Severus Gives Us a Glimpse of St. Mark's Role Within Tenth Century Alexandrian Christianity

I know this will be difficult for my readers, but in order to get something worthwhile from this latest citation you have IGNORE the fact that Severus Al'Ashmunein is essentially admitting that he made up his biography of St. Mark. Instead I ask you to focus on the remembrance it gives us of the old cultus of St. Mark (pardon my sloppy attempt at an English translation from the French):

Despite everything that has been established, may be found there among you one of those men who like to contradict, which will tell me "Where did you get to know a profound mystery? For it is nowhere mentioned in Holy Scripture, he was known neither to St. Luke, the doctor who tells the Acts of the Apostles, or the historian Josephus, or Philo, Jewish writers who have day actions of our Savior, nor even of St. Clement, a disciple of St. Peter. All these authors have carefully consulted the writings of our holy fathers the Apostles to trace their lives, they spoke of driving the mother of Mark, like what the disciples sought refuge with her, how she was providing spending, but as the father of the holy Evangelist, they did not say a word. "I'm going now, dear listener, responding to that and you learn, so I doubt that dissipates is in your mind. Do not be unbelieving, lest thou be accomplished cons ways you these words of Scripture: "Whoever has doubts about the sincerity of fun these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for him that attached to his neck a millstone and that the precipitate and the bottom of the sea "that you ask me, lend me your ear so that I relieve your heart. When our holy father Anba Jacob, patriarch of Alexandria, was dead and he was gone to rest in the Lord, the bishops of Egypt gathered in this city to make the appointment and proclamation of his Beatitude anba Simeon instead of fire anba Jacob, and myself. Severus, unworthy priest, I found myself with them. But the night before the holy Sunday, while I was sleeping in the room and patriarchal, in Alexandria, I had the following dream. It seemed that I was near a church very high, very high, of extraordinary magnificence, and was built on the plateau of a mountain. It was lit from within by number of lamps shining. While I was looking for an opening to get in, now I came to discover a small window on one side of the building. Having approached the window I open my eyes and plunging into the interior of the church; jy perceive a man while bright light, and seated on a magnificent throne. He carried with him the garment of the high priests, and his face flashed beams of light of a dazzling brightness.

I also saw before him a couch while erect) and the bed on a sleeping man who looked like a martyr. I told him that sat on the throne: "Who are you, Lord, you who sit on the throne, which are surrounded by so much fame?" - "I am Marc," he replied in a voice loud and clear. Just those words were out of his mouth, I replied: "The-what are you, Lord? Mark the apostle, or Marc second of that name? "At this request he made this clear answer:" I am not Mark the second of that name, but Mark the Evangelist who preached the faith in the province Egypt. I was emboldened to send him again this question: "Who is this character based on that bed? - That, he said, the holy martyr Demetrius. "-" Lord, I added, since it is true that you are the apostle St. Mark, let me know, please, why the Scripture speaks of your holy mother, makes no mention of your father? In what nation he belonged? Was it Jewish or Gentile? "-" You ask me, he replied, explaining a great secret, and that something very surprising, but never before now, has sought to discover. If this is your desire then this feature if you're interested, you have to hear me and I'll reveal and relieve your heart. "

However, he opened his mouth and told me what I then recorded verbatim in this livrei Then he added: "All you have: to learn, put it in writing and file your book in the church for the edification of all those who wish to read."

The Holy Apostle and gave me the names of his ancestors, the story of his grandfather Agathon, who was the city Oschmounaïn, that of John, his father, and Hannah, his mother, with all the features that I just described, so that all that was then brought to your attention, and you were quite convinced that I have invented nothing, but everything I wrote regarding the person of St. Marc, I wish to mouth of the holy Evangelist.

When I woke up after this dream, I was astonished at what I saw and heard and then, thinking to myself, I say: "What is this strange dream? Is it a vision real or a figment of my imagination?"

The next morning we sat His Holiness, Patriarch Simeon, in the pulpit of the supreme pontificate. However, throughout the ceremony, my mind was preoccupied, I was upset with myself and agitated by various thoughts, was because of what I saw and heard in my dream. After much thought, he came into my mind a thought.

So I turned to the patriarch, I told him: "Truly, sir, you relieve my heart, if your Holiness deign to grant me the favor to kiss the sacred head of St. Mark the Evangelist before I went to my seat. "Having attained my desire, he sent to accompany me, Tun deacons attached to his service, and ordered him the order of admittance to the sacred crypt. It opened in front of me the shrine in which lay the body of St. Mark the Evangelist.

While taking my hands the venerable head of the holy apostle, I kissed three times, and holding me standing over him, I say in my heart: "I ask you and beg you humbly my lord, ye a disciple, an apostle, a holy martyr of our Lord Jesus Christ, relieve my heart about what I saw in my dream: the vision she has for you, or is it just a dream the empty product of my imagination? If it really comes from you, I would be duty to confirm and put in writing for the edification of all who hear the story if, instead, it is a dream, I m 'attached to silence and not speak to anyone. "This is the prayer that I made in my heart, while I held her in the head mee hands of the virtuous martyr, St. Mark the Evangelist, and afterward I went to the burial crypt and retired. But the next night, while I gave, I saw again in a dream the church that I first noticed. The calm and tranquil mind, I began to open the window, and for the second time I saw the man surrounded by light, seated on the throne as he had appeared before.

While I was contemplating, he addressed these words: the pontiff of the Church, why hast thou conceived in your mind of doubts about what I really wanted to reveal the first time? Why did you thought it was all a dream?

No, the thing is not what you think.

Everything I told you, then put it in writing because this is a certain truth and a fact worthy of faith that this is read before all the people for building and training of all those to hear in the reading. Scarcely had he uttered these words, I awoke with the conviction that what had been said was true, and in order to conform to the order that respondent had, I began to write everything I saw and heard in the dream I just related.

Listen then with submission, you who seek the truth, convincing words, and away from your mind all doubt.