Venerable Simeon the Stylite, Antioch, archimandrite

Simeon the Stylite

(Greek Συμεών ὁ Στυλίτης; c. 390 - September 2, 459) - Christian saint, Syrian founder of a new form of asceticism - pillarism. He is famous for having spent 37 years on the pillar in fasting and prayer, as well as other unprecedented ascetic deeds. He was a preacher, according to his life, and received from God the gift of healing mental and physical illnesses and foreseeing the future. He is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox (September 1 according to the Julian calendar) and Catholic (January 5) churches.

He should be distinguished from the Monk Simeon the Stylite of Divnomountain († 596; commemorated May 24), who also labored in the vicinity of Syrian Antioch.

Biography

Information about the life of Simeon the Stylite is reported by Theodoret of Cyrus in the book “The History of the God-Lovers.” He was born in the village of Sisan on the border of Kirestiki and Cilicia into a Christian family and was baptized as a child. Having heard the reading of the Gospel beatitudes in the temple, Simeon asked the elder standing next to him to explain their meaning, and after his sermon he went to a deserted place and began his ascetic deeds. The Life reports that, praying to God with a request to show him the path to salvation, Simeon received a vision that he was digging a kind of ditch for a building, and a voice urged him to dig deeper and deeper. After being called to dig three times, a voice told him: “ If you want to build a building, build it, but work hard, because without labor you won’t succeed in anything.”

" After this, Simeon came to one of the monasteries, where he lay in front of the gate for seven days and on the eighth day he was accepted by the abbot as one of the brethren and at the age of 18 he took monastic vows. In the monastery, Simeon began to exhaust his body, which caused bewilderment among the brethren:

The abbot questioned Simeon and found out that he wore a hair shirt and said that he should not exhaust himself so much at such a young age. The hair shirt was removed from Simeon and his wounds gradually healed, but the brethren continued to notice that the young monk was exhausting his body and the abbot ordered Simeon to leave the monastery.

He spent some time completely alone, settling in a waterless well. One day, the abbot saw a dream that many people surrounded his monastery and began to demand that Simeon be brought to them, threatening to burn the monastery. After this, he sent the monks to search for Simeon, who removed him from the well and brought him to the monastery. However, he soon left the monastery again and settled near the village of Talanissa. There he decided to test himself with a forty-day fast, which he did during a visit to the village by Bishop Vass:

In 423, he chose the form of asceticism that made him famous - he retired to a small stone platform at the top of a pillar (tower) and spent all his days in prayer and sermons, which he delivered to numerous pilgrims.

The Life ascribes to St. Simeon numerous miracles and predictions of the future (for example, the prediction of Theodosius, the founder of Palestinian cenobitic monasticism and pastoral ministry). While standing on the pillar, according to his life, Simeon was tempted by the devil, who appeared to him in the form of an angel on a fiery chariot and said that for his exploits Simeon, like the prophet Elijah, would be ascended to heaven alive. Simeon was about to stand on the chariot with one foot, but he made the sign of the cross and the vision disappeared. Repenting, Simeon stood for a year on the leg on which he wanted to stand on the chariot. The Life reports that the devil struck that leg with an ulcer and “ the body rotted on the leg, many worms appeared, and pus with worms oozed from the wound along the pillar onto the ground. One young man named Anthony collected worms falling to the ground, and, at the command of the holy sufferer, again carried them to his pillar. The saint, enduring the illness with great patience, like the second Job, applied worms to the wound, saying: “Eat what God sent you.”

.

Emperor Theodosius II the Younger (408-450) greatly respected the Monk Simeon and often followed his advice. When the emperor died, his widow Queen Eudokia was seduced into the Monophysite heresy. Monophysites did not recognize two natures in Christ - Divine and human, but only one Divine. The Monk Simeon directed Evdokia to Euthymius the Great, who lived in the Palestinian desert, a famous ascetic of his time[1]. He “ comforted Evdokia, convinced her of her errors and returned her to Orthodoxy

»[2].

The new emperor Marcian (450-457), dressed as a commoner, secretly visited the monk and consulted with him. On the advice of the Monk Simeon, Marcian convened the IV Ecumenical Council in Chalcedon in 451, which condemned the Monophysite teaching. The first life of Simeon the Stylite was compiled by his disciple Anthony.

What do they pray to the saint for?

During the rise of Christianity, most of the world's population worshiped pagan gods. There were many heretics who denounced the Christian commandments. Simeon, with his selfless service to the Lord, actions and personal example, proved that there is only one religion and one God.

To this day, believers turn with prayers to the saint, wanting to bring their lost loved ones into the fold of the church. There are many tempters among people. Or rather, he will call them devils. Simeon is also turned to for protection from devilish temptations. Prayer to the monk for the cure of illnesses is also miraculous. Both physical and spiritual.

Based on what was written in the life of the saint, help could be provided not only to humans. For example, it talks about a snake with a damaged eye. A branch got stuck in it and caused terrible suffering to a living creature. With one glance from the saint, the eye cleared and returned to normal.

Links

• Greek patristics	Origen †OK. 254 • Dionysius of Alexandria †265 • Gregory of Neocaesarea †c. 275 • Pavel Samosatsky (er) †ca. 275 • Lucian of Antioch †312 • Methodius of Olympus †312 • Eustathius of Antioch †337 or 346 • Eusebius Pamphilus †c. 340 • Jacob Aphraates †ca. 345 • Anthony the Great †356 • Ephraim the Syrian †373 • Athanasius the Great †373 • Basil the Great †379 • Cyril of Jerusalem †386 • Gregory the Theologian †389 • Macarius the Great †391 • Diodorus of Tarsus †c. 391 • Gregory of Nyssa †c. 394 • Macarius of Alexandria †c. 395 • Didymus the Blind †398 • Evagrius of Pontus †399 • Macarius of Magnesia †c. 403 • Epiphanius of Cyprus †403 • John Chrysostom †407 • Synesius of Cyrene †c. 414 • Theodore of Mopsuestia (er) †c. 428 • Cyril of Alexandria †444 • Isidore of Pelusiot †c. 449 • Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite †before 532 • Leontius of Byzantium †after 541 • Maximus the Confessor †662 • Isaac the Syrian †c. 700 • John of Damascus †753
  Latin patristics	Tertullian †OK. 225 • Hippolytus of Rome †c. 235 • Cyprian of Carthage †258 • Novatian (er) †c. 258 • Arnobius the Elder †ca. 330 • Lactantium †approx. 325 • Gaius Marius Victorinus † after 363 • Hilary of Pictavia †367 • Ambrose of Milan †397 • Jerome of Stridon †420 or 430 • Aurelius Augustine †430 • Pelagius ( er) †after 431 • Vincent of Lerins †before 450 • Peter X riceologist †450 • Marcianus Capella c. 425/428 • Claudian Mamert †c. 473 • Anicius Manlius Torquatus Severinus Boethius †524 or 526 • Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus †c. 578 • Martin of Braga †579/580 • Gregory the Great †604 • Isidore of Seville †636 • Bede the Venerable †735
  Oriental patristics	Diodorus of Tarsus †c. 391 • Theodore of Mopsuestia †428 • Rabbula of Edessa †435 • Nestorius †c. 451 • Theodorite of Cyrus †457 • Barsauma of Nisibian †ca. 495 • Narsai of Nisibian †ca. 502 • Julian of Halicarnassus †after 518 • Sevirus of Antioch †538 • Isaac the Syrian †c. 700
  (er) - convicted of heresy

Ancient signs associated with Simeon's Day

Semenov's day was considered the beginning of Indian summer. By observing the weather on this day, people determined what autumn would be like. If the day was stormy, a rainy autumn was expected; a clear day foreshadowed a windy autumn.

After Semenov Day, the peasants did not mow the grass or sow the fields. They said that the devil was counting the sparrows at night, and field work should be stopped.

The beginning of the year was the best period for concluding new deals and agreements. It was believed that such contracts would be profitable and long-term.

Excerpt characterizing Simeon the Stylite

“You, calm Moscow residents, artisans and working people, whom misfortunes have removed from the city, and you, absent-minded farmers, whom unfounded fear still detains in the fields, listen! Silence returns to this capital, and order is restored in it. Your fellow countrymen come out boldly from their shelters, seeing that they are respected. Any violence committed against them and their property is immediately punished. His Majesty the Emperor and King protects them and among you does not consider anyone to be his enemies, except those who disobey his commands. He wants to end your misfortunes and return you to your courts and your families. Comply with his charitable intentions and come to us without any danger. Residents! Return with confidence to your homes: you will soon find ways to satisfy your needs! Craftsmen and hardworking craftsmen! Come back to your handicrafts: houses, shops, security guards are waiting for you, and for your work you will receive the payment due to you! And you, peasants, finally come out of the forests where you hid in horror, return without fear to your huts, in the exact assurance that you will find protection. Storehouses have been established in the city, where peasants can bring their excess supplies and land plants. The government took the following measures to ensure free sale for them: 1) Starting from this date, peasants, farmers and those living in the vicinity of Moscow can, without any danger, bring their supplies to the city, of whatever kind, in two designated storage areas, that is, at Mokhovaya and Okhotny Ryad. 2) These foodstuffs will be purchased from them at such a price as the buyer and seller agree upon; but if the seller does not receive the fair price he demands, then he will be free to take them back to his village, which no one can prevent him from doing under any circumstances. 3) Every Sunday and Wednesday are designated weekly for major trading days; why a sufficient number of troops will be stationed on Tuesdays and Saturdays on all major roads, at such a distance from the city, to protect those carts. 4) The same measures will be taken so that there are no obstacles on the way back to the peasants with their carts and horses. 5) The funds will be immediately used to restore normal trading. Residents of the city and villages, and you, workers and artisans, no matter what nation you are! You are called upon to fulfill the paternal intentions of His Majesty the Emperor and the King and to contribute with him to the general welfare. Bring respect and trust to his feet and do not hesitate to unite with us!” In order to raise the morale of the troops and the people, reviews were constantly held and awards were given out. The emperor rode horseback through the streets and consoled the residents; and, despite all his preoccupation with state affairs, he himself visited the theaters established on his orders. In terms of charity, the best valor of the crowned people, Napoleon also did everything that depended on him. On charitable institutions he ordered the inscription Maison de ma mere [My Mother's House], uniting by this act the tender filial feeling with the greatness of the virtue of the monarch. He visited the Orphanage and, letting the orphans he saved kiss his white hands, graciously talked with Tutolmin. Then, according to Thiers’ eloquent account, he ordered that the salaries of his troops be distributed in Russian, made by him, with counterfeit money. Relevant l'emploi de ces moyens par un acte digue de lui et de l'armee Francaise, il fit distribuer des secours aux incendies. Mais les vivres etant trop precieux pour etre donnes a des etrangers la plupart ennemis, Napoleon aima mieux leur fournir de l'argent afin qu'ils se fournissent au dehors, et il leur fit distribuer des roubles papiers. [Elevating the use of these measures to an action worthy of him and the French army, he ordered the distribution of benefits to the burnt. But, since food supplies were too expensive to give to people of a foreign land and for the most part hostile, Napoleon considered it best to give them money so that they could obtain food for themselves on the side; and he ordered that they be provided with paper rubles.] With regard to the discipline of the army, orders were constantly issued for strict penalties for failure to fulfill the duty of service and for the cessation of robbery. X But it’s a strange thing, all these orders, concerns and plans, which were no worse than others issued in similar cases, did not affect the essence of the matter, but, like the hands of a dial in a watch, separated from the mechanism, spun arbitrarily and aimlessly, without affecting the wheels . Militarily, the ingenious campaign plan that Thiers talks about; que son genie n'avait jamais rien imagine de plus profond, de plus habile et de plus admirable [his genius never invented anything deeper, more skillful and more amazing] and regarding which Thiers, entering into polemics with Mr. Fehn, proves that the drawing up of this brilliant plan should be dated not to the 4th, but to the 15th of October, this plan never was and could not be executed, because it had nothing close to reality. The strengthening of the Kremlin, for which it was necessary to tear down la Mosquee [mosque] (as Napoleon called St. Basil's Church), turned out to be completely useless. Laying mines under the Kremlin only contributed to the fulfillment of the emperor’s desire, upon leaving Moscow, for the Kremlin to be blown up, that is, for the floor on which the child was killed to be beaten. The persecution of the Russian army, which so concerned Napoleon, presented an unheard-of phenomenon. The French military leaders lost the sixty-thousandth Russian army, and only, according to Thiers, the art and, it seems, also the genius of Murat managed to find, like a pin, this sixty-thousandth Russian army. Diplomatically, all of Napoleon’s arguments about his generosity and justice, both before Tutolmin and before Yakovlev, who was primarily concerned with acquiring an overcoat and a cart, turned out to be useless: Alexander did not accept these ambassadors and did not respond to their embassy. From a legal point of view, after the execution of the alleged arsonists, the other half of Moscow burned down. Administratively, the establishment of the municipality did not stop the robbery and only brought benefit to some individuals who participated in this municipality and, under the pretext of maintaining order, robbed Moscow or saved theirs from robbery. In terms of religion, things that were so easily arranged in Egypt by visiting a mosque did not bring any results here. Two or three priests found in Moscow tried to carry out the will of Napoleon, but one of them was beaten on the cheeks by a French soldier during the service, and the French official reported the following about the other: “Le pretre, que j'avais decouvert et invite a recommencer a dire la messe, a nettoye et ferme l'eglise. Cette nuit on est venu de nouveau enfoncer les portes, casser les cadenas, dechirer les livres et commettre d'autres desordres.” [“The priest, whom I found and invited to begin saying mass, cleaned out and locked the church. That same night they came again to break doors and locks, tear up books and cause other disturbances.”] In terms of trade, there was no response to the proclamation to the hardworking artisans and all peasants. There were no hardworking artisans, and the peasants caught those commissars who went too far with this proclamation and killed them. With regard to entertaining the people and troops with theatres, things were similarly unsuccessful. The theaters established in the Kremlin and in Poznyakov’s house immediately closed because actresses and actors were robbed. Charity did not bring the desired results either. False banknotes and fake ones filled Moscow and had no price. For the French, who collected booty, all they needed was gold. Not only were the false banknotes that Napoleon so graciously distributed to the unfortunate had no price, but silver was given below its value for gold. But the most striking phenomenon of the invalidity of the highest orders at that time was Napoleon's efforts to stop the robberies and restore discipline. This is what the army officials reported. “Robberies continue in the city, despite orders to stop them. Order has not yet been restored, and there is not a single merchant conducting trade in a legal manner. Only sutlers allow themselves to sell, and only looted things.” “La partie de mon arrondissement continue a etre en proie au pillage des soldats du 3 corps, qui, non contents d'arracher aux malheureux refugies dans des souterrains le peu qui leur reste, ont meme la ferocite de les blesser a coups de sabre, comme j'en ai vu plusieurs exemples." “Rien de nouveau outre que les soldats se permettent de voler et de piller. Le 9 October.” “Le vol et le pillage continuent.” Il ya une bande de voleurs dans notre district qu'il faudra faire arreter par de fortes gardes. Le 11 October.” [“Part of my district continues to be plundered by the soldiers of the 3rd Corps, who are not content with taking away the meager property of the unfortunate inhabitants who hid in the basements, but also cruelly inflict wounds on them with sabers, as I myself have seen many times.”

Ritual on Semenov Day - initiation into men

On Semenov Day, another interesting ancient ritual was held. The ritual of tonsure. Boys who turned three years old were initiated into men. A small piece of hair was cut off from the top of the child's head, and the godfather seated the boy on a horse. The child was riding a horse, led by the reins of his godfather. From that moment on, the boy was considered a warrior, and men were involved in his upbringing.

An interesting tradition was the funeral of flies. This ritual symbolized farewell to summer. By sweeping flies out of their huts on Semenov Day, people hoped to sweep away all the negativity along with the trash. Then in the new year you will be able to avoid quarrels, troubles and everyday problems.