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she presents herself, showing the sheaves from the seeds of the blessing. 13.17 In the fifth month of the pregnancy, the danger of a miscarriage arose. And she again sent to her new Elisha—for the affliction prevented her from running—and reminded him how she had not wanted to become a mother of children, and brought his promises into the open. But he, seeing the one who arrived from afar, recognized him and knew the reason; for at night the Master had revealed to him both the affliction and the salvation. So taking his staff, he arrived leaning on it, and entering the house and having given the greeting of peace, as was his custom. "Take courage," he said, "and do not be afraid; for the Giver will not take away the gift unless you transgress the agreements that have been made. You promised to give back what would be given and to consecrate it to the divine service." -"So," said the mother, "I both wish and pray to give birth; for I consider an incomplete birth more preferable than a different kind of upbringing for the child." -"Drink then," said the divine man, "this water, and you will perceive the divine help." She drank therefore as he commanded, and the danger of miscarriage fled away. Such were the wonders of our Elisha. 3.18 I often enjoyed his blessing and teaching; for exhorting me he often said: "With many labors, O child, you were born; I spent many nights supplicating God for this alone, that your parents might become that which they were named after your birth. Therefore, live a life worthy of the labors. Before birth pangs you were dedicated by promises; and the votive offerings of God are revered by all and untouched by the many. It is fitting, therefore, for you not to accept the base movements of the soul, but only to do and say and think those things which serve God, the lawgiver of virtue." The divine man continually exhorted me with such words; and I both remember the words and have been taught the divine gift. But not showing the exhortation in deeds, I beseech to obtain the divine inclination through his prayer and to live the remainder of my life according to his precepts. 13.19 What sort of man he was then, and by using what sort of labors he drew down divine grace, these things are sufficient to teach. Yet even in this life the end of his labors received a worthy honor; for everyone, both citizens and strangers and those entrusted with administering the great offices, carrying that sacred bier upon their shoulders, conveyed it to the shrine of the victorious martyrs, and with those divine men, Aphraates and Theodosius, they laid to rest that holy and God-beloved body. And his fame remained unquenchable, and no time will be able to obliterate it. And we, putting an end to the narrative, have reaped the fragrance from the narration. 14.t MAESYMAS 14.1 I know that many other luminaries of piety shone forth near the city of Antioch, both Severus the great and Peter the Egyptian and Eutychius and Cyril, and Moses and Malchus and very many others who traveled the same path; but if we should try to write the life of all of them, all time would not be sufficient for us; and besides, the reading of too many is tedious to the many. Therefore, from what has been written, inferring also the life of those who have been omitted, let all praise and emulate them and reap the benefit; but I will cross over to the meadows of Cyrrhus and, as far as possible, I will point out the beauty of the fragrant and fair-formed flowers in them.

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παραγίνεται τῶν τῆς εὐλογίας σπερμάτων ὑπο δεικνῦσα τὰ δράγματα. 13.17 Τῷ δὲ πέμπτῳ μηνὶ τῆς κυήσεως, ἀμβλώσεως ἐπεγένετο κίνδυνος. Ἡ δὲ πάλιν πρὸς τὸν νέον αὐτῆς Ἐλισσαῖον ἀπέστειλε-δραμεῖν γὰρ αὐτὴν τὸ πάθος ἐκώλυε- καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἐβούλετο παίδων γενέσθαι μήτηρ ἀνέμνησε καὶ τὰς αὐτοῦ ὑποσχέσεις εἰς μέσον παρήγαγεν. Ὁ δὲ πόρρωθεν τὸν ἀφικόμενον θεασάμενος ἐπέγνω τε καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐγνώρισε· νύκτωρ γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ πάθος καὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν ὁ δεσπότης ἐδεδηλώκει· λαβὼν τοίνυν τὴν βακτηρίαν, ἀφίκετο σκηριπτόμενος καὶ τῆς οἰκίας εἴσω γενόμενος καὶ τῆς εἰρήνης, ὡς εἰώθει, τὸ πρόσρημα δεδωκώς. "Θάρσει, ἔφη, καὶ μὴ δείσῃς· οὐ γὰρ ἀφαιρήσεται τὸ δῶρον ὁ δεδωκὼς εἰ μὴ σὺ τὰς γεγενημένας παραβαίης συνθήκας. Ὑπέσχου δὲ ἀντιδώσειν τὸ δοθησόμενον καὶ εἰς τὴν θείαν αὐτὸ θεραπείαν καθοσιώσειν". -"Οὕτως, ἔφη ἡ μήτηρ, καὶ ἐγὼ τεκεῖν βούλομαί τε καὶ εὔχομαι· τῆς γὰρ ἀλλοίας τοῦ παιδίου τροφῆς αἱρετώτερον ἡγοῦμαι τὸν ἀτέλεστον τόκον." -"Πίε τοίνυν, ἔφη ὁ θεῖος ἄνθρωπος, τόδε τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τῆς θείας ἐπικουρίας αἰσθήσῃ." Ἔπιε τοιγαροῦν ὡς προσέταξε καὶ ὁ τῆς ἀμβλώσεως ἐδραπέτευσε κίνδυνος. Τοιαῦτα τοῦ ἡμετέρου Ἐλισσαίου τὰ θαύματα. 3.18 Τῆς τούτου πολλάκις ἐγὼ εὐλογίας καὶ διδασκαλίας ἀπέλαυσα· παραινῶν γάρ μοι πολλάκις ἔλεγε· "Μετὰ πολλῶν, ὦ παιδίον, γεγέννησαι πόνων· πολλὰς διετέλεσα νύκτας τοῦτο μόνον τὸν θεὸν ἱκετεύων ὥστε σου τοὺς γονέας τοῦτο γενέσθαι ὃ μετὰ τὴν σὴν γέννησιν ὠνομάσθησαν. Ἀξίως τοίνυν πολιτεύου τῶν πόνων. Πρὸ ὠδίνων ἀνετέθης ταῖς ὑποσχέσεσι· τὰ δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀναθήματα σεβάσμια πᾶσίν ἐστι καὶ ἄψαυστα τοῖς πολλοῖς. Προσήκει τοίνυν καί σε τὰ μὲν φαῦλα τῆς ψυχῆς κινήματα μὴ προσδέχεσθαι, ἐκεῖνα δὲ μόνα καὶ δρᾶν καὶ λέγειν καὶ ἐνθυμεῖσθαι ἃ τὸν τῆς ἀρετῆς νομοθέτην θεραπεύει θεόν". Τοιαῦτα μοι παραινῶν ἀεὶ ὁ θεῖος διετέλεσεν ἄνθρωπος· ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τῶν λόγων μέμνημαι καὶ τὴν θείαν δεδίδαγμαι δωρεάν. Ἔργοις δὲ μὴ δεικνὺς τὴν παραίνεσιν, ἱκετεύω τῆς θείας ῥοπῆς διὰ τῆς ἐκείνου τυχεῖν προσευχῆς καὶ τὸ λειπόμενον τῆς ζωῆς κατὰ τὰς ὑποθήκας τὰς ἐκείνου βιῶναι. 13.19 Ὁποῖος μὲν οὖν ἐκεῖνος ἦν καὶ οἵοις χρησάμενος πόνοις τὴν θείαν ἐπεσπάσατο χάριν ἱκανὰ καὶ ταῦτα διδάξαι. Ἐδέξατο δὲ ὅμως καὶ κατὰ τόνδε τὸν βίον ἡ τελευτὴ τῶν πόνων ἀξίαν τιμήν· ἅπαντες γὰρ καὶ πολῖται καὶ ξένοι καὶ οἱ τὰς μεγάλας ἀρχὰς οἰκονομεῖν πεπιστευμένοι τὴν ἱερὰν ἐκείνην ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων φέροντες κλίνην εἰς τὸν τῶν νικηφόρων μαρτύρων σηκὸν ἀπεκόμισαν καὶ μετὰ τῶν θείων ἐκείνων ἀνδρῶν Ἀφραάτου καὶ Θεοδοσίου τὸ ἅγιον ἐκεῖνο καὶ θεοφιλὲς κατέθηκαν σῶμα. Τὸ δὲ κλέος διέμεινεν ἄσβεστον καὶ οὐδεὶς τοῦτο χρόνος ἀφανίσαι δυνήσεται. Ἡμεῖς δὲ τέλος ἐπιθέντες τῷ διηγήματι τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς διηγήσεως εὐωδίαν ἐκαρπωσάμεθα. 14.t ΜΑΗΣΥΜΑΣ 14.1 Οἶδα μὲν ὡς καὶ ἄλλοι πολλοὶ παρὰ τὴν Ἀντιόχου πόλιν διέλαμψαν εὐσεβείας φωστῆρες, Σεβῆρός τε ὁ μέγας καὶ ὁ Αἰγύπτιος Πέτρος καὶ Εὐτύχιος καὶ Κύριλλος, Μωϋσῆς τε καὶ Μάλχος καὶ ἕτεροι πλεῖστοι τὴν αὐτὴν πορείαν ὁδεύσαντες· ἀλλ' εἰ τὴν ἁπάντων πολιτείαν συγγρά ψαι πειραθείημεν, ἅπας ἡμῖν οὐκ ἂν ἀρκέσειεν ὁ χρόνος· ἄλλως τε δὲ καὶ προσκορὴς τοῖς πολλοῖς ἡ τῶν πλειόνων ἀνάγνωσις. Ἐκ τῶν συγγραφέντων τοίνυν καὶ τὸν τῶν παραλειφθέντων τεκμαιρόμενοι βίον εὐφημείτωσαν ἅπαντες καὶ ζηλούτωσαν καὶ τὴν ὠφέλειαν καρπούσθωσαν· ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς Κύρρου τοὺς λειμῶνας διαβήσομαι καὶ τῶν ἐν τούτοις εὐωδῶν τε καὶ εὐειδῶν ἀνθέων ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα παραδηλώσω τὴν ὥραν.