On the 23rd day of January
From the «Lives of the Saints» of St. Demetrius (Dimitri) of Rostov
Ancyra under Valerian, Euphrosyne, and the Naming of Clement
When two hundred and fifty years had passed since the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the reign of Valerian, the city of Ancyra, the capital of the land of Galatia, brought forth this holy martyr Clement, as the choicest shoot of the vine, filled with the clusters of many spiritual gifts, out of an honourable kindred; but his parents were not of one faith: his father a Hellene, who served the impiety of idols, and his mother a Christian, born of Christian parents and brought up in Christian Orthodoxy and good instruction, whose name was Euphrosyne. And she was given in marriage by force, and not by her own will was joined to an unbelieving husband, for her parents hoped for the fulfilment of the apostolic word: “The unbelieving husband shall be saved through the believing wife.” But it was not as they hoped, for he, sunk in the depth of impiety and seized by the darkness of idol-demonry, would not so much as look upon the light of Christ, and moreover strove in every way to draw his wife Euphrosyne to his own heresy. And she also strove to set him upon the true way, and persuaded him by day and by night and showed him the path of salvation, but she attained nothing, for his heart was hardened. And she prayed to Christ, that He would be merciful to her and bring it about that, being joined in body, they might be joined also in spirit in the holy faith. And if that could not be, then that they might be separated even in body, for they had not one spirit. And our Lord Jesus Christ, hearing the prayers of His handmaid and having mercy on her, freed her quickly from the yoke of her unbelieving husband, for He utterly rejected him, as unworthy, hardened in heart, and commanded him to depart hence — and he died, leaving behind him to his wife a firstborn child, a small infant in swaddling clothes, a boy. And his blessed mother Euphrosyne brought him up more with piety than with milk, and brought him to Christ, enlightening him with holy baptism. And she named him Clement, which is translated from the Greek tongue “a shoot of the vine.”
His Mother’s Death at Twelve Years, and «Your Father Is Christ»
And she gave him that name fittingly, as a prophetess, foreseeing that he would be a true shoot of the vine of Christ, which was to bring forth the clusters of many human souls. And she prophesied of him, that he would be an outstanding confessor of the most holy name of Jesus Christ, and would shed his blood, and lay down his soul for Him, and would become a sufferer and martyr of Christ — and she taught him the sacred books, and good customs, and instructed him in every virtue. And the boy grew in years and in understanding, and was already about twelve years old, when his mother, the holy Euphrosyne, who was drawing near to her blessed end and knew it, lying on the bed of sickness, wished that her son might be heir not only of her material poor possessions, but also of that immaterial wealth of virtues, and instructed him, embracing him as a mother, kissing him and saying: “My child, dear child, child who was orphaned from the swaddling clothes and learned of orphanhood sooner than of a father. But you are not orphaned, for your Father — Christ God — has enriched you with His gifts. I bore you, child, in the flesh, but Christ God bore you in the spirit. Know Him therefore for your father, know yourself to be a son to Him, and take heed that your adoption to God be not in vain; serve the one Lord Christ, put your hope in Christ, for He is truly our salvation and our immortal life, for He came down to us from the Heavens, that He might take us up with Himself on high; He made us His own beloved children and deified us. Whoever serves that Master shall escape all the nets of the devil, shall overcome serpents and scorpions, and shall prevail over every opposing power. For he shall not only put to shame the impious kings, princes and torturers, who worship idols and demons, but shall crush the heads of those very demons whom they honour.”
Euphrosyne’s Prophecy of the Crown of Martyrdom
Then in that discourse his mother, shedding tears from her eyes and being filled with the grace of God, began prophetically to foretell what was to befall him: “I ask you,” she said, “beloved child, that you give me one gift for all my pains and labours for your sake. Because a fierce time draws near, and the persecution is at hand, which breathes with strong fury and threats; it shall be, as our Lord says, that they will bring you before kings and rulers for His sake. This honour you shall give me, O son: stand for Christ boldly and manfully, and keep His confession firmly and unshaken. And I trust in my Christ, O my inward parts, for soon the crown of martyrdom shall blossom upon you, both for my honour and for the salvation of many souls. Prepare therefore your heart for the martyr’s contest, that the time of the contest may not find you unprepared; know that it is profitable to be tested by troubles, as gold in the furnace, but do not fear. The suffering is temporary — but the reward is eternal. Sorrow passes quickly — but joy lasts for ever. Small is the dishonour here — but the glory with God is eternal. The threats of torturers and their wounds last one day; the fury of earthly kings is despised and their glory withers; the fire prepared by them for Christ’s martyrs is quenched, their sword is eaten by rust, their strength perishes. For there is nothing that could separate you from Christ the Lord, but look up to Heaven and from there expect the great, rich and eternal reward from God. Fear His majesty, fear His judgement, tremble before the all-seeing Eye, for those who deny Him have prepared for themselves an unquenchable fire and an undying worm. But those who have known the glory of His Godhead are never separated from Him; inexpressible gladness, and joy, and comfort with the holy confessors await them.
His Mother’s Last Words: «Shed the Blood You Took from Me»
This, O my son, will be the sweetest reward to me from you, for the pains which I bore at your birth, for the labours of your upbringing, that a confessor of the Lord may come forth from my womb. And I shall be called the mother of a martyr, and shall be glorified in the body of my son, which suffers for Christ. Strive therefore to suffer for Him Who suffered for us, that you may be counted worthy of many good things from Him, and I through you may be counted worthy of them with the saints. I, O my son, stand at the doors of my departure — the visible light will not shine for me in the morning. But You are my light, O Christ, and my life, O Lord. Therefore I ask you, O my inward parts, that I may not be put to shame in the hope which I have in you, but let me, according to the apostolic word, be saved through wonder. I bore you, child — let me therefore suffer in you, as in my own body. Shed without sparing the blood you took from me, that through it I also may receive honour. Give up your body to wounds, that through them I also may rejoice before our Lord, as though I myself had suffered evilly. One woman, a Jewess, once offered seven sons to God in martyrdom for piety — and in the seven bodies of her sons she suffered with her one soul, and remained invincible. But you alone will suffice me for glory in my Lord, if you labour firmly for piety. Behold, I depart from you today and shall pass before you to God. In body I depart, but my spirit shall not be separated from you, that I may be counted worthy with you to fall down before the throne of Christ, boasting before Him of your sufferings and being crowned by your labours, for the root of the tree also, hidden under the earth, is watered by the same dew as its visible branches shown upon the earth.”
The Repose of Euphrosyne, Sophia the Second Mother, and the Orphanage
So all that day the blessed mother, before her holy departure, instructed her beloved son, and embraced and kissed his head, his eyes, his face, his mouth, his breast and his hands. “O blessed am I today,” she said, “that I kiss the body of a martyr!” And after such sufficient words, bowing upon his neck, she gave up her soul into the hands of her Lord, and rested in peace. And when Clement’s mother had died an honourable natural death and had been buried, the boy Clement was left wholly orphaned — he had one Father, God. And God, the Helper of all, caring for orphans and the poor, gave the blessed Clement, as still a small child, a second mother. For in that same city there was a certain woman — noble, and honourable, and rich — named Sophia, a friend of Clement’s mother, the blessed Euphrosyne. And that Sophia lived according to God, giving herself to prayers by day and by night, and was childless — and she took to herself instead of a son this blessed boy, the holy Clement, and loved him as her own natural child, caring for him in every way. And in those times there was a very great famine in Galatia, and the impious Hellenes abandoned their children on the roads, having nothing with which to feed them, and themselves perished of hunger. Then the holy Clement gathered those children in the house of Sophia, his second mother, and from her estate brought them up, clothed them, taught them, and brought them to holy baptism, and made an orphanage and a school in the house of Sophia, so that she became a mother in God to many children, better than those who bore them in the body: for she bore them spiritually, bringing them up in the Christian faith. And the holy Clement, in the young years of his age, attained the mind of a grown man, and began from his youth to mortify his flesh by fasting and abstinence — he lived as a monk. For he abstained from food prepared by the slaughter of animals — and ate bread and herbs, and his drink was water; and in this he was likened to the holy three youths, whose bodies, having learned fasting, were unharmed by the double fire: both the inner fire of natural lust, and the outer fire of the burning furnace. And there were not many Christians in that land at that time, and the blessed Clement was among them as a certain divine luminary: he kindled the light of the knowledge of God for many.
The Episcopal Rank, and Diocletian’s Edict against the Christians
But now it was time for the bright candle to be set upon the candlestick — for the holy Clement, who shone with virtues, to ascend to the degree of consecration, that so, having enlightened many, he might set them upon the path of salvation. For by the providence and will of God, and by the unanimous gathering of all the Christians in Galatia, he was set first as reader, then as deacon and presbyter, and after two years was raised to the episcopal rank, young in years — he was then not more than twenty years old — and was a second Daniel, who, himself a youth, surpassed the elders in mind and virtues, and showed that old age is not reckoned by years, but by a virtuous life and wisdom. And having received the episcopal rank, the holy Clement taught not only the children, of whom he gathered many, in the books, but was also a teacher to the elders, bringing Hellenes to Christianity and baptising them, and daily multiplying the Church of Christ. And after this the foretelling of his blessed mother Euphrosyne began to be fulfilled — his martyr’s crown began to be woven. And it began thus. Diocletian the torturer, having received the Roman Kingdom, in the first year of his reign sent writings into all the lands of the Roman dominion — to the princes and rulers, his viceroys, and to the governors, and captains, and city-prefects — commanding them to kill and destroy by various deaths all who are called by the name of Christ. And in those writings of his he threatened those princes and authorities who should not duly carry out his command for the destruction of the Christians, appointing for such as these equal torments and death. And to those zealous in that torture he promised wealth and honours. Therefore all the royal viceroys and rulers throughout the lands and cities, both fearing the royal threats and each wishing to please him and to receive honours from him, began to labour greatly to destroy the Christian name from the earth.
The Proconsul Domitian, the Denunciation, and the First Discourse
At that time the proconsul Domitian came into the land of Galatia and sought diligently, by the king’s command, Christians for killing. And to him the holy Clement, bishop of Ancyra, was denounced by the unbelievers, as one who forbids worship of their great gods, but brings many to his Christ. And at once Domitian commanded that he be taken and brought to him, and at first with kind and enticing words he strove to draw the saint to his impiety, saying: “The slanders brought to us concerning you in no way appear to me true, for your face, and your honourable appearance, and the gentleness of your temper show that you are a chosen man, noble, very wise and intelligent. What some say of you comes from childish folly. Tell us of yourself, that we may more easily learn the truth from yourself; and perhaps you will tell us something of your wisdom.” And the holy bishop said to him: “Our wisdom and understanding,” he said, “is Christ, the Son of God the Father. By His Word all things were made, and from Him we have that very thing, to speak and to understand.” And the torturer said: “Behold, you have unwillingly offended us by this, for without any hope you begin at the outset to speak evil; but I advise you to lay aside that profitless speaking and offer sacrifice to our gods: know that everyone who destroys the gods awaits torments, but him who honours them and worships them — honours await. Therefore take us ourselves as an example, for by honouring them we have attained such high rank, and we thank them for their benefaction, honouring those who honour them and tormenting those who do not wish to worship them.” And at these words of the proconsul the saint laughed, and said: “But we, proconsul, understand the opposite of your words: for we count your gifts as vanity, honour as dishonour, and high rank as servile labour; and again — dishonour, threats, torments — we count as pleasure and comfort, and through them the more we are united with God. Know this, that you cannot turn us from piety by anything: neither by promises of honour and gifts, nor by threats of torments.”
The Torturer’s Anger, the Furrows on His Body, and Thanksgiving to God
Such words of the saint moved Domitian to anger, and he, looking sharply at the saint, said: “I have made you proud, as I see, by speaking gently with you, and it is no wonder, for, as I have heard of you, always being with children, you have a childish mind like theirs. And further, if you do not appease the gods with sacrifices, then know that you will be punished with death — and not such a death as you hope for, that you might die quickly, but first you will endure many and various torments, and then will die cruelly by the heaviest punishment, and so, being evil, will perish evilly, and will be an example to others, that others also may be chastened by your dreadful destruction.” And the holy Clement said: “Since you have mentioned children, know that I took care to teach children that wisdom which is hated by those who among you are elder and wiser men, for the true Wisdom of God is hidden from the wise and prudent of this world and is revealed to babes. For I rejoice and assure you that I offer to my God sacrifices rational and spiritual, and not as your priests offer streams of blood, and smoke and filth — with which you foolishly honour your gods. And I, when I shed my blood for my God, will offer it to Him as a sacrifice, and, if not wholly, yet in part will render to my Lord for the shedding of His blood for me, for Christ my King redeemed me with His honoured blood.” And when the martyr had spoken this with great boldness, the proconsul, laying aside his deceitful gentleness, openly showed his natural fury and madness, and commanded that the saint be hung naked upon a tree, and his body scraped and cut with a sharp iron instrument. And doing this, the servants shouted at the martyr, that he should not despise the royal commands. For deep furrows were ploughed on the saint’s body, as in a field, and many parts of his body fell away from him, and his inward parts were visible, so that even to the eyes which saw it, that sight was unbearable. But he was not shaken in mind, did not change his countenance, nor uttered any impatient voice, nor spoke words of pain, nor groaned, being tormented so grievously, but was stronger and more manly than those who looked upon such torments of his, and it seemed that he was less pained than those who tormented him.
The Servants Grow Weak, the Beating in the Face, and the Stones in His Mouth
And magnanimously giving thanks to God, the appointer of the contest in Christ, and looking up to the heavens with a joyful face, he said: “Glory to You, O Christ, my Light and my Life, my breath and my joy. I thank You, O Giver of life, that You have counted me, such as I am, worthy of such salvation. Already my soul rejoices in the way of Your testimonies. Sweet to me is every labour for the sake of Your love; glory to You, for You strengthen me with patience, for You have stretched out Your almighty hand to me, a sinner, delivering me from the fury of the proconsul and from the hands that torment me, for You Yourself are a refuge for all in tribulation.” And when the saint so prayed, those who tormented him grew weak and became incapable. And the proconsul, seeing that they had grown weak, said to the martyr: “Do you think that I am already overcome by your patience, because the servants wearied in one hour?” And the saint answered: “I do not think so, but I believe and trust in Christ, who is in me, that He has conquered, conquers, and will conquer every adversary.” And the proconsul commanded other servants to surround the martyr and to tear his body more than the former ones. And so they tormented the invincible sufferer a long time, until those also were exhausted and were as though dead. And the proconsul, looking at this, now marvelling, now being ashamed at the exhaustion of his servants, commanded that the martyr be taken down from the tree. And the saint was such that it was fearful even to look upon him, and impossible to touch him with the hands: for his whole body was stripped, like a certain garment, and only the bones were visible in blood, and the man was barely recognisable. And the proconsul, seeing that he attained nothing by torments, again began to speak to the martyr with gentle words. But he, as befitted a manly soldier of Christ, spoke many contrary things to the torturer — and again moved him to fury. And Domitian cried out, saying: “Truly this man is quarrelsome; beat him in the face and in the mouth, for those parts of the body are still whole and therefore they speak boldly. Let those parts of the body be made like the rest; beat him without pity.” And the servants beat the saint in the face and in the mouth with their fists, so strongly that he fell to the ground from the strong blows. And lying on the ground, they beat him mercilessly in the mouth with stones, and his teeth were scattered.
The Martyr’s Joy, the Prison, and the Sending Forth to Rome
And the martyr, rejoicing, said: “You do me honour rather than torment, O proconsul, for my Lord Jesus Christ was also beaten in the mouth, and in the cheeks, and I, unworthy, have today been counted worthy of the same. Stephen the Protomartyr was stoned, and I am adorned by the same. Relief comes to me in my torments from this, that I see myself today an imitator of the sufferings of my Christ. And it makes all my pains light, that with those greater and better than me I am counted worthy of great honour, being a partaker of those same sufferings.” And the torturer, marvelling at such magnanimity of the martyr, commanded that he be taken to prison; and he thought that he could not walk, being so wounded, for his whole body was one wound — and commanded the servants to carry him, taking him by the hands and feet. But the saint drove away from himself those who wished to take and carry him, and rose up and went himself in the strength of Christ, singing and saying: “But let not the oil of a sinner anoint my head.” And seeing this, the proconsul said to his judges: “How great is the patience and the strength in that man! Such men ought to be the king’s soldiers, that they might be above every trouble. It does not befit me to judge him again, but I will send him to the king Diocletian. For perhaps he alone will be able to overcome him: he is experienced in tortures, and always invents such torments and killings that all the city of Rome trembles before his judgements.” And not many days later, when the saint had been healed of his wounds in the dungeon by the grace of Christ and was well, the proconsul sent him to Rome, to the king Diocletian, having written everything concerning him.
The Prayer on the Way, and the Judgement before Diocletian
And when the soldiers led the saint out of the city, he prayed to God, saying: “O God and King of heaven, and of the earth, and of the whole Universe, who fill all things Yourself and are not absent from any place, into Your hands I commend this city; keep it and the souls of those in it who believe in You. Keep Your Church unharmed, that the dogs and wolves may not scatter Your little flock within it; do not destroy nor diminish Your rational sheep, but multiply them the more, for the glory of Your holy name; and do not separate me at all from this city, but, abiding with me in bonds and in labours, bring me back here again — You who brought Jacob back to his father’s house and delivered him out of the hands of Esau, and commanded Your people to carry up Joseph’s bones again out of Egypt and lay them in the tomb of his fathers, that You might be glorified for ever and ever.” And so he prayed, and was led on the way. And when the saint was brought to Rome and set before the impious king, the king marvelled, seeing the brightness of the martyr’s face and his bodily strength, and would not believe Domitian’s writing, which reported that that Christian had endured such sufferings: for he saw him sound in body, cheerful in face, as though he had never endured any trouble. And he asked: “Are you the famous Clement, who endured such torments?” Then he commanded that many different things, opposite to one another, be laid before the saint on both sides: on the one side — silver, and much gold, and a royal writing granting great ranks to the martyr, precious clothing and every kind of wealth and ornament; and on the other side — the instruments of torture, iron hands and hooks, iron beds and sharp razors, red-hot coals, cauldrons, red-hot helmets, spits, wheels, and heavy chains, and other innumerable instruments of the torturer. And the king laid these out and, looking at the martyr, pointed with his hand to the gold and the rich gifts and said: “These our gods give to you, if, knowing them, you begin to honour them with worship and sacrifices.”
The Gold and the Instruments of Torture, and the Martyr’s Answer
But the saint turned his eyes away from them, as from things evil, unclean, and stinking, and unworthy of a glance, and said with a sigh: “Let them be with your gods, to destruction.” And the king, looking fiercely, pointed to the instruments of torture and said to the saint: “This is prepared for those who do not believe in our gods.” And the manly martyr of Christ answered him: “If your torments, as you consider, are fearful, what do you think of the torments which the heavenly God has prepared for those who do not believe in Him? And if your gifts appear bright, and wonderful, and honourable to those who are wise after the flesh, how much greater are those which are rendered in the Heavens, which God has prepared for those who love Him, which neither eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man. Gold and silver are unfruitful things of the earth, devised by men for outward adornment, which fire and iron transform, and rust and wearing consume, and robbers take away and thieves steal. Fine clothing is the work of worms, food for the moth, or wool taken by force from dumb animals. And it is more fitting to marvel at those who make it than at you who adorn yourselves with it, for by a certain cunning they make the thing, transforming the worse into the better; but the workmen themselves you despise, as evil and worthless, while those who adorn themselves with their handiwork are proud and exalted, having borrowed glory from evil dumb beasts. But the good things of our good God are borrowed from no one, but are His own and unchanging, and exist by His will and not by human cunning, and have immortal glory and eternal brightness; and they fear no changes from length of time, nor does the moth eat them, nor does rust corrupt them, nor can eternal ages make them old.” And Diocletian said: “You speak well — but you understand ill; therefore I strive to bring you to the knowledge of the gods, and therefore I speak gently with you, persuading you not to trust in a mortal man, such as He whom you honour — Christ. He endured much torment from the Jews, and at last was killed and died. But our gods are always immortal and have never suffered anything.”
Gods without Feeling, the Wheel, and the Stopped Wonder
And the saint answered: “You speak the truth, O king, that your gods are immortal and passionless: for how can they die, never having lived? And how can they suffer, being without feeling? You do not know that they were made by beating, by cutting, by rubbing with human hands. Your stone gods were beaten by iron and hammer, your wooden ones were cut by axe and knife, the golden and silver were wrought in fire, the bronze and iron were forged with a hammer — and, having received no few other dishonourable beatings and interventions, they remained alike without soul. For they are immortal as though they had never lived, and they are destroyed as those who never were. But my Lord and the God of all, Christ, willed to die in the flesh according to His human nature, in order to save the world and to overcome death itself by His divine power — and He did it, rising on the third day and granting us His own life.” And Diocletian, hearing the free and bold words of the saint, was greatly angered, and commanded that he be bound to a wheel, and stripped, and turned and beaten with iron rods. And when the wheel turned and the saint was above — he was beaten with rods; and when he was below, where a narrow place had been made on purpose, there he was pressed very hard by the wheel, so that his bones were broken in it and the flesh, which had grown back after the first torments, fell away. And so for many hours Christ’s martyr was tormented, praying and saying: “O Lord Jesus, help me and make my torments lighter, taking away the fierce pains, for I trusted in You, giving myself over to wounds. Help me, as once You helped Your holy apostle Paul, and look upon my body, fiercely wounded; for I wish to be whole and sound, for the glory and confession of Your holy name, and to accept yet more torments for You, to the shame and dishonour of the impious. Strengthen me in Your name; in You I trust, O Giver of my life.”
The Saint Made Whole, the Prophecy Concerning Rome, and the Prison
And when the saint so prayed, the wheel stopped immovably, and those who turned it, being wearied, were exhausted. And the saint, freed by an invisible hand, stood whole in all his body and in health. And many people who were looking on there saw this, and cried out with wonder: “Great is the God of the Christians!” And the holy Clement, this true Vine of Christ, understanding in spirit what rational clusters wished to grow from his martyr’s labours, sent up praise to God with a loud voice, saying: “I thank You, O God, heavenly Father, that You have granted me to suffer in this great city for Your only-begotten Son, Who suffered for us and shed His most precious blood for our redemption. Whom here Peter preached, Paul proclaimed, Clement of my name glorified, Onesimus confessed, who also, having suffered for Him, died — and now are glorified in the Heavens, and are honoured on earth by many, and by many more still will soon be honoured above the kings of the earth, and believing kings will bow down to them.” And the saint said this, foretelling the future, when idol-worship, like darkness, would vanish, and the faith of Christ would shine like the sun, and would enlighten the whole universe. And these words of the saint scorched Diocletian the torturer like a flame, and moved him to greater fury. And he did not understand at all that wonder, which was accomplished by the power of God, but, being blinded by malice, gave himself to one torturer’s fury, and commanded that the saint’s mouth be beaten with great iron bars and his teeth broken. But the saint, even in that beating, did not cease to speak, provoking the torturer, though the servants would not allow him, commanding him to be silent. But as bronze, the more it is struck, gives out the louder a sound, so Christ’s martyr, however much they threatened him and beat out his mouth and teeth with iron, so much the louder he cried out, saying those things which were to the glory of God and to the shame of the proud torturer. And Diocletian himself also wearied and was exhausted with fury, and commanded that the martyr be bound about entirely with iron chains and cast into the public prison.
Baptism in the Prison, and the Night Light from Heaven
And when the saint sat in the prison, there came to him after the evening hour many people, men and prudent women with children, who had been in the square and had seen his manliness. And they fell with one accord at his holy feet, asking for holy baptism. And the saint gave thanks to God, for in such a fierce persecution the number of His confessors was multiplied; and at once, having taught them of the holy faith in Christ, he baptised them all, from the least to the greatest — for there was much water in that prison. And they sang joyfully: “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.” And when it was midnight, a great light from heaven shone upon that prison, and all, looking up, saw a fair youth, shining like lightning, who flew with outspread wings and descended to the holy martyr. And drawing near to him, he gave into his hands pure bread and a cup of wine, and at once became invisible. And all who stood by marvelled with terror at what they had seen. And the holy Clement recognised that it was the Body and Blood of Christ, and offered the accustomed prayers and gave Communion of those Divine Mysteries to all the newly baptised, when the day was already dawning. And the faithful came to him on all the days, and brought others with them to holy baptism, and the flock of Christ was multiplied, and the prison was like a church, in which they sent up praises to God. And the guards, seeing this, told the king.
The Beheading of the Faithful, Agathangelus, and the Ship to Nicomedia
And it came to pass that night: many of the faithful had gathered to the saint, and the soldiers came, and by the king’s command took them all and led them out of the city, like sheep, to the slaughter. And they asked each one before the beheading: “Do you deny Christ, that you may live?” And there was not one who feared death, but all wished to die for their Lord. And there were beheaded then many men, and women, and children for Christ. And one youth alone escaped the beheading — not fearing death, but wishing to suffer greater torments for the true God; and the name of that youth was Agathangelus, of whom we shall now speak. And after this Diocletian again brought the saint before his judgement, and questioning him much, tormented him fiercely: first, being stretched naked, he was beaten strongly a long time with ox-sinews; then, being hung up, he was scraped with iron claws, until his bones were bare and all his body was stripped. And the saint said to the torturer: “That body which you scrape did not come out of its mother’s womb, for that one Domitian the proconsul long ago stripped entirely; but into this new one Christ my Creator has clothed me. And since you strive to scrape it from my bones, I believe in my Christ that He will again clothe me in such flesh — for perhaps clay will not fail the potter, but will be found abundantly for the need.” Then the torturer commanded that his sides be burnt with candles. But the saint endured all sweetly for the Most Sweet Jesus. And Diocletian marvelled at the patience and the strength of the martyr, and said to his men: “I have tormented many of the wretched Christians, and have never seen one so invincible — therefore I will send him to Nicomedia, to Maximian, as a thing new and never seen nor heard of; let him marvel at that body not overcome by torments, for I think that he also will never find one so firm in mind and so strong in body.” And he commanded that he be bound and put on a ship and carried to Nicomedia for judgement before the second king — Maximian — having written to him everything that Clement had endured from him in Rome, and before that from Domitian in Ancyra.
The Voyage to Rhodes, Bishop Photinus, and the Little Church
And when the saint was about to enter the ship, the aforesaid Agathangelus, who had fled by night from the hands of the soldiers who were killing Christ’s flock with swords outside the city, going before him, secretly entered the ship and waited for the holy Clement. And when he was brought in, he fell at his holy feet, telling that he had been baptised by him, and reported to him everything concerning the execution of the faithful, and his own flight, and how because of this he had come to him, to be with him, to endure every torment for Christ the Lord and to die together. And the holy Clement rejoiced for the blessed Agathangelus, and for such zeal and love of his towards Christ God, accepting his coming to him as the coming of an Angel of God. And he sent up thanksgiving to the Master of all, and asked of Him strength and help for him: that He would grant the youth manliness and strength to endure to the end and to be counted worthy of the martyr’s crown. And as the saints sailed, they abided in prayer by day and by night, and had no food at all; and the holy Clement did not mind this, for he said: “I have bread in my heart — Jesus Christ Himself; I shall not hunger. And I have living water — the grace of Christ; I shall not thirst for ever.” And the soldiers saw that Clement and Agathangelus did not eat or drink for many days, and had mercy on them and gave them bread and water. But they praised them for that good deed, and did not accept food and drink from them, saying that the Provider God feeds them all: for an angel of the Lord brought them food from heaven by night and strengthened them. And they sailed a good number of days, and came to the island called Rhodes; and when many went out of the ship into the city to buy food, the saints asked the soldiers who remained to let them go to the Christian church to partake of the Divine Mysteries, of the Life-giving Body and Blood of Christ, for it was the Lord’s day. And the bishop of that island, the God-loving Photinus, hearing of the holy Clement, came with his clergy and other Christians, and asked the chief of the soldiers that, having loosed Clement from his bonds, he would let him go to them with his disciple Agathangelus for a certain time, promising to bring them back to the ship again without delay. And the holy Clement was released at the bishop’s request.
The Liturgy, the Angels above the Altar, and the Healing of the Sick
And they brought the saints into a little church, for there were few Christians on that island at that time, and the bishop commanded that a reading be made from the Divine Gospel words; and the cleric opened the book and began to read the words which he saw: “Fear not those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul.” And the saint heard this and lifted up his eyes on high with a sigh. And the Christians who stood in the church, seeing him, wept. And the church was filled with mournful sighs and tears. Then the bishop asked the holy Clement to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, and when he celebrated the Liturgy, certain of the clergy, and also of the simple people who were worthy, saw that upon the diskos lay a great coal, very red-hot and burning, from which an inexpressible light came forth and shone upon the saint and those who stood in front. And above the altar holy angels were seen, flying in the air. And the faithful fell face down to the earth, having seen such a wonder, and did not dare to look upon the saint. And after the celebration of the holy service, Bishop Photinus, with the other Christians, took the saints into his house and made a feast. And many sick were brought and carried to the holy Clement — not only of the faithful, but also of the unbelievers — and Christ’s martyr healed them all by prayer and by the sign of the Cross. And because of this many Hellenes began openly to confess Christ as the True God, and asked for baptism.
Nicomedia, the Governor Agrippinus, and the Examination
And the soldiers saw that many people flocked to Clement, and were afraid, lest the prisoner be taken from them and violence be done to themselves; therefore, taking him, they brought him onto the ship and laid bonds upon him again. And the faithful escorted him with many tears and lamentations, and would not be separated from him, and having given the last kiss to the saints and kissed Clement’s bonds, they returned. And the soldiers pressed to sail away from there the sooner. And a wind blew to help them, and they crossed the Aegean sea and reached Nicomedia. And Maximian, the impious king in Nicomedia, having received Diocletian’s writing and seeing the martyr, marvelled at his great patience and at his manliness not overcome by torments. And he was afraid himself to examine him, lest he be put to shame by him, and gave him to the governor Agrippinus for examination, while he himself pretended to be occupied with other royal affairs. And Agrippinus, having brought the saints before his judgement seat, said to Clement: “Are you Clement?” And the martyr answered: “I am a servant of Christ.” And the governor commanded that the saint be beaten in the mouth with a fist, saying: “Why do you not call yourself the king’s servant, but Christ’s?” And the saint, being beaten, said: “It would befit your kings also to be servants of Christ, and their reign would be peaceful, and my Christ would subject all the nations under his feet.” And the governor, looking at the holy Agathangelus, said: “Who are you? There is nothing written of you in Diocletian’s letter.” And Agathangelus, looking up to heaven, said: “I too am a Christian; I have been counted worthy to be called a Christian through this servant of God, Clement.” And the governor said: “Then he is to blame for your error and your cruel death.”
The Torments of Both, the Prison, the Red-hot Spits, and the Riot of the People
And he commanded that the holy Clement be hung naked and his body cut with razors, and that Agathangelus, also naked, be beaten strongly with sinews. And the holy Clement prayed to God in his torments for Agathangelus, that He would strengthen him in his sufferings. And after those torments the torturer commanded that both be cast into prison. And there were many other prisoners in that prison, condemned for various offences. And they looked upon the earnest prayer of the saints to God, and having seen that the angels of God visited and comforted the servants of Christ, they were greatly moved, and falling at their feet, asked that they be brought to their God. And it happened there, by the providence of God, that there was enough water for baptism. And having taught them much, the holy Clement baptised them all, and opened the prison by prayer, and let them out, saying: “Go out, children, and be saved from the hands of the impious; and may our Lord Jesus Christ keep you.” And in the morning, learning of the release of the prisoners, the governor Agrippinus was greatly angered at the saints, and preparing a spectacle, gave them to be devoured by wild beasts. But those did not harm the saints, and fawned upon them like household dogs upon their masters. And he commanded that with red-hot spits every finger of the martyrs’ hands be bored along, even to the elbow. And the people, looking at this, could not endure to look upon such a torment, and cried out at the governor in anger, that he should release the innocent. And the governor was the more angered, and commanded that with other red-hot spits their armpits be bored even to the shoulders.
The Mountain Pyramus, the Sacks in the Sea, and the Wondrous Deliverance
Then the people, indignant, took stones and threw them at the governor, crying out with a loud voice: “Great is the God of the Christians!” And the governor, frightened by the clamour and the riot of the people, fled into his house. But the holy martyrs, whom no one could restrain, went to the mountain called Pyramus, on which the Hellenes were accustomed to offer sacrifices to their gods, and there they sat in the idol temple, and by prayer broke the idols and drove the demons out from there. And after a few days, learning that they were there, the governor went with his priests and his soldiers, and there the holy martyrs were beaten strongly with great clubs, and having broken their bones, they put them into a sack, each one separately, with stones, and sewing it up, threw them from the mountain into the sea. For the saints rolled down in their sacks along the mountain slope, and fell into the sea and sank into the deep abyss. And all thought that they had perished. But certain of the faithful, learning of the drowning of the saints, walked along the shore, hoping that the sea, which usually casts out the dead, would cast out also the bodies of the holy martyrs. And behold, they saw two sacks floating on the sea, and getting into boats, they drew near to them, and untied them and found the holy passion-bearers alive and in health, as though they had not suffered at all, and they glorified God. For they rested that night on the shore, and the angels of God visited the saints and strengthened them with food.
The Healing of the Blind Men, and the Return to Ancyra before Kuricius
And when morning came, the holy Clement and the holy Agathangelus went into the city and, standing in the midst of the market-place, proclaimed to the people the majesty of God, and stretching out their hands on high, said to God: “We thank You, O Lord Jesus Christ, that You have not forsaken those who trust in You, but have delivered us out of fierce torments, and have not gladdened our enemies through us, but have glorified Your holy name in us.” And there were there two blind men, and one had a withered hand, and another was paralysed — and them they healed at once by the laying on of their hands. And seeing this, the people began to bring to them their sick and those possessed by evil spirits — and all were healed by the martyrs’ prayers and touches, and the name of Jesus Christ was glorified by the people with a loud voice. And Agrippinus the governor, learning of this, marvelled greatly and, being at a loss, went to tell the king everything that had happened. And the king also marvelled greatly, that those drowned in the sea were found alive. And learning that the holy Clement was by birth from Ancyra, he commanded that he be sent with his disciple to Ancyra, saying: “Let the city which bore him and brought him up have him to itself, and let it punish him as it wishes.” And he wrote concerning him to Kuricius, the prince of Ancyra. And taking them both bound, they led them to Ancyra. And entering into his own country, the holy martyr Clement said with joy: “Glory to You, O God, that You have heard of my humiliation; glory to You, O Christ, that You have counted me worthy to see the city which bore me.” And they were set before the prince Kuricius.
The Red-hot Plates, the Iron Helmet, and Sophia in the Dungeon
And he, having examined them, laid torments upon them: first, with very red-hot iron plates they burnt their sides; then the holy Clement, having bound him to a pillar, he beat mercilessly, so that even his flesh fell away. And the holy Agathangelus he hung up, and scraped him with iron claws, and asked, mocking: “Do you not feel pain in your body?” And the holy Clement answered, speaking with angelic words: “Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed.” And the torturer commanded that an iron helmet be made very red-hot and put upon the head of the holy Clement. And when this was done, a great smoke came out of the saint’s nostrils, and ears, and mouth. But he, enduring inexpressible pain, cried out to his Lord, saying: “O inexhaustible Fountain, O Living Water, O Rain of salvation, heal me with the dew of Your grace. You brought us out of the water, You delivered Your servants out of the fire.” And so the saint prayed — and at once his iron helmet grew cold. And the prince Kuricius, seeing this, was terrified, and not understanding what more to do, sent them back to the dungeon, and wrote to the king Maximian, reporting what had happened. And the blessed Sophia, Clement’s second mother, came into the dungeon at night, and with great joy and tears rejoiced for such a son of hers by name, who had proved an extraordinary sufferer for Christ and a glorious victor, and having kissed the wounds and bonds of both, she washed and wiped away their blood, and bound up their wounds with clean cloths, and asked the holy Clement in detail about everything: how he had suffered, and where, and at whose hands. And she brought them food also, and strengthened them, and every night, coming, she served the prisoners of Christ.
Amisus: the Quicklime, the Iron Beds, and the Christian Soldiers
And after a certain time an order came from the king, and the prince Kuricius sent the holy martyrs to another city, called Amisus, to another, fiercer torturer, the king’s viceroy named Domitius. And the blessed Sophia accompanied the holy martyrs a long way — with those children whom the holy Clement had gathered in her house in the time of famine, and whom she had brought up and taken as her own children. And certain of them would not be separated from the holy passion-bearers, and went with them, being bound to them by love; and on the way the soldiers killed them by the king’s command, for he had been informed concerning those children. And in Amisus Domitius cast the holy passion-bearers into quicklime on the Friday at the second hour of the day — and on the Saturday at the third hour they were found alive and in health. And seeing this, two soldiers believed in Christ and openly confessed themselves Christians, for which the impious crucified them on that same Saturday, on the seventh day of September; and their names were Phengon and Eucarpus. And to the holy Clement and Agathangelus the torturer commanded that the skin be stripped from their shoulders and that they be beaten with iron a long time; then, having laid them on red-hot iron beds, he commanded that they be poured over with sulphur and pitch and burnt strongly. But the saints, unharmed, rested as upon a soft royal bed, and fell asleep with a sweet sleep, and saw in a vision of sleep Christ the Lord with many of His holy angels, who came to them from above and said: “Do not fear, I am with you.” And waking, they told one another of that vision with joy. And so they were burnt enough upon those beds, when Domitius the viceroy saw that they were not harmed at all by the fire — and, not understanding what to do to them, commanded that they be taken down and led to the dungeon.
The Spring on the Way, the Fiery Furnace, and Four Years in Prison
And the saints remained a long time in that prison, and then were sent again to the king Maximian, who was then at Tarsus. And going there, they were very thirsty, and above all the soldiers who led them were exhausted by thirst, for that land was desert and the road waterless. Then by prayer they brought forth a spring of living water out of the dry ground, and drinking, all were refreshed, and the soldiers took as much water as they needed for the journey. And on that same road the holy Clement prayed earnestly to Christ God, that he might be martyred every day of his life for His holy name, and he had a revelation from God, that with the years of his torments now past he had yet to pass twenty-eight years in unceasing sufferings, up to the final accomplishment of his martyrdom; and because of this the saint rejoiced greatly, for he was seized with an inexpressible love for Christ his God, and wished to remain for a long time in fierce torments for Him, and to die a hundredfold every day. And when the saints were presented to the king Maximian, he marvelled greatly that they were still alive and not overcome by such torments. And having examined them and seen them unshaken, he kindled a fiery furnace, as Nebuchadnezzar once did in Babylon, and cast Christ’s soldiers into it; and the saints remained in that furnace a day and a night, and were found alive and in health. And seeing that wonder, many of the people believed in Christ. Then the saints were cast into prison and remained in it four years: for the impious king hoped that, being wearied by the long time and by the great hardship of prison, they would more easily incline to their Hellenic faith. And when the four years in prison were fulfilled, the king judged them, as though unworthy of his royal examination, but in truth being ashamed of the fact of their invincible magnanimity — and he entrusted them to a certain ruler named Sacedon, very fierce, who had destroyed an innumerable multitude of Christians by dreadful torments and deaths, that he might compel those prisoners to worship the gods.
Sacedon, the Prince Maxim, and the Two Idols of Dionysus
And he, taking the holy martyrs Clement and Agathangelus, when by kind and by threatening words he attained nothing, commanded that they be stripped and bound to trees, and beaten cruelly, and their bodies scraped so fiercely that their shoulders and backs were scraped quite to the bones, and only the bones and the joints of their legs were visible — all the flesh had fallen away. And the torturer thought that they would die at once — and commanded that they be untied and led to prison. But seeing the saints standing on their feet, and being strengthened, and walking to the dungeon of themselves, he was greatly put to shame, and from fury and shame became numb in body, and was barely alive, and his servants carried him in their arms from the judgement seat to his house. And to the saints, as they walked to the prison, their flesh fell away in pieces with blood from their bodies, and the faithful gathered it up along the road with the earth, and received it honourably as a great treasure. And the king, learning of Sacedon’s illness, laughed and said: “Behold the famous Sacedon, who overcame many Christians, overcome by two.” And there stood before the king at that time a certain prince named Maxim, and he asked the king to give those martyrs into his hands, for he boasted that he would accomplish one of two things: either compel them to sacrifice, or kill them with torments. And the king commanded him to take the saints to himself, and not to begin tormenting them at once, but for many days, conversing with them in a friendly manner, to persuade them to worship the gods. And once, having called them to himself, the prince said to them: “Rejoice, O men, whom the immortal gods love as their own sons, and care for you, for many times both in dreams they have spoken of you, and awake, answering, they said that you must turn to them; therefore they restrained those who tormented you, that they should not destroy you — for they await your conversion, which is already near, for last night the great Dionysus, chief among the gods, appeared to me and said: ‘Bring those two men to me.’ Behold therefore, O men, the temple of Dionysus is opened, and the altar is adorned, and the sacrifices are ready — come and offer sacrifice to him.” And the saints answered: “You lie shamelessly, O judge, for your gods, as they are dumb awake, so also in sleep cannot speak. And which Dionysus spoke to you?
Stakes upon the Breast, Lead upon the Head, and Lifelong Imprisonment
For you have here two idols of Dionysus — one of stone, and the other of bronze. And if the stone one spoke, then we prophesy to it that soon the time will come when it will be broken to pieces, and either built into a wall, made of stone, with other stones, or, cast into the fire, will be turned into lime. But if the bronze Dionysus spoke — it will be turned into cauldrons and other innumerable vessels.” And Maxim could not bear to hear such words, and began to torment them fiercely. And the torment was this: sharp iron instruments — spits, knives, hooks, tridents, and whatever sharpest thing he could devise — he thrust into the ground very thickly, with the points upward, to the height of one foot. And upon these he laid the holy Clement naked, on his back, face upward, and commanded that he be beaten from above with great stakes. And upon the holy Agathangelus, having melted much lead, he poured it on his head. And the holy Clement was beaten with stakes on the breast and everywhere, from head to foot, and his whole body beneath was pierced and cut upon those sharp instruments, and one iron passed even to the heart, another to the breast, another to the inward parts, another passed through and appeared above; and when after long beating the torturer commanded that the martyr be taken down from that place, many men with great difficulty could barely draw him out from there — and Maxim marvelled, wondering at such patience, and that such torments could neither turn the martyrs to the gods nor kill them: for God the Most High kept them, and their souls did not go out of the union of the body, for the greater glorification of His holy name and the shame of the impious. And the saints were cast into the dungeon. And the king Maximian, learning of this, sentenced the saints to lifelong imprisonment, until they should die there of themselves.
Aphrodisius, the Millstones and the Dragging; Maximinus upon the Throne
But another nobleman, named Aphrodisius, a Persian by birth, an inventor experienced in the fiercest torments of every kind upon Christians, asked the king to command that those martyrs be given to him, that he might destroy them. And taking them, he led them into his house, and set before them a most rich table for feasting, and persuaded them to eat and drink with him and to be merry. But they said: “We are fed with heavenly food and drink; he who eats and drinks of it shall never hunger, but shall abide merry for ever.” And Aphrodisius, taking this as a dishonour to himself, said: “Tomorrow I will prepare for you another supper, the one you desire — the cruellest death.” And when tomorrow came, Aphrodisius commanded that two millstones be brought and hung upon the necks of the saints, and that they be dragged through the whole city for mockery. And as they dragged the saints, many of the senseless people, taking stones, beat those who were dragged; and still more people marvelled at so great and so long a suffering of theirs, and thought that they were immortal, and turned to Christ. And after this, by the king’s judgement, they were cast into prison for ever, that, exhausted by long imprisonment, they might perish. And the saints remained in the bonds of the dungeon a good number of years, until the accomplishment of the twenty-eighth time of suffering drew near, concerning which it had been revealed to the holy Clement at Tarsus, when he was being led to the king, by a revelation from God. And many of the holy confessors of Christ, who had begun the martyr’s contest, finished their course; but these two sufferers were still in endurance and in the martyr’s contest. And after the king Maximian, Maximinus came to the kingdom, and much Christian blood was shed without pity. And the keepers of the prison wearied, because they had kept Clement and Agathangelus in prison so long, and came to the king Maximinus, saying: “What do you command concerning those two prisoners, whom for many years kings and many rulers have tormented with all the inventions of the fiercest torments? They have not died, and are still alive in bonds. And though without any human care or attention, yet they are healthy, and bright of face, and we think that they are immortal.”
The Return to Ancyra, the Prince Lucius, and the Repose of Agathangelus
And the king Maximinus first blasphemed his own gods with many dishonourable words, because they could not take away the earthly life of those prisoners; then, having asked them who they were and from where, and learning that they were from the land of Galatia, from the city of Ancyra, he at once commanded that they be sent there to the prince Lucius, who at that time governed as prefect in Ancyra, the city of Galatia. And learning this, the saints were greatly comforted: for the holy Clement greatly wished to accomplish the course of his contest in his own country, and had asked this of the Master Christ, and had received what he asked. And the saints were brought into the city of Ancyra, and stood before the prince Lucius for examination. But he did not begin to examine them at once, but first put them in a narrow confinement, driving their feet into stocks, and laying iron chains upon the neck, and upon the hands, and upon the whole body, and binding such stones upon them that they could neither move their body nor stretch out a foot. And the next day he brought one of the holy martyrs to the judgement seat, and at first flattered him much with kindness, drawing him to his own heresy; but seeing him unshaken in mind, he began to torment him: he clasped iron rings, red-hot in the fire, upon his ears, burnt his ribs with candles, and at last cut off his holy head with the sword. And the honourable body of the martyr the aforesaid blessed Sophia, Clement’s mother by name, took and wrapped in a clean winding-sheet with spices, and laid in a cave, in which there was also a little Christian church: for because of the fierce persecution from the impious, the faithful could not have their church openly, and made themselves a church in a cave, and there offered their services to God.
Thanksgiving for His Disciple, and the Daily Torments until the Fifteenth of January
And the holy martyr Agathangelus suffered at the hands of various torturers, of two kings, Diocletian and Maximian, and of the governors Agrippinus, Kuricius, Domitius, Sacerdon, Maxim, Aphrodisius and Lucius. And he finished the contest of suffering on the fifth day of the month of November. And learning of the departure of his disciple and fellow-sufferer, the holy martyr Agathangelus, the holy Clement was filled with inexpressible joy, for he had sent him to God before himself. And lying face down on the earth, weighed down by the heaviness of his bonds, he gave great thanks for the holy Agathangelus, that He had counted him worthy to finish the course, to keep the faith, to endure all torments manfully, and to become a partaker of the choir of the holy martyrs, triumphing in the heavens. And he prayed also for himself, that he might be able to endure to the end and to crush the head of the treacherous enemy, and to pass with triumph into the desired heavenly country. And after the killing of the holy Agathangelus, Lucius the torturer commanded that the martyr Clement be tormented daily in the prison. And the torment was this: with a knotted sharp rod they beat the martyr on the face and on the head, laying on a hundred and fifty wounds every day. And this they did to the saint from the fifth day of November even to the fifteenth of January. For by day they wounded him strongly, so that even that whole prison was dyed with his blood; but by night the grace of God visited him through the holy angels, healing those wounds, and the impious were in great perplexity. For every day they came and found him in health, and marvelled, and beat him more cruelly, wounding his head and face with many strong blows, bringing them up to a hundred and fifty.
The Night of Theophany, the Loosing from Bonds, and the Last Liturgy
And the feast of the Theophany of the Lord drew near, and another governor came into the city of Ancyra from the king, named Alexander, instead of Lucius — for he had been commanded to go to the king. And when the night came, on which the vigil of the feast of Theophany was to be kept, the blessed Sophia, having gathered to herself the Christians, her servants and foster-children, boys and girls, took them and went into the dungeon to the holy Clement. And God favoured the purposes of His faithful, for He put the guards into a deep sleep, and only one did not sleep — and he was secretly a Christian, and opened the prison to those who came. And the faithful entered inside with the manly-wise Sophia, and freed the saint from his bonds, and taking him, brought him into the church that was in the cave, and kept the feast with joy, giving thanks to God. And when day came, the holy Clement celebrated the Divine Liturgy, and all were partakers of the Divine Mysteries from the holy hand of their pastor. And God’s hierarch made for the people a sufficient instruction, in which he prophesied of his own death, that he would soon be killed, and said: “Do not fear, brothers, for not one of you shall perish nor suffer, nor shall the wolves snatch away a single one; only I with two clerics will lay down my soul for the Great Hierarch Christ, Who laid down His soul for us.” And he prophesied also that soon the persecution would cease, idol-worship would vanish, and the holy faith would blossom, for the heavenly King would set upon the earth such a king as would himself be enlightened by holy baptism, and would enlighten all the lands of the Roman dominion, and would found a new Rome, and piety would shine everywhere. This the hieromartyr Clement prophesied to his rational flock, and gladdened their souls, and went into the house of his mother Sophia, and took all the people from the church also to himself, and made a great feast; and the holy Clement was in her house on the twenty-third day of January.
The Cave Church, the Sword, and the Beheading of the Two Deacons
Meanwhile the governor Alexander was examining the public affairs and the administration, and it was told him concerning Clement, the bishop of the Christians, that he had come out of the prison by night, and they sought him. And when the Lord’s day came, God’s hierarch, the holy Clement, went to the cave church to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, and the impious learned of him and told the governor. And he, rising up himself, went with soldiers, and entering inside, saw the holy Clement, who stood before the table of God and offered the bloodless sacrifices. And the governor commanded one of the soldiers to take a sword and strike the hierarch from behind in the neck. And when the soldier struck, the head of the holy hieromartyr Clement fell upon the Divine table and upon the pre-laid Gifts, and the bloodless sacrifice and the whole holy altar were dyed with his blood. And the faithful people were in great fear and terror, expecting death even for themselves, yet they grieved not for themselves, but for their pastor, and lifting up their voice, lamented. And the governor went out at once, doing no harm at all to the people; only two clerics in the altar were beheaded with the holy Clement, and their names were Christopher and Chariton, deacons.
The Burial by Sophia, the Testimony of Nicephorus, and Glory to God
And the blessed Sophia clothed with tears and with joy the honourable body of her beloved son by betrothal, but in truth her spiritual father and pastor. She wept, because she had lost him on earth; she rejoiced, because he had accomplished his suffering well and had passed over to Christ the Lord. And Sophia, with all the Christian people who were there, buried the saint honourably with both deacons near the tomb of the holy martyr Agathangelus, in the cave church, on the twenty-third day of the month of January. And so the holy hieromartyr Clement finished the long contest of his suffering, enduring for Christ for twenty-eight years innumerable and inexpressible torments. And Nicephorus, the Greek historian, speaks of him thus: “Of all who from the creation of the world have suffered for God by any kind of torment — by fire, by iron, by stone, by wood, and those who wrestled with wild beasts and were tormented by long-continued bonds, and those who died by various deaths on land, in water and in the air, and who were destroyed by frost, and by strong heat, or by other torments and punishments lost their life — all those the holy Clement with Agathangelus far surpassed by their sufferings. And he suffered at the hands of eleven torturers in various cities: in Ancyra — from Domitian, the Proconsul of Galatia; in Rome — from the king Diocletian; in Nicomedia — from the governor Agrippinus; again in Ancyra — from the prince Kuricius; in Amisus — from Domitius, the king’s viceroy; in Tarsus — from the king Maximian, and there also from the ruler Sacerdon; then from the prince Maxim; after this from the nobleman Aphrodisius; and again in Ancyra from the prince Lucius; and lastly from the governor Alexander. For all who were then torturers sent him to one another as a certain wonder, never seen, and so long a time he was not overcome by various fierce torments, and was unshaken, with Agathangelus his disciple.” And God strengthened him, our Lord Jesus Christ, for the glory of His holy name. To Whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, from all creation belongs all glory, honour and worship, for ever. Amen.