E07364: Sophronius of Jerusalem, in his Miracles of the Saints Cyrus and John, recounts how *Kyros and Ioannes/Cyrus and John (physician and soldier, martyrs of Egypt, S00406) liberated a certain Theophilos from a magical binding spell at their shrine at Menouthis (near Alexandria, Lower Egypt). Written in Greek in Alexandria, 610/615.
Creators: name: Julia
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2019
Subjects: History

description: Sophronius of Jerusalem, The Miracles of Saints Cyrus and John, 35<br><br>Summary:<br><br>There was a certain Theophilos who fell victim to magic. Some people invoked Satan to help them accomplish a plot against this man. Satan obeying their abominable invocations (miarai epikleseis) bound (syndeomai) his hands and feet and tormented him with terrible pains, either because he wanted to, or because God allowed him to torment the man. Theophilos turned to physicians, since he did not know the true cause of his misery. The physicians, even though they tried various remedies, could not cure him, since they also did not know the cause of the disease. When they realized their powerlessness, they advised Theophilos to go the martyrs Cyrus and John, who bring healing to suffering mortals.<br><br>Theophilos thus went to the martyrs’ sanctuary and supplicated them. Shortly afterwards the martyrs appeared to him in a dream and prescribed him the following. He was to engage the philopones to carry him to the sea shore. He was then to see a fisherman casting his net into the sea and agree with him a reward for what he was going to take from the water. This thing when made uncovered was to bring him healing.<br><br>In the early morning next day, Theophilos recounted the order of the martyrs to the philopones (they are the sick who have some strength) and asked them to take him outside of the sanctuary to the sea. Once they got there, they saw the fisherman who was fishing. Theophilos addressed him, asking what would be the price of what the latter was going to catch in his net. The fisherman said it was one carat (keration), which Theophilos eagerly promised to pay. In a moment, having cast his net, the fisherman brought out a basket (thibe). It did not contain Moses, but an evil (kakourgema) similar to that of Jannes and Mambres, that is a demonic product. However, neither the fisherman, nor the sick Theophilos knew that. They discussed the find instead. The fisherman said he was not selling the basket, but a fish from the water. Theophilos replied that he was buying whatever was caught in the water, not necessarily a fish. Not only the basket, but also the fact that it was closed with leaden seals, fomented this quarrel.<br><br>Since they could not reach an agreement, they turned to the manager of the sanctuary (oikonomos) to arbitrate in their quarrel. However, he would not agree to pass judgement before the basket was opened. He therefore opened it in public and found inside a figurine of a human form which resembled Theophilos, with its hands and feet fastened with four nails. Everybody present was astonished, since they did not know what it was. Nor did Theophilos himself understand the benefit this find was to him, until the martyrs again helped. They caused the manager to check what the nails fastened to the members of the figurine were for. The manager told one of the people present to try and remove the nails. That person took the nail stuck in the right hand of the figurine and violently removed it.<br><br>Immediately Theophilos’ right hand was liberated and the pain he suffered receded. The martyrs proved the powerlessness of the demons and sorcerers, showing that their own power reaches all the elements: air, water, fire and earth. When everybody saw that Theophilos could move his right hand, they celebrated the martyrs with great joy and removed the rest of the nails from the figurine's body. This way Theophilos' other bodily members were freed of both the nails and the tortures caused by the diabolic operation. Theophilos with his hands raised ran towards the tomb where the martyrs’ relics lay, praising them in full voice, and along with him the other people present praised them as well.<br><br>Text: Fernández Marcos 1976, lightly modified in the light of Gascou 2007. Summary: J. Doroszewska.