23. A certain woman, a Cappadocian by birth, named Basilina, a deaconess of the great Church of Constantinople, came to Jerusalem, having with her a nephew invested with the office of governor, who, being humble in other respects, did not associate with the Catholic Church, having accepted the heterodoxy of Severovo. The deaconess tried very hard to change his thoughts and unite him with the Catholic Church, as a result of which she asked every righteous man to say a prayer for him. This woman, hearing of the grace of this divine John, wished to worship him; but learning that it was not customary for women to enter the Lavra, she sent for his disciple Theodore and asked him to take his nephew and take him to the holy elder; she believed that for the sake of his prayer God would change his hardness of heart and grant him communion with the Catholic Church. The disciple Theodore, taking it, came to the elder and knocked on the door, according to custom: when the elder wanted to open it, both bowed, and at the words of the disciple: "Bless us, father," the elder opened it and said to the disciple: "I bless you, but this one without a blessing." When the disciple said: "Not so, father," the elder answered: "In truth, I will not bless him, until he departs from the teaching of the schismatics and confesses that he will be a communicant of the Catholic Church." He, hearing this, was struck by the clairvoyant gift of the elder and, having changed as a result of the miracle, vouched for it, promising to commune with the Catholic Church. Then the elder, having blessed him, for the first time taught him the Most-Pure Mysteries, and he blotted out from his heart all duplicity.

24. Basiline, hearing this, had an even greater desire to see the holy elder with her own eyes, and she thought, dressed in a man's dress, to come to him to Laurus and tell him about herself. And when this was revealed to him by an angelic vision, he let her know, saying: "Know this, that even if you come, you will not see me; do not be alarmed, but stay, and wherever you are, I will appear to you in a dream and tell you what God will give me." Hearing this and believing, she received a vision in reality: behold, the holy elder appeared to her in a dream, saying: "Behold, the Lord has sent me to you, tell me, what do you want?" I heard this from the deaconess Vasilina herself.

25. The place where this holy elder was imprisoned has a very high cliff to the west, which occupies the site of the wall, and the roof of the cell is attached to it. The stone of the cliff is very dry and waterless, so that it does not bring any moisture to the cell. Once, this holy elder, taking the seed of a fig tree, said to his disciples Theodore and John: "Listen to me, children, if God's love for mankind grants to this seed and to this stone the power to bear fruit, then know that God will grant me the Kingdom of Heaven." And having said this, he stuck the seed of a fig tree to this hard stone. And God, Who deigned that Aaron's dry rod should vegetate, commanded that this hard and dry stone should grow for the demonstration of future generations, such grace as His servant received. And the holy elder, seeing the sprout, thanked God with tears; this sprout, gradually rising upwards, reached the roof, which was opened; In short, after three years, he brought three figs. The elder took them and kissed them with tears, tasted, thanking God Who had confirmed him, and gave them to his disciples a little. And behold, the tree cries, testifying to the virtue of the elder. From the time when this God-bearing elder ate figs, he began to prepare for the exodus.

26. When the saint reached extreme old age, his disciple opened his dwelling to serve him. And I, entering it and seeing the terrible miracle of the plant, carefully considered how it took root and the stone was cracked, but I could not find it, and in amazement I said: "O depth of the riches and wisdom and understanding of God! For His judgments have not been tried, and His ways have not been searched" (Rom. XI, 34)! And those who have been acquainted with the Lavra of Blessed Sava for a long time know that neither a fig nor any other tree will be born either openly or in the garden, because of the great heat and dryness of the air of the Lavra. If anyone mentions the trees of the small Lavra community, growing along the way, let him know that this is the work of the prayer of Blessed Sava, who found deep earth and an abundance of rainwater from the stream, as well as the work of the fathers of this small community, who to this day water the trees throughout the winter with the water of the stream. Even when many tried to plant near the stream, where the ground is deep and watered throughout the winter, they could hardly preserve what they planted for only a year, because of the great, as they say, dryness of the air and the intensity of the heat.

27. Having chosen this little, I have given it to writing, omitting the narrative of his exploits for the faith, which he showed in the struggle against the teachings and champions of Origen and Theodore of Mopsuestia, and the persecutions that he endured, according to the Gospel, for the Apostolic commandments. But I leave his asceticism to other writers, for I know well that many, as befits him, after his death will try to describe his exploits and persecutions, and the dangers that he endured for the true faith, and the victories and his glorious life, in all his life, so to speak, with us, when he became glorious and famous for his life and the splendor of his virtues.

28. As I have heard from his own holy lips, he was ordained bishop in his twenty-eighth year, as stated above, and fulfilled nine years in the episcopacy, and remained in the Lavra for the first time twelve years, of which he was in obedience for six and silent for six, and remained in Ruva for six years, and being shut up in a cell in which he is silent to this day, fulfilled with God forty-seven years. And so, he had reached the one hundred and fourth year of his life, and was very old, bright in face and soul, cheerful, and filled with divine grace. Let us pray, the poor, that the Lord may strengthen him more and more and complete his course in the world, and through his prayers have mercy on us poor and sinners, who have written these things forever and ever, Amen.

This holy Elder John the Bishop died on the seventh day of the month of December, into the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is glory and power unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The Life of Our Father Euthymius the Great

Preface

To the most honorable and truly virtuous spiritual father Abba George, presbyter and abbot, who is equally silent in the area near Scythopolis, called Veella, Cyril rejoices in the Lord.

Let faith precede the narration of the eminent Euthymius, faith the foundation of the hoped-for, by which we have been justified, in which we stand, and by which we boast in the hope of the glory of God; without faith it is impossible to please God, for, as the Scriptures say, it behooves him who comes to God to believe, for there is also a rewarder to those who seek Him (Heb. XI, 6). He who tries to speak or listen without faith labors in vain, not being able to get himself any help, but he who has acquired faith, which is able to do everything, is able to do what he wants, especially if he keeps it firm, not falling into unbelief; but retaining strength, and being always strengthened by faith, he does not waver or doubt, for, "Be hesitated, and be likened to the waves of the sea, to the winds that are tossed," and so on (Jas. I, 6).

As for me, I consider the beginning, root, and foundation of the narration of the Monk Euthymius to be a firm faith, which readers must acquire, and believe in everything, and, by means of faith, induce their thoughts to approve.

And if I do not attain anything worthy of a vaunted honest father, yet I have thought it blessed, moved by caution, to fail to attain it rather than to omit everything through inexperience and disobey your meekness. At the same time, I had in mind this terrible condemnation of the wicked and lazy servant who buried his talent in the ground (Matt. XXV), and decided, using an unskilful and inexperienced speech in the outward form, to begin the present composition with the help and guidance of God in the exposition, for the sake of the prayers of the Monk Euthymius, who gave content to the narrative.