History of the Monks in Egypt 2–6

We also saw in the Thebaid another venerable man named Hor. He was the father of many monasteries, and by his very bearing he seemed of angelic dignity: he was already ninety years old, with a long beard shining with bright white hair, and so joyful in face and look that the sight of him seemed to hold something more than is in human nature. He had first been trained in the farthest desert by very many labours of abstinence, and finally founded a monastery near the city. In the places next to his dwelling he himself planted woods of trees of various kinds by setting out seedlings, though, as very many holy fathers assured us, before his arrival there had been no shrub at all there. He planted this wood for this reason: that the brothers whom he wished to gather there should have no need to wander far to get wood; for he took care also of what is needed for the service of the body, but above all of their salvation and faith.

He himself, however, when he was in the desert, fed on herbs and certain roots, and these seemed sweet to him. Water he drank whenever he found it, occupying all the time of day and night with prayers and hymns. When he had reached mature age, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in the desert in a vision, saying: “You will become a great nation, and a large people will be entrusted to you, and through you many thousands of people who are to be saved will be saved. As many as you convert to salvation while placed in this life, over so many will you receive rule in the age to come. And fear nothing; for you will never lack any of the provisions needed for the body’s use, whenever you ask them of God.” When he heard this, he came to the nearer places, and at first began to live alone under a small hut that he had built for himself, eating only cooked vegetables, and sometimes even that only after continued fasts.

At first he did not know letters; but when he had come from the desert to the places nearer to dwellings that we mentioned above, grace was given him from God. And when a book was offered him by the brothers, he began to read as if he had long known letters. Power against demons was also given him, so that many of those whom demons were driving were carried off to him even against their will, testifying with the loudest shouting to his merits. He also worked very many other healings.

Meanwhile very great multitudes of monks gathered to him; and when we too had come among them, he became most joyful at seeing us. When he had greeted us and prayed according to his custom, he washed his guests’ feet with his own hands and began to teach us from the Scriptures the things that belong to the building up of life and faith; for the grace of teaching had been given him by God. When he had wisely discoursed to us on very many chapters of the Scriptures, he turned again to prayer. It was his custom not to take bodily food before he had received the spiritual communion of Christ. Having received it, after the thanksgiving he began also to urge us to take refreshment; yet sitting with us he never ceased to remind us of something of spiritual pursuits. He told us something like this: “I know a certain man in the desert,” he said, “who for three continuous years took no earthly food; for an angel of God brought him heavenly food every third day, and this was his food and drink. And again I know a man of this kind to whom demons came in the form of the heavenly host and in the dress of angels, driving fiery chariots with great display, as if escorting some great king; and the one who seemed to be regarded as king by the rest said to him: ‘You have fulfilled everything, O man; it remains for you to worship me, and I will take you up like Elijah.’ But the monk, hearing this, said in his heart: ‘What is this? Every day I worship the Saviour, who is my King. If this were he, how would he ask of me what he would know that I do unceasingly?’ And after this he answered him: ‘I have my King, whom I worship every day without ceasing; but you are not my King.’ And at once, at these words, the enemy appeared nowhere.” He told us these deeds of his own as if telling of another, recounting them under another’s person; but the fathers who were present themselves assured us that it was he who had seen and heard these things.

This, then, was a magnificent father, who among other good things provided this too for brothers who came and wished to live with him: he had the brothers who were with him called together, and in one day built a cell for the brother who had come. There was great eagerness among the brothers in this work, each hurrying to bring bricks, or hand up mud, or pour water, or carry wood. When it was finished, he himself handed it over to the brother furnished with all utensils and necessities. Once, when a false brother had come to him and had hidden his clothes so as to seem naked, he exposed him before everyone and brought out into the open what he had hidden; and so all were afraid, so that afterwards no one dared to deceive in his presence. So great was the strength of soul in him, and so great the greatness of divine grace, which he had sought by the labour of abstinence and purity of faith. And the multitudes of brothers living with him were filled with such grace that, when they assembled at church, they looked like choirs of angels, shining in garments and minds, keeping vigil in hymns and praises of God in imitation of the heavenly powers.

We also saw in the Thebaid another man named Ammon, father of about three thousand monks, who are called Tabennesiots, men of great abstinence. Their custom is to be dressed in sleeveless tunics like linen sacks, and to be covered with a dressed skin hanging from the neck down the back and side; and to cover the head with hoods, especially when they come to food, and with these they also veil the face, so that one may not detect another taking food more sparingly. They also keep the deepest silence while taking food, so that one would not think that any human being was in the place where they sit at table; and their whole way of life, though set in a multitude, is as if it were in solitude, since each one’s abstinence is so hidden that it cannot be detected by another. So they sit at table touching the food rather than taking it, so that they may seem neither to have been absent from the table nor yet to have satisfied the belly. For it is a greater virtue of continence to abstain from these things that are before one’s eyes and in one’s hands.

We also saw another old man, surpassing all people in gentleness, named Benus. The brothers who were with him asserted that neither an oath nor a lie ever came out of his mouth, and that no one ever saw him angry or uttering a superfluous and idle word; but his life was in the deepest silence, his manners tranquil, and in all things he was like a man of angelic rank. His humility too was immense, and in all things he counted himself as nothing. Indeed, when we begged him earnestly that we might hear from him some word of edification, we could hardly obtain that he should speak to us a little about gentleness. Once, when a certain beast called the hippopotamus was laying waste the region next and near to him, he was asked by the farmers and came to the place; and when he had looked at the huge beast, he said to it: “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ not to lay waste this land any longer.” Then it, put to flight as if an angel were pursuing it, never appeared again anywhere. In a similar way they said that a crocodile too was put to flight by him at another time.

We also came to a certain city of the Thebaid named Oxyrhynchus, in which we found such good things of religion that no one could worthily tell them. For we saw it filled with monks within and surrounded by them on every side without. The public buildings (whatever there had been in it) and the temples of the ancient superstition were now dwellings of monks, and throughout the whole city there appeared to be many more monasteries than houses. There are in the city itself, since it is very large and populous, twelve churches, in which the public assembly of the people is held, besides the monasteries, in each of which there are houses of prayer. Not even the gates themselves, or the towers of the city, or any corner of it at all is empty of monks’ dwellings; and they, offering hymns and praises to God day and night in every part of the city, make the whole city as it were one church of God. For no heretic or pagan is found there; all the citizens are Christians, all Catholics, so that it makes no difference at all whether the bishop says prayer in the street or in the church. The magistrates themselves and the leading men of the city, and the other citizens, eagerly station people at each gate to watch, so that wherever a stranger or a poor man appears, he is brought to whoever got there first, as they compete with one another, and receives what he needs.

But how shall I tell what was done toward us by the people themselves, when they saw us passing through their city, running to meet us as if we were angels and paying us honour? Or about the monks and virgins themselves, of whom countless multitudes (as we said above) are found in that city? For inquiring of the holy bishop of that place, we learned that twenty thousand virgins and ten thousand monks are there. To set out to you the affection of all of them toward us, and the honour they showed, neither speech is sufficient nor modesty permits: how our little cloaks were torn, as each one snatched us to himself and wished to bring us to his own place. We also saw there very many holy fathers who had various graces of God, some ministering in the word of God, others in abstinence, others in signs and powers.

We also saw another man, not far from the city, on the side that leads out to the desert, named Theon, a holy man, shut up alone in his cell, who was said to have kept the discipline of silence for thirty years; and he did so many mighty works that he was regarded among them as a prophet. For every day a very great multitude of the sick came to him; he would put his hand out to them through the window, place it on each one’s head, bless them, and send them away healed of every sickness. He was so venerable even in his appearance, and bore such reverence in his face, that he seemed an angel among men, so joyful was he in his eyes and so full of all grace did he appear. A short time before, as we learned, when robbers had come upon him by night, believing they would find gold with him, he bound them by prayer alone, so that, fixed to his doors, they could not move at all. In the morning, when the crowds had gathered to him as usual and saw the robbers at his doors, they wanted to hand them over to the fire. But he, compelled by the necessity of the situation, spoke one word only to them: “Let them go away unharmed,” he said; “otherwise the grace of healings will flee from me.” The people, when they heard this, not daring to contradict, let them go. The robbers, seeing what had been done to them, threw off the will for crimes and, repenting of their many past deeds, fled to the neighbouring monasteries and there took up the form and manner of a better life.

This man was learned not only in the language of the Egyptians and Greeks but also in that of the Latins, as we learned both from him and from those who were with him. And wishing to disclose this and to comfort the labour of our journey, he wrote to us on a tablet and showed us the grace and learning of his speech. His food was prepared without fire. They also said that when he went out into the desert at night he had a great following of the desert’s beasts; and he, drawing water from his well and giving them drink, repaid the labour of their service. A clear proof of this was given, in that many tracks of buffaloes, goats, and wild asses were found around his cell.