When Albert Camus titled his great novel *The Stranger*, he was likely unaware of the ancient Christian martyr of the same name who, having successfully defended his earthly homeland, suddenly chose—in a tragic yet glorious act—to flee to Heaven.
MARTYR BARBARUS THE SOLDIER
Dr Augustin Sokolovski
On May 19, according to the patristic (Julian) calendar, the Church commemorates the holy martyr Barbarus. The name “Barbarus,” meaning “foreign” or “stranger,” is the masculine form of the feminine name Barbara, which is much more common and, in the person of the holy great martyr Barbara, widely venerated. As for the Holy Martyr Barbarus, it can be assumed that this could have been either his real name or a nickname, because his real name may not have been preserved. Barbarus was a Roman soldier.
The hagiography tells the story of how, as a Christian, he was chosen to take part in a duel—much like David and Goliath—during the battle between the Romans and the Franks. The Roman army was led by Emperor Julian the Apostate (361–363), whose brief reign was marked by desperate attempts to restore and reform paganism, borrowing the virtues and rules of Christians for this purpose. Saint Barbarus defeated his opponent in battle, but moved by a sudden inspiration of grace, he felt compelled to make a public profession of his Christian faith.
While a sacrifice of thanksgiving was being offered to the “gods,” Barbarus declared himself a Christian. He was subjected to a multitude of tortures, most of which were utterly brutal and unimaginable. By the power of grace, he overcame the pain of the suffering. The commander of the unit in which Barbarus served, named Bacchus, and his Brothers in Arms, Dionysius and Callimachus, upon witnessing the martyr’s steadfastness, also confessed themselves to be Christians and were beheaded. Their memory, along with that of Saint Barbarus, is also commemorated in the Orthodox calendar.
At the sight of what was happening, especially his unharmed state amidst the suffering, as if the ground were crumbling beneath their feet, the pagans accused the martyr of witchcraft and placed him inside a red-hot bull, which was a common pagan method of “exorcising” evil spirits. Failing to kill the martyr, they beheaded him. The commemoration of Saint Barbarus coincides with the celebration in the church calendar of the memory of Job the Long-Suffering. The saint was especially venerated in the Peloponnese and the Balkans.