psflavianus.encomium.02 Chapter 1

In the daytime when it was light he would depart, and we used to see him going away.

Do not think that I am seeking after the praise of men, for I am not, and it would not be my wish to tell you these things if it had not been that He Who wisheth to be profitable unto every man, namely, God, the Lover of man, hath commanded me to do so.

And when he had said these things they cast themselves down at his feet, saying, 'O our father, thou art the most noble! of all created things

And after these things he commanded his wife to depart to her own quarter,

and having prayed he dismissed the other people, and each one departed to his house in peace.

Now do not your hearts leap when ye hear of miracles of this kind? And do ye not wonder at this holy man, who passed his whole life with his wife, and restrained himself from union with her?

Where are the men now, who, although they have their wives, practise fornication, and who [at the same time] proclaim emphatically 'We are Christians?'

Let them come hither now, and let them be ashamed when they see their father Demetrins, the holy Archbishop, saying, 'We know nothing of each other, except the face.'

O thou who dost set the combat, thou fighter against passion. Saint Demetrius, O my father, did not thy heart leap within thee when thou didst gaze upon the exceedingly great beauty of thy wife?

Did not the tender softness of her body cause thine understanding to totter? For thou wast, after all, only a youth. When thou didst talk with her and there was none present with thee, did not he who shooteth arrows of evil shoot arrows into thee?

did not he who shooteth arrows of evil shoot arrows into thee? He said, 'I am a man myself, and I am clothed with flesh like every other man.'

But hearken, and I will shew thee [what Demetrius said], 'Whensoever my heart vised to stir me up to passion,

I used to remember the vows which I swore to keep to the Christ, saying, 'I will never break them,

for if I do He will deny me before His Father and His holy angels.'

Whensoever I remembered the softness of her body,

I used to remember how the flesh of men goeth to corruption in the tomb, and the foetid humour which it giveth forth.

And, not permitting our mouth to utter any strange thing, we were afraid of the destruction caused by the fire and flame of Gehenna which exist in Amente,

and [we remembered that] those who are therein wish to open their mouth to its fullest extent, and that they cannot open it.'

And I make mention, O God-loving Council, of what I said in the opening paragraphs [of this discourse], namely, this pure man of this kind is far more excellent than he who slayeth a lion and a bear.

And, moreover, one of the philosophers saith, 'He who destroyeth a lion is not a strong man,

and he who destroyeth a panther is not a mighty man;

but he who killeth himself, and is guiltless of beguilement of women, is the strongest of all.'

Now Joseph the patriarch lived in the house of the Egyptian

and the matter is manifest, namely, that that sinful woman was bad and that she associated herself with him daily until she found an opportunity [to tempt] him.

As for thee, O holy man, Demetrius, they contended against thee daily through thy understanding.

If I wished to do so, I could prolong my discourse to you, and relate further to you concerning the virtues, and the miracles, and the mighty power of this holy man!

I know, however, that his honour is in the heavens before Him Who became man, for our sakes, through Mary the Virgin.

Verily thou didst effect thy escape,

thou didst keep the faith,

and now thou dost make supplication for us in the place wherein thou art. If I wished to multiply speech unto you, I could relate unto you the miracles which God set in operation by the hands of this holy man, Demetrius, the holy Archbishop,

but I am well aware of my feebleness, and of the utter impotence of my halting and poor words.

Let us however turn to another case (i. e. subject). We will now bring forward the case of a man who was arrayed in three virtues, namely, virginity, and the rank of the high priesthood, and the rank of the martyr.

Now who was this saint? It was Peter, the Archbishop of Rakote.

In times past he had been a worshipper of idols, and had performed the duties of an office under the lawless Emperor Diocletian,

who gave the order to pull down the churches everywhere. And there was nothing which he did openly against the service of holiness in Rakote, because the Archbishop Peter, the holy man, did not regard the face of men,

but he paid good heed to Him Who said, 'Fear not those who can kill your bodies, but who are not able to kill your souls.'

For this reason he was exceedingly courageous, and he used to say to the clergy, 'Let not the suspicion of men separate you from the Christ.'

Now there was at that time a certain man in Antioch whose name was Zokrator,

who went to Egypt and became a martyr.

And this Zokrator was originally a Christian who had been baptized,

but he had withdrawn himself [from the Christians];

and he was a hypocrite, and he hated the Christians exceedingly. nd he had a wife who was a Christian, and whose name was Marturia, and she had borne him two sons,

the elder of whom was called Philopator,

and the younger Eatropius.

And when the boys had grown up, and were of a suitable age for baptism,

they wished to be baptized according to the ordinance of the Christians.

And the wife spake unto her husband, saying, 'I beseech thee, O my brother, to come with me to the city of Rakote that we may have our children baptized, lest they die before they have received the baptism of God,

for God will be wroth with us if we neglect the souls of our children.'

And Zokrator 'said unto his wife, Hold thy peace, my sister—now thou knowest that a persecution [of the Christians] is in progress at the present time—

lest the Emperor hear of it, and destroy us.' And when he had said these words she was afraid to leave her children unbaptized.

And when she knew that he would not be persuaded by her to do what she thought (to be right) she rose up, and she took her two children by their hands, and went forth on the sea

and she prayed in this wise, saying, 'O Lord God, the Almighty, the Father of our Lord Jesus the Christ,

if Thou art pleased to make straight my way, grant that I may find an opportunity (of crossing the sea).'

And as she was praying she looked up and saw a ship about to set sail on the sea, and this woman cried out unto those who were on the ship, 'Whither sail ye?'

And they said unto her, 'We are going to the city of Rakote.'

And she said unto them, 'If ye will take me with you I will pay you your passage money';

and they said unto her 'We will take thee.'

Thereupon they took her into the ship, and set sail.

And when they had sailed away from the land a distance of about twenty stadia a mighty storm rose up against the ship, and it was so violent that every one who was sailing in the ship was terrified.

And that God-loving woman said, 'God will not hearken unto a sinful woman like myself, but that which hath entered into my heart I will do.'

And she arose, and stood up, and prayed [with her face] towards the east, saying thus: 'O God, Who knowest everything before it taketh place,

Who knowest the heart of every one, and Who knowest the wish of my heart in respect of Thee, I do not wish for a husband, nor for the apparel which belongeth to this world, nor for possessions, but for my own soil and the souls of my children.

Behold, we are about to die in the sea.

For Thy Holy Name's sake, O my Lord Jesus the Christ, Thou Saviour of my soul and spirit, look down upon me and upon my two orphan children, and have mercy upon us.'

And when she had said these things she took a butcher's knife in her right hand, and she thrust it out, and made the Sign of the Cross over it, and she stuck it into her right breast, and drew forth therefrom three drops of blood,

and she made the Sign of the Cross with it on the foreheads of her two sons and [on] their breasts, in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

And she dipped them three times in the sea, in the Name of the Holy Trinity, saying, 'In the Name of the Holy Trinity, Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit.'

After these things she made her children lie in her bosom, saying, 'I may die, but let me die with my sons.'

And God, the Master of the Universe, when He had seen her faith, stilled the storm, and there was a great calm. And within three days they arrived at Rakote.

And by the help of God they came into Rakote on the day of preparation, on the fourth day of the week, on the Passover, whereon they are wont to baptize children according to the tradition of the Egyptians.

And the woman saw that the whole city was draped in white, and she asked what the matter was.

And they told her, saying, 'All the Christians who are living in the city are going to baptize their children tomorrow.'

And she answered, saying, 'In truth God hath made straight my way.'

Then she made her way to a certain deacon, and said unto him, 'My father, I wish to meet the Archbishop.'

And he said unto her, 'What is thy business with the Archbishop?'

And she said unto him, 'I am a stranger, and I want to baptize my children.'

nd the deacon said unto her, 'Hast thou any other business with the Archbishop besides this?'

And she said unto him, 'No, I have not.'

And the deacon said unto her, 'If this be really the only thing for which thou wishest to meet the Archbishop then tarry thou here.

For behold, the children of this city are to be baptized tomorrow and your own children shall be baptized with them.'

And when the evening had come, and the Archbishop had finished Divine Service, he commanded them to bring to him the little children, and to make them ready for baptism.

And when he had baptized them they brought in the children of the wife of the man of Antioch;

and God, Who alone worketh wonders, hid the matter from the Archbishop.

And when he had taken hold of the little children to baptize them the water in the font congealed and became stone;

and when the Archbishop saw this he marvelled exceedingly, and he commanded [the ministrant] to put the children on one side.

Then he ordered [him] to bring in to him the children of the natives of Rakote,

and when he had begun to baptize them the water which was in the font assumed the form which it had usually.

And he commanded [him] straightway to bring in again the children of the wife of the man of Antioch,

and when he had done so the water in the font became like stone, even as before.

And he commanded [him] to put the little children aside once more.

And he ordered [him] to bring in the children of the natives of Rakote,

and when he had brought them in [and the Archbishop began] to baptize them the water in the font assumed the form which it usually had.

Then the Archbishop commanded [him] to bring in to him the children of the wife of the man of Antioch a third time, and straightway the water in the font congealed and became like stone.

Then Saint Peter the Archbishop commanded the Archdeacon to bring into his presence the wife of the man of Antioch.

And when she had been set in his presence the Archbishop said unto her, 'Tell me, What hath happened to thee? What, peradventure, hast thou done? Of what religion art thou a follower? What city dost thou come from?'

And the mother of the little children answered and said unto the Archbishop, 'I am a Christian, and my parents were Christians, and I am a woman of Antioch.'

And the Archbishop answered and said unto her, 'Tell me what it is that thou hast done, for behold, God will not accept children in lieu of repentance.'

And the woman said unto him, 'Hearken unto me, my Lord and Father, in [thy] charity,

for thou knowest the sufferings which exist in the world at this time, and especially in Antioch.

Now my children grew up, and (as) I could not find an opportunity to have them baptized

I said unto their father, 'Rise up, and let us [depart] to the city of Rakote, to the feet of thy holiness, and let us have our children baptized';

but he did not wish to do this, and he put before me also the dangers which he said would befall me.

And I rose up, and took my two sons by the hand, and I came out on the sea, and I found a ship coming to Rakote,

and I embarked thereon with my children.

And when we had come into the middle of the sea the ship was in such terrible danger through a mighty storm that it wellnigh foundered.

And I seized my two children, so that I might east myself into the sea with them and die with them,

but the thought came into my heart, and I took a butcher's knife in my hand,

and I cut my right breast and drew out from it three drops of blood.

And I made the Sign of the Cross on their foreheads and their breasts, saying, 'In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.'

And I dipped them in the sea in the Name of the Holy Trinity.

And it must in any case have been for this reason, O my Lord Father, that the Lord effected the salvation of myself and my children.

Besides this I know of no other thing which I have done.'

And the Archbishop said unto the woman, 'Be of good cheer, my daughter, for it is to the Lord of truth that thou hast done [this] good thing.

And He to Whom thou didst come when thou didst pierce thy right breast, and didst put the blood on the foreheads of thy sons, was He Whose side was pierced by the spear on the Cross.

He it was Who made the Sign of the Cross on thy sons with His own hand, and at the time when thou didst baptize them at sea it was our Lord Who did baptize them with His own hand.'

And straightway the Archbishop set the children back so that he might not baptize them, and he only prayed over the woman and her children.

And he preached this stimulating discourse on that very day, shewing forth the love for man and the gracious goodness of God.

And he gave to the little children something of the Holy Mysteries, and he kept them under his charge until they had completed the Holy Easter.

And afterwards he sent the woman away to her city with her children, in peace.

And it came to pass that when her husband saw that she had returned to him, he set off and went to the lawless Emperor Diocletian, the most wicked man on all the earth,

and he said unto him, 'Thou knowest that my wife played the harlot in this town and I would not support her.

When she saw that I would not support her she rose up and departed to Rakote, to the feet of that contemptible Peter.

And she hath played the whore there with the people with baptism, and she hath also taught the children mysteries which are unclean.

And, behold, it is many days since she went away, and now she hath come back again. What now dost thou wish me to do, O my lord the king?'

And the Emperor said unto him, 'Zokrator, who is it that doeth these things in Rakote?'

And Zokrator said, ' It is Peter, whom men call 'Archbishop'.

And when the Emperor heard [this] he was filled with indignation, for he had been wroth with the holy man Peter since the time when he read his discourse concerning- idols, the which [also] he preached.

And he sent a tribune and soldiers into Rakote to cut off the head of Saint Peter,

And the wife of Zokrator commanded [them] to bring her and her two sons [before the Emperor].

And when they had brought her before him, he said unto her, 'O woman, why didst thou leave thy husband, and didst go and commit fornication with the Christians?'

And the martyr answered one word only, 'The Christians do not commit fornication, neither do they worship idols;

now therefore, whatsoever thou wishest to do, that do.

And I have no desire to hear mention made of them (i.e. Christians) by thy mouth.'

And the Emperor said unto her, 'Shew me what took place among them';

but the woman made no answer to him whatsoever.

And the Emperor was furious, and he commanded [his soldiers] to tie her hands and her feet behind her, and then to lift up her two children on her body, and to burn them together.

And she turned her face towards the east, and yielded up her spirit (?).

Now ye see, O my beloved, that God always hath a man who doeth what He wisheth at all times.

He (i.e. the writer of the text) saith, 'She turned her face towards the east, and yielded up her spirit straightway,' because her holy heart was always looking towards the east.

For the trees which were created in Paradise were in the east, and the Devil brought Adam out therefrom through envy, because when God Himself had made man [the angels] became jealous of him through the Devil;

but God shall take us back again [into Paradise] through His holy Blood which He hath poured out for our sakes.

The true east is that which hath risen from the House of David.

For a star shall rise in Jacob, that is to say, the star which the Magi saw in the east when they were bringing unto the Christ their gifts, which were indicated aforetime by the prophet.

Let us then, we who are in the darkness and shadow of death, know the east

I think now, O Christ-loving congregation, that what we have now said must suffice.

Ye have shewn love according to the measure of discipleship, for we are all disciples of the great, True Master, our Lord and Saviour, to Whom be glory, and to the Father with Him, and to the Holy Spirit, life-giving and consubstantial, now, and always, for ever. Amen.