Also on The 4th Day of the Month of October

Commemoration of the Venerable Paul the Simple,

Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great

At Vespers

On “Lord, I have cried...,” these stichera, in Tone I: Spec. Mel: “O marvellous wonder...” —

O wondrous Paul, how like unto the angels thou didst live; how thou didst humble thy soul like a babe; how thou didst discomfit all the powers of hell! Thy patience was ineffable and thy struggles glorious. Entreat Christ God, O venerable one, in behalf of those who honor thy holy memory with love.

Wondrous was thine obedience, O wise Paul, whereby, borne aloft as on wings, thou didst take flight in thy spirit, attaining even unto the heavens, where thou dost now abide in blessedness. Pray thou unceasingly to Christ God in behalf of those who honor thy holy memory with love.

Having Christ dwelling within thy soul, O venerable one, boldly didst thou say to Him: “On this place shall I remain immovable until Thou dost obey me, O Jesus my Saviour.” Wherefore, thou didst receive the fulfillment of thy petition in an instant, and didst drive out an unclean spirit with authority. Pray thou, O most marvellous wonderworker, for us who honor thy holy memory with love.

Glory..., in Tone VI —

Heeding the Master’s voice within thy soul and having forsaken the world, thou didst hasten after Him, and didst emulate the angels, O blessed one, abiding in the desert like an incorporeal being, and emulating Christ Himself in obedience. Wherefore, thou didst find recompense an hundredfold and eternal life, O most wise one. Pray thou in behalf of our souls.

Now & ever…: Theotokion, or this stavrotheotokion: Spec. Mel.: “Having set aside…” —

The undefiled ewe-lamb, the immaculate Mistress, when of old she beheld her Lamb upon the tree of the Cross, exclaimed maternally and, marvelling, cried aloud: “O my Child most sweet, what is this new and all-glorious sight? How hath the thankless assembly betrayed Thee to the judgment of Pilate and condemneth to death the Life of all? Yet do I hymn Thine ineffable condescension, O Word.”

At the Aposticha, Glory..., in Tone III —

Be glad, ye desert-dwellers! Rejoice, ye venerable! Sing with the angels, ye righteous! Hold festival, ye monks and laymen! And exult in spirit, O great Anthony, beholding thy disciple exalted by God: Paul, wondrous in boldness, a mighty intercessor for the world.

Now & ever…: Theotokion, or this stavrotheotokion: Spec. Mel.: "Great is the power of Thy Cross..." —

A sword pierced thy heart, O all-pure one, when thou didst behold thy Son upon the Cross; and thou didst cry out: “Show me not to be childless, O my Son and God, Who didst keep me a virgin even after I gave birth!”

Troparion, in Tone VIII —

In thee, O father, that which is fashioned according to the image of God was preserved; for, having taken up thy cross, thou didst follow after Christ, and by thine example didst teach that the flesh is to be disdained as transitory, but that the soul must be cared for as a thing immortal. Wherefore, thy spirit doth rejoice with the angels, O venerable Paul.

At Matins

Canon of the venerable Paul the Simple, the composition of Valeria, in Tone II —

Ode I

Irmos: Overwhelming power once laid low the whole army of Pharaoh in the deep, and the incarnate Word hath destroyed pernicious sin. All-glorious is the Lord, for gloriously hath He been glorified.

Come ye, and as is meet let us honor Paul, the lover of simplicity, the teacher of patience, and the instructor in humility.

Most malicious hell lamented, vanquished by thee, O wondrous Paul, for by thy humility thou didst wound its head, O glorious one.

Thou didst truly believe in the living God; wherefore, thou didst do most glorious things, healing afflictions and driving out demons by the blessed name of Christ, O Paul.

Theotokion: Shining more radiantly than the sun in the beauty of thy virginity and revealing an awesome wonder unto the world, thou art called the pure Mother of God. Wherefore, in fear and love we bow down before thee, O Theotokos and Queen.

Ode III

Irmos: Establishing me upon the rock of faith, Thou hast enlarged my mouth against mine enemies, for my spirit doth exult when I chant: There is none holy as our God, and none righteous save Thee, O Lord!

Thou didst arrive at the eleventh hour; yet, borne aloft on the chariot of divine love, thou didst mount unto the heavens of the virtues, O wondrous and most wise Paul.

Desiring the honors of a more exalted rank, forsaking the world, as it were the land of Sodom, thou didst make haste to the mountain of the knowledge of God, in no wise looking back. Wherefore, thou didst escape the everlasting fire.

Possessed of the mind of Christ, O wondrous Paul, thou didst drive away all the cunningly devised temptations of the devil by thy simplicity and obedience, repelling the enemy with that two-edged sword, and strengthening thy soul with unceasing prayer.

Theotokion: O all-praised Virgin, unceasing boast of the desert dwellers, heartfelt hymn of those who keep silence: Be thou the salvation of us sinners!

Sessional hymn, in Tone VIII —

His soul illumined with unwavering beams of light, the holy Paul said within himself: “Behold, evening approacheth; the day hath drawn to a close. Lo, the eleventh hour of my life is come, and how is it that I strive but to work my field, when hitherto I have neglected to cultivate my soul? Wherefore, I shall make haste to follow after the disciples of Christ, fervently crying out to them: Receive me, O ye workers in the vineyard, that, having labored diligently, I may receive from the hands of the Lord the promised recompense and the image of the great King, Christ God, the Savior of our souls!”

Ode IV

Irmos: Thou didst come forth from the Virgin, neither a mediator nor an angel, but Thyself incarnate, O Lord, and hast saved me, the whole man; wherefore, I cry to thee: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Thou didst desire to reach the gates of heaven; therefore thou didst wait patiently at the gates of the great Anthony until he accepted thee as a disciple and fellow ascetic. Wherefore, thou dost abide with him in paradise.

Acquiring the faith of Abraham, and receiving in thine old age from God the promised fruit thereof, the gladness of life equal to that of the angels, thou didst set at naught all the wiles of the hater of mankind, O venerable father.

Having quaffed a cup of temptations more bitter than the waters of Marah, and loving the sweetness of the tree of the Cross with all thy heart, thou didst crucify thyself with Christ God in thine obedience. Wherefore, receiving gifts of grace from Him, thou hast wrought great and wondrous things.

Theotokion: We hymn thee who didst reveal the fulfillment of the images and shadows, who didst give birth without corruption to the Expectation of our fathers and forefathers, O Virgin Theotokos.

Ode V

Irmos: O Christ my Savior, enlightenment of those who lie in darkness and salvation of the despairing: rising early unto Thee, O King of the world, may I be enlightened by Thy radiance, for I know none other God than Thee.

Adorned with gray hairs of radiant beauty, thou didst reckon thyself to be a witless disciple, being an elder in wisdom, but a child in simplicity. Wherefore, astounding all by thine obedience, O Paul, thou hast illumined the world as a beacon of virtue.

Thou didst will to tread the narrow path and didst dry up the sources of the passions by the cutting off of thy will, shining forth in purity of heart like the sun, O right glorious Paul.

Though thou didst reach the evening of thy life, yet, illumined with the unwaning light of the Spirit, thou didst without hesitation find the way of truth; and washing away thy spiritual blindness in the desert as in the Pool of Siloam thou didst with pure eyes gaze upon Christ, the Sun of righteousness.

Theotokion: Rejoice, O light and dwelling place of the Light! Rejoice, star that hast shone forth from Jacob! With the unwaning rays of thy mercy, O Theotokos, ever illumine thy servant.

Ode VI

Irmos: Whirled about in the abyss of sin, I call upon the unfathomable abyss of Thy loving-kindness: Lead me up from corruption, O God!

Thou didst remain harmless as a dove, and didst vanquish the ancient prince of this world by thy simplicity and transcendent wisdom, banishing his foul servants to the abyss, and delivering Christians from them by thy prayer, O blessed one.

Atoning for the crime of Adam and emulating the obedience of Christ, thou didst make thyself an heir of paradise and a partaker of the tree of life through the cutting off of self-will, and didst put to shame the most wicked counsel of the serpent.

As a precious vessel of divine gifts and a resplendent abode of the Holy Spirit, hath Christ, the Judge of the contest, made thee manifest, O Paul; Him do thou unceasingly entreat, that, through thy supplications, He save our souls.

Theotokion: O, how we have been subject to vanity! O, how we have been reckoned with those who are bereft of hope! How we have become servants of corruption, and have forgotten thee, our Mistress! Forsake not us who are perishing and who call upon thee, the all-pure Theotokos.

Kontakion, in Tone II —

Forsaking the crooked paths of the sin-loving world, thou didst run after Christ with obedient strides; and being an elder thou didst humble thyself as an infant; wherefore, thou hast entered into the kingdom of heaven in accordance with the Master’s word, for which cause we cry out to thee: Rejoice, O faithful servant of the Lord! Rejoice, beacon of the virtues! Rejoice, O Paul, our venerable father!

Ikos: Becoming a disciple of Anthony, the wise instructor of monks, thou hast become an instructor for all who wish to live in sanctity; and having been taught genuine simplicity by babes, thou art revealed to young and old as the image of transcendent wisdom; and emulating the angels in thy manner of life, thou hast received from God great power over the demons. Wherefore, hymning thy memory with love, we cry out: Rejoice, O faithful servant of the Lord! Rejoice, beacon of the virtues! Rejoice, O Paul, our venerable father!

Ode VII

Irmos: The command of the iniquitous tyrant, opposed to God, raised up a lofty flame; but Christ, Who is blessed and all-glorious, spread a spiritual dew upon the pious youths.

Like a pillar of fire, thy prayers reached to the heavens, O holy one, consuming the prince of the powers of the air, illumining all the world, and protecting us from misfortune.

Not bowing down to the golden image of fleshly pleasure, but in spirit worshipping God in three Hypostases, thou didst offer unceasing prayer unto Him. Wherefore, O Paul, Christ hath united thee to Himself, Who is blessed and most glorious.

O, the wondrous humility and great patience! O, the Christlike obedience! O, the divine gifts which thou didst reveal, O right laudable Paul! Marvelling thereat, let us bless and glorify Christ supremely, as the Bestower thereof.

Theotokion: From the divine lips of Jesus thou didst hear of the adoption of the faithful, standing at the foot of His Cross, O Theotokos; therefore, by thine intercession deliver them from temptations, covering them with thy precious omophorion.

Ode VIII

Irmos: Once, in Babylon, the fiery furnace divided its activity at the command of God, consuming the Chaldæans, but bedewing the faithful, who chant: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Inured to obedience and boundless abstinence, thou didst extinguish the flame of the passions, O Paul, and delighting in the coolness of dispassion thou didst cry out to Christ God: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Like an eagle in flight thou didst soar aloft to the heavens in spirit, gazing fearlessly upon Christ, the Sun of righteousness, and revealing thy desires to Him in thy purity of heart; wherefore, quickly receiving the fulfillment thereof, thou didst cry out in thanksgiving: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

O most simple, most wise, most obedient, guileless, exceeding patient Paul our father, what shall we call thee? With what manner of praises shall we laud thee? Yet in the compunction of our hearts let us cry out to Christ Who hath glorified thee: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Theotokion: Dispel from us the slumber of the eyes of our heart, O Theotokos; free thou our mind which is held captive by sin; and sanctify our lips, that we may unceasingly cry out to thy Son and God: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Ode IX

Irmos: God the Lord, the Son of the unoriginate Father, hath revealed Himself to us­ ­incarnate of the Virgin, to enlighten those in darkness and to gather the dispersed. Wherefore, we magnify the all-hymned Theotokos.

Wondrous are thy works, O venerable father; and wondrous was thy life. Wherefore, celebrating thy memory with love and invoking thy name in prayer, we magnify thy struggles.

Thou art a servant who hath entered into the joy of thy Lord; thou art a partaker of everlasting life; thou hast boldness, O father; wherefore, entreat the consubstantial Trinity on behalf of us who glorify thee with all our soul.

Standing with boldness before the throne of God, O Paul, remember those who honor thy memory and hymn thy struggles with love, that with thankful lips we may ever magnify thee.

Theotokion: O Theotokos, thou might of martyrs and patience of the venerable, dominion of kings and exalted boast of virgins, help of Christians: Entrusting our life to thine intercession, we magnify thee.

Exapostilarion from the Octoechos; Glory..., that of the venerable one, in Tone VIII —

Come, ye who have forsaken the tumult of cities and towns, and let us make haste to the desert to behold a wondrous and righteous man, a beacon of the virtues, who shone forth in simplicity and obedience, and hath acquired great boldness before Christ; and falling prostrate before him, let us cry: Remember us at the throne of God, O thrice blessed father!

Now & ever…: Theotokion —

O all-pure one, thou gavest birth to God, the Word of God, Who doth most wisely accomplish the excellent dispensation of salvation for the world; wherefore, we all fittingly hymn thee as the one who prayeth to Him, that we be delivered from sickness and every misfortune.