Coenobium of Scholars (continued) Chapter CLXXVIII, Book X

"You must never receive Communion anywhere but in the holy Catholic and apostolic Church," he said, "where the four holy synods are accepted. That is, Nicaea, where there were three hundred and eighteen fathers, Constantinople, a hundred and fifty, first council of Ephesus, two hundred, and Chalcedon, six hundred and thirty. When the Angel comes back, tell him that you wish to be buried according to the rites of Jerusalem."
After three weeks the Angel came back
"Well, old man, have you thought?"
"Jerusalem," he said.
"Good, good," said the Angel. And immediately the old man gave up his spirit.
All this happened lest he lose the fruit of all his labours and be condemned with the heretics.

Chapter CLXXIX
The life of a
HOLY WOMAN from the holy city.

We visited abba John Rutilus, the anchorite, who told us a story he had heard from John the Moabite:
There was a certain holy woman in the holy city, very religious, who walked in the will of God. The devil was envious of this virgin, and instilled in the heart of a certain young man an impure and diabolical passion for her. This wonderful virgin discerned the devil's wickedness and was troubled lest the young man lose his soul, so she took a blanket, and a few loaves [hard loaves to be prepared by steeping in water] and went to the desert, hoping not only that her departure would free the young man from his temptation and be the salvation of him, but also that she would find security in solitude and grow in merit.
A long time afterwards, lest her excellent way of life remain unknown, by the dispensation of God an anchorite saw her one day in the desert near Jordan.
"What are you doing in this desert, mother?" he asked.
"Forgive me, father," she said, wishing that he would go away, "but I seem to have lost my way. For the love of God, be so kind as to direct me."
"Believe me, mother, you haven't lost your way," he said, inspired by God to discern what she was. "You have no need of a known path. Now you know that to tell lies is of the devil, so tell me the truth about why you have come here."
"Forgive me, abba," she said, "but there was a youth who was in danger of perdition because of me, so I fled to the desert, thinking it better to die here rather than be a stumbling block to anyone, as the Apostle says (
2 Cor.6.3, 1 Cor.8.9)"
"How long have you been here, then?"
"Seventeen years, by the grace of Christ."
"And how have you survived"
"See this blanket and these few loaves. They came into the desert with me, and God has shown such kindness towards me in my lowliness that they have been sufficient for me ever since, and have not grown any less. And you should know this, too, father, that God's benevolence has so protected me for these seventeen years that no man has ever seen me except you today, though I have been able to see them all."
The anchorite listened and glorified God.

Chapter CLXXX
The life of
JOHANNES the anchorite, who lived in a cave near the town of Sochus

We heard about abba Johannes the anchorite from the most holy Dionysius, presbyter of the holy church of Ascalon and guardian of the sacred vessels. To illustrate how great he was in his generation, and to tell of his superlative merits in the eyes of God, he told us the following story:
The old man lived in a cave near the town of Sochus, about twenty miles from Jerusalem. He was a man greatly given to venerating the martyrs, and would travel sometimes to Ephesus for St John, sometimes to Euchaita for St Theodore, sometimes to St Thecla in Seleucia Isauria, sometimes to St Sergius in Saraphas, now to this saint, now to that.
Now he had in his cave an image of our immaculate Lady, the birthgiver of God, Mary ever virgin, carrying in her arms Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, and whenever he decided to go away - whether to the empty desert, or Jerusalem to adore the holy cross and other holy places, or to pray at Mt Sinai, or to martyrs at great distances from Jerusalem - he would as an invariable rule take a candle, light it, and stand in prayer beseeching God to watch over his journey. Then fixing his gaze on the image, he would say:
"Holy Lady, birthgiver of God, I am about to go on a long journey which will take many days. Do you take care of this your candle, tend it so that it may not be extinguished during this venture of mine, for I take this journey trusting in your help."
His prayer concluded, he would go off on his journey, and when it was over, sometimes after a month, sometimes after two or three months, or even five or six months, he would come back to find the candle still burning without diminution, just as he had asked at the beginning of his journey. Never did he find this candle had gone out of its own accord, whether rising from sleep, or returning from pilgrimage, or coming back to the cave from the desert.

Chapter CLXXXI
More of the same

The venerable presbyter Dionysius also told us the following story about abba Johannes:
One day the old man was walking near the village of Sochus where he had his cave, when he saw a large lion coming towards him out of the countryside. He was on a footpath between thorn hedges, so narrow that it would barely allow a single person unencumbered by any burden to pass through it. The old man and lion could see each other approaching, but the old man did not turn back to let the lion through, nor could the lion turn round because of the narrowness of the path, nor would it have been in the least bit possible for them to pass each other. The lion saw that the servant of God was intending to keep on going, he could not go back himself, so he stood up on his hind legs and by the weight and strength of his body pushed back the hedge on the old man's left to make a space sufficient for this righteous man to pass by without difficulty, brushing against him as he did so. When the old man had gone by the lion extricated himself from the hedge and continued his own journey.
Another brother said that when he visited abba Johannes he found that his cave was completely bare.
"How can you live here without any of the necessaries of life?" he asked.
"My son," he replied, "this cave is a market place of the spirit. It gives and it takes."

Chapter CLXXXII
The life of abba
ALEXANDER of Cilicia, who when near to death was attacked by a demon.

About two miles away from the holy town of Bethlehem there is the monastery of St Sergius, called Xeropotamus. Abbot Eugenius was in charge, a very devout man, who later was made bishop of Hermopolis in the lands of the Thebaid in Egypt. When we visited him he told us the following story about abba Alexander of Cilicia:
Towards the end of Alexander's life in the caves near the holy Jordan, he accepted Eugenius into his monastery. For almost the last three months of his life he was bedridden. Ten days before he passed to the Lord he was attacked by a demon
"Wretch!" he said to the demon, "you have come to me in the evening of my life. Not very bold, is it, for here I am, confined to bed and unable to move. It just shows up your own weakness, you most miserable of creatures. If you were really powerful and capable you should have approached me fifty or sixty years ago, when strengthened by Christ I would have shown up your own weakness, defied your boasting, and broken that rigid and inflexible neck of yours. Now, however, it is not weakness I am constrained by but simple infirmity. But I thank my God to whom I am hastening that after so many years of labour and weariness I shall be able to show him the injuries I have suffered from you, now that you have attacked me so grievously at the hour of my death."
Much more in the same strain he said hour by hour, until at last on the tenth day he quietly gave up his spirit in peace to the Lord Christ.

Chapter CLXXXIII
The wonderful deed of an old Egyptian man named
DAVID.

Abba Theodore of Cilicia told us the following story:
When I was living in Scete there was an old Egyptian man there called David who went out one day to take part in the harvesting. This was the custom in Scete, to go to the farms to help in the harvesting. So the old man went to a farm where he worked for a wage in the employ of a farmer. As he was reaping at about the seventh hour it became so hot that he went and sat down in a little hut, where the farmer came by and saw him.
"Why aren't you reaping, old man?" he said angrily. "Don't you realise I am paying your wages?"
"Yes, of course I do. But this excessive heat is causing the grains of wheat to fall out of the ears, and I don't expect any improvement until this heat passes. I would not want you to suffer any loss."
"Get up and work, even if they all catch fire."
"You don't care if they all catch fire?"
"Not at all", he said in a fury.
So the old man got up,and suddenly the whole field was in flames. The farmer ran to some of the other old men who were working in another part of the field.
"Come with me," he cried, "and beg that old man to pray, that the fire may be extinguished!"
So they came and prostrated themselves before him.
"But he was the one who said 'Let it catch fire'" said David. Nevertheless he went and stood between the part that was on fire and the part that wasn't on fire. He prayed. And immediately the fire was extinguished. So the remaining part of the field was saved.

Chapter CLXXXIV
The life of abbot
JOHN THE EUNUCH, and also a young MONK who decided not to drink any water, and also an OLD MAN deeply dedicated to prayer.

While we were in Nonnum in Alexandria we decided that we would benefit from a visit to the monastery of abba John the Eunuch. We met this old man who had been wearing the monastic habit for eighty years. We have never met anyone to match the depth of his kind-heartedness, not only to human beings but also to brute animals. So what did he do? Nothing other than to call together all the dogs in the monastery every morning and give them their food. He would also put out flour for the smaller ants and grains of wheat for the big ones. He moistened bread and spread it out on the roofs for the birds to eat. Not only was this his invariable rule, but nothing else was beneath his notice for as long as he lived in the monastery, neither door nor window, nor spetlum (? stone glazed windows), nor candle, nor writing tablet - to cut a long story short, there was nothing in the monastery which he was not aware of. Besides, he could not keep anything in his own possession for one hour, neither book, nor money, nor extra clothing, but would give it all away to the poor; he was concerned only with the future life.
They also told us another story about him to illustrate his kind-heartedness and compassion. A farmer came to him one day wanting to borrow a
numma. Seeing he did not have one (indeed he never had any money), he went straight away and borrowed the money from the monastery and gave it to the farmer who promised to pay it back after a month.
When two years had gone by and the farmer had still not paid it back, he summoned him and asked him to pay the money back.
"God knows I haven't got it," he said
"Well let me tell you that I know a method whereby you can pay me back."
"Tell me what it is and I will do it," he said, thinking that the old man would commandeer something.
"As the opportunity arises, when you have nothing else to do, come here to me and make thirty genuflexions before me and I will give you one silver coin
."
He willingly agreed, and whenever he had some free time from his work he would go to the abbot and do his agreed number of prayers, after which the abbot would give him a silver coin and also something to eat and drink as well as giving him some food to take away for his family. When he had done this twenty four times, i.e. the value of one golden
nummum, he gave it back to the abbot, who sent him away with his blessings.
Abbot John the Eunuch also told us the following story:
When we visited the coenobium of abbot Apollo in the Thebaid, we met there a young brother who had with him his natural father who was also one of the monks. The young man had decided that for the rest of his life he would not drink water, wine or any other sort of liquid. He ate kitchen-garden greens to quench his thirst. He also had the job of cooking bread.
After persevering in this style of abstinence for three years he fell grievously ill and was near to death. Burning with fever and suffering from an immense thirst, he was urged by everyone to take a little liquid, but he would not by any means agree. So the abbot called for a doctor and urged him to try all reasonable means of getting the sick man to submit. When the doctor saw the brother in such dire straits, he began to urge him to take some liquid but he still would not agree.
"Bring me a large tub," the doctor said to the abbot.
He brought it, and the doctor filled it with four large
amphorae of warm water, and immersed the man in it up to his waist for an hour.
The abbot was present while this was happening, and he told us that after the man was lifted out of the water the doctor took a measurement and found that the greater part of the water had been absorbed.
See what force continent monks will bring to bear on themselves, depriving themselves of the necessities of life in order to obtain an eternal reward.
He also told us that in the same coenobium he saw a brother who used a large plank as a prayer mat. The places where he put his hands and knees were hollowed out to a depth of about four inches because of the frequency of his genuflexions.

Chapter CLXXXV
The life of a faithful
WOMAN, who by an admirable display of wisdom converted her pagan husband to the faith

When we were in the island of Samus we met the respected Maria, who worked among the poor. She was the mother of Sir Paul, who was being prepared for baptism [domnus Paulus candidatus]. She told us the following story:
When I was in the city of Nisibis, there was a Christian woman who had a pagan husband. They were quite poor, though they did have fifty
numismata.
"Let's hand this money over to a usurer," the husband said one day to his wife, "to get some interest on them. We have been keeping them as some sort of status symbol, but they are decreasing in value."
"If you want to give them to a usurer," said this good wife, "let's give them to the usurer who is the God of the Christians."
"And where can we find this God of the Christians to give them to him?"
"I'll show you. And if you agree, it's not just that you won't lose anything, but he will give you interest and double your capital."
"Let's go then. Show him to me and we will give to him."
So she led her husband to the holy church, which had five large doorways. As she took him into the portico she showed him the poor:
"The God of the Christians will accept anything you give to them," she said, "for they all belong to him."
So he quite happily began to give his money to them, after which they went home.
Three months later he found himself embarrassed by not having anything to meet necessary expenditure.
"Wife," he said, "as far as I can see, the God of the Christians is not going to give us anything as he ought to do, and now we are embarrassed for lack of money."
"He will give. Go back to the place where you gave the money and you will soon be shown how."
He hurried back to the holy church, to the place where he had given his money to the poor, walked all around it, but saw no one who could repay what he was owed except a fresh lot of poor people sitting there. As he was wondering to whom he could say anything, or from whom he could expect payment, he looked down at the floor near his feet and saw one of the
numismata which he himself had given to the poor. He bent down and picked it up and went home.
"Well I've been to the church," he said to his wife, "and believe me, wife, I did not see the God of the Christians as you said I should, and no one gave me anything, except that I noticed this
numismata where I had earlier been giving them to the poor."
"He who rules the world by the unseen power of his hand has shown this to you," this wonderful woman said. "Now, husband, go and buy something for us to eat today; tomorrow he will provide for us again."
So he went and bought some bread and wine and fish and brought them back home to his wife. As she began to clean the fish and gut it she found in its stomach to her amazement a very beautiful stone, although she did not know what it was. She plucked it out and showed it to her husband.
"Look at this stone which I have found in the fish."
He too was astonished at its beauty, though not knowing what it was.
After they had eaten, he said to his wife:
"Give me the stone and I will go and sell it. Perchance I may be able to get something for it."
As I have said, he did not know what it was, he was so simple and ignorant. So he took the stone and went to a moneychanger who bought and sold such things, and found him on the point of shutting up shop and going home (for it was evening on the same day).
"Would you be willing to buy this stone?" he asked.
"How much do you want for it?"
"Give me what you think."
"Will you take five
numismata for it?"
The seller thought that he was being made fun of.
"All that great amount of money for it?" he said
The buyer thought he was being sarcastic.
"Well, take ten for it."
The seller said nothing, still thinking he was being made fun of.
"Take twenty," said the buyer.
Again the seller said nothing.
The buyer went to thirty, then forty, then fifty, by which time the seller began to realise that the stone was worth a great deal more than he had thought. The buyer eventually got up to three hundred, which he held out to the seller. He accepted it, handed over the stone and went happily back to his wife.
"However much did you get for it?" she asked when she saw his joyful face. She thought he must have sold it for five or ten
mites at most. He showed her the three hundred numismata  and gave them to her.
"All that is what I sold it for," he said.
"See what the God of the Christians is like," she said, in admiration of the boundless mercy and goodness of God. "How good! How bountiful! How inexhaustible his riches! Look! he hasn't just given you back the fifty
numismata you lent him, but in hardly any time at all has restored it sixtyfold. You must now know that there is no other god in heaven or earth save him alone."
This miracle had such an effect on him, and so convinced him of the truth through his own experience, that he quickly became a Christian, and glorified God and our Saviour Christ with the Father and the holy Spirit, giving abundant thanks for the wisdom of his wife, though whom a true knowledge of God had in truth been granted to him.

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