Miscellaneous Coptic Texts in the Dialect of Upper Egypt, Part 1

Miscellaneous Coptic Texts in the Dialect of Upper Egypt, Part 1

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VII. The Discourse of Severus, Archbishop of Antioch, on the Compassion of God

1 (Brit. Mus. MS. Oriental, No. 7597) The discourse which the man, who was truly inspired by the christ, the holy patriarch and archbishop of antioch, saint severus, pronounced on the compassion of god and the boldness of the holy archangel michael. HE ALSO SPAKE A LITTLE CONCERNING HOLY SUNDAY (I. E. EASTER SUNDAY), BECAUSE THE FESTIVAL OF THE ARCHANGEL FELL BY CHANCE ON THE SAME DAY THAT YEAR. HE SPAKE ALSO CONCERNING MATTHEW THE MERCHANT, AND HIS WIFE, AND HIS SONS. THIS DISCOURSE WAS PRONOUNCED ON THE TWELFTH DAY OF THE MONTH HATHOR, WHEN ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY WERE ASSEMBLED AND WERE CELEBRATING THE FESTIVAL OF THE HOLY ARCHANGEL MICHAEL IN PEACE. 2 Hear ye the Psalmist David, who indicateth to us that we are all to gather together at this holy festival to-day. And I see also that this festival is a double one, and I see that tranquillity existeth, and that there are no winds of fire [blowing] upon us to disturb us; on the contrary, we are prepared to receive those who together will do good to our souls, whether it be to us who speak or to you who hearken. And assuredly in us shall be fulfilled these words, 'One yieldeth a hundred-fold, and another sixtyfold, and another thirtyfold.' And I know that He Who is the true Giver of rewards, our Lord Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, is not remote from us, for He spake by His true mouth, saying, 'In the place where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there I am with them in their midst.' And inasmuch as God is with us this day, let us apply to ourselves the word of God which He spake unto us by the mouth of the sacred singer David, who saith, 'Be ye quiet, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.'

3 Ye know, O my beloved, that to-day is the festival of the salvation of us all, that is to say, the Sunday of the deliverance of the whole world. It is right therefore for us to address a few words of adoration to the Christ, Who hath existed before all worlds. I hear Scripture at this moment saying in the Gospel, 'The angel of the Lord came down from heaven, and he went, and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it. And his appearance was like unto that of a flash of lightning, and his apparel was white as the snow. Then he said unto the women, Fear ye not; for I know that ye are seeking Jesus, Whom they crucified; He is not here, for He hath risen, according to what He said.' Furthermore, let us celebrate the festival this day in the festival of the Resurrection of the Lord, more especially because the Lord is present with us, and also His glorious Archangel Michael, who maketh supplication to God to forgive us our sins. For verily he is the intercessor with God on our behalf, and he pleadeth until God delivereth us from every tribulation. And if we wish to be sure that it is he who maketh supplication on behalf of the whole race of Adam, hearken and I will shew you [that it is so].

4 There was a certain merchant in the country of Entikô whose name was Gedsôn, and he was a very rich man, and he was the owner of a very large business. His method of business was as follows: he bought certain products in one country, and, taking them to another, he sold them in accordance with [his] skill in the craft of the merchant. Besides all these things he was a Hellên (i. e. pagan), and he knew not God. Now whilst he was still living in his paganism, God, Who is a treasury filled with compassion of every kind, and Who delivereth every one who hopeth in Him, wished to deliver this man. And it came to pass that on a certain occasion he loaded up all his merchandise in a ship, and went in the beginning of the month of Hathôr to a city in the country of the Philippians, the name of which was Galonia, where he wished to dispose of his merchandise. And he made [the voyage], and arrived [there] during the festival of the holy Archangel [Michael]. Now the evening of the eleventh day of Hathôr was the time for lighting the festival lamps. And the merchant saw that the shrine had been cleaned and decorated, and that it was brightly illuminated with a very large number of lamps, and that great crowds of people were thronging there, and they sang hymns and psalms from the evening until the dawn.

5 And when the day was come the people began to celebrate the festival, and the bishop, and the clergy, and all the magistrates of the city were gathered together, and they decorated all the city, and every house, and every quarter (or, street). And when the merchant saw these things he marvelled, for he was a pagan, and he did not like a thing of this kind; and it seemed to him as if he had been transferred from this world into another, by reason of the things which he saw and heard, and he was greatly disturbed in his mind. And he went to two men and said unto them, 'What is it that hath been happening from the day before yesterday until to-day? And the men, [who] were Christians, spake unto him, saying, It is the festival of the Archangel Michael, which we celebrate in his honour, for it is he who maketh supplication to God on our behalf that He will save us all.' And the merchant said unto the Christians, 'Where is he, for I myself would entreat him to deliver me from every evil thing?' And the men said unto him, 'Thou wilt not be able to see him unless thou becomest a Christian;

6 but if thou wilt become a Christian thou mayest entreat him, and he will deliver thee from every evil thing.' And the merchant said unto them, 'Take two pieces of money, one for each of you, and take me with you to the shrine of the Archangel Michael, and I will become even as ye are.' And the men said unto him, 'Ye cannot become as we are except our father the bishop baptize you.' And the merchant, by the Providence of God Who had called him, entreated them, saying, 'Do an act of grace, and take me to the bishop.' 7 And it came to pass on the morrow that the men of the city brought the merchant to the bishop, and they related to him all that had happened to him. And the bishop said unto the merchant, 'From what city art thou, O my son, or from what country?' And the merchant said, 'I am from the country of Entike.' And the bishop said, 'My son, dost thou really wish to transfer thyself from thine own service (or, religion), and to be numbered among us?' And he said, 'Because of what I have seen with my own eyes, and what I have heard with my own ears, it pleaseth me to transfer myself to thy service.' And the bishop said unto him, 'What God dost thou worship?' And the pagan said unto him, 'I worship the great luminary the sun, because it is he who illumineth the world by his power.' And the bishop said unto him, 'When the sun setteth the night cometh, and tribulation falleth upon us; where dost thou find the sun to deliver thee out of thy tribulation?' The merchant said unto him, 'I beseech thee to permit thy compassion to come upon me, even as upon all the people of the city.' And the bishop said unto him, 'Hast thou a wife or son?' The merchant said unto him, 'My father, my wife and my sons are in my own city.' And the bishop said unto him, 'If this be so,

8 my son, I will not baptize thee now, lest thy wife be not persuaded to [become a Christian] with thee, for in this case a scandal would arise among us, and she would separate herself from thee, or she would make thee to deny the baptism which thou hadst received. For from the very beginning transgression hath been due to the wife.' And when the merchant had heard these things he was exceedingly grieved. And after he had received a blessing from the hands of the bishop he came forth from him, and embarked in his ship to go to his own house. And when he had reached the middle of the great, deep sea, the Devil (who is the hater of everything that is good, and who was envious of him with a great envy and wrath, because he had made his heart right with God, and had turned to Him to deliver him from destruction), through the hatred of his heart towards him, raised up a mighty storm against him. And he made the waves of the sea to beat upon the ship with such violence that it was about to sink into the sea. And c

9 the merchant was afraid, and he did not find (i.e. know) what he should do nor to whom to appeal for help. And he cried out, shedding tears as he did so, 'My lord, thou holy Archangel Michael, help me in this great necessity wherein I am, and [deliver me] from the great tribulations which are round about me. O my lord Michael, I solemnly declare this day, by the glory which I saw in thy shrine, that if thou wilt deliver me on this occasion I will return with my wife and my children, and we will be Christians until the day of our death.' And straightway a voice came to him from the sky, saying, 'Fear not, no evil shall befall thee.' And immediately after the voice [had spoken] a great calm took place, and the waves ceased to boil up, and the ship became steady, and there was no further pitching and rolling. And straightway, through the grace of God and the supplication of the Archangel Michael, the ship sailed swiftly over its course until it at length arrived at the city of its destination in peace.

10 And when the merchant had come into his house he told his wife and his children the things which he had seen, and the things which he had heard, and the things which had happened to him in the city of Galonia of the Philippians. And afterwards he continued to discourse to them, little by little, saying, 'Verily, I have discovered that the sun which we have been worshipping is not a god at all, but that he is a servant of the God of the Galileans.' Now his eldest son was an educated youth, and he said unto his father, 'I will ascertain whether this is so or not at once.' And the youth went up on to the roof of his house, and he cried out to the sun, saying, 'I adjure thee, by thy great light and thy heat which fill all this world, to inform me if thou art not the True God, or if thou art His servant, according to what my father hath told me.' And straightway there came to him a voice, saying, 'Well done, O youth, who dost seek after the True God. I am not God—far be it from me [to say so], as the Greeks say; but I am a servant of His, and I obey His command. Nevertheless, if thou art seeking after the True God, behold, thy father hath learned to know Him since he was in Kalonia, the city of the Philippians. And thee thyself also doth He call to Him,

11 for thou art suitable [for doing] a great service for Him.' And when the voice had said these words it became silent. And the youth said unto his father, 'Is it true that thou hast only known God from the time when thou didst enter that country? Now I am with thee, and we will go thither together with joy.' And his father said unto Toulê his wife, 'If thou art displeased, behold, we have eight thousand pieces of money; take them for thyself if it be that thy heart is not in unity with me. I myself will take a thousand pieces of money, and I will go and obtain forgiveness of my sins.' And his wife said unto him, 'O my brother, I am ready to go with thee to any place where thou wishest to go.' Thereupon they made all their preparations, and they embarked in a ship and came to the city of Kalonia.

12 And when they met the two Christian men who had acted as his guides, and whom he had found during his first visit, he talked to them, and they took him, and his wife, and his sons to the bishop. And when the bishop saw them he rejoiced exceedingly over the conversion of their souls, and he asked them, saying, 'Have ye prepared yourselves with all your hearts to become Christians?' And they answered and said unto him, 'Yea, by the Will of God and through thy prayers, we are ready to become Christians all together.' Then the bishop caused preparations to be made in the baptistery of the shrine of the Archangel Michael, and he baptized them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, the Consubstantial Trinity. And he changed the merchant's name at the holy font—now his former name was Gedsôn—and he called him 'Matthew'. And the name of his wife was Toulê, and her he called 'Irene', and of the four sons he called the name of the eldest 'John', and the second 'Stephen', and the third 'Joseph', and the fourth 'Daniel'. And after they had received baptism they passed twenty days in the city, and the bishop instructed them in the dogmas of the Orthodox

13 Aa Faith. And by reason of his great joy Matthew gave six thousand pieces of money to the shrine of the Archangel Michael, saying, 'I give these moneys for the redemption of my own soul and the souls of my children, and that they may serve as an offering in the shrine of the archangel, for it was he who made entreaty to Christ on my behalf until He granted me knowledge to go unto Him, and to make me to be worthy of His grace.' And after these things he received a blessing from our father the bishop, as did also his wife and his sons. And they came out from the city, and the magistrates thereof set them on their way, and they rejoiced with them over the conversion of their souls. And by the Will of God and His holy Archangel Michael they arrived in their city, and they rejoiced with their kinsfolk, and their kinsfolk rejoiced with them. And after they had come into their house they gave great gifts and charities to the poor and destitute. And all the people of the city blessed them, even as it is written, 'There is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed,' that is to say, these holy people made their most excellent virtues to light up [the city]. And after two months that distinguished man Matthew died; he came at the eleventh hour, and received the hire of a whole day, through the supplication of the holy Archangel Michael.

14 And a few days after the distinguished man Matthew had gone to his rest the enemy of God and man, and the opponent of the angels, that is to say, the Devil, stirred up a great nobleman of the city against his wife [Irene] and against his sons in an exceedingly cruel way, and he carried away their Ab (sic) possessions (? from them by force, and robbed them of everything that they had, and he even took away their granary from them. And John, the eldest son, who was wise, said unto his mother and his brethren, 'Rise up, and let us fulfil the word which our Saviour spake, saying, "When they persecute you in [one] city flee to another. For, behold, they are persecuting us and afflicting us in this city, let us flee to another and save ourselves. And since they are afflicting us in this place, let us depart to the city of Entia, and take up our abode there, and be safe.' Thereupon they rose up, and took their father's possessions, and fled to Entia, the metropolis of the country, and took up their abode there. And John and his mother and his brethren gave large gifts

15 to the poor, and to those who were destitute, and to every one who was suffering from sickness. And the Devil, who hateth what is good, could not contain himself [when] he saw the charities which they were performing, and he ravened like a lion. And a few days after these things the house of one of the magistrates of the city was broken into, and a large amount of valuable goods belonging thereto was carried away in the night, and the magistrate reported the matter to the governor. And the governor enquired concerning the matter of the officers (or, guardians) who were set over the various wards of the city, and of those who were set to watch over the regions round about the city. And whilst they were making these enquiries, behold, the enemy of righteousness, that is to say, the Devil, took the form of an informer, and cried out, saying, 'These strange young men, the four of them, who have come and taken up their abode in this city, are they who have robbed the house of the magistrate;

16 behold, they dwell in the quarter [called] "Zeus". Pursue them forthwith, and when ye have examined them closely the truth shall be revealed.' And immediately, the matter having spread abroad, the neighbours seized the young men and delivered them into the hands of the guards, and the guards took them to the governor, because the matter was one of which they could take no cognizance. And when the young men had been sic) dragged into the market-place they lifted up their eyes, saying, 'O God of the Archangel Michael, perform an act of power for us. Thou, O our God, knowest everything, and that we did not know Thee from the beginning. And now we confess Thee, and Thy Archangel Michael, and we declare that Thou art the Living God. We are innocent of the lying charge which hath been framed against us this day. O thou holy Archangel Michael, in whom we have believed, forsake us not, for thou art he to whom we have clung from the moment when we were held to be worthy of the holy seal, which is in Christ, that is to say, the holy pledge of Chris-

17 tianity. O God, in Whom we have believed, help Thou us.' Ae And whilst they were saying [these words] a voice came unto them from heaven, saying, 'Fear not, O John, and ye his brethren, for no evil shall befall you. I am Michael unto whom ye have made your appeal.' And they said, 'May thy grace be upon us.' And Michael said unto them, 'Let your hearts be strong; fear ye not at all. I tell you that through Jesus the Christ, in Whose Name ye received baptism, no evil shall befall you. Nay more, I will continue to watch over you, and I will deliver you, and not you only, but every one who shall cry out and say, "O God of the Archangel Michael, help us," and I will come unto him quickly by the command of God, and I will grant him his petition, and I will not permit any evil whatsoever to befall him.'

18 And when the Archangel Michael had said these things unto them he gave them [the salutation of] peace, and hid himself from them. Then the guard brought the young men before the governor so that he might pass judgement upon them, and when he had set them before the judgement-seat they said with one voice, 'O God of the holy Archangel Michael, help us; O our Lord, Thou knowest that we are innocent of this deed wherewith they have charged us. Nevertheless, Thy Will be done, O Lord!' And immediately, before the words were ended in their mouths, behold, the holy Archangel Michael took the form of an imperial nobleman of King Gesanthos, the king of Entia (?), the [chief] city of the district, and came [there]. And when the governor saw the Archangel Michael walking towards him in the form of an officer of Gesanthos the king, he rose up straightway and stood before him, and gave place to his royal rank, saying, 'I beseech thee, my lord nobleman, to turn and seat thyself here with me, and to listen to this defence.' And the holy Archangel Michael, inasmuch as he had come for this very purpose, sat down at the right hand of the governor, and the governor gave the order to place before him at the tribunal the four young men all together.

19 And as soon as they had set the young men before him at the tribunal the governor spake unto them with anger and abuse, saying, 'This matter is one which is due to the Devil …Make haste and bring hither to me the property of Sulôm, the archon, which ye have taken, and do not die a terrible death. Testimony hath been borne against you that it is you who have carried away the property of the archon, and if ye do not produce it here before me ye shall die an evil death.' And with one voice they said unto the governor, 'As the True God, Jesus the Christ, liveth, and His holy Archangel Michael, in this affair we have never taken any part whatsoever, neither have we any knowledge thereof. For in very truth, O governor, stealing is held by us to be an abominable thing, according to the precepts of our fathers and their teaching.'

20 And the Archangel Michael, who was in the form of a nobleman, spake unto the governor, saying, 'If thou wishest [to know] the truth, let them seize the little brother of these men, and take him into the house of this man Prosthuros, who hath a savage hatred against these sinless men, and let him cry out, saying, "In the Name of Jesus the Christ, and the mighty miracles of the Archangel Michael, let the property of Sulôm the archon appear which hath been carried off, and which myself and my brethren have been accused of stealing"; and I declare unto thee that the truth shall appear immediately.' And the governor made the two soldiers and the attendants to take hold of the hand of the young man, and they went into the house of Prosthuros. And straightway the young man cried out, saying, 'In the Name of Jesus the Christ, the God of those who are in the heavens and of those who are on the earth, and in the name of the Archangel Michael and of his great power, let Thy grace come upon us, O God, and do Thou send forth from heaven Thy holy Archangel Michael, and let him reveal the property of Sulôm the archon;

21 for the stripes which I and my brethren have received from this merciless man Prosthuros are not few.' And immediately he had said these things a voice came unto him, and unto those who were with him, and also to the soldiers who were close to him, and to the guards who were holding him, saying thus, 'O ye men who have come seeking after the property which hath been carried off from the house of Sulôm the archon, come ye down into this cellar, and ye shall find that for which ye are seeking, so that the truth may be revealed to every one, for these men are innocent of the charge which is laid against them; and when this hath been done the truth shall be revealed through the greatness of the strength of the Archangel Michael.' And immediately the people heard the voice they went down into the cellar, and they found the property of the archon in a cellar under the house of Prosthuros, the merciless man who had behaved arrogantly towards the young men, that is to say, towards John and his brethren.

22 And straightway the governor released the young men, and they departed to their house, and glorified God and His Archangel Michael. And the archangel hid himself forthwith from the [sight of the] governor, and he appeared unto the four brethren who were coming to their house. And the holy Archangel Michael, the commander-in-chief of the army of the Lord, spake unto them, saying, 'O John and thy brethren, behold, I have saved you [once], and ye have suffered no harm, and I will save you again, and ye shall put the Devil to shame. And, moreover, I will give you boldness and fatherhood, and ye shall be heads over all people. And furthermore ye shall become fathers to King Gesanthos.' And John and his brethren related to their mother everything that had happened to them, and she said, 'Let the Will of God be [done]. Besides, O my sons, let us not at any time abandon what is good, so that that which is good may be a means of salvation for us in this world, and in that which is to come.'

23 And it came to pass that within ten days of the time in which these things happened John came and walked across the market-place of the town, and he saw two men who were clad in the livery of King Gesanthos, and they were demanding from every person one hundred oboli on penalty of death. And John said unto the soldiers, 'Will a man be seized and put to death or be in any danger if he giveth two hundred oboli?' And the soldiers said unto him, 'No.' And John said unto them, 'Wait for me a little, O my brethren.' And straightway he went into his house, and he took two hundred oboli, and four other oboli, and gave them to two men, and they gave them to the soldiers of the king, and the four other oboli he gave to the soldiers. And the Devil did not know what to do when he saw the deeds of charity which the four young men were performing.

24 And it came to pass after these things that a certain man, who lived hard by the house of the holy men, invited a friend of his to his house, [and he went and] he ate and drank with him until the evening. And the guest rose up and came forth from the house of his neighbour, and he entered the market-place of the town in order to pass into his house. And whilst he was walking along the path a cerastes stung him, and he died. And when the night watchman was going his rounds to safeguard the town he found the man lying stretched out dead upon the ground. And he lighted a lamp, and examined the whole body, and he found therein no wound whatsoever; and he had the body prepared for burial and buried in a tomb. And the Devil went round about throughout the whole city proclaiming and saying, 'This murder hath been committed by the four young men who have come into the town during these [last] days'; and the report reached the governor, and the governor [made known] the matter to King Gesanthos. And when the king heard of this matter he commanded immediately that the four young men should be brought before him all together. And

25 the soldiers arrested the young men, and they put halters on their necks, and brought them out through the open space of all the town to take them to the feet of King Gesanthos. And straightway there came a voice to them, saying, 'O John, and ye his brethren, fear ye not when ye shall go into the presence of the king, for no evil shall befall you. The time of suffering hath passed, and the season of fatherhood hath drawn nigh unto you through the Lord.' And straightway they brought the young men before the king, and the young men made supplication to God and to the holy Archangel Michael to deliver them. And behold, straightway the mighty and holy Archangel Michael, whose name is sweet in the mouth of every one, took the form of a mighty general in the service of Kōstantinos (Constantine), Emperor of the Romans, and came into [the presence], and great majesty clothed him. And when Gesanthos saw him he rose and stood up before him, and

26 he yielded place to his royal rank, and after these things they sat down together. And King Gesanthos commanded them to bring in the four brethren before him, and he said unto them, 'For what reason did ye rise up against this man and slay him?' And the four brethren answered and said, [We have not committed] this murder of which thou accusest us; we are innocent.' And the king commanded [his men] to bring the instruments for the infliction of torture and to torture them. And the Archangel Michael, inasmuch as he taketh care of every one who is a true servant of the Lord, was pleased to make manifest the glory of these holy men, nay more, to save alive the town of the king and the whole multitude. And as he saved Nineveh, whose population amounted to twelve times ten thousand people, even so was it pleasing to God to save this town from destruction. Then the Archangel Michael answered and said unto Gesanthos, 'It would be a most marvellous event for us in this town supposing that a contradiction [of this charge] were to take place in the following manner. Supposing they were to bring the man who hath died and to set him before the whole multitude of the town, and we asked him, "What happened unto thee?" and straightway he told the truth before all the multitude! Therefore let them bring him that hath died and let us ask him. I declare that [if we do this] the truth shall become manifest, and the liar shall be put to shame.'

27 Then, when the king had heard these things from the archangel—now he did not know that he was Michael, but he told [him] that he was one of the Emperor's most honourable noblemen, as we have already said, although the archangel hath far higher rank than any nobleman of this world—he commanded [his men] to go into the tomb and to bring out the dead man, and to set him before him and before all the multitude that were gathered together unto him. And Michael the archangel rose up before the king and before all the multitude of the city, and he who was in the form of a general cried out to the youngest of the four young men, saying, 'O Daniel, thou brother of John, come, my son, and say thou unto this dead man, "Who is it that slew thee? 28 Mc Tell the truth before the king and all the multitude." And the young man Daniel was one of those whom they were going to torture, and he rose up and went to the dead man, and took hold of his hand, saying, 'O man, tell us who it was that slew thee. Speak the truth, and do not permit innocent blood to be shed unavenged through thee.' And the Good God made the soul of the dead man to return again to his body for the salvation of the whole town and the king, and through the great power of God and of His holy Archangel Michael the man came to life again. And he cried out in the midst of all the multitude, saying with a loud voice, 'Woe unto thee, O Gesanthos! Art thou so utterly bold as to sit by the side of the general of the King of all those who are in heaven and on the earth, the holy Archangel Michael? It is he who maketh supplication at all times for the whole race of men and animals, it is he who maketh supplication for the fruits of the earth until God sendeth the good dew upon them for the sustenance of men and beasts, and also for the sustenance of everything that breatheth and blesseth God.' And he who had come to life also said, 'Forgive these men,... they are holier than I, and the Archangel Michael will inform thee concerning everything which hath happened to me.'

29 And straightway the Archangel Michael revealed himself in his angelic glory, and he went up into heaven whilst all the people were looking at him, and he took the soul of the man with him. And afterwards the Archangel Michael spake down to the king and the multitude, saying, 'Behold, I will make supplication to the Lord on behalf of thy soul and the souls of all the multitude of this city for the sake of these young men; therefore let John and his brethren be held in honour by thee, for thou and all thy city have been saved through them. And as for this man whom thou sayest they killed, they did not kill him, but he died like any ordinary man through the bite of a cerastes.' And when the heart of the king had returned to him he rose up, and brought in John and his brethren, and he kissed them, saying, 'Blessed is the hour wherein ye entered this city, O John and ye his brethren, against whom we have meditated evil things; behold, very many great benefits have accrued to us through you.' And the king caused his palace to be decorated with garlands, and all the people arrayed themselves in festal apparel and rejoiced with very great joy for seven whole days. And the king said unto John, 'Speak, and we all will hearken unto thee.' And John spake unto the king, saying, 'Write a letter to Constantine, the Emperor of the Romans, and [ask him] to send unto us an archbishop to sanctify us and all our city, and let him give unto us the things which shall conduce to the salvation of our souls.'

30 And Gesanthos the king wrote a letter to Constantine, the Emperor of the Romans, [wherein] was written thus: 'Gesanthos, who is called the King of Endikê, maketh bold to write to Constantine, the great Emperor of the Romans, the servant of Jesus the Christ. Greeting! A great act of grace hath come to us through the Good God, Who hath remembered us, and hath brought us out of the darkness of the service of idols, and hath drawn us to Him through the supplication of His great Archangel Michael, and hath made us worthy to look upon Him face to face. And he hath made the man who was dead to talk with us once again after he had been buried, and he ascended up into the heights of heaven in glory when we all were looking on. Therefore we beseech thy divine person to send unto us from before thee one of the great bishops to enlighten us concerning the Orthodox Faith, and to teach us the way whereby we may go to God, and to give us the holy seal [of baptism]. If thou wilt perform this good deed for us thou shalt receive crowns of glory from the True King, the Christ, and the God-loving Emperor shall be saved by the might of God.' And the king sent off the letter to Constantine in all haste,

31 and the Emperor received it, and when he had taken it and read it he marvelled exceedingly at the greatness of God's love for man and at the beneficence of the Archangel Michael. And with very great carefulness he made haste and wrote a letter to John, the Archbishop of Ephesus, wherein he wrote the following: 'Before all things I kiss the holy hand wherewith thou hast touched the holy Flesh of the Son of God. Greeting! Now a great joy hath come unto us from the True God, our Lord Jesus the Christ, and behold, we ourselves send on the news of that joy to thy fatherhood, so that thou mayest rejoice the more with us. For the sake of God then bear thou a little inconvenience, and go to the town of Endikê, and administer thy healing medicine of the doctrine of Christ unto those who dwell therein, and bring thou them out from the service of filthy idols. Devote thou thyself [to this work] with all thy heart, for thy trouble shall not be utterly wasted, nay, it shall be unto thee for a crown of glory before the Great King, the Christ. Do this therefore for the sake of Christ, Who suffered on behalf of the whole race of Adam. Thou shalt give thyself the trouble to go to them and treat them with the healing medicine of thy spiritual ointment, and thou shalt teach them the matters of the holy

32 theology which is full of the Holy Spirit. Thou shalt give them the holy seal which is in the Christ, and shalt baptize them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity in Unity, and Unity in the Holy and Consubstantial Trinity. And this shall be unto thee a praiseworthy act before the Christ Jesus and His holy angels.' And Constantine the Emperor sent the epistle with haste to the Archbishop of Ephesus. And when the archbishop had received it he read it, and rejoiced exceedingly in the Holy Spirit because of the gift of God Almighty, and because of the conversion of the town to God through the supplication of the holy Archangel Michael. And straightway the archbishop took with him a deacon, and two presbyters, and a reader, and three singers, and twelve 'labourers', and priests also. And he took with him everything necessary for the equipment of the baptistery and for the service of the altar, and a table of gold, and four vessels of silver which were plated with gold, and a censer of gold, and a napkin worked with fine gold, and some coverings made of pure silk, and the Four Gospels, and the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, and the Apostolic Epistles—in short, everything that was necessary for the service of the altar. And they prayed to God, and set out on the road joyfully.

33 And when they had drawn nigh to the city, [the arrival of] the archbishop was announced to the king. And the king and all the multitude of the city came out from it, and made obeisance to him, and they received a blessing at his hand, and the king himself received a blessing from the archbishop. And when the archbishop saw John he straightway kissed him, and said unto him, 'Rightly shall the good tree which yieldeth fruit be in the paradise of delight.' And the king related to the archbishop everything that had happened through John and his brethren, saying, 'For the sake of this man and his brethren hath God had mercy upon us.' Wherefore the archbishop went into the city in great awe. And the king entreated him [to come], and he brought him into the palace, for as yet no church had been built in the city. And on the morrow the archbishop said unto the king, 'Before everything else let us build a church.' And the king said unto the archbishop, 'My father, there is a new site whereon we can build one. Come and inspect it, and if, peradventure, it be suitable thou canst build a church there.'

34 And the archbishop went with the king, and the archbishop approved [of the site] with the exception of the small walled building which was in the middle of it, and [the king] ordered it to be pulled down. And the king made the heralds to summon every man from every part of the city, and ordered them to assemble and to do work [on the church], whether archon, or rich man, or poor man, and even the king worked with his own hands; and they knew that they would receive their reward through the Christ. And by the Will of God the church was completed in twenty-six days, and the archbishop consecrated the shrine in the name of the holy Theotokos Mary. And when the archbishop saw the great size of the multitude who wished to receive baptism, he said unto the king, 'Where shall we baptize this multitude?' For as yet no church with a bath for baptisms in it had been built in the city. And the exceedingly wise John answered and said unto the archbishop and the king, 'In the lake of water which is to the east of the city, for I tell you that it is suitable for this honour.' And straightway a voice came from heaven, and every one heard it, saying, 'This is ordained by God, O John, thou wise one, thou son of the Apostles.' And the archbishop and the king rejoiced greatly over what they had heard, and they made the heralds order all the people of the city to be gathered together to the lake of water to receive forgiveness for their sins. And the archbishop went to the lake of water, and he made ready everything according to the Canon of the Church. And afterwards he prayed over

35 the lake, and the deacon followed him, doing everything that was ordered in connection with the bath for baptisms. And a very great miracle took place at that moment, for when the archbishop came to the words of consecration the whole multitude heard a great choir of singers above the waters, and they repeated the words of consecration after the archbishop. And afterwards a voice cried out, saying, 'Whosoever receiveth baptism in this water shall receive at once the forgiveness of his sins.' And when the archbishop had finished the holy prayers he commanded that the whole multitude should hasten down to the lake, and should all receive baptism. And they all cried out, saying, 'We are baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.' 36 And when the king and all the multitude had received baptism, the archbishop gave them the Benediction, and they assembled in the church. And the archbishop shaved the head of John and consecrated him bishop, and he also appointed his three brothers to be elders. And the king had a son whose name was Achillas, and him the archbishop appointed to be a deacon. And all the multitude rejoiced in the Lord, and they said, 'Behold and see this stranger who came to this city, and was considered to be a man of no importance whatsoever, and, lo, he is now sitting with the archbishop, and is, as it were, a father to all this multitude.' Then the archbishop made ready the Offering, and elevated the Offering upon the altar, and he presented it. And the king and all the multitude marvelled because they had never been accustomed to a ceremony of this kind, and they had never seen zeal of this kind displayed. Now this was the first time the Offering was ever offered up in that country. And the archbishop administered the Sacrament to all the people, and he gave them the Benediction, and each departed to his own house. And the archbishop remained in that city for one month of days after this work, and he catechized the people daily, and taught them the whole Law of the Church; and after this he returned to his city in peace. And Gesanthos and all the multitude of the city glorified John and his brethren, and they progressed in the knowledge of the teaching (or, doctrine) of the Lord.

37 And within a few days the holy bishop John said unto the king, 'Let us build a church in the name of the holy Archangel Michael, because it is through his supplication that we have all been saved.' And the king said unto him, 'Do whatsoever thou wishest, O my father, and we will hearken unto thee.' And the holy bishop John laid the foundation of holy church, and all the people of the city rejoiced with him, and they helped him in everything which he commanded them to do. And he finished the church, [and provided it] with everything with great zeal, and he put on its roof on the eighth day of the month. And the holy bishop John consecrated it in the name of the holy Archangel Michael and the day of its dedication fell by chance upon the twelfth day of the month Hathor. And all the people of the city assembled therein; moreover, the feast became unto them a double one, for the festival of its founding and of its dedication were celebrated on the same day in the new church. And after the dedication the holy bishop John went into the temple with the king, and with all the multitude of the city and they overthrew it, and burnt the statue of Zeus with fire. And the demon who dwelt in the idol cried out, saying, 'Thou art afflicting me exceedingly, O John, [for] thou hast turned me out of my dwelling.' And the king made the people to build on the site of the temple a splendid church, and he made them to dedicate it in the name of the Twelve Apostles. And Saint John turned every one to the

38 Orthodox Faith, and every one glorified God through him And when the Emperor Constantine had heard of everything which John had done, he glorified God exceedingly, and he wrote to him a letter, wherein he besought him to bless him and all his kingdom, and he addressed him in it as 'the new Daniel, the destroyer of idols'. And the country of Endike praised Saint John the bishop all his days, because of the multitude of the miracles which God worked by his hands. Ye see then, O my beloved, how great is the goodness of God, and how great is the boldness of the holy Archangel Michael, who cometh to every one who feareth God, and who keepeth His commandment. For our father Daniel said 'None standeth with me except Michael, our archon.' And again, 'The angel of the Lord laid hold upon Ambakoum Habakkuk), and brought him to Babylon and the food which was in his hand, and took him to the pit of lions, and he gave the food to Daniel.' And again it saith in the Acts of the Apostles, 'The angel of the Lord opened the door of the prison by night, and brought Peter out.' The holy Archangel Michael ministered unto each one of the martyrs until they completed their strife, and they departed to heaven in glory through the supplication of Michael. The sun riseth upon all the world through the supplication of Michael. The great spring of Edem (Eden) sent forth its waters into the Your Rivers through the supplication of Michael. The earth seareth its fruits through the supplication of Michael. The

39 whole world was reconciled again to God [by Michael], and he it is who delivereth every one from the snares of the Devil. We find the intercession of Michael in the strenuous work of our hands. We find the intercession of the archangel in the quietness of the oxen, and the growth of the lambs. We find the intercession of Michael in the growth of the wool of the sheep, and in the milk of the goats. We find the intercession of the archangel in the growth of all the fruits of the field. Through the intercession of Michael the trees bring forth their fruits. We find the intercession of Michael in the body of the vine and in the gladness [which is] in the vine. We find the intercession of Michael in the joy, and in the fatness, and in the savour of the olives. We find the intercession of Michael in the slumber of a man, and in his

40 est by night. We find the intercession of Michael in the vinds which stir up the seas, from which he delivereth [men]. We find the intercession of the archangel in the flight of the birds in the heavens, and in the motion of those upon the earth. We find the intercession of Michael in the union of holy matrimony, wherein men beget their children for blessing. We find the intercession of Michael in the war that destroyeth the ungodly, and establisheth peace, and delivereth the righteous. We find the intercession of Michael in the midst of brethren [who live] together, and he is among them. We find the intercession of Michael among the ascetics in the desert (or, mountain), and it giveth them strength. We find the intercession of Michael in the assembly of the monks, and it at the same time acteth as a peace-maker. We find the intercession of the archangel in the prayer of the bishops, and elders, and deacons at the holy table. We find the intercession of Michael in the voice of the readers and the leaders of the choir when they sing their hymns in church. We find the intercession of Michael when he is gentle towards those who are weary, and when he giveth them strength. We find the intercession of the archangel when he giveth help unto those who are vexed by processes in the law-court. We find the intercession of Michael when he giveth relief to those who suffer punishment.

41 In short, he giveth strength to the living in their necessity, and as for the dead, he entreateth God at all times on their behalf that He will shew mercy upon them. For of all the righteous who are in the heavens, unto which of them did [not] the Archangel Michael go when they were in trouble and help them? And unto which of all the martyrs who are in heaven did not Michael go, and give them strength, and deliver them from all their tribulations? For the archangel standeth by every one who crieth up to God with all his heart, and helpeth him. 42 Behold then, O my beloved, we know of a certainty of the love of God towards man, and of the loving-kindness (or, compassion) of the Archangel Michael for all mankind, and that he is a minister on their behalf before the Father, and that he causeth Him to shew mercy towards every one, and to make straight his ways. And as for us, let us, O my beloved, give unto him the things for which he wisheth, and let us make entreaty unto him by means of them, so that he may love us exceedingly, and may make intercession for us with God, and may let us live together in one fraternal bond. Let us keep our marriage bond holy and undefiled, and let there be no fornication whatsoever among us. Let there be no slanderous gossiping on our lips, for it is a sharp spear, and it is a hateful thing before God. Fornication is death in poverty and a friend of the Devil. Fornication is a thing that is hated by the Christians, and it is an enemy unto God and His angels, and a friend of perdition. Consider the sons of Eli the priest; when once they loved fornication destruction came upon them. Observe also the sons of King David; when once they loved fornication more than holy matrimony God cut them off, shortness of life laid hold upon them, and not one of them saw his children in Israel. Amnôn slept with his half-sister [Tamar], and Absalom slew him. Similarly Absalom slept with the concubines of his father, and God brought upon him a rebellion, and he died in the fight. Adônias (Adonijah) also made Abisats (Abishag), the Sômanite, his father's wife, to be with child (?), and he died because of her.

43 Now therefore, O my beloved sons, let us cast forth from us all perverse ways, and let us be without impurity, and sin, and scandalous gossip. 'Holy matrimony never defiled [any] man.' Observe that Moses spake with God several times, and yet he had his wife and his children, and these did not hinder him from going into the darkness to speak unto God. But do not make us to multiply our words overmuch concerning these things, and let the witnesses of the Old and the New [Testaments] be sufficient for us. And further, let us bring to an end our discourse on the Archangel Michael, Whose festival we are celebrating this day. This festival to-day hath no need of the rich man who weareth splendid apparel, whilst the poor man hideth himself from the draught of the door. This festival hath no need of the rich man who is sated with wine, whilst the poor man lacketh bread as he lieth in [his] quarter. This festival to-day hath no need of the person who eateth by himself in gladness, whilst the poor man in prison lacketh food. This festival to-day hath no need of the person who maketh merry and rejoiceth in his house by himself, whilst the poor man remaineth in his house with no man to visit him. These commandments are not of men, but of God. For God shall judge the whole race of men by the six commandments which are in the holy Gospels.

44 Moreover, O my beloved, let us supplicate the holy Archangel Michael with a right heart, so that God may receive his prayers on our behalf, and so that He may forgive us the sins which we have committed in times past, and may give unto us restoration for the future. And now I see that the moment hath arrived for us to go and fulfil that which it is incumbent upon us to do, that is to say, [the offering up of] the Holy Offering. This we must do, and receive the Holy Mysteries, the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus the Christ, to Whom be all glory, which is meet, and to the Father with Him, and to the Holy Spirit, life-giving and consubstantial, now, and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.