The Book of the Saints of the Ethiopian church/Miyazia

Miyazia 1 (April 9)

On this day the holy father Abba Sylvanus died. This blessed man became a monk in his youth under the direction of Saint Abba Macarius in the desert of Scete. He strove in every narrow path, and he fasted frequently for long periods, with prayer and many vigils, and humility and love. And he was a great father, and God revealed unto him divine visions and made him to know marvelous matters, as in the following case. One day his mind was carried away, and he fell on his face upon the ground, and remained there a long time. Then he lifted up his head, and the brethren who were there near him asked him to tell them what had come upon him; but he did not want to tell them, and he remained silent and wept bitterly. When they urged him, and entreated him, to make known to them what had happened to him, he said unto them, “They carried me off to the Garden of Delight, and I saw the habitations of the righteous and the places of torture, and I also saw monks, whom they were carrying to Gahanam, and I also saw many laymen whom they were carrying to the kingdom of heaven. Why then should I not weep for myself?” From that day he covered his face with his head-cloth, and said, “I do not want to see the light of this fleeting world, for after it they will take me into everlasting darkness.” Now this holy man devoted himself to the works of the ascetic life; and he strove zealously in the works which appertained to the soul and the body; and he also commanded his disciples never to cease working with their hands, and to give away in charity what was left of the money whereon they lived. One day there came unto this holy elder a certain lazy monk, and when he saw this holy elder and his disciples working with their hands, he said unto the elder and his disciples, “Ye do then work for the food which is transitory? But ye should work for the food which abideth for the life everlasting. For it is written in the Holy Gospel ‘Mary hath chosen for herself the good part which shall not be taken from her’” (Luke x, 42). When the elder Abba Sylvanus heard him speaking thus, he commanded his disciple, and said unto him, “Give this brother the Book to read, and take him into the guest chamber, and shut the door on him, and do not leave with him anything which he can eat”; and his disciple did as the elder commanded. When the ninth hour came the elder and his disciples prayed and ate their food, but did not summon that monk. And the time of supper having passed, that monk, with his eyes gazing towards the door, waited for them to summon him [to eat]. And being consumed with hunger, he came out from the cell, and went to Saint Abba Sylvanus, and he said unto him, “O my father, have the brethren eaten their meal this day?” And the elder answered and said unto him, “Yea, they have eaten.” And the monk said unto him, “Why did ye not summon me?” And the holy elder answered and said unto him, “Thou art a spiritually-minded man, and hast no need of food for the body. Thou hast chosen the good part, but we are men of the body, and we require material food; for this reason we require the work of our hands.” And the monk knew that he had transgressed with his words, and he bowed low before the holy elder, and he said unto him, “Forgive me, O my father, for I have transgressed.” And the holy elder Sylvanus answered, and said unto him, “O my son, we have need of work, just as Martha worked, and through Martha, Mary was praised.” Thus the monk was rebuked by the teaching of this father. And he worked with his hands continually, and he gave alms to the poor with what remained over. And this holy man wrote many discourses (or, homilies) and admonitions wherein was help to carry on the spiritual strife. Having finished his days and attained a good old age, God the Most High made him to know the time of his death. And he called the monks who were nigh unto him, and he was blessed by them, and he asked them to remember him at the time of their prayers; and they on their part asked him to make mention of them to God. And he embraced them and died in peace. Salutation to Sylvanus, the companion of the angels. And on this day also the pagan Arabs of Upper Egypt rose up and attacked the monasteries in the desert of Scete, and the church of Saint Abba Macarius, and they carried off all the goods which were in all the monasteries. And the monks gathered together, and prayed, and made intercession with the holy fathers, and our Lord Jesus Christ drove those pagans away, and they turned and fled, and there was none other than God our Lord Jesus Christ Who drove them away; and the monks gave thanks unto God, Who shows compassion unto them for ever and ever. Amen. Salutation unto each of you, O ye sons of Macarius. And on this day also (according to what is written in an Egyptian book of the city of Alexandria, and in an Egyptian book of Upper Egypt) took place the festival in commemoration of the death of Aaron the priest, the brother of Moses the prophet, the son of ‘Anbarim (Amram). What is written in the Book of the Law (i.e. Pentateuch) saith that he died on the third day of the second month of the exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt, which is to say on the eighth day of the month of Genbot. Now the Jewish months revolve, and that [second] month became this month in that year, on the first day of the month Miyazia. This righteous man was the brother of Moses the prophet, the son of ‘Anbarim (Amram), the chief of the prophets, the teacher of the Law, and the brother of Mary (Miriam), the prophetess; and they were of the tribe of Levi. And God wrought by his hands many miracles in the land of Egypt. And God chose him, and his sons, and made them His priest, and gave unto them a title of all the goods, and the offerings of the children of Israel. When the sons of Korah rose up against him, God destroyed them, and He commanded the earth and it opened its mouth and swallowed them up. And having pleased God the Most High, and fought a good fight, and kept the Law, he departed to God. Salutation to Aaron. And on this day also died Saint Matrona, and Saint Justus, and his wife, who became martyrs. [Omitted in the Bodleian MS.] Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 2 (April 10)

And on this day died Saint Christopher, the martyr, whose face was like the face of a dog. This holy man came from the country, the people whereof used to eat men and dogs. They captured him in battle, and his father became a believer through Saint Matthew the apostle. When they captured him he did not believe the words of the men who made him captive, and he prayed to God, and He opened his tongue, and he spoke as spoke those who had made him captive. And he rebuked those who afflicted the Christian peoples, and the captain who was over the soldiers beat him very severely. And the holy man said unto him, “If it were not the command of God, my Lord Jesus Christ, which maketh me to endure and which holdeth back my strength, and restraineth me, thou and thy soldiers could not be delivered from me.” And the governor sent a message to the emperor concerning him, and told him what had happened to him, and the emperor sent two hundred soldiers to bring the holy man to him; and he went with them of his own free will without fear. And he had a staff in his hand, and he prayed and straightway it sprouted and blossomed. When the soldiers lacked bread the holy man prayed, and there was bread in abundance for the soldiers, who marveled exceedingly, and believed on our Lord Jesus Christ. And when they arrived in the city of Antioch they were baptized with Christian baptism by the hand of Abba Paul, Archbishop of the city of Antioch. When Christopher came before the Emperor Decius he frightened him, and Decius tried to persuade him [to deny Christ]. And he sent two very beautiful harlots to him for he thought they would be able to make him to fall into sin with them; but the holy man rebuked them, and they believed on our Lord Jesus Christ, and they repented and became martyrs. And the two hundred soldiers likewise confessed our Lord Jesus Christ, the Living [God], before the emperor. Then the emperor commanded the [other] soldiers to cut off their heads, and they cut off their heads with swords, and the soldiers received crowns of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. And the holy man terrified the emperor, and he said unto him, “O thou receiver of the work of Satan and his abode!” And the emperor waxed furious, and he commanded his soldiers to cast him into a huge frying-pan and to light a fire under him, and they did so, but no harm whatsoever came to him as they wished, on the contrary he taught the people whilst he was in the frying-pan. When the people saw that he was speaking and teaching the men, and that he was whole and unharmed, they marveled exceedingly, and they believed on our Lord Jesus Christ; and they drew nigh to the frying- pan in order to lift the holy man out from it. And the emperor commanded his soldiers to cut off [the heads] of all of them with swords, and they did so, and [the people] received crowns of martyrdom. Then the emperor commanded his soldiers to hang a great stone from the neck of Saint Christopher, and to cast him into a pit, and they did unto him even as the emperor commanded; and the angel of the Lord brought him out of the pit, whole and unharmed. When the emperor was tired [of torturing him] he commanded them to cut off his head with the sword, and he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of heaven. Salutation to Christopher who believed through the teaching of Matthew, and salutation to those who died with him, thirty women and handmaidens, and three men. And on this day also is commemorated Malal’el (Mahalaleel), the son of Cainan. Malalel (Mahalaleel) lived one hundred and sixty-five years and begot Jared; and all his days were 165 (sic) years. And Malal’el (Mahalaleel) died on the First Day of the week, on the second day of the month of Miyazia, and he was buried in the Cave of Treasures. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 3 (April 11)

On this day died the holy father Abba John, Bishop of the city of Jerusalem. This holy man had Jewish parents, who kept the Law of the Torah (i.e. Pentateuch). When he had arrived at man’s estate his parents taught him the doctrine of the Law of the Torah, and he became exceedingly learned therein. And he disputed with the Christians, and argued with them, until at length he became certain in his heart and believed that our Lord Jesus Christ came into the world and that He was God in truth. And he believed through Saint Justus, Bishop of Jerusalem, who baptized him with Christian baptism, and made him a deacon in the city of Jerusalem. Then he advanced in good works, and in knowledge, until he became fit to be Bishop of the city of Jerusalem. When Andrianus became king, he who was called “Elias,” he commanded [the people] to rebuild the ruined places of the city of Jerusalem; now his name was called “Elias.” Then the Jews built the western gate, of great strength (?), and he made (i.e. set) over the gate a tablet of costly stone on which was engraved the name of “Elias.” Now in his days Jerusalem was filled with stone, and with Gentiles and Jews. When the Gentiles saw the Christians coming to Golgotha and praying there, they prevented them, and built there a temple dedicated to the planet Venus, and they would not allow the Christians to pass that site. Then there came upon this holy man great tribulation and sorrow, and provocation from the Gentiles, who lived in the city of Jerusalem, and they beat him often, and dragged (?) him about, and treated him with insult, and afflicted him, and he entreated God that his soul might be received to Him; and he died in peace, having sat upon the Episcopal throne for two years. Salutation to John, the persecuted, the son of Mary. And on this day also died the holy father, the pure virgin, Abba Michael, the seventy-first Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. The soul of this father desired what was good, that is to say, to put on the apparel of the holy angels, or the garb of the monk, and he became a monk in the church of Saint Abba Macarius, in the desert of Scete. He lived in the desert until he was an old man, and he was set over many monks, and he fought a good fight all his days, and he pleased God. And he labored and did a great work until he reached the archiepiscopate, which is Christian ordination in this world, and in the heavenly world, which is to come. When Abba Gabriel, the archbishop who preceded him on the throne of Mark the evangelist, died, there was no Archbishop of Alexandria for four months, and the bishops, and priests, and the chief doctors spent a period of three months in searching out, and trying to choose the man who was best suited for the office of archbishop. And after much searching, and great labor, they chose three desert monks, concerning whom it was testified that they were Orthodox in Faith, and learned. And they wrote the names of these three men on three small pieces of paper, and they sealed each one of them with wax, and laid them on the altar. And the bishops, and priests, and monks remained praying for three days and three nights, and they consecrated the Offering; and they entreated God Most High to set over them a good shepherd and a faithful priest. And after three days they called a certain small child and they said unto him, “Take out for us one sealed paper from among these four seals.” And the boy took out that seal under which was the name of this holy father Abba Michael, and all men knew that God had chosen him. And he was of the sons of Makedos, of the cell of Darsen, which is in the desert; and all the men cried out, “He is worthy, he is worthy, he is worthy”; and straightway they enthroned him archbishop. And he entered upon his office with all the gracious excellence, which befits the archiepiscopacy. And they chose a scribe to write his epistles to every country, and to every bishop. And this father used to teach the people, and exhort the sinners to repent of their sins; and all his flock feared him because they knew that God was with him. He was pure in heart and in soul, and he had no desire for any of the dainty meats and delicate foods of this world, and he coveted neither the honor thereof nor its possessions. And he strove and understood the visiting of the poor and needy, and he gave them what they asked for their needs, and whatsoever remained after their wants were satisfied he spent in building churches. This father did not hold his office a full year, but lived a little short of it, and he died in peace. Salutation to Michael. And on this day also died Marke, the poor, the Christian. This holy man was a native of the city of Antioch, and he had a trusted friend whose name was Guespar, an infidel, and a worshipper of idols; and the two men differed about nothing whatsoever except their Faith. One day Marke and this Gufar departed on a pilgrimage to the city of Bagdad (Baghdad), and they spent five days in traveling through a desert wherein there was no man. Now Marke the Christian was a rich man, and he had with him thirty pounds of gold, and whilst he was on the road he fell sick of a violent disease, which brought him [nigh unto] death. And he forced himself and wrote a document, saying thus: “From Thy servant, the son of Thy handmaiden, I have thirty pounds of gold fastened to the black mule and it is Thine, O my Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Glory be to Thee! In atonement for my sins, and for my errors, so that Thou mayest give me the kingdom of heaven; and it shall not be for my children, my wife and my kinsfolk.” And he rolled up the paper, and sealed it, and called his friend Guespar, and he made him swear by his gods that he would do for him everything, which he told him. And when Guespar had sworn, he said unto him, “When I die do not touch me, but take this paper and the thirty pounds of gold with the mule on which it is, and give it to my Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God; take it in thy hand and do not tell my children.” And Guespar said unto him, “Art thou mad, O my friend? Didst thou not say that Christ, glory be to Him, died, and rose, and ascended into heaven? How than can I give it unto Him?” And Marke said unto him, “Go to a church, and when he who belongs to it cometh unto thee, give him the gold from thy hand into his.” And after this when Marke came nearer and nearer to death Guespar sat down some distance from him, and waited for him to die. And he saw angels coming down to him holding a heart of light, and with them were the righteous, and the martyrs, and David singing psalms to his harp; and the Holy Spirit came down in the form of a white dove, and He went round the body of Marke thrice. And when the holy soul of Marke saw [this] it went forth from his body, and ascended into heaven with great glory. And then two lions came and buried him. And Guespar loaded the gold [on the mule] and departed, marveling at everything, which he had seen to Thaddeus, the steward of the church, [who did not wish] to receive Guespar the pagan, but he demanded from him the gold and the mule. When the priest said this, Guespar said unto him, “I will give the gold and the mule from my hand into the hand of my Lord Jesus Christ [only], as my friend made me swear to do.” And leading away the mules, he departed to the church. And the priest Thaddeus opened the gates, ad having gone in Guespar laid the gold on the altar; and having gone out the gates were closed, and he stood there. And at the time of midnight, he heard the sound of thunder inside the church, and light appeared, and suddenly my God our Lord Jesus Christ came down with great glory; and with Him were two angels, and He sat down upon the altar. And an angel said unto Guespar, “Come, worship, for this is Christ Himself, the Son of God”; and Guespar bowed low and gave Him the paper, saying, “I have believed in Thee, my Lord Jesus Christ.” And Christ ordered the angels to weigh the gold, and there were thirty pounds, and our Lord commanded Guespar to be baptized by the priest Thaddeus, and he and all the men of his house were baptized, now they were in number seventy-five souls. And Guespar died in the Faith of Christ. Salutation to Marke who sent his gold to Christ. Salutation to the idolater Guespar, and also to the men of his house who believed through this great miracle. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 4 (April 12)

On this day the saints Victor, and Decius, and Irene, and many people, both men, and women, and virgins became martyrs. These saints lived in the days of the kingdom of Constantine, and in the days of his son; now these emperors destroyed many houses of idols, and broke their idols, and burned them in the fire, and they built [on the sites of the temples] many churches and altars, in the name of our Lady, the Holy Virgin Mary, the God-bearer, and in the names of many saints. When Constantine was dead Julian the infidel reigned, and he set up the worship of idols, and he honored their priests, and slew many Christians. And the history of these saints was noised abroad, how they worked [destruction] in the houses of the idols, and how they smashed the idols. Then the governor seized them, and tortured them for many days, and beat them, and crucified them, and flayed the skin from their bodies with iron knives; and after this [the soldiers] cut off their heads with swords, and they received crowns of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. Salutation to Victor, and Decius, and ‘Ermo. Salutation to the holy father, Isaac the abbot. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 5 (April 13)

On this day died the great prophet, the righteous man, Ezekiel, the son of Buz, the priest, who was made captive, and carried off to the city of Babylon. When Nebuchadnezzar carried the children of Israel into captivity, the spirit of prophecy descended upon Ezekiel when he was in the land of Babylon, and in prophecy he spoke many marvelous words. In prophecy he spoke concerning the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ by our Lady, the holy Virgin Mary, and how after she had borne Him, she would remain a virgin. And he prophesied, saying, “I saw in the East a door which was shut. And God said unto me, this door shall remain shut, and it shall not be opened, and none shall go through it except the Lord God of Israel, and He shall go in and out from it.” And he prophesied concerning the baptism of Christ, [saying], “The soul of a man shall be sanctified, and his body, and the heart of stone shall be plucked out from him, and he shall become a Son of God by the descent of the Holy Spirit upon him” (Ezekiel xxxvi, 26). And he encouraged the people and rebuked the priests for forsaking the teaching of the people, and he said unto them, “Guard yourselves against laziness, and be not blind to doctrine.” And he rebuked them and said unto them, “God will require the souls of men from you if ye do not teach them and if ye do not wake them up.” And he prophesied concerning the resurrection of bodies, [saying], “Needs must that dead bodies shall rise, and they shall become one with their souls even as they were aforetime. And they shall rise up according to what is prepared for them, whether it be for punishment or whether it be for joy.” And he uttered many prophecies, which are of benefit to those who read them, and God made manifest through him many signs and wonders. When the children of Israel worshipped idols in the city of Babylon, he rebuked them, and because of this their leaders rose up and killed him. And he prophesied five hundred and seventy and seven years before the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the days of his prophesying were one year. Salutation to Ezekiel, who saw Mary as a closed door, which God had established. And on this day also took place the strife of ‘Aflamis, and Theodora, and Arsenius, the monk, and Basilides. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 6 (April 14)

On this day died Saint Mary, the Egyptian, the dweller in the desert. This holy woman was a native of Egypt, and she came from the city of Alexandria, and her parents were Christians. When her days were twelve years, the Hater of good and the Adversary of men seduced her, and led her astray and made her his net wherein he caught innumerable souls, that is to say Satan made her to love fornication. And she gave her body up to fornication, without payment, because of her love for the deadly sin, and she continued in this filthy work for a period of seven and twenty years; and her love for this filthy work increased [with her years]. And by the Will of God, the Lover of mankind, He showed her the men who wished to go and be blessed at the tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ in the city of Jerusalem, and the thought stirred in her mind that she would go with them; and she embarked in a ship, with many people. When they were about to set sail, the sailors said unto her, “Give us the passage money for the ship,” and as she had not the money with her to give them, she gave them her body so that they might take fornication with her in place of the ship’s passage money. When she arrived in Jerusalem, she did the same thing, and played the whore continually. When she wished to go in with the rest of the people through the door of the church of the tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Divine Power prevented her from entering. And it came to pass that when she wished [to fornicate] with the people who were coming [there] the Power of God prevented her from doing so. And when she drew nigh, and the Power prevented her from entering the church because of her filthy deeds, she lifted up her eyes to heaven, to God the Merciful, being sad and sorrowful in her heart, and she saw above her a picture of our Lady, the holy Virgin Mary, the God- bearer. And she wept before it, and made entreaty unto it, saying, “O intercessor for all Christian people, O God-bearer, make a pact with me. If I can go in and celebrate the festival with all the [other] people, I will do everything which thou commandest me.” And saying these words she went quickly into the church of the tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ. And when she had finished the keeping of the feast, she returned quickly to the picture of our Lady the holy Virgin Mary, the God-bearer; and she made long prayers before it, and wept bitterly, and made entreaties before it that the Virgin would send her where ever she pleased, so that she might save her soul. And a voice came out from the picture of our Lady, the holy Virgin Mary, the God-bearer, saying, “If thou wilt go into the desert of the Jordan thou wilt find rest and salvation.” And she accepted the words, and prayed and saluted the picture of our Lady, the holy Virgin Mary, the God-bearer, and then she went forth. When she had gone forth from the church she met a certain man, and he gave her three small coins wherewith she bought bread. Then she crossed the valley (or, river) of the Jordan, and dwelt in the desert of the Jordan for seven and forty years; and she strove strenuously, and Satan fought against her by means of her love for the impure thing, which she had worked formerly. And she lived upon the bread, which she had bought for many days, and every two days she used to fast for two days, and every three days for three days, and little by little she ate up her bread. When the bread was finished she lived upon the herbs in the desert. When the seven and forty years wherein she had wandered up and down the desert had come to an end, the holy priest Zozimas went out into the desert of the Jordan, in order to complete therein the holy Forty Days’ Fast, according to the custom observed in his monastery--now it was the custom with the monks of his monastery to go out each year for the Great Fast (i.e. Lent) into the desert, and to devote themselves to severe ascetic labors, and to fight in the spirit until the end of the Fast. When Saint Zozimas had gone out into the desert of the Jordan, he entreated God to show him, that which would give him consolation. As he was going along in the desert he saw the holy woman Mary in the distance, and he believed her to be Satan himself. And having prayed, it was shown to him that she was a human being, and he went towards her, and she fled from him; and he followed her and ran after her to come up to her, but she still fled from him. Then she called out to him by his name, saying, “O Zozimas, why dost thou want to talk to me; throw me a rag that I may cover myself therewith, for I am naked.” And he marveled exceedingly when she called him by his name, and he threw to her the wherewithal to cover herself; and straightway she came to him and bowed before him, and he bowed before her, and they embraced each other, and she asked him to pray for her, for he was a priest. Then he asked her to tell him the story of her fight, and then she told him everything, which had happened to her from the beginning to the end. Then she asked him to come and visit her each year, and to bring with him the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he said unto her, “I will.” When a full year had passed he took some of the holy Body, and the honorable Blood in a cup, and he carried with him figs, and dates, and also lentils for soaking in water. And he came to the bank of the River Jordan, and saw the holy woman coming in the distance, and she was walking towards the River Jordan; and when she came up to him they embraced each other and prayed. Then he administered to her the Holy Mysteries, and he brought forth the dates, and the figs, and the lentils, and asked her to accept them from him; but she asked him to come back to her in the desert in the following year. When the second year was ended, and he went to the valley of the Jordan, he found that the holy woman was dead, and lying near her head was a paper whereon was written, “Bury Mary, the poor woman, in the dust of which she was created”; and he marveled at the writing. And he saw near her feet a lion, which was guarding her, and whilst he was wondering in his mind with what he should dig her grave, the lion came and dug a grave for her; then the holy man prayed over her and buried her. And he returned to his monastery and related to the monks the story of the strife of this holy woman Mary the Egyptian from the beginning to the end thereof, even as she had told it to him; and they all marveled exceedingly, and they praised the glorious and Most High God. And all the days of her life were seven and seventy years. Salutation to Mary, whose dead body was guarded by a lion in the desert. And on this day our Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Thomas, the apostle, on the eighth day after His resurrection. And Thomas saw the marks of the nails which were in His hands and feet, and he took his hands and laid them in His Divine side, where the spear had pierced it, and he said, “My Lord and my God.” And our Lord said unto him, “Thou hast believed on Me, because thou hast seen Me; blessed is he who shall believe on Me without seeing Me.” In a commentary on the Gospel it saith that when Thomas the apostle laid his hand in our Lord’s side, his hand was burnt with divine fire; and that when he believed in His Godhead his hand was healed of the burn. Glory be to God, and let us beseech Him to have mercy upon us through the prayers of all His holy apostles and righteous ones, forever and ever. Amen. Salutation to the chamber wherein Christ showed His pierced side, and the hand of Thomas was burnt. And the fathers have commanded us to celebrate the commemoration of the deaths of our father Adam and our mother Eve on this day. Before God created this our father Adam He created the heavens and the earth and all that therein is, and the angels and the archangels. And having planted for him the Garden of Edom containing every kind of fruit pleasant to the taste, and having furnished it with every desirable thing, He created Adam. He took dust from the centre of the earth, that is to say Golgotha, at the third hour of the day of the Eve of the Sabbath (Friday), and He created him out of four things, that is to say, water, fire, air, and dust. And He made him in His own image and likeness, and He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and He dressed him in the dress of life, and light, and He made him king, and priest, and prophet, and administrator of everything he wished. Then He brought to him all the beasts, and cattle, and birds of the heavens so that Adam might see them, [and give unto] each of them its name, even as he pronounced them, through the Holy Spirit, which was on him. And God having wished to make for him a companion to help him, brought upon him slumber, and he slept, and then He took a bone from his side and filled [the place thereof] with flesh, and set her before him. When Adam woke from his sleep he prophesied, and said, “Bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh, assuredly thou be to me my wife”; and he called her name “Hewan” (Eve). And as Adam was standing [there] on the place of Golgotha, he heard the voice of his God, and behold a cloud of light took him up with Eve his wife and carried them into the Garden of Edom, and the voices of every rank of the angels, the Cherubim and the Seraphim, went before him praising and thanking God because He had done honor to Adam. And God said unto Adam and Eve, “Of every tree which is in the Garden eat, but of the tree which is in the middle of the Garden eat not, for on the day wherein ye shall eat of it ye shall surely die.” And Adam continued to till the Garden, and to eat of the fruit thereof, and he praised [God] with the angels. And when Satan, the Enemy of all good, had fallen from his exalted state and honor, because of his arrogance concerning Adam, and the honor and glory [which God had given him], he went to the place where Eve was, in the form of a serpent, and he persuaded her to eat of that tree which God had set apart, and promised to her the nature of God [if she did so]. And having looked at the tree, and seen that the fruit thereof was good, she ate thereof, and made Adam to eat thereof. And their raiment of light was stripped from them, and they knew that they were naked, and they covered their shame with the leaves of the fig tree. And when God knew their fault, He cursed the serpent, and He made enmity to exist between it and the seed of Eve. And her also He cursed, saying, “In pain conceive and bring forth thy children; and thy turning shall be to thy husband, and he shall serve thee.” And to Adam He said, “Cursed shall the ground be for thy sake. With the sweat of thy face eat thy bread; dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return.” And he made for them tunics of hide, and they put them on, and they went forth from the Garden of Edom, at the turn of the evening, after seven years of joy and delight. In the morning, at sunrise, he used to smell the smell of incense, and perfume, and water of frankincense, and aromatic herbs. And Adam dwelt in the land of Elda and tilled the ground according to what he had learned in the Garden of Edom, and he knew his wife Eve and she bore him Kayl (Cain) and after him Abel. When Kayl (Cain) slew Abel in his jealousy. And Adam continued to lament the death of his son for seven (?) years, and then Seth was born unto him in exchange for Abel his son, in whom stood his memorial, and after him came many children (?). When Adam went forth from the Garden, God saw his tears and his repentance, and He gave him the promise of a hope of salvation, and He said unto him, “In five thousand and five years I will come into the world, and I will be born of what is in thee, and I will deliver thee in a wide place, and I will redeem thee by My Cross.” And Adam took from the Garden gold, and myrrh, and incense, and gave them to his son Seth, and he wrote for him, saying, “In the last days the Son of God shall come, and He shall be born of a virgin, and then the Magi shall bring (as) gifts unto Him this gold, and myrrh, and incense.” And this writing after begin handed down from generation to generation came to our Lady, the holy Virgin Mary, and she gave it to our father Peter, and Peter gave it to Clement. When our father Adam knew his death was near he called his son Seth, and Seth drew nigh unto him in the Cave of Treasures. And Adam said unto him, “Make thy children and thy children’s children to come unto me before I die.” When Seth heard the words of his father Adam, he went forth from his presence, with the tears flowing down his cheeks, and he gathered together his children, and his children’s children, and brought them to him. When Adam saw them he wept because of his [approaching] separation from them, and when they saw him weeping they all wept together before God, and they fell down upon their faces, saying, “How can the earth cover thee, and hide thee from our eyes?” Then our father Adam blessed all his children, and he said unto Seth, “O my son, this world is full of weariness; preserve righteousness and purity; let us trust in God. And incline not to the voice of Satan, and his wiles, which he will make apparent to thee. When I die take my body, and prepare it for burial with myrrh and cassia and stacte, and bury me in the cave of a store-chamber. And there shall come a water-flood, and it shall drown every created thing, and only eight souls shall be left. Be thou a protector of thy people. Watch over them and protect them in the fear of God, and teach them the way of salvation, and take care of them so that they may not be in subjection to Satan, and that he may not destroy them. Separate thy children and thy children’s children from the children of Kayl (Cain), and do not let them mix in any way, and they shall draw nigh neither to their works nor their fables.” Then Adam turned to Seth his son, and to Eve his wife, and he confided to their care the gold, and the myrrh, and the cassia, so that they might bury them with him. And he said unto them, “In the days wherein the Water-flood shall come, they shall take my body into the ark, with the gold, and the myrrh, and the cassia, and shall lay them in the middle of the earth. After many days [enemies] shall capture this country, and they shall [not] take the gold, and the myrrh, and the cassia, together with the [other] spoil, but they shall be preserved here until the time when the Word of God shall become flesh, when kings shall take them and bring them unto Him--gold because of His kingship, and incense because He is God of heaven and earth, and the myrrh is the symbol of His Passion.” And when Adam was nine hundred the thirty years old (Genesis v, 5), in the 135th year of the life of Mahalaleel, he died, at the ninth hour of the day, on Friday, the day on which he was created, now the hour in which he died was that in which his going forth from Paradise had taken place; at that moment hosts of angels gathered together to his children. And they prepared his body for burial carefully, and they anointed him with scented unguents of every kind, which are [found] in the trees of the Holy Mountain. And they laid his body facing the east of the Cave, and they set a lighted lamp before him, and they laid by his side the gold, and the myrrh, and the cassia; and they sealed the doors of the Cave with the seals of Adam and Eve and Seth. And Seth and his children continued to minister unto the body of our father Adam, until the Water-flood came. Then Noah took Adam’s body into the ark, and by the command of God he carried it with him until he brought it to Mount Ararat. Then Shem and Melchisedek, an angel of the Lord guiding them, took it from this place and buried it in the “place of a skull”; and Melchisedek continued to minister unto it with incense and offerings. And when the Son of God came, and was born of Adam’s daughter, He redeemed Adam by His death, and restored him to his former inheritance, for he was the father of the prophets and apostles, and the father of the saints and martyrs, and through him the Son of God came into the world. Salutation to Adam, the first man created, and salutation to Eve, a bone of him. And on this day were born Noah and David, the king, the father of Solomon. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 7 (April 15)

On this day died the great and honored and righteous man, Joachim, the father of our Lady, the holy Virgin Mary, the God-bearer. This righteous man was called by three names, which are as follows: Joachim, and Yonakir, and Zadok. He was of the seed of David, and of the tribe of Judah, for he was the son of Joachim, the son of Lazarus, the son of Eldad, whose tribe goeth back to Solomon the king, the son of David the king, whom God promised that his seed should reign over the children of Israel for ever. The wife of this righteous man was Hannah, and she was barren, and both of them prayed and entreated God continually, by day and by night, [to give them children]. And having accepted their petition He gave them good fruit, and sweet, which satisfied all the men of the world, and He removed from them the bitterness of servitude, and He made Joachim worthy to be called the father or Christ, because of His marvelous Incarnation, which was to take place through his daughter. And after God had shown His joy in the birth of our Lady, the holy Virgin Mary, the God-bearer, his heart was glad, and he brought his offering to the altar, for shame had been removed from him, and from his kinsfolk. And after our Lady, the holy Virgin Mary, the God-bearer, had left her mother’s breast, Joachim took her and carried her into the sanctuary of God, according to what they had vowed to God. And having lived a few days after he died in peace. Salutation to Joachim. And on this day also are commemorated ‘Agabos, and Theodora, the martyrs, and Abba Metruf, the son of Abba Muse of Dabra Lebyon. Salutation to ‘Agabos, Theodora, and Metruf. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 8 (April 16)

On this day became martyrs the three holy women, that is to say, ‘Agali, and ‘Erani, and Susnonya. These three holy virgins were natives of the city of Thessalonica, and they served God and our Lord Jesus Christ, for their parents were God-fearing folk. And the three women loved virginity and chastity, and they made an agreement with each other to serve Christ, and they devoted themselves to the ascetic life, and they fought a great and good fight, which exceeded the strength of their youth and capacity. And they fasted, and prayed, and kept vigil ceaselessly at all times, and they went to the nunneries, and associated themselves with the virgins who were therein. When Maximianus, the infidel, reigned, he established the worship of idols, and poured out the blood of very many innocent persons. And those virgins were afraid, and they fled to a mountain and hid themselves in a cave, and they dwelt therein, and devoted themselves to the practices and contending of the ascetic life. And a certain old woman, who was a Christian, used to visit them once a week, and to give them everything, which they needed, and she sold the things, which they made with their hands, and what remained of the price thereof she gave to the poor. And it fell out that as she used to come out of the city, and go to the mountain very often, a certain evil man saw her [one day], and he followed her, secretly, and at a distance, without the old woman seeing him, until she came to the cave and went inside it. And the man watched her going into the cave from a distance, and hid himself until she came out; now he imagined that there was money hidden in the cave. And when the old woman had gone away from that place, that evil man went into the cave, and he found those pearls of great price, those lambs of the flock of Christ, praying. When they stood up he bound them with fetters, and he dragged them away, and brought them to the governor of Thessalonica. And when the governor questioned them about their Faith, they confessed before him that they were Christians, and that they worshipped the God Who had been crucified for them; and he was wroth with them because of the power of the word of Faith, and he commanded [his soldiers] to beat them severely, and to make the stripes to cause them grievous pain. And when they would not submit to him, and would not become infidels, he commanded his soldiers to cast them into the fire; and they bound the virgins with fetters, and cast them into the fire. And they delivered up their souls therein, and each received an incorruptible crown in the kingdom of the heavens. Salutation to the three virgins who were burned to death in the fire, and two-fold salutation to the old widow who supplied their daily needs. And on this day also one hundred and fifty people were martyred at once by a Persian king. This king besieged a certain Christian city, which was near his own land, and he carried off as captives very many of the people thereof and took them to his own country. When they refused to obey him, and would not worship the sun, and moon, and stars, he commanded [his soldiers] to cut off their heads, and they cut them off with swords, and [each of the captives] received a crown of martyrdom. Salutation to you, O ye one hundred and fifty martyrs who refused to worship the gods of the King of Persia, and were burned to death (sic) in the fire. And on this day also is commemorated Timothy, the archbishop. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 9 (April 17)

On this day died the holy father, the ascetic and fighter, the priest Abba Zozimas the monk. This holy man was a native of the country of Palestine, and his parents were Christians and righteous folk. And having begotten this holy man they themselves brought him up for five years, and then they gave him to a certain righteous elder monk to educate and to train thoroughly as a Christian, and to teach him philosophy, and the doctrine of the Church; and the elder received him and treated him like a son in Christ. And he taught him philosophy of every kind, and doctrine, and after this he arrayed him in the garb of the monk, and made him a deacon. And he grew up doing good works, and he increased in excellence, and he was continually praising God, and he read the Scriptures by day and by night. And whether he was working with his hands, or whether he was eating his food, he never ceased from praising God at all times. When he had completed five and forty years in that monastery, he was made a priest, and he increased his ascetic labors and his contending, and he became the conqueror in every spiritual fight. And the Enemy and Adversary sowed in his heart the evil thought that he was superior by far in respect of severity of his labors to all the other ascetics his contemporaries. And he said within his soul, “Doth there remain for me to do one work of righteousness and asceticism which I have not done?” And our Lord Jesus Christ did not abandon him, but He sent an angel to him, and commanded him to go to that monastery which was near the River Jordan. And he rose up and departed, and he came to that monastery, and he found therein righteous elders who were perfect in their contending, and he knew that his ascetic labors were less strenuous than theirs, and that there lived in the world men who were more perfect and better than he. And he took up his abode with them in that monastery, and he fought as they fought with them for many years. And the monks of that monastery were accustomed, when the Great Fast of forty days came, to fast in the monastery for the first week of the Holy Fast, and to receive the Holy Mysteries on the First Day of the week. And on the following day they went out from the monastery singing the 27th Psalm, “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?” to the end. When they had finished their coming forth from the monastery, they prayed at the gates of the monastery, and embraced each other, and the abbot of the monastery blessed them, and then they dispersed themselves in the desert, and each of them carried out his spiritual fight by himself, unseen by his companions. And if one of them saw that a companion was near him, he fled to another spot, so that he might not see the face of his neighbor. And Saint Zozimas used to go out with them each year, and he would wander up and down in the desert, and ask God to reveal to him something, which would give him comfort. As he was wandering about he found Mary, the Egyptian woman was dwelt in the desert, and he learned from her the manner of the life which she had lived in the world in the days of her youth, and how it came to pass that she entered that desert; and she told him everything which had happened to her, and all her fight from the beginning to the end thereof. Then she asked him to visit her. After one year [he came to her] and gave her the Mysteries. After this, in the second year, he visited the desert, and found that she was dead; and he buried her, and he told the monks of that monastery concerning her strife. This holy man found it meet to go to the “Country of the Blessed,” and it is he who wrote the account of the dwellers there, and their strivings, and revealed their works, and their righteousness. When he had completed eight and ninety years, he died in peace. Of these he lived [five and] forty years in the world before he entered the monastery, and for three and fifty years he lived the life of an ascetic, and fought the spiritual fight. Salutation to Zozimas who visited the Country of the Blessed like Matthew, and described the lives of those who lived there. And on this day also the righteous men of the company of Isidore, and a child ten months old, together with his father and mother, became martyrs. And on this day also there was made manifest a great miracle through our holy father Abba Sinuthius (Shenuti), Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. This man had gone up into the desert of Scete in order to fast the Great Fast in the monastery of Saint Abba Macarius with the monks. And when it was [the time for] the Eight Hosannas, the Arabs and Muslims assembled, and came to the desert of Scete to plunder the desert houses and monasteries, and they stood on the rock to the east of the church of Saint Macarius, and their swords were drawn in their hands, ready to kill men. And the bishops, [and the priests,] and the monks gathered together to him, and they told him what had taken place with the Arabs and Muslims, and they wanted to go forth from the desert before the festival of Easter. And Sinuthius (Shenuti) said unto them, “As for me, I will not leave the desert until the festival of Easter be finished.” And when the Fifth Day of the week had come whereon, according to the New Covenant of Joy, our Lord Christ washed the feet of His disciples, the number of the Muslims and the Arabs increased. When Abba Sinuthius (Shenuti) saw the terror of the people, he took up his staff whereon was the figure of the Cross, and he grasped it and willed to go forth to them, saying, “It is better for me to die with the people of God.” And the bishops and the monks seized him, and would not let him go out, and he strengthened their hearts and comforted them. Then he went forth to the Arabs and the Muslims, with his staff in his hand, and when the Muslims saw him they turned round and fled as if they were pursued by an army of soldiers; and from that day onwards those Muslims never came back to the monks and never did them any harm. Salutation to Archbishop Sinuthius (Shenuti), who put to flight Arabs, who were armed with swords, by the figure of the Cross only. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 10 (April 18)

On this day died the holy father and fighter Abba Isaac, the disciple of the great father Abba ‘Eblo. This holy man renounced the world and all the pleasure and delight thereof, and went up to the desert of Scete, and became a monk; he was the disciple of Abba ‘Eblo, and he continued to minister unto him for five and twenty years. And he fought so strenuous a fight that at length his whole body dried up, but he retained possession of all his faculties. And he remained quiet (or, silent) at the times of prayer and the consecration of the Offering, and he stood timidly [in the church] with his hands clasped behind him, and his head bent; and he wept until the Office of the Offering was ended. And when he came out from the Offering, he never associated with any man at all during that day, and he never left the door of his house open lest any man should come and visit him. And when anyone asked him, saying, “Why dost thou never talk with him who wisheth to talk with thee at the time of prayer, and at the time of the Offering?” he answered and said unto him, “There is a time for everything, as is fitting.” And when the time of his death drew nigh the company of the monks gathered together to him so that they might be blessed by him, and might take refuge in his prayer. And when they asked him, and said unto him, “Why didst thou flee from men?” he answered and said, “I was not fleeing from men but from Satan. If a man taketh hold of lighted lamp, and standeth in the wind, will not the light be extinguished? Even so is it with us when our hearts shine at the time of prayer and at the time of the Offering. When we meet together and hold converse with each other our hearts become dark.” And this holy man having finished his spiritual strife and pleased God by his strife, and God having willed to give him rest from the toil of this fleeting world, he became a little sick and died in peace. Salutation to Isaac who loved ascetic labors and prayer, and fled from the face of a man, as from a wild beast. And on this day also died the holy father Abba Gabriel, the seventieth Archbishop of the city of Alexandria, who was named the “son of Taroyka.” This holy man was a son of one of the rich nobles of Mesr (Cairo), and he was appointed deacon in the church of Saint Mercorius of Egypt. He was a wise and learned writer, and he wrote many books in Coptic and Arabic with his own hand, and he completed the greater part of them, and he interpreted (or, translated) many others; and the bishops, and those who were in authority, and the elders of the people chose him to be appointed archbishop. And there was in the desert of Scete a certain elder, a Syrian, and a man of the Spirit, whose name was Abba Yosef, and the grace of God was upon him, and he could see by the Holy Spirit, and describe what was about to take place before it happened. And the aged monks gathered together to him, and asked him to make them to know, and reveal to them the answer to their enquiry, “Who is the best man for this honorable office?” And Yosef answered and said unto them, “A certain man who is called Gabriel, the son of Taroyka”; and the monks told this answer to the bishops. And they all were pleased with it, and they agreed about him, and they seized him and enthroned him archbishop on the 21st day of the month of Yekatit, in the year of mercy, the eight hundred and fortieth year [of the Era] of the martyrs (i.e. A.D. 1124). And when he departed to the desert of Scete, he added in the prayer of the Creed, which is at the end of the Liturgy of Basil, the words, “and was One with His Godhead.” And the monks of the desert of Scete said unto him, “This is not our custom.” They were afraid that he thought that Christ was. . . and that His Godhead was mingled with His manhood. And after a great searching out, these words were sanctioned, and what followeth: “without separation, and without mixture, and without blending”; and they were well received and are in the Creed to this day. And this father in his days ordained very many good things, and he cursed the people who brought the bodies of the dead into the inner parts of the churches of Mesr (Cairo), and he cursed all those who had concubines and cast them forth from their houses, and drove them away. And this father drew up a Canon, and laid down just laws concerning inheritances from dead men, and other matters, and these ordinances are observed by the Church from many books. During the days of his rule he appointed three and fifty bishops, and many priests, and he never took a dirham from them. And at that time the King of Egypt brought tribulation upon him, and demanded money from him by force, and he set seventy spies over him to watch him. And the scribes, and the men in authority, and the people, knowing that this father had neither taken any money from any man, nor from the moneys of the Church, nor from the [rents of] the lands of the poor, they collected from their own houses three hundred dinars in gold and gave them to the king on his behalf. And as the time of his death drew nigh, and God willed to make manifest his righteousness and virtues, he became a little sick. And he saw in a vision many priests and monks coming to him, carrying in their hands crosses, and censers, and Books of the Gospel, and they embraced him, and said unto him, “We have come unto thee to visit thee, but we will return unto thee after this earth is ended [for thee], and we will take thee with us.” When he awoke he told the bishops and the priests who were about him what he had seen, and then he recovered from his illness. And after the end of a year he became a little sick, and again he saw the priests and the monks who had come to him formerly, and they embraced him and he rejoiced with them. And straightway he delivered his soul into the hand of God, and he died in peace; and all the days of his sitting upon the throne of Mark the evangelist were fourteen years. And in the days of this father the King of Ethiopia commanded Abba Michael, saying, “Set a bishop over the country of Ethiopia”; and the bishop said unto the king, “I cannot appoint another bishop without the command of the archbishop.” And the King of Ethiopia sent a letter to this father Abba Gabriel the archbishop, asking him concerning this matter, and he also sent a letter to the King of Egypt asking him to command this father [to appoint a bishop]. And this father commanded Abba Michael, Bishop of Ethiopia, to appoint for him other bishops over and above those, which had been already appointed. And the King of Mesr (Cairo) commanded this father Abba Gabriel to command Abba Michael, Bishop of Ethiopia, to do everything that the King of Ethiopia wished. And the nobles came in to the King of Mesr (Cairo), and they said unto him, “If bishops become many in the country of Ethiopia they will wax bold, and they will appoint bishops as they please, and they will never return to thee at all.” When the King of Mesr (Cairo) heard this, he commanded this father archbishop, Abba Gabriel, saying, “Send a letter and curse the King of Ethiopia, so that henceforward he may not appoint bishops over the country of Ethiopia”; and the archbishop sent a letter as the King of Egypt commanded him. When that letter reached the King of Ethiopia, suddenly his palace caught fire, and famine and plague broke out in his land, and the rain was held back, and would not fall on the fields, and great tribulation came upon the people, for the king refused [to obey]; and he transgressed the command of God. Then the King of Ethiopia turned to God and repented, and he sent a letter to the King of Mesr (Cairo) asking him to command this father to send, and release him from this ban. And this father wrote a letter of blessing, and sent it to the King of Ethiopia, and to all the Ethiopians, and blessed them. When that letter reached the country of Ethiopia God removed His anger from them and sent to them His compassion and mercy; and the rain descended upon them, and God removed the famine and the plague and the people rejoiced with great joy. And this is what happened in the days of that king. Salutation to the Patriarch, the son of Torayk, to whose name was added that of the angel Gabriel. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 11 (April 19)

On this day Simon, a native of the country of Armenia, and Bishop of the country of Persia, became a martyr; and with him were one hundred and fifty others who suffered. This holy man lived in the reign of Sapor, the son of Hormizd, who was called, “puller out of the arms,” because when he conquered another king he bound him in fetters, and pulled out his arms. And he inflicted very severe tribulation upon the believers, and he laid forced labor upon them. And this holy man sent to him a letter wherein he said, “Those whom our Lord Jesus Christ hath bought with His honorable Blood are to be saved from the servitude of men, and they are the servants of our Lord Jesus Christ alone. Therefore forced labor doth not befit them, and they are not liable to render the illegal and excessive labor and tribute, which may be decreed for them. But they may choose to die for our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath shed His blood for them, and may not perform service for the wicked men who transgress the Law.” When Sapor had read the letter of this holy man, he was exceedingly wroth, and he bound him with two chains of iron, and brought him and cast him into the prison house, where the holy man found many men who denied Christ and worshipped the sun; but these men were bound for other reasons. And the saint rebuked them, and taught them, and they believed on our Lord Jesus Christ; and the soldiers cut off their heads, and they received crowns of martyrdom. After this the king had this holy man brought, and there were with him one hundred and fifty men, and the holy man strengthened them until they cut off their heads and they received crowns of martyrdom. And one of these men was terrified, and he dreaded the sword, and he wished to deny his Faith; but one of those who were standing there said unto him, “Be not terrified at the stroke of the sword, which is as nothing, but shut thine eyes and thou shalt be numbered with the martyrs, and thou shalt reign with our Lord Jesus Christ for ever.” And he did thus, and he received a crown of martyrdom. Then certain men informed against that man who had encouraged the other, now his name was Basek, and they brought him to the king, and the king cut out his tongue and flayed him, and Basek yielded up his soul. After this he had Saint Simon brought to him, and he said unto him, “Worship the gods. If thou wilt not do so I will torture thee severely”; and the saint would not obey his command, and he was not afraid of his torture. And straightway the king commanded his soldiers to cut off his head with the sword, [and they did so,] and he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. And all the days of his life were one hundred and twenty years. Salutation to Simon the Armenian, Bishop of Persia, and salutation to the one hundred and fifty men who suffered with him, and inherited the kingdom of heaven with him. Glory    be     to     God    Who      is    glorified      in    His    Saints. Amen. Miyazia 12 (April 20)

On this day died the holy father, Abba Alexander, Bishop of the city of Jerusalem. This holy man was Bishop of the country of Cappadocia, and he came to the city of Jerusalem in order to worship therein, and to receive a blessing through the holy places, and then [he intended] to return to his own country. And there was in Jerusalem a bishop, a righteous man, whose name was Barkisis; he was very far advanced in age, and had reached his 110th year; for a long time he had wished to retire from his see, but the people would not let him do so. When Saint Alexander had finished his work, and wanted to return to his country of Cappadocia, God made the men of Jerusalem to hear a voice from heaven, which said unto them, “Get ye out to the gate, and the first man who cometh in seize, and set him over you as bishop.” And the men went out to the gate of the city, and they found Abba Alexander, and they seized him and brought him in, and the bishop said unto them, “I am Bishop of the country of Cappadocia, and I cannot leave my flock to which Christ hath appointed me [to become bishop] over you. And I see other [reasons]. Behold my diocese is reckoned unto me as a wife, and it is not right for me to forsake it.” Then they told him about the voice which they had heard from heaven, and what it had said unto them about him. And when he knew that the matter was according to the Will of God, and the fathers who were assembled for the festival had advised him to do so, he accepted their words, and he wrote a letter to his own country saying to the people thereof, even as he wrote about it, “Forgive me. Sorrow not for me. Appoint a bishop for yourselves in my place. And do ye rejoice.” And he sent that letter with certain Cappadocian men who had been with him for the festival. Then this Alexander sat with Barkisis, the elder, for a period of five years, and more, and the holy father Barkisis, the elder, died; and Alexander took over his flock in the city of Jerusalem, and he shepherded the people and gave them spiritual protection, even as did the apostles. And Maximus, the infidel governor, seized him, and he inflicted upon him severe tortures of every kind, and then he shut him up in prison until he could decide what to do with him. And God blotted out that wicked governor quickly, and brought out this father from the prison house. When Gordianus became emperor there was quietness, and for a short time he removed tribulation from the Christians. After this he died, and Philip reigned in his stead; now Philip was a believer and he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. And he set free from the prisons all the believers who had been shut up therein for the Name of Christ, and he paid them great honor. And this father sat in quietness and peace until Decius rose and killed Philip, and reigned in his stead; and he afflicted the Christians exceedingly. And he seized this father and many of the elders of the Church, and inflicted punishments of every kind upon them, but especially upon this father, whom he beat cruelly and unmercifully with staves, to which sharp irons pierced his belly. Then he commanded [the soldiers] to drag him by his feet to the prison house, and to throw him in there; and they did even as the emperor commanded. And Alexander lay prostrate in the prison house, but believing on our Lord Christ, and he delivered up his soul into the hand of God, and inherited the kingdom of the heavens, which is prepared for the saints of God. Salutation to Alexander who was beaten to death, and to Antonius, and Luke. And on this day God sent Michael the archangel to Jeremiah the prophet, and delivered him from the narrow prison wherein Zedekiah the king had imprisoned him, and Abimelek the Ethiopian, the captain of the royal guard brought him out. And Straightway Jeremiah blessed him, and he (the angel) told him that he should neither see the desolation of Jerusalem, nor taste the bitterness of captivity and calamity; and this actually came to pass for him. And he fell asleep for seven and sixty years, and with Michael were wine, and figs, and he gave [them] to Jeremiah the prophet. And for this reason the doctors of the Church have commanded us to make a festival in honor of the glorious Archangel Michael on the twelfth day of each month. Salutation to Michael, the angel of the covenant of God, and helper of all who are on land and sea, like whom there is no other. And on this day also are commemorated Saint Anthony, Bishop of the city of Tamaw, and Eusanius (Ausanius). And on this day also are commemorated Gaius (Fugasyos), and Esdras unto whom John the Baptist appeared. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 13 (April 21)

On this day two ascetics, Abba Iyasu (Joshua) and Abba Yosef (Joseph), the disciples of Abba Milius in Dabra Kuerasan, became martyrs. And behold the story of their martyrdom, and of their strife, is written in the section for the 28th day of this month, which is the day whereon their spiritual father became a martyr. Salutation to Iyasu (Joshua) and Yosef (Joseph) the chosen ones. And on this day also is commemorated Dionysias the martyr, the deaconess, who was one of the apostles, and whom the disciples of our Lord Christ appointed. And on this day also is commemorated Banadleus (Madleyos) the martyr. And on this day also are commemorated our father ‘Aklesotemos, and four monks. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 14 (April 22)

On this day died the holy and spiritual father Abba Maximus, the fifteenth Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. This father was a man who feared God in all his works, and he was a native of the city of Alexandria. His parents were Orthodox Christians, and he learned to read and write Greek, and studied Greek philosophy, and he had a very thorough and perfect knowledge of the Greek tongue. Then he leaned the doctrine of the Church, and the Law of God, and Abba ‘Arokla appointed him deacon over the church of the city of Alexandria. Then Abba Dionysius made him a priest, and he became a devoted and strenuous worker in every matter, which concerned the office to which he had been appointed. When Abba Dionysius died, the learned fathers and bishops chose this father to be archbishop, on the throne of Mark the evangelist, and by the Will of God, he was appointed archbishop. Now Abba Dionysius died before the General Council of the city of Antioch, which had assembled because of Paul of the city of Samosata, was ended. When this father Maximus took his seat on the throne of his office, letters reached him from those who were in authority at the Council describing what had happened at the Council, and saying how the Council had excommunicated Paul of Samosata, the denier [of Christ], and all those who believed his views. Before the arrival of these letters, however, in the presence of the clergy of the city of Alexandria [Maximus had written a letter], and then he wrote another letter, in his own name, and sent it with the letters of the Council to all the countries in Egypt, and in the country of Ethiopia, and in the country of Nubians, commanding thereby the people to pray, and make entreaty to God to remove from the world the opinions and error of Paul of Samosata, the infidel. And God accepted their petition, for that infidel Paul of Samosata only lived for a few days, and God blotted him out speedily, and destroyed his evil belief in the world. In the days of this father there appeared in the land of the east a man whose name was Mane. This man spread abroad evil error, and he dared to call himself “Paraclete Holy Spirit.” And he came to the country of Syria, and a certain bishop, whose name was Archelaus, contended with him in words, and he prevailed over him and made manifest his error; and he drove him out of his country and Mane returned to the land of Persia. Now he called himself a prophet. And Behramo (Bahram), the King of Persia, took him, and cleaved him in twain, and he took two hundred men who followed him and buried them in the ground head downwards up to their loins, and he said, “Behold I have planted a garden of men.” And this father continued to strive, and he shepherded his flock, and strengthened them in the True Faith by means of rebukes and homilies; and he delivered them from tribulation of the infidels and other evil men until he died. He sat upon the throne of Mark the Evangelist for seventeen years, and he died in peace. Salutation of Maximus, the preacher of the Gospel. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 15 (April 23)

On this day is commemorated the first consecration of the church which was dedicated by the Jacobite Christians in the country of Egypt, in the name of Saint Nicolas, Bishop of the city of Mira, and one of the Three Hundred and Eighteen bishops and fathers who assembled in the city of Nicea. This church which was consecrated was outside the city of Alexandria, and it is well known by reason of the strife of Saint Abba Sinoda, and stands to the east of the city. This holy man was exceedingly great, and he confessed Christ before the government of Diocletian, and tribulation and many punishments came [upon him]. And God made him to remain until he came and joined himself to the holy General Council of Three Hundred and Eighteen [bishops and fathers]. And the miracles of this saint were exceedingly numerous, and they are known in all the ends of the earth. Salutation to Saint Nicolas. And on this day also is commemorated Saint ‘Agabos, the apostle, who was one of the Twelve (Seventy-two disciples?), and whom the Book of the Acts of the Apostles (xi, 28; xxi, 10) mentions as the man who prophesied as to what should come upon Paul. He it was who also prophesied about the great famine which came in the days of Claudius Caesar, and his prophecy was fulfilled and the famine came, and with it pestilence, and destroyed many people. And behold we have already written an account of the strife of this holy man in the section for the fourth day of the month of Yekatit. Salutation to ‘Agabos, who prophesied that the Jews would bind Paul hand and foot. And on this day also [is commemorated] the departure of the soul of Saint John the Baptist, after it had dwelt with him, and traveled about in the aether, for seventeen years. Salutation to John whose soul left him when his head flew up into the air. And on this day also is commemorated the holy woman Alexandra, the martyr, the wife of Dudianus, the king, whom Saint George laughed at for casting incense to the gods. Now Dudianus imagined that he was faithful, and he embraced the head of Saint George, and he brought him into his royal palace. And Saint George prayed and read the Psalms of David before Queen Alexandra, and she asked him to interpret them to her, and he interpreted them and made clear to her the Godhead of our Lord Jesus Christ; and his words entered her heart, and she believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. And when Saint George had laughed at Dudianus he destroyed his idols, and he commanded the earth, and it swallowed them up, and Dudianus the king was put to shame. And he came to Saint Alexandra his wife in sorrow and sadness, for Saint George had put him to shame. And this holy woman said unto him, “Did I not tell thee not to set thyself against the Galilean Christians, because their God is strong and powerful?” And Dudianus was wroth with her, and he commanded the soldiers to torture her and to cut off her head; and they tortured her severely, and cut off her head with a sword, and she received the incorruptible crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. Salutation to Alexandra, whose subjects tortured her, and laid a heavy stone upon her breasts. Salutation to ‘Abib. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 16 (April 24)

On this day Saint ‘Antibas (Antipas), Bishop of the city of Bar’ama (Pergamus), the disciple of John the Evangelist, the proclaimer of the Godhead, became a martyr. This holy man lived in the days of Domitianus, the son of Vespasianus, who laid waste Jerusalem. This Caesar destroyed the Jews who were in his dominions so completely, that not a Jew could be found therein, and he killed many royal children also, being afraid for his son, and his kingdom, and himself. And he heard that the Christians said that Christ was their God and King, and he was afraid and slew many of the believers, and John the Evangelist, that is to say, “preacher,” fled from him. And he sent to Jerusalem, and he made his soldiers bring the children of Judah to the city of Rome, the son of Yosef (Joseph) being bound in fetters. And when he had questioned them about the kingdom of Christ, they answered and said unto him, “It is a heavenly kingdom, and Christ will depart to heaven. And He shall come again at the last day, and shall judge the living and the dead, and He shall reward each according to his works.” And when the emperor heard this, he feared exceedingly, and he let the Christians go free, and did not afflict them in any way; and he ordered his people to pay them honor. Among the number of those who became martyrs through him was this holy man, whom he tortured with many severe tortures to make him to deny Christ, but under these tortures the faith and confidence of the saint increased. After this the emperor placed him in a bull of brass, and lighted a great fire under him, and whilst the saint was in it he continued to praise God, and to ascribe holiness to Him, and to thank Him for making him fit to become a martyr for His holy Name. And then he asked God to heal all the sickness, both of body and soul, of all those who should make mention of his name, and commemorate him; and he finished his martyrdom inside the brass bull. And when the infidels cast out his body, certain believers took his holy body with great honor, and singing, and music, and laid it in a church. When the saint was in prison angels came to him from Saint John the Evangelist, and they comforted him and they strengthened him [in the Faith], and they called him “faithful priest,” and “good shepherd,” and “martyr,” and they informed him that he was to become martyr. And they said unto him, “Thou shalt be numbered with the holy apostles and martyrs.” And it is said that from his holy body there exudeth perfume of an exceedingly sweet odor, to this very day, and that it is beneficial to all those who take it in faith. Salutation to ‘Antibanis (Antipas), the disciple of John the Evangelist, who was martyred in a red-hot brazen bull. Anoint thou me, a sinful man, with the scented unguent, which distilleth from thy body. And on this day also they commemorate Saba the martyr. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 17 (April 25)

On this day Saint James the Apostle, and martyr, the brother of John the son of Zebedee, became a martyr, after he had preached in the country of Asia. When James went forth to the Twelve Tribes, which were scattered, he told them of the peace of God our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is in truth God. Among all these tribes there was none who worshipped God, but the people of each tribe had their own idols, which they had chosen as gods, and belonging to each graven image was a service of error, which made the people to go astray. And there was over the tribes a man set in authority under the kingdom of Herod, and he commanded that the people, wherever he found them, should work for him, and the money which he made them to bring to him was very much, and at length his position became great, and his rule widespread and powerful. When James came to them he preached to every tribe in the language of his country, for our Lord had endowed him with the knowledge of every language. He knew not only the language of men, but also the language of sheep, and cattle, and wild animals, and the fowl of the heavens; and whenever the people held converse in their own languages, the apostle knew everything [they said], by the help of the Holy Spirit. And James preached among them, and he commanded them to put away their evil works from them, and to believe in the Living God, and in His only Son our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Holy and Life-giving Spirit (through Whom [existeth] every created thing [and] the things which are in their souls), and Who shall judge the living and the dead. And he said unto them, “Give not all your goods to the kings of the earth, but give some to the poor for the salvation of your souls.” And at that moment the grace of the Holy Spirit dwelt in them, and the fear of God came into their hearts. And the story of Him was proclaimed throughout all their countries, for at the word of James the Apostle they believed on Him, and they became strong in the Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of heaven and earth, Who doth not reject those who seek Him, and who turn to Him with a right mind, but Who doth reject all those who believe on themselves, and in the evil works which they do. And he said, “Leave [these], and turn to God with a right mind.” And they accepted the words, which Saint James spoke unto them, and he loved them exceedingly because they made haste to receive his preaching; and they forsook many works of error, which they did formerly. And Saint James the Apostle made haste, and built a church for them in each of their countries, and when he saw the beauty of their Faith, he baptized them in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and they all rejoiced and were glad together. And he commanded them with the commands of the Gospel, and the Law of their Faith, and he said unto them, “I beseech you to let every tribe give to the church for its income the first-fruits of your crops and your vineyards, and [offerings] from your flocks, and they shall be to God as food for the poor.” And the people answered and said unto them, “We wish to do whatsoever thou commandest us”; and [one] tribe brought the first fruits of all their goods to the church. Now this tribe was under the dominion of Herod the king. And when Herod heard that it was Saint James the Apostle who had ordered this, he was wroth, and he sent and had him brought before him. And he said unto him, “Is it thou who hast commanded the people not to give tribute to Caesar, and not to give gifts to the king, and who hast commanded them to give away their goods in alms, and to the church, and to the poor?” And Saint James said, “Yea.” Then was Herod furious with him, and he smote him with the sword, which was in his hand, and he cut off his head; and Saint James received an incorruptible crown in the kingdom of the heavens. And there was a great tumult in Jerusalem, and the king took Peter, the chief of the Apostles, and shut him up in prison, and he decided to kill him after the festival of Easter was finished. And the angel of the Lord smote Herod and he died an evil death and his body stank; he glorified himself and did not glorify God. And certain believing men took the body of James the Apostle, and swathed it for burial, and they buried it in the sanctuary. Salutation to the brother of John, the Apostle and Evangelist, James, the glory and ornament of the Church. Salutation to thee, O thou who wast bound hand and foot in prison, Salutation to the festival of Easter.Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 18 (April 26)

On this day also the holy and honored Eusebius, the slave of Susenyos, became a martyr. When the Emperor Diocletian was torturing Saint Susenyos, the father of Saint Susenyos laid information against this holy man before the emperor, saying, “Susenyos hath a slave, whose name is ‘Ausonius, and he worshippeth Christ as his God, with all his heart, and he will not worship the gods.” And the emperor commanded him to be brought to him, and when he had come, he asked him concerning his Faith, and he confessed our Lord Christ, and His Godhead, before him. And the emperor used much persuasion, and punished him, and rebuked him for forsaking the gods. And the holy man rebuked the emperor for forsaking the Lord Who is God in truth, and the anger and fury of the emperor was added to greatly, and he ordered the soldiers to cut off the head of the holy man with the sword before his lord; and they cut off this head with the sword and he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. Salutation to ‘Ausonius the slave of Susenyos. And on this day also Abba Peter, the brother of Abba ‘Ebsoy, became a martyr. The name of the father of this holy man was Sidrak, and his mother’s name was Mary. When this holy man was born, Koris, his mother’s sister, took him, and brought him up with her son Abba ‘Ebsoy. And when he was seven years old she took him to a teacher, and he learned all the Law of the Church, and the two continued to fast and to pray, and they worked signs and wonders; and Gabriel, the angel of the Lord, appeared unto them, and told them that they were going to become martyrs for the sake of our Lord Christ. And after a few days Satan led astray the wicked Diocletian, and made him to worship idols. And certain men accused these holy men of being Christians before Arianus the governor of ‘Ensna, and when he had them brought before him, he tried to compel them to worship idols. And when they refused he commanded his soldiers to put them up upon the henbaz (i.e. a sort of rack) until the blood ran down upon the ground. Now the pain of the torture caused the blessed Peter great agony, for his body was tender through excessive fasting and prayer; and straightway the angel of the Lord came and he healed him of his suffering. When Arianus saw this. He commanded the soldiers to take him to the east of the city, and to cut off his head with the sword. Now Abba ‘Ebsoy was in the prison house, and the angel of the Lord caught him up, and brought him to his brother Peter, and they embraced each other, and kissed, and then they prayed to God to bring them to the heavenly Jerusalem. And behold a voice came unto them from heaven, saying, “Peace be unto you, O ye fighters, for ye shall be among the company of heaven, and your bodies shall not be separated from each other upon earth”; and then the angel of the Lord took Abba Peter and brought him back into the prison house. And the soldiers cut off the head of the mighty and victorious Abba Peter, and they hung his body on a tree. Then Abba ‘Ebsoy asked the keeper of the prison house to let him go away secretly, and having gone he brought the body of Abba Peter, and swathed it with scented cloths, and buried it in a secret place. Salutation to Peter of goodly face and form. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 19 (April 27)

On this day Simon, a native of the country of Armenia, and Bishop of the country of Persia, became a martyr; and with him were one hundred and fifty others who suffered. This holy man lived in the reign of Sapor, the son of Hormizd, who was called, “puller out of the arms,” because when he conquered another king he bound him in fetters, and pulled out his arms. And he inflicted very severe tribulation upon the believers, and he laid forced labor upon them. And this holy man sent to him a letter wherein he said, “Those whom our Lord Jesus Christ hath bought with His honorable Blood are to be saved from the servitude of men, and they are the servants of our Lord Jesus Christ alone. Therefore forced labor doth not befit them, and they are not liable to render the illegal and excessive labor and tribute, which may be decreed for them. But they may choose to die for our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath shed His blood for them, and may not perform service for the wicked men who transgress the Law.” When Sapor had read the letter of this holy man, he was exceedingly wroth, and he bound him with two chains of iron, and brought him and cast him into the prison house, where the holy man found many men who denied Christ and worshipped the sun; but these men were bound for other reasons. And the saint rebuked them, and taught them, and they believed on our Lord Jesus Christ; and the soldiers cut off their heads, and they received crowns of martyrdom. After this the king had this holy man brought, and there were with him one hundred and fifty men, and the holy man strengthened them until they cut off their heads and they received crowns of martyrdom. And one of these men was terrified, and he dreaded the sword, and he wished to deny his Faith; but one of those who were standing there said unto him, “Be not terrified at the stroke of the sword, which is as nothing, but shut thine eyes and thou shalt be numbered with the martyrs, and thou shalt reign with our Lord Jesus Christ for ever.” And he did thus, and he received a crown of martyrdom. Then certain men informed against that man who had encouraged the other, now his name was Basek, and they brought him to the king, and the king cut out his tongue and flayed him, and Basek yielded up his soul. After this he had Saint Simon brought to him, and he said unto him, “Worship the gods. If thou wilt not do so I will torture thee severely”; and the saint would not obey his command, and he was not afraid of his torture. And straightway the king commanded his soldiers to cut off his head with the sword, [and they did so,] and he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. And all the days of his life were one hundred and twenty years. Salutation to Simon the Armenian, Bishop of Persia, and salutation to the one hundred and fifty men who suffered with him, and inherited the kingdom of heaven with him. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 20 (April 28)

On this day Babnuda, of the city of Dandara (Denderah in Upper Egypt) became a martyr; now he was also called “Al-Dandara.” This holy man was an anchorite, and he was a righteous priest and a fighter. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, “Put on priestly apparel (i.e. the holy vestments), and get thee down from this cell, and appear before the governor.” Now Arianus the governor had arrived in a ship at the port of that city, and had asked for the anchorite and found him not. And this holy man Babnuda came to him of his own free will, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying, “I am a Christian openly, and I believe in my Lord Jesus Christ.” When the governor knew that he surely was the anchorite for whom he sought, but could not find, he commanded his soldiers to torture him severely, and they did so; and they loaded him with iron fetters, and took him into a dark chamber. And heavenly light shone upon him, and an angel of the Lord appeared unto him and healed him of his pains, and comforted him. And there was in that city a certain believer whose name was Carolus, with his wife, and his daughter, and twelve young women, and the holy man taught them, and strengthened them, and the soldiers cut off their heads and they became martyrs. And the governor was wroth, and he commanded his soldiers to hang this holy man our father up, head downwards, and to cast him into the river, but the holy man, by the power of God, swam out. And the governor also commanded them to [hang him] on a palm tree, whereupon the palm sent forth fruit, and produced twelve clusters of dates, and [this fact] is remembered unto this day. After this they cut off his head, and he delivered up his holy soul, and received the crown of martyrdom. Salutation to Babnuda, who made the palm to yield fruit. Salutation to the companions of Babnuda. Salutation to Carolus and to his wife and daughter. [ And on this day is commemorated ‘Ammoni.] Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 21 (April 29)

On this day is the festival of the commemoration of our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, the God-bearer, who maketh intercession with her Beloved Son on behalf of the children of men, and maketh Him to forgive the sins of those who call upon her name. Therefore it is meet for us to keep the feast on the day of her commemoration. Salutation and blessing be to the virginity of the Lady Mary, both internally and externally. And on this day also died the holy father Berutawos. This honorable man was one of the learned counselors and philosophers in the city of Athens, and he was one of the numbers of the learned sages of the Council Chamber. He frequented the company of Saint Paul, the Apostle, and they disputed together about the Faith, and it was clear to Berutawos that there was no True Faith except that of our Lord Jesus Christ. And he believed through the Apostle Paul, who baptized him with Christian baptism, and taught him the Ordinances and Law of the Church; and after this he laid his hand upon him, and made him Bishop of the city of Athens. And this man frequented the company of Saint Dionysius, [and] Abba Roba, of peasant family, the chief of the learned men of the great city of Athens, and he revealed to him the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he explained to him whatsoever was obscure therein, and he was exceedingly learned. And this holy man Berutawos came on the day of the death of our holy Lady the Virgin Mary, the God-bearer, and he stood among the apostles, and he comforted them with the spiritual songs and hymns which he had written, and which he himself sang to pretty tunes and to the accompaniment of a sweetly-voiced flute. He converted many Jews and Gentiles, and brought them to the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ; he trafficked in the grace, which had been given unto him, and he made very great profit thereby. When the apostles wanted to make him a bishop, he beseeched and entreated them, saying, “Be pleased to excuse me, for I am not fitted for this honorable position, and I am not able to perform the duties of a priest.” And having received heavenly grace in his knowledge, and work, and learning, he departed to God. Salutation to Berutawos who sang and played funerary music with the Apostles, when the Virgin Mary died. And on this day were martyred ‘Akresokos, and Yak’asos, and Yoras. And on this day also died the honored father, the great and memorable preacher of the Faith, who was like unto the Apostles, Abba ‘Inbakom (Habakkuk). God called this holy man from a far country to the monastery of our father Abba Takla Haymanot, in the days of our father Peter, and it was Peter who baptized him, with Christian baptism, with his own hand, and he gave him into the charge of a teacher, and after this he arrayed him in the garb of a monk. And ‘Inbakom (Habakkuk) fought good spiritual fights of every kind, and at length he was worthy to be appointed to the throne of our father Takla Haymanot, and he was one of the company of the Eleven Learned Fathers. After this he departed to God, Who loved him, at a good old age, having suffered much tribulation and persecution, and labored hard. Salutation to ‘Inbakom (Habakkuk). Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 22 (April 30)

On this day died the holy father Abba Isaac, from the city of Harin, in the district of Sebko, in the north of Egypt. This holy man had pious parents, and his father’s name was Abraham, and his mother’s name was Sosna; his mother died when he was a child and left him alone with his father. When he had grown a little, he herded his father’s sheep, and his father married another wife. In those days there was a great famine, and his father’s wife hated him, and only gave him a little bread, and this holy man used to give his food to the shepherds, and fasted the whole day long until the evening; now at that time he was five years old. When his father knew that his son used to give his food to the shepherds and fast all day until the evening, he went to see him. And this holy man, knowing the matter before his father came to him, tied up three pieces of mud in his cloak, so that his father might think when he saw them that they were three loaves of bread tied up in it. And when his father came to him, and unrolled the cloak, and found the three pieces of mud he thought they were loaves of bread. And he asked the boy to tell him if he had given his bread that day to the shepherds or not, and he said, “Yea.” And he gave his food to the shepherds, and many came and heard this; and his father marveled, and glorified God. When this holy man had grown up he went and became a monk with a certain righteous man whose name was Elias, and he lived with him for many years. When Abba Elias died Abba Isaac went to the monastery of Barnug, and he lived with an elder whose name was Zacharias, and he devoted himself to the ascetic life, and fought a great spiritual fight. And his father went about in every district, trying to find him. When his father came to the monastery of Barnug, and found him there, he asked him to return with him, and Isaac refused. And Abba Zacharias said unto him, “Go with thy father, and live with him until he dies”; and the holy man went with his father; and he had been living with his father a few days when his father died. And all the goods, which his father left, he gave to the poor and needy, and then he built for himself an abode far from the city, and he dwelt there alone, and devoted himself to the ascetic life. And he fought a great fight, with fasting, and prayer, and ceaseless vigils, until he died in peace, and he was buried in his abode, and the place was forgotten. After many years God willed to reveal it, and a lighted lamp, which appeared above his grave, was seen by certain men who were reaping; and having seen this miracle for a space of three days, they marveled exceedingly. When they came to that place to look at it, the lamp disappeared, and when the story of the saint was noised abroad, and the place had been seen by them, they found the lamp burning above his grave. Then the saint appeared unto certain believers in a dream, and told them the place where his body was, and they took it up with great honor, and laid it on a camel. Then thy set out and journeyed on until they came to the middle of his city Harin, and the middle of Mesrat; and there the camel knelt down, and would not get up again. And they beat the camel with many strips, but he would not get up, and they knew that it was by the Will of God that he would not move. And they decided to build a shrine for him there, and to lay him in it; and they built a church in his name, and laid his body in it, and through it many signs and wonders took place. Salutation to Isaac, who made clods of earth to appear to be loaves of bread. And on this day also died the holy father Abba Alexander, the nineteenth Archbishop of the city of Alexandria, concerning whom the apostolic Athanasius saith, “My father Alexander never read the Gospel sitting down, but he read it standing up with the light in front of him.” And concerning him he also mentions the following: “The chief widows came to him, and they spoke unto him, saying: There is with us a certain virgin who fasts seven days at a time, but she doeth no work with her hands. And he said unto them, O my sisters, I never fast two days at a time. I never eat when the sun hath appeared. I eat in moderation. And he told them that one should eat in moderation and fast in moderation, and work in moderation, in every good matter.” The parents of this holy man were Christians. He grew up in the service of the Church, and he was reared therein, for Maximus made him a reader, and Abba Theonas made him a deacon, and Abba Peter made him a priest; and he was pure, and a virgin from his youth. When the time drew nigh for Abba Peter to become a martyr, this holy father Alexander and ‘Akilas went to him when he was in prison, and asked him to remove the excommunication from Arius, for Arius had asked them both to ask Abba Peter about him. When they asked Abba Peter, he excommunicated Arius again in their presence. And he informed them, saying, “Our Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto me, ‘Arius hath rent My human nature,’ and He commanded me not to receive him again.” And Abba Peter told them that “Akilas should become archbishop after him, and that after ‘Akilas, Alexander should be archbishop. And he told them this thing before the priests of the Thorah of the city of Alexandria, and he commanded them not to receive Arius, and to have no fellowship with him. When Abba Peter had finished his martyrdom, ‘Arkilas was made archbishop after him, and he transgressed and received Arius, and made him a priest; therefore ‘Arkilas lived only seven months and died. After him this father Alexander was made archbishop, and as soon as he had taken his seat, the elders of the people came and asked him to receive Arius, but he refused to do so, and added curses to those, which he had already heaped upon him. And he said unto them, “Father Peter commanded me and ‘Arkilas not to receive Arius, and he told us, saying, “Take heed that thou dost not receive Arius, and thou shalt have no fellowship with him.” And ‘Arkilas having received Arius, God speedily removed him from his office; and Alexander said, “Nay, I will not receive him.” And he expelled Arius, and the people who believed in his evil Faith. Then Arius went to the Emperor Constantine, and laid an accusation against this holy man, saying, “Alexander hath excommunicated me wrongfully.” And Constantine assembled the General Council of Three Hundred and Eighteen Saints in the city of Nicea. And this father was the President of the Council, and he disputed with Arius and revealed his denial to Christ (or, infidelity) in words, which were light in their expression, but weighty in their majesty; and they excommunicated him and would not receive his words. And Alexander uttered the Faith, which God spoke, with his own mouth unto all the fathers, and he drew up the Canon, and the Law, and [rules for] right judgment, and these are in the hands of Christians until this day. And he made regulations for the Fast (i.e. Lent), and the festival of Easter, and he returned to his office victorious and joyful. And he shepherded his flock in grace and in peace, and he sat upon the throne of Mark the evangelist for seventeen years, and he died in peace. Salutation to Alexander, President of the Council of Nicea, who made the excommunication of Arius to resound in heaven and upon earth. And on this day died the holy father Abba Mark, the Second, the forty-ninth Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. This father was a native of Alexandria, and he was a virgin, and chaste, and learned, and honorable, and he was the second Archbishop of Alexandria with the name of Mark. Abba John made him a deacon, and he performed the duties of that office exceedingly well. He was an eloquent speaker, and his voice was sweet, and because of his learning and his knowledge of the Books (the Scriptures) all those who heard him rejoiced in him. Then Abba John made him to live in his house, and he delivered to him the regulation and administration of the archiepiscopate, and he did nothing whatsoever without his advice. And he arrayed him in the garb of the monk, in the monastery of Saint Abba Macarius. And at the moment when he put on the garb of the monk, a certain righteous man from among the holy fathers came, and spoke unto him before all the people, saying, “This deacon whose name is John (sic) shall, rightly and fittingly, sit upon the throne of his father Mark, the evangelist.” When the time of the death of Abba John drew nigh, he spoke unto the bishops, and told them that they must make this father archbishop; and they rejoiced in him, and they appointed him by force, and against his wish, after he fled from them to the desert of Scete. And they sent for him, and bound him, and they brought him and enthroned him. In his days he restored the churches, and rebuilt those that were in a ruinous state, and in his days he removed the heresies of the heretics who appeared in his days in the country of Egypt. And he made a church for them specially, and they sat therein, and he rebuked and admonished them, and he counted them among the sheep of his flock. And God made manifest through this father many signs and wonders, and he healed multitudes of sick folk, and he drove out the filthy devils which possessed men. And he said unto one of them, “Understand that this would not have come upon thee unless thou hadst shown irreverence to the Holy Mysteries. Rise up, without fear, and henceforward guard thyself against the vain word which would go forth from thy mouth.” And in his days the Muslim Arabs used to carry off many Christians from Rom, and bring them to the city of Alexandria and sell them. And this father was exceedingly sorrowful about this, and he borrowed money from the monasteries and begged money from believing men, and he bought many Roman Christians from the Muslims for three thousand dinars in gold; and he wrote for them bills of manumission and set them free. And he said unto them, “Whosoever among you wisheth to depart to his own country I will supply him with what he needeth [for the voyage], and send him off, and whosoever among you wisheth to stay with me, I will look after him and protect him.” When any of them wished to return to their own country he gave them the money necessary for the journey, and had them protected on their way until they reached their own country; and for those who remained with him, he provided wives and protected them. After this he took thought for the Church of our Redeemer in the city of Alexandria, and restored it; Satan stirred up a riot in the city, and the church was burned, but this father restored it again. When God willed to give him rest be became a little sick. And on Easter Sunday Saint Mark the evangelist appeared unto him, and told him about the everlasting joy which God had prepared for him, and he made known unto him, saying, “After thou hast received the Holy Mysteries thou shalt rest.” Having awoke from his sleep he told the bishops who were about him what he had seen, and he commanded them to begin the service of consecration of the Offering, and he himself consecrated and received the Holy Mysteries. And he said unto them, “I embrace you all with a holy embrace,” and he died in peace straightway. And all the days, which he sat, were twenty years. Salutation to Alexander, who ransomed the captive Roman Christians for thirty thousand dinars in gold. And on this day also died the holy father Abba Michael, the fifty-third Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. This holy father was a righteous man, and a monk, and he was made abbot of the church of Saint Abba John of the desert of Scete. And they seized him against his will, now it was with the greatest difficulty that they seized him and made him Archbishop of the city of Alexandria, on the 24th day of the month of Hedar; and he devoted himself to the ascetic life and he ordered his course after the manner of the Apostles. When the Great Fast came, the holy man went up to the desert of Scete to keep the Great Fast there, and his spiritual fight and his strenuous asceticism when he was in the desert by himself are remembered. Before he was made archbishop, he prayed to God with tears and groans, saying, “O God, Thou knowest how much I love to dwell by myself, and that I have not strength enough for this office, [to say] nothing about my fitness. I beseech Thee, because of the greatness of Thy compassion, to take my soul and to give me rest in this Fast.” And God received his petition, and it came to pass that after the Easter Festival God called him, and gave him rest. And the days of his office were two years and five months. Salutation to Michael, whose soul God took according to his request. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 23 (May 1)

On this day the holy and honored, the great star of the East, Abba George, the fighter, became a martyr. The name of the father of this holy man was Anastasius, and he was from the country of Cappadocia; his mother’s name was Theobesta, and she was from the country of Palestine. When George was twenty years old his father died, and he rose up and went to the Emperor Dodyanos so that he might received the appointment, which his father had held. And he found that the emperor was setting up idols, and worshipping them, and that he was compelling all men to worship idols. And George divided all the goods, which were his among the poor and the needy, and set free his slaves, and he stood up before the emperor, and confessed our Lord Jesus Christ. And the emperor tried to persuade him [to reject Christ], and promised him many great [honors], but he would not turn [to idolatry], and he would not submit to him. And the emperor tortured him with many tortures, but God strengthened him and healed his wounds. And He told him that he should die three times for His holy Name, and that each time He would raise him up, but that when he died for the fourth time he should received the crown of martyrdom. And He promised him that he should inherit great and well-known fame in all the ends of the world, and informed him that he should continue to be tortured for. . . (7?) years, and that He would send His angels to minister unto him. Now the emperor was exceedingly sad and sorry because of all the many tortures which he was inflicting upon Saint George, and because the saint would not submit to him. After this the emperor brought to him a great and powerful magician whose name was Athanasius, and he concocted a cup full of poison, and gave it to that saint to drink, and he thought that he would die as soon as he had drunk it. When Saint George had drunk the cup, which was full of poison, he received no injury whatsoever; and the magician believed on our Lord Jesus Christ, and became a martyr. And the emperor had an instrument brought wherein were teeth like a saw, and he commanded his soldiers to saw the saint in it, and when they had sawn him, he delivered up his soul; but our Lord Jesus Christ raised him up, and the saint returned to the city. When the people saw this, many of them believed on our Lord Jesus Christ, and they received crowns of martyrdom; and they were in number thirty thousand and seven hundred souls. When Saint George stood before the Emperor Dodyanos, in the place where the kings assembled, now the kings were sitting upon seventy thrones, the emperor said unto him, “We wish thee to make these thrones whereon we are now sitting to put forth leaves, and bear fruit.” And Saint George prayed to God concerning these thrones, and they put forth leaves and bore fruit straightway. And after this they took Saint George, and boiled him in a brass cauldron, and then threw him out into the desert, but God restored his soul to his body, and raised him up again; and the saint returned to the kings, preached the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ openly. And they all marveled and said unto him, “If thou wilt raise the dead we shall know that thy God is God indeed, and we will believe.” And Saint George prayed to God, and he raised up for them from a cave very many dead people, both men and women and young people. And these preached the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and told the people about Gahanam, and the Judgment (or, punishment); and after this they returned to their graves, and died. And when those infidels who were contending against him, and resisting him, saw this they said, “These creatures which thou hast raised up are unclean spirits; they are Satanic spirits, and not men.” And because of their great sadness and sorrow for Saint George, and the tortures which he was condemned by them to suffer, and in order that he might submit to them, they committed him to the care of a poor beggar woman. And when the poor woman went out to beg for bread the angel of the Lord brought him a table whereon there were all kinds of good food. And there was in the house of that woman a piece of dry wood, and Saint George prayed to God, and that wood germinated, and put forth leaves, and it became a tall tree with long branches and much foliage. And when the poor widow came and saw that great miracle, and how that tree had shot up, and the table, she marveled, and she brought her son who was blind, and deaf, and dumb, and a paralytic, and asked the saint to heal him for her. And he told her the way to God, and she believed on our Lord Jesus Christ. And the saint made the sign of the Cross over the face of the child and he saw straightway. And Saint George said unto her, “I will that the next time he may be able to hear, and to walk and to speak.” And the emperor passed through the city, and saw that tree, and he marveled, and asked questions concerning it. And they told him, saying, “This tree is in the house of the widow wherein Saint Gorge dwelleth.” And the emperor having remembered Saint George had him brought to him, and he commanded his soldiers to beat him with very many stripes, and they beat him, and crushed his feet, and he died for the third time, and they cast [his body] outside the city; but God raised him up and he returned to the kings. When the Emperor saw him, he marveled, and was frightened, because of all the tortures to which he had subjected the saint, and he began to speak him fair and he promised to give him his daughter in marriage and to make him the second in the kingdom [if he would deny Christ]. Then the saint made a mock of him, and promised him, untruthfully, that he would offer incense to his gods. And the emperor rejoiced, and thought that the saint would do so actually, and he ran to him, and kissed his head, and brought him into the royal palace. And the saint rose up to pray, and he prayed, and repeated a psalm of David, and the empress, the wife of the emperor, kissed him, and asked him to explain to her what he had read. And he began to make her to know and to understand the matter from the time when God created the world, to the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ; and his words entered her heart and she believed on our Lord Jesus Christ. And on the following day a herald went round calling upon all the men of the city to gather together in order to see Saint George make an offering of incense to the gods. And when the widow heard this, she was exceedingly sorry, and she went out with the multitude to see Saint George make an offering of incense to the idols. And when the saint saw her he rejoiced, and said unto her son, “Go to Apollo, and command him to come hither to me in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ”; and the widow’s son was healed straightway, and he walked and talked, and he went to the idol, and told him what Saint George had told him to say. And he drove out the Satan that foul spirit, which dwelt in the idol, and brought it to Saint George. And the idol confessed before all the people, saying, “I am not God, but a creature that leadeth men into error.” And the saint commanded the earth to swallow him up, and straightway the earth swallowed that deceiver. When the emperor saw this, he and all those who were with him were ashamed. And being filled with fury and wrath against Saint George, he came to the empress his wife, and she said unto him, “Did I not tell thee not to oppose the Galilean? Their God is strong and mighty.” And the emperor was exceedingly wroth with her, for he knew that Saint George had brought her into the True Faith. And he commanded his soldiers to drag her outside the city, and to cut up her body with a saw, [and they did so,] and she received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. Then straightway the kings were afraid because of Saint George, and they advised the Emperor Dodyanos to write the order for the soldiers to cut off his head with the sword, so that he might have rest from Saint George, the mighty one, the conqueror, rejoiced exceedingly. And he entreated our Lord Jesus Christ to bring down fire from heaven and destroy the seventy kings, so that they might cease from inflicting tribulation upon the Church. And straightway fire came down from heaven, and burnt up the seventy kings and all their soldiers. Then our Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto Saint George and made many covenants with him. And he said unto him, “Whosoever shall commemorate thee upon earth I will destroy all his sins. Whosoever is in tribulation, whether by sea or on land, or is sick, and entreateth Me in thy name, I will deliver him quickly from his tribulation”; having said this He went up into heaven. After this the saint bowed his neck, and they cut off his holy head with the sword, and he received three everlasting crowns of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. And four of his believing slaves took the body of Saint George, and wrapped it up in his apparel, and took it into the city of Leda, and they built a beautiful church, and laid his body therein, and countless miracles were wrought there. Salutation to thee, O George, the root of thousands of martyrs. Salutation to the ninety men and thirty-seven women who, when they saw the hidden glory of the heavens revealed at the martyrdom of Saint George, became martyrs. And on this day also died Roko. This holy man was such a strenuous fighter in the spirit that he made signs and miracles manifest. One day the sickness of the plague smote him, and he prayed to God with abundant tears, and showed Him his sores. And our Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto him, sitting upon a cloud of heaven, and He stood up before him and said unto him, “Fear not, O My beloved Roko, behold I have come unto thee to heal thee of thy sickness, and to establish with thee a covenant that all those who shall pray unto Me in thy name, saying, ‘Jesus Christ, the God of Roko, deliver me for I am afflicted,’ shall be free from the sickness of the plague, and it shall not come upon them.” After He had said this unto him, our Lord Jesus Christ went up into heaven. And the holy man lived in strict devotion to the ascetic life for many [years], and he died in peace. Salutation to Roko, the chosen fighter. Salutation to Stephana, a friend of Victor the martyr. [Omitted in the Bodleian MS.] Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 24 (May 2)

On this day Saint Sana, the companion of Saint Isidore, whose history is told in the section for the eighteenth day of the month of Megabit, became a martyr. After this holy man had been tortured with his companion, Isidore [died] and received the crown of martyrdom; and this holy man Sana remained in the prison house. And he who was governor of the city of Farma at that time was abolished, and another governor was appointed to succeed him; and the infidel emperor commanded that governor not to leave [alive] anyone who mentioned the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And they told him about the fight of this holy man Sana, and informed him that he was a captain of soldiers, and told him that he had been tortured severely, and would not turn from his counsel. And the governor commanded his soldiers to cut off his holy head, [and they did so,] and he received the crown of life. And his mother saw angels of light taking his soul, and carrying it up to heaven, and she said she had seen this when Isidore was martyred. Then they took the body of Saint Sana, and swathed it for burial, and laid it with the body of Saint Isidore, his friend; and their bodies remain in the city of Samnud, and the people thereof keep a great feast in their honor. And many signs and wonders appear through them to those who go to them in faith. Salutation to Sana and Isidore. And on this day also died the holy father Abba Sanutya (Shenuti), the fifty-fifth Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. This holy and spiritual father was a monk from his early years in the church of Saint Macarius, in the desert of Scete, and he advanced in good works as he became older, and his excellences increased, and he devoted himself to the ascetic life, and fought a good fight. And he was appointed abbot in the house of Saint Abba Macarius, and the bishops and all the people chose him, and appointed him Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. And great tribulation and very much sorrow came upon him during all the days of his office, and the Muslim kings afflicted him, and they seized him and bound him in fetters; and they demanded money from him, but he had nothing whatsoever to give them. And God performed through him many signs and wonders and he healed many sick folk of grievous sicknesses, and he cast out Satans from men. And through his prayer God sent down very much rain upon the men of the country of Mareotis, who remained in a state of severe famine for ten years through want of rain; for the wells in the country had dried up and the streams and they well-nigh died of thirst. When this father came to them to celebrate a festival in the church of Saint Abba Minas, the martyr, all the men of the city gathered together to him and told him how much they were suffering through want of water, and he comforted them and encouraged them to be patient. When this father had ended the Liturgy he entreated God to have mercy upon His creation, and to teach them. When the time of sunset arrived the rain began to fall in large drops, and then ceased. And this father said, “O my Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom belongeth glory, O Master, if Thou wishest to teach Thy people, and to show compassion unto them with the riches of Thy compassion, and the abundance of Thy mercies, let them be filled and satisfied with Thy mercy, and with Thy blessing, in Thy good pleasure.” Having said this he went into his bed-chamber to pray the prayer for sleep, and then he asked God to remember His people, and to show mercy upon them. And when he finished his prayer, there came mighty thunders and lightning, and the rain descended like a flood, and filled all the holes in the ground, and the gardens, and the wells and the grounds round about them. He remained three years in that land and was there during three years of famine. On another occasion the Arabs of Upper Egypt assembled, and came to the desert of Scete, and they surrounded the monasteries, and wished to kill all the monks who dwelt in them, and to plunder the monasteries. And this holy father took his own cross, and went out against them, and when they saw the cross in his hand, they turned backwards and did no harm whatsoever. And this father expelled all infidelity from his country by his learning, and also from his flock. Now at that time there were men who said that He Who suffered for us was only a man and not God. And this father wrote a letter and sent it during the days of the Great holy Fast (i.e. Lent) to all cities, and in it he spoke thus: “God the Word suffered for us in His Body, and His Divine Nature was not separated from His human nature, not for an hour, nay, not for the twinkling of an eye. These two Natures were one from the beginning, and they were not separated in any way whatsoever by any operation; and at the time of His Passion and Death they were not separated.” When this letter was read in all the cities, all the Christians therein rejoiced with a great joy. And there also appeared certain accursed men who said, now their tongues ought to be cut out! that His Divine Nature died; these were the men of the city of Balyana, and their bishops. When this father heard the report of them he was very sad, and he wrote other letters wherein he said, “The Nature of God, the Word, is unknowable, and intangible, and impassable, and suffering can only enter the human nature which God the Word took and made one with His Godhead, without separation, and without mingling, and without change.” And he also said therein, “We do not separate God the Word from our flesh which suffered, but we believe that He was One at the time of His Passion, and likewise we also believe that His Godhead neither suffered nor died, but that He suffered, and died in the flesh, only without separation of His Godhead.” When his letters reached these men, and they had read them, they turned from their error, and they believed in their Faith in righteousness and integrity. And their bishops came and confessed before our father, the archbishop, the True and Right Faith, and they entreated our father Archbishop Sanutya (Shenuti), saying, “Forgive us our sin and error.” And this father commanded them to bow down before all the bishops, and priests, and people, and to say unto them, “Forgive us, for we have sinned and gone astray, for it was Satan who led us into error.” And they did as the archbishop commanded them, and he forgave them their sins. And this father thought much about the churches, and their buildings, and the places wherein pilgrims sojourned, and what moneys were left him he gave to the poor and needy; and he followed a good course of life and pleased God. And the days of his office were fifteen years, and he died in peace. Salutation to the mighty Archbishop who drove away the Enemy by the Cross which was in his hand. And on this day also are commemorated the consecration of Dabra Sina, and Abba Yasdera of Sina. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 25 (May 3)

On this day Saint Sara and her two sons became martyrs. This holy woman was a native of the city of Antioch, and she was the wife of a certain man whose name was Socrates; now he was a governor of Diocletian, and a Christian. Subsequently he denied Christ, but his wife remained a Christian. And her husband said unto her, “I love the Faith of Christ, but I denied Him, because I am afraid of the emperor’s torturing.” And this holy woman brought forth by him two sons, and she was unable to have them baptized with Christian baptism in the city of Antioch, through her fear of the emperor, and through fear of her husband; but because of her exceeding great love for our Lord Jesus Christ she strove in every way possible to have her sons baptized with Christian baptism. And she took her two sons, and two slaves with her, and she embarked in a ship, wishing to go to the city of Alexandria, to Abba Peter, the archbishop. Now God willed to reveal the greatness of her Faith to the generation which was to come. And God raised up a wind at sea, and a very great and violent storm, and the storm was so violent that the ship was nigh to founder; and the holy woman was afraid that her sons would be drowned without being baptized. And straightway she rose up, and prayed a long prayer, and then she took a razor, and made a cut in her right breast, and she took some of her blood and made therewith the sign of the Cross upon the foreheads, and over the hearts, and on the breasts, and on the backs of both of her sons; and she dipped them in the sea thrice, saying, “In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost.” And after she had done this, there came a great calm on the sea. When she arrived in the city of Alexandria, she took her sons to Abba Peter, the Archbishop, that he might baptize them with Christian baptism, together with the children of the city. Having baptized one of the children of the city, he took her sons to baptize them, and straightway the water congealed, and fell off them. And he took another child of the city and the water became liquid, and he baptized him, and the water returned to its natural form. And the archbishop took the sons of this holy woman [a second time] to baptize them, and straightway the water congealed again; this he did thrice and the water congealed thrice. And he had their mother brought, and he questioned her, and thereupon she told him everything that had happened to her, and how the wind and storm had risen on the sea against her, and how she had cut her breast, and baptized her sons; and she asked him to forgive her sin, for it was because she was afraid that she had done [this thing]. And Saint Abba Peter said unto her, “Fear not, for it is our Lord Jesus Christ Who hath baptized thy sons, with His own hand, when thou didst immerse them in the sea.” And when the holy baptism of her sons was completed by the hand of Saint Abba Peter, the Archbishop, they received the Holy Mysteries and she returned to her husband in the city of Antioch. When she came to him he was wroth with her, because of what she had done, and he went to the emperor and informed against her, and told him what she had done. And the emperor had her brought before him, and said unto her, “Why didst thou go to the city of Alexandria? Hast thou been playing the whore with Christians?” And the holy woman answered and said unto him, “Christians do not play the whore, and they do not worship idols; and after this do what thou wishest, for thou wilt not hear another word from me.” And the emperor said unto her, “Tell me what happened unto thee in the city of Alexandria,” but she vouchsafed him no reply whatsoever. And the emperor commanded his soldiers to tie her hands behind her, and to set her two sons upon her belly, and to burn all three of them together in the fire. And she turned her holy face to the East, and prayed, and then they burnt her, with her sons, in the fire, and she received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. Salutation to Sara. And on this day also are commemorated Dara, and Abba John the archbishop. And on this day also are commemorated Saint Abba Babnuda, the anchorite, and Saint Theodore, the fighter, and one hundred martyrs who received crowns of martyrdom in the kingdom of Persia (or, Egypt). Salutation to Babnuda, and to father Theodore, and to four men in the country of Persia. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 26 (May 4)

On this day Saint Susenyos, the son of Su’Epeter, became a martyr. The father of this holy man was a friend of the Emperor Diocletian the infidel, who was emperor. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and strengthened his heart, so that he might become a martyr; and this thing was ever in his mind. And after this the emperor sent him to the country of Nicomedia, and he sent to him an edict ordering him to restore the worship of idols; when the saint saw this he sorrowed exceedingly. Then he sent and brought a priest, and he learned from him the doctrine of the Church, and the priest baptized him with Christian baptism. After this he returned to the country of Antioch, where he found that his sister had given birth to a child, whose creation (or, nature) had been changed by a Satan. She had given birth to a daughter, whom she had killed, and whose blood she had drunk, for there dwelt in her a Satan, who, by his magic, could take the form of a bird or serpent. When a child was born to any of the natives of the city, the mother used to go down, and kill him by magic and drink his blood. And when Saint Susenyos saw this, he took his spear in his hand, and killed his sister and her child also, for he was the son of Satan; and he killed her husband, and her husband’s father, for they were magicians, and they used to inflict sicknesses on a man and kill him. After this he returned to Nicomedia, and he came to that priest who had baptized him with Christian baptism, and told him everything that had happened to him. When he returned to his city, and his father knew it, he wanted to kill him, and he accused him to the emperor [of being a Christian]. At that time Saint Susenyos went to the emperor in the house of his idols, and he commanded the idols, by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to descend into Sheol; and straightway the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up. And the story of how Saint Susenyos had destroyed their idols was noised abroad, and again his father made accusations against him before the emperor. And the emperor was wroth with him, and commanded his soldiers to torture him with severe tortures. And they beat him, and smote him with brass rods, and they broke him on the wheel, and they crushed him with the instruments wherewith grain is crushed, and they dragged him through the city. And God strengthened him, and enabled him to endure all these tortures, and the angel of the Lord visited him at all times, and strengthened him and healed his wounds, and raised him up whole and uninjured. And many men, who believed on our Lord Jesus Christ through him, became martyrs. When the emperor was tired he said to one of his men, “Behold, command them to cut off his holy head with the sword,” [and they cut it off,] and he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. And the number of those who became martyrs, during the time they were torturing the saint, was eleven hundred and ninety. Salutation to Susenyos, the son of Su’E Peter, and salutation to the eleven hundred and ninety martyrs of the company of Susenyos. And on this day also John, the son of a carpenter, became a martyr. This holy man was a native of the city of Nineveh, and his father was a maker of wooden images, and a worshipper of idols; his mother was a Christian. Lacking a son she prayed to God, and she brought forth this saint, and called his name “John” in secret. When he was eight years of age, he helped his father, who bought wooden figures for his son to carve. One day as he was going about buying idols, the angel of the Lord met him, and told him that idols were the abode of Satan, and commanded him to cast them from his hands; and he taught him the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. And Saint John returned to his father and said unto him, “There is no god but God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth; I will not worship the work of men’s hands.” When his father heard this, he tied him up in the prison house. And his mother came and made his heart strong to shed his blood for the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then the people of the city came to persuade him with their words, and they said unto him, “O boy, why dost thou forsake thy father’s gods?” And Saint John said unto them, “I will not worship the work of men’s hands, for [idols] are the abodes of filthy devils.” When his father heard his words he took up his saw, and cut off his son’s head, but the young man did not fall down, and he stood upright on his feet, and was baptized with his own blood. And his mother came and took [his body, and she said], “O my Lord Jesus Christ, for Whom praise is meet, receive Thou from me this offering, O Thou Who didst accept the offering of Abel in the field.” And Satan entered the heart of his father and made him mad, and his wife took him, and brought him to the grave of her son, and prayed for him. And Saint John came by night, and pierced his father with a spear, and Satan went out of him, and then he believed and was baptized in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. Salutation to John of Nineveh, who was a lamp which dispelled the dense darkness of sin. And on this day also were martyred the saints Sebbidoras, and Abba Serga, and Dereys (Dirayes), and Says. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 27 (May 5)

On this day Saint Victor became a martyr. The name of the father of this holy man was Hermanos (Romanus), the captain of the host of the Emperor Diocletian, and his counselor; and his opinion, and his word, in respect of the worship of idols, was one with those of the Emperor Diocletian. And the name of the blessed woman, his mother, was Martha, and she was a Christian. When Saint Victor grew up, he was near the emperor, and his rank was the third in the royal palace. At that time his days were ten years. And he rejected this world, and the glory thereof. He ate no flesh, and drank no wine, he fasted continually, he prayed many prayers without ceasing by day and by night, he visited those who were in prison, and he gave alms to the poor and needy. And when they killed Saint Theodada, the mother of the Saints Cosmas and Damianus, no one dared to go near her through fear of the emperor. And Saint Victor came, and carried away her body, and buried it, and was unafraid; and he rebuked his father on several occasions for idolatry. And his father laid information against him before the emperor. When Saint Victor was brought before the emperor, he unfastened his military girdle, and threw it in the face of the emperor, saying, “Take this gift, which thou didst give me,” and he uttered blasphemies against the emperor, and against his idols. And Hermanos (Romanus) counseled the emperor, and told him to send Victor to the city of Alexandria, to the governor Herminius, so that he might torture him severely. And they brought out the holy man and set a bridle (i.e. a gag) in his mouth, and his mother bade him farewell with many tears. And he commanded his mother about the poor, and the needy, and the widows, and the orphans, telling her to visit them, and to give them what they needed. And when he arrived in Alexandria, Herminius, the governor, tortured him very severely. And the angel of the Lord appeared, and took his soul, and carried it up into heaven, and showed him the abode of the beings of light; and [then] his soul returned to his body again. And the governor inflicted further tortures upon him by means of boiling oil and pitch. After this he had him laid upon an iron bed, and had a fire lighted under him, and then he had him cast into the furnace which heated the baths [of the city]; and he inflicted upon him every kind of torture. And God strengthened him, and made him to endure, and He sent His angel unto him to heal his wounds. And after this the governor sent Saint Victor to the city, the name of which is Antoine, where he was tortured severely, and they cut out his tongue, and drove red-hot iron instruments through his sides; but God gave him strength and enabled him to endure. And after this they imprisoned him in a desert fortress, so that he might die. Now Saint Victor knew the craft of the carpenter, and he made tools and sold them; with a part of the price he fed himself sparingly, and the rest he gave to the poor and needy. And a certain governor came, and took up his abode near that fortress, and the people told him the story of Saint Victor, how that he was the son of Hermanos (Romanus), the captain of the imperial army of Antioch. And the governor had him brought to him, and he urged him greatly [to deny Christ], but he would not turn and he would not obey his behest. And the governor commanded his soldiers to torture him, and they tortured him severely. They tore out his tongue by its roots, they beat his mouth, they hung him up head downwards, and suspended heavy stones from his hands; and after this they threw him into an oven which had been made red-hot, they poured boiling pitch and oil over him, they pounded him with pounding instruments, and they made his face to smart and sting with acid and dust, and they put salt in his eyes; and after this they brought him out and hung him up head downwards. And our Lord Jesus Christ strengthened him, and enabled him to endure, and restored to him his members. And there was a certain maiden, whose days were fifteen years, and who saw Saint Victor from the window of her house whilst they were torturing him, and she also saw angels, with crowns in their hands, and they were placing them on the head of Saint Victor. And she informed the people what she had seen, and they marveled exceedingly, and many of them believed on our Lord Jesus Christ, and became martyrs. And that maiden believed on the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [confessed her belief] before the governor, and he commanded his soldiers to cut off her head; [and they did so,] and she received the crown of martyrdom. After this the governor commanded them to cut off the holy head of Saint Victor with the sword, [and they did so,] and he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. And certain believing men took the body of the saint and wrapped it in linen and in beautiful and costly stuffs and they laid it in a pure place until Martha came from the city of Antioch, and built a beautiful church for it. And she laid his body therein, and through it great signs and wonders took place. Two-fold salutation to Victor and salutation to those who associated themselves with him in his martyrdom, and who themselves became martyrs. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 28 (May 6)

On this day Saint Sana, the companion of Saint Isidore, whose history is told in the section for the eighteenth day of the month of Megabit, became a martyr. After this holy man had been tortured with his companion, Isidore [died] and received the crown of martyrdom; and this holy man Sana remained in the prison house. And he who was governor of the city of Farma at that time was abolished, and another governor was appointed to succeed him; and the infidel emperor commanded that governor not to leave [alive] anyone who mentioned the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And they told him about the fight of this holy man Sana, and informed him that he was a captain of soldiers, and told him that he had been tortured severely, and would not turn from his counsel. And the governor commanded his soldiers to cut off his holy head, [and they did so,] and he received the crown of life. And his mother saw angels of light taking his soul, and carrying it up to heaven, and she said she had seen this when Isidore was martyred. Then they took the body of Saint Sana, and swathed it for burial, and laid it with the body of Saint Isidore, his friend; and their bodies remain in the city of Samnud, and the people thereof keep a great feast in their honor. And many signs and wonders appear through them to those who go to them in faith. Salutation to Sana and Isidore. And on this day also died the holy father Abba Sanutya (Shenuti), the fifty-fifth Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. This holy and spiritual father was a monk from his early years in the church of Saint Macarius, in the desert of Scete, and he advanced in good works as he became older, and his excellences increased, and he devoted himself to the ascetic life, and fought a good fight. And he was appointed abbot in the house of Saint Abba Macarius, and the bishops and all the people chose him, and appointed him Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. And great tribulation and very much sorrow came upon him during all the days of his office, and the Muslim kings afflicted him, and they seized him and bound him in fetters; and they demanded money from him, but he had nothing whatsoever to give them. And God performed through him many signs and wonders and he healed many sick folk of grievous sicknesses, and he cast out Satans from men. And through his prayer God sent down very much rain upon the men of the country of Mareotis, who remained in a state of severe famine for ten years through want of rain; for the wells in the country had dried up and the streams and they well-nigh died of thirst. When this father came to them to celebrate a festival in the church of Saint Abba Minas, the martyr, all the men of the city gathered together to him and told him how much they were suffering through want of water, and he comforted them and encouraged them to be patient. When this father had ended the Liturgy he entreated God to have mercy upon His creation, and to teach them. When the time of sunset arrived the rain began to fall in large drops, and then ceased. And this father said, “O my Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom belongeth glory, O Master, if Thou wishest to teach Thy people, and to show compassion unto them with the riches of Thy compassion, and the abundance of Thy mercies, let them be filled and satisfied with Thy mercy, and with Thy blessing, in Thy good pleasure.” Having said this he went into his bed-chamber to pray the prayer for sleep, and then he asked God to remember His people, and to show mercy upon them. And when he finished his prayer, there came mighty thunders and lightning, and the rain descended like a flood, and filled all the holes in the ground, and the gardens, and the wells and the grounds round about them. He remained three years in that land and was there during three years of famine. On another occasion the Arabs of Upper Egypt assembled, and came to the desert of Scete, and they surrounded the monasteries, and wished to kill all the monks who dwelt in them, and to plunder the monasteries. And this holy father took his own cross, and went out against them, and when they saw the cross in his hand, they turned backwards and did no harm whatsoever. And this father expelled all infidelity from his country by his learning, and also from his flock. Now at that time there were men who said that He Who suffered for us was only a man and not God. And this father wrote a letter and sent it during the days of the Great holy Fast (i.e. Lent) to all cities, and in it he spoke thus: “God the Word suffered for us in His Body, and His Divine Nature was not separated from His human nature, not for an hour, nay, not for the twinkling of an eye. These two Natures were one from the beginning, and they were not separated in any way whatsoever by any operation; and at the time of His Passion and Death they were not separated.” When this letter was read in all the cities, all the Christians therein rejoiced with a great joy. And there also appeared certain accursed men who said, now their tongues ought to be cut out! that His Divine Nature died; these were the men of the city of Balyana, and their bishops. When this father heard the report of them he was very sad, and he wrote other letters wherein he said, “The Nature of God, the Word, is unknowable, and intangible, and impassable, and suffering can only enter the human nature which God the Word took and made one with His Godhead, without separation, and without mingling, and without change.” And he also said therein, “We do not separate God the Word from our flesh which suffered, but we believe that He was One at the time of His Passion, and likewise we also believe that His Godhead neither suffered nor died, but that He suffered, and died in the flesh, only without separation of His Godhead.” When his letters reached these men, and they had read them, they turned from their error, and they believed in their Faith in righteousness and integrity. And their bishops came and confessed before our father, the archbishop, the True and Right Faith, and they entreated our father Archbishop Sanutya (Shenuti), saying, “Forgive us our sin and error.” And this father commanded them to bow down before all the bishops, and priests, and people, and to say unto them, “Forgive us, for we have sinned and gone astray, for it was Satan who led us into error.” And they did as the archbishop commanded them, and he forgave them their sins. And this father thought much about the churches, and their buildings, and the places wherein pilgrims sojourned, and what moneys were left him he gave to the poor and needy; and he followed a good course of life and pleased God. And the days of his office were fifteen years, and he died in peace. Salutation to the mighty Archbishop who drove away the Enemy by the Cross which was in his hand. And on this day also are commemorated the consecration of Dabra Sina, and Abba Yasdera of Sina. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 29 (May 7)

On this day Saint Sana, the companion of Saint Isidore, whose history is told in the section for the eighteenth day of the month of Megabit, became a martyr. After this holy man had been tortured with his companion, Isidore [died] and received the crown of martyrdom; and this holy man Sana remained in the prison house. And he who was governor of the city of Farma at that time was abolished, and another governor was appointed to succeed him; and the infidel emperor commanded that governor not to leave [alive] anyone who mentioned the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And they told him about the fight of this holy man Sana, and informed him that he was a captain of soldiers, and told him that he had been tortured severely, and would not turn from his counsel. And the governor commanded his soldiers to cut off his holy head, [and they did so,] and he received the crown of life. And his mother saw angels of light taking his soul, and carrying it up to heaven, and she said she had seen this when Isidore was martyred. Then they took the body of Saint Sana, and swathed it for burial, and laid it with the body of Saint Isidore, his friend; and their bodies remain in the city of Samnud, and the people thereof keep a great feast in their honor. And many signs and wonders appear through them to those who go to them in faith. Salutation to Sana and Isidore. And on this day also died the holy father Abba Sanutya (Shenuti), the fifty-fifth Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. This holy and spiritual father was a monk from his early years in the church of Saint Macarius, in the desert of Scete, and he advanced in good works as he became older, and his excellences increased, and he devoted himself to the ascetic life, and fought a good fight. And he was appointed abbot in the house of Saint Abba Macarius, and the bishops and all the people chose him, and appointed him Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. And great tribulation and very much sorrow came upon him during all the days of his office, and the Muslim kings afflicted him, and they seized him and bound him in fetters; and they demanded money from him, but he had nothing whatsoever to give them. And God performed through him many signs and wonders and he healed many sick folk of grievous sicknesses, and he cast out Satans from men. And through his prayer God sent down very much rain upon the men of the country of Mareotis, who remained in a state of severe famine for ten years through want of rain; for the wells in the country had dried up and the streams and they well-nigh died of thirst. When this father came to them to celebrate a festival in the church of Saint Abba Minas, the martyr, all the men of the city gathered together to him and told him how much they were suffering through want of water, and he comforted them and encouraged them to be patient. When this father had ended the Liturgy he entreated God to have mercy upon His creation, and to teach them. When the time of sunset arrived the rain began to fall in large drops, and then ceased. And this father said, “O my Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom belongeth glory, O Master, if Thou wishest to teach Thy people, and to show compassion unto them with the riches of Thy compassion, and the abundance of Thy mercies, let them be filled and satisfied with Thy mercy, and with Thy blessing, in Thy good pleasure.” Having said this he went into his bed-chamber to pray the prayer for sleep, and then he asked God to remember His people, and to show mercy upon them. And when he finished his prayer, there came mighty thunders and lightning, and the rain descended like a flood, and filled all the holes in the ground, and the gardens, and the wells and the grounds round about them. He remained three years in that land and was there during three years of famine. On another occasion the Arabs of Upper Egypt assembled, and came to the desert of Scete, and they surrounded the monasteries, and wished to kill all the monks who dwelt in them, and to plunder the monasteries. And this holy father took his own cross, and went out against them, and when they saw the cross in his hand, they turned backwards and did no harm whatsoever. And this father expelled all infidelity from his country by his learning, and also from his flock. Now at that time there were men who said that He Who suffered for us was only a man and not God. And this father wrote a letter and sent it during the days of the Great holy Fast (i.e. Lent) to all cities, and in it he spoke thus: “God the Word suffered for us in His Body, and His Divine Nature was not separated from His human nature, not for an hour, nay, not for the twinkling of an eye. These two Natures were one from the beginning, and they were not separated in any way whatsoever by any operation; and at the time of His Passion and Death they were not separated.” When this letter was read in all the cities, all the Christians therein rejoiced with a great joy. And there also appeared certain accursed men who said, now their tongues ought to be cut out! that His Divine Nature died; these were the men of the city of Balyana, and their bishops. When this father heard the report of them he was very sad, and he wrote other letters wherein he said, “The Nature of God, the Word, is unknowable, and intangible, and impassable, and suffering can only enter the human nature which God the Word took and made one with His Godhead, without separation, and without mingling, and without change.” And he also said therein, “We do not separate God the Word from our flesh which suffered, but we believe that He was One at the time of His Passion, and likewise we also believe that His Godhead neither suffered nor died, but that He suffered, and died in the flesh, only without separation of His Godhead.” When his letters reached these men, and they had read them, they turned from their error, and they believed in their Faith in righteousness and integrity. And their bishops came and confessed before our father, the archbishop, the True and Right Faith, and they entreated our father Archbishop Sanutya (Shenuti), saying, “Forgive us our sin and error.” And this father commanded them to bow down before all the bishops, and priests, and people, and to say unto them, “Forgive us, for we have sinned and gone astray, for it was Satan who led us into error.” And they did as the archbishop commanded them, and he forgave them their sins. And this father thought much about the churches, and their buildings, and the places wherein pilgrims sojourned, and what moneys were left him he gave to the poor and needy; and he followed a good course of life and pleased God. And the days of his office were fifteen years, and he died in peace. Salutation to the mighty Archbishop who drove away the Enemy by the Cross which was in his hand. And on this day also are commemorated the consecration of Dabra Sina, and Abba Yasdera of Sina. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen. Miyazia 30 (May 8)

On this day Saint Mark the evangelist and apostle, the first of the Archbishops of the city of Alexandria, became a martyr. The name of the father of this holy man was “Aristopolus,” and he was born in Cyrene (One of the Five Western Cities Pentapolis - in North Africa), and his mother’s name was Mary, and she is mentioned in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. Now the name of this apostle formerly was “John,” even as saith the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, for [it saith], “The Apostles were praying in the house of Mary, the mother of John, who is called ‘Mark the Apostle’” (Acts xii, 12). And this woman was rich, and she taught her son the Greek, and Hebrew languages. And when he was grown up, he took Barnabas with him into the preaching, when he departed with Saint Paul; and when he saw tribulation come upon them, and scourging, and disgrace in the country of Pamphylia, he forsook them and returned to Jerusalem. When the Apostles returned to Jerusalem, and held converse together concerning the reception of the Gentiles into the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and considered how God had worked signs and wonders by their hands, he was sorry, and repented, because he was one of them. And he sought to go with them, but Saint Paul did not wish to take him because he had forsaken them, but he took Barnabas, and Saint Mark went to Saint Peter in the city of Rome, and became his disciple. And there he wrote for himself his Gospel, and Saint Peter interpreted (or, translated) it, and preached it in Rome; and after this he walked in the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the commandments of the holy apostles in the city of Alexandria, and he preached therein the preaching of the Holy Gospel. And he also preached in the country of Africa, and Berka, and Pentapolis [the Five Western cities in North Africa]. As he was coming to the city of Alexandria, the latchet of his sandal broke off from his foot, and when he reached the gates thereof he found a certain sandal-maker there, and the saint gave him his sandal to repair. As he was sewing the sandal, the awl pierced his finger, and blood ran down from it, and he said in the Greek language, “Estaas,” which is, being interpreted, “one God”. And Saint Mark said unto him, “Dost thou know God?” And he said unto him, “Certainly not. We utter His Name only, but we do not know Him.” And Saint Mark began to talk to him about the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, and how the transgression of our father Adam took place, and of the coming of the Flood, and how God sent Moses, who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, and gave them the Law, and how the children of Israel were carried captives to the city of Babylon from Jerusalem, and how our Lord Jesus Christ became man, and how the prophets foretold His coming. And then the saint spat in the dust, and smeared it on the hands of the sandal-maker and he was healed straightway. Now the name of the sandal-maker was “Anianus,” and he took Saint Mark to his house and he brought to him his sons and kinsfolk, and Saint Mark the apostle admonished them all, and taught them, and baptized them with Christian baptism in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. And when the believers on our Lord Jesus Christ increased, and the men of the city heard the report of Saint Mark, they gathered together, and wished to kill them. And Saint Mark appointed Anianus archbishop, and he made his sons priests and deacons, and he went out to the city of Berka and to Pentapolis and preached in them, and strengthened the people in the Faith. And he remained with them two years, and he appointed bishops, and priests, and deacons over them, and then he returned to the city of Alexandria where the believers had increased in number. And he built a church in a place, which is known as the “Field of Bulls,” on the shore of the sea; and the infidels sought for Saint Mark to kill him. And he visited Pentapolis very frequently, and when he came back he entered the city of Alexandria secretly. One year he returned from Pentapolis and came into the church on the day of the festival of the Resurrection, which took place on the nineteenth day of the month of Miyazya, and all the people were round about him. And the infidels came into the church, and threw cords round the neck of Saint Mark, and dragged him about through the city, and they said also, “Let us drag him to the church in the ‘Field of the Bulls.’” And the blood of the saint was in every street of the city, and the district round about it, and the ends thereof. When the night came, our Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto him in the form which He had when He was with the Apostles, and He gave him [the kiss of] peace, and strengthened him, and made a covenant with him, saying, “Behold, thou art the equal of thy brethren the Apostles”; and his soul rejoiced and was glad. And on the following day they put cords about his neck, and dragged him through the villages, and at the end of the day he delivered up his soul; and the infidels lighted a large fire and threw his body into it. And by the good pleasure of our Lord Jesus Christ there came darkness, and a cold wind, and the sun hid his light, and there was lightning and thunder and rain and hail, and the infidels fled before them. And certain believing men came and took the body of Saint Mark, which was whole and had suffered no injury, and they wrapped it up for burial in fine cloths, and laid it in a secret place. Salutation to Mark, whose body was crowned with lightning, and rain, and hail. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.