Venerable Parthenius, Bishop of Lampsacus (IV)
The Venerable Parthenius, Bishop of Lampsacus, was born in the city of Melitopolis (Asia Minor), where his father Christopher served as a deacon. The boy was not taught to read and write, but he learned Holy Scripture well by attending the services in church. The future saint was a fisherman and generously shared his earnings with the poor. The grace of God came to dwell in him early: from the age of eighteen he healed the sick and cast out demons in the name of Christ. When Philip, Bishop of Melitopolis, learned of the young man’s pious life, he had him educated and ordained him presbyter. In 325, in the reign of Constantine the Great, Achillius, Archbishop of Cyzicus, consecrated him Bishop of the city of Lampsacus (Asia Minor). Many pagans lived in the city, and the hierarch preached the word of God among them diligently. By the Lord’s permission many miracles and healings accompanied his fervent preaching. Little by little the people’s hearts grew cold towards the pagan gods. Saint Parthenius asked Constantine the Great to grant him the right to destroy the idol-temples and build Christian churches in their place. The king granted his request and also set aside the means needed to carry out the good intention. Returning to Lampsacus, Parthenius ordered the pagan altars to be wiped off the face of the earth, and a beautiful church to be built in the centre of the city to the glory of the Lord.
In one idol-temple the saint found a stone suitable for making the holy altar table, and ordered that after it had been worked it be taken to the building of the church. Through the machinations of the enraged devil the cart overturned, and the stone fell on the carter and crushed him. Saint Parthenius raised him from the dead and rebuked the demon who had wished to oppose the work of God.
The chief shepherd was so compassionate that of the countless people tormented by various illnesses or possessed by evil spirits, who came to him at home or met him in the street, he refused healing to none. People stopped going to doctors, since Parthenius healed them without payment by calling on the name of Jesus Christ. By the invincible power of Christ’s name he cast countless demons out of people.
The Venerable Parthenius reposed in peace and was buried in a chapel he himself had built, opposite the cathedral church of Lampsacus.
