Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

“ Then Abba John wept and entreated Epiphanius, who prayed to the Lord God our Lord Jesus Christ, and He opened for him one of his eyes. And Epiphanius said unto him, “Behold, our Lord Jesus Christ hath left blind one of thine eyes so that thou mayest remember thy good spiritual fight, and thy strivings, and thy former good and willing deeds. Know thou that I have sold the vessels of thy table, and have given the price thereof in alms to the poor and needy on thine account. I only came to Jerusalem because I heard that thou wast a lover of money.” ”

“ And let us ask for mercy from God through the intercession of the glorious angel Michael, that He may deliver us from the net of Satan, the accursed, and may put far away from us all pain (or, sickness) and the plague, and may increase the fruits of our lands in performing His mercy, and may forgive us our sins, and may give rest to the souls of our dead, and may bring back in safety those of our fathers and brethren who are on a journey, and may set peace in our midst, and may strengthen us in the True Faith to our last breath. ”

“ When she reached woman’s estate, they wanted to give her in marriage to a certain nobleman of the city. When the saint of God knew this she rose up from where she was sitting, and turned her face towards the East, and made one hundred prostrations and stood up and prayed for a long time. And she said in her prayer, “O my Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, Whose glory is great, guide Thou Thine handmaiden Sophia in Thy right path, so that I may come to Thee, and let me not stray into the crooked path which leadeth to destruction. ”

“ And when the rich man heard these words, he cried out at the top of his voice, and fell down and died; and straightway the Satans took his soul into the lowest Hades. And the young man inherited all his money even as God the Most High had commanded. And the young man Bahran celebrated the commemoration of the glorious angel of God, Michael the Archangel, on the twelfth day of each month, and he knew that it was he who had appeared unto him and breathed on the letter and obliterated what was written therein, and had written other matter in its place. ”

“ And Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the Tabernacle, and anointed Solomon, and he blew the horn, and all the people said, “ [Long] live the royal father Solomon.” And Solomon sat on the royal seat, and the servants of the king came and gave thanks to their lord David, the king and they said unto him, “May God make good [to rest] on the name of Solomon, and make his throne greater than thine!” And the king prostrated himself on his bed, and spoke thus: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel Who hath given me this day seed to sit upon my throne whilst mine eyes can see!” ”

“ And five hundred brethren gathered together to him, and he became their abbot, and they chose him to make him a priest. And when they set him in the sanctuary, the archbishop wished to try him, and to get knowledge of his spiritual fight. And the archbishop said unto the holy elders, “Why have ye brought this black man here? Take him away.” And Moses went out reproaching himself, and he said, “They have treated thee rightly, O black man, O thou whose face is horrible,” and after this the archbishop called him and laid his hand upon him, and made him a priest. ”

“ Forgive me, O my brother, I have done many evil things, and there is no man before me who hath done the like, as for example: When I wanted to be made a priest, and they would not make me one, I departed to another place, and I said that the bishop had made me a priest, and I consecrated the Offering without fear. And I took the Holy Body and I worked magic therewith. And I lay with the mother, who brought me forth ten times, and she conceived by me, and when she was near her time for bringing forth I made her drink medicine so that I might kill the child. My sin is very great indeed. ”

“ We live near the world and the men who are in it, and if we sorrow, or are sad, we find someone who will comfort us; if we are sick, we find someone to visit us; if we are naked, we find someone to clothe us; and if we desire any desirable object we find it; but those who live in the desert lack everything.’ When I heard these words from them my heart burned like fire. When the night came I took a little bread and I went out from the monastery, and I prayed and asked the Lord Jesus Christ to guide me to the place wherein I was to live ”

“ And God gave him the great gift of healing, and he worked many miracles, and he used to heal all those who were sick or who had diseases by anointing them with holy oil from the Tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he protected them by means of the sign of the Life-giving Cross. ”