Greatmartyr Panteleimon (or Pantaleon) was the Unmercenary Healer martyred under the reign of Emperor Maximian (ca. 305 A.D.). Saint Panteleimon had been educated as a physician and dedicated his life to the suffering, the sick, the unfortunate, and the needy. He treated all those who turned to him without charge, healing them in the name of Jesus Christ. He visited those held captive in prison. These were usually Christians, and he healed them of their wounds. Saint Panteleimon is venerated in the Orthodox Church as a mighty saint and the protector of soldiers. This aspect of his veneration is derived from his first name Pantaleon, which means “a lion in everything”. His second name, Panteleimon, given him at Baptism, which means “all-merciful,” manifests in the veneration of the martyr as a healer. The connection between these two aspects of the saint is readily apparent in that soldiers, receiving wounds more frequently than others, are more in need of a physician-healer. Christians waging spiritual warfare also have recourse to this saint, asking him to heal their spiritual wounds.
The holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon is invoked in the Mystery of Anointing the Sick, at the Blessing of Water, and in the Prayers for the Sick.
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