افسسیان ۱.۱-۹ (رساله)

۱از پولس که به خواست خدا رسول مسیحْ عیسی است، به مقدسینِ ساکن در شهر اَفِسُس، به آنان که در مسیحْ عیسی وفادارند: ۲فیض و سلامتی از سوی خدا، پدر ما، و خداوندْ عیسی مسیح، بر شما باد. ۳متبارک باد خدا و پدر خداوند ما عیسی مسیح، که ما را در مسیح به هر برکت روحانی در جایهای آسمانی مبارک ساخته است. ۴زیرا پیش از آفرینش جهان، ما را در وی برگزید تا در حضورش مقدّس و بی‌عیب باشیم. و در محبت، ۵بنا بر قصد نیکوی ارادۀ خود، ما را از پیش تعیین کرد تا به واسطۀ عیسی مسیح از مقام پسرخواندگی او برخوردار شویم؛ ۶تا بدین وسیله فیض پرجلال او ستوده شود، فیضی که در آن محبوب به‌رایگان به ما بخشیده شده است. ۷در او، ما به واسطۀ خون وی رهایی یافته‌ایم، که این همان آمرزش گناهان است، که آن را به اندازۀ غنای فیض خود، ۸همراه با حکمت و فهم کامل، به‌فراوانی به ما بخشیده است. ۹او راز ارادۀ خود را به ما شناسانید، بنا بر قصد نیکوی خود که در مسیح نمایان ساخت

لوقا ۷.۱۷-۳۰ (انجیل)

۱۷خبر این کار عیسی در تمام یهودیه و نواحی اطراف منتشر شد. ۱۸شاگردان یحیی او را از همۀ این وقایع آگاه ساختند. پس او دو تن از آنان را فرا خواند ۱۹و با این پیغام نزد عیسی فرستاد: «آیا تو همانی که می‌بایست بیاید، یا منتظر دیگری باشیم؟» ۲۰آن دو نزد عیسی آمده، گفتند: «یحیای تعمیددهنده ما را فرستاده تا از تو بپرسیم آیا تو همانی که می‌بایست بیاید، یا منتظر دیگری باشیم؟» ۲۱در همان ساعت، عیسی بسیاری را از بیماریها و دردها و ارواح پلید شفا داد و نابینایان بسیار را بینایی بخشید. ۲۲پس در پاسخ آن فرستادگان فرمود: «بروید و آنچه دیده و شنیده‌اید به یحیی بازگویید، که کوران بینا می‌شوند، لنگان راه می‌روند، جذامیان پاک می‌گردند، کران شنوا می‌شوند، مردگان زنده می‌گردند و به فقیران بشارت داده می‌شود. ۲۳خوشا به حال کسی که به سبب من نلغزد.» ۲۴چون فرستادگان یحیی رفتند، عیسی دربارۀ او سخن آغاز کرد و به جماعت گفت: «برای دیدن چه چیز به بیابان رفته بودید؟ برای دیدن نی‌ای که از باد در جنبش است؟ ۲۵برای دیدن چه چیز رفتید؟ مردی که جامه‌ای لطیف در بر دارد؟ آنان که جامه‌های فاخر می‌پوشند و در تجمّل زندگی می‌کنند، در قصرهای پادشاهانند. ۲۶پس برای دیدن چه رفته بودید؟ برای دیدن پیامبری؟ آری، به شما می‌گویم کسی که از پیامبر نیز برتر است. ۲۷او همان است که درباره‌اش نوشته شده: «”اینک پیام‌آور خود را پیشاپیش تو می‌فرستم که راهت را پیش رویت مهیا خواهد کرد.“ ۲۸به شما می‌گویم که کسی بزرگتر از یحیی از مادر زاده نشده است؛ امّا کوچکترین در پادشاهی خدا، از او بزرگتر است.» ۲۹همۀ مردمانی که این سخنان را شنیدند، حتی خَراجگیران، تصدیق کردند که راه خدا حق است، زیرا به دست یحیی تعمید گرفته بودند. ۳۰امّا فَریسیان و فقیهان با امتناع از تعمید گرفتن به دست یحیی، ارادۀ خدا را برای خود رد کردند.

شهیدان سرگئی و باخوس در سوریه

“These holy and wonderful martyrs and heroes of the Christian faith were at first nobles at the court of the Emperor Maximian. The Emperor himself valued them greatly for their courage, wisdom and zeal, but, when he heard that these great nobles of his were Christians, his love for them turned to fury. And once, when there was a great offering of sacrifices to idols, the Emperor summoned Sergius and Bacchus to offer sacrifice together with him, and they openly refused to obey him in this. Beside himself with anger, the Emperor ordered that their robes, rings and marks of eminence be stripped from them and they be dressed in women’s clothing. He then put iron yokes on their necks and led them thus through the streets of Rome, to be mocked by each and all. The Emperor then sent them to Asia, to Antiochus the governor, for torture. Antiochus had achieved his distinguished rank with the help of Sergius and Bacchus, who had at one time recommended him to the Emperor. When Antiochus began to urge them to deny Christ and save themselves from dishonourable suffering and death, the two saints replied: ‘Both honour and dishonour, both life and death — all are one to him who seeks the heavenly Kingdom.’ Antiochus threw Sergius into prison and ordered that Bacchus be tortured first. The servants took turns beating holy Bacchus until his whole body was broken into fragments. His holy spirit went forth from his broken and bloodstained body and was borne to the Lord by angels. St Bacchus suffered in the town of Varvallis. Then holy Sergius was led out. Iron shoes studded with nails were put on his feet, and he was driven out into the Syrian town of Resapha, and there beheaded with the sword. His soul went to Paradise where, together with his friend Bacchus, he received the wreath of immortal glory from Christ his King and Lord. These two glorious knights suffered for the Christian faith in about 303.” (Prologue) The Great Horologion gives 296 as the date of their repose. One of the most beautiful churches in Constantinople, still standing, is dedicated to Sts Sergius and Bacchus.

کشیش‌شهید مقدس پولیخرونیوس (سده ۴)

The son of peasants, he was known from his childhood for his piety and asceticism. Once, by his prayers, a spring of water sprang up near his village, where it was needed for the town’s survival. When he came of age, Polychronius went to work in some vineyards near Constantinople. Even though he labored all day, he would eat only every two or three days. The master of the vineyard, seeing his strict and prayerful way of life, gave him a large sum of money and said ‘Man of God, go home and pray for me.’ With the money, Polychronius built a church, settled near it, and a few years later was ordained to be a priest in the church he had built. Polychronius appeared at the First Ecumenical Council in 325 as a fervent defender of Orthodoxy. Because of this, some Arian heretics determined to take revenge. One day, after the death of the Emperor Constantine, the Arians attacked Polychronius at the altar as he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, thus mingling his blood with the very blood of the Savior.

نود-نه پدران کرت (تاریخ نامعلوم)

Saint John the Hermit and thirty-five companions lived in Egypt, but took ship as a group for Cyprus in order to practice ascesis in exile. At Cyprus they met a party of thirty-nine others who also sought to live the ascetic life more fully, and the two groups joined. “In order that these ascetics, too, might taste of the graces of voluntary exile” (Synaxarion), they travelled to Attalia in Pamphylia. There, twenty-four more monks joined them, so that their company now numbered ninety-nine. (This number was ordained by God, so that Christ Himself, their Head, would complete their number at one hundred.) After some time they took ship again for Crete, where they lived in two caves in a remote, deserted area, living only on the plants that grew wild there.

Saint John sought his brothers’ blessing to live as a hermit. On the day of his departure they prayed that they all might repose on the day of John’s death, and enter together into the Kingdom of God. John’s asceticism was so severe that after awhile he could no longer walk, but crawled from his cave to gather the small quantities of food he allowed himself. A shepherd, seeing him from a distance, thought that he was some animal, and shot him with an arrow. Finding the dying John, the shepherd was stricken with horror and grief, and threw himself at the hermit’s feet, begging forgiveness. The saint only lived long enough to give the young man his pardon and blessing before surrendering his soul to God. The prayer of his ninety-eight brethren was mysteriously granted: between the third and seventh hour of that day, they all, one after another, fell asleep in peace.