By Fr. George Dorbarakis
1. Saint Anthimos was led in chains before the emperor Maximian for interrogation, while all the instruments of torture had been brought there. And when he was questioned and boldly confessed Christ, they severed his tendon, wounded him with red-hot irons, and stretched him out naked upon a potsherd, whereupon they beat him with rods. Then they put red-hot bronze supports on his feet as footwear and bound him to a wheel, while at the end they cut off his head. And even after his head had been cut off, his hair continued to grow.
2. Saint Anthimos belongs to the company of the holy hieromartyrs, who possess the grace of God in twofold measure: that of the priesthood and that of martyrdom. In both he excelled to such a degree that not only do the faithful in this world rejoice and glorify his memory, but so do the angels and the martyrs who preceded him—and thus the whole Church, both the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant, as they are called. For, “Having first offered sacrifice to God, the bloodless sacrifice, as a priest most law-abiding, and afterward, as a most true Martyr, you offered yourself to Christ as an acceptable sacrifice through blood”; that is, as a priest who lived wholly according to the law of God, he first offered the bloodless sacrifice to Him; afterward, as a most true martyr, he offered himself to Christ as an acceptable sacrifice through his blood. And not only this: as has also been noted on another occasion, he was a trainer of many martyrs, that is, through his word, his exhortations, and his prayers, but above all through his life, he guided others to remain steadfast in their faith and to become martyrs of the Lord themselves. “You offered armies of martyrs to Christ, Father Anthimos, through your teachings and exhortations, admonishing, teaching, and, as one wise in God, presenting yourself as a clear example.”
The superhuman course of Saint Anthimos’ life, both while he lived in peace and at the hour of his martyrdom, was certainly also a fruit of the divine grace that strengthened him. No one can of himself become a martyr of Christ, meaning not only endurance in the face of tortures, something that we encounter even in martyrdoms outside the Christian faith, but also perseverance in love toward one’s enemies. The martyr of Christ dies praying for his persecutors, but it was also the fruit of his own will, which he had offered wholeheartedly to his Lord. Indeed, if this will is absent on the part of man, the grace of God remains inactive, no matter how greatly God desires to save man. Saint Anthimos’ desire to be with God, which also set the grace of God into operation, was revealed by his persistent effort to keep the remembrance of God in his mind and heart. The Saint lived the commandment of the Lord, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your soul, with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength, and your neighbor as yourself,” and this provoked the devil, who could find no opening in his heart through which to tempt him. The result, of course, in such cases is well known: the devil becomes enraged, while the faithful man is strengthened still more by the grace of God, through which he also utterly defeats his adversary. The Church’s hymnographer describes this inner state in a magnificent way: “Having strengthened your soul through persistent contemplations, you enraged the enemy through courageous struggles, and showed him to be powerless.”
Saint Anthimos is an example not only for the faithful of his own age, but for every age. He reminds us that we cannot have God at the margins of our life, but at its center, which means that everything we say, do, and think must breathe forth the fragrance of the divine presence. And this is accomplished when we begin to realize that the entire secret of the spiritual life, which, as we have said, activates the grace of God, is the matter of our thoughts. Our mind and our heart must be turned toward God. Our persistent contemplation upon the presence of God, upon His holy commandments, and in our prayers—especially through the brief prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me”—is what enlivens our faith and makes us truly members of Christ, literally His dwelling places. Saint Anthimos is also our trainer in the struggle to find the Kingdom of God.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
