life.eustathius.theopiste.02 Chapter 1

And it came to pass that after her barbarian husband was dead the woman remained in that country. And after (many) days those pagan people among whom the wife of Eustathius was living rose up (or, rebelled), and advanced to seize the country of the Romans.

And the Emperor Trajan was greatly troubled because of the war with these pagan peoples, and he remembered Plaketas, more especially because of his bravery and his numerous defeats of the alien peoples.

And the remembrance of Eustathius kept stirring within him,

and he was troubled about the change which had come upon him in his affairs.

Then he prepared himself and the soldiers who were in his kingdom for the war.

And he grieved exceedingly for Plaketas,

and he spake, saying, ' Him who shall give me such indication as will help me to find him, upon him will I bestow a great honour and a yearly wage, and I will make him exceedingly rich.'

And two of his soldiers—now the name of one of them was Antiochus, and that of the other Aeacius, and they had been servants of Eustathius, and untiring in their ministrations to him in times past when he was living with them—

departed to seek after him, and they searched the whole kingdom through very thoroughly until they arrived at the village wherein Eustathius was.

And as they were going along in. the place wherein Eustathius was keeping watch he saw them from a distance,

and he recognized them by their peculiar carriage, and by their gait.

And he remembered his former manner of life, and he began to feel sorrowful in heart,

and he prayed, saying, 'O Lord God, Thou merciful One, Who deliverest every one who putteth his hope in Thee, since I have seen those who formerly walked with me shall not I have hope?

Now, therefore, give the command, and look upon me and upon Thy servant, that is to say, my wife.

For I know well that because of my own evil works my children have become food for wild beasts, but I entreat Thee to permit me to look upon (them) again in the Resurrection.'

And whilst Eustathius was saying these words he heard a voice which spake unto him, saying, 'Be of good cheer, O Eustathius, at this time,

for thou shalt again have the position which thou hadst formerly, and thou shalt receive thy wife and thy children.

In the resurrection of the dead thou shalt see the good things which are for ever.

Do not deny Me, and thou shalt find a rest which is endless, and thy name shall increase from generation to generation.'

And when he had heard these words Eustathius was afraid, and he walked down from the place where he was,

and he stood up close to where the two soldiers were on the road in front of them,

and he knew them without any doubt, but they did not know him.

They said unto him, 'Hail, good neighbour!'

And he said unto them, 'Peace be unto you, O my brethren!'

They said unto him, 'Dost thou know in this place a man who is a stranger, and is called Plaketas, and his wife, and his children?

If thou canst shew us this man we will give unto thee very much money.'

And Eustathius said unto them, 'For what purpose art thou enquiring after him?'

And they said unto him, 'He was a fellow soldier, and behold, we have been wishing to meet him for many years past.'

And he said unto them, 'I know not the man.

Rest ye, however, with me, for the day is far spent ; rest ye yourselves with me in this Replace which I inhabit.

For I myself am a stranger.'

And he took them into his house,

and then departed to buy some wine to give them to drink.

And he said unto the master of the house wherein he lodged, ' I know these men.

They have come to me here that I may supply them with food and wine ; and they would rest (i.e. lodge) with me in this place. (Give me food and wine) and I will repay thee the price of the same at the time when my wages (are paid)

and the man gave unto him joyfully everything which he needed.

And Eustathius remained and ministered unto them, and he could hardly contain himself when he remembered his former life; nevertheless he kept a strong- hold upon himself, and did not weep,

but he went out (of the house) and wept. And he washed his face,

and went into (the house again), and served them.

And they looked at him, and little by little they began to recognize him, and they spake unto each other, saying, 'This man is like unto the man whom we are seeking;

and the one said unto the other, 'Yea, he is like him. I know that there was a scar on his neck which was caused by a wound which he received in it a long time ago during the war with the Masekates.

Let us watch him carefully so that we may see whether he hath the scar or not.

If he hath the scar on his neck then he is the man.'

And having watched for the sig-n very carefully they saw the mark of the wound on his neck,

and straig-htway they rushed to him, and they kissed him,

and they asked him, saying, 'Art thou not the man Plaketas who was formerly a great general?'

And he denied it, saying, 'Certainly not'; and he kept a strong hold upon himself so that he might not weep.

And when they had pointed out to him the scar of the wound on his neck, they took an oath to him, saying, ' Thou art Plaketas, the general'; and they asked him concerning his wife and his children.

And he said unto them, 'They are dead.'

And whilst he was talking to them about these matters they lifted up their faces with a great cry, and they wept so loudly that all the people who were in the village heard them;

and whilst they were uttering these loud cries the people of the village came to see what had happened, and they were afraid and were greatly moved.

And the soldiers quieted their uproar, and described to them the power and honour which the man had enjoyed formerly.

And when the men of the village had heard these things they heaved sighs, and said, 'Great is the honour of this man who hath become a hireling unto us.'

Then the soldiers reported the matter to the Emperor. And they arrayed Eustathius in good apparel, being such things as they had with them, and they took him

and they took him and set out on their road.

And every one who was in the village walked with him to set him on his way,

and (when) he had supplicated them he sent them away.

And whilst he was travelling along the road with the soldiers he described unto them the things which he had seen (in the thicket), and how he had seen the Christ, and also how he had been named Eustathius,

and he told them about all the things which had happened unto him. And when they had fulfilled fifteen days in marching on the road they came to the place where the Emperor Trajan was,

and they shewed unto him in what manner they had discovered Plaketas.

And Trajan the Emperor came forth to meet him, and he kissed him, and he wept many tears,

and he enquired of him what his reason was for his departure.

And Eustathius related to Trajan and all the nobles what had happened unto him, and the history of his wife and his children

and in what way the captain of the ship had carried away his wife by force, and how his children had been carried off by wild beasts, and he described to them their tribulations.

And there was very great joy indeed in (the hearts of the Emperor and his nobles) because they had found Eustathius alive. And the Emperor comforted him, and made him a general as he had been aforetime.

And when Eustathius had inspected the army he knew that it was not sufficiently strong to fight in battle against the Barbarians,

and he shewed the Emperor that this was so.

And Trajan the Emperor commanded his officers to enlist recruits,

and he wrote an epistle to every city wlierein he ordered the people thereof to enlist men, and to train them, and to make them fit to be used as soldiers.

And it came to pass that when (the envoys) had entered the villag-e wherein were the sons of Eustathius they took the two young men and made recruits of them.

And the men who were in that place bore testimony concerning them, and said that they were vigorous in respect of their strength, and goodly in their appearance.

And when Eustathius had gathered together all the recruits, and had assigned to them their positions, he perceived that the two young men were the most goodly of them all.

And he appointed them to serve him personally, because he knew that they were of noble birth by their manners and habits,

and in his good nature he set them apart to minister unto himself. And their own natural disposition drew them more and more day by day to make him love them,

and he gave orders that they were to eat with him at his table.

And after these things he took command of the army according to his wont,

and he departed to the war and to the country of the Barbarians, which he had taken before that day,

and in which he had set free those who had been kept in captivity therein.

And he crossed the river which is called Hydaspes, and went up over the mountains, and penetrated far into the country of the Barbarians,

and he vanquished the foreigners also, and spoiled the whole country.

And Eustathius took counsel with some of the pagans, and it seemed good to the Providence of God to make him to enter the place where his wife was.

Now this woman had, from the very first, been preserved, even as I have already said, through the care of God, from the violence of the captain of the ship (and of other) masters.

And when this foreigner died she went away by herself, and she took up her abode in the garden of one of the people with whom she lodged,

and she made a booth wherein she might live by herself.

And when the general had taken that town, and had spoiled it, he pitched his camp there for a period of three days, and rested there with his army, because that place was very suitable for encamping in.

And it came to pass that the two young men took up their abode in that garden wherein the booth of their mother was situated.

And as it was the season of noon they sat down and discussed together the affairs of their childhood, but they did not know that their mother was in that place, nor did they know what had happened to them.

And their mother was sitting listening to what they were saying.

And the elder brother said unto the younger brother, 'As concerning the time of my childhood I cannot remember anything at all except that my father was a general, and that my mother was a very beautiful woman, and that they had two children.

One of them was younger than myself, and his hair was red, and his face was handsome.

And they took us, and they came forth from our house one night,

and they embarked with us in a ship wherein we sailed I know not whither.

And when we arrived at the shore on the ship my mother remained by herself on the ship, though for what purpose I know not. As for us our father took the two of us away, and he went on his way weeping.

And having come to a river he swam across it with my little brother,

and me he left on the bank of the stream.

And when he would have returned to carry me over a lion sprang upon me and seized me with his jaws, and went off with me into the desert.

Now certain shepherds who were pasturing their flocks in that place snatched me from the lion, and they brought me up there.

This I do know, but I do not know what happened to my little brother and to my father.'

When the younger brother heard these things from his elder brother he leaped up and wept, and he said, 'Thou art my brother.

For from what thou hast said I know that thou art my lord brother, because I myself was brought by the shepherds who told me that I had been snatched away from the claws of the wolf;

and he embraced him, and they kissed each other.

And as their mother was listening to these thing's she knew that the two young men were her sons by what they had said about her voyage on the ship.

And she said within herself, 'I wonder can these young men be my sons or not?

Can my sons possibly have their forms?'

And she was exceedingly sorrowful, and her bowels were greatly moved when she saw the young men embracing each other and weeping.

And she continued to gaze upon them, and she said, 'These assuredly are my sons, more especially because they said that their father was a general, and that their mother remained on the ship.'

And on the morrow she went to the general and spake unto him, saying, 'I beseech thee (to hear me), O my lord ; I am a woman from the country of the Romans, and I was carried away captive, and they brought me to this place.

I therefore entreat thee to take me back to my native land.'

And whilst she was saying these things she began to recognize in him her husband through the various characteristic marks which she knew to be in him ; and when she had recognized him she was afraid to question him.

And when she was unable any longer to contain herself she cast herself down (before) him, saying, ' I beseech thee, O my lord, be not angry with me,

for I wish thee to make known unto me what thy rank in life was formerly.

Now I think that thou wast Plaketas, the general, who changed his name, and who was called Eustathius, after thou hadst been baptized in the Name of the Christ Jesus, Who did appear unto thee with an animal that was without reasoning power,

And when thou hadst fallen into the trials which the Lord had previously indicated to thee thou didst take thy wife, that is to say, myself, and thy two sons, that is to say, Agapius and Theopistus,

and didst set out for Egypt. And when we had come to the sea we embarked in a ship, and we set sail, and made our passage, and when we had arrived

thou didst punish me through the savage captain of the ship,

who seized me and carried me off to his native land. But, as the Lord Jesus the Christ is my witness, neither that man nor any other hath defiled my body, but have guarded my chastity until this day.

If now thou art Enstathius, as I know thou must be judging by the marks which I can describe unto thee, I conjure thee by the might of the Christ to declare thyself, and not to hide from me anything whatsoever.'

And when Eustathius had heard these things he marvelled exceedingly.

And when he had looked into her face, and recognized her, a mighty joy came upon him.

And he rose up straightway, and embraced her, and said unto her, 'I am Eustathius of whom thou speakest.' And they kissed each other with a spiritual kiss,

and they shed tears in great abundance, and they glorified God Who at all times doeth good things for His servants, and bringeth them out of all tribulation.

And his wife said unto him, 'Where are my sons?'

And he said unto her, and he wept as he said it, 'The wild beasts carried them off'; and he told her what had happened unto them (when they were) with him.

And she said unto him, ' Let us give thanks unto the Lord, for even as He hath given us each to the other, so will He speedily give unto us our sons.'

And Eustathius said unto her, 'I tell thee again that the wild beasts carried them off.'

And she answered and said, 'Whilst I was sitting in the garden yesterday I heard two young men talking together about the events which happened in their early childhood, and they related things which concerned their early years.

And I knew that they were my sons, but they would never have recognized one another had it not been that the words which the elder brother spake supplied the clue that enabled the younger brother to recognize him.

If thou hast not up to the present known this, then know well that it was the loving-kindness of God that hath given us to each other.

Do thou thyself call the young men and ask them questions, and let them inform thee.'

And the general called the two young men, and asked them, saying, 'Whose sons are ye? And what was it that happened to you in your childhood?'

And they declared unto him the things which had happened to them, and immediately he recognized that they were in truth his sons,

and he embraced them with fervour, and he kissed them.

And Eustathius and his wife cast themselves on the necks of their sons,

and they wept long and gave thanks unto God for the marvellous manner in which they had met one another again.

And the rumour of that which had befallen them reached all the multitude of the city,

and all the people gathered together in one place, and they marvelled and rejoiced because Eustathius and his wife and sons had met together once more, but more

especially for the victory over the Barbarians. And they made a great feast that day because they had met together (again),

and on the following day they invoked God, and sent forth cries of thanksgiving unto Him for His great lovingkindness to man.

And when they had carried out the spoliation of the Barbarians they returned with great gladness, and brought with them a very large amount of spoil and a multitude of captives.

And it came to pass that when Eustathius was returning from the war the Emperor Trajan died,

and there came in his room another Emperor whose name was Adrian (Hadrian), who was an exceedingly irreligious man, and was more wicked than all the other kings who had reigned before him.

And when Eustathius was returning from the war the Emperor went out to meet him, according to the custom of the Roman Emperors,

and he brought out with him all his nobles, because of the (long) list of all the places which he (Eustathius) had taken.

And he, because of his valour, whereof he was conscious, and because of his meeting with his wife and sons, was filled to the uttermost with his joy.

And when he had come into the city the Emperor went and entered into the temple of Apollo, but Eustathius did not go in with him, and remained outside.

And the Emperor called him, and asked him why he did not come into the temple of Apollo, (saying), 'Thou must pour out a libation to the gods in return for thy victory, and because thou hast returned from the war, and thou must offer up sacrifices of thanksgiving to them, especially as thou hast found thy wife and thy sons.'

And Eustathius said unto the Emperor, ' I will certainly offer up offerings to my King, the Christ Jesus, together with our supplications and our prayers, and our manifold entreaties, because He hath had pity on our wretched state, and hath brought us out of captivity.

He it is Who hath given to me my wife and my sons, and hath helped me according to what He spake to me before I received baptism in His Name.

Now, therefore, I know no other god besides Him.

For He is the God Who hath created the heaven and the earth, and it is He alone Who hath done these great marvels.'

Then the Emperor was wroth when he heard these things from Eustathius,

and he made him to withdraw from him as if he had been a pagan, he and his wife and his sons,

and he spake unto them words of terror and threats of destruction.

And the saints neither regarded them nor were they frightened at all.

And when the Emperor saw their unconcern and their faith in the Christ, he commanded them to be taken to the stadium, and to be put an end to by means of a mighty lion.

And when the lion advanced to attack them he stood still before the saints, and bent his legs and worshipped them, and he laid his head also down on the ground.

And afterwards he came out of the stadium and departed.

And when the Emperor saw this great sight, and that the wild beast would not attack them, he fell into doubt.

And he commanded them to make a brazen bull, so that they might cast the saints into it and burn them.

And the multitude gathered together to see the strife, and the spectacle of the saints

and (the servants of the Emperor) seized them with the mechanical contrivances of the instrument for lifting them up into it.

And the blessed Eustathius entreated the honourable people to allow them to pray,

and he spread out his hands, he and his wife and his sons,

and they prayed, saying, 'O Lord God of the Powers, Whom no man hath ever seen, but Whom now we see according to His wish, hearken Thou now unto us who cry unto Thee. Make Thou our prayer to be perfect with one thought, namely, the confession of Thy Name and Thy holy faith.

Make Thou us worthy to be counted among the holy martyrs, even as were the Three Holy Children, whom Thou didst try by fire and they denied Thee not.

In this manner do Thou receive us nnto Thyself, through this fire, as a sacrifice well pleasing unto Thee, and because we make ourselves to be also an offering by fire.

And Lord, do Thou grant a favour and a gift unto our bodies, so that every one who shall commemorate us shall receive a gift in the kingdom of heaven, and also a time of rest upon earth.

And if those who are in peril on the sea, or by waters of any kind, cry unto Thy Holy Name, do Thou deliver them from their danger.

And if those who are (burdened) with manifold sins cast themselves down before Thee in Thy Name, do Thou forgive them their sins. And to every one who shall commemorate us on the day (called after) our name, be Thou, O Lord, a helper.

Let the threat of the fire which is round about us become unto us the dew of refreshing, so that our bodies, O Lord, may gain strength thereby.'

And whilst they were saying these words and were praying they heard a voice from heaven, saying, ' Inasmuch as ye have been mighty athletes in this life,

and ye have endured patiently manifold trials, fear ye not at this present, and come ye into this place in peace. Ye shall receive an indestructible crown,

and ye shall enjoy yourselves with the good thing's which have been prepared for you for ever, in the place of the suffering's that ye have endured, and the trials which ye have borne patiently and which were only for a time.'

And when the saints had heard these things they delivered themselves joyfully over to the soldiers, who cast them into the brazen instrument.

And having been thrown in the flame of fire enveloped them, and they ascribed glory unto the Holy Trinity, unto Whom victory belongeth,

and after a short time they delivered up their souls into the hands of God. And the fire did not touch (or, scorch) their bodies in the least degree, nor the hair of their heads.

And after three days the wdcked Emperor Hadrian came to the place wherein the saints had finished (their fight),

and he commanded that the brazen bull should bo opened, so that he might be able to see what had happened to the saints.

And when it had been opened they found the bodies of the saints in a perfect state of preservation, and there were no marks of destruction whatever in them, and they seemed to be still alive.

And when they had brought them out and laid tbem on the ground, great awe and wonder came upon every one who stood nigh unto them, and the bodies of the saints were brilliantly white like snow.

And the polluted Hadrian looked upon them, and he was filled with wonder, and was afraid, and he went away.

And the multitude who were standing there cried out, saying, 'Great art Thou, O God of the Christians!

Thou art indeed the only Great God, Jesus the Christ, and there is no other god besides Thee. For Thou didst not permit any harm to reach the bodies of (these) saints, nay, they have become brilliantly white and shining, and they send forth great light with glory and gladness.'

And when the evening had come the Christians came and carried away the bodies of the martyred saints, and they laid them in an honourable place secretly in the city of Rome.

And after the persecution (of them had died away) they built over them a martyrium, and they celebrated festivals therein with hymns and doxologies, according to the custom of the Christians.

And they commemorated the holy deaths of these oflorious martyrs on the twentieth day of the month of December, which is Thoth, according to the language of the inhabitants of Egypt.

Such is the history of the life and contest of these blessed and holy martyrs, that is to say, Apa Eustathius, and Apa Agapius and Apa Theopistus, his sons, and Amma Theopiste, his wife.

Here endeth the account of their strife.

Now every one who shall be worthy to celebrate the holy commemoration (of these saints), and who shall invoke them, shall receive the good things of the kingdom which is in the heavens, through the grace and love for man of our Lord Jesus the Christ, to Whom be glory, and to His Good Father, and to the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Victor the deacon, the least (of men), the son of the blessed Mercurius, the deacon.'