Baradates

Venerable Baradates (Varadat) was a hermit in the diocese of Cyrrhus in Syria, in the fourth and fifth centuries, and died around 460. Theodoret, his bishop, called him "the admirable Baradates". The Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church commemorate him on 22 February. Theodoret of Cyrrhus writes of him in chapter twenty-⁠seven of the History of the Lovers of God.

At first he chose the way of the hermit and settled in a small cell. After a time he moved to a nearby crag and made himself of wood a small hut, ill-⁠fitted to his body, in which he spent his life constantly bent over, because it was lower than his height. The hut was of boards, but the boards did not lie close together; between them were wide gaps, so that it looked like a wooden cage with broad openings for light. For this reason Baradates was protected neither from rain, nor snow, nor wind, nor sunlight, but patiently bore all changes of weather like those ascetics who live under the open sky, surpassing them however by his hard confinement in a small wooden box. He lived a long time in the box and left it only at the urging of Archbishop Theodotus of Antioch.

After this he began to struggle standing. He stood with his hands constantly raised to heaven and unceasingly glorified God. His whole body was covered with a leather tunic, leaving only a small opening for breathing near the nose and mouth. Baradates bore all this although he had neither a strong body nor good health; his organism had before been prone to many illnesses.

He had a prudent mind and gave beautiful answers to all questions of those who came to him. In theological matters he enjoyed great respect. On a letter of an emperor asking his help, the sources do not agree: the Russian source says that in 434 the emperor Theodosius wrote to Simeon the Stylite, to Baradates and to James the Hermit, asking them to persuade Bishop Theodoret of Cyrrhus to accept the agreement between Archbishop John I of Antioch and Archbishop Cyril of Alexandria. The English source says that the emperor Leo wrote to him asking his advice regarding the Council of Chalcedon.