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THE SECOND MONTH IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND
THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, ONE GOD. AMEN.
AMEN. On
this day the great Saint Abba Severus, Archbishop of Antioch, came to the
country of Egypt; now this took place in the days of the Emperor
Eustathius, who was a wicked emperor.
And the empress was a woman holding the right Faith, and she loved
Abba Severus, and she placed in him very great confidence; but the emperor
did not turn from his evil counsel and he wanted to kill Abba Severus.
When the God-loving empress knew that the king wished to kill Abba
Severus secretly, she besought the holy man to save himself, but he did
not want to go away, and he said unto her, “I am ready to die for the
sake of my Lord Jesus Christ.” And
the empress urged him with many fervent entreaties, and certain God-loving
brethren entreated him also, and he went forth from that city; and certain
of the brethren who were with him fled to Lower Egypt.
When the emperor had sought for him and had found him not, he sent
soldiers to seek him out and to bring him to him.
And God hid him from them, and they found him not, and yet he was
nigh unto them, and he walked about in their midst and they did not see
him when he was in that place wherein the soldiers of the emperor lived.
When Abba Severus came to Egypt he went about secretly from place
to place and from monastery to monastery, and God wrought by him great
signs and wonders. One day he
arrived in the desert of Scete, and he entered into the church of Saint
Abba Macarius in the guise of a traveling monk, and at that moment the
priest was offering the incense of sacrifice at the altar, and he was
censing the people. Afterwards
he read the Book of the Gospel, and then he lifted off the covering and
looked for the Offering on the paten, but it was hidden from him and he
could not find it. And he wept, “O my brethren, I know not whether this thing
hath happened because of some sin of mine, or because of some sin of
yours, but I cannot find the Offering on the paten, and It is hidden from
me”; and the people wept because of this.
And straightway the angel of the Lord appeared unto the priest, and
said unto him, “This hath not happened because of thy sin, and this
Offering hath not disappeared because of the sin of the people, but
because thou hast acted stupidly, for thou hast dared to offer up incense
and our Offering whilst the Archbishop Abba Severus is standing outside
the sanctuary in a corner of the church.”
And the priest said unto the angel, “Where is he?”
And the angel pointed with his hand towards him, and he knew Abba
Severus by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
When the priest came to him Abba Severus commanded him to finish
the service of the Offering. After
this the priest brought Abba Severus to the sanctuary with great honor.
And when the priest had gone up to the altar he found the Offering
on the paten as before, and the priests marveled and praised God. After this Abba Severus went forth from that place and came
to the city of Seha, and he dwelt there with a certain rich man who was a
lover of God, and whose name was Dorotheus; and he lived with him until he
died on the twenty-fourth day of the month of Yakatit. And
on this day are commemorated Takla Sama’et and Heriacus (Cyriacus?). Glory
be to God Who is wonderous in His Saints.
Amen.
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