Romans 1.7-12 (رساله)

۷به همۀ آنان که در روم، محبوب خدایند و فرا خوانده شده‌اند تا از مقدسین باشند: فیض و سلامتی از جانب خدا، پدر ما، و خداوندْ عیسی مسیح، بر شما باد. ۸پیش از هر چیز، خدای خود را به واسطۀ عیسی مسیح، به‌خاطر همۀ شما شکر می‌گزارم زیرا آوازۀ ایمان شما در همۀ عالم پیچیده است. ۹خدایی که او را با تمام قلبم در کار انجیل پسرش خدمت می‌کنم، بر من شاهد است که چگونه پیوسته در دعاهایم شما را در همۀ اوقات یاد می‌کنم ۱۰و استدعا می‌نمایم که اگر خدا بخواهد سرانجام به نحوی به دیدار شما نایل شوم. ۱۱زیرا مشتاق دیدارتان هستم تا عطایی روحانی به شما برسانم که موجب استواری‌تان گردد؛ ۱۲یعنی تا من و شما هر دو از ایمان یکدیگر دلگرم شویم.

متی ۵.۴۲-۴۸ (انجیل)

۴۲اگر کسی از تو چیزی بخواهد، به او بده و از کسی که از تو قرض خواهد، روی مگردان. ۴۳«شنیده‌اید که گفته شده، ”همسایه‌ات را محبت نما و با دشمنت دشمنی کن.“ ۴۴امّا من به شما می‌گویم دشمنان خود را محبت نمایید و برای آنان که به شما آزار می‌رسانند، دعای خیر کنید، ۴۵تا پدر خود را که در آسمان است، فرزندان باشید. زیرا او آفتاب خود را بر بدان و نیکان می‌تاباند و باران خود را بر پارسایان و بدکاران می‌باراند. ۴۶اگر تنها آنان را محبت کنید که شما را محبت می‌کنند، چه پاداشی خواهید داشت؟ آیا حتی خَراجگیران چنین نمی‌کنند؟ ۴۷و اگر تنها برادران خود را سلام گویید، چه برتری بر دیگران دارید؟ مگر حتی اقوام بت‌پرست چنین نمی‌کنند؟ ۴۸پس شما کامل باشید چنانکه پدر آسمانی شما کامل است.

کشیش‌شهید تیموتائوس، اسقف پروسا

“For his great spiritual purity, God gave him the gift of wonderworking, and he healed all manner of diseases and pains among the people. During the reign of the evil Emperor Julian, who had renounced Christ, holy Timothy was thrown into prison. The faithful visited him there to listen to the wise teaching of their bishop. When this came to the Emperor’s ears, he commanded that the executioner behead the Saint in the prison. This was in 362, and his soul entered into Paradise while his relics remained, full of miraculous power, to help the people and declare the power of the Lord.” (Prologue [adapted])

شهیدان مقدس الکساندر و آنتونینا (۳۱۳)

In Alexandria, the virgin Antonina was brought before Festus, the Governor, tortured for her faith in Christ, then thrown into prison. A Christian soldier named Alexander, who had never before seen or heard of Antonina, was commanded by an angel of God to go to her. Finding her, he gave her his military cloak, wrapping it about her head and body; and thus, with her head lowered, she was able to walk out of the prison while Alexander remained in her place. Alexander was brought before Festus, where he too confessed his faith in Christ. Antonina, learning of this, voluntarily came before the judge, who put both of them to hideous tortures, mutilating them in many ways before having them cast into a fire and burned alive.

A slightly different account says that Festus placed Antonina under guard in a brothel rather than a prison, so that her virginity might be defiled, and that it was from there that Alexander rescued her.

Festus, the Governor, was struck mute at the time of the holy martyrs’ death, and was tormented by an evil spirit for seven days, at the end of which he died.

کشیش‌شهید متروفانس, اول چینی کشیش, و چینی جدید شهیدان مشت‌زن قیام (۱۹۰۰)

“The Holy Martyrs of China were native Chinese Orthodox Christians brought up in piety at the Russian Orthodox Mission in Peking, which had been founded in 1685. During the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 against the foreign powers occupying China, native Chinese Christians were commanded by the Boxers to renounce Christianity or be tortured to death. Two hundred and twenty-two members of the Peking Mission, led by their priest Metrophanes Tsi-Chung and his family, refused to deny Christ, and were deemed worthy of a martyric death.” ( Great Horologion)