Venerable Seventeen Martyrs of India

 

Venerable 17 Martyrs of India (Feast Day - November 27)

 

These Christian monks are mentioned in The Lives of Saints Barlaam and Joasaph attributed to Saint John of Damascus, and are only commemorated in the Slavic calendar on November 27th. They suffered in the fourth century when King Abenner ruled India. He hated Christians because they were converting his people to Christ, and some of them even became monks. The King issued a decree ordering all Christians to renounce their faith at once, threatening to torture and kill them if they did not comply. He had a special hatred for the monks, and persecuted them without mercy. Some Christians, unable to endure the torments, submitted to the King's decree, but the monks rebuked him for his wickedness. Some of them fled into the deserts and mountains, while others chose martyrdom.

Saint Barlaam the Hermit, Who Converted Prince Joasaph

St. Barlaam the Hermit (Feast Day - May 30)

Verses

The extreme ends of the earth knew Barlaam,
Living in extreme asceticism until he entered the earth.

In the time of Constantine the Great there lived in India a pagan king named Abenner, who had only one son, Joasaph. When the Prince was born, astrologers and wise men were called to prophesy the Prince's destiny as king. All of them said the same: that he would be a wise and powerful king. But one dared to tell the truth: the Prince would become Christian and give up his throne. The King was furious. He ordered every Christian to be killed or banned from the kingdom, and he put the Prince in a private, guarded castle to shield him from any possible Christian influence.