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The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity


from its origins to circa AD 700, across the entire Christian world


The Greek Miracles of *Menas (2), ascribed to Timothy of Alexandria, recounts how Menas (soldier and martyr buried at Abu Mena, S00073) rescued from drowning the servant of a man who had promised to dedicate a silver plate at the saint's shrine. Written in Greek in Alexandria, probably in the 5th/6th c.

Evidence ID

E07442

Type of Evidence

Literary - Hagiographical - Monastic collections (apophthegmata, etc.)

Timothy of Alexandria, Miracles of Menas (CPG 2527, BHG 1256-1269)

Miracle 2. The man who promised to dedicate a plate (BHG 1258)

Summary:

A certain Eutropios from Alexandria has two silver plates produced, intending to dedicate one of them to Menas. When the vessels are produced, the one with the saint’s name turns out to be more precious. The man decides to keep it for his own use and dedicate the less precious one to the shrine. He embarks on a vessel to cross the lake, but during the journey his slave falls into the water with the plate. Eutropios is distressed and prays the martyr to save his slave. Two days later, the servant comes out of the sea with the plate in his hand, and says that he has been saved by the martyr and two handsome men who took hold of him for three days and brought him back to the land. They visit the shrine and Eutropios dedicates there the two plates and his slave.


Text: Pomialovskii 1900.
Summary: E. Rizos.



Record Created By

Efthymios Rizos

Date of Entry

07/04/2019

Related Saint Records
IDNameName in SourceIdentity
S00073Menas, soldier and martyr buried at Abu MenaΜηνᾶςCertain


Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Efthymios Rizos, Cult of Saints, E07442 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E07442