The Life of Rabban Hormizd (chapters 7. Of the cleaving of the holy man Mâr Abraham of Bêth 'Abhê to the holy man [Rabban hôrmîzd]–17. Of the bringing out of the miserable little idol which the accursed ones had placed in the shrine of the holy man Mâr Mattai)
The Life of Rabban Hormizd
continued
Chapter 7. Of the cleaving of the holy man Mâr Abraham of Bêth 'Abhê to the holy man [Rabban hôrmîzd]
Now from this time Abbâ Abraham and Rabban Hôrmîzd clave each to the other, and thereupon Abbâ Abraham made it to be a condition with Rabban Hôrmizd that he should become Rabban's disciple and servant all the days of his life. And the blessed men remained in that Monastery three months after these words, and, one night, whilst they were still living there in this wise, the conclusion of the revelation which had been made unto Rabban Hôrmizd formerly was made known unto him by our Lord. Then being certain of the import of the vision, he rose up with earnest purpose and went to Rabban Mâr Yôzâdhâk, that pillar of light and fellow-monk of the blessed man, in order that he might reveal unto him what the Spirit had set in his mouth. And while he was knocking at the door, and was about to go into his presence, Rabban Mâr Yôzâdhâk answered and said unto those who were sitting there with him, that is to say, John the Persian, and Îshô'-Sabhran, and Abbâ Adhônâ, and Rabban Shem'ôn, the servant of the blessed man, "My beloved, I believe that Rabban Hôrmizd is to be a member of our following, and that he will have a portion with us in our departure from this place." Now whilst the[se] word[s] were in his mouth—for so it is related concerning the blessed man, behold, Rabban Hôrmizd knocked at the door of the cell. And Rabban Yôzâdhâk commanded Rabban Shem'ôn his servant to open the door to him, and when he
partly by the Government which laid heavy fiscal burdens upon it. The history of the monastery and of its Abbots and others will be found in my Book of Governors, London, 1893. had entered in, and they had been blessed by each other and had seated themselves, Rabban Yôzâdhâk began to say unto Rabban Hôrmîzd with a smile, "Dost thou desire to live in the desert, O son of Persians? The Holy Spirit hath already long ago' spoken in this wise unto thee, and this night hath He completed the matter; rise up then, O ye my beloved ones, that we may depart unto the place whereunto His will hath summoned and called us." And when the night had come, they all rose up together with one purpose and with common agreement, and with one Apostolic love, that they might depart and dwell in the Monastery of Abbâ Abraham of Rîshâ, because it was exceedingly suitable for the cultivation of the life of ascetic contemplation for which they had been earnestly longing a great length of time.
Let the mouths of the reader and of those who hearken [unto him] be sanctified by [the mention of] these beloved names:—The holy man Rabban Mâr Yôzâdhâk, John the Persian, Rabban Mâr Îshô'-Sabhran, Rabban Mâr Hôrmîzd, Abbâ Adhônâ, Abbâ Shem'ôn, and Abbâ Abraham, the disciple of the holy man. This holy and divine band, this company of fiery men who were filled with the grace which is in Christ, with one soul and with one spirit armed themselves and went forth from among those angelic ranks, and came in a body with the holy angels who were their guides unto this Monastery [of Abbâ Abraham of Rīshā]; and they found it to be suitable for the cultivation of the ascetic life, and there each of them prepared for himself a small place which was only large enough to hold his body, and alone with God they cultivated the service of the holy angels. Now they lived there in the neighbourhood of that Monastery for a period of seven years in one unity of divine purpose, for the believing folk who dwelt in the country of Margā were taking care of them, and from time to time that which was necessary for the support of their lives was collected by their steward, Rabban Īshō'-Sabhran, a man of labours and a shrine of divine humility, who with meek lowliness yoked himself beneath the chariot of the service of these holy fathers.
And they toiled the whole week sitting apart each by himself in a place which was secluded, and they neither spoke to nor saw each other until sunset on the Eve of the Sabbath Day, when they gathered themselves together and kept vigil the whole night, and performed a divine and glorious service, and then they partook with rejoicing of the Divine Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ, after which each of them returned to his place, and their soul[s] were filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit. And the steward Īshō'-Sabhran used to give unto each one of them that which was sufficient for his need for the [whole] week, and he used to bake bread and set it upon the common table, and each of them would then take thereof whatsoever he wished and which was necessary for his use and need. Now their drink came from the great spring (or, fountain) which they had there, and Rabban Îshô'-Sabhran used to take an earthenware pitcher, and fill it with water, and carry it and set it before the cells of the blessed men day by day. Whensoever there came unto them a man who was sick, or one who was vexed by Satan, or one suffering from any kind of sickness whatsoever, Rabban Îshô'-Sabhran the steward would bring him unto the holy man Rabban Hôrmîzd, when Rabban would lay his right hand upon him, and our Lord would heal him of whatsoever disease he had.
Now Rabban possessed this gift in a more abundant measure than all the [other] fathers who were there, and in a smaller or greater degree his fame went forth into every part of that country. And a certain man from the city of Bâladh came there, whose eyes had been made blind by the vexing of the Evil One, and he could not see; this man did Îshô'-Sabhran receive into the community, and he gave him relief. And after he had been living with him for a day Îshô'-Sabhran took the blind man and carried him and set him, being blind and sightless, before the cell of Rabban Hôrmîzd, whilst he himself stood opposite; now the coming of the blind man unto him was not hidden from the holy man. First of all he prayed over him, and then he prepared a washing of his cross, and when the blind man drew nigh unto the door of his cell, with a simple eye which was guileless of fraud and lying hypocrisy he brought forth the water in which he had washed the cross and went out to receive and to meet the blind man. Then he laid his right hand upon his eyes, and said, "O our Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst open the eyes of Ṭimai, the son of Ṭimai, and didst light the lamp of our manhood by the brilliant rays of light of Thy Godhead; O Lord, Thou didst call Thyself the 'Light of the world', and Thou art [the Light], and through Thy light, O Christ, the righteous men who have lived from generation to generation have received light, I have become Thy servant, and I forget that I am a sinner.
Thy love hath stirred me up to ask Thee for that which is greater than what I and the fathers of olden time have [asked before]. O my Lord, Thou wast with the [fathers] of olden time, and Thou didst cleave unto those who came after them, and Thou didst not cease from or have disregard unto the company [of the fathers] of the last times, be not Thou then unmindful of me, a sinner, but for the sake of this man who is blind and who standeth in Thy presence, have regard unto me, a sinner, who taketh refuge in Thy Name, that Thy Holy Name may through me and through him be glorified, now, and always, and for ever and ever. Amen." And when he had finished his prayer and had said 'Amen', he laid his fingers upon the eyes of the blind man in the Name of Jesus the Nazarene, and suddenly his eyes were opened and he saw; and Rabban fastened the windows and door of his cell, and he sat down in the restfulness of his soul. Now the [man who had been] blind stood at his door being doubtful in mind as to whether in very truth the light of the world had been seen by him or not, and he was rubbing his eyes thinking that peradventure it was a deceitful vision. Then Rabban Îshô'-Sabhran who had been standing opposite to him saw that the eyes of the blind man were opened, and he drew nigh unto him with rejoicing and with grateful thanks unto our Lord, saying, "Glory be unto Thee, O our Lord Jesus Christ, Thou beloved Son, Who hast not crushed out from Thy Church the salt of excellence, but in all generations hast established for Thyself pledges of the redemption of the children of men, for in this age, which is wanting in grace, Thou hast placed for us as a light of brilliant splendour, Rabban Hôrmîzd, through whom Thou hast in Thy grace this day given light unto the eyes of this blind man." And the man who had been blind and Îshô'-Sabhran departed together glorifying God, and they were marvelling at this wonderful thing.
And again on another occasion they brought unto him a certain man from the village of Margâ who had been bitten by a mad dog; now he was in a most grievous state through the pain, and, behold, by reason of the anguish thereof he was gnawing his own flesh with his mouth. He was, moreover, dripping with blood, and he stank horribly by reason of the foul and filthy matter which was running over his body, and he was well nigh out of his mind; he was unable to eat bread or to drink water, and no man dared to draw nigh unto him lest the poison of the disease should straightway fly into another body. Now when the steward Rabban İshô'-Sabhran saw the man's pain (or, sickness), he had pity and compassion upon him, and he took him and brought him to the cell of Rabban, and said unto him, "Sit thou here until the holy man cometh forth 'to heal thee'; and he removed himself from the place where the man was and took up his stand opposite. Now unto the wonderful old man Rabban Hôrmizd Christ had revealed concerning that afflicted one, and the blessed man made ready a washing of his cross, and was waiting until peradventure the sick man should fall asleep, when he would then be able to go forth and lay his right hand upon him without his seeing him, and he might be made whole.
And having thus waited for a space of three hours, and the pain not permitting the man to fall asleep, the blessed man prayed over him from his cell, and the Lord cast a slumber upon him and he slept. Then the old man went forth from his cell and drew nigh unto him that was smitten (or, afflicted), and he sprinkled over him the water of the washing, and said, O our Lord Jesus Christ, 'Thou living Medicine of our miserable race, Thou Good and Merciful Physician, heal Thou by Thy grace the sickness of this man, that Thy Holy Name may be glorified in Thy Holy Church, Amen. And Rabban Hôrmîzd left him and went to his cell. Then Rabban Îshô'-Sabhran drew nigh unto the smitten man and called unto him to rise up out of the sickness in which he was lying, whereupon the body of the smitten man was relieved, and he obtained ease and rest from that cruel sickness through the prayers of Rabban Hôrmîzd. And Rabban Îshô'-Sabhran carried him into his own habitation and took care of him for two days, and he was healed wholly.
And again on another occasion they brought there a certain woman from the city of Mâwṣel who was wholly covered with leprosy; and when they had brought her up to the cell of the holy man, he was filled with wrath at her kinsfolk, and said unto them, "Why have ye brought a woman unto monks in the desert? For woman is a snare of Satan unto ascetics, and [the occasion of] a fall, from which there is no rising up, unto those who run in this racecourse after the manner of the Spirit; ye should not have dared to bring a woman unto the congregation of ascetics, for a woman hath no power to enter into the habitation thereof." Then the people who brought that woman held their peace and dared not to say a word before the blessed man, but they entreated him to have mercy upon them, and to visit them in his prayers, saying, "We have borne and suffered the toil of all this journey from the city of Mâwṣel unto thee, and now we are dismissed by thee without any benefit; accept now our persons, and forgive thou the folly of thy servants for Thy Lord's sake." Now when the holy man saw the penitence of their minds, and the humility of their souls he had mercy upon them, and he made a washing of the hēnānā of his cross, and gave [it] unto them that they might anoint the woman and all her body therewith. And as soon as they had done according to what the blessed man had commanded them, and had anointed her body, suddenly she became healed completely of the leprosy which had filled all her body, and all the places which had cast their leprosy became covered with hair. Then her kinsfolk glorified God, and departed to their houses in peace and in great joy.
And the blessed man Rabban Hōrmīzd continued to occupy himself with the matters of his life of contemplation and asceticism, and he served his Lord, and there came upon him a revelation from our Lord concerning a certain shepherd who was pasturing his flock in the mountain. Now, it fell out a certain time on a certain day that this shepherd poured some milk into a basin in which there were sops of bread, that he might eat of the meal which he had made ready, but for one reason or another he was prevented [from eating], and he left the repast which was in the basin uncovered, and rising up from it he departed to carry out the business which called him. And by one of the chances which happen in the world an evil and deadly poisonous snake accidentally fell into the basin, and having shot forth his poison [into it] departed. Now when the shepherd came to his meal, having stretched forth his right hand, and put [food] into his mouth once or twice, suddenly the poison flew through his body, and he was violently convulsed by the severe pain in his person, and he died straightway. And because that shepherd was a good and merciful man, and was one who led a pure life and was a virgin, our Lord sent a revelation unto Rabban concerning him;
and as soon as he had learned about him surely through the divine revelation, Rabban rose up straightway, and took his staff in his right hand, and left his cell, and departed. And he was meditating within his holy person, and saying, "Peradventure I shall not be able to bear the toil of this long journey", for the place where the shepherd lay was at a distance of sixty parasangs from the cell of the holy man. And as he was meditating in this wise within himself, behold, an angel came and stood before him, and by means of the spiritual breath of his lightness he bore Rabban along and set him down by the side of the shepherd, for whose sake he had endured this labour; and he saw that the shepherd was dead, and that there was not a breath of life in him, and that his sheep were scattered abroad on the mountain concerning which a revelation had been made unto him. And the Lord hearkened unto the voice of the prayer of His servant, and the soul of the shepherd came back within him. Then Rabban made a washing of the ḥenâna of his cross, and gave thereof to the shepherd to drink, and he anointed his body therewith, and the poison was driven out therefrom by means of the prayers of the holy man. Then the shepherd straightened himself and sat down, being in his right mind, and he was giving thanks and praising the grace of our Lord;
and he related unto Rabban what had befallen him through the poison which he had received from the food, and how his soul had departed from his body in a swift and violent manner. [And he said unto Rabban,] "I make known that I had become remote from this fleeting life, and I know and am certain that if the Lord had not sent thee I should never have come back from the captivity of death, for I was lying in the depths of the devouring Sheol. But with what recompense can I reward the Lord in return for all His acts of grace to me, except that I offer my soul as an offering on my behalf unto Him that hath restored me anew unto life? Then he lifted up his eyes and saw his sheep which were separated and scattered upon the tops of those hills, and Rabban made a sign unto him that he should gather together his sheep, so he took his staff in his hand, and went down after his sheep to gather them together. And the angel of the Lord lifted up Rabban, and in one brief moment he bore him back and set him down in his cell.
Now this wonderful thing was not hidden from the eyes of the seraphic watchman Rabban Mâr Yôzâdhâk, for in that same night in which Rabban came from the shepherd the holy man Mâr Yôzâdhâk met him in his spiritual cell, and said unto him, "Blessed art thou, O Rabban Hôrmizd, for by means of thee the shepherd who was poisoned hath returned to life. It shall happen unto thee that by the mere utterance of thy name poison shall be driven forth from its sovereignty, and no mad dog shall gird at thee in the dominion of the mention of thy name." And when that pillar of light Rabban Mâr Yôzâdhâk had said these [words] concerning him prophetically, he left him straightway, and departed. Now the beck of the Lord by His will travelleth and journeyeth with His servants, and His everlasting will drew nigh and came, [and ordained] that His athletes should depart from that place of Rabban Abraham of Rîshâ unto another which His will had foreseen. And it came to pass that when the day of the congregation of the First Day of the week had drawn nigh, and these fathers had gathered together thereunto, according to what I have said above, and they had received the Holy Mysteries, and had sat down together in a body to participate with gladness in the breaking of the sacramental bread, the steward Rabban Îshô'-Sabhran spake before them, saying, "Ye know, O fathers, that the spring which we used to have here, the waters whereof used to flow in great abundance — now water is the [chief] need of our life in the body — hath through Divine agency dried up entirely, [and that the place thereof] hath become even like parched ground through which water hath never flowed since the days when it was created. Then Rabban Hôrmízd answered and spake before the fathers, saying, "O my holy fathers, hearken ye unto what I shall say before you. As long as the will of the Lord had pleasure in our congregation which was in this place, this spring which hath dried up flowed for us all alike;
but now that the Lord hath willed that some of us should depart from this place, the flow of this spring is not [sufficient] for us all, but only for those who shall live and remain here. And that seraph of flesh and cherub of earth, Rabban Mâr Yôzâdhâk, answered and spake before them, saying, "Even thus saith the Holy Spirit, I Yôzâdhâk, and Abbâ Adhônâ, and Abbâ Shem'ôn, will go unto Mount Kardô; and Rabban Hôrmizd and Abbâ Abraham shall go up unto the Mount of Bêth Edhrai; and Rabban Îshô'-Sabhran and John the Persian shall bring their days to an end here meritoriously, and the spring shall return to its natural manner. But rise up now, O my beloved, and let each one of us direct his steps unto the place where it is pleasing unto the grace of our Lord [for him to be]. And according to what they had proclaimed beforehand, even so did they; and Rabban Yôzâdhâk first of all gave the salutation of peace unto his companions, and took away with him Abbâ Adhônâ, and Abbâ Shem'ôn; and Rabban Hôrmizd himself also took with him Abbâ Abraham, and they gave the salutation of peace unto the others.
Chapter 8. Of the separation of the fathers from each other, and of the coming of Rabban [hôrmîzd] unto his place
Now when Rabban Îshô'-Sabhran and John the Persian saw their companions separating from them the parting from their fellows was very grievous unto them; and they all went forth in a body, and accompanied them on their way for a distance of one stage, and they gave each other the salutation of peace a second time amid holy kisses and sorrowful tears, and then they parted from each other, and [went] unto the places which the will of the Lord had ordained for them. Then Rabban Îshô'-Sabhran and John the Persian returned unto their places, according to the prophetical words which the holy man had uttered concerning them, and they turned aside to the spring that they might see what had happened unto it, and as soon as they arrived there they found that [the pool] was full of water to the brim according to its former state. And they rejoiced with an exceedingly great joy, and there, in the Monastery of Rîshâ, they brought to an end the course of their labours in a prosperous manner.
Now Rabban Yôzâdhâk took his companions and went to the mountains of Kardô, and our Rabban Mâr Hôrmîzd took Abbâ Abraham, and they went together to the Mountain of the village of Bêth 'Edhrai; and they found in that mountain a small cave with a rill of water in front of it, and there they took up their abode. Now Abbâ Abraham had remained only three days there when there came upon them a revelation from our Lord that he should depart from Rabban Hôrmizd, and should also go to the work which had been set apart for him [to do] by Divine Grace; so Rabban Abraham went forth from that place, and came and founded a monastery for himself in the country of Nineveh, and the rumour of his arrival went forth into all that country. And the village of believers, Al-Kôsh, was the one which was nigh unto that mountain wherein the holy man Rabban Hôrmizd had taken up his abode, and the people thereof were the first to go up unto this holy man and to be blessed by him. And by his prayers he delivered them from their diseases and sicknesses, and they rejoiced in him with an exceedingly great joy because God had held their village worthy for Rabban Hôrmizd to be its neighbour, and a sojourner therein. Then they answered all together and said unto him, "Take up thine abode in our neighbourhood, O Rabban, for we love thee, and thine arrival in our district is acceptable unto us even as that of an angel of God. And if thou wishest to build a Monastery for thyself the carrying out of the plan and the cost thereof shall be ours. Behold, we are all thy sons, and men who are ready to be obedient unto thy will and unto thy holy fatherhood, and whatsoever thy greatness commandeth thy servants we [will do], according to thy will and for the fulfilment of thy desire which is one with that of our Lord; and we will neither cease nor be restrained from [the performance of] anything which shall be for thy gratification. Now when Rabban had hearkened unto them up to this point, he gave them grateful thanks, and blessed them;
and he provided them with his blessings for their journey, and gave unto them a ḥenānā and dismissed them, and they went to their village rejoicing, and giving thanks unto and glorifying God, Who had made their village to be in the neighbourhood of this holy man. Now Rabban Hôrmîzd was a kinsman of that stone which was laid in Jerusalem upon which whosoever fell was broken in pieces; and like that stone did Rabban Hôrmîzd become in the mountains of Bêth 'Edhrai. He was life, and joy, and gladness unto the people of Al-Ḳôsh, but a stumbling-block, and a source of grief which leaped upon the accursed Monastery of Bezḳîn; he was anguish and a terror unto the heretic village of Arsham, and a tribulation and an affliction unto the wasted tavern of Bezḳîn of the teachers of heresy. Now at that time the village of Arsham was full of heretics, but after a certain time the governor of the city of Mâwṣel drove out the inhabitants that were therein from the neighbourhood of the holy man, and believing Christians from the country of Ḥâzâr came, and they live there at this time. And Mâr Abhd-Îshô', Bishop of Bêth Nûhdêrân, came unto our Monastery, and our monks went down with him to the village of Arsham, and they consecrated a church [there] with vigil, and with Psalms, and with hymns of praise, and behold, the village is a habitation of orthodox Christians unto this day.
And the believers of Al-Ḳôsh and the people who were of the same faith were glad, and they rejoiced in the coming of the holy old man, Rabban Hôrmizd. Now there was in that country a certain village which was situated [at a distance of] about two or three parasangs from the Monastery, and its name was Bêth Ḳôpâ, and, as soon as the people thereof heard of the coming of the holy old man Rabban Hôrmizd to that mountain of Bêth 'Edhrâyê, they took their sick folk and went up to the blessed man that they might see him, and might also be blessed by him, and also that he might lay his hand upon them and they might be healed. And it came to pass that one of the sick folk who were with them, whilst he was yet at a distance of a journey of one stage from where the blessed man was, was overcome by the severity of his sickness and died on the road, and the company of the believing folk were deeply pained on his account. Now they wished to bury him by the roadside, before they went up to the holy man, but his parents began to curse and to swear at them, saying, "They shall not bury him until Rabban shall see him and then they may bury him". And when they had arrived at the cave of the holy man they all went in, and were blessed by him, and, before they could tell him the cause of the death of the sick man who had died with them on the road, the blessed man himself said unto them, "Come ye in peace, O my children, for ye decided rightly within yourselves not to bury the dead man who died with you on the road until Rabban should see him. And now, my brethren, that ye have seen me, bring unto me the dead man who died with you on the road." And as soon as they had brought the dead man and set him before him, Rabban
Hôrmîzd stood up straightway before our Lord in prayer, and made supplication with sad and bitter tears that, peradventure, the soul of that dead man might come to life again. Now after his prayer, which [continued] for one hour, during which time he was making entreaty and supplication, God hearkened unto the petition of the holy old man forthwith, and he made the soul of the young man to go back into him speedily; and that young man who had just been raised from the dead rubbed his eyes like one who had just risen from sleep, and he asked for water to drink. Then Rabban made a washing of water [from his cross] mixed with some holy dust, and gave it unto him to drink, saying unto him, "Fear thou not, O my son, for thou shalt not die now, but thou shalt live for a season, and then thou shalt die. Now when the company of believing men saw the wonderful thing which Rabban had wrought, they glorified God and gave thanks unto Him because, in His mercy, He had made them worthy to see Rabban and the miracles which were wrought by him, and also to be blessed by him. And those multitudes fell upon the holy old man and kissed his hands and his feet, and they rubbed the dust which was under his feet upon their faces, and they also carried it away as a ḥenānā and as a heavenly gift.
Then Rabban rebuked them [and drove them] from him, saying, "If ye shew yourselves unto me in this wise I will depart from you, and ye shall never again see me here. Now when they had heard these [words] from him, they ceased from thrusting themselves upon him, and then he prayed over them, and gave them a ḥenānā, and dismissed them that they might go unto their village in peace. So they departed and spread abroad the report of him in all the country round about them. And when these people heard [thereof], every man carried his sick folk [unto him], those who were possessed of devils, and the lame, and the blind, and those who were vexed with the long-continued sickness of fever, and those who were smitten with diseases of every kind. [Then were seen] women who had been barren suckling children, and dead men rising from the dead, and those who had been grievously vexed relieved, and the poor having the Gospel preached unto them, and devils going forth [from men and women] and proclaiming the greatness of Jesus the Nazarene, and lepers being cleansed, and prophecies receiving fulfilment by His grace. For the whole of the people of the country which was round about him poured forth like a flood, and hastened and went up to this advocate of the truth, and by means of him they received perfect healing from God. Now he merely laid his right hand upon them, and pronounced over them [the name] "Jesus Christ", and his holy odour used to heal every [kind of] sickness and disease of any man whatsoever who was brought before him. He opened the spiritual storehouse of heavenly treasures which had been given unto him by his Lord, and he began to distribute the spiritual money of his Lord among his companions, and he who was in very truth a good and wise treasurer divided it equally [among all] without accepting the person of any man; and his Lord established him over the members of His house that he might give unto them sustenance in its proper season. Blessed indeed art thou, O old man, yea, blessed with all heavenly blessings, for thou didst break the whole loaf of the perfection of thy soul without sparing, and didst set it upon the table of the spiritual church, and those who were an hungered and were poor ate their fill therefrom.
Now when the Satanic tavern of Bezkin, that monastery of wickedness, saw this merchant of the house of God, this rich man who enriched his poor companions, and who held the sword of the Spirit in his right hand and destroyed the ranks and legions of heresy, they were jealous and became filled with a mighty envy of the righteous man, even as Cyril of the just man Nestorius. In this manner their hearts became hardened in tumultuous rebellion, and they began to burrow in the ground of the hearts of kings and governors after the manner of Cyril in the matter of the righteous man Nestorius; but the vexations which our Nestorius bore were more in number than the evils which the Greek Nestorius endured at the hands of Cyril.
Chapter 9. Of the stripes which Rabban Ḥōrmīzd received willingly from the heretics
And it came to pass on a certain night that there gathered together and went forth from among the "shaved" monks of Bezḳīn ten men who were mighty in body, and they came to the holy man Rabban Hōrmīzd, and they entered into his cave, where they found the holy man occupied in prayer unto his Lord. And those workers of iniquity, who were like Satan their father, fell upon him, and they beat him unmercifully with dreadful blows of terrible cruelty until the skin of his whole body hung down from him in strips; and the evil men left him lying [there] in torments of pain, and departed unto their monastery, thinking that he was actually dead; but the Divine Grace of our Lord had protected him in a providential manner, and had not allowed them to kill the holy man outright. [O Rabban Hôrmîzd,] through the fights with devils and the blows which they inflicted upon thee in thy early manhood, and through the tribulations and stripes which came upon thee in thine old age, thou didst crown thyself with the qualities of perfection!
And the blessed man was lying in his cave like a murdered man who remained unburied, but his holy soul was rejoicing within [him], for both in his early manhood and in his old age he had suffered death for his Lord's sake day by day, and each day alike ceaselessly. Now this evil thing which the monks of Bezkin had done unto Rabban was not hidden from the ears of the believing villagers of Al-Kôsh. And there was in the village of Al-Kôsh a certain man [who was a friend] of Rabban, and his name was Gabriel, and he was descended from the old inhabitants of Persia; he was exceedingly rich, and he possessed multitudes of slaves and innumerable possessions, and very many flocks and herds. And this believing old man Gabriel had taken upon himself to minister unto the needs of the blessed man at the whole and sole cost of himself all the days of his life which he would live upon the earth. And the Lord had blessed him greatly, and had enriched him exceedingly through the prayers of Rabban, even as He blessed Abraham, and he waxed exceedingly great. Now this man Gabriel used to ride upon his mule daily, and go up to Rabban, and minister unto all his wants, and such things as he lacked he supplied unto him.
And when Gabriel had gone unto him according to his wont, and had enquired concerning his well-being, and had also been blessed by him, he perceived that the condition of the holy man was different that day from what it had been the day before, and he also saw [the marks of] stripes upon the holy old man; and he had never on any day seen him as he then saw him. Then the believing Gabriel answered and said unto him, "Father, 'what are these marks which I see upon thee? This day thou art different from what I have ever seen thee before.' And Rabban said unto him with a smile, 'O Gabriel, knowest thou not that those who enter into a war give blows and receive them?' Now Gabriel thought that it was the devils who had been beating him, for that believing man was well aware of the strife and battle which Rabban was always waging with Satan and the evil spirits, and therefore he desisted from making any further enquiries into those matters; and when he had made an end of and finished his ministration unto him, he devoted himself to attending unto his worldly affairs. And as he was walking in that mountain and making enquiries concerning his flocks, and directing the pasturing of his sheep, the shepherd saw that Gabriel, the owner of the flocks, was sad, and he said unto him, Doth my lord permit me to speak unto him? What is the cause of thy sadness?
I know not, but peradventure thieves have fallen upon thee and plundered thy possessions, or perhaps a highway robber hath come upon thee; tell me [what aileth thee]. Then the believing Gabriel answered and said unto his shepherd, "No [thieves] have plundered my goods, and no man hath fallen upon me. There is only one thing which giveth me pain; I have seen that my Rabban hath many stripes [upon him, and that they have been inflicted] by strangers, but I know not who hath smitten him. The shepherd answered and said unto Gabriel, "If I tell thee what hath happened unto Rabban what wilt thou do for me? And the shepherd said unto him, "Ten monks from the monastery of Bezkín beat the old man Rabban the whole night long and inflicted tortures upon him. Now when Gabriel heard these things from his shepherd he blazed up with wrath and anger, and forthwith he mounted his mule, and in his wrath directed his way straight to Rabban that he might learn the truth from him. And as soon as he had gone into the presence of Rabban, who blessed him, before he could speak a word with Rabban, Rabban answered and said unto Gabriel, "Peace, Gabriel, thou art laden with the zeal and spirit of Elijah, and thou dost meditate spoiling me of my divine qualities.
Then Gabriel said unto him, "I have learned concerning thee from my shepherd, and from him have I heard an evil matter which hath made me exceedingly wroth, for he told me that the monks of Bezkin have been evilly entreating and beating thee, and on this account I am wroth. But this very day I will smite the monastery with fire, and I will make it a desert mound unto the dwellers therein. And the blessed man answered and said unto him, "O Gabriel, cease from these things, and leave the avenging of me unto our Lord; for the time of their destruction is nigh, and that which is about to come upon them hasteneth; let it not happen through thy pure hands, but by the hands of God, Who is my Helper, and Who knoweth my paths. If thou wouldst seek to avenge me, and if thou art jealous on my behalf, avenge me first of all upon the company of devils, and the prince of devils, and the evil spirits who have dominion over the air. Now in this thing I have reason to boast, that is to say, in the vexings which spring from devils, and fiends, and evil spirits, for the vexings caused by devils, and the patient endurance of the heathen constitute the riches of holy men. And if thou wouldst strip me of these things, O Gabriel, I should not be able to dwell in thy neighbourhood.
But now, abide patiently for a little, and thou shalt see what thou wouldst desire for my sake, for the Lord shall fight for you if ye will only hold your peace. And the blessed man, by means of his gentle and gracious words, quenched the embers of the fire of the zeal of the believing man, and Gabriel returned to his village with his soul filled with tranquillity, and peace, and with love towards [his] neighbour, through the prayers of Rabban; but he laughed over the end and the destruction of the monks of Bezkin, who ceased not from nor repented of their attack upon Rabban. But their father Satan gave them knowledge by means of the following act of cunning.
Chapter 10. Of the harlot of Bezkin, and of her being raised to life after death by Rabban
There was a certain woman who was a harlot, and she belonged unto one of the sons of the polluted tavern of Bezkin, which hath had the name "Monastery of Bezkin" given unto it; the monks thereof were "shorn" outwardly, but in secret they were workers of wickedness, and they wished to make our Rabban an associate with them in the business of their unclean harlotry. Now from among those "shorn" men there were banded together unclean men who, either more or less, formed a company of about five monks who performed the works of whoredom in a shameful way and after the manner of dogs, and moreover, without modesty, and improperly, and contrary to nature, they behaved with lasciviousness in the manner of the men of Sodom like unto mad dogs, and they worked their deeds of wantonness and lust upon that woman, and upon others who were like unto her. Now therefore when the woman had tarried with them for a season, she conceived, and she gave birth unto a man child in that monastery, and those unto whom the woman belonged doubled their [evil] business in a manner which was more wicked than that which they had done at the first.
For the five men, who had made the woman to conceive and had begotten the child by her, being afraid lest the governor of the country should get knowledge of them, and lest a decree of judgment which was commensurate with their crime should go forth against them, acted cunningly with the harlot, and said unto her, "Rise thou up, and we will carry thee to the village of Arsham, for thou canst not remain here with us in the monastery on account of the child's cries, and if by chance the governor get knowledge concerning us he will destroy both thee and us in an exceedingly cruel manner. Now when the harlot heard these [words] from those "shorn" men, she was exceedingly afraid, and said unto them, "Whatsoever ye wish, that do. Then the five men rose up in that night, and they took the woman and her son, and went forth together, and they arrived at the lower part of the cave of Rabban Hörmizd; and they lifted up the harlot, and dashed her mercilessly upon the ground, and they took a knife and ripped her up, and they threw her against the opening of the cave of the holy man with her son, and departed.
And straightway those abominable men ran and went into the city, and informed the governor, saying, "Behold, a certain woman from the village of Arsham came unto Hôrmîzd, who hath been thought by you to be the righteous man of the Nestorians, that that deceiver might pray for her, and because there was no one with the woman he hath taken her in fornication (God forbid!"), and hath ravished "her, after which he slew both herself and her little son." And when the governor had heard these [words], he was greatly moved, and he went forth [to the mountain], together with crowds from the city, and when the governor and the multitude which was with him drew nigh unto the opening of Rabban's cave, they saw the woman who had been murdered, and her child lying upon her alive. Now the people of the village of Al-Kôsh had also heard this rumour, and they were much distressed for Rabban's sake; but they did not believe this report of him, for they were well acquainted with the perfection of that spiritual man. And they all armed themselves, and in a
body they took their way to go up unto the blessed man, and they and the soldiers of the governor arrived at the cave of the blessed man together; and they saw the governor who had been roused against Rabban heaping blasphemies and blows upon him. Then Gabriel of Al-Kôsh, the servant of Rabban, restrained the governor and said unto him, "It be-fitteth not the governor to be thus hasty in such difficult matters as these, for he should first of all examine and enquire into both sides, and then let the guilty one receive punishment; and if one be in-nocent he meriteth commendation. And the gover-nor said unto Gabriel, "What testimony greater than that which we have before us do we need? For the murdered woman lieth at the door of him that slew her. Then Gabriel said unto him, "There is a testimony greater than this which we may have, that is to say, the murdered woman may bear testimony against him that slew her, and accuse him. And the governor said, "If what thou hast said can take place, there can be no greater testi-mony. Then Gabriel, who had confidence in the boldness of speech which Rabban possessed with his Lord, turned to Rabban, and said unto him, "Rise up, now, and make entreaty unto thy Lord that thy truth may be made manifest, and that the falsehood of the liars may be made evident; and Rabban being full of grace and humility, prayed concerning this matter.
And when he had ended his prayer, and had said "Amen", he turned towards the dead body, and said unto it with his voice, "O dead body, in the Name of Jesus the Nazarene, rise thou up from thy murdered state, and accuse him that slew thee; and at the word which Rabban spake to the murdered woman the spirit entered into her members, and she began to speak in a miraculous manner. Then Rabban drew nigh unto her, and said unto her, "Tell me truly, who was it that committed sin with thee, and slew thee? And the woman made answer unto Rabban, and said unto him in the presence of the governor and the crowd of people, that five of the monks of the Monastery of Bezkin had committed fornication with her in that monastery for a very long time, and finally, she declared for how long a period they had done so, "and then", said she, "they brought me unto this place by night, and slew me. And I know nothing else except that is thou who hast called me and hast roused me up from the abysses of Sheol. Then she became silent, and she spake no more.
And again Rabban answered and said unto the governor, "Take this child of the murdered woman and set him upon thy knees"; and the governor did so. Then Rabban adjured the child, and said unto him, "Unto thee I speak, O thou child who hast no speech, and by the command of God I tell thee to declare in the presence of all who thy father is, for thy mother hath not declared it. And the Lord opened the mouth of the child, and he began to say thus:—"Of the seed of two of them have I been fashioned in the womb of my mother"—now the child said that his mother had had five husbands in Bezkin, but that three of them were impotent, and he said that he came into the world through two of them—then the child became silent, and he spake no more. And when the crowd of people saw this wonderful thing, they all fell down before the feet of the blessed man, and they kissed them, saying, "Forgive us, O our father, for we have sinned, and we have acted foolishly in condemning thee; let the string of thine anger return upon the bow, and let it shoot the arrow through the heart of those who have committed folly"; and they took away the dust of the cave of the blessed man as if it had been a heavenly gift.
Then the people of Al-Kôsh departed to their village, and brought a bier, and lifted up the dead body of the woman, and they carried it down from the mountain of Rabban, even as the holy man had commanded them, and they buried it at the foot of the mountain. And Gabriel, the true friend of Rabban, took the son of the woman, who was nine months old, and placed him where he would be suckled and reared, and when he had grown up, and had arrived at the age of twenty years, he became a monk in the monastery of Rabban; and he excelled greatly in the glorious deeds of asceticism, and went out of this world with merit unspeakable. And the governor, and all the people who were with him and had seen the wonderful thing which Christ had wrought by the means of Rabban Hôrmizd, were filled with divine zeal, and they beat the "shorn" [monks of Bezkin] with hard blows, and they attacked the monastery and plundered everything which was therein. And the governor bound those who dwelt in the tavern of Satan tightly with bonds, and carried them away with him, and shut them up in the prison-house of the city of Bâlâdh, and he wrote to the great governor of Mâwṣel [an account of] their crimes; but the great governor of Mâwṣel took a large bribe from the heretics who were in Bâlâdh and in Mâwṣel, and commanded them to go back to Their monastery, and to restore it to its former condition, according to their desire, without any human opposition. Then these "shorn" men returned to their monastery with rejoicing and gladness, for they had received much money from their fellow heretics in the city of Mâwṣel, and in Bâlâdh, and they began to build and to restore their wasted habitations, and they also set up pillar saints and made them to dwell therein; but behold, although the building was [re-]founded it prospered not.
And Rabban Hôrmízd continued in his conversation with God, and he was always enjoying divine revelations, and he possessed no other thoughts except those of the admiration of divine things and of the gladness of the new world. On one occasion the mind of the holy old man carried him to the consideration of the heretics who were his neighbours, and of their error, when suddenly he saw standing by his side the angel of the Lord; and as soon as the angel came unto him his soul was illumined with the knowledge of the most profound and sublime things, the condition and qualities of which the human intelligence that can comprehend them with the understanding of its mind hath not been fashioned. Then that angel began to sing with the blessed man from the beginning of [the Psalms of] David even unto the end thereof, and the angel also raised the glorious canticle [which beginneth], "The living are not able to hearken unto the words of his sweetness;" now in that hour the mercy of heaven aided Rabban, or perhaps his soul would then have departed from his body. And when the angel had made an end of his canticle, he began to sing the following versicle :—
"The mighty King of the celestial beings Built for Himself a palace (or, fortress) in the heights of heaven, And He gave unto it the name "Jerusalem Of the firstborn, [whose names] are written in the heavens". He fixed a ladder of life in His Church, And He drew up and made to ascend it His household Unto the beautiful abode of spiritual beings, That they might become heirs of His kingdom." And when the versicle of the angel had come to an end, he smote one wing upon the other and ascended into heaven from the place where he had alighted; and Rabban was filled with gladness, which was the similitude of the joy of the new world, through the divine operation which regardeth the happiness of the children of men.
Chapter 11. Now Shâibin, the son of 'Ukbê, was raised from the dead
Now Shâibin the Arab, the son of 'Ukbê, the great governor of Mâwṣel, fell sick of a disease, and his sickness waxed exceedingly sore and grievous, and although the physicians of the city laboured with him, in no wise did they benefit him, on the contrary, his sickness gained more and more hold upon him. And his father was distressed greatly because of him, for the physicians had cut off his hope, saying, "Our knowledge faileth [to help us] in the sickness of this young man, but we counsel thee, O our Amîr Ûkbê, to carry thy son gently in a litter and to take him to the holy man Rabban Hôrmîzd, and when he hath laid his right hand upon him he will be healed completely of whatever sickness he hath upon him. Now when the Amîr 'Ûkbê had heard these [words], he commanded and they made ready a chariot (or, carriage) for his son, and they placed him in it, and taking his soldiers with him he set out to go unto the holy man Rabban Hôrmîzd at Mount Edhrai. And when he had drawn nigh unto the village of Al-Kôsh, according to the dispensation of Divine Providence, which doeth all things well for the creatures of His creation, the young man's pain overpowered him, and he was convulsed with his sickness, and he died;
and his father Ûkbê was distressed greatly because of him, and he was uttering cries of grief, and because he had no other son except that young man he was weeping bitterly for his son's death. Then the villagers of Al-Kôsh and Gabriel, the servant of Rabban, gathered themselves together, and they drew nigh unto Ûkbê, and said unto him, "O our lord, live for ever! Thou didst, in thy faith, come unto Rabban Hôrmîzd that he might heal him (i. e., Ûkbê's son) of his sickness, but behold, by Divine Providence, death hath overtaken him here, and he hath died. Now, O our good Amîr, be not cast down with grief, for we all counsel thee to go to Rabban, having thy son who hath died with thee, and we believe by the God Whom the righteous man serveth, that he will make thy son who is dead to live [again], even as he hath done for many who are like unto thee now. And inasmuch as the Amīr 'Uk̄bē was a good man, and a believer also, he hearkened unto those believing men graciously, and he gave the command straightway, and they laid the dead man upon an animal, and together with ten of his companions they took him up to the blessed man; and his servant Gabriel, and a crowd of the believing men of Al-Kōsh accompanied with honour the Amīr unto the place where the holy man was. And when they had come to the holy man, the governor saluted him, and sat down with him.
Then the governor answered and said unto the holy man, "My lord, I have faith in thy prayers, and because of them I came unto thee from the city of Māwṣel in faith, with the hope that my son would be healed; but when I arrived at the village of Al-Kōsh, according to the will of God and that which was to take place concerning him, the young man died in my hands. And I fell into despair concerning him, and I sought to return unto the city of Māwṣel, but the lords of the village of Al-Kōsh counselled me not to go back until I had come to thee; and now receive thou me, and visit thou me with thy prayers which are hearkened to before thy Lord, and send me not back empty to the city of Māwṣel, lest the heathen and the heretics their enemies say, Ēhē, Ēhē, our eye hath seen him.'" Now to these words the holy man returned no answer whatsoever, but he fixed his gaze upon the ground and his mind upon God, and he became conscious secretly in his spirit that He was about to send the young man back to life again. And the holy man answered and commanded his servant Gabriel to bring the young man and to set him before him, and Gabriel did so. Then Rabban Hôrmîzd turned his face to the East, and prayed before our Lord, saying, "O our Lord Jesus Christ, Thou 'beloved Son, Who art from the Holy Father;
Thou, O our Lord, the Son of Mary, the Son of God, during Thy human dispensation didst raise from the dead three dead men. The children of Thy nation, the Jews, crucified Thee upon the wood, and Thou wast buried in the heart of the earth three days and three nights, and, having risen from the grave in the glory of Thy Father, Thou didst' take Thy seat 'in the heavens at the right hand of Thy Father. And Thou didst command us to ask of Him petitions in the Name of Jesus , and to live and to believe in Him, and that every thing should be '[given] unto us. In the Name of Jesus the Nazarene, rise up, O Shâibîn, from thy state of death.' And at this word life entered into the young man, and his flesh began to quiver, and as soon as the holy old man saw that his life had entered into him he drew nigh to the body, and moved his right hand three times over him that was dead, and said, 'Shâibîn, Shâibîn, in the Name of Jesus the Nazarene rise thou up from the dead, for by His Resurrection our Lord Jesus hath abrogated the sentence of death which was passed on thee; and immediately he opened his eyes, and they straightened him, and he sat up. Then the holy man drew nigh unto him and gave him a washing [from his cross] to drink, and he drank, and he broke a cake of sacramental bread and gave him to eat.
And when he had eaten and drunk, all those who were standing there were seized with wonderment and joy, and they cried out, saying, "In very truth the Christians stand in the truth, and they worship their Lord Christ blamelessly, for by the Name of Jesus the Nazarene this man hath been raised from the dead." Now as the Arabs and the people of Al-Kôsh were thus rejoicing, suddenly there burst upon them the "shorn", accursed sons of Bezkin, who had come to salute the Amîr, and to condole with him on the death of his son, but behold, they saw that the son of the governor had been raised from the dead. Evil [be] upon you, O ye heretics, who put to death the God-head! Behold now, by the Name of Jesus, the Man Who was God, the dead live through the man Rabban Hôrmizd! [And the monks of Bezkin] saluted the governor, and blessed him also, and instead of comforting and consoling him, for which purpose they had come, they began to ascribe glory unto God, and to say, "Thanks be unto God Who hath given joy unto us and thee through the restoration to life of thy son Shâibîn by the hands of the servant of the living God, the glorious Rabban Hôrmîzd. But the governor answered them never a word, for he despised and rejected their words because they were remote from the truthfulness of Rabban Hôrmîzd, and he turned his face away from them, and directed the gaze of both his eyes and his heart towards Rabban. Then the governor answered and said unto Rabban, "Master, I know not with what similitudes I can liken and compare thee this day. [Shall I say thou art] like the angel of God? But why should I say [thou art like] the angels?
Nay, thou resemblest the Lord of the angels through thy divine and triumphant works. For by the Name of Jesus the Nazarene thou hast made to live my son who was dead, and thou hast made him to come back from the devouring Sheol, and he hath [again] seen the light of life. And with what can I recompense thee for the great goodness which thou hast wrought for me, and for my son [who was] dead whom thou didst bring back to life by thy prayers? Even if I were to give thee all my kingdom and my possessions, what, I say, would the doing of this be for thee in return for that which thou hast done for me? There is nothing which I can do here that will compare, even in the smallest degree, with what thou hast done for me. Nevertheless let me be baptized in the Name of Him in Whose Name my son was restored to life from the state of death; yet am I not worthy to make perfect the true faith in my soul, but only let His Name be proclaimed over us, and we shall live thereby. Only, O my lord, give thou unto me the baptism of repentance and let us be pardoned thereby, even as John gave the baptism of repentance unto the people of the Jews."
And the holy man said unto the governor, "Thou knowest that I have not with me here the holy vessels and the things necessary for the performance of the holy service of baptism, for I have not even a little clay vessel in which to fetch a little water to drink, how then canst thou demand at my hands the vessels which are meet for baptism?" Then did John, the "shorn", accursed, and abominable head of the Monastery of Bezkin, make answer on behalf of the Amir, saying, "O my lord the Amir, behold our monastery is provided with every thing which is necessary for baptism, and thou canst be baptized by us just as well as by the hands of Rabban, because baptism by him or by us is the same thing." Now when Rabban and the crowds that were gathered together there heard these [words] from John they marvelled exceedingly at his audacity, and Rabban answered and said unto John the wretched one, "O sinful man, the matter is not thus, for our baptism and your baptism no more resemble each other than do God and Satan, or light and darkness, and if thou wishest it, O thou audacious one, I will make this manifest unto thee by the following act."
Chapter 12. Of the wonderful thing which Rabban wrought in the matter of the difference between our baptism and that of the Jacobites
And John said unto Rabban, "If thou canst in very deed shew us this thing according as thou hast said, then thou wilt be a speaker of the truth and I shall be a liar. Then Rabban, having made the governor and all those who were gathered together there to be his witnesses, cried unto Gabriel his servant, and said unto him, "Bring hither unto me quickly a large brass vessel, and two young children who have been baptized, the one a son of Nestorians, and the other a son of Jacobites; and Gabriel did this in haste. And Rabban poured (literally, cast) water into the vessel, and consecrated it in the [Name of] the Holy Spirit, and he took the son of the Nestorians, who had been baptized, and dipped him in the vessel of water, whereupon the fluid nature of the water stood up as it were in skin bottles, on the sides of the vessel, in a most wonderful and marvellous manner; and when [the people] saw [this] they glorified God. Then, whilst the water was still standing up against the sides of the vessel, Rabban took the son of the Jacobites, and cast him into the Jordan, whereupon the water immediately embraced him, and he was baptized therein. And the crowds who were there marvelled and said unto Rabban, "What is this marvellous difference in [the behaviour] of this water which we have seen? Explain it unto us now.
Then Rabban said unto them, "The young child who went down to the water first of all is the son of Nestorians, and because he had been once already baptized, when he went down [the second time] to the water of baptism, the holy water fled from him, even as ye have seen, and it would not baptize him. But the second young child who went down to baptism was the son of Jacobites, and was in need of baptism, and when he went down to the water of baptism it embraced him, and he was baptized thereby; for [the Jacobites] do not possess holy baptism, but only an inferior and lying baptism. Now when the crowds saw this great and glorious miracle they all glorified God, saying, "There is no true faith except that which Rabban Hōrmizd, the servant of the living God, preacheth. Then, first of all Shāibīn, the man who was dead and had been raised to life again, went down to the vessel and was baptized, and after him [went] his father, 'Ūkbe the Amīr, and then one by one the ten Arabs, the companions of the governor, who also had believed in Rabban. And the heretics who had come at first to offer consolation unto the governor returned in great shame unto their filthy, and accursed, and barren monastery, but the Amīr, and the people of Al-Kōsh returned unto their village in unspeakable joy;
and there were great gladness and triumph, which can never be taken away, unto all the countries round about in the hearing of the report of the triumphs of the blessed man.
Chapter 13. Of the coming of the heretics to slay the blessed man, and concerning his compassion towards them
But the sore of the wickednesses of the sons of the tavern of Bezkin was eating its way into their polluted souls, and whenever the triumphs of Rabban were noised abroad, their envy against the just man was becoming stronger day by day; and because their envy had waxed strong against him it conceived and gave birth to the [idea of] the murder of the righteous man in their crafty thoughts, and by day and by night they were scheming how they might kill him, saying, "Either he or we must be [master] in this mountain. And from that time forward anxiety for the murder of the righteous man became clear in their thoughts absolutely, and the wicked men were meditating in their minds by what means they might remove his life out of the world. Then at length they would go round about the neighbourhood of his cave night after night that, peradventure, they might find him by permission from above, when it would be easy for them to destroy him. And one night ten of them came to his cave in this wise, and when they had drawn nigh unto the entrance thereof that they might go into it, Divine Grace watchfully held them fast at the door of his cave; and because the mind of Rabban was at that time occupied with God, he did not know at what season [those] wicked men made their attack upon him.
And when the day had dawned and the morning was come, and the mind and understanding of Rabban had returned unto him from the region of spiritual beings, he went forth in the morning from his cave to walk about, and he found those murderers lying down there ready to slay him, and they were remaining [there] without any feeling whatsoever. Then Rabban understood that they were lying in ambush, and that they had come to slay him, and he had great compassion upon them, and he wept because they had given themselves up to such a murderous thought and intent, and because they had of their own free will devoted themselves to agreement with the Slayer of mankind, their father and teacher. Now therefore what [shall we say] of the Christlike old man? In this matter he made himself like unto his Lord Who prayed unto His Father for those who crucified Him, saying, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do; but they (i. e., the monks of Bezkin) did know what they were doing, although they were not crucifying the Lord of glory. Nevertheless, like his Master, Rabban prayed for those uncircumcised ones, those "shorn" ones who were blind of heart, unto that Lord Who granteth the petitions of those who love Him.
And his Lord hearkened unto him, and granted unto him the release of the murderers, and as soon as they had been set free from the bonds wherewith Divine Grace had bound them in its fetters, he brought them into his cell in a compassionate manner and, with a smile on his face, he answered and said unto those cruel men, "Like murderers and robbers ye have gone forth from the shrines' of Bezkin and come against me; but put down your staves and knives from your hands, and take a little water and wash your hands and your feet that, peradventure, ye may be pardoned. Then the holy old man in his humility washed their feet with his own hands, even as our Lord [washed the feet] of Judas, the betrayer. And Rabban also brought unto them bread, and whatsoever was found with him, and in his gracious kindness, and in the humility which filled his holy soul he gave them rest; and when they had eaten, and were filled, Rabban blessed them, and dismissed them that they might depart by the way by which they had come.
But those man were not diverted from their murderous intent, for whensoever Rabban was doing for them acts of kindness like unto these, or whensoever he was praying for them that they might be turned unto the knowledge of the truth, they the more whetted their swords for slaughter and their teeth for the crushing [of bones], even though they saw that they were not benefited by such things, and that they were gaining an advantage over the holy man in no way whatsoever, and that they were only adding the more unto their own wickedness. Thereupon they took the path of their father Cyril, and those wicked men ran to the polluted shrine of Mattai, where they were offering up sacrifices unto their unclean devils.
Chapter 14. Of their departure to Mâwsel by forgery, and of the blows which they received from Rabban
And the miserable "little" brethren received some advantage in this matter, for they [said they] were "virgins and pure", and their prayers were speedily accepted before Mattai, the chief of their shrine, when the "shorn" monks of Bezkin were stripped and naked before Mattai; now the miserable "little" brethren of Mattai were old men of shame, and "little" brethren who were of bold and impudent faces, and of corrupt desire, and they loved these devilish prayers and prostrations. And Mattai made answer unto them, saying, "Depart ye, and bring ye unto me at this present a cake of bread, and make ye a hole in it, and place it on the neck of the head of the Monastery of Bezkin"; and the children of their father did thus, even according to the answer which the devil who was in the idol of Mattai had made unto them. Then they returned and besought him a second time that their petitions might be made mighty with men who were not of their faith [and were in places of] honour, so that they might bring about the disgrace and the despising of Rabban Hôrmîzd the Nestorian. And the devil of Mattai made answer and said unto them, "Let the cake of bread be taken from the head of the company of the old men of shame, and let it be placed with reverence on the neck of them all, one after the other, that they all may be made perfect by the laying on (i. e., the imposition) of hands of this iniquity.'
Now when the time for the customary festival began to come round they took these old men, together with their head, from the "shrine" of Mattai to the tavern of Bezkin, and without delay in the morning they took in their hands no small [amount] of money, together with offerings and gifts of great value, to 'Ukbê the Amîr and Shâibîn his son. Now therefore when the old men, together with their head, drew nigh unto the gate of the city of Mâwşel, they took the bread cake of their devil, and having broken off a few fragments from it they dipped them in the wine which they had brought with them to offer as a precious gift unto the great governor, that thereupon the devils might fly into the mind of the governor. Then, before they had arrived at the gate of the governor, the governor sent forth his ambassadors to meet them that they might receive them into his house with the joy and rejoicings of devils; and as soon as the governor had met them he made them to sit down with honour upon his own throne.
Now the unclean cake of bread of their sorcery was hanging at the neck of their master, and the sorcerers acted cunningly and made the governor taste some of that wine in which the fragments of the cake of bread of Mattai had been crumbled, and as soon as he [and his son] had tasted it the operative power of the devils flew into the motions of the souls of the simple ones, and the governor Ukbê and his son Shâibîn were consumed with the love of them, and they were inflamed with the fire of their devils. And the [monks of Mattai] began to ask [them] to go up with them to their monastery, so that the fetters by which they were bound might be strengthened by their devils. Thus the governor took upon himself the load of his sins, and he went up to the shrine of idolatry with them, and he forgot the deed of grace which Rabban had wrought for him in the matter of raising his son Shâibîn from the dead, and the divine miracles which God had wrought towards him by means of Rabban, and he went with his enemies like an ox to his slaughter. And he perceived (or, understood) not the good deeds of Rabban, but cast them behind his back, and the venomous serpents began to burrow in the heart of the captive, and to counsel him with evil counsels concerning Rabban, and they said, "He is a sorcerer and a deceiver;
and the wretched governor believed firmly all these things which were said by them, because his mind had been led captive by the idol of Mattai. Now Rabban had knowledge concerning the destruction of the Monastery of Bezkin—for its overthrow had drawn nigh—by means of the gift of knowing what was going to happen beforehand which had been given unto him by the Holy Spirit. And when Gabriel of Al-Kôsh and his companions learned that the Amîr 'Ûkbê had gone up with joy to the Monastery of Bezkin, they went up to Rabban, and they were mourning because of what had taken place. But before they could arrive at the cave of the holy man, he went forth from the cave and met them with rejoicing, and said, "Fear ye not, O my children, because the laying waste of the crucifying congregation' hath drawn 'nigh; now they wondered at Rabban doing thus, for it was not customary with him.
And when they had been blessed by him and had sat down, before they could say anything whatsoever before him—now he already knew of their sorrow—he said unto them, "Wherefore are ye sad and in tribulation because the heretics have uttered blasphemous words, 'and said, Either he or we must be [master] in this mountain?' This very night have they offered on my account a bribe of two talents of silver to the governor of the country that he may blot me out of this place, and on their behalf I have prayed unto Christ that they may be pardoned, but our Lord would not [hearken], and He would not be persuaded [to accept] my prayer on their behalf, and He hath sent forth the decree of terrible doom and hath passed the sentence of their rooting up from this country on our border. As Christ liveth, and as the Holy Ghost liveth, Who hath taught me to declare the truth unto you, by the time that to-morrow morning dawneth there shall not remain of that shrine of devils one stone upon another which shall not be overturned. And that blessed company of people answered and said, "Amen"; and when they had been blessed by Rabban they went down from him, and the holy man remained in his place performing his divine service.
Now when the evening had come he set his feet in prayer before his Lord, and he prayed for that which would benefit the Monastery of Bezkín, and the inhabitants thereof, and of and by himself he prayed for the peace and for the stablishing of the Catholic Church, and for the pastors thereof, that they might be ambassadors of rest and peace for the children thereof; and he prayed, with his holy tears on behalf of young folk, that they might be pardoned their transgressions, and that they might enjoy the good things of heaven by the grace of Christ and by His mercies for ever.
Chapter 15. Of the uprooting of the polluted Monastery of Bezfin
And when Rabban had made an end of his prayer, and had said, "Amen", behold, the angel of the Lord stood by his side, and there appeared in his right hand a crowbar which was [made] wholly of iron. And he answered and said unto the holy man, "Why art thou praying, O good and faithful servant? Take this crowbar in thy right hand. And when the holy man had laid hold upon the crowbar the angel said unto him, "With this crowbar I am commanded to uproot the idolatrous shrine of the Monastery of Bezfin, and to lay it waste, and to scatter abroad the inhabitants thereof, and to make it a desert heap for ever; and moreover, no inhabitant shall either dwell or be therein again. Then the spiritual being rose up and went out, having in his hand the crowbar [which he had taken] from the holy man, and he directed his course towards that monastery; and he smote it with his mighty voice, and scattered the inhabitants thereof from it. And again he smote it and made its foundations to quake, and he threw down [the building thereof] from [upon] its foundations; those who fled and went forth therefrom at the first quaking escaped, but those who were so bold as not to flee, but dared to resist the word of the voice of the spiritual being, died a terrible, cruel, horrible, and awful death beneath the stones.
And the spiritual being made his voice to be heard in the ears of all flesh that was therein; and the first who heard it was the Amîr 'Ûkbê, who had taken up his abode that night in the monastery, and he was the first to make his escape and to go forth from the terror and horror which had fallen upon him there. Now the first to hear of the punishment which had befallen that monastery were the brethren [and] disciples who dwelt in the school of Mâr Îth-Allâhâ, and they armed themselves, and came, and began to plunder it, and they loaded themselves heavily with the abundant possessions which they took therefrom. And the next to hear thereof were the villagers of Arsham, and Ḥarêbhâ, and Kezyôn, and they also armed themselves, and climbed over the mountains and entered therein, and took away everything which they found. Now when Ûkbê the governor had fled from there he was greatly ashamed to come and see Rabban, because that monastery had received the doom which had been decreed by God, and it had been laid waste, and the inhabitants thereof had been scattered, and also because the war of the devils which had inflamed him had risen up against him. Then were the eyes of his heart opened, and he knew that he had sinned greatly, and that he had not rewarded with fol. 63 a good those who had dealt graciously with him ;
so he turned away and departed to the village of Al-Kôsh, and he took up his abode in the house of Gabriel, the servant of Rabban, and confessed his sin before him, saying, "I have been ungrateful to the good-ness of Rabban, for instead of rewarding him with good I have, in my boastfulness, lifted up the heel against him. Let not his Master requite me for that which I have done unto him, but, according to the overflowing abundance of the goodness of his Master in the matter of the raising up of my son from the dead [which took place] through him, let Him for-give me the sin which I have sinned against Rabban." Now inasmuch as the disciples of Mâr Îth-Allâhâ were jealous for righteousness, when they saw what the Lord had done in the matter of the Monastery of Bezkin which had been overthrown, fifty men of their number put on zeal for the house of God in such wise that they went and joined themselves unto Rabban ; and in the place which had been planted by the Lord, and which He had chosen for a dwelling-place for Himself, those men, who were wise in spiritual things, first of all began to build a church. Now when the believing men of the country heard thereof, they rejoiced with an exceedingly great joy, and each one of them brought out whatsoever goods he had in his possession, and gave them unto Rabban as things appertaining unto blessing for the building of that holy monastery, with a joyful heart and faithful intent for Christ's sake.
Chapter 16. Of the beginning of the building of the monastery, and of the gift of Khôdâhwi of Bêth Kôpâ
And Khôdâhwi, the son of Shûbhhi, who was a believing man, and one who feared God exceedingly, [who came] from the village of Bêth Kôpâ in the country of Nineveh, and was a lover of the worship of God, took from his riches seven talents of silver, and went up to Rabban and offered them unto him, saying, "Take these, master, from the hands of thy servant, and let them be expended in the building of the monastery, and pray for me, O Rabban; and when these have been expended on this monastery, I will give unto thee others, O master. Then Rabban called unto George [his] disciple, the archdeacon whom he had appointed steward of the moneys which were to be expended, and he delivered the seven talents into his hands, and said, "Take these, O my beloved, from the hands of Khôdâhwi, the son of Shûbhhi, of Kôpâ, and let them help towards the expenses; and George the archdeacon took them, and he began to build anew and to stablish the building of the temple and the house for the community, and the cells for the habitation of the brethren and for the service of God. Then the people of the country who possessed goods of various kinds [suitable] for offerings and oblations began to bring them up to that holy monastery and to give them as gifts towards the expenses, and those who possessed neither gold, nor silver, nor furniture, nor brass, would work like workmen with the members of their body.
And the Lord accepteth the good will which is devoted to the service of righteousness more readily than gold and silver. Now therefore 'Ükbê, the governor of the country, being desirous of making himself pleasing unto Rabban because of the act of folly which had been committed by him in going unto the "shorn" monks of the Monastery of Bezkin, also came forward, and took three talents of silver, and sent them unto Rabban by the hands of Shâibin his son; and Rabban received them from his hands, and he called George the archdeacon and Gabriel of Al-Kôsh his servant, and delivered the money into their hands that it might be [employed] in the completion of the building of the monastery. And it came to pass in those days that it was revealed unto Rabban by the Holy Spirit that he should go unto the Monastery of Mattai, and should uproot therefrom the miserable little idol of the devil which led [men] into error; and he went forth on the morning of the following day without any of the sons of his monastery knowing whither he was going. And when he had arrived at the tavern of Mattai—now it was the time of sunset—before he went into that monastery, he prayed to our Lord to hide him from the eyes of those heretics, so that they might not have knowledge of his coming thither whereby he might be cut off from [the performance of] the matter on account of which, by the Divine beck, he had been sent thither. Then when the blessed man had finished his prayer, he rose up and went into the monastery whilst it was not yet dark, and our Lord gave him mercy in the eyes of the doorkeeper of the Monastery of Mattai, and he received him; and he wished to refresh him with meat and drink, but Rabban refused it, saying unto the doorkeeper, "My lord, 'I am a stranger and I am a slave of a Persian who is of a cruel disposition; and because I have no strength in me to work for him and to minister unto him, for I am a feeble old man, even as thou seest, I have fled from him whither I could.
And now, my lord, I beseech thee to permit me to hide myself with thee this night, and in the morning before daybreak, I will take my flight from before my lord's eyes; and the Lord shall reward thee for this good deed, and for the act of grace which thou hast shewn unto me.' Now when the doorkeeper saw his humility and his wretched condition, Rabban was regarded with mercy by him, and he took him and carried him to the place of the shrine of the holy man Mâr Mattai, and he left him and departed. Then Rabban stood up, and performed his service of prayer before God in a holy manner, and the Lord received the prayer of His servant, and suddenly the angel of the Lord came down to his assistance, and he opened the shrine of the holy man Mâr Mattai, and stretching out his hand into the lowermost parts of it he brought out therefrom a miserable, little idol of brass, the eyes of which were of gems made of striped beryls. And he gave the idol unto the holy man, and said unto him, Seest thou this miserable, and contemptible, and despicable, little idol? In this thing dwelleth the error of the sons of this monastery.
When the holy man Mâr Mattai, the disciple of the holy man Mâr Awgin, came by the dispensation of Divine Providence unto this place, by the anxious care for him, as well as for the disciples his companions, which [was manifested] by the Holy Spirit, and through Mattai, the inhabitants of this country were turned unto the true faith in the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, a Divine Nature, Which never died and never shall die, and in the Man, Who was of our [race], Jesus Christ, Who was, by Divine Grace, God; but when their belief had been corrupted by the impurity of Cyril the Egyptian, all their multitudes were forsaken by the Divine Care, from one end of heaven even unto the other. Then, moreover, Marcion the sorcerer corrupted their minds and polluted their temples in every place and city wherein his doctrine was accepted, and he taught them to place in the altars of their iniquitous sacrifices, and in their houses of assembly for worship, miserable little idols like this one, that, forsooth, they might be [their] saviours and deliverers from those who are worked upon by devils, and also from those devils of the night who are in the forms of dogs, so that they might not have dominion over them in the month of Shebât; and would ward off from their riches the vexatious and erring wandering of rebellious devils."
Chapter 17. Of the bringing out of the miserable little idol which the accursed ones had placed in the shrine of the holy man Mâr Mattai
"Now therefore these people possess no altar whatsoever, and no place which hath been set apart by them [for worship] in the churches, and monasteries, and [other] habitations of monks, in which a wretched little idol, similar to that which thou now seest, hath not been placed and hidden; and this they worship, and unto it are performed their hateful, filthy, and polluted works, and the grace of thy Lord hath removed itself far away from them. Now it was Cyril, the priest of devils and the minister of fiends, who brought in [this] injurious thing upon them, and it was he who first of all adopted this sacrifice of rebellious devils, through a certain woman who was a sorceress, and who lived in Egypt and was called 'Kâki', [which is interpreted] 'Evil sorceress'. And he delivered this pagan religion unto his sons, and unto the sons of the sons of his accursed and abominable dogma and teaching, and behold, it took root and flourished in every country and province by means of these wretched little idols in which destructive, and accursed, and senseless, and vile devils dwell. But take this idol and get thee unto thy monastery in peace, and now I and thou will pray here that there may be no rest unto the sons of its habitation from this time forward, for there hath been taken away from here the wretched little idol which is to them in the place of God, the Governor of the universe."
And it came to pass that when they had prayed concerning this matter and they had been accepted, the angel took Rabban in the strength of the Holy Spirit, and set him in his cave without toil [on his part]. And when the day had come his servant Gabriel came and was blessed by him, and he answered and said unto Rabban, "Where wast thou the whole day yesterday? For I sought much after thee, and I found thee not. Then the holy man related unto him the history of the whole matter, even as it had happened, and he brought out also the wretched little idol which the angel had given unto him there; and he and all the brethren who were disciples and who had received from him his ascetic garb, and had also been numbered among the number of the brethren— now they were in number one hundred and eleven, and they were of one spirit and of one soul—rejoiced and marvelled. And Rabban told before them how the angel had helped him, and how he had given unto him this wretched little idol, to which the devil who leadeth into error had given a name, and which was the [object of] error of the sons of that region of the East.
Now the devil which dwelt in that wretched little idol was unable to bear with Rabban any longer, for he was constrained by the might of the prayer of Rabban, and he began to utter complaints, saying, "Woe [is me] through thee, O son of Nazarenes! Woe [is me] through Thee, O Jesus, the Son of Mary! Woe [is me] through thee, O Hôrmîzd, the son of Persians! For thou hast driven me out of all the earth. I fled unto the abysses of Sheol from thee, and thou hast brought me up from thence in shame even this day, and 'even this hath not been sufficient for thee in the matter of me, for thou now wishest to make me a spectacle and a laughingstock unto my lovers and friends in the villages wherein they hold me in honour, and in the cities wherein I was once held in esteem; and behold, this day instead of honour I have disgrace, and instead of glory contempt."
Now the crowds of Rabban's disciples were standing [there] in wonder and were listening to the devil which was talking in this wise from inside the wretched little idol. And George, the priest of that monastery, took the wretched little idol from before Rabban, saying, "This day, O father, I will go down into the villages and cities which are round about us, and I will shew unto our people the god of the heretics, who are the children of the religion of Cyril, and of this deceiver of Mattai, and also of the night devils of Egypt;" and the counsel of George his steward was good in the sight of Rabban, and he permitted him to do thus. Now Gabriel of Al-Kôsh was occupied with the service of the workmen and labourers, who were building those parts of the monastery which were to be used by those who dwelt together, and the cells. And after a period of ten months the monastery was built, and it was furnished with all the appurtenances which were befitting the service of the ascetic life, and the habitation of monks.