Holy Martyr Zosima the Desert-dweller 10/2/2013
Once, while hunting in the mountains together with his servants, the governor of Cilicia named Dometian, caught a sight of an elder surrounded by wild animals, meek as lambs. When he asked him who he was and what he was, the elder answered that his name was Zosima, that he was a Christian and that he had been living with the wild animals for a long time, since they were far better than the torturers of Christians in the cities. This offended Dometian, who himself was a brutal Christian torturer, so he captured Zosima and sent him to Nazareth in chains, where he wished to hand him over to fierce tortures in order to frighten those who believed in Christ. And when he covered Zosima's body with wounds and he was bleeding all over from the beating, he tied to his neck a large stone and hanged him on a tree. The governor taunted the sufferer:" Command a beast to come forth here, and then we will believe in your God." The holy martyr turned with a prayer to God and suddenly, a huge lion sprang forth, went up to the elder and laid his head under the stone to ease the pains of the martyr. In great fear, the governor untied Zosima, but soon afterwards he committed his spirit in the hands of his Lord.
