Life of Porphyry, Bishop of Gaza 81–102

well. When the man went down, the three boys were found sitting on a large stone, unharmed and cheerful, talking with one another. When the man saw them he marveled greatly and glorified God, and shouting from below he said: "Glorify the Lord, for the three boys are alive." Hearing this, the holy bishop, now among the saints, and the people rejoiced, and sending down a large basket he directed the three to be brought up together; for they were small, about six or seven years old. The man below received the basket, tied it securely and sat the three in it, charging them to shut their eyes until they reached the top and to say: "Jesus Christ, help." Having done this, he shouted to draw up the rope steadily; and as they drew it they said the hymn of the three children: "Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers." When they arrived and the bishop, now among the saints, saw them (for he was standing at the mouth of the well holding the rope), filled with joy and tears he cried aloud: "Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, sing his praise." When they lifted them out of the basket, they examined whether any part of their bodies had been hurt, and nothing bad was found on them; but we saw a great wonder: the three were found [82] to have cross-shaped marks, as if from the scratch of a needle, one in the middle of the forehead, another on the right hand near the fingers, the third on the right shoulder. The little crosses were well formed, neither slanting nor crooked, but of one size, so that they were plainly divine signs; for they caused them no pain, nor any blood, but were imprinted as if with cinnabar. They remained on them a considerable time, so that all might see and marvel; for many of the foreigners too saw them and believed. … a woman, an Antiochene called Julia, who belonged to the foul heresy of those called Manichaeans; knowing that some were newly enlightened and not yet established in the holy faith, she crept in and secretly corrupted them through her sorcerous teaching, and much more through gifts of money. For the inventor of that godless heresy could not entice anyone except by providing money. For their teaching, to those who have sense, is full of every blasphemy and condemnation and old wives' fables, enticing silly women and childish men of light reasoning and understanding. For they composed this false belief of theirs out of various heresies and doctrines of the pagans, wishing craftily and deceitfully to win over everyone. For they speak of many gods, to please the pagans; and further they assert genesis and fate and astrology, so that they may sin without fear, as if sinning were not in our power but came from the necessity of fate. They also confess Christ; for they say that he

became man in appearance, and they themselves are called Christians in appearance. Their laughable and blasphemous things I pass over, so as not to fill the ears of my readers with a most oppressive noise and with tales of monsters. For they mixed the stories of Philistion the comic writer and of Hesiod and of other so-called philosophers with those of the Christians, and so composed their own heresy. For just as a painter, making a mixture from various colors, produces in appearance a man or a beast or something else to deceive the viewers, so that to the foolish and senseless it seems real, but to those who have sense it is shadow and deceit and human contrivance, so too the Manichaeans, drawing from various doctrines, produced their false belief; or rather, gathering the venom of various reptiles and mixing it, they prepared a deadly poison for the destruction of human souls. As has been said before, when the pestilent woman had come to stay, some were led away by her

deceitful teaching. After some days Porphyry, now among the saints, learned of it from some of the faithful, sent for her and asked who she was, where she came from, and what belief she held. She confessed both her homeland and that she was a Manichaean. When those with him were moved to anger (for some devout men were with him), the blessed man urged them not to be angry but to admonish her with patience once and twice, keeping the saying of the holy apostle. Then he says to the woman: "Keep away, sister, from this false belief; for it is satanic." She answered: "Speak and listen, and either you will persuade or you will be persuaded." The blessed man said: "Prepare yourself for tomorrow and come here." She took her leave and went out. The blessed man fasted and besought Christ much to put the devil to shame, and prepared himself for the next day; he invited some of the devout clergy and laity to the debate between himself and the woman. The next day the woman comes, [88] bringing with her two men and as many women; they were young and good-looking, but all pale; Julia was elderly. All of them had been schooled in worldly learning, Julia much more so; their outward bearing was humble and their manner gentle, or, as the saying goes, outwardly sheep, inwardly ravening wolves and venomous beasts; for they say and do everything with hypocrisy. Then, being bidden to sit, they held the inquiry. The bishop, now among the saints, holding the holy gospels and making the seal of the cross on his mouth, began to ask her to set forth her belief, and she began to speak. Brother Cornelius the deacon, named a little before, who knew the shorthand signs of Ennomus, was directed by the most blessed bishop to note down everything said and answered, while I and brother Barochas helped him remember. I have not written the debate in this book because it is long, since I wish to make the present writing an epitome; but I have set it out in another book for those who wish to know the wisdom given by God to the most holy Porphyry and the old wives' fables that the wonder-mongering and sorceress

Julia babbled. Divine justice overtook her swiftly. For after she had told her tales at length for many hours and uttered the usual blasphemies against the Lord and God of all, Porphyry, now among the saints, moved by divine zeal at seeing the one who contains all things, visible and invisible, blasphemed by a woman driven by the devil and complying with his will, pronounced sentence against her, saying: "God, who made all things, who alone is eternal, having neither beginning nor end, who is glorified in Trinity, will strike your tongue and muzzle your mouth, so that you may not speak

blasphemies." At once the punishment followed the sentence; for Julia began to tremble and her face changed, and remaining in a trance for a considerable time she did not speak, but was speechless and motionless, with her eyes wide open and fixed on the most holy bishop. Those with her, seeing what she suffered, were very afraid; they tried to revive her and spoke charms into her ear, and there was no voice and no hearing. Having spent a considerable time speechless, she gave up her soul, departing to the darkness she had honored, thinking it light, according to the Scripture that says: "Woe to those who make the sweet bitter and the bitter sweet, who put darkness for light and light for darkness." Porphyry, now among the saints, directed that her body be wrapped and given burial, having pity on human nature; for he was compassionate beyond measure. All who heard what had happened marveled greatly, not only those of our faith but also the foreigners. The two men and the women who were with her, and all who had been corrupted by her, ran and fell at the feet of the most blessed bishop, saying: "We have gone astray," and they asked for repentance. The blessed man made them all anathematize Mani, the founder of their heresy, from whom they were also called Manichaeans; and having instructed them for a great many days, he brought them to the holy catholic church. On their account other foreigners too repented and were enlightened. Five years later the work of the great holy church was completed, and it was called the Eudoxiana, from the name of the most God-loving Empress Eudoxia. The most holy Porphyry celebrated its dedication on the day of the Resurrection of holy Pascha, sumptuously, not sparing expense: he gathered all the monks, about a thousand persons, with other devout clergy, laymen and bishops, and made a feast for the days of holy Pascha. One could see angelic choirs, not only in the church services but also at the hours when they ate; for the table was not only material but also spiritual: after the food a psalm was said, and after the drink a hymn. The adherents of idol-madness, seeing what was happening, were wasting away in their hearts. For strangers came from everywhere to see the beauty and size of the said holy church; for it was said to be larger than all the churches of that time. For this reason, when he laid the foundations at the beginning, he was reproached by some of the faithful for having marked it out so large when there were few Christians in the city; and the most holy Porphyry answered: "Let not your faith be small; for I have good hope in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, that he will multiply his flock and make this house even larger, because it will not be able to hold the multitudes of the Christians; for the doctrine of the Christians is not human, to appear for a season and then be dissolved, but divine and receiving increase." These and such things the blessed man always discussed with the faithful, not only in the church but in every place, enlightening and benefiting the Christ-loving people. After the days of the feast he sent the multitudes away in peace, each to their own homes. After building and consecrating the said holy church, he arranged that every stranger staying in the city be given one day's expenses; and he also supplied every poor person, stranger and citizen alike, with a number of obols each day, besides what he himself gave from his own means to those who came to him, in clothing and silver and gold, giving to each according to his worth; and none of the needy was without a share of his gifts. In the days of the fasts of holy Pascha he supplied every poor person with ten obols each for forty days, and in his pious testament he ordered that the said ten obols be given without fail during the forty days, setting aside a revenue from which they were to be given; and in the said testament he willed that, if these were not supplied every year, the said revenue should go to the holy church of Caesarea. But this happened later. The adherents of idol-madness, the more they saw

Christianity advancing, the more they raged and were eager to harm the Christians, and above all their holy shepherd Porphyry. For once, when a dispute arose over lands between the steward of the holy church and Sampsychus, one of the leading men, the God-loving Barochas, seeing the steward insulted, took his part and began to insult the said Sampsychus. When they heard of it, the rest of the council gathered and attacked the steward and the God-loving Barochas; many of the citizens too joined the councillors, having found a pretext to harm those of the faith; and, as one might say, from a small spark so great a fire was kindled and blazed out that all the Christians were in danger of perishing. For the idolaters raged so much that they took up swords and clubs and killed seven persons and wounded many others; [96] then, not satisfied with this, they rushed against the shepherd himself. Some, running ahead and rejoicing in what is good, reported to the most holy bishop the onrush of the crowd. Hearing it, the blessed man called me and said: "Let us flee, brother, and hide a little until the wrath of the Lord passes." And climbing over the walls we fled across the roofs. The idol-maniacs broke down the doors of the bishop's house, burst in, and not finding Porphyry, now among the saints, they plundered everything that was found there.

I and the blessed Porphyry, fleeing across the roofs, found a girl of about fourteen, who recognized the holy bishop and fell at his feet. The blessed man asked her who she was and who her parents were. The girl answered that she was an orphan of both father and mother, but said she had a grandmother, an old woman weak in body, and that she herself worked and fed herself and her grandmother. He asked her whether she was a Christian; she said again that she was not, but had long desired it, "if I am worthy." The compassionate Porphyry, hearing the girl's words, was moved and wept, saying: "How ready for what is good is the race of the Gazans! But the adversary is eager to hinder such a resolve, he whom the Lord will strike with the word of his mouth." He said to the girl: "Bring us a mat here in this upper room, so that we may stay here until the commotion of the city subsides; and tell no one that we are here." She affirmed with oaths that she would not reveal it, not even to her grandmother. Going

down by a little ladder to her house, she brought the mat and a pillow of chaff, spread out the mat and put the pillow on it, and falling at the blessed man's feet she begged him to taste her modest food and not to disdain her poverty; for it was toward evening. The holy man, wishing to become an imitator of the great prophet Elijah, said to the girl: "Hurry, daughter, and bring it, so that the Lord may repay you through me with spiritual and bodily food." She hurried down and went and bought bread, olives, cheese, soaked pulses and wine, brought everything and set it before us, saying: "Take, my lords, and bless my poverty." The blessed man was again moved to tears, foreseeing the faith she was going to have in Christ. Having risen and said the usual prayers and sat down … I partook of the cheese and the wine as well, and the holy man of bread, soaked pulses and water. We sent the girl back to her grandmother and slept in the upper room, for it was summertime. We asked the girl's name, and she said: "Salaphtha," which is interpreted in Greek "Irene." We spent the next day too in the room, the good Irene supplying us with everything with great eagerness.

When we learned that the commotion of the city had subsided, we went by night to the holy church, and going up to the bishop's house we found nothing in it except the God-loving Barochas lying there in a desperate state from the blows inflicted on him by the godless and impious idolaters. A few days later the consular governor (he was called Clarus), learning what had happened in the city, sends a commentariensis with a large force, who arrests those whom the public officials pointed out and brings them to Caesarea; some he punished, others he flogged with ox-hide whips and released; and having caused no small fear, he thus brought the city to order. A few days later Porphyry, now among the saints, remembered

that good girl who had received us and sent for her through me. She came running, bringing another woman whom she said was her aunt. When they came in to the blessed bishop, they fell at his feet; and he received them kindly, as an affectionate father. He said to the girl: "Do you truly desire, daughter, to become a Christian?" She answered: "I have already told you, my lord, that I have long had this desire; and now I have brought my aunt as witness, who herself has the same desire." He was overjoyed and said to her: "Be courageous and strong, child." And calling the steward of the holy church he directed him to provide for her and for her grandmother four silver miliaresia every day, and to her aunt he gave one gold coin; and sealing them with the sign of the cross he dismissed them, charging them to attend the prayers and the instruction of the catechumens. He also sent to her house the God-fearing Timothy, the presbyter and catechist, and directed him to seal the girl's grandmother; for, as I said before, her body was crippled. After being instructed a short time the three were deemed worthy of the precious

baptism. After they had put off the holy garment, the holy man called the said girl and said to her: "Do you wish us to join you to a husband in lawful marriage? For it is the time for you to live with a husband; and honorable marriage is not forbidden by our Scripture." When the girl heard the holy man's words, she began to weep and say: "Good father, after joining me to a great husband, do you wish to separate me from him and give me to a lowly and worthless one? By no means, my lord, do this." The holy man, taken by surprise, said: "And who is this man to whom I joined you?" She answered: "Jesus Christ, the Savior of our souls, my true bridegroom, from whom I will not be separated forever." Hearing this, the holy man was moved and wept, so that from great compunction he embraced the girl and kissed her head; for he was truly perfectly free from passion and, from great compassion, quick to tears. And we who were with him, seeing the grace of the Holy Spirit given to the God-loving girl, glorified God who gives wisdom and grace to his elect. He dismissed the girl that day. It happened in those days that the old woman went to her rest

and departed to the Lord. Then he called the girl and sent for the God-fearing Manaris the deaconess, whose name is also interpreted in the Greek language as Photeine; he entrusted Salaphtha to her, giving her the canonical habit, and commending them to God he dismissed them in peace. She took up a way of life such as no other woman had at that time: she fasted every day, and after the fast she took a little bread with salt and soaked pulses or fine greens, and water only; for she took no wine at all. On feast days she took oil as well and ate olives, but tasted nothing else cooked by fire. In the forty days of the fasts she ate soaked pulses or fine greens every other day, without bread; and the whole holy Paschal week she passed taking nothing, except on holy Thursday, after the holy communion, some hot water. She so wasted her body away that those who saw her thought they were looking at a shadow. She became an example to many other women too; for they emulated the life and conduct of the holy girl Salaphtha, who to this day only seems to be alive; for she has died to the world,