Philopatyr Marcorios ( Abu Sifein ) Philopatyr was born in 224 A . D . in the city of Eskentos in Cappadocia ( Eastern Asia Minor . ) The word Philopatyr is a Greek word which means Father of Love ( Patyr = father , Philo = love ) . His family used to live on hunting wild animals . one day his father Yares , along with his grandfather , were hunting in the forest when they were attacked by a wild beast . The animal jumped on the grandfather , and that scared Yares so much that he fainted . While he was unconscious , he had a vision : he saw a brilliant light and heard a voice saying , " Yares , I am your God who loves you . I know that you have a good heart and that you hate the pagan idols . I want to inform you that your son Philopatyr will become like a tree bearing good fruits , and because of him , I will bless you and your wife . Philopatyr will be my witness and will defy all prejudice in my name . " Shortly after , Yares , his wife and his son were baptized and they were given new names . Yares became Noah , his wife became Saphina and Philopatyr became Marcorios . The news of their baptism spread quickly in the city and the prince ordered them to be arrested and thrown to the wild animals . But the Lord , who shut the mouths of the lions at the time of Daniel , tamed the wild animals and they did not harm them . The prince and his soldiers were astonished and decided to release Yares and his family . When the Berbers attacked Eskentos , Noah went to fight them . He was taken prisoner and was brought to their foreign country , where he served them for seventeen months . When the war finally ended , he went back to his city and joined his family , but he died shortly after . After the death of Noah , the pagan king Dicius chose Marcorios to replace his father . He led the army against the Berbers . After several days of fighting , the archangel Michael appeared to Marcorios holding a shining sword . He said , " Marcorios , servant of Jesus Christ , don ' t be afraid . Take this sword from my hand and fight the Berbers with it . Don ' t forget your God when you come back victoriously . I am Michael the Archangel , whom God sent to inform you that you should suffer for the Lord ' s name . I shall be with you and support you until you complete your testimony . The name of our Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified in you . " The saint took the sword from the Archangel . He went to fight the Berbers with two swords . He conquered them as he felt the divine strength fill his heart . When Dicius heard the news about the triumphant victory , he was very pleased . He appointed Marcorios prince and gave him many honorable medals . In 249 A . D . Dicius blasphemed against Christ and started persecuting the Christians . He issued a decree compelling everyone to offer sacrifices to his pagan gods . The Archangel Michael appeared to Marcorios and told him to remember his Lord and not to be scared of the persecutions . The saint was happy of the encouragement he received from the Lord and spent the whole night praying fervently , and confessing his weakness to God . The next morning , the king sent some messengers to summon Marcorios to the palace , but he excused himself , saying that he was tired . The day after , the king sent for Marcorios again . He told him , " Dear Marcorios , let ' s go offer incense to the gods who helped us attain victory in the war . " Being kind , Marcorios didn ' t say anything but as they were going , he slipped through the crowd and went away . However , one of the king ' s guards reported his absence , and the king called Marcorios and asked him , " Is it true that you refused to worship the idols who helped us during the war ? " Marcorios answered with courage , " Your Majesty , the victory was not due to dumb idols made by human hands . It was accomplished by the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who sent his Archangel to give me a sword and strengthened me . I cannot deny my God and worship statues . " The king was mad , but held himself back , because he didn ' t want to loose a courageous hero like Marcorios . He tried to persuade him by promising him a higher position , and large sums of money , but to no avail . So he stripped him from all his gold medals and ranks . In all that , Marcorios ' faith was unshaken . Then the king ordered him to be thrown in jail . That did not stop the saint from praying and singing hymns in prison . During the night , Michael the Archangel appeared to him and told him , " Don ' t be afraid of the tortures . Confess your faith in Jesus publicly because He ' s the only one able to save you . " The next morning , the king called Marcorios and tried again to convince him to give up his faith . When he refused , the king decided to start the torturing . The soldiers hung the saint between two poles , higher than the ground so that they could hit him with sharp nails . They tried also to cut his body with sharp blades and burn it , but because of the Lord ' s grace , Marcorios was able to endure all these tortures in silence . Back in jail , the Archangel appeared and touched Marcorios ' body . He was instantly healed . The next day , when the king saw that the saint was in perfect health , he attributed it to witcheraft . Marcorios told him that it was Jesus who is the true healer of the soul and the body . Nevertheless , after Dicius tried so many tortures without any success , he decided to have him beheaded . Marcorios lifted up his arms and prayed fervently , asking the Lord - to accept him in paradise . Then , all of a sudden , he saw The Lord Jesus in a glorified vision , surrounded by many angels . Jesus said , " My chosen son , Marcorios , come to your eternal rest with the saints . Your prayers have risen up to me like the aroma of good - smelling incense . Miracles will be performed in any church bearing your name . And I will save those who ask Me through your intercession . Whoever writes or reads the story of your life will have their names written in the Book of Life . " Then , after the Lord had blessed him , Marcorios was so happy that he ran to his executioners , and begged them to carry out the king ' s orders immediately . Then he knelt down and said , " Lord , do not count this sin against them . " Marcorios was martyred on the 4 th of December in the year 250 A . D . He was only 25 years old . After the end of the first persecution , God wanted to reveal the place of the saint ' s burial . Marcorios appeared to a poor man in the city , and told him that he was Marcorios the martyr of the Lord . " My body is buried in Cappadocia Gardens , under the old house on the way to the royal palace . My body looks as white as snow , because Jesus was present at the time of my martyrdom , " said the saint . The next morning , the man went to dig under the old house . Then he smelled perfume , and at the same time he saw the body of the saint . The news spread quickly and many people came to take a look at the blessed body . They moved it to the village ' s Church until they built a new church bearing his name , and Marcorios ' body was buried there with respect and devotion . A few years later , the Armenian patriarch visited Egypt and met with the Egyptian patriarch . The latter asked him if Egypt could have part of the relics of Saint Marcorios to be placed in the church that bears his name in old Cairo . on the 9 th of Baouna ( June 16 ) part of the blessed body was offered to Egypt . May the blessing and prayers of this great martyr and saint Marcorios Abu Sifein be with us all . Amen