Antonius Hagiographus, Life of Symeon the Stylite 1

Vita Symeonis Stylitae

THE LIFE AND CONDUCT OF THE BLESSED SYMEON THE STYLITE

1 A strange and paradoxical mystery has occurred in our days. It seemed good to me, the sinful and least Antony, to write about what I understand. For the work is filled with benefit and compunction. Therefore I beseech you, incline your ear and listen to what I understand.

2 The holy and most blessed Symeon, being a child in age, was shepherding his father's sheep in the same way as the prophet David; and on the holy Lord's day he would enter the church for the oracles of God and gladly listened to the holy scriptures, not knowing what he heard. But advancing in age and being pricked by the word of God, he goes one day into the holy church and, hearing the Apostle being read, asks a certain old man: Tell me, father, what is it that he is reading. The old man says to him: About continence of the soul. Saint Symeon says to him: What is continence of the soul? The old man says to him: Child, why do you ask me? For I see you are young in age, but possess the mind of an old man. Saint Symeon says to him: I am not testing you, father; but I am astonished at the name of the word. The old man says to him: Continence is salvation of the soul, guiding to light, leading into the kingdom of heaven. Saint Symeon says to him: Teach me, honorable father, what you are saying, because I am an unlearned man.

3 The old man says to him: Child, if one fasts to God without ceasing and offers all prayers to him with gentleness, that is, one prayer at the third hour, likewise also at the sixth, ninth, and twelfth, and what follows them; just as they are performed in the monasteries. If then, child, you know what you have heard, ponder these things in your heart; for you must also hunger and thirst and be insulted and be struck and be reviled, groan and weep and be afflicted and be in distress, be sound and desire to renounce and be humbled and suffer many things from men, and so be comforted by angels; Behold, you have heard all these things; may the Lord of glory give you a good mind toward his will.

4 And having heard these things, Saint Symeon went out of the church and goes away to a deserted place and places himself on his face for seven days, weeping and praying to God, partaking of neither food nor drink. And after the seven days, rising up, he comes running to a monastery. And he falls at the feet of the archimandrite, crying out and saying: Have mercy on me, father, a humble and wretched man, and save a perishing soul that longs to serve God. The archimandrite says to him: Who are you and from where? And what is your name? And from where have you come? The blessed Symeon says: By birth a freeman, and my name is Symeon, but as to how I have come here or of what parents I am, do not ask me, master, I beg you, but purchase for yourself one perishing soul. Having heard these things, the archimandrite raised him from the ground and the archimandrite says to him: If you are from God, the Lord will guard you from every evil and deceitful thing, and you shall perform service for all, so that you may be loved by all.

5 But his parents did not cease weeping and seeking him; but the saint passed his time in the monastery, serving all and being loved by all and fulfilling the rule of the monastery. On one of the days, therefore, having gone out of the monastery, he finds upon the well a rope, from which they drew water, having

Vita Symeonis Stylitae

ΒΙΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΟΛΙΤΕΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΜΑΚΑΡΙΟΥ ΣΥΜΕΩΝ ΤΟΥ ΣΤΥΛΙΤΟΥ

1 Ξένον καὶ παράδοξον μυστήριον γέγονεν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἡμῶν. ἔδοξεν ἐμοὶ τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ καὶ ἐλαχίστῳ Ἀντονίῳ γράψαι εἰς ὃ καταλαμβάνω. ὠφελείας γὰρ καὶ κατανύξεως πε πλήρωται τὸ σύνταγμα. ὅθεν παρακαλῶ κλίνατε τὸ οὖς ὑμῶν καὶ ἀκούσατε εἰς ἅπερ καταλαμβάνω.

2 Ὁ ἐν ἁγίοις καὶ μακαριώτατος Συμεὼν νήπιος ὢν τῇ ἡλικίᾳ ἐποίμαινεν τὰ πρόβατα τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ καθ' ὃν τρόπον καὶ ὁ προφήτης ∆αβίδ· κατὰ δὲ ἁγίαν κυριακὴν εἰσῄει ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ πρὸς τὰ λόγια τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἡδέως ἐπηκροᾶτο τῶν ἁγίων γραφῶν μὴ γινώσκων τὸ τί ἤκουεν. εἰς ἡλικίαν δὲ προβαίνων καὶ νυττόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπέρ χεται ἐν μιᾷ τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ ἐκκλησίᾳ καὶ ἀκούων τοῦ ἀποστόλου ἀναγινωσκομένου ἐρωτᾷ τινα γέροντα· Εἰπέ μοι, πάτερ, τί ἐστιν ὃ ἀναγινώσκει. λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ πρεσβύτης· Περὶ ἐγκρατείας ψυχῆς. λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ἅγιος Συμεών· Τί ἐστιν ἐγκράτεια ψυχῆς; λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ πρεσβύτης· Τέκνον, τί με ἐρωτᾷς; ὁρῶ γάρ σε τῇ ἡλικίᾳ νέον, τὸ δὲ φρόνημα γηράλαιον κεκτη μένον. λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ἅγιος Συμεών· Οὐκ ἐκπειράζω σε, πάτερ· ἀλλὰ ξενίζομαι εἰς τὸ τῆς λέξεως ὄνομα. λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ πρε σβύτης· Ἐγκράτεια σωτηρία ἐστὶν ψυχῆς ὁδηγοῦσα εἰς φῶς εἰσάγουσα εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ἅγιος Συμεών· ∆ίδαξόν με, τίμιε πάτερ, ἃ λέγεις, διότι ἰδιώτης εἰμί.

3 Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ πρεσβύτης· Τέκνον, ἐάν τις νηστεύῃ τῷ θεῷ ἀδιαλείπτως καὶ τὰς εὐχὰς πάσας μετὰ ἐπιεικείας ἀποδί δωσιν αὐτῷ, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τρίτην ὥραν εὐχὴν μίαν, ὁμοίως, καὶ ἕκτην, ἐννάτην καὶ δωδεκάτην καὶ τούτων τὰ ἀκόλουθα· καθὼς καὶ ἐν τοῖς μοναστηρίοις ἐπιτελοῦνται. εἰ οὖν οἶδας, τέκνον, τί ἤκουσας, λόγισαι ταῦτα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου· δεῖ γάρ σε καὶ πεινάσαι καὶ διψῆσαι καὶ ὑβρισθῆναι καὶ κολαφισθῆναι καὶ ὀνειδισθῆναι, ἀναστενάξαι καὶ κλαῦσαι καὶ θλιβῆναι καὶ ἀνομαλῆσαι, ὑγιᾶναι καὶ ἐπιθυμῆσαι ἀποτάξασθαι καὶ ταπει νωθῆναι καὶ πολλὰ παθεῖν παρὰ ἀνθρώποις, καὶ οὕτως παρα κληθῆναι παρὰ ἀγγέλων· ἰδὲ ἤκουσας ταῦτα πάντα, ὁ κύριος τῆς δόξης δῴη σοι νοῦν ἀγαθὸν πρὸς τὴν αὐτοῦ θέλησιν.

4 Καὶ ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ ἅγιος Συμεὼν ἐξῆλθεν τῆς ἐκ κλησίας καὶ ἀπέρχεται εἰς ἔρημον τόπον καὶ τίθησιν ἑαυτὸν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον ἡμέρας ἑπτὰ κλαίων καὶ εὐχόμενος τῷ θεῷ μήτε βρώσεως μήτε πόσεως μεταλαμβάνων. καὶ μετὰ τὰς ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ἀναστὰς δρομαίως ἔρχεται εἰς μοναστήριον. καὶ πίπτει εἰς τοὺς πόδας τοῦ ἀρχιμανδρίτου κράζων καὶ λέγων· Ἐλέησόν με, πάτερ, ταπεινὸν καὶ ταλείπωρον ἄνθρωπον καὶ σῶσον ψυχὴν ἀπολλυμένην καὶ ἐπιποθοῦσαν δουλεύειν τῷ θεῷ. λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ἀρχιμανδρίτης· Τίς εἶ καὶ πόθεν; καὶ τί τὸ ὄνομά σου; καὶ πόθεν ἐλήλυθας; λέγει ὁ μακάριος Συ μεών· Τῷ μὲν γένει ἐλεύθερος, τὸ δὲ ὄνομα Συμεών, τὸ δὲ πῶς ἐλήλυθα ἐνταῦθα ἢ ποίων γονέων ὑπάρχω μή με ἐρώτα, δέσποτα, δέομαί σου, ἀλλὰ ἐξαγόρασον σεαυτῷ μίαν ψυχὴν ἀπολλυμένην. ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ ἀρχιμανδρίτης ἤγειρεν αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ ἐδάφους καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ἀρχιμανδρίτης· Εἰ ἀπὸ θεοῦ εἶ, ὁ κύριός σε φυλάξει ἀπὸ παντὸς πονηροῦ καὶ δολίου πράγματος καὶ ἔσῃ πᾶσιν ποιῶν τὴν ὑπηρεσίαν, ἵνα παρὰ πάντων ἀγαπηθῇς.

5 Οἱ δὲ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐπαύοντο κλαίοντες καὶ ζητοῦν τες αὐτόν· ὁ δὲ ἅγιος διῆγεν ἐν τῷ μοναστηρίῳ δουλεύων τοῖς πᾶσι καὶ ἀγαπώμενος ὑπὸ πάντων καὶ πληρῶν τὸν κανόνα τοῦ μοναστηρίου. ἐν μιᾷ οὖν τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐξελθὼν τοῦ μο ναστηρίου εὑρίσκει ἐπάνω τοῦ φρέατος σίτλαν, ὅθεν τὸ ὕδωρ ἤντλουν, ἔχουσαν