History of the Rechabites - Narrative of Zosimus

History of the Rechabites

In those days there lived in the wilderness a man named Zosimus. For forty years he ate no bread, drank no wine, and did not look upon the face of another person. He continually pleaded with God that he might see the way of life of the blessed ones.

An angel of the Lord was sent to him and said, “Zosimus, man of God, I have been sent by the Most High, the God of all, to tell you that you shall journey to the blessed ones, though you shall not remain among them. Do not exalt your heart because you have eaten no bread for forty years, for the word of God is greater than bread, and the Spirit of God is greater than wine. And concerning your saying that you have not seen the face of a human being, behold, the face of the great King is near you.”

Zosimus answered, “I know that the Lord can do whatever He wills.”

The angel said, “Know also that you are not worthy of even one of their delights. Nevertheless, rise and depart.”

I, Zosimus, came out from my cave, with God guiding me. I set out without knowing the road by which I travelled. After forty days my spirit became faint and my body failed. Exhausted, I sat down and remained there praying for three days.

Then a creature of the wilderness came, called a camel. It knelt upon the ground, received me upon its neck, carried me into the wilderness, and set me down. There was much roaring of wild animals, gnashing of teeth, and deadly poison. I became afraid and prayed to the Lord.

A great earthquake arose in that place with a mighty sound. A storm-wind blew, lifted me from the earth, and carried me upon its wing. I continued praying as I travelled until it set me down beside a river whose name was Eumeles.

When I desired to cross, a voice cried out as though from the water, “Zosimus, man of God, you cannot pass through me, for no human being can divide my waters. But lift your eyes from the water toward heaven.”

I looked upward and saw a wall of cloud stretching from the river to heaven.

The cloud said, “Zosimus, man of God, through me no bird passes out of this world, nor breath of wind, nor the sun itself. Even the tempter who is in this world cannot pass through me.”

I marvelled at these words and at the voice that spoke to me. As I prayed, two trees suddenly sprang from the ground, beautiful and fair, laden with fragrant fruit. The tree on my side bent down and received me upon its crown. It rose exceedingly high and carried me over the middle of the river. The other tree came to meet me, received me among its branches, bent down, and placed me upon the ground. Then both trees rose and returned to their places on opposite sides of the river.

I rested there for three days. Then I rose and travelled onward, not knowing where I was going. The place was filled with great fragrance. There was no mountain on either side, but the land was level, covered with flowers, crowned as with garlands, and altogether beautiful.

I saw a naked man sitting there and said within myself, “Surely this is not the tempter.” Then I remembered the voice of the cloud, which had said, “Even the tempter who is in this world cannot pass through me.” Taking courage, I said to him, “Peace to you, brother.”

He answered, “May the grace of my God be with you.”

I said, “Tell me, man of God, who are you?”

He replied, “Rather, who are you?”

I told him everything concerning myself, and how I had prayed to God and had been brought into that place.

He answered, “I also know that you are a man of God, for otherwise you could not have passed through the cloud, the river, and the air. The breadth of the river is about thirty thousand paces. The cloud reaches to heaven, and the depth of the river reaches to the abyss.”

When he had finished speaking, he said again, “Have you come here out of the vanity of the world?”

I asked him, “Why are you naked?”

He said, “How do you know that I am naked? You wear the skins of earthly animals, which decay together with your body. But lift your eyes toward heaven and see the nature of my clothing.”

I looked upward and saw his face like the face of an angel, and his garment like lightning flashing from east to west. I became greatly afraid, thinking he was the Son of God, and I trembled and fell to the ground.

He took me by the hand and raised me, saying, “Rise. I too am one of the blessed ones. Come with me, and I will lead you to the elders.”

Holding my hand, he walked with me and led me toward a gathering. In that assembly were elders like sons of God, and young men stood beside them.

When I approached, they said, “This man has come here from the vanity of the world. Come, let us entreat the Lord, and He will reveal this mystery to us. Surely the end has not already drawn near, that a man of vanity has come here?”

They arose and entreated the Lord together. Then two angels descended from heaven and said, “Do not fear this man, for God has sent him. He shall remain seven days and learn your manner of life; afterward he shall go out and return to his own place.”

When the angels of God had said this, they ascended into heaven before our eyes.

The elders of the blessed ones then entrusted me to one of their attendants, saying, “Keep him for seven days.”

The attendant received me and led me to his cave. We sat beneath a tree and shared food. From the sixth hour until the following sixth hour we fasted. Then we ate, and water came out from the root of the tree, sweeter than honey. We drank until satisfied, and afterward the water withdrew again into its place.

All the people of that land heard that a man had come to them from the vanity of the world. The whole country was stirred, and they came to see me because it seemed strange to them. They questioned me about everything, and I answered them.

I became weak in spirit and body. I begged the man of God who served me, saying, “Brother, if anyone comes to see me, tell them, ‘He is not here,’ so that I may rest for a little while.”

The man of God cried out, “Woe to me! The story of Adam has been repeated in me. Satan deceived Adam through Eve, and this man, by flattering me, wishes to make me a liar while he remains here. Take me away from this place, for I will flee. He wishes to sow within me the seed of the world of vanity.”

All the people and the elders rose against me and said, “Depart from us, man. We do not know from where you have come to us.”

I wept with great weeping until my senses failed. I cried to the elders, “Forgive me, my lords.”

The elders quieted the people. Then I told them everything from the beginning to that hour, saying, “I entreated the Lord that I might come to you, and He counted me worthy.”

The elders said, “What then do you desire us to do for you?”

I answered, “I wish to learn from you your manner of life.”

They rejoiced with great joy. Taking tablets of stone, they wrote upon them with their fingernails:

“Hear, children of humanity. Hear us who have become blessed, for we too are from among you.

“When the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed that the city of Jerusalem would be delivered into the hands of destroyers, he tore his garments, placed sackcloth around his waist, scattered dust upon his head, spread earth upon his bed, and commanded all the people to turn from their evil way.

“Our father Rechab, son of Aminadab, heard him and said to us, ‘Sons and daughters of Rechab, listen to your father. Remove the garments from your bodies. Drink no vessel of wine. Eat no bread baked by fire. Drink neither strong drink nor honey until the Lord hears your prayer.’

“We answered, ‘We shall do everything he has commanded us and obey him.’

“So we removed our garments from our bodies. We ate no bread baked by fire and drank neither wine, honey, nor strong drink. We wept with great weeping and entreated the Lord. He heard our prayer and turned His anger away from Jerusalem. Mercy came from the Lord upon the city. He pitied its people and turned away His deadly wrath.

“After these things the king of Jerusalem died, and another king arose. All the people gathered before him and informed him about us, saying, ‘There are certain people among your subjects who have changed their manner of life and separated themselves from us.’

“The king summoned us and asked why we had done this. He said, ‘Who are you? What is your worship? From what people do you come?’

“We answered, ‘We are children of your servant. Our father is Rechab, son of Jonadab. When Jeremiah the prophet preached in the days of your father the king, he proclaimed death against Jerusalem, saying, “Within three days the entire city shall be put to death.”

“‘When your father the king heard this, he repented of his sins and issued a command that everyone should turn away from his evil path. Our father, your servant, also heard and commanded us, saying, “Drink no vessel of wine and eat no bread baked by fire until the Lord hears your prayer.”

“‘We obeyed the commandment of our father, stripped our bodies, drank no wine, ate no bread, and prayed to the Lord for Jerusalem. The Lord pitied His people and turned away His anger. When we saw this, our souls rejoiced, and we said, “It is good for us to remain this way.”’

“The king said, ‘You have done well. Now join yourselves again to my people. Eat bread, drink wine, glorify your Lord, and serve both God and the king.’

“But we answered, ‘We will not disobey God.’

“The king became enraged and placed us in prison. We remained there that night.

“Then a light shone within the prison. An angel opened the prison, grasped the crowns of our heads, brought us out, and placed us beside the waters of a river. He said, ‘Wherever the water goes, go with it.’

“We travelled with the water and with the angel. When he brought us to this place, the river dried up and its waters were swallowed by the abyss. He placed a wall around this land, and a wall of cloud came and overshadowed the water. He did not scatter us throughout the whole earth but gave us this country.

“Hear, children of humanity. Hear the way of life of the blessed ones.

“God placed us in this land. We are holy, though not immortal. The earth produces fruit of great fragrance, and from the trunks of the trees flows water sweeter than honey. These are our food and drink.

“We pray night and day; this alone is our work.

“With us there is no vine, no ploughed field, no craft of wood or iron. We have no house, no building, no fire, no sword, no iron worked or unworked, no silver, and no gold. The air is neither oppressive nor harsh.

“None among us takes a wife except for the time required to beget two children. When two children have been born, husband and wife withdraw from one another and remain in chastity, remembering no longer that they ever shared the marriage bed, but living in virginity as from the beginning. Of the two children, one continues the line through marriage and one remains in virginity.

“We do not count time by weeks, months, or years, for all our time is as one day.

“Leaves of trees lie within our caves, and these are our beds beneath the trees.

“We are not naked as you suppose. We possess a garment of immortality, and we are not ashamed before one another.

“At the sixth hour of each day we eat. The fruit of the tree falls by itself at that hour, and we eat and drink until satisfied. Then the water returns into its place.

“We know about you who remain in the world, about those who sin, and about their deeds. Every day the angels of the Lord come and tell us what is happening among you and the number of your years.

“We pray for you before the Lord, because we too are from among you and belong to your race. God has chosen us and placed us here apart from sin.

“The angels of God dwell with us each day and tell us everything concerning you. We rejoice with the angels over the deeds of the righteous, but over the deeds of sinners we mourn and weep, beseeching the Lord to turn from His anger and forgive your offences.

“When the season of forty days comes, all the trees cease from bearing fruit. Then the manna that God gave to our fathers rains down from heaven, and it is sweeter than honey. By this we know that the season of the year has changed.

“When the holy Passover arrives, the trees again put forth fragrant fruit. By this we know that the year has begun.

“We keep the feast of the resurrection of the Lord with much watching, remaining awake for three days and three nights.

“We also know the time of our departure. We suffer no torment, disease, bodily pain, weariness, or weakness, but remain in peace, great patience, and love.

“Our souls are not troubled by the angels when they are called to go forth. The angels rejoice when they receive our souls, and our souls rejoice when they behold the angels.

“As a bride welcomes the bridegroom, so the soul receives the announcement of the holy angels. They say only, ‘The Lord calls you.’

“Then the soul leaves the body and goes toward the angels. The angels see it come forth spotless, rejoice, spread out their garments, and receive it. They bless it, saying, ‘Blessed are you, soul, because the will of the Lord has been fulfilled in you.’

“This is the length of our life. If one leaves the body while still called young, the days of his life here are three hundred and sixty years. If one leaves the body in old age, the days of his life are six hundred and eighty-eight years.

“The day of our completion is made known to us by the angels. When the angels of God come to receive one of us, the elders see them and gather all the people. We go out together with the angels, singing psalms, until they arrive at the appointed place.

“Because we possess no tools, the angels of God themselves prepare the grave for the body. The one whom God has called descends into it. All, from the youngest to the oldest, greet him, send him on his way, and bid him peace.

“Then the soul leaves the body and the angels receive it. We see the form of the soul as a body of light, perfect in every part, yet without distinction of male and female.

“The angels lift it up, singing a song and hymn and making melody to God. Other companies of angels hasten to meet them, greeting the soul as it comes and enters the firmaments.

“When it reaches the place where it must worship God, the Son of God Himself, together with the angels, receives the soul of the blessed one and carries it to the undefiled Father of the ages.

“When the angels sing above, we who remain below hear them. We also sing, and they hear us in heaven. In this way praise passes between us and the angels in hymns.

“When the soul of the blessed one falls upon its face and worships the Lord, we also fall down and worship the Lord at that same hour. When the Lord raises the soul, we also rise. When it goes to the place appointed for it, we enter the assembly and fulfil the thanksgiving of the Lord.”

When they had written these things and the whole account of the life of the blessed ones, they gave the tablets to their brother Zosimus and accompanied him as far as the trees beside the river Eumeles.

I, Zosimus, again entreated the blessed ones to pray to the Lord for me, that the trees might receive me and carry me across.

They all cried to the Lord, saying, “God, who have shown us Your wonders and have brought Your servant Zosimus from the world of vanity, restore him in peace to his own place. Command these trees to bend down, receive Your servant, and place him upon the farther bank.”

When they finished praying, the trees immediately bent down before them and received me as they had before. When I had been placed on the other side of the river, I cried with a loud voice, “Righteous people, brothers of the holy angels, grant me your prayer in peace, for now I depart from you.”

They prayed and all cried out, “Peace, peace be with you, brother.”

I prayed to the Lord. A storm-wind came to me, received me upon its wings, and carried me to the place where it had first found me sitting. It set me down in peace and cried aloud, “Blessed are you, Zosimus, because you have been numbered with the blessed ones.”

The wilderness creature called the camel came, received me upon its neck, carried me through eighty-five stages, and set me down in the place where it had first found me praying. It left me in peace, crying, “Blessed are you, Zosimus, because you have been numbered with the blessed ones.”

When Satan saw me thus praised, he desired to tempt me and cast his dart against me. But an angel of God came and said, “Zosimus, Satan is coming to tempt you, but the Lord will fight for you. The glory of your faith must bind [Meaning uncertain] Satan.”

An angel of God appeared and cried, “Welcome, blessed one of Christ. Come, and I will lead you to the cave that shall be the dwelling place of your body. Your cave shall become a testimony in the wilderness, healing for the sick who come to it, and a place where demons are tested and exposed.”

He took my hand, strengthened me, and led me for forty days to the cave in which I had lived. There was a table of righteousness there, and I spent the night with the angels of God. I placed the tablets given to me by the holy blessed ones upon the step of the altar in my cave.

When the angels of God had ascended, the Devil came in a fierce form, filled with rage and bitterness.

He said, “I knew that God would deal with you as He dealt with the blessed ones, and that they would be freed from sin and raised above the angels. Therefore I devised an evil plan. I entered the vessel of the serpent, one evildoer joining another. Through this I caused the first man, Adam, to transgress and taste the tree from which God had forbidden him to eat, lest he remain equal in glory to God and the holy angels.

“You have now gone and brought this commandment. But so that they may not remain without sin, I will show you how I shall destroy you and all who receive this commandment, so that neither they nor the book you have brought may remain without sin.”

After saying these things, the Devil departed.

Eight days later he returned with one thousand three hundred and sixty demons. They dragged me from the cave while I prayed, struck me, and threw me from one to another for forty days.

After forty days the Devil lamented before me and said, “Woe to me! Through one man I have lost the world, for he has conquered me by his prayer.”

He began to flee from me, but I seized him and held him, saying, “You shall not run away from me until you swear never again to tempt humankind.”

He wept with violent weeping and swore by the firmament of heaven, “As long as your dwelling remains here, and after you, I will not come upon this place.”

Then I released him and sent him and the demons with him into the eternal fire.

The angel who had shared the table with me came and led me into my cave with great glory.

After these things I lived thirty-six years and made known to the fathers in the wilderness the way of life of the blessed ones.

But the Devil wept because of the tablets that told of their life, saying, “If this becomes known throughout the world, I shall be mocked, they will remain without sin, and I alone will be held in folly.”

When the thirty-six years were completed, the angels of God came to me as they come to the blessed ones.

All the monks gathered, together with everyone who had heard these things. This testament was read before them all, and while living in this manner Zosimus surrendered his soul to God.

I, [Name uncertain], one of those who lived in the wilderness, made this account known and gave it to everyone willing to learn from it and be helped by it.

The angels of God assisted in burying the body of Zosimus as a precious gift. We saw the soul of the blessed one shining seven times brighter than the sun.

Immediately seven palm trees sprang up in that place and overshadowed the cave. A spring of water also arose there, holy water that remains to this day for healing and deliverance to all the sick who come to it.

Peace be upon all who hear the memorial of the blessed Zosimus. The Lord is the defender and helper of all through the endless ages. Amen.