Kyle Smith - The Deacon James's “Life of Saint Pelagia the Harlot” lyrics

English translation of the Life of Saint Pelagia the Harlot written by the Deacon James and translated into Latin by Eustochius. Verse Prologue by Eustochius. The words of this writer about holy hidden things Have I, Eustochius, into Latin rendered; Good readers, take note of all my labour, And ask God in your prayers to remember me. Preface of the Author. We should always have in mind the great mercy of our Lord who does not will the d**h of sinners but rather that all should be converted to repentance and live (1 Tim. 2.) So, listen to a wonder that happened in our times. It has seemed good to me, James, to write this to you, holy brothers, so that by hearing or reading it you may gain the greatest possible aid for your souls. For the merciful God, who wills that no one should perish, has given us these days for the forgiveness of our sins, since in the time to come He will judge justly and reward everyone according to his works. Now be silent, and listen to me with all the care of which you are capable because what I have to tell you is very rich in compunction for us all. Cap. I. The most holy bishop of the city of Antioch called together all the bishops nearby about a certain matter; and so eight bishops came, and among them was Nonnus, the most holy man of God, my bishop, a marvelous man and a most observant monk of the monastery called Tabennisis. Because of his comparable life and most excellent conduct, he had been snatched away from the monastery and ordained bishop. When we had all a**embled in the aforesaid city, the bishop of Antioch told us the meeting would be in the church of the most blessed martyr Julian*s. So we went out and sat there before the door of the church with the other bishops who had come. Cap. II. When we were seated, the bishops asked my lord Nonnus to speak to them, and at once the holy bishop began to speak words for the edification and salvation of all. Now while we were marveling at his holy teaching, lo, suddenly there came among us the chief actress of Antioch, the first in the chorus in the theatres, sitting on a donkey. She was dressed in the height of fantasy, wearing nothing but gold, pearls and precious stones, even her bare feet were covered with gold and pearls. With her went a great throng of boys and girls all dressed in cloth of gold with collars of gold on their necks, going before and following her. So great was her beauty that all the ages of mankind could never come to the end of it. So they pa**ed through our company, filling all the air with traces of music and the most sweet smell of perfume. When the bishops saw her bare-headed and with all her limbs shamelessly exposed with such lavish display, there was not one who did not hide his face in his veil or his scapular, averting their eyes as if from a very great sin. Cap. III. But the most blessed Nonnus gazed after her very intently for a long space of time. And after she had gone by, he turned round and still gazed after her. Then he turned towards the bishops sitting round him and said, “Were you not delighted by such great beauty?' When they did not reply, he buried his face on his knees over the holy Bible which he held in his hands and all his emotion came out in tears; sighing deeply, he said again to the bishops, ‘Were you not delighted by her great beauty?' Still they did not answer, so ‘Indeed', he said, ‘I was very greatly delighted and her beauty pleased me very much. See, God will place her before his awful and tremendous judgment seat and he will judge her on her gifts, just as he will judge us on our episcopal calling.' And he went on to say to the bishops, ‘What do you think, beloved brothers, how many hours does this woman spend in her chamber giving all her mind and attention to adorning herself for the play, in order to lack nothing in beauty and adornment of the body; she wants to please all those who see her, lest those who are her lovers today find her ugly and do not come back tomorrow. Here are we, who have an almighty Father in heaven offering us heavenly gifts and rewards, our immortal Bridegroom, who promises good things to his watchmen, thing that cannot be valued, ‘which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man to know what things God has prepared for those who love him' (1 Cor. 2.9). What else can I say? When we have such promises, when we are going to see the great and glorious face of our Bridegroom which has a beauty beyond compare, ‘upon which the cherubim do not dare to gaze' (1 Pet. 1.12), why do we not adorn ourselves and wash the dirt from our unhappy souls, why do we let ourselves lie so neglected? Cap. IV. When he had said all this, Bishop Nonnus took me, his sinful deacon, with him, and we went to the rooms we had been given for our lodging. Going into his bedchamber, the bishop threw himself on the ground with his face to the floor, and beating his breasts he wept, saying, ‘Lord Jesus Christ. I know I am a sinner and unworthy, for today the ornaments of a harlot have shone more brightly than the ornaments of my soul. How can I turn my face towards you? What words can justify me in your sight? I will not hide my heart from you, for you know all its secrets. Alas, I am a sinner and unworthy, for I stand before your altar and I do not offer you a soul adorned with the beauty you want to see in me. She promises to please men; I have promised to please you; and my filthiness makes me a liar. I am naked before earth and heaven, because I do not keep your commandments. I cannot put my hope in anything good that I do, but I place my trust in Your mercy which saves.' He said this kind of thing and wept for many hours; that day was a great festival of tears for us. Cap. V. When day came, it was Sunday and after we had completed our night prayers, the holy bishop Nonnus said to me, ‘I tell you, brother deacon, when I was asleep I was deeply disturbed and I do not understand it.' Then he told me the dream he had had: ‘At the corner of the altar was a black dove, covered with soot, which flew around me and I could not bear the stench and filth of it. It stood by me until the prayer for the dismissal of the catechumens, and when the deacon announced to the catechumens, “depart”, no more was seen of it. After the prayer of the faithful, and the complete oblation had been offered and everyone had been dismissed, I came to the threshold of the house of God, and there I saw the dove again, covered grievously with filth, and again it fluttered around me. Then I held out my hands and drew it to me, and plunged It into the font which was in the antechamber of the holy church and washed off all the dirt with which it was covered and it came out of the water as white as snow. It flew up into the highest heaven and was lost to my sight. When the holy man of God, bishop Nonnus, had recounted his dream, he took me with him and brought me to the cathedral with the rest of the bishops and there we greeted the bishop of Antioch. Cap. VI. He went in and preached to the people who came and sat around his throne when he had reach the canon of the holy Gospel, the same bishop of that city held the Gospel book towards the most blessed Nonnus and asked him to speak to the people. Nonnus then opened his mouth and spake by the wisdom of God, without any set speech or philosophy and with no indiscretion. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he exhorted and urged the people, speaking very earnestly about the future judgment and good gifts in the store in eternity. All the people were moved with compunction by his words, and the floor of the church was awash with the tears of the hearers. Cap. VII. Now by the guiding hand of the mercy of God it happened that there came into the church that very harlot about whom I am speaking. What was even more marvelous was that she who was outside the church and had never before entered the house of God and had never before even considered her sins, was now suddenly pierced by the fear of the Lord when she heard bishop Nonnus preaching to the people. She was so struck that she despaired of herself and her tears flowed in such a flood that she could not control them. At once she gave orders to two of her servants: ‘Stay in this place and when holy Nonnus the bishop comes out follow him, find out where he is lodging and come and tell me.' The servants did as their mistress ordered them, and followed us as far as the basilica of ST. Julian*s which was near the place where we were lodging. They returned home and told their mistress, ‘He is in the church of the most blessed Julian*s'. When she heard this at once she sent the same servants for the dyptiches and on them she wrote: ‘To the holy disciple of Christ, greetings from a sinner and disciple of the devil. I have heard of your God, how he bent the heavens and came down to earth not for the righteous but for the salvation of sinners. So greatly did he humble himself that he came near to publicans, and he whom the cherubin do not dare to look upon (1 Pet. 1.12) spoke with sinful men. My lord, you are very holy, and so, just as your lord Jesus shewed himself to the harlot in Samaria at the well (John 8.48) will you look upon me, for through you I may deserve to see His face.' The holy bishop Nonnus wrote in reply, ‘Whoever you are, show yourself to God and you will be saved. But I tell you, I am a man, a sinner, and a servant of God, and you would tempt my humanity. But if you really do desire God, have strength and faith and come to me among the other bishops, for I cannot let you see me alone.' When the harlot read this, filled with joy she came running to the church of the blessed martyr Julian*s, and we were told that she was there. When Nonnus heard this, he called all the bishops around him, and ordered that she should be brought to him. When she came in where the bishops were gathered, she threw herself on the floor and seized the feet of the holy bishop Nonnus saying, ‘I beg you, my lord, imitate your master the Lord Jesus Christ and pour out on me your goodness and make me a Christian. My lord, I am an ocean of sin, a deep pit of iniquity and I ask to be baptized. Cap. VIII. Bishop Nonnus could hardly persuade her to get up, but when she did, he said, ‘The holy cannons say that a harlot may not be baptized unless she has sponsors who will guarantee that she will not return to her old way of life.' When she heard this ruling of the bishops she threw herself on the floor again and seized the feet of Nonnus, washing them with her tears and wiping them with the hair of her head (Luke 7.38) saying, ‘You will give account for my soul and to you I will confess all the sins I have committed: and you will wash away by baptism all my great sins and wickednesses. You will not now find a place with the saints before God unless you put away from me my evil deeds. Unless you give me rebirth aas a bride of Christ and present me to God, you are no more than an apostate and idolater.' Then all the bishops and clergy which were there, when they saw how greatly this sinner desired God were amazed and said they had never before seen such faith and such desire for salvation as in this harlot: and at once they sent me, the sinful deacon, to the bishop of Antioch to tell him all about it and to ask him to send one of his deaconesses back with me. When he heard about it, he rejoiced with great joy saying, ‘It is right, bishop Nonnus, that this great work should have waited for you. I know that you will speak for me in this matter.' At once he sent back with me the lady Romana, the first of the deaconesses. When we got back, we found the harlot still at the feet of the holy bishop Nonnus, who was with difficulty urging her to get up, saying, ‘Get up, my daughter, so that I may exorcise you.' Then he said to her, ‘Do you confess all your sins?' To which she replied, ‘I have looked so closely into my heart that I cannot find there any signle good action. I know my sins and they are more than the sand upon the sea=shore: water like the sea is little compared to the extent of my sins. But I trust in your God that he will forgive me the whole extent of my sinfulness and look upon me again.' Then the holy bishop Nonnus said, ‘Tell me, what is your name?' and she replied, ‘I was called Pelagia by my parents but the people of Antioch have called me Margaret (a pearl) because of the amount of j**elry with which my sins have adorned me; for I am decked out as a slave for the devil.' Nonnus said to her, ‘Your natural name is Pelagia?' To which she replied, ‘Yes, my lord.' Then Nonnus exorcised her and baptized her, placing on her the sign of the cross, and he gave her the Body of Christ. And with the lady Romana he was god-parent to her and the deaconess received her and took her to the place of the catechumens while we remained where we were. Then the bishop said to me, ‘I tell you, brother deacon, today we are rejoicing with the angels of God, with the bread and wine of spiritual joy beyond measure, because of the salvation of this girl.' Cap. IX. While we were eating some food, we suddenly heard sounds as of a man suffering violence and the devil cried out, saying, ‘Alas, Alas, what am I suffering from this decrepit old man? It was not enough for you to snatch from me three thousand Saracens and baptize them, and obtain them for your God. It was not enough for you that you took over Heliopolis and gave it to your God when it belonged to me and all who lived there worshipped me. But now you have taken my greatest hope from me and now more than ever I cannot bear your schemes. Oh, how I suffer because of that accursed man Cursed by the day on which you were born! I am so weakened that a river of tears flows from me, for my hope is taken away.' The devil said all this outside, crying and lamenting, and everyone heard him. When she returned, he said to the newly-baptized girl, ‘My lady Pelagia, why are you doing this to me? Why have you become my Judas? For was not he also crowned with glory and honor and became an apostate by betraying his lord? This is what you have done to me!' The holy Nonnus said to her, ‘Make the sign of the Cross in the name of Christ.' And she made the sign of the Cross in the name of Christ and she blew at the demon and at once he disappeared. Cap. X. Two days later, when Pelagia was asleep pin her room with the holy Romana her godmother, the devil appeared to her in the night and awakened Pelagia the servant of God, saying, ‘I ask you , my lady Margaret, were you not once rich with gold and silver? Did I not adorn you with gold and j**els? Tell me, how have I displeased you? Tell me, so that I may make amends, for you have made me a very great cause for mockery among the Christians.' Then the handmaid Pelagia made the sign of the Cross and blew at the demon, saying, ‘My God who snatched me out of your teeth and led me into the heavenly bridal chamber will resist you for me.' At once the devil disappeared. Cap. XI. On the third day after the baptism of the holy Pelagia, she called her servant who was in charge of all her goods and said to him, ‘Go to my rooms and make an inventory of all the gold and silver, the ornaments and the precious clothes, and bring it to me.' The servants did as his mistress told him and reported it all to her. At once she sent for holy Nonnus through the holy Romana her godmother, and she placed all she had in his hands, saying, ‘Lord, these are the riches with which Satan ensnared me; I place them at your disposal; do with them whatever you think is right, for my choice is the riches of Christ.' At once the bishop called the senior custodian of the church and in her presence he gave all her goods into his hands saying, ‘I charge you, by the undivided Trinity, do not let any of this remain with the bishop or with the church, but let it all be expended on the widows and orphans and the poor, so that whatever evil clings to it may be removed by this good use and the riches of sin become the treasures of righteousness. But if you sit lightly to this promise and either you or anyone else keep any of it, let anathema come upon you and them and their houses, and let them have a part with those who cry, ‘Crucify, crucify.' Pelagia then called to all her servants, boys and girls, and set them free and gave each a collar of gold from her own hands and said, ‘Make haste to free yourselves from this wicked world, so full of sin, so that we who have been together in this world may remain together without grief in that life which is most blessed.' Cap. XII On the eight day when it is the custom for the baptized to take off their white robes, Pelagia rose in the night, though we did not know it, and took off her baptismal dress and put on a tunic and breeches belonging to the holy bishop Nonnus; and from that day she was never seen again in the city of Antioch. The hold lady Romana wept bitterly, but the holy bishop Nonnus said to her, ‘Do not weep my daughter, but rejoice with great joy, for Pelagia has chosen the better part (Luke 10.42) like Mary whom the Lord preferred to Martha in the Gospel.' Now Pelagia went to Jerusalem and built herself a cell on the Mount of Olives and there she prayed to the Lord. Cap. XIII. After a little while, the bishop of Antioch called the bishops together, so that they might all go back to their own homes. Three or four years later, I, James the deacon, wanted to go to Jerusalem to worship the resurrection of Christ and I asked the bishop to let me go. When he gave me his blessing he said to me, ‘Brother deacon, when you reach the city of Jerusalem, ask the whereabouts of a certain brother Pelagius, a monk and a eunuch who has lived there for some years shut up alone; go and visit him; truly I think you will be helped by him.' I did not at all understand that he was talking about the handmaid of God, Pelagia. Cap. XIV. So I reached Jerusalem, and when I had joined in the adoration of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, on another day I mad inquiries about the servant of God. I went and found him on the Mount of Olives where he used to pray to the Lord in a small cell which was closed on all sides, with one small window. I knocked on the window and at once she appeared and she recognized me, though I did not recognize her. How could I have known her again, with a face so emaciated by fasting? It seemed to me that her eyes had sunk inwards like a great pit. She said to me, ‘Where have you come from, brother?' And I replied, ‘I was sent to you by the order of the holy bishop Nonnus.' At once she closed the little window on me, saying, ‘Tell him to pray for me, for he is a saint of God.' At once she began the psalms of the third hour. I prayed beside the cell and then left, much helped by the sight of her angelic face. I returned to Jerusalem and began to visit the brothers in the monasteries there. Cap. XV. Throughout these monasteries, great indeed was the fame of the monk Pelagius. So I decided to make another journey to speak with her and receive some saving teaching. When I reached the cell and knocked, calling her name, there was no reply. I waited a second day and also a third, calling the name of Pelagius, but I could not hear anyone. Then I said to myself, ‘Either there is no one there or he who was a monk has left.' But warned by a nudge from God, I said to myself, ‘I had better see if, in fact, he has died.' So I broke open the little window; and I saw that he was dead. So I closed the opening and I was filled with sorrow. I ran all the way to Jerusalem and told whoever I met that the holy monk Pelagius who had wrought so many wonders was now at rest. Then the holy fathers came with monks from several monasteries and the door of the cell was broken in. They carried out his sacred little body as if it had been gold and silver they were carrying. When the fathers began to anoint the body with myrrh, they realized that it was a woman. They wanted to keep such a wonder hidden but they could not, because of the crowds of people thronging around, who cried out with a loud voice, “Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ, for you have hidden away on earth such great treasures, women as well as men.' So it was known to all the people, and monks came in from all the monasteries and also nuns, from Jericho and from the Jordan where the Lord was baptized, bearing candles and lamps and singing hymns; and the holy fathers bore her body to its burial. May the life of this harlot, this account of total conversion, join us to her and bring us all the mercy of the Lord on the day of judgment, to whom be glory and power and honor to the ages of ages. Amen.