the holy new martyrs of eastern russia - Coptic Orthodox teaching

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1923. He was disenfranchised. After the closure of the monastery, although he
was far from the oldest hieromonk, he was elected superior of the parish
church in which the monks assembled. At his interrogation he said:
"I have never, and do not now, belong to any political parties. I consider
Soviet power to be given from God, but a power that is from God must fulfil
the will of God, and Soviet power does not fulfil the will of God. Therefore it
is not from God, but from Satan. It closes churches, mocks the holy icons,
teaches children atheism, etc. That is, it fulfills the will of Satan... It is better to
die with faith than without faith. I am a real believer, faith has saved me in
battles, and I hope that in the future faith will save me from death. I firmly
believe in the Resurrection of Christ and His Second Coming. I have not gone
against the taxes, since it says in Scripture: 'To Caesar what is Caesar's, and to
God what is God's.' I cannot recognise myself to be guilty. I have never
conducted any anti-Soviet agitation and do not do so now."
Hieromonk Barlaam, in the world Victor Semyonovich Pokhilyuk, was a
60-year-old monk who lived an ascetic and heremitic life. He was born in 1870
in the village of Porpurovtsy, Vinnitsa uyezd, Kamenets-Podolsk province, in
the family of a peasant. Having completed his studies in a parish school, he
was enrolled as a novice in the Hierarchical House in Kishinev. On November
19, 1900 he was tonsured by Bishop James (Pyatnitsky) of Kishinev, receiving
the name Barlaam. When Vladyka James was transferred to Yaroslavl, he was
made a member of the Hierarchical House in Yaroslavl. Vladyka loved Fr.
Barlaam's simplicity and humility, and ordained him to the diaconate (on
August 16) and then, on May 18, 1907, to the priesthood. And he took Fr.
Barlaam with him when he was transferred to the diocese of Kazan in 1910.
There Fr. Barlaam fulfilled the duties of steward in the Hierarchical House.
However, in 1912 he asked Vladyka to transfer him to the quiet Raithu Desert,
so that there, far from the noise of the city, he could seek salvation in prayer
and fasting. Here he was appointed to serve in the village of Vasilyevo, and
from January, 1917 - in the village of Pomarakh. He was disenfranchised.
After the closure of the monastery in 1928 he was imprisoned for four days.
At his trial he recognised Soviet power as being given from God, but said that
it was established "because of the sins of the people". He also rejected the
accusation that he was a drunkard, saying that none of the monks drank. On
January 27, 1930 he was arrested in a group church case, and on February 20
was sentenced to death. He was shot on April (or March) 7, 1930.
Hieromonk Job, in the world Ivan Andreyevich Protopopov, was born in
1880 or 1870 in Odessa, being a Ukrainian by origin. He was tonsured in 1907
and until 1917 lived in Kiev. In October, 1917 he went to Kazan and entered
the Sviyazhsk Dormition monastery, where the superior was the future
hieromartyr Bishop Ambrose of Sarapul. Fr. Job became his cell-attendant
and was in prison with him. After the martyrdom of Vladyka Ambrose in
August, 1918, Hierodeacon Job entered the Raithu Desert. Until December,
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