THE HOLY MARTYR PHILOSOPHUS

May 31

From the Prologue

This martyr of Christ was born in the vicinity of Alexandria. During the time of the persecution of Christians, St. Philosophus did not want to deny Christ the Lord before the pagan princes and judges. For that, the pagans subjected him to violent tortures. Since he was tortured in various ways, they finally placed him on a soft bed, tied his legs and hands and permitted an immoral woman to come to him and to lure him into sin. When St. Philosophus sensed that the sin of passion was being aroused in him from the touch of the woman's hand, he placed his tongue between his teeth, bit if off and spit it in the face of the depraved one. Because of that, the passion subsided in him and the immoral woman was so horrified that she immediately fled from him. He was beheaded after that about the year 252 A.D. in his youth and took up habitation in the kingdom of eternal youth.(*)

HYMN OF PRAISE

SAINT HERMEAS AND THE MAGICIAN

The old and evil magician, poisoner and liar,

In everything very small, but great in fear,

Bitter poison, to the holy Hermeas, he gave,

From this poison, even the serpents would hide!

Hermeas, the poison drank: death did not claim him,

And the old magician, saw and trembled all over,

O that wonderful miracle, aloud he cried out,

Over the soldier of God, the poison has no power!

Let be hidden, the darkened days of my life,

Let be erased, the years of my shameful life!

To dumb deceits, my entire life I dedicated,

My entire life, in the service of these idols dumb.

And just today, in great fear, I see:

The One and the True God, the God of Hermeas is.

Crucified as Christ, the Lord from the heavens

His only, are the miracles truthful.

From now on, Christ's I am: O Christ, forgive me

For the least servant, You, O Good One, receive me.

Forgive me my all too many sins, forgive me,

For You, I will sacrifice, body and lifeless bones!

Bitterly repentant, that, the elder uttered,

At once cleansed, of falsehood and fears,

Among Christians, himself, he openly numbered

The sword over him flashed and with blood, baptized him.