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Commemorated on September 11
The Nun Theodora
of Alexandria and her husband lived in Alexandria. Love and harmony ruled
in their family, and this was hateful to the enemy of salvation. Goaded on by
the devil, a certain rich man was captivated by the youthful beauty of Theodora
and began with all his abilities to lead her into adultery, but for a long time
he was unsuccessful. Then he bribed a woman of loose morals, who led the
unassuming Theodora astray by saying, that a sin committed in the night God
would not account to guilt. Theodora betrayed her husband, but soon came to her
senses and realising the seriousness of her downfall, she became furious with
herself, incessantly slapping herself on the face and tearing at her hair. Her
conscience gave her no peace, and Theodora set out to a reknown hegumeness and
told her about her transgression. The hegumeness, beholding the repentance of
the young woman, roused in her the faith in Divine forgiveness and reminded her
of the Gospel passage about the sinful woman, who with her tears washed the
feet of Christ and received from Him forgiveness of her sins. In hope on the
mercy of God, Theodora said: "I do believe my God and from hence shall not
commit suchlike sin, and I wilt strive to expiate my deed". At that moment
Saint Theodora resolved to go off to a monastery, so as to purify herself by
deed and by prayer. In secret she left her home, and having attired herself in
men's garb, she set off to a men's monastery, since she feared that her husband
would manage to find her in a women's monastery. The hegumen of the monastery
would not even give blessing to allow her into the courtyard, in testing the
resolve of the new-comer. The Nun Theodora spent the night at the gates. In the
morning, having fallen down at the knees of the hegumen, she said her name was
Theodore from Alexandria and entreated him to let her remain at the monastery
for repentance and monastic deeds. Seeing the sincere intent of the new-comer,
the hegumen consented.
Even the experienced
monks were amazed at the all-night prayers on bended-knee, the humility, the
endurance and self-denial of Theodora. The saint asceticised at the monastery
for eight years. Her body, once defiled by adultery, became a visible vessel of
the grace of God and a receptacle of the Holy Spirit. One time the saint was
sent to Alexandria for the buying of bread. Having given blessing for the
journey, the hegumen indicated that in case of a stopover along the way, to
stay over at the Enata monastery along the way. At the guest-house of the Enata
monastery was then staying the daughter of its hegumen, who had come to visit
with her father. Allured by the comeliness of the young monk, she tried to
seduce the Monk Theodore into the sin of fornication, not knowing that before
her was a woman. Being refused, she committed sin with another guest and became
pregnant. Meanwhile the saint having bought the bread returned to the home
monastery.
After a certain while
the father of the shameless girl, realising that a transgression had occurred,
began to question his daughter as to who it was that had seduced her. The girl
indicated that it was the Monk Theodore. The father at once reported it to the
head of the monastery at which Saint Theodora asceticised. The hegumen summoned
the saint and told about the accusation. The saint firmly replied: "As God
is my witness, I did not do this", and the hegumen, knowing the purity and
holiness of life of Theodore, did not believe the accusation. When the girl
gave birth, the Enata monks brought the infant to the monastery wherein lived
the ascetic, and began to reproach its monks for an unchaste life. But this
time even the hegumen believed the slanderous accusation and became angry at
the innocent Theodore. They entrusted the infant into the care of the saint and
dishonourably threw her out of the monastery. The saint humbly submitted to
this new trial, seeing in it the expiation of her former sin. She settled with
the child not far from the monastery in an hut. Shepherds out of pity gave her
milk for the infant, and the saint herself ate only wild vegetables. Over the
course of seven years, bearing her misfortune, the holy ascetic spent in
banishment. Finally, at the request of the monks, the hegumen allowed her to
return to the monastery together with the child, and in seclusion she spent two
years instructing the child. The hegumen of the monastery received a revelation
from God that the sin of the Monk Theodore was forgiven. The grace of God dwelt
upon the Monk Theodore, and soon all the monks began to witness to the signs,
worked through the prayers of the saint. One time in this locale during a time
of drought all the water-wells dried up. The hegumen said to the brethren, that
only Theodore would be able to reverse the misfortune. Having summoned the
saint, the hegumen bid her to bring forth water, and the water in the well
afterwards did not dry up. The humble Theodore said, that the miracle was
worked through the prayer and faith of the hegumen.
Before her death, the
Nun Theodora secluded herself in her cell with the child and in last-wishes bid
him to love God, and she asked the compliance of the hegumen and the brethren,
to preserve tranquility, to be meek and without malice, to shun obscenity and
silliness, to love non-covetousness, and to keep in mind their community life.
After this, standing at prayer, for a final time she asked of the Lord
forgiveness of her sins. The child also prayed together with her. Soon the
words of prayer gave way to death on the lips of the ascetic, and she
peacefully expired to an higher world (+ c. 474-491).
The Lord revealed to
the hegumen the spiritual accomplishment of the saint and about her concealed
secret. The hegumen, in order to remove any disrepute from the deceased, – in
the presence of the hegumen and brethren of the Enata monastery, told about his
vision and for proof uncovered the bosom of the saint. The Enata hegumen and
brethren shrank back in terror at their great transgression, and having fallen
down at the body of the saint, with tears they asked forgiveness of the Nun
Theodora. News about the Nun Theodora reached her former husband. He took
monastic tonsure at this selfsame monastery where his wife had been. And the
child, raised by the nun, likewise followed in the footsteps of his
foster-mother. Afterwards he became hegumen of this very monastery.
[Trans. Note: One
might find highly implausible a beardless monk dwelling in a monastery for so
long a period of time unquestioned. But perhaps eunuch-castrates were still
common at this time, and as such losing also the capacity to grow beards. The
matter of cross-dressing in men's monastic attire is a literary gendre occuring
also in the lives of other women saints, usually only for the purposes of
concealment and for but a short time. But as the "Redaction" account
introducing the Russian original of our text indicates, the Saint-Lives reflect
a broad spectrum of historical sources compiled with differing intended
purposes, often other than the "modern" penchant for strict recording
of historical facts. Which is to say, the account may have been embellished to
in entertaining edify both the common man and woman, as well as the
sophisticated. Certainly many a Saint-Vita contains an account of a virtually
unhurtable and well-nigh unkillable martyr, – so that one is left to wonder
that the persecution of Christians by the pagans of old, who in the torturing
sometimes themselves dropped down dead, – should have taken so very long, to
end. But beneathe any of these embellishments is an actual historical person,
who witnessed to Christ our Lord. And to write the miraculous off as mere
fable, – is foolish. The spiritual task herein is one of discernment between
embellishment and fact].
© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.
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