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Life of St Porphyry, Bishop of Gaza
Mark the Deacon, tr. Hill, 1913
Chapter 16
But in that night the blessed John sendeth for the Gazaeans and saith unto them: ‘Ye shall be ready to come forth; for to-day ye receive your priest, the man whom the Lord hath shown, without blame, beloved of God, boiling over with the faith.’ And when it was morning1 they seized the blessed man and ordained him bishop2 of Gaza. But he wept much, and would not be satisfied of his tears; for he said that he was unworthy of such a priesthood. And being with difficulty comforted by the Gazaeans and the Christians which were there, he held his peace. And when we had performed the sacred office of the Lord’s Day, we were again bidden to taste food with the archbishop.
Notes
- when it was morning. This was Sunday, March 18, 395. Mark, however, appears to reckon Porphyry’s tenure of the see from his entry into Gaza on the next Wednesday (see p. 112, c. 103).
- ordained him bishop, ἐχειροτόνησαν ἐπίσκοπον. The word is used both of the people and of the clergy for electing to a dignity, creating. But for the bishop the word is χειροθετεῖν, the laying on of hands.