Thursday {Holy Apostles} August 29th 2014 {Ecumenical / Church Calendar} September 11th 2014 [Roman / World Calendar] The Beheading of the Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John Commemoration of Holy New Martyr Anastasius of Bulgaria {1794} 14th Week after Pentecost. Tone Four Fast. Food with oil The Holy New Martyr Anastasii, a Bulgarian, was born in 1774 in the Strumnitsk diocese, in the village of Radovicha. His parents gave him over to military studies. When the youth was twenty years old, he happened to be with his teacher in Soluneia (Thessalonika). The master wanted to sell some Turkish clothes without paying the customary duty-tax. He told his student to dress himself as a Turk and go into the city. The collectors of the duty‑tax, called a haraje, stopped him and demanded the written receipt or teskere of duty-tax payment. The youth answered that he was a Turk. Thereupon the collectors demanded him to recite the salutation with the Islamic prayer. The youth became confused and quiet. They ordered him off to the commander, who in interrogating the martyr offered him to become Turkish. The youth refused, and they led him away to the chief tax-collector. The official tried at first to flatter, then to threaten the Martyr, who owned up to his civil guilt, but would not agree to betray his Holy Faith. The tax-collector made this known to the mufti, who in turn answered: Thou hast in one hand the sword, in the other the law; use what thou wishest. He knew, that by law the tax-collector ought to take the duty-tax from the youth, but then by judgement of the mufti he would not be a follower of Muhammad, armed with a sword. And having received such an answer, the commander of the haraje sent the youth to the local mullah together with five Turks, who were obliged to testify that the Christian had blasphemed the Islamic faith. To the accusations of blasphemy against Muhammad by these witnesses, the youth honestly answered that he did not blaspheme him, but he would allow having shown disrespect to Islamic customs. They subjected him to torture and condemned him to hanging. Along the way they continued to urge the Martyr to renounce his faith, but bleeding and exhausted, he fell upon the wayside and died on 29th of August 1794. The Scripture Readings Matthew 14:1-13 {Matins Gospel} Acts 13:25-32 {Forerunner} Mark 6:14-30 {Forerunner}
Posted on: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 08:41:11 +0000
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