Dositheus

ON ST. DOSITHEUS, MONK IN PALESTINE

AROUND THE YEAR 530.

Preliminary Commentary.

Dositheus, Monk in Palestine (St.)

By J. B.

[1] I have often wondered what the reason might be that neither in the Menaea of the Greeks nor in the ancient Martyrologies of the Latins do the names of St. Dorotheus the Archimandrite the names of Saints Dorotheus and Dositheus are not in the ancient Calendars and of St. Dositheus, his disciple, appear inscribed, since the holiness of both is attested by the most weighty testimonies. Concerning Dorotheus, indeed, what two most wise and holy Fathers, Theodore the Studite and Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople, thought of him can be seen in the Prologue to the Ascetic Instructions of Dorotheus himself, composed perhaps by some Studite monk, but certainly by an Orthodox and devout writer. yet St. Dorotheus is praised by St. Theodore the Studite He speaks thus: "This book, which delivers precepts of virtue and is most useful for the soul, we must accept as truly the work of Dorotheus, an Orthodox man and one conspicuous among the Fathers, since it is not that of that faithless and perverse man. As also our Father and Confessor of Christ, Theodore, most wise governor of the Studite monastery, rightly taught in his testament to his disciples. Who, after he declared the sense of his faith and condemned with anathema all atheist heretics to ^a man, further added: 'And in general I accept the divinely inspired book of both the Old and New Testaments, and moreover the Lives and divine writings of all the holy and divinely eloquent Fathers, Doctors, and ascetics. But I said this on account of the manifestly pernicious Pamphilus, who, arriving from the East, calumniated those holy men -- Mark, Isaiah, Barsanuphius, Dorotheus, and Hesychius.' Nor indeed, when I name Barsanuphius, Isaiah, and Dorotheus, do I mean those champions of the Acephali, who are themselves also beheaded, or the sworn allies of the Decaceratae, or Ten-Horned ones, and by St. Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople who were also transfixed by the tablet of anathema of St. Sophronius; but rather those others mentioned above, different from these, whom I embrace from paternal tradition, proven by the examination of the most holy Patriarch Tarasius, who had long been exercising the supreme priesthood, and also by the testimony of other trustworthy men, both native and Eastern. To this is added that the image of Barsanuphius is placed in the divine sanctuary of the great temple together with the holy Fathers -- Anthony, Ephrem, and others," etc. A certain disciple of Dorotheus (as is believed) also most splendidly declares other virtues of his and by the discoverer and disciple of his books in ^a letter to ^a Brother requesting that the discourses of Dorotheus discovered by him be sent to him. This letter is prefixed to those same discourses, or instructions or teachings, and exists in the Library of the Fathers; but ^a good part was omitted by our Balthasar Corderius in his new translation of Dorotheus, because it did not exist in the Greek. But no more genuine and sincere praise of Blessed Dorotheus can be found than that expressed in his own style in those same instructions. But of him perhaps more fully elsewhere.

[2] Now Blessed Dositheus is praised by Dorotheus himself, his most celebrated master, in Instruction 1, On Renunciation, as follows: "Consider for ^a moment St. Dositheus, however, by St. Dorotheus himself to what degree of progress the cutting off of one's own will contributes. Let Blessed Dositheus serve as an example. From what kind of life, from what luxury, from what indolence did that man -- though he had never heard the word of God -- nevertheless reach what ^a measure of holiness in ^a short span of time, you have heard, because he embraced obedience and cut off his own will. But how God also glorified him, and did not allow such great virtue of his to pass into oblivion, but revealed it to ^a certain holy elder, who also saw him among all those Saints, enjoying their blessedness." This is narrated more fully in the Life of Dositheus himself, written by the same disciple of Blessed Dorotheus and in the Life who discovered his instructions. For thus at the end of the Letter to the Brother requesting those instructions: written by ^a disciple of the same St. Dorotheus "But I shall first speak briefly about the life of St. Dositheus, who was the first disciple of the blessed Father Dorotheus, while he was still under Abbot Seridus, and manfully fought the contest of obedience according to Christ." Those first words, "But I first," are rendered thus in the Ingolstadt edition of the year 1616: "But I finally." In the Greek it is "proteron de." Corderius omitted them.

[3] The first among more recent writers to inscribe the name of St. Dositheus in his Martyrology was Pietro Galesini on February 23, in these words: inscribed in the Martyrology of Galesini on February 23 "In the city of Ecbatana, of St. Docitheus, monk and Confessor, who, instructed in no doctrines of sacred matters, advanced in ^a short time to perfection, and received the heavenly reward for the merits of his religious life." Following Galesini, Ferrari wrote at February 22 as follows: "At Ecbatana in Media, of St. Docitheus, monk." He cites in his Annotations the Menologion of the Greeks, in which I find neither the name of Dositheus nor of Dorotheus. he did not live at Ecbatana in Syria Galesini notes that besides Ecbatana the metropolis of Media, there is another of the same name in Syria. It was in Phoenicia, of which Pliny in book 5, chapter 19 writes thus: "Memorable cities: Dorus, Sycaminon, the promontory of Carmel, and on the mountain ^a town of the same name, formerly called Ecbatana." Of this also Stephanus on cities: "Ecbatana is the great part of Media, and ^a city of Syria." But Dositheus lived the monastic life in neither of these. Where he came from is nowhere recorded. He became ^a monk in the monastery of St. Seridus. But where was that? It was so close to the city of Ascalon in Palestine but half ^a day's journey from Ascalon that one could travel from the district of Ascalon to it in ^a single day and return home in the evening. This is clear from St. Dorotheus himself, who writes thus in his Instructions: "When I was once staying in the monastery of Abbot Seridus, ^a disciple of ^a certain great elder came there from the region of Ascalon to inquire about something in the name of his Abbot. He had instructions from the elder to return to his own cell by evening." This he carried out so punctually that neither ^a most violent storm with rain and thunder and the flooding of ^a torrent, nor the exhortations of the monks of Seridus -- including Dorotheus himself among them -- that he should stay there that night, could prevail upon him to be induced. Will anyone suppose that he could have gone from the region of Ascalon all the way to Carmel in one day and returned?

[4] The monastery of St. Seridus was not there, therefore. But it was somewhat near Ascalon, in the outskirts or certainly in the countryside of the city of Gaza. For Seridus is the same person who in the Life of St. John the Almsgiver on January 23 is called Seridon, in the monastery of St. Seridus, or Seridon with ^a slight change in the ending of the name. The fame of Seridon was so celebrated even at the time when John was governing the Alexandrian Church that there was no need to describe his monastery otherwise than to call it the monastery of Seridon, just as of Seridus. In the said Life, chapter 11, number 64, page 511, Bishop Leontius speaks of St. Vitalius, who is venerated on the twentieth of the same month, as follows: "And dwelling first in the monastery of Seridon, he went out and came to Alexandria." Then, to indicate the location of the monastery, he writes at number 69: "When he was buried with great honor, the one who had been corrected and made well by him remained, keeping his memory. Afterward he too renounced the world and entered the monastery of Abbot Seridon in Gaza, in the territory of Gaza and took the cell of Abbot Vitalius according to faith, and remained in it until his death." Metaphrastes, in the Life of the same St. John the Almsgiver, at the same place, chapter 10, number 59, calls him "the Great Seridon": "While he kept quiet and silence in the monastery of the Great Seridon, he came to Alexandria." The example of sacrosanct silence in that same monastery had been given by St. Barsanuphius the elder, where also St. Barsanuphius who would not even speak to Blessed Dorotheus except through the intermediary of St. Seridus or Seridon, as will be evident below in the Life of St. Dositheus. In the Life of St. Barsanuphius, however, which we shall perhaps give on April 11, on which day he is inscribed in the Roman Martyrology, or on September 13, on which day he is said to have died, the monastery of Abbot Seridus is called Euagge, if there is no textual error.

[5] There, then, Dositheus spent five years and died ^a holy death, while St. Barsanuphius was still alive and standing by him at the end. who stood by him at death Barsanuphius is also mentioned as having been summoned to Jerusalem with certain other holy and learned monks, and ultimately to Constantinople, to resist Justinian, who was contriving something or other in favor of the heretics. This was perhaps at the time of the Council of Constantinople under the Patriarch Menna, in which, however, the name of Barsanuphius is not read, but those of other Archimandrites and monks from the same Palestine and Phoenicia, who with remarkable zeal pressed for the condemnation of Anthimus because he was infected with the Eutychian heresy. That council was held in the year 536. From this it may be conjectured that St. Dositheus lived under Justin the Elder or in the first years of Justinian's reign, perhaps around the year 530. around the year 530 Nor do we approve what Alegraeus writes in the Paradise of Carmelite Glory, that Dorotheus and Dositheus flourished in the fifth century of Christ. But Alardus Wyelius strays even further from the truth, who in the Library of the Ancient Fathers published at Cologne places this Dorotheus among those writers who flourished in the fourth century, that is, between the years 300 and 400 of Christ. How then does St. Dorotheus cite Abbot Zosimas, who was distinguished for the sanctity of his life under Justin the Elder, as Nicephorus Callistus records in book 17, chapter 4 -- or chapter 5, if it concerns the other Zosimas who lived at the same time and buried St. Mary of Egypt? The latter is venerated on April 4, the former on November 30. St. Dorotheus, moreover, cites not the writings of Zosimas but his words, so that he appears to have received them from his mouth, not read them: "As Abbot Zosimas said," he writes -- Zosimas, namely, who had lived in his own times. I marvel that Juan Bautista de Lezana, ^a most accurate writer of the Annals of the Carmelite Order, mentions neither Barsanuphius, nor Seridus, nor Dorotheus, nor Dositheus in either the fifth or the sixth century, though he commemorates both Zosimases and very many others among the professors of his order and imitators of the great Elijah -- which he could have asserted with greater right concerning Dorotheus and his companions, since, as we said, some think they lived on Mount Carmel itself, from whom, however, we have already declared our dissent.

LIFE OF ST. DOSITHEUS, by an anonymous contemporary, translated by Balthasar Corderius, S.J.

Dositheus, Monk in Palestine (St.)

By ^a contemporary author.

[1] The truly Blessed Abbot Dorotheus, having embraced the solitary life with God's help, withdrew to the monastery of Abbot Seridus, where he found certain great and numerous men devoted to contemplation, among whom two were outstanding great elders, namely the most holy Barsanuphius and his disciple or co-ascetic, Abbot John, St. Dorotheus becomes ^a monk under Abbot Seridus who on account of the grace he had from God of foreseeing the future was surnamed the Prophet. Having entrusted himself with all confidence to be formed by them, he spoke to the great elder through the holy Abbot Seridus, and was also deemed worthy to serve Abbot John the Prophet.

[2] While the Blessed Abbot Dorotheus was still living in the monastery of Abbot Seridus and completing the contest of Christian obedience, the holy elders decreed that he should build ^a hospital in that place and take care of it. For whenever Brothers fell ill, they were greatly distressed he builds ^a hospital because they had no one to care for them. He therefore built, with God's help, ^a hospital, his own brother according to the flesh supplying him with the funds. at his brother's expense For he was ^a man most devoted to Christ and ^a singular friend of the monks. Moreover, Abbot Dorotheus himself, as I said, together with certain other pious and devout Brothers, cared for the sick, inasmuch as the stewardship of this kind of administration had been entrusted to him.

[3] One day, therefore, the aforesaid Abbot Seridus summoned him; Dositheus, ^a pampered young man and when he had come to him, he found ^a certain young man dressed in ^a military cloak, most delicate and most handsome. He had at that time come to the monastery with certain friends of the Abbot who were from the household of the Governor. When Dorotheus approached, Abbot Seridus took him aside and said: "These men have brought this youth, saying that he wishes to stay here in the monastery; and I fear that he may be the son of one of those great men, who has either stolen something or done some wrong and wishes to flee, and we will be put in danger. For neither his dress nor his appearance is that of someone who wishes to profess the monastic life." Now this youth was the favorite of ^a certain Tribune, living in great luxury (for such favorites are always raised most softly), ignorant of the matters of faith and he had never heard the word of God. But certain friends of the Tribune had mentioned the holy city to him, and he himself was seized with ^a desire to see it. He therefore asked the Tribune to let him be sent to visit those holy places. he goes to Jerusalem The Tribune, not wishing him to be sad, and having found ^a certain close friend of his going there, said to him: "Do me ^a favor, and take this young man with you so that he may visit the holy places." That man received the youth from the Tribune and kept him with every honor and comfort, admitting him to his own table and his wife's.

[4] When they had arrived at the holy city and had worshipped at the holy places, they proceeded to Gethsemane, where the punishments of hell were painted. While the youth was standing intent and stupefied at that spectacle, he sees the painted torments of hell he saw ^a certain venerable woman, clothed in purple, standing beside him, who explained to him each of the condemned and gave him certain other admonitions as if from herself. Glory to You, Christ, who do all things for the salvation of mankind! by the admonition of ^a certain Saint The youth, when he had heard these things from her, was silent and marveled; for, as I said, he had never heard the word of God nor yet understood anything about judgment. Turning therefore to her, he said: "Lady, what must ^a person do to escape these punishments?" She answered and said: "Fast, how to escape them do not eat meat, and pray continuously, and you shall escape these punishments." But when she had given him these three precepts, she appeared no longer but vanished.

[5] From that time, therefore, the young man remained in ^a state of compunction and diligently observed the three precepts that the woman had given him. But the Tribune's friend, he fasts, abstains from meat, and prays seeing him fasting and abstaining from meat, was troubled on account of the Tribune, whom he knew to value the youth highly. His fellow soldiers, observing this way of life, said to him: "Son, what you are doing is not suitable for ^a man who wishes to live in the world. If, therefore, you wish to live in this way, betake yourself to ^a monastery, and you will save your soul." But he, who did not yet know anything about God or what ^a monastery was, observed only what he had heard from that woman.

[6] he is brought to the monastery The young man therefore said to them: "Lead me where you know. For I myself know not at all where to go." Now some of them, as I said, were friends of Abbot Seridus, and they brought this youth with them to the monastery. Then the Abbot sent Blessed Dorotheus to speak with him and to examine him. he is examined by St. Dorotheus But the youth knew no other answer than: "I wish to be saved." Dorotheus therefore returned and reported to the Abbot: "If you have resolved absolutely to admit him, there is nothing to fear, for he has no fault." The Abbot said to him: "Do me the kindness, then, and take him with you, so that he may be saved; for I do not want him to live among the Brothers." But Dorotheus, out of modesty, persistently refused, saying he is handed over to him for instruction that it was neither within his station nor his capacity to take such ^a burden upon himself. The Abbot said: "I bear both your burden and his; why are you troubled?" Then Blessed Dorotheus said to him: "Since you have absolutely resolved this, lay the matter before the elder, if it seems good to you." "Very well," he said, "I will lay it before him." So he went with St. Barsanuphius approving and reported the matter to the elder. Then the elder declared that he should receive him thus: "For through you," he said, "God will save him." Then he received him with joy and kept him with himself in the hospital, and called him Dositheus.

[7] When the time for eating arrived, he said to him: "Eat to satiety; only observe for me how much you eat." And he went and ate, and came back saying to him: "I ate one and ^a half loaves." Now ^a loaf weighed four pounds. Dorotheus said to him: "Are you well, Dositheus?" He answered: "Yes, accustomed to eating six pounds of bread Lord, I am well." Then Dorotheus said: "Are you hungry?" "Not at all, Lord," he said, "I am not hungry at all." Therefore, Dorotheus continued, "eat one loaf and ^a quarter of another; and divide the other quarter into two parts, and eat one of them." And he did so. Then Dorotheus said to him: "Are you hungry, Dositheus?" He replied: "Yes, Lord, ^a little hungry." After ^a few days, he said again: "How are you, Dositheus? Are you still hungry?" "Not at all, gradually taught to be content with eight ounces Lord; by your prayers I am well." "Then," he said, "take away the other half-quarter." And he did so. Again, after ^a few days, he said to him: "How are you now? Are you hungry?" He answered: "I am well, Lord." He said to him: "Divide that other quarter into two parts, and eat the half and leave the other half." And he did the same. And so, with God's cooperation, he came down gradually from six pounds to eight ounces. For even in eating, habit has great power.

[8] Moreover, this young man was most gentle in every work that he did. He ministered to the sick in the hospital, and everyone was refreshed by his service. he serves the sick For he performed all things cleanly. But if it happened that he was negligent toward any sick person, or spoke even ^a single little word in anger, he would leave everything and enter his cell weeping. When the other attendants of the hospital would come in to console him, and he would accept no consolation, they would go to Dorotheus and say: "Do us the kindness, Lord, when he has spoken harshly, he weeps and learn what is the matter with this Brother, that he weeps, and we do not know why." So he went in and found him sitting on the ground and weeping, and said to him: "What is the matter, Dositheus? What ails you? Why are you weeping?" He replied: "Forgive me, Lord, for I was angry and spoke ill to my Brother." And he said to him: "Is that how you behave, Dositheus? Is it not shameful that in your anger you also speak ill to your Brother? Do you not know he is rebuked by Dorotheus that he is Christ, and that you are afflicting Christ?" Then he, with downcast face, wept bitterly, saying absolutely nothing. After he saw that he had wept enough, he would say to him: "God forgive you; rise, let us begin anew, then encouraged and let us apply diligence, and God will help." When he heard this, he would immediately rise and run to his task with joy, as if he had received an earnest from God.

[9] The attendants of the hospital, therefore, had observed his ways, and when they saw him weeping, they would say: "What is the matter with Dositheus? What mistake has he made?" And they would say to Blessed Dorotheus: "Lord, go into his cell, for you have business there." When he therefore went in and found him sitting on the ground and weeping, he understood well enough that he had spoken some ill word, and would say to him: "What is this, Dositheus? Have you afflicted Christ again? Have you been angry again? Are you not ashamed? Will you never correct yourself?" But he would keep weeping. When he again saw him saturated with tears, he would say: to begin anew "Rise, God forgive you, begin anew, and amend yourself hereafter." And he would immediately, with confidence, drive away that sadness and gird himself for his work.

[10] Moreover, he made the beds for the sick most comfortably. He was so open and free in manifesting his thoughts he is fortified against vainglory that not infrequently, when he had made the beds excellently and saw Blessed Dorotheus passing by, he would say to him: "Lord, Lord, ^a thought says to me: 'You make the beds elegantly.'" And Dorotheus would answer him: "Well done, indeed! Behold, you have become ^a fine servant, ^a distinguished chamberlain, but you have not turned out to be ^a good monk."

[11] He never, however, allowed him to become attached to any thing or any object. For he received everything with joy and with confidence, he is variously exercised, lest he become attached to anything and obeyed cheerfully in all things. If ever he needed ^a garment, Dorotheus supplied it to him, and he would then go and sew it with great care and elegance. When he had finished it, Dorotheus would call him and say: "Dositheus, have you sewn that garment?" He would answer: "Yes, Lord, I have mended and made it neat." Then Dorotheus would say: "Go, give it to this Brother, or to this sick person." And he would go and give it with great cheerfulness. Again, he would hand him another garment, and when he had likewise mended and made it neat, he would say to him: "Give it to that Brother." he never murmurs And he would immediately hand it over, and was never troubled or murmured, saying: "After I labored mending and making neat ^a garment, he took it from me and gives it to another." But whatever good thing he heard, he carried out with great promptness.

[12] At another time, ^a certain Apocrisiarius, or steward of the monastery, brought him ^a knife, very neat and finely made. When he had received it, he brought it to Abbot Dorotheus, saying: "That Brother brought this knife, which I accepted so that, if you command, we might have it in the hospital, since it cuts bread excellently." Now the Blessed one never had anything more fine in the hospital than what was in good order. He therefore said to him: "Come, bring it to me, that I may see whether it is good." When he had handed it to him, saying: "Truly, Lord, it is suitable for cutting morsels" -- and when he saw that it was indeed well suited for the work, but because he did not want him to be excessively attached to anything, he did not permit him to possess it. He therefore said to him: "Dositheus, he is told not to touch ^a knife he praised does this please you so much? Do you wish to be the slave of this knife and not the slave of God? Does it please you so, Dositheus, to be bound by attachment to this knife? And are you not ashamed to wish that this knife should be your master rather than God?" When he heard this, he did not object at all, but silently cast his eyes downward. After he had continued to rebuke him, he said: "Go, put down that knife and do not touch it." From that time on, he was so careful not to touch it that he never even handed it to another; and while the other attendants used it, he alone abstained. which he carefully observes Nor did he ever say: "Why am I absolutely kept from everything?" But whatever he heard, he carried out with joy.

[13] In this way, then, he spent the short time that he lived in the monastery. For he lived about five years and then died in obedience, never doing his own will in even ^a single matter, nor ever acting out of agitation. When, however, he fell ill and began to spit blood suffering from consumption, he suggests that eggs might be good for him (for he was killed by consumption), he heard from someone that soft-boiled eggs are very beneficial to those who expectorate blood. Blessed Dorotheus also knew this, and would gladly have brought him some remedy, but because of his excessive preoccupation it had not come to his mind. Dositheus therefore said to him: "Lord, I would like to suggest something to you that I have heard would help me, but I would not want you to grant it to me, because such ^a thought troubles me." Dorotheus said: "Tell me, Dositheus, what it is." Then he said: "Promise that you will not give it to me, since, as I said, the thought of it disturbs me." Dorotheus replied: "Very well, I will do as you wish." Then he said: "I have heard that soft-boiled eggs are beneficial to those who spit blood; but I beseech you by the Lord, since you had not resolved on your own to give them to me, do not give them to me because of my thought." but obtains that they not be given "Very well," said Dorotheus, "since you do not wish it, I will not give them to you; only be not troubled." He took care, however, to give him other things in place of eggs that were conducive to health, since he had said that the thought of eggs disturbed him. Behold, even in such great infirmity, he fought against his own will.

[14] He also had ^a continual remembrance of God, since he was devoted to saying continually: "Lord Jesus Christ, my God, have mercy on me; Son of God, help me." This, indeed, was the prayer he constantly had on his lips. When, however, he fell ill, Dorotheus said to him: "Dositheus, take care of the prayer; see that you do not lose it." he always prays He would answer: "Very well, Lord; pray for me." even when ill Again, when the disease grew worse, he said to him: "What is it, Dositheus? How is the prayer? Does it still hold?" And he would answer: "Yes, Lord, by your prayers." But when the disease began to grow worse and worse (for he fell into such weakness that he had to be carried in ^a sheet), he said to him: "How is the prayer, Dositheus?" he is taught to be at least mindful of God Then he answered: "Forgive me, Lord, I can no longer attend to it." Dorotheus said to him: "Then leave off the prayer, and only be mindful of God, and consider Him present before you."

[15] Moreover, he was suffering greatly, and he sent word to the great elder, saying: "Dismiss me, for I can bear it no longer." The elder said: "Endure, my son, for the mercy of God is near." having obtained leave from St. Barsanuphius, he dies Blessed Dorotheus, however, watched him laboring and was anxious lest he suffer some harm. Again, after some days, he said to the elder: "Lord, I can no longer." Then the elder said to him: "Go in peace, and present yourself before the Holy Trinity, and pray for us."

[16] When the Brothers heard this dismissal by the elder, they began to be troubled and to say: "What did this man ever do? What was his achievement, that he should hear such words?" For in truth they had not seen him fasting for two days at ^a stretch, he attained holiness not by great austerity as some there did, or waking before the vigils; nor was he even roused for the vigil itself until after the second sequence; nor had they seen him performing any special exercise. But they had seen him eating ^a bit of broth, or the head of ^a little fish, or some other thing left over from the sick. And there were some there, as I said, who for so long ^a time had fasted for two days running and kept double vigils and devoted themselves to exercises.

[17] When, therefore, they heard that response of the elder given to ^a young man who had scarcely completed his fifth year in the monastery, but by remarkable obedience they were troubled, not knowing his training, his undiscriminating obedience in all things, and that he had never even once fulfilled his own will. If it happened that Blessed Dorotheus said even ^a little word to him as though in jest, he would immediately run off in haste in this most simple and carry out whatever was said without any questioning. For example: In the beginning, when by ^a certain habit he spoke rather roughly, Blessed Dorotheus, as if needling him, said: "You need ^a cup of unmixed wine, Dositheus; go, then, and get ^a little flask." When he heard this, he simply went and brought ^a cup full of wine and bread, and handed it to him as if about to receive ^a blessing. Dorotheus, who had not meant it, looked at him as if amazed and said: "What do you want?" He replied: "Since you told me to get ^a flask of unmixed wine, give me ^a blessing." Then he said to him: "Foolish one, because you shout like the Goths (for when they are provoked to anger, they shout and make ^a tumult), that is why I said to you: 'Get ^a flask of unmixed wine,' because you too shout like ^a Goth." When he heard this, he prostrated himself and asked forgiveness, and went and put the cup back.

[18] At another time he came again to Dorotheus, asking him about ^a certain word of Holy Scripture; he is exercised in humility for he had begun, on account of the purity of his soul, to understand certain Scriptures. But Dorotheus did not wish him to be occupied with these at that time, but rather to be preserved in humility. When therefore he asked him, asking the Abbot about ^a passage of Scripture he answered that he did not know. But the youth, thinking nothing of it, came again and asked him about another passage of Scripture. To which Dorotheus again replied: "I don't know; go and ask the Abbot." And he went, judging nothing at all. But Blessed Dorotheus had already told the Abbot privately: "If Dositheus comes to you to ask something about Scripture, beat him ^a little." When therefore he came and asked him, the Abbot began to strike him, saying: "Why don't you keep silent, since you know nothing? Do you dare to ask these things? Do you not consider your impurity?" After he had said these and similar things, he dismissed him, he is struck by him having given him two slaps. He returned to Dorotheus, showing him his cheeks red from the slaps and saying: "See, I still have them firm and solid." Nor did he say: "Why did you not correct me yourself, but sent me to the Abbot?" nor does he murmur He said nothing of the kind, but received all things from him with faith and carried them out without questioning. he clearly reveals his thoughts Moreover, when Dorotheus asked him about his thoughts, he received and preserved what he heard with such certainty and conviction of faith that there was no need to ask him again about the same thought. This admirable training of his, then, being unknown to certain Brothers as I have said, they murmured about the elder's dismissal.

[19] But since God wished to reveal the glory prepared for him on account of that holy obedience, and also the singular grace of Dorotheus, then still ^a disciple, in guiding and saving souls -- by which he had led him to God without error by so short and direct ^a path -- not many days after the death of Blessed Dositheus, he appears to ^a certain holy man among the Saints of that monastery ^a certain holy and great elder who was being entertained there as ^a guest wished to see the holy Fathers who had ended their lives and fallen asleep in that monastery. He therefore asked God to reveal them to him, and he saw them all, as it were in ^a choir, standing before him, among whom he also beheld ^a certain young man standing, and in wonder he asked who that young man was whom he had seen among the Fathers. When he had accurately described the features and marks of his appearance, all recognized that it was Dositheus, and they glorified God, marveling and his sanctity is recognized at from what manner of life, from what first condition and way of living, to what great rewards and what ^a measure of sanctity he had merited to attain in so short ^a time, solely by the undiscriminating observance of obedience and the renunciation of his own will.