Holy Hieromartyr Mark, Bishop of Arethusa (+363)

The holy Hieromartyr Mark, Bishop of Arethusa (+363), suffered in the time of the Emperor Julian the Apostate (+361–363). By order of Constantine the Great, Equal to the Apostles (commemorated 21 May), Saint Mark had pulled down a pagan altar. When Julian began to persecute Christians and restore paganism, his enemies decided to take revenge on Saint Mark. The hierarch avoided the persecution, but when he learned that Christians were being tortured in the search for him, he gave himself up to the tribunal of his own will. The old man was tortured for a long time: his hair was torn out, he was dragged along the ground, thrown into a swamp, and cut with knives. The pagans demanded compensation from the holy bishop. Then they smeared his body with honey and fat. A swarm of bees fell upon the martyr. The holy elder felt no pain; the Lord miraculously protected His faithful hierarch, which enraged the tormentors all the more. The inhabitants of Arethusa set the bishop free. Once freed, Mark converted many pagans to the law of Christ. Saint Gregory the Theologian (commemorated 25 January) tells of the martyrdom of Saint Mark.