E04904: Evagrius Scholasticus in his Ecclesiastical History mentions *Barsanouphios the Egyptian (hermit near Gaza, S02037). He was believed to be still alive in his cell near Gaza (Palestine), although no one had seen him for fifty years. When the bishop of Jerusalem attempted to have the cell opened, fire prevented him. Written in Greek at Antioch (Syria), 593/594.

Evagrius Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History, 4.33

Γεγόνασι δὲ κατ’ ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ ἄνδρες θεοφόροι καὶ μεγάλων σημείων ἐργάται πολλαχοῦ μὲν γῆς, ὧν δὲ τὸ κλέος ἑκασταχοῦ διέλαμψεν. Βαρσανούφιος, Αἰγύπτιος γένος, οὕτως ἐν σαρκὶ τὸν ἄσαρκον διήθλησε βίον ἔν τινι φροντιστηρίῳ ἀγχοῦ Γάζης τοῦ πολίσματος, ὥστε πολλὰ μὲν καὶ μνήμης κρείττονα θαυματουργῆσαι, πιστεύεσθαι δὲ καὶ ζῆν αὐτὸν ἐν οἰκίσκῳ καθειργμένον, καίτοι γε ἀπὸ τούτων πεντήκοντα καὶ πρός γε χρόνων οὔτε ὀφθέντα τῳ, οὔτε τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς τινος μετειληφότα. Οἷς δυσαπιστῶν Εὐστόχιος ὁ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων πρόεδρος ἐπειδὴ διορύττειν ἔγνω τὸν οἰκίσκον οὗ καθεῖρκτο ὁ ἄνθρωπος τοῦ θεοῦ, πῦρ ἐκθορὸν μικροῦ τοὺς αὐτόσε πάντας ἐνέπρησε.

'At that moment of time there were divinely inspired men and workers of great signs in many parts of the earth, though their fame has shone forth everywhere. Barsanouphios, who was an Egyptian by race, so pursued the fleshless life in the flesh at a certain monastery near the town of Gaza that he has worked miracles which surpass recollection. He is even believed still to be alive, confined in a little room, even though for 50 years and more he has neither been seen by anyone nor partaken of anything of this world. Eustochius, the prelate of Jerusalem, did not believe this, but when he decided to dig through into the little room where the man of God was confined, fire blazed forth and almost consumed all who were there.'

Text: Bidez, Parmentier 2014. Translation: Whitby 2010.