Life of Porphyry, Bishop of Gaza 25–51

do, dawn came, and behold, the city's defender with the irenarchs and the two leading men, Timothy and Epiphanius, and many others came and began to shout and make an uproar, saying: "Why have you brought a dead man into the city, when the ancestral laws forbid it?" At the same time they insulted the blessed bishop. Hearing the uproar we came out, and when they saw us they began to beat me and the God-loving Cornelius the deacon. When we called the public officials to witness, the most holy bishop silenced us, exhorting and admonishing each of us not to be angry so unreasonably. But the godless men, the more they were entreated, the more they raged and insulted the holy man. As the uproar continued, the God-loving Barochas was strengthened, was filled with divine zeal, got up and seized

a stick and began to strike those standing by; fear fell on them all, and they began falling over one another as they fled; and he kept pursuing them as far as what was then the Marneion, and returns with a great victory, our new Samson, who also laid low a thousand foreigners. From then on the adherents of idol-madness feared him and could not bear to hear his name. A short time later we were deemed worthy of ordination as deacons, I and the God-loving Barochas: I quite unworthy, he worthily and justly receiving this gift. Seeing the lawless things done every day by the idolaters, Porphyry, now among the saints, resolves to send me to Byzantium to ask the emperors to have the temples of the idols removed; for oracles were still given in Gaza, especially at the so-called Marneion. He wrote letters to the most holy and most godly John, then bishop of Constantinople, whose fame and praise are spoken of by all, and sent me by sea; we arrived in twenty days, and I delivered the letters to the blessed John and told him everything by word of mouth. On hearing it he at once informed Eutropius the chamberlain, who then had great power with the Emperor Arcadius; he read the letters of the blessed bishop to him and asked him to support the request, and having received his promise he came out and says to me: "Be at ease, child; for I hope in the Master Christ, that he will show his mercy as he is accustomed." I did not cease each day reminding

him, and he kept sending to Eutropius and pressing him. Seven days later an imperial letter was issued that the idol temples of the city of Gaza be shut and give oracles no longer, and this order was entrusted to a certain Hilarius, a man of the magister's staff (subadiuva). Three days later I left Byzantium and reached the city of Gaza in ten days, arriving seven days before Hilarius. I found the most holy Porphyry ill. When I handed him the copies from the most blessed John, the bishop of Constantinople, and he read them, he was overjoyed and recovered, freed from the fever; he said that he had got the illness from the great affliction caused by the idolaters. Seven days later the said Hilarius arrived, with two commentarienses of the consular governor and many assistants from Azotus and Ascalon and the whole public staff. At once he detained the three leading men, took sureties from them and showed them the imperial letter ordering the idol temples of the city of Gaza to be shut, at the peril of the heads of the city's leading men; and having overturned all the idols in them he shut them. But the temple of Marnas he allowed to go on giving oracles in secret, having taken a great deal of money for it. And again the adherents of idol-madness did their lawless deeds out of habit.

Another wonderful thing happened that called many to come to the knowledge of the truth; for God, being compassionate, knows how to turn the race of men through occasions to his spiritual light. What happened was this. A woman of the notables of the city, named Aelia, about to give birth, fell into great danger, and the cause of the danger was this. The baby was no longer coming out according to nature but had turned against nature; one hand had come down, and the rest of the body could not be brought down, for it lay crosswise in the womb, and the midwives could not turn it into the natural position. The pain that came on the woman was indescribable, as the pangs drove the baby hour by hour; the increase of pains grew greater as the second day followed the first, and likewise the third was more painful than the second. The pains stretched out to seven days, the evil always growing worse. The physicians wanted to cut up the fetus, but seeing her strength failing they gave her up. Her parents and her husband, Heros, being superstitious, offered sacrifice for her every day; they also brought enchanters and soothsayers, thinking to help her by these means, and they accomplished nothing. There was

a nurse of hers, a believer, who in great grief was making petitions for her in the houses of prayer. One day, while she was praying for her with tears in the church, Porphyry, now among the saints, came in about the ninth hour, and I with him; he sees the old woman in grief beseeching God with tears, and standing still he asked her the cause. Seeing him, she fell at his feet, begging him to entreat Christ for her. When the saint learned the cause concerning the woman, he too wept, for he was compassionate beyond measure. He says to the nurse: "I hear of that house that it is full of idols and can hardly be saved; but still, to God all things are possible, and through an occasion he saves those who are about to perish. Go, then, and gather all the relatives and the parents and the husband, and say to them: 'Since there is here an excellent physician able to heal her, if he makes her escape this danger, what will you give him?' They will surely promise you a great deal. Say this to them too: 'If he heals her, give me your word on this, that you will not turn away from him or go off to another.' Make them all stretch out their hands to heaven and give their word that they will do all they have promised. And when they do this, say to the woman in labor in front of them all: 'Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, heals you; believe in him and

live.'" Hearing the blessed bishop's words and receiving his blessing, the old woman ran to the house, and finding all of them weeping and the woman in extreme danger, she urged her parents and her husband not to lose heart; she said: "An excellent physician has sent me to you, so that you may give me your word that, if she is healed, you will not deny him." Hearing this, the parents and the husband said: "If he wishes to take all our property, we shall not hesitate; only let us see our daughter alive." The nurse said: "Stretch out your hands to heaven and give me such a word, that you will not deny the physician." They stretched out their hands eagerly and with tears, saying: "Yes, and all that is ours is his, all the time of our life; for what consolation shall we have if she dies?" For she was their only child, and of refined manners like no other woman. When she heard this, the nurse said with a loud voice in front of them all: "The great priest Porphyry says: Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, heals you; believe in him and live." At once the woman, crying out

loudly, delivered the baby alive. All who were there, astonished, cried out: "Great is the God of the Christians, great is the priest Porphyry." The next day the woman's parents and husband and all her relatives and close friends went to the blessed Porphyry and fell at his feet, asking for the seal in Christ. The blessed man sealed them, made them catechumens and dismissed them in peace, charging them to attend the holy church; and after a short time, having instructed them, he baptized them together with the woman and the baby; they called its name Porphyry. Those enlightened on the occasion of the woman numbered sixty-four. When the adherents of idol-madness saw

the Christians multiplying, they grew savage and would not allow them to hold civic office, but treated them like bad household slaves. Seeing again the great injustice done to the Christians and not bearing to see them abused, the blessed Porphyry went off to Caesarea to the blessed John the archbishop and with tears begged him to grant him release; for he could no longer bear the outrages done by the Gazans. The blessed John, hearing this, urged him to be patient and to hold on to the episcopate. The most holy Porphyry answered him: "I adjure you before the invisible

God and our hope, Jesus Christ the Lord of all creation, and the adorable and life-giving Holy Spirit, not to disregard my request, so that the loss of countless souls may not be required of us; rather I ask you, father, to sail with me to the imperial city, so that we may beseech the emperors … of the heavenly King, for the driving out of the demons." … Having put in at Rhodes, as has been said, and having heard about the way of life of the holy man, we thought it necessary not to pass him by, but to enjoy his angelic company; we asked where he had his dwelling and went to him, sailing along the coast in a small boat, and when we arrived we knocked on the door. At once he came out himself and opened to us, although he had another disciple with him. When he saw the most holy bishops, he fell on his face and venerated them; then he rose and kissed me too, and the God-fearing Eusebius the deacon, whom the godly John the archbishop had brought with him; and leading us into the oratory he withdrew to the back, giving the front place to the most blessed bishops and saying: "To you priests it is fitting to have the front place, and to me, the lowly one, who have not even been deemed worthy of ordination, the back." Then we knew that the most holy Procopius had the gift of insight; for though he had never seen us nor heard about us, he knew through the Spirit that those with the most blessed John and Porphyry were bishops; therefore he gave them precedence in prayer. Then after the prayer we sat down, and having spoken to us many things profitable to the soul he asked the reason for our journey. The blessed Porphyry told him everything about the Gazans, how madly they were attached to the idols and how many terrible things the Christians suffered at their hands, and that it was for this that they were going up to beseech the emperors … a male child. When she hears this, she will be overjoyed (for she is with child, and this is the ninth month of her pregnancy), and she will do everything to accomplish your business, with God's assent." When we heard the word of the holy man

and trusting in what he had said, we received a blessing and went out; we put to sea that same day and sailed, and after another ten days we reached Byzantium; having found lodging, the next day we went to the most godly archbishop John. When he learned who we were he received us with much honor and care. He asked us for what reason we had undertaken the journey, and we told him; and on learning it he remembered that some time before we had asked for this by letter, and recognizing me he greeted me kindly. He urged us not to lose heart but to set our hopes on the mercies of God. He said to us: "I am not able to speak to the emperor; for the empress has angered him against me, because I rebuked her concerning a property that she coveted and seized. For my part I do not care that she is angry, nor am I concerned; for they have harmed themselves, not me; for even if they harm my body, they benefit my soul all the more. Still, let us leave this to the compassion of God. As for your request, if it seems good to the Lord, tomorrow I shall send for the eunuch Amantius, the empress's castrensis, who has great influence with her and is truly a servant of God, and I shall entrust the matter to him, and he will be very zealous, Christ consenting." Having received such promises and a blessing, we went to our lodging.

The next day we went to the godly man and found the chamberlain Amantius with him; for he had taken care of our business, sending for him and informing him about us. When we came in and Amantius knew that we were the ones of whom he had spoken to him, he rose and venerated the most holy bishops, bowing his face to the ground; and they, knowing who he was, embraced and kissed him. The most holy archbishop John directed them also to inform the chamberlain of their business by word of mouth, and the most holy Porphyry told him everything about the idolaters, how openly they commit their lawless deeds and how they oppress the Christians. Hearing it he wept, was filled with divine zeal and says to them: "Do not lose heart, fathers; for the Master Christ will defend his religion. You then pray, and I will speak with the Augusta, and I hope in the God of all that he will show his mercy as he is accustomed. Tomorrow I will bring you in to her, and you will tell her by word of mouth whatever you wish; you will find her already instructed by me." Having said this he took leave of us and went up, and we, after discussing many spiritual things with the most holy archbishop John and receiving a blessing, withdrew. The next day the chamberlain

Amantius sends for us through two decani to come to the palace, and we rose and went in haste. We found him waiting for us, and taking the two bishops he led them in to the Augusta Eudoxia. When she saw them she greeted them first, saying: "Bless me, fathers"; and they bowed before her. She was sitting on a golden couch, and she says to them: "Forgive me, priests of Christ, because of the burden of my womb that lies upon me; for I ought to have met your holiness at the door. But for the Lord's sake pray for me, that I may be delivered of what is in my womb safely." The most holy bishops, marveling at her condescension, said: "He who blessed the womb of Sarah and of Rebekah and of Elizabeth, may he bless and keep alive what is in your womb." When they had spoken other spiritual words as well, she says to them: "I know why you have made the journey; for Amantius the castrensis has informed me

already. But if you too wish to instruct me, speak, fathers." Bidden to do so, they told her everything about the idol-maniacs, how fearlessly they commit unholy acts and how they oppress the Christians, not allowing them to hold civic office or to have their fields farmed, from which they pay the public taxes to your majesty. Hearing this, the empress said: "Do not lose heart, fathers; for I hope in the Master Christ, the Son of God, that I shall persuade the emperor to do what befits your holy faith and to send you away from here satisfied. Go then and recover yourselves (for you are tired from toil), and pray that God may help my request." Having said this she ordered money to be brought, and taking three handfuls for each she gave it to the most holy bishops, saying: "Take this for now for your expenses." The bishops received it, blessed her much and went out. As they went out they gave most of the coins to the decani stationed at the doors, so that little remained with them. When the emperor came in to her, the empress told him about the bishops' business and asked him that the temples of Gaza be destroyed.

When the emperor heard this he was displeased, saying: "I know that that city is full of idols, but it is well disposed about the payment of taxes and contributes a great deal. If then we strike them suddenly with fear, they will take to flight, and we shall lose so great a revenue. But if you agree, let us press them little by little, taking away from the idol-maniacs their dignities and their other civic offices, and let us order their temples to be shut and to give oracles no longer. For when they are pressed and straitened on every side, they will come to know the truth; for what is sudden and excessive is hard on subjects." Hearing this, the empress was very grieved (for she was fervent in the faith), but she gave the emperor no answer except this: "The Lord will help his servants the Christians, whether we wish it or not." This the God-fearing Amantius the chamberlain told us. The next day the Augusta sent for us and, according to

her custom, greeting the holy bishops first, bade them sit. After speaking many spiritual words she says to them: "I spoke to the emperor and he was a little displeased. But do not lose heart; for if God wills, I shall not stop until you are satisfied and go away having achieved your godly purpose." The bishops, hearing this, bowed before her. Then our Porphyry, now among the saints, deeply moved and remembering the word of the thrice-blessed Procopius the anchorite, said to the empress: "Labor for the sake of Christ, and in return for your labor he will grant you a son, who will live and reign while you see it and enjoy it for many years." When the empress heard this word she was filled with joy, her face became red, and beauty was added to her appearance beyond what she had; for the things that appear make manifest the things

unseen. So she says to the most holy bishops: "Pray, fathers, that according to your word, God willing, I may bear the male child; and if this happens, I promise you to do all that you ask. And I intend to do something else that you have not asked, Christ consenting: I will build a holy church in Gaza in the very middle of the city. Go then in peace and rest, praying continually for me, that I may give birth safely; for this is the ninth month and it is near its end." So the bishops took their leave, commended her to God and went out of the palace. There was prayer that she might bear a male child; for we trusted the word of the godly Procopius the anchorite. Every day we went to the most holy archbishop John and enjoyed his holy words, sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. Amantius the chamberlain came to us continually, sometimes bringing the empress's answers, sometimes for the sake of company.

A few days later the empress bears the male child and calls his name Theodosius, after his grandfather Theodosius the Spaniard, who reigned together with Gratian. The newborn young Theodosius was born in the purple, and so was proclaimed emperor from his birth. There was great rejoicing in the city, and messengers were sent to the cities with the good news, and gifts and favors. As soon as the sovereign lady had given birth and risen from the birthing chair, she sent Amantius to us, saying to us through him: "I thank Christ that through your holy prayers God has granted me the son. Pray then, fathers, for his life and for me, the lowly one, so that I may fulfill what I promised you, again by the will of Christ himself, through your holy prayers." When the seven days

of her lying-in were completed, she sends for us and meets us at the door of the bedchamber, carrying the baby in the purple. She bowed her head, saying: "Come near, fathers, to me and to the child whom God has granted me through your holy prayers." She also handed over the baby so that they might seal it. The godly bishops sealed both her and the child with the seal of the cross, and having made a prayer they sat down. After they had spoken many words full of compunction, the sovereign lady says to them: "Do you know, fathers, what I have resolved to do about your business?" My lord Porphyry answered: "Whatever you have resolved, you have resolved according to God; for this very night it was revealed to my unworthiness in a vision that I was in Gaza, standing in the idol temple there called the Marneion, and your piety was handing me a gospel book and saying to me: 'Take, read.' I opened it and found the passage in which the Master Christ says to Peter: 'You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.' And you, lady, answered and said: 'Peace to you; be strong and of good courage.' At this I woke up, and from this I am persuaded that the Son of God will work together with your resolve. Tell us, lady, what you have resolved."

The empress answered: "If it pleases Christ, in a few days the child will be deemed worthy of holy baptism. Go then and make a petition, and set down in it whatever you wish; and when the baby comes out from the precious baptism, hand the petition to the one carrying him. I shall instruct him what to do, and I hope in the Son of God that he will arrange the whole matter according to the will of his compassion." Having received such promises, we blessed her and the baby much and went out; and we went off and made the petition, setting down many things in the document: not only the destruction of the idols, but also privileges for the holy church and for the Christians, and that revenue be granted; for the holy church was poor. When the days had passed, the day arrived

on which the young emperor Theodosius was to be enlightened. The whole city was garlanded and adorned with all-silk hangings and gold ornaments and every other kind of decoration, so that no one could describe the adornment of the city; and one could see the multitudes of inhabitants surging like waves, changing with every kind of garment. It is not within my power to describe the splendor of that adornment; that belongs to those practiced in speech; I shall pass on to the present true account. When the young Theodosius had been baptized and came out of the church to the palace, one could again see the excellence of the multitude of those who went before him and their dazzling clothing; for all were dressed in white, so that the crowd seemed to be covered with snow. Before him went patricians, illustres and every rank, with the military units, all carrying candles, so that stars seemed to shine on earth. Near the baby who was being carried was the Emperor Arcadius himself, with a cheerful face, more radiant than the purple he wore; one of the magnates carried the baby, in brilliant clothing. We marveled at seeing such glory. Porphyry, now among the saints, says to us: "If earthly things, which shortly vanish, have such glory, how much more the heavenly things prepared for the worthy, which eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor have they entered into the heart of man?" We stood at the porch of the holy

church, holding the document of the petition, and when he came out from the baptism we cried out: "We petition your piety," holding out the document. The one carrying the child saw it, and knowing about our business (for he had been instructed beforehand by the sovereign lady), he ordered the document to be shown to him, received it and stood still. He ordered silence, unrolled part of it and read it, rolled it up, put his hand under the baby's head and, bowing it, cried out before all: "His majesty has ordered what is in the petition to be done." All who saw it marveled and bowed before the emperor, calling him blessed because he had been deemed worthy to see his son reigning in his own lifetime; and he exulted at hearing it. What had happened on behalf of her child was announced to the Empress Eudoxia, and she rejoiced, and kneeling

she gave thanks to God. When the child came into the palace, the sovereign lady met him, received him and kissed him, and carrying him she greeted the emperor too, saying: "Blessed are you, master, for the things your eyes have seen in your lifetime"; and the emperor rejoiced at hearing it. Seeing him cheerful, the empress said: "If you agree, let us learn what the petition contains, so that what is in it may be done in every respect." The emperor ordered the document to be read, and when it had been read he said: "The request is heavy, but refusing it is heavier, since this is the first command of our son." The sovereign lady says to him: "It is not only his first command, but also given in this holy state; and the petition is for piety's sake and was asked by holy men." With difficulty the emperor assented, the sovereign lady pressing him hard. All this the God-loving Amantius reported to us. The next day the empress sends for us

and, greeting the holy bishops first according to her custom, she bade them sit and says to them: "Through your prayers God put your business into my heart, and by his help it has been done; you have seen what method I used. But if you agree, tomorrow I shall send for the quaestor and in your presence direct him to have an imperial letter drawn up in the name of the two emperors according to the content of your petition; in short, he will do whatever you tell him." The bishops, hearing this too, blessed her much, and her son and the emperor, and after discussing many other things profitable to the soul they took their leave and went out. The next day she sent for the quaestor and for us, and says to him: "Take this document and draft an imperial letter according to its content." The quaestor received the document and with diligence dictated the imperial letter in our presence. We suggested to him that dukes and consulars be assigned to give support, with their troops. When the imperial letter was completed and signed, we begged the sovereign lady that the task be entrusted to a man of rank, and she directed Amantius to seek out a zealous

Christian man who should be entrusted with it. For many of those in high office held the faith only in pretense, and divine justice overtook them; for the emperors, learning that they were not right about the spotless faith, stripped them of their dignities and punished them in person and in property; but this had happened before this time. Therefore the Augusta directed that an orthodox man be entrusted with our business. The man entrusted with it was named Cynegius, of the consistory, an admirable man and fervent in the faith. The Augusta summoned him and charged him to raze all the idol temples to the ground and give them to the fire. She also gave him money from her own hand, saying: "Take this for expenses, and take nothing from the most holy bishops." Having received such instructions from the sovereign lady, he went out more eager than before.