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Justin Martyr

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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 OF ST. THEODORE OF SYKEON

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

91

Eutychius, the doorkeeper of Theodore, who was known as Monosandalus, while he was asleep by the roadside was smitten by a demon in his hand and all up his arm: his hand was swollen and in a sling.* And as his custom was, he came to the Saint to be blessed; Theodore asked him what was the matter with his hand, and Eutychius replied that when he awoke from sleep he had found his hand quite numb and after that it had swelled up. The Saint took off the bandage and as he felt the hand he prayed. The demon whose work the swelling was began to run about in the man's arm, so the Saint made the sign of the Cross on the man's shoulder lest the demon should run up and kill him. The doorkeeper's hand now began to be moved from side to side by the demon; despite his embarrassment he could not keep his hand still. But when the Saint seized it and rebuked the unclean spirit, the movement stopped at once. Eutychius took home with him oil that the Saint had blessed and, after anointing himself, in three days he was healed.

92

A mistress brought her slave to the Saint: the demon who had taken possession of the slave immediately grew violent and refused to leave him. The Saint rebuked him and walked round a limited space confining the demon within it and condemning him to merciless punishments: 'Blessed be the Lord', he said, 'the body of which you have taken possession* shall not leave this house until you have gone out of it.' He left the demon and went into his cell to recite the psalms for the day. For many hours the demon within the sufferer was tortured and then squatting down, because he had to remain in the circumscribed space, he began to cry out in a piteous voice: 'Servant of God, I am coming out, for I cannot bear this punishment. Come and release me and I will come out. Don't torture me more.' But the Saint came from his cell: 'Foul spirit,' he said, 'It is not my wish that you come out now.' But the demon shouted: 'Woe is me in my misery! It was an evil day when I met with you. I beg you, loose me from this circumscribed space. I have been punished enough. When do you want me to come out?' The Saint said to him: 'I want you to come out at midnight. You are freed from the circumscribed place: now restore the mind of the possessed.'* Then the demon yielded. That night, when the Saint was awakened in order to celebrate the midnight service, the slave leapt up driven by the demon and began to suffer, while the demon within him shouted out: 'The hour has come, come forth, ironeater, and bid me go out.' An hour later the servant of God rebuked the demon in the name of Christ and ordered him to come out. And the demon hurled the slave down at the Saint's feet and came out, and the slave was cured.

A slavewoman who had had a secret demon for thirteen years came to Theodore: he looked upon her with a severe expression and said the prayer used in the case of the demon-possessed and she was cured.

93

Three men possessed by demons came to the Saint. At that moment the Patriarch Kyriakus sent for Theodore, as he was accustomed to do. To two of the sufferers he gave relief at once, but the third he left to suffer terribly, for he was possessed by a demon who refused to yield. Theodore said to the demon: 'Since our most holy Patriarch has sent for me and I am not free to deal with you at the moment, stand in the same place while you are being tortured and don't move from it until I come back.' The Saint then went to the Patriarch and was: with him for some hours. Sergius, deacon of the cathedral and attendant on the Patriarch, had a daughter who had been married for three years but was still childless. So Sergius placed his daughter and her husband by the winding stairway of the crypt-the socalled 'SideDoor'-and he besought the Saint's attendant, the subdeacon John, who was in the office of Thomas, the treasurer, to bring Theodore down that way when he was leaving the Patriarch. This was done, and Sergius brought husband and wife within the gates and all three knelt at his feet and begged him to give them a child. But he said to them: 'Do not come to me, children, but to God and He will grant your request.' But since they still remained beseeching him, he took the girdles of both of them and put one on one side of him and the other on the other and kneeling between them he made his prayer and gave them the girdles to wear. And by the grace of Christ a boy was born to them nine months later. And the Saint having left by the socalled 'SideDoor', reached his lodging in the quarter of Euarane.* John the subdeacon came with him to see if the demon had kept within the limit laid down for him. They found that he had not only kept the limit but was hanging above the ground. The demon swore by the MostHigh that he would go out-only let the Saint spare him. But the Saint lashed him on the chest saying: 'Many a time have you agreed to this and have played me false. I will not give way to you.' But the demon with many oaths promised to go out that same night when the wood was struck* for service in the cathedral. And having received alleviation of his punishment, at the hour agreed upon the demon left the man and in the same way the other two sufferers having waited for three days with the Saint were cured at the hour of the midnight service.

94

A slavegirl named Theodora belonging to Theodore, deacon of the Church of the Virgin named after Orbikius and Notarius the treasurer, is made dumb by a demon and is cured by Theodore.

95

A girl eight years old, who had taken the monastic habit in the convent attached to the Cathedral, had remained dumb for three years. Her teacher brought her to the Saint imploring his help with tears. After prayers he told the teacher that she was to bring the child to him every morning and every evening so that he might pray over her. This was done, and one day he told the girl to open her mouth; he took hold of her tongue and over it he made the sign of the Cross and blew upon it three times, and bade her take a good drink. And immediately by the grace of God she spoke out loud exclaiming, 'I have drunk, master !' The crowd for a long time continued to shout the 'Kyrie eleeson' (Lord, have mercy!) and the girl went back with her teacher completely cured.

96

A woman who had suffered for ten years from an issue of blood came for the Saint's blessing, bringing an alabaster box with myrrh in it. Round Theodore she saw a great press of people and secretly mixed with the throng hoping to pour the myrrh on his feet. Knowing this, the Saint gathered his feet up underneath him and called out to her: 'Cease, woman; what do you intend to do? This is a grievous thing which you have planned to do to me', and in fear the woman gave him the myrrh and besought him to pray for her. And he prayed and said to her, 'The Lord Jesus Christ, Who knoweth secrets, will give effect to the mediation of the holy martyr George according to your faith and He will fulfil your request'. And immediately through God's grace the flow of blood was stayed and, declaring to all the miracle, she glorified God.

97

It happened that one of the children of the Emperor Maurice fell ill of an incurable disease (for many sores had broken out on the child's body, so that it seemed to be a case of elephantiasis, a disease which some call 'Paulakis', and others 'Kleopatra', and, although the physicians had tried many remedies, nothing had done the child any good.

So the Emperor sent for the holy man and had him fetched from the city to the palace at Hiereia* (for thither the Emperor had made a progress and there the child was Lying); the servant of God said a prayer over the child and blessed some water; he bathed the child with it and left the rest for a further treatment; and through his holy prayer the child was cured of the disease and was restored to health. And at the invitation of the Emperor and the Augusta he dined with them and then he took his leave of them after giving them his blessing, and went his way, journeying to his own country, and thLs reached his monastery.

98

A certain householder in the village of Alectoria had a savage ox that would not submit to the yoke, so he led it to the monastery, fell at the Saint's feet and begged him to make the sign of the Cross over it so that by his prayers the savageness should be driven out of it. The Saint went out to the ox, who was tossing its head wildly from one side to the other, and snorting, and took hold of its horns and prayed that the savageness might be expelled from it and that it might become docile; then he made the sign of the Cross upon it and said, 'I bid you in the name of Christ, cease your raging and submit to the yoke quietly, for God appointed you to that, and be obedient to your master'. As the Saint spoke, the beast ceased to rage, and the man led it back from the monastery to the village where his wagon was, and yoked it to it and it submitted to the yoke with great docility and the man was rejoiced thereat.

99

(Summary) Similarly a woman's wild mule is rendered docile to drive or ride. Theodore did the same thing in the case of horses and various animals.

100

The blessed man greatly longed to find some relics of the glorious and victorious martyr George, and prayed to the latter to satisfy this longing. Now Aemilianus, the very holy bishop of Germia, had a piece of the martyr's head and one finger of a hand and one of his teeth and another small piece. So the martyr appeared to the bishop and exhorted him to give these relics to his servant Theodore for the church that the latter had built in his honour. The bishop sent to the monastery to the servant of God and invited him to come and offer up prayers in the venerable church of the Archangel in order that he might welcome him and give him the muchdesired relics of the martyr. Theodore was filled with joy by this promise and left the monastery and went to the town of Germia and offered up prayer in the church of the Archangel. The very holy bishop, Aemilianus, welcomed him warmly, and then conducted him to the monastery of the Mother of God, called of Aligete.

 

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