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The Monk Euthymius came from the city of Melitina, in Armenia, near the Euphrates 762. His parents Paul and Dionysia, both Christians, came from a noble family and were adorned with virtues. For many years they were barren and childless, for which they deeply mourned. Visiting the church of the holy martyr Polyeuctus, located near the city, they always prayed to God that their childlessness would be resolved. And so, when they were in fervent prayer one night, a certain Divine vision followed them, and they heard: - Be comforted, for God will give you a son named after consolation 763, because at his birth God will give consolation to His churches. After this vision, Dionysia conceived a son, whom even before his birth his parents promised to dedicate to God. And then a son was born to them, and they named him Euthymius. At that time, Valens reigned in the east, and his nephew Gratian reigned in the West 764. For the churches of Christ, troubled by the Arians, there was still no peace and silence. Beginning from the reign of Constantius, son of Konstantinov, until the death of Valens, the Orthodox suffered persecution and violence for almost forty years. When Saint Euthymius was born, all the sorrows of the holy churches turned into consolation and joy: less than five months after the birth of Euthymius, the wicked emperor Valens was defeated by the barbarians who devastated Thrace and during his flight, hiding in one village, near Adrianople 765, in a barn, he burned down. Thus, this wicked man perished horribly from temporary fire, which was for him, as it were, the threshold of eternal fire. With the death of this wicked king, all the Arian power perished, and soon, with the accession of Theodosius the Great to the kingdom 766, silence and peace came for the holy churches. After a rather short time, Evfimy’s father died. Dionysia, fulfilling her vow, brought the youth Euthymius to her brother, presbyter Eudoxius, who was the spiritual father of the bishop of the Melitene church Otrius 767, dedicating her son, as Anna once did - Samuel, to God (1 Samuel 1). Eudoxius brought the boy to the bishop and told him everything about him: how, after some Divine appearance and voice, he was given to barren parents, for the sake of their fervent prayer for this, and that even before birth he was promised to serve the Lord. Bishop Otriy, hearing this and being surprised by what was told, said: – Truly the Spirit of God rests on this child. Having accepted the youth to himself instead of his son, Otrius carefully took care of his education, entrusting this task to two teachers from the clergy, Acacius and Synodius, prudent and virtuous men, each of whom later, in his time, was a bishop of the same Melitene church. When Blessed Euthymius studied the Divine books well, the bishop made him a reader, and his mother, Blessed Dionysia, who served God with unceasing zeal, ordained him a deaconese of his church. Then Saint Euthymius, known from his youth for his virtuous life and immaculate virginity, having passed through all the lower church degrees and already being a monk, was ordained to the rank of presbyter. At the same time, he was entrusted, although he did not want leadership, with the care of the monasteries located in that city, since from childhood he greatly loved monasticism and silence. Therefore, the Monk Euthymius often stayed in the monastery of the holy martyr Polyeuctus, which was located at some distance from the city. On the days of the Holy Pentecost, he retired to a deserted mountain and there surrendered to silence among the exploits and labors known to the One God. Realizing that the abbots and management of the monasteries were preventing his silence, at the same time avoiding human glory, the monk, in the twentieth year of his life, secretly left for Jerusalem 768. Having venerated the venerable Cross and Tomb of Christ and other holy places, he visited the holy fathers who lived in the surrounding desert, and, having examined the life and virtue of each, tried to imitate them. Then he came to the Faran Lavra 769, which was six miles away from the holy city, and, having found one empty cell outside the monastery in a secluded place, he settled in it, having absolutely nothing; Having learned to weave baskets, he fed himself from the labor of his hands. And so, freed from all earthly worries, he had only one concern - how to please God. Saint Euthymius had a neighbor and friend, the Venerable Theoktist, with whom he united with such spiritual love that both had one will, one desire for God, one common feat. They conveyed their thoughts to each other, and each of them seemed to be contained in the soul of the other: whatever one wanted, the other strove for it, as if there was one soul in two bodies. Every year, after the eighth day of the Holy Epiphanies, Euthymius and Theoktist retired to the Kutilian desert 770 and remained there until the Flower-Bearing Week 771, exhausting the body with fasting and labor, but feeding the soul with spiritual food. Then they each returned to their cell with an abundant wealth of virtues, which they brought to the Risen Christ. Living in this way in the Faran Lavra, the Monk Euthymius one day, together with the blessed Theoktistos, at the usual time, retired to the Kutilli desert 772. Walking through the desert, they came to one cliff, near which there was a wild ravine, in the depths of which a stream flowed; to the north of the stream on the cliff there was a cave in which animals lived and into which it was only possible to get through with difficulty along the wall. Rejoicing, as if this place had been prepared for them by God Himself, they settled there, eating the herbs growing around them, and never returned to the monastery. After some time, when God deigned to reveal the saints for the benefit of the believers, then, according to His dispensation, some shepherds from Lazaria 773 brought their flocks to this stream. And when they raised their gaze up the mountain to the cave, they suddenly noticed two men walking along the cliff, and, frightened, they fled. The fathers shouted after them in a meek voice: - Do not be afraid, brothers, do not be afraid: for we too are people, but for the sake of our sins we live in this place. Then the shepherds, taking courage, came to them and entered the cave; Not finding there anything necessary for earthly life, they were amazed and then returned home, telling their family about the saints. After that, residents of Lazaria began to come to the Monks Euthymius and Theoktistus, bringing them what they needed for their everyday needs. Meanwhile, the Faran fathers, noticing that the saints were not returning, searched for them in the desert for a long time until they found out where they were, and after they found them, they began to visit them often. Then some wished to settle with them; the first to come to the monks Euthymius and Theoktistus and not return to the monastery were Marinus and Luke 774. Then others began to flock in, for the fame of Saint Euthymius in a short time spread everywhere, and many began to strive to see him and labor under his leadership. He, receiving those who came, entrusted them to the leadership of his friend, blessed Theoktistus, for he himself loved solitude most of all. Soon a cenobia 775 was established in the desert, and the cave was turned into a church. The Monk Euthymius was the spiritual physician of all: each of the brethren revealed his conscience to him, confessing his thoughts; He, possessing great spiritual experience, instructed everyone with benefit, teaching and admonishing, fatherly punishing and comforting. To all the brethren the Monk Euthymius said: - Brothers! Why did you come out of the world, strive for that, and do not neglect your salvation, but watch every hour, according to the word of the Lord: “Watch and pray, so as not to fall into temptation” (Matthew 26:41); First of all, know that those who renounce the world and want to lead a monastic life should not have their own will, but always maintain obedience and humility, and in their minds have the memory of death and the hour of judgment, fear eternal fire and desire the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven. And he also said that monks should, with inner contemplation of God, work physically, especially the young, for bodily depression, so that the flesh obeys the spirit, to be imitators of the Apostle Paul, who worked day and night, not only avoiding idleness, but serving both himself and others, as he himself says: “These hands have served my needs and the needs of those who were with me” (Acts 20:34). For if the laity endure so much labor and suffer, constantly working to feed their wives and children, and from the same labor they make sacrifices to God, give alms and pay taxes: then shouldn’t we, even more so, work for the necessary bodily needs in order to avoid idleness and not eat other people’s labors, according to the commandment of the Apostle (2 Thess. 3:10). Thus, our reverend father Euthymius, instructing the brethren, encouraged them to work hard. He commanded the brethren not to speak either in church - during worship, or at meals - while eating, but to remain silent everywhere, listening to the word of God. When he saw one of the brothers, especially young ones, who wanted to fast more than the other brothers, he did not approve of this and did not allow the brother to follow his will, but demanded that he observe the common time of abstinence and meal times with everyone; The monk instructed that the brother should eat with abstinence at the meal, not satiating the stomach, but eating less than it requires, in order to thus hide his fasting, not divulging about it openly, but secretly arming himself against growing passions. Enlightened by such instructions and teachings of the Monk Euthymius, the brethren labored and bore fruit worthy of their calling. Now we must talk about Aspebet and Terebon, the leaders of the Saracens, about how they were converted by Euthymius to God. There lived in Persia one Greek named Aspevet, who had a young son Terevon, who was struck by a demon, as a result of which his entire right side, from head to toe, withered; and no one could cure him, although many experienced doctors were brought to him. Then Aspevet, together with his sick son, moved to Arabia. It happened as follows. At the beginning of the persecution of Christians then raised in Persia by the magicians 776, at the end of the reign of Izdegerd 777, all military leaders, among whom was Aspevet, were ordered to carefully guard all roads, so that not a single Christian could escape from Persia to the Greeks. Then Aspevet, seeing such great anger against innocent Christians, took pity on them and not only did not prevent them from fleeing the Persian land, but he himself helped them as much as he could, protecting them from dangers and death. As a result, he was slandered by the infidels before King Izdegerd. Fearing torture, Aspevet, taking his son, property and all his household, hastily fled from Persia to the borders of the Greek kingdom. The Greek king, having accepted him, gave him command of the Saracens, who lived under Greek rule in Arabia. When Aspevet settled there, his son Terevon saw in a dream vision the Monk Euthymius, who promised him recovery if he turned to Christ. Waking up, Terevon told his father about his dream; the same immediately took the youth and, accompanied by many servants, came to the monastery of the Monks Euthymius and Theoktistus. The brothers, seeing many Saracens, were afraid. Blessed Theoktist, going out to the Saracens, asked them: – We are looking for the Servant of God Euthymius. “The one you’re looking for lives here, but he doesn’t see anyone until Saturday because he’s silent.” Aspevet, taking Theoktistus by the hand, showed him his sick son and ordered him to tell him everything about himself. “A year ago I received this ulcer in Persia and, having experienced the healing art of doctors and the magic spells of magicians, I did not receive any benefit, but became even more ill. Having come here to the Arabian country and not feeling any relief, one night, lying on my bed, I thought about whether I would ever receive healing, and said to myself: “O Terevon! Where is the medical art of the Hellenes and Persians? Where are the magic and enchantments? Where is the power of our idols, and what is the use of them? Where are the inventions of the astrologers and the fables of our teaching and the useless invocations of our gods? Truly, all this is just a dream worthy of laughter, for it does not help anyone at all, without the permission of the One True God.” Reasoning this way, I turned to prayer and prayed with tears, saying: “Great and terrible God, who created heaven and earth, if you have mercy on me and deliver me from this severe illness, then I will be a Christian, leaving behind all the iniquities and errors of the Hellenic faith.” Having prayed like this, I fell asleep and saw in a dream a certain monk with gray hair and a large beard; he said to me: “What are you suffering from?” When I showed him my illness, he said to me: “Will you fulfill what you promised to God?” I answered: “I will, if I am freed from this disease.” Then the elder said to me: “I am Euthymius, living in the eastern desert, ten miles from Jerusalem, not far from the road leading to Jericho. So, if you want to be healed, come to me, and God will heal you through me.” I told my father about all this that I saw and heard in a dream, and so we came here at the command of him who appeared to me in a vision. We pray you, show us that doctor revealed by God. Blessed Theoktist went and told the great Euthymius about everything he had heard. The same, judging that it was inappropriate to resist God’s command, came out of his silence and, coming to the sick man, prayed to God for him, marked him with the sign of the cross, and immediately Terevon recovered, as if he had never been sick. The barbarians, amazed by Terevon’s sudden healing, believed in Christ, and everyone, falling prostrate to the ground, asked to be baptized. Euthymius the wonderworker, seeing that they believed in God with all their hearts, performed a catechumen over them and baptized first Aspevet, whom he named Peter 778, after him Marin, the brother of Aspevet’s wife, then Terevon, as well as all the Saracens who came with him. Having kept them with him for forty days, the monk enlightened them with the word of God and, having confirmed them in the faith, released them to their fatherland. Marin, Terevon’s uncle, did not leave the monastery, but took monastic vows there and remained here until his death; he pleased God a lot and was the abbot of that monastery after the Monk Theoktistus, as will be seen from what follows. As for his significant estate, which he brought as a gift to the monastery, part of it was distributed to the poor, part of it was spent on the construction and expansion of the monastery. Meanwhile, after the rumor about Terevon’s miraculous healing spread everywhere, many sick people began to flock from everywhere to Blessed Euthymius, a free doctor, and everyone soon received healing and returned healthy. As a result, the name of the saint became famous not only in Palestine, but also in the surrounding regions. The monk, seeing that his silence was being broken, grieved and grieved that many came and glorified him, remembering his former silence and thinking of secretly leaving for the desert called Ruva 779. Blessed Theoktist, having learned about this, announced to the brethren. And so everyone gathered, came and fell at the feet of the Monk Euthymius, begging him with tears not to leave them orphans. He, wanting to console them, promised at first not to leave there, but after a few days, prompted by the desire to remain in unceasing silence and being no longer able to endure worldly rumors, he secretly left the monastery at night, taking with him one disciple of Dometian, a virtuous life, who, like the monk, came from Melitina, and went to Ruva. Walking through the southern desert near the Dead Sea, he climbed a high mountain, separated from other mountains, called Marda 780, and, having found a well of water and a collapsed hut on it, he rebuilt it and settled there and lived for some time, eating desert herbs. Then the monk went to the Ziph desert, located near the village of Aristobulgada, 781 wanting to see there the cave in which David had once hidden while fleeing from Saul. Seeing that place, the Monk Euthymius built a monastery there. The reason for building the monastery was the following. The son of the elder of the village of Aristovultada was possessed by an unclean spirit and with a cry loudly called on the name of Euthymius, for God invisibly commanded him to do so. The young man’s father and relatives carefully asked everywhere about Euphemia, who he was and where he was. Having learned that he was staying between Kaparvarikh 782 and Aristovultada in David's Cave, the sick man's father brought his possessed son to him. As soon as the latter saw the saint, the demon immediately threw him to the ground and left him. When the news of the miracle spread, many from the surrounding villages came to the saint and built a monastery for him. The brothers gathered around him, and God sent them food. The saint converted many there who belonged to the Manichaean heresy to Orthodoxy, convincing them to condemn the heresy leader Manes. Then, feeling uneasy from the many visitors coming, he said to his student Dometian: - Let's go, child, and visit the Monk Theoktistus and the brethren. And off they went. Approaching the monastery, the Monk Euthymius found a place on the mountain that he liked and on which his monastery subsequently arose: the place was level, secluded, and the air was healthy. And he stopped there in a small cave that came across, where later, after his death, his body was buried 783. Blessed Theoktist, having learned about the arrival of the Monk Euthymius, hastily went out to greet him and begged him to come to live in his place in the monastery together with the brethren. But Evfimy did not agree and only promised to come to church services on all Sundays. Aspevet, who is also Peter, heard that the Monk Euthymius had returned to his place, rejoiced and came to him with many Saracens with their wives and children and asked him to tell them the word of salvation. The elder, having taught them a lesson, converted all those who came with Aspevet to Christ; Having brought them to the lower monastery, he enlightened them with holy baptism and stayed with them for seven days, teaching and confirming them in the faith. After this, striving for silence, he returned to his cave. Aspevet Peter, seeing that the elder did not have a cell, but lived in a small cave, called masons and built three cells for the saint, a small church and a bakery; then he made a two-mouth pond and provided the monk with everything necessary, so that he would not experience any deprivation. The newly baptized Saracens no longer wanted to be separated from the saint, but, wanting to always be satiated with his teachings, they asked the saint to allow them to live near him. But Euthymius did not agree to this, fearing that his silence would then be completely broken, but, leading them to another convenient place, he ordered them to build a cell and a church for themselves and appointed presbyters and deacons for them. Every day their gathering multiplied, for many Saracens came and received holy baptism. The monk often visited them, teaching them the word of God. When their village began to resemble a large city, the monk turned to the Patriarch of Jerusalem Juvenal 784 with a request to consecrate Peter, Terevonov’s father, as a bishop for the newly enlightened Saracens. And Peter was made a bishop, satisfying the spiritual needs of the many Saracens who accepted the holy faith. The Monk Euthymius did not want to have cohabitants in the place where he was silent, and therefore did not organize a monastery or a monastery, but sent those who came to him to be tonsured to the lower monastery to the Monk Theoktistus; also, if anyone brought him anything for his bodily needs, he sent everything to the Feoktistov monastery. When God deigned to populate that place with many monks, he commanded the great Euthymius in a vision not to drive away those who came to him for the sake of salvation. One day three brothers according to the flesh came to him, native Cappadocians raised in Syria: Cosmas, Chrysippus and Gabriel; they were burning in spirit for spiritual improvement. But the elder did not want to accept them, partly because he loved his silence, partly because they were young, especially because the youngest of the brothers, Gabriel, from his mother’s womb was an eunuch and very young, and his face resembled a woman. Then at night there followed a certain Divine apparition to the monk, in which there was a voice to him: – Accept these brothers because God sent them, and henceforth do not reject anyone who wants to be saved. Then the saint received them and said to the eldest of them, Cosmas: “Here I accept you, as God commanded me; You, too, do what I command: do not allow your younger brother to leave his cell, so that none of the other brothers can see him: for it is not appropriate for a woman to live in the monastery, lest an enemy fight arise against someone. Then the saint predicted to him what would follow. “As I believe,” he said, “you will not stay here long: for God wants to give you the bishopric in the Scythopolis church 785.” This prediction actually came true later. After this, the monk began to receive everyone who came. So he received Domnin, a native of Antioch 786, nephew of John, Archbishop of Antioch 787; received also three other brothers of the Melitians, nephews of that Synodius, who, together with Acacius, was the teacher of Euthymius, named Stephen, Andrew and Guyana, then John, presbyter of Raifa 788, Anatoly and Thalassius, also Kirion of Tiberias 789, presbyter of the church of the holy martyr Basil in Scythopolis; Having received them all, he ordered Bishop Peter to make small cells for them and decorate the church with all possible splendor. Thus, he built the monastery according to the model of Paran. And the Patriarch of Jerusalem Juvenaly came to the Lavra with Saint Passarion 790, who was then the chorebishop 791, and Hesychius 792, a presbyter and church teacher, and consecrated the Lavra church 793. Euthymius was fifty-two years old at that time. He appointed the patriarch and two deacons for the Lavra, Dometian and Domnin; John and Kirion were presbyters. The great Euthymius rejoiced in spirit about the consecration of his monastery, especially because he saw the Patriarch, the Right Reverend Passarion and Hesychius the theologian, both of whom were glorious lamps. But Saint Passarion died when he was not yet seven months old, being in extreme old age. In the first year after the consecration of the monastery, when the brethren, together with the Monk Euthymius, were in great distress regarding bodily needs, Dometian was appointed steward 794 for the first time. It happened one day that a crowd of Armenians walking from the holy city to the Jordan turned off the path to the right and came to the monastery, for God arranged it this way so that the virtue and faith of the great father would shine even more. There were at least four hundred of them. Seeing them and noticing that they were hungry, the monk called the steward Dometian and said: - Offer these people something to eat. - Father! The cellarer 795 does not have anything to feed ten people: where will I get bread for such a multitude of people? The saint, filled with prophetic grace, said: “Go and do what I command you, for the Holy Spirit says that these people will eat to their full, and there will be plenty of food left for us.” Dometian, having gone to the bakery where some bread lay, could not open the doors, because God's blessing filled the cell to the top. Calling some of the brethren, he used them to knock down the door, and loaves of bread fell out of the cell. The same blessing happened with the wine and oil, for the vessels were suddenly all filled. And they all ate and were satisfied. For three whole months they could not put the door in its place because of the abundance of the loaves: the loaves did not diminish, just as the hospitable widow in Zarephath of Sidon once had a pot of flour and a jar of oil (1 Kings 17:14) 796. Dometian, surprised by the miracle, threw himself at the teacher’s feet, asking for forgiveness. The elder, having brought him to his senses, taught him a lesson about love of strangers and hope in God. From that time on, the lavra began to multiply, be blessed with all sorts of abundance and expand with cell buildings; and Divine services were performed in the church every day. The housekeeper was forced to purchase livestock for the needs of the monastery in order to serve the brethren. There was a certain brother in the monastery, originally from Asia 797, named Auxentius, who was very suitable for this monastic service. The housekeeper asked him to guard and herd the monastery's mules and donkeys, but he did not listen. Then the steward turned to the presbyters John and Kirion and, together with them, begged Auxentius to take on this service; but he did not listen to them either. When Saturday arrived, when the opportunity arose to talk with the great Euthymius about monastic affairs, the steward told the monk about Auxentius’s disobedience. The monk, calling Auxentius, said to him: – Listen to us, child, and accept the obedience entrusted to you. “I can’t, honest father, three reasons prevent me from doing this: the first is that I am a foreigner and cannot speak the local language; the second is the fear of a sinful fall; the third is that, having taken care of livestock, I will no longer be able to sit in a cell in the Divine Thought and remain silent. The Great Euthymius said to this: “We pray to God that you do not receive any harm from all this, for God knows that for the sake of fear of Him you serve His servants.” Listen to the Lord, who says: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28) and again: “I do not seek My will, but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 6:30). But even after such admonitions from the Monk Auxentius, he became embittered and did not listen. Then the monk, angry, said: “We, child, advise you what is good for you, but you don’t listen; you will see what the reward for disobedience is. And immediately Auxentius fell to the ground in a fit of madness, trembling and shaking; The fathers who were present asked the saint for him, and he, barely begging, raised him and, marking him with the sign of the cross, healed him. Having come to his senses, Auxentius, falling at the feet of the saint, asked for forgiveness. The saint told him: – Obedience is a great virtue, for God requires obedience more than sacrifice; disobedience brings death. Then, having made a prayer for Auxentius, the Monk Euthymius blessed him and said: - “You have recovered; Sin no more, lest anything worse happen to you” (John 6:14). After this, Auxentius accepted the obedience entrusted to him and began to fulfill it with zeal. Two brothers, Maron and Climatius, burdened with a harsh life in the monastery, agreed to flee at night, and when they had already prepared for this, their intention became known to the Monk Euthymius: he saw in a vision the devil throwing a bridle on them and dragging them into a deadly net. Immediately calling them, the monk addressed them with a long conversation, teaching about patience, convincing and instructing them to abandon their destructive intention. He spoke about the fact that one must carefully guard oneself: Adam, being in paradise, transgressed the commandment of God; Job kept it, sitting on the dung. To this admonition he added the following: – We should not allow evil thoughts that instill in us sadness or hatred for the place in which we live or for our cohabitants; one should not listen to thoughts advising one to move to another place; but we need to be sober every hour and turn our minds away from the wiles of demons, so that our rule does not collapse with our transition, for a tree that is often replanted does not bear fruit. If someone wants to do something good in the place where he lives, and cannot, then let him not think that he is able to do it in another: for a good deed is achieved not by place, but by will and faith. Listen to one story that I heard from Egyptian monks. One brother lived in Egypt in the monastery and was often angry and worried, and abusive words were constantly on his lips; Having become despondent, he left the monastery and settled in solitude, believing that if he had no one to talk to, he would be freed from his habit of being angry. One day, when he filled a vessel with water for some purpose, it overturned; he filled it a second time, but the vessel overturned again; the same thing happened the third time. The brother, being seduced by the demon, became angry with the vessel and, seizing it, broke it. When Saint Euthymius said this, Climatius laughed. The elder, looking at him, said: “Aren’t you also, brother, seduced by the demon that you’re laughing madly?” Haven’t you heard that the Lord considers those who laugh to be outcasts, but those who cry are blessed? Having said this, the monk turned away from Climatius and went to his inner cell. Climatius immediately fell on his face, overwhelmed with trepidation, for some kind of fear and horror attacked him. Dometian was there at that time; He gathered some of the fathers and, going in to the monk, asked to forgive Climatius. Hearing them, the saint went out and raised the man lying down and healed him with the sign of the cross, and said: - From now on, pay attention to yourself and do not neglect the instructions of the fathers, accepting them as if they were God’s words, and become an eye entirely, as we heard about the Cherubim. Guard yourself carefully in every way, for you walk in the midst of snares. Having thus punished his brother and instructed both of them, who had conspired to flee, the monk sent them away to their cells confirmed. In those days, the Third Ecumenical Council of 798 was assembled in Ephesus for the wicked Nestorius. Then the aforementioned Synodius came from Melitina to Palestine to worship, who, together with Akaki, during the youth of the monk, was his teacher. Having the three above-mentioned nephews in the Lavra of Euthymius: Stephen, Andrew and Guyan, Synodius came there and, having kissed the Monk Euthymius, told him about the wicked heresy of Nestorius, who, by the permission of God, was for some time the Patriarch of Constantinople and outraged the entire universe with his false teachings; told him about the zeal in Orthodoxy of Blessed Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria 799, and Akakios, Bishop of Melitino, who was once his teacher. And the monk rejoiced for them. Peter, who was once called Aspevet, and at that time was already a bishop of the Saracens, who, together with other Palestinian bishops, went to the Council of Ephesus, the monk ordered to adhere to the teachings of Cyril and Acacius and to defend them in every possible way. At the end of the council and the deposition of Nestorius, Peter, returning, told the elder in detail about everything that happened at the council; the elder rejoiced at the establishment of Orthodoxy, but grieved over John, Archbishop of Antioch, who, being Orthodox, defended Nestorius. Deacon Domnin, grieving for his uncle, asked the great father to let him go to Antioch to correct his uncle. But the saint said to him: - Don’t go, child: if you stay in the place to which you are called, and do not listen to the thought that wants to tear you away from the desert, then you will succeed in virtue and become glorified in God; If you disobey me and go, you will accept your uncle’s throne, but it will not be beneficial, and you will not be honored on it for long, for it will soon be taken away from you by evil people. But Domnin, not listening to his father’s commandment, went to Antioch without his blessing, and everything that was predicted by the saint 800 came true on him; subsequently he returned to the elder, crying and repenting, and marveling at the saint’s foresight. About this venerable father of ours, Euthymius, the venerable Cyriacus the hermit, his disciple, testifies as follows: “We have never seen him eating except on Saturday and Sunday, nor talking with anyone, except for great necessity, nor sleeping on his side, but sometimes only dozing while sitting; sometimes he took with both hands the rope stretched in the corner of his cell and so, out of bodily necessity, slept a little, following the saying of the great Arseny about sleep: “Come, evil slave!” For in his life he imitated the holy Venerable Arsenius and listened with delight about him from the brethren who came from Egypt.” A certain Anastasius, the guardian of the Church of the Holy Resurrection 801, wanted to see the great Euthymius and, together with his friends, the Jerusalem clergy, went to his Lavra. The Monk Euthymius, foreseeing their coming in spirit, called the Lavra steward Chrysippus and said to him: “Get ready to receive guests, for here comes the Patriarch of Jerusalem.” When the guests arrived, the monk received Anastasius as a patriarch and talked with him as with a patriarch. Everyone present was surprised; The steward Chrysippus came up and said in the elder’s ear: - Honest father, there is no patriarch here; This is Anastasy the vessel guardian. The saint, surprised, said: “Believe me, child, that until now I have seen him dressed in patriarchal robes.” And truly I was not deceived: for what God has predestined, so will he do. This word of the monk was spoken publicly and came true in due time, when Anastasius was installed as patriarch 802. The aforementioned Terevon, the son of Bishop Peter, called Aspeveta, took a wife from his family and lived with her for a long time, but had no children, since she was barren. Bringing her to the wonderworker Euthymius, he begged him, saying: “I know, Father, that God will listen to your prayer, for He does the will of those who fear Him.” So, I beg your holiness: pray for us to the Lover of Mankind, God, that he may grant us a child. The saint marked him and his wife three times with the sign of the Holy Cross and said to them: - Behold, God will grant you childbearing, and you will have three sons. There was a certain brother in the monastery named Emilian, who one night, at dawn of Sunday, from a demonic obsession, was inflamed with carnal passion and troubled by unclean thoughts, feeling in his heart the lust of sin. By chance, the Monk Euthymius, going to church for matins, passed by the place where his brother stood, embarrassed by lust; smelling the stench of the prodigal demon and realizing what was happening, the saint said: - May God forbid you, you damned unclean spirit. And immediately the brother fell to the ground, spewing foam and raging. The brethren gathered, a candle was brought, and the monk said to the brethren: - Do you see this brother? From his youth until now he lived virtuously, in bodily purity; Now, when he was briefly carried away by carnal lust and thought with lust and enjoyed those unclean thoughts, he was possessed by a demon. Let us also receive instruction from such his sorrow, and let everyone know that if anyone, although he does not touch someone else’s body and does not commit unclean sin, commits fornication with his mind, being carried away by unclean thoughts, holding them, deigning to them and enjoying them, he is a fornicator and possessed by a demon. To this the elder added the following narration: “Listen, brothers,” he said, “to the story that some Egyptian fathers told me about one brother, whom everyone considered a saint, but with his heart he angered God, being carried away by wicked thoughts and committing adultery with his mind. When he approached his death, a certain perspicacious old man came there and heard about him that he was sick at the point of death, and found all the inhabitants crying and saying: “If this saint dies, then we have no hope of salvation, because we are all saved by his prayers.” Hearing this, the perspicacious elder hastily went to the sick man, wanting to receive a blessing from this imaginary saint, and, approaching his home, he saw a multitude of people with candles, priests and deacons, waiting for the bishop for the solemn burial of that saint. Entering the upper room, the elder found him still breathing and, looking with the eyes of his soul, he saw a demon holding a trident; Having pierced the heart of the dying man with it, the demon with many torments extracted his soul. At the same time, the saint heard a voice from heaven saying: “Just as his soul did not give me rest for a single day, so you unceasingly torment him and tear his soul out of him.” So, that brother died in agony, for from above he seemed holy, but inside his heart he angered God.” “Heeding this, brethren,” continued the Monk Euthymius, “carefully guard yourself against thoughts that defile the soul: for during the separation of the soul from the body, those who dream of fornication will suffer the same torment as those who commit that sin. But let us pray for this brother Emilian to God, who punishes him, but does not put him to death, and free him from the demon and carnal passions. When the saint prayed, a demon came out, crying: “I am the spirit of fornication,” and filled the whole place with a stench, as if from burning brimstone. From then on, Emilian freed himself from unclean lusts and became a chosen vessel of God. At that time there was a lack of rain, and there was a great drought, and the word of Scripture was fulfilled: “And your heavens, which are above your head, will become copper, and the earth under you iron” (Deut. 28:23). And because of the drought they were all in great tribulation. The brethren with the Monk Theoktist asked the Monk Euthymius to pray to God and ask for rain, for they knew how effective his prayer was before God; but he did not agree. The feast of the Epiphany of the Lord arrived and the day approached on which the saint usually went into the desert until Color Week. Many people from the holy city and surrounding villages gathered at the monastery, wearing crosses and crying out: “Lord, have mercy!” And they came to the great Euthymius, not allowing him to go into the desert until he begged God to send rain. Hearing the screams, the monk came out to them and said: – What do you look for in a sinner? I, child, do not have the boldness to pray to God about this, for I am a sinner and more than others I need His mercy, especially at this present time of His anger. Our sins separate us from Him, we have darkened His image, desecrated His church, working with lusts and various passions, we live in covetousness and envy and are worthy of hatred, because we hate each other; For this reason, He brought this execution on us, so that, admonished by it, we would repent; when we correct ourselves by repentance, then He will hear us, for it is written: “The Lord is close to all who call on Him in truth” (Ps. 145:18). When the saint spoke like this to the people, everyone seemed to cry out with one mouth: – You yourself, father, pray for us; We believe that God will hear your prayer, for He does the will of those who fear Him. Entreated by these words, the monk, taking the fathers who were with him, went to church, commanding the people to pray. Prostrate in the church, he with tears prayed to God to have mercy on His creation and visit the earth with mercy and bounty and give it rain. While he was praying, a south wind suddenly blew, the sky became cloudy, thunder roared, and heavy rain fell. Then the saint, having risen and finished his prayer, went out and said to the people: - God has heard your prayers, He will bless this summer before other years. Therefore, strive to please God, who has shown mercy to you, with good deeds. With these words the monk dismissed the people. And the rain continued to pour down for many days, so that the saint could not, according to his custom, go into the great desert. And this summer was blessed with an abundance of earthly fruits compared to other years, according to the word of the saint. In the seventy-fifth year of the life of the Monk Euthymius there was a fourth Ecumenical Council in Chalcedon against Dioscorus, the wicked Patriarch of Alexandria 803. Some of the saint's disciples who were awarded the episcopal rank were also present at the council: Stephen, Bishop of Jamnia 804, and John, Bishop of Saracens, successor of Peter Aspevet; Having written down the definitions of the Council of Chalcedon, they communicated them to their Abba, Saint Euthymius. He accepted the confession of faith set forth at the Council of Chalcedon and recognized it as Orthodox, and rumor quickly spread throughout the entire Palestinian desert and among all the monks, many of whom believed non-Orthodoxly, that the great Euthymius would follow the Council of Chalcedon. At that time, a certain heretic Theodosius came to Palestine, in the image of a monk, but in fact a wicked man, full of the false teachings of Eutyches; he blasphemed the holy Council of Chalcedon, claimed that the dogma of the Orthodox faith was rejected at it and Nestorian false teaching was restored, and spread many other obscene and false speeches. Queen Eudokia, the wife of the pious king Theodosius the Younger 805, was then in Palestine; after the death of her husband, she lived in holy places. And that aforementioned heretic Theodosius first attracted Queen Eudoxia to reject the Council of Chalcedon; then he infected many desert fathers with his heresy and made them his like-minded people. Then he, with many seduced monks, raised an indignation against Patriarch Juvenal: he persistently persuaded him to reject the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon; when he refused, he was overthrown from the patriarchal throne, and Juvenal went to Constantinople to King Marcian. Theodosius, relying on the assistance of Queen Evdokia and the strength of the monks blinded by heresy who were helping him, ascended to the patriarchal throne 806 and caused a lot of evil to the Orthodox; bishops and clergy who did not want to have communication with him, he overthrew some, tortured and killed others, and already carried away all the Palestinian monks after him, except those who were in the monasteries of Euthymius: having before their eyes the example of their father, the great Euthymius, they stood firmly in Orthodoxy. The false Patriarch Theodosius made many efforts to bring the Monk Euthymius into communication with himself, constantly sending to him, begging and threatening, and in every way trying to trap him in his heresy. But the monk was not caught in the enemy’s nets and was not shaken by his wickedness, like a strong pillar and an immovable wall. Burdened every day with the insidious requests of Theodosius, he called the brethren and, commanding them to carefully beware of heresies and firmly adhere to Orthodoxy, withdrew into the great desert. Many of the brothers did the same, avoiding oppression from the heretics, and, imitating their father, went into the desert. At this time, in the Jordanian desert 807 there was a certain hermit, who had come shortly before from Lycia 808, named Gerasim, he went through all the rules of monastic life and successfully fought against unclean spirits. But, defeating and driving away invisible demons, he was caught and seduced by visible demons - heretics, for he fell into the Eutychean heresy. Having heard about the Monk Euthymius, the fame of whose virtuous life was spreading everywhere, Gerasim went to him in the Ruva desert, where he was then staying. Having seen it, he received great spiritual benefit from it; Having stayed with the Monk Euthymius for a long time, Gerasim, satiated with useful conversations from his sweet-tongued tongue and instructions about Orthodoxy, rejected the heretical false teaching and turned to the Orthodox faith and deeply repented of his previous error. The turmoil caused by the heretics in Palestine through Theodosius lasted a whole year. Then the order came from the pious Tsar Marcian to seize the false patriarch Theodosius, so that he would accept judgment and punishment for his deeds; He, having learned about this, fled to Mount Sinai 809 and disappeared - no one knows where. Then the Monk Euthymius returned from the desert to his monastery. When the monk once celebrated the Divine Liturgy, Terevon the Saracen and the eunuch Gabriel, brother of Chrysippus, during the Trisagion hymn, saw fire descending from heaven and surrounding the saint, and the monk stood before the Divine table in a pillar of fire until the very end of the service. And the monk himself sometimes conveyed to some of the brethren that he had often seen an Angel performing the Liturgy with him. He also had the gift that, by outward appearance, he could discern the inner movements of the spirit and recognize human thoughts, evil and good. When the brethren partook of the Divine Mysteries, he saw who was communing with which soul: some he saw sanctified by communion, who approached with dignity: others darkened, with the face as if they were dead, since they dared unworthily. Therefore, the monk constantly taught everyone with the apostolic words: - Listen carefully, brethren, as you approach communion: “Let each of you examine himself, and in this way let him eat of this bread and drink from this cup. For whoever eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks condemnation to himself” (1 Cor. 11:28-29), for this shrine is prepared for the saints, and not for the profaned, - and if you have a clear conscience, then “whoever turned their eyes to Him were enlightened, and their faces were not ashamed” (Ps. 33:6). When His Holiness Juvenal again took his throne and began to correct the unrest that had arisen in the church, Queen Eudoxia, carried away by the aforementioned Theodosius into the Eutychean heresy, wavered in her thoughts, not knowing which confession to adhere to, and sent to Antioch to the Monk Simeon the Stylite, asking him for useful advice and guidance. He wrote to her the following: – Know that the devil, seeing the wealth of your virtues, asked “to sow” you “like wheat” (Luke 22:31), and through that destroyer Theodosius corrupted your God-loving soul; but take heart: for your faith has not failed. I am very surprised that, having a source nearby, you neglect it, and tried to draw the same water from afar: you have the God-bearing Euthymius there, follow his teaching, and you will be saved. Having received such a message from the Monk Simeon, the queen immediately began to ask about the Monk Euthymius. Having learned that he never leaves the desert for the city, she decided to build a pillar in the eastern desert, on a high hill, at a distance of thirty furlongs from the Lavra of Euthymius 810, in order to be able to see the monk there often and enjoy his teachings; Having built that pillar, she settled in it in solitude. She sent the aforementioned Anastasius, who was then the chorebishop after Passarion, and Cosmas the guardian of the cross to the Monk Euthymius, begging him to allow her to see him; When they arrived, they did not find him in the monastery, for he had long since gone to Ruva. Taking with them the Monk Theoktistus, they went with him to that desert and, having found him, they begged a lot to go to the queen, to save her lost soul - and only with difficulty did they convince the elder to go to her. Seeing the great Euthymius, the queen was very happy and, falling at his honest feet, said: “Now I have learned that God has taken notice of my unworthiness. The elder, having sufficiently instructed her regarding Orthodoxy, bequeathed to adhere to the holy four Ecumenical Councils: the Nicene, which gathered against Arius, the Constantinople - against Macedonius, the Ephesus - against Nestorius and the Chalcedonian - against Dioscorus and Eutyches, and ordered her to reconcile with Patriarch Juvenal, with whom she had previously fought; Having said many other things for her benefit, he blessed her and, having prayed for her, left. The queen accepted his words as if they were spoken from the mouth of God, and tried to fulfill them in practice; Having immediately gone to the Holy City for reconciliation with His Holiness Juvenal and clearly rejecting heresy, she entered into communion with the Orthodox Church. Seeing this, many of the laity and monks who were seduced by Theodosius, following the example of the queen, turned to Orthodoxy. In the eighty-second year of Euthymius’s life, 811 his blessed Savva, who was still young, came to the Lavra; the elder, having received him, sent him to the lower monastery to the Monk Theoktistus and predicted about him that he would soon shine in monastic life more than others, which came true, as can be seen from the life of the Monk Sava. Then Martyrius, a Cappadocian by birth, and Elijah, an Arab by birth, also came to the Monk Euthymius. After the murder of King Marcian, Timothy Elur 812 raised confusion and rebellion in Egypt, during which His Holiness Proterius, Patriarch of Alexandria 813, was killed; Unable to bear this rebellion, Martyrius and Elijah left Egypt and flocked to the great Euthymius as to a calm haven. The monk showed them love and respect: he foresaw that both would in due time occupy the throne of the Apostle James, brother of the Lord, in Jerusalem. He took them with him to the Kutilian desert and to the Ruviy desert, together with Saint Gerasim, and there he stayed with them, according to his custom, until Vai Week; Every Sunday the monk celebrated the Divine Liturgy, and those great fathers received communion of the Most Pure Mysteries from his hands. Soon after, during the reign of the Christ-loving Leo 814, who ascended the throne after Marcian, His Holiness Patriarch Juvenal died. After his death, the general council of all unanimously elected Anastasius 815, who had previously been a vessel guardian and chorebishop. And the prophecy of the Monk Euthymius was fulfilled, which he uttered when Anastasius visited him and the saint, with perspicacious eyes, saw him in patriarchal clothes. Remembering this, Anastasius sent honest clergy to the saint with the following words: “Behold, father, now your prophecy has been fulfilled: I beg you, let me come to you and greet your shrine.” The Monk Euthymius answered this like this: – I always wish to see your holiness and benefit from your conversation; but since your first coming to my misfortune was quiet and had few companions, and your current rank requires that many accompanying people go with you, then the coming of your bliss exceeds my weak strength. So, I ask your shrine not to bother to march towards my humility. If you deign to come, then I will accept with joy, but then I will have to accept others who come, and therefore it will be impossible for me to remain in this place, due to anxiety from many who come. Hearing about this and thinking in his soul, the patriarch said to himself: “If I go, I will offend the elder. So, I won’t go.” However, after some time, caused by need, he went to the monk and saw him, which is discussed later. Blessed Queen Evdokia created many churches and so many monasteries, almshouses and hospices that it is difficult to list them. At the Church of St. Peter, which she created, which was approximately twenty furlongs from the Lavra of Euthymia, she ordered a large and deep reservoir to be made for those who came. On the days of Pentecost, she herself came there to look at the work and sent to the monk, asking him to come to her, so that she would be worthy of his prayer and blessing and enjoy his teaching; At the same time, she also wanted to give the saint a donation for the general needs of the Lavra. The great Euthymius answered her through messengers: “Don’t expect to see me in the flesh yet.” Why are you, child, worrying about so many things? I think that you will go to God before winter comes. Therefore, work hard this summer to prepare for the exodus, and while you are still in the flesh, do not try to remember me, neither in writing, nor without writing, nor about giving us anything, nor about taking anything. But when you go to the Lord of all, then remember me there, so that you may receive me in peace when His love for mankind desires. Hearing this, Blessed Evdokia was very upset, especially when she said: “Do not try to remember me either in writing or without writing,” for she wanted to leave him a lot of income in her will. Hastily arriving in the Holy City of Jerusalem, she conveyed the words of Euthymius to Patriarch Anastasius. At that time, the queen was building a church in the name of the Holy First Martyr Stephen and, when the church was not yet finished, she ordered it to be consecrated on July 15, allocating large incomes to it. Then she visited all the churches she had created, being present at their consecration and allocating a sufficient amount of income for each. After four months after the consecration of the churches, the pious Queen Evdokia gave up her soul into the hands of God 816. In the ninetieth year of the life of the great Euthymius, the Monk Theoktist fell ill with a serious illness. The Monk Euthymius came to visit the sick Theoktist and give him his last kiss, and stayed in that monastery for several days, awaiting the death of his friend and companion in order to bury his body; Blessed Theoktist died from that illness on September 3, 817. Patriarch Anastasius, having learned about the death of Theoktistus and that Saint Euthymius was there, hastily went with his clergy, under the pretext that he wanted to bury blessed Theoktistus, but more so in order to see and kiss Saint Euthymios. Seeing him, the patriarch took his hands and kissed him, saying: “For a long time I wanted to kiss these holy hands, and now God has vouchsafed me.” And now I ask you, honest father, pray to the Lord for me, so that your prophecy fulfilled on me will be preserved to the end; You write to me often, instructing me to govern the Church of Christ, for I see in you the action of the gifts of God, and I have experienced their power on myself. The saint said with humility: - Forgive me, holy lord, I ask your blessedness to remember me in your prayers to God. Having buried the venerable body of St. Theoktistus together and enjoying the conversation with each other, they parted. Marin, Terevonov’s uncle, a godly husband, was appointed hegumen of the Feoktist cinnovia; but two years later he died, and the Monk Euthymius came and buried him near the Monk Theoktistus; in Marin's place he appointed Longinus, a virtuous man, as abbot. With this Longinus, one day, in the month of January, Blessed Savva came to the Lavra to the Monk Euthymius to see him off as he went into the great desert. Seeing Sava’s readiness, Euthymius took him with him to his desert exploits. When they walked in Ruve through waterless places, Savva became very thirsty from labor and could not go further, because he was exhausted from thirst. Then the Monk Euthymius, taking pity on him, brought water out of the dry ground through prayer, as it is written about in the life of the Monk Sava. After his many and countless labors, the Monk Euthymius approached his blessed death, which he foresaw by Divine revelation. One year, when the time had come for his usual departure into the desert, on the eighth day of the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, i.e. January 14th, the brethren gathered and came to the monk, some wanting to see him off, others expecting to go with him; among them were Martyrius and Elijah, who came from Nitria. Seeing that the monk was not preparing for the journey and was not making any orders regarding which of the brethren would go with him and who would remain in the monastery, they asked him: “Aren’t you leaving tomorrow, honest father, for the desert?” “This week I will stay with you in the Lavra, but on Saturday at midnight I will part with you.” The saint said this, predicting to the brethren the time of his departure to God, but they did not understand him. On the third day, January 17, the memory of our venerable father Anthony the Great came, and Saint Euthymius ordered that an all-night vigil be held in the church. After the vigil, calling the elders of the Lavra to the altar, the monk said to them: - From now on, brothers, I will not hold a single vigil with you, for God is already calling me from this temporary life. Therefore, send Dometian to me, and in the morning let all the brothers gather here. Hearing this, the elders began to weep, and the brethren immediately became aware of what the great Euthymius had said. In the morning everyone gathered to the monk, and he began to speak to them like this: - My fathers and brothers and children, beloved in the Lord, I am going on the path of my fathers, but you, if you love me, keep my commandments: most of all, acquire pure love, which is the union of perfection. And just as it is impossible to eat bread without salt, so it is impossible to manage virtue without love, for every virtue turns out to be strong and constant - love and humility: humility lifts the one who cares about him to the height of virtues, and love holds tightly and does not allow him to fall down from that height: for “love never ceases” (1 Cor. 13:8), and that love is higher than humility - this is clear from the example of our Lord Himself, for for the sake of His love for He voluntarily humbled himself and became a man, just like us. Therefore, we must constantly confess to Him and send praises, especially we who have renounced this rebellious world. Let each of you take heed to yourself, brothers, and keep your body and soul pure. Never abandon ordinary church meetings, carefully preserve all the traditions and regulations of the monastery, and help those in need in adversity as best you can. If any of the brethren is struggling with unclean thoughts, constantly instruct, teach, affirm him, so that he will not be stumbling by the devil and will not fall. I add this last commandment to you: let the monastery gates never be locked for those who come, but let them always be open for strangers, and let you have the roof itself in common with strangers, and offer everything you have to those in need. And then from above you will be given an abundant blessing from God. Having commanded all this to the brethren, the Monk Euthymius asked them whom they would like to have as their shepherd after him. They unanimously named Dometian. But the saint said: “This is impossible, for Dometian will not remain long in this life after me, but on the seventh day he will follow me.” Struck by such a daring and clear prophecy of the saint, the brethren chose Elijah, who came from Jericho, as steward of the lower monastery 818. Euthymy, turning to him, said: - All the fathers have chosen you as their shepherd and mentor: therefore, pay attention to yourself and all your flock. Having taught him many instructions and taught him regarding the leadership of the brethren, the monk predicted certain circumstances that would take place in his monasteries after his death; then he said the following last word: – If I find boldness before God, first of all I will ask Him for grace, so that I will always be with you in spirit with those who want to strive here after you until the Age. Having said this, the monk released everyone except Dometian. He stayed inside the altar for three days and rested in peace on the Sabbath night and was numbered with his fathers, having lived on earth ninety-seven years. It was January 20, 819. Immediately the news of the death of the Monk Euthymius spread throughout Palestine, and monks flocked from all the monasteries and hermitages, among whom was the great Gerasim, and a great crowd of people gathered. His Holiness Patriarch Anastasius also arrived with all his clergy. Due to the multitude of people, it was impossible to bury the holy body of the saint until the ninth hour, until, finally, the soldiers, by order of the patriarch, drove the people away - and the body of the saint was solemnly buried. Everyone cried about being separated from him; Martyrius and Elijah, who came from Nitria and later occupied the patriarchal throne in Jerusalem, wept especially inconsolably for him, according to the prophecy of the saint: for after Anastasius Martyrius ascended the throne, after Martyrius there was Sallust, and after him Elijah 820, as is written about in the life of the Monk Sava. Blessed Dometian, a disciple of the Great Euthymius, did not leave the tomb of his Abba for six days and nights; when the seventh day approached, Saint Euthymius appeared to him at night in a vision, joyful, with a bright face, and said to him: – Come to the rest prepared for you, for the Lord Christ has begged that you be with me. Filled with inexpressible joy, Dometian announced this to the brethren and, having come with joy to the church, gave up his spirit to the Lord, and was buried at the tomb of his father. After the repose of our reverend father Euthymius, many miracles were performed at his tomb and healings were given 821 to the glory of God in His glorified saints, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Rejoice, the desert that does not give birth, rejoice, the desert that does not hurt, for your husband has increased your children’s spiritual desires, having planted them with piety and cultivated perfection in virtues through abstinence. Through the prayers of Christ God, calm our belly. In your honorable Christmas, the creature will find joy, and in your Divine memory, reverend, the complacency will accept your many miracles: from them grant richly into our souls, and cleanse the sins of filthiness, as we sing: alleluia. Armenia is a mountainous country, south of the Caucasus and east of Asia Minor; it was divided into two parts: large or eastern Armenia, and small or western. The city of Melitina, now Malatia, was located in the southern part of Lesser Armenia, on one of the tributaries of the Euphrates. Euthymius - from the Greek verb I rejoice, I am consoled - translated means: complacent, cheerful. Valens reigned from 364–378, Gratian from 375–383. Thrace is a region of the Byzantine Empire, in the northeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. Adrianople is a city on the river. Gebre (Maritsa); now significant and populous, the main city of the Turkish vilayet (region) of the same name. Emperor Theodosius the Great reigned from 379–395. Otrius, Bishop of Melitina, shone forth at the 2nd Ecumenical Council of Constantinople in 381; he was subsequently canonized. His memory is celebrated in the east on April 17. Rev. Euthymius was then about 29 years old. This was in 406. Lavra of Faran, or Fare, was founded by the Monk Chariton (his memory is September 28) in the 1st half of the 4th century, six milliaries (a little over 8 versts) from Jerusalem to the east, on the way to Jericho. The Kutilian Desert lay northeast of Jerusalem, not far from Jericho, below the Lavra of Saint Sava the Consecrated to the Dead Sea, 12 miles east of Jerusalem. That is, the monks Euthymius and Theoktist retired into the desert after the celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord and remained there until the Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, or Palm Sunday (Floriferous Week, otherwise Vaiy). Nowadays there is the village of el-Azaria, not far from the Kutiliya desert. Marin and Luke are famous students of St. Euthymius. Having received monastic education from him, they showed themselves to be ascetics of hermit life; a few years later they shone in places near the village of Metope (now Khirbet Jubb er-Rum, on the road from Jerusalem to the Lavra of St. Savva the Sanctified) and created monasteries; they brought the Monk Theodosius the Great to monastic perfection, who was the cinenoviarch of this desert and the archimandrite of cinnamon. Kinovia is a hostel, a communal monastery. Magi in Persia were members of the priestly caste who belonged to a special generation of the Medes. All scientific education was concentrated in their hands; they were in charge of religious rites and played an influential role in the life of the state. They are also credited with the art of astronomy (guessing the fate of a person by the flow of heavenly bodies), fortune telling and sorcery, especially since the pagan religion of the Persians was combined with various kinds of dark superstitions. The Persian king Izdegerd I reigned from 399–420. The uprising raised by the Persian magicians against Christians took place in 419. Subsequently, Peter, who bore the name Aspevet, was the first bishop of the Saracens and participated in the Ephesian (3rd Ecumenical) Council of 431. Ruva is a desert on the northwestern shores of the Dead Sea, between it, the current Jerusalem road and the Lavra of St. Savva the Sanctified. Marda - otherwise Mores - a mountain near the Dead Sea. The Ziph Desert forms part of the Judean Desert, south of Jerusalem and southeast of Hebron. To the west and east of it there are caves, in one of which David hid, fleeing the persecution of Saul (1 Book of Kings, chapter 18 et seq.). – Aristovuliada is a village near Hebron. Kaparzarikh - now Beni-Naim - a monastery located southeast of Hebron, in the desert along the river. Jordan, not far from it. Nowadays it is der-Mukelik. The Lavra of St. Euthymius lay 3000 paces (about 4 versts south of the lower monastery, to the right of the road to Jericho). Saint Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem, defender of Orthodoxy against heretics, occupied the see from 420–458. Scythopolis is a city north of Jerusalem. At that time it was a thriving, populous city. Now it is a poor village (Besan) in the middle of a barren desert. Antioch is the ancient capital of Syria, lies north of Palestine, on the banks of the river. Orontes, flowing into the Mediterranean Sea. John, Archbishop (Patriarch) of Antioch, occupied the see from 423–440. Raifa - now et-Tor - is a village on the eastern shore of the Sinai Peninsula, near the Red Sea. Tiberias - now Tabaria - is a city on the western shore of Gennxaret or Lake Tiberias (otherwise the Sea of ​​Galilee), in the north of Palestine. The memory of the Monk Passarion is celebrated on Cheese Saturday. In the ancient Church, in addition to the bishops of cities and dioceses, there were also bishops of villages, who (from the Greek word village) were called chorebishops. They acted under the supervision of the city bishop, had in their charge a well-known district of rural churches, elected lower clergy for the churches under their jurisdiction, brought Divine gifts and distributed alms from the church estate, but did not have the power to ordain presbyters and deacons. In their activities they reported to the chief bishop of the city and were his direct assistants. They were subsequently abolished. Hesychius was subsequently canonized. His memory is on Cheese Saturday. Housekeeper - a person in charge of the monastery's economy. The cellarer is the keeper and consumer of monastery supplies. Chvanets is a small vessel, a jug. Asia - the western part of Asia Minor; that’s what it was called after its conquest by the Romans before Christ. Then the name of Asia was transferred to the entire continent; in this case, of course, the western part of Asia Minor. Memory of St. Cyril of Alexandria (444) is celebrated by the Church on June 9 and January 18, together with Athanasius of Alexandria Domnin occupied the patriarchal see in Antioch from 441–448. Church of St. The Resurrection Church in Jerusalem was built by Constantine the Great and consecrated in 335, September 13th. It was built over the Cave of the Holy Sepulcher and was distinguished by magnificent and numerous decorations. In the church there were many utensils with precious stones, the custodian of which (in Greek: skevofylax) was Anastasius. Anastasius occupied the patriarchal see in Jerusalem from 458–478. The Fourth Ecumenical Council in Chalcedon took place in 451. Archbishop Dioscorus of Alexandria occupied the see from 441 to 451. Together with Eutyches, the archimandrite of a Constantinople monastery, he falsely taught that in Jesus Christ there is only one nature - Divine (which is why the heresy received the name Monophysitism from the Greek words: one and nature, which, after the incarnation, absorbed human nature. At the council, this false teaching was condemned, and it was commanded to confess the Lord Jesus Christ “in two natures, unfused, unchangeable, inseparably, inseparably cognizable... not divided into two persons or divided, but one and the same Son and the only begotten God the Word.” Jamnia is a city in Palestine, founded in ancient times by the Philistines, not far from Jaffa (ancient Joppa), lying on the Mediterranean Sea, 12 hours north-west of Jerusalem. Theodosius II or the Younger reigned from 408–450. The Jordanian Desert lay west of the Jordan, from Jericho to Jerusalem, and extended further south along the western shore of the Dead Sea - the area was wild, rocky, dry and barren. Lycia is a southern region in Asia Minor. Mount Sinai is located in northwest Arabia, east of the Red or Red Sea. This mountain, representing a group of mountains consisting of granite rocks, cut and surrounded by steep and rough valleys, is called by the Arabs Mount Tur or Jebel Tur Sina; lies in the middle of the branches of the Red Sea, which form the Sinai Peninsula. The pillar, or more precisely, the castle, was built by Queen Eudokia on the highest mountain in the entire eastern desert, now Muntar. (30 stadia equals 5 miles.) Timothy, nicknamed Elur, presbyter of Alexandria, heretic (monophysite), adherent of Dioscorus Proterius was patriarch in Alexandria from 451–457; After the death of Marcian, he was killed by the Monophysites as a defender of the Council of Chalcedon (his memory is February 28). After him, Timothy Elur was made patriarch and occupied the see until 460, deposing bishops and persecuting everyone who accepted the decrees of the Council of Chalcedon St. Leo I reigned from 457–474. Anastasius I occupied the patriarchal see from 458–478. Queen Evdokia died in 460; buried in the church of St. Stefan. The Monk Theoktistus died in 467. That is, the monastery of St. Theoktista. The Monk Euthymius the Great reposed in 473. – In the name of the Monk Euthymius there was a monastery in Constantinople under Patriarch Minas (536–552). The relics of Euthymius in his monastery in Palestine, as if alive in the body, were seen by the Russian abbot Daniel at the beginning of the 12th century. Martyrius was patriarch in Jerusalem from 478–486, Sallust from 486–494, Ilia II from 494–517. The descriptor of the life of St. Euthymius, Cyril of Scythopolis, a Lavra monk, a contemporary of him and his disciples, writes about them in detail: St. Sava the Sanctified and John the Silent You might be interested in: