Martyrs Zeno and Zenas (304)

The holy Martyrs Zeno and Zenas lived in the city of Philadelphia (Arabia). Saint Zeno was rich. Filled with love for Christ and with the desire to die a martyr for Him, Zeno gave away all his property as alms, set his slaves free as well, and together with his faithful servant Zenas stood before the governor and denounced him for his idolatry. The persecutor of the Christians ordered the confessor to be tortured. The saints were hung on a tree. The tormentors wounded their bodies with iron pincers, rubbed vinegar and salt into the wounds, burned the most sensitive parts of their flesh with red-hot brands, and at last threw them into a fiery pit and poured boiling oil over them. The saints, miraculously preserved by the grace of God, were beheaded (+304).