On December 29, the Afterfeast of the Nativity, we commemorate the 14,000 holy infants who were put to death by King Herod in his attempt to kill the new-born Messiah (Mt. 2:16).
Today there is also a commemoration of all Orthodox Christians who have died from hunger, thirst, the sword, and freezing.
14,000 Holy Infants were killed by King Herod in Bethlehem. When the time came for the Incarnation of the Son of God and His Birth of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Magi in the East beheld a new star in the heavens, foretelling the Nativity of the King of the Jews. They journeyed immediately to Jerusalem to worship the Child, and the star showed them the way. Having worshipped the divine Infant, they did not return to Jerusalem to Herod, as he had ordered them, but being warned by God in a dream, they went back to their country by another way. Herod finally realized that his scheme to find the Child would not be successful, and he ordered that all the male children two years old and younger at Bethlehem and its surroundings be killed. He thought that the divine Infant, Whom he considered a rival, would be among the dead children.
The murdered infants thus became the first martyrs for Christ. The rage of Herod fell also on Simeon the God-Receiver (February 3), who declared before everyone in the Temple that the Messiah had been born. When the holy Elder died, Herod would not give permission for him to be properly buried. On the orders of King Herod, the holy prophet and priest Zachariah was also killed. He was murdered in Jerusalem between the Temple and the altar (Mt. 23:35) because he would not tell the whereabouts of his son John, the future Baptist of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The wrath of God soon fell upon Herod himself: a horrid condition struck him down and he died, eaten by worms while still alive. Before his death, the impious king murdered the chief priests and scribes of the Jews, and also his brother, and his sister and her husband, and also his own wife Mariam, and three of his sons, and seventy men of wisdom who were members of the Sanhedrin. He initiated this bloodbath so that the day of his death would not be one of rejoicing, but one of mourning.
The Christian Church very rightly proclaimed these murdered children as Saints, because they died at an innocent age, and were, in some way, the first martyrs of Christianity. They may not have been baptized in water, but they were baptized in the blessed blood of their martyrdom.
Last but not least, the relics (or perhaps some) of the Holy Infants are found in Constantinople, in the Church of Saint James the Brother of the Lord, which was built by Emperor Justin. Most of their Holy Relics are at the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Portions of their Holy Relics are also to be found in the Pantokrator Monastery on Mount Athos.
Saint Marcellus, igumen of the Monastery called “the Unsleeping Ones,” was a native of the city of Apamea in Syria. His parents were wealthy, but died when he was young. He received his education first at Antioch, and then at Ephesus. All his possessions left him by his parents he distributed to the poor, thereby sundering his ties to the world.
Under the guidance of an experienced elder at Ephesus, Marcellus entered upon the path of asceticism. He later went on to Byzantium to Saint Alexander, igumen of the monastery named “the Unsleeping.” The monastery received its name because in it psalmody was done constantly, both day and night, by alternating groups of monks. Saint Alexander accepted Marcellus and tonsured him into the monastic schema. Zealous in the works of watchfulness, fasting and prayer, the saint received great spiritual talents and the gift of clairvoyance. Marcellus foresaw the day of Abba Alexander’s death and his own election as igumen. However, since he was still young, he did not want to rule others. So he slipped out of the monastery to visit other provinces and other monasteries, where he received edification from the monks who lived there.
After the death of Saint Alexander, when Abba John had already been chosen as igumen, Marcellus returned to the great joy of the brethren. Abba John made Marcellus his own closest assistant. After John’s death, Saint Marcellus was chosen igumen of the monastery in spite of his own wishes, and in this position he remained for sixty years.
News of his saintly life spread far. People came to Marcellus from afar, both the illustrious and the common, rich and the poor. Many times they saw angels encircling the saint, attending and guarding him. With the help of God, the monastery of “the Unsleeping Ones” flourished. So many monks came to place themselves under the direction of Saint Marcellus that it became necessary to enlarge the monastery and the church.
Saint Marcellus received donations from believers for expansion, and built a beautiful large church, a hospital, and a hostel for the homeless. By his prayers the monk treated the sick, cast out devils and worked miracles. For example, one of the monks was sent to Ankara and fell ill. Being near death, he called out mentally to his abba. At that very hour Saint Marcellus heard his disciple in the monastery, and he began to pray for him. He who was sick recovered at once.
When a ship with his monks came into danger on the Black Sea, the saint calmed the tempest by his prayers. Another time, when they told him that a fire was raging at Constantinople, he prayed tearfully for the city, and the fire subsided as if extinguished by the tears of the monk.
John, the servant of a certain Arian nobleman named Ardaburios, was unjustly accused of something, and he hid out at the monastery to escape his master’s wrath. Ardaburios twice demanded that Saint Marcellus hand John over to him, but he refused. Ardaburios then sent out a detachment of soldiers, who surrounded the monastery, threatening to slay anyone who interfered with their mission. The brethren went to the abba, asking him to surrender John and save the monastery. Saint Marcellus signed himself with the Sign of the Cross, then boldly went out alone through the monastery gate towards the soldiers. Lightning flashed in the sky, thunder rumbled, and the Cross appeared shining brighter than the sun. The soldiers threw down their weapons and took to flight. Ardaburios, learning from the soldiers what had happened, was frightened, and because of Saint Marcellus he pardoned the servant.
Saint Marcellus peacefully departed to the Lord in the year 485. His faithful disciple Lukian grieved terribly over him, but on the fifth day after the death Saint Marcellus appeared to him and comforted him, foretelling his own impending end.
Saints Mark the Grave-Digger, Theophilus and John are mentioned in the Kiev Caves Paterikon. Two brothers being monastics, Saints Theophilus and John, so loved each other that they prevailed upon Saint Mark to prepare a double grave so they could be buried side by side.
Many years later, the older of the two brothers was away on monastery business. During this time his brother John fell ill and died. Several days later, Saint Theophilus returned and went with the brethren to view his brother’s body. Seeing that he lay at the higher place in their common grave, he became indignant with Saint Mark and said, “Why did you put him in my place? I am older than he.”
The cave-dweller Mark, bowed humbly to Saint Theophilus and asked that he forgive him. Turning to the dead man, he said, “Arise, give this place to your older brother, and you lie down in the other place.” And the dead man moved to the lower place in the grave. Seeing this, Saint Theophilus fell down at the knees of Saint Mark begging his forgiveness. The cave-dweller Mark told Theophilus that he ought to be concerned for his own salvation, because soon he would join his brother in that place.
Hearing this, Saint Theophilus became terrified and decided that he would soon die. He gave away everything that he possessed, keeping only his mantle, and every day he awaited the hour of death. No one was able to stop his tears, nor to tempt him with tasty food. Tears were his bread by day and by night (Ps 41/42:3). God granted him several years more for repentance, which he spent in fasting and lamentation. He even went blind from continuous weeping.
Saint Mark forsaw the hour of his death and told Theophilus he would soon depart this life. Theophilus pleaded, “Father, either take me with you, or restore my sight.” Saint Mark said to Theophilus, “Do not desire death, it shall come in its own time, even if you do not wish it. Let this be the sign of your impending end: three days before you depart this world, your eyesight will return.”
The words of the saint were fulfilled. The body of Saint Theophilus was placed in the Antoniev Cave in the grave together with his brother Saint John, near the relics of Saint Mark. Their memory is celebrated also on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.
It is not known where or when Saints Theophilos and Jacob were born, but they spent some time on the island of Konevets with Saint Arsenios of Konevets (June 12), and perhaps it was there that they began their monastic labors.
Then, in 1395 or 1396, both ascetics left Konevets and crossed the Omuch River. There in Demyansk county, 65 versts from the city of Porkhov, they established a Hermitage in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God. It appears that Saint Theophilos, the founder of the monastery, was highly revered, because it was known as the Theophilos Hermitage, but it was Elder Jacob who put it in order. The monastery dates from the beginning of the XV century, around 1412.
Saint Theophilos reposed on December 29, 1412, and was buried in the wooden church of the Dormition. We do not know when Saint Jacob went to the Lord, nor the specific place where he was buried.
Saints Theophilos and Jacob are commemorated together on October 21. They are also commemorated on the Synaxis of the Saints of Novgorod, Saint Petersburg, and Ladoga (the third Sunday of Pentecost).
The holy relics of these God-pleasers have rested in the church of the Dormition of the Mother of God ever since the parish was founded in 1764.
Saint Thaddeus the Confessor, a disciple of Theodore the Studite, was a defender of the veneration of holy icons. He was brought to trial and suffered during the reign of Leo V (813-820). The heretics, mocking Saint Thaddeus, put an icon of the Savior on the ground, picked the saint up, and stood him upon it.
After this the judge said, “You have trampled upon the icon of Christ. There is no point in further resistance, so join us.” Thaddeus replied that he had been placed upon the icon involuntarily, and he cursed the impiety of the iconoclasts. Enraged by his bold words, they beat him with cudgels. Then they dragged the martyr by the legs and threw him outside the city walls. He appeared to be dead, but he was still alive. A certain Christian took him into his own home and washed his wounds. Saint Thaddeus lived another three days, and then surrendered his soul to God.
Today the Church remembers all Orthodox Christians who died as martyrs for the glory of Christ by hunger, thirst, freezing, and by the sword, whose names are not known to us.
This feast reminds us that God's sight is not like that of men. People usually glorify and honor those who are renowned and famous; whereas God sees both those who are known and and those who are unknown, the exalted and the humble, as long as each person sought to do His will.
Thus, at the time of the Last Judgment, the least of these Christians will shine forth incomparably more radiant than the most illustrious and prominent kings of this world.
Their Synaxis took place in the church of the Most Holy Theotokos at Chalkoprateia, a district in Constantinople, west of Hagia Sophia.
The Lord said: "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become as children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). For many, at first glance, this appears easy to follow. Yet only God's chosen few, among them Basilisk of Siberia, who attained spiritual infancy by his ascetical contests (podvigs) and the unceasing Jesus Prayer, a complete lack of malice and absence of exaltation, a profound awareness of his own infirmity, and the need for God's intercession at every moment. Venerable Basilisk's path toward this summit lay through heavy sorrows and temptations.
The ascetic Basilisk (Basil, in the world) was born circa 1740 into the family of peasants in the village of Ivanish, Kalyazinsk Uyezd, Tver Governorate. His parents, Gabriel and Stephania, raised their three sons in the fear of God. From childhood, young Basil knew work and hardship, and begging for alms. Later, he was a shepherd for a while. From a young age, he was distinguished by the simplicity of his heart, his love for God, and his humble disposition.
Not daring to oppose his father, Basil agreed to marry, but soon he left the family, with his wife's consent, and began to lead a monastic way of life, at first, in the world, and then in various monasteries. For some time, he lived as a hermit in the forests of Chuvashia. Basil tried to remain in constant prayer, he did not give in to his flesh, satiety, excessive drinking, and especially sleep, keeping vigil on the eves of all the Feast Days. If sleep began to overcome him, he would make prostrations, chop wood, or sing spiritual songs. And so he spent all the Feasts toiling to the point of exhaustion, for at that time he did not yet know of the Prayer of the heart or guarding the mind. When pilgrims visited him he received them all with kindness, but if anyone asked to live with him, he refused, saying that he was sinful and slothful, and that he had vowed to live in solitude. If the person insisted, Basil meekly replied, "We cannot live together, but if you wish, remain in my cell, and I shall go elsewhere."
Once one of the wandering brethren told Basil that Hieromonk Adrian,1 an experienced Elder of exalted life, was living in the Bryansk forests with his disciples. Basil, desiring to place himself under obedience to this skilled instructor, went to him at once. Indeed, this stage of the monastic life under Elder Adrian was something new for him. Basil succeeded in his ascetical contest of fasting and toil. Soon, like a vine which is grafted and bears its fruit in due season, Basil was tonsured into the mantiya by Elder Adrian with the name Basilisk. After a while, Father Adrian was summoned by Metropolitan Gabriel of St. Petersburg to restore Konevits Monastery, and all of his disciples followed him, but Father Basilisk stayed behind to live in the solitude which he loved. Now, however, he was attacked by many temptations and passions, such as he had never before experienced. He was frequently awakened at night by terrible voices which threatened him: "You are here all alone, and there are many of us. We shall destroy you."
He fell into despondency because of this unbearable horror. Moreover, his body grew weak and sore. He ate the simplest foods, even even the most distasteful. If he did accept offerings of food from those who revered him, he himself ate next to nothing, and distributed everything to others. The Elder also carved rough wooden spoons (though he did not know how to do this properly), and gave them to visitors who rejoiced and sacrificed unstintingly for these gifts which were so dear to them.
Such was the life of the humble monk Basilisk, who devoted all his time to prayer and asceticism. It was around this time that he met his future fellow ascetic and spiritual brother, Father Zosima (Verkhovsky), who at that time was still called Zachariah, and wanted to become a hermit. The young man was attracted by the eremitic life of the Bryansk monks, but most of all, his heart was drawn to Father Basilisk.
The Elder also loved him, and later he told him: "I have always asked the Lord to send me a spiritual friend, sincere, with a warm heart, one in soul with me, for it is difficult to live alone in silence. It has been said: "One who has the support of his brother, is like a fortified city" (Proverbs 18:19); and "Woe to him who is alone" (Ecclesiastes 4:10). So, I entreated God, but I did not dare to accept anyone, waiting until the Lord Himself, by means which He alone knew, would show me such a person. From the first time I met you, my soul became attached to you with such a strong love that it seemed as if I were being told that in you, the Lord was granting my request."
In order to experience the power of arbitrariness and the firmness of young Zachariah's intention, Basilisk blessed him to live first at the cenobitic Konevits Monastery, and three years later, with Father Adrian's blessing, he took him along with him to Konevits Monastery. Although he loved Zosima as his own soul, Basilisk would not consider him as a son and a disciple, seeing that he was already quite advanced in the monastic life. He realized that the young man had surpassed him in understanding and spiritual discretion. By studying and the enlightenment of his mind, Zosima had already acquired a greater knowledge of all the patristic writings. In addition, it was Zosima who revealed to Elder Basilisk the secret monastic treasure, explaining to him the teaching about the Prayer of the Heart. Aflame with zeal, Basilisk began to pray the Jesus Prayer, which he loved so much, and trained diligently, and its fruits were not slow to appear in this simple and humble heart which sincerely loved the Lord.
Father Zosima compiled a special manuscript "Concerning the Wondrous Spiritual Activity of Prayer in Elder Basilisk," wherein he diligently recorded all the ascetic's revelations. Not only did Father Basilisk trust him with the secrets of his heart, but he also read and corrected the manuscript. Purity of heart and profound humility before God and his neighbors allowed the Elder to attain the most exalted spiritual heights.
Repeatedly he was vouchsafed the illumination of a radiant light, and was able to behold the Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos, as well as visions of heavenly bliss and the torments of Hell. Once, in the delight of his spiritual love for the Lord he was caught up out of his body into the air, and enjoyed unspeakable sweetness and bliss. The truth of Elder Basilisk's experience was attested by Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), who, in Volume III of his ascetical writings, states that as far as he knew, during the XIX century only two monks were able to see their soul come out of the body, one of whom was Saint Basilisk.
With Father Adrian's blessing, Father Basilisk and Father Zosima spent about ten years near Konevits Monastery, engaging in monastic struggles, especially the Jesus Prayer. They helped many with their wise counsels; dozens of pilgrims visited the two ascetics, and everyone found good things in them, such as comfort and spiritual support. Father Basilisk often foresaw the changes to come in his life, or in the lives of other people, which came to pass after a while.
Then for twenty years they struggled in a hermitage in the Siberian forest near the city of Kuznetsk. A certain pious peasant promised to bring them food all winter, and then lead them out of the taiga in the spring, before the rivers flooded. Spring came, but for some reason, the peasant did not come for them. Seeing that further waiting would be useless, the hermits decided to set out on their own. They believed that they had covered forty versts in just two or three days, but in fact, their journey took more than a week. After the first few days of their trek, they realized that they were completely lost, and they did not know which direction to take. The sky was covered with clouds, the wind was howling, and the sun did not appear at all. Submitting themselves to God's will, they travelled, sometimes guided by the sun, and on cloudy days, by the bark of trees. The bark of aspen trees is darker on the northern side, and lighter on the southern side.
Their clothing and footwear were worn out, the food supply was diminishing, and they had less and less strength left. Their path took them over mountains and through valleys without forests. Father Basilisk's snowshoes did not have tailpieces, so it was difficult for him to climb hills, and he often slid backwards, which exhausted him even more. Elder Zosima's snowshoes had tail-pieces, and so he pulled the sled by himself. One day a strong wind arose, and brought heavy snow and frost, which made it difficult for the monks to go on. Suddenly the leather straps on Elder Basilisk's snowshoes broke, but it was impossible to mend them during the icy snowstorm, and then it grew dark. They came to a group of small fir trees, and built a fire with some twigs. The wind kept putting the fire out, and so they got little sleep. The next day they came to a river which they had to cross. After the frost of the previous night, the water appeared to be frozen solid. Father Basilisk, who was shorter and lighter, crossed the river without difficulty. Father Zosima was heavier, and just before he reached the other side, and he fell through the ice and he began to sink, plunging chest deep into the water. Because his snowshoes were stuck in the ice and snow, Father Zosima could not bend over to undo the straps.
Elder Basilisk's strength was not sufficient to pull the drowning man out. "Then," Father Zosima recalled, "I was desperate to stay alive. Because of the straps, my feet were stuck in the snowshoes, and the snowshoes themselves were bogged down in the river, in the ice and snow. It was impossible for me to stand up and climb ashore, or to bend over and get my snowshoes out of the water. My Elder, seeing that I was trapped, did not know how to help. Then we cried out to the Mother of God: 'Most Holy Sovereign Lady Theotokos, now is the time for you to help.'
"I asked the Elder to give me his hand, telling him: 'Perhaps the Mother of God will have mercy on me if I hold onto your hand. If not, I will let go so that I do not pull you in as well, and I shall die here alone.'
Unexpectedly, Father Zosima stepped ashore with such ease and speed that it seemed he had not been in the water at all. He could not recall how his feet were freed from the snowshoes, which were secured by leather straps. He said, "For the sake of His Mother, our Sovereign Lady the Most Holy Theotokos, the Lord God wanted me to remain alive, so that I might reveal my Elder's abundant grace."
A few more days went by, and the exhausted travelers got up and moved forward, comforted by God's mercy, but even more exhausted by their adventure, they were unable to go on. Fortunately, Father Basilisk had flint and steel to make a spark to light the tinder. These items were not on the sled which Father Zosima was pulling, and that was quite soaked along with its entire load.
Finally, they saw the tracks of a dog, then a man's footprint, and at last a village appeared in the distance! Their joy was so great that they wept copious tears of gratitude toward God for preserving them throughout their many trials. They praised God, not only for sparing their lives, but also for preventing them from complaining and losing all hope in His mercy.
For a long time they remained in the village to rest. Elder Basilisk was paralyzed for more than two months, and he could neither drink nor eat, but gradually he regained his strength. The younger Father Zosima recovered faster and helped him in all things. They went to another village where they were given warm clothing. Then the two Elders were driven to the District Office, where they knew a clerk. They were not detained very long, and were driven to the city of Kuznetsk. There people also took care of them, but they were so weak that they could not eat normal food. For nearly two months they ate only light foods in small amounts. They remained at Kuznetsk for three months, until they regained their strength.
Elders Zosima and Basilisk lived in the wilderness for twenty-four years, but in 1799 the Elders, who were of one heart, soul, and mind, parted and lived in separate cells for the sake of greater silence. They found a suitable spot fifty versts from Kuznetsk. They refrained from visiting each other, preserving their solitude until Saturday, especially on Wednesday and Friday. On Sundays and Feast Days they would spend time together reading and having spiritual conversations, and strolling through their remote surroundings. In the spring, when there are not yet many herbs, they walked through various places in the forests, mountains and valleys, and did not return for two weeks, taking with them fire, a pot, and some crackers. Devout lovers of Christ occasionally visited the two Elders, and brought supplies to them.
They resolved not to accept any money from anyone, but only the simplest meager donations, such as food and clothing. The ascetics tried to repay them with their needlework. Father Basilisk made pottery, and Father Zosima made wooden dishes. Such was their outward life, but it is impossible to describe what took place in the depths of their souls, for no words can describe accurately the inner life of true desert dwellers. It has been said: "Those who dwell in the desert partake of a constant divine aspiration which is free of worldly care and confusion" (Anabathmoi Tone 1).
However, "having lit a candle, they did not place it under a bushel, but on a lampstand" (Matthew 5:15). It was pleasing to the Lord that since they had acquired the highest virtues, they should now labor for the salvation of others.
Anisya Kotokhova, from the city of Kuznetsk, wanted to live a monastic life. There were no monasteries nearby, and it was too far to go to Russia, and she decided to ask the Elders for spiritual guidance. They consented, and she subjected her own will to them. Anysia settled in a village on the banks of the Tom River, and other girls began gathering around her. Elder Basilisk often visited them, nurturing and instructing them in the monastic life, sometimes he sent Father Zosima to them. Soon it became apparent that it was difficult for the women to live a monastic life among the laity. Something had to be done about moving the nuns to some vacant monastery. The Bishop of Tobolsk agreed to give them such a monastery suitable for their needs in the city of Turinsk, and Father Zosima petitioned the Holy Synod to have this former men's monastery redesignated as one for women.
Thus, the Saint Nicholas-Turinsk Monastery was revived, and Saint Basilisk spent his last years nearby in seclusion. Because of his advanced age he often lived for a long time in the Monastery itself. It was there, during a time of turmoil and Elder Zosima's unjust persecution, that he appeared in a dream to two members of the Commission of Inquiry, exhorting them to acquit and protect his spiritual friend and sotainik2 because of his complete innocence.
Elder Basilisk's blessed repose occurred on December 29, 1824, and he predicted the time of his departure beforehand. On the day before, he confessed and received the Holy Mysteries of Christ. A peasant who served him until his death put his hand to the departing desert dweller's chest and felt that the dying man's heart was still beating. Until his very last breath he prayed aloud and with words: "Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God," his soul departed as if he had fallen asleep. Even after the soul had left his body, his heart is still beat for a long time. Four days after Saint Basilisk's repose, Elder Zosima arrived in Turinsk with some nuns to find that Elder Basilisk had not been buried. His appearance was like that of a Saint, so that no one could look at him without a feeling of reverence.
Father Zosima invited an artist to paint his portrait. Elder Basilisk would not allow this during his lifetime because of his profound humility. Three more days passed until the artist completed his work. Before his burial on the seventh day, when they took the Elder's body out of the coffin to wrap it in the monastic mantiya, it was found to be quite flexible. Elder Zosima and some of the nuns carried the coffin. The holy ascetic Basilisk was buried at Turinsk Monastery behind the altar on the northern side.
Father Zosima returned to Tyumen with the sisters, but Anisya Kotokhova, one of the older nuns, was devoted to Elder Basilisk. She remained in the Monastery to comfort those who were saddened because they had been left behind.
In 1913, a stone chapel dedicated to the Holy Martyr Basiliskos of Comana (May 22) was built over the Elder's grave, and it was consecrated in 1914. It was visited by many worshippers, who often served panikhidas, praying for the repose of the beloved ascetic revered by all. In Soviet times, both the temple and the chapel were destroyed, and garages were built on that site. The holy relics of the Venerable one were discovered in 2000. There were several cases of healing and spiritual help after people prayed to him.
The Sisters of New Tikhvin Monastery prepared documents and sent them to the Canonization Commission, and Saint Basilisk of Siberia was glorified in 2004.
Elder Basilisk's entire life shows us an example of complete self-denial and fulfilling the commandment to love God and one's neighbor. He possessed no worldly wisdom, but he received wisdom from the Lord above. Because of his humility, he attained the heights of virtue, and by his example he bore witness to the truthfulness of the Gospel's words: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
Some relics of Saint Basilisk are located in the Yekaterinburg village of Elizabeth, in the temple dedicated to the All-Merciful Savior.
1 Basil Ivanovich Blinskiy († March 28, 1812)
2 A sharer in the monastic mystery.