The memory of Reverend Elijah

He was brought up in a monastery to serve the Lord, and was taught to be modest and chaste, and he was taught meekness and humility, and he enjoyed the grace of God, having received the gift of miracles from his youth.

On seeing this, the brothers marveled at the miracle and wanted to imitate the marvelous life of a young man who was superior in holiness to the elders One day, blessed Elijah, walking alone in the desert, desired to eat honey and saw a cup full of honey lying on a rock. Realizing that this was an enemy's scheme, he rebuked himself, saying: "Get away from me tempting desire, for it is written: 'Keep walking by spirit and you will carry out no fleshly desire.'" - Gal. 5:16.

And he departed thence, and went into the wilderness, and fasted, and wearied himself, and hungered for his body. And in the third week of his fasting he saw beautiful apples and other fruits of the garden upon the earth of the wilderness, and he perceived again that it was an enemy temptation, and said,

(Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:4) After he had fasted for four weeks, he fell asleep and saw a vision of an angel of God who said: "Get up, eat what is before you, and be strong".

And he saw a fountain, and there was a green grass beside it, and he ate of the green grass, and drank of the spring, and strengthened himself.

And when his flesh craved food, he prayed to God upon the rocks, and immediately a hand came to him bringing fresh bread, olive-berries, and all manner of vegetables.

"In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, let one come to you and carry my burden. "Suddenly, a donkey, the strongest of the herd, gently approached him, and the saint laid his burden on him, and he sat down and soon reached the lodging of the brothers in the desert, encouraged them with food, and sent the donkey away into the desert.

On another occasion he also came to a deserted monastery early on a Sunday, and when he found that there was no service in the church, he asked why the Lord's day was not served. The brothers said that the priest who lived on the other side of the river did not come because he was afraid of a crocodile that had appeared in the river and had already devoured many people.

No, and who will take you to the other side, everyone is afraid of the crocodile and approaching the transport!

But the holy Elijah trusting in God went, and when he was on the bank of the river, he called on the name of the Lord, and immediately a crocodile appeared. He who was accustomed to killing people became, by God's command, a righteous carrier: with meekness and fear, he took the saint on his back, carried him across the river and put him on the other bank.

He replied that he had just come to the monastery. The priest, although he saw the worn and paid clothes of the blessed one, recognized the man of God in him and said, "Brother, you have bad bodily clothes, but good spiritual ones". Then he got up and went to the monastery. When they came to the river and did not find anything to cross the river, the priest said to the priest: "Do not worry, father. God has prepared a boat for us".

And with a loud voice he called to the crocodile; and the last, when he heard the voice of the saint, came at once to them, and gently put his back upon it, that they might climb upon it.

And the king saw the crocodile, and was afraid, and fled back. And the brethren stood on the other side of the river, and beheld the wonder, and saw the man of God go over the river on the crocodile, and were astonished. And the king went over the river, and took the crocodile, and said unto him, It is better for thee to die than to destroy men, and to eat them.

St. Elijah stayed in the monastery for three days, teaching the brethren the words of God's inspiration, and being a clairvoyant man, he knew the thoughts and conscience of every brother, and he spoke to each one in particular who was tempted by what: to one he said that he was inflamed with the spirit of uncleanness, to another that he was inflamed with anger, to another that he was captivated by delicacies, to another that he was overcome by some passion.

He also revealed the virtues of other monks for the benefit of all, calling one meek, another righteous, another patient, another obedient, another having some virtue; the lives of all and all secret deeds, good and bad, were revealed to him by God.

And it came to pass, when the meal was prepared, as the saint had said, that the traveling brethren came from afar to the monastery; and when they were received with honour, Elijah departed into the wilderness, and one of the younger brethren asked him to go with him into the wilderness, and the saint said unto him,

But the brother promised to endure it, and the saint, having received him, ordered him to live in another cave, and the night came when he was attacked by a demon, first invisibly, disturbing his mind with evil intentions, and then apparently, as if in terrible visions, he was pressed to death.

And when he was come out of the cave, he ran to the saint, and told him of his misfortune; and the elder comforted his brother with a few words, and strengthened him in patience and faith, and led him into the same cave, and marked him with his finger, and surrounded him with the sign of the cross, and commanded him to arm himself with the name of the Lord, and not to be afraid.

And the brother lived in the wilderness that was already unharmed by demonic invasion, and was like food, brought by an invisible hand, as his holy teacher, whom God himself fed. St. Elijah reached a deep old age, performed many miracles and presented himself to God, who pleased and was counted among the saints who were in heaven before the throne of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the One in the Trinity, to whom be glory now, in glory and for ever and ever. Amen 1

_____________________________ 1 Ellio died in the fourth century.