Do you know any odd Christians? People with hearts of gold, who would never harm anyone… but who are also just plain ODD…. Well, Daniel the Stylite should be their patron saint. Perhaps he is the proof that God can bless and use any one of us – no matter how batty some of our ideas may be.
Daniel was born in Mesopotamia in 409 into a devout Christian family. He seems to have been an intense sort of child – when he was only 12 he became a monk. Some years later Daniel visited Antioch, and saw the famed Simeon Stylites, the wild, hairy monk who lived his life perched high on top of a pillar, dropping his fleas and lice on the people below.
Most of us would have walked on by, but in that moment Daniel’s vocation was born. He climbed a ladder in order to talk to Simeon, and soon after that set out on pilgrimage. At Constantinople he came across a disused temple, reputedly inhabited by devils.
Again, most of us would have walked on by, but Daniel moved straight in. He bolted the door, and stayed inside for the next nine years. Local people fed him through a small window. Braving hideous noises and fighting violent apparitions occupied a lot of Daniel’s time – perhaps it was like having a fifth century play-station?
Simeon Stylites died in 459, and left Daniel his lice-infested cloak – which inspired him further. With the help of some local admirers, Daniel came out of his temple and set himself up on a pillar just outside the city. Kirstie Allsopp of TV’s Location, Location, Location would have approved of the view over the Bosphorus, but not the amenities. When Daniel nearly froze to death one night, the Emperor was so worried that he built Daniel a new, more spacious home: TWO pillars close together, with a little shelter on top.
Daniel spent the next 33 years on top of his double pillars. People came to him with their problems, and he comforted and advised them. He preached every afternoon, on the love of God. He urged people to show hospitality to each other. He prayed for people. People loved him for it, and God blessed him, even though he did live on top of a pillar. When he eventually died up there, his hair was four cubits long, and he had sat so long with his knees up to his chest that his bones cracked when they straightened the body.
So next time you meet a good-hearted but eccentric Christian, take comfort – they could be far worse!
Daniel the Stylite 409-93 [11th December]