Saint Anastasius, martyr January 22 (historic events rendered based on facts given in Butler’s Lives of the Saints, which noted him on this day, commentary and rendering of this article is however done by Marc Aupiais, who only took the book as a source, but wrote his own version of these events, excluding some information, and adding some. I have written this from a catholic perspective, and terms hold their Catholic theological and their Catholic moral meanings.)
Prophesying the removal of the king of Persia, and his own martyrdom, Saint Anastasius is referred to by his Christian name. One may well be given to assume that a saint would be known by the name his or her parents gave them. One may assume their name of honour to be the name they were known by from birth, but this is not always the case, and certainly not with the Persian soldier Magundat, who is now known by a much more beautiful name, that of his baptism- Anastasius, meaning to rise and walk, meaning resurrection. Persia itself, is testimony to the transient nature of man, for it was once a great empire, and is now Iran, which must hide behind threats of death, and fear the wrath of its own people, who we constantly see dying, as one group opposes the other. Should a woman be named Anastasia, as the Eastern Orthodox daughter of the last Russian Tsar was, then they are named by what became the female version of his adopted name. It has since been shortened in these days where names are shortened and often mean less to Stacy/Stacey. The male version of this name, seems unpreserved in the popular culture which besets our modern era.
As a young man he became learned in the ways of the Magian sect, a superstitious and seemingly commonly practiced system on the Persian streets at the time. Yet, when the Persian King robbed the Godly, of the divine trophy of the Cross of Christ, Magundat became curious, and investigated this foreign faith. The Persian soldier, was so affected by the sublime truth of the divine faith, that on a return to his homeland, Persia, from the Roman empire, he and his brother left the Persian forces, and lived in a place called Hierapolis.
It is important, that while staying with a silversmith of the holy Ancient Faith, that he was greatly affected by religious imagery, by pictures which inspired him all the more to investigate faith. Like the divine trophy of the cross of Christ, images also had such an effect on this saint. He prayed daily with the Christian silversmith, but later left Hierapolis which was under the Persians, heading instead for the great city of Christ, Jerusalem. In this Holy City, he was baptized not by the Patriarch Zachery, but by Modestus, who governed in his absence.
In Baptism, he took the Christian name Anastasius, which, in the Greek of the time, had significance for him, once again taking a sign of Christ for what it was. The Sacrament comes from the Roman military pledge- loyalty from the soldier, for protection and caretaking by the commander. The Apostle peter, says as recorded in the Sacred Bible, that baptism saves, not through the water, but the obedience of the sacrament of applying the water, just as the obedience of the Arc saved. Sin is to choose one’s own way in pride, virtue is to abandon the self for Christ, to die in baptism and in daily martyrdom, and thus to have Christ reconstruct one as one was designed to be. Baptism, Anastatius, by his very adopted name, surely realized, saved- and replaced original sin, and the human sin, with divine grace, that through the pledge of obedience, one may be saved through adopting God’s prepared path beyond one’s own.
Anastatius paid wonderful devotion to the sacrament during his necessary preparation, and no less after it, when he continued to be constructed in faith, and to pray, wearing white as was customary. It was not vanity nor solitude or esteem among men which move Anastatius to take the monk’s vestments, when in 621, but rather what must have been a realization of the ever present distractions and falsehoods of the world at large, which the layman must face with humility should he desire to easily thwart their poison. Rather, the monk Anastatius became so, of the realization that in his case, he could much better fulfill the obligations which come with every baptism, no matter how early or young, or old- through the monastery. Perhaps in imitation of the cross which had saved him, Anastatius took to the monastery in Jerusalem under the abbot Justin, who had him learn the Greek language of the time, and the psalter, so important to many of the saints. Justin also cut off the saint’s hair.
The Butler’s Lives of Saints, seems certain that Anastatius took his name, in honour of his death and new life, yet it was a name in a language he himself did not understand, it would seem he would have had to have asked of the name, or else investigated what he should and would be called in his new life after baptismal rebirth, his life as a slave- more free than the world itself.
This servant of Christ, aspiring to ever greater perfection, after seven years, was granted his prayers to be martyred in more than the daily mortification, which Christ asks of all Christians. Thinking not of his monastic brothers, who would surely be grieved, and would lose out on the company of a saint, nor of the trivialness of what God had granted, he still knew God had taken from his treasure trove the great gift of Martyrdom.
It was private revelation, and not the pride of the Donatists, who evilly sought out death, disguised as martyrdom, which inspired this great saint, before he died, to visit the Holy Sites in what was once known as the Palestinian area, but which is now Palestine and Israel. He visited Diospolis’, Garizim’s sites and the church of our Lady (Mary, Mother of Christ), in Caesara, where he decided to stay for two days.
The Persians, who he had once served as a soldier, occupied Caesara, and Magian Soothsayers, from the Persian Garrison practiced their superstition in the streets. Suspecting he was a spy, for he had boldly confronted the Persian Soothsayers on the streets, the Persian civil servants apprehended the holy saint, who had been promised the honour of obedience until death should he choose it, in a revelation from heaven.
He informed the civil servants, of his prior condition, his learning of the Magian sciences, he humbly informed them of his conversion, his change, that he had chosen to follow the Divine Son of God, Christ.
For three days, his body was denied food and water, as he lay in the dungeon the Persians threw our saint into, not as a spy, but for his confession of Christ, as they awaited the Persian Governor Marzabanes. Marzabanes, as was common with many interrogators of the early saints, offered him great riches, and then great torments, all to gain a denial of Christ, for whom the humble saint was under his grasp. He was even threatened with the great honour of Crucifixion.
The saint was not to yield, having been promised the obedience until death which is martyrdom, should he stand firm. The city governor had him chained to an ordinary criminal, by the foot, and had his neck and foot chained together also. The chain between his neck and foot were heavy, the saint surely would have followed his prior practice, and given his pain and suffering as a gift to Christ, our great heavenly spouse. Further, he was sentenced to “carry stones”. He said that they did not need to chain him for this punishment, he would lie on the ground without moving gladly, for the sake of Christ to whom he was promised in baptism. His humility is clear, as he realizes the honour of the monastic habit he had worn, and that it did not deserve the contempt which his executioners would pay him. He asked that he put it aside first, and did so respectfully. He understood that his body deserved the contempt which he was paid, but that that which represented obedience to Christ did not deserve it. He moved not at all, under the weight of the cruel punishment known as carrying stoned, but remained unmoved prostrate on the floor, as humankind tormented him, as they did Christ his redeption.
Seeing his own power useless, the governor threatened a second time, to acquaint the King of Persia with the saint’s stubbornness. The saint was unaffected, and said that as man was made of nothing by God, that God was the greater, and it is God, whom we as man should most fear, and not man, who was made of nothing by God. He was pressured by the judge to sacrifice to elements of the nature which God created, to sacrifice to the sun, which God made to light the heavens, to the moon, which reflects the light God created, and to fire, which God allows to light man’s way, but the saint refused to honopur that which God made and gave as gifts to man, over the giver of the gifts, whose greatest gift is love itself.
The saint was sent to prison, for refusing to Adore that which is less not only than God, but than man, that made for man’s use. It seems that the abbot of the monastery, Justin then sent two monks to comfort the saint, and visit him in prison. His former abbot ordered prayers for the sake of the saint.
While in prison, the saint impressed a Jew, who at night as the Christian Martyr prayed, saw ‘shining brightness and glory” in the saint, and angels accompanying him in his prayers. The saint “carried stones” all day,
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Correction, And many other prisoners has been deleted, along with a number of spelling mistakes. I apologize, my source is from the 18th century and I misread three score and 6 other Christians, as two separate figures rather than a single number. i apologize.
> Saint Anastasius, martyr January 22 (historic events rendered based on > facts given in Butler�s Lives of the Saints, which noted him on this > day, commentary and rendering of this article is however done by Marc > Aupiais, who only took the book as a source, but wrote his own version > of these events, excluding some information, and adding some. I have > written this from a catholic perspective, and terms hold their > Catholic theological and their Catholic moral meanings.)
> Prophesying the removal of the king of Persia, and his own martyrdom, > Saint Anastasius is referred to by his Christian name. > One may well be given to assume that a saint would be known by the > name his or her parents gave them. One may assume their name of honour > to be the name they were known by from birth, but this is not always > the case, and certainly not with the Persian soldier Magundat, who is > now known by a much more beautiful name, that of his baptism- > Anastasius, meaning to rise and walk, meaning resurrection. Persia > itself, is testimony to the transient nature of man, for it was once a > great empire, and is now Iran, which must hide behind threats of > death, and fear the wrath of its own people, who we constantly see > dying, as one group opposes the other. Should a woman be named > Anastasia, as the Eastern Orthodox daughter of the last Russian Tsar > was, then they are named by what became the female version of his > adopted name. It has since been shortened in these days where names > are shortened and often mean less to Stacy/Stacey. The male version of > this name, seems unpreserved in the popular culture which besets our > modern era.
> As a young man he became learned in the ways of the Magian sect, a > superstitious and seemingly commonly practiced system on the Persian > streets at the time. Yet, when the Persian King robbed the Godly, of > the divine trophy of the Cross of Christ, Magundat became curious, and > investigated this foreign faith. The Persian soldier, was so affected > by the sublime truth of the divine faith, that on a return to his > homeland, Persia, from the Roman empire, he and his brother left the > Persian forces, and lived in a place called Hierapolis.
> It is important, that while staying with a silversmith of the holy > Ancient Faith, that he was greatly affected by religious imagery, by > pictures which inspired him all the more to investigate faith. Like > the divine trophy of the cross of Christ, images also had such an > effect on this saint. He prayed daily with the Christian silversmith, > but later left Hierapolis which was under the Persians, heading > instead for the great city of Christ, Jerusalem. In this Holy City, he > was baptized not by the Patriarch Zachery, but by Modestus, who > governed in his absence.
> In Baptism, he took the Christian name Anastasius, which, in the Greek > of the time, had significance for him, once again taking a sign of > Christ for what it was. The Sacrament comes from the Roman military > pledge- loyalty from the soldier, for protection and caretaking by the > commander. The Apostle peter, says as recorded in the Sacred Bible, > that baptism saves, not through the water, but the obedience of the > sacrament of applying the water, just as the obedience of the Arc > saved. Sin is to choose one�s own way in pride, virtue is to abandon > the self for Christ, to die in baptism and in daily martyrdom, and > thus to have Christ reconstruct one as one was designed to be. > Baptism, Anastatius, by his very adopted name, surely realized, saved- > and replaced original sin, and the human sin, with divine grace, that > through the pledge of obedience, one may be saved through adopting > God�s prepared path beyond one�s own.
> Anastatius paid wonderful devotion to the sacrament during his > necessary preparation, and no less after it, when he continued to be > constructed in faith, and to pray, wearing white as was customary. > It was not vanity nor solitude or esteem among men which move > Anastatius to take the monk�s vestments, when in 621, but rather what > must have been a realization of the ever present distractions and > falsehoods of the world at large, which the layman must face with > humility should he desire to easily thwart their poison. Rather, the > monk Anastatius became so, of the realization that in his case, he > could much better fulfill the obligations which come with every > baptism, no matter how early or young, or old- through the monastery. > Perhaps in imitation of the cross which had saved him, Anastatius took > to the monastery in Jerusalem under the abbot Justin, who had him > learn the Greek language of the time, and the psalter, so important to > many of the saints. Justin also cut off the saint�s hair.
> The Butler�s Lives of Saints, seems certain that Anastatius took his > name, in honour of his death and new life, yet it was a name in a > language he himself did not understand, it would seem he would have > had to have asked of the name, or else investigated what he should and > would be called in his new life after baptismal rebirth, his life as a > slave- more free than the world itself.
> This servant of Christ, aspiring to ever greater perfection, after > seven years, was granted his prayers to be martyred in more than the > daily mortification, which Christ asks of all Christians. Thinking not > of his monastic brothers, who would surely be grieved, and would lose > out on the company of a saint, nor of the trivialness of what God had > granted, he still knew God had taken from his treasure trove the great > gift of Martyrdom.
> It was private revelation, and not the pride of the Donatists, who > evilly sought out death, disguised as martyrdom, which inspired this > great saint, before he died, to visit the Holy Sites in what was once > known as the Palestinian area, but which is now Palestine and Israel. > He visited Diospolis�, Garizim�s sites and the church of our Lady > (Mary, Mother of Christ), in Caesara, where he decided to stay for two > days.
> The Persians, who he had once served as a soldier, occupied Caesara, > and Magian Soothsayers, from the Persian Garrison practiced their > superstition in the streets. Suspecting he was a spy, for he had > boldly confronted the Persian Soothsayers on the streets, the Persian > civil servants apprehended the holy saint, who had been promised the > honour of obedience until death should he choose it, in a revelation > from heaven.
> He informed the civil servants, of his prior condition, his learning > of the Magian sciences, he humbly informed them of his conversion, his > change, that he had chosen to follow the Divine Son of God, Christ.
> For three days, his body was denied food and water, as he lay in the > dungeon the Persians threw our saint into, not as a spy, but for his > confession of Christ, as they awaited the Persian Governor Marzabanes. > Marzabanes, as was common with many interrogators of the early saints, > offered him great riches, and then great torments, all to gain a > denial of Christ, for whom the humble saint was under his grasp. He > was even threatened with the great honour of Crucifixion.
> The saint was not to yield, having been promised the obedience until > death which is martyrdom, should he stand firm. The city governor had > him chained to an ordinary criminal, by the foot, and had his neck and > foot chained together also. The chain between his neck and foot were > heavy, the saint surely would have followed his prior practice, and > given his pain and suffering as a gift to Christ, our great heavenly > spouse. Further, he was sentenced to �carry stones�. He said that they > did not need to chain him for this punishment, he would lie on the > ground without moving gladly, for the sake of Christ to whom he was > promised in baptism. His humility is clear, as he realizes the honour > of the monastic habit he had worn, and that it did not deserve the > contempt which his executioners would pay him. He asked that he put it > aside first, and did so respectfully. He understood that his body > deserved the contempt which he was paid, but that that which > represented obedience to Christ did not deserve it. He moved not at > all, under the weight of the cruel punishment known as carrying > stoned, but remained unmoved prostrate on the floor, as humankind > tormented him, as they did Christ his redeption.
> Seeing his own power useless, the governor threatened a second time, > to acquaint the King of Persia with the saint�s stubbornness. The > saint was unaffected, and said that as man was made of nothing by God, > that God was the greater, and it is God, whom we as man should most > fear, and not man, who was made of nothing by God. He was pressured by > the judge to sacrifice to
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