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Story of Euphemia and the Goth

tr. Burkitt, 1913

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The Story of the Holy Sophia and of Euphemia her daughter, who were from the City of Edessa.

To-day it behoves us to sing with the spiritual prophet David “The Lord is nigh unto the broken in heart and the lowly in spirit doth He save”¹, and again “The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him in truth, and doth good pleasure for them that fear Him”². And the divine Apostle Paul teacheth us, saying “All your anxiety cast upon God, for He careth for you”³.

A miracle, then, that was performed in the blessed city of Edessa some time ago do we announce before you, O faithful brethren of ours, and sons of Holy Church! A certain man, faithful and true and worthy of good remembrance, and by rank a presbyter of the clergy of the holy church there, at Edessa, who was Paramonarius (i.e. Custodian) in the holy temple of the Shrine of the Confessors, — he transmitted to us the story of this miracle that came to pass in his days, as he learned from the mouth of the girl and her mother, after God had wrought deliverance for her and she had returned to her country and the home of her kindred by means of the help and power that dwells and abides at all times where lie the bones of the Holy ones and Confessors: this story, when that excellent old man heard it, he feared to hide and conceal and hold his peace about, and not to transmit to the generations that come after the deliverance of this great miracle, which by the working of the suretyship of those Martyrs and Athletes, the Confessors, he heard and saw. And inasmuch as he trusted that with correctness he affirmed and spoke truth, he transmitted this story to us so that it might be possible that we should repeat it. And because the thing is simple and unphilosophical and the understanding of the old man weak, do not let the story of this wonderful thing be despicable in your eyes because of the simplicity of him who wrote it down.

In the year 707 by the reckoning of the Greeks [= 396 AD.] the Huns had come forth, and they captured many captives and laid waste the country and they came as far as Edessa. And Addai, the Military Governor (Stratelates) at that time, did not give permission for the Foederati⁴ to go out against them because of treachery in the midst, and for this cause the armies of the Romans came down and lived in Edessa for a time. Now a certain Goth of a fierce temper from that army of the Romans was staying in a house, billeted upon a certain believing widow whose name was Sophia, and she had one virgin orphaned daughter, the only child she had. And heedfully and carefully did her mother keep her, and as was fitting she was bringing her up in all modesty, and was keeping her close in hiding that that wicked Goth should not see her. And as for the girl herself, her name was Euphemia, and in her appearance she was very beautiful.

And when the Goth had been a long space of time with them it fell out that for an instant he saw the girl and was greatly inflamed with the desire of her, and with the love of her his soul was taken captive; and from then he began with soft and gentle words to wheedle the mother of the girl to give him (as he said) her daughter Euphemia in marriage to be his wife. But her believing mother when she heard it was much agitated and was afraid of him, and did not accept his suit. But that bad man did not cease from vexing her with disturbing words in this wise, and sometimes it was with fury that he met her, and sometimes with words of gentleness and of flattery, and with mighty oaths he was wheedling her, and displaying gold too and shewing it before her, making pretexts in all manner of ways that she should give him her free-born daughter.

Then she hid her daughter that he should not even see her, saying to him “Man, what have I to do with thee? Why dost thou vex me, that am desolate and a widow, and cannot at all do this”. But he was full of cunning in his guile and promised her many things.

But she said further to him: “And how can this be, seeing that thou hast, I do not know how many times over, a wife in thine own country and sons?” But the rogue insisted and swore, and ventured on oaths by God, falsely declaring “No wife at all have I taken nor have I got sons”. And he brought the gold that he had displayed and put it before her, saying: “Lo, see that I have no wife; for lo, much gold for thy daughter have I displayed and many good things I will do for her”.

And again she said to him: “Man, why dost thou vex me? take thyself away from me”. And he still made himself firm against her, mingling even oaths with flatteries.

And when he had greatly worn her out, and for many days to this intent was vexing her, she was overcome like a weak woman and gave up opposition in her mind, saying “God of the orphans and the widows, come to my help! My God, this business is entrusted to Thee, to whom alone it is revealed!” And it was a greatly vexed question between the mother of the girl and the Goth, she saying: “I cannot bear to let my daughter be separated from me all this distance”. But he was swearing by God “I will not remove her from thy side, and by thee we will settle”.

And when the woman heard the oaths of the wicked man, she was reconciled to fulfil his will, and then forthwith they made a deed of dowry and she gave her daughter in marriage.

And after a time God gave that there should be peace, and the order came that this wicked man should depart to his own country with the rest of the Goths that were with him, and it was arranged that Euphemia also whom he had married he should take with him where he was departing to. And her mother began to affirm that this should never be, and that her daughter should not go with him, because she was obviously with child.

And when she had struggled much and many days had raised a dispute over this, at the last she was overcome, and she could not save her daughter and keep her behind from going with him.

And when it was decided about the separation of her only child, she took the liar her son-in-law and her daughter, and brought them up to the martyr-shrine of the holy Confessors Guria and Shmona and Ḥabbib, and they were praying, the mother with that daughter of hers, with lamentable tears.

And when they had sealed their prayer with a tear the mother of the girl drew near and took hold of her by her right hand and set her upon the Coffin of the Confessors themselves, saying to her false son-in-law “Give me for a surety the hidden power that dwells on these Holy Ones! Both thou dost know, and they do, according as thou dost treat her!” But the blessed ones themselves she exhorted, saying: “I beseech you, victorious saints of God, go with her and stand up for her in the country of the stranger, for to God and to you I trust on her behalf”. And the Goth drew near and laid his hand and took her from the Coffin of the Holy ones, saying “As I deal with her and do unto her, so may God deal with me! Lo, these Holy ones are sureties that I will not grieve her!” And they all prayed, and they went down from thence, but her mother was in bitter sorrow and in constant weeping by night and by day that she was deprived of the care and the sight of her daughter.

And when the girl went off with that Goth and they had gone many stages and had arrived at one stage off the city where they were going, then he rose up against her like a destroying wolf and stripped off her rich clothing that she was clothed with, and unloosed from her the gold with which she was festooned, and clothed her in the costume of a slave-girl. Then he revealed to her all the treachery he had practised on her, saying to her “I have a wife and I have married her, lo, this long while. But hold thy peace, and do not reveal before her or before any body else what has passed between us; otherwise an evil death thou wilt die at the hands of her family and tribesmen, for they are well known in our country”.

And when the girl heard these things she sighed before God and lifted up her voice in her weeping, beating her face and her breast and scattering dust on her head and on her face, and thus she was saying to him, the poor lonely thing, to that Goth, as she wept: “Thanks for thy kindness, man, for what thou hast done by me and by my state as a stranger here! Thanks for thy kindness, robber, stealing away freemen by day, that thou hast revealed to me that I am a slave-girl and hast fettered me with the yoke of slavery, and hast not killed me with drawn sword! These are thy promises! This is the covenant of thy oaths! Well, then, I will call to the sureties, that were between me and thee, and that mighty Power which is hidden in the bones of the Martyrs. Well, then, on the sureties that thou gavest me, what time thou stretchedst forth thy audacious hand and tookest me from them, do I cast my hope and on their Lord — beware what thou doest with me!”

And these things did the defrauded and lonely creature repeat in her prayer, as with lamentations she was weeping and saying: “God of my fathers, arise for me in the country of the stranger and save me and deliver me from the hands of this traitor that has rewarded me evil things for good and hatred for love! To you therefore I call, to the Confessors, my sureties! See the freedom fettered in the yoke of slavery! God, that didst accompany Joseph and wast a companion to him in the land of the Egyptians, turn not away Thine eyes from me! Thou carest, O my Lord, for the servitude of freemen!”

And when they arrived and entered his house, that wife of the Goth saw the girl that she was fair and comely, and forthwith she was perturbed and agitated, and began to ask her husband “Whence is this girl, and what is her history? And what is her country, and what is she doing with thee?” But that wicked one said “She is thy slave, and I have brought her for thee from Syria.” And she answered and said to him: “Indeed thou art lying, for her appearance is witness that she is not like the slave-girls.” And he again replied to her “I tell the truth, that she is thy slave.” Now the lonely girl, when she saw what had befallen her, prepared herself to serve in slavery, while by night and by day she was calling on God and saying only this: “My God, keep not Thy help far from me! Holy Martyrs, rise up for me in the land of the stranger! Confessors, my sureties, see my servitude and judge judgement for my oppression!”

Now her mistress used to speak with great hatred and great enmity to her, and was using her with indignity and boxing her ears continually. And the girl did not know how to speak in her language or to appeal to her about anything, but only was weeping with sighing and calling the Confessors to her help; for she was longing for somebody to speak Syriac with her, and there was no one but that Goth who had taken her away from the Syrian country, as from the length of time he had been in Edessa he had learnt to speak. And when the Goth woman had seen that the girl was with child she did not spare her, but all the more put additional hard work upon her and was demanding of her more than her strength, so that in one way or another she should end her life.

And when the days had come near for the girl to bear, there was born to her a man-child, and he was like his father exceedingly; and when the wife of the Goth saw that the baby was like her husband she was struck with envy, and in great indignation she said to her husband: “Look and see how like he is to thee! Here therefore cavilling and lying are of no use to thee!” And when many times in indignation she had said this to him, he saith to her: “Thou hast authority over her; everything thou dost wish to do, do, for she is thy slave.”

Now this companion to Jezebel the murderess of the Prophets covered her self with zeal against the boy and took thought to kill it, and she brought out some murderous deadly poison that when there was opportunity she might make the baby lick it and he should die, for she was exceedingly troubled by the sight of him. And on one of the days when the baby was crawling along it cuddled up against her supposing that she was its mother, and threw itself upon her; and she forthwith became exceedingly embittered and sent its mother away to market, to a place a long way off, on some excuse or other. And when she saw that its mother was not near, she took that deadly poison and made the boy, or rather baby, lick it; and when the baby’s mother came from where her mistress had sent her she sees her son in a fit: and some of that deadly poison had been vomited up and it was congealed on the baby’s lips! And say anything she could not, but only weep bitterly and call on the Confessors to her help. And she devised in her heart and brought a lock of wool and wiped from the lips of her son that deadly poison which the Goth woman had made him lick, and she laid it in her handkerchief and kept it with care.

And after a little while the boy died and was buried.

And a little time after the decease of the son of the lonely and oppressed girl there was a supper made by the Goth, and his friends were invited. And in the evening, when it was dark, she found a moment favourable to do by her mistress what she had done by her son, and that her wickedness should return on her own head, and in the snare that she that she had hidden she might be caught even to the death. So when she was serving them as a maid and was mixing drink for them, the lock of wool with which she had wiped the lips of her son she took out from her handkerchief and dipped it in the cup of wine, saying: “I shall see whether she made my son lick anything that he died: and if not, I shall know that it was by a death from God that my son died.”

And when she devised this, she mixed the cup and gave it to the Goth’s wife; and when her mistress took and drank that cup she too slept a deadly slumber, and in the pit that she digged, in it she fell. And the Goth’s wife died and was buried.

And after seven days of mourning for her the family and kindred of the Goth woman woke up like lions, and the thought came over them that the stranger girl had given her the cup of deadly poison that she died of, and they devised against her to deliver her up to the judge. And because the judge was far from that place, the counsel approved itself to their heart that they should bind her in the tomb by the stinking corpse and should shut the door in her face. And while they were dragging her along and beating her the people of the city saw her, and they were grieved for her. And after they had gone and bound her in the tomb by the corpses they took thought lest the people of the city should come and open for her and let her out, and they rolled a great and mighty stone and laid it at the door of it, so that no one should be able to roll the stone from the tomb. And they took thought further that hard by the tomb they would sleep all that night, and in the early morning they would take her out from the tomb and impale her on a stake and shoot at her with arrows, because the judge was far from that place.

And when they were hearing the sound of her weeping and her anguish they had no pity for her. Now the smell of the stink of that corpse grew more stifling and was killing her.

Then she cried out in prayer unto God and said: “God of Guria and of Shmona and of Ḥabbib! God, for the truth of whose faith Thy Holy ones the Confessors gave their necks to the slaughter, God that didst receive their blood as a living and holy sacrifice, come to the help of Thy handmaiden! God that for sinners didst mount the Cross of shame, deliver me from this distress! Guria and Shmona and Ḥabbib, pillars and props of Edessa the Blessed, quickly let your help overtake me! My sureties the Confessors, aid me in this hour!”

Then God heard her cry and her supplication, and of a sudden the fierce and stinking smell of the stench of the corpse was turned to a pleasant smell of spices, and in the likeness of three men they appeared to her with a great light, saying to her: “Fear not, Euphemia; we are with thee and we will not leave thee! Quickly comes thy deliverance, for our bond is near to be fulfilled, and the faith of thy fathers is not to be oppressed.”

And there fell upon her a slumber and she slept, and by the Power to which everything is easy this unspeakable miracle was wrought for her, as also unto the Prophet Habakkuk in his time, in that when Daniel was hungry while he was lying in the midst of the den of lions in Babylon a meal from Jerusalem by the hand of Habakkuk was sent to him: so also, by the Divine Power that resides in the bones of the holy Martyrs and Confessors to whom she called and in whom she had taken refuge, in that very night she found herself on the hill by the side of the Shrine of the holy Martyrs and Confessors. And when the East shewed, she felt stupefied as if from sleep, and she saw the holy Martyr Mar Shmona in the likeness of an old man standing by her, and saying to her: “Dost thou know where thou art now, and where thou art standing?” But she lifted up her eyes and saw the holy Shrine of the Confessors, and as now the sun was risen she went to enter the holy Shrine of the Martyrs. Saith the blessed Shmona to her: “Lo, our bond is paid: go in peace!” And immediately he vanished from her, and she looked to the right and to the left and in every direction, but she saw him no more.

And when she came to the door of the Shrine of the Martyrs, she heard the usual service, and she was filled with great joy and fear, and she was astonished and as in a dream she was seeing the affair. For the Proper Psalm for them was “With my voice unto God I called, and He heard me; and I lifted up with my voice unto Him, and He answered me. In the day of my distress I sought the Lord.”⁵ And her heart rejoiced, and exceedingly was she cheered with these words of the service that they were performing. And she had drawn near by the Coffin of the Holy ones, the Confessors, and cast herself before them and with much weeping she was saying “All that the Lord willeth He doth in heaven and in earth, that in the evening should be weeping and in the morning joy, for He hath sent from heaven and delivered me. Blessed be Thy Glory from Thy Place, O Lord, of whose praises heaven and earth are full! Blessed is the habitation of Thy Holy ones — your bond is paid, holy Confessors! Blessed is the Power of your Lord, that doth dwell in your bones! No one that taketh refuge in you is ashamed! No one that doth flee to your shelter and run unto you is vanquished! I confess to you, the oppressed slave-girl that hath been set free; I confess to you, the captive that hath returned to her country! For lo, in the evening I was at a great distance in the city of the Goth a captive, and now I am in the blessed City of Edessa, in the temple where lie your bones, my sureties and my saviours and my deliverers from them that were distressing me. Holy is your habitation and adorable is the Power that resides in you!”

And when she had said these things, and lamentable tears from her eyes on the Coffin of the Holy ones she was shedding, the custodian was looking at her marvelling, and when they finished the service he drew near unto her and was asking her and saying: “Woman, why art thou agitated, and what is thy business?” But the believing one repeated before him all the deed that God had done by her from the beginning even unto the end.

And when the custodian heard these things, he was astonished at the greatness of the matter so as even to doubt, and he sought to be assured of the truth and he wished to learn the abode of her mother, and with much diligence he sent and brought her mother that he might learn from her whether the matter was as her daughter said.

Now when her mother heard, forthwith she was much agitated, for that she supposed that she and her husband had come. But when her mother had come up to the Shrine of the blessed Martyrs the Confessors she saw her daughter and did not recognise her for that she was clothed with garments of humiliation; but her daughter recognised her, her mother, and drew near and did obeisance to her.

Now when her mother recognised that it was her daughter, the minds of the two of them were stirred with love and affection, and they were embracing each other and they could not speak with one another for much weeping.

And when they had been much time thus, the brethren of the Shrine of the Martyrs gathered together, and every one that was found there at the Shrine of the Martyrs was amazed at the weeping that was holding the two. Then the Custodian asked Euphemia to tell before her mother the tale she had told before him and she told before her mother and before those that chanced to be present the tale of what the Divine Power that dwells in the bones of the holy Martyrs the Confessors had done unto her, and how the Holy ones had taken her forth from the tomb that she was bound in and brought her many stages in the night. And every one that heard gave thanks and praised God, who doth the pleasure of them that fear Him. Now her mother sent and brought for her garments to put on and they stayed there all that day.

But when the sun drew near to set, they went down to their houses giving thanks to God, for the abundance of His grace that He had done by them. Now after the day was over the tale of this affair had gone forth in all the city, and her family and the people of her neighbourhood gathered together; and when they saw her, they rejoiced and gave thanks to God who doth not neglect those that worship Him. And while the women were staying together they were constant in prayer in the House of God, but on Sunday and on Friday they used to go up always and stay all day before the Coffin of the holy Martyrs in all modesty.

And after a little time that mighty Power of our Creator, which is not be spoken or explained, shewed its vengeance as it is wont, and justice was aroused upon that wicked and lying man, the Goth; and by the Providence of God that was in this business the Goth came against his will to Edessa again with a certain General who had been sent by the Emperor to this place to keep it from the enemies, the Persians, I mean, and the Huns, who had agreed to make war in this country. And as Pharaoh was caught in the Red Sea, so also this Goth was caught in the snare that he had hidden, and the Lord returned to him his recompence upon his head, and the pit that he digged, in it he fell, and in the net that he had hidden was he taken that despised the oaths and had contempt for the suretiship of the holy Martyrs, and trembled not at the fearful judgement of God. And Justice herself impelled him that in the very place that he had despised the oaths and lied he should receive the punishment of requital for his treachery.

And (so) on one of the days, when he, the Goth, was walking in the market, a certain man, their neighbour, saw him and spake with him, and he, the wicked and guilty fellow, just as if he did not know him or recognise him passed by him in agitation and did not linger for him, nor did he speak with him, but overlooked him as if not knowing him. And at once direct to the houses of Sophia and of Euphemia did that man, their neighbour, go up to let them know about that man, the Goth, and he was saying to them “That treacherous and guilty fellow who did by you all that treachery and great evil — to-day I have seen him and spoken with him. But contrive and see how it is fitting that this affair should be done.”

Then forthwith they gathered together all their neighbours and their relations, and this they thought to do, that no one should reveal to him that her daughter Euphemia had come to this country. And all her kin went forth to seek that Goth with diligence; and when they found him they spake with him in friendliness, saying to him “In thy mother-in-law’s house it were fitting that thou shouldest stay and rest, and thither it were right that thou go directly, because she is in much cogitation about thee and very desirous to see thee about her daughter.” And having flattered him they brought him up to the house of Sophia his mother-in-law. But she, that faithful woman Sophia, had shut up Euphemia her daughter in an inner chamber, that he might not see her at present, so that all his falsehood and his treachery that he had done by them might be exposed.

And when her neighbours and her relations had gathered together against the man in the midst of the house, Sophia his mother-in-law began to ask him, the liar, saying “What is thy tale⁶, my son? And what is the tale of Euphemia my daughter? How did the journey treat you? Has a son been born to you? Is it a boy or a girl? For I have been much in anxiety about you, because of the length of the journey!”

Now the treacherous fellow opened his mouth in falsehood and said to her: “In health we travelled, in peace the whole way; and we entered our city in tranquillity and joy, and we have no evil tale and we are in health. And thy daughter sends greeting to thee and her most dutiful reverence for thee, and no hurt at all hath she, and a son hath been born to us, a boy, — and may all those that thou lovest among your family be like her! And if we had not come forth hastily from our country, with me she was ready to come to see thee.”

And when Sophia heard these words of falsehood from that Goth, she trembled and rent her clothes, and cried out with a loud voice and said “What has he done to my daughter, the treacherous and lying fellow? These are thy oaths! This is the covenant that thou has covenanted with me! The sureties thou gavest me, they shall bring thy life to an end, treacherous one!” And when she said these things she brought out her daughter Euphemia and set her before him, saying to him “Thou knowest her, this girl here? Thou knowest how ye bound her? Those sureties thou gavest me, they brought her to me; the victorious Confessors, guardians of our country, they brought her back from Sheol beneath, those holy Martyrs, that thou didst stretch forth thy treacherous right hand and took her from, they rescued her from the tomb in which ye bound her living; Guria and Shmona and Ḥabbib became for her swift steeds and delivered her from your hands!”

Now he when he heard these things and saw the girl too — the colour of his face was changed, and like a dead man so he became, and he was silenced and could not open his mouth and return any answer for shame and for the fear and terror that fell upon him. And all they that were there seized that Goth, having bound him in the house in the midst of the house and they were all keeping watch over him. And they made an affidavit of all the affair, as it was from the beginning even to the end, and how with these many oaths and with great promises and with a deed of dowry he had taken the girl, swearing that he had not taken a wife in his own country, and how he had gone forth and given them for sureties the Confessors, the victorious Martyrs, and how he stretched out his right hand and took her from the Coffin where lie the bones of the holy Martyrs Shmona and Guria and Ḥabbib; and how they appeared to her when bound in the tomb shining with a great light and glory, and abolished the stinking smell of the corpse, for that there blew from them a sweet smell of spices; and how they brought her in one night the many stages.

And they went down and made it known to the chaste and holy priest Eulogius the Bishop, and they gave him the affidavit. Now the priest, when what was written was read before him, was astonished, yea, he marvelled at the audacity of that man, and great zeal was stirred in him, yea, he undertook the care of this business. And he gathered together his clergy with the presbyter, the Paramonarius of the Shrine of the holy Martyrs, the Confessors, and unto His Excellency the Stratelates he went and made it known, that which was written in the affidavit having been read before him, just as the whole business was. Now the Stratelates and every one that was there when they heard were amazed thereat, at this great miracle, which God had wrought by the suretiship of the Confessors, the sureties and Victorious ones, and they marvelled how that Goth had been so bold and had not trembled.

Then the Stratelates in a rage gave orders and they brought that Goth from where he was bound by them, and also the girl herself, Euphemia, and when they came they made them stand before the Stratelates and before the glorious and holy priest Eulogius the Bishop; and all the city was gathered together. And they gave orders that what was written in the affidavit should be read, that the Goth and the girl might hear. And as soon as it was all read, they asked the Goth and said to him “Is it true what thou hast heard written in this affidavit?” Now the Goth replied “Yea, my Lord, it is true, and there is no word of falsehood in it, not one!”

Then the Stratelates said to him “Oh audacious against the truth! how was it thou didst not tremble at the just judgement of God? And didst also be contemptuous of the pure laws of the Romans, and didst despise the oaths, yea make nothing of the covenant of the suretiship of the holy Martyrs, and give to subjection and bridle a free person⁷ with the yoke of slavery?” And forthwith the Stratelates commanded that he should receive sentence of execution by the sword and be burned with fire, for that he had dared to accomplish all this evil.

Now the true and merciful priest Eulogius the Bishop had entreated that it should not be for him so, but that with mercy he should use him. And when Eulogius had made much entreaty, the Stratelates replied to him: “I tremble to have mercy on this man, lest on me the Confessors should wreak vengeance, as one who contemns and as one who despises their suretiship, and that others again should dare and should accomplish something like this fellow, trusting for mercy.” Then they led him and took him out of the city, and the sentence of the sword he received, and because of much entreaty he was exempted from the burning. And every one glorified and praised God, who doth the pleasure of them that fear Him and heareth and receiveth the supplication of those that frequent His Gate and take refuge with His Saints. To whom be glory and thanksgiving and exaltation, and to the Father who sent Him for our salvation, and to the Living and Holy Spirit, for ever and ever, Amen.

Here endeth the story about S. Euphemia and about Sophia the mother of her, who were from Edessa the Blessed City.

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