THE LIFE OF PETER, THE MONK OF PONTUS
Again, the fathers of the same place told us that there had been a priest there whose name was Peter, a native of Pontus, who did many great and wondrous deeds. Theodore, who became Bishop of Rossos, told us something about this elder: One day, he came up to me at the Jordan, in the Pyrgia Lavra where I was staying, and said to me, "Brother Theodore, of your charity, come up into Mount Sinai with me, for I have a prayer to offer." Not wishing to deny him, I replied, "Let us go."
When we had crossed the holy Jordan, the elder said to me, "Brother Theodore, let us offer this as an act of penitence: that neither of us will eat anything until we come to Mount Sinai." I confessed to him, "Truly, father, that is more than I am capable of," so the elder made his own resolution and ate nothing until we arrived at Sinai.
At Sinai, he partook of the holy mysteries and then ate some food. In the same way, from Sinai to Saint Menas at Alexandria, he ate no food. There too, he received holy communion and then ate. From Saint Menas, we went to the Holy City, and he tasted nothing whatsoever along the way. He made his communion at the Church of the Holy Resurrection of Christ our God and then took some food. In all that long journeying, the elder only ate three times: once at Mount Sinai, once at Saint Menas, and once in the Holy City.