Страдание святого мученика Василиска

After the murder of the holy martyrs Eutropius and Cleonicus, with whom Saint Basilisk suffered much suffering (although the latter remained alive, he was in prison), and also after the death of the ruler Asklipiodotus, another ruler, named Agrippa, arrived in the region of Pontus, sent by the tormentors Maximian and Maximinus, with orders to continue the persecution and kill believers in Christ. Even before his arrival in the city of Amasia, Saint Basilisk, who was in prison there, prayed with tears to God in the following words: “Lord Jesus Christ, remember me and do not forget me until the last minute of suffering, but help me quickly receive the crown of martyrdom, so that I will not be separated from those holy men who were taken with me, who suffered before me and received the crown of martyrdom.” At midnight the Lord appeared to him in a dream vision and said: “I remember you and will not forget you, and your name is written (in the list of martyrs) ahead of those who were taken with you. Do not grieve that you will suffer after them, for you will warn many; I will make your memory glorious throughout the entire universe. Now go, say your last farewell to your mother, brothers and relatives, and when you return, you will immediately accept the crown of martyrdom and be buried in Comana 3394. Do not be afraid of the torment that you will undergo, because I am with you, and human malice cannot destroy your soul.” Having awakened, Saint Basilisk was filled with joy and thanked God. Then he saw that the dungeon doors were open. When it began to dawn, he said to the soldiers guarding him and the chief guard of the dungeon: - Give me freedom for four days, so that I can say goodbye to my mother and my brothers living in the village of Kumialsky; When I return, I will go to my true Father, the Lord Jesus Christ. The soldiers and the prison guard answered him like this: “Let your God, Whom you serve constantly, be a witness to the fact that we would have completely released you from prison if we were not afraid of the ruler, whose arrival we expect soon.” “I don’t want to be completely released, but, as I said, I’ll just go and say goodbye to my mother, brothers and relatives, because my Lord commanded me to do so.” “We are afraid that soon after your excommunication,” the soldiers persisted, “they will not demand you from us, because, as we heard, today the ruler is supposed to arrive in the city, and all the prisoners are recorded in the court book.” Saint Basilisk said this: “The will of my God is such that I go to my native village; therefore, if you agree, let several of you go with me and return again with me. Then the warriors gave in to his request, and several of them gathered and went with the Basilisk to his village. His brothers (he had three brothers) and mother met the saint with great joy, and the soldiers were received into their home with great honor. The next day in the morning the saint called all his relatives and taught them a lot about what was for spiritual benefit, and also instructed them in the truths of Christian teaching; He also taught them a lot about the fact that only through sorrows is it possible for us to enter the kingdom of Christ. Thus, consoling everyone and kissing his family for the last time, the saint said: – Brothers, fathers and children according to Christ! Continue in faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and do not deviate from Him under any circumstances, because the world and everything that it contains is only a shadow that is quickly disappearing; The Lord remains forever. I beg you to pray for me to the Lord of us all - God, may He give me the strength to accomplish the feat and suffering, as Saint Theodore Tyrone, and Eutropius, and Kleonikos, who were captured along with me, did it. Beware, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters and children, I am leaving you, and you will no longer see me in this temporary life. When the saint finished these words, strong crying and sobbing arose, and everyone began to ask the saint: - When you finish your holy life, pray to the Lord for us and for all Christians, that the persecution of the Orthodox faith brought about by the tormentors will end and that the service of idols will be destroyed; May the grace of Christ shine throughout the whole earth. After this, Saint Basilisk set off on the road with the soldiers in order to return to prison. At this time, the ruler Agrippa arrived in the city of Amasia and, convening all the most honorable citizens, entered with them into a pagan temple called Petason 3395, and then into another called Serapion 3396, and made a sacrifice to his unclean gods. And the next morning the ruler came to the place of judgment and inquired here about those imprisoned and, first of all, asked about Basilisk, because he had heard about him and wanted to bring him to his trial at the very beginning. The mayor went to the prison, wanting to bring Basilisk to the ruler, but not finding him there, he grabbed the prison guard and, tying him up, brought him before the court. The ruler, having subjected him to torture, asked: - How did you dare to release from prison the enemy of our gods and the disobedient of the royal commands? “Today is the second day,” answered the prison guard, “since the Basilisk and the soldiers went to their village.” “I will order you to be killed,” the ruler exclaimed, filled with rage, “if you do not present to me that man who blasphemed our gods!” “On the fourth day I will present him before you,” answered the prison guard. And immediately the governor sent with that guard the Magistrian 3397, a man of an evil and ferocious disposition, and soldiers with him, and gave him instructions in these words: “Only then will I believe that you are a man who is zealous for our gods, when you capture that blasphemer and bring him to me.” Send him to Comana, because I myself am going there. Magistrian, leaving the governor, made copper boots with many sharp oblong iron nails inside and, taking with him the prison guard and soldiers, went to the native village of Basilisk, carrying heavy iron chains on a donkey, prepared for the martyr. “I also walked,” says the describer of further events, Saint Evsignius 3398, “following them in the hope of seeing the suffering and death of Saint Basilisk. Having reached that village, they seized the martyr, who was already leaving the house towards the city of Amasia, to return to his prison, and tied him with double chains; they also shackled his neck in an iron chain, and put copper boots with nails inside on his feet, so that the nails penetrated into the saint’s feet to the very bones, and blood flowed profusely from his wounded feet; at the same time, the tormentors severely beat the martyr of Christ when they led him to the city of Comana. His mother, brothers and relatives saw him off with tears. In parting, his mother said to him: - My dear son! May Christ, whom you loved, be your helper in this martyrdom. Your life here will be short-lived, but in the next century eternal life awaits you; You are now suffering severe torments, but you will receive a glorious crown from Christ God; evil people torment you on earth, but the Angels of peace will receive you in heaven; you are judged as a thief, but the same thief who was crucified with Christ will accept you into heaven; mortal kings and those subject to decay take your life, but the Eternal God will restore your life and number you among the angelic powers. And remember us, my dear son, on this path to the Lord along which you walk! Having said this, the mother returned back to her house, praying to the Lord for her son, that He would strengthen him to courageously endure the torment. The saint, looking back and seeing his three brothers following him, as well as his relatives and many of the people crying for him, begged them in these words to return to their home: “Don’t cry for me, but rather pray to the Lord that He will give me the strength to defeat the devil and put his servants to shame.” Then he kissed everyone and, exhorting everyone to return, said to them: – We will see each other again on the day of resurrection and eternal life. But those who accompanied the saint did not want to return and followed him weeping. And again the saint admonished them with these words: “Why are you disturbing my heart with your crying and tears?” Oh, if only I were allowed to die many times for our Lord Jesus Christ! I beg you, come back and pray to God for me! But since they did not want to return even after this, the magistrate told them: “I swear by the health of my kings that if you do not return, I will tie you all up and take you to the ruler.” But when they did not listen to his words, then the magistrian and the soldiers began to beat them and could hardly drive them away from the saint. Being led in this way, the saint courageously bore the weight of the iron chains and valiantly endured the pain in his feet, pierced in many places by the sharp nails with which the copper boots were strewn, and his path was stained with blood. He himself joyfully sang: – “If an army gathers against me, my heart will not fear” (Ps. 26:3), because You, Christ the Lord, are with me. The saint spoke many other things, turning to the Lord in singing and prayer. The Magistrians and those who were with him, seeing the martyr walking easily, despite the fact that his feet were shod in boots with nails, were very surprised; but the Lord was with the holy martyr, easing his suffering. When they reached a village called Dakozaria, the magisters and soldiers wanted to rest, because it was hot and it was midday. The owner of that village, a widow named Troyana, seeing the magistrian who came with the soldiers, asked them to enter her house to taste food; There were about forty of them in total. When they entered, she arranged everything for them. So, they ate, drank and had fun, and the holy martyr Basilisk, with his hands tied back, was tied to a dry oak tree that grew near the gate of her house. Many people, men and women, as well as children, gathered to the saint. Seeing him imprisoned in heavy chains and tied in the hot sun, and also seeing the blood flowing from his feet, they were touched and expressed condolences to him. The saint prayed to God, crying out: “Lord, visit me as you visited Joseph in prison (Gen.41), Daniel in the lion’s den (Dan.6), and the three youths in the cave of Babylon (Dan.3). And just as You showed mercy to Susanna (Dan.13), who was attacked by the wicked elders, brought Peter out of prison (Acts 5:17-20), and protected Thekla from reproach, so also on me, Your humble and unworthy servant, show Your wondrous mercy and reveal Your miracles for the glory of Your most holy name!” When the saint finished his prayer, suddenly an earthquake occurred and a voice was heard from above, saying: “Do not be afraid, I am with you!” And suddenly the copper boots that were on the feet of the martyr suddenly melted like wax from fire; the chains fell from the saint, and the dry oak turned green, spreading its numerous thick branches over the saint and covering it with shadow over a large space all around. And in the place where the saint stood and where the earth was stained with his blood, a source of water flowed. After this, the saint offered thanks to God in the following words: “The Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal Word and the Son of the incomprehensible and ineffable Father, who deigned to come down to earth and become human in order to redeem us from the ancient tormentor the devil and deliver us from all his evil wiles, who took us to heaven, and trampled him and condemned him to remain in the abyss, who gave us a new life - with what lips I will glorify You, in what words I will tell You my feelings, how I will sing to You and proclaim Your great deeds and power, which You have now shown on me, Your servant, as before on Your saints, Eutropia and Kleonica, when they were martyred by order of the ruler Asklipiodotus! Indeed, who am I, unworthy, that You have shown such great and amazing mercy on me; the very earth, which saw Your power, shook.” The Magistrians and the soldiers, frightened by the earthquake, ran away from that house and, seeing the miracles that had taken place, were in great bewilderment. Some of them said that it only seemed so, while others considered it magic, and the people standing around the saint marveled in horror at this and glorified the power of Christ God. And many believed in Christ, saying: “Behold, a holy man was sent here by God to sanctify our place.” They brought to the saint a paralytic lying on his bed; when the martyr of Christ touched him, the paralytic immediately rose as if healthy, and, taking his bed, went to his house, glorifying God; They also brought lepers, and he healed them too by touching them; everyone who suffered from hydrophobia and febrile seizures, as well as those who suffered from all sorts of other diseases or those possessed by unclean spirits - the saint healed everyone with his word. All who saw these miracles glorified the true God and believed in Him; the inhabitants of that village were filled with great joy. The owner of that village of Troyana, along with her son Troy, also believed in Christ and asked to be baptized. “I, sinful Evsigny,” says the narrator, “seeing everything that happened, glorified the Lord with all my heart.” That same day, in the evening, a herd of oxen, coming from pasture to the village and passing along the path where the holy martyr of Christ stood, as if glorifying the great deeds of God, fell to their knees before the saint. Then the magistrates and soldiers repented of the cruelties that they had inflicted on the saint, because horror seized them when they saw the wondrous miracles performed by the Lord through the prayers of the saint. The next day, the magistrate meekly said to the martyr: “If it pleases you, Mr. Basilisk, then we will set off so that for your sake we will not be punished by the ruler.” “Okay, let’s go on the road,” answered the saint, “because I want to die for my Lord.” When they all left that village, all the people, with the ruler Troyana, accompanied the saint. The holy martyr begged them all to return to themselves: some returned, while others continued to follow him. When they stepped onto the large bridge laid across the river Ireos, the bridge shook from the presence of Christ, who walked invisibly with His servant, Saint Basilisk, as the holy martyr Basilisk himself later told me, the unworthy Eusignius, says the narrator. – When the bridge shook, the saint stopped and, praising God, begged the people to return back and barely convinced them to fulfill his request. During his procession, the saint, at every high and beautiful place, bowed his knees and prayed to the Lord with these words: “In all the places of His dominion, bless the Lord, my soul!” (Ps. 102:22). When everyone reached the village called Saon, the soldiers and magistrates prepared to eat food and convinced the saint to eat bread with them. He refused, saying: “The Lord is my shepherd; I will not need anything” (Ps. 22:1); I am nourished by my Master, Jesus Christ.” They again persuaded him, saying: - Taste, sir, so that you do not die of hunger and we do not accept punishment for your sake if we do not bring you to the ruler; It’s already the third day since you haven’t taken food at all. “I am filled with immortal food, and therefore I do not want to eat mortal food.” You are nourished by earthly bread, but I am nourished by the heavenly word of God; wine makes you happy, but I am gladdened by the grace of the Holy Spirit; Meat nourishes you, but fasting nourishes me; you are strengthened by bodily vigor, and the cross in the name of Christ strengthens me; Gold makes you rich, but love for Jesus Christ makes me rich; clothes adorn you, and virtues adorn me; you find joy in laughter, but I console my spirit with prayer; you love your temporary, mortal and subject to decay king, you long to see him and fulfill his laws, but I love God and my heavenly King, I kiss His laws and desire to be nourished by the sight of Him; you expect glory on earth, but I in heaven; you are seeking fame among people, but I hope to receive glory at the Last Judgment at the resurrection of the righteous, when my Master will say: “Come, you blessed of My father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). When the saint spoke thus, the magistrian ordered the animals to be saddled and invited the martyr to sit on one donkey, saying: “You’ve been walking for three days, hungry; At least sit on an animal so that you don’t become completely exhausted. The saint did not agree to sit down, saying: – My Lord, Jesus Christ, strengthens me, and the Holy Spirit gives me peace and joy. Then everyone set off, and in the evening they came to one village, where they stopped to spend the night. And when the soldiers sat down to the evening meal, the magistrian begged Saint Basilisk to taste something with them, but he refused and spent the whole night in prayer and singing, and the holy Angels themselves sang along with the saint of Christ. When day came, everyone set out again and reached the city of Comana at four o'clock in the afternoon. And when they approached the city, they heard from many who met along the road that the ruler was putting to death everyone who did not agree to bow to idols. But the Lord appeared to Saint Basilisk and said to him: “Take courage, do not be afraid of the threats of idolaters, because I am with you.” When they entered the city, the soldiers accompanying the saint asked the inhabitants of the city: -Where is the ruler now? They were told that the ruler was in the church of Apollo 3399 and was making a sacrifice to the gods there. The Magistrian, going to the governor, informed him that he had delivered the Basilisk. The ruler was very happy about this. The magistrian also told about the miracles that happened during their journey, but the ruler did not believe him, remarking: - All this is the magic of Christians. Then he ordered Saint Basilisk to be brought to him in the church of Apollo, thinking to force him here to make a sacrifice. The ruler’s soldiers immediately ran to Basilisk and forcibly dragged the saint into the church, saying: - Go to the church to the ruler and bow to the gods if you want to live. The Magistrian and the soldiers who came with him from the journey began to tell the ruler’s soldiers about the miracles that they had seen, and added: – We saw truly amazing signs and the power of God, not in vision or magic, but actually happening. Then, turning to the saint, they said to him: - Forgive us for those cruelties, Mr. Basilisk, which we, in our ignorance, inflicted on you and pray for us to your God! While they were saying this, new soldiers who came from the ruler grabbed the martyr and led him to the church. The saint entered the church with a bright face, rejoicing in the Lord, his God. Seeing him, the ruler asked: “Yes, it’s me,” answered the saint. “So tell me,” the ruler continued, “will you make a sacrifice to the gods or not?” “Who told you about me,” the saint objected, “that I do not make sacrifices to God?” Every moment I offer a sacrifice of praise in honor of my God. The ruler, not understanding what was said, said to the saint: - Okay; So, make a sacrifice to whichever of all our gods you want. Saint Basilisk, approaching the idol, asked those around him: -What is the name of this god of yours? “You were right in saying that he is called Apollo,” confirmed the saint; - Apollo means the destroyer of 3400 and truly brings to destruction those who believe in him and worship him as a god, since he is not a god. – What is the name of the god to whom you want to sacrifice? - asked the ruler. “My God,” answered the saint, “ineffable, incomprehensible, invisible and inexplicable in His properties.” – Doesn’t your God have a name? - the ruler asked. “The holy books contain the names of my God,” answered the saint, “and if you want to listen, I will tell them to you.” “Name them,” the ruler told him. Then the holy martyr said: – My God is called Father and Almighty, Lord of Hosts 3401, King of all, Savior gracious, merciful and long-suffering. To him alone do I offer a sacrifice of praise! “Which god you want to make a sacrifice to is all the same to me, just bring it,” the ruler insisted, “you are called not to reason, but only to make a sacrifice.” “So, listen,” the saint turned to the ruler, “what is my sacrifice.” And raising his hands to the sky, he prayed to God like this: - Eternal God, Creator of heaven and earth, who listens to all who truly serve You, hear now also me, Your servant, and crush at this moment the deaf and blind of this insensitive idol, so that the wicked peoples will understand what kind of god they worship, and will be ashamed and believe that only You are the only omnipotent God. As soon as the saint finished his prayer, the earth immediately shook, the idol fell to the ground and broke into pieces. The ruler and the people who were in the church ran out of fear, and only Saint Basilisk remained in the church and sang: - “Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered, and let those who hate Him flee from His presence. As smoke dissipates, You scatter them... as wax melts by fire, so let the wicked perish from the presence of God” (Ps. 67:2-3). After some time, the ruler ordered the saint to be taken out of the church and, gnashing his teeth in anger against him, said: - O enemy of our gods! Why did you promise one thing and do another? He promised to make a sacrifice to God, and with his magic he arranged it so that our god, Apollo, fell and crumbled. - He who crushed your god will also burn his church. As soon as the saint finished these words, fire fell from the sky onto the church of Apollo and burned it to the ground. In fear, the ruler and all the people fled from there. Then, calling upon Saint Basilisk, the ruler addressed him with the following words: - Oh, how great are your magic! You crushed God and burned his church! “If your god truly is a god, as you call him, then let him take revenge on me for himself.” “Our gods are good,” the ruler objected, “and do not cause any harm to their enemies.” - O foolish man! - exclaimed the saint. - How can demons do good, being evil by nature: they will drag you, their admirers, with them into hell. “You damned wizard,” the ruler convinced the saint, “make a sacrifice to the gods; otherwise I will put you to a cruel death. To this the saint answered the ruler: - The beast that lives in the forest, the dog that licks blood, Agrippa the prodigal, the image of the devil, the lawless tormentor! Why are you still holding me back? I'm in a hurry to end my life! The ruler was very angry with the saint and ordered him to be beheaded with a sword. The soldiers, having taken the saint, led him out of the city to be beheaded to a place called Dioscoria; at the same time, many people saw off the saint. An order was given by the ruler to throw the saint's body into the river after the beheading. “When the 3402nd martyr of Christ was beheaded, we (Saint Evsignius narrates), to whom it was given to see, saw a terrible miracle: many holy Angels appeared, who, having received the soul of the saint, carried it up to heaven. Our Lord Jesus Christ was seen standing in heaven and saying: “Come, my good and faithful servant, Basilisk, enter the Heavenly Kingdom into the host of the righteous, where my servants abide, taken with you to suffer for Me.” We, who saw and heard all this, continues the narrator, fell prostrate to the ground and worshiped the Lord, thanking him for granting us such a vision. Then the executioner, named Priscus, took the body of the martyr and dragged him to the river. We approached him (says Evsigny) and asked him to wait a little until the people dispersed and gave him thirty gold coins as a ransom for the body of the martyr. He provided us with the body of the martyr, saying: - Be careful that no one finds out and tells the ruler about this; Then there will be trouble for you and me. “We took the honest body,” Evsigny continues, “we hid it and at night took it out to a plowed field, buried it and sowed seeds in that place. That same night the seeds sprouted, and the next day they produced flowers and fruit. When we were digging the martyr's grave, some of us wanted to drink water; through the prayers of Saint Basilisk, whom we called, a source of water immediately appeared near the grave; Having drunk, we glorified and thanked God. That source exists to this day, and the sick who drink water from it with faith receive healing.” After all this, an unclean spirit attacked the ruler Agrippa, and he began to look for the body of the martyr, thinking to himself: “If I had touched the body of Basilisk, I would probably have gotten rid of the misfortune.” And no one dared to tell him that the body of the martyr was buried in the ground. Some told him: “You ordered the body to be thrown into the river; Why are you looking for him now? Then Agrippa went to the place where the martyr of Christ was beheaded, found a few drops of his blood there and, collecting it with his own hands along with the dust of the earth, tied it in his belt. He was immediately freed from the unclean spirit and believed in our Lord Jesus Christ. After some time, a citizen of Comana, Marin, a pious man, built a church in the name of the holy martyr Basiliscus and, having removed his holy relics from the ground, transferred them to this church. From the relics of the saint, many miraculous healings were performed from all sorts of illnesses, through his prayers and through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, is given honor and glory, now, and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. In suffering you appeared strong and courageous, and marvelous in miracles, having presented the name of Christ, you put the tormentor to shame. Thus we honor you to Basilisk, ever calling with all honor: rejoice at the martyrs, bright kindness. This city was 4 days' journey from Amasia. Obviously, here there is a church in honor of the Egyptian-Hellenistic deity Ptah - the god of the dead. Serapion is a church in honor of Serapis, an Egyptian-Hellenistic deity corresponding to the ancient Greek Zeus. Both Serapis and the (mentioned above) god Ptah were gods of the Egyptian religion proper. But during the period of fascination with Eastern religions (2nd century BC), the Greeks showed great respect to these deities and built numerous churches in their honor. Magistrian is an assistant to the ruler of the region, who had at his disposal a certain number of warriors, with whom he was usually sent by the ruler to the province on various assignments. The holy martyr Eusignius, who described the life and exploits of the holy martyr Basiliscus, was a warrior for 60 years under three Roman emperors: Diocletian (284–305), Maximian (305–311) and Constantine the Great. Apollo - according to Greek mythology - the god of light, the son of Zeus and Latona. Apollo means “destroyer” in Greek. Among the Greeks, he was usually depicted with a bow, arrows and a quiver, as an enemy and conqueror of forces harmful to the light, i.e. moral order of things. The Lord of hosts is the Lord of hosts, the Lord of hosts (1 Samuel 1:3, 11). The death of the holy martyr followed at the beginning. IV century You might be interested in: