Порфирий
Газский, свт.; Греция; XVI в.; мастер: Тзортзи (Зорзис) Фука; местонахождение:
Греция. Афон, монастырь Дионисиат
Porphyry Gazsky, St. ; Greece; XVI century; master: Tzortzi (Zorzis) Fuka; location: Greece. Mount Athos, Dionysiath Monastery
Saint Porphyre de Gaza
Evêque de Gaza, en
Palestine (+ 420)
Evêque et confesseur.
Originaire de
Thessalonique, il se rend en Egypte où, durant cinq ans, il mène une austère
vie d'ermite dans le désert de Scété. Il vient alors en Palestine dans le
désert, et, miné par une tumeur au foie, il s'en fut à Jérusalem pour y mourir.
Nous connaissons alors quelle fut sa vie par un moine, Marc le diacre, qui nous
en donna quelques aperçus. Mais Dieu en voulait autrement. Porphyre reçoit la
vision du Christ crucifié avec le bon larron et il retrouve la santé. Ne
voulant pas quitter la ville sainte où se trouve la croix, il devient
cordonnier pour gagner sa vie. Ordonné prêtre, il obtient d'être l'un des
gardiens de la vraie croix et, peu de temps après, il est choisi comme évêque
de Gaza où sa charité et ses dons de thaumaturge transforment la ville païenne
en une ville chrétienne.
Né à Thessalonique, il
vécut cinq années en anachorète dans le désert de Scété en Égypte, et autant de
l'autre côté du Jourdain, remarquable par sa bonté envers les pauvres. Ordonné
ensuite évêque de Gaza, il convertit beaucoup d'infidèles, fit détruire
beaucoup de temples d'idoles, dont les sectateurs lui firent subir bien des
outrages, et enfin s'endormit dans la paix avec les saints.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/708/Saint-Porphyre-de-Gaza.html
Évêque de Gaza
(353-420)
Saint Porphyre, né à Thessalonique, de parents riches et vertueux, fut élevé
dans la piété, dans la crainte de Dieu ainsi que dans les sciences divines et
humaines.
Après cinq ans de vie austère dans un couvent, ayant reçu de ses supérieurs
l'ordre de partir, à cause de sa santé délabrée, il se rendit en Terre Sainte,
et parvint mourant à Jérusalem. Là, dans une vision, près du tombeau du
Sauveur, il fut miraculeusement guéri.
Admirons la conduite mystérieuse de la Providence! C'est Dieu Lui-même qui
dirigeait Son serviteur vers la Palestine, où la réputation de ses vertus et de
son mérite le fit bientôt élever au siège épiscopal de Gaza.
Terrible au paganisme, dont il détruisit les idoles, il eut à subir de cruelles
persécutions; mais son zèle et sa charité réussirent peu à peu à convertir un
grand nombre d'infidèles.
Parmi les nombreux prodiges au moyen desquels il triompha de l'endurcissement
des ennemis de Jésus-Christ, son histoire raconte le suivant: Une sécheresse
extraordinaire désolait la contrée. Les prêtres des idoles offraient sans
succès sacrifices sur sacrifices à leurs dieux; le fléau devenait intolérable,
et la famine avait déjà fait des victimes. Porphyre ordonna des prières
spéciales. Un jour de jeûne fut fixé, et on se réunit un soir dans la plus
grande église de la ville, où l'assemblée chrétienne chanta durant toute la
nuit, dans l'attitude de la pénitence, des invocations à Dieu et aux Saints.
Le lendemain, une procession fut faite hors de la ville, aux tombeaux des
martyrs; mais quand elle revint, les païens avaient fermé toutes les portes de
la cité. Les chrétiens, tombant à genoux redoublent d'instances près de Dieu.
Tout à coup le ciel jusque-là serein se couvre de nuages, et une pluie torrentielle
tombe pendant deux jours sur la contrée. A cette vue, les païens ouvrent les
portes et s'écrient: "Le Christ a vaincu!" Ce prodige détermina la
conversion de plus de deux cents idolâtres.
Tous les nombreux miracles de Porphyre avaient pour but la conversion des âmes.
Un jour qu'il traversait la mer sur un navire, une tempête affreuse éclate, le
naufrage est inévitable. Mais Porphyre, éclairé de Dieu, déclare au pilote que
la tempête cessera dès qu'il aura abjuré l'hérésie d'Arius. Le pilote, étonné de
voir un homme qui lisait dans les coeurs, abjura aussitôt l'erreur, et les
flots devinrent calmes. Porphyre, en mourant, laissa Gaza entièrement
chrétienne.
Abbé L. Jaud, Vie des Saints pour tous les jours de l'année, Tours, Mame,
1950.
SOURCE : http://magnificat.ca/cal/fr/saints/saint_porphyre.html
Saint Porphyre
Saint Porphyre, né à
Thessalonique en 353, saint Libère étant pape et Constance II empereur romain,
de parents riches et vertueux. Il fut élevé dans la piété, dans la crainte de
Dieu, ainsi que dans les sciences divines et humaines.
Après cinq ans de vie austère dans un couvent, ayant reçu de ses supérieurs
l’ordre de partir, à cause de sa santé délabrée, il se rendit en Terre sainte,
et parvint mourant à Jérusalem. Là, dans une vision près du tombeau du Sauveur,
il fut miraculeusement guéri.
Admirons la conduite mystérieuse de la Providence ! C’est Dieu Lui-même qui
dirigeait Son serviteur dans la Palestine, où la réputation de ses vertus et de
son mérite le fit bientôt élever au siège épiscopal de Gaza.
Terrible au paganisme, dont il détruisit les idoles, il eut à subir de cruelles
persécutions ; mais son zèle et sa charité réussirent peu à peu à convertir un
grand nombre d’infidèles. Parmi les nombreux prodiges au moyen desquels il
triompha de l’endurcissement des ennemis de Jésus-Christ, son histoire raconte
le suivant :
Une sécheresse extraordinaire désolait la contrée. Les prêtres des idoles
offraient sans succès sacrifices sur sacrifices à leurs dieux, le fléau
devenait intolérable, et la famine avait déjà fait des victimes. Saint Porphyre
ordonna des prières spéciales. Un jour de jeûne fut fixé, et on se réunit un
soir dans la plus grande église de la ville, où l’assemblée chrétienne chanta
durant toute la nuit, dans l’attitude de la pénitence, des invocations à Dieu
et aux Saints. Le lendemain, une procession fut faite hors de la ville, aux
tombeaux des Martyrs ; mais quand elle revint, les païens avaient fermé toutes
les portes de la cité. Les Chrétiens, tombant à genoux, redoublent d’instances
près de Dieu. Tout à coup le ciel jusque-là serein se couvre de nuages, et une
pluie torrentielle tombe pendant deux jours sur la contrée. À cette vue, les
païens ouvrent les portes et s’écrient : « Le Christ a vaincu ! » Ce prodige
détermina la conversion de plus de deux cents idolâtres.
Tous les nombreux miracles de saint Porphyre avaient pour but la conversion des
âmes. Un jour qu’il traversait la mer sur un navire, une tempête affreuse
éclate, le naufrage est inévitable. Mais saint Porphyre, éclairé de Dieu,
déclare au pilote que la tempête cessera dès qu’il aura abjuré l’hérésie
d’Arius. Le pilote, étonné de voir un homme qui lisait dans les cœurs, abjura
aussitôt l’erreur, et les flots devinrent calmes.
Saint Porphyre est l’un des envoyés de Jésus-Christ dans lesquels s’est le
mieux vérifiée la promesse du Sauveur à Ses Apôtres : « Des miracles étonnants
seront opérés par la Foi de Mes disciples ; en Mon Nom, ils chasseront les
démons, parleront les langues, guériront les malades… »
Saint Porphyre s’endormit dans la paix du Christ l’an 420, tandis que saint
Boniface Ier était pape et Théodose II le Jeune empereur romain, laissant Gaza
presque entièrement chrétienne.
Saint Porphyre, évêque de
Gaza en Palestine, et sainte Irène, vierge. 420.
26 février.
- Saint Porphyre, évêque
de Gaza en Palestine, et sainte Irène, vierge. 420.
Pape : Saint Boniface
Ier. Empereur romain : Flavius Honorius.
" Les hommes sont
étrangers et pélerins sur la terre."
Heb., XI, 14.
Saint Porphyre, né à
Thessalonique en 353, de parents riches et vertueux, fut élevé dans la piété,
dans la crainte de Dieu ainsi que dans les sciences divines et humaines.
A l'âge de vingt-cinq
ans, l'amour divin lui fit abandonner toutes les richesses de la terre, quitter
son pays et ses parents pour embrasser la vie religieuse dans un monastère de
Scété en Egypte. Après cinq ans de vie austère, ayant reçu de ses supérieurs
l'ordre de partir, à cause de sa santé délabrée, il se rendit en Terre Sainte,
et parvint extrêmement malade à Jérusalem.
A Thessalonique, il
n'avait pu faire le partage de ses richesses avec ses frères qui étaient trop
jeunes, il n'avait pas encore exécuté le précepte de l'Evangile de vendre tout
son bien et de le distribuer aux pauvres. Il envoya donc, depuis Jérusalem, un
jeune homme nommé Marc, afin qu'il fît procéder à ce partage. Marc, qui
deviendra son fidèle disciple, rapporta le lot de saint Porphyre qui consistait
en 4 400 écus d'or et quantité de meubles précieux.
Quant Marc arriva, il fut
très heureusement surpris de trouver notre Saint en pleine santé. Saint
Porphyre lui raconta qu'il s'était, presque à l'article de la mort, traîné
jusqu'au Calvaire, que Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ lui était apparu sur la
Croix, lui avait mis une croix sur les épaules et que d'un coup il avait été
guéri et ne ressentait plus depuis aucune souffrance.
Les richesses rapportées
de Thessalonique furent distribuées aux pauvres de Jérusalem et aux monastères
environnants. C'est bien Dieu Lui-même qui dirigeait Son serviteur vers la
Palestine, où la réputation de ses vertus et de son mérite le fit bientôt élever
au siège épiscopal de Gaza.
A l'âge de quarante ans,
Prayle, patriarche de Jérusalem, l'ordonna prêtre, et lui confia la garde du
bois adorable de Notre Sauveur. Trois ans plus tard, il fut fait évêque de
Gaza, en Palestine, par Jean, archevêque de Césarée, métropolitain de cette
province, saint homme, auquel le clergé et le peuple avaient remis cette
élection, parce qu'ils n'avaient pu s'accorder. Ainsi, au lieu de ne penser
qu'à expier ses péchés, comme il le disait lui-même, il se trouva engagé à
travailler à l'expiation de ceux des autres. Dès qu'il fut sacré, il se rendit
à Gaza, où les idolâtres, dont cette ville était toute remplie, le regardèrent
comme le plus grand ennemi de leurs dieux.
Un jour qu'il avait du
quitter sa maison épiscopale pour échapper à la fureur des idolâtres, il se
réfugia avec un de ses prêtres dans une maisonnette habitée par une pauvre
femme et sa petite fille. Celle-ci s'appelait Irène et avait quatorze ans.
Reconnaissant l'évêque,
la jeune fille, qui se trouvait seule à ce moment, se jeta à ses pieds et le vénéra.
L'évêque lui demanda le nom de ses parents.
" Je n'ai plus ni
père ni mère, j'ai seulement une vieille grand-mère que je nourris avec moi de
mon travail.
- Êtes-vous Chrétienne
mon enfant ?
- Non, mais je désire le
devenir.
Que ce peuple est porté
au bien ! Si l'ennemi n'y mettait pas obstacle... Mais Dieu sera le maître
!"
Puis, il pria Irène de
leur prêter une place sur la terrasse de la maison pour se reposer et de ne
dire à personne qu'ils y fussent. Sainte Irène s'exécuta et fit preuve d'une
grande générosité et d'un zèle si touchant dans le service de notre Saint que
celui-ci en pleura tendrement.
Bientôt, parmi les
nombreux prodiges au moyen desquels il triompha de l'endurcissement des ennemis
de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ, une sécheresse extraordinaire désola la
contrée. Les prêtres des idoles offrirent sans succès sacrifices sur sacrifices
à leurs dieux ; le fléau devint intolérable, et la famine faisait de nombreuses
victimes.
Saint Porphyre ordonna
des prières spéciales. Un jour de jeûne fut fixé, et on se réunit un soir dans
la plus grande église de la ville, où l'assemblée chrétienne chanta durant
toute la nuit, dans l'attitude de la pénitence, des invocations à Dieu et aux
Saints.
Le lendemain, une
procession fut faite hors de la ville, aux tombeaux des martyrs ; mais quand
elle revint, les païens avaient fermé toutes les portes de la cité. Les
Chrétiens, tombant à genoux, redoublèrent d'instances près de Dieu. Tout à coup
le ciel jusque-là serein se couvrit de nuages, et une pluie torrentielle tombe
pendant deux jours sur la contrée. A cette vue, les païens ouvrent les portes
et s'écrièrent :
" Le Christ a vaincu
!"
Ce prodige détermina la
conversion d'un très grand nombre d'idolâtres.
Tous les nombreux
miracles de Porphyre avaient pour but la conversion des âmes. Un jour qu'il
traversait la mer sur un navire, une tempête affreuse éclata, le naufrage était
inévitable. Mais Porphyre, éclairé de Dieu, déclara au pilote que la tempête
cesserait dès qu'il aurait abjuré l'hérésie d'Arius. Le pilote, étonné de voir
un homme qui lisait dans les coeurs, abjura aussitôt l'erreur, et les flots devinrent
calmes.
Cependant, saint Porphyre
n'avait pas oublié sainte Irène, sa petite bienfaitrice. Lorsque Gaza fût
presque entièrement débarrassée des Idolâtres et des hérétiques ariens, il
l'envoya quérir. Notre Sainte vint avec une de ses tantes et sa grand-mère.
Saint Porphyre les secoura, car elles étaient bien pauvres, les instruisit, et
les admit au baptême.
Le saint évêque demanda
alors à sainte Irène si elle ne voulait pas s'établir, en lui promettant de la
doter et de lui présenter un futur mari chrétien.
" Mais, saint père,
vous m'avez déjà donné un Epoux, et vous ne voudrez pas que j'en accepte un
autre.
- Mais quel Epoux ma
fille ?
- Le Sauveur de mon âme,
l'Epoux des vierges."
Le saint prélat se mit à
pleurer de joie. Il la renvoya donc en sa maison, lui recommandant de mener une
vie et une conduite digne de sa vocation.
Quelques temps plus tard,
à la suite du décès de sa grand-mère, saint Porphyre confia sainte Irène à la
conduite de la diaconesse Manaris. Un grand nombre de jeunes filles suivirent
l'exemple de sainte Irène, qui mourut dans sa virginité baptismale en 490.
Porphyre, en mourant le
26 février 420, laissa Gaza entièrement chrétienne et délivrée des Idolâtres
comme des hérétiques.
Anna Lampadaridi, La conversion de Gaza au christianisme. La Vie de S. Porphyre par Marc le Diacre (BHG 1570). Édition critique, traduction, commentaire. Bruxelles, Société des Bollandistes (« Subsidia Hagiographica », 95), 2016
La Vie de
l’évêque Porphyre de Gaza (v. 347‑420 selon une chronologie traditionnelle
assez incertaine) compte parmi les textes hagiographiques grecs les plus
estimables, sinon les plus remarquables, du ve siècle. Pour cette
raison, il a retenu l’attention et suscité les interrogations d’érudits du
passé comme Adolf Harnack, Gaetano De Sanctis, Gustave Bardy, ou plus récemment
avec Franck Trombley, Christoph Markschies ou Giulia Sfameni Gasparro. Ce récit
édifiant aux allures de merveilleux offre un témoignage exceptionnel sur
l’histoire de la ville de Gaza, de la province de Palestine et, plus largement,
de la christianisation de la moitié orientale du monde romain sous le règne de
l’empereur Arcadius (395‑408), fils aîné de Théodose Ier. Le texte, long
d’environ 16 000 mots répartis en près de 105 courts chapitres
ou paragraphes – soit une quarantaine de pages in-quarto –,
bénéficiait jusque-là d’une édition établie, traduite et commentée par les
hellénistes et historiens Henri Grégoire (1881‑1964) et Marc-Antoine Kugener
(1873‑1941), parue aux Belles Lettres en 1930. Les deux savants avaient
qualifié ce texte de « roman historique » en raison de libertés
prises avec la vérité et d’emprunts à l’Histoire Philothée de Théodoret de
Cyr composée vers 443‑444. Ils avaient alors proposé de considérer l’œuvre
comme un texte remanié au milieu du vie siècle à partir d’un fond
jugé vraisemblable. Néanmoins, quatre-vingts ans plus tard, la thèse de la
pieuse fiction emporte de plus en plus l’adhésion des spécialistes de
l’Antiquité tardive, et le présent livre vient apporter une contribution
importante aux débats anciens et actuels sur la valeur qu’il faut ou non
accorder à la Vie de Porphyre.
Helléniste de formation,
Anna Lampadaridi a consacré à la question de l’authenticité du récit
hagiographique une thèse de philologie byzantine dirigée par le professeur
Bernard Flusin de l’université Paris-Sorbonne, et a choisi de prendre le
problème à sa racine en proposant d’établir une nouvelle édition du texte âprement
et longuement discuté depuis la publication de Grégoire et Kugener. Il en
résulte un travail minutieux dans son exigence scientifique, soigné dans sa
démarche philologique et mesuré dans ses commentaires historiques. Il est bien
naturel que la version remaniée de cette thèse trouve sa place dans la
prestigieuse série des Subsidia Hagiographica publiée à Bruxelles par
la Société des Pères bollandistes dont plusieurs membres illustres (Hippolyte
Delehaye, Paul Peeters, François Halkin, Michel van Esbroeck) avaient consacré
leur talent et leur science à ce texte controversé. Tandis que l’édition
publiée en 1930 reposait sur la collation de quatre manuscrits
(bibliothèque bodléienne, Baroccianus 238 ; bibliothèque nationale de
Vienne, Historicus Graecus 3 et Supplementum Graecum 50 ;
bibliothèque patriarcale de Jérusalem, Saint-Sépulcre 1), A. Lampadaridi
offre au public savant un texte établi à partir de tous les témoins repérés de
la tradition directe, c’est-à-dire six manuscrits byzantins datés des xe-xie siècles
et décrits avec soin aux p. 38‑43, dont deux manuscrits inconnus de
Grégoire et Kugener (bibliothèque patriarcale d’Istanbul, Sainte-Trinité
95 ; bibliothèque vaticane, Ottobonianus Graecus 92). Par souci de ne rien
négliger pour éditer au mieux le texte, l’éditrice a également utilisé un
manuscrit supplémentaire (Parisinus Graecus 1452 du xe siècle)
dans lequel la Vie figure en une version condensée. Il était
indispensable pour l’établissement et l’histoire du texte de ne pas omettre
l’apport des deux abrégés grecs (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Graeca,
nos 1571‑1572) ni celui des deux versions médiévales connues en géorgien
et en slavon. Ce travail consciencieux permet d’améliorer la précédente édition
jusqu’à présent seule disponible et traduite dans les principales langues des
études classiques.
Souvent de belle taille
et néanmoins très lisible, l’apparat critique de la nouvelle édition permet
facilement de comparer le texte actuel avec l’édition de Grégoire et Kugener et
de mesurer le travail d’ecdotique accompli et le talent philologique déployé
par A. Lampadaridi : près de 160 corrections ont ainsi été
apportées à l’édition de la Vie de Porphyre parue en 1930. Certes, le
texte n’est pas radicalement modifié dans sa structure ni dans son récit, mais
il s’en trouve amélioré sur de nombreux de points de détail : des
particules sont suppléées, des articles supprimés ou des mots rétablis ;
des corrections orthographiques nombreuses sont introduites ; des
révisions de l’accentuation autrefois défectueuse sont proposées à bon
escient ; la modification du nombre plutôt que du genre de rares mots
ainsi que de la terminaison de certains verbes ou de la désinence de quelques
noms propres ou communs est justifiée ; des coquilles laissées par
Grégoire et Kugener se trouvent corrigées dans l’actuelle édition ; enfin,
de manière plus exceptionnelle, l’éditrice propose le remplacement d’un mot par
un autre mot, le plus souvent proche sur le plan sémantique. Sur la centaine de
petits chapitres qui subdivisent le texte hagiographique, des corrections
sensibles ont été apportées, entre autres, aux paragraphes 7, 13, 20, 23,
38, 70, 88, 98 et 103. Le texte rédigé en grec ancien, ou plutôt en grec
protobyzantin au regard de l’influence lexicale du latin tardif ressortissant au
domaine administratif et militaire, de certaines évolutions morphologiques et
de caractéristiques syntaxiques (cf. p. 50‑56), est accompagné d’une
traduction précise et claire en langue française qui met ce récit à la
disposition d’un vaste lectorat.
En raison de sa nature
hagiographique, la Vie de Porphyre pourrait retenir l’attention de
tous ceux intéressés par la question du modèle de sainteté épiscopale dans
l’Antiquité tardive et de la construction d’un culte à l’échelle d’une ville.
Mais le texte se dérobe à un tel examen en raison de sa nature
singulière : Porphyre n’est pas un saint à l’efficacité durable dans la
mesure où sa mémoire n’est matérialisée par aucune relique, sa sainteté
n’accomplit pas de miracles posthumes, son tombeau ne suscite aucun culte
particulier (cf. p. 68). Son nom est certes mentionné dans des calendriers
liturgiques en géorgien, syriaque, grec et arménien, mais il s’agit d’une
figure fantomatique. L’intérêt du texte porte avant tout sur l’histoire
chrétienne et merveilleuse d’un évêché palestinien, ce qui justifie le choix de
l’éditrice de reléguer dans le titre la Vie de Porphyre en seconde
position au profit de la notion plus générale de christianisation de Gaza. La
ville est en effet la véritable protagoniste de l’histoire qu’on peut rappeler
en quelques lignes : notable de Thessalonique devenu ascète en Égypte puis
en Palestine, Porphyre est ordonné prêtre puis évêque contre sa volonté par le
patriarche de Jérusalem (§ 1‑16). Il accomplit des miracles en faveur de
la petite communauté chrétienne de Gaza harcelée par la population païenne
(§ 17‑32), ce qui le décide à se rendre auprès du couple impérial à
Constantinople pour obtenir des subsides et une autorisation de détruire les
sanctuaires et d’extirper le paganisme (§ 33‑57), ce qui est fait au
retour avec l’appui de l’armée (§ 58‑74) avant que ne soient érigée une
cathédrale (§ 75‑79 et 92‑94), accomplis divers miracles (§ 80‑91) et
réprimée une révolte de païens qui se convertissent avant la mort de l’évêque
(§ 95‑103).
Le récit hagiographique
est beau, sans doute trop au regard de ses invraisemblances historiques, en
particulier l’évocation du recours à la force sur ordre de l’empereur Arcadius
pour détruire tous les sanctuaires païens d’une cité prospère et fidèle à son
autorité. À lire les quelque deux cents notes érudites qui éclairent le texte
et l’accompagnent sur une quarantaine de pages, on comprend qu’il faut prendre
avec précaution une source d’une historicité douteuse que l’opinion avertie
considère désormais comme une fable. La part de l’invention n’est pas
négligeable dans cette biographie : hier comme aujourd’hui, éditeurs et
lecteurs de la Vie de Porphyre ont relevé des poncifs hagiographiques
multiples, des récits miraculeux convenus, des contradictions narratives
flagrantes, des toponymes aux origines fantaisistes et des impossibilités
chronologiques. Malgré ses incohérences soulignées et expliquées par son
éditrice, la Vie de Porphyre livre un superbe témoignage littéraire
sur la construction de la mémoire religieuse d’une ville devenue chrétienne sur
le tard avec force et éclat.
Référence électronique
Sylvain Destephen,
« Anna Lampadaridi, La conversion de Gaza au christianisme. La Vie de
S. Porphyre par Marc le Diacre (BHG 1570). Édition critique,
traduction, commentaire », Revue de l’histoire des religions [En
ligne], 3 | 2017, mis en ligne le 01 septembre 2017, consulté le 25
février 2021. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/rhr/8773 ;
DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/rhr.8773
SOURCE : https://journals.openedition.org/rhr/8773
Osip Chirikov (? - 1903), Porphyry of Gaza, Icon
Also
known as
Porfirio
Porphyry
Profile
Born to wealth. Hermit in
the desert of Skete, Egypt. Hermit in Palestine on
the bank of the Jordan River. Ordained as
a priest in Jerusalem.
Reluctant bishop of
Gaza, he took to this assignment with great zeal and devotion. He converted almost
all of his diocese,
and nearly eliminated paganism in
it.
Born
Thessalonica, Greece
420 of
natural causes
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MLA
Citation
“Saint Porphyrius of
Gaza“. CatholicSaints.Info. 20 February 2023. Web. 25 February 2025.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-porphyrius-of-gaza/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-porphyrius-of-gaza/
Book of
Saints – Porphyrius – 26 February
(Saint) Bishop February
26) (5th
century) A Greek,
a personage of wealth and consideration who, selling his goods and bestowing
the proceeds on the poor,
lived the life of a hermit,
at first in Egypt,
but afterwards in Palestine on
the banks of the Jordan. Much against his will he was made Bishop of
Gaza, and presided over that Church for
twenty-seven years. He worked hard and successfully at the conversion of
the Pagans,
in his time still numerous in Syria and Palestine,
A.D. 420 is
given as the date of his death.
Mark, a disciple of Saint Porphyrius,
has left us an interesting and trustworthy life of his master.
MLA
Citation
Monks of Ramsgate.
“Porphyrius”. Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info.
6 December 2016. Web. 25 February 2025.
<https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-porphyrius-26-february/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-porphyrius-26-february/
St. Porphyry of Gaza
Feastday: February 26
Birth: 347
Death: 420
Bishop of Gaza and
hermit also called Porphyrius, not to be confused with the thirdcentury
Neoplatonist philosopher. Born in Thessalonika, Macedonia, he belonged to a
wealthy Greek family but,
at the age of twenty five, became a hermit in the desert of
Skete, Egypt, later residing on the banks of the Jordan in
Palestine, and finally in Jerusalem. With the help of his friend Mark, he gave
away all of his inheritance, worked as a humble shoemaker for a time, and then
received ordination as a priest. Against his will, he was made bishop of Gaza in
396, proving a brilliant and energetic prelate. One of his chief challenges
came from the pagans of the region, but by the end of his life he
had extirpated virtually all of the remnants of the old religion. He erected a
church on the site of the most prominent pagan temple in
the area as a symbol of his victory. His deacon, Mark, authored a biography of
the bishop, a genuinely valuable historical document. Porphyrius died in Gaza on
February 26.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=5554
St. Porphyrius
Bishop of Gaza in
Palestine, b. at Thessalonica about
347; d. at Gaza,
26 February, 420. After five years in the Egyptian desert of Scete he
lived five years in a cave near the Jordan.
In spite of his impaired health, he frequently visited the scene of the Resurrection.
Here he met the Asiatic Mark,
at a later date a deacon of
his church and his biographer. To effect the sale of the property still
owned by Porphyrius in his native city, Mark set out
for Thessalonica and, upon his return, the proceeds were distributed
among the monasteries of Egypt and
among the necessitous in and around Jerusalem.
In 392 Porphyrius wasordained to
the priesthood,
and the relic of
the Holy Cross was intrusted to his care. In 395 he became Bishop of Gaza,
a stronghold of paganism,
with an insignificant Christian community.
The attitude of the pagan population
was hostile so that the bishop appealed
to the emperor for protection and pleaded repeatedly for the destruction
of pagan temples.
He finally obtained an imperial rescript ordering the destruction of pagan sanctuaries at Gaza.
A Christian church was
erected on the site of the temple of Marnas. In 415 Porphyrius
attended the Council of Diospolis. The "Vita
S. Porphyrii" of Mark the Deacon, formerly known only
in a Latin translation, was published in 1874 by M. Haupt in its
original Greek text; a new edition was issued in 1895 by the
Bonn Philological Society.
Sources
Acta SS., Feb., III
(Paris, 1865), 649-66; NUTH, De Marci diaconi vita Porphyrii episcopi
Gazensis quaestiones historicae et grammaticae (Bonn, 1897); Butler, Lives
of the Saints, 26 Feb.
Weber,
Nicholas. "St. Porphyrius." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol.
12. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 27 Feb.
2016 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12282c.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Kenneth M. Caldwell. Dedicated
to the memory of Don McGonigle.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. June 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2020 by Kevin
Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12282c.htm
St. Porphyry of Gaza
At the age of
twenty-five, St. Porphyry of Gaza (d.420), a rich citizen of
Thessalonica, left the world for one of the great religious houses in the
desert of Sceté. Here he remained five years, and then, finding himself drawn
to a more solitary life, passed into Palestine, where he spent a similar period
in the severest penance, till ill health obliged him to moderate his
austerities. He then made his home in Jerusalem, and in spite of his ailments
visited the Holy Places every day; thinking, says his biographer, so little of
his sickness that he seemed to be afflicted in another body, and not his own.
About this time God put
it into his heart to sell all he had and give to the poor, and then in reward
of the sacrifice restored him by a miracle to perfect health. In 393 he was
ordained priest and intrusted with the care of the relics of the true cross;
three years later, in spite of all the resistance his humility could make, he
was consecrated Bishop of Gaza. He was, in effect, kidnapped (with the help of
a neighboring bishop, by the way) and forcibly consecrated bishop by the
members of the small Christian community there.
That city was a hotbed of
paganism, and Porphyry found in it an ample scope for his apostolic zeal. His
labors and the miracles which attended them effected the conversion of many;
and an imperial edict for the destruction of the pagan temples, obtained
through the influence of St. John Chrysostom, greatly strengthened his hands.
When St. Porphyry first went to Gaza, he found there one temple more splendid
than the rest, in honor of the chief god.
When the edict went forth
to destroy all traces of heathen worship, St. Porphyry determined to put Satan
to special shame where he had received special honor. A Christian church was
built upon the site, and its approach was paved with the marbles of the heathen
temple. Thus every worshipper of Jesus Christ trod the relics of idolatry and
superstition underfoot each time he went to assist at the holy Mass. He lived
to see his diocese for the most part clear of idolatry, and died in 420.
SOURCE : http://www.ucatholic.com/saints/saint-porphyry/
Porphyry of Gaza B (RM)
(also known as Porphyrius)
Born in Thessalonica, Macedonia, in 353; died at Gaza in 420.
Born into a wealthy home, Porphyry at the age of 25 left Thessalonica for
Egypt, where he entered the famous desert monastery of Skete. Five years later
he went to Palestine to visit its holy places, and settled in a cave near the
Jordan River for another five years before. At this time he developed a serious
illness and decided to spend his last days in Jerusalem, where he could daily
visit the sites of our Lord's Passion. He practiced great austerities and after
a period became so ill that he could only with difficulty, leaning on a stick,
visit the shrines that he loved.
About this time he met a former friend of his called Mark, who, seeing his
weakness and with what difficulty he walked, offered his arm, but Porphryry
refused it. He had come to Palestine, he said, to seek pardon for his sins, and
it was not right that he should be eased by anyone. "Rather let me undergo
labor and inconvenience, that God, beholding it, may have compassion on
me."
Thus he lived and suffered, each day receiving the Sacrament and visiting some
spot made sacred by our Lord, and happy despite his pain, except for one thing:
he still retained his wealth, and the thought of it troubled him. One day,
therefore, he commissioned his friend Mark to return to Thessalonica and act on
his behalf, giving him instructions to sell his property. Mark set out, and
three months later returned with the assets to the value of 4,500 pieces of
gold. Porphyry embraced him with joy, and Mark was delighted to find that his
friend had fully recovered from his sickness.
When asked how he had been cured, Porphyry replied: "Forty days ago, being
in extreme pain, I made a shift to reach Mount Calvary, where, fainting away, I
felt such a blinding trance that I thought I saw our Savior on the Cross, and
the good thief hanging beside Him. I said: 'Lord, remember me when You come
into Your kingdom.' whereupon He ordered the thief to come to my assistance,
and he, raising me off the ground on which I lay, bade me go to Christ. I ran
to Him, and He, coming off His Cross, said to me: 'Take this wood (meaning the
Cross) into your custody.' In obedience I carried it on my shoulders, and then
I awoke and have been free from pain ever since."
The dream appears to have come true, for in course of time (about age 40) he
was ordained priest and the bishop of Jerusalem committed to him the care of
the Cross. But first, having distributed his wealth among the poor of Palestine
and become impoverished, he learned to make shoes and earned his living as a
cobbler.
In his later life he was sent for by the archbishop of Caesarea and, on
appearing before him, found that without his knowledge he had been made a
bishop in 396. And, as bishop of Gaza, he returned to Palestine, where he
continued his simple lifestyle and remained the guardian of the Cross.
Most people in Gaza were still heathen and openly resented Porphyry's initial
success in evangelizing their neighbors; therefore, he was harassed by the
pagans of his see. The year of his consecration was also marked by a drought in
Gaza. Pagans blamed the Christians for bringing this new man into their midst,
and locked the saint out of the city. It is said that this happened when
Porphyry and his supporters were processing around the boundaries of the city
asking God to send rain. At that moment the rain began to fall, and grateful
citizens again opened the gates to let in their bishop.
But other sources say that the conversion or expulsion of nearly every pagan by
the time of his death was not so easy. They report that Porphyry applied to
Emperor Arcadius, who gave him permission and the imperial troops needed to
demolish a temple to Marnas, which had been a cause of great trouble to the
Christians in Gaza. Other pagan temples and idols were destroyed as well. Riots
resulted, his house was pillaged, and his life was threatened. The people of
Gaza were at length brought to Christianity only by Porphyry's patient
teaching.
On the site of the razed temple to Marnas, Porphyry built a large church, which
was consecrated in 408. By the time of his death, his see was free of paganism.
His friend, Mark, who had become his deacon, wrote his biography. Another
biography, however, seems to deny that Porphyry appealed to force.
Mark's biography is a valuable document for its picture of the last days of
paganism around the eastern Mediterranean; it is also a witness to the
reverence given at Jerusalem at the end of the 4th century to what purported to
be a large piece of the wood of Christ's Cross (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley,
Delaney, Encyclopedia, Gill, White).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0226.shtml
Pictorial
Lives of the Saints – Saint Porphyry, Bishop
At the age of
twenty-five, Porphyry, a rich citizen of Thessalonica, left the world for one
of the great religious houses in the desert of Scete. Here he remained
five years, and then finding himself drawn to a more solitary life passed into
Palestine, where he spent a similar period in the severest penance, till ill
health obliged him to moderate his austerities. He then made his home in
Jerusalem, and in spite of his ailments visited the Holy Places every day;
thinking, says his biographer, so little of his sickness, that he seemed to be
afflicted in another body, and not his own. About this time God put it into his
heart to sell all he had and give to the poor, and then in reward of the
sacrifice restored him by a miracle to perfect health. In 393 he was ordained
priest, and entrusted with the care of the relics of the True Cross; three
years later, in spite of all the resistance his humility could make, he was
consecrated Bishop of Gaza. That city was a hot-bed of paganism, and Porphyry
found in it an ample scope for his apostolic zeal. His labors and the miracles
which attended them effected the conversion of many; and an imperial edict for
the destruction of the temples, obtained through the influence of Saint John
Chrysostom, greatly strengthened his hands. When Saint Porphyry first went to
Gaza, he found there one temple more splendid than the rest, in honor of the
chief god. When the edict went forth to destroy all traces of heathen worship,
Saint Porphyry determined to put Satan to special shame where he had received
special honor. A Christian church was built upon the site, and its approach was
paved with the marbles of the heathen temple. Thus every worshiper of Jesus
Christ trod the relics of idolatry and superstition under foot each time he
went to assist at the Holy Mass. He lived to see his diocese for the most part
clear of idolatry, and died A.D. 420.
Reflection – All
superstitious searching into secret things is forbidden by the first
commandment, equally with the worship of any false god. Let us ask Saint
Porphyry for a great zeal in keeping this commandment, lest we be led away, as
so many are, by a curious and prying mind.
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/pictorial-lives-of-the-saints-saint-porphyry-bishop/
February 26
St. Porphyrius, Bishop of
Gaza, Confessor
From his life, written
with great accuracy by his faithful disciple Mark. See Fleury, t. 5. Tillemont,
t. 10. Chatelain, p. 777. In the king’s library at Paris is a Greek MS. life of
St. Porphyrius, (abridged from that of Mark,) which has never been translated.
A.D. 420.
PORPHYRIUS, a native
of Thessalonica in Macedonia, was of a noble and wealthy family. The desire of
renouncing the world made him leave his friends and country at twenty-five
years of age, in 378, to pass into Egypt, where he consecrated himself to God
in a famous monastery in the desert of Sceté. After five years spent there in
the penitential exercises of a monastic life, he went into Palestine to visit
the holy places of Jerusalem. After this he took up his abode in a cave near
the Jordan, where he passed other five years in great austerity, till he fell
sick, when a complication of disorders obliged him to leave that place and
return to Jerusalem. There he never failed daily to visit devoutly all the holy
places, leaning on a staff, for he was too weak to stand upright. It happened
about the same time that Mark, an Asiatic, and the author of his life, came to
Jerusalem with the same intent, where he made some stay. He was much edified at
the devotion with which Porphyrius continually visited the place of our Lord’s
resurrection, and the other oratories. And seeing him one day labour with great
pain in getting up the stairs in the chapel built by Constantine, he ran to him
to offer him his assistance, which Porphyrius refused, saying: “It is not just
that I who am come hither to beg pardon for my sins, should be eased by any
one: rather let me undergo some labour and inconvenience, that God, beholding
it, may have compassion on me.” He in this condition never omitted his usual
visits of piety to the holy places, and daily partook of the mystical table,
that is, of the holy sacrament. And as to his distemper, so much did he contemn
it, that he seemed to be sick in another’s body and not in his own. His
confidence in God always supported him. The only thing which afflicted him was,
that his fortune had not been sold before this for the use of the poor. This he
commissioned Mark to do for him, who accordingly set out for Thessalonica, and
in three months’ time returned to Jerusalem with money and effects to the value
of four thousand five hundred pieces of gold. When the blessed man saw him, he
embraced him, with tears of joy for his safe and speedy return. But Porphyrius
was now so well recovered, that Mark scarcely knew him to be the same person:
for his body had no signs of its former decay, and his face looked full, fresh,
and coloured with a healthy red. He, perceiving his friend’s amazement at his
healthy looks, said to him with a smile: “Be not surprised, Mark, to see me in
perfect health and strength, but admire the unspeakable goodness of Christ, who
can easily cure what is despaired of by men.” Mark asked him by what means he
had recovered. He replied: “Forty days ago, being in extreme pain, I made a
shift to reach Mount Calvary, where, fainting away, I fell into a kind of
trance or ecstacy, during which I seemed to see our Saviour on the cross, and
the good thief in the same condition near him. I said to Christ, Lord,
remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom: whereupon he ordered the
thief to come to my assistance, who, raising me off the ground on which I lay,
bade me go to Christ. I ran to him, and he, coming off his cross, said to
me: Take this wood (meaning his cross) into thy custody. In
obedience to him, methought I laid it on my shoulders, and carried it some way.
I awaked soon after, and have been free from pain ever since, and without the
least appearance of my having ever ailed anything.” Mark was so edified with
the holy man’s discourse and good example, that he became more penetrated with
esteem and affection for him than ever, which made him desirous of living
always with him in order to his own improvement; for he seemed to have attained
to a perfect mastery over all his passions: he was endued at the same time with
a divine prudence, an eminent spirit of prayer, and the gift of tears. Being
also well versed in the holy scriptures and spiritual knowledge, and no
stranger to profane learning, he confounded all the infidels and heretics who
attempted to dispute with him. As to the money and effects which Mark had
brought him, he distributed all among the necessitous in Palestine and Egypt,
so that, in a very short time, he had reduced himself to the necessity of
labouring for his daily food. He therefore learned to make shoes and dress
leather, while Mark, being well skilled in writing, got a handsome livelihood
by copying books, and had some to spare. He therefore desired the saint to
partake of his earnings. But Porphyrius replied, in the words of St.
Paul: He that doth not work let him not eat. He led this laborious
and penitential life till he was forty years of age, when the bishop of
Jerusalem ordained him priest, though much against his will, and committed to
him the keeping of the holy cross: this was in 393.
The saint changed nothing
in his austere penitential life, feeding only upon roots and the coarsest
bread, and not eating till after sunset, except on Sundays and holidays, when
he eat at noon, and added a little oil and cheese; and on account of a great
weakness of stomach, he mingled a very small quantity of wine in the water he
drank. This was his method of living till his death. Being elected bishop of
Gaza, in 396, John, the metropolitan and archbishop of Cæsarea, wrote to the
patriarch of Jerusalem to desire him to send over Porphyrius, that he might
consult him on certain difficult passages of scripture. He was sent
accordingly, but charged to be back in seven days. Porphyrius, receiving this
order, seemed at first disturbed, but said: “God’s will be done.”
That evening he called
Mark, and said to him: “Brother Mark, let us go and venerate the holy places
and the sacred cross, for it will be long before we shall do it again.” Mark
asked him why he said so. He answered: Our Saviour had appeared to him the
night before, and said: “Give up the treasure of the cross which you have in
custody, for I will marry you to a wife, poor indeed and despicable, but of
great piety and virtue. Take care to adorn her well; for, however contemptible
she may appear, she is my sister.” “This,” said he, “Christ signified to me
last night: and I fear, in consequence, my being charged with the sins of others,
whilst I labour to expiate my own; but the will of God must be obeyed.” When
they had venerated the holy places and the sacred cross, and Porphyrius had
prayed long before it, and with many tears, he shut up the cross in its golden
case, and delivered the keys to the bishop; and having obtained his blessing,
he and his disciple Mark set out the next day, with three others, among whom
was one Barochas, a person whom the saint had found lying in the street almost
dead, and had taken care of, cured, and instructed; who ever after served him
with Mark. They arrived the next day, which was Saturday, at Cæsarea. The
archbishop obliged them to sup with him. After spiritual discourses they took a
little sleep, and then rose to assist at the night service. Next morning the
archbishop bid the Gazæans lay hold on St. Porphyrius, and, while they held
him, ordained him bishop. The holy man wept bitterly, and was inconsolable for
being promoted to a dignity he judged himself so unfit for. The Gazæans,
however, performed their part in endeavouring to comfort him; and, having
assisted at the Sunday office, and stayed one day more at Cæsarea, they set out
for Gaza, lay at Diospolis, and, late on Wednesday night, arrived at Gaza, much
harassed and fatigued. For the heathens living in the villages near Gaza,
having notice of their coming, had so damaged the roads in several places, and
clogged them with thorns and logs of wood, that they were scarcely passable.
They also contrived to raise such a smoke and stench, that the holy men were in
danger of being blinded or suffocated.
There happened that year
a very great drought, which the pagans ascribe to the coming of the new
Christian bishop, saying that their god Marnas had foretold Porphyrius would
bring public calamities and disasters on their city. In Gaza stood a famous
temple of that idol which the emperor Theodosius the Elder had commanded to be
shut up, but not demolished, on account of its beautiful structure. The
governor afterwards had permitted the heathens to open it again. As no rain
fell the two first months after St. Porphyrius’s arrival, the idolaters, in
great affliction, assembled in this temple to offer sacrifices, and make
supplications to this god Marnas, whom they called the Lord of rains. These
they repeated for seven days, going also to a place of prayer out of the town
but seeing all their endeavours ineffectual, they lost all hopes of a supply of
what they so much wanted. A dearth ensuing, the Christians, to the number of
two hundred and eighty, women and children included, after a day’s fast, and
watching the following night in prayer, by the order of their holy bishop, went
out in procession to St. Timothy’s church, in which lay the relics of the holy
martyr St. Meuris, and of the confessor St. Thees, singing hymns of divine
praise. But at their return to the city they found the gates shut against them,
which the heathens refused to open. In this situation the Christians and St.
Porphyrius above the rest, addressed almighty God with redoubled fervour for the
blessing so much wanted; when in a short time, the clouds gathering, as at the
prayers of Elias, there fell such a quantity of rain that the heathens opened
their gates, and joining them, cried out: “Christ alone is God: He alone has
overcome.” They accompanied the Christians to the church to thank God for the
benefit received, which was attended with the conversion of one hundred and
seventy-six persons, whom the saint instructed, baptized, and confirmed, as he
did one hundred and five more before the end of that year. The miraculous
preservation of the life of a pagan woman in labour, who had been despaired of,
occasioned the conversion of that family and others, to the number of
sixty-four.
The heathens perceiving
their number decrease, grew very troublesome to the Christians, whom they
excluded from commerce and all public offices, and injured them all manner of
ways. St. Porphyrius, to screen himself and his flock from their outrages and
vexations had recourse to the emperor’s protection. On this errand he sent
Mark, his disciple, to Constantinople, and went afterwards himself in company
with John, his metropolitan archbishop of Cæsarea. Here they applied themselves
to St. John Chrysostom, who joyfully received them, and recommended them to the
eunuch Amantius, who had great credit with the empress, and was a zealous
servant of God. Amantius having introduced them to the empress, she received
them with great distinction, assured them of her protection, and begged their
prayers for her safe delivery, a favour she received a few days after. She
desired them in another visit to sign her and her newborn son, Theodosius the
Younger, with the sign of the cross, which they did. The young prince was
baptized with great solemnity, and on that occasion the empress obtained from
the emperor all that the bishops had requested, and in particular that the
temples of Gaza should be demolished; an imperial edict being drawn up for this
purpose and delivered to Cynegius, a virtuous patrician, and one full of zeal,
to see it executed. They stayed at Constantinople during the feast of Easter,
and at their departure the emperor and empress bestowed on them great presents.
When they landed in Palestine, near Gaza, the Christians came out to meet them
with a cross carried before them, singing hymns. In the place called
Tetramphodos, or Four-ways-end, stood a marble statue of Venus, on a marble
altar, which was in great reputation for giving oracles to young women about
the choice of husbands, but had often grossly deceived them, engaging them in
most unhappy marriages; so that many heathens detested its lying impostures. As
the two bishops, with the procession of the Christians, and the cross borne
before them, passed through that square, this idol fell down of itself, and was
broken to pieces, whereupon thirty-two men and seven women were converted.
Ten days after arrived
Cynegius, having with him a consular man, and a duke, or general, with a strong
guard of soldiers, besides the civil magistrates of the country. He assembled
the citizens and read to them the emperor’s edict, commanding their idols and
temples to be destroyed, which was accordingly executed, and no less than eight
public temples in the city were burnt; namely, those of the Sun, Venus, Apollo,
Proserpine, Hecate, the Hierion, or of the priests, Tycheon, or of Fortune, and
of Marnion of Marnos, their Jupiter. The Marnion, in which men had been often
sacrificed, burned for many days. After this, the private houses and courts
were all searched; the idols were every where burned or thrown into the common
sewers, and all books of magic and superstition were cast into the flames. Many
idolaters desired baptism; but the saint took a long time to make trial of
them, and to prepare them for that sacrament by daily instructions. On the spot
where the temple of Marnas had stood, was built the church of Eudoxia in the
figure of a cross. She sent for this purpose, precious pillars and rich marble
from Constantinople. Of the marble taken out of the Marnion, St. Porphyrius
made steps and a road to the church, that it might be trampled upon by men,
dogs, swine, and other beasts; whence many heathens would never walk thereon.
Before he would suffer the church to be begun he proclaimed a fast, and the
next morning being attended by his clergy and all the Christians in the city,
they went in a body to the place from the church Irene, singing the Venite
exultemus Domino, and other psalms, and answering to every verse Alleluia,
Barochas carrying a cross before them. They all set to work, carrying stones
and other materials, and digging the foundations according to the plan marked
out and directed by Rufinus, a celebrated architect, singing psalms and saying
prayers during their work. It was begun in 403, when thirty high pillars
arrived from Constantinople, two of which, called Carostiæ, shone like emeralds
when placed in the church. It was five years building, and when finished in
408, the holy bishop performed the consecration of it on Easter-day with the
greatest pomp and solemnity. His alms to the poor on that occasion seemed
boundless, though they were always exceedingly great. The good bishop spent the
remainder of his life in the zealous discharge of all pastoral duties; and
though he lived to see the city clear for the most part of the remains of
paganism, superstition, and idolatry, he had always enough to suffer from such
as continued obstinate in their errors. Falling sick, he made his pious will,
in which he recommended all his dear flock to God. He died in 420, being about
sixty years of age, on the 26th of February, on which day both the Greeks and
Latins make mention of him. The pious author of his life concludes it, saying:
“He is now in the paradise of delight, interceding for us with all the saints,
by whose prayers may God have mercy on us.”
Rev. Alban
Butler (1711–73). Volume II: February. The Lives of the
Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : https://www.bartleby.com/210/2/262.html
St. Porphyrius
Historically today is the
feast of St. Porphyrius, a wealthy Greek who became a hermit first in the
desert of Skete in Egypt and then in Palestine on the banks of the Jordan. Much
against his will he was raised to the see of Gaza, which he ruled with extraordinary
energy, ability and success. He almost completely uprooted the remnants of
paganism in his diocese. His biography written by his deacon Mark is one of the
most valuable historical sources of the fifth century.
St. Porphyrius
Saint Porphyrius, Archbishop of Gaza, was born about the year 346 at
Thessalonica. His parents were people of substance, and this allowed St
Porphyrius to receive a fine education. Having the inclination for monastic
life, he left his native region at twenty-five years of age and set off for
Egypt, where he lived in the Nitrian desert under the guidance of St Macarius
the Great (January 19). There he also met St Jerome (June 15), who was then
visiting the Egyptian monasteries. He went to Jerusalem on pilgrimage to the
holy places, and to venerate the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord (September
14), then he moved into a cave in the Jordanian wilderness for prayer and
ascetic deeds.
After five years, St
Porphyrius was afflicted with a serious malady of the legs. He decided to go to
the holy places of Jerusalem to pray for healing. As he lay half-conscious at
the foot of Golgotha, St Porphyrius fell into a sort of trance. He beheld Jesus
Christ descending from the Cross and saying to him, "Take this Wood and
preserve it."
Coming out of his trance,
he found himself healthy and free from pain. Then he gave away all his money to
the poor and for the adornment of the churches of God. For a time he supported
himself by working as a shoemaker. The words of the Savior were fulfilled when
the saint was forty-five years old. The Patriarch of Jerusalem ordained St
Porphyrius to the holy priesthood and appointed him custodian of the Venerable
Wood of the Cross of the Lord.
In 395 the bishop of the
city of Gaza (in Palestine) died. The local Christians went to Caesarea to ask
Metropolitan John to send them a new bishop who would be able to contend
against the pagans, which were predominant in their city and were harassing the
Christians there. The Lord inspired the Metropolitan to summon the priest
Porphyrius. With fear and trembling the ascetic accepted the office of bishop,
and with tears he prostrated himself before the Life-Creating Wood and went to
fulfill his new obedience.
In Gaza there were only
three Christian churches, but there were a great many pagan temples and idols.
During this time there had been a long spell without rain, causing a severe
drought. The pagan priests brought offerings to their idols, but the woes did
not cease. St Porphyrius imposed a fast for all the Christians; he then served
an all-night Vigil, followed by a church procession around the city.
Immediately the sky covered over with storm clouds, thunder boomed, and
abundant rains poured down. Seeing this miracle, many pagans cried out,
"Christ is indeed the only true God!" As a result of this, 127 men,
thirty-five women and fourteen children were united to the Church through Holy
Baptism, and another 110 men soon after this.
The pagans continued to harass
the Christians. They passed them over for public office, and burdened them with
taxes. St Porphyrius and Metropolitan John of Caesarea journeyed to
Constantinople to seek redress from the emperor. St John Chrysostom (September
14, January 27 and 30) received them and assisted them.
Ss. John and Porphyrius
were presented to the empress Eudoxia who was expecting a child at that time.
"Intercede for us," said the bishops to the empress, "and the
Lord will send you a son, who shall reign during your lifetime". Eudoxia
very much wanted a son, since she had given birth only to daughters. Through
the prayer of the saints an heir was born to the imperial family. As a result
of this, the emperor issued an edict in 401 ordering the destruction of pagan temples
in Gaza and the restoration of privileges to Christians. Moreover, the emperor
gave the saints money for the construction of a new church, which was to be
built in Gaza on the site of the chief pagan temple.
St Porphyrius upheld
Christianity in Gaza to the very end of his life, and guarded his flock from
the vexatious pagans. Through the prayers of the saint numerous miracles and
healings occurred. The holy archpastor guided his flock for twenty-five years,
and reposed in 420 at an advanced age.
—Excerpted from A...Sinner blog
Highlights and Things to
Do:
Learn more about St.
Porphyrius:
A Second Sampson—St Porphyrius of Gaza
Read Deacon Mark's
biography, The
life of Porphyry, bishop of Gaza.
SOURCE : https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-02-26
11 March 2009
A
Second Sampson—St Porphyrius of Gaza
Today, 26 February
according to the Church’s calendar, we commemorate our Holy Father Porphyrius
(Porphyry), Bishop of Gaza (c. 347-420). St Porphyry is known to us from a
moving Life written by his close disciple, Mark the Deacon, who came
to Palestine from Asia Minor (it can be found, among other places, here at the
Internet Medieval Sourcebook, but I shall refer to the translation in The
Lives of the Saints of the Holy Land and the Sinai Desert Throughout the Year,
According to the Church Calendar, trans. Holy Apostles Convent [Buena Vista,
CO: Holy Apostles Convent, 1997], pp. 112-60).
St Porphyrius was born of a wealthy and noble family of Thessaloniki, but
‘there came upon him at twenty-five years of age a divine desire to leave his
country and the splendor of his distinguished family and countless riches, to
cleave unto the solitary life’ (p. 113). He subsequently departed for Scetis,
where he was clothed in the schema, living among the elders of Egypt for five
years before leaving again for the Holy Land, where he dwelt in a cave in
Jordan for another five years.
Unfortunately, contracting a disease of the liver, St Porphyrius went to
Jerusalem to venerate the holy places. While there he met Deacon Mark, upon
whom he prevailed to travel on his behalf to Thessaloniki to settle his estate
with his brothers. But when the latter returned, he found that the holy man had
been healed. St Porphyrius told him of a vision he had had near the place of
the Skull, Golgotha, of the Saviour and the good thief, St Dismas, upon the
crosses. Our Lord told Dismas to save St Porphyrius even as the thief himself
had been saved, and the good thief kissed him and offered him the wood of the
Cross, charging him to ‘keep it’ (p. 116). When he came to, St Porphyrius had
been completely healed. Thus, distributing his wealth among the poor and the
monasteries, he hoped to live a quiet life of work and prayer. Concerning the
beauty of soul of this blessed man, Deacon Mark tells us:
Thenceforth, I served the man of God more diligently (for I held him to be verily the servant of God). When I restored to him all the things that I had brought, I abode with him, serving him and enjoying his spiritual conversation. For he was truly a blameless man, very meek, pitiful, having also, if ever any man had, skill to discern the Holy Scripture and to resolve the hard questions therein [Deacon Mark emphasises this again later, pointing out ‘this power he had by the grace of the Holy Spirit’ (p. 119)]. Furthermore, neither was he lacking in outward learning, answering and stopping the mouths of unbelievers and heretics. He was a lover of the poor, honoring old men as fathers (I Tim. 5:6) and young men as brethren and little ones as his own children, behaving himself gently, and lowly in spirit and in speech, not for pretence (for there was no guile in him). He was exceedingly temperate, so that he was delivered utterly from all passions, not knowing anger, not remembering evil and not letting the sun go down upon his wrath (Eph. 4:26). Simply put, all his passions were dead, save only indignation, which he stirred up against the enemies of the Faith. (p. 116)
However, word of his outstanding virtues reached the ears of the Patriarch of
Jerusalem, and St Porphyrius was soon ordained to the priesthood and entrusted
with the care of the Precious Cross, thus fulfilling the words he had heard in
his vision at Golgotha. At this time he was forty-five years old, and although
he had been honourably elevated in rank, continued to practice his former
austere way of life.
Only three years after St Porphyrius was ordained as a priest, Bishop Aeneias
of Gaza reposed. Gaza was distinguished at that time (the late 4th c.) for its
enormous pagan majority who continually harassed and wronged the handful of
Christians there (Deacon Mark mentions 280 on p. 121), and Deacon Mark
frequently refers to them as ‘they of the idol-madness’. Their central shrine
was the ‘Marneion’, a temple dedicated to Marnas, a Hellenised version of the
ancient god Dagon who was identified by the Greeks, and thus by Deacon Mark,
with ‘Cretan Zeus’. Indeed, it was the ancient temple of Dagon in Gaza that Samson
destroyed by pulling the roof down upon himself in Judges 16:29-30.
So, the Christians of Gaza desiring a bishop ‘that would be able by deeds and
by speech to withstand the idolaters’ (p. 118), St Porphyrius was consecrated
Bishop of Gaza by a revelation of the Lord in about 395. He forthwith devoted
the rest of his long life to the difficult task of Christianising that
incorrigible city. I won’t describe all of the details of this struggle, which
occupies the majority of Deacon Mark’s Life of St Porphyrius. But I
will note a couple of important points about it.
First, as we have already seen, Deacon Mark tells us that St Porphyrius was
delivered from the passion of ‘anger’, but he immediately added that ‘all his
passions were dead, save only indignation, which he stirred up against the
enemies of the Faith’ (p. 116). This may seem to be a contradiction, but St
Diadochos of Photiki has accounted for it wonderfully in Chapter 62 of his ‘One
Hundred Texts on (Spiritual) Knowledge and Discrimination’ (The Philokalia: The
Complete Text, Vol. I, comp. St Nikodimos and St Makarios, trans. G.E.H.
Palmer, et al. [London: Faber, 1983], p. 272). There we read:
The incensive power usually troubles and confuses the soul more than any other passion, yet there are times when it greatly benefits the soul. For when with inward calm we direct it against blasphemers or other sinners in order to induce them to mend their ways or at least feel some shame, we make our soul more gentle. In this way we put ourselves completely in harmony with the purposes of God’s justice and goodness.
Furthermore, it is important to realise that St Porphyrius was not incensed
toward the idolaters on account of the many wrongs they committed toward him,
but chiefly because of their own errors and because of their dreadful treatment
of the other Christians of Gaza. As Deacon Mark writes, ‘But others took notice
of Porphyrius’ patience, how, when men spoke despitefully of him, he waxed not
wroth’ (p. 124). Thus, by his patience, many were won for Christ, but ‘They of
the idol-madness, the more they saw the Christians increasing in numbers, the
more wroth did they become’ (p. 129).
Second, it is to be noted that St Porphyrius did not despise the idolaters
themselves, but only their errors. Indeed, Mark the Deacon tells us that ‘he
prayed continually night and day to the merciful God that He might turn them
from the error of their ways unto His own truth’ (p. 123). His decision to send
Deacon Mark to Constantinople to convince the Emperor to close the temples was
motivated by ‘the unlawful things that were done daily by the idolaters’
against the Christians (p. 125), and in order to ‘convert the multitudes of
Gaza’ (p. 129).
St Porphryius’s dispute with Julia the Manichaean is a good illustration of his
love for his enemies. When she confessed the beliefs in which she had been
attempting to indoctrinate the citizens of Gaza, we are told that some of the
Christians ‘were moved to wrath’, but St Porphyrius ‘besought them not to be
angered but with patience to exhort her a first and second time’. He himself
told her with affection and concern, ‘Abstain, sister, from this evil belief,
for it is of Satan’ (p. 153). It was only after a long dispute, during which
Julia blasphemed the Lord and was seen to be ‘possessed of the devil’, that St
Porphryius ‘was moved by divine zeal’ to prophesy her punishment. When she was
miraculously silenced and died shortly after, ‘The saint then bade that her
body should be laid out and committed unto a grave, taking pity on her human
nature, for he was extremely compassionate’ (p. 154).
Finally, concerning St Porphryius’s most zealous move against the idolaters,
the burning of the Marneion with the help and support of the imperial officials
and the army, Deacon Mark makes it quite clear that this was not something he
did out of anger or because of any personal grudge or passion. Various
proposals had been made about how to deal with it, when—
At last, the holy bishop proclaimed a fast to the people, and a prayer, that the Lord might reveal to them how they should proceed. That evening they partook of Holy Communion. During the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, a child of about seven years, standing by his mother, suddenly cried out: ‘Burn ye the inner temple to the foundation, for many terrible things have been done in it, especially sacrifices of human beings. After this manner shall ye burn it: bring liquid pitch, sulphur and fat of swine, and mingle the three and anoint the brazen doors and set fire to them, and so shall the temple be burned, for otherwise it is not possible. But the outer temple leave ye with the court. Then after the burning, having purified the place, found there a holy church.’ Then he said this also: ‘I swear unto you before God, otherwise it many not be done, for neither is it I that speak, but Christ Who is within me.’ Thus did the child speak in the language of the Syrians. (p. 144)
Still, St Porphryius was not merely to accept the miracle at face value, but
made a severe trial of the boy and his mother, questioning them, making a show
of threatening, and even offering them money, but the boy just miraculously
repeated everything he had said, but in the Greek language, which the simple
boy did not know. Only thus did St Porphyrius carry out the burning of the
temple of Dagon, by a clear command of God becoming a second Sampson. This
site quotes from St Jerome’s Commentarium in Isaiam 17.3:
In the deserted cities of Aroer, which means ‘heath’, the flocks of the church will enjoy life. We are dwelling in the towns abandoned by the Jews, and where the idolatry has been destroyed the Gospel is being built upon. This becomes reality in our times too, as we can see by ourselves: the Serapaeum in Alexandria and the temple of Marna in Gaza have been changed into churches of the Lord, and the cities of Aroer are readied for the evangelic flock.
Deacon Mark tells us that every year throughout the episcopacy of St
Porphyrius, more and more people continued to accept Christ. Although there was
a final outbreak of violence by the idolaters after the burning of the Marneion
and the building of the Church of Eudoxiana, this was finally quelled and the
offenders punished (p. 158). Gaza was effectively a Christian city at last.
‘The most blessed Porphyrius, having established the rule of the church and all
the office, lived only a few years after the consecration of the great church
[on the site of the Marneion]’. . . . After commending all the Christ-loving
folk unto God, he fell asleep with the saints in peace . . .’ (p. 160).
SOURCE : https://logismoitouaaron.blogspot.com/2009/03/second-sampsonst-porphyrius-of-gaza.html
Saint Porphyrius, Bishop
of Gaza
Commemorated on February 26
Saint Porphyrius, Archbishop
of Gaza, was born about the year 346 at Thessalonica. His parents were people
of substance, and this allowed Saint Porphyrius to receive a fine education.
Having the inclination for monastic life, he left his native region at
twenty-five years of age and set off for Egypt, where he lived in the Nitrian
desert under the guidance of Saint Macarius the Great (January 19). There he
also met Saint Jerome (June 15), who was then visiting the Egyptian
monasteries. He went to Jerusalem on pilgrimage to the holy places, and to
venerate the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord (September 14), then he moved into
a cave in the Jordanian wilderness for prayer and ascetic deeds.
After five years, Saint
Porphyrius was afflicted with a serious malady of the legs. He decided to go to
the holy places of Jerusalem to pray for healing. As he lay half-conscious at
the foot of Golgotha, Saint Porphyrius fell into a sort of trance. He beheld
Jesus Christ descending from the Cross and saying to him, “Take this Wood and
preserve it.”
Coming out of his trance,
he found himself healthy and free from pain. Then he gave away all his money to
the poor and for the adornment of the churches of God. For a time he supported
himself by working as a shoemaker. The words of the Savior were fulfilled when
the saint was forty-five years old. The Patriarch of Jerusalem ordained Saint
Porphyrius to the holy priesthood and appointed him custodian of the Venerable
Wood of the Cross of the Lord.
In 395 the bishop of the
city of Gaza (in Palestine) died. The local Christians went to Caesarea to ask
Metropolitan John to send them a new bishop who would be able to contend
against the pagans, which were predominant in their city and were harassing the
Christians there. The Lord inspired the Metropolitan to summon the priest
Porphyrius. With fear and trembling the ascetic accepted the office of bishop,
and with tears he prostrated himself before the Life-Creating Wood and went to
fulfill his new obedience.
In Gaza there were only
three Christian churches, but there were a great many pagan temples and idols.
During this time there had been a long spell without rain, causing a severe
drought. The pagan priests brought offerings to their idols, but the woes did
not cease. Saint Porphyrius imposed a fast for all the Christians; he then
served an all-night Vigil, followed by a church procession around the city.
Immediately the sky covered over with storm clouds, thunder boomed, and
abundant rains poured down. Seeing this miracle, many pagans cried out, “Christ
is indeed the only true God!” As a result of this, 127 men, thirty-five women
and fourteen children were united to the Church through Holy Baptism, and
another 110 men soon after this.
The pagans continued to
harass the Christians. They passed them over for public office, and burdened
them with taxes. Saint Porphyrius and Metropolitan John of Caesarea journeyed
to Constantinople to seek redress from the emperor. Saint John Chrysostom
(September 14, January 27 and 30) received them and assisted them.
Saints John and
Porphyrius were presented to the empress Eudoxia who was expecting a child at
that time. “Intercede for us,” said the bishops to the empress, “and the Lord
will send you a son, who shall reign during your lifetime”. Eudoxia very much
wanted a son, since she had given birth only to daughters. Through the prayer
of the saints an heir was born to the imperial family. As a result of this, the
emperor issued an edict in 401 ordering the destruction of pagan temples in
Gaza and the restoration of privileges to Christians. Moreover, the emperor
gave the saints money for the construction of a new church, which was to be
built in Gaza on the site of the chief pagan temple.
Saint Porphyrius upheld
Christianity in Gaza to the very end of his life, and guarded his flock from
the vexatious pagans. Through the prayers of the saint numerous miracles and
healings occurred. The holy archpastor guided his flock for twenty-five years,
and reposed in 420 at an advanced age.
SOURCE : https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2016/02/26/100606-saint-porphyrius-bishop-of-gaza
Saints
Onesiphoros and Porphyrios, mosaic in Saint Georges Rotunda
Святые
Онисифор и Порфирий, мозаика в ротонде Святого Георгия, Салоники
San Porfirio di Gaza Vescovo
È un santo che ha legato
il suo nome alla città di Gaza, luogo tormentato e al centro delle cronache in
questi ultimi anni ma per il cristianesimo anche culla di un'importante filone
monastico nei primi secoli. Porfirio era nato intorno al 347 in un'agiata
famiglia di Tessalonica. A 31 anni decise di abbracciare la vita monastica e
ritirarsi nel deserto di Scete in Egitto. Da qui, cinque anni più tardi,
raggiunse pellegrino Gerusalemme, dove distribuì tutti i suoi beni ai poveri.
Rimasto molto colpito dal suo comportamento, il vescovo di Gerusalemme,
Giovanni, nel 392 lo ordinò sacerdote a 45 anni, affidandogli la custodia delle
reliquie della Santa Croce. Tre anni dopo, alla morte del vescovo Eneo, fu
chiamato a succedergli a Gaza, dove guidò per 25 anni questa piccola comunità.
Morì il 26 febbraio 420. (Avvenire)
Etimologia: Porfirio =
purpuroe, vermiglio, dal greco
Emblema: Bastone
pastorale
Martirologio Romano: A
Gaza in Palestina, san Porfirio, vescovo, che, nato a Tessalonica, visse cinque
anni da anacoreta a Scete e altrettanti oltre il Giordano, distinguendosi per
la benevolenza verso i poveri; ordinato poi vescovo di Gaza, abbattè molti
templi dedicati agli idoli, dai cui seguaci era stato a lungo vessato, finché
degno di venerazione trovò riposo nella pace dei santi.
La ‘Vita’ di s. Porfirio
fu scritta dal discepolo Marco, di professione calligrafo e suo diacono a Gaza
in Palestina, quindi suo contemporaneo; Marco la scrisse dopo qualche anno
dalla morte di Porfirio, verso il 424, lontano da Gaza, pertanto essa è
valutata veritiera al novanta per cento.
Porfirio nacque da una
agiata famiglia nel 347 a Tessalonica, antico nome di Salonicco in Grecia. A 31
anni. nel 378, lasciò il mondo e si ritirò nel deserto di Scete in Egitto per
abbracciare la vita monastica.
Rimase lì per cinque
anni, poi si spostò in Palestina dove visse altri cinque anni in una grotta
vicino al fiume Giordano; l’estenuante regime di austerità cui si era
sottoposto, lo aveva ridotto, ancora giovane in un precario stato di
salute.
Volle visitare i Luoghi
Santi a Gerusalemme, ma lo dovettero trasportare e in questa città conobbe
Marco che si mise al suo fianco ad assisterlo. Avendo lasciato in Grecia dei
fratelli minori e preoccupato che la sua morte poteva creare problemi di
eredità del suo patrimonio, inviò Marco a risolvere per suo conto le questioni;
al suo ritorno il discepolo lo ritrovò guarito miracolosamente, guarigione
avvenuta durante la visita al Calvario; Porfirio distribuì i suoi beni non solo
a Gerusalemme e nei villaggi vicini, dandone una buona parte ai monasteri d’Egitto
che erano molto poveri.
Rimasto a causa della sua
generosità, completamente povero, si mise a fare il ciabattino per vivere.
Aveva 45 anni quando nel 392, il vescovo di Gerusalemme, Giovanni, avendo
sentito parlare di lui, lo ordinò sacerdote affidandogli la custodia delle
reliquie della Santa Croce.
Marco nel descriverlo
dice: “Uomo senza macchia, dolce, pietoso, possedeva più degli altri il dono di
interpretare la Sacra Scrittura, di contrastare gli eretici; amava i poveri, si
commuoveva facilmente fino alle lacrime”. Dopo la morte nel 395 di Eneo,
vescovo di Gaza, fu chiamato a succedergli, venendo consacrato vescovo dal
metropolita di Cesarea di Palestina.
La comunità di Gaza era
piccola ma un primo prodigio, quello di aver ottenuto la pioggia, fece
aumentare il suo gregge con la conversione di più di cento pagani; ma la
pratica dell’idolatria proseguiva e lui veniva continuamente contrastato, mandò
Marco a Gerusalemme, che con l’aiuto di s. Giovanni Crisostomo, poté ottenere
un’ordinanza imperiale per la chiusura dei tempi idolatrici di Gaza.
Questa disposizione non
fu però messa in pratica completamente e nonostante le nuove conversioni,
avvenute per i suoi poteri taumaturgici, le angherie ed i maltrattamenti verso
i neofiti si intensificarono.
Porfirio fu costretto a
partire per Costantinopoli insieme al metropolita di Cesarea, per recarsi a
perorare di persona la causa cristiana al palazzo imperiale.
Guadagnarono alla loro
causa l’imperatrice Eudossia, che da poco aveva partorito il futuro Teodosio
II; dopo aver battezzato il neonato, il 18 aprile 402, si imbarcarono per il
ritorno portando con loro un nuovo decreto per la distruzione dei templi idolatrici,
e la concessione di privilegi accordati ai luoghi di culto cristiani.
Questa volta l’editto fu
rispettato e Porfirio poté costruire delle chiese sulle rovine dei templi, nel
contempo la sua fama di taumaturgo si espanse con miracoli operati senza sosta,
come quello dei tre fanciulli ripescati sani e salvi da un pozzo.
Dopo aver condotto la
diocesi per ancora molti anni e dopo aver raccomandato a Dio i membri del suo
gregge, si addormentò nel Signore il 26 febbraio 420, dopo circa 25 anni di episcopato,
a 73 anni di età.
Il nome Porfirio proviene
dal greco ‘Porph_rios’ con il significato di “purpureo, color porpora”.
Autore: Antonio
Borrelli
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/42900
Mark the Deacon. Life of Porphyry, Bishop of Gaza, Translated with introduction and notes by G. F. Hill (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913) : http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/porphyry.asp
