he distributed, so that he himself was in need of daily food. Therefore he gave himself to the shoemaker's craft, washing and stitching hides, in all things imitating that divine Apostle who did not wish to eat bread for free, although he was able to provide for his food from other handiwork, but in all things he wished to become an imitator of the aforementioned man of blessed memory in hardships and toils and persecutions and dangers of the sea and uprisings of nations. And I urged him to live a common life with me (for I had a surplus from my own trade), but he would not consent, saying: "We brought nothing into the world, nor can we take anything out." And again he would say: "If anyone will not work, neither let him eat." But I, taking courage, said to him: Why then when you were wealthy did you not work, nor allow me to work? And he answered me: The former work which I did was greater and many times more than the present work; for the present one feeds one or two, but the former fed tens of thousands, and not only those multitudes, but it also supplied spiritual food to my own soul.

10 Things being so, Praulius, who held the priesthood of the holy places, having heard of the name and the way of life of the holy Porphyry, sent for him and with much compulsion ordained him to the rank of presbyter, and not only this, but he also entrusted to him the guardianship of the precious wood of the cross. Then we knew that what he saw in the ecstasy had come to pass for him, when he had seen the Lord on the cross and the thief with him, and the Master saying: Take, guard this wood for me. Now the blessed Porphyry was about forty-five years old when he received ordination. Having been deemed worthy of this honor, therefore, he did not change his former habit, but remained in ascetic hardship, in fastings and vigils. His food was coarse bread and vegetables, and these after sunset, but on other holy days he ate at the sixth hour, taking also oil and cheese and soaked legumes; and he also partook of one cup of mixed wine, and this on account of the poor condition of his bowels. He remained observing this way of life and rule for the entire time of his life.

11 Three years after he was ordained, it happened that the bishop of the aforementioned city of Gaza departed from life; this was Aeneas, who had been bishop for a very short time. Before Aeneas was Eirenion, who himself also became a fellow citizen of the angelic powers; whose praises are impossible to write in a digression, but a special treatise would be needed to compose the life of the aforementioned Eirenion of blessed memory, and we leave it to other writers who know his life accurately. When the aforementioned holy man had fallen asleep, therefore, the Christians who were there at the time gathered together, being few and easy to count, with those from the clergy, and having deliberated for many days about to whom to entrust the episcopacy, they accomplished nothing, since contention prevailed among them, some wanting certain men of the clergy, others of the laity; for in truth there were some both among the clergy and the laity adorned with life and holiness. As much confusion was arising, therefore, and nothing was progressing to action, finally it was jointly decided that five of the clergy and as many of the prominent laity should go out to the metropolitan archbishop and ask him for a bishop, whomever the Holy Spirit should reveal to him.

12 The one entrusted with the high priesthood at that time was John, a man also approved and adorned with every virtue. When, therefore, the Gazans came to him, they besought him to give them a priest able in deed and word to stand against the idolaters. And hearing this he immediately proclaimed a fast, and after three days the Lord revealed to him concerning Porphyry of blessed memory, and he writes

διέδωκεν, ὡς αὐτὸν δεηθῆναι τῆς ἐφημέρου τροφῆς. Ἐπέδωκεν οὖν ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὴν τοῦ σκυτοτόμου τέχνην, πλύνων βύρσας καὶ ῥάπτων, εἰς πάντα μιμησάμενος τὸν θεῖον ἐκεῖνον Ἀπόστολον τὸν μὴ βουληθέντα δωρεὰν φαγεῖν ἄρτον, καίτοι δυνάμενος ἐξ ἄλλου ἐργοχείρου τὴν τροφὴν πορίσασθαι, ἀλλ' εἰς πάντα ἠβουλήθη μιμητὴς γενέσθαι τοῦ εἰρημένου ἀοιδίμου ἀνδρὸς ἔν τε κακουχίαις καὶ πόνοις καὶ διωγμοῖς καὶ κινδύνοις θαλάσσης καὶ ἐπαναστάσεσιν ἐθνῶν. Κἀγὼ δὲ παρεκάλουν αὐτὸν κοινὸν βίον ζῆν ἅμα ἐμοί (ἦν γάρ μοι καὶ περισσεία ἐκ τοῦ ἐμοῦ ἐπιτηδεύματος), ὃ δὲ οὐκ ἠνέσχετο λέγων· «Οὐδὲν εἰσενέγκαμεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον, οὐδὲ ἐξενεγκεῖν τι δυνάμεθα». Καὶ πάλιν ἔλεγεν· «Εἴ τις οὐκ ἐργάζεται, μηδὲ ἐσθιέτω». Ἐγὼ δὲ παρρησιασθεὶς εἶπον πρὸς αὐτόν· ∆ιὰ τί οὖν ὅτε ηὐπόρεις οὐκ εἰργάζου οὔτε ἐμοὶ συνεχώρεις ἐργάσασθαι; Ὃ δέ μοι ἀπεκρίθη· Τὸ πρότερον ἔργον ὃ εἰργαζόμην, μεῖζον ἦν καὶ πολυπλάσιον τοῦ νῦν ἔργου· τὸ μὲν γὰρ νῦν ἕνα ἢ δεύτερον τρέφει, τὸ δὲ πρότερον μυριάδας ἔτρεφεν, οὐ μόνον δὲ τὰ πλήθη ἐκεῖνα, ἀλλὰ καὶ πνευματικὴν τροφὴν τῇ ψυχῇ τῇ ἐμῇ ἐχορήγει.

10 Τούτων οὕτως ἐχόντων, ἀκούσας τοῦ ὀνόματος καὶ τῆς πολιτείας τοῦ ὁσίου Πορφυρίου ὁ τὴν ἱερωσύνην ἔχων τῶν ἁγίων τόπων Πραΰλιος, μεταπεμψάμενος αὐτὸν μετὰ πολλῆς ἀνάγκης ἐχειροτόνησεν εἰς τὴν τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου τάξιν, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν παραφυλακὴν τοῦ τιμίου ξύλου τοῦ σταυροῦ ἐνεπίστευσεν αὐτῷ. Τότε ἔγνωμεν ὅτι ἀπέβη αὐτῷ τὰ ἐν τῇ ἐκστάσει, ὅτε ἑώρακεν τὸν κύριον ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ καὶ τὸν λῃστὴν σὺν αὐτῷ, τὸν δεσπότην δὲ λέγοντα· Λάβε, φύλαξόν μοι τοῦτο τὸ ξύλον. Ἦν δὲ ὁ μακάριος Πορφύριος ὅτε τὴν χειροτονίαν ἔλαβεν ὡς ἐτῶν τεσσαράκοντα πέντε. Ἀξιωθεὶς οὖν ταύτης τῆς τιμῆς οὐκ ἐνήλλαξεν τὸ πρότερον ἔθος, ἀλλ' ἔμεινεν ἐν τῇ ἀσκητικῇ κακοπαθείᾳ, ἐν νηστείαις καὶ ἀγρυπνίαις. Ἡ δὲ τροφὴ ἦν αὐτῷ ἄρτος ῥυπαρὸς καὶ λάχανα, καὶ ταῦτα μετὰ δύσιν ἡλίου, ταῖς δὲ ἄλλαις ἁγίαις ἡμέραις ἕκτην ὥραν ἤσθιεν, λαμβάνων καὶ ἐλαίου καὶ τυροῦ καὶ βρεκτῶν ὀσπρίων· μετελάμβανεν δὲ καὶ ἑνὸς ποτηρίου οἴνου κεκερασμένου, καὶ τοῦτο διὰ τὴν κακοπραγίαν τῶν σπλάγχνων. Ταύτην τὴν διαγωγὴν καὶ τὸν κανόνα ἔμεινεν φυλάττων τὸν πάντα χρόνον τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ζωῆς.

11 Μετὰ δὲ τριετῆ χρόνον τοῦ χειροτονηθῆναι αὐτόν, συμβαίνει τὸν ἐπίσκοπον τῆς προλελεγμένης πόλεως Γάζης ἐξελθεῖν τοῦ βίου· Αἰνείας ἦν οὗτος, ἐλάχιστον χρόνον ἐπισκοπήσας. Πρὸ δὲ Αἰνείου Εἰρηνίων ἦν, ὃς καὶ αὐτὸς συμπολίτης γέγονεν τῶν ἀγγελικῶν δυνάμεων· οὗ τοὺς ἐπαίνους ἀδύνατον ἐν παρεκβάσει γραφῆναι, ἀλλ' ἰδικῆς ἐχρῆν πραγματείας εἰς τὸ συντάξαι τὸν βίον τοῦ εἰρημένου ἀοιδίμου Εἰρηνίωνος, ἄλλοις δὲ συγγραφεῦσι παραχωροῦμεν τοῖς ἀκριβῶς ἐπισταμένοις τὸν ἐκείνου βίον. Κοιμηθέντος οὖν τοῦ προλεχθέντος ὁσίου ἀνδρός, συναθροισθέντες οἱ τότε ὄντες Χριστιανοί, ὀλίγοι καὶ εὐαρίθμητοι τυγχάνοντες, μετὰ τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ κλήρου καὶ βουλευσάμενοι ἐπὶ φανερὰς ἡμέρας τίνι ἐγχειρίσαι τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν οὐδὲν ἤνυον, φιλονεικίας κρατησάσης ἐν αὐτοῖς, τῶν μὲν βουλομένων τινὰς τοῦ κλήρου, ἄλλων δὲ τῶν λαϊκῶν· κατὰ γὰρ τὸν ἀληθῆ λόγον ἦσάν τινες καὶ ἐν τοῖς κληρικοῖς καὶ ἐν τοῖς λαϊκοῖς βίῳ καὶ σεμνότητι κεκοσμημένοι. Πολλῆς οὖν συγχύσεως γινομένης καὶ μηδενὸς εἰς ἔργον προβαίνοντος, τέλος συνέδοξεν πέντε τῶν κληρικῶν καὶ τοσούτους τῶν λαϊκῶν τῶν ἐμφανῶν ἐξελθεῖν πρὸς τὸν μητροπολίτην ἀρχιερέα καὶ αἰτῆσαι αὐτὸν ἐπίσκοπον, ὃν δἂν ἀποκαλύψῃ αὐτῷ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον.

12 Ἦν δὲ ὁ τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην τὸ τηνικαῦτα ἐγκεχειρισμένος Ἰωάννης, ἀνὴρ καὶ οὗτος δόκιμος καὶ πάσῃ ἀρετῇ κεκοσμημένος. Ὡς οὖν παρεγένοντο πρὸς αὐτὸν οἱ Γαζαῖοι, παρεκάλουν αὐτὸν δοῦναι αὐτοῖς ἱερέα δυνατὸν ἔργῳ καὶ λόγῳ ἀντιτάξασθαι τοῖς εἰδωλολάτραις. Ἀκούσας δὲ εὐθέως ἐκήρυξε νηστείαν, καὶ μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἀπεκάλυψεν αὐτῷ ὁ κύριος περὶ τοῦ ἀοιδίμου Πορφυρίου, καὶ γράφει