Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

“ And Saint John saith, “I saw a vision, and behold there was given unto each one of them white apparel, and one said unto them, ‘Rest now until your brethren the martyrs who are in the world shall finish their martyrdom.’” And he saith also, “The praise wherewith the Four Beasts and the priests of heaven praise [God] none knoweth except these eighteen thousand little children who have not defiled their bodies with lust; and they shall dwell with God always. Blessed are they and blessed are the wombs that bare them.” ”

“ And the emperor had this saint brought before him; and he rebuked him and said unto him, “Who hath appointed thee [a judge and governor?” And Saint Eusegnius answered and said unto him] , “Why hast thou forsaken the worship of God, the God of heaven, in Whose hand is thy soul, and dost bow down to unclean idols, and dost not follow the kings who were before thee? I was a soldier under Constantine like thee, for twenty years, and also under his son, and neither of them had the evil habit which thou hast; for thou hast forsaken God and dost worship unclean idols.” ”

“ This father Matthew had parents of the race of Israel, who believed in Christ and were perfect in good works. The name of his father was Simon and the name of his mother was Barbara, and God gave them two children, and the name of the elder was Jacob and the name of the younger was Matthew. And whilst this Abba Matthew was in his mother’s womb, Abba Peter, Bishop of the city of Abures, met her, and when he saw her he got off his donkey and kissed her belly, and said unto her, “Blessed art thou, O woman, and blessed is the fruit of thy belly. ”

“ At length one of the elders saw the messenger in a vision, who said unto him, “Glory be to God! When we were in the flesh we were never separated, and why should we be separated when we are with our Lord Christ?” From that day none separated them. When the barbarians pillaged the desert of Scete the monks were afraid for the bodies of the holy elders, and they removed them from their places to the pit of the church of Saint Macarius. And they made for them a large shrine there [in the form of] a cave, and they built over it a church in their names in the days of Theodosius the archbishop. ”

“ Thou shalt not lay it waste, but slay the strong men who are therein, for they are men of violence. And take the king of the city, and bind him in fetters, and send him away.” And he ordered the men of the city to bring unto him the strong young men, the days of whose years were from eighteen years up to forty or fifty years, so that he might give each of them twenty dinars in gold, and might enroll them as soldiers to serve in his regiments and armies, and protect the city. ”

“ Salutation to Jeremiah, who prophesied and was rebuked, when Israel loved to worship gods of wood and stone. He destroyed wild beasts and fierce lions by the power of his prayer, and therefore his festival is celebrated in Egypt. Salutation to Paul the governor, and to Silas the priest. Salutation to John, whom the Virgin Mariyam promised should depart from this world without seeing the terrors of death. Salutation to Kawestos. Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. ”

“ And the grace of God called the blessed ‘Aklog (Eclogius) to be a priest. And the bishop seized him against his will, and made him a priest. And when he was being appointed the people heard a voice crying out and saying, “Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) is worthy, is worthy, is worthy of the office of the priesthood”; and the people glorified God. And after those days a great persecution of the Christians broke out in all the land of Egypt under Diocletian the infidel, who destroyed the churches; and many people became martyrs. ”

“ And he loved fasting and prayer, and the life of self-abnegation, and the spiritual fight. Now the word “monasticism” had not appeared in those days, and if any man desired to devote himself to God he went a little way outside the city, and dwelt by himself, and lived an ascetic life. Even thus did the great saint Abba Anthony. And Satan, who fighteth by means of the [sinful] impulse of the flesh, and the committal of sin, used to bring a woman’s person to Anthony in a dream, in such a way that she seemed to be sleeping with him ”

“ And she said unto him, “Abandon thy splendid apparel, and dress thyself in a humble garb, and make thyself a close follower of God.” And from there he went into the desert, and he dwelt there and lived upon the herbs thereof until his belly became dried up, like a stone, and exhaustion seized him, and at length our Lord came and healed him. And the devils used to tempt him and afflict him severely, but he fought strenuously with fasting and with prayer. ”

“ Now his mother was a God-fearing woman, and Satan was jealous of her, and he brought great tribulation upon her. And he entered into the heart of a certain evil man, and he gave information against her to the men of Persia, and they made her captive and carried her off to Persia. And one night she saw a vision wherein the man who had laid information against her was bound with a chain of fire in Sheol, and one said unto her, “Dost thou see what God hath done, and how I have taken vengeance on the man who laid information against thee?” ”

“ And the holy elders wrote a message to the emperor according to what Saint Bisudura had said, and they gave the paper to the emperor’s messenger. And when the messenger had gone forth to depart, the pagan barbarians arrived. And a certain great elder, whose name was John, stood up and said unto the brethren, “Behold the barbarians have come and they wish to kill us. He who wisheth to become a martyr let him stand up with me, and he who is afraid, let him go up to the fortress.” And some of the monks fled, and those who were left with Abba John were nine and forty elder monks ”

“ And when her teacher, whom her father the emperor had given her, came and she had related to him the vision, he said unto her, “The dove is the wisdom of Rome, and the olive branch is the seal of baptism; and the hawk is a strong king, and the crown is good works, and the raven is a weak king; needs must that thou shalt suffer for the Name of Christ.” When the saint had grown up her father and mother went up to her, and they talked with her concerning the matter of her marriage ”