E07545: Sophronius of Jerusalem, in his Miracles of the Saints Cyrus and John, recounts how *Kyros and Ioannes/Cyrus and John (physician and soldier, martyrs of Egypt, S00406) healed from blindness and converted a certain Stephanos, an heretical follower of Theodosius and Severus, at their shrine at Menouthis (near Alexandria, Lower Egypt). Written in Greek in Alexandria, 610/615.

Sophronius of Jerusalem, The Miracles of Saints Cyrus and John, 38

Summary:

There was a certain Stephanos from the city of Nikiou [in Lower Egypt] who had leucomas on his eyes. This man belonged to the sect of Theodosius and Severus. Since he lost his sight, he sought to regain it and went in search of the martyrs’ help. They, however, first left him for four months without examination in order to soften his stubbornness and prepare him to convert to the better doctrine. Then they appeared to him in a dream. They stood in the hierateion of the sanctuary, dressed in monastic garments and called Stephanos who was outside to approach. When he came to the holy space (he hieratike aule), they offered him a 'eulogy', that is white bread with a cross stamped on it. He took it unwillingly and dropped it on the ground. Immediately Kyros picked it up and put in the young man’s hand again, but it again fell to the ground. Yet Kyros repeated his action and a third time picked the bread up and gave it to Stephanos, saying that he would love to see Stephanos approaching the sanctuary and repeating ‘Amen, amen, oh Lord’. Stephanos realised that these are the words of participants in the mysteries of Christ, because they are spoken in response to the priests, at the moment when they distribute the flesh and blood of Christ: they are a testimony and confession of the truth of what the priests give us as our spiritual nourishment and for the remission of our sins. Stephanos, however, said that he took this spiritual nourishment of immortality every Sunday. But the saints told him that he had not taken communion even one time since he had come to the sanctuary.

Stephanos awoke, he ran to communion with the Catholic Church and regained his sight in both eyes. As a result, his servant (ho touto diakonoumenos) also joined the Catholic Church. However, the Malevolent One who always envies those who are saved, deprived them of half of their gift. The servant asked Stephanos whether they would remain members of the Catholic Church even when they returned to their country; Stephanos replied that they would follow the martyrs’ will as long as they stayed in their sanctuary, but when they returned home, they would switch to their former belief, that had been transmitted to them by their fathers.

That same night, however, the martyrs appeared to Stephanos and punished him for his ingratitude. They commanded him to take a bath, after which he suffered from insomnia for many nights and lost his sight anew. Yet he did not recognise the cause of his miserable state. But the merciful martyrs revealed the cause to him in a vision. When he learnt it, he repented.

The martyrs appeared to him in the form of the governor of the city of Nikiou. They reproached him for violating his union with Cyrus and John and commanded him to respect his pact with them, warning him against making another violation. When the young man understood the cause of his misery, he swore not to make any other violation and asked for forgiveness for what he had done.

The martyrs thus reappeared to him in a dream, staying by the altar of Christ (to thysiasterion Christou) and offering a bloodless sacrifice (he anaimaktos thysia). They offered it to him afterwards. When he took it, they showed him the Church, the bride of the Saviour, who shone in white garments with unparalleled beauty. She approached to the altar, took part in the mysteries of Christ herself, and gave them also to Stephanos. She hung round his neck a golden cross studded with precious gems, which covered his chest and was to serve as a guardian of his illumination. When he left the sacred place after these mysteries, a certain Egyptian who was ugly, and also profane, wanted to strip it off, since he was outside the church. Yet, although he tried, he did not manage to grab it and instead fell down into a bottomless hole. With no doubt it was thanks to the cross that Stephanos was protected and given power to defeat the enemy. Shortly afterwards, Stephanos regained his sight, having used the juice of endive to cure himself, as the martyrs had commanded in a vision.

Text: Fernández Marcos 1976, lightly modified in the light of Gascou 2007. Summary: J. Doroszewska.