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| St. Anthony of Apamea (Feast Day - November 9) |
Verses
Anthony is killed by the divine wood,
Wood which those in error honor as a god.
Saint Anthony was from Syria, and was a sculptor by trade. When he became a Christian he saw the pagans sacrificing to the idols, and he would advise them to abandon this error. Since they did not listen to him, he abandoned his trade and withdrew into the desert. There he found an anchorite and servant of God named Timothy, and he lived with him for three years.
After this he received his elder's blessing and returned to his homeland, where there were many under the delusion of the idols. He was seized by them and beaten. Then he left from there and went to Apamea in Syria, where he asked Bishop Hosios to receive the blessing to build a church dedicated to the Holy Trinity. When he began to build the church, the pagan inhabitants learned of his plans. By night they went and mercilessly beat the Saint to death with the wood he was using to build the church. In this way he delivered his soul into the hands of God.