Martyrdom Victor

that is to say, those of the mind and understanding, which will give me light, according to that which Peter the Apostle said

kingdoms of the world shall perish and be destroyed, but the glory of God shall never, never perish; therefore I will not offer up sacrifice.

If it be that ye see with the eyes of the body, ye shall see the works of the world, which are vain, that is to say, fornication, and slandering, and murder, and calumny, and pride, because of which things the wrath of God cometh.'

For the pomp and glory of this world are nothing as compared with God.

I will not offer up sacrifice

(If thou wilt not) I will put thee to death with excruciating tortures.

And the Duke commanded his men to hoist him up on the wooden framework of the rack, and he said unto Apa Victor

And he made them bring vessels (?) filled with boiling bitumen, which they emptied down his throat.

Verily, I know well that I did receive a salary of sixty from my father, who is a general, and that God hated me because I received these things wickedly.

Therefore I have no need of the eyes of my body.

Now therefore, O Duke, neither gold nor silver will be of the least value to a man in the hour of his necessity.

And the Duke said unto him,

Wilt thou offer up sacrifice or not?

And the Duke answered and said unto him,

'If thou wilt compel me now to inflict further severe tortures upon thee, (I must do so).'

For this reason let us fight with ourselves, for forgetfulness hath spread itself over our heart, so that we may never cease to remember the death (which cometh) in this world.

And Apa Victor said

Wilt thou offer sacrifice or not,

And Apa Victor said unto him,

I have never glorified myself, and I have never exalted myself.

or wilt thou die by torture?'

I will not offer up sacrifice.

For this reason that which is written is fulfilled in me: 'He who exalteth himself shall be abased, and he who abaseth himself shall be exalted.'

Inflict upon me any punishment thou wishest to inflict

And the Duke commanded his men to work the rack and stretch him

And the blessed man Apa Victor said unto the Duke,

Woe be unto thee, O Duke!

for I am prepared to bear up under it. only take care to spare me not.'

but Apa Victor did not feel at all what they were doing

Then Sebastianus was exceedingly wroth, and he said unto Apa Victor, 'Offer up sacrifice.'

Then the Duke commanded (his servants) to hang him up on a pillar head downwards

And Apa Victor answered and said, 'I will not offer up sacrifice.

Thou deniest God for the sake of things which have been made by the hands of man, and thou and thine Emperors shall be punished with severe punishment.'

and the executioners were exhausted, and they ceased working the rack.

for three days and three nights, so that all his blood might pour out from his mouth and nostrils

The Duke said unto them

Whatsoever thou wishest to do unto me that do.

And Eutuchianus was wroth, and he took an oath by the life of the Emperor and by the lives of the gods,

and he said unto Apa Victor, 'Since thou wilt not sacrifice, and since thou hast been put to shame on the rack,

and the soldiers who had hung him up departed to their houses, and left him hanging-.

Why do ye not continue to work the rack?

I fell into the hands of the four torturers (?) before this, and I was not afraid of them, for the Lord gave me strength during all my torturings.

And after three days the Duke commanded them to bring- him down (from the pillar) and to bring him to him, so that he might know whether he was alive or dead

Now therefore, O Duke, I was banished to this spot because of this Name, for (they said), 'Offer up sacrifice,'

And they said unto him

I must destroy thee by banishment until thou shalt die.'

and straightway the soldiers departed (to fetch him). And when they laid their hands upon him they became blind.

(and I would not do so). And, moreover, I do not wish to remain in this world which shall dissolve away and perish.

He is like unto a wall, or a stone, which feeleth nothing however much it may be racked.

nd Epiphanius the recorder answered and said,

And the heart of Apa Victor was carried up into the heights of heaven

Be it known unto thee also, O Duke, that if thou put me to the torture many, many times, thou wilt only give additional strength to the reasoning power of the mind which is within me.

Hearken unto me, and let me say this thing unto thee, O my Lord Count.

And Apa Victor said,

Wholly fitting for me is it that I should be held worthy to endure revilings for the Name of the Christ.'

and (the angels) instructed him concerning the kingdom of heaven

Behold, there is a certain Camp very far away in the south which is deserted, and there is no man living in it.

In the Name of my God, for Whose sake I am suffering all these sufferings, receive ye your sight through (His) power, which is holy; and straightway they received their sight.

and concerning the city of the righteous, and the saints saluted him.

And when the Duke saw what had taken place,

And the Duke said unto Apa Victor,

Behold, it is fifteen years since I became a soldier, and (during that time) I have never seen any one in it.

And Abel and Zacharias came up to him, and they said unto him

Cease thy say; thou art always talking!

Now, therefore, banish Apa Victor to that place, (and keep him there) until he shall die.'

he commanded (the soldiers) to flay his body, and to tear out his tongue.

And the Count of the Thebaid commanded (that this should be done, and he passed) sentence on him, saying,

And Apa Victor said unto the Duke,

Art thou a deacon, or a reader, that thou possessest such perfect knowledge of this (kind) of wisdom?

Greatly distinguished art thou, O Apa Victor.'

And Apa Victor said,

Even though thou strippest off me my skin which is outside me, I have still another skin, which is inside me, and which neither thy power nor thy tortures can injure.

I, Eutuchianus, hereby command that this profane man Victor be taken to the Camp of Hierakion and that he be compelled to remain there until he die.'

Michael said unto him

And again, though thou shalt cut out my tongue, God is wont to perform judgement (on behalf of) those whose mouths are silenced.

And straightway four men seized Apa Victor and carried him away to that place.

Bear patiently, O valiant athlete. Fear thou not this tyrant, for I will be with thee, and I will deliver thee.

I would give thanks unto the Christ (if I were), only I am not worthy of so great a gift as this — to be made a deacon or a reader. The grace of God is received through Jesus the Christ, Who giveth wisdom unto every man whose heart is right with Him, because He is the giver of riches and His treasury is filled with wisdom (which) He giveth unto every one who shall profit through Him in respect of good things.

And the noble man Apa Victor was strong and of good courage, and he related to the four (soldiers) his sufferings in the place of torture up to that time.

I say unto thee that as the angels are wont to utter the names of all the saints coupled with (their own) names established in heaven before the Lord Jesus.

For as the good husbandman is in the habit of giving manure to his field, so that he may supply it with strength and enable it to bring forth its crop,

Now, therefore, I care nothing for thy tortures.'

even so doth the wisdom of God live in the soul of him that seeketh after it, and it permitteth neither the net of death nor the wiles of the Devil to have dominion over it. For the Lord is mighty, and He is able to perform everything.'

And whilst the blessed man Apa Victor was saying these things, behold, a certain young woman whose name was Stephanou, who was the wife of a soldier,

At that moment, when thou shalt lift thy hands upp to heaven they shall take the form of the seal of heaven and they shall give light within the veil, before the altar of sacrifice

And it came to pass on a certain day that Apa Victor was outside the place of torture and the Devil came unto him in the form of a soldier, and said unto him,

And an exceedingly sweet-smelling savour shall rise up before the Father, for the refreshing of those who are in the heavens

And the Duke said unto him,

Hail, Apa Victor.

looked out through her window — now she was about fifteen years of age — and cried out, saying,

Blessed art thou, O Apa Victor, and blessed art thou in all thy works.

and the refreshing shall extend also to those who are undergoing punishments (or, tortures)

Dost thou then go so far as to choose for thyself death rather than life?

I am a soldier of the imperial Palace, and thy father hath sent me unto thee to give thee this message:

All thy sacrifices have been received from thy hands, even as were received the sacrifices of Abel, the righteous man, which he brought unto God in integrity of heart.

And Apa Victor answered and said unto him,

And the angels shall rejoice over thee, and Jesus shall exult upon His throne, and all the saints shall be glad with thee

Rise up, come back to me here, so that I may make thee a general.

Have I not suffered pain [in longing] for thee? Come back, so that I may make thee [a general].

God shall shew compassion upon thee as He did upon Enoch, the scribe of righteousness.