ON SAINT MACARIUS THE CONFESSOR,
Hegumen of the monastery of Pelecetes among the Greeks.
ABOUT 830.
CommentaryMacarius the Confessor, Abbot of the monastery of Pelecetes, among the Greeks (Saint)
BY D. P.
[1] The excellent discipline of this monastery became known to posterity only from that time at which Constantine Copronymus, the ringleader of the Iconoclasts, trying to uproot it, After the contests of others from the same monastery, by raging proved how firmly it had struck roots, founded upon the true rock of faith. For although the impious Lachnodracon sent away 38 monks, after various mockeries dragged off from there (as has been said on January 20, and also on March 18, on which Theostericus, one of that number, also inscribed in the Fasti of the Roman Church, occurred), they yet persisted in their degree and purpose, both those who had escaped that slaughter, and their successors, over whom before the end of the eighth century Saint Hilarion presided, praised in excellent hymns of the ecclesiastical Office by Saint Joseph the Hymnographer, as was noted on March 28, the aforesaid day. The successor of Saint Hilarion Macarius, The labors of this man for defending the worship of images, and the persecutions endured on that account from tyrants, obscurely and passingly only designated by the Poet, and his happy death after them, this Saint Macarius seems to have received as heir; himself also an athlete of many palms, as the following elogium composed for him in the printed Menaea and in the Chifflet manuscripts indicates in these words.
[2] This blessed Father of ours, Macarius, born at Constantinople, and while still a boy bereft of his parents, Birthplace Constantinople. was educated by his uncle. Being handed over to the disciplines of letters, since he was by nature most adept for all things, and used great diligence, in a short time he ran through the course of all Scripture, and hence indeed clearly knew how vile and how quickly all earthly things perished; thence how firm was the eternity of the goods to be enjoyed in heaven. Wherefore leaving the city, well exercised in letters and virtue, he turned aside into the monastery which they call Peleceten, and being mingled with the monks living there, having laid aside the name Christopher by which he was previously called, by them he was ordered to pass into the name of Macarius. Serving in almost all the uses of the monastery, and in much humility cultivating virtues of every kind, at length he was made Superior of all, and merited to be held venerable with the surname Thaumaturgus (Wonderworker). For God deigned through him to heal wholly incurable infirmities, and at his prayers to send down from heaven rain opportunely upon the earth.
[3] Therefore when his great and celebrated fame was spread around in those days, He is famed for the grace of healings. a huge multitude flocked to him, both of those who wished to cleanse with him the spiritual stains of their soul, and of those who desired to receive bodily healing; nor were there lacking those who, strengthened both in spirit and body together, returned home. At length the most holy Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople, heard also of him; and summoned him to himself, through Paul the Patrician, by Saint Tarasius he is ordained Priest. who formerly indeed had been cured by him in a most desperate illness, and who recently had experienced his virtue in his wife, likewise placed beyond hope by the physicians and restored by him to health. The Patriarch, having brought him to himself, ordained him priest, with the customary blessing; which he, accepting in the zeal of life-giving obedience, made clear that he was far from the vice of disobedience, by which so many labor.
[4] He is troubled with Saint Nicephorus under Leo the Armenian, Enriched with this dignity, when he had returned to his monastery, he exercised humility still much more earnestly than before. Meanwhile the devil, sower of scandals, raised to the Byzantine throne a tyrannical Emperor, who would deliver the venerable images to be polluted by fire and water. This was Leo the Armenian: who drove Patriarch Nicephorus into exile, and afflicted bishops and archimandrites with banishments, prisons, and most grievous beatings. then by Michael the Stammerer. Then also this admirable man, one of the number of the holy Fathers mentioned, was variously tortured, and was held in custody, until the murder of that cruel tyrant. Whose rule Michael the Stammerer taking up, and himself professing the same impiety with his predecessor, and he dies in exile on Aphusia, after he had led the Saint out of prison, flattering much by himself and others, threatening more, he profited nothing: wherefore banishing him to the island of Aphusia, he strictly ordered him to be guarded. But Macarius, bearing all things nobly, returned thanks to God, and in exile for no small time drawing up very many struggles, and with signs published there made illustrious, migrated to the Lord.
[5] We could perhaps describe an island unknown alike to ancient and recent geographers, and indicate in what place it was, an island commonly unknown, if a more extended Life of this Saint, from which that compendium was received (for we scarcely doubt that it was written), had been preserved to this time, and brought to our notice. Now this one thing we can say, from the Acts of Saints Theodore and Theophanes, eminent Confessors under the aforesaid Michael and his successor Theophilus, to be given on December 26, that the same was illustrated by the exile of the aforesaid Saints also, and of perhaps many others. But since these had previously been banished by Michael to the mouth of the Pontus, unless it is the Daphnusia of Ptolemy itself one might suspect that the island which we seek should perhaps be found tending further. There are indeed rare islands throughout the whole Pontus Euxinus (for who would call "islands" the Cyanean rocks and other similar crags, having no sign or convenience of human habitation?); yet one lies opposite the Bithynian shore, offering itself midway to those sailing from Chalcedon to Heraclea Pontica; which having been called Thynais by the ancients, also called Daphnusia in the age of Ptolemy, we understand from him: whence you may suspect that the truncated name Aphusia endured to the times of the Iconoclasts: that it is now called Farnasia, Niger in Ortelius is the author.
[6] The reckoning of the times. And these things concerning the place of exile, sufficiently obscure, said by conjecture, are sufficient: the reckoning of times to be designated is easier. For it is established from what has been said at his Acts on February 26, that Tarasius, by whom Macarius was ordained priest, held the Patriarchal dignity from the year 784 to the year 806. That the harassment of bishops and abbots under Leo the Armenian, begun in the second year of his reign (which was the year of Christ 815), lasted five years, has been said at the Acts of Saint Theophanes on March 12, and of Saint Nicephorus the Patriarch on March 13. Finally, that after Leo the Armenian was slain Michael reigned, from December 25 of the year 820, until October of the year 829, is held sufficiently certain. From these you may conjecture that, since the Blessed is said to have been for a longer time in exile (chronisai), the death of this holy Confessor can not ill be referred to the last years of the Stammerer, and an age greater than seventy can be attributed to him dying: concerning whom perhaps the diligence of posterity will bring more into light.