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and do not be disheartened; for I am the one you seek, the servant of God and of Jesus Christ, Longinus, to whom you were sent.” But the men, when they heard this, were troubled and became speechless, being unable to speak. And Saint Longinus said to them: “Do not be disheartened, brothers, but let us eat and drink and go to the one who sent you. For I have sold my body to Christ, that I may buy my soul from him.” But they, hearing these things, said to him with tears: “No, but we will go and make a defense for you to the one who sent us; for if you are truly Longinus, we too will die with you. And we are not doing this thing to you, to lead you away to the one who sent us.”

22 But seeing that they were pierced to the heart by the spirit of God, he said to them: “If you show mercy to me, do it this way: take my head and carry it to the emperor, and you will be without care all the days of your life.” But they, being afraid, did not want to endure it. But he made them swear an oath, twice urging them to do this. And they, having been urged for a long time to do this, said to him: “Intercede for us then in your army, that it may not be counted to us as a sin.” And when he said he would do this for them, they cut off his head. Having beheaded Saint Longinus, therefore, they brought the head to the emperor; and the clamor of the lawless ceased. And the head of Saint Longinus was kept by the prefect Lucius. But the men of the village, where the saint of God was, taking the body, placed it in that village.

23 But a certain widow named Christe was troubled by a wild spirit, terribly cutting herself, being of the nobility. And she was planning on the next day to travel to the east; but having heard about those healed by Jesus, on that night she wanted to go. And Saint Longinus appeared to her without his head. <Καὶ> to her saying, “Who has come here?” Saint Longinus said to her: “Do you want to be healed?” And she said: “Yes, lord, I pray for this.” And the saint said to her: “Go to Jerusalem, and find out the house of Lucius the prefect, and ask for the head of Longinus the centurion, and carry it to my body, and you will be saved; for I am Longinus, the one grazing the sheep by the road, and I have not rested in the tomb in which I was buried until now; but do this and you will be healed in the name of Jesus Christ. And not only will you be healed, but I will also enlist your son, for it is I without a head who is speaking to you.”

24 And when the woman heard these things, rising up and taking leave of the friends she had, she went on her way and having come to the monument, she cried out with a loud voice, saying: “Lord, who is in this place, as you have spoken to me in the vision, I am going, and help me.” And immediately the place was shaken and a voice came to her, saying: “Go, it is Christ who helps you.” And she, having heard this voice, went on her whole journey in joy; and having come to Jerusalem, she learned from the people of the city the house of the prefect, in order to seek out the head of Saint Longinus. And the prefect gave it for a price of silver, the sum of two hundred denarii. And having taken it, the woman was praying and glorifying God for being deemed completely worthy of the grace of God.

25 And having taken the head of the honorable Longinus with her son Christion, she prepared to set out in the evening. And behold, three angels appeared to her, whose glory she could not look upon, and in their hands were white candles, and going before her they hymned God throughout the whole night. And when the dawn was rising, they rested in the place they had reached to partake of food. And after three days she brought the head of the honorable Longinus to his village, having traveled abroad

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μηδὲ ἀθυμεῖτε· ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι ὃν ζητεῖτε, ὁ δοῦλος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Λογγῖ νος, πρὸς ὃν ἀπεστάλητε.» Οἱ δὲ ἄνδρες ἀκούσαντες ἐταράχθη σαν καὶ ἐγένοντο ἐννεοί, λαλῆσαι μὴ δυνάμενοι. Καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ ἅγιος Λογγῖνος· «Μὴ ἀθυμεῖτε, ἀδελφοί, ἀλλὰ φάγω μεν καὶ πίωμεν καὶ ἀπέλθωμεν πρὸς τὸν ἀποστείλαντα ὑμᾶς. Ἐγὼ γὰρ πέπρακά μου τὸ σῶμα τῷ Χριστῷ, ἵνα ἀγοράσω τὴν ψυχήν μου παρ' αὐτοῦ.» Οἱ δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούσαντες εἶπαν αὐτῷ μετὰ δακρύων· «Μή, ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς ἀπελθόντες ἀπολογησόμεθα ὑπὲρ σοῦ τῷ πέμψαντι ἡμᾶς· εἰ γὰρ ὄντως σὺ εἶ ὁ Λογγῖνος, ἀποθνῄσκομεν καὶ ἡμεῖς σὺν σοί. Καὶ τοῦτο οὐ πράττομεν εἰς σὲ τοῦ ἀπαγαγεῖν σε πρὸς τὸν πέμψαντα ἡμᾶς.»

22 Ἰδὼν δὲ ὅτι κατηνύγησαν ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ θεοῦ, εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· «Εἰ ποιεῖτε ἔλεος μετ' ἐμοῦ, οὕτως ποιή σατε· λάβετε τὴν κεφαλήν μου καὶ ἀπενέγκατε τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ ἀμέριμνοι ἔσεσθε πάσας τᾶς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς ὑμῶν.» Οἱ δὲ φοβηθέντες οὐκ ἤθελον ἀνέχεσθαι. Ὁ δὲ ὥρκισεν αὐτοὺς δὶς παρακαλῶν τοῦτο ποιῆσαι. Οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ πολὺ παρακληθέντες τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτόν· «Πρέσβευε οὖν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ στρατιᾷ σου, τοῦ μὴ λογισθῆναι ἡμῖν εἰς ἁμαρτίαν.» Τοῦ δὲ φήσαντος αὐτοῖς τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, ἀπέτεμον αὐτοῦ τὴν κεφα λήν. Ἀποκεφαλίσαντες τοίνυν τὸν ἅγιον Λογγῖνον, ἐκόμισαν τὴν κεφαλὴν τῷ βασιλεῖ· καὶ ἐπαύσατο ὁ θόρυβος τῶν παρανόμων. Ἦν δὲ ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῦ ἁγίου Λογγίνου φυλαττομένη παρὰ τῷ ἐπάρχῳ Λουκίῳ. Οἱ δὲ ἄνδρες τῆς κώμης, ἔνθα ἦν ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ, λαβόντες τὸ σῶμα ἔθηκαν ἐν τῇ κώμῃ ἐκείνῃ.

23 Γυνὴ δέ τις χήρα ὀνόματι Χρηστὴ ὠχλεῖτο ὑπὸ πνεύμα τος ἀγρίου, δεινῶς ἑαυτὴν κατακόπτουσα, οὖσα τῶν εὐγενῶν. Ἐνεθυμεῖτο δὲ τῇ ἐπαύριον πορευθῆναι ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ· ἀκού σασα δὲ περὶ τῶν ἰαθέντων παρὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, τῇ νυκτὶ ἐκείνῃ ἐβούλετο πορευθῆναι. Ἐφάνη δὲ αὐτῇ ὁ ἅγιος Λογγῖνος ἐκτὸς τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ. <Καὶ> λεγούσῃ «Τίς ἥκει ὧδε;» εἶπεν αὐτῇ ὁ ἅγιος Λογγῖνος· «Θέλεις ἰαθῆναι;» Ἡ δὲ εἶπεν· «Ναί, κύριε, αὐτὸ εὔχομαι.» Εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτὴν ὁ ἅγιος· «Πορεύ θητι εἰς Ἰερουσαλήμ, καὶ κατάμαθε τὴν οἰκίαν Λουκίου τοῦ ἐπάρχου, καὶ ζήτησον τὴν κεφαλὴν Λογγίνου τοῦ ἑκατοντάρχου, καὶ διακόμισον αὐτὴν πρὸς τὸ σῶμά μου, καὶ σωθήσῃ· ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι Λογγῖνος, ὁ νέμων τὰ πρόβατα παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, καὶ οὐκ ἀναπέπαυμαι ἐν ᾗ ἐτάφην ταφῇ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν· ἀλλὰ τοῦτο ποί ησον καὶ ἰαθήσῃ ἐπ' ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Οὐ μόνον δὲ σὺ ἰαθήσῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν υἱόν σου στρατεύσω, ὅτι εἰμὶ ἐγὼ ἐκτὸς τῆς κεφαλῆς ὁ λαλῶν σοι.»

24 Ἀκούσασα δὲ ταῦτα ἡ γυνή, διαναστᾶσα καὶ συνταξαμέ νη οἷς εἶχεν φίλοις, ἐπορεύετο ἐπὶ τὴν ὁδὸν καὶ ἐλθοῦσα ἐπὶ τὸ μνημεῖον ἔκραξεν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ, λέγουσα· «Κύριε, ὁ ἐν τῷ τό πῳ τούτῳ, καθὼς σὺ εἴρηκάς μοι ἐν τῇ ὁράσει, πορεύομαι καὶ βοήθησόν μοι.» Καὶ εὐθέως ἐσείσθη ὁ τόπος καὶ φωνὴ ἦλθεν πρὸς αὐτὴν λέγουσα· «Πορεύου, ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν ὁ βοηθῶν σοι.» Ἡ δὲ ἀκούσασα τῆς φωνῆς ταύτης ἐπορεύετο ἐν χαρᾷ ὅλην τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτῆς· ἐλθοῦσα δὲ εἰς Ἰερουσαλήμ, ἐμάνθανεν παρὰ τῶν τῆς πόλεως τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ ἐπάρχου, τοῦ ἐκζητῆσαι τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ ἁγίου Λογγίνου. Καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν ὁ ἔπαρχος τιμῆς ἀργυρίου τὸν ἀριθμὸν διακοσίων δηναρίων. Καὶ λαβοῦσα αὐτήν, ἡ γυνὴ ἦν εὐχομένη καὶ δοξάζουσα τὸν θεὸν τοῦ τελεί ως καταξιωθῆναι τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ.

25 Λαβοῦσα δὲ τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ τιμίου Λογγίνου μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτῆς Χρηστίονος, ἡτοιμάζετο τοῦ ἐξελθεῖν τῇ ἑσπέρᾳ. Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐφάνησαν αὐτῇ τρεῖς ἄγγελοι, ὧν τὴν δόξαν βλέπειν οὐκ ἠδύνατο, καὶ ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτῶν κηροὶ λευκοί, καὶ προπο ρευόμενοι ὕμνουν τὸν θεὸν δι' ὅλης τῆς νυκτός. Ἡνίκα δὲ ἀνέ βαινεν ὁ ὄρθρος, ἀνεπαύοντο εἰς ὃν ἔφθασαν τόπον τοῦ μεταλα βεῖν τροφῆς. ∆ιὰ δὲ τριῶν ἡμερῶν ἤνεγκεν τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ τιμίου Λογγίνου ἐν τῇ κώμῃ αὐτοῦ, ἀποδημήσασα