COPTIC LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
translated by frederic krueger

A dialogue which spoke the great(est) of God's own, St. Archelaos,1 the bishop of Neapolis,2 to the glory of the holy Archangel Gabriel, when approached by dignitaries of the city who beseeched him, "We wish that you tell us of the Investiture of the Archangel Gabriel, on what day was he invested." It was within this dialogue that he revealed the matter, for he had discovered (precise knowledge of) his (Gabriel's) investiture in ancient treatises after it had (originally) been revealed by our fathers the Apostles in Jerusalem. In God's peace, amen! ​

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(1) Hearken to the holy voice and psalmist sweet, the plectrum of the spiritual lyre, the holy prophet David, the (fore)father of Christ according to the flesh,3 as he exclaims, "He who makes spirits his messengers, and flaming fire his ministers."3 Truly very great is God's creation, as also he did say, "Thy works have grown great, O Lord! In wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth hath become filled with thy creation."5 

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(2) Since your (pl.) God-lovingness has come before us this day and beseeched us, these most unworthy ones, asking, "We wish to learn the day of the Investiture of the Archangel Gabriel," so we shall begin, with the help of God, the helper of everyone and giver of wisdom to the wise,6 that he may open for us the door of utterance,7 according to His saying, "I am God who gives the mouth and the tongue to the dumb."8 For He, our Savior, our Life, first taught us, saying, «I shall bestow upon ye a mouth and such wisdom as none who oppose ye shall be able to oppose."9

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(3) Now, it so happened to me, Archelaos, this most unworthy one, when I was still a priest, that by the will of God I fancied seeking out the Holy Topoi which the God-loving empress Helena, the mother of the God-loving emperor Constantine, had built in the Holy City of Jerusalem, that I might worship the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, his Holy Tomb, and his precious (Church of the) Resurrection. And I returned and went to Siloam, amazed by the mighty and miraculous deeds which our Lord did in those places.

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(4) And as I was walking with my companions, I came upon a monastery of St. Apa Romanos.10 We turned towards (it), that we might benefit from the blessing of the monastic brethren who dwell in that place, disciplining themselves in an angelic life. Then, when we began to knock at the gate of the monastery, the porter opened the gate for us, and they welcomed us in with them with great philanthropy and great joy full of kindness. And thus we were announced to the superior of that monastery, and thus he came out to us, greeting us. Afterwards he took us into the church and we prayed.

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(5) Afterwards, when we had come out of the church, he ordered a servant from among the monastic brethren surrounding him to take separate care of us, myself and my companions. Then we were given a place to stay called "retreat." When we were taken into that (magnificent) place11—for that was a place12 adorned with every beauty and need of this world—, then we found a little church in that place with a little library inside.

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(6) As we were sitting for a while, the servant brother entered. I beseeched him that he might give us a book for us to reflect upon, and out of the abundance of his philanthropy he gave us the key to the <little>13 library. Then, after we had searched through the holy books, there came into our hands that ancient tome containing treatises of our Fathers the holy Apostles. And when we read from it, we discovered one of the treatises which was written as follows:

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(7) It happened in the time of our holy Fathers the Apostles, as they were sat upon the Mount of Olives, that our Lord Jesus Christ revealed Himself to them, expounding the mysteries, and following Him were Michael and Gabriel in great ineffable glory. Peter responded and said to Jesus, "My good Savior, You made us hear words of life when You instructed us about what is to come. We would, O Lord, that You (also) tell me and my fellow Apostles, who are these two youths who follow You and who are so exceedingly beautiful."

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(8) The good Savior responded and said unto them, "O my brethren whom I have chosen out of all the world, these two youths whom you (pl.) behold following me, the one to my right is Michael, the Archangel of14 the Host15 of the Heavens and the eons on high. And he (Michael) is the Archangel who stands in my presence always, it is he who comes into the presence of (even) my Father without announcing himself. And it is also him whom I have appointed for all time to pray for the entire human race that I have created upon the Earth.

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(9) And the one to my left is Gabriel, the great Archangel. He is the second among all the Angelic Host, and he is the Bringer of Good News whom the Father, the Almighty, sent to the world. He announced my birth and my incarnation within the womb of Mary my mother, the blessed virgin. And he also did first appear to Zachary in the temple, when he was a priest in the days of Abijah. He prophesied to him, "You shall beget a son and you shall call him John." And when he did not believe, he reproved him and brought muteness upon him.

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​(10) John, Christ's favorite, responded, "My Lord and my God, (so) it is these whom You have both chosen over all the (other) Angels and (thus) did You invest them?" The Savior responded, saying, "O John whom I love, Seven Angels there are standing over the aeons of light, but it is Michael and Gabriel who stand ever to my right and my left before the curtain in the presence of my Father, Myself, and the Holy Spirit. And the day that I invested Michael was the twelfth of Hathor,16 and Gabriel, him did I invest on the twelfth of Khoiak.17 Then, when the Savior had said these things, he gave them the (salute of) peace and ascended to Heaven.

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(11) And I, after I had spent a few days there, returned to my city, thanking God that we had benefited from our undertaking. I sought scrupulously to build a church in our city in the name of the Archangel Gabriel. Then, when I went before the God-loving bishop Apa Nikolaos, he whose seat my unworthiness has now inherited (quite) beyond my worth, I spoke to him of that which had entered into my heart, and I spoke to him also of the treatises of which I have already spoken. But he, the holy bishop, did not accept the matter at all.

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(12) And it came to pass that, when the bishop had retreated, he went to his dwelling-place to give his prayer to the Most High. While he was still praying, there appeared to him an Angel of the Lord, and he said to him, "Why did you not believe that which was told to you concerning me from the mouth of Archelaos the priest yesterday?" Nikolaos responded and said, "Who are you who speak to me?" The Archangel responded and said to him, "I am Gabriel who is called the Messenger Angel. It was I whom God did send to Zachary the priest, and I announced to him the birth of John.18 It was I who was sent to Mary the Virgin, and I greeted her, saying, "You (f.) shalt conceive and bear a son, and you (f.) shall call him Jesus."19

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(13) And (when) the Archangel Gabriel had said these things, bishop Nikolaos was shaken and fell onto his face. The Archangel helped him and raised him up, and he lifted the fear from him. He said, "Gather your strength, and disbelieve not that which you have heard and which you have been told concerning me." Then, when the Archangel Gabriel had said these things, he gave him the (salute of) peace and in glory ascended to the Heavens.

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​(14) Then, when his senses had returned to him and the sun20 had risen, the holy bishop sent for my unworthiness. When I came before him, I prostrated myself before him and he bade me sit. Then, when his entourage had retreated, he turned to me and said, "Archelaos priest!" I said to him, "Bless me, father!" He said to me, "Rise, my son, go and fulfil the task which has entered into your heart without any negligence, for this task is one from God!" I said to him, "What happened, my father?" And he told me what had happened, and I was astounded over the matter. Thus I received (his) blessing, departed from him and went in peace, and by God's will did we begin the undertaking of building the church.

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(15) We will then begin to tell you (pl.) of the miracles of God Who loves humankind, which He performed through working them in the Topos21 which was named after the Archangel Gabriel. If you (pl.) open your hearts and minds, you (pl.) will pay attention to them with pious observance.

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(16) It came to pass then, when the digging of the foundations of the church was begun and the ground was being hollowed out, that all of a sudden a little snake appeared and bit the digging man into his right foot.​ And at once the poison filled his entire body and he fell and was dead immediately. And when his folks had heard, they came running, despaired and screaming, and his wife and children wept and uttered words of misery. And they cried out with a loud voice, and the man who had died became stiff as a stone. Then, as they were making the preparations, preparing the body of the man who had died for burial, in order to take him to the tomb and bury him, the whole crowd was gathered around him.

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(17) At that moment the people smelled a powerful and exceedingly precious scent spreading out. The man opened his eyes, rose, and walked. The entire crowd exclaimed, men and women, small and great, "One is the God of the Archangel Gabriel!" And they said to the man, "What happened to you?" Then he said, "Listen to me, o my brethren! So when I was down in the foundations digging, behold, there appeared a dark snake from the ground in which I was working, with two horns on its head,22 and it bit my foot. At that moment I beheld a dark power23 that was totally dark. It enveloped me and I immediately dropped dead.

 

(18) And after a little while, he came: A youth who would be about thirteen years old, of pure light, with two wings. And as he drew near me, he chased away the power that seized me. I said to him, "Who are you, my Lord, who are so full of light?" He said to me, "I am Gabriel the Archangel. I am come that I might wake you." And when the whole crowd had heard what the man said, they gave a loud cry, praising God and the holy Archangel Gabriel. And at once they dug down and discovered the snake, which had already died, and brought it up. Everyone who saw it marveled and glorified God.

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(19) Then it further came to pass, when they were about to strengthen the foundations and cast stones for the building of the church, that one of the stones fell down from the hand of the builder and on top of one of the workmen, severely injuring his foot. Those who belonged to him raised him up, lifted him onto a couch and carried him to his house.

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(20) Behold, the Archangel Gabriel took the shape of an old, grey-haired bone-setter. He exclaimed, "O men, lower him down so I can take a look at him, (to see) what happened to him!" The men exclaimed, saying, "Be so kind and heal him, and we will give you your recompense!" When they had let him down, the Archangel Gabriel dismissed him and said to him, "Fear not! You shall recover!" And he left him.

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(21) Then, (when) at midnight he felt the wound that was upon him, the holy Archangel Gabriel came to him and said to him, "Human, why are you sleeping? Arise and go to your workplace! Behold, the Lord has granted healing unto you." Then the man rose up from sleep, smelled a powerful scent, and felt at once the grace which had attained unto him. He rose, stood on his feet, and glorified God. Then the people who were sleeping in his neighborhood as well as his wife said to him, "What happened to you?"

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(22) And he said to them, “There came to me a man unknown to me, and he said to me, ‘Rise and hurry to your workplace! Behold, the Lord has granted healing unto you!’ And the instant that I heard his voice, I recovered from the scourge that was upon me, as though I had never been injured at all! And I say that (it was) the Archangel Gabriel who came to me and healed me!" Then the people were amazed at what had happened and glorified God, and they said, "Great is the fame of the holy Archangel Gabriel!" and, "God has come to our rescue through him!"

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(23) Then it befell, when the wall and the furnishings24 of the church were being set up, that the erecting of the columns and the roofed colonnades was begun. Then, as they began erecting the first column, and the second and the third, there entered an innocent little boy. He stood there looking at them, and suddenly his eyes went wide as he saw the holy Archangel Gabriel standing there with his wings spread out over the crew, sheltering them. And he observed further how each time the craftsmen would bind the ropes and windlasses to the column, the Archangel Gabriel would stretch out the staff of light that was in his hand, and laid it on top of the column, and immediately those who were handling the ropes would pull it, and the column stood erect with ease and without trouble.

 

(24) And when the little boy saw that vision, he fell on his face, and those who saw him raised him up. And when his senses had returned to him, they said to him, "What has happened to you and (what) did you see?" The little boy responded and said, "I saw a man of light, with great wings on him, sheltering the entire crew. And I further observed that each (time a) column was erected, he would stretch out his hand in which he was holding a staff of light, and he would hold it on top of the column, and the column would stand erect immediately in the spot where they meant to erect it." Then all the people who had heard were greatly amazed and they brought great donations to the Topos25 with zeal, the rich and the poor all at once, according to whatever (means) the Lord alots each.

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(25) It furthermore befell one day that someone vowed to bring in a humble expense in order to feed the workmen working at the Topos of the holy Archangel Gabriel. And that person was a poor man whose name was Eutropios, and the name of his wife was Caesarea. And Eutropios called his wife and said to her, "Caesarea, let us rise and care for and feed the workmen working at the Topos of the Archangel Gabriel, perhaps (then) he will remember us and beseech God on our behalf that he may lift this poverty from us." But the woman, knowing the poverty and misfortune of her household, began to murmur and sneer in her heart. But the man, Eutropios, relied in his heart upon the mercy of God and developed faith towards God and the holy Archangel Gabriel.

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(26) He went into his house and brought out the loaves of bread which he had found and the humble foodstuffs according to his means. He loaded them onto himself and his wife and brought them to the church, that the workers and craftsmen might eat thereof. And when they saw the things he had brought, they said to each other, "What are these (few) things going to accomplish for this (large) crew?" Others said, "He is a poor man and does not have anything left for himself!"

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(27) Then the man Eutropios girded himself and stood there with his wife Caesarea, and they served the workers from the humble expenses which they had brought in for the Topos. They must have been over a hundred workers, not including craftsmen, who were another thirty-two in number, specifically the builders and the carpenters.

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(28) As they were serving, Eutropios looked and saw the holy Archangel Gabriel, who had entered in the guise of a great soldier of the ruler and was walking about amidst the brethren.26 Then Eutropious thought in his mind that he was going around (searching) for a place to sit and eat with the ones eating, for none could see him save for Eutropios alone.

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(29) Eutropios approached him and said to him, "Please, come and take a seat apart, and I shall serve you bread, that you need not sit amidst these workers, for you are a man of rank." But the holy Archangel Gabriel, in the guise of the soldier, said to Eutropios, "I will not eat until all of them have finished eating. Afterwards, I shall come into your house and eat there." And the workmen were sitting and eating, but the Archangel who was sitting amidst the ones eating, him none could see save for Eutropios alone. 

 

(30) Then, when all had eaten and drunk, what was left over was more than what had been brought by ten times. Then, when they brought what was left for them (back) to their house, it could not contain it because of its (sheer) mass, with (i.e., namely what was left for?) the workmen who worked at the Topos of the holy archangel Gabriel.27 

 

(31) And he called to Caesarea his wife, "So now do you (f.) see the mercy of God and his holy Archangel Gabriel, how he so blessed us and our few loaves that we could not find space in our house to contain them! And our few foodstuffs he also blessed in this fashion! Truly God has remembered us and blessed us. He had mercy upon us and blessed a small thing, and it became great. Well then, let us take care of a little bread so I can go and talk to that soldier and beseech him that he must certainly come and have a little food, for he told me, 'I will come to your house to eat bread.'"

 

(32) Then Caesarea his wife took care of the little bit of food while Eutropios went to talk to the soldier who was (really) the Archangel Gabriel, that he might come and eat. When Eutropios went into the church, he found the soldier sitting among the men who were working, with noone seeing him. He approached him and said to him, "Please take the trouble and come under the roof of my house and eat bread!"

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(33) Then, when the Archangel entered the house, he sat down on a couch and addressed Eutropios and Caesarea his wife, and he said to them, "Was it you (pl.) that fed (all) those workmen this day?" They said to him, "It was not us, but the blessing of the Lord which He and his great and holy Archangel bestowed upon us, for we, we are (but) paupers; we do not have the income for such a feat!"

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(34) The Archangel said to them, "Bless God and worship Him with all your heart,28 and forget not the poor and the needy, for that which you (pl.) do unto these God shall repay you,29 nor forget (going to/supporting the) church and (bringing) offerings and alms, then you shall inherit the good things that He has promised to those that love Him. Do good and no evil shall befall you. For it was I that was sent to you that I might bless you and all that is yours. And when I saw the good deeds that you did, I beseeched God on your behalf that he may bless what is yours, and it was I whom you saw amidst the eating workmen, walking about and blessing you as well as them. And you and your children shall not lack any good things for all your days.

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(35) And when they heard these things, they became greatly afraid, but the holy Archangel Gabriel lifted the fear from them. Then, when they began worshipping him, he stopped them, saying, "You can never worship me, but the true Lord God alone!" And forthwith he gave them the (salute of) peace, blessed them and all their household, and ascended to the Heavens in ineffable glory while they gazed after him.

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(36) Then Eutropios and Caesarea his wife glorified the God of the holy Archangel Gabriel30 because of what had happened to them, and they prospered (so) immensely that everyone was amazed at what they had heard. They glorified God and the Archangel Gabriel because of what had happened to them, that (miracle) of these great gifts that are (normally) impossible to get hold of.

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(37) Thereafter the church was completed in great glory, and it was made in great splendor befitting God. And when the entire construction had been completed with the furnishings31 and the baptistery, God arranged for the consecration to be set on the twenty-second day of the month Khoiak32—the (day of the) Investiture of the Archangel Gabriel as we had discovered it in the traditions of our holy fathers the Apostles. And when the bishop held the awesome service with a great multitude gathered about him that none would be able to count, he expounded the word of God to them and told them of the feats of might and miracle that God had worked in the Topos of the holy Archangel Gabriel.

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(38) And there was a paralyzed man who had been bound by a power33 of the Devil, and when he was taken inside, he was laid below the pillar of the Gospel. And he lay there beneath the pillar. Then, when they recited the prayer and arrived at the part with the Trisagion, the pillar supporting34 the sanctuary, the one under which the paralyzed man was lying, burst open and poured forth a fragrant oil. And the paralyzed man approached, took from the oil and anointed his feet. And suddenly he leapt up and stood on his feet! Then, when they saw what had happened, the entire multitude glorified God and the holy Archangel Gabriel. And when they saw the pillar pouring forth fragrance like that, they ran off on top of each other in such great haste that they tripped over each other, but the man emerged from their midst leaping like a great runner.

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(39) Then those zealous people hastened to furnish a bronze balustrade and put it around the pillar. And every sick person, whether men or women that suffer from whatever sickness, whenever they would go to that pillar, they would obtain healing and return gloriously to their homes, being healthy.

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(40) Then the icon35 of the Archangel Gabriel was painted by the door to the church in front of the font (of holy water). 

 

(41) And it befell furthermore one day that a man named Perhôdios went to a wealthy man in order to borrow from him a hundred holokottinoi36 that he might do business with them. When he beseeched him, the wealthy man said, "Go and bring me someone who will stand surety for you that you will not forfeit them." Perhôdios said to him, "I have someone, but he cannot come to you. Please send someone with me, that he might stand surety for me with you." So the rich man called for his son and sent him with him.

 

(42) Then, when they came to the entrance of the church, he saw the icon of the archangel Gabriel that was painted (there). Perhôdios said to the little boy, "Behold the man who shall stand surety for me!" The little boy said, "I believe him, and he is trustworthy!" The little boy returned and said to his father, "My father, the man who took surety is exceedingly trustworthy!" His father said to him, "Who is he?" He said, "It is the Archangel Gabriel!" He said, "I accept him, and he is trustworthy. He is able to give me what is mine when the deadline is over." The rich man said to Perhôdios, "Tomorrow, God willing, I shall give them to you."

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(43) And (while) Perhôdios went home until dawn, the rich man rose and went to the church where the icon of the archangel Gabriel was painted, and he prayed thusly, O holy Archangel Gabriel! I have put my trust in your charity and your mercy that you may be witness between I and that man. I shall give the money to him, (for) I know that you are a trustworthy witness." He prostrated himself before the Archangel Gabriel and went home.

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(44) And Perhôdios rose early in the morning and went to the man's house. He took the hundred holokottinoi and used them up during a year's days, so that he would give the capital (back) to its owner, and (of) whatever profit (lit.: blessing) the Lord would bestow unto them, half would be for the rich man, and half for Perhôdios.

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(45) Then, when the year was over and the deadline had arrived, Perhôdios did not give anything whatsoever to the rich man. Indeed, the Devil filled his heart (with the desire) not to give anything to the rich man from what (profit) God and the Archangel Gabriel had bestowed upon him from the rich man's money, and he said (to himself) thus, "I did not write a document37 for him over anything, and there is noone between me and him to testify that I have received anything from him. Even the witness who was between me and him, the icon of the holy Archangel Gabriel, which is painted on the wall, he cannot speak nor testify against me about anything at all! And if it should happen that he would dispute with me, I will say to him, 'You have not given me anything at all,' and he will not have any means against me whatsoever in order to do me any harm!"

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(46) Then the man who had given him the money, when he saw that Perhôdios had not given him anything at all, for the deadline had (now) gone by, he sent for him and said to him, "I want the money that I lent you. Even if you cannot give me anything for the profit,38 (at least) give me the principal." But Perhôdios said to the man, "What are these things you are saying to me? You have not given me money, nor do I owe you anything!"

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(47) Then the man became distressed and greatly exhausted, and he said, "Perhôdios, go and think to yourself, and give me the money (back), for if you do not give it to me, I will have the witness convict you to give it (back), no thanks to you, together with what you have gained."

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(48) Perhôdios said to him, "If you bring the trustworthy witness, I will give it to you with its interest," thinking in his mind that the archangel Gabriel could not convict him.39 The man said to him again, "Go and think to yourself." Perhôdios said, ​"Behold, I have thought to myself, and you have not given me anything at all!" The man said to him, "If I have not given anything to you, follow me and I will have you convicted, for I do have the trustworthy and guaranteeing witness." Then the man rose and walked, forcing Perhôdios to follow him, and so they went to the Topos of the holy Archangel Gabriel. 

 

(49) When they had arrived at the spot where the icon of the Archangel was painted, the owner of the money took his stand and spoke thus, "O holy Archangel Gabriel! Thou knowest that this man did come to me and said, 'I want money.' I demanded from him a man as witness, that he might act as a witness between me and him. Then he said to me that thou art the one standing surety for him (lit.: me), and I put my trust in thy revered glory and thy holy power, and gave him the money. And thou also knowest, my lord, that I am speaking no lie. Behold, now he wants to carry off what is mine without having given me anything at all. And thou knowest furthermore, my lord, that I put my trust in thee with all my heart, and (in) your holy power. Enact, then, my lord, what you have fated40 and willed, and God's will be done!"

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(50) Then, when he had said these things, he said to Perhôdios, "Behold  the witness and surety! What say you?" And Perhôdios said in his foolishness, "Well then, let him convict me now." Then, when Perhôdios had said these things, at once he became fixed to the ground and could not move one way or another, but he had become as a stone, entirely immobile. And when people saw him with his eyes open but unable to speak or move one way or another, news of him spread far and the crowds gathered at the Topos of the Archangel Gabriel to see what had happened to Perhôdios. They cried out with a loud voice, "εἷς θεός! One is the God of the Archangel Gabriel!"

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(51) And at once he became suspended between heaven and earth for about two hours, and after a little while, the ability to speak was given (back) to him, and he cried out with a loud voice, "O Archangel Gabriel! Grant me pardon for my foolishness and my unbelief! (I swear) by thy glory, O my lord, if you forgive me this time, I shall not return to doing iniquity until the day of my death!"

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(52) Then, after he had said these things with the whole crowd listening, they all cried out and wept. And at once he was let down, his senses returned to him, and he said to the great man, "I shall (re)pay you your money, plus that which I have acquired." He went at once, brought the money and that which he had acquired therewith, and gave it to the man. And the man donated it to the Topos of the Archangel Gabriel.

 

(53) As for Perhôdios, he stayed in the Topos of the archangel Gabriel as a servant until the day of his death, and he never returned to the works of iniquity ever again.

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(54) Have you seen, O my beloved ones, the miracles of God and the Archangel Gabriel? For truly great is the glory of the Archangel Gabriel, and he is a messenger who stands to the left of his Lord, while Michael stands to the right, and it is they who at all times intercede on behalf of all the creation which God created. It is by their intercessions and their prayers that all of creation remains stable according to the wish of God the Merciful.

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(55) I wish now, O my beloved ones, to tell you of this additional wondrous miracle. There was a wealthy merchant, an inhabitant of this city41 named Philosophron, who was about to take his merchandise, load it on a ship, and sail to Constantinople. After he had boarded the ship and sailed on it for three days, a great storm beat down upon the ship so that it was shipwrecked because of the sins of those on board. The sailors started to board a small boat that they might save themselves and abandon the ship and the cargo within. 

 

(56) Then the merchant, who had grown deeply despaired, sought to take his own life. And as he was thinking in his heart to do this, an ecstasy from God touched him. He said thus, "If the God of the Archangel Gabriel saves me on this occasion, I shall become a servant unto him with all my heart!" And he furthermore spoke thus, "Archangel Gabriel, beseech Christ on my behalf that He might send me a helper (otherwise) impossible to find, for right now I am in great distress and great manifold affliction! O Archangel Gabriel, forget me not!" 

 

(57) And as he was saying this in the humiliation of his heart, for he had decided to jump into the water himself, then did God's providence pull him towards the ship. Then, when those on board the boat, having headed for the shore wishing to save themselves, were about twelve stadia away from the ship, suddenly the Archangel Gabriel halted the boat in the middle of the sea, unable to move to either side for three hours, and they did not know where they could go. By the mercy of God the Good One did the weather change to great placidity and the waves ceased rising against the ship. The sailors turned back in order to board the ship, for they had realized that it was the God of the archangel Gabriel who had taken hold of the boat until salvation came to the both of them, the sailors and the merchant, at once.

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(58) Then, when they had resumed sailing and gone to Constantinople, Philosophron, once he had sold his merchandise, went to one of the goldsmiths of the imperial capital and said to him, "I want you to craft for me the image42 of the the archangel Gabriel quickly, and for all your skill I shall give you your (proper) wage. And Philosophron gave six pounds of silver <and gold> to the goldsmith in order to use them for the image of the holy archangel Gabriel, for he had vowed to make it of silver and gold, and he settled with him on three gold holokottinoi for his wage.

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(59) Then, when the goldsmith began working on the bust44 of the holy Archangel Gabriel, the devil sowed it in his heart that he should steal one pound of silver and one pound of gold from the six pounds that Philosophron had given to him. When he took the stamp with which he would break the silver, at once he became blind on both eyes, and great fear came over him and humility of heart.

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(60) And at once he sent for Philosophron and said, "My lord brother, I have sinned before God and before you! Be so gracious and beseech the one for whom you vowed to make this image, for the deceiver of everyone45 has deceived me also, so that I wanted to steal from the silver that you have given to me. (I swear) by the anguish that engulfs me, instead of the six pounds that you gave me I will give (i.e., use for the image) three additional pounds of gold, and six additional pounds of silver instead of that which I wanted to steal!"

 

(61) Philosophron responded, "My brother, I wanted to make a bust of the holy archangel <Gabriel>. So beseech him (yourself), and he shall beg God on your behalf to forgive you what you have done and to grant you the light of your eyes. Then the goldsmith raised his voice and cried out, saying, "O God of the holy Archangel Gabriel! Hear me and do me the mercy to return the light of my eyes!" And when he had spoken this confession before God and the entire crowd, suddenly his eyes could see and he looked around. And everyone who saw him with their (own) eyes and heard with their (own) ears did marvel, saying, "One is the God of the Archangel Gabriel!"

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(62) Then the goldsmith crafted the image of the Archangel Gabriel in all beauty, using twelve pounds of silver and three pounds of gold, and he crafted it in every manner worthy of a king. Then, when he had crafted and finished it, Philosophron received it, carried it, and brought it into the Topos of the Archangel Gabriel amidst great pomp. And as soon as it was received, a great marvelous deed happened in that moment, for marvel they did, all the crowds who were gathered at the Topos.

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(63) And behold, a man who was blind since birth entered and slipped into the crowd through his great faith. Then, when he had drawn near the icon, for it was perched atop a throne in the middle of the church, he approached (it) at once with the help of his guide. He kissed the icon of the holy Archangel Gabriel, and instantly his eyes opened all of a sudden, and when the crowds who were gathered at the Topos saw what had happened, they marveled greatly.

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(64) Thereafter came one who(se skin) was peeling off by leprosy like snow. He approached the icon full of faith, placed his face on the image of the Archangel, and kissed it. At once, the man who(se skin) was peeling off by leprosy recovered.

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(65) Then, when all these things were over, did I, Archelaos, commission a wooden pillar to be made which I plated with choice silver and on which I placed the icon of the archangel (where it remains) until this day. And (since) then many a great healing has happened to whomever would approach that icon full of faith, and even if they suffered from whatever illness, they would obtain healing. And there have been other great deeds of might and miracle that the good God did work through the holy Archangel Gabriel, (deeds) which—they would be impossible to count if we were to name them (all)—happened through that icon.

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(66) Behold, these things indeed have we told unto your (pl.) benevolence, O ye God-loving people, concerning the holy Archangel Gabriel and the great deeds of glory and miracle that came to pass in his holy name. Well then, let us consider it enough at this point, lest we expand the tale excessively and some of the listeners, in the excess of their faithlessness and mindlessness, think and (even) dare say that these things are not true. For such folk as the aforementioned draw down upon themselves a very severe judgment on the day that every mouth shall be shut and all the world shall fall under the judgment of God46 Who shall judge the living and the dead.47

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(67) Henceforth, my brethren, let us turn ourselves around and do deeds worthy of repentance and befitting forgiveness of our many sins that we do, and let us acquire for ourselves charity and brotherly love towards each other. And (as for) our poor fellow members who are with us, let us not slander them, for slander is an abomination to God and it amounts to fratricide, like the great Apostle said, "He who slanders his brother slanders the law.48 If someone judges the law, what is their honor?"49 For whosoever opposes the law of God has nothing but condemnation.50

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(68) Let us abstain from such vainglorious things, for (if) every vainglorious person is an abomination to God,51 what will be the reward for someone who becomes an abomination to God? Nor let us fornicate, for he says, "Whosoever shall look after a woman and desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."52

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(69) And do not let such vain words and blasphemies come out of your (pl.) mouths, nor such false oaths that you so fearlessly swear, (even) after our Lord Jesus has already commanded us, "Do not swear any oath, nor thine own head, for power is not given to thee to turn a black hair white, or a white one black," so that He lets us know with precision not to swear any oath at all, for it is a sin. And do not swear by Heaven either, for it is God's throne, nor (by) the earth, for that is his footstool. Let your (pl.) words be "Yes, yes" and your (pl.) "No, no," but everything beyond these is of the Evil One,53 and you shall understand that the false oath is of the Evil One, for all his paths are crooked. And we shall endure in great endurance if we turn away from the Devil and his abominable manifestations.

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(70) I would truly like to tell your (pl.) benevolence much (more) concerning the snares of that evil Enemy and Wolf, snatcher of every soul that will follow him, but lest we bring gloom over this great feast that is spread out for us this day, which is the day of the holy Archangel Gabriel, the Bringer-of-Good-News of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: Very great is the glory of the holy Archangel Gabriel!

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(71) Let us gather in his holy Topos with a pure inner thought and an upright attitude towards our Creator as we glorify His holy feast, which is the twenty-second day of Khoiak, that he might beg God on our behalf to receive us unto His Kingdom in the Heavens by the grace and the philanthropy of our Lord Jesus Christ by Whose virtue glory belongs to Him, and His good Father, and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever, amen.

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(Colophon) Bless me, I humbly beg,54 my holy fathers. Epima.55