Paphnutius and His Companions

ON ST. PAPHNUTIUS AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS,

IN THE THEBAID.

Under Diocletian.

PRELIMINARY COMMENTARY.

These Saints are commemorated on various days and in various ways in the Greek and Latin calendars: the Greek Acts, which have already been published in Latin, are defiled with many fables.

Paphnutius, martyr, in the Thebaid (S.)

His fellow martyrs, in the Thebaid

BY J. S.

The Roman Martyrology today supplies us with a vast handful of Martyrs along with St. Paphnutius, of whom it has thus: The memory of St. Paphnutius and his companions at this day, In Egypt, the passion of the holy martyrs Paphnutius and his companions. He, leading his life in solitude, when he heard that many Christians were held in bonds, being stirred by the divine spirit, offers himself of his own accord to the prefect, and freely professes the Christian religion: by whom he is first bound with iron chains, and tortured a very long time on the rack: then with very many others he is sent to Diocletian: by whose command he himself is fastened to a palm-tree, but the rest are slain with the sword. In his Annotations Baronius says: Of him also on this day the Greeks in the Menology. But the Greeks have Paphnutius with his companions on the following day. Galesini therefore seems to have been the first to refer Paphnutius, to whom he attributes five hundred and forty-seven Companions, to this day.

[2] In the Basilian Menology at the XXV of September the following is read about the same handful of Martyrs, in the Basilian Menology at the following day, as also in other according to the Græco-Latin edition: The cruelty of the impious emperor Diocletian made very many of the Christians martyrs, not only of the laity but of the monks. Of whose number was holy Paphnutius, who, sprung from Egypt, having renounced the world, passed the greatest part of his life in the deserts. But when he was converting very many of the Greeks to Christ, he was sought for death by the prefect. So when many had been arrested on his account, being bidden by an angel, he offered himself of his own accord to the prefect, and in his sight, having professed Christ, is bound with iron chains: then, set upon the rack, he is torn until his bowels flowed out upon the ground. But when, these being set back in order into their own place by an angel, he was made whole and had drawn many to the faith of Christ, he is sent by the prefect, together with those who had believed, to the emperor Diocletian, by whom, being fastened to a palm-tree, he departed. And on one and the same day five hundred and forty-seven Martyrs were beheaded. Thus far the Menology. But these things are not altogether consonant with the Acts, though perhaps better and truer, since the Acts are of very suspect credit. In the printed Menæa at the same day, after the memory of the holy martyr Paphnutius most briefly announced, only these two verses follow:

Σταυροῦσι Παφνύτιον οἱ κόσμου φίλοι, Τὸν παντὶ κόσμῳ καὶ πρὶν ἐσταυρωμένον.

The lovers of the world crucify Paphnutius, Who long before was crucified to the whole world:

These clearly indicate a death undergone on a cross, and in some measure hint at the monastic life, since he is said to have been crucified to the world. In the Sirletian Menology today's Paphnutius is plainly passed over, and there is substituted for him the father of St. Euphrosyna, of whose martyrdom or sanctity we know nothing.

[3] The manuscript Greek Synaxary, which is kept in the Paris College of the Society of Jesus, Greek calendars: in other manuscripts at the XX of April. at the XXV of September exhibits a eulogy conformable to the Acts. In it St. Paphnutius is said to have been an Egyptian by origin, from the city of Gentyria, and, when he was sought for by the prefect Arianus, at an angel's admonition to have offered himself to him of his own accord, professing the faith. He is asserted presently to have been tortured so long that his bowels flowed out; but, healed by an angel, and on that occasion freed from the prefect's hands, he is said to have drawn many to the faith and to martyrdom. Taken again and bound to a wheel, although his limbs were torn by the wheels, he is read to have remained unharmed by God's grace. Then at last, sent to Diocletian, he is said to have been crucified on a palm-tree. Paphnutius' monastic life was without doubt also related there; but some words could not be read, where that was to be reported. Another eulogy, likewise conformable to the Acts, but a little shorter, is read in the manuscript Menæa of the royal library of Turin at the XX of April, which, rendered into Latin, I transfer hither. The contest of the holy martyr Paphnutius, who lived under the emperor Diocletian, an Egyptian by race, from the city of Gentyria, and passed the greatest part of his life in the desert. Being seized by the governor Arianus, and hung upon a beam, he is scorched to such a degree that his inward parts appeared to view. But being healed again by a divine angel, he afforded to many an occasion of seizing upon the faith and undergoing martyrdom. Therefore he is again bound to a wheel, and, cut apart by its violence, is restored whole by the grace of Christ. Wherefore he was brought to the emperor Diocletian, and by his command fastened with nails to a cross, and gave up his spirit to God. In this eulogy those things are omitted which most displease in the Acts.

[4] The Greek Acts of St. Paphnutius and his fellow martyrs we have from Vatican codex 1660. The Greek Acts, already published in Latin, have 546 Martyrs, The same were published in Latin by Lipomanus and Surius at the XXVIII of April, as our predecessors observed at that day in the Prætermissi, where they add: They were received from a manuscript codex of Grottaferrata, and are wrongly attributed to Metaphrastes. Lipomanus and Surius doubtless chose that day because at the end of the Acts, as they are rendered in Latin, St. Paphnutius is said to have completed his martyrdom on the XXVIII of April. The same was probably Molanus' reason for announcing them all at the XXVIII of April thus: On the same day, the martyrdom of St. Paphnutius the abbot, and of five hundred and forty-six who suffered martyrdom together with him. For this very number is expressed in the title of the Acts in Surius and Lipomanus. And the same title is prefixed to the Greek Acts. The same number again is confirmed at the end of the Acts. And yet they are not all said to have been slain on the same day, but on various days, and nearly all before Paphnutius by a considerable interval of time. For Paphnutius is said to have been sent to Diocletian after the aforesaid had been slain in the Thebaid; nor are any others read in the Acts to have been crowned on the same day with Paphnutius, except some soldiers who buried the Saint's body, and who thence, being converted, are said to have been wreathed with the crown of martyrdom.

[5] Now as regards the credit of the Acts, Tillemont, tom. 5 of the Monumenta, in St. Arianus, art. 1, acknowledges but they are not free from fabulous assertions that these Acts do not seem to be Metaphrastes', as Henschen had observed, but says that the history is altogether worthy of Metaphrastes if we look at the facts, and that scarcely any worse history is to be found in Metaphrastes. He adds that they were probably unknown to Baronius: For he would have disapproved them, he says. But he adds no reason for what he says. Yet I readily assent to Tillemont that these Acts are not such that all the facts with their circumstances should seem to be admitted as true. For although the individual things which displease are perhaps not such that alone they suffice to convict the author of falsehood, yet he links together so great a chain of marvellous deeds that we can hardly believe these Acts to be free of poetic inventions, and that everything happened as it is reported. It can be true, nay it is altogether likely and credible, that on the occasion of St. Paphnutius' contests many were converted to the faith and obtained the palm of martyrdom. But that all of them were incited by the Saint to go of their own accord to the governor and thrust themselves unbidden into the contests, was neither consonant with the ecclesiastical laws, nor can it prudently be believed of a writer who heaps up many things marvellous as well as incredible. That I am the less able to admit as true the whole history, which was born to make the name of St. Paphnutius most famous, is caused partly by the silence of the writers of the IV century, especially Eusebius and Rufinus; partly because I do not find that the cult of this Paphnutius was ever very famous among the Greeks.

[6] and therefore only the corrected Latin version will be reprinted. Wherefore I shall publish these Acts only in Latin, even though I have the Greek otherwise at hand. I shall however compare the whole Latin version, as it was published by Surius, and in the Annotations I shall not only advise the reader wherever I find that the translator went astray or read otherwise; but in the Latin text I shall also correct the translator's manifest errors. Moreover in the Annotations I shall point out the chief assertions of the author on account of which he made his credit suspect, and which taken together persuade us that he was more zealous to write grand and marvellous things than true ones. Yet I would not have the prudent reader infer from them that everything is a fiction which is narrated in these Acts about St. Paphnutius. For it is established from elsewhere that Arianus or Arrianus the governor, who arrested St. Paphnutius, was notable for his persecution of the Christians in the Thebaid, which was a part of Upper Egypt, bordering on Ethiopia. It is equally ascertained that there were many monks in the Thebaid. Wherefore there is no reason why we should wish to deny either that St. Paphnutius was a monk, or that he strove for the faith under the governor Arianus, or that, fastened to a cross, he met death by martyrdom. The rest is uncertain, namely whether so great a multitude of men as the Acts exhibit came to martyrdom on the occasion of Paphnutius' contests; and still more uncertain are the many prodigies asserted in the Acts. Of the time at which St. Paphnutius suffered I determine nothing certain, except that he suffered under Diocletian.

FABULOUS ACTS

Rendered into Latin from Surius' edition, collated with the Greek Vatican manuscript, and thereupon corrected.

Paphnutius, martyr, in the Thebaid (S.)

His fellow martyrs, in the Thebaid

By an anonymous author.

CHAPTER I.

The first contests of St. Paphnutius with the governor Arianus: the passion of forty Martyrs converted in prison.

[ ] [Paphnutius, while he is sought by the governor's command, at an angel's admonition,] There was, under the emperor Diocletian, a certain governor Arianus, who throughout Egypt ^a sought out Christian men, that he might compel them to sacrifice to the gods. He was coming therefore to the city of Gentyria ^b, in which place there was a certain anchorite in the solitude, surnamed abbot Paphnutius, a just man and notable in all that region. He had been denounced to the governor himself for this cause, that he despised the gods and opposed the emperors' commands. Arianus the governor therefore, being greatly indignant against him, ordered two centurions to bring blessed Paphnutius to him in bonds before the day should dawn. But abbot Paphnutius, knowing nothing of these things, was walking upon the mountain, passing the night there, as he was accustomed. To whom an angel of the Lord appearing said: Hail,

Paphnutius, athlete of Christ, he said. To whom Paphnutius answered: Mayest thou too be saved, lord. Follow me, said the angel, that I may crown that house which thou hast built from thy boyhood. Enter into thy little cell, and arm thyself with the breastplate of justice: and, clothed with the sacred mantle, offer the heavenly oblation: since I am come today to call thee to the bridal chamber of thy Lord, that without any care thou mayest enjoy thy God. For thou hast already been denounced before Arianus the governor, who has ordered two hundred soldiers to bring thee bound to the tribunal before tomorrow's day shall dawn. But be of good courage, and fear not: for I am that angel who was with thy fathers, and am now with thee ^c. And the Lord will make thee strong, and will bring it about that thou be such a one as can confound the governor Arianus.

[2] When therefore the angel had said these things to him, blessed Paphnutius, entering into his cell, he offers himself unbidden to the governor Arianus, clothed himself with the mantle and the linen cloth, and went out ^d as cheerful as one going to a banquet. And the angel, taking his hand, went with him, conversing with him of the heavenly mysteries. And when they had come to the river of Egypt which is called Nile, the angel himself related what things were to befall him: and, having saluted him, he ascended into heaven. Now the governor Arianus came down from his own boat, and sat upon a certain seat by that same harbor, where all the magistrates of the neighboring cities were awaiting him for honor's sake. And he sat caring for nothing else ^e but that blessed Paphnutius might be taken: for on that account he had ordered two hundred soldiers ^f to seize him and bring him to himself. But blessed Paphnutius, having anticipated them, stood in the sight of the governor Arianus, and crying out with brave spirit and free voice, said: I am a Christian. I, I say, am that Paphnutius who is sought by thee: put not therefore upon thy soldiers the trouble of seeking me. Thou indeed hast thine army to gather together Christian men and to shed their blood: but we have the angels themselves, by whom we may be joined to that heavenly kingdom of God.

[3] having professed the faith, he is bound with chains, Arianus the governor, looking upon him, said: Art thou that deserter of the gods and impious Paphnutius, who despisest the laws and scornest the just gods? I am not, said the great Paphnutius, estranged from God, nor impious, but I serve the living God from my boyhood. But thou, who observest many gods, art estranged from God himself. When the governor Arianus had heard these things, gnashing with his teeth, he said thus: By the immortal gods Apollo and Diana, I will afflict thee with the worst torments. And straightway he ordered the just Man's hands and feet to be bound with iron chains, and that he be numbered with the other prisoners, placed among thieves and evildoers. And the governor himself went off into the city. But blessed Paphnutius walked slowly because of the chains with which his feet were bound. And so, moving himself forward step by step, he said to himself: Paphnutius, Paphnutius, acknowledge this lot which has befallen thee: remember how the Lord Jesus too was set between two thieves.

[4] tempted with threats, he answers freely; When therefore the governor had entered the city, he sat on the tribunal, and at once was inquiring into blessed Paphnutius' case. But blessed Paphnutius, harried by the unjust soldiers, went up to the step of the tribunal and praises the glory of God; and at once the iron chains flowed off from his hands and feet like water ^g. And so he stood before Arianus the governor, who spoke to him thus: What madness, Paphnutius, has seized thee? Why dost thou not sacrifice to the just gods, but hast set before thyself a most wretched death? To whom Paphnutius said: The death of Christians is not death, but everlasting life. Wherefore I sacrifice to none but my almighty God, the King of all ages. But Arianus the governor ordered furnaces to be brought thither, and iron darts, and pans full of boiling oil: and when the blessed Man had been surrounded by all these, the governor said: Paphnutius, unless thou obey me, thou art to be tortured with all these. But Paphnutius, laughing, said: Dost thou think, Arianus, that these torments of thine seem so terrible to me that I should be willing to deny my God? May God ever avert this. Nay rather I say this to thee, that our monastic rules of living contain in themselves far more torments: for in many exercises we are tried. But our Savior so strengthens us that we can overcome the hidden wars of Satan. The same will strengthen us again to overcome this persecution of thine, which will avail nothing against us.

[5] grievously torn, he is healed by an angel, and two soldiers being converted, Then Arianus said: Thou makest many words, Paphnutius, which are not to be borne at my tribunal. Thereupon he ordered blessed Paphnutius to be hung up in his armory and torn. So holy Paphnutius was hung up, and torn until his intestines were cast down upon the ground, and his whole body was sprinkled with blood. But he, when he had lifted his eyes to heaven, invoked God thus: Lord Jesus Christ, I do not shrink from thy dispensation. For I am ready to die for thy name: but I entreat thy kindness, permit me not to die before I confound Arianus and his handmade images. Then an angel of the Lord stood at St. Paphnutius' right hand: and when he had taken up his intestines ^h, he put them back into his belly and closed it, and so restored his body whole, as though it had never before been torn by torments. But two soldiers who were tormenting him, Dionysius and Callimachus, when they had seen the angel's hand thus putting blessed Paphnutius' intestines back into his belly, suddenly believed in the Lord God. And when they had broken off their soldiers' belts, they stood in the sight of the governor Arianus, saying: We too are Christians. But Arianus said to them: What have you seen, that, turned to such madness, you despise our tribunal and dare to deny the emperor's just gods? Then the soldiers answered with one voice: What we have seen we cannot relate to thee. For it is written in the divine Letters which Christian men use: Give not what is holy to dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine. Then, said Arianus, do you judge me like to swine? To this the soldiers said: Swine and dogs are more just than thou art: for every animal, however void of reason it be, is subject to God's own nod, and praises him with silent voices: but thou scornest and deniest the Lord himself. At these words Arianus, greatly indignant, ordered them at once to be beheaded ⁱ. Wherefore they were led outside the city: and, struck with the axe, they completed their martyrdom, and gloriously ascended into the heavens themselves.

[6] But the governor Arianus rose from the tribunal to go to his midday meal, he is delivered to prison, where forty and ordered blessed Paphnutius to be cast into prison. So the soldiers, having seized him, shut him up in a certain dark cell of the prison. But on the next day the governor did not inquire into blessed Paphnutius' case, but gave his labor to public affairs, compelling the commanders of the army and the prefects to dispatch the public business. And when they had not dispatched it, he ordered them to be cast into prison. Now they were forty in all. And on that night, on which they were shut up in the dark place, they saw there a great light, like the sun rising in summer time, so that the whole place was lit up. Seeing which, those magistrates who had been shut up called the keeper of the prison to them, and asking him, said: What was this great boldness of yours, that you brought fire into the prison and were trying to burn it, so that those who are bound might take to flight, and we be endangered? The prefect of the prison answered them: Never, O brethren, was fire brought hither: nor do I wonder a little: for already for two nights this place has shone in the same way, from the time when the Christian man Paphnutius was shut in the dark cell: nor was there any darkness at all in the prison, but light shone among us the whole night, like the sun itself when it rises. When those magistrates had heard these things, they went to the place ^k where Paphnutius had been shut up, and standing there they heard him praying for the salvation of their city and of the whole world. And when they had opened the cell, they went in, and saw him with his hands raised, shining like certain kindled torches, and about him was much sweetness of odor.

[7] When those forty magistrates had seen this, they went to him and worshipped, men are converted by him, and with him they spent the whole night. And when day had dawned, those magistrates saluted Paphnutius. And he, wishing them peace, said: Peace be to you, sons. But who are you? Then they said: The governor is angry with us, and ordered us to be cast into prison on account of the public business. To whom holy Paphnutius said: Even if today your punishment be remitted, what need is there hereafter that you be entangled again in civil affairs? Wherefore hear me, and believe in my God: for confessing his name, you will be freed from your iniquities, and the bond of your sins will be blotted out; and when you have been made citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem, your names will be written in the book of the Saints living for ever. Then those forty Magistrates answered with one and the same judgment: We confess thy God with our whole soul: for perhaps this occasion of prison, which has befallen us, will bring us to eternal freedom. Come, said blessed Paphnutius, arise, let us go hence, O sons, for already your names are written in the book of the living. So blessed Paphnutius went out of the prison, having been sought for by the governor Arianus, and those Magistrates followed him. And when he had come to the tribunal: O tribunal, he said, tribunal, I have come against thee. Thou with thy Apollo, and I with my Lord Jesus Christ. As he said these things the governor's soldiers surrounded him. But blessed Paphnutius immediately so vanished from their eyes that he was no longer seen.

[8] who are also crowned with martyrdom. Thereupon those forty Magistrates at once went up to the tribunal, crying out that they were Christians. But the governor Arianus, when he had looked upon them, being indignant, said: What has befallen you, or what have you? Have you perhaps taken it ill that I scorned you, and on that account despaired of your life? But those Magistrates said with one voice: We give no heed to thy fables, but have set before us a heavenly hope, and have left behind these short and perishing things, that we may receive those everlasting goods. And know this, that we have truly and deliberately yielded to thee all our means. And so thou hast power over our revenues and all our possessions. But let our wives and sons, if it please, follow us. What is this madness of yours? said Arianus. As I see, this proceeds from nowhere else than from Paphnutius, the deserter of the gods, and from his magic sorceries. But they said: Let that tongue of thine be struck dumb, since thou hast uttered curses against the holy Man of God.

When the governor Arianus had heard these things, he was so indignant that he ordered them to be led to punishment: and they endured the torments for the sake of the divine love. For when the nefarious ministers had led them away into a desert place, and had dug pits and filled them with fire, they burned those blessed Men there. And holy Paphnutius stood above each of the pyres, as though about to receive the souls of the holy Men with his own hands. And those forty Magistrates were burned, and on one and the same day their martyrdom was accomplished, and they received the everlasting prize.

ANNOTATIONS.

CHAPTER II.

Paphnutius converts many and brings them to martyrdom: afflicted with various torments, he is sent to the emperor, and dies fastened to a palm-tree.

[ ] Paphnutius comes to the house of Nestorius, But blessed Paphnutius, as he was walking through the city, saw the door of a certain very rich man standing open. Now the man's name was Nestorius. He went up therefore, and said to the woman who was keeping the door: Give me, daughter, a little water, that I may drink. To whom the maidservant said: Enter, Father. For she knew that Man, since for his many eminent deeds he was famed among the anchorites, and his life was greatly praised. When therefore she had seen his appearance, she received him most gladly: and going to her mistress, she said: Come out quickly, that thou mayest see blessed Paphnutius, through whom many signs were done under the governor Arianus. She at once ran, and came to the court of her house, and saw blessed Paphnutius standing like an angel of God, and worshipping him she said: Truly my whole life is not of such worth as to be worthy of thy presence: certainly my God has made much of me, in that he has deemed this roof worthy of thy entering. And when she had taken him by the hand, she led him into her own house, and set him on a silver seat. But that blessed Man, laughing, said: To what end is all this gold that I see, both wrought and raw? You boast yourselves with a vain and empty hope. Hear me therefore, daughter, and choose for thyself the angelic life, and the discipline that procures immortal goods. When that woman's daughter, who was within the chamber, had heard these things, she at once came out, bringing a precious garment. So blessed Paphnutius sat on the ground, and those two women sat at his feet: to whom blessed Paphnutius said: Forsake these empty riches, since rust will corrupt gold, and moths will consume these garments, and the fair aspect of beauty will be turned to deformity in the tombs themselves: God's glory alone and his kingdom remains for ever.

[10] and exhorts him and his wife and daughter to martyrdom: While blessed Paphnutius was still saying these things to the handmaids of God, that woman's husband Nestorius came home. So the woman, running ahead, met her husband, to tell him about that holy man. But Nestorius, anticipating his wife, said: Why was I not made worthy of such a good, to be burned together with my Colleagues, who for this cause have obtained eternal life? Would that I had found that just man Paphnutius, and had brought him into our house, that he might pray to God for us, that we might be called by him and be made worthy of his glorious kingdom! Then his wife said to him: Most swiftly have thy wishes been satisfied. Enter the house, and see holy Paphnutius adorned with every virtue. When therefore they had gone in, and he had found the holy Man, he worshipped him. To whom blessed Paphnutius said: Arise: for Jesus Christ my Lord commanded me to turn aside to you: for he has you ready as necessary vessels: but now be not negligent. Arise, let us go, and confess our Lord Jesus Christ before the governor Arianus ^a: for such a contest is not always set before us, nor are prizes everywhere. Let us go, I say, let us go, O sons, that we may most swiftly receive our crowns.

[11] but they go unbidden to the governor, professing the faith: So blessed Paphnutius, when he had risen, went before: and they followed him. And when Nestorius' wife had gone out of the house, she prayed thus: Lord Jesus Christ, behold how I have left the very door open and have not shut it: do thou therefore also, Lord, open to me the gates of heaven. So blessed Paphnutius, running before them and standing before the tribunal, said: Tribunal, tribunal, I have come against thee again. Thou with thy Apollo, and I with my Lord Jesus Christ. Arianus was then judging a certain case; and turning himself, he wished to hold St. Paphnutius with his own hands: but an angel of the Lord suddenly snatched him from him. But Nestorius and his Wife and Daughter, with lofty voice and free speech, professed themselves Christians. Arianus, when he had seen Nestorius, looking upon him said: So thou too, Nestorius, hast taken drink from the same fount of madness? Dost thou not know that robbers and sacrilegious men are condemned at this my tribunal? Worship therefore the emperors' just gods, and return honored to thy house with thy Wife and Daughter. Then Nestorius answered: Be thou not anxious about these things: for I am not such as to be lured by the belly, or deceived by the enticements of thy father the devil, or circumvented by the flatteries of iniquity itself, which is thy mother.

[12] and are crowned with martyrdom. Arianus, turning to the Girl, said: What is thy name? She said: I am called Stephana. Sacrifice, said the governor, to the gods, Stephana, and thou shalt receive many honors from me. Then she answered: Never will I sacrifice to thy profane gods and impure demons: but I offer my body a living victim, pleasing to my heavenly God. When Arianus had heard these things, he ordered her to be hung up in the armory in her Parents' sight. So the Girl, seized by the executioners, was hung up and torn. Now she was eighteen years old, of very great beauty. So the soldiers tore her sides apart. And thus her whole body was drenched with blood. Her Mother, standing at her left side and giving her courage, said: Endure yet a little, Daughter, and thou shalt receive thy prize. Thou knowest how I had prepared a dowry for thee such as no one in our city has yet given, when I wished to bestow thee as wife on the first man of our city. But now, my Daughter, mayest thou receive the everlasting and true inheritance: for thy immortal bridegroom is Jesus Christ, to whom thou now goest away into that heavenly bridal chamber. While her Mother said these things, her Father likewise exhorted her with these words: Be strong, O Daughter: for today I have known myself made worthy of God: and so I rejoice and exult that I send thee before me as a gift to God himself. While her Parents were still saying these things, the soldiers who were tearing her had now come to the tearing of her liver: and at once the Girl gave up her spirit to God: and her Parents laid her with their own hands in a tomb. Then, standing before Arianus, they began to speak insultingly of his gods. So the governor, being angered, ordered them to be beheaded ^b. And so they too completed their martyrdom in Christ, and gloriously departed to heaven.

[13] But blessed Paphnutius went through the whole city, seeking Sixteen Boys are brought by Paphnutius to Arianus, those who might be willing to go to the prize: and he passed his nights in divine prayers. And when he had gone out of the city, he found sixteen Boys going to the gymnasium, the sons of those Senators who had endured martyrdom. So blessed Paphnutius, when he had stood before them and greeted them, said: I wonder, sons, that you should wish to be estranged from your Parents, who chose for themselves the kingdom of Christ, and reign in the heavens, and now delight themselves with his angels in that metropolis of the Saints of God. Obey me therefore, O sons, and believe in my God, in whom your Parents also believed, and following me, come to the governor Arianus ^c, and confess Jesus the King of the ages, and with one mind go to the heavens, to that Master of truth, and be instructed in the true discipline. At once the Boys' minds were confirmed by blessed Paphnutius' words. And so together they believed in God, saying: Let us go, let us go, father Paphnutius: let nothing be a hindrance to our eagerness: for already we are estranged from this world, and our hearts dwell in the heavens themselves, where is also the home of our Parents. So blessed Paphnutius

ran before them, like some shepherd leading his flock: and when he had come to the tribunal, crying with a loud voice, he said: Tribunal, tribunal, I have come against thee once more. Arianus, tyrant, thou with thy Apollo, and I with my Lord Jesus Christ. But Arianus ordered the soldiers to draw their swords and to surround blessed Paphnutius: but suddenly he was snatched away by the Holy Spirit.

[14] When the sixteen Boys had seen this, they went up to the tribunal, and having steadfastly confessed the faith, crying out: We are Christians: behold how freely we say this. To whom Arianus said: Where are your Parents? Are you insolent, like infants? We have, said the Boys, an age quite fit for answering thee. We are the sons of those who were Martyrs, and are now with God. Sacrifice, said the governor, lest your bodies perish under torments. But the Boys, answering, said: Torture us with whatever torments thou wilt: for we do not sacrifice. But Arianus, looking upon them, when he had seen one younger in years than the rest, being about in his thirteenth year, said: What will it profit thee, O son, if thou be carried off by a most wretched death? Nay rather hear me, my son, that thou mayest be with us, and I will bestow on thee very much money, and will write to the emperors, who will adorn thee with honor, provided thou sacrifice to the just gods Apollo and Diana, of whom the divine majesty of the emperor also wrote that they are living gods. Then the Boy said: And where is the emperor's edict, in which it was so written about those gods? Then Arianus ordered the edict to be brought forth. And when the priests had taken it, they worshipped it. Likewise the governor too rose up, and embraced the edict, and gave it to the Boy. When the Boy had received it and read it, he found seventy gods written in it, of whom Diocletian had written that adoration and libation should be offered them. And Arianus ordered fire to be kindled at the altar: and when both he himself and the rest of the men had taken incense, they cast it into the fire. But the Boy, in place of the incense itself, cast the emperor's edict into the fire ^d, and said: There is one God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: but those who are written in the emperor's edict as gods shall be refuted by fire.

[15] they obtain the palm of martyrdom. But the priests, when they had seen the little book of their idols burning, tore the hairs from their heads: and, turned to fury, they gashed themselves with swords. Arianus, indignant at this, ordered the Boy to be lifted onto the altar and burned alive. So the soldiers, seizing him, cast him into the midst of the flame of the burning fire. But the Boys of his own age begged him thus with a loud voice: Brother and sharer of our contests, remember us before the most high God: for on account of thy prudence thou hast been offered before us as first-fruits and a sacrifice to God himself. And so both the governor was astonished at the fortitude of thy mind, and the Greeks themselves at thy prudence. While they were saying these things, the Boy gave up his spirit to God in the midst of the fire. But the governor was greatly indignant that the emperor's edict had been burned: wherefore, when he had noted down the names of the remaining Boys, he ordered them to be pierced through with javelins. So at once the soldiers surrounded them outside the city, and pierced fifteen Boys through with javelins on that day: and their martyrdom was accomplished, and they too possessed the immortal kingdom of God.

[16] Eighty fishermen, at Paphnutius' exhortation, But holy Paphnutius went about, like some shepherd seeking sheep straying in the desert. And when he had gone out of the city and had come as far as the river harbor, he saw men at the harbor, about eighty ^e in number, for there was a very great gathering there ^f. So blessed Paphnutius approached them. But those men said among themselves: Truly this is Paphnutius, that famous anchorite: and at once, laying down their staves ^g, they came to meet him very swiftly, and worshipped him with bowed heads. But blessed Paphnutius, blessing them, said: Hail, sons; now I choose each one of you, until I shall dwell in the holy city, that is, the house of our Father who is in heaven, and the tabernacle of those who are my brethren in Christ. But why do you idle here thus the whole day long? Why have you too not gone to do work in my Lord's vineyard? Why are you so sluggish, when the contest itself and the prize are set before you? Obey me, and believe in my Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the ages and the Savior of Christians. Confess his name for the space of a single hour, and he will bestow eternal life upon you, and will cause the angels of light to come before you and to bring you, made true athletes, with joy into the land of the living.

[17] When therefore they had heard these things from blessed Paphnutius, being filled with the Holy Spirit, having professed the faith, become martyrs. they at once believed in God, and came swiftly to the city. Now they were all, as we have said, eighty in number, fishermen of the governor Arianus, who prepared the food of his table. But blessed Paphnutius, running before them, went up to the tribunal, and crying out said: Tribunal, tribunal, I have come against thee again. O Arianus, thou with thy Apollo, and I with my Lord Jesus Christ. But the governor Arianus ordered the soldiers to surround Paphnutius. And when they had seized him, they bound him. But those eighty Men went up to the tribunal, exulting like lions in an oak-wood, and freely cried out: We too are Christians. The governor Arianus said to them: Who has deceived you, that you should die most wretchedly? Then they answered with one voice: With one accord we have come hither, that we may be able to confound thee. The governor Arianus said: O most wicked men, I bear myself honorably toward you, and for that do you despise me? And when he had said this, he ordered them to be beaten with scourges. But those eighty Men, rushing on with the same spirit, overturned the governor's seat ^h. And so the soldiers struck them with drawn swords: and the governor ordered them to be led to punishment. And at once those unjust soldiers, leading them into a desert place, struck them with the axe: and so their martyrdom was completed: and they too received the crown of immortality in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

[18] After these things, when Arianus had ordered blessed Paphnutius to be summoned to him, Paphnutius, cut into four parts, and lying dead, he said: Deserter of the gods and sorcerer, I will bring it about that all who are present here shall know that Jesus Christ, whom thou namest, is not such as can free thee from my hands. And at once he ordered Paphnutius to be raised upon an iron wheel. Now that wheel was so constructed as a craftsman's saw is wont to be, having on the upper part the edge of a sword, and on the lower the point of a saw. And when blessed Paphnutius was violently torn by that wheel, he was rent into four parts. But Arianus, when he had seen this, raised his voice and said: Where now is that Jesus, Paphnutius' God? Why does he not come to free him from my hands? Know at least now that there is no other God but Apollo, Jupiter, Diana and Pallas. These are the living gods, who have conferred on our emperor the majesty of ruling. And that impious governor ordered blessed Paphnutius' body to be placed upon the roof of the temple which is in that city, hoping that it would come to pass that the birds of heaven would come and devour his flesh. So the soldiers did as they had been ordered. But Arianus rose from the tribunal and went off into his palace: for it was the hour of the midday meal. But blessed Paphnutius' body lay upon the temple roof, and no bird flew thither to Paphnutius. For an angel of the Lord had covered the holy Man's body.

[19] And behold the Lord himself came down with the archangels, having Michael on his right he is made whole again and raised by Christ. and Gabriel on his left, and joined his body together and restored it, saying: With my hand I formed the first man; that same hand now restores thee, my Elect ⁱ. And when the Savior had said these things, he breathed upon him, and his soul returned into his body: and the Savior himself filled that Man with the spirit of fortitude, and after he had embraced him, said: Go, and refute the shameless governor, who reviles my name. When he had said these things, he ascended into the heavens, and let down that just Man, surrounded by a certain shining cloud, from the temple roof to the ground. So blessed Paphnutius went away clothed with a cloud as with a garment, and sought Arianus: whom he found in the street judging certain criminal men: and when he had suddenly stood before him, crying out he said: I am Paphnutius, torn apart by thee. Why dost thou revile the name of my God, and speak insultingly of him who created all things? Behold how my Lord Jesus Christ has restored me to my former shape, and has sent me to convict thee of thy folly, and to persuade those who are here to acknowledge that thou art mortal, and a servant of dead images.

[20] Eusebius, commander of the soldiers, being converted with four hundred soldiers, Eusebius the prefect, when he had seen blessed Paphnutius raised from the dead, believed in the Lord Jesus, with his soldiers: and when he had counted them, he found four hundred. And he said to them: Brethren, think with me and obey me: let us confess Christ, that you may be the soldiers of him who gave life to Paphnutius once more, and sent him to refute Arianus, because he errs greatly concerning the superstition of the idols: and he did this that all might believe that there is no other God but one, who is in heaven. Let us take care, therefore, that as I have counted you, so our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the ages, may count us in the heavens with all his Saints. When Eusebius the prefect had said these things, he stood before the governor Arianus, and crying out freely said: I am a Christian. Likewise his four hundred Soldiers cried out with one voice: We too are Christians: behold, we speak freely. The governor Arianus then said to Eusebius: Thou art by no means in my power: go to the commander ^k, that he may judge thee. To whom Eusebius said: Power over all is given to thee. But Arianus said: I care not to take vengeance on Christians. Then Eusebius said: Confess therefore that there is no other God but one, who is in heaven, and that these handmade works of yours are nothing. By no means, said Arianus, will I say this: never let this happen: for Apollo and Diana are alive.

[21] is burned with them for the faith, Then Eusebius the prefect, when he had filled his hand with dust and cast it into his face, said: Do the works of thy father the devil ^l. Arianus, indignant at this, ordered him to be beaten with scourges, and said: By no means, Eusebius, will I kill thee quickly, but I will torment thee little by little, and will let thee be afflicted with torments, until the emperor Diocletian shall have heard that my judgment was despised by thee. Eusebius answered: By the sovereignty of the kingdom of my Lord Jesus Christ, this day shall not pass but that I shall eat of my Lord's table: but thou shalt not be able to eat or drink until thou hast first pronounced sentence upon me ^m. Then the governor Arianus

ordered his own chariot to be brought to him: and when he had mounted it, at once the feet of the beasts were fixed fast in the ground. And when he wished to come down from the chariot, he too was likewise held fast. But so, hard and obstinate of heart as he was, he ordered a dish full of viands to be brought to him, that he might take food. So his cook hastened and brought him the food prepared. But when he had stretched out his hand to the dish, he was so held fast that he could not bring his hand to his mouth. Then a certain one who sat beside the governor said: Let us stay no longer, lord, in this city: behold how it is wholly corrupted by Paphnutius' sorceries. Then the governor rose, and being indignant ordered Eusebius to be led away with the four hundred Soldiers, and all to be burned alive. So the nefarious soldiers led them outside the city, and when they had dug four pits and had filled them with fire, they burned the holy Martyrs there. And so their martyrdom was completed. And when the holy angels had taken up their souls into the heavens, those divine Martyrs received the eternal prize.

[22] But the governor Arianus went out of the city on that very day, leading blessed Paphnutius with him, and went aboard a boat upon the river, and ordered a millstone to be brought and to be bound on blessed Paphnutius' neck, and him to be cast into the midst of the river. [When the governor had tried in vain to drown the Saint in the waters, he sends him] But blessed Paphnutius, cast into the river, sailed with the millstone upon the river: for he sat upon the stone as though he were borne upon some boat. And a certain violent wind blew upon the governor Arianus' boat: and so it was driven about. And when blessed Paphnutius had come nearer to him, he said: Arianus, Arianus, that boat of thine needs winds and sailors and steersmen: but I have no need of any of these: for my steersman is Christ. Thou art wont to send surveyors before thee, and to make cities ready: but I strive to go before to make ready for my Lord Jesus Christ souls which may dwell in his royal palace. Then he who sat beside Arianus said: Let us not suffer this Man to be among us, lord: for by his sorceries he will overthrow cities. Thereupon Arianus at once ordered the steersmen to put in to land ⁿ. And when he had written out blessed Paphnutius' acts, he delivered him to four soldiers, that they might bring him to the emperor Diocletian, by whom Paphnutius' case should be decided.

[23] But after many days those soldiers came to the emperor Diocletian, to Diocletian, by whose command, fastened to a palm-tree, he dies. and delivered to him the letters of the governor Arianus. And when he had read blessed Paphnutius' acts, he ordered him to be crucified as soon as possible on a tree which is called a palm. And the soldiers did this outside the city. And when he was being crucified, he blessed God, who works so many and so great miracles through his holy men. Thus blessed Paphnutius accomplished his martyrdom: who, crucified from the second hour of the day, remained until the ninth hour: and then he gave up his spirit, and gloriously ascended into the heavens, and received the prize of eternal life. And when the soldiers had taken his body down from the palm-tree, they laid it under the earth, on the twentieth day of the month Pharmuthi ^o; and they too believed in God: and when they had laid blessed Paphnutius' body in a tomb, they at once went to the emperor Diocletian, before he went elsewhere, and confessed the Lord Jesus Christ, and despised Diocletian's idols. Wherefore Diocletian, being indignant, ordered them to be beheaded in that same hour. And so they too completed their martyrdom in the confession of Christ.

[23] Now those who received the prize under blessed Paphnutius were five hundred and forty-six [p], The number of these Martyrs. both men and women, possessing the incorrupt kingdom of God in Christ Jesus our Lord: since to him belongs glory, dominion and adoration, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ANNOTATIONS.

p. This enumeration agrees with all those reviewed, if the soldiers who buried St. Paphnutius were three, and Paphnutius himself also be numbered with the rest. For the rest, whether so great a number of Martyrs really came to the palm with Paphnutius, or on the occasion of his contests, I cannot say. This is certain enough, that the thing did not happen as it is here reported; but it is not equally established whether Paphnutius did not send so many Martyrs before him to heaven, or was not crowned together with so great a multitude, as the Basilian Menology has it.