COPTIC LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
translated by frederic krueger

On Abraham of Farshut (2)

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I.1 [... not join communion]1 with the emperor.2 I said to him that he is in communion with the Orthodox Faith, apart from those who would oppose the Catholic Church; with them he will not pray. 2 Then, when we had departed from him, he sent Peter the referendarius3 to us, saying, "My lord the emperor has spoken: May your fatherhood go before the archbishop and hold on4 to him as has been the custom of your fathers." Then some of us said, "We will go!" Others [...] answer "[...] because [...] two days. If [he] recovers,5 he will meet him." We dismissed the man and he glorified God. 3 I for my part fetched John the Little and we went before the archbishop Apa Theodosios6 and reported the response to him. 4 He wrote to the empress7 that she might order the bishop not to argue with the old man,8 nor to force him [...]

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​II.1 We entered and stood in his presence with the bishop beside him. The emperor said to Apa Abraham, “Why did you not go and make obeisance before the archbishop?” Then the old man said to him, “Even though I did not go, behold, I have (now) met him beside you.” 2 He said to him, “Why did you not go as has been the custom of your fathers?” The old man said to him, “(Since) you ask with reference to the custom of our fathers: We have not heard that the faith has changed since the time of our fathers (either).” 3 The emperor said to him, “Is your faith that of all (Christendom)?” The old man said to him, "If you ask the Orthodox Bishop, the Shepherd of the People,9 it will be explained to you. I myself am but an amateur and a peasant in (my) speech. And since Apa Athanasios10 entrusted it to our father Apa Pachom, when they were (still) in the body together, and he gave us the means to observe it, we have not loosened the canons which Apa Athanasios entrusted [...]"

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III.1 [... ] they agree to an alien faith, they shall be scattered. Indeed, is it not written, "If they persecute you in this city, flee to another"?11 Or have you not heard about they who conquered the empire through faith, how they wandered the deserts, mountains, and caves of the Earth,12 they about whom he testifies that the world is not worthy of them? 2 This is also what the servants of God are like as they pursue the goal of the crown of God’s heavenly calling through Christ Jesus. Wherever they go, God shall provide them with what they need. 3 Theodore13 said to him, “Why did you not convince the archimandrite to agree with the emperor?” The brother said to him, “May it not happen14 that this happens to me! Not only that I should convince the archimandrite (specifically), but anyone who would convince his neighbor in this matter is subject to the fiery Gehenna, and he is outside the Catholic Church! 4 We, on the other hand, look to our father the archimandrite as an angel of God, not only us, but you as well and everyone who is orthodox like yourself, 5 and our father Apa Theodosios the archbishop who is in exile in this place, and everyone who is with him, and everyone who looks forward to Israel’s consolation, so they look to Apa Abraham and the struggle that is in him like a crowned martyr, so that when he finishes the race, he keeps the faith. Reserved for him is the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the Just Judge, shall give to him on that day, but not only to him, but to everyone who kept the right faith along with him.

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IV.1 Now listen, there is a ship with a mast firmly erected in it, and all the ropes tied to it, twelve on one side and twelve on the other, and the rudder that steers it. Its sail set, it sails on a vast sea, while everyone is looking to that ship. That is what our father Apa Abraham is like." 2 Narses, the imperial praepositus who was there and who was orthodox,15 responded and said to Theodore the general, "Beg this great man to explain to us the riddle of the ship and the ropes!" Theodore responded and said to the brother, "The praepositus begs you to explain the ship to us." 3 The brother said to him, "The ship is the Community;16 the rudder is the spirit of our father Apa Pachom, and the twenty-four ropes that are tied to it are the twenty-four communities17 that are tied to him; the mast is Apa Abraham and all the (individual) headmen that were orthodox; the sail is the shadow of the Community; the sea on which it sails is the (entire) population of monks; the rudder is the Sign of the Cross on which Christ was crucified." 4 The praepositus said to him, “And what are the anchors there for?” The anchors are there for the sake of the orthodox such as yourself, so they can hold fast to the faith like the anchors that hold fast the ship. But I beg you and with you everyone who is orthodox to guard your anchor so that you do not allow it to be plucked out from the Holy Faith." 5 Then, when he had heard these things, he glorified God and went to this home, marveling and rejoicing. 6 But the general, he was weeping, for he knew the threat of the emperor, saying, “What will they do about the communities?”18 7 The brother responded, weeping himself, "Even if the Throne of the Catholic Church be disturbed—will a servant be greater than his master? Or will a son be greater than his parents? For (after all), our father Pachom is the son of the Catholic Church. We on our part have no other choice19 but to beg God that He might protect us from these evil times until we depart from this dwelling place and God deals to each (what he deserves) according to his deeds."

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V. 1 And so he departed from the brother glorifying God and informed the empress about all these matters, and she marveled and glorified God for the resolve of their faith. 2 And for the second time did the empress send (a message) to Apa Abraham, saying to him, "Behold, I have spoken to the emperor about you, that he might release you. But he, the emperor, retorted (in) his madness, 'If you will not join communion with me, I will not permit you to be archimandrite!' 3 Then I sent (a message) to you through my secretary, saying, 'Do not leave the archbishop’s side, for the emperor has given me his word that he will release him that he might go (back) to Egypt, and you will go with him.' 4 Now behold [...] this place, I will watch over you and take care of you." 5 Apa Abraham responded and said to that man whom the empress had sent—his name was Presbeutes, a Syrian monk who attended to the empress’s business and who was himself orthodox—6 beseeching her (in his message), saying, “If he will not permit me to be headman, do (all in) your  (f.) might to beseech him that he will release me [that I might go] (back) to Egypt [...]” And he went and told her everything he had heard.

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VI.1 Then the accusers, when they saw that Apa Abraham had renounced all around, they rejoiced greatly like the Devil, roaring like those lions and wolves of Arabia, predators of souls, they went on to accuse us yet further. 2 And when those who were with Apa Abraham saw that he had refused to join communion with [the emperor],20 each one gave his opinion and discord arose in their midst. While one would say, “Let us join communion, lest we allow them to march into the monasteries as headmen,” another would say, “No, we cannot join communion! Let the Community21 be scattered before I destroy my soul!” Like that (it went), each with his opinion. 3 Then John of the Blessing22 spoke to one of them, saying, "Do you want us to [...]"

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VII.1 "[...] Monastery of Apa Pachom!" John responded and said, "I beg your imperial majesty23, if I might not, my Lord, explain this mystery to you." The emperor said, "Speak!" 2 John said, "Unless someone is holy and a virgin, one cannot sit on the Throne of our father Apa Pachom.” The emperor said to him, “So is there not a virgin among you?” John said, "There is noone here, in fact, except [...]"