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| Righteous Joshua the Son of Nun (Feast Day - September 1) |
Verses
Of old he hastened to make the sun stand still,
Joshua then departed, beholding the sun of glory.
Joshua then departed, beholding the sun of glory.
The son of Nun became the successor of the Prophet Moses, the Lawgiver of the Jews. He defeated Jericho,* the city of another race, and beheld the Archangel Michael, who was holding a sword in his hand. At this he threw down his weapons, and fell at his feet. In a battle with the Gibeonites who were of another race, when he saw that the sun was about to set, and wanting to continue the battle, he supplicated God and said: "Sun, stand still over Gibeon" (Josh. 10:12), that is, let the sun stand still over the city of Gibeon. And - O the miracle! - immediately the sun stood still in its course, until he mightily defeated those of another race. Having led the people of Israel across the desert, and distributing among them the land of promise, namely Palestine and Jerusalem, he became feared by his enemies who were of other races, showing his bravery and virtue through many and various battles, over the course of twenty-seven entire years. Having shown himself to be a leader and governor of the Israelite people venerably and righteously, he died, and was honorably buried by the same Israelite people. All these things are narrated in a separate Book dedicated to Joshua of Nun. He lived one thousand four hundred and forty-two years before the birth of Christ.
Notes:
* It should be noted that the trumpets which the priests blew and caused the walls of the city of Jericho to fall during the Battle of Jericho under Joshua, were brought to Constantinople by Emperor Justinian and placed in Hagia Sophia.
