The Book of the Saints of the Ethiopian church/Ginbot

by Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

Ginbot

Ginbot 1 (May 9)

On this day took place the birth of our holy Lady, the pure two-fold Virgin, Mary, the God-bearer, through whom came the salvation of the race of the children of man. Her honored father Joachim was an old man, and had begotten no child, and he was very sorrowful of heart because of this, for he was not able, having no children, to bring in an offering; and his wife was barren, and there was a law of the priests that barren women should not bring in an offering. And the righteous woman Hanna, her mother, was very sad, because of their failure to have children. And God looked upon their thoughts, and their good manner of life, and He, blessed be His Name, was pleased by the operation of His wisdom, that salvation of man should come through their seed. And whilst Joachim was standing up in the mountain, and praying at the end of the Fourth Day of the week, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and told him that God would give him seed, through which the salvation of the whole world should come. And he came down from the mountain, and being confident, with boldness of heart, through what he had heard from the angel of the Lord, he told his wife of the vision which he had seen, and she gave thanks to God. And she believed that His word was true, and she vowed a vow to God that she would give the child, which should be born, to God, to serve His house all the days of his life. And after this, she conceived and brought forth this holy and heavenly woman, whose name was Maryam (Mary), which is being interpreted, “Lady,” though there is another interpretation, “Gift and grace,” and indeed she is the Lady of the entire World, and the Queen of all women, and through her we have found heavenly grace. Salutation to the birth of Mary. Salutation to Bartholomew, the Crown of the Faith, who restored churches, and built one in the name of Mary. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 2 (May 10)

On this day died Job, the just. This Job was just, and excellent in his days, and God testifieth concerning him in the Holy Scriptures that there was none so just as he in his days. And Satan was envious of him, and asked God to give him power over Job, and over all his possessions; and God gave him power over him, for He knew the patience of Job the just. And Job became a pattern and an example for all those who should come after him, even as the Apostle James saith in his Epistle: “Behold, ye have heard of the patience of Job the just, and ye have seen how God behaved to this just man (James v, II); in one day all his possessions, and his beasts, and his sons, and his daughters were destroyed.” And this was not the only thing, for his own body [suffered], for Satan the Enemy smote him with a smiting of sickness of boils, from his head to his foot. And during all this sickness and severe pain he continued to endure patiently, and to give thanks to God, and on no day did he complain, and he never blasphemed his Creator, except only when he cursed the day on which he was born. And when all his possessions had been destroyed, and his beasts, he said, “God gave and God hath taken, blessed be the Name of God for ever!” (Job 1:21). And he remained in this state of tribulation for thirty years, and he lay upon a dung-hill, and the rebukes of his friends were heavier upon him than his sickness, and the rebuke of his wife, who advised him to blaspheme his Creator; but he neither submitted to her advice nor listened to it. And he was tried and refined as gold is tried and refined in the fire, and God spoke unto him from the cloud, and healed him of his sickness, and He doubled for him his possessions and gave him other children. And he lived to a good old age, and pleased God, and died in peace. Salutation to Job.

And on this day also died the holy father Abba Theodore, the disciple of the holy father Abba Pachomius, father of the congregation of the spirit. This holy father was an ascetic, humble, and gentle, and a fighter, and subservient, and perfect in every kind of good work. He became a monk with Abba Pachomius, and he was as submissive to him as to God, and because of this Abba Pachomius loved him exceedingly; and grace was upon him, and he was a comforter to all the brethren who were in the Society. Wisdom and understanding were in him. Abba Pachomius set him to rebuke the brethren, and to teach them when he was still a young man. After the death of Abba Pachomius, this father Theodore, the companion of Abba Pachomius, was appointed Abbot of the Society in his stead. This holy man abounded in humility, and he fled from the vainglory of this world. And he finished his work and service, and departed to God, Whom he loved, being arrayed in the apparel of holiness. Salutation to Theodore, the heir of Pachomius.

And on this day also twenty-two souls who were with Abba ‘Esi became martyrs. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 3 (May 11)

On this day died Saint Jason, the apostle. This holy man was one of the Seventy-two disciples whom the Lord chose. He preached with the Apostles, and he suffered the sufferings of our Lord, and God, and Redeemer Jesus Christ. And he performed very many signs and wonders, and power, and grace, and the Holy Spirit, Paraclete, descended upon him, with the Apostles, on the day of the feast of Pentecost, and he became a preacher. He was born in the city of Tarsus, and he was the first man of Tarsus who believed. And after this he was with Saint Paul, the apostle, in the preaching, and he went with him into many places. And they seized him, and Saint Paul, and Silas in the city of Thessalonica, and they dragged him forth to the governor of the city of Thessalonica. After this Saint Paul laid his hand upon him, and made him Bishop of the city of Tarsus, and he guarded the Church of the Son of God with good and excellent care. And having made the people thereof strong in the True Apostolic Faith, and taught them all the Ordinances of the Church, and good works, he departed to a city of the West, and preached the Holy Gospel unto the people thereof. And he came to an island, the name of which is “Korekueras,” and preached therein the preaching of the Gospel; and he built therein a church in the name of Stephen, the apostle, the archdeacon. When the governor of that city knew this, he seized him and shut him up in the prison house, wherein he found six thieves; and he taught them the True Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and baptized them with Christian baptism. And they cried out boldly before the governor, saying, “We are Christian,” and the governor cast them into a cauldron filled with [boiling] pitch and tar, and they received crowns of martyrdom. After this he brought Saint Jason the apostle out of the prison house, and had him tortured severely, but no harm whatsoever came to him. And the daughter of the king saw him from the verandah of her house, and she believed on our Lord Jesus Christ. And she brought out her raiment of fine linen, and her adornments, and she gave them to the poor and needy, and she confessed that she was a Christian, and she confessed the God of Saint Jason. And her father was wroth, and commanded his soldiers to cast her into the prison house, and they did as he commanded them, and they scourged her. Then they stripped her naked, and shot at her with arrows, and she delivered up her soul into the hand of God. And after this he sent Saint Jason to the island, and with him were martyrs. And the governor embarked in a ship, and there were soldiers with him, to go and torture them there, but God made the ship to sink in the river (or, sea), and all those who were with him, and Saint Jason gave thanks to God; and after his deliverance the saint continued to preach, and to teach the people for many years. And another governor was appointed, and he had Saint Jason and those who were with him brought before him, and he filled a great cauldron with pitch and wax, and the soldiers lighted a fire under them, and when they were melted he cast Saint Jason into the cauldron; and our Lord Jesus Christ delivered him, and the saint suffered no injury whatsoever. When the governor saw this, he believed on our Lord Jesus Christ, and the men of his house, and all the men of the city. And the apostle baptized them all with Christian baptism and he taught them the precepts of the Holy Gospel, and built churches for them, and this apostle performed many signs and wonders in them. And he died at a good old age, and with shining face, and he pleased God. Salutation to Jason, and to the king’s daughter, and to the thieves who believed through this saint.

And on this day also Abba Besoy became a martyr. This holy man was a native of Balget, and [the soldiers] tortured him by twisting round his limbs and body, and [hacking at them] with choppers. And the angel of the Lord, holding a crown in his hand, appeared unto him and said, “Fear thou not! Here is thy crown with fire”; and thus the saint finished his good course. Salutation to Abba Besoy, who finished his course by fire.

And on this day also are commemorated the honored Saint Eusebius the priest, and Saint Sem (Shem) the martyr. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 4 (May 12)

On this day died Saint Abba John the First (?), the twenty-ninth Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. This holy man was one of the believing sons of the people of the city of Alexandria, and he became a monk in his youth in the desert of Scete, in the monastery of Saint Abba Macarius. When Abba Athanasius, the archbishop, who was his predecessor, died, the bishops, and doctors, and all the people chose this father, and they took him by force and against his will. Now this holy man did not wish to become archbishop, and they made many petitions to him that he would not allow another man to be appointed over his flock, and put them to shame. And when he saw the bishops, and the doctors, and the chiefs of the Jews entreating him, he was afraid of them, and he said, “Peradventure this must be the Will of our Lord Jesus Christ”; and they made him the archbishop. And having taken his seat upon the throne of Mark the evangelist and apostle, he took thought for his flock, and more especially concerning the teaching of them, and he read the Scriptures to them, and strengthened them in the True Faith, and he set over them bishops, and priests, and doctors. And the emperor who was reigning in Constantinople in those days was Zeno, a just and believing and God-fearing man and he helped this saint, and he stretched out his hand over many cities, and the True Faith was extended by his hand throughout the country of Egypt. And in those days the Emperor Zeno sent to the desert of Scete, to the monastery of Saint Abba Macarius, ships full of grain, and wine, and oil, and many goods of all kinds, and whatsoever the monks needed for building churches and monasteries. And all the days of the life of this father were [passed] in quietness and peace; for God had given good will to men through the prayer and learning of this father. And then God visited this father with a little sickness, and he died in peace, having sat for eight years. Salutation to John, a royal kinsman, and builder of churches.

And on this day Sosima and Abba Noda (Sinoda), slaves of Victor, became martyrs. Salutation to Sosima, and Noda (Sinoda). Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 5 (May 13)

On this day died Jeremiah the prophet, the son of Hilkiah the priest, who was one of the Great Prophets. This just man prophesied in the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, the King of Judah, and Jehoiakim, the son of Zedekiah. Concerning this pure man God spoke, saying, “I sanctified thee before thou didst come forth from thy mother’s womb, and I have set thee to be the prophet of the Gentiles, and the rebuker of the people” (Jeremiah 1:5). And this prophet rebuked the children of Israel because they forsook the Lord God, and rejected the Law, and he said unto them, “Take heed and repent so that the wrath of God may not come upon you.” And he informed them, saying, “If ye do not turn to God He will raise up Nebuchadnezzar, King of the Chaldeans, and he shall lead you into captivity,” and even so it came to pass for Nebuchadnezzar did carry them away captive. And he prophesied that the people would remain in captivity for seventy years, and also concerning the coming of our Lord and Redeemer, and concerning His Passion and the thirty pieces of silver which Judas Iscariot took; and he prophesied concerning the going forth of the Law of the Gospel from Zion, and many other matters. And the Jews wished to kill him many times, and they scourged him, and shut him up in prison on several occasions, but he prayed to God continually and made petitions to Him on their behalf. And God said concerning them, “Pray not, neither make entreaty on behalf of this people, and make not intercession with Me for them, for I will not hearken to thy petition for them.” When Nebuchadnezzar carried the people away captive from Jerusalem, he did not take Jeremiah with them, and the remnant of the people took him with them and departed to the land of Egypt. And by his prayer God destroyed the wild beasts, and the lions, which were in the valley of Egypt, and which used to harm the Egyptians. And having finished the days of his prophecy and pleased God, he died in peace in the city of Alexandria, and the Egyptians made a feast in his honor, even as at this day. Salutation to Jeremiah, one of the Great Prophets. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 6 (May 14)

On this day died Saint Abba Isaac the martyr, who was from the city of Defra, in the north of Egypt. Unto this holy man the angel of the Lord appeared, in a vision of the night, and he woke him up and said unto him, “Go thou to the city of Tuw, that thou mayest receive the crown of martyrdom”; and he rose up to salute his father and his mother before he departed. And they wept over him, and they would not let him go until the angel of the Lord came a second time and brought him out from his city and took him to the city of Gemwa Tuw. When he arrived there, he found that the governor was in the bath house, but as soon as he came out the saint cried out boldly before him, saying, “I am a Christian. I believe on our Lord Jesus Christ.” And the governor commanded one of his soldiers to take Saint Isaac with him to his house, and to guard him until he came back from the city of Nakyos. And as Saint Isaac was passing along the road with the soldier, a certain blind man, who was sitting by the wayside, begged him, saying, “Have compassion upon me, O saint of God, and heal my eyes.” And Saint Abba Isaac petitioned God for the blind man, and his eyes were opened immediately. When the soldier saw this miracle he believed on our Lord Jesus Christ, and became a Christian. And when the governor returned, the soldier confessed the Lord Jesus Christ before him, and received the crown of martyrdom. After this the governor tortured this saint very severely, and he sent him to the city of Behnesa [to suffer] divers tortures. And when the saint was on the ship he begged that someone might give him a cup of water, and a certain sailor, who was blind in one eye, gave him a cup of water; and the saint sprinkled some of the water over him, and his eye was opened, like its fellow. And when the men of the city of Behnesa saw the tortures which were inflicted on Saint Abba Isaac, and the mighty signs which he performed, they took him and carried him to the governor, and said unto him, “kill he, or send him away; act quickly and immediately.” And straightway the governor commanded the soldiers to cut off his head, and they cut off his head with a sword, and he received the crown of life. And there were there certain believing men, and they lifted the body of Saint Abba Isaac upon a wagon, and they drew it with oxen, and brought it to the city of Dafra. And when they could not find a boat to carry it over the river, the oxen forded the river, carrying the body of the saint upon their backs, and the believers brought it into his house. And they pulled down the church, and built another church in his name, and they laid the body therein, and many signs and miracles took place [there] through it. Salutation to Isaac.

And on this day also died the holy and honored father Abba Macarius, the Alexandrian priest. This holy man lived in the days of the honorable Saint Abba Macarius the Great; he was the father of the monastery of Scete, and performed many excellent deeds therein. It is said of him that a gnat stung him and he killed it, and he repented and reproached himself for having killed it. And he went down to the valley which was in the desert, and he exposed his body to the gnats, and remained there for six months, when his body was like unto that of a man suffering from elephantiasis. And he returned to his cell, and nobody recognized him as Abba Macarius. One day he stood up in prayer for five days and five nights, with his heart in heaven, until the Satans burned him. This labor, and this fight, was the greatest of all the excellent things which he performed. One day he wanted to see the regions which were beyond the range of his vision. And he went out into the desert, and lived there, and wandered about for ten days, and he had with him some reeds which he intended to place [at intervals] on the road, to serve as guide marks when he returned so that he might not lose his way; when he drew near the place he sought, he felt weary, and lay down to rest a little, and Satan plucked the reeds from him as he slept, and tied them round the head of the saint. When Abba Macarius woke up from his sleep, he looked about for the reeds and missed them, and straightway he marveled. And he heard a voice, saying, “O Macarius, if thou hast faith put not [thy] trust in reeds, but believe that the same pillar of cloud which guided the children of Israel will also guide thee.” And when the saint had seen the district round about, he turned back and became thirsty on the road; and God sent to him a she-buffalo of the desert, and he drank of her milk until he was wholly satisfied, and returned to his cell. One day a she-wolf came to him, and seized his garment, and pulled him along, and he followed her to her den, and she brought out her young ones to him, and looking at them he found that their eyes were blind, and he marveled at the sagacity of the beast. And he took the cubs in his hand, and cried out, and spat into their eyes, and made the sign of the Life-giving Cross over them, and the cubs were healed immediately, and they ran after their mother and sucked her milk, and they followed her until they went into her den. And after this the wolf returned to the saint, and brought him a sheep’s skin and he kept it by him, and slept upon it until the time of his death. One day he changed his apparel after the manner of the laity, and he went to the monastery of Saint Abba Pachomius, and stood for four days during the Great Fast, without eating, or drinking, or sitting down, and he cried out “Hosanna” as he stood. And the monks said unto Abba Pachomius, “Cast out this man from us, for he is not human.” And Abba Pachomius said unto them, “Have patience with me until I can ask God to show me his work”; and when he had asked God concerning him He told him that he was Macarius the Alexandrian. And straightway Saint Abba Pachomius went to him, and with him went all the monks, and they embraced him and were blessed by him, and they rejoiced in him with a great joy. And when those who were magnifying themselves in the monastery of Saint Abba Pachomius saw the grace of this Saint Abba Macarius they became humble; and after this Macarius returned to his cell in the desert of Scete. And when rain was withheld, and no rain fell upon the city of Alexandria, the Archbishop Abba Timothy sent to him, and asked him to come to him to the city of Alexandria to pray with him to God to make rain to fall, and to destroy the locusts. And he rose up and went with the messengers to the city of Alexandria, and the people received him with great joy, and he prayed in his heart secretly, and a great rain fell, and it continued to rain for two days and for two nights in such torrents, that men began to think that the earth would be destroyed by overmuch rain. And Saint Abba Macarius said unto the archbishop, “Why did ye bring me hither?” And he answered and said unto him, “The people made us bring thee to pray for us to God, that He might bring down the rain upon us, and that we all might not perish.” And straightway he prayed, and the rain ceased, and the sun appeared in the sky by the might of God. And this father performed many great and excellent works, and God made manifest many signs and wonders by his hands, and he healed many men in whom there were unclean spirits. And he used to say when he was performing some good deed that men ought to know how to do the good deeds which he did now; the good deeds which he did were innumerable. When he heard that any man did some good deed he never slept until he had done a similar good deed. And having finished his fight, he died in peace at a good old age; and he remained eight years without spitting on the ground for the sake of the honor of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. And all the days of his life were one hundred years. Salutation to Macarius the Alexandrian.

And on this day also Bandela’an (Pantleon), the father of Saint Isidore, became a martyr.

And on this day also died Amon the Just, who refused the office of bishop, saying, “It is better for me to acquire the practice of the ascetic life.” [Wanting in the Bodleian MS.]

And on this day also Saint Dilagi (Pelagia), and her four sons, whose names were Sures, and Kherman, and Yanufa, and Santonya, became martyrs. This holy woman was strong in the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and when Arianus the governor of the city of Ensena came, she met him, and said unto him, “O Arianus, the governor, I am a Christian, and a believer on my Lord Jesus Christ, Who created the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and all that therein is.” And her children also cried out boldly, saying, “We are Christians, and followers of the Messiah.” When the governor heard this he was wroth and he cut off their heads with the sword, and they finished their martyrdom, and delivered up their souls as missives to our Lord Jesus Christ. Salutation of Dilagi and her children.

And on this day also died Saint Salome, the mistress of purity and holiness, and the devotee of virginity. This holy woman came from the city of Warab; her parents were God-fearing folk and they brought her up piously. When she grew up, a certain man betrothed her to himself, and he brought her into the state of marriage against her will, and he wished to have union with her, but straightway the power of God prevented him, and it smote him in his flesh, and he was not able to approach her. And whilst matters were thus she hid herself. And she departed by night, and was carried away by the power of God, and she continued to go about visiting all the saints, and she asked God day and night, with fasting and with prayer, to direct her into the right path. And God heard her petition, and by the Divine Will she came to Dabra Libanos, and took the garb of the ascetic life, that is to say the Law of the angels, through John Kama. And she fought many fights, which would terrify hearts, and she followed that life of the fathers with fasting and with prayers, and with every kind of praiseworthy gift. At length she was able to work many miracles, even as it is written in the book describing her fight; and then she died on the sixth day of Genbot. Salutation to Salome.

And on this day also died the holy father Dionysius who finished his fight by the edge of the chopper, and the Samaritan woman [Pelagia]. Salutation to Dionysius, the teacher of Isaac. Salutation to Sinoda, the chief of the anchorites. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 7 (May 15)

On this day died the holy and Apostolic Father, Abba Athanasius, the twentieth Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. This father was the son of heretical and pagan parents, and whilst he was living with the boys at school who were being taught he saw the children of the Christians performing the Ordinances of the Church as they were playing together; and those boys made some of their number priests, and some deacons, and one of them they made archbishop. And this father asked the Christian children to let him join them in the game they were playing, but they stopped him and said unto him, “Thou art a pagan, and we can have no intercourse with thee.” And he said unto them, “I will become a Christian,” and they rejoiced in him and they said unto him, “Thou shalt become a Christian and archbishop.” Then they placed under him a seat like a throne, and they began to bow down before him. At that moment father Abba Alexander the archbishop passed by, and when he saw the children playing together, he said unto those who were with him, “This boy will assuredly be appointed to some exalted and honorable position.” When the father of this father died, this father and his mother came to Abba Alexander, the archbishop, and he baptized them with Christian baptism. And this father gave all his goods to the poor and needy, and he dwelt with Abba Alexander, who taught him all the doctrine and Law of the Church, and made him a beloved son to him; and he appointed him deacon, and the gracious gift of the Holy Spirit was given unto him in a two-fold measure. And when the holy father Abba Alexander died, [the bishops and priests] appointed this father Athanasius Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. When Constantine the righteous emperor died, and his son Constantine, who was an Arian, reigned in his stead, the followers of Arius increased, and the emperor drove this father Abba Athanasius from his archiepiscopate, and he placed there in his stead a certain man whose name was “Gergyos". And this father lived in exile six years, far from his throne in the country of the West. And there was in that place a house of idols, and many men were gathered together therein, and he went into that house of idols, where many works of devils were performed. And this saint entreated our Lord Jesus Christ until he overthrew that house of idols, and converted all the men of that country, and brought them into the knowledge of God; and after this God brought him back to the city of Alexandria, and drove out Gergyos, the infidel Arian. And this father sat upon his archiepiscopal throne for six years. And the Arians went to the emperor, and made false accusations against this father, and the emperor sent a judge, who seized him and shut him up in prison, with the Archbishop of Antioch; and God sent His angel and delivered him from the prison house. After the emperor died God set in his place his son, who was Orthodox, and he restored this father to his archiepiscopal throne, and this father sat for twelve years in quietness and in peace, until Saint Kewestos died. And after him Julian the infidel reigned, and he searched for Abba Athanasius, who fled from him into Upper Egypt, and lived near Akhmim. When God destroyed Julian, the infidel, the people searched for Abba Athanasius, and when they found him not they went to the great father Abba Anthony, and he told them that Athanasius was living in the city of Akhmim; and they went to him, and brought him to this throne with great joy. And he lived in his archiepiscopal house in safety and in peace until he died; and the days of his office was seven and forty years. And because there had come upon this father labor and tribulation, and sorrow, and exile, he was called “Apostolic.” At the time of his death he said, “If I have found grace and favor with God I will bow down before Him and ask Him to overthrow the temple of Sarabil (Serapis)”; and after the death of this father Abba Athanasius, the emperor sent and pulled down the temple of Sarabil (Serapis). Salutation to Athanasius. Salutation to John, whose children, like those of Abraham, were more than the stars of heaven, and the sands of the sea. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 8 (May 16)

On this day Saint Abba John of the city of Senhut became a martyr. The name of the father of this holy man was Macarius, and the name of his mother was Hanna. As he was shepherding his father’s sheep, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and showed him a crown of light, and said unto him, “Why art thou sitting down? The fight is prepared, and the crowns are ready for those who will fight for the Name of Christ. And now, rise up and go to the city of Atrib (Athribis), and fight for the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ”; then He gave him [the salutation of peace], and departed from him. And straightway Saint Abba John rose up, and embraced his father and mother, and departed to the city of Atrib (Athribis), and he found the governor was in the bath house, and he confessed before him our Lord Jesus Christ, and proclaimed openly, “I am a Christian, and I believe on my Lord and God Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.” And the governor handed him over to one of his soldiers, and commanded him to entreat him kindly, [thinking] that perhaps he would change his mind, and be obedient to him; and then the governor departed to his work. And the soldier took the saint and carried him to his house, and the saint performed before him many signs and wonders, and the soldier believed on our Lord Jesus Christ. When the governor returned from his work the soldier confessed before him our Lord Jesus Christ, and received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. And the governor commanded his soldiers to torture Saint John severely, with every kind of torture, and God strengthened him, and made him to endure [them]; and He sent His angel to heal his wounds and He raised him up whole and uninjured. And after this the governor sent him to the city of Antinoe, where the governor tortured him severely, and when he was tired of doing this he commanded the soldiers to cut off his head; and they cut off his holy head with the sword, and the saint received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. And Saint John, who was from the city of Akpahsi, took the body of Saint John, and swathed it for burial, and sent it to his city Senhut, and all the people went out to receive it with joy and gladness, and with singing, and incense, and songs of praise, and music; and they laid it in the church, and through it many signs and wonders took place. Salutation to John.

And on this day also were crowned two hundred and twenty-four men of the Company of John, and Lulius (Susis), and Matthias, who dwelt at Sihat. Salutation to the Company of John. Salutation to Dionysius, and to his children, and to his wife.

And on this day also is commemorated the Ascension of our Lord and God and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, in the Body which He took from us, into the heavens, wherein is His Good Father and the Holy Spirit; and this took place after He had finished the operation of His wisdom upon earth, by His Passion, and His Death, and His Resurrection. And when forty days were ended after His Resurrection, He ascended into the heavens, seated upon the wings of the Cherubim, and the Seraphim, and the wings of the winds. And the prophecy of David was fulfilled, saying, “He mounted upon the Cherubim, and did fly on the wings of the wind” (Psalm xviii, 10). And by this Ascension those who believed on Him understood ascension into the heavens, and into the celestial habitation; for wherever the head is, it is meet that the members should be also. And as the old Adam dwelt first in the inheritance of the earth, and then in the Seol, so also the second Adam dwelt in the inheritance of the kingdom of the heavens, and sat down at the great right hand in the heights of the heavens. And our Lord Christ did not make His Ascension to follow His Resurrection immediately, in order that the heretics might not think and say that the Ascension was an inferior matter; but out Lord, in the operation of His wisdom, waited forty days after His Resurrection, and strengthened the faintheartedness of His disciples, and made their souls to understand His Resurrection. And the prophecy of Daniel the prophet concerning the Resurrection of our Lord was fulfilled, saying, “I saw as it were the Son of Man coming upon the cloud of heaven until He drew near the Ancient of Days. And He gave Him authority, and sovereignty, and honor so that every nation, and people, and tongue should worship Him. And His authority is an everlasting authority, and His sovereignty unending “ (Daniel viii, 13, 15), to Whom with His Good Father and the Life- giving Holy Spirit be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Salutation to Thy Ascension to Thy Father, Thou didst return like a warrior bringing his spoil with him. Salutation with praise, and singing, and music, to Thy Ascension. Salutation to the Protector of Adam, Who, as David saith, “Went up with the sound of the trumpet” (Psalm 47:5).

And on this day also died the holy father Abba Daniel, abbot of the desert of Scete. This holy and just man was pure and perfect. And when his fame was noised abroad the lady Anatasia came to him wearing the apparel of her exalted rank, and she became a nun, and lived in a cell near him for eight and twenty years; and no man knew that she was a woman. And this holy man saw a certain man whose name was Eulogius, and who worked stones for a karat of gold each day; upon a very small portion of this he lived, and with the remainder he fed the poor and needy, and what food they left he gave to the dogs. And he never saved anything for the morrow. And when the holy man saw his good fight, and the excellence of his deeds, he asked God to give Ewlhis worldly goods so that he might increase his good works and charities therewith; and then he became surety for Eulogius. And as Eulogius was working stone in the quarry, he found a deposit of stones of gold, and he took them, and departed to the city of Constantinople, where he became a great officer of the emperor; and he forsook the good trade at which he formerly worked. And when Saint Abba Daniel heard about him, he went to the city of Constantinople, and he saw that Eulogius had become a great officer, and that he rode a horse with great pride, and that many soldiers surrounded him, and that he had abandoned his good trade. Then the saint saw a vision wherein our Lord Jesus Christ was sitting and judging men, and He commanded [His angels] to hang Saint Abba Daniel, and they demanded from him the soul of Eulogius; and he saw how our Lady Mary entreated our Lord Jesus Christ on his behalf. And straightway the holy man awoke from his sleep, and he returned to his monastery and entreated God on behalf of Eulogius, that He would bring him back to his former state of poverty. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and rebuked him for daring [to interfere with] God concerning His judgment of His creation. And after this the Emperor Constantine died, and another emperor reigned in his stead; and he rose up against Eulogius, and took away all his goods, and wanted to kill him. And Eulogius fled from him in order to save his life, and he came to his native city, and worked stone in the quarry as formerly. And Saint Abba Daniel came back to him, and told him how one had hanged him instead of him in the vision, and how one had demanded his soul from him. And the spirit of prophecy was upon this holy man, and God made manifest many signs and wonders through him. And when the heretics tried to make him to go forth from the True Faith he refused, and he seized the roll wherein was [written] the [unclean] Faith and tore it up; and the officer of the emperor punished him very severely. And after this when God willed to give him rest, He sent to him His angel who informed him of the time of his departure from this world; and he gathered together the monks, and commanded them, and strengthened them, and comforted them, and he died in peace. Salutation to Daniel who gave sight to the blind when they washed in the water wherein he had bathed his feet.

And on this day also Saint Maximus, the fighter, became a martyr. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 9 (May 17)

On this day died the pure and holy woman, the Empress Helena. This holy woman belonged to the people of the city of Roha (Edesa); her parents were Christians, and they brought her up carefully and piously, and they taught her the learning of books, and the doctrine of the Church. She was exceedingly beautiful, and the beauty of her soul (or, mind) exceeded the beauty of her body. In those days Konesta the King of Barntya (Byzantium) came to the city of Roha (Edessa), and he heard the story of the virtues of this holy woman, and that she was beautiful in her person, and he sought her out and married her, and he begot by her the Emperor Constantine, the first of the Christian emperors. And she brought him up very carefully and she taught him philosophy and science. When he became emperor, Helena saw in a dream as if one said unto her, “Go to Jerusalem and lay bare the Cross, and the beautiful holy places”; and she told her son what she had seen. And he sent soldiers with her to Jerusalem, and she searched for the wood of the Cross, which giveth life, until she found it; and she found the two crosses whereon the two thieves were crucified. And she wished to know which was the Cross of our Lord Christ, and Saint Mark, Bishop of Jerusalem, told her that it was the Cross over the head of which was the writing which said, “This is Jesus, the King of he Jews.” And then she wished to see a miracle [wrought] by it so that her heart might be glad. At that moment, by the Will of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, she had a dead man brought, and laid upon those two crosses, but the dead man did not rise up; then she had the dead man laid upon the Cross of our Redeemer, and straightway he rose up. And her faith and her joy were increased thereby. At that same time she decided to build the holy churches which are mentioned in the section for the twenty-sixth day of Meskaerem, and then she gave much money to Abba Macarius so that he might build churches, and all the shrines. And she took the Honorable Cross and the nails, and returned to Constantine her son, and gave them to him, and she rejoiced; and the emperor rejoiced with a very great joy, and he embraced the Honorable Cross and honored it exceedingly. And he made for it a case of gold, decorated with pearl- stones, and he took the nails and worked some of them into his helmet, and some of them he placed in the bridle of his horse, in order that might be fulfilled that which was written, saying, “Salvation shall be in the bridle of the king.” And this saint fought a good fight, and she endowed churches and monasteries largely and provided means whereby the poor and needy were to be fed and clad; and all her days were eighty years, and she died in peace. Salutation to Helena.

And on this day also are commemorated Baydar, and Sylvanus. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 10 (May 18)

On this day are commemorated the righteous and honorable saints, the Three Children, Ananiah, Azariah, and Misael. These saints were the sons of Jehoiakim, the King of Judah, and Daniel was the son of their sister, and Jehoiakim and his sons were carried off captives to Babylon. And the king chose from among his captives young men of the sons of the children of Israel, of goodly appearance, to feed and educate, so that he might make them officers in his army, and among those whom he chose were these just men, and Daniel, the son of their sister. Now these righteous men did not want to eat alien food, but the food which the children of Israel ate; and they asked the chief officer to give them permission not to eat food made of flesh, but to give them pottage and herbs. And the chief officer said unto them, “[If I do] I am afraid that I shall change the goodly appearance of your persons, and be destroyed by the king”; and they answered and said unto him, “Give us a trial, and if our persons remain goodly in appearance, well, and if they do not, then do what thou wishest.” And then they lived upon pottage, and their faces shone, and were exceedingly godly in appearance, by the grace of God. And the king loved them very much, and appointed them governors over all the land of Babylon. And when the king made an image of gold, he commanded all men to worship it, and when the Three Holy Children would not bow down to it, those who were envious of them laid information against them before the king. And Nebuchadnezzar had them brought before him and he questioned them about it, and they confessed before him, saying, “We will not bow down to the image of gold which thou hast made.” And the king was wroth, and he commanded his soldiers to cast them into a furnace (or, oven) which was heated, [and they did so]; and God sent His angel who extinguished the fire and made the flame of fire to be like cool dew at the dawn of day, after the flame had risen to a height of nine and forty cubits, and had consumed those who were outside the furnace. And the fire did not injure the Three Holy Children in the least degree. When the king saw this he believed on the God of heaven, and he added to their honor and to the height of their position, and he promoted them in their offices. And when the tenth day of Genbot came, and they were praying in their cell, having bowed down they delivered their souls into the hand of God. And at that moment there was a great earthquake in the city of Babylon, and Nebuchadnezzar was afraid, and asked Daniel the prophet about it, saying, “Why hath this great earthquake taken place?” And Daniel made known to the king, saying, “It is because these Three Holy Children have died.” And one came to the king . . . and the king sorrowed for them with a great sorrow, and he commanded [his men] to make three coffins of the bones of the rhinoceros, and they swathed the Three Children in silks and in cloths worked with gold, and they laid the saints [in the coffins] and did as the king commanded. And he also commanded [his men] to make for him a coffin of gold, so that when he died they might place his body therein, and lay it with the bodies of the saints; and even so it was [done]. And in the days of the father Abba Theophilus, Archbishop of the city of Alexandria, they built a church in their name, and he wished to make men bring their bodies to that church, [from Babylon]; and he sent Abba John, the Short, to make them bring their bodies. And when John came into the city of Babylon he saw the rivers thereof, but there was no one at all in it; and the image of gold rested there. And the angel of the Lord brought him to the bodies of the saints, and the body of the king was lying with them; and he bowed down before the bodies of the saints. And he prayed and wept, saying, “O my holy fathers, our father Abba Theophilus the archbishop hath built a church in your names, and he wisheth to bring your bodies into it; and he hath sent me [to effect this].” And a voice went forth from their bodies, saying, “God give thee a reward for thy labor. Say thou to the father of the Faith, Abba Theophilus, that God hath commanded us not to let our bodies be separated from the body of this king until the Day of Judgment. But we do not wish that his labor should be wasted. Tell him to command lamps to be suspended in the church on the night of the festival of its dedication, and let the servants put no oil therein; and they shall not light [the wicks], and we will come into the church and make manifest our power therein.” And when Abba John, the Short, returned to the archbishop, he told him everything, and what they said to him, and what they commanded him to do; and the archbishop did as the Three Holy Children commanded. And on the night of the tenth day of the month of Genbot, the saints appeared in the church, and lighted the lamps with fire. And the archbishop and those who were worthy saw the Three Holy Children going round about the church, and a very large number of sick folk were straightway healed of their sicknesses, whatsoever the sickness of each of them might be, by the Three Holy Children. Salutation to the Three Children who on the night of the dedication of their church in Alexandria lighted the lamps, which had been hung up therein without any oil in them.

And on this day also are commemorated Thecla the martyr, and Paula.

And on this day also died Abraham, the artisan. This saint was a man from the city of Markyas (Marcia), and from the monastery, which was called the monastery of the martyr Theodore. And the mother of the child gave him to the teacher so that he might learn the Faith of our Lord Christ; and God opened the eyes of his heart, and he learned all the Law of the Church, and began to fast and to pray. When he was nine years old, he learned the craft of the stone cutter, and he made stone bases, and water troughs (?), whereby he made much money; and he gave alms to the poor and needy. One night when he was praying, he remembered the end of the world, and of all that is therein, and he wished to become a martyr for the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And straightway the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and gave him the salutation of “Peace,” and he said unto him, “Be strong and fear not, for thou shalt overcome thine enemy and shalt receive the crown of martyrdom.” Then he went to the church of Saint Theodore, and received Christian baptism, and he stood up before the picture of the saint, and he prayed for a long time, and committed himself to his care; then he departed to the governor and confessed that he was a Christian. And straightway the governor tied his hands behind his back with heavy pieces of wood attached, and then threw him out in the sun [to suffer] hunger and thirst. And at midnight our Lord appeared unto him, and gave him the promise concerning the man who should call upon his name, or celebrate his commemoration. Then the governor commanded his soldiers to cut off his head, and when they cut off his head, it flew up in the air above the people assembled there, and cried out three times, “I am a Christian”; and it went a distance of fifty cubits and fell into the river. Then they slit open his belly, and filled it with pitch, and bitumen, and boiling oil, and cast his body into a red-hot furnace, and it suffered no injury whatsoever. Then they cut the body into small pieces, and put them into a basket, and cast them into the river, and by the Will of God his body appeared at the edge of the city of Esna, with its head joined thereto; and certain believing men took it, and buried it with great honor. Salutation to Abraham.

And on this day also is celebrated the consecration of the church of Abba Misael. The parents of this saint were rich Christians, and as they lacked a son they prayed to God for one, and they begot this saint; and when he grew up they taught him the Books of the Church. When his parents died, the bishop of the city took care of him. When the boy was twelve years old he remembered the end of the world, and he went to the monastery of Abba Isaac, and asked the abbot to be allowed to become a monk; and after Abba Isaac had tried him, and seen his holiness, he made him a monk. And the grace of the Holy Spirit descended upon him, and he devoted himself so greatly to fasting and prayer, that the light of his face was changed, and his body became like dry wood. One day he went into the cell of Abba Isaac, and when the abbot saw that his face had become like that of a dead man, he wept and said unto him, “How didst thou destroy thyself in this fashion?” And the holy Abba Misael (Michael ?) said unto him, “Weep not, O my father, for God hath not forsaken me, and my strength is not exhausted by standing up; but this I will tell thee. I saw in my dream as it were envoys of the emperor coming to thee from Alexandria, and seeking for me; do not prevent them, so that they may not harm thee. And in the coming year a great famine shall take place, and lay waste the land; gather together food for thy children.” And after a few [days] men came in the form of soldiers of the emperor, and they seized Abba Isaac whilst seeking for Misael (Michael ?), and when they knew which was he, they took him with them, and they left the monks sorrowing. When the famine came, and the governor [knew] that there was food in that monastery he wished to attack [the monks therein]. And Abba Isaac went out in order to make entreaty to him, and immediately there came forth from the desert many soldiers with swords and drove away the governor. And whilst Abba Isaac was wondering about these men, Abba Misael (Michael ?) came to him, and revealed himself to him, and told him that these men were soldiers of heaven, and that the city whereto they had taken him was the heavenly Jerusalem. And then he commanded them to build a church for him in the form of his cell, and they consecrated it, as it were this day. And Abba Misael (Michael ?) appeared to Abba Isaac, and told him that he would die the following year, and so it happened, even according to his word. Salutation to Abba Misael (Michael ?).

And on this day also three hundred and fifty-eight people were martyred with Abba Nob.

And on this day also died John, the patriarch. Salutation to John the patriarch, who labored at dawn, and fought at even (i.e. performed manual labor by day, and contended with devils during the night). Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 11 (May 19)

On this day Theocleia, the wife of Saint Justus, became a martyr. After the governor of the city of Alexandria had caused them to be separated from each other, even as it is written in the section for the tenth day of Yakatit, he took Saint Theocleia to the city of Dha. And when the governor of the city of Alexandria had read the letter before the governor of her city, he marveled and said, “Why have they left their kingdom and chosen death rather than their kingdom?” And the governor urged her with many words of persuasion, and promised her great things, but she answered and said unto him, “I have left my kingdom and I will not return unto it, I am well pleased at my separation from the husband of my youth, and I am comforted for my children by the love of my Lord Jesus Christ, and what couldst thou give me [in place thereof]?” And the governor commanded his soldiers to beat her, and they beat her until the skin was stripped off her body, and after this they cast her into the prison house; and the angel of the Lord appeared unto her and healed her wounds. And when the prisoners and the other people saw her, many of them marveled, and believed on our Lord Jesus Christ, and became martyrs. And when the time of the death of Saint Theocleia drew nigh, the angel of the Lord appeared unto her, and comforted her and promised her many things. Then the governor commanded the soldiers to cut off her head with the sword, and they cut off her head with the sword and she received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. And certain believing men came and gave silver to the soldiers, and they took her holy body, and swathed it for burial in costly cloths and laid it in a coffin until the end of the days of the persecution. Salutation to Theocleia.

And on this day also is the commemoration of Saint Pafnotyos (Paphnutius), the bishop. This father became a monk in his youth, in the desert of Scete, in the monastery of Abba Macarius, and he fought a great fight and performed many works of ascetic virtue. He fasted very often, and never ate food cooked by fire, and ate only dried herbs. And he learned in the desert the knowledge of the Canon, [and] the Scriptures, and the Law of the Church, and he was appointed priest. He lived in the desert for five and thirty years, and the report of him and his righteousness was noised abroad. And Abba Philotheus, Archbishop of the city of Alexandria, sent and had him brought to him, and made him a bishop. When he was appointed bishop he never changed his apparel, except when he wished to officiate at the Offering, and then he wore the vestments of a priest; and when he had finished the office of the Offering he put on his sackcloth again. And his spiritual fighting and asceticism were so intense, now he followed the canon of the ascetic life all day long, that his body languished, and he prayed to God, saying, “O my Lord Jesus Christ, unto Whom praise belongeth, wilt Thou withhold Thy grace from me because of my office of bishop?” And the angel of the Lord came and said unto him, “Know thou that when thou wast in the desert thou hadst none near thee to visit thee in the time of thy sickness, and there was none to minister unto thee, and thou wast not able to find relief from thy sickness, and it was God Who removed sickness and toil from thy body. And behold, thou art now here in the world, and thou hast near thee those who can minister unto thee and visit thee; and thou canst obtain relief from thy sickness, and canst attend to thyself as thou wishest.” And this father sat in his office of bishop for two and thirty years, and when the time of his death drew nigh he summoned the priest, and the chief Jews and the deacons, and he handed over to them the sacred property of the churches, and all their possessions, and he said unto them, “Behold, know ye that I am departing to God, and ye know that I have walked in your midst in a manner which was befitting. And our Lord Jesus Christ, before Whom I am about to stand, will be witness for me, that I have not taken for myself one silver drachma of all the money which came to me to the bishop’s office.” And they embraced him and wept and asked him to bless them, and not to forget to help them; and he blessed them, and said unto them, “God bless you and make you strong in the True Faith until ye draw your last breath”; and thus saying he fell asleep and died in peace. Salutation to Pafnotyos (Paphnutius), the bishop.

And on this day also became a martyr Abba Asher, the teacher of Bali, as he was going down to Jerusalem in the time of Wanag Sagad (died A.D. 1540) the king. He worshipped before they cut off his head with the sword, and afterwards they burnt him in the fire, at the gates of Jerusalem, at the place where the foot of our Lord stood.

And on this day also died Yared, the poet and hymn writer, who was like unto the Seraphim. This man was a kinsman of Abba Gideon a priest of ‘Aksum, which city held the first church that was built in the country of Ethiopia, and in [this church] was first preached the Faith of our Lord Christ, and it was consecrated (i.e. dedicated) in the name of our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, the God-bearer. When this Abba Gideon began to teach the blessed Yared the Psalms of David, he was unable to keep him with him for many days at a time, and then when he beat him, and made him to suffer pain, he fled into the desert and took up his abode under a tree. And he saw a worm (caterpillar ?) which was climbing up the tree, and when it had climbed up half way it fell down upon the ground; and this it did many times, because of the difficulty of climbing the tree. And when Saint Yared saw the perseverance (?) of the worm, he repented in his soul and returned to his teacher and said unto him, “Forgive me, O father, and dispose of me as thou wishest.” And his teacher, a spiritual man, received him, and having asked God with tears He opened the thoughts of Yared’s understanding, and he learned in one day the Books of the Old and the New Testaments; and then he was made a deacon. Now in those days there was no singing of hymns and spiritual songs in a loud voice to well-defined tunes, but men murmured them in a low voice. And God, wishing to raise up to Himself a memorial, sent unto him three birds from the Garden of ‘Edom, and they held converse with Yard in the speech of man, and they caught him up, and took him to the heavenly Jerusalem, and there he learned the songs of the Four and Twenty Priests of heaven. And when he returned to himself, he went into the First Church in ‘Aksum, at the third hour of the day, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Hallelujah to the Father, Hallelujah to the Son, Hallelujah to the Holy Spirit.” The first Hallelujah he made the foundation, and called it “Zion.” In the second Hallelujah he showed forth how Moses carried out the work of the Tabernacle, and this he called a “Song of the heights.” And when they heard the sound of his voice, the king, and the queen, and the bishop, and the priests, and the king’s nobles, ran to the church, and they spent the day in listening to him. And he arranged hymns for each season of the year, for summer and winter, and spring and autumn, and for festivals and Sabbaths, and for the days of the Angels, the Prophets, the Martyrs and the Righteous, in three modes, that is to say, the first mode to be used on ordinary days, the second mode to be used on fast days and days of mourning, and the third mode to be used on the great festivals. And there were not lacking (?) in these three modes any of the sounds that are made by men, and birds, and beasts. One day whilst Saint Yared was singing by the footstool of King Gebre Meskel, the king (died A.D. 1344) was so deeply absorbed [in listening to] his voice, that he drove his spear into the flat part of Yared’s foot with such force that much blood spurted out; but Saint Yared did not know of it until he had finished his song. And when the king saw this he was dismayed, and he drew his spear out of his foot, and said unto him, “Ask me what ever reward thou wishest for in return for this thy blood which hath been shed”; and Saint Yared said unto him, “Swear to me that thou wilt not refuse me.” And when the king had sworn Saint Yared said unto him, “Send me away that I may become a monk.” When the king heard this he was exceedingly sad, and his nobles likewise, but he was afraid to prevent him because of his oath. And when Saint Yared had gone into the church, he stood before the Tabernacle of Zion, and when he had said the prayer from the beginning, “Holy, and honorable, and glorious, and blessed, and praised, and exalted” to the end thereof, he was raised above the ground the space of a cubit. Then he departed to the desert of the south, and he lived there in fasting and prayer; and he mortified his flesh exceedingly, and finished his strife there. And God gave him the promise concerning the man who should invoke his name or celebrate his commemoration; and he died in peace and the place of his grave in the south is not known to this day. Salutation to Yared.

And on this day also died the blessed woman Arsema. This holy woman became a nun in a house of virgins, and pretended to be mad, and during the night she afflicted herself, and tortured her flesh with fasting and prayer. And when anyone looked at her, she pretended to be asleep; and the widows hated her and reviled her. And God revealed her spiritual fight to Abba Daniel, and when he arrived in the mountain of the widows he told the abbess all her virtues, and she told the widows, one by one, and from that day they treated her with honor. And, hating vain praise, she fled and went into the desert secretly, leaving behind her with one of them a writing wherein she praised them for having treated her with contumely, and there she died.

And on this day also Saint Euphemia became a martyr in the reign of Diocletian. The name of her mother was Theodoriasiana, and she was a God-fearing woman and a believer on our Lord Jesus Christ. And Satan urged Antiopatus to compel all the Christians to worship idols, and he had her, and many other Christians with her, brought to him, and he said unto her, “Sacrifice to the gods.” And Saint Euphemia said unto him, “I will worship my Lord Jesus Christ only, and I am strong of heart in the Holy Spirit that I may find the hope of my Father.” Then was Antiopatus wroth, and he commanded his soldiers to cast her under the wheels of a wagon (?), so that it might break her body and each of her members; and the angel of the Lord came from heaven and delivered her. And then he commanded them to light a fire [and to feed it] until its flames rose up to a height of five and forty cubits, and to throw her into it. And she stood up in the midst of the fire and prayed, and as she prayed she went forth from the fire uninjured; and then they cast her into the prison house until the morning. And on the following day they brought her before the Council, and the governor said unto her, “Sacrifice to the gods.” And the saint laughed and said unto him, “I will not sacrifice to these dumb stones.” When Antiopatus heard her, he commanded the soldiers to bring four stones wherein were set instruments for flaying the saint. And then he commanded them to cast her into a tank of water wherein were savage creatures (crocodiles ?), and these creatures carried her and lifted her above the water, and set her outside the tank. And then he ordered them to place under the dust of the ground sharp stones and swords, and to make her to run backwards and forwards over them, so that she might fall down and die, but when she had run over them she remained uninjured. And then he commanded them to beat her, and to cast her into a cauldron to boil her, but she suffered no injury whatsoever. And then they gathered together wild beasts and bears, and set them at her, but the lions kissed her feet, though one savage beast in evil nature bit her foot. And a voice came from heaven, saying, “Ascend, O Euphemia, and come into the holy place,” and thus she finished her martyrdom. And her father Philophilus and her mother came, and swathed her body for burial and buried her in a new tomb. Salutation to Euphemia who finished her course through a bite of a wild beast. Salutation to the companions of Euphemia, Sosthenes, and Yeketras.

And on this day also became martyrs Saint Sophia, the mother of Saint Isidore, and his sister Euphemia.

And on this day also are commemorated Abba Bakimos, and Abladen (Ablanius), and Julius. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 12 (May 20)

On this day God sent Michael, the archangel, to Habakkuk, the prophet, in the city of Jerusalem, as he was carrying a mess of lentils, meaning to take it to the reapers in the fields. And Saint Michael seized Habakkuk by the hair, as he was carrying the food, and he brought him to the city of Babylon forthwith, and Daniel ate of the food. And Saint Michael, the glorious angel, delivered Daniel from the lions’ den, and he brought back Habakkuk to the land of Judea, and the food with him, and straightway he stood by the reapers. For this reason the doctors of the Church have commanded us to make a festival in honor of this glorious angel Saint Michael, the archangel, on the twelfth day of the month of Genbot. Salutation to Saint Michael.

And on this day died the glorious father John the Mouth of Gold (i.e. Chrysostom). This saint was of the men of Antioch, and his father, whose name was Sifandus (Secundus), was one of the rich men of that city, and the name of his mother was Athanasia (Anthusa). Both parents were exceedingly rich, and they brought up this holy son carefully and piously, and they taught him all learning and philosophy. And he went to the city of Athens and learned all the wisdom of the Athenians in the House of the Learned, and he excelled many in his knowledge and wisdom. Then he became a monk in his early years, and rejected the delights of this fleeting world. And Saint Basil had become a monk in that monastery before him, and they became close friends, and performed many works of excellence together. When his father and his mother died, he did not take any of his property, which they had left him, but he distributed it all among the poor and needy. Then he devoted himself to the career of the ascetic, and he fought a great spiritual fight. And there was in the monastery a certain just man, of restrained nature, a Syrian, whose name was Sisikos, and he was a perfect monk and could see visions by the Holy Spirit. One night whilst this man was keeping vigil and praying, he saw Peter and John the apostles come to John, the Mouth of Gold (i.e. Chrysostom), and Saint Peter gave him keys and Saint John the evangelist gave him a Gospel, and they said unto him, “Fear not. Whomsoever thou bindest shall be bound in heaven, and whomsoever thou loosest shall be loosed in heaven. We know, O thou second Daniel, that the Holy Spirit hath taken up its abode in thee, and we have been sent unto thee by the Great Teacher, our Lord Jesus Christ. I am Peter unto whom hath been given the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and behold, I have given the keys of the churches which are in all the ends of the world.” And the other apostle said unto him, “I am that John who spoke in the beginning of my preaching in the Gospel, and I said, In the beginning was the Word, and that Word was with God, and God was that Word, and that Word is like a fiery sword against our enemies. And thou also, unto thee it is given by God, our Lord Jesus Christ, to know that in truth thou must bring up the nations in the True Faith.” And when that righteous man Sisikos saw this vision, he knew that Saint John was to be appointed to be a good and faithful shepherd. And then the grace of God descended upon Saint John, and he composed many Discourses and admonitory Exhortations, and he interpreted the Book of the Law (Pentateuch) whilst he was a deacon. And as Saint John was praying one night, suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in apparel as white as snow, and when the saint saw him he was afraid, and fell upon the ground, and was dismayed. And when the angel of the Lord saw that he was afraid, and had fallen down, he changed his appearance and his form became that of a man, and he said unto him, “Rise up, and fear not, O my beloved, thou second Daniel.” And the saint strengthened his heart, and rose up, and said unto him, “Who art thou, my lord, for thine appearance terrifieth me?” And he said unto him, “I am the angel of the Lord, and I have been sent unto thee to strengthen thee, and to tell thee what it is seemly for thee to do, what the Lord my God hath commanded me. And now, be of good courage, for thy voice shall penetrate to the end of the world, and thousands of thousands shall hear thy teaching, and shall come back to God, and shall be saved; and thou thyself shalt become a great and strong pillar in the city of the kingdom of the heavens. And behold, the Archbishop of the city of Antioch shall come unto thee, and with him shall come all the priests and deacons of the Church, each in his grade; go thou with them and whatsoever he shall command thee that do, for it is God Who hath commanded thee this, and it is not meet for thee to transgress the commandment of God.” And after this the angel of the Lord appeared unto the archbishop, Abba Philotheus, and commanded him to appoint Saint John a priest. And on the following day the archbishop came, and with him were all the priests, and he took this father and made him a priest against his will. And when the Archbishop of the city of Constantinople died, the Emperor Arcadius sent and brought Saint John, and appointed him Archbishop of the city of Constantinople. And he went to his archiepiscopal office like the Apostles, and he taught the people frequently the Life-giving Doctrine, and admonished them often, and expounded to them the Books of the Church [and] the Old and New Testaments. And he composed many Homilies, and he rebuked many sinners, and was afraid neither of the emperor nor of his high officers of state. And the Empress Eudoxia, the wife of Arcadius, was a lover of money, and she took a garden belonging to a certain widow from her by force, to add to the grounds of the palace. And the widow came to Saint John and told him how the Empress Eudoxia had taken her garden, and Saint John sent to the Empress Eudoxia, and rebuked her, and entreated her with many entreaties to give back to the widow her garden; but when she refused to obey his request, he excommunicated her, and forbade her to enter the church or to partake of the Holy Mysteries. And fury entered her soul and she gathered together the company of the bishops whom John had excommunicated, and cut off from their sees, because of their evil deeds and sins, and they wrote letters, and made common cause against Saint John in order that he might be exiled, and the empress exiled him to the Island of ‘Akratao. When he arrived there he found that the men of that island were heretics, and that they walked in the way of evil deeds. And Saint John rebuked them, and taught them, and turned them from the path of error, and brought them into the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ by means of the signs and miracles, which he wrought before them. When Honorius, Emperor of Rome, and Yonaknidos (Innocent) Konifanyos, Archbishop of the city of Rome, heard of the exile of Saint John, they sorrowed exceedingly, and they sent letters to Arcadius, scolding him. And they said unto him, “Take heed to this wicked act which thou hast committed. If thou dost not obey us, and dost not bring back Saint John from his exile, there shall certainly not be peace between us and thee from this time forward.” When Arcadius read their letters he was exceedingly sad, and he made his wife, the Empress Eudoxia, to stand aside. And he brought Saint John from exile; and when he arrived all the people of the city of Constantinople rejoiced with an exceedingly great joy. And after a few days the Empress Eudoxia returned, and exiled him a second time to the Island of Akratys, and he died on the Island. And when Honorius, the just emperor, and Yonakendinos (Innocent), the archbishop, knew that [the empress] had exiled Saint John [a second time], they were exceedingly sorry, and the archbishop sent a letter to the Empress Eudoxia, and anathematized her, and banned her from receiving the Holy Mysteries until she brought back Saint John from exile. Then straightway she sent [messengers] to the Island of ‘Atrakya to bring back Saint John from the Island, and they found that he was dead; and they took his body and brought it to the city of Constantinople. And they sent messengers to Abba Yonakendyos (Innocent), Archbishop of the city of Rome, and informed him that Saint John had died on the Island, and how they had brought his body to the city of Constantinople. And he sent a second time, and anathematized the Empress Eudoxia, and prohibited her from receiving the Holy Mysteries, and from entering a church for eight months; but they entreated him very urgently, and he sent and removed the ban. Nevertheless God afflicted her with a very serious illness, and she gave much money to the physicians, but she was not healed of her disease until she went to the body of Saint John, and bowed down before it. And she wept and entreated him to forgive her the sin, which she had committed against him, and Saint Abba John had compassion upon her, and healed her of her disease. And God made manifest very many signs and wonders through the body of this Saint Abba John. And as concerning why Saint Abba John was called “Mouth of Gold,” it is said that he was sitting one day with the Emperor Arcadius, who had his nobles with him, and the Emperor Arcadius said unto my father Abba John, “I want to ask thee to explain to me a passage which hath been in my mind for many days. It is this: Why doth John the evangelist say in the Holy Gospel, that Joseph did not know our holy Lady the Virgin Mary, until she had brought forth her first-born Son; did he know her as men usually know women?” And Saint John answered him, saying, “It is not thus, O Emperor, but when our Lord Jesus Christ was in the womb of our holy Lady the Virgin Mary, she used to change her appearance day by day, and at one time her person used to shine with great light, and Joseph did not know her understanding until she brought forth our Lord and Redeemer Christ. When she had brought forth our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ he knew the appearance of her person.” And there was in the emperor’s chamber a picture of our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, the God-bearer, which was painted in gold, and a voice came forth from it, saying, “Thou hast well said, O John, thou Tongue of Gold”; and when the emperor, and his nobles, and the officers of his army heard this, they marveled exceedingly and praised God. And thereupon the emperor gave the command, and one brought a skilled worker in metals, and he made a tongue of gold for the holy and honored John, and he hung it by the picture of our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, the God- bearer, so that it might be a sign for everyone to see. And the emperor commanded that men should call Saint John “Tongue of Gold,” and because of this Saint John is called “Tongue of Gold” to this very day. Salutation to John who preferred exile to partaking the Offering with an empress who loved violence. Salutation to the companion of Jesus and His Passion, whose name was Isakos.

And on this day also appeared in mid-heaven, the Cross of Light above Golgotha, in the city of Jerusalem, when the holy father Abba Cyril was appointed Bishop of Jerusalem, in the days of the kingdom of Constantine the Less, the son of Constantine the Great. And it appeared at the sixth hour of the day, and it remained steadily in its position, and its light outshone the light of the sun, and it continued to be visible until the ninth hour; and everyone came from every country to see it. And Abba Cyril sent a letter to the Emperor Constantine, saying, “Know, O emperor, that in the days of thy glorious father, Constantine the Just, a cross appeared, which was like unto the stars of heaven, and in thy days also, O emperor, there hath appeared a cross of light above Cranium (i.e. Golgotha), and the light thereof outshineth the sun, and it extendeth as far as the holy tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ, and as far as the Mount of Olives.” And he said [also] in this letter, “Beware, O emperor, of the Faith of the wicked Arius, and trust not, and receive not, any of those who believe in his wicked Faith.” And Saint Abba Cyril made a great festival on the day whereon this glorious cross appeared, and he ordained that the festival should be kept on this day, and it is meet for us [to keep it]. And he wrote it in the Exposition of Jerusalem, and similarly all Christian people everywhere have written it down, and they keep the festival this day, even as we always keep the festival of the Honorable Cross. For it is our salvation, and it is [our] armor against all our enemies, both those, which are secret and those, which are visible, provided that we take refuge therein in True Faith. Salutation I cry with perpetual voice to the Cross, which appeared this day above Golgotha.

And on this day also are commemorated the martyrs Minas, the deacon, and Stephen.

And on this day also died Jared, the son of Mahalaleel. After he had lived one hundred and sixty-two years, he begot Enoch; and his days were nine hundred and sixty and two years. He died on Friday at the third hour.

And on this day also took place the translation of the body of the glorious father, and teacher of the world, and head of all the monks, our father Abba Tekle Haimanot, the equal of the angels, and the apostles, and the martyrs; and the cause of its translation was thus. When the period of time had expired which God announced to him, saying, “After six and fifty years they shall translate thy body from thy cave to the shrine which they shall build for thee,” forthwith signs and wonders took place, and the blind [were made] to see, and the lame walked. These things happened in the days of Abba Hezekiah, the inheritor of his throne, and the day was the twelfth of Genbot. Salutation to Tekle Haimanot, for when a blind woman, who held in her hand a bread-cake of the festival of his commemoration, touched her eyes therewith, she was able to see the light. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 13 (May 21)

On this day died the holy father, the ascetic, and fighter, and wise man Arsenius. This saint was of the men of Rome, and he belonged to a rich and noble family, and [his parents] taught him the doctrine of the Church, and they made him a deacon. And after this he went to the city of Athens, and he studied and learned philosophy, and astronomy, and all the paths of the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and their times; and he became exceedingly learned, and he excelled many of the philosophers and sages of his day. He was perfect in the wisdom of the Greeks, and in Christian learning, and in the practice and teaching of divine excellences. And when Theodosius the Great was reigning over the country of Romya, he sought for a good and wise man to teach his sons Honorius and Arcadius. And they took this saint to the Emperor Theodosius, and he had him brought into his presence, and he asked him to teach his sons. And then the emperor brought his two sons Honorius and Arcadius into his royal abode, and Saint Arsenius taught them, and corrected (or, admonished) them, as was fitting, and since he devoted much exertion and toil to teaching them, he inflicted on them severe and painful beatings. When the Emperor Theodosius their father was dead, his son Honorius reigned over the city of Rome, and Arcadius reigned over the city of Constantinople. And God put fear of them into the heart of this saint, because he used to beat them when he was teaching them, and for this reason God stirred him up to go forth from the world, and to become a lighted lamp to lighten all those who wished for the salvation of their souls. And whilst he was thinking in his heart what he should do, behold a voice came unto him form God, saying, “Arsenius, Arsenius, Arsenius, go forth from this world and thou shalt be saved.” When he heard this voice, he did not tarry, but he rose up forthwith, and changed his apparel and came to the city of Alexandria. Thence he departed into the desert of Scete, to the monastery of Saint Abba Macarius, and he fought a great fight with fasting and prayer, and long and frequent vigils, and in addition to these ascetic virtues he learned to keep silence. One day, when a man questioned him about his keeping silence, he answered, and said unto him, “Many times when I have spoken I have been sorry and repented, but on no day did I ever repent because I had kept silence.” And this saint was humble and meek, both inwardly and outwardly, and he was always doing the work of God; and he never ceased to work with his hands, and he wept and gave away in alms whatever was left to him. And he composed many admonitory Discourses, which were profitable to him that wished for the salvation of his soul. And when he went into the church he hid himself behind a pillar, so that men might not see him, and this saint worked many signs and wonders. And God revealed to him signs and wonders, and on many occasions the contending of many men. The appearance of this saint was good, and his limbs were strong, and his face was bright and very cheerful, and his beard was long and reached to the hem of his garment; but by reason of his weeping and his asceticism his eyelashes were wanting. This saint was tall in stature, but he became bowed by reason of his age; all the days of his life were one hundred and five years. Of these he passed forty years in the city of Rome and forty years in the desert of Scete of Saint Abba Macarius, and in the monastery of Mesr (Cairo) twenty years, and in the monasteries of the city of Alexandria three years, and he returned to the monastery of Mesr (Cairo), and lived there two years. After this he died in peace. Salutation to Arsenius. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 14 (May 22)

On this day died the holy father Abba Pachomius, the father who was the companion of the beings of the Spirit. This holy man became a monk in his youth with Saint Abba Balamon, and he lived in submission to him for many years, and he performed with great success all the labors of the ascetic life. After this the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and commanded him to gather together to him and to form a company of monks who would live with him in common, like the Apostles. And very many men gathered together to him, and he built for them many monasteries, and he ordered for each one of them the same course of manual labor, and the same kind of food. And he drew up for them a set of rules (Canon) which they were to observe at their time of prayer, and at their times of eating, and he was the abbot of them all. And he appointed an abbot, who was to be under his authority, over each of the monasteries, and he used to go round and visit all the monasteries from the boundary of Eswan (Aswan), and Etfu (Edfu), and Akmim, and Dunas, all over Upper Egypt, and in the north [he visited] all the communities of northern monks who were affiliated to his monasteries. And this father would never permit any of his sons to be made priests for the sake of vainglory of this world, so that there might not be any enmity among them, but each monastery had a priest from outside the community to consecrate the Offering, and to administer the Sacrament. When the Apostolic Father Abba Athanasius went up into Upper Egypt, he wanted to appoint this holy father priest, but he fled from the suggestion. And Saint Abba Athanasius said unto his sons, “Say ye to your father, O thou who hast built thy house upon a rock which will not totter, and hast fled from vain praise, blessed art thou and blessed are thy sons.” And this saint once wished to see Hell, and the angel of the Lord caught him up, and carried him away and showed him each of the abodes of the saints, and he showed him likewise the places of punishment in Hell. And this father continued to be abbot of the community for forty years, and he made them strong, and laid down rules for them, and a Canon, and he made his disciple Theodore abbot over them; and after this he died in peace. Salutation to Abba Pachomius and to each of his sons.

And on this day also became a martyr Symmachus, of the city of Farma, in the days of Bulamis, governor of Mesr (Cairo). This holy man was a weaver of linen apparel, and costly, fine linen napkins, and he had [two] friends, Theodore and Kikos. And when he heard that Bulamis, the governor, had arrived, and that he was punishing the Christians, this holy man began to teach his companions, and to admonish them to abandon the glory of this fleeting world. Then he embraced them and went out to the town of Bakruz, which was near the town of Demera, and he came to the governor and found him torturing a woman, whom they cast into a fiery furnace and she became a martyr; and after this the fiery furnace became like cool dew. And this holy man was looking on at this, and afterward, he drew nigh unto the governor, and confessed our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ, and the governor tortured him severely. Now at that time he was sixteen years of age. Next, the governor hung him up, and he threw him on the wheel, and he crushed his feet, and blood dripped from his body in great quantity; and some of the blood splashed on the eyes of a certain blind maiden, and she was able to see forthwith. Then the governor hung him upon a tree, and the saint prayed many prayers to our Lord Jesus Christ, and made supplication to Him. And the governor commanded them to cut off the head of the saint, and the headsman drew his sword, and wanted to cut off his head with his sword, but his strength failed him, and he was unable to cut off the saint’s head. And the same thing happened when a second headsman tried, and a third headsman also, even to the tenth headsman, for the strength of all the ten failed them, and they fell down on the ground. And after this they tied a rope round the neck of Saint Abba Symmachus, the martyr, and they dragged him up to the top of a high mountain, and he delivered up his soul into the hand of God, and he received the incorruptible crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. And there was among the four soldiers one who was deaf and dumb, and as soon as he saw the body of the saint, he heard with his ears and his tongue spoke. And believing men came from the city of Edku, and they took away the body of Saint Abba Symmachus, and many signs and wonders took place through it, and great healings. And the governor Bilamis was afraid and fled. And men gathered together from the double town Demertayn, and consoled the kinsfolk of Saint Abba Symmachus the martyr. And when the pagans of the city saw the signs and wonders which were revealed through him, they believed and were baptized with Christian baptism, and became martyrs; and they were in number sixteen hundred and fifty men and woman and children. And the kinsfolk of the saint came and carried away his body to the city Barmun with great honor, and the governor of the city of Barmun swathed it for burial in costly cloths at his own expense; and they built a beautiful church for the saint and laid the body of Abba Symmachus in it. Salutation to Symmachus, and salutation to the great company of man and women who were martyred with him. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 15 (May 23)

On this day became a martyr Saint Simon the zealot, the apostle. He it was who was called “Nathaniel.” This saint was from Cana of Galilee, and he was learned in the Law of the Torah, and in the Books of the Prophets, and he had in him zeal and was therefore called Zealot, and he was just and pure in the Faith, and he accepted the person of no man. And it was because of this that when Philip said unto him, “Behold, we have found our Lord Christ, concerning Whom Moses the prophet wrote, Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth,” he would not agree with him, but said unto him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” And Philip said unto him, “Come and see,” and when he came, our Lord said unto him, “This is an Israelite in whose heart there is no deceit.” But Simon did not incline to praise, and he demanded from Him a reason for His praise, and he said unto our Lord, “Where didst Thou know me?” And our Lord answered and said unto him, “Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree I saw thee.” And Simon knew that in truth our Lord knew the things, which were hidden, and he said unto Him, “My Lord and my God.” And Simon did not set himself in opposition to Christ, like the chiefs of the Jews, who although they saw and heard what was great and stupendous, did not obey and submit to the righteous man. Now it is said concerning this saint, that when he was a young man he had a quarrel with another young man, a Gentile, in the desert, and that Simon smote him a blow, and killed him straightway, and that he buried him under a fig tree which he had in his house, and no one knew about it except our Savior. And it is also said concerning him that at the time of the slaughter of the babes [by Herod], his mother hid him in the market (or, bazaar), and hung him up in a tree which was in her house, and that she used to take him down and give him suck, and then hang him up again; and she continued to do this until the persecution of Herod died down. And she told him nothing whatsoever about this until he was fully grown up, and he never told any man what had happened unto him; and when [our Redeemer] revealed unto him the salvation which came to him by a miracle, Simon knew that He was the Son of God in truth, and that He knew hidden things and was informed about everything. And straightway he bowed before our Redeemer, and was obedient unto Him, and followed him from that day, and became one of the Twelve Apostles. And having received the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, he talked the languages of all countries, and he knew divine mysteries. And he came to the town of Kuerja, and to the country of El-Bejah, where he entered into the darkness of the infidels, and lighted a portion thereof. And he converted many of the wise men and fools, and lighted them with the light of Christian baptism, and he made those who had been aforetime like ravening wolves to become like sheep. And he went to the city of the infidels, and to many [other] cities, and he went into the Island of Barantya, and preached therein. And the infidels seized him in every place, and they entreated him evilly, and tortured him severely with divers kinds of tortures. And God added to his power and strength when being tortured, and God performed great signs and wonders, and [as examples] of them he raised the dead, and [healed] those whose bones were decayed and dried up; and they asked him to baptize them with Christian baptism, and he baptized them. And he lived for many years after this, and he healed a leper at the time when he baptized him with Christian baptism. And after this the infidels seized him, and hung him up on a tree, and he received the perfect and glorious crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. Salutation to Nathaniel.

And on this day also four hundred (sic) people became martyrs in the city of Denderah, in Upper Egypt. Towards the end of his reign Diocletian tortured them with divers severe tortures, and then they became martyrs through having their heads cut off.

And on this day also are commemorated Minas, the deacon, and anchorite, and Abba Hor, and Baklawaya. (Kalanteya) the martyrs, and Katinos, and his wife, of the company of Isidore. Salutation to the four hundred soldiers who became martyrs in the city of Bandara. Salutation to Newaya Krestos. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 16 (May 24)

On this day died Jesus Sirak, the son of Sirak, the son of Elezar of Jerusalem, who poured forth wisdom from his heart. He saith in the beginning of his prophecy, “The sands of the sea, and the drops of the rain, and the days of the world, who can number them? The height of heaven, the breadth of the earth, and the depth of the abyss, and of wisdom, who can estimate them?” He speaketh concerning the unity of our Lord Christ with His Father. “The understanding of Wisdom is before the creation of the world. The root of wisdom unto whom hath it been revealed? And who hath known her counsel? Wisdom is one, and the awe of her is exceedingly great, and she sitteth upon the throne of God.” And again Wisdom saith, “I went forth from the mouth of the Most High, and like a mist I covered the earth. I have my abode in the heavens, and my seat is above the pillar of cloud. I go round about by myself to the ends of the heavens, and I walk through the depth of the abyss, and even above the waters of the sea seeking for rest.” And again he saith concerning the coming down of our Lord Christ, “The Lord said unto me, to Jacob, ‘dwell,’ and to Israel, ‘inherit.’” He saith concerning the death of our Lord Christ, and concerning the destruction of the Jews who rejoiced in the destruction of the righteous man, “They shall be snared with nets, and they shall be melted without death coming to them.” And he saith concerning repentance, and the return to sin, “What profiteth the man who touched [foulness] after he hath washed?” And he saith concerning the building of the Church and the new nation, “Have mercy, O Lord, upon the people who are called by Thy Name, and make Thyself to be like unto a blessing to Israel, and have mercy upon the city of Thy holiness, and upon Jerusalem, the city which is known to Thee, and fill Zion with the blessing of Thy voice.” He saith concerning those who appoint the six steps [the text of this passage is corrupt], “Pray to Christ, to the Most High, that He may make straight thy path in righteousness.” He saith concerning the righteous, “Hearken ye children of the righteous, and put forth leaves, and as the flower blossometh under the dew of the desert, so do ye blossom, and like the odor of frankincense, even so let your odor be sweet.” He speaketh reminding us of the work of God, the holy and mighty One in heaven, and of the appearance of the heavens and the glory thereof, saying, “He maketh the sun to rise and maketh visible the light, and in the noon-day he drieth up the sea. Who can stand against His flame, which is like unto that of a blazing furnace that belcheth flame, and the height of the sun’s power burneth up the mountains. A flame of fire breatheth forth from Him. And the moon is a sign to the country. By it days are divided, it is a mark whereby festivals are known (or, determined).” And concerning the stars he saith, “They are the ornaments of heaven, and the glory of the stars illumineth the earth. They are in the midst of God’s heaven, and they travel on their appointed ways by the voice of His Holiness, they go not astray and they never depart from their proper stations.” And concerning the rainbow he saith, “I have seen His bow, and have blessed its Creator; its splendor is beautiful, and His hand hath given it its circular form.” And concerning the snow and the lightning he saith, “By His command the snow falleth, the lightning hasteneth at His voice, and it flieth through the clouds like the birds. By His command the east wind bloweth, and the voice of His thunder terrifieth the earth, and the storm of the west wind bendeth souls, and the snow which covereth up the heavens, as with a garment of iron, is broken up into particles, which are like unto sharp splinters of crystal.” And concerning the rain he saith, “When the rain descendeth the dust rejoiceth, and by the voice of His counsel He drieth up the abyss.” And he praiseth the Fathers, [mentioning] their various gifts: Enoch how he pleased God, Noah how he found righteousness, Abraham the believer, and Isaac, how he was given unto him as a blessing which should benefit all the children of men, and Jacob, how his blessing appeared, and how he begot twelve nations, and how they were loved by God and man; and Moses, of blessed memory, the glory of the saints; the similitude of Aaron his brother, how he established the everlasting Laws and how he made everyone to boast himself in the apparel of holiness and the . . . of gold; and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar in his three-fold honor; and Joshua, the son of Nun, who made the people of Israel to inherit their land, and to be glorious when he lifted up his hand; and Samuel, how greatly beloved he was of God; and Nathan, how he prophesied in the days of David; and he praises David, how he slew the giant in his youth; and his son Solomon, how he reigned in the days of peace and lived in a wide space; and he praises Elijah, how he raised the dead, and brought down fire from heaven, and how he went up to heaven in a flame of fire, with horses of fire; and Elisha, how the enemy did not terrify him in his days, and how he raised up two dead people, one during his life and one after his death; and Hezekiah, how he fortified his city, and how he slew the armies of Persia, and how he made those who mourned for Zion to rejoice, and removed all uncleanness and sin; and Jeremiah, how he was holy from his mother’s womb; and Ezekiel, how he saw the glory of God; and Zerubabel, how he was a sign on the arm; and Twelve Prophets, how he made their bones to germinate in their places; and Yose’a and Nehemiah, how they honored and raised up the fallen walls; and Joseph, how there was no man born who was like unto him; and Shem and Seth, how they were honored by the children of men; and Adam, how he reigned over all creation; and Simon, the son of the priest, how he built the Temple in his day, and how he was praised on the return of the people. And he said in sealing (i.e. finishing) his book, “Bless ye the God of All, Who doeth great things everywhere, and Who maketh long our days from the womb.” And thus saying, he died. Salutation to Sirak, the son of Eleazar of Jerusalem.

And on this day also is commemorated Saint John the evangelist, and his preaching in the country of Asia and to the Ephesians, and in all the cities, which are round about it, and his escape from the affliction of drowning in the sea, and from the evil men who worshipped idols. And he turned all the people from their infidelity, and brought them to the knowledge of God, and he delivered them from the error of Satan by his teaching and by the signs, which God wrought, by his hands. When he was old he wrote to them the Gospel of his preaching, and the Holy Spirit moved him until he wrote down what the three [other] evangelists had left out, for reasons, which they knew. And he spoke concerning the Being of the Son, and His Incarnation, and His miracles, which, as he saith in the Gospel, were innumerable. And then he went up into heaven and saw the hosts of heaven, and the ordering thereof, and he heard their praising [of God]. And this saint wrote a book, which he called Abukalamsis. Now the Egyptians have ordained this festival in commemoration of his preaching, and as with his preaching, so there took place on this day the consecration of the church in the city of Alexandria. Salutation to the translation of thy body to the city of Alexandria. Thou didst enter thy grave, O John, but didst hide thyself and disappear through the might of marvelous power, and only thine apparel was left [in it] as a memorial. Salutation to John, who became a pilgrim for righteousness’ sake, and did live with the poor in the outer courts of the houses.

On this day also are commemorated the bishops who were martyred, and Yemen who was the son of Joseph. [Omitted in the Bodleian MS.] Salutation to Newaya Krestos. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 17 (May 25)

On this day died the great Saint Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus. This holy man came from a village which was near Beth Gabriel, and his parents were Jews, and they walked in the Law of Moses; now they were poor, for the father of this saint was a slave, but they were righteous. And the father of this saint died and left him and one daughter, and their mother brought them up in the Law of Moses. And his father left him a donkey, which was a very poor animal, and his mother advised Saint Epiphanius to sell this donkey, and with the price thereof to obtain some rest and relief in his wretched life. And as the saint was journeying along with the donkey, he met a certain man who was a Christian, and a just man, and whose name was Philotheus; and he stopped and talked with Epiphanius and wanted to buy that donkey from him. And at that moment the donkey kicked Epiphanius in his stomach, and he fell down on the ground, and was very near death, but Saint Philotheus made the sign of the Cross over the stomach of Saint Epiphanius, saying, “In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost,” and Saint Epiphanius was cured of his pain forthwith, and he rose up as if he hand never suffered any pain whatsoever. And then Saint Philotheus cried out over that donkey, saying, “In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ Who was crucified thou shalt die”; and the donkey fell down and died forthwith. And when Saint Epiphanius saw these two miracles, he said unto Saint Philotheus, “Who was this Jesus Who was crucified, and in Whose Name thou didst perform this miracle?” And Philotheus answered and said unto him, “This Jesus was the Son of God, Whom the Jews crucified in Jerusalem”; and this word remained in the heart of Saint Epiphanius. And in those days there was a certain rich Jew who took Saint Epiphanius into his house, and brought him up and taught him the Law of Moses. And when death drew nigh to that Jew, he had no heirs, and he made Saint Epiphanius heir of all his possessions, and he learned all the Jewish doctrine and the Law of Moses. And one day he met a certain righteous and learned monk, whose name was Lucianus, and he was a teacher, and the grace of God was upon him, and he walked with him on the road. And as they were journeying together on the road, a certain poor man met them and he asked the monk to give him alms, and as the monk had no money with him to give him, he took off the hair cloak, which he was wearing and gave it to him. And when the poor man took it Saint Epiphanius saw that white apparel came down from heaven upon the monk; and he marveled at this and he bowed down at the feet of the monk, and he asked him, saying, “Who art thou? What is thy Faith?” And the monk made known to him that he was a Christian; and Saint Epiphanius asked him to make him a Christian. And the monk took Epiphanius and brought him to the bishop, who baptized him with Christian baptism, and taught him the Law of the Christian Faith. And Saint Epiphanius said unto him, “I wish to become a monk,” and the bishop said unto him, “Thou hast many goods and possessions; it is not necessary for thee to become a monk.” And Saint Epiphanius went and brought his sister, and the bishop baptized her with Christian baptism. And he gave of his possessions to the poor and the needy, and to the widows and the orphans, and to the churches, and he purchased very many books. Then he became a monk, and his sister became a nun, in the monastery of that monk whose name was Julius, and who was the cause of his being baptized; now at that time he was in his days sixteen years old. And he found in that monastery Saint Hilarion the Great, who although young in days was an elder in the spiritual fight, and he received Saint Epiphanius, and taught him the path of the ascetic life, and the doctrine of Christian Law. And the grace of God dwelt upon him, and Hilarion made him strong in all the Law of the Church, and in the path of the ascetic life in a few days, and then Saint Epiphanius became perfect in the spiritual fight. And he performed great miracles, and raised the dead, and cast out demons from men, and he made fountains of water to appear in dry places where there was no water, and on many occasions he made rain to fall; and the report of him and of his virtues, and of his knowledge, was noised abroad. And many men from among the Jews came to him, to dispute with him, and he showed them their error, and they believed through him, and he baptized them with Christian baptism; and he likewise converted very many of the philosophers and the Greeks, and brought them into the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. And Saint Hilarion, his teacher, prophesied concerning him and said that he would be made bishop of the city of Cyprus, and he commanded him to go to the city of Cyprus, and to dwell there in a certain place wherein he ordered him to abide. And he said unto him, “They will seek thee to make thee bishop, for it is the Will of God.” And Saint Epiphanius departed to Cyprus, and he dwelt in the place wherein his teacher Hilarion had ordered him to dwell. Now at the time when the Bishop of Cyprus died, Saint Epiphanius came into the city to buy food, and he had two monks with him. And there was in that city an aged bishop, a righteous man, and our Lord Jesus Christ spoke unto him, saying, “Go to the market and thou shalt meet a monk with two bunches of grapes in his hand which he is going to buy, and his name is ‘Epiphanius’; make him Bishop of Cyprus, for he is suitable for this office.” And the aged bishop rose and went to the market, and he found Saint Epiphanius, and there were two bunches of grapes in his hand, and there were two monks with him, and he asked him his name, and he answered and said unto him, “My name is Epiphanius.” And the aged bishop said unto him, “Cast these grapes from thy hands.” And Saint Epiphanius knew that the prophecy of Abba Hilarion his teacher was fulfilled, and he cast the grapes down, and he went with him to the church. And the bishop made him a deacon, and three days later he made him a priest, and on the seventh day he made him a bishop. After this that aged bishop wished to gladden the heart of Bishop Epiphanius, and he told the people and made to understand concerning the vision, which he had seen concerning him, and they rejoiced in him with great joy. And this Saint Epiphanius followed a right course of action in his diocese, which was well pleasing to God, and he wrote many Discourses (or, Homilies) and many books wherein will be found profitable doctrine. When he heard of a man in whom there was no mercy, he used to rebuke him and teach him frequently until he changed his nature and became merciful. And when this Saint Epiphanius heard that Abba John, Bishop of the city of Jerusalem, was a man without pity, he made an excuse, and borrowed from him the gold and silver vessels which he used at his table and out of which he ate, and Abba John gave them to him, and Saint Epiphanius sold them, and gave [the price of] them to the poor and needy. And when Abba John asked him for them and he would not give back any of them, he seized Saint Epiphanius by the hem of his garment, in the Church of the Sepulcher of our Lord Jesus Christ. And Saint Epiphanius prayed to God, and He made blind the eyes of Abba John forthwith. And his eyes being blind, Abba John begged and prayed him with tears to teach him, and to open his eyes, and Saint Epiphanius prayed and entreated God on his behalf, and God opened one of them. And then Epiphanius told Abba John how he had sold the vessels of his table, and how he had given [the price of] them to the poor. And the Empress Eudoxia having sent a message to Saint Epiphanius to come to her, and to help her to break and to drive out Saint John, the Mouth of God (i.e. Chrysostom), he went to the city of Constantinople wishing to make peace between them; but the empress would not listen to him, and she would not submit to Saint Epiphanius in respect of Saint John, the Mouth of Gold. And the empress answered and said unto Saint Epiphanius, “If I cannot cast down John, the Mouth of Gold, from his office, I will open the houses of idols and shut the churches”; and Saint Epiphanius went forth from her presence sad and sorrowful, and wondering what he should do. And the servants of the empress made it known in the city of Constantinople, saying, “Behold, Epiphanius hath deposed John, the Mouth of Gold.” When Saint John heard this report he sent a letter unto Saint Epiphanius, saying, “Why hast thou done this unjust thing against me; know thou that thou shalt never reach the throne of thy diocese?” And Saint Epiphanius sent a reply to his letter, saying, “I have written nothing concerning thee, and I am not in agreement with the empress against thee, and as for thyself thou shalt [not] return from exile.” After this Saint Epiphanius wanted to return to the throne of his diocese, and he went forth from the city of Constantinople to depart to the city of Cyprus, and God willed to make him to die on the ship before he reached the throne of his diocese, even as God had revealed to John, the Mouth of Gold; and John, the Mouth of Gold, also died on his journey, even as He had made Epiphanius to see. And the saint knew the time of his death, and he rose up and prayed, and he gave his disciples commands and informed them that they should become bishops, and after that he embraced them, and he lay down and died in peace. Salutation to Epiphanius. Salutation to Abba Lucianus, Bishop of Degno. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 18 (May 26)

On this day the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles, ten days after the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven, even as He promised them, saying, “I will send unto you another Paraclete, Who shall come from the Father. Wait ye and remain in Jerusalem until ye received the promise of the Father.” And again He said unto them, “When the Spirit of righteousness cometh, He will guide you in all righteousness.” And Saint Peter, who was chief with our Lord Christ, said unto them, “The Lord hath promised to send unto us the Paraclete, Who is the Holy Spirit, and He will make us to understand what it is meet for us to hear and to do.” And behold, they heard the sound of a storm wind, and they smelled a sweet smell, the like of which they knew not in all the world, and there appeared among them, as it were, tongues of fire, which came down upon each one of them, and each began to speak with a new tongue; and they fasted for forty days and gave thanks unto Him. And it is also said in the Acts of the Apostles, that when the days of Pentecost were ended, and whilst they were all together in one place, suddenly there came from heaven the sound of the Holy Spirit, and it filled the chamber wherein they were gathered together; and there appeared as it were tongues of fire, and [one tongue] rested on each of them. And they were filled with the spirit of power, and they all began to speak the tongues of all countries, each a different tongue, according as the Holy Spirit gave them power. And there were good men in Jerusalem from every nation, and when they heard the report of this, they all gathered together; and they were amazed, for they heard the Apostles talking the languages of their native countries. And they were astonished, and they marveled, and said, “Are not all these men of Galilee whom we hear speaking the languages of our native countries, Parthia, Media and Elam, and the languages of those who dwell between the rivers (i.e. in Mesopotamia), and Judea, and Cappadocia, and Phrygia, and Pamphylia, and Egypt, and the borders of Libya, and those who are from Cyrene, and those who speak Rumi (Greek?), and Jews, and pilgrims, Cretans, and Arabians. Behold we hear them speaking in the languages of our own countries concerning the great things of God”; and they were amazed, and were unable to speak. And they said among themselves, “What is this?” And some of them laughed, and said, “These men are filled with new wine.” And Peter stood up among the eleven [Apostles], and cried out with a loud voice, saying, “O all ye men of Judea and ye who dwell in Jerusalem, know ye, and hearken unto my voice. These men are not drunk as ye think, and say, for it is only now three hours since day dawned on the earth.” This is what the prophet Joel said, “And it shall come to pass after this that I will pour out my spirit upon all souls, and your sons and you daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old men dream dreams” (Joel ii, 28). And he also saith, “And upon my slaves and upon my handmaidens I will also pour out my spirit, and they shall prophesy, and I will give a sign in the heavens above, and wonders on the earth beneath” (Joel ii, 29, 30). And it is said in the [Book of] David, “Make not Thou Thy Holy Spirit to go forth from upon me. Endow me with joy, and with Thy salvation, and make me strong with the spirit of strength, so that I may teach sinners Thy way.” And again he saith, “Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit, and they are created. And Thou renewest the face of the earth. May the glory of the Lord be for ever.” And again he saith, “Thy Holy Spirit shall guide me in the land of righteousness. For Thy Name’s sake, O Lord, make me alive in Thy righteousness, and take my soul out of tribulation.” And again he saith, “The Lord hath made strong the heavens by His word, and all the powers thereof by the breath of His mouth.” And Isaiah saith, “The Spirit of God Who hath anointed me is upon me, and He hath sent me to declare and to proclaim freedom for captives, and to announce the chosen year of God” (Isaiah 61:2). And our Lord saith unto His disciples, “This I tell you whilst I am with you, but when the Paraclete, the Spirit of righteousness, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, Whom My Father will send unto you in My Name, hath come, He will teach you everything, and will make you to remember everything which I have spoken unto you. My peace I leave with you, and the peace of My Father I give you, not as the world giveth it give I it unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Behold ye have heard Me say unto you that I am going to the Father Who hath sent Me, and that I will return again unto you.” And He also saith, “When the Paraclete hath come, Whom I will send from the Father, the Spirit of righteousness, which shall go forth from [My Father], He shall be My witness. And ye are all My witnesses, that He was with Me from of old. And I tell you these words so that ye may not err, and be offended; but know ye that they will cast you out of their synagogues, and the time will come and arrive when all who kill you will imagine that they are bringing sacrifices unto God.” And He also saith, “The words which I say unto you I say by My truth; It is better for you that I go to the Father, for if I do not go to the Father the Paraclete cannot come unto you; and if I go I will send Him to you. And when He hath come, He will rebuke the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and punishment. Concerning sin, because they have not believed on Me, and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and ye shall not see Me again, and concerning punishment, because the work of this world shall be judged. And there are many [other] words which I would say unto you, but ye are not able to bear them now. And when that Spirit of righteousness hath come, He will guide you into all righteousness, He will not speak to you from Himself, but He will declare unto you what He hath heard. And He Who shall come to you shall speak unto you, and tell you. Me He will glorify and praise, for He springeth from Me, and He will speak unto you, and will tell you.” And after His Resurrection in ascending to His Father He fulfilled all the Law of Incarnation. And He said unto His disciples, “Go unto all nations and, in baptizing them, say, ‘In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.’” Salutation to Thy descent, O Paraclete. Salutation to Thy descent, O Paraclete, the Spirit of grace and righteousness. Salutation to Thee, O Paraclete, Who didst make the Apostles to drink of Thy fire in a moment.

And on this day also died the holy father Abba Ga’argi, the companion of Abba Abraham. This holy man was a Christian, and his parents were holy and righteous folk, and when he grew up he became a shepherd and tended their flocks. And he was always thinking in his mind that he would adopt the garb of the monk, and when his days were twelve years, the grace of God moved him, and he forsook his sheep and went and walked about in the desert of Scete. And he saw a pillar of light at a distance, and he went towards it until he arrived at a river, and then the pillar of light hid itself. And when he had crossed that river, Satan appeared unto him in the form of an old man, who said unto him, “Know, O my son, that I saw thy father rending his garments, and weeping for thee, and sorrowing exceedingly. It is meet that thou shouldst return to thy father, and comfort his heart, for he thinketh that a wild beast of the desert hath torn thee in pieces”; and after this he returned to the desert. Now Saint Abba Ga’agi was frightened for a time. And then [he remembered], that the Holy Gospel saith, “He who loveth his father or his mother more than Me is not meet to be My disciple” (Matthew x, 37); and having said these words that Satan became like smoke, and fled from him; and the saint knew that he was Satan. And straightway the pillar of light appeared unto him, and the angel of God walked with him in the form of a monk, and the saint followed the angel until he brought him to the monastery of the holy father Arion. And Abba Ga’argi dwelt in that monastery with a certain righteous monk ten years; he tasted no meat, he drank no wine, and he ate no fruit, and during the ten years he never lay down to sleep, but slept sitting. And his asceticism and his spiritual fight having become more strenuous, the angel of God appeared unto him and said, “God telleth thee to moderate the strictness of thine asceticism, and the intensity of thy spiritual fight, so that thy body may not become exhausted”; and then he drew up for him a rule of life which ordered him to sit down, and to fast every day until the evening. And he ate a little bread, and he slept from the time he went to sleep until midnight, for the repose of his body, and the rest of the night he kept vigil and prayed until the day dawned. And having continued to observe this course of life for many days, he wished to live by himself in the Inner Desert; and he continued to go round about in the desert for two years. And a vision appeared unto him which directed him to return to his place, and straightway the Divine Power bought him to the monastery of Saints Maximus and Dimatheus which was near his monastery. And when he went back to his monastery, Abraham came out from the world, and having arrived at that monastery he met Abba Ga’argi. And they made friends together, and came to the monastery of Saint Abba Macarius, and they dwelt with Saint John, Abbot of the desert of Scete; and he gave them a cell near him, and they dwelt therein, and that place is well known to this day. And that cell was called “Bagbig,” and our Lord Jesus Christ dwelt with them, now He rent the roof of their abode, and they worshipped Him, and He gave them peace and comforted them, and went up from them into heaven. And that opening through which our Lord came down, and through which they saw the light, is open unto this day. And these saints wrote many books, and Homilies, and Exhortations, and Admonitions for monks, and they prepared the way for him that would be obedient, and live in subjection to his fathers. And Abba Abraham died on the second day of the month of Ter, and after him Saint Abba Ga’argi died on the eighteenth day of the month of Genbot. And all the days of his life were two and seventy years; of these fourteen he passed in the world and eight and fifty he devoted to the ascetic life. Salutation to Abba Ga’argi, who forsook his father’s flocks and followed a pillar of light into the desert.

And on this day also is commemorated Sinoda, the martyr. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 19 (May 27)

On this day died the holy father and fighter, Abba Isaac, the priest of the monasteries of Debre Macarius. This holy man sprang from one of the small hamlets about Mesr (Cairo), and his parents were poor [in the possessions of this world], but rich in good works, and they inherited the Country of the Living. When the holy elders, the monks, came to Mesr (Cairo) to sell the things, which they had made with their hands, [and were returning,] this saint followed them into the desert of Scete, and ministered unto them. And he served under the yoke of their authority, and became an ascetic, and fought the good fight. And he had no possessions whatsoever, not even a second change of apparel, during all the days of his life as a monk. And if men questioned him, and said unto him, “Why dost thou not obtain a change of apparel like our fathers?” he would answer and say unto them, “I have been a man of the people up to now, and when I was in the world I had not two changes of apparel.” And he would also say, “Our fathers wear apparel made of the hair of the camel; is not one set of garments more profitable to me?” And he was wont to weep very often, and if men asked him, and said unto him, “Why dost thou weep?” he would say unto them, “Because my parents died, and left me an orphan.” And for many years he continued to mix the ashes from the censers with the bread, which he ate at his table. One day he became sick of a grievous sickness, and one of the brethren brought him a little food, which had been prepared and cooked by fire, and he would not eat it. And when that brother had asked him many questions he said unto him, “This food is good and will cure thy sickness.” And Isaac answered, and said unto him, “Believe my, O my brother, I wish to remain sick with this sickness, for three years . . . “ And when he became old in days, and his excellences, and his righteous deeds, were many, the elders gathered together, and took counsel that they might make him a priest. And he fled from them, and went into the field where the crops were, and hid himself therein; and the elders went about seeking for him but could not find him. And when they had passed through the field, they sat down on the border of it to rest. Now they had with them a donkey, and that donkey went into the field, and stood still by the place where this father was, and when the elders came into the field to catch the donkey they found this father; and they seized him and wanted to bind him so that he might not flee from them. And he said unto them, “Henceforward I shall know that this is the Will of God.” And he went with them, and was made priest, and he added to the commands which were laid on the holy fathers, and he taught the young men good works, and he used to say to them, “Above everything possess ye submission and obedience, for these are the greatest of the virtues.” And when the time of his death drew nigh, the young men asked him to dwell in the desert that he might teach them what to do after he [had left them], and he answered and said unto them, “As long as ye see me working do ye work, if ye wish to strengthen the habit of dwelling in the desert. When our fathers died we sorrowed, but when we do even as they did, ye strengthen [our habit of] dwelling in the desert after them.” And having said these words he died in peace, and received the crown of praise from our Lord Jesus Christ. Salutation to Isaac the priest.

And on this day also the holy, and mighty, and great, and honorable fighter, the blessed Isidore, became a martyr. This saint was a man of the city of Antioch. His father was an honorable man of the kingdom, and the captain of many soldiers, and his name was Bandala’on; and the name of his mother was Sofia, and she and her husband belonged to Christian families. And when she brought forth her son she called his name “Isidore.” And after many days, when his father Bandala’on saw the greatness of the sin and of the transgressions which the Emperor Diocletian, the infidel, committed, he withdrew his son Isidore from him, and they left the estate which was formerly theirs, for they belonged to the nobles of the kingdom. And they took up their abode in the monasteries, where they remained in hiding, and they lived with a man who was called Samuel . . . for the sake of the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And after this, certain heretics and evil persons went and accused them before the emperor of hiding from him, and refusing to worship idols; and straightway the emperor sent five hundred soldiers and had them brought before him. And they confessed our Lord Jesus Christ, and they said unto him boldly, “When thou didst forsake our Lord Jesus Christ, we forsook thee; thou hast committed great abominations before God.” Then the emperor was wroth, and he commanded his soldiers to cut off the head of Bandala’on, and they cut off his head and he received the crown of martyrdom; and Saint Isidore he bound in prison, in order that he might be rebuked. Now at that time the days of Isidore were twelve years. And after a few days they brought him to the emperor having tied a rope, with a heavy iron weight attached to it, round his neck, and he was strong in the Faith; and the emperor asked him, saying, “Is not thy heart softened, and doth it not advise [thee] to turn from thy Faith?” And having refused to turn from the True Faith, the emperor forthwith commanded the soldiers to hoist him on the rack, and to rack his body until his blood ran like water [and they did so]. Then his mother Sofia took a handful of his blood and dashed it in the face of the emperor, and said unto him, “Cursed art thou above all men.” And his sister Euphemia also took up stones, and cast them at the emperor and his officers. And the emperor was wroth, and commanded his soldiers to cut the women in halves, through their loins, and they did so, and the women finished their martyrdom. And the saint was hanging on the rack, and watching what was happening to his mother and his sister. And then the soldiers poured red-hot coals upon his body, and after this they cut open his body, and dragged out his bowels, and threw them out into the desert; but neither the fowl of the air nor the wild beasts would approach them. And our Redeemer healed him, and raised him up as he was before, and then the saint went before the emperor. And the emperor commanded them to put him on the iron bed, and to light a fire under him, [and they did so,] and they also put him on the iron bed, and crushed him until his bowels came out; and again our Redeemer raised him up. And then [the emperor] killed him together with eight hundred souls, and again our Redeemer raised him up. And when the emperor saw him, he commanded the soldiers to bind him, and to cast him into a cauldron of brass, and to pour pitch and grease over him, and to light a fire under him, and the soldiers did so. And after a few days he commanded them to cut off his head, and they cut off his head, and forthwith our Lord raised him up from the dead; and behold, this was the third time that our Lord raised him up after he had been killed. And after this they tied a stone to his neck, and cast him into the sea, and at that very moment Saint Michael the archangel brought him out of the sea, and carried him to the place where the emperor was. And the emperor commanded them to hang him upon a tree, in the middle of the city, and they did so, and he died; again our Lord raised him up. This was the fourth time, which he was raised from the dead. And then, the fifth time, they cast him to the lions, and God delivered him as He did Daniel the prophet. And then the emperor commanded the soldiers to cut him in pieces, and to pound them up, and to cast him into the sea in a basket; and the soldiers did so. And forthwith our Lord came down from heaven, (now Michael and Gabriel were following Him,) and He stood upon the seashore, and brought Isidore up out of the sea; and He raised him up and healed him, and there was no injury on him. And the emperor being ashamed, and unable to effect his will, took counsel with his friends, and then decided to send him to the country of Salonika that they might have him tortured there. Then the emperor sent him away, bound hand and foot, and there was a heavy wooden collar about his neck, but the governor of Salonika showed mercy on him, because he had known him in days past. When the emperor heard this he was wroth, and he commanded the soldiers to bring the governor and Saint Isidore to him, and the governor delivered Isidore to him and the emperor placed him in the prison house, being hungry and thirsty. Now whilst the saint was in the prison house he worked great miracles, and healed the sick. And when the nineteenth day of Genbot had come, the emperor commanded the soldiers to take him outside the city, and to hang him upon a wooden cross, at the sixth hour of the day. And the air was filled with angels, and our Redeemer was with them, and promised him many things; and Isidore, the saint of God forthwith delivered up his soul, and received the crown of life. And the number of the years from the beginning to the end of his strife is as follows; he was in prison for five years before they tortured him, and he was in prison for one year in the city of Antioch, and for twelve years he suffered tortures. Salutation to Isidore, and to Euphemia his sister, and to Sofia his mother.

And on this day also eighty-five thousand and seven people became martyrs with Isidore. Salutation to these martyrs of the company of Isidore.

And on this day also died Abba Joseph, the light of the world. This holy man learned all the philosophy of this world in his father’s house, so that those who saw him marveled at him, and all the Books of the Church; and when he was grown up his father took him to the bishop, who made him a deacon. And God, Who willed the salvation of his soul, sent Michael, the angel of light, to him, and he said unto Joseph, “Dost thou love this fleeting world? Is not it and everything which is therein dross?” Thereupon Joseph began to fast and to pray, and he asked God to guide him into the path, which he should follow. Now there was a certain monk on the borders of Walka, whose name was Abba Zacharias, and who was of the kinsfolk of Abba Joseph, and he took Joseph secretly, and arrayed him in the garb of the monk, and carried him away to the country of Tegre, where he learned to work with his hands, and he wrote and weaved and performed all the work of the monastic life. Then they came into the desert of Barka, and each dwelt alone and labored in the ascetic life; and they fed upon the fruits of the desert, and the roots of trees. And they lived there, and the elephants, and serpents, and lions, had knowledge of them, and they worked many miracles by the might of their righteousness. Abba Nathaniel carried a red- hot pot on his hand, and went round holding it in the presence of his brethren. And Abba Joseph having smashed the pot in which he used to cook, join the pieces together without spilling his mess of pottage. And when [the monks] wanted to baptize Gebre Kher, who was about to die, he said unto them, “I will baptize myself with my own hand, for our Lord Jesus Christ hath this day made me a bishop.” Then each of the saints showed forth the beauty of his deeds, and they carried Joseph to the bishop, and he was made a priest. When Abba Zacharias died, Abba Joseph departed into another desert, and he fasted for forty days and forty nights, standing up and not speaking; and when he fell down through exhaustion, Michael the angel came and raised him up. And he also stood upon the edge of a great precipice with his arms extended like the arms of a cross, for forty days and forty nights, without taking a rest; and Satan came and cast him down into the abyss; and Saint Michael received him on his wings, and restored him to the place where he had stood. And he also went into a stone cave, and remained there for forty days and forty nights without food and drink; and the demons came and frightened him, each with his own hellish devices, but the angels made him strong. And he used to make eleven thousand prostrations at a time, until his brains ran down through his nose. And from that place he wandered about through all the mountains of Tegray, and he journeyed through the land of the South, and he came to the tomb of Yared, and he saw gates of light before the door of his cell, which was open, As he was returning thieves found him, and they stoned him with stones, and beat him with sticks, and they speared him with spears, and left him lying prostrate. And our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, came and healed him. One day he found the body of a dead woman, and when he had made over it the sign of the Cross, she rose up like a woman waking out of a sleep. And he went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem thrice, and received the blessing of the holy places. And he visited the tombs of Peter and Paul and the tombs of all the Apostles, and he traveled as far as Bartos and India. When he came to a river, which was full of water, he used to make the sign of the Cross over it, and then walk over the water on his feet; and the lions and the leopards followed him tamely. When he lacked food he would say a blessing over some stones, and they were turned into bread. And he went to Debre Libanos, to the monastery of our father Takla Haymanot, and received the garb of the monk from Abba Tewolde Medhin. And Abba Tewolde wished to try him, and he gave him six crushed and broken twigs to plant; and having planted them they grew up into trees, which exist to this day. And many men and monks came to him, and lived under his authority, and they dwelt in one habitation near a church, which had been built in the name of our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, the God-bearer, and in the Name of God the Father. And one day in a vision our holy Lady the Virgin Mary gave him incense, and he offered up incense with the Four and Twenty Priests of heaven before the throne of the God of Hosts; and the Apostles used to come to him, and bless him. One day a leopard snatched away a child from his mother, and when she had adjured the animal in the name of Joseph, the leopard brought the child back three days later. And he made it the rule for all his sons that they should possess neither money nor cattle, that they should not eat flesh or drink wine, old or new, that they should learn humility and meekness, that they should not utter words of emptiness, and that they should not laugh or joke in church; these and similar rules he laid down for them in their Canon. And having finished his life of labor and fighting, he died in peace, and was buried in the Church of Heaven) which is called Debre Tabor; and through his body countless signs and wonders took place. Salutation to Joseph.

And on this day also is commemorated our great Abuna Egzi’e. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 20 (May 28)

On this day died the holy and just man Caleb, King of Ethiopia. This saint loved and feared God, and he was of the True Faith. And when he heard that the Jews had killed the Christians in the city of Nagran, he was filled with divine zeal, and sorrowed greatly. Then he rose up and went to the church wherein the kings of Ethiopia and the bishops are buried, and having come therein he stood up on the royal throne before the church, and he stripped off his beautiful and royal apparel, and dressed himself in rags. And he laid hold upon the horns of the altar, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and prayed in the following words: “O Lord, my God, the Lord of all created things, both those which are visible and those which are invisible, Whom thousands of thousands of angels praise, Whom myriads of myriads of archangels serve, Whom the Cherubim with their many eyes, and the Seraphim each with his six wings, serve and proclaim holy, ceaselessly, saying, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, God of Hosts,’ Whom the saints sanctify, the God of gods, the Lord of lords, and the King of kings, the Father of our Lord and God and Redeemer Jesus Christ, Who art decked with light as with a garment. Thou art He Who was pleased to send forth Thy Son, that is to say, the Word, from Thyself, that He might bring back the men who were cast away, the Rational Lamb Who was not cast away, Who came down from heaven of His good pleasure (or, free Will), and was not separated from the Father and the Holy Spirit, and was made man by Mary, the holy Virgin, Who hast wrought for the salvation of the sons of men, and hast brought us out of the darkness, and hast led us into the light of the knowledge of Thee. Behold Thou, O God, and see what the impious infidel hath done to Thy flock, how he hath seized and slain the sons of Thy Church like sheep and goats, and hath burnt in fire the children of Thy Church; and moreover, he hath plundered the Church, and destroyed the children of Thy people and Thine inheritance. I believe on Thy Only Son, and on the Holy and Living Spirit, and I have laid hold upon the horns of Thine altar and taken refuge in the sign of Thy Cross, and I am strong in the Faith. And behold, I will go out, and slay Thine enemies by the might of the Cross of Thine Only One and Thy Messiah, for I am jealous for Thee, and for my brethren, and for the believers my fathers. O God, let me not be put to shame and disappointed in my hope, so that they who do not know Thy Name may not say, ‘Where is their God?’ If Thou wilt not hearken to my prayer, and wilt reject my petition because of the multitude of my sins and transgressions, slay me in this place. O let not Thine inheritance fall into the hands of Thine enemies, the deniers of Christ, who know not Thy Name; for we are Thy people and the sheep of Thy pasture, and Thee we praise for ever and ever. Amen.” Then Caleb the king went out from his royal city, and he departed and destroyed, and killed all the Jews who had laid waste the city of Nagran, and he performed countless miracles. And he returned to his royal city with great honor and joy not to be estimated, giving thanks to God at the same time. Then he thought in his heart and said, “With what shall I pay back to God for all that He hath done for me? But I have nothing whatsoever wherewith to reward Him, unless I offer my soul and body as a gift to my Lord Jesus Christ.” Then he forsook the world, and abandoned his kingdom, and went out by night, and departed on foot, and came to the monastery, which was on the top of the mountain of Abba Pantaleon, wherein good monks lived. And he entered the monastery and lived in a cell, the doors whereof he shut so that he might see no man, and he swore that he would never go outside the cell, and that he would never see the world again. And he took nothing in with him except a mat to lie upon, an earthenware pot, and the apparel of the monk, which he wore; and his food consisted of nothing but bread and salt, and his drink was water. His royal crown and his royal apparel, which were of great price, he sent to Jerusalem. And he wrote a letter to Abba John, Archbishop of Jerusalem, asking him to hang up the crown above the doors of the Tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ. And after [this] he went into that rock and never spoke to anyone; and he pleased God and died in peace. Salutation to Caleb.

And on this day also died the holy father Abba Ammonius, of Dabra Tona. When this saint was a young man, he saw a vision in which it seemed that Saint Abba Anthony called him to the monastic life. When he awoke from his sleep he rose up straightway, and went to Saint Abba Isidore, who arrayed him in the garb of the monk, and Ammonius dwelt with him. And after this he returned to Dabra Tona, and he built himself a cell and he fought a strenuous spiritual fight by day and by night. And Satan the accursed became jealous of him, and he came to him in the form of a woman, who was a nun. And when Satan knocked at the door of his cell, he opened unto him, and he did not hide himself from him because the knocker was Satan, the Enemy. And the saint asked him to pray with him, and Satan refused and revealed his iniquity, and he changed his form and became like a flame of fire, and then he said unto him, “I will bring upon thee still more strenuous warfare.” And Satan, the Enemy, departed. And he entered into the heart of a certain young woman with a beautiful face, and he moved her to attempt to make the saint to fall into sin. And she dressed herself in fine linen and came unto him at the time of evening, and she began to knock at the door of his cell and to say, “I am a woman on a pilgrimage, and I have strayed from my road, and arrived [here], and the evening hath overtaken me; leave me not outside so that the wild beasts may not devour me, and I be punished for my sins.” And when he opened the door to her, he knew that she was a trap of Satan, the accursed, and that it was he who had sent her. And he began to admonish her from the Divine Books, and he caused the fear of Hell to rise up in her, and dread of the punishment, which is prepared for sinners. And he told her of the joy and gladness, which are prepared for the righteous; and at that moment God opened her heart to understand what he said unto her. And she stripped off her fine apparel and cast herself down at his feet, and she wept and begged him to receive, and to save her soul; and he shaved off the hair of her head, and dressed her in sackcloth of hair. And she practiced many ascetic excellences, which excelled in strictness the excellent works of the great saints. Thus she prayed twelve hundred prayers in a night and a day, and she fasted two days or three days, or seven days, at a time, and the devil was put to shame by work of this kind. And she became like a monk in appearance, and used to go into all the monasteries [at will]. And a certain wretched man told [the brethren] that Abba Ammonius, after great ascetic labors, lusted for and desired a woman, and that she was living with him in his cell, and that he had put the monks to shame, and had disgraced the garb of the monk. And when Abba ‘Ebelo, who was like the angels heard this, he rose up straightway, and taking with him Abba Joseph and Abba Bohe, they came to Saint Ammonius in Dabra Tona. And when they knocked at the door of his cell that woman went out to them, and they talked together, and said, “In truth, is what that monk told us true?” Now Saint Abba Ammonius had called that woman “Sadji,” that is to say, “the meek.” And having entered into the cell and prayed, Abba ‘Ebelo, and Abba Joseph, and Abba Bohe sat down and talked until the evening concerning the greatness of God. And Abba Ammonius said unto them, “Rise up, and let us go and see Sadji making a little bread for us.” And when they had gone in they found her standing in the red-hot oven, with her hand stretched out towards heaven, and praying; and when they saw her they marveled exceedingly at this great miracle, and they glorified God. And after this she brought them bread, and they ate. And that night the angel of God made known to Abba ‘Ebelo concerning the spiritual fight of Sadji, and to Saint Abba Ammonius, and that God Himself had brought them that day to witness the death of Sadji. And when the third hour of the night arrived, she was seized with violent fever, and she made one prostration to God and at that moment she delivered up her soul; and they swathed her carefully and buried her. And Abba Ammonius began to describe to them her excellences, and he said unto them that Sadji had dwelt with him for eighteen years, that she had never once raised her face, and that she had not seen his face nor he hers; and their food was bread and salt. And a few days after Saint Abba Ammonius also died. Salutation to the blessed Ammonius of Tona. Salutation, salutation to Sadji, the disciple of Ammonius.

And on this day also died Abba Hor, the disciple of Abba ‘Amoni (Ammonius), and Abba Darama.

And on this day also are commemorated those who became martyrs with Heroda, and Zacharias of Antioch. Salutation to Hor, and to Abba ‘Amoni (Ammonius), who was an ascetic for forty years, and an adorer of Mary, who appeared unto him. Salutation to Abba Darama.

And on this day also died the holy father Abba Batra (or, Zatra) Wangel, the Abbot of Dabra Libanos, the sixteenth of the learned fathers. This holy man was from his early youth arrayed in innocence, like the angels, and he loved humility and meekness. After he assumed the garb of the monk, he fought a good fight, and he was appointed shepherd of the flock of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then he died at a good old age, as on this day the twentieth of Genbot. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 21 (May 29)

On this day all Christian communities celebrate the festival of the appearance in public of our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, the God-bearer, in Debre Mitmak, as she was seated upon light, in a circle, in the church, which was built in her name. She was enveloped in divine light, and there were standing round about her all the hosts of the angels, and archangels, and their wings were extended and overshadowing her, and the Seraphim also were standing round about her with their censers, and they were censing her great majesty. And every time they bowed down to her they praised her, saying, “God the Father looked down from heaven upon earth and He found none like unto thee. He sent His Only Son, and He was born of thee.” And the martyrs came, mounted upon their horses, and they bowed before her, and Mar Saint George descended from his horse, and two others came and bowed before her, and he who came after [Saint George] was Saint Mercorios, mounted upon a black horse. After him all the martyrs came, and bowed down to her, and did homage to her, and she blessed them, and they returned. And there came also the company of the prophets, and the righteous, and they bowed down and did homage to her. And the children whom Herod slew also came lamenting before her, and they leaped up and embraced each other. And when those who were gathered together saw this, it filled them with joy and they thought they were in heaven. And if there was anyone whose father was dead, or his mother, or a kinsman, or a friend, and he asked her, saying, “O my holy Lady, thou Virgin Mary, thou God-bearer, show me so and so,” straightway she made that person to come in the form he had before [on earth]. And also when they threw down their stoles she took the one which she wished in her hands, and threw it back to them, and they divided it among the women a thing of blessing. And thus Christian and Armani (Pagan?) saw her for five days. And when they wished to go home to their own houses, they did homage to her and made an agreement with her, and she blessed them with her fingers. Salutation to him that looked upon thee, O Mary, as the eye of a daughter looketh at her mother.

And on this day also died the Holy Father Abba Martianus. This saint became a monk in his early manhood with a certain holy elder, and fought a great spiritual fight, and then he went to a monastery of the city of Caesarea of Palestine, which was called Debre Tabot Noha, and there he fought an exceedingly great and strenuous fight. And having lived for seven and sixty years as an ascetic, fighting the spiritual fight with fasting, and prayer, and prostrations, and vigils by day and by night, the report of his virtues and righteousness became noised abroad. And a certain woman, who was a harlot, and sinner, and who was a notorious evil-doer, heard of him, and she said unto those who talked about his virtues, and his righteousness, and his holiness, “How much more are ye going to praise the man? He liveth in the desert and he never seeth a woman. If he once saw me I would stain his virginity, and defile his holiness, and destroy his abstinence from women.” And those men, because they knew his holiness, and his virginity, and the purity of his body, contradicted the harlot about this, and fierce contention broke out between her and them. And she said unto the, “How much money will ye give me if I go to him, and make him to fall into sin with me? What will ye give me, I say?” And they agreed with her to give her a certain sum of money if she did this. And straightway she rose up, and took her ornaments, and her apparel, and her many perfumes, (now she was very beautiful to look upon,) and she went to his cell, wearing poor and wretched rags wherein her face was muffled. And themselves tied up her ornaments and her fine apparel in a bundle; and then she hid herself in a place, which was near his cell until the evening. And in the evening she knocked at the door of his cell, and asked him to let her remain with him until the morning. And the saint was very sorry for himself, and he pondered in his heart deeply. And he said, “If I leave her outside the wild bests of the desert will eat her, and if I bring her in I shall have to suffer a warfare about her within myself.” And after this he opened the door to her, and he left her in that place, and went to another. And the woman arrayed herself in her beautiful apparel, and she adorned herself and perfumed herself, and she came to him and asked him to lie with her; and she said unto him, “No one will see me here.” And the saint knew that she was a snare of Satan, the Enemy, and he said unto her, “Wait a little for me until I look at the road, for if we do not fear God it is meet for us to fear men, who are like unto us.” And he went out from her, and lighted a large fire, and as he put his head into the flames time after time, he said to his soul, “If thou art able to bear Hell, commit sin.” And he tarried in coming to her, she went to him, and she saw him in the flames burning his hands and his fingers and his feet. And she was terrified, and dragged him out of the fire, and her sense returned to her, and she stripped off her raiment, and cast it away, and threw herself down at his feet and begged him to help her to save her soul. And he began to teach her, and to admonish her about the end of this fleeting world, and the desire thereof, and she repented with all her heart. And he said unto her, “It is not desirable for us to live together in the same place.” And he took her to a house of virgins, and commanded the abbess to take charge of her, and she pleased God during the rest of life, which remained to her. And she reached a good old age, and received the gift of the Holy Spirit, and healed many sick folk. And Saint Martianus, fearing lest the Enemy might bring to him another woman, departed to an island in the river [Nile], and dwelt there, and a certain owner of a boat used to bring him food, and buy the work of his hands. And when the saint had dwelt there many days the boat belonging to that man sank in the river, and a certain woman hung on to one of the planks thereof, and the waves of the river washed her to the island on which Saint Martianus lived. And when he saw her he was frightened, and was sorry, because he would have to dwell with her; but the word of God spoke to her, and he arrayed her in the garb of the nun. And he prepared food for her, and he said unto her, “It is not desirable for us to dwell together in one place.” Then he left that island, and cast himself into the river; and a large monster of the river took him up and carried him over, and brought him to dry land. From that time onwards he never lived in [one] place, but wandered about in the mountains, and deserts, and uninhabited districts until he had traveled through one hundred and sixty countries. He never stayed one day in one place. And after this he shut himself up in a cave, and when he knew that the time of his death was nigh, he called the bishop and told him all that had happened to him, and all his spiritual fight from the beginning to the end thereof; and the bishop marveled at the great size of his body. And before all this happened the angel of God had appeared to the bishop, [and told him] to think about the body of Saint Martinaus. And after this he delivered up his soul into the hand of God; and the bishop swathed him for burial and buried him with great honor. And as for the woman who was on that island, the owner of the boat visited her until she died; and he came and found her body white as snow, and he carried it to his own country. Salutation to Abba Mardali.

And on this day also died Abba Aaron, the Syrian. This saint was a fighter from his youth, and at length the gifts of healing and working miracles were given unto him. When pilgrim monks came to him he used to cook for them young doves, and when they said unto him, “We do not eat flesh,” he would say words of blessing over the doves, and he dismissed them and they flew away. And he built a monastery, and the water was a long way off down the mountain, and he prayed a prayer, and made the sign of drawing it up with his hand, and so made the water to ascend. One day Satan came to him to destroy him with evil, and Abba Aaron, knowing the appearance of him by the grace of the Holy Spirit, which dwelt upon him, said unto him, “Come into this cave to dwell.” And when Satan had come into that cave, one side of it fell on him and buried him, and a huge stone leaped upon him, and Satan was put to shame. And also, when the governor of the city died, did not he raise him up by his prayer? And this father made a lion to carry four water-jars on his back, and the lion drew water for him for a period of ten years; and then he departed to God. Salutation to Aaron, who made young doves, which had been boiled, to fly away.

And on this day also are commemorated Amos, the prophet, and Mardali. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 22 (May 30)

On this day died Andronicus, the holy apostle. Our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ chose this saint, who was one of the numbers of the Seventy-two disciples, whom He sent out before His Passion to preach the kingdom of God. And the gift of the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the Hall of Zion, and he preached with the holy apostles in every city. After this the holy apostles laid their hands upon him, and they made him Bishop of the city of Niwebyas, and he preached therein, and converted many of the pagans [Syrians], and brought them into the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, they having dwelt in the darkness of infidelity. And after this he took Julianus, the apostle, and they went about through many cities, and they preached and baptized innumerable folk. And they performed signs and wonders, and cast out many demons from men, and they healed many who were sick of very severe sicknesses, and they overthrew the houses of idols, and built churches of our Lord Jesus Christ. And having finished their preaching, God wished to remove them from the sorrow and toil of this world, and to bring them into the world of joy and gladness. And then Andronicus, the apostle, fell sick and died, as it were, on this day; and straightway Julianus the apostle prepared him for burial and laid him in a grave, and he himself died on the following day. Salutation to Andronicus.

And on this day also is commemorated Jacob Sharakawi. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 23 (May 31)

On this day died Saint Julian, the apostle. This saint was a son of the house of Gabriel, [who was] of the children of Israel and of the tribe of Judah. Our Lord Jesus Christ chose him among the number of the Seventy-two disciples, and he received the gift of the Holy Spirit, Paraclete; and he preached with the apostles, and there came upon him, as upon the apostles, great tribulation and persecution. After this the apostles laid their hands upon him and made him a bishop, and sent him to preach the kingdom of God, and he preached in all the cities everywhere. And after this he went with Andronicus, the apostle, and he preached with him, as is recorded in the section for the preceding day. When Saint Andronicus died, this Saint Julian prepared him for burial and buried him; and then he prayed to God not to separate him from him; and on the following day this holy man died. And behold the holy Apostle Paul mentioneth these apostles in his Epistles to the men of Rome, and saith at the end thereof, “Salute Andronicus and Julian” (Romans xvi, 7). Salutation to Julian of the house of Gabriel.

And on this day also are commemorated Ensia, the martyr, and Aphroditus, the fourth of the Seventy-two disciples, and Julia the martyr, and Theodore the priest, and Tadros the bishop, and Julianus and his mother, who were martyred in the city of Alexandria, and the companions of Isidore, a woman, and her child, who was two months old. And her child spoke, saying, “I am a Christian like my mother”; now Diocletian killed them. Salutation to Julius and his mother. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 24 (June 1)

On this day our Lord Jesus Christ came to the land of Egypt, and He was a child whose days were two years, even as the Holy Gospel saith. And the angel of God appeared unto Joseph in a dream, saying, “Rise up, take the child and His mother, and depart to the land of Egypt and remain there until I tell thee.” And the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ took place for two reasons, in the operation of His wisdom, firstly: If Herod, the infidel, found Him, and was able to kill Him, others would think that His Incarnation was from below; and secondly: That the men of the land of Egypt might not be deprived of His grace, and of His going about in their midst, and that He might smash the idols which were in the land of Egypt, and that the prophecy of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled which said, “Behold, God shall mount upon a swift (or, light) cloud, and shall come to the land of Egypt, and the idols of Egypt shall fall down” (Isaiah xix, I). Our Lord, in the operation of His wisdom, fled before Herod, but it was not through fear that He fled. And the first city at which Joseph, and our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, the God-bearer, and our Lord Jesus Christ, and Salome, whose name was “Balata,” arrived, would not receive them. And they dug there a well of water, and it became a means of healing, not only to the men of that city, but also to all other men. Thence they departed to the monastery of Gamnudi, and they crossed the river towards the west. And the Lord put His foot upon a stone, and the mark of the sole of His foot is in the stone to this day, and the name of that place is called “the place of the sole of the foot of the Lord Jesus.” And our Lord said unto His mother, the holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, “Know thou, O Mary, my mother, that in this place a church shall be built in thy name and in mine. And I will make manifest therein signs and wonders, until the end of the world, and it shall be called ‘Debre Mitmak.’” Thence they departed towards the river, and crossed over towards the west, and He saw the desert of Scete from afar, and our Lord Jesus Christ blessed it, and He said unto His mother, “Know, O my mother Mary, that in this desert there shall live many monks, [and] ascetics, and spiritual fighters, and they shall serve God like the angels.” Thence He came to Debre Mesrak. And there was a staff in the hand of Joseph, wherewith he used to smite (?) our Lord Jesus Christ, and Joseph gave Him the staff. And when He took it He said unto His mother, “We will tarry here”; and that place and its desert, and the well of water, which is the first there, became known as Matareya (Near Heliopolis). And our Lord took Joseph’s staff, and broke it into little pieces and planted these pieces in that place, and He dug with His own divine hands a well, and there flowed from it sweet water, which had an exceedingly sweet odor. And our Lord took some of the water in His hands, and watered therewith the pieces of wood which He had planted, and straightway they took root, and put forth leaves, and an exceedingly sweet perfume was emitted by them, which was sweeter than any other perfume. And these pieces of wood grew and increased and they called them “Balsan” (i.e. the balsam trees). And our Lord Jesus Christ said unto His mother, the holy Virgin Mary, “O my mother, these Balsan, which I have planted, shall abide here for ever, and from them shall be [taken] the oil for Christian baptism, when they baptized in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Thence they went to the city of Behensa, and to a place, which is called Bet Iyasus, which is interpreted “House of Jesus”; and our Lord Jesus Christ dug there a well whereof the water cured every sickness and every pain. And He also set a sign in a certain well of the river of Egypt, which rose [in flood] every year. At the time of prayer at which they offered up incense at mid-day to God by that well, as soon as the reading of the Gospel was ended the water which was in the well would rise up and come to the mouth of the well; and they used to receive a blessing from it, and straightway the water would recede until it reached its former level; and the people used to measure by the cubit the height to which it rose above its normal level at the bottom of the well. If the height were twenty cubits, there would be great abundance in the land of Egypt that year; if the height were eighteen or seventeen cubits, there would also be abundance, but if the height were only sixteen cubits there would be a great famine throughout the land of Egypt. And then they went to ‘Eshmunayn, and our Lord broke the idols which were therein; and they dwelt there for a few days with a man whose name was ‘Apelon. And there were there some komol trees, and they bowed [their heads] before our Lord Jesus Christ, and they have remained bent until this day. Thence they went to Debre Kuskuam, and they remained therein for six months, and our Lord placed a well therein, the water of which healed every sickness. And when our Lord had finished living in the land of Egypt the days which He wanted to live there, that is to say, three years and six months, and Herod was dead, the angel of the Lord appeared unto Joseph in a dream, and again he spoke to him, saying, “Rise up and take the Child, and His mother, and depart to the land of Israel.” When they returned from that place, they came to the city of Mahareka; and having come to Mesr (Cairo), they dwelt in the cave, which is the church of Saint Sergius in Mesr (Cairo). After this they went out from Mesr (Cairo) and came to Matariyah, and they bathed there, and the well therein which our Lord Jesus Christ made became holy and blessed from that hour, even as has already been said. And thence went forth the oil “Balasan,” [the plants of which] our Lord planted, and with this oil Christian baptism is made perfect, and with it churches and altars, and sacred property are consecrated. And with it they give relief and healing to all those who are sick, and they present it as a gift to kings, who boast themselves of its possession. And from this place they went to Mehdab. And by His return was fulfilled the prophecy of Hosea the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt have I called My Son” (Hosea 11:1). And it is meet to us to celebrate a spiritual festival on this day, and we should sing on it the words of David the prophet, “God hath wrought signs in the land of Egypt, and wonders in the Field of Zoan” (Psalm 78:12). And also, “He hath wrought in thee the signs of Egypt, and in the Egyptians,” and with them. “Glory be to God our Lord Jesus Christ, and to this Good Father, and to the Holy Life-giving Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.” Salutation to Thy coming to the land of Egypt.

And on this day also died Habakkuk, the prophet, one of the Twelve Sons of the Minor Prophets. One day this prophet cooked some lentils in a pot, and as he was carrying the pot, with some bread, to the men who were reaping in the fields outside the city, the angel of God appeared unto him, and said unto him, “Take this food to Daniel the prophet in the den of lions of the city of Babylon.” And Habbakkuk said unto him, “I have not seen Babylon and I do not know the den therein.” And the angel of God seized him by the hair of his head, as he was carrying the food, and brought him to the pit of the city of Babylon, which was shut, and he gave that food to Daniel and he ate; and immediately the angel of God brought him back to the land of Judah. Now he was a very old man. When the children of Israel returned from captivity, and built the sanctuary, Habakkuk came to Jerusalem, and they welcomed him with great joy, and they made the sanctuary beautiful and assembled to hear his prophecy. And he opened his mouth in the Holy Spirit and said, “O God, I heard the sound of Thee and I was afraid. I saw Thy work and I marveled.” And then he spoke in his prophecy concerning the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. And concerning His birth in Bethlehem of Judah, he saith, “God shall come from Mount Faran”; and then he continued his prophecy to the end and he wrote it and he mixed it with the prophecy of the prophets. And he dwelt in Jerusalem. And a certain woman of the sons of Israel came unto him weeping, and she said unto him, “I had two sons, and certain men required of them to worship idols, and they refused to do so, and the men killed them and cast their bodies out on the highway.” And Habakkuk went forth with her to the place where the young men who had been killed were lying, and he besought God to give them back their souls; and God accepted his prayer, and made the two young men to live again. When the time drew nigh for him to die he called his kinsfolk, and told them that he was going to die. And he continued to gaze upwards for the space of an hour, and behold a great arm, like the hand [and arm] of a man, opened the roof of the house, and came down from above, and reached itself out to his mouth, and took his soul. And when Anastasius, the Christian emperor, read the story of the strife of Habakkuk, he built a church in his honor in the city of Kartas, in the north of Egypt, and it was consecrated as on this day. Salutation to Habakkuk.

And on this day also the blessed and chosen fighter Abba Abkuelta became a martyr. This saint belonged to a noble family of the city of ‘Ensena, and he was a pure priest and a wise physician, and he did great good to all the suffering folk who came unto him, and he healed them without payment; moreover he also gave them food, and drink, and raiment, and anything of which they stood in need. In those days Diocletian, the infidel emperor, sent orders into the region of Upper Egypt, to the governor whose name was Arianus that he was to compel the men of that country to worship idols. Thereupon they took this saint and carried him away from ‘Ensena to the city of ‘Eshmunayn, and set him before the governor. And the governor spoke unto him with words of gentleness, in order to persuade him to abandon the True Faith, but he count not make him do so. And straightway the governor ordered his soldiers to torture him with divers kinds of tortures, and they did so, until his skin melted, and then they burnt him alive in the fire; thus he finished his martyrdom on the twenty-fourth day of the month of Genbot. And certain believers came, and swathed him for burial in costly cloths, and they buried him in one of the upper hills near his city. Salutation to Abba ‘Abkuelta.

And on this day also took place the death of Eleazar, the priest, the son of Aaron.

And on this day also are commemorated ‘Akledis (Clitas), and Teflas, and Da’ala Maryu. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 25 (June 2)

On this day died Saint Salome, the sister of our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, the God- bearer. She was the daughter of Matata, the son of Levi, the son of Melki, the son of Aaron the priest; now Matata had three daughters; the name of the oldest was “Mary,” and the second was called “Sofia,” and the third was “Hanna.” Mary brought forth Salome, and Sofia brought forth Elisabeth, and Hannah brought forth our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary. And this Salome was brought up in the house of Joseph with our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, and she ministered unto her, and she was not separated from her when our Redeemer was born. When Joseph was thinking about our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, and wondering how she had brought forth her Son, being a virgin, this Saint Salome made bold to touch the seal of Mary’s virginity, and her fingers were burned by divine fire; but as soon as she touched the Child she was healed, [and her fingers] became as before. By this sign Joseph knew that our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, was the God-bearer. When Herod commanded that the children of Bethlehem should be killed, she made the Child and Joseph and His mother, the Lady Mary, to take to flight, and she became a participator in the trouble caused by Him, sometimes carrying Him in her arms, and sometimes washing Him; and she ministered unto Him all His days--three and thirty years. On the day of His Passion she was not separated from Him, and she lamented and wept, and on the day of His Resurrection she saw Him before the Apostles saw Him. And even in the upper chamber of Zion the Holy Spirit came down upon her and the holy women, and she made many to believe on Him in the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ; and she received from the Jews much derision and much enmity. Salutation to Salome.

And on this day also Saint Cotylus, a physician from the city of Antinoe, became a martyr. This saint had a God-fearing father, and his mother also feared God; and his father was governor of the city of Antinoe. He had no son, and he besought God frequently to give him one, and at length He gave him this saint; and he admonished him and taught him the Books of the Church. This saint was pure from his youth up, and he was an ascetic, and fought the spiritual fight; he prayed many prayers, and his rule was to pray one hundred prayers by night, and one hundred prayers by day. When he was grown up his parents wanted to see him married, but this he did not wish. They had a daughter, whom they had begotten after this holy man Cotylus, and they married her to Arianus, the governor of the city of Antinoe, who succeeded the father of this saint. Now when the father of Cotylus had waxed old in days, he asked the emperor and the emperor removed him from his office, and gave it to Arianus his son-in-law. And when his father died, Cotylus built a house wherein pilgrims were received, and then he learned the books of medicine, and became a physician; and all the sick folk came to him, and he healed them without payment. When Diocletian denied Christ, Arianus joined him in his denial, in order to keep his office, and he used to torture the martyrs. And this Saint Cotylus yearned to become a martyr, and he went to the governor’s Council, and cursed Arianus, and the emperor, and their gods, which were idols; but Arianus was not able to do him any harm because of his sister [who was his wife], but he sent him to the city of Behensa, where the saint remained in the prison house for three years. And Cotylus sent to his sister, and she delivered him from the prison house. After Arianus, another governor was appointed, and [Arianus] told him the story of this Saint Cotylus. And the governor sent and had him brought, and he was angry with him, and said unto him, “If thou wilt not cast incense to the gods I will torture thee with very great severity.” And the saint said unto him, “I will not cast incense to unclean idols, but only to my Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.” And straightway the governor was wroth, and he commanded the soldiers to torture him with every kind of torture; but each time the angel of God came to him, comforted him, and strengthened him to endure, and He healed him and worked many signs and wonders by him. And when the governor was tired of torturing him, and Cotylus would not change his opinion, he commanded the soldiers to cut off his head, and they cut it off, and the saint received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. Then the men of his house swathed him for burial, and they laid him in a beautiful shrine, and many great signs and wonders took place through his body therein. Salutation to Cotylus.

And on this day also Saint Abba Heroda became a martyr. This holy man was from the city of Sebastia and he lived in the days of the persecution of the Christians by Diocletian, the infidel; now he was God-fearing from his youth. One day whilst he was lying upon his bed, and thinking about God’s good pleasure, he said in his heart, “What doth it profit me to live in this fleeting world? I have heard the voice of my Lord Jesus Christ, Who saith in the Holy Gospel, ’He who denieth not this world and what is therein is not able to devote himself to Me (Matthew 16:24). And now, I will arise, and I will go and pour out my blood for the Name of my Lord Jesus Christ.” And as he was thinking these thoughts in his heart, behold Saint Michael, the archangel, came to him, and said unto him, “Peace be unto thee, O holy and blessed Abba Heroda! Be not afraid, for behold our Lord Jesus Christ hath prepared for thee a crown and a throne of glory, in the kingdom of the heavens. I am Michael, the archangel, and I will go with thee to the place of torture, and no torture whatsoever shall prevail over thy holy flesh.” And when Saint Michael had said these things to him, he gave him the benediction of peace and went up into heaven. And the blessed Abba Heroda went outside his city, a little to the west, and turning his face towards the east he prayed, saying, “I beseech Thee, O Father, Sustainer of the universe, and Thee, O Only Son, my Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be praise and all blessing from my mouth, for to Thee praise is meet, I beseech Thee to strengthen me so that I may finish that which I have determined to do for Thee.” And having said this he went to the governor’s Council, and cried out boldly, saying, “I am a Christian.” And the governor said unto him, “So thou art a Christian? Where is thy country? Who art thou? What is thy name? And what is thy nation?” And Saint Abba Heroda answered and said unto him, “I am a man of the city of Sebastia and from the province of Behensa, and from my youth I have been a soldier in the service of the king.” And Lucianus the governor said unto him, “Art thou ready to sacrifice to the gods Apollo and Artemis? If thou wilt do this I will promote thee, and I will honor thee more than any other soldier, and I will give thee much money.” And Saint Abba Heroda answered and said unto him, “O fool, it is written in the Holy Scriptures thus: Woe be unto the man whose confidence is in man and blessed is the man whose confidence is in God (Psalm 40:4), and in the Name of the God of heaven and earth. I will not offer sacrifice to unclean idols, for my hope is God.” And straightway the governor was wroth, and he commanded his soldiers to scourge him, and to torture him. And they beat the saint with rods of iron, and with stakes of the thorn tree, until his blood flowed down on the ground like water; but the saint suffered no pain whatsoever from these tortures, for God was with him. And straightway Saint Michael the archangel came down to him from heaven, and he touched the body of the saint, and healed his wounds, and made him whole. When the people saw this miracle they believed on our Lord Jesus Christ, and became martyrs; and they were in number five hundred men. And when the governor became tired of torturing him he commanded the soldiers to cut off his head with the sword. Thereupon the soldiers put a bridle in his mouth, and they carried him away to cut off his head with the sword. And our Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto him and said unto him, “Peace be unto thee, O blessed Heroda! I am Christ thy God; fear not, for a throne hath been prepared for thee with the saints in the heavens. Verily I say unto thee that whosoever shall commemorate thy toil, and make an offering, and give alms to the poor on the day of thy commemoration, shall not have one barren animal among his flocks, and sons shall not be wanting in his house, and Satan shall never have any power over any of his works. Or whosoever shall write the history of thy strife and martyrdom, his name will I write in the Book of Life, and I will destroy the bond of his debt. I will deliver from all his tribulation the man who is in tribulation, when he maketh mention of thy name; and whosoever shall celebrate thy commemoration I will forgive all his transgressions. My peace shall be with thee.” When our Redeemer had said these things He went up into heaven with great glory. And Saint Abba Heroda rejoiced with a great joy at the end of his fight, and he turned to the people who were following him, and said unto them, “If there be among you a man who feareth God, let him take my body and lay it up by him; for a great blessing shall rest upon the place wherein my body resteth.” And straightway he stretched out his neck, and they cut off his holy head with the sword, and he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Genbot. And after seven months his kinsfolk came and took the body of the saint, and brought it to the city of Sebastia and laid it in a shrine, which they had built for it; and through it many signs and miracles took place, and many sick folk were healed. Salutation to Abba Heroda. Salutation to the thirty thousand souls who were hacked to pieces with knives, or died by the sword.

And on this day also are commemorated Saint Balanus, and ‘Alontran (Elantherius), and Romanus, and two hundred and fifty martyrs, and the Emperor Constantine, and his mother Helena.

And on this day our Lord planted pieces from Joseph’s rod in the place Bisos, and they grew and became trees. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 26 (June 2)

On this day Saint Thomas the apostle and martyr, who was called “Didymus,” that is to say “Twin,” became a martyr, after he had preached in the country of India and Kantara. And this saint having arrived in the country of India, made himself a slave of a certain governor, whose name was Lucius; now that governor was a friend of the king. And he asked Thomas, saying, “Tell me what handicraft thou knowest.” And Thomas said unto him, “I am an architect, and I can build temples and palaces. I am also a carpenter and I can make implements for use in the fields, and seats, and other things [in wood]. I am also a physician, and I can heal the sick who are smitten with sores.” And when his master heard the words of Thomas, he was pleased exceedingly, and said, “I have gotten a slave who will be of use to the king.” And at that time that governor set out to go to the king, and he left Saint Thomas to build in the house. And Saint Thomas began to teach the mistress of the governor the way of God, and he commanded her to walk in purity, and he made her to understand the mystery of the Son of God; and she believed on his words, and many of the men of the house also believed. And when Thomas’s master returned from the king, and saw Saint Thomas the apostle, he said unto him, “O wicked slave, where is the fine work which thou didst tell me thou wouldst make for me?” And Thomas answered and said unto his master, “My lord, I have not lied unto thee. As for the temples and palaces which I have built [for thee] they are the souls who have become temples for the King of glory, and the ploughing implements which I have fashioned for thee are the Holy Gospels which shall plough up the thorny growth and weeds of sin. And the medicines, and the means of healing, are the Holy Mysteries, the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which heal those who have been poisoned with the deadly poison of sin.” And when the governor heard this he commanded the soldiers to lay him down on the ground, and to tie his hands and feet together with ropes, and to drag him along on the lower part of his back, and to tie him by these ropes to a stake, and to cut off his skin with knives, and to fill the inside of his body with salt, and vinegar, and the dust of burnt bricks; and they did as the governor commanded, and the saint endured all these things with the endurance which was from God. And when his mistress saw them flaying him from the window of her house, she fell down straightway, and delivered up her soul [to God]. And when Lucius knew that his wife was dead, he was exceedingly sad. And as for Saint Thomas, the apostle, God cooled his wounds and healed his body. And Lucius said unto him, “Behold, my wife hath died through thee, and if thou wilt raise her up from the dead, I will believe in thy God.” And Saint Thomas, the apostle, came to her, and he laid his skin upon her, saying, “O Arsonia, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, rise up!” And she opened her eyes straightway, and she rose, and stood up, and did homage to Saint Thomas, the apostle; and when Lucianus (sic) saw this, he believed on our Lord Jesus Christ. And all the men of his house and all the men of the city believed on our Lord Jesus Christ, and Thomas baptized them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; and he appointed bishops and priests over them, and built churches for them. And [he remained] with them for four months, and confirmed them in the True Faith, and on everyone who was sick, no matter what the sickness was, he laid his skin, and he became healed straightway. Then the saint went forth from them and came to the city of Kontaria. And as he was going in he found al old man weeping bitterly, and the saint said unto him, “Why dost thou weep in this manner?” And the old man answered and said unto him, “I had three sons whom the king slew for the sake of their money. And I am in debt to certain men but have not the wherewithal to pay them. If only one of these sons had been left to me, he would have helped me to live.” And the saint gave him his skin, and said unto him, “Lay this upon thy sons”; and when the man did as the saint commanded him, the three sons rose up from the dead straightway. And this miracle was noised abroad immediately in all the cities. And the priests of the idols were filled with wrath, and they stoned Saint Thomas, the apostle, with stones, and their hands withered. And they all believed on our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Saint baptized them with Christian baptism, and he taught them the Law of the Church. And after this Thomas went to the city of Kenas, and to the city of Makedonya, and he preached to the men therein in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when the kings and governors heard about them, they seized him, and shut him up in prison. Now the king had a wife, and she and many of the people who were with her came unto the saint secretly, in prison; and he taught them the way of God, and many believed on his words. And the king was exceedingly angry because of his wife, but he could not kill the saint among his people, and therefore he had him taken outside the city; and he commanded four (?) of his soldiers to spear him with their spears, and they speared him until he delivered up his soul. And the king’s son stood by looking on at them. And when the men of the city knew [this], they came to deliver Thomas from the hands of the soldiers, and they found that he had delivered up his soul; then they swathed him for burial and laid him in one of the royal tombs. Then a Satan leaped upon the king’s son, and he fell into an epileptic fit. And [the servants of the king] came to the body of Saint Thomas, the apostle, to take away a little piece of his grave clothes, to hang over the body of the king’s son. And when they opened the door of the tomb, they could not find the body of the saint therein, for God had translated it; and they took some of the dust from his tomb in faith, and they hung it up over the king’s son, and he recovered immediately. And Saint Thomas the apostle appeared unto many of the men of that city, and made them to know that he was alive, and that our Lord Jesus Christ had received him, and he commanded them to be strong in the True Faith, in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. The First Miracle of Saint Thomas. There was a certain God-fearing priest of the country of Egypt who went to the country of India to trade. And on the twenty-sixth day of the month of Genbot, which is the night of the festival of Saint Thomas, the apostle, he saw many people assembling on the bank of the river, wherein was an island on which Saint Thomas was, and at that moment a mighty wind storm came, and swept the water away. And all the people set out and went into the church of Saint Thomas, which was on the island, and they found the verger of the church had died at that very moment; and they swathed him for burial, and buried him, and they prayed all that night. And on the following day, which was the twenty-seventh day of the month of Genbot, and the festival of Saint Thomas, they partook of the Offering. And when the consecration was over, and the prayer of breaking the bread was said, they placed the Holy Body of our Lord in the hand of Saint Thomas, the apostle, the hand being alive and undecayed, and the people came one by one to received the Holy Mysteries from his hand. And as they were receiving the Offering, there came a certain man from among the laity to receive, and the palm of the saint’s hand was closed tightly over the Holy Body. And they all cried out “Kyrie-eleison” many times, and they prayed for a long time, and [then] the palm of the saint’s hand opened, and administered the Holy Mysteries to that man, and all the people likewise received the Holy Mysteries; and they went out from the church, and returned to their houses in the peace of God. And at that very moment the storm of wind returned and brought back the water to is former place and height; and this has happened each year and it happeneth at the present day. Salutation to Thomas, who was prepared to thrust his hand into the wound made by the spear in the Lamb. [The scribe has omitted nos. 2-6 of the Miracles of St. Thomas. They will be found in the Gedle Hawaryat, ed. Budge, Contendings of the Apostles, 1899-1901, Vol 2, pp. 419-455.]

And on this day also are commemorated Alphaeus, the martyr, and Zacharias, the anchorite, and Saint ‘Arsonwa, the wife of Lucius (or, Lucianus), the governor. Salutation to ‘Arsonwa. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 27 (June 4)

On this day died the holy father, Abba John, the thirtieth Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. This saint was a Christian, and a good man, and he became a monk in his early years, and he fought a strenuous spiritual fight. Then he shut himself up in a cell, but his knowledge and his excellence became noised abroad, and they seized him and made him Archbishop of Alexandria, and during the days of his office he composed many Homilies. And God exalted the horn of the Church in the days of this father; now, the emperor who reigned in his days was Anastasius, a believer and a just man. And Saint Abba Severus, Archbishop of the city of Antioch, wrote an epistle on the True Faith to this father Abba John, wherein he said, “Our Lord Christ, our God, after His union, is One Essence (or, being), without mixture, even according to the belief of our fathers Abba Cyril, and Abba Demetrius, and Abba Dioscoros.” And Abba John and all his bishops received the letter, and thanked God and glorified Him because of the conversion of the members who were separated, and who had come into their proper places. Then this father Abba John wrote an answer to this letter, with words full of the grace of the True Faith, concerning the unity of the Godhead of God, One Essence, and concerning the Incarnation of the Son of God in the nature of man, and how He is one with the Godhead, without separation, and without mingling, and without change, and that He is One and not Two. And he anathematized all those who separate our Lord Christ, or who mix His natures. And he anathematized all those who say that He Who suffered, and died, and was crucified for the children of men, was a mere man, or those who attribute suffering to the Divine Nature. On the contrary, by the True Faith we know that it was God, the Word, Who suffered for us in the flesh, which He took from us. And this is the path of the kingdom, and he who walketh therein shall never go astray, and never stumble. And when Abba Severus read the Epistle of this Saint Abba John, he received it with great satisfaction and pleasure, and he read it publicly in the city of Antioch; and there were peace and agreement in the city of Alexandria concerning the True Faith. And this father continued to teach the people and his flock for eleven years, and he admonished them, and protected them, and confirmed them in the True Faith, and he died in peace. Salutation of John who shut himself in his cell, until they elected him Archbishop of Alexandria.

And on this day also died Lazarus, the just man, the brother of Mary and Martha, having been appointed Bishop of the city of Cyprus, after our Lord rose from the dead. Our Lord suffered in that week, and this saint followed the Apostle from that time. After the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, had descended upon the Apostles, they laid their hands upon him, and made him Bishop of the city of Cyprus. And he guarded his flock well, and he sat for forty years and died in peace. Salutation to Lazarus. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 28 (June 5)

On this day Kerlos (Cyril) and his five and forty sons became martyrs. [A certain Paul and his forty-five sons are according to the Bodleian MS. to be commemorated on the 28th day of Ginbot.]

And on this day they commemorate the honorable fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Salutation to Kerlos (Cyril). Salutation to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

And on this day also died Abba Macarius of the monastery of Abba Pachomius. Abba Anthony, the archimandrite of that monastery, saith, “There came unto me certain monks, saying: Behold the departure of Brother Mercorios draweth nigh.” And I went to him so that I might receive his blessing, and I found him unconscious (?), but his soul was not separated from his body. And we sat with him for three nights without eating. And on the third day he came to himself, and he drew a breath, and opened his eyes. When he saw me he said unto me, “Why have ye gathered together about me?” And we talked about all his labors, and we asked him to tell us what he had seen, and he told us how an awe-inspiring man had come to him, and taken his soul, and had shown him the torture of sinners, and the reward of the righteous. Then he lamented over his soul and turned his face downwards to the earth, and he said unto us, “Brethren, go ye into the abode of Abba George, of the desert of Harasit, for I heard the angel who was with me saying, ‘Take back Mercorios and bring George.’” Now this George was always fighting the spiritual fight, in a little cave in the Desert of Salt, and at length his body shriveled up, and when the brethren went they found him dead; and they brought him to the monastery and buried him there. And this brother had afflicted his body so heavily with ascetic labors that he became like dry wood. And then he made an agreement with me that he should go to the desert, and he said unto me, “On the fourteenth day of the month of Nehasse, come to me and thou wilt find me.” And on the day, which he had appointed to me I went to him, and I found him, and he said unto me, “I am going to die and to depart to my fathers. And three oxen shall come to thee, and do thou lift my body on to their backs, and they shall lead thee to the monastery, by the Will of God, and bury me by my abode”; and it happened even as he said, and innumerable signs and wonders were made manifest at his tomb.

And on this day also died Saint Amette Christos, the woman who fought the spiritual fight, and rejected the world, and vanquished the carnal desire, even as Abba Daniel hath related unto us, saying: When I was living in the desert of ‘Aaref, and was walking about at night by the light of the moon, I saw the figure of a man sitting on a hill, and his hair entirely covered his body. And I said in my heart, I will go and see what this is, and I went close to the figure to look at it. When it saw me it withdrew into a hollow of the rock, and straightway I knew that the figure was a man. And I said unto him, “I entreat thee, O man of God, to come out so that I may receive thy blessing”; but he remained silent. And I asked him to do so again and again, and then he said unto me, “Forgive me, O father, but I cannot come out.” And I said unto him, “Why not?” And he said unto me, “Because I am a woman, and I am naked.” When I heard this I took off the garment, which I had about me and I threw it to her, and she put it on; and she came out and we prayed. And I said unto her, “Tell me, O my mother, why thou hast come out here, and how thou didst find this hollow.” And she said unto me, “I was a virgin in my father’s house, and I lived in Jerusalem, and there was a certain monk who visited me frequently and who held converse with me. And after few days I went and lived with him. And I saw him weeping, and confessing his sin before God; when I knocked he did not open to me, but he continued to weep and to repent. When I heard him I said in my heart, ‘Why do I not weep and repent for my shame and disgrace?’ And I departed quickly to my house, and I put on sackcloth and I took a basket of beans and a vessel of water, and I prayed at the tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ, saying, ‘O mighty and powerful God, Who art everlastingly marvelous, Who dost save those who are destroyed, and dost raise up those who have fallen, and Who dost hearken unto those who cry unto Thee, send forth Thy compassion and Thy righteousness to save Thine handmaiden, who doth put her trust in Thee, and visit Thy wretched handmaiden, and accept my repentance, and bless this food and this vessel of water so that they may last me for the rest of my days, so that my thoughts about the salvation of my soul may not be brought to naught through my belly.’ And I went to Golgotha, and prayed this prayer, and I went forth and cast myself upon God, and I came to Jericho, and I went on until I reached the Red Sea. Thence I came into this desert, and I found this hollow in the hill, and I said, ‘This is my habitation, which God hath prepared for me.’ And behold, for eight and thirty years I dwelt in this desert, and I have never seen any man save thyself. And this basket of beans and this vessel of water whereon I live have neither become exhausted nor diminished during these eight and thirty years; my apparel became old and worn out, but this hollow hath taken the place of apparel, and become a covering for me; and neither the heat of the sun in summer nor the cold of the winter have troubled me all my days.” After this she besought me to eat and to drink, and I ate from the basket, and I drank from the vessel, and their contents were not diminished, and I gave thanks to God. I wanted to leave my garment with her, but she refused to accept it, saying, “Bring me a beautiful one.” Then I went to the monastery, and told the abbot, and he cried out, saying, “He who hath two garments let him give one to him that hath none”; and they brought to him what he wanted. And having taken them I departed straightway so that I might see Amatte Christos. And I toiled very hard in searching for her, but I count not find her. And after a few [days] certain old men came and said, “As we were journeying along the road of the Red Sea, in the Tanitic Desert, we saw a woman sitting by a rock towards eventide, and we ran so that we might be blessed by her, and she fled and withdrew into a cave, and we went close to the mouth of the cave but could not see her. And we found a basket of beans and a vessel of water, and we ate, and the beans came to an end immediately. And we stayed there all night until the morning, and we searched for the saint, so that we might be blessed by her, and we found her dead, and her hair covered her body. And we bowed low, and buried her in the cave and covered her face with a stone, and we came away blessing God that He had thought us worthy to find her, and to bury the blessed saint.” When I heard this I knew that she must be the woman whom I found. And I told the old men what she had told, me, and they glorified God Who had helped the weak vessel to overcome the Enemy and all his fiends. Salutation to ‘Amette Christos.

And on this day also the body of the holy and honorable Abba Epiphanius arrived in the city of Cyprus. Now this saint died on the eighteenth (sic) day of the month of Genbot, whilst he was on the ship, and before he arrived at the city of Cyprus, according to what Saint John, the Mouth of Gold (i.e. Chrysostom), had prophesied concerning him, that is to say, that he would not reach his Episcopal throne [again]. And having died during the voyage, they carried him in the ship, and brought him to the city of Cyprus. And the priests, and all the people, came with the Book of the Gospels, and crosses, and lamps, and censers, and incense, and hymns of praises, and psalms, and laments, and dirges, and they bore along the body of the pure saint, and finally laid it in the church. And the priests wanted to dig a grave for him in the church, but two deacons, whom the saint had excommunicated some time before because of their evil work, opposed their wish, and prevented those who wished to dig a grave for him from doing so. And the body remained in the church four days, and did not emit the odor which dead bodies are wont to emit, but it remained as if the saint were asleep. And a certain holy deacon rose up, and said unto the holy body, “I know that thou enjoyest grace before God, and that thou art able to overcome all the evil men who oppose thee”; and then he seized the pick and smote the ground therewith. And behold straightway the two wicked deacons fell upon their faces on the ground, and they were nigh to died; and men carried them into their houses, and they died on the third day. And the priests swathed the body of the saint with beautiful and costly cloths, and they anointed it with divers sweet unguents, and they laid it in a noble stone coffin, and then they buried him in the church. And there appeared from out of his body great signs and miracles similar unto those, which he had been wont to perform before his death. Salutation to the arrival of the body in the city of Cyprus, O Epiphanius.

And on this day also are commemorated Abba Senta, and ‘Agabos the martyrs. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 29 (June 6)

On this day is celebrated the festival of the Birth of our Lord and God and Redeemer, Jesus Christ; the sons of the Church celebrate it each month, and beg for mercy and forgiveness for their sins. Salutation to Thy Birth, O our Lord.

And on this day also died the holy father Abba Simon, of the monastery of Antioch. The name of the father of this saint was John, and the name of his mother was Martha, and through him signs and wonders took place. Thus before his mother conceived him, Saint John the Baptist came to her in a dream, and told her about the birth of this John, and he revealed unto her what would happen to him. And having been born, and his days being six years, Simon departed to the monastery of Antioch, and brought himself under the yoke of the monastic life; and he became an ascetic and fought a strenuous spiritual fight. And the angels appeared unto him, when he was asleep, on several nights, and taught him how to fight the spiritual fight, even as they had taught Abba Pachomius. And they revealed to this saint the work which cannot be destroyed, and the strife of the monastic life, and they gave him strength, and this saint fought a sublime and superhuman fight, for did not the angels bring unto him spiritual food at all times? And after very great strife, he went up on a pillar [and lived there] for seven years, and then he went to a larger (higher?) pillar and stood on it for eight years. Then he departed to a mountain and lived in it for twenty years inside [a house] of stones, which he made for himself, and he did not go outside it until the end of the twenty years. Then he went up on the top of a large (high?) pillar, and he stood up on the front of it for five and forty years; and all the days of his life were five and eighty years. [He lived] in his father’s house for six years, and nine and seventy years he passed in the spiritual fight. As for his miracles, who can describe them? Now many of his miracles are written in the story of his strife. And this father composed many Homilies, and Admonitions, and Sayings, which are profitable for the monastic life, and for the salvation of the soul; and he translated (or, expounded) many of the Books of the Church, and died in peace. Salutation to Simon whose life, before he was conceived, was foretold by John the Baptist.

And on this day also are commemorated Abba ‘Afse, and Abba Guba, who were of the ninety saints of ‘Engelga, and Isaac, the monk, and the death of Alexander the king, the son of Philip. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Ginbot 30 (June 7)

On this day died the pure and holy father Abba Michael, the sixty-eighth Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. This father was a learned man, and he studied the Books of the Church from his early years, and many of them he knew by heart. And his pure soul desired to fight the spiritual fight under the divine rule of the monastic life, and to become a soldier of God from his early years. And he went to the desert of Scete and dwelt near the monastery of Saint Abba Macarius for many years, and he was made a priest. And after this he went to the city of Sengar of the country of Egypt, and he shut himself up in a cell for a period of forty years, and considerably more, and he fought a great spiritual fight in that cell. And the fame of him, and of his virtues, and his righteousness and knowledge, became noised abroad, and the bishops and the elders of the people agreed together and they seized him and made him Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. And in his archiepiscopal office he walked in the right way in purity, and he rejected all worldly possessions, and he did not possess himself of a single dirham or of a single dinar. Of the stipend, which came to him as his due, he expended a little on his own maintenance, and the rest he gave to the poor, and the needy, and the destitute. And he had made at his own expense objects for sacred use in the churches and many books. And he read the Scriptures frequently to the people, and he admonished them once each day from the Scriptures and once by his own mouth. And having ended his good course God wished him to rest from the toil of this world, and to receive the crown of life in the kingdom of the heavens, and He brought upon him sickness for a day and a night, and he never spoke again. And when he was dying he glorified God, and he made the sign of the Honorable Cross over his face, and delivered his soul into the hand of God forever. And all the days of his life were ninety years and eight months. Salutation to Michael.

And on this day also died the Apostle Sisticorus, one of the Seventy-two disciples. This holy man followed our Lord Jesus Christ for a period of three years, and after the Ascension of our Lord he followed the holy apostles. And he was filled with the gift of the Holy Spirit, and he followed Saint Paul the apostle, and carried his Epistles to many cities, and he taught many Jews and Gentiles, and baptized them with Christian baptism, and he went into their synagogues in the countries of the East. And great tribulation and sorrow came upon this saint, and then he died in peace.

And on this day also died Saint ‘Arwa, a fighter of the spiritual fight, and a conqueror of the desire of the flesh, an Israelite woman...And there was a certain man in Israel who had many possessions, and he had a wife whose name was ‘Arwa, and there was no woman like unto her for grace and beauty in those days. And her husband departed on his business to a far country, and he commanded his brother to take care for the ruling of his house. And his brother came and said unto ‘Arwa, “I have loved thee for years, but I have been afraid [to show] my love for thee because of thy husband; but now he hath departed, and is far away, I want to lie with thee.” And ‘Arwa said unto him, “Even if my husband hath departed, and is far sway, is God far away? Even if my husband cannot see me, God can see me from heaven.” And he went forth from her, and a devil met him [and said unto him . . .] “Get thee back to her, and I will perform all thy desire for thee.” And he went back to her and said unto her, “Wilt thou consider [this]? If thou wilt lie with me I will treat thee well, but if thou refusest me I will bring upon thee a beating.” And ‘Arwa said unto him, “What canst thou bring upon me?” And the man said unto her, “I will set up against thee a witness from among the nobles of Israel.” And she said unto him, “For what reason wilt thou set up [this] witness against me?” And he said unto her, “Because thou hast married another man.” And ‘Arwa said unto him, “I will not lie with thee. Thou art my husband’s brother. Say what thou wishest, but God will deliver me from thy hand.” And when she refused him, he went on the following day to the governor, and to the people, and they all gathered together, and he said unto them, “The wife of my brother has married another man whilst her husband is away traveling.” And they brought out ‘Arwa, and set up witnesses, and the brother said unto them, “Did ye see her lying with a man?” And certain false witnesses said, “We saw her lying with a man.” And the governor commanded them to bring her outside [the city], and they dragged her by the neck of her garment. And the governor and the people stoned her with stones, and the blood ran down from her face, and she died, and they buried her because of her beauty. Now formerly the children of Israel would not bury the dead body of a person whom they had stoned, but this woman they buried. And a certain Egyptian merchant came that way with five loaded camels, and he heard a voice in that grave, and he went to look at the grave, and he found ‘Arwa lying in the grave, and her face was shining like the sun. And when she saw him she gave him her hand, and she said unto him, “Lift me up, and give me water to drink.” And he lifted her up, and gave her water to drink; and he took her to his abode, and had a physician brought, and the physician healed her, and she became very much stronger then before. And the Egyptian loved her, and said unto her, “Come, lie with me.” And ‘Arwa said unto him, “Fear God and love thyself. Dost thou never think about the Day of Judgment, and the end of the world? I will not lie with thee. Why should I wrong my husband?” And the Egyptian left her, and went out. And the slave of the Egyptian, a Hebrew, came and said unto her, “I want to marry thee.” And ‘Arwa said unto him, “Get thee gone from me, dog that thou art!” And the Hebrew departed from her. And the Egyptian had a boy, an only son, and he had no other child, and the Hebrew, the slave of the Egyptian, killed the boy with a hatchet, and carried the body to the place where ‘Arwa slept, and laid it down by her, and he placed the hatchet within reach of the grasp of her hand. Now the Hebrew wished to kill ‘Arwa because she refused to lie with him. When the mother of the child woke up, she missed her son, and wishing to give the child suck she searched for him and found him dead by the bed of ‘Arwa, whom the Hebrew made out to have committed the deed; and ‘Arwa herself lay there sleeping. And the mother of the child came out, and wept with a loud voice, and all the people assembled, and came to ‘Arwa. And the Egyptian said unto her, “Why hast thou done evil to me and killed my son? I saved thee from death and raised thee up from the grave.” And ‘Arwa said unto the Egyptian, “Thou didst entreat me well, and didst raise me up from the grave. Why should I kill thy son in return for the good, which thou didst do me? Was it evil that I wished thee when some time ago thou didst ask me to let thee marry me? Nay, I refused because I feared God. Shall I commit a greater sin and kill a soul? I have not killed thy son.” And the Egyptian said unto her, “Get thee out, and be gone from me”; and she went out. And he gave her one hundred dinars wherewith to maintain herself, and he said unto her, “Be gone, for I cannot contain myself in this matter; I know [not] what hath come upon me”, and she departed. And as she was going along she came to a city where she saw a man being hanged on a tree, and she said unto those who were hanging him up, “Why are ye hanging that man?” And they said unto her, “Because he hath carried off our money”; and she said unto them, “How much money hath he taken?” And they said unto her, “One hundred dinars”; and she gave them the money, and said unto them, “Take him down from his cross.” And the man from the cross went and said unto [his creditor], “Who paid thee my debt of one hundred dinars and redeemed me?” [And his father said unto him], “I thy father did not redeem thee, but a woman, a widow, redeemed thee.” And the young man went and followed ‘Arwa, and he found her, and said unto her, “What beauty! I wish to lie with thee.” And ‘Arwa said unto him, “I have delivered thee from the fire of earth, and thou wishest to bring me into that which is in the heavens, and thou dost not counsel me for good”; and when he saw that she feared God he left her. And he went to several of the man on a ship in the sea, and he called them and said unto them, “There is a handmaiden which I will buy with all my money, and I will sell her to you if ye will pay me my price”; now he had seen ‘Arwa, and her beauty, and her pleasing face. And there was a certain man there with much gold, that is to say one hundred dinars, and the man whom ‘Arwa had redeemed from hanging sold her to that man with the money. And the man who bought her made her to embark in a ship, and he loved her, and wanted to lie with her; and he took her hand. And the sun became dark, and the winds blew with great violence, and the waves rose up, and were about to sink the ship. And all those who were in the ship cried out, and they wept, and prayed to God. And ‘Arwa said, “Thanks be to God, He who putteth his trust in God shall not die, and he who believeth in Him shall not perish.” And ‘Arwa said unto those who were in the ship, “O ye who didst buy me wrongfully! O ye who didst sell me wrongfully! I am not a handmaiden, but a woman who is her own mistress. If ye will do what I tell you I will pray to God to guide you out of this tribulation”; and they said, “We will do what thou tellest us to do.” And she said unto them, “This man who sold me did so because I would not let him lie with me; this is an act which God doth not desire.” And all the men brought out money, ten thousand dinars, and they gave it to the man who had bought her, and he set her free. And ‘Arwa prayed to God, and the storm died down, and the winds stood still, and there was a complete calm. And they all loved her and wanted to fall upon her, and [each] of them said, “I, I.” Then straightway there came a mighty wind, which broke their ship in pieces, and they were all scattered about in the sea and they sank; and all their money was left with her. And she made pantaloons, and oiled herself (?) like a man, and she arrayed herself in her apparel, and departed in a ship. And she came to a large island, and a city of men, in the midst of the sea, and she went on and came at length to the king. Now when the king saw ‘Arwa, he thought that she was a young man, whose beard had not yet sprouted. And she said unto the king, “Behold, my money is much, there is a ship full [thereof]. Those who owned it have perished, and sunk in the sea, and as thou seest, I am left alone a weak woman; and all the money, which they left, is with me in my hand. I am afraid that I shall be destroyed, and I wish thee to take charge of it. I will write a letter, and will send to the men belonging to the house of each of the dead men, and then their kinsfolk can come and take the money [from thee], each man taking what is his.” And when the king saw that she had not stolen their money, and that she was beautiful . . .he took all the money. And the fear of God came upon ‘Arwa, and God heard her petition, and many sick persons were healed by her prayers. And she went to the seashore, and entered a cave and lived [there] praying to God. And the king of that island fell sick, and came [nigh unto] death. And all the people gathered together and went to him, and they said unto him, “Behold, thou art going to die; who wilt thou appoint to be king after thee?” And he answered and said unto them, “There is a young man who brought me much money in a ship, and him do I appoint to be king over you after me”; and they were all pleased, and they said, “He shall reign after thee.” And they finished their business, and the king died. After this they made ‘Arwa to reign over them, and they believed her to be a young man, and she was worthy to reign, and love for the kingdom entered into her heart. And again she thought in her heart, saying, “The kingdom will make me to be remote from God,” and she wanted to refuse [to reign] over them. And she gathered the people together, and said unto them, “Those among you who have daughters, or sisters, adorn them with gold, and array them in raiment of fine linen, and precious stones, and bring them hither to me; and the maiden among them whom I shall choose shall be my wife.” And they all brought their sisters and their daughters before her, even as she commanded them, and they were all adorned with gold and gems, and they set them before ‘Arwa; and the mothers went forth leaving their daughters with her. And ‘Arwa stripped off her apparel, and stood up naked before the maidens; and when they saw that she was a very beautiful woman, they marveled and held their peace. Then they said, “We are well pleased that she shall reign, and that she shall not marry a man, and that she shall not assume the apparel of a man; we are well pleased that she shall reign.” But she refused to do so, and went back to her cave. And the report of her was heard in every country in those days, and of how she prayed to God, and healed the sick by her prayer. And after many days the husband of ‘Arwa came from afar into his house. Now he was silly, and blind and a paralytic, and he found there his brother, and he said unto him, “What hast thou done with my wife ‘Arwa?” And his brother said unto him, “We found thy wife lying with a man, and we stoned her and killed her”; and the husband of ‘Arwa was silent. And after many days he heard the report of how she used to heal the sick by her prayers. And the husband of ‘Arwa went to his brother, and entreated him, saying, “There is a woman on a certain island who healeth the sick by her prayers, and God heareth her prayer; take me thither.” And his brother said unto him, “Hast thou strength enough to travel thither?” And the husband of ‘Arwa said unto him, “Let us go, peradventure God will be merciful unto us”; and the two of them set out together. And they met the young man whom ‘Arwa had redeemed with one [hundred] dinars. (Now he had become blind), and also the Hebrew slave, who had slain the son of his mistress, and had thrust the hatchet into the hand of ‘Arwa, and who was then leading his master the Egyptian, (who was ill and blind). And the young man whom ‘Arwa had saved from his cross was leading his father, and the brother of her husband, who had stoned her with stones, was leading his brother, the husband of ‘Arwa. And they all arrive before her, and came into her presence, and ‘Arwa knew them all, but they did not know her; and she went back into her cave and then returned to them. And her husband said unto her, “Behold, I will give thee all the money thou wishest; heal me.” And she said unto him, “I do not take money from sick people, but I will take it from thee; there is much sin with thy brother, let him describe everything which he hath done.” And the husband of ‘Arwa said unto [his brother], “This woman speaketh well; confess all thy sin.” And the brother of ‘Arwa’s husband said unto him, “I visited thy wife, and asked her to let me lie with her and she refused me. And I set up four lying witnesses against her, and I made the people stone her with stones, and I killed her.” And ‘Arwa’s husband said unto him, “Thou didst entreat her evilly in killing my wife. We had the same father and the same mother, and as for what is passed, what can I do? Let it be forgiven thee.” And ‘Arwa prayed to God, and her husband’s eyes were opened, and his feet set free, and the whole body of the man whose brother had killed ‘Arwa was made whole. Then the father of the young man whom she had saved from crucifixion said unto her, “My son hath become blind; pray to God on his behalf.” And ‘Arwa said unto him, “Thy son hath [committed] many sins; let thy son confess the sins which he hath committed, and I will pray [for him].” And the blind man said, “Thou sayest well; I will confess my sins. A certain woman was journeying along the road, and she found me hung on a tree, and she redeemed me for one hundred dinars. And I loved her and I wanted to lie with her, and she refused to let me. And I saw certain idle seamen on a ship, and I called them and sold her to them for ten thousand dinars. And as soon as I came away from them, my eyes went blind, and the dinars turned into stones.” And ‘Arwa said unto the young man before his father, “Thou art a liar [by nature], but God hath now made thee to speak openly”; and she prayed to God, and he was made whole, and his eyes were opened. And then came the Egyptian, the master of the Hebrew slave, and he said unto ‘Arwa, “Thou seest that my slave is blind; pray to God that He may heal him.” Now the Egyptian did not know that ‘Arwa was the woman whom he had lifted up out of the grave. And ‘Arwa said unto him, “His sin is great, and therefore he is blind and sick; let him now confess everything which he hath done and I will pray for him.” And his master said unto the Hebrew, “Tell thy transgressions, and if thou wilt not tell the, I will leave thee here and return to my country.” And the Hebrew said to his master, “An Israelite woman sojourned with us, and I asked her that I might lie with her, and she refused me. And I killed thy son, and took him to her whilst she was sleeping, and I laid him down by her, and I thrust the hatchet into her hand, and I wished thee to kill her because she would not let me lie with her.” And having confessed his sin, ‘Arwa prayed to God and the man was healed straightway. Now there were men of that island, and others, near her, and when their business was finished they returned to their district. And her husband was left alone with her, and she drew nigh unto him and said unto him, “Thy wife, of whom thou speakest, was she like me?” And her husband answered and said unto her, “Thy nose, and eyebrows, and eyes resemble hers, and if she were not dead and buried I could imagine that thou wert she, and would grasp thee with my hands and carry thee off.” And she said, “I am indeed thy wife ‘Arwa, whom they punished wrongfully, and who was killed, and sold as a slave for thy sake. For thy sake I endured the sun, and the cold, and the heat, and for thy sake I traveled over sea and land”; and when she had told him this they were silent, and both of them wept. And after this he asked her that he might lie with her, and she refused, and said unto him, “I cannot do it at this moment; I will wash and come to thee.” And she rose up, and went to her cave and washed, and then came out. And having dressed herself in clean apparel, she prayed to God, saying, “If Thou lovest me receive my soul, and let me not lie again with a man”; and she bowed low and died. And her husband came in and found her dead, and he buried her. Salutation to ‘Arwa.

And on this day also is commemorated Dimadis the martyr. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.