Paphnutius Histories Monks of Egypt

And he arose, and he took him, and he went, and he prostrated himself before him three times. He arose and stood still, as if he were saying, "The man came to my father, saying, 'I give thanks to you, my father, for the grace that has set me upright.' But he himself reached out his hand to him, saying, 'Do not let what has happened cause anyone to be unfaithful to our words. For even our Savior said, "...this one also will do, and he will do what is to be done to them." But he himself...

He himself, the holy Apa Hārōn, concerning his work, his hands alone, he would do the thought of what is written: "We work with our hands by day and by night, so that hardship may not come upon any of you." Sometimes he would make baskets, sometimes he would weave palm leaves, for he was not able to speak, except when a great need arose. A man came to his door once; he received palm leaves from his hand for the need of his vineyard. The vineyard, however, was there; his basket was woven only. When he had taken the palm leaves from his hand, he bound them to his vineyard, and it became a good product, only. And those who heard gave glory to God. Some men also, from the outside, came to his door once, being troubled in heart, and they entreated him, saying, "Do the kindness, pray for us, for they oppress us through an archon of the city of Antinoöpolis, and we have not found anyone to give to us, for we are afraid that he will not cease from us, and he will destroy us in an hour beyond our strength." He saw that you... Peter, saying, "Cast the net to the right of the ship." You will find what he said, not to the left, but to the right, which is this: if a man abandons evil thoughts, which are those on the left, and does those on the right, which are the good works, what then?

He himself, the holy Apa Hārōn, concerning his work, his hands alone, he would do the thought of what is written: "We work with our hands by day and by night, so that hardship may not come upon any of you." Sometimes he would say to them, "What I will do for them, for God, will be for him." For he would say thus: to those on the left, "Stand away from me, you who are bound to the snare of eternal fire, which the devil and his angels have prepared." And to those on the right, he would say, "Come to me, you who are blessed by my father." And again, "Come to me, all who are weary and oppressed, and I—

I will give you rest. And also, that you will inherit the kingdom that has been prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Why? He said, "The hungry ones, you did not let me be. The thirsty ones, you did not let me drink. The naked ones, you did not clothe me. The strangers, you did not receive them at your door. The sick ones, you did not find my inquiry. The ones in prison, you did not come to their mouth." These are the... ...that they say the left side to the right side. You yourselves, all of you, what you will do, you will become like children of the house, according to your need. But they said, "Your salvation, O my holy father, concerning poverty and service, to go to the church on the Sabbath and the Lord's Day." He said to them, "Did I not tell you that you do not go to the church of God to entreat him, that he might have mercy on you, that he might not leave you lacking anything? For it is fitting for every Christian to first go to the house of God and entreat him, and then prepare their handiwork." But they prostrated themselves at his feet, saying, "Pray for us, our holy father, and we will keep all your words." And this is how he prayed for them. He gave them a blessing of the water, saying, "Strengthen yourselves over your brothers, and you will stand over them." But they went in faith and became like children.

...they gave the need to the magistrate. They gave the other portion to the need of the house. They came to the righteous one to give thanks to God and his holy prayers... At that hour, another one also, whose boat had capsized, and when he called upon God by his name, his boat was saved along with all its cargo. It also happened one day while they were walking together, two Anoubans, who were going to Soan. One of them was blind in one eye. His companion said to him, "Come, let us receive a blessing from this great man." The one-eyed man said, "He is not a great man. If he were, let him open my eye." And before the word had left his mouth, his blind eye saw. The one who could see became blind. When his companion saw what had happened, he marveled greatly and said to him, "Did I not tell you that he is a great man?" He said, "I did not trouble anyone, for one was closed and one was opened. Nevertheless, let us go to his door, perhaps he will give light to the other one." And the two of them came to the holy one, Apa Haron. The father said to the Anouban, "I made you stumble, for if you knew, you would not have troubled yourself to come to this place." At that hour, a great... bowed to him, saying...

...they gave the need to the magistrate. They gave the other portion to the need of the house. They came to the righteous one to give thanks to God and his holy prayers... At that hour, another one also, whose boat had c saying, "Open my eye." And immediately he looked out at the other one. And the two of them believed and went away from him with joy, proclaiming the wonder that had happened in all that region. Now there was also a God-fearing man in the city of Syene, a faithful man, who used to come to Apa Haron many times. And it happened one day that he wished to come to Apa Haron. His wife said to him, "If you go to the holy Apa Haron, entreat him that he might pray to Christ concerning us, and give us a male child. For I have heard that when a young girl was about to give birth, she was in distress. But when they called upon him concerning this matter, she gave birth to her son dead. Her father went to him and entreated him, and they said, 'When he took a little clay from the door of his dwelling and placed it upon the dead child, he revived immediately.' You also, if you entreat him, I believe.

...they gave the need to the magistrate. They gave the other portion to the need of the house. They came to the righteous one to give thanks to God and his holy prayers... At that hour, another one also, whose boat had c ...that what you will say will happen to him. But when he came to our father, he told the story to Apa, saying, "I have lived with my wife since my childhood, and no child has been born to us in thirty years. Now then, if you pray to God, he will give them to you." The righteous one himself went to his cell, prayed within, saying, "My Lord, you are the one who gave Sarah to our father Isaac, and you gave Joseph to Rachel, and you gave Samuel to Anna. Now then, Lord, you are the one who will do it. You are also the one today and forever. I know your goodness. Lord, listen to my prayer and fulfill the request of this man who came to our father." When he finished praying, he came to the man and said to him, "Go, my son, in the name of Christ. I believe that as God said to our father Abraham, 'I am coming,' at the time a child will be born to Sarah, so it will happen to you as well." And as he said, so it happened. Within a year, he came to our father with the young child carried on his shoulder. He presented himself to Apa, saying, "Behold the fruit that God gave me through your holy prayers." Then Apa Haron took him to his bosom and blessed God, saying, "Blessed are you, Lord, in all your works." Then he gave him to his father.

...they gave the need to the magistrate. They gave the other portion to the need of the house. They came to the righteous one to give thanks to God and his holy prayers... At that hour, another one also, whose boat had c He was saying, "Behold the grace of God, which has established you, O Christ, who has granted himself to you, my son. He will increase for you. He will give us the means to do his will." And another man, whom a demon was troubling on the day of his parents' feast, heard the voice of Apa Hārōn. They bound his hands and his feet, placed him on a donkey, and took him to the door of a prison, where he was seized by...

...four men. When they found him, they placed him outside by the river, and left him lying outside the door. The demon, however, was speaking from within the man, uttering great blasphemies against the father, saying, "Are you not a soldier, then, that you come to do violence? Are not your fathers archons, who devour what they have not labored for? I know them to be evil. Your father gave ten gold coins to a man for his pledge, and when he could not repay them, he took his house from him because of his poverty. Is this not a sin that he committed? And you yourself have come to this place to heal these sick men. Are you a physician, then, my father?" But the father endured until he had said all his words. He said to him, "You yourself are not worthy of an answer. Now, then, I command you in the name of Christ, who was crucified, to come out of the demon." When the demon heard, it took the man and fled. Then the holy one filled his hand with water and threw it into his face three times, saying, "In the name of the holy Trinity, come out of him." The demon came out. The holy one said to him, "Go to Babylon of the Chaldeans, and dwell in that place until the day.

...of justice. Each one will receive according to what he has done. You yourself will be thrown into the pit of hell. When the demon heard these things, he went away raging. The man, however, when his heart was set at rest, gave glory to God and to his fathers and to all who walked with him. Then they entreated the holy man to take something, but he did not consent to be released, saying, "I have taken nothing of this kind.

From the time he became a monk, he would often say to me, "Do not look at the affairs of this world, for they will give you no benefit. But as long as we have the bread and the clothing, these will suffice for us. For indeed, our Lord said to his apostles, 'Do not acquire for yourselves gold or silver, nor iron in your possessions.' Because of this, it is fitting for the monk to walk in a manner of this kind and with a good life, since they have renounced this world and followed the Lord. After these things, the holy Apa Haron arose and went into the desert. I, however, drew near to him, saying, "Sit here in this place. If a man comes seeking me, tell him that he has gone to find a brother. For this is his practice which he does." When he reached the door, he would hide his tunic, put it on himself, and stand to pray. He would spend the whole night praying. When morning came, he would go into the desert under the burning sun, without giving himself rest at all, neither by day nor by night. In the summer as well, he would stand in the midst of the heat and pray. He spent his entire time continually in these great practices. This happened for a year.

...the days of the harvest, all of them, they came to fetch water. And many poor people came, weeping at his door, saying, "Our holy father, we are going to die, and our children too, because the harvest has not come." He said to them, "Believe... that the prayer of the poor, if it is heartfelt, pierces through to the Lord. And also, the Lord has heard the desire of the poor," he said to them.

Also, many crowds of people, interpreting the words of the Scriptures, he would explain them to them, and he would console them. And this is how they went away from him, blessing God. But Apa Hārōn did not neglect their need. Rather, he would go to the river every night, immersing himself up to his neck, and he would entreat God, saying, "Christ, my good one, have mercy! O merciful one, for the sake of your likeness and your image." For if he had continued going out in that manner until God had mercy on his tears and caused the water to come over the face of the whole earth. It happened also, in one year, some men came to his door, bringing water, according to the way the history tells us. If we go there, when they stay, they entreat him to intercede with Christ to send them water because of the inundation of the men outside, for they were troubled outside because the time of the filling of the water had passed. They, however, remained weeping. ...he said, "God, do not withdraw the works of your hands from men and beasts. For you created us all in your blood, having deemed yourself worthy, you came into the world, you were born as a man for our salvation. We know that nothing is impossible before you, God. Do not make the soul of the poor a mockery.

Lest they commit sin in their presence before you, I am mindful of what the wise Solomon said: "Do not give me wealth and poverty." And whenever he would bring the water of the river up, he would not bring it for his own rest alone, for the power of God is such that his entire creation falls into the need of their sustenance. But God has left the poor to

He asked the rich man, so that when the rich man shows mercy, they may show mercy to him on the day of his visitation. But the poor man himself, when he rises from his poverty, he will go to the kingdom... the kingdom of heaven. The merciful man is compared to the ladder that Jacob saw, whose base was fixed upon the earth, while its top reached to heaven, and the angels of God were fixed upon it. This is the father of mercy. See that he said, "These little ones, these are they who are drawn." Likewise he also said, "When you make a banquet or a dinner, do not call your friends nor your relatives, but invite the poor and the blind and the lame, for they have nothing to repay you, but they will repay you in the resurrection of the righteous." And even if you are not able to climb to the top of the ladder, that is, to give in abundance, to attain perfect mercy, therefore let us see that mercy glorifies itself over judgment. When the holy Apa Hārōn had said these things, he prayed and dismissed them in peace, saying, "May God cause this river to fill with water and bring it to its channels. Do not fear, nor be faithless.

...you say, "The hour of the filling of the water has come," but believe that the power of God is over every thing. They arose and went in peace. In the coming night, he went to the river and prayed, saying, "Lord, you are our judge, and you are also today and for eternity. You are the one who struck a rock, and waters burst forth. You gave drink to a people, and when Samson was thirsty, you made a spring gush forth water for him.

...you say, "The hour of the filling of the water has come," but believe that the power of God is over every thing. They arose and went in peace. In the coming night, he went to the river and prayed, saying, "Lord, you are the one who has power over the water. I beseech you today that you may send the water of this river up upon all the land, so that the poor of your people may find their food and bless you and your holy name." And he spent the whole night outside, praying and beseeching God concerning the water of the river, the holy Apa Hārōn. And this is how the water remained full, without receding for a single day, until all the fields received water, and a great abundance occurred in that year through the prayers of the holy one, according to what is written: "The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective." He would put his hand to show all his signs. ... God works ... the holy Apa Hārōn. The word will be revealed more fully. But it happened one day while he was sitting, with some people gathered around him, a poor man came, with a basket of figs hung at his neck. He besought him, saying, "Bless me, my holy father, that I may go and make bread for my children, for I am a poor man." The holy Apa Hārōn filled his basket with water and poured it over the figs, saying, "Go and make bread for your children in the name of Christ." And he took it, went, and made it, and it became a great blessing.

...become in him. The man, however, came to the door, giving glory to God and to the holy Apa Haron. "Behold, O my brother, my God, I have said to you a few things outside the polity of the holy Apa Haron, because I am a layman of flesh, and I have no power to speak of his honor, of his virtues. I will tell you of his manner of rest, which is wonderful. If he were an old man, he would have done it in his days. His body was taken by the excess...

...of his ascetic discipline. He fell ill on the twenty-first day of the month of Pashons, and on the sixth day, which is the day of Pentecost, I heard a sound of choirs of angels singing outside: "Blessed, blessed." I did not understand what they were saying. But I, my God, said to him, "This is its interpretation: they were blessing him in the heavens, just as they had blessed him on earth." They continued outside in this manner until the great first day of the month of Paoni, the twenty-first of the month of Pashons. At the time of the seventh hour of that day, he rested in a peaceful old age, the holy one, Apa Haron. We then laid his body in honor and reverence, placing it beside the body of the holy bishops who had come to be in the laura, that is, Apa Makedonios, Apa Markos, and Apa Hesaias. Now then, my brother, my God, pray for me, that God may be merciful to me and bring my end out of this world, pleasing to him. I, however, said to him, "You have received a great grace, for I have heard these polities from you concerning this holy one. For this reason, I too will write them down, setting them forth as a precept for all the generations to come." And this is the manner in which I wrote them. When we had finished speaking with one another, I and Apa Isaac... Apa Haron... he remained... a table...

We did not eat, and we kept silence together. We rose, we prayed. I went outside, following him, to go and seek the brothers who were on the other side of the river. This is the life of the holy anchorite of the monastery of Apa Haron, who completed his course outside, in the mountain of the east of the monastery, in the glory of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, consubstantial and of one essence, now and forever.

The Life of Apa Haron the Prokomenon. The Lord has reigned. Let the peoples be saved. He who sits upon the cherubim, let the earth be moved. Great is the Lord in Zion, exalted above all the peoples. Let them reveal your name, for it is fear, and the honor of a king is holy. He loves justice. You have prepared the straight path and you have done justice with righteousness. God in Jacob, for the Lord is our God. Let us worship the footstool of his feet, for Moses is holy, and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among those who call upon his name. They cried out to the Lord, and he heard them. He spoke with them openly in a pillar of cloud. They kept his testimonies and his commandments which he gave them. The Lord, our God, you heard them. God, you are the one who forgave them. You made your glory for their works. Raise up the Lord, our God. Let us worship his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy. The Apostle. We have a great high priest who built the heavens. Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Let us grasp his confession. For we are not a high priest whom we have who is unable to suffer with us in our weaknesses, but he is strong for every work. In this manner, until sin, let us give our cry.

with boldness, upon the throne of grace, so that we may receive goodness and find a gift of help at this time. For who is the high priest that receives

...them, from among men, they appoint them over men before God, so that he may offer a gift and a sacrifice for sins, for he has power to suffer and for those who are ignorant and those who lead astray, because he himself is in a state of weakness, and concerning this, it is fitting for him, according to the manner in which he offers on behalf of the people, he himself also offers for himself, in the same way for his own sins. But each one does not take the honor for himself, but it is brought to him from God. Aaron, this is the manner of Christ, who did not... the high priest, but it is he who spoke with him, saying, "You are my son, I have begotten you today." Likewise, in another place, he says, "You are the priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek." The Catholic James: Take the form, brothers, of the suffering and the boldness of the prophets, those who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we bless those who have endured. You have heard of the patience of Job, and you have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is compassionate and merciful. But concerning what matters, brothers, do not swear by anything, neither heaven nor earth, nor any thing. Let your oath be of oaths, and your "if" of "if not," so that they may not judge you. Let the one who suffers among you pray. The one who is watchful...

Let him who is sick sing psalms. In your heart, let him call upon the presbyters of the church, and let them pray over him, for they have anointed him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer and the faith of the sick one will bring healing. And the Lord will raise him up, even if he has committed other sins; they will be forgiven him, revealed openly. Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that he may forgive you. The intercession of the righteous is exceedingly powerful, and it works. THE PRAXIS Now then, come, let me send you up to Egypt. This is Moses, whom they have called Arnā, saying, "Who is it that appointed you as ruler and judge over us?" This one God sent as ruler and savior by the hand of the angel, the one who revealed himself to him in the burning bush. This is the one who brought them out, who performed signs and wonders in Egypt and in the Red Sea, in the wilderness for forty years. This is the one who said to the children of Israel, "God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers like me." This is the one who was in the church with the one who spoke with him on Mount Sinai and with the fathers. This is the one who received words revealed to give to you, and not according to the will of the fathers to listen to him, but...

They left him behind. They returned to Egypt. They said to Aaron, "Make for us gods who will go before us. For as for Moses, this one who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him." And they made a tabernacle in those days. They offered a sacrifice upon the idol, and they rejoiced in the works of their hands. But God turned them to serve the host of heaven, according to what is written in the book of the prophets: "Did

They raised up for me sacrifices and offerings of a hundred years in the desert, the house of Israel. And you took the tabernacle of Moloch and the image of the god Pharan, the forms which you made to worship them. And I will lead you out to the other side of Babylon. PALLĒ. METHJPO. The other rivers gave light to the inhabited world. The earth shook and trembled. Your way is in the sea, and your places of walking are in great waters. And they will not know your footsteps. You took the path before your people, like sheep in the hand of Moses and Aaron. KATA MATTHAIOS. He came out from all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel to the multitude, and healing every sickness and every affliction among the people. His fame went out through all of Syria. They brought to him all who were afflicted with diseases that were severe, and those who were in pains, and those who had demons, and the lame, and the blind, and he healed them. Great multitudes followed him from the Decapolis and Jerusalem and the bank of the Jordan. When he saw the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. And when he sat down, his disciples gave their attention to him. He opened his mouth and taught them, saying this.

Blessed are the poor.

In the Spirit: "The kingdom of the heavens is theirs. Blessed are the poor, for they are the ones who will be saved. Blessed are the joyful, for they are the ones who will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who are humble, who oppose righteousness, for they are the ones who will come. Blessed are those who are pure in heart, for they are the ones who will see God. Blessed are the merciful, for they are the ones who will see. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they are the ones who will be called children of God. Blessed are those who have fled after righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens. Blessed are you if you are tested, and you flee after yourselves, and you do no evil deed within you, and you do not deceive yourselves concerning joy. Rejoice, for your reward will be great in the heavens. For this is the way the prophets fled, who are before you. You are the salt of the earth. If the salt becomes insipid, it will be seasoned with something, but it will be of no use for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world, and there is no city that can hide itself, even if it is situated on a mountain, nor can a lamp be hidden under a bushel; rather, it is placed on a lampstand to give light to all who are in the house. This is the way: let your light shine before men.

so that they may see the good works, and they will give glory to our father who is in the heavens. Likewise also the Anastasis according to Mark. And when the Sabbath came, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome brought oil.

They found some stones, so that they might come and anoint him in the morning early on the first day of the week. They came to the tomb before sunrise, and they were saying to one another, "Who will roll the stone away for us from the mouth of their tomb?" When they came, they saw that the stone had been removed from its place, for it was very large. And when they went into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side of it, clothed in a white garment. And fear seized them. But he spoke to them, saying, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are seeking Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified in this place. He has risen, as he said. And behold, the place where they laid him is empty. But go, tell his disciples and the other Peter that he will go before you to Galilee, where you will see him, in the place he told you about." When they heard, they came out of the tomb and fled, for fear was with them, and they were amazed, and they did not speak a word to anyone, for they were afraid. When he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. That one then went.

She told those who were with him, and they were amazed and weeping. But they themselves, when they heard that he was alive and that they had seen his face, were afraid. After these things, however, they saw him outside among them, walking. He appeared to them in another form, and they went into the field. Those who were there also went and told the others. Yet even those did not believe. Afterwards, when they were sitting at the ninth hour, he appeared to them while they were eating, and he reproached them for their lack of faith and their hardness of heart.

He said to them, "Go out into the whole world and proclaim the gospel of the entire creation. He who will believe and receive baptism will be saved. He who will not believe, however, they will condemn him. These signs will remain for those who believe. They will cast out demons in my name. They will speak in tongues. They will take up snakes in their hands. Even if they drink a deadly poison, it will not harm them. They will lay their hands on the sick and heal them." The Lord, after he had spoken with them, was taken up into heaven and sat at the right hand of God. They, when they went out, proclaimed the signs, with the Lord giving them authority, confirming the word through the signs that remained with them.