From the Prologue of Ochrid
Born of noble parents in Samosata in Syria. In his youth he acquired a very broad education, both secular and spiritual. A man renowned as much for his learning as for the ascetic strictness of his life. Having distributed his property to the poor, he supported himself by composing instructive works, and from that, as from a kind of handicraft, he fed himself. He rendered a very great service to the Church by correcting, according to the Hebrew text, many places in Holy Scripture which the heretics had corrupted in accordance with their perverse teaching. Because of his learning and spirituality he was ordained a presbyter in Antioch. During the persecution of Maximian, when Saint Anthimus of Nicomedia and Saint Peter of Alexandria had been tormented, Saint Lucian was also placed on the list of those whom the emperor desired to put to death. Lucian fled from the city and hid, but he was betrayed by an envious heretical priest, Pancratius. At that time the persecution was terrible. Not even small children were spared. Two boys who refused to eat of the sacrifices offered to idols were cast into a scalding bath, where in torment they surrendered their holy souls to God. A certain disciple of Lucian named Pelagia, in order to preserve her virginal purity from debauched assailants, threw herself from the roof of a house to the ground and was killed. Lucian was brought to Nicomedia before the emperor. On the way, by his counsel he succeeded in converting forty soldiers to the faith of Christ. And all suffered a martyr's end. After examination and beating, Saint Lucian was cast into prison, where he was tortured by hunger. "He despised hunger," writes Saint John Chrysostom about Saint Lucian, "let us too despise luxury and destroy the dominion of the belly, so that when the time comes which demands such courage of us, being prepared in advance by lesser ascetic labors, we may show ourselves glorious in the time of battle." On the eve of Theophany he received Holy Communion in prison, and the next day surrendered his spirit to God. He suffered on January 7, in the year 311.
