Страдание святого мученика Евпсихия

The holy martyr Eupsychios was the son of noble parents, born and raised in Caesarea in Cappadocia in 2488 and spent the years of his youth immaculately in Christian chastity, having gray hair in wisdom and in old age an immaculate life (see: Pres. 4:9). During the reign of the godless Julian the Apostate 2489, he entered into a legal marriage and, when the marriage celebration was not yet over, he showed great zeal and love for Christ Jesus. In the city of Caesarea there was a church of an unclean idol, which was called Tichi, which means fortune, or happiness. This church was highly revered, and in it King Julian, when he was in Caesarea, offered his wicked sacrifices every day. It so happened that the celebration of Evpsikhiev’s marriage coincided with the wicked idol festival. Seeing the Hellenes going to the church to offer sacrifices, Saint Eupsychius was inflamed with zeal for the Lord: taking with him many Christians, he went and crushed the idols and destroyed the idol church to the ground. The Hellenes immediately reported this to King Julian, and Saint Eupsychios, bearing in mind the suffering that lay ahead for him for this, distributed his property to the poor and prepared for martyrdom, remaining in fasting and prayer. King Julian, having heard about the destruction of the church of his gods, was filled with great rage, angry not only with Eupsychius, but also with the entire city. He immediately ordered the capture of all honorable citizens and sentenced some of them to death, while others were sent to prison and deprived of their property; He also took away the property of all the churches of Caesarea, and ordered the clergy to be enrolled in military service and forcibly taken to the regiments. The honorary name “Caesarea” 2490, which it received during the reign of Claudius 2491, was taken away from the city, and it was ordered to be called by its former name “Maza”; it was excluded from the number of cities and relegated to the category of villages, and a great tribute was imposed on its inhabitants, faithful Christians, with the strictest order to restore the ruined church without fail. Julian threatened with an oath that he would not cease to keep the city under disgrace and would not leave the Galileans alive (as he called Christians) if they did not rebuild the ruined church of the Hellenic gods - and this threat would have been carried out if the God-hating king had not suffered a quick death 2492. Saint Eupsychius, as the main culprit in the destruction of the church, Julian ordered to be tortured and forced to make sacrifices to idols. And so they began to keep the holy martyr in chains, often take him out to torture and force him to idolatry: they promised to forgive him for daring to destroy the church, if only he would worship the idols. But the warrior of Christ did not yield and stood courageously in confessing the name of Christ. He was hanged on a gallows and whittled down to his entrails with iron combs, but he was strengthened by an Angel who appeared to him in the midst of his torment. Finally, after long and severe torture, he was beheaded with a sword at the head of 2493, and instead of blood, milk and water miraculously flowed out of the wound. The faithful took his holy body and buried him with honor. At this time, Julian, setting out on a campaign against the Persians, passed through Cappadocia and approached Caesarea; the city was in great danger, since the lawless tormentor had already clearly expressed his intention to ruin the city to the ground. Then Saint Basil the Great, giving honor to Julian as a king, came out to meet him and offered three barley loaves of bread, the same kind of bread he himself ate, for blessing. The king ordered his squires to take these loaves of bread and give Saint Basil a handful of hay with the words: “You gave us barley, animal food, now get hay from us.” Saint Basil the Great answered: “We, king, brought you what we ourselves eat, but you gave us animal food; You mock us because you cannot, with your power, transform hay into bread - natural human food. Julian angrily said to him: “Know that I will feed you this hay when I return here from Persia.” I will destroy this city to the ground, and I will plow its place with the plow and turn it into a field. For I am not unaware that, on your advice, the people dared to destroy the image and church of Fortune. Having said this, the king went on his way and soon died: he was killed by the holy great martyr Mercury, as stated in the life of St. Basil the Great. After the death of Julian, the people of Caesarea created a beautiful church over the tomb of the holy martyr Eupsychius, and his holy relics exuded streams of healing to the glory of Christ our God, glorified with the Father and the Spirit forever. Amen. Several cities bore the name of Caesarea. Caesarea Cappadocia is the main city of the Roman province of Cappadocia - in Asia Minor. Julian the Apostate occupied the imperial throne from 361 to 363. The name "Caesarea" comes from the word "Caesar" - the title of the Roman emperors. Of course, the Roman Emperor Claudius I, who reigned from 41–54. Julian the Apostate died during a campaign in Persia, pierced by an arrow. Before his death, he exclaimed: “You have defeated me, O Galilean - meaning by Galilean our Lord Jesus Christ.” You might be interested in: