Память преподобного Зинона

This blessed father of ours, Zenon, came from Pontus 1067; leaving enormous wealth here, he drank from the springs of the teachings of St. Basil the Great 1068 that irrigated Cappadocia, and bore fruits worthy of this teaching. He served at the court of Emperor Valens 1069 among the soldiers with whom royal letters were sent; After the death of this sovereign, Saint Zenon rejected wealth and an honorary title and settled in one tomb 1070, located in a mountain near Antioch, and here he lived in solitude, purifying his soul. The holy hermit had no property except the old rags in which he dressed; Saint Zenon received food from one of his acquaintances, who delivered him one small loaf of bread for two days, and he carried water for himself from afar. Being an example of the deepest humility, the Monk Zinon achieved high perfection in the performance of monastic feats; He spent forty years in fasting, coming every Sunday to the holy church, where he listened to the Divine Word, inclined his ear to the teachings of the preachers and partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ; After that, the monk returned to his refuge, which had neither a castle nor a guard, because it was inaccessible to villains and completely safe. Some time later, after his removal from the world, the monk sent one of his acquaintances to his homeland to sell the property left behind by his parents and give his brother the part that belonged to him. Having fulfilled this, the messenger delivered his share to the saint; from it the Monk Zinon began to do charity to the poor; when he felt his death approaching, he invited the Bishop of Antioch Alexander 1071 and said to him: - Since I am called to depart from this life, I bequeath to you: I distributed what I could myself, as it seemed best to me; I didn’t have time to distribute the rest and I appoint you as the manager of this, calling God as a witness. After that, having kissed the saint, the blessed one gave up his soul to God. Pontus is a province in the northeast of Asia Minor, bordering on the east with Armenia and on the south with Cappadocia. Valens reigned from 364 to 378. The tombs in the south in ancient times were carved into the mountains and looked like caves; during enemy invasions they were plundered; The grave peace of the buried was also disturbed by robbers looking for treasures in the tombs. The Monk Zinon settled in one of the empty tombs. He served as a priest in Antioch from 413 to 420. You might be interested in: