95. And the idolaters, to the extent that they saw the success of the Christians, to the extent that they were furious and tried to do evil to the Christians, and above all to their venerable pastor Porphyrios.

The idolaters raged to the point that they took up swords and clubs and killed seven people, and slew many others. 96. Then, not content with them, they rushed at the pastor himself, and some, rejoicing in the good, ran and announced to the most venerable bishop the attack of the crowd.

The blessed one, hearing this and calling me, said: "Let us flee, brother, and let us hide ourselves not for long, until the wrath of the Lord has passed, and having climbed the wall, we fled on the rooftops."

The idolaters, having broken down the doors of the diocese, went in, and not finding Porphyrius among the saints, they plundered everything that was there. 97. And I and Blessed Porphyrios, running along the rooftops, found a girl of about fourteen years of age, who, recognizing the venerable bishop, fell down at his feet. The blessed one asked who she was and what kind of parents. The girl replied that she was an orphan by her father and mother, and said that she had an old grandmother who was sick in body, and that she worked and fed herself and her grandmother. He asked her if she was a Christian, and she again said that she was not, but that she had long desired "if I am worthy." The merciful Porphyrius, hearing the girl's words and moving, shed tears, [72] saying: "How inclined to good is the Gaztsi family." But the enemy tries to hinder such an intention, and the Lord will kill him with the word of His mouth (II Thessalonians 2:8). And he said to the girl, "Bring us here a pillow on this roof, that we may remain here until the confusion of the city is over, and tell no man that we are here." She swore that she would not even reveal it to her grandmother. 98. And going down through a certain roof to her dwelling, she brought a pillow, put a mattress under it, and, falling down at the feet of the blessed one, asked him to partake of her modest food and not to despise her poverty – it was late in the evening. The monk, wishing to be an imitator of the great Prophet Elijah, said to the girl: "Be of good cheer, daughter, and bring it, so that the Lord through me may give thee spiritual and bodily nourishment." And she came down in haste, and went away, and bought bread, and olives, and cheese, and boiled vegetables, and wine, and brought them all and set them before us, saying, Take it, my lords, and bless my poverty. The blessed one, moved again, shed tears, foreseeing the faith in Christ that she would have. Getting up and saying the usual prayers, we sat down and ate, I tasted both cheese and wine, the monk bread, boiled vegetables and water, and letting the maiden go to her grandmother, we fell asleep on the roof: it was summer time. We asked the girl's name and she said: Salafta, which is interpreted in Greek as Irene (world).

And the next day we stayed on the roof, [73] and the good Irina took care of us in every possible way with great readiness. 99. When we learned that the confusion had subsided in the city, we went by night to the holy church, and entering the diocese, we found no one there except the God-loving Barocha, lying on his last breath as a result of the blows inflicted on him by the godless and impious idolaters. After a while, Hypaticus (his name was Clare), learning of what had happened in the city, sent a commentarius 84 with great help, and took those whom the governors had pointed out to him, and brought them to Caesarea: some he put to death, others he whipped, and set them free, and having caused no small fear, he restored order in the city. 100. A few days later, Porphyrius, who was among the saints, remembered this good girl who had sheltered us, and sent me for her. And she came hastily with another woman, who, as she said, was her aunt. Entering the blessed bishop, they fell down at his feet, and he received them graciously, like a loving father, and said to the girl: "Truly, daughter, do you wish to become a Christian?"

And he, rejoicing,74 gave orders to give her and her grandmother four miliarisii 85 silver daily, and to her aunt he gave one nomisma, and making the sign of the cross, he dismissed them, ordering them to attend to prayers and the catechesis of the catechumens. And he sent to her house the pious Timothy the presbyter and the catechist,86 and charged him to name the grandmother of the girl, the grandmother, who, as I said above, was paralyzed in body. And all three, being catechumens, a little later, were vouchsafed honorable baptism. 101. After they had taken off the sacred garments, the monk, summoning the said girl, said to her: Do you want us to marry you lawfully with your husband? it is time for you to enter into cohabitation, for marriage is honorable and is not forbidden by our Scriptures. The girl, hearing the speech of the saint, began to weep and say: "Good Father, having united me to a great man, you now want to separate me from him and give me away as low and insignificant; do not do this, my lord. And among the saints, being amazed, he said, "And who is this with whom I have united thee?" And she answered: Jesus Christ, the Savior of our souls, my true bridegroom, from whom I will never be parted. The one who was among the saints, hearing and moving, shed tears, and out of great emotion embraced the girl [75] and kissed her head. Indeed, he was very sensitive, and from great mercy he was light in tears. And we, who were near him, seeing the grace of the Holy Spirit given to the God-loving girl, glorified God, Who gives wisdom and grace to His chosen ones. And he let the girl go that day. 102. It happened that during these days the old woman reposed and departed to the Lord. Then, summoning the girl, he invited the pious deaconess Manarida, whose name is interpreted in Greek as Photina (bright); he entrusted it to Salafta, clothed her in a monastic image, and entrusting them to God, he dismissed them in peace. And she adopted such a way of life as the other did not lead at that time, fasting for a day, and after fasting taking a little bread with salt and soaked fruits or small vegetables and only water – she did not eat wine at all; on feast days she used butter and olives, but did not taste anything boiled on the fire; On all the days of the Lent of the Forty Days, she ate soaked fruits or boiled vegetables without bread every other day, and spent the entire week of the Holy Paschalia eating nothing but warm water on Holy Thursday, after Holy Communion. And she exhausted her body to such an extent that those who saw her thought they saw a shadow. She was a model for many others, for the life and asceticisms of the holy virgin Salafta were imitated; it seems to be alive even now;

[76] having mortified herself to the world, she lives in Christ and is with Him constantly, and may we also be partakers of her holy prayers. And let this be said of the holy virgin Salafta. 103. His Beatitude Bishop Porphyrios, having established the church rule and the entire rite, having lived a few more years after the consecration of the holy church, fell into illness; having written a pious testament, bequeathed to many, and having entrusted all of the Christ-loving people to God, he reposed in peace with the saints, in the month of Dystra, on the second day, in the year, according to the reckoning of Gaza, the four hundred and eightieth 87; he was bishop for 24 years, 11 months and 8 days, having performed a good deed against idolaters until the day of his dormition.

And now he is in the paradise of delights, praying for us with all the saints, through whose prayers may the Father have mercy on you, and God with the Son and the Holy Spirit, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever, Amen.

Comments

1. Ныне Газзе.

2. Ныне Салоники.