Feast of Archangel Saint Michael
June 17, 2022
The city of Alexandria had a great temple which Queen Cleopatra, the daughter of Ptolemy, King of Egypt, had built in the name of the star Zuhal (Venus) and they celebrated a festival in its honor on the twelfth day of the month of Sane (June). There was a great brass idol in that temple which was exceedingly awesome, and its name was Zuhal (Venus). They used to offer up many sacrifices on the day of the festival and continued to revel the that idol until the days of the Archiepiscopate of Archbishop Alexander, that is to say for three hundred years and more.
When Abba Alexander was appointed Archbishop of Alexandria, the righteous Emperor Constantine reigned, and the True Christian Faith spread abroad. Abba Alexander wanted to smash that idol, but some worthless men of the city prevented him and they said to him, “We are in the habit of celebrating a festival in honor of this idol. Behold, fifteen archbishops have preceded thee (here), and they did not alter our custom.” Abba Alexander rebuked them severely, and he explained the matter to them, and said, “This idol can do neither evil nor good, but those who celebrate the festivals of idols worship Satans.” Abba Alexander also said to them, “If you will hearken to my advice, let me arrange this festival for you as it ought to have been in olden times. That is to say, let us smash this idol, [re]consecrate the temple, turn it into a Church in the name of the Saint Michael, the Archangel and we will arrange this festival in his honor. Let the altar be re-dedicated to God Most High; let the poor; the needy; the wretched, eat the oxen and sheep which the priests slay; and the Archangel Michael shall intercede on your behalf with our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The good counsel pleased them for they yielded to his wishes and they made the temple a Church in the name of the Archangel Michael. That temple became known as the “Church of Caesarea,” and it continued to stand until the Muslims reigned in Egypt. Then they destroyed it.
This feast started by order and all the people of the districts (in Egypt) celebrated it in honor of the glorious Archangel Saint Michael to his honour above all the angels, to his greatness and the archangel performed many miracles among which is the following:-
There was a certain man who feared God and who used to celebrate the commemoration of the glorious Archangel Michael on the twelfth day of each month, especially during the months of Hedar/November and Sane (June).
A cruel rich man also lived among his neighbors. He used to hate that God-fearing man when he celebrated the festival of the glorious Angel, and even laugh at him. When the days of the God-fearing man had come to an end, and the time of his death, when he would rest from the labor of this fleeting world, drew nigh, he commanded his wife to be merciful, and to celebrate the commemoration of that Archangel Michael, especially the festivals which fell on the twelfth day of Hedar and on the twelfth day of Sane. Now at the time of the death of the God-fearing man, his wife was with child and after the man died she buried him. At that time the woman was near her time to bring forth childbirth. Being in very great pain, she prayed, “O Michael, Angel of God, have compassion upon me, and entreat God on my behalf so that He may deliver me from the tribulation in which I am on this day; for with you there is great grace with God.”
When she said these words, the house was filled with full of light, and forthwith she was relieved of her pains. So, she brought forth a child whose appearance was Godly. The Angel of God, Archangel Michael came down from heaven, blessed the child and said, “Thus said God: This child shall inherit the goods of the rich man who has no sympathy, all his possessions and all his lands.” At that moment the rich man was looking out from the window upon the house of the woman, and he heard the voice of Michael, the angel of God, saying, “This child shall inherit the money of the rich man.” Then great sorrow came upon him, and he sought for a pretext for killing the child; but God protected him through the intercession of the Archangel Michael.
At the age of ten, his mother’s finished her money, and the rich man, with small sympathy in him, found his opportunity against the woman. He said to her, “Give me your son, and let him minister to me. I will feed and clothe him. I will give you twenty dinars in gold.” When the woman heard these words from the rich man, she rejoiced on account of her poverty. The rich man gave her twenty dinars in gold and she gave him her son. Having taken him, the rich man rejoiced with a great joy and he said in his heart, “Behold, what I have desired is fulfilled for me.” Then he made a wooden box as long as the boy’s height and he forced the boy into the box. He fastened the cover over him and carried the box to the river. He then cast it into the water. He also cast the key of the box into the river. By the Will of God the box floated on the surface of the river until it came to the quay of a certain city, which was not far from the river.
There was a certain shepherd who was watching and tending his flocks near the river. When he saw the box in the river, he dragged it out and carried it into his house. He was thinking by what means he would open the box. As he was thinking, God put the thought into his heart that to go to the river; straightway he went and found a man catching fish. The shepherd said to him, “Cast your net into the river in my name, and I will give you the price of the fish which shall be caught”; The fisherman did as the shepherd told him. A great fish came out from the net, and the shepherd gave him the price thereof; taking it he went to his house, and killed the fish to broil it, that he and his household might eat. Having slit open the belly of the fish he found a key inside it, and he thought for himself, “Perhaps this is the key of the box.” Having inserted the key into the keyhole of the box, the box opened quickly, and the shepherd marveled for he found inside it the boy whom the rich man wanted to kill.
When he saw the boy he rejoiced with a great joy! He called him “Bahran” because he found him in the river. The boy became as a son to him. Now the distance of the city wherein the boy was born, from that wherein the shepherd lived, was a journey of ten days. After many days the rich man in whom there was no sympathy wished to go and sojourn with the shepherd; when the sun was about to set, he said to the shepherd, “Peradventure you have a place wherein we can lodge until to-morrow; if you have I will pay you your charge.” The shepherd brought the rich man into his house, and he called the young man by his name of “Bahran.” When the rich man heard this name he asked the shepherd, saying, “Is this your son?” The shepherd said to him, “Yes, I found this young man when he was a little boy in a box in the river. I took him and reared him as my son.”
The cruel rich man heard this and was shocked. He knew that the young man was the boy whom he had thrown into the river to kill. On the morrow the rich man wished to depart, and he had devious plan. He then said to the shepherd, “I want you to give me your son so that I may send him with a message to my house in the city, because I have forgotten something which is in my house; The payment of twenty dinars of gold which I should give to him I will give to you.” The shepherd rejoiced because of the gold he received. So, he called the young man and said to him, “O my son Bahran, come that this honorable man may send you to his house on some business concerning his house; return home in peace.” The young man said to him, “Willingly, O my father, whatsoever you command me I will do.” Then straightway the rich man wrote a letter to his steward, saying, “When you have read this letter kill the bearer of it, whose name is ‘Bahran,’ and cast his body into a pit. Let no one know about this until I come in peace.” He wrote on the letter a certain sign which they had agreed upon, and which none but only the two of them knew. He sealed the letter and gave it to Bahran. He also gave money needed for the journey and the young man departed.
As he was journeying along the road, he was about half-way between the two cities; behold the Angel of God, Michael, the Archangel, came to him, riding upon a horse in the form of a soldier of the emperor; and he said to Bahran, “What do you have with you?” He said to him, “I have a letter with me from a rich man who was sent to a rich man’ his house in the city.” The Angel of God, the Glorious Saint Michael, said to him, “Show me the letter,” Bahran being afraid of him gave him the letter. The Angel blew on the paper, and erased everything it. Archangel Michael then wrote on the paper with his own hand saying, “Behold, I the rich man have sent to you the bearer of this letter whose name is Bahran. As soon as you have read this letter marry him my daughter. I have given him all the goods in my house and all my lands. Do not wait until I come back, for I shall tarry on my journey. Let him do what he wishes in my house, for I have given him authority over all my goods and over my house. Here is the sign which is between you and me, O my steward.” The Angel of God Archangel Michael sealed the letter, gave it to Bahran and said to him, “Go to the house of the rich man, and when youhave arrived at his house, give this letter to his steward. Do not tell him that I met you on the road and that I have changed the contents of this letter.” Bahran said to him, “Yes, my lord, everything which you have commanded me I will do.”
Bahran went on until he arrived at that city, and enquired for the house of the rich man. He gave his letter to his steward. When the steward had read it, he understood the contents thereof; he recognized the private mark and he knew that it was true. Forthwith they made a great marriage-feast for Bahran and the daughter of the rich man. They made them get married in the Church, before the sanctuary of God and they had joyful time of marriage for forty days. Towards the end of the marriage-feast, the rich man returned to his city. When he heard the sound of the song singing and rejoicings, he asked, saying, “What is this sound which I hear?” Certain of the men said to him, “Your letter came by the hand of a young man called Bahran, and as you did command that your daughter should be married to him, they gave her to that young man whose name is Bahran. Behold they have been rejoicing in the marriage-feast forty days and forty nights. They have given him all your money, house, menservants, handmaidens and all your possessions, according to what you did command in your letter.” When the rich man heard these words, he cried out at the top of his voice, fell down and died. Straightway Satans took his soul into the deepest Hades. The young man inherited all his money even as God the Most High had commanded.
Bahran celebrated the commemoration of the glorious Angel of God Archangel Michael, on the twelfth day of each month. He knew that it was he who had appeared to him breathing on the letter, erased what was written therein and wrote other message instead After this he built a beautiful Church in the name of the glorious Angel Michael, the Archangel. He painted a picture of him in it in front of the sanctuary, and through this picture many signs and wonders were made manifest. The sick were healed. Bahran was appointed priest of that Church, and he ministered therein until the day of his death. His mother and his son inherited everlasting life through the intercession of the glorious and Archangel, Saint Michael.
On the day of the resurrection, this glorious Angel bowed before the throne of God, and said, “I beg and entreat your compassion, O my God, I your servant and messenger, to make known to me all those who celebrate my commemoration upon earth, through your righteous promise, for you are merciful and compassionate.” God answered and said to him, “O Michael, chief of the faithful hosts of heaven, behold, I command you to lift up upon thy wing of fire as many men as you are able to carry upon it, three times.” When Saint Michael heard this, he rejoiced with happiness. He lifted up upon his wing three times as many as he could of the men who celebrated his commemoration upon earth and carry them through the river of fire. There were thousands of thousands and tens of thousands of tens of thousands of souls in hell. No one could number them except God Himself. Therefore, O beloved, it is meet that we should strive and should celebrate the commemoration of the glorious Archangel Michael, as well as our ability, even if it is only to give a cup of cold water in his name, as our Lord and Savior Jesus taught in His Holy Gospel.
Let us ask for mercy from God through the intercession of the Archangel Saint Michael, that He may deliver us from the net of Satan, the accursed and may put far away from us all pain (or, sickness) the plague, may increase the fruits of our lands in His mercy, may forgive our sins, may give rest to the souls of the dead, may bring back in safety those of our fathers and brethren who are on a journey, may set peace in our midst, may strengthen us in the True Faith to our last breath.
Source: The Ethiopian Synaxarium pages 565-569
