Житие преподобного отца нашего Феодора Сикеота, епископа Анастасиопольского

In the country of Galatia 2694 there is a village called Sycea, 12 stages 2695 from Anastasiopolis, the main city of the Ancyra region (in Asia Minor). In this village the Monk Theodore Sikeot was born, from his mother Mary and a famous husband named Cosmas, who at that time served under Tsar Justinian the Great 2696 as a walker 2697. When Theodore was conceived, a wonderful sign appeared to his mother Mary that night during her sleep: she saw a large bright star descending into her womb. Waking up, she reported this to her mother Elpidia and her sister Dispenia, who lived with her, then she went to one perspicacious old man, who was fleeing in hermitic silence, six furlongs from that village, and told him about her strange vision. That elder, having taught her spiritual instructions about a godly life, said: – The child conceived in you will truly be a great man, not only among people, but also with God, and the bright star signifies royal glory, as wise interpreters of dreams explain; but for you, what you saw should not have the meaning of royal power on earth, and the star that you saw foreshadows the glory of the virtues and grace of God that God will bestow on your child. For the Lord usually sanctifies His servants in their mother’s womb before they are born. This is what the perspicacious old man predicted to Mary and, after giving her some advice, he sent her away in peace. All this became known to Bishop Theodosius of Anastasiople, and he also understood the vision that the born baby would serve as the light of the world. Mary, returning from the elder, followed his advice and led a life pleasing to God, in chastity, together with her mother and sister. When the time of birth was fulfilled, Mary gave birth to a son, and according to Christian custom he was baptized and named Theodore (which means “God’s gift” from Greek), his very name meaning that the boy would be a great gift to the world from God. When he was six years old, his mother wanted to enroll him in advance for military service, and for this she prepared for him precious clothes, a golden belt and other things necessary for this service and wanted to go to Constantinople to give him to the king there for service; but in a dream vision the holy Great Martyr George appeared to her, saying: - Why did you conceive such an intention for your brainchild? O wife, do not work in vain, - the King of heaven demands your son. Having awakened, Mary began to cry and say that death was close to her son, thinking that he would die soon; but the boy grew in years and intelligence. For eight years, his mother sent him to school, and, with the help of God’s grace, he studied better than other children and was loved by everyone for his good character. Even in children's games, Theodore's strong mind manifested itself: he refrained from swearing, blasphemy, and warned other children against all this, pacifying their disputes and quarrels. In the house of these women lived one elder Stefan, God-fearing and pious, who was loved and revered as a father for his virtuous life. The youth Theodore, seeing that he was fasting on Holy Pentecost until the evening and eating only a small loaf of bread with water, was inflamed with love for God and began to imitate his fast, also abstaining until the evening. When he walked home from school at lunchtime, his mother forced him to eat with them, but he refused and, so as not to force him, stopped coming home at the usual time, and tried to come only in the evening. And now he went from home with Stephen to church for the usual singing; with him he partook of the Most Pure Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ our God, returned home late and refreshed himself only with a piece of bread and water. His mother and everyone at home tried to convince him to eat boiled and other food, but he did not agree to this. She asked the teacher to let the boy go home from school during lunch, in order to at least in this way force him to eat something, since from constant fasting he had become very thin in body. Theodore, being released from school, did not go home, but climbed a mountain that was not far from that place, on the top of which a church was erected in honor of the Great Martyr George, where the holy great martyr, apparently appearing to him in the form of a beautiful young man, led him inside the church. There young Theodore practiced a lot in reading books and spent all his lunch time; leaving the church as if leaving home, he again went to school. In the evening, when his mother asked why he didn’t come to dinner, he answered that he hadn’t learned the verse and that’s why he was left. And again the mother went to the teacher with a request to let him go home, but the teacher assured her with an oath that at her very first request he would let Theodore go at lunchtime along with the other students. One day, seeing that he did not go home, but climbed the mountain to the church, she sent a servant to bring him from there by force and with many threats convinced him to come to dinner, but he, without listening to her, maintained his usual abstinence. When he was ten years old, a terrible illness occurred in that village, so that many died from it; The blessed youth Theodore also became infected with this disease. All his relatives were in despair, since he was already dying: then he was brought half-dead to the nearby Church of St. John the Baptist, where they laid him in front of the altar. At the top of the church, under the cross, there was an image of the face of the Savior, from Whom two drops of dew fell on the sick youth and healed him; he got up and went home healthy, glorifying God. At night, when he and all his household were sleeping, the Holy Great Martyr George came to him and woke him up, saying: “Get up, Theodore, the dawn has broken and it’s time for morning prayer, let’s go to the Church of St. George.” Theodore quickly and joyfully stood up. At first, Saint George appeared to him in the image of Stephen, who lived in their house, then he himself appeared to him in his own image, waking him up every night and leading him to his church. On the way, the demons wanted to frighten the boy, appearing to him in the form of wolves and various animals and rushing straight at him; but the holy martyr, walking ahead of Theodore and having a spear in his hands, drove away those terrible ghosts and convinced him not to be afraid. This was repeated every night, and the mother and the other women with her, getting up from sleep and not finding Theodore on his bed, became perplexed; They found out that he goes to church at night, and were surprised that no one heard him when he got up, although he had been lying down among them since the evening. His mother was afraid for him, lest he might be torn to pieces by animals, since at that time there was a rumor that one wolf was kidnapping not only livestock, but also small children; therefore, under threats, she forbade him to leave the house for church before sunrise, because the place was deserted. Despite the threats, the blessed youth did not obey his mother in any way and at the usual night time, encouraged to pray by Saint George, he went to church unnoticed by anyone. One day at dawn, waking up, Theodora’s mother and other women did not find the boy on his bed and, becoming very angry, hurried to the church; there his mother, grabbing him by the hair, took him out of there, dragging him to the house with beatings, and did not let him go anywhere, but at night she tied him tightly to the bed so that Theodore could not leave in any way. That night, the Holy Great Martyr George appeared in a dream vision to his mother and other women, having a sword girded at his hip, threatening which he said menacingly: “I will cut off your heads if you continue to beat the boy and forbid him to come to me.” Waking up from sleep with fear and horror, the women told one another the terrible apparition of the martyr and his threats, especially amazed at the fact that they all saw the same vision, and they immediately untied the holy youth, caressed him and humbly asked him not to be angry with them for beating him. They asked him how, leaving the house before daylight, he was not afraid of animals? He answered them that every night a bright young man wakes him up and takes him to church, protecting him along the way from terrible ghosts. Then the women realized that the Holy Great Martyr George, whom they had seen in a vision, was appearing to him and protecting him. From then on, they did not forbid Theodora in anything and handed him over to the Providence of God, saying: - May the will of the Lord be done. This holy youth had a little sister named Vlatta, born from the second husband of his mother Theodore, who, at the persuasion of her relatives, remarried at a young age. This young woman loved her brother Theodore very much and often followed him to church during the day, praying with him and trying to imitate his life. The Spirit of God acted in her in the same way as in Theodore. Not far from their house there was a church of the holy martyr Emilian, who in the country of Galatia, in the city of Ancyra, during the reign of the lawless Julian the Apostate 2698, after long torment, was crucified on the cross 2699. Blessed Theodore entered the church of this martyr and spent the night here in prayer. At midnight he dozed off, and he had the following vision: Theodore imagined that he was standing in front of the king, sitting on the throne in great glory, surrounded by many soldiers, and near the king was a bright wife dressed in purple, and he heard the king’s voice saying to him: - Strive, Theodore, to receive a perfect reward in the Kingdom of Heaven, and on earth I will make you worthy of honor and glorify you before people. He had this vision at the age of twelve. From that time on, he was inflamed with great desire and love for God and began to work harder. Shutting himself up in one of the rooms of his house, he remained there from the feast of Epiphany to Palm Week, practicing fasting, prayer, reading books and talking only with God alone. In the first and middle weeks of Lent, he did not speak to anyone and was in deep silence, deepening his entire mind in the thought of God. Thus ended the holy days of Great Lent and the feast of the Resurrection of Christ began; the hater the devil, no longer tolerating the sight of such a virtuous youth, thought out how to destroy him and conceived such a trick: one day, turning into the young man Gerontius, who studied with Theodore at school, he came to him and, calling him with him as if for a walk, led him to a high hill called “Tzidrama”, and he himself, standing on a large stone, began to tempt him in the same way as we are tempted Christ was the devil in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11), saying: “If you want, good Theodore, to show your courage, then fall down from here.” - I'm afraid, because it's very high. “You were more courageous than all of us at school, and now you’re afraid of this too?” Now I’m not afraid, but I’ll jump down right away. - Don’t do this so that if you fall, you won’t break yourself. The devil continued to persuade that no harm could happen; then Theodore said to him: “If you do this first and I see you whole, I’ll throw myself too.” The devil rushed from the heights into the terrible depths and, standing there, called Theodore to him. Theodore was horrified when he saw him intact and thought how it was that Gerontius, who had never had so much courage, could suddenly throw himself down from such a high hill without harm. As soon as this thought came into his head - and the devil from below was shouting and calling Theodore to him - the Holy Great Martyr George immediately appeared and, taking Theodore by the hand, said: - Get out of here and follow me! Do not listen to the tempter who seeks your soul, this is not Gerontius, but the enemy of our race. And he brought him to his church, where Theodore stayed for a long time, so that his mother and grandmother came to him, begging the blessed one to go to the house, since many relatives and neighbors, having gathered with them for a feast, were waiting for him. Knowing the Scripture “that friendship with the world is enmity against God... and whoever wants to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God” (James 4:4), did not listen to them, but took off his gold belt 2700, precious outer clothing and a hryvnia 2701, saying: - I know you are afraid that I will not save them, take it all, leave me. Theodore heard about one virtuous old man, named Glyceria, who lived in ten fields, in a deserted place, and went to him, having the desire to learn from him and receive a blessing. Glycerius was a perspicacious man, recognized the presence of the Spirit of God in the youth and, receiving him joyfully, asked, smiling: – Child, do you like the monastic image? “I love you very much, father, and I earnestly wish to be worthy of him.” There was then a lack of rain and severe drought in that country. They both left the cell and went and stood in front of the church of St. John the Baptist; and the Monk Glycerius said, turning to the blessed youth Theodore: “Child, let us bend our knees and pray to the Lord that He will have mercy and send rain to water the parched land, and in this way we will know whether we are among the righteous.” The elder did this not because he wanted to tempt the Lord, but because he hoped that Theodore’s prayers would be especially favorable before God. Kneeling down, they began to pray, and immediately the sky became covered with clouds, and when they finished praying, a very heavy rain fell and sufficiently watered the dry earth. The elder was filled with joy about the grace of the Lord and kindly said to Theodore: “From now on, child, whatever you ask from God will be given to you, for He will be with you, strengthening you, so that you grow from strength to strength both in physical age and in spiritual life about God; You will fulfill what you want when the time comes for this. Theodore, having accepted the blessing from the elder, returned to his home. At the age of fourteen, he decided to finally leave his home to live on the mountain near the church of St. George, and begged his mother and everyone at home not to interfere with his intention and not to come to embarrass him. They did not dare to forbid him, knowing that God was with him. Theodore went, dug himself a cave in the mountain under the altar and stayed there, constantly going to church to pray. His mother sent him clean bread and various boiled and baked birds, but he put all this on stones on the way to church, so that either birds or animals would eat them, or people passing by would take them for themselves, while he himself ate the prosphoras brought to church, eating only one in the evening. Eight fields from the cave there was a place inhabited by demons, called “Area” 2702, about which they said that the wicked goddess Diana 2703 lived there with many demons, so that no one could pass that place without trouble, especially at noon, in the month of July and August, and many people were tormented to death by those demons. Blessed Theodore heard about this and in those months he came every day to that place and spent the whole day there, returning in the evening, without suffering any misfortune from the demons, for when they saw him, they rushed to run, driven away by the power of God. In the month of January, on the feast of the Epiphany, he went with other people and clergy to the blessing of water, entered the water barefoot and stood motionless until the end of all the singing. After the holiday, he secluded himself in his cave and remained hopelessly silent, even until Palm Week. His grandmother Elpidia, who loved him more than both daughters, took comfort in his life and brought him vegetables and spring bread for food, which he ate every week on Saturdays and Sundays. Everyone was amazed at such a grace of God in such a young boy and, glorifying God, said: - “I hid this from the wise and prudent and revealed it” to this child (Matthew 11:25). Also, Bishop Theodosius of Anastasiople, hearing all this about Theodore, rejoiced and, praising him to everyone, said: “This boy learns such a way of life from God.” One day Theodore fell ill from a cold and, while he was taking a nap, the Holy Great Martyr George appeared to him and said: - What is the cause of your illness, child? Theodore looked and saw an unclean spirit standing in the distance and, pointing to him to the martyr, said: - It was that nasty and vile person who brought this disease to me. Saint George, grabbing the demon, tormented him greatly and drove him away, and Theodora, taking him by the hand, said: - Get up and be healthy; now that nasty and treacherous one will not appear before your face. Immediately Theodore stood up and felt completely healthy. The man-loving God, who gave His holy Apostles power over unclean spirits to cast them out and heal all sorts of illnesses in people, gave similar power to His beloved youth Theodore, and he began to work miracles for the glory of God. One man brought his demon-possessed son to his church, begging him to heal him. Theodore, being still too young, did not know what to do and refused; Then the man who came began to cry and, giving Theodore a whip, said: - Servant of God, take this scourge and, threatening, beat my son, with the following words: get away, unclean spirit, from the child in the name of my Lord. Blessed Theodore did as this man taught him, and the demon began to shout in the youth: “I’ll go, I’ll go, just leave me for one hour.” When Theodore went to the altar, the demon shouted: - Oh torment! O great strength of the Nazarite! From the time she came down to earth, she armed people against us, and now she has given this insignificant youth power over us. Woe is me! Even as a young boy, I was expelled, unable to bear the grace given to him from heaven. The slightest thing will bring great misfortune to our family, for he will expel many of us from human bodies, and the most severe misfortune for me is that he begins to test the beginning of the power given to him on me, and I do not dare return to my father the devil, having been driven out by this little creation. If this had happened to me from some old person, I would not have felt such reproach and shame for it. Cursed be the day on which this terrible boy was born! While the demon was crying out, Saint Theodore took oil from the lamp, anointed the head of the demon-possessed youth with it, made the sign of the cross over him and rebuked the demon, saying: “Come out now, treacherous spirit, and do not utter such words anymore.” The demon cried out in a loud voice and, throwing the youth at Theodore’s feet, went out; The boy became healthy by the grace of God. Everyone living in that country learned about this miracle and glorified God. Theodore wished to imitate St. John the Baptist and St. Elijah the Prophet in desert life and wondered where he could hide from people. To do this, he climbed to a high part of the mountain and found a secluded place there, where he saw a large stone, under which he dug a cave for himself and then asked one of the clergy, a virtuous deacon, to bring him at a certain time some bread and water, conjuring him in the name of God not to tell anyone about him. He took hard hair clothes from the cleric, and until then he always wore soft clothes given to him by his mother, and shut himself up in this cave. The cleric, at his request, covered the entrance with earth, leaving only a small hole so that a loaf of bread and a mug of water could be served. Thus Saint Theodore spent two years of his life in complete seclusion, like a buried dead man, and no one knew about it except the cleric. The people of that village came to the church and, not seeing Theodore there, were surprised and wondering where he had disappeared to. It happened at that time that military regiments passed there, and some thought that the soldiers had taken Theodore with them and took them away, and asked their prince to send his servant to the regiments to search for him, but, having searched there diligently, they did not find him and thought that he had been eaten by beasts. His mother and all his household cried for him inconsolably, as if for the dead, and all the people of that village felt sorry for him. After two years, the cleric, prompted partly by the inconsolable sobs of Theodore’s mother, partly fearing that he would die from such cramped conditions, spoke about him. Then everyone went with haste and joy and, opening the cave, took him out of there almost dead. As soon as he saw daylight, he was silent for many hours. His head was covered with scabs and worms, and his family cried looking at him and brought him to the church of St. George. The mother wanted to take Theodore into her house to treat him, but he did not want to and remained as before at the martyr’s church, but after a few days his head was completely healed. Bishop Theodosius of Anastasiople learned about this and arrived with a clergy to this village to see the servant of God Theodore, and when he saw him, he was surprised at his life. Prompted by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he first blessed Theodore to the lower degrees of the clergy, and then ordained him to the rank of presbyter, although he was only seventeen years old 2704. The bishop spoke about him like this: – Such a person, in whom the grace of God lives, replenishing time, is worthy to be ordained even before the proper time, for the Holy Apostle Paul honored St. Timothy, while still very young, with the rank of presbyter. He turned to Theodore with the words: “The Lord, who has honored you with the priesthood, will also grant you the bishopric, so that you can shepherd His verbal flock; First, accept the monastic rank, grow in faith, good deeds and pray for me. Having said this and blessed Theodore, the bishop went home, and blessed Theodore began to perform bloodless sacrifices, standing worthily before the throne of God. Having a desire to see the holy places in Jerusalem and having found himself a good companion, he went there and reached Jerusalem. There, with great zeal and reverence, he bowed to the Life-Giving Tree of the Cross, the Holy Sepulcher of the Lord, and, going around other holy places, bowed to them and prayed. He visited the holy fathers who lived there in seclusion and in desert hermitage, received prayers and blessings from them, after which he came to the Chozebite Lavra, located at the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos near Jordan, in which God had already announced Theodore to the archimandrite. In the monastery, by the command of God, he was clothed in a monastic image and released with blessing. Having returned, he continued to live at the church of the Holy Great Martyr George, holyly serving God, shining like the glorious prophet Moses with the grace of the Lord abundantly abiding in him. With her help, he healed all sorts of illnesses that happened to people, and as one who had power, he cast out unclean spirits. His grandmother Elpidia, aunt Dispenia and young sister Vlatta did not want to be separated from him, but, looking at his godly life, according to their strength, they tried to imitate him both by fasting and prayer, and from the labors of their hands they gave alms to the poor. Soon his aunt Dispenia reposed in the Lord in good confession, after whose burial he took his twelve-year-old sister Vlatta, brought her to a nunnery and left her there, deceiving her to Christ, and for the time being settled blessed Elpidia in a house near him. Leading a holy and immaculate life, the virgin of Christ Vlatta, after three years, passed into the palace of her immortal Bridegroom. Having learned about her death, Saint Theodore joyfully thanked God. Elpidia, on the advice of the saint, withdrew to a nearby convent at the church of the holy martyr Christopher, where the monk sent to her the demon-possessed and sick girls brought to him for healing, so that Elpidia would give them instructions on how to pray, fast, and teach them good morals. After his blessed mother retired to the monastery, having no one in his ministry, he hired a worker to serve him. God's providence wanted to make Theodore a fisher of men (Matthew 4:19) and began to send him some people to live with. Firstly, a certain Epiphanius, young in years, prompted by God-loving aspirations, came to him. Blessed Theodore was glad that God did not leave him alone. Having accepted Epiphanius, he clothed him in a monastic image and instructed him in such a holy life that he had power over demons, driving them out of people. Also, one pious woman, who received healing from her illness from the Monk Theodore, brought to him her young son named Philumen, who was smart and knew how to read and write. And these three peers, the servants of Christ, were similar to the ancient three youths in Babylon (see: Dan. 3), united by one love and zeal for God, and between them was the Lord Himself, saying: “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). A few years later, when blessed Epiphanius died in the Lord, John, very zealous in virtue, came in his place. At that time, people from a village called Protomaria arrived to the monk, begging him to come to them, because there was a place nearby inhabited by many unclean spirits, and no one could pass it without harm, neither people nor livestock, and especially at midday and after sunset. God's servant Theodore went to this place and ordered a small cave to be dug there, shut himself up in it for the whole winter and remained there, fasting and praying, until Easter. The demons, unable to bear his presence there, fled, driven as if by weapons by the prayers of the saint, and many times the lamentable cries of demons were heard from many people, moaning that Theodore had driven them out. The people of that village had such strong faith in him that, when they arrived, they took earth from the cave in which the monk lived, and, mixing it with food or drink, gave it to sick people and livestock as a sure medicine and, by their faith, received healing. There lived in that place one believing man, a blacksmith by trade, whom the monk ordered to make an iron cage without a roof, so narrow that only a man could stand, and in it he invented an extraordinary torment for his body. Many people learned about this and began to bring iron tools to the blacksmith, so that there was enough iron for the work, and when the cage was forged, it was taken with crosses to Sykea to the monk. He placed it above his cave and often shut himself up in it for a long time and stood there like a motionless pillar, enduring all kinds of bad weather. Since the cell was without a roof, in the summer the sultry sun burned him, in the winter the severe frosts froze and shackled the saint’s body. Storms and winds attacked him, snow and rain wet him, but he remained as insensitive as a stone and hard as adamant. Almighty God sent him such great patience, surpassing human mind and nature, to amaze people and glorify the holy name of the Divine. Theodore not only chose that iron cage for himself as a voluntary prison, but also enclosed his entire body in iron bonds: he shod his feet in forged boots and wore the same armlets, put on heavy iron armor, girded himself with thick chains and wore an iron staff with an image of his cross on the top. He organized his life like this: after the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, before Epiphany, he entered a cave lined with heavy iron chains, remaining in it hopelessly until Easter, and after Easter he locked himself in a cage. With such an iron and arbitrary prison he tormented his flesh, tormenting and oppressing it as a slave and captive, so that it would not arouse internal warfare. On Holy Pentecost I did not eat any food except vegetables and spring bread, and then only on Saturday and Sunday. God subdued the wild beasts that were in the desert to him; for example, a terrible bear came to him for three years and took food from his hands, and the wolf also fed from him. The animals that came and went from the saint did no harm to either people or animals, even if anyone happened to meet them. This was due to the miraculous action of God, Who glorified His saint, who glorified Him. One day, a man who was leprous throughout his entire body came to Theodore, who had shut himself up in a cage, wanting to receive healing from his holy prayers. The monk ordered the sick man to take off his clothes, took water and prayed to God like this: “Lord Jesus Christ our God, who cleansed Naaman the Syrian from leprosy through Thy prophet Elisha, 2705 and who by Thy compassion came down to us and was a Man, healed the lepers with a word: look now upon us and upon this water, and having blessed it, give it healing power, that it may be able to cleanse this coming man from leprosy, to the glorification of Thy holy name. Having prayed and made the sign of the cross over the water, he poured water on the man’s head and entire body, after which the sick man immediately got rid of leprosy and walked away healthy, praising God. Also, one leper priest named Kollirius came to the saint and as soon as he put on his clothes, at that very moment he received healing. Seeing such a life and the miracles of Theodore, blessed Elpidia rejoiced in spirit. She led many women into monasticism and instructed them in a godly life, for she herself was very virtuous and imitated her grandson in spiritual exploits. Elpidia learned about the approach of her death from a revelation that had come to her, and came for a last visit and farewell greeting to her venerable grandson and told him her vision, saying: - My child and the light of my eyes! I saw in a vision a most beautiful young man, dressed in light clothes, with golden hair and looking like the holy Great Martyr George, as we see him depicted in the icon. He came to me asking about you, wanting to learn from me the way of your life and psalmody. I told him everything in detail. He told me: - When you sing psalms, say this: “Bless the Lord, mountains and hills!” (Dan. 3:75). – O wife, you received great mercy from God that you were honored to see your grandson in such a state; To me, his assistant, you owe a lot, but most of all, thanksgiving is due to the common Master and Creator God, Who has honored your grandson to be among His holy servants. Calm down, for until now you have worked. Blessed Elpidia, having told the Monk Theodore about her vision and giving him her last kiss, went to her cell; there, having been ill for a little while, she reposed in the Lord and was buried with honor by the monk. After her burial, someone arrived from the city of Ankyra and brought the news to the monk that his mother Maria had died and advised him to send to take her estate, for she died without an heir. The saint answered him: “You are telling a lie because my mother did not die.” But the messenger assured that he saw her dead with his own eyes, and he again said: - This is not true, she did not die for me, she will not die in soul, but she is alive now and will live forever. And he did not pay any attention to the remaining property, while he himself, fasting for a whole week, brought earnest prayers to God for her soul. During the saint’s stay in the cave, a church steward came to him from Iliopolis of Galatia and, through his servant, conveyed to him his tearful request, saying: - Have pity on me, servant of God, in the sadness that happened to me: I sent a servant to collect money for the church, but he, having collected the money, fled; I chased him everywhere, looked for him and could not find him, pray to the Lord to show him to me, because all my property is not enough to give to the church for everything that my servant took away. “If you promise to let your servant go without punishing him and not to take anything more from him, but only what he took, then the Lord will comfort you and give him into your hands.” If you don't promise, you won't find him. The steward promised not only not to beat him and not to take more, but to give from himself, just to return the church property, and said: “My children and I will remain naked if I am unable to return to the church its stolen property.” Then the saint answered him: - Go home in peace and be carefree, trust in God, for He will soon comfort you. The calmed housekeeper went home, having complete confidence in the words of the monk. The fugitive, who stole church property, stood in the way, as if bound, at a place near a village called Nicea, and could not take a single step further; he imagined that he was running quickly, when in fact he remained in the same place. People who happened to be walking along that road recognized the criminal, grabbed him and brought him to the steward. In this way, everything that he had taken was returned to the church, and the steward kept his promise not to do any evil, released him and again came to the monk and brought thanks. Once, on the days of Holy Pentecost, one man brought his demon-possessed wife, and when the Monk Theodore cast out the unclean, the demon shouted: - Oh woe! Why are you angry with me, crusher of iron 2706, am I to blame, for I did not enter it of my own free will? I was sent from Theodore the Magus, called Carappos, who lives in Mazamia. The saint of God, in the name of Jesus Christ, rebuked the evil spirit and drove him out of that woman. And that same summer, in the month of June, the inhabitants of the village of Mazamia, having heard about the miracles performed by the Monk Theodore, came to him, with tears begging him to come to them to drive away the locusts that had flown like a cloud into their fields and gardens. The saint went with them, entered their church and spent the night there in prayer, and the next morning he went to the field in the fields, performed public prayer there and, taking three locusts in his hands, offered prayers to God for the people, and during the prayer the locusts became dead in his hand. He, having given thanks to God, said to the people: - Return, children, to church, for the Lord will soon show us His mercy. And returning to the church, the saint celebrated the Divine Liturgy, and the next morning the people saw that all the locusts had died out. Theodore Carappos, who lived in those places, was inflamed with envy of Saint Theodore, for he had already been angry with him for expelling from a woman the demon that that sorcerer had sent into her. Angry at the saint and envious of God’s miraculous power in him, the sorcerer, calling upon the demons at his side, ordered to go against Saint Theodore Sikeot and torture him to death. But they could not approach him, because the saint always had a prayer on his lips and the demons had to wait until he fell asleep, but when the saint slept, the grace of God, like fire emanating from him, scorched and drove away the demons; They returned again and rushed at the monk and again, scorched and driven away, they returned in shame to the one who sent them, and he reproached them with annoyance, saying: “Your strength is truly insignificant; if you could not approach a sleeping person, then what can you do to him while he is awake? And the demons affirmed, saying: “As soon as we approach him, a fiery flame emanates from his mouth and scorches us, which we cannot tolerate. The sorcerer, inflamed by even greater anger and envy, put a deadly poison into the fish and sent that fish as a gift to the monk. The saint of God, preserved by the grace of Christ, ate from that fish during his usual meal and remained unharmed. The sorcerer Theodore Karappos was very surprised at this, and, realizing God's power and the weakness of demons, he was touched in his soul, and, coming to the saint, fell at the feet of his saints, confessing his sins with tears, and, having burned the magic books, renounced the works of Satan, and accepted holy baptism. Upon returning to the monastery, the monk fell into a serious illness and expected death, for he saw the holy Angels coming to him and thought that they wanted to take his soul; he cried and sobbed that he was not ready to die. Above him was an icon of the holy unmercenary doctors Cosmas and Damian; they appeared to him in a vision and, according to medical custom, they touched the veins of his hands and talked among themselves, as if despairing of his life, because his strength had already weakened. They told him: – Why are you crying and grieving, brother? - About the fact that I did not repent to God, my fathers, and that I am leaving this small flock, which is not yet completely directed towards the true path and still requires many instructions. “Do you want us to pray to God for you to extend your life?” “If you do this and ask me for time to repent, you will be the cause of many benefits to me and will receive a reward for my repentance.” The saints, turning to the Angels, asked them to delay a little while they, going to the King and God, asked Him for Theodora. The angels promised, and the holy passion-bearers Cosmas and Damian go to the Almighty King Christ our God, who once added fifteen years of life to Hezekiah 2707, and, having begged Him to add years to the life of Theodora, they return soon, having among them a young man similar to those Angels, but shining with greater glory. This young man said to the Angels: - Leave Theodore alive, they begged the Lord of all, the King of Glory, for him, and He commanded him to be in the flesh. And immediately the holy Angels with that bright young man departed to heaven. Saints Cosmas and Damian said to Theodore: “Rise up, brother, and pay attention to yourself and your flock: the good and merciful Master accepted our prayers for you and gave you life, so that you may do something that does not perish, but endures into eternal life, so that you can arrange the salvation of many souls.” Having told him this, the holy doctors became invisible. Blessed Theodore came to his senses and, feeling completely healthy, stood up immediately, glorified God and with great zeal devoted himself to psalmody and fasting. With the grace of God bestowed upon him, he performed miracles, healed various diseases and cast out demons with his words. Rumors of his miracles spread everywhere, many were surprised and touched, left their homes and came to him for monastic deeds. Also, many of those who received healing from him were not separated from him, but remained here and served the monastic needs, for when many brethren gathered, a large monastery was formed, and Theodore was an archimandrite in his monastery, but since the church of the Holy Great Martyr George was too small and could not accommodate all those who came for the usual hymns, the monk took care to create another church, not far from the previous one, in the name of the holy Archangel Michael, a more spacious one, and, having settled the brethren there, he sent his disciple Philumen to the Bishop of Anastasiople to accept ordination to the rank of presbyter and appointed him abbot of this monastery; He himself intensely surrendered to silence. There was a need for a silver vessel to perform the Divine Liturgy, for until then the sacrament was performed in a stone marble vessel. The monk sent his deacon to Constantinople to buy a silver vessel for priestly service; When a clean, well-made vessel was purchased and brought to him, the saint rejected it, not wanting to perform a sacred act in it, for he saw that the vessel was worthless, black and stinking. The deacon praised his good work and pure silver, but the monk said: “And I see, child, that the vessel is beautifully made and of good silver, but it is defiled by invisible uncleanness, and if you do not believe me, then let us pray that the Lord will open your spiritual eyes, and you will see.” As soon as they knelt down and prayed, immediately not only the deacon, but also all the brothers who were there saw the vessel black as coal, taken out of the stove, and were surprised. When the deacon took it in his hands, the vessel immediately became as clean and bright as before. Taking it, he took it to Constantinople to the goldsmith from whom he bought it, and told him why the Monk Theodore did not accept him. Zlatar began to remember the silver, where it came from, and remembered that it was from the things of one harlot and her unrighteous property, he was surprised at the foresight of the reverend father and asked for forgiveness, and he accepted the vessel back and exchanged it for another, purest one, asking for holy prayers for himself. The deacon returned, brought the vessel to the monastery, told his father and brothers what kind of silver the first one was made of, and everyone glorified God and were amazed at the saint’s foresight. One day, from the village of Vouzia, not far from Gratianople, people came to the Monk Theodore for the following reason: they were building a stone bridge across a river, and when they were digging stones out of the ground on a nearby hill and cutting boards, they saw many demons coming out of the pit, attacking people and animals and tormenting them; others, like robbers, set up ambushes on the way and wounded those passing by. Those who came begged the monk to come to their village and deliver them from the demonic attack, and Theodore went with them, trusting in God. And as soon as he approached their village, the demons that were in the people, sensing his approach, came out to meet him, shouting: - Oh woe, oh misfortune! Why, having left Galatia, do you come here, destroyer of iron? We know why we came, but we will not listen to you, as the spirits did in Galatia; We are much angrier and stronger than them! The monk, forbidding them, ordered them to remain silent, but the next morning he gathered the people, walked around the entire village in a procession of the cross and, climbing to the top of the hill, poured out fervent prayers to God for a long time. And immediately the demons that came out from there, by the power of God, appeared there again in the form of flies, mice, hares, and he drove them all into the pit, sealed them with the sign of the cross and ordered them to cover them with earth and stones, and so he freed the village from the demonic scourge. In a similar way, he delivered many other villages, countries, and houses from demons, and also drove out evil spirits from many people, who trembled at his very name. Of the saint's disciples, many were famous and great for their virtues. So, for example, blessed Arsin the recluse, who lived in a cramped cell, remained in silence, only on the third day taking food: a little bread and raw herbs or boiled vegetables and water in moderation, but on Holy Pentecost he ate only on Saturday and on Sundays, and then only on dry food. The other two men, Evagrius and Andrei, also lived a similar life, having their retreats not far from Arsin. The Monk Theodore was very happy about their honest life and thanked God. All three of them agreed to go to Jerusalem to worship the holy places and asked their father to let them go with a blessing. He gave permission, and they arrived there and visited all the surrounding laurels and hermitages. Evagrius wished to stay there, and, having come to the Lavra of the Monk Sava, he lived holy, showing himself by his very deeds to be a disciple of Theodore. Arsin and Andrei returned to their father in Galatia and asked him to let them live in different places for silence. Andrei, with the blessing of his father, settled on Vriana Hill, eight fields from the monastery. Arsin retired to the mountainous part of Potamia, where he chose a place for himself far from human settlements, about which they said that there was a dwelling of demons. There he prayed, saying: - God, through the prayers of my father Theodore, protect me, a sinner, from the snares of demons and help me please You in this place. First of all, he built himself a wooden cell and spent the winter in it, then he erected a high pillar and, after spending forty years in it with great patience, he departed to the Lord. And Elpidias, under the instruction of the Monk Theodore, succeeded a lot in virtue. After several years of staying with his father, he left with his blessing to the east, settled near Mount Sinai and, after living in silence for a long time, died righteously; After him, this place was named by the holy fathers of Sinai Elpidian Silence. Also Leonty, a disciple of our father Theodore, was a marvel in hermitage; he remained silent near Permatia and, having been awarded the gift of prophecy, predicted the future. So, he predicted the invasion of the Persians, his murder by them, which came true, for when he did not want to leave his silent cell, he was killed in it by the Persians. Then Theodore, who fasted on Mount Draco, and Stephen at the Psilia River, and many other disciples of the Monk Theodore, shone with good deeds; some lived with him, while others settled in various desert places. The Monk Theodore had a desire to once again visit the holy places of Jerusalem, and he, taking his two disciples, went. At that time in Palestine, where the city of Jerusalem is, there was rainlessness and drought, and people and animals suffered deprivation due to lack of water, all the ditches and reservoirs in which water collects dried up. The people prayed a lot, asking God for rain, but did not receive it, because the Lord kept that grace for His saint Theodore and therefore brought him to Palestine. There were some from the Galatian country there who knew Saint Theodore and heard about his miracles; they told the people: – We know one holy father in our country who can fill the entire universe with rain with one prayer, like the prophet Elijah once did. When the monk came to Jerusalem, venerated the Life-Giving Tree of the Cross and the Life-Giving Tomb of Christ, strangers from Galatia recognized him, and soon rumors spread about him in the holy city and in the surrounding monasteries and laurels. The monks gathered in large numbers, and all the clergy surrounded the saint, rejoicing at his coming to them, and asked in the name of the patriarch to ask the Lord for rain on the parched land. The saint refused, recognizing himself as a sinner and unworthy, but they begged him and said: “We hope, father, that when you combine your prayers with the prayers of other fathers, then God will have mercy on us and send rain to the earth.” - If you believe so, then let it be according to your faith. After the litia, when the people were walking with the procession, the monk turned to him, saying: “Change your clothes, O children, you will get wet, because for the sake of your faith the Lord will soon show His mercy.” When they were outside the city, he ordered them to stop at one place and, stretching out his hands to the sky, began to pray fervently; and immediately a small cloud appeared from the west and, increasing in size, covered the entire sky in one hour. The saint, having finished his prayer, ordered the praying people to return quickly to avoid the rain. Suddenly it rained excessively, and everyone hurried into the city to the church, because everyone was very wet. The rain did not stop until it had watered the entire earth and filled all the ditches, reservoirs and depressions. The Monk Theodore, fearing that people would praise and honor him for such a miracle, hid from everyone with his two disciples from the city and went to his Galatian Sikeot monastery. But in his own country, in many surrounding places, at the request of the people, he performed similar miracles: he brought down rain, purified the air, multiplied the fruits of fields and gardens, stopped floods, stopped floods, and predicted the future. The governor of Maurice, who was returning to Constantinople after the Persian War through Galatia and came to the monk to ask for prayers and blessings, predicted that he would be king. And when this came true, Mauritius 2708 wrote to his prophet, this holy father, asking for prayers for himself and his kingdom, and also added: “Ask me whatever you want.” The Monk Theodore sent Blessed Philumen to him and wrote that the king should give bread to the monastery for the many poor who came to him every day. The king then wrote to his officers in Galatia, asking them to release six hundred fours of wheat to Theodore’s monastery every year, and, in addition, donated precious vessels to the church. Seeing his flock multiplying day by day and the multitude of people flocking to his monastery for prayers and healings, he dismantled the church of the Holy Great Martyr George, which was very small, and miraculously built a larger one: he ordered the huge motionless stone to move and go from its place to another. And when undissolved lime was being transported from the nearby area of ​​Evarzia for the construction of a church, a rain cloud suddenly appeared, and the workers were afraid that the lime would catch fire and burn the cart and animals, then the Monk Theodore, with his prayer, divided the cloud in two, and heavy rain fell on both sides of the road, and not a single drop fell on the lime and on the cart until everything was brought to the site of the church building and piled from carts. When the construction of the church was coming to an end, Bishop Timothy of Anastasiople, who was after Theodosius, reposed, and the citizens went to the Archbishop of the Ancyra Metropolis, Paul, to ask him to appoint St. Theodore, Archimandrite of the Sikeot Lavra, as bishop in their city. The archbishop was glad and sent for blessed Theodore so that he could be brought to him with honor. At that time, the monk, shutting himself up in a cave, remained in silence and diligently performed his usual prayers. When the clergy and Anastasiopolitan citizens came to him to ask him to agree to be their bishop, he did not want to hear, but they forcibly opened his cell, took the monk out, put him on the hierarch’s chariot and brought him to Ancyra with joy and joy. When his brothers wept and mourned for their father, who was absent from them, he sent to tell them: - Do not grieve, brothers, but believe me that I will not leave you. There is nothing on earth that could separate me from you. And so the monk was installed as Bishop of Anastasiople by Metropolitan Paul of Ancyra, although he did not want to accept such a rank. When he accepted it, one famous man had the following vision: a bright, great star descended from the sky onto the church and with its rays illuminated not only the city and the country, but also all the surrounding countries and cities. Truly this venerable one on the bishop's throne, like a candle on a candlestick, appeared as a light to the world, enlightening and surprising the universe with countless miracles and the image of his wonderful life. He often visited his Sikeot Lavra and consoled the brethren, and consecrated the church of the Holy Great Martyr George, created by his zeal. It is impossible to say in detail what and how many miracles he performed as a bishop; He carried out intense labors, having diligent care for the flock entrusted to him. However, the monk grieved a lot that his silence was interrupted, and he always carried in his soul an indispensable desire to leave the bishopric and return to the monastery again for silence. A few years later, Blessed Theodore again had a desire to venerate the holy places in Jerusalem and, taking two brothers from his monastery, Archdeacon John and Martin, went with them on the road; while going around holy places, he did not show his episcopal rank, but walked like a simple old man. The idea came to him not to return to his place, but to live there in some monastery, for he saw that for the sake of the episcopal rank he was forced to abandon his monastic exploits. And so he went to the Lavra of St. Sava, asked for a cell for himself and lived in it in silence from the Feast of the Nativity of Christ until Easter. After Easter, the two brothers who came with him, John and Martin, constantly told him about returning home, but he did not want to listen to them. And one night the Holy Great Martyr George appeared to him in a dream vision, gave him a staff in his hands and said: “Hurry up to get out of here and let’s return to our fatherland; There is no need for you to linger here after leaving your fatherland. “I can’t go to my place because I don’t want the bishopric.” – I will soon release you from this rank; just return, because many are mourning for you. After such an admonition, the monk took his two disciples and went to his country. Approaching Galatia, he entered the Druinia monastery that came across him on the way and ordered his companions not to tell who he was. The monks of this monastery had long heard about the Monk Theodore as an extraordinary person and wanted to see him. Unrecognized by those monks, the monk calmly stayed in the monastery hotel, being received by the host Anikita, and when Theodore's disciples were questioned about the elder, who he was, they said that he was wandering from some distant side. During the evening meal, he looked at the disciples, who were eating food with special pleasure, for they were hungry, and said to them: “Truly, children, we eat like the Galatians.” And an hour later he repeated the same thing. Hearing this, Anicetas thought to himself whether this old man was from Galatia. In the evening, when, as usual, the elder lay down on the ground at night, Anikita took both disciples separately and persuaded them to say who this elder was; then they revealed to him that it was Theodore, the wonderworker of Sikeot, Bishop of Anastasiopolis, and Anikitas immediately hastened to announce this to Abbot Stefan and the brethren. Great was their joy that they saw the one they really wanted to see. The time had come for morning singing, and when the elder stood up and headed towards the church, the abbot and his brethren met him at the door and, falling at his feet, bowed to him as a miracle worker and bishop, asking for a blessing. They begged the saint to stay with them for a few days in order to enjoy the contemplation of his angel-like face and to be satiated with sweet conversations, and the monk stayed with them for quite a long time. Soon rumors about him spread throughout the country, and many of the people came to the monastery, bringing their sick to the saint, and he healed everyone with the grace of Christ. After this, the monk returned to his flock and, being in ordinary pastoral labors, did not stop thinking about how to leave the bishopric. In addition, blessed Antiochus the desert dweller, returning from Constantinople to his place, having visited him by chance, advised him the same thing, for this Antiochus was sent from the eastern country to the king of Mauritius to ask the city of Sinophryn for protection from enemies. Antiochus was an old man and was a hundred years old; for sixty years he had not drunk wine or oil, and for thirty years he had not eaten bread and ate only bitter herbs with salt and vinegar and drank water. The monk received this blessed father, who was walking through Galatia and Anastasiople, with honor and joy, calmed him down and was greatly consoled by spiritual conversations with him. Blessed Antiochus said about Theodore to his disciples: “I have never seen such a holy man before.” The Lord revealed his life to me. Theodore also spoke to his brothers about Antiochus: “In the entire eastern desert I have never seen or heard of such a servant of God. Saint Theodore asked the Monk Antiochus for useful advice, telling him of his intention to leave the bishopric; Antiochus praised him for such an intention and advised him to quickly accomplish what he wanted. When Antiochus left, the Monk Theodore was saddened by the theft of church property; in addition, he had some secret enemies in the diocese, who were aroused by an invisible enemy to envy and hatred; One day, with God's permission, they gave him poison, and the monk lay silent and motionless for three days, as if dead, so that rumors about the death of the saint had already spread in the city. After three days, our Most Holy Lady Theotokos appeared to him and announced to him the cause of the illness from the poison given to him secretly, and indicated the haters who gave the poison, and taking three grains from the handkerchief that She had in Her hands, she gave it to him and said: “Eat this, and you will no longer suffer from any evil.” Having eaten these grains, the monk came to his senses, felt completely healthy and, getting up, thanked Christ God and His Most Pure Mother. He did not expose his evil enemies and did not tell anyone about them, but he made a prayer to God for them, so that he would not make it a sin for them. He always prayed to the Holy Great Martyr George to free him from his bishopric, as he promised in a vision, when the saint did not want to return from Palestine to Galatia. It is impossible to remain silent about the fact that in Anastasiopolis a tax was established, paid during the year on the bishop's meal from church estates, in the amount of three hundred and sixty-five gold coins. From this tax, the Monk Theodore spent only forty gold coins on meals for the entire year, the rest he gave to the holy Church, and he distributed those alms that came from other sources to the poor. Having finally decided to finally leave the rank of bishop, the Monk Theodore first of all turned to God with a fervent long prayer for many days, so that his intention would not be brought into sin, and, having received permission from God in revelation for what he asked for, he gathered the entire clergy, all citizens and said to them: “You know, brothers, that you forcibly tore me away from the monastery and forced me to accept the burden of bishopric, and I told you then that I was not worthy to rule over you, but you did not listen to me and did it of your own free will.” And now, for the eleventh year now, I have grieved you and I myself have grieved you. I beg you, look for a shepherd who can please you; Now I can no longer be your bishop, and I am returning, like a thin monk, to my monastery, in which I promised to work for God until the end of my life. After these words, he took Archdeacon John from his monastery and went to Metropolitan Paul of Ancyra with a request to appoint another bishop to Anastasiopolis. A great dispute arose between them: the Metropolitan did not want to let St. Theodore go under any circumstances, because, he said, it was impossible to find another husband worthy of this rank. Theodore strenuously refused and said that this burden was beyond his measure and strength. It was necessary to let the most holy Patriarch Kyriakos 2709 and the pious King Mauritius know about this in Constantinople. They, at the inspiration of God, wrote to the Metropolitan of Ancyra, so that he would not embarrass the saint of God, who was striving for silence, and would let him go, as he asked. So, the Monk Theodore, having freed himself from the burden of being a bishop, was filled with joy, seeing himself free from many worries and, having gone to his monastery, remained in his cell in silence and spent his life in fasting deeds. He often performed divine services, offering bloodless sacrifices, and during the liturgy he was honored to see with his own eyes the grace of the Holy Spirit in the form of a light purple purple descending from above and covering the Holy Gifts: he told about this to one of his co-celebrants, Hieromonk Julian, a virtuous man, at his intense requests. When he saw this, he was filled with unspeakable spiritual joy and his beautiful face was illuminated by a wondrous light and changed, so that the priests and deacons serving with him saw the Divine radiance on the face of the monk and were amazed. One day the following happened: in the month of July, on the 16th, on the day of remembrance of the holy martyr Antiochus, in the church, when Saint Theodore of God was serving the liturgy and when the time came for the offering of the Holy Gifts, he, according to custom, raised the paten with the Holy Lamb upward and proclaimed: “Holy to the Holy.” The Divine Lamb itself rose higher into the air on the paten, lifted by an invisible hand, and then sank back to its place on the paten. Seeing such a miracle, everyone who then performed the Divine meal was filled with great fear and surprise, and the Monk Theodore shed streams of tears and, inexpressibly rejoicing, glorified Christ God, truly abiding in His Most Pure Mysteries. The pious King Mauritius and His Holiness Patriarch Kyriakos wanted to see the Monk Theodore, about whom they had heard a lot, and wrote to him to come to them in Constantinople in order to receive his prayers and blessings. The monk could not disobey them and went there, where he was greeted by everyone with great honor. He lived for a short time in Constantinople, but he performed many miracles by the power of God: he restored sight to a blind youth, raised a paralytic woman from her bed, freed many demoniacs from the torment of the devil, healed a bleeding woman with prayer, cleansed the king’s son from leprosy, granted childbearing to the barren in marriage with his blessing, and performed many other glorious deeds and comforted everyone with the grace of the Lord; after which he returned to his monastery. But then not soon, and for the second time he was called to Constantinople during the reign of Emperor Phocas in 2710, at the call of His Holiness Patriarch Thomas in 2711, who took the throne after Cyriacus. The reason for calling him was this: an extraordinary incident happened in the country of Galatia: in one of its cities, during a nationwide walk with crosses, large wooden crosses suddenly, by some wondrous force, began to shake violently, hit one another and broke. Rumors of this miracle spread everywhere and even in Constantinople; Then the Holy Patriarch Thomas sent to the Monk Theodore, asking him to come to him as soon as possible, and when the saint arrived, the holy Patriarch asked him about that miracle and what it could portend. The saint replied that there really was a miracle, but he refused to say what it foreshadowed, saying that he did not know that unknown secret of God. Then the most holy patriarch fell at his feet with prayer and with this humility he convinced the monk to predict the future. The elder said that the shaking of the crosses, striking and crushing them against each other signify future great troubles for the Church of God and the Greek kingdom, on the one hand, from external enemies and, on the other hand, from internal ones. From the outside there will be a terrible invasion of enemies, from the inside there will be a division of faith among Christians, there will be general persecution, people will ruin and destroy everything from each other, many churches will be ruined, empty, and all this will happen soon. Hearing this, the patriarch was horrified and asked the monk to pray to the Lord for him, so that he would accept his soul before the predicted ruin occurred, so that he would not be a witness to the disasters coming to the Church. A short time later, when the Monk Theodore was still in Constantinople in the church of St. Stephen, the patriarch fell ill and sent to the monk, who at that time had secluded himself and was fasting, to announce his illness, asking him to ask God for a speedy death. The saint refused and did not want to; then the patriarch earnestly asked him for the second time that he should die before the invasion of unrest on the Church. The monk did the will of the saint, prayed to God for his death and sent to him, saying: “Do you order me to come to you, or will we appear together there before our Lord?” The Patriarch answered through the envoy: - Do not interrupt, father, your silence; What you said is enough for me - we will see you there before our Lord. On the same day, before the evening hour, His Holiness Patriarch Thomas, rejoicing, separated from his body and went to the Lord. After the death of the patriarch, the Monk Theodore returned to his monastery, and a few years later his own death approached, before which he performed many great and glorious miracles and prophesied many things about future events. Before his death, he saw the Holy Great Martyr George twice, who appeared to him in a dream vision: the first time he appeared to him, handing him a traveling staff and calling him to go with him on a long journey, then he appeared to him, sitting on a horse, leading another and saying: - Sit down, Theodore, on this horse and follow me. From this the Monk Theodore understood his imminent departure from the earth, reported this to his disciples with joy, and foretold his death after Easter. And so it came true. When he was dying, he saw the holy Angels who were coming to take him and with a joyful face he gave his soul into their hands. His death occurred in the third year of the reign of Heraclius 2712. His life and miracles were described by his disciple Eleusius, who received the monastic name of George from the monk. He tells about himself that his parents, having been married for a long time, did not have children and asked the Monk Theodore that with prayers and blessings they could be parents to children; The monk, taking their belts, blessed them and, giving them, predicted the resolution of infertility; They actually gave birth to Eleusius, whom they, having raised, brought to the monk and gave to the service of God. Living with the monk for twelve years, he was an eyewitness to unspeakable miracles, which he wrote about at great length, but we borrowed from him and briefly outlined only a few, for our spiritual benefit. Let us glorify the wonderful God, glorified in His miracle workers, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Having been known from the shrouds, sanctified and filled with graces, you illuminated the world with miracles and drove away many demons, the priest Theodora, also prayed to the Lord for us. As if you had ascended on a fiery chariot of virtues, God-Bearer, you have ascended to the heavenly dwellings, like an Angel, you have lived with men and, like a man, you have rejoiced around with Angels. For this reason, you showed yourself to miracles, the Divine friend, Reverend Theodora. Galatia is a region of Asia Minor. Stage is a measure of length, equal to approximately 88 of our fathoms. Justinian the Great, Roman Emperor, reigned from 527 to 565. The fast walkers were the emperor’s bodyguards, usually accompanying him during his travels. Julian the Apostate reigned from 361 to 363. Death of St. The martyr Emilian followed in 362. His memory is celebrated by St. Church on July 18. A belt embroidered with gold was usually worn by soldiers who served near the king (bodyguards), as well as by the main commanders of the army. Parents of St. Theodora, from a young age, prepared such a belt for him (as the life tells), since he was destined for military service at the royal court. Hryvnia is a gold chain worn as a decoration around the neck. This name was used by the ancient Romans to designate a dry, densely trampled (and sometimes paved) area, usually intended for drying and threshing grain (Latin area, from arare - to be dry). Public games were also sometimes held here. Diana (Greek Artemis) is the Greco-Roman goddess of light and life. She was revered as the giver of fresh, blooming life in nature. Diana was also considered the goddess of childbirth and the patroness of animals. According to church canons, people who had reached the age of 30 were usually ordained as presbyters, and people who had reached 35 years of age were ordained as bishops. Naaman is the military commander of the Syrian king Benhadad. For the story of his healing from leprosy by the prophet Elisha, see 2 Kings 6:1–19. This name is given to Saint Theodore for his exploits of mortifying the flesh with various iron instruments, as this is narrated in his life. Hezekiah was a king of Judah who lived in the 8th century. BC. His miraculous healing by the prophet Isaiah is narrated in 4 books. Kingdoms Mauritius reigned from 582 to 602. Cyriacus was patriarch from 595 to 606. Emperor Phocas reigned from 602 to 610. Thomas was patriarch from 607 to 610. Emperor Heraclius reigned from 610 to 641. Death of St. Theodora Syceota followed in 613. You might be interested in: