And the Lord, who beholds all things, accomplished the words of this holy man; for on the seventh day after he paid the money, while we were with him, certain men entered to him and informed him that the governor was dead, and that the crier was calling in |544 the streets to the people : «Rise up and bury the governor! » And all men praised God, the worker of wonders among his saints. And the people of the city began to respect and honour the father for the troubles and sorrows and straits which he had endured, and because God had saved him from them all, manifesting wonders by his means.
Then on account of the straits and the sorrow and distress that had afflicted Abba Joseph, it was God's will to give him rest from this world, and to call him to the mansions of light, that he might enjoy eternal life. For so God had promised to that saint, saying to him : «Thou shalt be happy for ever, and shalt live eternally». Accordingly after these events the patriarch fell sick of a fever. And on the seventh day of his sickness the Lord visited him, and took him to himself. So he went to his rest on the twenty-third day of Bâbah, in the year 566 of the Martyrs, at the time of the communion of the Holy Mysteries, the day being Sunday. Thus he had remained upon the evangelic and apostolic throne eighteen years and eleven months.
And they carried his body to the city of Alexandria and laid him with his holy fathers, with glory and honour. And the people of Alexandria, both men and women, wept copious tears over him, because they had lost a |545 man who was constant in his fight against evil. And he obtained the crown of victory.
Such were the events which I witnessed with my own eyes; but I have abridged my narrative on account of the multitude of its wonders. We pray the Lord to allow the prayers of that saint to be with us.
And he obtained the crown of victory. Such were the events which I witnessed with my own eyes; but I have abridged my narrative on account of the multitude of its wonders. We pray the Lord to allow the prayers of that saint to be with us.
Now it is right for you, my holy lords, and my duty also that I should make known to you and you should listen to the fulfilment of a prophecy which he uttered to me, while he was living, and which the Lord accomplished after his death, that those who hear may marvel and glorify God who is glorified in his elect. I related before that, at the time when the unjust judge brought troubles upon Egypt, the patriarch said : «As I am a sinner. God will send down vengeance upon this tyrant for his deeds, yet not in my lifetime, but after my death». And when Abba Joseph went to his rest, there was a prince of the Muslims, named Ja'far, son of Ibrahîm; and he sent to Egypt a man named Ya'kûb, son of Ibrahîm, to enquire into the state of Egypt, and make it known to him. So when Ya'kûb came hither, he was informed, by God's decree, of the conduct of the unjust judge, and of his evil deeds which he committed secretly and openly. Thereupon Ya'kûb suddenly arrested the Superintendent of Public |546 Order without his previous knowledge; and accordingly all the judge's hypocritical acts by which he deceived the people were brought to light, as well as his secret, foul, and reprehensible conduct So Ya'kûb took him, and paraded him through all the streets of Misr, after shaving his beard and baring his bead, while all gazed upon him; then he threw him into prison, and confiscated his goods. And all his companions who surrounded him, and even his children, were scattered in all directions. Afterwards he banished him to the capital city of the empire, and there he died a cruel death. Ya'kûb also dealt with the judge who was the other's deputy at Alexandria, and who commanded that the father Abba Joseph should be beaten, as he had dealt with his superior, and he was imprisoned; but he escaped subsequently and none ever saw him again in the city, nor has anyone set eyes upon him to this day. And all who saw these things or heard of them marvelled, and glorified God on account of these two unjust judges upon whom vengeance was executed as they deserved. As it is written : «The fool and he that is without understanding shall perish together».
We have recorded, on account of your love, the combat of the holy father, Abba Joseph. We will now mention to you what he did during his |547 whole time. As long as he remained upon the patriarchal throne his heart was never preoccupied, nor was he distracted by the troubles that came upon him, but he continued in prayer night and day. And he completed the reading of the whole Psalter every day; seventy-five Psalms in the daytime, and seventy-five Psalms up to midnight. This was in addition to the hymns that he recited, in supplication to the Lord with devotion and humility. These were his qualities all the days of his life, I mean humility and charity and tranquillity and chastity and continuance in prayer and giving alms; so that, after all these years during which he remained patriarch, his cares and thoughts and feelings were like those of one who lives in the corner of a cell in the Wadî Habîb. By these means he gained the crown of his deeds from the Lord Jesus Christ, and entered with the saints into the land of the living. Glory belongs to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost for ever. Amen.
End of the second division of [the first part of] the Histories of the holy Patriarchs. May their prayers be with us and their supplications protect us! Amen.
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[Footnotes renumbered and moved to the end]
1. 1. Ps. li. 17 (Sept. l).
2. 1. Acts, viii, 21.
3. 1. S. Matth., iii, 10; vii, 19; S. Luke, iii, 9.
4. 1. S. John, iii, 27; viii, 54.
5. 2. S. Matth., xv, 33.
6. 1. Rom,, xiii. 2.
7. 1. S. Matth., xvi, 18.
8. 2. II Tim., ii, 5.
9. 1. Ps. cxvi, 3; cf. xviii, 6 (Sept. cxiv, xvii).
10. 1. I Cor., iv, 12,13.
11. 1. Prov., xvii, 20.
12. 1. Is., viii, 10; xix, 3.
13. 2. Mal., iii, 20 (iv, 2).
14. 3. Ezech., xxxiii, 11.
15. 1. Father of good.
16. 2. Jer., xvii, 5.
17. 1. S. Matth., x, 33; cf. S. Mark, viii, 38; S. Luke, ix, 26.
18. 2. S. Mark., ix, 44;Is., lxvi, 24.
19. 3. S. Matth., xxv, 41.
20. 1. S. John, xvii, 12.
21. 2. Ps. lxxxix, 11 (Sept. lxxxviii).
22. 3. Ps. cxix, 21 (Sept.cxviii) .
23. 1. Ps. lxix, 10 (Sept. lxviii).
24. 1. III Kings, v, 21 (7).
25. 1. Is., lxvi, 2.
26. 2. II Cor., xi, 2.
27. 1. Is., lxiv, 7, 8, 9.
28. 1. Tob., iv, 7.
29. 2. Tob., iv, 10 (11).
30. 3. I Tim., vi, 17. 19.
31. 1. Ps. lxxviii. 3 (Sept, lxxvii).
32. 2. Acts, xi, 22, 23.
33. 3. Prov.. xxix, 2 (Sept.).
34. 1. Ps. xlv, 17 (Sept. xliv).
35. 1. Ps. lxvi, 20 (Sept. lxv).
1. III Kings, v, 21 (7). 25. 1. Is. , lxvi, 2. 26. 2. II Cor. , xi, 2. 27. 1. Is. , lxiv, 7, 8, 9. 28. 1. Tob. , iv, 7. 29. 2. Tob. , iv, 10 (11). 30. 3. I Tim. , vi, 17. 19. 31. 1. Ps. lxxviii. 3 (Sept, lxxvii). 32. 2. Acts, xi, 22, 23. 33. 3. Prov.. xxix, 2 (Sept. ). 34. 1. Ps. xlv, 17 (Sept. xliv). 35. 1. Ps. lxvi, 20 (Sept. lxv).
36. 1. Eph., i, 10; 11, 16. 17; Col. i. 20.
37. 2. S. Matth., xviii, 12.
38. 3. S. Luke, xv, 6.
39. 4. S. John. x. 16.
40. 5. Jer., ii, 13.
41. 1. Ps. cxxvi, 1; xiv, 7; liii, 7 (Sept. cxxv, xiii, lii).
42. 2. II Cor., vi, 14, 15.
43. 1. Rom., xv, 13.
44. 1. I Cor., xii, 26.
45. 1. Rom., xiv, 1.
46. 1. Ps. vii, 17.
47. 2. Dan., xiii, 52, 55, 59 (Greek).
48. 1. I Cor., ii. 9.
49. 2. Ps. cv, 34, 35 (Sept. civ).
50. 1. S. Matth. viii. 29.
51. 1. S. John, v, 14.
52. 1. Acts, v, 15.
53. 2. II Cor., xii, 7.
54. 1. Ps. lxxix, i, 2. 3 (Sept. lxxviii); cf. I Mach., vii, 17.
55. 2. Job, xvi, 12.
56. 1. Acts, ix, 15.
57. 2. I Cor., x, 11, etc.
58. 1. Ps. xxxix, 4. 5 (Sept. xxxviii).
59. 1. Coptic [Coptic].
60. 1. S. Matth., xxviii, 20.
61. 1. Gen., xlvi, 3, 4.
62. 1. II Cor., vi, 14, 15.
63. 1. Is., xxxvii, 29; IV Kings, xix, 28.
64. 1. Eph., ii, 6; Phil., iii, 20; Col., iii, 1.
65. 2. I Thess., ii, 9; II Thess., iii, 8; cf. I Cor., iv, 12; II Cor., xi, 9.
66. 1. Ps. xlii, 1 (Sept. xli).
67. 2. Acts, x. 2. 31.
68. 1. Mich., ii. 1,2.3.
69. 1. Nah., i. 2. Cf. Deut., xxxii, 35, 41, 43; Ps. xciv, 1 (Sept. xciii); Rom., xii. 19: Hebr., x. 30.
70. 1. Is., li, 12: Ps. lvi, 5, 12; cxviii, 6 (Sept. lv, cxvii); Hebr., xiii. 6.
71. 2. Zach., vii, 10: viii. 17; Job. v. 12; Ps. xxxiii, 10 (Sept. xxxii).
72. 1. Is., lvii. 17, 18: xxv, 9, etc.
73. 2. Ps. lxxxv, 7. 8, 9 (Sept. lxxxiv).
74. 1. Gal., vi, 9, 10.
75. 2. I Tim., vi, 17, 18, 19.
76. 1. Ps. lxxxv, 11 (Sept. lxxxiv).
77. 2. S. Matth., xx, 6 ff.
78. 1. Ps. lxxviii, 3 (Sept. lxxvii).
79. 1. I Tim., vi. 9. 10.
80. 1. Apoc., v. 6, 12.
81. 1. S. Matth., xxv, 34.
82. 1. Ps. xxv, 7, 16 (Sept. xxiv).
83. 2. Ps. liii, 6 (Sept. lii).
84. 1. S. John, iii, 27. Heb., v, 4.
85. 1. Num., vi. 25; Ps. xxxi, 17 (Sept. xxx), etc.
86. 1. S. Luke. xxii, 32.
87. 2. Am., v. 16.
88. 1. Ps. lxxiv, 2 (Sept. lxxiii).
89. 1. Rom., xiii. 2.
90. 1. Is., lxv, 12.
91. 1. ii Cor., xiii. 9, 10.
92. 1. Ps. lxxviii, 61 (Sept. lxxvii).
93. 1. Ps. xcvii, 10 (Sept. xcvi).
94. 2. Ps. xciv, 17, 18, 19 (Sept. xciii).
95. 1. II Cor., xi, 28.
96. 1. Ps. ciii, 10 (Sept. cii).
97. 1. Ps. lxxii, 11 (Sept. lxxi).
98. 1. I Cor., vii. 18.
, v. 16. 88. 1. Ps. lxxiv, 2 (Sept. lxxiii). 89. 1. Rom. , xiii. 2. 90. 1. Is. , lxv, 12. 91. 1. ii Cor. , xiii. 9, 10. 92. 1. Ps. lxxviii, 61 (Sept. lxxvii). 93. 1. Ps. xcvii, 10 (Sept. xcvi). 94. 2. Ps. xciv, 17, 18, 19 (Sept. xciii). 95. 1. II Cor. , xi, 28. 96. 1. Ps. ciii, 10 (Sept. cii). 97. 1. Ps. lxxii, 11 (Sept. lxxi). 98. 1. I Cor. , vii. 18.
99. 1. S. John, xviii, 9.
100. 2. S. Matth., xvi, 18.
101. 1. I Kings, ii, 10.
102. 2. Prov., xxv, 21; Rom., xii, 20.
103. 1. Ps. lxxiv, 18 (Sept. lxxiii).
104. 1. Ps. lxxviii, 50 (Sept. lxxvii).
105. 1. Ps. lxxx, 5, 6. 7, 8 (Sept. lxxix).
106. 1. Ps. v, 7; cxl, 13 (Sept. cxxxix).
107. 2. Deut., xxxii, 35.
108. 1. Ps. lxxi, 19, 20 (Sept. lxx).
109. 2. Ps. xxx, 12 (Sept. xxix).
110. 1. S. Luke, xviii. 2.
111. 2. Ps. vii, 17; lxxix, 6 (Sept. lxxviii).
112. 1. Gal., iii, 1.
113. 1. Osee, xiv, 3 (Sept.); Hebr., xiii, 15.
114. 2. Acts, vii, 60 (59).
115. 1. Ps. lviii, 5, 6 (Sept. lvii).
116. 2. Ps. xxxix, 4, 5 (Sept. xxxviii).
117. 1. Ps. ix, 13.
118. 2. Ps. xciv, 5, 6, 7 (Sept. xciii).
119. 3. Prov.. vi. 34.
120. 1. S. Luke, xviii, 7.
121. 1. Gal., v, 5.
122. 1. Ps. xci, 15 (Sept. xc).
123. 2. Ps, cxlv, 18 (Sept. cxliv).
124. 1. Ps. lxxix, 1 (Sept. lxxviii).
125. 1. Ps. lxxix. 11 (Sept. lxxviii).
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