Paul the Physician

Holy Venerable Paul the Physician was a Corinthian by birth. After his studies he withdrew to a monastery and became a monk. He had a great struggle with thoughts of fornication. A prostitute said she had borne a child by him. Then the heretics pulled him out of the monastery, put the child in his arms and led him around the city for people to spit at him; the child was only a few days old. Saint Paul prayed to God and said to the people: "Let the child itself say who its father is." According to Christian tradition, the child stretched out its hand from its swaddling clothes, pointed to a blacksmith and said: "This is my father, not Paul the monk." After that Paul returned to the monastery. Christians believe that Paul had from God the gift that when he laid his hands on a sick person, the sick person was healed. He lived in the eighth century. The Church commemorates him on 28 June by the old calendar (11 July by the new).