Saint Barbara, the Great-martyr at Heliopolis, Syria and Juliana Commemorated on 4th December (305-311) She was the daughter of the pagan Dioscoros, who was a rich and illustorious man in Heliopolis. Barabara was his only child, and everything to him after his wifes death. Barbara was well-known for her extraordinary beauty, which was the reason to her father to hide her in a tower, built only to hide her with only access to her pagan teachers. The beautiful view to the hills, river and heaven made her asking herself about Cause and the Creator of all this beautiful things. With that question, she decided to spend her life in virginity and to get answers, which was not the fathers plan. Though she refused to get married the father believed that hidding her in the tower damaged her so she got the permission to explore the world. That brought Barbara to young Christian maidens in the city, and they taught her about the Creator of the world, about the Trinity, and about the Divine Logos and a priest instructed her in the Christian mysteries and finally baptized her. As she returned, her father was building a bathhouse with only two windows on the southside but Barbara instructed the builders to make a third window, forming a Trinity of light. Her father was not satistified with that change and as his daughter explained it, with that that she had converted to Christianity. Her father tried to kill her but she succeeded to escape in a hill, which opened for her but blocked for her father. After a long and fruitless search for his daughter, Dioscorus saw two shepherds on the hill. One of them showed him the cave where the saint had hidden. Dioscorus beat his daughter terribly, and then placed her under guard and tried to wear her down with hunger. Finally he handed her over to the prefect of the city, named Martianus. They beat Barbara fiercely, they struck her with rawhide, and rubbed her wounds with a hair cloth to increase her pain. By night Barbara prayed fervently to her Heavenly Bridegroom, and the Savior Himself appeared and healed her wounds. Then they subjected the saint to new, and even more frightful torments. In the crowd where the martyr was tortured was the virtuous Christian woman Juliana, an inhabitant of Heliopolis. Her heart was filled with sympathy for the voluntary martyrdom of the beautiful and illustrious maiden. Juliana also wanted to suffer for Christ. She began to denounce the torturers in a loud voice, and they seized her. Both martyrs were tortured for a long time. Their bodies were raked and wounded with hooks, and then they were led naked through the city amidst derision and jeers. Through the prayers of Barbara the Lord sent an angel who covered the nakedness of the holy martyrs with a splendid robe. Then the steadfast confessors of Christ, Barbara and Juliana, were beheaded. Dioscorus himself executed Barbara. The wrath of God was not slow to punish both torturers, Martianus and Dioscorus. They were killed after being struck by lightning.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 16:11:26 +0000