When Constantius Caesar (337-361), Emperor of Byzantium, deliberately killed his uncle Julius Constantius, the brother of Saint Constantine the Great, and his eldest son, his remaining sons, Gallus and Julian, could be saved from his oppression. At that time, according to what was said, Mark was in grave danger as he agreed to hide Julian and secretly provide him with everything he needed.

Raqs was the bishop of Aretuza (Artouz), which Patriarch Macarius of Antioch, son of the leader, in the 17th century AD, indicated that its name, in his time, was “a ruin,” north of the Lebanese city of Tripoli. This is Julian, who became emperor in the year 361 and was called the ungrateful because after he was a reader in the church, he converted to paganism and tried, with all his malice and tyranny, to undermine the foundations of Christianity. He was not allowed to realize his dream, and he died dead less than two years after starting his project to re-establish paganism. On the land of the empire again.

However, Julian caused a massive campaign of persecution against Christians and their symbols, the repercussions of which reverberated everywhere, and he unleashed the pagans to avenge themselves and regain their former glory. Many churches were destroyed, temples were recovered, some people were exiled, and others fell as martyrs. Among those who were martyred in those days were those whom we commemorate today, including Mark Al-Artuzi, who had previously saved Julian from death, as we indicated.

Following Julian's accession to the throne, he ordered the Christians to rebuild the pagan temples that they had destroyed during the rule of his predecessors Constantine and Constantius, at their expense. Mark had demolished a luxurious building that had a special place in the hearts of the pagans, and built a church and converted a large number of halls. The pagans remained silent reluctantly and had a strong hatred for Mark. When they had the opportunity, their hatred exploded with violence, revenge, and abuse.

Following the outbreak of persecution and the spread of commotion among the pagans in Artuz, Mark realized that the hour of darkness had arrived, so he rose and disappeared from sight. But when he learned that the pagans had captured a number of the Christians of Artuz and abused them and did not want to release them before Mark surrendered himself, he came out of his hiding place and came to them. They arrested him and dragged him through the streets by his hair. When they stripped him of his clothes, they flogged him brutally, leaving no place on his body without insulting him, humiliating him, and degrading him to the utmost degree. Then they threw it into the waste and sewage pit. When they took him out, they handed him over to the boys' amusement and incited them to poke him with sharp objects without mercy. They also tied his legs with ropes and tightened them until the ropes penetrated his flesh and reached his bones. They also tied his ears with strong wires and tightened them. After they did all this, they started pushing him. This one kicks him, this one hits him with a stick, and that one hits him with a fist. Then they put honey and broth on his body and locked him in what looked like a cage, hanging him in the air while the sun was burning, at midday. Their intention was to summon wasps and mosquitoes to sting and torture him. In the midst of the outbursts of hatred in this manner, and in the midst of pain and suffering, Mark remained calm as the days grew old and filled him with grace, wisdom, and peace beyond all understanding. They were urging him to rebuild the temple for them, but he did not care. They said, “Give us money that we cannot be satisfied with.” He said, “It is blasphemy for you to be given a single penny to build a temple for a deaf god.” Finally, they exhausted their hatred, and it was astonishing that some of them's disdain for him turned into admiration for his patience, steadfastness, and strength of himself, until they released him, and some of them begged him to teach him how to achieve such a level of sobriety, calm, steadfastness, and patience. It has been said that he spent the rest of his days managing the affairs of Christ’s flock in Artuz until he rested in peace in the Lord at the time of Jovianus, or perhaps Caesar Walens, around the year 364 AD. It was also said that he was a moderate Arian for some time, but the testimonies of Saint Gregory the Theologian and historians Theodoretus and Sozomenus stated that he joined Orthodoxy and there was no longer any blame on him, starting from the end of the reign of Emperor Constantius Caesar.

This is according to Saint Mark, and as for Saint Cyril, Theodoretos told him that he was a deacon of the Church of Baalbek. When a royal order was issued to demolish the Temple of Venus in Baalbek, Cyril attacked the place with great enthusiasm and incited the people to destroy it. The pagans had intense hatred for him, but they suppressed their anger until an appropriate time. When the days turned and the hour of darkness arrived, they took revenge on him and on those they could reach, nuns and church servants. During the year 362 AD, the pagans stormed a monastery for nuns and took its occupants to the place where the temple of Pence was located. There they were exposed to a lot of humiliation and humiliation.

As for Cyril, the misguided people pounced on him, dragged him through the mud, and beat him fatally, relentlessly. Then they opened his chest, removed his liver, and ate it raw like a predatory animal. But their crime did not remain unpunished for long. The teeth of those who committed it were reportedly crumbled, some were eaten by worms, and others lost their sight.

In Ashkelon and Gaza, two Palestinian cities, paganism was fierce. There also the pagans seized church servants and consecrated women, tore out their entrails, put barley in the cages of their chests, and threw them to feed the pigs.

Likewise, the attackers in Sebastia opened the box of the remains of the glorious Saint John the Forerunner and threw them into the fire, scattering their ashes in every direction.

Despite everything, despite these terrible atrocities, neither Julian nor the pagans succeeded in restoring idol worship, and the people, in large part, remained indifferent to it to the point that when Julian wanted to hold a great feast for Apollon in Antioch, he was surprised that the temple was empty except for him and his entourage while he was there. The townsfolk outside mock him.

Our Orthodox Church celebrates them on 3/29 Eastern, 4/11 Western.