Saint Gerasimos and the lion that guarded a monastery donkey
What the video says
In the fifth century, the monk Gerasimos found a lion with a thorn in its paw by the Jordan River. He removed the thorn and bandaged the wound, and the lion stayed with him at the monastery, where the monks assigned it to guard their water-carrying donkey.
When the donkey was stolen by a camel driver, Gerasimos thought the lion had eaten it and made the lion do the donkey's work. Later the lion recognized the thief, roared, and brought back the donkey with three camels. After Gerasimos died, the lion lay on his grave, beat its head, roared, and died there.
Key moments
- 0:00 The speaker notes that a famous painting of Saint Jerome with a lion likely depicts a lion that belonged to the early Eastern monk Gerasimos, not Jerome.
- 0:31 Gerasimos encounters a lion in pain by the Jordan River, removes a thorn from its paw, bandages it, and the lion follows him to the monastery.
- 1:08 The monks give the lion the task of watching the donkey that carries their water.
- 1:41 A camel driver steals the donkey; Gerasimos believes the lion ate it and forces the lion to carry water as punishment.
- 1:41 The lion later sees the same camel driver, roars, frightens the men away, and leads the donkey back with three camels.
- 2:13 After Gerasimos dies, the lion searches the monastery, is led to the grave, lies on it, beats its head, roars, and dies there.
The post recounts the life of Saint Gerasimos, a fifth-century Eastern Orthodox monk who lived near the Jordan River. While walking by the river, he found a lion suffering from a thorn embedded in its paw. Gerasimos removed the thorn and bandaged the wound. The lion then followed him to his monastery and remained there.
The monks gave the lion the task of watching the donkey that carried water for the community. One day a camel driver stole the donkey. Gerasimos assumed the lion had eaten the animal and compelled the lion to perform the donkey's labor, carrying water jars. Some time later the lion spotted the same camel driver, roared, frightened the men away, and herded the donkey back to the monastery along with three camels.
When Gerasimos died, the lion searched the monastery until it was led to the grave. It lay down on the grave, beat its head against the ground, roared, and died there. A monk who visited the monastery recorded this narrative fourteen hundred years ago.
The Orthodox Church still commemorates Saint Gerasimos. The author also observes that well-known paintings showing Saint Jerome with a lion probably portray the lion that belonged to Gerasimos, not Jerome. The post ends with a question asking whether readers had previously heard of Saint Gerasimos.
Main points
- Fifth-century monk Gerasimos removed a thorn from a lion's paw by the Jordan River
- The lion stayed at the monastery and guarded the water-carrying donkey
- Gerasimos punished the lion when the donkey was stolen, thinking the lion ate it
- The lion later recovered the donkey and brought three camels
- After Gerasimos died, the lion lay on his grave and died there