De sancta Anastasia
The Upward Calling of Anastasia
Anastasia, a noblewoman devoted to the faith, faces the hostility of her pagan husband while ministering to the imprisoned.
Anastasia is named from 'ana', which means 'upward', and 'stasis', which means 'standing' or 'status', because she stood upward from vices and sins toward virtues. Anastasia, the most noble daughter of a prominent Roman—though a pagan—was taught the faith of Christ by her mother, the Christian Fantasta, and by the blessed Chrysogonus; yet, when she was given in marriage to Publius, she feigned illness and always kept herself from his company. When he heard that she, with only one maidservant in the humble habit of the Christians, was going around to the prisons and ministering to them what they needed, he had her kept under the strictest guard, so that he even denied her food, wishing to destroy her in this way so that he could live wantonly in her vast possessions. Thinking, therefore, that she was dying, she sent sorrowful letters to Chrysogonus, and he sent back letters of consolation. Meanwhile, her husband died, and she was freed from her imprisonment. She had three very beautiful maidservants who were sisters: one was called Agapete, another Thionia, and the third Yrenia. Because they were Christians and would in no way obey the prefect's commands, he locked them in a room where the kitchen utensils were kept. The prefect, however, burning with desire for them, went to them to satisfy his lust.
The Confusion of the Wicked
The prefects who attempt to violate Anastasia and her companions are struck by divine madness and blindness.
He fell into a state of madness, and thinking he was holding young women, he embraced and kissed cooking pots, pans, cauldrons, and similar things; when he had his fill of this, he went outside, looking completely black, deformed, and with his clothes torn to shreds. His servants, who had been waiting for him at the door, saw him in this state and, thinking he had turned into a demon, beat him and fled, leaving him alone. When he went to the emperor to complain about this, some people struck him with rods, while others threw mud and dust at him, suspecting that he had gone insane. However, his eyes were held so that he couldn't see how deformed he looked. Therefore, he was very surprised when everyone mocked him, since they had been accustomed to holding him in such high honor. It seemed to him that he and everyone else were dressed in white robes. But thinking, once he learned from others how deformed he was, that the young women had done this to him through magic, he ordered them to be stripped in his presence so that he could at least see them naked; but their clothes immediately stuck to their bodies so that they could not be removed in any way. The prefect, however, fell into such a deep, snoring sleep from sheer amazement that he couldn't be woken even by those shaking him. Eventually, the young women were crowned with martyrdom, and Anastasia was handed over by the emperor to a certain prefect, with the condition that if he could make her offer sacrifice, he could later take her as his wife. When he had brought her into the bedchamber and wanted to embrace her, he was immediately struck blind.
The Trial of Wealth and Spirit
After the death of her persecutor, Anastasia confronts a greedy prefect, refusing to surrender her wealth to the rich.
He went to the gods, asking if he could escape. They answered him, "Because you have caused Saint Anastasia grief, you have been handed over to us, and from now on you'll be tormented with us in hell forever." And as he was being led home, he ended his life in the hands of his servants. Then Anastasia was handed over to another prefect, so that he might keep her in custody. Hearing that she possessed infinite wealth, he said to her privately, "Anastasia, if you want to be a Christian, do what your Lord commanded." For He commanded, "Whoever does not renounce all that he possesses, etc." "Therefore, give me everything you have, and..." "...go wherever you wish, and you'll truly be a Christian." She answered him, "My Lord has commanded: sell everything you have and give it to the poor, not to the rich. Since you are rich, I would be acting against God's command if I gave anything to you."
The Crown of Martyrdom
Sustained by heavenly food, Anastasia and her companions endure final tortures and receive the crown of martyrdom.
Anastasia was then thrown into a grim prison to starve to death, but for two months she was fed with heavenly food by Saint Theodora, who had already been crowned through martyrdom. Eventually, she was taken with two hundred virgins to the Palmarian islands, where many had been exiled for the sake of Christ's name. A few days later, the prefect called them all to him; he had Anastasia tied to stakes and burned, while he put the others to death with various tortures. Among them was one man who, having been stripped of his many riches several times for Christ's sake, always said, "At least you will not take Christ away from me." Apollonia, however, gave Saint Anastasia’s body an honorable burial in a garden and built a church there. She suffered under Diocletian, who began his reign around the year of our Lord 287.
Read the original Latin
Anastasia dicitur ab ana, quod est sursum, et stasis, quod est stans sive status, quia sursum stetit a vitiis eta peccatis ad virtutes. Anastasia nobilissima Romanorum filia praetaxati illustris, , sed pagani, a matre sua Fantasta christiana et a beato Chrysogono fidem Christi edocta est, tradita autem Publio in uxorem languorem simulans semper se ab ejus consortio abstinebat. Qui audiens eam eum una tantum ancilla in vili habitu Christianorum carceres circuire et iis necessaria ministrare, fecit eam arctissime custodiri, ita ut etiam eidem alimoniam denegaret, volens autem eam sic perimere, nt posset in ejus largissimis possessionibus lascivire. Putans igitur se mori dolorosas epistolas Chrysogono mittebat et ille consolatorias remittebat. Interea vir ejus moritur et illa a carceribus liberatur. Haec habebat tres ancillas pulcherrimas, quae sorores erant: quarum una dicebatur Agapete, altera Thionia et allera Yrenia. Quae cum christianae essent et praefecti monitis nullatenus obedirent, in cubiculum eas reclusit, ubi coquinae utensilia servabantur. Praefectus autem in earum ardens amorem ad eas ivit, ut suam libidinem exerceret.
Qui in amentiam versus, putans se tractare virgines, cacabos, patellas, caldaria et similia amplectens osculabatur, et cum ex hoc satiatus fuisset, foras exiit nigerrimus et deformis et vestimentis concisis. Quem servi, qui eum pro foribus exspectaverant, sic aptatum videntes, cogitantes quod in daemonem versus esset, eum verberibus affecerunt et fugientes solum reliquerunt, Cumque imperatorem adiret, ut de hoc conquereretur, alii virgis percutiebant, alii lutum et pulverem in eum projiciebant, suspicantes, quod in furiam versus esset. Oculi autem ejus tenebantur, ne sic se deformem videret. Quapropter mirabatur plurimum, cum sic eum omnes deridebant, quem in tanto honore habere consueverant. Videbatur enim ei, quod ipse et omnes albis vestibus essent induti, Putans vero, cum sic se deformem ab aliis didicisset, quod puellae sibi per artem magicam hoc fecissent, jussit eas coram se exspoliari, ut eas saltem nudas aspiceret, sed statim earum vestimenta sic corporibus adhaeserunt, ut nullo modo exui valerent. Praefectus autem prae admiratione ita obdormivit stertens, qnod etiam a pulsantibus non poterat excitari. Tandem virgines martirio coronantur et Anastasia ab imperatore cuidam praefecto traditur, ut si eam sacrificare faceret, postmodum in uxorem eam haberet. Cumque eam in thalamum induxisset et eam amplexari vellet, statim caecus effectus est.
Deos adiit quaerens, si evadere posset. Responderunt dicentes: quia sanctam Anastasiam contristasti, nobis traditus es et amodo semper nobiscum in inferno torqueberis. Cumque domum reduceretur, inter manus puerorum vitam finivit. Tunc Anastasia alii praefecto traditur, ut eam in custodia detineret. Audiens enim, quod infinitas possessiones haberet, privatim dixit ei: Anastasia, si vis esse Christiana, fac quod praecepit dominus tuus. llle enim praecepit: qui non renuntiaverit omnibus, quae possidet etc. Omnia igitur, quae habes, mihi da et. vade quo volueris et vere Christiana eris.
Cui illa respondit: Deus meus praecepit, vende omnia quae habes et da pauperibus et non divitibus; cum ergo dives sis, contra praeceptum Dei facerem, si aliquid tibi darem. Tunc Anastasia diro carceri fame erucianda traditur, sed a Sancta Theodora, quae jam per martirium coronata fuerat, per duos menses esca coelesti pascitur. Tandem cum ducentis virginibus ad insulas Palmarias ducta est, ubi multi propter nomen Christi fuerant relegati. Postaliquos vero dies praefectus omnes ad se vocavit et Anastasiam ad palos liga iam ignibus concremavit, alios vero diversis suppliciis interemit. Inter quos unus erat qui pluries propter Christum multis divitiis spoliatus semper dicebat: Christum saltem mihi non auferetis. Appollonia autem corpus sanctae Anastasiae in viridario facta ibi ecclesia honorifice sepelivit, Passa est autem sub Dyocletiano, qui coepit circa annos domini CCLXXXVII.
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