Synaxarium For Hedar 27 (December 06)
In The Name of The Father and The Son And The Holy Spirit, One God. Amen.
On this day Saint James the “chopped” became a martyr. This holy man was one of the soldiers of Sakrad, the son of Sapor, King of Persia, and he was a friend of the prince, who loved him exceedingly, and took counsel with him about all his affairs; and for this reason his heart inclined towards Saint James, and he made him worship the sun and fire. When his mother and his wife and his sister heard that he had become one with the king in his acts and in his faith, they wrote him a letter, saying, “Why hast thou forsaken the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ , and dost worship natural objects which have been created, that is to say, the sun, and the moon, and fire? Know that if thou dost continue to hold the faith of the King of Persia, we shall become strangers to thee.” When he had read their letter he wept bitterly, and he said, “If I continue to be of this opinion I shall become a stranger to my mother, and to my household and kinsfolk. But, however, how can I approach my Lord Jesus Christ ?” And he began to read Christian books, and he wept and forsook the service of the king. And certain men told the king and spoke unto him, saying, “Behold thy friend James hath forsaken thy service and thy love, and the worship of the gods.” And the king sent a messenger to bring him to him, and when he had come he set him before the king, and the king said unto him, “Why hast thou forsaken my service?” And Saint James said unto him, “Our Lord Christ says in the gospel, ‘whosoever confesses Me before men, him I will confess before my Father Who is in heaven. Whosoever denies Me before the face of men, him will I deny before the angels of God ’ (Matthew x, 32). Therefore have I left thy service, and thy love, and the worship of thy gods, and I worship my Lord Jesus Christ , the Son of the Living God , the Creator of the heavens, and the earth, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the seas.” When the king heard this he was exceedingly wroth, and he commanded his guards to beat him very severely, and they did so until his blood ran down on the ground like water; but he could not turn from his good counsel. And the king commanded them to cut off his members with knives, and they cut off the ten fingers of his hands and the ten toes of his feet, and his arms. And they cut him up into thirty-two separate pieces, and as each piece was chopped off, he sang and glorified God , saying, “O God of the Christians, my Lord and King Jesus Christ, receive Thou the branches of the tree according to the greatness of Thy compassion. When the master of the vineyard prunes the vines he leaves slips behind him, and these sprout in the month of Nesan, that is to say Miyazya (April-May), and the vine puts forth new roots and spreads abroad.” When only the head, and breast, and loins of the holy man were left, and he knew he was nigh to the giving up of his soul, at that moment he prayed to God for the world, and for the people therein, and that He would teach them and have compassion upon them. And he said, “There is left to me neither limb nor hand which I can lift up to Thee, O Lord; behold my limbs have been cast away before me, O Lord receive my soul.” And straightway our Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto him and comforted him, and strengthened him, and immediately his soul rejoiced and was glad. And before he delivered up his soul one of the guards made haste, and cut of his head with a sharp sword, and Saint James received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens, and he depart to the habitation of light, to Christ Who loved him. And certain God -fearing men took his body and made it ready for burial and wrapped it in costly cloths, and they laid it in a pure place. When his mother and his wife and his sister heard that he had become a martyr they rejoiced with great joy, and they came to the place where his body was, and they embraced it and wept over it, and laid splendid cloths over it and sweet scents and unguents.