October: Day 20: Holy Great Martyr Artemios

October: Day 20:
Holy Great Martyr Artemios

(Characteristics of Those Persecuted for the Truth of God)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Artemios, whose memory is celebrated today, was prefect in Egypt during the reign of Julian the Apostate. When Julian was in Antioch on his way to war against the Persians, Artemios, arriving there with the Egyptian army, was a witness to the outrageous persecution of Christians by Julian, who attributed to them the burning of the pagan temple in Daphne, a suburb of Antioch. In anger at the Christians, who were innocent in this matter, the apostate burned their church in Antioch and destroyed another, which was near the Temple of Apollo, and, in general, cruelly persecuted Christians, not sparing even children. Then the zealous Christian Artemios, who could not tolerate injustice, became indignant at the persecutor, and fearlessly and openly exposed his injustice. The ruler, irritated by Artemios's audacity, ordered that his military robes be taken off, that he be stripped naked and tortured until he offered sacrifice to the gods. But while he was pouring his blood on the ground, Artemios preached Jesus Christ and His great miracles. He also endured imprisonment, where he was tormented by hunger, and then was subjected to a special trial: he was placed on one half of a split stone, with the other half of which, having been lowered from a height, they crushed the limbs of the martyr. Finally, they cut off his head with a sword. This was about the year 361.

II. We have heard, fellow Christians, that the Holy Great Martyr Artemios was unjustly persecuted by the furious emperor for the sake of truth, because, unable to endure the cruelty of the emperor with indifference, he fearlessly and openly denounced his injustice. We have also seen that no threats or tortures could shake the holy zealot of truth, who meekly and courageously endured torture and even death. Likewise do all true Christians persecuted for the truth of God, to whom the Lord promises to grant the kingdom of heaven for this: they are all distinguished by “constantness in virtue, courage” in enduring the most severe persecutions, and “patience” in enduring the calamities of persecution. Let us examine more closely these qualities of those persecuted for the sake of truth.

a) The first quality, as we have said, which is always and invariably shown by people who are truly persecuted for their virtues and truth, is constancy in truth. He who is sincerely devoted to justice and loves goodness cannot be bribed or forced by anything to retreat from truth and to dissemble. No promises of earthly benefits - wealth, glory, honors - can seduce him or turn him away from truth. He cannot be carried away to betray virtue and justice by friendship, kinship, or acquaintance; no disasters and not even death itself will frighten him. Hence, true fighters for truth always show great constancy and firmness in virtue and truth. Here is an example taken from the history of the Church. When the Greek Emperor Constans II wanted to persuade the courageous fighter for Orthodoxy, Maximus the Confessor, to renounce his Orthodox faith and accept the Monothelite heresy, he called him and said: "We wish that the Lord would turn your heart to us. We will receive you with love, we will bring you into the church with honor, we will place you in the first place, and you will be glorified throughout the universe, only renounce your faith and join us, for then everyone will unite with us. Now, looking at you, you are stubborn." To this, the Venerable Maximus answered the emperor: "We will all be judged by God; I cannot do what you wish, I cannot change the truth and justice." Then the emperor began to convince him that he should at least remain silent and not divulge his teaching. "To remain silent about the truth means to reject it," the Venerable One answered him. "Believe in your heart as you wish," the emperor told him, "we will not hinder you." "The Lord commands us not to believe with our hearts alone, but also to confess Him with our lips," the Venerable One answered. "For He will deny before the Heavenly Father the one who has denied Him before men."

b) The second quality shown by people persecuted for the truth is courage in enduring persecution. He who truly stands for truth and justice and is devoted to it with all his heart does not fear any threats or torments and endures them with joy and willingly - he does not even fear death itself, because he is defending not his own interests, but the interests of truth and justice itself, as the work of God, and is convinced of his own righteousness. Let us present an example: Saint Meletios was elected Bishop of Antioch by common consent of both the Orthodox and the Arian heretics, and the election list about this, signed by both the Orthodox and the Arians, was entrusted for safekeeping to Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata. But when Meletios, as a zealous defender of Orthodoxy, was expelled from Antioch by the Arians and condemned to imprisonment by the impious Emperor Constantius; the Arians, fearing that he would return again, demanded that Eusebius return the election list to them. But Eusebius resolutely refused them, because the election had been signed and entrusted to him for safekeeping by both the Arians and the Orthodox. Then the Arians begged the emperor to use his power over him. But Eusebius refused the emperor as well, saying: "I will not give up the general judgment entrusted to me except when all who entrusted it, having gathered together, demand that I return my decision." The irritated emperor sent his official to him a second time with an edict, ordering him to use threats. The official, handing Eusebius the edict, said that in the event of disobedience he had orders to cut off his hand. “So there is no need to read the decree,” Eusebius answered him, and, holding out both hands to him, he said: “You can fulfill what you have been ordered to do, because I will not fulfill the emperor’s unjust command.”

c) Thirdly, finally, the quality shown by people innocently persecuted for the sake of truth is patience in enduring persecution. He is not persecuted innocently who gives the reason for persecution. He does not suffer for the sake of truth, or suffer innocently, who, meeting with untruth from other people, himself becomes embittered, hates and tries to take revenge, if not by deed, then by slander and reproach. This is no longer patience, for he who takes revenge does not suffer, and through this very revenge he himself becomes the culprit of his persecution, and therefore he is no longer persecuted innocently. But he truly suffers and endures innocently who, without giving any reason for persecution himself, endures all persecution, all pursuit because he does not want to betray the truth, without complaint and patiently, without murmuring, without bitterness and revenge, hoping only for the righteousness of his cause and for God, the rewarder of all, who will judge all according to the truth and will reward each according to his deeds. Hence, people persecuted innocently and for the truth are always humble, uncomplaining and submissive to the will of Providence.

III. If the Lord wishes to send us sorrows for a just cause, then may He grant us to endure them following the example of the holy saints of God with constancy, courage and patience.

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.