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†St. Theoktista of Paria The island of Lesbos is one of the islands of the Aegean Sea, neighboring Cape Mysia. His Mytilene was visited by St. Paul (Acts 14); and on its northern bank is the city of Methymna. It was considered part of Asia Minor. Paros, one of the Cyclades islands, famous for its marble, belonged to Hellas. On the island of Lesvos, in the city of Mephimne, blessed Theoktista 127 was born. From a young age, wishing to lead a pure life, she was sent by her family to a nunnery. At the age of seventeen she was tonsured a monk. It happened that she left the monastery to meet with her sister. At this time, unexpectedly for no one, Arab pirates attacked the island. Having captured many prisoners, they also captured Theoktista and her sister. The robbers then landed on the island of Paros and settled down here to evaluate the prisoners. Theoktista, trembling not so much for her life as for her purity, rushed to run; They chased her for a long time; Finally, fleeing from them, she disappeared into the desert, in the middle of the island. Theoktista saved life and purity from human violence, but the island turned out to be completely deserted. There was only an empty stone church on it. Theoktista surrendered herself to the will of God. She ate the seeds of a local plant, sunflower. The psalms that she studied in the monastery constituted her food and consolation. The clothes in which the pirates captured her subsequently became worn out, turned rotten, and she was left naked. Either the summer heat brutally scorched her, or the cold of winter numbed her body. She endured and prayed. The place of her prayers was the porch of the empty church. She lived like this for 35 years. It happened that hunters arrived on the island to catch animals. Among them was a God-fearing man; he walked alone, watching the animals; Seeing the deserted church, he entered it to pray. After praying, he sees a small hole with water and wet sunflower seeds in it. It’s true, he thought, the servant of God, a hermit, is laboring here. In order not to lose his squad, he hurried to leave the church. The next day, the thought of the hermit again brought him to the empty church. This time he saw on the right side of the porch what looked like a plant, swayed by the wind and covered with thick networks of cobwebs. He wanted to come over and see what it was? But I heard a voice: “Stop; don't come near me, good man! I’m ashamed to appear naked to you.” He “trembled and wanted to run, but he gathered his courage and asked: who are you and where are you from?” “Throw me some clothes so I can cover myself, and then I’ll tell you.” He fulfilled her wish. Having wrapped herself in the hunter's outer clothing and protected herself with the sign of the cross, she went out to the hunter. Her hair was white, her face was black, only skin covered her bones, and the whole thing looked more like a ghost than a living person. She told about herself, how she got to the island and how she lived here. Then she asked the hunter to bring her Holy Communion. Since hunters, setting off on a long and dangerous journey, then stocked up on St. gifts of the Eucharist, he hastily brought a vessel with holy gifts 128. After praying, she received Holy Communion. Eucharist and offered thanks to God. When the hunter came to see the wondrous hermit again, he found her dead. Having dug the best grave he could, he reverently laid down the suffering remains of the ascetic. The attack of sea robbers, African Arabs, on the island of Lesbos took place in 846; then they plundered Rome. Adding to this year of robbery the saint’s 35 years of stay on the deserted island of Paros, we find that the wondrous ascetic died in 881. † Prel. Matrona of Constantinople The daughter of pious parents who lived in Persia was not given in marriage to a nobleman 129. The husband went to serve in the capital. The young wife, having met one ascetic, became eager to attend public worship and its premises as often as possible. Her husband not only prevented her from doing this with offensive reprimands and suspicions, but often beat her. She lived with such a husband for ten years. Exhausted by mental suffering, with an unquenchable and intensifying thirst to live for the Lord, she, dressed as a eunuch, hid in the monastery of Blessed Vassian, who had up to 300 brothers 130. She was tonsured into monasticism with the name of Vavila, and she worked diligently and calmly for the Lord. Several years passed like this. At the monastery they found out that the eunuch Vavila was his wife. Lecturer Vassian strictly rebuked Matrona before the brethren. “You are bringing trouble to our monastery,” the abbot told her and kicked her out of the monastery 131. Matrona's situation was sad. The monk saw her fiery zeal to serve the Lord, and he also saw the obstacles to that. What could I do to calm her down? The Apostle wrote: Do not deviate from one another, except by agreement, for a time, to exercise in fasting and prayer (1 Cor. 7:5). According to this rule of the Apostle, a wife and husband, by mutual agreement, can leave the common bed for a while, they can both take vows of purity and strive in the monastic life; but if the husband does not agree to lead a pure life, the wife, even if she wanted to, should not take a vow of purity. St. Basil the Great wrote: “if (the wife departed from her husband) because she was beaten and did not endure the blows, then it is more fitting to endure than to be separated” 132. This is how St. reasoned. Chrysostom, but he also pointed out a possible case: “if, he said, a husband forces his wife to deviate from pure faith, then, in order to preserve the most important duty of conscience, let the wife leave such a husband” 133. According to the instructions of the Savior (Luke 16:18), the adultery of a husband gives the wife the right to leave her criminal husband. What was Matrona's husband like? Did he break fidelity to his wife and St. faith? Not visible from the life of Matrona. But, judging by his relationship with his nun wife, it is clear that he was a man imbued with pagan thoughts about the unlimited rights of a husband over his wife. After his wife became a nun, according to civil law he had the right to take another wife and live in peace. But he, as a pagan, is convinced that he, the husband, can drive his wife away from him for a hundred reasons, and the wife has no right to leave her husband for any reason. He is chasing the Matrona Nun in the capital, in Emesa, and in Palestine. Pagan beliefs about the rights of a husband over his wife were still in force at that time; they were found both in life and in the laws of the empire 134. We see an example of a suffering wife who suffered from the pagan rights of her husband over his wife during St. Matrons on a different face. A hieromonk's wife and son were found on a deserted island. According to her story, raised as an orphan in the house of a virtuous nobleman, she, according to his wishes, became the wife of his son. The father soon died. The young aristocrat's relatives did not give him peace; Every day they told him: why doesn’t he marry a noble and rich wife? Why does he keep with him one who dishonors his family? To save the good husband from his difficult situation, the young wife secretly left his house and hid on the island to perform the labors of a hermit; here, 8 months later, a son was born, and she lived for 30 years in feats of severe self-denial, until the Lord sent a hieromonk to her to baptize her son 135. The peculiarity of Matrona’s condition was that she had already taken a vow of monasticism. At the council of the elder brethren of the Vassianova monastery, they decided not to return Matrona to the world, but to hide her in the women’s monastery. With the assistance of Rev. Vassian, Matrona was accepted into the Emesa convent. Here she labored with all her steadfastness 136. Pursued by her husband, she visited Jerusalem and Sinai, holy places dear to the pious soul; but Matrona could not stay either there or here for long. How hard this homeless life is! After all, bliss. Matrona is not like some individual, with noisy statements about his genius, tangibly reducing the capital of the forces of society. Matrona, through her pious life, managed to bring several pagan women to St. faith. The husband died, to the peace of the blessed one, and Matrona returned to Constantinople to listen to the instructions of the saint. Vassiana. He also summoned her Emesan sisters to her. The wife of Emperor Leo the Great (457–473), having learned about her high life, visited her. Matrona, although she lived very poorly, did not ask the empress for anything, but only talked about spiritual salvation. Surprised by this, the empress began to respect the ascetic even more. Having healed the widow of the eparch, the monk received from her funds to build a monastery, whereas until then she lived with her sisters in very cramped and, moreover, rented cells. Many lay people came to the great ascetic for advice. “Oh, if only people,” she said, cared as much about virtue as they, to their own detriment, cared about emptiness! Let this passion for spectacles and harmful fun, let our women’s passion for clothes, the passion to please a man, be replaced by zeal for piety: what successes there would be in spiritual life!” In the capital at that time there were still few women's communities of prayer, and there was a lot of debauchery, difficult for souls who had any understanding of themselves. The instructions of the saints. ascetics, strong in sincerity and experience, attracted many to her. Those exhausted by worldly life found rest in her, and the sick found health. Her monastery became very crowded. Under her leadership, many pure virgins were raised for heaven. St. Joseph sings to her: “For the benefit of many, you have erected a sacred dwelling, being yourself a church of the Spirit in purity of soul. You guided them through the exploits of the saving fast and brought them whole to the Lord, like a marriage vein. We honor you with them sincerely, Matrona” 137. But these are still turbulent times. The predator of the throne, Basilisk, issues (in 476) a decree against the Council of Chalcedon. In 480 Constantinople was struck by a terrible earthquake 138. Emperor Zeno thought with his edict (482) to reconcile the Orthodox with the heretics - the Monophysites; His edict was dictated in the spirit of indifference (indifference in faith), so unreliable either for earth or for heaven. In the West, a decisive condemnation of the peace charter was pronounced 139. From 491, Emperor Anastasius launched a severe persecution against those who did not accept this charter. “The monasteries of Vassian, the Never-Sleeping and Matrona, who most separated from those who accepted” Zeno’s conciliatory letter, were especially forced to a peace agreement, and with all firmness endured persecution. The Venerable Matrona, who stopped all communication with her nuns who accepted Zeno’s peace letter, performed many miracles when the deacon of the great church, Chrysaphius, forced her to do so. Having encountered unyielding firmness, they left the saint, as well as the other monks, alone 140. Thus she united with her spiritual children before her death. “Young girls,” sings St. Joseph, those who obey your teaching, loved the bridegroom - the Lord. Having conquered bodily weakness with the strength of spirit, they tamed passions with jealousy; “Together with you, Matrona, they are brought into the heavenly, sacred palace, and they always have fun.” The monk lived in monasticism until she was only 75 years old and rested for 100 years, in 492, on the 9th day of November 141. Blessed Eustolia, the daughter of pious parents, devoted herself to fasting and prayer from a tender age. Burning with love for the Lord, under the Emperor Maurice (582–602) she left Rome and came to Constantinople 142. The best people of the West even then felt the need to get acquainted with the East as closely and as often as possible; they felt that even then Christian life was weak in the West and showed a lot of sadness. And how could one not feel it when St. Ambrose, Jerome and Augustine had to fight with Jovinian and others like him, who showered abuse on the best Christian life and warmly praised a life caring for only earthly interests 143? St. Gregory the Discourser, who fought so hard against the pride of the modern West in order to introduce Eastern Divine service in the West, this is what he writes about his aunts, contemporaries of St. Evstolia: My father had three sisters: Farsilla, Gordiana and Emiliana; all three of them took a vow of virginity on the same day, with the same fervor of their souls, and lived together. Farsillah and Emiliana grew from time to time in their love for the Lord, firmly contending with their infirmities. Gordiana lived differently. She grew cold in piety and worldliness appeared in her soul. Farsilla often said with deep sorrow: “I see that our sister Gordiana is no longer ours, she is given over to dispersion and is not faithful to the calling of God.” Both sisters amicably tried to persuade their sister to refrain from frivolity and frivolity in her actions. After such reminders of love, Gordiana seemed sedate for a while, but then she returned to her former lightness, became friends with worldly girls and distanced herself from those who lived for the Lord. Farsilla was constantly in prayer and led a strict life. During such a life, in a dream vision, her grandfather appears to her - St. Felix, dad, shows her the bright place of his peace and says: “go, I accept you into this bright home.” Soon after, she began to suffer from fever and approached death. Noble relatives gathered to the dying woman, including my mother, adds St. Grigory. The sick woman raises her eyes to heaven, sees the Lord Jesus approaching and says loudly: “go away, go away, the Lord Jesus is coming.” And in those same minutes she died. When they began to clean her up for burial, they saw that her skin on her knees and elbows had become rough and thick, like a camel’s, from her prayerful labors. She died on the eve of the Nativity of Christ. After this holiday, Farsilla, in a dream vision, appeared to her sister Emiliana and told her: “Go! I celebrated the Nativity of Christ without you, but with you I want to celebrate the Epiphany.” Emiliana, greatly concerned about the spiritual salvation of her sister Gordiana, said: “If I go, who will I leave my sister with?” She, as Emiliana said, with a mournful look, said: “Go alone; your sister belongs to the children of the world.” After this, Emiliana became ill and died on the eve of Epiphany, as Farsilla had predicted. Gordiana, remaining in complete freedom, quickly began to change and, finally, forgetting the fear of God, losing all shame, married a tenant of the land. St. Gregory talks about this both in his history of pious people and in one conversation on the Gospel. He was so struck by the example of weakness shown by the virgin aunt! So here he repeats in conclusion: be determined to stand, and be careful, lest you fall (1 Cor. 10:12) 144. This Roman event, contemporary for Eustolia, was, without a doubt, one of the motivations that forced Eustolia to leave weak Rome and go to Constantinople, with the hope of seeing examples of a better life in the East. In Constantinople, she visited shrines and monastic monasteries, with a thirst for spiritual perfection. In the Blachernae church, another thirsty soul met her and she was still young, the daughter of an emperor. Mauritius, Sopatra. The young soul, having met someone who was already quite mature in spiritual life, persistently asked Evstoliya to be a spiritual mother-mentor for her. Eustolia agreed, especially since she wanted to stay in the East. Sopatra, leaving the royal court, accepted monasticism. The daughter asked the good father to establish a monastery of prayer, and the request was fulfilled 145. The pious emperor bought the huge house of the patrician Carian. Here, first of all, a church of prayer was built, then cells for virgins appeared; a room for the elderly was also opened here 146. Blessed Sopatra had already begun to accustom herself to the Gospel life. Her aunt Damiana was the abbess of the Jerusalem monastery and then lived as a recluse. Sopatra traveled to Jerusalem to worship its holy places and lived for a year with her aunt, listening to her lessons about spiritual life. “At one time,” says Blessed Damiana in John Moschus, my niece, the daughter of the Emperor Mauritius, came to the holy city and spent a whole year here. One day, taking her with us, we went to St. Kozma and Damian. Standing in the church, I say to my niece: “Look, lady, when the old woman comes and gives you two numuls (two half coins), take them, don’t be proud.” She said with a sigh: how will I accept this? I told her: “Accept it. This wife is great before God. Every week she distributes her numuls to those in the church, being 80 years old. Accept your contributions; having accepted, you will give them to another; just don’t reject the old lady’s zeal.” While we were talking about this, the old woman suddenly came up and gave it to me quietly, without telling me anything; but, giving it to my niece, she said: “Take it and eat.” When she left, we realized that the Lord had revealed to her what we were talking about. Having sent one of the servants to buy beans for two mites, the niece ate them and testified to God that these beans were sweet like honey; she marveled and glorified God, who gives grace to His servants 147. Sopatra heard another lesson useful for herself at the same time in Caesarea. “One of the fathers told this about one noble woman from the senatorial house, as the contemporary Moschus writes, who went to worship holy places: she, having come to Caesarea, decided to stay here and turned to the bishop with the following request: give me a girl to teach me the fear of God. The bishop assigned a humble girl to her. Some time later, the bishop, upon meeting her, asks her: “How is the girl I assigned to you?” “Okay,” the woman answered, but she is of little use to my soul, because she allows me to do my will, and this is because she is humble, and I need her to scold me and not allow me to do what I want. The bishop instead gave her another, with a rather rude character. She began to scold her, calling her a stupid rich girl and similar names. After some time had passed, the bishop again asked her: what is this girl like? “She truly benefits me,” answered the wife. And she became very meek 148. Blessed Sopatra subordinated herself to St. Eustolia to teach oneself self-denial. Quite a number of other virgins joined them and spent their time in labor and prayer. The ascetic Evstoliya, having lived for many years in monasticism, peacefully moved to the Lord. Sopatra ruled the community after her and strictly followed the rules of her spiritual mother. Having achieved spiritual perfection through her exploits, she died peacefully on November 9th, around 610 149. Remembering the fate of the other children of Mauritius, worldly people must admit that happy is Sopatra, who with her good will chose the monastic life. The bloodthirsty Phocas, having killed the good Emperor Mauritius and his three sons, his wife and three daughters (Anastasia, Theoktista and Cleopatra), locked him in a monastery, where after three years he put him to death 150. Wouldn't it be better to choose the silence of solitude by choice than by force? Isn’t it better to voluntarily give up the unenviable vanity of the world than to be imprisoned in a grave against your will? And can you do a lot of good in the world? Yes, you can smoke hearts and skies! Humble souls do good, not proud and arrogant souls. – “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12). The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force, and those who use violence take it away (Matthew 11:12). † Memory of Rev. Onisifor Pechersk I heard a wonderful thing, says St. Simon, heard from the reverent elders; and they, according to them, heard from self-witnesses a wondrous miracle that happened during the abbess of Pimen (1132–1141) in the Pechersky Monastery. There was a perfect man, adorned with all virtues, with the name Onesiphorus, and the rank of priest. - He was granted by God the gift of foresight, so that he saw his sins in others. – But I’ll tell you one thing. This blessed Onesiphorus had a spiritual son, a monk and a friend. He tried to imitate him and seemed to be fasting, but falsely; He pretended to be chaste, but secretly ate and drank and spent his time in uncleanness. But this was hidden from the spiritual man. - None of the brethren understood him. “One day, being healthy, he suddenly died. And no one could get close to his body because of the stench coming out of his corpse. Everyone was terrified. Denying the need, not finding themselves able to perform the usual singing over it due to the stench, they laid it down separately and, standing from a distance, performed the singing, and some, covering their noses, carried it somehow and laid it in the cave. – Many times a scream was heard, as if someone was being tortured. Rev. appeared to that presbyter. Anthony said menacingly: “Why did you put such a vile lawless person here? This has never happened here before. He has desecrated a holy place." The presbyter stood up after that vision, fell on his face and, praying to the Lord God, said: “Why, Lord, did you hide the deeds of this man from me?” “Then, the angel who appeared to him said to him, to show him to all who sin and unrepentant; Let them, when they see it, repent.” Having said this, he became invisible. The presbyter told Abbot Pimen about this. The next night he heard again: “Throw it out as food for dogs; he doesn’t deserve to be here.” The presbyter, hearing this, turned to prayer and a voice came to him: “if you want, help him.” - After consulting with the abbot, they decided to have someone check him with a rope, drag him out and throw him into the water, since due to the stench no one could get closer to where the cave was. “Then the saint appears again and says: “I felt sorry for that brother.” Those who are here with me are no worse than those who pleased God before the law. I prayed to the Lord God for the salvation of those living in the monastery and the Lord said to me: I heard; I said to Abraham, “For 20 righteous people I will not destroy a city, much more will I have mercy on the sinner for you and those who are with you.” Onesiphorus recounted everything he had seen and heard to his boss and to all the brethren. The brother's body stopped emitting a stench. One of the brethren, at my request, told me this event from the words of those first Montenegrins” 151. This is Simon's story! Kalnofoisky writes about the cave of St. Antonia: “here lie incorrupt two brothers Spiridon and Onesiphorus. Of these, when one went to the Lord in front, the other moved him from his place to rest next to him.” Memory of Rev. Spyridon is on October 31, and Onesiphorus is on November 9. So, Onesiphorus rested after Sniridon, and it was he who moved the deceased to rest next to his beloved and respected spiritual son, the Venerable. Spiridona 152; thus blessed death of Rev. Onesiphorus, a contemporary of Abbot Pimen (1132–1141) and Venerable. Spyridon, followed on November 9, 1148. Blessed. Metropolitan Sylvester, relaying Simon's story about St. Onesiphorus, says in conclusion: “by this story, monk brothers, St. Simon reminds us to carefully guard this blessed title, so that we are not fed by sheep or house wolves, so that we are not poor in the courtyard, but rich in the cell, fasting before people, like the Pharisees, and gluttonous in the cell. The righteous judge will pay for everything done in secret, openly, at His judgment” 153. Priest Scripture teaches us: “Whoever hides his misdeeds will not have happiness; but whoever confesses and leaves will receive mercy” (Prov. 28:12). “If we judged ourselves, we would not be judged. Having been judged, we are punished by the Lord, so as not to be condemned with the world” (1 Cor. 11:31, 32) 154. Memory of Rev. Euthymie Dokhiarsky According to Greek news, it is not known who the parents of the Rev. were. Euthymius, founder of the Dochiar Athos monastery 155. So be it; but it is known that Rev. Euthymius was a Serb by birth, from an aristocratic house, which was related to the aristocracy of the Byzantine court 156. Rev. Euthymius lived with St. Afanasy even before the founding of the Lavra, then he was an eyewitness to the organization of the Lavra hostel. For brotherly love, for meekness and zeal for the monastic labors of St. Athanasius entrusted Euthymius with the position of dochiar, the first after the rectorship; he was in charge of taking care of all the needs for maintaining the brotherhood and all food supplies. He performed his duty reverently, as if before the face of God. Zealous for the highest perfection, he wished to labor in solitude. He proposed his idea to his friend and Abba Athanasius for spiritual judgment. Athanasius even allowed him to take with him those who wanted to live in the monastery. And Euthymius and several brothers built a monastery on the site of Daphne in honor of St. Nicholas, and in memory of the position he held in the monastery, he named him Dokhiar. Euthymy vigilantly watched the states of his soul on his new path and intensified his exploits in fasting and prayer. Our struggle is not for flesh and blood, he said to his brothers, encouraging them to spiritual vigor. Once Euthymius saw Arab pirates approaching the shore. Realizing their intentions, he hurried to his monastery and with his brothers disappeared into the nearby dense forest. Pirates broke into the monastery and plundered St. vessels and all meager supplies; then, dissatisfied with this, they scattered the walls of the church and the monastery... Returning to the place of the monastery, the monk complacently endured the misfortune and convinced the brethren not to grumble about what had happened. He decided to establish a new monastery in a place more distant from the seashore and therefore less accessible to unwanted guests. With the approval of the elders of the mountain, the monastery was founded where it stands today. The church was built here in honor of St. Nicholas. How dearly the saint valued silence can be seen from the very area of ​​the monastery. The location of the monastery is a low-lying coastal cliff where there is no water. But the silence of the area is preferred over everything. When his nephew (on his mother’s side) Nikolai arrived from Byzantium and, endowed with monasticism with the name Neophytos, in fact showed zeal for monastic deeds: Rev. Euthymius invited the brethren to accept him as their abbot, and he himself turned to the exploits of a hermit. The rich nephew began to build a new vast church; but the humble church of St. Euphemia is still intact to this day 157. The monk died at a very old age, probably no later than 990 158. Holy Martyrs Onesiphorus and Porphyry Holy Martyrs Onesiphorus and Porphyry. In the legend of the verse prologue, according to which the hymn writer St. Joseph compiled and the service in honor of these martyrs, remembered today, it is said about them that they suffered for the faith of Christ during the persecution of Diocletian and “after being burned in a frying pan, they died, dragged by horses,” “their bodies, taken by Christians, exuded miracles in the pankeanon” 159. Venerable John Kolov John, nicknamed Kolov, which means short, since he was of small stature, labored in the Skete Egyptian desert in the 5th century and was the mentor of St. Arseny the Great (commemorated on May 8). Ardent by nature, he managed to achieve complete meekness and humility. “You have an evil heart,” one of the brothers once reproached John. “It’s true,” the convict agreed with sincerity, “and it’s even more evil than you think.”... John, zealous for his own salvation, tried with the same zeal for the salvation of others. He managed to convert many to repentance, among others Taisiya (whose memorial is on May 16), and Paisiya, who had turned away from the good path, managed to touch him so much that he, suddenly and irrevocably renounced all his property in the world, spent the rest of his life in repentance in the wild desert. John reposed in about 430 in a desert cell near the city of Koltzum (now Suez). After his death, many of his wonderful sayings and descriptions of the life of St. Paisius (his memorial on June 19), compiled by him for the benefit of the general. In this life, the narrator appears repeatedly in close relations with the saint. Paisius, with whom he first lived in the same desert, then, being separated, visited him and talked with him. Venerable Eumaeon Metaphrastus Simeon Metaphrastus, originally from Constantinople, of noble origin, received an excellent education, after which he was admitted to the court and, having managed to attract attention with his talents and merits, occupied successively important government positions. Meanwhile, piety prevailed in his soul; all the advantages that his brilliant worldly career afforded him to enjoy did not prevent him from being a secret ascetic. – Having served his fatherland as a diplomat and warrior, endowed with many awards for his services, Simeon is also known in the Church for his spiritual activities, since he worked a lot on compiling the lives of saints. He received the name Metaphrastus (translator) because he gave the ancient biographies of saints a better look in terms of content and style. He compiled them into 122 and corrected many others. “You devoted your labors to the sacred Scriptures,” the sweet writer of metaphrases is praised in the service composed in his honor, “researching and testing the lives of the saints; “I magnified their torments and exploits with your metaphrases,” that is, with their translations, in which he with consideration retained from ancient sources what did not seem incredible to him, and removed others, “without changing the subject, but correcting errors in words.” This work of Simeon, although not strictly historical, since he had neither the means nor the time to believe the ancient sources with all rigor, was nevertheless of great importance, since, according to the testimony of Michael Psellus, not far in time from Metaphrastus, “those who before him described the deeds of the saints of God, partly wrote what was unjust, partly depicted the virtues of the saints without strength and beauty; they wrote about important matters without due attention, which is why some did not want to read what was written, while others even turned reading the stories about the servants of God into an object of ridicule or contempt.” In addition to metaphrases, Blessed Simeon wrote a few more words 160, prayers 161, songs 162, short thoughts and compiled extracts from the works of Basil the Great and Macarius the Great. In gratitude to “the holy man, who with great difficulty and then depicted martyrdom for the truth, to the praise of God and the eternal glorification of the martyrs,” the Greek fathers beatified him and set the day for the celebration of his triumph - November 27th. Simeon reposed in the middle of the 10th century. Metaphrastic description of the conversation about St. Theoktiste in the Latin translation - in Surius ad 10 Novemb. Fragments of the Greek text - from Allatti de Symeonibus p. 49. 53. 55. In Chetye-Minea November 9, a description of life was compiled from a conversation. Metaphrastus spoke about the saint on the island of Lesbos with a desert elder in 902. The elder asked him to describe the life of the saint for the common benefit, and Simeon then wrote the elder’s story. Doctrine of the Fathers § 294. About how in ancient times the body and blood of Christ were communed, enough is said in approx. on chapter 77 of the Spiritual Meadow. John Moschus Spiritual meadow pp. 258 259. M. 1853 Reasons why they stopped entrusting St. spare gifts for safekeeping to the laity are understandable. If St. Demetrius of Rostov and Blessed Joasaph of Belgrade found priests who showed the grossest negligence in keeping terrible secrets, then what to expect from the laity of later times? Her life is in Chet-Minea, November 9. Metaphrastovo, a very unfortunate essay by Ar. Sirium 8 Novemb. Ancient Slavic translation by Tsarsky No. 398. 614. More useful are the canon of Joseph the hymn writer Ave. Matrone and the legend of Menologus. Memory of Rev. Vassian October 10. Brief news about him in the Menologue Basnagii r. 478. In the Prologue of November 9: “St. Vasily" is a mistake. Menologue of Basil on November 8: “St. Matrona was from Perga Pamphylia and lived under Emperor Leo. When she gave birth to a daughter from her husband, she came with him to Constantinople, being 15 years old. Here, taking advantage of her friendship with the virgin Eugene, she imitated her life and never left the churches of God. Kindled by an even stronger love for God than when she heard the words of the Gospel: whoever wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and come after Me, she gave her daughter to be raised by a pious woman. Leaving her husband and putting on the clothes of a man, she entered the monastery of St. Vassiana and became a monk. When she was recognized here as a woman, the saint sent her to Jerusalem. After several years, returning to Constantinople, she spent a solitary life and thus died.” Right 9 St. Vasily, in the book of rules. Demon. on the last Corinne. 19, § 2, 3. On virginity § 28. Imp. Justinian's novella 117, § 8–13. Novel. 123, § 40. Novel. 127, § 4. Novel. 134, § 10, 11. P. Photius Syntagma canonum in 71. Specilegii Bomani p. 419–421 ed. Romae 1842. Nevolina history. citizen chains I, 172. 173. St. 1853. St. Nazianzen wrote: “the law gives divorce for any fault; in Christ - not according to everyone, but only allows a husband to separate from an adulterous wife.” Orat. XXXI. Blazh. Jerome, after citing the words of the Savior about divorce, says: “other are the laws of the emperor, others are those of Christ; Pipinian says something else, Paul prescribes something else to us.” Er. 89 de morte Fabiolae. Patericon assembled under the banner. M. Ch. 25. Prologue of May 1. Ave. Mark, who spoke about this event, was the founder of the Markova monastery, located in the capital, near the church of M. Agafonika. Dionysius, abbot of the monastery of Markova, signed the definition of the council that was held at Mina († 552). Du-Cangii Const Chr. p. 158. It seems that Rev. Anna and her son John, commemorated by the church on June 13, in the Prologue without a Life, are the same persons who were found on the island. Metaphrastus writes that Matrona, living in Emesa, bowed to the then found head of the Forerunner. This couldn't happen. True, the chronicle of Marcellinus records that the head of the Forerunner was found in Emesa by presbyter Marcellus in 453 (Marcellini Chronicon ad an. 453. Patrol. Lat. tom. 51). But it would not be surprising if the given chronicler made a mistake in reporting what was happening in the East and placed the event in the wrong place. It is strange that Metaphrastus, who lived in Constantinople, did not realize that the head of the Forerunner was still under the emperor. Theodosius was transferred from Chalcedon to Constantinople, and therefore there should be no talk of its finding in Emesa under the Venerable. Matrona. Finding Ch. The forerunners were described by Presbyter Marcellus. in Chet-Mineya Feb. 24) must be dated back to the time of the imperial. Constance. Under Valens it was transferred to Chalcedon and remained in the hands of the Macedonians; and Theodosius the Great moved her to the capital and built a magnificent church for her (Sozomena ist. 7, 21). It seems that Metaphrastus accepted the Matron, who was not inferior to the head of the Forerunner Imp. Feodosius, for Rev. Matrona. But besides the anachronism, they are allowed to teach here. Matrona features insulting features for a saint: Matrona of Theodosian times was a follower of the Macedonian heresy. We are correcting this mistake of Metaphrastus also because it was also repeated by Vershinsky in the month of the month, p. 178, St. Petersburg. 1856 and about. Myshkin in op. about holidays in honor of the Forerunner, p. 130. Kazan 1858 Service of St. Matrone, op. Joseph, in the November Menaion. Hymn Review, p. 367. Markellion chronicle ad an. 482: “this disaster of the capital was remembered during the church service of October 15th,” adds Markellin. The meaning of Zeno's letter was correctly expressed by Facundus lib. XII c. 4: “What Zeno prescribed, according to his arbitrariness and power, trampling on reverence for God, who will accept? Who will take it into account? Reckless power does not seek what it should have, but what it wants. He does not understand that unity is not formed by mixing. O wise and prudent husband! took over the work of the priests. He called the Orthodox the voiceless, those who had separated from the church. Why does he convince them to unite with spiritual matter, if, having separated from it, they remain Orthodox? Sl. Evagria ist. 3, 14. Chronicle of Theophanes under 491 Du-Cangii Const. Clear. r. 159. Le Quien Or. chr. 1, 218. Pes. 3. “You have appeared as beauty for those who are united, all-honorable; You have adopted the pure and immaculate life of the monks.” Dog. 6. “You loved the life of the Angels on earth, and constantly sang the praises of Him who, by great mercy, became incarnate for us and strengthened women’s weakness to fight the cunning enemy.” Her memory is in Greek. Churches on November 9, in the Roman Church - November 8, among the Copts - September. 10. Brief Menologue, on November 9, the memory of “St. your mother Matrona: she, born in Perga of Pamphylia, became famous under the emperor. Leo the Great performed feats of monastic life and, having performed miracles, departed to the Lord, being almost a hundred years old.” The Legend of St. Eustoli and Sonata - in a short menology, ed. Banazhem: Thesaurus monum. T. 3. Amsterdami 1723. Translation of this short news in the prologue of November 9. See the works of St. Ambrose: de virginibus; er. 63 ad eccles. Vercellensem; de virginitate; de institutione virginis, exhortatio virginitatis. Bl.I adv. Iovinianum; ep. 91 ad Agesuchiam; ep. 5. ad Heliodorum: ep. 95 ad Rusticum. Augustine de virginitate; opus imperf. cont. Iuli anum. Dialog, lib. 4 c. 16 In evangelium homil. 38. Martyrology of Baronia on December 23 “in Rome the death of St. Virgin of Pharsillas, aunt of St. Pope Gregory, about whom he himself testifies that at the hour of her death she saw Jesus coming to her.” St. Gregory, born in 540, died in 640. Based on this time of his life, it must be assumed that his aunt St. Farsilla died around 580. The Barcelona Council of 599 defined in canon 4: “virgins who have taken a vow of chastity and monasticism, if they marry, are subject to such excommunication that no one dares to speak to them.” Pharisaic severity is not a reliable support for morality. Du-Cangii Constant, chr. r. 154. Spiritual meadow ch. 126. Du Cangii familiae byzant. p. 106. Menologist. Memory of St. Eustoli and Sopatra are honored by both the Greek and Roman Churches on November 9. Du-Cangii familiae byzant. p. 107. Constant, chr. p. 160. Description laurels p. 293. 289. In hand. description of the saints: “teacher. father priest Onesiphorus." It was in vain that F. Prokopovich did not pay enough attention to the words of the intelligent M. Sylvester, who so correctly understood the meaning of Simon’s story about St. Onesiphorus. If it had been otherwise, he would not only have had to justify himself in the blasphemies against the monks of Pechersk that he had internalized, but respect for the views of Protestants would not have carried him so far as to express such injustice: “they falsely glorified the place of Pechersk, that if anyone died without repentance, he would be buried in that place and would be saved” (Reader. M. General History, 1862, 2, 25. 46). Protestant rationalism often falls into a double sin - both a sin before history and a sin before the exact meaning of St. scriptures. Life of Rev. Euphemia, compiled from Greek sources, in the Athos Patericon 1, 152. Avramovic, who searched for Serbian monuments in Athos, says about Dochiar: “St. Evfimie is from Serbin, who founded the monastery. Mogao himself got it, but even then there was enough of Srbskaya’s handwritten book and diploma, and they burned it all.” Ancient Athos page 80. O. Porfiry saw only one Serbian diploma of Dochiar - King Stephen of 1349, and even that was in a Greek translation. The most ancient Greek: Michael Doukas (1072–1078), 1112 and 1117 (Acts of Mount Athos p. 53. 20. 35. 36). The abbot of Dochiara signed the act of 1057 (Admirer p. 39). Grigorovich: “in Zograf, not long before my arrival, they burned a bunch of manuscripts; I heard from eyewitnesses that in Vatopedi, Xenothos, Simoatre and Philotheus they burned them mercilessly... It was not desirable that the Serbs and Bulgarians, who still repeat about their monasteries, would want to prevail from these books.” Let's go. pp. 97. 98. Description of the monasteries of Mount Athos, pp. 148. 151. Ave. Athanasius, who was not much older than him, died in 980 (Vershinsky Monthly Book, p. 239). “A month. East." archim. Sergius, vol. II, part 2, p. 353. Lamentation of the Mother of God over the tomb of the Savior; a word about the Dormition of the Mother of God; about Her life; word for Holy Saturday. By the way: prayers before and after communion. Canon for Great Friday in Triodion; Canon of Mary of Egypt for April 1st, several songs in verse.