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

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.

26 But Porphyry, who is among the saints, seeing the unlawful things happening every day by the idolaters, decided to send me to Byzantium to ask the emperors for the temples of the idols to be destroyed; for they were still in use in Gaza, especially the one called the Marneion. And having written letters to the most holy and reverend bishop John, then the bishop of Constantinople, whose fame and praise is remembered by all, he sent me by sea and in 20 days we arrived, and having delivered the letters to the blessed John, I taught him everything by word of mouth. And immediately upon hearing, he reported to Eutropius the cubicularius, who at that time had great influence with the emperor Arcadius, and having read to him the letters of the blessed bishop and having asked him to support the letter, having received instructions from him, he went out and says to me: Wait for me, child; for I hope in the Lord Christ that He will act with His usual mercy. But I did not cease reminding him every day, and he would send and bother Eutropius. And after seven days a divine letter is proclaimed that the idol-temples of the city of Gaza should be closed and no longer be in use, and this command is entrusted to a certain Hilarius, a subadiuva of the magister].

27 And I, after three days, set out from Byzantium and in ten days I reach the city of Gaza, arriving seven days before Hilarius. And I found the most reverend Porphyry ill. But when I delivered to him the copies from the most blessed John, the bishop of Constantinople, and he read them, becoming overjoyed, he was cured, being released from the fever; and he said that he had gotten the illness from the great affliction of the idolaters. And after seven days the said Hilarius arrives, having two commentarienses of the consular office and many assistants from both Azotus and Ascalon and every public display. And immediately he arrested the three chief men and having taken securities from them, he showed them the divine letter commanding that the idol-temples of the city of Gaza be closed on pain of death for the leaders of the same city, and having destroyed all the idols in them, he closed them; but the temple of Marnas he secretly allowed to remain in use, having received a great deal of money for this. And again the idol-mad were doing unlawful things out of habit.

28 And another marvel happened to occur, calling many to come to the knowledge of truth; for God, as merciful, through various occasions turns the race of men to his intelligible light. The event that happened was this. A certain woman of the notables of the city, named Aelias, being about to give birth, fell into great danger; and the cause of the danger was this. Her baby was no longer coming out naturally, but was turned into an unnatural position, and having let down one hand, the rest of the body was unable to be brought down; for it was sideways in the womb and the midwives were not able to move it into the natural position. And the pain that came upon the woman was unspeakable, as the hourly pains pushed the baby, and the increase of the pains became greater as the second day succeeded the first, and likewise the third being more painful than the second; and the pains were stretched out for up to seven days, with the evil always receiving an addition. But the physicians even wished to perform an embryotomy on her, and seeing her strength failing, they gave up on her. Therefore her parents and her husband, being superstitious, made sacrifices for her every day, and they brought in enchanters and seers, thinking to help her by these means, and they accomplished nothing.

χειροτονίας τῶν διακόνων ἐγώ τε καὶ ὁ θεοφιλὴς Βαρωχᾶς, ἐγὼ μὲν πολὺ ἀνάξιος τυγχάνων, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἀξίως καὶ δικαίως τοῦτο τὸ δῶρον λαβών.

26 Ὁρῶν δὲ ὁ ἐν ἁγίοις Πορφύριος τὰ ἀθέμιτα καθ' ἑκάστην γινόμενα ὑπὸ τῶν εἰδωλολατρῶν, βουλεύεται ἀποστεῖλαί με εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον αἰτῆσαι τοὺς βασιλεῖς περιαιρεθῆναι τοὺς ναοὺς τῶν εἰδώλων· ἔτι γὰρ ἐχρημάτιζον ἐν Γάζῃ, μάλιστα τὸ καλούμενον Μαρνεῖον. Καὶ ποιήσας γράμματα πρὸς τὸν ἁγιώτατον καὶ ὁσιώτατον ἐπίσκοπον Ἰωάννην, τὸν τηνικαῦτα ἐπίσκοπον Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, οὗ κλέος καὶ ἔπαινος παρὰ πάντων μνημονεύεται, ἐπλώϊσέν με καὶ δι' ἡμερῶν ˉκ ἐφθάσαμεν, καὶ ἀποδοὺς τὰς ἐπιστολὰς τῷ μακαρίῳ Ἰωάννῃ, ἐδίδαξα αὐτὸν ἐκ στόματος πάντα. Εὐθέως δὲ ἀκούσας ἐμήνυσεν πρὸς Εὐτρόπιον τὸν κουβικουλάριον τὰ μεγάλα τότε ἰσχύοντα παρὰ τῷ βασιλεῖ Ἀρκαδίῳ, καὶ ἐπαναγνοὺς αὐτῷ τὰς ἐπιστολὰς τοῦ μακαρίου ἐπισκόπου καὶ αἰτήσας αὐτὸν συνδραμεῖν τῷ γράμματι, λαβὼν συνταγὰς παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐξῆλθεν καὶ λέγει μοι· Σχόλασόν μοι, τέκνον· ἐλπίζω γὰρ εἰς τὸν δεσπότην Χριστὸν ὅτι συνήθως ἔχει τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ποιῆσαι. Ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ ἐπαυόμην καθ' ἑκάστην αὐτὸν ὑπομιμνῄσκων, κἀκεῖνος ἔπεμπεν καὶ ἠνόχλει Εὐτροπίῳ. Μετὰ δὲ ἡμέρας ἑπτὰ ἐκφωνεῖται θεῖον γράμμα ὥστε κλεισθῆναι τὰ εἰδωλεῖα τῆς Γαζαίων πόλεως καὶ μηκέτι χρηματίζειν, καὶ ἐγχειρίζεται ταύτην τὴν πρόσταξιν Ἱλάριός τις σουβαδιουβᾶ τοῦ μαγίστρου ἄνθρωπος].

27 Ἐγὼ δὲ μεθ' ἡμέρας τρεῖς ἐξεπόρισα ἐκ τοῦ Βυζαντίου καὶ φθάνω δι' ἡμερῶν δέκα τὴν Γαζαίων πόλιν, προλαβὼν τὸν Ἱλάριον ἡμέρας ἑπτά. Εὗρον δὲ τὸν ὁσιώτατον Πορφύριον ἀρρωστοῦντα. Ὡς δὲ ἐπέδωκα αὐτῷ τὰ ἀντίγραφα τοῦ μακαριωτάτου Ἰωάννου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως καὶ ἀνέγνω αὐτά, περιχαρὴς γενόμενος ἐρρώσθη ἀφεθεὶς τοῦ πυρετοῦ· ἔλεγεν δὲ ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς θλίψεως τῶν εἰδωλολατρῶν αὐτὸν ἐσχηκέναι τὴν ἀρρωστίαν. Μετὰ δὲ ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας καταλαμβάνει ὁ εἰρημένος Ἱλάριος, ἔχων δύο κομενταρησίους τῆς ὑπατικῆς καὶ βοηθοὺς πολλοὺς ἔκ τε Ἀζώτου καὶ Ἀσκάλωνος καὶ πᾶσαν δημοσίαν ὄψιν. Εὐθέως δὲ συνέσχεν τοὺς τρεῖς πρωτεύοντας καὶ λαβὼν παρ' αὐτῶν ἱκανοδοσίας, ἐνεφάνισεν αὐτοῖς τὸ θεῖον γράμμα τὸ παρακελευόμενον κλεισθῆναι τὰ εἰδωλεῖα Γάζης τῆς πόλεως κινδύνῳ τῆς κεφαλῆς τῶν πρώτων τῆς αὐτῆς πόλεως, καὶ καταστρέψας πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς εἴδωλα, ἔκλεισεν αὐτά· τὸ δὲ ἱερὸν τοῦ Μαρνᾶ εἴασεν λεληθότως χρηματίζειν, λαβὼν ὑπὲρ τούτου πάμπολλα χρήματα. Πάλιν δὲ ἐποίουν οἱ τῆς εἰδωλομανίας τὰ ἀθέμιτα ὑπὸ τῆς συνηθείας.

28 Συμβαίνει δὲ ἄλλο θαυμαστὸν γενέσθαι προσκαλούμενον πολλοὺς εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν· ὁ θεὸς γὰρ ὡς εὔσπλαγχνος διὰ προφάσεων ἐπιστρέφει τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰς τὸ νοητὸν αὐτοῦ φῶς. Τὸ δὲ συμβὰν πρᾶγμα ἐν τούτοις ἦν. Γυνή τις τῶν ἐμφανῶν τῆς πόλεως ὀνόματι Αἰλιὰς μέλλουσα τίκτειν κινδύνῳ μεγάλῳ περιέπεσεν· ἡ δὲ αἰτία τοῦ κινδύνου αὕτη ὑπῆρχεν. Τὸ βρέφος αὐτῆς οὐκέτι κατὰ φύσιν ἐξῄει, ἀλλ' ἐξετράπη εἰς τὸ παρὰ φύσιν, καὶ χαλάσαν τὴν μίαν χεῖρα οὐκ ἡδύνατο τὸ ὑπόλοιπον σῶμα κατενεχθῆναι· ἦν γὰρ πλάγιον ἐν τῇ γαστρὶ καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυον αἱ μαῖαι εἰς τὸ κατὰ φύσιν αὐτὸ μεταγαγεῖν. Ἦν δὲ ἡ ὀδύνη ἄφατος προσγινομένη τῇ γυναικί, τῶν κατὰ ὥραν ὀδυνῶν τὸ βρέφος ὠθουσῶν, πλέον δὲ ἡ ἐπίδοσις τῶν πόνων ἐγίνετο τῆς δευτέρας ἡμέρας διαδεξαμένης τὴν πρώτην, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τῆς τρίτης ὀδυνηροτέρας οὔσης τῆς δευτέρας· ἐπετάθησαν δὲ οἱ πόνοι ἕως ἡμερῶν ἑπτά, τοῦ κακοῦ προσθήκην ἀεὶ λαμβάνοντος. Ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἰατροὶ ἠβουλήθησαν αὐτὴν ἐμβρυοτομῆσαι, καὶ θεασάμενοι τὰς δυνάμεις αὐτῆς διαπεσούσας, ἀπηγόρευσαν αὐτῆς. Οἱ ταύτης οὖν γονεῖς καὶ ὁ ἀνὴρ ὡς ὄντες δεισιδαίμονες ἐποίουν καθ' ἑκάστην θυσίαν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς, ἔφερον δὲ καὶ ἐπαοιδοὺς καὶ μάντεις, νομίζοντες ἐκ τούτων αὐτὴν ὠφελῆσαι, καὶ οὐδὲν ἤνυον.