life.eustathius.theopiste.01 Chapter 1

The life and conversation of Saint Apa Eustathius a general of the emperor Trajan, and of Theopiste his wife, and of Agapius and Theopistus his sons, who ended their martyrdoms in the great city of Rome, on the twentieth day of the month Thoth, under the emperor Trajan. In peace. Amen.

There is implanted in a holy man the earnest desire to learn,

which is partly natural and partly voluntary, and these qualities are equally clearly distinguished.

The holy man setteth up virtue, and he wisheth to instruct his neighbours by the (examples of) others who have lived from the earliest times, and who have given thanks to Him that hath done good unto us all from the beginning, that is to say, to our God and our Lord Jesus the Christ,

those whom He hath………………..

I mean that not all have given thanks.

We are those (unto whom) He doeth good. And there are very many admonitions (or, teachings), and acts of valiant and blessed men which have come down to us in the Holy Scriptures, which are like unto images that have souls in them, and which will make those who wish to follow them resemble [them] in their glorious integrity, and prevent them from becoming feeble in the performance of their mighty deeds.

The men about whom I shall now write to you are men who maintained their virtuous deeds in our own time, and who did not slacken in their integrity and valiant behavior.

And the men of old, whose histories have been written in the Holy Scriptures in order that those who hear them may love what is good, and may turn themselves to the strength of their virtue, spake, saying, 'Now, in these latter times, there is none who acteth uprightly.'

As for me, I say that so far as the man who wisheth to do what is good is concerned,

neither the labour (involved in obtaining) the fruits, nor a life which is fully (occupied) in business affairs, need hinder the life which is devoted to the performance of good works.

If there be any man who wisheth to follow first of all the word of nature and the instruction of the holy men, of whom we are going to speak,

let him seek after the refreshing (or, rest) which existeth in the way of a course of life filled with virtue, after the manner of those about whom it is my intention now to speak.

And we will describe to you the beginning of their lives, and the reason for the honourableness of their paths, and we will make these things manifest so far as the power to do so lieth in us.

And as for you, O ye blessed men and worshippers of Christ, (do ye hearken unto them with all your will, in good faith, and without unbelief and captious doubt in your minds).

And there was in the kingdom of the Emperor Trajan, wherein the worship of idols had spread and prevailed,

a certain general whose name was Plaketas (Placidus) He was near of kin to the king, and he belonged to a very great and noble family, according to (the opinion) of this world, and he was exceedingly rich.

And he exceeded all the other nobles of the palace in his possessions, (in) gold, and (in) silver, and he had troops of slaves, and riches of all kinds in very great abundance;

and by race he was a Greek And he was adorned with all the works of righteousness.

Those who were in distress, he relieved.

He helped those who were suffering oppression, and those who were naked he clothed, and he provided food for those who were hungry,

and he redeemed, at his own expense, very many of those who had been condemned to death.

In short, he was the steward of everyone who was in ned, so far as the wants of the body were concerned,

and he was a second Cornelius at that time.

And he had a wife who was herself a worshipper of idols,

but she was adorned with every excellent quality and virtue in exactly the same degree (as her husband);

and two sons were born to them,

and these they brought up to walk in the same good path as their parents.

And the man was exceedingly well known because of the good works which he was in the habit of doing,

and he was so celebrated for his personal strength and valour that the Barbarians were afraid at the mere mention of his name. For he was a fine fighter,

and he had gained great renown in battles of all kinds,

but his whole desire was to hunt and slay wild animals, and for this he was greatly esteemed.

But the Good God, who loveth every man who is worthy of Him in every place, did not forget the deeds of this good man,

neither did He wish to destroy his good disposition,

but even as it is written, 'Every heathen who feareth God, and who worketh righteousness, shall be accepted by Him,'

His bowels of compassion yearned towards him, and He was merciful towards him to such a degree that God willed to save his life, and He did so in the way and by the means which I will here declare unto you.

And it came to pass that on a certain day the man went out, according to his custom, to hunt wild beasts in the mountain,

he and his soldiers, and all his slaves were with him.

And there appeared unto him a herd of deer that were feeding,

and he ordered the company who were with him to give chase to them,

and all the soldiers gave all their energies to catching the beasts.

And one of them appeared from out of the herd,

and he was a very fine animal and stood higher than all of them, and he broke away from the herd and took to flight,

and he ran for safety into a thicket on the mountain, which was very dense, and very difficult for the hunters to penetrate.

And when Plaketas had seen him,

he wished to take him in a snare.

And he took with him certain soldiers, and hid away all the others, and he gave chase to the animal.

Now the soldiers who had gone with him became exhausted, and they gave up the chase, and Plaketas rode into the thicket alone in pursuit of the beast.

And by the good Providence of God neither he nor the horse on which he was riding became exhausted in that dense thicket.

And when he had persevered for some time in his pursuit, an was a very long way off from his companions,

then the beast stood still upon a very high mountain.

And when the general had approached him, he stood still and looked round about on every side,

and he wondered by what means he could take him in a snare.

And God, the Lover of mankind, Who effecteth the salvation of man in very many ways,

snared this (general) in His net, even as was snared Cornelius by Peter, and even as was Paul unto whom He appeared when he was persecuting Him.

And when a considerable time had passed, during which Plaketas had been looking at the stag, and marvelling at its great size and very fine appearance, and thinking out the means whereby he might capture it, the Lord gave him the following sign; and He made him able to see it,

and it appeared unto him in the following form.

There was a figure of a cross between the stag's horns,

and it shone more brightly than the sun,

and there was, moreover, between his horns a similitude like unto the body wherein God arrayed Himself in the womb of the Virgin;

now He clothed Himself in this body for our salvation.

And He cried out to Plaketas from the animal with the voice of a man,

saying, 'O Plaketas, why dost thou hunt Me?

For it is for thine own sake that I have appeared unto thee 'in the form of this animal.

I am Jesus, He Whom thou servest, without knowing it.

Thy kind and charitable deeds which thou doest have come before Me.

Therefore I have Myself appeared unto thee,

and I have snared thee by means of this animal that is without reasoning power.

And I have netted thee with the nets of My Godhead.

It is not just to allow those who love Me by their good deeds to act as slaves to unclean demons, and idols which are dead, and dumb, and without feeling.

For this reason did I come upon the earth in the form wherein thou now seest Me, for I wish to deliver (or, save) the race of man.'

And when Plaketas heard these things he was terrified, and he fell down upon the ground.

And when a long time had passed, he rose up, wishing to understand with exactness the miracle which had taken place.

And he said, 'What then is the sight which I have seen?

And what manner of voice is this which I have heard?

Make Thyself manifest to me, O Thou Who speakest with me, and I will believe in Thee.'

And the Lord said unto him, 'Take heed, O Plaketas.

I am Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God, Who created the heavens and the earth, when nothing existed,

and I created all substance of which things are made, and everything else.

I am He Who made the light to appear, and I separated it from the darkness.

I am He Who created the sun and made it to shine by day,

and I appointed the moon and the stars to shine by night.

I am He Who ordained times, and seasons, and days.

I am He Who fashioned man from the earth.

I appeared for him in the flesh which I took upon Myself for the sake of the salvation of men.

I am He Whom they crucified, and I died, and I rose upon the third day from the dead.'

When Plaketas heard these words he fell down upon his face and cried out, saying, 'I believe, Lord, that Thou art He Who hath created everything, and that Thou are He Who turneth back those who go astray,

and that Thou art He Who giveth life unto those who are dead.'

And the Lord answered and said, 'If thou believest, go, make thy way to the high priest of the Christians, and demand from him the freely-given gift of baptism.'

And Plaketas answered and said unto Him, 'Lord, command me to relate these words to my wife and children, so that they also may believe in Thee.'

And the Lord said unto him, 'Repeat them.

And ye shall be purified from every unclean thing When ye have received the seal of baptism thou shalt return hither, and I will appear unto thee, and I will declare unto thee the mystery of salvation.'

And Plaketas came down from the mountain,

and went into his house.

And when the evening had come he began to speak and tell his wife and sons about the things which he had seen in the vision, and how the Lord had appeared unto him.

And his wife cried out and said unto him, 'Lord, my brother, thou hast seen God Whom they crucified, Whom the Christians worship.

For He is the only true God, and it is He Who delivereth those who put their hopes in Him.'

And she cried out vehemently, saying, 'Have mercy upon me, O Lord Jesus the Christ, and upon my two sons also.'

And she said unto her husband, In the night which hath passed I myself also saw Him, and He said unto me, To-morrow do thou, and thy husband, and your sons come to Me.

And I recognized that He was the God, Jesus the Christ, the God of the Galileans. It is He Who willed to appear unto thee in this miraculous manner with the animal in order that thou mayest rely upon His strength, and believe in Him.

Therefore come this very night, and let us go and receive baptism from the high priest of the Christians, even as thou wast commanded,

for by this do those who believe in Him become members of his household.'

And Plaketas answered, saying, 'This is what He Who appeared unto me commanded.'

And in the middle of that night they took their two sons secretly, and a few of their slaves,

and they went to the high priest of the Christians, and they told him all the dream,

and they confessed their belief in the Lord Jesus the Christ,

and they entreated him to give them the seal of the Christ by baptism.

And the high priest rejoiced, and ascribed glory to God Who wisheth all men to have life, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

And the high priest took them, and catechized them, and gave into their hands the Holy Mysteries of the Faith, and he baptized them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

And to Plaketas he gave the name of Eusthathius, and to his wife Theopiste; his elder son he called Agapius, and the younger Theopistus;

and he gave them the Glorious Body and Blood of the Christ, and dismissed them,

saying, 'May God, the Christ, be with you,

and may He graciously grant unto you His kingdom for ever.

And know that the hand of the Lord is with you,

and I earnestly beseech you that when ye shall be in Paradise ye remember the soul of John, the least of all men and the most miserable.'

And when the morning had come Eusthathius took horses,

and he departed to the mountain, and went toward the spot wherein he had seen the vision.

And he dismissed his soldiers, and sent them away to hunt the wild animals,

and he remained where he was alone for a short time;

then he moved on,

and went nearer and nearer to the place where he had seen the figure at first.

And he cast himself down upon his face, and he cried out, saying, 'Lord, I know that Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God, and I believe in Thee and in Thy Good Father, and in the Holy Spirit.

And now I beseech Thee,

if I be worthy of the holy grace of Thy Godhead, declare unto me the things which Thou hast to say unto me.'

And straightway the Lord answered and said unto him, 'Blessed art thou, O Plaketas, because thou hast received the washing of grace,

and hast arrayed thyself in the indestructible garment which abideth for ever.

Now, therefore, do thou make manifest the work of thy faith.

Since the Devil is envious of thee thou must cast him behind thee;

and he will be zealous in setting snares of every kind for thee, and he will contend against thee.

For thou must of necessity endure manifold temptations.

If thou endurest them in patience thou shalt receive the crown of victory.

Behold, thou shalt rise very much higher in the works (or, affairs) of (this) life, and in the riches which are temporal.

And, moreover, thou shalt become rich in spiritual excellence.

Now be not weak, neither be thou overcome by the glory of this world, which thou didst possess originally;

but as thou didst shew thyself to be a mighty man among men, and as thou didst wage war, and didst strive zealously to serve a king who is mortal, even so do thou strive zealously to prove thyself to be a mighty man against the Devil, and do thou keep fast hold on the faith for Me,

for I am the Immortal King.

For needs must that thou shouldst become a second Job, in these times, who shall vanquish the Devil in temptation.

Take good heed to thyself lest the reasoning of blasphemy ascend in thine heart,

and when thou shalt be in a state of humility I will come unto thee in order that I may re-establish thee in thy forever glory.'

And when the Lord had said these things unto him

He departed into heaven,

and the Lord spake unto him, saying, 'Eusthathius, there shall be unto thee as great a temptation as thou canst wish in that which thou shalt have in the last days.'

And Eusthathius said unto Him, 'If this be the last of my days, I now beseech Thee, O my Lord, supposing that I am not able to bear the things which Thou hast appointed me, to remoe them, and not to let them come upon me, and command that our temptation return unto Thee.

But give us strength, O Lord, Thou God of mighty deeds, for Thou are He in Whom we trust.'

And the Lord said unto him, 'Fight, O Eusthathius, and My grace shall watch over what is in (thy) heart.'

And Saint Eusthathius came down from the mountain,

and he went into his house, and told his wife the things which God had said unto him.

And they knelt down together on their knees,

and they prayed, saying, 'Let Thy will be done.'

And it came to pass, after a few days, that a pestilence broke out in the house of Eusthathius, and all his slaves died.

And when this had happened, Eusthathius perceived that there had actually come upon him the temptation (or, trial) which, according to the indications that had already been given to him, was to come upon him, and he welcomed it as such, and he rejoiced, and exhorted his wife not to lose courage.

And after a little while all his horses, and cattle, and sheep died,

and this temptation he also received with joy.

And after these things he left his house, he, and his wife, and his sons, who knew nothing (of the reason),

and he departed to another place.

And when the doers of iniquity knew that they had departed, they went by night and plundered his house,

and they stripped it bare, leaving nothing whatosever behind them, neither gold, nor silver, nor raiment.

After all these losses, and all these sorrows, they became quite destitute, for they had lost all their substance, and everything which they had.

And all these things happened through the crafty designs of the Adversary.

And it came to pass in those days that all the people were celebrating a festival, and they were rejoicing greatly because they had conquered the Persians,

and the Emperor was celebrating the festival with them with great heartiness,

but Eustathius felt that it was not seemly for him to join them in celebrating the festival.

As, however, he was a great general among the nobles of Rome, the Emperor enquired for him, but did not find him.

And when the Emperor learned that in one hour nothing had been left to him of all his possessions,

and that neither he nor those who were with him had anything left,

he and all the nobles with him were exceedingly sorry on his account,

and they marvelled at what had happened to him.

Then his wife said unto him, 'How long shall we sit here in this place?

Rise up, and let us take oiur sons who are left unto us, and let us depart and leave this country, because we have become the laughing-stock of those who know us.'

And that night they took their sons and departed, and they set out for Egypt.

And when they had been travelling for a day or two, they arrived at the sea,

and they found a ship anchored at the quay, and they made enquiries aboiut embarking in the ship.

And the captain of the ship was a savage and brutal man.

And when they had embarked in the ship they put to sea,

and the captain of the ship looked upon the wife of Eustathius, and he saw that her face was beautiful, and he loved her.

And when the captain arrived at the shore of the sea he asked Eustathius for his passage money, but he had it not to give to him;

and he seized the wife of Eustathius in place of the passage money,

for he had already determined that he would not let her go with her husband.

And when Eustathius persevered in arguing the matter with him, and in making supplication to him, the captain made a sign to the sailors to lay hold upon him, and to throw him into the sea.

And when Eustathius knew of their evil intentions he very unwillingly left his wife behind, and taking his two sons departed with them weeping,

and he made lamentation, saying, 'Woe is me, O my sons, for your mother hath been seized by a barbarian.'

And he went away heaving sighs and shedding tears, and he came to a river of water, and owing to the heavy rain which had fallen into it

he was unable to swim across it with both of his sons at the same time.

And he took the one son on his neck,

and leaving the other on this side of the river

he swam across the water, and left on the other side the son whom he had been carrying,

and then turned back (to fetch) the other.

And it came to pass that whilst he was in the middle of the river

he lifted up his eyes, and saw that a lion had seized his son, and that he was dragging him along the ground and going away with him.

And his father Eustathius was in despair about him;

but he recovered himself at length, feeling that there was hope for him, for he still had the other son left to him.

And again he looked, and saw that the other son was being carried off by a wolf.

And (when) he perceived that both his sons had been carried away into captivity by wild beasts

he tore out the hair of his head,

and wept abundantly with exceedingly great bitterness,

and he was about to cast himself into the flood.

But the loving care of God gave strength to his heart, so that it might make him to know what was to happen to him.

Therefore, he did not do this (i.e. drown himself), but he swam across the river in order to depart into the desert.

And when certain shepherds saw the (one) child in the jaws of the lion and that he was uninjured,

they said with right understanding, The Providence of God is disposed to protect this boy,

and to help him, and it will deliver him from the wild beast.'

And they gave chase to the lion with their horses,

and the lion was afraid.

And by the dispensation of God the lion dropped the child from his mouth,

and fled, and the shepherds picked up the child, and they reared it as a son to them on the east of the river.

And as for the other son which the wolf had carried off

the good Providence of God preserved him also unharmed.

For when certain men who were ploughing the land saw him (being carried off) they gave chase to the wolf, and took him from the beast; and the child had received no injury whatsoever.

And the ploughmen and the shepherds were living together in the same village,

and they took the two little children, and reared them as their own.

Now Eustathius had no knowledge whatsoever of what had happened;

but he walked on his way, and he wept, and kept repeating these words, 'Woe is me!

I was at one time flourishing like a tree,

but now I am dried up and withered.

Woe is me! I, who at one time had legions of soldiers at my feet, am now left utterly to myself,

and neither my wife nor my children are permitted to be with me.

But do not, O Lord, cast me away,

and be not Thou forgetful of my tears.

O Lord, Thou didst say unto me, 'Needs must that thou shalt be tempted as was Job.'

And behold, do Thou look upon my sufferings which have become exceedingly severe.

For even if the possessions which he had were all carried away, there still remained to him the dung-hill whereon he could seat himself,

whereas I am a miserable sojourner in a strange land, and am burdened with all this mass of misery.

And again, Job had his children to console him,

and to help him bear his sufferings,

whereas in my case the wild beasts have carried off my children, 'who should be my consolation.

And even if his branches, I mean his children, were lopped off, he still had left to him the root, that is to say, his wife, who would live in the house with him, even though she did not serve him as a wife in the (true sense of) the word.

But as for me, miserable man that I am, my root is cut off on all sides,

and I cannot see a single ray of light from the lamp of my race.

Moreover, I am like a tree in the desert, which is being ever shaken by the winds of the Devil.

Do not, Lord, do not afflict Thy servant, (and drive him) to utter many words,

for if I spake the things which I ought not to speak, I should be grieved in heart.

Do Thou, therefore, O Lord, set a guard upon my mouth, and a strong seal upon my lips, so that my heart might not incline towards the words which are evil,

and Thou mayest not cast me away from before Thy face. And give Thou me rest, O Lord!'

And as he was saying these things, and was heaving sighs and weeping, he came to a village, which was called Bassos,

and he went into it, and worked there, and procured his daily bread therein.

And when he had lived there a long time the owners of the village entreated him to go and become watchman of the fruit crops in the orchard there, and he fullfilled this work for a period of ten years, and received his wages for the same.

And his sons were being fed and brought up in the village which we have already mentioned, and they did not know that they were brethren.

And the captain of the ship who had carried off the wife of Eustathius took her to his own country,

and the great shadow of God overshadowed her so completely that the barbarian was never able to touch her all that time.

For what this woman had entreated God to grant her was that a pagan man should not touch her at all.