👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽A Patristic Homily on the Holy #Emperor #Caleb, Monk #King of #Ethiopia
Brethren beloved in Christ,
Let us this day lift up our hearts in reverence and awe as we behold the radiant life of the righteous Emperor Caleb, a crowned lion of Ethiopia and a humble monk in the house of the Lord. His memory, sealed in the sacred calendar on Ginbot 20, is a wellspring of instruction and inspiration, for his life was an offering first upon the throne, and then upon the altar of monastic renunciation.
I. The Fear of God and the Burning Zeal for the Faith
Caleb, though clad in royal garments and girded with the scepter of temporal might, feared God above all else and loved the Orthodox faith with an undivided heart. He did not treat his kingship as license for luxury but as a stewardship entrusted to him by the King of kings.
When news reached him that Christians were being slaughtered in Nagra their blood poured out like water, their cries rising as incense to heaven this noble king was seized not merely by sorrow but by holy jealousy, the same zeal which consumed the prophet Elijah and ignited the heart of Phinehas when the covenant was defiled.
He did not respond with political calculations, nor did he take counsel with flesh and blood. Instead, this great emperor hastened to the temple, as did righteous Hezekiah in days of old, and prostrated himself before the altar of the Most High.
II. The King’s Prayer — A Cry From the Depths
Lifted by the wings of faith, he lifted his eyes to heaven and poured out a prayer a golden censer of incense to the Almighty. Listen, O faithful, to the words of this royal intercessor:
"O God, my Creator, Lord of all creation, who formed all things visible and invisible..."
See how he begins not with his request but with adoration. He contemplates the invisible hosts—the myriads of angels, the cherubim adorned with many eyes, the seraphim with six wings, glorious and victorious, praising without ceasing. He invokes the God of gods and Lord of lords, who sent His Only-Begotten Son to bring back the straying sheep.
And then he turns his cry to the suffering of the faithful:
"Now, see how the apostate criminal Phinehas has killed the children of the church like sheep..."
He does not hesitate to name the wickedness of the enemies of God, yet he also does not exalt himself. In holy humility, he declares:
"If You reject my prayer because of my iniquity, it would be better if You killed me here."
What king speaks thus except he who has truly known the Lord? What man of power lays his soul bare in trembling humility unless his strength lies not in swords or armies but in the Spirit of God?
He concludes, not in despair but in trust:
"We are Your people and the flock of Your inheritance... Praise is Your treasure forever."
III. The Sword of Justice, the Triumph of the Righteous
The Lord who hears the cries of His saints did not delay. Empowered by divine strength, King Caleb rose from prayer and set out to battle. Not for conquest or for vainglory, but to defend the blood of the martyrs and the name of Christ.
He vanquished the apostate Jews who had defiled Nagra, and the Lord worked many miracles through him. He returned in triumph not boasting of his might, but glorifying God who had done wondrous things through His servant.
IV. The Greater Sacrifice — From Crown to Cave
But here, behold the greatest miracle of all: having conquered nations, Caleb turned to conquer himself.
What shall a man give to the Lord for all His goodness? Riches? Palaces? Decrees? No—this king said:
"What price shall I pay to God except to offer my soul and body?"
Despising the fleeting glories of this world, he left his throne and walked on foot, like the ancient fathers of the desert. He journeyed until he reached the monastery of Abba Panteleimon, where holy monks dwelt upon a mountain of silence.
Continues 👇🏽