Description
Saint Benjamin
Feast day: March 31
The name originates from Hebrew, meaning “son of the south” or “son of the right hand.”
Benjamin lived in Persia in the 4th and 5th centuries. After twelve years of peace for Persian Christians, a Christian bishop set fire to a temple, which was very important to the Persians. Consequently, the king destroyed all Christian churches and began to persecute Christians. As Benjamin was a deacon, he was imprisoned. After a year of captivity, he was released on the condition that he would not speak to anyone about his faith. He did not comply with this condition, believing that preaching the Christian faith was his duty. He was brought before the king, who sentenced him to a terrible punishment: thin thorns were repeatedly driven through his nails, and in the end, he was killed.
Name Variations: Ben, Benji, Bennie, Benny
