The Vitae/Lives of the Monk Onuphrios the Great
Commemorated on June 12
The Vitae/Lives of
the Monk Onuphrios the Great and of other hermits of the IV Century,
asceticising in the inner Thebaid wilderness in Egypt (among them were the Monk
Timothy the Wilderness-Dweller, and the Monks John, Andrew, Herakleimon
(Heraklambonos), Theophilos and others) – was written down by their
contemporary and fellow monk of the Thebaid, the Monk Paphnutios.
One time the thought
occurred to Saint Paphnutios to go off into the depths of the wilderness, in
order to see for himself the fathers asceticising there and to hear from them,
as to how they sought after salvation. He set out from his monastery and went
into the wilderness. Over the span of four days the monk reached a cave and
found in it the body of a long since dead elder. Having buried the hermit, the
Monk Paphnutios went on further. After another four days he came across yet
another cave and from the marks in the sand he realised, that the cave was
inhabited. At sundown he saw an herd of buffalo and walking amidst them a man.
This man was naked, but covered over literally as though by clothing by long
hair. This was the Monk Timothy the Wilderness-Dweller. Catching sight of a
fellow man, the Monk Timothy thought that he was seeing an apparition, and he
began to pray. Saint Paphnutios finally convinced the hermit, that he was
actually a live man and a fellow Christian. The Monk Timothy readied him a
guest-place and related, that he had been already asceticising in the
wilderness for 30 years, and this was the first he had seen of another man. In
his youth, the Monk Timothy had lived in a common-life monastery, but he was
troubled by thoughts of being saved alone. The Monk Timothy left his monastery
and went to live nearby a city, sustaining himself by the work of his own hands
(he was a weaver). One time a woman came to him with an order and he fell into
sin with her. Having come to his senses, the fallen monk went far off into the
wilderness, where with patience he underwent tribulation and sickness as a
merited chastisement from God. And when he was already at the point of dying
from hunger, just then in a miraculous manner he received healing.
From that time the
Monk Timothy had lived peacefully in complete solitude, eating dates from the
trees, and quenching his thirst with water from a spring. The Monk Paphnutios
besought the elder that he might remain with him in the wilderness. But he was
told, that he would be unable to bear the demonic temptations which beset
wilderness-dwellers, and instead he blessed him and supplied him on his way
with dates and water.
Having rested up at
the wilderness monastery, the Monk Paphnutios undertook a second journey into
the depths of the wilderness. He went on for 17 days. His supply of bread and
water was exhausted, and the Monk Paphnutios twice collapsed from weakness. An
Angel strengthened him. On the 17th day the Monk Paphnutios reached an hilly
place and sat down to rest. Here he caught sight of a man approaching him, from
head to foot covered with white hair and with a belt of leaves about the loins.
The sight of the elder frightened Saint Paphnutios, and he jumped up and fled
off towards the hill. The elder sat down at the foot of the hill. And when,
lifting his head, he caught sight of the Monk Paphnutios, he called out to him
to come over. This was the great wilderness-dweller – the Monk Onuphrios. At
the request of Saint Paphnutios, he told him about himself.
The Monk Onuphrios
had lived in complete isolation in the wilds of the wilderness for 60 years. In
his youth he had been raised at the Erita Thebaid monastery. Having learned
from the elders about the hardships and lofty life of the wilderness-dwellers, to
whom the Lord dispatched help through His Angels, the Monk Onuphrios blazed up
in his spirit to copy their exploits. By night he secretly left the monastery
and saw before himself a ray of light. Saint Onuphrios became frightened and
decided to go back, but the voice of his Guardian Angel urged him on upon his
utmost path. In the depths of the wilderness the Monk Onuphrios came upon a
wilderness dweller and he stayed with him to learn of the wilderness manner of
life and the struggle with demonic temptations. When the elder was convinced,
that Saint Onuphrios was strong enough in this terrible struggle, he then led
him off to this bidden place of exploits and left him alone. Once a year the
elder was wont to come to him, and after several years, having finally come to
the Monk Onuphrios, he then died.
At the request of the
Monk Paphnutios, the Monk Onuphrios told about his exploits and efforts and
about how the Lord had cared for him: roundabout the cave where he lived, there
grew a date-palm tree and a spring of pure water issued forth. Twelve different
branches of the palm tree in succession bore fruit, and so the monk endured
neither hunger nor thirst. The shade of the palm tree sheltered him from the
noonday heat. An Angel brought the saint bread and each Saturday and Sunday
communed him, as also with the other wilderness dwellers, with the Holy
Mysteries.
The monks conversed
until evening. At evening there appeared amidst the saints white bread, and
they partook of it with water. The elders spent the night at prayer. After the
singing of matins the Monk Paphnutios saw, that the face of the Monk Onuphrios
had become transformed, which frightened him. Saint Onuphrios was saying:
"God, Merciful to all, hath sent thee to me, so that thou might give
burial to my body. On this present day I shalt finish my earthly course and
pass over to life unending, in rest eternal, going to my Christ". The Monk
Onuphrios bid Saint Paphnutios, that he should tell the account about him to
his brother ascetics and to all Christians, for the sake of their salvation.
The Monk Paphnutios
besought blessing to remain in the wilderness, but Saint Onuphrios said, that
this was not the will of God, and he ordered him to return to the monastery and
relate to everyone about the lives of the Thebaid Wilderness-Dwellers. Having
then blessed the Monk Paphnutios and made farewell, Saint Onuphrios prayed long
with tears, and then he lay down upon the earth, uttering his final words:
"Into Thine hands, my God, I commend my spirit", – and he died.
The Monk Paphnutios
with weeping tore off a portion of his garb and with it wrapped the body of the
great wilderness dweller, which he placed in the crevice of a large rock, and
in the semblance of a grave, he covered it over with a multitude of small
stones. Then he began to pray, whether it was that the Lord had decided he
should stay til his life's end at the place of the exploits of the Monk
Onuphrios. Suddenly the cave fell in, the palm tree withered, and the water
spring dried up.
Realising that he had
not been given the blessing to remain, the Monk Paphnutios set out on his
return journey.
After 4 days the Monk
Paphnutios reached a cave, where he met a wilderness dweller, who was there in
the wilderness for more than 60 years. Except for the two other elders, with
whom he asceticised, this wilderness dweller had seen no one in that time. Each
week these three had gone on their solitary paths into the wilderness, and on
Saturday and Sunday they gathered for psalmody. They ate the bread, which an
Angel brought them. And since it was Saturday, they had gathered together.
Having partaken of the bread from the Angel, they spent the whole night at
prayer. In leaving, the Monk Paphnutios asked the names of the elders, but they
said: "God, Who knoweth all, knoweth also our names. Remember us, that we
be vouchsafed to see one another in God's habitations on high".
Continuing on his
way, the Monk Paphnutios came upon an oasis, which impressed him with its
beauty and abundance of fruit-bearing trees. And then the four youths
inhabiting this place came to him from out of the wilderness. The youths told
the Monk Paphnutios, that in their childhood they had lived in the city of
Oxyrhynchus (Upper Thebaid) and they had studied together. They had been ardent
with the desire to devote their lives to God. Making their plans to go off into
the wilderness, the youths left the city and after several days journey they
reached this wilderness area. A man radiant with light met them and led them to
a wilderness elder. "We are living here six years already, – said the
youths, – Our elder dwelt here one year and then he died. We live here at
present alone, we eat of the fruit of the trees, and we have water from a
spring". The youths gave him their names: they were Saints John, Andrew,
Heraklambonos (Herakleimon) and Theophilos. The youths asceticised separately
from one another the whole week long, but on Saturday and Sunday they gathered
at the oasis and offered up common prayer. On these days an Angel would appear
and commune them with the Holy Mysteries. This time however, because of the
Monk Paphnutios, they did not go off into the wilderness, but spent the whole
week together at prayer. On the following Saturday and Sunday Saint Paphnutios
together with the youths was granted to commune the Holy Mysteries from the
hands of the Angel and to hear the words of utterance of the Angel:
"Receive ye the Food Imperishable, the Bliss Unending and Life Eternal,
the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God".
The Monk Paphnutios
made bold to ask of the Angel the permission to remain to the end of his days
in the wilderness. The Angel answered, that God had decreed for him another
path – to return to Egypt and to make report to all Christians about the life
of the wilderness dwellers.
Having made his
farewell of the youths, the Monk Paphnutios after three days journey reached
the edge of the wilderness. Here he found a small skete monastery, and the
brethren received him fondly. The Monk Paphnutios related everything, that he
had learned about the holy fathers, whom he had encountered in the depths of
the wilderness. The brethren wrote down in detail the account of the Monk
Paphnutios and spread it about through other sketes and monasteries. The Monk
Paphnutios gave thanks to God, Who had granted him to learn about the lofty lives
of the hermits of the Thebaid wilderness, and he returned to his own monastery.
© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.