Hagiographical texts edited by I. Imnaishvili

The martyrdom of the holy Panteleimon in the reign of Maximianos, that lawless king. Many faithful Christians were deprived of life in this world for the sake of the true faith and for the sake of the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ; and some of them were hidden in mountains and in thickets and in crevices of the earth, and they lived with much hardship and distress; and some became courageous and were martyred with great torment in the cities by the rulers and judges, and their bodies were torn and cut by blows, and they died for the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And those martyrs shone with endurance and by their virtue they gained that unending life. But Maximianos, that lawless king, was in the city of Nicomedia and was zealous in idolatry and renewed the worship of idols, while those martyrs were zealous in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ and were strengthened and prevailed over those lawless ones by their good faith and received the reward of righteousness from the Only One. In those times there was a certain man from among the king's courtiers, whose name was Astargios, and he was living in the city of Nicomedia. And he had an only-begotten son, whose name was Panteleimon.

And he taught him wisdom and letters, and afterwards he gave him to a physician named Euphrosyne. And he was the chief of the physicians. And he healed the king and all the people of his palace. And when he received him, with great learning and diligence he taught him the art of medicine, and at all times he took him with him to the palace. And when the king and all his courtiers saw him, they said to Euphrosyne: Who is this beautiful youth who is with you? And Panteleimon was indeed very beautiful, and there was no one in the palace equal to him in goodness and beauty. Euphrosyne said: He is the son of Astargios, the counsellor, and his mother is called Apola, and they gave him to me so that I might teach him the art of medicine. The king and his courtiers said to him: By the power of the gods we swear, for this youth is worthy to serve the king. But the blessed Panteleimon rose every day and went and learned wisdom and the art of medicine from his teacher. And the king urged Euphrosyne, the chief of the physicians, even more, that with great diligence and speed he should teach Panteleimon, for he desired that he should make him his own physician and establish him in the place of his teacher.

And in those times there was a certain Christian man, a venerable priest, and he was hidden in his own house with two other Christian men. And his name was Armolaos. Now the road of Pantaleon was at the doors of that priest, and he saw him day by day, when he went to his teacher, and he knew in his spirit that he was to be a chosen vessel, like the apostle Paul. And when he was in the palace, he did not go the way of the youths, nor could anyone persuade him to bring him to the spectacles of the stage or to the revelry of the drunkards, as the other youths did, but his conduct was seemly and his demeanor orderly and always adorned. And one day the priest Armolaos summoned him and begged him to enter his house, where he was hidden. And when he entered, that priest embraced him and said to him: Peace to you, O radiant and comely youth, adorned with all seemliness! And Pantaleon said to him: And peace to you also, O venerable priest, worthy of all honor! And Armolaos took him by the hand and seated him beside him and said to him: Whose son are you, my child, and what is your name?

Pantaleon answered and said to him: I am the son of Astargios, the king’s co-conspirator, and my mother was Apola, but she has died. Armolaos said to him: What law do you serve? Pantaleon said to him: My mother was a Christian, but my father up to now serves the law of paganism. Armolaos said to him: On whose law are you: your father’s or your mother’s? Pantaleon said to him: When my mother was alive, she wished that I might be with her. But my father did not allow it, for he wanted to make me a horseman in the palace. But I desired to be with my mother. And after my mother died, my father left me to my own will. The priest said to him: What learning do you study with your teacher? Pantaleon answered and said to him: I study the wisdom of Askliobios and Bagrat and Galianoz. And my teacher said to me thus: If you learn their wisdom, you will be able to cure all diseases. That priest said to him: My child, Askliobios and Bagrat and Galianoz were nothing, for they served vanity: and the gods whom your king serves are also nothing.

But listen to me, my child, and obey me, and believe in Christ, in whose name I have healed all the ailments of men, when you called upon him, for he raises the dead and opens the eyes of the blind and heals all diseases, and he healed that woman with the dropsy, who had suffered for twelve years, by the touch of his garment he healed her instantly, and he drove out many demons from men and turned water into wine and performed many miracles and signs, which are countless, and he is always with his followers and delivers them from all their afflictions, and he gave power to his believers to perform these miracles and many more. Then the blessed Pantaleon, like good earth that receives the sown seed and brings forth fruit a hundredfold according to the word of the holy Gospel, so the worthy Pantaleon received the word of the blessed priest Armolaos, and was revived and became fruitful for the salvation of many.

Pantaleon answered and said to him: Truly, father, for I also heard this from my blessed mother, and she served and ministered to that Lord and called upon the name of Christ, whom you proclaim. And that priest said to him: Let him believe now, my child, and you shall have power and do this among all men, for nothing is impossible before his servants who believe in him. And if you believe in him and receive baptism in his name, you will receive that grace from heaven. Then the blessed Pantaleon returned to his own house, full of joy. And from that day he went daily to the priest Armolaos and confirmed from him the teaching of the faith, and he did not go to his own house when he departed from his teacher until he had read with Armolaos and spoken with him. And he was filled with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. And one day Pantaleon departed from his teacher and went to his own house, and on the road he saw a child lying on the ground, whom a serpent had bitten and who was dead, and that serpent lay coiled beside him, inseparable.

And when Pantaleon saw him, he was afraid and trembled, and drew back a little; then he took thought within himself and said: It is fitting for me now to know whether what Armolaus told me is true. And he looked up to heaven and said: O Lord Jesus Christ, if it is pleasing to you that I be your servant and worthy of your name, raise up now this child by your holy name. And as he said this, immediately the child was saved and arose, while the serpent burst asunder and died. Then Pantaleon received the grace of faith, rejoiced and said: I thank and bless you, Lord Jesus Christ, who have deemed me worthy and joined me to the number of your servants. And at once he went with great joy to the priest Armolaus, fell at his feet and said to him: I beseech you, servant of Christ, give me that seal of Christ and enlighten me with that baptism of illumination, for I believe in Christ from this day and know that there is no other God apart from him, by whose power the dead arise. And he told him all that had happened, and how by the naming of Christ he had raised up that child, and how that serpent had immediately burst asunder.

The priest said to him: "Come, my child, and show me the body of that evil beast." And the blessed Pantaleon went with him and showed him the dead serpent. And when he saw it, he marvelled, looked up to heaven and said: "I thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, and I bless your holy name. Glory to your goodness, praise and blessing to your mercy, which you bestow abundantly with your graces, and quickly you gave the gift of your grace to your servant Pantaleon." Then they went to the priest's dwelling, and he prepared a lamp and gave him light, and kept him with him for seven days. And on the eighth day the blessed Pantaleon returned to his own home. And when his father saw him, he said to him: "Where have you been, my child, these seven days? For I have been in sorrow and grief." Pantaleon said to him: "A certain man was grievously ill in the king's palace, and I and my teacher went to him, and because he was noble before the king, we stayed with him until his health was fully restored by the treatment." And he believed him and did not question him further. And on the next day he went to his teacher Euphrosyne. And when he saw him, he said to him: "Tell me, where have you been these days?

Pantaleon said to him: "My father acquired a plot of land and sent me to gather his harvest, and I spent these seven days there until I had gathered all his fruit. And this plot which we acquired is better than all the estates." When Ephrosyne heard this, he believed him and did not answer him. But Pantaleon was filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit and labored for the wealth of the faith, and he had great and swift diligence that he might convert his father from error and lead him to the light of the faith, and every day he spoke with him and told him of the power of Christ and the contempt and weakness of the idols. And one day he asked him and said: "Why, father, do these gods stand thus immovable? For whichever of them stands upright, it always stands and does not sit down, and whichever is seated, it always sits and does not rise." He said to him: "Believe me, my child, for you have asked me a difficult and wondrous word, and I am unable to explain it to you." Then Pantaleon was filled with joy and offered thanks to Christ, for with one word he had overcome him and convinced him of the vanity and contempt of the idols. And from that time on he became zealous for them and no longer sacrificed to them.

And there were idols standing in his house, and Pantaleon wanted to destroy them many times, but he considered and said: "I will not anger my father until the time for them comes of its own accord, and when he learns of our Lord Jesus Christ, He Himself will destroy them by His own wisdom." And as he was pondering this, some men brought to him a blind man and asked for Pantaleon the healer, and some told them that he was inside, and they called to him to come out to them and see the blind man. And when he heard this, he went out quickly and brought his father with him, and he saw the blind man and said to him: "What do you seek?" The blind man said to him: "I beseech you, to cleanse this darkened and deprived one in the beauty of seeing light, for many healers have treated me, and I have gained no benefit, but even the little light that remained they took from me, and they carried off all my possessions and left me thus in great distress." Pantaleon said to him: "The healers who treated you and did nothing for you, you gave them your possessions; but what will you give me if I make you seeing?" He said to him: "All my remaining possessions I will give to you.

Pantaleon said to him: "May Christ give you light of the eyes through me, but go and give to the poor what I have promised." Then his father said to Pantaleon: "Let this man go, my son, so that he may depart in peace, for you are not more skilled than those other physicians who are less honored than you." Pantaleon said to him: "The healing with which I heal, none of the physicians is able to attain to it, for he from whose teacher I learned is more skilled than all of them." His father thought that he was speaking of his teacher Euphrosynus, and said to him: "Hear, my son, that Euphrosynus also has treated this man many times and accomplished nothing for him." Pantaleon said to him: "Be patient, father, and behold that glory which is prepared for this man to see." And he took the hand of the blind man and touched his eyes and said: "In the name of Jesus Christ, who enlightens the darkened and heals the broken and gathers the scattered and seeks the lost, now by his command and will and power, become a beholder of the light for all the days of your life, and beyond that become a beholder, if you believe in him.

And as he said this, immediately his eyes were opened and he began to see. When his father saw this, he was amazed and believed in the Lord from that time on, and the healed man likewise believed in the Lord. Then Pantaleon went to the priest and told him everything that had happened, and Armolaus came with Pantaleon rejoicing to his house, so that he might see the healed man. And when he saw everything that Pantaleon had done, he offered thanks to the Lord, who had given such grace to him. And after a few days had passed, Armolaus confirmed the healed man in the faith, and also Astargios, Pantaleon's father, and gave them illumination, and they received that grace from heaven. And the healed man returned rejoicing and glorified God. Then Astargios entered his sanctuary, where the idols were kept, destroyed them all and cast them into a pit. And when Pantaleon saw this, he thanked the Lord continually. And after a few days, his father fell asleep. And Pantaleon remained alone, master of his own self, and he lived piously. For he freed his slaves and gave them their sustenance from his own possessions, and distributed all his possessions to the poor.

And he went to the prisons and brought them their necessities, and he served the sick with his own hands and healed them and gave them their necessities; and those who were weak, whom the physicians could not help at all, they would bring them to Pantaleon, and he healed them in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then all the inhabitants of the city would come to him and abandon their other physicians. And the Lord worked through him many healings and miracles. And the physicians became envious of his work and plotted evil against him. One day the physicians were gathered together, and that blind man whom Pantaleon had healed was among them. They saw him and said to one another: "Is this not that blind man whom we were treating and could not heal? And now who has healed him?" They called him over and questioned him as to who had healed him. And he said to them: "Pantaleon healed me and made me see." The other physicians said to Euphrosyne: "Is he not your disciple?" He said to them: "Yes," and they said: "We swear by the power of the gods, for from a great teacher a great disciple has come forth." They said this in ignorance and were prophesying concerning Christ and his disciples. And from that day on they greatly and vehemently rose up to persecute and envy Pantaleon, and they diligently sought to find some pretext against him.

After a few days they found that a certain man, a believer among the Christians, had been healed, and they reported it to King Maximian and said: "We beseech you, O king, concerning Panteleon, whom you commanded to learn the art of healing with great speed, so that he might be a physician for you. Behold, he heals those who blaspheme the gods, and gives them sustenance, and he has abandoned the service of the gods. And if you do not destroy him soon, he will convert many to his side, and they will abandon the service of the gods, and they will practice the healing of Asclepius and his wisdom in the name of Christ." And they besought the king to summon that blind man whom he had healed. He ordered him to be summoned, and that they should question him as to what drug or cure had healed him. And they said: "Tell us, O man, what healed you, Panteleon?" And he said to them: "He prayed and besought Christ, and laid his hand upon my eyes, and immediately I opened them and became seeing." The king said to him: "What do you say? Was it by the power of the gods that he healed you, or by the power of Christ?

He answered the king and said: "I beseech you, O king, for all these physicians whom you see have treated me many times and have taken away all my possessions, and have profited me nothing; but the little light that was in my eyes, that they took from me. Now command, O king, which is greater: Asclepius, who was entreated by many and was invoked as a helper, and could not heal me, or Christ, who was entreated by Panteleon alone, and immediately gave me light?" The king said to him: "Go, abandon this folly, and do not think that it was Christ who healed you, but the gods gave you light." Then the healed man said to him: "But rather you, O king, abandon your folly, for Christ gave me light through Panteleon, his servant, while your gods are themselves blind and cannot see, and how can they give the light of sight to men?" Then the king said: "I swear by God, that which the physicians told me is true, and there is no dispute." And he immediately ordered that man to be taken away and his head cut off, and said: "If this one remains alive, he will turn many away from the service of the gods.

And Panteleimon learned of this and gave a great price to those who had cut off his head, and he took his body and buried it with his father. And after this, he ordered Panteleimon to be brought. And as he was being led by those tormentors, the blessed one was chanting a psalm of David and saying: "O God, do not be silent at my praise, for the mouth of a sinner and the mouth of a deceiver have been raised against me; they spoke of me with a crafty lip and with hateful words, they hated me and fought me in vain; for the sake of my love they slandered me, while I prayed: they repaid me evil for good and hatred for my love. Help me, O Lord my God, and save me by your mercy. Let shame and humiliation come upon those who slandered me, while your servant rejoices in you." And they brought him before the king. And the thought of his heart was in heaven. The king said to him: "Tell me, Panteleimon, is it true what I have heard about you? Did you not command your teacher Euphrosynus to be diligent and zealous in your studies with all diligence? And I intended to make you the physician of my head for the sake of your youth." Panteleimon said to him: "What is it that you have heard about me?

The king said to him: "What I heard, I did not believe, because it seems that it is a lie and a falsehood, but I heard that you heal those whom we torment for not renouncing the gods, and you give them food and their necessities." Then Panteleimon was filled with the Holy Spirit and said: "Listen, O king: It is written, 'The gods who did not create heaven and earth are to be destroyed, for they are not gods.' Or do they raise the dead? Or do they restore sight to the blind? Or have they ever healed anyone lying on a decaying corpse, so that they might be proven true? If they have never done anything of the sort, why then do you command for them, O king?" The king said to him: "Fool, is the God whom the Christians serve able to do such a thing?" Panteleimon said to him: "The God whom the Christians serve has done all this, and even now does it again. And if you wish to know the power of the God whom the Christians serve, order that one leprous man be brought, who lies in the streets, and bring him here, and let one of your priests, whomever you command, call upon his gods, and I will call upon Christ, and by whose invocation the leprous man is healed, it is fitting that his God be proven true, for he is mighty and true.

And the king commanded that the dead man be brought and placed in their midst, and immediately they went and brought the one lying upon the bier. And the king said to Pantaleon: "You first call upon your God." Pantaleon said to him: "Command, O king, that your priests first stand forth and call upon their gods, and if they are heard and their request is granted, I shall be silent and say nothing more. But if they cannot obtain their request, then I shall entreat Christ and ask for my own petition." The king said: "By the power of the gods, you have spoken well. Let it be so!" Then those priests began to shout, and all the healers who were with them, with the hope of vanity. And some of them called upon the idol Dios and Asclepios, and some upon Bagrat, and some upon Artemis, and some upon Galianos, and upon the other remains of their gods. And their supplication and clamor all became vain, futile, and useless. And when the king saw that their request was empty and useless, he commanded Pantaleon to ask for his petition. Then he raised his eyes to heaven and said: "Hear, O Lord, the voice of my prayer, and let my cry to you ascend. Do not turn your face away from me.

Quickly hear me this day, as I speak to you, and show these foul and evilly scheming priests that you have heard me and that you are the helper of those who serve you. And as he said this, he took the hand of the dead man and said: "In the name of Jesus Christ, from now on be alive and healed." And immediately he arose alive and went to his house with joy, glorifying God, and many believed at that time and held the service of idols in contempt. Then those foul priests and all the physicians gnashed their teeth with great wrath against Pantaleon and said to the king: "If you leave this man alive like this, the service of the gods and their sacrifice will be scattered, and they will be held in contempt by all men, and do not believe him, for that dead man was healed by the power of the gods." And the king believed their word and said to Pantaleon: "Submit to me and hear me and sacrifice to the gods. Or do you not see how many men have been cut off for their sake?" Pantaleon said to him: "Those men, O king, who have been cut off for their sake, are beasts until the end, for they were cut off for Christ.

The king said to him: "Renounce Christ and have mercy on your youth, for, as I see, you will bring many torments upon your head if you persist in this resolve." Pantaleon said to him: "Hasten, O king, and bring those torments of which you speak, for I am prepared to endure every torment for the sake of my Lord Jesus Christ." The king Maximian said: "Do you know, Pantaleon, the elder Anthomas, who grew strong and opposed me and resisted me in days past, how I destroyed him?" Pantaleon said to him: "Yes, O king, I know him, for he did not obey you nor believe in you. And if that elder and weak one became strong and struggled for God and did not heed your command, how much more fitting is it for me to struggle, that I might be worthy to follow in his footsteps?" And when the king saw his firmness and unshakability for the faith, he ordered him to be suspended, beaten, his flesh torn, lacerated, and his sides burned with a fiery lamp.

Then he lifted his eyes toward heaven and accepted the multitude of pains and torments with gratitude, and said: "O Lord Jesus Christ, just as you were with me in the healing of the weak, be with me now and help me in the severity of these torments, so that I may accomplish this struggle of mine." And Christ appeared to him in the form of the presbyter Armolaozi and said to him: "Do not be afraid and do not be terrified by these torments; struggle bravely, O wrestler, for I am with you in all your pains and blows." Then the hands of the judges were loosened, and the fire of those lamps was extinguished. And when the king saw that deed, he said to him: "What power do you have that the lamps are extinguished and the hands of your torturers are weakened?" Pantaleon said to him: "It is not I who do this, but my Lord Jesus Christ extinguished the lamps and loosened the hands of your servants." Maximian said to him: "I will bring other torments upon you; what will you do then?" Pantaleon said to him: "If you bring other, fiercer torments upon me, Christ will all the more multiply his assistance to me." And when he heard this, he ordered the making of a great cauldron and the kindling of a fire beneath it, and the casting of the holy one into it, and thus his torment.

And when they did this and cast the holy one into it, he lifted his eyes to heaven, prayed, and said: "Hear my prayer, O Lord, and when I pray to you, deliver my soul from the fear of the enemy; protect me from the deceptions of the path of the wicked and from the many acts of treachery which their tongues have devised." And as he completed this prayer, the Lord appeared and grasped his hand at his entry into the furnace, and immediately the fire was extinguished, and the furnace cooled. Then the holy one began to sing psalms and said: "I saw God, and the Lord heard me; evening, morning, and noon I proclaimed and said, and they heard my voice." Then those who stood there were seized with wonder at the sight. And the king said: "Do you see how this condemned one has extinguished the lamps and cooled the furnace? Now with what torture shall I torment him?" Then those standing before him said: "It is fitting, O king, that he be drowned in the sea, lest he also cause the sea to evaporate." And the king commanded that he be drowned in the sea. And those servants of falsehood seized him and led him to the sea. And the king followed him in order to see what would happen. And they brought a large stone, tied it to the neck of the holy one, and cast him into the sea.

And again the Lord appeared in the form of the armolaozi and rebuked the sea, and it was frightened and gathered its waves upon itself. And that stone became like a leaf, taken and tossed upon the surface of the water, while the holy one was led by Christ dry-shod until he reached the shore, and with thanksgiving he blessed God and said: "I thank you, O Lord, with all my heart, and you have recounted to me all your wonders, O Most High, when all my enemies were turned back, grew weak, and perished from before your face, for you hold your justice; my judgment was decreed upon the thrones, O Judge of righteousness; you rebuked the pagans, and the godless one perished." And the Lord remained until the end. And when he came out dry-shod, the king said to him: "What is this, that by your power you have even dried up the sea?" Pantaleon said to him: "Even the sea heeds the command of its Lord." The king said to him: "And are you the Lord of the sea?" He answered him and said: "I am not, but my Lord Jesus Christ is, who had mercy on me and wrought this wonder, which you are not worthy to behold." Then the king's anger was inflamed, and he commanded that all the beasts be prepared and set upon them, until they utterly destroyed the holy one.

And then the king said to him: "Now, can you also overcome the beasts, O Panteleimon, which are prepared for you? But obey me, honor the gods, and spare the beauty of your youth, and do not die and perish, like those foolish women who were before you and perished." The holy one said to him: "O foolish Maximian, full of malice and every vice, do you not know that by this speech of yours you strengthen me in the power and firmness of my faith and the intention of my heart? Those women utterly destroyed your power and overcame you, and endured your torments for the sake of God's severity. How much more fitting is it for me to endure torments, so that like them I may be worthy to receive the crown? For He who dried up the lamps and weakened the strength of your servants, and cooled the fire and scattered the hardness of the sea, He is able to tame the beasts, so that they may scatter all your machinations and torments." Then one of the overseers of the beasts came and said to the king: "All the beasts are ready." At that time he gave the order to deliver the holy one to the beasts. And all the inhabitants of the city came to see his struggle.

And again the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to the holy one in the form of an ermolaoz and said to him: "Good and faithful servant, be faithful in a small matter, and I will establish you over many." And when the holy one entered among those beasts, all of them surrounded him like gentle lambs, for the lions licked his hands and the leopards his feet, and the other beasts vied with one another in paying him honor. And the holy one stood among them and glorified God. And when the people saw this, they all cried out as with one voice: "Great is the God of the Christians. Now release the righteous man." And when the king heard their outcry, he ordered them all to be slain. And their number was great. And since those beasts had not harmed the holy one, the king's wrath was inflamed, and he ordered all those beasts to be put to death. Then the holy one thanked God and said: "I thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for your many wonders, for not only men lay down their lives for the sake of your name, but even the beasts choose death rather than life, so that they might not harm any of your servants." And the Christians secretly carried away the bodies of those who had been slain that day and buried them with honor.

But the bodies of those beasts remained unharmed, and the birds did not touch their flesh, for even they knew that those beasts had been slain for Christ's sake. And the king commanded that a great pit be dug and those beasts be buried in it, for the faith of many men was strengthened when they saw that deed of the beasts. And for this reason the king ordered their burial. And he said to his counselors: "What shall we do to this youth, for many men have been turned away from serving the gods because of him?" His counselors said to him: "He dissolves and dispels all the torments that you bring upon him; but command that a very large chariot be made and that it be brought to a place, and that the chariot descend swiftly from its weight and crush and shatter his flesh, and he die." And the king commanded that Panteleimon be kept in prison until that chariot was made. And when they had made it and brought it to a very high place, and they brought the holy one to be crushed by it, he was singing psalms and saying: "Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear me, for I am an only-begotten and a poor one.

My soul knows that you are holy; save your servant, my God, whom I have in you; have mercy on me, O Lord, for I cry out to you every day; gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I have raised my soul, for you, O Lord, are sweet and just, greatly merciful to all who call upon you; hearken, O Lord, to my supplication, and listen to the voice of my prayer, and hear me, for I cry out to you, for there is none like you among the gods, O Lord, and there is nothing like your works, for you, O Lord, have helped me and given me comfort. And when he had finished his prayer, those servants seized him and bound him upon those wheel-rims. And when they had fastened him, so that they might roll him, immediately those bonds were broken, and that holy one remained unharmed, for Christ stretched forth his hand to him; but those chariots went down with great and violent speed and killed five hundred souls from among the pagans because of that violence. And fear fell that day upon all the inhabitants of the city, and the king himself was greatly afraid, and he summoned that holy one and said: How long will you oppose me and not do my will? And you have turned the greater part of the people away from the service of the gods, and those who remained, you have destroyed them.

The holy Panteleon answered and said: "O wretched and contemptible one, born of the devil, the prophet spoke well concerning you: 'Let their weeping be turned upon their own heads, and their falsehood be laid upon their own necks.'" The king said to him: "And is this spoken concerning us? But tell me, who taught you to say this?" The holy one said to him: "My Lord, the priest Armolao, taught me." The king said to him: "Are you able to bring him to me so that I too might learn from him?" And this he said craftily, for he wished to kill him with many torments, if only he could seize him. The holy one said to him: "Send me, so that I may bring him to you." And he sent him with many horsemen to guard him. And he entered the house of the priest. And he was hidden. And when he saw Panteleon, he said: "What do you wish, my child?" The holy one said to him: "O my father and lord, the king summons you." The priest said to him: "Good, good, my child, for my time has come, for this night the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to me and said to me: 'O Armolao, it is fitting for you to suffer greatly for the sake of my name, like my servant Panteleon.'" And he arose and went with him joyfully. And when they arrived at the palace, they informed the king that Panteleon had come and the priest with him.

And when he heard this, he commanded that they be brought before him. And when they stood before him, the king said to the priest: "What is your name?" He said to him: "My parents called me Armolao, but my full name is Christian." The king said to him: "Are there other men with you, your companions?" The priest said to him: "There are two brothers with me." The king said to him: "What are their names?" Armolao said to him: "One is called Armibos, and the other is called Armokratios, and they too are Christians." And the king said: "Summon them here." And the servants went and brought them and presented them before the king. The king said to them: "Did you turn Panteleon away from the service of the gods?" Those faithful men said: "We brought him to the light of Christ, O king, for he is worthy of it." The king said to them: "Go and persuade him to honor the gods, and you will be renowned and honored before me." Those holy men said to him: "We beseech God that we and he may be perfected for the sake of his name, for he is our hope." And all four holy men stood and prayed to the Lord. And Christ the Lord appeared to them, and immediately the place where they stood and prayed shook.

And the king said: "Behold, how enraged the gods are and they shake the earth!" Pantaleon said to him: "What are you saying, O king, that the gods have shaken the earth? For this reason they have fallen." And as the saint said this, a certain man came and informed the king that the gods had fallen and been shattered. And when the king heard this, he said: "I swear by the power of our salvation, if I do not destroy these four men quickly, the service of the gods will be scattered." And he ordered that Pantaleon be given to prison, and concerning the three men he ordered that they be given to great torture, and then be beheaded. And when the saints were martyred, Christians came and took their bodies and buried them in their places. And the king ordered that Pantaleon be brought out of prison. And when he was brought before him, he said to him: "Do not think, Pantaleon, that you will escape from my hands, unless you honor the gods." The saint said to him: "I do not deem it fitting to answer you concerning this word." The king said to him: "Behold, your teachers have acknowledged the authority of the gods and have honored them, and they are in the glorious palace before me." But Pantaleon knew that the saints had received the crown of their martyrdom, which he desired.

The saint said to him: "Summon them, O king, so that I may see them before you." The king said to him: "There was some business that was useful to me in a certain city, and I sent them there." The saint said to him: "You are very learned, O crafty and foul one, to deny the truth, for the saint was holy; they are in heaven, dwelling in the city of Christ." Then the king tortured him greatly with many torments, and afterwards gave him to his servants to cut off his head, and to burn his body with fire. And the saint sang and said: "Many times they fought against me from my youth, and I did not yield. The sinners struck my shoulders and prolonged their lawlessness; may the Lord crush the necks of the sinners." Then they led him out of the city and brought him to the place where it pleased the Lord to accomplish the saint's end. And that place was distant from the city by half a mile. And they placed him under an olive tree. And one of the servants drew near to cut off his head, and the sword became soft like wax, and it did no harm at all to the saint by its blow. And when the servants saw this, they were amazed and astonished, and said to one another: "Let us bow down to this saint, so that he may pray for us.

They fell down and prostrated themselves at his feet and said to him: "We beseech you, O servant of God, pray for us to the Lord, that the Lord may forgive us all the evil which we have done against you, and that we too may henceforth serve Christ the Lord." Then the holy Panteleemon raised his eyes to heaven and said in prayer: "I thank you, my Lord God, unto eternity, for you have fulfilled my desire in this place. And now I beseech you, O Lord, forgive these men their transgression and grant them a portion of the inheritance of your kingdom." And a voice came to him from heaven and said: "Panteleemon, my faithful servant, your desire is fulfilled, and the gates of heaven are opened for you, and the host of angels is coming to meet you, and the crown of glory is prepared for you, and grace is granted to you, that every request of yours may be granted to you, and to all who call upon my name through you and invoke you as their intercessor, every request of theirs shall be granted. And henceforth your name shall no longer be called Panteleemon, but Panteleimon shall be your name, which means: the all-compassionate, for you have been compassionate to all men, and you have been a peaceful haven for those who fled to you, and a helper of the afflicted, and a supporter of the despairing, and a driver-away of evil spirits.

When the holy Panteleon heard this word, he summoned his servants and commanded them to cut off his head. But they hesitated to do this. The holy Panteleimon said to them: "If you do not do this, you will have no part with me." And when those men heard this from him, they approached him and kissed all his limbs. And thus they cut off his head. And the appearance of his body became white, like snow, and his blood was like milk, and immediately those trees were filled with fruit. Then the inhabitants of the city of Nicomedia, when they saw that holy body and its radiance and those trees with fruit, marvelled and glorified God, and many people believed in the Lord on that day. And the king heard all that had happened and ordered the cutting down of those trees and the burning of that holy body. And his servants did thus, and they went away and no longer obeyed the king, but left the holy body of the martyr lying. And the Christians of Nicomedia came and took up that blessed body and placed it in that place where he had first suffered. And thus his struggle and martyrdom were completed in the city of Nicomedia, outside the city wall, on the east side, in that garden of the martyr Adamantion.

The martyrdom of the holy Panteleimon was completed, who held in contempt that iron club and the fire and every torment, and he received from him the crown of righteousness and the grace of heaven and the reward of the righteous from our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and honor together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever unto the ages of ages. Amen.