E04232: The Miracles of *Artemios (martyr of Antioch under Julian, S01128) recounts the miraculous healing by the saint of the testicular hernia of the infant of a woman who worked at a bath in Constantinople. Unable to visit Artemios' shrine, the woman lighted a lamp to him; Artemios visited her in a dream vision and cured the boy; she offered a candle and oil at his shrine. Written in Greek in Constantinople, 582/668; assembled as a collection, 658/668.

Miracles of Artemios (BHG 173), 11

Γυναικός τινος κρατούσης τὸ δίδυμον λουτρὸν τοῦ Ξενῶνος, ἤτοι γε Πασχεντίου, τοῦ ὄντος πλησίον τοῦ παλατίου τοῦ Δευτέρου, ἔτυχεν ὅπερ ἔσχεν βρέφος προσμάσθιον καταβαρὲς γενέσθαι, καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἦν ἀνεθῆναι κλαῖον καὶ βοῶν ἐκ τῶν ὀδυνῶν· ἡ δὲ μήτηρ ἀδημονοῦσα τί ποιήσῃ, ἐπεὶ καταλεῖψαι τὰ βαλανεῖα καὶ ἐλθοῦσα παραμεῖναι τῷ ἁγίῳ οὐκ ἠδύνατο, διότι μονωτάτη συνῴκει τῷ ἀνδρὶ αὐτῆς, ἐκ θείας οὖν τινος εἰσηγήσεως ἐννοεῖ τοιοῦτόν τι πρᾶξαι. εἰς ἓν τῶν βαλανείων, ἔνθα διῃτῶντο, σκευάζει ἐπ’ ὀνόματι τοῦ ἁγίου Ἀρτεμίου κανδήλαν, καὶ τῆς ἐπαύριον διαφαυούσης ἔδοξεν ὁρᾶν ἐν τῷ ὕπνῳ τινὰ τῶν ἐνδόξων τοῦ παλατίου, χλαμύδα καὶ στιχοβαλτίδιον φοροῦντα, εἰσελθόντα εἰς τὸ βαλανεῖον, ἐν ᾧ ἡ κανδήλα ἦν ἅπτουσα, ἐπὶ τῷ λούσασθαι, εἰπεῖν τε πρὸς αὐτήν· “Οὐκ ἦλθον τὰ σάβανά μου”; καὶ προσεποιεῖτο ὀργίζεσθαι τοῖς παισὶν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπειλεῖν, διότι οὐκ ἔφθασαν αὐτὸν φέροντες τὰ σάβανα, καὶ ἐκάθισεν εἰς ἕνα τῶν σκάμνων. οὔσης δὲ αὐτῆς ἐν κατηφείᾳ καὶ θλιβομένης, ἠρώτησεν αὐτήν· “Τί ἔχεις, γύναι, καὶ θλίβῃ;” τὴν δὲ ἀποκρίνασθαι, ὅτι “Τὸ παιδίον μου, δέσποτα, αἰφνιδίως τοὺς διδύμους αὐτοῦ ἐπόνεσεν, καὶ θέλω ἀπελθεῖν εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Ἀρτέμιον, καὶ ἀπολειφθῆναι τῶν ὧδε οὐ δύναμαι· πλὴν ἐποίησα τὴν κανδήλαν ἐπ’ ὀνόματι τοῦ ἁγίου Ἀρτεμίου, καὶ ἰδοὺ ὁ θεὸς καὶ αὐτὸς οὕτως ἐλπίζω ἐπισκέψασθαι αὐτὸ ἔχει”. τὸν δὲ πάλιν πρὸς αὐτὴν εἰπεῖν· “Καλὸν πρᾶγμα ἔχεις· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῷ θεῷ ἐπίστευσας, αὐτὸς αὐτὸ ἰᾶται διὰ τοῦ ἁγίου Ἀρτεμίου. ἀλλ’ ἐὰν καταλάβωσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποί μου, ὑπὲρ τῆς ὑγείας τοῦ παιδός σου καλὴν ἔμβασιν ἂς ποιήσῃ μοι ὁ περιχύτης”. ταῦτα αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, ἔξυπνος ἐγένετο ἡ γυνή· τοῦ δὲ παιδίου κλαύσαντος, θηλάσαι ζητοῦντος, ὡς δίδωσιν αὐτῷ τὸν μασθόν, ἱλαρὸν γενόμενον προσεχάρη αὐτῇ. ἡ δὲ τῇ χαρᾷ τοῦ βρέφους τὴν ὀπτασίαν πιστώσασα, μᾶλλον δὲ πιστωθεῖσα
ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ, ἁψαμένη αὐτοῦ εὗρεν αὐτὸ ὑγιὲς ὄν, καὶ ἀναστᾶσα ὄρθρῳ σπουδὴν ἔθετο εὐχαριστῆσαι τῷ θεῷ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ μάρτυρι. λαβοῦσα δὲ κηρὸν καὶ ἔλαιον καὶ ὅσα εἰς προσφορὰν εὐπόρως εἶχεν, ἀπελθοῦσα ἔδωκεν δόξαν τῷ θεῷ, τῷ μεγαλύναντι τὸν μάρτυρα, πᾶσιν ἐξηγουμένη τὰ παράδοξα θαύματα.

'There was a certain woman who was in charge of the double bath of the hospital in the quarter of Paschentios, which is near the palace of the Deuteron. Now it happened that the babe which she had at her breast had developed a hernia and it was not possible for him to stop crying and bawling because of the pain. The mother was at a loss as to what she should do, since she could not leave the baths and, as she wished, wait upon the saint because she lived all alone with her husband. Then, in consequence of some divine admonition, she conceived the following course of action. In one of the baths where they lived, she prepared a votive lamp in the name of St. Artemios and as the next day was dawning, she seemed to see in her sleep one of the noblemen of the palace wearing a cloak and a belt entering the bath, in which the lamp was burning, in order to bathe. And he spoke to her thus: "Have my towels not come?" And he pretended to be angry with his servants and to make threats because they did not arrive before him bringing the towels, and he sat down on one of the benches. Since she was in sorrow and distressed, he asked her: "What is wrong, woman, and what are you distressed over?" To this she replied thus: "My child, lord, has suddenly suffered pain in his testicles and I wish to be off to St. Artemios but I cannot forsake this place. Still, I have made the lamp in the name of St. Artemios and behold even God Himself (so I hope) will visit him." He replied to her in turn: "You have done well for, since you trusted in God, He Himself will cure your child through St. Artemios. But if my men get here, may the bathing attendant make a nice bath for me with best wishes for your son's health." After he spoke these words, the woman woke up. Her child started crying and was seeking to nurse. As she gave him her breast, he became cheerful and took pleasure in her. Confirming the truth of the vision by the infant's delight or rather having it confirmed by him, she touched the child and found that he was healthy and rising at dawn she hastened to give thanks to God and the holy martyr. Taking a candle and oil and whatever she had at hand for an offering, she went and gave glory to God Who exalted the martyr, and related the incredible miracle to all.'


Text: Papadopoulos-Kerameus 1909. Translation: Crisafulli and Nesbitt 1997.