E07444: The late 4th to 6th century collection of Miracles of *Menas (soldier martyr of Egypt, S00073), ascribed to Timothy of Alexandria, recounts the story of the miraculous uncovering of a Christian’s fraud, who attempted to seize an amount of money entrusted to him by his Jewish friend, and committed perjury at the shrine. Written in Greek in Alexandria.

Timothy of Alexandria, Miracles of Menas (CPG 2527, BHG 1256-1269)

Miracle 4. The Jew and the Christian (BHG 1260)

Summary:

A Jewish merchant from Alexandria entrusts a Christian friend with a sealed purse of money, asking him to keep it safe while he is away on a journey. When he returns, the Christian refuses to return the money, pretending that he never received it. The Jew proposes to go to the church of Menas and take oaths. Assuming that the oath cannot harm him, since his conflict is with a Jew, the Christian accepts. They both pray and, against the Jew’s hopes, nothing happens to the Christian. On their way back, the Christian falls off his horse, and loses the keys of his safe, but is left unharmed, which makes him happy, as he assumes this to be a modest consequence for his perjury. They arrive in Loxoneta and stop to buy food. While the Jew despairs, suddenly the Christian’s slave appears, carrying the Jew’s purse and the Christian’s keys. He reports that a great soldier on horseback visited the Christian’s wife, gave her the key and instructed her to send the Jew’s money to her husband, because he was being tormented by the saint. The Jew receives the purse and rejoices, declaring the greatness of the Christian faith. He offers one third of the money (1000 pieces of gold) to Menas’ shrine and is baptised. The Christian offers half of his fortune to the shrine, and spends the rest of his life there as a penitent.

Text: Pomialovskii 1900.
Summary: E. Rizos.