Romans 2.14-29 (رساله)

۱۴براستی، وقتی غیریهودیان که شریعت ندارند، اصول شریعت را بنا به طبیعت به جا می‌آورند، آنان هرچند فاقد شریعتند، لیکن خود برای خویشتن شریعتی هستند. ۱۵زیرا نشان می‌دهند که عملِ شریعت بر دلشان نگاشته شده است، چنانکه وجدانشان گواهی می‌دهد و افکارشان در برابر هم، یا آنان را متهم می‌کند یا تبرئه می‌نماید. ۱۶این در روزی به وقوع خواهد پیوست که خدا بنا بر انجیلی که من اعلام می‌کنم، رازهای نهان انسانها را به توسط عیسی مسیح به محاکمه کشد. ۱۷حال، تو که خود را یهودی می‌خوانی و به شریعت تکیه داری و به رابطه‌ات با خدا فخر می‌کنی، ۱۸تو که ارادۀ او را می‌دانی و چون از شریعت تعلیم یافته‌ای، بهترینها را برمی‌گزینی، ۱۹و اطمینان داری که راهنمای کوران و نور ظلمت‌نشینانی، ۲۰تو که به سبب برخورداری از شریعت که تبلور معرفت و حقیقت است، مربی جاهلان و آموزگار کودکانی، ۲۱تو که دیگران را تعلیم می‌دهی، آیا خود را نمی‌آموزانی؟ تو که بر ضد دزدی موعظه می‌کنی، آیا خودْ دزدی می‌کنی؟ ۲۲تو که می‌گویی نباید زنا کرد، آیا خودْ زنا می‌کنی؟ تو که از بتها نفرت داری، آیا خودْ معبدها را غارت می‌کنی؟ ۲۳تو که به داشتن شریعت فخر می‌فروشی، آیا با زیر پا گذاشتنِ آن به خدا بی‌حرمتی می‌کنی؟ ۲۴چنانکه نوشته شده است: «به سبب شما، نام خدا را در میان قومها کفر می‌گویند.» ۲۵ختنه آنگاه ارزش دارد که شریعت را به جا آورید، امّا اگر آن را زیر پا بگذارید، مانند این است که ختنه نشده باشید. ۲۶و اگر آنان که ختنه نشده‌اند، مطالبات شریعت را به جا آورند، آیا ختنه‌شده به شمار نمی‌آیند؟ ۲۷آن که در جسم ختنه نشده، امّا شریعت را نگاه می‌دارد، تو را محکوم خواهد کرد، تو را که با وجود برخورداری از احکام نوشته شده و ختنه، شریعت را زیر پا می‌گذاری. ۲۸زیرا یهودی راستین آن نیست که به ظاهر یهودی باشد، و ختنۀ واقعی نیز امری جسمانی و ظاهری نیست. ۲۹بلکه یهودی آن است که در باطن یهودی باشد و ختنه نیز امری است قلبی که به دست روح انجام می‌شود، نه به واسطۀ آنچه نوشته‌ای بیش نیست. چنین کسی را خدا تحسین می‌کند، نه انسان.

متی ۵.۳۳-۴۱ (انجیل)

۳۳«و باز شنیده‌اید که به پیشینیان گفته شده، ”سوگند دروغ مخور، بلکه به سوگندهای خود به خداوند وفا کن.“ ۳۴امّا من به شما می‌گویم، هرگز سوگند مخورید، نه به آسمان، زیرا که تخت پادشاهی خداست، ۳۵و نه به زمین، چون کرسی زیر پای اوست، و نه به اورشلیم، زیرا که شهر آن پادشاه بزرگ است. ۳۶و به سر خود نیز سوگند مخور، زیرا حتی مویی را سفید یا سیاه نمی‌توانی کرد. ۳۷پس ’بلهِ‘ شما همان ’بله‘ باشد و ’نهِ‘ شما ’نه‘، زیرا افزون بر این، شیطانی است. ۳۸«نیز شنیده‌اید که گفته شده، ”چشم به عوض چشم و دندان به عوض دندان.“ ۳۹امّا من به شما می‌گویم، در برابر شخص شریر ایستادگی نکنید. اگر کسی به گونۀ راست تو سیلی زند، گونۀ دیگر را نیز به سوی او بگردان. ۴۰و هر گاه کسی بخواهد تو را به محکمه کشیده، قبایت را از تو بگیرد، عبایت را نیز به او واگذار. ۴۱اگر کسی مجبورت کند یک میل با او بروی، دو میل همراهش برو.

کشیش‌شهید تراپون؛ انتقال ذخایر قدیس نیلوس استولبنسک (۲۵۹)

For boldly preaching Christ and bringing many to the Faith, he was seized and tortured by the pagans. After imprisoning and starving him, his persecutors bound him to four posts and flogged him until the flesh was stripped from his bones. But he remained alive, and the four dead posts to which he was tied sprouted into tall, green trees, from which many received healing. At last St Therapon was slain by the sword, during the reign of the Emperor Valerian.

شهیدان مقدس تئودورا و دیدیموس (۳۰۴)

“In the reign of the wicked Emperor Maximilian, there lived in Alexandria a maiden, Theodora, well-educated and of noble lineage. She was brought to trial before the pagans for her Christian faith. After long interrogation and torture for the Faith, the prince, her tormentor, ordered that she be thrown into a brothel and the soldiers given free access to her to indulge their carnal lusts. Theodora prayed fervently to God to save her from defilement, and, when she had prayed, a soldier called Didymus came in to her and told her that he was a servant of Christ. He dressed her in his soldier’s garb and himself in her dress, then let her out and remained in the brothel himself. He was seized and brought before the judge, where he acknowledged that he was a Christian and had saved Theodora, and was now prepared to die for Christ. He was condemned to death and taken out to the place of execution. Theodora ran up to him there and cried out: ‘Although you saved my honour, I did not ask you to save me from death. Yield the martyr’s death to me!’ Didymus replied: ‘My beloved sister, do not hinder my death for Christ, nor the washing of my sins in my blood.’ Hearing this exchange, the pagans condemned them both to death, and they were beheaded and their bodies burned. They suffered with honour and received eternal wreaths of glory in Alexandria in the year 304.” (Prologue)

مقدس جدید معترف یوحنا روسی (۱۷۳۰)

He was captured during a Russian campaign against the Turks in 1711, and sold into slavery in Asia Minor. As a slave he strove to serve God faithfully, while serving his earthly master in everything honorable. Despite many enticements offered by the Muslims to renounce his faith, he remained steadfast, and was permitted to work miracles through his prayers. He reposed in peace in 1730. His relics remained incorrupt.

قدیس داوود گارسجی (سده ۶)

“This David is one of the thirteen Georgian Fathers (May 7). He is thus named for the Garajeli desert near Tiflis, where he lived the ascetic life. In old age, David decided to visit the Holy Land with several of his disciples. He left the direction of the monastery to two elders, Lucian and Dodo, and set out on the way. When they came to a hill from which Jerusalem was visible, David burst into tears and said: ‘How can I dare to walk in the steps of God incarnate with these sinful feet?’, and he told his disciples to go and worship at the holy places, but he himself took up three stones and set off to return. But the Lord did not let such humility remain hidden from the world, and an angel appeared to Elias, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, and said to him: ‘Send at once for the elder who is even now returning to Syria; he has taken with him three stones, and is carrying with him all the Holy Land’s grace. One stone is a sufficient blessing for him; let him return the other two to Jerusalem. He is called Abba David of Garesjei.’ The Patriarch quickly sent men off to overtake the elder. They took two stones from him, and let him go on his way. The third stone lies on his grave to this day, and possesses miraculous healing power.” (Prologue)

قابل احترام بید (بِدا) (۷۳۵)

He spent almost his entire life as a monk in England, and is known primarily for his many writings. He entered the monastery at Wearmouth at the age of seven, and later moved (perhaps as one of the founders) to the monastery of Jarrow, where he spent the remainder of his life. He was ordained to the priesthood in his thirtieth year. In addition to many works of biblical exegesis, very popular in the middle ages, he compiled the Ecclesiastical History, still the primary source for the history of Christianity’s establishment in the British isles. He reposed in peace.

A problem: Bede lived during the time of the undivided Church, but was only canonized, in the west, in 1899, centuries after the Great Schism. Presumably, then, he has never been formally glorified by the Orthodox Church. Is he a Saint of the Church? We leave the answer to wiser heads.