Today is Saturday, July 27th and the Orthodox Church honors the memory of Saint Panteleimon, the Great Martyr and Healer.
According to the calendar, Osia Anthousa, the Confessor, is also celebrated.
The Life of Saint Pantaleon
Saint Panteleimon was born in the middle of the 3rd century in Nicomedia, in Bithynia, in Asia Minor.
His old name was Pantoleon and he came from a wealthy family in the city. His father was an ethnic (pagan), while his mother Evvoulis converted to Christianity (she herself is honored as a saint) and began teaching him Christianity from a very young age. But she did not have much time to spend with her son, as she died when Pantoleon was very young.
He himself acquired a circular education from an early age and when he completed it he studied medicine, but he also distinguished himself in oratory(3). In fact, his family’s relations with the palace were very good and he was soon taken as a physician to the court of the Emperor Diocletian. However, he himself finally embraced Christianity.
The conversion to Christianity happened after the encounter with Saint Hermolao, at a time of persecution of Christians, and from the following miraculous event: the Saint was walking distraught after the encounter with Saint Hermolao and while walking he saw a child lying dead and next to a coiled viper, so he thought, if God really exists, something should be done. Then the child got up and the viper burst like a balloon.
Saint Hermolao knew Pantoleon because he had been his mother’s spiritual guardian while she was alive. Shortly afterward, he would be secretly baptized as a Christian and would try to convince his father to become a Christian as well, as he did with a miracle he himself performed.
His father died after a while, and as a result, he became the owner of a large fortune. He then sold his property to help the poor and offered his medical services free of charge to those who could not pay.
This practice of his, however, led many doctors to denounce him and to point out to the palaces that he was a Christian. Even his own teacher was jealous of him. So he was arrested and taken to the Emperor. There he was asked to sacrifice to idols in order to be released. But he himself refused, saying that he would not sacrifice to false gods. So they sent a paralytic before him, so that he or the priests of the palaces could cure him, so that it would be seen who the true God is.
Treatment of paralysis
Saint Panteleimon healed the paralytic, which caused great astonishment. Nevertheless, the Emperor wanted to persuade him again. Panteleimon refused and was put to martyrdom. Sometimes they burned his body with torches, sometimes they whipped him, and sometimes they poured hot oil over him. In many cases, however, the tortures caused him no pain. Then they threw him to the wild beasts to kill him, but they did not harm him.
The end of martyrdom
Finally it was decided to behead him. As he was led to the place of his end, he prayed constantly, and then a voice was heard from heaven calling him Panteleimon instead of Pantoleon. When he was beheaded, milk flowed from the wound instead of blood, and the olive tree to which he was tied immediately bore fruit.
What do we know about Osia Anthousa?
Osia Anthousa was the daughter of the iconoclastic king Constantine of Kopronymos and his third wife, Eudoxia.
In vain her father, the king (741 – 775 AD), wanted to marry her to a young man who had all the advantages of birth, beauty and wealth. She bore the deep sorrow to her heart that her father was an enemy of icons and did not want a husband who had the same thoughts as him. So she remained celibate and spent her time in works of mercy and charity.
After her father’s death, she distributed her assets to the poor, charities and temples, and was made a nun by Patriarch Tarasios.
He died in the year 809 AD at the age of 52.
Who are we saying “Happy Birthday” to today?
Their name day is:
- Panteleimon, Panteleimonas, Pantelis, Panteleimonia, Pantelitsa, Pantelelina, Panteleousa
- I was blossoming.