Saint Lazarus of Mount Gelasion and the Abducted Girl

By Gregory the Cellarer

15. As he neared the great <city> of Antioch, Lazaros saw some people standing in the middle of the road, lamenting over a girl who had just been abducted by the Armenian army as it passed by there. When he found out about this, he immediately started to pursue the<se soldiers>. Reaching the place where they had taken up their quarters, he went up to some of them and asked if they would point out their commander to him. Since they wanted to know why he was looking for him, the father responded, “Some of you have abducted a girl and that’s why I’m trying to see him, so that I may take her away, with his backing, after I’ve looked around and found her, wherever she may be.” The words were not even out of his mouth before the men, hearing <the word> “girl,” grew angry and began shouting at him roughly, “Abba, an evil demon led you here; be off so that you don’t lose your life along with the girl!” The <soldiers> made this angry response in order to frighten him, but the father was not scared at all by their words and instead became even bolder. He replied to them, “I’m telling you straight, that if you don’t hand her over to me right now I’m going to go directly to the katepano, and then I won’t just recover the girl from you on his orders, but I’ll also demand your punishment.” When they heard these words, the <soldiers> quickly changed their brutality into docility and their brash insolence to humility and started begging him to go away, saying that they would look <for her> after he had gone and would release her when they found her. But as they saw that Lazaros would not be convinced by their words unless he got the girl, they looked around and found her and brought her to him. “Take this girl, Father,” they said, “who hasn’t been touched by us and hasn’t suffered any harm, and go away, <but> give us your blessing yourself in compensation.” The father prayed for them and, taking the girl, turned back.
  

Saint Lazarus the Stylite of Mount Gelasion Resource Page

Venerable Lazarus the Stylite (Feast Day - November 7)

Verses

 

Prepare your bosom, Father Abraham, 

For after your Lazarus comes Lazarus. 

 

Saint Lazarus the Stylite and Wonderworker of Mount Galesion (+ 1053) 

 

November: Day 7: Venerable Lazarus of Galesion

 

The Birth of Saint Lazarus of Mount Galesion 

 

The Education of Saint Lazarus of Mount Gelasion

 

Saint Lazarus of Mount Gelasion and the Greedy Monk

 

Saint Lazarus of Mount Gelasion and the Abducted Girl 

 

The Life of Lazaros of Mt. Galesion: An Eleventh-Century Pillar Saint (pdf)

 

SAINT LAZAROS OF MOUNT GALESION – HEAVENLY MAN OR EARTHLY ANGEL  

 

Feigning Demonic Possession For Profit

 

Saint Lazarus of Mount Gelasion and the Greedy Monk

 

By Gregory the Cellarer

 

8. While Lazaros was sitting in the narthex after the completion of the early morning service, he saw a monk going into the church to pray. When he came out, Lazaros went up to him and asked him where he was from and where he was going. Then, since he heard from the <monk> that he came from Paphlagonia and was traveling to the Holy Land, he fell at his feet and begged him to take him along. The monk encouraged Lazaros to follow him readily, since he had nothing to fear from him, and so he left that place and went on his way with him. But the monk was perverse and did not want to travel straight <there>, or rather he was unable to because of the wicked habit which he had. He would thus turn aside from the direct route and go round on a detour to the villages where he would beg and collect bread and whatever else anyone offered him; he would put these things into a bag and give them to the youth [Lazaros] to carry. Then, wherever they were when evening fell, they would go in, whether it was to a village or a local market, and he would sell these things and pocket the price <he got> for them.