Synaxarium

Commemoration of the transfer of the relics of Saint Jacob, known as the Mutilated. The translation of his life and martyrdom is found under the twenty-seventh day of the month Hathor. May his prayers be with us, and to our Lord be glory forever. Amen.

On this day, the Church commemorates the chief angel Gabriel the announcer, who, due to his great rank before God, was worthy to carry the good news of His only Son to the Virgin Mary. He was also the one who previously informed the prophet Daniel about the return of the people of Israel from captivity, about the coming of the Lord Christ, glory be to Him, for the salvation of the world, and about the heroes of the sacrifices. Amen.

On this day is the commemoration of Samson, one of the judges of the children of Israel. The name of this righteous man's father was Manoah from the tribe of Dan, and his mother was barren. The angel of the Lord came to her and announced his birth, commanding her to avoid defilements from food and to abstain from drinking wine as long as she was pregnant. She was also instructed not to shave his head because he was to be a Nazirite to God. By his hands, the salvation of the children of Israel from the people of Philistia was accomplished. When she informed her husband of what had happened, he asked God to show him the angel, and he appeared to him saying, "Command your wife to keep all that I have told her." She conceived and gave birth to this friend, and the Lord blessed him and the Spirit of God came upon him. At times he leapt upon a lion and tore it apart, and at other times he killed thirty men of the Philistines and burned their crops. Then the people of Judah rose up to fight and handed Samson over to the Philistines. He informed the men of Judah of this, and they swore to him, "Swear to us that you will not deliver us to them nor be killed." When they swore, he delivered himself to them. They bound him with two chains and handed him over to the Philistines, who came upon him to kill him. Then the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he broke the chains as if they were burnt flax. Then he found the jawbone of a donkey, took it, and fought with it, killing a thousand horsemen. When he was thirsty and near death, he prayed to God to provide him with water, and a spring of fresh water gushed forth for him to drink and regain strength. When they watched him entering Gaza to capture him, he rose at night, broke the gate of Gaza, carried it on his shoulders, and walked to the top of the mountain.

After that, they sent to his wife and promised her great gifts to learn from him the secret of his strength. When he informed her that his strength was in his hair because he was a Nazirite to God, she informed his enemies. They ambushed him, and when he slept, they entered and shaved his head, weakening his strength. They bound him and took him to their land, humiliated him, and gouged out his eyes. After this, his hair grew again, and his strength returned. He entered the temple of the idol on the day of the feast of the idol, where all the people of Gaza had gathered. He stood in the middle of the temple, grasped a column with his right hand and another with his left, then gathered his hands and said, "Let me die with my enemies." The two columns fell, and the temple collapsed with them, killing all who were inside. The number who died at that time was more than those he had killed during his lifetime. Then he also died among them. His period of rule over the children of Israel was twenty years. Then he departed in peace. To our Lord be glory forever. Amen.