E05226: The pilgrim Egeria, in her Itinerary, describes her visit to the tomb of *Helpidius (monk and martyr of Carrhae, S01969), in Carrhae/Karrhai (Mesopotamia), and how, with many monks from the surrounding region, she attended his feast on 23 April. Written in Latin during Egeria's journey to the East, probably in 381-384.
Creators: name: Robert
name: Bryan
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2018
Subjects: History

description: Egeria, Itinerary 20.5-7<br><br><br>The passage below is from Egeria's account of her visit to Carrhae (biblical Haran, modern Harran in Turkey), which she calls Charra or Charris, and which began with a visit to the church built over the house of *Abraham (the Old Testament Patriarch, S00275), for which see E05225.<br><br>20.5 Nam ecclesia, quam dixi foras ciuitatem, dominae sorores uenerabiles, ubi fuit primitus domus Abrahae, nunc et martyrium ibi positum est, id est sancti cuiusdam monachi nomine Helpidi. Hoc autem nobis satis gratum euenit, ut pridie martyrium die ibi ueniremus, id est sancti ipsius Helpidii, nono k. Maias, ad quam diem necesse fuit undique et de omnibus Mesopotamiae finibus omnes monachos in Charra descendere, etiam et illos maiores, qui in solitudine sedebant, quos ascites uocant, per diem ipsum, qui ibi satis granditer attenditur, et propter memoriam sancti Abrahae, quia domus ipsius fuit ubi nunc ecclesia est, in qua positum est corpus ipsius sancti martyris. <br><br>(6) Itaque ergo hoc nobis ultra spem grate satis euenit, ut sanctos et uere homines Dei monachos Mesopotamenos ibi uideremus, etiam et eos, quorum fama uel uita longe audiebatur, quos tamen non estimabam me penitus posse uidere, non quia inpossibile esset Deo etiam et hoc prestare michi, qui omnia prestare dignabatur, sed quia audieram eos, eo quod extra diem paschae et extra diem hanc non eos descendere de locis suis, quoniam tales sunt ut et uirtutes faciant multas, et quoniam nesciebam, quo mense esset dies hic martyrii, quem dixi. Itaque Deo iubente sic euenit, ut ad diem, quem nec sperabam, ibi uenirem. (7) Fecimus ergo et ibi biduum propter diem martyrii et propter uisionem sanctorum illorum, qui dignati sunt ad salutandum libenti satis animo me suscipere et alloqui, in quo ego non merebar. Nam et ipsi statim post martyrii diem nec uisi sunt ibi, sed mox de nocte petierunt heremum et unusquisque eorum monasteria sua, qui ubi habebat.<br><br><br>'20.5 At this church where originally Abraham's house used to stand, which, as I have told you, was outside the city, there is also a martyrium. This my ladies and reverend sisters, is the tomb of a certain monk called Helpidius, and things turned out very well for us, since we happened to arrive on the eve of this holy Helpidius' martyrium day, the twenty-third of April. This is a day when all the monks of Mesopotamia have to come in to Charra, including the illustrious ones called ascetics who dwell in the desert. The feast itself is kept with great solemnity, but they also come in to commemorate holy Abraham, since it was his house that stood on the site of the church in which is buried the body of the holy martyr. <br><br>(6) So we had the unexpected pleasure of seeing there the holy and truly dedicated monks of Mesopotamia, including some of whose reputation and holy life we had heard long before we got there. I certainly never thought I would actually see them, not because God would be unable to grant it - after all he has granted me everything else! - but because I had heard these monks never come in from the places where they live, except at Easter and for the feast of this martyr, and also because these are of the kind who perform many miracles. What is more I had no idea of the month of the martyrium's feast-day, so the fact that I happened to arrive on the very day was providential, and completely unexpected. (7) We stayed there for two days, to keep the festival and meet the holy men, and they were far kinder than I deserved, greeting me warmly and having conversations. But after the martyrium day there was not a monk to be seen. Whilst it was night every single one of them made off for his cell in the desert.'<br><br><br>Text: Franceschini and Weber 1965, 63. Translation: Wilkinson 1971, 118-119.<br>