The Book of the Saints of the Ethiopian church/Meskerem

by Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

Meskerem

Meskerem 1 (September 11)

This blessed month of Maskaram is the first of the circle of the years of Egypt and Ethiopia. The [first] day and the night of this month are equal--twelve hours. Then the day during this month Maskaram diminisheth because this month is the first of the circle of the years of Egypt and Ethiopia. Now it is meet that we should make therein a great feast in all purity, because this day is holy and blessed, and we should remove ourselves from evil works. And we should begin [to do] good works and new, whereby God is pleased, even as Paul the apostle saith: “Behold, every work is made new in Christ. Behold old works have passed away, and behold new works are known, and every work is from God” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Thus hath God had pleasure over us in Christ, and He hath given us the ministration of His mercy and compassion. And Isaiah the prophet saith: “The Spirit of God is upon me; therefore hath He appointed me and sent me to preach to those who are in captivity, and to those who are in prison, and to set them free, and to the blind that they may see the light, and to those who are bound that they be set free, and to preach the year of the mercy of God” (Isaiah 61:1-2). And David saith: “Thou hast blessed the crown of the year [with] mercy, and the desert is satisfied with dew by Thy blessing” (Psalm 65:11).

On this day also Job the righteous man washed in the water of the Tekaze and was healed of all his sickness. And the people were in the habit, when the river Tekaze was full of water, of dipping themselves in the new water, whereby they were blessed for all the rest of the year.

On this day died the holy Apostle Bartholomew, who was one of the Twelve Apostles. To this apostle the lot fell that he was to go to the city of El-wah (the great Oasis, Al-Hargah). He and Peter went together to the people there, and they preached to them, and called them to the knowledge of God. After that they performed before them signs and great wonders, which terrified their hearts. After this Peter contrived to go into the city, and there he sold Bartholomew to be a slave, and Bartholomew worked in the vineyard with his master. And when he was preparing the young plants for planting out, they burst into flower and bore fruit immediately. When the son of the governor of that city died, Bartholomew the apostle raised him up from the dead. And all the people believed, and Bartholomew strengthened them in the knowledge of God. After this our Lord Jesus Christ commanded him to go to the city of Barbar (i.e. the city of the Barbarians), and He sent to him Andrew the apostle with his helper to help him. And the people of that city were exceedingly wicked, and they would not receive the apostles who were working before them signs and wonders. And God commanded one of the Dog-faced cannibals to submit to the apostles, and not to resist them in anything, which they ordered him to do, and they took him with them to that city. And the men of that city brought out wild beasts against the apostles to eat them up, and straightway that Dogface rose up against those wild beasts, and rent them asunder, and he also slew a great many of the men of that city. Because of this all the people were afraid and they turned, and did homage at the feet of the apostles, and they submitted to them, and they entered the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ--to Him be glory! And he appointed priests over them, and built churches for them, and the apostles left them praising God. And Bartholomew the apostle departed to the cities, which were on the seacoast, whereof the people knew not God, and he preached unto them and converted them to the knowledge of God. And they believed on our Lord Jesus Christ. And Bartholomew the apostle commanded the men to be pure, and to be remote from fornication. When Agrippa the king heard of him he was exceedingly angry with him, and he commanded his servants to put the Apostle Bartholomew in a hair sack and to fill the sack up with sand, and to cast him into the sea; and they did so. And thus Bartholomew consummated his martyrdom.

On this day died the holy father Abba Melyos, Archbishop of the great city of Alexandria, the third from Mark, the apostle and evangelist, and this archbishop was appointed in the twelfth year of the reign of Vespasian the Emperor of Rome, fifty-four years after the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. He pastured and guarded the flock of our Lord Jesus Christ nobly, and he sat on the Episcopal throne twelve years. And he pleased God and died in peace.

And on this day died the righteous and excellent Abba Melki. The fathers of this righteous man were among the nobles of Kuelzem (Kolsum, i.e. Clysma), which city is on the borders of Egypt; they were rich in gold and silver, and they gave alms to the poor and needy. His father loved God exceedingly, and he had no son. One day he saw the children learning their lessons, and in their hands were tablets whereon were written, “Let us remember our fathers who have taught us by their lives so that we may become children of God. O God, make their souls to have rest in the heavens with the righteous and the martyrs.” And when the father of Abba Melki heard these words from the mouths of the children he was very sorrowful saying, “Woe to me, for I have no son. Who will remember me when I die?” And he and his wife gave themselves up with zeal to fasting, and prayer and the giving of offerings. And God heard their petition and He gave them two children at once, a boy and a girl; and they rejoiced greatly in them. And the father brought them up as Christians, and he called the boy Melki, and his sister Sefna, which is being interpreted “Dove.” And he had them reared very carefully. And when the boy was seven years old his father took Melki to a teacher, and he taught him all the Books of the New and Old Testaments. And the Holy Spirit came upon him in full measure, and he did not play with the other children or indulge in games with them, but he read the Scriptures day and night. And when the boy was twelve years old, the parents of the children called him and spoke with him about their wish to take a wife for him, so that they might have a memorial; but Melki was not pleased with this, and pretending to agree with them he said, “I consent to your words, and that which ye order me to do I will do.” Now his soul wished to flee from the world. Then Abba Melki said unto his father, “I wish to make a festival for the children who are at school with me”; and his father gave him ten hundred dinars in gold so that he might make a feast according to his desire, and he ordered the servants and the waiting men to minister unto him according to his wish. Then Abba Melki mounted his horse, and went out before his father and said unto his serving men, “Take ye one hundred dinars in gold and make haste and prepare a feast for us; I will go alone and invite my companions thereto.” And his serving men hearkened to his voice, and turned away, and he departed by himself. The money, which he had, he distributed among the poor and needy, and his horse he gave to a certain poor man, and he had nothing left except the clothes, which were on him. And as his return was delayed his serving men sought for him, but they could not find him, and they turned back weeping; and they told his father and mother and they wept a bitter weeping. His sister’s eyes by reason of her excessive weeping went blind and she died. And Abba Melki went to Debra Tur, which was the monastery of his mother’s brother Mar ‘Awgin. And this ‘Awgin was a righteous man and he worked many signs, and under his authority there were seventy-two chosen monks. And Abba Melki prostrated himself at his feet, and he said unto him, “I wish to dwell under thy shadow, and I wish thee to array me in the garb of the monk.” And Abba ‘Awgin said unto him, “From what city comest thou?” And he told him that Kuelzem was his city, and that he was the son of ‘Awgin’s sister; and when ‘Awgin heard this he rejoiced with a great joy, and he permitted him to be a probationer for three years, and he arrayed him in the garb of monasticism. And he contended with such great vigor in the ascetic life and kept such strict vigil always, that his fame was heard of in all the country of Persia. And when he had been a monk for three years God gave unto him the gift of healing and he was able to drive out devils by his word. One day whilst he was walking about by himself reciting the Psalms he came to a place where there was a hollow, and in the hollow was a fig tree, and there were a great many shepherds weeping there. And Abba Melki said unto them, “Why do ye weep?” And they said unto him, “The son of the governor of the city was eating figs here, and whilst he was doing so a great snake came out and swallowed him up, and the boy hath gone into its belly.” And whilst they were telling him this, the father of the boy with the people of the city arrived, and their clothes were rent and they were beating their faces; and he made entreaty to Mar Melki on behalf of his son. And Mar Melki said unto him, “Fear not, O my son, believe in God and thou shalt see a wonderful thing,” and he turned his face towards the east and stretched out his hands and prayed for a long time. And when he had finished his prayer he summoned the serpent in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and commanded to cast up the boy from inside him; and he cast up the boy who had suffered no pain whatsoever. And Satan, who was inside the serpent, cried out and said, “Whither can I go from thee, O Melki, thou man of Kuelzem?” And having said these words he dissolved himself into smoke. And when the father of the boy saw that his son was alive he brought gold and silver to the holy man. And Melki refused to accept it from him, but he said unto him, “Let us become partners in the building of a monastery for me.” And the father of the boy rejoiced and he built him a monastery, which contained 300 cells for the monks, and he enclosed the building with a wall and provided iron gates therefore. Whilst they were building the church they found in one corner a huge stone, which could not be raised by 300 men, but by the prayer of this righteous man the church was built out of that stone even as the builder wished. Then there assembled there 500 souls and they were chosen monks. And the report of the holy man was heard throughout the country, and the people used to bring unto him the sick folk who were suffering from sicknesses of every kind, and those who were possessed of devils, and they were all healed of their diseases through his prayer, and the men of Persia and Rome were saved through the intercession of this righteous man. And when Satan, who is the enemy of good, saw this righteous man, he was jealous of him, and he went to the daughter of the King of Rome and drove her silly, and she dried out and said, “There is no healing for me except through Melki of Kuelzem.” And the king her father hearkened unto her, and sent 400 men from his army out unto all directions so that they might bring Abba Melki with care to him, and he took an oath that if they did not do so he would cut off their heads with the sword. And the soldiers who had been sent out found the holy man with difficulty, and they bowed down at his feet, and they told him the king’s message, and about the illness of his daughter, [and said,] “Tell us what thou sayest.” And Abba Melki said unto him, “I am an old man, and I cannot travel to Rome.” And the soldiers said unto him, “If thou wilt not go with us the king hath promised to put us to death.” When the holy man heard this he was very sorry, and he said unto them, “O my children, go ye your way, I and you will meet at the gates of Rome”; and when they heard his words they departed. And at the end of the year, on the day when he knew through the Holy Spirit that they would arrive in Rome, he prayed a prayer to God, and the Holy Spirit lifted him up and bore him to the gates of Rome. And when the envoys found the holy man there they rejoiced greatly and they told the king of his arrival; and the king rejoiced greatly and went out and received him and brought him into his palace and seated him upon his throne, and told him concerning his daughter’s sickness. And Abba Melki ordered that she be brought, and when they had brought her, the devil hurled her down and rent her until they thought that she was dead. And straightway Abba Melki rose up and prayed a long time, and he sprinkled water over her face and anointed her with oil, and he commanded Satan in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ to go forth from her. And Satan went forth from her in the form of a black man, and the holy men seized him, and shut him up in the house, and marked him with the sign of the Cross so that he should not go out. And when the king saw this, he bowed down at Abba Melki’s feet, and he brought to him many possessions for the needs of his monastery, and the holy man refused them. And the king said unto him, “O my father, dwell here and I will build thee a monastery”; and the holy man said, “I cannot forsake my children.” And the holy man dwelt in Rome for a few days, and healed their demoniacs. And when he went out to return to his city, the king rose up and set him on his way with [an escort of] soldiers, and he came to the gates of the palace. And the holy man saw a great mass of stone, which had been hollowed out and had been placed at the mouth of a fountain of running water, and a stone bowl so that horses might drink out of it. And he said unto the king, “Give me these stones for the use of my monastery.” And the king said unto him, “Who will carry for thee the stones which twelve men could not lift and carry them outside the city. If however, thou hast the strength [to carry them] do thou what thou pleasest.” Then the holy man brought the Satan forth from the place wherein he had bound him, and he suspended the hollow stone from his neck, and he bound the bowl on the top of his head, and he ordered him to go before him. When the king saw this he marveled exceedingly, and he turned and glorified God. And Saint Abba Melki made the Satan to come into his monastery carrying these stones, and the ordered him to set them down at the gates, and they are there to this day. And he shut up the Satan in a cave and sealed him with the sign of the Cross so that he should not go forth again and tempt men. And when this holy man had been a monk for forty and five years, a voice came unto him from heaven saying, “Behold the day of thy death hath drawn nigh, and there remains unto thee three days only before thou shalt enter into everlasting joy.” Then the holy man summoned his children and he commanded them to serve God and to keep themselves away from the error of Satan. After three days there came unto him the fathers of the monks, Abba Antony, and Abba Macarius, and Abba Sinoda, and Abba Besya, and Abba Pachomius, and they said unto him, “Come, O our brother, and rejoice with us in the kingdom of the heavens.” And when they had said this unto him, his soul went forth from his body and the angels took it up into glory singing as they went, and they said, “He hath toiled in the world and he shall live for ever”; and they brought him into the Garden of Delight. And the archbishops, and the bishops and the priests assembled and they buried him in the church, and innumerable signs and wonders took place at his grave.

And on this day is celebrated the festival of Raguel, the angel, one of the nine archangels, who informed Enoch concerning the fire which burneth, and the destruction of the world; and he is the angel of lights. May the intercession of this angel be with us all. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 2 (September 12)

On this day Saint John the Baptist, son of Zacharias the priest, became a martyr by the hand of Herod the wicked king. This John the prophet rebuked Herod because of Herodias, the wife of Philip, for he had married her and taken her to be his wife, and John said unto him, “It is not right for thee to take thy brother’s wife.” And Herod took Saint John and cast him into prison, and he kept him there because he was afraid of him. And when his birthday came Herod made a feast for the nobles of his kingdom and for the magistrates of the city of Galilee. And his brother’s daughter came and stood up among the festal company and she danced and pleased the king, and he swore an oath that he would give her anything which she might ask from him, even if it were as much as the half of his kingdom. And she went out to her mother, and she said unto her, “What shall I ask the king to give me?” And her mother said unto her, “Ask him to give thee the head of John the Baptist lying in a bowl.” And when Herod heard this he was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oath and also because of those who were sitting at meat with him, and because he did not wish to be put to shame, he straightway commanded his servants to cut off the head of Saint John, and to give it to the maiden. And they cut off the head of John in the prison house and gave it to the daughter of Herodias in a bowl and she gave it to her mother. And there was great consternation that day, and their joy was turned to sorrow. And when the holy head of Saint John was cut off, it flew up into the air out of the hands of the soldiers, and it cried out, saying, “It is not right for thee to take thy brother’s wife”; and it is said that the head is at the present time in the country of Arabia. And the disciples of the holy man came and took his body and carried it away and laid it in a grave [where it lay] until the days of Saint Athanasius, Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. And God commanded him to uncover the body of Saint John, and Saint Athanasius did so and laid it up by him until he could build a church for it. May his intercession be with us.

And on this day died Dasya the soldier, a native of the city of Tayda of Egypt. Arianus, the governor of the city of Antinoe, inflicted great tortures on this saint, and he cut off his head with a sword, and Dasya received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of heaven.

And on this day also Didymus and the holy woman Marina became martyrs. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 3 (September 13)

On this day the General Council of Bishops took place in the city of Alexandria in the second year of the rule of the glorious father Abba Dionysius the archbishop. This assembly took place because of certain evil men who had appeared in the country of Arabia, and who believed that the soul dieth with the body, and that on the day of the Resurrection it shall be raised up with it. And they composed a discourse on the wicked belief and sent it to the men who were living in the city of Alexandria. And when the Abuna, the Archbishop Abba Dionysius heard this thing he was exceedingly sorry about it, and he admonished them and commanded them to turn from this evil affair, but they would not hearken unto him. Therefore the Council assembled to discuss them, and he debated the matter with them, and made manifest their error, but they neither repented nor turned away from their evil counsel; and the archbishop and the whole Council anathematized them and cursed them. And he wrote a discourse on them wherein he said, “the love of God for the children is exceedingly great and mighty.” And he explained in that discourse that the soul neither dieth, nor perisheth, nor decayeth, but that it abideth even as the angels abide, for it is a spiritual thing and is immutable and incorruptible. When it goeth forth from the body it is taken to the place for which it is suitable. And on the day of the Resurrection, when the trumpet soundeth, and dead bodies of men shall rise up by the command of their Creator. And all the souls of men shall go each into the body whereto it belongeth, and it shall rise with it, and according to its work it will either rejoice for ever, or suffer punishment for ever. And the two (i.e. soul and body) will remain in the state in which they have risen forever and forever and ever. May the prayer of this Council be with us. Amen.

And on this day also a great earthquake took place in the country of Egypt and in all its borders, and the church of Dasya fell down at the time of the third hour of the day. And this church was in the name of Michael the archangel. And it is said that a certain ungodly man asked the Christians to pay tax to him, but they would not give him anything; and when it was evening this man came with his followers and pulled down the church. This happened in the ninth year of Archbishop Abba Macarius, in the eight hundred and twenty-eighth year of the Holy Martyrs [A.D. 1112]. May their prayers and blessing be with us. Amen.

And on this day are commemorated Dioscoros the martyr, and Archbishop Dionysius, and the martyrs who were in Tensel Yakoton, and many martyrs in Persia. May their prayer and blessing, etc.

And on this day died Abba ‘Anbes (Father Lion) of the country of Ethiopia.

And on this day died Abba Muse (Moses) of the desert of Scete. When this man became a monk he forsook the world, and departed into the desert, and he put himself under the yoke of fasting and prayer until God lightened his eyes to see a garden of olive trees and palm trees. At the beginning of each month he took what fell of the fruit of these trees, and ate it, and the amount of food which he was in the habit of eating was like that of a small bird. And his apparel was made of the fiber and bark of the palm. And the heat of summer and the cold of winter attacked him, but in spite of these he devoted himself to his prayer and fasting. And he had no knowledge of letters and writing. And all the various kinds of wild animals of the desert used to visit him, and he made friends with them and when the time of prayer drew nigh he made a sign to them with his hand and they departed. And when there was a time of want they would come and stand before him as if they wished to speak to him, and he knew through the Holy Spirit what they were seeking after, and he would bring down rain for them; and he lived in this manner for thirty and five years. And Satan was jealous of him, and he disguised himself and took the form of a very aged monk, and appeared in front of the cave of Muse (Moses) and walked along limping. When the holy man saw him he thought that he was a dweller in the desert. And he went to him and took him into his cave and he continued in prayer for three days. And when the wild animals that used to visit the holy man saw these old men, they withdrew from him. Then that old man asked the holy man concerning his country and his belief, and Abba Muse (Moses) told him all his work, and asked the old man in return concerning his city and belief. And the old man said unto Abba Muse (Moses), “As for me I have lived in the world and have committed sin for many years, and I have begotten a daughter. Then when I remembered the transitoriness of the world, I came out into the desert and have lived herein for forty years. I have remembered my daughter and I can find no one to whom to marry her except thyself, and it is for this purpose that I have come hither. When I die thou shalt bury me; I have orchards and gardens and thou shalt inherit them all.” When Abba Muse (Moses) heard these words he was terrified, and he said unto the old man, “How can I who am a monk do this?” And this old man brought unto him testimony from the Scriptures how Abraham, and Moses, and David, though they were righteous men, had married wives. And through this the old man made the heart of Abba Muse (Moses) to yield. And he showed him a beautiful palace, and in it there was a beautiful maiden, and there came before Abba Muse (Moses) a vision wherein the old man was dead, and the holy man was weeping over him, and was preparing his body for the tomb and then burying him. And when he went to consort with the maiden a mighty wind arose and he was driven backwards. When his senses returned the palace had disappeared, and the garden, and the maiden, and he was forced to go back to his dwelling. And he wished to eat a meal of the fruit of the tree from which he ate formerly, and the fruit was bitter in his mouth. And when famine compelled him he went forth into the desert, and again he met Satan under the form of an aged pilgrim who was going to Alexandria, and he was riding an ass, and was provided with meat and drink, and he took him with him and brought him into the city and left him there. And Satan appeared unto him in the form of a woman who was carrying water. And seeing him in the garb of the men of the desert she asked him about himself, and he told her everything which Satan had told him; and she laughed at him in her heart, and she took him to her house and gave him meat and drink. And she told him the affair of her marriage, and how she was the daughter of a king who was dead, and how she possessed much property. When she saw that his heart inclined to her, she said to him also, “I am a Jewess and we are many”; and then she seduced him with many crafty arts until he denied his Faith. And again she said unto him, “Come, let us take possession of my property in the place where I deposited it”; and she took him to an empty desert wherein there was no water. And she took him up to the top of a mountain, and she transformed herself before him, and she said unto him, “I am that Satan who leadeth very many into error. I seduced thee from the desert, and I enticed thee away from thy Faith. Behold, thou shalt die in this desert, and thy soul shall go into Gehenna”; and having said these things he disappeared from him. And the holy man turned to his right hand and to his left, and there was no way to escape and no water to drink. And as the matter pressed sorely upon him he fell down on the ground and scattered dust on his face and he became dizzy and wept until his soul wished to be set free from him. And God heard his cry, and He sent an angel unto him to console him, and he said unto him, “Thy sin is remitted unto thee. In three days thou shalt die and my servant Samuel, the dweller in the desert, shall bury thee.” And straightway Abba Samuel came to him, and gave him peace, and comforted him, and took him with him into the church which ‘Agabos the king had built in the desert which was hidden from the eye of man, and it was the cemetery for the company of monks. And when they offered up the Offering, and received the Holy Mysteries. And there, being a press of people Abba Samuel departed to obtain a blessing at the grave of the saints. And when [Abba Muse (Moses)] arrived there, he knelt down on his knees and died straightway; and Abba Samuel buried him and wrote the history of him. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 4 (September 14)

On this day died the holy father, Abba Macarius, Archbishop of Alexandria; now he was the sixty-ninth archbishop of the city. This father was an ascetic and practiced strenuous self-denial from his earliest years, and he craved for the garb of monasticism. He went up to the desert of Scete and became a monk in the church of Abba Macarius, and he performed great and severe ascetic labors. He illumined his soul by reading the Holy Scriptures and translations of (or commentaries on) them, and he learned the explanations of them. He excelled in the working of righteousness, and he was appointed priest in the desert of Scete. And when Abba Michael the Archbishop, his predecessor, died, the bishops and many priests and doctors of the Orthodox Faith went to the monastery of Abba Macarius, and they assembled in the church with the elder monks of Scete, and sat there with them for many days debating and discussing the question of who would best fill this honorable position. And they found that this Abba Macarius was the best man, and they agreed unanimously to appoint him, because very many of the holy men of Scete testified that he would best fill this position because of his righteousness, and his strenuousness and self-abnegation, and devotion to the ascetic life. And they took him and bound him with cords against his will, and he cried out and begged them to release him, and he said unto them, “I am not qualified to be raised to the dignity of archbishop, for my mother married two men.” Now they knew that he said this so that they might let him go. And many came and bore witness concerning him, showing that his mother was a virgin and that she had only married one man. Then they took him against his will, and they brought him to the city of Alexandria, and they appointed him archbishop. Then they brought him to Mesr (Cairo) and the deed of his appointment was read in the church of our Lady, the holy Virgin Mary, of Mu’allakah in the Greek, Coptic and Arabic languages. And during the whole time in which he sat he added to his works of righteousness daily, and he contended most strenuously. Every day he taught the people and admonished them in the fear of God. He gave alms and did works of mercy for the poor and needy. During the whole of the period of his rule he never took anything from the Church, on the contrary he used to give God Most High a large portion of the dues, which were paid to him. He sat as archbishop for twenty and seven years, and he pleased God and died in peace.

And on this day also are commemorated Simon the anchorite, and Joshua the son of Nun, the disciple of Moses, and ‘Ardase the archbishop, and 150 martyrs who suffered in Antioch, and ‘Enteya, one of the Seventy, of the people of ‘Ensena, and Theodore the bishop, from Debra ‘Eldanu, and theologian. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 5 (September 15)

On this day Saint Sophia and her two daughters whose names were ‘Aksosya and Barnaba became martyrs; now this woman was a pagan and her parents worshipped idols. After this she came to the Bishop of Manufe (i.e. Manuf Al-’Alia, or Panouf Res, capital of the province of Manufiayyah) and believed in Christ, and said unto him, “I have believed in thy God.” And after this he taught her all the Law of the Church, and he baptized her and her daughters in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. Thereupon they laid an accusation against her before Kaldeyanos (Claudianus), the governor of the city, saying that she had become a Christian and had forsaken the worship of idols. And the governor questioned her closely and she did not deny it, and he condemned her and her daughters to be punished severely. And she exhorted them to be patient and said unto them, “Be strong, my daughters, and endure like the daughters of Sophia, my lady ‘Angabenayt. I am her kinswoman and ye are as her daughters Pistis, ‘Alapis and ‘Agapis.” And they answered and said unto her, “Fear thou not, we will follow thy steps”; and when they had said these things she kissed them devotedly. And when the governor saw them embracing her, he ordered his men to scourge the mother with whips in order to terrify the virgins. Then her daughters saw an angel of God come down and hide the body of the holy woman, for the wicked men had striped her naked to beat her, and they rejoiced and were glad. And whilst the men were beating their mother she never ceased to cry out, “I am a Christian.” Then the governor commanded them to cut out her tongue down to the root, and they did so, and even after this she ceased not to cry out and to shout at him. After this the governor commanded them to take her into the prison, and he sent his wife unto her to persuade her; and when she would not be persuaded he commanded them to cut off her head with a sword, and they did so. And a certain woman took her body and hid it in her house, and she lighted a lamp before it and burnt incense to it. Then the governor summoned her daughters, and threatened them so that they might consent to obey him, but when they refused him he cut off their heads one after the other; and thus they consummated their martyrdom. And that believing woman took their bodies and laid them side-by-side by the body of their mother. And many signs appeared at their graves. And people with every kind of sickness were healed there. When Constantine was reigning he heard the history of Saint Sophia and he took up her body and translated it to Constantinople. Before [he heard] her history his people built a church, and wrote upon a tablet, “This is the house of Constantine”; and an angel of God came down and destroyed it. And he wrote, “This is the house of Sophia", and although the workmen wanted to cut it they left it written. One day whilst the son of the king was playing with his friends there, the angel of God whose name was Rafael appeared unto them and said unto them, “What is the name of this house?” And the youth said, “I do not know.” And the angel said unto him, “Tell thy father to call it the house of Sophia." And the youth said unto him, “Wilt thou wait here until I come back?” And the angel said, “I will.” And when his father heard this he knew that it was an angel, and he killed his son, and said, “The angel will not depart from that place because he must waif for the youth.” And that angel is there to this day waiting for the youth. The length of that church is 709 cubits, its breadth is 309 cubits, its pillars are in number 366, its doors are 4, its altars are 8, its pools of water are 4, and the cherubim which are above the mercy seat have each two wings which overshadow the ark of the Law of God. And they brought here the coffer of Saint Sophia, and the coffers of her daughters with great honor and glory. And they buried that woman who had gathered together their bodies with them. May the prayer of these holy women be with us. Amen.

And on this day also Saint Mamas became a martyr. His father was called Theodotus and his mother was called Theophila. This man lived in the days of the reign of Yolyanos (Julian) the emperor, and his position was that of governor of the city of ‘Awlatos. The parents of this holy man were Christians, and because of their belief in Christ he had shut them up in prison, and the mother of this holy man gave birth to him in prison. After his father and his mother had died in prison, a certain Christian woman took the blessed child and brought him up as her own son, and she called his name “Mamas,” the interpretation of which is “orphan,” for he had neither father nor mother. And when he was fifteen years old the people brought an accusation against him before the governor saying that he was a Christian. And they took him and beat him with rods, and they hung him up head downwards with a heavy lump of lead tied to him, and they cast him into the sea, but he was saved from the sea by the might of God. And he hid himself under a cave and he fed himself on the milk of the gamus, (i.e. buffalo), those great black animals of the desert. Then the governor seized him again and cast him into the fire, but he was saved from the fire by the power of God. After this, the governor’s men let loose lions upon him so that they might rend him asunder, but by the power of God he leaped upon the back of a lion. Then the governor tortured him, and his men dragged him on the ground, and tore out his intestines with a three-pronged iron fork. By this torture the blessed Mamas consummated his martyrdom, and received a crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. May his prayer and blessing be with us. Amen. [

On this day also is commemorated Lebna Dengel, or Dawit (David) II Wanag Sagad, King of Ethiopia from Aug. 15, 1508, to Sept. 2, 1540.] Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 6 (September 16)

On this day died the great Prophet Isaiah, the son of ‘Amos, Manasseh having sawn him in twain with a wood saw. This prophet prophesied in the days of the reigns of five kings, that is to say Uziah, and Jotham, and Ahaz, and Hezekiah his son, and Manasseh the son of Hezekiah. And he prophesied to Ahaz, saying, “A virgin shall conceive, and she shall bear a son, and his name shall be called ‘Emanuel, the interpretation of which is, ‘God with us.’ And it shall come to pass that he shall teach the nations, and shall bring them into his kingdom and into his faith, and he shall destroy the altars of the Jews and their priests. And offerings of praise, bread and wine, shall be received from priests who shall be from among the people” (Isaiah vii, 13 ff.). And he prophesied to Hezekiah and encouraged him when Sanakrem (Sennacherib) the King of Persia (sic) besieged Jerusalem, and informed him that God would blot him out because of his blasphemy against Him (Isaiah xxxvi). And that night God sent Michael the archangel to the camp of Sanakrem (Sennacherib), and slew of the soldiers 180,000 and 5000 men, and those who remained [alive] left the camp and fled. And when Hezekiah the king was sick, God commanded him by the tongue of this prophet to set his house in order for he was to die. And when Hezekiah prayed to God, He sent unto him Isaiah the prophet who made known to him that God added to his days fifteen years. And God showed him a sign so that he might be sure that what the prophet had told him was true (Isaiah 38). And Isaiah prophesied concerning the blotting out of the children of Israel, and he made manifest that only a few of them would believe him. And God made rain to fall by reason of his prayer, when the people obeyed. And on one occasion when he was thirsty God made to flow the spring of water of Siloam. And Isaiah prophesied also to Manasseh the king, the son of Hezekiah, who established the worship of idols, and he rebuked him because of his evil deeds. For this reason Manasseh the king was wroth with him, and he sawed him in twain with a wood saw from his head to his feet. And all the days of the prophesying of this prophet were seventy years, and more than that. And he prophesied in the nine hundred and thirteenth year before the coming of Christ our Lord. Salutation to ‘Ebnodi.

And on this day also the holy woman Baslantya in the days of Diocletian, the emperor who denied [Christ]. This holy woman was a Christian, and when she was nine years old the deniers of our Lord seized her and bound her hands and her feet, and cast her into the fire; but she was saved from the fire by the might of God. When she was thirsty she made a petition to God for water, and He caused water to come down and she drank. Then she committed her soul to the hand of God and cast herself into the fire, and she finished her testimony.

And on this day also are commemorated James the monk, and ‘Atimos the bishop, and Baslis, and ‘Arontos, and Rawrewo, and Sawlwas, and Sawa, martyrs of God. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 7 (September 17)

On this day died the holy and blessed father Abba Dioscoros, Archbishop of Alexandria; now he was the twenty-fifth archbishop of that city. His death took place on the island of Gagra after a great debate about the Orthodox Faith at the Council, which the Emperor Marcianus (A.D. 450-457), the denier of Christ, had convened and to which he had summoned him. And when he arrived there he saw a great assembly containing six hundred and thirty bishops. And Saint Dioscoros said, “In what is the Faith lacking that it is necessary to gather this great assembly because of the Faith?” And they said unto him, “This assembly hath been convened by the emperor’s command.” And Dioscoros said unto them, “If this assembly hath been convened by the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be praise! I will remain, and I will utter with my tongue what Gad hath given me to say; but if this assembly hath been convened by the emperor’s command, let the emperor manage his assembly as he pleaseth.” Then the blessed Dioscoros tore up the document wherein Leyon (Leo the Great, A.D. 440-461), Archbishop of Rome, had written the wicked creed wherein he had assigned to Christ two Natures, and two Wills after His Unity. And Saint Dioscoros spoke by the Holy Ghost before the assembly and showed that our Lord Jesus Christ was One--He Who was invited to the marriage-feast in Cana of Galilee as a man, and also He Who changed the water and made it sweet wine, for He is God Almighty, and He is not separated in His works. And Abba Cyril, Archbishop of the city of Alexandria, sent forth his testimony concerning the Word, and he said, “The union of the Word of God with the flesh is like the union of the spirit with the body, and like the union of fire with iron. And if there are two different Natures, and they are one in their unity, similarly our Lord Christ is one Messiah and one Lord, and one Nature, and one Will”; and none of those who were gathered together at that assembly dared to contradict him. And some among them had gathered together at the Council of Ephesus, which had been convened because of Nestorius, that infidel and enemy of our Lord Christ. And they informed the Emperor Marcianus the infidel, and the Empress Belkarya, saying unto them, “There is no one who resisteth your commands concerning the Faith except Dioscoros, Archbishop of the city of Alexandria.” And they brought Dioscoros to the emperor, and there were with him the senior bishops of the city and Council, and they debated the matter among them from morning until evening, but Saint Dioscoros would not change his Orthodox belief. And the emperor and the empress were irritated at this, and the empress commanded them to smite Saint Dioscoros on his mouth, and to pluck out the hair of his beard, and they did so. Then he took the hair of his beard, which they had pulled out, and his teeth, which had dropped out, and sent them to the city of Alexandria, and he said unto the people, “Behold, this is the fruit of the Orthodox Faith.” And when the bishops saw what great tribulation had fallen upon Dioscoros, they became afraid for themselves lest there should come upon them what had come upon Dioscoros. Therefore the bishops came to an agreement with the Emperor Marcianus, the infidel, and they wrote with their hands on his roll, saying as they did so with their tongues--may they be cut in pieces in Sheol! And declaring that Christ hath two distinct Natures. And when Dioscoros returned, he sent to them and ordered them to bring to him the roll whereon they had written. And they sent it to him thinking that he would write on it even as they had done. And Saint Dioscoros wrote at the foot of the roll and excommunicated them all. And he also excommunicated every one who departed from the Orthodox Faith, which our fathers the Apostles, and our holy fathers the Three Hundred and Eighteen Orthodox bishops who assembled in Nicea laid down. And the emperor was wroth, and he commanded that Dioscoros should be banished to the island of Gagra. And they took him there, and with him was Abba Macarius, bishop of the city of Kaw, and four others fled. And those six hundred and six bishops were sitting in Chalcedon. And when they had taken Saint Dioscoros to that place, there came upon him great tribulation through the bishop of that district, for he was a Nestorian. And he treated him with great contempt until God performed by the hands of Saint Abba Dioscoros signs and mighty wonders, and all [the people] bowed down at his feet, and were subject unto him, and they magnified his greatness. Thus God honors His chosen ones in every place. And Abba Dioscoros said unto Abba Macarius, “Thou shalt receive the crown of martyrdom in the city of Alexandria”; and he sent him with certain believing pilgrims to the city of Alexandria, and there he ended his testimony according as Dioscoros prophesied concerning him. And Saint Dioscoros having ended his good fight and pleased God, departed from this transitory world, and received the crown of his fidelity and entered into everlasting life. He died in the island of Gagra, and they laid his body there.

And on this day also died the holy father Abba Sawiros (Severianus), Bishop of the city of Gabla (Byblos). The name of the father of this holy man was ‘Ablaryanos (Apollinaris), and he studied foreign wisdom in the city of Athens. He went to the city of Caesarea and studied [Greek] philosophy and literature, and he returned to Rome and studied the doctrine of the Church, and he learned by heart the Books of the Old and the New Testaments in a few years. After this his parents died and they left him exceedingly great wealth and endless possessions, and he wished to give them all to Christ so that he might receive it back a hundredfold. He built a great house wherein might be received travelers, and pilgrims and strangers, and the poor, and the afflicted. And he planted gardens and made for them storehouses whereto the fruits of the earth might be carried, and those places, which he made for the poor, and the needy, are called by his name to this day. His brother was a magistrate of that city and he laid an accusation against him before Honorius, Emperor of Rome (A.D. 395-423), and said unto him, “Sawiros (Severianus) hath scattered all his possessions and he saith, I give it to Christ, and I shall received a return therefore from Him as it is promised in the Holy Gospel.” And these words pleased the emperor, and he rejoiced in Saint Sawiros (Severianus) and loved him exceedingly. And Honorius the emperor commanded that Sawiros (Severianus) should neither be separated from him nor leave the royal palace, and he used to go with him to church always and stand all night in prayer [with him]. Moreover the righteous Emperor Honorius used to practice the works of the monks in secret, and to wear next to his body a hair shirt under his royal apparel. In those days the Archbishop of the city of Rome was Saint Yonakendinos, and it was revealed unto him by God that Sawiros (Severianus) should be appointed bishop over many peoples. And he loved him and he honored him exceedingly, and he wished never to be separated from him; everyone loved him, and Theodosius (II), Emperor of Constantinople (A.D. 408-450), heard of his fame. And when Sawiros (Severianus) saw that everyone honored him, he was afraid that his labor would be wasted, and he wanted to leave that place secretly. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him and commanded him to go to Debra Gabla and to become the father of the monastery and of many souls. And having put on the monkish garb he went forth by night, and with him was his disciple Theodore. And God sent forth a light like unto a wheel, which went before him until he came to Debra Gabla. And there was there a certain righteous man who was the abbot of that monastery, and he learned in a vision concerning the coming of Saint Sawiros (Severianus). And he went out to him, and welcomed him and embraced him, and told him how a vision concerning him had appeared unto him, and he marveled greatly. And his fame arrived in every region, and all the people came to him, and the number of the men who thronged to him could not be counted. And the Emperor Theodosius sent forth from him men of position to build monasteries for Saint Sawiros (Severianus). And the angel of the Lord marked out for them the places wherein they were to build monasteries for him. And he was the comforter of many souls, and God performed many signs by his hands and wonders innumerable, and among them was the wonder concerning the daughter of the governor of Gabla, in whom Satan used to dwell. And Satan said to her father, “If thou wilt drive away Sawiros (Severianus) from this place I will go out of thy daughter.” And when the father of the girl heard this word, he rose up and went to Saint Sawiros (Severianus), and told him what Satan had said to him and asked him to heal his daughter. And the holy man wrote upon a paper for him these words: “In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ get thee out of her”; and her father took that paper and carried it to his daughter, and straightway Satan went forth from her. And again there were gathered together many people, the Samrawiyan and others. Now they formed a large company, and they wished to come into the monastery of Saint Sawiros (Severianus) and to pillage it. And God brought darkness upon them, and they remained for three days and three nights without seeing anything at all; and they made supplication with many tears to Saint Sawiros (Severianus), and he dismissed them and they departed. And when any of those monks who were under his authority fell sick, he prayed over them and healed them, and he comforted them all and taught them the fear of God until they all became like unto the angels of God. And there was a bishop of that city whose name was Philotheus, and he learned from a vision of God that Saint Sawiros (Severianus) would succeed him as bishop, and he sent letters to all the peoples and commanded them to take Saint Sawiros (Severianus) and to appoint him bishop, because God had chosen him for this dignity. Then straightway the righteous Emperors Honorius and Arcadius and their governors, took Saint Sawiros (Severianus) and appointed him bishop of the city of Gabla, and he fought a great and strenuous fight for the preservation of his flock and of the peoples. And there was in that city a certain Jew whose name was Sektor, and he was very learned and boasted himself of his knowledge of the Law of Moses. This man came to Saint Sawiros (Severianus) and disputed with him, and he would not listen to one word, which came out of the mouth of Saint Sawiros (Severianus). After this God appeared unto the holy man in a vision and informed him that the Jew would become one of the holy and blessed people of Christ. And when the Jew went to his house he saw during a sleep the places of severe punishment, and it seemed as if one said unto him, “Look upon these unbelieving Jews, thy kinsmen, and observe how they and all those who have not believed in Christ, dwell in severe punishment which shall be for ever.” And on the following day that Jew came to Saint Sawiros (Severianus) and fell down and did homage at his feet, and asked him to make him a Christian. And straightway he baptized him with Christian baptism, and his house and all the men of his city. When all the other Jews heard that their chief had become a Christian, they believed and were baptized and became Christians, and they became even as those who were born in the Christian Faith. And Saint Sawiros (Severianus) entreated some other men who were called Nimontos, now they were magicians, to enter the Christian Faith, but they would not hearken unto him because they were puffed up by their magic. Now when a man was coming to them they would scatter dust in his face, and he would not be able to see anything. And Saint Sawiros (Severianus) entreated our Lord Jesus Christ with tears, to bring those men into the Christian Faith. And God brought upon those men a severe disease, which did not affect anyone among the Christians, even as He did in the land of Egypt when He brought a plague upon Pharaoh, and his army, and the Egyptians in the days of old. And the magicians perceived their error, and that this disease had come upon them because they had not hearkened to Saint Sawiros (Severianus). And they rose up and came to the saint and became Christians, and all that city became one pasture. And Satan groaned and cried out like an old man who has rent his garments, and he said, “Behold, I am in distress in every part of the world. Holy monks have filled all the country of Egypt from one end to the other, the Archbishop Yonakendinos dwelleth in the country of Rome, John of the Golden Mouth (Chrysostom) dwelleth in Constantinople, and this place only was left unto me, and behold Sawiros (Severianus) hath taken it from me.” And the men of Persia sent a despatch to the Emperors Honorius and Arcadius, seeking to be their allies in battle, and these righteous emperors sent the Persian dispatch to Saint Sawiros (Severianus). And when he had read it he wrote a dispatch to the Emperors Honorius and Arcadius to instruct them [in his views], and he said unto them, “If we belong to Christ, and if our kingdom belongeth to Christ, we have no need of armor, or spears, or troops.” And he began to remind them of the signs which God had wrought for the righteous kings of olden time, and how he had made them strong and how they had vanquished their enemies. And before the great fast came the Persians being ashamed departed from them. As concerning John Chrysostom. Having brought Saint Sawiros (Severianus) with the bishops, the holy man admonished with great severity the Empress Eudoxia, because of John Chrysostom, for he had done nothing whatsoever worthy of banishment. And when the empress would not hearken unto him, he returned to his city and wrote discourses in which he admonished her severely, and these discourses are read in Orthodox churches unto this day. And Saint Sawiros (Severianus) waxed old, and his days were one hundred years. Before his departure from the body, at the tenth [hour] of the day the angel of God appeared unto him, and summoned him to go forth from this world and from toil into rest. And the holy man ordered his people to continue to keep the Law of God; then he died and delivered his soul into the hand of his Creator. His death took place two years after John Chrysostom died, and one year after Saint Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus, died (A.D. 394). When Saint Sawiros (Severianus) was dead, they prepared his pure body for burial as was meet, and they sang spiritual songs and laudatory sentences and buried him in a grave.

And on this day also Agathon, Peter, John, Ammon, and Ammona and their mother Rapika (Rebecca) became holy martyrs. This holy man came from the city of Konya, on the borders of the district of Kus in Upper Egypt. And our Lord Christ appeared unto them and informed them what would happen unto them, how they would receive the crown of martyrdom in the city of Sebra which is near the city of Alexandria, and that they would take their bodies to the city of Nikreha to the north of the land of Egypt. And the holy men rejoiced at this vision, and they rose up early in the morning and gave all their possessions to the poor. Now Agathon their eldest brother was a man of high position in his city, and everyone loved him, and Rapika (Rebecca) their mother encouraged them and incited them to bear patiently punishment for the Name of Christ. Then they came to the city of Kus and confessed Christ before Dionysius the governor, who condemned them to a severe punishment; and he tortured their mother before them, and she bore the torture bravely and rejoiced, and then he tortured her five sons. And when he was weary of torturing them they advised him to send them to the city of Alexandria so that they might not lead astray the people, for they were held in great affection by all, and many men through them believed in Christ and received a crown of martyrdom. And when they had brought the holy men to Armenius, the governor of the city of Alexandria, now he was in the city called Sabra, and he learned about their fight, he tortured them very severely. He hacked their bodies with knives, he cast them into a large vessel and kindled a fire on top of them, he threw them on to the wheel, and hung them up head downwards. And in all these tortures our Lord Christ supported them against death until the governor and all his people were ashamed. Then the governor commanded his men to cut off their heads with a sword, and to sink their bodies in the sea. And straightway they cut off their heads with a sword, and they laid their bodies in a small boat so that they might cast them into the sea. And God sent forthwith an angel to a certain rich man of the city of Nekraha to the north of Egypt, on the borders of Masil, and commanded him to take the bodies of the saints. And that rich man went and gave much money to the soldiers, and took the bodies of the holy saints, and he heard a voice, which said, “This is the abode of the saints.” And he laid them in the church until the time of tribulation passed by, and then he revealed their existence; and they built a fine church and laid their bodies therein. And God made manifest from their bones many great signs and wonders, and recently they translated their bodies to the city of Samnutya (Samhud in the province of Farshut).

And on this day also Fasiladas and two thousand [of his companions] were martyred.

And on this day also are to be commemorated Das, Gagra, Nawla, Bishop of Antioch, and Peter the monk.

And on this day also is commemorated the birth of Hanna the mother of our Lady. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 8 (September 18)

On this day Saint Zacharias the priest, the son of Berachiah, was martyred by the hand of Herod the king. When the angel Gabriel announced to this priest the birth of John his son, he did not believe his word. Because of this Gabriel said, “Thou shalt be dumb until the child is born,” and he was dumb until the child was born; but when he was born, he spoke and he glorified God, and he wrote and said, “His name is John.” And the Holy Gospel beareth testimony concerning him, and shows that he and his wife were righteous, and that they walked in the Law of God without blemish. When our Lord Christ was born, and the men who were soothsayers came to worship Him, Herod was troubled and feared for his kingdom. For this reason he sent and slew all the children of Bethlehem of Judah whose days were two years and less than two years, and Herod thought that among their number he would kill Christ. And the angel of God appeared unto Joseph in a dream, and he took our Lord and Mary His mother and they came to the land of Egypt. And the mother of John took him, and went out into the fields, and fled into the desert of Sina, and she dwelt there bringing up her child for seven years. Then the mother of the boy died and left her child alone in the desert, and there he stayed until his showing himself to Israel. When Herod killed the children he thought in his heart that John was Christ, and he sent his lictors to seek for him with his father Zacharias. And Zacharias said unto him, “I know neither where the boy is nor his mother.” And Herod said unto him, “If thou dost not bring thy son unto me I myself will slay thee”; but Zacharias was not afraid of him. And Herod told his soldiers to slay Zacharias, and they slew him between the sanctuary and the altar; and God hid his body and his blood became like unto stone. And when the priests and the people were coming to prayer according to their wont, one of the priests arrived and went into the sanctuary, and he found the blood and he heard a voice which cried out in the altar, saying, “Zacharias the son of Berachiah hath been slain”; and his blood continued to cry out until it was avenged. Now this Zacharias, the son of Berachiah, was not one of the twelve sons of the prophets, for that Zacharias was not killed, but died in the country of Urati where his body was found in a perfect state and undecayed, and they built a church for it. As for this holy man Zacharias, [the father of John,] his body was never found, but his blood became a witness of his slaughter. And it is also said that when Herod slew the children a certain Jew said unto him, “Behold, a son hath been born unto Zacharias even as the angel of God told him, peradventure he is Christ.” And Herod sent his lictors to slay the child John. And Zacharias said unto them, “I have taken the child to a certain place; come ye with me and take him from that place.” And the lictors went with him until he brought them into the sanctuary. And he set his son John on the wing of the altar, where the angel of God had announced [his birth], and immediately the angel of God snatched away the child, and carried him off to the desert Zifata. And when the lictors could not find the child they slew Zacharias his father. Therefore did our Lord say unto the Jews, “The blood of Zacharias whom ye slew shall come upon you,” for it was the Jews who were the cause of his slaughter.

And on this day also died Moses the prophet and righteous man, and head of the Prophets. This prophet labored with the people of God, and he suffered tribulation with them until [his] death and he delivered up his soul. This man it was who worked signs and wonders in Egypt and in the sea ‘Eritrea (Red Sea), and he was not well pleased to be called the “son of Pharaoh’s daughter,” who brought him up, when his parents had cast him into the river of Egypt because of the decree of Pharaoh who commanded that all the male children of the Hebrews should be destroyed. When the daughter of Pharaoh the king found him she took him and reared him as if he had been her own son. And when he was fully forty years old he saw an Egyptian slay one of the Hebrews, and straightway he avenged the Hebrew and slew the Egyptian. On the following day he saw two other men fighting together, and he attempted to make peace between them. And he who was in the wrong rose up and said unto him, “Dost thou wish to slay me as thou didst slay the Egyptian yesterday?” And because of this Moses fled to the land of Midian and there he married a wife and begot two sons. When he was eighty years old there appeared unto him a vision and a fire in the Patos tree, and when he came to look and to learn [what it was], God spoke unto him from out of the tree, and commanded him to depart to Egypt, and to bring out the Children of Israel from there. Then God worked ten plagues with His own hands upon the Egyptians; the first was the river, which became blood, and the last was the slaughter of the first born of the Egyptians. After this He brought the people out of the land of Egypt, and He divided the sea ‘Eritrea (Red Sea) and made them to pass through it, and He brought back the water of the sea over their enemies, Pharaoh and his host, and drowned them in the sea ‘Eritrea (Red Sea). And He brought down for them “Manna” in the Arabian Desert forty years, and He made water to flow forth from a rock; all these beautiful things did Moses the prophet perform for them. And they used to curse him, and many times they wished to stone him, but he was longsuffering with them, and he prayed to God for them, and because he loved them greatly he said unto God, “If Thou wilt not forgive this people their transgression, then blot out my name from Thy book” (Exodus xxxii, 32). And the Book is a witness concerning him - that he spoke with God five hundred [times], and the words testify [that God talked with him] as a man talketh with his friend. And his face shone with the light of the glory of God, and he was obliged to veil his face so that the children of Israel might not die when they looked upon it. When he was fully one hundred and twenty years old God commanded him to deliver the people over into the hand of Joshua, the son of Nun, his disciple, that he might shepherd them. And he called Joshua and commanded him with the command of God and the Law, and he delivered the people into his hand, and informed him that he was to bring the people into the land of [their] inheritance. And after Moses had made the Tabernacle of Witness and everything which was in it by the command of God, he died in the mountain and was buried there, and God hid his body so that the children of Israel should not take it and worship it. And the Book testifieth among the children of Israel there never rose up a prophet who was like unto Moses. When Satan wished to uncover (or reveal) the body of Moses, Michael the archangel rebuked him, and prevented him from doing so, even as Jude the apostle testifieth in the book of the apostle (verse 9). And the children of Israel mourned for Moses three days.

And on this day also Dimasyos (Dimasius) became a martyr. This holy man was from the city of Derseba on the borders of Dantu to the north of the land of Egypt, he loved the Church, and the poor, and he visited the sick. And a man who was shining with light appeared unto him and commanded him to go and receive the crown of martyrdom, and he made covenants with heaven and rejoiced greatly. And he forsook his father and went forth from his city, and he prayed to God to give him help during the torture for His holy Name’s sake. And he came into the city of Athribis and confessed Christ before the governor, who tortured him severely and sent him to Lucianus the governor of the city of Alexandria. And whilst he was in the boat, our Lord Christ appeared unto him, and comforted him, and encouraged him, and promised him everlasting happiness; and his soul rejoiced and was exceedingly glad. And Lucianus tortured him very severely and then cut off his head with a sword; thus Dimasius received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of heaven. And the people of his city came and took away his body, and paid great honors to it, and through it signs and mighty wonders took place.

And on this day also are commemorated: Lucianus the martyr, ‘Ermeyas (Jeremiah), and the nobles ‘Andewa and ‘Elyanos, and ‘Ammon the monk. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 9 (September 19)

On this day the holy father Abba Bishora (Pisoura), Bishop of the city of Masil (the Meledj of the Copts and Metelis of the Greeks), became a martyr. This holy man became Bishop of the city of Masil, which is beloved of God, of the country of Egypt. When Diocletian was reigning and was persecuting the Christians, this holy man wished to pour out his blood for Christ’s sake. And he gathered together all the people, and set them before the Holy Offering, and taught them many righteous ordinances, and after this he informed them that he wished to pour out his blood for Christ’s sake. And they all, both great and small, wept, and said unto him, “What aileth thee that thou wouldst leave us? We are thy pupils; we will not permit thee to depart.” And they wished to prevent him, but they could not prevail upon him [to stay], and they allowed him [to depart]. And he committed them to Christ, and he embraced them, and he went out from them, and they set him on his way weeping bitterly as they went. And three bishops went with him, who were Baskos and Fenabikos and Theodore. And they went together to the city of the governor, and they confessed Christ before him, and he tortured them cruelly and multiplied their punishments. And when he knew that those bishops were the parents of Christians, now the bishops were bold and endured the tortures with great fortitude, for our Lord Christ confirmed them, the governor ordered [his men] to cut off the heads of the three bishops. And they cut off their heads with a sword, and they received their crowns of life in the kingdom of the heavens. And the holy body of Bishora (Pisoura) resteth to this day in the city of Nasel on the other side of the river.

And on this day Fasiledes and 14,730 men and 7 women were martyred [with Fasiledes].

And on this day also is commemorated the miracle which took place in the city of Frumya in the country of Rome. This man, like the people from the country of the Greeks, was fired excessively with devilish envy of the signs and wonders, which used to appear in the church of the glorious angel Michael, the captain of the hosts of heaven. And they wished to turn the stream of water from the Nile, which flowed through the district on to the church, so that they might submerge it, and destroy the sacristan who had it in charge. And straightway Michael the captain of the heavenly hosts, the divine angel, appeared unto Nartinos, the sacristan of the church, and he drew nigh unto him, and said unto him, “Be strong, and fear not.” And he smote a rock with the staff, which was in his hand, and the rock was split open like a window, and the stream of water flowed out through it. And those who saw this marveled and praised God, and paid honor to Michael the archangel. And from that day to this that stream of water can be seen flowing through the rock, and not approaching in any way the church of the Archangel Michael.

And on this day also died King Yasay (Yusyas, who lived in the eighteenth century) who finished his fight on a tree, and pleased God. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 10 (September 20)

On this day was revealed the miracle of our Lady Mary in the city of Sedenya when oil dropped from the tablet with her portrait [painted] upon it as if it had been clothed with flesh. Now, it is said that Luke the evangelist painted this portrait. And the cause of its coming to Sedenya was a certain widow whose name was Martha, and who turned her house into a habitation for pilgrims; and she loved our Lady Mary exceedingly, and ministered unto her with all her power. One day there lodged with her a certain righteous monk whose name was Theodore, and she received him with joy. And on the following day when she was bidding him farewell, she said unto him, “Whither goest thou, O father?” And he said unto her, “I go to worship in the Sanctuary in Jerusalem.” And she said unto him, “Take a little money from me to buy me a picture of our Lady Mary, and bring it to me when thou returnest to me”; and he said unto her, “I will buy [a picture] with my own money, and bring it to thee.” And when he had arrived in Jerusalem he knelt and prayed in the holy places, and he set out on his return journey without having bought the picture. And immediately he heard a voice, which said unto him, “Why hast thou forgotten to buy the picture?” And being troubled by the voice he turned back into the marketplace, and found a picture of our Lady Mary, which had sweet features and a beautiful form. Having bought it he wrapped it up in cotton and in fine linen. And as he was traveling along a terrible road in the desert thieves rose up against him, and when he was wishing to take to flight, a voice came forth from that picture which said, “Fear not: complete thy journey”; and he went on his way and none challenged him. Another time a savage lion rose up against him and wanted to rend him, and straightway an awful voice came forth from that picture and drove away the lion. And when Theodore saw all these signs and wonders, he wanted to carry that picture and drove away the lion. And when Theodore saw all these signs and wonders, he wanted to carry that picture to his own city, and he did not wish to give it to the widow. And as he was traveling by boat on another journey, the wind rose up against him and carried him towards Damascus. And having disembarked he went into the house of that widow with several other pilgrims, and he did not discover himself to her, and she did not know him. And on the following day when he wished to go forth secretly and to depart to his city, the gates of the house failed to work and they remained jammed throughout the day; in the evening the monk returned to his abode, and when the widow saw him she wondered. And he continued to do this for three days, returning each evening; he saw the gate, but when he wished to go through it, he was unable to go on his way. Then the widow took him and said unto him, “O my father, what aileth thee? Is thine heart troubled that I see thee thus disturbed?” And then he told her everything that had come upon him in the matter of the picture. And straightway she brought him into her house, and she opened the wrappings of the picture and found that drops of sweat were falling from it; and by reason of her joy she kissed the hands and feet of the monk. Then she took the picture into her prayer-chamber, and laid it upon a stand in a recess with great honors. And she made for it a brass grating, so that no one could touch it, and she hung before it lamps which burned by day and by night, and outside these she hung silken curtains. Beneath the picture she set a marble bowl into which the drops of oil, which sweated out from it, might be collected. And that monk dwelt with the widow, and ministered to the picture of our Lady Mary until they both died. And when the archbishop of that city heard the report of the picture, he, and the bishops and the priests and all the people came [to the house], and when they looked at the tablet with the picture they found that it was in the condition of being covered with flesh; and they marveled at this divine work. And having emptied out the oil from the bowl, and divided it among themselves as a blessed thing, the bowl filled up [again] immediately. When they attempted to remove the picture to another spot a great earthquake took place, and many people died; and the picture remaineth there until this day.

And on this day died Judith the prophetess, who delivered Israel from the hand of Holophernes, the evil one, through the wisdom and counsel which she employed until at length she cut off his head by the might of God which was upon her.

And on this day also the birth of our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, took place according to what is written in the Book of Exposition of Saint Abba Macarius of Debra Skete (the monastery of Scete). And it is also written in the Holy Scriptures. On the thirteenth day of the month Tahsas (Dec. 7), the righteous woman Hanna, the mother of our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, conceived, and her bringing forth took place on the first day of Maskaram (Sept. 8--Oct. 7). And it is found in other books that on the seventh day of the month of Nehase (August), God sent the angel Gabriel to the righteous Joachim and told him, saying, “Thy wife Hanna shall be with child.” And immediately she had union with her husband Joachim she conceived, and she brought forth on the first day of the month Genbot (May 9 - June 7). And it is meet that we should commemorate the festival of the birth of our holy Lady the Virgin Mary on both of them, because she maketh intercession for us to her beloved Son at all times, and behold, we will write the commemoration of her birth on the first day of the month Genbot. May her intercession be with us. Amen.

And on this day also the Matronya became a martyr. This holy woman was handmaiden to a Jewish woman, and she was a Christian even as her parents were Christians. And that Jewish woman her mistress hated [Christianity], and she wished to make her maid abandon the Christian Religion, and to bring her over to the Jewish Faith, which she would not embrace. For this reason she reviled Matronya and made her service heavy upon her. One day Matronya followed her mistress the Jewish lady until she brought her to the Jewish synagogue, and Matronya turned aside and went into the holy church. And when her mistress asked her, saying, “Why didst thou not come into my synagogue?” The holy Matronya answered and said unto her, “God is very remote from thy synagogue, and how would it be seemly for me to enter therein? But the place which is seemly for me to enter is the holy church, which our Lord Jesus Christ purchased with his precious blood.” When he mistress heard these words she was wroth with her and beat her severely, and shut her up in a dark place wherein she remained for four days without food and drink; then the Jewess had her brought out from her prison and beat her cruelly with many, many stripes, and once again she sent her back into the prison, where she died. And after her death her mistress took her body, and carried it up to the roof of her house, and according to what the men say who saw her, she cast it out, and it fell down by itself. Now the mistress of Matronya was afraid of the Government, and alarmed lest they should examine her about her murder. And the wrath of God fell upon that Jewish woman, and as she was coming down from the roof of her house, she fell down headlong, and died, and departed into fire forever. And this holy woman Matronya went to joy everlasting.

And on this day also are commemorated Saint Athanasia and her three children. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 11 (September 21)

On this day Fasiladas (Basilides), the father of the kings of Antioch and their counselor, became a martyr. This holy man was a general of the kings of Rom, and the whole kingdom stood by reason of his counsel; and he had many slaves and handmaidens. There was a certain prince in Rom in those days whose name was Numerianus [son of the Emperor Carus], and he married a sister of Saint Fasiladas (Basilides), a lady of high rank, the mother of Theodore Banadelewos. And by him she became the mother of Justus, and Claudius, and ‘Abadir. These were the sons of the sister of Saint Fasiladas (Basilides), who was the sister of the mother of Victor. And Fasiladas (Basilides) begot by her two sons, one whose name was ‘Awsabyos (Eusebius) and the other was [called] Macarius. And at that time the men of Kuez and Persia were at war with Rom [about A.D. 283], and they sent Justus, the son of the king, and ‘Awsabyos (Eusebius), the son of Fasiladas (Basilides), with their armies, and they went to the war. And Numerianus the prince went to fight against the other [enemies], who slew that king in that war. Thus the kingdom of Rom was without a king to rule it and to administer the affairs thereof. At that time the men of Rom gathered together large numbers of mighty men of war from every city into their army. And among them was a certain man whose name was ‘Agripada, and who was a native of Upper Egypt, and a goat-herd. And the Government took him and set him over the royal horses, and he was bold in character and a mighty man in action. And one of the daughters of prince Numerianus saw him from a window of the royal palace, and she loved him and lusted for that ‘Agripada, and she took him and married him, and made him king, and called him “Diocletian.” And after a few days he forsook the Lord God, the God of heaven, and worshipped idols. And when Fasiladas (Basilides) heard this thing, he was very sorry, and he did not return to reign in his kingdom. And Justus, the son of Numerianus, and ‘Awsabyos (Eusebius), the son of Fasiladas (Basilides), returned from the war with great joy, for they had slain all their enemies, and had lain waste their countries. When they arrived in the city of Antioch and found that Diocletian, the denier of Christ, and the worshipper of idols was king, they were exceedingly sorry. And they drew their swords and wished to slay Diocletian the king, and to appoint king Justus, the son of Numerianus, but Fasiladas (Basilides) kept them from this act. After this Saint Fasiladas (Basilides) gathered together all his kinsfolk, and his soldiers, and his slaves, and informed them that he wished to pour out his blood for the sake of Christ’s Name; and they all said unto him, “The death which thou diest we also will die with thee.” And they all agreed together and stood before King Diocletian, who feared them with a very great fear, for they belonged to the kingdom (i.e. the royal family). And Herminius the father of Victor advised him to banish them to the country of Egypt, and to punish them there. And he sent them all away, each to a different city, namely ‘Abadir, and ‘Ira’I, the sister of ‘Awsabyos (Eusebius), and Macarius, the brother of Claudius, and Victor. Theodore Banadelewos he hung upon a komol tree, and drove one hundred and fifty-three nails through his body, and thus Theodore consummated his martyrdom. Fasiladas (Basilides) he sent to a city of ‘Afrakya, of Five Cities (Pentopolis) to Masrus the governor; and when Masrus saw him he marveled exceedingly why he had left his kingdom and his glory. And our Lord Christ sent His angel and lifted him up by the spirit into heaven and showed him the spiritual habitation; and his soul rejoiced exceedingly. Of his slaves, some he set free, and some received the crown of martyrdom with him; now the number of the latter was 7033. And [Diocletian] tortured the holy man on the rack, and they cut his body into pieces with sharpened rods of iron, and he died; but our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory, raised him up from the dead whole and uninjured. And when all the people who dwelt there saw this, they marveled exceedingly, and they believed in our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory, and they cursed the governor. And the governor was wroth with them, and he commanded his soldiers to cut off their heads, and they cut off their heads with the sword, and they received crowns of martyrdom in the kingdom of heaven; and the number of these was 5700 men and 37 women. Then they threw Fasiladas (Basilides) into a frying pan and roasted him, and he became like water, and his whole body was melted. And the governor commanded them to dig a deep pit on the mountaintop, and to bury him therein, and they did so; and straightway our Lord Christ, to Whom be glory, raised him up from the dead a second time. And Fasiladas (Basilides) came once again before the governor, and he cried out and said, “Be ashamed, O governor Masrus, thou infidel king, and let thy idols be ashamed with thee! For behold, my Lord Jesus Christ hath raised me up from the dead, whole and uninjured.” And when the people who were there saw this miracle, they believed on our Lord Jesus Christ and became martyrs, and they were in number 2300. Then the king made Saint Fasiladas (Basilides) to go up upon a machine with wheels and a saw inside it, and he inflicted severe tortures upon him, and then he made him to lie on his liver upon an iron bed, and had a fire lighted under him. And straightway our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory, appeared unto him, and raised him up from the torture, and made him whole and uninjured. He made him a promise, and said unto him, “O my chosen one Fasiladas (Basilides), know thou that everyone who shall celebrate thy commemoration, or shall give alms to the poor for thy name’s sake, or shall give clothing to the naked, or shall give incense to the church for thy commemoration, and everyone who shall celebrate thy commemoration, whether in little or whether in much, to all these will I give remission of sins, and I will make their habitation to be with Me in the kingdom of heaven.” And having said this unto him, our Lord went up into heaven in great glory. When Saint Fasiladas (Basilides) heard this from our Lord he rejoiced with great joy. Then Masrus the governor took counsel with his advisers, and said unto them, “What shall I do about this man whose name is Fasiladas (Basilides)? I have no other torture left which I can apply to him, and he will not turn from his opinion.” And they counseled him and said unto him, “Cut off his head with the sword, and be quit of him, for behold, all the men of the city were being corrupted through him.” And straightway the governor commanded his men to cut off the head of Saint Fasiladas (Basilides), and they cut off his head, and he received a crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of heaven in the place of the earthly kingdom, which he had cast aside and forsaken. And signs and great wonders were made manifest through his body. Now the number of all those who became martyrs with him was 5793. May their blessing and prayer be with us. Amen.

And on this day also the holy woman Banafzez [literally “violet”], the interpretation whereof is, “Whose odor is sweet,” became a martyr. This holy woman was old and very far advanced in years, and she fought her fight in the days of Sabor, King of Persia; they carried her away bound into captivity together with nine thousand Christians whom they had captured. The general of the army first tortured her very severely and then cut off her head, the blood, which flowed from her neck, spurted out a very long way. And the strength of [her] enemies, that is to say the soldiers who dwelt there, drooped, and the light of the sun was turned to darkness, and the odor of a very sweet smell filled the place.

And on this day also three husbandmen of the city of ‘Asni [in Upper Egypt], whose names were Sures and ‘Ankityos and Mashadra, were martyred. When Arianus was returning towards the north he slew all the people everywhere and spared no one, and at length his soldiers were exhausted and they put back their swords into their sheaths. And these three holy husbandmen met him on the bridge (ferry) on their way back from the field, and they cried out and said unto him boldly, “We are Christians.” And when Arianus heard them, he said unto his officers, “Hear ye these men? Do ye wish to kill them?” And his soldiers said unto him, “We are weary, and we have put back our swords into their sheaths.” And when the holy men heard them they said unto him, “Behold, here are our digging tools, kill us with them.” Then they laid their heads down on a stone, and the soldiers hacked through their necks.

And on this day also is the commemoration of the blessed Cornelius, a general and righteous man. He lived in the days of the holy Apostles, and he fought the good fight strenuously, and was well pleasing unto God. And an angel appeared unto him and commanded him to send men to invite Peter the apostle to come to him, so that he might hear from him what was right. And when Peter the apostle came to him he told him, and all those who were with him, the word of our Lord Jesus Christ; and Cornelius believed, and he and all his house were baptized; and Peter the apostle appointed him to the Church of Alexandria. And when he arrived there he found [the city] filled with the worship of idols, and he baptized many of the men thereof and baptized them with Christian baptism. And Demetrius the governor believed, and Cornelius baptized him and all the people of his house with Christian baptism. And he passed his whole life in fighting like the Apostles, and he was the first of the Gentiles who believed [on Christ].

And on this day also died Saint Theodora. This holy woman was a native of Alexandria, and she lived in the days of Zeno the emperor; a strange man forced her, and also took her handmaiden and defiled her. And straightway she sorrowed with a bitter sorrow, and wept bitter tears. And she put on male attire secretly, and went forth from the city of Alexandria in the guise of a man, and she called herself Theodore. Then she went to a monastery of monks, and arrayed herself in the garb of the monks, which is the garb of angels, and all those who saw her thought that she was a eunuch. And she devoted herself to the ascetic life, and fought a most strenuous fight, and she endured thirst, and hunger, and the weariness of night vigil, and the standing up by day; and she continued to lead this life for many years. Now a certain man committed fornication with a certain woman, and she conceived by him and brought forth a child; and her parents said unto her, “Who is it that hath defiled thy virginity?” And she uttered a lie against this holy woman Theodora, and said, “It is Theodore the monk who liveth in the monastery that hath defiled me, and I am with child by him.” And when her parents heard these words they were exceedingly sorry, and they took the child and carried him to the abbot of the monastery, and said unto him, “Take this child, for he is the son of Theodore the monk, thy son.” And the abbot summoned this holy woman, and said unto him (sic), “Why hast thou done this abominable thing, and brought shame and disgrace upon the whole community of monks?” Now he did not know that it was a woman to whom he spoke. And the holy woman Theodora said unto him, “I have sinned. Have mercy upon me, O my father.” And straightway the abbot was wroth, and he gave her the child, and expelled her from the monastery; and she dwelt in the desert seven years, and the child was with her. And she endured many trials and tribulations caused by devils, and Satan tortured her cruelly. After this she was received, and one brought her into the monastery again, where she lingered a few days and then died, and delivered her soul into the hand of God. And she received life everlasting with all the saints, and she finished a good fight.

And on this day also are commemorated Saint Basil the martyr, Theodore, Bishop of Jerusalem, Kawestos, the chief of the martyrs of the city of Alexandria, and those who were martyred with him. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 12 (September 22)

On this day is commemorated the glorious angel Michael the archangel.

On this day God, to Whom be glory, sent him to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amos, and He had mercy upon him, and showed compassion unto him after He had been wroth with him for twenty-eight years. And God commanded him to go to Hezekiah the king, and to tell him that God would heal him of his sickness, and had added fifteen years to his days, so that he might marry and beget Manasseh.

And on this day took place the General Council of the Saints, two hundred bishops, in the city of Ephesus. This was the third of the great General Councils, and its bishops assembled in the twentieth year of the reign of Theodosius the Less, and son of Arcadius, the son of Thodosius the Great. They assembled because of the error of Nestor (Nestorius) who was Archbishop of Constantinople, and who said, “Our Lady, the Virgin Mary, did not give birth to God in the flesh, but to a mere man, and that afterwards the Son of God dwelt in him, and not that He dwelt and was one with him, but that He dwelt [in him] according to his desire and pleasure only; therefore Christ had Two Natures and Two Existences.” This is the wicked belief of Nestorius the infidel. Because of him these fathers, two hundred bishops, were convened, and they debated the matter with him, and they urged strongly and showed him that He Who was born of our holy Lady Mary the Virgin, was God Who had become man. And they brought before him the testimony of the words of the angel Gabriel when he said unto our Lady Mary in the holy Gospel of Saint Luke (1:28), “God be with thee! He Who shall be born of thee is holy and shall be called the son of the Most High.” And they brought before him also the words of Isaiah (vii, 14) the prophet in his prophecy, “Behold a virgin shall conceive, and she shall bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel.” And again he saith, “There shall go forth from Jesse a root, and he who shall arise from it shall be the hope of the Gentiles” (Isaiah xi, 1, 10). And moreover, our father Saint Cyril, Archbishop of the city of Alexandria, rebuked him, and admonished him, and said unto him, “Natures cannot be separated after they have become one in their unity, on the contrary, and we believe and declare that the Word of God that became man is One Nature only.” And Nestorius the unbeliever would not believe this, and he would not turn from his unbelief, and the whole General Council rebuked him and threatened him that they would cut him off from his priesthood and office unless he turned from his evil counsel. And he would neither hearken now accept the words of the whole Council, and they therefore cut him off from his priesthood, and they anathematized him, and excommunicated him, and drove him forth from the Council into Upper Egypt, where he died an evil death and departed into Sheol for ever. And these fathers, the two hundred bishops, confirmed the belief and made known in writing the declaration of this Council, and they said, “Our Lady Mary, the holy Virgin, the God-bearer, brought forth the Word of God made flesh.” And they drew up the Canon and laid down the Law, and they signed it with their own hands, and gave it to the faithful unto this day. And if it be said that in these days the Nestorians do not believe in the faith of Nestorius, the unbeliever, we reply that this is due to the fact that the Nestorians have mingled with the Jacobites who are in Syria, and in the country of the East generally, and that some of them have turned from their evil counsel. And we will beseech God to guide us in the way of salvation - to Whom be praise and glory forever and ever! Amen. Salutation to ‘Aflahos the martyr, and to those who were martyred with him.

And on this day also is commemorated the translation of the bodies of Saint ‘Aflahos the martyr and his companions in the city of Alexandria.

And on this day also are commemorated Luras (Luyuras) and Galanicus (Calanicus) the martyrs, and Joachim and Hanna, and on it a festival is held in Rome in honor of Stephen (protomartyr). Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 13 (September 23)

On this day is commemorated the miracle which the great Saint Abba Basil, Bishop of Caesarea and Cappadocia, wrought in connection with the young man who lusted for his master’s daughter, and whose heart was inflamed with love and desire for her. And that young man went to Satan, the enemy of our race, by the help of an unbeliever and magician. And that denier of Christ wrote a paper and gave it to him, and commanded him to go to the cemetery of the Pagans and to stand up by one of the graves therein at the time of midnight, and to lift up on high his [right] hand with that paper in it. And this vile man having received these words from him, went and stood up among the graves of the Pagans, with the paper in his hand, according as the magician had directed him. And straightway there came to him one of the Satans who seized his hand and brought him to Satan, the chief of the Satans, and he took that paper out of his hand. And Satan asked him, saying, “Dost thou believe on me, O young man? And wilt thou deny thy Messiah and not turn again to Him after I have fulfilled for thee thy desire?” And the poor slave answered and said unto him, “Yea, my lord, I will do as thou commandest me.” And Diabolos, the crafty deceiver, said unto him, “Write with thine own hand on a piece of paper that thou wilt do this.” And the young man wrote for him on the paper, and denied Christ our God, and he believed on Satan our enemy, and he separated himself from Christ in the body after he had been one with Him in heart and soul. And then Satan kindled lust in the heart of the daughter of the slave’s master, and she loved the young man exceedingly. And she could not bear to be away from him for a moment, but she cried out boldly to her father, saying, “If thou wilt not give me in marriage to thy servant, then assuredly I will kill myself.” And her father was sorrowful and wept bitterly because of this thing, and he tried to make her to be patient, but she could not be patient, and moreover, her love for the man was increasing continually in her heart. And she overcame her father, because he was afraid that she would kill herself, being ashamed before the people. And her father gave her to the young man, and he received the maiden from her father, and he took her into his house, and he satisfied his desire of her. And after she had dwelt with him many days, her father and her mother multiplied their weeping and lamentation for her, and her father cried out to God beseeching Him to have compassion upon them, and to remove their sorrow. And our Lord Jesus Christ heard their cry, and accepted their petition, and He made their daughter to know, and made it clear to her that the young man whom she loved was not a Christian. And on the one occasion during the whole of the time which he had lived with her, when he went into the church, she saw that he did not partake of the Holy Mysteries and that he did not make the sign of the life-giving Cross over himself; and the maiden wept, and repented and was exceedingly sorry. And when the young man knew that his matter was revealed unto her plainly, he said unto her, “I have not done any evil whatsoever.” And she answered and said unto him, “If thou art a Christian, and if what thou sayest is true, come with me and we will go and enter the church together, and we will received the Holy Mysteries.” And having forced him he told her of all that he had done for her sake, and how he had gone to that magician and written that paper for him with his own hand, and how he had denied Christ and believed on Satan, and had written that paper for him with his own hand, and had given it to Satan. When the maiden heard this thing from him she was exceedingly sorry and rebuked herself. And straightway she rose up and made haste to go to that pillar and light of the church, Saint Basil, bishop of her city, and she told him what had happened unto her, and she wept and did homage at his feet, and entreated him to deliver and save her. And Saint Basil sent and had the young man brought to him, and he learned from him his affair, and the young man revealed unto him what he had done. Then Saint Basil asked him, saying, “Dost thou wish to return and to be a Christian once more?” And the young man answered and said unto him with tears, “Is it possible for this to happen unto me, my lord?” And the saint said unto him, “Be of good cheer, and fear not,” and he made the sign of the Cross over him, and he shut him up in a chamber near him, and commanded him to pray until the third day; and Basil went and prayed for him. And after the third day Basil visited him, and he said unto him, “What hath happened unto thee during the past three days?” And the young man made known unto him that he had been in very great tribulation, which was caused by the cries of Satans, who showed him the paper, which he had written and were very wroth with him. And Saint Basil said unto him, “Be not afraid of them, for God will help thee, and strengthen thee, and preserve thee.” And Saint Basil gave him bread and water, and took him back into the place of his confinement, and prayed over him again. Later he visited him again, and he said unto him, “What hath happened unto thee?” And the young man said, “I hear their cry, but I see them not.” And again Saint Basil gave him bread and water, and admonished him and rebuked him, and said unto him, “Be not afraid”; then Basil took him back again into his place of confinement, and went away and prayed for him. Now Saint Basil shut him up in this way for three days at a time, and visited him every third day for forty days. And when the saint visited him at the completion of the forty days he asked the young man what had happened to him. And the young man said unto him, “O my holy father, last night I saw thee waging war against Satan on my behalf, and thou didst vanquish him straightway”; and when Saint Basil heard these words from him he rejoiced exceedingly. And he summoned all the monks from the monasteries, and the priests, and they prayed for that young man all that night. On the following day he brought the young man to the church, and the people of that city came there also, and Saint Basil commanded them all to lift up their hands to heaven, and to pray and to make entreaty to God and say, “Have mercy upon us”; and they did as he commanded them. And they continued to cry out and to say, “Lord have mercy upon us,” until that writing which the young man had written with his own hand for Satan fell down; and it fell down in the presence of all the people. And Saint Basil unrolled the paper and read it before all the people, and he blessed the young man and gave him the Holy Mysteries. And he took the woman and blessed them together, and they departed to their house rejoicing and exulting in their salvation, and in the remission of their sins. And they praised God and ascribed thanks to Saint Basil who by his prayer had saved them from the error of Satan.

And on this day also Abba Isaac the anchorite became a martyr. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 14 (September 24)

On this day died the holy father, Abba Agathon of the pillar. This holy man came from the city of Tenis (Tanis, or the Field of Zoan, i.e. San Al-Hagar) in the north of the land of Egypt. His parents were righteous folk, and fearers of God, and they loved to give alms and gifts to the poor and needy. The thoughts of his mind tended to monasticism, and they moved in his heart continually. The name of his father was Matra, and the name of his mother was Marya. When he was thirty-five years old he was appointed priest, and straightway he devoted himself continually to the Church. And he entreated God by day and by night to make straight for him his departure from this world, and he departed to the desert and became a monk. And the Lord Christ prepared the means for him, and he went out from his city, and came to the city of Mareotis, and thence he departed to the Scete desert. And the angel of God appeared unto him in the form of a monk who journeyed about with him everywhere in the desert and brought him to the monastery of Saint Abba Macarius in Scete. And Saint Abba Agathon came to the holy elders Abba Abraham and Abba Ga’Argi, and he became their disciple and lived with them for three years. After this they set him before the sanctuary and before the abbot, Abba John, and they remained three days in prayer over his garb of monasticism, and they arrayed him in the garb of angels. From that hour he became a devotee of God, and he fought a great fight with fasting and prayer, continually, day and night; and he slept on the ground without a mattress, and at length the skin of his body clave to his bones. And he read continually the history of the striving of Abba Simon of the pillar (Simon Stylites), and he was always envious of his striving. And he meditated in his heart, shutting himself up, and he took counsel with the holy fathers concerning it, and they said this counsel is good; and he was blessed by them and they prayed over him. And he went out of the desert, and came nigh unto the world, to the city of Saka (i.e. Sakha, in the province of Gharbiyah), and he dwelt in a little church. And the believers built him a pillar there, and he went up on it and stood on it, and labored strenuously in the ascetic life for a space of fifty years. In his days there appeared a man in whom was a filthy Satan and who led many people astray. And that man dwelt in a church, and the people used to throng about him to hear his doctrine, and with them they carried branches of trees. And Abba Agathon sent and had him brought to him, and he prayed over him, and drove out from him the devil who used to address the people through him. Similarly, a certain woman used to say, “Minas the martyr holdeth converse with me.” And she commanded her followers, and they dug a pool of water in the name of Abba Minas the martyr, and [pretended that] all those who bathed therein were healed. And Saint Abba Agathon prayed over that woman until he cast out from her that unclean spirit. And Saint Abba Agathon commanded the men of that city to fill up that pool. And there was also another man who used to raise up those who were mad and who were possessed of the devil, and when he beat them the devil used to leave them for a short time; and very many of those who were possessed of devils gathered together to him. And Saint Abba Agathon sent messages to him very often bidding him to come to him, and he would not obey him and neither came to him nor forsook his error. And when the governor of that city passed by, those who were possessed of devils cursed him, and for this reason the governor took that man, and punished him with exceedingly great severity, and he died straightway during his punishment. And another man, a priest, fell into fornication with a woman in the church, and polluted (or destroyed) his portion of it; and the people took him and brought him to Saint Abba Agathon, and he prayed over him and God healed him. And the holy man commanded that priest to take good heed that he did not minister in the priesthood during all the remaining days of his life. And the holy man Agathon worked many miracles, and he healed very many sick people. And there appeared unto him in the forms of angels very many Satans who sang unto him very sweet songs, and ascribed blessing to him, but by the might of Christ, to Whom be praise, he knew their guile, and he made over them the sign of the Glorious Cross, and they fled from before him speedily. And when God wished to make him to rest from the toil of this world, Agathon fell sick of a slight illness, and he delivered up his soul into the hand of God. Now very many people used to gather together to him, and he would teach them the way of God and would heal them of their sicknesses through his prayers. When they found out that he was dead they wept bitterly because they had lost their father who was wont to comfort them, and because they were the orphans of this glorious father. Now all the days of the life of this holy man Abba Agathon were one hundred years. He dwelt in the world forty years, and in the desert ten years, and he toiled in ascetic labors and lived upon a pillar for fifty years.

And on this day also are commemorated Makari (Macarius) the martyr, and Bartholomew, and ‘Awedra, and Nasen (Naso), and Degana the priest.

And on this day also died Abba Degana the priest. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 15 (September 25)

On this day the translation of the body of Saint Stephen the archdeacon and protomartyr took place. And how did the translation take place? It took place after very many years had passed since his death, and more than three hundred years after the reign of the righteous Emperor Constantine who worshipped God nobly, and after the revelation of the Right Faith. There was a certain man who lived in the garden, which was nigh unto the place where the body of Saint Stephen was, and that garden was called the “garden of Gamaliel,” and was nigh unto Jerusalem; and the name of that man was Lucianus. And Saint Stephen the fighter appeared unto him several times in dreams, and said unto him, “I am Stephen,” and he informed him that his body was buried in that place; and that man Lucianus went and told the bishop of the city of Jerusalem, and when the bishop heard this thing he rejoiced exceedingly. And he rose up straightway and took with him two bishops, and certain men of the church, and they came to the place wherein the body of the saint lay, and they dug into the ground there. And a mighty earthquake took place, and the coffin wherein was the body of the holy man was revealed. And there ascended from it an odor, which was exceedingly sweet, and they heard the voices of angels praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the heavens, and peace upon earth, His good pleasure to men.” And they praised and sang in this wise three times. And the bishops and the priests bowed down before the coffin containing the body of the holy man, and then they bore it away with songs and hymns and many brightly shining lamps until they brought it into the citadel of Zion. And after this, a certain man whose name was Alexander, and who was a native of Constantinople, and who lived in Jerusalem, built a beautiful church of Saint Stephen, and he removed the body of Saint Stephen into it. Five years after this Alexander died, and his wife buried him by the side of the coffin of Saint Stephen. And when eight yeas more had passed the wife of Alexander decided to go to the city of Constantinople and to take the body of her husband with her. And she came to the place wherein she had buried his body by the side of Saint Stephen, so that she might take her husband’s body and bury it in the church, which Alexander had built in Constantinople in honor of Saint Stephen. Now her husband’s coffin was like unto the coffin containing the body of Saint Stephen--and by the will of God she took the coffin wherein was the body of Saint Stephen, and carried it away to the city of Ascalon, and there she embarked with it in a ship to go to the city of Constantinople. As they were sailing over the sea she heard singing and many praises coming from the coffin, and she marveled exceedingly. And she rose up that she might look at that coffin, and she knew that it was the coffin wherein was the body of Saint Stephen, and she understood that this had happened through the Will of God, to Whom be praise! She was unable to return to Jerusalem, and she gave thanks unto God the Most High, because of what He had done unto her. When that woman arrived in the city of Constantinople, she went to the emperor and made known unto him the history of Saint Stephen, and how signs had taken place, and how he had arrived at the port of the city of Constantinople. And the emperor and the archbishop, and priests, and the people of the city went forth and they came to the body of the saint, and they carried it upon their heads with singing and many hymns, and with joy and gladness until they brought it to the royal palace. And both in the ship and in the royal palace God made manifest many signs. And they laid the body of the holy man upon a wheeled cart drawn by two oxen, and when they came to the place which is called Constantinople, wherein the holy man wished them to lay his body, the oxen stood still and would not go any further and they stood there. And when they beat the oxen they heard a voice, which came from one of the oxen, saying, “It is meet for them to deposit the body of Saint Stephen in this place.” And all those who saw and heard this praised God, and they knew that He Who had made the unclean she-ass of Balaam to speak was He Who had made to speak the oxen which were carrying the body of Saint Stephen. And the emperor commanded his people to build a beautiful church for him. And they built a beautiful church, and they laid therein a gem, a pearl of great price, a holy thing, that is to say the body of that holy and blessed man Stephen the apostle, the archdeacon and protomartyr.

And on this day is commemorated the righteous father, Abba Peter of the town of Taraw (Daraw in Upper Egypt?). This holy man was blessed before God from his mother’s womb. When he grew up to man’s estate he was perfect in heart, and he labored strenuously in ascetic works, and he served God with fasting and prayer day and night continually. He never ate the food, which is usually eaten by men, but he lived upon the small quantity of grass, which he found in the desert, and because of his lack of human food he resembled the angels in his strife. Moreover, his food was the repetition of the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ by night and by day ceaselessly. And it was meet for him to walk on his feet into the stream which is called ‘Alon without wetting them, for his body had become exceedingly dry (or hard) through the great tribulation caused by the heaviness of the iron which he wore on his body all the days of his life; for he was like unto a beast and not a man. And he pleased God with this manner of striving, and God healed him. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 16 (September 26)

On this day took place the consecration of the Church, and the Sanctuary, and the grave of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be praise, in the holy city of Jerusalem, and of all the holy places which ‘Eleni (Helena), the empress, laid bare. And this took place in the twentieth year of the reign of her son Constantine, after he had gathered together the Council of Three Hundred and Eighteen Saints in the city of Nicea. And the blessed woman ‘Eleni (Helena) took a large sum of his money, and she said unto her son Constantine, “I wish to be blessed by God, and I will go to the holy city of Jerusalem, and I will seek for and discover the Wood of the Life-giving Cross.” And Constantine rejoiced at these words, and he sent soldiers with her; and he gave her much money and apparel made of costly silks threaded with gold. When she arrived in the city of Jerusalem, and had knelt in prayer in certain of the holy places, she made enquiries about the Wood of the honorable and Life-giving Cross. And with much toil and tribulation she found the Wood of the Cross, and she praised it with great praises, and she paid unto it very great reverence and honor. Then she commanded her men to build the altar of the sanctuary, and [shrines at] Golgotha, and Bethlehem, and the cave wherein our Lord Jesus Christ was born, and the fortress of Zion, and Gethsemane wherein was buried the body of our Lady the holy Virgin Mary, and the Mount of Olives, and all the holy places; and she commanded [the builders] to decorate them with pearl, and with gold, and with silver. Now there was in Jerusalem a certain bishop whose name was Abba Macarius, and he gave her counsel, saying, “Do not thus, for after a few days [foreign] peoples will come and will rule over this country, and they will take possession of this place, and will lay it waste, and will seize whatsoever is made of gold and silver and precious stones. But it is meet that you should build a good, strong building which can neither be overthrown nor torn up from the foundations. And the remainder of this money give unto the poor and the needy.” And the Empress “Eleni (Helena) accepted his words and delivered much money into his hand, and she commanded all the nobles to build [a building of this kind], and to obey Abba Macarius the bishop in everything which he ordered them to do in the matter of the building. When the Empress ‘Eleni (Helena) returned to her son Constantine and told him what she had done in Jerusalem, he rejoiced exceedingly, and he sent a further large sum of money, and overseers were appointed over the building. And the emperor commanded them to pay the workmen and all those who served in the work of building their wages daily at eventide without fail, for the emperor feared lest they should suffer and lest they should complain if their wages were not paid to them, and lest God should be angry with him because of their complaint. And when the building of the holy places was finished in the third year of the reign of the righteous Emperor Constantine he sent holy vessels and apparel made of silk and gold which was exceedingly costly. And he sent messages to the Archbishop of the city of Constantinople to take his bishops, and to Athanasius, the Archbishop of the city of Alexandria, to take the bishops of his diocese, and also to the Archbishop of the city of Antioch, and he commanded them all to gather together in the city of Jerusalem and to consecrate the sanctuary and all the altars of the places which had been built [by ‘Eleni (Helena)]. And they all assembled in the city of Jerusalem, and they tarried there until the seventeenth day of the month Meskerem, by which day they had consecrated the sanctuary and all the altars of the places (i.e. shrines), which had been built. On that day there was joy, the like of which had never before existed. They performed the appointed service, and they consecrated the Holy Offerings, and they partook of the Holy Mysteries, and a great light appeared, and many signs [were wrought] on that day, the sixteenth of Meskerem. And they marched round into all the holy places with the Honorable Cross, and they worshipped God therein, and they received the Holy Mysteries, and they adored the Honorable Cross and sang litanies thereto, and [then] they departed to their countries in peace.

And on this day also died Obit, the son of Gabael of the seed of ‘Asael, of the tribe of Naphtali, who was carried off into captivity in the days of ‘Anemesor, the King of Persia (sic), he was a native of Tabes, on the right hand of Kades, which is Naphtali in Galilee, which is above ‘Aser. Tobit walked the path of righteousness and integrity all the days of his life. And the alms were many which he made to his brethren, and to his kinsfolk who went to the country of Persia, and all the people who had apostatized and who offered sacrifice to Baal and the Calf. And Tobit went frequently to Jerusalem, and he took the wool of his flock with him, and the tenth of his crop, and he gave one-third to the poor. When all his brethren were taken captives to Nineveh they ate with the Gentiles, but he restrained himself from eating because he remembered God with all his heart. One day he found the dead body of a man in the market place, and he rose up although fasting and brought it into a house until the sunset, and when the sun had set he dug a hole in the ground and buried him. That night he lay down to sleep against the wall of his garden, and he did not know that there were birds [nesting] in the wall. And when he uncovered his face these birds voided warm dung into his eyes, and a smoke went forth through his eyes and there was no man who could give him relief. And Tobit entreated God, saying, “Remember me, O Lord, and look upon my miserable estate, and remember not my sins nor the sins of my fathers, for Thou hast made us to be led away into captivity and to be scattered. And now, even according as it pleaseth Thee deal with me before Thee, and command that my earth may return so that I may dissolve and become dust; for it is better for me to die than to live.” And on that day the evil spirit Asmodeus found Sara, the daughter of Raguel, for he had married her to seven men, and when these men approached her he slew them. At length the handmaidens of her father reviled and abused her, and she continued to weep and pray to God that He would save her from their abuse; and her prayer and the prayer of Tobit were heard before the Majesty, praise [be unto Him], and Rafael [was sent to heal them both]. And Tobit remembered the silver, which he had committed to the care of Gabael, and he called his son Tobias, and he said unto him, “Seek out for thyself a hireling who shall go with thee to Gabael that he may bring back the money which I committed to his care before I die.” And Tobias found Rafael, who was in the form of a hired servant, and he went with Tobias, who named him “Azarias.” And they journeyed along the road, and they arrived in the evening at the Tigris, and Tobias went down to the river to wash, and a fish leaped out upon him. And Rafael said unto Tobias, “Seize him, and take out his heart, and his liver, and his gall”; and Tobias did as Rafael had commanded him. And when they arrived in the house of Raguel, Sara received them, and Tobias desired her, and he spoke unto her father so that he might give her to him; and Raguel said unto him, “I have married her to seven men, and all of them have died”; and Tobias said, “The Lord’s will be done.” And when they brought Tobias and Sara into the marriage-chamber, Tobias remembered the words of Rafael, and he burned away in smoke the heart and the gall of the fish, and the devil fled from Sara. And he returned with her to the house of his father, and when Tobit had received him Tobias smeared his father’s eyes with the gall of the fish. And when Tobit rubbed his eyes and there removed itself from his eyes as it were smoke, and he saw his son, he rejoiced and he prophesied concerning the sufferings of Christ, saying, “Blessed be all those who sorrow for Thy suffering, for they shall rejoice in Thee when they see all Thy glory.” And again he said, “The walls of the Jerusalem which is in the heavens shall be built of sapphire, and emerald, and precious stones, and its tower and its gates shall be of pure gold. And the court thereof shall be made of beryl and carbuncle and sapphire, and all its paths shall say ‘Hallelujah.’” And he also prophesied that the Israelites who were captives in Babylon should return, and should build Jerusalem with glorious mason’s work. And Tobit commanded his son Tobias to depart from Nineveh, for he knew that the spoliation thereof which Jonah the prophet had prophesied would take place. And he said unto his son, “See my son that thine alms do save thee and justify thee”; and with these words his soul went forth into its rest in the one hundred and fifty-eighth year of his age; and Tobias buried him with honor.

And on this day also are commemorated Warkela, and Simeon, and Markenos (Marcianus) [and ‘Azyanos, and Hali, and Ronikos], and Lucianus, and ‘Azremanos, and Peter, and Hannah, and Abba Agathon who stopped his mouth with a stone. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 17 (September 27)

On this day is celebrated the festival of the Honorable Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be praise, for this is the day on which the holy woman, the Empress Helena, beloved of God, mother of the righteous Emperor Constantine, revealed the Cross, for having cleared away the hill of Golgotha she found [there] the Honorable Cross. And why did this great hill come into being? It was because of the many signs and wonders, which were made manifest at the holy tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ; for the dead were raised, and the paralytics were healed, and the sick were made whole. And because of these things the Jews were furiously angry, and they sent forth a decree throughout all the country of Judea and Jerusalem ordering that every man should cast the sweepings of his house, and the ashes, and offal of every kind on the grave of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the Jews did this for more than two hundred years, and the ashes and the offal formed a very great heap, and they did so until the Empress Helena came to Jerusalem. And Helena seized certain Jews and shut them up in prison until they told her where the grave of our Lord Jesus Christ was, and she forced them to remove that hill, and the Honorable Cross was discovered. And she built a beautiful church for it, and she consecrated it, and she made a great festival in honor thereof on the seventeenth day of Mesekerem, which is this day. And all the Christian people came from all their countries to Jerusalem, and they made a great festival in honor of the Honorable Cross, similar to the festival of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now as certain Christians were journeying along the road, there was with them a certain man, a Samaritan, whose name was Isaac, and there were many Samaritans with him. And that Isaac the Samaritan was jibing at the Christians and reviling them and saying unto them, “Why do ye trouble yourselves in vain? Why do ye go and bow down before a mere log of wood?” And among the Christians was a certain righteous man, a priest whose name was ‘Odokis (Eudoxius), and as they were traveling along the road some of the Christians became thirsty, and they could not find water to drink. And they arrived at a certain well, and they found in it foul and bitter water, and they were suffering greatly from thirst. And Isaac the Samaritan began to laugh at them, and he said unto them, “If your faith was the True Faith this foul and bitter water would change itself and would become sweet water.” And when ‘Okokis (Eudoxius) the priest heard these words from him, he became moved with a divine zeal, and he debated with Isaac the Samaritan. And Isaac the Samaritan said unto him, “If I saw any power in the Name of the Cross then I myself would believe in Christ.” Then the holy man ‘Odokis (Eudoxius) prayed over that foul water, and it became sweet immediately, and all the people and their animals drank there from. When Isaac the Samaritan was athirst and wished to drink of the water which was in his own water-skin, he found that it was stinking and that there were worms in it. And he wept very bitterly, and he came to Saint ‘Odokis (Eudoxius) the priest, and he bowed down at his feet, and he believed on the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And he drank of that water which had become sweet, through the prayer of the holy man ‘Odokis (Eudoxius). Now there was in that water such great power that it became sweet to those who were believers and bitter to the infidels and pagan folk. And there appeared in that water a cross of light, and they built over that water a beautiful church. When Isaac the Samaritan came to the city of Jerusalem, he went to the bishop, who baptized him with Christian baptism, him and all the men of his house, and they entered the Christian faith and became believers. Now the Honorable Cross appeared unto them on the tenth day of Megabit, but as they were unable to celebrate a festival in its honor during a fast, they celebrated its festival on the day of the consecration of the church, which was the seventeenth day of Mesekerem, the day of its appearance in the holy tomb.

And on this day also the blessed Theognosta died. The holy woman lived in the days of the righteous Emperors Honorius and Arcadius. In those days an envoy came with gifts from the King of India to the righteous Emperors Honorius and Arcadius. And when the envoys of the King of India were returning, they found this virgin Theognosta with a book in her hand, which she was reading, and they seized her and carried her back with them to their country. And she became the head of the harim, and she had charge of the wives of the King of India, and of all the people of his house. And in those days the son of the king fell sick of a grievous sickness, and Saint Theognosta took him into her bosom and made over him the sign of the Cross, and he recovered straightway. And the report of this virgin was heard throughout the land by reason of the wonderful thing which took place through her, and from that day onward she was no longer regarded as a handmaiden but as a great lady. When the King of India went to war there came upon him clouds, and storm winds, and fog and darkness, and the king knowing of the wonder which the holy woman Theognosta had wrought by means of the Cross, made the sign of the Cross against the clouds, and the storm winds, and the fog and the darkness, and the sun appeared and there was joy and great gladness, and through the sign of the Cross the king vanquished his enemies. And as soon as the king returned from the war, he bowed down at the feet of Saint Theognosta, and asked her to give him holy Christian baptism, him, and the men of his house, and all the men of his city. And she said unto the king and unto all those who were with him, “It is not seemly for me to do this thing, but send ye to the Emperor Honorius and ask him to send you a priest, for I am unable to baptize anyone.” And straightway the king sent a letter to the Emperor Honorius, and told him that they had withdrawn [from Paganism] to the Faith of Christ, and he asked him to send to them a priest to baptize them with Christian baptism. And Honorius sent unto them a priest who was a righteous anchorite, and he baptized them with Christian baptism, and consecrated for them the Offering, and gave them the Holy Body and Honorable Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the virgin Theognosta, the beloved of God, rejoiced exceedingly, and she knew that priestly anchorite, and they each blessed the other. And she built for him a house for the religious, and very many virgins gathered together there, and they loved the nun’s garb of Theognosta and became like unto her. When that priestly anchorite had baptized them with Christian baptism, he returned to the Emperor Honorius, and related unto him how he had baptized the men of India, and how they had entered into the Faith of Christ. And the emperor Honorius rejoiced exceedingly, and he commanded the Archbishop of the city of Rome to consecrate that anchorite bishop of the Indians; and the archbishop consecrated him bishop, and he returned to the Indians and they rejoiced greatly. Whilst they were building a church they wanted pillars, but there were none to be found; now there was in that place a house of idols wherein were some very fine pillars. And the virgin Theognosta prayed to our Lord Jesus Christ with tears, and the pillars, which were in the house of idols removed themselves, and came to the church, and the believers glorified our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be praise! And those who were worshippers of idols smashed their idols, and turned and entered the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ; and there was great joy in that city. And Saint Theognosta the virgin ended her days, and she was well pleasing unto God, and she died in peace in that nunnery among the virgins.

And on this day also died the holy father Abba Dionysius, Archbishop of the city of Alexandria; of the number of the archbishops he is the fourteenth. The infidel Emperor Decius wished to kill this holy man, but God hid him from him. This father was a wise and learned man, and he translated many of the Books of the Church. In his days Saint Mercurius became a martyr by the hand of Decius, the Emperor of Rome, and in his days also the Seven Youths went to sleep for three hundred and seventy and two years. These Youths were among the sons of the elders of the city of Ephesus, and they fled from the Emperor Decius when he sought for them to make them worship idols. And in the days of this father lived our great and holy father Anthony the Egyptian, the head of the monks, who built monasteries. And this holy father Abba Dionysius sat as archbishop for nineteen years, and he guarded his flock and the Gentiles in right and in peace; and he was well pleasing unto God and he died.

And on this day also are commemorated Labiba (Liba), and ‘Akiryanos (Cirianus), and Justin, and Tekaseltes (Tekaleltes). Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 18 (September 28)

On this day died Eustathius, a teacher of the faith and a preacher of the Gospel. The name of the father of this holy man was Christos Mo’A, and the name of his mother was Sena Haywat; and they were both righteous and fearers of God, and they walked in all His judgments. And when Christos Mo’A, after the glad tidings of an angel, begat this child he called him Ma’Akara ‘Egzi’E. When he grew up he taught him the Psalms of David and the Books of the Church. Then he took him to the monastery of Abba Zacharias, his mother’s brother, who when he saw him knew that the grace of God was dwelling upon him, and he taught him all the rules of monasticism, and he arrayed him in the apparel of the angels. And the young man fasted and prayed with such intense devotion that the elders of the monastery marveled at the sternness of his strife; and he was girded with wisdom and knowledge. After a short time he was made a deacon, and he ministered in the church like Stephen the archdeacon. And our Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto him with Michael and Gabriel, and He embraced him and breathed into his face the Holy Spirit. And He said unto him, “O my beloved Eustathius, I have chosen thee from thy mother’s womb, and heave appointed thee to become a teacher of many nations from Ethiopia to Armenia. And thou shalt preach the Gospel without fear and trepidation. He who heareth thee heareth Me; he who rejecteth thee rejecteth Me.” When our Lord Jesus Christ had said this unto him He went up into heaven. And Saint Eustathius went to the bishop and was appointed priest, and he began to preach the faith of the Gospel. At length very many men gathered together to him, and they became monks through him and they became disciples [of him], now the greatest of them was Abba ‘Absadi, and he turned many from their iniquity, and at length they forsook their evil works. And his doctrine filled the whole earth, and in his days the honoring of Sabbaths and days of festival was established, and he turned not aside from [the ordinances of] the Apostles, neither to the right hand nor to the left. And he made two pilgrimages to Jerusalem, and God made manifest through him signs and wonders which were innumerable in opening the eyes of the blind, and in healing the paralytics, and in casting out devils. Then he decided that he would go to Jerusalem by the will of God, and he gathered together his sons, and he laid upon them the charge of keeping all the canon of the monks, and of keeping themselves from mingling with the pagans; and he appointed his son ‘Absadi chief over them. And he went to Jerusalem and kept the Sabbath as he went, and he taught the faith of Christ. And he came to the Archbishop ‘Abba Benyamin and was blessed by him, and they conversed together on matters of the Faith. Then he went down to Jerusalem and was blessed in the holy places, and was baptized in the Jordan. Thence he departed to Armenia, and having arrived at the sea of Jericho he asked the sailors to allow him to embark in a ship. And when they prevented him from doing so, he cast his head-fillet into the sea, and said a blessing over it in the Name of the Trinity, and made over it the sign of the Cross. Then he got up upon the fillet as upon a ship, and two angels acted as sailors, and our Lord acted as captain, and they carried over his sons who had no fear of the terror of the sea. And Eustathius said unto his sons, “Only take heed that ye do not lay up revenge and malice in your hearts; it seemeth to me however that one of you is about to perish.” And before he had finished uttering these words one of his sons dropped into the sea and was drowned because he was treasuring revenge and malice in his heart. And by God’s will they crossed over the sea and came to the country of Armenia, and he held converse with the archbishop, and did homage to him, and was blessed by him. When the archbishop saw him he rejoiced with exceeding great joy, and he received him gladly. And our father Eustathius continued to teach the men of Armenia the canons of the apostles, which are in the ordinance of the Synod until they were all one brotherhood in doctrine. When the time for his departure from this world had drawn nigh, our Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto him, and made a covenant with him in respect of those who should invoke his name, and those who should celebrate his commemoration, and those who should do into writing the story of his fight. And when he died the bishops and priests prepared him for burial with great honor, and they buried him in the church of Mar Mehnam (i.e. Behnam) the martyr, and many miracles happened through his body. Salutation to Eustathius and to his fillet whereon he crossed the sea.

And on this day also is commemorated Saint Helena, the mother of Constantine the righteous emperor. In the days of this holy woman the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be praise, was found.

And on this day also died Saint Abba ‘Onorewos (Honorius) the teacher [in the monastery] of Segadj.

And on this day also Saint Mercurius became a martyr. This holy man was a Persian jester and musician; originally he was a Christian. When Constantine, the son of Constantine the Great, died, there reined after him Julian the infidel, who slew Saint Mercurius. Now Julian was the son of Constantine’s sister. This denier of God worshipped idols, and he afflicted the Christian peoples grievously, and by his means very many became martyrs. When he was born there were gathered together those who jested and played music, and those who made men laugh, and this holy man Mercurius was among their number. And the infidel Julian ordered the holy man to show him what the system of Christianity was, and what they did in church. And Mercurius did according to what the infidel emperor had commanded him, and he made a jest and mockery of all the ordinances of the Church. And there was very great merriment. And when he was making a mockery of the ordinance of holy Christian baptism, and was making the sign of the Cross over the water in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, One God, the Lord illumined the heart of Mercurius, and he saw the Divine Grace of God through heaven, and an exceedingly great light enveloped him. And straightway Mercurius stripped off his apparel, and went down into the water, and was dipped in the water three times in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, One God. Then he went up out of the water, and put on his raiment and confessed that he was a Christian. And the emperor was wroth with him and he threatened him, saying, “Unless thou doest as I command thee, and unless thou castest incense to the gods, I will torture thee with the greatest severity. On the other hand, if thou wilt hearken to my command I will give thee very much money and I will honor thee exceedingly.” And Saint Mercurius answered and said unto him, “If thou wert to give me all the money in this world and the kingdom thereof, I would not deny my Lord Jesus Christ.” Then straightway the infidel emperor commanded his soldiers to cut off his holy head, and Mercurius received an incorruptible crown in the kingdom of the heavens.

And on this day it is meet that we should celebrate also the festival of the Honorable and Life-giving Cross of our Lord and God Jesus Christ.

And on this day also died the warrior Mar Jacob, the Egyptian. This holy man had righteous and believing parents, and they gave him as a votive offering to God. When he had finished his instruction in the school house his parents took him into the mountains of Alexandria, and they gave him to the Archimandrite Abba Gabriel, and he made him a monk when he was a boy twelve years of age. When he was twenty years of age he went forth with his teacher into the desert in order to strive in the ascetic life. And they found there a high tower, and at the bottom was a spring of water, and Abba Gabriel and Mar Jacob went up to the top of the tower; and they used to draw water from the stream and pour it out into hollows which were like troughs in the ground, and every day the wild animals of the desert used to come there and drink there from. And the holy man Mar Jacob used to milk them, and make cheese from the milk, and he and his teacher lived thereon. When Abba Gabriel died, Mar Jacob went up to the top of the tower, and by the Will of God there came to him twelve desert monks, and they dwelt with him in fasting and prayer, and they lived upon the milk of the animals, and the want of wheat for the monastery was supplied by the pilgrims who came from afar. One day they said, “It is our desire to see Abba Moses the Black (i.e. the Ethiopian), and to be blessed by him.” And Satan because he coveted to be loved by them, took the form of Abba Moses the Black, and he came flying on his wings and said unto them, “Why do ye trouble me to drag myself from mine own place, seeing that I am an old man?” And they said unto him, “We wish to hear the word of life from thy lips, and we wish thee to bless us.” And he said unto them, “How do ye live?” And they said that they poured out water for the wild animals of the desert, and that when they came to drink, they milked them and lived upon their milk each evening. And Satan said unto them, “Will ye not listen unto what I shall command you?” And they said unto him, “Yea.” And Satan said unto them, “Take ye not the milk of the beasts and ye shall not do violence unto them, for ye are monks. And fast ye forty days at a time, and do not pray the Psalms of David, for David took the wife of Uriah by violence and slew him.” And he addressed a very large number of profitless exhortations to them so that he might ensnare them by his wiles, and they received his words imagining that they were the words of Abba Moses the Black. Then the Holy Ghost made Mar Jacob to understand that his words were the teaching of Satan, and he commanded his disciples to consecrate the Offering on the first day of the week, and afterwards he showed his sons that the words that had been said to them were of Satan. And Satan came unto him again disguised as the Archbishop of Alexandria, and there were bishops with him, and when he came he cursed them and anathematized them, saying, “Why are ye living here without my permission?” And Saint Abba Jacob saw the extent of his power with his disciples, and he made a prayer, and straightway Satan disappeared and his counsel did not remain. Sometimes Satan came unto him in the form of a serpent, and sometimes in the form of a king, and sometimes in the forms of beautiful virgins, and sometimes he took the forms of eagles and ravens that tore [his] face with their claws. And he was tempted for seven years. Then when God saw his weariness and his prayer, He sent lightning from heaven, and it rent Satan in pieces, and scattered him like smoke. And Satan cried out, saying, “Woe is me by reason of thee, O Jacob, for thy prayer hath burned me up.” And then God commanded Mar Jacob to go to the monastery of ‘Abdin, and he told his sons this, and having laid upon them the charge that they were to dwell in the tower, he departed alone to the shore of Jericho. And as there was no ship there, he blessed a wave of the sea, and he embarked upon it, and traveled upon it as upon dry land until he crossed the sea and arrived at Tarsus. And as he passed through a market-place in the city, he found a wounded man with worms devouring him. And the holy man said unto him, “What is thy name?” And the man said unto him, “My name is ‘Anthony’; my father gave me money for the physicians, and they have not healed me.” And Mar Jacob saw that the man was grieving because of his disease, and he made a prayer, and laid his hands on every part of his body, and said unto him, “In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ be made whole,” and straightway the man was healed. And forthwith Anthony followed him and became his disciple. Then the holy man and his disciple went on their way, and when they arrived at the city of ‘Amid they found the son of King Anestus mad, and he was beating his head on the stones, and no one could restrain him. And Mar Jacob commanded his disciple Anthony to seize him, and to bring him to him; and when he arrived he made over him the sign of the Honorable Cross, and he commanded Satan in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ to go forth from him. And Satan went forth from him in the form of a black slave, and the young man recovered and followed the holy man; and when his father and the people saw him they rejoiced with very great joy. Now the king wished to give Mar Jacob much money, but the holy man refused it and would not take it. And by the commandment of God he departed with Abba Barsabo, a teacher of the monastery of the city of ‘Abdin, and as he was traveling on the road Anthony fell sick of the smallpox, and on the third day he died. And when Mar Jacob came to a city, the name of which is ‘Awersa, he found that the son of the governor was sick, and through the prayer of the holy man Mar Jacob he recovered. When his father saw that he had recovered he rejoiced with very great joy, and he handed him over to the holy man to be his disciple until the day of his death. Now the name of the young man was Fekur. And when they drew nigh unto the monastery of Barsabo, the monks welcomed them and brought them in with much singing. Now there was built by the side of this city a certain temple, and the King of Persia, who was called Samer, used to come there every year and celebrate a festival in honor of his idols. And Mar Jacob said unto the monks, “Behold, we have heard that the King of Persia hath come, let us go to him and shed out blood for the sake of the Name of Christ, to Whom be praise!” And whilst the monks were considering this advice the soldiers of the king arrived in the monastery, and they saw that the monks were wearing black apparel, and they said unto them, “What are ye? Which of the gods do ye worship?” And the holy men said, “We worship the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, Who came down from heaven, and became man through the Holy Ghost by Mary the holy Virgin, to Him do we bow down and Him do we worship.” When the soldiers heard them they carried them away to the king, and when they arrived before the king they confessed the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the king enquired what their country was, and Abba Barsabo said, “I and my brethren are Romans,” and Saint Abba Jacob saith, “I am by myself; I am an Egyptian.” When the king heard his words he commanded his soldiers to remove Jacob against his will, for he did not wish to kill him because he had a treaty with the men of Egypt. And the king ordered his soldiers to beat the monks, and they beat them until their blood flowed from their bodies like water, and he then had them cast into the prison house [where] the angel of the Lord healed them; on the following day when the soldiers found them alive, the king [promised to] bestow many gifts upon them. But when they treated his word with contempt he commanded his soldiers to torture them by crushing their feet into [iron] boots, and by beating them, and drawing out their front teeth, and grinders, and by drawing out of the nails of the hands and feet, and by cutting off their noses, and lips, and ears; this they did for a period of six days; but our Lord Jesus Christ gave them strength [to endure]. On the eighth day he commanded the soldiers to cut off their heads, and Mar Barsabo addressed them, and after he had exhorted them, he delivered them one by one into the hand of the swordsman, and ten monks were crowned. And the captain of the horse of the king on seeing the crowning of the saints stripped off his apparel and confessed our Lord Jesus Christ, and his head also did they cut off with the sword. After the sons of Mar Barsabo were dead he himself stretched out his neck, and said unto the swordsman, “Finish what thou hast been commanded [to do],” and straightway he gave him his neck. And the martyrdoms of the saints were finished on the twenty-eighth day of the month Nehasse (Aug. 7 - Sept. 5). Then the king ordered his soldiers to burn their bodies with fire, but the earth opened her mouth and covered them. And the king being ashamed wanted to depart to his own country. Thereupon Mar Jacob prayed to God and He rained upon him fire [mingled] with black clouds, and hail and snow, and he and all his soldiers perished, and not one of them remained [alive]. When the men on the frontiers heard this they all went out and took their horses and all their goods, and they carried them to Mar Jacob and said unto him, “Take all these goods for thy needs,” but he refused to do so, and commanded them to build a little church over the grave of the holy martyrs; [and they did so] and there it remaineth unto this day. One day there was a plague (or smallpox) in a certain city, and the people sent to Mar Jacob asking him to help them by his prayers; and when Mar Jacob heard of the plague he was very sorry. And having taken the censer he went into the church, and he prayed a long time, and having gone forth from the church he said unto the messengers, “Be not afraid, neither grieve ye; depart ye in peace.” When the messengers arrived they found the city in a healthy state, and they praised the God of Saint Jacob. And there was a certain maiden who came with her father to the holy man, and she lusted for the holy disciple whose name we have mentioned, and she wanted to cast him down in sin. When he refused her she became with child by a certain servant of her father, and she acted craftily in the matter. When her father heard of this he set out to kill Mar Jacob and his disciple, and as he was going along the road [to do so] lightning fell upon him and blinded his eyes. After a few days his daughter brought forth her child, and she carried the child to saint Mar Jacob in the midst of the congregation. And Mar Jacob said unto the child, “In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I command thee to declare the name of thy father.” And the child said, “My father is so-and-so, the servant of my mother’s father”; and when the people heard this they marveled and praised God. When the time of Mar Jacob’s departure from the world drew nigh, he commanded his disciple Daniel, saying, “Behold my departure draweth nigh. When I am dead bury me with Mar Barsabo and his sons.” Three days after this he died in peace, and the angels took his soul up into Jerusalem. Salutation to Jacob the strenuous ascetic! Salutation to Jacob the priest!

And on this day also is commemorated Saint Stephen the priest, and Niceta the martyr.

And on this day also were found the bones of Thomas and of Archbishop Athanasius; and on this day are commemorated our father the admirable Philotheus [the Thaumaturge], and Abba Nob the anchorite, and the martyrs who were with ‘Aboli - forty men and twenty women.

And on this day also are commemorated ‘Efomya (Euphemia) the martyr, and Abba Finomis, and Selhan, and ‘Akalaeles, and Isaac.

And on this day also took place the miracle which Thomas the apostle wrought when he went to preach the Gospel in the country of India. Now he was afraid, and he said, “How can I go to India, the country of which I know not?” Then our Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto him and said unto him, “Fear thou not, for My grace is with thee.” And whilst he was with our Lord there came a merchant from India. And our Lord said unto him, “What dost thou want?” And the merchant said, “I want a carpenter”; and he sold him for three letra of silver. And he wrote a paper which testified, saying, “I have sold my servant, the son of Joseph the carpenter, to ‘Abenes, a merchant of Gona”; and Thomas’s [new] master took him to the city of the king. When they drew nigh unto the city they heard [the sound of] organs and pipes, and they said, “What is this?” And the people said unto them, “The king has made a marriage-feast for his daughter, and he has ordered that whosoever doth not come to the wedding shall be punished.” And ‘Abenes and Thomas went into the room of the feast, and while the guests ate and drank Thomas the apostle ate nothing at all. And there he found a Hebrew singing maiden who was singing songs in the Hebrew language. And whilst the apostle was praying in the Hebrew language one of those who were at the feast struck him; and the apostle said, “I see a hand with the dogs tearing at it”; and the singing woman alone heard him because he spoke in the Hebrew Language. And the man who smote Thomas went down to the lake (or well) to draw water, and a lion sprang out and slew him and left him lying in pieces. And a dog seized the right hand and carried it in among the people at the feast, and one said unto Thomas, “Who is dead?” And he said unto them, “This is the hand of him who struck one who serveth.” When the singing maiden heard this, she cast sway her tambourine and went and sat at the feet of the apostle, and she said, “I heard thee say unto him, ‘The gods shall tear the hand which smote me.’” When the people heard this some believed and some did not. When the king heard this he said unto Thomas, “Come and pray over my daughter, for this day have I given her in marriage.” And when the apostle had entered the marriage-chamber he prayed to the Lord in the form of Thomas, on behalf of the bride and bridegroom, and admonished them with the words of faith, and they believed the words of the apostle, and abandoned their marriage. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 19 (September 29)

On this day is commemorated Saint Gregory, Archbishop of the country of Armenia, who became a martyr without the shedding of his blood. This man established himself in the country of Armenia in the days of Dertades the king. Now that king was an infidel, and when he came into his temple to offer up incense to the gods, he summoned Gregory to offer up incense to his gods likewise; but Gregory would not obey the king’s command, and he tortured him with exceedingly severe tortures, and had him burned with fire. After this he cast him into a pit naked, and he lived therein for fifteen years. And there was a certain old woman a widow, near the king’s palace, and she saw a vision wherein one said unto her, “Make bread regularly, and cast it into the pit wherein the holy man is.” And the old woman continued to act in this wise, and she cast bread into the pit until the fifteen years were ended. In those days that king killed the virgins, namely Saint ‘Arsima, and the virgins who were with her, and their bodies were thrown out upon the mountain. And Satan made himself master of King Dertades, and the Lord changed his appearance, and he became like unto a wild boar, and Satan also made himself master of very many of the royal officers, and there was very great sorrow in the royal house. And the king’s sister saw a vision one night wherein it seemed that a man said unto her, “Unless ye bring up Gregory out of the pit thou wilt never be able to cure him (i.e. the king).” And straightway they went into the pit and brought Saint Gregory out there from, and he healed the king forthwith and all those who were in his house. And he made the bodies of the virgins ready for burial, and laid them in a beautiful tomb. Now the whole history of him is written in the section for the fifteenth day of Tahsas, which is the day whereon he died.

And on this day also is celebrated the festival of the Holy and Honorable Cross, for when it was found the people made a festival for three days with joy and gladness. Similarly it is meet that we ourselves should celebrate a festival of commemoration in its honor with great joy, for in it there is the joy of our salvation from our enemy Satan, and praise to our Lord Jesus Christ. Salutation to the Tree of Life, the bed of the Son of Mary! Salutation to the Tree of Life, which was sprinkled with the Divine Blood!

And on this day also died Kirkos (Cyriacus), the dweller in the desert. This holy man lived in the days of Abba Benyamin, and he fled from the Emperor Marcianus, the evil one, and established himself as an anchorite on the top of a high mountain. He lived in a cave wherein wild animals lived, and he begged his food from God. And God commanded a she-buffalo to go to him every third day, and he drank milk from her, and he lived in this manner for ten years. And Satan, the accursed one, having become jealous of his strenuous ascetic labors, began to tempt him in all the ways and means, which he hath. At one time he would come to him in the form of a black man to terrify him, an at another he would come to him in the form of a company of soldiers, who threatened him with dire threats. And horsemen seized him, and bound him with fetters, and beat him with whips, and dragged him along the road by his feet. When he knew that these men were Satans he made the sign of the Cross over himself, and they disappeared from before him. Once when he was kneeling down at night praying, a thing, which was like unto a huge serpent, coiled itself about his neck and wished to shoot venom into his face, and again he entreated the help of God Who sent His angel and delivered him. When the time for his death drew nigh, he went to the father Archbishop Abba Benyamin, and told him everything, and he sent to him three archbishops to undertake the preparation of his body for burial. When they had gone into his cave they found him very ill, and at the moment when his spirit went forth from his body they saw great and indescribable splendor; and then they buried him in his abode. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 20 (September 30)

On this day died the holy father Abba Athanasius, the twenty-eighth Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. This father was the steward of the church of the city of Alexandria. When Peter the archbishop, his predecessor, died, all the bishops, and the governors (or nobles), and the elders, and the people, with one consent agreed to appoint Saint Athanasius archbishop, for the holiness of his life was proverbial, and he contended splendidly in the way of God, and the Holy Spirit dwelt in him. And they took him against his will and appointed him archbishop, and he protected the flock of our Lord Jesus Christ well and carefully against the wolves of the devil, who are wicked Satans, by means of his admonitions, and teachings and prayers. He sat as archbishop seven years, and he was well pleasing to God, and he died in peace.

And on this day also the holy virgin Malidama became a martyr.

And on this day also are commemorated the virgin Athena, and Marena, and Pila, and Abraham the monk, and Rade’e, and Sades, and Thaddeus, and Epiphanius, and the righteous man ‘Armanyos (Armenius), and Simeon, the head of the bishops of Jerusalem, the martyr. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 21 (October 1)

On this day the holy honourable Cyprianus and the virgin Justina became martyrs. This holy man Cyprianus was at one time a magician, and an infidel, and a teacher of sorcery in a city of the West, and in knowledge of magic he excelled every other man in the city of the West. And because of his excessive impudence, and his arrogance, and his infidelity, and his sorcery, he rose up and went to the city of Antioch in order that he might find out whether there existed among the people of that city any other kind of magic; if there was, and if it was superior to his own knowledge, he intended to learn it, and if there was not he intended to triumph over them through his knowledge of sorcery. When he arrived in the city of Antioch the report of him was heard therein, and a certain young man, the son of one of the elders of the city of Antioch, heard of him. Now the young man lusted for a certain Christian virgin who was called Justina, whom he had seen going to church; and his heart was hot like the fire which blazeth because of his longing and his love for her. And he was unable to obtain her either by the gift of money, or by the threat of death, or by the operation of sorcery. When the young man heard of the arrival of Saint Cyprianus in the city of Antioch, and knew that he was reported to be superior to every man in Antioch through his sorcery, straightway he went to him, and told him about the sorrow in his heart, caused by the virgin Justina, and how he longed for her, and how he loved her exceedingly, but could not obtain possession of her. And Saint Cyprianus promised him, saying, “Fear thou not, I will fulfill for thee all thy desire.” And he directed against her all the works of his sorcery, but failed to obtain possession of her. Every time when he sent against her any of the powers of Satan, he found her praying, and they were unable to stand before her, and they were powerless to fight against her. When Cyprianus was tired and was unable to gain the mastery over her, he called the Satans, and said unto them, “If ye are not able to bring Justina the virgin to me, I shall turn and become a Christian.” And the chief of the Satans meditated and thought out one device whereby he might seduce her, and that was by making one of his Satans to disguise himself and to take the form of Justina, and then to make him to appear to Cyprianus as if he were showing him Justina. And that Satan did as Satan his master commanded him, and he hastened and made him known to Cyprianus. And he said unto him, “Behold Justina is coming to thee”; and Cyprianus rejoiced exceedingly, and he imagined that it was true, and he sat down and waited. And behold, Satan disguised as Justina came unto him, and Cyprianus rejoiced, and rose up straightway to embrace her by reason of his great joy in her, and he said unto her, “Good is thy coming, O Justina, queen of women.” And as soon as he had uttered her name only, that Satan who had disguised himself as Justina melted away and disappeared like smoke, and there was a fetid smell [there]. And Cyprianus knew that this thing was a debased and deceitful trick of Satan; and if Satan did not dare to stand before her face, and could not endure the mention of her name, how could he have the power to seduce her? And Cyprianus rose up straightway and burnt and destroyed his books of magic, and was baptized with Christian baptism by the Archbishop of Antioch. Then he became a monk, and after a few days he was made a deacon, and a little later a priest. And when he had grown old in doing good works and in the doctrine of the Church, he became fit to be bishop of the city of Cartagena in the country of the West. And he took Saint Justina and made her the abbess of a house of virgins. When a General Council of the saints assembled in the city of ... this holy man was one of those who were assembled there. And after many days Decius the infidel emperor heard of Cyprinaus and Justina, and he had them brought before him, and he demanded from them a denial of Christ, and he endeavored to make them worship idols. When they would not obey his command, he tortured them with very great severity. After this he ordered his soldiers to cut off their heads with the sword, and they cut off their heads and Cyprianus and Justina received incorruptible crowns of martyrdom in the kingdom of heaven.

And on this day it is meet for us to celebrate a festival of commemoration of our Lady, the holy Virgin Mary. [A note in the Bodleian MS. says that this festival must be kept on the 21st of every month of the year.]

And on this day also there took place the death of Saint Tiberius the apostle, one of the Seventy-two disciples. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 22 (October 2)

On this day the Saints Kotolos (Cotylus) and his brother ‘Aksu became martyrs. These holy men were the sons of Sapor, King of Persia, and they had a companion whose name was Tatos. Now Sapor, King of Persia, worshipped fire and the sun, and he afflicted and tortured many believing men, and no man throughout his country dared to mention the Name of Christ. And his son Kotolos (Cotylus) had a friend whose name was Tatos, and he was governor of the country of the Maydaswiyan; and certain people laid information against him before Sapor the king, and told him that he was a Christian. And the king sent to him a certain noble whose name was Tumager to find out whether that which was said about Tatos was true or not, and he commanded that noble, if he found that Tatos was a Christian, to inflict heavy punishment upon him. When Kotolos (Cotylus), the son of the King of Persia, heard these words, he rose up and went to that country where his friend Tatos was. When the noble arrived in that country and found that Tatos was a Christian, even as the king had been informed, straightway he ordered his men to make an oven red-hot and to roast him to death in it. And Saint Tatos made the sign of the Cross over his face against the fire, and the fire died down and was extinguished. When Kotolos (Cotylus), the son of the king, saw this miracle, he marveled exceedingly, and he said to Tatos his friend, “How didst thou learn this magic, O my brother?” And Tatos answered and said unto him, “This is not magic, O my brother, but it is through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ that signs and wonders like this are performed.” And Kotolos (Cotylus) believed on our Lord Jesus Christ. And they lighted a fire and made it to burn until the flames thereof reached a great height, and Kotolos (Cotylus) drew nigh unto the fire, and he made the sign of the Cross over it, and the fire turned backwards a distance of twelve cubits. And the noble wrote his dispatch and sent it to Sapor the king, and in it he informed him what had happened to Tatos and to Kotolos (Cotylus), the son of the King of Persia. And the king sent messengers and had them brought to him, and his men cut off the head of Tatos with the sword, and he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of heaven. His son Kotolos (Cotylus) he tortured with great severity, and he delivered him over to another noble who was to torture him, and when this noble had tortured him cruelly he shut him up in prison. And ‘Aksu, his sister came unto him in the prison house, for the king had sent her a message that she must persuade him to return to his former relations with him. And Saint Kotolos (Cotylus) admonished his sister, and he taught her the Right Faith, and straightway she turned from her error, and believed on our Lord Jesus Christ. Then Kotolos (Cotylus) sent his sister to a certain priest and he baptized her secretly with Christian baptism, and she returned to her father the king and said unto him, “It would be a good thing for thee if there happened to thee what hath happened to me and to my brother Kotolos (Cotylus). For there is no God but Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, Who hath made the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and all that is therein.” And when the king her father heard these words from her he was exceedingly wroth with her, and he commanded his men to torture her very severely, and they did so until she yielded up her soul unto the hand of the Lord, and she received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of heaven. And he tied her brother Saint Kotolos (Cotylus) to the tails of horses and he made him to run behind them over the mountains until he yielded up his soul into the hand of His Creator. Then he had his body cut into three parts, and his men cast them out on the tops of the hills so that the birds of heaven might consume them. Thus Saint Kotolos (Cotylus) finished his strife, and received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of heaven. When the king’s soldiers had departed the Lord commanded the priests and the holy deacons to take the bodies of the martyrs, and they went by night and took the bodies of the martyrs, and they went by night and took the bodies of the saints, and they found that they had become as white as snow. And they prepared them for burial with honour, and they laid them in a beautiful tomb until the end of the days of persecution. After the days of the persecution they built a beautiful church for them, and laid the bodies of the saints therein, and through them very many signs and wonders were wrought.

On this day also Saint Julius became a martyr. This holy man came from the city of ‘Akfehas, and our Lord set him up to care for the bodies of the holy martyrs, and to write the history of their contending and to prepare their bodies for burial, and to dispatch each body to its native city. And the Lord brought blindness into the hearts of the governors, and they never held converse with Saint Julius about any matter whatsoever, and they never forced him to worship idols, for the Lord protected him for the sake of His servants the martyrs. And there were three hundred men who knew how to write, and they used to write the histories of the contending of the holy martyrs. And Julius used to minister to the holy martyrs, and dress their wounds with healing medicines with his own hand, and the martyrs used to bless him and declare unto him, saying, “Thou art as if thou hadst poured out thine own blood for the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be reckoned among the number of the martyrs.” When the days of the reign of Diocletian the infidel emperor were ended, Constantine the righteous emperor reigned. And our Lord wished to place and to associate Saint Julius with the number of the holy martyrs and all the righteous saints. And our Lord Christ commanded Saint Julius to go to the city of Gamnudi in the northern part of the country of Egypt, to Armenius the governor, and to confess before him his belief on the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And Saint Julius went, as our Lord Jesus Christ had commanded him, to Armenius the governor, and he confessed before him that he believed on the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ; and the governor tortured him many times, and God raised him up whole and unharmed. Then Saint Julius prayed to God and entreated Him to let the earth open her mouth and swallow up the idols. And straightway the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the seventy idols, and their one hundred and forty priests. Now the governor had commended his men to bring Saint Julius to him so that he might bow down to the idols; and straightway they and their priests were destroyed and they went down into Sheol forever. And very many of the people who were there when they saw this miracle marveled exceedingly, and they believed on our Lord Jesus Christ and became martyrs. When Armenius the governor saw that his gods and their priests were destroyed he believed on our Lord Jesus Christ, and went with Saint Julius to the governor of Athribis and confessed before him his belief on the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the governor of Athribis tortured Saint Julius with very great severity, but our Lord Christ raised him up safely and unharmed; Julius died thrice, and our Lord Jesus Christ raised him up from the dead thrice. One day there was to be a festival in honour of the idols, and the people were decorating the temple with all kinds of ornaments and lamps, and with palm branches, and branches of other trees, and they closed the gates of the temple; and the people expected to come on the following day and to celebrate the festival. And Saint Julius entreated God to blot out their idols, and straightway God sent an angel who smashed the heads of the idols, and blackened their faces with charcoal and ashes, and burnt up all the palm branches, and destroyed all the other decorations of the temple. On the following day when the people dressed in apparel of great price came to do according to their custom, and saw how their idols had been destroyed, they recognized the impotence of their idols, and thy conversed among themselves and said, “If our idols are not able to save themselves, how will they have the power to save us?” And straightway the governor of Athribis believed on our Lord Jesus Christ, and very many men, the number whereof could not be counted, did the same. From this place also Saint Julius departed to the city of Tuwa, and with him were the governor of the city of Gamnudi and the governor of the city of Athribis. And Saint Julius spoke unto Iskander the governor of Tuwa, and said unto him, “Finish my strife for me, and command thy men to cut off my head and let me receive the crown of martyrdom, and depart to my Lord Jesus Christ.” And Iskander said unto him, “I will not torture thee, and I will do nothing evil unto thee whatsoever.” And Saint Julius commanded his five hundred slaves to sharpen their swords, and to rise up against Iskander. And they said [unto him], “If thou dost not command [his soldiers] to cut off the heads of all of us, so that we may become martyrs of Christ, we will kill thee.” Then Julius commanded an unclean spirit to ride Iskander, and straightway the unclean spirit did so, and Iskander wrote a decree ordering his servants to cut off the heads of the slaves of Julius with the sword. And straightway the soldiers cut off the heads of all the saints, that is to say, of Saint Julius, and Saint Theodore his son, and Saint Ionias his brother, and his five hundred slaves, and the governor of Gamnudi, and the governor of Athribis, and a great many [other] people. Now the number of those who became martyrs on the day of the martyrdom of Saint Julius was fifteen hundred, and they all received their crowns of martyrdom in the kingdom of heaven. And they took the bodies of Saint Julius and his son and his brother, and carried them to the city of Alexandria, for there he used to live, although he was born in the city of ‘Akfehas, and they laid them in a beautiful tomb. Afterwards they built over them a beautiful church wherein many signs and wonders took place. Three salutation to Julius, Theodore and Ionias.

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

Meskerem 23 (October 3)

On this day the righteous Saints Eunabius and Andreas became martyrs. These holy men were sons of elders of the city of Zalda, and from their youth up they were friends in good counsel, and they went and became monks in one of the monasteries of a city in Syria. Afterwards they went to the holy and honorable Abba Macarius and they became his disciples, and they dwelt with him, and were in submission to him, and they followed his counsel, and they continued to devote themselves to a life of prayer for three years, and they fasted and prayed by day and by night continually, in love and humility. And the report of their fair strife and of their strenuous ascetic labors was heard [everywhere], and the people chose Eunabius and made him a bishop, and Andreas they made a priest, and they protected the flock of Christ well and carefully. And they fought a great fight, and they afflicted their souls and bodies with toil and tribulation, and they continued to do so for some years. And Julian, the infidel emperor, heard the report of them, and he sent messengers and had them brought to him, and he commanded them to deny Christ, and to enter the foul and wicked faith, that is to say, the worship of idols; and they would not obey his command, and they cursed him and they cursed his filthy idols. And Julian was wroth with them, and he tortured them severely and broke their bodies up each into several pieces; and they yielded up their souls into the hand of God, and they received their crowns of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens, as a reward for their monastic life, and for their fair worship, and for their strenuous fighting and their stern asceticism, and for the shedding of their blood, and for their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

And on this day also Eustathius and his son and his wife became martyrs. Salutation to Eustathius who saw our Lord Jesus Christ between the horns of a stag.

And on this day also are commemorated Thecla the virgin, the bride of Christ, and forty-four martyrs, and the admirable Gregory [the Thaumaturge], and ‘Ensina, and Belina, and Abba Selama the lamp of the world. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 24 (October 4)

On this day died the holy father, Abba Gregory the monk. This holy and blessed man was a native of Upper Egypt, and his parents were holy and righteous Christians, and they were exceedingly rich, and their possessions were very great. And they taught their son every kind of sacred and profane learning, and then they taught him the doctrine of wisdom and the art of speaking, and the Books of the Holy Church. Next they sent him to Father Isaac, bishop of their city, and he laid his hand upon him and made him a reader; then they required from him that he should marry a wife, but this thing he refused [to do]. After this they brought him to the bishop, and he appointed him a full deacon. And Gregory used to go continually to Abba Pachomius, and learn from him the way of God, and took very much money from his parents and brought it to the Holy Father Abba Pachomius. And he made many petitions unto him, beseeching him to give this money to those who built monasteries, but Saint Abba Pachomius devoted it to the building of a church, and a lodging for the monks and for his own meetings. And after this he renounced the whole world, and all the goods and possessions thereof, and he went to Abba Pachomius, who arrayed him in the garb of the monastic life. And Gregory dwelt with him, and labored both in soul and body, and he fought a great fight with fasting and prayer, in lowliness, and humility and submission, and gentleness and love. Even the fornicators when they saw him learned from his appearance and example the fear of God, and they forsook their evil deeds and repented, and became men of clean lives. And he dwelt with Abba Pachomius for thirteen years. When Saint Abba Macarius came to Abba Pachomius, and dwelt with him for a few days (now he wanted to return to the desert of Scete), this holy man Gregory entreated Saint Abba Pachomius, saying, “O my father, permit me to go with Saint Abba Macarius to the desert of Scete,” and he commanded him to go with him, and Saint Gregory went with Saint Abba Macarius, and he dwelt with him for many years. Then he asked Saint Abba Macarius to allow him to live the life of an anchorite in the desert for a little; and he said, “Do what thou wishest.” And he departed into the mountain and dug out a small cave for himself, and he dwelt there for seven years. And he used to come to Saint Abba Macarius twice each year, once at the time of the festival of the birth of the Glorious One, and once on the day of the festival of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ; and he partook of the Holy Mysteries [on each occasion] and returned to his cave. And Abba Macarius questioned him about all his work each year, and he revealed unto him everything, which he saw, and Abba Macarius used to lay down for him the ascetic labors of the monastic life, which he had to perform. When he had completed two and twenty years of strife God wished to give him rest from this world. And He sent to him an angel who said unto him, “After three days thou shalt depart from this fleeting world, and shalt enter everlasting life.” And Saint Gregory called the elders of the desert of Scete, and embraced them, and asked them to remember him, and they also asked him to remember them before God; and after three days he died and went into everlasting life.

And on this day also died Saint Bedratos (Quadratus), one of the two and seventy disciples whom our Lord Jesus Christ chose. This holy apostle was one of the sons of the elders of Athens, and he was one of their learned nobles; he believed on our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be praise, and served Him. And having received the grace of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, on the day of the festival of Pentecost, he departed into many cities, and preached the Holy and Life-giving Gospel. And he went into the city of Magnis and preached the Holy Gospel therein, and he illumined the hearts of the men of that city with the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he baptized them with Christian baptism. And he taught them the life-giving commandments of the Gospel, and he appointed priests and deacons for them. Then he went forth from them and entered the city of Athens and preached therein; and they stoned him and tortured him very severely. After they had tortured him they cast him into the fire, and he yielded up his soul, and received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of heaven.

And on this day also are commemorated Betrewa and Latayn the martyrs, and the death of Gabriel the archbishop, and Theodore, and Netrolomes, and the strife of Saint Eusanius (Ausanius), and Nestius, and Zianus, and Justus, and his brother ‘Elsarey, and Fratus (Phratus), and Cosmas, and Damianus. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 25 (October 5)

On this day died the great and righteous prophet Jonah. This holy man was the son of the widow of Beth-Sarapta of Sidon whom Elijah the prophet raised from the dead. And he followed Elijah the prophet and ministered unto him, and he toiled with him and he was held to be worthy of the grace of prophecy by his command to him. And God, blessed and exalted be His Name, said unto him, “Get thee to the city of Nineveh, and preach unto the people thereof, and tell them, ‘after three days your city shall be overthrown.’” And when God said this unto him Jonah pondered in his heart, and said, “If God wished to destroy them He would not have commanded me to go and preach unto them. If I go and preach unto them, and say unto them, ‘God wisheth to destroy you, I am afraid that God, Who is merciful, will have mercy upon them, and that I shall be unto them as a lying prophet, and that they will never listen to my preaching at all. Now especially I am afraid that they will kill me if I am sent unto them with a false message from God, I will arise and flee and I will not go to that city, and I will not preach to them.” O my brethren, is there any man whatsoever who hath the power to flee from God, the Most High? If the heart of this prophet of the prophets of the children of Israel was thus, how could their hearts be to the people? Now, I think that God, blessed be His Name, by the operation of His wisdom worked in such a way that this prophet fled so that there might be made manifest the miracle of his remaining in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, and then going forth from him whole and uninjured. Now this was a sign of the remaining of our Lord Christ in the grave for three days and three nights, and of His rising from the dead unchanged. And the Prophet Jonah rose up and fled. Now he wanted to go to the city of Tarsus, but when he had embarked in a ship and they had put out to sea a little way, stormy winds, and the waves and the billows of the sea, rose up against them, and they were within a very little of sinking into the sea, and being drowned. And God put understanding into the heart of the captain, and he said unto those who had embarked on the ship, “Cast lots among yourselves so that we may know because of whom it is that this tribulation hath come upon us”; and when they had cast lots among themselves the lot fell upon Jonah the prophet. And the captain said unto him, “What hast thou done that through thee such an affliction should come upon us?” And Jonah said unto them, “Cast me into the sea and ye shall be saved.” And the captain and the crew entreated God, saying, “O God, demand Thou not from us the blood of this man”; and they took him and cast him into the sea, and a great whale swallowed him. And he remained in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, and then the whale cast him up on the seashore. And Jonah rose up straightway and came into the city of Nineveh, and he preached unto the people thereof even as God the Most High had commanded him, and he said unto them, “Know ye that three days from this day, your city shall be overthrown, and ye shall all be destroyed”; and he went round about the city of Nineveh for a space of three days. When the men of Nineveh heard the preaching of Jonah the prophet they were exceedingly afraid, and they believed on God and they repented and fasted and put on sackcloth made of hair and sat in the ashes. Then the king commanded that a herald should go round about proclaiming thus: “The king hath commanded that his nobles, and all the people, great and small, and women and children, and sheep and oxen and goats shall fast, and that they shall neither eat nor drink any water whatsoever, and they shall put on sackcloth made of hair; and similarly, even the beasts shall not eat grass. And let all men forsake their evil works, that is to say, oppression, and fornication, and lying, and theft, and fraud, and blasphemy, in order that God may, peradventure, have mercy upon you, and remove His wrath from you.” And straightway all the people repented, and they fasted, and begged for mercy from God, blessed be His Name, and God had mercy on them. And the prophet Jonah was sad with a very great sadness, and he said, “O God, take my life, for death is more preferable to me than life.” And Jonah went outside the city and sat down there and fell asleep. And God commanded a root of the cucumber plant, and it sprouted and grew into a large plant, and it had offshoots and it became very leafy, and very high, and it cast its shadow over Jonah as he was sleeping. And Jonah woke up from his sleep and saw the cucumber plant, and he rejoiced with great joy. And on the following day God brought slumber upon Jonah, and he fell asleep, and God commanded a worm to gnaw the cucumber plant, and the root thereof was cut through; and God commanded a wind-storm and it withered the cucumber plant, and the sun scorched Jonah’s head, and he woke from his dream. When he saw that the cucumber plant had withered he was exceedingly sorry, and he demanded for himself death. And God said unto Jonah, “Art thou exceedingly sorry that the cucumber plant hath withered?” And Jonah said, “Yea, O Lord, I am exceedingly sorry, even unto death.” And God said unto him, “If thou art sorry for a cucumber plant which thou didst neither sow nor plant, and for which thou hast in no way labored, but which flourished in a day, and withered in a day, why should I not spare Nineveh, the great city wherein dwell more than ten hundred thousand men who know not their right hands from their left hands, besides very many beasts? For I am the Merciful and the Compassionate God, Who shows mercy upon every one, who turneth from his sins and repenteth.” And Jonah rose up and returned to the land of Israel and he died there. And the prophecy of Jonah [was made] two hundred years and more before the advent of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he prophesied in the days of ‘Amos the king and his son ‘Ozyan. And all the days of his life were one hundred years, seventy years as a prophet, and thirty years before he prophesied. Salutation to Jonah who slept in the belly of the whale. Salutation to Barbarah, and to Juliana, who appeared to two men when they came to steal the book containing her history, and slew one and blinded the other. [This paragraph is wanting in the Bodleian MS.] Salutation to those who are saturated with the Law and the Gospel. [This paragraph is wanting in the Bodleian MS.]

And on this day also are commemorated Roka (Foka), and John, and Andrew, and Peter, and Antonius. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 26 (October 6)

On this day God sent the angel Gabriel to Zacharias the priest, the son of Barachias, and told him concerning John the Baptist, his son. Now Zacharias was a righteous man, and he was exceedingly old, and his period for begetting children had passed; moreover, his wife Elisabeth was childless, and her period for conceiving and bringing forth children was passed. And Zacharias was praying and beseeching God continually to give him a child, for the sake of the children of Israel who reviled him because a son had not been born unto him, and they treated him with ignominy and contempt, and because of it they said unto him, “He hath lost the blessing which God promised to give to our father Adam, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth’”’; therefore he entreated God to give him a son. And God, blessed be His Name, had compassion upon him, and He hearkened unto his petition, and He sent the angel Gabriel unto him, and the angel told him about the birth of John his son. And this angel came to Zacharias when he was standing and praying in the sanctuary, even as the Holy Gospel saith. And he preached to him the great prophet John, that he should precede Christ, and that he should prepare for Him His way, even as it is said concerning the prophet, that he shall become a preacher before Him. Now Zacharias knew his own weakness, and how far advanced his days were, and his old age, and that his wife was barren, and for this reason he contradicted the angel and said unto him, “How can this thing possibly happen to me, seeing that I have become old, and am a very aged man, and my wife is barren, and she also is very old, and her days [for childbearing] are passed.” And the angel rebuked him, and told him, saying, “I am sent unto thee from God to speak to thee and to tell thee this thing, and it is not seemly for thee to doubt; but thou shalt be dumb until this thing shall be fulfilled in its appointed time.” And Zacharias was dumb until John, the preparer of the way of the Lord, was born. When they were circumcising the child they asked his father and said unto him, “What shall he be called?” And he wrote upon tablets saying, “His name is John.” And straightway his mouth and his tongue were opened, and he spoke and praised God--blessed be His Name! And Zacharias prophesied concerning his son that he should become a prophet and should go before the face of the Messiah of God, and he prophesied concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. Salutation to Elisabeth.

And on this day also is commemorated the translation of the body of ‘Aboli the martyr, the son of Justus. Salutation to the translation of the body of Aboli.

And on this day also are commemorated ten thousand martyrs and ‘Agati of Egypt, and our father, George the martyr. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 27 (October 7)

On this day Eustathius and his two sons and his wife became martyrs. This man was one of the chief generals of the Imperial Army of Rome, and he knew not God. His own original name was Kudos, and he gave alms in abundance, and expended much charity on the poor and needy, and God did not wish that his toil should be in vain. And Eustathius was in the desert hunting wild animals, and one day there appeared unto him the figure of a cross between the horns of a stag, and the cross-reached up to the clouds. And Eustathius chased the stag into the mountains, and he pursued it that he might kill it. And the Lord spoke unto him from between the horns of the stag, and told him His Name, and He commanded him to go with his sons and his wife to the bishop of that city, and be baptized with Christian baptism. And our Lord Jesus Christ informed him that poverty should come upon him speedily. When Eustathius heard these words, he went down from the mountain, and departed to the bishop, and he and his wife and his sons were baptized with Christian baptism; and he abandoned his former name and called himself “Eustathius.” And straightway all his property disappeared, and his slaves, and his handmaidens, and his horses; and he took his wife and his sons, and he went forth from the city of Rome and embarked in a ship. Now he took with him neither any money to pay for their passage, nor anything else which he could give the captain [in its stead]. When they arrived in port the captain took his wife instead of passage money, and Eustathius took his two sons and departed. And he came to another stream which he had to cross, and he took up one of his sons on his back to take him over the river, and he passed over; and he returned to his other son to carry him across the river, but he found him not, because a wolf had seized him. Now a lion had seized and carried off his other son. And Eustathius sorrowed with a very great sorrow because of the loss of his wife and his sons, but God, great in counsel, in Whom there is power, protected both of them unharmed. And Eustathius went on to a certain city, and he became a guard of the village and remained one for many days. After those days the Emperor of Rome died, and there reigned in his stead another emperor who enquired for Eustathius and found him not. And he sent messengers out into all the district to seek for him, and one of those messengers who had been sent out by the emperor to seek for Eustathius came to the village wherein he dwelt. And the two men recognized each other, and they embraced, and the messenger carried Eustathius to the emperor in great honour. When Eustathius arrived the emperor honored him exceedingly, and appointed him to the position in which he was formerly. And the emperor commanded that two men should be recruited from every city for use in war. Now the two sons of Eustathius were brought up in the same city, neither knowing the other. One day, when the two sons of Eustathius, who had been placed in that city, were talking together, they discovered that they were brothers; and then [the messengers] took them to the city of Rome and God was please to set them in the house of business of their father who did not know them. As concerning their mother whom the pagan captain of the ship seized, God protected her and delivered her uninjured from his hand; now she was a keeper of the gardens of the city of Rome. And the two young men came to the village where their mother was, and whilst they were holding converse together, the younger brother spoke, and their mother recognized that they were her sons, and she embraced them, and rejoiced in them, and they rejoiced in her exceedingly. And the three of them met together and they went to Eustathius and informed him what had happened to them, and he knew that the woman was his wife, and that the young men were his sons, and they embraced each other and rejoiced together greatly. Thus they were all gathered together [again] in one place, even as God had promised them. And they dwelt together, and whilst marveling they praised God, blessed be His Name, because He had done good things for them. After this the emperor who loved Eustathius died, and there reigned another emperor who worshipped idols; and he summoned Eustathius and his wife and his sons, and had them brought unto him. And he said unto them, “Cast incense to my gods.” And the holy men said, “We will not worship idols, and we will not bow down to them, for we bow down to our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.” And straightway the emperor was wroth with them, and he commanded his soldiers to torture them, and they tortured them very severely, but God raised them up whole and unharmed. Then he commanded his soldiers to cast them into a brazen cauldron, and [when] they had done so he commanded to light a fire on top of them, and thus they delivered their souls into the hand of God, and they received crowns of martyrdom from our Lord Jesus Christ.

And on this day also died the holy woman Tekla (Thecla) who was a martyr without the shedding of blood. This holy woman had parents, who were rich and honorable Macedonians, and they brought her up strictly according to the custom of their country; now they worshipped idols. When Paul arrived in the country of Macedonia, he began to preach in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, saying, “Blessed are those who are poor for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who have a wife and who are as if they had not one, for they shall inherit everlasting life”--these and such like words. When Saint Thecla heard these words, she remained in the upper floor of her house and only came down for food and drink. And her mother said unto her, “Why dost thou not come down form the upper floor of thy house, and why dost thou not eat?” And she came down from the upper floor of her house, and went to Paul secretly, and she bribed the doorkeeper of her house with her hair-comb of gold not to talk about her [leaving the house]. When Paul saw her he received her gladly and taught her the Faith of Christ. On the following day when her mother came to Paul she found Thecla sitting with him, and she went to the governor and reported to him that her daughter was a Christian. And the governor commanded his soldiers to bring Thecla with Paul, and when they had brought her he was wroth with Paul and ordered them to cast him into the fire; [and they did so] but God delivered him. And the governor commanded them to cast Thecla into the fire, and all the children of the city assembled to look upon her torture. And without the use of force on the part of the soldiers she threw herself into the flames after having made over herself the sign of the Cross; and she went forth from the midst of the fire, which had not touched her. And she went to Paul, and shaved off her hair, and girded herself with a belt and followed Paul. When another governor heard this he seized her and pressed her to abandon the Christian Faith, and when she refused he cast her into a den of lions and bears, and these animals bowed down before her and licked the dust off her feet. When the governor and those who were with him saw that life was hers, they believed and were baptized in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. And Thecla continued to follow Paul, and to preach in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ; and having worked many miracles she died in peace.

On this day also died Saint Antilarius. This holy man was an officer of the tax-gatherers, and he had no mercy on anyone. One day certain poor folk were sitting in the sun, and they began to mention the names of the charitable and the avaricious, and they mentioned the name of Antilarius as that of a man who had never bestowed any alms on any one of them. And one of the poor said, “What will ye give me if I succeed in drawing a gift from him?” And they promised to give him something. And the needy man went to Antilarius and begged for alms from him, and Antilarius wanted to throw a stone at him in great wrath, but as he had no stone he threw at him the piece of bread-crust, which was left, in his hand. And taking this the beggar went to his companions, and told them that he had received alms from Antilarius. And Antilarius had a dream, and in it he saw himself at the Judgment, and certain black men were disputing concerning him, and there were other men there who were white; now their faces were austere, and they said, “We cannot find attributed to him any alms except the piece of bread-crust”; and when the speaker cast the bread into the scales it balanced exactly all his sins. When he awoke from his sleep he distributed all his possessions among the poor and he departed to Jerusalem where he sold himself for three dinars, and [he gave away] in alms the price of his sale, and he lived and served like a slave. And when the slaves of his lord caused him sorrow, a shining man appeared unto him, and said unto him, “Sorrow not, for I have received the price of thy sale, and behold it is here in my hand.” When certain men who had come from his city revealed what he had done, he fled secretly and came to the gates of the city, the keeper of which was deaf and dumb. When Antilarius said unto him, “Open the gates to me,” there went forth from his mouth something which was like unto fire, and the ears of the gate-keeper were opened, and he spoke with his mouth, and he opened the gates to Antilarius who went forth into the desert and died there. When the people missed him, the gatekeeper told them all that had happened, and they marveled at his holiness and at his admirable behavior.

And on this day also died Abba John of Debra Tsege. This holy man by means of excessive fasting, and prayers, and vigil made his body emaciated, and he became like a dried clod of earth. One day when certain men poured over him a cupful of water, because of the excessive dryness of his skin he left only unabsorbed a very small portion of it. Glory to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 28 (October 8)

On this day Saint Abadir and his sister Ira became martyrs. This holy man was a son of the brother of Basilides, commander-in-chief of the royal army of Antioch. Now ‘Abadir succeeded his father as commander-in-chief, and he had a mansion wherein he used to pray. And our Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto him at midnight, and He said unto him, “Rise up, and take thy sister ‘Ira’Iand get thee into the land of Egypt so that thou mayest receive a crown of martyrdom. And I will command a certain man whose name is Samuel to take care about your bodies, and he shall prepare them for burial”; and He gave him a benediction and went up into heaven with great glory. And our Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto his sister “Ira’I also, and He said unto her, “Hearken unto the voice of thy brother, and do not transgress his command.” When she woke from her sleep she trembled exceedingly, and she went to her brother and told him how our Lord Jesus Christ had appeared unto her, and how He had spoken unto her, and she rejoiced exceedingly; and she agree with her brother not to transgress that command. And they swore to each other that they would go to the land of Egypt, and that they would pour out their blood for the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be praise! When the mother of the blessed ‘Abadir knew this thing, she rent her garments, she and her handmaidens, and they came to ‘Abadir and wept before him, and she adjured him not to become a martyr. And he swore unto her that he would not speak to Diocletian concerning martyrdom, and her heart became quiet, and she ceased from sorrow, and she did not think that he would go to another place to become a martyr. And Saint ‘Abadir changed his apparel that night, and he went forth from his house, and he drew water secretly for those who were shut up in the prison house, until the dawn came. And he commanded the keeper of the gate of the city not to tell this matter to anyone whatsoever, and he said unto him, “If thou revealest this matter to anyone I will cut off your hand with the sword.” After this [our Lord Christ] appeared unto him again, and He commanded him to go to Egypt and to become a martyr; and straightway saint ‘Abadir rose up, and took his sister ‘Ira’I and they departed to the land of Egypt, and they arrived in the city of Alexandria. And some of the soldiers knew him, and they said unto him, “Thou art our Lord ‘Abadir, the commander-in-chief.” And ‘Abadir smiled and said unto them, “Many people tell me this, and I say unto them, I am not ‘Abadir, but only someone like unto him.” And again in another place some soldiers recognized him, and they said unto him, “Thou art ‘Abadir,” and ‘Abadir said unto them, “I certainly am not ‘Abadir.” Then they went forth from the city of Alexandria and came to the city of Great Mesr (Grand Cairo), and they found Saint ‘Abkarazun there, and ‘Abadir knew ‘Abkarazun and blessed him. Then he came to the city of Eshmunen, and foregathered with Samuel the deacon. And on the following day Samuel went with them to the city of ‘Ensena, and they confessed our Lord Jesus Christ before Arianus, governor of Antinoe, and he tortured them severely. And the holy man ‘Abadir prayed and entreated God to strengthen his faith and the faith of his sister ‘Ira’I during the torturing. And God took the soul of his sister and carried it to the Jerusalem, which is in the heavens, and she saw the habitation of the martyrs and of the righteous; then He brought her soul back into her body. When the governor was tired of torturing them, he commanded his soldiers to cut off their heads with the sword. And before they cut off their heads Arianus the governor said unto Saint ‘Abadir, “I adjure thee by thy God to inform me whom thou art, and what is thy name, and whence comest thou.” And ‘Abadir said unto him, “Swear unto me that thou wilt not change the decree which thou hast decreed in respect of cutting off my head”; and the governor swore unto him even as the holy man had said. And the holy man answered and said unto him, “I am ‘Abadir, the commander-in-chief of the army.” And Arianus the governor cried out, saying, “Woe is me, O my lord, it is meet that I should die before thee. Why didst thou not make me to know that thou wast my lord, instead of hiding thyself from me and permitting me to go so far as to condemn thee to all these severe tortures?” And Saint ‘Abadir answered and said unto him, “Fear not, for thou art about to receive a crown of martyrdom. The emperor will seek for me and will not find me, and he will hear that thou hast killed me, and he will punish thee with very great severity, and thou wilt die for the sake of the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, make speed to finish our martyrdoms.” And straightway the governor commanded his soldiers to cut off the heads of ‘Abadir and his sister, and they cut off their heads; and the saints received crowns of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. And [the believers] spread out fine apparel, and wrapped up their bodies therein, and Samuel the deacon took them and laid them in his house until the days of the persecution were ended; and he built a fine church for them, and many signs and wonders took place through their bodies. Three salutations to ‘Abadir and his sister.

And on this day also died Sosena. The father of this holy woman was Chelcias (Helkiah), and she was the wife of Joachim, a Jewish nobleman, and one of those who had been carried away captive into Babylon; and all his kinsmen used to come to him to judge their causes. Now Sosena was exceedingly beautiful and she feared God, and her righteous parents taught their daughter the Law of Moses. And she had a fruit-garden (orchard), which belonged to her husband, and she used to go at noon and walk about therein. And in those days there appeared two Rabbans who were hypocrites, such as God spoke of [when He said] “Sin went forth from Babylon through hypocritical Rabbans who said, Let us protect the people”; and these men frequented the house of Joachim. When they saw Sosena walking in the garden they lusted for her, and their hearts went astray and they turned their eyes perversely to her, and they remembered not the judgment of God. Both loved her and both wished to lie with her, but neither told to the other what was in his heart, for they were afraid to declare their lust. And they waited the whole day long to find her, and one of them acting craftily towards his fellow said, “Let us go to our houses for it is the time of evening.” And they passed out [of the garden] and separated from each other and told each other of their desire, and they agreed together upon a time when each would find her [alone], and then they waited for her. And on a day according to her wont, she came with two of her handmaidens, and she wished to bathe in the garden because she was heated and there was no one in the garden. Now the two old men had hidden themselves and they were awaiting her. And she said unto her handmaidens, “Let them bring to me the oil and the soap wherewith to wash myself, and let them shut the doors.” And when her handmaidens were departed, the two Rabbans rose up, and seized her, and they said unto her, “We wish to lie with thee, and if thou refusest we will be witnesses against thee that we found a man with thee.” And Sosena wept, and said, “I am in affliction in every way: If I do [what ye want] I shall die, and if I do not I cannot be saved. It is better for me to fall into the hand of God than to sin before Him.” And Sosena uttered a cry at the top of her voice, and the Rabbans cried out at her, and one of them ran and opened the doors of the garden. When the cries were heard by the members of her house they all ran out and came by way of a side door, and they saw what had happened. And when the Rabbans had told them this matter, all the servants of her house were ashamed, for such a thing had never been heard in connection with Sosena. On the following day all the people gathered together to Joachim, and these two Rabbans came with their hearts of violence, and they declared before all the people, laying their hands upon her head as they did so, “We were walking alone in the garden, and this woman came with two of her handmaidens, and they shut the doors of the garden; and she sent her handmaidens away, and there came out a young man from the place in which he had hidden, and lay with her. And when we ran after him we could not catch him, for the door was open and he had gone out; we seized Sosena, but when we asked her she would not tell us his name.” And the bystanders believed them because they were Rabbans of the people. And Sosena who was weeping, and whose heart trusted in God, looked up to heaven, and cried out with a loud voice, saying, “O God of the world, Thou knowest that they have laid false information against me, and I, behold, I must die, although I have not committed [the sin].” And God heard her petition, and whilst they were carrying her away to kill her, the Spirit of God moved a certain young man called Daniel, and he cried out, saying, “I am innocent of this woman’s blood.” And they said unto him, “What is the meaning of these words?” And he said unto them, “Are ye fools that ye condemn a daughter of Israel to death without making any investigation [of the charge against her]?” And when the council had come back unto the synagogue, they had the two Rabbans brought, and set each at a distance from the other. And Daniel said unto one of them, “By what kind of a tree didst thou see her?” And he said “under a sakinon tree,” and the other Rabban said “under a perwon tree.” And Daniel condemned them by their own words, and the people blessed God Who had saved Sosena, the daughter of Chelcias (Helkiah); and they slew those two Rabbans according to the Law of Moses.

And on this day also are commemorated ‘Erani (Irene) the martyr, and ‘Ankuo Maryam, and Stephen his son, and Hannah, and Porphyrina, and Luke the monk. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 29 (October 9)

On this day is commemorated the festival of the birth of our Lord Redeemer Jesus Christ by Mary, the Holy Virgin. Salutation to the birth of the Flower, Jesus Christ.

And on this day also took place the translation of the body of Saint John the evangelist and apostle, the proclaimer of the Deity. Salutation to the translation of the body of Saint John the evangelist.

And on this day also became martyrs the holy virgin ‘Arsima, and Agatha, and the two virgins who followed them, and many men; and the number of them all was two and seventy souls. Now when Diocletian the infidel was reigning he sought out a maiden of beautiful appearance to marry her. And he commanded certain painters to depart into every country, and to choose for him a maiden of beautiful form and appearance, and they were to paint a picture of her on a tablet for him, and show him all her limb and her movements. When those painters arrived in the city of Rome they discovered a certain nunnery, and they found therein this virgin ‘Arsima; and there was in the nunnery none like unto her in her appearance, and there was none who resembled her. And the painters painted a portrait of her and sent it to the Emperor Diocletian. When the emperor saw her portrait he rejoiced exceedingly. And he sent to the kings and governors and bade them come to him for the marriage. When the virgins knew this thing, they wept, and they rose up and went forth from that nunnery entreating God to help them, and to keep them in their virginity; and they came to the country of Armenia, and entered the royal city of Dertades the king. And they dwelt in a certain village camp of nomads in a plain, and their number was five and seventy men and women, besides the nine and thirty virgins. And they dwelt in great tribulation, and they could not find food, and one of them made a . . . and used to feed them by means of the work thereof. When Diocletian sought after ‘Arsima he found her not. And he heard that she was in the country of Armenia, “Take care of her and send her to me.” When the virgins heard these words they hid themselves in another city, but certain men went and gave information to the king about them, and Dertades commanded his soldiers to bring the virgin ‘Arsima to him with great honor; and when she did not wish to go to him, they dragged her and forced her to come to him. When Dertades saw the beauty of the holy woman he wanted to defile her virginity, but he was not able to do so. And he brought her mother Agatha to her to persuade her to be submissive to the king’s command. And when her mother came to her she besought her to endure patiently, and she comforted her, and she exhorted her, and told her and taught her that she must not forsake her true Bridegroom, Who is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, and that she must not defile her virginity with a filthy pagan and a stranger. When Dertades heard that she had persuaded her daughter to endure patiently, he commanded his soldiers to break the teeth of Agatha her mother. And God gave to the holy woman ‘Arsima power and strength over Dertades, the king, and she hurled him backwards, and dragged him along. Now Dertades was well known in battle, for he was exceedingly strong, and the king was put to shame having been vanquished by the virgin ‘Arsima; and he commanded his soldiers to cut off the head of Saint ‘Arsima. And the soldiers came and dragged her away with ropes, and they cut off her head, and tore out her tongue, and put out her eyes, and they cut off her limbs and hacked her body to pieces. When the king awoke from his fall, and his senses returned to him, he repented the killing of Saint ‘Arsima; and when he knew that she was dead he commanded his soldiers to slay all the [other] virgins. And the soldiers came and bored holes in the soles of their feet, and they flayed them, and cast them out [to the beasts]. Now there was one of them who was sick and was lying on her bed, and she cried out to the soldiers and they came to her, and cut off her head with one blow. Thus they all received crowns of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. And they slew all the men who had come with them from the city of Rome, and the number thereof was two and seventy souls; and their bodies were cast out into the desert. After the death of these martyrs a certain devil took possession of the king, and he continued to punish him until Saint Gregory came to him, and prayed over him, and he was healed of his pain immediately, and he believed in Christ. And they took the bodies of the holy martyrs, and laid them in a holy place until the days of the persecution were ended; and a beautiful church was [then] built for them, and signs and great wonders took place through them. Salutation to Arsima. Salutation to John the Baptist. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Meskerem 30 (October 10)

On this day is celebrated the festival of the great commemoration which our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ made for the holy and honorable Abba Atnatewos (Athanasius) the apostle, Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. Now at that time the emperor was Constantine the Less, son of Constantine the Great, who denied the One Son, and separated the Godhead of His Father; and he believed in the faith of Arius, the accursed one, and supported his views. And the emperor sent a certain man whose name was Gergewos to the country of Egypt, and he gave him five hundred horsemen; and he wrote for him a letter [to take] with him authorizing him to become Archbishop of Alexandria, and the head of all the country of Egypt, and of all archbishops and bishops. And he ordered Gergewos to support the faith of Arius, and to slay all those who believed in Christ, and those who were obedient unto Him. When Gergewos, the accursed, had arrived in the city of Alexandria he preached his infidelity, but only a very few of the men of Alexandria accepted his words and his polluted preaching. Therefore he killed all the believing men of the city of Alexandria, that is to say a large and innumerable collection of people; and Saint ‘Atnatewos (Athanasius) fled and hid himself for a period of six years. At the end of this time he came forth and went to the city of Constantinople, to the Emperor Constantine the Less, who denied the Son of God, Whose Name be blessed! And he said unto him, “Either restore me to my see, or slay me and let me receive the crown of life of martyrdom.” When the emperor heard these words from him he commanded his soldiers to place the archbishop in a small boat, and to supply him neither with bread nor water, nor with a captain for the boat, and to drive him forth to sea. Now the emperor thought within himself that Saint ‘Atnatewos (Athanasius) would die at sea, either through the foundering of his boat or through hunger and thirst; and the emperor was afraid of him, and [he did this] so that the saint might not rebuke him according as the emperor had commanded. Now although the emperor had not given him bread and water, behold the saint had with him the bread of God, which was from heaven, and the water of life, which flowed down from Him. And although he had no captain in the ship with him, behold, he had with him in the ship He, Who directeth the heaven and the earth by His Word. And the boat wherein Saint ‘Atnatewos (Athanasius) was seated traveled along smoothly and in peace, and the angels bore it along on their wings, and on the third day he arrived in the city of Alexandria. When the believing folk heard that their good shepherd had arrived, they went out to meet him and they welcomed him with lighted lamps, and songs of joy and instruments of music, and they praised God and brought him into the church; and Gergewos the infidel and those who were with him went forth there from. And on that day Saint ‘Atnatewos (Athanasius) made a great festival to God--blessed be His Name! And it was then as now, and they celebrated the festival regularly. Praise be unto God, Who honoureth His chosen one with this honor.

And on this day also they commemorate Saint Gregory, Archbishop of the country of Armenia.

And on this day also took place the calling of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, and on it the martyrs Abba Bula (Pawle), and Maryu, and Petros (Peter), and ‘Asotares [are commemorated]. Salutation to the great teachers of Debra Maryam, ‘Absadi and ‘Aaron of Galilee. [This paragraph is wanting in the Bodleian MS.]

And on this day also died Abba Shalusi. This holy man was an athlete, and pretended to be mad, and his fasting and his praying were in secret, and before men he neither prayed nor fasted. Each morning he used to prepare for himself a small amount of food made of herbs of the desert, and at eventide he ate nothing with the brethren. Now the Archimandrite was Abba Isaac. And all the monks used to marvel at him, but Abba Isaac did not wish him to continue this habit so that he might not cause himself to fall sick. One day there was about to be a festival in the monastery, and Abba Isaac said unto the monks, “Watch him this day and see that he doth not eat before he receiveth the Offering.” When the time for the meal arrived Abba Shalusi wished to separate himself from them, and the monks prevented him from doing so; and he cried out and said unto them, “Let me alone, that I may not die of hunger, and that my transgression may not be on your heads.” And when they would not pay any heed to his cry, he brought out his skull-cap and beat the wall of the church with it, saying, “Mary, my Lady, deliver me from these monks.” And the wall split asunder, and he passed out through the opening, and then the wall joined itself again and became as it was before it split open. And when those who were assembled there saw this wonder they cried out, saying, “Kiryalayson” (Kyrie eleeson) three hundred times. And they found the skullcap that had been thrown out, and they placed it in the church with great honor, and it remained there and worked miracles and healed the sick. When the archbishop heard about it he wished to take away the skullcap so that he might be blessed thereby, and each time he took it away it returned to the monastery. Now this happened three times. And this monk after many days like this day died in the desert. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.