E05567: The Life of *Hypatios (abbot of Rufinianae, ob. 446, S02090) by Kallinikos recounts the life of its hero and the foundation of a monastic community on the grounds of the shrine of the *Apostles (S00084) on the estate of Rufinus ('Rufinianae') near Chalcedon (north-west Asia Minor, near Constantinople). It recounts its hero’s manifold miracles and spiritual doctrines. Written in Greek at Rufinianae, 447/450.

Kallinikos of Rufinianae, Life of Hypatios (CPG 6042 = BHG 760)

Summary:

Preface by the anonymous editor:
The editor addresses a certain Eutychos, and claims to record a text written by Kallinikos, a disciple of Hypatios, having made very few changes, mainly correcting the spelling mistakes reflecting the Syrian accent of the author.

Prologue by the author.

Life:
1. Hypatios comes from Phrygia, born of noble and pious parents. After a beating by his father, he leaves home and decides to become a monk.

2. At the age of 18, he follows a group of travellers to Thrace, where he becomes a shepherd working for a local estate. He frequents a local church and learns the psalms.

3. At the age of 20, he joins the hermit Ionas, a former soldier of Armenian origins, who left the army under Arcadius and established a monastic community on a mountain near Constantinople. Hypatios excels in virtue and asceticism. The monastery grows and becomes fortified, as was common in Thrace, because of the frequent invasions of that period.

4. Hypatios serves tending the sick.

5. He experiences severe carnal temptations, but perseveres in his strict asceticism.

6. Barbarians frequently assault the monastery, but are easily repelled by the monks who fire stones against them, using a catapult. The peasants seek refuge in the monastery. Ionas frequently visits Constantinople to ask for supplies and help for the poor of Thrace from the rich people of the capital. He is greatly respected by the aristocrats, because of his charisma.

7. Hypatios’ father visits the monastery, which is located at a place called Halmyrissos, and requests his son’s help for a trial at the capital. Hypatios helps his father and lets him return home. While at Constantinople, they stay at the country estate of an aristocrat.

8. Hypatios is joined by another two ascetics, Timotheos and Moschion, with whom he settles at a deserted monastery next to the shrine of the Apostles *Peter and Paul at the estate of the patrician Rufinus (known as Rufinianae) near Chalcedon (see E01133).

9. After a conflict with Timotheos, Hypatios leaves Chalcedon and returns to his first monastery in Thrace. While leaving, he heals a man paralysed by a demon.

10. Timotheos and the monks of Rufinianae meet abbot Ionas in Constantinople and implore him to send Hypatios back to their monastery. Ionas falls gravely ill and summons Hypatios. The latter heals the abbot and hears a voice from heaven instructing him to go to Rufinianae. He is reconciled with Timotheos and becomes abbot of the monastery. He is 40 years old.

11. The community is visited and receives instruction from *Isaakios (S02118), the revered founder of several monasteries in Constantinople, and *John Chrysostom (see $E05568). The former advises the monks to offer hospitality to everyone, and the latter urges them not to avoid taking holy orders.

12. The community grows. Hypatios’ virtue attracts the friendship of the cubicularius (servant of the imperial chamber) Urbicius who brings to the monastery an insane man, threatened with murder by his own brother. Hypatios shelters and cures the man. Urbicius later endows the renovation and expansion of the monastery and the decoration of its church.

13. Hypatios practices reclusion in a small cell during Lent, after which he celebrates the Easter mass at the shrine of the Apostles. He is forcibly ordained by bishop Philotheos of Chalcedon, and appointed to that shrine where he celebrates the liturgy every Sunday, obtaining fame for his holiness and spiritual guidance.

14. Hypatios is granted revelations and clairvoyance.

15. Hypatios heals Alkimos, the domesticus of the cubicularius Urbicius, and has a vision of the Devil whom he reproaches. Urbicius is promoted to praepositus sacri cubiculi (imperial chamberlain) and funds the construction of a mausoleum (ἡρώειον) for the burial of the monks.

16. Abbot Ionas comes from Thrace to greet Hypatios shortly before dying. Hypatios recounts to the monks a tale from his days at the monastery in Thrace, pertaining to forgiveness.

17. Hypatios recounts stories about the extreme poverty of the monastery of Rufinianae in the early days of his settlement there.

18. The community grows. Story about Akylas and his family who espoused monastic life and joined Hypatios’ community.

19. Due to the pollution of the local aqueduct, the monks fall ill. Hypatios is miraculously instructed to dig a well in the premises of the monastery.

20. Miraculous provision of wheat for the monastery.

21. The story of the fugitive slaves of the ex-consul Monaxios, who joined the monastery.

22. Stories about Hypatios’ care for the poor and the sick, and various healing miracles.

23. At the age of 60, Hypatios falls gravely ill and all believe that he is about to die. Since the death of *Dalmatios (abbot in Constantinople, S01782), he is revered as the spiritual father of the monks of Constantinople. He recovers and ascribes his survival to the Devil who prevented him from taking his heavenward journey.

24-27. Hypatios’ spiritual instruction to the monks, ascetic diet, and prayer routines.

28. His power over demons and various miracles.

29-30. Hypatios’ virtues, his missionary activity among the pagans of Bithynia, and spiritual instruction to the laity.

31. Hypatios’ charity for the poor.

32. When Nestorius is elected bishop of Constantinople, Hypatios predicts that he will become a heretic and that his episcopate will last only three and a half years. Nestorius’ deposition by the Council of Ephesus is revealed to Hypatios in a dream vision of *John the Evangelist (S00042) instructing the emperor to condemn Nestorius (see $E05570).

33. The Prefect Leontios attempts to revive a celebration of Olympic Games in Chalcedon, but Hypatios opposes him. Although bishop Eulalios disagrees, Hypatios invites all abbots to resist the prefect’s plans, and the festival is cancelled.

34. Hypatios’ contempt for money and material goods.

35. Conversion of three scholastici.

36. His fame grows and his assistance is sought for by people around the world.

37. Hypatios exchanges visits with the emperor Theodosius II and his sisters.

38. Various miracles are performed by the use of blessed cloths (mentioned as εὐλογία τοῦ ἁγίου Ὑπατίου – 'blessing of the holy Hypatios') and holy water provided by Hypatios. In one case, a blessed cloth is used as a bandage for the healing of an injured eye. In another, it is hung at a haunted stable, in order to protect it from demons.

39. Asked by people about Nestorius, Hypatios condemns his doctrine.

40. Various miracles of Hypatios.

41. Hypatios shelters Alexandros, abbot of the Akoimetoi (Sleepless Monks), who is persecuted by the magistrates for denouncing their injustices.

42. The story of Makarios, a disciple of Hypatios, who failed in his asceticism due to arrogance.

43. Conversion of sorcerers and pagans.

44-46. Various miracles involving healing and demons.

47. No one should have doubts about the miracles of Hypatios. It was not the holy man himself that performed them, but Christ who showed His pleasure in Hypatios.

48. Spiritual exhortations, and teachings by Hypatios.

49. Hypatios reaches old age, and his virtue is now visible even in his appearance, covered with white hair and beard. An ascetic holy man and presbyter called Zenon is miraculously driven to meet and die with him.

50. Three months later, Hypatios reaches his end at the age of 80, leaving 80 disciples. In his last three months he provides further teaching to the monks.

51. As he lies dying, the monks sing psalms, and he is visited by bishops and friends. He has visions and is seen to exchange blessings with invisibly present companions. He gives his blessing to everyone and dies, leaving 50 (sic) disciples and a successor abbot. His funeral is celebrated by bishops and friends and attended by a great crowd.

51. (9) Τὸ οὖν ἅγιον αὐτοῦ λείψανον κατέθεντο ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἐν τῷ σεπτῷ εὐκτηρίῳ τοῦ αὐτοῦ μοναστηρίου ἐν σόρῳ λιθίνῃ, ἐν ᾧ οἴκῳ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τὰς εὐχὰς ἀναπέμπουσιν. (10) Κατατιθεμένου δὲ αὐτοῦ οἱ ὄχλοι διεσπάραττον τὴν κλίνην βουλόμενοι εὐλογίας χάριν λαβεῖν ἀπὸ τῶν ἱματίων αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὃ μὲν μετὰ μαχαίρας τὴν σινδόνα ἔτεμεν, ἄλλος ἐκ τοῦ ἱματίου, ἕτερος δὲ ἐκ τῆς γενειάδος αὐτοῦ τρίχας· καὶ μόλις διισχυρισαμένων τινῶν ἠδυνήθημεν παύσασθαι αὐτοὺς ἐκ τούτου. (11) Τὴν οὖν σορὸν αὐτοῦ ὁ δοῦλος τοῦ Θεοῦ Οὐρβίκιος ἐκαρποφόρησεν. (12) Πλησίον δὲ αὐτοῦ κατάκειται ὁ ἅγιος Ἀμμώνιος, ὁ τῆς ἐρήμου μέγας ἀσκητής, περὶ οὗ φέρεται, ὅτι τὸ οὖς αὐτοῦ ἀπέτεμεν διὰ τὸ μὴ θέλειν αὐτὸν δέξασθαι τὴν ἱερωσύνην, οὗ ἡ πολιτεία ἐξαίρετος καὶ παρὰ πᾶσι θαυμαζομένη τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τὸν Κύριον.

‘They buried his holy remains in peace in the reverend church of his monastery, in a stone sarcophagus, in the room where the brethren offer up their prayers. As he was being buried, the throngs tore his bier into pieces, trying to take something of his cloths for blessing. One person cut the shroud with a knife, another removed some of his cloak, and another some hair from his beard. Some became aggressive and we hardly managed to stop them from doing this. His sarcophagus was donated by the servant of God Urbicius. Near him rests the holy *Ammonios [S01263], the great ascetic of the desert, about whom it is related that he cut off his own ear, because he did not want