Titus the Thaumaturge

ON ST. TITUS THE THAUMATURGE,

Presbyter Hegumen among the Greeks.

UNDER THE ICONOMACHS

Titus the Thaumaturge, Presbyter Hegumen, among the Greeks (St.)

BY AUTHOR G. H.

[1] Above the rest of the Saints, whom among the Greeks in honor

& veneration on this second day we have

shown to be, most of all stands forth the most holy Father

& Hegumen Titus, on account of the very many miracles

by which he shone called Thaumaturge: Sacred cult.

to whom alone the whole Ecclesiastical office is dedicated

in the Great Menaea & Anthologion of the Greeks, & consequently

the first place is assigned not only in these & with Maximus

of Cythera, but also in the Clermont Synaxarium

of the Society of Jesus, & in the MSS. Menaea of Milan of the

Ambrosian library marked with the letter O & number 148, of Dijon

of Peter Francis Chifflet, & elsewhere with the Menologium

of Cardinal Sirletus, & in the MS. Arabo-Egyptian Menologium

preserved in the Maronite college at Rome. Indeed of this

one alone the memory is celebrated in the said Anthologion & Typicon

Greek published in Latin by Genebrard, in the Menologium of Christopher

of Mitylene with the Greek Horologium published at Venice &

in the metric Ephemeris: likewise in the Ruthenian Calendar inserted by

Anthony Possevin in his Sacred Apparatus volume 2 page 366,

& in another Muscovite Calendar preserved at Amsterdam

by the most distinguished Laurentius Vander Hem, in whose panels

is seen the Hegumen himself or Archimandrite as if in episcopal

habit expressed; finally in the Greek Menologium, which

at Florence in the library of the Fathers of the Order of Preachers we found,

where the very Odes were contained through five pages. But

the eulogy of the Life was lacking, which we prefix from the published Menaea.

And it is of this kind.

[2] On the IV Nones of July, memory of our holy Father Titus.

Our blessed & holy Father Titus, Eulogy from the Menaea. since from a boy

he loved Christ, went into a monastery, & renounced & said farewell

to worldly things. And to such a degree,

subjecting himself, in humility & obedience did he advance:

that not only the religious society of Brothers, but all

men altogether he surpassed by the lowness of his mind.

Then having been made Shepherd of the religious sheep of Christ,

such meekness toward all, love, &

benevolent affection did he show, that no other of men

seems to have shown such. But so holily &

innocently from the tender years of boyhood both in soul

& in body did he live, that he seemed an Angel of God.

Therefore with outstanding miracles wrought called the Thaumaturge,

to the Lord he migrated; & of his

virtue & religious life living images & breathing

statues, he left his disciples & companions in stricter

discipline. & in Ecclesiastical office. These things there: to which we subjoin the encomia

wont to be recited in the Ecclesiastical office of the Greeks, which at the beginning

of each office three about the Saint are found, & are called

Στιχάρια ὅμοια, similar verselets, & are of this kind.

[3] Titus, our Father, wise in God, you took up your cross,

following Christ, Verses, while with generous

mind you subdued all passions. Grace therefore from God

you received of healing the passions of all running to you,

of staying diseases & of expelling demons.

Wherefore with festive magnificence we celebrate

your memory.

II.

Titus most blessed our Father, purged by the exercise of sacred

discipline, & in mind with divine

communications illuminated, with the divine Spirit assenting,

you worthily received the sacred order of the Priesthood,

& thus like some Angel you offered on earth the best

sacrifice to God your Creator.

III.

Holy Titus, illuminated by God, with the light of true faith

you made your soul to shine, & the cloud of dark

heresy you removed: & rising as a most bright

star you illumine all parts of the world with miracles & signs

everywhere evident. Whence also we all

comforted in faith praise you & glorify.

[4] Odes Follows the Canon of the Saint distributed through the accustomed Odes;

into whose number does not come the second Ode; as not wont

to be about the Saint, but to be sought elsewhere, it is commonly omitted

in the Menaea, but each Ode consists of four or three Strophes,

besides the Theotokion or Strophe about

the Mother of God, which is added to each Ode, beyond the number of letters

expressed by this Acrostic,

Ὁ τῶν μοναστῶν στύλος ὑμνείσθω Τῖτος.

which you would express in Latin with as many letters thus:

Laudandus monachorum columna Titus. (Let Titus column of monks be praised.)

The Canon itself it is pleasing to exhibit in Latin in a similar manner.

Wholly immersed in the affections of the slippery flesh, & consumed

with delights, save me with your prayers,

Titus, since you are a treasure of impassibility.

From the womb of your mother offered to God, by the divine election

of the Spirit, of the Mother of God, never having known a man, Priest

& servant you are called.

As one who had sucked the sweetness of continence, you spat out

the bitterness of passions: wherefore beyond honey &

the honeycomb you refresh, Father, our souls.

As a new disciple of Paul, we praise you, Titus,

who, a zealous imitator of that old Titus, appeared

in contests; & with him you receive the crown,

O Blessed.

III.

Of ascetic aromas composed you were the unguent of sanctification,

O Holy one, for the fragrance of our God.

Never not having continence for armor,

& prayer for shield, O Blessed, triumphing you confounded

the princes of darkness.

Wisely opposing the law of the divine spirit, you extinguished

the law of the flesh, & you served the Lord lawfully.

All your thoughts & desires you applied to Christ's love,

Holy one, with earthly things despised.

IV.

With the arrow of exercise you overturned the tabernacle of the demons,

O Blessed, & all the corruption of sin

you wiped away.

Having your mind wounded with love of purity, & ardently

following Christ, O thrice Blessed, you entered into the bridal-chamber

of glory.

You feed all honoring you through your continence,

by which you germinated like a meadow most sweetly

smelling, & like an animated paradise of virtues.

We all call you blessed, whom we have as lawgiver

of exercise & the image of sincere meekness,

as a true Moses and

David.

With the dew of your contests, O Titus most blessed, extinguishing

every passion, with the fire of charity & faith luminously

you kindled the lamp of continence, rightly called the splendor

of impassibility & son of the day.

With heavenly husbandry, Father, you nourished the cluster of faith,

& placing it under the press, & by the labor of exercise

expressing it, you filled the spiritual cup of temperance,

& gladden the hearts of your flock.

Generously enduring the assaults and blows of the enemies

of the lower regions, O Blessed, you showed yourself a column of fortitude;

strengthen also your flock, with the divine staff

feeding it, by the waters & pastures of continence.

VI.

Dispersing the obscure darkness & clouds of passions,

you lifted the eastern light on your paths,

O Holy one, through those manifold labors & contests,

exhausted for the cause of faith.

Leaving the world & all things which belong to the prince

of the world, with love of exercise wholly you adhered

to God; & received by him, you obtained the rest

of the supermundane kingdom.

Truly the house of our God you appeared, in your soul

gathering the divine treasure of charity, prayer

unconfused, untainted holiness, & continuous

vigilance.

Wisely transgressing the baseness of inferior matter,

you adapted the wings of immaterial prayer to your soul;

& were made heir of supernal rest, through the end

of your life.

VII.

A river of continence you seem to us to be, Father, least

stained with sins, submerging the passions

& wiping away the filth of those crying in faith, Blessed

is the God of our fathers.

Added to the Angels without matter, O most Blessed,

& unceasingly enjoying the brightness of the heavenly kingdom,

look upon those singing, Blessed is the God

of our fathers.

Praiseworthily you stood firm in the confession of faith: for Christ

painting & circumscribing in flesh, you were adoring

& crying, Blessed are you God of our fathers.

Bearing the wounds of the Lord Jesus in your body, Father,

me also wounded by the dart of Belial heal I

beseech, crying with you, Blessed are you God of our fathers.

VIII.

We make your memory, Titus, through ages; having

you truly as an animated column & image of continence,

O Father.

Now rejoices the choir of monks, & dances the people

of saints & just ones: for with them

you obtained the deserved crown.

Shining with the august species of virtues, in the bridal-chamber

of ineffable glory you recline; & to Christ forever

sing a hymn.

IX.

We call you blessed, Father, because divinely you became

a physician to the sick through his passions, expeller

& persecutor of the worst demons.

In the land of the meek you fixed your tabernacle, Father,

as one who deserted the earth, dwelling of corruption;

& with them you exult, enjoying divine pleasure.

Setting your labors before us, as

the exemplar of continence & infallible rule of faith;

with continual hymns we praise the Creator.

Truly festive is today's day, for Titus calls together

the flocks of those leading solitary life to a dance,

& to common feasts, & to the food

of eternal life.

Let us gloriously honor the ever-virgin Mother of God,

O peoples: & her who received the fire of divinity

in her womb, without burning, let us magnify

with hymns.

[5] Thus far the Odes, to the last of which we have added

a supernumerary Theotokion, that what above the thirtieth

of the usual strophes abounds in the Acrostic element,

may not remain idle. The Author of the Canon between the eighth

and ninth Odes, placing the Hirmus or Tract, by which all

are invited to praise God together with the Angels,

without any mention of the Saint, had attributed it to the first letter

of Titus's name, namely the letter T. Which if in translating we had wished

to follow, the context of the Canon itself would have been interrupted.

Therefore, the said Tract being omitted, it seemed better, for the abundant

element to add a Theotokion, such as we have noted to be found at the end

of each Ode. Moreover from the Canon just explained

we seem able to gather, that St. Titus lived in the 8th century

or the following, when the heresy of the Iconoclasts flourished, &

SS. Theodore & Nicholas Studites & other glorious champions lived. Time of life.

Of the said Nicholas, Titus was brother, led by him to the monastic

life, as in his Life illustrated on February 4

is indicated in number 11. But we would not presume to affirm

that he is treated of here without further foundation: it is enough

to indicate that the name of Titus was in use at that time, when we judge,

at Constantinople or its vicinity, that St. Titus was Hegumen or

Archimandrite over some monastery.