Synaxarium
Daily Stories of the Saints
for the Blessed Month of Baramhat
The Sixth Day of the Blessed Month of Baramhat
Baramhat 6
Martyrdom of St.Dioscorus
On this day, St. Dioscorus
was martyred at the time of the Arabs. He was from Alexandria, and was
brought up as Christian but for unexplained reason he left the faith of
his fathers and adopted the faith of the Arabs. He had a married sister
in the city of Fayyum. When she knew what her brother did, she sent a letter
to him saying: "I would have preferred that the news had come to me telling
me that you had died a Christian, and I would have rejoiced, than that
the news that reached me, that you are not dead, and you have abandoned
the Faith of Christ your God." At the end she said: "Know that this letter
marks the end of the relation between you and me. From this time on do
not show me your face and do not write me." When he had read his sister's
letter, he wept bitterly, and he smote his face and tore his beard. Then
he rose in haste and girded up his loins, prayed entreating God fervently
and made the sign of the cross over himself. He went out of his house and
wandered about in the city. When the Muslims saw him in this condition,
they brought him to the Governor who asked him: "You have left Christianity
and joined our religion, so what happened to you?" He replied saying "I
have been born Christian, and I shall die Christian, and I do not know
except this." The Governor threatened him, beat him and inflicted great
pain upon him and when he did not change his opinion, he shut him up in
prison. The Governor sent to the Khalifa of Egypt presenting his case to
him. The Khalifa ordered the governor to offer him leaving the faith of
the Christians and entering the faith of the Khalifa, if he obeyed to give
him much money and to reward him, otherwise to burn him. The Governor brought
him out of jail and asked him to deny his faith but he refused saying:
"I told you before that I have been born Christian, and I shall die Christian."
He ordered him to be burnt. They dug a large pit outside the city, and
they filled it with wood and they set fire in it. When the flames of the
fire mounted up to a great height, they casted him in the pit after they
had beaten him sorely and gashed his body with knives. He received the
crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of heaven.
May His prayers be with us all. Amen.
Departure of St.Theodotus, the Bishop
On this day also is the
commemoration of the departure of St. Theodsius the confessor, Bishop of
Corinth which on the island of Cyprus. Julius, the Governor of this island,
who had been appointed by Diocletian, had him brought before him. He demanded
from him to deny the Lord Christ and to raise incense to the idols. When
he did not obey his orders, he removed off the Saint's garments and lashed
him painfully with whips made of buffalo hide, hanged him from his arms,
and combed his body with steel combs inflicting him with gashes all over
his body. Then they tied to his legs long iron bands, and dragged him to
prison. He remained in prison until God perished Diocletian and Constantine
the righteous Emperor reigned, who released him among all those who had
been jailed for the sake of faith. St.Theodsius returned to his Episcopal
Seat, and tended his flock, that he was entrusted with, well until he departed
in peace.
May his intercession be with us and Glory be to God for ever. Amen.