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bodies, having endured a brief illness so that we might learn both the weakness of his nature and the manliness of his resolution, he himself departed this life, but a fierce war over his body arose among his neighbors. A certain populous village of the neighbors, arriving with all its people, scattered the others, and seized that much-desired treasure, and having built a very large shrine, they reap the benefit from it even to this day, honoring that victor with a public festival. But we, even though he is absent, reap the blessing; for his memory is sufficient for us in place of his shrine. 17.t ABRAAMES 17.1 Nor is it pious to omit the memory of the admirable Abraames, using the pretext that after the solitary life he graced the high-priestly see; for indeed, on this account he would rightly be much more worthy of mention, because, though forced to change his way of life, he did not alter his manner of living, but moved with his ascetic hardship, and being surrounded at the same time by both monastic labors and high-priestly cares, he completed the course of his life. 17.2 And this man too was a fruit of the land of Cyrrhus; for there he was both born and raised, and gathered the wealth of ascetic virtue. For those who lived with him say that he tamed his body with such great vigil, standing, and fasting, that for a very long time he remained motionless, being quite unable to walk. But having been delivered from that weakness by divine providence, he wished to undertake pious dangers in return for divine grace, and he went to Lebanon, having learned that a certain very large village was held in the darkness of impiety; and hiding his monastic face with a merchant's mask, and carrying sacks with his companions, as if to buy walnuts—for the village produced this fruit exceptionally—and having rented a house and paid a little money in advance to the owners, for three or four days he kept quiet; then little by little he began the divine liturgy, using a moderate voice. But when they heard the psalmody, the herald shouted and summoned everyone; and men, children, and women gathered, and having walled up the doors from the outside, they brought a great deal of earth from above, from the roof, and threw it down. But when they saw them being suffocated and buried, and willing neither to do nor say anything, but only offering prayer to God, at the suggestion of the elders, they ceased their madness; then opening the doors and pulling them up from the earth, they ordered them to leave at once. 17.3 But at that very time, tax collectors arrived, compelling them to pay the taxes; and some they bound, and others they tortured. But that divine man, remembering none of those things that had been done to them, imitating the Master who, nailed to the cross, cared for those who had done this, begged those tax collectors to make the collection gently. And when they also demanded guarantors, he voluntarily accepted the summons and promised to give one hundred gold pieces after a few days. And those who had done those terrible things, marveling greatly at the man's love for humanity, asked for pardon for what they had dared to do, and begged him to become their patron; for the village did not have a master; but they themselves were both farmers and masters. So then, arriving in the city—and this was Emesa—and finding some acquaintances, he took out the loan; then, reaching the village on the appointed day, he fulfilled his promise.

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σώματα, ἀρρωστίαν ὑπομείνας βραχεῖαν ἵνα καὶ τῆς φύσεως τὴν ἀσθένειαν καὶ τῆς προαιρέσεως καταμάθωμεν τὴν ἀνδρείαν, αὐτὸς μὲν ὑπεξῆλθε τὸν βίον, πόλεμος δὲ περὶ τοῦ σώματος τοῖς γειτονεύουσι συνέστη σφοδρός. Κώμη δέ τις τῶν ὁμόρων πολυάνθρωπος πανδημεὶ παραγενομένη τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους ἐσκέδασε, τὸν δὲ τριπό θητον ἐκεῖνον ἥρπασε θησαυρὸν καὶ σηκὸν οἰκοδομησάμενοι μέγιστον τὴν ἐκεῖθεν μέχρι καὶ τήμερον ὠφέλειαν καρποῦνται δημοτελεῖ πανηγύρει τὸν νικηφόρον ἐκεῖνον γεραίροντες. Ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ ἀπόντες τὴν εὐλογίαν καρπούμεθα· ἀρκεῖ γὰρ ἡμῖν ἀντὶ τῆς θήκης ἡ μνήμη. 17.t ΑΒΡΑΑΜΗΣ 17.1 Οὐδὲ Ἀβραάμου τοῦ θαυμαστοῦ τὴν μνήμην παραλιπεῖν εὐαγὲς προφάσει χρωμένους ὅτι μετὰ τὸν μονήρη βίον τὴν ἀρχιερατικὴν ἐφαίδρυνε προεδρίαν· πολλῷ γὰρ δήπουθεν τούτου γε εἵνεκα ἀξιομνημονευτότερος εἰκότως ἂν εἴη ὅτι τὴν πολιτείαν βιασθεὶς ἐναλλάξαι τὸν βίον οὐκ ἤμειψεν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τῆς ἀσκητικῆς μετέβη κακοπαθείας καὶ κατὰ ταὐτὸν μοναχικοῖς τε πόνοις καὶ ἀρχιερατικαῖς περιστοιχιζό μενος φροντίσι τοῦ βίου τὸν δρόμον ἐξήνυσεν. 17.2 Καὶ οὗτος δὲ τῆς Κύρρου χώρας καρπός· ἐνταῦθα γὰρ καὶ τεχθεὶς καὶ τραφεὶς τῆς ἀσκητικῆς ἀρετῆς τὸν πλοῦτον συνέλεξε. Τοσαύτῃ γὰρ αὐτόν φασιν οἱ συγγεγονότες ἀγρυπνίᾳ καὶ στάσει καὶ νηστείᾳ καταδαμάσαι τὸ σῶμα ὡς ἀκίνητον ἐπὶ πλεῖστον διαμεῖναι χρόνον, ἥκιστα βαδίζειν δυνάμενον. Θείᾳ δὲ προμηθείᾳ τῆς ἀσθενείας ἐκείνης ἀπαλλαγείς, κινδύνους εἰσενεγκεῖν εὐσεβεῖς ἀντὶ τῆς θείας χάριτος ἐβουλήθη καὶ καταλαμβάνει τὸν Λίβανον, κώμην τινὰ μεγίστην κατέχεσθαι τῷ τῆς ἀσεβείας ζόφῳ μεμαθηκώς· καὶ προσωπείῳ ἐμπορικῷ τὸ μοναχικὸν πρόσωπον κατα κρύψας καὶ θυλάκους μετὰ τῶν συνόντων ἐπιφερόμενος ὡς δῆθεν ὠνησόμενος κάρυα- τοῦτον γὰρ ἡ κώμη διαφερόντως ἔφερε τὸν καρπὸν-καὶ οἰκίαν μισθωσάμενος καὶ ὀλίγα χρήματα τοῖς κεκτημένοις προδεδωκὼς τρεῖς μὲν καὶ τέτταρας ἡμέρας ἡσυχίαν ἦγεν· εἶτα κατὰ μικρὸν τῆς θείας ἥψατο λειτουργίας μετρίᾳ φωνῇ κεχρημένος. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῆς ψαλμῳδίας ἐπῄσθοντο ὁ μὲν κῆρυξ ἐβόα καὶ συνεκάλει πάντας· συνελέγοντο δὲ καὶ ἄνδρες καὶ παῖδες καὶ γυναῖκες, καὶ τὰς θύρας ἔξωθεν ἀνοικοδομήσαντες, ἄνωθεν ἀπὸ τῆς ὀροφῆς πολὺν χοῦν συμφοροῦντες κατέβαλλον. Ὡς δὲ ἑώρων ἀποπνιγομένους καὶ χωννυμένους, οὐδὲν δὲ οὔτε δρᾶν οὔτε λέγειν ἐθέλοντας, εὐχὴν δὲ μόνην τῷ θεῷ προσ κομίζοντας, τῶν γεραιτέρων ὑποθεμένων, τῆς μανίας ἐπαύσαντο· εἶτα τὰς θύρας ἀνοίξαντες καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ χώματος ἀνασπάσαντες ἀπιέναι παραυτίκα ἐκέλευον. 17.3 Ἀλλὰ κατ' αὐτὸν τὸν καιρὸν πράκτορες ἀφίκοντο τὰς εἰσφορὰς ἐκτίνειν καταναγκάζοντες· καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἐδέσμουν, τοὺς δὲ ᾐκίζοντο. Ἀλλ' ὁ θεῖος ἐκεῖνος ἀνὴρ οὐδενὸς ἐκείνων τῶν εἰς αὐτοὺς γεγενημένων ἀναμνησθείς, τὸν δεσπότην μιμούμενος ὃς τῷ σταυρῷ προσηλωμένος τῶν τοῦτο δεδρακότων ἐκήδετο, τοὺς πράκτορας ἐκείνους ἱκέτευεν ἡμέρως ποιεῖσθαι τὴν εἴσπραξιν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ἐγγυητὰς ἐπεζήτησαν, ἐθελοντὶ τὴν πρόσκλησιν ὑπεδέξατο καὶ χρυσίνους ἑκατὸν μετ' ὀλίγας δώσειν ἡμέρας ὑπέσχετο. Ὑπεραγασθέντες δὲ οἱ τὰ δεινὰ ἐκεῖνα ἐργασάμενοι τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τὸν ἄνδρα, αἰτοῦσι μὲν τῶν τετολμημένων συγγνώμην, προστάτην δὲ αὐτῶν γενέσθαι παρακαλοῦσιν· οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶχεν ἡ κώμη δεσπότην· αὐτοὶ δὲ ἦσαν καὶ γεωργοὶ καὶ δεσπόται. Τοὺς μὲν οὖν ἑκατὸν χρυσίνους ἀφικόμενος εἰς τὴν πόλιν-Ἔμισα δὲ ἦν αὕτη- καὶ γνωρίμους τινὰς εὑρὼν ποιεῖται τὸ δάνεισμα· εἶτα τὴν κώμην καταλαβὼν κατὰ τὴν κυρίαν πληροῖ τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν.