The Life of Shenoute

Some of the powers and wonders which God did by the hand of our holy father, the prophet Apa Shenoute, the elder and archimandrite, which were related by holy Apa Besa, his disciple, as a glory to God and a profit of all who would hear them and give glory to God because of them all; but especially on the day of his holy memory, the seventh of the month Epep. In the peace of God, Amen.

I intend to speak about the mighty works and wonders which God did by the hand of our blessed and holy father, Apa Shenoute, the ones I saw with my own eyes, I Besa, his disciple; and again the others which our holy father, Apa Shenoute, told me with his guileless mouth. These, now, are they from which I will tell you a few. Behold, we will declare to you now the mighty works and wonders which God achieved through my father. For behold, a multitude of days I have been troubled and I have trembled, fearing to give my mind to the wonders works of my father, Apa Shenoute, because I am a weak man and a man of ordinary speech: Lest I be submerged in the depths of the waters because I do not know how to swim. For I am needy with a great need, but the ? does not tremble in his works. For my father, Apa Shenoute, whose is the good memory we celebrate today, he is one worthy to be spoken of; his good works, his self-denials, his way of life, his astonishing virtues, and the great and wonderful signs which came to pass through him, resembling those of the holy prophets and the apostles of the Lord. There was a village Shenalolet, in the nome of the city Shmin, and there were the ancestors ? of our blessed father. Apa Shenoute’s father was a peasant on the land;

and he had a few sheep, and he gave them to a shepherd that he might pasture them on the high ground. And the shepherd said to the father of Apa Shenoute: Give the boy Shenoute to me, that he may watch the sheep with me; and I shall remit a little of my wages to you because of him. Then the little boy Shenoute was minded to grow in the grace of God which was in him; and he gradually improved. The mother of the little boy Shenoute said to the shepherd: See, I shall give you my son; but send him to me every day at evening, because he is an only child to me, and I rejoice over him to God day and night. And the shepherd said to them: I shall end him to you every day before the sun sets. Then the shepherd took the boy Shenoute and he pastured the flocks with him; and every day when evening came, the shepherd sent the boy Shenoute to his father in the village.

And Apa Shenoute used to run down to a well of water not far from the village – and at that time it was the month of Toobi – and so he would stretch forth his hands and pray, while the water came forth to his throat. And every day the light went; and the mother and father of the little boy upbraided the shepherd, saying: Why did you not send our son to us in the evening ? For we are afraid lest any evil should befall him. Then the shepherd would say to his parents: In very truth I send him to you in the evening every day. But one day the shepherd followed after the little boy Shenoute till he came to the well of water. And there was a sycomore above the well of water. Then the child ran down to the water, and he prayed to God, his hands stretched up to heaven. And the shepherd was behind him, hidden beside the sycomore tree, so that he could see what the little boy did. And the shepherd bore witness, saying: I saw the ten fingers of the little boy like ten torches of fire. And so I turned back and went

beside my sheep. And when morning came, he said his father came and upbraided me again, saying: Why did you not send my son to me in the evening ? I said to him: Take your son to yourself: I am not worthy of him, that he should stand beside me. And his father took him to his house. This is what the shepherd said when he bore witness to us.

And after ten days from those happenings, his father took him to holy Apa Pejole that he might receive a blessing from him. While they were still on the road leading to the place of holy Apa Pejole – about a mile off – And it chanced that there was one of the rulers of the city of Shmin beside him while he taught them of those things which would benefit their souls. The holy Apa Pejole said to the men sitting beside him: Arise, let us go out to the archimandrite. And holy Apa Pejole rose up along with the men who were sitting beside him, and they went out. And when he reached Apa Shenoute, even Apa Pejole, he took the hand of Apa Shenoute and he raised it up upon his head, saying: Bless me, my father and archimandrite. And they went in and sat down.

There was one man sitting before Apa Pejole with an evil spirit upon him; and when the little boy saw the spirit upon the man, he stretched out his hand and took a small ? he was minded to burn the demon which was in the man. And the evil spirit cried out, saying: I will flee from before you. Shenoute. Ineeded from the moment I saw

you, fire has been devouring me. And straightway the spirit went away from the man; and he was whole, and gave glory to God the good. Apa Pejole said to the little boy Shenoute: Wait until the time comes, my son.

It happened after this that Apa Pejole spoke to Apa Shenoute’s father, saying: Let the little boy stay with me this week, and you shall come for him. For Apa Shenoute’s mother was Apa Pejole’s sister, of one father and mother. And he left him with him.

When the evening of that day came, Apa Pejole slept in a place by himself; and the little boy Shenoute too laid himself in a place by himself. And Apa Pejole lifted up his eyes to heaven, and saw an angel of the Lord watching over the little boy Shenoute as he slept; and the angel said to Apa Pejole: You shall rise up early, and the cloak which you have received to yourself shall you lay upon the little boy Shenoute. For it is the cloak of Elijah the Tishbite, which the Lord Jesus hassent to you that you should give it to him, since he will be a just man and elect, and there shall not arise after him in all these parts a man like to him. He will build a monastery, and he will be a comfort and example to everyone who will visit him in his place; and his Church will be established for generations. And Apa Pejole rose up in the morning, took the cloak which he had received to him, called Apa Shenoute, put it upon him, and made him a monk, keeping him by him .

And after some few days holy Apa Pejole and the boy Shenoute were together, and they went out walking together; and there walked with them too Apa Pshoi, who belonged to mount Psoou. He too was a holy man who walked in the ways of God. And while the three of them walked together, Apa Pejole, Apa Shenoute, And Apa Pshoi, a voice came to them from out of heaven, saying: They have ordained Shenoute Archimandrite of the whole world today. Apa Pejole said to Apa Pshoi: My brother Pshoi, did you also hear this voice which came out from heaven just now ? Apa Pshoi replied to Apa Pejole: Yes. And they agreed together in what they deliberated, and Apa Pejole said to Apa Pshoi: Let us ask the little boy Shenoute himself. And they asked him: Did you hear this voice which came out of heaven just now ? And he said: Yes. Apa Pejole said to him: What did you think of it ? Apa Shenoute said to Apa Pejole: Without any dissimulation I heard that they have ordained Shenoute Archimandrite of the whole world today. And Apa Pejole and Apa Pshoi wondered greatly

at him and they gave glory to God, saying: Truly he will be a perfect and complete man.

And holy Apa Shenoute received the cloak which came from heaven brought by the angel. He laid it down to give relief in many great tribulations, in many nights of watching and in numberless (periods of) fasting. For every day he would not eat till evening and set of sun; and again, he did not eat till he was full; bread and salt was his food. Because of this his body was dry, and his skin cleaved to his bones, and he was very thin. And his whole life and outlook resembled that of Elijah the Tichbite, the ? of Israel.

Thus he became a teacher of all: not only the little boys, but elders too, being zealous in his works all the time. He served Christ, well founded in study of the scriptures, so that in this way his fame and his teachings were sweet in the mouth of everyone, like honey in the heart of those who desire to love life eternal; and he made many interpretations and many sermons full of saintly injunctions; he set in order the law of the monks with well-salted letters, a dread and a consolation to the souls of men. And in all these he would say with that tongue incapable of falsehood: I have sent out from me no word which Christ did not give to me. And he gave comfort to his good life by the achieving of works befitting a monk, great self-denials and many exercises. He prayed twelve times a day, making twenty-four repentances each time. At night he did not sleep until the sun rose. Afterwards to took a little sleep, that the body should not perish at once. Many times he did not eat from Sabbath to Sabbath; and he spent the forty days of the holy Passover without eating bread, his food being edible herbs, and moistened grain, so that in this way his

flesh wasted greatly upon him, and a tear became as sweet to him as honey; and his eyes were sunk deep like holes in a ship, and they had become very black because of the abundances of tears that had flowed down; that we should remember what flows from his eyes at all times like water. And God was with him all his days.

When he was in his monastery, he looked out at the multitude of sins which were done in the world; and he knew the thoughts of those who came to him and all things they did; and thus he prayed over them all, that they might he whole and find pity at the alter of the Christ. It happened one day that a man came to my father, the prophet Apa Shenoute, belonging to a village Psenhoout in the nome of the town Psoi. And this man came in great affliction of heart; and he sent in to my father, saying: I desire to receive a blessing from you, my holy father; and perhaps the pity of God will come to me with your holy prayers, so that God may forgive me my sins – for they are very many. And they told the holy prophet Apa Shenoute everything the man had said. And my father said to the one who spoke with him: Go and tell the man who has come: If you will hear me in what I shall say to you, then you shall see me. But if you will not listen to me, then you shall not see my face. And the man said: I shall listen to you, my Lord and father, in every thing you shall command me. And holy Apa Shenoute said: Bring him in to me.

He came in to my father, threw himself down and worshipped him. My father Shenoute said to him: Tell out your sin before everyone, (the sin) which makes you flee to the place you should flee to. The man said to him: It happened to me one day, as I was sitting by the threshing-floor of my village, that a man passed by me with a purse on his neck; and I saw the prize there on his neck; and the man was riding on his mount, urging him on. As for me, I drew my sword, ran behind him and killed him, and straightway I looked in the purse which was on his neck, thinking that I would find a great sum of gold in it, and would take it and have pleasure from it a multitude of days. I found a single ? in it. And then I dug in the ground, I buried it, and I came to you in this place, my holy father. Now tell me: What do you want me to do ? that the Lord may have pity on me and absolve me of my sin. My just father and prophet Apa Shenoute said to him: Do not stay here, but rise up in haste and go to the town of Shmin. And you will find the governor; he has come south by river with a ? before him. And they shall give him some robbers who have robbed the great men of the city of Shmin, and he shall be very worth with them. Go and enter in among the robbers; and they will say to the governor: He was with us. And the governor will ask you: Is this the truth ? Say to him: It is the truth. Thus he will slay you with them, and you shall enter on the life eternal of God.

And straightway the man went and did as the holy one had said to him. And the governor took his head along with the robbers; and in this way the mercy of God came to him, as my father had told.

And again it happened one time that the holy Cyril sent after my father Apa Shenoute the prophet, along with Apa Victor the archimandrite, concerning the impious Nestorius. And they came into the royal city. Our just father Apa Shenoute came walking in the palace of the King, and he found a grain of corn lying. He took it and put it into the pocket of his habit till the time he came to his monastery.

And it happened that the King allowed them to return to their places. Then my father Apa Shenoute came to embark on the ship with our holy father, Apa Cyril the Archbishop, and Apa Victor the Archimandrite. The humble servants said to him: You cannot go on board with the Archbishop. For they did not know him. But my father said to them: If not, let the will of the Lord be done. Then he went a little, he and his disciple going with him. And he tood and prayed, saying: Lord Jesus Christ, how will you bring me to my monastery ? While he was considering thus, behold a cloud of light came out of the heaven; and it took him and his disciple, snatched him up into the height, and went with him.

They reached the open sea, and Apa Cyril the Archbishop looked up and saw my father Apa Shenoute in the midst of the cloud with his disciple. He cried out, saying: Give us your blessing, holy father Elijah, afresh. My father Apa Shenoute replied to him: Remember me, my holy father. And even so the cloud went with him and brought him to his monastery.

It was the tire of summer in those days. The brothers were grinding corn for bread, and he took the grain of corn which he had brought when he came from the palace of the King. He threw it down on the mill-stone, and a great favour of the Lord came to pass on the mill-stone. They could not turn it back, and the brethren murmured because they laboured and could not turn it back. But my holy father Apa Shenoute came up to the mill-stone, laid his staff upon it, and said: I say to you, o mill-stone, be still. And straightway it was still in accordance with the word of my father, the just prophet, Apa Shenoute, the man of God in very truth, whose works are in authority like the prophets of former days and the apostles, in the numberless acts of justice and wonders that he did by the

grace of the Holy Spirit that was in him at all times.

Again it happened that the holy Archbishop Cyril came to his city; and he sent for my father Apa Shenoute and asked him: How many days were you a loft in the cloud till you came to your monastery ? My father Apa Shenoute said to the Archbishop: Forgive me, my Holy Father; I am unworthy of such a thing. Apa Cyril said to him: I adjure you by the prayers of the saints that you should tell me what happened to you. My father said to him in humility: Inasmuch as you adjure me, I came to the monastery on that day we spoke to each other, when you were on the ship and I was in the cloud; and I was at the office with the brothers in the evening of that same

day. And he was amazed before him, was the holy Archbishop Cyril, along with Apa Victor the Archimandrite. And thus they gave glory to God, who does wonders only through his saints or those who do his will, and their hearts rests in him. After this he came out

from before the Archbishop and came to his monastery.

And again it happened one day as our father Apa Shenoute was sitting on a rocky summit, he and our Lord Jesus Christ talking together, that my father the prophet said to Him: My Lord, I would like to see a ship floating here. And the Lord said to him: I shall not vex you, my chosen Shenoute. And He went from him. But after a little the place was filled with water by the command of the Demiurge God. And he caused avship to sail in the hollow of the water which had come to pass. And He, the Lord, was in the likeness of the chief sailor, and angels were in the likeness of the other sailors. He sailed until He came to where holy Apa Shenoute was standing praying; and the Lord said to my father Apa Shenoute: Take the rope. And he sretched out his hands and took the rope; but he could not tie it.

Then he went to the rocky summit ? ? and he took it with his finger and thumb. Forthwith it poured immediately like wax before a flame, and He put the rope upon the stone; and that stone poured up to this day as an eternal sign for generation upon generation .

And again it happened of a time that they were working at digging a well in the monastery, the brothers labouring at it. Then the devil plotted against them, wishing to overturn it upon the workers who were working at it. And one of the brothers who was helping with the construction ran and told our father Apa Shenoute. And he rose up, took his staff and came down

to the well. He stretched out his staff and pierced the wal of the well; and straightway it ceased and put forth branchs and dates; and the men who were working ate of its fruit, and the wall stayed undisturbed till this very day.

And again it happened of a day when our Saviour was sitting with my father Apa Shenoute, speaking with him; I went in, I, Besa his disciple, desirous of visiting him. Straightway the Saviour made away. But I went in and received the blessing from my father. Afterwards I asked him: My holy father, who was that who was speaking with you and made away when I came in ? My father the prophet said to me: It was the Lord Jesus Christ, who was by me just now speaking to me of mysteries. I said to him: I wished myself to see Him and that He should bless me. My father said to me: You cannot see Him, because you are only a little boy. I said to him: I am a sinner, my holy father. He said to me: No, but you are impatient. Again I said to him, weeping: My father, I revere you; let your pity come to me, and I shall be worthy to see Him myself. My father said to me: If you come about the sixth hour on the morrow, enter and you will find me sitting

down with Him. But see! Speak noting at all.

It happened on the morrow that I went in accordance with the command of my father; and I knocked on the knocker according to custom, that I might come in and receive blessing. And straightway the Lord made away. But I wept that I was altogether unworthy of seeing the Lord in the flesh. But my father aid to me: He will satisfy you, Besa my son, and he will cause you to hear His sweet voice. And beyond my desert, I heard Him speaking together with my father, and I came to receive favour

from Him all the days of my life.

And it happened of a time that there came a great drought, and the men of the nome of Shmin and those belonging to the nome of Psoi gathered together to my father that he might give them nourishment. My father gave them bread until the bread came to an end. And the brother who was over the bread-store came to our father Apa Shenoute and said to him: My father, ? has occurred in the bread. What will you do for the multitudes gathered in upon us and the brothers ? My father answered and said to me and to the one who distributed the bread: Go, take the rest of the bread and the little fragments. Moisten them and give them to the multitudes

that they may eat.

And we went in accordance with his words; we took them and we left nothing behind. And we came to him and told him; We have left nothing behind. And he said to us: Pray (that) God will cause that his blessing be till you have all eaten. We had no wish to be disobedient, and we went. When the time came, we went to open the door of the corn-store, and the blessing of God poured upon us outside the door of the corn-store; and thus the multitudes ate and were satisfied. And they gave glory to

God and to our father.

It happened again of a time that the bakers murmured about the ashes which they carried out. Our father knew and said to them: How many ovens are there ? They said to him: There are eleven. My father said to them: Go, and all the ashes you bring out of the ten ovens cast into the one which is in the middle, and trust God and the prayers of the saints that it will never be full. And they acted in accordance with his word of truth. All the ashes they removed from the ten ovens they pressed into it; and it

never became full to this very day.

At a time before they built the church our Lord Jesus Christ appeared to our father Apa Shenoute and said to him: Arise and prepare the church and the foundations of the monastery; and you shall build a shrine in my name and your own. My father Apa Shenoute said to the Lord: My Lord, where shall I find anything to sell for the shrine that I may build it ? The Saviour said to him: Rise up and go in to the dwelling-place which is in the desert; what you will find on the pathway, take and sell there from for the shrine. And perhaps you will think that it is a work of the devil. By no means; but this is how it will come to pass until you build the church and the monastery according

to my wish. I, the Lord, have spoken.

And then our father rose up and went into the inner desert and he prayed there the whole night. And when he came on his way in the desert the following morning, he found a little pot about a span in length. And he stretched

forth his hand, took it and came to the monastery.

And afterwards our Lord Jesus came to our father (when) they were going among themselves and preparing the foundation of the shrine. And thus my father organized the workmen and the craftsmen; the ? and the carpenters. They worked on the church and they completed it, while the Lord helped them in all their

works and in every needful thing.

And it happened of a time that a man came to our father the prophet. He was a ? having with him 120 solidi; and another went with him as a companion for him. And the man said to his companion: I wish to give some small favour to the shrine of Apa Shenoute to be presented as an offering for my safety. But I shall not give it until I

know whether the great man will give them as an offering or not.

And he gave the gold to the other brother who went with him; and he bore clothes in accordance with his station. He made way into the monastery and came to my father the prophet Apa Shenoute and spoke to him thus: My holy father, I revere you; do me the kindness to give me goodwill to the extent of 20 solidi, and I will give them to our creditor. He cas me out of my house and took it from me. My father said to him: This is not a place for jests, my son. Perhaps you want another 20 solidi that you may add them to the 120 solidi you have brought, being desirous of making a sum. Then my father called a brother monk and said to him: Go forth, and wherever in the field you may find a man sitting down with flowing hair and a pitcher of water in his hand, say to him: Your companion says: Just as I told you to sit here until I made enquiry of the great man whether he would offer them in

pity or not, now arise and come.

And the brother monk went to the field as my father had bade him. He found the man and spoke to him in accordance with the words my father had spoken to him. The man came to my father and stood wondering greatly.

Then he cried out, saying: Of a truth I know today that there is a prophet in this monastery, as I have seen with my eyes. And afterwards he gave the gold to my father the prophet Apa Shenoute. And the two of them prayed and departed from him in peace, giving glory to God and

the saint also.

And it happened of a day that a man came who was a foreigner. This man, then, came to our father. He was in a village called Comentius, and he hear about the wonders of our just father Apa Shenoute, and had come to receive a blessing of him. My father made answer to him and said; thus: How shall I bless you, since you have committed a great sin, which is very grievous ? The man answered and said to my father Apa Shenoute: I do not know any sin I have committed; for I am a Christian, and I have believed in the God of heaven since my childhood. My father said to him; Do you not remember the day when you ate and drank and went to rest in your house; and the devil, the enemy, deceived you while you were asleep. You rose up, you took your sword, and you came out and found a woman, and you pierced her womb with your sword. The man answered and said: In very truth, my holy father, this word is true; but is there no foregiveness for a sinner if he repents ? My father the prophet answered and said to him: Yes, there is repentance. If you abide by the instruction I will give you, God will forgive you. For God does not desire the death of a sinner, when he turns his back from his evil way and

does good and lives.

And the moment the man heard these words from our father, he shaved the hair of his head, put on the holy habit and became and excellent monk till the day of his

death, wrestling well.

And the third day after he became a monk, he filled a pitcher with water and my father went with him to the inner desert, thirteen miles from the monastery; and he left him in a cave within a rock – a cavera of the size of its length square. And the door of the cavern opened

upwards like a window.

And my father Apa Shenoute would go to him week by week; and he visited him and gave him a blessing on the Sabbath and Lord’s day; and he took a little pitcher of water to him and a little bread, his requirements for the

week.

And a year passed since he became a monk; my father the prophet went in to him and said to him: What has happened to you ? Tell me. The man answered and said to him: It happened to me in the past night at the hour of dawn that I looked upon myself; and my body trembled badly so that I said that they were talking all the sinews from my body. And I trembled, thinking that I would die soon. And after that, behold a substance came forth from my body with an evil stink like the discharge from a dead man; and it went down to the cleft of the rock like the vapour of smoke, and it went out and departed. And I have been wandering about till the moment you called in to me. And the holy prophet Apa Shenoute answered and said to him: Take courage; today salvation has come to you, and the Lord has forgiven you your sin. Then my father took him and brought him to the monastery among

the brethren.

And I Besa, the disciple of the holy old man, I made my way to my father and said: Isn’t this the man of a foreign country who came to us at that time ? He said to me: Yes. And I said to him: Where has he been all these days ? My father replied: An evil beast smote him, and I took him to the door. He cured him and health came to him. And the

brother gave glory to God all his days.

And it happened of a day that a man of the town of Shmin came to him, a great man of affairs and a very rich man. But some robbers seized his wealth and they left him nothing. This man came to my father, crying out and saying: My Lord father, help me; because they have laid waste my home and they have left me nothing at all. My father Apa Shenoute answered him and said: Rise up and go northwards to the village of Siut; and you will find three men sitting down outside the mouth of the gate of the village. One of them has flowing hair on his head. Say to him: Shenoute says: Come to me and I will speak to you of a matter. And the man will

talk to you.

And he received a blessing, did the man of affairs, came out and went north to the village of Siut; and he found the men sitting down outside the gate of the village, as my father had told him, one of them with a flowing head of hair. And the man of affairs said to him: My friend, the man of God Apa Shenoute says: Come to me, and I will

speak to you, and you shall tell me of this matter. The man said to him: Truly for many days I have desired to

see that holy man and to receive his blessing.

Then the two of them rose up together and went with one another and came to holy Apa Shenoute. They received his blessing, and he said to them: Sit down a

little and rest yourselves.

Afterwards my father spoke to the man for whom he had sent, the one who had robbed the house of the business man, and said: My son, go and give the man his belongings which you have taken by stealth, and I will make him give you some things from among them. The man said to him in fear: My holy father, it was not I alone who stole them. My father said to him: I know, my son. The man said to my father: If he does not say a word to anyone at all, then I will take him and give him his belongings, all safe and

sound.

Then my father called the business man and made him swear; I shall not disclose the matter till the day of my death. And so he took him and gave him his belongings, all safe, as my father Apa Shenoute had commanded him. And the business man gave him a little share of his

belongings and forgave him.

And later the business man returned to our father the prophet and he received a blessing from him. My father Apa Shenoute said to him: Behold, you desire to go to the

city of Alexandria. Do a favour, and when you go in take the first object you find which is for sale and bring it to me. And I will repay you what you give for it when you

return to me, God willing.

And the business man came to ? going to Alexandria, and the moment he came up in the ship, he found a man carrying a portable alter. And it was of silver. The man had taken it by stealth from one of the monasteries of our father Apa Shenoute, the man of faith. And the man of affairs saw the alter and said to himself: If I get this alter of silver and take it to the great man of God, I shall never cease being ashamed if I take anything from him, because he had pity on me and told me about my belongings; and he made them give them to me. I shall not get it and

destroy my ? form my hands.

And he went into the city of Alexandria and met the man carrying the alter; but he did not get it. Two days later he met the man again, holding up the alter before everyone; and again he did not get it. And when the business man had finished his business, he came down to the river that he might embark on the ship. And again the

came with the alter; and he did not get it.

But one of the sailors on the ship the man of business was embarked on got it, giving four solidi for it. And he said: I will give it to the shrine of Apa Shenoute, the man

of God.

When they came to their city, the sailor took the alter and brought it to the monastery and said to my father: Would you like this alter, and will you accept it, my father ? My father said to him: Yes; but tell me how much you gave for it, my son. The sailor said: I gave eight solidi for it, my father. My father Apa Shenoute said to

him: No, my son; do not speak falsehood; it was four solidi you gave for it. The sailor said to him: Yes, that is actually what I gave for it; receive it to you, my holy father. My father said to him: Take five solidi for it, my son. But he answered him: I shall take nothing for it, my father. Remember me in your holy prayers, my father. And so he received a blessing, came out from my father,

and went to his house giving glory to God.

At the end of a month that business man came to the monastery, the one whose stolen belongings my father returned to him, and to whom he said: The first object you come across for sale, get it and bring it to me. But he did not get it, even the alter which the sailor got for my father. The merchant said to my father: I came walking, and a purse of gold fell from my hand, and I do not know where it fell. But the sailor who got the alter, it was he who found the purse of gold which fell, adding up to sixty solidi. The merchant did not know this, but he besought my father with tears: Let your pity come to me. My father Apa Shenoute said to him: This is the manner of its happening: The riches of this world are like a prostitute; today she is in your house, and tomorrow she is living with another. And now, my son, the one to whom the Lord wished to give the gold that destroyed him, he gave it him; but you will never find it. And so the merchant went away grieved at heart and

much ashamed.

One by one great signs and many wonders came to pass through our father Apa Shenoute, the true prophet in very truth. And works of the spirit, these went abroad till they filled the face of the whole land, and his fame reached pious King and it was said to them: There is a man in Upper Egypt whose name is Shenoute; everything he says truly comes to pass. And the King said: He is in

every way a holy man of the Lord.

And so he did not disregard it at all, the God-fearing King; but he wrote a letter to our father the prophet Apa Shenoute, written in this wise: I am the unworthy King Theodosius the less (?) to whom beyond his deserts the Lord God has given the Kingdom. I write to you, holy Apa Shenoute, the man of God in very truth. I greet you, my holy father, and I beseech you to ? that you should come to us that we might be worthy of your blessing; together with all belonging to the city, that the kingdom and the whole congregation may attend to your holy speech with us. But do not, my father, do not neglect to come to us. We thirst for you and your teachings in accordance with what those who have come to us have told us of the favours which God has granted to you. Remember us in your holy prayers. Health in the name

of the Holy Trinity.

And he sealed the letter and gave it to a Beretarian of his called Eudoxius; and he wrote another to the governor of Antinoou. And the Beretarian came to Egypt, came south and entered the town of Antinoou. He gave the letters to the governor, and so they rose up and came to the monastery before Apa Shenoute. They received his blessing and sat down. Then the Beretarian brought out the letters of the King and he handed them to my father

Apa Shenoute.

And he took the letter and gave his mind to reading it; and he came to the part which said: Hasten and come to us to the royal city. Then he was very grieved at heart, and he was distressed at heart. He said to the Beretarian: What concern has the King with me ? I am a monk, in my monastery for the sake of God, praying and beseeching for my sins. The Beretarian said to my father: My Lord, holy father, he wishes to enjoy your blessing. My father said to him: Behold, perhaps you will leave me because I am an old man. The Beretarian said to him: My holy father, do not obstruct the matter; because I shall not be able to refuse the command of my lord the King. Our father the prophet said to him: Go now and rest yourself with the men who came with you, and you shall take of the food of

the brothers’ provisions.

They spent two days in the monastery; and the Beretarian besought my father, saying: Arise, let us go, my father, that you should not bring upon me a great threat from my lord the King. My father Apa Shenoute said to him: You shall first ? and you shall go and say to the King: He was an old man; and he could not come with me. The Beretarian said to him: If you will not come voluntarily, I have soldiers in my place, and they will drag you in your unwillingness. My father the prophet said to him: By no means; remain today until the morning, and we will go up by

the will of God.

And they received blessing, the Beretarian and the governor and the whole army which was with them. And they went away till morning. When evening came, our holy father Apa Shenoute went in to the alter. And he stretched forth his hands and prayed to God that he would tell him what he should do. And he made his Amen, and behold a cloud of light seized him and went with him to the royal city. And it set him down in the midst of the palace where the King was; and a great light shone in the chamber where the King slept. The King leapt up and spoke with my father, saying: Who are you, that thus I tremble greatly ? My father Apa Shenoute said to him: I am Shenoute, the monk for whom you sent. What do you want of me, a sinner, that you lay burdens on your soldiers and they come for me, a weak monk ? The King said to him: How did you come here, my holy father, and how many days were you on the way ? My father said to the King: Christ Jesus, the son o the living God, He in whom we believe, with his good Father and the Holy Spirit, He it was who brought me to you to this place; that I might fulfil your desire and that you might know that I took the service with the brothers in the evening in the monastery before I came to you here. The King said to him: My holy father. Where did you leave the Beretarian and the soldiers I sent with him ? My holy father Apa Shenoute answered and said to the King: I left them asleep in the monastery. With a great faith the King said: Before this day I heard with my ears, but today I have seen face to face the wonders of your holy and

blessed fatherhood (?).

My father said to him again: And what is the reason for which you sent for me ? The King said to him: I sent for your Holiness, desiring, I and the palace and the whole city, that we should enjoy your holy blessing and your blessed prayers. My father said to him: The Lord Jesus Christ bless you, o pious King, and your whole city; and may be establish your throne like that of your holy father Arcadius and Onnourius, and make you perfect in the faith of your fathers, in which we are established, and we keep the commandments and faith of our fathers, the

apostles.

The King said to my father: Stay with us a few days, my holy father, that we may be filled with you. My father said to him: I must go; but do me a favour and write a letter in your name, and I shall give it to the Beretarian, that he may not start to give me trouble again to bring me to you a second time; but that he should return to you in

peace along with his company.

Then the King Theodosius wrote a letter to this effect: I, the King Theodosius, I write to Eudoxius, the Beretarian: The moment you receive this letter from our father the prophet Apa Shenoute, the Elder, monk, and Archimandrite, who came to me this night into the room where I was sleeping – but how, God knows – hasten and come; you shall not attempt to bring him to us. And again he wrote to him other secret matters which were between the King and the Beretarian; and he sealed it with his ring and gave it to our father. And he embraced him,

received blessing, and came from him in peace.

Then the cloud took my father again, and brought him to the monastery in that same night; and he took the service with the brothers that same night in the

monastery before dawn came; and no one knew that he had been to the King and returned to his monastery.

When morning came, the Beretarian spoke to my father early: Now please rise up and let us go, that you bring not upon me a great evil and wrath from my Lord the King. My father said to the Beretarian: See, my son, you shall go to the King and say to him: He was an old man. The Beretarian said to him: Since you will not come

willingly, then I will take you unwilling.

When my father knew that he would take him by force and that he would not leave him and go, then he put his hand into his cloak and brought out the letter of the King, and he handed it to the Beretarian. And he took it and looked at it. He knew that it was from the King, and he looked into the face of my holy father Apa Shenoute. My father said to him: Open it and read it. And he minded to read it, and came to the secret matters between the two of them, and he was dumbfounded. Immediately my father comforted him till he came to his senses, and then he read it all. And when he had finished reading it, straightway he threw himself down before the feet of my father and said to him: Truly, my Lord father, you are a man whose feet

should not have to tread this defiled earth.

And he said: I wish to stay beside you and to become a monk. My father said to him: No, my son; but rise up and go to the King, since he seks after you, you and your soldiers. The Beretarian said to him: Please favour me, my holy father, and bless me through your holy mouth, disciple of the strong and dwelling-place of God. And my father blessed him, saying: The Lord Jesus Christ bless you, and deliver you from the snares of the devil, and may

you inherit the good things that endure for ever.

And so he came out from our father; he went on his way to the King, with the letter in his hand which our father brought when he came from the King’s chamber; for it was his safeguard and the excuse for all the time he

had spent.

Again it happened of a day that some great men of the city of Shmin came to him, wihing to receive blessing from him. And again there came some great monks of fame from Shiet desirous of hearing some words from him. They said to him; Our holy father, is there any monk

of this generation who will do like the blessed Antony ?

My just father said to them: Even if all the monks of this time came to a single place, they would not make one Antony. And the brothers and the great ones of the city were astounded at the word of our father the prophet. And so they took his blessing and went giving glory to

God.

And again it happened of a day, while our father was sitting down with our Lord Jesus and they were talking with one another; at that moment behold the Bishop of the city of Shmin passed by the monastery. And he wished to meet my father before he went north, wishing to go to Alexandria to greet the Archbishop. And he sent to my father, beseeching him and saying: Hasten and come, that I may meet you about this small matter before I go north. But my father had the Saviour sitting at his side at that moment, as I mentioned at first; and he said to the deacon: Go and say to him: He says, I am not at leisure just now. The deacon went and spoke with the Bishop in

these words.

And the Bishop said again to the deacon: Say to him: Please come that I may meet you. The old man said to him through the brother: I am not at leisure just now.

And the deacon told the Bishop.

The Bishop was staggered and said to the deacon: Say to him: If you will not come, you are dismissed. And the deacon came to our father and spoke to him as the Bishop had told him. But my father smiled Kindly and said: See, what is it this man of flesh and blood says ? Behold, sitting at my side is the One who made the heaven and the earth; I shall not go while I am with Him. Then the Saviour said to my father: Shenoute, rise up and go to the Bishop that he may not excommunicate you, and I refuse you entry because of the covenant I made with Peter, saying; Whom you shall bind on earth, he shall be bound in heaven; and whom you shall loose on earth, he shall be loosed in heaven. And when my father heard these words from the Saviour, he rose up and came to the Bishop and embraced him. When they came to an end of speaking with one another, the Bishop went from my father Apa

Shenoute in the peace of God. Amen.

And again it happened of a day, while my father was sitting in the monastery, behold the Devil came in along with a crowd of demons, and he spoke to my father with great threats and wickedness. But when my father saw the Devil, he knew him immediately. And straightway he leapt up and prevailed over him; and he seized him and cast him down upon the ground; and he put his foot upon him and cried out to the brothers who were by him: Take the others who are with him. And straightway they

disappeared like smoke.

And again it happened of a day, when Apa Marturios of Phboon was going to Constantinople to King Theodosius, that he came up to the monastery. And he said; I wish to go to greet my father the prophet Apa Shenoute before I continue northwards. And a young monk who was a sribe of the old man Apa Marturios and whose name was John answered obstinately and said: What prophet ? Let us go, for truly that one does not know what he eats in the evening. And then he came up and walked with his father upon the way. And when he came into the monastery, my father rose up and came out to him. And they embraced one another, and then he took them into the monastery; and after praying, they sat

down.

And straightway my father the prophet Apa Shenoute said thus: Where is John ? And the brothers looked at one another. Then he said: I mean you, John, the scribe of the old man Apa Marturios. Then my father took him and said to him: John, truly Shenoute does not know what he eats in the evening; and this wretched body which speakswith you now, it will sit down with the Apostles on the day of judgment and will give judgment with them. But see! Do not disbelieve in God and his servants. And he threw himself down beside my holy father, beseeching him: Forgive me, I have sinned. And then Apa Marturios went out from my father, giving

glory to God and wondering at what had happened.

And again it happened of a time that our father the prophet Apa Shenoute went to the council of the Kings, to the pious Kings concerning the acts of violence which the rulers were doing to the poor. And when he came into the city, the whole village was shaken at his speech to them; and everyone came to him, the palace men, and all the citizens, receiving blessing from him with great faith; and each one took him in to their house that he might pray in

it.

However, as he was going one day to the house of one of those honoured by the King, to pray there, and the day began to decline, and the hour was later than the time when the brothers who were with hii ate their bread. And then they muttered, saying: This is how our father will kill us, while we want to drink a little water. For it was the time of summer, and those who went to Constantinople said: It is very hot there. But our father Apa Shenoute knew their thoughts in the spirit, and while he was walking with them in a street, he knocked at a

door.

Immediately it opened to him, and he went in and called to the brethren who went with him: Come in and eat. They came in and found the dining room prepared, the table laid just as in their monastery and all their requirements there with the bread. And two boy monks stood with little ? to disribute water for them and the rest of their needs. And he said to the brothers: Sit down and eat. And after they had eaten, they rose up and came out.

They said to him: Father, who was it who prepared this dining room ? and who were the two brothers who served us ? Truly we hardly find our requirements thus met in our monastery. But he said to them in a word: Give glory to God; for he sent the best to Daniel in the lions’ den ; and it was He too who prepared this dining room for you today. And the two brothers who served you were angels of the Lord. And the brothers were amazed and gave

glory to God along with our father.

And it happened while our father Apa Shenoute sat by the king, behold a great councilor came, who was much honoured by the king, wishing to receive blessing from my father, And he greeted him, and came to take his hand and embrace him. My father withdrew his hand from him and would not give it to him. The king said to him: My holy father, please bless him, for he is a great one in the place and in the whole council. But my father replied, angry and rieved at heart: Do you want me to give my hand to a man who has defiled the temple of God with the evil works he does ? Then the king was amazed, and he gave a glory to God and his holy prophet Apa Shenoute . Our holy father Apa Shenoute rose up of a time and went into the city of Shmin, that he might remove a heathen because of the acts of violence he was doin to the poor; that he might find him and threaten him with evil in order that the mercy of God might come to him. And when he found him, he spoke to him of these things. But that one so godless stretched out his hand, which should have been cut off, and planted a hundred blows on the face of our father Apa Shenoute.

The moment he struck him, behold one made way up to that godless one, one who had come up from the square of the city, very terrible, like a great one of the king. And he seized the hair of his head and gave him a hundred blows on his face. And he drove him right out of the city with a great

crowd following after him until he took him to the river. And he drove him down to the water and the two of them were submerged. And they did not see them again; so that everyone who saw them said: This is a work of God, who performed it to take vengeance on that impious heathen speedily, because of the many acts of violence he had done. And so they gave glory to God, who does wonder through

the agency of his elect.

And again our holy father Apa Shenoute rose up of a time to go to the village of Plenit, that he might cast down the idols in that place. And when the heathens knew this, they went and dinged at the way into the village; and they buried some spells according to their books, wishing to close

the way in.

But our father Apa Shenoute mounted on his ass and started to go on the way. And when he reached the place they had buried the spells, the ass halted and dug in his hoof. And straightway the spells were revealed, and my father said to the servant: Gather them and read them ? . Many times the servant who was with them urged the ass to go on. But my father said to him: Leave him, for he knows what he is doing. And again he said to the servant: Take this stuff and put it in your hands until we come into the village and summon them to their death. And when he went into the village, the heathen saw him with the magic preparations in the hands of the servant. Straightway they fled. and disappeared. And my father made his way into the temple and broke up the idols on one another and destroyed

them.

Some time after this there was an island to the west of the river with vineyards growing on it; and it was called the island of Panetreon, laing opposite the city of Shmin. The lords of those vineyards were heathens, dividing the poor wine of the island among the peasants year by year, depriving them by violence of that which was not (?) theirs.

But the peasants rose up and came to the monastery, and they besought my holy father the prophet Apa Shenoute and told him of the iniquities the men did and the distress caused by them. And my father the prophet said to them:

Aris and go; and God will avenge you.

And our father the prophet Apa Shenoute rose up in the night and went to that island in the midst of the waters with the vineyards growing on it. And he gave a blow of the staff on the ground of the island with the little staff in his hand; and he said: I say to you, island of Paneleon, go to the middle of the river and be submerged for ever, that they may cease afflicting the poor because of you. Immediately the island and the vineyards and the ? removed and went to the middle of the river; and the waters covered them before the light came, and the ships went about their business above them. Thus was the name of God glorified by our

holy father Apa Shenoute, the man of truth.

And again it happened of a time that a day of festival came to pass in the monastery, dedicated to our fathers. Some clerics and musicianscame into the monastery and made their way in to my father Apa Shenoute and asked him for a little wine. Then he gave them their request. Later they asked him for some more, and he gave it them gladly. Similarly they repeated their request again in their greed; and again he gave to them the third time. And those who sat beside him were amazed at his generosity; and they said to him: Will they go on asking, and will you go on giving to them ? He said to them: Yes; but they will not drink of the

things of this place, since their hope is not in the other life.

And again it happened of a time that there was a heathen, whose name was Cesios, a very impious man. He blasphemed against the Christ, blaspheming against Him in his folly and his evil wickedness. But when our just father knew his blasphemies, he cursed him, saying: They shall bind his tongue to his big toe in hell. And that is what they

did to him when he died. Our father bore witness to us: I saw him down in hell with his tongue bound to his big toe,

being tortured unsparingly because of his impiety.

And again it happened of a time that the Blemmyes came down; and they took some towns and made captive the men and their beasts. They came south with all they had captured and dwelt in the nome of Psoi. Then my father desired to go to them concerning the prisoners they had taken. And he crossed over the river that he might go east to them; and the first ones he met sprang up from ambush wishing to kill him. Immediately their hands became stiff and dry as wood; they stood stretching them out, unable to draw them to themselves. And they cried out in their terrible straits. Thus it happened to the rest of the tribe till

he reached the place of their king.

The king realized that the power that was with him was invincible; and he rose up and did obeisance to him on the ground, saying: I beseech you, heal the hands of my men. And he ? them, and their hands became whole immediately. The king decreed honours for him; but he did not receive them, asking him this only: Give me the men; summon the whole guard. And the king gave him them all freely. He ferried them over to the west of the river, brought them to the monastery, and he paid (?) them and let them go in peace, each one to his home, giving glory to God and His

holy prophet Apa Shenoute.

And it happened of a day when they summoned the congregation in the evening and the brother collected at the church, that one came behind them wearing the dress of a king; and he was very beautiful in his aspect. Straightway our holy father the prophet Apa Shenoute saw him; he went up to him as he came before him. He spoke to him with great honour, and he took his hand and led him up to the place of devotion of the monks in the church. And he made his devotion gladly and with all somemnity; and all who

heard him were pleased at his speech and his recital of the service and his good knowledge. And when he had ceased his devotions, he made his way to the alter and disappeared.

Then some of the brethren murmured, saying: Did not our father find any among us that he should make his devotion, except this layman whom he raised up to make his devotion over the brethren ? When our father the prophet Apa Shenoute knew that the brethren were murmuring and were thinking on these lines, he revealed the mystery to them freely, saying to them: You upbraid me, my brethren, that the man went up and made his devotion before us. How he was the holy prophet David, the son of Jesse, who desired to make his devotion in our church. And surely the lord is pleased with us for these great goods. And immediately the brothers ran after each other up to the sanctuary alter, thinking that they would find him and receive blessing and instruction from him: but they saw no one. Then they all wondered how God glorified the holy father and great

prophet of ours, Apa Shenoute.

And again it happened of a day that Apa Marturios the Archimandrite of Phboon came north to the prophet Apa Shenoute, to visit him and to greet him. There was a ? who went after Apa Marturios. When they came into the church to receive blessing, the ? stood, saying the psalms. He took longer than he should and did not know the mass. Then holy Apa Marturios said to our father the prophet Apa Shenoute: Would you like, my father, the ? to stop saying psalms. See, the laity receive blessing with the brethren. But my father answered him, saying: What is the matter with him ? Let him say his psalms. Behold there is a chorus of angels about him, repeating after him, and behold the prophet David stands beside him, giving to him the words he should say. And Apa Marturios wondered at the spirit of

God which was in our father Apa Shenoute.

And again it happened of a day while our father the prophet Apa Shenoute was walking with the great prophet Jeremiah in the spirit, as the Lord knows, and in the body, as the lord knows. Then he came upon a brother who was resting with his robe gathered about him; and he was busy with the words of Jeremiah the prophet. Then the holy Jeremiah stood above that brother who was resting and studying. And he wept until his tears flowed down upon that brother as he was resting. And immediately my father stirred up the brother: Arise quickly. And when he got up, he asked him, saying: Do you know whence are these drops that drip upon you ? The brother said to him: No, but I think that the heavens rain. My father explained to him: Believe me, my son, that these drops of water which fall down upon you are tears of the prophet Jeremiah. For he stood weeping over you just now, while you were studying

his words, that you did not say them with enthusiasm.

And again of a time our father was walking with the prophet Ezekiel; and there was a brother sitting apart, studying the words of the prophet. And the holy prophet Ezekiel went and stood over him. But the brother who was studying did not know; and my father said to the prophet Ezekiel: come, and we will sit down. Do not tire yourself by standing. The prophet said to him: Forgive me, that I do not leave the brother, but he recites my words as an

admonition.

And there was another brother sitting in a corner, studying the twelve minor prophets: and in the hour when he would study them, beginning them one by one, our father Apa Shenoute saw the prophet he was going to study standing by the brother until he finished his study: then he would go and sit by our father Apa Shenoute a long with the prophet Ezekiel, and they sat together. And when that brother finished the eleventh minor prophet, he came to the last, Malachi; and began to doze like a mortal man, and

sleep was heavy upon him for a little because of the way he had spent the whole night wake at his study; and the holy

prophet Malachi did not leave him, standing above him.

Then the prophet Ezekiel said to our father Apa Shenoute: Trouble yourself to go and wake the brother that he may tell out to you the words of our brother Malachi, that he may come too and sit down with us. Our father went and woke him, saying: Rise up, my son, and release the great man, that he may cease wearying himself because of you and join the brothers. And so he arose and completed it. Then the prophet greeted his companions the prophets. And

they from him.

And again it happened of a time that, like a man, a brother committed an error; for God alone is without sin. And our father Apa Shenoute cast him out from the monastery according to the canon; and that brother went out in the desert, weeping in great misery. And he bethought him of the mercy of God, and he gave his heart over to repentance. And he repented, saying: Lord God, lover of men, and pitiful, who does desire that anyone should fall by the works of his hands, if you persuade my father this day and he absolve me for what I have done and receive me in a second time, I hope to approach you and to

please you in everything.

And while the words were still in his mouth, an angel of the lord appeared standing beside him asking him, saying: Why are you distressed in this way ? The brother answered and said to him: I am distressed, my brother, that my holy father Apa Shenoute has cast me out from the midst of the brethren, and I do not know what I shall do, except to despair of my salvation; for no hope of repentance has come to me till now. The angel said to him: If your father receives you to him a second time, will you keep the covenant you made with God and accomplish what you agreed to just now ? Immediately the brother threw himself down before the

angel, saying: Yes certainly, if his comes to me, I hope to keep it and to accomplish them. Now the angel was wearing the habit of a monk when he appeared to the brother, as we

know from him.

And the angel said to him: Arise and go to him, and he will receive you to him. The brother said to him: Those who watch at the door will not allow me to go in to him. The angel said to him: Do you go, and you will find no one at the door; make your way in speedily, and you will find your father sitting at the door of the church upon the threshold. Say to him: The one who has just stopped speaking with you

on the right of the altar says: Receive me to you again.

And the brother took heart at the message; he rose up, made his way to the monastery and found no one at the door, just as they angel had told him. Immediately he made his way in; and he found our father the prophet Apa Shenoute sitting upon the threshold of the church with his clean robe upon him. And it was the Lord’s day, and it was the hour of making offering to the Lord. And the brother began to speak with our father the prophet Apa Shenoute according as he had heard from the holy angel. Our father called to the brother appointed over the place of knocking and said to him: Go and call the warden who cast out the brother from him. When he came, our father said to him: Receive the brother in and let him remain with the brethren as formerly. And all the brothers wondered; for they did not

know the mystery that had taken place.

And again it happened of a year that the water did not come; and our father Apa Shenoute knew the mystery from the Lord. And he himself reversed the matter to the brethren with tears pouring down from his eyes. And he said to us: Pray to God, and I myself will go into the desert and spend this week praying to the Lord. And see that no

man comes in to me at all.

But after his going into the desert, a ? came about; and the governor came into the monastery on the fourth day of the week, wishing to greet our holy father Apa Shenoute and to receive blessing from him. And he called me, I, the least, Besa, the disciple of our father; and said to me: I wish to meet the holy old man and to greet him. I replied to him: He is not in the monastery, but he has gone to the inner desert. The governor said to me; Go and summon him to me. And the brethren replied: He said to us: Do not allow any man to come in to me at all the whole of this week. But the governor swore, like a man in authority, saying: I shall not put an end to my being with you and living at your expense until you go in and summon him to me that I may

receive blessing from him.

And he spent three days remaining on the charity of the monastery while we made ? ;and so we went into the desert to the place where was our father the prophet. We knocked; but he answered only after a long time. Then he came out and was angry with us, saying: Did I not say to you: Do not allow any man to come in to me during the whole of this week? Then we said to him: Forgive us, holy father; the governor came to the monastery with an armed escort and

he compelled us to come in to you.

Then he said to us: You know that I said to you: God has command that the water should not come down upon the land this year. Behold, I prayed to Him, and He replied to me that God is good and compassionate, and He has caused the water to come and has favoured the land this year again.

And we brought him, and he came with us to the governor. And when the governor saw our father, he greeted him and he received blessing from him. He said to him: Do you wish that I should go south and fight with the barbarians, my father ? He replied to him: Yes. The governor said: Let your mercy lay hold of me, my holy

father, and do you give me a leather girdle of yours that it may be a blessing to me. And he gave it him.

The governor went south; but he forgot to bind on the girdle of our holy father. And at his advance against the barbarians, they prevailed over him and they slew many of his soldiers, the first time and the second time. But at last he ? himself, and he said: Have I not been a fool that I did not bind on the leather girdle of the old man, the prophet Apa Shenoute, which he gave me. And immediately he bound it on him and made his way against the barbarians and he

slaughtered them pitilessly.

Then he looked above him into the air; and he saw our father Apa Shenoute in the midst of a cloud of light with a sword of fire in his hands, slaying the barbarians. And the governor himself went into the cloud to our father Apa Sheonoute. And thus he smote the barbarians with a great blow. Afterwards the governor went north, giving thanks to God and our holy father the prophet Apa Shenoute, the just

man.

There was two brothers in the monastery lying sick. One of them was conscientious and was rightly careful of himself; the other was very careless and wasted his days in vanity. But it happened of a day that our father Apa Shenoute went to the place of those who were sick to visit

them.

Then he came to the brother who was careless and said to him: Behold, I see that you are afflicted and that you are near to death. About what are you thinking ? The brother answered: Believe me, my father, I have never kept a single commandment of yours, and I do not know how I shall

make excuse.

Then he came to the place of the just brother; and he was not heavy in his sickness. He asked him: What is your opinion ? If the Lord should visit you, are you confident that you will obtain his mercy ? He answered, saying:

Believe me, my holy father; I have been careful to keep all your commandments; but as for mercy of God, I do not

know what shall befall me. My father said to him: God.

And after this the conscientious brother died and went to the Lord. But the careless one became better in his sickness. But he continued in his carelessness, and our father Apa Shenoute was grieved at

heart because of him.

It happened, while the brothers were putting earth on the floor for spreading bread, and some of the brethren were laying down the earth, and that careless brother was with them who got well from his sickness, that he was going with a load and a basket, as a sluggard, with crying out, dissoluteness and laughter. But our father the old man rose up in anger, took him, and threw him upon the ground with the basket of earth on top of him. He said to him thus: will you not be satisfied that I gave the conscientious brother to you and caused you to be turned back, wishing that you might repent ? And behold now you have not learnt from your disgraceful works. And the brother rose up and fell before

our father, saying: Forgive me.

And he went and made his way to repentance with great earnestness, with groans and tears till the end of a month of days. And at the end of the month he became sick as if to die, and our holy father Apa Shenoute went in to him to visit him; and he stood by him until he died. Then our father said to the brethren: Behold, a brother has gone to the Lord this day, and there was nothing wanting in his life.

And again it happened of a day that our Lord Jesus Christ came to our father Apa Shenoute and spoke with him, saying thus: Your companions in your way of life who are in the desert desire to see your children, and behold they will come to you this night. When He had said this, He went

away.

And our father the prophet Apa Shenoute summoned together the great sons (?) and the wardens of the monastery, and spoke to them thus: Some monks are coming to us tonight, and when they come into the midst of you, see that none of you speaks with them, nor again any from among the brethren. But bend your heads to them, and receive blessing from them, because they are holy men

in very truth.

It happened, then, that they rang for service (?) in the night, that they should make their devotion. For it was winter. And thus, as they were sitting by the hearth reciting by heart in the night, behold our father Apa Shenoute came in with three monks walking along with him, in a very great glory. And when the brethren saw them, they all rose up and greeted them and received blessing from them. Afterwards those holy ones went away, our holy father the

prophet Apa Shenoute going with them.

And when morning came, we collected to him and asked him, saying: Father, who were these honoured men who came in to us this night ? For we have never seen anyone walking with such solemnity and wisdom, and with garments so glorious, not different from ours, yet like angels of God. Our father Apa Shenoute replied and said to us: God and give glory to God at the gift which has come to us. Believe me, these holy men who came in to you this night were John the Baptist, Elijah the Tishbite, and Elisha. These great prophets desired to see you activity and made request of God. Behold He sent them to you and the

scripture was fulfilled for us: Angels desire to see them.

And again it happened of a day that our father the prophet Apa Shenoute went north to the desert of Siut to visit his companion the prophet Apa John the holy anchorite, the one they called the carpenter, he being , enclosed in the desert in a little dwelling place. And he would speak with those who came to him out of a little

window.

And there were some martyrs buried to the north of the desert of Siut. And their bodies were buried by the road. When he went north on the road, those martyrs used to go before him until they reached the road where they lay. And they discoursed with him and greeted him, saying: You have made a good journey, beloved of God. And afterwards they went with them, accompanying him for than a mile with

great gladness, comforting him with great honour.

And again many times he spoke with our Lord Jesus Christ face to face. Sometimes, too, he spoke with the prophets. Sometimes the apostles appears to him, speaking with him. All the holy ones spoke with him, comforting him. Sometimes the angels appears to him, saying those things which were yorth saying or such things as be might adorn

(?) , or such things as he might honour (?) .

And again it happened of a time that our father Apa Shenoute was in the cell in the desert, and he delayed to come out to the monastery because he was praying about the waters of the river in those days. And he commanded us

saying: Do not allow anyone to come into the desert.

And need arose in a matter of the monastery; but we afraid to send for him. There was, however, a ? Lying beside our father, and the ? called to Apa Joseph the notary (?) of our father and said to him: Go up and tell the matter to our father and ask him what you are to do. And he obeyed him and went up to our father to the cell in the desert. And when he came to the cell, he heard him talking

with some men, and he was afraid to go in to him.

But after a little our father called out: Joseph, came in; do not stand outside. And so he went in and received blessing from him. Our father said to him: Why have you nome to the desert, and yet you did not open the door of the cell and come in ? But he replied in humility: I thought that the rulers of the city had come up to you here and speaking with you. For this reason I did not go in, my father. Our father Apa Shenoute answered and said to him: Joseph, in the desert Shenoute does not speak with any, unless I speak with the angels or with the prophets or the apostles or martyrs. But you have lost a great blessing this day, Joseph; for the twelve apostles arose just now from this place; they had come to visit me, and they went away. Believe me, those

are they who were speaking with me just now.

And again it happened of a day that our father went into the town of Shmin, that by night and secretly he might bring out the idols from the house of Cesios (?) . He mounted his ass, taking with him two brother monks, themselves mounted on beasts. And they came out to the river by night; and by a dispensation of God they crossed the river and went into the town without any ship or sailor.

And they went up to the door of the heathen; and straightway the doors of the house opened after one another until he came to the place where were the idols. And so with the brothers who were with him, he took them and brought them out to the river. They broke them up and made them

into little bits and threw them down to the river.

And again he came to the west side of the river as before (?) , he and the brothers, without ship or sailor; and the beasts too, not one of them made a sound at all that night

until they returned to the monastery.

And again it happened of a time that they gathered together to the synod, even the holy fathers, that they might excommunicate the impious Nestorius; and he was there too, my father the prophet Apa Shenoute, along with holy

Cyril, the Archbishop of Alexandria. And they went in to the church and set up the thrones and sat upon them. And they set up another throne in the midst of the gathering, and set upon it the four holy gospels. And the impious Nestorius came in with great flamboyance and vanity and shamelessness. Then he took the four holy gospels, put them

upon the round, and sat upon the throne.

But my father Apa Shenoute saw what Nestorius had done; he made haste, leapt up in righteous anger in the midst of our holy fathers, seized the gospels, took them from the ground, and he smote that impious Nestorius on his breast, saying: Do you desire that the Son of God should sit upon the ground and you yourself sit upon the throne ? The impious Nestorius replied and said to my father Apa Shenoute: What is your business in the midst of the synod ? For certainly you are not a bishop, nor are you an archimandrite, nor and you a priest (?) , but you are a monk. Our father answered and said to that one: I am one whom God desired to come to this place that I might upbraid you for your iniquity and reveal the errors of your impiety, rejecting as you do the labours of the only-begotten Son of God, which He undertook for us that He might heal us from our sins. And it is He now who will punish you speedily. And in that moment he fell from his throne down upon the ground, and he became a demon in the midst of

the synod of our fathers.

At that moment the holy Cyril rose up, took the head of our father Apa Shenoute, kissed it, removed the chain which was upon his neck, and put it on the shoulders of Apa Shenoute; and his staff he gave into hand and made him an archimandrite. And all the members of the synod cried out:

Thrice worthy is the archimandrite.

And there was a little boy in the monastery who was a monk; and the thought of his being only a boy riled him very much, and according as thoughts of the demons

distressed him, he laid it in his heart, saying: If my father come to me to the door, intending to visit me, I shall go out

into the world with him.

But our just father Apa Shenoute, who knew the thoughts of the brother, called him and said to him: Truly if your father comes, you shall go out into the world with him. But the boy burst out laughing; and our father said to him: I shall certainly send you to your father, Alethines (?) . And

when he had said this to him, he let him go.

But the little boy fell sick, and they told our father Apa Shenoute about him; and the brethren beseeched him that he would pray over him, that he might become well; for he was much afflicted. But our father the prophet said to them: What have you with him? He being desirous of going to his father. And when the brethren heard this, they went away. But on the sabbath, which was the seventh day since the little boy was ill, he fell asleep at the ninth hour of the day. They prepared his body for burial, took him, and buried

him.

After the burial, our father Apa Shenoute summoned to ether all brethren and spoke to them from the word of God, saying: Believe me, my brethren, a soul has gone to God this day, and there was no stain upon it. But it will go in to the places of rest without any’s preventing it, until it worships before the holy ? . And when the brethren heard this, they gave glory to God, and they prepared to serve the Lord with

unceasing perseverance.

And again it happened of a time that the Count came south, wishing to go to make war with the barbarians. And when he came opposite the monastery, he sent to my father, beseeching him that he would come out to him by the river and greet him, and he should receive blessing from him before he went to fight with the barbarians, believing that if he saw him himself, he would prevail over all his enemies.

And our father arose and went to him quickly.

There were two fierce lions bound on the ship, with a man watching over them. Our father made his way to the ship that he might go on board it. Then the lions bowed their heads as if to receive blessing from him. And the Count with all his company were amazed, saying: Truly this

is a holy prophet.

Then the Count asked him his girdle, that he might give it him as a blessing, and he should bind it on him and then make war upon the barbarians. And he gave it to him. So he went south and fought with the barbarians. And he smote them through the prayers of our holy father Apa Shenoute, the man of God. Afterwards he returned north with his company, giving glory to God for the strength which had

come to him from the prayers of our blessed father.

And again it happened of a day that our father the prophet Apa Shenoute performed his services in the night; and when he dismissed the congregation, he slept a little and he saw a vision from the Lord. Thus he saw a man full of all glory standing before him, a very sweet smell coming out of his mouth, his face shining with like the sun. The old man said to him: Who are you, my Lord, surrounded thus with such great glory ? The man of light replied, saying: I am Paul, the apostle of the Christ. Since you love ? and you are merciful to all who ask you, and you keep all the commandments in every way, behold the Lord has sent me to you for love, that I might comfort you for what you do to the poor and the needy. And thus he stood speaking with him till the hour of summoning the congregation in the

night.

Afterwards he handed him a loaf and gave it to him. The old man took it and bound it on his staff (?) . The apostle said to him: Take this leaf, and put it in the place of the distribution of the brothers’ bread, whence they take bread. For a multitude of holy men has blessed this loaf, and our Lord Jesus Christ has blessed it and put his seal upon it. But

now be strong and take heart; fear not, for the peace of God shall be established with you for ever. And again he

embraced him and went away from him.

And the holy old man Apa Shenoute rose up from the vision, and found the bread bound on his staff. He gave glory to God, saying: What shall I give in exchange to the Lord for all those things he has done to me ? And straightway he came out to go to the church along with the brethren; and he made his way to where the brethren drew bread. Secretly, and without letting anyone know it, he placed the blessed loaf, which the apostle had given him in the dream, and left it in the store-house whence they took bread. He closed the door and came to the church; and the brethren saw him with his face shining brightly, and they

wondered.

When the congregation was dismissed, he went to his dwelling; and when the hour came, they knocked that each one might go to his work. And the brother who was over the place of bread distribution came to the old man and said to him: My holy father, please come and pray, and they will open the place of bread distribution too, that we may bring out what is necessary for those who come to us; that a blessing may be on what they bring out of it. With a face full of joy the old man said to him: Go, my son, and bring out of it until it ceases. The brother said to him: Forgive me, my father, I have not left over more than one basket in the place

of bread distribution, wishing that you might bless it. The old man said to him: Arise and bring out the basket which

you left behind.

But the steward who was going to open the door of the bread store could not open it; and the brethren rose up and pushed it, but still they could not open it. They said: Clearly it is not the wish of God that we provide for the multitude today. But our father Apa Shenoute knew what had happened. He rose up and came to the brethren and said to them: Rise up and bring out the gift of the Lord; and if it is not sufficient, then we shall open another one and bring out of it. They prayed, and the old man made the sign of the cross on the door, saying: O Lord my God, let the door open

with Thy power and at Thy command.

Then straightway the door opened, and a great heap of loaves poured out of it, filling the space outside the door until there was a mass bread. And so they spent six months taking care of the multitude and the brethren from this abundance of loaves which came out from the door of the bread-store. And they call that bread-store the store of

abundance down to this very day.

There was a brother monk in the brothers’ herb-garden whose name was Psoti; and he did favours exceedingly. Everyone who came to him, he gave vegetables to them all,

but especially to the brothers in the monastery (?).

And because of his excessive generosity, the brethren accused him before our father Apa Shenoute, saying: Psoti will not leave anything in the brothers’ vegetable garden that we and those who come to us may find what we need. Our father said to them in the love of God: If you are not in want for vegetables, there is no fault in him; but I will go at the first opportunity to him and accuse him, and if any want arises, I will bring him out of the garden; but it is great generosity. For my father Apa Shenoute knew that blessing

was with him in every work.

But it happened in that night, when the old man ceased from his prayers, that he turned himself a little, and in amazement he saw a woman, very beautiful, whose whole body shone with light like the sun; and she took the hand of Psoti and spoke with him, saying: See, do not give up the generosity of the vegetable garden. Is it thine, the land that gives fruit, or is it thine, the water which is in the cistern, or is it thine, the strength of the beasts which labour ? Behold I say to you: The heart of my Lord and my Son is satisfied that you should give a few vegetables to the brethren and

everyone who is in need.

When our holy father Apa Shenoute heard the words which the woman spoke to Psoti the gardener, he knew that she was the Mother of the Lord. And she turned to the old man Apa Shenoute and said to him: Shenoute, beloved of my Son, behold I have brought to you the one they accused to you; if you find an worn in him, I will punish him with a

great sickness.

And the old man the prophet rose up out of his dream, and he wondered at what had happened; and when they rang for church, the old man went into the church early, before the brothers went in; and he saw Psoti the gardener standing praying, his ten fingers full of light like torches of fire. Our father said to him: Who are you thus ? He said: It is I, Psoti, your son. The old man said to him: What has brought you here, my son ? Psoti said: What came to you in your chamber and spoke with you before they rang for church, that it was which brought me here. The old man said to him: It is written, my son, that God is our God and the Lord is our Lord and king. Behold, I know that God is with you in every labour you undertake, and I will come to you today to the garden to visit you. But, my son, for that it

has happened thus, I give thanks.

And the holy old man Apa Shenoute saw the holy Virgin Mary with a bowl of water poured out before her; she took

the hands of Apa Psoti to her and sprinkled the water upon all the vegetables, saying; thus: Grow up and do not cease. Then she gave him the peace and went from him in great glory. Then our father Apa Shenoute knew that holy Apa Psoti was an exceedingly just man and that the Lord was

him in every labour he undertook.

And again it happened of a day, while our father Apa Shenoute was sitting talking with some laymen, and there was a raven perched on the ship above them; and it called down to them. Then one of the men sitting by our father looked up at the raven and said: That’s good news which is

in your mouth, raven.

But our father Apa Shenoute groaned, saying O the senselessness that has prevailed over the sons of men. Whence does this raven know the good news ? Is the raven the messenger of your Father ? No, my son; do not lay this in your heart again to listen to this bird; but he is calling up to the Lord that he should provide him his food. Or do you not listen to the psalmist David when he says: He who gives the food of the beasts to them and the young of the raven

who call out to him ? .

For many men take signs from the cry of the birds and the sun and the moon and the stars. All these are deep in idolatry. For it is written: The spirit which will do these things, they shall destroy that spirit from among its people. And again, there are many who lay their trust on the rules of this world that no evil will come to them. But they do not know that if God turns away His face from them, they will not be able to stand for a single hour. For it is written: Do not put your trust in princes nor in the children of men, since their breath comes out from them and they return to the earth that day, and their thoughts shall all be destroyed. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, and whose

hope is established in the Lord his God.

And again it happened, while our father Apa Shenoute was walking in the desert, that behold the Lord Jesus appeared to him, speaking with him. As they were walking together, they came upon a dead man thrown out on the mountain. And our father Apa Shenoute took him up and did obeisance to the Lord, saying: My Lord and my God, many years have I come pass in this dead man, but I have

not known what manner of man he was, cast out here.

And our Lord Jesus Christ moved the dead man with his foot, saying: I say to you, dead man, take breath to you, arise and tell my servant Shenoute how you are thus. And straightway the dead man arose like one who is about to arise from sleep. When he saw the Lord, he knew Him and he worshipped Him, saying: Let your pity come to me, my Lord. The Saviour said to him: Speak, and let my chosen Shenoute know you and what is your business. The dead man said: What shall I say, my Lord ? You it is who the secret and the open, and you it is who knows what is my destiny. The Saviour said to him: But speak, and my servant

Shenoute shall hear you himself.

The dead man answered and said: I was a glass blower, a man of Siut. I was working with some men; and we arose and came south to Shmin, that we might do business in that place. But after a few days I fell sick and died; and they brought me to this place and cast me out, because I had no

relative among them.

My father Apa Shenoute said to him: Had the Saviour come to the world at that time? He said: Yes; the news was peread abroad that he was coming south to us by those the passed. For a women came into the town of shmon with a little boy in her arms; everything he said came to pass; he raised the dead; cast out demons; made the lame to walk; made the deaf hear; made the dumb speak; made the lepers clean; in fact, he did every wonder. And when I heard this, I

lind it in my heart that I should go north and worship him; and the intention did not leave me.

When the dead man had said this, he bend down and worshipped the Saviour, beseeching him: Let your mercy come to me and do not abandon me to cast me to punishment again. Woe is me, that the womb of my mother did not become a tomb for me before I came down to these

afflictions.

The Lord said to him: Inasmuch as you are worthy to see me in the world along with my servant Apa Shenoute, I will give you a little relief. But sleep now, and mercy will come to you, and you shall rest until the day of righteous judgment. And straightway the dead man slept as

before.

And the Saviour took the hand of my father Apa Shenoute and went with him to the cell in the desert, talking to one another of great mysteries. Then he went up to the heavens with the angels

singing over him.

And after this again, behold some men came to him; and there was a camel newly delivered, with her foal following her; and he was very weak, and she did not allow him to take suck. But when our father saw her, he brought a little water from the jug (?) in the church and gave it to her. She drank it, and he led her foal up to her, saying: Why do you not suckle the foal ? And why did you bear him ? Immediately she gave him milk without any difficulty. Then

her masters took her, and they went to their home giving glory to God and our holy father Apa Shenoute.

And again, there was a man in the nome of Shmin who was a labourer; he worked year by year taking his wages; but his children did not have their fill of bread. And this man arose and came to our father the prophet Apa Shenoute and he started entreating him. But my father

knew at once on what matter he had come to him.

Then the man said to him: My holy father, have pity on me; for I have laboured since my childhood, working for one and then another; and after this I and my children have not our fill of bread, but we are at the and of the food from day to day (?) . And our father said to him: My son, perhaps you have not found the work from which you can live. And

he replied: I do not know, my holy father.

But our father went into the church and prayed and beseeched the Lord for him. And when he stopped praying, he found a few gourd stones. He took them and soaked them in water from the holy (?) water, and he gave them to the man, saying: Take these few gourd stones and go a certain (?) way, and you shall plant a gourd in that place, for this is the work the Lord has appointed for you as your livelihood. And when it comes up, mine is a share of it, and I own it with you. The man answered, saying: Yes indeed, my

holy father.

And the man went. He planted the gourd and returned to our father and said: Behold, I have planted the gourd; but pray for me, and I shall go and spend the twenty more working days which remain to me at the end of the year in

the place where I work.

And after that he went and worked at the gourd. When it came up, be took the first to row and brought them to the monastery. And our father took them and distributed them among the brethren. Then he prayed over a little water and gave it to him, saying: Sprinkle upon it this little water,

saying: Shenoute says: Rise up, for mine is a part of you. And the man took the water; he sprinkled it upon the gourd, saying: Holy Apa Shenoute says: Rise up, for I have

a share in you.

And the gourd began to spread and to progress; and it put forth excellent fruit. In great number. Then the poor man began to sell, and he procured for himself much corn and barley and lentils and bread and every other thing. The poor man became very rich; he filled his house with every good thing, and he employed others to take in the fruit of the gourd, because it was so much. He was rich in every

good things, and then the gourd declined.

And the man arose and came to the monastery and bowed to our father, saying to him: My holy father, God has gratified me with great benefits through your holy prayers. Now arise, and let us share the blessing of the Lord. And our father arose and followed him in his guilelessness (?) , with his staff in his hand. When he came to the house of the

man, he saw the bins of bread and corn.

And the old man ? to see his honour and success. The man said to him: Share the blessing of the Lord. See, I have made ready the servants and camels, that they should take your share for you to the monastery. And my father saw his faith and his assured success, and he said to him: My son, Shenoute desires nothing; take them all to yourself, and live on them along with your children. I trust God that you will not lack any good thing again from today. But do a favour,

and arise and come tell me about the gourd.

Go they went to the gourd garden and saw it that it had declined. And my father stirred it with the stick which was in his hand, saying: Be strong, rise up and produce a little more fruit for this poor man, that he may live along with his children. And so our holy father Apa Shenoute returned to the monastery. After this the gourd bare again and gave

good fruit.

And the man became very, very rich, and the Lord conferred on him thus the second time the favour he had conferred the first time. And he bought and sold with gold and with corn; and he procured for himself reat goods and much money, such as neither his fathers nor his fathers’ had seen. Then he gave glory to God and our father the prophet

Apa Shenoute all the days of his life until his death.

Behold then, we have told you some small part of the wonders and the habits of our father the holy prophet Apa Shenoute, the apostle and the virgin, the elder and archimandrite, which I saw with my eyes and heard with my ears, I Besa, the disciple of my father the old man, who lifted up his race like the date-palm and multiplied his fruit like the wood of the cedar of Lebanon, so that his fair fame spread abroad and filled the face of the whole land, like a herb of the ground; and he overcame with steadfastnese all the power of the enemy through the pouring out of his blessed tears and the establishment of his angelic life and the setting up of his holy order, which spread his fame after

his death.

But again, let us turn to his good ? that we may attain to his grace. Our father Apa Shenoute taught everyone by word and by his holy letters, savoured with salt. Small and great, monk and lay, he bade them be hospitable and merciful everyone, especially that love and peace and justice

should be established in the monastery all the time.

And he, our father, came to a sweet old age, full of good days like our fathers the patriarchs. And this word he uttered to us all many a time, did our just father, saying: The Lord has granted me the life-span of Moses the first prophet – 120 years. But if you provoke me, I shall pray to

Him and He will take me before those years.

And our father Apa Shenoute came up in his days until he reached 118 years. He fell sick on the eleventh day of the

month Epep, which was the day of his birth, according to what he told us.

And he said to me, I Besa hisdisciple: I would like a few boiled greens. And I went quickly to the refectory of the visiting (?) brothers, and brought it to him that he might eat. But he said to me: Take it and put it upon the roof until

I seek after it. And I did according to his word.

On the third day of his illness he said to me: Go and bring me a little boiled stuff. I brought it to him. And when he opened his mouth, he found that it was putrid, like a corpse which has been cast forth; and he said to himself: The spirit eats ? . Afterwards he said to me; Take it and

throw it out. And so he did not taste it.

Then the sickness was heavy upon him that day until he came to the sixth day, which was the sixth (?) of Epep. And he made them call the great sons of the monastery in to him, and he spoke to us thus: My beloved children, I big farewell to you all, because the Lord desires to bring me out of this

dwelling and to separate my soul from my wretched body.

And I bent down over him, along with the brethren who were about him; and we wept much, saying: Will you leave us as orphans, father ? Where shall we find a man of your kind, who shall teach us and who shall satisfy us with the two kinds of nourishment, that appertaining to God and that appertaining to man ? You have filled the whole world with your holy laws and your wise writings, which God vouchsafed to you; your words, our laws, your commands,

and your apostolic orders have filled the whole world.

He spoke again to us: Keep my regulations which I imposed on you; see that you do not forget the commands which I taught you through the Lord; brotherly love, mercy hospitality to the poor and strangers, that we should no allow these to perish in (?) the holy monasteries; receive everyone to you because of the love of Christ, that they too, even the angels of God, may dwell over you. The services,

prayers and fasting; do not forget them; but be confirmed in them at all times, that you may become companions of Christ. If you observe these things, you shall not want any

good (?) , either in this world or in the life to come.

And again he was heavy in sickness even more, and we all wept, being grieved at heart.

And when the seventh morning came of this same month of Epep, he was very heavy in his sickness. And at the time of the sixth hour of the day I said to him: My father, how are you ? He said to me: Woe is me that the end of the journey is so far off. When shall I reach it and go to God ? There are terrors on the way and mighty powers; woe is me

until I meet the Lord.

When he had said this, he was silent and he was in a trance for half an hour. Then he cried out, saying: Please bless me, my holy fathers. Come, sit before me according to

your order(?).

Again he said: See, the patriarchs have come along with the prophets; see, the apostles and the archbishops; see, the

archimandrites have come with all the holy men.

He said again: My father Apa Pshoi, my father Apa Antonius, my father Apa Pahome, take my hand and raise me up, that I may worship Him whom my soul loves.

Behold, He has come for me with his angels.

And immesiately there was a smell that was very pleasant. Then he gave up his spirit into the hands of God

on that day, the seventh of Epep.

And behold, voices sounded in the monastery, and we heard sweet sounds crying out above his holy body, singing

hymns and psalms and odes (?) antiphonally.

They said thus: Peace be with you, Shenoute, and on your meeting with God. Those in the heavens rejoice with you today, you who did not allow the devil to appear in any monastery. Peace to you, Shenoute, companion (?) of God, beloved of Ghrist, the brother of all the saints (?), we all

rejoice with you, you who have completed the buildings, and kept the faith, and received the crown of light, the gates of the heavens have opened them to you, that you should enter

through them in joy.

When we heard these things, we hastened ourselves. We prepared his holy body, we put it down into a coffin full of holes, and we buried him. We sat weeping and grieved at heart because of him, the we had lost a great an good

teacher.

And thus we gave glory to God, and we gave thanks to our Lord and our God, our King, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, whose is the glory, along with his good Father and the Holy spirit, the Giver of Life, now and at all times, and for ever

and ever. Amen.

Index to the Life of Shenoute

Alethines (boy monk) 132

Alexandria 47-49, 70, 128

Alter 48-49, 51-51, 58, 91,100

Angel 8, 10, 22, 79, 93, 99-101, 118, 121, 124, 160, 180, 185

Antinoou (town) 55

Antonius (Apa) 185

Antony (saint) 68-69

Apostles 2, 20, 60, 75, 121, 124, 184

Arcadius (Emperor) 60

Archbishop 70, 184

Archimandrite 1, 5, 9, 17-18, 21, 62, 93, 129-130, 172, 184

Bakers 29

Beretarain 55-58, 61-61, 64-66

Besa 1-2, 25, 41, 103, 172, 176

Bishop 70-72, 129

Blemmyes 89

Camel 161, 169

Cedar of Lebanon 172

Cesios (a heathen) 88, 125

Comentius (village) 36

Constantinople 74, 77

Count (Comes) 135-7

Cyril (Archbishop) 17-19, 21, 128, 130

Daniel 79

Data-palm 172

David (Son of jesse) 92-93, 152

Deacoa 70-72

Demon 6, 73, 129, 131

Desert 38, 62, 103-104, 115, 119- 120, 122-124, 160

Devil 24, 30, 36, 66, 73, 188

Elijah 8, 10, 19, 118

Elisha 118

Epep (the month) 1, 175, 178, 182, 186

Eudcxius (the Beretarian) 55, 62, 63

Ezekiel 95-97

Father of Shenoute 3-4, 7

Girdle of Shenoute 106-107, 137

Glass-blower 156

God 4, 9, 14-16, 20-22, 28-29, 36, 41, 51, 54, 57-58, 62, 66, 69, 7, 75, 79-82, 85- 86, 90, 92, 98-99, 102, 105, 108, 111, 118, 120, 125, 129, 134, 137, 139- 140, 142, 145, 153-154, 161, 168-169, 171, 179-180, 182, 186, 188, 190

Gourd 164-167, 169-170

Governor 15-16, 55, 58, 103-104, 106-108

Heathen 81, 83-85, 88, 126

Hell 88

Idols 83-84, 125-126

Jacob (the Patriarch) 153

Jeremiah (the Prophet) 94

Jesus Christ 8, 11, 13, 18, 22, 25-26, 30, 32, 58, 60, 66, 70, 88, 115, 121, 138-139, 154- 155, 180, 188, 190

Jhon (Apa, the anchorite). 119

John (the Baptist) 118

Jhon (thescribe) 74-75

Joseph (Apa, the notary) 123-124

King (Emperor) 17-18, 53-58, 60-67, 74, 76-77, 80, 82

King (of Blemmyes) 90

Lions 136

Malachi (the Prophet) 96-97

Marturios (Apa) 74-75, 93

Martyrs 120, 124

Mary (the Virgin) 146-147, 150, 157

Moses (the Patriarch) 174

Motner of Shenoute 3, 7

Masicians 87

Nestorius 17, 128-129

Onncurius 60

Pahome (Apa) 185

Paneleon (island) 85-86

Paul (Saint) 138

Pejole (Apa) 5-9

Peter (Saint) 72

Phboon (place) 74, 93

Plenit (village) 83

Prophets 2, 20, 121, 124, 184

Prophets (12 minor) 96

Psenhoout (village) 14

Pshoi (Apa) 9, 185

Psoi (town, nome) 14, 25, 89

Psoou (mountain) 9

Psoti (brother) 144-148, 150

Raven 151-152

Robbers 15, 42

Saints 21, 29, 188

Saviour 25, 70, 72, 155, 158-158, 160, 190

Shenalolet (village) 3

Shepherd 3-4

Shiet (Scetis) 68

Shmin (city) 3, 5, 15, 25, 42, 68, 70, 81, 85, 125, 156, 162

Shmoun (town) 157

Siut (village) 42-43, 119-120, 156

Spells 83-84

SPIRIT (holy) 58, 190

Theodosius (Emperor) 54, 62, 74

Toobi (the month) 4

Trinity (Holy) 54

Upper Egypt 53

Victor (Apa) 17-18, 21

Varden (of monastery) 101, 116