Житие преподобного отца нашего Феодосия Великого

The Monk Theodosius was born in the village of Mogarion, in Cappadocia 437, from pious parents - father Proheresius and mother Eulogia - and was brought up in good manners and book learning. When the youth came to a perfect mind and studied the Divine Scripture well, he was ordered to read in the church the places assigned for reading from the liturgical books, and he was a sweet-voiced and skillful reader like no one else. By reading instructive words for the benefit of those listening, he derived even more benefit from it for himself. Hearing the Lord, either commanding Abraham to leave his land and from his kindred (Gen. 12:1), or convincing him in the Gospel to leave, for the sake of eternal life, his father, mother and brothers (Matthew 19:29), he burned in heart and burned in spirit, wanting, leaving everything, to follow Christ along a narrow and regrettable path. Thinking about this, he prayed to God: “Lord, guide me in Your way, and I will walk in Your truth” (Ps. 85:11). Then, placing his trust in God, he went to Jerusalem. This happened during the reign of Marcian 438, at the end of his life, when the Fourth Ecumenical Council 440 was meeting in Chalcedon 439 for Dioscorus and Eutyches 441. Passing through Antioch 442, blessed Theodosius wished to see the Monk Simeon and be granted blessings and prayers from him. He went to him and when he was near the pillar, he heard the voice of the monk: - You have come well, man of God Theodosius! Hearing that he was called by name by one who had never seen him and did not know him, Theodosius was surprised and, falling to his knees, bowed to his perspicacious father. Then, at his invitation, he ascended the pillar to the saint and fell at his honest feet. The same one, hugging and kissing the inspired young man, predicted to him that he would be a shepherd of verbal sheep and would save many from the mental wolf 443; He predicted many more things for him and, blessing him, sent him away. Theodosius, supported by the blessing of the monk and having his holy prayers instead of an accompanying mentor and guardian, followed the path set before him and reached Jerusalem; this was during the patriarchate of Juvenal. Having walked around the holy places there and prayed at the Holy Sepulcher in the Church of the Resurrection, he pondered which way of life to begin: as a hermit or in community with other people seeking salvation? And he came to the conviction that it is unsafe to remain silent alone, having not yet learned how to deal with evil spirits. “If there is no one among the worldly warriors who would be so foolish that at the very beginning of his stay in military service, being still unskilled and untrained in military affairs, he would immediately rush into the middle of the fighting, then like me,” the saint said to himself, “not having yet accustomed my hands to weapons and my fingers to war and not being girded with power from above, I dare alone, in a hermit, to rebel against the principles, authorities and rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spirits of wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12). I must first join the holy ascetics and learn from experienced fathers how I can fight invisible enemies; then, over time, the fruits that grow from solitude and silence will be collected.” Having reasoned about this so prudently - for in him, along with other virtues, there was also perfect prudence, capable of reasoning well about everything - he immediately began to look for a mentor. At that time, the most famous of all the fathers living in Jerusalem and its environs was a certain elder named Longinus 444, who had his cell at the pillar, which from ancient times was called David 445; shutting himself up there, he carefully distilled the sweet honey of virtue. Having come to him, blessed Theodosius accepted the beginning of monastic labors and, becoming attached to the elder with all his soul, learned from him every virtue, for that monk was great in word and life. After quite a long time, he was resettled by the elder, although against his will, to a place called the “old seat” 446. This happened for the following reason: a certain pious woman, an honest widow and servant of Christ, named Glyceria, created in that place the Church of our Most Pure Lady Theotokos and pestered the Monk Longinus with many and earnest requests so that he would let Theodosius live at the newly created church. Although the student did not want to be separated from his father, however, at his command, he moved there. While he was there, rumors of his virtue spread everywhere. Virtue makes visible the one who has acquired it, just as a lit candle reveals the one who wears it at night. And those seeking spiritual benefit began to come to the saint; those who wanted to be imitators of his life began to gather to him. Having lived there for some time, the blessed one began to be burdened by the lack of peace, for he did not tolerate human veneration and rumors. He left from there to the mountain where there was a cave; in it, according to ancient legend, those three wise men who came to Bethlehem to Christ with gifts and returned to their country by a different route (Matthew 2:1-12) rested from the road and spent the night. The Monk Theodosius moved into the cave from the “old seat.” This relocation of him there was according to the special vision of God - so that a glorious monastery 447 would be erected in that place and regiments of spiritual warriors would gather to Christ God. Having changed his location, the blessed one at the same time changed his life, beginning to walk the narrowest path. His desire was to always fulfill all the commandments of the Lord; he was so embraced by Divine love that he directed all his spiritual strength not to anything real, but entirely to the Creator God alone, in order to love Him with all his soul, with all his heart and with all his mind, and in order to demonstrate this love in action in physical labors and exploits, which cannot even be recounted in detail. His prayer was incessant, he stood at all-night vigils, tears always flowed from his eyes, like streams from springs. His fast was immeasurable: for thirty years he did not eat bread at all, he ate only dates, juice 448 or herbs and roots of the desert, and even this he ate so little, just so as not to die of hunger. When he did not have such food due to the poverty of the desert, he ate date seeds soaked in water, but he constantly fed his soul with the word of God, saturating it with the inner vision of God. Living like this, he shone like a bright star and became known to all the inhabitants of Palestine, for a city standing on top of a mountain cannot hide (Matthew 5:14). Some of those who loved virtue came to him, and preferred the desert life with him in the cave to a cheerful civil life. At first the monk had seven disciples. Knowing that for those beginning to live according to God, there is nothing more useful than remembering death - which is called and considered true wisdom - the saint commanded his disciples to dig a grave so that, looking at it, they would learn to remember death, as if having it before their eyes. When the grave was ready, the monk came to look at it and, standing over the grave, said to his disciples, as if smiling, seeing with the eyes of his soul what was to happen: - Here, children, the grave is ready; Is there anyone among you who is ready to die in order to renew this grave? When the saint said this, one of his upcoming disciples, named Vasily, a priest by rank, immediately, warning others, fell to his knees before the elder and, prostrating himself on the ground, asked for the blessing to die and be buried in that grave. “Bless me, father,” he said, “to renew my grave, so that I may be the first of the brothers who learn about death to be dead.” The elder deigned to respond to his request and ordered to commemorate the living Vasily, as if he had already died, in accordance with the law on the remembrance of the dead, on the third, ninth and fortieth day. When all the commemoration was over, blessed Vasily also died, without any illness; As if falling into a sweet sleep and resting, he passed over to the Lord. After forty days had passed after his burial, the elder saw Vasily, who appeared among the brethren during the reign and sang with them. He prayed to God that the eyes of others would be opened, so that they too would see what had appeared. Seeing him, one of the brethren, named Aetius, rushed out of joy to embrace him with his arms, but the one who appeared immediately disappeared and became invisible. As he left, he said publicly: “Save yourself, fathers and brothers, save yourself, and you won’t see me here again!” This was the first evidence of the virtue of the Monk Theodosius - that he had such a disciple who, according to his instructions, was ready for death and who, after bodily death, turned out to be a living soul, according to the word of the Lord in the Gospel: he who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live (John 11:25). Other revelations of the miraculous grace given to the elder from God will be visible from the following narrative. The holiday of Christ's Resurrection was approaching. The saint’s disciples, who at that time were already twelve, grieved that they had nothing to eat for the holiday - no bread, no butter, and nothing edible, and most of all they grieved that on such a bright holiday there could not be a Divine Liturgy, since there was neither prosphora nor wine for the service, which is why they had to be deprived of the Holy Communion. Tain. Secretly they grumbled somewhat among themselves against the monk. He, having undoubted hope in God, commanded the brethren to decorate the Divine altar and not to mourn. “He,” he said, “who nourished Israel in ancient times in the wilderness 449 and after that fed many thousands of people with small loaves of bread 450, will also provide for us: for He neither became weaker in strength than He was before, nor did His zeal in His providence over the world decrease, but He is the same God forever.” So, with hope, the monk spoke, and his words immediately came true. Just as in ancient times a ram appeared to Abraham in a thicket, ready for sacrifice (Gen. 22:13), so this blessed old man, according to God’s providence, had everything he needed. At sunset, a certain lover of God came to their cave, carrying from his house on two mules various food for desert fasters, in addition, prosphora and wine for performing the Divine Sacraments. At the sight of this, the blessed disciples rejoiced and knew what grace their elder had been granted by God. They celebrated Easter with joy, and the food they brought was enough for the entire Pentecost. Then again there was no food, and again the brethren, tormented by hunger, mourned. At that time, one rich man gave a lot of alms to all the Palestinian monasteries - he did not give help to only one Theodosian monastery, located in a cave, because he did not know about it. And the brothers pestered their father so that he would let this benefactor know about himself and them, so that, like other monasteries, they could receive alms from him for food. The Monk Theodosius, not at all wanting to be known to anyone in the world and relying not on people, but on God, who opens His hand and satisfies all living things with good will (Ps. 145:16), consoled his disciples and taught them to patiently await the mercy of God, trusting in the One who satisfies every hungry soul: if He gives food to dumb cattle and chicks a raven who calls on Him (Ps. 147:9), much less will He deprive a rational and verbal creature of the necessary food. When the saint was comforting the faint-hearted brethren in this way, someone came to them, leading a little horse laden with a large amount of food supplies. He was not going to Theodosius Cave, but was transporting supplies to give them in some other place. When he was near the cave and wanted to pass it, the little horse stopped and did not move further; even after many beatings from his master, he remained motionless in place, like a stone. This man, realizing that his little horse was being held and remained motionless by the will of God and by an invisible force, loosened his reins and let him go wherever he wanted. The hinny, as if led by some hand, went straight to the monastery of the Monk Theodosius, which was located in a cave, and that man, having recognized the blessing of the Lord and His providence for His servants, gave all the supplies to the reverend elder and his disciples. And from that time on, the saint’s disciples ceased to be cowardly and tried to be zealots of the firm faith and hope of their reverend father in God. The number of the brethren increased daily, for the sources of grace with which the holy father was filled attracted many souls who loved virtue, which could be called intelligent hinds desiring spiritual waters (Ps. 41:2), and many high-ranking and rich people came to live with the monk. The cave became too small to accommodate so many people. Having approached the monk, the brethren began to pester him with requests that he found a monastery near the cave and build a wide fence for the verbal sheep. “Don’t worry, father,” they said, “about the means to build a monastery; just order, and our hands will be enough to complete this task. The saint, seeing that he was being called to be the shepherd of a very large flock, and that his silence was being disturbed, was embarrassed by various thoughts - either not wanting to leave silence, like an unhypocritical mother, then considering care for the brethren to be an important matter, for a person should not live for himself alone, but much more for his neighbor, the image of which was Christ the Lord Himself, Who gathered the disciples, appeared as the Shepherd of the verbal sheep and laid down His soul for them Yours. Reflecting on this, the Monk Theodosius was perplexed as to what to hold on to: silence or concern for the salvation of the brethren, and his thoughts inclined to this, then to the other. What does the blessed one do? He places everything on God, who can combine both for one good, so that he does not lose the fruit of silence and does not lose his reward for ruling over his brothers and caring for them; for the life of a monk is strengthened not in the solitude of the body, but through firmness in goodness and peace of heart. The monk also kept in mind the prophecy of Saint Simeon the Stylite, who predicted to him the herding of verbal sheep. However, he entrusted the work he was accepting to God’s will and prayed to Him to let him know if He was pleased with the creation of the monastery, and to indicate with a miraculous sign the place on which the foundation of the monastery should be laid. Taking a censer and filling it with cold coal, he put incense, without fire, and walked through the desert, praying like this: - God, who assured Israel with many and great miracles and convinced His saint, Moses, with various signs, so that he would accept the burden of ruling over Your people, changing the rod into a serpent and a healthy hand into one white with leprosy and then making it healthy again (Ex. 3:3, 6:7); turning water into blood and easily turning blood back into water (Ex. 7:20); who gave Gideon the sign of victory on the fleece (Judges 6:37–38), Creator of all and Sustainer; who outlined for Hezekiah the continuation of life as a shadow, returned back along the steps (2 Kings 20:1–11; Isa. 38:7–8); who heard the prayers of Elijah and sent fire from heaven to convert the wicked and burned wood and sacrifices, and stones and water (1 Kings 18:38) You are still the same God, hear me, your servant, and show me the place where it will be pleasing to You, so that I can build a holy church for Your Power and build an abode for Your servants, my disciples. Indicate, of course, such a place where You will command these coals to ignite on their own, for Your glory, for the knowledge and proclamation of the truth to many. Saying this and similar things in prayer, he walked around places that seemed more convenient for building a monastery. He walked far through the desert and, with the same non-flammable and cold coals in the censer, reached a place called Kutilla and the shores of Lake Resin 451. And when he saw that the coals did not light up and his desire was not fulfilled, he set out to return to the cave. When he was returning, and the cave was already not far away (Oh, who will worthily praise Your power, Immortal King!), fragrant smoke suddenly came out of the censer, for the coals flared up strongly. The saint knew that this was the place where, by the grace of God, a monastery should be created, miraculously marked not by language, but by fire. The saint's disciples immediately set to work: having laid the foundation, they built a church, cells and a fence and soon, with the help of the Almighty, built a spacious monastery. The Lavra of St. Theodosius became famous and glorious, and a hostel was established in it. The Lord gave this monastery every abundance, so that those living in it could not only be enriched with the spiritual riches of good deeds, but also would not be deprived of what they need for the body. And not only the monks, but also the laity, wanderers and strangers, the poor and wretched, the sick and infirm, found peace there. For the Monk Theodosius was merciful, philanthropic and merciful, being a compassionate father to everyone, a dear friend to everyone, a zealous slave and servant to everyone, cleansing the ulcers and scabs of the sick, washing their blood, drinking from his hands and providing them with all kinds of services. He showed great love for those who came from everywhere, treating them, calming them down and supplying them with everything they needed. The monk was a common refuge, a common clinic, a common home, a common feast, a common treasure for the sick, the hungry, the hungry, the wandering; everyone was comforted by his love, mercy and generosity, and he did not despise anyone. The servants at the monastery at meals noticed that sometimes it happened in one day to serve up to a hundred dinners for visitors, wanderers and beggars: the reverend father was so philanthropic and strange-loving. God, Who Himself is Love (1 John 4:8), seeing such love of His saint for his neighbors, blessed his monastery, so that a small amount of food invisibly multiplied in it and fed countless people. Once there was a famine in Palestine, and many beggars and wretched people gathered from everywhere at the gates of the monastery during the flower-bearing week to receive the usual alms. The disciples were saddened that they did not have enough food to give to so many petitioners, and they told the blessed one about this. He looked at them with anger, reproached them for their lack of faith and said: “Hurry up and open the gate so everyone can come in!” The poor and wretched entered and sat down in rows. The monk ordered the disciples to give them bread; The disciples went to the bakery with sorrow, not hoping to find anything, but, having opened the bakery, they saw that it was full of bread, for the hand of the Provider of all - God - filled it for the sake of the faith of His servant. The brethren praised God for such a miracle and marveled at their Abba’s great trust in God. When another time, on the feast of the Dormition of the Most Pure Mother of God, a lot of people came to the monastery, but there was not enough food to offer to such a great multitude, the Monk Theodosius, looking up to heaven and blessing several small loaves, ordered them to be offered, and the people were satisfied, since God multiplied these loaves, as once - five loaves (Matthew 14:21; Luke 9:14); so everyone also took as much as they needed for the journey. The brothers, having collected the remaining ukrukhs, filled many baskets with them and, after drying them in the sun, ate for a considerable time. And many times a countless number of people gathered at the monastery, so that it seemed that the wells were not enough to water such a large number of people, but the never-failing hands of the Nourisher of all - God - completely fed everyone. The monk established many hospice houses and various hospitals, a special one for those in charge and those who grew old in their labors. He visited, in addition, those in the mountains and caves, cared for them and cared for them in his heart, like a father about his children. He provided them with everything they needed for both body and soul, teaching and instructing them and delivering many from satanic deception. Since in the monastery of the saint the brethren were not from the same people and not from the same language, but different, he therefore built other churches in which each people could glorify God in their own language. So, in the great church of the Most Pure Mother of God - the Greeks 452, in another - the Iberians 453, in the third - the Armenians 454 - they sang the church rule in their own languages, seven times a day, according to the Rule of David: Seven times a day, he said, I glorify You (Ps. 119:164); there was a special church for the sick. During the communion of the most pure Mysteries, all the brethren gathered from all the churches into one great church, in which the Greeks sang, and everyone took communion together. All the brothers, children of the reverend father, whom he revived spiritually, raised in fatherly instruction and directed to virtue, numbered six hundred and ninety-three. Many of them were shepherds in other monasteries, having learned good governance from Saint Theodosius, full of spiritual wisdom and reason; he shepherded his flock, not punishing with a rod, but educating with a word - a word dissolved with salt 455, touching the soul, penetrating to the very depths of internal movements; He taught in word and deed, setting an example for his flock. Therefore, even when he gently admonished someone, he was, however, terrible for many, and when he denounced someone, he was kind and courteous. What was surprising about him was that, not having been taught worldly wisdom and not being versed in Greek books, he expounded his teachings with such thoroughness that none of those who had grown old over books and had perfectly studied the art of oratory could compare with him. For he taught not from human wisdom, but from the grace of the Spirit of God, secretly speaking to him, as to another Jeremiah: I have put My words in your mouth (Jer. 1:9). And the blessed one said many more spiritually beneficial things, some from himself, others from the apostolic sayings, paternal testaments and fasting words of Basil the Great, whose life he imitated and whose God-wise writings he especially loved. Of his many great teachings, it is good to remember the following small one: “I beg you, brethren, for the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, let us finally take care of our souls, grieve over the vanity of our past life and be jealous of the future, for the glory of God and His Son; Let us not remain in laziness and real relaxation, spending the present day in despondency and postponing the beginning of good deeds until tomorrow, so that we do not find ourselves before the Judge of our souls without good deeds, do not be expelled from the palace of joy, do not weep idly and hopelessly about the bad time of our lives, weeping when there will be no benefit in repentance: now is the favorable time, now is the day of salvation. The present age is of repentance, and the future is of reward, this is of doing, and that of receiving rewards, this of patience, and that of consolation. Now God is a Helper for those turning from the evil path, and then He will be a terrible Judge of human deeds, words and thoughts, from whom nothing can hide. Now we enjoy His long-suffering, and then we will know His justice, when we rise, some into eternal torment, others into eternal life, and each will receive according to his deeds. How long should we hesitate to obey Christ, who calls us to His Heavenly Kingdom? Isn't it time for us to come to our senses? Isn't it time to turn from the vanity of life to Gospel perfection? How will we look at the terrible and terrible day of the Lord, when those who stand at the right hand 456 of God and those close to Him through good deeds will be accepted by the Kingdom of Heaven, and those on the left 457 rejected for lack of good deeds will be hidden by fiery Gehenna, eternal darkness and gnashing of teeth? We say that we want the Kingdom of Heaven, but we don’t worry about how to get it. Having not bothered at all to fulfill the Lord’s commandment, we hope, in the vanity of our minds, for honor equal to those who fought against sin to death.” By teaching his disciples this way, the monk encouraged them to their final zeal for salvation. Although he was meek in disposition in everything, however, where violence was committed against piety, he was like a scorching fire, or a chopping ax, or an irresistible military weapon. At that time, Anastasius 458 reigned, having inherited the state after Leo the Great 459 and Zeno 460. At first, his reign seemed like a sweet paradise, but later it turned out to be like a field of destruction. He became like those shepherds who waste and destroy their flock and water the sheep with muddy water; for he was seduced into the heresy of Eutyches and the headless Severus 461 and confused the Church of God with it, rejecting the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon of the Holy Fathers, expelling Orthodox bishops from their thrones, and putting heretics in their places, and inducing many of the Orthodox to agree with him - some with threats, others with honors and gifts. He dared to touch with his flattering cunning this unshakable pillar of faith, our venerable father Theodosius. The attempt at seduction consisted in the fact that he sent the monk thirty liters of gold - as if for food and clothing for the poor and for the needs of the sick, but in reality - trying to gain favor with the monk, whom all of Palestine listened to, whose reason and advice it followed. The great father, understanding the king’s cunning, was like an eagle flying in the clouds, inaccessible and unattainable, who could rather catch his catcher himself. He did not refuse the gold he had sent, so as not to appear to be recklessly despising the king’s faith and not to give rise to his anger, so that, in addition, through alms given for this gold, he would seek mercy from God for him to guide him on the true path. But the alms had no success, because the gold was not sent in truth, but with deceit. The king received hope of having a like-minded person in Theodosius, since he accepted the gold; but his hope was in vain. The time came when the king began to demand from the monk, through his messengers, a confession of faith, which he was counting on, namely, in agreement with the teachings of Eutyches and Severus. The monk, having gathered all the hermits, firmly rebelled, as a strong man and leader of the spiritual army, against heretical evil, and answered the king with the following message: "Tsar! When we are faced with one of two things: either to live wickedly, deprived of freedom in following the headless, or to die honestly, following the true dogmas of the holy fathers, then know that we prefer death, for we do not accept new dogmas, but follow the laws of the previously living fathers. And those who, besides this, assert something else, we piously reject and consign to damnation, and we will not accept anyone ordained by the headless under duress. Let this not happen to us, O Christ the King! If anything like this happens, then, calling upon God, now blasphemed by them, as a witness to the truth, we will resist even to death. We will gladly lay down our souls both for the fatherland and for Orthodoxy - even if we see these holy places perishing in fire. For what is the need for just the name - to be called holy places, if in fact this shrine suffers abuse from heretics? We will in no way dare not only to say, but even to think anything that disagrees with the holy Ecumenical Councils. The first of them is decorated with three hundred and eighteen fathers who gathered on Arius 463 and, having anathematized the accursed, cut off the Church from the body; for he alienated the Son from the essence of the Father - by nature and introduced the dogmas of an unjust faith. The second council, at the inspiration of God, gathered in Constantinople in Macedonia, which blasphemed the Holy Spirit. The third majestically came down in Ephesus 464 against the foul-tongued and wicked Nestorius, who blasphemed the flesh of Christ received from the Most Pure Virgin 465 . After this there was a council of six hundred and thirty God-bearing fathers in Chalcedon, who spoke in agreement with the first councils and explained what they said. They cut off the accursed and wicked Eutyches, together with Dioscorus, from the sacred body of the Church, and confirmed the apostolic faith, and excommunicated everyone who thought contrary to it from the Church of Christ. For opposing these councils, may fire be kindled against us, may the sword be sharpened against us, may the cruelest death befall us, and even, if possible, instead of once, may death befall us countless times. We will in no case deviate from true piety and will not dishonor by rejecting what the fathers valiantly accepted. Let their sweat and many deeds, which they accepted as faith, be witnesses of this; but this will be kept firmly and unchangeably both by us and by those who consider it good to follow God and us. Let the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding (cf. Phil. 4:7), be the guardian and mentor of your kingdom.” With this message the monk clearly showed his great zeal for piety. After reading it, the king was ashamed and somewhat humbled, and for a while he stopped the persecution of the Orthodox within his state. He wrote to the monk with humility, blaming others for the church unrest. “Man of God,” he wrote, “we are innocent of this innovation. We boldly call upon the all-seeing eye of God as a testimony—from those this turmoil arises, to whom, much more than others, it would behoove them to honor the dogmas of faith and councils in silence. They each want to appear superior to others in speech and dignity, attack each other and attract us to themselves. Your Reverence is well aware that some of the monks and clergy, who consider themselves right-thinking, caused these temptations, trying, as we said, to show their superiority.” However, the king did not resign himself for long and after some time he again rebelled against Orthodoxy. And again everywhere, even in the holy city of Jerusalem, the king’s decrees were proclaimed, rejecting the holy councils, especially the Council of Chalcedon. Again a spiritual warrior, the Monk Theodosius, although already elderly in years, revealed a youthful feat. When everyone was silent out of fear and very many expressed agreement, the monk came to Jerusalem from his monastery and, standing in the great Jerusalem church on a raised platform from which priests usually offer readings to the people, and making a sign of silence with his hand, he loudly exclaimed: – Who does not honor the four Ecumenical Councils, as well as the four Gospels. Let him be anathema! Having said this, he, like an Angel, struck the people, and none of the opponents dared to object. Then, calling the most zealous of his disciples to the faith, he went with them around the surrounding cities and villages, destroying evil faith and establishing piety. The king, hearing about this, condemned him to exile - the accursed man did not know that death was already at his door. The monk was exiled to prison, and Tsar Anastasius soon lost this temporary life, after which the confessor of Christ Theodosius, along with others who had suffered exile for Orthodoxy, immediately returned to their monastery. Felix, Bishop of ancient Rome 466, also wrote to him, Ephraim, Bishop of Antioch 467, pleasing the blessed one with many praises for the fact that he showed such jealousy - he suffered exile for the true faith and was ready to accept death. But it’s time for us to move on to the legend of the saint’s miracles. At the time when the evil command of King Anastasius was proclaimed in the holy city of Jerusalem, all the fathers from the Palestinian monasteries were gathered for this purpose, and the Monk Theodosius, as we said, came there with his disciples. And this whole council was in a place called Hierathion 468. This place is the seat built by Constantine the Great, where the erection of the Holy Cross of the Lord took place every year. At this time, one woman who had a disease on her chest, which doctors call “cancrum” 469, suffering for a long time and not receiving any relief from the doctors, came there and stood exhausted, near the face of the holy fathers. Approaching one of them (it was the Monk Isidore, who was later abbot of the Suki monastery 470), she told him with tears about her illness and asked: is there the Monk Theodosius in that cathedral, and what does he look like? Isidore pointed to her with the finger of a saint. She, coming up and standing behind her, like a bleeding woman who touched the hem of the Lord's garment (Matthew 9:20-22), secretly touched the monastic robe that the monk was wearing, and immediately received healing. This was not hidden from the monk, who, turning to the woman, said: - Be bold, daughter, for my Master said: “Your faith has saved you” (Matthew 9:22). Blessed Isidore hastily approached the woman, wanting to see the miracle performed, and found that there was not a sign left in the place where the incurable ulcer was. After the death of Tsar Anastasius and upon the return of the venerable father from captivity, Theodosius had the custom of going to Bethlehem to pray. One day, wanting to take a break from work, he turned off the path to the monastery of the Monk Marcian. He, having lovingly received his dear guest, had nothing to treat him with, for at that time he had neither bread nor wheat. When they had been in spiritual conversation with each other for quite a long time and it was time for a meal, Marcian ordered his disciples to boil it and serve it to them. Theodosius, seeing such poverty, ordered his disciples to take out of the bag and offer their bread, taken from home for the road. While they were eating, the Monk Markian said to the Monk Theodosius: “Do not blame us, father, for the fact that we prepared a meager meal, and do not reproach us for not offering bread, for we are very poor and we have no wheat at all.” When he said this, the marvelous Theodosius, looking at Marcian’s beard, saw a grain of wheat falling into it from nowhere. Carefully and quietly removing it with his right hand, he said with a joyful smile on his face: “Here is the wheat.” How can you say that you have no wheat? Blessed Marcian, joyfully taking from Theodosius’s hands the grain taken from his beard, like some fertile seed, ordered it to be taken to the granary, believing that, with the blessing of Saint Theodosius, it would easily bear fruit greater than on a cultivated field, which is what happened. After Theodosius left, when the disciples wanted to open the doors of the granary in the morning, they saw that it was full of wheat, so that even the doors did not open. Marcian sent to the Monk Theodosius with news of the miracle that had taken place and with gratitude for the multiplication of wheat. “It was not I, but you, father, who multiplied the wheat, for the grain was taken from your beard.” One famous woman from Alexandria 471 came to the monastery of the Monk Theodosius with her son, a little youth, who, seeing the holy father from afar and pointing his finger at him, exclaimed to his mother: “That’s who saved me from drowning in the well, holding my hand so that I wouldn’t drown in the water.” The mother, falling at the feet of the monk, said the following: “This boy,” she said, “playing with his peers, carelessly fell into a deep well, and we thought that he crashed there and drowned.” Weeping over him as if he were already dead, we lowered one person into the well to remove the boy’s corpse from the water, but found the child alive on the surface of the water. When we were amazed and asked how he did not drown in the water, he told us: “Some elderly monk appeared, took me by the hand and held me on the water.” From that time on, having taken the boy, I go around cities and villages, mountains and deserts, until I find this father. And so I found your reverence, and my child, who you saved from drowning, recognized you. Another woman suffered greatly during the birth of her children; she gave birth to stillborn children, and each time with very severe suffering. She was both prolific and childless: prolific because she gave birth often, childless because children were stillborn. With tears, she asked the Monk Theodosius to pray for her, so that she would not give birth to more dead children and so that her cruel suffering would be alleviated. She also asked that when she gave birth to a boy, he would be allowed to call him by her name - Theodosius. “If you allow me,” she said, “to name the one who will be born of me by your name, then I hope that the child will live.” The monk agreed to her request, fervently prayed to God for her, and when the time came for the woman to give birth, she did not have the same suffering, she gave birth more easily, and the child turned out to be alive, male, and was named after the monk. When he finished breastfeeding and he grew up somewhat, he was brought to the monastery to the venerable father and dedicated to monastic service to God. Also, another woman from Bethlehem, grieving for her dying children, when she named the newborn after the monk, saved his life through this; he grew up healthy and was a skilled husband, for he became an excellent architect. One day caterpillars and locusts were wreaking havoc in Palestine. The monk was already quite old at that time and could not walk. However, he ordered the disciples to behave in the field where destruction threatened the fruits of the earth, and there he stopped the locusts and caterpillars, saying: – The Lord, common to us all, commands you not to destroy human labors and not to eat the food of the poor. And immediately the locusts scattered like a cloud, and the caterpillars died. One day the brethren were in dire need of clothing and did not have anything to cover their nakedness. Coming to the monk, they pestered him with requests. He, not having the means to buy clothes, could only sympathize with them, however, in the words of the Lord’s promise, he told them: – “Do not worry about tomorrow: seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all this will be added to you; for your Father knows what you need before you ask” (Matthew 6:34, 33, 8). While the saint was comforting the brethren in this way, one man came, who was not known to anyone and did not tell about himself, who he was and where he was from. He gave the monk one hundred gold coins for the monastic needs and left. The monk, having given thanks to God for His providence, gave this gold to buy clothes for the brethren, and everyone was provided with them for a long time. Julian, the shepherd of the Bostra 472 church, who studied reading books with the monk in his early youth, reported the following about him: “One day,” he said, “we came with the reverend father to Bostra, and one woman, known for special malice, met us, looked with anger at the reverend father and called him a flatterer and a liar, and immediately she suffered punishment from God: she suddenly fell and died. “It happened to us,” he says, “to walk past a monastery in which there were monks who adhered to the heresy of the North. Seeing us, they began to strike the church bell 473 for the meeting of the brethren before the usual time of singing. The monk, realizing that they were plotting some kind of intrigues against us, flared up with righteous anger and prophetically said the word of the Lord: - “No stone will be left unturned here; everything will be destroyed" (Matthew 24:2). These words did not take long to come true: after a little time, the Hagarians 474 attacked that monastery at night; having robbed everything that was in it and taking all the monks captive, they set fire to the monastery and, according to the saint’s prediction, destroyed that place. The commander of the Greek army, called the Eastern Comite, named Cyricus, brave in battles, but reverent of God, going on a campaign against the Persians 475, first came to Jerusalem to worship the holy places and acquire God's help against the enemies. He also came to the monastery of Theodosius, because the fame of the holiness of the reverend father spread everywhere and attracted everyone to him. Talking with the saint, he received great benefit from him: he heard from him that one must rely not on one’s bow, not on many troops, but to know one Helper - God and trust in His invincible power, for it is easy for Him to do that one will drive a thousand, and two will put to flight many thousands of enemies. Through such teaching and conversation, this committee felt great love for the saint and begged from him the hair shirt that the saint wore, so that it would be his shield in battle. When the Greek army met the Persians and entered into a fierce battle, the Comite, dressed in the hair shirt of St. Theodosius, as if in armor, remained unharmed by arrows, spears and swords and showed great courage. Returning at the end of the war, he again came to the monk and declared: “I saw in battle,” he said, “you yourself, father, helping me and making me terrible for enemies, until we defeated the Persian force.” The Monk Theodosius the Great appeared not only to this committee when he was far away, but he also appeared to many others in many places, bringing first aid: he appeared, delivering them from troubles, sometimes to those perishing on ships amidst disturbances and storms, sometimes to those wandering in the desert, sometimes to those who fell into the mouths of wild animals: some in a dream, others in reality. He was an ambulance not only for people, but also for dumb animals. One wanderer was walking leading a donkey. The lion he met on the way, not paying attention to the man, rushed at the donkey to tear it to pieces and devour it. In awe, the man loudly called on the name of the monk, saying: - Man of God Theodosius, help me! And immediately the lion, hearing the name of the saint, turned back and ran into the desert. Let us remember something related to the monk’s foresight. Once, shortly before his death, he ordered the beater to be struck so that the brethren would gather. When everyone arrived, he sighed, shed tears and said: “We need to pray, fathers and brothers, we need to pray, for I see the wrath of God that is already approaching the eastern country.” After this, after six or seven days, they heard that a great earthquake had destroyed Antioch and - at the very time when the monk, seeing the wrath of the Lord, ordered the brothers to pray. After this, our reverend father Theodosius, approaching his blessed death, lay on his sick bed for a whole year. There was constant prayer on his lips, so that when he even fell asleep, his lips moved and uttered those psalms and prayers to which he was accustomed. And when the saint awakened, there was a psalm in his mouth, so that David’s saying came true: “I have a song for Him by night” (Ps 41:9). He often taught virtue to the brethren. And three days before his death, he called his three beloved bishops and, announcing to them about his departure to God, he gave his last kiss to those crying and weeping about separation from him. On the third day after this, in the midst of prayer to God, he surrendered his spirit to Him, having lived only one hundred and five years. God honored his repose with the following miracle; one husband, named Stephen, originally from Alexandria, was possessed by a demon for a long time. After the repose of the saint, he, touching his bed, freed himself from his tormentor and recovered. Immediately everywhere they learned about the death of the saint, and many people and monks from monasteries gathered from all cities; The High Hierarch Peter of Jerusalem came with the bishops, and with honor they buried the holy body of our father Theodosius in the cave in which he originally lived, to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen. Planted in the courts of your Lord, you have flourished redly by your venerable virtues, and you have multiplied your children in the desert, watered by clouds of your tears, leader of the flock of God's Divine courts. We also call: Rejoice, Father Theodosius. Cappadocia is a region in the east of Asia Minor. In 11 A.D. it was converted into a Roman province under the Emperor Tiberius. Marcian was a Byzantine emperor who reigned from 450 to 457. Main city of the Roman province of Bithynia; was located on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus, opposite Byzantium. Eutyches, condemned by the IV Ecumenical Council, taught that Jesus Christ had one nature - Divine, while St. The Church has always recognized and recognizes in Jesus Christ two unfused and inseparable natures - Divine and human. Dioscorus is the Patriarch of Alexandria (in Egypt), a follower of the teachings of Eutyches, which he tried to approve at the council of 449. Here of course Syrian Antioch, called Great, a city near the river. Oronte, founded by Seleucus Nicator and named by him after his father Antiochus. Kings from the Seleucid family constantly lived in it, and during the time of the Roman emperors it was even the capital of the East. In Antioch, the disciples of Jesus Christ for the first time began to be called by the name of Christians. The mental wolf here refers to the devil and each of his servants who seduce into evil and wickedness. The figure of speech throughout this expression is taken from John 10:12. Memory of Rev. Longina (in the Greek Church) is celebrated on November 17 and on Cheese Saturday. An ancient tower in the Jerusalem Fortress, at the Jaffa Gate. In Greek: Kathisma, or Kathismat Church; it was located halfway between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Lavra - (from the Greek part of the city, alley) a series of cells located in a fence around the abbot’s home in the form of alleys in the city. Since ancient times, the name Lavra has been applied to populous and important monasteries. It first appeared in Egypt and then in Palestine. A decoction of grains or peas, beans, vegetables. Here, of course, mainly manna, the wonderful food with which the Lord fed the Jewish people during their wanderings in the desert, on the way to the Promised Land (Ex. 16). Of course, the miraculous feeding of Jesus Christ with five loaves of more than five thousand people (Matthew 14:15–21) and with seven loaves of more than four thousand people (Matthew 15:32–38). This was the name of a part of the desert on the western shore of the Dead Sea, which is called here the Resin Sea or the Asphalt Sea. The Greeks are a people who, from time immemorial, occupied most of the present Balkan Peninsula and nearby islands; in Christian times they have always lived and live in significant numbers in the Holy Land. Iberians, i.e. originally from Iberia, present-day Georgia. The Armenians lived next to the Holy Land. Armenia proper was bordered in the north by Colchis, Iberia and Alabania, in the west by Asia Minor, in the south by Mesopotamia, and in the southeast and east by Media and Syria. Those. reasonable speech, full of edification (Col. 4:6). Those. on the right side (Matthew 25:34). Those. on the left side (Matthew 25:41). Anastasius I, Dikor, or Thracian, reigned from 491 to 518. Reigned from 457 to 474. Reigned from 474 to 491. The Headless (in Greek: acephali) are heretics of the 6th century, followers of the North of Alexandria. They did not allow bishops, priests, or sacraments and represented an extreme party of Monophysites. Liter – pound, a unit of weight equal to 72 spools; in silver it cost up to 42 rubles, in gold up to 506 rubles. The first (Nicene) Ecumenical Council took place in 325. Ephesus is the famous city of Lydia (in the western part of Asia Minor), considered the capital of all Asia Minor. For a long time it was the seat of St. Apostle John the Theologian. The Third Ecumenical Council was held here in 431. Nestorius, who was Archbishop of Constantinople (from 428 to 431), following Diodorus, Bishop of Tarsus, and Theodore, Bishop of Mopsuet, distorted the Orthodox teaching about the image of the union of two natures in Jesus Christ. He taught that it was not the God-man, but a man, who was born from the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was as if he was born naturally and, moreover, was no stranger to passions and shortcomings. The deity, according to this teaching, united with the man Jesus as if only later, when he was finally established in goodness. The Roman Bishop Felix ruled the Roman Church from 526 to 530. St. Ephraim occupied the See of Antioch from 528 to 545. This name was given to a special chapel in the so-called Martyrium, built by Constantine the Great. The Life-Giving Cross was there at the end of the 4th century, and it was erected annually, during Holy Week itself, mainly on Good Friday. This chapel was constantly locked, and the key to it was kept by a special presbyter called stavrophylax (guardian of the cross). Here, probably, we need to understand an incurable disease, now called cancer, i.e. Cancer. One of the most famous Palestinian laurels, founded by Ven. Chariton (his memory is celebrated on September 28), south of Bethlehem. Several cities with this name were known in ancient times. Here we need to mean Alexandria, the capital of Egypt, on the Mediterranean Sea. This city was famous for its learning and wealth; it was founded in 332 BC by Alexander the Great. Vostra or Bostra is a city in the Holy Land, in ancient times one of the Levitical cities in the half-tribe of Manasseh, beyond the Jordan. Bilo, from the word “beat,” is a wooden or metal board that was struck to convene believers to public worship. In our country, beaters have been replaced by bells, but in Greece they are still used. Those. Arabs. Descended from Ishmael, son of Abraham and Hagar. Their country bordered on Susiana in the west, Media and Parthia in the north, Carmelia in the east, and the Persian Gulf in the south. Previously, the Persians depended on the Medes, Greeks, and Parthians, but from 226 AD they became independent and often waged wars with the Roman Empire. You might be interested in: