4th December: Memory of the holy Great martyr Barbara (?). Our venerable Father John Damascene (+749?) According to the legend in the Greek Menaia, Saint Barbara lived under Emperor Maximian. Her father was a pagan named Dioscorus. Jealous of his daughters remarkable beauty, Dioscorus kept her imprisoned in a tower, for he was not unaware that she was a virgin and already won over to Christianity. He was still further convinced of it, when, having arranged for two windows to be put into a bath which he was building, his daughter ordered three windows. Questioned concerning her reasons, she answered: So that it be in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At these words, Dioscorus wanted to immediately behead her with his own sword, but she escaped from falling into his hands. He lunged at her from behind a rock, but she fled to the mountains. Having been advised of it, her father followed her, found her, and delivered her over to the governor of the province, before whom she confessed Christ and scorned the idols. Then she was cruelly beaten, her body was torn open by pin punctures, her sides were burned, and her head was battered by large stones. Then she was stripped and led through the entire city. She was further overpowered by assaults. At last, she ended her martyrdom, beheaded by the hands of her own father. It is told that this wretched man was struck by lightning when he came down from the mountain where he had killed his daughter. Saint John Damascene was born in Damascus, in an illustrious family, the son of Sergius, the son of Mansour, the general administrator of Caliph Abdalmalik (685-705). He received a complete education, thanks to his virtuous father, and he probed the depths of the Holy Scriptures. Impelled on by his faith, he abandoned his paternal riches and embraced monastic life in the laura of Saint Sabbas, in the company of Saint Cosmas, the future Bishop of Maiuma. Under divine inspiration, they both composed a considerable number of troparia and canons in praise of God, the Theotokos, and the Saints. Ordained a priest, without doubt by his teacher John, the Patriarch of Jerusalem (706-734), he courageously combatted the ungodly Iconoclast heresy by the vigor of his discourses and the irrefutable arguments which he knew how to pull out of Scripture. He left behind him a great number of works, comprising almost wholly and in perfect clarity the whole body of required knowledge. He died at the Laura, in old age. It is believed that this occurred on December 4, 749. His body still reposes in the holy monastery where he lived. In his life, which was written in the Tenth century by Patriarch John of Jerusalem, it is said that he was condemned by his adversaries, the Iconoclasts, to have his right hand cut off but that it was miraculously healed by the Virgin. This legend does not seem to be historically founded. (Source: rongolini) Apolytikion: Βαρβάραν τὴν Ἁγίαν τιμήσωμεν· ἐχθροῦ γὰρ τὰς παγίδας συνέτριψε, καὶ ὡς στρουθίον ἐῤῥύσθη ἐξ αὐτῶν, βοηθείᾳ καὶ ὅπλῳ τοῦ Σταυροῦ ἡ πάνσεμνος. youtube/watch?v=R3ZfvUFdeyg&feature=player_embedded#t=4
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 19:04:27 +0000
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