bohairic.life.isaac01 Chapter 1

The life of the holy patriarch and archbishop of the great city of Alexandria, which the holy Abba Mina recounted, the most holy archbishop of the city of Pshati (Zawyat Razin). In the peace of God: Amen.

The commemoration of the glorious Patriarch calls us today!

O dearly beloved, it excites the gladness of our hearts, to rejoice in spiritual joy and to undertake its holy encomium.

For who can tell the glory of the true shepherd, of the faithful archpriest of justice, who from his childhood loved virtue and the life of the holy angels, whom he has zealously imitated in their existence, and has made himself like them?

In this he manifested himself with brilliance of all kinds, so that he was entrusted with the care of the lambs of the church of the great city of Alexandria, of all Egypt and even under the whole heaven.

And how could I dare to make such a speech with myself, I who am so small? But what we have heard and what we have learned, this is what we have written for you who read or listen, for the glory of God and his saints.

This saint then, my brethren, was a man of Egypt by his race, from a village called Pisho.

His parents were very God loving.

They possessed a multitude of possessions, and servants and maidservants.

It came to pass when the holy child came into the world that he was called by the name of Isaac: the meaning of this name is joy.

When the day came to baptize him according to the traditions of the Christians, his parents took him to the bishop of that time: he was an inspired man.

As he was baptizing the holy child in the pool in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the consubstantial Trinity, his eyes were opened, and he saw a luminous cross on the head of the child.

As if he had been moved by the Holy Spirit, he cried out in a prophetic voice, saying, ‘Thou art great, O Lord God, Creator of all things, thou alone art great, and no one shall question thee about thy thoughts.'

After saying these words, the holy bishop gave the child to his parents, saying: ‘Keep this child well, for he is a gift from God, he will be a great pontiff in the house of God and many peoples will be entrusted to him.'

When his parents heard this, they raised their voices and said, ‘From ever since and until forever, prasied be the name of the Lord!'

When the holy child was advanced in years, his parents sent him to school, and in a few days he learned the value of letters and the things taught, so that all those who were with him in school admired him when they saw the knowledge that God had given him, and all his fellow-students bowed their heads to him.

And when he was full of knowledge and wisdom, his parents entrusted him to one of their relatives, named Meneson, secretary to Georgios, eparch of the land of Egypt: the little boy Isaac was to be a notary under his direction.

As long as he was in this place, he set an example of a monk's life:

first of all, he learned the psalms by heart, he fasted every day until evening, he always went to church services, he wore a tunic of hair on his skin and on it a magnificent garment.

One day it happened that the prefect called Meneson, desiring to have him write a necessary letter, for he was the first of the notaries; but he did not find him immediately and became very angry.

He asked the boy Isaac, 'Where is your master?'

He answered, 'I don't know.'

And when the little boy saw that his face was sad, he spoke to him as the holy David spoke to the king of Israel, saying: ‘Why is the face of my lord sad? command me, and I will write the letter as you wish.'

The prefect, surprised at his reply, said to him, as if to put him to the test: ‘Go to one of the rooms, write it down, bring it to me, so that I may see it.'

And when he had written it, he brought it and showed it to him, and when the prefect saw the letter that the little boy had written, he was stupefied.

The prefect spoke up and said: ‘You have such merit and I have not known it until today? Truly man looks at the appearance, but God at the heart.'

And from that day the prefect put him at the head of all the notaries, and everyone cherished him: all those who were in the praetorium loved him; he was called the saint because of the wisdom that was in him.

From that point on his parents looked at him as at a mirror, hoping that he would become the master of all that belonged to them, and they desired to make him take a wife in the hope of seeing children born of him: they did not know that his was not the lot of Jacob, but rather that he was destined to be father to a multitude of children, and that the one who had distinguished Jeremiah while he was in the womb had also distinguished this saint.

However, against his wishes, his parents took him and betrothed him to a young woman: they waited until the day of marriage came.

But the young Isaac had within himself a great desire to lead the sweet regime of monastic life: this holy child remembered that the Lord had spoken out in his Gospel and had said: ‘He who loves his father and mother more than me is not worthy of me';

and also: ‘He who leaves his father, or his mother, or his wife, or his sister, or his brother, or his house, or his flock, or his children for the kingdom of God, shall receive them a hundredfold in this world, and eternal life in the world to come';

and the Apostle also proclaimed: ‘The form of this world will pass away;

but I desire that you should all now be without disquiet';

and the apostle John also said, ‘The world will pass away with its desires;

but he who does the will of God shall abide forever,'

and also: ‘All the things of this world, desires of the eyes and desires of the flesh, are unattainable in their violent desire

for they are not things of God, but things of this world.'

This is what the righteous man meditated day by day, and he decided to abandon the vanity of this world with its cares.

This being as it was, Georgios, the eparch whose notary the young boy had been, died.

When the prefect was dead, as the saint found the opportunity he desired, he left the praetorium, went to his house, and stayed a few days near his parents.

As for them, they loved and encouraged him, fearing that he would disappear from their house because they saw the great fervor he had for good.

Finally, things being this way, the young boy Isaac left the house, making sure that no one knew about it.

He went to the holy mountain of Skete, where dwell the choirs of the holy angels of God, that is, of the blessed monks who have crucified their flesh in the sufferings of virtue, who endure at all times the death of Jesus in their bodies, hoping for the glory that will be manifested to them, as it is written: ‘If we have suffered with him, we will also be glorified with him.'

When he arrived at Skete, he dwelt as a guest in the monastery of Abba Zacharias of good memory, the priest and hegumen of the holy Laura of Abba Macarius and bishop of the city of Sais, who was a holy man with visions.

But when the old man Abbot Zacharias saw the holy young man coming to him, the Lord opened his eyes, and he saw the sign of the cross on his head.

When he saw this glorious sign, he was greatly astonished and cried out, saying, ‘How great are your works, O Lord! Your intentions are so deep!'

And so when the holy old man Abba Zacharias took counsel to himself, and said to himself, ‘What will become of this young boy?', immediately he was warned by an angel of the Lord, who said to him, ‘Behold, the Lord has given you a great and holy gift: this young boy has come to you,

for he will be a shepherd for the sheep of Christ and the patriarch of the bishops.'

And when the old man heard the angel's words, he rejoiced greatly.

When Isaac had stayed with the old man about three days, the old man spoke to him of his safety;

He immediately sent him to Terenuti to the house of a friend, to stay with him until he knew what the parents of the young boy would do, for he feared that if they found him near him, they would harm the holy place, for this old man was very famous.

But when this young boy had arrived at Terenuti and entered the man's house, the man's children said to him, ‘Our father is in the field.'

Then the boy climbed into the man's hayloft, took a bundle of hay, placed it on him, and fell asleep.

It happened that the man came back from the field, whose name was Joseph, and he was a priest: many have testified of him that he was a confessor, that he was brought up on the tribunal of the impious Cyrus, and that he was given a multitude of blows with a stick, because he confessed the faith.

When the priest had come up from the country, he placed the she-ass in his stable, and went up to fetch hay to give the ass a bundle of it.

He saw the bundle placed on the young boy having the shape of luminous crosses, throwing flashes of light.

At the sight of this marvellous spectacle, the priest ran and when he arrived to look at and see the young and holy boy, he asked him: ‘Where are you from, my son?'

Isaac informed him of the reason.

And immediately the priest took the boy's head and kissed it, saying, ‘the blessing of the Lord is on the head of the righteous'; and also: ‘upon their heads blessing and joy.'

And the old priest left him with him for several days.

Let us now bring back the discourse on the day when the young boy Isaac left his house: we will tell you everything for the glory of God.

When his parents had looked for him without finding him, there were great tears and many mournings: their joy changed into sadness.

When they had gone through all the monasteries and had not found him, they went to Skete to look for him.

And the holy elders did not reveal it, for it is their custom to suffer for one another, to deliver themselves from all the desires of the world, to put all their cares into fulfilling the word of the Lord who said: ‘There is no greater charity than for one to give their soul for a companion.'

And when his parents saw that the monks did not reveal it to them, and they went to Alexandria to the archbishop, they told him about it.

When the archbishop feared that the authorities would be warned and that misfortune would happen to the holy place, he sent a letter to Skete, that they might not place the boy to the west of the river.

When the holy old man Abba Zacharias saw the snares of the devil, he resolved to face tens of thousands of dangers on his own rather than deliver him up again to his parents according to the flesh, fulfilling the Savior's words: ‘He who receives a child in my name will receive me myself.'

When he had shaved the child's head, he gave him the habit of the monks and he called one of his disciples, named Abraham, who was an ascetic, and said to him, Take this young boy, go to Mount Pamaho, and stay there until God has persuaded the hearts of his parents, and I will send for you.

They got up and walked, as their father had told them.

And after they remained on this mountain for a multitude of days, up to six months, Saint Isaac spoke to the old man Abraham and said to him, ‘Arise, come with me to my parents to show me to them, for surely if I do not show myself to them, they will not make me a free man.'

When the old man Abraham heard this of Isaac, he was greatly saddened, thinking that the young man was devouring his heart and desired to give up the monastic life because of the afflictions that had been brought upon him.

Then the old man spoke to him and said to him, ‘Do not be fainthearted in afflictions, for it is written, 'Affliction produces patience, patience probation, probation hope, and hope is not confounded.'

Now, therefore, my beloved brother, let us endure (our trials) during this short time, for it is written, ‘The Lord instructs him whom he loves';

And likewise it is written: ‘My son, if you come to work for the Lord, prepare your soul for temptation.'

For it is written: ‘O God, test me and know my heart. If God does not test us first, how will he know our love for him?'

These and other similar things the holy old man told him.

The young and holy boy Isaac answered him and said to him, ‘Truly you give me excellent teachings, O my holy father; not only will I follow you, but I am also ready to die for the name of my Lord Jesus the Messiah, for whom I have left everything behind, in order to make myself worthy of eternal life, thanks to his goodness.'

When the old man heard these words of the boy, he rejoiced very much, so they both got up together, and walked with each other, meditating on God's words, until they reached the boy's village.

There was a place outside the village belonging to his parents, and inhabited by an old monk, and there they sought hospitality at the moment when the sun had set.

The old man received them with joy, but he did not recognize them.

Young Isaac spoke to him, asking, ‘Do you know, father, whether Isaac the notary has been found?'

He answered, ‘No, they have not found him: there is great sorrow in the boy's house because of him, for since he has been gone they have been in mourning.'

Then Isaac said, ‘I am Isaac.'

After being amazed, the old monk greeted him, and he made him swear not to tell anyone.

There was a relative of the young Isaac: he was a deacon named Philothea, a man filled with fear in the presence of God, all his relatives looked upon him as a father.

When Isaac had sent for him, he came and, when he saw the boy, he rejoiced greatly.

Saint Isaac spoke to him and said to him: If I have found favor with you, speak to my parents about me, so that they may not hinder me.

And when the deacon had left him, he spoke to his parents, made them take an oath, and then he revealed the matter to them.

When they heard of this, they uttered exclamations of joy and exultation, and there was eagerness of the whole village to run at once on account of the young boy.

And when his parents saw that he was a monk, they did not know what to do.

They were amazed, they did not know what to say, but they did nothing because of the oath they had sworn to the deacon.

And they kept him with them for a month, until they were sated of his beauty; for he was beautiful in form, so handsome that one could almost say that he was an angel of God.

He talked with them about what was good for their souls.

And these are the words he said to them: ‘O my parents, I beseech you, do not rest your hearts on these unstable riches; do not glory in the abundance of your goods, they will pass away quickly.

Moreover, let not ephemeral things cause us to lose eternity.

But now let the bowels of the poor be satisfied with what belongs to you.

Thus he left his parents and went into the desert.

It is reported of him that a multitude of times he saw a luminous cherub spreading his wings over him while he was sleeping, and he would see him ascend to heaven.

O unspeakable graces which the Lord grants to the children of men!

Come, let us see the glory of the man whom the cherubim shaded.

It is said of him that from the day he was born until the day he went to God, no male sperm came out of him.

For it is written, ‘The angels of the Lord will surround everyone who is filled with fear in his presence, and he will save them.'

And a month after he had presented himself at his parents' house, they allowed him what he desired.

Then he sang with the prophet and said, ‘In the name of my God I will cross the fortification wall';

and also this: ‘the trap has been broken'; and also, ‘Thy right hand, O Lord, hath done wonders.'

And when he arrived at Skete, the holy mountain of God, he repeated the words of the Theologian: ‘Give me the wilderness with Christ.'

And when his spiritual father saw him again, he rejoiced greatly.

Moreover, he remained near the old man Abba Zacharias, assisting him in all his works, as Joshua had served Moses, considering the way of life of the brethren who were in the monastery, walked in rule and observance, and prevailed over each other in virtue, like trees laden with fruit.

As for Saint Isaac, the virtues that appeared in him were marvellous, so that he surpassed all those who were in the monastery; his flesh submitted to the sufferings of his ascetic life.

He was meek, humble, adorned with all the gifts of the Holy Spirit;

he did not sleep a multitude of hours during the night;

and even on Sundays he did not sleep at all, he lit the fire for the brethren, served them, parting bread before them, imitating the Saviour who had said, ‘Let the greatest among you serve others.'

When his brothers came to see him and brought him an abundance of wealth and clothing, he distributed them to the brothers who lived in the monastery, and he was a consolation to all who came to him for encouragement.

Their spiritual father gave this order to all the brethren who were in the convent: ‘If Isaac goes to the dwelling of any of you, stand until he goes.'

As for him, he did not let him know it, lest he should become proud of heart.

And when the Lord had made known to the old man all that was to happen to Isaac, the old man gave orders to the brethren, for it is written, ‘Shall the Lord do anything that he does not tell his servants?'

If I have said of this saint, O my dearly beloved, that he was chosen from the womb, I am not mistaken, for I see that this expression is appropriate.

And when he had given his heart to the Scriptures, no search was impossible for him, especially in the discourses of the scribes of the Church.

There was an old man in the mountain who was a great ascetic.

Everyone testified to his virtues.

It came to pass that after seeing the holy Isaac, he said to the brethren who were walking with him, ‘Here is an Israelite in whom there is no cunning: he will be archbishop of the city of Alexandria and patriarch;

he will be great before God, and his words will reach the limits of the inhabited earth.

When the brethren heard these words of the holy old man, they were filled with admiration and gave glory to God, who has made his mysteries manifest to those who are worthy, for it is written, ‘They that see not shall see, and those that hear shall not understand.'

But the holy Isaac progressed in all the virtues, so that his glory was heard of in all the land of Egypt, and many forsook the world and became monks: among them was Meneson, under whom Isaac had first been a notary.

For when he heard that this saint had withdrawn from the world, he also went and became a monk near him.

And another whose name was Ianni, who came from a high family and became the son of the saint, and belonged to the heresy of the accursed ones who say that, since the time of the holy Dioscorus, there has been no patriarch for them: in this they have divided the churches and become heretics.

When he came to Isaac, he became a Christian and a monk, and also became a saint, so that he was made a bishop and entrusted with a large population.

These were the first gifts that the holy Isaac presented to the Lord; but the wicked devil could not see this saint make progress in virtue.

It happened that, while the saint was sleeping, a demon blew into his ears.

And when Isaac had risen from sleep, he could no longer sit down; he informed his father of this battle and he was very sad.

And as the old man had no experience in this great war, he sent him to a great ascetic who had endured a great deal of suffering at the hands of demons.

And when the old man saw him, the young boy told him about this battle.

The old man said to him, ‘My son, I cannot give you orders for your father's sake, for you are a child of cenobitism; but go to your father, what he tells you, do it; I hope God will give you rest.

When he had gone, he informed his father of the old man's words; his father answered him and said, ‘Go, and wash the brethren's seats; I hope God will give you rest.'

He spoke this in peace, because on every occasion he followed humility: he remained six months in this suffering, drawing water for the brethren during the night and washing their seats during the night.

After this hard battle that he had to endure, God gave him the grace of many healings.

It happened once that the brothers went into the fields to gather some fuel, and when they had finished the work they returned to their dwelling.

As they were walking along the road, Saint Isaac stayed behind to gather fragrant flowers for them;

but when he came to a flowering shrub to gather it, a viper in the middle rushed upon his hand.

When the brothers saw him thus, they cried out, believing that he would die on the spot.

But he threw the viper away, without any evil having reached him.

When the brethren saw this wonderful work, they bowed down and worshipped it.

You see, my dearly beloved, a holy young man imitated the apostles and became like them, according to what the Lord said to his apostles, whom he resembled, ‘He who keeps my commandments will make all the signs that I have made.'