Many know
of St.Panteleimon (Pantaleon) as a healer and doctor both of physical and
spiritual illnesses. This article
focuses on his path to martyrdom...
Saint
Martyr Pntheleimon was born in the city of Nicomedia in the year 275. It was
the time when pagan king and the murderer of Christians Maximian reigned. Many
of Christians died for Christ then, and the life of the other people was
enslaved to the pagan gods and idols.
The
Saint’s father was a confirmed pagan as well, who glorified the idols and had
some of them at his home. However his mother was a Christian, who inherited the
true faith from her ancestors, and who served God wholeheartedly. Thus they
lived, bound with their bodies but separated spiritually: he made sacrifices to
the pagan gods, while she honored only Christ. But when she died, the youth was
influenced by his father and was sometimes brought to the idols to worship
them. Later he sent the young man to Euphrosynus - the most honorable and
experienced doctor, to learn the art of medicine. Panteleimon was quite capable
and clever, and he learned easily what was taught to him. Soon he outperformed
his contemporaries and became skilled enough to catch up with his master. But
he got the true gift of healing only after he finally believed in Christ and
was baptized by priest Yermolay, who was hiding in a small house from the
king’s guards and Christian pursuers. When someone snitched to the king, that
Panteleimon worshiped Christ and reproved the pagan gods, he ordered to torture
the young man.
At first
the king ordered to hang the naked Martyr on a tree and to plane his body with
the metal tools and to burn his ribs with the candles. Panteleimon began to
pray to God: he asked to help him overcome the pain of the tortures: “Lord
Jesus Christ, help me now and give me patience to endure the pangs!” And God
showed up to him in the form of priest Yermolay, and He said: Be not afraid, as
I am with you. At that moment the tormentors’ hands became weak and mortified,
so that they dropped the instruments, and the candles went out.
When the
king saw that, he said to put the Martyr down from the tree, to make a fire and
heat the boiler with tin and to put the man in it. While it was boiling, the
Martyr was brought to the boiler: he raised his hands and prayed again. And God
appeared to him took him by the hand and they entered the boiler together. The
fire went out immediately and the tin cooled off. The king shouted: “What does
it mean? The fire went out, and the tin cooled off. What should I do now, and
how can I torture this magician?!” So people advised him: “Let him be plunged
into the sea, as he cannot enchant the whole sea. Thus he will die”.
The
torturer ordered to do so. The servants caught the Martyr and led him to the
sea. They put him into the boat and hanged a big stone on his neck. When they
were far enough from the bank, they pushed him out of the boat and he fell into
the sea. When the Saint was in the water, he saw Christ again, and the stone on
his neck became as light as a leaf. Panteleimon remained on the surface of the
water and did not sink. What is more, being guided by Christ just like Apostle
Peter, he walked on the water honoring Christ, and when he reached the bank he
appeared before the king.
Then the
king organized a special arena outside the city. He ordered to bring there wild
animals, so that the Martyr would be eaten alive by them. All the inhabitants gathered here to watch
the event. The Saint was thrown down to the animals, but they did not attack
him. God made them meek and calm, so that they behaved just like sheep. They
came to the Saint and licked his feet. When he petted them, they pushed each
other as they all wanted to be touched by his hand. The people saw that and
were amazed: “How great is the Christian God! The innocent man must be set
free!”
Maximian
was infuriated by these events. He commanded the servants to prepare a scaring
device for the Martyr – the wheel besprent with needles. When they tied the
Saint to the wheel and started to roll it, it was destroyed by an invisible
power and shattered, and many of those who were standing nearby were killed by
the shards from the wheel. But the Martyr remained safe and unharmed.
When the
king understood he could not make the Saint worship pagan Gods, he ordered to
beat him. When Panteleimon was heavily beaten, the king sentenced him to death
– he ordered the warriors to behead the young man and burn his body. The
warriors took the Saint and led him out from the city to execute him. When they
reached the chosen place, they tied him to an olive tree. The butcher took his sword
and beat the Saint’s neck with it, but the steel deformed just like a piece of
soft wax, and his neck was unharmed, as the Saint was finishing his prayer. The
horror-stricken warriors fell down and shouted: “The Christian God is truly
almighty!” They fell at the Saint’s feet and said: “We beg you to pray, that
God forgives our sins and all the evil we had done by our king’s will.” When
Pantaleon was praying, they all heard the God’s voice calling for him.
The
Martyr was full of joy. Then he asked the warriors to be beheaded. They did not
dare to do that, because they were too scared and stricken by fear. Panteleimon
appealed to them with such words: “If you do not do what is ordered to you,
then you will not get mercy from my Lord”. The warriors chose one of them, who
had to behead the Martyr. He stroked his head with the sword, and milk flowed
out instead of blood. The ilive tree was blessed and became full of fruits from
the roots to its top. Many of people who witnessed the event came to believe in
Christ. The king found out about the miracles that happened there and ordered
to destroy the tree and burn it with the body of the Saint. When the fire burnt
out, the believers took the body left completely unharmed by fire and buried it
with honor. Some of the servants who worked in the Panteleimon’s house,
followed him and watched all his sufferings from afar. They heard the voice
from the sky as well, and later they wrote his life story and provide the
churches with it in the memory of great Martyr, so that we all can read about
his feat.
Translated by The Catalog of Good Deeds
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