E05075: Evagrius Scholasticus in his Ecclesiastical History recounts miracles which occurred at the grave of *Thomas (monk, ob. c. 545, S01992) who died and was buried in Antioch (Syria) under Justinian. He is believed to have stopped the plague and his memory is celebrated by a yearly festival. Written in Greek at Antioch, 593/594.

Evagrius Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History, 4.35

Ἦν δὲ τηνικάδε καὶ Θωμᾶς τόνδε διαθλεύων τὸν βίον ἀνὰ τὴν κοίλην Συρίαν, ὃς πρὸς τὴν Ἀντιόχου γέγονεν τὴν ἐπέτειον χορηγίαν κομιούμενος τῆς κατ’ αὐτὸν μονῆς· ἐντέτακτο δὲ ἐκ τῆς αὐτόσε ἐκκλησίας. Τοῦτον ὁ Ἀναστάσιος οἰκονομῶν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, ἐπειδὴ συχνῶς αὐτὸν ἠνώχλει, τῇ χειρὶ κατὰ κόρρης ῥαπίζει· καὶ δυσανασχετούντων τῶν σφίσι παρόντων, ἔφη οὔτε αὐτὸν ἔτι λήψεσθαι, οὔτε τὸν Ἀναστάσιον δώσειν· καὶ ἄμφω γενέσθαι, Ἀναστασίου μὲν μεθ’ ἡμέραν μίαν τὸν βίον καταστρέψαντος, Θωμᾶ δὲ ἐν τῷ τῶν νοσούντων καταγωγίῳ ἀνὰ τὸ προάστειον Δάφνην ἐν τῇ ἀποπορεύσει ἐπὶ τὸν ἀγήρω μεταστάντος βίον. Οὗ τὸν νεκρὸν ἔθεντο ἐν τοῖς τῶν ἐπηλύδων τάφοις. Ἐπειδὴ δέ, ἑνὸς καὶ δευτέρου τεθέντοιν, ὕπερθεν αὐτοῖν τὸ αὐτοῦ σῶμα γέγονε, μέγιστον θαῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ μετὰ θάνατον αὐτὸν ἀναδεικνύντος—ἀπεπέμποντο γὰρ μακρὰν ἀποκρουόμενοι—, θαυμάσαντες τὸν ἅγιον Ἐφραιμίῳ διαγγέλλουσι. Καὶ μετὰ δημοτελοῦς ἀγερωχίας καὶ πομπῆς μετακομίζεται ὁ πανάγιος αὐτοῦ νεκρὸς ἀνὰ τὴν Ἀντιόχου, ἔν τε τῷ κοιμητηρίῳ τιμᾶται, τὴν τηνικαῦτα φοιτήσασαν λοιμώδη νόσον τῇ μεταθέσει παύσας. Οὗ καὶ τὴν ἐτησίαν ἑορτὴν μέχρι ἡμῶν παῖδες Ἀντιοχέων μεγαλοπρεπῶς ἄγουσιν. Ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον τοῦ λόγου τὴν ῥύμην μεταγάγωμεν.

'At that time there was also Thomas, who pursued this life in Coele Syria. He came to the city of Antiochus to collect his monastery’s annual stipend, which was allocated from the church here. Anastasius, the steward of the church, struck him over the head with his hand since he was constantly pestering him; when those present showed anger, he said that neither would he receive nor Anastasius give again. And both things came to pass, since one day later Anastasius terminated his life, while Thomas on his return journey migrated to the ageless life in the hospice for the sick in the suburb of Daphne. They placed his corpse in the tombs of the foreigners. But after a first and then a second had both been deposited, his body was found on top of both of them, a very great miracle of God, Who proclaimed him even after death (for they had been thrust aside and dispatched far away); in amazement at the holy man they reported this to Ephrem. And his all-holy corpse was transported to the city of Antiochus with public celebration and procession, and received honours in the cemetery after terminating by its translation the current visitation of the disease of plague. Down to our time the sons of the Antiochenes magnificently celebrate the annual festival for him. But let us transfer the course of the account to the next subject.'

Text: Bidez and Parmentier 2014. Translation: Whitby 2010.