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"Lest by living alone I be exalted and harm myself, but rather I give myself to the obedience of the brethren and, observing the way of life of each one, being held by zeal, I too by the grace of God may fulfill the same virtue". And this is what happened. For having entered into a common life, he so conducted himself with the brotherhood as to think that he was not living with men, but with angels of God, and he did what was commanded with all haste and eagerness and joy. Casting away all pride and arrogance and worldly memory, he practiced all self-control, obedience, humility, brotherly love, silence, love, thinking of nothing else but the commands and admonitions of the holy father and bishop Athanasius and the hope which is in Christ Jesus. And all the brothers were edified, seeing the man who was once rich and glorious in the world and brought up with every refinement, now not considering himself a noble and free man, but practicing every humility. And they glorified God who grants to men more than they ask or seek from him. When the leader of the monastery saw him, filled by the grace of God with so many achievements and clothed with every virtue, in the second year of his entrance he appointed him apocrisiarius of the monastery, so that going out to the city he might minister to every need with all reverence, to which the whole brotherhood also consented. But the servant of God Antiochus, not knowing how to speak against it, with all reverence as from the beginning performed this obedience also, and having asked for a prayer from the whole brotherhood, he then went out to the city for every response of the monastery. And having found in the city an old friend, a deacon of the church, named Pistus, he stayed with him whenever he came to the city on the pretext of his ministry. Therefore, when the envious demon saw the man's great knowledge and virtue and could not bear it, see what he contrives.

2.15 The deacon had an only-begotten daughter. A certain reader named Alexander, having often attended upon her, corrupted her, and when the girl became pregnant, the reader, fearing the bishop and not bearing the shame, suggested to the girl to ascribe the blame to the servant of God Antiochus, with which the girl also agreed, so as to convince everyone of this. And after forty days from the birth of the child, the matter concerning the girl became known to the bishop, and the bishop, having summoned her, inquired with many threats who could have done this. And she answered, "From the monk Antiochus; as the saying is, he is in the habit of coming to us". And the bishop believed, and all who were present. And having sent with great anger to the monastery .... the servant of God. And entering with him into the city with insolence, one insulted him, another spat on him, another reproached him, and he himself was presented to the bishop. And being asked about the girl and about what had happened, Antiochus said, "If I speak the truth, my truth will not be believed in your falsehood". And with the whole crowd standing by, the girl said, crying out, "What have you to say? You cannot deny it; for the child is from you. And why are you ashamed? Confess what you have done". Then groaning, the servant of God Antiochus says, "Give me the child, and let me see if it is from me". And taking the child, being forty days old, and holding it in his hands, he looked up to heaven and said to the child, "In the name of the Lord, speak, child, are you from me"? Then the child, by the grace of God, cries out in a loud voice, "No, servant of God; you are pure before God. But the one who caused this scandal is Alexander the reader". Then the girl, understanding the reproof of God, immediately fell at his feet and expired; and the bishop asked forgiveness from him; and the reader, having inflicted many things on himself

12

"Μή πως κατὰ μόνας οἰκῶν ὑψωθῶ καὶ βλάψω ἑαυτὸν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον δίδωμι ἐμαυτὸν εἰς ὑπακοὴν ἀδελφῶν καὶ θεωρῶν ἑνὸς ἑκάστου τὴν πολιτείαν ζήλῳ κρατού μενος κἀγὼ τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ χάριτι τὴν αὐτὴν πληρώσω ἀρετήν". ὅπερ καὶ γέγονεν. εἰσελθὼν γὰρ εἰς κοινό βιον οὕτως ἐπολιτεύσατο μετὰ τῆς ἀδελφότητος ὡς νο μίζειν αὐτὸν μὴ μετὰ ἀνθρώπων οἰκεῖν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ ἀγγέλων θεοῦ, καὶ τὰ κελευόμενα μετὰ πάσης σπουδῆς καὶ προθυμίας καὶ χαρᾶς ἐποίει. πάντα τῦφον καὶ ὑπερηφανίαν καὶ μνήμην κοσμικὴν ἐκ ποδῶν ποιήσας πᾶσαν ἤσκει σωφροσύνην, ὑπακοὴν, ταπεινοφροσύνην, φιλαδελφίαν, σιωπὴν, ἀγάπην, οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐννοῶν εἰ μὴ τὰς ἐντολὰς καὶ νουθεσίας τοῦ ἁγίου πατρὸς καὶ ἐπισκόπου Ἀθανασίου καὶ τὴν ἐλπίδα τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. καὶ πάντες ὠφελοῦντο οἱ ἀδελφοὶ βλέποντες τὸν ἄνδρα ποτὲ μὲν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ πλούσιον καὶ ἔνδοξον καὶ μετὰ πάσης πολιτείας ἀνατραφέντα, νῦν δὲ μὴ λογιζόμενον ἑαυτὸν ἄνθρωπον εὐγενῆ καὶ ἐλεύθερον, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν εὐτέλειαν ἀσκοῦντα. καὶ ἐδόξαζον τὸν θεὸν τὸν πλείονα χαριζόμενον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὧν αἰτοῦσιν ἢ ζητοῦσιν αὐτόν. ὅνπερ ἰδὼν ὁ ἡγούμενος τοῦ μοναστη ρίου τοσούτων τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ χάριτι γέμοντα κατορθωμάτων καὶ πᾶσαν ἀρετὴν ἠμφιεσμένον τῷ δευτέρῳ ἐνιαυτῷ τῆς εἰσόδου αὐτοῦ κατέστησεν αὐτὸν ἀποκρι σιάριον τῆς μονῆς, ὅπως ἐξερχόμενος ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν πᾶσαν χρείαν μετὰ πάσης εὐλαβείας διακονήσῃ, ᾧτινι καὶ πᾶσα ἡ ἀδελφότης συνῄνεσεν. Ὁ δὲ δοῦλος τοῦ θεοῦ Ἀντίοχος, ἀντιλέγειν μὴ εἰδὼς, μετὰ πάσης εὐλαβείας ὡς ἀπ' ἀρχῆς καὶ ταύτην ἐποίησε τὴν ὑπακοὴν, καὶ αἰτήσας εὐχὴν παρὰ πάσης τῆς ἀδελφότητος ἐξήρχετο λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν εἰς πᾶσαν ἀπόκρισιν τοῦ μοναστηρίου. εὑρὼν δὲ εἰς τὴν πόλιν φίλον ἀρχαῖον, διάκονον τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ὀνόματι Πιστὸν, παρ' αὐτῷ ἔμενεν, ὅτε ἤρχετο εἰς τὴν πόλιν προφά σει διακονίας. ἰδὼν οὖν ὁ φθονερὸς δαίμων τὴν τοσ αύτην ἐπιστήμην καὶ ἀρετὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς καὶ μὴ φέρων ὅρα τί μηχανᾶται.

2.15 Θυγάτηρ ἦν μονογενὴς τῷ διακόνῳ. ταύτην πολλάκις προσεδρεύσας τις ἀναγνώστης, ὀνόματι Ἀλέ ξανδρος, ἔφθειρεν, καὶ τῆς κόρης ἐγκύου γεναμένης φο βηθεὶς ὁ ἀναγνώστης τὸν ἐπίσκοπον καὶ τὴν αἰσχύνην μὴ φέρων ὑπέθετο τῇ κόρῃ τὴν αἰτίαν τῷ δούλῳ τοῦ θεοῦ Ἀντιόχῳ ἐπιγράψαι, ᾧ καὶ συνέθετο ἡ κόρη τοὺς πάντας οὕτως πληροφορῆσαι. καὶ μεθ' ἡμέρας τεσσα ράκοντα τῆς τοῦ παιδίου γεννήσεως φανερὰ γέγονε τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ τὰ κατὰ τὴν κόρην, καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος αὐτὴν ὁ ἐπίσκοπος ἐπυνθάνετο μετὰ πολλῆς ἀπειλῆς τίς ἂν εἴη ὁ τοῦτο πεποιηκώς. ἡ δὲ ἀπεκρίθη "Ἀπὸ τοῦ μονάζοντος Ἀντιόχου, καθά φησιν, ἐν συνηθείᾳ ἐστὶ τοῦ ἔρχεσθαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς". καὶ ἐπίστευσεν ὁ ἐπίσκο πος καὶ πάντες οἱ παρεστῶτες. καὶ πέμψας μετὰ πολ λοῦ θυμοῦ εἰς τὸ μοναστήριον .... τὸν δοῦλον τοῦ θεοῦ. μεθ' ὕβρεως δὲ εἰσελθόντες μετ' αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἄλλος μὲν ὕβριζεν αὐτὸν, ἄλλος ἐνέπτυεν, ἕτερος ὠνείδιζεν, αὐτὸς δὲ παρέστη τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ. καὶ ἐρω τηθεὶς περὶ τῆς κόρης καὶ περὶ τοῦ γεγονότος εἶπεν ὁ Ἀντίοχος "Ἐὰν εἴπω τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἡ ἀλήθειά μου ἐν τῷ ὑμετέρῳ ψεύδει οὐ μὴ πιστευθῇ". καὶ παρεστῶ τος ὅλου τοῦ ὄχλου εἶπεν ἡ κόρη κράζουσα "Τί ἔχεις εἰπεῖν; οὐ δύνασαι ἀρνήσασθαι· ἀπὸ σοῦ γὰρ γεγένη ται τὸ παιδίον. καὶ τί αἰσχύνῃ; ὁμολόγησον ὃ ἐποίη σας". τότε στενάξας ὁ δοῦλος τοῦ θεοῦ Ἀντίοχος λέ γει "∆ότε μοι τὸ παιδίον, καὶ ἴδω εἰ ἐξ ἐμοῦ γεγένη ται". καὶ λαβὼν τὸ παιδίον τεσσαράκοντα ἡμερῶν ὂν καὶ κρατήσας ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτοῦ, ἀτενίσας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν εἶπεν τῷ παιδίῳ "Ἐν ὀνόματι τοῦ· κυρίου, εἰπὲ, παιδίον, ἐξ ἐμοῦ γεγένησαι σύ"; τότε βοᾷ τὸ παιδίον χάριτι τοῦ θεοῦ μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ "Οὐχὶ, δοῦλε τοῦ θεοῦ· καθαρὸς σὺ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ. ὁ δὲ τοῦτο τὸ σκάνδαλον ποιήσας Ἀλέξανδρός ἐστιν ὁ ἀναγνώστης". τότε ἡ μὲν κόρη κατανοήσασα τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἔλεγξιν παραχρῆμα πεσοῦσα παρὰ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ ἐξέψυξεν· ὁ δὲ ἐπίσκοπος ἀμνησικακίας χάριν ᾐτήσατο παρ' αὐτοῦ· ὁ δὲ ἀναγνώστης, πολλὰ ἐπιθεὶς ἑαυτῷ