The Passion of the Holy Martyr Aquilina

In the Palestinian town of Viblos [Viblos, or Byblos, a city in Phoenicia, in fact], where Christians have been founded since the time of the holy Apostles, lived a Christian named Eutolmy, whose honest marriage the Lord blessed with the birth of a young girl named Aquilina.

Four months after the birth of the baby, the mother brought her to the bishop Euphalia, who announced the baby, crouching him with the sign of the cross; then after two months, he baptized the infant. In the second year, Akilina lost her father, who had retired to the heavenly villages, and was left in the care of her mother; the latter raised her daughter, instilling her the rules of piety, Christian life; seven years old the infant had already fully mastered these instructions.

But Aquila grew older, and was filled with the grace of Christ, and was so filled with the Spirit, that in his infancy and in his youth he boldly overcame, as a thing of no consequence, the decrees of wicked kings concerning the idolatry of all, as we shall now speak.

When Aquila, who prayed incessantly to God, was ten years old, it was the seventh year of Diocletian's reign.

This decree ordered the destruction of churches and the burning of sacred books, and at the same time deprived Christians of their civil rights, honor, legal protection, and their positions; Christian slaves were deprived of their right to freedom if, after having obtained it by any means, they remained in Christianity.

Soon a second decree was issued, ordering all church leaders and other clergy to be imprisoned; thus, the decree concerned only the clergy; the latter were accused before the emperor as instigators of the uprising in Syria and Armenia, unfortunately for Christians, which began after the first decree.

The third decree was issued in 304, which declared persecution of Christians to be widespread, and the fourth decree was issued in 311, when the emperor Galerius declared Christianity to be a "permitted religion".

Diocletian's persecution was the last; in it Christianity won a final victory over paganism after almost three centuries of struggle.] , at this time the rulership over the land of Palestine was assumed by a certain Volusian, rather a offspring of the devil than a man.

Rejecting the true God, the Creator of all that exists, Volusian began with insatiable malice to persecute the pious followers of Christ the Saviour, and many of Christ's valiant soldiers, who had courageously endured suffering, were awarded incorruptible crowns.

"What good is it for you to worship dumb idols? Do you not know that those who worship idols worship dead gods?

"I worship the One who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and who is the first to show mercy to those who call on him".

"Death has no power over him", said the saint, "because he not only raised himself from the dead but also raised them up by the blood of his righteous blood.

"But who is this One that they say was crucified?" Aquila's peers continued to ask. "The Savior of all", she replied, "the one who loved the human race.

He came to save not only those who live on the earth but also those who live in hell. By rising from the dead on the third day, he declared as an undeniable truth that at his second coming there will be a resurrection of the dead for all.

"But if this One of whom you speak has done so much good to the world", they asked Aquila, "how is it that the Jews, his own people, do not call him God?"

"These people", said the holy youth, "always stray from the right path; having a disobedient in their hardness and a blinded evil soul, they usually reject what is true and righteous; therefore the Jews rejected even their Good One, handing him over to Pilate to be condemned to death on a cross.

Nicodemus, one of the servants of the ruler of the province, heard such conversations often with his peers. Nicodemus finally told his master that there was a young woman in the city who called demons the gods she thought were insignificant and did not obey the king's decrees about honoring the latter, and she, preaching about some crucified God, turned some from the religion of the fathers.

And when the governor of the province heard of it, he sent his servants to take the young woman, who was taken to be martyred in the second year of the reign of Volusian, and in the twelfth year of her birth. And when she was brought before the wicked court, Volusian, looking at her, said,

"Do you not know that the kings have decreed to punish and put to death those who call on the name of Jesus? So deny the crucified and offer sacrifices to immortal gods, so that we do not have to torture you.

"If you, Antipate", answered Saint Aquila, "condemn me to bitter torments, you will thereby deliver me the incorruptible crown, which I hope to receive from my Saviour, for I will confess His name, which I will never deny, even in the fiercest torments.

Then Volusian began to admonish the holy youth with tenderness: "Seeing your early youth and beauty, I pity you, because if I give you to torture, your weak members will be shattered right now; cruel speculators after fierce torture will give you a bitter death, and you will lose your life in your youth, and the Christian God you profess will not help you.

"I do not ask you for mercy", said St. Aquila to Volusianus, "but you think you are showing me mercy, and you are doing me more harm by trying to turn me away from the true God. I beg you, do not pity me, but treat me with the most merciless cruelty, and then you will learn from my patience that those who hope in Christ are not defeated.

When Antipater saw that no reproof could make the slave of Christ refuse to confess Jesus, he ordered her to be struck in the face with the words: "This is the beginning of torment, is it sweet and pleasant to you?" "You inhuman tormentor!" exclaimed Aquila, "since you have dared to strike the face of a creature made in the image of God, know that even He whose image I bear will not forgive you on the day of judgment".

"I believe", said the judge, "that our great gods, who now hold in their hands the salvation of the world, will also in the age to come hold in their hands the salvation of all". And when he had said this, he ordered the young woman to be stripped naked, and, stretching out her hands, to be beaten by two soldiers, and to join the torture with these words: "Where is now your God, Aquiline, of whom you said that he would not forgive me in his judgment? Let him come here and deliver you from my hands.

Then Volusian ordered the beating to stop and said to Saint Aquila: "Listen to me, who wishes you well: leave your madness and, if you want to escape the torment, renounce the Christian heresy: has any one escaped from my hands of those who hope in Him who did not find himself saved when He was crucified?

"Do you think, you merciless executioner", answered Saint Aquila, "that I feel the torments inflicted on me? Know, then, that my God will give me strength and patience incomparably greater than the tricks which you seek against me at the instigation of your father the devil".

"I will leave you a few days to think, so that you, by your common sense, may worship the gods and thus preserve your life, while at the same time receiving a worthy reward from the king". "How many days do you give me weakness?" asked St. Aquila. "For how many days do you want", Volusian replied.

And when he saw the young woman's affection for God, he said to himself, My counsels and my labors are in vain; and he commanded with hot iron rods to pierce her head through her ears.

When the hot rods passed through the young girl's brain, the latter, along with the blood, flowed from her nostrils.

You who have guided me from childhood, who have enlightened me with the rays of truth of your secret thoughts in my heart, and who have strengthened me in the battle against the devil with your mighty and invincible power, you who have opened to believers the depths of true and great wisdom, complete my feat and keep the lamp of my virginity unquenchable, so that I may enter with the wise virgins into your pure court and there be worthy to praise you, my Maker.

wishes".

After this prayer, Saint Aquila fell to the ground in excruciating pain, as if dead. Antipater, thinking that she was really dead, ordered her to be thrown out of the city to be eaten by dogs; he did not consider the martyr worthy of the customary burial, as a violator of the king's commands and a blasphemer of the Roman gods.

At midnight the angel of the Lord appeared to the blessed young woman and touched her and said, "Get up and be strong, and go and rebuke Volusianus, for both he and his purpose are worthless in the sight of God". Immediately St. Aquila rose unscathed and said, praising God, "I thank you, Creator of my life, who restored my health and delivered me from the iniquity of your servants, you, Lord, are eternal and there is no God but you.

And when I have finished my suffering, crown me with the crown of thy glory, and I will rejoice in the fulfillment of thy promises, and I will fill thee with the holy ones that suffer for thy name's sake".

When she reached the city gates, the latter opened themselves; guided by the angel of the Lord, Saint Aquila reached the palace of Volusianus and, entering freely into it, stood before the sleeping anfipatus.

And when they had heard the words of Aquila, they said unto him, Verily this is Aquila, whom thou hast commanded to be cast unto the dogs after her death. And he was even more afraid, and commanded to keep her in custody until morning.

"You wicked man, blinded by your father the devil, can you not see now with the eyes of flesh?" asked the blessed young woman. "I am Aquila, the servant of the Lord who stands before you".

And when he had considered this, he made a decree to cut off the young woman with the sword, saying, Aquila, the defender of the ungodly heresy of Christianity, though young in years, but a great sorceress, not worshipping the immortal gods, and not obeying the king's commandments, whom we, after long admonition and diligence, were not able to turn from her madness, therefore after many tortures, which have not touched this sorceress, we decree to put her to death outside the city,

through the severing of the head".

After the death sentence, Saint Aquilina was taken to the place of execution, and when she reached it, the blessed youth asked for time to pray.

"Almighty Lord and my God, I thank you for bringing me to the end of my quest. I praise you, my God and Creator of all things, that I have not gone through my torment in vain. I bless you, Creator of all things, for you have humiliated the tormentor and bestowed upon me an incorruptible crown.

In answer to the blessed woman's prayer, a voice came from heaven: "Come, O chosen virgin, who has cured the wrath of the tormentor, and wiped out the devil's sting with your heroism, and receive the recompense prepared for you".

The executioner, though he saw this, did not dare to violate the command of the anfipat, but cut off the head of the already dead woman with a sword, and from the wound instead of blood leaked milk. The Christians who were present at the execution took the remains of the martyr as a jewel without comparison: anointing the remains with precious aromas and wrapping them with new cloths, they buried them with honor in the tomb, in the city of Viblos itself.

And many healings were poured out upon the sick from the tomb of the holy martyr Aquilina to the glory of Christ our God, forever glorious with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen [The holy martyr Aquilina died in 283, June 13. Her holy relics or part of them were moved to Constantinople, and her memory was solemnly celebrated in the temple of her name.

The mention of this temple is found in a verse prologue of the XII century.] . Kondak, voice 2: Virginity of your kindness purified your soul, on the height of the torment of the rose you Aquilina all-honorable, the love of your Bridegroom Christ vulnerable, He with the angels before rejoicing: with them do not cease praying for all of us.