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Holy and Righteous Gideon, Judge of Israel Gideon, from the tribe of Manasseh, was called by the Lord Himself to deliver his people from the violence of the Midianites, who for seven years had ruled the land of Israel as their own. When Gideon was knocking out wheat in a secluded place to hide it from the Midianites, the angel of the Lord who appeared to him on behalf of the Lord said: “Go and save Israel from the hand of the Midianites” and strengthened his faith with a sign from heaven (Judgment 6). Enemies soon appeared, crossed the Jordan River and settled in the Valley of Israel, which belonged to the tribe of Issachar. And Gideon sounded the trumpet, and called unto him the soldiers from the tribe of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. On the eve of the battle, Gideon turned to God in prayer and said: “If You save Israel with my hand, as You said, then I will spread the shorn wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew only on the wool (on the fleece), but the whole earth is dry, then they will know that you will save Israel with my hand, as You said.” And so it happened. The next day, getting up early, he began to squeeze the wool, and squeezed a whole cup of water out of the irrigated wool. And Gideon said to God: “Do not be angry with me if I say it again and only once again do the test on the wool. Let it be dry only on the wool, and let there be dew on the whole earth.” This is what God did that night: only the wool was dry, but there was dew on the whole earth. Having thus received new signs of the divine calling, he, at the command of God, with three hundred unarmed soldiers surrounded the enemy camp at night and with the sudden opening of lamps, with trumpets and exclamations, led the enemies into such confusion that they struck each other and took flight. The Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalman, who were captured in flight, were put to death for the murders they had committed against the Israelites on Mount Tabor. The grateful Israelites offered Gideon kingship; but he said: “Neither I will own you, nor my son; The Lord has the way over you." And Gideon was a judge in Israel forty years, and in his days the land of Israel enjoyed peace. The deliverance delivered through him to Israel was subsequently remembered (Psalm LXXXII, 10–12), and the prophets saw in this event a joyful sign of salvation by God in Christ (Isaiah IX, 4–7; X, 25–27). † Repose of St. Ephraim of Perekop A solitary life attracted Eustathius from his youth. 425 Trained to read and write, he loved to fast and pray in the house of his parents, Stefan and Anna, and did not like the amusements of his youth. At the behest of his soul, he secretly went to the Kashinsky monastery. 426 His parents, having learned about his whereabouts, spent a long time trying to persuade him to return to their house; after talking with him, they yielded to his wishes - they devoted themselves to a solitary life and died in monasticism. After spending three years in the Kashinsky monastery, he came to the monastery of St. Savva of Vishera, then still “sparsely fenced, with a small wooden church in it.” Here, at the age of 25, he took monastic vows with the name Ephraim and went through monastic obediences with all zeal. – Under the leadership of the great ascetic, Blessed Ephraim lived for 25 years. He acquired so much spiritual experience from the great Abba that the Monk Savva, before his death (1462), entrusted his monastery to Andrei and Ephraim, as the most experienced of his disciples. 427 After the death of the Monk Savva, blessed Ephraim did not remain for long in the Vishera monastery; he retired to the western shore of Lake Ilmena, to the mouth of the Verenda River, and set up a cell for himself on the banks of the Chernaya River. The place here was desolate, silent, the most pleasant for a hermit. One of the surrounding residents accidentally came across Ephraim’s hut and was amazed that a man lived in such a wilderness; He then brought bread and flour to the helpless hermit. The hermit thanked the Lord. Then the ascetic Thomas arrived to Ephraim with two disciples; They set up a cell for themselves near Ephraim’s cell. Others followed them. At the request of his new followers, Blessed Ephraim assumed the rank of priesthood and abbess. The favorite student of the wondrous Savva, who labored under his leadership for so many years, was known to many in his life. He was soon given the means to build first a wooden Church of the Epiphany, and then a stone one, in honor of St. Nicholas. - It was much more necessary to use labor and time to make the area of ​​the monastery, swampy and unhealthy, convenient for staying there. The monk dug canals to drain the place, and in order to deliver clean water to the monastery, he drew a channel from Verenda into the lake. That is why its desert was at one time called Perekopskaya, and along the Verenda channel - Verendovskaya. – The blessed abbot was the first in all works and obediences. “I went to the bakery to prepare bread and prosphora, carried water and chopped wood, often went to the service chamber and, during the rest of the brothers, ground rye for others. According to his establishment, each brother ground the assigned part of the rye at night; After Matins, the brethren also went to work in the field or garden, and after the liturgy and meal they worked again. Through feats of labor and prayer, the Monk Ephraim reached the age of eighty years and reposed peacefully on September 26, 1492. 428 His hardworking body was laid near the church of St. Nicholas that he had built. Subsequently, due to frequent floods, the monastery was moved to another place, safe from floods, and a chapel was erected over the tomb of St. Ephraim; in May 16, 1545, his holy relics were transferred to the monastery and at the same time it was established to celebrate his memory. 429 – In 1582, the main stone church of the monastery with a chapel in honor of St. Ephraim stood without service from the attack of the Poles and 13 cells of the monastery remained empty, 430 but then the monastery was restored. 431 The Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian The Church celebrates this day more solemnly than the days of the other apostles and evangelists, as more than others beloved by Christ God. Another holiday in honor of this apostle was established by the Church on May 8, in remembrance of the miraculous signs that took place at his tomb. See detailed life on May 8th. RKP. life of Ave. Ephraim in general. ist. No. 45, Tsarsky No. 136. It is called the work of Roman, a student of Efremov. But due to many chronological and historical errors, some, but not all, of which are indicated in the story. Hier. V, 470. 472. 474, there is no doubt that the now known life is an adaptation of the notes of Efremov’s student, compiled by a person like Fr. Vasily; verbosity and pomposity say the same thing. According to the RCP. life Eustathius retired to the Kolyazin monastery; but this monastery was founded later than 1433. The cohabitation of Macarius of Kolyazinsky with Eustathius in the Kablukov Monastery introduced an error, which was repeated in the dictionary. The life says that Ephraim retired from the Vishera monastery in 1450. But Pachomius, who wrote the life of St. Savva ok. 1465, says that Ephraim in 1462 was still in the Vishera monastery and listened to the will of the teacher. Savva and the monastery. – The dictionary repeats the old mistake here too. According to the RCP. The saint reposed in his life under the archbishop. Gennadin, next. no earlier than December 9th. 1484. On the other hand, in 1462 he could not have been less than 50 years old. Therefore, his death can only be attributed to 14.92. East. Hier. V, 473. 474. Service of Rev. Ephraim on May 16 (Mineaion of May, M. 1646) is an almost literal repetition of the service of St. Savva (Oct. 1); Unfortunately, some historical features of the life of the teacher are not excluded from it. Savva. In the calendar of the charter of the 16th century. (Tolstago 1. No. 100) May 17 “transfer of the relics of Ephraim Abbot of Perekop.” Nevolin about stains, p. 71. East. Hier. V, 475–479. Mixed. about the monastery 386. 387.