The Book of the Saints of the Ethiopian church/Senne

by Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

Senne

Senne 1 (June 8)

On this day took place the consecration of the church of Laventius, in the country of Syria, where many signs and wonders appeared. This holy man became a martyr in the city of Tarablos, on the twenty-second day of the month of Hamle. And a certain Christian woman, the wife of a very great nobleman, came, and having given much money to the soldiers to be allowed to take his body she carried it away, and wrapped it in cloth of gold, which belonged to her husband, and then she laid it in a coffer which was in her house, and she hung a lighted lamp before it, and painted a picture of him. Now her husband was a judge, and Diocletian was wroth with him and shut him up in prison in the city of Antioch. And the woman having made ready for burial the body of the saint, entreated it honorably, and wrapped it in cloth of gold. And the martyr of our Lord Jesus Christ, Saint Laventius, did not wish her to remain unrewarded for the gifts which she had bestowed upon him, and he rewarded her well in this world, for he delivered her husband from the prison house; and assuredly he would also do good to her in the world which is to come, and make intercession for her before our Lord Jesus Christ. And that night the saint appeared unto the judge, her husband, in the prison house, and a great light rose upon him, until the whole house was lighted up. Then he saw Saint Laventius in the form of a horseman, and light was shining from him, and as he stood by him in the prison house, arrayed in cloth of gold, the judge knew that this cloth of gold was his own apparel. And Saint Laventius, the horseman, said unto the judge, “Grieve not, neither be sorrowful, for thou shalt be delivered to-morrow, and thou shalt eat with the emperor at his table, and thou shalt go to thy house.” And the judge was amazed at the many things which he saw that horseman do, and at the light which rose over him, and at his coming in to him in the prison house, [the doors] being shut, and at [the sight of] his own cloth of gold which he had left in his house. And Saint Laventius hid himself (i.e. disappeared), and went to the emperor that night. And he struck the emperor with his foot twice and thrice. And the Emperor Diocletian woke up, and when he saw Saint Laventius, he was afraid and was greatly terrified. And Saint Laventius said unto him, “When the morning hath come, bring out so and so, the judge, from the prison house, and do him honor, and let him go to his house, lest thou die an evil death and be destroyed.” And the emperor trembled before him, and answered and said unto him, “Yea, my lord, everything which thou commandest me [to do] I will do.” And when it was morning, the emperor sent and brought the judge out of the prison house, and he paid him great honor, and arrayed him in splendid apparel, and he made him to sit at meat at his own table, and he told him how the horseman had appeared unto him. And the judge was silent, and marveled exceedingly; now the king saw that Saint Laventius was an angel. And the judge answered, and said unto him, “I know nothing whatsoever about all which thou sayest, and I do not know who it was that appeared unto thee”; and the emperor did not dare to speak to him one word of abuse, but he sent him to his own city, with great honor, because of his fear of him that had appeared unto him. And as the judge was journeying along the road, the angel of God in the form of Saint Laventius appeared unto him, and held converse with him, and he comforted him until he arrived in his own city of Tarablos; then he hid himself (i.e. disappeared) from him straightway. And the judge went into his house, and he embraced the men of his house, and told them how that horseman had appeared unto him in the prison house, arrayed in cloth of gold, and how he had promised him that he would deliver him from the prison house, and how he had brought him out of his bondage in the morning, and how the horseman had appeared unto him on the road wearing the cloth of gold. And his wife, who knew that the horseman was Laventius, answered, and said unto him, “Yea.” Then she took him into the shrine, to the picture of Saint Laventius, and as soon as he saw it he said, “Verily this is he who appeared unto me.” Then she opened the coffer wherein was the body of Saint Laventius, and he saw him wearing his cloth of gold; and he opened the wrapping of his face, and he knew that it was he who had appeared unto him and delivered him. And the judge asked his wife about the saint, and he said unto her, “Who is he?” And she told him the history of the saint. And the judge praised his wife for what she had done and he glorified God the Most High and Glorious, Who worketh miracles for His saints. Then he commanded his wife to burn incense, and to keep a [lighted] lamp before him, and she continued to do this until God destroyed Diocletian, the infidel. And they built a church for the saint, and they translated his body thereto, and they laid him in it, and they consecrated the church as it were this day; and many signs and miracles took place therein through his body. Salutation to Laventius.

And on this day also are commemorated Saint Joseph, the just, the son of Jacob-Israel, and Asnet his wife. Salutation to Joseph. Salutation to ‘Asnet.

And on this day also is commemorated Thomas, the martyr, Archbishop of the city of Alexandria.

And on this day also are commemorated Saint Cosmas, the martyr, of the city of Taha, in Upper Egypt, and his companions. Salutation to Cosmas and homage to his companions. Salutation to Bifamon, who fought a strenuous spiritual fight.

And on this day also was consecrated the first church which was built in the name of Saint Bifamon, the martyr and fighter. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 2 (June 9)

On this day the body of Saint John the Baptist and the body of Saint Elisha, the prophet, the disciple of Elijah, the zealous, appeared in the city of Alexandria. In his days Julian, the infidel, wished to [re] build the Temple of the Jews in Jerusalem, Vespasian, Emperor of Rome, and his son Titus having destroyed it, for Julian, by the wickedness of his works, wanted to make of no effect the word of the Lord which He spoke in the Holy Gospel, saying, “There shall not be left here one stone upon another which shall not be overthrown” (Matthew xxiv, 2). And Julian having thrice commanded the building of it, it was destroyed. And the Jews said, “In this place there are some bodies of Christian elders, and unless thou dost cast them out the Temple cannot be [re] built.” And Julian commanded them to cast out the bodies from that place and to burn them with fire. And when they cast the bodies out they found the bodies of Saint John the Baptist and Elisha the prophet, and they wanted to burn them with fire. And certain believers came and gave the soldiers much money, and they took away the bodies of the saints, after the soldiers had made them swear that they would [not] leave them in that city, so that the emperor might not hear of it, and destroy them. Here is the story of the Emperor Julian. His enemies having surrounded him in the fight, God sent Mercurius in the spirit, after he had received the crown of martyrdom, and he speared Julian in the neck with his spear, and he died. Before Julian the infidel died, he took a handful of his own blood, and scattered it in the air, saying, “Jesus, take this soul of mine which Thou hast given to me”; and straightway he died an evil death. And those believing men brought the bodies of the saints, John the Baptist, and Elisha the prophet, to the city of Alexandria, to Saint Abba Athanasius, and he rejoiced over them with a great joy; and he laid them by him, until he could build a church for them. And one day when Abba Athanasius was sitting in the garden of his fathers, his scribe Theophilus being with him, he said, “If God giveth me good days, I will build in this place a church in the names of Saint John the Baptist and Elisha the prophet, and I will lay their bodies in it.” And Saint Theophilus recorded the words, which Abba Athanasius spoke, and Abba Athanasius built a church; and he took many of his own priests, and all the Christian folk and he went to the bodies of the saints, and carried them with great honor, and bore them to the church. And as they were passing along they came to a house wherein was an old woman who had suffered for forty days with the pains of labor, and she cried out in pain by day and by night until she was all but dead. And when she heard the singing of the priests, as they passed with the bodies of the saints, she looked from the window of her house, and asked [her servants], saying, “What is this?” And they said unto her, “The bodies of the saints, John the Baptist, and Elisha the prophet.” And straightway she brought herself to believe, saying, “O John, thou saint of God, if thou wilt deliver me from this tribulation I [will become] a Christian.” And before she had finished saying these words with her mouth, straightway she gave birth to a boy, and she called him “John”; and after this, she and all the men of her house were baptized with Christian baptism. And Abba Athanasius laid the bodies of the saints in the church, and great signs and miracles appeared through them. And Saint Abba Theophilus, and many of the saints, saw Saint John the Baptist and Elisha the prophet; and they went round in the church with the archbishop, and consecrated the church. And the person of Saint John the Baptist was hairy, and his beard fell down upon his breast; and Elisha the prophet was tall, and his head was noble. Afterwards when Saint Abba Macarius the bishop became a martyr the monks placed his body with theirs. Salutation to the appearance of the bodies of Saint John the Baptist and Elisha the prophet, in Alexandria.

And on this day also are commemorated Kerlos (Cyril), and ‘Akeltus the martyr, and Questus (Caustus) the monk. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 3 (June 10)

On this day died the holy, pure and devoted fighter Martha. This holy woman was a native of the city of Mesr (Cairo), and her parents were very rich. She loved fornication and unchastity from her youth, and the sons of the elders and honorable men of the city used to visit her secretly; and when her works became known, she became bolder in her deeds of impurity, and committed fornication openly. And when the festival of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ came, she went to the church and wished to go inside, but the verger of the church said unto her, “It is not meet for thee to go into the holy church, for thy deeds are impure.” And as she continued to insist that he should let her go into the church, and he prevented her, a fierce fight broke out between them. When the bishop heard the commotion, he rose up, and came to the door of the church to see what had happened. When he saw Martha he said unto her, “Dost thou not know that the house of God is a pure and holy house? Thou art unclean, and thou art not fit to enter the house of God.” And she said unto him, “Henceforward I will not go back to my sin, but if thou wilt receive me I will repent and become a nun.” And the bishop said unto her, “I will not believe thee unless thou wilt bring here thy wealth, and all thy goods, and all thy possessions, so that we may burn them with fire.” And she went to her house quickly, and she took all her money, and jewels, which were of great price, and she brought them to the bishop, and cast them down before him; and the bishop commanded his servants to burn all the possessions which she had brought with fire, and they burned them before her. Then the bishop shaved off the hair of her head, and taking off her garments he dressed her in sackcloth of hair, and he sent her to a house for virgins, where she fought a great spiritual fight there. And she frequently rebuked herself, saying, “If they will not let thee alone in this place, which is built of stones and clay, how wilt thou live in that habitation of the beings of light? What shall I do? Who will be surety for me? Who will intercede for me?” And she said in her prayer, “My Lord, even though it was possible for me to bear disgrace at the hands of the verger of the church, I entreat Thee, O God, my Lord, do not put me to shame before Thine angels, and Thy saints.” And this holy woman continued the spiritual fight for five and twenty years, and at length she conquered Satan, the Adversary; and she did not go out of the door of the nunnery during the whole of this period. And at length she died in peace. Salutation to Martha.

And on this day also Karyon (Gorion), and Hilarion, the bishop, became martyrs. This saint rebuked the Emperor Julian, the infidel, for worshipping idols. And Julian, the infidel, answered and said unto him, “Thou tellest me that I am an infidel because I do not worship Him Whom the Jews crucified; but through much torture, and tribulation, I shall see thee forsaking the worship of Him.” Then the emperor handed him over to one of his officers, and commanded him to torture Hilarion very severely all day long, and to show him no mercy. And the officer took him, and tortured him with every kind of torture, and this he continued to do for a full year; and during the whole of that year he never ceased to torture him, even for a single day. He threw him into the fire, but Hilarion stood up in it, and glorified God, and ascribed holiness to Him. Through this miracle very many men believed on our Lord Jesus Christ, and became martyrs; and after this the officer took him out of the fire, and he was like one who cometh forth from a garden. And when the officer was tired of torturing him, and not knowing what else he could do to him, he commanded the soldiers to cut off his holy head with the sword; and they did so, and he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of heaven. Salutation to Hilarion. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 4 (June 11)

On this day Saint Sanusi, from the city of Balkim, became a martyr. When this saint was a young man he used to tend his father’s sheep, and he used to give his food to the shepherds each day, and fast himself until the evening, now his parents did not know what he did, and he used to visit the sick, and those who were in prison. One day the angel of God appeared unto Sanusi and said unto him, “Rise up, and go to the governor, and confess thy God, so that thou mayest receive the crown of martyrdom.” When he woke from his sleep, he told his mother how the angel of God had appeared unto him, and she was sorry and wept; and she was unable to hold him back. And he heard about a certain holy woman of the city of Sabra, whose name was Maria, and who used to receive the poor and pilgrims into her house, and show them many acts of charity; to her this saint went, and he made an agreement with her that they should receive the crown of martyrdom. And they went together to the governor whose name was ‘Arsanios, and they found him in a ship which was lying by the side of the river bank at Mesr (Cairo), and they cried out boldly, “We are Christians.” And the governor commanded the soldiers to torture them with every kind of torture, and Saint Maria delivered up her soul under the torture and received the crown of martyrdom; but by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ which dwelt on him Saint Sanusi endured the torture. When the governor was tired of torturing him he sent him, with many [other] martyrs, to the governor of the city of Antinoe, who tortured him very severely. And he commanded the soldiers to bore holes in the soles of his feet, [and to tie a rope to them,] and to drag him round about the city; and although they did as he commanded, no injury came to Hilarion (sic). After this he brought a sorcerer from ‘Akmim, and he concocted a magical drink for him wherein poison was mixed, and commanded Hilarion (sic) to drink it. And the saint having made over it the sign of the Cross drank it, and no harm came to him. When the governor was tired of torturing him, he commanded the soldiers to cut off his head with the sword, and they cut off his head with the sword; and he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of heaven. And the sorcerer also believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, and received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of heaven. Salutation to Sanusi, and to Maria, and to the Sorcerer.

And on this day also John, of the city of ‘Arakli, became a martyr. The father of this saint was Zacharias, governor of the city of ‘Antarsen and ‘Albia, and the name of his mother was “Elisabeth.” And when they were blessed with this boy, on the fifth day of this month, they called his name “John”; for his father and his mother both wished him to have the name of John, who baptized the Lord. And they brought him up in the admonition and fear of God, and they taught him the Books of the Church, and the knowledge of numbers, and all kinds of philosophy. His mother watched over him carefully all his days so that he should not step aside from the path of God, and his father also admonished him. After this his father died, when the young man was twenty years old, and he became judge in his father’s place, and all the countries of Pontus, and Harakli, and other cities continued to be under his authority. Whilst matters were thus, Satan appeared unto him in the form of an angel, and said unto him, “Thus saith God: Go thou to the city of Antioch and marry the daughter of Numerianus the king, so that thou thyself mayest reign, and may sit with him upon the same throne.” And the saint pondered and said, “Is this an angel [of God] or an angel of Satan? As, however, I heard the Name of God from his mouth I will go to the city of Antioch”; and then he went and met Diocletian, who loved him and paid him honor from the day he saw him. And on the following day, when they were sitting at meat together, the wicked Diocletian ordered his servants to bring in Apollo, and they brought him in before him. When the saint saw him, he made a motion of contempt at the idol, and he cursed the emperor and hated him for this. When Diocletian saw what the saint had done, he was filled with very great wrath, and he bound John in prison. And whilst John was in prison, our Lord appeared unto him in a chariot of light; now there were angels with Him, and He took him, and kissed him mouth to mouth, and promised him many things. On the following day Diocletian sent and brought him out of prison, and said unto him, “Come and worship Apollo and Artemis”; and the saint refused to do so, saying, “How can I worship the work of the hand?” And the emperor spoke many persuasive words unto him, and he wished to be rid of him. Then he sent him to the country of Egypt, giving him power to levy taxes. And Diocletian sent a letter concerning him to Soryakos, the governor of Egypt, saying, “I have given power to John, the Haraklian, over all the taxes from Jerusalem to Ethiopia, and let the people pull down the temples and destroy them utterly.” And the saint accepted this pretence and pulled down the temples, and left them in ruins. One day after this Soryakos, the governor, sat on the tribune in order to command the cutting off of the heads of the martyrs. And straightway there came men from Upper Egypt called Dioscoros, and Bifamon, and Harganus, and Kiros, and Julius, and Alexander, and Joseph, and Isaac, and Stephen, and they cried out boldly, “We are Christians”; and straightway the governor was wroth, and he tortured them without sparing. And when Saint John saw this, he abandoned the office of his judgeship, and cried out boldly, “I am a Christian.” And the governor was wroth, and commanded the soldiers to bind him with iron fetters, and then he sent him to Arianus, the governor of Ensna, who questioned him about all that had happened. When he heard John’s words, he was wroth and commanded the soldiers to hang him on the henbaz, and to break him on the iron wheel. Then he commanded them to take him off the henbaz, and to beat him on his belly and head until his flesh melted, and the earth was soaked with his blood; and they cast him into prison. A few days after this he commanded them to hack his body in pieces with hatchets, and then he commanded them to bring a piece of sackcloth made of hair, and to drag it over his wounds; and they also sprinkled hot ashes and coals of fire under his back. And he also commanded them to bring pegs of iron, which had been heated, in the fire, and to lay them on his face, and to drive them through his ears; and when they had done this they cast him into prison. That night the angel of God appeared unto him and gave him peace. And on the following day the governor had him brought out and he tortured him with red-hot bars of iron. After all this, they bound his hands and his feet with cords, and they tied him on to the back of a horse with his face turned downward towards the earth. Then the executioner came and cut off his hands, and feet, and head, with the sword; and he treated the two other men who were with him in like manner. Thus the saint finished his martyrdom and his good fight. Salutation to John, and to those who were martyred with him. Salutation to Bifamon, and to his brethren, and to his mother.

And on this day also became martyrs ‘Akronius, and Dimunasia, his sister, and ‘Amoni and Mina, the Egyptians and soldiers of the Emperor Diocletian. When the emperor cast these saints into a pit of fire along with Abba ‘Ebsoy, the angel Gabriel came and brought them forth from the flames. And when the saints came before the emperor, they cursed him and said unto him, “Why dost thou delay day after day, and dost not bring to an end our matter?” When the emperor heard this he was wroth, and he commanded the soldiers to cut off their heads with a sharp sword, and to burn their bodies in the fire; [and they did so,] and thus the saints finished their martyrdom, and kept the festival with the righteous in the kingdom of heaven. Salutation to ‘Akronius, and to Dimunasia, his sister, and to ‘Amoni, and to Mina.

And on this day also became martyrs the pure Saint Sophia, the strenuous fighter, and her brother Ammonius in the days of Diocletian, the infidel. This holy woman had Christian parents, and having begotten her, they brought her up very carefully in the fear of God, and they taught her the Books of the Church, and all the Law of the Apostles. When she reached woman’s estate, they wanted to give her in marriage to a certain nobleman of the city. When the saint of God knew this she rose up from where she was sitting, and turned her face towards the East, and made one hundred prostrations and stood up and prayed for a long time. And she said in her prayer, “O my Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, Whose glory is great, guide Thou Thine handmaiden Sophia in Thy right path, so that I may come to Thee, and let me not stray into the crooked path which leadeth to destruction. And also let not my heart think about the corrupt way of the world, and all the desire for fornication, which my parents are planning for me. O my Lord, abandon not Thine handmaiden so that she become a sinner, and permit me not to devote myself to, and to shoulder the heavy load of the lust of this world, but let my neck bow beneath and bear the easy yoke of Thy commandments.” And after she had finished her prayer, she sat down on her bed, and waited a little, and a thought came into her mind which said, “I will arise and flee secretly, and I will go far away, and enter the innermost part of a certain desert, and will devote my life to the Most High.” And when she had finished her thinking she called the servant whom her parents had given to her to be her handmaiden, and she commanded her to bring her some wine, intending to make her drink it; and the handmaiden brought wine, and also brought a little food. And Sophia commanded the handmaiden to drink of the wine, which she brought until it was finished, and she did so. And the mind of the handmaiden being carried away by the headiness of the wine Sophia said unto her, “Bring me thy apparel, and take mine”; and the handmaiden gave it to her. Then Sophia commanded her to sleep until she had recovered from the headiness of the wine, and when she had fallen into a heavy sleep, Sophia went out secretly, and none saw her, for her chamber was far from her parents’ part of the house. And having departed she arrived at a certain road, and found there people who were fleeing from Diocletian because of the Faith; and they were seeking to hide themselves in the mountains and caves. And she answered and said unto them, “Whence come ye?” And each man told her [the name of] his city. And she said unto them, “Whither go ye?” And they told her all that happened because of Diocletian and because of the Faith. And she said unto them, “Is there anyone who will bring me along this road to Diocletian?” And they said unto her, “Yea.” And she went on a little way further, and prayed a long prayer, and she went on, and arrived at the place where Diocletian was, and confessed our Lord Jesus Christ. And when Diocletian heard the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, he was filled with wrath, and he commanded his soldiers to bring her before him. When she came he said unto her, “Worship Apollo,” and she said unto him, “How can I worship the work of man’s hand, unclean idols?” And forthwith Diocletian was wroth, and he commanded them to beat her with iron rods (?), and to place a large stone on her head, and to drag her over the sand until her flesh was torn into shreds; and then he cast her into prison. On the following day he ordered them to bring her out, and he said unto her, “Offer sacrifice to Apollo that thou mayest not die an evil death.” And she answered and said unto him, “It may seem to be an evil death to thee, but for me my death through thee will be life with my God.” And he said unto her, “Is there any life left for thee after I have put thee to death?” And she answered and said unto him, “O fool, leave me; even for thee there is resurrection. But thy resurrection is for judgment, with thine idols.” And when he heard this he was furiously angry, and he commanded them to beat her with rods of iron until all the bones of her body were broken; and they did as he commanded. And he commanded them to lay her upon a bed of iron and to light a fire under her, and they did so, and when evening fell on the land he commanded them to cast her into prison. That night the angel of God came to her, and touched her, and healed her. And on the following day the emperor commanded them to bring her [to him], and she came walking upon her feet, and she felt as if she had been washed in the bathhouse, and had come forth anointed with unguent. When Diocletian saw her walking on her feet, he said, “Observe ye the strength of the medicine of this Christian woman; yesterday I tortured her with fire, and to-day she is whole.” And Saint Sophia said unto him, “I know nothing of medicine, but my God is the master of medicines.” And straightway the emperor persuaded her to consent, and when she refused he ordered the soldiers to cut off her head. And as they were carrying her away to cut off her head, our Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto her and promised her many things. And He said unto her, “Whosoever shall celebrate thy commemoration, or shall give alms in thy name, or shall write the history of thy strife, I will receive in the kingdom which is in the heavens.” After this they cut off her head with the sword, and she received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. Salutation to Amon, and to Sophia.

And on this day also became [martyrs] Bifamon, and ‘Azenhas. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 5 (June 12)

On this day died the holy father Abba Jacob, from the East. This holy confessor became an ascetic, and fought the fight of God in one of the monasteries of the East, in the days of Constantine, the son of Constantine the Great, and in the days of Julian the infidel, and in the days of Walentos, the believer. When Walentos was killed, Wales (Valens), his brother, reigned in his stead; now he was an Arian, and he commanded, and also closed the churches of the True Faith, and at length the men of the True Faith entered the evil Faith. Now this Edict came into all the country of his dominions. And by the grace of the Holy Spirit, the heart of this holy man waxed hot, and he rose up and went to the city of Constantinople, and he found the emperor ready to set out on an expedition to fight his enemies who had risen up against him in the region of the West. And this saint stood up before him, and said unto him, “I ask thee to open the churches to the believers, that they may pray for thee, and then God shall help thee against thine enemies; but if thou wilt not do this behold God shall cast thee away, and thou shalt flee before thine enemies.” And the emperor was wroth, and commanded the soldiers to beat him and to bind him in prison. And the saint said unto him, “Know that thou shalt flee before thine enemies, and thou shalt die in a blazing fire.” And the emperor delivered him over to one who was to keep him under guard until he should return in safety, as he expected. And Saint Jacob said unto him, “If thou returnest in safety, then hath not God spoken by my mouth”; when the holy man said this they took him, and beat him, and bound him in prison, and the emperor departed to fight against his enemies. And as he stood up with his soldiers facing his enemies, the Son of God the Creator, Who is equal with God His Father, Whom he had denied, and he had also helped the followers of Arius in their prayers, cast him away, and he fled from before his enemies. And they pursued him until he came to a certain village, which they set on fire, and his men fled, and he was left behind, and he and all those who believed the evil Faith were burned in the fire. And all those of his soldiers who were left turned and fled to the city of Constantinople; and they told the believers this good news, and thus the prophecy of the holy man was fulfilled. And the believers assembled, and brought this saint out of prison with great honor, and both the believers and the unbelievers knew that the divine grace and the spirit of prophecy dwelt on this saint. And many of the Arians turned to the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and they bowed down at the feet of the saint, and they confessed that the Son of God is equal with the Father in His Godhead. And after this the holy father lived as he had done before in devotion to the ascetic life, and in fighting the spiritual fight; and he died in peace and received the crown of everlasting life. Salutation to Jacob from the East.

And on this day Abba ‘Ebsoy, the fighter, became a martyr. This chosen man and fighter had Christian parents, and they served our Lord Christ, and kept His commandments; the name of his father, who was from Antioch, and was governor of Kaw in Upper Egypt, was “Tagestas,” and the name of his mother was “Karisa.” They lived for sixteen years, having no son, and they were very sad because of this. One night a shining man appeared unto Tagestas, and said unto him, “Peace be unto thee, O lover of God, behold thy prayer hath been heard by God. And behold thy wife shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name ‘’Ebsoy.’ And he shall be a chosen vessel of God, and shall be a witness (i.e. martyr) of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he shall be a great martyr, and shall suffer much torture, and shall receive the crown of life”; and Tagestas told his wife what he had seen. And after a few days, she conceived, and bore a son on the fourth day of the month of Miyazya, and she brought him up in the knowledge, and wisdom, and the fear of God. When he was six years old his parents sent him away to the country of ‘Akmim and they gave him to a certain teacher, an elder, whose name was Joseph; and he dwelt there and, with his brother Peter, devoted himself to fasting and prayer, and he performed signs and wonders. When he was sixteen years old, the governor of Upper Egypt came to the city of Kaw, and he persecuted and killed many believers. Then certain evil men came and informed against these saints Abba ‘Ebsoy, and Abba Peter, saying to the governor, “They are deacons who do not submit to thy words, and they refuse to worship the gods.” And straightway the governor commanded his soldiers to bring them and set them [before him], and he questioned them about all their affairs; and having heard their words he commanded them to shut them up in prison. After three months, the angel of God appeared unto them and said, “I am Gabriel, the announcer of glad tidings. God hath sent me to you to tell you that your memorial shall endure forever. As for thee, my beloved ‘Ebsoy, a great conflict awaiteth thee. They shall take thee to the city of Alexandria, and thence to Antioch, and there thou shalt finish thy testimony.” After this the governor brought him out of prison, and urged him to worship idols, and when the saint refused to do so, he ordered the soldiers to put him upon the henbaz, and they crushed him severely; and then the Archangel Gabriel descended and smashed the henbaz, and touched his flesh and healed him. Then the emperor cast him into prison, where he healed many. Then the governor commanded them to bring him out of prison and to fetter him in the hold of the ship, and they tied iron chains about his neck, and put irons on his hands and feet, and they gave him no bread; in this state he remained for ten days. On the following day they brought him out, and set him before the governor, who said unto him, “Worship the gods,” and when he refused to do so the governor ordered them to torture him. And they mounted Abba ‘Ebsoy upon the henbaz, and they crushed him until his blood flowed like water; and then they shut him up in prison. Whilst he was there the Archangel Gabriel again appeared unto him and said, “Be strong, ‘Ebsoy, O chosen one of God, and fear not, for I will be with thee until thou finishest thy contest.” After this they brought him to the city of Alexandria, to Diocletian, the governor, and he also questioned him about his case; and he commanded the soldiers to beat him until his members fell upon the ground. And after this they boiled pitch over the fire, and poured it into his ears and mouth, and throat (?), and the governor commanded them also to light torches and to burn his sides therewith. And he also commanded them to bring red-hot borers and to thrust them into his eyes, and also to pluck out the nails of his hands and feet, and to tear out his bowels; and they did even so. And straightway the Archangel Gabriel came and touched his limbs, and healed him. Then they brought him before Diocletian, and he also tortured him with fire, and [boiling] pitch, and sulfur, and vine-wood; and then the Archangel Gabriel delivered him. And the governor also commanded them to cast him into the sea, with a large stone fastened to his neck with an iron chain. And they rolled the stone down into the sea, and the stone, which was tied to his neck, dragged down one-half of his body, and the half of his body, which was not submerged, they tied to the top of a high pillar which they set up on the sea-shore; and they left him there to suffer this torture until the sixth hour of the day. And after this the angel of God came down and made his sides whole as before. When the emperor saw this he marveled, and he said unto the headsman, “Make haste and cut off his head”; and straightway he cut off his head, which he made to fall on the seashore. And he took his body, and his head, and threw them into a skin, and his head joined to his body, and it became as if it had never been cut off; and the skin set off by itself, no man carrying it, and after ten days it arrived at the city of Alexandria. And when the men of the city of Boha heard of this, they came and brought him to his house in the city of Boha, and they buried him with Peter his brother. Salutation to Abba ‘Ebsoy of the city of Boha.

And on this day also Saint Bifamon became a martyr. This holy man was the son of the brother of the father of John of Harakli, and he helped him and ministered unto him whilst he was in prison. When John finished his martyrdom, he prepared him for burial, and he wept over his dead body, saying, “Why hath he left me alone, a stranger to the grace of God?” And a voice went forth from the body of John, saying, “O my beloved Bifamon, if thou wishest to depart with me, go quickly to the governor, and confess Christ, and to- morrow morning thou wilt come to me.” And Bifamon ran and reviled Arianus, and cursed his gods, and after the governor had tortured him severely, he cut off his head with the sword, and Bifamon received the crown of martyrdom.

And on this day also Saint Mercurius, and Feg (Aflagius), and Eblag (‘Ablawig), and Isaac, and Ablarius, became martyrs.

And on this day also Saint Mark became a martyr for Christ’s Name, by drowning. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 6 (June 13)

On this day Theodore the monk of the city of Alexandria, became a martyr. This saint was a believer and a pure man, and he devoted himself to the ascetic life, and fought the divine fight, and he dwelt in one of the monasteries of the city of Alexandria. Now Constantine sent to the city of Alexandria an archbishop whose name was Gaigyos (Gargius), and who was an Arian, and he sent with him many soldiers. And they drove from his throne the Apostolic Saint Abba Athanasius, and Constantine made that infidel, Gargius, Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. And after [this] there was great strife between the men of the city and the soldiers of the emperor, and the soldiers killed many of the men of the city of Alexandria. And after Gargius, the infidel, was seated upon the throne of Mark, the evangelist, on which he was not fit to sit, certain men informed him about Saint Abba Theodore, and told him that he had disputed with the Arians, and vanquished them, and put them to shame, and made them to see clearly their infidelity. And the archbishop commanded [the soldiers] to seize Theodore and torture him; and they did as he had commanded them, but nothing came from him. After this that infidel, who it is not right to call “archbishop,” commanded them to bind the hands and the feet of this saint, and to tie him to the legs of fiery and unbridled horses which should gallop and drag him about in the open country. And having done this to him, all the limbs of Theodore were smashed, and his head was cut to pieces, and he delivered up his soul into the hand of the Living God, for whose sake he had become a martyr. And he received three crowns; the first for the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, wherein he became a participator with all the believers; the second for his fight in the monastic life, and the good piety which he perfected; and the third for his martyrdom, and the hacking off of his members for the True Faith. And after this the believers collected the members of the saint, and laid them in a coffin with great honor. And they celebrated a festival as it might be this day, and they composed an encomium at the time of prayer in the Romayest language, as for all the saints, and they wrote it in the Book of Prayers. Salutation to Theodore the monk.

And on this day also they commemorate four martyrs of Mareotis, ad forty other martyrs, and Gebre Christos, the monk.

And on this day also became martyrs the four great officers of the city of ‘Ensena, that is to say, Eusaphius, and Taman, and Harwag, and Bacchus; they were the pillars and lawyers of the city, and they gave alms in abundance to the poor and needy. When Arianus the governor returned a second time to the city, these saints met him, and cried out before him, saying, “We [say] boldly that we are Christians, and believers on our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God, the First, on Whom stand the heavens and the earth.” When Arianus heard [this] he tortured them with divers tortures, and when he was tired of torturing them, he cut off their heads with the sword, and they finished their martyrdom. Salutation to the four nobles of ‘Esna, who fed themselves with hunger, and watered themselves with thirst.

And on this day also died the holy father Eumenius, the seventh Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. In the days of this saint the holy woman Sophia, and her three daughters, became martyrs. And he protected his flock well, and pleased God, and he sat for thirteen years and died in peace. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 7 (June 14)

On this day became a martyr the holy and honorable victor, Abba ‘Abaskiron from the city of Kalen. This saint was one of the soldiers of Arianus, the governor of Antinoe. And when the Edict of the wicked Emperor Diocletian concerning the worship of idols arrived, this saint rose up among the people, and cursed the emperor and his gods, and no man dared to punish him because he was a soldier, but they shut him up in the governor’s house. And when the governor of the city of Antinoe went to the city of Asyut, the emperor sent this saint and five other soldiers to him; and the names of these soldiers were: Walfius, and Herminius, and Arkias, and Peter, and Carnius. These men made a covenant with Abba ‘Abaskiron to shed their blood for the sake of the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And having stood up before the governor of Antinoe, he commanded the soldiers to cut off the belts of these men, and then to torture them; and the soldiers did as he commanded. Of these five soldiers some of them had their heads cut off, and some of them were crucified, and they were crowned and received the crown of martyrdom. And the governor commanded the soldiers to beat Saint ‘Abaskiron severely, and after this to flay his head down to his neck; and they did so. Then he tied him to the tail of a horse, and dragged him about the city; then he set him in a cauldron of [boiling] lead, and shut down the cover on him; and after this he put him in the furnace of the public baths; but under all these tortures the angel of God came to him, and helped him and comforted him, and made him to endure patiently, and raised him up whole and uninjured. When the governor was tired of torturing him he brought to him a certain sorcerer whose name was Alexander, and who thought that he could cast spells on the sun and moon, and that he could ascend in the air and hold converse with the stars. And he commanded them to shut the doors of the baths, and to sprinkle the whole building with urine; and they did as he commanded. Then he took a serpent, and uttered words over it, and slit it into two parts. And he took the venom and the liver of the snake, and laid them in a brass bowl, and boiled them, and then took them to Saint Abba ‘Abaskiron; and he brought the vessel into the bath house and gave the saint that boiling poison, and he swallowed it. And the magician cried out, saying, “O master of the powers of darkness, work with thy strength upon this Christian”; and when nothing evil whatsoever happened to the saint, he marveled exceedingly. And Saint Abba ‘Abaskiron said unto the sorcerer, “Satan, on whom thou reliest for help, will not help thee, and he himself shall punish thee by the might of our Lord Jesus Christ.” And straightway an evil Satan leaped upon the magician, and he began to make him roll about until he confessed our Lord Jesus Christ. And the governor commanded the soldiers to cut off the head of the magician with the sword, and they did so, and he received the crown of martyrdom. And the wrath of the governor against the holy man was increased, and he had him tortured severely, and they mutilated him cruelly; and whilst the saint was suffering this horrible torture, he gave thanks to God. After this the governor commanded them to cut off the head of Abba ‘Abaskiron with the sword, and he received the perfect crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. Salutation to Abba ‘Abaskiron. [Here is] one of the miracles of this Saint Abba ‘Abaskiron. There was a church in a certain village in the north of Egypt, and the priests of that church were committing evil deeds; and the saint waited for them to turn from their wickedness, but they neither repented of it nor turned from it. And the saint entreated God, Who brought upon them the disease of the plague, and they all died at once. And the saint departed, riding upon a horse, and he arrived at a city the name of which was Beyahu, in Upper Egypt, at the time when men sleep, and when the men of the city were talking together by the light of the moon before they went to sleep. And the saint came to them, riding upon a horse, and he said unto them, “Peace be unto you”; and as soon as they saw him they rose up straightway, and they welcomed him, and they said unto him, “Peace be to thee, O our lord.” and he said unto them, “I wish ye to give me a little piece of ground,” and making a line on the earth with his spear he said, “This will be enough for me.” And the men answered and said unto him, “Yea, our lord, as thou commandest us so shall it be”; and he gave them one hundred dinars in gold, and disappeared from them forthwith, and they marveled at the appearance of him, and at his words. And after these men had gone to sleep in their houses, he transported the church from Lower Egypt to the city of Beyahu in Upper Egypt; and when the men of the city rose up in the morning they found the church standing there; and they marveled greatly, and glorified God. And many miracles have been worked therein from that day to this.

And on this day one thousand six hundred men suffered martyrdom under Herminius (or, Arminius), the governor. Salutation to the sixteen hundred martyrs of Herminius. [In the Bodleian MS. the number is 18,000.]

And on this day also was re-opened the church of our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, the God-bearer, in the market place of Wela, in the city of Mesr (Cairo), after it had been closed for three years and six months. This took place in the year one thousand and twenty of the [Era of the] Righteous Martyrs (A.D. 1304). Salutation to the opening of the church, O Virgin Mary. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 8 (June 15)

On this day is commemorated the consecration of the church of our Lady Mary, the holy Virgin, the God-bearer, which is known as the “Bath” because of the blessed fountain of water which our Lord Jesus Christ made to spring up, when He was there with His mother, the Virgin Mary, at the time of their return from the country of Egypt. When the angel of God appeared unto the righteous man Joseph, in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the Child and His mother and depart to the land of Egypt,” Joseph rose up, and took our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, the God-bearer, and her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and Salome, the daughter of the sister of our Lady, and they came to the country of Egypt, and to Debra Kuskuam, and to the “Two Places.” And when they had lived in Egypt for three years and six months, and Herod was dead, the angel of God appeared to Joseph and commanded him to return to Jerusalem. When they were returning, they came to the city of Maharka, and thence to Mesr (Cairo), and thence to Matarya, and thence to the city of the “Bath”. And our Lord Jesus Christ made this fountain of water to spring up when He was with His mother, the Virgin Mary, and it existeth to this day. And all men, of every country and of every race, come there, and they intercede with our Lady the holy Virgin Mary, the God- bearer, and they receive a blessing from her, and from the blessed fountain of water. Salutation to the consecration of the Church of Mary, which is built near the fountain made to spring up by thy Son.

And on this day also ten hundred and two people were martyred.

And on this day the festival of Abba ‘Atkaron, and Eulogius is celebrated. [Wanting in the Bodleian MS.]

And on this day also are commemorated the saints Tamada and her sons, and Herminius (Armenius) and his mother. Salutation to Tamada and her sons, and to Herminius (Armenius) and his mother. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 9 (June 16)

On this day died the great prophet Samuel. The name of the father of this saint was “Elkanah,” of the tribe of Levi, and of the family of Aaron the priest, and the name of his mother was Hanna, and she was barren. And because of her prayer and entreaty to God at all times, God gave her this prophet, and she brought him up in her house for three years. Then she took him to the Temple of God, according as she had vowed before she conceived him, and he ministered unto Eli the priest until he reached man’s estate. And the sons of Eli made corrupt their service, and they forced the children of Israel in respect of their offerings. And God sent a message by the prophet to Eli, and said unto him, “Behold, I abominate thy sons, and all thy seed, [and will remove them] from the priesthood, and I will raise up a faithful high priest who shall do My good pleasure all the days of his life.” And God raised up this great prophet Samuel. When Eli had become old, God called Samuel one night when he was lying down, and Samuel thought that it was Eli who called him, because at that time he had not known a vision from God. And Samuel rose up, and came to Eli the priest, and he said unto him, “My lord, didst thou call me?” And Eli said unto him, “Nay. Go, lie down.” When Samuel went and lay down God called him a second time, and a third time, and he went to Eli though God called him. And Eli said unto Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if He calleth thee again say unto Him, ‘Speak Lord, for Thy servant heareth.’” And when Samuel went [and lay down], and the voice from God called him, saying, “Samuel, Samuel,” he said unto Him, “Speak my Lord; Thy servant heareth Thy voice.” And God spoke to him the same words, which He had spoken to Eli the priest, concerning the evil, which his sons had done, and what He wished to do to the sons of Eli and the children of Israel. After this God commanded the prophet to anoint Saul, the son of Kish, king over the children of Israel. When Saul transgressed the commandment of God, He commanded this prophet to anoint David, the son of Jesse, [over Israel]. And Samuel judged Israel for forty years and died in peace, and they celebrate his festival on the twenty-sixth day of the month of Sane, which is the day whereon God called Samuel, and commanded him to act. And this prophet prophesied ten hundred and thirty-five years before the Incarnation of our Lord. Salutation to Samuel who grew up in the Temple of God.

And on this day Lucianus and four others became martyrs. This saint was formerly a priest of idols. When he saw the tribulation of the martyrs, whom they burned in the fire, and beat with whips, and hacked in pieces with hatchets, and when he saw that many martyrs whom the Emperor Aurelian cast into a red-hot fiery furnace were in no wise injured by the fire, and that they walked about in the furnace, glorifying God, even as did the Three Children in the furnace of Babylon, this saint marveled. Then he knew that the things which he worshipped were idols, and he was unable to serve them any longer, and he cast them into the fire and burnt them; and he knew that the God Who had wrought this miracle was God indeed. And straightway he cried out boldly before the emperor, saying, “I am a Christian”; and they brought him before the emperor, who rebuked him for abandoning his gods the idols, and promised him many gifts if he would return to the service of the idols. But the saint would not accept his promises, and would not listen to his command, and he was not afraid of his torture. And the emperor tortured him severely, and hung him up head downwards, and smashed his jaw with stones, and beat him very cruelly; after this he cast him into prison, where he remained for many days. After this the emperor had him brought before him with four other [Christians] who were imprisoned with him; and he said unto them, “Offer incense to the gods. If ye will not do so, I will torture you severely”; but they would not obey his evil commandments. And the emperor was wroth with them, and cast them into a red-hot furnace, but God caused much rain to fall from heaven, and it quenched the fire. And the emperor commanded the soldiers to hang him upon a wooden cross, saying that his God was hung upon a cross, and they hung him upon a wooden cross and drove long nails through all his body, and he delivered up his soul into the hand of God. As for the four men, the soldiers cut off their heads and they received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. Salutation to Lucianus and to his four companions in martyrdom.

And on this day also are commemorated John, the bishop, and ‘Arkola, the bishop. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 10 (June 17)

On this day became martyrs the holy virgins Dabamon, and Bastamon, and Sophia their mother. Now they wanted to appoint bishop a certain man, whose name was Warsenof, but he fled to the city of Gehmun, in the neighborhood of Bana, and he dwelt with those holy women. That night the angel of God appeared unto him and said, “Why sleepest thou? Thou must fight, and the crown is prepared. Rise up and go to the governor, and confess the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ before him, and received the crown of martyrdom.” When he awoke from his sleep he made known to the holy women what he had seen; and they all agreed that they would take the crown of martyrdom. And they rose up straightway and departed, and came to the governor, and confessed our Lord Jesus Christ before him, and he tortured them severely and cast them into prison. After this he took them with him from Balbal to the city of Senhue, and their mother followed them. And the governor said unto them, “Cast incense to the gods,” and when they refused he tortured them; and God sent His angel to them, and he gave them strength under the torture [and healed] their wounds. After this he took them to the city of Dha. And the priests of the idols told the governor that the mother of the women, and Dabamon, had cursed the gods. Now Dabamon was a beautiful woman, and her charities were many, and she prayed to God without ceasing. And there was a certain woman whose name was Yona, and she and Dabamon together used to weave beautiful apparel of every kind, [and sell them, and live on their price,] and what was left they gave away in alms. When the governor heard the story of Sophia he sent an executioner, whose name was ‘Eulogi, to her to cut off her head. And when he came to her, and saw the beauty of her face and of her appearance, which was like unto that of an angel, the grace of God made him to understand that he was not to kill her, but to take her to the governor; and she embraced the people of her house, and went forth from the city of Denfa. When she arrived at the city of Dha, she met Saint Warsenof and his companions, and they saluted each other. And the executioner ‘Eulogi confessed our Lord Jesus Christ, and became a martyr, and they cut off his head with the sword; and these holy women also confessed our Lord Jesus Christ, and became martyrs. And Saint Bastamon they hung upon the wheel, and tortured her severely, and she remained under torture for many days; but God gave her strength, and enabled her to endure, and healed her wounds. Then the governor cast her into prison, where she remained a few days, and he brought her out from prison and said unto her, “Cast incense to the gods.” When she refused to obey his command he ordered [the soldiers] to cut off her head, and they took her outside the city to do so; and all the women who were about her were weeping, but she was rejoicing and was glad. And thy cut off her head with the sword, and the heads of her mother and sister, and they received crowns of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. Salutation to Sophia and to her daughters Dabamon and Bastamon.

And on this day also are commemorated ‘Aklemos the martyr, and Abba Na’on, and Yawsek.

And on this day also is commemorated the great joy which came into all the ends of the world, and the heavenly angels also rejoiced, for on this day went forth the Edict of the Emperor Constantine, the believer, and just man, to all the cities and countries of his empire, commanding the houses of idols to be closed, and the churches to be opened. And this Edict, which was full of joy, came to the city of Alexandria as it were this day, and they dispatched this Edict to all the countries of Egypt, and the believers rejoiced at the exaltation of the Christians and the glorious Law of the Life-giving Cross. And they closed the houses of idols, and they opened the churches, and they celebrated a festival as it were this day. And this took place in the eleventh year of the reign of Constantine, and in the first year of office of Abba Alexander, Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. Salutation to the day of the Edict of Constantine, which opened the churches, and closed the houses of idols. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 11 (June 18)

On this day died Saint Claudius, the martyr, a man with the appearance of the angels, a kinsman of kings, and a victor in battle. This saint fought a good fight, and received an incorruptible crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. He rejected the glory of this fleeting world, and inherited that which is everlasting and unending, and the heavenly grace. The father of this saint was the brother of Numerianus, Emperor of Rome, and his name was ‘Abtelmawos (Ptolemy), and the appearance of this saint was very goodly, like that of Joseph, the son of Jacob-Israel. And he was mighty in battle, and he was applauded more than any other young man in Antioch; and he was beloved by everyone because of his strength and goodliness. And because the people of Antioch lived him so greatly they painted a picture of him on the doors of the city, and they painted also pictures of his enemies fleeing vanquished before him. And the saint read many of the Books of the Church. And the Emperor of Rome heard the report of him, and he wrote to his father, and asked for him, and his father sent him to him. When he arrived there the Emperor of Rome went out to meet him with his soldiers, and he and all the men of the city rejoiced in him. And in those days a great war broke out with the men of Kuez (Khuzistan) and the men of Armenia, and Saint Clauidius marched against them, and conquered them, and he seized their king and broke them. After this he returned to the city of Antioch, and he found that the Emperor Diocletian had denied our Lord Jesus Christ, and was worshipping idols. And Claudius had a friend whose name was Victor, and he was the son of Hermanus, and they were reciting at all times words of the Holy Scripture, which were beneficial for the salvation of their souls; and they agreed together to shed their blood for the sake of the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And Satan appeared unto them in the form of an old man, who pretended to be suffering grief, saying, “O my sons, ye goodly young men, the sons of emperors, I am afraid on your account, and I sorrow for you, I advise you to make friends with this infidel emperor, and to cast incense to his gods and idols; when he commandeth you to do this, do not transgress his command, but serve ye Christ in your houses, for this emperor is strong, and mighty, and merciless.” And our Lord Jesus Christ made them to understand that he who was speaking to them was Satan, and the saints, said unto him, “O thou who art filled with all manner of evil, and who art the father of lies, get thee gone from us, for thou dost always oppose the path of God.” And straightway the old man changed his appearance, and became like a black man, and he said unto them, “Behold, I will [go] before you to the emperor and make him to shed your blood.” And Satan went to Diocletian, and said unto him, “If thou dost not kill Victor and Claudius they will rise up against thee, and kill thee, and take thy kingdom.” Therefore did the emperor send to Saint Claudius, and call him, and he came to him; and the emperor asked him to cast incense to his idols, and promised to give him his father’s office, but Claudius neither accepted his promise, nor submitted to his order. Now the emperor did not dare to speak to (i.e. threaten) Claudius in the city of Antioch, for Saint Claudius spake to him boldly and fearlessly and reviled him. And Romanus advised Diocletian to send Saint Claudius to the country of Egypt, and to kill him there, [saying,] “He is a heretic like my son Victor.” And the emperor wrote a letter to the governor of Antinoe, saying, “Claudius will accept [nothing] from us, and he will neither hearken to our words nor obey them. Do thou persuade him with all thy power to return to his allegiance to us, and if he will not do so cut off his head with the sword.” When Saint Claudius heard that the emperor had ordered them to send him to Egypt, he commanded Sidrakos, his sister’s husband, [concerning her,] and committed her to his care, and he embraced him, and departed to the country of Egypt, together with the emperor’s envoys. When he arrived in the presence of Arianus, the governor of Antinoe, and the governor saw him, he rose up and kissed his hand, and he entreated him, saying, “O my lord Claudius, do not this thing, and do not transgress the emperor’s command.” And they held converse together in this wise until Arianus became furious and filled with wrath, and he drove the spear which he had in his hand into the saint, who delivered up his spirit straightway, and received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. And certain believers came and took the body of Saint Claudius, and swathed it with costly cloths, and laid it with the body of Saint Victor; and the bodies remained thus until the end of the days of persecution. And the mother of Saint Victor came to the city of Antinoe, and she made the bodies ready for burial. And she carried them to the city of Antioch. They say, however, that the body of Saint Claudius resteth now in the city of Asyut. Salutation to Claudius. Salutation to the one and twenty and to the six and sixty members of the palace of Claudius who suffered martyrdom through him.

And on this day also is commemorated the consecration of the church of the Forty soldier- martyrs in the church of our Redeemer Jesus Christ, in the city of Alexandria, and Kirubaweyanu, the archbishop. Salutation to the consecration of Thy Church, O Jesus the Redeemer. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 12 (June 19)

On this day is celebrated the commemoration of the glorious angel Michael the Archangel. Now the reason for the celebration of the festival is as follows: There was in the city of Alexandria a great temple which Queen Cleopatra, the daughter of Ptolemy, King of Egypt, had built in the name of the star Zuhal (Venus), and they celebrated a festival in its honor on the twelfth day of the month of Sane. And there was in that temple a great brass idol which was exceedingly awesome, and its name was Zuhal (Venus), and they used to offer up many sacrifices to it on the day of the festival; and they continued to celebrate the festival of that idol until the days of the archiepiscopate of Archbishop Alexander, that is to say for three hundred years and more. When Abba Alexander was appointed Archbishop of Alexandria, the righteous Emperor Constantine was reigning, and the True Christian Faith spread abroad. And Abba Alexander wanted to smash that idol, but some worthless men of the city prevented him, and they said unto him, “We are in the habit of celebrating a festival in honor of this idol. And behold, fifteen archbishops have preceded thee [here], and they did not alter our custom.” And Abba Alexander rebuked them severely, and he explained the matter to them, and said, “This idol can do neither evil nor good, but those who celebrate the festivals of idols worship Satans.” And Abba Alexander also said unto them, “If ye will hearken unto my advice, let me arrange for you this festival as it ought to have been in olden times, that is to say, let us smash this idol, and [re]consecrate the temple, and turn it into a church in the name of the glorious angel Michael, the Archangel, and we will arrange this festival in his honor. And let the altar be [re-dedicated] to God Most High, and let the poor, and the needy, and the wretched, eat the oxen and sheep which the priests slay, and the glorious angel Michael shall intercede on your behalf with our Lord Jesus Christ.” And this good counsel pleased them, and they yielded to his wishes, and they made the temple a church in the name of the glorious angel Michael the Archangel. And that temple became known as the “Church of Caesarea,” and it continued to stand until the Muslims reigned in Egypt, and then they destroyed it. And this festival was established by order, and all the people of the districts [in Egypt] celebrated it in honor of the glorious angel Michael the Archangel to his grade, above all the angels, and to his greatness, and the archangel performed many miracles among which is the following: There was a certain man who feared God, and who used to celebrate the commemoration of the glorious angel Michael on the twelfth day of each month, and especially during the months of Hedar and Sane. And there was among his neighbors a rich man who was without mercy, and he used to hate that God-fearing man when he celebrated the festival of the glorious angel, and to laugh at him. When the days of the God-fearing man had come to an end, and the time of his death, when he would rest from the labor of this fleeting world, drew nigh, he commanded his wife to be merciful, and to celebrate the commemoration of that glorious angel Michael, and especially the festivals which fell on the twelfth day of Hedar and on the twelfth day of Sane. Now at the time of the death of the God-fearing man, his wife was with child. And after the man died his wife buried him. And at that time the woman was near her time to bring forth, and the pains of childbirth seized her, and she was in very great tribulation, and she said, “O Michael, angel of God, have compassion upon me, and entreat God on my behalf so that He may deliver me from the tribulation in which I am, and which hath come upon me this day; for with thee there is great grace with God.” And when she had said these words, the house wherein she was became full of light, and forthwith she was relieved of her pains, and she brought forth a child whose appearance was godly. And the angel of God, the glorious Michael, came down from heaven, and he blessed the child, and said, “Thus saith God: This child shall inherit the goods of the rich man who hath no mercy, and all his possessions and all his lands.” At that moment the rich man was looking out from the window of his house upon the house of the woman, and he heard the voice of Michael, the angel of God, saying, “This child shall inherit the money of the rich man.” Then great sorrow came upon him, and he sought for a pretext for killing the child, but God protected him through the intercession of the glorious angel Michael. And when the days of the child were ten years, his mother’s money came to an end, and the rich man, with small mercy in him, found his opportunity against the woman. And he said unto her, “Give me thy son, and let him minister unto me, and I will feed him and clothe him, and will give thee twenty dinars in gold.” When the woman heard these words from the rich man she rejoiced on account of her poverty, and the rich man gave her twenty dinars in gold, and she gave him her son; and having taken him the rich man rejoiced with a great joy, and he said in his heart, “Behold what I have desired is fulfilled for me.” Then he made a wooden box as long as the boy was tall, and he forced the boy into the box, and fastened the cover over him, and he carried the box to the river, and cast it into the water, and he also cast the key of the box into the river. And by the Will of God the box floated on the surface of the river until it came to the quay of a certain city, which was not far from the river. And there was a certain shepherd who was watching and tending his flocks near the river, and when he saw the box in the river, he dragged it out, and carried it into his house, and he was thinking by what means he would open the box. And as he was thinking about this matter, God put the thought into his heart that he should go to the river, and straightway he went and found a man catching fish. And the shepherd said unto him, “Cast [thy] net into the river in my name, and I will give thee the price of the fish which shall be caught”; and the fisherman did as the shepherd told him. And a great fish came out from the net, and the shepherd gave him the price thereof; and taking it he went to his house, and he killed the fish to broil it, that he and his household might eat. And having slit open the belly of the fish he found a key inside it, and he said within himself, “Perhaps this is the key of the box.” And having inserted the key into the keyhole of the box, the box opened quickly, and the shepherd marveled for he found inside it the boy whom the rich man wanted to kill. When he saw [the boy] he rejoiced in him with a great joy, and he called him “Bahran” because he found him in the river; and the boy became to him as his son. Now the distance of the city wherein the boy was born, from that wherein the shepherd lived, was a journey of ten days. And after many days the rich man in whom there was no mercy wished to go and sojourn with the shepherd, and when the sun was about to set he said unto the shepherd, “Peradventure thou hast a place wherein we can lodge until to-morrow; if thou hast I will pay thee thy charge.” And the shepherd brought the rich man into his house, and he called the young man by his name of “Bahran.” When the rich man heard this name he asked the shepherd, saying, “Is this thy son?” And the shepherd said unto him, “Yea, I found this young man when he was a little boy in a box in the river, and I took him and reared him as my son.” When the rich man, in whom there was no mercy, heard this he was very sorry in his heart, and he knew that the young man was the boy whom he had thrown into the river to kill him. And on the morrow the rich man wished to depart, and he devised a device of Satan and said unto the shepherd, “I want thee to give me this thy son so that I may send him with a message to my house in the city which is called So- and-so, because I have forgotten something which is in my house; and the payment of twenty dinars of gold which I should give to him I will give to thee.” And the shepherd rejoiced because of the gold, and he called the young man and said unto him, “O my son Bahran, come that this honorable man may send thee to his house on some business concerning his house, and return to my house in peace”; and the young man said unto him, “Willingly, O my father, whatsoever thou commandest me I will do.” Then straightway the rich man wrote a letter to his steward, saying, “When thou hast read this letter kill the bearer of it, whose name is ‘Bahran,’ and cast his body into a pit. Let no one know about this until I come in peace”; and he wrote on the letter a certain sign which they had agreed upon, and which none but they two knew. And he sealed the letter and gave it to Bahran, and he gave him what money was needful for the journey, and the young man departed. And as he was journeying along the road, he was about half-way between the two cities, behold one day the angel of God, Michael, the Archangel, came to him, riding upon a horse in the form of a soldier of the emperor; and he said unto Bahran, “What hast thou with thee?” And he said unto him, “I have with me a letter from a rich man who hath sent me to his house in such and such a city.” And the angel of God, the glorious Michael, said unto him, “Show me the letter,” and Bahran being afraid of him gave him the letter. And the angel blew on the paper, and obliterated everything, which was written upon it. And the glorious angel, Michael, the Archangel, wrote with his own hand on the paper, saying, “Behold, I the rich man So-and-so have sent unto thee the bearer of this letter whose name is Bahran. As soon as ye have read this letter marry my daughter So-and-so to him, I have given him all the goods in my house, and all my lands. Do not wait until I come back, for I shall tarry on my journey. Let him do what he wisheth in my house, for I have given him authority over all my goods and over my house. Here is the sign which is between thee and me, O my steward, So-and-so.” And the angel of God, the holy angel Michael, the Archangel, sealed the letter, and gave it to Bahran, and said unto him, “Go to the house of the rich man, and when thou hast arrived at his house give this letter to his steward, and do not tell him that I met thee on the road, and that I have changed [the contents of] this letter.” And Bahran said unto him, “Yea, my lord, everything which thou hast commanded me I will do.” And Bahran went on until he arrived at that city, and he enquired for the house of the rich man So-and-so, and one brought him to it, and he gave his letter to his steward. And when the steward had read it, and understood the contents thereof, he recognized the [private] mark, and knew that it was authentic. And forthwith they made a great marriage-feast for Bahran and the daughter of the rich man, and they married them in the church, before the sanctuary of God; and they lived in the happiness of marriage for forty days. And towards the end of the marriage-feast the rich man returned to his city, and when he heard the sound of the music and singing, and the rejoicings, he asked, saying, “What is this sound which I hear?” And certain of the men said unto him, “Thy letter came by the hand of a young man called Bahran, and as in it thou didst command that thy daughter should be married to him, they gave her to that young man whose name is Bahran. And behold they have been rejoicing in the marriage-feast forty days and forty nights. And they have given him all thy money, and thy house, and menservants and handmaidens, and all thy possessions, according to what thou didst command in thy letter.” And when the rich man heard these words, he cried out at the top of his voice, and fell down and died; and straightway the Satans took his soul into the lowest Hades. And the young man inherited all his money even as God the Most High had commanded. And the young man Bahran celebrated the commemoration of the glorious angel of God, Michael the Archangel, on the twelfth day of each month, and he knew that it was he who had appeared unto him and breathed on the letter and obliterated what was written therein, and had written other matter in its place. And after this he built a beautiful church in the name of the glorious angel Michael, the Archangel, and he painted a picture of him in it in front of the sanctuary, and through this picture many signs and wonders were made manifest, and the sick were healed. And Bahran was appointed priest of that church, and he ministered therein until the day of his death, and his mother and his son inherited everlasting life through the intercession of the glorious and holy angel, Saint Michael, the Archangel. And on the day of the resurrection this glorious angel bowed before the throne of God, and said, “I beg and entreat Thy compassion, O my God, I Thy servant and messenger, to make known to me all those who celebrate my commemoration upon earth, through Thy righteous promise, for Thou art merciful and compassionate.” And God answered and said unto him, “O Michael, chief of the faithful hosts of heaven, behold, I command thee to lift up upon thy wing of fire as many [men] as thou art able to carry upon it, three times.” And when Saint Michael heard this he rejoiced and was glad, and he lifted up upon his wing three times [as many as he could of] the men who celebrated his commemoration upon earth and made them to pass by the river of fire. And there were thousands of thousands and tens of thousands of tens of thousands, and no one could number them except God Himself. Therefore, O beloved, it is meet that we should strive, and should celebrate the commemoration of the glorious angel Michael, the Archangel, as well as we are able, even if it be only to give a cup of cold water in his name, even as our Lord saith in His Holy Gospel. And let us ask for mercy from God through the intercession of the glorious angel Michael, that He may deliver us from the net of Satan, the accursed, and may put far away from us all pain (or, sickness) and the plague, and may increase the fruits of our lands in performing His mercy, and may forgive us our sins, and may give rest to the souls of our dead, and may bring back in safety those of our fathers and brethren who are on a journey, and may set peace in our midst, and may strengthen us in the True Faith to our last breath. And this glorious angel Saint Michael the Archangel performed many miracles. Salutation to Michael.

And on this day also is commemorated the death and history of Saint Euphemia. This holy woman was the wife of a man who feared God, and he gave much alms, and kept three festivals each month, that is to say, the festival of the glorious Saint Michael, on the twelfth day of each month, and the festival of our holy Lady the Virgin Mary on the twenty-first day of each month, and the festival commemorating the birth of our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ on the twenty-ninth day of each month. And when the day of his death drew nigh, he commanded the saint, his wife, never to fail in giving alms as he was wont to do, and especially to keep these three festivals. And she asked her husband to have painted a picture of the glorious angel Saint Michael, the Archangel, in her house, and to give it to her, and he did this for her; and when he died this saint continued to do as her husband had done. And Satan was jealous of her, and he came unto her disguised as a widow who was a nun, and he came to her and held converse with her, saying, “I am sorry for thee and pity thee. And now I advise you to marry, and to bring forth a son before thy money come to an end, and thou fallest into want at the last.” And then he said unto her, “Behold, thy husband hath inherited the kingdom of heaven, and he hath no need of alms.” And she answered and said unto him, “I have promised God that I will never consort with another man; even the doves and the ravens do not take second mates. How then can men who are created in the form and likeness of God do this?” And when she would not hearken unto his advice, he changed his form, and cried out against her, saying, “I will come to thee another day”; and she took the picture of the glorious Saint Michael, and drove him away therewith. And when the twelfth day of Sane had come, and she was occupied with the celebration of the festival according to her custom, Satan appeared unto her in the form of the glorious Saint Michael, and he said unto her, “Peace be unto thee ! I am Michael, the Archangel, God hath sent me to thee, and He commandeth thee to cease from these alms, and to marry a believing man. Know thou that a woman without a man is like a ship without a rudder”; and he began to bring to her proofs out of the Old Testament, and to show her how Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and David, and others like unto them married wives and pleased God. And the saint answered and said unto him, “If thou art an angel of God, where is the symbol of the Cross on thee? The soldier of a king never goeth to another place without the symbol of the king on him.” When Satan heard these words from her, he changed his form, and he began to choke her, and she prayed to the glorious Saint Michael, and he came unto her forthwith and delivered her from him. And he seized Satan and began to punish him, and Satan entreated him, saying, “God will bear with us until the end of the world. Have mercy upon me and do not torture me”; and he gave her the salutation of peace and went up into heaven. And after she had finished the preparations for the feast in the proper manner, she sent to the bishop and the priests, and they came to her, and she gave them all her money to give to the poor, and the needy, and the destitute. And she took the picture of the glorious Saint Michael, and prayed to it, and laid it upon her face and breast, and then she died in peace. Salutation to Euphemia who conquered Mastema (i.e. Satan).

And on this day also died the holy father Justus, the sixth Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. This saint was a learned and honorable man of Alexandria, and Saint Mark, the evangelist, baptized him, and his mother, and many others, with Christian baptism. Then Anianus, the perfect deacon, made him a reader, and on another occasion he made him a priest. And he grew up in the Law of the Church, and he knew all the Scriptures, and he frequently sat with Saint Anianus; and he taught the people, and confirmed them in the True Faith. And when Abba Barmeyu died, they took him, and against his will made him Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. And he protected well the Church in all the land of Egypt, and he ruled them rightly and as was fitting. He sat upon the throne of Mark the evangelist for twelve years, and he died in peace, at a good old age, and pleased his God. Salutation to Justus whom Mark baptized.

And on this day also died the holy father Abba Cyril, the sixty-seventh Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. When the father Abba Gebre Christos, the archbishop who preceded him, died, the bishops and elders of the people agreed together, and went up to the monastery of Saint Abba Macarius, of the desert of Scete, and they passed two months there in seeking to find out who was the most suitable man for this holy position. And there was in the monastery of Saint Abba John Kama a certain righteous man, whose name was Gebre Christos, who had the power of seeing the future by the Holy Ghost. And the angel of God appeared unto him, and said unto him, “Speak to the bishops and say unto them, ‘Trouble not, for behold there is among you in the monastery of Saint Abba Macarius, a man who is fit for this honorable position; and his name is Ga’argi.’” And straightway Saint Gebre Christos told them these words, and they took this father against his will, and made him Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. And the Church shone through him, and all the people of the Church in the country of Egypt rejoiced in that appointment. And he was exceedingly learned, and he appointed bishops, and priests, and deacons, and he restored many churches. During his period of office he appointed a second bishop to the country of Ethiopia, whose name was Sawiros. He was the brother of the Bishop of Ethiopia, and had been brought up in his house there [in Egypt]. And when Abba Sawiros arrived in the country of Ethiopia the people rejoiced greatly in him because of his knowledge and his righteousness; and he converted very many from their evil deeds to repentance and the fear of God. And the king of Ethiopia had many wives, and his nobles also, and through the teaching of the bishop they all gave up their companies of wives and each man lived with one wife only. And when he had been in office for eleven years and three and a half months, after partaking of the Holy Mysteries, he died in peace. And they carried his body to the monastery of Abba Macarius, and laid it with the bodies of the archbishops. Salutation to Cyril the archbishop.

And on this day also died the blessed and pure seer of the mysteries of heaven Lalibela [surnamed Gebre Meskel], King of Ethiopia. The parents of this saint having begotten him, they brought him up in the fear of God. And when he had grown up, an had arrived at man’s estate, the king his elder brother heard that he would inherit the kingdom, and sit upon his throne, and jealousy came upon him. And he sent and called him, and when he came, and stood up before him, he contrived a matter against him, and he commanded his servants to beat him, and they beat him with very many stripes, from the third hour of the day to the ninth hour; and after this he commanded them to set him before him. And when he stood up before him the king and all his soldiers marveled when they saw that no injury had happened to him; now the angel of God had supported him. Then the king said unto him, “Forgive me, O my brother, for what I have done to thee”; and then they made peace and were reconciled to each other. And God saw the punishment, which he suffered that day, and He made him to inherit the kingdom. And having become king he meditated on the things, which would please God, and he made many gifts to the poor and needy. And when God saw the strength of his live, the angel of God appeared unto him in a dream, and he showed him how he was to build ten churches together, but each being different from the other. And he did as God showed him, and when he had finished the building of these churches, he made his brother’s son to inherit the kingdom. Salutation to Lalibela, the builder of churches. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 13 (June 20)

On this day died the holy father John, Bishop of Jerusalem. This saint became a monk in his early years in the monastery of Saint Abba Hilarion the Great, with the father Abba Epiphanius, and he devoted himself to the ascetic life and fought a great fight. And his knowledge and his virtues were noised abroad, and [the bishops and priests] chose him, and made him Bishop of Jerusalem, after he had been appointed Bishop of Cyprus. And when this father had seated himself in his office, Satan led him astray through the love of money and possessions, and he gathered together much money, and he made vessels of silver for his table, and he used to eat out of them; and he never gave anything to the poor and needy, not even the broken bread-cakes. And Saint Epiphanius heard the report of him, and then he remembered his spiritual fight, and how formerly he had rejected the world, and his devotion to God and the ascetic life, and his piety, and his mercy, and he had pity upon him from the depth of his heart, and he remembered his affection, for he was his brother in the Holy Spirit, and his friend of long ago. And Saint Epiphanius rose up from Cyprus, and came to the city of Jerusalem, for the sake of this father Abba John, (although he made it appear to men that he had come to worship in the Temple of Jerusalem,) that he might save him from his error. And when Abba Epiphanius came to the city of Jerusalem, this father Abba John invited him to his house, and he placed before him a table whereon were set the beautiful vessels of silver with pottage in them. And then Abba Epiphanius saw that Abba John had in him no mercy for the poor and needy; and he was very sorry for him, and his heart was in pain because of him. And after he had gone forth from him Abba Epiphanius devised the following plan: He was dwelling in one of the monasteries of Jerusalem, and he sent to Saint Abba John, saying, “Know, O my brother, that the elders of the city of Cyprus, and all the chiefs of the people, have come to visit me, and I wish thee to do me honor before them, and to send to me from your house the silver vessels of thy table that they may eat pottage from them”; and Abba John sent the vessels to him. And Saint Abba Epiphanius took them, and sold them, and received the price of them, and he gave away the money in alms to the poor and needy. And after a few days Saint Abba John said unto the holy and blessed Abba Epiphanius, “Give me back the vessels of my table which I sent unto thee”; and Epiphanius said, “Yea, I will.” And Abba John demanded them from him a second, and a third time, and Epiphanius said unto him, “Yea, I will.” And when he did not give them up, Abba John seized him by the hem of his garment in the church, on [the day of] the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he said unto him, “I will not let thee go until thou givest me back my [silver] vessels.” And Abba Epiphanius prayed, and entreated God, and God made Abba John blind. Then Abba John wept and entreated Epiphanius, who prayed to the Lord God our Lord Jesus Christ, and He opened for him one of his eyes. And Epiphanius said unto him, “Behold, our Lord Jesus Christ hath left blind one of thine eyes so that thou mayest remember thy good spiritual fight, and thy strivings, and thy former good and willing deeds. Know thou that I have sold the vessels of thy table, and have given the price thereof in alms to the poor and needy on thine account. I only came to Jerusalem because I heard that thou wast a lover of money.” And from that time Abba John awoke from his dream of inertness, even as a man waketh up out of slumber, and he walked diligently in the path of charity, and more than any man he gave away in alms all his money, and all the clothes which he had. And he gave up the acquisition of money and the riches of this fleeting world, and at last, at the time of his death, there was not found with him one dirham of gold, or any smaller piece of money. And God gave him the great gift of healing, and he worked many miracles, and he used to heal all those who were sick or who had diseases by anointing them with holy oil from the Tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he protected them by means of the sign of the Life-giving Cross. And having finished his spiritual fight and his divine excellences, and pleased God, he died in peace. Salutation to John the Perfect, Bishop of Jerusalem.

And on this day also the Christian peoples of the land of Egypt are accustomed to celebrate the festival of the glorious angel, the Archangel Gabriel, the captain of the host of heaven, who preached the new tidings. In the first place it was he who brought news to Daniel, when he was praying and entreating God for the return of the children of Israel from captivity, and for their deliverance from Satan. And this great angel appeared unto him, and announced to him the deliverance of the children of Israel from the captivity of Babylon, and the building of the sanctuary in Jerusalem; and he announced to them the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And he defined the number of years after the passing of which our Lord Jesus Christ would come, and he made him to know that He would be killed, and that afterwards the city of Jerusalem would be laid waste, and that no other Messiah would come after Him except the False Messiah. And when the years which he had defined were ended, and the time had come for the Redeemer to arrive, this glorious archangel, and captain of the hosts of heaven, Saint Gabriel, came from God and announced to our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, the God-bearer, the coming to her of the Son of the Living God, and His Incarnation through her. And Gabriel appeared in the flesh because God loved him, and it was for this reason that He sent this angel on these two great missions. And our fathers, the doctors of the holy Church, have commanded us to celebrate a festival in his honor each year. Let us entreat him to intercede for us with out Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ, that He may deliver us from our enemies, for he is nigh unto Him, and he standeth before His throne, so that by his intercession we may find grace before our God, to Whom are meet praise, and [ascription of] might, and laud, and the heartiest thanksgiving, and honor, [on] all days. Salutation to Gabriel.

And on this day also is commemorated Cainan, who lived nine hundred and ten hundred (sic) years; and he died on the fourth day of the week.

And on this day also are commemorated ‘Abulag, the martyr, and two hundred martyrs, and our father Matyan, who were persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 14 (June 21)

On this day became martyrs the saints Abba ‘Akra, and John, and ‘Abtelma, and Philip. This Saint Abba ‘Akra was of the men of the city of Damanhur, in the district of Busir, in the north of Egypt, and west of the river of Mesr (Cairo); he had a brother, whose name was Philip, and he was exceedingly rich. And they made an agreement with their two priests, whose names were John and ‘Abtelma, and the four of them came to the city of Kartes, and confessed our Lord Jesus Christ before the governor. And the governor commanded the soldiers to shoot them to death with arrows, and they shot at them, but the arrows never reached them. And after this the governor commanded them to cast them into a red-hot oven, and they did so, and they heaped up the fire upon them, but God sent His angel and delivered them from the fire. Then the governor commanded them to tie them to the tails of horses, and to drag them from the city of Kartes to the city of Damanhur; and they did all this to them, but no injury whatsoever came to them. And the governor commanded them to cut off their heads, and they took them outside the city of Damanhur, and cut off their heads with the sword, and the saints received crowns of martyrdom. And men came from the city of Da and took the body of Saint Abba ‘Akra, and they built for him a beautiful church, and laid his body inside it, and many signs and wonders took place therein through him. And similarly, men of the city of Damanhur came and took [the bodies] of the three saints Philip, and ‘Abtelma, and John, and wrapped them for burial in costly cloths, and they built them beautiful churches, and laid their bodies inside them, and countless very great signs and miracles took place therein. Salutation to ‘Abtelma, and Philip, and John, and ‘Akra. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 15 (June 22)

On this day is celebrated the festival of the consecration of the church of the blessed, and holy, and victorious fighter, the soldier of heaven, our father Minas, in the city which is called Maryut (Mareotis), and his miracles were made manifest, and his body revealed. Now the body of the saint, having been hidden in the earth, the glorious and Most High God wished to reveal it. And in those days there was a certain shepherd, who pastured his sheep near the hill wherein the body of Saint Abba Minas was hidden and buried, and this shepherd saw one of his sheep, which was sick of a grievous disease, dip itself in the water of the well which was near that place, and then roll itself in the dust of the hill, and it was healed straightway. And the shepherd marveled, and he used to take all his sick sheep, and wash them in that water, and make them to roll themselves in the dust of that hill, and they were healed straightway. And this also the shepherd used to do with all the sick folk whom the people brought to him; he mixed the dust from the hill with the water and smeared them with the mixture, and they were healed straightway; now the shepherd knew the cause of the healing. And the report of this shepherd was heard by the Emperor of Rome. And he had a daughter who was sick with running sores, and he sent her to the shepherd who healed her of her sickness, in the same way as he healed his sheep. And having been healed she wished to know the reasons why that place healed her, and Saint Minas appeared unto her in a vision, and told her that his body was hidden in that place, and said, “Behold, God hath commanded thee to dig, and to raise me up.” When she awoke she did as the saint commanded, and raised up his glorious body, and she built over it a beautiful shrine, and they laid his honorable body inside it. And the emperor commanded his nobles and his officials to build their houses in that place, and a great city was built and it was called Maryut (Mareotis). And God made manifest through the body of this Saint Abba Minas countless signs and miracles. And the archbishop [of Alexandria], and his bishops, came and consecrated the church, as it were this day. And the fame of the signs and wonders, which appeared in that church through the intercession and entreaty of Saint Minas, the martyr, was noised abroad [everywhere]. Salutation to the consecration of thy house, O Saint Minas.

And on this day also is commemorated Gebre Christos, the pure deacon. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 16 (June 23)

On this day died at a good old age the ascetic father and fighter, of a glorious memory, Abba Nafer (Abunafer), who was the first ascetic [to live] in the desert of Upper Egypt. Now the history of this saint is related unto us by Paphnutius, who was moved by the grace of God, and was sent to see the servants of God who lived in the desert. And he saw many of them, and wrote the history of their strives, and among these was Abba Nafer. When this father came into the desert he found a well of water, and a palm tree, and he lived in that desert for eight years. And one day this saint Paphnutius saw Abba Nafer coming to him, and he was naked, and the hair of his head and his beard covered his body. When he saw Paphnutius he was afraid of him, and he thought that he was an unclean spirit, and Saint Abba Paphnutius held him fast, and made the sign of the Cross before him, and he prayed and said, “Our Father which art in heaven.” Then Saint Abba Nafer said unto him, “Good is thy coming to me, O Abba Paphnutius.” And when the saint had prayed before him, and had called upon him to put aside fear, the two prayed together, and held converse about the greatness of God. And Paphnutius asked Abba Nafer to tell him how and by what means his coming to that place happened, and how he lived. And Abba Nafer answered and said unto him, “I was living in this desert (i.e. monastery) wherein there are righteous and chosen monks, and I heard them talking about the greatness of those who live in the desert, and praising them for the good works of all kinds which they performed. And I said unto them, ‘Are there here any who are better than you?’ And they said unto me, ‘Yea, those who live in the desert are held in honor by God. We live near the world and the men who are in it, and if we sorrow, or are sad, we find someone who will comfort us; if we are sick, we find someone to visit us; if we are naked, we find someone to clothe us; and if we desire any desirable object we find it; but those who live in the desert lack everything.’ When I heard these words from them my heart burned like fire. When the night came I took a little bread and I went out from the monastery, and I prayed and asked the Lord Jesus Christ to guide me to the place wherein I was to live; and then I set out. And God prepared a certain righteous man for me, and I found [him] and I dwelt with him, until he guided me into the path of the desert monks. Then I came to this place, and I found this palm tree, which beareth twelve clusters of dates each year; one cluster of dates serveth as food for me each month, and I drink water from this well. And behold I have lived in this desert until this day, eight years, and I have never seen any man’s face but thine.” And whilst they were talking together the angel of God came down to them, and administered unto them the Holy Mysteries, the Body and Blood of our Lord and God and Redeemer Jesus Christ. And they ate a little food together, and then Saint Abba Nafer transformed himself, and became like a fire, and then he bowed his knees and worshipped God, and he embraced Saint Paphnutius, and delivered up his soul into the hand of God. And the saint wrapped him in cloth made of sheep’s wool, and buried him in that cave. And he thought within himself that he would live in that place instead of Abba Nafer, but when he had buried him the palm tree fell down, and the well of water dried up, which happened by the Will of God. And when Saint Paphnutius came back into the world, he declared the histories of the desert saints whom he had seen, and especially the history of this Saint Abba Nafer, and the day on which he died. Salutation to Abba Nafer. Salutation to you, O ye who dwelt on the sand. Salutation to thee, O Iyasus-Buruk, the faithful companion of Yekuno-’Amlak, [King of Ethiopia, A.D. 1270-1285].

And on this day the angel of God appeared to Joseph in a dream, and told him to take the Child and His mother, and to return to the land of Israel. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 17 (June 24)

On this day died Saint Abba Latsun. This saint was a man of the city of Behensa, and when he was a young man he heard the Holy Gospel, which saith, “He who wisheth to save his soul let him throw it away. And he who hath cast away his soul, shall find everlasting life” (Matthew xvi, 25). When he heard this, his heart became hot like fire with the love of God, and having received the Holy Mysteries he departed to the monastery of ‘Asnokhat, where he fought a great fight with ceaseless fasting and prayers; and he used to fast for a week at a time. And the angel of God appeared unto him, and told him to go to Saint Isidore, to be endued with the garb of the monastic life by him. And Abba Latsun went to Saint Abba Isidore, who prayed over the apparel, which is the garb of the angels and of the monastic life, for forty days, and endued him with the garb of the monastic life; and Abba Latsun devoted himself to God and to the spiritual fight. Then by the advice of his teacher he went out and dwelt by himself, and he kept vigil, and prayed, and fasted continually. And there was near him a certain monastery, the monks of which he used to visit, and one day when he went to the monastery he found the abbot of the monastery sick and nigh to die; and all the monks were round about him weeping. And then Saint Abba Latsun saw the hosts of Satan surrounding him, and he asked the abbot, saying, “What hath happened to thee, O Father?” And the abbot commanded the monks to go forth from him, and he began and told Abba Latsun all the sins which he had committed during his youth, and they were very great indeed, and very many. And he said unto him, “Forgive me, O my brother, I have done many evil things, and there is no man before me who hath done the like, as for example: When I wanted to be made a priest, and they would not make me one, I departed to another place, and I said that the bishop had made me a priest, and I consecrated the Offering without fear. And I took the Holy Body and I worked magic therewith. And I lay with the mother, who brought me forth ten times, and she conceived by me, and when she was near her time for bringing forth I made her drink medicine so that I might kill the child. My sin is very great indeed. And behold, the time of my death and of my departure from this world hath arrived, and I have no good deed, which I can offer unto God. I beseech thee, O my father, and I bow to thee before God, that thou mayest remember me in thy holy prayers.” And Abba Latsun wept, and he saw the Satans taking the soul of that man, and they tortured it with beatings with whips of fire; and it became black. And after he had made the body of the abbot ready for burial, and had buried him, Saint Latsun remembered the words of that wretched man, who said unto him, “For God’s sake remember me in thy prayers.” And he remembered the words of the Holy Gospel: “There is no greater love than this, that a man should give his life for his friend” (John xv, 13). And this saint continued to torture himself with every kind of torture, and he besought our Lord Jesus Christ on behalf of the soul of that sinner and to have mercy upon him. And he tortured himself and died five times; and Saint Michael the archangel appeared unto him and said unto him, “Thou shalt not kill thyself. It is not meet for Him to have mercy on that sinner. And his sin shall not be remitted unto him, for God is righteous and He doeth judgment and justice. He doth not show grace unto him who is unworthy of grace, and He doth not punish the man who doth not deserve punishment.” And having killed himself once in beseeching God on behalf of the soul of that sinner, Michael the archangel came unto him, and said unto him, “Do not kill thyself, for God will not have mercy upon that sinner.” Then Abba Latsun drowned himself in the sea, (or, river) and died. And straightway there was a mighty peal of thunder, and our Lord Jesus Christ came down from heaven, and He sat on the shore and He commanded Saint Michael, and he brought the saint up out of the water, and raised him up alive from the dead. And our Lord Jesus Christ said unto him, “Peace be unto thee, O My chosen one, Latsun, who dost thou kill thyself time after time for the sake of that sinner? Mercy doth not befit him. His sins are very many, and they are most abominable; they are the very worst sins, and it is not right for a man to speak of them”; and Saint Abba Latsun did not answer. And he said unto Him, “I beseech Thee, O my Lord Jesus Christ, to show mercy on that sinner in punishment; if Thou wilt not show mercy to him then take my soul with him into punishment.” And our Lord knew that the saint would kill himself many times for the sake of that sinner. And our Lord commanded and He touched his hands, and made him like the dust; and He said, “This soul shall not suffer punishment from this time forward, but it shall never find mercy, and shall be like the dust”; and Saint Abba Latsun glorified our Lord Jesus Christ because of the great compassion and mercy which He showed to that wretched man, and because He had brought him out of punishment. And after this our Lord said unto Abba Latsun, “Verily I say unto thee, O My chosen one Latsun, whosoever shall celebrate thy commemoration, or shall give incense, or an offering, or oil, or wax, or shall satisfy the hungry, or give drink to the thirsty, or clothe the naked for thy name’s sake on the day of thy commemoration, or shall write the history of thy fight, I will write his name in the Book of Life in the heavens, and will blot out his sins.” And when our Lord Jesus Christ had said these things unto him, He went up into heaven with great glory. And Abba Latsun rejoiced with a great joy, and returned to his cave, and dwelt there fighting the fight for many days; and having finished his fight and pleased God he died in peace. Salutation to Abba Latsun.

And on this day also is celebrated the commemoration of Abba Palamon, the great pilgrim and anchorite, who rejected the world, and dwelt in a monastery. He devoted himself to God, and he fought so many fights that Satan became weary of fighting against him. This saint dwelt for very many days in silence and solitude; he never laughed, and he never spoke to anyone, but he wept for his sins by day and by night. Often Satan would come (?) to him to amuse himself with him, and to laugh at him, but he was not able to rejoice (?) over him wholly, for [the saint] was sad and clung to the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ; and because of this Satan was wroth with him. One day Saint Palamon rose up and departed to Egypt, in order to sell the things, which he had made with his hands. And as he was going along the road, and was weeping so bitterly that his eyes were nearly washed out of his head by the abundance of his tears, Satan led him astray on the road, and would not let him know where he was going; and at the end of six days the elder, being well nigh [dead] through hunger and thirst, fell upon the earth. But God, the Lover of mankind, did not allow His servant Palamon to be destroyed through Satan, and He drove away the unclean spirit, and set it afar off from him. And when the elder knew everything, which had happened to him, he cried out, saying, “O my Lord Jesus Christ, help me.” And straightway he heard a voice, which said unto him, “Fear not, for the Enemy shall not prevail over thee. But rise up and go a little towards the north, and there thou shalt find a righteous man, and elder monk, who dwelleth in the fastness of the mountain; his name is Latsun, and he hath undertaken many labors for My Name’s sake. Tell him everything which hath happened unto thee from thy youth up, and how Satan hath tempted thee; he shall pray for thee that thy sin be forgiven thee.” And straightway the holy and blessed Palamon rose up, and he took some of the things which his hands had made, and he departed to the mountain in the north, reciting as he went the psalm of David which saith, “O Lord deliver me for Thy Name’s sake”--to the end of the same (Psalm 79), and also the eighth psalm, and at length God guided him to the place where the elder Saint Latsun was. When the elder Saint Latsun saw him, he rejoiced and he embraced him and took him up to the top of the rock. After they had prayed, and sat down, Abba Palamon began to weep bitterly, and he told him all the sin, which he had committed from his youth up, and begged earnestly for forgiveness; and he also told him, how Satan had tempted him. And he said unto him, “One day when I was journeying in Egypt to sell the work of my hands, Satan came to me, and made my mind to go astray, and he would not allow me to call upon the Name of my Lord Jesus Christ. And he showed me a city, which had been built, like the city of a king, and in it were waters, and gardens, and trees. And as I was thinking how I should sell the work of my hands, he appeared unto me in the form of a woman, who was sorrowing for the death of her husband, who had left her much money. And she said unto me, ‘I will buy from thee.’ And she brought me into the upper room of her house, and she lifted down the basket from my head, and she made me to sit down and washed my feet. And she commanded her handmaidens to bring a table and wine, and she besought me frequently to eat with her; and we ate, and drank, and were drunken. And as we were talking together all the maidservants went out and we two were left together. And straightway mine eyes burned like fire with the lust of fornication, and I remembered not God Who is in the heavens, nor His angels who serve therein, and I was like one who lay with her often. Afterwards, when I woke up, I looked about me and I could find nothing. There was no woman, no house, no table, no people, no beasts, no waters, and no gardens; but I found my head running round under the mountain of my abode, and I was as if I had neither eaten nor drunk. Then I wept much, and I saw Satan standing far from me, and laughing at me. And he said unto me, ‘Woe be to thee Palamon, the pilgrim, who dost jest and laugh with me. Behold I can snare thee like a bird!’ When I heard his words I made the sign of the Cross over him, and he fled from me. And now, O my father Latsun, I take refuge in thy holiness; pray to God to forgive me my sins and my error.” And Abba Latsun, answered and said unto Abba Palamon, “Fear not, I believe on God that He will forgive thee thy sin.” The they rose up, and prayed three days and three nights, and there came unto them a voice which said, “Fear not, O My faithful servants, henceforward the Enemy shall not prevail over you. As for the sin which Palamon committed, I have placed it on the head of Satan, and not only the sin of Palamon have I placed there, but I will place upon him the sins of all those whom he hath tempted.” After this Abba Palamon was blessed by Abba Latsun and he departed to his abode praising God; and he died in peace. Salutation to Abba Palamon.

And on this day also is celebrated the commemoration of the blessed Saint Abba Garima. The father of this saint was Emperor of Rome, and his name was Masfeyanos; the name of his mother was Sefengeya, and she was barren. And having besought our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, the God-bearer, she gave her this son; and she called his name “Isaac.” When he had grown up she taught him the Books of the Church, and then Isaac was appointed deacon. And the men of Rome having made him emperor, he sat and judged justly and righteously for seven years. And when Saint Abba Pantaleon of the cell heard [of him], he sent to him, saying, “O my son Isaac, let the dead bury their dead, and do thou come and seek the kingdom of my Lord Jesus Christ”; and Abba Garima, having heard him, forsook the kingdom, and went forth by night. Then the angel Saint Gabriel appeared, and he carried him on his shining wing and at the third hour brought him into the hand of Abba Pantaleon. Now the length of the road was a journey of ten months and four days. The King of Ethiopia at that time was ‘Alameda. When Abba Pantaleon saw Saint Isaac he embraced him, and kissed him, and then he arrayed him in the garb of the monk; and the saint fasted and prayed so strenuously that his flesh congealed on his bones. Then he went to a place [in] Madra and he lived there for three and twenty years, working countless signs and wonders, and casting out devils, and healing the sick. One day he sowed wheat at dawn, and reaped it in the evening, and some of it he offered as an offering; and on the following day he took the remainder up to the threshing floor, and he trod out the sheaves of wheat, and obtained therefrom seventy-seven measures of grain. And he also planted a vine shoot on a rock, and it took root, and put forth leaves and bore fruit immediately. And once when he was writing a letter, and the sun was about to set, he adjured the sun to stand still and it did so until he had finished his letter. And the spittle, which he spat out, remaineth unto this day, and is a means for healing the sick; and once when a reed fell from his hand, it took root that very day. One day certain calumniators went to Abba Pantaleon and said, “The priest Isaac consecrated the Offering after he had eaten.” And Abba Pantaleon having gone to him caught him on the road, and he said unto him, “Wait, man, so that I may tell thee a secret.” And Saint Isaac said unto him, “Let men shut me in, and remove the stones from us”; and they turned aside for a distance of five stadia. And Abba Pantaleon said unto him, “O my son Isaac, thou hast terrified me,” and thereupon he was called Abba Garima. And having finished his good course, our Redeemer appeared unto him, and promised him that [He would forgive the sins of] him that should call upon his name, and celebrate his commemoration. And straightway he was caught up in a shining cloud and disappeared. Salutation to Abba Garima.

And on this day also is celebrated the commemoration of the saints of ‘Akuoren... and Abba Palaomn, and Bartholomew, and Alexandra, and Alexander, the martyrs, and Joseph, and ‘Arsema. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 18 (June 25)

On this day died the holy father, Abba Damianus, the thirty-fifth Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. This saint became a monk in his early years in the desert of Scete, and he continued to fight, and to devote himself to God for seventeen years. He was appointed a deacon in the monastery of Saint Abba John, and after this he went to the monastery of Saint Abba Bataron, that is to say, the “Monastery of the Fathers.” which is to the west of Alexandria, wherein he devoted himself to God and fought a fight like unto that of the desert monks. When Abba Peter was made Archbishop of the city of Alexandria, he sought for a learned man to live with him in his house and to help him with the work of the archiepiscopate, and with whom he could take counsel concerning the work of the Church. And men praised Damianus to him, and he had him brought to him, and asked him if he would live with him; and Damianus agreed to this, and he dwelt in the archbishop’s house; and he pursued a good course of life and all men loved him. When Abba Peter and archbishop died, the bishops and the doctors agreed with one consent, and against his will they made this Saint Damianus Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. And his course of life was wholly good. Frequently he wrote Epistles and Discourses, and sent them to all the cities. Now there were in the desert of Scete of the monastery of Saint Abba Macarius certain evil heretics of the following of Matlis, the heretic, and these men used to drink wine on the night of the day of their Eucharist, and on the following day they would receive the Holy Mysteries. As an excuse they said that our Lord Gave to His disciples two cups. When He gave them the first cup He said unto them, “This is My Blood,” and when He gave them the second cup He said, “This is My Blood.” And Saint Damianus showed them their error, and said unto them, “The first cup was symbol of the joy of the Old Covenant which was, in the Law of the Old Covenant, the Canon of the Apostles banneth every one who tasteth anything before the Offering.” Some of the heretics turned from their evil act and submitted to him, but some of them would not submit to him, and would not turn from their counsel; and these he excommunicated and drove them forth. In the days of this father died Theodore, Archbishop of the city of Antioch, and there was appointed in his place a heretic who did not believe in the Holy Trinity, and who said that God was One Person only, and that Three Persons ought not to be mentioned. And he sent a letter [containing] his wicked Faith to Abba Damianus who, when he had read it, was exceedingly sorry for him, because he did not find in his letter the name of the Holy Trinity; and because he said therein, “It is not meet that men should mention the Trinity, for God is One by Himself.” Thus did he speak in his madness, and this father was sorry for him with a great sorrow. And he wrote to him a letter in which he explained the matter, and said unto him, “If God is without division, [He is] one in His Godhead and Self. But He is Three Aspects, Three Persons, and One Being, He is for ever, and [this] number [of Persons] can neither be added to nor diminished.” And he wrote to him many testimonies [derived] from the words of the Holy Scriptures, and wise teachings, to make him understand. And he said unto him, “In God is life,” and he proclaimed that He is forever, and that there is no [god] besides Him. And when this letter, which was full of the grace of the Holy Spirit and the True Faith, reached this heretical Archbishop of the city of Antioch, the darkness of his heart (or, mind), and his little knowledge did not permit him to understand its meaning, but he continued in his infidelity. And this Abba Damianus separated himself from communion with this heretic, and he did not allow any of his flock to mention him at the time of prayer, and at the time of the Offering, for twenty years, that is to say up to the time of his death. After this Abba Damianus continued to protect his flock by means of his Epistles and Admonitions for a period of three and thirty years; and he attained a good old age and pleased God, and died in peace. Salutation to Archbishop Damianus.

And on this day also is celebrated the commemoration of Isidore, the martyr. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 19 (June 26)

On this day became a martyr the new Saint George, that is to say, Mazakham, which is, being interpreted, “Compeller,” in the days of the Muslims. This saint had a father who was a Muslim [and was called] “Balaw,” and he married a woman who was a Christian from the city of Demera, in the north of Egypt, and he begat her three sons, of whom this saint was one, and he called his name “Zakhan.” And he used to go with his mother to church, and he wished to become a Christian, and he begged his mother to be allowed to receive the Holy Mysteries. And she said unto him, “It is impossible for anyone to receive the Holy Mysteries unless he hath been baptized with Christian baptism, and is pure.” Then she gave him a portion of the blessed Eulogia bread, and having swallowed it, the taste thereof became in his mouth like that of honey. And he meditated in his heart, and said, “If the taste of this portion of the bread of the Christians is like honey in my mouth, what will be the taste of the Offering?” And he wished to become a Christian, and he made it known that he intended to be a Christian, and intended to be baptized with Christian baptism, and changed his name to George. And the Muslims oppressed him, and seized him, and tortured him very severely. Then he escaped and fled to the city of Saft Abu-trab, and dwelt therein for three years. When his history became known he departed to the city of Ketur, and ministered in the church of Saint George, the martyr, and then he returned to the city of Demera. And the Muslims of the city of Demera heard his history, and they seized him and delivered him to the governor. Now the wife of the governor was a Christian, and she said unto the governor, “Do not torture this holy man.” and he shut him up in prison. And the Muslims assembled and smashed the door of the prison house, and they beat the saint very severely, and they split open his head, and they left him well nigh dead, that is to say, between life and death. When the Christians came in the morning to bury him, for they thought that he was dead, they found him alive. After this the Muslims gathered together and formed a company, and they said unto the saint, “If thou dost not turn away from this counsel of thine we will torture thee very severely, and kill thee.” And Saint George Mazakham said unto them, “Do what ye will. I will not deny my Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Creator of the heavens and of the earth.” And they were wroth with him, and they hung him up on the mast of a ship, and tortured him very severely; and after this the governor commanded the soldiers to take him down and shut him up in prison, and they did as he commanded. And his wife made him to bear patiently, and she strengthened him, and taught him that he must not think in his heart that the punishment which had come [upon him] was because of his sins; that Satan should not lead him astray, or destroy his toil; and that he must encourage himself in his heart with the thought that he was a counterpart of the martyrs. And then the angel of God appeared unto him, one night, and comforted him, and strengthened him, and promised him that he should be numbered with the martyrs; and he informed him that on the following day they would cut off his head. When the morning came the Muslims gathered together about the governor, and demanded from him [permission] to cut off his head; and the governor commanded them to take him, and to do what they wished with him. And they took him out of prison, and cut off his head with the sword, near the church of the glorious angel Michael in the city of Demera, and he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. Then they lighted a fire on his body, and that fire burned all that day and all that night, but it neither consumed him nor touched him at all. After this the Muslims took him and laid him in a basket, and cast him into the river, and by the Will of God he came to the quay on the shore of an island, and his mother, who was waiting for him, took him and made him ready for burial, and laid him in her house for a few days. After this they built a church for him and laid him therein, and countless signs and wonders took place there through him. Salutation to George, and salutation to the woman his friend.

And on this day also became a martyr Saint Besoy-nob, whose name meaneth “fine gold.” This saint came from a city the name of which is Banos, in the district of Damietta, and he was the son of noble and wealthy parents in that city. He was one of the soldiers of Cyprianus, the governor of Athribis, and he believed on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. [And the governor of Athribis commanded his soldiers to bring him] into the city of Athribis, and they took him to the city of Antinoe; and he stood before Arianus, governor of the city of Antinoe, who was angry with him, and said unto him, “Cast incense to the gods.” And he would not obey him, and was not afraid of him, and Arianus tortured him severely. Then he commanded them to cut off his head with the sword, and they took him outside the city, and a crowd of men from the city followed him. And in it was the keeper of the lions of Arianus, the governor, and he had with him two lions bound with an iron chain; and one of them rushed forward and broke the chain [and attacked the saint]. And the angel of God came to the saint and raised him up above the lions, and he flew away with him until he brought him to the Fountain of the Sun, and the saint, who had his eyes closed, did not know where he was going. And then they cut off his head with the sword, and he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. Salutation O Nub-Besoy, which is being interpreted, “fine gold.”

And on this day also became martyrs the five soldiers ‘Arsonophis, Peter, ‘Ascarion, ‘Arengis, and Belfeyos, who lived in the Palace of Diospolis. When the governor urged them to sacrifice to the gods, the saints said unto him, “We will fulfill the commandment of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to Him only will we sacrifice.” When the governor heard this he was wroth, and he commanded the soldiers to put them into a house, and not to give them bread or water for two days. Then he ordered them to bring them to him, and when they stood before him he said unto them, “Sacrifice ye to the gods.” And the saints said unto him with one voice, “We are Christians, and we will not sacrifice to unclean devils.” And the governor commanded the soldiers to chain them by their necks, and to take them to another governor. And ‘Arengis said unto his brethren, “I tell you truth. I heard the angel of God pronounce the names of the five of us.” And when the soldiers had brought them to Deses, the governor, he took the first of them ‘Arsonophis, and said unto him, “Sacrifice to the gods”; and when he refused to do so the governor commanded them to fetter him, and to tie him to the tail of a horse, and drag him through the city. When they had brought him into the city, he commanded them to cast him into the furnace of the public baths. And they also tied him to a chariot to torture him, and hung him up head downwards; and he kept his Faith and delivered up his soul. Next they brought Saint Peter, and Deses said unto him, “Sacrifice.” And when he refused to do so the governor commanded them to take him and fetter him, and to set up a post, and to hang him upon it, head downwards, and to tie him to it in this position. And they also dug a hole in the ground, and covered him up in it with earth, and made a mule to tread it down, but the saint bore this, God helping him. When they brought him out his body was crushed (?) by the excessive torture, and he was unable to speak; and then they tied him up in the hide of an animal [and left him] without bread and water. And they brought ‘Arengis before the governor, who said unto him, “Sacrifice,” and when he refused to do so, Deses commanded them to bind him with fetters, and to scraped him, and to hang him up head downwards. And having endured them, they tied him up in the hide of an animal [and left him] without food and drink. Then they brought ‘Ascarion to the governor, who said unto him, “Sacrifice, and have pity on thyself.” And when the saint refused to do so, Deses commanded them to take him, and bind him in fetters, and scrape him, [and they did so,] and they delivered him over to the keepers of the instruments of torture to torture him severely. And they set up a tree, and hung him upon it head downwards. And when he vanquished them by his endurance, they told the governor, and he commanded them to tie him up in the hide of an animal, and to shut him up in a chamber to die of hunger and thirst. And they brought to Deses Belfeyos, and the governor said unto him, “Sacrifice, so that thou mayest not die.” When he refused to do so Deses commanded them to take him, and bind him in fetters, and scrape him, and to drag him round the city. And they set up a tree and hung him upon it, head downwards, and they tied a stone to his neck. And when he wavered not in his Faith, they tied him up in the hide of an animal to die of hunger and thirst; and they walled up the door of the house. And [the soul of] the blessed ‘Arengis was nigh to go forth from his body. And ‘Arengis departed on the fifth day of the month of Pohin, and when they had brought him out they built up the door against the two that were left. And then the blessed ‘Ascarion died, holding the Faith, on the eighteenth day of the month of Pohin; and when they had taken him out they built up the door against Belfeyos. When the brethren visited the blessed man Belfeyos, he said unto them, “My brethren, wait for me this night; I am going forth,” and then he delivered up his soul on the nineteenth day of the month of Pohin. Salutation to ‘Arsonophis, and Peter, and ‘Ascarion, and ‘Arengis, and Belfeyos.

And on this day also is celebrated the commemoration of the holy fathers of Debre Kua’at. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 20 (June 27)

On this day died the great prophet Elisha. This man came from a village of Israel, the name of which was ‘Alamut; and his father’s name was Yosafet, and he was born in Gilgal. And then he became the servant of Elijah, the prophet, and he was most obedient to Elijah before he went up into heaven. And he went with him to the Jordan, and when Elijah said unto him, “Ask of me what thou wilt.” he did not ask him for any of the possessions and treasures of this world, but Elisha said unto Elijah, “Let a double portion of the spirit which is upon thee be upon me.” And Elijah said unto him, “Thou hast asked what is difficult, nevertheless if thou seest me when I go up from thee even thus shall it be.” And as the two were going along together, chariots of fire came forth, and horse[s] of fire, and in this wise Elijah went up into heaven. And Elisha the prophet saw him, and he said unto him, “My father, and father of the strength and might of Israel”; and he snatched at his garment and [rent it] in twain. And Elijah let fall his rough skin [cloak, and it fell upon the head of Elisha the prophet; and the spirit of Elijah was doubled upon Elisha. For Elijah divided the waters of the Jordan into two parts once, but Elisha did so twice; and Elijah raised one person from the dead, and Elisha raised two. And after this he divided the river and passed between the two parts thereof. And when he went to Jericho the men of the city asked him, saying, “Our water is bitter and the crops will not grow under it; [make it sweet for us].” And Elisha took a pot, and put some salt therein, and cast it into the well of water, and the water became very sweet. And he willed to make manifest a great miracle when he cast the salt into the water; he changed what was bitter in the water by means of salt, he made sweet what was salt by means of salt. One day as he passed along the road the young boys of Israel mocked him, and he cursed them, and the wolves carried off nine and forty youths in one day. And a certain woman of the wives of the prophets came unto him, and said unto him, “My husband died owing a debt, and behold they have seized my children for it.” And Elisha commanded her, saying, “Go and fill all the jars which are in thy house with water, and borrow other vessels from thy neighbors, and fill them all with water”; and by his prayer he changed the water in all the vessels into sweet oil. And the woman sold the oil, and extinguished the debt, which was on her husband. And Elisha blessed the barren woman and she bore a son. And when that child grew up he fell sick of a fever and died, and Elisha prayed over him and restored him to life. And when Naaman the Syrian came to him he cured him of his leprosy, and though Naaman brought to him much money, and raiment of gold, he would accept nothing from him. And when Geyaze (Gehazi), his servant, acted craftily and accepted some of those possessions, secretly and without Elisha’s permission, the prophet had knowledge about it through the Holy Spirit. And he cursed his servant, and Geyaze (Gehazi) became a leper, and his sons and all his seed [were lepers]. And a great famine happened in those days, and by the prayer of this prophet in one night it changed into a great abundance; and besides this, the prophet wrought many signs and wonders. When he died and they were burying him in a grave, they brought at the same time another dead man and laid him down on the grave of the prophet; and that dead man came to life straightway, and he rose up and followed the people, and departed to his house. And the prophet Elisha prophesied in the reigns of four kings, who were Joram, and Ahaz, and Gotolya, the mother of Ahaz, and John, the son of Ahaz; and all the days of his prophesying were fifty years and more. He prophesied before the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ six hundred years, and he died in peace. Salutation to Elisha.

And on this day is celebrated the commemoration of ‘Arsastal, the martyr, and Minas of Busar. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 21 (June 28)

On this day died the holy father, Abba Theodosius, the thirty-third Archbishop of the city of Alexandria; it is after him that Christians in the land of Egypt were called “Theodosians.” After this father was appointed archbishop, certain evil men rose up against him, and drove him forth from his office on the advice of the emperor, and they appointed in his place a certain man whose name of Acacianus, Archdeacon of the city of Alexandria. This man was of the number of those who subscribed the statement that this father was [not] worthy of the office of the archiepiscopate. And they drove out this father to the city of Germanos, and he dwelt there for three months. And Abba Severus was ordained in the country of Egypt in those days, and he comforted this father, and reminded him that tribulation came upon the apostles, and also on John, the Mouth of Gold (i.e. Chrysostom). Then this father went to the city of Malig, and dwelt there for two years. And the men of the city of Alexandria rose up against the governor, and demanded their shepherd, and he brought back this father Theodosius to his office, and expelled Acacianus. And the story of him was heard by the Emperor Justinian from the God-loving Empress Theodora; and she wrote a letter, saying, “He who was first appointed shall sit in his office.” And one hundred and twenty priests formed themselves into a General Council, and they subscribed a statement, saying, “Abba Theodosius was first appointed.” And straightway Acacianus rose up before the people, and said, “I have transgressed; evil men force me.” And then the people asked this father to remove the ban of excommunication from Acacianus provided that he would promise never again to minister as priest or deacon; and Acacianus agreed to this, and Theodosius removed the ban of excommunication from him. Now the emperor was corrupt in his faith, and he imagined that Archbishop Abba Theodosius agreed with him in his evil faith. And he wrote a letter of his officers who were in the city of Alexandria, and said unto them, “If the Archbishop Theodosius is at one with us in our belief, let another office be added to his archiepiscopate, and let him be governor of the city of Alexandria; but if he be not at one with us in belief, he shall go forth from his office.” And when this father heard these words he said, “Thus said Satan to our Lord Christ in the desert, I will give thee all the kingdom of the world and the glory thereof, if thou wilt worship me” (Matthew iv, 9). And Saint Abba Theodosius rose up and went forth from the city of Alexandria, and departed into Upper Egypt, and he dwelt there for a few days, strengthening the believing people in the True Faith. And the emperor heard that the saint had gone forth from the city of Alexandria, and he sent him a letter to persuade him, saying, “I want to meet you, I want thee to bless me and to give me counsel.” And Abba Theodosius went to Constantinople, and the archbishop, and all the people, and the soldiers went forth to welcome him; and they set him upon a high throne, and disputed concerning the True Faith. And the emperor continued to persuade the saint for many days, but the saint vanquished him with the words of the Holy Scriptures, and with the words of the Fathers. And when he would not agree with him, the emperor expelled him from his throne and sent him to Upper Egypt; and he appointed in his place another man whose name was Paul. And when that Paul came to the city of Alexandria, the people would not receive him, and he remained for a whole year, but only a very few people received the Offering from his hands. When the emperor heard of this he commanded the soldiers to shut the churches until the people submitted to Paul the archbishop, and the believers used to go outside the city to the church of Saint Mark the evangelist, and to the church of Cosmas and Damian, and partake of the Offering, and have their children baptized with Christian Baptism; and when the emperor heard this he had the churches opened. When Abba Theodosius heard this he was afraid that the emperor would lead them astray, and he wrote a letter to the people which was full of every kind of consolation, and he sent it to them, and strengthened them in the True Faith, saying, “Take good heed and submit not yourselves to that heretic Paul.” And Theodosius remained in exile in Upper Egypt for eight and twenty years, and he lived in the city of Alexandria four years; and all the days of his life (sic) were two and thirty years. And this father composed many Homilies and Treatises of Doctrine, and the believers in the country of Egypt continued to be called “Theodosians” until the days of Abba Jacob, [when] they were called “Jacobites.” And having finished his good course he died in peace. Salutation to Theodosius.

And on this day also Basil and Bifantius became martyrs.

And on this day also took place the consecration of the house (church) of Abba Timothy in the city of Damanhur. Salutation to the consecration of thy house. [Omitted in the Bodleian MS.]

And on this day also are commemorated Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Salutation to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel-Jacob. [Omitted in the Bodleian MS.] Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 22 (June 29)

On this day is celebrated the commemoration festival of the glorious Saints Cosmas and Damianus, and their brethren, and their mother, and the consecration of their church, and the manifestation of their miracles. And behold we have written their histories in the section for the twenty-second day of the month of Hedar. Salutation to the holy house, which was built for the sons of Theodada, after the period of apostasy, had passed.

And on this day also died Paul the Simple, the disciple of Abba Anthony. This Paul was a peasant, and was very simple, and he married a woman who was beautiful in her person and evil in her actions, and he begot children by her. One day when he came in from his field he found her committing fornication; and when he saw her he laughed, and said unto the man, “Take her and her child. I shall not be sorry, and I will go and become a monk.” And when he had come to Abba Anthony, he put on the garb of the monk, and he followed the footsteps of Anthony with prayer and fasting until the power [to cast out] demons, and to heal, was given unto him. One day they brought a man who was possessed of an evil devil to Anthony to heal, and Anthony commanded Paul to heal him. And Paul said unto this devil, “Get thee out, Anthony saith unto thee”; and the Satan reviled him and Anthony. And Paul said unto him, “If thou will not go out I will tell Christ, and thou shalt see how He will punish thee”; and thus saying he went out at noonday, and stood up on a stone, which the sun had heated. And he said, “As God liveth, I will not come down from this rock, and I will neither eat nor drink until the demoniac is healed”; and straightway the devil cried out and went forth in the form of a great serpent, and entered the Red Sea. This Paul considered the works of men, and wept for sinners, and made intercession for them up to a good old age; and he died in peace. Salutation to Paul. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 23 (June 30)

On this day died Solomon, the king, the son of David, who reigned in Jerusalem, over Judah and Israel; and the name of his mother was Bersabeh. And after God had rebuked David for taking her from her husband, He slew his first child; and then David lay with her, and she conceived and bore him a son, and he called his name “Solomon.” And when he was twelve years old, and had grown up, and his father David the king had become old, Bersabeh (Bathsheba) went into the royal chamber and prostrated herself before the king; and he said unto her, “What hath befallen thee?” And she said unto him, “O my lord the king, thou didst swear to thine handmaid by thy God, saying, Thy son Solomon shall reign after me, and shall sit upon my throne.” And the king swore, saying, “As God liveth, Who hath redeemed my soul from all my tribulation, according as I swear unto thee before the Lord God of Israel, saying, Thy son Solomon shall reign after me, [even so shall it be].” And Bersabeh (Bathsheba) bowed before the face of the king, and said, “My lord the king, live for ever!” And David said, “Call Zadok the priest to me, and Benaiah, the son of Yodahe (Jehoiada), and Nathan the prophet”; and they came to the king. And the king said unto them, “Take the servants of your lord with you, and set my son Solomon upon my mule, and take him down to Gihon, and anoint him there, and make him king over Israel (I Kings 1:33). And blow the trumpet and say, ‘[Long] live the royal father Solomon’; and come up, and follow him. He shall rise up on my throne because I have commanded that he shall reign in my stead over Judah and Israel.” And Zadok the priest, and Benaiah, the son of Yodahe (Jehoiada), and Nathan the prophet, and the Cherethite, and the Perethite, went down, and they set Solomon on the mule of King David, and they took him into Gihon. And Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the Tabernacle, and anointed Solomon, and he blew the horn, and all the people said, “[Long] live the royal father Solomon.” And Solomon sat on the royal seat, and the servants of the king came and gave thanks to their lord David, the king and they said unto him, “May God make good [to rest] on the name of Solomon, and make his throne greater than thine!” And the king prostrated himself on his bed, and spoke thus: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel Who hath given me this day seed to sit upon my throne whilst mine eyes can see!” And David told Solomon his son the path of righteousness, and he committed him to safe keeping, because of Joab and Shimei, the son of Gera; and David died. And the Wisdom of Solomon was very much greater than that of the children of Israel who had been before him, and that of the wise men of Egypt; and he judged all kingdoms, and the peoples brought him gifts all the days of his life. And his provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and sixty measures of crushed grain, and ten fat oxen and twenty unstalled oxen, and one hundred sheep, and harts, and roebucks, and fallow deer and fatted fowl. And he had forty thousand horses which drew chariots, and ten (twelve ?) thousand horsemen. And Solomon sacrificed in Gibeon ten hundred offerings. And God appeared unto him in a dream and said unto him, “Ask thou a petition.” And Solomon said unto Him, “Thou, O God, didst show mercy unto Thy servant David, my father, since he walked righteously before Thee, and Thou hast made his son to sit on his throne. Now, I am a little child, and I know not my coming in or my going out, and Thy servant is among a great and innumerable people; and he hath no heart wherewith to hear and to administer righteous judgment to Thy people.” And God said unto him, “Because thou hast asked Me for the power to understand judgment, and hast neither asked Me for many days [of life], nor for much riches, behold I have given thee a heart and wisdom the like of which no man before thee hath ever had, and none who shall rise up after thee shall ever have. And what thou didst not ask of Me I give thee, riches and glory (honor) so great that there shall be no man in the kingdom like unto thee.” After this Solomon went to Jerusalem and he stood up before the Ark of the Law of God, and offered the sacrifices of peace. That day there stood up before him two women who were harlots, and one of them said, “Hear me, O lord, I and this woman live in the same house, and we have brought forth children. On the third day whilst we were sleeping, she lay upon her son and killed him, and she took my child from my breast and said unto me, ‘He is my child’; and the other woman said, “It is my son who is alive.’” And the king said, “Bring a butcher’s knife and cut the child in twain, and give one half of him to this woman, and one half of him to that.” And the woman whose son was alive answered and said, “Give him to her alive, and do not kill him”; and Solomon said, “Give the living child unto her who said, Do not kill him.” When Israel heard they were afraid before the face of the king, when they saw the wisdom of God, which was upon him. And he spoke three thousand proverbs and [wrote] five hundred songs. In the fourth year [of his reign] he founded the house of God, in the month of Sane, in the second month, [and it was finished] in the eleventh year; and it was sixty cubits long, and twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. When Solomon had finished the building of the house of God, he gathered together the elders of Israel and made them to bring the Ark of God from the city of David into Zion, in the month of ‘Atamen (Ethanim). and the priests carried the Ark, and the tabernacle of witness, and the king and all Israel slaughtered countless sheep and oxen before the Ark. And the priests brought it into its place within the shrine of the holy of holies, under the wings of the Cherubim, which were spread out; and the wings of the Cherubim were over the place of the Ark. And Solomon stood up before the altar of God, before the companies of Israel, and he lifted up his hand to heaven, and prayed, and he made petitions to God in many prayers. And when he had finished his prayers God made the sun to appear in heaven, and the king blessed all the companies of Israel, and he slaughtered the peace offerings of God, four thousand oxen and one thousand sheep; and the king made provision for the house of God. And God appeared unto Solomon a second time, even as He appeared unto him in Gibeon, and He said unto him, “I have heard thy prayer and the petition which thou hast made to Me, and I will do for thee according to thy prayer and petition.” And Solomon reigned forty years, and [he lived] twelve years before he reigned; and all the days of his life were two and fifty years. And he died in peace. Salutation to Solomon.

And on this day also died the holy father Abba Nob, the confessor. This saint was a devoted monk and fighter in one of the monasteries of Upper Egypt. And when many martyrs had shed their blood under the tortures of Diocletian, and [the people] had carried away their bodies, they remembered Saint Abba Nob, and brought him to Arianus, governor of Antinoe. And the governor said unto him, “Cast incense to Apollo, and cast away this thy garb of the monk.” And the saint answered and said unto him, “This shall never be done by me, and I will never abandon my Lord Jesus Christ, and I will not worship idols of stone.” And the governor tortured him with every kind of torture, and the saint endured them by the might of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then the governor banished him to Five Cities, and [the governor] cast him into a pit; and he lived therein for seven years, until God blotted out Diocletian and made Constantine, the righteous, emperor. And Constantine sent out an Edict into all countries ordering his officers to release all those who were in prison for the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ; and he commanded them to bring these prisoners to him, so that he might be blessed by them. And he said unto his messengers, “If ye cannot bring them all, bring to me their honored ones, and those who are learned, and the elders among them, so that they may bless me, and lay their hand upon my head, and especially those who are well known, that is to say, Abba Zacharias from the city of Ahnas, and Maximus from the city of the Fayyum, and Agabius from the city of Dakhnin, and Abba Nob from the city of Balaos.” And the emperor’s messenger went round about in all the countries, and the officers brought out all those who were shut up in prison, and they rejoiced and glorified God and sang to Him. And the messenger of the emperor sought for Abba Nob, but the holy man having been expelled from Five Cities (Pentapolis), had gone to the city of Basla, opposite his city, where he lived and wore apparel of iron. And the messenger of the emperor found him, and took him with him, and he made him embark in a boat, and at length he arrived at the city of Antinoe. And the Christians gathered together, and there were four bishops among them, and they made Abba Nob a priest against his will; and he consecrated the Offering and administered to the people the Holy Mysteries. And when he had finished the Office he cried out and said, “Holiness to the holy ones! Let him that is holy receive holiness! God be with you all!” Then he saw our Lord Jesus Christ sitting upon the altar, and He forgave the sins of the people who were penitent. After this the saints followed the apostle to the emperor; now they were in number two and sixty. And they made ready for them two and sixty chariots, and each of them rode upon a chariot. And as they passed along the road, virgins came forth from the nunneries, which were there, and welcomed them; and the virgins were in number seven hundred, and they sang to the saints until they were out of sight. And when the saints came to the Emperor Constantine, he commanded his servants to wash them with water, and to array them in new apparel, before they entered his presence; and they did as he commanded. Now Saint Abba Nob did not wash himself with water, neither did he change his apparel. Then the saints entered the presence of the emperor, and he was blessed by them, and he kissed their wounds, and he paid them honor and gave them much money, but they would take nothing from him except sacred furniture and vestments for the churches. And after he had been blessed by them, and had embraced them, he set them on their way and said farewell to them; and they returned to their country in peace. And Saint Abba Nob went to his monastery and finished his fight nobly, and he departed to Christ, Whom he loved. Salutation to Abba Nob.

And on this day also is celebrated the commemoration of Markora, and Thomas, and Philip. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 24 (July 1)

On this day Saint Abba Moses the Black became a martyr. Men have marveled at the spiritual fight of this man, for he seized the kingdom of heaven by force, even as the Holy Gospel saith (Matthew xi, 12). This saint was strong in body, and a mighty man in all his deeds. He ate, he drank, he killed, he fornicated, and no man could stand up before him. It is said of him that he could eat a whole sheep, and drink a skinful of wine at a sitting; he was the slave of a man who worshipped the sun, and he himself, on several occasions, lifted up his eyes to the sun and said, “O sun, if thou art God, make me to know it.” And he used to say in his heart, “O thou God Whom I know not, make me to know Thee.” And he heard some men saying that the monks of the desert of Scete knew God, and then he rose up, and girded on his sword, and went and came to the desert of Scete. And he found Saint Abba Isidore the priest, and when he saw him, he was afraid of him. And Abba Moses said, “I am Moses the Black, and I have come to you that ye may tell me about God, and make me to know Him.” And Isidore took him to Abba Macarius, who admonished him, and taught him the Prayer of Faith (i.e. the Belief), and baptized him with Christian baptism. And he became a monk and lived in the desert, and he fought a fight which was greater than that fought by many saints; and Satan warred upon him because formerly he used to eat to excess, and commit fornication. And he informed Abba Isidore about everything which came upon him in his fight with the Enemy; and Abba Isidore comforted him, and taught him what to do. And in addition to his great fight he used, when the holy elders were asleep, to go round to their cells, and take their water-pots out of them, and go and fill them with water, and put them back in their cells; now the water was a long way off. And he continued his fight for many years. And Satan was envious of him, and he smote him severely with a severe disease in his foot, and he became very ill and lay down sick. And when he knew that Satan had smitten him, he increased his ascetic practices and spiritual fight, and his body became dried up like wood, which has been scorched with fire. And God saw his endurance, and healed him of his disease, and removed the sickness and the attacks of Satan; and the grace of the Holy Spirit descended upon him. And five hundred brethren gathered together to him, and he became their abbot, and they chose him to make him a priest. And when they set him in the sanctuary, the archbishop wished to try him, and to get knowledge of his spiritual fight. And the archbishop said unto the holy elders, “Why have ye brought this black man here? Take him away.” And Moses went out reproaching himself, and he said, “They have treated thee rightly, O black man, O thou whose face is horrible,” and after this the archbishop called him and laid his hand upon him, and made him a priest. And the archbishop said unto him, “Behold, thou hast become white, all of thee, within and without.” One day the holy elders came to him, and he had no water with him, and they saw him go out and come in many times; and after this it rained a great rain which filled the skins in their cells. And the holy elders asked him, saying, “Why didst thou go out and come in many times?” And he said unto them, “I said unto God, If Thou dost not give me water wherewith to give Thy servants to drink, where am I to obtain water to give them to drink?” And in His mercy He sent us water. At that time Abba Moses went with the elders to Saint Abba Macarius, and Abba Macarius said unto them, “Behold, I see among you one to whom belongeth the crown of martyrdom.” And Abba Moses answered and said unto him, “Peradventure I am he, O my father. For it is written, ‘He who hath slain with the knife shall die by the knife’” (Matthew xxvi, 52). And when the Barbarians came, Abba Moses said unto the brethren who were there with him, “Behold the Barbarians have come; let him among you who wisheth to flee, let him flee”; and they answered and said unto him, “And wilt not thou, O our father, flee?” And he said unto them, “Behold, I have for many years been waiting for this day, because of the word of our Lord Who said, He who hath killed with the knife shall die by the knife”; and the Barbarians came and killed him. And with him were seven brethren who did not wish to flee, but one of them hid himself behind a bed, and he saw the angel of God, with a crown in his hand, standing waiting for him; and he went out to the Barbarians, and they killed him. Observe, O our brethren, the power of repentance and what it doth. It changed a man who was an infidel, and a murderer, and a fornicator, and a thief, and made him a father, and a teacher, and a comforter, and a priest, and one who laid down the Rule and Canon of the monks, and one who is mentioned at the altar in all the churches. And his body abideth to this day in Debre Badremos in the desert of Scete, and many signs and miracles are made manifest through it. Salutation to Moses the Black. Salutation to the six brethren who died with him, and were slain by the Barbarians. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 25 (July 2)

On this day Saint Judah (Jude), the apostle and martyr, became a martyr; he was the son of Joseph the carpenter and was one of the Seventy-two disciples. This saint preached in many cities, and he came into the island and preached therein, and built a church there. And he went to the city of Edessa and healed Abgar, the King of Edessa, of his illness, and he baptized him with Christian baptism. After this he went to ‘Araz and preached therein, and baptized many of the people thereof with Christian baptism. And the governor of that city seized him and tortured him with many tortures; he nailed iron cases on his feet, like sandals, and made him run in them for the distance of a stade, and he hung him up, and shot arrows at him, and the saint delivered up his soul. Before they tortured him he sent an Epistle to the believers, and that Epistle is the seventh in the Book of the Apostles. It is full of wisdom and grace, and by its means he converted many of the pagans and brought them into the Faith of our Lord Christ during his lifetime and before his death. Salutation to Judah (Jude), whose feet had red-hot iron cases nailed on them.

And on this day also died the holy father and fighter Abba Peter, the thirty-fourth Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. This father was made archbishop when the Emperor ‘Asbasyanos (Vespasian) drove out Archbishop Theodos who would not agree with his opinion, and he sat on the throne of Mark the evangelist without bishops for many years. And the emperor would neither permit the bishops, nor his nobles who were in the city of Alexandria, to appoint an archbishop. And after a few days there was appointed over the city of Alexandria a good, and excellent, and Orthodox governor, and the elders and the believers gathered together to him, and informed him of their grief because they had no archbishop. And he commanded them to go out to Debre Zegag, that is to say Debre Mahew, under the pretence of [going to] pray, and to appoint for themselves an archbishop. Then they rejoiced at this counsel and they took Abba Peter, who was a priest, and they went out forthwith to Zegag, and they appointed him archbishop, and rejoiced in him. Before this Saint Severus, the holy man, died, and the city of Antioch remained without an archbishop. When the believers of the city of Antioch heard that Abba Peter had been appointed archbishop, they also appointed to be their archbishop a certain believer whose name was Theophanius, and he and father Abba Peter were of one accord in the matter of the True Faith. And they wrote letters to each other on theological matters, and each preached the doctrine of his friend, and mentioned him at the time of prayer and at the Offering, but they were unable to enter each other’s city, for Abba Peter lived in Debre ‘Anabanya, which was to the south of Debre Zegag, and Abba Theophanius lived in Debre ‘Aftonyas, which was outside the city of Antioch. In those days there were in the city of Alexandria six hundred monasteries, and two and thirty villages, and all their inhabitants belonged to the True Faith (except the [so-called] Christians of the city of Alexandria), and all the districts of Mesr (Cairo) and Upper Egypt, and all the monks of the monasteries of the desert of Scete, and Ethiopia, and Noba. All these were of the True Faith, and they accepted the appointment of father Abba Peter as archbishop, and they walked in his commands; and he never ceased to write to them Epistles, and he sent them to all believers and strengthened them in the True Faith. And he used to go round to all the monasteries of the city of Alexandria and the villages thereof, and teach the people, and admonish them, and strengthen them. And he had a certain holy and learned disciple whose name was Damianus, and who became archbishop after him, and he used to help him in all the work and in directing the people. And this father Abba Peter once came into the city of Alexandria, and saw the works of its people, and inspected them and strengthened them. And thus he remained in his office, and traveled about like the Apostles, and shepherded his flock for a period of two (?) years; and he was strong in the True Faith and died in peace. Salutation to Peter who was made archbishop at Zegag.

On this day also died Pilate, the confessor. Salutation to Pilate who washed his hands of the Blood of Jesus Christ. [Waiting in the Bodleian MS.] And the doctors of the Church had decreed that on this day Christians shall celebrate the festival of Peter and Paul, that they may bless the entrance of the winter season. Salutation to Peter and to Paul, [and to] the sequence of the winter. [Wanting in the Bodleian MS.] Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 26 (July 3)

On this day is celebrated the commemorative festival of the glorious angel Gabriel, the Archangel, and of the consecration of his church, in Debre Naklon, in the desert of the Fayyum, and of the manifestation of his miracles therein. And the wood of the roof inside the church [gave] indications concerning the rise of the river of Egypt, for during the Offering water used to appear upon it like sweat. If there were to be abundance that year, many drops of water would drop from it, but if there were to be hunger, the water would appear on it only in the form of sweat. And the glorious angel, the Archangel Michael, performed many miracles. Salutation to the consecration of they house, O Gabriel.

And on this day also died the great prophet Joshua, the son of Nun, the disciple of Moses, the chief of the prophets. This prophet was obedient, and humble, and perfect and lowly before Moses the prophet, and for this reason the spirit of Moses the prophet dwelt upon him, and he prophesied in the days of Moses the prophet. When Moses the prophet died, Joshua received the people by the command of God, and God said unto him, “As I was with Moses My servant even so will I be with thee. Be strong and mighty, and keep the Law, which I commanded Moses My servant to keep. Go not far from it, and turn not aside from it, neither to the right hand nor the left. Let not thy mouth cease from reading the Book of the Law, but meditate therein by day and by night, so that thou mayest keep and hold fast to, and do everything which is written therein.” And the heart of Joshua was strong and he sent spies to Jericho, and they came and examined the land, and they hid with Rahab the harlot, and they made a covenant with her and with all the men of her house, that they would not kill her, and she sent them away. And Joshua likewise divided the Jordan for them, and the children of Israel passed through it, and he made the river for them like a wall. And he opened (i.e. conquered) Jericho, going round the walls thereof seven times, and he slew all that were therein, both man and beast. And he opened many cities, now they were two and thirty in number, and he slew two and thirty kings. And all the peoples feared the children of Israel, and because of the greatness of their fear of him (i.e. Joshua), the men of the city of Gibeon made a pretence to him. Then dressed themselves in ragged raiment and they carried with them old sackcloth of hair, and old shoes, and dried and moldy bread. And they went to Joshua, and said unto him, “Behold, we have come from a far country, and we want you to give us a promise that thou wilt not kill us.” And Joshua, and the Rabbis of the children of Israel, answered and said unto them, “Tell us truly whether ye dwell in this land.” And they answered and said unto them, “Verily we have come from a far country”; and then they showed them their dried and moldy food, and their old garments, and Joshua believed them and swore to them that he would not kill them. And when Joshua heard that those people lived nigh unto them, he said unto them, “Why did ye come with deceit?” and then he made them servants of the house of God. And when the five kings of the Amorites heard [this], they rose up against the men of Gibeon, and the [Israelites] helped the people of Gibeon, and made a great slaughter of them. And on those of them who fled God cast hailstones from heaven, and He blotted them out. And when the sun was nigh to set Joshua said before the children of Israel. “O sun, stand still over the city of Gibeon, and thou moon also over the city of ‘Abakon.” And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed firm, until God was avenged on His enemies. And Joshua divided the land of their inheritance among the children of Israel, and he gave the priests cities to dwell in, and land for their beasts. And he set apart six cities of refuge wherein all those who had committed a murder unwittingly might dwell, according as God commanded him. And when the days of Joshua were one hundred and ten years, and he had arrived at a good old age, he gathered together the children of Israel, and commanded them to keep the commandment of the Law of the Torah, and not to transgress it, and to be strong in the worship of God. And he told them, saying, “The Lord God is jealous, and if ye worship other [gods] He will blot you out quickly.” And after this he died in peace and was buried in the grave, which Jacob bought from the children of Amer for a hundred sheep in the land of Nablos; and the children of Israel mourned for him with a great mourning for thirty days. Salutation to Joshua, who was devoted to Moses and at length, received a double portion of his spirit. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 27 (July 4)

On this day died Ananias the apostle. The apostles appointed this saint Bishop of the city of Damascus, and he preached in the districts round about the preaching of the life-giving Gospel. And he preached in the house of Gabriel also and converted many of the men thereof to the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he baptized them with Christian baptism, and illumined them with the light of the True Faith. And he baptized Paul the apostle, when God sent him to him, and he laid his hand upon him, and upon his eyes, and God wrought great miracles by his hands; and many of the Jews and Gentiles believed through his preaching. And after this Lucianus the governor seized him, and tortured him with divers kinds of severe tortures, and he cut open his sides with knives, and burned him with fiery torches. And after this they took him outside the city, and the governor commanded the soldiers to stone him with stones, and they stoned him; and he delivered up his soul into the hands of our Lord Jesus Christ, for Whose Name he died. Salutation to Ananias.

And on this day also Saint Thomas, of the city of Sandalat, became a martyr. When the days of this saint from the city of Sandalat were eleven years, Michael, the angel of God, appeared unto him when he was asleep in a field; now he was a swineherd, and he commended him to go and to confess our Lord Jesus Christ; and he rose up, and taking with him only a whip of string, he departed to the city of Alexandria, and confessed our Lord Jesus Christ before its governor. And the governor said unto him, “Worship the idols,” and he promised to make him his scribe if he did so; and Saint Thomas was wroth with him, and he shook out that whip of string, and beat the governor severely with it. And the governor had him seized, and tortured very severely, and he cut his body with iron saws; and the saint begged for help from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who sent His angel to him, and healed his wounds. And the governor having shut him up in prison, the keeper of the prison asked him to heal his son who was sick, and the saint gave him the whip of string, and said unto him, “Lay this upon thy son, and by the might of God he shall recover straightway”; and the keeper of the prison did as the saint commanded him, and his son recovered forthwith. When the governor heard of this he had the saint brought before him, and he said unto him, “Sacrifice to the idols”; and, laughing at him, the saint said [that he would do so]. And the governor rejoiced exceedingly, and took him with him, and carried him to the house of idols. And the saint asked our Lord Jesus Christ to destroy the idols, and straightway they were smashed in pieces. And the devil who was over them leaped upon the governor, and choked him until he confessed, saying, “There is no god except the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.” When the people saw this, they marveled exceedingly and they cried out, saying, “There is no god except the Lord Jesus Christ.” And after this those who had not believed shut the saint up in a dark cave, wherein he remained for fifteen days without food and drink; and the angel of God used to visit him. Then they hung him up, head downwards, until much blood ran down out of his mouth; and the angel of God came down and delivered him. And a certain woman had a blind son, and she took some of the blood, and smeared it upon the eyes of her son, and he received his sight straightway. And after this the governor shut the saint up in prison for a few days. Then he had him brought out, and the soldiers set a lioness at him, and she came to him and licked his feet; and they also smote him upon his mouth with iron goads. Now there were with him under the torture Saint Babnuda, of the city of Bandara, and Saint Moses from the city of Balkim, and they encouraged each other to endure. And after this they boiled oil and pitch together, and poured it over the head of Saint Thomas, and no injury happened to him. And they also mutilated him, and made him put on the iron boots, and hung a large stone from his neck. When they were tired of torturing him, Arianus the governor took him with him to bring him to the city of Antinoe. And when they arrived at Taw, they cut off the head of Saint Thomas, and he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. And those who were tortured with him during the days of his torture were six (or, seven) hundred men and nine women. Salutation to Thomas, and salutation to those who were tortured with him; [and these were in number] three thousand (sic) men and nine women.

And on this day also are commemorated four and twenty martyrs, and Mamas, and Silas, and Lazarus, the beggar, who is mentioned in the Gospel of Luke (Chapter xvi, verse 20). Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 28 (July 5)

On this day died the holy father, Abba Theodosius, the thirty-third Archbishop of the city of Alexandria; it is after him that Christians in the land of Egypt were called “Theodosians.” After this father was appointed archbishop, certain evil men rose up against him, and drove him forth from his office on the advice of the emperor, and they appointed in his place a certain man whose name of Acacianus, Archdeacon of the city of Alexandria. This man was of the number of those who subscribed the statement that this father was [not] worthy of the office of the archiepiscopate. And they drove out this father to the city of Germanos, and he dwelt there for three months. And Abba Severus was ordained in the country of Egypt in those days, and he comforted this father, and reminded him that tribulation came upon the apostles, and also on John, the Mouth of Gold (i.e. Chrysostom). Then this father went to the city of Malig, and dwelt there for two years. And the men of the city of Alexandria rose up against the governor, and demanded their shepherd, and he brought back this father Theodosius to his office, and expelled Acacianus. And the story of him was heard by the Emperor Justinian from the God-loving Empress Theodora; and she wrote a letter, saying, “He who was first appointed shall sit in his office.” And one hundred and twenty priests formed themselves into a General Council, and they subscribed a statement, saying, “Abba Theodosius was first appointed.” And straightway Acacianus rose up before the people, and said, “I have transgressed; evil men force me.” And then the people asked this father to remove the ban of excommunication from Acacianus provided that he would promise never again to minister as priest or deacon; and Acacianus agreed to this, and Theodosius removed the ban of excommunication from him. Now the emperor was corrupt in his faith, and he imagined that Archbishop Abba Theodosius agreed with him in his evil faith. And he wrote a letter of his officers who were in the city of Alexandria, and said unto them, “If the Archbishop Theodosius is at one with us in our belief, let another office be added to his archiepiscopate, and let him be governor of the city of Alexandria; but if he be not at one with us in belief, he shall go forth from his office.” And when this father heard these words he said, “Thus said Satan to our Lord Christ in the desert, I will give thee all the kingdom of the world and the glory thereof, if thou wilt worship me” (Matthew iv, 9). And Saint Abba Theodosius rose up and went forth from the city of Alexandria, and departed into Upper Egypt, and he dwelt there for a few days, strengthening the believing people in the True Faith. And the emperor heard that the saint had gone forth from the city of Alexandria, and he sent him a letter to persuade him, saying, “I want to meet you, I want thee to bless me and to give me counsel.” And Abba Theodosius went to Constantinople, and the archbishop, and all the people, and the soldiers went forth to welcome him; and they set him upon a high throne, and disputed concerning the True Faith. And the emperor continued to persuade the saint for many days, but the saint vanquished him with the words of the Holy Scriptures, and with the words of the Fathers. And when he would not agree with him, the emperor expelled him from his throne and sent him to Upper Egypt; and he appointed in his place another man whose name was Paul. And when that Paul came to the city of Alexandria, the people would not receive him, and he remained for a whole year, but only a very few people received the Offering from his hands. When the emperor heard of this he commanded the soldiers to shut the churches until the people submitted to Paul the archbishop, and the believers used to go outside the city to the church of Saint Mark the evangelist, and to the church of Cosmas and Damian, and partake of the Offering, and have their children baptized with Christian Baptism; and when the emperor heard this he had the churches opened. When Abba Theodosius heard this he was afraid that the emperor would lead them astray, and he wrote a letter to the people which was full of every kind of consolation, and he sent it to them, and strengthened them in the True Faith, saying, “Take good heed and submit not yourselves to that heretic Paul.” And Theodosius remained in exile in Upper Egypt for eight and twenty years, and he lived in the city of Alexandria four years; and all the days of his life (sic) were two and thirty years. And this father composed many Homilies and Treatises of Doctrine, and the believers in the country of Egypt continued to be called “Theodosians” until the days of Abba Jacob, [when] they were called “Jacobites.” And having finished his good course he died in peace. Salutation to Theodosius.

And on this day also Basil and Bifantius became martyrs.

And on this day also took place the consecration of the house (church) of Abba Timothy in the city of Damanhur. Salutation to the consecration of thy house. [Omitted in the Bodleian MS.]

And on this day also are commemorated Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Salutation to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel-Jacob. [Omitted in the Bodleian MS.] Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 29 (July 6)

And on this day also nine fighters of the spiritual fight from Debre Tona (or, Kona) became holy martyrs; these were Abba Basadi (‘Absadi), and Abba Cotolus, and Abba ‘Ardama, and Abba Muse (Moses), and Abba ‘Esey, and Abba Nikales (Mikalas), and Abba Kal, the monk, whose name is Cotolus, and Abba Basodisa, and Cotolus; and they were priests. And the angel of God appeared unto them, and commanded them, saying, “Proclaim boldly our Lord Jesus Christ.” And they rose up straightway to go to the governor, and they found a ship, and having embarked therein, these five (sic) fighters made an agreement together and went to the governor; and Saint Abba Basadi (‘Absadi) spoke to the governor boldly and without fear. And the governor asked him about his city, and Abba Basadi (‘Absadi) told him that he was from the city of Tona, and his companions also, and the governor commanded the soldiers to shut them up in prison. And after this he brought them out, and tortured them very severely, and he commanded them to hang stones from their necks, and to shut them up in prison again. And our Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto them in the prison house ad made them strong to endure ... in the kingdom of heaven. And after this the emperor sent them to the city of Alexandria, and they were tortured there very severely. And then he threw them into two cauldrons full of sulphur and pitch, and they lighted so great a fire under them that the flames rose up to a height of twenty cubits. And after this he had them taken out of the cauldrons, and the soldiers cast them into a red-hot oven; and our Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto them, and raised them up, whole and uninjured, and made them strong and restored them. And then they came to the governor and confessed our Lord Jesus Christ before him; and when the people saw this one hundred and thirty of them believed, and became martyrs. And after this the governor tortured the saints severely. And he had the idol Apollo, seated upon his throne, brought to them, and commanded them to worship him, but they kicked him with their feet, and he fell down from his throne, and was smashed in pieces; and the governor commanded the soldiers and they cut off their feet. And they cut off the head of Abba Basadi (‘Absadi) with the sword, and he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. And after him they cut off the heads of the five (sic) others, and they burnt Saint Cotolus in the fire, and they all received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. Salutation to the company of one hundred and thirty saints, the devoted followers of the seven (sic) martyrs.

And on this day also Abba Hor, and Abba Besoi, and Daydara (Yedra) their mother became martyrs. Abba Horsa was a soldier in the army of Antioch, and he confessed our Lord Jesus Christ. And the governor commanded the soldiers, and they cut off his right hand, and they tied a rope to him, and an ox dragged him through the city. And they made flat pieces of iron red-hot in the fire, and laid them upon his body, and they cut off his left hand, and boiled some lead and poured it into his mouth. After this they thrust him into a skin filled with vipers, and snakes, and scorpions, and then they beat him with rods. And he cried out, saying, “O Jesus Christ, help me in all this torture”; and our Lord Jesus Christ came down to him, and strengthened him, and raised him up sound and uninjured, even as he was at first. And then his mother came and comforted him, and she rejoiced in his strife; and one told the governor about her. And he had the mother of the saint brought, and he said unto her, “Sacrifice to the idols,” and he raged at her, and [tried] to frighten her; but she was not afraid of his raging, and she would not obey him. And he commanded the soldiers to make iron rods red-hot in the fire, and to lay them on her sides, and when they did so she rejoiced, and sang hymns to the Living God, and she ascribed holiness to Him, and glorified Him because He had held her to be worthy to suffer for His Holy Name. And after this she delivered up her soul, whilst she was under torture, and she received the crown of martyrdom. And as for Saint Abba Hor they boiled him in a cauldron he praised God and was without pain. And they informed the governor of this, and he marveled exceedingly, and he was frightened and became filled with wrath. And he rose up and came to the cauldron, having a spear in his hand, and he drove his spear into the breast of the holy man, who delivered up his soul into the hand of God, and received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. And they also tortured his brother Abba Besoi very severely, and they cut off his head with the sword, and he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. Salutation to thee O Besoi, the soldier, and to thy brother Hor.

And on this day also died Mark, Emperor of Rome. This saint reigned in his virginity for five years, and he ruled his people justly and righteously. And then when the people forced him to marry a wife, he went by night into the church, and stood up before the picture of the holy two-fold Virgin Mary, and he said unto her, “O my Lady, guide thou me in the way wherein I should walk”; and she said unto him, “Go in peace, and God shall be with thee.” And then, without a ship he passed over the sea of Jericho and came to Debre Tormak in a desert region, and he lived there fighting devils for sixty years; and when he died the angels buried him with praise. Salutation to Mark.

And on this day also died Theodore, the son of David, King of Ethiopia. This saint was brought up from his earliest years with wisdom and admonition, and he learned all the Books of the Church, and then he practised horsemanship and shooting with the bow until he was a strong and full-grown man. From his youth up he was bound with the love of God and he used to give away all his possessions to the poor and the beggars; and he used to visit the churches. He fought the spiritual fight with fasting and prayer, he married only one wife, and he neither oppressed nor defrauded any man. When he meditated going to Jerusalem, he consulted Abba Mark, and he said unto him, “It is not thy portion”; now he knew this by the Holy Spirit. When he was dead, and they were taking him [to the tomb] in a month of winter, the waters of a full river were divided on this side and on that, and where they buried him a fountain of water appeared, and it existeth to this day. Salutation to Theodore, the son of the Lion. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.

Senne 30 (July 7)

On this day was born Saint John the Baptist, than whom none born of women was greater. He it was whom our Lord Jesus Christ praised, and he it was who bowed to Him when He was in his mother’s womb, and it was meet for him to lay his hand upon the head of the Son of the Living God. And the Holy Gospel saith: When the days of the conception of Elisabeth were fulfilled that she should bring forth, she brought forth a son. And her neighbors and kinsfolk heard that God had multiplied His mercy to her and they rejoiced with her. And when the eighth day came one arrived to circumcise the boy, and he called him by the name of his father Zacharias, but his mother said, “Nay, he shall be called ‘John.’” And they said unto her, “None of thy kinsfolk is called by this name,” and they made a sign to his father and said unto him, “What dost thou wish him to be called?” And he wrote, saying, “His name is John,” and his father’s mouth was opened, and his tongue was loosed from his dumbness. And he praised God, and prophesied concerning his son, that he should be called the “Prophet of the Highest,” and that “he should go before the face of the Lord to prepare His way.” And when his second year was completed, the stargazers came, and Herod killed the children; and one informed Herod about this prophet, and his soldiers searched for him to kill him. And his father Zacharias took him, and carried him on his shoulders, and he asked the soldiers to come with him into the place where he lived. Then he took John, and the soldiers came with him, until he went into the sanctuary, and then he laid him upon the horn of the altar, and said unto them, “Take him from here.” And the angel of God caught up the child, and carried him to a desert, the name of which is Zipata. And when the soldiers could not find him they became very angry, because the father and the child’s mother had made them to lose him; and they killed Zacharias his father. And John the Baptist dwelt in the desert until God commanded him to come to the desert of the Jordan, and to preach the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to reveal himself to the people of Israel, even as Malachi the prophet prophesied concerning him, saying, “That preacher is an angel before the Redeemer, and is in truth the similitude of the angels.” He was full of the Holy Spirit when he was in the womb of his mother, and of him it was said, “he shall dwell in the desert, and he shall neither eat bread, nor drink wine, all the days of his life.” And our Lord Jesus Christ was a witness concerning him, and he knew not a woman, and he committed no sin, neither great nor little. And he preached our Lord Jesus Christ, and he saw the Holy Spirit descending upon Him from heaven, and he received the crown of martyrdom, which, in truth, is incorruptible in the kingdom of the heavens. Our Lord Jesus Christ saith, “Among those born of the offspring of women there is none greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew xi, II). Salutation to thy birth, O John the Baptist.

And on this day also Martha and Mary became martyrs, and Gebre Christos, the monk, is commemorated.

And on this day also died Abba Geran, the fighter, who dwelt in an island of India. This saint feared God greatly, and he loved giving alms and prayer, and God heard every petition he made to Him; and by his prayers he removed from that country pestilence, and scarcity, and captivity, and the shedding of blood, and the sinking of ships; whatsoever he asked from Him he obtained. And when Satan saw that heavenly grace was given unto him, he became jealous of him, and he came to him in the form of a beautiful woman, who was arrayed in the apparel of kings, and was bedecked with precious stones and pearls; now she was walking by herself. And when he saw her he went to her and asked her concerning her business, and she said unto him, “I am the daughter of Serseban, the king. My sister having committed folly with her father’s slaves, my father wished to kill all of us. Because of this I came forth by night and arrived in this desert, and praise be unto God that a holy man hath found me, that is to say, thyself.” And he said unto her, “Get thee into a rock so that those who come unto me may not see thee.” And during the night she came to him, pretending that she was frightened of wild animals, and she cried out to him to open unto her the doors of his cell. And having opened unto her she came in to him, and slept by his side, and she embraced his body, and she spoke unto him with words of endearment until his heart inclined to love for her. And straightway grace was taken from him, and his eye became black, and he did not look at her again. Then having roused himself from the drunken stupor of error, he knew at once that he had sinned, and that the woman was one of the deceits of Satan, the accursed Adversary, by whom he had been overcome. Then he wrote down what had befallen him, and everything which he had done in the body, and he took one of the stones on the island, and he beat his breast therewith continually until he died. And his soul departed to everlasting life. And then the people of that district came, according to their wont, to be blessed by him, and when they found him not, they went through his habitation, and found him lying prostrate; and it seemed to them that he was sleeping, but when they tried to wake him they found that he was dead. Then they kissed him, and prepared him for burial, and they buried him in the earth. And they found the writing wherein he had written what had happened unto him through the operations of Satan, and what were the reasons for his death. Salutation to Abba Geran. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.