Persecution of Saint Longinus
The king, filled with anger and suspicion, ordered the executioners to be beheaded and dismissed the soldiers standing by him, thinking that a plot was being formed against him.
He then spoke to Saint Longinus, demanding that he swear by the salvation of the gods that he would not speak or swear about the one born, or call him king, in order to escape the torments and punishments that awaited him.
Saint Longinus refused, saying that he would not deny his God, trusting in Jesus Christ, who saves those who believe in him, and he was not afraid of the king's torments.
He praised God, saying, 'Lord, God, the eternal king of kings and lord of lords, who sits kings on the earth and lifts up the poor from the ground, the only merciful one, send your angel to strengthen me.'
Herod, seeing that Saint Longinus did not feel the torments, instructed his magistrates to take him away to prison, bind him with chains, and after mocking him, bring him to the king, so that he might reward them with great honor.
After three days in prison, Saint Longinus prayed at night, saying, 'Lord, Jesus Christ, send your angel and rescue your servants who are being punished here.'
As he prayed, a great earthquake struck, causing the prison to shake violently, and a light shone around holy Longinus, and a voice was heard, urging him to rise quickly, for it was not yet time to complete his martyrdom, saying, 'Rise quickly; for now is not the time to complete your martyrdom.'
Immediately, the bonds that held the prisoners fell away, and the prison doors swung open, and about a thousand men emerged and fled the city, creating a great commotion, and there was a great uproar in the city.
The king, upon hearing of the events in the prison, rushed to the scene, only to find that holy Longinus was nowhere to be found, leaving him perplexed, and he was searching for him, but holy Longinus was moving freely about the city, and no one could see him, for their eyes had been darkened.
Herod, determined to capture him, sent out search parties, but to no avail, and the city was in an uproar, with loud noises and angry voices raised against the pious, and he sent reminders to the nations, hoping to capture the servant of God, whom he believed had escaped from the city.
However, Herod's own life was soon to come to an end, for he was struck with blindness and lay dying, his body consumed by worms, and he eventually died.
Archelaus, the son of Herod, took his place as ruler, bearing the same name as his father.
Holy Longinus waited patiently in the holy city for salvation from God, and after the death of Archelaus, Herod, the brother of Philip, reigned over Judea and Galilee, and Longinus was received into his own order.
He was beholding the great deeds of God and the wonders happening every day by our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, king of the Romans, and Herod, brother of Philip, John the Baptist was beheaded through Herodias (Matthew 14:10).
Herod, son of Herod, brother of Archelaus, was reigning in Galilee.
In the 25th year of his rule, during the consulship of Rufus and Rubellius, under the high priesthood of Joseph and Caiaphas, our Lord Jesus Christ was delivered to Pilate to be crucified (Luke 23:1).
Pilate, knowing that Jesus was a Galilean and under Herod's authority, sent him to Herod, who was in Jerusalem.
Herod, mocking and despising Jesus, clothed him in a bright robe and sent him back to Pilate (Luke 23:11).
Pilate, calling together the chief priests and rulers, was examining them, saying that they had delivered an innocent man to him.
They handed Jesus over to be crucified, and they crucified the one who bore the sin of the world (John 1:29), nailing him to the cross.
Pilate appointed a centurion over the soldiers who crucified him.
Greek
δὲ καπικλαρίους ἀποκεφαλισθῆναι προσέ ταξεν, τοὺς δὲ στρατιώτας τοὺς παρεστηκότας αὐτῷ ἀπεδεκά τωσεν· καὶ κατὰ τῆς στρατιᾶς αὐτοῦ ἔβρυχεν καὶ ἐμαίνετο, ὡς οἰόμενος ἐπιβουλίαν τινὰ κατασκευάζεσθαι κατ' αὐτοῦ. Πρὸς δὲ τὸν ἅγιον Λογγῖνον εἶπεν· «Ὄμοσόν μοι κατὰ τῆς σωτηρίας τῶν θεῶν τοῦ μηκέτι λαλῆσαι ἢ ὀμόσαι ἐπὶ τῷ γεννηθέντι μηδὲ εἰπεῖν αὐτὸν βασιλέα, ὅπως τοῦτο ἐὰν ποιήσῃς διαφύγῃς τὰς βα σάνους καὶ τὰς τιμωρίας τὰς μενούσας σε.» Ὁ δὲ ἅγιος Λογγῖ νος εἶπεν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα· «Μὰ τὴν δόξαν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ σῴζοντος τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύοντας, οὐ μὴ πείσῃς με ἀπ αρνήσασθαι τὸν θεόν μου· ἐπ' αὐτὸν γὰρ ἐλπίζων, οὐ φοβη θήσομαι τὰς βασάνους σου.» Ὁ δὲ Ἡρῴδης ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν μάστιξιν ἐτάζεσθαι. Ἦν δὲ ὁ ἅγιος αἰνῶν καὶ λέγων· «Κύριε, ὁ θεός, ὁ αἰώνιος βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλευόντων καὶ κύριος τῶν κυριευόντων, ὁ καθιζάνων βασιλεῖς ἐπὶ ἐδάφους καὶ ἀνυψῶν ἀπὸ γῆς πένητα, ὁ μόνος ἐλεήμων, αὐτὸς ἀπόστειλον τὸν ἄγ γελόν σου ἐνισχύοντά με.» 11 Ὁ δὲ Ἡρῴδης, ἑωρακὼς τὸν ἅγιον Λογγῖνον μὴ αἰσθό-μενον τῶν βασάνων, εἶπεν τοῖς μεγιστᾶσιν αὐτοῦ· «Ἀπαγα γόντες αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν φυλακήν, δήσατε αὐτὸν ἁλύσεσιν καὶ τι μωρήσαντες ἀγάγετέ μοι, ἵνα πολλῆς τιμῆς ἀξιώσω ὑμᾶς.» Οἱ δὲ παραλαβόντες τὸν ἅγιον Λογγῖνον ἤγαγον μετὰ πολλῆς λύ πης εἰς τὴν φυλακὴν καὶ ἐποίησαν αὐτῷ τὰ διατεταγμένα αὐ τοῖς. Ποιήσαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἡμέρας τρεῖς ἐν τῇ φρουρᾷ καὶ πολ λῆς ἀμηχανίας οὔσης τῷ Ἡρῴδῃ διὰ τὸν τεχθέντα βασιλέα, ηὔχετο ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ὁ ἅγιος Λογγῖνος λέγων· «Κύριε, Ἰησοῦ Χριστέ, ἐξαπόστειλον τὸν ἄγγελόν σου, καὶ ἐρῦσαι τοὺς δούλους σου τοὺς τιμωρουμένους ἐνταῦθα.» Καὶ εὐξαμένου αὐτοῦ, σει σμὸς ἐγένετο μέγας, ὥστε σαλευθῆναι τὸ δεσμωτήριον, καὶ φῶς περιέλαμψεν τῷ ἁγίῳ Λογγίνῳ καὶ φωνὴ ἠκούσθη λέγουσα πρὸς αὐτόν· «Ἀνάστα ἐν τάχει· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν νῦν καιρὸς τελει ῶσαί σε τὴν μαρτυρίαν.» 12 Καὶ εὐθέως πάντων τὰ δεσμὰ ἐξέπεσαν καὶ ἀνεῴγη τὸ δεσμωτήριον καὶ ἐξῆλθον ἄνδρες ὡσεὶ χίλιοι καὶ ἔφυγον ἐκ τῆς πόλεως· καὶ θόρυβος ἐγένετο μέγας ἐν τῇ πόλει. Καὶ ἤκουσεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰ γενόμενα ἐν τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ· καὶ ἐλθὼν ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον καὶ μὴ εὑρὼν τὸν ἅγιον Λογγῖνον ἐκεῖ, διηπόρει τί ἄρα ἐγένετο. Ὁ δὲ ἅγιος Λογγῖνος ἦν διακινῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ οὐ δεὶς ἠδύνατο ἰδεῖν, ὅτι ἠμαυρώθησαν αὐτῶν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί. Ὁ δὲ Ἡρῴδης ἐζήτει αὐτόν· καὶ ἦν θόρυβος μέγας καὶ ἦχος πο λὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ ἐλάλησαν κατὰ τῶν εὐσεβούντων. Ὁ δὲ Ἡρῴδης ὑπομνήματα κατέπεμψε τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ὥστε δέσμιον τὸν ἅγιον Λογγῖνον ἀγαγεῖν, νομίζων ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐκπεφευ γότα αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν δοῦλον τοῦ θεοῦ· ἀορασίᾳ γὰρ πληγεὶς κατέκειτο καὶ οὕτως «σκωληκόβρωτος γενόμενος ὁ Ἡρῴδης ἐξέψυξεν». 3 13 Καὶ ἐβασίλευσεν ἀντ' αὐτοῦ Ἀρχέλαος ὁ υἱὸς Ἡρῴδου τὴν προσωνυμίαν ἔχων τοῦ πατρός. Ἦν δὲ ὁ ἅγιος Λογγῖνος ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ πόλει ἀπεκδεχόμενος τὴν σωτηρίαν τὴν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ. Τελευτήσαντος δὲ τοῦ Ἀρχελάου, ἐβασίλευσεν Ἡρῴδης, ὁ ἀδελφὸς Φιλίππου, τῆς Ἰουδαίας καὶ Γαλιλαίας. Καὶ ἐδέχθη Λογγῖνος ἐπὶ τὴν ἰδίαν τάξιν· καὶ ἦν θεωρῶν τὰ μεγαλεῖα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὰ θαύματα τὰ γινόμενα κατὰ πᾶσαν ἡμέραν ὑπὸ τοῦ δεσπότου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἕως ὅτε ἐν ἔτει πεντεκαι δεκάτῳ τῆς βασιλείας Τιβερίου Καίσαρος βασιλέως Ῥωμαίων καὶ Ἡρῴδου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Φιλίππου διὰ Ἡρῳδιάδα ἀποτεμόντος τὴν κεφαλὴν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ, ὃς καὶ αὐτὸς κακιγ κάκως ἀποδώσας τὸ πνεῦμα ἐξέψυξεν. Καὶ βασιλεύει Ἡρῴδης υἱὸς Ἡρῴδου, ἀδελφὸς Ἀρχελάου, ἀντὶ Ἡρῴδου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Φιλίππου, τῆς Γαλιλαίας· ἐν ἔτει δὲ εἰκοστῷ πέμπτῳ τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτοῦ, τῇ πρὸ ὀκτὼ καλανδῶν Ἀπριλίου, ἥτις ἐστὶν εἰκὰς πέμπτη Μαρτίου, ἐν ὑπατείᾳ Ῥούφου καὶ Ῥουβελλίωνος, ἐν τῷ τετάρτῳἔτει τῆς δευτέρας ὀλυμπιάδος, ἐπὶ ἀρχιερέως τῶν Ἰουδαίων Ἰωσίππου καὶ Καϊάφα, τῶν καὶ παραδεδωκότων τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν τῷ Πιλάτῳ εἰς τὸ σταυρωθῆναι. 14 Γνοὺς δὲ ὁ Πιλᾶτος ὅτι Γαλιλαῖός ἐστιν καὶ ὑπὸ τὴν ἐ ξουσίαν Ἡρῴδου, ἀνέπεμψεν αὐτὸν πρὸς Ἡρῴδην, ὄντα ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις. Ὃς καὶ «ἐμπαίξας αὐτῷ» καὶ ἐξουθενήσας «περιέ βαλεν αὐτῷ ἐσθῆτα λαμπρὰ<ν> καὶ ἀνέπεμψεν αὐτὸν τῷ Πιλάτῳ». Ὁ δὲ «συγκαλεσάμενος τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ τοὺς ἄρχον τας» διεκρίνετο πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὅτι «ἀνεύθυνον ὄντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῦτον προσηγάγετέ μοι». Οἱ δὲ πάντες αὐτὸν παρέδωκαν εἰς τὸ σταυρωθῆναι, οἳ καὶ ἐσταύρωσαν «τὸν αἴροντα τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου», προσηλώσαντες αὐτὸν τῷ ξύλῳ· ἦν γὰρ ὁ Πι λᾶτος παραδεδωκὼς αὐτὸν τοῖς στρατιώταις, ἐπέστησεν δὲ αὐ τοῖς τὸν ἑκατόνταρχον
About this text
Hesychius of Jerusalem, Homilia ii in sanctum Longinum centurionem (Greek).
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 93 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.