The suffering of the holy martyr Mochius.

During the reign of Diocletian [ruled the Roman Empire from 284 to 305] under the Anfipates [Anfipates - governor of the region] of Laodicea and Maximus, during the persecutions against Christians, in the city of Amphipolis, which was in Macedonia, the Christian presbyter Mochius lived. At the time when the pagans were performing an unclean ceremony to their wicked god Dionysus, or Bacchus [Dionysus or Bacchus, according to Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Semella, the god of grapes and wine, who freely delighted the hearts of men. Dionysus was considered the patron of everything that grew on animals - flowers and fruit.

Then the high priest stood up in the midst of the Gentiles and said in a loud voice, "You deceived and perverted people! How long will you go on walking in ignorance and in darkness?

And he spoke many other things like these; and every day he testified to the people, and reproved them, and preached the Christ, and the God of truth.

Meanwhile, an amphipathetic man named Laodice came to Amphipolis from the city of Apollonia, also in Macedonia, and began to offer sacrifices to Dionysius. The Laodiceans were told about the minister of Christ named Machias, that he was distracting many from celebrating the god Dionysius.

"Tell me, who are you that you do not want to sacrifice with us and forbid people to sacrifice to idols?" St. Mochius said, "You ignorant one who does not know the truth! Why do you ask me about things that you do not understand? Think a little about yourself and acknowledge the truth, because I have studied the scriptures and have learned from them that all the gods of the Gentiles are demons (Ps 95:5) and that their hope is in vain".

Then Antipath, filled with wrath, ordered that Mochias be hanged on a torture stake, and that his body be bound from head to foot with iron tools. In agony, the saint cried out to God, saying, "Lord, reigning forever, shining with the rays of truth, show Thy divine power to Thy servants, and give me strength to persevere to the end for Thy holy commandments".

Do you not see that my flesh is not weakened by your torment? Do you not see that I do not feel any pain at all in my wounds? All your strength is nothing". When Laodice heard these words, he said, "Your endurance in your torment does not depend on the power of your God, but on your magic. I will order that your body be burned again, so that all your organs will be turned into ashes and their sacrifices scattered by the wind".

How long wilt thou resist my commandments? Behold, a fire is prepared for thee; look upon it, and know the greatness and power of our god Dionysius, and worship him. And the saint said, Amphipatus, I have told thee that I do not worship the deaf, the blind, and the dumb destroyer of souls.

Then he prayed to God, saying, "Lord, who holds all creation in Your power and created all things through Your Christ, shame the devil who does not know Your truth, and give the blessing of godly knowledge and chastity to all those who fear You and honor Your holy name; You, Holy Lord, who broke down the idols of the Babylonians and showed the true faith of Your prophet Daniel; You who destroyed the abominable altar of the idols by Your three sons and quenched the fire in the furnace (Dan. 13); You who drowned in the depths of the sea and answered the prayers of Moses and Aaron.

I command thee in the great and glorious name of my Christ, who dwelleth in heaven, fall down, and lie down, that thy weakness and thy power may be seen; and the earth and thy temple shall be shaken, and thou shalt fall down with a great noise, and be broken in pieces; and all the heathen that were therein shall be afraid of the evil that is done unto thee; and after this thou shalt say unto Moses, Behold, thou art fallen, thou and the rest of thine inheritance.

And it came to pass, when the saint was cast into the fiery furnace, that he stood in the midst of the flame, as it were in the midst of a garden, and praised God in the hearing of all.

Blessed art thou, Lord God of our fathers, whose word is obeyed; blessed art thou, Lord of hosts, maker of the host of heaven, praised by the mouths of the holy archangels, who once saw three young men in the flame (among these three young men, thou wast the fourth who was seen). I pray thee, my Saviour, break and destroy this fiery furnace, and burn with the fire of this fiery furnace, and show thy wrath upon it, and destroy it from the face of the earth; and let all see that thou alone art the true God, that dwellest in heaven.

And it came to pass after twenty days, that another Antipater, whose name was Maximus, came to the city. And when he had heard of all that the saint had done, and also of the death of Laodicea, Maximus sought a way to destroy the saint. And sitting in his judgment seat, Maximus commanded to call to him the martyr of Christ for questioning. And when the saint was brought, the Antipater asked him, "Tell me, what is your name, and what kind are you?"

"If you want to know my name and my family, listen: my father was called Euphrates, and my mother Eustace; when they received holy baptism, they called me Monk. Having been brought up by my parents in a godly life, I attained the rank of priest in the Church of Christ my God; and now my life is approaching old age". Then Maximus said: "Who were your parents?" The saint answered: "My father was a citizen of the great city of Rome and fulfilled the duties of a military rank; my mother was the daughter of Anfipatis Lampadius". Maximus said: "If you come from such a noble family, then why did you give yourself to sorcery, which is not worthy of you? Why did you destroy Dionysius and a friend of the king of Laodicea, and why did you bring sacred sacrifices to the holy gods?

"Not I, but my almighty God, the Lord Jesus Christ, destroyed and crushed the soulless god Dionysius, and burned Laodicea with the fire of His wrath. I only serve my God with fear and love, and confess His holy name with my mouth". Maximus said to this: "Leave your madness and offer a sacrifice to Apollo [Apollo - according to Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Latona - the god of prosperity and order, the guardian of law. As the herald of the will of Zeus, who was also considered a god of prophecy and people.] in the event of death, you will die against death. But the martyr cried out: "I will die a furious death in the event that I forget the favors and mercy of my God and dedicate myself to worship him.

Then the saint began to pray, saying, "Lord, Source of purity, my Helper, my Protector, and my Deliverer, I thank Thee that Thou hast made me, unworthy of this endeavor, and helped me to overcome the devil. Thou art the only true God, who keeps my mind pure, and preserves my uncleanness. Thou wilt make me to dwell in Thee, O Creator, for Thy name is great for them that love Thee".

And all that saw the miracle marveled greatly at the thing that was done; and the tormentor, being ashamed as a martyr, and being overcome, was still more wroth with the saint, and commanded him to be cast into prison; and after three days he commanded the saint to be brought out of the prison, and to be given to the beasts to eat.

When the saint was brought to the place of imprisonment, he lifted his eyes to heaven and said: "Blessed are You, Lord, who created the ages and brings to an end the exploits of the holy ones. Accept my spirit in peace". And there was a voice to the holy one from heaven, saying: "Rejoice, good adventurer, Mighty One, who overcame all the torments. When I was in the power of the Holy One, I was victorious over all the torments.

Let all who celebrate the memory of the holy martyr Mochius be encouraged in the faith that they too will share with him in the gracious kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is glorified with the Father, and honor and glory and worship in the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.