St. Athanasius: The Paradise of the Holy Fathers

[Stone]

CHAPTER XXXIX

OF THE VIRGIN AND THE MARTYR COLLUTBUS

NOW there was another virgin there who was a neighbour of mine, and who dwelt near me, but whose face I had never seen, for, according to what they said about her, she had never gone down to the market from the day whereon she had become a nun, but had completed sixty years with the head of her nunnery. And finally, when she was about to depart from the world, the martyr, whose name was Colluthus, who had lived by the side of the nunnery, appeared unto her, and said unto her, “This day thou art about to depart from this world unto thy Lord, and thou shalt see all the saints; but come and eat a meal with us in the martyrium.” Thereupon she rose up early in the morning and arrayed herself in her apparel, and taking bread, and olives, and garden herbs in her basket, she went forth as she had done for many years; and having gone to the martyrium, she prayed, and having watched for the space of the whole day for an opportunity when no man would be found therein, she drew nigh and cried out unto that martyr, and said unto him, “Ask a blessing on my food, O Saint Colluthus, and accompany thou me on this my journey by thy prayers.” And having eaten her food and prayed, she came back at sunset to her nunnery, and she gave unto the head thereof the Book of Clement which is called “Stromata,” and [containeth] a commentary (or explanation) of Amos the prophet, saying, “Give this book to the Bishop who is in Alexandria in exile, and say unto him, ‘Pray for me,’ for I am about to depart.” And she died in the night without suffering either sickness or from pain in her head, but she rolled herself up in her garments and died.