“The Zealots glued our books together!”

Greek source: Sacred Memories, Metropolitan Petros of Astoria, Athens, 2010, pp. 24-26.

 

 

My elder, Elder Nikodemos, was also an excellent cook. Every year, on July 5, the feast of St. Athanasios, the trustees of the Great Lavra would invite him to prepare the meals for the monastery’s pilgrims.

Among the trustees in those days were Elder Spyridon Kampanaos, a physician; Elder Epiphanios; Elder Gerasimos; Elder Ioakeim; Elder Pavlidis, also a physician; Elder Ambrosios, who is still living today; Papa-Nikandros; and other venerable fathers who held my elder in high esteem, even though he was a Zealot.

In those days, a Zealot was a scapegoat. There were approximately three hundred Zealot monks. Most of them lived in the sketes and remote wilderness regions of Mount Athos, while some resided within the monasteries themselves. They were strict in their observance of ecclesiastical tradition, refusing to accept the commemoration of the Patriarch and declining to attend divine services in monasteries where he was commemorated. For the same reason, they would not even kiss the hands of the abbots or trustees.

In retaliation, the monastery authorities refused to recognize them, would not enter their names in the monastic registers, and would not include them in the homologa [monastic cell deeds]. Many young monks preferred to serve in the military and temporarily lay aside their monastic habits rather than make a prostration before those who commemorated the Patriarch.

The same situation continues to this day, although the Zealot monks have achieved a great victory. Recently, the Monastery of Esphigmenou joined their ranks and raised black flags outside its gates bearing the words, “Orthodoxy or Death.”

One year, the fathers of the Great Lavra decided to enlighten the Zealots by publishing a book. The task of writing it was undertaken by an educated monk, Gerasimos Menagias. The book was circulated throughout Mount Athos.

That year, they did not invite Elder Nikodemos to cook, since he was a Zealot and his presence would cause scandal among the fathers, both Zealots and non-Zealots alike.

Elder Nikodemos took this very hard. He waited until the feast of St. Athanasios had passed and then went to the monastery to find out why.

His fellow countryman, Elder Epiphanios, intercepted him at the monastery pavilion. “Elder Nikodemos, the Zealots have glued all our books together! The Zealots, my brother, your own people, have glued all our books together!”

He then explained that the ascetics of the wilderness had gathered as many copies of the book as they could, glued them together one by one with fish glue, made them into a bundle, and, at dawn, before sunrise, hung the bundle outside the monastery gate.

When the gatekeeper opened the gate, he found the bundle. Without opening it, he took it to the monastery’s council chamber. The wooden semantron was sounded to summon the elders, and the trustees assembled. There they heard the physician Spyridon Kampanaos explain: “Holy brethren, the Zealots have glued our books together!”

The fathers of the Great Lavra gave a bitter laugh, and realizing that they were kicking against the goads and that the Zealots would not change their convictions, they relaxed the strict measures they had imposed upon them.