الصفحة الرئيسية

The Life of the Great Martyr Saint Apatil the Soldier from the Original Manuscripts, translated from the Coptic Text

Notes on the Translation: The feast day of the martyrdom is the 7th of emshir, corresponding to 14-15 February. The martyr's name may be "Til," with "apa" meaning "father," a common Coptic term for saints. The saint is unknown and there is no mention of him in modern Arabic sources such as the Synaxarion. There are no images or icons of him. He is, of course, a different person from the martyr Abadir, the king's commander, who had a sister named Irai who was also martyred with him. The text is translated from the book : acta martyrum balestri, o. E. S. A. ,h. Hyvernat

Translated Text:

The martyrdom of the saint and martyr of the Lord Jesus Christ, Saint Apatil, who completed it honorably in the peace of God. Amen.

In year 3 of his reign the lawless emperor Diocletian instituted a great persecution against all Christians everywhere in the inhabited world. Many performed their struggle in the name of Christ and quite openly bore witness to the resurrection and ascension of Christ and his being seated in heaven at the right hand of his Father, having received the crown of confession from the Saviour.

So, the lawless Diocletian, he wrote an edict to all places under his authority, as follows:

The emperor Caesar Diocletian to all peoples in the inhabited world under the control of my kingdom
and living under the forethought of the gods, hail. Whereas I have heard of the Christians that they
worship only Jesus reject the rest of the gods, especially Apollo who keeps the world safe and gives us victory at all times, I now command them all to abandon this vanity and recognize the
salvific gods who give victory to emperors and life to everyone. Those who disobey our honoured
edict, to which the revered senate has given its approval, I order the magistrates who govern each
state from the great Rome to Egypt and the Pentapolis and Africa and the Great South from Libya to Ethiopia to punish them without remorse. If they change their mind, let them be spared. But if they persist in their attitude, our power will order that after all their tortures they be put to the sword and burned. You who perform the orders of the edict in great honour of the gods, you will receive from the gods great gifts and live under the care of the gods .We are in good health.

This decree was sent to Egypt to Arminius (also spelled Armanius), Count (governor) of Rakotis (modern-day Alexandria, Egypt), accompanied by a messenger named Dionysius. Upon receiving it, Arminius summoned the governor Arianus and the provincial commander Ammonius, along with a large number of soldiers. He brought them to the city of Rakotis. They came as quickly as possible, and he ordered the imperial decree to be read to them.

After receiving it they dispersed to various parts of Egypt, from Rakote to the Great South to Ethiopia.
Countless numbers of Christians were arrested. Some were killed by the sword and cast to the
dogs and animals and carrion birds for food. Others were consumed by flames. In all this God
continued to glorify his elect everywhere and innumerable wonders continued to happen, which
fortified the belief of the pious in Christ and reviled the impious, spurning the impiety of those to be
damned on the day of judgement and the tribunal of truth to be held by God over all the apostate souls
who had abandoned him.


This was how things were, when all Christians were visited by a great disturbance and fear. There
was a holy priest in Sabaru, a small town in Timoui Pshati,19 a metropolis of Egypt, named Sôtêrichos, a God-fearing man. He had been a just man all his life and became father to two boys, Apatil and John, both true worshippers. Apatil was a handsome boy, full of faith and the Holy Spirit. When he was sixteen, he was taken from his unwilling father and conscripted into the army at a camp called Babylon,to the south of the city of On to be with a tribune called Callinicus. Saint Apatil performed many spiritual exercises and said many prayers at night. With many tears he performed as many acts of charity with the poor and orphans as he could.

When Arianus the governor moored at Babylon, Apatil enclosed himself in and, amid much weeping,
he prayed to God to disperse the persecution against his flock and put an end to the trials and return his Church to peace. After completing this task, he fell asleep briefly, whereupon the Lord appeared to him in a vision as a handsome boy with an extremely radiant face and said to him: "Why are you sleeping while the struggle is spreading ? Arise and struggle for my name that you may receive the
unfading crown from me by completing well the good struggle of confession so that I may bring you
to my Father and present you to him as a gift and that you be in a state of inexpressible joy. Do not be
afraid of the tortures, for I will be with you in all the tribulations suffered by you for my name, but be
strong and struggle."

The good Saviour said this and disappeared. At daybreak the governor took his seat on the tribunal in the fortress. He summoned the entire unit and read the imperial edict to them, commanding
them to worship the gods. In a show of unanimity they threw themselves down and worshipped the
idols. Apatil, however, stood in their midst and did not bow his head to the idols and did not worship
them.


When the governor saw him standing there, he had him brought to him and said to him: "Why have
you not worshipped the gods in accordance with this imperial edict ?" Apatil replied: "I worship God
who is in heaven, my true king, the creator of all that is visible and invisible, the one in whose hands
is the breath of everyone, the one who transcends monarchs, of whom rulers are afraid, who nurtures
all creation in his love of man." The governor fell into a great rage when he heard this. "I will chastise
your babbling, fool."


He had Apatil bound by four soldiers, who pushed him from one to another so that he fell a number
of times. The saint cried out to the Lord: "Jesus, help me, for it is you alone in whom I hope." When
he said this, an angel of the Lord appeared and touched him and gave him strength. His bonds fell
loose and he stood before the governor, with no sign of distress on his body. The governor ground his teeth at the saint with murderous intent . On that day he passed sentence on many, who received the crown of confession from Christ the true bridegroom.

The heels of Apatil were pierced and ropes passed through them and he was dragged over sharp
stony places until the blood flowed on to the ground. A stake was then kindled and, when the flames
rose to a certain height, the saint was bound and put into the middle of it. God, who was looking upon
this true struggle and eager to hear those who hope in him, he cause clouds to gather around him. The
fire was extinguished by the copious rain that fell from them. The voice of the Lord said: "Be brave and strong. Truly I am with you and I will not leave you." When Apatil heard this, he received added
strength from the Lord. All the pains of his body ceased, and he stood before the governor without a
blemish on him. When people saw this miracle, they cried aloud: "The god of the Christians is great
and the god of Apatil is one." When the governor saw this shouting, he ordered the saint to be taken to prison.

While he was there, he continued to perform miracles and wonders, and not a few of them, like one of the apostles: he healed the sick, expelled demons, curing the illnesses of anyone whatsoever, the grace of Jesus Christ. Word of the miracles he was performing reached the governor, who fell into a great rage and said to the great men in his entourage: "What shall we do with this magician, Apatil ? It will not be long before he has seduced everyone with his tricks ?" The great men replied: "Lord, let us not torture him here, for everyone will follow him. They are led astray by the tricks he performs. But let our lord send him to Peremoun to Pompey the governor and let him be tortured there. For we have done nothing here that will stop people from dying with him."

Arianus wrote to Pompey the governor of Peremoun, as follows:

Arianus the governor of the Thebaid to Pompey the governor of Peremoun, hail. In following the
instructions of the emperors it is our duty to perform every act of worship for them and the honoured gods that we may live under their forethought and be glorified by them. Look, in accordance with the edict of Diocletian, we are sending Apatil to you, the condemned soldier of the Fortress of Babylon. When he was found to have disobeyed the order of our god-loving emperor and revered senate, following the error of the Christians and worshipping the one called Christ, I examined him with vigorous enquiries and I have sent him to your authority that you may hear him in public and pass your sentence in accordance with imperial law. Health in all honour of the imperial gods.

Apatel was taken in chains to Perimmon and brought before Governor Pompey by his soldiers. They gave him Arianus's letter, which he read and ordered Apatel imprisoned until the following day, when he summoned him. The guard brought Apatel in chains before the governor and asked him, "Are you Apatel the magician whom Arianus the Great, the governor of Thebes, sent to us?" He replied, "Yes, I am. But I am not a magician, and I would never be one. I am a Christian, a servant of the true God of Christ." The governor said, "If you wish to preserve your health, abandon this delusion, follow the truth, and confess the faithful gods, so that you may become one of us, and we may rejoice in your obedience." The martyr of Christ replied: "Leader of lawlessness, counsellor of darkness, companion of destruction, he who has not recognized the true God, son of the devil, the enemy of all truth, are you not ashamed to counsel the servants of Christ to become godless and impious villains like yourself ? So listen to me. I am openly a Christian and worship the Christian God. I curse the emperor and his abominable gods, with whom you will be cast into the fire of hell with the demons you adore. It is written: Their worm will not die and their fire will not be put out." Is. 66, 24


On hearing this the governor raged like a wild animal and ordered the nails of his hands and feet to be removed and his eyes plucked out. He then ordered vinegar and ashes to be brought. They were mixed
together and the mixture poured into his wounds. In his great agony Apatil prayed: "Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all creation, the one who saves at all times those who trust him, (Lit. 'whose hearts are with him') the harbour of all those in distress and the salvation of the oppressed. Come, Lord, and help me and save me from the distress I am in lest the heathens say: 'Where is their God ?' You are the one to whom glory belongs, with his good Father and lifegiving Holy Spirit, now and forever and ever. Amen."

When he said 'Amen', an angel touched him and healed him. His limbs became as they had been, without a blemish on him. The governor was amazed and said that Christian magic was very powerful. The crowd declared that there was no god but the God of Apatil.

The governor said to Apatil: "Will you not obey me and sacrifice and I forgive you so that you might escape great tortures ?" Apatil replied: "It is written: ( Ps. 26, 3. The Coptic version follows the LXX) If the Lord is my salvation, I shall fear no-one and if one wages war on me, I will be hopeful because of him. I will not fear your torture and your threats will not make me renounce the love of Christ. So do as you wish." The governor replied: "I will chastise your audacity, fool, so that you recognize the salvific gods." He then had him drawn up on the rack and flayed until his insides became visible.

The saint's flesh and blood together started to detach themselves from his body, ( Lit. 'coming down' ) and he was in great pain. When his soul became faint, he cried aloud: "Arise, Lord, and help me, for they have been
killing us the whole day. We have been counted as sheep for the slaughter.( Ps. 44, 22. The Coptic is slightly faulty) Rise up and save us for the sake of your name, for it is you alone in whom I have put my hope." Then the Lord, who said, “While you pray, I am here” (Isaiah 58:9), hastened to hear his servant. Immediately, an angel of the Lord came and healed him. His chains were loosed, and he stood before the governor without a blemish on him.

When the crowd saw this, they glorified God: "There is no God but the Christian God. Anathema to Diocletian and his gods." The governor became enraged at the sounds that the crowd was making and said to the saint: "I will burn you on a bed of iron, and then let me see if Jesus will be able to rescue you from my hands." The saint replied: "He has saved me in the past and will save me again. Just be aware that the form of your anger will not be able to intimidate me in any way. This fire with which you want to make me afraid is only temporary, but it will remind me of the eternal fire in which your father the devil and all wrongdoers who, like you have not recognized God, will be burned. The governor ground his teeth and had the iron bed brought. He caused the saint to be laid upon it and fire lit beneath him. Oil and fat were poured on him so that the fire increased substantially and the flesh of the just man was burned, while he was beaten by four groups of four soldiers with fresh rods. Through all of this God was protecting his servant and not allowing him to faint from the suffering. While Apatil was being consumed pitilessly by fire, he prayed as follows:

God who sits upon the chariots of the cherubim, as they sing incessantly of the invisible and incomprehensible glory of your greatness, for you have been my strength since I was in the womb and my hope since I suckled at the breast of my mother. Ps. 21, 10 Do not leave me or turn your face from me, God my saviour, for you are my strength and a help to those who are oppressed for the sake of your holy name.( Allusion to Ps. 26,9 )Glory belongs to you and the Father who generated you and the Holy Spirit who gives life to all, now and forever. Amen.

After he had said this, he was restored immediately and miraculously to full health and without any pain before the governor. When the crowd saw this, they cried out: "God who saves his servant Apatil from the fire is blessed. The Christian God is one, and there is none besides him." The governor raged like a wild beast and stamped his foot on the ground. He said: "Look, the next fire will be really serious,38 so let me see if your God will save you from my hands." On his instructions the saint was enclosed in a furnace and the fire lit, which was kept alight for three days and three nights. God looked upon the love of Apatil his servant and did not let him die in the fire lest the godless idolaters boasted. He sent his angel to him and he put out the flames and made the middle of the furnace like a breath of fresh dew. There was not a blemish on the righteous one. When Apatil saw the help that had come from God, he confessed God like the three young men in the furnace:

Blessed are you, Lord God of our father, and more than blessed. Your name is full of glory forever. Amen. For you have sent your angel and freed me from the fire and not allowed my enemies to rejoice over me. For this reason I will reveal to you, Lord, in a large assembly and in the middle of a multitude I will bless you ( Psalm 35:18 ) , for you have made me rejoice over your salvation and I will rejoice under the protection of your wings( Psalm 63:7), for yours is glory forever. Amen.

Immediately, by the power of Almighty God, the saint was brought out and placed before the governor. When the governor and his companions saw him, they were astonished. The governor exclaimed, "I am amazed that you are still alive!" The saint replied, "Didn't I tell you at the beginning that you would learn how steadfast the servants of Christ are? He always desires to save those who believe in Him." The governor said, "I don't believe this. Do you want to sacrifice (to the gods) or not?" The saint answered, "I will not. Do with me as you please." So the governor ordered him to be taken to the sea and thrown into the depths, bound in chains. By the grace of God, he was brought out of the sea and placed before the governor before the ship from which he had been thrown returned. The governor was disturbed and speechless. He ordered him imprisoned until he decided what to do with him.


There was a blind man who had been thrown into prison, who had no relatives. When the saint saw him, he placed his hand upon his eyes. He made the sign of the Cross in the name of the Trinity and breathed on him three times and the man regained his sight. He cried aloud: "There is no God but the Jesus Christ, the God of the holy martyr Apatil."

The prison janitor, when he saw this great miracle, threw himself down and kissed his feet and his head: "I beg you, my holy father. Have mercy on me. I am in great distress. I have an only daughter who is just about to give birth and for the last seven days has had birth pains. Her son is stuck in her womb. She has been attended by many doctors and incanting exorcists, but they have been unable to provide a remedy. Have mercy on me and pray to your God for her. I believe that she will be saved from death." The saint said to the girl's father: "Bring me a little oil and I will pray over it. Take it and
anoint the girl and the glory of the Lord will be revealed." The girl's father brought him the oil and he prayed over it and blessed it. The girl's father took the oil and anointed his daughter with it. She gave birth immediately and without difficulty to a son whom she called Apatil after the saint. There was great rejoicing in the house of her parents.

Thereafter, the fame of Apatil reached the governor, who became very angry and took counsel about he was to do. As he was thinking, the devil appeared to him in the guise of a soldier and said: "Listen to me and I will speak with you, for I know what sort of strength Christians have. Find yourself a harlot and dress her in royal robes and throw her into prison with him that she might trick him."

The governor ordered a harlot to be procured and to be given her clothing and all manner of adornment and had her sent into the prison to the saint, thinking that in this way he would trick the just man, the one whose purity the angels envied. When she went into him, he knew in his spirit and prayed to God: "My Lord Jesus, do not dilute the love with which you have loved me." When the woman saw the grace of God in Apatil, she prostrated herself and adored him, she began to ask him to save her. He said a lot to her regarding her salvation, and she was filled with longing for heaven and left him with a firm resolve to become a servant of Christ and desist from her previous ignorance. She concealed herself thenceforth from everyone and became a devoted Christian, converting many in the fear of God.

When the governor found out, he had Apatil brought from prison and said to him: "By the gods, I have tried with you and failed." The saint replied: "Stop trying: either put me to the sword or give me to the wild beasts so that you will realise that nothing can separate me from the love of God, God to whom I am hastening - if indeed I am worthy to receive the eternal gifts he has prepared for those who love him." The lawless one said: "The eternal gifts you speak of are no concern of mine, These are things you use to trick the people so that they do not recognize the salvific gods, who give real life and provide the enjoyment of fruits to those who believe in them. I will teach you a lesson for the ingratitude you have shown to them and then I will feed you to the wild beasts so that everyone might know that it is from the gods alone that they live, the gods who have made the earth fertile for the pleasure and consolation of man but scatter from the land the fools who are ungrateful for the gifts they give them."

The lawless one then had the saint shackled and flayed from head to foot and, while he was bathed in blood, he had a lioness that had just given birth come in so that, as he said, there should be nothing left of his body. When the lioness was brought in, she ran towards him, but when she got there, she licked his wounds. When the governor saw that she was not eating him. he ordered her to be removed from him. And what a cry there was at that moment from the multitude, as they glorified
God !

The governor turned to his assessor and said: "What are to to do with this magician ? He opposes the esteemed edict of the emperors and does not sacrifice to the gods, but declares himself to be a Christian." His assessor said: "My lord governor, pass sentence up on him, for he will lead us astray." The governor wrote his sentence as follows: Apatil the undeserving soldier, since he has opposed the edict of our emperor and has not worshipped the gods, but confesses to being a Christian, I order him to be beheaded by the sword in accordance with imperial law.

When the saint heard the end of the sentence, he rejoiced in spirit. He was taken to the place of execution on7 Emshir. He asked the soldiers with him to let him pray. They left him and he turned to the east and prayed as follows:

I thank you, my Lord God and Saviour that you have made me worthy of the life-giving pains and have allowed me to die for your blessed name. I beg you to receive my soul in peace. Do not attribute to me those acts of negligence of which I am aware or unaware. May peaceful angels of yours accompany me lest the powers of darkness in the air do me harm which are quick to evil and wish to block my way to you, my Lord God, who has allowed me to navigate the sea of this life easily with the
patience and strength you have granted me that I may shame the emperors and reveal your name to the governor. Allow me now also, my Lord, to negotiate the stage of the air without danger and reach the harbour of your love without fear that I may find a place with you, whom my heart loves, and embrace you, the one who has allowed me to be victorious and receive the crown of confession and rejoice with the martyrs. For you are the one to whom glory before all ages belongs together with
your good Father and the life-giving Holy Spirit, now and at all times and forever. Amen.

When he had finished the 'Amen', there was a voice from heaven: "Come now, holy martyr of Christ, Saint Apatil. Take your rest with all the saints with whom you will share endless eternal gifts to ease your eternal life in heaven." When Apatil heard this, his spirit rejoiced in him and he hastened to the soldiers, saying: "Finish what you have been ordered to do." He knelt down and stretched out his neck in silence. One of the soldiers seized the death sentence and dealt him a blow with the sword in his hand and severed his blessed head. In this way Apatil departed from this life and went to Christ who loves him to be with him forever.

When the soldiers withdrew, faithful Christians came and clothed the body and buried him with honour and dignity and placed his body next to those of other martyrs who had died before him. Afterwards, Sôtêrichus, Apatil's father, heard that his son had died. With his son John he went to bring the body to Sabaru their town. When they found a peaceful time, they built for him shrine and placed his body in it on 16 Epip (23 july). Great miracles and cures happened at the site to the glory of the Trinity. The holy martyr of Jesus was glorified by Christ, who ensures that honour and glory is respectfully paid to him and his good Father and the life-giving Holy Spirit, now and atll time. forever. Amen.

The blessing of St Apatil be with us all.

I prostrate myself, my lord fathers. Remember the unworthy pupil, dust and ashes, that God may have mercy on me. Amen.​

For further reading, including the English translation with additional footnotes, you can download the translation containing the footnotes​