John Calybites

john calybites, monk in Early Christian Rome noted for his great asceticism (feast day: 4 Amshir). The story of his life is known in Greek (Bibliotheca Hagiographa Graeca 868-69) and has come down in Sahidic in only one codex (British Library, Or. 6783,6). The text belongs to the category of individual stories, that is, those not linked to a cycle. Such stories could have Greek origins, as seems to be the case here, or they could be Coptic in origin. The author of the codex presents himself as a contemporary of John, who he says was the son of a magistrate of Rome, educated by Christian parents. A monk of the akoimetai ("sleepless ones") persuades him to become a monk. He then has his parents buy a Gospel decorated in gold (hence his Coptic name, translated "John of the Golden Gospel") and leaves home secretly, to their despair. After he has become a monk among the akoimetai, the devil leads him into apathy, so that he returns to find his parents. On the way home he gives his clothes to a poor man; for this reason his parents do not recognize him, and he spends a year as a beggar at the entrance to their house. They give him food without knowing him and even make him a small hut (calybe—hence his name in Greek) close to the door of the house. After ten years of very hard ascetical practice, he has a vision announcing his death. He reveals himself to his parents by mentioning the golden Gospel and then dies.