Theodore of Sykeon: The Life by George and Encomium by Nicephorus the Treasurer

Theodore of Sykeon is one of the archetypal holy men of the late Roman world, a person whose intense ascetic regime earned him fame in the villages and cities of his Galatian homeland, where he was called upon to work a variety of miracles – cures for various ailments, prevention of natural disasters, and the exorcism of unclean spirits both from individuals and groups. His reputation for holiness led to appointment as bishop of Anastasiopolis, a responsibility he did not enjoy since its administrative commitments compromised his ascetic regime and conflicted with his sense of social justice. The location of his village on the main highway across Anatolia ensured that his fame was soon translated into contacts with travelling dignitaries, and this brought him to the attention of successive emperors and patriarchs of Constantinople. He made three trips to the Holy Land and visited the capital three times, where he met the emperors Maurice, Phocas, and Heraclius as well as the patriarchs Cyriacus, Thomas, and Sergius. Theodore’s disciple George, a future leader of the Sykeon monasteries, began composing this Life shortly after Theodore’s death in 613. Soon thereafter, his body was removed to Constantinople as a talisman, an event celebrated by Nicholas the Treasurer.