(A.D. 628.)
[Commemorated by Greeks and Westerns. His Acts are genuine, having
been written either by the monk commissioned to attend him during
his passion, or from his dictation. These Acts were referred to in
the 7th General Council, 180 years after his death.]
There lived in Rages, in Persia, at the time when the true Cross fell
into the hands of Chosroës, King of Persia, A.D. 614, a young man, named
Magundat, the son of a Magian of rank. The capture of the Cross was
famed all through Persia, and Magundat was led by curiosity to enquire
about it of some Christians. Thus he learned the history of the Passion
of Jesus Christ, and the doctrine of the Redemption. It left a deep
impression on his mind. He was soon after called to serve in the army
that marched under Sarbar through the north of Asia Minor to Chalcedon,
but on his retreat, Magundat left the army, and visited Hierapolis in
Syria. In that city he lodged with a Persian Christian, a silversmith,
with whom he often went to the Christian Church. There he contemplated
the pictures of saints glorified on golden grounds, and martyrs in their
agonies, and asked about them. His curiosity was satisfied, and being
greatly moved by what he heard, he felt a desire to visit those holy
places where Christ had been born and where he had died, as he had seen
painted on the walls of the Church of the Martyrs in Hierapolis.
Therefore he went to Jerusalem, and he lodged there also in the house of
a smith, who was a Christian; and to him he opened his heart, and
related how he had been led to desire baptism, and a right to the
Resurrection of the Just. He was, therefore, placed under instruction,
and was afterwards baptized by Modestus, "vicar of the Apostolic seat,"
as he is called in the Acts, who governed Jerusalem, Zachary the
patriarch being in captivity. He prepared himself for the Holy Sacrament
with great devotion, and spent the octave after it--which persons
baptized passed in white garments--in continuous prayer. At his baptism
he took the name of Anastasius, thereby meaning, in Greek, his
resurrection to a new life.
After his baptism, the more perfectly to keep inviolably his baptismal
vows and obligations, he resolved on becoming a monk in a monastery
five miles from Jerusalem. Justin, the abbot, made him first learn the
Greek tongue and the psalter; then cutting off his hair, gave him the
monastic habit, in the year 620.
Anastasius was always most earnest in all spiritual duties, especially
in assisting at the celebration of the Divine Mysteries. His favourite
reading was the lives of the saints; and when he read the triumphs of
the martyrs, his eyes overflowed with tears, and he longed to be found
worthy to share their glory. Being tormented with the memory of the
superstitious and magical rites, which his father had taught him, he was
delivered from that troublesome temptation by discovering it to his
director, and by his advice and prayers. After seven years spent in
great perfection in this monastery, his desire of martyrdom daily
increasing, and having been assured by a revelation that his prayers for
that grace were heard, he left that house, and visited the places of
devotion in Palestine, at Diospolis, Gerizim, and Our Lady's church at
Caesarea, where he stayed two days. This city, with the greatest part of
Syria, was then subject to the Persians. The Saint, seeing certain
Persian soothsayers of the garrison occupied in their abominable
superstitions in the streets, boldly spoke to them, remonstrating
against the impiety of such practices. The Persian magistrates
apprehended him as a suspected spy; but he informed them that he had
once enjoyed the dignity of Magian amongst them, but had renounced it to
become a humble follower of Christ. Upon this confession he was thrown
into a dungeon, where he lay three days without eating or drinking, till
the return of Marzabanes, the governor, to the city. When interrogated
by him, he confessed his conversion to the faith. Marzabanes commanded
him to be chained by the foot to another criminal, and his neck and one
foot to be also linked together by a heavy chain, and condemned him, in
this condition, to carry stones. The Persians, especially those of his
own province, and his former acquaintance, upbraided him with having
disgraced his country, kicked and beat him, plucked his beard, and
loaded him with burdens above his strength.
The Governor sent for him a second time, but could not induce him to
pronounce the impious words which the Magians used in their
superstitions; "For," said he, "the wilful calling of them to
remembrance defiles the heart." The judge then threatened he would write
immediately to the king, if he did not comply. "Write what you please,"
said the Saint, "I am a Christian: I repeat it again, I am a Christian."
Marzabanes commanded him to be forthwith beaten with knotty clubs. The
executioners were preparing to bind him fast to the ground; but the
Saint told them it was unnecessary, for he had courage enough to lie
down under the punishment without moving, and he regarded it as his
greatest happiness to suffer for Christ. He only begged leave to put off
his monk's habit, lest it should be treated with that contempt which
only his body deserved. He therefore laid it aside respectfully, and
then stretched himself on the ground, and, without being bound, remained
all the time of the cruel torment, bearing it without changing his
posture.
The Governor again threatened him to acquaint the king with his
obstinacy. "Whom ought we rather to fear," said Anastasius, "a mortal
man, or God, who made all things out of nothing?" The judge pressed him
to sacrifice to fire, and to the sun and moon. The Saint answered, he
could never acknowledge as gods creatures which God had made only for
the use of man; upon which he was remanded to prison.
His old abbot, hearing of his sufferings, sent two monks to assist him,
and ordered prayers to be offered daily for him. The confessor, after
carrying stones all the day, spent the greatest part of the night in
prayer, to the surprise of his companions; one of whom, a Jew, saw and
showed him to others at prayer in the night, shining in brightness and
glory like a blessed spirit, and angels praying with him. As the
confessor was chained to a man condemned for a public crime, he prayed
always with his neck bowed downwards, keeping his chained foot near his
companion, not to disturb him.
Marzabanes, in the meantime, having informed Chosroës, and received his
orders, acquainted the martyr by a messenger, without seeing him, that
the king would be satisfied if he would by word of mouth abjure the
Christian faith: after which he might choose whether he would be an
officer in the king's service, or still remain a Christian and a monk;
adding he might in his heart always adhere to Christ, provided he would
but for once renounce Him in words privately, in his presence, "in which
there could be no harm, nor any great injury to his Christ," as he said.
Anastasius answered firmly, that he would never even seem to dissemble,
or to deny his God. Then the Governor told him that he had orders to
send him bound into Persia to the king. "There is no need of binding
me," said the Saint: "I go willingly and cheerfully to suffer for
Christ." The Governor put on him and on two other prisoners the mark,
and gave orders that they should set out after five days. In the
meantime, on the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, the 14th of
September, at the request of the Commerciarius, or tax-gatherer for the
king, who was a Christian of distinction, Anastasius had leave to go to
the church and assist at the Divine Sacrifice. His presence and
exhortations encouraged the faithful, excited the lukewarm to fervour,
and moved all to tears. He dined that day with the Commerciarius, and
then returned with joy to his prison. On the day appointed, the martyr
left Caesarea in Palestine, with two other Christian prisoners, under a
strict guard, and was followed by one of the monks whom the abbot had
sent to assist and encourage him. The Acts of his martyrdom were written
by this monk, or at least from what he related by word of mouth. The
Saint received great marks of honour, much against his inclination, from
the Christians, wherever he came. This made him fear lest human applause
should rob him of his crown, by infecting his heart with pride. He wrote
from Hierapolis, and again from the river Tigris to his abbot, begging
the prayers of his brethren.
Having reached Barsaloe in Assyria, six miles from Discartha or
Dastagerde, near the Euphrates, where the king then was, the prisoners
were thrown into a dungeon, till his pleasure was known. An officer came
from Chosroës to interrogate the Saint, who made answer, touching his
magnificent promises: "My religious habit and poor clothes show that I
despise from my heart the gaudy pomp of the world. The honours and
riches of a king, who must shortly die himself, are no temptation to
me." Next day the officer returned to the prison, and endeavoured to
intimidate him by threats and reproaches. But the Saint said calmly, "My
lord judge, do not give yourself so much trouble about me. By the grace
of Christ I am not to be moved: so execute your pleasure without more
ado." The officer caused him to be unmercifully beaten with staves,
after the Persian manner, insulting him all the time, and often
repeating, that because he rejected the king's bounty, he should be
treated in that manner every day, as long as he lived. This punishment
was inflicted on him three days; on the third, the judge commanded him
to be laid on his back, and a heavy beam pressed down by the weight of
two men on his legs, crushing the flesh to the very bone. The martyr's
tranquility and patience astonished the officer, who went again to
acquaint the king with his behaviour. In his absence the jailer, a
Christian, gave every one free access to the martyr. The Christians
immediately filled the prison; every one sought to kiss his feet or
chains, and kept as relics whatever had been sanctified by their touch.
The Saint, with confusion and indignation, strove to hinder them, and
expressed his dissatisfaction at their proceedings. The officer,
returning from the king, caused him to be beaten again, which the
confessor bore rather as a statue than as flesh and blood. Then he was
hung up for two hours by one hand, with a great weight at his feet, and
tampered with by threats and promises. The judge, despairing to overcome
him, went back to the king for his last orders, which were, that
Anastasius and all the Christian captives should be put to death. He
returned speedily to put these orders into execution, and caused the two
companions of Anastasius, with threescore and eight other Christians, to
be strangled one after another, on the banks of the river, before his
face, the judge all the time pressing them to return to the Persian
worship, and to escape so disgraceful a death. Anastasius, with his eyes
lifted up to heaven, gave thanks to God for bringing his life to so
happy a conclusion; and said he expected that he should have met with a
more cruel death, by the torture of all his members; but seeing that God
granted him one so easy, he embraced it with joy. He was accordingly
strangled, and when dead, his head was struck off. This was in the year
628, the seventeenth of the Emperor Heraclius. His body, along with the
rest of the dead, was exposed to be devoured by dogs, but it was the
only one they left untouched.
It was afterwards redeemed by the Christians, who laid it in the
monastery of S. Sergius, a mile from his place of triumph, in the city
of Barsaloe, called afterwards from that monastery, Sergiopolis. The
monk that attended him brought back his _colobium_, or linen sleeveless
tunic. The Saint's body was afterwards brought into Palestine, thence it
was removed to Constantinople, and finally to Rome.
Relics, in the church of SS. Vincent and Anastasius at Rome, also in the
chapel of the Santa Scala, near S. John Lateran, at Rome.
In art, he figures with a hatchet. Often his head alone, on a plate; to
be distinguished from that of S. John Baptist, by the cowl that
accompanies it.