The memory of the reverend Patermufios

He was the head of a band of robbers, he stole and even stripped the clothes of the buried, he committed all kinds of other evil deeds and abominations, and the rumor of his evil deeds spread throughout all the countries of Egypt.

And he went up to the roof of the house, where there was a virgin, and sought to break the roof, that he might enter in, and do wickedly; but he could not, and was weary, and lay there.

But if thou turn away from thy blood, and from thievery, and from all thy wickedness, and if thou repent, and do righteousness, and accept the service of the angel, and do the rest of thy days in righteousness, I will make thee a captain and a captain of my host.

And when the night came and the light of the day shone, she went up to the roof of the house, and saw a man sleeping there, and she was afraid; and when she awoke, she saw a young woman standing before her, and she was in a state of stupor.

When the maiden asked him who he was, where he came from and what purpose he had, he did not answer her questions and only asked to show him where the Christian church was located.

When he saw them, he fell at their feet, weeping and begging them to make him a Christian. But when they recognized him, they were amazed and did not believe him.

If you turn from your evil ways and live a good life and do good, we will welcome you into our community.

He promised to do all that they commanded him, and then the presbyters made a proclamation over him [Note on proclamation see in the life of Procopius, July 8] and a few days later baptized him.

"This is enough for my salvation". Three days after he was baptized, he went out into the desert and spent the night and day in prayer and tears, eating the roots of the herbs that grew there.

And the elders, marveling at his change for the better, and at his extreme abstinence, desired to retain him, that they might teach him to read; but he abode with them a week, and went again into the wilderness, and abode there seven years, eating no more roots and herbs, but bread, which God sent him once a week.

And on the Sabbath he broke bread, and took of it, and fasted until the day of the Sabbath; and he knew all the scriptures.

After seven years, by the command of God, St. Patermutius returned from the desert to the settled area for the benefit of many and attracted many to himself by his fasting life.

And a young man came to him who desired to be his disciple, and the monk received him and clothed him with a pagan garment made of a hair-cutter, and a doll, and goatskin, and taught him godly pagan life.

And when the young man saw the old man's diligence in the burying of the dead, he said to him, Father, I would that when I die thou shouldest clothe me, and bury me. And the father said, I will, my son, and I will clothe thee until thou sayest, It is enough.

And the old man, having wrapped him in his burial garments, and having covered his face, said unto him, Is this enough for thee, my son, to bury him? or is there anything more to be added?

And when he was buried, he departed in secret into the wilderness; and after a while he returned to his brother, to whom he had been a guide.

And it came to pass at that time, that God revealed unto him, that a certain brother, who dwelt in a certain hermitage near a certain village, was sick unto death, and the monk hastened to see him; and the way was very long, and the monk was late in his journey.

The sun was setting, and the saint did not want to go through the village at that time, in the night, obeying the word of the Lord: "Walk while you have the light, so that darkness may not overtake you" (John 12:35), and also: "He who walks in the day does not stumble". (John 11:9) Then, moved by the power of faith, the saint turned to the sun that had already half set with the words: "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, stand the sun on your way and wait until I enter the village.

And the sun stood still, and the sun was half hidden, and it shone only half, until the saint came into the village. And the inhabitants of the village were astonished to see that the sun did not set for so long, and they gathered themselves together in the midst of the village to see the miracle.

(Matthew 17:20) If you have faith that can move mountains, you can make the sun stand still.

And when he had said this, behold, the sun stood still for him as he entered the city, and all the people fell down before him, and followed him. And he went to his brother.

What do you want more? To be separated from Christ or to be seen by us? The dead man came to life at once. He opened his eyes, got up from the bed, and said, "Father, why have you brought me back to life? I would rather go away to be with Christ than to live in the body".

And when he had prepared the body of the dead for the burial, he spent the whole night singing psalms, and in the morning, when he had prostrated himself before the ground, he departed. And again the priest visited another brother, who was also sick unto death. And when he saw that the sick man was afraid of death because of his sins, he said unto him, My son, why art thou not ready to depart?

And the man said, Behold now, thou seekest time for repentance; but where is the time that is past? What hast thou done in the days of thy virginity? Thou hast not only not healed thy old wounds, but hast added new ones to them. And the man continued to plead with the old man with tears that he should pray for him.

If you do not do any more evil to one another, we will pray for you. The Lord is kind and patient and will give you time to be cleansed of your sins. When he had said this, he knelt down and prayed, and after praying, he stood up and said to the sick man, "The Lord has given you three more years of life on earth, but only if you truly repent". And the saint took him by the hand and raised him up healthy and led him with him to the desert.

And after three years he came again with him to his brethren, and presented him unto them as an angel of God. And many brethren were gathered together to hear the sweet words of the holy man, and he spoke unto them the word of the fruits of repentance.

It is also reported that St. Patermias crossed the Nile River many times over water, and that one day, when several brothers were gathered in one cell and were discussing the salvation of souls behind locked doors, the saint became a saint among them, as Christ the Lord was among the Apostles.

Patermuffia followed in the IV century.]