10. Practicing in this way for a long time, Euphilius attained to the perfection of virtues, and God's dispensation, which made him wise and manifested him through many means, at first showed him to be glorious.

He loved this wilderness from the day of the Holy Theophany to the feast of Pascha, imitating the wisdom of Elijah and John. For this reason, as has been said, he was entrusted with the care of the monks there and their organization.

11. But the Euthymius, the Glory-hater and God-lover, believing that this concern would serve as an obstacle to virtue, left the city and fled to Jerusalem, wishing to live in this wilderness.

12.

However, he learned to weave a rope in order not to be a burden to anyone, and in order to be able to give from his labors to the needy. Having freed himself from all earthly cares, he had only one concern, how to please God in prayers and fasts; moreover, zealous for every virtue, like a skilful farmer, he dug up the thorns of the passions by the roots, purifying thoughts and every exaltation that is levied upon the mind of God (II Corinthians 10:5); he fulfilled the prophetic word, which says: "Renew your fields, and do not sow in thorns" (Jer. IV, 3).

13. He had a certain neighbor named Theoctistus, a God-bearing man, whom he loved and was so united with him in spiritual love that both had one will and way of life, and represented, as it were, one soul in two bodies. Having told each other their intention about God, they annually withdrew after the eighth day of the holy Theophany to the wilderness of Kutila, separating themselves from all human communion, wishing to prayerfully converse with God in solitude, and remained there until the feast of Vai. They constantly depressed and enslaved the body and brought spiritual food to the soul. The great Euthymius prevailed in simplicity of disposition, and meekness of life, and humility and heart, which is why he received the grace of the Holy Spirit, how to say the word of God: "On whom shall I look, but on him who is meek, and silent, and trembling at my words?" (Isaiah LXVI, 2).

14. From that hole his boldness to God grew every day. Having lived for five years in Pharan, he, together with Blessed Theoktistus, withdrew in the usual time to Kutila, and passing through the wilderness, they came to a terrible, deep and impassable stream; seeing the place and going around the cliffs that towered above it, they, as if instructed by God, found in the northern cliff of the stream a great and wonderful cave, and, having made their way dangerously along the wall, they could hardly enter it. Rejoicing, as if this place had been prepared for them by God, they settled in it, feeding on the herbs they came across; this cave was at first a den of beasts, but being tamed by the divine songs and tireless prayers of the venerable men, it received the consecration of the Church of God.

15. And when God was pleased to show them, he arranged for some of the shepherds of Lazarus to lead their flocks to this stream; Those who dwelt in the cave, appearing on top, looked at them, so that they, frightened, fled. The fathers, seeing their fright, in a meek and gentle voice, turning to them, said: "Do not be afraid, brethren, we, like you, people, but for the sake of our sins we live in this place." Then the shepherds, being of good cheer, went up to them in the cave, and finding nothing of this world among them, they went to their own place, marveling and telling their people; and from that time the inhabitants of Lazarium served them, and the fathers of Pharan sought them, and when they knew where they were, they often came and visited them.

16. Among the first to separate to them were two brothers, named Marinus and Luke, and, having received a monastic education from the great Euthymius, they showed themselves to be ascetics of the hermit's life; after a few years they shone in places near the village of Metope and established monasteries; they brought to monastic perfection Abba Theodosius, who was the great cynoviarch of this hermitage and the archimandrite of the coenobii. When in a short time the fame of Euthymius spread, many flocked to him, and, hearing the words of God, desired to dwell with him. But the Slavon-hater and God-loving Euthymius. desiring to receive the first blessedness together with the others, and living in a place in the likeness of a wanderer, he handed over each of the renouncers to the blessed Theoctistus, fervently beseeching him to take care of him, who, not knowing disobedience, took care upon himself and did everything according to the thought of the great Euthymius. At first they did not want to make the place a dormitory, but a lavra, like that of Pharan, but when they saw that no one could come to church at night, since this place was, as mentioned above, difficult to pass, they made a coenobia at the entrance, and turned the cave into a church. Dwelling in this cave, the great Euthymius was a physician, caring for souls and comforting everyone, and none of the brothers avoided confessing his thoughts to him, and he, possessing great experience, taught each of them to resist extraneous thoughts, saying: "Brethren, what have you come out to asceticize? do not neglect your salvation, for you must be sober and watchful every hour (I Peter 5:8); watch, says the Lord, and pray, lest ye enter into misfortune (Matt. XXVI, 41): first of all, know that those who renounce life should not have their own will, but in the first place should have humility and obedience, wait and worry about the hour of judgment and death, tremble at the threat of eternal fire, desire the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven." And he also said that: "Monks, and especially young ones, should also work bodily for internal preservation, remembering the words of the Apostle: 'Night and day work, let us not burden a single one' (I Thess. 2, 9); To my demand, and to those who are with me, serve these hands of mine (Acts 1:11). XX, 34). For it is unseemly that the laity, in poverty and labor, should feed their children and wives from their needlework, bring the firstfruits to God, do good to the best of their ability, and, moreover, pay taxes, and we would not have from our needlework for the necessary bodily needs, but would remain without work and movement, reaping the labor of others, since the Apostle does not command him to eat, who will not do it (II Thessalonians 3:10)." Thus teaching his retinue, our father Euthymius enlightened them.

Enlightened and inspired by such and similar teachings, the brethren bore fruit worthy of their calling.

17. All the ancient fathers have told me about old Terevon in agreement, but the most accurate story was told by his grandson, the well-known chief of the Saracen tribe in this area. This old Terevon, the grandfather of the young man, being still very young, was struck by a demon, as a result of which his entire right side, from head to foot, withered; his father, named Aspevetus, having spent a lot of money, did not benefit him in any way. This Aspevetus, who was a Greek and tributary of the Persians, became an ally of the Romans in the following way.

18. At the beginning of the persecution that then arose in Persis, towards the end of the reign of the king of Persia Isdigerd, the Magi, wishing to catch all the Christians, placed everywhere along the roads the chiefs of the tribes of the Saracens subject to them, so that not a single Christian in Persis could flee to the Romans. Aspevetus, who was then the head of the tribe, and seeing the cruelty and inhumanity shown by the city magicians against the Christians, took pity on them and did not prevent any of the Christians from fleeing; on the contrary, being a pagan Greek from his ancestors, he, moved by compassion, contributed to the flight. He was slandered before King Isdigerd and, taking with him his half-dry son Terevon, all his relatives and property, fled to the Romans. Anatolius, who was then strategist of the East, accepted them, made them allies with the Romans, and entrusted to Aspevetus the command of the tribe over the Saracens of Arabia, allied with the Romans. When they encamped in Arabia, the youth, seeing a dream vision, told his father, who, without a moment's delay, took the lad and, with a crowd of barbarians and a multitude of armed men, moved by faith, came to the place told in a dream, where lived the monks Euthymius and Theoctistus. The brethren, seeing a multitude of barbarians, were frightened; Blessed Theoctistus, seeing the timidity of his disciples, went down to the barbarians and said to them: "What are you seeking?" and they answered: "We are looking for the servant of God Euthymius." Abba Theoctistus said to them: "Until the Sabbath he does not see anyone, because he is silent."

Reasoning thus, he said, I turned to prayer and with tears I prayed to God, saying: "O great and terrible God, Who created heaven and earth with all their beauty, if Thou wilt have mercy on me in my weakness and deliver me from this bitter and incurable disease, then I shall become a Christian, renouncing all iniquity and Hellenic service." And when I had put this in my mind, and was seized with sleep, I saw a certain monk with gray hair, and with a large beard; he said to me: "What are you suffering from?" and when I showed him the illness, he said to me: "Do what you promised God, and He will heal you." When I then replied that I would fulfill what I had promised God if I were delivered from this sickness, he said to me: "I am Euthymius, who dwells in the eastern wilderness of Jerusalem, ten miles away, in the brook south of the road to Jericho; and so, if you want to be healed, come to me without delay, and God will heal you through me." I got up, told this to my father, and so, putting everything aside, we came to him, and I ask you not to conceal the physician that God has revealed to me." Blessed Theoctistus, hearing this, told the great Euthymius, who was sitting in silence, and Euthymius, thinking that it was inappropriate to resist the divine visions, went down to them and prayed diligently, and having made the sign of the cross over Terebon, he restored his health. The barbarians, struck by such a sudden change and the most glorious miracle-working, believed in Christ, and all, falling to the ground, asked to receive the seal of Christ. The wonder-bearing Euthymius, realizing that they had believed in Christ from their hearts, gave orders to prepare a small font in the corner of the cave, which has been preserved to this day, and, having catechumenized them all, he baptized them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. He renamed Aspevet Peter, and baptized him first, and after him a certain Maris, the brother of Aspevet's wife; Both of them were distinguished by intelligence and possessed outstanding wealth. Then he baptized Terevon and the rest, and having kept them with him for forty days, having enlightened and strengthened them by the word of God, he sent them away, no longer as Hagarites and Ishmaelites, but as descendants of Sarah and heirs of the promise, who through baptism had been transferred from slavery to freedom.

19. But Maris, Terevon's uncle, did not depart from the monastery, but having renounced, he remained in it all the time of his life, and pleased God a lot; he gave all his estate, which was significant, to the construction and expansion of the monastery. After this miracle had taken place and the fame of it had spread everywhere, many, possessed by various ailments, flocked to the great Euthymius and all were healed. And in a short time he shone so brightly in this place that his name was heard throughout all Palestine and in the surrounding regions. Our father Euthymius, seeing that many were disturbing him for the sake of healing, and remembering the former silence when he twisted himself alone, grieved greatly and strained, because many troubled and glorified him. And being overwhelmed with great sorrow, the namesake of consolation, he began to seek to flee to Ruva. Blessed Theoctistus, learning of this, gathered the brethren and inspired them to fall at his feet, so that they would not be abandoned by him; And he, wishing to do them what was pleasing to them, agreed not to depart for the time being.