Страдание святых чудотворцев и бессребреников Кира и Иоанна и святой мученицы Афанасии и трех дочерей ее Феоктисты, Феодотии и Евдоксии

The holy saint of God Cyrus was born and raised in the Egyptian country, in the city of Alexandria, built by Alexander the Great. According to his knowledge, he was a famous doctor and healed bodily illnesses completely free of charge, and with his divinely inspired speeches and the example of his virtuous life, he healed people’s mental illnesses. Coming to the sick, he expounded to them not the advice of Galen or Hippocrates 1072, but the instructions of the holy apostles and prophets on how to preserve oneself from sinful ailments that are the causes of bodily illnesses: mental illnesses are more serious illnesses compared to all illnesses of the body; when the soul suffers seriously from sins, it often happens that the body is also subjected to a serious illness, allowed by God as punishment for sins. Thus, teaching the sick, as well as preaching to them the Divine teaching, Saint Cyrus led many pagans to the knowledge of the true God and made them Christians, healing their souls and bodies with his wonderful art. At this time, the wicked king Diocletian reigned, instigating a persecution of Christians. Saint Cyrus, the famous Alexandrian physician, was accused before the governor of the city of being a Christian and instructing many in the Christian faith; the chief ordered to seize him immediately. Saint Cyrus, having learned about this, fled from the city and from the country of Egypt and came to Arabia. He did this not out of fear of torment or death for Christ, but partly - following the words of Christ: “when you are persecuted in one city, flee to another” (Matthew 10:23), partly out of a desire to continue helping his neighbors, and partly wanting to better prepare himself for suffering for his Lord in the monastic rank. In view of this, upon his arrival in Arabia, he immediately took on the monastic angelic form. His very arrival in Arabia took place according to God’s special providence, so that he would lead many there to Christ, deliver them from sinful service to idols and guide them on the path of salvation. He also left his medical art there, for he received from God the gift of miracles, and no longer with treatment and herbs, but with prayers and words, he healed all sorts of diseases. Through these miracles of his, the name of Christ was glorified and many idolaters, leaving their delusions, turned to Christ, the True God. At this time, Saint John, a pious Christian who had an honorary military rank, lived in Edessa 1073. When Diocletian's persecution of Christians began, he left his military rank and the glory of this world, his fatherland, home and relatives, his wealth - considering all this as vanity, and came to Jerusalem, where, after some time, he heard about Saint Cyrus and the miracles he performed, the fame of which spread everywhere. He had a strong desire to see Saint Cyrus and live with such a great saint of God. To do this, John went first of all to Alexandria, looking for Cyrus, but not finding him there, he diligently asked where he was. Then, having learned that Saint Cyrus lived in Arabia, John hastily went there and, having found him, became attached to him with all his soul and was both a witness of his miracles and a zealous imitator of his virtuous life. At the same time, one God-loving woman named Athanasia was captured for torture for the name of Christ, with her three daughters: Theoktista, Theodotia and Eudoxia, and was taken to the city of Canopus 1074, in which the pagan priest Cassian lived, and the city ruler was Syrian. Hearing about this, Saints Cyrus and John began to fear that the young girls would not fall away from Christ, both due to fear of the threat of torment and as a result of temptation by flattering promises, especially since they were very young: the eldest of them, Theoktista, was fifteen years old, the second, Theodotia, was thirteen, and the youngest, Eudoxia, was eleven years old. Saint Cyrus also doubted the firmness of their mother Athanasia, fearing that, for the sake of her daughters, so as not to subject them to severe torture and not to see their blood mercilessly shed, she would not lean toward pagan wickedness; for it is known how mothers, obeying natural feelings, ache at heart for their children. Therefore, he went to that city to confirm the young women and their mother in the confession of the faith of Christ and prepare them to fearlessly and courageously endure torment. Saint John followed Saint Cyrus, and both of them went to the city of Canopus. Appearing to Athanasius with their imprisoned daughters, with extensive, inspired speeches they affirmed their love for the Lord Jesus Christ and convinced them to zealously give up their souls for Him. This was immediately reported to the city governor Sirian. One of the pagans came to him and said: – Some new and unknown people appeared in our city: one in monastic clothing, and the other in military clothing. They convince the virgins now taken not to worship our gods, but to remain in their wicked faith, and also not to obey the royal commands. They convince them to honor only one Jesus and to give Divine honors to Him, neglecting death. Hearing about this, Sirian was filled with rage and ordered to immediately seize both husbands and bring them to him. Saints Cyrus and John were immediately captured and presented to the wicked judge Syrian for interrogation. Looking at them, he asked: “Are you really, accursed enemies of our gods, trying to seduce girls and use all sorts of tricks to increase the number of Christians to humiliate our king?” If you have been mad until now, then at least now leave your false faith, filled with all kinds of sorcery, and try to appease the gods with prayers and sacrifices, so as not only to get rid of the torment prepared for you, but also to receive honors from us. If you do not do this, you will recognize the rage and inexorable anger of not only Sirian or Diocletian, but also the gods themselves whom you blaspheme - you will recognize the gods, even if they were the most merciful punishers of their dishonor. To this Saints Cyrus and John answered: “We don’t have the custom of talking a lot.” Know for sure that we will never want your empty honors, nor will we reject Christ, even if we have to suffer for Him. Then Sirian became inflamed with even greater rage, gnashed his teeth and said: “You wicked people should be grateful to the judge for his philanthropy.” If you have any sense, renounce your delusion in order to get rid of the terrible punishment. But since I see nothing else in you except pride, disobedience and vain arrogance, there is no need to waste many words; we need to get down to business quickly. Then you will receive the reward you desire, and you will submit to the royal command, even against your will. Having said this, he ordered the girls and their mother to be brought in and began to torture the holy martyrs Cyrus and John in front of them in various ways: he beat them with whips, crushed their bones with thick sticks, scorched them with candles, and poured vinegar and sprinkled salt on their burnt limbs, after which he wiped them with sharp scars of a hair shirt, and poured boiling tar on their legs. Using on them all the means of torment invented by rage, he did not leave a single one of them, partly to take revenge on them for their courage and break their courage, partly to frighten the young girls and their mother, who were looking at the fierce torment. But the godless tormentor was not successful in anything: he neither shook the courage of the holy passion-bearers, nor could he frighten the girls and their mothers. Then he ordered the saints to be untied and began to torture Saint Athanasia and her daughters. After much torment, he was filled with great shame, since the weak female sex in courageously enduring suffering was no different from the steadfast and unyielding spirit of the holy men - Cyrus and John. They had the same faith and love for Christ, they endured the same torment for Him, they discovered the same courage, with God’s help. They suffered as if in someone else's body, not paying any attention to the torment. They turned their gaze to their beloved Bridegroom, Christ God, Who looked from the height of His glory at the suffering of His brides and gave them His help. The torturer, having commanded to untie the holy martyrs from the instruments of suffering, condemned them to be beheaded by the sword. They went to death with joy, as if going to marriage. All of them: the blessed mother Athanasia and her three blessed daughters: Theoktista, Theodotia and Eudoxia - their honest heads were cut off with a sword. After the execution of the holy martyrs, Saints Cyrus and John were again interrogated. The torturer addressed them with a lengthy speech, as if showing concern for their health, showed them gifts, promised new torments and, finally, threatening the death penalty. When he saw that he had lost his labor in vain, he made the following final decision: “We command Cyrus, the follower of the Galilean Teacher, and John, his fellow believer, who despised the royal command and refused to make sacrifices to the great gods, to cut off their heads according to the royal law.” The soldiers, having taken the martyrs, cut off their heads in the very place where the holy virgins and their mother laid down their souls for their Lord, on the 31st day of January 1075. The secret Christians, taking their holy bodies, buried them with honor in the church of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark in separate coffins: in one - the holy martyrs Cyrus and John, and in the other - Saint Athanasius and her daughters. Many years later, during the reign of the pious king Theodosius the Younger 1076, Saint Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria, at the command of God through an Angel, transferred the relics of the holy martyrs Cyrus and John to a village called Manuphin 1077, to drive out many demons from there, for the glory of Christ our God, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever, amen. Miracles of Thy saints, martyr, the insurmountable wall given to us by Christ our God: destroy the councils of tongues with prayers, strengthen the scepters of the kingdom, for the One is Good and Lover of Mankind. From Divine grace you have received the gift of miracles, holy ones; you continually work miracles, all our passions, by cutting with invisible hands, Cyrus the God-Wise with John the Glorious: for you are by nature a Divine physician. Galen is a famous learned Greek physician, born in 131 AD and died at the very beginning of the 3rd century. He was a court physician under the contemporary Roman emperors. Galen had enormous influence on doctors all over the world, and his authority was unshakable in their eyes until the 16th century. – Hippocrates is another famous Greek physician who lived much earlier than Galen (from 460 to 356 BC); Several works remained from him, on which Galen was brought up. Edes is a city in Cilicia, the southeastern region of Asia Minor. Kanopus is a city in Lower (northern) Egypt. The martyrdom of St. Cyrus and John followed in 311. Emperor Theodosius II, or the Younger, reigned from 408–450. Manufin, or Manuf, was located not far from Kanop. – Subsequently, the relics of Saints Cyrus and John were transferred to Rome, and from there to Munich. You might be interested in: