martyrdom.victor.05 Chapter 1

And Apa Victor resisted the Duke strenuously.

And the Duke said unto him

Wilt thou offer up sacrifice or not?

but Apa Victor answered him not a word.

And when the Duke saw that he would not speak, he commanded his men to bring six lighted torches, and to fasten them to his sides (or, ribs). And when they had done this he made them bring a number of red-hot pointed irons,

and they thrust them through his belly until they came out of his back.

And they did these things three times to him until his skin peeled off him.

Afterwards the Duke said unto him

Wilt thou not (now) offer up sacrifice?

And the Duke commanded his men to place hot ashes upon his head, and to put a helmet (of iron) on him

and Apa Victor did not sink under this torture.

And the Duke made them to take him off the frame of the rack,

and to lay him upon the bed of iron and to kindle a fire beneath it.

And he made them pour burning sulphur and pitch, (mixed with other) inflammable substances, down his throat

And the Duke said unto him, 'Hearken unto me, and do not die a death of torture.

Is it not better for thee to be with me? Do thou not wish to live with me? Dost thou not know that thy Lords, the Emperors, arc they who have written (to me) concerning thee?'

And Apa Victor was not able to answer a word because of the pain which he was suffering from his torturing for the bed of iron was exceedingly hot under him.

And the Duke said unto Apa Victor

Speak one word into me, and I will release thee, O thou unholy exile!

And Apa Victor said unto the Duke

Seeing that I did not hearken unto my father nor unto the Emperor when they made entreaty to me, and seeing that I continued my disobedience to the point that I forsook all my possessions

and abandoned this world which shall pass away, according to that which is written

Man shall die, and the creeping thing's and the worms shall possess his inheritance

And the Duke was wroth, and he commanded his servants to throw him into the furnace of the public baths of Rakote, bound hand and foot. And he bore iron fetters on his hands and feet and there was a gag in his mouth.

And certain people of the city, both men and women and children, wept for him, and they said,

Woe for this wretched man, for his body will be destroyed in the fire; would that he had been one of those who offered up sacrifice!

And Apa Victor stood up and prayed in the midst of the fire, saying

I beseech thee, O my Lord Jesus the Christ, to be unto me a helper, and to assist me in all my tribulations, for I am a wretched and most miserable creature, in order that all this city may know that there is no other God besides Thee, Who art (God) alone.'

And at that very moment the holy Arehangel Michael came down from heaven

and went into the furnace of the bath

and spread out his holy apparel over Apa Victor,

and he caused the flame of fire to become like the dew at the first hour of the day. And he lifted him up on his wing of light, and the wing turned into a green meadow.

And Michael broke the iron fetters which were fastened upon his hands and his feet

Apa Victor remained talking to together concerning the mysteries of the kingdom which is in the heavens, and the city of the righteous.

And after [these things] the Duke said unto those who were sitting with him, and unto the men of Rakote

O ye Alexandrians, Jesus shall not deliver him out of my hands, for there arc no gods besides Apollo and Artemis

And the Duke stripped off his clothes in order that he might go into the bath to bathe, and Michael raised up the (stone) slab of the bath, and thrust Apa Victor upon it.

And the governor came into the bath, and cried out, saying

Take shame to thyself this day, O Apa Victor, and let thy God in Whom thou hast placed thy trust be ashamed also

And Ana Victor said unto the Duke,

O thou lawless man, why dost thou revile my God? Thou art wondering where thy god Apollo is, and thou sayest, 'Offer up sacrifice unto the gods who cannot move'

Nevertheless thou knowest well that there is power in my God to deliver me from thy tortures.

And Armenius the Count said unto him,

This day do I know that thou art an arch-magician, and that thou dost work magic'

And the Duke set out to leave the bath, and he mounted his horse, and sentenced Apa Victor to be beheaded.'

And the magistrates (or, authorities) and the people of Rakote made entreaty to the Duke that he would not put Apa Victor to death in their city

because they were afraid lest Apa Victor's father would destroy the whole city on account of it, saying

'He is a mighty general. Let him be banished to the south of Egypt, and let them put Apa Victor to death there.'

Then the Duke meditated within himself, saying,

What shall I gain by making his father an enemy of mine?

Then the Duke took a sheet of skin, and he wrote thereon the following words:

I, Armenius, the Duke of Rakote, write to Eutuchianus, the Count of the Thebaid.

immediately they bring unto thee this profane man Victor, who hath been banished (hither by the Emperor)

Examine thou into his case most carefully, and either make him. Offer up sacrifice or put him to death according to the decree of our Lord the Emperor

Then the Duke delivered Apa Victor over to the soldiers that they might take him to the south, to the Thebaid, to Eutuchianus, the Duke of the Thebaid.

THE THIRD MARTYRDOM OF SAINT APA VICTOR. IN THE PEACE OF GOD. AMEN.

And on the twentieth day of Pharmoute they banished the blessed man Apa Victor,

and four soldiers brought him to the south in ten days.

There was a collar of iron about his neck, and there were chains on his hands, and ankle-fetters on his legs, and the torturings had made him weak and helpless.

And when the soldiers arrived at Antinoe they tied up the boat to the shore

and they found that the governor had that day departed for the south.

And they unfurled their sail, and set out for the south

and they overtook the Count (of the Thebaid) as he was lying becalmed in mid-stream, for there was no wind.

And the soldiers brought Apa Victor into the lower part of the boat — now he had neither eaten nor drunk for twelve days —

and they delivered him over to Eutuchianus, the Duke

and they gave him a supply of food according to what the Count of Rakote had commanded.

And Apa Victor said in his heart,

There is something which this lawless man shall do for me, besides that which is in my body.'

Then the Count Eutuchianus commanded them to tie up the boat to the shore, and to set up his seat of justice at that place.

And when the morning of the following day had come they prepared for him a seat of justice there.

And Apa Victor passed the whole night in the lower part of the boat, blessing God and saying,

Blessed art Thou O King of all the ages (or, worlds) the Father the Almighty, and Thine only- begotten Sou Jesus the Christ, our Lord, Who hast delivered me in every place whither they have taken me.

Stand Thou by me in the future, and be Thou with me in the presence of this lawless man

Then Eutuchianus commanded his men to bring Apa Victor to the shore, and he said unto him

Thou art Victor, the magician.

Now, therefore, in what way wilt thou work magic? Shew me, before I disgrace thee, and thou diest.

Apa Victor answered and said unto the Duke,

I am not a magician, and I have not devoted myself to the doing of this (kind of) work. On the contrary, I am a servant of the Christ Jesus, Who hath delivered me out of all my tribulations.'

And Eutuchianus said unto him,

For what reason didst thou not offer up sacrifice before thou didst submit to these tortures?

However, come now, and offer up sacrifice with the men who are here, so that it may be well with thee.'

And Apa Victor answered and said,

I am not at all afraid of men, and I will not offer up sacrifice, but I am afraid of my Lord Jesus the Christ.

For it is written, 'Be not afraid of those who can kill your bodies upon the earth, because there is nothing besides this which they can do unto you. But fear ye Him Who hath the power to destroy your souls and your bodies in Gehenna.'

And the Duke said unto him,

Hast thou come hither to persuade (or, convert) us by a homily which is vain?

If thou darest again to utter words in my presence I will make my servants to tear out thy tongue.

Unless thy father compel me to release thee I will not set thee free, and though profane and sacrilegious persons ought not to be cast into the furnace of a bath, thou art worthy of death,

and death shall now be thy portion.'

And the Duke commanded his servants to fasten the hands of Apa Victor behind him,

and they cut out his tongue and cut off the outer parts of his lips. And he made them bring out his necessary organs, and poured boiling oil upon them

and he made them pierce them with iron borers. And other tools which had been made red-hot In the fire did he make them drive into Apa Victors ears,

And he made them thrust these red-hot tools under the nails of his feet and the skin of his head,

and he made them scatter over him burning coals of fire, and he made them to bring fire and lay it over his body.

And the Duke said unto him,

Wilt thou offer sacrifice or not?

(If thou wilt not) I will put thee to death with excruciating tortures.

And he made them bring vessels (?) filled with boiling bitumen, which they emptied down his throat.

And the Duke said unto him,

Wilt thou offer sacrifice or not,

or wilt thou die by torture?'

And the blessed man Apa Victor said unto the Duke,

Woe be unto thee, O Duke!

Thou deniest God for the sake of things which have been made by the hands of man, and thou and thine Emperors shall be punished with severe punishment.'

And Eutuchianus was wroth, and he took an oath by the life of the Emperor and by the lives of the gods,

and he said unto Apa Victor, 'Since thou wilt not sacrifice, and since thou hast been put to shame on the rack,

I must destroy thee by banishment until thou shalt die.'

nd Epiphanius the recorder answered and said,

Hearken unto me, and let me say this thing unto thee, O my Lord Count.

Behold, there is a certain Camp very far away in the south which is deserted, and there is no man living in it.

Behold, it is fifteen years since I became a soldier, and (during that time) I have never seen any one in it.

Now, therefore, banish Apa Victor to that place, (and keep him there) until he shall die.'

And the Count of the Thebaid commanded (that this should be done, and he passed) sentence on him, saying,

I, Eutuchianus, hereby command that this profane man Victor be taken to the Camp of Hierakion and that he be compelled to remain there until he die.'

And straightway four men seized Apa Victor and carried him away to that place.

And the noble man Apa Victor was strong and of good courage, and he related to the four (soldiers) his sufferings in the place of torture up to that time.

And it came to pass on a certain day that Apa Victor was outside the place of torture and the Devil came unto him in the form of a soldier, and said unto him,

Hail, Apa Victor.

I am a soldier of the imperial Palace, and thy father hath sent me unto thee to give thee this message:

Rise up, come back to me here, so that I may make thee a general.

Have I not suffered pain [in longing] for thee? Come back, so that I may make thee [a general].

Wilt thou not hearken unto me?

It is thou thyself alone who hast drawn upon thy head these sufferings.

Other people, strangers, are eating up thy goods.'

Dost thou not know that thou art an only son,

and that thy parents have no son (but thee) to succeed them?

They have adopted (?) as a son the offspring (?) of (one) of their slaves.

And now he rideth the horses, and (the Emperor) hath made him a Count in thy place.

He weareth thine apparel, and meanwhile thou art destroying thy soul with tribulations. And behold, thou art dwelling in this desert place!

Art thou not afraid lest thieves attack thee by night?

Then the Devil began to produce a written letter,

and he unrolled it before Apa Victor, and said unto him,

Look at this, and thou wilt recognize the handwriting of thy father and his seal.'