Vita Porphyrii episcopi Gazensis

 I was a witness to the man's virtue, having lived with him and sailed with him and suffered hardships with him until the last day of his life here. An

 Thessaloniki, and after showing the written instruction, I divided the property with his brothers. And I sold to them the estates allotted to me for t

 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

 a letter to the aforementioned holy Praulius, the bishop of Jerusalem, to send the blessed Porphyry to him for the sake of a certain question of scrip

 16 And on that night, the blessed John sends for the Gazans and says to them: Be ready for the departure for today you receive your priest, a man who

 of the orthodox faith, whose life and works are written in the paradise of delight. So, having come to the aforementioned church, we made so many pray

 23 But when the idol-worshippers saw him being carried, and thinking he was dead, they were turned to madness because they thought it was an abominati

 of the ordinations of the deacons, both I and the God-loving Barochas, I being very unworthy, but he worthily and justly having received this gift.

 29 And she had a faithful nurse, who, being in great distress, made prayers in the houses of prayer on her behalf. Therefore, on one day as she was pr

 33 And the most holy Porphyry answered and said to him: I adjure you before the invisible God and our hope Jesus Christ, the Lord of all creation, and

 the Lord has revealed to my humble self. When you go up to Byzantium, first meet with the most holy bishop John and together with him make prayers to

 39 On the next day, the Cubicularius Amantius sent for us by two deans to go to the palace, and rising up in haste we went. We found him waiting for u

 her face was red and beauty was added to her appearance beyond what she had for the visible things make manifest the invisible things.

 Having gone away, we made the supplication, arranging many things on the charter, not only that the temples of the idols be destroyed, but also that p

 Next I will send for the quaestor and in your sight I will command him that in accordance with the power of your petition a divine letter be made in t

 my child, and many and great are the things that have been granted to us. And immediately the emperor ordered the prefects to bequeath to them from th

 the sign of the precious cross, and they themselves chanting. And the people of the two places mingled, and became no small crowd for those from the

 63 But after the tenth day, the wonderful Cynegius arrived, having with him the consular and the duke and a great military and civil force. But many o

 leave the outer one with the enclosure. And after it is burned, having cleansed the place, build a holy church there. And he also said this: I adjure

 inner doors, and having made a prayer they set the fire, and immediately the whole temple caught and was burned. As many of the soldiers and the forei

 that if they are not found worthy of the faith, having already become settled in evil, those born of them are able to be saved by associating with the

 the former Marneion, and he himself followed carrying the holy gospel and having the devout clergy around him, truly imitating Christ with the discipl

 the Lord, for the three children are alive. And when the holy bishop among the saints and the people heard, they rejoiced, and sending a large basket,

 they speak of astrology, so that they may sin without fear, as if the power to sin is not in us, but from the necessity of fate.

 being glorified, will strike your tongue and muzzle your mouth, so that it may not speak blasphemies.

 of those in need of his gifts. And in the days of the fasts of the holy Pascha he supplied to each poor person 10 obols for forty days. Having command

 the blessed one again, being moved to compunction, wept, having foreseen the faith she was about to have in Christ. And rising and saying the customar

 a tongue, Photine to her he entrusted Salaphtha, giving her the monastic habit, and committing them to God he sent them away in peace. And she undert

23 But when the idol-worshippers saw him being carried, and thinking he was dead, they were turned to madness because they thought it was an abomination to bring a dead person into the city, and tearing him from the shoulders of those carrying him, they began to beat the God-loving deacon Cornelius and the two Christians, and tying a rope to the foot of the blessed Barochas, they dragged him. Meanwhile, some of the brothers reported to the blessed bishop, and being alarmed, he called me and three other brothers who were found with him and said to us: Take courage, brothers, run; for it is the time for martyrdom. But when we reached the place where they had bound the blessed one, those from the crowd ran together, and some insulted the most holy bishop, but others, seeing his patience, how when he was insulted he did not become angry, but on the contrary exhorted each one, saying not to defile and insult a body of like passions, became of our party and turned against one another to the point of blows. But we, seeing the great confusion, carried the God-loving Barochas and withdrew to the holy church.

24 But when we saw that he was still breathing, we administered treatments to him. And there was fervent prayer for him through the evening and the night; for all the brothers had gathered. But the holy bishop did not cease weeping and praying to God for him; for he knew what divine zeal he had. And when God saw the tears of the holy priest and the prayers of the people (for they regarded him as a second Phinehas against the idolaters), He hastened His mercy to him, and on that night he opened his eyes, and began to speak and to ask that a drink be given to him. And I, sitting beside him, immediately ran and reported it to the blessed bishop; for from great joy I forgot to give him the drink, I too experiencing what the maidservant of the blessed apostle Peter did, when, hearing the voice of the holy Peter, out of joy she did not open the door, but leaving him, first announced it to those in the house. I also underwent something of this sort. But when the blessed bishop heard, he was not overcome by emotion, but remained steadfast in his prayers, and we, understanding his firmness and unswervingness, left him and went away, both I and the God-loving deacon Cornelius; for he was sitting with me beside the blessed Barochas. But when the most holy bishop had completed the prayers and the whole service, and sitting with us himself, he asked the God-fearing Barochas how he had suffered from the beginning, and he recounted everything to us.

25 And while we were listening, it became dawn and behold the public vindicator with the peace-officers and the two leaders Timothy and Epiphanius and many others came and began to cry out and make a disturbance, saying: Why did you bring a dead man into the city when the ancestral laws forbid this? And at the same time they also insulted the blessed bishop. And we, hearing the disturbance, came out, and when they saw us, they began to beat me and the God-loving deacon Cornelius. But when we were protesting to the public officials, the most holy bishop silenced us, exhorting and admonishing each one not to be so unreasonably angry. But the godless, the more they were entreated, the more they raged and insulted the holy man. So with the disturbance continuing, the God-loving Barochas was strengthened and filled with divine zeal and stood up and seized a piece of wood and began to beat those present, and fear fell upon all and they began to fall over one another as they fled, and he continued pursuing them as far as the Marneion of that time, and our new Samson returned with a great victory, having himself laid low a thousand Philistines. From that time, therefore, the idol-worshippers feared him, not being able to hear his name. And after a short time we were deemed worthy of the

23 Ὡς δὲ ἐθεάσαντο αὐτὸν οἱ τῆς εἰδωλομανίας βασταζόμενον, καὶ νομίσαντες εἶναι νεκρόν, ἐτράπησαν εἰς μανίαν διὰ τὸ νομίζειν μύσος εἶναι νεκρὸν εἰσφέρειν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, καὶ ἀπορρήξαντες αὐτὸν ἐκ τῶν ὤμων τῶν βασταζόντων αὐτὸν ἄρχονται τύπτειν τὸν θεοφιλῆ Κορνήλιον τὸν διάκονον καὶ τοὺς δύο Χριστιανούς, καὶ δήσαντες σχοινίῳ τὸν πόδα τοῦ μακαρίου Βαρωχᾶ εἷλκον αὐτόν. Ἐν τοσούτῳ δὲ ἀπαγγέλλουσίν τινες τῶν ἀδελφῶν τῷ μακαρίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ, καὶ θορυβηθεὶς προσκαλεῖταί με καὶ ἄλλους τρεῖς ἀδελφοὺς παρ' αὐτῷ εὑρεθέντας καὶ λέγει ἡμῖν· Θαρροῦντες, ἀδελφοί, δράμετε· καιρὸς γάρ ἐστι μαρτυρίας. Ὡς δὲ ἐφθάσαμεν τὸν τόπον ὅπου ἔδησαν τὸν μακάριον, συνέδραμον οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους, καὶ οἳ μὲν ὕβριζον τὸν ἁγιώτατον ἐπίσκοπον, ἄλλοι δὲ ὁρῶντες τὴν ὑπομονὴν αὐτοῦ, πῶς ὑβριζόμενος οὐκ ὠργίζετο, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον παρεκάλει ἕκαστον λέγων μὴ οὕτως μιᾶναι καὶ ἐνυβρίσαι σῶμα ὁμοιοπαθές, γίνονται τῆς ἡμῶν μερίδος καὶ τρέπονται κατ' ἀλλήλων ἕως πληγῶν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ θεασάμενοι τὴν πολλὴν σύγχυσιν, βαστάσαντες τὸν θεοφιλῆ Βαρωχᾶν ἀνεχωρήσαμεν εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν ἐκκλησίαν.

24 Ὡς δὲ ἐθεασάμεθα αὐτὸν ἔτι ἐμπνέοντα, ἐποιήσαμεν αὐτῷ θεραπείας. Ἦν δὲ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ διὰ τῆς ἑσπέρας καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς εὐχὴ ἐκτενής· συνήχθησαν γὰρ πάντες οἱ ἀδελφοί. Ὁ δὲ ὅσιος ἐπίσκοπος οὐκ ἐπαύσατο δακρύων καὶ δεόμενος τοῦ θεοῦ περὶ αὐτοῦ· ἠπίστατο γὰρ ὁποῖον ζῆλον εἶχεν θεϊκόν. Ὡς δὲ εἶδεν ὁ θεὸς τὰ δάκρυα τοῦ ὁσίου ἱερέως καὶ τὰς δεήσεις τοῦ λαοῦ (δεύτερον γὰρ Φινεὲς εἶχον αὐτὸν κατὰ τῶν εἰδωλολατρῶν), ἐτάχυνεν αὐτῷ τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῇ νυκτὶ ἐκείνῃ ἀνοίγει τοὺς αὐτοῦ ὀφθαλμούς, καὶ ἄρχεται λαλεῖν καὶ αἰτεῖν ποτὸν δοθῆναι αὐτῷ. Ἐγὼ δὲ παρακαθήμενος αὐτῷ εὐθέως δραμὼν ἀπήγγειλα τῷ μακαρίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ· ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς γὰρ χαρᾶς ἐλησμόνησα δοῦναι αὐτῷ τὸν ποτόν, παθὼν κἀγὼ τὸ τῆς παιδίσκης τῆς ἐπὶ τοῦ μακαρίου Πέτρου τοῦ ἀποστόλου, ὅτε ἀκούσασα τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ ἁγίου Πέτρου ἐκ τῆς χαρᾶς οὐκ ἤνοιξεν τὴν θύραν, ἀλλ' ἐάσασα αὐτὸν πρῶτον ἀνήγγειλεν τοῖς ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ. Τοιοῦτόν τι κἀγὼ ὑπέστην. Ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ μακάριος ἐπίσκοπος οὐκ ἐνικήθη ὑπὸ τοῦ πάθους, ἀλλ' ἔμεινεν ἀντεχόμενος τῶν προσευχῶν, ἡμεῖς δὲ νοήσαντες τὸ στερρὸν καὶ τὸ ἀκλινὲς αὐτοῦ ἐάσαντες αὐτὸν ἀπήλθομεν, ἐγώ τε καὶ ὁ θεοφιλὴς Κορνήλιος ὁ διάκονος· σὺν ἐμοὶ γὰρ παρεκάθητο τῷ μακαρίῳ Βαρωχᾷ. Ὡς δὲ ἐπλήρωσεν τὰς εὐχὰς καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀκολουθίαν ὁ ὁσιώτατος ἐπίσκοπος, καὶ αὐτὸς ἅμα ἡμῖν καθίσας, ἐπηρώτα τὸν θεοσεβῆ Βαρωχᾶν πῶς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἔπαθεν, αὐτὸς δὲ πάντα ἡμῖν διηγήσατο.

25 Ἐν δὲ τῷ ἡμᾶς ἀκούειν, γίνεται ὄρθρος καὶ ἰδοὺ ὁ δημεκδικῶν μετὰ τῶν εἰρηναρχῶν καὶ τῶν δύο πρωτευόντων Τιμοθέου καὶ Ἐπιφανίου καὶ ἄλλων πολλῶν ἐλθόντες ἄρχονται καταβοᾶν καὶ θορυβεῖν λέγοντες· ∆ιὰ τί εἰσηγάγετε νεκρὸν εἰς τὴν πόλιν τῶν νόμων τῶν πατρῴων τοῦτο ἀπαγορευόντων; Ἐν ταὐτῷ δὲ καὶ ὕβριζον τὸν μακάριον ἐπίσκοπον. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀκούσαντες τοῦ θορύβου ἐξήλθομεν, καὶ ὡς ἐθεάσαντο ἡμᾶς, ἄρχονται τύπτειν ἐμὲ καὶ τὸν θεοφιλῆ Κορνήλιον τὸν διάκονον. Ὡς δὲ διεμαρτυρόμεθα τοὺς δημοσιεύοντας, ὁ ὁσιώτατος ἐπίσκοπος ἐπεστόμιζεν ἡμᾶς, παρακαλῶν ἕκαστον καὶ νουθετῶν μὴ οὕτως ἀλογίστως ὀργίζεσθαι. Οἱ δὲ ἄθεοι ὅσον παρεκαλοῦντο τοσοῦτον ἐμαίνοντο καὶ ἐνύβριζον τὸν ὅσιον ἄνδρα. Τοῦ γοῦν θορύβου ἐπιμένοντος, ἐνδυναμοῦται ὁ θεοφιλὴς Βαρωχᾶς καὶ ἐμπιπλᾶται θεϊκοῦ ζήλου καὶ ἀνίσταται καὶ ἁρπάζει ξύλον καὶ ἄρχεται τύπτειν τοὺς παρατυγχάνοντας, καὶ ἐπιπίπτει πᾶσι φόβος καὶ ἄρχονται πίπτειν κατ' ἀλλήλων φεύγοντες, καὶ ἐπέμεινεν καταδιώκων αὐτοὺς ἕως τοῦ τότε Μαρνείου, καὶ ἐπαναλύει μετὰ νίκης μεγάλης ὁ νέος ἡμῶν Σαμψών, καταστρώσας καὶ αὐτὸς χιλίους Ἀλλοφύλους. Ἐξ ἐκείνου οὖν οἱ τῆς εἰδωλομανίας ἐφοβοῦντο αὐτόν, μὴ δυνάμενοι τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ ἀκοῦσαι. Μετὰ δὲ χρόνον ὀλίγον ἠξιώθημεν τῆς