The Life of St. Porphyrios, Bishop of Gaza, belongs to the pen of a friend and disciple of the saint, Deacon Mark, and is one of the most instructive and curious monuments of hagiographic literature. The translation was made by us according to the Greek original published by More. Haupt in the Proceedings of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Berlin, 1874; pp. 171-215.

1. It is good to behold with one's eyes (for the visible is made worthy of love) the feats of holy men and their divine zeal and desire, but at the same time they bring no small benefit to the narrations of persons who know exactly, penetrating into the souls of the listeners. Sight is more true than hearing, but hearing is also convincing if what is said comes from persons worthy of faith. If the narration of useful things were not frivolous, and if falsehood were not mixed with the truth, then the written exposition of such things would be superfluous, since the truth, constantly transmitted by succession to the ears of subsequent generations, would be sufficient for their edification. But since time distorts, partly through forgetfulness, partly through negligence, I have of necessity come to this Scripture, so that, due to the length of time, this holy man would not fall into a kind of oblivion – I am speaking of the Monk Porphyrios. The remembrance of his asceticisms is a healing medicine for the listeners.

2. It is absurd that tragic poets and other such writers should waste their words on laughter and old women's fables, while we should neglect holy and memorable men. And to what punishment shall I, in justice, be subjected if I do not consign to writing the life of this God-loving man, the life, the teacher of philosophy, the one who was zealous for the heavenly life? We will tell of his battles and rebellions, not only against the leaders and defenders of idolatry, but also against a whole people full of all madness. For he remembered the words of the blessed Apostle, who says: "Take up all the armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the day of death, and all that you have done." (Ephesians 6:13). Having put on such armor, the apostle set out for asceticism; but Porphyry, who had such and many opponents and entered into a similar contest, received an equal victory, and erected a trophy in the midst of Gaza – the holy church of Christ founded by him. It was not human nature that gave him the victory, but the thought that attracted divine grace: for being the warmest lover of Christ, he resolved to endure and do everything. How many enemy attacks did such a man endure from his opponents, how much deception and ridicule did he endure?

3. But since it is impossible to tell about the all-praised husband of everything, since he is many, and seems incredible to many, I will relate a little that I have remembered, since most of the time I have lived with him and enjoyed this blessed and marvelous soul that lives with the angels. Who will not justly praise him who has embraced all kinds of virtue? But we know that no word can attain the virtue of such a man; yet one should dare to rely on his holy prayers. I will not write his praise with a proud word, for it is not eloquence that usually adorns the life of such people, but virtuous deeds that magnify the exposition itself.

Let this be the beginning of my narrative.

4. There is the Palestinian city of Gaza 1, located on the border of Egypt, a city not unknown, but very [4] inhabited and belonging to prominent cities. At that time, the madness of people regarding (worship) of idols flourished in him.

The episcopate in him was taken over by Porphyrius, whom we praise. His homeland was Jerusalem in heaven (to which he was ascribed), and on earth Thessalonica 2, and his family was noble. He was possessed by the divine love to leave his fatherland and the fame of his family and incalculable wealth, and to devote himself to the monastic life. Sailing from Thessalonica, he arrived in Egypt and immediately rushed to the Skete, and a few days later he was honored with an honorable image. Having spent five years there with the holy fathers, he was embraced by another divine love to venerate the holy and venerable places of God; having been there and bowed down, he withdrew to the borders of the Jordan and settled in a cave, also staying in it for five years in great oppression. As a result of the great dryness and inconstancy (climate) of these places, he fell into a grave illness, and seeing himself in extreme danger, according to his vision (Colossians 1:25), he summoned one of his acquaintances to take him to Jerusalem. The disease was a scyrrus in the liver with a constant very subtle fever. When such an illness intensified and constantly pricked his intestines, and his body was exhausted, he unfailingly went around the holy places every day, bent over, not being able to straighten up to his full height, but leaning on a rod. It happened at this time that I also sailed from Asia for the worship of honorable places, and having arrived there, I remained for a long time, feeding on my needlework – I had the art of calligraphy. Seeing the monk constantly coming to the Holy Resurrection of Christ and to other chapels, I was amazed that with a small bodily ailment he did not cease to torment himself in such a way.

5. One day, meeting him on the steps of the Martyrium, built by the blessed Emperor Constantine III, and he was unable to move his leg forward, I ran up and stretched out my hand to him, urging him to lean on it and climb the steps. But he would not, saying: It is not fitting for me, who go to ask forgiveness of sins, to lean on the hands of others. Allow God, brother, to see my work, so that, in His ineffable mercy, He may have mercy on me also. He walked and listened to God's words, listening to the teachers, and always participating in the mysterious meal, and then returned to his dwelling. It was clear what kind of life he led. He despised his illness so much that he believed that he had it in someone else's body: the hope in God freed him from it.

6. He was the only one who grieved and remorseed that his property remained, and was not, according to the Gospel, sold and distributed to the poor (Matt. 19:21). The reason for this obstacle was that he had brothers who were still in infancy, when he left his homeland. Grieving over this, he asked me, who had already become close to him (I had served him on account of his infirmity), to sail to Thessalonica and make a division with the brethren; and having given me a note with an order, and committing me to the Lord, he dismissed me, having provided me with very little money for expenses, for he had none in abundance. Then I came forthwith to Ascalon 4 and found a ship, and departed, and after thirteen days of safe sailing, arrived at Thessalonica; Presenting a written order, I divided the property with his brothers. I sold to them the estates that had come to me for three thousand gold pieces, and I took the clothes and silver with me, as well as others one thousand four hundred gold pieces, and having collected everything, I sailed back after three months, arriving at the harbor of Ascalon, 5 days later. There, having hired animals and loaded them, I came to the holy city. The Treblessed, as soon as he saw me, embraced me with joy and tears (and joy can cause tears), but I did not recognize him: his body was very healthy and his face was ruddy. I turned my eyes, often looking at him, but he, understanding and smiling kindly, said:

7. "Do not be surprised, brother Mark, when you see me [7] healthy and strong, but find out the reason for my health, and then be amazed at the ineffable love of Christ for mankind, for what people despair of, they are corrected." I asked him to tell me the reason for his recovery and how he had destroyed the disease. He answered me: "Forty days ago, when I was in the vigil of the Holy Resurrection, an unspeakable pain of the liver seized me, and, unable to endure the sufferings, I departed, lay down near the holy place of Crania, and from great pain I fell into a frenzy, as it were, and saw the Saviour nailed to the cross and one of the thieves hanging with Him on another cross. I began to shout and say the words of the thief: "Remember me, O Lord, when thou comest in this kingdom" (Luke 33:42). And the Saviour, answering, said to the hanging thief: "Come down from the cross and save this one who is lying down, as He Himself was saved." And the thief, coming down from the cross, embraced me and kissed me, and stretching out his right hand, raised me up, saying: "Come to the Saviour." And immediately I arose and ran to Him, and saw that He had come down from the cross, and said to me, "Take this tree and keep it." And taking this venerable tree and picking it up, I immediately came to myself from my frenzy, and from that hour my pain ceased, and I could not even see the place of my illness."

8. But when I heard this, I was amazed and glorified God, who always shows mercy to those who call on him. And from that time I began to be even more edified by my husband (I considered him truly a servant of God), and having given him all that I had brought, I remained with him, serving him and enjoying his spiritual words. Truly he was a man blameless, meek, compassionate, who had discernment in the Divine Scriptures and resolved, like no one else, the perplexing passages in it (he was not unfit for external teaching), who met and stopped the mouths of unfaithful and unfaithful people, who loved poverty, compassionate, had tears not far off, who revered the elders as fathers, young men as brothers, children as sons, who had a meek and humble disposition, not feignedly, but truly (for there was no deceit in him), humble-minded to the point that he attained ultimate impassibility, not angry, not vindictive, not allowing the sun to set in his wrath (Ephesians 4:26), having mortified all passions, except the anger that he bore towards the enemies of the faith.

9. Having taken from me the money and other things that I had brought, and having sold the garments and collected a great deal of silver, he distributed the rest of the precious vessels in a short time, not only to the needy not only in the Holy City, but also in other cities and villages and monasteries, chiefly those who were in Egypt: for the monasteries that were there were very poor. And to the strangers who came, he was the second Abraham. As a result, in the shortest possible time he distributed all his possessions, so that he himself was in need of daily [9] food. And he devoted himself to the trade of a tanner, urine and sewing leather, in all things he imitated this divine apostle, who did not want to eat bread for nothing (II Thessalonians 3:10); and although he was able to earn his living by other handicrafts, he nevertheless wished in all things to become an imitator of what had been said by the glorious man, in troubles, and labors, and persecutions, in the dangers of the sea, and in rebellion (II Corinthians 6:4; 11:26). And I invited him to live together with me (for I also had surpluses from my studies), but he did not agree, saying: "We have contributed nothing to the world, and can bear nothing," and he also said: "If anyone does not work, let him eat below" (II Thessalonians 3:10). And I said to him boldly: "Why, then, when you were prosperous, did you not work, and did not allow me to work?" for the latter feeds one or the other, but the former fed the darkness and not only fed these crowds, but also provided spiritual food to my soul." 10. Under such circumstances, the bishop of the Holy Places, Prailius, 6, hearing about the name and asceticism of the Monk Porphyrios, summoned him and with great [10] need consecrated him to the dignity of presbyter and even entrusted him with the safeguarding of the venerable wood of the cross. Then we learned that what had happened to him in a frenzy had come to pass, when he saw the Lord on the cross and the thief with him, and when the Lord said, "Take and keep this tree for me." Blessed Porphyrios, when he accepted the consecration, was about forty-five years old. Honored with this honor, he did not change his former morals, but remained in ascetic oppression, in fasting and vigil. His food was dirty bread and vegetables, and then after sunset; on other holy days he ate at the sixth hour, eating butter and cheese and soaked vegetables; he used one vessel of diluted wine for the sake of the infirmity of the intestines. Such a way of life and such a rule he constantly observed throughout his life. 11. Three years after his consecration, it happened that the bishop of the above-mentioned city of Gaza departed: it was Aeneas 8, who served as bishop for a very short time. Before Aeneas was Irinion 9, who himself was a fellow citizen of the angelic powers.

His praises cannot be described in passing, but a special work would be required to describe the life of the said Irinion, which I leave to other writers who are exactly acquainted with his life. And so, when the above-mentioned monk died, the Christians who were then few, and whose number were easy to determine, gathered together with the clergy, began to openly consult to whom the bishopric should be entrusted, but they did not come to an agreement, since a dispute had arisen between them: some wanted some of the clergy, others of the laity. And, to tell the truth, there were some among the clergy, adorned with the holiness of life. And when there was great confusion and came to nothing, in the end it was decided together that five of the clergy and the same number of the most famous laity should go to the metropolitan bishop and ask him for bishop whom the Holy Spirit would reveal to him. 12. At that time the episcopate was entrusted to John 11, a man who had been tried and adorned with every virtue. When the inhabitants of Gaza came to him, they asked for a priest who could resist the idolaters in deed and word.