78 The Lives oj Simeon Stylites

mockers love to scoff, such a ray of divine knowledge has it sent down into the minds of the barbarians.

15. I know another such instance by them. One tribe begged the divine man to utter a prayer and blessing for their leader; but another tribe which was present opposed this, saying that a blessing ought be offered not on his behalfbut in favor of their own leader, since the former was utterly unrighteous while the latter hated unrighteousness. An intense debate and dispute, typical of barbarians, ensued and finally they rushed at one another. I spoke at great length, exhorting them to remain calm since the divine man could certainly bestow a blessing on both. But these said that that man ought not obtain it, while those tried to withhold it from the other. By hurling threats at them from above and calling them dogs, he, with difficulty, quenched their quarrel. I have told this as I wished to point out the faith which inspired them, for they would not have acted like fools against one another if they had not believed that the blessing of the inspired man had Immense power.

16. On another occasion I saw a noteworthy miracle. Someone came in-he too was a tribal leader of the Arabs23-and begged the divine person to help a man who on the road had become paralysed in the limbs of his body. He said the man had suffered the disease at Callinicum, an important citadel. When he had been placed in the center, [Simeon] ordered him to repudiate his ancestral impiety. When he obeyed willingly and fulfilled the order, he asked him if he believed in the Father and the only-begotten Son, and the Holy Spirit. When he confessed that he believed, the saint said, 'Since you believe in these names, rise up'. When he stood up, he commanded him to carry the tribal leader on his shoulders to his tent. Now the leader was a large man, but he picked him up immediately and was off, while the bystanders broke out into hymns praising God.

17. Simeon commanded this in imitation of the Master who ordered the' paralytic to carry his bed.24 But no one should say

23 Literally 'of the Saracens,' but Saracen in English has the connotation of a follower of Muhammad. The Saracens in Greco-Roman times were one of the tribes of nomadic peoples in the Syro-Arabian desert.

24 Mt 9:6.

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this imitation was an usurpation of power, for this is the word of the Master himself, 'He who believes in me will also do the works that I do, and greater than these will he do' .25 We have seen the fulfillment of this promise, for while the shadow of the Lord did not work any miracle at all, the shadow of the famous Peter put an end to death, drove out diseases, and put demons to flight. 26

But it was still the Master who effected these miracles through his servants, and now likewise the divine Simeon works these myriad miracles by invoking his name.

[18.27 Another miracle occurred, in no way inferior to the pre-ceding. Among those who believed in the saving name of Christ the Master was a distinguished Ishmaelite who had made a vow and promise to God with Simeon as witness: he promised to ab-stain till death from all animal food. Sometime, I do not know how, he broke this promise: killing a bird, he dared to eat it. But since God wanted to lead him to repentance through a trial and to honor his servant who had been a witness of the now broken promise, the bird's flesh was changed into stone so that then he could not eat it even if he wanted to. For how could he eat the body which he had seized for food if it had been turned into stone? Astonished at this extraordinary sight, the barbarian came with great haste to the holy man and made public his hidden sin. He told everyone his transgression, asking God forgiveness of his fault and calling on the saint for help to set him free by his all-powerful prayer from the bonds of sin. There were many eye-witnesses of this miracle who touched the part of the bird near the breast which was a combination of bone and stone.]

19. I have not only seen his miracles with my own eyes, but I have also heard predictions of future events. For example, he foretold two years in advance the drought which took place and the very poor crop of that year with the ensuing famine and pestilence. He said that he saw a rod laid upon people, which indicated beforehand the blows that would be inflicted by it. Another time he announced beforehand the attack of what is

25 In 14:12. 26 Acts 5:15. 27 The story in this paragraph is missing in numerous manuscripts and, as

Canivet suggests, is to be regarded as an interpolation.

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80 The Lives of Simeon Stylites

called the grasshopper,28 and that it would not cause great dam-

age as God's love of human-kind would follow hard on the pun-ishment. After thirty days had passed, an enormous swarm of them flew overhead so as to cut off the rays of the sun and form a shadow-we all saw this clearly. But it damaged only the animal fodder, and brought no ruin to human food resources. When I myself was under attack from someone, he intimated to me fifteen days in advance the destruction of my enemy, and I learned by experience the truth of his prediction. [Once two rods appeared to him coming from heaven and falling to earth in both the east and the west. The divine man interpreted this as the revolt of the Persians and the Scythians against Roman rule. He declared the vision to those present and, by his abundant tears and ceaseless entreaties, he stopped the blows which men-aced the empire. Certainly the Persian nation, already armed and ready to attack the Romans, was checked in its projected assault by an opposing counter-move and became wholly occupied in internal squabbles.]29

20. Although I know very many other such phenomena, I will pass over them so as to avoid too long a discourse. Certainly these are enough to indicate the spiritual insight of his intelligence. His

renown is great even with the King of the Persians, for, as the ambassadors coming to him related, he would carefully inquire

both what kind of life the man led and what kind of miracles he did. It is said that his wife even sought some oil made precious by his blessing and that she received it as a great gift. All the king's court, on the one hand struck by his repute and on the other hearing the calumnies of the Persian priests against him, made a thorough investigation and, properly informed, declared him a divine man. The rest of the crowd, approaching the mule-drivers,

28 For a discussion of this animal, see A. Leroy Molinghen 'A propos du texte de \"Histoire Philoth{ de Theodoret de Cyr', Zetesis. Album Amicorum, Festschrift E. de Strycker (Antwerp/Utrecht: De Neder\andsche Bockhandel, 1973) 734.

29 This bracketed prediction is found in some manuscripts but Canivet rightly considers it an interpolation. The two rods referred to are the Persians and the Huns. The Persians invaded in 440-441, but were forced to withdraw when they in turn were invaded from the rear by a force from Central Asia; the Huns overran the Balkans in 441.

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the domestic servants, and the soldiers, used to offer them money

and beg to share in the blessing attached to the oil. 21. The queen of the Ishmaelites was sterile but longed to have

children. First she sent some of her highest dignitaries to implore that she become a mother, and when her request was granted and

she bore a child as she desired, she took the king she had borne and hastened to the divine elder. Since women are not allowed entrance, she sent the baby to him and implored him to give him his blessing. 'For this sheaf, she said, 'is your doing; for, with tears,

I brought the seed, which is prayer, but you made the seed into a sheaf since by your prayer you attracted the shower of divine grace. '30 But how long shall I strive to measure the depth of the

Atlantic ocean? For just as humans cannot measure that, so what he accomplishes day after day cannot be narrated.

22. Above all these prodigies, I myself admire his patient en-durance. For night and day he stands in open view. He had the doors taken away and a good part of the enclosing wall destroyed, and so presents to everyone a new and extraordinary spectacle: sometimes he stands for a long time, sometimes he bends over many times and offers worship to God. Many of the bystanders try to count these prostrations. Once one of my attendants counted one thousand, two hundred and forty-four, but then was dis-

tracted and lost count. When he bends down he always brings his forehead near his toes, for since his stomach only takes in food

once a week, and a small amount at that, this allows his back to

bend easily. 23. It is said that, as a result of the standing, his left foot has

developed a malignant ulcer31 from which a great deal of pus continually oozes. None of these calamities, however, have refuted his philosophy, but he nobly bears them, whether voluntary or involuntary, and overcomes both in his zeal. As for his ulcer, he was once obliged to show it to someone; I will tell the reason why.

30 One might compare this with the account of Theodoret's own birth in HR 13.16. The same metaphor also occurs in HR 14.2. Canivet discusses it at Le monachisme syrien, 134.

31 Literally, 'an ulcer of Cheiron', perhaps named after the incurable and malignant sore that Cheiron received from his wrestle with the Centaurs. See Canivet, Le monachisme syrien, 136 n.87.

82 The Lives of Simeon Stylites

Someone came from Rabaena,32 a virtuous man honored with being a deacon of Christ. On reaching the summit he said, 'Tell me, in the name of that truth which has converted the human race to itself, are you human or an incorporeal nature?' The bystanders were annoyed at the question, but he asked them all to be silent and said to him, 'Why in the world did you pose that question?: He replied, 'I hear everyone talking about how you neither eat nor sleep, both of which are characteristic of humans, for no one who has a human nature can live without food or sleep.' At this, [Simeon] ordered a ladder to be placed against the column: he commanded that man to climb up and first examine his hands and then put his hand inside his garment of skins and see not only his feet but also that extremely painful ulcer. The man saw and marvelled at that worst of ulcers, learnt from him that he took food, and then came down and told me all.

24. During the public festivals he exemplifies another kind of patient endurance. For, from the setting of the sun until it rises again on the eastern horizon, he stands all night with his hands stretched out to heaven and is neither cozened by sleep nor con-quered by fatigue.

25. Engaged in such labors, with an abundance of virtuous actions and a multitude of miracles, he is so unpretentious in spirit as if he were the last in dignity of all people. Besides his unpretentiousness, he is very approachable, pleasant, and charming and he speaks to each person who addresses him, whether it be someone who works with his hands, or a beggar, or a peasant. From the Master, the great giver of gifts he has also received the gift of teaching. Twice a day he delivers an exhortation, pouring into his listeners' ears an abundant and very charming discourse. He offers them the lessons of the divine Spirit and prompts them to look up to heaven and take wing, to leave the earth, to imagine the longed-for kingdom, to fear the threat of hell, to despise earthly goods, and to wait for those to come.

26. He can be seen sitting in judgement and handing down proper and just sentences. These and similar activities are dealt with after three in the afternoon, for he spends the whole night and

32 A fortified village in the north-west of the province of Euphrates, near modern Marash.

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the day up till three PM in prayer. After three PM he first delivers the divine teaching to those present and then, after receiving the request of each and effecting some healings, he resolves the quarrels of the disputants. Around sunset he then begins his conversation

with God. 27. Although involved in these activities and doing all these

things, he does not overlook the care of the holy churches, now combating pagan impiety, now putting down the audacity of the

Jews, at other times scattering the factions of heretics. Sometimes he writes to the Emperor about these things, sometimes he rouses the governors to zeal for God, at other times he encourages the very pastors of the churches to take greater care of their flocks .

28. I have gone through these things and tried from this drop of water to indicate the rain and to give the readers of this work a taste from my fore-finger of the sweetness of honey. The exploits that everyone celebrates are much more numerous than these, but I did not promise to write them all down-1 only wanted to indicate through a few examples the type oflife-style of each saint. Others will probably write much more than this and, if he lives on, no doubt they will add greater miracles.33 For my part, I desire and beseech God that, aided by his own prayers, he will persevere in these excellent labors for he beautifies the world and enhances piety, and that my own life may be brought into harmony and directed in line with the gospel way of life.

[He lived for a long time performing many miracles and labors; alone of those who had ever lived he remained unconquered by sun's heat and winter's chill, by violent gusts of the winds and by the weakness of human nature. When at last it was determined that he be with Christ and receive the crown of his countless contests, he demonstrated by his death, to those who did not believe it, that he was human. Even after death he remained upright: his soul had gained heaven, but even so his body could not bear to fall and it remained upright in the place of his contests, like an unbeaten athlete who does not want any of his limbs to touch the ground. So victory remains in attendance on the combatants on Christ's side even when they die. Certainly even today there are performed

33 Compare this with the ending at HR 21.35.

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