St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Unmercenary (source)
Note: The following is my amateur translation of the third canon (in the third tone) in a series of eight canons in the eight tones written by St. Joseph the hymnographer to honor the great martyr and healer of Christ, St. Panteleimon. These are very beautiful and compunctionate hymns, and rightly praise such a great wonderworker of Orthodoxy. For the full texts of the canons in Greek, see here. If I am not mistaken, these are used around the feast of the Saint (i.e. either in the days leading up to or following his feast) in his Monastery on Mount Athos to more fully celebrate this great feast, the feast of the Russian Monastery of the Holy Mountain. May St. Panteleimon intercede for us all, and grant us healing of the passions of our souls and bodies! Amen!
Written by St. Joseph the Hymnographer (+883AD)
Canon in the Third Tone
Ode I
Truly, you have been shown to be a
Martyr of the Savior, O glorious Panteleimon, as all of the faithful
piously know you to be, and to your fervent protection we hasten and
cry out: deliver us from every evil, through your intercessions.
You deposed the lawless King, and found
the Kingdom not of this world, and on behalf of Christ you suffered
pains, O unconquerable Martyr. Ever entreat Him, that every pain
might be driven out of our hearts, O glorious one.
With rejoicing, you set off for
tortures, O glorious Panteleimon, and you destroyed all the
soul-corrupting power of the enemy. Deliver us from this danger, and
strengthen us all through your intercessions, O blessed of God.
Theotokion
Daniel beheld you once as a mountain, O
Lady who gave birth to God, from which a stone was cut, which truly
was made to shatter all the idols of delusion, while refashioning us.
Ode III.
Through calling upon God, you raised
the dead man, O wise one, and rejoicing, you offered to Christ your
unwavering mind, O Martyr worthy of praise.
Deliver us from the stupor of sins and
afflictions and dangers, O Martyr of Christ, we who are ever enriched
by you, our unshakable intercessor.
You have blunted the evil arrows of the
tempter, O Martyr, through your holy pains. Deliver us from him, we
who call upon you with faith.
Theotokion.
The Almighty Lord desired to dwell
within your womb, O Theotokos, and gave himself to be born, for our
divine rebirth.
Ode IV.
Heal, O Christ, our souls and bodies,
through the prayers of Panteleimon, your beloved healer, O Word, and
grant us Your good things, O only greatly-merciful One.
You have been shown to the world to be
the boast of champions, for you rejoiced in the wounding of your
members, O Panteleimon, empowered by the grace of the
Bestower-of-Crowns, therefore we praise you.
Deliver us from worldly scandals
through your intercessions, entreating for the forgiveness of all
kinds of sins, O all blessed one, and the correction of life, for we
have been enriched by you, our great protector.
Theotokion.
You alone among women remained
incorrupt after childbirth, you alone nursed the Nourisher of all
with milk, O Virgin-Mother, therefore we glorify you, and out of
necessity bless you with faith.
Ode V.
You were reborn as a sanctified Temple
of the All-Holy Spirit, and cast down the temples of the idols to the
ground, O all-blessed Panteleimon, therefore, we hymn your
intercessions with fervor in your divine temple, and we are saved.
Having been pierced in the flesh and
lit aflame by torches, O blessed one, you received refreshment from
Christ the Lord Who appeared to you, O Panteleimon, and He
extinguished the flame of fire, while lighting the eros of your
heart.
Those who were darkened by delusion,
beholding your wondrous deeds, O Martyr, were led towards the light
of godly knowledge, therefore, shine upon me, who am darkened by
sins, and through your prayers, lead me towards the paths of
repentance.
Theotokion.
You were shown to be an all-radiant
palace of the King, O All-Spotless One, and a fiery throne on which
He sat, while lifting up mortals from their ancient prostration, who
out of contrition glorify you.
Ode VI.
Your blood ran upon the earth,
therefore drying up the rivers of impiety, and watering the hearts of
the faithful, O all-famed one, who honor your sacred gifts.
You stopped the mouths of beasts by
calling upon Christ, O all-honored one, escaped being food for the
lions. Deliver me from this evil, through your prayers, O holy one.
The evildoers bound you to a wheel,
while your intellect was bound to Christ, and thus you were
unshakable, O ever-memorable one, equal-in-honor to the Angels.
Theotokion.
We honor you with hymns in a godly
manner, we who are saved through you, and we pray to you, O Lady
Theotokos, to intercede on behalf of all, that we might find your
consolation.
Ode VII.
Your nous was mystically radiant and
aflame, O ever-memorable Champion, as you hastened to dark tortures,
chanting: blessed are You, O God.
O Champion, you rejoiced enduring being
boiled, receiving therefore divine refreshment. But entreat that we
might be delivered from eternal fire through your prayers.
Chanting unto Holy God, you completed
the contest. But we entreat you, O holy one, that we who have
gathered unto the glory of God and to honor you, might be delivered
from every danger.
Theotokion.
As one wider than the heavens, you have
birth to God, Who is uncontainable by everything. Entreat Him, that
we be delivered from every sadness, O Birth-giver of God.
Ode VIII.
You were thrown into prison, while you
rejoiced in the spirit, O Martyr, and you kept the commandments of
Christ, while unbinding through your shackles, the evil of the enemy,
crying out: Bless the Lord, all you His works.
Having been set aflame by the fire of
divine love, you were not afraid of the fire that ever burns, O wise
one, but you ceaselessly cried out to Christ in joy: Blessed are You,
O God of our Fathers.
O Martyr who once enlightened the eyes
of the blind man, open the eyes of my heart, through your prayers, O
Panteleimon, that I might see the divine light and live.
Theotokion.
The Lord took on flesh from your, O
All-Spotless One, and appeared to men upon the earth, delivering from
ignorance and shining upon all with the light of knowledge. Entreat
Him, O Virgin, for those who now bless you.
Ode IX.
You finished the contest in holiness,
having moved the people who beheld your wonders, O every-memorable
one, and you took refuge in God, and received the crowns of the
Martyrs in the Spirit. With Him we honor you, O Panteleimon, and
magnify you with faith.
As your zeal for the faith was fervent,
O adornment of Champions, you quenched the fire of impiety, and
appeared to the world as a light, shining forth with the rays of
healings, O Panteleimon, for those who ever take refuge in your
protection.
In imitation of Christ, you became a
spring of compassion, showing mercy on those who hasten to you, O
Champion. But I entreat that you might become a helper to me in my
infirmity, helping me to lighten the burden of my sins through your
prayers.
The day of my death is approaching, O
my soul, put off laziness and cry out to Christ in contrition: on
that coming day, deliver me, O Word, from condemnation, through the
sacred supplications of Your Champion Panteleimon.
Theotokion.
You were made to be a most-awesome
dwelling place of the Lord and God, a most-holy home, O All-Spotless
One, for Him Who dwelt within you. Entreat Him ceaselessly, that all
of us might be delivered from the danger of the enemy, and from the
condemnation of the fire of Gehenna.
Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!
