Anonymous Church History: 2.11 – Spyridon’s dead daughter is raised to life on account of a traveler
2.11.1 This blessed, famous man of God had a daughter named Irene. While caring for her old father, as is proper, she passed away from human life as a virgin.
2.11.2 After her death, a merchant returned from a journey and asked the old man for a deposit which he had entrusted to his virgin daughter.
2.11.3 Blessed Spyridon had no idea what he was talking about, but since the man begged him so urgently, he carefully searched his house from top to bottom. When he could not find it, he was greatly distressed. He told the man that he knew nothing about the deposit and that there was nothing in the house.
2.11.4 The merchant shouted, burst into tears, and moaned as he asked for the deposit. He said that he would kill himself because of the loss if he did not get his deposit back. He explained that he had entrusted the deposit to the virgin for safekeeping that he might use it in his old age.
2.11.5 Therefore, the holy old man had to head to his daughter’s tomb with the merchant to inquire about the matter. When he got there, he called his daughter by name, saying, “Irene, my child.” Answering from the grave, she said to him, “What is it, father?” The old man said to her, “Where did you hide this man’s deposit, my daughter?” She said to him, “It is hidden here, father,” clearly indicating the place to her father. He said to her, “Go in peace, Irene, my child.”
2.11.6 Then the old man returned home, found the deposit hidden right where the virgin said it was, and returned it to the man.
2.11.7 People still celebrate many other wonders and miracles of Spyridon. Even to this day the locals tell them to travelers as certain proof of our true faith in Christ. The church up to those times was adorned with such holy men, many of whom were present at the Synod of Nicaea.
2.11.8 Moreover, Athanasius, about whom we have already spoken, at that time still a deacon, belonged to the company of those saints, as everyone attests. He accompanied Alexander, bishop of the church of Alexandria, since he was a great help to him.
2.11.9 Day by day our holy bishops discussed numerous matters of faith for a long time, for they did not want to make any rash or presumptuous decisions on such a critical issue.
2.11.10 They often summoned Arius. By frequent inquiry they examined and disproved his theses. Their greatest trouble and concern was how they might overthrow his lawless doctrine and define sound doctrine with their vote.
2.11.11 After much consideration and prayer to God, they made the following decision. As is proper, they wisely refuted the lawless doctrine of Arius and his supporters, utterly uprooting and obliterating their abominable blasphemies against the Son of God.
2.11.12 Our bishops opposed their assertion that the Son of God is “not from God” by saying that he is “God from God.” They opposed their assertion that he is “not true God” by writing that he is “true God from true God.” They opposed their assertion that he is a “created being” by defining that he is “begotten, not made.” They opposed their assertion that he is “of a different essence” by saying that “the Son is of the same being as the Father, that is, begotten from the being of the Father.” They declared that he is creator and craftsman of the visible and the invisible in keeping with the apostolic faith entrusted to the church from the beginning1 after they had provided evidence from Scripture, as this account will show.
2.11.13 Rendering the deadly poisons ineffective with this antidote, they proceeded to write down the apostolic faith they had agreed upon even more clearly.
Previous Chapter – 2.10 The holy Spyridon
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Created by RR 6-23-21
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