Saint Arsenios the Cappadocian
Saint Paisios the Athonite.
The setting for the remarkable Life, which is the subject of this book is Pharasa, in Cappadocia and Asia Minor. Now a part of Turkey, Asia Minor had been part of the Greek Commonwealth from about 2000 B.C., as were areas along the Black Sea coast, the Crimea, and in Georgia and Armenia.
Settled by Greeks, Asia Minor was later home to early Christians (as Saint Paul's Epistles to the Ephesians and the Galatians bear witness), and then to the great Fathers of the Orthodox Church, among them Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory the Theologian and Saint John Chrysostom. Many of the more popular Saints are associated with Asia Minor, including Saint George, Nicholas and Charalambos. Indeed, in Byzantium Asia Minor provided much of the enormous wealth of the State, both materially and spiritually, through the ascetic labours of the monks for which the region was renowned. Those areas where gradually lost to Byzantium, until the unthinkable finally occurred: the Queen of the Cities itself [Constantinople] fell to the Turks in 1453, and the Emperor, Constantinos XI Palaiologos, was slain at its gates during its last defense.
Under the harsh, barbarian yoke of the Turks, the Christian population was forced to find a modus vivendi in their appalling new situation. A very small number submitted to Islam, while others lived as secret Christians. Others again renounced all contact with the conquerors and lived at despised and deprived existence. Many of them were martyred for the love of Christ, after having undergone dreadful tortures. (From the prologue of the book).
Pages: 180
Size: 14 x 20 cm.
