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Life of St Porphyry, Bishop of Gaza
Mark the Deacon, tr. Hill, 1913
Chapter 34
So the blessed Porphyry, having taken his commands, writeth to me to come with all speed to Caesarea and to bring with me three books and three and forty pieces of money,1 the which chanced to remain over from the revenues of the holy church. And I, having received his letter, took the books and the money and straightway departed,2 and coming to Caesarea I found the most holy bishops making ready for the voyage; and after two days we put to sea and sailed on the twenty-eighth day of Gorpiaios3 (which is according to the Romans the twenty-third of September), and by the mercy of Christ making a fair voyage after ten days we put in at the island of Rhodes.
Now there was then in the island, living solitary in the remote parts thereof, a man named Procopius, who is now numbered with the angels; for he fell asleep five years ago,4 having lived a blameless life in fasting and watching and utter poverty. He had also the gift of prophecy and the power of casting out devils. So when we had put in at Rhodes, as hath been said, and heard tell of the manner of life of the holy man, we held it necessary not to pass him by, but to enjoy his angelic company; and having inquired where he had his abode we journeyed unto him, sailing along the coast in a small boat, and came and knocked at his door. And he straightway came forth himself and opened to us, albeit he had with him another, a disciple.
Notes
- pieces of money. νομίσματα, gold solidi (of normally 4·55 grammes), 43 of which would be equivalent in weight to about 24½ English sovereigns.
- straightway departed. September 22, 401.
- the twenty-eighth day of Gorpiaios. September. According to Nuth, H reads ἡμέρᾳ ὀγδόῃ καὶ εἰκάδι Γορπιαίου κατὰ δὲ Ῥωμαίους Σεπτεμβρίῳ (sic) εἰκάδι τρίτῃ. The other manuscripts omit the words here given in heavy type; Henschen conjectured Περιτίου for τρίτῃ, with the result that the whole chronology was thrown out until the right reading was restored by Nuth from H. At the same time, Nuth argues that τρίτῃ should be πέμπτῃ. Mark has applied his rule that the Gazaean calendar is five days in advance of the Roman to all months, whereas it is only true of January and April; in the other months the advance is only three or four days.
They set sail therefore on September 25, 401, and arrived at Rhodes about October 6. - five years ago. That is, in 415 or 416, for this life was doubtless written in 420 or 421.