monks as well as the children residing in the surrounding
villages.^23
The responsibility of guiding the monks and
organising their mode of life was allotted to those of them
most noted for their sanctity and learning. One of these
holy sages was Daniel the priest of Shiheat who was
Father to the monks of the western desert, and to a
number of nuns, both Egyptian and foreign.
An interesting story told about him is that one day
he went into the city to sell the baskets which he had
woven. There, he met a stone-cutter named Eulogius
whose pay was an ounce of gold per day. On receiving it,
Eulogius would buy the food he neded, and then distribute
the rest among the poor. If anything remained of his
food, he would give it to the stray dogs. Neither did he
keep anything for himself nor did he throw away a morsel
which might feed so much as a hungry dog. When Daniel
saw this wholehearted charity, he implored God to grant
Eulogius great wealth.
It so happened that after a lapse of several weeks,
Eulogius chanced upon a pot full of gold. Delirious with
is luck, he immediately left his hometown and went to
Constantinople. There he succeeded in becoming a
minister of state. In the pride of elation, he forgot the
poor.
While Eulogius was enjoying luxury and grandeur,
Daniel had a dream. He saw the Christ sitting on His
Throne of a Judgment, and asking him to account for the
soul of Eulogius. Waking up, Daniel implored the Lord
to restore Eulogius to his former state, confessing that he
had erred in praying for the stone-cutter’s increased
wealth.
After a short while, the Emperor died, and the new
Emperor chased away Eulogius. In fear for his life, he
elle
(Elle)
#1