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THE ELEVENTH MONTH
Hamle 25
(August 01)

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, 
ONE GOD.  AMEN.

On this day took place the dedication of the Church of Saint Mercurius, the martyr, in the city of Mesr (Cairo), wherein his miracles appeared.  Salutation to the consecration of thy church, O Mercurius.

And on this day also the ascension into heaven of Enoch, the righteous scribe, took place.

And on this day also Abba Ze-Iyesus, of Debre Libanos, became a martyr by the hand of the pagans.  Salutation to Ze-Iyesus.

And on this day also the apostolic woman Saint Thecla died. This saint lived in the days of Saint Paul, the apostle.  And when Saint Paul, the apostle, went forth from the city of Antioch he departed to the city of Nicomedia; and there was in that place a certain believer, whose name was Sefaros, who took Saint Paul, and set him in his house.  And a great many people gathered together to him, and they heard his teaching.  And when this virgin Thecla heard Saint Paul, the apostle, teaching, she looked out from the window of her house that she might hear his doctrine, and she did this for three days and three nights.  And she was so eager to hear his doctrine, that she neither ate nor drank; and the word of his teaching entered into her heart.   And her parents and her servants were very sorry, and they used to beseech her to turn from her counsel, and not to follow Saint Paul.  And her father went to Demas and Remoganos, the magistrates, and complained to them about what had happened to his daughter, and they urged him, and at length he went to the emperor.  And he cried out and laid information against Saint Paul, and the emperor had him brought into the hall of the emperor, and he questioned him about his work and his Faith, but found no cause of complaint [against him]; and the emperor commanded and the soldiers shut Saint Paul up in prison.  And Saint Thecla put off her ornamental attire, and came to saint Paul in the prison house, and she bowed down at his feet.  And her parents sought for her, and could not find her, and [her handmaiden] told them that she was with Saint Paul the apostle; and the governor commanded the soldiers to burn her in the fire.  And her mother cried out, saying, “Burn her in the fire, so that all the numerous women of noble families who believe in the teaching of Paul the apostle may be admonished.”  And they brought Thecla out from Saint Paul to burn her, and they brought Saint Paul out also.  And her heart was bold, and she saw Saint Paul praying, and he went up into heaven whilst in his body; and when he had made the sign of the Cross over her face and her body, she threw herself into the fire; and the women wept for her.  And at that moment God sent very much rain, and lightning and hail, and the red-hot furnace became like unto cool dew.  And she escaped from the fire, and ran and came to saint Paul in the place wherein he dwelt secretly; and she asked him to shave off the hair of her head, so that she might follow him; and he did this for her.  And when she went to the city of Antioch, a certain nobleman saw her, and wanted to marry her, for she was very beautiful in her appearance, but she made bold and cursed him, and he informed the governor of the city about her.  And the governor commanded the soldiers to cast her to the lions, and she was with the lions for two days and two nights, but the lions only licked her feet.  And after this they tied her between two oxen and dragged her through all the city, but she suffered no pain whatsoever.  Then the governor sent her away, and she went to saint Paul, and he comforted her, and strengthened her, and commanded her to depart, and preach the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.  And she went to the city of Konia, and preached in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and then she went to her own city and converted her father and her mother, and brought them into the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.  And having finished her fight she died in peace and received the crown of the preachers and confessors in the kingdom of the heavens.  Now her body resteth at the present time in the city of Sengar [near Damietta] in Lower Egypt, and many signs and wonders have appeared through it.  Salutation to the apostolic woman Thecla.

And on this day also Saint ‘Adonin (Andonina) became a martyr.  This young man was a native of the city of Bana, and his parents were among the elders of the city; and they were believers, and were excellent and merciful.  And this saint went to the city of Antinoe and confessed our Lord Jesus Christ before the governor, who commanded the soldiers to shoot him to death with arrows; and they did as he commanded, but the arrows did the saint no harm.  Then the governor had him bound, and sent him to the city of Alexandria, and with him were Saint Abba Bimakos, and two other martyrs; and the governor of the city of Alexandria shut them up in prison.  And they hung up Saint ‘Adonin, head downwards, until much blood flowed from his mouth down upon the ground, and then he tortured him severely; and when the governor was tired of torturing him, he sent him to the city of Farma, where the saint found Saint Minas in prison; and he rejoiced in him, and they comforted each other.  And the governor of the city of Farma tortured him with every kind of torture, and they cut his flesh into strips with red-hot saws, and after that he boiled him in a cauldron over a fire, but God raised him up whole and uninjured.  And when he was tired of torturing him he commanded the soldiers to cut off his head, and they cut off his head with a sword, and he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens.  And great miracles took place through his body, which healed all those who were sick.  Salutation to ‘Adonina the martyr.

And on this day also Saint Abba Isaac became a martyr.  This saint was a man of the city of Samama (Samma), and he was a gardener, and he was an excellent man, gentle, and devoted to God.  He ate no flesh, he drank no wine, he fasted two days at a time, he ate herbs, and he visited the poor and needy, and gave them what was left of his wages.  And our Lord appeared unto him in a vision, and commanded him to go to the governor, and confess His Name before him.  And our Lord promised him many things, and told him of the crowns which were prepared for him, and the saint rejoiced exceedingly.  And he rose up and gave what was left in his house to the poor and needy, and then he prayed and asked God to help him.  And he came to the governor, and confessed God the Most High before him, and the governor tortured him severely, and burned him with fire, and hacked off his limbs, and hanged him, and broke him on the wheel; but God gave him strength to endure under all this torture, and He raised him up sound and uninjured.  When he was tired of torturing him the governor commanded the soldiers to cut off his head with the sword, and thus he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens.  And men of the city of Samama came and took his body, and wrapped it in splendid cloths, and laid him in a fair place until the end of the days of persecution.  [Then] they built a beautiful church for him, and laid his body therein, and great signs and miracles appeared through it, and healings for many sick folk.  Salutation to Isaac, the gardener.

And on this day also Liyarya (Hilaria) became a martyr.  This saint was a native of the city of Lemdeya (Demyal), which is nigh unto the city of Demera, and her parents were believers and were excellent folk; and she herself was chaste both in mind and in body, and she fasted and prayed continually.  When her days were eleven years, and she was living and doing her work, our Lord Jesus Christ revealed to her a great light, and the Archangel Fanuel appeared, and said unto her, “Why sittest thou here doing nothing but fighting the spiritual fight whilst the crowns which are prepared for those who fight for the Name of Christ, our Lord, [are waiting for thee]?”  And when she heard this she rose up, and gave all her goods to the poor and needy, and departed to Tuw, and thence to the city of Sarsana, and confessed our Lord Jesus Christ before the governor.  And there was a certain holy man, whose name was Abba Sinoda, and our Lord Jesus Christ had appeared unto him, and informed him concerning this holy woman, and what would become of her; and when he saw her he rejoiced in her, and comforted her and strengthened her heart.  And the governor tortured her severely, and he made gashes in all her body, and drove red-hot iron pegs into her; and after this he bound her with seven thousand, six hundred martyrs.  Then he took her with him in a ship and departed.  And whilst they were on the ship, a fish rose up and snatched away a child from his mother, and she had no other child, and she wept and lamented for her son exceedingly.  And the saint had compassion upon her, and prayed to God on her behalf, and then our Lord commanded the fish to give back the child, and the fish gave him back to his mother, alive, and no harm had befallen him.  And when the governor arrived in the city of Tuw, he commanded the soldiers to put the saint in the furnace of the public baths, and they did as he commanded, but no harm came to her.  And then they hacked off her limbs, and cast her into the fire, and they plucked out the nails of her hands and feet, and cut out her tongue, and drove iron pegs through her feet; after this, they made her to lie on an iron bed, and lighted a fire under her.  And when he was tired of torturing her, he commanded the soldiers to cut off her head, and thus she received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens.  Salutation to Telyarya (Hilaria), and salutation to those who were martyred with her.

And on this day also Thecla and Mugi, from the city of Kayrakus, on the border of Bahyara (Bahraya) by the city of Alexandria, became martyrs.  These saints were brought up by a God-fearing teaching woman in the city of Karakus, and as they were sailing on the river one showed them the governor torturing Christian folk, and they marveled at his hard-heartedness; these saints were those who endured his torture.  And the angel of God appeared unto the saints, and showed them the glory of the saints, and strengthened them, and the angel sailed with them on the ship to the city of Alexandria.  And our holy Lady, the two-fold Virgin, Mary, the God-bearer, and Elisabeth, appeared unto her in the forms of two women, and they wept with them.  And when they came unto the city of Alexandria, they confessed our Lord Jesus Christ before the governor, who tortured them severely.  And they cut off the head of Saint Mugi with the sword, and she received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens; and the governor sent Saint Thecla to the city of Demow, where she became a martyr.  Salutation to Thecla and Mugi.

And on this day also Saint Abba Karazun became a martyr.  This saint was a man from the city of Banwan, and he was formerly a thief, and there were with him two other young men who were thieves.  And they went to the cell of a certain monk in the desert of Scete to steal his goods, and they found him keeping vigil and standing up in prayer; so they waited until he had finished his prayer and had lain down.  Now that monk never slept, and their hearts were afraid and dismayed.  And when the time of dawn came, the elder monk went out to the thieves, and when they saw him they bowed down at his feet, and cast down their swords before him, and became monks under his direction.  And this saint fought a very great fight, and devoted himself to the ascetic life, both soul and body, and a certain elder monk prophesied and informed him that he would, assuredly, become a martyr for the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  And when seven years had passed by, Satan brought tribulation on the churches and on the Christian people.  And this saint embraced his spiritual father, and received his blessing, and departed to the city of Nakyos, where he found the Emperor Maximianus; and he confessed our Lord Jesus Christ before the governor.  And the governor tortured him severely, and sawed his body with iron saws, and rubbed into his wounds vinegar mixed with salt; and then he took him to the city of Alexandria, and hung him up on the mast of the ship five times; and the ropes broke.   And then he cast him into a vessel made of hide, and threw him into the sea (or, river), but the angel of God brought him out of the sea, and commanded him to go to the city of Gamnudi.  And he departed and came to the city of Benwani, and the people asked him about Abba Karazun, for they did not recognize him.  And they said unto him, “Abuna Abba Karazun departed many days ago, and we do not know where he is, and we have had no news of him.”  And a certain maiden recognized him and knew him, and by reason of her great fear she fell down and broke her water jar.  And she said unto the people, “This man is Abba Karazun himself,” and all the men of the city made haste to go to him, and they were blessed by him.  And every man who was sick came to him, and the saint besought God and prayed over some oil, and anointed him therewith, and they were healed.  And then he went to the city of Gamnudi, and he said unto a soldier, “I am a Christian, bind me and drag me into this city”; and the soldier did as the saint commanded him.  And when he had brought him thither, the governor hanged him on a tree, head downwards, for ten days; and the blood flowed down from his mouth and nose upon the ground.  And Abba Karazun cursed the daughter of the general, and she died and remained in her grave for eighteen days, and the people came and besought the saint on her behalf.  And he prayed and entreated our Lord Jesus Christ, and He raised up the maiden from the dead, and she told them what she had seen of the Judgment in hell.  And Justus the general, and his wife, believed on our Lord Jesus Christ, and all his soldiers, and they became martyrs; and they were in number nine hundred, and thirty, and five souls.   And after this the governor sent Abba Karazun to the city of Alexandria, and when he arrived there they tortured him very severely.  And he also sent him to the city of Gamnudi, where they beat him with bars of wood and broke his back; and when he was tired of torturing him he sent him to the city of Alexandria.  And when the saint came to the Hill of Barmuda, our Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, appeared unto him, and comforted him, and told him that he should finish his fight there, and He promised him that He would grant to every man any request, which he should make in his name.  And when the governor was tired of torturing him he commanded the soldiers to cut off his head with the sword, and thus the saint finished his martyrdom, and received the crown thereof in the kingdom of the heavens.  And the angel of God appeared unto a certain priest of the men of the city of Manuf, and told him where the place was wherein the body of Saint Abba Karazun lay, and commanded him to take it away.  And that priest went and took the body of the saint, and wrapped it up in beautiful cloths, [and kept it] until the end of the days of persecution.  And they built a beautiful church for him in the city of Benwan and laid his body therein, and many miracles and wonders took place through it.  Salutation to Abba Karazun.  Salutation to the nine hundred and thirty-five people who were martyred with Abba Karazun.

And on this day also is celebrated the commemoration of seven thousand, three hundred martyrs.  [In the Bodleian MS. seventy-six thousand.]

And on this day also Saint Ladimadyos, the Syrian, became a martyr.  This saint was brought up with the Persians, and learned from them the knowledge of the stars; and he wished to become a Christian.  And he found a certain Persian priest in the bazaar, whose name was ‘Engalius, and he taught him the Law of God and rejoiced in him exceedingly; and he began to teach the men of his house to turn to God and to believe in Him.  And then he went to a certain city between Syria and Rome, and was there baptized with Christian baptism.  He became a monk, and fought a great, and superhuman fight; and the brethren were jealous of him when they saw his fight; and they wished to drive him away from the mountains.  When he knew this he went forth from that place and departed to a city on the borders of [the city of] Theodosius, and he came to the monastery of Saint Sergius; where he lived with an elder anchorite for a year, and fought the fight.  And he ate neither beans, nor any food with fat therein.  And the elder anchorite urged the abbot to make Ladimadyos a deacon, so that he might minister with him in the sanctuary; and being unable to resist him, he was made a deacon, and ministered with him in the sanctuary.  And when the elder went into the altar at the consecration of the Offering, during the consecration, he saw a white dove of most beautiful appearance, and it came near and descended upon the altar.  And Ladimadyos, thinking that it was a dove of flesh, was afraid lest the chalice should be overturned, and he made a motion with his hand, and drove the dove off; now the elder anchorite did not see the dove.  And after the Service was ended, the anchorite asked him, saying, “What happened to disturb thee at the time of the Offering, when thou didst stretch out thine hand over the altar?”  And Ladimadyos told him how he had seen the dove.  And the anchorite said unto him, “In future when thou seest the dove tell me.”  And when the elder went up to the altar to receive the Offering, and the time for seeing the dove came, Ladimadyos said unto him, “That dove hath come”; and the elder did not see it, and again he was exceedingly sorry.  And he bowed low before God, and he prayed continually, and entreated Him with tears by night and by day, until he saw that dove; and he knew that it was the grace of the Holy Spirit; but he told Saint Ladimadyos nothing, so that he might not be puffed up in his heart.  And after this the anchorite went to the bishop, and asked him to make Ladimadyos a priest, now Ladimadyos himself knew nothing about this, until he took him and made him a priest against his will.  And when the Archbishop of that country heard the story of his fight, he took some people with him, and wanted to go with them to him, and to receive a blessing from him.  And Saint Ladimadyos knew of this by the Holy Ghost, and he fled secretly, and came to the church of Saint Mark, the martyr, and then he departed and dwelt in the desert, where he lived on grass, and God, the Most High, performed great miracles [by his hands].  And then he fled from the vain praise of man to the seashore.  And one day he took the water-pot, and went down to the river to draw water, and he saw women there drawing water, and they laughed at him, and made a mock of him; and he went back without having drawn water, and with sorrow in his heart.  And he asked God to dry up that river, and God, the Most High, heard his petition, and He made the river a road whereon men could travel.  And when the people knew that it was Saint Ladimadyos who had dried up the river, they all went up to him with their wives, and their children, and they entreated him with many tears, until he prayed to our Lord Jesus Christ Who gave them back the river, and it became as it was formerly.  And when he saw the people wishing to honor him, he fled from that place and went to another desert, and he lived therein a year, fighting the fight, and enduring the cold of winter, and the heat of summer, under the sky without a roof.  And with great difficulty the people forced him to let them build him an abode, and he dwelt therein, and God, the Most High, performed many signs and miracles by his hands, and among them was the following:  There was a certain man who was blind in one eye, and when he was being blessed by him the hand of the saint rested upon the blind eye of that man, and his eye was opened straightway, and he saw.  And another man, a paralytic, they brought to him, and he prayed over some oil and water, and anointed him therewith, and the man recovered.  Another man, one who was dumb, when they brought him to him, the saint knew that this sickness had come upon the man because of the sin which he had committed; and then he prayed to God, the Most High, and He healed him by his hands.  And again, a certain rich man came to him with his wife, who was barren, and the saint prayed to our Lord Jesus Christ, and He gave them children, whom they brought to him, and he blessed them.  And this Saint Abba Ladimadyos performed countless miracles.  And it came to pass in his days that the Emperor Walitos, the infidel and idolater, came to the city of Antioch, and he pulled down the churches which Constantine had builded.  And then he heard that the Persians had come to fight against him, and when they (the Romans) had departed thither, they passed by the habitation of Saint Ladimadyos, and one told the emperor about him.  And the soldiers stoned him, and his disciple, with stones, until a great heap of stones stood over their cave.  And thus died Ladimadyos and his disciple.  And after one year God revealed his body to a certain man, who was a merchant, and was traveling that way, now he had a laden camel with him, and the camel fell down, and sank into a pit in the ground.  And when the men came to take up the camel, God showed him the cave, and he and his men knew that it was the cave of Saint Ladimadyos; and they dug and took up the body of the saint, and that of his disciple, with great honor.  On the fifteenth day of the month of Hamle, on the day whereon he died, they built a church for Saint Ladimadyos, and they laid therein his body, and that of his disciple; and God made manifest many signs and miracles there from.  Salutation to Ladimadyos.

Salutation to ‘Atrabius, who took the place of Pachomius.

Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints.  Amen.