Страдание святого священномученика Феодота, епископа Киринийского

The holy hieromartyr Theodotos, a Galatian by origin, 1694, was bishop of the city of Kyrene on the island of Cyprus 1695. The son of Christian parents, he was taught to read and write and from a young age excelled in wisdom and virtue. He came to the island of Cyprus preaching the Word of God and taught the pagans so that they would leave their delusion and idolatry and believe in Christ. With his preaching, he turned many away from pagan wickedness and set them on the path of salvation, and therefore he was appointed bishop of the Cypriot city of Kyrenia. At this time, the wicked Licinius reigned in 1696, and Savin was the governor of the island of Cyprus, and then there was a strong persecution against Christians. Saint Theodotus, wanting to suffer for Christ, boldly argued with the pagans, exposing their errors, and openly preached about Christ. Hearing about this, the governor Savin ordered the saint to be taken to torture, but the servant of God, having learned about this, without waiting for those sent, immediately appeared to the governor and said: - I am the one you are looking for. I neither hid from you nor was brought to you by force, but I appeared voluntarily to preach Christ my God, the truth that should not be hidden, and to expose the insignificance and powerlessness of your wickedness. There is no need to say much about your impotence: the matter itself clearly shows that you are more cowardly than toads. Because of one Christian, the whole city and army were confused, because demons tremble even one servant of Christ and try to destroy him, fearing that he, having escaped torment, would not shame their powerlessness by defeating their servants who do not rely on them. The governor could not tolerate such reproof and ordered the saint to be beaten with hard sinews without mercy, and he, during long torture, exclaimed in the words of David: - “On my ridge are the deeds of sinners, continuing their iniquity” (Ps. 129:3) 1697. When the servants stopped beating the martyr, the governor said: “Do you see how your bold speech has benefited you?” “If your spiritual eyes were enlightened, I would show you what benefit my courage, which you call insolence, brought me.” But you are blind and cannot see the bliss that awaits me. Please pay attention to the fact that, looking with my soul at the heavenly rewards prepared for the martyrs for Christ, I am unshakable in suffering and do not feel torment, because my spiritual joy overcomes all the suffering of the body. “You are in vain, Theodotus, and you are deceiving your listeners; You will not deceive me with your words: I will torment you until you recognize the dominion of our gods. - Torture me as you wish, use all your art - and find out the strength of the warrior of Christ. You will see who will win: the martyr or the tormentors! “Don’t you know that, by royal command, I can crush your body and completely destroy you?” “God, Whom I serve, has made me more powerful than kings and stronger than princes, so I speak to you as to a slave, and consider you worthless than a captive.” With the help of my God, who taught me to despise all the blessings of life, like hay, chaff, dung, I despise all torments. Do not think of intimidating me with your proud threats. You boast that you have power over my body, but the robbers in the deserts have the same power when they attack travelers and torture them. You consider yourself powerful, relying on your sword, a lawless sword, because you have replaced legitimate power with tyranny: you free adulterers and murderers from punishment, subjecting innocent and pious people to it. The very angry governor ordered the naked martyr to be hanged on a tree and his sides were planed with sharp instruments. Enduring these fierce torments, the sufferer of Christ prayed like this: – Lord Jesus Christ, Creator of everything visible and invisible, who captured death, who destroyed hell, who put to death on the Cross the principles and powers of the underworld, who condemned the prince of this age, who gave strength from above to Your holy apostles and kept them from temptation, who once gave the youth David victory over the giant Goliath, who tamed the flames of the cave of Babylon, cooling the fire dew, so that it did not harm the bodies of the holy youths, strengthen me in these torments. You know human weakness, you know that our fortress is more insignificant than rubbish, and our strength fades faster than a flower. Give glory to Your name, O Lord, and give strength to my weakness. Destroy the fortress of those who rebel against Your holy flock, so that the whole universe will understand that You are the One Most High God, giving strength and strength to those who trust in You! During prayer, the executioners tormented the saint’s body so much that his bones were exposed, and the governor ordered him to be taken to prison. On the way to the prison, the saint loudly exclaimed: - Understand, you who see my torment, that I do not suffer without hope. There is a reward for martyrdom in Christ, in whom I trust. If the earthly, temporary king honors and rewards his brave warriors who shed blood, glorifies the slain in books, makes their images and tries to preserve the memory of them, how much more does our Hero of Labor, the Eternal, Heavenly King give His warriors and ascetics glory in this present life, and after the resurrection - participation in His Kingdom. Witnesses to this are the honest bones of the holy martyrs who labored before. These bones are reverently revered by all Christians and are considered more valuable than all earthly treasures and riches. This veneration clearly depicts the heavenly glory of the souls of the martyrs, bestowed upon them by God and His Angels. The martyr said a lot of other things, accompanied by all the people to the prison, where he stayed for five days, and then was again brought to trial before the governor. And the governor said to the martyr: “I think you don’t need to be punished anymore, so that you come to your senses, having experienced the severity of the first torment, you will honor our gods, not wanting a repetition of suffering.” But if you do not submit, you will force me to torture you even more. Therefore, listen to me and save yourself from the torment that is preparing for you. “Don’t you understand, O penitent one, that although my body is broken by torment and my sides are torn, yet even now I have come to you with courage, ready to accept all the suffering until I complete the feat of my course and accept the crown prepared for me from my Lord Jesus Christ. “Do not pronounce the name of the Crucified One here, because you are desecrating the place of judgment with it,” the governor interrupted him. - Mad and full of all uncleanness! - said Theodotus. “In your opinion, you do not desecrate this place by pronouncing the names of your foul and wicked gods, but when I pronounce the name of my Most Pure Master Christ, the King and Lord of all, you are indignant, blasphemous and mourn, as if about the desecration of the judgment seat in the name of Christ? This is how your mind is tormented when I pronounce His most pure name. So the demons you honor suffered, unable to bear the torment of seeing Christ, and cried out: – “What do you care about us, Jesus, Son of God? You came here before the time to torment us” (Matthew 8:29). It is not surprising that you cannot hear the name of Christ, for you are like demons, imitating and serving them, like your ancestors. “I thought that after your previous torment you would be more compliant and listen to me offering you salvation, but you have become even worse and keep arguing with us, deluded by the hope that you are suffering for Christ.” For this I will give you over to new torments and show you that your hope in Christ is vain. This flatterer, in whose hope you are going to suffer, will not help you. And the holy martyr answered: - If I endured for the sake of a person, I would be more unhappy than you, godless ones, and would have no hope for a future life. If I had not looked at the Heavenly Kingdom, where Christ rewards above merit, I would not have been able to suffer to the end, I would not have been able to endure such torment. Therefore, with the help of Christ, will I not endure great torment for the sake of the promised eternal bliss? See in me the help of Christ and be convinced that I trust in Him. Under the protection of His hand, I do not fear your torment and do not even suffer. Let the mortal body suffer, but the intention established in God is unshakable. Then the governor Savin ordered to put the martyr on an iron bed and light twigs and straw under him. When the sufferer endured this torment, the governor was surprised and said: -Where do you Christians get such unmercifulness? Who can you be kind to, being so unkind to yourself, to whom will you be kind without being kind to yourself? “You don’t know true humanity, but you talk about mercy.” Then I will be grateful to you when you condemn me to death, deliver me from temporary life and release me to the Heavenly Kingdom. After all, you want to elevate me, for the more you torment me, the greater the reward you prepare for me. If you really want to show me mercy, then spare me the suffering of this temporary life. Multiply my torments here: they will join my crown of righteousness there. Torment me to death, so that I may go as a perfect ascetic to my Ascetic Christ, so that all the angelic faces will receive me with joy and joy. “I will invent the most severe torments and make you a perfect ascetic.” And the martyr of Christ answered: - Oh, if you knew the mercy of my God, in Whom I hope that for these short-term torments I will be worthy of eternal life with Him! You yourself would have wanted to suffer as I suffer, but the demons you honor have hardened your hearts, and you have no hope after death. Therefore, you are mired in worldly vanity, preferring the temporary and fleeting to the eternal. Hearing these words, the governor said with amazement: - They told me about you that you are a simple person, but I see that you are a great sage! – If Christ speaks in me, then what speakers can oppose me? Know that they told you the truth, that I am a simple man, but the grace of my Christ, which helps me, teaches me to speak and strengthens me in torment, alleviating my suffering. “I will not have mercy on you, Theodotus,” said the governor. “Do what you want, I’m ready,” answered the saint. Then Savin ordered the soldiers to drive nails into his feet and force him to walk. And when they drove the nails into him, he raised his hands to the sky and said: “I thank You, my Lord Jesus Christ, that You have vouchsafed me, unworthy, to be a participant in Your sufferings.” How can I, an outcast, receive such great grace - now it’s as if I’m already in heaven?! I thank You, my Savior, for You have delivered my soul from persecutors. May Your name, Lord Christ, be glorified in my body! Son of God! You are my life, and death for You is my gain! I entrust to You those who suffer for Your name, be their helper. Command this storm to stop, scatter those rebelling against Your holy Church, so that people in the world may glorify You forever! He also said to the Christians around him: - Brothers! My feat is ending, the crown is near, the pledge of my righteousness, which Jesus Christ will give me. He was crucified for me, for His sake I gave up my body to be tortured. He died for me in order to deliver me from corruption, I die for Him in order to be worthy of His Kingdom. O great grace of Christ! For short-term suffering for His sake, He rewards beyond merit with eternal and ineffable bliss: “This present temporary suffering is not worth anything in comparison with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18). And so speaking, he walked, forced by the soldiers, stepping with nailed feet. Seeing his patience and hearing his honeyed speeches, many pagans believed in Christ, scolded the nasty idols, reproached the tormentor and glorified the name of Christ. Having learned about this, Savin ordered the saint to be thrown into prison again, so that the people would not be deceived by his magical (as he said) teaching, and then he began to think with his advisers about what kind of death to destroy the holy martyr. After some time, the martyr’s wounds began to rot and the pious Christians who came wiped his scabs with clean handkerchiefs. When Constantine the Great granted freedom of faith to all Christians, a decree came from him to stop the persecution and release all those held in prison for Christ. Saint Theodotus, hearing that they wanted to free him, became very sad, for he wanted to die in agony for Christ. After his release, he went to his city of Kyrenia and, having spent two years on the episcopal throne, rested in the Lord and received the extreme crown of holiness and martyrdom from Christ the Lord, who crowns His ascetics with eternal glory, with which we too may be honored through the prayers of the holy Hieromartyr Theodotus and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Him be glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen. Thou hast exposed the sea of ​​evil-doing, and the flattery of idolatry has been wounded by the faith of orthodoxy, and the Divine burnt offering has been made, watering the ends with miracles, Father Saint Theodotos, pray to Christ God to grant us great mercy. Galatia, otherwise Gallo-Greece, a region of Asia Minor, which received its name from the Gauls, inhabitants of what is now France, resettled in Asia in the 3rd century BC. Christianity was planted in Galatia by Ap. Paul during his first and second journeys. The island of Cyprus lies in the northeastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, in the corner between the shores of Cilicia and Syria. Here St. preached the Gospel. ap. Pavel Licinius reigned from 311 to 324. Russian translation “On my ridge the Oratai were plowing and making their long furrows.” Blazh. Theodoret explains: “the prophetic word refers to the scourges and plagues that the wicked inflicted on the victorious martyrs.” You might be interested in: