{"id":2607,"date":"2008-10-07T16:02:00","date_gmt":"2008-10-07T16:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thecrescat\/2008\/10\/for-us-life-is-christ-and-to-die-is-gain\/"},"modified":"2017-01-26T19:16:26","modified_gmt":"2017-01-27T00:16:26","slug":"for-us-life-is-christ-and-to-die-is-gain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thecrescat\/2008\/10\/for-us-life-is-christ-and-to-die-is-gain.html","title":{"rendered":"For us life is Christ, and to die is gain…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

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Ss. Sergius and Bacchus c.5th century<\/em><\/p>\n

The Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus in Syria were appointed to high positions in the army by the emperor Maximian (284-305), who did not know that they were Christians. Envious people informed Maximian that his two trusted counsellors did not honor the pagan gods. This was considered to be a crime against the state. <\/p>\n

The emperor, wanting to convince himself of the truth of the accusation, ordered Sergius and Bacchus to offer sacrifice to the idols, but they replied that they honored the One God and worshiped only Him. <\/p>\n

Maximian commanded that the martyrs be stripped of the insignia of military rank (their belts, gold pendants, and rings), and then dressed them in feminine clothing. They were led through the city with an iron chains around their necks, and the people mocked them. Then he summoned Sergius and Bacchus to him again and in a friendly manner advised them not to be swayed by Christian fables, but to return to the Roman gods. The saints refuted the emperor\u2019s words, and demonstrated the folly of worshiping the pagan gods. <\/p>\n

The emperor commanded that they be sent to the governor of the eastern part of Syria, Antiochus, a fierce hater of Christians. Antiochus had received his position with the help of Sergius and Bacchus. \u201cMy fathers and benefactors!\u201d he said. \u201cHave pity on yourselves, and also on me. I do not want to condemn my benefactors to cruel tortures.\u201d The holy martyrs replied, \u201cFor us life is Christ, and to die is gain.\u201d The enraged Antiochus ordered Bacchus to be mercilessly beaten, and the holy martyr surrendered his soul to the Lord. They shod Sergius with iron sandals with nails in their soles and sent him to another city, where he was beheaded with the sword.<\/p>\n

And, <\/strong>NO<\/strong>\u2026 they were not gay lovers. They were united in an the Eastern traditional ceremony, adelphopoiia<\/a>, which was done to form a \u201cbrotherhood\u201d in the name of God, and has no sexual implications what-so-ever.<\/p>\n

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Ss. Sergius and Bacchus c.5th century The Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus in Syria were appointed to high positions in the army by the emperor Maximian (284-305), who did not know that they were Christians. Envious people informed Maximian that his two trusted counsellors did not honor the pagan gods. This was considered to be a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nFor us life is Christ, and to die is gain...<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ss. 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