and I will send fire and sword and death; it has provoked me with its idols, setting a table for demons and for fortune; I also will provoke it with a foolish nation." ^D

^A Symeon could not suppress this vision because of the atrocity of the threats; but when certain men of upright life from Antioch came to him, he narrated the whole matter with great distress of soul: and the outcome followed closely upon the day. For not much time passed before God stirred up Chosroes, King of the Persians, and the Chaldeans subject to him—a people keen and swift in war (for their horses are said to be swifter than panthers and fiercer than the wolves of Arabia)—flying like an eagle eagerly toward its prey from the East, who surrounded the city with a heavy army. Symeon therefore raised his voice to the Lord again on its behalf, wondering if, perchance, He might repent of the things with which He had previously threatened it, and might become propitious to the sins of the city, and not destroy it or deliver the city to the swords of the Assyrians. But the Lord gave no manifest sign, since the wrath of His indignation abounded, and mercy had hidden itself from His face. Symeon therefore resolved to intercede with Him again with prayers; when behold: "I have not repented," He said, "but I will most certainly deliver the city, so that some will fall by the edge of the sword, while others will be carried off into captivity: but for you, I will make my cross a badge of peace, which will preserve you; as you shall see not long after."

62. Symeon therefore sees in an ecstasy again ^B the grace of the most holy Spirit, bearing a cross in her hand and flying toward him; he also sees two angels surrounding the same, in whose hands were stretched bows and arrows ready to be shot. And when he asked what this might mean: "The cross," they said, "will render you safe and secure against whatever enemies there may be; but the arrows will blunt the attack of those who attempt to invade you in a hostile manner, by the inexpugnable power of God, who has entrusted your protection to us everywhere."

After this admirable vision was shown to the saint, another follows immediately of this kind. He seemed to see the city being besieged by ladders applied to the walls, and the barbarians already having entered, and lamentations and "woe!" resounding within; and all things were so full of such anxiety that not a few cast themselves headlong from the walls outside, intending to entrust their safety to flight. He then sees two gates of the city, one looking to the north and one to the south, ^C opened, and many making their way out through them: as if God were sparing the blood of the just dwelling therein, and could not bear for the good to be destroyed along with the impious. The vision also showed the saint two monks from his own number, fugitives out of fear of the barbarians, and cowardly breaking away from the fellowship of the brethren, who, falling into the hands of the barbarians, one ended his life by the sword, while the other was led away into captivity.

63. Such, then, were these divine revelations. And the effects followed not long after ^D that. The walls...

^A of the city were consumed by fire, and its entire circuit was destroyed; the young men fell in its streets, and the roads were filled with corpses. And so the city was captured by the Assyrians from the heights, in such a way that those who were within it either threw themselves over the walls, or escaped by fleeing through the northern and southern gates. It happened that two of his monks, seized by fear, departed from there; and one of them fell alive into the hands of the barbarians, while the other died, having had his head severed by a sword. Yet as for others of his monks, so far were they from suffering any harm from the barbarians, that even those who had suffered very grievous things at their hands, upon coming to him, recovered their safety. For certain soldiers who had escaped the hands of the barbarians came to him; one of them had not only his thigh completely dislocated, but his entire leg broken, and was being racked with most severe ^B pains. Symeon, the divine, being moved with compassion upon seeing such a pitiful spectacle, handed his palm-staff to one of his disciples and commanded him to mark the thigh of the sufferer with it; and upon this being done, the soldier obtained not only relief from his pains, but also the immediate restoration of his thigh and leg to health.

64. When the Assyrians were overrunning the areas around Antioch, and were ranging about the mountain, and were already set upon launching an assault against the column and the monastery, he ^C commanded those present to pray, and having first planted his own knees and face upon the ground, he prayed that they might be driven from that place. And immediately, as they were, they were cast down to the earth from their chariots and horses, and repented of their further journey, and gladly returned the way they had come. At another time, again, some of the same Assyrians came up to the mountain; but the Saint made use of his habitual medicine, namely, prayer to God, saying: "Lord God of all flesh, who didst cover Mount Sinai with a cloud in the time of Thy servant Moses, do Thou now also cover us with Thy grace, so that we may remain unseen by the eyes of these impious men." And immediately (O abyss of goodness! O divine ears, ever attentive to the prayers of those who fear Him!) a misty cloud, shed down from heaven above, ^D allowed not only Symeon, but also no one at all of those around him, to be seen by the barbarians. And they departed in this manner, not allowed to look at the column or at what took place beneath the column, nor to hear anything at all; but a rich grace was poured out upon Symeon, so that his face shone brilliantly at that hour, and he exhaled a most sweet fragrance of diverse ointments, so that one of the disciples, perceiving at dawn how great was the radiance from his face and how great the fragrance from his body, related it with wonder to his fellow disciples.

65. But since the demon, having often tried and being persuaded that he could accomplish nothing whatsoever against him…

^A by open warfare, did not dare to engage, he craftily laid snares through the disciples, shaking their souls with a heavy terror; and having invented a pretext that they were exposed to the continual incursions of the Assyrians, he persuaded them to decide to transfer their dwellings to a safer place. They go, therefore, early in the morning to Symeon, asking him to depart from the place with them until the Assyrians should have returned to their own country: "For we cannot," they say, "remain any longer on this mountain, on account of the frequent incursions of the enemy." But he was so far from admitting such a thing, that he rather moved every stone by which he might retain them. And when he had said and done many things, and saw that they would never be persuaded, "Go," he said, "brothers, in peace; for even if you, my friends and those closest to me, have preferred to stand at a distance, yet I am always in spirit with you." When the saint had said these things, the disciples left him on the column and departed. As the barbarians were immediately invading the monastery, Symeon, stretching out his hands to heaven, said: "Master, Lord Almighty, who in the arm of thy power didst scatter thy enemies, let thy hand be strengthened now also, let thy right hand be exalted." The prayer ^B had not yet ended for him, and the barbarians, now spineless, were attempting to flee thence, as if being driven by some heavy hand.

66. Furthermore, though the servant of God was thus left destitute of his own disciples, yet divine grace, being very present, never departed from his side; not only filling his mind with joy, but also spreading a certain ineffable fragrance, as we have said, which clung even to the rags with which he was clothed to the very end. He rejoiced, therefore, in the solitude, and for three successive days giving himself wholly to prayer and to God (for Thou art so powerful, O Lord, and Thy truth is in Thy circuit), ^C he beheld on either side two holy angels, one on the right and one on the left, saying to him: "Take courage, for it is not true, he says, that you are alone, but we are with you." Meanwhile, as the barbarians were contemplating a return to their own country, the disciples were also saved; and seeing with what joy and grace Symeon abounded, they too, with joyful voices, gave thanks to God.

Chapter IX. Liberation of captives; passage to the wonderful mountain; other miracles.

67. But what language could set before the eyes—in a few words—the things that were then done by the divine Symeon, and how he, appearing to many of those taken captive, released them from captivity and led them safely through the midst of the barbarians? It is necessary to record one or two of these. That brother who had recently been taken by the barbarians, of whom ^D we made mention a little before, was, as a soul pressed by intolerable hardships is wont to recall with a certain pleasure those things that are born to bring better hope, joyfully remembering the wondrous works of the saint, and was explaining them to a certain soldier...

^A of the Scholarii, who himself had also been taken captive and was held in iron fetters. And he was weeping for some of them, then, his soul becoming fervent at the stories concerning him, he called upon the name of the Saint from the bottom of his heart, that he might be released from that grievous captivity, [and] he rushed through the midst of the Barbarians, and, being held back by no one of them, he escaped safely. The soldier, seeing this and believing that the Saint could do the same for him, immediately cried out with hot tears: "Lord Jesus Christ, the God of thy servant Symeon, deliver me from this bitter and barbarian hand and slavery." As he uttered these things with an afflicted soul (O Lord God of hosts, who is like unto thee?), those iron fetters immediately fell to the earth, and he himself, passing through the midst of the Barbarians at a quick pace, ^B was carried off to his own country; and having returned free from evils and troubles, he explained every detail clearly.

68. There was a certain old man, deprived of sight, who sat begging near the road; he happened to be a little below the monastery, when the Barbarians suddenly came there; one of them (as that tribe is wonted to be ready for slaughter, and counts the destruction of others as a pleasant game), having brought his sword down upon his throat, dealt the old man a mortal wound. And he lay speechless, only by the fact that he was breathing slightly was it not believed that he was dead. The servant of God, therefore, perceiving this by the spirit dwelling within him, commanded some to take up the old man and carry him to him. When the blind man had been brought, therefore, to the pillar, he took earth and water, blessed it, and then one of the disciples applied this to the wound. ^C Lo, a miracle, requiring not so much ears as eyes to produce faith; for not only did the bones and nerves—which is quite wonderful in itself—immediately join together, but even the sight of the eyes, which is far more miraculous, was restored to the blind man; and thus he brought back a double cure as the fruit of one prayer: one of the wound that was mortal but a short time before, and the other of the recovered use of his eyes. This thing, having been carried on the swift wings of fame everywhere, immediately spreading throughout all the earth, caused very many laboring under diverse infirmities from everywhere to flock to the Saint; whom he, by prayers and the sign of the cross, and in the high and desirable name of Emmanuel, having healed, sent each to his own home.

69. Seeing, therefore, the great crowd about him, and how he was not able to have as much quiet as he wished, that Apostolic saying came to his mind: "Lest perhaps, having preached to others, ^D I myself should become a castaway." He was already considering both the Mount Carmel of Elias, and the ascent of our Lord Jesus to the Mount of Olives; for besides, there was also the

CHAPTER IX

celebrated by the ascent of the Lord: but the divine providence, to whom Symeon had entrusted the motions of his heart, the thoughts of his mind, and the remaining operations of his soul, was meditating another thing. He resolved, therefore, to leave the column upon which he had already spent an eight-year station, and to ascend a high mountain nearby, situated to the right as one returns from the column. It was extremely arid, nor was it watered by any spring of water; hence, being untrodden by any human footprints, it was a welcome stable for serpents and wild beasts. And now Symeon had ascended there with his whole mind, when he seemed to see our Lord and Savior Christ, accompanied by an army of angels whose number it is not easy to calculate, descending upon that mountain, and likewise a most luminous cloud covering the root of it all around: he heard a voice sent forth from the cloud, saying: "Hasten, Symeon, ascend this marvelous mountain; for thus it shall henceforth be called: for it has been sanctified by me; in which I will make your name even more wonderful, because I am with you." Together with this, that voice pointed out a rock in which our God and Lord was seen, commanding Symeon to ascend it. The footstool for his feet, which was shown in that same incomprehensible vision (O the light!), was shining even more brightly than the sun itself. Such, then, were the details of the vision and of the Holy One’s calling to the marvelous mountain. ^B

70. Having therefore called together the brotherhood, and having related to them everything as he had seen it, he appointed one of the elders, most noted for the gentleness of his manners, to preside over those dwelling in the monastery: and when he had commended them to God in prayer, he descended from the column; and having entered upon the path that led to the summit of the mountain, he hastened, with the most clear vision providing guidance, so as to touch the aforementioned rock. A donkey’s foal carried him, which had never been ridden by any man: this I myself believe to have been a symbol of Christ the Lord’s benevolence toward Symeon, and indeed of the miracles which he was about to perform by His power while approaching the mountain: for it is for that reason that he sat upon the donkey’s foal, just as Christ did when entering Jerusalem; and he was deemed worthy to be held similar to the Lord (for I shall speak, even if I appear bold).

71. There was not far from the monastery a certain man destitute of all movement of his feet, and miserably mutilated in his limbs; but to all who approached the saint and were afflicted with any infirmity whatsoever, and who departed with their health restored, the remedies of healing to be applied to this one alone (I know not for what reason, unless by some occult and inexplicable disposition) were slow and were deferred. Thus, therefore, having been procrastinated until this day, he is presented to the saint after his descent from the column; and upon the saint’s command for prayers and the sign of the cross—the customary medicine, indeed—he was so strengthened that he immediately ran ahead of the saint with a swift foot, extolling his healing by deeds rather than by words. And when Symeon was not far from the summit of the mountain, he descended from the foal and gave himself to prayer; and when this had been finished, he heard an army of angels saying "Amen." And a stone cross occupies

^A the spot, which the saint placed there after he had finished his prayer. Having looked intently, the servant of God sees the summit of the mountain shining with divine grace; and recognizing this to be the place which had been shown to him, he runs to it with joy, and he ascends the rock, on which he had seen the Master’s feet standing, as nimbly as he could, rejoicing. As for the foal, brought back to the monastery by the disciples, it died on the third day after the descent, as if weary of a longer life and unwilling to endure any other rider at all.

72. Now this was the twentieth year of the age of Symeon, and the eighth of his standing upon the previously mentioned pillar. While he was standing upon the rock, overflowing with joy, and clad in his sheepskin, he set his mind on holding converse with God alone there in solitude; yet on the very next day, behold, he sees no small crowd carrying a multitude of the infirm and bearing them toward the pillar. Those who had come nearer, having been informed that the saint had moved from there to the summit of the mountain, betook themselves there without delay. ^B When he saw them approaching, Symeon was anxious in his mind that not even here was he permitted to live in solitude; nevertheless, moved by the tears and lamentations of the miserable, he laid his healing hands upon each of the suffering, and sent them away healed.

73. At that same time, a lion appeared on the mountain, which, meeting a certain man on his way up to the Saint, rushed upon him, being wild and altogether terrible. The man, finding himself in unavoidable danger, and being so struck with panic that he could not even think of flight, said: "By the crown and the grace given from heaven to Symeon, depart from me and do not cause me any harm or injury." And the beast, immediately reverencing the power of the adjuration, departed, causing him no further disturbance. The man himself, having come up to the Saint, recounted these things; but those who were present, having become terrified, ^C besought the Saint with one accord that he would command the beast to depart from the mountain. And he, immediately calling one Anastasius by name (this was one of his disciples, from whom he himself had cast out seven demons, according to the example of my Lord and legislator Jesus), said: "Go to the lion’s den, and say these things to him: 'In the name of the Lord, says His servant Symeon, depart from this mountain; for you shall have no dwelling or habitation upon it.'" The man, having gone, said these things to the lion; and the lion, hearing them and obeying just as a grateful servant obeys a good master, departed at once from the mountain before the eyes of all, and betook himself to the river called Melas and the mountains of Amanus, ^D becoming tame and manageable, having laid aside his former ferocity and violence. And what follows is a miracle that yields to no one, however great: that from that hour forth the beast

^A would yearly come to the monastery of the Saint, bellowing sufficiently before its gates, and there, as it were, demonstrating its submission, it would again depart tame to its own haunts, and if it happened to meet anyone on the way, it would yield out of reverence and move out of the path.

74. Meanwhile, a pestilential disease ^B invaded men, infecting cities, fields, and villages, bringing present ruin to them, and eluding all art. The servant of God understood that the Lord was incensed with wrath against His people; and, moved with compassion for them, he resolved to imitate Phinees, and stretched forth suppliant, or rather propitiatory, hands to God until he halted the spreading plague and prevented it from moving further. And in this matter, it is not only that which is worthy of admiration, that he placed an obstacle to the evil; but this also, in the highest degree, that to him was even given the grace of healing those touched by it. For many, from that time, seized by such a disease, having invoked the name of the holy Symeon, seemed to see him at their own homes, as if he were bringing—O miraculous thing!—remedy and health to the sick. And indeed, the vision was confirmed in reality, and the truth verified the mental image, with every languor of infirmity being driven from their bodies. Many also, oppressed by various other sicknesses and pains, having lit a lamp at home and offered incense, begged the help of God through the intercession of His servant, and were delivered from their pains. But as many as labored under a scarcity of oil, procuring however small an amount for themselves, would light a lamp in the name of the Saint, and for the three or even four days following (how wondrous is God in His Saints!) the light was not extinguished: which miraculous benefit those to whom it happened would at once go to the Saint and report.

CAPUT X.

75. Having ^C at one time called together the brethren for the morning hymns: Let us pray, he says, brothers, for the Church of God; for her high priest Ephraemius is about to reach his final day. For I saw myself in the spirit standing at the head of the bed, where he was accustomed to lie; and I said: Woe to this city, when Ephraemius is dead! Woe! Woe! And I lamented his departure in a certain way. Then, returning to myself, I was found to have wept, with clear signs of tears still clinging to my cheeks. Then again I am rapt out of myself; and again the same laments and tears. Then, the same vision recurring a third time, I heard a voice of this sort: Who knows where he who is to come may be? Thus Symeon to the brethren: who at that time had understood regarding Ephraemius that he was well. ^D

As the Friday was already dawning, the servant of God again called them and said: The bishop of God has departed from this life during the night; for I have seen his soul flying past this place, accompanied by a great crowd clothed in white. It greeted me and commanded me to make a remembrance of it before God, reminding me also of the relationship there had been toward me and my mother. These things he had told the brethren regarding the bishop; and they, having noted the time, found that the divine Ephraemius had departed this life that same night.

^A 76. Now, as is to be expected, since many were desiring the see and were striving to obtain it for themselves, it happened that a certain man named Domninus, a native of Thrace, who was in charge of a poorhouse near the city of Lychnida, had come to the Queen of Cities at that time on account of some business. By right of friendship, he had become familiar with certain courtiers, and by them was brought to the emperor (this was Justinian). The emperor, being little concerned for canonical strictness and for the apostolic precepts, at the first sight of the man chose him by his own vote, saying, "Behold, this is the patriarch of Antioch." And Domninus immediately betook himself to that see. ^B Passing through the suburbs of Antioch, and seeing in the temple of the just Job, which is located near the city, certain maimed and afflicted men—whom he vehemently loathed—he judged that they ought to be transferred elsewhere, saying, "Lest they be a disgrace to this city, to the detriment of its adornment." When this became known to those wretches, they set out to the holy man as best as each of them could, some on foot with a staff, others carried on shoulders, and in his presence, with wailing and lamentations, they recounted how much mercy had been shown to them by the holy Ephraemius, and how fatherly he had acted toward them; but on the contrary, how ^C they were now experiencing an unmerciful bishop, who would not even tolerate them outside the gates of the city. The holy man, having had great pity on them, said, "Wait, brethren; no one will be able to move you from that place. The chastisement of the Lord will teach him to have pity on the afflicted, so that he may learn by experience that his purpose was not at all expedient." After these oracles, a short time elapsed when the bishop began to be tormented by such sharp pain in his hands and feet that he could not manage anything at all, ^D and he had to be carried about like a lifeless corpse.

77. A certain man was struggling against a grievous demon, from which he could find no release; an angel of God stood by him and said: "Go to the servant of God, Symeon, who dwells on a high mountain opposite Antioch, situated not far from the sea; through his intercession, certain salvation awaits you from God." He performed all these things, and when he had arrived at the holy man, he clearly recounted everything. Then Symeon, having prayed to God, ordered the demon to depart; and upon his command...

came wailing, and tumults, and cries, for he could not bear the rebuke, saying, "Let me go, and I will depart; for I know who you are, and how great is the power of the Son of God that is within you." ^A While these things were being done, it seemed to the suffering man that a crown was placed upon the head of Symeon; the beauty of the crown, and the radiance of the shining gold, and the splendor of its gems, and the light of the cross placed upon it, and the brightness and grace of this light, and the multitude of the angelic host flying around it, were something ineffable and unspeakable; by which that cruel demon was driven out as if by fire, so that afterwards, having clearly come to his senses and being delivered from his passion, the man returned home healthy and proclaimed the works of God to the nations.

78. A demon had seized a certain youth, and tormented him in such miserable ways that, from the excessive tension of his body, the youth’s eyes seemed about to burst from their sockets. ^B Therefore, with the young man in danger and all others at a loss, an angel stood by from heaven in the habit and appearance of a soldier, bidding him depart to the wonderful mountain to the holy Symeon. "For he," he said, "will set you free from the vexation of the demon." Immediately, therefore, when the youth had traveled toward the holy man, and he had pressed upon him the invincible seal of Christ’s cross, the demon seemed to himself to be scorched by a lightning bolt of fire, exclaiming: "What is this, servant of God? Why do you burn me so inhumanly? For I cannot endure the terrible hand of God that is in you, which is accustomed not only to drive us out with an igneal scourge, but also to bring ^C healing to every kind of ailment of the people." This the wicked spirit spoke through the tongue of the possessed, and was immediately driven out; and the youth, having been delivered, saw with his eyes the angel, who had all the appearance of a soldier, standing by Symeon, as he himself later recounted, and speaking familiarly with him. After this, the young man also prayed for the safety of his foot; for it was quite weak, and the foot was almost useless for walking; when Symeon had placed his healing hand upon the foot, and having prayed and sealed it with the sign of the cross, it was immediately whole and firm, just like the other in every way.

79. Another man, whose face was distorted by a demon, called upon the name of Symeon as a remedy: and lo, he saw him in mid-air holding a fiery rod in his hand, and rushing ^D vehemently toward him. The impure spirit did not endure the advent of the man, but turned to a shameful flight; and his face was immediately restored to the sufferer, and thenceforth he behaved properly and according to nature. A certain man had been bitten on the foot by a serpent, and the poison was already causing putrefaction in the wound, rendering the hand and skill of physicians useless, and threatening immediate death; and the sick man himself, with all things despaired of, was awaiting it. Meanwhile, some urged him to place his hope in the saint, as the one who alone could ward off the impending danger. He himself believed, and having invoked the holy...

name, and placed his foot upon his land, he was instantly strengthened. ^A

80. It is not right to omit even this, which was the primary cause of such miracles. In the month of Dios—which our parlance knows as November—someone approached the holy man, asking for a bit of alms. "Believe, brother," he said, "that I have nothing else on me except this hair garment, and forgive me; but if you desire to take it, behold, I strip it off for you." When the man replied that he was in need due to poverty, the saint said, "Blessed be the Lord God," and immediately taking it off, he said, "Take it, brother." The man went away having taken it, and Symeon was left naked, having nothing else to cover his flesh except for a small cowl ^B reaching down to his breast; and not only did he pass the winter in this state, but he persisted for eight consecutive months. When one of the disciples, named Eugenius, urged him to put on some cloak for himself, especially as the most intense part of winter was setting in, Symeon said, "The fish, when it grows stiffer in the wintertime, becomes sweeter, and does not exhale any stench; just as on the contrary, the more it heats up in the summer, the more insipid it becomes, and it is accustomed to swarm with worms—which, of course, await us, too, as we grow warm with the clothing and food of this life."

81.

CHAPTER XI

^A Moreover, some of those who spoke Greek, blathering about the vain and fallacious astrology, and imagining that these sublunary things of ours are moved by the sweep of the stars, were already even declaring the city out of bounds, as if it were about to collapse entirely at any moment.

82. Symeon, therefore, as one of the Sabbaths dawned, with a joyful and bright countenance, said to the people: "Take courage, do not be afraid; for the wandering art of the meteorologists has been refuted, which is dark and blind concerning future things, and clearly deceives itself. For behold, the Lord has remitted His fury to His people ^B and has consoled His servants. For I saw, and behold, the heavens were opened toward the east, and a certain mysterious and ineffable light of the Only-Begotten flashed forth, revealing His love and kindness to you on account of your repentance." And I, at the vision, lifting up my hands, cried out, saying (23): "O Lord, lover of mankind, who often vibratest the sword and bendest the bow, although thou doest both on account of just wrath, yet through thy customary kindness thou restrainest both, and waitest for our conversion; hear from thy holy temple my voice, let my cry come before thee. For behold, the earth has been moved, and all who dwell in it; it moved and trembled, and the foundations of the mountains were troubled and shaken: because thou, being angry with them, O Lord, didst shake the earth and trouble it; thou hast shown thy people hard things. ^C But nevertheless, put an end to the trembling; temper the threats with kindness; hold back the scourge; for thou wilt not cast them off forever, nor wilt thou cease to be well-pleased, nor wilt thou cut off thy mercy to the end. O God, thou wilt not forget to be merciful, nor wilt thou restrain thy compassions in thy wrath; for thou alone art merciful, and wilt be propitious to our sins, and wilt not destroy; but thou wilt multiply [thy favors] to turn away thy wrath, and thou wilt not kindle all thy fury upon us." Having thus prayed to God, the saint went out to the people: and the earth immediately grew quiet, by the command of Him by whom it was founded: and the people, having wiped away their recent tears, went away, testifying to the joy in their hearts and on their countenances, and proclaiming the powers of God. ^D But who is so eloquent of tongue and fluent in speech that he could recount in words these deeds done by Symeon for the public salvation, and his effective intercession with God, and his power to obtain what he asked for, as well as those things which he performed privately for each individual?

CAPUT XI.

83. After this, a man named John, not far from his own house, had fallen in with wild beasts: they were rushing upon him in a beastly manner, thirsting for blood and threatening slaughter. But he, having nothing for his defense...

^A but the name of the Saint, presented it as his shield and invoked him as his helper; and immediately their mouths and feet were fastened to the earth (O what a wonder!) as if held by certain inescapable shackles, until the man had been rescued unscathed from the danger, confessing to the Lord His mercy and His wonderful works to the children of men.

Again, another was being beset by three demons (which is enough in itself to sufficiently demonstrate what the wretched man was suffering from them, since the harassment of even one of them is intolerable); his skin hung loose, and indeed the light of his eyes had been taken away. He betook himself, therefore, to the servant of God, firm in faith, full of hope, fervent in prayer, piteously recounting the evils with which he was beset. Symeon, therefore, moved with compassion for him, looks upon the man, and then turns his eyes to the mercy of the Supreme Goodness, and implores the same with his prayers. Then he spat upon the ground, and making clay out of it, he anointed the eyes of the blind man: "In the name," he said, "of the only-begotten Son of God, who with spittle and earth gave sight to him who was blind from birth, look up!" And immediately (How many wonders Thou workest, O Lord my God!) his sight was restored, and his eyes ^B were healthy. Then, having further struck his skin with the palm-rod and rebuked the demons, he displayed him instantly whole, delivered from so many evils by the power of one prayer.

84. Another man had been crippled in both feet for a long time, so that he was unable to use them at all. Having therefore believed that healing was possible through the Saint, he sees him in a dream striking them with the palm-rod, and this blow became for him an end to both his sleep and his suffering, so that he himself came to Symeon and, reporting it, bore witness as the messenger of the benefit and the miracle. A certain woman named Juliana, weakened in her whole body and powerless to apply herself to anything, betook herself to the Saint, seeking to obtain health for herself with tears. When he saw her weeping copiously, he took pity on her and struck her with the palm-rod; and the woman immediately recovers, nor was she ever afflicted by any disease thereafter ^C until her old age. She had a sister who was herself tormented by vehement pain affecting both her breasts and her feet; she brings her, therefore, also to the same physician; and he, having signed her with the sign of the cross, succors the sufferer, removes the pain, and heals the wounds she had.

85. Another had a young daughter, not ungraceful in face and beauty, but gripped by such a tremor and paralysis of body that she also suffered from being bereft of her senses, and was cast out of her mind in a piteous manner. The cause of the paralysis and insensibility was a cruel demon that had leapt upon the girl; but the cause again of the harassment from the demon was the mother’s sin, bringing the paralysis upon the child as a punishment for her wickedness. Therefore, the mother and the mother’s sister lifted her up—a piteous burden, a burden that would draw tears even from inanimate objects—and cast her down ^D before the feet of the Saint;

^A for the servant of God was not ignorant of this, and indeed it was his constant endeavor that those who came to him should, along with the healing of their bodies, be cleansed through confession of any stain that might chance to foul their souls, so that they might return healed in both body and soul—or rather, healed in soul even more than in body. As, therefore, he inquired into their deeds and thoughts, so that he might bestow a double healing, as we have said, not only of body but also of spirit, he who was so well-versed in the healing of spiritual maladies and so ready to provide the remedy, they were seized by shame and fear, and they prayed that the earth might open up beneath them before they should reveal their sin to a man who lived so angelic a life, a man who, though in the flesh, was almost devoid of flesh and material concerns.

^B Now, as they were thus filled with anguish and fear, it happened that his own mother, the truly divine Martha, went to visit him as was her custom. She appeared to them in their anxious distress like a light in a dark night—a woman to women, bound to them by the similarity of their sex. Casting themselves down at her feet as quickly as possible and embracing them with hot tears, they explained the miserable state of the unhappy girl, confessed their sin, and declared the reason why they could not explain it to the Saint. But that most holy of women, and indeed most holy of mothers, in no way spurned their feminine weakness, nor did she forget their common sex; rather, moved by their intense grief and wailing, and showing them that she herself was a mother and had carried a child in her own womb, she raised them up from the ground ^C out of compassion for them, and brought them to her son together with their burden, the paralyzed girl. "Grant this, my son," she said, "no small favor to your mother, and forgiving whatever sin there may be, call upon your own Master, Christ, and stretching out your right hand as is your custom, sign the girl with the power of His name. You see how miserably and cruelly she is being tormented; mark her with the cross, and a complete healing will follow. Permit me, as a woman, to obtain from you this favor for these women, and as a mother for this mother, who is—so far as I can gather—burning with the most grievous pain of heart." To such entreaties from a mother who loved her child, the son who loved his mother did not refuse, ^D but immediately stretched forth his right hand as a helper to them, and having signed the girl with the invocation of Christ, he restored her to the women, whole and sound in both mind and body. He made the mother not only to rejoice over her child, but also made his own mother much honored by this, in that it was because she herself was a mother that she had obtained the safety of the girl for that mother.

87. A certain virgin maiden was afflicted in two ways, by a cruel demon and by a pain in her foot. She saw the Saint in a dream, wearing a garment that was light itself, holding a small sword in his hand, and seemingly attempting to strike it into her foot. She therefore approached him, placing her trust in what she had seen in her sleep, believing that she would receive healing from him. The man of God, having called upon the name of Christ, and having signed her a third time with the sign of the cross, ...

^A cast out not only the demon that was grievously tormenting her, but healed also the pain of her foot. A certain woman was so grievously possessed that she was often cast into the waters by the demon, with great danger to herself; it seemed to her that she was constantly looking at Symeon, imagining his face and stature, although she had never approached the Saint. She decided, therefore, that she must behold with her own eyes the one whose features and character her mind so vividly and brightly represented. After she arrived at the holy man and had gazed upon him, the demon, unable to endure the presence of the man of God, departed with a hideous shriek, leaving the woman whole. Then another woman possessed by a demonic spirit came to the Saint, and it was immediately rebuked and departed.

88. After this, a young woman possessed by a demon was brought by her father; she was wretchedly gnawing her own tongue, moving Symeon to pity her, no less by her own suffering than by the suffering of her father, whose heart was seared with compassion for her. ^B By commanding the demon to depart, the girl was immediately healed and regained the free use of her voice and tongue; and her father found occasion, not for tears of sorrow as before, but for tears of joy, and for proclaiming the great works of God. Just as many women were freed from the wicked spirit by his prayers, so in turn, through his doctrine and instruction, many, having conceived a holier spirit—following the example of Thecla, who led the way for women on the path of martyrdom—sent word to their betrothed, spurned marriage, ^C and preserved themselves as pure virgins for Thee, O Christ, our immortal Bridegroom, betrothed to Thy beauty, and pursuing Thy worthiness with their love. But let the discourse return to where it departed.

89. A man came to the divine Symeon so miserably possessed by a demon that he was bruised and crushed not only on both sides, but in his whole body as well. But, oh, how ineffable is the wisdom of God, wishing to restore salvation to one who did not even expect it! The sufferer seemed to see the Saint who was truly like a physician, applying something like a lancet to both his sides and hands for the purpose of lancing a vein; and when some foul matter was emptied from there, ^D he at the same time expelled the demon by his rebuke; and the demon-possessed man stood there free of pain, celebrating his recovered health with exultation and song. Again, a paralytic was brought who had been completely swollen for three years now, and, bedridden, had not been able to rise; he too regained his health in the same manner as the former. Then another, mutilated in his hand, approached and was likewise healed. But as is natural for those who were present and witnessing such great miracles, they were amazed; some said that a heavenly power resided in him (as was the case), while others were scandalized and sought to disparage the divine grace that stood by him. But Symeon, perceiving the diverse thoughts of both, said, “I am a man, a sinner, a servant of the Son of God, who willingly endured for our sake the ignominy and death of the cross; in His name and by His power I do these things; but those that…”

^A you have conceived in your heart concerning me, may God, in His mercy, forgive you: for it is against Him that you have opened your mouths, and not against me, having committed injury against the Most High in your iniquity, in both your thoughts and your words.” From these words of the saint, the faithful received as much benefit as the unbelievers were filled with shame.

90. There was a village called Severa, where a pine tree had grown upon a steep precipice beside the road. It happened one day that some of the villagers were sitting in the shade of the tree, and one of them, named Jacob, through a desire to pick the fruit, climbed it. While he was doing this, he beheld two demons rushing toward him, who seized him by the feet and threw him into the precipice below; the total height of the tree and the precipice combined was nearly seventy feet. Therefore, as he felt himself carried to the brink of death, and since his desperate situation could be helped in no other way than by the ever-ready aid, the invincible power, and the unwaning grace, he called upon the servant of God, Symeon. And behold, being thus called, the saint placed his hands beneath him as he fell, caught him in his outstretched palms, and set him upright upon the ground. Then again, he saw the earth part so as to reveal its foundations, and he saw the holy man enclosing the demons in stone markers and banishing them into the abyss, and then the earth closing again as it had been at the beginning. At that time, while Jacob was still overcome by such miracles and visions, Symeon himself was relating to his brethren what had occurred to him ^B by divine power. He had not yet brought his discourse to an end when certain neighbors of Jacob arrived, full of joy and wonder, confessing their gratitude for the benefit received and openly proclaiming what had happened.

91. A certain leper approached the saint, and (let no one rebuke us for our boldness) used the same words that the leper of old used to Christ, saying: “If you are willing, you can cleanse me.” And the servant of God, having seen in him the same fervor and faith—which he had especially observed in that other—and trusting in the Lord, who declared that all things are possible to the one who believes, said to him: “I am willing, you shall be cleansed; but it is time for you now to go home, and my good God, who did not count it unworthy to be suspended on the cross for our sake, He Himself will visit you with the great oversight of His own kindness.” Believing these ^C words, the leper returned home; and that night (what tongue, Christ the King, can declare your mercies?) he saw a certain young man of radiant appearance, saying to him: “As you have believed, so let it be done to you.” These words shook the man from his sleep, and with the sleep departed the leprosy; and he was entirely cleansed, becoming a herald of divine power through his deeds rather than his words. And since he had nothing with which to repay him, he showed the gratitude of his soul; having taken a gold coin, he ran back to the saint; not leaking with matter and wasting away with leprosy as before, but ^D with revivifying and flourishing

so that he might clearly explain how he had attained this miraculous healing. The saint, however, did not accept the gold according to his custom, but charged him to render instead, as a worthy recompense, perpetual thanks to God. Julian, one of the disciples, felt an urge to take the gold; but since this did not escape the inward eyes of the divine Symeon, he said to the disciple: "Do you wish, along with the gold, to receive the leprosy as well, like that Gehazi of Naaman, and to purchase it in another way, giving rather than receiving?" Upon hearing this, the disciple not only desisted, but immediately sought and obtained forgiveness for his desire. ^A

CHAPTER XII. The monastery, warned by God, is built: he obtains water and preserves it for a very long time.

^B 92. Moreover, the mountain on which Symeon led his life was utterly desert, lacking water and entirely unprovided with anything necessary for life, except for a hovel—and that, a solitary one—which the disciples had constructed for themselves as a modest refuge; for Symeon himself, as we have mentioned, stood out in the open on the rock, wrapped in a leather sheepskin. But afterwards, when a frequent crowd of people daily flowed to him from every side, ^C afflicted not only by wicked spirits but also by all kinds of bodily sufferings and diseases (and these people were pressed by the unfriendly wilderness, the lack of necessaries, and the utter absence of water and shelter), the common and benevolent Creator of all, the Father and Lord, who with His immense power and sublime arm governs all things, who is great in counsel and mighty in works, and who knows what we human creatures need and from whom nothing can be hidden—He also appeared at this time to Symeon, saying: "Do you not see this faint-hearted generation, and how impossible it is for them to dwell here, when the things needed for life are lacking? But these things shall be provided to them by Me, and you shall remain free from these matters."

93. Having heard words of such blessed hearing, Symeon sees, as it were, an angel holding a measuring line in his hands ^D and marking out the traces of the monastery and of the holy temples within it; he also sees a cloud of light covering the whole of the wondrous mountain, and the Spirit of God in the likeness of a hand showing what was beneath the cloud, and saying to him: "All these things shall be for you in aid of those who are to dwell and lodge here, for I will magnify your name among the nations and kings and nobles; and many of these will entreat you." Thereafter He showed him a great multitude of diverse nations approaching him from every side. Being persuaded by these things in his heart, Symeon understood it to be the will of God that a monastery should be built around him, and after giving great thanks for all these things, he commissioned the disciples to mark out the plan once again in accordance with the place that had been shown him; and according to this it was also laid out.

94. And as for what happened in accordance with the vision that appeared to him—

^A for he who also showed Symeon himself the measure and form of the monastery through an Angel, did not fail in his promises. He stirs up countless multitudes of people from the land of the Assyrians and other nations, carrying to him those who were possessed by demons and other throngs of the infirm; and while he would heal them with prayer and the sign of the cross, they—having nothing at all to offer in return (for what reward is sufficient for such a bounty?)—nonetheless, showing their gratitude, would lend a hand in the quarrying and construction of the monastery, setting a fixed time for themselves, and providing from their own means whatever was suitable in terms of tools; and yet even there they did not think they were giving as much as they were receiving through his blessing. Two or three days before their allotted time expired, other, larger crowds would arrive again, likewise bringing a burden of infirm people; and these, being favored with the same healing from the Saint, gave back the same labor of their hands to the works of the monastery; and so, one after another, they kept flocking in, as the fame of it spread everywhere, and by this method the work was completed.

95. Since, however, there was also a need for abundant water for their building, and the matter made the disciples anxious and concerned about where and how they might provide water sufficient for their needs—for it was far down near the foothills, a long distance from the peak of the mountain—the servant of God commanded the hesitating ones to collect a quantity of quicklime in the same place, and he prepared as much as needed to be mixed in. When this was done according to his command, he offered a prayer to his own Master, that He might rain down water sufficient not only for the present need but also for those to come. And immediately (O rich mercy of God, fulfilling the will of those who fear Him! O ready kindness!) the clouds gave voice, and such a great quantity of rain broke forth as was needed for the works of the monastery at that time; and the phenomenon (O ineffable miracle!) was thus maintained thereafter for the use of the builders: and at opportune times, when there was need, water would descend of its own accord, just as if the clouds were compelled by a higher command.

96. For since ^D the crowds of every race and every age were constantly flocking to the holy man, and were being healed by him of various pains, the lack of water was causing severe distress both to them and to the beasts of burden they used. Now there were two cisterns on the side of the mountain, dug out long ago in the time of the Gentiles as receptacles for water, but by the passage of time they were so filled up with earth and other debris that it could not be known where they were; but they were then discovered by the crowds by chance (for necessity is accustomed to search diligently for whatever might provide it even moderate comfort), and they were immediately cleared out and cleaned by the laborious work of many. The holy Symeon then ordered them to construct a conduit for the water to them, or to clean out the one that had been constructed long ago. What was commanded was done. When he again fled to prayer, He who [established the firmament of the heavens with waters]

stabilit, deprecatur: et cataractæ illorum apertæ sunt, et pluvia utrumque lacum adimplevit.

97. The disciples, moreover, were anxious among themselves, nor did they hide their concern from one another; for would the cisterns, once filled, suffice for such a dense and numerous multitude? When the Saint learned of this, he called for one of the brothers from the whole gathering, by the name of Anthony, and said to him, "Take a rope and go quickly, and having lowered it, measure the water in the cisterns." He lowered the rope as commanded, and having measured it, returned, showing to the Saint and those present the depth of the water by the rope. Spring was then coming to an end; and when summer had passed and autumn was already setting in, Anthony again lowered the rope into each cistern. After so much time, and with such a clear enemy to the waters—after the drawing of water from there by that countless multitude—he found the water (O what a miracle!) not diminished in the least, but as it was before; which fact gave those present then, and not only them but also those who later heard the report, an occasion to give great thanks to God.

^B 98. Meanwhile, the enemy, unable to bear looking with envious eyes at the works of the monastery (for we must return there) as they progressed—since he saw that from such great advancement the glory of God would be increased, while for himself a grave loss impended—undermined the foundations of one of the hostels already being built, where it would be most difficult for him, because very many were to be received there for Christ's sake, and weary souls were to find rest. He so violently shook and agitated the building that, through the frequent tremors, the hands of those working on the construction were exhausted and deterred. Therefore, when Symeon prayed about this, he received this inspiration from Grace: to send his staff to the infested place, which, by striking there, would discover the enemy hiding in secret. Having handed it, therefore, into the hands of one of the disciples of the Saint, he went there and, striking it, said, "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the servant of God, Symeon, commands you, O wicked spirit, to depart from this place." And immediately (O power, O the rich grace of Symeon!) the spirit, having given a great cry, was most shamefully driven out; and henceforth the work was quiet, and the building (as has been said) was completed according to plan.

^C 99. Now that the enclosure was built and the pillar [had been] hewn from stone, a cistern was also being hewn to the right of the column towards the East (this at the command of the Saint, because of a lack of water), so that, filled with water, it might suffice for the fundamental needs of the brothers and those working around the monastery. The most blooming time of the year was then at hand, the bright week of holy Pascha, celebrating the author and the work of our salvation; and the disciples, part of them ensuring tranquility for their master, in which they knew he especially delighted, and part of them [gathering] the water, because of its scarcity and the multitude of those carrying it away from there, having added cisterns

when, I say, Symeon saw himself in the spirit as if carried to the cistern, stirring the water with both hands, and commanding it to be lifted on high and distributed among the multitude. Having therefore called the brothers, he commanded them to remove the lock, so that access to the open cistern might be available to all wishing to draw water. For now, he said, it has been revealed to me by a heavenly visitation that the water will not fail throughout this entire year. And faith stood by his words: for from that time on all the inhabitants of the monastery drew water from there for the baking of bread, for the cooking of food, and for other needs, and indeed it was even supplied from there for the fabric of the buildings: add that the crowds who also came to Symeon not only drank from it, but filled various vessels and whole skins, carrying the water home as a gift; yet never was the cistern exhausted that year.

100. A certain Vigil, a domestic servant of the patriarch Ephraim of happy memory, paralyzed in his whole body, had lain for three years already at the sacred shrines and had committed himself to be cured by physicians: by whose art he had attained nothing except that his life was now more clearly given up for lost; so, like a lifeless trunk, or rather a breathing corpse, he was brought to the saint. He was cast down, a pitiable sight, before the face of the benign man, drawing much pity with it; which the latter was more ready to bestow than he who was asking was to receive. He therefore said: If you believe that your faith, which you hold concerning the Son of God, can through me as mediator restore your health, arise as you are able, and walk. He, straightway crying out with as clear a voice as he could: I believe, Lord, that thou canst do all things through thy servant. O divine visitation! O brief word of great power with God! He leaped up immediately, and having rendered due reverence to the saint, descending from the mountain, he hastened at a run to the bath which is called Tiberinus; both because he could not contain his joy in his heart nor restrain himself due to the abundance of his delight; and because he was in a hurry to wash away the remnants of his former infirmity. That descent from the mountain was indeed about twenty-two stadia; which he ran down with hands stretched out to God; his mouth filled with gladness, and his lips with exultation. ^B Having washed, moreover, he hurried back at a run to the saint, and having done this many times, using both the descent and the ascent in same manner, and that on the same day; so that by the very deeds themselves, he might make certain the health confirmed to him: finally, having received a blessing from the saint, he set out into the city, an admirable spectacle to everyone's eyes on account of his unexpected cure. ^{C D}

CHAPTER XIII. Various ecstasies and prophecies, and prayers for the averting of calamities.

101. Symeon had once seen in an ecstasy an infinite multitude of men, women, and children, coming to him from the East, whose hands [original-script column: see facsimile]

bore crosses, while their mouths chanted sacred hymns, and the Holy Spirit overshadowed them from above, accompanying them as they journeyed. When those who brought them seemed to be approaching and ascending the wonderful mountain, the Spirit said to Symeon: "Do you know who these are, and from where they have arrived to you?" When he pleaded ignorance, He said: "It is the nation of the Iberians from the East, who will love you for the sake of my name. They will arrive to you in due time, will put to the test in deed the grace of healings given to you, and will proclaim your deeds throughout their entire land, building up all the faithful there. Some of them will even dwell here in your lodging, and will become very useful and capable." Such were the things Symeon saw in that ecstasy, which he beheld fulfilled a few days later in reality. For a multitude of Iberians came, stirred by the fame of his miracles, carrying crosses in their hands, and bringing to him their supplications—nay rather, also a multitude of the sick and demonized. And they were healed so wondrously, beyond all expectation, that many of them, seized by the miracle of the thing, asked to dwell with the saint; and their request being granted, they spent the rest of their lives in that monastery, taking great delight in the monastic life.

102. Hitherto the account; with what tongue shall I go on to recount what remains? What words shall I find equal to the things that must be told? For even now my mind trembles at the mere mention of it, and my hand is contracted by fear, not daring to lend its service to a narrative so full of horror. For at that time Symeon saw himself, in the power of the Spirit, bearing the holy Gospel upon his chest, and having departed from Tyre, he went—as if diligently keeping watch—around Jerusalem and those deserts, and the hermitages belonging to him, and everything that lies in the southern climate. From there, he was brought down to Laodicea and Antioch, and inspected all things in a similar manner. Then a host of angels met him, and asked one another what these things might portend, saying: "Who shall tell these things to the Antiochenes, who, as if incurable, receive no benefit from you?" They did not say this as if slandering them—for slander is altogether foreign to the angelic nature—but so that this, too, might not remain hidden from Symeon by the grace. After this vision, he said to those standing by: "Great is the threat hanging over the world. Woe! Woe! The times of retribution have come; but give yourselves to prayer, brethren."

103. This word cast no small fear into the souls of his hearers. And since they longed to hear yet more from him, he remained silent for a long time, as the divine grace worked upon him; his countenance changed completely, while a heavier silence and fear filled the brothers. Then...

^A as if again gathering himself, and looking very dejected in face and bearing, "Pray more intensely," he said, "brothers, that we may not enter into temptation. For unless God should become propitious to us and, repenting of our wickedness, retract the sentence passed against our iniquities, almost the whole world will be destroyed. For I have seen," he said, "and I see the whole earth not only, but also the air itself and the regions above the earth, filled with the power of God, in such a way that no place anywhere is left entirely void of that terrible power; and it would have almost gathered up all creation, had the vision not departed from me, as I could no longer endure to dwell upon so sad a spectacle."

104. Having said these things, ^B he is again taken up by the Spirit in him into a more divine vision. It was this: the heavens were opened, and above them was an air of such purity and beauty that nothing could surpass it; and it was impossible for the holy man to see it and speak of it at the same time. The powers of heaven were stationed there in a double phalanx, one following another, and all together bowing their heads. Above them, a throne was terrifyingly raised in mid-air, resting or supported by nothing, but having the air itself as if it were a platform. Our Lord and God was sitting upon it, and His fury was being poured out upon us. But His servant Symeon stood before the throne of that inaccessible glory, and with his customary liberty of speech interceding for us, he reconciled the divine Power to us, rendered Him propitious, and turned away the wrath. This was made known to those present as well by the radiance of Symeon's countenance, ^C as it gradually returned to a more cheerful state; for up to that point he had been silent, as if he had lost all sense, entirely intent upon that ineffable vision. A little later, having returned to himself, he cried out: "Sing praises to our God, brothers, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises; for mercy has shone forth from His face, the Lord has been jealous for His land, and has spared His people in all the cities and regions which I have hitherto, by the benefit of grace, seen and visited."

105. Having related these things to those present, he is again snatched away by a vision ^D to his soul’s eyes. He seemed to himself to be standing on the nearby shores of Seleucia, and to see a ship in the air above the sea, floating there no differently than it would in water. Angels designated for this task, manifesting no moderate anger, fury, and great indignation, stood upon it, awaiting a divine sign. Then quickly a spirit flew down, and gave them a signal three times with his hand, and weeping bitterly (you would think he was moved by mercy): "Strike," he said, "strike, and spare no one." Upon hearing this, they emitted so horrendous and monstrous a sound that the very abyss was suddenly disturbed. After this, those who had appeared in the air rushed with force toward the shores; from which, immediately, the earth held cities, villages, and dwellings brought down in a dreadful fall,

^A perished in a miserable ruin. When the servant of God had come to himself again after this alienation of mind, "It is right, brothers," he said, "to pray again more intently; for although I predicted to you that this region would remain free from evils until such time as, by divine kindness, death might come to me, yet a great wrath of the Lord, the wrath of His indignation, has kindled in the world in the fire of His zeal; therefore, there is need for great repentance before Him from you, and also for prayer on behalf of everything."

106. Having therefore gathered together all who were his disciples, and all those who happened to be visiting from various places at that time, he bid them all in common to offer prayers to God for sixty days. In addition to these prayers, he also prescribed and taught hymns by which the ears of the Lord might be softened and inclined toward the miserable. The prayers ^B were therefore offered up; the tongue of holy Symeon, interweaving sacred hymns, moved God more powerfully. But as for the people inhabiting those regions, a more vehement fear and trembling seized them, looking for nothing good from then on; indeed, these same prayers also profoundly troubled the mother of Symeon. She, therefore, moved by a sense of reverence, went to him as if in the spirit, or rather to her son, and besought him with many words to reveal to her the cause for which those prayers had been enjoined upon the brothers and the crowds. He, not disdaining his mother's entreaties, revealed all that he had been taught by grace. "God is about, O mother," he said, "to shake the earth more severely than ever before, excluding only that trembling which occurred during the passion of our Lord and Savior, through which I, as a weakling, have been delivered from death and bitter tyranny; but various symptoms will follow the earthquake, such that men will faint in their hearts and souls." Increased in her great fear by these things, Symeon’s mother sought ^C to receive the undefiled mysteries of Christ from his holy hands, as the most certain and secure protection against the impending evils.

107. The following day (for it was Friday), God shook the earth late in the day so violently that not only was it shattered in many places and the mountains dissolved by force, but the sea also fled from the face of God, unable to endure His wrath; so that not only houses, and villages, and cities—as had been shown to the holy man in the vision—fell miserably and were submerged, and the threats made long ago by one of the prophets were fulfilled, ^D

^A who says: "I will destroy the cities of your land and take away all your strongholds." [p. 3087] Moreover, even the ships, left by the water upon the dry land, were shattered, except for those in the places which the holy man had seen in the vision; for these, according to his infallible prediction, remained immune from any damage and survived the earthquake and the storm. The ninth day from then passed, when again a divine vision caught Symeon up toward the north; and looking toward Constantinople, the spirit showed it to him, and he shook his hands over it three times, and lamented, saying: "Woe to the cities situated around it, for a visitation of it, even if only in part, is at hand."

108. Seeing these things, Symeon groaned, and showing manifest signs of inward grief, was asked by those around him who noticed them the reason for the matter; and with a voice brought forth from the depths of his heart, expressing a most heavy state of mind, he said: "God is preparing to visit not only the great and royal city, though only in part, but also, alas! to shake certain cities and villages situated around it." Six days later, at night, an earthquake began to shake Constantinople, and it overturned certain parts of it; it also overturned Nicomedia, and what is called Rhegium, and not a few other cities as well. But since the earthquake continued, and the agitation of the earth was not at all calmed or quieted, but rather became stronger and was greatly intensified, Saint Symeon's mother, no longer able to endure seeing the divine indignation in the motion of the elements, and being anxious for the salvation of the whole world, comes again to her son, and uses the confidence which the labor of childbirth and nature had given her, and finally strongly reinforces the common petition with her own authority; these things, moreover, were done so that he would deign to stand before the Lord, to avert His anger, to extinguish His just wrath, and to repress the scourge threatening an incurable wound. ^B

109. Being inflamed in his heart by these things—a heart never cooled when it is necessary to intercede for us before God—and having himself become, as it were, more fervent than his own self, and more importunate in pleading for the mercy of God, he shut himself in, and did not cease from prayer until divine grace appeared to him, mild and gracious, and ^{C D}

^A offered itself to be seen by his face, and the words of his mouth found favor and propitiation before God. He said, "Prescribe for the suppliant people that these things be sung to restrain the scourge." He did, therefore, what God had suggested, and having summoned the disciples who were wandering there, he taught them a new chant, so exquisite and harmonious that by the recitation of it the tongues of those who sang were sanctified; it is of this kind: "Just as in the time of Moses, being appeased by prayers, you did not suffer Israel to be crushed, so now too, O Lord, being entreated, cease to be angry with your people, and forgive our manifold sins, as you are the only sinless Christ God, according to your great mercy, glory to you." And they indeed did what was commanded; but the pillars of the earth (O God, who shall worthily celebrate your mercies!) were immediately steadied, and the earthquake ceased entirely.

CHAPTER XIV

He teaches the unskilled: he prophesies diverse things: he consecrates a new column and ascends it.

^B 110. Now these are the things which all obtained through his intercession to God in common. But now my discourse hastens to return to those things which were granted to individuals in particular. The capitals of the columns, by which the temple of the monastery, dedicated in the name of the most holy Trinity, was supported, still lacked the adornment of carving. A certain brother, John by name, who was devoted to spiritual ways and nourished by the Word, but was altogether unskilled in the art of stone-cutting, trusting however in his own faith toward the saint, and in his fervor for his commandments, and in that man's supernatural and greatest miracles, said, "Lay your holy hand upon my heart, Father, and I will begin to carve; so that by the divine Spirit who is in you, my mind may be modeled upon what I have conceived in my mind, and I may produce the image in my work." But he, not wishing to deprive the disciple of the reward for such diligence and subjection, laid his hand upon him as he desired, and said, "God will teach you, my son, the art of stone-cutting." And so he indeed set about the work; and he appeared as a second Bezeleel ^C (30), yielding nothing to that ancient one in skill.

111. When now the time had arrived for such a disciple of his for migration, or dissolution, or rather for his calling to the desired joys, and this had been made known to Symeon by God—having exercised his accustomed boldness there, he besought him with mystical prayers and conversations to learn if he were written in the book of life. And when he had learned that not only he, but also the rest of his disciples who had died up to that time were inscribed, and that as many as were to die thereafter would be inscribed; having bent his knees to Him who speaks in secret, and having rendered thanks as was fitting, and after the morning hymns of that night in which he had been gifted with the aforementioned vision—in order to cast into the ears of all, as it were, a goad of the memory of death, and to rouse them the more toward the preparation for their departure—he said, "Brother John, peace be to you, he calls you

to himself, the common Lord and King of all."

112. ^B Agony thus seized the disciple, a mixture of mourning and joy: of mourning, at the announcement of his death, since death is by nature terrible to all men, and because it was his final departure, after which no hope of return remains; but of joy, because he was now to be freed from the miseries of the present life, to exchange them for the long-awaited goods, and to receive the reward for his labors. Therefore, having immediately wrapped himself in the sheepskin of his teacher, as much as he could, and being tightly bound by it, and having, as it were, folded his soul around it like a body, fully believing he was taking from it the provision or protection for his journey as he departed, he turned his whole mind toward the pilgrimage he was to undertake, and arranged everything toward that end; saying at one time: "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit," and at another: "Thy good Spirit shall lead me in the right land." Indulging in such prayers for two days, and little by little, as if yielding to a sweet sleep, he was released from the bonds and prison of the body, passing over to the hoped-for liberty, and to the bright rewards and beauties of the compensations of his holy obedience. Let this, among many other things, be a certain and evident testimony that the future was as clear to Symeon as the present; for the things that follow have an equal power to prove this.

113. ^C When the brothers were about to place and fit together to one another the massive stones, by which the pillar was to be raised to a height, they were in no small anxiety about the machines that were still to be used for this; but Symeon ordered them to free their souls of every care regarding this. "For I saw in the spirit today," he said, ^D "a man near the mouth of the river at the sea, of rustic form and dress, with a linen cloth hanging from his shoulder, who ran to me, begging that he might be delivered from the evil demon by which he had been miserably tormented in the baths; at the same time he asked that I accept from him a piece of wood, very convenient for the present need." The holy man told these things to his disciples in the morning; but shortly after, when they had not yet set themselves to the work they had in hand, nor had the assembly been dismissed, but while all were still standing around the holy man, that man arrived, having the sign that had been mentioned, namely, the linen cloth on his shoulder; he asked to be delivered from the troublesome demon, which was accustomed to throw him down in the baths; and at the same time he asked that Symeon would not disdain to take the wood he had brought with him: just as if he considered both benefits—his own immunity from the demon and the not being refused in his offered gift—to be of equal importance, and that both should be placed in the same category. Therefore, the saint impressed upon the sufferer the sign of the cross, empowered by the virtue of prayer, and commanded the malignant spirit in the name of our Lord and Savior to depart from him; by which it was immediately driven out, and yielding to the present necessity, he ordered the wood to be carried into the monastery.

114. Another [man] again, likewise in need of wood for the same purpose...

Simeon, anticipating the concerns of his disciples regarding this matter, informed by an infallible foreknowledge of future things, said: "Behold, another man is coming hither, who has wood quite suitable for our present need at the mouth of the river, and he asks that we receive it." The man's wounded foot was causing him no small amount of pain, nor did it allow him to cross over here without great labor. No sooner had these words been said than the man mentioned stood there, ^A beseeching with bent knees, his face fixed upon the ground, doing everything possible so that his foot might be relieved of its pains and the wood he possessed might be accepted by the saint; desiring no less to be granted his twofold wish. Then Simeon strikes the affected foot with his palm-rod, and the strike became miraculously a healing for the sufferer; the wood was also brought in, and having been adapted for the present use of undeniable necessity, the column was erected to the height which we now see.

115. Christ appears to Simeon upon the column.

116. The manner of prayer.

^A he inculcated the divine commandment, that they should love one another, "Even as," he said, "I have loved you." Then he exhorted them to have diligent care for their profession and for those things which are joined with it; namely, to mortify their members which are upon the earth, to abstain from the handling of worldly affairs, to apply themselves to manual labor so as to procure their daily bread, to exercise care for their own heart with all vigilance, and never to be idle in prayers, the meditation of the Holy Scriptures, and divine hymns; and above all, not to grieve the Holy Spirit, in whom, he said, we were sealed for the day of redemption.

117. Having spoken these and many similar things to them, ^B he invoked God, His most holy Mother, and the elect angels as witnesses of the things they had heard. Then he prayed for the world in general; and for those who disdain gifts and act rightly, he not only prayed for the remission of sins, but even more for the recompense of all good things; and having bestowed his blessing upon the disciples and commended them to God, he ordered them to take off the *dermocucullus* (55), as it is commonly called. Then, committing himself to their will, they took him up with hands that were partly exultant and partly trembling with a certain awe, and placed him on a new throne, carrying the sacred Gospel upon his breast, the rich fruits of which he held gathered in the deepest recesses of his heart. Carried in this manner, he went around the whole monastery, ^C and bestowed a blessing upon every little cell, not even passing by the storehouse, for which he prayed for abundant provisions. Saint Martha, indeed, who was his mother according to the flesh, but whom he had made rather his spiritual father, walked before him, applauding and exulting that she had offered such a fruit of her womb to God; she carried a cross in her hand, intent upon higher thoughts with singular joy of soul. And in this way the holy man was introduced into the temple of God, and from there he was led back to his sacred pillar, in the tenth year from that in which he had stood upon the stone; and in the thirtieth year of his age (54).

CAPUT XV.

118. What happened next ^D provides a new subject for writing: but such and so great are these things that, even if nothing else had been said, they would seem to have exhausted every fountain of miracles and divine grace; and they are such that they are not only difficult to describe, but even to enumerate. A certain young girl is presented to the saint, afflicted by a disease contrary to the order of nature: for she did not discharge the food sent down into her belly through the natural evacuation, but returned it through the womb. He laid his hand upon her belly, a hand...

^A that always intentionally reached out toward God, and obtained from God whatever he asked; and he invoked the Artificer Wisdom, our Lord the Son of God, and thus delivered the girl from the infirmity, and caused her to be evacuated according to nature (35). This, although it is so great, yet has another in the category of miracles equal to it, which is subjoined.

119. To a certain man, Epiphanius by name, of the village of Charandameno, there was a child about three years old, burning with an insane desire for eating, and gorging himself with more food than was proper for that age. It happened to this glutton that his belly was so obstructed that for a whole year he could not be evacuated. And he, indeed, burst from the excessive swelling, indulged in perpetual tears, which made the light of the sun, pleasant at other times to his parents, bitter and hateful. These, destitute of every other help, ^B invoked the divine name of Symeon over the child, and sprinkled his dust upon him (for they were not ignorant of the fame of the man’s miraculous works, which was spread abroad no less than the eyes of those with good sight perceive the shining sun at midday), and immediately the boy began to feel easier, just as if the food were being emitted through his bowels; and it was a source of wonder to all who saw or heard about him, until the saint, having had him brought to him, laid upon him the hand that was very powerful with God, and restored to nature its accustomed passages once again.

120. A certain presbyter from the village called Paradise (36), Thomas by name, had subjected the divine Symeon to an ^C anathema—I know not why or how, unless from envy alone, which is wont to look upon all things more excellent with jaundiced eyes. When he was advancing with great strides toward the end of his life, and his soul was already about to depart from his body, his voice was blocked, paying the penalty, as it were, for the blasphemy against the saint, and his eyes were opened in a wild and troubled manner, looking upward and unable even to blink. And in this state he was dreadfully tormented, or disciplined, or whipped—or I know not what name one should apply to the affair—for up to sixty days. The neighbors, therefore, and all who happened to be his neighbors, not only conversed frequently with one another about what was happening to him, but also ^D poured out prayers to God that he might be snatched away from those very long and most grievous torments. When at some point a huge crowd had gathered around him, and was forcing him to speak something, his tongue having been loosened just a little (such are the judgments of God, chastening him with such a bitter lash for the instruction of others!), "Forgive me," he said, "for my rashness, in that I spoke an anathema against Symeon; the pardon must be sought from him by you, brothers: for I am now paying the penalties for this wickedness, as you see."

121. Immediately they send an embassy to the saint: and he (for he was more ready to give than those who asked were to receive, and knew well that...

what he gives is a clear gain) called one of his disciples, who was named Symeon, and did not simply give this to him, but in order that a disposition of soul might accompany the pardon, confirming the brother yet more, "Take," he says, "one of the blessed loaves, and going hence with these, bring it to the presbyter, and his sin will be forgiven him by God; for having kissed the loaf, he will straightway find rest." When the disciple had immediately taken the loaf and carried it, and arrived at his ^A presence, the sick man, regaining his senses and returned to himself, willingly took hold of the bread with both hands and kissed it, and in that very embrace yielded up his spirit—you would have said he could not have obtained the faculty to depart before, but had been held back forcibly to endure more severe things, until the permission to depart from the body should be brought to him from the holy Symeon, whom, to be sure, he had hindered with his blasphemy. ^B And this is indeed the work of God, who both fulfills His own promises here, and honorably glorifies those who have purposed to glorify Him, and on the other hand corrects and calls back to fruitfulness, through the punishment inflicted on this wretched man, those who act iniquitously: but how that is brought about, it is not for us to tell.

122. It happened in the mountainous regions that a certain woman gave birth to an infant so blind that neither the lower parts of his eyes, nor the orbs, nor any traces of these appeared formed upon his face. Pierced then by the dart of bitterest grief, his parents took up the burden of the boy—who could not even draw tears from his eyes, which were of no use to him—and hastened to the holy man, the only hope in desperate circumstances. ^C But when, as they were toiling up the mountain, they sat down to relieve the labor of the journey for a little while, they see (O most sweet spectacle to the eyes of parents!), they see the boy having eyes natural and fitting, and gazing with a rightly ordered sight. Laying aside all delay, they hasten with a faster step to the saint, announcing his mercy and wonders. Thus, not rarely, the grace given to Symeon from heaven forestalled the arrival of those seeking a cure, having looked upon the readiness of their soul; and before they themselves could voice their petition, it bestowed the gift. But what tongue is so eloquent and zealous as to sufficiently set forth the variety and manifold nature of his miracles?

123. For a certain woman in Rhosos, a city of Cilicia, named Theotecna, [had been] possessed by a demonic spirit from childhood, having it as a companion as she grew in age, and it never departing from ^D her, but terribly rending her and miserably tearing her tongue. This woman had lived for twenty years with a husband, and being afflicted by sterility and the vexation of the demon, and since no cessation from the pains was given, her husband, impatient of longer cohabitation, repudiated her. Four years had passed after this, the man seeking no other marriage, when she fled to the holy Symeon and to his power, which was unconquerable against such evils. And when she was already closer to the column, and was beholding the saint and, likewise, having been moved by the city...

^A of him—for it was as if it could not endure such closeness or the sight—the demon began to rage terribly, and to gnash its teeth, and finally to tear the woman, crying out, "O violence!" with something savage and completely maddened. "What great sin have I committed against you, that you cast me out from my own woman?"—the foul one indeed uttering such small things—"And why," he said, "do you give her a child, when she has remained barren for so many years by my arts?" For at that time, as the woman explained later after she had recovered, the woman seemed to see him—the saint—saying such things: "You, indeed, wicked spirit, shall be driven out from the woman, even against your will; but she shall return to her own husband, and a child shall be born to them next year." The fierce demon, therefore, was crying out many other mad and diabolical things, as is natural: "Woe is me, the wicked servant! Woe is me, who for the most part act against my own will, because that which is commanded must be done!"

^B ρκδ'. He was exclaiming these things, using the woman as an instrument, and was driving her miserably in a circle around the column, as if fleeing from the presence of Symeon and being driven by the spirit that was in him. Finally, having cried out with a loud voice, "I am going out!" he departed, leaving her in a sound state of mind. To whom the holy Symeon said, "Return, woman, to your own husband; for you shall live with him from now on, and a fruit of the womb shall be yours from him." She, therefore, having returned to her husband according to the commandments of the saint, and having been gladly received by him, and having borne a child in the following year, brings it again to the great one, together with her husband, regarding it as a fruit of his prayers rather than of her own pangs. She brings the child, therefore, to the one who gave it, as if adorning herself with the gift, and in this way proclaiming the giver more than with her tongue. Then also, having ^C obtained a blessing, she returns home; and the woman, in return for such and so varied a benefit (for she had not only been delivered from the demon cohabiting with her, but had also been restored entirely to her husband, and, in addition, she had seen a child from herself, which she had not seen before), sets up an image of Symeon at home. And gold, indeed, as her condition of life was, she did not possess; but she brought something more precious than gold: such faith that not only those possessed by demons and those held by various other ailments, but also a certain woman who had been suffering from an issue of blood for fifteen years, obtained there a complete and perfect healing. Thus, even a mere glance at his image, and the sign of the cross, and his staff, and his form, and his word, and an invocation, and anything else of his, sufficed for the ^D casting out of any kind of ailment.

ρκε'. Then another woman with an issue of blood, from a certain village called Mylitorum, already suffering for the third year with this grievous ailment, approaches Symeon from behind, following the example of that woman with the issue of blood in the Gospel, who dared to touch my Christ; and at the same time as she touches him, she obtains healing. For the same Lord was there then, just as he was there by himself of old, so here through

^A his servant he was casting away the infirmity and, in accordance with the parity of faith, was bestowing an equal mercy. She departed, therefore, in the same way as the former woman, having recovered her health; and what the other obtained through the mediation of the saint’s image, this one now obtained from the prototype himself.

126. Not long after, there approached the great Symeon a man from another village (it was called Magia), a man some seventy years of age at most, who, tortured by most acute pain in a tooth, prayed earnestly that he would impose his saving hand upon him, so that the tooth which was affected might be plucked out by the roots, as it was already loose from the violence of the suffering. Thus he prayed, with tears running down his cheeks, the unmistakable signs of a sorrowful soul that knows not how to lie. But the saint, answering kindly, said: “Would it not be better for you, rather than asking only for the removal of the one that is in a bad way, to ask that another should grow in its place?” At these words, the man, inflamed in mind and spirit (as is wont to happen at the promise of some unexpected good), and hanging on to the saint’s goatskin garment with both hands as best he could, cast out—through the imposition of his hands, which drew down abundant grace from heaven—the decayed and corrupted tooth, along with its roots. ^B And not many days passed before another (oh, a thing not easily believed!) had sprouted and grown to perfection. And of this prodigy there were many eyewitnesses, to whom he himself, having obtained the benefit, showed it, while they marveled that in such an advanced age, such a thing could have happened contrary to the order of nature. But although this is how much there is of that, he yields, however, to that vision which we are about to speak of further.

127. For once, late on the Sabbath after the evening ^C hymns, the disciples were gathered around Symeon, as was the custom, and he was exhorting them as usual to keep vigil that night. Then, beginning to teach, he brought forward and elucidated certain more difficult questions and parables. By this he affected their souls so sweetly, and filled them with such fear of God and with the sweetness of a sorrow that gladdens the heart, that they experienced, so to speak, what is said of the song of the sirens, except that while death follows that pleasure, immortality succeeds this one. When, therefore, Symeon’s discourse was finished, the brethren began to pour forth their customary prayers; and when they were reciting the psalm, *Blessed are those that are undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord* (Ps. CXVIII, 1), there appeared to the saint in a glorious vision Christ the Lord, standing at his right hand. ^D As he saw him, as he was enlightened in his mind, and altogether captivated by that vision, his lips nevertheless did not remain silent, nor did he cease his prayer. Meanwhile, he saw a sparrow, as it were, fluttering above the heads of the brethren, very sweetly singing hymns with them, moving its tongue in the same way as they did, and uttering the same melodies as they (as he later manifested to them also), an altogether infallible testimony that "the discourse of their heart was pleasing to God," according to the prophet.

CAPUT XVI. In the scarcity of provisions, he multiplies wheat and keeps it long from being diminished.

^A 128. How, then, is it not worthy to be added to the things already said? For when not even a little wheat remained in the monastery’s storehouse, the disciples, distressed in part by the straitness of the current provision, and in part seeing the future (as is wont to happen to the faint-hearted), all came to him—they were already thirty-four in number, whom he had healed of various diseases or wounds. They begged him to permit them to accept what was offered, that they might have what was sufficient for their needs both for the present and for the future. "So that," they said, "you might also receive the wages of our salvation, lest, exhausted by the overly harsh and laborious lifestyle under you, we depart hence; for you know that we have entrusted to you both our bodies and our souls."

He, however, with a gentle manner and an even gentler disposition, mildly reproaching them for their faint-heartedness, then brought into their memory the miracles performed by God: how, to be sure, the disciples of Christ, the first Shepherd and Teacher, were once vexed by the multitude of the crowds because of that unfriendly wilderness and the lack of bread; and how Christ himself, with five loaves, satisfied five thousand men, and even left twelve baskets to them, filled with the remainders of the loaves; and how again with seven loaves he satisfied four thousand, besides women and children. ^B "And now," he said, "you yourself are my King and my God, who, looking upon our endurance, will look upon us and not despise us. For you teach me through the mouth of your Prophet, who says: 'There is no want to those who fear him, and those who seek him shall in no wise be deprived of any good.' But if this does not seem so to you as well, I am torn in my bowels, as is a father, as is fitting, and the separation would be most bitter to me. Nevertheless, no path is closed to you, my sons and brothers; let each one depart to wherever his mind feels inclined."

^C 129. Upon hearing this, the disciples, stirred by two passions—fear and joy, the former from the rebuke, the latter from the benign promises—bent their knees and immediately asked for forgiveness and received it. And Symeon called Brother Anthony (for he was the one appointed over the grain supply) and commanded him, if any grains remained in it, to collect them and bring them to him. When he found but a few and brought them in his hands to the great Father, he, lifting his eyes to heaven, said: "Almighty God, who gives food ^D not only to beasts and the chicks of the ravens that call upon you, but also to all flesh; who, through the bowels of your mercy, through the vast abyss of your goodness, satisfied thousands of men with a few loaves: multiply these few grains of wheat also for the glory of your praise, for the thanksgiving of your people, and for the majesty of your name."

^A Having prayed these things, and having ordered coals to be brought, and having cast incense upon them, he handed them over to Brother Anthony along with the grains, and said, "Go, cense the granary, and having scattered these grains therein, close the doors and depart." He indeed did as he was commanded. On the following day, at the first light of dawn, he was again ordered by Symeon to go and see how the grain supplies stood (for he knew that his prayer would not be fruitless for him). Having gone (O the inexpressible kindness of yours, Christ the King!), he finds it completely filled with grain—fruits truly produced without labor, without seed, and without cultivation, with prayer alone supplying the agriculture and the manuring. It was truly the work of that hand which performed the miracle in the multiplication of the loaves; which prepared a table in the wilderness; which rained manna from heaven; and which, from a dry rock, drew forth not only a spring of water, but of honey itself.

^B The disciple, therefore, astounded by the magnitude of the miracle, rushes to his master, announcing what had happened. He, having straightway bent his knee to God with his disciples, and having offered incense and prayed the Lord's Prayer, and having invoked the Father who is in heaven (with whom, on account of his surpassing virtue, he possessed a familiarity such as befits a son, and whose liberal gift the present bounty was), gave thanks to Him as was worthy for so great a benefit. He then commanded that these same ceremonies be repeated in the granary every Sabbath, and that similar thanks be rendered to the Benefactor. He ordered them to set their hands to the baking of bread, and never to desist from this undertaking, always mindful of that salutary precept which desires Christ to be fed in the brethren. They girded themselves for the work, and allowed their hands no rest from kneading flour, day or night; for they joined the nights to the days spent in labor, and the candle made it so that the work lacked nothing of the light of day. So many crowds flocked to the saint, and were always flowing in, more than could be numbered; and what is perhaps more astonishing than the aforementioned miracle is that, even though that grain was taken out by the handful and spent on the needs of infinite numbers of people, it nevertheless sufficed for three consecutive years.

^C After these things, the enemy, remembering his former struggle, or rather desiring to repair his ancient defeat, attacks one of the brothers—or invites him, or drags him along as if bound—whom he found especially apt for his worst machinations, an Isaurian by race, named Angulas, which in the Syriac tongue they say is interpreted as "the slothful one." I do not know whether this name was given to him at the beginning, from which he later became such a man, or whether he subsequently acquired it for himself to conform to his deeds. The evil spirit, therefore, having entered into him, incites the whole community of brothers through him against the saint. They, having equally laid aside modesty and reverence, approach him and say: "What is this charity of yours, so excessively pouring forth? Where in religious houses or in places for the cultivation of the soul is any such thing"

^A as that which we remember happening? Does not the very sepulcher of the Lord in Jerusalem work unusual miracles? Yet is there a distribution of alms there equal to this of ours? Does not everyone who reaches it for the sake of prayer or aid live on his own bread? Nay, what is against this: does he not offer of his own as much as he can? How, then, and from where, or to what extent, shall we be able to suffice both for ourselves and for those who approach us?"

133. The saint, answering mildly, began thus: "And this is a sign of God's singular care for us, brothers, that we should not live from others' hands, but rather from ours for others; and that we should not have to beg for the smallest thing from others, but rather have such an abundance of goods that we may be able to help others as well. And indeed, we do not distribute to the needy those things which we have acquired by the labor of our hands, but those things which we enjoy without our own labor, by the divine bounty supplying them; this is what we must always sedulously do, if anything else, and value it more than any other work, if the following words of that cult touch us: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice' (Osee vi, 6; Matt. ix, 13)." When ^B Angulas, stirred by this, was preparing a rather turbulent reply, and the man of God recognized that the demon was contriving his snares through him, he directed a grave rebuke not at him, but rather at the one who was speaking shamelessly through him: "You indeed, an enemy to all good things (for your deceits do not escape me)," he said, "have secretly entered this wretched man and are eager to stir up troubles and disturbances for me, since you have clearly been permitted from above to do so." Then, turning to Angulas: "But woe to you also, miserable man," he said, "that you were found to be so familiar with our enemy that you have offered yourself as an instrument of his deceit." Finally, he addressed all the brothers ^C as follows: "We must share something from our scarcity, and share with the crowds from those things which are of necessary use, since it will not be long before you repent of having denied it."

134. Having said these things to them, and being deeply grieved—I know not whether one should call it by the name of insensibility or pusillanimity—in his soul for them, he beheld with the inner eye of his soul the sacred Gospel, as if lying in a granary; and he saw the needy running up to seize and carry it away; and that he himself was pursuing them behind their backs along a certain royal road, but, being unable to overtake them, was retracing his steps from the middle of the way; and that from that time on ^D not more than three loaves were found each day in the granary; and that, taking these, he would look up to God and implore the blessing from above upon them, and then, breaking them, he would set them before those in need, and that every fragment would immediately become a very large loaf. Having, therefore, returned to himself and concluding that the vision signified a withdrawal of divine grace, because they wished the alms accustomed to be distributed to the poor to be diminished, he called them all together and, having narrated what had been shown to him through the vision, he enjoined prayer with tears.

the only remedy powerful against the divine threats, so that, as he says, he might render God propitious to us. When they immediately showed fruits worthy of repentance, Symeon, feeling compassion for their contrition and pouring out before God tears capable of drawing down abundant mercy from heaven, took a small amount of grain brought from the granary in his hands. And looking again to the supreme hand of God, he invoked a blessing with his prayers, which, when opened, is wont to satisfy every living thing. And the grain (O unheard-of agriculture! O seeds of prayer, which make even fertile soil more fertile!) grew so much that it provided for the needs of all in abundance for a very long time, and was not diminished in the slightest part. ^A

CHAPTER XVII

He arms his own against the demons who are devising various things.

135. Some time later he again had a vision, ^B which almost caused the man to faint. Having gathered the brethren together, he said: "Stand bravely, brothers, against the temptations that are about to be brought upon you; for the Lord has permitted you to be tempted, so that He may surround you with a more splendid crown." He therefore took the book of the prophet Job (from which he knew how to increase their endurance and to strengthen their hope of consolation from above), and, having enjoined upon all silence and attention, he began from the beginning and expounded the book to the end. And if anything of a proverbial nature occurred, he would explore it more profoundly, and would illuminate the meaning hidden within it by the splendor of the Spirit who illumines himself; and finally he would fittingly conclude the exhortation from the Apostle, saying thus: "You have heard what Job endured, and you have seen the end of the Lord. Stand therefore, having girded your loins in truth, and having shod your feet in the Gospel of peace; in all things taking the shield of faith, wherewith you may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us; for this momentary lightness of our tribulation works for us an exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

136. After these words, sighing heavily from the depths of his heart, ^C and mixing tears with his groans, he said: "It is a time of struggle, brothers; watch therefore, let the devil, who craftily attempts to circumvent you, escape no one. For you know that the earthly house of our tabernacle shall be dissolved, but we have another, not made by hands, laid up in the heavens—we who walk in the law of the Lord, who places in our hearts His light, which directs our steps toward Him; the vision of which clearly made known to me during this night the ascent, ^D and into

^A which has entered our beloved brother John, whose life and conduct you yourselves by no means ignore—you who have made him a partaker of the life according to God and a fellow-combatant in the spiritual struggles. For this is the tenth year, brethren, that I have kept watch for your souls, and I have not ceased to pray to God with tears, as one who is about to render an account for you; since I myself am always possessed by the fear that I might be found to be one of those hirelings who abandon the sheep and flee, who care little for them, and not among those shepherds who gladly lay down their own soul for the safety of the flock; who leave them to others and flee, but do not willingly lay down their own lives for them.

157. Yet, strengthened by the power of the rod from above, I have until now bravely driven the infernal beast away from you. For you know well how many times he has attempted not only to disturb your mind and to entice and drag it toward the desire for worldly things, but also to plunder and pilfer, and altogether to scatter and disperse you; ^B however, he was confounded in everything and repulsed, having gained nothing more from such great zeal and madness than to appear more wicked—this being the thing he is most eager for above all else. Now, therefore, even if a power to harm has been granted to him against us, though it be not great nor stretching over a long time—though it is not only against the novices, but even against those who have progressed on the path of virtues, against whom a heavier blow is dealt by the envious enemy, and against whom his envy burns even more openly—yet, O Lord my defender, You will not abandon Your own.

158. Then he also explained to the disciples the things he had seen: how the chosen angels of God were approaching the gates of heaven to worship before God, and how the devil was standing by, an Ethiopian, ^C entirely dark, shameless in his look, breathing out arrogance, his eyes suffused with blood and fire, resting his feet not upon any support, but standing as it were in mid-air, howling in a way that was horrible and beast-like, and, as he said, moving his head against me, yet waiting for the decisions; and that a voice from the Lord came to him, saying, “Strike the children and the more handsome ones,” and that he was to begin with me first, just as in the case of Job; and that he had asked for and, as it were, received permission. These things the saint was explaining to the brethren; but the enemy, not neglecting an opportunity for malice, attacked him with a great roar, ^D and, getting inside the skin garment he was wearing so that he might, as he thought, overthrow him more violently, the wretched one suffered rather what he himself had hoped to inflict; and having been thrown down by a heavy fall, he departed, dissolved, as it were, into smoke, having only pulled out the hairs of the beard he had grabbed, and leaving that part he had touched bare. But Symeon counted even this as his greatest ornament, inasmuch as it revealed to the world the unseemly conflict of the adversary.

139. Soon the glorious agonothete Christ rendered to His champion his reward: appearing, He secretly touched his face, and immediately his hair sprouted, and the former adornment of his beard returned. Therefore, Satan, now distrusting to attack Symeon in open warfare, since he had been manifestly cast down and defeated by him, henceforth turned to his own tricks and a cowardly style of battle; ^B now inciting the brethren against the saint; now weakening the faith that the people had reposed in him; at other times stirring up the prefects of the surrounding cities against the man of God on account of the rights each claimed for themselves upon the mountain. Yet what machinations and what arts did he not bring to bear against the weak combatants! For they, not daring to join hands with the adversary, were cowardly tempted, so that they allowed themselves to be softened and moved by external things. But he brought greater confusion upon himself thereby; and it was to see that everything had turned out otherwise than he had intended. For that secure and constant tranquility received those very disciples after that brief tempest, a tranquility far to be preferred to the former state: those who had become colder toward the saint were so inflamed with love for him, that some of the heretics among them bade farewell to their ancient errors and embraced the parts of our orthodox faith; many, indeed, of the unbelievers—Greeks, that is to say, and Barbarians, and men of similar crude error—having turned their eyes to the light of grace in which Symeon shone, were led to the truth; and for those who dwelt on the mountain, all things after this became more peaceful and happier than before. ^C

140. Furthermore, a temptation more relaxed prevailed against the children and those practicing virtue. For the devil, at the first quiet of the night, having spread his wings toward the North, and flying like an eagle having covered a great space and being well-equipped with talons, descended toward the Eastern gate of Antioch, stirring up a tragedy not unlike that which formerly raged in Egypt against the firstborn, and reflecting the mourning with which Rachel wept for her children in Palestine. Nor did he stop here; but he also destroyed very many who were striving for virtue, so that in all the streets there was wailing, and in all the crossroads cries of "Woe! Woe!" resounded; and the farmer was called to mourning and lamentation; not otherwise than if that prophecy uttered long ago by Micah had been spoken to this city: "Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children." ^D Therefore the city, naked and barefoot (to use the prophet’s words again), went to the holy Symeon, the only secure refuge, the only hope that knows not how to deceive; lamenting before him more than a bride clothed in sackcloth over the husband of her virginity.

141. Furthermore, having the holy Martha as a participant in her mourning with the son—whom, being persuaded by her affectionate entreaty, and also of his own accord from the innate fountain of compassion, he poured out mercy upon them in their calamities—he [took] his knees.

and face to the ground, and did not raise himself up until, being caught away by the power of the Spirit, he saw a multitude of angels surrounding him, and at the same time descending into that part where the city was lamenting the loss of its dearest ones. But just as he himself had turned toward the east and prayed for it, his prayer was not heard for the whole city, but only that eastern part, [the] threats having immediately ceased, was seen to be delivered from the danger. Then the wicked spirit moved toward the south; and suddenly a heavy lamentation, then a cry, wailing and wailing and woe, arose from there, in no way more tolerable than the former, just as the divine Symeon himself recounted to his mother and those present at that time.

^B 142. But the city soon returned to him in his [footsteps], as before with mourning in both its appearance and gait, raising a wail like that of dragons, and a lament like the daughters of sirens. The holy mother of the saint, being affected with greater pathos, and considering her own suffering to be much more bitter than [that of] those people, beseeches her own son again, not with simple prayer, but with groans that emitted fiery sparks, and with tears that were able not only to bend, but even to melt the heart of her son, asking that if there were any power, he might succor those in peril.

And he, resuming his customary prayer to God, was again deemed worthy of a similar vision. And it was of this kind: being rapt again into a trance, he descended toward that gate which looks toward Seleucia: but the destroying spirit, taking flight from there, returned against the monastery of the saint and turned its attack, with a weak appearance as before, and a heavy contention arose between them both, each acting his part, the one struggling to inflict harm, the other laboring to avert it. Meanwhile, the plotter of crimes was, by a certain mysterious voice sent from heaven, very unwillingly repelled from the place, and, threatening another ^C invasion again, retreated as far as the place called Cassyotis.

CHAPTER XVIII.

145. And indeed the holy Symeon was recounting these things to his mother, since he knew her to be rejoicing greatly, and again deeply moved, just as the affairs of the citizens were happy or sad; but Cassyotis was occupied by mourning and weeping, the Lord having raised His scourge over it; and a vast multitude of men from there came running to the saint, begging for help with a lamentable voice, not otherwise than if there had rushed upon them the day of the Lord, bitter and hard, a strong day, a day of wrath, a day of tribulation and necessity, ^D a day of untimeliness and destruction, a day of gloom and darkness, a day of cloud and mist. And indeed, the Cassyotenses saw the dangers and calamities hanging over them warded off by the prayers of the saint; but he himself, sensing that temptations were encroaching upon his monastery and were all but at the very doors, having gathered all his disciples together, said: "Behold, my children and brothers, as you have become a vine to Christ, adorned with branches, green, and budding with the flowers of virtues, planted by His right hand, and established, as one might say. See then that you do not—

^A destroy the hedge, which is the law of God and the observance of His commandments, for, alas! the enemy ^B will lay it waste like a wild beast from the forest, and you will be exposed to all passers-by for insult and trampling. Nay, rather, bring forth fruits worthy of such cultivation—that is to say, endurance with thanksgiving, and a courageous and great-souled spirit in temptations. For behold, a great calamity is near at hand." When he had said these things, sighing heavily with grief, as if the things that were to happen were present before his eyes, he fortified his disciples with the unconquerable sign of the Cross of Christ; but he himself, rapt in mental contemplation, as though the things he had foretold were already present before him, again poured forth suppliant prayers to God, again shed tears, and again passed that whole night without sleep, until divine grace appeared to him in the form of a young maiden and consoled the one who was afflicting himself. Then also the enemy was present with scandal and treachery; the beginning of whose madness—starting from Angulas—and the blow against him and the brethren, was the just return for the intimacy he had formed with the enemy, and the reward usually bestowed by such a friend.

144. In the meantime, while Symeon was explaining to the disciples what he had seen, Angulas, as if forgetful of the preceding instruction, and indeed oblivious also to the commandment that cautioned them not to be anxious, said, "Let him be anxious both for himself and for us." This utterance was immediately followed by a blow, not only to him, but ^C to all the brethren together, and the blow was so grievous and severe that some of them were near to death, and some even died—those, namely, who had been more negligent than the rest. When Symeon learned this, like another Job, he said with a strong and generous spirit: "Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever." But a certain brother, one very zealous and a lover of virtue, named Conon, who was quite dear to Symeon because of the elegance and sweetness of his manners and his zeal for pursuing better things, was perplexed and dejected in spirit, fearing that the same calamity that had befallen the brethren might happen to him also. He, as if wandering from his senses, thought he saw Symeon asking him such things as: "What kind of man is one on earth who has the greatest confidence toward God?" And when he asked, "Who is that man?" he thought Symeon replied, "He is the one who is speaking with you"; divine grace, I suppose, thus disposing those things which were shortly to happen to him beyond expectation, or rather instructing the disciple, lest, being enticed toward unbelief by the evil spirit, he should forget to inform his master of his own infirmity against the craft of the enemy; for when Conon had returned to himself, he revealed that vision to the saint with great sorrow.

145. Not long after, Conon was struck by the devil and breathed his last; and when this reached the ears of Symeon, a great grief smote his heart. He therefore ordered the dead man to be brought, and when he was brought, to be placed beside him,

^A and that the leather covering of the pillar be removed; then, deeply moved in his inmost being over the one lying there, and weeping and groaning exceedingly and painfully, he prostrated himself with his knees and face to the ground, and said: "Master Almighty, who made the heaven and didst fashion it; who didst establish the earth and all that is in it; who givest breath to the people treading upon it and spirit to those who walk upon it; who turnest the shadow of death into morning and darkenest the day into night; who killest and makest alive; who bringest down to Hades and leadest up, breathe Thy life-giving Spirit upon this dead body, and let his soul be restored to him, so that the sons of men may celebrate Thy power and the glory of the majesty of Thy kingdom." Having prayed thus, he rose up, and with the loudest voice he could muster, he cried out, "Abba Conon!" ^B But he was lifeless, a body bereft of sense and breath. When Symeon had once again cast himself to the ground and had repeated the same in his prayer, and with equal loudness had called in vain upon his disciple (for being dead as he was, dead he truly remained), he fixed his knees and head to the ground for a third time, and implored the help of God with more intense prayer. Afterward, however, having raised his heart and eyes to heaven, he uttered a voice mingled with hot tears: "Mother of God, Lady of all and Theotokos, mediatrix of our restoration and salvation, ^C forerunner of Emmanuel, who also wast counted worthy to baptize Him who taketh away the sin of the world, and who didst announce me to my mother even before I was born: Cherubim, Seraphim, Thrones, Dominations, Principalities, Powers, Michael, Gabriel, and as many others of those angelic powers as ye are, each leading your respective host; divine apostles, prophets, martyrs, priests, who mystically offer the inexhaustible sacrifice on behalf of the souls of the just, now all your confidence before God has ceased and is mute on my behalf; ye have forgotten me, whom ye have always employed as mediators: for here lies, as ye see, this disciple of mine; and no intercession from you, no pity for my sorrows proceeds. Has then all the labor endured throughout my whole life been in vain? ^D If he does not rise again, truly I have not pleased my God; nor have I found any communion among you, if he does not live." "Thou who dwellest in the heights and lookest upon humble things, who sittest at the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens, turn, O Lord, from heaven, and look down from Thy holy house of glory. Where is Thy zeal and Thy power? Where is the multitude of Thy mercy and of Thy compassions?"

146. As the saint prayed these things, not only were those present filled with dejection and fear, but even the very elements seemed to sympathize with him, as if they could no longer bear the cry of so just a soul; indeed, a certain horror overcame the blessed Martha, so that she thought she had departed from her senses, until the grace of God, secretly descending from above, brought her back to herself. But God was not to disregard the struggling just man any longer in this way; and thus Symeon, perceiving the divine visitation at hand, and the consolation that was already being brought,

^A immediately cried out with a loud voice, saying: *From my tribulation I called upon the Lord, and he heard me in a spacious place* (Ps. CXVII, 5). O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come unto thee. *Turn not thy face from thy servant, for I am in trouble; hear me speedily* (Ps. LXVIII, 18), O God who bowest the heavens and hast descended from thy holy and exalted dwellings; who for my sake didst become flesh, who for my sake didst endure the cross and death. If thou fulfillest the will of them that fear thee, as thou hast promised; if thou hast inscribed me, an unprofitable servant, in the book of life eternal; just as thou didst raise up the daughter of the ruler who was already dead, and the widow’s son who was already being carried out, and Lazarus who had been dead four days; so too let the spirit of life come into this dead man, and let him revive, and stand upon his feet. While the righteous Symeon was thus crying out, a voice, as is wont in prayer, was heard within the soul of the one lying there (as he later related), saying: The whole world is darkness; there is no light anywhere upon the face of the earth, for iniquity has been fulfilled in the business of the sons of men, and that not only in this place. ^B

147. Now the sun had already inclined past midday; but the holy Symeon looked up: and lo, the heavens are opened, and a light shines above the firmament, dazzling not only the eyes, but the very light of day and the most brilliant sun itself; and the sound of running wheels falls upon his ears. The chariot was equipped with four horses and as many wheels, and three men sat upon it; one of whom was on the right side, between the two wheels and the horses, another in like manner on the left, and the third sat at the back. Moreover, the clothing and hair of these men were such that the one surpassed snow in whiteness, and the other surpassed gold in splendor; but the color of the horses, and the reins, and the appearance of the vehicle were pure light, which demanded eyes rather than tongue for description, or rather argued the weakness of both, of tongue and eyes alike. The chariot was therefore borne along to the right, through the left side behind the column, until it stopped before the face of Symeon toward the east, as ordered by him who was following on the right. ^C

148. Forthwith also from the right side a gentle breeze blew, and lo, a likeness of a firmament, and a vision behind like a sapphire stone, and the four hands of men (one would have said they were struck with amazement and fear) flying with light wings and agitating themselves like some veil of the altar; and what was beheld was the likeness of a throne shining within; and again, upon the throne, as it were a form of a man, not permitting one to be as grasped by the spectacle of pleasure, either with eyes or with mind, as much as the beholder desired: angels also, infinite in number, girding the throne, were at hand; who were seen to be light itself, so did they coruscate, emitting rays on every side. Some presented the appearance of air, others of fire, others of the sun; ^D but Michael (as at that time he mystically made it known to Symeon)

^A had a greater familiarity and freedom of action than others, so that while all bowed their heads, he alone remained standing, serving the Lord’s commands. Now from the place where the column stood to that place where the hidden and mystically seen sights appeared, there was an ascent, by means of which, as if into heaven itself, the angelic spirits were posted and went up through the air in such a multitude that they could not be contained in a single place, but were forced to gather together as if in a ball, and one to embrace another: all surrounded by a most radiant light, appearing to be light itself, and such that the eye could not bear to look upon it. Then at last a voice was heard, like that of a man standing on high, signifying the restoration of the soul of the departed into its seat.

149. After those divine apparitions had vanished, a certain army of angels stood by Symeon, on both sides of the column, as a protection against the evil spirits. Immediately he himself, as if filled with an even more abundant grace, said in a voice as clear and full of confidence as he could: "Brother Conon, arise; he who called Lazarus from the tomb on the fourth day calls you through me." And along with the voice (who shall recount your wonders, O Lord?) the dead man came to life, and the disciple heard the sweet voice of the master; and at the call he rose, and opened his eyes, and used his feet, and was restored to the brotherhood. ^B And this was indeed how it was with Symeon; and thus, having been permitted to be tested like the noble Job, he achieved at the end a more illustrious proclamation [of his sanctity], since after what followed he retrieved twofold the damage from what had been taken away before; for he received back his dead disciple alive again in an unusual manner, and was deemed worthy of such an unusual apparition—which is not a little more wonderful. But let our discourse now proceed to the things that remain to be told. ^C

CAPUT XIX. Miracles performed through the hair of Symeon. The Priesthood undertaken.

150. A certain priest, coming from the land of the Iberians, having come to him following the reputation of the holy man, was so attached in faith to him that he even asked to receive from him some of his sacred hair. Having returned to his own home, he built a sacred shrine in a place free from crowds, and enclosed the aforementioned relics in a very precious cross, so that it might work miracles twice over, from the casket and from the hairs themselves. For many who were suffering, possessed by unclean spirits or pressed by diseases, came and obtained healing, and not with a sparing hand did they repay in return for the health they had obtained. ^D Envy, unable to endure this, stirred up the neighboring priests against him, who denounced him to their own bishop, claiming that he was seducing the people with certain superstitious and evil arts and leading them to his new oratory.

^A Without any investigation being made, giving credence to these words, he became gravely agitated against the man; he forbade him from performing sacred rites, ordered that his goods be plundered, and blocked the entrance to the oratory so that no one henceforth should have the opportunity to visit it.

131. Meanwhile, the man sat with the doors of the oratory closed, lamenting not only that the power to perform sacred rites had been taken away, but also his personal property; yet, looking again to his one and utterly unfailing hope placed in holy Symeon, he accepted consolation from him, for he was accustomed to bringing help without delay, not procrastinating, nor putting it off to another time, nor reserving it for particular hours. Immediately, a fierce demon invaded the bishop, driving the man into the darkness of the night, ^B so that—in order to escape the gaze of all and evade notice—the thing might be done secretly, and he led him to the presbyter, for the miserable man now understood both the cause of his calamity and the divine vengeance. At first, he seeks pardon from his own subordinate, then he reveals his misery, and finally, he asks that he deem him worthy to be granted a remedy, just as he had been granted to many others. He offers the supplicant a sincere medicine, a free grace, and inexhaustible riches—his cross, I say—and at the same time, he teaches him how great a treasure lies hidden in the cross and whence it is received. The bishop therefore approached with a fervent spirit, and with a much more fervent repentance, both because he had previously been blind concerning that divine grace and had shamelessly slandered it, and because he had outraged its minister and priest (whom he now had as his advocate). And he, indeed, shook off the demonic infestation; the presbyter, for his part, received back his former dignity and his property, even more abundant than it had been before, along with his liberty.

152. Around the same time, it happened that the Persians invaded those parts with an army. Since it had been reported to them that there were many things of great value dedicated in the aforementioned oratory, which Christians did not with a sparing or avaricious hand hang there, some two men rushed swiftly toward it. When the priest saw them approaching from a distance, he hid himself in the neighboring woods until they should return to the camp. They, however, entered the oratory and remained there the whole day without coming out. The presbyter, therefore, suspecting that they had already secretly departed (for what, he said, would they be doing there any longer?), dared to return to it. Entering, he found both of them lying dead before the wondrous cross (truly that was the work of Your powerful arm, Christ my King); torches also lay nearby, nearly certain testimony that they had intended to set the temple on fire, but which, as they themselves fell, had slipped from their hands. And all these things the priest himself bore witness to when he later visited Symeon.

153. Now, since I have progressed thus far in my account, it will be fitting to relate in a suitable narrative those things which pertain to the divine priesthood of the divine Symeon, whence and in what manner he received the sacred order of the presbyterate. For just as the multitude of his...

^A wonders, far exceeding almost any calculation of number, was performed by him, a desire took hold of those in whom those miracles had occurred to receive the gifts of sanctification from those same hands from which they had received the benefits of healing: the disciples also longed for him to extend to them the hands that dispensed the mysteries, which had conferred such a state upon him; and for this reason all were pressing upon him and forcing him toward the priesthood. But he, in excess of humility, with the lips of his heart no less than of his mouth, begged off and postponed it, saying, “If even those are indeed as it were other Seraphic spirits, who are pure and immaterial fire, they touch the coal with tongs (38*); with what face could I, who am but fading and fragile hay, dare to touch it with my own hands?”

^B 154. While he was thus intractable regarding the priesthood, a voice quite unexpectedly fell upon his ears from heaven, saying: “Pray.” And his mouth being immediately opened (though he himself knew not how), he said: “For you govern us, O God and my Father, and your only-begotten Son, and your most holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.” Being convinced from this that God also approved his being consecrated, he seemed to see in a rapture of mind Dionysius (who at that time was bishop of Seleucia) arriving at the pillar the next day, and having entered within the chancel, initiating him as a priest (40). This indeed was a sign of the divine approval concerning the future ordination, but the vision reached its fulfillment in reality the following day. For this same bishop arrives ^C at the monastery (O miracle!) by invisible prompts; he arrives, however, with only two clerics and in rich simplicity, but adorned with the graceful robe of meekness and humility. Having therefore ascended the pillar, he greeted the holy man with a holy kiss, shedding tears with the kiss, and having warmly given thanks to God for his progress in virtue, or rather for the grace by which he had been anticipated, he said in a low voice: “It has pleased God, who knew you before you were created, that just as He has long willed you to be a propitiator and intercessor for our race before Him, so now also, being initiated by the venerable dignity of the presbyterate, you might act as a mediator between Him and men.”

^D 155. And the holy man, thinking and speaking humbly of himself, for a while still demurred and put off the dignity with fear and reverence, advancing toward it with a most praiseworthy slowness. But when the other, standing outside, had said (41): “Bless”; and immediately after the blessing he had brought himself inside the chancel, having brought before the view of...

^A Symeon that which he had seen concerning him both yesterday and the day before, and demonstrating how the event corresponded with it, and how that which she had shown him secretly and ineffably, this he now saw in the reality. Then, furthermore, calling to mind that divine voice which had reached his ears—since the bishop had taken a stand upon him through necessity, and saying that in no way would he let him go, whatever might ultimately happen—and considering the matter to be clearly one of divine good pleasure (as it truly was), he bows his neck, albeit unwillingly; and the bishop, having placed his hands upon his head quite religiously and circumspectly, fulfilled the customary prayers; and being bathed in a shower of sweet tears while praying, he perceived some token of the divine power of the soul, and consecrated the priest—in the thirty-third year of his age.

156. The bishop, therefore, having given or received peace, departed, rejoicing that he had lent his own hands to the Holy Spirit for the consecrating of such a vessel. But the disciples approached Symeon, begging him to offer the first-fruits of the divine mysteries. But he, having his progress established in the Holy Spirit, was anxious in spirit, after the example of the most fervent lovers, as to how he might offer a sacrifice most pleasing to his God, and how he might affect Him with greater delight. And he saw in a vision himself celebrating the divine liturgy through such an oblation; and the orders of the holy angels, clothed in garments whiter than snow, standing before the column ^C and, with a certain unusual movement of their hands as if praying well, concluding with such an epilogue as this: "If anyone does not partake in this confession of faith, let him be anathema." Thereafter, he also saw God from above giving approval, and as it were sealing the voices. Having therefore been instructed in such things regarding the divine mystery, and having received such assurances—so certain, so solid, so perspicuous, and to which, if you wish, nothing can be contradicted—most promptly thereafter he offered it with both tongue and spirit. But we shall proceed with the rest of the man's miracles.

CAPUT XX.

Bacillo, verbo, aqua manuum, varia patrat. Mortuum suscitat.

157. A certain man, an Iberian by birth, was sleeping in a certain threshing floor through the heat of summer, having drunk wine, as is wont to happen to those intoxicated, and with his mouth agape. A snake, having crept up, and having perceived the smell, and being thirsty, penetrated through the man's throat to his internal organs. And the man, being brought into ^D extreme danger, finding no remedy whatsoever to apply to himself, flies immediately to the holy Symeon, the unique refuge in sicknesses, the unique medicine in such great evil. And he, having had pity on the calamitous man, marks with his staff the abdomen, which the snake was inhabiting as its den, and commands him to depart from the monastery. The command was carried out: upon his egress, he immediately evacuates the living serpent through the natural passages, and returns home healthy—a wonder to all.

^A a miracle performed not only for the eyes of all, but also for their ears; for the eyes, of those who could see it at that time; for the ears, of those who have been able to hear of it to this very day.

158. Again, a young girl is brought to him, destitute not only of the faculty of hearing and speaking, but also so seized with such trembling in all her limbs that, unable to support herself, she had to be carried wrapped in a linen cloth. Her father, too, had previously lost the light of his eyes. And he, indeed, was led by the hand by others, and stood blind before the saint; but she, having been carried, was laid down in the same place. The father, therefore, regarding his daughter's paralysis as his own (for since he was her father, the pain that was thought to be the daughter’s troubled him even more), became a suppliant seeking to ward off the double calamity, imploring that a remedy be brought not only for the paralysis, but also for the blindness. ^B St. Symeon, himself moved to the depths of his being by compassion for both, and casting his own eyes into the bowels of divine mercy, bent his knees to Him from whom he knew mercy was often abundantly poured forth; and rising, used that Dominical voice—nor will anyone charge me with rashness, since the Lord himself most clearly says: *He that believeth in me, the works that I do, he also shall do* (John XIV, 12)—using, I say, that Dominical voice, he said: "Girl, arise and stand upon thy feet." And as the girl was immediately strengthened in all her members, and at the command stood erect upon her own feet, he again inserted the finger he had previously moistened with his lips into the girl’s mouth and ears, and displayed her to those present, speaking freely and hearing. Then, turning to the parent, and with his finger similarly moistened with his own tongue, ^C he anointed his eyes, and by divine power bestowed upon him also the use of sight. For it was God who was working these manifest miracles, even if He used His servant as a minister; and thus the fruit of one prayer was a double healing.

159. Furthermore, multitudes of women also came to him at that time: some bringing their infants—a piteous spectacle—and placing them before him as a petition, their breasts being withered and destitute of milk; others, bearing in their womb and laboring in imminent childbirth, were so agitated by evil spirits that no small danger was created for the infants not yet born; for others, an unfruitful womb was a cause of pain, and they lamented their sterility incessantly. ^D But the former, through the prayers of the saint, received breasts that swelled and were filled with milk; the latter were delivered when the spirits were driven away; and those who had been childless, their sterility removed, returned to become mothers and brought forth the fruit of their womb beyond all hope.

160. Next, a certain man from Antioch is brought forward, being of most massive bodily stature and not far removed from a giant, wasted by bitter pains and diseases as well as other ailments, and having a withered hand that was already as if dead. When the servant of God saw him, not indeed with his exterior eyes, but with his interior ones, which [perceived] the hidden things...

and recognized him to be a gentile in his religion, he said: "If you wish to become healthy, call upon with us in simplicity of heart the only-begotten Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the holy Virgin, the Theotokos, from whom He deigned to be born according to the flesh, believing in one God, the Father almighty, and in His same only-begotten Son, and in the most holy and life-giving Spirit; denounce and detest with public execration the fallacy of idols, and henceforth you shall be free from pain and sound in every part." But he, having no heart to obey these words, but still clinging to his own deception, that ruinous Hellenic [belief], was therefore cast out as a useless burden, having obtained no benefit at all from his meeting.

161. But when he had persisted for a long time in such a state, and saw that all others who had embraced the faith were endowed with wholeness, while for himself, on the contrary, not even the smallest hope of having his evils lightened shone forth, he renounced the superstitions of the gentiles and said: "Christ, seeing that You are God, and were proclaimed by Your servant Symeon to have been born man from the holy Virgin Mary, incline Your ears to the prayers of that man for my aid." Having prayed thus, he made his beautiful confession more pleasing by the tears of repentance, and execrated his former error. Since this did not escape the notice of Symeon, he commanded that water be poured [into a vessel], and having washed his own hands, that it be carried to the suffering man. Upon using it, he was immediately made straight, and that withered or dead hand, as it were, came back to life and blossomed again; and, ^C being whole not only in body but, which is more, in soul as well—a benefit far greater than bodily health—he returned home, having received what was unexpected, which was far better than the good he had hoped for.

162.

Chapter XXI

163. Having pondered these things within himself and shared them with his wife, they journeyed again toward the saint, being sustained not only by such hope ^D but also strengthened by faith. And already, as they were entering the monastery...

it happened that a certain master of offices ^A encountered them and forbade their entry, saying that what they were doing was superfluous and inopportune. For although the Lord is near to all who call upon Him in truth, and is known to perform the will of those who fear Him, it is impossible for a soul that has once departed from the body to return again. The man of God, not being unaware of this, gathered himself wholly and, lifting up not only his hands but also the eyes of his heart to God, said: "O Christ, only-begotten Son of the Father without beginning, in whom we both believe and hope, our strength and our refuge, Your word does not fail, nor the promise made to Your disciples: 'If you have faith, nothing shall be impossible for you.'" Having spoken these things to God in secret, he commanded the dead body of the boy to be placed before him; then, having knelt and prayed at length, he rose and said with a confident voice to the one lying there: "He who called Lazarus from the tomb on the fourth day, calls you through me, His servant." And immediately—O divine power! O abyss of goodness! O spectacle, difficult to believe or be persuaded of even by the eyes that saw it!—he rose in the sight of all, and the dead man was restored alive to his parents, a miracle which seems incomprehensible not only to the ears of those who were not present at the event, but even to the very eyes of those who beheld it, inasmuch as it surpasses belief by its own magnitude. ^B

CHAPTER XXI.

^C 164. The miracle concerning the dead man had not yet fully reached its end for Symeon, when they brought to him another man, curved, and not only unable to raise himself in any way, but having his neck, head, and whole body so contracted and impeded that he had the free use of no limb. As soon as he saw Symeon, he cried out with the most pitiful voice he could: "Have mercy on me, servant of the most high God." Thus invoked, he laid his hand on the man's neck—a hand empowered by divine invocation—and, having loosened the bonds, restored his head to him; then with the same hand he struck the man's back, and by that very stroke granted him the expulsion of pain, the loosening of his limbs, and the free use of his whole body. And thus the fetters of his limbs and the paralysis of his body, which had held him for five and thirty years (as he himself declared), were in one touch and one stroke miraculously resolved, at a time when he had been able to hear his infirmity being publicly declared by the sufferer himself.

^D 165. Then there were brought to him two young women, one with a bound tongue and the other deaf in her ears; yet each of them had been afflicted with this defect from their very birth. The servant of God was moved...

^A with compassion for the flower of their youth, so as to sigh sympathetically over them, and looking up to heaven, full of hope that he might draw down help from thence, he put his finger into the mouth of the one and into the ears of the other—straightway loosening the tongue of the one and opening the ears of the other, so that the one could speak and the other could hear, both of them freely. 166. ^A Regarding these, let it also be said, the same power of the man before God, and his kindness towards those in need of compassion. For a certain man was brought to him, quite advanced in age and gray-haired, in whom, through your working, O envious enemy of the human race and hostile adversary of our salvation, ^B there was nothing that was not discordant and indecent. For, driven always by the demons who were agitating him, he would wander through the whole city; what blasphemies did he not utter! What shameful acts did he leave unperformed! And whosoever happened upon him by day or by night was not far from danger; for seizing them with a violent and insane impulse, he would tear their garments to shreds, and throwing his hands about their necks, he would attempt to stifle them unawares. Nor did his fury stop here, but he was seen to gnaw and lacerate his own flesh (O miserable man!) with his teeth, and to commit other acts even more savage than these. It was the holy and venerable Thursday, on which our Lord and God supped with his disciples and was betrayed by one of them; when, ^C happening upon a she-ass, he pulled out its tongue and, seizing it firmly with his teeth (alas, what a spectacle!), he bit it and cut it off, and chewed it to pieces with his teeth, drinking and licking the blood that flowed around his mouth—and this in such venerable gray hair, and extreme old age, and at the sunset of his life: a sight which so disturbed the eyes of those who beheld it that it drew forth tears, and they lamented the wretch and prayed for his death as a benefit for him. Meanwhile, the ass, though so cruelly treated by him and mutilated in its tongue, suffered nothing further, while the demon that ^D possessed the man remained, performing his work as if experiencing no pain. 167. The old man is therefore led to the divine man, and as soon as he saw him, he was at once suspended by the demons dwelling within him, as if they could not endure the sight of the saint. The saint asked them why they had acted so wildly against the old man. And they, weeping bitterly—as if stung by the very presence of the man like a cruel whip—said, "For this purpose we were sent, that we might cast him into either water or fire; for they are, alas for such madness, the diligent ministers and executors of such deeds." Therefore for five days and nights alike, he had been tortured in various ways by these inhabitants and severely vexed; then the servant of God, having severely chided them, ordered them to depart from the man and never again to enter into him: and the command was effective. For they, having cried out much and shaken the man, straightway departed, no longer

^A daring to return to him. But he, delivered from that cruel storm and tempest, stood entirely restored to himself and in possession of his mind, and he behaved with a temperance and dignity in his state corresponding to his former unseemliness and disorder. As for the donkey—for it is not right to leave this out—a little dust taken from the saint brought about the immediate healing of its tongue.

168 After this there are brought to him two men, each of them begging for that one of his feet be healed; for in one of the two the foot had rotted, and it was stronger than the art of physicians, while in the other the affliction was almost congenital, pressing upon him for forty years. But for the one, dust from that land mingled with water, and for the other, touch supplemented by prayer, became a saving medicine; and each returned to his own home, no longer carried, groaning and weeping as before, but leaping and rejoicing, having recovered the use of the foot such as youths possess. When they were healed, Symeon’s presence was a delightful ^B spectacle to a certain blind man who had been brought up. For on the very first night after his arrival, the blind man seemed to see a youth, clothed in a garment of hair, splendid in appearance, naked of foot, carrying a rod in his right hand—it was a palm branch—and saying, "Give glory to God." Now the vision so perfectly imitated the truth that when the blind man awoke he supposed he was still holding the hand of the one who had appeared, and he wanted to kiss it, nor would he allow his lips to be torn away from it; for something of the sort had been shown to him in his sleep. When at dawn on the following day he was led to the saint, and after he had marked his eyes with the sign of the cross [(of Your ineffable goodness, O Christ and King! 1)], the blind man saw immediately. And, having beheld the divine Symeon, and his heart being set aflame at his sight, he declared that he was the very one who had appeared in his dream, and he sought to take hold of his hand, the sight of which the night had allowed him to possess; and he did not cease to pour out the story of his sweet dream with full mouth into the ears of those present.

Chapter XXII.

How those who were insolent toward the saint and his image were punished by the aforementioned miracle and judgment: and of the indulgence and mercy to be shown to the guilty; and of his foreknowledge.

^C 169 There came during this time certain men of Antioch, suffering from a grievous impiety, so as neither to admit that any sin of the flesh should be called to account in judgment, nor to await the resurrection of human bodies or an examination and retribution of the things done in this life; but some maintained that all things are governed by the course of the stars, and blindly gave way to their configurations and movements against providence; others designated fortune and chance as the authors; others, finally, asserted some transmigration of souls and fate. These men, having approached the divine Symeon, engaged him in discussion, both with the demonstrative sophistry in which they believed themselves to excel, and with persuasive counter-arguments. But there sat upon the lips of the saint a certain divine power of persuasion, against which none of these babblers—men who abounded in ill-fame rather than wisdom—could contradict. And how much greater was the virtue of power and of signs against them, ^D

and the more they were driven to madness against him. ^A

170. Indeed, it happened to a certain man of Antioch, a common workman, that the respiratory passages through which the breath enters and exits, circulating, became obstructed. When he had been held by this affliction for a long time, and already thought he was being smothered, he betook himself to holy Symeon. Having obtained health and returned home, as a testimony of his gratitude and a memorial of such a great benefit, he set up an icon of the saint before his doorway, adorning it not only with lamps but also with curtains and tapestries. When impious and wicked men saw this, boiling with envy, they gathered a band of their own kind and came running in a troop, shouting with a loud voice (O God, what great things have the enemies devised against your holy one!): "Take him away, who did such things; let the sign be pulled down immediately." But that workman, by Divine providence beyond a doubt, was absent from his workshop at that very time; otherwise, he would not have escaped the hands of the rioters unscathed. ^B

171. Therefore, turning all their rage against the icon, they commanded one of the soldiers—a man of the same flour and infidelity as themselves—to climb up by means of a ladder and pull it down. He, having settled on the ascent as ordered, and already attempting to lay hands upon it—by those hands, O Christ, which you lifted up against their pride, he was suddenly cast down from there by a heavy fall. Although this struck no little fear into the minds of others, it increased the anger of the impious all the more. Therefore, they tried to bring another man to do it, accusing the former of cowardice; but they saw him suffering the very same things rather than doing them, having been cast down by an equal fate. Yet even so, those madmen did not understand; but closing and blinding their eyes to a truth so manifest, they added a third. For when he had reached out his hands against the icon, ignorant that he was instead using them against himself, he was likewise cast down and lay prostrate, worthy of far greater mockery than the former, because he had become no wiser by their example. Then, indeed, covering their faces for shame, they went away, pitiable for their attempt, but still more pitiable for their misfortune; the faithful, however, rejoiced, and their mouths were filled with joy and their tongues with exultation. ^C

172. When these things were reported to Symeon, he cared little for himself or for the insult offered to him, but burning with all zeal against the blasphemies uttered against his own Master, he remained steadfast in prayer, in the customary exercise of his heart, mouth, and lips. But God, the just dispenser and legislator, was not unmindful of vengeance. For Symeon, caught up in spirit, seemed to see these things. He imagined that he was in Constantinople, in the imperial palace, and that a certain man, to whom great power had been granted in the ^D

^A East, was being guided by the Spirit, and that he was walking through the squares of Antioch; and that the river Jordan was following him, and that the paradise which is in Eden seemed to be revealed; and how a most wicked beast, hiding in a certain cave, was brought out from there and led through the midst of the city, reviled; and how that ruler inflicted on many men who were being disposed [to him] wounds not far from death, so that all flesh was quite terrified; and how one of his acquaintances, having stood by the ruler for examination, was released by him immune from evils and danger.

173. Simeon recounted these things to his disciples as he had seen them; and next he clearly explained what the things seen meant: how a terrible ruler would come, and would rebuke them for their impiety, and would condemn some to the most savage form of death. For the Jordan which followed symbolically indicates that their entire warring against God would be submerged, just as the paradise being revealed once again signifies that the good deeds of the righteous would be proclaimed with confidence. However, the beast being led around would be the deception of the devil, by which vain men, placing their hope in idols, were led astray; and when exposed, it would vanish, though it had ^B for some time been hiding and mostly concealed. He also indicated, by the one who appeared to be standing before the ruler for examination, that he was being warned to guard himself in the future against the conversations of wicked men, and that he should know to pay closer attention to himself. Now Simeon had predicted these things; and not four months had passed, when a certain man who had received great authority over the East, Amantius by name—a man educated, commanding, using reason, unwavering in judgment, free in soul, and more strict than a yoke regarding justice, as zealous for virtue as he was against vice, and at the extreme in both—arrived in Antioch. Even before he reached Antioch, he had rooted out all the wickedness he could throughout the East, wielding the sword of his office more sharply against such men, so that everyone feared and trembled at his presence, not only the base or the evildoers, but also those whose life featured much mildness and moderation. ^C Such was the consternation caused by the presence of this man.

174. This man, searching diligently for many among the Greeks and atheists in Antioch—those who were gaping at the configurations and conjunctions of the stars, which they had devised against Divine Providence—captured those who were notably more prominent than the rest, and having shut them up in prisons, he seized all their books, from which their false wisdom and notions against the truth ^D were derived, as well as many things they argued against Divine Providence, especially those produced by the more illustrious among them, and he committed them to prison. He punished others with beheading, some with the amputation of limbs, and the majority with the loss of their property. From this, a great fear fell upon all parts of the East. Hence it is further gathered that all the things recounted from the beginning of this chapter up to this point, according to the numbers [given], happened within the space of one year or at most a year and a half.

those that were produced; he gathered not only these, but likewise all the idols in which they trusted as if they were gods: "For their silver and their gold they made idols for themselves, and they worshipped that which their own fingers had made," ^A that I may speak with the prophets Osea and Isaiah. And indeed he kindled no small flame from their books, having cast them into the fire in the middle of the marketplace; but he manifestly demonstrated the impotence and weakness of the idols by hanging them up at the crossroads and in the streets, and showing them to be nothing more than what they appear to be, works of hands and of art; nothing else than what the craftsmen desire them to be, that I may again use the words of the prophets. He also stood, he who long ago had appeared to Symeon in a vision, having been called for questioning before the prince: but a certain monk, very similar to Symeon, having taken him by the hand, snatched him from the impending judgment, the prince bearing the event leniently.

175. It happened at the same time that a certain beggar among those who are here came to Symeon, and having asked for and received something of his earth, he returned to Antioch ^B to his own hut, and encountered another among his neighbors, a beggar himself, lying prone with his feet and hands struck by paralysis; who, having been sprinkled with the aforementioned dust by the other man, seemed to himself to see a certain monk, in face and hair very similar to Symeon, extending his hand to him as he lay, and as if by command raising him up; and behold (how shall I declare, O Lord, thy power!) the paralytic immediately stood forth whole, having recovered the most expeditious use of his hands and feet.

176. But the judge or prince of whom I spoke (for our discourse proceeds to the remaining matters), sitting again before the tribunal of justice, and having commanded the prisoners to be brought forward one by one and in groups, and having delivered a sentence of condemnation appropriate to the deserts of each, left one of them (who had committed more serious ^C sins, and had been the author and inciter of popular seditions and the recent tumults) in prison, reserving him for the gravest torments. Meanwhile, a certain poor monk, approaching Symeon, and having made mention, as is custom, of that prisoner, prayed for a prosperous outcome for him, God willing: "For," he said, "he stood by me as I was praying in the church (he added also the name of the temple), and having heard what I was asking for, he bought this hair-shirt, for which I was in the most urgent need." Another beggar also said: "But to me, encountering me on the road, he bestowed a significant alms for my sustenance." Again, another taking up the word said: "That same man," he said, "took up an infant exposed by its mother and crying, and hunting with diligent inquiry, he found a woman who ^D had recently given birth, and committed the infant to her to nurse and to feed, having meanwhile given two gold pieces, and whatever else was needed for the upbringing

^A

177. Having heard these things, Symeon was seized with greater compassion for the man, and he humbly implored the divine benevolence on his behalf. For it had already been fixed and decided by the judge to load the man onto a ship, to set it on fire, and to commit it to the sea, so that the two elements, fire and water, might in a manner share the wretched man between them. Such was the decision fixed and standing in the judge's mind, and the prisoner in custody was gripped by a fear corresponding to the magnitude of the evil so imminent. But the mercy which he had exercised toward the needy bade Symeon hope for all things milder, turning his eyes in turn toward the mercy of God, who accepts even a cup of cold water and is wont to reward good intentions abundantly. ^B

178. Meanwhile, a certain farmer from his fields came to the saint and inquired as to what judgment had finally been pronounced against the captive, asking him to declare what had been decided and decreed concerning him. Taking this up, the saint replied confidently: "Not a hair shall fall from his head, even if all the princes of the earth were gathered against him." For he was not prophesying of his own accord according to the prince's calculation, but rather according to what had been judged and ratified by divine decree. He then also exhorted the farmer to serve him as much as he could while he was in custody: "So that," he said, "it may go well with you from him hereafter." The man ran at full speed to the prison, carrying the most auspicious news of salvation to the condemned man; for he knew—he knew well—that the prophecy spoken by the holy man could not fail, having been persuaded by many things already mentioned, and indeed by many more, to hope well for current events. The next day, when the prince sat again at the tribunal and ordered the prisoner to be summoned from custody, those who were present hung in suspense of mind, caught between hope and fear. But the judge, looking upon him with a benign and placid countenance, contrary to the expectation of all, dismissed him free from all judgment. He, hurrying to the saint, confessed openly to all that his preserved life was a gift of the saint, believing that by his prayers and intercession he had been exempted from a most shameful and bitter death. Thus, therefore, none of the things that the saint had predicted were frustrated in their outcome, but the deeds responded in all respects to the prophecies by their very event. But the rest of his miracles are to be pursued in order. ^{C D}

CHAPTER XXIII. Colic pains cured, the disobedient are punished: things hidden are known to Symeon.

179. A certain old man, a vine-dresser, from a farm called Sambus, was busy cultivating his vines when he thought his wife was calling him. Turning around suddenly, he saw no wife, for it was a certain demonic phantom, the woman being at home and well; but he began to be twisted in his bowels, which became such an unbearable and miserable burden that his very knees gave way. Therefore, with much labor and toil

^A he reached Saint Symeon, and before his pillar he writhed in misery; he declared what had happened, not so much in words as with tears flowing abundantly upon the ground, and begged for relief from his calamity. The saint said to him, "Go, but once you have crossed the river and climbed the mountain opposite, give glory to God through me." He, receiving these words into the furrows of his heart like good seed, as soon as he had climbed the mountain opposite, turned toward the man of God’s pillar, and raising his hands along with his hopes and heart to heaven, while casting his knees and face to the ground, he called upon God, with Symeon as his mediator, for deliverance from the necessity that possessed him. And immediately (who would not be amazed to hear of such a miracle?) that immense swelling vanished, and all his limbs were correctly and naturally restored. Therefore, as many as were witnesses of that calamity—those, indeed, who had lent a helping hand and transported him up the mountain—he also made witnesses of the miracle; and having shown how he had been delivered from his maladies, they returned together to the Saint, and together confessed and acknowledged the benefit.

180.

to collapse, had not some of those present held him up with their hands.

181. Nor was the throng of spectators, who stood by for such a great prodigy, any less struck by amazement. One Angulas, long since an instrument of the demon for the perpetration of evil, proclaimed from the midst of the crowd: "The tumor, as we see, has departed; but what of this great fold of skin, or what if it should be filled up again with the tumor? For such things are naturally no small scandal to me." The great Symeon, however, knowing this to be a temptation of our envious enemy—and [knowing] how much he was using the tongue of that wretched man—breathed upon the shameless one so as to repel the enemy's power from him, and said, "He who made so great a tumor soften and vanish, is he not also able to gather up and constrict the skin again?" And thus, he repressed the assault of the ancient foe at that time; but we shall turn to complete the rest of our account.

182. A certain monk, ^B enclosed in the region of Laodicea in Syria, becoming weary of his long-term confinement and frequent solitude, took the journey to the divine Symeon as an occasion no less opportune for his peace; and he had already signaled with what burning desire he was possessed to worship him, and that he was already standing ready for the journey. But he, not ignorant of the pusillanimity into which that man had fallen, replied: "It is neither pious nor proper for one to cease worshipping God in His holy court—which is the monk's cell, resplendent and filled with all virtues—and come instead to worship a man. 'Wait for the Lord,' says the divine David, 'and keep His way' (Ps. XXXVI, 34)." These words restrained the monk for that moment; but since the passion soon gained the mastery, he went out, forsaking not only his peace and his cell, but, alas, falling into fornication—a fall worthy of what tears, worthy of what lamentations!

183. Afterward, however, he came to the Saint, ^C making no mention whatever of the sin itself (such are the artifices of the evil one, and such is the shame, innate to human souls, regarding the confession of one's own malice), but bitterly bewailing only his loss of his habitual peace. But he [the Saint], seeing with eyes that are invisible the things that are hidden, and wishing to cleanse the monk from that grievous defilement, said: "I do not sympathize with you for having broken through the wall of your cell (since it is easy for you to return afterwards and re-enter), but because you have destroyed the bulwark of your soul and, alas, ^D have been carried off as a captive by the enemy, having fallen into fornication." These things struck the monk with terror and, at the same time, brought him to shame: partly by the freedom of the reproof regarding the things which he thought had been done in secret, and partly by the magnitude of the disgrace with which he had wretchedly branded himself. And he prostrated himself, as much as he could

^A shedding hot tears upon the ground; and he confessed the very time of his fall, saying that this was the fifth day since the transgression, and that he had been snatched by him, having already become a prize for the enemy. But Symeon, having armed him with prayer and the sign of the cross, made him invincible henceforth to the enemy; and he also made his disciples more circumspect, warned by this example that nothing, even if done in secret, remained unexplored by Symeon.

184. This indeed demonstrates how things remote and far away were shown to Symeon as if they were present before his eyes; but our discourse wishes also to add other manifestations of the same power as that already mentioned. It happened that, at the time when the fruits were ripe, a certain man was ascending the wonderful mountain, and because of the heat of the season and the steepness of the path, he succumbed to the violence of his thirst and fell upon the ground, and was all but fainting. Now it was the time when the evening prayers were being chanted, which the holy man was, according to his custom, offering up to God together with his disciples; at that moment, having called two of them, he instructed them, upon taking bread and water, to go down the usual mountain path, for they would find someone prostrated on the ground, breathing slightly and failing, and that they should restore to him the strength that had failed him. But, he said, there is need for haste, lest death, anticipating us, takes away the little breath that remains. They, running as they had been commanded, found the man lying on the road, all but dead, except for his breathing; having therefore lifted him up, and carrying him to the lower monastery, they with great difficulty and late were able to restore to him his lost strength.

185. At a time when charcoal was lacking in the monastery, ^B the brothers in the evening were exchanging their thoughts and concerns with one another in great anxiety, when Symeon said to them: "Do not be anxious, for tomorrow a quantity of it will arrive, enough for the needs of the monastery; for I see a certain rustic man driving two mules, which are laden with the kind of charcoal you wish for." These things he spoke to the disciples at the beginning of the night; and at daybreak, the man arrived, bringing them to the monastery, just as Symeon had foretold. He had instructed his disciples not to grant familiarity to any worldly person anywhere, nor to engage in much conversation or talk with them, unless in a case of extreme necessity; and even then, not to linger long, but to break off the conversation as soon as possible, so that, passing their nights and days meditating on the divine psalms and laws, they might be diligent observers of the prescribed rules. Once, therefore, when the holy man had come nearer to the lower monastery, it seemed to him that he heard some of them speaking with seculars about matters that were not allowed by the given precepts. ^C Having therefore summoned them, and examining both the matter and the time, he found it to be exactly as he had seen it with his spiritual eyes; which fact struck no small amount of fear into the disciples, a faithful pledge of greater caution for the future.

186. A certain brother, who had been attested for his virtue, was sent for the purpose of obtaining salt; but by the traps of the devil, such ^D [marginal note: [alt-version omitted]]

^A or rather induced by false persuasions that presented the appearance of truth, he gained something more than was just—or rather, if you look at his soul, he suffered a great deal of loss. Simeon, since he knew this from afar, made it manifest to his disciples; then he summoned that brother, who had already returned, to himself, rebuked the deed, reproved the fraud, then received his confession, granted forgiveness, and effected his healing.

Some of the Ishmaelites came at one time to adore the holy man, and it happened that their mule got loose and went down a certain precipice of the mountain; and, as the bridle became fastened—as it often spontaneously happens—to a tree trunk, it was held there. ^B When they could not discover it even after a diligent three-day search, they approached the holy man, grieving and anxious in their souls. But he, as if he saw where the mule was tethered, called two of his disciples and ordered them to go there and, having released the animal, to restore it unharmed to its masters. And when this was done in this way, they returned to their own lands, having recovered the mule, proclaiming him to be a miraculous man.

CAPUT XXIV. S. Simeon foretells and predicts.

187. A certain advocate, John by name, a pious man who delighted in the fountain of life—that is to say, in the fear of God—hailing from a village subject to the city of Antioch, but at that time staying in the city itself, came to Simeon and shared with him certain things that concerned ^C himself: namely, whether the most holy patriarch Domninus intended to deem him worthy of the orders of the priesthood and to send him to the royal city for the sake of transacting matters of great moment; and he asked to learn what was the will of God. The holy man, answering with a confident spirit, just as if all things were set before his eyes, said: "Go, for you are already consecrated by God to preside upon the high throne of the Church of the Constantinopolitans; let this be known to you alone, until it becomes known to others by the event itself." And then he admonished him what that dignity was, and what sort of character befit it.

188. John, having seen how easily the holy man had fulfilled his desires, ^D further asked him to signify who was to be the successor to Justinian in the empire; for he was the one then governing the Roman empire. And he, having first imposed silence regarding the secret matter, said: "Justin." Having therefore understood these things, and being as it were well-instructed and armed with the prayers of the holy man, he was gladly initiated into the priesthood and with a swift foot betook himself to the royal city. When he was there, he indeed kept secret the prophecies that had been rendered to him by the servant of God, Simeon; yet he studied zealously (—what pusillanimity or desire for one's own advancement is in the minds of men!—) to come to the notice of Justin and to gain his favor for himself by all means.

And when he was at some time alone with him, he revealed to him the secrets of his prophecy; and from that time he was numbered among the intimates of Justin, inasmuch as he had brought news combined with pleasure, and he sat at his table for the most part. Not long after, Eutychius ^A is cast out from the see of Constantinople, and this same John Scholasticus is put in his place, with God inclining Justinian toward such a decision, who himself did not prolong his life long after that; and the empire passed to Justin, just as the saint had long before clearly predicted that each event would come to pass.

189. Justin, therefore, not only because it had been predicted by Symeon that he would ascend the throne of the empire, but because it had actually come to pass, bore toward him such trust and affection as it was fitting for one to have who had received such a prophecy from him. Wherefore, when his daughter was possessed by a demon and was being most grievously tormented—a matter the emperor kept secret, since to others it seemed a shame for the emperor that the girl should suffer such an affliction—he ^B begged by secret letters that the saint would grant him the favor of allowing the girl to be brought to him, which seemed to the emperor to be the guarantee of the girl’s safety; for he knew from the abundance of benefits bestowed by him upon others through miracles, that his own daughter would not return without help. Symeon, however, without delay (let us consider, I pray, how great his grace was) writes back in this manner: "Take courage, Emperor, and render thanks to God, the Benefactor; for your daughter is healed of the wound inflicted upon her." Nor did the event differ from the letter, as appeared by the outcome: for as soon as the letter was delivered to the emperor, the vexation of the demon ceased.

190. ^C When this same Emperor Justin fell into infirmity, John, whom our discourse has already shown to be the patriarch of the Constantinopolitan see—both because of the close intimacy that existed between him and Justin, and because of the confidence he had placed in Symeon; and, finally, because he was firmly persuaded that it was impossible for such prompt and great aid to be present from elsewhere—sent to Symeon, entreating that he should again intercede with God so that the emperor might rise from his sickness. ^D Symeon, however, not being ignorant of the state in which his affairs were, orders a report to be made that he should allow nothing of healing to be admitted from those who have denied God, and that health would come swiftly. The emperor, paying little heed to the saint’s precepts, delivered himself to a certain man named Timothy, a Hebrew by religion, who in books and the medical art seemed versed, but in reality was most addicted to incantations (for he studied to come to the notice of Justin and to gain his favor for himself by all means.

^A and as if he had taken the queen of cities and were inside the palace, observing the things done by the Jew, he felt distressed at these things and deemed them unbearable. These things he made manifest to the patriarch, and he thought it worthy to bear witness to the king as if from him, and to urge him to abstain from such things.

191. The patriarch reported this not only to the emperor, but also to his spouse, who was even more intensely devoted to such trifles. But they were so far from abstaining that they even introduced to the Hebrew a certain woman from among those who utter empty words from their belly ^B, in order that through her the nature of the disease might be more clearly known. Against such as these, the divine Micah [*] well predicted that darkness shall be to them instead of divination, and the sun shall set upon them, and the day shall grow dark upon them. Meanwhile, another vision again appeared to Symeon; it was as follows: He himself was again transported to the palace of the emperor, and saw him in the place where he was accustomed to receive those who approached him. And of a sudden the heavens were opened, and a certain divine power descended from thence, which stripped him of his royal robe, and took the diadem from his head, and said to him: "Be an object of mockery in the mouth of all the people, because you have placed your hope in a lie, and have not committed yourself and your affairs to God, but have rather given ear to a demon and the works of demons." The saint communicated these things with tears and grief to those present; and he informed the patriarch of the whole ordering of the matter, so that he might propose nothing henceforth in the emperor’s favor. Not long after, a report spread throughout the whole of Epirus and the sea that the emperor had lost his mind: which death soon followed.

192. "Let us pray, brothers," holy Symeon said at one time to his disciples, "for the Church of Antioch. ^C For I imagined that I saw its presiding bishop, Domninus, ascending the altar, and seating himself there, and as it were snoring, and afterwards descending from there, and standing on the right side of the altar, with the crowd of bystanders meanwhile thinking that he was praying; and remaining there for some time, he said: 'I shall go to my bed'; and that certain monks from Palestine then celebrated the most holy sacrifice." Afterward, he also added the explanation of the vision, how Domninus was to finish his life, and a certain monk, deriving his lineage from Palestine, was to be inducted into his throne. Which, not long after ^D

that, came to pass; and when Domninus had departed this life, Anastasius, a Palestinian, ascended the throne.

^A 193. There was a certain phylarch among the Persians, a man of great strength, Almundarus by name, a Gentile in religion, and in the size of his body not far behind the giants: of whom the prophet Amos might have said: *His height was like the height of the cedar, and he was strong as the oak* (Amos II, 9). He laid waste the lands of the Romans with constant incursions, just as if no one were able to join battle against the barbarian; and as many Christians as he had taken captive, he felt no pity for them, but put them to death with the most cruel tortures. At that time, he invaded the Roman empire with a hostile army; against him, Arethas, the supreme commander of the Romans, led forth his forces. The whole of the Orient, therefore, was trembling with violent fear; but to Symeon a certain vision was shown, as his disciples heard from his own mouth.

^B 194. It seemed to him that he had been carried to a small hill on the border of the Persian and Roman empires, and that he was standing in the middle of that battle line which Arethas was leading for the Romans. Opposite him, with Almundarus, a crowd of barbarians was invading, so innumerable that the army of Arethas, having seen the enemy, was almost thrown into flight by fear. But when they had come to hand-to-hand fighting, and those with Arethas could not withstand the onslaught of Almundarus, who was fighting with rage rather than reason: "There stood," he says, "an angelic spirit before me, holding a fiery globe; and as I fervently prayed, he cast it upon the head of the barbarian, and more quickly than can be said, he repressed his arrogance. ^C Henceforth, therefore, my children and brothers, be of good cheer; for today liberty has been restored to the Orient by God." These things had been said by the man of God, when after a few days a joyous report was brought to Antioch: which the disciples, comparing with the prophecy of Symeon, discovered to have occurred at the same time, not only of the day, but even of the hour, at which these things had been predicted. Then also soldiers came to him from the conflict, confirming those things which we have just spoken of regarding the hill and the invasion of the barbarians; even saying, moreover, that they had obtained conspicuous aid from God for the overthrow of the enemies through the intercession of the holy Symeon: to whom they also clung until the end of their lives, offering themselves in gratitude for the salvation obtained.

^D 195. A certain Antiochene, Theodorus by name, possessed by a destructive demon, having gone up to the holy man,

^A accessed him and prayed most fervently for healing. The saint ordered him to return to his own home; "For there," he said, "you shall see us, resting upon your bed." Without adding any further word, the demoniac returned as quickly as his pace would allow. But when he arrived at the river, violent rains that had fallen into the Melas (for that was the name of the river) had swollen the channel. What did he do? He had so much confidence in the words of the saint, or rather he was so eager to carry them out—partly because of his command, but mostly from a longing for healing—that he took no account of the river, even though it was then large and flowing rapidly, and attempted to cross it.

196. And indeed, having been swept away by the river, he was brought into extreme peril; but at that very time, Symeon had cut short his conversation with the disciples (for he had been discussing with them at that moment matters concerning salvation) and had given himself over to prayer instead. Afterward, with a more cheerful countenance, he turned to them and set forth what had happened to that man: how, that is, he had dared to attempt the crossing of the raging river, and how, as he was about to be swept away by the violence of the waters, he himself seemed to have taken him by the hand and pulled him out. And so, he explained to the disciples everything that had befallen the man at that hour, as if he had been present and clearly seeing each detail; and the man himself, at the time when the lamps are wont to be lit, ^B arrives safely and unharmed at his house, and, leaning back upon his bed, he suddenly sees the holy Symeon, appearing altogether terrible to the demon and inflicting grievous tortures upon it. And so, having spent that whole night in bitter and mournful wailing, the wretch kept crying out, "I am already departing!" And when the demon had been perfectly cast out, the man returned gladly to the saint, reporting what had happened to him—how, namely, the saint had appeared to him, not only when he was lying on his bed, but even earlier, when he was in danger in the river; how, there, he had driven out the grave demon, and here, he had ^C delivered him from a more grievous peril and granted a benefit no less than what he had asked, except that it was even more unexpected.

197. As some of the brethren were sleeping in the field of the monastery below, while others had gathered at midnight to confess their sins to the Lord with Symeon, "I seemed," the saint said, "to see a leopard leaping forth from its lair and standing over the head of one of the brethren in the field, so as to tear him apart and gorge itself on his blood and flesh, and as I, through prayer, was driving the beast away." Such was the narrative of Symeon, related to his disciples; but the event itself was taking place with the one who was sleeping, who, having been awakened, perceived the beast at his head. Not knowing, therefore, what to do in the sudden and unexpected danger to his life, he invoked the ready and invincible power, the name of the divine Symeon, and the assistance that is accustomed to follow from it; and he, appearing immediately to the one calling him, ^D drove away the beast. The brother, therefore, at daybreak having turned...

^A toward the column, was full of wonder, and with astonishment recounted what he had seen; but he found others overcome by a greater amazement, inasmuch as they themselves were already recounting among themselves what had happened to him, having anticipated the arrival of another. Thus, the divine Symeon, having transcended all coarseness and material affection, and having joined and familiarized himself as much as possible with those blessed spirits, was deemed worthy to foresee many things that were to come, and to see as if present those things that were far distant from him. But it is now time to pass on to the following matters.

198. A certain man, from among those who hew stones for the buildings of the city, having been maimed in his left eye by the wickedness of a demon, had been deprived of the wages he had received for his manual labor. He was robust in his faith toward the Saint, though otherwise he was somewhat dull and of rustic character. He came to Symeon and, throwing himself entirely upon the ground, mourned the loss of his money. The holy Symeon, having with difficulty raised the man, ordered him to draw near; and when he had impressed upon him the invincible sign of the Lord’s Cross, the evil spirit immediately began to howl, and almost tore the man asunder, and begged to be released. Therefore, it was immediately expelled with a rebuke, and to the eye of the sufferer, light was restored more clearly than he had hoped; so that the gift given was much more excellent than what he had asked for, in the manner that happened to Saul, although he, while seeking [donkeys], obtained a kingdom; ^B even though the light of the eye is far more precious than the kingdom itself. Having thus obtained healing, the man was so struck with admiration and amazement that he was silenced, his voice failing him; but Symeon spoke to him in secret, saying, "There is a great difference between light and money. Give thanks, therefore, to God who has bestowed upon you the greater gift and is able to grant even the lesser. Go, therefore, keeping to the former norm of righteous living; for thus God will never despise you, and you shall also suddenly find your gold." With these words, he returned rejoicing, not only because he was better, the demon having been cast out and his eye illuminated beyond his hope, but also because of the promise of the recovery of the money; and when he reached his home, he found it upon his bed, like a second light to his eyes; for the loss of that money, on account of his poverty, had troubled him no less than his blindness.

199. A certain woman of Antioch, having been robbed of her property by some ^D familiar, hastened quickly to the column, persuaded that she would find there a remedy for her calamity, since she was moved by an eminent faith in the Saint; and she explained what had happened with weeping. To whom the man of God said: "A criminal," he said, "has stolen these things, but go, being in no way despondent; on the contrary, be even more confident, as one who will not fail to recover them." She, having heard such things from that prophetic tongue, and one deemed worthy to speak surely of the future, considering that she had already found what was lost and imagining that she had it with her, returned rejoicing, her soul free from anxiety about them. When her neighbors asked her upon her return what the Saint had finally said about the stolen items, and especially about the author of the theft himself, who was more interested than the others (for he himself was...

^A *perfidious* to the woman), she, trusting in the promises of the Saint as if they had already been fulfilled, said, "I have found my things, and they are already safely in my storehouse." But he who had the stolen goods, and knew perfectly well that they were hidden right by him, the more curiously he inquired, the more insolently he mocked and ridiculed the woman within himself; nay, he even openly broke into laughter. But the mocker was soon turned into madness; the miserable wretch stretched out his hands and bit them, and cried out in a wretched manner. To these things he added a confession of the theft, and pointed out where he had hidden them; finally, he did everything that those possessed by demons are accustomed to do. Thus, all the stolen goods were brought back to the woman—not only those which had been taken in the recent theft, but also those which had been lost before. But he who had committed the theft continued to be possessed by the demon, paying, as it were, the penalty ^B for such great injustice, until those who were present, and even the very woman herself who had suffered the theft, being moved by compassion, interceded with common prayers and tears to God and to Symeon, the corrector of the evildoer. Their request was immediately granted, and the sufferer was delivered from the evil spirit, becoming a universal lesson for all to turn away from wickedness.

200. A certain wild boar from the forest was devastating the fields of the lower monastery, and causing such great distress ^C to the monks that they did not know what course of action to take. They went, therefore, to the holy Symeon and begged him to order the beast to depart from there. But he said, "To those who love God with all their might, all things are subject, just as they were before the fall of Adam. If you also love Him in this way, that animal will be given as prey to the teeth of another beast, which will leave your fields unharmed, and you will quickly be free from such damage." After Symeon had said these things, one of the brothers saw that night in a dream a lion being driven by the Saint, and that great boar being delivered up as prey to the lion beneath the ^D feet of the brothers. Upon waking from sleep, he discovered that what he had seen in the night had come to pass: for the lion, having devoured the boar, had lain down on that very path. The crowds, therefore, finding the tracks of the lion and the blood of the boar along the road, came in a state of agitation to the Saint, begging him to drive the lion away from there. He, calling one of his disciples, said, "Go to the lion and say to him: 'The following is proclaimed by Symeon: You have performed your duty well; now, therefore, you may depart, until there is need of you again.'" When he had spoken these words to the lion, all saw it rise at once and depart toward the mountains of Laodicea (for it had been summoned thence), and it made its withdrawal as wondrous as its arrival had been, though both were wondrous in the highest degree.

CHAPTER XXV. Unbelievers are punished: the converted are healed: other benefits.

201. Not far from Antioch, in the place called Apatē, there was a workshop of Isaurians, a marvel to the astonishment of those who saw it, in which workers labored at cutting stones for the use of houses and the walls of the city. One of them, flourishing in the prime of life, a Gentile in religion,

^A having gone to a certain grove that also belonged to his Gentile master to gather wood, and having placed upon himself a load too heavy for his strength, he was suddenly struck with paralysis so that he could not use any member of his body. His companions then picked him up and, bringing him to the Saint, placed him before his benign eyes—a man, to tell the truth, in a miserable state. The saint touched the man in his usual way and signed him, but since the paralytic remained as he was, feeling no relief, Symeon immediately understood the cause and said: "Why is it that the divine grace held back its effect from you? Are you perhaps, my man, believing in idols and not in God?" When he protested that he knew nothing of such a thing, the saint, knowing that he was lying and had stubbornly hardened his soul in his present evil state, said: "Go now; Christ, the lover of mankind, will visit you at your home, when you have transferred your worship to Him."

202. His companions therefore carried him home again, ^B where he lay despairing of health, with his sister, whom he had as a beggar, providing his necessities of life. The third year was already pressing upon the man as he lay there; but he, too, having come to hate the long-standing illness and recognizing that there was no help in the error of idolatry, understood that his worship must be changed—God, in His wisdom, thus arranging it (such are His judgments!) so that by the long duration of the affliction He might draw him to Himself. Believing therefore with all his strength in God, he persisted in prayers night and day, using Symeon as a mediator, that he might at last be freed from his paralysis. It happened in the meantime that a certain blind man of that region came to the Saint and, by his touch and the sign of the cross, obtained his sight. He, being uncertain as to a worthy return of gratitude (for what is equal to one’s eyes?), ^C imposed this law upon himself: that on the day of each year on which he had become the recipient of such a wonderful benefit, he would distribute to the needy whatever he had earned by the labor of his own hands.

203. Once, then, he was fulfilling this law and was distributing bread of which he then had a supply, and was about to offer some to the paralytic also; when the sister stretched out her hand to receive it, he stopped her, commanding the sick man himself to receive it by stretching out his hands. And when those who were present cried out: "Do you not see that he lies there with his nerves dissolved, powerless to move even any single part of his body?"; he, confident in the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in Symeon, or rather moved by that Spirit, ^D with the clearest voice he could muster, said: "In the name of the servant of God Symeon, who dwells on the wonderful mountain, and who made me, who was blind, to see, stretch out your hands and receive the blessing." And immediately (how, O immortal Lord King, shall I sing of Thy mercies!) not only were his hands strengthened to take the bread, but whatever other member of his body also moved, fully healed according to the demands of nature. All who were present were stunned by the unusual magnitude of the prodigy; but the Saint appeared to him who had been healed in an invisible way, urging him to return home and smash the idols he had there. He, indeed, not only fulfilled the command...

^A exactly, but adding something further, he cast the shattered pieces into the fire; and by publicly revealing his former error, he showed that he was not being led by idle repentance.

204. That same man, being in the flower of his age, as we have said, sought to take as his wife the daughter of a certain Gentile, having first made such promises to God and to Symeon that he would not enter into the marriage until, having come to the column, he had praised God and our King with well-deserved encomiums, and rendered thanks to his physician, Symeon. But when the girl's father protested that he would not permit the marriage if it were not performed immediately, and even threatened to give his daughter to another man, he—postponing the pacts entered into with the Saint—yielded, albeit unwillingly, to the necessity imposed upon him by his father-in-law. This he did with almost all the neighbors gathered, who were Gentiles and devoted to ^B Gentile superstitions. But when the marriage had been celebrated and the banquet concluded, demons suddenly set upon them, not only the bridegroom and the father-in-law, but also the bride, her mother, her brothers, and as many as were attendants or promoters of the wedding. Divine justice, I think, was not so much offended by the neglect of the pacts as it was willing that these souls, having been led away from the error of idols, should be turned to the knowledge of the true God; which indeed happened immediately. For, casting aside the things that were in their hands, they all ran quickly to the Saint, not only asking for a cure, but also publicly proclaiming that the worship of their idols was erroneous, and, as if paying a price for the benefit they sought, offering their conversion to God. Symeon, therefore, being quick to pity, immediately set them free from the affliction of the demon, and having instructed ^C and admonished them in all things necessary for salvation, he sent them back home safe and sound, to celebrate the day of their conversion more splendidly than the day of their wedding.

205. Certain men from Cappadocia approached him, afflicted with various infirmities; one of them was mute. Now, while the others were healed by the Saint, this man alone remained speechless, having obtained no relief from that journey. They had remained there for three days and were about to depart the next morning when, having packed their burdens, they went to the Saint to receive his intercession and prayers as their provision for the journey. Among the others, the mute man, looking at the Saint, made a sad and miserable gesture; so much so that the Saint, moved by pity, raised his eyes to the inexhaustible mercy [of God], and turning his face away and placing his finger to his mouth, gently pressed his lips, then placed it ^D into the man's mouth. He, as if nursing from a breast, was immediately seen to speak clearly and to use his tongue naturally.

206. Again, others from Seleucia in the region of Caesarea approached Symeon, afflicted with various diseases. When all of them had obtained grace from Symeon, each one being delivered from the evil by which he was held, and after they had for some days [devoted] the labor of their hands to the needs of the monastery...

a maiden mature for marriage was present among them, who from her very birth had her tongue constrained, and being deaf in her ears was mute, having experienced no aid. Her father, because he was a father, was more grievously affected by this misfortune; and, with his entrails deeply moved by compassion, he approached Symeon, lamenting and weeping, and showing how great a sea he had crossed, and entreating with the greatest intensity that he should not be forced to travel back so great a distance bereft of comfort. The saint said to him: "Return, having taken your daughter: for it will not be difficult for God to visit you even as you are sailing." Filled with sweet hope upon hearing this speech, and having taken his daughter, the father committed himself to the sea. He had not yet completed half the journey when, a certain pleasant odor wafting toward him and those sailing with him—as is wont to be a sign of approaching Divine grace—the girl's tongue was loosened, and she was immediately speaking and hearing perfectly. This event struck all who were in the ship with astonishment and fear; but the father, deeming it unjust if, for so great a benefit, he should return home with no memory of gratitude left behind, boarded another ship accompanied by his daughter, and having returned to the saint, he now offered tears as an act of thanksgiving, just as he had previously shed them for his daughter.

^B 207. Another man from Daphne also had a daughter suffering from the same infirmities; his wife and his more intimate friends did not cease to urge him to bring his daughter to the common physician on the Miraculous Mountain, so that she too might be a participant in the healing along with many others. But he, hardened by a certain obstinacy, could not endure those things which were told about the saint as being little believable, and for the most part, he did not even deign to lend an ear to those who were telling them. Finally, however, yielding to the reproaches of many, he took his daughter with her mother and brought her to the pillar; and standing before the Saint, with an arrogant gesture and mind, he recounted the circumstances of her condition. The saint, answering in a low voice, said: "Return home with your daughter, and Christ will deem her worthy of His visitation there." From that time, heavy thoughts began to creep upon that man, and he began to repent that he had come to the pillar, and furthermore to utter insults and mockery against his friends, who had been the authors of such advice. But the mother of the girl, being prudent and burning with concern not only for her daughter but also for her husband, fearing lest some new evil result from the husband's obstinate unbelief toward the Saint, returned whence she had come; and having again thrown herself upon the ground in the sight of the Saint, and pouring forth tears as tokens of both sorrow and faith, she begged that the husband's unbelief be forgiven, and that it not stand in the way of the girl's healing. The Saint, with both a bright countenance and voice, said: "Go, and as I have said to you, it shall be from God."

208. When they had already reached their home, the

^A girl immediately used her tongue and had the power of hearing and addressing her parents. But a great terror seized the father at the sudden spectacle of the miracle, as he was far from belief in such things, or perhaps was paying the penalty for his unbelief concerning the holy man, so that he was confounded by shivering and fever and trembled in every limb. But having learned by experience his lesson—for he had been sufficiently schooled by what he suffered—he did not delay or procrastinate as before, but flying to the Saint with all possible speed, he acted before him with as much suppliant prayer and humility of mind as he had recently acted with swollen arrogance and pride; nor were the limbs of his body shaken more vehemently by the disease than was his own soul by the astonishing novelty of the miracle. Partly, he confessed that it was impossible to offer worthy thanks for his daughter; partly, he prayed that the tremor by which he was being shaken might cease. To these things, ^B Symeon, in accordance with his customary mercy, said: "In the name of the Lord Jesus, be you also whole." And thus one miracle was linked to another; I mean, the one that was performed in the daughter, and this one that was performed in the father. And straightway he stood feeling perfectly well, all in ecstasy, all in wonder, all in amazement—not with lips, nor with words, nor with long narratives, but rather by silence, by his posture, and by the composure of his countenance, proclaiming to those who were looking on the greatness of the miracles.

CHAPTER XXVI.

209. Much time later, it happened that a certain deacon of the village called Euthalii, Epiphanius by name, spoke against the divine Symeon out of ignorance, and insulted him and acted violently toward him, and openly condemned the manifest deception of those who were coming to him. Eventually, however, Epiphanius was deemed worthy of a divine vision from heaven ^C after the manner of Paul, fell to the ground as if dead, and was moved in his inmost being; he was commanded also, not to go to Damascus like that man, but to go up to the servant of God, Symeon, so that through him he might receive healing not only for his body, but for his soul as well. And so, no different from a lifeless burden, he was placed upon a beast of burden—a miserable sight—and, having been set down before the column as a pitiful spectacle, he heard a voice from heaven sent down by the holy Symeon, which said: "Behold, what you committed out of ignorance is forgiven you by the Lord; rise up, therefore, and do not persecute him ^D any longer by opening your mouth and speaking iniquity against us." By the power of these words, he was miraculously restored to himself, and he spoke the exact opposite of what he had been accustomed to say before, and with a full voice he proclaimed the power of God through His servant.

210. Bringing his sons who were possessed by demons, he received both back in health. Later, accompanying one of his children, he went to the Saint (for since he had by now experienced his virtue, he visited him frequently, and that all the more often because he had frequently rebuked those who did so before) and stayed in a certain upper room of the monastery. One of them

The child chanced to be sleeping in the monastery. It happened, however, that the boy, upon being pressed by a certain bodily need, rose up in the night; and since he happened to be standing by that part of the house where some of the holy Symeon's hairs chanced to be lying—whether through the envy of the malicious and evil nature and the activities rising from it, ^A or because the grace within them would not suffer it—the boy slipped and struck his head against a stone, and being grievously wounded and indeed crushed, he died. A great cry arose, and all who were present there came running together and found him dead. His father, however, being not at all troubled (for he knew clearly that a physician was at hand), quietly lifted up the dead boy and carried him to the saint. He touched the boy with his right hand and prayed over him to the only-begotten Son of God, who alone knows how to raise the dead to life (Ps. CXVII, 20): "Who shall recount thy mercies, O Lord?" The boy's soul returned, and the dead appeared living and breathing. Symeon, however, enjoined silence on the father and those with him, and ordered them to take the boy away so that he might take a little rest. This was done as commanded, and as the boy was sleeping quietly, blood suddenly flowed out through his ears, as if Symeon were acting as a surgeon through some invisible art. After his sleep, the boy was entirely healed, and he even eagerly took food, becoming a miracle to all, seen by those who looked and heard of by those to whom it was told.

211. The father of this boy, now become a brilliant herald for the great Symeon, as devoted to the propagation of his fame as he had previously been addicted to reviling ^B him, met a certain man who was called Babylas. He had reached about his fiftieth year, and was completely smooth and hairless—not only on his head and eyebrows, but also on his chin and his entire body—so that he was a laughingstock and a mockery to everyone. ^C Understanding him to be an unbeliever and unwilling to listen to any sound advice, he nevertheless persuaded him, not without difficulty, that the divine grace which resided in the holy Symeon had the power to make his hair grow according to the natural order; and, having persuaded him, he led him to the pillar, showing not only a fervent faith, but also remorse for his past behavior. Symeon said to him: "You yourself have until this day driven away the heavenly gift; but if you believe that what you ask is possible, it will happen to you from the Lord. Now, therefore, go home rejoicing, for your hair shall grow according to nature." The man received these promises from the holy Symeon as valid and certain, and returned home. ^D Lo, within three days, hair began to flourish for him, emerging from the roots as if imitating the growth of a newborn infant from the moment of its birth; and in a short time it adorned not only his head but also his chin, soon even decorated with gray hairs according to the natural requirements of his age, so that his state became a matter of wonder even to those who had previously made him a laughingstock.

212. A certain woman, who had been blinded in both eyes, came to the holy Symeon led by the hand; and just as she was about to enter the monastery, she cried out as loudly and as sonorously as she could, not so much with tongue and voice as with faith and

warmth of heart: “O holy Symeon, you who take me in who am blind, dismiss me seeing.” He, having been moved with compassion for her, and having laid his hands upon her eyes, she saw immediately and clearly. Then she brought also her daughter who was laboring under a malady; and he, in like manner laying his hands upon the child, said to the mother: “Return home now with your daughter; there you shall see the glory of God.” When both had returned, and the mother, as is wont to happen, was overcome by sleep from the weariness of the journey, the saint appeared to her in a dream, having assumed a form different from his usual one; he was approaching, leading the girl by the hand, and ordering her to uncover the place of her pain. And she, immediately obeying the command, ^A cut open the spot, drew out from it what had been the cause of the pain, and sealed the wound with a scar. Afterward, it seemed to the woman as she was going out of the house that she was binding him by an oath to say who he was. He, however, as if enduring it with annoyance and vexation, replied: “O woman, why do you seek to ask this?” Upon seeing these things, the woman, having awakened—O the miracle!—finds the girl delivered from the malady, and the gift of a brief sleep having been made for her in a wondrous manner.

^B 213. A certain man from among the neighbors to this woman, using a tongue defamatory and devilish against the holy man, who not only did not believe in his miracles, but was even mocking him and shamelessly slandering and ridiculing the things done by him. This man, having found for his profligate tongue a demon as a dweller, is brought to the holy man, and having obtained healing from him, not even by this did he abstain from his babbling against him. But justice, again, was not neglectful of its own; but that vain man, having seen the saint standing over him in a vision of the night, and taking away his right hand in wrath, upon waking, finds the images of the fancy to be true in the reality of the work. For even if he had not taken the right hand away completely, he kept it withered, and nothing differing from the inanimate. Afterward, the flesh having wasted away, the bones and nerves of that hand were left bare up to the wrist; and consecutively, having become infested with worms, it did not even provide to the wretch the violence of the pain as bearable.

^C 214. Having therefore understood after the blow, he approaches the holy man, having a repentance for his past actions more bitter than the malady, providing a feeling of the pain from the corrupted hand. He, having touched the man, commands that he take of his dust and return home, and to put nothing else upon his hand except that. And he did these things; but during the first sleep of the night, he saw Symeon standing by him, and taking the spittle of his own mouth—the mouth of him who is truly divine and speaking with God at all times—with his right hand, he began to smear the man’s right hand. And at the same time as the smearing, the flesh began to grow back, and the skin to be stretched over it, up to the knuckle of the middle finger. And this knuckle, together with the nail, ^D

as to be a reminder for the future of his great licentiousness of tongue, and another nail was to grow upon the next articulating joint. When the man awoke, the appearance of the matter was a reality, and his hand was, as we have said, sound in every part. To add miracle to miracle, on the same night that these things appeared to be performed upon him by Symeon, Symeon himself, being caught up in the spirit, saw himself performing these same things; just as he himself, when he had come out of that ecstasy, declared to his disciples upon their earnest request, and the man who had received the cure also narrated it.

^B 215. But to what end do we labor in vain, attempting to relate all his deeds in words? There was at Sura (which is one of the towns located above the Euphrates) a certain soldier, flourishing in a sufficiently vigorous and youthful age, and also preeminent in martial virtue and dexterity in all matters. It happened, however, as he was going to bathe, that he encountered another soldier, who was suffering from the sacred disease (epilepsy), coming out of the baths. The former detested the man most grievously, and forbade him to use the same bath as himself thereafter, or to associate with him anywhere at all. The wretched man groaned at this in the bitterness of his heart: yet his disease (how incomprehensible are Thy judgments, O Lord, in Thy wisdom!) faster than speech passed to the other. Therefore, within three days, his flesh began to swell and waste away, his form was altered, his breathing became constricted; and the state of his whole body was changed into the opposite, in a short time becoming, as it were, putrefaction. The hands and arts of the physicians were already by then exhausted and stunned; when to a man so destitute, despair itself of obtaining health from men becomes, miraculously, a guide to salvation: for, recognizing that he was being chastised by God for the insult offered to his neighbor, he determined to flee to him from whom he was being scourged, and that it was for God alone to remove the scourge He had sent. Being thus animated, there appeared to him someone, sent as if by a divine legation, who said: "Go to the Wonderful Mountain to the servant of God, Symeon; he will heal your pains." Inflamed in his heart by such words, and considering the promise as fixed, he was carried by his household to the saint; and he who was recently so noble and fervent, was cast down at his feet, more miserable than any. Then, by a great and sudden force of blood, as if by some secret surgery, gushing forth from almost all his limbs, his spirit was loosened, his flesh was renewed, his form was restored, and in all within three days he was restored to his former state. Finally, having received commandments from the saint never again to despise divine precepts, nor to burden his neighbor with insults, he returned home completely healed.

^D

CHAPTER XXVII. Hidden sins made known. Chastisement of other contumelious persons.

216. A certain Theodorus, a keeper of the archives, by nation an An-

, he returned home completely healed. ^A 217. Another person from Antioch, and one of the notables, came to the pillar just as the memorials of the holy mother of the saint were being solemnly celebrated. The time, therefore, was that of the divine liturgy, of which that very man was the celebrant. But he, being in a hurry to depart from there, asked one of the disciples—the one accustomed to bringing messages to the holy man—that a swift access to the holy mysteries might be granted to him. The disciple, having regard for his high rank, brought the man to the pillar after the disciples had communicated, but before the rest of the crowd. However, the holy Symeon turned him away, distributing instead to others who came after him. The disciple brought him again, but the saint rejected him just as before. When this had been done many times and for a long while, finally the man of God said, "Be still, brother," for he said, "I have something to discuss with him." ^C When the divine liturgy had at last been completed, Symeon, having summoned the man, said to him: "Hypocrite, and alienated from the portion of God, how have you come here thinking that you could escape the notice of Him who fashioned our hearts separately, who understands all our deeds, who established the mountains with a weight and the valleys with a balance? And for what are you hastening to partake of the immaculate mysteries? Certainly not for the sake of Him from whom your heart is far removed, even though you approach Him with your mouth and honor Him with your lips. But if, in very deed, you wish to learn of His power, ^D behold, in the sight of all, a harsh demon shall seize you and suspend you in mid-air, until you confess your wicked and vile deeds, even against your will."

^A At this, trembling in his heart with fear, and grasping with both hands the iron which encircles the base of the column, he cried out with a stentorian voice, "Spare me, O servant of the most high God, spare me! I shall recount all that I have done, without omission or concealment, straight to you." And having immediately begun to relate to the hearing of all the series of his deeds, he brought to light many serious crimes, being led even to such an extent of impiety that he did not blush to sacrifice to demons. When he had confessed all with such fervor and heat of soul, and with tears bursting from the depths of his heart, he begged that he, a penitent, be received and granted absolution, so that he might live more securely in the future; and that wise physician of souls, seeing such penitence, immediately bestowed it upon him. Then he began to teach and instruct him in many ways, to persuade him toward better things, and to exhort him, adding certain commands, and finally dismissed the man in peace, delivered not only from the grievous pain but from an even more grievous impiety.

^B 219. Another man, similarly from the nobility, from Epiphanea in Syria, likewise came to the saint, and having spoken with him of what he wished, he offered him fragrant Indian wood, asking that he accept it and offer it as incense to God. The saint deprecated this and refused, urging that he rather burn it to God in his own home. But as the man insisted repeatedly, he finally ordered a censer to be brought, saying, "So that the power of God may be made manifest." And the wood having been placed on the coals, such a great stench was suddenly dispersed, so intolerable to the nostrils, not only within the precincts of the monastery but spread far and wide throughout the mountain, that those arriving from abroad by whatever paths they approached the monastery declared themselves unable to bear the odor, even encountering it from afar. ^C Seeing therefore, through that stench contrary to the nature of the wood, that the man’s nefarious life was condemned by the very fact itself, Symeon said, "Confess your works to God, and perform penance for your sins; lest, snatched away by demons, you become a miserable fable in the mouths of all." Seized therefore by vehement fear, he immediately recounted all his transgressions, which were far more grievous than the aforementioned incense; then, having been corrected according to his deserts and instructed by various admonitions and precepts, he departed.

220. It is consistent with what has already been said that what follows is added, ^D insofar as the miracles occurring in both cases are related to each other. A certain priest named John, who at that time was the steward of the Apamean Church, approached Symeon with his wife and all his relatives. The disciple who brought the messages, acting as a messenger to and fro—whether through a certain friendship, or benevolence, or perhaps also through ignorance of the man’s affairs—was diligently trying to present the man to Symeon as a good man. Therefore, after many things had been [said] about him by the disciple,

Symeon, turning toward him with composure, said: "It is not fitting to give such testimony about anyone, even if it happens to be true. Cease, therefore, my brother, to assert what you do not know." And taking hold of the steward by the hair of his head with his hand, he said: "Impure and evil spirit, which dwellest in this man, expose his wicked and unlawful deeds before those present, so that he may know that there is a God, the Lord and Creator of all things, who fixed the heaven and founded the earth, who executes judgment on high, and has placed justice upon the earth." And the demon was at once crying out and shrieking, and while vociferating loudly, he was saying that he suffered justly: "For why did this idolater, this sorcerer, this impostor, this impious one, and whatever else [he may be], lead me to you? And now I myself am cruelly tormented because his deeds are being made manifest to all."

221. For when many such things were being spoken by the demon, and the man was suffering grievously under him, not even those who were free from the affliction could refrain their eyes from tears; his wife, certainly, and his kinsmen, casting themselves entirely to the ground, were wailing and shrieking most bitterly; what lamentable cries did they not pour forth before the saint? Moved by such things, Symeon, by rebuking the demon, ^B immediately cast him out of the man. But he, having become purely of his own mind and reason, and understanding to what evils his past life had consigned him, became his own accuser; and he passed over in silence none of the deeds which had been committed in secret, not even those which it would have been more appropriate to have remained hidden forever, and which, due to the shame of the weaker ones, should not be recorded by us point by point. But he, setting forth everything, plain and clear to the ears of those present, and becoming a surety to himself for his future life, having received forgiveness for these things, joined to penance, returned home.

222. Another person, from Antioch and the Church located there, John by name, this one also did not only always utter blasphemies against the saint, and make the insults against him a delight of his unbridled tongue, but he even advanced to such a point of madness that he dared to send to him a letter filled with injuries (how much evil is accustomed to dare, and rashly to plot against the truth!). Having received this, and perceiving in his spirit how he might eventually, not without a chastisement that would persist for a long time and renew the memory of his sins, be converted to a better life, he called one of his disciples and said: "Go to Antioch to the deacon John, and announce these things to him in my name: 'Since it is expedient for your soul that you be humbled in heart on account of the excessive intemperance of your tongue, behold, you are delivered to a demon, who shall chastise you throughout ^D your whole life.'" As soon as the disciple had thus delivered this message to him, the wicked spirit suddenly leaping upon the man, was shrieking through his mouth, dashing the wretch to the ground, and was precisely performing those things which are accustomed to happen to the demon-possessed.

223. The wife, therefore, of the deacon and the—

^A relatives, making his suffering their own, and themselves suffering more in their souls, ascended with him to Symeon, lamenting, falling down, and praying that he might take pity on their calamity and be willing to deliver the unhappy man from the vexation of the demon. But he, ^B turning with a gentle voice to the deacon, said: "It is profitable for your soul that you be not delivered; for the man who feels for all was not indulging his own passion, being, as it were, impassible, but was showing greater concern for his soul, as one who knew how to heal the infirmities of souls, even as he healed others most skillfully. You shall know," he said, "that this is of the divine power, which you, offending it up to now, did not know, in order to cure your stubborn infidelity; I command, in the name of Him who dwells in you, the demon, to let you go for forty days and as many nights." And when this came to pass according to his command, after the thirty-ninth day had passed, he returned together with his wife and relatives, asking for perfect deliverance. But he, who always studied primarily the salvation of souls, well knowing that this chastisement was profitable for his soul, did not assent to their petition, but granted that the violence of the demon would be more moderate thereafter. And so the possessed man, not having obtained perfect healing as he desired, departed sorrowful.

224. A certain Anastasius, a Scholasticus, an Antiochene by birth, of a wicked and petulant tongue, had proceeded to such a point of folly against the saint, or, if you prefer, madness (which is a term more akin to the matter), that he ignorantly and foolishly prated that the author of the wonders wrought by the saint was not God, but certain most base arts producing them. When ^C this report reached the ears of the holy man, he was moved by pity for him, and waited for his conversion, as the law of God, who loves mankind, commands. But when he saw him remaining stubborn, and the divine longanimity no longer patient of further delay, and the sword already drawn and flashing, and the bow bent against the man, and the vessels of death prepared; calling one of his disciples (it was that great day on which Christ instituted the mystical supper, on which He performed the ministry of washing the feet, and on which He was betrayed for our sakes), ^D he ordered him to signify to that wretch that those bitter torments (which he then already foresaw in spirit were hanging over him) would be in retribution for the frequent insults which he had uttered against the Most High, setting his mouth against the heavens. And he ordered this to be reported, not because he thought that he would thenceforth abstain (for he saw that he was inconvertible, and that the threats were already imminent and would quickly arrive), but that it might be an example for the correction of life to those of the same stamp and infidelity, that they might not be ignorant of the cause of the most just wrath of heaven against him and the punishments sent forth. Therefore, that disciple, finding the man in a most well-known place in the city, said that he had something to announce from Symeon. And when he was ordered to declare before those present what had been commanded; [the things which were commanded in]

medium he brought forth. But behold, that miserable man, immediately dashed upon the ground and cruelly torn by the demon, and receiving retribution worthy of his wickedness, exchanged his life for a most shameful death.

CHAPTER XXVIII

He confers many benefits upon entire families.

^A 225. Isaurus, a certain man named Conon, was tormented not only by a baleful demon, but also by a difficult ulcer on his ankle, to such a degree that, by chewing, he would eat his own tongue like bread; his leg was rotting away, his bones were stripped of flesh, and they breathed out a stench unbearable to the nose. Having exhausted all his means on physicians, and since their art offered him nothing at all for a cure—except that they said the foot must be cut off with a saw—he betook himself to the holy Symeon, whom he knew to be the only physician of incurable diseases. Seeing him placed in such a miserable state, the saint gently struck him with his palm-rod and urged him to stand on his own feet; and immediately the stench vanished, and the sick man used his feet and had a secure gait. Then, as he drew nearer, the saint touched and signed his head, saying: "In the name of the Lord and God and Savior of us, Jesus Christ, I command you, evil spirit, to depart from this man and never again enter into him." The demon was therefore immediately expelled. Then he ordered him to sprinkle some of his own dust upon the wound of his foot; by which the flesh was at once regenerated for him and skin grew over it; and having been healed in a short time, he returned to his wife, his relatives, and his entire household, he who a little before was considered incurable.

^B 226. I know well that the things already said have brought satiety to your ears, yet the things that follow must not be passed over in silence. For a certain young man from a village called Callinea, George by name, while digging in a plot of land, happened upon a monument, and having dug it up in the hope that he might perhaps find a hidden treasure, he fell into the power of a baleful demon (as if the retribution would have been too light had it not brought punishment upon him immediately), and having seen certain figures like women embracing him, he let out a lowing sound like an ox and fell headlong to the ground; and from that time forward, every night, he was dashed to the earth in the same way and torn, foaming at the mouth and his insides boiling. The wicked spirit also kindled against him the fires of jealousy regarding his wife, as if he himself had had relations with her: a thing which troubled the miserable man more than all his other afflictions. Finally, having nothing else to oppose to such a great calamity, he proceeded to the column of the great Symeon and cast himself upon the ground, lamenting the sorrowful state in which he was.

^C 227. Being moved, therefore, by his supplications, he said, "Cease, brother, from lamenting, and return home instead, and you shall not be frustrated in your healing." He received the promises with a glad mind, and as though he had already obtained his desire, he returned. But upon entering the house, he did not find his wife; for she had already fled, having carried off with her their household goods, but the infant, whom until now [only]

she had left at home ^A, she had abandoned. Being affected in his soul more violently, he took up the infant and came to the saint again, detailing with lamentations what had happened to him because of his wife, and shedding tears with his words, which testified to the burning of his heart; then he cast the infant before him, and called upon the saint to avenge him. Simeon, therefore, being troubled, and fixing his eyes sorrowfully upon heaven, said, "O God, great and almighty, whose eyes behold the ways of the sons of men, to render to each according to his way; if it is pleasing in Thine eyes, let the demon that possesses this unhappy man pass over into his wife, so that, by imploring the mercy of others, she may learn to show mercy; and may she understand by manifest experience that which she was naturally ignorant of in her own bowels." ^B

228. These things having been prayed by Simeon, the young man was delivered from the demon, but the woman was seized by it. "Thou hast separated me from my own husband," it said; "thou hast sundered me from my spouse; through thee I have been bitterly expelled from him; he who cast me out from there commanded me to enter into thee"; and many other such things, furious, wicked, and truly diabolical. When the woman heard these things, being inhumanly whipped by the evil spirit, she returned home to her husband; he, having pity for her pains, hurried with her to the holy Simeon; and as much as he had recently protested against her, now he prayed for her healing just as much, and even more. The demon, therefore, not enduring a closer approach to Simeon, began immediately to cast the woman to the ground and tear at her, and to shake her, as if intending to lift her up and cast her over a precipice. The saint, no longer able to endure seeing her suffer in such a way, but moved with a humane and compassionate spirit toward her, said, "Most impure and malignant spirit, I command thee, in the name of the Son of God, to depart from this woman, and never again return to her." As commanded, so it was done; the demon immediately departed with much outcry and many insults, leaving the woman entirely healed. ^C

229. Babylas had contracted a disease in his eyes, which was followed by blindness; and since no help could be obtained from the medical art, he invoked the name of the holy Simeon for his cure; and the following night he saw the saint, riding on a white horse, like a physician, placing his hand upon his afflicted eyes, and saying, "Look straight toward the Wondrous Mountain." ^D He therefore arose immediately, and with his eyes directed toward it, said, "Christ O Lord, God of Thy servant Simeon, heal my eyes." And at that very moment he saw, although somewhat dimly and faintly. But when he realized that he could see, he took his most beloved ones—I mean his wife and children—and proceeded to the holy Simeon, to report what kind of benefit he had obtained through him. He, marking him with the sign of the Lord’s cross, bestowed upon him most acute sight, without any dimness; then he also healed his wife, who was going blind, and having healed his children who were possessed by demons, and...

^A freed the entire family from grievous evils; nor did he despise or neglect it because it was oppressed by the penury of household goods; but rather, since nothing remained for them but a little wine, and that of poor quality and second-rate, he made it sweet and suitable for drinking and delicate with his dust, and thus, having been sold for no small price, it sufficed for obtaining the necessities of life.

Chapter XXVIII

250. It is worth adding this to these events: A certain presbyter, originating from a village called Basilea, although he had begotten many children, was shown to be childless, since death immediately followed the passage of each of those born into the light. He proceeds, therefore, in anguish of heart and with a torrent of bitter tears flowing, to the wondrous Symeon, to report the state of his affairs. To whom the saint says: "Return rejoicing; what you have sought has already been granted to you by God." He received this promise as a benefit already obtained in reality, and having cast off the most grievous sorrow of his heart, three sons were born to him after this, in addition to a daughter. Now it happened that the elder of them was afflicted by a disease of dysentery, and despairing of human art for a cure, he flees to the divine Symeon; and having been carried to him by his parents, as he was unable even to walk by his own strength, he returned cured.

251. But sadness again succeeds the joy that arose in the father on his account, inducing also a forgetfulness of it (for so it is wont to happen very frequently, that the joy or sorrow of the present thing wipes away the memory of things past); for he finds ^C the second of his sons so exhausted by disease that no hope remained in human aid. Having taken him up, therefore, he carries him also to Symeon, showing how he was faring, and making him, as it were, a witness of his own sorrows, [as if to ask] whether the soul of a father, and one indeed so tenderly loving his children, could endure the sight of his offspring so affected. He, therefore, immediately extending his right hand and signing the boy, said: "Go, and have this one also alive in the name of Christ." But he, from an excess of love for his offspring, by no means wished to depart, but thinking that a more abundant grace of healing would be bestowed upon his son the longer he stayed there, said: "Grant us leave, O servant of God, that we may remain here a little longer, so that we may obtain from you a more copious blessing, which your right hand imparts to us."

252. Annoyed, therefore, at these things, Symeon said: "You too have gone astray through unbelief; for the power of God is not ^D only in this place, but it is able to accomplish miraculously whatever it wills everywhere in His dominion; but taking the seal from my dust, return, doubting nothing, but believing that you will see us as present, just as those who bear that impressed sign. Having received the sign now spoken of, the father returned home with the boy, and saw in the night that followed the saint standing before him (the form, however, was different from that of Symeon than was usual), holding the dust in his hands, and asking: "What do you prefer to receive: this blessing of Symeon, or his right hand?" And when

he had replied that it was known to everyone everywhere of what great virtue the blessing ^A was, but that he (may he be merciful to me!) had long desired more fervently to touch his right hand, the saint ^B immediately extended it, bestowing the blessing, while silently reproaching the priest for his unbelief, and finally adding what he had greatly thirsted to hear: "Receive your son in health." This instilled such pleasure in his soul that, due to its abundance, he immediately awoke; and he found his son still indulging in sleep, but already restored to perfect health. Wherefore, he immediately returns to the saint, that he might pay the rewards of recovered health for this second-born son. ^C

233. A short time later, his third son was also seized by such violent fevers that any hope of his life being prolonged was despaired of. The boy wished above all to be brought to the holy Symeon; but the father, taught by his experience with the previous son as to how great a power was accustomed to go forth from Symeon even to those who were absent, said: "My son, the saint can, by his visitation, deign to favor you invisibly even in this place." Without delay, the boy turned himself, and with as loud a voice as he could, he cried out: "O Symeon, elect of God, have mercy on me." Then he said to his father: "Burn incense, for behold, the servant of God stands before my eyes; his hand is armed with an iron rod and a chain of burning iron, with which he has tightly bound a demon of gigantic size and terrible aspect, with his hands tied behind his back; and now he is also kindling a furnace with fire, with which he may burn the wicked one." As the boy was saying these things, the disease suddenly departed, driven away as if by a whip striking him. ^D

234. Thus, then, this son obtained health; but his daughter, being seized by an even more troublesome illness, was so near to the end of her life that she was thought to be as good as dead. When the father once again fled to his accustomed physician with mental confusion and pain of heart, the divine man said with a gentle smile: "Do not fear, my priest; but rather go with a step dancing with joy, for behold, God grants this daughter to you as well, and you shall see her, glad, come out to meet you—she whom you now lament as if she were dead." Having heard these things from Symeon, he returned, as filled with pleasure as he had previously been overwhelmed with grief on account of his daughter. And when he was already entering his house, the daughter ran to meet him, according to the prediction, and embraced her father, all the more sweetly in that she had been snatched from a lethal disease beyond all expectation; and thus she was joined to her brothers, having herself also become a manifest gift of the holy Symeon to her father. Moreover, the masters of this priest, suffering from stubborn unbelief, used to announce to him, as he frequently recounted the deeds of Symeon, saying: "You indeed bless yourself with his prayers, but we prefer his curse. We shall see, therefore," they said, "whether he can do any harm to those who are so disposed toward him." To these words, the just providence of God did not delay the punishment for long; but in that same year, although

they were exceedingly wealthy, they were seen to be utterly destitute, with all their possessions having been finally destroyed.

Chapter XXIX.

He perceives absence and thoughts: he heals through disciples: he brings aid in a storm.

^A 255. He who would attempt to bring into the light all the wonders of the marvelous Symeon would know that he is bailing out the sea with a tiny cup; but, on the other hand, it would be an incomparable loss for anything known to be passed over. For once, the presbyter Thomas was sent by the saint to the imperial city, along with two other brothers, to acquire certain things useful for the service of God and for the benefit of souls. And since, as usually happens, they were admitted and honored by the whole court because of the fame of him by whom they had been sent, the man who was then prefect of the city, Theodorus by name, surnamed Picridius, a man of significant authority, saw them and inquired who these monks were and whence they came. Having learned the details, he called Thomas aside. ^B When they had spoken at length with one another about the holy Symeon, and Thomas had unfolded lengthy discourses about him, commending above all else the man himself and the miracles which he performed daily, the prefect, inflamed in his heart by such narrations and fully raised up in trust toward the saint, said while addressing Thomas: "A difficult and concealed disease presses upon me, for the sake of which I have employed every device and skill, but I have labored in vain, no remedy for the malady having been found." He then most ardently requested that it be permitted for him to make the state of his affairs known to the saint by a letter, so that he might merit to obtain a cure from him. When Thomas asked what this disease was, the prefect replied with a piteous voice: "Everything ^C that I take for nourishment is converted into blood and long worms; for the pain within my bowels, as these worms feed upon me, is so great that it is not easy to endure." Thomas said to him: "It is indeed necessary, as you say, that these things be signified to the great Symeon; nevertheless, we have with us some of his sacred hair and ashes. If one were to mix a portion of these with water and drink it before meals, I believe that he will never repent of having done so."

256. When the prefect had acted according to these instructions, the flow of blood ceased, the pangs of the worms were quieted, and the disease was immediately driven away. However, when the prefect saw that he was henceforth using his natural evacuations, ^D a greater fear than the former seized him. Having summoned Thomas as quickly as possible, he told him that he feared and trembled lest, with his natural passage obstructed, the worms might elsewhere eat through his stomach. And (as it is the custom that a greater fear always occupies all men when life is in danger, such that they spare nothing—neither labor, nor exhaustion, nor expense, even if what can most profit them is already at hand), he considered everything to be unbearable unless the things concerning him were signified to the saint. Thus, the letter was written, and the one who was to carry it to Symeon was prepared. But the prescience of the saint anticipated even their humble supplication; for someone coming from Symeon arrived, [reporting] in detail all things which had been done...

said to the prefect, and how water had been given to him by him, sanctified by the holy hair of Symeon and by dust; and how, having drunk it, he was immediately delivered from his affliction; and he further exhorted the prefect not to neglect these miracles of God, and suggested for his own soul’s profit whatever else he thought necessary. Furthermore, he sealed [the declaration of] his health, which remained with the man until his death. Thus, it is manifest that whatever Symeon wished to see, he saw clearly in the spirit, even though far away, and indeed as perspicuously as if they were happening before his eyes: just as the following events also declare.

237. ^B Once, when a pestilential disease was spreading and consuming many people, it happened that the daughter of a certain Evagrius was also seized by it. This Evagrius was a Scholasticus. But since a certain Epiphanius, who was said at that time to be adhering to the errors of the pagans, suffered no harm regarding his children who were well, blasphemous thoughts—such as are the usual deceptions of the evil demon—arose in the mind of Evagrius, born of the excessively vehement affection he had for his daughter; [he wondered] how, forsooth, his own religion was helping Epiphanius toward the life and well-being of his children. From such cogitations, a violent movement and tempest were stirred up in the man's soul, creating no light danger for him. Symeon, having perceived these things in the spirit, ordered them to be made known to Evagrius, out of his singular propensity of mind toward him. He was stunned at the unaccustomed novelty of the matter, [wondering] how the things that lay in the innermost recesses of his heart had become known to Symeon; ^C and having been seized by fear and repentance, he ran to the saint, confessing the matter with tears and affection of soul rather than with tongue and lips: and having obtained not only pardon, but also the proper remedy against the sin, he returned.

238. Afterward, however, it happened that a certain person, whose right hand was rotting, went to Symeon, and having been cured by him, was returning home. A certain Cilician, working at a pottery near the road, asked whence he came and for what cause, and having learned what a notable benefit of healing he had obtained, said: "Why are you being deceived, running to a man who performs these things by sorceries rather than by divine power?" ^D Scarcely had he spoken when he felt his own right hand start to rot, struck by the same putrefaction as that of the other man had been; [the affliction] was as it were transferred from one to the other. Yet not even so did the Cilician return to a better frame of mind, but rather committed himself to physicians and their arts. But when he saw that his wealth had been spent on the cure and no hope shone forth, he recognized himself also (as those who are pressed by pains are wont, in their diligence, to search out the causes of what ails them) that he was paying the penalty for the injurious words spoken against the holy Symeon; and as he was, he immediately went to him, showing how miserably his hand was situated, and begging to obtain pity for his misfortune. And he, having embraced his wretched hand...

and implored mercy, said: "I know indeed that this right hand of yours has been an instrument for the punishment of an intemperate tongue; but confess your sin against yourself to the Lord, and He himself will remit the iniquity of your heart." Having therefore confessed with bitter repentance of soul and shed more bitter tears, he received, through the holy man’s prayer and the sign of the Lord’s Cross, the healing of his hand and — what is something far greater than that healing — the remission of his sin, and he returned. Thus, bodily sickness sometimes bestows health upon the soul; and through sorrowful events, God often provides for one’s salvation.

239. Now it happened that Dorotheus was sailing at one time (this Dorotheus was one of the brethren under Symeon, adorned with the priesthood); he was sailing, I say, at an unseasonable time and in mid-winter (for his faith in the holy man ^B made him trust himself to the sea out of season, as if the holy man guaranteed safety from that source). When he was already in the middle of the voyage, a terrible storm fell upon him, with winds blowing from every direction as if at war with one another, and waves rising above the sides of the ship and pouring into the middle of it. Despair seized the shipmaster and those sailing with him, and no one thought that they could escape that danger. But he (Dorotheus) deemed it right not to despair, but rather to beseech the divine Symeon, who alone had the power to save them from such a surge. Then, taking some of the saint’s dust, he sprinkled the ship and poured it into the sea. Immediately, all those in the ship perceived a fragrance; and the grace of God followed, for it is often the custom for grace to make fragrance a precursor, revealing itself as something fragrant and divine. ^C The sea then raged as it had begun to do, and was boiling terribly, but the waves did not strike against the ship with their own violence; rather, they restrained themselves, as if in reverence or fear. A little later, the storm having subsided, a wind suddenly blew from the stern, and they were borne over a calm and smooth sea with full sails, trembling and afraid at such an unexpected wonder of recovered salvation; and there was no one who did not consider himself to have been preserved as a gift of the saint.

240. Furthermore, the shipmaster (for he had left his child at home sick), being taught by the miracle wrought upon himself and his fellow-passengers, believed that it would be very easy to cure his son also, if he so wished; and he begged the monk that he would pray that his son might be preserved for him ^D alive upon his return. For he feared the death of his soul even more than the common death of nature, since the boy had not yet been cleansed by the divine baptism. When Dorotheus said, "This lies with you, if only you call upon the holy Symeon with the fervor and confidence of your heart, and if you offer up the child to God," the man immediately did both, and he was not disappointed in his hope, for he found his son whole at home and offered him to God through baptism. Thus much for that matter; but as for the things that follow, if anyone thinks they should be omitted because of their multitude, how would he not be causing the greatest loss?

Chapter XXX. A priest who insulted a saint is punished: the sick are healed through a vision.

^A 241. A certain priest in a village called Cassa, laboring under the troublesome affection of self-love, whenever he heard of or even saw in passing the miraculous works performed by the holy Symeon, would meditate upon iniquity all the day long. His tongue loved malice more than goodness, and injustice more than speaking what is righteous. He loved all words of destruction and a deceitful tongue, and in the end, as that malignant and treacherous madness was leading him to the final point of folly, he subjected the holy man to anathema. Suddenly, a great multitude of demons (for the divine justice could not act more slowly where forbearance would not have been beneficial) apprehended him and twisted his hands behind his back and bound them, so that he was unable to read the holy Gospel to the people or celebrate the divine liturgy. Indeed, whenever he attempted to do anything of the kind, he felt his mind and voice being altered, and being turned into his own confusion. When the priest could no longer endure this, having spent his fortune on those who promised him some relief, at last, turning over every thought in his mind, he found his conscience reproving him for those things which he had very often falsely and maliciously uttered against the holy Symeon, and because he had not been ashamed to ensnare him with his most grievous crime of anathema.

242. Therefore, when he understood that this was the very reason he was invisibly being kept away from the divine sacrifice, he came quickly to the holy man and asked with ardent prayer for the forgiveness of his offense. But when the holy man said, "Unless you first purge your sin by confession, what forgiveness will there be for you?" he restrained himself for some time out of a sense of shame. Afterwards, because the pain which he suffered beyond his illness—on account of being forbidden the holy altars—had prevailed, as was fitting, over his shame (for it is the nature of the stronger to expel the weaker, and for the conquered passion to always yield to the more potent force), he openly recounted everything: how nefariously he had often gossiped against the holy man, and that he had not refrained from the anathema, but had madly subjected him to it. ^C But the saint, entirely kind, entirely merciful, entirely compassionate, imploring the commiseration and inexhaustible goodness of the only-begotten Son of God, having impressed the sign of the sacrosanct cross upon the priest, said, "In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, you are loosened from your bonds. Betake yourself, therefore, to your church, and you shall read the sacrosanct Gospel of Christ in good health, and will offer the secret sacrifice on the altar in the usual manner." He said these things, and the priest was delivered from that deserved punishment, and he always performed the sacred liturgy until the end of his life, just as he had been accustomed to do before.

243. After this, a certain blind man was brought to him, who was unable to stand on his feet because of paralysis, and was moreover dreadfully incapacitated, and being tormented by three demons. ^D Symeon, having pity on the man's multiform and diverse calamity, to mercy

^A he turned, and having moistened his finger with his own spittle, he anointed the eyes of the blind man, and with the sign of the Lord’s cross he sealed his loins: thus immediately he restored both sight to his eyes with the one, and strength to his feet with the other. Then there appeared to the sufferer a man clothed in a variegated tunic, who was binding the three demons that were possessing him with chains of fire, and placing shackles upon them. Being set free from these immediately, he offered himself entirely to the monastic habit in thanksgiving for such great graces. Things similar to the preceding cases are those which follow, yet nonetheless they are worthy of being recorded.

241. For there was a certain John who could use neither of his feet, but had kept both of them motionless for a long time, and having despaired of all other remedies, he placed all his hope in the holy Symeon, and called upon him with a faithful heart. It was then, by chance, around the early morning twilight, when, as if lulled by a gentle sleep, he thought he saw Symeon, with angels on either side of him resplendent in their garments, marking his feet with a palm branch which he held in his hand, and commanding him to rise. That sweet sleep departed, and left the man fully healed: and that which had been seen became reality, and truth followed the vision. John, therefore, who before this was no more mobile than the bed on which he was carried, flies to the column, reporting with admiration what had been done for him; and dedicating himself also to God through the monastic life, he rendered himself in return for such a great benefit.

245. Afterwards, a certain virgin, Theosebia by name, being besieged by a savage demon, so that she was often cast headlong ^C into water by him, imagined she saw the divine Symeon calling her to himself from the house where she was staying. She, having made that vision a reality, ^D as she already began to fix her gaze upon him, saw someone like lightning darting forth from his face; that wicked spirit immediately filled all things with tumult and shouting, not enduring the proximity to the holy man and the grace of the Spirit that was in him, but rather striving with all his might to flee far away. The virgin, as if beside herself, seemed to see Symeon placing bonds upon the demon, while his garment was to the holy man a light, and there was a crown above his head, and upon the crown a cross, such as the account previously described. She, having then been delivered from the madness caused by the demon, lived a chaste and sober life to the very end, offering this to God and to Symeon as a reward; for whom also night dreams continued to grant a vision of the appearance of Symeon, and together with that sight, a divine fragrance would miraculously follow.

246. And this too is not less than those mentioned before. A certain man, having one of his feet inflamed for a long time, so that it was completely useless and of no benefit, was carried to the holy man placed upon a pack animal,

was in the state that, with his foot afflicted, he might, as he hoped, obtain some relief. But by the excessive jolting of the beast of burden, the other foot was also chafed, so that the new pain was more intolerable than the former, for which he was coming to seek relief. Placed, therefore, before the column, what cries, or rather what fountains of tears did he not pour forth! Not knowing which calamity he should lament first, and even more ignorant of what remedy he should apply to each: for he who had not been able to endure the ^A former torture was now feeling a second, far more grievous one; just as things that are more recent are wont, according to how the case may be, to bring greater sorrow or joy. But because he who was at one time able to use one foot was now unable to rest upon either, the pain seemed to him intolerable, and the more grievous because, while seeking relief for one calamity, he had incurred a second. While that man was lamenting these and like things most bitterly, believing that Symeon would by no means look down upon his own humanity, he lifts his holy hands to God for him, and immediately (who shall celebrate thy power, Lord Jesus?) his feet were both stretched out as if they had been drawn out by the hands of many, and suddenly, in the sight of all who were pitying him and suffering with him at the same time, rising ^B from the ground, he was walking upright, and using his feet in full strength.

CHAPTER XXXI.

The holy passing of the holy Symeon.

247. Time would fail me for the telling of the wonders of the man, or rather, if I wished to recount these things in detail, both those which were done openly and before many, and those which were done privately and to individuals: since even after his death his prodigies, imitating the fountains of perennial rivers, endure to this very day, and are so copious that those which we pass over are not fewer than those which we have related. Therefore, so that by adding more we may not bring satiety or weariness upon our readers, and so that many, on account of its size, may not refrain from reading the book; passing over remaining things in silence—all ^C that happened thereafter (namely, how great a crowd of those possessed by demons, both men and women; how great a number of the dropsical, and those paralyzed in hands, feet, or eyes; how great a crowd of those pressed by other pains and infirmities were brought to him and obtained health)—we shall conclude our narrative along with the end of his present life.

248. The holy Symeon was now in the fifth year above his seventieth year of age, and the fifth above his fortieth since he had stood upon his greatest ^D and final column, when, having been made certain by a familiar angel of the approaching end of his life, he called together his disciples, and made known to them that same bitter announcement, while they were grieving with bitter speech. Then, indeed, [he spoke] many things concerning the observance of the divine commandments, concerning concord and mutual charity, concerning the

^A love of most beloved ones, having spoken to them; he also exhorted the same to the endurance of temptations: finally, that which he already knew they desired to learn—but they did not dare to ask—how he himself, being a man, was not nourished by human foods, this he most affectionately revealed [to them], so that they might be more edified from this, and place a firmer hope in God.

249. "For I say," he says, "O children and brothers, so that I may not hide from you even that which you desire (for I understand by the Spirit even while you are silent), I have enjoyed many and great benefits of God, who took me from my mother’s womb, as you yourselves know; and moreover, it is now a long time since I asked in His goodness to rid me of the necessity of taking food of this age. But how shall I recount to you, Lord Jesus, Thy mercies and the kindness which Thou didst then show to Thy servant? I seemed to see someone, a priest by appearance and aspect, surrounded by a luminous cloud as a garment, holding in his hands a certain sacred vessel, who, carried through the air, came to me; but what was contained in the vessel, I cannot express; so mysterious and sweet was it, not only to look upon, but even to taste. That man then, taking a little bit with a spoon, ^B dropped it three times into my mouth. From that time, therefore, until now, I have seen him every Lord’s day after the divine liturgy, deeming me worthy of such a reception; by which I was strengthened until the following Lord’s day again. And this is that which was hidden from you, my children, my members, my bowels, until now; which I have revealed to those who earnestly desired to know it. As for the rest, you yourselves know and are able to tell, you who have followed the way of life I established, and who have wrestled with me in spiritual contests, and have been partakers of the life according to God; to whom I entrust my traditions and my rule, asking this as a reward from you, if you are not unmindful of the labors I underwent for your sake, that you keep the deposit ^C whole for me until the end, and that you do all things as if I were present, even after the end, and that you always direct your life and word and deed as if before my eyes. And the great day of the manifestation—if we stand there without confusion—will clearly make known to you the fruits gathered from this, so that I may not now extend my discourse further, nor shall I weave a long prayer regarding this, [and it will] show to you manifestly what is laid up for each one."

250. Having spoken these things and more to the disciples, and having enjoined these final precepts upon them before [his] departure (if indeed one must call it a departure, and not rather a resolution, or an assumption, or a translation, or a passage, or a calling to the desired joys), on the tenth [day] after ^D this day, namely on the twenty-fourth of the month of Artemisius, after the evening...