The suffering of the holy martyr Athenogen and his ten disciples.

Memory of July 16 During the reign of the wicked Roman Emperor Diocletian [ruled the eastern half of the Roman Empire from 284 to 305 C.E.] there was a violent persecution of Christians, all who lived godly were in trouble, there was turmoil everywhere, many betrayed one another to death, father to son, brother to brother, relative to relative, <unk> out of fear of the emperor.

A certain eunuch named Philomarchus came to the city of Arimathea and gathered a large crowd of idolaters. He ordered them to wear crowns and to offer sacrifices to the idols. They did this with great joy and gladness, and with the sound of trumpets, cymbals, lutes and harps.

"We are Christians, and we do not worship idols. " The crowd shouted, "We are Christians, and we do not worship idols. " Then the governor ordered the soldiers to kill the people.

There is here a man named Athenogenus, a Christian bishop, who turns everyone to his faith, and he lives in the village of Pidaphon.

Hegemon immediately sent soldiers to take him. St. Athenogenus had a small monastery near that village in a very secluded place, where he lived with his ten disciples in fasting and prayer. The soldiers came to his monastery and did not find the holy bishop himself. He withdrew somewhere; then they bound his disciples and took them to Sebastius.

"Find me their teachers". The soldiers went all over to look for Athenogen. When Athenogen, the man of God, came to the monastery and did not find his brother, he entered the temple of prayer and, looking with tears at my mother's holy cross, said: "Where are my brothers, whom I entrusted to you? Who will make the usual prayers to God with me? Where are the beautiful olive branches? What is with them? I do not know".

And the saint was greatly grieved. And when he came out of the monastery, he walked about him, wondering and wondering where the brothers had gone, and behold, a deer, which he had just fed with his hands, ran to him, and began to caress him and lick his hands. Then he met a man whom he knew, and he asked him, Where were you, holy master, when they took your disciples? for the emperor had sent soldiers after them, and had commanded them to be bound and brought into the city to be tortured.

And when he heard this, he rejoiced, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, I thank thee, Lord Jesus Christ, that thou hast called the worthy of thy servants into the kingdom of heaven.

The soldiers seized Paul and brought him to the governor. They said to him, "The Athenian theologian who you have been asking to see has offended you very much".

Peace be unto you, my children, the grace of Christ be with you, for you are pleasing to God, and therefore he has called you to the heavenly supper. Be strong, fear not the temptations of the tormentor; for God will help you to accomplish your task tomorrow, and you will enter heaven with the angels and the faces of the saints in joy and gladness to glorify the heavenly Lord forever.

If you do not obey, I will punish you severely and take away your lives as I destroyed those who rebelled before you. Evil destroyed the wicked.

"Do not delay me, Athenogenes, but listen to me, and go with your companions and sacrifice to the gods, so that you do not die a cruel death. " The saint said to Egemon, "Torturer of lawlessness, unclean and shameless dog, do not frighten us with your threats, do what you want, for we are ready to endure everything for our God.

Then the torturer was enraged and ordered ten naked disciples of Athenogenes to be hanged on oak trees, brutally beaten, and bound with iron scabbards, while they were suffering, saying, "We are ready to be wounded for Christ the Immortal; we will not deny you, Lord our God".

The martyr, seeing their courage and patience, which could not be overcome by any torture, ordered them to be cut with the sword. And the saints died in good confession and went with glory to the heavenly villages. After the killing of the holy ten martyrs, Egimon addressed the holy bishop Athenogenes, saying: "Where is your Christ, whom you call God?

And when they had smitten him, he said, I thank thee, O God, that thou hast made me worthy to suffer for thy name's sake. And he said unto him, Why doth not thy God deliver thee also out of my hands? And the martyr said, He hath delivered, and will deliver thee out of thy wicked scheming, O wicked man. Then he commanded to take him down from the tree, and to beat him again in the ribs; and the saint cried out, and prayed unto God.

And a voice from heaven said, Be strong, O my elect, for I am with thee, and thy God will save thee.

Did I not tell you before that Christians are sorcerers? Destroy him quickly, lest those who look at him be tempted. Hegemon immediately gave the order to kill the martyr with the sword, and the saint said to the torturer: "I beg you, Egemon, order me to be taken to my monastery and there to die". And Egemon granted his request.

When the saint was brought to his monastery, he sang some verses from the Psalms of David and rejoiced that he would soon part from the body and return to the Lord.

You have lost your brother, and now you have lost your mother. May the Eternal God not give you and your descendants into the hands of hunters, but may your descendants take refuge here in our memory for sacrifice and food to the glory of God by coming to celebrate our memory.

When he entered his monastery, St. Athanasius prayed to God: "Lord, my God, grant me peace in my soul, and let me be with my brothers, that we may praise your holy name forever together.

"Today you will be with me in paradise, and all your requests will be granted". The martyr, hearing this voice, was very happy and with joy put his head under the sword; his head was cut off; so he died for the Lord.

And there was a miracle: the deer, whom the saint nursed and blessed and released into the desert, came at his command to the feast and brought the children with him.

This the deer did every year: he came to the feast and brought his calf, which was slaughtered and eaten in memory and honor of the holy martyr Athinogen the bishop and his ten disciples, to the glory of Christ our God, with the Father and the Holy Spirit glorious, now and forever.

O holy martyr Athenogenes, for which cause we praise thee, and thy ten disciples, who have suffered with thee, in the fear of God, and in thy teaching.