life.pisentius.01 Chapter 1

THE LIFE AND ADMINISTRATION OF OUR HOLY AND GLORIOUS FATHER, APA PISENTIUS BISHOP AND ANCHORITE IN THE MOUNTAIN OF TSENTI, WHICH JOHN THE PRESBYTER NARRATED ON THE DAY OF HIS COMMEMORATION, THAT IS TO SAY, ON THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF THE MONTH EPEP. IN THE PEACE OF GOD. AMEN.

The subject of this festival to-day is full of joy, for it is our holy father, who had put on Christ, Apa Pisentius, who was full of light; and who spread abroad a sweet odour at all times, not only during the day, but during the night also.

All the beasts which are upon the earth, and (all) the birds which are in the heavens rejoice, and move about gladly, and are happy this day because of the good and glorious news of him which hath reached them, according to what the words shall inform us, if we are able to proceed to the end.

I took an oath to keep silence and not to speak concerning thy righteous acts and judgements, because thou thyself didst flee from the adulations of men from the very beginning, when thou didst become a monk, and before thou didst become a bishop.

And indeed if we were all to be gathered together, each one having the opportunity of speaking, one would declare (the greatness of) his knowledge, and another his power of disputation, and another would proclaim his power of revealing hidden things; and thus it would happen that all the descriptions (of him) would be laudatory.

Saint James the Apostle cried out in his Catholic Epistle, saying, 'He who knoweth how to do what is good, and doeth it not, it is a sin unto him.'

Let us learn, moreover, who it was to whom the Apostle (Paul) referred in his words, I knew a man in Christ fourteen years ago,

but whether he be in the body I know not, or whether he be out of the body I know not, it is only God Who knoweth, (this man I say) was caught up into the third heaven.

And I knew such a man, but whether he be in the body (now), or whether he be out of the body (now) I know not, it is only God Who knoweth, (this man I say) was caught up into Paradise, and heard things which were hidden,

the which it is not lawful for man to utter.

Of whom then was the Apostle speaking if it was not Pisentius?

For all the saints have fled from the glory (or, adulation) of this world, and this did also our glorious father, Apa Pisentius, whom God hath made manifest to us in our own days.

He was a giver of light to the whole world.

He was salt which was purified for every one, according to that which is written in the Gospel, 'Ye are the salt of the earth.

Now if the salt hath become tasteless, wherewith shall they make it salt (again)?

And again, 'Ye are the light of the world.'

He hid his life and the works thereof, but God hath made manifest those who perform His will and commandments, generation after generation, according to that which is written,

God draweth nigh to every one who crieth out to Him in truth, and He doeth the will of every one who holdeth Him in fear, and He will hear their supplication, and will deliver them.'

Now if ye wish to know whether he hated the glory (or, adulation) which was vain, and whether he wished not for any to applaud him in any way or not, go into… and learn concerning him from the acts of his life and the manner in which he used to live.

And hearken ye unto me with diligent attention.

It came to pass on a certain day, when he was still a monk, and before God had set him apart for the episcopacy, that he was meditating quietly by himself in the Mountain of Tsente,

when his brother came to visit him; now his brother was walking with a certain believing brother, and they met the holy ascetic face to face, and received a blessing from his holy hand.

Then he asked them, saying, 'Have ye any decided reason for coming into this region?'

And they answered, saying, 'In the first place, we set out in order to come to thee, and to pay thee a visit, and to receive thy

For had it not been for the cares of the world which have occupied us for several days past we should have passed thy way before this.

In the second place, we have a little business in this neighbourhood which we wish to arrange ; but do thou pray on our behalf, O father, that God may journey with us.

If God be pleased to permit us to do this we shall return to thee again, and we wiU salute (or, kiss) thee, and receive thy blessing before we return to our houses, if it be God's will.'

And the holy man answered and said, 'Depart ye in gladness. But, O my sons, take good heed to yourselves, (and) do not commit sin.

For neither the world, nor that which is in it, is of any account, because it existeth for a season only.

y sons, take ye good heed to yourselves in these villages.

Hold no intercourse with a woman who is bad.

Do not seize the ox of the poor.

If there be any man in this region who is indebted to you, do not treat him harshly, and do not attempt to force him to pay by legal means;

but watch what is in (his) mind, in order that God may shew compassion unto you.'

And they answered, saying, 'Pray for us, O our father.'

And they came away from his presence, and they acted (according to) his plan (or, way), and they gave glory to God because of the words of advice wherewith he had advised them.

And the holy man, the anchorite, Apa Pisentius, stood up, and recited the beginning of the Book of Jeremiah the Prophet.

Now (meanwhile) his brother, and the believing man who was travelling with him, departed,

and they arranged their business according to the word of the holy man who had made entreaty to God on their behalf.

And God made straight their way, and they returned to him in his cell in haste at the dawn of day.

And when they had come to him, they heard him reciting the words of Saint Jeremiah with great calmness and clearness,

and they sat down outside his place of abode for a little time, saying, 'It is not right, and the matter is not of such urgency as to make it seemly for us to cry out to the holy man inside until he hath finished reciting the Scriptures and praying

And when Pisentius had concluded the reciting of the Prophet Jeremiah, and had finished (his prayer), the two men rose up and knocked at the door, at the very moment when he began to (recite) the (Book of the) Prophet Ezekiel.

And they sat down, and did not cry out to Pisentius inside.

And finally he finished reciting the whole of the (Book of) the Prophet (Ezekiel), and he shut his mouth, for the evening had come.

And when the two men knocked at the door, Pisentius answered them, saying, 'Bless me.'

And he looked out upon them from a large window, and he spake unto them, saying, 'Did ye come to this place many hours ago?'

And they said unto him, 'We came here at dawn, but we did not dare to cry out to thee inside until thou hadst finished thy recital (of the Scriptures)

Then straightway Apa Pisentius wept, and smote upon his breast, and said unto them,' This day I deserve a very great punishment, and all the labours which I have performed are things of vanity.'

Now these things which the holy man spake (shew) that he fled from the vain adulations of men.

He was very sad at heart, but the two men knew that he was reciting (the Books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel).

Know ye therefore, O my beloved, that the saints crave for the glory of God only.

If ye will not (believe me), hearken unto the honey-sweet writer David who saith, 'I have desired Thy commandments;

look Thou upon me and have compassion upon me.'

And the truly wise man Paul cried out, saying, 'For we groan in this earnestly desiring to array ourselves in our place of abode which is from heaven.

And there is to us there a building from God, a house which hath not been fashioned by hands, which is for ever in the heavens.'

Hearken also to this great miracle which took place by his I hands when he was a monk living in quiet contemplation in his cell and before he became a bishop.

He was suffering from his spleen on one occasion on the third day of the festival at the end of Easter,

but he did not make known to any one of the brethren that he was sick, but he sent them a message and said, 'Pray for me.

I am going to the monastery of Apa Abraham to visit the brethren who are in that place.

If the Lord be pleased to permit it I shall return to you.'

Now he spake in this wise because he did not wish to let any one know that he was seriously ill.

Now if any man shall ask in a spirit of contentiousness why the holy man said this,

let him read in the Book of Job the Blessed, and he will find that the Lord said unto him, 'I have not done these things unto thee for any other purpose except to make thee shew thyself to be righteous/

And Paul himself said, ' I have done all these things for the sake of the Gospel, that I might be to him a companion.'

Now when the holy man Apa Pisentius had been sick. for a whole week, and the brethren had made no enquiries after him, for they thought he was in a cave,

they held converse with each other, saying, 'Pisentius tarrieth somewhat over long, let us enquire about him.

Perhaps he hath fallen sick on the road, or perhaps some suffering hath afflicted him, and he is unable to walk.

And they sent a brother who was a priest to make enquiries about him.

Now when Pisentius had departed, according to the dispensation of God—now observe ye the wonderful acts of God—

all the days which he had passed lying on his bed sick, during which the holy men did not minister unto him, until the very day wherein the brother went to him…

Now when the brother went to him, he found the door of the little cell wherein he lived open.

And through the opportunity (afforded) by God, as soon as he had pulled the thong (or, latch-cord) of the door, he cried out (to the dweller) inside, according to the canon of the brethren, 'Bless me.'

Now on that day it happened that Apa Elijah the Tishbite, he who belonged to Mount Carmel, was with Apa Pisentius, and he was paying him a visit, having been sent unto him by God in order to comfort him with his conversation.

And when the brother had waited for some time, he rose up and called out to (the dweller) inside, 'Bless me.'

Then the Prophet rose up and was about to depart from him, but Apa Pisentius laid hold upon him, saying,

I will not let thee depart until I am comforted a little more.'

And when the brother found that he was not able to obtain any answer to his greeting he went straight into (the cell), without any hesitation whatsoever,

and he found there the two holy men sitting together;

now Apa Pisentius was lying on his pallet, and Saint Elijah was sitting by his side making enquiries concerning his health.

And when the brother had gone in he received a blessing from both of them.

And he stood still, but was wholly unable to look into the face of the Prophet Elijah, because of the rays of light which shot forth from his face like flashes of lightning,

according to what is written, 'Then shall the righteous shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.'

Then the holy man Apa Pisentius feigned to be angry with the brother,

and he said unto him, 'Is not this the commandment of the brethren—(not) to enter into (the cell of a brother) without permission?

Had (this) been a governor wouldst thou have burst in upon him without permission from him to thee (to do so)?

And the brother answered and said, 'Forgive me, O my father, I have sinned. Having waited at the door for a very long time knocking,

I thought that, peradventure, thou couldst not rise, and therefore I came in to make enquiries concerning thee.'

Then the Prophet answered, saying, 'This is an ordinance of God.

In any case he is worthy of our salutation of blessing, and because of his righteous actions God will not deprive him of it.'

And when the Prophet had said these things he went forth from the cell.

And when he had gone out the brother spake unto Apa Pisentius, saying, 'Whence cometh this brother who is covered with hair, but who is surrounded with such a great measure of grace?

Verily I have never seen any one like him, or any one who was so gracious (or, gentle), or who was so wholly filled with light.

And I say unto thee, my brother, that as soon as ever I had grasped his hands and kissed them, mighty strength came into my body,

and I ceased to be without power, and I became very strong indeed, and I felt as happy as a man who had been tarrying in a wine tavern.

I should say that he must belong to this mountain, and yet I have never seen any one like unto him in our province, and I have never seen any other man so hairy as this man.'

And Apa Pisentius said unto the brother, 'I say the same. Thou shalt keep this matter secret, and thou shalt not make known one word about it.'

And the brother answered and said unto Apa Pisentius, 'After a long time hath passed, supposing that some necessity should come upon me, may I not reveal it?

Why dost thou speak unto me in this wise?

Wilt thou not listen unto Raphael, the angel who spake with the holy man Tobit,

The secret thing (or, mystery) of the king it is good to conceal; but the works of God it is good to publish abroad.'

Now I know that thou hatest the vainglory of men.

Finally, but tell me in truth, who is this man, and I will trouble thee no more.'

And the thirteenth apostle Apa Pisentius answered and said unto the brother, 'When I had departed from you, and was about to go to the brethren who are in the monastery of Apa Abraham, and to pay them a visit,

I looked at my body and saw that it was powerless.

And I said. Will not a fainting sickness come upon me on the road?

And my spleen threw me into a sickness from the moment when I went away from you, and I never saw a man until thou didst come to me (this day).

And my spleen having continned to torture me most severely, I cried out to the Lord yesterday, asking Him to be graciously pleased to heal me.

Now when He had seen my very weak condition, and my want of manhood, He sent one of the Saints unto me, and was graciously pleased to grant me the healing of my body.

And I say unto thee that this very man, from whom thou didst receive a blessing, is Elijah the Tishbite, who belongeth to Mount Carmel.

It was he who was taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire and earthquake.

I beseech thee, O my God-loving brother, not to reveal the mystery to any man until the day of my visitation. Grieve thou not for me.

Now when the brother had heard these things, great joy came to him and consolation, and he did not reveal the mystery to any man until the day when the God-loving clergy of the Christ-loving city of Kebt (Coptos) laid hands upon him that was truly worthy of the episcopacy, that they might take him to the Holy Patriarch Apa Damianus/ the Archbishop, so that he might consecrate him bishop.

Know ye then, O my beloved, that him that keepeth the commandments of monasticising, and fulfilleth them without sluggishness, doth the Christ love.

His holy ones do not speak to Him only, but they see God, each one in the vision which appeareth unto him, according to the form wherein He wisheth to make Himself manifest to them.

If it be not so (in your opinion) hearken ye to the writings of the Spirit of God, and they shall instruct thee with divine knowledge according to what is seemly, and according to the things which we have said.

For our Lord and Father and Bishop, Apa Pisentius, whom God hath made manifest in our time, is not the protector of our district only, but of the whole country of orthodox Christians.

But first of all come ye to the Book of Genesis, so that we may see what it saith concerning the seeing of God, and of what kind the vision is.

Now as concerneth Jacob the Patriarch. When Rebecca had heard the words of Esau, her eldest son, who was wroth with Jacob because of the blessing wherewith Isaac had blessed him, she cried out to him, and said unto him,

Behold thy brother (Esau) is older than thou, and the blessing wherewith Isaac, who is thy father, hath blessed thee (belongeth to him).

Now therefore, arise, and get thee gone into Mesopotamia of Syria, to Laban my brother, and do thou abide with him until the fury of the wrath of thy brother hath turned away from thee, lest peradventure I become childless in respect of both of you at once, and on the same day

And Isaac also commanded him (thus), and he came out (to) Jacob and set him on his way, saying, 'Depart into Mesopotamia'

And it came to pass that he arrived at a certain place, and he lay down (there); now the sun had set.

And when he had placed a stone under his head, he lay down and fell asleep, and that night he dreamed a dream.

And he saw a cloud fixed upon the earth, and the top thereof reached into the heavens;

and the angels of God were ascending and descending upon it.

Now God was standing upon it, and He made Himself manifest to Jacob ne on that night, and He spake with him.

Now when Jacob had gone into Mesopotamia of Syria, God spake again with him in the night season, saying, ' Lift up thine eyes and look with them, and thou shalt see that I will come to the white sheep,

and the (white) sheep shall be with the goats, and they shall bring forth young of variegated colours, and they shall be in colour like ashes, and (some) sheep shall be marked with stars (i.e. spots).'

And again God spake unto him in a vision of the night, saying, 'I am the God of Isaac; fear thou not.

Thou shalt certainly increase and multiply, and thou shalt fill the earth, and thou shalt become the lord thereof.'

And when God had blessed him with gold, and silver, and sheep, and goats, and cattle of every kind.

He spake again unto him, saying, 'Get thee back into thy house; I will be with thee.'

Then Jacob returned with his two wives, Leah and Rachel, and their children, and their cattle.

And when he had arrived at the river in order that he might pass over to the other side, according to the holy words of (the Book of) Genesis, which the holy historian Moses wrote, ' A certain man met him, and wrestled with him until the dawn.'

Now when the morning had come Jacob said unto him, 'Shew me thy name.'

And the man said unto him, 'Why dost thou enquire concerning my name?'

Now this is a most wonderful thing.

And the man said unto Jacob, 'Let me go, for the daylight is growing stronger.'

And Jacob said unto him, 'I will not let thee go whilst as yet thou hast not blessed me'

And the man said unto Jacob, 'What is the name which thou hast?'

And he said unto him, 'My name is Jacob'

And the man said unto Jacob, 'They shall no more call thee Jacob, but Israel, which is the name which thou shalt have; for thou hast prevailed with God, and thou (shalt be) mighty with men'

And the man touched the side of a member of Jacob, and that member became without feeling.

Then Jacob said, 'I have seen God face to face.'

My soul is delivered.' Now the sun was rising upon him when he passed the Image of God.

And, O my beloved, it is right that for us this should suffice.

If God deemed him worthy thereof, and came down into the world, and spake unto the creature which He had fashioned concerning his restoration with salvation of soul, how very much more will He not send His saints to comfort (His servants) in their sufferings?

Therefore let no man allow himself to be unbelieving concerning this matter which I have related unto him concerning the holy man Apa Pisentius the bishop, for he was worthy to see Elijah the Tishbite.

And let not be fulfilled in him the words which are written, ' God will make blind the heart of those who believe not in this age, so that they may not see the light of the Gospel of the Christ.

And again, 'Walk ye not with unbelievers'; and again, 'The unbeliever is not (worth) one obolus.'

Now our Lord Himself, and our God, and our Lord and our Saviour cried out in the Holy Gospel with His Divine mouth concerning the man who brought to Him his son.

Now this son was possessed of an evil spirit, from the moment when his father begot him.

And Jesus said, 'Hath this spirit attacked him for a long time?'

(And his father) said, ' From his childhood. Many, many times he is wont to cast him into the water, and into the fire, that it may consume him.

But do Thou help us, for Thou art able to help us by what Thou canst do; have compassion upon us.'

Jesus said unto him, 'Everything is possible for him that believeth.'

And the father of the young man cried out, 'I believe. Help thou mine unbelief.'

Then straightway (Jesus) rebuked the evil spirit, and cast him out from the young man because his father believed.

And again it was by the might of faith that a certain woman went to Him, whose blood had been flowing from her for twelve years, and whom no man had been able to heal.

She touched only the outer edge of His garment, and immediately her blood ceased to flow, and dried up.

Then He spake unto her, saying, 'It is thy faith which hath delivered thee; go in peace.'

And again He spake unto the disciples, saying, 'If ye have faith as large as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove thyself from this place to that, and it shall remove itself, and there is nothing which shall be impossible for you.'

And again, if ye shall say to a sycamore tree. Separate thyself (from) the earth, and plant thyself in the sea, it shall hearken unto you.'

And moreover, it is said concerning the holy man Apa Pisentius, that it came to pass on a time when he was young, while he was pasturing his father's sheep, that God opened his eyes, and he saw a pillar of fire in front of him.

Now there were certain other young men who were pasturing sheep with him.

And he said unto the other young men who were pasturing sheep with him, 'Do ye see the pillar of fire on the road in front of us?'

And they said unto him, 'We do not see it.'

Then he cried out up to heaven, saying, 'O God, open Thou the eyes of these young men, so that they may see the pillar of fire even as I see it'

And God hearkened unto his voice, and the eyes of the young men were opened, and they saw the pillar of fire

And observe ye now, O my beloved, that the moment when God chose Moses was when He spake unto him in his early manhood, out of a pillar of fire (which went up) out of a bush.

Now since God came unto Apa Pisentius when he was a young man, He chose him even as He did Samuel, whose mother had given him to the temple of God according to her vow, even as the holy Psalmist saith, 'Moses, the holy man, and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among those who called upon His Name.

They cried out to God, and He heard them, and He spake unto them out of the pillar of cloud, and they kept His testimonies, and the ordinances which He had given unto them.

Now there was in the Mountain of Tsente a certain brother who was grievously sick, and his body was in a very weak and helpless condition because his sickness had lasted a very long time.

And it came to pass on a certain day that this brother longed greatly for a little fish, and he told the holy man Apa Pisentius about his longing (now at that time he was a monk, and had not yet become a bishop), saying, 'I long greatly for a little fish'

And the holy man Apa Pisentius answered (and said unto him), 'Assuredly God will give unto thee this day.'

Cast thy care upon the Lord, and He shall feed thee, as the Prophet said; He will never suffer the righteous to be removed.'

Then the holy man Apa Pisentius himself took his water-pot to fill it with water, for it was the time for filling (the water-pots with) water.

And as the holy man Apa Pisentius was walking along, he cried out to the Lord, saying, 'O God, permit Thou not the heart of this brother to suffer grief, but, if it be Thy Will, give Thou to him his petition.

Let him not suffer grief, O Lord.

And when he had gone forth on the bank near the river to fill his water-pot—now the Nile flood was very high, for God had visited the country that year—Apa Pisentius looked,

and he saw a large fish leaping about out of the water, and throwing itself about.

O what a great miracle of God was this! At the very place where the blessed Apa Pisentius went to the river (to fill his water-pot), the fish came to the bank;

And whilst Apa Pisentius was filling his water-pot, according to what he confessed to us with his own mouth, and testified to us, he I captured the fish, and (when) he gave it to the brother he said unto him, 'God hath fulfilled thy petition

it was He Who sent the meal to Daniel, for which his heart waited.

He said, 'It is He moreover Who hath prepared the fish for thee this day by His wish, inasmuch as He would not allow thee to suffer grief in respect of that for which thou didst ask at His hand.

Well and truly doth the Prophet say, God is nigh unto every one, and He directeth him in truth.

And He will hearken unto their supplications, and will deliver them.

God shall guard every one who loveth Him.'

When the children of Israel had risen up against Moses and Aaron, they said unto him, 'What is this that thou hast done with us?'

Thou hast brought us forth from the land of Egypt.

We used to sit down by the brazen pots of flesh, and we ate bread, and now the people have to be satisfied with manna instead of with loaves of bread and pieces of flesh.

If not (i. e. if thou dost not give us bread and flesh) we will stone you. And the whole congregation spake the word to stone them.

And Moses cried out to God, saying, ' O God, where shall I find the wherewithal to give unto this people so that they may eat?

Only a very little more and they will stone me.'

And God spake unto Moses, saying, 'I have heard the murmurings which the children of Israel have made against you.

But command thou the children of Israel, saying, Prepare ye yourselves ; to-morrow ye shall eat flesh, not for two days, nor for three days, nor for ten days, but for a whole month of days shall ye eat it, even until the flesh shall come forth from your nostrils'

And he brought over (quails) by a wind of the sea, two cubits upon the ground.

Ye must know, therefore, O my beloved, that the supplication of the righteous man is exceedingly powerful, and it effecteth much, even as it is written.

Now as concerneth Moses, the Lawgiver of the Old Covenant, immediately that he cried out to God concerning the multitude (of the Israelites), God did according to his wish.

So also was it in the case of the Lawgiver of the New Covenant, Apa Pisentius.

Immediately he made supplication to God on behalf of the brother who was a monk, God did not cause him grief, but fulfilled his petition, even according to that which is written in the Psalm, 'The Lord shall fulfil all thy petitions,'

Hearken moreover to the account of another great and wonderful thing which took place through the holy man Apa Pisentius, when he was a monk, and before he became a bishop.

It came to pass on a certain day that he went to the well at which the brethren were in the habit of drinking, in order that he might fill his water-pot.

Now when he had come to the mouth of the well, he (found that he) had forgotten the rope and the leather bucket, and had not brought them with him.

And when he had stood up at the mouth of the well he prayed to God according to the custom of the brethren, and he said, 'God, Thou knowest well that it is impossible for me to turn back again into the monastery to fetch the rope.

But do Thou command this water to rise up to where I am so that I may be able to fill my water-pot therewith, so that I may serve Thee for the remainder of my days.

For Thou didst command Thy Apostle Peter, saying, Walk on the water

Now when he had finished his prayer, the water rose in the well until it reached the mouth of the well, and he filled his water-pot with water.

Then he said unto the water, 'It is the Lord Who doth command thee: Go down again to thy place.

Now whilst the water was sinking downwards, a certain shepherd, who was pasturing his flock of sheep among the thorn bushes, directed his steps to the mouth of the well, and he looked in, and he saw the water going down by degrees until it reached its place at the bottom.

Unto whom shall I liken thee, O blessed Apa Pisentius?

Verily thou art like unto Moses, the Lawgiver, who made the sea to be divided, one half being on this side, and the other on that, and the children of Israel walked in the midst thereof as upon dry ground

and the water was to them a wall of water on this side and on that, on the right hand and on the left.

It was Moses who spake to the rock, and it sent forth fountains of water.

And as for thee, O holy man Apa Pisentius, thy prayer entered into the vault of heaven, and it fulfilled the Scripture, which saith, 'It was He Who spake, and they came into being; it was He Who commanded, and they were created

Thou wast a man of foresight like unto the Prophets, and a man of intellect like unto the Apostles, and thou wast a wise steward.

Therefore wast thou worthy of the Church of the Saints.

God made thee to keep alive a multitude of souls.

Thou didst preach the Gospel like Paul, and thou didst preach in wisdom the orthodox Faith. And thou didst cry out in thy discourse like a herald, thou didst shout aloud in thy wisdom like a trumpet.

Who is able to pay unto thee the honour of which thou art worthy, O just and holy man?

For thou didst know the things which were hidden before they took place.

Thy discourse which appertained to the things of this world had therein songs and parables ; thy discourse which appertained to the monkish estate (was full of) spiritual explanations.

Thy words were those of a ruler, parables and mysteries.

Thou didst never feel ashamed because of them before any man, according to that which is written, 'My words shall be testimonies concerning Thee before kings, I shall not be ashamed.'

Thou didst guide those who came unto Thee, all those who acted faithfully.

And thou didst gather together unto thee every one in the bond of love.

Thou didst hearken unto the commandment of the Christ, thou didst build thy house upon the rock which is holy.

Thou didst bring forth fruit in patient endurance, and with a heart which is holy and good.

Thou didst see beforehand the Banquet of the Spirit, and because of this thou dost rest (or, recline) at the holy feast.

Thou didst seek out for the wretched the place where the pasture was good, and for this reason also thou didst take care for the poor always.

Thou didst lay hold upon the ways pe of the ministry of God, and thou wast therefore a steersman in the sea of holy mysteries, and a saint like unto the Three Children.

Thou wast a father to multitudes of the poor in our time, and the father of those who were orphans in our days.

Thou didst proclaim like a herald peace unto those who were afar off, O thou God-loving father, Apa Pisentius.

And thou didst exercise (or, train) those who drew nigh unto thee in the doctrine which was sound.

Thou wast a well-skilled spiritual merchant, and therefore thou didst bestow graciously thy good gifts upon every one with great gladness and readiness.

Thou didst seek and thou didst find, O God-loving father, Apa Pisentius, thou leader of the truth.

Thou didst knock and it was opened unto thee ; thou didst petition God, and He granted thee all thy petitions.

There was great abundance in thy days, and the Christians occupied great and honourable positions.

The Church enjoyed abundance in thy days and in thy generation.

Thy people rejoiced in thy wisdom, and thy children rejoiced greatly in thy holy mysteries.

The Governors desired eagerly (to hear) thy discourse, and all the proselytes sought eagerly after thy mysteries.

Thou didst look upon (?) the man whose name was Anatoles.

Therefore he filled thee with the splendour of the Holy Spirit.

Thou didst complete the Ark of the Holy Spirit in its length and breadth, even as Noah (completed his ark).

Thou wast a light which sent out its light into all our province.

Righteousness and peace made light thy way before thee all thy days.

Moreover, in thy days lived the two forerunners who sent forth light through thy prayers, and through the prayers of the saints who lived in this province, that is to say, Apa Colluthus and Apa Paham, these (two) great saints

Now therefore, by the grace of God, we will tell you about another marvellous thing which I heard from certain men whose whole hope is the truth.

Now a certain man from our district spoke to us concerning the holy man Apa Pisentius saying, 'I went in and I received a blessing at his hands this day'

Now when I had come forth from him, I met the holy man Apa Paham, who said unto me, 'Hast thou received a blessing from the hand of Pisentius?'

I said unto him, 'Yes, my father, | but thou thyself art a holy man'

And he made answer to me, 'He who is truly a holy man is, most assuredly, Pisentius, and if thou didst happen to meet him thou wouldst receive a truly great blessing, for some time ago, when he prayed, the well became filled with water'

Now this man said unto us, 'It came to pass on a certain day that we saw a fire burning in his house, and we said unto each other. Is it possible that Pisentius has lighted a fire? Wherefore hath he done this at this time of the year?'

And (some brethren) got up on the wall and looked over it, and they saw him standing up, and he was praying, and his hands were spread out towards heaven, and his ten fingers were like unto ten lamps (or, torches) of fire which were shining exceedingly brightly'

And again, when God set him apart for consecration into the priesthood, of which he was worthy, because he loved the life of peaceful contemplation he went and hid himself.

And when the God-loving clergy were seeking for him in order to make him take his seat upon the throne of the high priest, of which in very truth he was worthy, they sought for him a long time, and they found him at length in a secret place in the region of Djeme.

And when they had caught him, he cried out and uttered the words of the great John, the Archbishop of Constantinople, saying, 'O the life of peaceful contemplation!

I love it. Will ye not leave me in it?

Finally they brought back the holy man, and they set him upon the holy episcopal throne.

Now it was not he who ran in pursuit of the honour, but it was the honour which ran in pursuit of him, even as those who discovered him confessed unto us, saying, 'He confessed thus to us with his own mouth:

If it were not that I would not be disobedient to those whom ye have sent after me to this place, ye might cut my head of me, or throw me into the sea, before I would obey you, and forsake this life of peaceful contemplation which God loveth.

Have ye never read what is written in the Psalms, 'Be still. Know that I am God'?

And they debated the matter together, saying, 'Who then is there that can command him (to accept)? It is not a man'

Then they took counsel together, saying, 'Let us relate the matter to the holy man Apa Colluthus, who is a great one among men; he shall reveal the matter to him (in its true light), and he will not hide the business from him'

And at length they went to the holy man Apa Colluthus, and they said unto him, 'Father, when we had laid hold upon Apa Pisentius in order that we might have him consecrated bishop, he did not wish to bind himself, or to take any part in the service of consecration.

And behold, we went about very many days seeking for him before we found him in a part of Djeme.

And when we had laid hold upon him he was most anxious to excuse himself from his order.

And afterwards he said, 'If it were not that I would not be disobedient unto him that hath sent you to me, ye might remove my head from me before I would render obedience unto you.'

We now therefore make appeal unto thine holiness to abide with him for a number of days, and do thou question him when thou art alone with him, saying. Who is he that hath sent thee?

This matter is no miracle.

Then the holy man Apa Colluthus questioned him, saying, 'The God-loving clergy (of the town of Coptos) state that pig thy holiness saith: 'If it were not that I would not be disobedient unto him that hath sent you unto me, I would not occupy this position (of bishop) at all.'

Now who art thou (to speak thus)?' And the holy man Apa Pisentius answered and said, ' Before the clergy came unto my most unworthy self I fell asleep for a space, and a voice came unto me three times, saying, 'Pisentius, Pisentius, Pisentius.'

Behold the ordinance of the Church hath come unto thee.

Do not thou excuse thyself from the rank to which they would appoint thee, which is that of Chief of the Apostles, but arise, and follow thou them.