Страдание святого мученика Петра Авесаламита

Peter, called the Abesalamite, a native of the Eleutheropol 504 country, was captured during the onset of persecution against Christians 505 in the city of Avlona 506. When he was brought for questioning to the ruler Severus, he asked: “My father’s name is Abesalamit, but the spiritual name I received at baptism is Peter.” -What kind are you? - asked the ruler. -What is your rank? - asked the ruler. “I cannot have a higher and better title than that of a Christian,” answered Peter. – Do you have parents? - asked the ruler. “You are lying,” said the ruler, “for I heard that you have parents.” “In the Gospel I am commanded,” answered Peter, “to renounce everything when I go to confess the name of the Lord (Luke 14:26; Matt. 10:37, 19:29; Mark 10:29–30; Luke 18:29–30). - Do you know the royal command? - asked the ruler. “I know,” answered Peter, “what my God, the true and eternal King, has commanded.” – The all-merciful kings 507 commanded that all Christians either make sacrifices to the gods or be destroyed through various executions. – And the true eternal King commanded that if anyone sacrifices to idols and not to the living God, he will perish forever. Judge fairly: is it possible to break this commandment of the Heavenly King? “Listen to me,” said the ruler, “bring a sacrifice to the gods and carry out the orders of our kings.” - I will not sacrifice to the product of human hands - to the gods of wood and stone, to which you are similar. “You insult us,” the ruler objected. “Don’t you know that I can put you to death?” “I do not insult you,” answered Peter, “but I say what is written in the law of the Lord: “And their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands: they have mouth, eyes, nostrils, ears, hands and feet, but they do not speak; don't see; they don’t smell, they don’t hear, they don’t touch, they don’t walk.” The Lord says in Scripture: “Let those who work them and all who trust in them be like them” (Ps. 113:12-16). 508 If the Holy Spirit from the Lord said this through the mouth of the prophets, then how can you say that I have insulted you by calling you like the deaf and dumb, stone and wooden idols - and you even advise me that I should become like you. “Listen to me, have pity on yourself and make a sacrifice to the gods.” “It is then that I will feel sorry for myself if I do not make a sacrifice to your gods and do not deviate from the truth.” But since you are an infidel, you therefore do not believe either me or the law of God - that if anyone makes a sacrifice to the gods, he will perish. But why are you delaying? - do as you are ordered. “I’m still waiting,” the ruler answered, “until you change your mind, make a sacrifice to the gods and thereby get rid of torment.” “You’re waiting in vain,” answered Peter; do what you plan to do, do the will of your father - the devil, for I will not fulfill your will, and my Lord Jesus Christ, Whom I diligently serve, will not allow me to do this. The ruler ordered him to be hanged and then said to him: – What do you say, Peter? – Will you make a sacrifice to the gods or not? “Give me iron claws,” answered the Saint, “scarce me, for I have told you more than once that I will not sacrifice to anyone except my One God, for whose name I suffer.” Ruler North ordered him to be brutally tortured. The valiant martyr of God did not utter a single groan, but only chanted: - “I have asked one thing of the Lord, this only I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life” (Ps. 26:4) 509. – “I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord” (Ps. 116:4) 510. When he said this, the ruler became even more irritated and called in other executioners. The people standing around, seeing large quantities of blood flowing on the ground, condoled for the saint, said: - Have pity on yourself and make a sacrifice to the gods to get rid of this fierce torment. “This torment,” answered Saint Peter, “doesn’t cause me any pain.” If I renounce my God, then I will really fall into the most severe and endless torment. -What are you saying, Peter? Make a sacrifice to the gods so as not to repent later, when it is too late. “I will not repent and will not make sacrifices,” answered Peter. “I will put you to death,” said the ruler. “This is exactly what I desire—to die for my God,” answered Peter. Then the ruler pronounced the following death sentence over him: “I order Peter, who for the sake of the law of his God neglected the command of the invincible kings, to be crucified on the cross. Thus, the valiant warrior of Christ, finishing his feat, was honored to become, through crucifixion on the cross, a participant in the suffering of the Lord 511. The martyr of Christ Peter Abesalamit suffered in the city of Avlona, ​​when Maximian reigned in Rome, but above all is our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever, amen. Eleutheropolis is a Palestinian city located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea to the east of Ascalon. In the 4th century it was a significant city, but now there are no traces of it. Of course, the persecution that began ca. 303, at the end of the reign of Diocletian in the east, Maximian in the west (284–305). A city in Macedonia with a crowded port on the bay of the same name. Soon after ascending the throne, Diocletian chose Maximian Herculus as his co-ruler, whom he placed over the western half of the empire, leaving the eastern half for himself. In 292, he chose two more assistants to rule the empire, with the title of Caesars, Constantius Chlorus and Galerius. The indicated place is given with the omission and change of some words. Those. St. The martyr especially earnestly always prayed to the Lord so that He would not allow him to fall away from St. Churches. The words of the psalm of St. the martyr applies to himself in the sense that he accepts suffering, seeing in it a means to his salvation and giving thanks to God for it. Those. was worthy to suffer the same execution (crucifixion) to which Jesus Christ was betrayed. You might be interested in: