The Departure of St . Peter Elrahawy, Bishop of Gaza .

This day marks the departure of St . Peter Elrahawy (the Iberian), Bishop of Gaza . He was bornin the year 409 A .D . in the City of Raha (Edessa)1 to a noble family . When he was twenty yearsold, his parents gave him to the Emperor Theodosius II, to be one of his attendants . But becausehe had forsaken the world and its glories, he practiced asceticism and worship while living in theking's palace . He had parts of the relics of the holy martyrs of Persia with him .Abba Peter left the royal court and became a monk in a monastery . He fought a great spiritualfight . Shortly after, they ordained him Bishop of Gaza and its surroundings, against his will . It wassaid that when he celebrated his first Liturgy, blood flowed from the Holy Body and filled thePaten .Abba Peter took the body of St . James, the mangled2, and relocated it to a monastery in the cityof Raha . When Marcian the Chalcedonian Emperor, started persecuting the Orthodox Bishops,Abba Peter took the body of St . James and came to Egypt where he dwelt in a monastery in El-Bahnasa . There he met the holy man Abba Isaiah the Egyptian .After the end of Emperor Marcian's reign, Abba Peter went back to the land of Palestine and wenton confirming the believers .One day while he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, a few of the people present in the churchwere conversing about earthly matters and were distracted from listening to the prayers . Theangel of the Lord appeared to him and reproached him because he did not admonish those whowere talking in the church .Emperor Zeno heard of him and longed to see him, but was not able to do so because Abba Peterdid not like the glory of this world . Abba Peter went to the area between Jerusalem and Damascusin Palestine, called Gaur3 .1El-Raha or Urfa is an ancient city in modern Iraq . It is said that it was Ur of the Chaldees, home of Ibraham .2His martyrdom is on the 27th day of Hatour (P . 171) .3Designation of that part of the Syrian Groben which constitutes the Jordan valley .116On the feast day of St . Peter4, 17th Pope of Alexandria, Abba Peter celebrated the Divine Liturgyduring which St . Peter appeared and told him, "Christ the Lord is calling you to be with us ." AbbaPeter called the people and commanded them to be firm in their Orthodox Faith, then he stretchedout his hand and delivered up his soul in the hands of the Lord .His prayers be with us . Amen