Saint Zosimas the Martyr, who came from Cilicia, lived as an ascetic in the desert. By order of Diocletian, he was subjected to unimaginable tortures for his faith in Christ. Yet, in a miraculous way, he survived unharmed from each torment.
On one occasion, while he was being tortured, a lion came out of the desert, approached him, and spoke with a human voice. This extraordinary event terrified the soldiers and compelled them to release him. Moreover, a scholar named Athanasius, witnessing the saint’s endurance and miraculous preservation, came to believe in Christ and was baptized. The two men later withdrew into the desert, where they peacefully surrendered their souls to the Lord.
On the same day, the Church commemorates Saint Theoktistos, abbot of Koukoum.
