St. Athanasius: The Paradise of the Holy Fathers

[Stone]

CHAPTER XXII

OF ABBA BESSARION

THE disciples of Abbâ Bessarion used to relate the story of his life and deeds in the following words:—The mode of life of the old man was that of the bird of the heavens, and of the things which are in the waters, and of the creeping things of the earth, and he passed the whole period of his life in peace, and in tranquillity; for no anxiety [as to the condition] of his cell was ever present with him; and his soul was never occupied with the desire to live in certain places; and he never ministered during the whole course of his career to the satisfying of himself with food; and he never gathered together or laid up for himself possessions in clothes or books; but he was free from care about everything which concerned the body, and he rejoiced in the hope of the good things which were to come; and he was firm and immovable in the foundation of his faith; and he followed the ascetic life strenuously. He wandered hither and thither like one possessed, in the season of frost [he went] naked, and he was consumed with heat under the fierce rays of the sun, and at one time he lived among the rocks and at another in the desert. And if it fell out and happened that he came to districts which were settled, or to a place where a congregation of monks passed their whole lives together in the fulfilment of the rules of monasticism, he would take his seat contentedly outside the door of the monastery.

Now on one occasion, having arrived at a certain monastery, he sat down outside the door, and he wept and wailed aloud after the manner of one who had been saved from a storm [at sea]; and when one of the brethren had gone forth, he found him [sitting there] like any ordinary poor man or beggar, and having drawn nigh unto him compassionately he said unto him, “Wherefore weepest thou, O man? If thou hast need of any of the necessaries of life, so far as in my power lieth, I will give it unto thee. Rise up, then, and get thee inside the monastery, and comfort thyself with the blessed companionship of the table with us.” Then the blessed Bessarion made answer unto him, and said, “Until I find the possessions of my house which I have lost, and the numerous goods of the house of my fathers which I have lost in sundry and divers ways, I cannot live under a roof. For pirates fell upon me at sea, and a storm rose up against me, and I have been shorn of my riches, and from being a man of high degree I have become the object of contempt.” Now that brother was astonished at these words, and was grieved thereat, and he went in and brought out some bread, and gave it unto him, saying, “Father, take this, and the other things which thou hast mentioned, that is to say, country, and family, and riches, God shall restore unto thee.” But Abbâ Bessarion cried out the more, and with louder cries, and lifted up his voice and said, “I know not if I shall be able to find that which I have lost, and that which I seek, for as far as I can see they will be removed from me still farther. And I am afflicted daily, and am brought nigh unto death by reason of the violent storm of wickednesses innumerable which surround me, and I endure them and [rest] upon hope that, peradventure, I may be worthy of mercy in the day of judgement.”

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CHAPTER XXIII

OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS WHICH ABBA BESSARION WROUGHT

ABBÂ SHÂOL (or Dulas), the disciple of Abbâ Bessarion, used to say:—We came once to the bank of a lake and I was athirst, and I said unto Abbâ Bessarion, “I am thirsty.” And the old man prayed, and said unto me, “Take water from the lake, and drink,” and I went, and drank, and I found the water to be sweet; and I drew therefrom and filled all the water vessels which I had with me, for I thought that peradventure I should be thirsty again when I continued my journey. Then the old man seeing me do this, said, “Why fillest thou [these vessels with] water?” And I said unto him, “Forgive me, father, but I did so lest, peradventure, as we continue our journey, I may become thirsty again”; and he said to me, “May God forgive thee, for here, and there, and everywhere, God directeth us.”

And on another occasion he was travelling along a road, and he came to the river Chrysoroan, and there was nothing wherewith it might be crossed, and he stretched out his hands, and prayed, and crossed over to the other side. Now I was astonished, and I offered unto him repentance, and said, “Father, when thou wast passing over the river how far up thy legs didst thou feel the water?” And he said unto me, “As far as my ankles I felt the water, but all the rest of it was solid beneath my feet.”

And on another occasion we were journeying to a certain great sage, and the sun was nigh to set, and the old man prayed, and said, “I beseech Thee, O Lord, to let the sun abide in his place until I come to Thy servant”; and it was so.

And on another occasion I came to him in his cell that I might speak with him, and I found him standing up in prayer, with his hands stretched out to heaven, and he remained standing up in this position for four days and four nights; and afterwards he called me, and said unto me, “Come, my son,” and we went forth and set out on the road. And being athirst I said unto him, “My Father, I am athirst.” Then he removed himself from me about the distance of a stone’s throw, and prayed and came to me, and he brought with him his garment filled with water from the air, and I drank, and we travelled on our road until we came to Lycus, to Abbâ John. And after each had saluted the other, he prayed, and sat down, and he discoursed concerning the vision which he had seen, and Abbâ Bessarion said, “A decree of judgement hath gone forth from the Lord, that all the temples of the idols be blotted out”; and this actually came to pass, for at that time they were all uprooted.

And there was in Egypt a certain man who had a son that was a paralytic, and he took him on his shoulders, and brought him to Abbâ Bessarion and left him by the door of his cell weeping, and he departed and went to a place some distance off. Now the old man heard the sound of the weeping of the young man, and he looked out, and seeing him, said unto him, “Who art thou that art here?” And the young man said, “My father brought me here and then went away, and I weep.” Then the old man said unto him, “Rise up, hasten after him, and overtake him”; and straightway the young man was made whole, and he went to his father, who took him and departed.

And on another occasion there came to the church a man who had a devil, and prayer was made on his behalf in the church, but the devil did not go forth, for he was difficult [to cast out]; and the clergy said, “What shall we do about this devil, for no man can cast him out except Abbâ Bessarion? Let us entreat him concerning the man, and even though he cometh not to the church, let us act thus. Behold, the old man cometh to the church early in the morning before everyone else. Let us make the sick man to occupy the seat wherein the old man sitteth usually, and when he cometh in, let us stand up in prayer, and say unto him, ‘O father, make to rise up this man also’ ”; and they did so. And when the old man came [into the church] in the morning, they rose up in prayer, and said unto him, “Father, make to rise up that brother”; and Abbâ Bessarion went and struck him with his fist, and said, “Rise up and get thee forth”; and straightway that devil went forth from the man, and he was made whole immediately.