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Life of Eulogios the Egyptian, Stone-Cutter

tr. Lewis, 1912

Chapter 2

Father Daniel, the priest of Scete, said: Once upon a time I went to Thebais, with one of my disciples, and we sat in a ship, and we came down to the river. And when we arrived at a village, the old man persuaded those who were in the ship, for he said: “It is necessary that we should remain here to-day.” And they alighted there. And his disciple began to murmur and said: “How long shall we go round about? Let us go to Scete?” And the old man said: “Nay, but we will stay here to-day.” And they sat down in the midst of the village as is the custom of strangers. And our brother said to the old man: “Is it pleasing to God that we should sit like beggars? Let us go for a testimony.” And the old man said: “Nay, but we will sit here.”

For the old man knew by the Spirit that Eulogios was coming from Africa to his former places. And because of this the old man waited for him, that other one, but he did not know which was the place. And they waited sitting there until the evening. And they did not eat, and they did not drink. And one brother began to contend with the old man, and he said: “Oh! because thou art a servant of the Christ, because of thee I have to die.”

And while they were talking a certain old man of the city came, tall of stature, and full of years; and his head was white, and he was bent with age. And when he saw Father Daniel, he ran and embraced him and began to kiss him. And he wept and greeted his disciple. And he said unto them: “If ye are naming the Lord, come with me to my house.” And he carried a lantern, in which was a lamp, and went round about in that street of the town and sought for strangers. And he led the old man and his disciple and every stranger whom he found and brought them to his house and washed the feet of the brethren and of the old man. But there was no man in his house, nor even in another place, save God only. And he set a table before them. And when they were satisfied, he took the crumbs, and gave them to the dogs of the village. For thus he did, and left nothing till the morning. And he brought the old man alone, and they sat talking the one with the other to the profit of the soul, with many tears, until the morning. And in the morning they saluted each other, and went on the way. And as they were going on the way, our brother made a repentance for his Abbot, and said: “Do me a favour, father, and tell me who is that old man, and whence dost thou know him? And the old man did not wish to tell him. Again our brother made a repentance and entreated him, saying: “Thou hast revealed much good to me, father, and concerning this (matter) thou hast not revealed to me, father.” For he said unto our brother much about the virtues of the saints; but the old man did not wish to reveal to our brother about that (other) old man.

And then our brother was vexed and did not speak with the old man until he came to Scete. And when our brother went to his cell, he did not take anything to eat to the old man, as was his wont, for at eleven o’clock he ate every day of his life. But when it was evening, the old man came to our brother and said: “Why, my son, hast thou left thy father now to die of hunger?” And he said: “I have no father, for if I had a father, he would love his son.”

And the old man said unto him: “Then be in peace!” And the old man held the door to open (it), and go away. And our brother ran and held him, and began to kiss him and say: “As God liveth, I will not leave thee, until thou tell me who that old man was. For our brother could not see the old man hurt, for he loved him much. And then he said unto him: “Make me some food, and afterwards I will tell thee.”

And while the old man was eating, he said unto our brother, “Be not stiff-necked, for because thou didst quarrel with me, I did not tell thee when we were sitting in the village, and I did not reveal (it) to thee. Thou also do not repeat to any man what I say unto thee.”

And he said this unto him: ‘This old man is called Eulogios. And his craft is (that of) a stone-mason. And he uses one carob every day, and fasts till the evening, tasting nothing. And in the evening he comes to the village and every stranger whom he finds, he brings him to his house, and feeds them. And what is over he gives to the dogs, until to-day. And to-day he is a hundred and twenty years old. And he uses one carob every day.

When I was young, forty years ago, I went up to sell the work of my hands in this town, in which we are. And in the evening he came and led me and the brethren who were with me, as was his wont, and refreshed us, being strangers¹. But when I came to my cell, and I knew the discipline of the excellent man I fasted two weeks and I persuaded God to give him a blessing, that thus he might refresh the brethren as he pleased. And when I had fasted three weeks, I lay like a dead man for much more than a day.

And I saw a man coming towards me in an honourable form. And he said unto me: “What is wrong with thee, Daniel?” And I said: “My Lord, I have given a word to the Christ, that I will not eat bread until He hears me concerning Eulogios, the stone-mason, that thus He would give him (wherewith) he may also help others.” And he said unto me: “It is well.” And I said unto Him: “I pray Thee, my Lord, give him, so that all men may glorify Thy holy name because of him.”

And He said unto me: “I have said unto thee that it is well. But if thou desirest that I should give him, give a pledge to Me for his soul that it may be saved with much possessions.” And I gave (it) to Him. Then I said unto Him: “At my hands seek his soul.” And I saw as if we were standing in (the church of) our Lady of the Holy Resurrection, and behold, a boy was sitting on the holy stone. And Eulogios was standing on his right hand. And this boy sent to me one of those who were standing before him. And he brought me to his side. And he said unto me: “Art thou he who gave a pledge for Eulogios?” And all those who were standing answered and said, “Yea, our Lord.” And then he said: “Tell him, Thy pledge will be required.” And I said: “Yea, my Lord, thou shalt seek it at my hands; but add a blessing to it.” And I saw two of them who were turning much wealth into the bosom of Eulogios. And all that they were turning he received in his bosom. And I awoke, and glorified God.

Beginning of a chapter. And Eulogios went out to his work as was his custom; and behold, while he knocked on the stone, (he) heard like the noise of something, and found a small hole. And again he knocked and found a cave full of gold. And then he wondered and said: “This gold belonged to the children of Israel. What then shall I do? If I take it to the village, the prince will hear of it, and take it; and I also will fall into great danger. But I shall take it to another place where no man knoweth me.” And then he hired camels as if to carry stones. And in the night he carried the gold, and conveyed it to the shore of the river.

And he left off the good work that he had done. And he took a ship and sailed to Constantinople. And at this time the Emperor Justinus was reigning, the son of Justinian. And Eulogios offered much gold to the Emperor and to all the magnates of the Emperor; that he might become Eparch over all the Eparchy. And he bought a great property which is called Egyptian until this day. And it happened that after two years I saw again this boy in my dream in the holy church; and I said to myself: “Where then is Eulogios?” And after a little I saw an Ethiopian drawing Eulogios. And he brought him out in the presence of the Prefecture. And when I awoke, I said: “Woe is me, the sinner, the miserable one, for I have destroyed my soul.” And while I was thus in thought I arose and I took my basket for a wallet. And I said to that boy: “I seek for Eulogios.” And I sat down there like a man who is selling the work of his hands and I waited for Eulogios as was my custom, and that of all the brethren. But when it was evening, and become very dark and no man received me, I arose and found an old woman, and said unto her trustfully: “Mother, give me three cakes that I may eat. I am hungry for I have eaten nothing to-day.”

And she said unto me: “I will give thee.” And she went and brought me cooked food and bread, and she sat down beside me and began to speak to me words of cheer. And she said unto me: “Dost thou not know that thou art a boy? and it is not good for thee to come to the village? Dost thou not know that a monk seeketh quiet?” And other good words she said unto me. And I said again unto her: “And what dost thou think we should do? I came to sell the work of my hands.”

And she said unto me: “Even if thou dost sell thy work, do not linger in the village; but if thou seekest to be a monk, go to Scete.”

Beginning of a chapter. But I said unto her: “Thy breakfast is quite safe from these mockeries; is there not one man who fears God in this village, who will receive strangers?”

And she said unto me: “O my lord! what hast thou said? We had a man, a hewer of stones. And he did a great deal of good to strangers. And God saw his good deeds, and gave him much wealth, and he it is who is Eparch to-day.” And when I heard that he had been made Eparch, I said to myself, that it was I who had done this murder; and I had thrown this man into the ship and then I had gone up to Constantinople. And I inquired where was the house of the Egyptian. And they told me. And I sat at the doors of his house, until he came out. And I saw him coming out with a great train. And I called, and I said: “Have mercy upon me, and hear from me what I seek to say unto thee.” And he did not even look; but those also who were going before him struck me. And again I spoke to them in this way every other time, and they struck me.

And I spent four weeks, and never could come near him. Then when I went out I threw myself before an ikon of the Lady Mary with weeping. And I said: “Lord Jesus the Christ (Son of God), have mercy upon me and release me from the pledge of that man. And if not, then I will go to the world.” And while these things [happened] that I saw and knew with my eyes, I approached the crowd, and I heard there the voice of a great mob, saying: “Behold, the Queen of the world.” And there went before her thousands and myriads of people. And I called and said: “O my Lady, have mercy on me.” And she said unto me: “What hast thou?” And I told her that I had given a pledge for Eulogios the Eparch. “But command that I may be loosed from my pledge for him.” And she said: “I am not able to do as thou dost ask, fulfil thy pledge.”

And I awoke, and then I said: “If I were to die I will not depart from his door until I have talked with him.” And I went and sat down where the door of his house was. And when he passed, I approached and the door-keeper ran towards me; and gave me blows until my skin was chafed. Then my spirit was faint from the blows, and from what they were threatening me with. And then I said: “I will go my way to Scete. And if I had sought God He would have delivered me, and also Eulogios”. And then I went, and sought an Alexandrian ship, that I might go to my place. And I found a ship, and went up into it, so that I might come to my cell.

And when I had gone up to the ship, from faintness of soul I slept. And while I was sleeping, I saw as if I were in the church of the Holy Resurrection, and I saw the boy sitting on a stone before the Holy Sepulchre. And he looked at me with great anger; and for fear of him all my body trembled, and I was not able to open my mouth, and my heart was dried up within me. And he said unto me: “Where is thy pledge?” And he told two of those who stood before him to chain me, and to hang me up with my hands bound behind me. And he said unto me: “Do not give a pledge for a man which is beyond thy power and thou art contradicting God.” And I was not able to open my mouth. And while I was hanging, a voice came saying: “Lo! the Queen has come out.” And when I saw her, I took courage.

And I said unto her in an humble tone, “Have mercy on me, O Queen of the world!” And she said unto me: “What dost thou seek?” And I said unto her: “I am hanging because of the pledge of Eulogios.” And she said unto me: “I will intercede for thee.” And I saw her go out; and she kissed the feet of that boy. And immediately they let me down, as I was hanging. And the boy said unto me: “Henceforth never do this thing.” I said: “Lo, my Lord, for because of this thou hast convinced me, so that I shall be more careful. I have sinned; forgive me.”

And he commanded, and they released me. And he said unto me: “Go thy way to thy cell, and I will send Eulogios to his former work, and do not grieve.”

Beginning of a chapter. Then when I awoke I came into a great rejoicing, for I was released from the pledge of Eulogios. And then I sailed on the sea praising God. And after three months Justinus the king died, and Justinianus reigned, and there rebelled against him Hephitios, and Axicrates, and Pompinus, and Eulogios the Eparch. And those three fought, and all their wealth was plundered; and also the property of Eulogios, and all his wealth. And he fled by night alone, in the clothes that were upon his body. And he went out of Constantinople. And the king commanded that wheresoever Eulogios the Egyptian should be found, he should die the death. And he fled and came to his village, and changed his clothes (to be) like those of the villagers. And all the village was assembled about him, that they might see him. And they said: “We have heard that thou hast become a Patrician.” And he said unto them: “Yea, but if I had become a Patrician, was it right that I should see you? Nay, but it was another Eulogios from this place. For I was in Jerusalem praying.” And then he came to his [right] mind, and said to himself: “O poor Eulogios! arise, take thine iron pick-axe, and go and work, where there is no palace, lest thy head be taken off.”

And he took the iron pick-axe and went out to the wine-press where he had found the gold, expecting that he would find other gold there. And he knocked for six hours and found nothing. And he began to remember those viands, and that honour, and the delight of the deception that was in them, and he said: “Arise, work, Eulogios, for here it is Egypt.” And thus little by little he came back to his own former habits, by the grace of our Lord Jesus. For God is not unjust, to forget his former works which he did.

And after a little time I went up to that village. Now when he saw me in the evening, he came and conducted me as was his wont. But when I saw him I sighed and wept, and I said: “How great are Thy works, O Lord! Thou hast done everything in the world. Thou humblest, and Thou raisest up. Thy judgments and Thy wondrous works who can search out? O Lord God. But I have sinned in what I have offended. My soul hath almost dwelt in Sheol.”

And he took water, and washed my feet, as was his wont, and he arranged a table. And after we had eaten, I said unto him: “What art thou doing, Father Eulogios?”

And he said unto me: “Pray for me, my lord, for I am poor, and there is nothing in my hands.” And I said unto him: “Eulogios, what was thine was not thine.” And he said unto me: “Why, my lord Abbot, have I offended thee in anything?” And I said unto him: “In what hast thou not offended me?” And then I told him all, and also about the blows which I received from the door-keeper. And we wept together. And he said unto me: “Pray that God may send me a blessing. And henceforth I shall make myself worthy.” And I said unto him: “Believe me, my lord Eulogios, that henceforth thou shalt not expect to be entrusted with anything of this world, but with one carob every day.” And behold! all this time God was arming him and strengthening him. And every day he used one carob. Behold also I have told thee where I knew him.’

And the disciple of the old man wondered at all that he endured because of the pledge of Eulogios. These things Father Daniel revealed to his disciple after he returned from the Thebaid. It behoves us to wonder at the love of God, that thus in a short time He exalteth and humiliateth, just as in our own trading. Pray then that we also may be made humble by the fear of our Lord Jesus the Christ; that we may find mercy before the awful judgment-seat, by the myriads of the prayers of all the saints. Amen.

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