HOME PAGE    MEET US    HOLY BIBLE    BIBLIOTHECA THEOLOGICA "PORPHYROGENITUS"
   BOOKSHOP  HOLY SHRINE OF SAINT BARBARA    THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE  
Lord's Voice | Diakonia | Links | Baptism | Multimedia

back


Justin Martyr

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11

Part 12

Part 13

Part 14

St. Ignatius

St. Daniel the Stylite

Introduction

Ch. 1-34

Ch. 35-70

Ch. 71-102

Notes

The Life of
St. Theodore
of Sykeon

Pass. 3-10

Pass. 11-20

Pass. 21-30

Pass. 31-40

Pass. 41-50

Pass. 51-60

Pass. 61-70

Pass. 71-80

Pass. 81-90

Pass. 91-100

Pass. 101-110

Pass. 111-120

Pass. 121-130

Pass. 131-140

Pass. 141-148

Notes

A homily of
St. Gregory Palamas
on Matthew 5:1-12

St. John Chrysostom Letters to Olympias

Letter 1

Letter 2

Letter 3

Letter 4

Letter 5

THE LIFE AND WORKS OF OUR HOLY FATHER,
ST. DANIEL THE STYLITE

[An asterisk * indicates a note, keyed by chapter, at the end of the life.]

1.

BEFORE all things it is right that we should give glory to Jesus Christ our God, Who for us was made man and for our salvation endured all things according to the Dispensation; for His sake, too, prophets were killed, and just men crucified themselves because of this faith in Him and by His grace, after having kept patience under their sufferings unswervingly unto the end, they received a crown of glory. These men our Master and Saviour Christ gave us as an example that we might know that it is possible for a man by the patient endurance of his sufferings to please God and be called His faithful servant.

For this reason I thought good to take in hand a recital of the labours of St. Daniel, yet I do so with fear; for this man's way of life was great and brilliant and marvellous, whereas I am but a witless and humble person. I fear lest I should hear those words applied to me which our Saviour spoke through the prophet David: 'But unto the sinner God saith, "Why dost thou declare my statutes and takest my covenant in thy mouth?" '(Ps 1..16)

Yet I do not venture to dismiss in silence those narratives about the Saint which I received from my fathers for fear lest the Lord should justly torture me in His great and terrible day for not having given into the bank the talent through His will entrusted to me for the edification and profit of the many. Being thus fortified by your prayers I will put down truthfully everything I heard from the men who were the Saint's disciples before me and I will also relate truly all the things I saw with my own eyes. For it is certain that the Lord 'will surely destroy them that speak lies'.(Ps 5.6) I therefore beseech you lovers of learning to cast aside all thoughts of this present life and grant me your favourable hearing.

2.

This father among saints was the son of a father named Elias and a mother Martha; he came from a small village called Meratha (which is, being interpreted, 'the Caves') in the territory of Samosata in Mesopotamia. As his mother was barren and was reproached for this by her husband and kinsfolk, she went out one day secretly at midnight unbeknown to her husband and stretching forth her hands to heaven, prayed saying, 'Oh Lord Jesus Christ, Who art long-suffering towards the sins of men, Thou Who didst in the beginning create woman to increase the race of men, do Thou Thyself take my reproach from me and grant me fruit of my womb that I may dedicate him to Thee, the Lord of All'. After weeping bitterly and afflicting her soul with many lamentations, she came in to her husband and whilst sleeping beside him saw in a vision of the night two great circular lights coming down from heaven and resting near her.* Next morning she related the vision to her husband and kinsfolk and each one interpreted differently the things she had told them. But she sighed and said to herself, 'My God to Whom I prayed will do what is best for my unhappy soul'. And not many days later she conceived the holy man of whom we spoke.

3.

So he was born; and when in course of time he had reached the age of five years his parents took him with offerings of fruit to a monastery near the village and the abbot asked them, 'By what name is the child called?' And when the parents mentioned some other name, the old man said, 'He shall not be called that, but whatever the Lord shall reveal to us, that shall his name be' . And the archimandrite said to the child in the Syrian dialect, 'Go, child, and fetch me a book from the table'. For it is a custom in monasteries that many different books should be laid in front of the sanctuary, and whichever book a brother wants he takes and reads. So the child went and fetched the book of the prophet Daniel, and from this he got that name.

But when the parents besought the abbot to receive him into the monastery and let him stay with the brothers he could not be persuaded, because the child was still so very young; so they took him home again and he abode with his parents

4.

Now when he was twelve years old* he heard his mother say 'My child, I have dedicated you to God'. Thereupon one day without saying anything to anybody he went out of the village for a distance of about ten miles where there was a monastery containing fifty brethren. And entering the monastery he fell at the abbot's feet and begged to be received by him. But the abbot said to him, 'Child, you are still very young in years and are not able to endure so hard a discipline; you know nothing of the monks' life; go home, stay with your parents and after some time when you are able both to fast and to sing and to endure discipline, then come back to us'. But the child answered, 'Father, I should prefer to die in these hardships than to quit the shelter of your flock!' And when, in spite of all he could do, the archimandrite was unable to persuade the child, he said to the brethren, 'In truth, my children, let us receive this boy for he seems to me to be very much in earnest' And they all yielded to the abbot's counsel, and thus Daniel remained in the brotherhood.

5.

And shortly afterwards his parents, who had sought him found him in this monastery and rejoiced with great joy, and then besought the abbot to give him the tonsure. And he, having noticed his advancement in godliness and good disposition, sent for him and said, 'Child, do you wish me to give you the tonsure?' Daniel immediately threw himself at his feet and said, 'I beseech your Holiness, father, do it to-day!' But the abbot again said, 'You are unable to endure the discipline' To this the boy replied, 'I know well that I am young and weak, but I trust in God and your holy prayers, because the Lord Who accepts our purpose gives us strength, for He is a God of purposes'. Then after blessing him and praying fervently over him, the archimandrite with the wisdom that had been given him by God instructed him in the things necessary for salvation. And afterwards according to custom he bade all the brethren gather together, and while they sang a hymn he bestowed upon him the holy robe of the monk. And dismissing the parents with blessings he bade them not to visit their son frequently.

6.

While Daniel made progress in asceticism and in the splendour of his way of life he could not bear the scrutiny and the praise of the abbot and, still less, that of the whole brotherhood; so he planned to go to the Holy City, Jerusalem, and at the same time to visit the holy and thrice-blessed Simeon, the man on the pillar, in whose footsteps he felt constrained to follow.

Therefore he began to pray the abbot of the monastery to set him free to attain his desire, but he could not persuade him.

Soon after this, since our Master God in truth so willed it and the need of the church demanded it, the Archbishop of that time commanded all the archimandrites of the East to assemble in the capital city of Antioch. And so it happened that this abbot together with some others went, too, and amongst them he allowed the holy man also to travel with him as his disciple.

7.

As God granted that the matter for which they had suffered many vexations should be brought to a satisfactory settlement, they departed to their own monasteries; and on their way they lodged in a village called Telanissae* where there was a very large monastery and monks pursuing a very noble and virtuous way of life; here, too, the afore-mentioned holy Simeon had received his training. And when the monks there began talking about the achievements of the holy Simeon, the monks from Mesopotamia withstood them, contending that it was but a vainglorious proceeding. 'For', said they, 'it is true that a man even if he were living in your midst might practise a mode of life hitherto unknown and please God, yet never has such a thing happened anywhere that a man should go up and live on a pillar'.

So the monks of that monastery persuaded them to go and see what hardships Simeon was enduring for the sake of the Lord.* And they were persuaded and went and the holy Daniel with them. When they arrived at the place and saw the wildness of the spot and the height of the pillar and the fiery heat of the scorching sun and the Saint's endurance and his welcome to strangers and further, too, the love he shewed towards them, they were amazed.

8.

For Simeon gave direction that the ladder be placed in position and invited the old men to come up and kiss him. But they were afraid and declined the ascent of the ladder- one said he was too feeble from old age, another pleaded weakness after an illness, and another gout in his feet. For they said to each other, 'How can we kiss with our mouth the man that we have just been slandering with our lips? Woe unto us for having mocked at such hardships as these and such endurance'. Whilst they were conversing in this manner, Daniel entreated the archimandrite and the other abbots and Saint Simeon as well, begging to be allowed to go up to him. On receiving permission he went up and the blessed man gave him his benediction and said to him, 'What is your name?' and he answered, 'Daniel'. Then the holy Simeon said to him, 'Play the man, Daniel, be strong and endure; for you have many hardships to endure for God. But I trust that the God Whom I serve will Himself strengthen you and be your fellow-traveller'. And placing his hand upon Daniel's head he prayed and blessed him and bade him go down the ladder. Then after the holy and blessed Simeon had prayed for the archimandrites he dismissed them all in peace.

9.

After they had all by the will of God been restored to their own monasteries and some little time had passed, the holy man, Daniel, was deemed worthy to be raised to the post of abbot.

Thereupon he said to himself, 'At last you are free, Daniel,* start boldly and accomplish your purpose'. When he had made trial of him who held the second place and found that he was able to undertake the duties of an archimandrite, he left everything and quitted the monastery; and when he had reached the enclosure of the holy Simeon he stayed there two weeks.

The blessed Simeon rejoiced exceedingly when he saw him and tried to persuade him to remain still longer, for he found great joy in his company. But Daniel would not consent thereto but pressed towards his goal, saying, 'Father, I am ever with you in spirit'. So Simeon blessed him and dismissed him with the words, 'The Lord of glory will accompany you'. Then Daniel went forth wishing to travel to the holy places and to worship in the church of the Holy Resurrection and afterwards to retire to the inner desert.

10.

He heard, however, that the road to Palestine was dangerous, so he inquired the cause of this and was told that the Samaritans* had revolted against the Christians. But he said to himself, 'Start, Daniel, do not swerve from your purpose, and if perchance you may even have to die for your faith with the Christians, a great thing is in store for you'. Whilst he was thus deliberating with himself and walking along one fine noon-day, a monk overtook him, a very hairy man; he appeared to be a venerable man resembling Saint Simeon.

After greeting him he said in the Syrian dialect, 'Whither are you going, beloved?' And our Master, Daniel answered, 'I am going to the holy places, if it is the will of God'. And the old man replying said, 'You say rightly, "If it be the will of God", for have you not heard of the unrest in Palestine?' Daniel, the servant of God, answered, 'Yes, I have heard, but the Lord is my helper and I hope to pass through unhurt, and even if we must endure suffering, yet if we live we are the Lord's, and if we die we pass into His hands'. The old man said to him, 'Do you not know that it is written, "Do not let your foot be moved, for He that keepeth thee will not slumber''?'(Ps. 121.3) To this holy Daniel replied, 'I told your reverence before that even death for the sake of God is good'. Then the old man waxed angry and turned away saying, 'I cannot put up with your arguing, for such is not our custom'. So Daniel, the servant of God, said to him, 'What do you bid me do? to return?' The old man replied, 'I do not advise you to return for "he that putteth his hand to the plough and turneth back is not fit for the kingdom of Heaven".(Luke 9.62) But if you will listen to me, there is one thing I advise.'

Our Master, Daniel answered, 'Indeed, sir, if you advise anything that is possible and that I can do, that I certainly will do, for I see that you are both a father and a teacher'. And the old man said, 'Verily, verily, verily, behold three times I adjure you by the Lord, do not go to those places, but go to Byzantium and you will see a second Jerusalem, namely Constantinople; there you can enjoy the martyrs' shrines and the great houses of prayer, and if you wish to be an anchorite in some desert spot, either in Thrace or in Pontus, the Lord will not desert you'.

11.

Whilst they were speaking of these matters, they reached a monastery, and evening had already fallen. Then holy Daniel said to the elder, 'Do you bid us lodge here?' and the old man said, 'Go in first and I will follow'. Our Master, Daniel imagining that a bodily need constrained him, went in first and waited, but never saw him again;* and all this happened, beloved, because divine power so willed it. For had not Palestine been in a troublous state at that time, the West would never have encountered this wonderful man.

12.

Of these things which I have here written down, beloved, I heard some, as I told you before, from those who were the Saint's disciples before me ;* others from trustworthy men who followed the footsteps of the Saint from the beginning; and yet others I heard myself when our good shepherd related them with his own mouth-not indeed in order that we should commit them to writing, for he did not wish to receive glory from men but looked to his reward from God-but when he confirmed and comforted us and continually counselled us to abide patiently under our sufferings. And that you, beloved, may know that what I say is true, there are still living some of the devout men who frequently visited the enclosure of the Saint who bear in memory that which I will now relate, how that a certain disciple of the Saint's thinking he would achieve a work of piety and edification, sent for a painter and [Another reading says: 'And had the events which occurred in the reign of Basiliscus painted"] had the portrait of the Saint painted above the porch at the entry to the chapel in the quarter of the city named after Basiliscus*, and he himself also wished to write the life of the Saint. But when our most saintly father heard of it he was exceedingly angry and ordered the painting to be wiped off, and the papers to be thrown into the fire, so determined was the servant of God not to receive glory from men.-Let us now return to our subject.

13.

When Daniel had entered the monastery and had saluted the abbot and the brethren there, they asked him to partake of food. But he replied that he had an old man with him and must wait for him. So they all waited patiently for several hours and as he did not appear they decided he must be lodging in another monastery, so after giving thanks they took their supper. And after supper when the monks were sleeping, the old man came in a vision, they say, and spoke thus to the holy man, 'Again I say unto you, do that which I counselled you to do'. Therefore, on awakening Daniel debated within himself what was this aged counsellor-man or angel?

Then saying nothing to anybody about this, but bidding them all farewell after the psalm-singing in the night and having received their 'God speed you!' he left the monastery and started on the road to Byzantium. When he reached a place called Anaplus* where there was an oratory dedicated to the archangel Michael he spent seven days there in this oratory.

14.

Once he heard some men conversing in the Syrian dialect and saying that there was a church in that place inhabited by demons who often sank ships and had injured, and still were injuring, many of the passers-by, and that it was impossible for anyone to walk along that road in the evening or even at noonday.

As everybody was continually complaining about the destructive power which had occupied the place, the divine spirit came upon Daniel and he called to mind that great man, Antony, the model of asceticism [and Paul, his disciple] ;* he remembered their struggles against demons and the many temptations they suffered from them and how they had overcome them by the strength of Christ and were deemed worthy of great crowns. Then he asked a man who understood the Syrian dialect about this church and begged him to show him the spot.

On reaching the porch of the church, just as a brave soldier strips himself for battle before venturing against a host of barbarians, so he, too, entered the church reciting the words spoken by the prophet, David, in the Psalms: 'The Lord is my light and my saviour, whom shall I fear? the Lord is the defender of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?' (ps. 27:1) and the rest. And holding the invincible weapon of the Cross, he went round into each corner of the church making genuflections and prayers .

15.

When night fell, stones, they say, were thrown at him and there was the sound of a multitude knocking and making an uproar; but he persevered in prayer. In this way he spent the first night and the second; but on the third night sleep overpowered him, as it might overtake any man bearing the weakness of the flesh. And straightway many phantoms appeared as of giant shapes some of whom said, 'Who induced you to take possession of this place, poor wretch? do you wish to perish miserably? Come, let us drag him out and throw him into the water!' Again, others carrying, as it seemed, large stones stood at his head, apparently intending to crush it to pieces. On waking, the athlete of Christ again went round the corners of the church praying and singing and saying to the spirits, 'Depart from hence ! if you do not, then by the strength of the Cross you shall be devoured by flames and thus be forced to flee'. But they made a still greater uproar and howled the louder. But he despised them and taking not the slightest notice of their uproar, he bolted the door of the church and left a small window* through which he would converse with the people that came up to see him.

16.

In the meantime his fame had spread abroad in those regions, and you could see men and women with their children streaming up to see the holy man and marvelling that the place formerly so wild and impassable lay in such perfect calm, and that where demons danced lately, there by the patience of the just man Christ was now glorified day and night.

17.

Now the priests of the Church of the Archangel Michael lived nearby and they were simple folk. So when the envious demon who hates the good saw such victories gained through the power of Christ, he was mad with rage and suggested to the minds of the priests an argument that ran like this: 'It is no good thing that you are doing in letting the man dwell there; for just look how all the world goes to him and you in consequence remain with nothing to do.* You had better go to the city and say to your bishop, "Some man, come from we know not where, has shut himself in near us and he is attracting people to him, although he is a heretic. But he is a Syrian by birth and so we are unable to hold converse with him."' Having reasoned thus among themselves the priests went in and reported the matter to the man who was then the bishop, namely the blessed Anatolius, the Patriarch of Constantinople.* But the Archbishop said to them, 'If you do not understand his language, how do you know that he is a heretic? Leave him alone, for if he has been sent by God he will be established; but, if it is otherwise, he will go away of his own accord before you chase him out. Do not bring a scandal upon us and yourselves'. With these words he dismissed them. And they went home and kept quiet for a time.

18.

But when the demons saw that they were accomplishing nothing, they again rose in rebellion against the servant of God and brought phantoms before him, carrying, it is said, naked swords, and crying, 'Whence have you come, man? give place to us for we have been living here for a long time. Do you wish your limbs to be cut in pieces?' And then, it is said, they came towards him with their swords and spoke again saying to one another, 'Do not let us slay him, but let us drag him along and cast him into the water where we sank the ship 1' And they made as though they would drag him away. But the servant of God arose, and after uttering a prayer he said to them, 'Jesus Christ my Saviour, in Whom I have trusted and do trust, He will Himself drown you all in the deepest abyss.' A great howling arose and they flew round his face like a swarm of bats and with a whir of wings went out of the window, and so he drove them all forth by the power of God through prayer.

19.

The Devil, seeing that once more his ministers had been routed, again stirred up the priests to go to the Archbishop; and they said to him: 'Master, you have authority over us; we cannot bear that man, bid him come away from that church, for he is an impostor.' Then the blessed Anatolius sent the officer of the most Holy Church with the deacons and in the night they burst open with crowbars the door which the Saint had closed and brought him to the City. When the Saint was brought before the holy and blessed Anatolius in his palace, the Archbishop asked him 'Who are you? and whence have you come to these parts and what is your belief?-tell us.' And the servant of God declared his blameless faith by means of an interpreter and the blessed Anatolius stood up and embraced him and besought him to remain in the palace, but the men who had brought him he dismissed, saying, 'Go, hold your peace, for I find great edification in this man'. So they left him there in the bishop's palace and went their ways.

20.

In the meantime the Bishop fell into a very severe illness, so he sent for the holy man and begged him to offer prayers on his behalf that he might be freed from the illness. And, since it so pleased the Divine Power, after the Saint had made his prayer, the Bishop was cured of his illness by God's good pleasure. Thus the words of the psalm were fulfilled towards the Saint: 'He will perform the desire of them that fear Him, He also will hear their cry and will save them.' (Ps. 114:19) After the Bishop's recovery the servant of God asked to be allowed to depart; but the Archbishop would not agree thereto and said 'I wish you to live with me'. Then he again begged to be allowed to go, and asked him to grant pardon to the men who had slandered him to the Bishop, for the latter was threatening to excommunicate them. And the Bishop said, 'I must ask pardon of you, servant of God, for your arrest, but God has made your presence here a great blessing to me, for if your holiness had not settled there, I should certainly have departed this life'. He also implored him to let him build a cell for him saying, 'Since I am unable to persuade you to live here with me, if you will let me I will build you a small monastery,* for our most Holy Church has many a suitable spot in the suburbs of the city. Go out and look at them and whatever pleases you, I will give you'. But the holy man replied, 'If you really wish to do me a service, I beseech your Holiness to send me to the place to which God led me'. Finally the Bishop bade him be taken back with great respect and settled in the aforementioned church. Then the people could be seen flocking to the holy man again with joy and delight and many were granted healing so that all marvelled at the merciful grace of our Master Christ which He poured out upon His servant. And even those who had formerly wished to persecute him did not cease serving him and in all ways caring for the holy man. And he did as he had done formerly-he bolted the door and left only a small window open* through which he spoke, instructing and blessing the people, as I said before.

21.

After a space of nine years had elapsed, the servant of God fell into an ecstasy, as it were, and saw a huge pillar of cloud standing opposite him and the holy and blessed Simeon standing above the head of the column and two men of goodly appearance, clad in white, standing near him in the heights. And he heard the voice of the holy and blessed Simeon saying to him, 'Come here to me, Daniel'. And he said, 'Father, father, and how can I get up to that height?' Then the Saint said to the young men standing near him, 'Go down and bring him up to me'. So the men came down and brought Daniel up to him and he stood there. Then Simeon took him in his arms and kissed him with a holy kiss, and then others called him away, and escorted by them he was borne up to heaven leaving Daniel on the column with the two men. When holy Daniel saw him being carried up to heaven he hard the voice of Saint Simeon, 'Stand firm and play the man'. But he was confused by fear and by that fearful voice, for it was like thunder in his ears. When he came to himself again he declared the vision to those around him. Then they, too, said to the holy man, 'You must mount on to a pillar and take up Saint Simeon's mode of life and be supported by the angels'. The blessed one said, 'Let the will of God, our Master, be done upon His servant'. And taking the holy Gospel into his hands and opening it with prayer he found the place in which was written, (Luke 1:76) 'And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest, for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways'. And he gave thanks and closed the book.

22.

Not many days later a monk came from the East by name Sergius, a disciple of Saint Simeon, annou1lcing the good end of the Saint's life and carrying in his hands Saint Simeon's leather tunic* in order to give it to the blessed Emperor Leo by way of benediction. But as the Emperor was busy with public affairs, the aforesaid Sergius could not get a hearing, or rather it was God who so arranged it in order that the new Elisha might receive the mantle of Elijah. When Sergius grew weary of waiting in the City because he could not obtain a hearing, he decided to go as far as the monastery of the Akoimetoi (The Sleepless ones): now it was not possible for anyone to reach that monastery except by passing the church and the channel by it, as there was generally a north wind blowing. When he had entered into the boat with many others, men and women, they set sail. On reaching the spot where the demons used formerly to hurl stones at the passengers and continually sank their boats, those in the boat gave thanks to God and made mention of the holy man.

Sergius inquired who he was, for said he, 'I should like to be blessed by him'. They answered 'Whilst the sailors tow the boat past, we can all land and go up to him.' And this they did. And Sergius came and embraced the Saint. And whilst they were talking and Daniel, the servant of God, was hearing about the end of the holy Simeon he related his vision to Sergius, who on hearing it said, 'It is to thee rather than to the Emperor that God has sent me; for here am I, the disciple of thy father; here, too, is his benediction'. And taking out the tunic he handed it in through the window. The Saint took it and kissing it with tears said, 'Blessed be Thou, O God, Who dost all things after Thy will and hast deemed my humbleness worthy of the benediction which Thy servant has brought'. Then some men from the ship upbraided Sergius for delaying and preventing them from sailing; to them Sergius answered, 'Go on your ways and fare well; God has led me from one father to another'.

23.

From that day he remained near the blessed Daniel, and Sergius saw the following vision. Three young men, it seemed, came to him and said, 'Arise, say unto father Daniel "The appointed time of thy discipline in this church is now fulfilled, from henceforth leave the church, come hither and begin thy contest".' When he awoke he related what he had seen. The blessed Daniel said to him, 'Brother, the Lord has revealed quite clearly to us what should be done, for this dream which your Piety saw fits in with the vision which I saw; be ready therefore to endure hardships for the Lord and come up on the hill and we will search out the more desolate and higher lying spots in these parts and judge where we ought to set up a column. For it was not without a purpose that God guided you to bring to my unworthiness the father's garment'. Whilst the blessed Daniel was saying this to Sergius, lo! a certain imperial guardsman,* by name Mark, who had been a friend of the holy man from the beginning joined them; and now, knowing his intention from the conversation he had overheard, besought Daniel to allow him to provide the column. The blessed Daniel said to him, 'Behold God has sent you according to your faith, my son Mark, so that you may be the pioneer in this good work; pray therefore that the good Lord may also grant us endurance.'

24.

After the guardsman had embraced the holy man and sailed away, Sergius went up to view the spot where the column was to be set; and a short distance away he saw a white dove fluttering* and then settling again. Thinking it was caught in a snare he ran towards it, and then it flew up and away out of his sight. Seeing that the place was solitary and considering the incident of the dove that it had not been shown to him casually or by chance, he gave thanks to the Lord and returned to the holy man in the church bringing him the glad tidings that the Lord had prepared for them a suitable place. Then he, too, gave thanks to the Lord Who brings all things to pass according to His will.

25.

And indeed after two days men came back from the city carrying the pillar; there were with them two workmen sent by the guardsman to fix the column in whatever place it was desired. So Sergius went up with them by night and they fixed the pillar and came back reporting that the pillar was erected. Daniel gave them his blessing and sent his blessing to the guardsman, and then dismissed them. And the blessed Daniel said to Sergius, 'We do not know the measure of the circumference of the pillar'. But Sergius was unwilling to go up again and take the measurement of the column. However, the blessed man had another disciple dwelling near him by name Daniel, him he bade go up and take the measurement of the column. So he went up and as he was measuring the column, he was seen by the men who were guarding the vineyards in the neighbouring field which belonged to Gelanius, who at that time was steward of the sacred table* to the most pious Emperor Leo. They ran up and held him and asked, 'Whence are you and by whose authority are you taking the measurements of the column?' He answered them, 'I am not a stranger, I belong to the father Daniel who lives in the church and I have come upon his business. And when I saw the column I was delighted'. And when they heard his answer they let him go. And the brother went back to the City to a place called 'The Three Crosses', and ordered a balustrade, and took it with him. Afterwards he related to Daniel everything that had happened to him and the answer he had given to the men. The blessed man replied, 'The will of the Lord be done !'

26.

And it came to pass after three days when night had fallen they opened the church in which Daniel was shut up, and taking the brother he went up to the spot-for Sergius had departed to another place Thrace-wards-and they found a long plank lying there which the inhabitants of the suburb had prepared for knocking down the column. This they bound with a rope and stood it up against the column, and then went up and put the balustrade on the column, for that column was not really high, only about the height of two men. When they had fitted the balustrade and bound it firmly with a rope they knelt and prayed to God. And the blessed Daniel went up and stood on the column inside the balustrade and said, 'Oh Lord Jesus Christ, in Thy holy name, I am entering upon this contest; do Thou approve my purpose and help me to accomplish my course'. And he said to the brother, 'Take away the plank and the rest of the rope and get away quickly so that if anybody comes he may not find you'. And the brother did as he was told.

27.

The next morning the husbandmen came and when they saw Daniel they were amazed; for the sight was a strange one, and they came near him, and when they looked on him they recognized him as the man who had formerly been in the church. After having received the Saint's blessing they left him and went to the City and reported to Gelanius, the owner of the property. On hearing their news he was very angry with them for not having guarded that part of his land; and he was also annoyed with the blessed Daniel for having done this without his consent. And he went and reported the matter to the blessed Emperor Leo and the Archbishop Gennadius, for the blessed Anatolius had already gone to his rest.* The Emperor for his part said nothing. But the Archbishop said to him, 'As master of the property, fetch him down; for where he was he had no right to be, but he was not there on my authority'.

Then Gelanius took several men with him and went up to the servant of God, and, although it was a calm day and the air was still, yet it came to pass that suddenly the clouds gathered and a storm arose accompanied with hail so that all the fruit of the vineyards was destroyed and the leaves were stripped from the vines, for it was the time of the vintage. And it was only with difficulty that the men who were with Gelanius got away and they muttered amongst themselves, for they were astonished at the strangeness of the sight.

Gelanius then approached the blessed man and said, 'Who gave you permission to take up your stand on land belonging to me? Was it not better for you in the church?-but since you have shown contempt of me, the owner of the property, and have taken no account of the Emperor and the Archbishop, let me tell you that I have been empowered by them to fetch you down.

28.

But when he persisted and repeated his demands it seemed an unjust and illegal proceeding to his companions and they opposed its being done, 'Because', said they, 'the Emperor himself is a pious man and this man is orthodox and this spot lies at a distance from your field'. When Gelanius perceived that there would be a disturbance he said to the Saint in the Syrian language-for by birth he was a Syro-Persian* from Mesopotamia-'Please pretend to come down for the sake of those who ordered you to descend, and then I will not allow you really to touch the ground.' So then a ladder was brought and Daniel came down about six rungs from the column. There were still several rungs before he actually reached the ground, when Gelanius ran forward and prevented his coming down the last rungs,* saying, 'Return to your dwelling and your place and pray for me'. For as Daniel was coming down he had noticed that sores and swellings had begun to appear on his feet, and he was distressed. And the blessed man went up the rungs of the ladder down which he had come, and stood inside the balustrade on the column; and after offering prayer. all received his blessing and went down from the hill in peace. So Gelanius, when he had reached the capital, reported everything to the Emperor telling him of the patience and endurance of the man so that he won the Emperor s pity for him.

29.

Not many days later Gelanius went up to the Saint asking him to allow him to change the column and have a very large one placed for him. And lo! while they were conversing a certain Sergius arrived from the parts about Thrace, a lawyer by profession, bringing with him a very young boy, his only son, by name John, who was grievously tormented by a demon. This man came and threw himself to the ground in front of the column, weeping and lamenting and crying out, saying, 'Have pity upon my son, oh servant of God; it is now thirty days since the unclean spirit first called upon the name of your Holiness; and after inquiring for you through eight long days, we have come to claim your blessing'. When Gelanius heard this and saw the old man afflicting himself thus out of pity [or, by altering the punctuation, '…afflicting himself, he, too, was moved with sympathy for him] he, too, was affected and burst into tears. And the holy Daniel said to the old man, 'He that asketh in faith receives all from God; if therefore you believe that through me a sinner, God will heal your son, according to your faith it shall be given unto you'. And he bade the young man approach; and he drew near and stood before the column. And the Saint bade them give him a drink of the oil of the saints. And it came to pass when they gave him to drink that the demon threw him to the ground and there he rolled in their midst. Then the evil spirit rose up and shouted swearing that he would go out on that very day a week hence. (see Ch.. 23)

30.

Gelanius was amazed when he saw this and besought the holy man to agree to a new column being brought; and when the Saint yielded to his entreaties Gelanius went home after receiving a blessing. And on the following day he sent stones for the steps, and the base together with the column itself and the workmen and all the things necessary for fixing it, and for a week they were at work preparing the foundation and erecting the column. While this work was in progress Sergius returned from Thrace and the blessed Daniel said to him, 'Oh faint-hearted, why did you desert me?' Sergius fell down and received forgiveness and remained with him again. And the other brother, seeing that the Lord made all things prosper for the Saint, fashioned for himself a booth of branches and dwelt there near the Saint opposite the column. And by the grace of God the number of disciples increased and Sergius was made their superior as he was qualified by his age and had been the disciple of Saint Simeon.

31.

In the meantime there came to the Saint one Cyrus,* an exconsul and ex-pretorian prefect. He was a very trustworthy and wise man who had passed through all the grades of oice owing to his extreme sagacity. But late in life he suffered from a plot hatched by Chrysaphius,* the Spatharius, and was sent as bishop to a small town, namely to Cotyaeum in Phrygia, and realizing the treachery of Chrysaphius he yielded so as not to bring his life to a miserable end. After the death of the Emperor Theodosius he divested himself of his priestly dignity and resumed his secular rank and so continued to the end of his life, for he lived till the reign of Leo of most pious memory. He used to distribute all his belongings to the poor. This man Cyrus, had a daughter called Alexandria who was afflicted by an evil spirit, and he had brought her to the holy man Daniel when the latter was still at the foot of the hill in the church, and thanks to the intercessions of the archangels and the tears and prayers of the holy man the Lord freed her from the demon within seven days. Consequently from that time forth the two men had a passionate affection for each other.

32.

So when Cyrus came and found that the column had been erected, he inquired who had placed it and hearing that it was Gelanius, the steward at the imperial court,* to whom the lands also belonged, at first he was indignant that Daniel should have allowed this to be done by one who had shown him such insolence. 'Should not I far rather have been allowed to do this, if anything else was wanted?' Then the Saint began to beg and beseech him saying, 'All people everywhere proclaim your good will towards me; I accepted this column from Gelanius in order that I might not offend him. The God Whom I serve will recompense you with good things according to your faitll'. And after giving him his blessing he dismissed him.

33.

And it came to pass that on the following day, Saturday, Gelanius came with a large company to remove the Saint to the larger column; and as they were about to transfer the servant of God from pillar to pillar, the demon in Sergius' son (see ch. 29) became agitated, for he was being forced to go out of him, and he cried with a loud voice saying, 'Oh, the violence of this false magician! When he was still in the church he drove me out of Cyrus' daughter; so I went away to Thrace and found a dwelling in this young man; and behold, he has brought me here from Thrace and now he persecutes me. What have you to do with me, Daniel?-oh violence! I must come out from this one, too !' and after reviling the Saint furiously and afflicting the young man he came out of him by the power of the Lord. As the demon came out, he created such a stench that all the crowds present could not endure the stench and had to cover their noses; and the young man lay on the ground with his mouth open so that all said he was dead and his father beat his breast as if over a corpse. Then the holy Daniel said to Sergius, 'Make him sit up and give him to drink of the oil of the saints'. And as the boy drank, vomiting came upon him and he brought up black clotted blood. Then the servant of God cried from above with a loud voice saying, 'John, what ails you? stand up!' And immediately, as if awakened from sleep, the boy said, 'What is your will, master?' and He ran forward and embraced the column, giving thanks to God and the Saint. And fear seized upon them all and for a long space of time they stretched out their hands to heaven and with tears kept shouting the 'Kyrie, eleison' (Lord, have mercy!).

34.

Then with great ceremony and with an escort to guard him Daniel moved on to the taller column. And Gelanius, having seen the wonderful works of God, went down from the hill and related everything in detail to the Emperor and to all the great folk of the Court. The young man who had been cured fell at his father's feet and implored him to entreat the servant of God to grant him the holy robe of a monk and, as the old man could not be persuaded because he wished to keep his son near him, the son protested saying, 'If you will not do this, then I shall go away secretly to some other place where you will not even be able to see me'. In this way he persuaded his father who then petitioned the holy man who received his son and bade him live with the brethren. After a year had been fulfilled and the young man by the grace of God was making progress towards the good way of life the holy man sent for his father and gave the son the holy robe. Then the father was content and returned to his home rejoicing and glorifying God. After three years the young man passed away and went to the Lord after having lived a good life.

 

For receiving news, offerings and in general any actions regarding the Organization please fill in the next fields. For protection of data see here.

 
{ technical support        contact