This saint's name was "Ruh" before he converted to Christianity. He was from the nobles of Damascus, and lived near a monastery named after Saint Theodore, the army commander. He was immoral, loved debauchery, and was a drunkard. He would remove the crosses from their places in the church, tear the altar robes, and harass and annoy the priest during prayer time, throwing clay balls at him from a hole in the church ceiling.

One day, in the church, he noticed an icon of Saint Theodore. He took his bow and shot an arrow at the icon, but when the arrow approached the icon, it bent back and pierced his hand. Rouh was amazed and stunned. In the evening, he thought about the matter and stayed up all night. When he closed his eyes, Saint Theodore came to him in a dream and said, “You have hurt me with your actions and tampering with my temple… so change your mind and believe in Christ, and come to life.” Rouh woke up terrified and amazed by the dream, which ignited in his heart the fire of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

At dawn, he mounted his horse and went out to a place called “Al-Kiswa,” where he met a number of believers on their way to Jerusalem for pilgrimage. He walked with them until he reached Jerusalem, and entered upon the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Elijah, and told him everything he had seen and heard and the words of Saint Theodore, and asked to be baptized. The Patriarch sent him to the Monastery of Saint John the Baptist in the Jordan River. When Rouh arrived at the monastery - in the place where the Lord Jesus Christ was baptized - two monks saw him, so he asked them to baptize him, and they answered his question. When he came up from the water, they made the sign of the cross over him and said to him: “From now on your name will be Anthony,” and they dressed him in the monastic schema, then released him.

Anthony returned to Damascus, and his family and his people saw him dressed as a monk. They were amazed at him and said to him: “What have you done to yourself, and what is this garment that we see on you?” He answered them: “I have become a Christian, believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.” They dragged him through the market of Damascus and took him to its judge, who said to him: “Woe to you, why did you abandon the religion (Islam) in which you were born, and become an infidel Christian?” Anthony answered him: “This is too little for me to gain the approval of my Lord Jesus Christ.” When the judge heard what he said, he beat him and ordered him to be imprisoned. He remained in prison for seven months.

Then the judge referred Anthony's case to Harun al-Rashid, who ordered him to be brought to Baghdad to try him himself. When Anthony appeared before him, the Caliph said to him: "What made you do to yourself what you have done? Return from this evil opinion of yours and do not be deceived." Anthony answered him and said: "I was not deceived, but I believed and was guided to the Lord Jesus Christ who came into the world as light and salvation for all who believe in Him, and today I am a Christian who believes in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." When the Caliph heard his words, he ordered his neck to be struck. The date of his martyrdom was Christmas Day in the year 800. The Holy Church began to celebrate his feast on the twenty-fourth of December.

The biography of this martyr saint was taken from the book “The Forgotten Saints” by Archimandrite Thomas, published by Al-Nour Publications in 1995, which he derived from ancient manuscripts of the Synaxarium.