Житие преподобного отца нашего Онуфрия Великого

The Monk Paphnutius 3857, who labored in one of the desert-dwelling Egyptian monasteries, left us a story about how he found the Monk Onuphrius the Great in the desert, as well as other hermits. He begins his story like this: One day, when I was silent in my monastery, a desire came to me to go into the inner desert 3858 to see if there was a monk there who worked for the Lord more than me? Getting up, I took some bread and water with me and set off; I left my monastery, without saying anything to anyone, and headed into the innermost desert. I walked for four days, without eating either bread or water, and reached a certain cave, closed on all sides and having only one small window. I stood at the window for an hour, hoping that, according to monastic custom, someone would come out of the cave to me and greet me about Christ; but since no one said anything to me or opened the doors, I opened the doors myself, entered and expressed the blessing. In the cave I saw a certain old man sitting and seemingly sleeping. I again expressed my blessing to him and touched his shoulder, intending to wake him up, but his body was like the dust of the earth; touching him with my hands, I was convinced that he had died many years ago. Seeing the clothes hanging on the wall, I touched them; and she was like dust in my hand. Then I took off my mantle and covered the body of the deceased with it, then, digging a hole in the sandy ground with my hands, I buried the body of the ascetic with the usual psalmody, prayer and tears. Then, having tasted some bread and drunk water; I reinforced my strength and spent the night at the grave of that old man. The next day in the morning, having said a prayer, I set off on a further journey to the interior deserts; walking for several days, I came across another cave; Having heard human screams near it, I thought that someone probably lived in that cave; I knocked on the door; but, having received no answer, he entered the cave; Not finding anyone here, I went outside, thinking to myself that one of God’s servants, who had gone into the desert at that time, probably lived here. I decided to wait in this place for that servant of God, because I wanted to see him and greet him in the Lord; and stayed in anticipation all day, all the time singing the psalms of David. That place seemed very beautiful to me: a date palm with fruits grew here, a small source of water flowed; I was very amazed at the beauty of that place and wanted to live in that place myself, if it were possible for me. When the day began to turn towards evening, I saw a herd of buffaloes walking towards me; I also saw the servant of God walking among the animals (that was Timothy the hermit 3859). When the herd approached me, I saw a man without clothes, covering the nakedness of his body with only his hair. Approaching the place where I stood and looking at me, the man mistook me for a spirit and a ghost, and began to pray, for many unclean spirits tempted him with ghosts on the spot, as he himself later told me about it. “Why are you afraid, servant of Jesus Christ our God?” Look at me and at the marks of my feet, and know that I am the same person as you; make sure by touch that I am flesh and blood. Looking at me and making sure that I was really a man, he was comforted and, thanking God, said: Then he came up to me, kissed me, led me into his cave and offered me date vegetables to eat; He gave me clean water from the spring, and he himself tasted it for me; then he asked me, saying: - How did you come here, brother? I, revealing my thoughts and intentions to him, answered: “Wanting to see the servants of Christ laboring in this desert, I left my monastery and came here; and God did not deprive me of the fulfillment of my intention, for he made me worthy to see your holiness. - How did you come here, father? How many years have you labored in this desert, what do you eat, and why do you walk naked and wear nothing? Then he told me the following about himself: “At first I lived in one of the Thebaid cenobias 3860, spending my monastic life and diligently serving God. I was engaged in weaving. But the following thought appeared in me: get out of the cinema and live alone, work, strive, in order to receive a greater reward from God, for you can not only feed yourself from the fruit of your hands, but also feed the poor and give rest to wandering brothers. Having listened to my thoughts with love, I left the brotherhood, built myself a cell near the city and practiced my handicraft; everything was enough for me, for with the labor of my hands I collected everything I needed for myself; Many came to me, demanding the products of my hands and bringing everything they needed; I gave shelter to strangers, and distributed what was abundant to the poor and needy. But the enemy of our salvation, the devil, who is always at war with everyone, was jealous of my life; Wanting to destroy all my labors, he inspired a certain woman to come to me for the sake of my needlework and ask me to prepare the canvas; Having cooked it, I gave it to her. Then she asked me to prepare more canvases for her; and a conversation happened between us, boldness appeared; having conceived sin, we gave birth to iniquity; and I stayed with her for six months, sinning all the time. But, finally, I thought to myself that today or tomorrow death would overtake me and I would suffer forever. And I said to myself: “Woe is me, my soul! It’s better for you to run away from here in order to be saved from sin and at the same time from eternal torment!” “Therefore, leaving everything, I secretly fled from there and came to this desert, having reached this place, I found this cave, a spring and a date palm that had twelve branches; Every month one of the branches gives birth to such an amount of fruit, which is quite enough to feed me for thirty days. When the month ends and at the same time the fruits on one branch, then another branch ripens. So, I feed on the grace of God, and have nothing else in my cave. And my clothes from a long time, having become worn out, were destroyed, after many years (for I have been asceticizing in this desert for thirty years) hair grew on me, as you see; they replace clothing for me, covering my nakedness.” After hearing all this from the ascetic (narrated by Paphnutius), I asked him: - Father! At the beginning of your exploits in this place, did you experience any obstacles or not? “I have suffered countless attacks from demons. Many times they entered into a fight with me, but could not defeat me, for the grace of God helped me; I resisted them with the sign of the cross and prayer. In addition to enemy attacks, my exploits were also hampered by physical illness; for I suffered greatly with my stomach, so that I fell to the ground in great pain; I could not say my usual prayers, but, lying in my cave and rolling on the ground, I chanted with great effort, and had absolutely no strength to leave the cave. I prayed to the merciful God that He would give me forgiveness of my sins for the sake of my illness. One day, when I was sitting on the ground and was seriously suffering from my stomach, I saw an honest man standing in front of me and saying to me: I could hardly answer him: - I suffer, sir, from my stomach. I showed him. Then he stretched out his hand and placed his palm on the sore spot; I immediately recovered. He told me: “Now you are healthy, do not sin, lest it be worse for you, but work for the Lord and your God from now to eternity.” Since that time I have not been sick, by the grace of God, glorifying and praising His mercy. In such a conversation (says Paphnutius) I spent almost the whole night with that reverend father: in the morning I got up for the usual prayer. When the day came, I began earnestly to ask that reverend father to allow me to live either near him or somewhere separately near him. He told me: “You, brother, will not endure the demonic misfortunes here.” For this reason, he did not allow me to stay with him. I asked him to also tell me his name. And he said: “My name is Timothy. Remember me, beloved brother, and pray to Christ God for me, that He may show me to the end His mercy, which He vouchsafes to me.” I, says Paphnutius, fell at his feet, asking him to pray for me. He said to me: “Our Lord Jesus Christ, may he bless you, may he preserve you from every temptation of the enemy, and may he guide you on the right path, so that you may achieve holiness without hindrance.” Having blessed me, St. Timothy sent me away in peace. I took date vegetables from his hands for my journey, drew water from the source into my vessel, then, bowing to the holy elder, I left him, glorifying and thanking God for having vouchsafed me to see such a saint of His, to hear his words and to receive a blessing from him. On my way back from there, a few days later, I came to a deserted monastery and stopped there to rest and stay for a while. With sorrow I thought to myself what my life would be like? What are my exploits? My life could not even be called a shadow compared to the life and exploits of this great saint of God, whom I just saw. I spent many days in such reflections, wanting to imitate that righteous man in pleasing God. By the mercy of God, which prompted me to take care of my soul, I was not lazy again to go into the inner desert along an impassable path - that road where the barbarian people called the Maziks lived. I really wanted to know if there was another such hermit who served the Lord? I really wanted to find him in order to receive benefit from him for my soul. Setting out on the desert journey I was taking, I took with me some bread and water, which was enough for a short time. When the bread and water were destroyed by me, I grieved, for I had no food, however, I strengthened myself and walked for four more days and four nights without food or drink, so that I was very weak in body; I fell to the ground and began to expect death. Then I saw a holy, beautiful and radiant man come up to me; placing his hand on my mouth, he became invisible. Immediately I felt so strong that I didn’t want to eat or drink. Rising, I again went into the inner desert and passed four more days and four nights without food or drink; but soon he again began to be exhausted from hunger and thirst. Raising my hands to the sky, I prayed to the Lord, and again I saw the same man who came up to me, touched my lips with his hand and became invisible. From this I received new strength and set out on the road. On the seventeenth day of my journey I came to a certain high mountain; Having become tired from the journey, I sat down at the foot of the mountain to rest a little. At this time I saw a husband approaching me, very scary-looking; he was covered all over with hair, like an animal, and his hair was white as snow, for he was gray from old age. The hair of his head and beard were very long, reaching even to the ground and covering his entire body like some kind of clothing, while his thighs were girded with leaves of desert plants. When I saw this man approaching me, I became afraid and ran to the rock that was at the top of the mountain. Having reached the foot of the mountain, he sat down in the shade, intending to rest, for he was very tired from the heat, as well as from old age. Looking at the mountain, he saw me and, turning to me, said: “Come to me, man of God! I am a human being just like you; I live in this desert, struggling for God’s sake.” I (says Paphnutius) hearing this, hastened to him and fell at his feet. He told me: “Rise up, my son! After all, you are also a servant of God and a friend of His saints; your name is Paphnutius.” I got up. Then he ordered me to sit down, and I sat down next to him joyfully. I began to earnestly ask him to tell me his name and describe to me his life, how he labors in the desert and how long he has lived here. Yielding to my persistent requests, he began his story about himself like this: “My name is Onuphry; I have lived in this desert for sixty years, wandering through the mountains; I haven’t seen a single person, now I see only you. Previously, I lived in one honest monastery called Eriti 3861 and located near the city of Hermopolis, in the Thebaid region. One hundred brethren live in that monastery; they all live in complete unanimity with each other, leading a common harmonious life in love for our Lord Jesus Christ. They share food and clothing; they spend a silent fasting life in peace, praising the mercy of the Lord. In the days of my childhood, as a novice, I was taught there by the holy fathers in zealous faith and love for the Lord, and also learned the rules of monastic life. I heard how they talked about the holy prophet of God Elijah, namely, that he, strengthened by God, lived, fasting, in the desert, and also heard about the holy Forerunner of the Lord John, to whom no man was ever like (Matthew 11:11), regarding his life in the desert, until the day of his appearance to Israel. Hearing all this, I asked the holy fathers: “What does it mean that those who struggle in the desert are greater than you in the eyes of God?” They answered me: “Yes, child, they are bigger than us; for we see each other daily, we perform church singing together with joy; if we want to eat, then we have ready-made bread, in the same way, if we want to drink, we have ready-made water; If one of us happens to get sick, then he receives consolation from the brethren, for we live together, help each other and serve for the sake of God’s love; those living in the desert are deprived of all this. If any trouble happens to any of the desert dwellers, who will console him in illness, who will help him and serve him if the power of Satan attacks him, where will he find a person who will encourage his mind and give him instruction, since he is alone? If he does not have food, where will he get it without difficulty? in the same way, even if he gets thirsty, he will not find water nearby. There, child, there is incomparably more work than for us who live together; those who undertake a desert life begin to serve God with greater zeal, impose stricter fasts on themselves, expose themselves to hunger, thirst, and midday heat; they generously endure the cold of the night, firmly resist the machinations inflicted by the invisible enemy, try in every possible way to defeat him, and diligently try to walk the narrow and regrettable path leading to the Kingdom of Heaven. For this reason, God sends holy Angels to them, who bring them food, bring water out of the stone and strengthen them so much that the words of the prophet Isaiah come true regarding them, saying: “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength: they will mount with wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not become weary” (Is. 40:31). Even if one of them is not worthy of seeing the Angel, then in any case he is not deprived of the invisible presence of the Angels of God, who protect such a hermit in all his ways, protect him from the slander of the enemy, promote him in his good deeds and bring the hermit’s prayers to God. If any unexpected attack from the enemy happens to any of the hermits, then he raises his hands to God, and immediately help is sent down to him from above and all misfortunes are driven away for the sake of the purity of his heart. Have you not heard, child, what is said in Scripture that God does not neglect those who seek Him, for the poor will not be forgotten forever, and the hope of the poor will not completely perish (Ps. 9:19). And again: But they cried out to the Lord in their sorrow, and He delivered them from their troubles (Ps. 106:6): for the Lord rewards everyone according to the work that someone takes upon themselves. Blessed is the man who does the will of the Lord on earth and works diligently for Him: Angels serve him, at least invisibly: they rejoice his heart with spiritual joy and strengthen that man every hour while he is in the flesh.” I, the humble Onuphrius, heard all this in my monastery from the holy fathers, and from these words my heart was delighted, for these words were more pleasant to me than honey, and it seemed to me that I was as if in some other world; for an irresistible desire appeared in me to go into the desert. Getting up at night and taking some bread, so that it would barely have been enough for four days, I left the monastery, placing all my hopes on God; I took the road leading to the mountain, intending to go from here to the desert. As soon as I began to enter the desert, I saw a brightly shining ray of light in front of me. Very frightened, I stopped and began to think about returning to the monastery. Meanwhile, a ray of light was approaching me, and I heard a voice from it saying: “Don’t be afraid! I am an Angel who has walked with you since the day you were born, for I was assigned to you by God to keep you; I was commanded by the Lord to lead you into this desert. Be perfect and humble in heart before the Lord, serve Him with joy, but I will not leave you until the Creator commands me to take your soul.” Having said this from a bright beam, the Angel walked ahead of me, and I followed him with joy. Having walked about six or seven milliary 3862, I saw a fairly spacious cave; at that time the ray of angelic light disappeared from my eyes. Approaching the cave, I wanted to know if there was any person there. Approaching the doors, I, according to monastic custom, called out: “Bless!” And I saw an old man, looking honest and handsome; God's grace and spiritual joy shone on his face and in his eyes. Seeing this old man, I fell at his feet and bowed to him. He, raising me with his hand, kissed me and said: “Are you, brother Onuphry, my companion in the Lord? Come, child, into my home. May God be your helper; abide in your calling, doing good deeds in the fear of God.” Entering the cave, I sat down and stayed with him for many days; I tried to learn his virtues from him, which I succeeded in doing, for he taught me the rules of hermit life. When the elder saw that my spirit was already so enlightened that I understood what deeds should be that were pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ; Seeing also that I had strengthened myself for a fearless fight against the secret enemies and monsters that the desert has, the elder said to me: “Rise up, child; I will lead you to another cave, located in the inner desert, live in it alone and strive for the Lord; for this is why the Lord sent you here - so that you would be an inhabitant of the inner desert.” Having said this, he took me and led me into the innermost desert: we walked for four days and four nights. Finally, on the fifth day, they found a small cave. That holy man then told me: “This is the very place that God has prepared for your exploits.” And the elder stayed with me for thirty days, teaching me good deeds; after thirty days, entrusting me to God, he went back to the place of his exploits. From then on he came to see me once a year; he visited me every year until his repose to the Lord; in the last year he reposed in the Lord, visiting me according to his custom; I cried a lot and buried his body near my home. Then I, the humble Paphnutius, asked him: “Honest Father! Did you undertake many labors at the beginning of your arrival in the desert? The blessed elder answered me: “Have faith in me, my beloved brother, that I have undertaken such hard work that I have already despaired many times in my life, considering myself close to death: for I was exhausted from hunger and thirst; from the very beginning of my arrival in the desert, I had nothing to eat or drink, except by chance I found a desert potion, which was my food; My thirst was cooled only by the dew of heaven; The heat of the sun burned me during the day, but at night I was freezing from the cold: my body was covered with raindrops from the dew of heaven; What else have I not endured, what labors and feats have I not undertaken in this impassable desert? It is impossible to retell all the labors and exploits, and it is inconvenient to announce what a person must do in private for the love of God. The good God, seeing that I devoted myself entirely to fasting, dooming myself to hunger and thirst, ordered His Angel to take care of me and bring me a little bread and water every day to strengthen my body. Thus I was nourished by the Angel for thirty years. After thirty years, God gave me more abundant food, for near my cave I found a date palm tree that had twelve branches; Each branch, separately from the others, bore its fruit, one in one month, another in another, until all twelve months were over. When one month ends, the fruits on one branch also end; when another month comes, fruits on another branch begin to grow. Moreover, by the command of God, a source of living water flowed near me. And now for the next thirty years I have been laboring with such wealth, sometimes receiving bread from the Angel, sometimes eating date fruits with desert roots, which, according to God’s dispensation, seem to me sweeter than honey; I drink water from this source, thanking God; and most of all, I am fed and given sweet drink by the words of God, as it is written: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Brother Paphnutius! If you do the will of God with all your zeal, then you will receive from God everything you need; for the Holy Gospel says: “Therefore, do not worry and say, “What shall we eat?” Or drink? Or what to wear? Because the pagans are looking for all this, and because your Heavenly Father knows that you need all this. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:31-33). When Onuphrius said all this, I (narrates Paphnutius) was very amazed at his wonderful life. Then he asked him again: “Father, how do you partake of the most pure Mysteries of Christ on Saturday and Sunday? He answered me: “An Angel of the Lord comes to me, who brings with him the most pure Mysteries of Christ and gives me communion. And not only does the Angel come to me alone with the Divine Communion, but also to other desert ascetics who live for God in the desert and do not see the face of man; giving communion, he fills their hearts with indescribable joy. If any of these hermits wishes to see a person, then an Angel takes him and raises him to heaven, so that he sees the saints and rejoices, and the soul of such a hermit is enlightened, like light, and rejoices in spirit, being worthy to see the blessings of heaven; and then the hermit forgets about all his labors undertaken in the desert. When the ascetic returns to his place, he begins to serve the Lord even more diligently, hoping to receive in heaven what he was honored to see.” Onuphrius (says Paphnutius) talked to me about all this at the foot of the mountain where we met. I was filled with great joy from such a conversation with the monk and also forgot all the labors of my journey, associated with hunger and thirst. Strengthened in spirit and body, I said: “Blessed is the man who is worthy to see you, holy father, and to hear your beautiful and sweetest words!” He said to me: “Let us arise, brother, and let us go to my dwelling.” I (says Paphnutius) never ceased to marvel at the grace of the venerable elder; Having walked two or three milliaries, we came to the honest cave of the saint. Near that cave there grew a rather large date palm tree and a small spring of living water flowed. Stopping near the cave, the monk prayed. Having finished the prayer he said: “Amen.” Then he sat down and invited me to sit next to him. And we talked, telling each other about the mercies of God. When the day began to decline towards evening and the sun was already turning to the west, I saw clean bread lying between us and prepared water. And that blessed man said to me: “Brother, taste the bread that lies before you and drink the water to strengthen yourself; for I see that you are exhausted from hunger and thirst and from the labors of the journey.” I answered him: “As my Lord lives! I will not eat or drink alone, but only with you.” The elder did not agree to taste; I begged him for a long time and could hardly beg him to fulfill my request; stretching out our hands, we took the bread, broke it and tasted it; we were full, there was even a surplus of bread left; then we drank the water and thanked God; and spent the whole night in prayer to God. When the day came, I noticed that the saint’s face had changed after the morning singing of prayer, and I was very afraid of this. He, realizing this, said to me: “Do not be afraid, brother Paphnutius, for God, merciful to everyone, sent you to me so that you would bury my body; “Today I will end my temporary life and depart to endless life in eternal peace to my Christ.” It was then the twelfth day of the month of June; and the Monk Onuphrius bequeathed it to me, Paphnutius, saying: “Beloved brother! When you return to Egypt, remind all the brothers and all Christians of me.” I (says Paphnutius) said to him: “Father! After your departure, I would like to remain here in your place.” But the monk told me: “Child! You were sent by God to this desert not in order to struggle in it, but in order to see the servants of God, to return back and tell the brethren about the virtuous life of the desert dwellers, for the sake of their spiritual benefit and for the glory of Christ our God. Go, child, to Egypt, to your monastery, as well as to other monasteries, and tell about everything that you saw and heard in the desert; also tell us about what else you will see and hear; strive yourself in good works, serving the Lord.” When the monk said this, I fell at his feet with the words: “Bless me, most honorable father, and pray for me, so that I may find mercy before God: pray for me, so that my Savior will make me worthy to see you in the next century, just as he made me worthy to see you in this life.” The Monk Onuphry, lifting me from the ground, said to me: “Child Paphnutius! May your request not be neglected by God, but may God fulfill it; may God bless you and confirm you in His love and enlighten your intelligent eyes to the vision of God; may he deliver you from all misfortune and the snares of the enemy, and may he continue the good work you have begun; May His Angels protect you in all your ways (Ps. 90:11), may they protect you from invisible enemies, so that these latter will not be able to slander you before God in the hour of terrible trial.” After this, the reverend father gave me the last kiss in the Lord; then he began to pray to the Lord with tears and heartfelt sighing. Having knelt down and prayed for quite a long time, he lay down on the ground and uttered his last word: “Into Your hands, my God, I commend my spirit!” While he was saying this, a wondrous light shone from the sky, and in the radiance of this light the monk, having a joyful face, gave up his spirit 3863. And immediately the voice of Angels was heard in the air, singing and blessing God; for the holy angels, having taken the soul of the saint, lifted it up with joy to the Lord. I (Paphnutius narrates) began to cry and sob over his honest body, lamenting that I had so unexpectedly lost the one whom I had so recently found. Then, taking off my clothes, I tore off the bottom hem and covered the saint’s body with it, while I put on the top one again, so that I could return to the brethren not naked. I found a large stone, in which, according to God’s dispensation, a recess was made like a coffin; I placed the holy body of the great saint of God in this stone with psalmody singing appropriate for this occasion. Then, having collected many small stones, he covered the saint’s body with them. After everything, I began to pray to God, asking Him to allow me to dwell in that place; I was about to enter the cave, but immediately before my eyes the cave collapsed, the date palm tree that fed the saint was uprooted from its root and the source of living water dried up; Having seen all this, I realized that God was not pleased that I should live here. Intending to leave there, I ate the bread left over from the day before, and also drank the water that was in the vessel; then, raising his hands to heaven and raising his eyes to heaven, he began to pray again. Then I saw the same man whom I had seen before while traveling through the desert; it was the same man who, having strengthened me, walked ahead of me. Leaving that place, I was greatly grieved in soul, regretting that I was not privileged to see the Monk Onuphrius alive for a longer time. But then I rejoiced in my soul, reflecting that I was honored to enjoy his holy conversation and receive a blessing from his lips; and so I walked, praising God. After walking for four days, I approached a certain cell that stood high on a mountain that had a cave; entering it, I found no one; After sitting for a while, I began to think to myself: “Does anyone live in this cell to which God led me?” While I was thinking this way, a holy man, white with gray hair, entered; his appearance was wonderful and radiant; he was dressed in clothes woven from willow branches. Seeing me, he said: “Is it you, brother Paphnutius, who buried the body of St. Onuphrius?” I, realizing that he had a revelation from God about me, fell at his feet. He, consoling me, said: “Get up, brother! God has made you worthy to be a friend of His saints; for I know, by the providence of God, that you had to come to me. I will reveal to you, beloved brother, about myself that I spent sixty years in this desert and never during this time saw a person who would come to me, except for the brethren who live here with me.” While we were talking with each other, three other elders, similar to the saint, entered. And immediately they said to me: “Bless, brother! You are brother Paphnutius, our co-worker in the Lord. You gave burial to the body of Saint Onuphrius. Rejoice, brother, that you have been worthy to see the great grace of God. The Lord told us about you that you would come to us today. The Lord commanded you to stay with us for one day. Now we have been in this desert for sixty years, each of us living separately; On Saturday we will gather here for Sunday. We have not seen a person, only now we see only you.” After we talked about the Reverend Father Onuphrius and the other saints, two hours later those elders said to me: “Take, brother, some bread and strengthen yourself, for you have come from afar; It is fitting for us to rejoice with you.” Getting up, we offered a unanimous prayer to God and saw in front of us five clean loaves, very tasty, soft, warm, as if they had just been baked. Then those elders brought some of the fruits of the earth. We sat down together and began to eat the bread. And the elders said to me: “Here, as we told you, we have been in this desert for sixty years, and always, by the command of God, only four loaves of bread were brought to us; Now, on the occasion of your arrival, the fifth loaf was sent to us. We don’t know where these loaves come from, but each of us, entering our cave, finds one loaf of bread in it every day. When we gather here on the eve of Sunday, we find here four loaves, one for each.” After eating that meal, we stood up and thanked the Lord. Meanwhile, the day was approaching evening; night was soon to fall; Having gone to prayer on Saturday evening, we stayed all night without sleep, praying until Sunday morning. When morning came, I began to earnestly ask those fathers to allow me to stay with them until my death. But they told me: “It is not the will of God for you to remain in this desert with us; you need to go to Egypt so that you can tell the Christ-loving brethren about everything that you have seen as a memorial for us and for the benefit of those listening.” When they said this, I earnestly began to ask them to reveal their names to me. But they did not want to tell them to me. For a long time I begged them with great zeal, but I was not at all successful in my request: they only told me: “God, who knows everything, also knows our names. Remember us, so that we may be worthy to see each other in the mountain villages of God. Try in every possible way, beloved, to avoid the temptations and temptations of the world, so that you will not be defeated by them; for they have drawn many into destruction.” Having heard these words from those reverend fathers, I fell at their feet and, having received a blessing from them, set off on my journey with the peace of God. Those fathers predicted to me some events that actually happened. Coming out from there, I walked towards the inner desert for one day; Having reached a certain cave, near which there was a source of living water, I sat down to rest there and admired the beauty of that place; for the place was very beautiful; Around that source grew many garden trees laden with fruits. Having rested a little, I got up and walked around among those trees, marveling at the large number of those fruits and thinking to myself - who planted all this here. There were various tree fruits here, such as: dates, citrons, large and red apples, figs, broccoli and grapevines 3864 hung with large clusters, and many other fruit trees grew here; their fruits were tastier than honey; a great fragrance flowed from them, and the spring flowing there irrigated all those plantings. Seeing all this, I thought that this was God’s paradise. While I was marveling at the great beauty of that place, I saw four handsome young men walking from afar through the desert towards me: those young men were girded with sheep's skins. Approaching me, they said: “Rejoice, brother Paphnutius!” I fell face down on the ground and bowed to them. They picked me up, sat down next to me and began to talk. The faces of these young men shone with the grace of God; It seemed to me that these were not people, but Angels who had descended from heaven. The young men were very happy about my arrival and, taking the fruits of the tree, invited me to taste them; and my heart rejoiced because of their love. I stayed with them for seven days, eating fruit from those trees. By the way, I asked them, “How did you get here? Where are you from? They answered me: “Brother! Since God Himself sent you to us, we will tell you our life. We come from the city of Oxyrhynchus 3865; our parents were the leaders of that city; Wanting to teach us books, they sent us to one school, where we soon learned simple literacy (reading). When we began to succeed in more advanced learning, then we all had the same common and concordant convictions, for the Lord prospered us: we decided to study the highest spiritual wisdom. From that time on, gathering together daily, we encouraged each other to be diligent in the service of God; Having a good intention in our hearts, we wanted to find somewhere a silent, secluded place and spend several days there in prayer in order to find out God’s intentions for us. Each of us took a little bread and water, exactly enough to last for seven days; then we left the city. After walking for several days, we reached the desert; entering the desert, we were horrified, for we saw in front of us a certain bright man, shining with the glory of heaven; taking us by the hands, he led us, as you see, to this place; then he handed us over to my husband, who had already grown old in years, serving the Lord. And now we have been here for the sixth year. We labored with that elder for one year, while he taught and instructed us how to serve the Lord. After a year, our father reposed in the Lord, and from that time we have lived here alone. Behold, beloved brother, we have told you who we are and where we came from. During all those six years, we ate neither bread nor any other food except the fruits of these garden trees; Each of us, separately from the others, remains in silence. When Saturday comes, we all gather at this place, see each other and take comfort in the Lord. Having stayed together for two days, Saturday and Sunday, we each go back to our own places.” Hearing all this from them, I, humble, says Paphnutius, asked them: “Where do you partake on Saturday and Sunday of the Divine Mysteries of the Most Pure Body and Blood of Christ, our Savior?” They answered me: “That is why we gather here every Saturday and Sunday, for a holy angel sent by God comes to us and gives us holy communion.” I, having rejoiced greatly when I heard this, wanted to wait for Saturday with them in order to see the holy Angel and receive Divine Communion from his hands. And he stayed there until Saturday. They also stayed in one place for my sake, without each going to his own cell. And we spent those days praising God and praying, eating the fruits of the garden and drinking water from the spring. When Saturday came, the servants of Christ said to me: “Get ready, beloved brother, for today the Angel of God will come and bring us Divine Communion. He who is worthy to receive holy communion from his hands receives forgiveness of all his sins and becomes terrible for demons, so that the temptation of Satan cannot approach him.” While they were telling me this, I smelled a wonderful aroma, as if from the strong burning of incense, and I was very amazed, for I had never smelled such a wonderful aroma. I asked the young men: – Where does such an indescribable fragrance come from? – The Angel of the Lord is approaching with the most pure Mysteries of Christ. Immediately standing up for prayer, we began to sing and praise Christ the King, our God. Suddenly a light from the sky shone upon us; we saw an Angel of God descending from on high, shining like lightning. I fell face down on the ground in fear. The young men lifted me up and told me not to be afraid. Then I saw the Angel of God standing before us, in the form of a beautiful young man; his beauty was difficult to describe; he held in his hand the holy chalice (chalice) with the Divine Gifts. Those servants of God approached him one by one and took communion. After them, I, a sinner and unworthy, came up with great trepidation and horror, and at the same time with unspeakable joy, and was honored to partake of the most pure Mysteries of Christ from the hands of an Angel. During communion I heard the words of an Angel: – May the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ our God be for you incorruptible food, endless joy and eternal life. After Holy Communion we received a blessing from that glorious Angel. Then he flew up to heaven before our eyes, and we, falling to the ground, worshiped God, thanking Him for His great mercy towards us. Our heart was filled with great joy, so that it seemed to me that I was not on earth, but in heaven; from that great joy I was in a state of ecstasy. Then those holy servants of God brought vegetables and offered them to me, and, sitting down, we tasted them. Meanwhile, Saturday ended and night fell; we spent it without sleep in psalmody and praise to God. On Sunday we were granted the same grace of God as on Saturday; for the Angel of God came to us in the same order and in the same form and, having given us communion, filled our hearts with great joy. I, having the courage, began to ask the Angel of God to allow me to dwell there until the end of my life together with the holy servants of God. But he said to me: “It is not pleasing to God that you should live here; He commands you to immediately go to Egypt and tell all the brethren what you saw and heard in the desert, so that the other brethren may strive to lead a good life and please Christ God. In particular, tell everyone in more detail about the holy life and blessed death of the Monk Onuphrius, whom you buried in stone. Tell the brothers everything that you heard from his lips. Blessed are you that you have been honored to see such wonderful, great works of God displayed on the saints of God. Trust in the Lord that He will number you in the next century among those saints whom you saw and with whom you talked. Go now on your way, and may the peace of God be with you.” Having said this, the Angel flew up to heaven. I (Paphnutius narrates) was filled with such great fear and at the same time joy from the words of the Angel that I could not stand on my feet and fell to the ground as if unconscious. The holy servants of God lifted me up and consoled me: then, offering vegetables, they ate with me and thanked God. Finally, having greeted the saints, I went on my way. Those honest young men gave me vegetables on the way and saw me off for five milliary. I earnestly asked them to tell me their names. They said: the first was called John, the second was Andrew, the third was Iraklamvon, the fourth was Theophilus; and they ordered me to tell my names to the brethren in order to remember them. I asked you to remember me in your prayers. Then, having once again given each other a mutual kiss in the Lord, we parted; They returned to their place, but I went towards Egypt. Going into the desert, I was sad, but at the same time joyful; I grieved because I lost the sight and sweet conversation with such great saints of God, of whom the whole world would not be worthy; He rejoiced that he was worthy of their blessing and the contemplation of the Angel, as well as communion from the hands of the Angels. I walked for three days; then he approached the monastery; I met here two brothers laboring as a hermit. I stayed with them for ten days and told them about everything that I had seen and heard in the desert. They listened to me with great tenderness and joy; then they said: “Truly, Father Paphnutius, you have been honored with the great mercy of God, for you have seen such great servants of God.” Those two brothers led a very virtuous life and loved God with all their hearts; They wrote down everything that they heard from my lips. Having given them greetings, I went to my monastery. They sent a record of my story to all the holy fathers and brothers who lived in the monastery; everyone, reading and listening, received great spiritual benefit and glorified God, who shows His great mercies on His servants. Then they put a record of what I said in the church, so that everyone who wanted could read it, for it was very edifying and taught the thought of God. I, the lesser servant Paphnutius, having been awarded such grace of God (of which I am by no means worthy), and verbally and in writing proclaim to everyone what I was commanded to proclaim for the glory of God, for the memory of the saints of God and for the benefit of those seeking the salvation of their souls. May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you, through the prayers of our holy reverend fathers who pleased Him, now and forever. Amen. Dedicated to the God-Wise One with the radiance of the Holy Spirit, you left the rumors in your life, but you reached the desert, Reverend Father, and you brought joy to God and the Creator over all. For this reason, Christ, blessed one, the great giver, glorifies you. It is not known with accuracy,” notes St. Demetrius of Rostov, - which particular Saint Paphnutius found Saint Onuphrius in the desert, for in Church histories and in the Patericon we meet several saints with the name Paphnutius. Another was Paphnutius, the bishop of the mountainous Thebaid, one of the Egyptian countries, who suffered during the time of the wicked Roman emperor Maximian (305–311), and his right eye was gouged out. Subsequently, during the reign of the great Constantine (306–337), he was present at the first Ecumenical Council convened in the city of Nicaea (in 325). When the holy fathers wanted to establish as a law that priests and deacons should not have wives, he, standing in the middle of the cathedral, loudly said: “Do not place a heavy burden and yoke on the ministers of the Church.” And this Paphnutius opposed all the holy fathers in this matter very zealously, although he himself was a virgin from his mother’s womb. No one could say anything against him, which is why this question was left to everyone’s arbitrary decision; therefore, the elders and deacons of the Eastern Church still accept blessed marriage. Greek historians talk about this: Socrates (book 1, chapter 8), Sozomen (book 1, chapter 22) and Nikephoros (book 8, chapter 19). The memory of this Paphnutius in the Roman Monthly Books is set on the 11th day of the month of September; in the Russian Monthly Books, as well as in the Prologues, he is not mentioned anywhere. Another was the martyr Paphnutius, who also labored in the Egyptian deserts and suffered during the reign of Diocletian (284–305), being crucified on a date palm. The story about him is in the Prologue on the 25th day of September from Alexandria, a city in Egypt, the father of the Venerable Euphrosyne, whose memory is celebrated on the 25th day of September. Another was Paphnutius, also an Egyptian, who turned the harlot Taisia ​​to repentance, whose memory is celebrated on the 8th day of October. Another was Paphnutius, a disciple of the Monk Macarius of Alexandria, who tells how the hyena beast brought his blind puppy to the Monk Macarius for healing. Another was Paphnutius, nicknamed Mullet, mentioned in the book of Rufinus (historian of the 4th century) “Discourses of the Fathers”, and in the book of Palladius “Lavsaik” (chap. 91), who walked for eighty years in the same clothes. In the Prologues there are words about some more Paphnutias; so on November 25th there is a word about Paphnutius the monk, how he saved a robber by drinking a cup of wine; on the 9th day of the month of March there is a word about Paphnutius the monk, who prayed to God to inform him who he was like; and he received notice that he was like the elder of the village; about this same Paphnutius, on the 27th day of the same month, there is a word that he is like a pipe-player. Regarding that Paphnutius who found the Monk Onuphrius, we have no news. Egypt was the usual habitat of many ascetics. Monastic monasteries were located in both Lower and Middle Egypt. The Nitrian desert, located in Lower Egypt and lying inland beyond the Nile River, was especially famous in Egypt. The internal or hermitage desert lay several days' journey further than the desert of the cenobitic monasteries. This was a wild sandy desert, where springs of water were only occasionally found; There was no beaten path here - the path here was guided by the flow of the stars. His memory is on the same day. Cenobia (from the Greek - common and - life) are called cenobitic monasteries, in which the brethren are supported at the expense of the monastery and in return offer their labor for the general benefit of the monastery. Milliary is a Roman mile, or, more precisely, a Roman mile stone, because at the end of each milliary there was a stone pillar in the form of a sign. A milliary was equal to 8 stadia (a stadia of 88 fathoms), which would be approximately 1 1 2 of our versts. Mile stones were scattered throughout Italy; they were usually inscribed with the name of the builder or emperor under whom they were built. The first mile stone, from which all other stones originated and at which all roads were connected, was located in Rome, at the Church of Saturn. During excavations in Rome, the remains of this stone were found. Death of Rev. Onufria followed in the 4th century. It should be noted that Egypt, especially in places close to the Nile River, was very rich in its flora. There grew in abundance: date palm, acacia, mulberry trees, cotton, sugar cane, indigo, etc. The city of Oxyrhynchus was located in the upper Thebaid. It was famous for the piety of its inhabitants; according to the historian Rufinus (who lived in the 4th century), it contained within its borders up to ten thousand virgins and up to twenty thousand virgins. Nowadays it is the village of Benezeh. You might be interested in: