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Acts of Disputation

Archelaus

Chapter 3

About this work

Author: Archelaus

Section 3

3. When Marcellus, the man of consummate piety, had

‹ Chapter 2 Chapter 4 ›

heard

this

recital

,

he

burst

into

a

flood

of

tears

,

touched

with

pity

for

misfortunes

so

great

and

so

various

.

But

making

no

delay

,

he

at

once

prepared

victuals

for

the

sufferers

,

and

did

service

with

his

own

hand

for

the

wearied

;

in

this

imitating

our

father

Abraham

the

patriarch

,

who

,

when

he

entertained

the

angels

hospitably

on

a

certain

occasion

,

did

not

content

himself

with

merely

giving

the

order

to

his

slaves

to

bring

a

calf

from

the

herd

,

but

did

himself

,

though

advanced

in

years

,

go

and

place

it

on

his

shoulders

and

fetch

it

in

,

and

did

with

his

own

hand

prepare

food

,

and

set

it

before

the

angels

.

So

Marcellus

,

in

discharge

of

a

similar

office

,

directed

them

to

be

seated

as

his

guests

in

companies

of

ten

;

and

when

the

seven

hundred

tables

were

all

provided

,

he

refreshed

the

whole

body

of

the

captives

with

great

delight

,

so

that

those

who

had

strength

to

survive

what

they

had

been

called

to

endure

,

forgot

their

toils

,

and

became

oblivious

of

all

their

ills

.

When

,

however

,

they

had

reached

the

fifteenth

day

,

and

while

Marcellus

was

still

liberally

supplying

all

things

needful

for

the

prisoners

,

it

seemed

good

to

him

that

they

should

all

be

put

in

possession

of

the

means

of

returning

to

their

own

parts

,

with

the

exception

of

those

who

were

detained

by

the

attention

which

their

wounds

demanded

;

and

providing

the

proper

remedies

for

these

,

he

instructed

the

rest

to

depart

to

their

own

country

and

friends

.

And

even

to

all

these

charities

Marcellus

added

yet

larger

deeds

of

piety

.

For

with

a

numerous

band

of

his

own

dependants

he

went

to

look

after

the

burying

of

the

bodies

of

those

who

had

perished

on

the

march

;

and

for

as

many

of

these

as

he

could

discover

,

of

whatsoever

condition

,

he

secured

the

sepulture

which

was

meet

for

them

.

And

when

this

service

was

completed

he

returned

to

Charra

,

and

gave

permission

to

the

wounded

to

return

thence

to

their

native

country

when

their

health

was

sufficiently

restored

,

providing

also

most

liberal

supplies

for

their

use

on

their

journey

.

And

truly

the

estimate

of

this

deed

made

a

magnificent

addition

to

the

repute

of

the

other

noble

actions

of

Marcellus

;

for

through

that

whole

territory

the

fame

of

the

piety

of

Marcellus

spread

so

grandly

,

that

large

numbers

of

men

belonging

to

various

cities

were

inflamed

with

the

intensest

desire

to

see

and

become

acquainted

with

the

man

,

and

most

especially

those

persons

who

had

not

had

occasion

to

bear

penury

before

,

—

to

all

of

whom

this

remarkable

man

,

following

the

example

of

a

Marcellus

of

old

,

furnished

aid

most

indulgently

,

so

that

they

all

declared

that

there

was

no

one

of

more

illustrious

piety

than

this

man

.

Yea

,

all

the

widows

,

too

,

who

were

believers

in

the

Lord

had

recourse

to

him

,

while

the

imbecile

also

could

reckon

on

obtaining

at

his

hand

most

certain

help

to

meet

their

circumstances

;

and

the

orphaned

,

in

like

manner

,

were

all

supported

by

him

,

so

that

his

house

was

declared

to

be

the

hospice

for

the

stranger

and

the

indigent

.

And

above

all

this

,

he

retained

in

a

remarkable

and

singular

measure

his

devotion

to

the

faith

,

building

up

his

own

heart

upon

the

rock

that

shall

not

be

moved

.