Complete collection and description: a prayer to Paul of Thebes for the spiritual life of a believer.
When the Monk Anthony lived with his disciples in the Egyptian desert,1 it occurred to him one day that there was no other monk who was as perfect as he, there was no one who would have settled in the desert before him and chose such a solitary life. He himself later said that when he thought this, he heard a voice in a vision that said:
- Anthony! there is one servant of God who came here before you and who is more perfect than you. If you like, you can find him in the remote desert; just go to him quickly, until he has gone to the Lord.
Hearing this and coming to his senses, the elder immediately took his staff and hurried into the desert, ardently desiring to quickly find the one about whom he had been revealed. It was noon, and it became so hot that even the stones became hot from the heat of the sun; The old man was exhausted in body, but his spirit was alert, and he did not think of turning back from the path he had taken. Although he did not know where to go next, he remained firm and said:
- I believe that God will show me, as He promised, His servant.
Passing through this harsh and inaccessible desert, the elder saw nothing but the tracks of animals; having been on the road for the second day and spending the second night in prayer, he did not know where to go next. At dawn; On the third day he suddenly saw a she-wolf walking along the edge of the mountain and howling. Following her from afar, he approached the cave in which the holy saint of God Paul2 lived. The elder was delighted at the sight of the cave; but the occupant, noticing Antony's approach, locked the door. Approaching, the elder knocked, but there was no answer, and he continued to stand outside and knock unsuccessfully. Seeing that the doors were not opened for him, he fell to the ground in front of the entrance to the cave and prayed until the very sixth hour to be able to enter inside and see the one whom he had found with such difficulty.
- Unlock me, servant of Christ, unlock! for you know who I am, where I came from and why, for God has revealed that to you. I myself know that I am not worthy to see your holy face, nevertheless, I will not leave here until I see you. Do not hide yourself, if God has revealed you to me: you accept animals, why do you reject a person? I found you after a long search, and now I knock for you to open the door for me. If you do not open it, then I will die on your doorstep, and you will bury my corpse here.
Many other things he said to him with tears and reproached him for his severity. Then the saint of God answered him from inside the cave and said:
- Is it possible to ask with threats, or reproach with tears? You wonder why I don't open the door for you; it is because you boast that you have come to die here.
With these words, the Saint unlocked the door, and they embraced each other and kissed each other, calling each other by name, because God revealed to each of them the name of the other. When they sat down, the Monk Anthony said.
- Rejoice, Paul, chosen vessel and pillar of fire, inhabitant of this wilderness!
Saint Paul replied:
“It is good that you have come, the sun that consecrates the whole universe, the mentor of the saved, the mouth of God, who inhabited the desert and drove the devil out of it!” But why did you undertake such a great work, coming to me, a sinful and insignificant person? Here you see before you a decrepit old man, randomly covered with gray hair, you see a man ready to turn into dust and decay. But love knows no obstacles - and you have come; Tell me, I beg you, how do people live now, what is the state of the world? Are there still idolaters, and at the same time, is the persecution of the believers still going on?
“Through your prayers,” Antony answered, “the world is in prosperity, persecution has ceased, and the Church glorifies the True God; but since you mentioned persecution, I beg you - tell me, for God's sake, about yourself and reveal why you left the world for this distant desert?
“I was born3 in Thebaid4,” Saint Paul began his story, “and I had a sister; whom her parents married during her lifetime. Being themselves Orthodox, they gave me a secular education and instructed me in the truths of the Orthodox faith. Dying, they divided their rich estate among us. After their death, my sister’s husband, out of covetousness, decided to appropriate to himself the next part of the property and set out to betray me, as a Christian, to torment to an impious prince, so that, by destroying me, he would thus take possession of my inheritance. Decius was then king. He persecuted all Christians, and the entire Thebaid trembled in fear of the cruel torments he imagined. At that time, a Christian youth was taken by wicked persecutors. They tortured him for a long time in order to persuade him to renounce the faith of Christ, but in vain. Finally, they led him into a blooming and fragrant garden and, laying him on his back on a luxurious bed, tied his hands and feet to it with soft ropes. When everyone left the garden, they let in a young girl to the young man, so that she would tempt him to sin. The shameless girl hugged and kissed the young man, trying in every possible way to seduce him. What did the valiant sufferer do after having already endured so much torment? - Seeing himself in danger of carnal seduction, he bit off his tongue with his teeth and spat it into the face of the harlot; with terrible pain, he overcame passion in himself, spat blood on the face and clothes of the harlot, but he himself, with the help of the grace of Christ, stood in purity. Another young man, who remained firm in the Christian faith, after many torments, was stripped naked and, having smeared his whole body with honey, they placed him with his hands tied at the shoulders in the heat of the sun; they thought that, stung by bees, wasps and hornets, he would not endure and would agree to bring an idol sacrifice. But the courageous sufferer, although his whole body was bitten and covered with blood to such an extent that he lost even the human form, did not, however, renounce Christ. Seeing all this, and also - and the ever-increasing anger of my sister's husband, which could not be tamed either by my sister's tears or by kinship, I left everything to him and fled into this desert. With the help of God, I gradually came to this place. Finding this cave with a source of water inside it, I realized that the Lord Himself appointed me a place to live here. I settled here and live, eating dates and making clothes for myself from the leaves.
As the Saint was telling this, a raven suddenly flew in, holding bread in its beak; quietly placing bread before them, he flew away and disappeared into the air. Seeing the astonishment of blessed Anthony, Saint Paul said:
- It is the Lord, many-merciful and philanthropic, who sent dinner to us, His servants. For sixty years now I have been getting half a loaf. But on the occasion of your coming, Christ the Lord doubled the gift and sent a whole loaf of bread to His soldiers.
Taking this bread, the great saints of God began to ask each other to bless and break it, each placing the other above himself in honor. St. Paul wanted to honor St. Anthony as a guest, while St. Anthony wanted to honor St. Paul, as the master of the house and the eldest; and for a long time they argued lovingly among themselves. Finally, blessed Paul took the bread from one end, and put the other into the hands of the Monk Anthony: the bread immediately broke in the middle itself, and everyone received his half.
Sitting at the source, the servants of Christ ate and were satisfied; then they drank from this source, which had pure and very pleasant water. After the prayer of thanksgiving was completed, they sat down again and talked all night until morning. As the day dawned, Saint Paul said to Abba Anthony:
– I have known for a long time, my brother, that you live in this desert, and I would like, living with you, to serve our Lord together. But since the time has come for my death, which I have always been waiting for with joy, wishing to “be resolved and be with Christ” (Phil. 1:23), the Lord sent you to me so that you would bury my humble body and betray the earth to the earth.
Hearing this, Antony exclaimed with tears:
- Do not leave me, my father, alone, but take me with you!
“You need not take care of yourself,” answered St. Paul, “but of the good of your neighbor. if it would be good for you to, freed from the burden of the flesh, follow the Lamb to heaven, then the benefit of the rest of the brethren requires that you still instruct and strengthen them. I beg you, go as soon as possible to your monastery and bring the cloak that Bishop Athanasius gave you6 to cover my body with it.
Saint Paul didn't ask for this because he needed a mantle. He did not care whether naked or covered his perishable body, which he had dressed with date leaves for so long, would be buried in the ground; he only wanted his soul to be separated from his body in the silence of solitude, which is why he sent St. Anthony away from himself to a monastery.
Anthony was very surprised by what he heard about Athanasius and the mantle. Seeing in Paul, as it were, Christ Himself, and honoring God indwelling him, he no longer dared to oppose him; for a long time, silently and with tears, he kissed his eyes and hands, and then hurried to fulfill the order: against his desire he went to the monastery, exhausted in body, but in spirit conquering the infirmities of his old age. As he approached his cell, two disciples met him and asked:
- Where have you been for so long, our father?
“Woe to me, my children,” answered Antony, “woe to me, a sinner, an imaginary monk. I myself only call myself a monk, but I saw the one who, in truth, is Elijah, John in the wilderness; I truly saw Paul in Paradise.
The disciples wanted to hear more about this and began to ask him to tell. Anthony, covering his mouth with his hand, said:
– For every thing there is a time: a time to speak, and a time to be silent (Eccl. 3:1-7).
And taking mania with him, not resting at all, not even taking food with him for the journey, he went out and again hurriedly set off into the wilderness in order to find Saint Paul still alive, for he was afraid that, in case of slowing down, he would not die without him.
The next day at three o'clock, while on the way, Abba Anthony saw in the air, the ranks of Angels and the cathedrals of the prophets and apostles, and in the midst of them - the soul of St. Paul, which, shining more than the sun, ascended into heaven. Saint Anthony, falling to the ground, sprinkled sand on his head and exclaimed with sobs:
Why did you leave me, Pavel? why are you leaving without the last kiss? - So long I did not know you, and so soon, when I found out, you leave me!
Subsequently, blessed Anthony said that he then went the rest of the way with such speed, as if flying on wings through the air, so that from fast walking he did not even feel the ground under his feet. Soon he reached the cave and, entering it, saw the saint kneeling with his hands outstretched and his face turned upwards. Thinking that he was alive and praying, Antony also began to pray with him. An hour passed, and, since no words or sighs of prayer were heard from Saint Paul, blessed Anthony came closer to him and, seeing that he was already dead, realized that the body of the holy man even after death renders worship to God, before the Face of God. Whom everything is alive. For a long time he wept and sobbed, kissing the holy body of the monk; then he wrapped him in the mantle he brought with him and, according to Christian custom, began to sing the psalms used during burial. But he could not figure out how to make the burial of the saint, since he did not bring with him a spade to dig the grave.
- Should I return to the monastery for a gun? - he thought - but there are three days of travel. Is it here to stay? but without a spade I can't do anything. -I'd rather stay here and die as I should, breathing my last breath near Yours, Christ, warrior!
As he was thinking about this, suddenly two lions come from the depths of the desert, roaring and as if weeping for the loss of the saint. At first, Anthony was not at all frightened, but then, when he saw that the meek, like lambs, animals were lying at the body of the saint and roaring pitifully, as if crying, he marveled at the meekness of these animals. They began to dig the ground with their claws and, having dug a hole of considerable depth, again fell down to the saint's body with a strong roar, as if saying goodbye to him; then, going up to the Monk Anthony, they began to lick his hands and feet, as if asking for blessings and prayers. The monk, seeing that even the beasts bow before God, glorified Christ and said:
- Lord, - without Your will not a leaf from a tree and not a single bird fall to the ground - give, as You know, Your blessing to these animals.
Then, pointing with his hand to the desert, he ordered the animals to go there. When they disappeared, Abba Anthony buried the honorable body of the holy and venerable Father Paul, the first hermit who died 113 years of age. The Monk Anthony spent the whole night following the burial over the saint's grave in tears and prayer; with the onset of morning, he went back to his monastery, taking with him the clothes of the saint woven from date leaves. Arriving at his monastery, he told in detail about everything to his disciples, for their edification; the clothes of St. He took care of Paul and honored him so much that he wore it only twice a year: on the feast of St. Easter and Pentecost.
With the holy prayers of the venerable fathers Paul and Anthony, may the lot of His saints be vouchsafed to us by Christ our Lord, to Whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, honor and glory forever, amen.
1 St. Anthony the Great is the first founder of monastic life. His memory is celebrated on January 17th. The cave in which he labored was in southern Egypt, in a wild and uninhabited place in Thebaid, on the eastern bank of the river. Nile.
2 Cave Paul, on Mount Kholzim, in a straight line from Mount Anthony is no more than four miles away, but it is separated by such a high and steep wall that the detour around it is very long, which is why St. Anthony and had to use the whole journey for about two days.
3 The year of birth of Paul of Thebes according to his life is determined as follows. When Anthony came to Paul, he had already been in the wilderness for 91 years, into which he retired at the age of 22. Next, he was 113 years old. Anthony, who was born in the 25th year, came to him 90 years old; track. teacher Paul was born around 228.
4 Thebaid - the region of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes; the same name was called, after the name of the main city, and in general the whole of upper (southern) Egypt.
6 Here, of course, St. Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria, who sincerely revered and loved the Egyptian ascetics, himself an ascetic who deeply respected St. Anthony the Great.
7 Rev. Paul of Thebes died in 341. His body, by the will of the Byzantine emperor Manuel Komnenos (1146-1180), was transferred to Constantinople and laid in the monastery of the Virgin Peribleptos; then in 1240 it was transferred to Venice and finally to Hungary in Ofen; part of his head is in Rome.
Life of our venerable father Paul of Thebes Life of venerable John Kuschnik Commemoration of the holy martyr PansophiThe Monk Paul of Thebes was born in Egypt, in the city of Thebaid. Left an orphan, he suffered a lot from his greedy relative because of the parental inheritance. During the persecution of Decius (249-251) against Christians, Saint Paul, having learned about the insidious plan to betray him into the hands of the persecutors, left the city and went into the wilderness.
Having settled in a cave at the foot of the mountain, the Monk Paul, unknown to anyone, lived in it for 91 years, tirelessly praying to God day and night. He ate dates and bread, which the raven brought him, clothes made of palm leaves hid from the cold and heat. By the providence of God, already shortly before the death of the Monk Paul, God revealed about him to the Monk Anthony the Great (Comm. 17 January), who also labored in the Thebaid wilderness. One day the thought came to Saint Anthony that there could hardly be another hermit like him, and then he heard a voice: “Antony, there is a servant of God, who is more perfect than you and before you settled here in the wilderness. Go deep into it and you will find it.” Anthony went and found the cave of St. Paul. Having taught Anthony a lesson in humility, the Monk Paul went out to meet him. The elders called each other by name, embraced and talked for a long time. During the conversation, a raven flew in and brought them both bread. The Monk Paul revealed to the Monk Anthony the approach of his death and bequeathed to bury him. Saint Paul reposed while praying, kneeling. Saint Anthony saw how his holy soul, surrounded by angels, prophets and apostles, ascended to God. Two lions came running from the desert and dug the grave with their claws. The Monk Anthony buried the holy elder and, taking his clothes from palm leaves, retired to his monastery. The Monk Anthony kept this garment as the greatest shrine, and put it on only twice a year - at Pascha and Pentecost. Saint Paul of Thebes died in the year 341, when he was 113 years old. He did not found a single monastery, but soon after his death many imitators of his life appeared and covered the desert with abodes. Saint Paul is considered the father of Orthodox monasticism.
In the XII century, the body of St. Paul, by the will of Emperor Manuel (1143 - 1180), was transferred to Constantinople and laid in the Peribleptos monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos. Subsequently, it was transferred to Venice and finally to Hungary at Ofei; part of its head is in Rome.
Prpp. Paul of Thebes (341) and John Kuschnik (V).
Prmch. Pansophia of Alexandria (249–251); prpp. Prokhor Pshinsky (X) and Gabriel Lesnovsky (XI) (Serb.); St. Gerasim II (Palladas), Patriarch of Alexandria (1714).
(St. Anthony the Great and Paul of Thebes)
(Church of San Giuliano (Chiesa di San Giuliano), Venice)
As if the unsetting mental Sun shone, / having descended, today we will praise in songs: / Thou hast shone forth to those who exist in the darkness of unreason, / raising everything to the Divine height, / Thebes adornment, St. Paul, fathers and fasters, a solid foundation.
Saint John revealed his state to the hegumen, asked to be released from the monastery, and begged the brethren not to forget him in their prayers, hoping that through their prayers, with the help of God, he would see his parents and defeat the wiles of the devil. The abbot gave him his blessing.
Returning to Constantinople, Saint John, dressed as a beggar, and not recognized by anyone, settled at the gates of his parents' house. His parents sent him food from their table, for Christ's sake. For three years, oppressed and insulted, he lived in a hut (hut), enduring cold and heat, constantly talking with the Lord and the holy angels. He always had the gospel with him, given to him by his parents, he incessantly drew from there the verbs of eternal life. Before the death of the monk, the Lord appeared to him in a vision, revealing that the end of his sorrows was coming and in three days he would be taken into the Kingdom of Heaven.
God of our fathers, / do ever with us according to Your meekness, / do not depart Your mercy from us, / but through their prayers / rule our life in peace.
Having loved, wise, poverty that cannot be stolen, / you hated wealth of your parents / and, holding the Gospel in your hands, / followed Christ God, John, / praying unceasingly for all of us.
Reverend Gabriel Lesnovsky
(St. Prokhor Pshinsky and Gavriil Lesnovsky, Balkans, Serbia, Kosovo, Gracanitsa Monastery, XIV century)
During his stay in Europe, the Turks captured Khandak after a long siege. Learning about the fate of his homeland and the death of his father, Gerasim went to the Peloponnese, where he met with many of his compatriots who had escaped slavery and dishonor, and from there moved to Kastoria.
In the local metropolis, which then depended on the Ohrid archbishopric, he was appointed a teacher and preacher. Piety and the gift of a preacher endeared him to local Christians, and he was ordained to the orphaned cathedra of Kastoria and became their archpastor, but for a long time. For some time he managed the Adrianople department.
He was accused of innovations in the order of the Divine Liturgy at the time of the transfer of the Holy Gifts. The matter came to the Ecumenical Patriarch, and Patriarch Gerasim was acquitted.
Saint Gerasimos was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Alexandria, after which, by the decision of the Holy Synod of May 7, 2003, his memory was included in the diptych of the saints of the Russian Orthodox Church.
(Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross - Krasnye Chetai - Krasnochetaisky district - Republic of Chuvashia)
- I do not plead guilty, but I explain the following: I did not write any statement to Fedorov Yefim and other members of the church council, however, Fedorov Yefim visited me on this issue, but I refused. I can't tell who wrote the statement. When an employee and a tax inspector came to the Raskildinsky village council to collect taxes, they called me and said that your income reaches up to 5 thousand rubles and pay tax on this basis. After that, I told them that you take taxes from the ceiling, I don’t have as much income as you think. After such conversations, I paid the tax and left.
Venerable Varlaam of Keret
He served as a priest in the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Kola. He was a zealous and gifted shepherd: good asceticism against the invisible enemy of intrigues". In temperament he was stern and sometimes cool, but honest and pure before God and people. In everything, Father Vasily's assistant was his mother, whom he loved with all his ardent heart, and only for the sake of this love did he leave his dreams of monasticism. Father Vasily grieved greatly about the grave " idolatry”, about the pagan faith in which many more Lapp families lived - the indigenous inhabitants of these places. Through the prayers of the priest, the demon, who lived on Abram-Cape and demanded sacrifices from the fishermen of Kola, left these places, promising to take revenge on the ascetic.
The monk died at the end of the 16th century.
Enlightened by divine grace from above, reverend, you left the world, worldly sorrow and all the rebellion of this world for the sake of Christ's love with boldness rejected you, you followed Christ in the gospel, and, with Him we yoke, you obeyed His will in everything, and all the mind and heart to You unswervingly laid it on him, for the sake of Christ, exhausting your body with fasting and vigil, not falling asleep in your prayers, creating merciful God and offering the Most Pure Mother of God the Molebnitsa, and for this sake from God we will receive power and strength against the enemy, not being afraid of air and sea hardships and suddeni , deviate below, and create a procession by the sea abyss in a small boat on the waters, against the green overwhelm of the floating, we direct the providence of the Divine mind, and near the Holy Nose, the impassable sea path from the poisonous worm is well-passed by a person without harm created thou with his prayers, and with much patience in temporary life thou hast accomplished the feat, and, having lived an equal-angelic life, the same and after repose exude miracles of grace, who come by faith m to you, Varlaam, most blessed our father, we cry to you: pray to Christ God, that our souls will be saved.
Select language Current version v.208.1
Pavel Fiveysky
Published by: Creations Blessed Jerome of Stridon. Kiev, 1880. Part 4. S. 1–12.
(Blessed Jerome of Stridon(330-419/420) - translated into Latin and gave an interpretation of the Holy Scriptures. Born in the city of Stridon, he received a classical education in Rome, visited Gaul and others. In 373 he went to the East, began to lead an ascetic life, and received the priesthood in Antioch. He visited Constantinople, where he listened to St. Gregory the Theologian and worked on translations. In 382 he returned to Rome and contributed greatly to the correction of morals there. In 385 he came to Palestine, where he visited his friend Rufinus of Aquileia, abbot of the Monastery of Olives, and St. Melania the Elder, a Roman. In 386 he settled in Bethlehem, where, living as a hermit in a cramped cave, he translated the Scriptures. His memory is June 15/28.)
Saint Paul of Thebes(about 228-341) - a great Egyptian ascetic, for almost a hundred years, starting from his youth, who lived in strict asceticism and complete solitude in a cave not far from the Red Sea, not in anyone's home. Before his death, the Lord gave a revelation about him to Anthony the Great, and he visited this saint, was honored to talk with him and bury him after death. The relics of St. Paul of Thebes were subsequently transferred to Constantinople, then to Venice, and finally to Hungary, to Ofen; part of his honest chapters s - in Rome. A monastery with a strict monastic rule was built around his cave. The memory of St. Paul of Thebes is celebrated on January 15/28.
The Russian traveler A. S. Norov writes that the monastery of Paul of Thebes has a distance of no more than four versts from the monastery of Anthony the Great in a straight line, but it is “separated by such a high and steep rock that the detour around it is very long” ( Norov A.S.. Journey through Egypt… Part II. S. 378). Archimandrite Porfiry (Uspensky), who, following Norov, visited the Wadi-Deir (monastic) valley with the cave of Paul of Thebes, wrote in his diary: “From the vanities and temptations of this world, Paul went here for repentance and prayers in anticipation of the appearance of the new world. The choice of this place reveals the inclination of souls and him to self-sacrifice and deep solitude. Saint Anthony settled in the best place from which the Red Sea, the Arabai streams and the camps of the Arabs are visible, and had disciples. And the Monk Paul alone was silent in the gorge with my wild and gloomy, from which nothing encouraging is visible ”(Journey through Egypt ... P. 232).
For many, the question often remained unresolved: which of the monks initially began to live in the wilderness?
Some, turning their eyes to antiquity, believed the beginning of the desert dwellers in the blessed Elijah and John. But it seems to me that Elijah was more of a prophet than a monk, and John began to prophesy even before he was born.
Others (with which most agree) Yu t Anthony the head of hermitage, this is partly true. But Anthony was not so much the first desert-dweller as the man who aroused the general desire for this way of life.
The disciples of Anthony themselves, Amatha (Matthew) and Macarius, of whom the first buried the body of the teacher, testified that a certain Paul of Thebes laid the foundation for a desert life, although he did not give him a name - we agree with this opinion. And some talk this way and that, as they please: they say that (the first desert-dweller) was a man covered to the toes with hair, who lived in an underground cave, and invent all sorts of incredible things, which would be tiring to follow; the shameless lies of these stories do not seem worthy of refutation.
Since Antony was carefully written about in both Greek and Roman style, I decided to write a little about the beginning and end of Paul's life - more because this has not yet been written than on the hope of my own mind.
And how he lived in the middle of his life, what temptations he endured from Satan, not a single person knows about it.
Under the persecutors of Decius and Valerian, when Cornelius in Rome and Cyprian in Carthage were condemned to a blessed bloody death, a cruel storm devastated many Churches in Egypt and the Thebaid. The duty of a Christian demanded then to suffer by the sword for the name of Christ.
But the cunning enemy, inventing slow murderous executions, wanted to destroy souls, not bodies?; and, as Cyprian himself (who suffered from him) says, he did not allow those who wanted to die to die.
To show the cruelty of the enemy, I will give two examples for memory.
A certain martyr, firm in faith and remaining victorious among the instruments of torture - wooden horses and iron planks, the torturer ordered to be tied up and, twisting his r?ki behind his back, throw him under the scorching sun, so that the one who could not be defeated by iron stings would be defeated by fly stings. ?
Another confessor of Christ, blooming with youth, was ordered by the tormentor to be taken to a beautiful garden, and there, with the sweet murmur of a stream and the quiet noise of tree leaves shaken by the wind, he was put on a downy bed and tied with soft silk ties so that the young man could not free himself. When everyone had left, a beautiful harlot came in order, having aroused lust in her body, to lie down on him as a shameless conqueror. The warrior of Christ did not know what? what to do and where to turn: lust defeated the one whom the m?ki could not defeat. Finally, inspired from above, he bit off his tongue and spat it in the face of the kissing harlot - and thus the excessive force of pain suppressed the feeling of lust.
At a time when such cases? were committed in the Lower Thebaid, Paul, after the marriage of his sister and the death of both parents, remained the sole heir, having about 15 years of age, having received an initial education in Greek and Egyptian; meek in spirit, very fond of God; when the persecution thundered, Pavel went to a remote and hidden village.
But what does the damned thirst for gold not do to mortals? The husband of Pavlova's sister decided to betray the one he was supposed to hide. No wife's tears, no kinship, no one who sees everything from above s God did not keep him from crime. The cruelty, disguised as piety, was inexorable.
Having learned about this, the most prudent young man fled to the mountain deserts; and although the end of the persecution was expected, but Paul, turning the matter of necessity into a matter of hunting, then little by little went further, then stopped, and after several breaks he finally found a rocky mountain, at the foot of which there was a huge cave, littered with stone; rolling away the stone and, according to the universal human desire to know the secret, carefully examining the inside of the cave, Pavel found a large room, which, with the sky open from above, was covered with wide branches of an old palm tree and from which one could see the purest spring of waters s, whose stream, having just broken out, immediately disappeared again into a small hole in the earth that gave birth to it. and. In addition, there were many empty dwellings in the mountain recesses, where there were rusty ones? anvils and hammers for minting coins. Here, according to the Egyptian books, there was a counterfeiting workshop at the time when Antony was in touch with Cleopatra.
Having fallen in love with this place, as if specially prepared for him by God, Paul spent his whole life there in prayer and solitude; food and clothes were brought to him by a palm tree.
Lest this seem impossible to anyone, I testify by Jesus and His holy angels that in that part of the desert that adjoins the Saracens near Syria, I saw monks, one of whom for thirty years, staying hopelessly in the desert, supported his existence with barley bread and dirty water; the other, enclosed in an old pool (which the Syrians in their vernacular call kubba), ate five stalks of cane daily. This will seem incredible to those who do not believe that all things are possible to those who believe.
But let me return to what I started talking about.
When is blessed Paul already? For 113 years he spent his heavenly life on earth, and in another desert the ninety-year-old Anthony labored, the thought came to this latter, according to his own consciousness, that there is no monk in the desert who would be more perfect than him. But during the night's rest, it was revealed to Anthony that there was another monk, much better than him, and that he had to go on a journey to see this ascetic.
And so, at the first rays of light, the venerable old man, supporting his unsteady limbs with his staff, set off on his journey, not knowing himself where.
Already? noon came, and despite the intense heat of the sun, the elder continued to walk, saying: “I believe my God that He will show me His servant, who was promised to me.”
But a greater miracle than this: Antony sees a strange creature - part of a man, part of a horse, which in the language of poets is called a hippocentaur; seeing him, Antony overshadowed his forehead with the image of a saving sign.
“Hey you,” he said, “in what part of the desert does the servant of God dwell?” Hippocentaur, muttering something barbaric and more likely distorting than uttering words?, in the horror of the old man, who tried to speak kindly to him, stretching out his right hand, showed him the desired path and, rushing to run across the wide fields with the speed of a bird, disappeared from sight surprised old man.
We do not know whether the devil presented a ghostly creature to frighten the elder, or, in fact, in the desert, abundant with monstrous animals, such animals will also be born.
Antony, perplexed and reasoning with himself about what? I saw it goes on.
A little later, in a rocky valley, Antony saw a small man with a bent nose and horns on his forehead, and the lower part of his body ended in goat legs. Struck by this spectacle, Antony, like a good warrior, accepted the shields of faith and the armor of hope.
The animal in question brought him palm fruits as a pledge of peace for travel food. Seeing this, Antony stopped and, asking an unknown being: "Who are you?" - received this answer: “I am a mortal, one of the inhabitants of the desert, whom paganism, seduced by all sorts of delusions, honors under the name of fauns, satyrs and nightmares that crush during sleep. I have been sent to you from my brethren. We ask you to pray for us to the common Lord, Who, as we heard, came once to save the world, and His message went through all the earth.”
Hearing such words?, the elderly traveler watered his face with copious tears, poured out from an excess of heartfelt joy. He rejoiced at the glory of Christ and the death of Satan, and, surprised that he could understand the speech of the desert dweller, striking the ground with his staff, he said: “Woe to you, Alexandria, instead of God, honoring various wonders! Woe to you, city of the harlot, where the evil spirits of the whole world have flown! Thu? would you say now? The animals call on the name of Christ, and you honor various curiosities!”
Before the elder had time to finish these words, the horned animal departed like a flying god.
So that this story does not seem unreliable to anyone, we recall the event witnessed by the whole world during the reign of King Constance.
A living man of this type was brought to Alexandria and represented an important spectacle for the people; and then the soulless corpse of this man, in order to protect it from decomposition due to sun fat, was stuffed with salt and brought to Antioch to be shown to the emperor.
Meanwhile (continuing the interrupted story) Antony walked on and on; seeing only the tracks of animals and the vast expanse of the desert, he did not know what? to do, where to direct your steps.
Has it expired? another day. There was only one hope left for the elder - that Christ could not leave him.
He spent the whole night, which caught him on the road for the second time, in prayer, and at a faint dawn he saw in the distance a she-wolf, who, breathing heavily from thirst, ran to the foot of the mountains. s; following her with his eyes, the old man, when the she-wolf disappeared, saw the entrance to the cave and began to look inside with vain curiosity, because the darkness prevented him from seeing, but, as the Scripture says, perfect love casts out fear(1 And: what has this naked old man ever lacked? You drink from precious vessels - he satisfied the requirement of nature from a handful; you have golden tunics - he did not have your slave's cheap clothes with me. But for that he, poor, Paradise is opened, and Gehenna awaits you gold-bearers. He, although naked, kept the garment of Christ, and you, clothed in silk, lost the garment of Christ. Paul lies, covered with insignificant dust, to rise in glory - and you who are together with your wealth you will become a prey to fire, your magnificent stone tombs crush.
I beg you, spare yourself, spare at least the riches that you so l Yu bit. Why do you even wrap your dead in golden robes? Why is your ambition not appeased even during lamentations and tears? Are the corpses of the rich able to rot only in silk clothes? ..
I conjure you, whoever you are, reader: remember the sinful Jerome, who, if the Lord had offered him a choice, would rather have chosen the tunic of Paul with his awards than the purples of kings with their punishments.
Text from the publication “St. Anthony the Great. Teachings” (Publishing House of the Sretensky Monastery, Moscow, 2008).
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When Saint Anthony lived with his disciples in the Egyptian desert (1) , it once occurred to him that there was no other monk who would have settled in the desert before him and chose such a solitary life. And then he heard a voice: “Anthony! there is one servant of God who came here before you and who is more perfect than you. If you like, you can find him in the remote desert; just go to him quickly before he goes to the Lord.” Hearing this, Saint Anthony immediately took his staff and hurried into the wilderness. It was noon, and it became so hot that even the stones became red-hot, but he did not think to go back, although he did not know where and how much to go. At dawn on the third day, he suddenly saw a wolf that was walking along the edge of the mountain and howling. Following her from afar, he approached the cave in which the holy saint of God named Paul lived. (2) . Approaching, the elder knocked, but there was no answer. Seeing that the doors were not opened for him, Antony fell to the ground in front of the entrance to the cave and prayed until the very sixth hour. The saint said: “Open to me, servant of Christ, open! After all, you know who I am, where I came from and why, because God has revealed this to you. I myself know that I am not worthy to see your holy face, nevertheless, if you do not open it, then I will die on your threshold, and you will bury my corpse here. Many other things he said to him with tears and reproached him for his severity. Then the saint of God answered him from inside the cave: “Is it possible to ask with threats, or reproach with tears? You are surprised that I do not open the door to you, because you boast that you have come to die here.” With these words, the saint unlocked the door, and they embraced each other and kissed each other, calling each other by name, because God revealed the name of the other to each of them. When they sat down, the Monk Anthony said: “Rejoice, desert-dweller Paul, chosen vessel and pillar of fire!” Saint Paul answered: “It is good that you have come, the sun that illumines the whole world, the teacher of the saved, the mouth of God, who inhabited the wilderness and drove the devil out of it! But why did you undertake such a great work, coming to me, a sinful and insignificant person? Here you see before you a decrepit old man, all covered with gray hair, you see a man ready to turn into dust and decay. But love knows no obstacles - and you have come; tell me, I beg you, how do people live now? what is the state of the world? are there still idolaters, and at the same time, is the persecution of the believers still going on?” - “Through your prayers,” replied Anthony, “the world is in prosperity, persecution has ceased, and the Church glorifies the True God; but since you mentioned persecution, I beg you, tell me, for God's sake, about yourself and reveal why you left the world for this distant desert.
I was born (3) in the Thebaid (4) - St. Paul began his story, - and I had a sister whom my parents married during their lifetime. Being themselves Orthodox, they gave me a secular education and instructed me in the truths of the Orthodox faith. Dying, they divided their rich estate among us. After their death, my sister's husband, out of covetousness, decided to appropriate my part of the property for himself, for which he intended to betray me as a Christian to the torment of an impious prince. Decius was then king. (5) . He persecuted all Christians, and the entire Thebaid trembled in fear of his cruel torment. Seeing this, and also the growing anger of my sister's husband, I left everything to him and fled to this desert. With the help of God, I gradually reached this place. Finding this cave with a source of water inside it, I realized that the Lord Himself appointed this dwelling for me. Since then I have been living here, eating dates and making clothes for myself from the leaves.
While Saint Paul was telling this, a raven suddenly flew up and, laying bread before them, disappeared into the air. Seeing the astonishment of Blessed Anthony, Saint Paul said: “It is the Lord, many-merciful and philanthropic, who has sent dinner to us, His servants. For 60 years now I have been getting half a loaf. But on the occasion of your coming, Christ the Lord doubled the gift and sent the whole bread to His soldiers.” Taking bread, the great saints of God began to ask each other to bless and break it, each placing the other above himself in honor. Finally, blessed Paul took the bread from one side, and put the other into the hands of the Monk Anthony, and the bread immediately broke in the middle itself, and everyone received his half. They sat down by a clean spring, ate and then drank.
After the prayer of thanksgiving was completed, the saints conversed all night until morning. With the onset of the day, Saint Paul said to Abba Anthony: “For a long time, my brother, I knew that you dwell in this desert, and I would like, living with you, to serve our Master together. But since the time has come for my death, which I have always awaited with joy, wishing resolve and be with Christ(Phil. 1:23), then the Lord sent you to me so that you would bury my humble body and commend the earth to the earth. Hearing this, Antony exclaimed with tears: “Do not leave me, my father, alone, but take me with you!” - “You do not need to take care of yourself,” answered St. Paul, “but about the good of your neighbor. The benefit of the rest of the brethren requires that you still instruct and strengthen them. I beg you, go as soon as possible to your monastery and bring the mantle presented to you by Bishop Athanasius (6) to cover my body with it." Anthony was very surprised by what he heard about Athanasius and the mantle. Seeing in Paul, as it were, Christ Himself, and honoring God indwelling him, he no longer dared to oppose him; for a long time, silently and with tears, he kissed his eyes and hands, and then, against his will, went to the monastery. When he approached his cell, two disciples met him and asked: “Where have you been so long, our father?” “Woe to me, my children,” answered Anthony, “woe to me, a sinner, an imaginary monk. I myself only call myself a monk, but I saw the one who truly is Elijah, John in the wilderness; I truly saw Paul in Paradise!” The disciples wanted to hear more about this and began to ask him to tell. Anthony, covering his mouth with his hand, said: "For every thing there is a time: a time to speak, and a time to be silent (Eccl. 3:1-7)". And taking with him a mantle, not having rested and not taking with him even food for the journey, he again hurried into the wilderness in order to find Saint Paul still alive.
The next day at three o'clock, while on the road, Abba Anthony saw in the air the ranks of Angels and the cathedrals of the prophets and apostles, and in the midst of them - the soul of St. Paul, which, shining brighter than the sun, ascended to heaven. St. Anthony, falling to the ground, sprinkled sand on his head and exclaimed with sobs: “Why did you, Paul, leave me? Why are you leaving without the last kiss? So long I didn't know you, and so soon, when I found out, you leave me.
Subsequently, blessed Anthony said that for the rest of the journey he walked at such a speed that from fast walking he did not even feel the ground under his feet. Soon he reached the cave and, entering it, saw the saint kneeling with his hands outstretched and his face turned upwards. Thinking that he was alive and praying, Antony also began to pray with him. An hour passed, and, since neither words nor sighs of prayer were heard from Saint Paul, blessed Anthony came closer to him and, seeing that he was already dead, realized that the body of the holy man, even after death, renders worship to God, before the Face Whom everything is alive. For a long time he wept and sobbed, kissing the holy body of the monk; then he wrapped him in the mantle he had brought with him and began to sing the psalms used during burial. But he could not figure out how to bury the saint, for he did not have a spade. While he was considering this, suddenly two lions came out from the depths of the desert. Anthony was at first a little frightened, but then, when he saw that the animals were lying near the body of the saint and were roaring pitifully, as if they were crying, he marveled at the meekness of these animals. They began to dig the ground with their claws and, having dug a hole of considerable depth, again fell down to the body of the saint, as if saying goodbye to him; then, going up to the Monk Anthony, they began to lick his hands and feet, as if asking for blessings and prayers. The monk, seeing that even the animals were bowing before God, praised Christ and said: “Lord, without Your will, not a leaf from a tree and not a single bird fall to the ground! give, as You know, Your blessing to these beasts!” Then, pointing with his hand to the desert, he ordered the animals to go there. When they fled, Abba Anthony buried the honest body of the Monk Paul, the first hermit who died 113 years old. (7) . The Monk Anthony spent the whole night following the burial over the saint's grave in tears and prayer; with the onset of morning, he went back to his monastery, taking with him the clothes of the saint woven from date leaves. Arriving at his monastery, he told in detail about everything to his disciples, for their edification; but he kept the clothes of St. Paul and honored them so much that he put them on only twice a year: on the feast of Holy Pascha and on Pentecost.
________________________________________________________________________
(1) Venerable Anthony the Great- the first founder of the monastic life. His memory is celebrated on January 17/30. The cave in which he labored was in southern Egypt, in the wild and uninhabited place of Thebaid, on the east bank of the Nile River.
(2) Cave of St. Paul, on Mount Kholzim, in a straight line from Mount Anthony, it is no more than four miles away, but it is separated by such a high and steep wall that the detour around it is very long, which is why St. Anthony and had to use the whole journey for about two days.
(3) The year of birth of Paul of Thebes according to his life is determined as follows. When Anthony came to Paul, he had already been in the wilderness for 91 years, into which he retired for 22 years. Therefore, Paul was 113 years old and was born around the year 228.
(4) Thebaid- the area of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, famous in antiquity; the same name was called, after the name of the main city, and in general the whole of Upper (southern) Egypt.
(5) Decius- Roman emperor, cruel persecutor of Christianity, reigned from 249 to 251.
(6) Here, of course, St. Athanasius the Great, archbishop. Alexandria, who sincerely revered and loved the Egyptian ascetics, was himself an ascetic, deeply respecting St. Anthony the Great and wrote his life.
(7) Rev. Paul of Thebes died in 341. His body, by the will of the Byzantine emperor Manuel Komnenos (1146-1180), was transferred to Constantinople and laid in the monastery of the Virgin Peribleptos; then in 1240 - to Venice and, finally, to Hungary in Ofen; part of his head is in Rome.
Paul of Thebes (gr. Παῦλος ὁ Θηβαῖος ), Paul of Egypt, Pavel Hermit, Pavel Hermit- the first Orthodox monk and hermit who lived in the desert for 91 years and rested in the 114th year of his life in 341 after the Nativity of Christ. His memory is celebrated by the Church on January 28 (January 15, old style).
According to St. Demetrius of Rostov
When Reverend Anthony Venerable Anthony the Great- the first founder of the monastic life. His memory is celebrated on January 17th. The cave in which he labored was in southern Egypt, in a wild and uninhabited place in Thebaid, on the eastern bank of the river. Nile lived with his disciples in the Egyptian desert, it once occurred to him that there is no other monk who would be as perfect as he, there is no one who would have settled in the desert before him and chose such a solitary life. He himself later said that when he thought this, he heard a voice in a vision that said:
— Anthony! There is one servant of God who came here before you and who is more perfect than you. If you like, you can find him in the remote desert; just go to him quickly, until he has gone to the Lord.
Hearing this and coming to his senses, the elder immediately took his staff and hurried into the desert, ardently desiring to quickly find the one about whom he had been revealed. It was noon, and it became so hot that even the stones became hot from the heat of the sun; The old man was exhausted in body, but his spirit was alert, and he did not think of turning back from the path he had taken. Although he did not know where to go next, he remained firm and said:
— I believe that God will show me, as He promised, His servant.
Passing through this harsh and inaccessible desert, the elder saw nothing but the tracks of animals; having been on the road for the second day and having spent the second night in prayer, he did not know where to go next. At dawn on the third day, he suddenly saw a wolf that was walking along the edge of the mountain and howling. Following her from afar, he approached cave Cave teacher Paul, on Mount Kholzim, in a straight line from Mount Anthony is no more than four miles away, but it is separated by such a high and steep wall that the detour around it is very long, which is why St. Anthony and had to be consumed all the way for about two days, in which the holy saint of God Paul lived. The elder was delighted at the sight of the cave, but its inhabitant, noticing Anthony's approach, locked the door from the inside.
Approaching, the elder knocked, but there was no answer, and he continued to stand outside and knock unsuccessfully. Seeing that the doors were not opened for him, he fell to the ground in front of the entrance to the cave and prayed until the very sixth hour to be able to enter inside and see the one whom he had found with such difficulty.
Saint said:
- Unlock me, servant of Christ, unlock! After all, you know who I am, where I came from and why, because God has revealed it to you. I myself know that I am not worthy to see your holy face, nevertheless, I will not leave here until I see you. Do not hide yourself, if God has revealed you to me: you accept animals, why do you reject a person? I found you after a long search, and now I knock for you to open the door for me. If you do not open it, then I will die on your doorstep, and you will bury my corpse here.
Many other things he said to him with tears and reproached him for his severity. Then the saint of God answered him from inside the cave and said:
Is it possible to ask with threats, or reproach with tears? You're surprised that I don't open the door for you. It is because you boast that you have come to die here.
With these words, the Saint unlocked the door, and they embraced each other and kissed each other, calling each other by name, because God revealed to each of them the name of the other. When they sat down, the Monk Anthony said:
- Rejoice, Paul, chosen vessel and pillar of fire, inhabitant of this desert!
Saint Paul replied:
“It is good that you have come, the sun that consecrates the whole universe, the mentor of the saved, the mouth of God, who inhabited the desert and drove the devil out of it!” But why did you undertake such a great work, coming to me, a sinful and insignificant person? Here you see before you a decrepit old man, randomly covered with gray hair, you see a man ready to turn into dust and decay. But love knows no obstacles, and you have come. Tell me, I beg you, how do people live now, what is the state of the world? Are there still idolaters, and at the same time, does the persecution of believers continue?
- Your prayers Antony replied, the world is in prosperity, persecution has ceased, and the Church glorifies the True God. But since you mentioned persecution, I beg you - tell me, for God's sake, about yourself and reveal why you left the world for this distant desert?
— I AM was bornYear of birth Paul of Thebes according to his life is defined as follows. When Anthony came to Paul, he had already been in the wilderness for 91 years, into which he retired at the age of 22. Therefore, he was 113 years old. Anthony, who was born in the 25th year, came to him 90 years old. Therefore, Rev. Paul was born around 228 v ThebaidThebaid- the area of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, famous in antiquity; the same name, was called, by the name of the main city, and in general the whole of upper (southern) Egypt, — Saint Paul began his story, — and I had a sister; whom her parents married during her lifetime. Being themselves Orthodox, they gave me a secular education and instructed me in the truths of the Orthodox faith. Dying, they divided their rich estate among us. After their death, my sister’s husband, out of covetousness, decided to appropriate to himself the next part of the property and set out to betray me, as a Christian, to torment to an impious prince, so that, by destroying me, he would thus take possession of my inheritance. The king was then DeciusDecius - Roman emperor, cruel persecutor of Christianity, reigned from 249-251.. He persecuted all Christians, and the entire Thebaid trembled in fear of the cruel torments he imagined. At that time, a Christian youth was taken by wicked persecutors. They tortured him for a long time in order to persuade him to renounce the faith of Christ, but in vain. Finally, they led him into a blooming and fragrant garden and, laying him on his back on a luxurious bed, tied his hands and feet to it with soft ropes. When everyone left the garden, they let in a young girl to the young man, so that she would tempt him to sin. The shameless girl hugged and kissed the young man, trying in every possible way to seduce him. What did the valiant sufferer do after having already endured so much torment? - Seeing himself in danger of carnal seduction, he bit off his tongue with his teeth and spat it out in the face of the harlot; with terrible pain, he overcame passion in himself, spat blood on the face and clothes of the harlot, but he himself, with the help of the grace of Christ, stood in purity. Another young man, who remained firm in the Christian faith, after many torments, was stripped naked and, having smeared his whole body with honey, they placed him with his hands tied at the shoulders in the heat of the sun; they thought that, stung by bees, wasps and hornets, he would not endure and would agree to bring an idol sacrifice. But the courageous sufferer, although his whole body was bitten and covered with blood to such an extent that he lost even the human form, did not, however, renounce Christ. Seeing all this, and also - and the ever-increasing anger of my sister's husband, which neither my sister's tears nor kinship could tame, I left everything to him and fled into this desert. With the help of God, I gradually came to this place. Finding this cave with a source of water inside it, I realized that the Lord Himself appointed me a place to live here. I settled here and live, eating dates and making clothes for myself from the leaves.
As the Saint was telling this, a raven suddenly flew in, holding bread in its beak. Quietly placing bread before them, he flew away and disappeared into the air. Seeing the astonishment of blessed Anthony, Saint Paul said:
“It is the Lord, many-merciful and philanthropic, who sent dinner to us, His servants. For sixty years now I have been getting half a loaf. But on the occasion of your coming, Christ the Lord doubled the gift and sent a whole loaf of bread to His soldiers.
Taking this bread, the great saints of God began to ask each other to bless and break it, each placing the other above himself in honor. St. Paul wanted to honor St. Anthony as a guest, while St. Anthony wanted to honor St. Paul, as the owner of the house and the eldest in age. And for a long time they argued lovingly among themselves. Finally, blessed Paul took the bread from one end, and put the other into the hands of the Monk Anthony: the bread immediately broke in the middle itself, and everyone received his half.
Sitting at the source, the servants of Christ ate and were satisfied. Then they drank from this source, which had pure and very pleasant water. After the prayer of thanksgiving was completed, they sat down again and talked all night until morning. As the day dawned, Saint Paul said to Abba Anthony:
“For a long time, my brother, I knew that you live in this desert, and I would like, living with you, to serve our Lord together. But since the time has come for my death, which I have always been waiting for with joy, wishing to “be resolved and be with Christ” (Phil. 1:23), the Lord sent you to me so that you would bury my humble body and betray the earth to the earth.
Hearing this, Antony exclaimed with tears:
- Do not leave me, my father, alone, but take me with you!
- You don't have to take care of yourself. Saint Paul replied but for the good of the neighbor. if it would be good for you to, freed from the burden of the flesh, follow the Lamb to heaven, then the benefit of the rest of the brethren requires that you still instruct and strengthen them. I beg you, go as soon as possible to your monastery and bring the Bishop AthanasiusHere, of course, St. Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria, who sincerely revered and loved the Egyptian ascetics, the ascetic himself, who deeply respected St. Anthony the Greatrobe to cover my body.
Saint Paul didn't ask for this because he needed a mantle. He did not care whether naked or covered his perishable body, which he had dressed with date leaves for so long, would be buried in the ground. He only wanted his soul to be separated from his body in the silence of solitude, which is why he sent St. Anthony away from himself to a monastery.
Anthony was very surprised by what he heard about Athanasius and the mantle. Seeing in Paul, as it were, Christ Himself, and revering God indwelling him, he no longer dared to oppose him. For a long time, silently and with tears, he kissed his eyes and hands, and then hurried to fulfill the order: against his desire he went to the monastery, exhausted in body, but in spirit conquering the infirmities of his old age.
As Anthony approached his cell, two disciples met him and asked:
“Where have you been for so long, our father?”
- Woe to me, my children, Anthony answered. Woe to me, a sinner, an imaginary monk. I myself only call myself a monk, but I saw the one who, in truth, is Elijah, John in the wilderness. I truly saw Paul in Paradise.
The disciples wanted to hear more about this and began to ask him to tell. Anthony, covering his mouth with his hand, said:
— For every thing there is a time: a time to speak, and a time to be silent (Eccl. 3:1-7).
And taking with him a mantle, without resting at all, without even taking food with him for the journey, he went out and again hurriedly went into the wilderness in order to find Saint Paul still alive, for he was afraid that, in case of slowing down, he would not die without him.
The next day, at three o'clock, while on the way, Abba Anthony saw in the air the ranks of Angels and the cathedrals of the prophets and apostles, and in the midst of them - the soul of St. Paul, which, shining more than the sun, ascended into heaven. Saint Anthony, falling to the ground, sprinkled sand on his head and exclaimed with sobs:
Why did you leave me, Pavel? Why are you leaving without the last kiss? So long I didn't know you, and so soon, when I found out, you leave me!
Subsequently, blessed Anthony said that he then went the rest of the way with such speed, as if flying on wings through the air, so that from fast walking he did not even feel the ground under his feet. Soon he reached the cave and, entering it, saw the saint kneeling with his hands outstretched and his face turned upwards. Thinking that he was alive and praying, Antony also began to pray with him. An hour passed, and, since no words or sighs of prayer were heard from Saint Paul, blessed Anthony came closer to him and, seeing that he was already dead, realized that the body of the holy man even after death renders worship to God, before the Face of God. Whom everything is alive. For a long time he wept and sobbed, kissing the holy body of the monk; then he wrapped him in the mantle he brought with him and, according to Christian custom, began to sing the psalms used during burial. But he could not figure out how to make the burial of the saint, since he did not bring with him a spade to dig the grave.
- Should I return to the monastery for a gun? — he thought - But there are three days of travel. Is it here to stay? But without a spade, I can't do anything.
“I’d rather stay here and die, as I should, having exhaled my last breath near Yours, Christ, a warrior!”
As he was thinking about this, suddenly two lions come from the depths of the desert, roaring and as if weeping for the loss of the saint. At first, Antony was somewhat frightened, but then when he saw that the meek, like lambs, animals were lying near the body of the saint and roaring pitifully, as if crying, he marveled at the meekness of these animals. They began to dig the ground with their claws and, having dug a hole of considerable depth, again fell down to the body of the saint with a strong roar, as if saying goodbye to him. Then, going up to the Monk Anthony, they began to lick his hands and feet, as if asking for blessings and prayers. The monk, seeing that even the beasts bow before God, glorified Christ and said:
“Lord, without Your will, not a leaf from a tree and not a single bird fall to the ground, give, as You know, Your blessing to these animals.
Then, pointing with his hand to the desert, he ordered the animals to go there. When they disappeared, Abba Anthony buried the honorable body of the holy and venerable Father Paul, the first desert dweller, who died 113 years old Rev. Pavel Fiveysky died in 341. His body, by the will of the Byzantine emperor Manuel Komnenos (1146-1180), was transferred to Constantinople and laid in the monastery of the Virgin Peribleptos, then in 1240 it was transferred to Venice and, finally, to Hungary in Ofen. Part of his head is preserved in Rome.
The Monk Anthony spent the whole night following the burial over the grave of the saint in tears and prayer. With the onset of the morning, he went back to his monastery, taking with him the clothes of the saint woven from date leaves. Arriving at his monastery, he told his disciples in detail about everything, for their edification. The clothes of St. He took care of Paul and honored him so much that he wore it only twice a year: on the feast of St. Easter and Pentecost.
Through the holy prayers of our venerable fathers Paul and Anthony, may Christ our Lord vouchsafe us the lot of His saints, to Whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit, honor and glory forever. Holy Father Paul of Thebes, pray to God for us! Amen.
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