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The life of Simon the Zealot was closely connected with Jesus Christ and filled with all sorts of trials that he worthily endured for the sake of faith.
Life of a Saint
Very little information is known about the life of Christ’s companion. What is certain is that he was born in Cannes, and that it was in his house that Jesus turned water into wine, and this happened at a man’s wedding. Seeing this miracle, Simom believed in the power of the Savior and, leaving his family, went to become his disciple. For his devoted and faithful service, the young man received the nickname “Zealot,” which means “zealot.”
The exact origin of this nickname is unknown, but it is assumed that it indicates that the apostle belongs to the religious and political movement of the Zealots.
This trend arose in the era of the Maccabees in the middle of the 1st century BC and reached the pinnacle of its development in the first half of the 1st century after the Birth of Christ; the Zealot movement was distinguished by its great radicalism in its cause. The goal of the adherents of this movement was the liberation of Judea from the power of Rome, as well as from Hellenistic influence. For example, in 66, by order of the Roman governor, all the silver was confiscated from the Jerusalem Temple - this was the reason for the start of the Jewish War, and the Zealots began it.
At the time of Christ's life, the Zealot society did not use radical methods to achieve its goals, but they still had a great national consciousness and believed in their mission.
The best article for you, go to: Priest Pavel Florensky, biography
Simon's membership in this party suggests that religious issues were extremely important to him. Having believed in Christ as the promised Messiah and Savior, he began to preach the new faith with the same zeal with which he had previously professed the teachings of Moses.
The companion had another nickname “Kananit”, it was given by the name of the city in which he was born. Simon is also called the half-brother of Christ, since his father was also Joseph, the husband of Mary. Nowadays, the exact location of Canna of Galilee, in which the apostle was born, is unknown, but there is an assumption that it was located on the territory of the now existing village of Kafr Cana, located in Israel, and a temple called the “Church of the Wedding” was built on the same site.
After the Resurrection of Christ and his ascension to Heaven, the man began to serve the Lord, first in the territory of Israel as the second bishop.
He also preached Christianity in Egypt, Libya and Abkhazia.
Preaching activities of the Canaanite
After the advent of the Day of the Holy Trinity (Pentecost), Simon the Zealot, following the covenant of the Messiah, spread Christian teaching in some parts of the world. These were mainly the Mediterranean regions and nearby lands: Israeli Judea, African Egypt and Libya, as well as Mauritania, located in the far west of the African continent.
Apostle Simon the Zealot
Simon the Canaanite, together with Andrew the First-Called and Matthew, spread the good news of Christ in the Iveron lands, and then they went to Ossetia. Soon the paths of the pious saints diverged. Andrei began to preach along the Black Sea coast near the Caucasus, and Simon settled in a small cave next to a river called Psyrtskhi. Saint Zealot descended into this small grotto with the help of a rope.
Wanderings
For his devoted service, the associate was given a special gift, thanks to which he traveled around the world and preached the word of God. Over the years of preaching, he visited the territories of Mauritania, Egypt, Persia and Britain. Twenty years after the crucifixion of Jesus, the apostle arrived to bring the holy word to the lands of Iveron, and then went to the mountains of Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Simon chose a cave as his home, which was located in a deep gorge near a mountain river. He descended to his refuge with the help of ropes. Throughout all the lands that the saint visited over the years of his life, he talked about the life of Christ, the miracles he performed and how he sacrificed himself for the sake of all humanity.
Links
Simon the Canaanite at Wikimedia Commons
- Holy Apostle Simon the Canaanite or Zealot.
New Athos is a very interesting place for tourists. It is difficult to take a tour here in one day. There are a lot of attractions. This is the New Athos monastery, and caves, and the ancient capital of the Abkhazians, Anakopia. One of the indispensable sites for tourists to visit New Athos is the monastery of the great Abkhaz saint Simon the Canonite. The Day of the Holy Apostle Simon the Canaanite is one of the main spring holidays of the Abkhaz Orthodox Church after Easter. It is celebrated on May 23rd. New Athos is really a very interesting place in Abkhazia. Simon the Canaanite, one of the first apostles who visited Abkhazia. He, together with Andrew the First-Called, arrived in these regions to spread the word of God. The Holy Apostle Simon is one of the Twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. Information in the Gospels about Simon the Canaanite is extremely scarce. He is mentioned in the lists of the apostles in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 10:4), Mark (Mark 3:18), Luke (Luke 6:15), as well as in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:13). He is called Simon the Zealot or Simon the Zealot to distinguish him from Simon Peter. The New Testament does not provide any other information about the apostle.
Death of a Saint
The apostle preached for a long time in Georgia. During this period, the country was ruled by Aderkiy, who was an ardent supporter of paganism, and because of this he outlawed the apostle and his assistants.
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The life of the Apostle Simon the Zealot was cut short in the year 107, as he succumbed to cruel torture. There are several versions regarding the death of the man, according to one of them, he was crucified, according to another, he was sawn apart with a saw. The martyr was buried not far from the place where he lived.
After the death of the saint, many people came to his grave, read a prayer to Saint Simon the Zealot and asked for help in various life situations. All those who asked received help, and were once again convinced of the power of the Lord.
Tradition
Apostle Simon (Greek icon) Temple of the Apostle Simon the Canaanite in New Athos (Abkhazia)
According to legend, the holy Apostle Simon preached the teachings of Christ in Judea, Egypt, Georgia and Libya. Perhaps he preached together with the Apostle Judas Thaddeus in Persia.
There is information (most likely legendary) about the visit of the Apostle Simon to Britain.
According to legend, the apostle suffered martyrdom on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus - he was sawed alive with a saw.
He was buried in the city of Nikopsia, the location of which is controversial. According to one version, this city is the current New Athos in Abkhazia; according to another, it was located on the site of the current village of Novomikhailovsky in the Krasnodar Territory. Subsequently (in the 19th century), on the supposed site of the exploits of the apostle, near the Apsara Mountain, the New Athos Monastery of Simon the Canaanite was built. Even today they show the cave in which the apostle labored.
The relics of the Holy Apostle rest in the Vatican in St. Peter's Basilica. Part of the relics of the apostle is located in the Basilica of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called in Cologne (Germany).
> Day of Simon the Zealot For more information on this topic, see Simon's Day.
In Ukraine, medicinal herbs (potions) are collected, for which this day is called “Simonove Zelo”.
Prayer to the Apostle Simon the Zealot
Holy glorious and all-praised Apostle of Christ Simon, who was deemed worthy to receive into your home in Cana of Galilee our Lord Jesus Christ and His Most Pure Mother, our Lady Theotokos, and to be an eyewitness to the glorious miracle of Christ, revealed to your brother, turning water into wine! We pray to you with faith and love: beg Christ the Lord to transform our souls from sin-loving to God-loving; save and protect us with your prayers from the temptations of the devil and the falls of sin, and ask us for help from above during our despondency and helplessness; Let us not stumble over the stone of temptation, but steadily walk the saving path of Christ’s commandments, until we reach those blessed heavenly abodes where you now dwell and rejoice. Hey, Apostle Spasov! Do not disgrace us, who firmly trust in you, but be your helper and protector in all our lives and help us to end this temporary life in a pious and godly manner, to receive a good and peaceful Christian death and to be honored with a good answer at the Last Judgment of Christ; May we, having escaped the ordeals of the air and the power of the fierce ruler of the world, inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and glorify the magnificent name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
Now you know about the life of the apostle, and how the patron Simon the Zealot helps those believers who ask him for help, knowing this you can turn to him in difficult moments of your life.
The best article for you, go to: Job Pochaevsky: life, prayer, akathist
Simon the Canaanite lived here
Simon the Canaanite lived in this crypt
Just in the new Athos, in the Psyrtskhi gorge, there is a place popular among pilgrims and tourists - the grotto cell of the apostle. Upon arrival in Abkhazia, the paths of the two apostles diverged. Andrew the First-Called continued his journey north, and Simon the Canaanite found shelter in a stone cave next to the Psyrtskaya River. He spent many years there in his hermitage and was killed by the pagans.
This place is unique in its own way. It seems that there are hot beaches nearby and a cool gorge just a few hundred meters away. The steps to the cell were laid out only later after the death of the saint. But every Orthodox Christian has the opportunity to go upstairs and examine the place of life of the great saint. The grotto cell is located in a steep rock and is equipped like a church. The appearance it has today appeared in the century before last: monks from a neighboring monastery cut a convenient entrance, built a staircase, mosaiced the faces of the Mother of God, Jesus Christ and the Apostle himself on the walls of the cave, and carved a four-pointed cross. The cave was consecrated in the name of the apostles Simon the Canaanite and Andrew the First-Called.
This place is comfortable, it is always cool here and there is an opportunity to calmly reflect on spiritual and human affairs.
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Consultations on running a business and purchasing real estate in Abkhazia: +7 916 1810919 (Viber, Whatsapp), Other contacts of the Abkhaz Projects Partnership.
This venerable saint was one of the 12 apostles who accepted the teachings of the Savior Jesus Christ. The life of the Apostle Simon the Zealot is examined from three different points of view. Middle Eastern chroniclers, Caucasian and English researchers wrote about his martyrdom.
The Holy Scriptures state that the apostle was the half-brother of the Son of God. Simon's nickname is translated from Aramaic into Russian as “zealot.” The Apostle Luke called him in his writings in Greek, Zealot, which means the same thing.
Notes
- "Saint Simon the Apostle" (in Italian). Blessed saints and witnesses. 2005-03-15. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
- ^ a b c
Jones, Terry H. "St. Simon the Apostle." Saints.SQPN.com. Retrieved March 29, 2010. - https://st-takla.org/Coptic-History/CopticHistory_01-Historical-Notes-on-the-Mother-Church/Christian-Church-History__035-Saint-Simon-Sam3an-Al-Kanawy.html
- "This work, as he shows in its beginning and completion, was completed in the fourteenth year of Theodosius, that is, between January 19, 392 and January 18, 393." HELL. Booth, "Chronology of Jerome's Early Life," Phoenix 35 (1981), p.241.
- Robert Eisenman, James the Brother of Jesus: A Key to Unraveling the Mysteries of Early Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
(Viking Penguin). 1997: 33–34. - Meyer, John (2001). The Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus Volume 3: Comrades and Rivals
. Yale university. pp. 132–135. ISBN 978-0-300-14032-3. - ^ a b
Brandon, S. G. F. (1967).
Jesus and the Zealots
. Manchester, England: Manchester University Press. - ^ a b
Hengel, Martin;
Smith, David [translator] (1989). Zealots
. Edinburgh, Scotland: T&T Clark. ISBN 0-567-29372-6. - "Brothers of the Lord." New coming. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
- Saint Simon the Apostle, from The Catholic Encyclopedia
- Appendix to the works of Hippolytus 49.11
- de Voragine, Jacobus (1275). Golden Legend or Lives of Saints
. Retrieved October 28, 2022. - ^ a b c
Stracke, Richard.
Golden Legend: Life of the SS.
Simon and Jude . Retrieved October 28, 2022. - Arabic Gospel of the Infancy of the Savior
. - "St. Simon the Fanatic." Catholic Internet. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
- ^ a b c
George F. Jowett.
Drama about the lost disciples
. item 159 - Cornelius Lapid, Argumentus Epistoloe St. Pauli di Romanos, chapter 16.
- "Epistula apostolorum". Early Christian Writings. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
- Quran 3:49–53
- Noegel, Scott B.; Wheeler, Brandon M. (2003). Historical Dictionary of the Prophets in Islam and Judaism
. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press (Roman and Littlefield). paragraph 86. ISBN 978-0810843059. In Muslim exegesis, Jesus' disciples were Peter, Andrew, Matthew, Thomas, Philip, John, James, Bartholomew and Simon. - Historical Dictionary of the Prophets in Islam and Judaism
, Brandon M. Wheeler,
Disciples of Christ - "The Gospel of Barnabas. Chapter 14: After fasting for forty days, Jesus chooses twelve apostles.” July 3, 2016. Retrieved 2016-07-03.
In popular culture
| This section do not quote any sources . |
- In the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar
and its subsequent film adaptation, Simon Zelotes tries to convince Jesus to incite hatred among the masses against the Roman occupiers. - In the play The Last Days of Judas Iscariot
, Simon the Zealot appears as a witness for the defense at the trial of Judas Iscariot in Purgatory. - In the miniseries Jesus of Nazareth
, before joining the apostles, he is first portrayed as a member of the Zealots, hence his name. - Simon the Zealot is a blacksmith in Bronze Bow
. - Simon the Zealot is a minor character in the science fiction time travel novel The Corruption of Dr. Nice
by John Kessel. - Simon Zelotes (appears as "Simon Zelotes") is the speaker in Ezra Pound's poem, The Ballad of the Good Ferret
.
Some identify Simon the Zealot as the groom from the wedding where Christ turned water into wine
If Saint Simon really came from Cana, then this is a good reason to remember one biblical event associated with this place. The Gospel says that a wedding took place here, at which Jesus Christ performed the first miracle:
“Jesus says to them: Fill the vessels with water. And they filled them to the top. And he says to them: Now draw some and bring it to the master of the feast. And they carried it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine - and he did not know where this wine came from, only the servants who drew the water knew - then the steward calls the groom and says to him: every person first serves good wine, and when they get drunk, then the worst; and you have saved good wine until now.”
(John 2:7–10)
There is no good reason to identify the groom from the Gospel and Simon the Zealot.
Centuries after the events of the New Testament, it occurred to commentators that Cana seemed to be too crowded a place for more than one person to live in it. At least, a version has emerged that the groom at this wedding is Simon. Allegedly, after a miracle, he believed, abandoned everything and went for Christ. And the wife believed, but it’s not clear where she went.
Such generalizations and attempts to discern in every random person a person important to the Bible have never led to a good result. Well, why then did the authors of the Gospels forget to mention that the groom became a disciple of Christ? Is this event really less important than the transformation of water into wine or juice (there is such a version)?
The New Testament provides no basis for such assumptions. We don’t know who the groom was.
Orthodox Life
On May 23, the Orthodox Church celebrates the day of remembrance of the holy apostle of the twelve, Simon the Zealot (Cananite).
According to one of the versions given by Church Tradition, he was one of the sons of the holy righteous Joseph the Betrothed, which means he could, like Saint James, also be called the brother of the Lord. Simon is his name. Zealot and Canaanite are nicknames. We will talk about the nickname Zealot later, but they called him Canaanite because he lived in the city of Cana, which was located in Galilee. According to Church Tradition, it was at his wedding that the Lord performed the first miracle of turning water into wine. This amazed Simon so much that he left everything and followed Christ. The Savior chooses him to be one of the twelve apostles. After Pentecost, he zealously fulfilled his apostolic ministry in various countries, often thousands of kilometers apart: Judea, Egypt, Libya, Britain... Considering the means of transportation modern to him, one is struck by the zeal and ardor of the apostle, the burning and life in the Holy Spirit that helped him to overcome such distances, preaching the Gospel at the risk of their lives among pagan nations. Information about his death varies. According to one version, he suffered in Abkhazia and was buried in the city of Nikopsia near Sukhumi. There is even a cave preserved here where the apostle labored. According to another version, he suffered at the hands of pagans in Britain and suffered martyrdom on the cross. But there is another version: Simon was sawed through with a saw.
Be that as it may, the saint, with God's help, enlightened many people with the light of Christ's truth, fulfilling his apostolic ministry and being crowned with a martyr's crown, like almost all of his fellow apostles.
Now let's talk about the nickname Zealot. By discussing this topic, dear brothers and sisters, you can discover a lot of interesting things.
The word "zealot" or "zealot" is translated from Greek as "zealot." By the way, the word “Kananit” may well have come not from the name of the city, but from the Hebrew word “Kanaim,” which is also translated as “adherent, zealot.” On the one hand, Simon could be called that because of his zealous faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. But a slightly different interpretation is quite likely...
Zealots or Kananites were called paramilitary parties of Jewish religious nationalists, who saw their main goal as the overthrow of first Hellenistic rule, and then Roman rule. They sought to create a Jewish religious state, the laws of which would be the Torah, and the head of the Messiah would be the Messiah. The Zealots are credited with several bloody uprisings and many terrorist attacks against the Greek and Roman military. It was they who organized the Great Jewish Uprising, which ended with the destruction of Jerusalem and the destruction of the city as such in the fall of 70 AD.
The ideology of the Zealots was alien to Christianity. And the Lord slowly delivered His disciples from it, whose hearts were largely saturated with it. Some Western researchers call not only Simon a zealot, but also Peter and Andrew, and Judas Iscariot. This Zealotism-fascism did not arise suddenly among the Jews, but developed over several centuries. It was he who did not allow the holy prophet Jonah to immediately obey the Lord and go to the Ninevites. After all, according to the religious zealot, they were an unclean pagan people, not worthy of salvation.
In fact, the entire set of Gospels, in a sense, can be represented symbolically as a school in which the Teacher-Christ retrained the apostles from the incorrect interpretation of Scripture and reforged their desire for the earthly kingdom into the desire for the heavenly Kingdom of Heaven.
A prominent representative of the Zealots was Judas Iscariot. He hoped that the Lord would not turn out to be the God-Savior of all people, of all humanity, but precisely that Zealot Mashiach who would deliver the Jews from Roman oppression, establish the Jewish kingdom and subjugate other nations to it, even to the point of world domination. Judas hoped, quite possibly, for the “portfolio” of the Minister of Finance. When he realized that Christ had a different goal, he betrayed Him.
But the other apostles were also susceptible to the Zealot ideology. Let us remember the request of the holy myrrh-bearing wife Salome, the mother of the holy apostles James and John: “Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Him with her sons, bowing and asking Him for something. He said to her: what do you want? She says to Him: command that these two sons of mine may sit at Your right hand, one on your right, and the other on your left in Your kingdom” (Matthew 20:20, 21). Probably, this woman at first also had Zealot ideas about the Messiah. She asked for ministerial portfolios in the kingdom of Moshiach for her children.
What does the Lord say to her? The exact opposite is true, and it concerns not greatness, but humility: “Jesus called them and said, “You know that the princes of the nations rule over them, and the great rulers rule over them; but let it not be so among you: but whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant; and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; for the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-27).
Why did the people first meet the Savior with palm branches, and then crucify Him? Because in many ways they met the earthly Moshiach, who will give them earthly freedom, and with it power and money. But He has come who will not quench the smoking flax or break the bruised reed, who will not stand for Himself in the Garden of Gethsemane, but will heal the ear of His jailer Malchus. And this discrepancy between the thoughts of God and people first caused bewilderment in the latter, then irritation, then hatred, which found outlet in the Crucifixion.
But even on the Tree, the Lord prayed for forgiveness of the sins of His executioners.
What answer does the Savior give to the zealots in the Gospel? Let us remember the miraculous feeding of five thousand people (and this does not include women and children!) with five loaves of bread and two fish. What did the Zealots want to do with Him? “Then the people who saw the miracle done by Jesus said, “This is truly the Prophet who is about to come into the world.” Jesus, having learned that they wanted to come and accidentally take Him and make Him king, again withdrew to the mountain alone” (John 6:14-15). That is, we see that people wanted to make Christ an earthly king, they recognized Him as the Zealot Moshiach and were ready to raise a bloody uprising for His sake. But what does our Lord Jesus Christ do? He, having learned that they want to make Him king, retires to the mountain alone. And in the same chapter it is narrated: literally the next day in Capernaum, many of those who wanted to make him king depart from Him, because instead of bread and manna He talks about eating His Body and Blood.
People wanted to make Christ king, but He withdrew from them to the mountain. He DIDN’T WANT THIS, because this is a disastrous path of immersion in the sin of pride, lust for power, love of money, hatred, exaltation and other things. God wants one thing from a person: for him to give his soul to Him, that is, to transform his heart into some kind of heavenly pure torment.
Christ left the royal earthly crown, therefore the Orthodox Church, in its root essence, is moving away from being the banner of earthly ideologies, no matter how attractive they may seem. The Church cannot be a toy or a bargaining chip in the hands of politicians or anyone else. She must stand on the mountain and lead people to salvation. She has no other goal.
And modern zealots would like to wish us to study in history lessons and remember that it was thanks to the zealots and the Pharisees who crucified Christ that Jerusalem was destroyed, destroyed by God as punishment. Thousands of people were killed. Mothers ate their children.
Maybe, before it’s too late, you need to take a Bible instead of a stone, a Psalter instead of a machine gun, and a prayer book instead of a special forces mask. Anyone who “stands up” for the Church, for Her autocephaly or nationalization, perhaps should first ask himself the following questions...
“When was the last time I was in the temple? When was the last time you confessed and received the Holy Mysteries of Christ? When was the last time you opened the Gospel? When did you read kathisma or morning and evening prayers? This is where Ukrainians need to start. Not from broken noses and destroyed churches, but from an inner approach to God. And when you become the receptacle of the Spirit of prayer, the Spirit of peace, the Spirit of love, when you do not strive to remake the Church, you will love Her as a child loves a Mother. Then not you yourself, but the Lord will reveal to you the right and correct path in earthly terms.
In what way may the holy Apostle Simon the Zealot help us, who managed to become from a Jewish nationalist extremist a zealot of God who achieved holiness and led to it (and continues to lead to it!) thousands more generations of people.
Holy Apostle Simon, pray to God for us!
Priest Andrey Chizhenko
to the glorious and all-praised apostle of Christ Simon the Zealot Zealot
Icon and life of the Holy Apostle Simon the Zealot
Prayers for happiness in marriage to the Apostle Simon the Zealot
Troparion, tone 3
Apostle Saint Simon, pray to the merciful God that he may grant remission of sins to our souls.
AKATHIST
Kontakion 1
Chosen apostle of Christ and evangelist, through the midst of your preaching, who caught the salvation of many human souls and brought darkened people to Christ through idolatry, blessed Simon, in songs we praise you with love and pray to you diligently: for having boldness in the Lord, pray to Him for our sinners and with your prayers free us from all troubles, and let us call to you: Rejoice, Simon, apostle of Christ and prayer book for our souls.
Ikos 1
The Creator and Master of angels, Christ God, saved even fallen humanity, having clothed ourselves in our flesh and living with men, but came to Cana of Galilee for marriage in your house, Simon the Most Praiseworthy, together with His Most Pure Matter, the Virgin Theotokos, Who, by the entreaty of the Mother, began the first fruits of miracles. Show Yours in your house, miraculously transforming water into wine on your brother and thereby showing the power of Your Divinity. The same to you, blessed with the visit and favor of the God-man, as the Seer of God and His chosen disciple, we cry out to the Lord with tenderness:
Rejoice, beautiful bridegroom, miraculously called from earthly marriage to the marriage of the Lamb;
Rejoice, glorified in heaven and on earth.
Rejoice, thou who faithfully served the Word incarnate;
Rejoice, in preaching the Gospel of truth, great zeal was revealed.
Rejoice, thou who loved the Most Sweet Lord Jesus with all thy heart;
Rejoice, thou who left the earthly betrothed and followed Him.
Rejoice, Simone, apostle of Christ and prayer book for our souls.
Kontakion 2
Having seen the miracles of Christ, Simone, the most glorious, you faithfully followed God who appeared in the flesh, you were loved from the Unworthy and His apostle was numbered among the chosen twelve, as a zealot of His glory, you received a new name Zealot, who is a zealot. Ask for this zeal for the glory of God for us, disciples of the Saviors, so that together with you we may be worthy to sing to Christ: Alleluia.
Ikos 2
The heavenly mind was given to you from above, Simon the God-Wise, also listening to the Divine word of Christ God, I formed it in your heart, and, like the good earth, you brought Him a hundredfold fruit of the teachings of the Gospel grace, with it you illuminated the ends of the world for the salvation of the world and, like a preacher of God, the soul-saving , hear songs from us like this:
Rejoice, good and easy yoke of Christ, accepted upon your frame;
Rejoice, by the example of your saints attract all of us to follow Christ.
Rejoice, you who are the same-named zealot for the glory of God;
Rejoice, dearest lover of the Lord Jesus.
Rejoice, wondrous teacher of those who seek salvation to Him;
Rejoice, silent evangelist of the Gospel's soul-saving teaching.
Rejoice, Simone, apostle of Christ and prayer book for our souls.
Kontakion 3
The power of God's autumn upon you, Apostle of Christ Simon, when you followed Christ the Lord, walking with Him through Judea and Galilee, listening to His Divine teaching and contemplating the greatness of His miracles. Likewise, Christ, as His faithful follower and disciple, granted you the power and strength to heal ailments, heal illnesses and drive away unclean spirits, so that everyone glorify His power, revealed in you, and sing a song of praise to Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 3
You had only one concern, O all-blessed Simone, to faithfully serve and please Christ God, appearing in the flesh for human salvation, His companion and self-seeing witness, you were honored to be, and from His Divine lips you drew grace from the great teachings of heaven, and marveling at it, we say to you:
Rejoice, all-joyful preacher of the Gospel of truth to us;
Rejoice, morning star, who announced to us the sun beyond evening.
Rejoice, self-seeing and servant of God incarnate;
Rejoice, O Master of His wanderings and His immortal table.
Rejoice, chosen and faithful disciple of Christ;
Rejoice, His friend, who has preserved your friendship towards Him to the end.
Rejoice, Simone, apostle of Christ and prayer book for our souls.
Kontakion 4
The storm of Jewish rage nailed Christ God to the Cross, who willed to suffer for all people, but did not shake your faith and hope, Blessed Simon, for He is the Savior of the world, prophesied of old by the prophets to the temptation of fallen humanity. Moreover, as the Master and God, you faithfully sang a song of praise to Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 4
Hearing the Divine voice of Christ, the giver of life, who rose from the dead for three days and came to His disciples through the closed door, and “Peace be with you!” Reshago, Simona, God-bearing, you rejoiced greatly and you reverently bowed to Him, like God, and then you silently proclaimed to everyone the immutable truth of His resurrection. For this reason we call upon you in praise:
Rejoice, the world of Christ has been worthily received into the immaculate vessel of your soul;
Rejoice, you who have pacified the ends of the world with grace.
Rejoice, ancient hostility to the idolatrous consumer;
Rejoice, the truth of the resurrection of Christ is obvious and loud to the witness.
Rejoice, the door closed to the contemplator of the wondrous passing of Christ;
Rejoice, hearer of His most divine and joyful voice.
Rejoice, Simone, apostle of Christ and prayer book for our souls.
Kontakion 5
Having seen the divine ascension of Christ into heaven and the Holy Spirit, sent down from Him in fiery tongues, you became a partaker of Simon the Most Praiseworthy, the divine Spirit-Bearer and, endowed with power from above, you flowed to preach the Gospel in Judea, Syria, Egypt, Mauritania, Spain, Britain , Persia, Iberia and Armenia, proclaiming to people in the darkness of unbelief the saving light of Christ God and the right faith in Him, and bringing everyone to call Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 5
Having seen you, Apostle of Christ, the Most Pure Mother of God, from distant countries on a cloud, having arrived at Her most honorable dormition, she rejoiced with holy joy and vouchsafed you with His conversation and blessing before death; You were filled with so much joy, contemplating Her Son and God, who came to Her with the holy Angels and received Her holy soul in His hands. We too, reverently remembering this, and out of zealous love, proclaim these all-joyful verbs:
Rejoice, heavenly disciple of the Savior, miraculously brought to the burial of the Mother of the Lord on a cloud;
Rejoice, O Christ, who received and contemplated the soul of His Mother in His hands.
Rejoice, having served worthily at the burial of the Most Pure Mother of God;
Rejoice, you who understood the Mother of God who was lifted up with the body of the Mount.
Rejoice, you who saw Her burial shrouds and empty tomb in Gethsemane;
Rejoice, in a luminous vision with the saints the Angels were honored to see the coming Lady of the world.
Rejoice, Simone, apostle of Christ and prayer book for our souls.
Kontakion 6
The God-speaking preacher appeared, the Apostle of Christ Simon, in wild countries and to beastly people, you proclaimed the Gospel of Christ, by your meekness and gentleness overcoming those cruelties and transforming them from divi wolves into lambs of Christ, likewise, and having learned by you to sing to the Triune God the angelic song: Alleluia.
Ikos 6
You, disciple of the Savior, have shone like a radiant lamp in infidel countries and, like a godly light, you have flowed around the east and west, proclaiming to people the saving faith in Christ Jesus, who inspires us to praise you, the divine preacher of God, with these praises:
Rejoice, you who enlightened the east and the west with the light of Christ;
Rejoice, having proclaimed the teachings of the Gospel across Africa and Spain.
Rejoice, thou who has tamed the severity of the British with the meekness of Jesus;
Rejoice, having led Armenia and Iberia to the knowledge of the Son of God.
Rejoice, you who convinced the Persians and the Medes to believe in Christ God;
Rejoice, you who worked tirelessly in the gospel of Christ.
Rejoice, Simone, apostle of Christ and prayer book for our souls.
Kontakion 7
You had a zealous desire, O apostle of Christ, to suffer as a martyr for the name of Christ and with your blood to seal the divine truth of your preaching of the Gospel, which the Lord arranged to bring you to Iberia from the unfaithful Lazov to be crucified on the cross and die a martyr. We remember your suffering Christ-like death, we honor your illnesses and labors and sing to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 7
New Noah, the head of the ark of the soul-saving faith of Christ in Iberia, we know you to be, Simon the God-speaking, and as the founder and cornerstone of the Church of Iberia we honor you, and the place of your burial with love we honor, as sanctified by your blood and the repose of your relics, from him the healing gifts you exude to the faithful and attract you to call:
Rejoice, everlasting guardian of Iberia;
Rejoice, patron saint of Pitsunda, given by God.
Rejoice, your temple in the desert was miraculously preserved from final destruction;
Rejoice, your honorable coffin given to us as a consolation.
Rejoice, having renovated the place of your exploits and sufferings with a monastic monastery in your name;
Rejoice, ascetics of fasting and prayer from Saint Athos, who marvelously moved in the nude.
Rejoice, Simone, apostle of Christ and prayer book for our souls.
Kontakion 8
Having completed your earthly journey, Apostle Spasov, you moved from the earth to the heavenly abode, but on the earth you shine with rays of miracles and enlighten the souls of the faithful, who through God prayerfully come to you and honor your holy memory, and we, too, reverently, sing a song to God who glorified you : Alleluia.
Ikos 8
The entire Iveron Church reveres you, Apostle Simon, as its founder and patron, who edified you on the unshakable foundation of the faith of Christ and watered you for spiritual fruitfulness with your honest blood, from the wonder that the host of saints who are now triumphant together with you in heaven vegetated in it. In the same way, we bless your feats on earth and call to you:
Rejoice, good and merciful consoler of the sorrowful;
Rejoice, quickly presenting helper to those in need.
Rejoice, you who have acquired great boldness towards Christ God, as His sincere friend;
Rejoice, you who have received from Him power over unclean spirits.
Rejoice, glory and praise be to your holy monastery;
Rejoice, for those who labor in her as intercessors for eternal salvation.
Rejoice, Simone, apostle of Christ and prayer book for our souls.
Kontakion 9
Imashi, the apostle of the Savior, will judge the whole world, sitting on the high and exalted throne, when Christ the Lord comes with glory to execute His righteous judgment; Then, holyly, beg His goodness to have mercy on us and not condemn us to eternal destruction, but to make us worthy to sing to Him with the saints: Alleluia.
Ikos 9
Human flair is not sufficient for the worthy glorification of your exploits and miracles, Simone, the most praiseworthy, in both cases, accept, disciple of the Savior, graciously and mercifully these little and simple songs of ours, offered in praise to you with faith and love, and hear those crying out to you:
Rejoice, praised and glorified from east to west;
Rejoice, thou who sanctified the Iveron country by thy death.
Rejoice, as a fruitful vine, in which Nina, Equal to the Apostles, grew spiritually;
Rejoice, you who brought fruit to Christ from the bosom of the host of saints.
Rejoice, thou who glorified the mountains and its valleys as ascetics of piety;
Rejoice, as a father of children, triumphant with the saints of Iveron in the abodes of paradise.
Rejoice, Simone, apostle of Christ and prayer book for our souls.
Kontakion 10
The guarantee of salvation, the holy Orthodox faith, was inherited from you, the Apostle of Christ Simon. We also pray to you: protect us, your children, from all heresies and schisms, by your prayerful intercession to God and help us to remain in unshakable Orthodoxy until the end of our days and sing faithfully to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 10
The chosen disciple of the Heavenly King Christ, Blessed Simon, pray to Him for us sinners, so that your God-loving zeal for the preservation of His law may be granted to us who are unworthy, so that we may be ready for deeds of Christian goodness and for the confession of our Orthodox faith, not only in words, but also in deeds , and appear as your children not only by name, but by the truth itself. For this we pray and call you:
Rejoice, bright star, guiding everyone to the sun of Christ’s truth;
Rejoice, unquenchable light, ever burning in prayer at the Throne of the Lord of Glory.
Rejoice, unshakable pillar of the holy Church of Christ;
Rejoice, golden vial, pour out healing streams for us.
Rejoice, having received from Christ the power to knit and decide;
Rejoice, having received from Him the grace-filled gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Rejoice, Simone, apostle of Christ and prayer book for our souls.
Kontakion 11
Bring the singing of the Most Holy Trinity to the mountain with all the saints, Simone, the most praiseworthy, and from the heavenly heights you come as a father to the place of your deeds and sufferings on earth, with your prayers helping everyone who faithfully honors your holy memory and sings a song to God about you: Alleluia.
Ikos 11
The light-giving lamp of the Trisolar Light appears to the faithful, the Apostle of Christ Simon, and invisibly illuminates all of us on the path of Christian good deeds, so that we may not fall into the snare of the enemy, the devil, but may remain unharmed from all his wicked traps and thus be able to cry out to you without condemnation:
Rejoice, good shepherd of the verbal flock of Christ;
Rejoice, do not allow the soul-destroying wolf to plunder your spiritual flock.
Rejoice, thou who through the midst of thy preaching caught the ends of the world unto salvation;
Rejoice, and now contribute to our salvation through your prayers.
Rejoice, wise architect of the Church of Christ;
Rejoice, the cornerstone of its foundation.
Rejoice, Simone, apostle of Christ and prayer book for our souls.
Kontakion 12
Ask us for grace and mercy from the Lord, Simon the God-bearing Apostle of the Savior, as you have acquired great boldness towards Him, especially ask us from Him for repentance for sins and correction of our life, so that it will be filled with Christian virtues, so that we may still be able to sing on earth A heavenly song to our Creator: Alleluia.
Ikos 12
Singing your illnesses and labors, Apostle Spasov, in the image in which you labored in the gospel of Christ, we honor your holy and ever-glorious memory, which fragrant us spiritually and delights our souls: for the ointment truly appeared before God, the sweat of yours and the drops of blood of suffering, poured out by you for Christ, our holy representative. That’s why we call you:
Rejoice, faithful preacher of the Most Holy Life-Giving Trinity;
Rejoice, worthy interlocutor of angelic faces.
Rejoice, beauty and foundation of the apostles;
Rejoice, exaltation of the human race.
Rejoice, free physician of mental and physical ailments;
Rejoice, our unshameable hope is in God and the Most Holy Theotokos.
Rejoice, Simone, apostle of Christ and prayer book for our souls.
Kontakion 13
O holy, glorious and all-praised Apostle of Christ Simon, zealot of the law of God and our most powerful representative! Accept this small prayer song offered to you in praise, and beg the Savior Christ to deliver us from eternal torment and make us worthy of the joy of the saints, so that with them we may sing to Him forever: Alleluia.
This Kontakion is read three times. Then Ikos 1 and Kontakion 1 are read.
