Life of Porphyry of Gaza 1 part 4/5

There is need, then, my children, that mankind be reminded through fears and threats and chastisement.

It is good for me that you have humbled me, that I might learn your statutes.

These things I have said on account of those who wish to come to our holy faith.

For even if they come hesitating, time too can soften them, Christ granting it.

For even if they themselves should not appear worthy of the faith, having already fallen into the habit of evil, yet those born from them can be saved by keeping company with what is good.

Having said these things, holy Porphyry, and having persuaded the brethren, received all who wished to be enlightened [baptized], catechizing them for many days, not only before baptism, but also afterward;

for he continually taught the word, not speaking with ostentatious language wishing to make a display, but teaching in simple speech, and resolving everything from Scripture.

There were added, then, to the flock of Christ in that year about three hundred souls, and from then on the Christian [community] received increase every year.

Now when the Marneion had been utterly burned and the city had been settled, the blessed bishop resolved, together with those of the holy clergy and the Christ-loving people, to build a holy church on the burned site, just as had been revealed to him when he happened to be in Constantinople; on account of which he had also received the funds from the most God-loving Eudoxia the Empress.

Having then dismissed the officials and the Christ-loving people, he retained a portion of the [military] aid, so that no disturbance might arise after their departure — not for this reason alone, but also so that they might help gather the materials for the building of the aforesaid holy church.

Some, then, advised that it be built on the site of the burned idol-temple;

for it was round in shape, encircled by two colonnades one within the other, and its center was a domed canopy raised up on high; it also had certain other features fitting for idols, well suited for the abominable and unlawful things done by those mad for idols.

On this site, then, some said the holy church should be built; but others objected, saying that even the memory of the site itself ought to be removed;

and those who said this persuaded everyone, as having spoken well;

but the holy bishop said:

Let us leave this matter, too, to the counsel of God.

Now while the site was being cleared, a magistrianus arrived, bearing imperial letters from the ever-memorable Eudoxia; the letters contained a greeting and a request for prayers on behalf of herself and the sovereigns, her husband and her child.

And on another sheet, inside the letters, was the sketch of the holy church, in the shape of a cross, just as it is now seen, by God's grace; and the letters directed that the holy church should be built according to this sketch.

The saintly one rejoiced upon reading [the letter] and beholding the sketch;

for he knew that this too had come about by divine revelation, and he remembered the Scripture which says:

The heart of a king is in the hand of God.

The letters also stated that precious columns and marbles were about to be sent.

When, then, the ashes had been carted away and all the abominations removed, the remaining fragments of the marble pavement of the Marneion — which [the pagans] used to say were sacred and lay in a place forbidden to enter, especially for women — these, then, the holy bishop ordered to be laid as pavement outside before the temple, in the public square, so that they might be trodden underfoot not only by men, but also by women and dogs and pigs and beasts.

This grieved the idolaters more than the burning of the temple.

Wherefore most of them, especially the women, do not step upon those marbles even to this day.

A short time afterward, he proclaimed a fast for one day, and when the morning prayers had been dismissed, the God-loving bishop ordered that every Christ-loving man carry mattocks and shovels and other such tools, each one for himself.

He had proclaimed this beforehand, from the evening, so that in the morning all might be found ready; and this indeed happened.

...[to] what was once the Marneion; and he himself followed, carrying the holy Gospel and having around him the sacred clergy, truly imitating Christ together with his disciples.

Going before the people was the ever-memorable Barochas, carrying the image of the sign of the cross; and on both sides of the people were the soldiers who had remained behind for the sake of the good order of the city.

As they went, they chanted psalms, and at the point where the psalm paused, they said 'Alleluia';

and the psalm which they were saying was:

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to God our Savior.

Let us come before his face with thanksgiving, and shout aloud to him with psalms; for the Lord is a great God, and a great King over all the earth; for in his hand are the ends of the earth, and the heights of the mountains are his; for the sea is his, and he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us worship and fall down before him, and weep before the Lord who made us; for he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. And they also chanted other psalms until they entered the Marneion.

The holy bishop had engaged Rufinus the architect from Antioch, a faithful and skilled man, through whom the whole of the building was brought to completion.

This man, taking gypsum, marked out the site of the holy church according to the shape of the sketch sent by the most God-loving Eudoxia.

And the most holy bishop, having made prayer and genuflection, permitted the people to dig.

Immediately all, with one soul and the same eagerness, began to dig, crying out:

One could not see any difference between man and woman, or old man or child, but their eagerness gave the same strength to all; and some dug while others carried out the earth, so that within a few days all the places of the foundations were dug out and cleared.

And when the material had been prepared beforehand — huge stones from the hill called Aldioma, east of the city, along with other material — the saintly one again gathered the Christ-loving people, and having made many prayers and psalm-singing at the site, he himself, girding his garments, was the first to begin carrying stones and casting them into the foundations; then the God-loving clergy and all the laity followed, rejoicing and singing psalms with a loud voice, so that they were heard from three miles outside the city.

And a great wonder occurred on that day.

There are wells within the enclosure of the sacred [precinct], one of which is on the west side of what is now the holy church of God, having no small depth.

Three boys, then, being thirsty, went off to drink, and drawing near to the mouth of the well, they leaned over it, propping themselves on the wooden beam over the mouth, as children are wont to do; and when the wood broke, the three fell into the well.

Some who happened to be there ran off and reported to the people what had happened.

There arose no small uproar, as everyone ran together to the well.

The most holy Porphyry, learning what had happened, himself also ran to the place, and ordered silence to be made; and when it had been made, he began to pray and beseech Christ with many tears that He would preserve the children alive and unharmed — and especially for the sake of those mad for idols, lest they should say:

'Where is their God, in whom they hoped?' And having remained bowed down on the ground for one hour, and then rising, he permitted someone to go down by the ropes of the buckets, to make a search for the children.

For those from the crowd were shouting, calling out to the children, and there was no one answering from below, out of the well.

When the man had gone down, the three children were found sitting on top of a large stone, unharmed and cheerful, talking with one another.

When the man saw them, he marveled exceedingly and glorified God, and crying out from below, he said:

'...the Lord, for the three children are alive!'

When the saintly bishop and the people heard this, they rejoiced, and sending down a large basket, he gave orders that the three be brought up together.

For they were small, about six or seven years old.

The man below, receiving the basket and binding it securely, seated the three in it, instructing them to close their eyes until they should reach the top, and to say:

And having done this, he called out calmly for the rope to be drawn up; and as they drew it up, they sang the hymn of the Three Children:

Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our fathers.

And when they reached the top and the saintly bishop beheld them (for he happened to be standing at the mouth of the well, holding the rope), being filled with joy and tears, he cried out, saying:

Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord; sing praise to him.

When they had lifted them out of the basket, they examined [them] to see whether any part of their bodies had been struck, and nothing amiss was found in them; rather, we beheld a great wonder.

For the three were found to have cross-shaped marks, as though made by the scratch of a needle: one in the middle of the forehead, another on the back of the right hand around the fingers, and the other on the right shoulder.

The little crosses were well formed, neither slanted nor crooked, but of one measure, so that they were plainly signs from God;

for they caused them no pain, nor did they bleed, but were imprinted as though [colored] with cinnabar.

They remained among them for a considerable time, so that all might see and marvel;

for many of the pagans too, having witnessed it, believed.

And the man who had gone down into the well on account of the children, when he too was brought up, affirmed with oaths, saying: "When I put them in the basket and they were being drawn up, I beheld as it were a flash of lightning round about them, until they reached the mouth of the well."

And there was joy for the Christians on that day, but for the idolaters grief and scandal.

And the building made progress day by day, all working eagerly and zealously;

for no one was deprived of his wage, but he even gave more, dealing generously with the workers;

It is right that the whole work of the building should receive not a curse but a blessing.

In the following year the Empress Eudoxia sent the columns which she had promised, wonderful and great, thirty-two in number (they are called Carystian), which are in the holy church, shining like emeralds.

And when they had arrived by sea, again the zeal and eagerness of the Christ-loving people was displayed;

for all, upon hearing, immediately ran to the shore — not only men, but also women and children and old men (for the longing of the faith gave strength to all) — and bringing wagons, they loaded each column and dragged it and set it down in the open court of the sanctuary, and again turned back and carried another, until they had carried all of them.

So much, then, concerning these matters.

At that time a certain woman from Antioch named Julia came to reside in the city, who belonged to the abominable sect of those called Manichaeans, and having learned that some were newly baptized and not yet firmly established in the holy faith, she insinuated herself and corrupted them through her seductive teaching, but much more through the giving of money.

For he who devised the aforesaid godless sect was not able to entice anyone otherwise than by the provision of money.

For indeed their teaching, to those who have sense, is filled with every blasphemy and condemnation and with old wives' fables, drawing along little women and childish men of shallow reasoning and understanding.

For out of various sects and Greek doctrines they compounded this their false teaching, wishing craftily and deceitfully to win over everyone.

They profess astrology, so that they may sin without fear, as though sinning were not within our own power, but from the necessity of fate.

They also confess Christ, for they say that he became man in mere appearance;

for they too are called Christians only in appearance.

I pass over the things worthy of laughter and ill repute, lest I fill the ears of my readers with a most grievous din and monstrous tales.

For mixing the sayings of Philistion the mime-writer and of Hesiod and of other so-called philosophers with those of the Christians, they compounded their own sect.

For just as a painter, mixing various colours, produces in semblance a man or a beast or something else, to the deception of those who behold it, so that it seems to the foolish and senseless to be real, but to those who have sense, a shadow and a deceit and a human contrivance — so also the Manichaeans, having drawn from various doctrines, produced their false teaching; or rather, having gathered and mixed the venom from various serpents, they prepared a death-bearing drug for the destruction of human souls.

As has been said before, when this plague-bearing woman came to dwell in the city, some were carried away together with her deceitful teaching.

After some days, the sainted Porphyry, having learned of this from certain of the faithful, sent for her and asked who she was, and whence she came, and what doctrine she held.

And she confessed both her homeland and that she was indeed a Manichaean.

And when those around him were moved with anger (for there were with him certain devout men), the blessed one exhorted them not to be angry, but with patience to admonish her once and twice, keeping the saying of the holy Apostle:

"Refrain, sister, from this false teaching;

speak, and listen, and either you persuade or you are persuaded.

Prepare yourself for tomorrow, and come here."

And the blessed one, having fasted and prayed much to Christ that he might put the devil to shame, made ready for the following day, and summoned certain devout men, both clergy and laity, to the debate between himself and the woman.

And on the next day the woman arrived, having with her two men and an equal number of women;

they were young and fair of appearance, but all pale, whereas Julia was advanced in years.

All of them relied upon the arguments of secular learning, but Julia far more so.

Their outward bearing was humble and their manner gentle, but as the saying goes:

outwardly sheep, but within ravening wolves and venomous beasts;

for all that they speak and do is done with hypocrisy.

Then, having been permitted to sit, they began the disputation.

And the sainted one, holding the holy Gospels and making the sign of the cross upon his mouth, began to question her, that she might declare her doctrine.

And the brother Cornelius the deacon, mentioned a little before, who knew the shorthand-signs of Ennomus, being permitted by the most blessed bishop, took down in notes everything that was said and objected, while I and the brother Barochas prompted him.

I have not written the dialogue in this book, because it is long, wishing to compose the present narrative in summary; but I have set it forth in another book, for those who wish to know both the wisdom given by God to the most holy Porphyry and the old wives' fables which the tale-mongering sorceress Julia babbled — she whom divine justice swiftly pursued.

For after she had told many fables over a great many hours, and had uttered her customary blasphemies against the Lord and God of all, the sainted Porphyry, moved by divine zeal, seeing him who contains all things visible and invisible blasphemed by a woman worked upon by the devil and submitting to his will, pronounced sentence against her, saying:

"...he who is glorified will strike your tongue and stop your mouth, that it may speak no more blasphemy."

And immediately, together with the sentence, the punishment followed;

for Julia began to tremble and her face to change, and remaining in a trance for a considerable time she did not speak, but was voiceless and motionless, her eyes wide open and fixed upon the most holy bishop.

And those who were with her, seeing what she suffered, were greatly afraid;

and they tried to revive her and chanted into her ear, but there was no voice, and no one answered.

And having remained voiceless for a considerable time, she gave up her soul, departing into that darkness which she had honored, having considered it to be light, according to the scripture which says:

"Woe to those who make the sweet bitter and the bitter sweet, who put darkness for light and light for darkness."

And the sainted Porphyry permitted her body to be laid out and given over to burial, having pity on human nature;

for he was exceedingly compassionate.

And all who heard of what had happened marveled exceedingly, not only those of our faith, but also the pagans.

And the two men and women who were with her, and as many as had been corrupted by her, ran and fell down at the feet of the most blessed bishop, saying:

"We have gone astray," and they asked for repentance.

And the blessed one made them all anathematize Mani, the founder of their sect, from whom they were also called Manichaeans, and having duly catechized them for many days, he brought them to the holy catholic Church.

And on their occasion, other pagans too, repenting, were enlightened.

After a period of five years the work of the great holy church was completed, and it was called the Eudoxiana, after the name of the most God-loving empress Eudoxia.

And the most holy Porphyry celebrated the dedication on the day of the Resurrection of holy Pascha most lavishly, sparing no expense, but gathering together all the monks of the surrounding region, about a thousand in number, together with other devout clergy and laity and bishops, he made festivity for all the days of holy Pascha.

And one could behold angelic choirs, not only in the ecclesiastical service, but also at the hours when they took their meals.

For the table was not only material, but also spiritual.

For after the food a psalm was said, and after the drink a hymn.

And those afflicted with idol-madness, seeing what was taking place, were consumed in heart.

For indeed strangers came from every quarter to behold the beauty and the greatness of the aforesaid holy church;

for it was said to be greater than all the churches of that time.

For this reason, when he laid the foundations, he was at first blamed by certain of the faithful, on the ground that he had marked it out too great, since the Christians in the city were few; and the most holy Porphyry answered and said:

"Let not your faith be small;

for I have good hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, that he will multiply his flock and enlarge his house still more, because the multitudes of the Christians will not be able to be contained in it;

for the teaching of the Christians is not a human thing, that it should appear for a season and then be dissolved, but a divine thing, and one that admits of growth."

These and similar things the blessed one continually discoursed to the faithful, not only in the church but also in every place, enlightening and profiting the Christ-loving people.

And after the days of the feast, he sent away the multitudes in peace, each to his own home,

since they stood in need of his charitable gifts.

And during the days of the fasts of the holy Paschal season, he supplied each poor person with ten obols daily, for forty days.

Having enjoined in his pious testament that the aforesaid ten obols be given without fail for the forty days, and wishing to set aside a revenue from which they should be given, he inserted in the same testament that, if these were not provided each year, the said revenue should pass to the holy church of Caesarea.

But those given over to idol-madness, the more they saw Christianity advancing, so much the more did they rage, and were eager to do harm to the Christians, and before all others, to their holy shepherd Porphyry.

For once, when a dispute arose over some plots of land between the steward of the holy church and Sampsychus, a leading citizen, the God-loving Barochas, seeing the steward being insulted, took his part and began to insult the said Sampsychus.

But when the rest of the council heard of it, they gathered together and set upon both the steward and the God-loving Barochas.

And many of the citizens went up together with the councillors, having found a pretext to do harm to those of the faith; and, as one might say, from a small spark so great a fire was kindled and blazed up that all the Christians were in danger of perishing.

For the idolaters raged so violently that they took up both swords and clubs, and slew seven persons, and struck many others.

Then, not content with this, they rushed at the shepherd himself.

But some, running ahead — glad to render him this good service — reported to the most holy bishop the onrush of the crowd.

And the blessed one, on hearing this, called me and said:

"Let us flee, brother, and hide for a little while, until the wrath of the Lord has passed."

And going along the walls, we fled across the housetops.

But the idol-mad crowd broke down the doors of the episcopal residence and burst in; and not finding the sainted Porphyry, they plundered everything found there.

But I and the blessed Porphyry, fleeing across the housetops, found a young girl of about fourteen years, who, recognizing the holy bishop, fell at his feet.

And the blessed one asked her who she was and of what parents.

And the girl answered that she was orphaned of both father and mother, and said she had a grandmother, an old woman feeble in body, and that she herself worked and supported both herself and her grandmother.

He asked her also whether she was a Christian; she answered again that she was not, but had long desired to be.

And the compassionate Porphyry, hearing the girl's words and being moved to compunction, wept and said:

"How ready for good is the race of the Gazans!"

"But the adversary is eager to hinder such a resolve — he whom the Lord shall smite with the word of his mouth."

"Bring us a mat here into this little room, that we may remain here until the tumult of the city subsides; and tell no one that we are here."

And she bound herself with oaths not to reveal it, not even to her grandmother.

And going down through a small gap in the wall into her own house, she brought the mat and a cushion stuffed with straw.

Spreading out the mat, she laid the cushion beneath it, and falling at the feet of the blessed one, she begged him to taste of her modest food and not to disdain her poverty.

And the holy one, wishing to become an imitator of the great prophet Elijah, said to the girl:

"Hasten, daughter, and bring [food], that through me the Lord may repay you with spiritual food as well as bodily food."

And she hastened down, and went and bought bread and olives and cheese and soaked pulse and wine, and brought everything and set it before us, saying:

"Take, my lords, and bless my poverty."

And the blessed one again, moved to compunction, wept, having already foreseen the faith which she was to have in Christ.

And rising up and making the customary prayers, and sitting down, we partook of food.

I partook of bread and cheese and wine, but the holy one of bread and soaked pulse and water.

And having sent the girl back to her grandmother, we slept in the room.

We also asked the girl her name; she said:

"Salaphtha, which, translated into Greek, means 'Peace' (Eirene)."

And we spent the following day also in the room, the good Eirene rendering us every service with great eagerness.

When we learned that the tumult of the city had subsided, we made our way by night to the holy church; and going up to the episcopal residence, we found nothing there except the God-loving Barochas, lying in extremity from the wounds inflicted on him by the godless and impious idolaters.

A few days later, the consular governor (his name was Clarus), learning what had happened in the city, sent a commentariensis with a large force; he arrested those whom the public officials denounced, and brought them before Caesarea; some he punished, others he released after flogging with the ox-hide whip; and having caused no small fear, he thus restored order in the city.

A few days later, the sainted Porphyry, remembering that good girl who had received us, sent for her through me.

And she came running, bringing with her another woman whom she said was her aunt.

And coming in to the blessed bishop, they fell at his feet.

And he received them kindly, as an affectionate father.

"Truly, daughter, do you desire to become a Christian?" And she answered and said:

"I have already told you, my lord, that I have long had this desire; and now I have brought my aunt as witness, who is likewise of the same desire."

And he, filled with great joy, said to her:

"Be strong and of good courage, child."

And calling the steward of the holy church, he instructed him to give her and her grandmother four silver miliarēsia every day, and to her aunt he gave one nomisma; and having sealed them with the sign of the cross, he dismissed them, charging them to devote themselves to prayers and to the instruction of the catechumens.

He also sent to her house the God-fearing presbyter and catechist Timothy, and charged him to seal (with the cross) the girl's grandmother.

For, as I said before, her body was paralyzed.

And when the three of them had been catechized a short time, they were deemed worthy of the precious baptism.

After putting off the holy [baptismal] garment, the holy one called the aforesaid girl and said to her:

"Do you wish that we join you to a man in lawful marriage? For indeed the time has come for you to live together [as husband and wife];"

"for honorable marriage is not forbidden by our Scripture."

But the girl, hearing the holy one's words, began to weep and to say:

"Good father, after you have joined me to a great husband, do you wish to separate me from him, and give me away to one lowly and worthless? By no means, my lord, do this."

And the sainted one, being seized with astonishment, said:

"And who is this to whom I have joined you?" And she answered:

"Jesus Christ, the Savior of our souls, my true Bridegroom, from whom I shall never be parted, forever."

And the sainted one, hearing this and moved with compunction, wept, so that out of his great compunction he embraced the girl and kissed her head.

For indeed he was altogether free from passion, and out of great compassion had the tear ever near at hand.

And we too, who were about him, beholding the grace of the Holy Spirit given to the God-loving girl, glorified God, who bestows wisdom and grace upon his elect.

And he dismissed the girl on that same day.

And it came to pass in those very days that the old woman fell asleep and departed to the Lord.

To her [the aunt] he entrusted Salaphtha, giving her the canonical habit; and having committed them to God, he dismissed them in peace.

And she undertook such a way of life as no other woman had at that time, fasting daily, and after the fast partaking of a little bread with salt and soaked pulse, or a light vegetable, and water alone;