OF THE BLESSED THEODORET, BISHOP OF CYRUS, RELIGIOUS HISTORY, OR THE ASCETIC WAY OF LIFE
PREFACE
It is indeed beautiful to behold the struggles of excellent men and athletes of virtue, and to draw profit with one’s own eyes. For things that are praised, when they are seen, appear worthy of being possessed and awaken love for themselves, and incite the spectators to procure them. A Yet the accounts of such noble deeds, when they are offered by those who know them to the ears of those who do not, bring no small profit. Some say that sight is more worthy of trust than hearing, yet hearing also gains credence, as it judges what is said by the truthfulness of those who speak. For just as the tongue and the palate are trusted to judge sweetness and bitterness and other such qualities, and pass sentence upon them, so too the faculty of speech is entrusted to the hearing, and it knows how to distinguish those things which bring some profit from those that are harmful. B If, therefore, the memory of those profitable accounts remained unharmed, and the blight of forgetfulness, like some mist scattered upon them, did not gradually cause them to fade away, it would indeed be superfluous and tedious to write down such things, since the profit derived from them would easily pass on to future generations. But since time brings harm to the body, inducing old age and death, and brings harm to noble deeds by producing forgetfulness, and
A obscuring memory, no one would rightly reproach us for setting out to write down the lives of the pious and God-loving men. For just as those who are entrusted with the care of bodies prepare remedies, warring against disease and offering aid to the suffering, so too the labor of writing such a work as this becomes a sort of specific remedy against evil, an ambush against forgetfulness and an aid to memory. For how would it not be absurd that poets and historians should write down deeds of valor performed in war, and that tragedians should openly dramatize calamities that were rightly kept hidden, leaving the memory of these things written down, while others consume their words in comedy and laughter; yet we should allow to be surrendered to oblivion men who, while in a mortal and passible body, have demonstrated impassibility and have zealously pursued an incorporeal nature? What penalty would we not rightly pay if we were to look on while the memory of these admirable struggles is obscured? For if they themselves, having emulated the highest philosophy of the saints who lived long ago, did not engrave their memory in bronze and letters, but by expressing all of their virtue, made themselves into living images and statues of them, what pardon could we rightly expect if we do not even honor their celebrated life with letters? B And this is while athletes and pancratiasts who compete in the Olympic games are honored with statues, and in the chariot races, the charioteers who emerge as victors receive this same reward. And not only these, but even effeminate men, and those about whom it is uncertain whether they are men or women—those who are fond of seeing such spectacles—are depicted on panels, with them striving to make their memory last for the longest time. Although this memory brings harm to souls, not profit, yet those who love these people, and others who love those, honor them with painting—even though it brings harm—and since death preys upon mortal nature, by mixing colors and placing their images on panels, they devise a way by which their memory is made far C longer than their life. D But we write of a life that is a teacher of philosophy, and one that has emulated the way of life that is practiced in heaven; and we do not depict the features of bodies, nor do we show these portrayals to those who do not know them, but we sketch the patterns of invisible souls, and we reveal invisible wars and unseen conflicts. For the leader and chief of their phalanx, Paul, has clothed them in such armor, saying: "Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." And again: "Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet in the preparation of the Gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one, and the-"
-" A helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. Having clad them in this armor, He led them into the struggles. For such is also the nature of the enemies—incorporeal, invisible, attacking obscurely, lying in wait secretly, and striking suddenly and unexpectedly. Teaching this very thing, the Leader himself said: “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” B
Yet, although the company of these saints had such adversaries—or, rather, each one of them was surrounded by so many and such great enemies; for they did not all attack together, but assailed them now this way, now that—they brought back so glorious a victory that the adversaries fled, and once they were put to flight, with no one standing in their way, they raised a trophy. However, it was not nature that provided them with victory—for nature is mortal and full of countless perturbations—but the mind, which attracts divine grace. For having become ardent lovers of divine beauty, and having resolved to gladly do and suffer everything for the sake of Him whom they loved, they bravely endured the uprising of the passions and vigorously repelled the snowstorm of the devil’s darts, and, to speak apostolically, having chastised the body and brought it into subjection, they calmed the heat of anger and forced the madness of the desires to be quiet. By fasting and lying on the ground, they quieted the stirrings of the soul and, having suppressed their assaults, forced the body to enter into a treaty with the soul, and they ended this innate war; C and having thus brokered peace between them, they routed the entire host of the adversaries. For when there were lacking to them thoughts that would betray them from within, and they lacked the help of human members, they could not wage war. For the devil uses our members as darts against us. When, therefore, the eyes were not enticed, nor the ears charmed, nor the touch tickled, nor the mind admitted wicked counsels, they who prepared the ambushes labored in vain. For just as no enemy can take a city built on a height and fortified with strong ramparts and surrounded on all sides by deep trenches, if none of those who are within betrays it and opens some gates, so it is impossible for the demons who wage war from without to overcome a soul surrounded by divine grace, unless the sluggishness of some thought opens some window of our senses D and lets the enemy in through it. Having learned these things openly from divine Scripture, those whom we praise, and having heard God saying through the prophet, “Death has climbed through the windows,” closed their senses as if with certain bolts and bars, entrusting the keys of them to the mind.
And neither tongue nor lips were opened unless the mind ordered it, nor was the pupil permitted to peer forth from the eyelids. A And the hearing, being unable to block the entrance with eyelids or lips, would push away foolish words and accept only those in which the mind took delight. Thus they trained their sense of smell not to crave fragrant things, inasmuch as these are of a nature to soften and relax. Thus they drove away the satiety of the belly, and taught it to receive such things as would satisfy not pleasure but need, and in such quantity as would prevent death from hunger. Thus they broke the sweet tyranny of sleep, and freeing their eyelids from its servitude, taught them to rule rather than to serve, and to admit its use not when it invaded them, but when they themselves summoned it for a brief relief of nature.
Therefore, having undertaken such guardianship of the walls and gates, and having brought their internal thoughts to concord, they mocked the adversaries attacking from without, who could not enter by force because of the protection of divine grace, nor could they find any traitor willing to admit the enemies. And although the enemies were invisible by nature, they could not conquer the body, which is seen by the eyes and is subject to the necessities of nature. For its charioteer, who was also its musician and its pilot, holding the reins most skillfully, persuaded the horses to proceed in order, and by playing upon the chords of the senses with rhythm, he caused them to render a sound in every way harmonious; and skillfully moving the tiller, he broke the storms of the waves and the onset of the winds. B C
These, then, who have journeyed through the life of a thousand labors, and have tamed the body with sweats and hardships, and have been ignorant of the passion of laughter, but have spent their whole life in mourning and tears; who have deemed fasting to be Sybaritic luxury, and toilsome vigils to be the sweetest sleep, and the hardness of the ground to be a soft bed, D and time spent in prayers and psalmody to be an immense and inexpressible pleasure: who would not justly admire these men, who have embraced every kind of virtue, or rather, who could praise them as they deserve? I know indeed clearly myself that no discourse could attain to their virtue; nevertheless, one must make the attempt. For it would not be right, just because they became perfect lovers of true philosophy, that they should therefore not receive even lesser praises. I shall write the encomium not as one single praise for all in common, for different gifts were given to them from God, as the blessed Paul, teaching this, said: “For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing, by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues.” And showing the
A source of all these things, he added: "But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." Since, therefore, they have received diverse gifts, we shall rightly institute a separate narration of each, not pursuing everything that was done by them (for a whole lifetime would not suffice to write these things), but when we have narrated a few things concerning the life and deeds of each, and have indicated the form of the whole life from a few examples, we shall proceed to another. Nor shall we attempt to write the history of the lives of all the saints who have flourished everywhere among the nations; for we neither know all who have shone forth everywhere, nor is it possible for all to be described by one person. I shall therefore write only the life of those who appeared in the East like luminaries and encompassed the ends of the world with their rays. The discourse will proceed narratively, not using the laws of encomiums, but simply setting forth a few things. B I ask those who come upon this religious history, or ascetic way of life—for let everyone call this work as he wishes—not to disbelieve what is said, if they hear anything that exceeds their own powers, nor to measure the virtue of those men by their own; but to know clearly that God is accustomed to measure out the gifts of the Holy Spirit from the souls of the pious from heaven, and to bestow greater things upon the more perfect. Let these words be said by me to those who are not sufficiently accurately initiated into the mysteries of divine things. For the mystics of the inner chambers of the Spirit know the magnificence of the Spirit, and what great miracles He works through men among men, to draw unbelievers to the knowledge of God. But he who is going to disbelieve in the things to be said by me, it is clear that he will not believe even those things that were done through Moses, and Jesus, and Elijah, and Elisha, and C will consider the miracles performed by the holy apostles to be fables. But if he testifies that those are true, let him believe that these also are alien to falsehood. For the same grace that worked in them, has caused it to be that they were wrought through these also. For the grace is perennial, and choosing those who are worthy, it pours forth the streams of its operation through them as through certain fountains. Furthermore, of the things that are to be said, some I saw myself; as for those I did not see, I have heard them from those who had seen them, men who were lovers of virtue, and who were deemed worthy to see them and to enjoy their teaching. And worthy of faith as writers of the evangelical doctrine are not only Matthew and John, the first and great evangelists, who saw the miracles of the Lord; but also Luke and Mark, whom those who had seen from the beginning and who had been ministers of the Word, accurately instructed in not only what the Lord suffered and did, D but also what He taught continuously. For the blessed Luke himself, who had not been a spectator, says at the beginning of his work that he is narrating those things of which he had been made certain; and we too, hearing that he was not an eyewitness of these very narrations, but had received this doctrine from others, do not
any the less attend to him, or to Mark, or to Matthew and John. For each of them is trustworthy in his narration, inasmuch as he has been taught by those who had seen. Therefore, we too shall recount those things which we have partly seen ourselves, and partly believed from those who had seen them and had zealously imitated their manner of life. I have discoursed at greater length on this matter, wishing to persuade you that I shall speak the truth. And from here I shall begin the narrative.
I. — JACOB
A Moses, the divine lawgiver, who laid bare the bottom of the sea, and overwhelmed the dry desert with waters, and worked all those other miracles, wrote down the way of life of the saints of old—not using the wisdom which he had learned from the Egyptians, but having received the radiance of grace from above. For from whence else would he have learned the virtue of Abel, and the love of God of Enoch, and the righteousness of Noah, and the pious priesthood of Melchizedek, and the calling of Abraham, his faith, fortitude, and diligent hospitality, the celebrated sacrifice of his son, and the catalog of his other noble deeds, and, in a word, the struggles, victories, and proclamations of those wondrous men, had he not received the rays of the B intelligent and divine Spirit? At the present time, I too have need of this assistance, I who am attempting to write the life of the saints who have flourished shortly before us and in our own times, and who wish to propose them as a kind of law for those who desire to imitate them. The prayers of these men, therefore, must be invoked, and the narrative begun.
Nisibis is a city situated on the border of the Roman and Persian empires, which formerly paid tribute to the Romans and was under their dominion. From this place came the great Jacob, who embraced a solitary and quiet life; and having taken possession of the peaks of the highest mountains, he spent his time in those places. In spring, summer, and autumn, he would dwell in the thickets, having heaven as a roof; but C in the time of winter, a cave would receive him, providing a brief shelter. He had food, not that which is sown and grows with labor, but that which springs up of its own accord. For by gathering the wild fruits born spontaneously from the trees, and the edible wild herbs, and things that are like vegetables, he provided from these what was sufficient for his bodily sustenance, rejecting entirely the need for fire. He also considered the use of wool to be superfluous, and the roughest goat-hair took its place; from these was made for him a tunic and a simple cloak. Thus, by mortifying his body, he continuously offered spiritual nourishment to his soul, D and by cleansing the vision of his mind, and making it a clear mirror of the divine Spirit, with unveiled face, according to the divine Apostle, "reflecting the glory of the Lord, he was transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord." Hence his [affection] toward God
increased daily, and he received immediately whatever he asked of God that he ought to have asked. Hence he also foresaw future events in the manner of the prophets, and received from the grace of the Holy Spirit the power to perform miracles. I shall recount a few of these, and reveal the ray of his apostolic brilliance to those who are unaware of it.
At that time the madness of men regarding idols was flourishing, and while inanimate statues laid claim to divine worship, the worship of God was neglected by the majority, and those who did not wish to partake in their drunkenness were held in contempt—those who, being composed and possessing an accurate discernment of existing things, mocked the weakness of the idols and worshipped the Creator of all B things. At that time he arrived in Persia, intending to see the plants of true religion and to provide them with the appropriate care. As he was passing by a certain spring, some girls who were washing cloths in it and cleansing garments with their feet, having no respect at all for his novel and decent attire, cast off shame, and with brazen forehead and impudent eyes gazed upon the divine man, neither covering their heads nor letting down the garments they had tucked up. The man of God, taking this ill, and thinking it an opportune time to show the power of God, in order that he might deliver them from impiety by a manifest miracle, cursed the spring, and the stream immediately vanished. He also cursed the girls, and punished their impudent youth with premature grayness. The deed followed the word immediately: the black color of their hair was changed, and they became like new trees in spring covered with autumnal leaves. Thus, having sensed the punishment—for the waters of the spring had fled, and looking at one another’s heads, they saw that sudden transformation—they ran to the city to report what had happened. Those who heard then quickly ran and, finding the great James, begged him to appease his anger and remit the punishment. He, without any hesitation, offered prayers to the Lord and commanded the waters to gush forth again; and then it immediately erupted again from its own depths, directed by the nods of the righteous one. Having obtained this, they asked that the former color be restored to the hair of the daughters as well. They say that he granted this too, and asked for the girls who had been C afflicted with this punishment; and because they did not come, he left the punishment as a lesson in temperance, an argument for modesty, and a perpetual and clear reminder of divine power. Such was the miracle of this new Moses, brought to pass not by the striking of a rod, but by receiving its efficacy from the sign of the cross. I, however, beyond the miracle, am amazed at his meekness; for he did not, like the great Elisha, deliver those impudent girls to ravenous bears, but used a harmless discipline, which had little of humiliation in it, and taught both piety and moderation at once. I have said these things not in order to accuse the prophet of cruelty (God forbid that I should be so mad),
but to show that, while he possessed that power, he acted rather in ways that conformed to the gentleness of Christ and the New Testament. A Once, when he saw a Persian judge who had passed an unjust sentence, he cursed a very large stone that was lying nearby, commanding it to be shattered and dissolved, and by this to rebuke that man’s unjust decree. When the stone was immediately broken into ten thousand pieces, those present were terrified; and the judge, filled with horror, revoked his former sentence and brought forth a just one. In this, too, he imitated his own Master, who—wishing to show that he endured his passion voluntarily, and that he could easily have punished the wicked had he wished—did not inflict punishment upon them, but by withering the lifeless fig tree with a word, demonstrated what he B was able to do. Imitating this benevolence himself, he did not punish the unjust judge, but by the blow to the stone taught him justice.
Distinguished by such deeds and beloved by all, and with his fame on everyone’s lips, he was brought to the ministry of the episcopate and was allotted the guardianship of his country. Though he exchanged that mountain habitation for another, and had taken up life in the city against his own preference, he changed neither his food nor his clothing; rather, while he changed his location, his way of life underwent no change. But his labors increased and became many times greater than before. C For to his fasting, his sleeping on the ground, and his wearing of sackcloth were added the cares for all those in need—I mean the ministrations to widows, the protection of orphans, the reproving of those who acted unjustly, and the bringing of just aid to those who were wronged. And what need is there to recount everything to those who know what pertains to those who have taken upon themselves such a province? He embraced these labors with distinction, as one who both remarkably loved and feared the Lord of the sheep. And the more he gathered the riches of virtue, the more he enjoyed the grace of the most Holy Spirit. For when he was once traveling to some village or town (for I cannot say exactly which place it was), D some poor people approached him, having laid out one of their companions as if he were dead, and they begged him for some things necessary for his burial. He yielded to the supplicants, and offered prayers to God for him as for one dead, beseeching Him to remit whatever sins he had committed in life and to deem him worthy of the choir of the just. As these things were being said, the soul of the one who was feigning death fled, and the coverings for the body were provided. When the holy man had gone on a little way, those who had contrived this drama ordered the one who was lying there to rise; but when they saw that he did not hear them, but that the fiction had become reality, and that the mask had turned into a true face, they hastened to the great Jacob, entreating him, and throwing themselves at his feet, and saying that the cause of their daring act had been poverty, and they begged that the transgression
be forgiven, and that the life taken away be restored to the dead man. Therefore, imitating the Lord's clemency, he accepted their entreaty and performed the miracle, restoring by his prayers the life that had been taken away by his prayers to him who lay dead. To me, this seems A similar to the miracle of the great Peter, who consigned Ananias and Sapphira to death for having stolen and lied. For he, in the same way, stripped of life him who had stolen the truth and used falsehood. But whereas the former, once the theft was known—for the grace of the Spirit revealed it—inflicted the punishment, the latter, ignorant of the facts of the drama, offered his prayer, and stopped the course of life of the one who had pretended; and whilst the divine Apostle did not rescue the dead from their catastrophe (for the beginnings of the message of salvation required fear), he, full of apostolic grace, both punished for a time and quickly released the punishment, for in this way he knew he would profit those who had sinned. But we must proceed to other matters, and briefly explain those as well.
For when Arius, the father and contriver of the blasphemy against the Only-Begotten and the Holy Spirit, moving his tongue against Him who had created it, had filled Egypt with tumult and confusion, and Constantine the Great, our emperor, the Zerubbabel of our flock—for just as he had led the entire captivity of the pious back from exile, and raised on high the divine temples which had been leveled to the ground—had summoned all the presidents of the Churches to Nicaea, the great Jacob also came with the others, as a most valiant warrior and leader of the whole phalanx, ready to contend for the true dogmas. For in those days, Nisibis was under the Roman rule. B In that great synod, therefore, while many things were said well and correctly, yet many things were also said otherwise—for there were some few who held contrary views, but did not dare to betray their impiety, and covered it with certain nets, not known to the common crowd, but very evident to those who were mystics of the truth and could penetrate its arcana—the confession of faith, which now obtains and is preached throughout the whole world, was recited, and all subscribed, and by hand and pen professed that they so believed and thought. But the greater part did this willingly; only seven, the defenders of the blasphemy of Arius, while they gave their assent by tongue and hand, yet retained in their minds a sentiment repugnant to their tongue, according to the prophecy which says: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me,” [Isa. xxix, 13] and according to the express voice of Jeremiah: “Thou art near to their mouth, C and far from their reins.” [Jerem. xii, 2] And consonant with these, the blessed David also says concerning them: [alt-version omitted]
“With their mouth they blessed, but in their heart they cursed.” [Ps cviii, 5] And again: “Their words were softer than oil, yet they are darts.” [Ps. liv, 22] These men were petitioning Alexander, the great bishop of the Alexandrians, to have compassion upon Arius, who had been excommunicated by that entire phalanx. But because he knew their craftiness and suspected the wickedness of that man, and for this reason would not grant their request, others of a simpler nature spoke at length in praise of clemency, suggesting that the God of all things is particularly pleased by this. Since the great Alexander called this unjust clemency toward one man a cruelty, A saying that it was destructive to many and that it would become an occasion of ruin for all the flocks, the divine Jacob exhorted all to devote themselves to the maceration of fasting, and for the space of seven days to pray to God in common that He might provide for what was advantageous to the Churches. When all had accepted the suggestion of the divine man—for they knew him to be shining with apostolic gifts—fasting was joined with prayer, and the governor of these matters set his mind upon what was for the benefit of the Churches. And when the Lord's Day arrived, on which the majority expected that the profane man would be received, and the time for the divine liturgy had come, and all were waiting to see the anti-theist granted pardon, then a truly divine and miraculous wonder took place. For in foul and stinking places that destroyer was B excreting the waste of his gluttonous appetite, and with this he also voided the very bowels in which they were contained, and by the dissolution of his inwards in this manner, and with his excrement poured out, the wretch suddenly collapsed and suffered that most disgraceful death, paying the penalty for his foul blasphemy in foul places, and receiving the death-blow through the tongue of the great Jacob. The divine Scripture truly admires Phinehas the priest, and rightly admires him, because he slew Zimri, the author of C ruin to the people; wherefore the blessed David also said in song: “Phinehas stood and made atonement, and the slaughter stopped; and it was counted to him for righteousness, from generation to generation, even for ever.” [Ps. cv, 30] But he used a weapon of war to perform that just and celebrated slaughter; to this man, however, the tongue sufficed instead of spear and sword, and it slew the ungodly man, that he might not see the glory of the Lord. And this alone suffices to refute the folly of the heirs of Arian impiety. For such a man was a herald and defender of the doctrines maintained by us; and he so utterly loathed their impiety D that he even struck down the father of it, using his tongue as a weapon. After that holy assembly had been dismissed, and each had returned to his own home, he too returned, like a valiant victor exulting over the trophies of piety. As time went on, that great and admirable emperor departed this life with crowns of piety, and his sons succeeded to the empire of the world. Then the King of the Persians, whose name
A was Sapores, holding the sons in contempt, as though they were not equal to their father, campaigned against Nisibis, bringing with him a vast number of cavalry and a vast infantry force; he also possessed a great many elephants. Having divided his army for the siege, he surrounded the city, constructed engines, built bulwarks, and drove in stakes, weaving the spaces between them with branches in the manner of hurdles. He ordered the soldiers to heap up earth and to raise towers against towers. Then, placing archers upon them and commanding them to discharge missiles against those who were standing upon the walls, he ordered others to tunnel underneath and undermine the walls. When all these B efforts proved futile, disrupted by the prayers of the holy man, he finally obstructed the course of the river that flowed past with the labor of many men, and having gathered a very great force of water, now dammed up by the barrier, he suddenly let it loose against the wall, employing it as a kind of most violent engine. The wall could not withstand the onset of the water; but, shaken by its force, it collapsed to the foundation in that part. The enemy raised a great shout, as if the city were now easy to capture (for they were ignorant of the great wall of the citizens); yet they postponed the assault, because they saw that the city could not be approached at that time due to the waters. Therefore, withdrawing further away, as if to recover from their toil, they both rested themselves and tended to their horses. The inhabitants, however, turned with greater fervor to prayers, having the great Jacob as their intercessor. But those who were still of vigorous age restored the walls with as much exertion as they were able, regarding neither beauty nor symmetry, but piling everything together haphazardly—stones, bricks, and whatever each person had brought. In one night C the work progressed and grew to such a height that it prevented both the horses from entering and the men from climbing up without ladders. Then all entreated the man of God to show himself upon the walls and strike the enemy with the weapons of his curses. He, being persuaded, ascended, and having beheld their infinite multitudes, entreated God to send against them a cloud of gnats and mosquitoes. And while he prayed, God, heeding him just as He had hearkened to Moses, immediately sent them. The men were wounded by these divine darts, while the horses and elephants, having broken their bonds because they could not endure those stings, were driven off, scattering hither and thither. Therefore, the impious king, seeing that all his engines had provided no benefit, and that his assault with the water had turned out to be useless—for the wall that had fallen had been rebuilt—and seeing his entire army both exhausted by toil and suffering from the hardships of fighting under the open sky, and struck by the divinely sent plague, and having caught sight of the divine man walking upon the walls (conjecturing him to be the Emperor overseeing the work, because he appeared girded in purple and diadem—although in reality it was not the Emperor but the saint appearing in that guise), D he was indignant at those who had deceived him and had urged the expedition upon him, and who had told him that the Emperor was not present. Wherefore, condemning them to death, he dismissed the army and returned with all possible speed to his royal city. God performed such things miraculously under this king, as He also did under Hezekiah, nor did He...
perform fewer miracles than those, but greater ones, in my opinion. For when the wall had fallen, that the city was not captured—what greater miracle could there be?
I also admire this exceedingly: that when he made use of imprecations, he did not ask for lightning and thunderbolts to be sent down from heaven upon them, as the great Elijah did when each captain of fifty came to him with his fifty men. For he had heard the Lord say plainly to James and John, when they tried to do this very thing: “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of” (Luke 9:55). Therefore, he did not ask for the earth to open up for them, nor did he pray for the company to be consumed by fire, but for them to be bitten by those little creatures, so that by recognizing the power of God, they might at long last learn piety. Such was the boldness this holy man had toward God, and such was the grace he enjoyed from above.
Continuing in these things, and growing daily in divine matters, he concluded his life with the greatest glory and departed from these places. But in the passage of time, when the city was surrendered to the one then holding the Persian rule, all the inhabitants left, and they carried out the body of their protector, grieving and lamenting the relocation, yet singing the praises of the victorious champion’s power. For had he still been alive, they would not have fallen under the power of the barbarians. Having set forth these things concerning this divine man, I shall move on to another narrative, imploring his blessing.
II. — JULIANUS
BJulian, whom the local people honored by calling him Sabbam—which name signifies “old man” in the Greek language—set up his monastic hut in the region formerly called that of the Parthians, but now Osroene. This region extends to the west as far as the bank of the river Euphrates, while toward the rising sun it marks the boundary of the Roman Empire; for it is met by Assyria, which is the western limit of the Persian kingdom, and which those who came after called Adiabene. In this nation there are many large and populous cities, yet the greater part of the region is thinly populated, and a considerable portion is uninhabited and desert. Having reached the edge of this desert, this divine man found a cave not made by hand, nor well and beautifully excavated, but one that could provide a small shelter for those arriving, and he gladly made his dwelling there, considering it more magnificent than palaces gleaming with gold and silver. C He lived in this place, taking food once a week. His food was millet bread, and it was bran—
and his seasoning was salt. His drink was the naturally flowing water, and he did not measure even this by satiety, but limited it by the need for the food previously consumed. His delight, his luxury, and his banquet of all kinds was the singing of the psalms of David and his constant discourse with God. Enjoying these insatiably, he was unwilling to find satiety; rather, as he was always being filled, he always cried out: "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey and the honeycomb to my mouth." A And he heard again the blessed David saying: "The judgments of the Lord are true, justified in themselves, more to be desired than gold and much precious stone, and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb." He heard him again saying: "Delight thyself in the Lord, and he shall give thee the petitions of thine heart"; and again, "Let the heart of them that seek the Lord rejoice"; and, "Make glad my heart, that it may fear thy name"; and, "O taste and see that the Lord is good"; and, "My soul hath thirsted for God, the strong and the living one"; and, "My soul hath followed hard after thee." And he transferred into himself the love of the one who had said these things. For this reason the great David, singing, taught them, so that he might make many companions and co-lovers of God. And he was not disappointed in his hope, but he wounded both this divine man and countless others with divine love. For this man was so kindled with such a fire of love that he was intoxicated by desire, and he saw nothing of earthly things, but only the Beloved, dreaming of Him by night and meditating on Him by day.
This sublime philosophy of his was learned by many, some living in the vicinity, others from further away—for report, winged, had run everywhere. C They ran up, begging to share in the wrestling-school and to live henceforth under him as if he were a gymnasium master and trainer. For not only do birds hunt birds by singing, calling their own kind to themselves and entangling them in nets laid for them; but humans also hunt those of their own nature—some for ruin, others for salvation. In this way, gathering together, they quickly became ten, then double and triple that, and then they reached the number of a hundred; and even though they were so many, that cave received them, for they had learned from the elder to neglect the care of the body. They fed themselves just as their teacher, on barley bread seasoned with salt. In time, however, they also began to collect wild herbs, and filling earthen vessels, they mixed in as much brine as sufficed to serve as a relish for those who had need of physical treatment. But this type of herb is harmful to damp dwellings, for it is wont to induce mold and rot. D When this corruption happened to this relish (for much moisture was flowing into the cave from all sides), the disciples begged the elder to allow them to build a small cell for themselves, such as would be enough to hold the vessels for this relish. But he at first...
A did not agree to the request; but eventually, being persuaded (for he had learned from the great Paul not to seek his own, but to accommodate himself to the humble), he gave the dimensions for a short and small cell, and went far away from the cave, intending to offer his accustomed prayers to God. For he was accustomed to walk through the desert for fifty stadia, and sometimes twice as many, separating himself from all human company, and withdrawing into himself, to converse with God in private, and to gaze upon that divine and ineffable beauty. Having obtained this leisure, those who were deemed worthy of his care built the cell, making it larger than they were commanded, although it was commensurate with the need. B Returning after the tenth day, like a Moses from the mount and from that ineffable contemplation, and seeing that the building had been made larger than he intended, "I fear, O men," he said, "lest while we enlarge our earthly dwellings, we diminish the heavenly ones; and yet these are temporary, and will not be useful to us for long: but those are eternal, and will not have any end." This he said, schooling the choir toward more perfect things, yet he endured it, obeying the apostolic voice, "I seek not what is useful for myself, but what is useful for the many, so that they might be saved." He taught them, indeed, to offer up a common hymn to God inside, but after dawn to pair off and go out into the desert, and one while bending his knees would offer the required adoration to the Lord, C while the other standing would sing fifteen Davidic psalms; then they would interchange the work, and he who had been standing would sing, while he who had been prostrated on the ground would adore. And this they continued to do from early dawn until late evening. A little before sunset, resting briefly, they would gather into the cave, some from this side and others from that, and all from everywhere would assemble, and together they would offer the evening hymn to the Lord.
The elder himself also was accustomed to take one of the more distinguished brothers as a companion in his service. A man followed him quite often, Persian by race, large and admirable in form, but endowed with an even more admirable soul; his name was Jacob, who even after the elder’s death shone brightly in all virtue; he was distinguished and D known, not only to those who were there, but also to those in the philosophy schools, or monasteries, of Syria, in which he ended his life, having lived, as it is said, one hundred and four years. He, traveling through the desert with the great elder, followed from a distance. For the master did not allow him to approach closely, lest it provide an occasion for conversation, and conversation might distract his mind from the contemplation of God. Following him, therefore, he sees a huge dragon lying in the path. Then, having seen it, he did not dare to proceed; but while he wanted to turn aside out of fear, he braced his mind again. Then, having bowed down, and a pebble...
ing in the path. Then, having seen it, he did not dare to proceed; but while he wanted to turn aside out of fear, he braced his mind again. Then, having bowed down, and a pebble A catching up, and throwing it into him, he noticed that the dragon remained in the same state, and was entirely unable to move. Understanding then that it was dead, he considered the death of the beast to be the work of the elder. Having completed the journey and finished the duty of the hymns, when the time for rest arrived, the elder sitting down ordered him also to surrender his body to a little rest; at first he was sitting silently. But when the elder began a certain conversation, Jacob, smiling gently, begged him to reveal to him that which he did not know. And when he gave him permission to ask, "I saw," he said, "a very large dragon cast along the road, and at first I was afraid, assuming it to be alive; but when I saw it was dead, I took courage and continued the journey. Tell me, therefore, Father, who killed it? For you were leading the way, and no one else has passed through this way." B But the elder said, "Cease, he said, from inquiring into such things, which are unable to bring any benefit to those who seek them." But the admirable Jacob insisted none the less, desiring to know the truth. And the elder, having tried for a long time to hide it, but not enduring longer to see his friend distressed, "I will tell you," he said, "if you desire to know; but I forbid you to make anyone else a witness to what will be said while I am living; for it is fitting to conceal such things, which often stir up arrogance and pride. But when I have departed from hence, and have been freed from such perturbations, I do not object to your telling it and narrating the power of divine grace. Know then," said the great Julian, "that while I was walking along the path, that beast rushed upon me, and opened its mouth desiring to devour me. But I, using the name of God, and C showing the trophy of the cross with my finger, cast off all fear, and I saw the beast falling immediately, and having praised the common Savior, I went on further." Having thus finished the story, he arose and set out on the path to the cave.
At another time a certain youth, born of a noble family, and softly raised, but possessed of an alacrity of mind greater than his strength, begged the elder to allow him to keep him company upon his pilgrimage into the desert, not the common one which all trod every day, but the longest, which often extended to a journey of seven, and often to ten days. This was the most famous Asterius. And when the divine elder prevented the young man, and warned him that the desert lacked water, the youth D insisted, begging him to grant him this gift. Overcome therefore by his prayers, the elder yielded; and he followed, at first indeed eagerly; but after the first and second and third day had passed, burning with the rays of the sun (for it was summer, and when summer is at its height, the flame of the sun is more ardent), he labored under constant thirst. At the beginning, indeed, mindful of what the master had predicted, he did not dare to reveal his ailment. But at last, overcome and clearly failing, he begged the elder to have pity on him. Then he, recalling to his memory what he had forewarned, ordered him to return: but when the youth said that he neither knew the path which leads to the
A cave, nor whether, if he knew it, he could climb it, his strength having been consumed by thirst, the divine man, having pity on the youth’s suffering and making allowances for the weakness of his body, bent his knees and besought the Master, and with hot tears watered the ground, and sought a way of salvation for the youth. He, however, who does the will of those who fear Him and hearkens to their prayer, turned the fountain of tears which had touched the dust into a spring of water, and having thus satiated the youth with the liquid, immediately commanded him to depart. This spring remains even to this day, bearing witness to the Mosaic prayer of the godly elder. For just as that man long ago, having struck that barren rock with his staff, caused river-like waters to gush forth to satisfy those B many thousands who were perishing of thirst, so this godly man, having watered that dry sand with his tears, drew forth streams of fountain-water, not to quench the thirst of many myriads, but of one youth. Being illuminated in his soul by divine grace, he saw the future perfection of the youth very clearly. For this man, being called long after by divine grace so that he might train others also in the same virtue, established a monastic wrestling school in the regions around Gindarus—a very large village subordinate to Antioch—and drew to himself many other athletes of philosophy, and also drew the great Acacius, the one I call "the great," the celebrated one who, indeed, stood out in the monastic way of life and sent forth the brilliant rays of virtue, having been deemed worthy of the high priesthood and having received the lot to shepherd Beroea. And having been entrusted with the leadership of that flock for fifty-eight years, he did not abandon the form of the monastic life, but blended the monastic and the civic virtue together; and taking the precision of the one and the stewardship of the other, he united in one what was formerly separate. But the hunter and trainer of this virtue was that Asterius, who remained such a warm lover of the great elder that many times twice, and often three times a year, he used to make the journey to him. C When coming, he was accustomed to bring dried figs for the brethren, loading three or four beasts of burden; but gathering two medimni, which would suffice for the elder for the whole year, he placed such a burden upon his own shoulders, making himself a beast of burden for his teacher. And carrying this load he would walk, not ten or twenty stadia, but accomplishing a journey of seven days. And once, seeing him carrying the load of dried figs on his shoulders, the elder was displeased and said that he would not make these his food. For it was not just that he should undergo such toil, and that he himself should luxuriantly enjoy another’s labors. But when he swore that he would not remove the burden from his shoulders unless the elder confirmed he would partake of the food brought, "I will do," said the elder, "what is commanded, only put down the sack at once." For in this too, he imitated the first of the apostles, who, when the Lord wished to wash his feet, at first refused, strongly affirming that it would not happen; but when he heard that he would be cut off from communion with the Lord unless he permitted it, he prayed that He wash not only his feet but his hands and head as well. Thus also the great John, ordered to baptize the Savior, at first confessed himself a servant, and [confessed that the] Lord [needed to be baptized by Him].
pointed out the Master; but afterwards he fulfilled what was commanded, not using audacity, but obeying the Master. Thus also this divine man felt burdened when another labored to provide him with food to eat; but when he saw the most fervent eagerness of the ministrant, he preferred that person’s ministry to his own choice.
B Perhaps someone among those who delight in finding fault and have learned only to carp at good things might say that this narrative is not worth recording. But I, in addition to the other miracles of this man, have added this one, wishing not only to show the respect that great men held for him, but also because I judged it worthwhile to declare the sweetness and moderation of his character. For such as he was, and being of such virtue, he did not deem himself worthy of even the slightest honor, but repelled it as something in no way pertaining to him; yet, on the other hand, he endured it because he caused a benefit to those who offered it. Fleeing from this (for when he had become known to all, he drew lovers of goodness to himself through his reputation), he at length set out for Mount Sinai with a few of his close associates, entering neither any town nor village, but making his journey through the trackless wilderness. They carried on their shoulders also the necessary food—bread, that is, and salt, and a wooden cup, and a sponge tied to a cord, so that if ever they found deeper water, they might draw it up with the sponge and, having squeezed it, drink into the cup. Having therefore traversed a journey of many C days, they arrived at the desired mountain and, when they had adored their Lord, they spent much time there, considering the solitude of the place and the quiet of the soul to be the greatest delight. And when he had built a church upon that rock, under which Moses, the prince of the prophets, while hiding, was deemed worthy to see God as far as it was possible to see Him, and had consecrated a divine altar, which remains to this day, he returned to his own arena.
But when he was informed of the threats of the emperor who bore the same name as he, but who was impious—for having threatened to destroy all the pious utterly, he had set out against the Persians—and when those who shared his views were awaiting with bated breath that abominable return, he himself then offered strenuous prayers to God, and extending these for up to ten days, he heard a voice saying that that execrable and foul-smelling pig had been removed from the midst. But not even when his prayers were finished did he immediately end his supplication; rather, he changed his petition into praises, giving thanks to the Savior of his own, and to the One who is long-suffering and powerful against the enemy of others. For He had endured the impious one for a very long time; but when His long-suffering had agitated the wicked man into greater madness, He brought about the punishment at the opportune moment. With his prayer completed, he turned to his own people and showed a visibly joyful and tranquil soul; for the gladness of the soul makes the face cheerful.
A Since those present were struck with wonder at the strange spectacle—for he who always appeared dejected was seen smiling at that moment—they asked for the cause. “This is a time for gladness, O men,” he said, “and for joy. For the impious man has ceased, as Isaiah says, and has paid the deserved penalty for his daring deeds; and he who exercised tyranny against God, the Creator and Savior, has been justly slain by a submissive hand. Therefore I rejoice, seeing the Churches which he attacked exulting, and observing that the wicked man obtained no help from the demons whom he worshipped.” Such was the foreknowledge he had concerning the death of this impious man.
But when Valens, who took up the reins of the Roman Empire after him, cast aside the truth of the evangelical dogmas and accepted the imposture of the Arian error, then a greater storm was raised against the Church, for B the leaders were driven out from every side, and plunderers and enemies were substituted in their place. And so that I do not recount that entire tragedy at the present time, I shall pass over the rest and mention only one thing, which clearly demonstrated the grace of the divine Spirit flourishing in this old man.
The great Meletius, to whom the God of all had entrusted the task of shepherding it, had been cast out of the Church of Antioch; and all the clergy who were in the sacred ministry, along with the like-minded people who worshipped the one divine essence of the Trinity, had been cast out of the divine temples. And now, they would go to the foothills of the mountain and hold their sacred assemblies there; at other times, they would set up an oratory on the bank of the river; and sometimes in the military training ground which is situated before the northern gate. For the enemies would not permit the pious to remain in one place. C The fosterlings of falsehood, however, boasted and spread a rumor in that city that the great Julian—I mean this old man here—was embracing the communion of the dogmas which they themselves followed. This matter especially distressed the pious, lest this rumor might perhaps deceive the more unlearned and simpler folk and entangle them in the snares of the heretics.
But the divine and blessed men, Flavian and Diodore, both adorned with the priesthood and presiding over the religious people, and Aphraates—whose life I shall add for you separately, God willing—persuaded that great Acacius, whom we have already mentioned, to take as his companion on the journey the illustrious Asterius, who was indeed his own teacher but a disciple of this holy old man; and to make haste to that common splendor of piety, that pillar of evangelical doctrine, and persuade him to leave his residence in the desert and come to bring help to so many thousands who were perishing through deception, D and by the dew of his arrival to extinguish the Arian flame. The divine Acacius ran, and having taken, as he was commanded, the great
Asterius, he arrived at that greatest luminary of the Church, and having greeted him, he said: "Tell me, O Father, for what reason do you endure all this labor with such joy?" When he replied, "The worship of God is more precious to me than my body, my soul, my life, and all things, and I endeavor, as far as I am able, to offer Him a service pure of any stain, and to please Him in all things," Acacius said, "I will reveal to you a way by which you may serve Him even more than you do now—and I say this not by relying on my own reasoning, but having learned from His own teaching. For when He once asked Peter B if he loved Him more than the others, and learned what He knew even before Peter’s voice, 'Lord, you know that I love you,' He showed him what he should do to serve Him more: 'If you love me,' He said, 'tend my sheep, and feed my lambs.' This too, O Father, you must do. For the flocks are in danger of being destroyed by wolves, but He who is greatly loved by you loves them greatly; and it is the nature of those who love to do those things which, when done, are pleasing to those who are loved. Moreover, there is no small danger, and a loss of those many and great exertions, if you endure to betray the truth, which is being grievously attacked, by silence, and that its followers should be captured, and that your own name should be used as bait for their capture. For the leaders of the Arian abomination C boast in vain that they have you as a companion in their impiety." Upon hearing this, the old man, immediately bidding farewell for the time being to his quiet life, and not shrinking from the city tumults to which he was unaccustomed, set out for Antioch. Having progressed two or three days' journey into the desert, he came by night to a certain little town. A wealthy woman there, hearing that that holy company was arriving, ran to receive their blessing and, falling upon her knees, begged that they would use her house as a lodging. The old man yielded, although for more than forty years he had refrained from such a sight. While that admirable woman was occupied in the service of the holy men, her seven-year-old son, the only child of a mother who had emulated the hospitality of Sarah, fell into a well in the evening darkness. When a great tumult had arisen on this account, as was natural, the mother, having learned what had happened, bade everyone to keep silent, and placing a cover upon the well, returned to her service. D When a table had been set before the holy men, the divine old man ordered the woman's son to be called, that he might receive a blessing. And when the admirable woman said he was unwell, he persisted in ordering him to be brought. But when the woman signified what had happened, the old man ran, abandoning the table, to the well, and having ordered the cover to be removed and a light brought, he saw the boy sitting on the surface of the water, splashing the water with his hand in a childish manner, and regarding as a game and a joke that which they had thought was his destruction; and having fastened a rope and lowered it into the well, they pulled the boy out: who, to
the feet of the elder he ran at once, saying that he had seen him on the waters, holding him up and preventing him from sinking. This is the reward for hospitality that the wonderful woman received from the blessed elder. But that I may pass over other things that happened on the journey, they arrived at Antioch; and all from every direction gathered, eager to see the man of God, and each one longing to receive some cure for their affliction. B He was lodged in the caves at the foot of the mountain, where they say the divine apostle, the blessed Paul, also lodged and hid himself. But immediately, so that all might know that he was a human being, a most violent attack of fever came upon him. The great Acacius, seeing the multitude of those gathered, was distressed at the illness that had occurred, fearing that those who were present might be disturbed if they learned of the sickness of the man from whose hand they hoped to receive healing. "Do not be distressed in spirit," said the elder, "for if health is necessary, the Lord will grant it immediately." Immediately, therefore, after these words, turning to prayer, and bowing his knees and forehead as he was accustomed to do, he besought that he might receive health, if any profit was to result from it for those who had gathered. He had not yet finished his prayer, when a copious sweat broke out on a sudden and extinguished the flame of the fever. C And having delivered many there from every kind of disease, he went on to the gathering of the pious. And as he was passing the gates of the palace, a certain beggar, who instead of feet used his buttocks and was being dragged along the ground, stretched out his hand, and touching the cloak of the elder, he drove out his infirmity by faith, and leaping up, he showed the gait he had before his sickness, doing the same as the lame man whom Peter and John raised. When this happened, the whole multitude of the city gathered, and the military gymnasium was filled with those running together. The calumniators and the artisans of lies were full of shame, while the foster-children of truth were in full joy and gladness, and those who were in need of some aid were dragging the splendid light of piety into their own homes. A certain man, endowed with the highest office, who held the prefecture D of the East, sent to him, asking him to come to him and free him from an urgent sickness. He, without any delay, went, and having besought the common Master, he drove away the sickness with a word, and urged him to render thanks to God.
Remaining in the ascetical hut. But making his journey through Cyrrhus—this city is two days' distance from Antioch—he was lodged in the shrine of the victorious martyr Dionysius. Those who were in charge of religion there joined together and besought him to bring help to them, as they were expecting certain destruction. For they said that Asterius, a man trained in the art of sophistry, who had defected to the church of the heretics, and
had been deemed worthy of the episcopal office, A was terribly defending the lie and employing wicked craft against the truth. "We fear," they said, "that as with some bait, by concealing the lie with his eloquence and spreading the traps of his syllogisms like nets, he may catch many who live in simplicity." It was for this reason that he had been summoned by the adversaries. The elder said: "Take heart, and pray to God with us, adding fasting and affliction to your prayers." While they were praying in this manner, on the day before that festival on which the defender and enemy of the truth was to speak, he was struck by a divine blow, and after being ill for only one day, he departed from the living, hearing, as it were, that voice: "Fool, this night they require your soul from you; and the evils you have prepared—the nets and the snares—they shall be for you and not for another." He suffered the same things as Balaam, who also had been summoned against the people of God, and after he had given impious counsel to Balak against them, he paid the penalty himself, receiving the slaughter at the hand of Israel. B Thus this man also, since he had plotted with evil intent against the people of God, was deprived of life through the people of God. Cyrus received this benefit through his intercession. As for me, the divine head, the great Acacius, who knew all his affairs accurately, handed down these accounts to me. Having departed from there, and having reached his companions and spent no small time with them, he migrated with alacrity to a life free from old age and distress, having pursued impassibility in a mortal nature and awaiting the immortality of the body. Here I shall end my discourse concerning this account and proceed to another, beseeching the saints whom I have commemorated to procure for me the favor from above through their intercession.
III. MARCIANUS
How could we worthily praise the most celebrated Marcianus? Or is it evident that we should rank him with Elijah and John and those like them, who "went about in skins and goatskins, destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy, wandering in deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the earth"? C For he once had Cyrus as his fatherland, which I mentioned before, and afterwards the desert; and having left both this and that, he now possesses heaven. The former indeed gave birth to him, the latter nourished him and rendered him a victor, and heaven received him crowned. For having despised the renown of his lineage—since he was descended from noble parents—and the splendor of the palace, in which he flourished, gifted by the Author of nature with greatness of body and beauty, and possessing a soul adorned with sharp intelligence, he transferred his entire love to God and the things of God; and having bidden farewell to everything, D he reached the center of the desert, and having built a small hut that could scarcely accommodate his body, and
A of fence surrounding it, he remained shut in continuously, separated from all human intercourse, conversing with the Lord of all, and hearing that sweet voice. For in occupying himself with the divine oracles, he reckoned that he was hearing the divine voice; while in praying and offering supplications, he himself carried on the conversation with the Lord. And always enjoying such delight, he never wished to be sated. For he had heard the divine Spirit chanting through the mouth of the great David: "For he who meditates on the law of the Lord day and night shall be like the tree planted by the streams of waters, which will give its fruit in its season, and its leaf shall not fall." Desiring these fruits, he embraced this most sweet labor: and prayer succeeded to psalmody, and psalmody to prayer, and both in turn to the reading of the divine oracles. His only food was bread, and this was offered by weight; and the weight was such that it would not satisfy even an infant just weaned. They say, in fact, that a libra of bread, divided into four parts, was distributed over four days, and one part was allotted to each day. For he had determined to eat every evening, but never to be sated, but always to be hungry and always thirsty, and to provide to his body only what sufficed for life. For he said that he who takes food B after many days of fasting performs the divine offices more weakly on the days of fasting; and on the day when he again takes food, by consuming more, as is wont to happen, he burdens the stomach, and this being heavy, makes the soul more sluggish for vigils. It is better, therefore, he said, to take food every day, but never to await satiety. For a true fast is perpetual hunger. This law that divine man ceased not to propose, and although he had a very large body, and was the greatest and most beautiful of all the men of his time, he sustained it with little food. After some time had passed, he admitted two companions: Eusebius, who became the heir of that sacred hut, and Agapetus, who transplanted these angelic laws to Apamea. For there is a very large and populous village, C Nicerta by name, in which he constructed two very large gymnasia of philosophy, the one taking its name from him, the other from the admirable Simeon, who shone in this discipline for a space of fifty years. In these, even today, more than four hundred men dwell, athletes of virtue and lovers of piety, buying heaven with their labors; and the lawgivers of this manner of life were Agapetus and Simeon, having received the laws from the great Marcian. And from these, countless other ascetic dwellings were propagated, using the same laws, which it would be difficult to enumerate. But the sower and planter of them all was that divine man. For he who provided the most beautiful seed is rightly to be called the author of the goods which are born from it. Therefore, first, as I said, he occupied that voluntary prison alone. Then, when he had admitted these two,
they did not dwell under the same roof; for the little cell did not suffice for him alone, being extremely small and causing him much labor whether standing or lying down. For when standing he could not straighten himself, as the roof pressed upon his head and neck; nor could he extend his legs when lying down, since the length of the cell did not correspond to his stature. Therefore, having permitted them to construct B another, he ordered them to live in it and to chant hymns, pray, and read the divine oracles by themselves. But when it became necessary for more to become participants in this benefit, he arranged for another dwelling to be built at a distance and ordered those who desired to do so to live there. Eusebius was placed in charge of them, conveying to them the teaching of the great Marcian. As for that divine Agapetus, having been trained as he ought and exercised, and having been most excellently educated in this struggle, he departed, as I said, and sowed the seeds which he had received from that divine soul; and he became so illustrious and renowned that he was deemed worthy of the episcopal throne, and was entrusted with the pastoral care, and the charge of his own fatherland was committed to him.
The admirable Eusebius, presiding over the assembled flock, also took care of the master, and he alone had the authority to approach him at the proper time and to ask if he desired anything. Desiring one night to see what he was doing, he ventured to approach the light-aperture, which was very small; and having looked in, he saw a light, not of a lamp nor man-made, D but God-sent and proceeding from grace above, shining upon the head of the master and revealing the arrangement of the letters in the divine Scriptures. For he happened to be holding a book, seeking the inviolable treasure of divine will. When the admirable Eusebius saw this, he was filled with fear and dread, and he learned of the grace poured out upon the servant of God and the benevolence with which God pursues His servants. At another time, while the great Marcian was engaged in prayer in the vestibule of the house, a dragon, having crawled up the wall facing the east, peered down from above the wall, agape and looking with a grim visage, signifying its treacherous intent. Eusebius, standing at a distance and terrified by that horrendous sight, and thinking the master was unaware of it, cried out with a loud voice and pointed it out, begging him to flee. But he rebuked him, and ordering him to cast out fear as a ruinous emotion, he marked the sign of the cross with his finger and blew with his mouth, laying bare the ancient hostilities. For immediately the dragon, caught and inflamed by the spirit of his mouth as if by a flame, was broken into many pieces like burnt reeds. See, therefore, whether the benevolent servant did not imitate the Master. For when the sea was once raging against the disciples' boat, the Master, seeing them struggling, did not calm the surge of the sea before he restrained the disciples' unbelief with a rebuke. Taught by this, the admirable man
first removed the cowardice of the disciple, A and then surrendered the beast to punishment. Such was the great Marcian’s wisdom, and his power of working miracles, and his confidence in God. But yet, although he was endowed with such grace and was capable of performing great miracles, he strove to conceal his power, suspecting the devices of the plunderer of virtue, who, sowing the vice of pride, attempts to steal the fruits gathered with labor. Desiring to hide the grace given to him, he worked miracles unwillingly, as the brightness of his extraordinary works shone forth and laid bare the power he was hiding. And it happened one day that such a thing occurred.
A certain man of noble birth, who had often held military offices B and hailed from Berrhoea in Syria, had a daughter who for a long time had been afflicted and driven to madness by an evil demon. He came to the desert, having been an acquaintance of the great Marcian, and hoping that because of their previous familiarity he would be able to meet with him and ask his favor in person. But being disappointed in his hope, and failing to see the servant of God, he begged a certain elder, who at that time was entrusted with the service of the divine man, to accept a small flask full of oil and place it by the door of the little house. Though the elder frequently refused to undertake this,, having been asked again and again, he finally succumbed to his entreaties. C Hearing the noise, the great Marcian asked who it was and for what cause he had come. The man, however, hiding the true reason, pretended that he had come to inquire if there was any command he might have; and having said this, he was dismissed. But at dawn, when the father of the girl again asked for the flask to be returned to him, the elder, though fearful, went nevertheless as silently as he could, and reaching out his hand to take the flask, he attempted to hide away. But he again asked what the reason for his coming was. And when he offered the same excuse as he had in the evening, the man of God was vexed, since this had happened contrary to custom, and ordered the elder to report the truth. The man, fearing and trembling, D and unable to hide anything from one full of divine grace, said who had come, and explained the tragedy of the affliction, and showed the flask. The holy man was annoyed, as was to be expected, not wishing to display his virtue; yet he threatened that if he dared such things again, he would be deprived of that intimacy and removed from his service—a penalty that was the greatest of all to those who knew its value. He ordered him to send it back to the one who had given it.
So he gave these commands; yet the demon, stationed four days' journey away, cried out at the power of the one who was casting him out. For Marcian, while in Berrhoea, performed the part of a judge, using certain executioners against the demon, expelling that polluted one, and showing the girl to be free of that operation. The girl's father learned of this with exactness; for as he was returning, and when he was only a few stadia from the city, a servant met him...
having been sent out by his mistress. Upon seeing his master, the servant reported the miracle that had occurred, saying that the wonder had taken place four days earlier. Having thus counted the days and examined the time accurately, he learned that it was the very day on which the old man had brought the oil-flask.
But it comes into my mind to consider what that great man would not have done if he had wished to perform miracles. For if, even when he was eager to conceal the virtue he had received, he shone with such splendor, what wonder would he not have wrought had he desired to perform one? Thus, moreover, he would not reveal his spiritual wisdom to everyone; and this he demonstrated finally, after B he permitted those who wished to come to him after the feast of the saving Passion and the Lord's Resurrection—a time, indeed, when everyone was eager to catch a sight of him. And so it happened that the foremost of the bishops once came together to him: that great Flavian, who had been entrusted with the shepherding of the church of Antioch; and the divine Acacius, whom I mentioned earlier; and Eusebius, the bishop of the Chalcidians; and Isidore, who was then entrusted with the helm of Cyrus—all of them distinguished by their virtue. With them was also Theodotus, who held the reins of the people of Hierapolis, shining in asceticism and gentleness. There were also present some of those in positions of authority and rank, whom the fervor of faith had inflamed. Therefore, while everyone sat in silence awaiting his holy voice, he himself also sat for a long time in silence, keeping his tongue at rest but his ears attentive. Then one of those sitting with him, who was intimate with him by reason of the care of his soul, and was also distinguished C in rank, said: "Father, all these divine Fathers, thirsty for your teaching, await your most sweet streams. Bestow, therefore, the benefit upon all who are present, and do not close the channels of your beneficence." But he, after sighing heavily, said: "God, the God of all, speaks daily both through creation and discourses through the divine Scriptures; he counsels what is necessary, teaches what is useful, deters with threats, and urges on with promises, yet we derive no profit. How then would the speech of Marcian provide benefit, when so great a benefit is rejected along with the others, and when they do not wish to gather the fruit from them?" From this point many words were exchanged by the Fathers, which I deemed superfluous to insert into the narrative. But when they had stood up and prayed, and wished to confer the ordination of the priesthood upon him, they again feared to undertake it. And one exhorted another, yet because they all declined, they departed with the matter unfinished.
But I wish also to add to these another narrative, D from which his divine prudence may be known. A certain Avitus was the first to fix his ascetic hut in the other wilderness. It is situated a little further north than this one, and slopes slightly towards the east, facing the north wind that borders on the northeast. This man was, in both time and toil, an elder contemporary of the great Marcian, a philosopher, and one trained in a life of hardship. He…
A Having heard of the man’s renowned virtue, and having calculated that it would be more profitable to see such a sight than to enjoy his brief quiet, he ran, eager to see the one he desired. When the great Marcian learned of his arrival, he opened the door and let him in; he instructed the admirable Eusebius to boil some pulse and greens, if he had any. When they had been satisfied with their mutual conversation and had come to know each other’s virtue, they celebrated the service of the Ninth Hour together. Eusebius came bringing a table and offering bread. Then the great Marcian said to divine Avitus: "Come, most dear to me of all, and let us be partners at this table." But he said: "I do not remember, I tell you, ever having taken food before evening; often, indeed, I remain fasting for two or even three days at a time." But the great Marcian said: "For my sake, then, let your custom be changed today; for, being weak in body, I cannot wait until evening." B When, even after saying this, he could not persuade the admirable Avitus, he is said to have sighed and to have said: "But I am deeply distressed and stung in soul that you have undergone such labor just to see a man who loves labor and is a philosopher, only to be frustrated in your hope and discover a tavern-keeper and an intemperate man instead of a philosopher." And when the most divine Avitus became sad at these words and said that he would gladly eat meat rather than hear such things, the great Marcian said again: "And we, O friend, lead the same life as you, and we embrace the same manner of living; we prefer toil to rest, and we choose fasting over sustenance, and when night falls, then we take part in it. C But we know that the matter of charity is more precious than fasting. For the one is a work of divine law, while the other is of our own power and choice; and it is fitting that we should consider the divine laws much more precious than our own toils." Having discussed these things with one another, and having taken a little food, and having praised God, and having spent three days together, they parted, hoping to see each other again in the spirit. Who, then, would not admire the wisdom of this man, guided by which he knew the time for fasting? He knew also the time for philosophy and brotherly charity, and he recognized the difference among the parts of virtue, and which ought to yield to which, and to whom, according to the time, the victory should be attributed.
D I can also relate another story, which shows his perfection in divine matters. His sister had come to him from their homeland with her son, who was already a man and held the first rank in the city of Cyrrhus; she was bringing him an abundance of what was necessary for his living. He did not permit himself to see his sister, but he did admit his nephew into his presence, for the time for conversation with him had arrived. When they begged him to accept what they had brought, he said: "Through how many monasteries did you pass? To which of them did you distribute any of these things?" And since he said that they had given it to no one, "Depart," he said, "with those..."
things you have brought; for we neither need any of these, nor would we accept them if we did, since you wish to show us this favor out of natural kinship rather than out of zeal for divine service. For if you were honoring only the affinity of kindred, you would not have shared only with us what you brought." Saying this, he dismissed his nephew with his sister, forbidding them to accept any of the things they had brought. Thus had he risen above nature and passed over into the heavenly way of life. For what clearer proof could one provide that he was worthy of God, according to the very voice of God? "For he who does not leave," He says, "father and mother, and brothers and sisters, and wife and children, is not worthy of me." If, then, he who does not leave is unworthy, it is clear that he who does leave, and observes this perfection so exactly, was most worthy. B Furthermore, I also admire his extraordinary diligence in divine doctrines. For he detested the madness of Arius, which was being fanned by imperial power at that time. He also loathed the insanity of Apollinaris. He fought bravely against those who hold the views of Sabellius and gather the three hypostases into one. Moreover, he utterly turned away from those called Euchites, who, under a monastic habit, were suffering from the disease of the Manichæans. His zeal for ecclesiastical dogmas was so ardent that he even undertook a righteous struggle against an admirable and divine man. C For there was a certain old man in that desert, named Abraham—that is what the locals called him—a man with gray hair, but of even grayer wisdom, radiant in every virtue, and always pouring forth abundant tears of compunction. At the beginning, led by a certain simplicity, he did not hesitate to celebrate the first Pascha; being ignorant, as is to be expected, of what had been decreed about this matter by the Fathers at Nicæa, and desiring to serve an ancient custom. Many others, furthermore, were suffering from this same ignorance at that time. But the great Marcianus, having tried many times with many arguments to persuade the elder Abraham to bring himself into agreement with the Church, seeing him resisting, openly ceased to communicate with him. In the passage of time, however, that divine man, having wiped away the stain and embraced the agreement of the Church in celebrating the feast, truthfully sang: D "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord." And this magnificent achievement was the work of the great Marcianus. Many indeed built houses of prayer for him in many places: in Cyrrhus, his nephew Alypius; in Chalcis, a certain Zenobia, who was illustrious in family, distinguished in virtue, and possessed of great wealth. Not a few others were doing the same thing, striving to snatch that victorious athlete for themselves. When the man of God learned of this, he besought that admirable Eusebius, binding him with a threat-filled...
pledge, to lay his body to rest in that place and that no one, save two of his most familiar associates, should know of the tomb until a long series of years had passed. And this oath that admirable man fulfilled. For as soon as the illustrious victor had completed his life, and the choir of angels had transported that holy and divine soul to the heavenly mansions, he did not reveal his passing before he had, with the two more familiar acquaintances, dug the grave, deposited the body, and leveled the surface of the ground. And when fifty years or more had passed, although many gathered and searched diligently for the body, the tomb remained unknown. B But after each of the aforementioned oratories—the one of the apostles and the other of the martyrs—had received relics, the heirs of his cell and teaching, growing confident, had constructed a stone sarcophagus two years prior, and into it they transferred the relics of the precious body, with the one who alone of the three remained survivor pointing out the tomb.
Emulating his virtue, the admirable Eusebius did not cease to afflict his body with numerous labors. For, already wearing one hundred and twenty pounds of iron, he imposed upon himself another fifty belonging to the most divine Agapetus, and he added another eighty belonging to the great Marcian. He had for a dwelling a certain pit devoid of water, and he spent a period of three years living in this manner. I have digressed to recount these things in order to show what a cause of great achievements for many others the great Marcian was. The fruit of this philosophy was also gathered by the admirable Basil, who long after C built a monastic residence near Seleucobelus—a city of Syria. Having shone in many forms of virtue, and having shone especially in that possession most pleasing to God, charity, and in the divine work of hospitality, who could easily count how many laborers for God he also presented, in the words of the Apostle, "unashamed, rightly handling the word of truth" (II Tim. II, 15)? For, leaving aside the others for the present—not because they are unworthy of praise but because they would make the narrative overly long—I shall mention only one of these.
There was a disciple of his named Sabinus, who consumed his body with infinite toils. For he partook of neither bread nor any dish of food; his nourishment was flour moistened with water. He was accustomed to mix his entire month's portion of food in such a way that it would become moldy and emit a great stench. Through this sort of food, he wished to dull the appetites of the body and to crush pleasure with the stench of the food. Living in this manner by himself, if ever any of his acquaintances came to him, he would partake of everything set before him without discrimination. D He received such grace from God that a certain woman from Antioch, noble by birth and proud of her wealth, fled to him and besought him to bring help to her daughter who was vexed by a demon.
She said that she had seen someone in a dream who told her to run there and secure healing for her daughter through the prayers of the one who presided over the monastery. A The one providing the answers then said that it was not the custom for the superior to converse with women; but as the woman persisted, weeping, wailing, and bitterly entreating, the superior of the monastery came out. The woman, however, said that it was not him, but that another had been shown to her, a man with a reddish complexion, having certain spots on his cheeks. When they learned who was being sought—he was the third in the monastery, not the first—they persuaded him and brought him to the woman; and as soon as she recognized his face, the evil demon cried out and left the girl. Such were the mighty deeds of the disciples of the great Marcian: such were the plants that the excellent husbandman propagated everywhere in the world. B I, for my part, placing an end to this narrative, pray and beseech that through the intercession of all these I may obtain divine aid.
IV. — EUSEBIUS
What kind of fruits the barren desert has brought to God, timely and ripe and pleasing to their cultivator, and lovable and desirable to prudent men, we have shown in the preceding narratives. But lest anyone suspect that virtue is circumscribed by place, and that only the wilderness is suitable for the harvest of such produce, come, let us now turn our discourse to the inhabited regions, and let us show that these are in no way an obstacle to the acquisition of philosophy.
There is a lofty mountain, situated to the east of Antioch and to the west of Beroea, C rising above the neighboring mountains, bearing the shape of a cone at its highest peak, and having received its name from its height; for those who dwell around it are accustomed to call it "Coryphe" (that is, the summit). D Formerly, on its very crest, there was a temple of demons, greatly honored by the neighboring peoples. Below it, towards the south, a plain extends in the shape of a bay, enclosed on both sides by hills of no great height which stretch as far as the carriage road, receiving the two paths that run from the south toward the north. In this plain, towns are settled, both great and small, adjacent to the mountains on either side; and at the very roots of the high mountain is a village, very large and populous, which the inhabitants in their native tongue call Teleda. Above, on the side of the mountain, is a glen not very steep, but gently sloping toward that plain and facing the south wind. In this, a certain Ammianus built a school of philosophy—a man shining with many other virtues, but excelling everyone in singular modesty. A proof of this is that, although he possessed learning enough to suffice not only for his own disciples but for as many again, he nevertheless often went to the great Eusebius, asking and beseeching him to be an assistant, a trainer, and a master of the wrestling school, which
A he had founded. He was twenty-five stades away, enclosed in a very small dwelling that did not even have any windows. Marianus, his uncle and a faithful servant of God, had led him to this virtue. It is enough to say this much, since the Master has honored the great Moses with this title. This Marianus, having tasted the divine love, did not wish to enjoy the blessings alone, but made many others companions in that love; he also hunted out the great Eusebius, and his brother—who was also a brother in his way of life. For he did not deem it reasonable to incite those who had no relation to him to virtue, while leaving his own nephews unhunted. Having enclosed them both in a small cell B, he instructed them in the angelic way of life. But sickness overtook the brother, interrupting the course, and death followed the sickness; for he ended his life a few days after he had departed from there. The great Eusebius, however, remained throughout the life of the uncle, neither speaking to anyone nor beholding the light, but being perpetually enclosed. And even after his death, he led the same life, until the admirable Ammianus, having persuaded him with many prayers, softened him. "Tell me," he said to him, "O good man, to please whom have you chosen this laborious and squalid life?" And when he, as was fitting, had replied, "To God, who is the lawgiver and master of virtue," Ammianus said: "Since therefore you love Him, I will show you a way through which you may love more ardently and serve Him whom C you love. For whoever consults only for himself cannot, in my opinion, escape the charge of selfishness. For the divine law commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves; and to communicate one's riches to many is the proper duty of charity, which the divine Paul called 'the fulfillment of the law,' and the Word cries out again: 'The law and the prophets are summed up in this saying, in the, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." ' And the Lord, in the holy Gospels, commanded Peter, as he professed to love Him more than the others, to feed His sheep. Yet to those who neglect this, He says, chiding them through the prophet: 'O shepherds, do the shepherds not feed themselves, and not the sheep?' For this reason He commanded the great Elijah, who was pursuing this life, to move about among the impious. And the second Elijah, the very great John, who delighted in the desert, He sent to the banks of the Jordan, commanding him to baptize and to preach. Since, therefore, you too are a warm lover of God who has made and saved you, make many others lovers with you. For this is very pleasing to our common D Master. For this reason He also called Ezekiel a watchman, and commanded him to testify to sinners; and He commanded Jonah to set out for Nineveh, and when he would not go, He sent him bound." Saying these things and the like, he softened the holy man,
and brought him out of that voluntary prison, and handed over to him the care of his companions. I, for my part, know not which I should admire more, the modesty of the one or the readiness of the other’s obedience. For he fled from authority and preferred to be one of the subjects, fearing the peril of such a charge. And the great Eusebius, although he avoided the company of men, yet withdrew his refusal, and caught in the B snares of love, took upon himself the care of the flock and led the company, having no need of many words to instruct them. For his very presence was enough to rouse even the most slothful to the race of virtue. For those who saw him relate that his countenance always possessed such gravity that it was enough to strike a certain fear into those who looked upon him. He himself partook of food only after three or four days, but he ordered his companions to eat every other day. He commanded them to converse with God assiduously, and to leave no time empty of this work: but that they should perform the appointed duties in common, and in the intervals of time between these, each one privately—whether under the shade of some tree, or beside some rock, or where each might choose to find quiet—should pray to the Lord and ask for salvation for himself. He trained the individual parts of his body for virtue, so that they might do only those things which reason permits. To make this clear to all, I shall set forth one of the narratives concerning him.
He and the wonderful Ammianus were sitting upon a certain rock, C and one was reading the history of the divine Gospels, while the other was explaining the meaning of its more obscure passages. Seeing some farmers ploughing the land in the plain below, the great Eusebius was distracted towards contemplating them. When, therefore, the divine Ammianus had finished reading the Gospel passage and was asking for its interpretation, and the great Eusebius had ordered the reading to be repeated, and he had replied, “Perhaps, as it seems, being delighted by the farmers, you did not hear,” he subsequently imposed a law upon his own eyes: that he should never look at that field, nor be delighted by the sight of the heavens and the stars; but, walking upon a very narrow path, said to be one span in width, which led to the house of prayer, he did not allow himself to step off it thereafter. They further report that he lived more than forty years after this law was made. And that, along with his spontaneous will, some necessity might also compel him to these things, he bound his loins with an iron belt, D and having placed a very heavy collar upon his neck, he joined the belt to the collar with another piece of iron, so that in this way he was perpetually forced to bend down and look at the ground. These were the penalties he exacted upon himself, because he had contemplated those farmers. Many others who had seen him and had a clear understanding of all his affairs taught me these things; but this very story was told by the great old man Acacius, whom I have already mentioned in other matters. He said, moreover, that he once asked him, when he saw him thus bent over, for what fruit…
he was laboring, A since he did not endure to look at the sky, nor to gaze upon that field lying before him, nor to walk outside that narrow path. He replied that he was contriving these things against the machinations of the wicked demon. "For," he said, "so that he might not wage war over great things, attempting to steal away temperance and justice, and arming anger, and kindling desire, and making me ready to become inflamed and puffed up with pride, and whatever else he concocts against my soul, I try to transfer the war to these small things, where, even if he wins, he is not greatly harmed, and if he is defeated, he becomes all the more ridiculous, as one who is unable to conquer even in small matters. Since, therefore, I know this war to be less dangerous—for he who is struck in these matters sustains no great loss; for what harm is there in seeing a field, or in raising one's eyes to heaven?—I shift the form of the battle to this; for in this way he can neither kill nor strike. For these darts are not deadly, as they lack those iron points." The great Acacius said that he heard these things from him, and admired his wisdom, and recounted his martial skill as something worthy of admiration and memory, so that those desiring to learn might admire his courage and experience. B For which reason, to those wishing to learn, he also offered this...
The fame of this man
, running through everything, drew all lovers of virtue to him. There came, therefore, the rams of the most excellent flock of the most divine old man Julian, whose history we have already recorded. For after that divine man had reached the term of his life and migrated to the life above, Jacob the Persian and Agrippa, who were the leaders of that flock, ran to the great Eusebius, thinking it better to be ruled than to rule as they ought. Regarding Jacob, whom I have already mentioned above when I briefly displayed his virtue, I shall now also present clear proof of his supreme philosophy. For when the divine Eusebius was departing this life and had instructed him to have charge of the flock, and he, refusing the care, did not persuade those who desired him to take it up, he betook himself to another flock, preferring to be fed rather than to feed, and after many years passed he ended his life there. Agrippa, therefore, succeeded to that command, a man adorned with many other virtues, but C predominantly with the purity of his soul, through which he was also receiving the vision of divine beauty, and, being set on fire by the torch of that love, he watered his cheeks with continuous tears. And after he also had legally shepherded that choice and divine flock for a long time, and then departed this life, the divine Davides, of whose appearance I too was granted the enjoyment, succeeded to the command: a man who truly, according to the divine Apostle, had mortified his members which are upon the earth D (Coloss. III, 5). For he had progressed so much from the teaching of the great Eusebius, that when [he had attained] yearsin that monastery, he spent that entire time free from anger and wrath, and no one, even after he received the superiorship, ever saw him overcome by this mental disturbance. This is true, even though, as one might expect, infinite things offered themselves to compel him. For one hundred and fifty men were being shepherded under his right hand, some indeed emulating the heavenly life through [their] excellent virtue, while others, whose wings were still growing, were being taught to leap over and fly above the earth. And yet, though there were so many who were being taught divine things—and sometimes they would undoubtedly do wrong, since it is hardly possible for someone who has recently arrived to conduct himself rightly in all things—the divine man remained immovable, as if he were devoid of a body, nor did any occasion incite him to anger. B
This I have received not by hearsay alone, but have also tested by experience. For, desiring once to see that flock, I arrived [there], having as companions of my journey others also who embraced the same life as I. Spending, therefore, the whole cycle of the week with this divine man, we observed his countenance receiving no change at all, neither being diffused with joy at one moment, nor contracted with sadness at another, and his eyes similarly, not at one time stern and at another cheerful, but always continuing in the same state of decorum. These [signs] are also sufficient to indicate the tranquility of the soul. But perhaps someone might think that he was seen to be such because no cause was moving him. Therefore, what happened then in our presence must necessarily be explained. The divine man was sitting with us, discoursing on philosophy, and seeking out the pinnacle of the evangelical discipline. While such conversations were being held, a certain Olympius, a Roman by birth, himself admirable in character, endowed with the dignity of the priesthood, and holding the second place in that superiorship, came to us, rebuking the divine David with a loud voice, calling that gentleness a common injury, saying that his mildness was pernicious to all, and calling that supreme philosophy not modesty, but insanity. C But he, as if his soul were made of adamant, received those words in such a way that he was not at all stung by the things that are wont by nature to sting. Therefore, he did not change his countenance, nor did he break off the set discourse, but with a gentle voice and words testifying to the serenity of his soul, he dismissed that old man, asking him to attend to what he wished. "For I," he said, "am speaking with those who have come to us, as you see, thinking this duty to be necessary." D By what means could anyone more clearly demonstrate the gentleness of his soul? For him who held the supreme superiorship to be treated with such insult by him who held the second place—especially with foreigners standing by and hearing the abuse—and yet to have EXHIBITED not even one ripple of anger or disturbance, or which [kind of] manliness and endurance...
does it not surpass? A The divine Apostle, observing the weakness of human nature, measures the lawgiver’s requirement according to our nature, saying, "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger" (Eph. iv, 26). For, knowing that the movements of anger are of nature and not of the volition, he was unwilling to decree things that were difficult to perform, and perhaps altogether impossible. Instead, he defined the limit for the movement of nature and the storm of anger as the span of a day, ordering it to be compressed by reason and held fast by a bridle, not allowing it to advance beyond these boundaries. But this divine man struggled beyond the laws laid down and leaped beyond the stadium’s barriers, not allowing his anger to be moved even until evening, but permitting it not to be moved at all. Such was the fruit he reaped from the company of the great Eusebius.
B I have also seen many others, lovers and zealots of this philosophy, who had come to that hut—some in the bloom of their youth, others in deep old age; for even those who had passed ninety years did not wish to abandon the laborious life, but excelled in taking on the labors of the young, praising God by night and by day, performing those holy services, and partaking of those meager foods after two days. And, so that I may pass over others, not because they are undeserving of silence, but because they are worthy of laudation and every kind of praise, yet I would not make the narrative longer than is proper: there was a certain man in that divine place whom they call Abba. He sprouted from an Ishmaelite root, but he was not cast out from the house of Abraham like the one from whom he drew his lineage; rather, he shared the paternal inheritance with Isaac, or rather, he snatched for himself the kingdom of heaven. This man, from the very beginning, took up this ascetic way of life with a certain man who was living in the desert at that time—the best of instructors in such things—whose name was Marosas. Later, however, he too ceased to be in charge of others and came to this flock with Abba; after surviving for no small amount of time, and having struggled brilliantly and become renowned, he departed this life. C But the former has already spent thirty-eight years there, and he desires to labor now just as if he had only recently begun to labor. For even until today, he has never covered his feet with shoes. When it is cold, he stays in the shade; when it is hot, he welcomes the sun, and he finds as much delight in its burning heat as if it were the breeze of a zephyr. During all this time, he has not deigned to take water, nor has he eaten those foods which are customary for those who practice the abstinence of drinking—for those people are accustomed to enjoying more liquid foods—but he enjoys the very same foods as the others. By eating few, and only those which provide slight strength, he considers a drink of water to be unnecessary. Girded with a heavy iron [weight] about his loins, he rarely sits, and the greatest part of the night and day he offers prayers to the Lord, either standing or kneeling. D He has entirely forbidden himself from lying down, and no one has ever seen him reclining to this day; but from the time he became leader of the choir and took on the position of prefect, he performed this whole labor with a cheerful
spirit, offering himself as an archetype of philosophy to all his subjects. Such were the triumphant athletes that the divine Eusebius, the trainer and coach of these contests, presented to God. And having made many others like them, he sent them as teachers to other training schools, and they filled that entire sacred mountain with these divine meadows and fragrant flowers. For, looking toward the east from the ascetical hut that was built at the beginning, one can see the offspring of this philosophy also toward the west and the south, like certain stars gleaming around the moon; and some praise the Creator in the Greek tongue, others in the regional language of the place where they dwell. But I am embarking on a task that is impossible if I were to wish to recount all the feats of that divine soul. Therefore, this narrative must be brought to an end, and our discourse must be turned to another, and from there once again we must seek profit, where we have implored the blessing of these great men. A B C
V. — PUBLIUS
D At the same time there was Publius, a man remarkable in appearance and possessing a soul consistent with that appearance, or rather, showing one far more admirable than his body. He was of senatorial rank by origin and was born in the city near which that most famous Xerxes, when he was advancing upon Greece and wished to cross the Euphrates River with his forces, gathered a multitude of ships and tied them together; and having in this way built a bridge over the river, he called the place Zeugma—that is, "the joining"—and gave the city its name from this event. Originating from thence, and born of such a family, he occupied a high spot of ground not more than thirty stadia distant from the city. Having built a small hut there, he sold everything he had received from his father—I mean his house, lands, flocks, clothes, and vessels of silver and bronze, and whatever else he happened to possess. Having distributed these according to the divine law to those who were in need, and having freed himself from every earthly concern, he took up one care in place of all: to serve Him who had called him. And this he kept turning over in his mind, and by night and by day he gave thought to how he might increase it. For this reason his labor grew continuously, and became more intense day by day; it was sweet and full of pleasure, keeping satiety at a distance. For no one ever saw him idle, even for the smallest part of the day; rather, prayer followed psalmodia, psalmodia followed prayer, and both were succeeded by the reading of the divine oracles; then came the care of the guests who arrived, and then other necessary tasks followed. Living a life of this kind, and presenting himself as an exemplar of virtue to those who wished to emulate it, he, like a sweet-voiced bird, enticed many of his own kind into these saving nets.
A At the beginning, however, he would not suffer anyone to live under the same roof with him; but by building small, adjacent cells, he commanded each of those who joined him to live apart. He would visit these cells frequently, and inspect them to see if they possessed anything beyond what was necessary. They say that he even carried scales with him, and would diligently weigh the bread, and if he ever found more than the prescribed amount, he was displeased, and labeled those who did this "gluttons." For he commanded them not to eat or drink to satiety, but to partake only of as much as sufficed to sustain the body. If he ever saw flour from which the bran had been separated, he would rebuke those who had done this as if they were indulging in Sybaritic luxuries. At night, too, he would come unexpectedly to each person’s door; if he found someone keeping vigil and praising God, he would pass by in silence, but if he perceived someone overcome by sleep, he would strike the door with his hand and rebuke the man lying inside with his tongue, as one who was serving his body more than he ought. B Seeing this labor of his, some of his associates suggested that he should build a single dwelling for all; for they said that in this way, those who were dispersed would live more accurately, and he himself would be relieved of a great part of his anxiety. The most wise man accepted the advice, and having gathered everyone together and pulled down those little cells, he built one structure for those who had been assembled, and exhorted them to live together and to sharpen one another; one, he said, should emulate the other’s gentleness, and another should temper his own gentleness with the other’s zeal, and one should share his vigils with another, and learn from him, in turn, the lesson of fasting. "For," he said, "by thus borrowing from one another what is lacking, we shall render virtue complete in all its parts. For just as in the marketplaces of the city, one is a bread-seller, another a vegetable-seller, another a merchant of garments, and another a shoemaker, and by borrowing from one another what they need they live more pleasantly—for he who gives a garment receives shoes in return, and he who buys vegetables sells bread—so it befits us to give one another in return the precious parts of virtue." C When those who spoke the same language were being trained and struggling in this way, and were praising God in the Greek tongue, a desire for this way of life seized others also, who used their native language. And some of them came running and begged to become part of the flock and to partake of his holy teaching. He accepted their request, mindful of the Lord’s legislation which He had delivered to the holy apostles, saying, "Go, make disciples of all nations." And building another dwelling beside the first, he commanded them to live there. He constructed a divine temple, into which he ordered both groups—those who spoke Greek and the others—to assemble at the beginning and the end of the day, so that they might offer the evening and morning hymnody to God in common, though divided in two, each using their own language, but singing in turn with one another. D The form of his institution has endured to this day, so that neither time, which is wont to change this and other things of this kind, nor his successors have dared to change the rules prescribed by him.
and this despite the fact that not two or three, but many have succeeded him in this A leadership. For immediately, once he had completed his struggle and departed from this life, and had migrated to that life which is free from sorrow, Theotecnus of the Greek tongue and Aphthonius of the Syrian tongue took up the leadership, both becoming, as it were, living pillars and images of his virtue. For they allowed neither those who were members of the community nor those who arrived from outside to feel any sense of grief at his passing, presenting themselves as distinct impressions of his way of life. But the divine Theotecnus did not survive for a long time, and handed over the leadership to Theodotus; while Aphthonius remained for a very long time caring for the flock and guiding it according to the established laws. B This Theodotus, hailing from Armenia, upon seeing that ascetic community, was at first among the number of the subordinates, obeying the great leader Theotecnus. But when, as I have said, he departed from this life and he himself assumed the supervision, he abounded in so many virtues that he almost eclipsed the glory of his predecessors. For divine love so affected him, and wounded him with such darts, that by night and by day he shed tears of compunction: and he was so filled with spiritual grace that when he prayed, all who were present fell silent, and were intent only upon those sacred words, regarding the hearing of them as a diligent prayer. For who was so adamantine that his soul was not softened C by those words so uttered, and who would not have had his hardness and disobedience melted and been brought to serve God? Therefore, increasing his wealth day by day, and filling his sacred treasuries with such goods, when he had shepherded the flock for five and twenty years, he was gathered, as the divine Scripture says, to his fathers, finished in a good old age, handing over the reins to Theotecnus, who was his brother's son by blood, but his brother in character. And that divine Aphthonius, having presided over the choir for more than forty years, accepted the episcopal throne, D neither changing his ascetic goatskin cloak, nor the tunic woven from goat hair, nor enjoying food different from that which he had enjoyed before the episcopate. And although he had undertaken that greater responsibility, he nonetheless continued to care for the flock, spending most of his days there, and now reconciling the disputes of those who were at odds, now bringing help to anyone who was afflicted by any trouble, and at times offering divine exhortation to his companions. And he performed each of these things in such a way that he would meanwhile mend the garments of his fellow dwellers, or clean the vegetables, or wash the grain, or do some other thing of the sort.
A Thus, having adorned the presidency and increased the virtue, he reached the divine harbor, along with the burdens thereof.
And what need is there to speak of Theotechnus, and of Gregory who came after him—the former having in his youth embraced every form of philosophy and departed this life with the glory of his ancestors, and the latter, even to this day, in his advanced old age, toiling with his body as if he were in his prime? For he remained entirely in the practice of refusing the fruit of the vine, and partaking neither of vinegar, nor of raisins, nor of milk, whether newly taken or curdled. For thus did the great Publius decree that one should live. And learning of the necessity of oil at the time of Pentecost, they even then abstain from its use.
These things I have learned about the great Publius, partly having received them by hearsay, and partly by looking at his disciples and recognizing the master in the disciples, and by the athletes understanding the trainer. Thinking it, therefore, unjust and invidious to suppress in silence so great a benefit, B I have added the narrative for those who are unaware, both to procure for them the fruit flowing from it and to secure for myself the gain from the remembrance. For I heard the Lord saying: «Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven.» And I know clearly that by bringing the memory of these men before people, I shall enjoy in return the memory of them before the God of all.
VI. SYMEONES THE ELDER
If anyone should willingly pass over Symeones the elder, and relegate the memory of his philosophy to oblivion, he could not rightly escape the charge of injustice and envy, as one who wishes neither to praise things which are worthy of praise, nor to propose things worthy of study as objects of imitation for those who desire to make progress. But I, not out of fear of accusation, but out of a longing for praise, will make a narrative of his way of life. For he spent the greatest possible amount of time embracing the eremitic life, and dwelling in a small cave, he enjoyed no human consolation; for he preferred to live alone, but conversed assiduously with the God of all. He made the edible herbs his food. C This labor of his also granted him the abundant grace from above, so that he could command even the most courageous and ferocious wild beasts. And this became known not only to the faithful, but even to the unbelieving Jews.
For on account of some necessity, they were traveling to one of the forts situated outside the regions inhabited by us. Because a violent rain had fallen and a storm had struck, they missed the road, being unable to see what was in front; they wandered through the desert, finding neither village, nor cave, nor traveler, and in the middle of the mainland, tossed by the storm just as if they were sailing, they arrive at the cave of the divine Symeones as if at some harbor, and they behold a man squalid and filthy, wearing a small goatskin on his shoulders. D He saw them at once and greeted them. For he was affable, and he asked the cause of their arrival. And when they had explained the incident to him, and asked to learn the road leading to the fort, «Wait,» he said, «and I will presently give you guides who will show you the desired road.» And they obeyed and rested; and while they were sitting there, two lions arrived, not looking with a fierce aspect, but as if to their master
A fawning and indicating their subjection. By nods, he ordered them to guide these men and lead them back to the road from which they had strayed. Let no one, therefore, think this story is mythical, since it has as witnesses to its truth the common enemies of the truth. For they themselves, having received the benefit, did not cease to proclaim it. And this the great Jacob related to me, saying that he was present when they were recounting this miracle to the divine Maro. Furthermore, he who does not believe when Jews testify to the miracle of Christians, how could he not justly be called more of an infidel than the Jews? For if they, although averse in spirit, are nevertheless overcome and yield to the rays of the truth, while those who are considered well-disposed and partakers of the same faith do not believe even when the enemies themselves confess the power of grace.
When that divine man had become famous through miracles of this kind, and had drawn to himself many of the neighboring barbarians (those who inhabit that desert and who boast that Ishmael is the ancestor of their race), he, longing for quiet, was compelled to leave that cave and, after traversing a long journey, arrived at the mountain which is called Amanus. This place had long labored under the madness of many gods, and he adorned it with many and various miracles and planted there the piety that now dwells in it. But since to narrate all his deeds would be very difficult, and perhaps impossible for me, B by mentioning one thing and setting forth a kind of character of his apostolic and prophetic operation of miracles, I leave it to my readers to consider from this what power of grace he had obtained.
It was summer, and the harvest time, and the sheaves were being gathered into the threshing floor. A certain man, not content with his own righteous labors, but coveting what belonged to others, stole some sheaves from his neighbor and attempted to increase his own heap with them. But God immediately condemned the theft with His verdict. A lightning bolt fell, and the threshing floor caught fire. That wretched man ran to the man of God, who had established his dwelling not far from the village, and explained the calamity but attempted to conceal the theft. However, when he was ordered to speak the truth and confessed the theft (for the pain compelled him to accuse himself), the divine man advised him to abolish the penalty by making amends for the injustice. «For as soon,» he said, «as you return the sheaves, that divinely sent fire will be extinguished.» It was then possible to see him running from one side, returning the stolen ears of corn to the one he had offended, and from the other side, the pyre being extinguished without water by the prayers and intercession of the divine old man. This event struck fear not only into those living near, but also compelled the entire city of Antioch (for the village was subject to it) to hasten there, C and D to petition him — one for the driving out of demoniacal madness, another for the cessation of fever, and another for a cure for some other troubling malady. And he, from the grace that dwelt within him, poured forth the streams in abundance. But again longing for quiet, he decided to set out for the Sinaean mountain. Upon learning this, the followers of this excellent man
A desired to join him as companions in his pilgrimage. Thus, after completing a journey of many days, when they arrived at the desert of the Sodomites, they saw from afar, from the depths of a hollow, the hands of a man stretched up on high. At first, they suspected some trick of a demon; but after praying more earnestly, and seeing the same thing again, they hastened toward that spot. They saw a small pit, such as foxes are accustomed to dig for themselves to take refuge in, yet they saw no one appearing there. For, having heard the sound of their feet, he who had his hands stretched out had hidden himself inside the cave. The elder, however, glancing in, entreated him very earnestly to show himself, if he were of human nature, and not some deceitful demon practicing such illusions.
• For as for us, he said, leading the ascetic life and loving quiet, we are wandering through this desert, desiring to worship the God of all on Mount Sinai, where He manifested His own appearance to Moses His servant and gave the tablets of the law. Not that we think the Divinity is bounded by place B (for we hear Him saying, "I fill the heaven and the earth, says the Lord," and that "He holds the circuit of the earth, and the inhabitants upon it are as locusts"); but because to those who love fervently, not only are the beloved themselves deeply desired, but also the places where they have granted their presence and fellowship, are lovely. C While the elder was saying these things and others like them, the man who had been hidden revealed himself from the cave; he was wild to behold, with matted hair, his face wrinkled, and all the limbs of his body dried up and exhausted, clad in some poor rags woven together with palm leaves.
After greeting them and offering the salutation of peace, he asked who they were, where they had come from, and whither they were going. They, too, answered his questioning, and in turn asked him whence he had come, and why he had chosen this life. He replied, "I, too, was possessed by the same desire that now leads you, and I had as a companion of this journey one of my acquaintances, who had the same mind and the same purpose as I. We had bound one another by an oath that not even death should sever our fellowship. D Therefore, since death befell him while we were on our journey in this place, I, constrained by my oath, dug the earth as best I could and committed his body to the grave; and having dug another grave for myself beside it, I await here the end of my life, and offer to the Master my customary service. I have for food dates, which a certain brother is ordered by Him who has care of me to bring me." While these things were being said, a lion appeared from afar. When his companions were terrified at the sight of it, the old man who was sitting in the pit, having noticed the matter, arose and signaled to the lion to pass to the other side. It obeyed immediately, and brought a bunch of dates, and then, being ordered to withdraw, it went away, and lying down far from those men, it fell asleep. When, therefore, he had divided the dates among each of them
A and shared in prayers and psalms with them, and after the end of the liturgy in the morning had greeted them, he sent away those who were astonished by this strange sight. If anyone does not believe what has been said, let him call to mind the life of the great Elijah and the service of the ravens, which continuously brought him bread in the morning and meat in the evening. It is easy for the Creator of all things to find all ways to protect the salvation of His own. It was by this means that He preserved Jonah in the belly of the sea monster for three days and three nights, and caused the lions in the pit to be amazed by Daniel, and made the lifeless fire to act with reason, illuminating those who were within while burning those who were without. But I am doing something superfluous in bringing forward arguments to demonstrate the divine power.
Since, therefore, he had reached the desired mountain, they say that that B wonderful old man, in that very place where Moses was deemed worthy to see God—seeing as much as it was permitted to mortal nature—bent his knees and did not rise before he heard the divine voice of the Lord indicating His benevolence toward him. And so, when he had spent the entire week prostrate in this manner, and had tasted nothing, an inspired voice commanded him to take what had been set before him and to eat with a ready mind. Stretching out his hand, and finding three apples, he fed upon them according to the command of the Giver, and received strength, and greeted his associates, as was fitting, with great joy of soul. He departed, glad and cheerful, as one who had both heard the divine voice and received food given by God.
Upon returning, he built two training grounds for religious philosophy, one on the ridge of the mountain of which we were speaking, and the other C below it, at the very roots of the mountain. Having gathered athletes of virtue in both, he became a master and coach to them both, teaching them the attacks of the hostile enemy, and promising the benevolence of the Contest-Master, and exhorting them to be confident and filled with high resolve, persuading them to maintain modesty toward their associates, but to use greatness of soul against the enemy. Teaching such things, living in such a way, flourishing with such great miracles, and shining with every splendor, he reached the end of his laborious life and departed to that life which is free from old age and pain, leaving behind him an undying glory and a memory that shall last forever.
My blessed, or rather most blessed mother, was enriched by his blessing while he was still alive, and she often brought many of these stories to me. I, for my part, D entreat to enjoy his power and the fruit of his intercession which he now possesses, and I know that I shall obtain it. For he will certainly grant my request, imitating the kindness of the Master.
VII. — PALLADIUS
Palladius, that most celebrated man, was a contemporary of this man, and was of similar character, and a close friend and acquaintance. For, as they say, they used to visit one another and enjoy mutual benefit, sharpening one another
A and inciting one another to divine zeal. He lived in a small cell near a very large and populous village called Imma. Regarding the man’s endurance, his abstinence from food and sleep, and his continual prayer, I consider it superfluous to speak; for he bore the same yoke in these matters as that divine Symeon. But the miracle, which is recounted even to this day, and which occurred through his voice and hand, I deemed worth relating.
A fair was being held in the aforementioned village, which had drawn merchants from all sides and attracted an immense multitude of people. A certain merchant there, having sold the wares he had brought and gathered the gold, wished to depart by night. A certain murderer, having seen that gold which had been collected, and being filled with a kind of goad of madness, chased sleep from his eyes and observed that man’s departure. When the merchant was B departing in safety after the cock’s crow, the murderer, getting ahead and occupying a place suitable for an ambush, leapt upon him suddenly, brought the blow, and committed murder; and to this abominable deed he added another impious act. For, having taken the gold, he threw the dead body at the door of the great Palladius. When day dawned and the rumor spread, and the entire fair was gossiping about what had happened, all ran together, and having broken down the door, they demanded from the divine Palladius accountability for the slaughter—and among those doing this was he who had committed the slaughter. The saintly man, therefore, being surrounded by such a crowd, looked up to heaven, and in his mind transcending heaven, he besought the Lord to expose the falsehood of the slander and make clear the truth that was hidden. Having prayed in this way, and taking the right hand C of the deceased, he said: “Tell me, O young man, who inflicted this blow upon you? Reveal the author of the crime, and declare the innocent one free from this wicked slander.” The word followed the word, and the act followed the man, and as he sat, he looked around at those standing by and pointed out the murderer with his finger. And a shout went up from all, both out of astonishment at the miracle and at the slander that had been perpetrated. Having stripped that murderer, they found the sword still stained with blood, and that gold which had been the cause of the slaughter. The divine Palladius, who had long been considered admirable, was deservedly considered even more admirable after this. For this one D miracle was indeed sufficient to demonstrate the man’s confidence before God.
PARS VIII: ABRAAMES
Abraames also, the admirable, was of the same order, who built what is called Paratoma, and sent forth the rays of his virtue in every direction. The miracles that occur after his death bear witness to the brightness of his life. For his tomb gushes forth healings of all kinds even to this day, and those who draw them therefrom abundantly through faith are witnesses. May it be my lot also to obtain their aid, for I have sanctified my tongue by the mention of them.
VIII. — APHRAATES.
That the nature of all men is one, and that it is easy for those who wish to practice philosophy, whether they be Greeks or barbarians, is readily learned from many sources; yet Aphraates alone is sufficient to demonstrate this clearly. For, born and bred among the Persians, a most iniquitous nation, and sprung from such parents, and instructed in their customs, he attained to such virtue that he eclipsed those who were born of pious parents and had received a religious education from their earliest youth. For first, despising his lineage—which was renowned and illustrious—he hastened to the worship of the Lord, imitating the Magi, his ancestors. Then, detesting the impiety of his own people, he preferred a foreign country to his own, and upon reaching Edessa (which is a very great and populous city, and is exceedingly radiant in the worship of piety), he found a small dwelling outside the walls, and having shut himself within, he applied himself to the care of his soul, just like an excellent husbandman extirpating the thorns of the passions, purging the Lord’s crop, and offering the ripe fruits of evangelical seeds to the Lord. B From thence he reached Antioch, which was then being fiercely agitated by the heretical storm, and having taken up residence in a school of philosophy before the city, and having learned a few small words of the Greek language, he immediately drew many to hear his divine sermons; and speaking in a semi-barbarous tongue, he expressed the sentiments of his soul, drawing those streams from the grace of the divine Spirit. For who of those that boast of their eloquence, and knit their brows, and speak arrogantly, and exult youthfully in the snares of their syllogisms, was ever superior to that unlearned and barbarous voice? For he vanquished reasons with reasons, and philosophical dissertations with divine oracles, crying out with the great Paul: "Though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge" (II Cor. XI, 6); and in this way he continued to persist according to the apostolic word: "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (II Cor. X, 4-5). C And it was possible to see them flocking together: both those in office and dignity, and those enrolled in military service, and those who provided for their own livelihood by their hands; and in a word, the unlearned and the soldiers, the learned and those unskilled in doctrine, those laboring in poverty and those abounding in wealth. And some would listen to what was proclaimed in silence, while others would ask questions, and inquire, and suggest matter for the discourse. Yet, while sustaining such great labor, he could never be brought to admit a companion, but preferred to perform everything himself rather than make use of the ministry of others. And when he was accustomed to have conversations with those arriving at the door of the atrium, he himself would open for those who came, and send away those who were departing. He never accepted anything from anyone—no bread, no provisions, no garment—but only one of his acquaintances supplied him with bread; unless, in the extreme...
A of his old age, he would partake of herbs after sunset. They say that Anthemius, who later became a prefect and consul, when he returned from his embassy to the Persians, brought him a tunic woven among the Persians and said, "Father, knowing that for every man his own fatherland is sweet, and the fruits that grow there most delightful, I have brought you this tunic from your own country, and I beg you to accept it, and in turn grant me your blessing."
He, at first, ordered him to place it upon a stool; then, in the midst of other conversation, he said that he was troubled and distracted by a doubtful thought. When the other asked the reason, he said, "I have always chosen to have only one companion, and I have imposed a law upon myself to entirely reject the sharing of quarters with two. Therefore, B for sixteen years, one has dwelt with me, and he is dear to me; then a fellow-countryman of mine arrived, wishing to live with me, and asking to obtain this. This is what divides my mind: for I will not endure to have two at once; for I embrace the fellow-countryman as a fellow-countryman, but I consider it burdensome and unjust to expel my former companion, as he has become pleasing to me."
The other said, "Rightly so, Father; for it is not right to send away as unfit him who has served you for the longest time, while receiving the one who has not yet given a specimen of his character, for the sole reason of his fatherland."
To this the divine Aphraates said, "Therefore, O wonderful man, I will not take the tunic; for I will not endure to have two. But the one who has served me for so long a time is, according to my judgment, more pleasant and, according to your own verdict, better."
Thus, having outwitted Anthemius C and having excited wonder at his sagacity, he persuaded him to speak no more words to him regarding that tunic. I have recounted these things, wishing to show two things at once: both that he used the labor of only one person for the necessary care of the body, and that he was so filled with such wisdom that he was able to cause the one who was begging him to receive it to resolve that he should not receive it.
But leaving such things aside, I shall tell of greater matters.
After Julian, who was hateful to God, had paid the penalty for his impiety in the barbarian land, the nurslings of piety enjoyed D a brief calm when Jovian took the reins of the Roman empire. But after he too, having reigned for a very short time, reached the end of his life, and Valens received the empire of the East, storms and whirlwinds once again agitated our sea, and a most grievous tempest arose, and the huge waves began to strike our ship. The lack of helmsmen also increased the bitterness of the storm, as the emperor, who was hostile to piety alone, kept them in exile. Nor did he, after such wickedness, receive any satiety of impiety, but he endeavored to break up the gathering of the pious, and like a wild beast to scatter the flock. For this reason, he drove them not only from all the churches, but also from the foot of the mountain, and from the bank of the river, and from the field of battle.
A For all these places were alternately transformed, when an armed hand pursued them. Now the Scythians and other barbarians were plundering the whole of Thrace from the river Ister to the Propontis with impunity; but he, unable to endure to hear these things even with pricked-up ears, as the saying goes, turned his weapons only against his own subjects and those who were celebrated for their religion. But the divine people, lamenting the untimeliness of those evils, sang that Davidic canticle: “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept, when we remembered Sion.” But the rest of the canticle was no longer appropriate for them; for Aphraates, and Flavian, and Diodorus did not allow the instruments of instruction to be hung upon the willows, nor could they bear to say: “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” B But both in the mountains, and in the plains, and in the city, and in the suburbs, and in houses, and in the markets, they kept singing the Lord’s song unceasingly. For they had learned from David that “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof: the world, and they that dwell therein.” They had heard again the same prophet saying: “Bless the Lord, all his works, in every place of his dominion.” They had heard also the divine Paul commanding: “that men pray in every place, lifting up pure hands without wrath and doubting.” Furthermore, the Lord himself, speaking to the Samaritan woman, had predicted this same thing more clearly: “Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall ye worship the Father.” C Having been instructed in these things, they did not cease to bear witness both at home and abroad, and, to use the apostolic words, “publicly and from house to house,” like the most excellent commanders, both arming their own people and piercing their adversaries. That therefore the great Flavian and the divine Diodorus—who were shepherding the flock under another and holding the honor of the second throne—should do the things which I have previously described, is indeed admirable and worthy of praise; but yet they were chosen commanders, and subject to the laws of commanders. But the most wise Aphraates leapt into these struggles of his own accord. D For though he had been brought up in quiet, and had chosen to live for himself, and was, as the saying goes, out of range of the weapons, yet when he considered the atrocity of the war, he despised his own security and, bidding farewell for a time to quiet, he presented himself as a pacesetter to the phalanx of the pious, striking at them by his life, and by his word, and by his miracles, yet never once struck himself. So, when he was going to the field of battle, the emperor (who was indeed mad), having caught sight of him at some point (for the worshippers of the Trinity happened at that time to be gathered there, and someone had pointed him out to the emperor as he walked along the bank of the river), asked him whither he was hastening. And when he had replied that he was going, as
he was about to offer prayers for the world and for the empire, the emperor asked him once again: "And why is it, since you profess the solitary life, that you walk about the marketplace without fear, having abandoned your quietude?" A And he (for he was accustomed, in imitation of the Lord, to argue by means of parables) said: "Tell me, O emperor, if I were a maiden hidden away in some bridal chamber, and I saw someone casting flames into my father’s house, what would you advise me to do, seeing the flame igniting and the house burning? Ought I to sit inside and pay no heed while the house is set ablaze? But thus I, too, would become fuel for the fire. But if you say that I ought to [have] run and brought water and dashed up and down and extinguished the flame, do not blame me, O emperor, for doing this very thing. For that which you would advise a maiden cloistered in her chamber, I am compelled to do, having promised [to live] the monastic life. But if you blame me for leaving my quietude, blame yourself for having cast this flame into the house of God, rather than me for being compelled to extinguish it. B For that it is fitting to defend a father’s house when it is burning, you yourself have acknowledged; and that God is more truly our Father than those on earth is clear, I think, to everyone, even to those entirely ignorant of divine things. Nothing, therefore, taken from the scope [of our life], nor contrary to our initial purpose, are we doing, O emperor, in gathering together and pasturing the fosterlings of piety, and offering them the divine pasture." Having said these things, the emperor, convinced by the justice of the [monk's] defense, assented in silence.
C There was one among those who are classed neither as men nor as women, and who have been deprived of the possibility of ever becoming fathers, and who for this reason are thought to be well-disposed to the emperor and receive that appellation—this man had been railing at the man of God for a long time, and had even threatened him with death. But not long after, he paid the penalty for his insolence. For when the emperor wished to bathe his body in the bathhouse, the wretched man went on ahead to inspect the tub, to see if the temperature were right; but, his mind being deranged, he leaped into the basin which contained the boiling water: and as no one else was present—for he had entered alone to see if it was ready—he remained being boiled and dissolving. Some time later, the emperor sent another man to call him, but when he found no one in any of the rooms, he reported this to D the emperor. Upon this, many ran in to search through all the tubs, and arriving at the last one, they beheld him lying prostrate and deprived of life. A commotion arose, and while all were wailing, some bailed out that boiling water, others brought out the most miserable corpse. From this, fear fell upon the emperor and all those who were arming themselves against piety. A report went through the whole city of what heavy penalties that wretched man had paid for his insolent behavior toward Aphraates, and all continued to hymn the God of Aphraates. This occurrence hindered the opponents of the man of God from succeeding in their claim that he should be relegated into exile. For the emperor, having been struck with terror, shrank from those who were counseling this.
man, and he treated the man of God with reverence. Having been struck with terror, the emperor turned away from those who were advising such things, and held the man in honor. He learned of his virtue from other sources as well.
B A certain horse of noble breed, and very well trained, was exceedingly dear to the emperor. A condition befell this horse which distressed the emperor grievously; it was a difficulty in the discharge of urine. Those who were skilled in that art were called in for this treatment. But when this also failed, the emperor was grieved, and the one entrusted with the care of the horses lamented. Since he was pious and firm in the faith, in the middle of the day he arrived with the horse at the dwelling of the great Aphraates, and having explained the condition and declared his faith, he begged him to drive away the malady with his prayer. He, without any delay, but having immediately supplicated God, ordered water to be drawn from the well, and having placed upon it the sign of the saving cross, he ordered it to be offered to the horse. And it drank, contrary to its custom. Then, having filled oil with the divine invocation of blessing, he anointed the belly of the horse, and at the touch of his hand the malady was immediately loosed, and the discharge happened by nature immediately. Rejoicing, therefore, the man took the horse and ran to the stables. At evening twilight (for at this time the emperor was accustomed to visit the stable), he arrived and asked how the horse was. When he indicated its good health and brought out the horse, and saw it vigorous, exulting, neighing, and proudly lifting its neck, he inquired as to the cause of its health. C But although he hesitated for a long time, because he did not dare to betray the physician, knowing the inquirer to be hostile to him, yet at last he was compelled to tell the truth, and he described the method of the cure. The emperor was indeed astonished, and confessed that the man was altogether worthy of wonder; yet he did not desist from his former madness, but persisted in raging against the Only-Begotten, until he was consumed by barbarian fire, and was denied even a burial equal to that of servants or beggars. But the divine Aphraates even in that storm manifested his own virtue, and when tranquility was restored he continued to perform the same deeds; and he worked ten thousand other miracles, of which I shall mention one or two.
A certain woman of noble descent, united in the yoke of marriage to an intemperate man, arrived at that blessed man, bewailing her own calamity. D For she said that her husband was obsessed with a concubine, and had been bewitched by certain magical incantations, and had come to hate her, who was joined to him by the law of marriage. The woman said these things while standing at the outer door. For he was accustomed to hold his conversation with females in this way; for he never admitted any woman inside the door. Therefore, having taken pity on the wailing woman, by prayer he weakened the power of the sorcery, and sanctifying with the divine invocation a small vessel of oil brought by her, he ordered her to have her husband anointed with it. When she had done this, she transferred her husband's love to herself, and persuaded him to prefer the legitimate bed to the unlawful one. They also say that when, on one occasion, locusts had suddenly rushed into the region, and like fire were consuming everything—crops, trees,
marshes, groves, and meadows—a certain pious man came to him, begging him to defend him, as he had but one field, from which he supported himself, his wife, his children, and his household, and in addition to this, paid the imperial tax. Therefore, imitating the Lord’s kindness, he ordered a jar of water to be brought to him. When the petitioner brought the jar, he laid his hand upon it and prayed to God for the water to be filled with divine power. Then, finishing the prayer, he instructed him to sprinkle the water along the boundaries of the field. The man obeyed what was commanded, and that water became an impregnable and inviolable rampart for those fields. For the locusts, creeping and flying about as far as those boundaries like an army, retreated backward upon reaching them, fearing the blessing that had been bestowed and, as if checked by a sort of bridle, were prevented from proceeding any further. B And what need is there to recount everything performed by that blessed soul? For these things are sufficient to show the splendor of the grace that dwelt in him. I myself became a spectator of this, and I harvested the blessing of that holy right hand, being still a youth, having accompanied my mother on her journey to the man. And he, as was his custom, opened the door and deemed her worthy of conversation and a blessing; but me, having let me inside, he endowed with the wealth of his prayers. May I enjoy that even now, believing that he lives and dances with the choirs of angels, and uses greater boldness before God than he did of old. For then this was measured by the mortal weight of the body, so that his overflowing boldness might not become an occasion for arrogance. C But now, having laid down the burden of the passions, as a victorious athlete he uses his boldness before the Judge of the contest. For this reason, I pray to obtain his intercession as well.
IX. — PETRUS.
We hear of Galatians who are in Europe, the Westerners; but we know those in Asia, who are of their race, who settled near the Euxine Pontus. From these the blessed, and thrice blessed, Peter sprang. He, as they say, having been raised by his parents for seven years of labor, passed the rest of his whole life in the struggles of philosophy; and it is said that he died having lived ninety-nine years. Who, then, would worthily admire him who struggled for ninety-two years, and traveled through every day and night as a victor? What tongue would be D sufficient to recount the deeds performed 92 in childhood, in boyhood, in mature manhood, and in advanced, even extreme, old age? Who could measure his sweat? Who could enumerate the combats joined in such a long time? What speech could recount the seeds sown by him, or the sheaves gathered? Who is so great in mind as to see clearly the wealth collected from such a noble trade? I perceive the great sea of his deeds, and for this reason I am afraid to attempt the history of them, lest my speech be overwhelmed by the waves. Therefore, I will walk along the shore and admire those things that are nearest to the land.
I will leave the depths to him who, according to the Divine Scriptures, searches out the deep things and knows those that are hidden. A This man, therefore, struggled in Galatia during his first years. From there, for the sake of history, he reached Palestine, so that having viewed the places where the saving Passion was undergone, he might worship in them the God who saved us—not as one circumscribed by place (for he was not ignorant of the uncircumscribed nature of His divinity), but that he might also feast his eyes upon the contemplation of the things he desired, and not only that his mind's eye might enjoy the spiritual delights through faith, apart from sight. For it is the nature of those who are affectionately disposed toward someone to derive joy not only from the sight of the person themselves, B but also to contemplate their home, and clothing, and footwear with all delight. Carrying such love for the Bridegroom, the Bride mentioned in the Song of Songs cried out, saying: "As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow, which I had desired, and his fruit was sweet to my throat" (Cant. II, 3). Therefore, this divine man did nothing absurd, having caught the same love for the Bridegroom and using the same words as the Bride: "I am wounded with love" (Cant. V, 8). And desiring to see, as it were, a shadow of the Bridegroom, he sought out the places from which the saving springs gushed forth for all men. Having thus obtained what he longed for, he descended to Antioch. But after observing the godliness of the city, he preferred the foreign land to his own country, considering as his fellow citizens not those who were of the same nation and race, but those who were of the same mind and partakers of the same faith, and who drew the same yoke of piety. C Having decided to dwell there, he did not pitch a tent, nor did he fix a hut, nor did he build a small house, but he spent the entire time in a stranger's tomb. The upper, protruding part of this possessed a floor, to which a connected ladder gave access to those who wished to ascend. Shut up in this place, he remained for a very long time, drinking cold water and eating only bread, and this not every day, but remaining empty for one day and partaking of these same things on the next. When a certain man arrived who was possessed and raving, and filled with the energy of an evil demon, he cleansed him through prayer and freed him from that diabolical frenzy. But since the man did not wish to depart, but begged that he might be allowed to repay his service as a reward for his liberation, he admitted him into his dwelling. I know this man myself, D and I remember the miracle, and I saw the reward of the healing, and I heard the conversation they held together concerning me. For Daniel—for this was his name—said that I too would eventually become a participant in this noble ministry. But the divine man, considering my parents' love for me, denied that this would happen. Moreover, he often fed me with raisins and bread while I was placed upon his knees. For my mother, having experienced his spiritual grace, was accustomed to receive that blessing once in the week.
A He became known to her for the following reason. An ailment had befallen one of her eyes, which appeared to defy the medical art; for there was nothing, whether written by the ancients or discovered by those who came later, that had not been applied to the malady. But when she had put everything to the test and learned that it offered no benefit, one of her acquaintances came to her, telling her of the divine man and informing her of a miracle performed by him. For she said that the wife of the man who at that time held the helm of the East—this was Pergamius—had fallen into this same affliction, and that he had healed her by employing prayer and the sign of the cross. The mother heard this and immediately ran to the divine man. She wore earrings, necklaces, and other gold ornaments, as well as a variegated garment woven from silk threads. For she had not yet tasted of the more perfect virtue; she was in the flower of her age and took delight in the adornment of youth. The divine head, therefore, seeing such things, first healed the infirmity of excessive elegance, addressing her in this manner: “Tell me, my child” —for I shall use his own words, and shall not change the address of that holy tongue— “if some painter, well-trained in his art, were to paint an image according to the rules of the art, and were to set it forth for those who wished to see it; and then another person, unskilled in the art, were to come along, and, following his own whim, should try to paint over what had been painted; and then, disparaging that skillful painting, he should add longer lines to the eyebrows and eyelids, make the face whiter, and apply a red color to the cheeks, do you not think that the former painter would rightly be indignant, as if a great injury had been done to his art, and as if additions which were unnecessary had been imposed by an unlearned hand? B Therefore,” he said, “believe that the Creator of all things, and the Former and Painter of our nature, is also indignant that you accuse that immense wisdom of ignorance. For you would not have poured on red, white, and black color unless you thought that it stood in need of this addition; but while you believe that the body stands in need of these, you condemn the Author of weakness. Yet you must know that He possesses power equal to His will. For ‘all things,’ as David says [Ps. CXVII, 3], ‘whatsoever the Lord willed, He did.’ But providing for the utility of all, He does not impart those things which bring harm. Wherefore, do not corrupt the image of God, nor endeavor to add what He in His wisdom did not give, nor devise this spurious beauty, which also undermines the modest and sets snares for those who look upon it.” C The woman, who was most excellent, heard these things, and was soon caught in the net of Peter. For he too was fishing after the example of his namesake, and she, falling at his feet and imploring him, begged that health be restored to her eye. But he said that he was a man, and endowed with the same nature as she; that he carried, moreover, a heavy burden of sins, and for that reason had no boldness before God. And when the mother wept and besought him, and declared that she would not leave him unless she obtained health, he said that God was the healer of these things,
and that He always grants requests to those who believe. “He will therefore grant it now,” he said, “not bestowing the grace upon me, but looking upon your faith. If, then, you hold it pure and sincere, and free from all doubt, bid farewell to physicians and medicines, and receive this God-given remedy.” Having said these things, he laid his hand upon her eye, and having marked the sign of the saving Cross, he drove away the disease. She returned home, washed off the remedy, and cast away all external adornment, living according to the rules set down by the physician, neither putting on variegated clothing nor decking herself with gold; and this, although she was still quite young; for she was in her twenty-third year from birth, and had not yet become a mother; for it was seven years later that she bore me, who was her first and last birth. So much did she profit from the instruction of the great Peter; and she received a double healing, for while seeking medicine for her body, she also obtained the health of her soul. Such were the things he accomplished both by his words and the power he possessed in prayer.
B At another time, he brought a servant, a cook who was tormented by a wicked demon, and besought his aid. The divine man, having prayed, commanded the demon to declare the source of the power it had been given against a creature of God. And the demon, just like a murderer or a wall-breaker standing before a judge's bench, compelled by fear to speak the truth contrary to its custom, related everything in order. He said that at Heliopolis the master of this servant had fallen ill, and that his mistress was attending her husband as he lay sick; and that the maidservants of the house in which they were staying had been recounting the life of the monks who were practicing philosophy at Antioch, and how great power they possessed against demons. Then these maids, as girls enjoying a game, pretended to be demonized and raving, and the servant himself, clad in a skinskin garment, adjured them in the manner of the monks. “While these things were happening,” he said, “I was standing before the door, and, not bearing those glorious words about the monks, I wished to learn by experience what power they boasted of having. So, letting the maids go, I thrust myself into this man, wanting to know how I would be driven out by the monks. Now, however, I have learned, and I have no need of other experience; but at your command I am leaving at once.” Saying these things, he fled, and the servant enjoyed his freedom. Another rustic was also brought to him by my mother’s mother—my own nurse—who was demon-possessed, and she besought him to bring aid to him, the adversary of vices. He inquired of him again whence he was, and from whom he received the power over a creature of God. And when he remained silent and answered nothing, bending his knees, he prayed to God, beseeching him that the wicked one...
A should be shown the power of his servants. He rose again, and the other, still resisting, remained silent, and this went on until the ninth hour. But when he had offered a more fervent and earnest prayer to the Master, he rose and said to the wicked one: "It is not Peter who commands you, but the God of Peter; therefore, compelled by his power, answer." The nefarious man, though shameless, stood in awe of the holy man’s modesty, and crying out with a loud voice, he said: "I dwell on Mount Amanus; and having seen this man drawing water from a spring and drinking it on the road, I wished to make a home for myself in him." "But get out," said the man of God, "for he who was crucified for the world commands you this." He heard it and fled, and the farmer was restored to his nurse, free from madness. Though I have countless other such stories about that blessed soul, I shall omit most of them, fearing the weakness of many B who, looking to themselves, deny faith in the miracles of holy men; but having set forth one or two, I shall pass on to another athlete who looks to the miracles of divine men, and thus disbelieves those who do not.
X. Theodotius
There was once a licentious man who was a military commander in earlier times. A certain maiden, unmarried and of marriageable age, who was under his authority, left her mother and her relatives and fled to a women’s community that followed the life of athletes. For women also contend in a manner similar to men and descend into the stadium of virtue. Upon learning of her flight, the commander whipped the mother C and suspended her, and he did not release her from her chains until she showed him the dwelling of the pious women. Yielding then to his own madness, he snatched the maiden from there and brought her back to his own house; and the wretch hoped to satisfy his own licentiousness. But he who punished Pharaoh with great and grievous afflictions on account of Sarah, the wife of Abraham, and kept the chaste woman untouched, and afflicted the Sodomites with blindness when they attempted to act madly as if toward strangers toward those who were bodiless—this same God, casting darkness over the eyes of this man, caused the prey to escape from the midst of the nets. Thus he entered the chamber, but she, who was being kept inside, immediately went out D and was vanished, reaching the dwelling she so longed for. Therefore, the foolish man, learning that he would not prevail over her who had preferred the divine Bridegroom, was forced to keep quiet, no longer pursuing her who, when captured, had escaped by divine power.
As time passed, this woman fell into a grievous malady; the disease was cancer, and as the breast swelled, the pain increased accordingly. But when the intensity of the pain was at its greatest, she would call upon the great Peter, and she declared that as soon as that holy voice sounded in her ears, all that pain was calmed, and she would not receive even the slightest stinging sensation from it. For this reason, she would send for him quite often and find enjoyment in his consolation. For she affirmed that at the time when he was present, all her pains entirely departed. But regarding her, after such certain...
A victories, he sent her forth from this life with praises. Again, my mother, who after the birth-pains in which she brought me forth was close to death, was snatched from the jaws of death by him, having been entreated by her nurse to come. For she was lying there, as they say, with the physicians having despaired, the household lamenting and awaiting her end, having her eyes closed, gripped by a violent fever, and recognizing no one among her acquaintances. But when he who bore both the apostolic name and grace arrived, and said, "Peace be to you, daughter" (for this was his greeting), it is said that she immediately opened her eyelids, and looked upon him with fixed eyes, and sought the fruit of his blessing. When the chorus of women had wailed (for grief and joy were mingled together), and had made that outcry, the divine man bade them all join with him in prayer; for thus, he said, Tabitha also had obtained salvation, when the widows were lamenting, and the great Peter was offering their tears to God. They prayed as he had commanded, and they obtained what he had foretold. For when the prayer was finished, the disease also reached its end; and a sweat suddenly flowing from every part extinguished that heat, and signs of recovery appeared. Such are the wonders the Lord performs even in our own times through His own servants. The skin of his garments worked in the same way as those of the most blessed Paul; and I have stated this not out of any desire for exaggeration, but relying on the testimony of truth. For he cut his own girdle in two (it was wide and long, woven of coarse linen), and with one half he girt his own loins, and with the other he girt mine. My mother, often placing this upon me when I was sick, and often also upon my father, drove away the disease; and she herself also very often used this same remedy for health. But very many of our friends, knowing this, would repeatedly take the girdle to relieve the sick, and it manifested the power of his grace everywhere. But when a certain person had obtained it, he deprived those who had given it of the benefactors, becoming ungrateful toward them; and in this way we were despoiled of that gift. Thus, having shone forth, and having illuminated Antioch with his rays, he came to the end of his struggles, awaiting the crown of victory laid up for the victors. I, however, beseeching that I may now also enjoy the same blessing C as I obtained from him while he was alive, will put an end to this narrative as well.
X. — THEODOSIUS.
Rhosus is a city of Cilicia, on the right to those entering the Gulf of Cilicia. To its east and south is a mountain, high, leafy, and shady, which also nourishes wild beasts in its thickets. Finding in this mountain a glen sloping toward the sea, the great and most celebrated Theodosius [built] for himself a small
hut and embraced the evangelical life alone. He was a man originating from Antioch, and noble and illustrious by birth, but having abandoned house and kin and all things else, he bought the precious pearl, as it is expressed in the Gospel. A Regarding his abstinence, and sleeping on the ground, and his hair-shirt, it is superfluous to speak to those who see his disciples and observe the same practice in them. He, however, performed these things in an outstanding way, as one who set himself up as an example to those whom he was instructing. To these he also added B a weight of iron upon his neck, his loins, and both of his hands. He also wore unkempt hair that reached down to his very feet, extending even further, and on account of this, it was bound to his loins. He devoted himself constantly to prayer and hymnody, and he tamed desire, and anger, and pride, and the other wild beasts of the soul. Always increasing labors with labors, he also applied himself to the work of his hands: now weaving what are called fans and baskets, now preparing small fields in the thicket, sowing seeds, and gathering the nourishment sufficient from them. Since, as time went on, his fame spread everywhere, many ran together from many places, desiring to share in his dwelling, his labors, and his way of life. Accepting these [men], he guided them to this life, and one might see some weaving sails, others hair-cloths, others plaiting fans or baskets, and others having undertaken husbandry. And since the place was near the sea, he also later constructed a boat, and he used it for the purpose of essential supplies, carrying out the products of his fellow-residents and bringing back what was necessary. For, C being mindful of the apostolic voice which says, “Working night and day, that we might not burden any of you,” and, “These hands have ministered to my needs, and to them that were with me,” he himself would work, and he urged his housemates to contribute bodily sweats alongside the labors of the soul. For indeed it is absurd that those who move about in the world, and endure hardships and struggle to feed children and wives, and in addition to these pay tributes and are required to pay taxes, and offer first-fruits to God, and assist the need of the beggars according to their ability—that we, on the other hand, should not provide the necessary supplies for ourselves through our own labors, D especially when we use cheap and meager food and cheap clothing, but rather that we should sit with folded hands and enjoy the hands of others. By saying these and similar things, he urged them to labor, while performing the divine offices customary everywhere at the proper time, and dedicating the time in between to work. Nor did he provide any less for the care of strangers, entrusting these duties to men adorned with gentleness and moderation of character and possessing love for their neighbor. He himself, however, would observe and examine everything, to see whether each person was fulfilling his duties according to the established rules. He attained such a great name that those who were sailing, even if they were more than a thousand stadia away, would invoke the God of Theodosius in times of danger, and through the naming of Theodosius would calm the storm of the sea. Him
A even the fierce and savage enemies, who had plundered and taken captive the greater part of the East, held in reverence. For who among those inhabiting our world is unaware of the calamities of those times, brought upon us by those who were once called Solymi, but are now called Isaurians? Yet they, who had spared neither city nor village, but had consigned all they could capture to plunder and flame, held this philosophy in reverence, and asking only for bread, and signifying that they should pray for them, they left that ascetic dwelling untouched, and this they did not once, but twice. Nevertheless, the presidents of the churches, fearing lest the devil, by casting a desire for money into the barbarians, might be the cause of that great luminary being led away captive—for there was no doubt that all who hold divine things in esteem would have sent them a most ample price for his ransom—persuaded him by their exhortations to betake himself to Antioch. For they had already driven into captivity two prelates of the churches, and though they had treated them with every mark of respect, yet they had only allowed them to return whither they wished after receiving fourteen thousand gold pieces for both of them. When, therefore, he had come to Antioch, he dwelt in a lodging near the river, and attracted to himself all who knew how to harvest such things.
C But, carried along by the course of my narrative, I omitted to recount a miracle performed by this divine man, which perhaps will seem incredible to many, but which remains until now, confirming the truth of the story and showing what grace and boldness this admirable man possessed before God. A precipitous rock overhangs the monastery which he himself built, which was formerly entirely dry and devoid of moisture. On this he laid out an aqueduct from the summit to the monastery, as if he had the flow of waters in his own power. Filled, therefore, with confidence in God, and sure, as is likely, that he possessed a propitious Lord, and bearing an undaunted faith, he awoke by night and ascended to the top of the aqueduct before his companions arose for their customary prayers. Supplicating God in prayer, and trusting in Him who performs the will of those who fear 1199 Him, he struck the rock with the staff upon which he was leaning, and it, having been cleft, gushed forth water like a river; and having been carried into the monastery through the aqueduct, and abundantly supplying all his needs, it flows out into the nearby sea. And the Mosaic grace of the great Theodosius is shown to be working to this very day. And this one thing is enough to demonstrate his confidence towards God. Having survived but a short time at Antioch, he was received into the choir of angels. And his sacred body was carried through the middle of the city, adorned D as if with golden crowns by that iron, with all preceding him, even those holding the highest magistracies. And there was a dispute and struggle around the bier, with everyone contending to carry it, and the blessing flowing from it...
Thus carried, he was laid to rest in the shrine of the holy martyrs, having become a tent-mate and roof-mate of Julian, the triumphant athlete of piety. A sarcophagus received him, the same one in which the divine and blessed Aphraates was also buried. The admirable Helladius took up the leadership of the flock, who having finished those labors for sixty years, afterwards divinely became the bishop of the Cilicians; not abandoning his former philosophy, but adding the sweats of the episcopacy to those daily labors. The blessed Romulus, who was once his hearer, also became a leader of a great flock; and his group remains to this day, holding to the same way of life. Adjacent to his monastery is a village, called Marato in the Syriac tongue. As for me, placing the end of this narrative here, I pray that I too may share in the blessing from thence.
XI. — ROMANUS.
The great Theodosius, then, springing from the Antiochenes, and having contended in the Rhosic mountains, after returning to the city of Antioch, thus received the end of his life. But the divine Romanus, born in Rhosus and there first nurtured, undertook the contests of virtue at Antioch, having fixed his residence outside the city walls, nay rather on the mountain, and living perpetually in another man’s cell, and that a small one. He lived until old age, neither using fire nor admitting the light of a lamp. For his food was bread with salt, his drink was spring water, his hair similar to that of the great Theodosius, and his clothing and iron likewise. He excelled, however, in the simplicity of his character, in the gentleness of his manners, and in the moderation of his mind. And for this reason he let shine the radiance of divine grace. "For on whom," saith the Lord, "shall I look, unless upon the meek and quiet, and him that trembleth at my words?" And again he said to his own disciples: "Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you shall find rest for your souls." And again: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." And for Moses the lawgiver this was the mark of his accomplishments. "For he was," he says, "Moses, the meekest of all men who were on the earth." This the all-holy Spirit also testified concerning the prophet David: "Remember, O Lord, David, and all his meekness." And we have learned concerning the patriarch Jacob that he was a plain man, dwelling at home. Having gathered these virtues like a bee from those divine meadows, he prepared the honey of true philosophy. But he did not enjoy the fruit of his labors alone. His sweetest streams flowed forth even to those outside; and to those who came to him, using a gentle and sweet voice, he offered many exhortations concerning brotherly love, and many concerning concord and peace; and he made many lovers of divine things by his appearance alone. For who would not have admired, beholding the old man, exhausted in his limbs, heavily burdened of his own accord with much iron, and clothed in a hair garment…
and taking only enough food to ward off death by starvation? A Added to the magnitude and number of his toils, the grace that blossomed in him persuaded all to admire and honor him. For he frequently dispelled the grave diseases of many, and granted children to many barren women. And having received such power from the divine Spirit, he called himself a poor man and a beggar. Thus, for as long as he lived, he never ceased to overwhelm with benefits all who frequented him, both by his appearance and by his speech; and after he departed from here and was translated into the angelic choir, he left behind a memory not buried with his body, but one that blossoms, flourishes, remains unquenched forever, and is sufficient to provide aid to those who desire it. Therefore, I too, asking for a blessing from this source, shall narrate the deeds of the other athletes as best I can. B
XII. — ZENO
The admirable Zeno is not known to many, and those who do know him cannot praise him as he deserves. For he abandoned very great wealth in his homeland (which was Pontus) and was steeped in the streams of Basil the Great, as he used to say, who irrigated the neighboring Cappadocia; and he bore fruits worthy of that irrigation. For as soon as the Emperor Valens was taken from life, he laid aside his military belt, having been numbered among those who rapidly carry the letters of the emperors. C Retiring from the palace to a certain tomb—of which there are many on the mountain adjacent to Antioch—he lived there alone, purifying his soul and cleansing its vision, occupying himself with divine contemplation, setting in his heart the ascents unto God, desiring to receive wings like a dove, and longing to fly away into the divine rest. For this reason, he had no bed, no lamp, no hearth, no pot, no flask, no chest, no book, nor anything else; but he was clothed in old rags, and likewise in footwear needing bindings, for the soles of his shoes were worn away. He received necessary sustenance from one only of his acquaintances; this was one loaf of bread provided for two days. He would fetch the water himself from far away. D Yet, once, when someone saw him carrying a burden and begged him to allow him to lighten his toil, he at first resisted, saying he would not endure taking water brought by another. But when he saw that he could not be persuaded, he handed over the jars; for he was carrying two, one in each hand. But when he had arrived at the door of the courtyard, having poured out and scattered the water, he ran back to the spring, confirming his words by his deeds. I myself, too, when I first climbed the mountain desiring to see him, saw him holding the jars in his hands. Then, when I inquired where the dwelling of the admirable Zeno might be, he said he knew of no monk who was called by that name. Guessing from his modesty that he himself was the man, I followed, and having entered the door, I saw a bed ...
made of grass, and another sort of refuse spread over the stones, so that those sitting upon it would suffer no injury from them.
As we had moved on to many words about philosophy (for I was inquiring, and he was unfolding for us the things sought after), and it was time for us to return home, I begged him to give us the provision of his blessing. But he resisted, saying that it was right for us to perform the prayers, and naming himself a private person, he called us soldiers. For I happened at that time to be a Reader, A reciting the divine Scriptures to the holy people. When we pleaded our youth and the immaturity of our age (for the first down of the beard had barely appeared on us), and swore that we would not come again if we were forced to do this now, he was with difficulty moved by our requests; he offered the intercession to God, but purged the intercession with a long apology, saying that he had done it for the sake of love and obedience; for we kept approaching closer and were hearing him praying.
And who could worthily admire that an old man who had reached such a height of philosophy possessed such great humbleness of mind (for he had spent forty continuous years in ascetic labor), or what praise could one offer that would be equal to his greatness? Yet, though he possessed such riches of virtue, he would come as B if suffering from extreme poverty with the people to the divine church on the Lord’s day; he would listen to the divine discourses, lend his ears to the teachers, and having partaken of the mystic table, he would return to that new dwelling. He had no key, he left no guard; for it was inaccessible to evildoers and utterly inviolable, as it had nothing within it but that refuse. Receiving one book from his companions, he would read it through entirely, and having returned this one first, he would receive another. But although he had no locks and used no bolts, he was guarded by grace from above; and this we clearly learned through the experience itself. For when the band of Isaurians seized the citadel by night, and in the morning advanced as far as the roots of the mountain, ruthlessly stabbing many men and many women who were leading the monastic life, this divine man, seeing the slaughter of the others, C blinded their eyes by his prayer; and as they went past the door, they did not see the entrance. And as he reported, calling upon Truth as his witness, he also clearly saw three youths who were routing that entire host, as God openly demonstrated His own peculiar grace.
What sort of life, then, this divine man led, and what grace he enjoyed from God, these things are sufficient to teach. But it is necessary to add this as well to these accounts. It greatly troubled and burned him that his property remained, and had not been sold and distributed according to the evangelical law. The cause of this was the tender age of his nephews. For since the property and the money were held in common, he himself did not wish to journey to his homeland for the sake of the division; and he was unwilling for the estate to be [damaged] by another's distribution; and clearly God’s own grace…
A feared, lest, if the buyers treated the sons of his brethren with greed, the reproach might redound upon himself. Revolving these thoughts in his mind, he deferred the sale for a long time; but later, having sold everything to one of his acquaintances, he distributed the greater part, and was compelled by a lingering illness to deliberate about what remained. Having therefore summoned the bishop of the city (who was the great Alexander, the splendor of religion, the exemplar of virtue, the exact image of philosophy), he said: “Come hither, O venerable head, and be the best steward of these moneys also, distributing them according to God’s will, as one who must render an account to that Judge himself. For of the others, I was myself the agent, and I distributed them as I thought best; and I intended to manage the remainder in like manner. But since I am commanded to depart from this life, I appoint you as steward of these, for you are a high priest, and you live a life worthy of the high priesthood.” He thus surrendered the money as if to a divine treasurer; and he himself, surviving for no long time, departed from the stadium like some Olympic victor, receiving praise not only from men, but from angels also. I, however, entreating him to be an intercessor for me before the Lord, shall now turn to the next narrative.
XIII.—MACEDONIUS.
B Now Macedonius, who was called Critophagus (that is, “barley-eater,” for this food gave him the surname by which he was known), is known to all, not only the Phoenicians, Syrians, and Cilicians, but also their neighbors and those who dwell on their borders; some of whom have seen with their own eyes the miracles of the man, while others have heard the report praising and celebrating these deeds. Yet not everyone knows everything; but since some have learned this, and others that, they rightly admire only what each knows. But I, who know the affairs of this divine man more accurately than others—inasmuch as many things impelled me to visit and revere him—will set forth the individual details to the best of my ability. I have reserved this order for him, and have placed his narrative after many others, not because he was inferior to the others in virtue (for he vied with the highest and first), but because, having lived for a very long time, he departed this life after those of whom I have already written.
This man, then, had for his wrestling-school and stadium C the peaks of the mountains, not settled in one place, but living now in this one, and now moving to another. He did this not because he found the places tedious, but to escape the crowds that were flocking to him and running in from all sides. For forty-five years he continued to live in this manner, using neither a tent nor a hut, but remaining in a deep cavern; whence some also called him “Guba,” which name, when translated from the Syrian language into Greek, means a “pit.” After this time, having become an old man, he yielded to those who besought him and built a hut; and later, at the request of his friends, he also used small houses, D not his own, but belonging to others; and he passed his years in the hut and the small houses...
so that the total time of his struggles came to seventy years. A For food, he did not use bread or legumes, but crushed barley moistened only with water. My mother, who had become well-acquainted with him, provided him with this food for a very long time. And one day, when he came to visit her while she was ill and learned that she could not be persuaded to take food suitable for her sickness (for she too had embraced the monastic life), he exhorted her to yield to the physicians and to consider this food as a medicine, which she was taking not for the sake of luxury, but for the sake of necessity.
"For I myself," he said, "who have lived on barley alone for forty years, as you know, when a certain illness assailed me yesterday, ordered my housemate to seek and bring me a little bread. For this thought occurred to me: that if I were to die, I should have to render an account of my death before the just Judge, as one who had fled from the struggles and shirked the labors of servitude. For, since it was possible, by a little food, to ward off death and remain in this life, laboring and enduring hardship, and to gather the wealth that leads from this to the life in philosophy, I considered death by starvation to be preferable. B Struck with fear by this, and wishing to blunt the stings of this reasoning, I ordered bread to be sought, and when it was brought, I partook of it. And so, I command you no longer to provide me with barley, but with bread." Thus, from his own truthful tongue we learned that he made barley his food for forty years. These accounts are sufficient to testify to the man's asceticism and love of labor; but we shall manifest the antiquity and simplicity of his character through other means.
Concerning the Great Flavianus and the Ordination of the Saint
Since the great Flavianus was ordained as shepherd to the great flock of God, and learned of the man’s virtue (for it was proclaimed and carried on the lips of all), C he brought him down from the mountain top, under the guise of an accusation that had been made against him, and when the mystical liturgy was underway, he brought him to the altar and enrolled him among the priests. When the liturgy was finished and someone informed him of this (for he was completely unaware of what they had done), at first he reviled and assaulted everyone with harsh words; then, seizing his staff (for he was accustomed to walking by leaning on it because of his old age), he pursued the high priest himself and the others who were present. For he supposed that this ordination would deprive him of the mountain top and his longed-for way of life. At that time, his friends were barely able to calm his indignation.
But when the cycle of the week was completed, and the day of the Lord’s feast arrived again, the great Flavianus sent for him once more, inviting him to share in the celebration with them. But he said to those who had arrived, "Is it not sufficient for you what has already been done, but you wish to propose me for the priesthood again?" D And when they claimed that it was...
not possible for the same ordination to be imposed twice, he did not yield, nor did he return, until time and his acquaintances taught him this many times over. A We know, to be sure, that this narrative will not appear worthy of admiration to many, yet I have set it down, judging it to be memorable, as it is sufficient to demonstrate both the simplicity of his mind and the purity of his soul. For the Master promised the kingdom of heaven to such as these, saying: "Amen, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. xviii, 3). Since, therefore, we have shown in summary the character of his soul, come, let us also show the boldness that was born from his virtue. B
A certain commander of soldiers, who delighted in hunting, went up into the mountain to hunt; his dogs and soldiers followed him, and everything else suitable for the hunt. But when he saw the man from afar, and learned from his companions who he was, he immediately leaped from his horse, approached, greeted him, and asked what he was doing there. But he asked him in turn: "And you, for what purpose have you come here?" And when the commander replied that he had come to hunt, he said: "But I, for my part, am hunting for my God, and I desire to take Him, and I long to see Him, and I shall not desist from this noble hunt." Hearing these things, the commander, as was to be expected, went away in wonder. C
At another time, when the city had been stirred up by a certain evil demon and had vented its fury upon the imperial statues, the most prominent commanders of the soldiers arrived, bringing a sentence of total destruction upon the citizens. But he, descending from the mountain, stopped both commanders as they were passing through the forum. When they learned who he was, they leaped down from their horses and took hold of his hands and knees, and offered their greetings. But he commanded them to report to the Emperor that he was a man, endowed with the same nature as those who had committed the insult; and since it is fitting for nature to measure anger, that he was led by an immoderate wrath, who—on account of his own images—was delivering the divine images to destruction, and in place of bronze statues, was delivering human bodies to death. "And for us," he said, "it is easy and simple to recast and reform images of bronze; but as for you, even though you are an Emperor, it is not in your power to bring back to life those bodies which have been slaughtered. And why do I speak of bodies? For you cannot restore even a single hair." D These things he spoke in the Syriac tongue; and those who heard them through an interpreter translating them into the Greek language were struck with awe, and signified that they would report them to the Emperor.
For my part, I do not believe that anyone would dispute that these words were of the grace of the divine Spirit. For otherwise, how could a man bereft of all learning, raised in the fields, spending his life on the mountain peaks, carrying with him the utmost simplicity of soul, and not at all versed in the divine Scriptures, have spoken these things? Therefore, since we have shown his spiritual wisdom, and the boldness consonant with a righteous man...
A (justus enim confidit ut leo), I shall proceed to his miracles.
A woman of a wealthy family fell into the disease of gluttony; and some called this disease the operation of a demon, while others considered it an infirmity of the body. Whether it was this or that, it was of such a nature that, although she would eat thirty chickens in a single day, she would not satisfy her craving, but would further desire others. When her substance was thus being consumed, those who cared for her took pity on her and implored the help of that divine man. He came, and having prayed to God, and having placed his right hand into the water, and having imprinted the saving seal, he ordered her to drink, and healed the disease; and he so greatly blunted the excess of her appetite that, for all time thereafter, a small portion of a chicken each day sufficed for her need of food. B This disease, then, received such a cure.
But as for a certain girl who was still kept in the bridal chamber, and had suddenly been seized by the operation of an evil demon, her father ran to the divine man, suppliant and lamenting, and asking that his daughter might receive healing. He, having prayed, ordered the demon to depart from the girl immediately. But it said that it had not entered of its own accord, but had been compelled by magical sorcery; and it even mentioned the name of the one who had compelled it, and that love was the cause of the sorcery. Having heard these things, the father did not bear the onset of his anger, nor did he wait for the healing of the child; but, having reached the governor—who presided over the greater magistrates and governed many provinces—he accuses the man and narrates the tragedy.
The one who had been summoned denied it, and called the written accusation a calumny. But he [the father] called as a witness no other than the demon itself, which had been the minister of the sorcery, and he besought the judge to go to that divine man and receive the testimony of the demon. When the judge said that it was not lawful nor indeed holy for an investigation to be held in an ascetic cell, the girl's father promised to bring the divine Macedonius C to the judgment seat; and, having run, he persuaded him and brought him.
The judge, sitting outside the judgment hall, did not act as a judge, but as an observer; for the great Macedonius performed the part of the judge, using the power that resided in him, and commanding the demon to set aside its customary lying and to explain the whole tragedy of the affair with the truth. D Then the demon, driven by the greatest necessity, both pointed out the man who had exerted force through magical incantations and the maidservant through whom that potion had been administered to the girl. And when it was hastening to speak of other things also, which it had done having been urged on by certain others—in one case burning a house, in another killing livestock, in another inflicting some other damage—the man of God ordered it to keep silent and to depart immediately somewhere far from both the girl and the city. And it, as if obeying a command of the Lord, did what was ordered and fled immediately.
Thus did that divine man not only free her from her madness, but also snatched that wretched man from the accusation, and prevented the judge from delivering a capital sentence, declaring it was not holy that he who had been convicted through his own intervention should be punished with death, and that salvation should not rather be granted to him through repentance. These things, therefore, were more than sufficient, in order that...
showed the superabundance of divine grace; I, however, shall relate other matters as well. A
A certain noble and very wealthy woman, named Astrium, had become bereft of her senses, so that she recognized none of her own family, and refused to partake of any food or drink; she had persisted in this delirium for a long time. Some attributed this to the work of a demon, but the physicians called it a disease of the brain. When all medical skill had been exhausted and no help was forthcoming from that quarter, her husband, Avodianus—a man of high office and dignity—went to that divine man, explained his wife’s calamity, and sought a remedy. The man of God yielded, went to his house, and prayed to God with great fervor. Having finished his prayer, he ordered water to be brought, and having impressed upon it the saving sign, he bade her drink it. Though the physicians protested, claiming that this disease was aggravated by drinking cold things, the husband dismissed all that crowd, offered the draught to his wife, and as soon as she drank it, she immediately returned to herself, became compos mentis, and, being completely freed from the disease, she recognized the holy man. Suppliantly grasping his right hand, she placed B it to her eyes and brought it to her mouth, and from that time forward she possessed a sound mind.
When he was spending his life on the mountain, a certain shepherd, looking for straying sheep, arrived at the place where the man of God was. The night was dark and deep snow had fallen. He saw, as he reported, a pyre burning around him, and two men dressed in white garments who were supplying material to the fire. For bringing a readiness of mind, he was enjoying divine aid. He was also a partaker of the prophetic gift. For when the commander of the soldiers, a man illustrious for his piety—for who is ignorant of the virtue of Lupicinus?—came to him, he said that he was anxious about certain people who were bringing him necessary supplies from the imperial city by sea. He said that fifty days had passed since they set sail from the port, and not a single report had arrived concerning them. Without hesitation, he replied: “One ship, my friend, has perished; the other C will enter the port of Seleucia tomorrow.” And these things he heard from that divine mouth, and by experience he learned the truth of his words.
But that I may omit other things and narrate those that concern my own self: for thirteen years my mother had lived with my father, but she had not yet conceived children; for she was sterile, and nature prevented her from bearing fruit. This matter did not greatly afflict her, for being instructed in divine things, she believed this was expedient; but my father was vehemently troubled by the childlessness, D and he traveled about everywhere,
A beseeching the divine servants to ask for children for him from God. The others, indeed, promised to pray and exhorted him to acquiesce in the divine will. But this divine man openly promised to make the request, and he pledged that he would obtain a single son from the Creator of all things. When three years had passed, and the end of the promise had not been received, the father ran again, demanding the promise. He commanded that his wife be sent to him; and when the mother arrived, the divine man said that he would ask for him, and that she would receive the child, but that it would be necessary for this child to be returned to the one who had given him. And when the mother replied that she was in a state of prayer only for the salvation of her soul and for deliverance from Gehenna, "In addition to this," he said, "the munificent Giver will bestow a son. For to those who sincerely ask, He grants double the petitions." The mother returned from there, carrying the blessing of the promise; and in the fourth year of the promise she conceived, and became heavy in her womb, and arrived before the divine man, showing the sheaves of the seeds of the blessing. In the fifth month of her pregnancy, the danger of miscarriage occurred. She again sent to her new Elisha (for her condition prevented her from running), and she brought to mind that she had not desired to be a mother of children, and she brought his own promises into the middle. B He, however, having seen her arriving from afar, recognized her and understood the cause; for by night the Master had revealed to him both the condition and the salvation. Having therefore taken his staff, he went out, leaning upon it, and having entered into the house, and having given the greeting of peace as was his custom, "Be of good courage," he said, "and do not fear; for He who gave will not take away the gift, unless you violate the agreements that were made. For you promised that you would return what would be given, and would consecrate it to the divine service." "In this way," said the mother, "I both wish and pray to bear him. For I consider the unfinished birth better than the extraneous upbringing of a child." "Drink, therefore," said the divine man, "this water, and you will perceive the divine aid." She drank, therefore, as he commanded, and the danger of miscarriage fled. So many were the miracles of our Elisha. I often enjoyed the blessing and teaching of this man. For C he would often exhort me, saying: "With many labors, my child, you were born; I spent many nights petitioning God for this alone, that your parents might become that which they were called upon your birth. Therefore, lead a life worthy of those labors. Before birth, you were dedicated by the promises; and the things dedicated to God are venerable to all, and are not to be touched by the common people. It is proper, therefore, for you also, not to admit the base movements of the soul; but only to do, and to say, and to contemplate those things which are pleasing to God, the Lawgiver of virtue." Such things the man of God never ceased to exhort me. And I remember his words, and I have been instructed in the divine gift. But because my deeds do not correspond to his admonitions, I pray that I may obtain divine aid through his prayers, and that I may pass the remainder of my life according to his precepts. What sort of man he was, therefore, and by what labors he drew down the divine grace, these things are sufficient to show. But his death also obtained for him honor worthy of his labors even in this age. For all men, both citizens and strangers, and those who were the chief
magistrates, bearing that holy bier upon their shoulders, carried it into the temple of the triumphant martyrs, and deposited that holy and God-beloved body with those divine men, Aphraates and Theodosius. But eternal glory remains, which no age can destroy. We, however, having put an end to the narrative, have gathered a sweet fragrance from the account. B
XIV. — MAISYMAS.
I am not unaware that many other lights of piety shone forth near the city of Antioch, such as the great Severus, and Peter the Egyptian, and Eutychius, and Cyril, and Moses, and Malchus, and many others who followed the same path. But if we were to attempt to commit the deeds of all to writing, no time would suffice for us, besides the fact that the reading of so many things is wont to bring satiety to the common people. From those, therefore, who have been written of, let all make a conjecture about the life of those omitted, and let them recount their praises, imitate them, and gather the fruit. But I will betake myself to the meadows of Cyrus, and will, according to my ability, set forth the beauty of a few of the fragrant and fair flowers therein.
C There was in the times before us a certain Maisymas, a Syrian by language, and reared in the countryside, yet one who exhibited a specimen of every virtue. Having shone in his private life, the care of a certain village was committed to him. Therefore, administering the sacred rites, and shepherding the divine sheep, he said and did those things which the divine law commands. They say that he did not change his tunic or his cloak for a long time, but when they were torn, he stitched other rags onto them, and in this way provided for his old age. He cared for guests and the needy with such a ready mind that he opened his doors to all who passed by. It is also said that he had two jars, one of wheat and another of oil, from which he always dispensed to all the needy, yet they were always full, for the blessing granted to the widow of Sarepta was attributed also to these jars. For the same Lord of all, rich unto all who call upon Him, as He commanded that jar and that cruse to gush forth, returning sheaves for the seeds of hospitality, so also he bestowed upon this wonderful man a supply equal to his readiness. He also obtained from the God of all great grace for working miracles; of these I will mention only one or two, passing over the rest, as I am hastening to come to others. A certain woman, illustrious both in lineage and in faith, had a son of still tender age afflicted with a disease for many
A physicians to cure. But when the art of medicine failed, and the physicians gave up and explicitly stated that the child would die, the woman did not cast away her better hopes; rather, emulating that Shunamite woman, she placed a carriage upon mules. Having put herself and the child into it, she reached that divine man, and while lamenting and demonstrating the condition of nature, she begged for his help. He, taking the child into his hands and approaching the base of the altar, lay prostrate, entreating the Physician of souls and bodies; and having obtained his request, restored the son in good health to his mother. Now I have heard this from her very self, who saw the miracle and received the salvation of the child.
They say also that the master of that village arrived there one day. This was Letoius (who held the chief rank in the council of the Antiochenes, but was held B by the darkness of impiety), and he was exacting the fruits of the fields from the farmers more harshly than was proper. That divine man was instructing and exhorting him regarding philanthropy, and was speaking the words concerning mercy and compassion; but he remained implacable, yet through experience he learned the harm of his disobedience. For when it was time to leave, and the pair of mules was ready, and he sat down and ordered the charioteer to urge on the mules, they indeed struggled with all their might and strove to pull the carriage, but the wheels seemed to be bound fast with iron and lead. And when the multitude of rustics also, pushing the wheels with levers, achieved nothing, one of the companions sitting by Letoius suggested the cause, saying that the elderly priest had cursed him, and that it was C proper to make him favorable. Therefore, leaping down from the carriage, he became a suppliant to him whom he had spurned, and having fallen at his feet and embraced his filthy rags, he begged him to relax his anger. He, having received the supplication and offered it to the Master, released the invisible bonds of the wheels and allowed the carriage to move in the customary way. Many other such things are recounted about this divine head. From these things it is possible to learn that dwelling in cities and villages is not in the least harmful to those who have chosen the philosophical life. For this man and those like him who have the worship of God at heart showed that it is possible for those who move about in the midst of a crowd of men to reach the very pinnacle of the virtues. As for me, would that it might be granted to me, through their prayers, to be brought even a little above the base of the mountain.
D
XV. ACEPSIMAS.
Acepsimas lived during the same time, whose fame was spread wide throughout the East. He, having shut himself up in a small cell, spent sixty years, neither being seen nor speaking to anyone; but looking into himself and contemplating God, he received all his consolation from there, according to the prophecy that says: "Delight in the Lord, and he will give thee the petitions of thy heart." Through a certain small hole, stretching out his hand...
he would receive the food that was brought to him. The opening, moreover, was not pierced straight through, so that it might not be exposed to those who wished to look in, but was constructed obliquely in a winding fashion. His food was lentils soaked in water. Once a week, going out at night, he would draw as much water as was necessary from a nearby spring.
Once, a shepherd tending his flocks, seeing him moving about in the darkness from a distance and supposing him to be a wolf—for because he was burdened with much iron he walked bent over—brandished his sling to cast a stone. But when his hand remained motionless for a long time and he could not release the stone, until that divine man had drawn his water and returned, he recognized his error. Early in the morning he went to the gymnasium of virtue, told what had happened, asked for forgiveness, and obtained cancellation of his transgression, not by hearing any spoken voice, but by understanding the benevolence through the movements of his hand.
Another man, led by a perverse curiosity and desiring to know what he was doing all the time, dared to climb a plane tree that stood near the fence, but he soon received the fruit of his audacity. For, having become paralyzed in half of his body, he came as a suppliant and confessed his sin. But he predicted that he would recover his health once the plane tree was cut down. For he ordered the tree to be cut down immediately, so that no one else might endure the same fate after daring such things; and the cessation of his punishment followed the cutting of the tree. Such, then, was the endurance of this saint, and such grace did he receive from the Arbiter of the contest.
B When he was preparing for his departure from this life, he signified that he would reach the end of his life after fifty days; and he granted a meeting to all who wished to see him. When the prelate of the Church also arrived, he urged him to submit to the yoke of the presbyterate. "I know, Father," he said, "both the height of your philosophy and the magnitude of my own poverty. But having been entrusted with the administration of the high priesthood, by this office I perform ordinations, and not by that other. Therefore receive," he said, "the gift of the priesthood, my right hand serving as the minister, but the grace of the Holy Spirit bestowing it." To this he is said to have replied: "Since I shall depart from here in a few days, I shall by no means contend over these things. For if I were about to live for a longer time, I would certainly flee from this heavy and fearful burden C of the priesthood, fearing the account that must be rendered for the deposit. But since I am about to depart from here shortly, leaving these things behind, I will obediently receive what is commanded."
Immediately, therefore, with no one leading him, the one knelt down and awaited the grace, while the other, laying on his hand, served the Spirit. Surviving the priesthood for only a few days, he exchanged life for Life, and obtained that which is ageless and painless in place of the one burdened with many cares. When everyone wanted to seize his body, and each was eager to transfer it to his own village, someone, having revealed the saint's oath, ended the dispute. For he said that he had bound him by an oath to bury him in this very place. So great was the care of the citizens of heaven for him even after
death: who neither in life ever bore a high spirit, nor when dead sought after glory from men; but translated their whole love to the Bridegroom, after the manner of chaste women, who desire to be loved and praised by their husbands alone, and disdain the praises of others. Therefore the Bridegroom rendered them renowned and famous even against their will, and granted them an abundance of glory before men. For when anyone, pursuing divine things, asks for heavenly ones, He adds along with them many other things, bestowing multiplied requests. For this reason, while establishing the law, He also said: "Seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all other things shall be added unto you." And again: "Everyone that hath forsaken father, or mother, or brethren, or wife, or children, for my name's sake and the Gospel's, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life." These things He both said and performed. But for us, who are instructed both in word and deed, and supported by the prayers of these men, may it come to pass that we reach the goal, and attain the prize of the high calling, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
XVI. MARO
A After him I shall commemorate Maro; for he too adorned the divine choir of the saints. For having chosen to lead a life under the open sky, he occupied the summit of a mountain, which had formerly been honored by the impious; and having consecrated to God the temple of demons that was there, he dwelt in it, having set up a small tabernacle, which, however, he used but rarely. He did not occupy himself only with the customary labors, but devised others as well, accumulating the treasures of philosophy. But the judge of B the conflict measured out grace in proportion to his labors. For the munificent God so abundantly bestowed upon him the gift of healing, that his fame spread to every region, drawing all men from every side, and the experience of these proved the truth of the report. For it was possible to see fevers extinguished by the dew of his blessing, and shivering fits calmed, and demons put to flight, and all manner of diverse diseases healed by a single remedy. For while the sons of physicians offer a remedy appropriate to each malady, the prayer of the saints is a common antidote for all evils. C Nor did he heal bodily sicknesses only, but he also applied the appropriate cure to souls, healing the avarice of this one, the irascibility of that one; and to one he offered instruction concerning temperance, and to another he added the teachings of justice; and he instructed the licentiousness of one, while rousing the sloth of another. Exercising himself in this husbandry, he brought forth many plants of philosophy, and this garden, which currently flourishes D in the region of Cyrrhus, he himself planted for God. The work of this plantation
is the great James, to whom one might justly apply that prophetic utterance: "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like the cedar in Lebanon" A, as well as all the others whom, God willing, I shall mention one by one. Thus keeping watch over the divine husbandry and healing souls and bodies alike, after suffering a brief illness—so that we might learn both the frailty of nature and the fortitude of his resolve—he departed this life. But a fierce struggle arose among the neighbors over his body. For the inhabitants of a populous neighboring village arrived in a body, put the others to flight, carried off that most desired treasure, built a very large shrine, and to this day they reap the benefit from it, honoring that victor with a public festival. We, too, though absent, reap the blessing; for the memory of him suffices for us instead of the tomb. B
XVII. — ABRAAMES
It is not right to pass over the memory of the wondrous Abraames, on the grounds that after his monastic life he adorned the episcopal dignity. Indeed, he may rightly be considered more worthy of remembrance for this very reason: that when compelled to change his manner of life, he did not abandon it, but passed through it practicing the ascetic life, and finished his course encompassed by monastic labors and episcopal cares at the same time. He too was a fruit of the region of Cyrrhus. For it was there that he was born and reared, and there he gathered the wealth of ascetic virtue. For those who associated with him say that by watching, standing, and fasting C he had so subdued his body that he remained motionless for a very long time, being unable to walk. Having been delivered from that infirmity by divine providence, he resolved to expose himself to dangers for the sake of divine grace, and set out for Lebanon, seeking a very large village which he had learned was held fast in the darkness of impiety. Disguising his monastic person under the guise of a merchant, and carrying sacks with his companions as if he were going to buy walnuts—for the village D was exceptionally productive of that fruit—he rented a house, gave a small sum of money to the owners, and kept silence for three or four days. Afterwards, he gradually began the divine office in a moderate voice. But when the singing of the Psalms was heard, at the voice of the herald calling them all, men and women flocked together, and having blocked the doors, they climbed onto the roof and threw down a large quantity of dirt. But when they saw that they were choking and being covered, and that they had nothing else in their mind, nor were they doing or saying anything, but only offering prayers to God, at the urging of others they ceased from their madness, unlocked the doors, and ordered them to depart immediately, having pulled them from the dirt. At that same time, tax collectors arrived, who were compelling them to pay taxes, and were maltreating some with chains and others with lashes. But that divine man, not mindful of
those things which had been done against him, A but imitating the Lord, who when fastened to the cross cared for those who had done this, entreated those tax collectors to be more humane in exacting the payment. And when they demanded sureties, he willingly accepted the summons, and promised that he would give one hundred gold pieces within a few days. Those who had perpetrated those terrible deeds, wondering beyond measure at the man's humanity, asked for forgiveness for what they had dared, and entreated him to become their leader. For the village had no master; they themselves were both the farmers and the lords. Having therefore arrived at the city—and this was Emesa—he found certain acquaintances, and obtained a loan from them. Then, returning to the village on the appointed day, he satisfied his promise. Observing this diligence of his, they repeated their request more earnestly. And when he pledged that he would do so if they would promise to build a church, they begged him to begin immediately; and they led the blessed man around, showing him the most suitable places. And as one man praised this spot and another that, he chose the better one, and having laid the foundations, in a short time he placed the roof upon it. When the building was finished, he advised them to appoint a priest. But when they declared they would appoint no other, and desired to have him as both father and shepherd, he accepted the grace of the priesthood. Having spent three years with them, and having instructed them excellently in divine matters, and having C seen to it that another of his companions was appointed in his place, he betook himself again to the monastic retreat. And so that I do not produce a long narrative by recounting every one of his deeds, having become illustrious through these achievements, he received the bishopric of Carrhae. Now that city was drunken with the errors of impiety, and abandoned to the fury of the demons. But after it became worthy of the cultivation of this man, and received the flame of his teaching, it remained free of its former thorns, and now abounds with the crops of the Spirit, offering up to God mature sheaves of grain.
But it was not without labor that the holy man performed this divine agriculture; but enduring D countless toils, and imitating the art of those to whom the healing of bodies is entrusted, sometimes soothing with exhortation, sometimes binding with sharper medicines, and occasionally even cutting and cauterizing, he brought them to this health. Indeed, the lights of his life also supported his teaching and his other diligence. For enlightened by these, they both followed what was said, and willingly accepted what was done. For as long as he was presiding, bread was superfluous to him, water was likewise superfluous, a bed was useless, and the need for fire was redundant. For he would complete the alternate hymnody for forty nights at a time, doubling the measure of the prayers interspersed between them, and for the rest of the night's space he sat in a chair, granting a brief rest to his eyelids. Now that man shall not live by bread alone, Moses the legislator said, and the Lord made mention of this saying when he [answered] the provocation of the devil.
That life can be sustained even without water, however, we have nowhere learned from Holy Scripture. For even the great Elijah first A fulfilled his need from the torrent, and then, having arrived at the region of Zarephath, he ordered that water first be brought to him, and then he requested bread. But this wonderful man, during the time of his bishopric, tasted neither bread, nor legumes, nor greens cooked by fire, nor water—which, among those expert in such things, is held to be the first of the four elements by reason of necessity. Instead, he had lettuces, endives, celery, and things of that sort in place of food and drink, demonstrating that the superfluous arts of bakers and cooks are unnecessary; at the time of autumn, moreover, he would feed on fruits. He would take these meals only after the evening service. B And while he was wearing down his body with such labors, he nevertheless maintained an insatiable care for others. For to the pilgrims arriving, a bed was prepared, and bread that was clean and choice was offered, and fragrant wine, and fish, and vegetables, and whatever else is accustomed to be added to these. He himself would sit with them at midday while they were feasting, offering portions of the servings to each, providing cups to all, and encouraging them to drink; imitating that namesake of his—I mean the Patriarch—who served the pilgrims but did not feast with them. C Spending the entire day in the disputes of those who were litigating, he would persuade some to be reconciled to one another, while others he would compel—those who would not obey his mild entreaties—to do what was just. And no one among the unjust ever departed having defeated justice by their boldness. For by always adding the portion of justice to the one experiencing injury, he showed him to be invincible and superior to the one desiring to commit the injury; he was like an excellent physician, always preventing the overabundance of humors and contriving their equilibrium with the proper substances.
The emperor was also seized by a desire to see him—for fame is winged, easily announcing all things, both the good and the worse—and he summoned him to him, and upon his arrival, embraced him, and considered that rustic sheepskin coat more honorable than his own purple. The chorus of queens, moreover, would take hold of his hands and knees, D and they would beseech the man, even though he did not know how to understand the Greek language. To such an extent is philosophy a venerable thing, both to kings and to all men; those who love and profess it attain even greater glory after death. And this is possible to perceive from many things, but not least from the events concerning this godlike man. For after he had finished his life, when the emperor learned of it, he wished for him to be deposited in one of the sacred sanctuaries. But having realized that it would be proper for the body of the shepherd to be returned to his flocks, he himself led the funeral procession before all others, and with him followed the chorus of queens, and all the magistrates, and the subjects, both soldiers and civilians. With this zeal, the city of Antioch received him, as did those that followed, until he arrived at that great river. But at the bank of the Euphrates...
river, citizens and strangers converged, and country folk all, and even those from the neighborhood, hastened to enjoy the blessing. Many lictors followed the bier, keeping off with blows those who tried to strip the body of its clothing and were eager to take away rags from it. There one could hear at the same time some chanting psalms, others lamenting. For those who were crying out called him a protector, others a nourisher, others a shepherd and teacher; and those who were weeping called him father, and helper, and guardian. With such praises and lamentations they consigned that holy and sacred body to the tomb. I, for my part, having marveled that he did not alter his way of life when he changed his manner of living, and that he did not prefer a softer plan of life in the episcopate, but increased his ascetic labors, have included him in the history of the monks and have not separated him from the order he had long loved, as I myself desire this same blessing.
XVIII. — EUSEBIUS
To the aforementioned saints I shall add also the great Eusebius, who departed this life not long ago, but having lived for very many years, endured toil equal to that time, and gathered virtue equal to that toil, B and brought away from it a manifold reward. For the Giver of the prizes surpasses the contests in the generosity of the recompense. He, therefore, having at first entrusted his own care to others, was led wherever they led. For they too were divine men, athletes and wrestlers of virtue. Having spent some time with them, and having been fully imbued with the knowledge of philosophy, he embraced the solitary life, and having occupied a ridge of the mountains, to which a very large village is adjacent, by name Asicha, content with a wall alone, whose stones he had not even joined with mortar, he spent the rest of the time of his life in the open air, suffering hardship, clad in a garment of skin, and feeding on chickpeas and beans soaked in water. He also partook of dried figs C at times, trying in this way to support the weakness of his body. And having reached old age, so that he had lost most of his teeth, he did not change his food nor his dwelling; but even in winter being frozen, and in summer scorched, he bore firmly the contrary qualities of the air, having a face wrinkled and all the limbs of his body withered. His body he had so worn away by many labors that his girdle would not stay on his loins, but would slip downwards, since there was nothing to stop it, because his shrunken buttocks and hips afforded the girdle an easy descent. Wherefore, he hit upon the art of sewing it to his tunic, so that it might remain in place. The conversation with many thoroughly exhausted him; D for being continually intent upon divine contemplation, he did not wish to draw his mind away from it. Yet, even though he was held by such ardent love, he allowed a few of his acquaintances to clear the obstructed doors and enter; and having instructed those who had come with the doctrine of the divine oracles, he would order them to block the door again with mud. But thinking it better at last to avoid even the meeting of a few, he moved a large stone to the door and completely closed the entrance, and through a certain hole would speak to a few of his acquaintances.
A but he was not seen; for it had been contrived in that way, and from there he would receive that small amount of food. Again, having forbidden conversation with everyone, he deemed me alone worthy of that sweet and God-beloved voice; and when I wished to leave, he would detain me for a very long time, discoursing on heavenly things. But when many arrived to see him and asked for the gift of his blessing, he was greatly annoyed by this clamor, and taking neither his old age into account, nor considering the weakness that beset him, he climbed over the partition, which was not easy to climb even for those who were quite vigorous. And having reached the approaching band of ascetics, and having again used a small partition by the corner of the wall, he contended with his accustomed labors. The presiding officer of this flock, a man filled with every virtue, said that he had spent fifteen such weeks of the holy fast with seven dried figs. And he finished this contest when he was over ninety years of age and held by an inexplicable weakness. But the alacrity of his soul conquered his weakness, and the love of God made all things easy and light. Thus, bathed in these sweats, he reached the goal of the course, both seeing the judge of the contest and desiring the crowns. I, for my part, desire to enjoy that intercession which I enjoyed when he was alive. For I believe that he lives and has a purer confidence toward God.
XIX. — SALAMANES
C Thinking I would be doing an injury to virtue if I did not make known the life of the admirable Salamanes to those who desire it, but instead allowed it to be buried in oblivion, I shall set forth his history in summary. There is a village of the river Euphrates toward the west, situated upon the very bank, called Capersana. Originating from this place, and having set his mind on a quiet life, he found a small house in the village on the other side and shut himself in, leaving neither a door nor a window. Once a year, by digging into the ground, he would receive his food for the whole year, speaking with no human being ever. And he persevered in this manner for not a short, but a very long time. However, the bishop of the city to which the village was subject, having learned of the man’s virtue, arrived, desiring to confer upon him the gift of the priesthood; and having broken through a portion of the little house, he entered and laid his hand upon him, and performed the prayer, and spoke many words to him, and made known the grace with which he had been gifted; and he departed without having heard any voice from him, and ordered the breach to be repaired. D On another occasion, the inhabitants of the village where he originated, crossing the river by night and breaking through the little house, took him up, and, neither resisting nor consenting, they carried him off to their own village, and having constructed a similar house for him by morning, they immediately shut him in. He, however, similarly remained silent, speaking nothing at all to anyone. But after a few days, the villagers of the other village, coming by night, broke open the house and carried him off to themselves.
neither contradicting nor struggling to stay, nor yet willingly departing. In this way, he rendered himself entirely dead to the world and, speaking truly, usurped that apostolic voice: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” A Such was he also. For these things are sufficient to declare the purpose of his whole life. But I, having received the blessing from this, shall transfer my account to others.
XX. MARIS
There is a village among us called Homeri. Beside it, the divine Maris built a small hut and, having shut himself within it, he continued for thirty-seven years. He received much moisture from the nearby mountain, so that it oozed with drops of water. How much harm this causes to the bodies of those in the city, just as to those in the country, is known; for it is manifest to those who inhabit the fields what diseases arise from it. Yet, not even these things persuaded that holy head B to change his little dwelling, but he remained steadfast until he had completed his course. He had, moreover, spent his previous life with the labors of virtue. Whence he preserved the purity of both body and soul, a thing he himself clearly disclosed to me, teaching that his body had remained incorrupt for him, even as it had come forth from his mother’s womb. C And this he did while he performed many feasts of the martyrs while he was yet young, delighting the crowds with the sweetness of his voice. For he spent a great deal of time in performing psalms, and he was resplendent in the bloom of body. Yet neither the beauty of the body, nor the brilliance of the voice, nor the mingling with the many, tarnished the beauty of the soul; but living after the manner of the recluses, he took care of his own soul, and he increased his virtue by the labors of his inclusion. I often enjoyed his company. For he used to bid me open the door, and upon my entering he would embrace me, and he would extend long discourses on philosophy. D He excelled also in simplicity and utterly abhorred crafty ways, and he prized poverty more than the greatest wealth. Having lived ninety years, he used garments made of goat hair; bread and a little salt sufficed for his food. Being seized with a long-standing desire to see the spiritual and mystical sacrifice offered, he requested that the oblation of the divine gift take place there. I gladly obeyed, and I ordered the sacred vessels to be brought—for the place was not far away—and using the hands of the deacons instead of an altar, I offered the mystical, divine, and saving sacrifice. But he, filled with spiritual delight, imagined that he was seeing heaven itself, and never had he been filled with such joy
B I, however, since I was loved by him with great fervor, thought that I would be doing him an injustice if I did not offer him eulogies even though he has passed away; and that I would be doing others an injustice if I did not propose this most excellent philosophy for imitation. And so now, having implored the assistance of his prayers, I shall bring my narrative to a close.
XXI. — JACOBUS.
Post-haste, after we have gone through the struggles of the athletes of virtue who have already been proclaimed winners, and have recounted in summary fashion both their labors in training and their sweats in the contests, as well as their most brilliant and illustrious victories, come now, let us describe the life of those who are still surviving, who are struggling magnificently and striving to surpass those who preceded them with their own sweats, and let us leave behind a useful memory for posterity. For as the way of life of the saints who shone in the past brought the greatest utility to those who followed, so too will the narratives of these men serve as archetypes for those after us. I shall begin these accounts with the great Jacobus; for he excels the others in both time and labor, and those who imitate him are moved to perform wondrous and paradoxical deeds. And it happened, I know not how, that this name holds the first place both for those who have departed and for those who are still surviving. For when I was describing the life of the departed, I began with that divine Jacobus who dispersed the Persian army by his prayer, and who, when the city walls had fallen, did not permit the city to be captured, but forced the enemy to flee by dispatching an army of mosquitoes and gnats against them. He, therefore, who resembles him in both honor and character, let him lead the rank of the still-living athletes, not because he bears the same name, but because he has imitated his virtue and has himself become an example of philosophy to others. For having associated with that supreme Maron, and having participated in his divine teaching, he surpassed his master through the magnitude of his labors. For while the former had as a wall the shrine of ancient error, and set up a tent using Cilician goatskins, and by using this avoided the attacks of rain and snow, this man has bidden farewell to all these; he has neither tent nor hut nor wall, but has the heaven for his roof, exposed to all the contrary impressions of the air. At times he is drenched by heavy showers, at times he is frozen by frost and snow, and at other times he is scorched and burnt by the sun’s rays. He endures all things bravely, and fighting as if in a body that were not his own, he strives with the alacrity of his soul to overcome the nature of the body; and though surrounded by this mortal and passible D frame, he lives as if in an impassible one, meditating upon a life in the body that is free of the body, crying out with the divine Paul: "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing
every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ A. But he prepared himself for these contests, which are above nature, through lesser labors. For, having previously confined himself in a small dwelling and withdrawn from external tumults, fixing his mind upon the remembrance of God, he thus practiced complete virtue. But having exercised himself most excellently, and having habituated his soul to these good labors, he dared greater contests; and having reached this mountain, which stands thirty stades distant from this city, he made it famous and venerable, though it was formerly obscure and utterly fruitless. And it is believed now to have received such a blessing that even the earth placed upon it is used, since people arrive from all sides to carry it away for their own benefit. Dwelling in this place, he is seen by all who arrive; not having a cave, as I said, nor a tent, nor a hut, nor a wall, nor a fence surrounding him; but he is seen both praying, and resting, and standing, and sitting, and when he is well, and when he is seized by some illness; so that he is perpetually struggling before spectators, and repelling the necessities of nature. For it is not even easy for other men, who have been reared in some measure of freedom, to discharge waste in the eyes of outsiders when guests are present, much less for a man who had attained the height of philosophy B.
And I say these things not having learned them from another, but having been an eyewitness myself. For fourteen years ago, a grievous disease having befallen him, it affected him as was fitting for one who possesses a mortal nature. For it was the height of summer, and the flame of the sun's rays burned more fiercely, while the winds were silent and the air remained motionless. The malady was an overflow of bile, which, tending downward, bit and compressed the intestine, and sought to break forth. Then I beheld the great endurance of the man. For, as a great multitude of people had gathered, intending to snatch away the victorious body, he sat there drawn in two directions. For nature compelled him to go forth to relieve himself, but the reverence of the surrounding crowd compelled him to remain in his posture. I, perceiving this, used many exhortations and many threats with those who had gathered, ordering them to depart; later I even shackled them with the bonds of the priesthood, and with much labor eventually sent them away in the late evening C. Yet the divine man, even after their departure, was not conquered by nature, but remained enduring until deep night coming on compelled everyone to return home. And on the following day, having returned to him, as I saw that the heat had increased, and that the fever by which he was afflicted was being fed and augmented by the external fire, pretending to suffer from a headache, I said that I could not bear the rays of the sun, and I asked him to provide some small shade for me nearby. And he, having commanded it, three reeds were fixed, and two skins having been laid over them, we found shade: and when D
A he bade me enter, "It is shameful, O father," I said, "for me, who am young and in full strength, to enjoy this comfort, while you, laboring under a grave fever and needing such comfort, sit outside exposed to the assaults of the sun's rays. If, therefore," I said, "you wish me to enjoy the shade, become my companion in this small shelter. For I desire to remain with you, but am prevented by the heat." Having heard these words, he yielded and chose my comfort. And when we were refreshed together under the shade, I began another conversation, and said that I needed to lie down, as my thigh could not bear sitting without pain. And when he again asked me to lie down, he heard again that it was intolerable for me to lie down while seeing him sitting. "If, therefore," I said, "you wish me to enjoy this rest as well, let us lie down together, O father; for I will not blush to be the only one lying down." Having circumvented his endurance with such words, I brought him the comfort of lying down; and while he lay upon the ground, I addressed him with pleasant words, turning his soul toward a lighter mood. Putting my hand under his garment, as I wished to gently rub his back, I then saw the great weight of iron which bound his loins and neck: and other chains from the circle which was around his neck, two in front and two behind, descending obliquely to the lower circle and expressing the shape of the letter X B before and behind, connected the two circles together: and his hands also had similar bonds around the elbows within. Having therefore beheld this burden of many talents, I begged him to provide help to his ailing body, and that he could not bear at the same time both his voluntary burdens and his involuntary sickness. "For now," I said, "O father, the fever performs the office of the iron; but when this shall cease, then we will again place the burden of iron upon your body." He yielded also in this point, having been charmed by many such incantations. But at that time, having been ill for a few days, he easily recovered. Afterwards, however, he fell into a more severe malady. And when many had come together from everywhere, as if to carry off his body, the citizens, hearing this, all flocked together, both soldiers and civilians, some equipped with martial arms, others using whatever weapons they happened to have found; and forming a line of battle they fought, and cast missiles, not to strike, but to frighten. And having in this way driven off those from the surrounding areas, they placed the victorious athlete upon a bed, he perceiving nothing of those things which were being done—just as he had not even perceived it then, when his hair was being torn out by the rustics—and they came into the city; and when they arrived at the prophetic shrine, they deposited the bed in the monastery adjacent to this. But a certain person came to Berrhoea (for I was there at that time) signifying what had occurred and bringing the news of his death. Wherefore I immediately ran, and traveling the whole night, I reached the divine man after dawn, who was neither speaking nor able to recognize any of those standing by. But when I greeted him and said that the great Acacius sent him a greeting, he immediately opened his eyes, and asked how I was, and when I had come, and when I had answered every particular, he closed his eyes again. For three
A days he inquired where he was, and upon learning it, he was greatly distressed and requested to be carried back to the mountain immediately. Desiring to serve him in all things, I straightway ordered his bed to be taken up and carried to the place he desired. Then I saw how little that head, which is so venerable to me, craved honor. For the next day I brought him a decoction of ptisan, cooled down—for he could not be persuaded to take anything hot, having completely abjured the use of fire—and when he refused to take it, I said, "Father, indulge us all in this. We consider your health to be our common salvation. For you are set before us not only as a model of usefulness, but also, by your prayer, you bring us aid and procure for us divine goodwill. But if this is burdensome to you because it is unusual, endure even this, Father," I said, "for this too is a form of philosophy. For just as when you were healthy and craved food, you overcame that craving by your endurance, so now, when you have no appetite whatever, show your endurance by receiving it." Polychronius, a man of God, was present when I said this, and yielding to my speech, he said that he himself wanted to take some first, even though it was morning, and he himself was accustomed to nourishing his body only after seven days. Vanquished, therefore, by these words, he closed his eyes, as we are accustomed to do with bitter potions, and drank one cup of the juice. And since we also persuaded him to wash his feet with water, as he had lost the ability to walk from weakness, I think it is worth the effort to bring his philosophy to light in this also. For the cup was lying nearby, and one of the attendants tried to hide it with a basket so that it might not be visible to those coming to visit him. B But he said, "Why are you hiding the cup?" And when he replied, "So that it may not be visible to those who come to you," he said, "Away with you, child; do not hide from men things that are manifest to the God of the universe. For I desire to live for Him alone, and I have held human glory in contempt. For what benefit is it if these men know me to use a greater exercise, but God a lesser one? These are not the givers of the reward for my labors, but God is the dispenser." Who, then, would not be exceedingly amazed both at his words and at the mind that gave birth to them, being so superior to human glory? I have learned that something similar happened on another occasion. It was evening, and deep evening at that, and the time for food. Taking up, therefore, an earthen dish that was lying by, he partook of some soaked lentils—for this was his food. A man came from the city, having been entrusted with a certain military tax collection. Seeing him approaching C from afar, he did not put down the lentils, but took his food after the usual manner. And since he suspected him to be a specter of a demon, he assaulted him with words as an enemy, and showing that he feared nothing, he meanwhile kept bringing the lentils to his mouth. The man who was being assailed with rebukes kept begging him and affirming that he was a man, and bound by an oath that he had left the city before evening and had arrived at this time. But he said, "Be of good courage, and do not fear, but pray and go your way. However, feast with me and share in my meal." And saying these things he [offered the lentils to him].
But he said, "Be of good courage, and do not fear, but pray and go your way. However, feast with me and share in my meal." And saying these things he filled his right hand and shared the lentils with him. In this way, he banished the passion of vainglory along with the other ills of the mind. Regarding his endurance, it is superfluous to speak, as his very appearance bears witness to it. For often, after snow had fallen for three days and as many nights, he would be so buried while lying prone and praying to God that not even the smallest part of the rags wrapped around him could be seen. Often, too, the neighbors would use shovels and mattocks to clear away the snow piled upon him, and in this way they would pull him out and rouse him as he lay there.
B From these labors he reaped the gifts of divine grace, which all who wish may enjoy. For by his blessing many fevers were extinguished and are still extinguished, and many febrile chills have ceased and departed entirely. Many demons were also forced to flee, and water blessed by his right hand becomes a remedial medicine. Who is ignorant of the resurrection of the dead child that occurred through his prayers? His parents lived in the suburbs of the city; they had brought many children into the world, but had carried them all to the grave before their time. When this youngest son was born, the father hastened to the man of God, begging for him a long life and promising to dedicate him to God if he should live. After the child had lived for four years, he met his end. The father was absent; upon returning soon after, he saw him already being carried out for burial. Snatching him from the bier, he said, "I must fulfill my promise and offer him to the man of God, even though he is dead." He brought him down just as he had stated and placed him at those holy feet, saying the same things he had said to his own people. The man of God placed the boy before him and, bowing his knees, prayed while lying prone to the Lord of life and death. Late in the evening, the child gave voice and called for his father. The divine man, realizing that his prayer had been received by the Lord and that life had been granted, rose up, worshipped Him who does the will of those who fear Him and hears their petitions, finished his prayer, and returned the son to the father. I myself have seen this child, and I heard the father tell the miracle, and I have recounted this apostolic deed to many, knowing it would be a most useful narrative for those who heard it. I myself have often been aided by his help; but I will relate one or two instances, judging it to be a sign of a very ungrateful soul to pass over the types of benefits in silence and not to teach them.
D In the region of Cyrrhus, the execrable Marcion had sown many thorns of impiety. While I was attempting to uproot these, I moved "every rope," as they say, and strove with every machine. And for those whose salvation I was working, instead of [their showing gratitude]...
A * "they repaid me evil for good, and hatred for my love" (Ps. cviii, 4, 5). And using magical trickery and summoning the aid of the most wicked demons, they strove to wage invisible war against me.
Once, in the middle of the night, a destructive demon came, shouting in the Syrian tongue: "Why, you there, are you waging war with Marcion? Why on earth have you undertaken this struggle against him? What harm has he ever caused you? Drop the war, put an end to this hostility; or you shall learn by experience how great a good tranquility is. Know this: I would have run you through long ago, had I not seen the chorus of martyrs with Jacob guarding you."
I heard these things and said to one of my companions who was sleeping nearby, "Do you hear, you there, what is being said?" And he answered, "I heard everything; and I wanted to get up, and lean out, and know who was speaking, but I stayed quiet for your sake, supposing you were asleep." So we both rose and looked around, but we heard neither motion nor voice of anyone. Yet others of our household had also heard those words. B I understood then, that by "chorus of martyrs" he meant the small vial of martyrs' oil, which contained the blessing collected from many martyrs and was hung by my bed; and under my head lay the old cloak of the great Jacob, which had become for me stronger than any adamantine wall.
When I was about to attack the largest of these villages, and many things happened in between to hinder my departure, I sent to my Isaiah, imploring divine aid. He said, "Be of good cheer! For all those obstacles have been dissipated like spiders' webs, and God taught me this during the night—not sketching it as a fleeting dream, but showing it as a reality. For I saw," he said, "when I had begun the hymnody, toward the part where those villages are located, a certain serpent C of fiery appearance, which was crawling from west to east and being carried through the middle of the air. After completing three prayers, I saw it bent back, showing a circular shape, with its tail joined to its head. And when I had finished eight more prayers, I saw it split in two and dissolved into smoke."
He himself foresaw these things in this way; we, however, saw the outcome agreeing with the prediction. For in the morning, those who were formerly of the faction of Marcion, but were now of the apostolic phalanx, directed by the author of evil, rushed at us from the west, brandishing their naked swords at us. But about the third hour of the day, they gathered in a circle and crouched for their own defense, just as the serpent was covering its head with its tail. At the eighth hour, however, they scattered and gave us a path of entry D into the village. And immediately we found a serpent made of bronze, worshipped by them. For since they had openly undertaken war against the Creator and Maker of all, they were eager to worship the cursed serpent as his enemy. Moreover, since divine revelation...
revelations, come, let me relate what I have heard from that truthful tongue. He related it not out of desire for honor—for that divine soul was alien even to this vice—but because some necessity compelled him to speak what he wished to keep silent. I besought him to entreat the God of all to clear my field of weeds and to deliver it utterly from the seeds of heretics. For I was vehemently distressed by the error of the detestable Marcion, which had prevailed to a great extent. B Being importuned, he said, "You have need of neither me nor any other intercessor before God. For you have the great John, the voice of the Word, the forerunner of the Lord, who continually offers this supplication on your behalf." When I said that I trusted no less in his prayers than in those of the other holy apostles and prophets, whose relics had recently been brought to us, he said, "Believe that you have John the Baptist." Yet I could not be brought even so to be silent, but I pressed him all the more, desiring to know why he made mention of him in particular. Then he said, "I wished to embrace his beloved relics." And when I had said, "You shall not have them unless you promise to tell what you have seen," he promised, and on the following day I brought what he desired; and, having ordered everyone to stand far off, he related these things to me alone. C "When," he said, "you received these guardians of the city who came from Phoenicia and Palestine with a Davidic dance, a thought came into my mind whether these were truly the relics of the great John and not of another martyr of the same name. Therefore, one day later, when I had risen at night to chant hymns, there appeared to me one clothed in a white garment, saying to me, ‘Tell me, brother Jacob, why did you not come to meet us when we arrived?’ And when I asked who they were, he answered, saying, ‘We are those who recently came from Phoenicia and Palestine. For although all others received us eagerly—the pastor, the people, the townsmen, and the country folk—you alone did not share in the honor.’" He was alluding to my hesitation. Therefore, he said that he replied to this, "I worship God in your presence and in the presence of all the others." D "Again, on the following day at the same hour, that same one appearing, said, ‘Look, brother Jacob, at him who stands there, whose garment is likened in whiteness to snow, for an oven of fire stands before him.’ And when I had turned my eyes thither, and surmised that it was John the Baptist—for he was clothed in that attire, and was extending his hand as if baptizing—he said, ‘It is he whom you surmised.’ And at another time, he said, ‘When you were going to the first village at night to chastise the seditious, and had commanded that more intent prayers be offered to God, I spent the whole night beseeching the Lord.’ Then I heard a voice saying, ‘Fear not, Jacob; for the great John the Baptist is spending the whole night entreating the God of all.’" When he had related these things to me, he commanded that
I should keep them to myself and not share them with others. But I, for the sake of edification, have not only shared the narrative with many, but am now also committing it to writing. He also said that he had seen the patriarch Joseph, with white hair and beard, and in his old age radiating the splendor of beauty, who, at the very summit of virtue, called himself the least of the saints. "For when I," he said, "called him the first of those who were in the same coffin, he himself called himself the last." A
He further related to me the manifold assaults he had endured from the wicked demons. "For when," he said, "I first began this way of life, someone stripped naked appeared to me in the guise of an Ethiopian, emitting fire from his eyes. Terrified by his appearance, I turned to prayer and was unable to take food, because during that time he presented himself to be looked at. But when seven, eight, and ten days had passed, and I remained fasting, at length, despising the wicked attack, I sat and consumed my food. He, not bearing this steadfastness of my soul, threatened to strike me with a staff. But I," he said, "replied: ‘If it has been permitted to you by the Lord of all, strike, and I will gladly receive the blows as if inflicted by Him; but if it has not been permitted, you shall not strike, even though you rave with rage a thousand times.’ Having heard these things, he fled at that time; but he did not cease to rave again in secret. For the water, which was brought to me from below twice a week, he would meet the one bringing it, and imitating my appearance, take it, and bidding him go away, would pour out the stream. And when he had done this not only twice, but three times, he attacked me with the affliction of thirst. Feeling great distress, I asked the one who was accustomed to bring it: ‘Why for these fifteen days have you not brought water?’ And when he said that he had brought it three or four times, and that I had received it: ‘Where,’ I said, ‘did I receive it from you when you brought it?’ And when he pointed to the place: ‘Though you may see me coming there a thousand times,’ I said, ‘do not give the vessel until you reach this place.’ B
Having thus overturned this device of his also, he attempted another again. For crying out at night, he said: ‘I will fill you with such stench, and will cast such infamy upon you, that no man anywhere will ever set eyes on you.’ To these things I replied, he said, saying: ‘I shall be grateful to you; for unwillingly you will bestow a benefit upon your enemy, by ensuring that he takes all the more delight in the remembrance of God. For obtaining more leisure, I shall have the uninterrupted work of contemplation of the divine beauty.’ C
A few days later, while I was performing the customary liturgy at midday, I saw, he said, two women descending from the mountain. Disturbed by the unusual sight and attempting to pelt them with stones, I remembered the threat of the fiend, and assumed this to be the infamy. I therefore quickly cried out, as if they were sitting on my very shoulders, that I would not cast stones at them nor pursue them, but would merely use prayer. These things I said, and they vanished, and with my words there came an end to D
the vision. A After this, he said: "At night, while I was praying, the sound of a carriage was heard, and the shout of a driver, and the neighing of horses; and the novelty of the thing disturbed me. For I was reflecting that no governor was then staying in the city, nor was the road suitable for carriages, nor was the time appropriate for vehicles. While I was pondering these things, a din of a multitude was heard approaching; and certain men went ahead, shouting, whistling, and driving the crowd from the middle of the way, and making the path clear for their leader. But when they seemed to me to be very close, I said: 'Who are you? And from where do you come? And for what reason have you come at this time? How long do you play, wretch, and despise the divine patience?'" This I said while turned toward the east, and offering my supplication to God. He pushed me, to be sure, but could not throw me down; for divine grace stood in the way, and immediately all things vanished. B He said also that in the time of those destructive robbers who, setting out from Isauria, had burned and laid waste the greater part of the East, he greatly feared, not slaughter (for he did not love his body so much), but enslavement and captivity, and the witnessing of their impiety and lawlessness. The devil, having learned of this fear of his—for he had often heard him expressing it to his friends—replicated the wailing of women at night. "But I," he said, "thought I heard the enemies arriving and setting fire to the villages. Therefore, having immediately parted the hair of my head, and having let my locks down over my shoulders to my breast on the right and left, I was preparing my neck for the amputation of a sword, so that, having received a swift blow, I might be freed from that detestable spectacle. When the night had been passed in this manner, and I was continuously expecting their incursion, after the day dawned and some arrived, I asked whether they had heard anything about the Isaurians. And when they said that they had learned nothing during these days, I realized, he said, that this, too, was a diabolical illusion." C And at another time, he said, resembling a wanton youth of outstanding beauty and adorned with fair hair, he approached smiling and at the same time sporting; but I, he said, armed with wrath, drove him away, pursuing him with insults. He, however, stood his ground, breathing sensual pleasure in his look, his laughter, and his speech. Then, therefore, more incensed with anger: "How," I said, "can you go round the whole world and lay such traps for all?" But he said that he was not alone, but that a multitude of demons were scattered throughout the world, who in this way play and act in earnest simultaneously. For by this play, as it seems, they strive to destroy the whole nature of men. D "But you," I said, "depart hence, Christ commanding it, who once cast a whole legion into the deep through the swine." He heard, and immediately fled, neither able to bear the power of the Lord's name, nor to look upon the light of his servant's philosophy. Although many other things of this sort remain to be told, I do not wish to write them, lest the multitude, to which the sight of the divine man is not given, should find in them an occasion for disbelief. For to those who look upon the divine man, nothing of this sort seems incredible when it is told, since his virtue is seen as evidence for what is said.
A Since this account in writing is destined to pass on to future generations, and the ears of the masses are harder to convince than their eyes, we shall measure the narrative by the weakness of its hearers. Therefore, while others had built a great shrine for him in the neighboring village, not many stades away, I myself also prepared a sarcophagus for him in the shrine of the triumphant apostles. When the divine man learned of this, he often and repeatedly besought me that his body be laid to rest on that mountain. I, for my part, frequently suggested that one who had neglected the present life ought not to be anxious about his burial. However, seeing that he earnestly desired this, I agreed and gave my consent, and I took care to have the sarcophagus removed and carried up. And because I noticed that the stone was being damaged by the frost, I ordered a small structure to be built around the sarcophagus. But after the building was finished according to his command and we had put the roof on, B "I will not suffer," he said, "this to be called the tomb of Jacob, rather I wish this to be a temple of the triumphant martyrs, and for me, as a kind of sojourner deemed worthy of their habitation, to be placed in a different sarcophagus." And he did not merely say this, but he put it into effect. For having gathered from all sides many prophets, many apostles, and a great number of martyrs, he placed them all in one sarcophagus, desiring to dwell with the assembly of the saints, and longing to rise with them and be deemed worthy of the divine vision. And this surely is a sufficient argument for the modesty of his soul, that one who had amassed such great wealth desired, as if he were suffering from the most extreme poverty, to dwell in the company of the rich.
C What the labors of this venerable head were, and how great his struggles, and what grace he received from God, and how many victories he won, and with what crowns he was adorned, these things abundantly suffice to teach. But because there are some who blame his moroseness and criticize his excessive devotion to solitude and quiet, I shall add a few words regarding these matters before I bring this narrative to an end. He is exposed to the eyes of all for viewing, as I have already said, nor is he surrounded by a wall, nor hidden away in any hut or tent. And all who arrive, with no barrier to prevent them, wish to speak to him as soon as they have come. As for others who are lovers of this philosophy, there are both walls and doors, and they may enjoy quiet: the one who is secluded opens if he wishes, D and delays as long as he likes, and is sated with divine contemplation as long as he wants. But here, there is nothing of this sort. For this reason, he finds it very hard to bear those who interrupt him during the time of prayer. And if, when he has bid them to do so, they depart immediately, he returns again to his prayer. But if they persist in bothering him, and, having been warned once and twice, they are not persuaded, then, taking it hard, he rebukes them and sends them away. I, for my part, have had words with him about this matter. For I said that some who had been driven away and had not received a blessing were grieved, and that it was fitting that those who come for his sake, and who accomplish a journey of many days, should not
sent away grieved, but rather filled with joy, and refreshing those who were ignorant with the recitations of your philosophy. B He, however, replied: “I have come to this mountain not for the sake of others, but for my own. For since I am covered with many sores of sins, I am in need of much healing. And for this reason, I beseech our Master to grant me the salutary remedies for my vices. How then would it not be absurd, and very foolish, to cut the thread of prayer and, in the meantime, hold conversation with men? For if I were a servant of a man of the same nature, and at a time of service to my master, I neglected to bring food or drink at the proper time, and instead chatted with one of my fellow-servants, would I not deservedly receive many blows? And if, when I had approached a governor and was complaining about an injury inflicted upon me by someone, I broke off my speech in the middle and began a different conversation with some of those present, would you not think that the judge would be angry, and not only refuse help, but also order stripes and cast me out from the railings? How then is it right for a servant to behave with decorum toward his master, and for a petitioner to do the same before a judge, yet for me, when approaching God, who is the eternal Master, the most just Judge, and the King of all things, not to behave with at least their level of propriety, but instead, while praying, to turn to my fellow-servants and weave a long C conversation?” I heard these things and reported them to those who were complaining. And it seems to me that he spoke well and rightly. For in addition to what has been said, it is characteristic of those who love to despise all others, and to cling to that one whom they love and cherish, even dreaming of him by night and keeping him in their minds during the day. Therefore, it seems to me that he is vexed when, being in the desired contemplation, he is prevented from being filled with the beauty he loves. We have written these things narratively, taking care above all for brevity, so that we might not weary our readers with length. But if he lives on beyond this narrative, he will surely add other illustrious deeds to the former ones, and others will record these. For we ourselves are gripped by a great desire to depart from here. May the Arbiter of the athletes of piety grant an end to these contests worthy of them, so that what remains of the course may correspond to what preceded it, and that, as a victor, he may finally reach the goal, and may he confirm our weakness with his prayers, so that, strengthened, we may repair our many defeats and depart from this life as victors.
XXII. THALASSIUS or LIMNAEUS.
D Tillima is a village in our region, formerly sown with the seeds of the impiety of Marcion, but now enjoying evangelical husbandry. To the south of it there is a hill, neither very rugged nor very steep. On it, the admirable Thalassius, a man endowed with virtues, built his ascetic dwelling.
a man adorned with many good qualities, but excelling all men of his age in simplicity of character, and in gentleness, and in moderation of mind. A And I say this not out of mere hearsay, but from experience; for I met the man, and very often enjoyed his sweet company.
Into his chorus was received the one who is now celebrated by all, Limnaeus. While still quite young, he entered that wrestling school and was well instructed in this sublime philosophy. And first of all, knowing the tongue to be slippery, while he was still a mere lad, he imposed upon it the law of silence, and remained for a very long time speaking nothing at all to anyone. But after he had sufficiently shared in the teachings of that divine elder and had shown himself to be an image of his virtue, he arrived at the great Maron, of whom we have made mention before. B He arrived at the same time as the divine Jacobus. Having gathered much fruit of utility from this source too, and being seized with the desire to emulate the life under the open sky, he occupied another summit overlooking a certain village that they call Targala. There he has remained to this day, having neither house, nor tent, nor hut, but enclosed by a bare wall built of stones, not joined even with mud. He has a small door, always plastered over with mud; he never opens it when others come, but to me alone, when I arrive, he permits this to be done. C For this reason, very many people gather from all sides when they hear of my arrival, desiring to enter with me. But with the others who come to him at other times, he converses through a certain small window, imparting to them the blessing and bestowing health upon very many through it. For using the name of the Savior, he stills diseases, drives out demons, and imitates the apostolic gift of miracles. And he not only bestows healing on those who come to him, but has often provided it for his own body. For the colic once attacked him in the past; and how sharp the pains and torments that arise from that are, those who have experienced them know precisely, and those who have been spectators also know. D They roll about after the manner of the mad, turning themselves to this side and that, and at the same time extending and contracting their feet; and sometimes they sit, and stand up, and walk about, contriving to find some means of rest. For this reason they sit by baths and often enter them, taking some relief. But what use is it to prolong the account, recounting things that are open and manifest to all? Wrestling with such a disease and struck by such and so great pains, he did not enjoy the aid of medicine, nor did he take to a bed, nor did he accept any relief from drugs or food; but sitting upon a plank lying on the ground, he received his healing through prayer and the sign of the cross. At another time, while he was walking at night, he stepped on a sleeping viper, which attacked the sole of his foot with its teeth...
A Attempting to defend his foot, he leaned forward and brought his hand to it, drawing the beast’s mouth to his hand; then, using his left hand to help the other, he drew the beast’s rage toward that as well. When it had sated its madness (for it had inflicted more than ten bites), it departed and withdrew into its own hole; but he was tormented by acute pains on all sides. Yet not even then did he choose to use the assistance of the medical art; he applied to his wounds only the remedies of faith: prayer, the sign of the cross, and the invocation of God. For this reason, I believe, the God of all allowed that beast to rage against the holy body, that He might make manifest to all the patience of that divine soul. For we see this same dispensation of His also in the case of the noble Job, whom He allowed to be tossed by waves great and manifold, wishing to demonstrate the wisdom of the Governor to all. For from what other source could we have known either his fortitude or this man’s patience, had the enemy of piety B not received the power to cast all sorts of weapons against them? These things are sufficient to show what the man’s patience was; now let us demonstrate his philanthropy from another source. For he brought together many who were deprived of sight and forced to beg, and having constructed dwellings on either side—towards the east and towards the west—he bade them live in them and praise God, ordering that the necessary food be supplied to them by those who came to visit him. He himself, enclosed in the midst of them, stirred up both these and those to hymn-singing; and it is possible to hear them praising the Master continuously. So great was his perpetual philanthropy toward those who share the same nature. The duration of the spiritual struggles beneath the open sky for both him and the great Jacob is the same. For they have now completed their thirty-eighth year.
XXIII. JOHN
John also embraced this way of life, a man illustrious for his gentleness and mildness among other qualities. Having taken possession of a certain rugged cliff, cold and exposed to the north, C he spent twenty-five years there thus far, enduring the opposing afflictions of the weather. As for all other matters—food, clothing, and the burdens of iron—not to go through them one by one, they are similar to those already mentioned. Moreover, he is so superior to all human affairs that he extracts no consolation from them. I shall soon provide a clear proof of this. For when a certain upright man had planted an almond tree beside his bed, and in the passage of time it became a tree and provided him with shade and gladdened his vision, he ordered it to be cut down, that he might not derive any comfort from it. Moses also embraced this life, who struggles on a certain high summit overhanging the village of Rama; and Antiochus, an aged man, who built a wall in a most desolate place; and Antoninus, who in his senile body juvenum [as the text continues, in an aged body equivalent to those of the young, struggled.]
man, who built a wall in a most desolate place; and Antoninus, who in his senile body A struggled in a manner similar to the young. They all have the same clothing, the same food, the same standing, the same prayer, and the same labours through the night and through the day. Neither the length of time, nor old age, nor the weakness of nature destroys their constancy, but they retain in themselves a vigorous zeal for labour. Furthermore, God, the judge of the contest of virtue, has many other athletes in our regions, in the mountains and in the plains, whom it is not easy even to count, let alone to write the life of each. Having, therefore, set forth a sufficient benefit from these for those who wish to gain, I shall turn to another form of narrative, praying to partake of their blessing.
XXIV. — ZEBINAS or POLYCHRONIUS.
Those who were privileged to see Zebinas speak of him even to this day. They say that when he had reached an advanced old age, he practiced the same labours until the very moment of his death, and was not compelled by his extreme old age to change anything of what he was accustomed to do when younger. In fact, as they report, he surpassed all the mortals of his age in the assiduity of his prayer. For, spending his days and nights in this, he not only did not become weary, but made his desire still more intense. B Even when speaking a few words to those who came to him, he would not allow his mind to be drawn down from heavenly things; but, quickly dismissing them, as if he had not been separated even for a moment from the God of all, he would return again to his supplication. And since his old age did not allow him to endure the continuous standing without discomfort, he used a staff as a support, leaning on which he would praise the Lord and pray. Excelling also in hospitality among other virtues, he used to urge many of those who came to him to wait until evening. But they, fearing his all-night standing and feigning various excuses, would withdraw from his labours. The great Maro also C greatly admired him, and exhorted all who came to him to run to him and enjoy his blessing, calling him father and teacher, and terming him the archetype of every virtue. He even begged that he might be buried in the same tomb; but those who snatched away that sacred body and carried it off to the aforementioned place did not allow it. The blessed Zebinas, having died before him, enjoyed the funeral rites in the village near him (which is called Citta), and they built a very large shrine for his coffin. For it gushes forth various healings to those who approach with faith. And he has now also martyrs under the same roof, who contended among the Persians, but are honoured among us with annual festivals.
The great Polychronius partook of his discipline; and even the most divine Jacob said that this man was the first to give him a hair tunic. But I, never having seen him (for he had departed this life before I arrived), behold in this great Polychronius the philosophy of the divine Zebinas. For the wax does not so express the form of a ring, as this man reflects his character; for which
I am certain, comparing the accounts of him with the things done by this man. A For he is fired with a like divine zeal, and is superior to all earthly things; and although bound to a body, he possesses a winged soul, which passes through both the air and the ether, rising above the heavens, and continually envisions divine contemplation. He never permits his mind to be drawn away from thence; but even when he is speaking to those who come to him, he is traversing the things above. I learned of his all-night vigil and his standing from this. For seeing him at once oppressed by old age and infirmity, and enjoying absolutely no attendance, I persuaded him, after much entreaty, to accept two companions whose comfort he might enjoy. And because he sought men shining in virtue, who were living separately in another monastery, I persuaded these admirable men as well to prefer attendance upon this divine man above all else. But when they had lived with him for a short time, not being able to endure the continuous night-standing, they attempted to flee. And when they begged the man to measure his labor to the infirmity of his body: B "Not only," he said to them, "do I not force you to continue the standing with me, but I often order you to lie down." But they said, "And how can we, while he who is aged in labors and contemns the infirmity of the body stands, lie down ourselves, who are in the wholeness of our strength and in the midst of our age?" Thus did I learn of the nightly labors of that head whom I venerate. But these men thereafter acquired such virtue for themselves, that they pursued the same philosophy as the great old man. And Moses indeed—for that is his name—remains with him to this day, offering all service as to a father and master, and diligently copying the virtue radiating from that sacred soul. But Damianus—for that is the name of the other—having traveled to a certain city not far distant, which they call Niara, and having found a small house by the threshing floors, lives in it, following the same way of life, so that those who know both him and the other accurately, looking upon him, think they see the soul of the great Polychronius in another body. C For there is the same simplicity, and gentleness, and modesty, and softness of speech, and sweetness of intercourse, and vigilance of soul, and contemplation of God, and standing, and labor, and vigil, and food, and poverty exacted according to divine law. For except for a small basket which holds soaked lentils, there is nothing in his dwelling. So much benefit did he receive from the company of the great Polychronius. But I, having left the disciple, shall return to the master. For streams leading from a source receive their water. D This man, therefore, having expelled from his soul, along with other vices, the desire for honor, and having trampled underfoot the tyranny of vainglory, always strove to hide his labors. And he refused to wear iron, fearing lest he receive some harm from it, should his mind be received by the inflammation of pride. But having commanded that a very heavy root of an oak be brought to him, as if he needed it for another purpose,
he would place this upon his shoulders at night, and pray while burdened with it, and during the day would enjoy leisure. But if someone arrived and knocked at the door, he would hide it in some corner. Someone saw this and pointed it out to me; and when I wished to discover how much it weighed, I could hardly lift it with both hands. Perceiving this, he ordered me to put it down. I, however, continued to entreat him to let me take it, so that I might steal the opportunity for labor. But when I saw that he was troubled, I yielded to his desire for victory. From these labors of his, there blossoms forth a divinely granted grace, and many miracles are wrought by his prayers. For indeed, when that grievous drought, which was afflicting mankind, stirred them to supplication, a multitude of priests came to him; and among them was one from the region of Antioch, who was appointed to shepherd many villages. B This man begged the elders who were present to persuade the man to lay his right hand upon a certain vial. When they said that he would not do this at all, and after the prayer had taken place, and the inspired one was praying for my head, he, standing behind, reached out the vial with both hands. It began to gush forth so that two or three of those present reached out their hands and took them, filled with oil. Yet, even though he sheds the rays of divine grace, and abounds in outstanding achievements of every kind, and daily gathers the wealth of philosophy, his humility of mind is such that he embraces both feet, and places his forehead to the ground, of everyone who comes to him, whether he be a soldier, or an artisan, or a rustic. I shall narrate one thing that can demonstrate his simplicity and his humility. A certain man of character, having been allotted the governorship of this nation, and having reached Cyrrhus, wished to enjoy with me the sight of these great athletes. After having visited the others, we also arrived at this one, whose virtue we are now recounting. C When I had said that he who had come with me was the governor, and a seeker of justice, and a lover of the pious, the divine man immediately stretched out both hands, and having taken hold of both his feet, "I wish," he said, "to ask of you a request." As the man was very much distressed, and was begging him to rise, and was promising to do whatever he might command (for he thought he was interceding for one of his subjects), the divine man said: "Since, therefore, you have promised, and have confirmed your promise with an oath, offer up prayers to God for me with great zeal." But he, striking his forehead, begged him to release him from the oath, as he was not worthy to offer even the prayers for himself to the Master. What speech, then, could praise according to its worth him who retains such humility of mind at such a height of philosophy? D Not even various passions falling upon him have tested his diligence, but although besieged by varied disease, he endures the same labors. Often, and with many words, we barely prevailed upon him to let us build this little house for him, procuring a little warmth for his completely frozen body. Many have often offered him gold, either while living or having left it when dying. He, however, took nothing from any
A man, nor ever; but he ordered them to become the stewards of what was offered. The great James also sent him a sheepskin garment that had been brought to him by someone, but he sent this back as well, seeing it was thicker and more elegant. For he continued to use very cheap and inexpensive clothing. He considered poverty, moreover, so much more desirable than all wealth that he did not even always have necessary food. For I know that when I often came to him for the sake of requesting a blessing, I found nothing other than two dried figs. His honey is both desirable to those who see it and very pleasant to those who hear of it. For I know no human being, not even of those most given to mockery, who has ever cast a slur upon him; but all sing his praises and speak well of him, and those who come to him do not wish to depart.
XXV. — ASCLEPIUS
B Asclepius the admirable is of this same order, staying ten stadia away, but living by the same rule. For his food is the same, and his clothing, and his modesty of character, and hospitality, and love of the brethren, and gentleness and meekness, and conversation with God, and supreme poverty; in addition to these, also the abundance of virtue and the riches of philosophy, and everything else that we recounted regarding that sacred person. They say of him that even when he was among the number of those who dwell in the village, he lived an ascetic and temperate life, and drew no blemish from the association with the many. Hence, since he has excelled in both lives, both the civic and the solitary, he will deservedly receive double crowns. Many others, moreover, have emulated his virtue, and not only is our own region full of such philosophy, but also the neighboring cities and villages. One of these is the most divine James, shut up in a little house near a village which they call Nimuzan; he who is already near the end of life (for he is more than ninety years of age) is enclosed alone, giving responses through a small hole curved obliquely, but without being seen, nor using fire, nor enjoying the light of a lamp. C But he ordered me to enter, having twice opened the door, bestowing this honor upon me and demonstrating the affection he has for me. Those, therefore, who are still living do not need my account. For they can, if they wish, become spectators of their philosophy. But for those who come after, and who do not enjoy the sight of those honorable men, these things that reveal the form of their philosophy suffice for utility. Wherefore, making an end here of speaking about these men, and asking for a recompense of a blessing, I shall betake myself to another narrative. DXXVI. — SYMEONES
Everyone who is subject to the Roman empire knows Symeones the excellent, the great miracle of the world,A and the Persians and the Medes and the Ethiopians know him; yea, and the report, running through even to the wandering Scythian nomads, has taught them of his endurance and philosophy. For my part, although I have, so to speak, all mankind as witnesses to his achievements which transcend reason, I tremble to embark upon the account, lest it appear to those who follow as a myth, stripped entirely of the truth. For the things that take place are above human nature. Men, however, are wont by nature to measure what is said; and if anything be spoken which exceeds these limits, the account is deemed false by those who have not been initiated into the divine mysteries. Since, however, the earth and the sea are full of pious men who have been instructed in divine things and have learned of the grace of the all-holy Spirit, they will not disbelieve what is about to be said, but will rather believe it with great readiness; I shall therefore eagerly and boldly undertake the account. I shall begin from the place whence he obtained his calling from above.
There is a village situated on the border of our own territory and that of the Cilicians; they call it Sisan. Springing from this village, he was first taught by his parents to tend sheep, that in this respect he might be compared with the great men—Jacob the patriarch, and Joseph the continent, and Moses the lawgiver, and David the king and prophet, and Micah the prophet, and with the divine men of those times. B Once, when a great snowfall had occurred and the sheep were forced to remain inside, he took advantage of the leisure and came with his parents to the divine temple. I have heard these things from his own sacred tongue. He said, then, that he had heard the evangelical voice, which pronounces blessed those who weep and mourn, and calls miserable those who laugh, and names those who possess a pure heart as enviable, and all such things as are connected to these. Then he asked one of those present how one might attain each of these things; and the other suggested the monastic life to him, and pointed out that supreme philosophy. Having therefore received the seeds of the divine word, and having duly hidden them in the deep furrows of his soul, he said that he had hastened to the nearby shrine of the holy martyrs. C In this place he pressed his knees and forehead to the ground and besought Him who wills all men to be saved, that He would lead him to the perfect road of piety. Having persisted for a long time in this manner, a sweet sleep came upon him, and he saw a vision of this sort: "I seemed," he said, "to be digging foundations, and afterward to hear someone standing by who said that I ought to make the ditch even deeper. And when I had added the depth as he commanded, and was again trying to rest, he commanded me to dig once more and not to cease from the labor. When he had instructed me thus three or four times, at last he said that the depth was sufficient, and commanded me thereafter to build without labor, as if the labor had ceased and the building would take place without struggle." D The facts bear witness to this prediction. For indeed the things that are done transcend human nature. Thence
he arose and reached the dwelling of certain neighboring monks. Having spent two years with them, and being seized with a love for a more perfect virtue, he sought that village of Teleda which we mentioned before, near which those great and divine men, Ammianus and Eusebius, had set up a monastic wrestling-ground. But the divine Symeones did not betake himself to this one, but to the other which had sprung from it. For Eusebonas and Abibio, having been sufficiently instructed in the discipline of the great Eusebius, had founded this gymnasium of philosophy. Having lived their whole lives in harmony of mind and character, manifesting as it were one soul in two bodies, they had many who desired the same life. When these had passed from life with glory, the admirable Heliodorus took up the leadership of the brothers; he lived sixty-five years, and spent sixty-two of them enclosed in that place. For having been brought up for three years with his parents, he was brought into this flock, having never seen anything of those things which are in the world. Indeed, he used to say that he did not even know the familiar appearance of pigs, or of cocks, or of other such things. I too often saw him, and I admired the simplicity of his manners, and greatly respected the purity of his soul. In the company of this man, therefore, this most bright athlete of piety contended for a space of ten years. And though he had eighty competing with him, he far surpassed them all, so that while the others took food on alternate days, he himself remained fasting for the whole week, though the superiors were annoyed, and always argued against him, and called the practice disorderly, but were unable to persuade him by words, nor could they curb his zeal. I heard that same man who now presides over the flock, and who narrates it, say that he once took a rope woven from palms (a type which is very rough even to the touch of one's hands) and girded his loins with it, not wearing it on the outside, but applied to the skin, and compressed it so tightly that the whole of that part in a circle became ulcerated. And when he had endured in this way for more than ten days, and the ulcer, irritated, was dripping drops of blood, when he was asked by someone who had seen it what the cause of the blood was, he replied that it was nothing of any concern to him. But the fellow-monk, using force, thrust in his hand, discovered the cause, and reported it to the superior. And he, at once rebuking and beseeching him, and condemning the cruelty of the thing, with difficulty removed that binding: but not even then did he persuade him to apply any medicine to the ulcer. Moreover, the others, seeing him doing such things, ordered him to leave that wrestling-ground, lest he be a source of harm to those with weaker bodies who were attempting to emulate him beyond their strength. Having therefore gone out and seeking more deserted places in the mountain, he found a cistern empty of water and not very deep, into which he lowered himself, and there offered praises to God. After five days, the superiors, moved by penitence, sent two men with orders to seek him out.
And so, having A searched the mountain, they asked some who were pasturing their flocks there if they had seen anyone with such a complexion or wearing such a garment. When the shepherds pointed out the cistern, they immediately raised a great outcry, and having brought a long rope, they drew him out with much labor. For the ascent is not nearly as easy as the descent. Having stayed among them for a short time, he went off to the village of Telanissus, which lies at the foot of the mountain peak where he now stands. Finding a small hut there, he remained shut inside for three years. Contending always to increase the riches of virtue, he desired to pass forty days without food, like the divine men Moses and Elijah. He persuades the admirable Bassus, who at that time was traveling around many villages overseeing the priests in each, to leave nothing inside and to seal the door with mud. When he suggested the difficulty of the matter and advised him not to consider a violent death to be virtue—for this is a charge both primary and most grave—he replied, B "But do you, O Father, place ten loaves of bread and a pitcher of water here for me, and if I see my body in need of food, I shall take from them." It was done as he commanded; the items were placed inside, and the door received the coating of mud. After the conclusion of the days, that admirable man of God, Bassus, came; and having removed the mud and entered the door, he found the number of loaves intact, and the pitcher of water full, but found him lying there breathless, unable to speak or move. Wherefore, taking a sponge and having moistened and washed his mouth, he offered him the symbols of the divine mysteries. Strengthened by these, he raised himself up and partook of a little food—lettuce, endive, and similar things—chewing them little by little and sending them down into his stomach. Greatly amazed, that great Bassus returned to his own flock, relating this great miracle. For he had more than two hundred C disciples, and permitted them to have neither beast of burden, nor mill, nor to accept gold offered to them, nor for anyone to go outside the door either to buy necessities or to visit friends; but rather that they remain inside and receive the food sent by divine grace. The disciples observe this law to this day, and although they have grown in number, they have not transgressed the given commandments. But I shall return to the great Symeon.
From that time, then, until today (for twenty-eight years have passed), he has spent the forty days without food; and time and his practice of the labor have removed the greater part of the effort. For he used to... D
to stand, and to praise God. Then, when his body could no longer endure the standing due to lack of food, he would subsequently sit, and in this way perform the divine liturgy; and in the final days, he would even lie down. For as his strength was gradually spent and extinguished, he was compelled to lie half-dead. A But when he stood upon the column, he could not bear to descend, and he devised another way to stand. For he lashed a beam to the column and fastened himself to the beam, and in this way he completed forty days. After this, having received greater grace from above, he did not even need this help; rather, he stood for forty days, not partaking of food, but strengthened by his zeal and divine grace. B Therefore, having spent, as I said, three years in that little hut, he reached this most celebrated summit of the mountain, having given orders for a wall to be built in a circle, and having had a chain of iron twenty cubits long fashioned; one end of this he fastened to a huge rock, and the other he attached to his right foot, so that he could not go outside those bounds even if he wished, and he remained inside, assiduously occupying his mind with heaven, and striving to contemplate the things above the heavens. For that bond of iron did not hinder the flight of his mind. But when the admirable Meletius, who at that time was ruling the bishopric of the region of Antioch—a man brilliant in prudence and intelligence, and endowed with natural ingenuity—said that the iron was superfluous, since the will was sufficient to impose bonds of reason upon the body, he yielded and obeyed his admonition, and having summoned a smith, ordered that the bond be released. But because a skin had been applied to his leg, so that his body would not be harmed by the iron, and because this too, being sewn on, had to be broken apart, they said that more than twenty huge bugs were seen lurking in it; and the admirable Meletius affirmed that he had seen this. C I have mentioned this for the very reason of showing the man's great patience from this as well. For although he could easily have squeezed the skin with his hand and killed them all, he patiently endured the annoying bites, willingly exercising himself in small things for greater contests. Therefore, as his fame flew through every region, everyone gathered, not only those from the neighborhood, but also those who were distant by a journey of many days; some bringing those paralyzed, others asking for health for the sick, others begging to become fathers, and imploring to receive through him what they had not received from nature. D Those who received what they asked for returned with joy, and by proclaiming the benefits they had received, stirred up many more to seek the same. Thus, since everyone was coming from everywhere, and the whole road resembled a river, one could see a sea of men collecting in that place, receiving the rivers pouring in from every side. For not only do the inhabitants of our own region flock there, but also the Ismaelites, and Persians, and the Armenians subject to them, and the Iberians, and the Homerites, and those who are further inland than they are. Many also came who inhabit the furthest shores of the West, both Spaniards, and Britons, and Gauls, who occupy the lands between them. For as for Italy, it is superfluous to speak. For they say that the greatest [number] in
A Rome holds this man to be so renowned, that in all the vestibules of their workshops they stood up small images of him, procuring from these a certain protection and security for themselves.
Since, therefore, those who arrived were beyond numbering, and all were attempting to touch him, and to draw some blessing from those leather garments—first, because he thought the excess of honor to be absurd, and then, because he was troubled by the laboriousness of the situation—he devised his station upon the pillar. At first, he ordered it to be cut to six cubits, then twelve, B and after that twenty-two, and now thirty-six; for he longs to fly away to heaven and to depart from this earthly conversation. But I, for my part, do not believe that this station came to be without divine dispensation. For which reason I entreat those whom it delights to find fault to bridle their tongue, and not to permit it to be carried along at random, but to consider how often the Master has devised such things for the benefit of the more sluggish. For He commanded Isaiah to walk naked and barefoot; and Jeremiah to gird his loins and thus bring the prophecy to the unbelieving; and at another time to put wooden and afterwards iron collars around his neck; and Hosea to take a harlot for a wife, C and again to love a wicked and adulterous woman; and Ezekiel to lie upon his right side for forty days, and upon his left for one hundred and fifty; and again, to dig through a wall, and to go out fleeing, and to depict captivity in his own person; and at another time to sharpen a sword to a point, and to shave his head with it, and to divide the hair into four parts, and to dispose of some here and some there—not to recount everything. Each of these things the Ruler of all commanded to be done, gathering those who were not persuaded by speech nor willing to incline their ears to prophecy, through the strangeness of the spectacle, and preparing them to listen to the oracles. For who would not have been amazed, seeing a divine man walking naked? D Who would not have longed to learn the cause of what was happening? And who would not have asked: "Why on earth does the prophet endure living with a harlot?" Just as, then, the God of all commanded each of those things to take place, taking thought for the benefit of those living in sloth, so too He arranged this new and strange spectacle, drawing everyone to the sight by its novelty, and making the exhortation offered to those who arrived persuasive. For the novelty of the spectacle becomes a sufficient pledge of the teaching; and the one who arrives for the sight departs imbued with divine things. And just as those who hold authority among men, at intervals of time [alt-version omitted]
A change the images of their coinage, sometimes stamping upon them the likenesses of lions, at other times of stars and angels, and at other times attempting with a new character to show the gold to be more precious; so the King of all, as though they were certain characters, adding these new and diverse modes of life to piety, stirs not only the tongues of those nurtured in the faith, but also of those laboring under unbelief, to praise. And that these things are so, words are not the witnesses, but the things themselves cry out. For that station upon the pillar illuminated the Ismaelites, many myriads who had been enslaved to the darkness of impiety. For, positioned like a most B shining lamp upon a candelabrum, it sent forth its rays in every direction like the sun; and it is possible to see Iberians, as I have said, and Armenians, and Persians arriving and partaking of the divine baptism. But the Ismaelites, arriving in groups—two hundred or three hundred at a time, and sometimes even a thousand—denounce their ancestral deception with a loud voice, smashing before that great light the idols which they had worshipped, and renouncing the orgies of Aphrodite (for they had long ago accepted the worship of this demon); they are initiated into the divine mysteries, receiving laws from that sacred tongue, and bidding farewell to ancestral customs, refusing the eating of wild asses and camels. And I myself saw and heard them, both as they renounced their ancestral impiety and as they gave their assent to evangelical teaching. And I once endured a very great danger. For when he had commanded them to approach me and receive the priestly blessing, saying that they would reap the greatest profit from it, they, rushing forward with a barbarian C impulse, dragged me, some from the front, some from behind, others from the sides, and those who were further away climbed upon others, reaching out their hands; some were pulling my beard, others were tearing my garments. And in truth, these people would have killed me with that more violent rush, had he not with a shout dispersed them all.
Such was the fruit brought forth by the pillar mocked by scoffers, and such was the ray of divine knowledge that it shed into the minds of the barbarians. For another thing of this kind was also done by them: one tribe was beseeching the divine man to send a certain prayer and blessing to their phylarch; D but another tribe that was present opposed them, saying that the blessing should not be sent to that man, but to their own leader; for the one was most unjust, while theirs was a stranger to injustice. After a long barbarian contention and altercation, they finally set upon one another. But I, having used many words, exhorted them to desist, saying that the divine man was able to impart the blessing to both this one and that one. But they, too, were saying that the other ought not to obtain it, and the others were attempting to deprive the latter of it. But he, uttering threats from above and calling them dogs, only with difficulty calmed the contention. I have recounted these things
I said, in order to demonstrate the faith of their minds. For they would not have been so frenzied against one another if they did not believe that the blessing of the divine man held the greatest power.
I also saw another celebrated miracle that occurred. A certain man (who was also a phylarch of the Saracens) came in and beseeched the divine head to bring aid to a man whose bodily members had been loosened by paralysis on the road. He said that this had happened to him near Callinicum (which is a very large fortress). When he was brought into the midst, A he commanded him to renounce the impiety of his ancestors. When he gladly accepted this, and obeyed, and fulfilled what was commanded, he asked whether he believed in the Father, and the only-begotten Son, and the Holy Spirit. And when he confessed that he did believe, "Believing in these names," he said, "arise." And as he arose, he commanded the phylarch to carry him on his shoulders all the way to his bed, for he was a man of very large body. He took him up and departed immediately; and those who were present set their tongues in motion to the praise of God.
He commanded this while imitating the Lord, who bade the paralytic to carry his bed. Let no one, however, call this imitation a tyranny. For His voice is: "He who believes in me, the works that I do, he also will do, and greater than these he will do" (John XIV, 12). B And we have seen the result of this promise. For although the shadow of the Lord never performed a miracle, the shadow of the great Peter both destroyed death, and drove out diseases, and put demons to flight. But the Lord performed these miracles through his servants; and now, likewise, using His name, the divine Symeon works countless miracles.
For it happened that another miracle was performed by him, in no way inferior to the former. For a certain Ishmaelite, not an obscure man, from among those who had believed in the saving name of the Lord Christ, had made a vow and a promise to God, with Him as his witness. The promise was to abstain henceforth, until the end, from all food that has a soul. Having forgotten this promise for some time, I know not how, he dared to slaughter a hen and eat it. C But because God wished to bring him through conviction to conversion, and to honor His own servant who had been a witness to the promise that had been transgressed, the flesh of the hen was turned into the nature of stone, so that even if he wanted to, he could no longer eat it. For how was it possible to eat flesh that had turned to stone, which he had taken for food?
Struck by this astonishing spectacle, the barbarian traveled with great speed to the holy man, bringing his hidden sin into the light, and proclaiming his transgression to all, and asking pardon for his error from God, and calling upon the saint for help, so that through his omnipotent prayers he might be released from the bonds of his sin. D Many became eyewitnesses of the miracle, who handled the part of the hen adhering to the breast, which had been composed of both bone and stone. I, however, was not only a spectator of the miracle, but also a hearer of the prediction of future events. For that drought which occurred, and the great
sterility of that year, and the famine that followed, together with the pestilence, he predicted two years beforehand, saying that he had seen a rod being brought down upon men, signifying the lashes that it would inflict. At another time, he also foretold the irruption of the so-called locust, and that it would not cause any great damage, as divine clemency would soon follow the punishment. A Thirty days later, an infinite multitude arose, such that it cut off the rays of the sun and cast a shadow: and this we all clearly observed. Yet it injured only the fodder for the beasts, and did not harm the food of men in any way. To me also, when I was being attacked by a certain person, he predicted the enemy's ruin fifteen days in advance, and through experience I discovered the truth of the prediction. Though I know other things of this kind, I will prudently omit them, wishing to avoid prolixity in my account, especially since these are sufficient to demonstrate his spiritual insight.
His glory was great even before the king of the Persians. For as the ambassadors who had gone to him reported, he inquired diligently what the life of this man was, and what sort of miracles he performed. They say that his wife also requested oil blessed by him, and received it as a great gift. Even all the king's household, struck by his fame, although they heard many calumnies against him from the Magi, inquired accurately, and having examined the facts, called him a divine man. The rest of the multitude approached the muleteers, the servants, and the soldiers; they offered money and begged to become participants in the blessed oil. B The queen of the Ismaelites, being barren and desiring children, first sent some of her leading men to beg that she might become a mother; but after she had obtained her desire and brought forth a child as she had hoped, taking the king she had borne, she hastened to the divine old man. And because access was not permitted to women, she sent the infant to him and begged that he might obtain a blessing. "For this sheaf is yours," she said. "I indeed brought the seed of prayer with tears; but you have brought forth the sheaf from that seed, having drawn down the rain of divine grace through your prayer."
But how long do I struggle to measure the depth D of the Atlantic Sea? For just as men cannot measure it, so the deeds that are done by him daily exceed narration. But above all these things, I admire his constancy; for he was seen by everyone by night and by day. For having removed the doors, and having torn down no small part of the courtyard wall, he presented a new and astonishing spectacle to all.
A Now indeed standing for a long time, now frequently bending himself and offering adoration to God. And many of those standing by even count these very adorations. Once, indeed, one of those with me, after having counted one thousand two hundred and forty-four, then being exhausted, ceased to count. But always, when he bowed himself, he brought his forehead to the very tips of his toes. For since his belly receives food once a week, and even this but little, it readily allows him to bend his back. They say also that from standing, an ulcer of long standing had formed on one of his feet, and a great deal of pus was constantly flowing from it. Yet, nevertheless, none of these things undermined his philosophy; but he bears both voluntary and involuntary things bravely, overcoming both with the alacrity of his mind. He was once compelled to show this ulcer to someone; and I shall tell the reason. A certain man from Rabana arrived, a worthy man and honored by the service of Christ. B Having reached that summit, he said, "Tell me, I adjure you by the very truth which brought the human race back to itself, are you a man, or an incorporeal nature?" When those who were present were troubled by the question, he ordered everyone to keep silence, and addressing him, said, "Why, pray, have you asked this?" And when he replied, "Because I hear everyone gossiping that you neither eat nor sleep; for both are proper to men, since no one possessed of this nature could live without food and sleep," he ordered a ladder to be placed against the pillar, and bade him ascend, and first to examine his hands, then to thrust his hand within his leather garment, and to look not only at his feet, but at the very terrible ulcer. C Having seen and marveled at the magnitude of the ulcer, and having been assured by him that he does partake of food, the man descended and, coming to me, recounted everything. In public religious festivals, he displays another form of endurance. For after the setting of the sun until it reaches the eastern horizon again, he stands the whole night with his hands stretched out toward heaven, neither overcome by sleep nor conquered by toil.
In such great labors, and in the magnitude of his excellent deeds, and the frequency of his miracles, D his mind is so temperate that he is as the lowest of all men. Beside his modesty, he is also most accessible, and affable, and pleasant, responding to each of those who speak with him, whether he be a craftsman, or a beggar, or a rustic. He also received from the generous Lord the gift of teaching; and having exhortations twice daily, he irrigates the ears of those who hear, discoursing very skillfully, and presenting the instructions of the divine Spirit, and urging them to look up to heaven, and to take flight, and to depart from the earth, and to occupy their thoughts with the kingdom which is expected, and
to fear the threat of Gehenna, and to despise earthly things, and to wait for those that are to come. It is, moreover, possible to see him even judging, and passing right and just sentences. B These things, and others of this kind, he carries out after the ninth hour; for he spends the entire night and the day up to the ninth hour in prayer. But after the ninth hour, he first offers divine instruction to those present, then, having received the request of each one and having performed some cures, he resolves the disputes of those litigating. About the time of sunset, he begins, for the rest, his converse with God. And yet, while engaged in these things, and seeing to all these, he does not neglect the care of the holy Churches; now fighting against the impiety of the Gentiles, now breaking the contumacy of the Jews, at other times dispersing the crowds of the heretics; and sometimes writing to the emperor about these things, at other times stirring up the governors to a divine zeal, at other times also exhorting the pastors of the Churches themselves to show greater care for their flocks. Having gone through these things, I have tried, as it were, to show the rain from a drop, C and by my index finger to offer the sweetness of honey to those who are to read these writings for them to taste. The things, however, that are on the lips of all are far more numerous than these. But I have not undertaken to write down everything, but from a few examples to demonstrate the form of his life in all things. Others, as is likely, will write much more, and if life allows, they will perhaps add greater miracles. I, for my part, desiring that he himself, aided by his own prayers, may persevere in these good labors, pray to God—since he is the common glory and ornament of religion—that my own life also may be corrected and directed toward the evangelical standard. D
XXVII.—BARADATUS.
And the common enemy of men has discovered many paths of wickedness, desiring to destroy the whole human nature utterly; and the foster-children of piety have devised many and diverse ladders, by which one might ascend into heaven. Some indeed, struggling in companies (for groups of this kind are innumerable), receive incorruptible crowns, and reach the desired ascent. Others, however, having embraced the solitary life, and desiring to converse with God alone, and seeking no human consolation, thus [achieve] the praise of victory.
VARIAE LECTIONES. Apud Hervetum hæc subjiciuntur: Cum post hæc autem diu vixisset et multis miraculis et laboribus, ardoreque solis et hiberna glacie, et vehementibus ventorum insultibus, et humanæ naturæ imbecillitate, solus ex omnibus qui unquam fuerunt mansisset inexpugnabilis. Postquam eum deinceps oportuit esse cum Christo, et immensorum certaminum coronas accipere, quod homo quidem esset morte confirmavit iis qui non credebant : mansit autem etiam post mortem immobilis, et in cœlum quidem anima pervenerat : corpus autem ne sic quidem cadere sustinuit, sed rectum stetit in loco certaminum, tanquam invictus athleta nulla parte membrorum volens terram tangere. Sic Christi athletis manet etiam post mortem cum eis simul versans victoria. Variorum certe morborum curationes, et miracula, et divinarum virtus operationum, sicut quando erat superstes, ita nunc quoque fiunt, non solum apud loculos sanctarum reliquiarum, sed etiam apud summæ ejus virtutis et diuturnæ decertationis monumentum, magnam, inquam, illam et celebratam columnam hujus justi et laudibus celebrandi Simeonis. Cujus sanctis intercessionibus cupio ut ego adjutus in his sanctis perseverem laboribus ; Deumque precor, etc.
Others dwell in tents, and others in huts, singing hymns to God. Others welcome the life in caves and grottoes. But many, some of whom we have already mentioned, were not persuaded to have a cave, a grotto, a tent, or a hut; but, giving their bodies over to the naked air, they endure opposite qualities, at times frozen by bitter cold, and at other times scorched by the heat of the sun’s rays. And even among these, the life is, in turn, different. For some stand perpetually; others divide the day between standing and sitting; and some, enclosed by certain walls, avoid the gathering of the crowds, while others, using no such covering, are exposed openly to all who wish to contemplate them. I have found it necessary to recount each of these things, since I have intended to write the life of the admirable Baradatus. For he also devised new practices of endurance. For first, indeed, having shut himself up for a long time in a small house, he enjoyed the consolation of God alone. Then, taking possession of the mountain ridge above, and having constructed out of wood a small chest, not even commensurate with his body, he resided in it, constrained to bend over perpetually, since it did not have a height equal to the stature of his body. Nor, indeed, was it composed of solid planks, but it was open, in the manner of a lattice, and resembled windows that have larger apertures for the entry of light. B Because of which, he was neither exempted from the assaults of the rains, nor was he free from the scorching of the sun, but he received both, just as those who are under the open sky; he was superior in this one regard, that the labor of confinement was added to it. But when he had persevered in this manner for a long time, afterward he went out, yielding to the admonitions of the divine Theodotus, who had obtained the pontifical see of the Antiochenes. He stands, however, perpetually, stretching his hands up to heaven, and praising the God of all, covering his entire body with a leather tunic; but around the nose and mouth only, he has left a small passage for the spirit, through which he might breathe and draw in the common air, without which human nature could not live. Furthermore, he sustains all this labor, although he has obtained a body that is not very robust, and is prone to many ailments, but the fervor of his soul, kindled by divine love, compels that which cannot labor to labor. C Now, indeed, being excellent in the intelligence of the mind, he questions and answers most aptly, and sometimes argues more correctly and powerfully than those who have been versed in the labyrinths of the Aristotelians. And when he has reached the very summit of virtue, he does not permit the arrogance of the soul to ascend along with him, but commands it to crawl down below, at the very roots of the mountain. For he knows how much harm a mind inflated with arrogance brings. This, therefore, is the sum of his philosophy: that it might grow in this way, so as to reach the goal of the course. For the glory of these victors is the common joy of the pious. But for me, would that, supported by their prayers, it might befall me not to stand far from this mountain, but to ascend little by little, and to be refreshed by the contemplation of these men.
XXVIII. — THALELAEUS.
A Nor will I keep silent about the narrative of Thalelæus; for the spectacle is full of wonder, and I have not only heard it told by others, but I have become an eyewitness of this marvelous wonder. For at a distance of twenty stades from Gabala (this is a small and very elegant city), he occupied a certain hill in which there was a shrine dedicated to demons, and which had long been honored by the impious with many sacrifices. They said they were propitiating those nefarious spirits, attempting to appease their great cruelty with sacrifices. For they were a source of destruction to many, both to those passing by and those dwelling nearby, not only to men, but also to donkeys, mules, oxen, and sheep; not because they were warring against the beasts, but because through them they were plotting against humans. Therefore, when they saw him approach, they tried to terrify him, but they were unable to do so, since faith protected him and grace fought on his behalf. B Consequently, filled with rage and fury, they rushed against the trees that were planted there. For on that hill there were very many flourishing fig and olive trees; of these, it is said that more than five hundred were suddenly uprooted. I learned this from the neighboring rustics who told the story, who, while once held in the darkness of impiety, received the light of the knowledge of God through his teaching and wonder-working. C And since the hostile demons did not drive the athlete of philosophy away by these actions, they applied other devices in turn. For at night they would howl and display torches, attempting to strike fear and to disturb his mind. But as he laughed at all their assaults, they finally abandoned him and fled. He himself, however, constructed two wheels having a diameter of two cubits, and joined both wheels with boards not joined together, but standing apart. Then sitting inside, and fastening those separated boards with wedges and nails, he raised the wheel in the open air; having stuck three other tall pieces of wood into the ground, and having joined the tops of these with other beams, he bound and suspended that double wheel in the midst of these. The interior space of this has a height of two cubits and a width of one cubit. In this he has lived, or rather been suspended, D for ten entire years; and though he has a huge body, he cannot even when sitting raise his neck, but remains always hunched, with his face fixed to his knees. When I came to him, I found him intent upon the divine Gospels, and with great zeal gathering fruit from them. I questioned him, desiring to learn the reason for this new way of life. And he, responding in the Greek language (for he happened to be a Cilician by birth), said: "I, being laden with many sins, and believing in the torments that are threatened, have devised this form of life, inflicting moderate torments upon my body, so that I might escape the heaviness of those that are awaited. For those are more grievous, not only in quantity but also in the very quality; for they are involuntary. But what happens against one's will is very bitter; whereas what is voluntary, however laborious it may be, is less so."
The labor is spontaneous, not compulsive. “For,” he said, “in order to lessen the things hoped for by these small afflictions, I shall bring back a great gain from them.” Hearing this, I greatly admired his keenness of mind, because he was not only striving beyond the prescribed lists A and inventing other struggles of his own, but also because he knew the causes of these things and taught them to others. And the neighbors said that many miracles occurred through his prayer—not only for humans, but also for camels, donkeys, and mules receiving the remedies of healing. From this, that entire nation, which had long been held captive by impiety, renounced its ancestral deception and received the radiance of divine light. Relying on their help, he also overthrew the temple of the demons and erected a very great shrine to the victorious martyrs, opposing the divine dead to the false gods. May it happen, through their intercessions, that he also reaches the goal of his struggles with the same victory; and may we, helped by them and by him, become ardent lovers of the struggles of philosophy. Amen.
XXIX. — MARANA and CYRA
Having described the way of life of excellent men, I consider it worth the effort to make mention of women no less, and perhaps even more, committed to the struggle. For these are worthy of greater praise, since they obtained a weaker nature yet displayed the same eagerness as men, and liberated their lineage from ancestral shame. I shall now make mention of Marana and Cyra, who surpassed all others in the contests of endurance. Their fatherland is Berrhoea, and their lineage is distinguished within that fatherland, and their upbringing was befitting their lineage. But, despising all these things, they looked for a small place outside the city, and having entered it, they blocked up the door with mud and stones. Desiring to become participants in this same life, their maidservants C built a small dwelling outside this enclosure, and they commanded them to live there. Through a small window, they watch what is being done by them, and they often urge them to prayer and inflame them with divine love. They themselves, having neither house nor hut, embrace an outdoor life. In place of a door, a small window has been fashioned for them, through which they receive their necessary food and converse with the women who come to them. The time of Pentecost has been appointed for such meetings; for at other times they maintain silence. Marana alone converses with those who come; no one has ever heard the other speak. They carry iron, and bear such a burden that Cyra, who possesses a weaker body, is bent down to the ground and is utterly unable to straighten her body. They have very long garments, so that they trail behind and completely cover their feet; D in front, they descend as far as the girdle itself, completely hiding the face, the neck, the chest, and the hands.
A I have often seen them thus, having entered within that door, for they commanded it to be opened for me, honoring the dignity of the priesthood. I saw, therefore, that the weight of that iron was not tolerable even for a vigorous man; and after much entreaty, I was able for the moment to have it removed. But after our departure, they placed it upon their limbs again: the collar upon the neck, the girdle upon the loins, and for the hands and feet what was assigned to them. And they have lived in this manner, not for the space of five, or ten, or fifteen years only, but for forty-two. And having struggled for so long a time, they yearn for those labors as if they had only just begun the contest. For, contemplating the beauty of the Bridegroom, they bear the toil of the race very easily and readily, and they hasten to reach the goal of the contest, seeing in it the Beloved himself standing and showing the crown of victory. For this reason, even when enduring the onsets of rain, and snow, and sun, they are not distressed, nor do they suffer, but they reap joy from those things that seem troublesome. B Emulating the fasting of the divine Moses, they passed three times that long duration without food; for after forty days they partook of a little nourishment. Three times also they emulated the abstinence of the divine Daniel, completing three weeks of days, and only then providing food for the body. And desiring once to behold the sacred places of the saving passion of Christ, they ran to Aelia, without enjoying any food along the road; but when they arrived in that city, and had completed their worship, they partook of food, and returned again, completing the journey without food—and the stages are no fewer than twenty. And having desired to see the temple of the victorious Thecla, which is in Isauria, so that they might kindle from every side the flames of love for God, they went and returned in the same way, fasting. So much did the divine potion snatch them out of themselves; so much did divine love for the Bridegroom drive them to ecstasy. These, therefore, having adorned the female gender with such a form of life, and having become patterns for others, will be crowned by the Lord with crowns of victory. I, indeed, having set forth the benefit that arises from this, and having gathered the blessing, will proceed to another narrative.
XXX. — DOMNINA
D The admirable Domnina, emulating the life of the divine Maron, of whom we made mention earlier, erected a small hut in the garden of her mother’s house. This hut is fashioned for her of reeds. Spending the whole day therein, she bedews not only her cheeks with continuous tears, but also her hair-garments; for with such clothing she covers her body. At the crowing of the cocks, she betakes herself to the divine temple, which is not far off, and with others, both women and men, she offers praise to the Lord of all. This she does not only at the beginning of the day, but also at its close, considering, and teaching others, that the place consecrated to God is more venerable than any other place. On which account she took great care of it, and [was wont to instruct] her mother and broth-
brothers, [to persuade them] to spend their substance upon it. Her food is lentils soaked in water. And she endures all this toil, wearing a body that is withered and half-dead. For her skin is extremely thin, like a membrane, covering her thin bones, as the fat and flesh have been consumed by her labors. She is exposed to the eyes of all who wish to see her, both men and women, neither looking upon the face of anyone, nor offering her own face to be seen by anyone; but she is thoroughly covered with her cloak, and is bent down as far as her knees. Speaking with a voice that is very thin and indistinct, she always utters what she says with tears. For often, taking my right hand and placing it upon her eyes, she would let it go so wetted that the hand itself would drip with her tears. Who, then, could fittingly praise with a speech her who, possessing such great wealth of philosophy, weeps and laments and groans just like those who live in the utmost poverty? For that burning love toward God produces that tear, setting the mind ablaze for divine contemplation, piercing it with goads, and urging it to depart from this life. B And while spending her days and nights in these things, she does not neglect the other kinds of virtue; but she cares to the extent of her power for the excellent athletes whom we have mentioned, and those whom we omitted. She cares also for those who arrive at her [monastery], bidding them to stay with the village pastor, and providing all things necessary for them. For the means from her mother and brothers are ready for her to meet the expenses, as they receive their blessing through her. And when I also arrive in that region, which is to the south of our own district, she sends both loaves, and fruits, and the soaked lentils. C But to what end do I strive, by prolonging the account, to relate the whole of her virtue, when it is necessary to bring forward the life of others also, who have imitated both her and those whom I mentioned before? For many others, some have embraced the solitary life, while others have preferred to live with many, so that two hundred and fifty, or more or fewer, live together, eating one food, accustomed to sleep only on mats, applying their hands to wool-work, and consecrating their tongue to hymns. D There are also countless and numberless centers of such philosophy, not only in our region, but throughout all the East. Palestine, and Egypt, and Asia, and Pontus, and all Europe are full of them. For ever since the Lord Christ honored virginity by being born of a virgin, nature has sprouted meadows of virginity, and offers these fragrant and unfading flowers to the Creator, not distinguishing virtue into male and female, nor dividing philosophy into two differences. For there is a difference of bodies, but not of souls. "For in Christ Jesus," according to the divine Apostle, "there is neither male nor female," but one and [is shared by both men and women].
A For "there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all of us; and to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ." And the Arbiter has set forth one kingdom of heaven for the victors, defining this as a common prize for the contests. There are, therefore, as I said, many wrestling grounds of piety for both men and women, not only among us, but in all Syria, and in Palestine, and in Cilicia, and in the land between the rivers; and in Egypt they say that there are some monasteries which possess up to five thousand men working and praising the Lord in the interval; and they not only provide for themselves the necessary food from their labors, but also provide for those who arrive as strangers and for the needy. But to relate everything would be impossible not only for me, but for all historians. And if it were possible, I think it would be superfluous and a display devoid of any fruit. For those who wish to reap some benefit, what has been said is sufficient for them to gain their desire. For this reason, I have recorded different lives, and I have added the narratives of women to those of men, so that old men, and young men, and women might have archetypes of philosophy; and that each one, imitating the life that pleases him, may have a rule and standard of his own, laid down in the narrative. And just as painters, looking to the archetype, imitate the eyes, and nose, and mouth, and cheeks, and ears, and forehead, and the very hairs of the head and beard, and in addition to these, the posture and stance, and the very expressions of the eyes, whether they be joyful or grim: so it is fitting B for each of those who encounter this writing, resolving to imitate a certain life, to conform his own to that which he has chosen. And just as builders who align their boards with a plumb line cut away the superfluous until, having applied the rule, they see the board has become even: so must he who wishes to imitate a certain life set this before himself as a rule, and cut away the excess of vice, and supply what is lacking of virtue. For this reason, we have undertaken the labor of writing, proposing an occasion of utility to those who wish it. I ask, however, that the readers, who enjoy the labors of others without labor, should repay those labors with prayers. I also beseech those whose lives I have written not to look down on me, who am positioned far from their spiritual choir, but to draw me up—as I lie below—and lead me to the summit of virtue, and join me to their own choir; so that I may not only praise the wealth of others, but that I myself might also obtain some material for praise, by work, and word, and mind, glorifying the Savior of all, Christ, our God, with whom to the Father belongs glory, both now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.
THE BLESSED THEODORET, BISHOP OF CYRRHUS, DISCOURSE ON DIVINE AND HOLY CHARITY
A How great the athletes of virtue are, and with how many and what kind of crowns they shine, the narratives we have written about them clearly teach. For even if they do not contain all their struggles, yet even a few suffice to reveal the character and form of their entire life. For just as the Lydian stone does not consume all the gold brought to it, but by rubbing away a small portion, it demonstrates whether it is genuine or counterfeit, so too might one accurately judge an archer from a few arrows released—whether he shoots well, striking the mark, or misses it, being unpracticed in the art. In the same way, one might easily examine other craftsmen—so as not to speak of them one by one—both pugilists and runners, and actors of tragedy, and pilots, and shipwrights, and doctors, and farmers, and others, in a word, all who employ some art; for a small test is sufficient both to demonstrate the art of the skilled and to expose the ignorance of those who use only the name. B It is sufficient, therefore, as I said, that the few things written of the achievements of each person teach us their entire chosen way of life. It behooves us at present to investigate, and to search, and to learn accurately from what starting point they were moved to embrace this way of life, and what reasoning they used to attain the very pinnacle of this philosophy; for it is manifest from experience that it was not by trusting in the strength of the body that they yearned for things transcending human nature, transgressed the laws set upon it, and leaped over the boundaries fixed for the athletes of piety. For no one devoid of this philosophy ever displayed their endurance. For even if shepherds are sometimes sprinkled with snow, it is not always; since they make use of caves, and return to their houses, and cover their feet with footwear, and wrap other parts of the body in warmer garments, and partake of food twice or thrice a day, or perhaps even four times. And the eating of meat and the drinking of wine warms the bodies better than any hearth; for when such food undergoes digestion, C and is divided, as it were, by a heat, and reaches the liver, and the blood into...