CONCERNING THE SAME
This Dionysios, the priest, also told us this about the same man: One day, the elder was out walking in the environs of the Sochas estate, where his cave was located. As he walked along, he saw a large lion approaching in the opposite direction and getting very near. The path along which he was traveling was very narrow, with a hedge on either side; the kind of hedge that farmers use to fence their fields, planted with thorn bushes. The thorns made the path so narrow that it was only just possible for one person—provided he were not carrying anything—to walk through it, and a person passing through would certainly not do so unscathed.
As they drew nearer to each other, the elder and the lion, the elder would not turn back and yield the right of way to the lion, while the lion could not turn around because the passage was so narrow. It was impossible for them both to pass by. When the lion saw that the servant of God intended to go straight forward and that he would under no circumstances retrace his steps, it stood up on its rear paws. When it was upright, it leaned against the hedge to the left of the elder. With its weight and physical strength, it widened the passage a little, allowing the righteous man to continue his journey without interruption. Thus, the elder came through, brushing against the lion’s back. After he had passed by, the lion got down from the hedge and went its own way.
A brother visited Abba John and found nothing in the cave. He asked him, “How can you stay here, father, with no provision for your needs?” The elder replied, “This cave is a wrestling-ring; it is a matter of give and take.”