The
surviving text according to St Matthew Gospel
begins with line nine of chapter seven, and the
surviving text of the Gospel according to St
John ends with line 22 of chapter 15.
Regrettable though as this
is, we must be thankful that through the
devotion of the villagers a treasure has
survived. No one knows when or how this precious
book came into the possession of the church of
St Luke in Eptakomi. What however is certain is
that throughout the ages the people of that
village have cherished it, as a mother cherishes
the child who is the apple of her eye.
EPTAKOMI'S GOSPEL
For centuries the Holy Book was thought to have
miraculous powers and was taken round the
village to relieve or heal the sick, and to help
women in labour. Rumour spread that The Holy
Book could not be burnt and unfortunately this
view was tested by sceptics who scorched the
edges of some pages, but were unable to set the
book alight. Generation after generation took
pride in having this book in their care,
believing that it ensured Gods special
protection of Eptakomi from all evil and harm.
In Eptakomi there was a priest, Father Basilios,
who served the village faithfully. I became his
deacon after my ordination in 1962 and
eventually became his successor. We worked
together very happily and as he grew old and
lost his sight, I was able to support him at a
time when his beard was white and he was too
feeble to walk to church. He was a remarkable
storyteller , he was interviewed by Cyprus Radio
some years before his death and his tails were
of great interest. Among them was a story he had
heard from his father Hadji- Georgi. It is a
true story and I record it for you here.
"Towards the end of the 18th century,
Archbishop Sophronios came to Eptakomi to hold
the Liturgy and talk with the villagers. They
gave him a warm welcome and after the service
showed him the Holy Book. The Archbishop was
amazed that they had such a precious heritage
and had no idea of its financial value. They
revered it for its beauty and miraculous powers
and had never thought of it in terms of money.
The archbishop told them it was of great value
and advised to stop taking it to sick beds, for
the pages were fragile and might suffer damage.
"We must have this book examined and valued by
experts in Nicosia, they know all about such
things.
