life.pisentius.02 Chapter 1

Do not forsake the Church, which is, as it were, a widow.'

Now when I had heard these words, and when the clergy cried out to me in (my abode),

I came forth, and I followed them, and I cast all my care upon Jesus, because nothing whatsoever can happen without (the consent of) God.

Now, therefore, ye must know, O my beloved, that that which I say unto you is true, and that also which the wise man Paul said, 'Let not each one take for himself honour, but let it be brought upon him through God.

When Aaron became high priest, it was not he who glorified himself, but He Who spake with him, saying, 'Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedek' And thus also was it in the case of the Christ, [for God said unto Him], ' This day have I begotten thee

In this wise did Apa Pisentius take his seat upon the episcopal throne with a perfect (heart). And God gave grace unto his face, even as to Joseph.

And no man dared to look into his face without being afraid of the fear of God which rested with him.

Who could take into account the number of the acts of kindness and charity which he did to the poor, and not only to the needy folk of his own province, but also to those who came to him from a distance?

He used to receive them himself, and give unto them whatsoever they asked at his hands.

And ye must know, moreover, that the praises which have been bestowed upon him are far too few, even for the early days of his episcopate, when he began to do acts of charity in every town and village (from Coptos) to Souan (Syene).

The things (i.e. the offerings), which were brought unto him year by year according to the Canons of the Apostles, he was wont to send secretly to certain men who were fearers of God in the various cities, and in the various villages, and they used to distribute it among the poor in the season

Now after a long time during which our holy Father Apa Pisentius had governed his flock with exceedingly great care, he dispatched (copies) of a letter to all the people who were in the province of Kebt (Coptos), and rebuked them, saying, Cease ye to do these great and grievous sins, concerning which we have been informed,

lest peradventure God shall become wroth with you, and shall deliver you over into the hands of the Barbarians who shall afflict you.'

And moreover, he wrote also in that letter, saying, ' Unless ye repent quickly, God shall bring that nation upon you without delay.

And again, after (this he wrote), 'Except ye be instructed, that nation shall not cease to raise up wrath against you.

(It is) a nation fierce of visage and cruel, and shameless in respect of its face; it shall neither spare, nor have compassion on old man or youth;

it shall afflict you with sufferings which shall be as grievous as the plagues of Pharaoh of old, until at length he drove them into the abysses of the sea, thinking to destroy (them) openly.

Therefore let repentance remain with you in your habitations at all times, so that it may be in your hearts, and let fasting increase in your mouth at all times.

For charity shall boast itself over judgement, according to the word of James, the wise man of the Apostles.'

For the third angel in the salvation of God is the Angel of Charity.

For charity shall deliver a man from death, and it will not permit him to go into the darkness.

And moreover, it is very much better to perform acts of charity than to gather in gold.

And thou shalt shew compassion unto him that is in debt to thee.

Let not thine eye be envious of thee whilst thou doest deeds of charity and righteousness.

And moreover, it is better to give a very little with lovingkindness and righteousness than to give a great deal with violence.

And do not thou turn thy face away from any poor man, and God shall not turn away His face from thee.

And again, in respect of the little which one may owe thee, be not afraid to give it in alms, even as the holy man Tobit said.

And consider the case of that rich man who despised Lazarus the poor man, and what was done unto him in the matter of punishment, and how he answered and said in anguish of heart,

'My father Abraham, let them send Lazarus, and let him dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue therewith, for I am tortured in this fire.' And what he heard was it not words of rebuke?

For Abraham said unto him, 'My son, remember that during thy lifetime thou didst receive thy good things, and Lazarus the things which were bad.'

And now to him do they shew consolation in this place, whilst as for thee, they inflict tortures on thee for thy charity, for they will be as merciful to thee as thou hast been to the poor.

Thou didst feed thyself on young and tender flesh (?), and on small birds, and on other creatures, thou didst eat by thyself the tender plants of the earth, thou didst drink undiluted wine in glasses insatiably and without consideration for any other man.

And as concerning' the man whom thou didst forget, and to whom thou didst shew no charity with that which was thine,

if there by chance remained to him the smallest amount of any possession, thou wast in the habit of demanding- it from him unjustly.

If thou wouldst not give unto him of the things which were thine own, at least thou mightest have been kind to him, and watched and seen that justice was done to him; thou shouldst not have weighed him down with thine injustice.

For thou knowest that thou and the poor man were made of one and the same kind of clay.

Do not give him cause to grieve, and God will not give thee cause to grieve.

There is a place of judgement wherein each man - shall be judged according to what he hath done, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.'

Behold, these are the things which the God-loving Father Apa Pisentius wrote on many occasions to all the people.

Now how is it possible for us to beautify our encomium of the holy man, except by means of his own mouth?

But let us invoke him, so that he may minister unto us in respect of the remainder of the things which it is seemly for us to narrate in this encomium, according to the measure of our inability.

We are wholly unable to attain to the heights of thy virtue, O thou good ascetic, who art adorned with the virtues of the Holy Spirit, [thou doer of] all the righteous precepts and commandments which are full of life.

Verily if every part of me was to become a tongue I should not be able to do honour to thee in a manner suitable to the ten thousands of virtues which thou dost possess ; and moreover, as for the mite which we are able to cast into the treasury, it is thy grace alone which hath prepared it for us.

For we know well that thou hast no need of our feeble tongue to utter these few words of encomium, because thy citizenship is in the heavens, according to the words of the tongue of sweet odour, that is to say, Paul, (who said), 'As for us, our citizenship is in heaven, the place for which we wait'.

Nevertheless, let us declare a few things concerning the holy man, to the glory of God.

Now it came to pass that at the time when God brought the heathen, that is to say, the Persians, upon us, for our sins, Apa Pisentius departed to the mountain of Djeme, and hid himself in that place because of the Persians.

Now this took place at the time when the Persians were masters (of Egypt), though they had not as yet taken the city of Kebt (Coptos).

And at that time I John went with him, and I was with him in the capacity of a servant.

Now I carried with me water-machines, and I put them in the drJ place wherein we hid ourselves, so that we might be able to find them when we had need of them all the days which we should have to pass in hiding.

Now, pay ye strict attention to the words (which I am about to say), for then ye will marvel, and will give glory to God Who performed these great and wonderful things by His holy man, even as God worked a miracle for Israel in times of old by Moses, to whom He said, 'Raise thy rod, smite the rock, and the water shall gush forth so that the people may drink.

Now this was what happened in this case also

And when he had departed to his hiding-place I myself went with him, and we remained in that place wherein we had hidden ourselves, and when we had passed several days in that place the very little water which remained to us came to an end, Fol. and I said unto my father, 'We have no water left'

And my father answered and said unto me, God will not forsake us, O my son, but He will minister unto all our wants.

For He said. Take no care for the morrow, for the morrow will take care for itself.

And again, at the time when Elijah the Tishbite was in the desert, the ravens brought bread unto him every day in the early morning, and again at the time of evening.

And when he had laid himself down and slept under the tree which is called 'rathmen', and had risen up, he found there upon it a loaf of bread and a vessel of water.

And an angel said unto him, 'Arise, eat bread, drink water.'

And Elijah ate the bread, and drank the water, and he journeyed on that road for forty days and forty nights,

without eating any other bread or drinking any other water.

Now God ministered unto Elijah with spiritual food because he followed God with his whole heart ;

and we ourselves also shall be ministered unto, if we observe His dispensations, and if our hearts be straight in respect of Him, He will take care for us.

For He spake by the holy Psalmist David, saying, 'Cast thy care upon God, and He shall feed thee.'

For God knoweth that of which ye have need before ye ask Him therefor, even as He spake in the Holy Gospel.'

Now when my father had said these things, he went away straightway.

As for me I cast myself down on the ground, I heaped up the cool sand over my breast, I stretched myself out and lay at full length, and I was burning consumedly with heat, and the want of water.

And when my father had remained away from me for a very long time, he came back to me, and his eyes were full of light, like unto that of the luminaries in the heavens.

And his whole person was cheerful, and he was like one who had been in a wine-shop. And he said unto me, 'John, I see that thou art exhausted by thirst, get thee to the waters, and drink

And I answered and said unto him, 'My father, the water-pots have been empty and dried up for the last three days, and there is no water at all in our place of abode.

Now my father used to fast three days at a time, and sometimes, when his body was free from sickness, he was wont to fast even for a whole week at a time.

And again he said unto me, 'John, why dost thou not obey?

Get thee to the waters, and drink, for I perceive that thirst is driving thee wholly mad

And again he said unto me, ' John, begone, for I see that thou P**^ art greatly dried up through thy thirst, and that thou art mad through the darkness caused by want of water.'

Then I answered him, saying, ' I did fall down, and I did go mad, and this is the truth, when thou didst depart into the desert

but now thou hast returned to me once more, and I perceive that thy face is full of joy, and that bright light goeth forth from it, even as from the face of Moses, the Lawgiver,

the natural condition of my mind hath returned to me, and I cease to thirst

And he answered and said unto me, ' If thou losest thy reason in this manner after two days (of thirst), how very much more severe is the tribulation which hath come upon those who are in the darkness of Amente, with the worm which never sleepeth, and the outer darkness, and the river of fire which floweth before the Righteous Judge, by 'Whom we shall be tried?'

Verily, O my son, it is a fearful and a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the Living God

And when he had spoken these words he said unto me, 'I think there is water in the water-vessels, in one of them which we have forgotten.'

Now I, the wretched and miserable John, am not worthy to relate the wonderful thing which took place there, and which I myself saw with my own eyes ; I the wretched man alone can narrate it.

For when I had gone to the place wherein the water-vessels were—I confess to you, O my beloved, to (feeling) the doubt which would have come upon all of us—

I found them filled with water up to their brims, and the water which was in them was as white as milk, and as white as snow, and was as sweet as the water of Geon (the Nile) which is in motion.

Then I went and enquired of my father, saying, 'I found the water-pots full of water, whence cometh the water then, O my Lord and father?

And he answered and said unto me, 'He Who supplieth with food the hawks (?) which neither sow nor reap, nor gather grain into garners, He, I say, it is Who hath supplied us with these waters whereof we were in need.

For for him who casteth his care upon Jesus will Jesus care in every place, and He will serve him.'

Therefore, O my beloved, ye must know that wheresoever a man goeth, all his hope must be (set upon) Jesus. And he must remember that which is written in (the Book of) Jeremiah the Prophet, 'Cursed is he whose hope is placed upon man,

but blessed is the man who hath set his heart upon God, and God shall become unto him a hope.

He shall become like a tree which is planted by the waters, and his roots shall not perish for lack of moisture.'

What shall I say, or with what words shall I describe all the glorious virtues of this glorious, and just, and blessed man?

Now first of all I will declare concerning the manner in which he served God, and next concerning the grace which God bestowed upon him, and the gift wherewith God most graciously endowed him, from the beginning of his life even to the end thereof.

Unto whom shall I compare thee, O blessed man, Apa Pisentius?

I will compare thee unto Abel who was the head of the worshipping of God and of the high-priesthood of God, and who became the first to offer up sacrifices and offerings.

For this reason I ascribe blessing to thy holy fatherhood, because thou didst become a father to the orphans, and the mouth of the widow blesseth thee, O thou holy man and bishop, Apa Pisentius.

Thou wast a father to the weak and helpless, and a place of sojourning for the proselyte.

Thou wast food to those who suffered hunger, and water to those who were athirst.

Thou wast apparel unto those who were naked, and a garment for those whose nakedness was uncovered.

Thou didst enter into Paradise in thy understanding, and didst eat of the tree of deathlessness.

Thou wast a wise man when thou didst keep closed thy mouth, and thou wast a man of understanding (or, discretion) when thou didst speak.

For thy name reached unto the boundaries of the inhabited world.

Thou wast a man of gracious speech concerning the wisdom of God, and thou wast a possessor of the true knowledge of the Holy Mysteries.

Thou didst seek first of all the Kingdom and its righteousness, and all these (other) things did God graciously bestow upon thee.

Thou didst enter into the land of promise in thy mind, and therefore God gave thee strength to vanquish the Canaanites^ who were hidden.

Thou didst meditate upon all the spiritual paradigms, thou didst understand all the parables of the Gospels, and thou didst devote thyself earnestly to the spiritual interpretations thereof.

All the wise folk that were in the land marvelled at thy wisdom, and they had need of thy advocacy in this world.

And again the men who were learned in the knowledge of books marvelled at thy wisdom, and all the men who were of senatorial rank were struck with wonder at thy hidden sayings.

For all those who were vexed in their minds came unto thee, and thou, in the goodness of thy disposition, didst give them help.

Thou wast a righteous man in our days and a watcher in our generation, O thou holy man and bishop, Apa Pisentius, the blessed anchorite.

In thy days the Governors performed acts of lovingkindness to the poor,

and they gave glory to thy worship of God.

Thou didst behave like a nobleman towards those who drew nigh unto thee, and the Greeks ascribed glory unto thee.

Thou didst make to be of no effect the office of the absolute ruler.

Thou didst shut the mouths of the beasts, and the cages for prisoners in the prisons fell into disuse, and possessions returned to their rightful owners.

Thou didst conquer Amalek like Joshua, the son of Nun, and thou didst conquer the Amorite like Israel.

Thou didst put on the whole armour of God,^ and therefore thou wast able to quench all the arrows of the Evil One which blazed with fire, and thou didst do battle against all the crafts of the Devil.

Thou didst lay hold on the breastplate of faith, and thou didst put on thy feet the preparation of the Gospel of peace.

Thy fame hath reached to the boundaries of the inhabited world. Thou wast a wise man in the opinion of Governors, even as was Saint Athanasius, and God gave thee strength in the Scriptures.

And thou didst seek to know in thy mind concerning the world which is to come, and thou didst set out to examine into the depth of the wisdom of God, which is hidden.

Thou wast a man inured to the contemplative life, even as was the holy man Apa Pahomd (Pachomius), the father of the coenobite life.

God raised men to very high positions in thy days, and in thy generation He graciously bestowed upon us His peace

God brought forth thy righteousness like the light, and He made thy judgement to be like the hour of noon.

Thou didst keep the commandments of God, and for this reason thy peace was like unto an overflowing river, and thy righteousness like unto the great and mighty deep.

Thy spirit, which was mighty, was like unto the Morning Star, and thy seed is like unto the sand which is on the sea-shore, which is without number.

And thy prayers, which were for the whole world, are in benevolent operation. And thou didst call unto every one to bring themselves unto God in repentance.

Thou didst teach the lawless man the ways of God, and thou didst turn the impious men from their impiety.

Thou didst raise up those who are sick by means of thy holy prayers, and thou didst cry out to God on behalf of those who were possessed of devils.

Unto whom shall I liken thee, O thou blessed father Apa Pisentius, the holy bishop?

Thou wast a man who was a believer in our generation, and a man who was righteous in our days.

Thou wast a learned scribe in respect of thy faculties, and a skilled reader of spiritual omens and portents.

Thou wast a master -physician who did heal every one, with a benevolent heart.

In the righteousness of God thou didst rise on high like a palmtree, and thou didst spread abroad in the wisdom of God like a plane-tree.

Thou didst diffuse abroad the sweet odour of virtue which was like unto (that of) cinnamon, and the sweet odour of thine unguent reached even unto the boundaries of the inhabited world.

Thou wast like unto the five cities in the gift of Christ, and the reports of all thy marvellous works were in the city of the whole world.

Thou wast a teacher of rites and sacrifices like unto Moses, and a master of the art of making hymns like unto David.

For we heard of thy mysteries very frequently in thy epistle(s), and we saw the depth of thy understanding of the Holy Scriptures in the letters which thou didst indite, and of thy wisdom which was great.

Thou didst spread out thy wing like the eagle, and thou wast transformed in the strength of the service of God like a young, strong eagle.

God opened the eyes of thy soul, and He taught thee the gate of immortality like the Samaritan woman.

And thy understanding moved deftly in the perfect knowledge of the Scriptures, even as doth the little stick in the hands of the player on the harp, and thou didst sing hymns thereby on a psaltery of ten strings.

Unto whom shall I liken thee, O holy hermit, Apa Pisentius, thou faithful priest?

I will liken thee unto Noah, of whose holy sacrifice God smelled (the sweet savour). For thou didst taste that the working was good, and thy lamp was not extinguished during the whole night.

Thou didst make for thyself celestial garments of byssus and purple, and thou didst plant a vineyard of the fruit of thy hand.

Thou wast a righteous man in the worshipping of God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

God gave unto thee rain from heaven as He did to Elijah.

The things which were bitter He made sweet by means of thy ministrations, even as did Elijah.

The desert places became fertile in thy days, and the hills poured out milk during thy generation.

Thou didst build thy children on the Rock which cannot be moved, that is the Christ, and thou didst build in them the faith (or, belief) which is everlasting.

Thou wast the (place of) repose of the men of Egypt, and a kindly inn for those who were strangers.

Thou becamest a sufferer in the service of the poor, and a help unto those who were tortured with grief.

Thou didst shew thyself perfect in spiritual knowledge. Thou didst take thy rest (or, die) in the midst of thy children, like Jacob,

and afterwards they followed thee to thy fathers, like David.

Thou wast a wise man like Solomon, and thou didst inherit the blessing from God.

Because of this thou didst light upon the paths which were delicate, thou didst make good thy escape, thou didst keep the faith, and thou didst set the crown of righteousness upon thy head.

Thou didst deposit seed for thyself in Sion, O Apa Pisentius, and thou didst beget for thyself a household in the Jerusalem of heaven.

Thou didst receive the sword of the Holy Spirit, through prayers of every kind and through supplications of every kind ; and for this reason thou wast able to gain the mastery over the spirits of evil in the darkness.

Thou didst make thyself to resemble the Sun of righteousness in Whose wings there is healing, and because of this the eyes of thy soul sent forth rays of splendour.

Thou didst build a house for God, even as did Solomon, and thou didst complete the courtyard thereof as did Zerubbabel.

Thou didst walk about in the meadow of the Spirit, and therefore thou didst find in the treasury (or, field) holy mysteries.

Thou wast eager to receive in thy heart, and therefore God gave thee the star of the light of the knowledge of Him.

Thou didst eat of heavenly bread, and thou didst rejoice thyself in the tree of immortality.

Unto whom then shall I liken thee, O thou blessed man, thou great priest, Apa Pisentius?

I will liken thee unto Jacob, whom God remembered in his sufferings, because of his innocency, and gave him the inheritance.

I will liken thee also unto Joseph, unto whom God gave a crown of the kingdom (i.e. a royal crown).

I will liken thee unto Samuel, who (became master) of the gifts of grace of the high-priesthood. I will liken thee unto Samuel who became a priest, unto whom God gave the promise of the priesthood and of the office of prophet when he was a little child.

I will liken thee unto the sons of Jonadab/ who kept the commandments of their father.

I will liken thee unto the Great Apostle, Saint Peter, who stood in archiepiscopal rank.

I will liken thee also unto Paul, who had the care of all the Churches.

I will liken thee also unto Zacharias, the high-priest, whom God filled full of the Holy Spirit.

For God gave thee wisdom out of His mouth, even as He did to Solomon.

Thou didst shew thyself to be like unto Moses, for God made the worship of idols to come to an end in thy days, even as (in the days of) Ozias (Uzzah).

The man who went to thee, no matter who he was, with a sorrowful heart, did he not come back rejoicing?

O thou true consoler, according to the words of the Psalmist David, 'Thy words give me life, thy words comfort me.'

Truly thou art like unto Moses, whose face shone with glory, and who was exalted whilst God spake with him.

And thou thyself, O Lawgiver, the similitude of thy face was glorious through the strength of God which was with thee.

And thou wast a companion of all the saints, because of the simplicity which was thine, and the purity which was thine, in the time when thou wast a monk, and before thou didst receive the honour of the episcopacy.

Never at any time did any man who looked into thy face feel fear of thee, O thou whose eye was full like the star of the morning and shot pjuife forth lightnings at all times.

O blessed are the things which I have brought unto thee

If I desired to narrate the account of all thy successes I should be obliged to take to myself those who write down words (i. e. scribes), even as did Moses, the composer and stablisher of the Law, until I had made manifest thy valiant deeds, O thou holy and perfect man, Apa Pisentius.

For thou art like unto the holy anchorites Apa Palamon, and Apa Pahomo, and Apa Patronios, and Apa Horsiesios, and Apa Theodore.

Thou art like unto the holy man Basil, thou art like unto Gregory the Theologian,

each of whom was associated with the throne of priesthood like unto thyself.

Now as concerning the marvellous acts of thy great power which were performed with quietness, no man whatsoever can full tale thereof; but those which we have seen with our eyes, and those which we have heard with our ears that love discourses concerning his power, these, I say, are the things which we will now declare.

O ye who are God-loving sons, know that (on one occasion) when the days of the festival of Easter drew nigh, now it was during the forty days (of Lent), the holy Archbishop of the Alexandrians sent messages to the South, throughout all Egypt, pointing out to the Bishops, and the clergy, and all the orthodox people, saying, * Prepare ye yourselves, for the days of Easter are drawing nigh, and make ye arrangements concerning the forty holy days in respect of the months in which they are to fall, and the time when they are to come to an end.'

And the Patriarch Apa Damianus, Archbishop of Alexandria, despatched certain God-loving members of the clergy to the South with the holy message, so that they might deliver it in every city.

Now it was the holy man Apa Damianus who had consecrated the holy man Apa Pisentius bishop of the city of Coptos.

And when the God-loving clergy had arrived in order to sojourn with our holy father Apa Pisentius, they received a blessing from his holy hand, and they seated themselves in his presence.

Now it happened according to the dispensation of God that on that day there were certain great men sitting with him.

And a certain man who lived in a neighbouring country, who was a shepherd and was then pasturing his flock, came into the presence of Apa Pisentius that day, in order that he might receive a blessing at his hand.

Now according to the favourable opportunity afforded by God, the shepherd came into the chamber as soon as he found that the door was opened, and he cast himself down at the feet of Apa Pisentius whilst the clergy who had been sent by the Patriarch Damianus were with him.

And when he was standing upright, having kissed his holy feet, he brought himself near his holy hands so that he might receive a blessing, and he gazed in his face, and he wished to draw his hands to him.

But the bishop would not give him the blessing, and he cried out, saying, ' Who is it that hath permitted this worthless and sinful fellow to enter this place, who hath allowed this man, whose head ought to be removed, (to come hither?)

Get thee gone out of this place, O thou unclean one who art an abomination unto God.

Come hither, John, and do thou cast him forth.'

Then I John, the disciple of Apa Pisentius, laid hold of the man, and I cast him forth.

And when we had gone a little way outside the door, I enquired of him, saying, ' What hast thou been doing to-day to cause the great man to be so angry with thee?

Verily he passed the day very happily indeed, and was in a joyful mood until thou didst enter his presence ; his wrath would not have blazed up against thee unless thou hadst committed this day some very disgraceful deed.

And besides this, the men of the Patriarch Damianus were sitting with him.

Now, make thy confession to me, for it is written. Make manifest your sins to each other, and pray ye each on the other's behalf, so that your sins may be forgiven you

And the shepherd answered and said, ' How did it happen that I did not die this day when I rose up from my sleep?

Now it came to pass that, whilst I was pasturing my sheep to-day among the thorn bushes, a woman passed me on the road whom I knew.

And I laid hold upon her in the foolishness of my heart, and I lay with her, thinking that the great man would never know anything about it.

But, by God, Who is the witness of my soul, immediately he looked at me, the consciousness sprang up in me that he knew what I had done.

And a mighty pain smote me at once in all my body, and I came nigh falling on my face, and I should have done so if it had not been that thou didst seize me, and bring me out by the door.

It (i.e. his look) made me powerless, and I was about to fall upon my face.'

Then that shepherd brought several cheeses in wicker baskets, and he said unto me, ' I entreat thee to take these few cheeses from my hands, and to send them to these men who are with thee in thy house ; since I have brought them, be not grieved at me.'

Then I answered and said unto him, ' I will not take them without the knowledge of the great man, lest if he find it out he scold me.'

And that shepherd answered and said unto me, 'I conjure thee by God Almighty to take them from my hands, and to give them to the poor on my behalf.*

Now when I heard (him mention) the awful Name of God, I felt afraid, and I took them from his hands on account of the oath (which he had sworn) by God.

And I carried them and put them down along with the other cheeses which had been brought unto me that day.

And I said in my heart, 'I will not let the great man know about my act at all'

And it came to pass at the hour of evening that day, that when the time for repose and meditation had come, he (i. e. Apa Pisentius) rose up in order that he might give some cheese to the clergy.

And he said unto me, ' If cheeses have been brought unto thee this day, bring some of them hither to me so that I may send them to the clergy of the Archbishop.

Then I took all the cheeses, and I threw those which the shepherd had brought with them.

And when the bishop had looked at them he said unto me, Bring hither to me a platter

and he uttered the following riddle, saying thus : This day, a man whose eyes were open, a man whose eyes had no darkness (in them), and who saw clearly, covered up his eyes by day and by night, and walked about like a blind man, although his eyes possessed the faculty of sight.

Would not every man who saw him rebuke him, saying, Why is it since God hath given light to thine eyes that thou lovest to adopt the guise of the blind men who walk in darkness at all times?

And I confess unto you that when my father had spoken these words to me,

he picked out all the cheeses which the shepherd had given unto me,

and he divided them from the others, and placed them on the platter and said unto me, I say unto thee that these cheeses belonged to the shepherd which I caused to be driven forth from me this day ;

now when thou hadst thrown him out, why didst thou accept them from his hands?

Look now, and consider; whom dost thou resemble?

Thou resemblest Gehazi, who ministered unto Elisha, who made the man to turn back, and who took from him two talents and two changes of raiment.

Look now also and consider in what manner Elisha cursed him—he made the leprosy of Naaman to grow in his body.

Now therefore, rise up, and take thou the cheeses to him wheresoever thou canst find him.

Verily (even if thou hast to sit up) until midnight thou shalt not sleep in this place until thou hast given them to him.'

Then I said unto Apa Pisentius, 'Forgive me, O my father.

When I had thrown him out of the door, he swore mighty oaths to me, and I was afraid of the oath which he swore in (the Name of) God, and I took the cheeses from him.'

And Apa Pisentius answered and said, 'Do not attempt to anoint my head with the oil of the sinner.

It was Paul himself, the sweet-smelling tongue who spake in the Epistle which he wrote unto the Corinthians saying, I have written to you in the Epistle: Hold no converse with whoremongers, and not even with thy familiar friend, if he be a whoremonger; have no friendship with him.

And again (he saith): The whoremongers and the adulterers shall God judge.

And again (he saith): Lest there be a filthy whoremonger like Esau. And again it saith : No whoremonger shall inherit the kingdom of the heavens.

Get thee gone therefore, at once, and give the cheeses back to him, and peradventure we may be able to deliver his soul from the hand of the Devil ; indeed he is a miserable man.

I departed therefore and I gave the cheeses to him on the evening of that same day, and I returned to my place according to the advice of my holy father.

Now ye must know that our righteous father Apa Pisentius was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and he was a righteous man, and if (ye imagine) that he was not, hearken ye unto the following narrative, and ye will assuredly be struck with wonder.

Now it came to pass again on a certain day that my lord and father sent me on a message, which was urgent, to a certain district of Djeme.

Now it was very late in the day when I started to come back, and before I could get back it was dark night.

And when I had entered on the road which leads into (the mountain), behold, two hyenas came running after me, as I was riding my ass, and they sprang towards the ass wishing to seize her and to pull it down.

In very truth their teeth were within a very little of touching my feet.

And I cried out, saying, 'May the prayers of my father help me and keep me from the mouths of these beasts.'

And before the words left my mouth, the animals took themselves off in another direction, and they did not do me the very least harm.

Now by reason of the loudness of their panting it appeared to me as if they were fleeing in great haste from some one who was pursuing them

and they fled as soon as ever they heard the name of the great man, Apa Pisentius.

And when I had journeyed on a little further,