اول قرنتیان ۱۶.۴-۱۲ (رساله)

۴اگر صلاح بر این باشد که خود نیز بروم، در این صورت آنان مرا همراهی خواهند کرد. ۵پس از گذر از مقدونیه نزد شما خواهم آمد، زیرا از مقدونیه خواهم گذشت. ۶شاید مدتی نزدتان بمانم، و یا حتی تمام زمستان را با شما بگذرانم، تا بتوانید مرا در سفرم به هر کجا که باشد، مدد رسانده، مشایعت کنید. ۷زیرا نمی‌خواهم اکنون به دیدارتان بیایم و تنها توقفی کوتاه نزد شما داشته باشم؛ بلکه امید دارم، اگر خداوند اجازه دهد، مدتی را با شما به سر برم. ۸امّا تا عید پِنتیکاست در اَفِسُس می‌مانم ۹زیرا دری بزرگ برای خدمت مؤثر به رویم گشوده شده، و مخالفان نیز بسیارند. ۱۰اگر تیموتائوس آمد، با او به گونه‌ای رفتار کنید که نزد شما از چیزی واهمه نداشته باشد. زیرا او نیز چون من به انجام کار خداوند مشغول است؛ ۱۱پس کسی به دیدۀ تحقیر در او ننگرد. او را به‌سلامتی راهی سفر کنید تا نزد من بازگردد؛ زیرا من و برادران منتظر اوییم. ۱۲و امّا در مورد برادر ما آپولس، او را بسیار ترغیب کردم که با سایر برادران نزد شما بیاید، امّا به هیچ روی رضا نداد که اکنون بیاید. امّا هر وقت فرصت داشت، خواهد آمد.

متی ۲۱.۲۸-۳۲ (انجیل)

۲۸«نظر شما چیست؟ مردی دو پسر داشت. نزد پسر نخست خود رفت و گفت: ”پسرم، امروز به تاکستان من برو و به کار مشغول شو.“ ۲۹پاسخ داد: ”نمی‌روم.“ امّا بعد تغییر عقیده داد و رفت. ۳۰پدر نزد پسر دیگر رفت و همان را به او گفت. پسر پاسخ داد: ”می‌روم، آقا،“ امّا نرفت. ۳۱کدام‌یک از آن دو پسر خواست پدر خود را به جا آورد؟» پاسخ دادند: «اوّلی.» عیسی به ایشان گفت: «آمین، به شما می‌گویم، خَراجگیران و فاحشه‌ها پیش از شما به پادشاهی خدا راه می‌یابند. ۳۲زیرا یحیی در طریق پارسایی نزد شما آمد امّا به او ایمان نیاوردید، ولی خَراجگیران و فاحشه‌ها ایمان آوردند. و شما با اینکه این را دیدید، تغییر عقیده ندادید و به او ایمان نیاوردید.

شهیدان آنیکلتوس و فوتیوس نیکومدیا (۳۰۵)

These holy martyrs suffered victoriously in the year 305 (Prologue) or 288 (Great Horologion), during the reign of Diocletian, who visited Nicomedia to stir up a persecution of Christians there. Anicetas, one of the city governors, presented himself before the Emperor, boldly confessed his Christian faith, and denounced the worship of the idols. Anicetas was subjected to a series of cruelties: his tongue was cut out, but he miraculously continued to speak; he was thrown to a lion, but it refused to attack him; then he was savagely beaten with rods until his bones showed through his wounds. His nephew Photius, seeing his endurance of all these trials, ran forward, embraced his uncle, and declared to the Emperor that he too was a Christian. The Emperor ordered that he be beheaded immediately, but the executioner, raising his sword, gave himself such a wound that he died instead. After many tortures, the two were put in prison for three years, then brought out and cast into a fiery furnace, where they died, though their bodies were brought out of the flames intact.

Saint Anicetas is counted as one of the Holy Unmercenaries.

کشیش‌شهید الکساندر, اسقف کومانا (سده ۳)

“He lived in the town of Comana near Neocaesarea as a simple charcoal-burner. When the Bishop of Comana died, St Gregory of Neocaesarea, the Wonderworker (Nov. 17), was invited to preside over the Council to choose a new bishop. At the Council there were both clergy and laymen. They were unable to come to agreement on one person, estimating the candidates they selected according to their outward worth and behaviour. St Gregory told them that they must not give so much weight to the outward impression as to the soul and the spiritual aptitude. Then some wag called out mockingly: ‘Then let’s choose Alexander the charcoal-burner as bishop!’, and there was general laughter. St Gregory asked who this Alexander was. Thinking that his name would not have come up before the Council except by the providence of God, he commanded that he be brought. Being a charcoal-burner, he was black with soot and in rags, and his appearance provoked further mirth in the Council. Then Gregory took him aside and asked him to tell the truth about himself. Alexander told him that he had been a Greek philosopher, enjoying great honour and position, but that he had set it all aside, demeaned himself and made himself as a fool for Christ from the time that he had read and understood the Holy Scriptures. Gregory commanded that he be bathed and clad in new clothes, then went into the Council with him and, before them all, began to examine him in the Scriptures. All were filled with amazement at the wisdom and grace of Alexander’s words, and were quite unable to recognize the former charcoal-burner in this wise man. With one voice, they chose him as bishop, and he received the love of his flock for his holiness, his wisdom and his goodness. He died a martyr for Christ under Diocletian.” (Prologue)