A Because of this the Persians seized him, and tortured him severely. And because of the many bonds, he was like one dead, barely breathing. And lying there, he opened his eyes, and said to those who stood by: "Arise, and make prayers to God; for behold, I see a ladder reaching to heaven, and fiery men upon it, saying to me: 'Come with us, and we shall lead you into a city full of joy, and gladness, and light.'" With these words he breathed his last: and his holy soul flew up to the heavenly city, which he had seen. But his body lies buried in Persia, awaiting the final and terrible resurrection, when he too shall rise with all others, and enjoy the immortal kingdom of Christ our God.
On the same month. The second day.
BCommemoration of the holy and blessed Philaret the Merciful.
In the reign of the most religious Empress Irene, this man flourished; originating from the region of Paphlagonia, he possessed indeed quite ample wealth, which he had gathered for himself through his own labor; but afterwards, through diabolical envy, he was reduced to poverty, yet he did not therefore forget almsgiving. From one example of his beneficence, it will be made plain how incredible was his liberality towards the poor. Once, the ox of his neighbor had wandered off: the neighbor approached Philaretus, and found him in his field sowing with oxen joined under the yoke. But Philaretus, seeing the man overcome with sorrow, unyoked one of the oxen and gave it to him, and he himself took the yoke upon himself with the other ox and returned home. God, intending to reward this virtue, brought it about that the empress arranged for Maria, his granddaughter, to be wedded to her son C Constantine. By which it came to pass that his family was enriched. But he himself became more inclined towards the poor, and flourishing until old age, he died, and was buried in the monastery of Kriseos.On the same day.
Commemoration of the holy prophet Habakkuk.
This man was of the tribe of Simeon from the region of Judea: he prophesied concerning the captivity and the destruction of Jerusalem, the city of the Hebrews, and about the slaughter and the servitude of the people. But when Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the Persians, had come against Jerusalem, he fled and went to a foreign land; and as soon as the Persians retreated, and those of the Jews who remained had gone down into Egypt, he returned himself also to his own land, and was D serving the reapers of his field: and when he was once bringing lunch to them, he said to his own household: "I am going a long path: but if I delay for a longer time, take food yourselves to the reapers." Having said these things, he was caught up by an angel to Babylon, which was distant twelve hundred and sixty-five miles, and he gave the food to the prophet Daniel, who was shut up in the pit: and being carried home again, he brought another lunch to the reapers, having disclosed the matter to no one.After having prophesied many other things, he died and was buried. A
On the same day. The contest of the holy martyr Abibus.
Under the reign of the emperor Licinius, this man was a deacon and a teacher of Christ’s Church, and as he instructed all who came to him in the word of truth. Having learned of this, the emperor, in his anger, sent men to arrest him and subject him to torture. Then, having kindled a great furnace, he threw him into it. In it, the saint, singing psalms and giving thanks, met his end; those [who were] Christians secretly carried him away and, having anointed him with myrrh and incense, buried him with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs along with the holy confessors Gurias and Samonas, B who were distinguished by the miracle that they saved from death the girl to whom a certain Goth, having sworn in the temple of these same saints that he would keep his marriage vows, had soon deceived and reduced to slavery, and what is more, had thrown alive into a tomb; but these saints, since they answered her (for it was in their temple that the Goth had sworn, and thus he had taken the girl), rescued her from death.
OF THE SAME MONTH. THE THIRD DAY. [г]
The contest of the holy great-martyr Theodore, Bishop of Alexandria.
The people in Alexandria of Egypt, and especially the Greeks, being without faith, were bitter, harsh, and cruel toward the saints, and because of this they brought about [the deaths of] many martyrs. C Among these martyrs was this holy Theodore, because the people of Alexandria, having learned that this holy Theodore confessed Christ and believed in Him, and taught the Greeks to hold Him as God, rushed upon him with bitterness; and having seized him, first they punished him severely. Afterward, having woven a crown of thorns, they placed it upon his head; and they struck his eyes, and he was mocked with jokes and contempt. Then, having been bound, he was thrown into the sea. But coming out of it unharmed, by the order of the prefect he was beheaded; and his holy and blessed spirit ascended to the heavens; but his precious relics were deposited in that same city of Alexandria, providing healings to those who approach them until the present day. D
On the same day. Commemoration of the holy and glorious prophet Sophonias.
This holy and glorious prophet Sophonias was from the tribe of Simeon, the son of the patriarch Jacob and brother of the most beautiful Joseph, and fulfilling all the commandments of God, and walking in his precepts, he received the gift of prophecy. And he prophesied concerning the destruction and desolation of Jerusalem, and concerning the extermination of the Jews; and that, once the Hebrews had been completely rejected, a special people of God would be chosen from the Gentiles, with the utmost disgrace and shame of the wicked, and the utmost glory and honor of the righteous; which finally Christ the Lord...
will render to everyone according to his works. After Sophonias had predicted all these things, he died, and his body was buried in his house, and there it lies, awaiting the final resurrection. He was very similar to John the Theologian in appearance and physical features, except that his chin was a little rounder. A
On the same day. Commemoration of Saint Theodulus. Saint Theodulus was from the island of Cyprus. From his youth, having renounced the affairs of this world, he embraced Christ with all his soul and became a monk. He was so taken with enthusiasm for the poverty and humility of Christ that, instead of a soft mattress, he used stones, and, lying upon them, he would take his sleep. Thus, therefore, by much continence and by macerating his body with sleeping on the ground, he received many other spiritual gifts; but most especially this one: that he could peer into the thoughts of all men. B Therefore, if anyone spoke something other than what he believed, he would rebuke him and declare whatever that person had conceived in his mind. Indeed, by feigning folly, he would also rebuke the deeds of each individual, converting sinners to repentance. Having lived in this way, and having saved many through his conduct and doctrine, he passed away in peace, and his remains, deposited in Cyprus, pour forth healings.
In the same month. Day the fourth. C The Contest of Saint Barbara, martyr. Saint Barbara the martyr was from the East, the daughter of Dioscorus, a certain Gentile, during the times of the impious emperor Maximian. Her father, fearing that his daughter might be abducted on account of her extraordinary beauty, locked her up in a very high tower that he had built himself, and gave her idols to worship. But she, having smashed the idols and being inflamed with the love of Christ, worshipped Him. Whence also, when her father had ordered a bathhouse to be built and commanded the workmen to make one window in it, she, after her father’s departure, looking out from the tower, ordered three windows to be opened in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. D Being discovered by her father, therefore, to be a Christian, she was handed over to the prefect to be tortured. Then, seizing an opportunity for escape, she rushed to the mountain, which her father himself, pursuing at full speed, overtook and beheaded with his own hands; but as he was descending from the mountain, fire fell from heaven and he was consumed.
In the same month. Day the fifth. Commemoration of our holy Father Sabas. During the reign of Theodosius the Younger, this holy Sabas flourished, born in the region of Cappadocia to John and Sophia. From his earliest age, bidding farewell to his parents and the world, he went away and became a monk. But kindled by a desire for greater struggles and greater virtue,
A he betook himself to the great Euthymius, by whom he was sent to the lower monastery to Saint Theoctistus, where he strove for virtue with such intensity that he not only surpassed all the monks but also gained fame among the Emperors Anastasius and Justinian; for he was sent to them as a mediator by the Patriarchs of Jerusalem. After he had instructed many in virtue, founded many monasteries, and performed many miracles—of which this one is remembered, that he brought forth water from the earth—he migrated to the Lord at the age of eighty-five.
IN THE SAME MONTH The sixth day B Commemoration of our holy father Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia.
This great pontiff and wonder-worker flourished under the Emperor Constantine the Great, serving as bishop in the city of Myra in Lycia. At first, he lived a monastic life, devoting himself with all his soul to virtue. Afterwards, having been ordained bishop, he performed many miracles. He liberated from death three men who had been falsely accused, cast into chains, and were being led to punishment; for he ran to them, and with the sword now hanging over their necks, he snatched it from the hands of the executioner and set them free. Similarly, three others had been falsely accused of conspiracy against the Emperor Constantine by the praefect Ablabius, and having been locked in the praetorium, they were about to be beheaded when they called upon Saint Nicholas. He came to Constantinople in a dream, and commanded the emperor and the praefect to release them. After performing many other miracles, he passed away in peace.
IN THE SAME MONTH The seventh day Commemoration of our holy father Ambrose, Bishop of Milan.
Ambrose, the admirable, was from the city of Rome, of the senatorial order, in the times of Constantius and Constans, sons of Constantine the Great. Because of his many virtues and his justice, he was made Bishop of Milan, D and he lived until the times of Theodosius the Great. When he was inflamed with divine zeal and possessed a free spirit, and saw that Theodosius the Great, having been vehemently moved, had sent an army and ordered the slaughter of the people of Thessalonica who had sinned against the emperor, he stood at the entrance of the temple on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, and when the emperor wished to enter to pray and partake of the sacred mysteries, he prohibited his entry, saying, "The Church of God does not admit homicide, and especially those who have slaughtered Christians of the same race as himself." The emperor marveled at the saint, and having honored him, he withdrew, affirming that Ambrose was truly a bishop. He, indeed, after having done many other things worthy of memory, died and was buried.
ON THE SAME MONTH. The Eighth Day.
A 14 The contest of the holy martyr Athenodorus. This saint was from Mesopotamia of Syria, a pious monk and fearing God, in the times of the Emperor Diocletian. Being denounced by the idolaters because he held Christ for God, he was apprehended by Eleusius the governor, and bound with ropes to two columns, and burned with lighted torches. Then they placed burning iron spheres in his armpits, and stretched him out upon a huge fiery plate, equal in size to a door; soon they enclosed him within a bronze ox beneath which a flame was set. But he, delivered by angelic ministry from all these things, brought eighty men to the faith of Christ and made them Christians. The prefect therefore ordered that he be beheaded. And when the executioner threatened his neck with a drawn sword, the hand which held the sword was suddenly torn off from the shoulder and fell to the ground together with the blade. Wherefore no one else dared to approach him. But the saint made an end of his life.ON THE SAME MONTH. The Ninth Day.
15 The conception of the holy Anne, mother of the Theotokos. C When our Lord and God wished to prepare for Himself an animated temple and a holy house as His own dwelling, He sent His angel to the just Joachim and Anne, from whom He had destined His own Mother according to the flesh to proceed, and He announced the conception of the unfruitful and sterile one, so that He might produce faith in the fertility of the Virgin. She was conceived, therefore, and the holy Virgin Mary was born, not, as some say, at seven months, or without the work of a man, but with nine full months completed, by promise indeed, yet from the conjunction of a man: for our Lord and God Jesus Christ alone was born of the holy Virgin without a man, and without commixtion and seed, in a manner known to Him alone, but to us ineffable and inexplicable; and although He was perfect God, He perfectly assumed all things which pertain to the economy of the flesh, just as He created and fashioned human nature from the beginning.On the same day.
16 Commemoration of our holy Father John, bishop, who afterwards withdrew into the Laura of Saint Sabas. D John, the servant of Christ, was born at Nicopolis in Armenia. After his parents had died, in the reign of the Emperor Marcian, having distributed his wealth to the poor, he became a monk. But because of his virtue, he was ordained bishop of Colonia by the Archbishop of Sebaste; and having spent ten years in the episcopate, he resigned it, set out for Jerusalem, and withdrew into the Laura of Saint Sabas: where he progressed so much in virtues, that at one time, walking and weary from the labor of a journey, he was caught up by divine power to his cell, which was five miles fromthe place where he was in the middle of the road. But even when the Persians came against that region and arrived at the laura, they were blinded and could not see his cell. He asked God to see how the soul departs from the body; and he was granted his wish. And when he had lived in total a hundred and four years, he was perfected. A
On the same day. Commemoration of the holy apostles from the seventy: Sosthenes, Apollos, Cephas, Tychicus, Epaphroditus, Caesar, and Onesiphorus.
Of these holy apostles, Sosthenes, whom the holy apostle Paul mentions, became bishop of Colophon; Apollos, whom the same apostle also mentions in the first epistle to the Corinthians, became bishop of Caesarea; Tychicus, of whom the same apostle also makes mention, became the second bishop after Sosthenes of Colophon; Epaphroditus, whom the same apostle also mentions, B became bishop of Hadria; and Caesar, whom the same apostle also mentions, became bishop of Corone. All these, having lived well and guided their assigned Churches and people holily and religiously, and having endured many trials and tortures for Christ at the hands of the idolaters, were perfected, delivering their souls to the Lord, for whose sake they were willingly slaughtered. C
On the same day. Commemoration of our holy Father Patapius.
Our holy Father Patapius was from Thebes in Egypt. Having become a monk, he departed to the desert and remained quiet there for many years. Afterward, leaving the desert, he arrived in Constantinople, where he performed many miracles: he restored sight to the blind through prayer, and healed one suffering from dropsy by the anointing of holy oil; he also cured another who had a cancer, which, as the physicians say, is an incurable disease. And he cast out and drove away demons not only from human bodies but also from many places where they were harming people. And he performed many other miracles worthy of memory and record. Being such a man, and honored by emperors and patriarchs, and loved by all for his virtue, he received the end of his present life in peace, and delivered his blessed soul to the Lord. His precious relics were laid to rest in Constantinople. D
On the same day. Commemoration of our holy Father Sophronius, bishop of Constantia in Cyprus.
Our holy Father Sophronius was born on Cyprus, the great island, of Christian and pious parents. By the excellence of his intellect, he was learned in many sciences, and, reading the holy Scripture diligently, he meditated on the words of the Lord by night and by day. And he advanced so much in virtue and piety, that he became worthy of many gifts
and to perform many miracles. Thus, even after the death of Damianos, the most holy archbishop of Cyprus, he was ordained archbishop of the most holy Church of Cyprus by the suffrages of all the people and the bishops. Having assumed the government of the Church, he showed himself to be a leader of the poor, a helper of orphans, a defender of widows, a deliverer of those who were suffering, and a covering for the naked. Having spent the whole of his life in this manner without offense and without stain, and having fulfilled the commandments of God as far as he was able, he departed to the Lord in extreme old age.
ON THE SAME MONTH. The Tenth Day.
BThe contest of the holy martyrs Menas, Hermogenes, and Eugraphos.
The holy martyr Menas lived in the time of the Emperor Maximian. When a certain matter of dispute and questioning arose in the city of Alexandria, he was sent by the emperor to settle the quarrels, as one who excelled in wisdom and eloquence. Having traveled to Alexandria, he removed all controversy, made the Christians more prompt and encouraged, and healed those who were suffering from any illness. When the emperor learned of this, he sent the prefect Hermogenes, assigning him the task of using every kind of torture to lead the holy Menas away from the Christian faith. And he first gouged out the eyes of Menas, and then cut out his tongue. But when he saw him restored to health, Hermogenes himself believed; he was baptized by the holy Menas, and immediately ordained a bishop by the bishops who had gathered there. When this was reported to the emperor, he himself came and ordered them, together with his notary Eugraphos who had embraced the faith, to be most severely tortured and finally killed by the sword.
On the same day. The contest of the saint and multi-victorious Gemellos the Paphlagonian.
This saint was from the region of Paphlagonia. And having heard that Julian the Apostate was in Ancyra in Galatia, he went to him, and reproached him for being an apostate and an enemy of Christ. Because of this, Julian was indignant and began to torture Gemellos; first, he constrained him with an iron and burning belt, and, dripping with much blood, he took him with him to the city of Edessa; there, with burning awls, he pierced his shoulders; then, having fixed iron nails into his head, he stretched out the holy man on the ground and bound him on four sides, and flayed his skin from his feet up to his head. Finally, he put him on a cross, fastening his hands and feet with nails: and thus the holy man departed to God, giving thanks until his final breath.
ON THE SAME MONTH. The Eleventh Day.
DThe contest of the holy martyrs Aithalas and Apsai.
These saints were from the region of the Persians: and Aithalas
A indeed, being a priest of idols, came to know the faith in Christ in this manner. Falling ill, he resolved to go to the bishop of the Christians so that he might be cured: and having done so, he was immediately restored to health. Then he returned to his own city, that he might teach his relatives to become Christians. When the governor learned of this, he seized him, mutilated his ears, and threw him into prison. The holy deacon Apsai was also seized, and having confessed Christ, after being most bitterly tortured, was sent to the chief of the Magi together with the holy Aithalas. The chief of the Magi led them to the king: and when, in the presence of the king, they were questioned and urged to deny Christ, and yet could not be induced to do so, they finished by being beheaded. B
Eodem die. Commemoration of our holy Father Daniel the Stylite, who was in Anaplus.
This man was born in Mesopotamia of Syria during the reign of Leo the Great; when he was five years old, he departed to a monastery, and became a monk. After this, he went to the great Symeon the Stylite, who also blessed Daniel. Then, by divine revelation, having gone to Anaplus, he shut himself up in an idol temple, suffering many afflictions from the demons. Finally, having ascended a column, he became a Stylite: his constancy C and firmness of soul could never be broken by any cold, any heat, or any force of winds. He therefore performed many miracles, and predicted the fires and changes of the city, and was dear to all, and so admirable that the Emperor Leo used to approach him to request his prayers, from whom he learned many other things useful for the soul, and then this above all, that he should show himself merciful toward those who were at fault. Having lived in this manner, he died.
IN THE SAME MONTH. The Twelfth Day. Commemoration of our holy Father Spyridon, Bishop of Trimithus in Cyprus.
Our holy Father Spyridon lived during the reign of the Emperor Constantine, a man simple in his ways, humble of heart. He tended sheep. His wife having died, from whom he had received a daughter, he was ordained bishop, and became a renowned performer of miracles: for during a great drought, he obtained rain by his prayers; during a supreme scarcity of grain, he brought about an abundance of food; he converted a serpent into gold, and again, after the poor man had pawned the gold to procure food for himself, he turned it back into the nature of a serpent and sent it away; he caused a most rapid river to stand still. He also attended the Nicene Council and confounded the heretics. A certain woman had entrusted a deposit to his daughter; then she died, and when the deposit was sought, the old man asked the deceased woman, and
she replied, saying, “It is located in this place,” and having done many other things, she departed in peace.
On the same day.
The contest of Saint Synetus the martyr.
The martyr Synetus was from ancient Rome. A While still young in age, he was committed to the Roman bishop by his parents so that he might learn the holy scriptures, and he became a most holy reader of the Church in Rome. Being virtuous, and teaching many piety and the true faith, and reproving and mocking the gods of the Greeks, and calling the worshippers of idols miserable and deluded, he was reported to the emperor Aurelian. Being seized by him and interrogated, he freely confessed Christ, and though he was beaten severely and tortured in various ways, he could not be induced to deny Christ; after many tortures, his holy head was cut off, and he rendered up his blessed soul to the Lord. B
ON THE SAME MONTH. The thirteenth day.
The contest of the holy martyrs Eustratius, Auxentius, Eugenius, Mardarius, and Orestes.
At the time when Maximian and Diocletian stirred up the persecution against the Christians, the holy Eustratius was seized by Lysius the governor, and having been tortured with many cruelties; and with his feet fitted with sandals having sharp nails, he was forced to walk while being beaten with rods. Auxentius was most cruelly tortured and beheaded; his head remained hidden for a long time, but was eventually found lying on a tree, with a raven standing over it and making a sound as an omen. C But Saint Mardarius also endured countless tortures, having nothing else on his tongue but, “I am a Christian.” Therefore, having had his shins pierced and being suspended by his head, with his lower limbs scorched, he ended his life. Furthermore, Saint Eugenius, having had his tongue and both hands cut off, and after his legs had been broken with rods, expired. But Saint Orestes, having revealed the cross that he carried hidden, was seized, and having been placed upon a red-hot iron bed, migrated to the Lord. Saint Eustratius, for his part, after many tortures, was cast into a furnace and departed. D
On the same day.
The contest of Saint Lucia the virgin.
The martyr Lucia was born in Syracuse, on the great island of Sicily. She had a mother who was suffering from an issue of blood. And having taken her, she went to the city of Catania so that she might beseech the holy martyr Agatha, and that she might heal her. The holy martyr Agatha then visited the mother of Lucia, and prophesied concerning her that she would in the future undergo martyrdom for Christ. Having returned, they gave their property to the poor; but since she was striving to preserve her virginity, the man who wanted to marry her saw her as a wife, and...
denounced her to the governor of the city. Being seized, she was compelled to deny Christ. And since she was not persuaded, the governor ordered her to be carried off to a brothel. But she remained, by the grace of God, pure and untouched in that place, for God was guarding her. Finally, they lit a great furnace and threw her into the fire. And as she was not harmed, she was beheaded by them. B
ON THE SAME MONTH. THE FOURTEENTH DAY.
The Contest of the holy martyrs Thyrsus and Leucius.
Decius being emperor, when the governor Combricius stirred up a great persecution against the Christians in the regions of Nicomedia, spilling the blood of Christians every day like water, Leucius, a Christian man who feared God, being grieved, went to the governor, saying, "Insatiable dog, how long will you pour out the blood of men like water, compelling them to worship stones and wood, which are devoid of mind and sense?" The governor, having become enraged, had him seized, stretched upon the rack, and after his flesh was torn, ordered him to be beheaded. Thyrsus, however, meeting the same governor, rebuked him because, having exhausted the blood of many mortals, he had not yet sated his own soul. For this reason, he also had him seized, and with his hands and feet bound, his eyes pierced, and his legs broken, he ordered him to be sawn in half with a saw. But before he could be rent asunder and divided into two parts, he yielded up his soul. C
On the same day. The Contest of the holy martyrs Philemon, Apollonius, and their companions.
These saints originated from Thebes, a city of Egypt, under the emperor Diocletian. They were thirty-six in number. When they had been seized, one of them, Apollonius by name, who was a cleric, gave money to their guard, the citharoedist Philemon, and begged him to take his garments, go in his place, and worship and sacrifice to the idols. But Philemon, having donned the garments of Apollonius, when he went to sacrifice, confessed Christ. The governor, ignorant of this matter, said, "Call the citharoedist Philemon, so that by playing the cithara and by the sweetness of his song, he might induce the Christians to sacrifice to the idols." Philemon, therefore, being recognized, was tortured by the governor along with the others; eventually, the governor himself, along with all his household, accepted the faith of Christ. D When Diocletian learned of this, he ordered him to be tortured, along with a certain wealthy man named Arrianus; finally, he ordered them all to be bound, enclosed in sacks, and cast into the sea.
On the same day. The discovery of the relics of the holy Arrianus and his protectors.
After having tortured the saints with various types of punishment in the holy...
A prison, Diocletian threw the holy Arrianus, bound in chains, into a very deep pit in the earth, and filled the pit with a mound of earth. And he set his throne above it and allowed the soldiers to mock him, saying: "Let us see if Christ comes to Arrianus and brings him out of this pit." But scarcely had he returned to the palace and reclined, when he saw the stones and chains which Arrianus had worn, hanging from his bed, and Arrianus himself lying upon it. Wherefore the emperor, terrified, thinking him to be a magician, cast both him and the soldiers who had believed with him into the sea; their relics, placed in five sacks, were carried by dolphins to the shore of Alexandria, where they were recognized by the servants of Arrianus and honorably deposited in the city of Alexandria.
ON THE SAME MONTH. The fifteenth day.
The combat of the holy hieromartyr Eleutherius.
The holy martyr Eleutherius was from the great city of Rome, orphaned of his father from childhood; he was taught the faith of Christ by his mother, Anthia, which she had received from the great apostle Paul. Bishop Anicetus received him, and having instructed him in Christian letters, made him a cleric. He was soon ordained deacon and presbyter, and then bishop of Illyricum. Having been seized during the reign of the emperor Hadrian, and most grievously tortured, he was cast into a burning furnace by order of the prefect. C But when the prefect perceived that he had escaped from it unharmed, he himself believed, and entering into the furnace, came out of it unscathed. Then indeed the prefect was beheaded, along with all the others who had believed in Christ. But the holy Eleutherius was cut to pieces by the executioners with the sword, and yielded up his spirit.
ON THE SAME MONTH. The sixteenth day.
The combat of the holy martyr Marinus.
This noble senator lived in the times of the emperor Macrinus. While he was still in the flower of his age, he was arrested for the sake of the Christian faith and compelled to perform sacrifices to idols. Desecrating this crime, he was suspended on the rack and torn by swords. Soon he was burned by fire, cast into a burning pan, and plunged into a boiling cauldron. But by the grace of God moving unscathed from all these things, he was sentenced to the beasts, with lions and bears set upon him; and having received no harm from them, he was compelled to enter the temple of idols to offer sacrifice. But he said to the emperor: "Let us go to the temple of the idols." Hearing this, the emperor rejoiced and went with all the people. But the holy man prayed, and by praying, he overthrew and shattered the idols. Then the emperor, indignant, commanded that he be beheaded; and thus he yielded up his spirit to the Lord, for whom he had alacritously undergone martyrdom. D
On the same day: Commemoration of the holy prophet Haggai.
A This man was of the tribe of Levi; he was born in Babylon during the captivity, when the Jews were led away captives by the Persians to the city of Babylon itself, God having permitted this on account of the sins which that people had committed against Him. From his early youth, he came from Babylon to Jerusalem and prophesied together with Zechariah for thirty-six years. Both these prophets—namely, Haggai and Zechariah—preceded the incarnation of Christ by four hundred and seventy years. Haggai indeed very openly prophesied concerning the return of the people, and he himself saw the foundations of the Jerusalem temple already laid. And after having prophesied many other things, he died and was buried near the tomb of the priests with pomp and honor, just as they were, since he himself was also descended from the priestly line. Haggai was white-haired, with a round chin, and because of his virtues he was held in the highest esteem by all as an eminent and great prophet of God.
On the same day: Commemoration of the blessed Theophano, wife of Leo, our most illustrious and wisest emperor.
B The blessed Lady Theophano was a native of Constantinople, an alumna of the city, and an empress. She was the daughter of Constantine, an illustrious man related to three emperors; her mother was named Anna, and she herself was also barren and infertile, just as that former Anna, the mother of the prophet Samuel. But by constantly praying to our holy Lady, the Theotokos, along with her husband—who is honored in the church of Bassus—she conceived the holy Theophano. Once born, she raised her virtuously, teaching her letters. And when the famous emperor Basil went looking for a wife for his son, the wisest emperor Leo, finding none better than her, he gave her to him in marriage. Being crowned and declared empress, she nevertheless did not abandon her care for the poor, but, retaining her accustomed virtues and zeal for almsgiving, she served God, C from whom she obtained the kingdom of heaven.
In the same month: On Sunday, when the commemoration of the holy Fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob occurs.
D Regarding these holy Fathers of ours, the great Moses wrote accurately in the book of Genesis. We, however, will say a few things about them from the same book. Abraham was from Chaldea, most skilled in astronomy, born to an idolatrous father. But when he perceived that there is no divinity in idols, and for that reason had burned the images, he heard the true God saying to him: "Abraham, get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, and go to the land that I will show thee." He, therefore, having immediately bid farewell to all things, and having taken his wife Sarah, and Lot his brother's
A son, he set out following God, looking to Him as he was able, and obeying His commandments. In his old age, he begat Isaac, whom God, tempting him, commanded to sacrifice; but seeing him obedient, He bade him abstain from the slaughter of Isaac. Isaac, moreover, begat Jacob, whose memory we celebrate before the birth of Christ, because Christ was born of them according to the flesh.
IN THE SAME MONTH
The seventeenth day A 36 The struggle of the three holy children, Ananias, Azarias, and Misael.The three holy children were from the city of Jerusalem, sons of Ezechias, the king of the Jews—he who dared to say to God that he had kept those things which were pleasing in His sight—and when he was sick unto death, and did penance, he obtained the prolongation of his life by fifteen years. They therefore, when Jerusalem had been taken by Nabuchodonosor, the king of the Assyrians, were led captive to Babylon, where, on account of their virtue, they became princes of that region. But later, refusing to adore the golden statue which the king had made, they were thrown into a furnace, whom an angel descending preserved unharmed. Wherefore the king honored the boys and confessed the God of heaven to be great. But when another king had succeeded, seeing the three holy children believing in God, he ordered them to be beheaded; and as they were being beheaded, one received the head of the other, and at last C Daniel received the severed head of Ananias: and thus they ended their lives.
On the same day 37 The struggle of Saint Daniel the prophet.
This holy Daniel, having suffered the same fortune of captivity with the three children, went from Jerusalem to Babylon. He prophesied for sixty years, and preceded the birth of Christ by four hundred and sixty years; a man continent and fasting, and tasting no food except legumes. Wherefore he conciliated to himself the love of God, from whom an angel was sent and taught him hidden mysteries. He therefore solved and interpreted the dreams of the king, and prophesied concerning the kingdoms of each nation—to wit, the Medes, Assyrians, Persians, Macedonians, and Romans—and that all kingdoms were to be dissolved, and that the empire of the Romans and Christians would prevail, with Christ reigning forever. D Being cast into the lions' den, he emerged therefrom unharmed, and was honored as a son by King Balthasar. Finally, he was beheaded by King Atticus along with the three children.
On the same day 38 The struggle of Saint Bacchus the Younger, the martyr.
This man was from the region of Palestine, in the reign of Irene and Constantine, having Christian parents and ancestors, but his father, being led astray by demons, passed over to the impure sect of the Saracens, and Ha-
A became addicted to the Saracen superstition. He died having seven children, whom he had also imbued with the same perverse faith, leaving them with their mother. Of these, one, called Gelasius, went to Jerusalem, sought the Laura of Saint Sabas, and became a monk, taking the name of Bacchus. Having lived a holy life, he was sent by the superior of the monastery, so that the Saracens would not know that he had baptized him. Returning home, he baptized his five brothers. But the one who had refused to receive baptism denounced Bacchus to the Ameras. The Ameras ordered him to be beheaded, and thus he departed.
ON THE SAME MONTH, THE EIGHTEENTH DAY
Commemoration of our holy Father and Prelate Florus. BIn the times of the emperors Justin the Younger, Tiberius, and Maurice, this holy Florus flourished, born of a father also named Florus and a mother named Euphemia, by whom he was instructed in the learning of both the Greeks and the Christians. He became a notary to the emperors, and was afterwards enrolled in the order of the patricians; he took a wife and procreated children. But when his wife and children were consumed by the plague, he became sorrowful, and seizing the opportunity to provide for his own salvation, he retired to a certain field of his which was at the Anaplus. Afterwards, on account of his sanctity of life, he was ordained bishop of Amisus. When he had rightly governed the flock entrusted to him there, and had taught the people the best morals and the true faith, and had urged them to fulfill the mandates of God, he fell asleep C, with miracles flowing from his sepulcher to this very day.
ON THE SAME MONTH, THE NINETEENTH DAY
Contest of the holy martyrs Promus, Areus, and Elias.These men were by race Egyptians, but by profession Christians. Inflamed with divine zeal, they used to visit the holy martyrs who were detained in prisons for the sake of Christ, and they provided them with the things necessary to sustain life. Having therefore set out for Cilicia, intending afterwards to enter the city of Ascalon, they were seized at the gate by the guards, a barbarous and rustic race of men, as if they were traitors. Being brought to the governor Firmilianus and questioned by him, they professed themselves to be Christians. Wherefore they were most cruelly beaten with scourges; and Areus indeed, D having been first tormented with numberless tortures, finally died delivered to the fire. Saint Promus, however, having been tested with many trials, and remaining always constant in the faith of Christ, was beheaded. Finally, Saint Elias, having been tortured in many ways, was himself also struck down by the sword and beheaded.
On the same day. Contest of the holy martyr Timotheus the deacon.
Timotheus the holy martyr was in the region of Mauritania
and was ordained deacon of the church in that region by the bishop of the same place. As he was teaching the people the faith in Christ and the kingdom of the heavens, and on account of this was baptizing many, and refuting the error of the Greeks as one of falsity, he was seized by the governor of the region, who was an idolater. And having been greatly punished and tortured, and locked in prisons, and distressed by hunger and thirst, and not being persuaded to renounce Christ and sacrifice to the impure demons, at last, a great pyre being made, he was cast into it. There, entering in, he was chanting, praying, and gave up his spirit to the Lord. His precious remaining relics were deposited in that same region of Mauritania by faithful and pious men, to the glory of Christ our God. A
Eodem die. Contest of the holy martyr Polyeuctus of Caesarea. The martyr Polyeuctus shone at Caesarea. Because he was a Christian and preached Christ, imbueing everyone with His faith, and was bringing many of the Greeks from error to piety, he was denounced to the prefect of Caesarea; and by soldiers sent by him, he was seized and thrust into custody, with an order added to the jailer that he should guard him strictly. When, however, the prefect was free from public business, he sent soldiers who brought the saint out of prison and set him before his tribunal. Approaching him to induce him to renounce Christ and sacrifice to idols, when he had wasted his efforts, he first commanded his whole body to be flayed with iron claws, then the teeth to be pulled out; finally, he commanded him to be cast into a great burning furnace, where, rejoicing and glad, he gave up his spirit to the Lord. B
EODEM MENSE. The twentieth day.
Contest of the most holy martyr Ignatius, patriarch of great Antioch.
CThe emperor Trajan was setting out on an expedition against the Parthians. And passing through Antioch of Syria, he learned concerning the holy Ignatius that he was making many of the Greeks Christians. He sent therefore, and immediately seized him, and locked him in prison. Then, bringing him out of custody, he commanded that he be taken to Rome, so that he might be devoured by beasts. On this account he was handed over to a decury of soldiers to be brought to Rome; by whom on the journey he was very poorly treated. Finally, he was brought to Rome and set before the Senate. But the Senate, following the emperor's command, condemned him to the beasts. But the saint had desired this same thing, beseeching God that he might be devoured by beasts and thus appear as pure bread to God; which also came to pass. Ignatius was a successor of the holy apostles and a disciple of holy John the Theologian. D
On the same day. A The Contest of the holy martyrs Eugenius and Macarius. In the reign of Julian the Apostate, these holy men came and stood before him, and said to him: "O most impious and lawless one, why have you abandoned the true God and joined yourself to unclean demons?" Enraged by these words, he ordered them to be cast into a pit, which was full of many reptiles, snakes and worms, and other kinds of wild beasts. But when they escaped from them unharmed, he sent them in bonds into the region of Mauritania, to a city called Andedon. There, having enlightened the people who were idolaters and performed various miracles, and finally having killed, through prayer, the dragon that dwelt on the mountain and injured many, they persuaded many to believe in Christ. Afterwards, living in comfort, they surrendered their souls in peace at different times, receiving the crown for their confession of Christ.
On the same day. B The Contest of the holy martyr Boniface. In the reign of Diocletian, he was the servant of a certain woman named Aglais, the daughter of Acacius, the proconsul of Rome. Although he was a slave, he was in the habit of committing physical defilement with his mistress. Yet both were of a very generous mind towards the poor; and Aglais, in particular, pursued the martyrs with the highest love. One day, therefore, she said to Boniface that, if he were willing, he should go to the East, where the holy men were undergoing martyrdom, and bring back the relics of the saints, so that she might have them for the salvation of her soul. C Boniface said to her: "What if I should bring back my own relics?" She laughed at these words, and calling him a drunkard, sent him away. He therefore, having gone with twelve servants and much gold to Cilicia, where the saints were being tortured, voluntarily presented himself to the prefect and confessed Christ. Wherefore, having been most bitterly tortured, he was beheaded. His relics, having been brought back by his fellow servants and handed over to his mistress, were honorably buried by her.
IN THE SAME MONTH. On the twenty-first day. D The Contest of the holy martyr Juliana. The martyr Juliana lived during the reign of the Emperor Maximian, and was from the city of Nicomedia. As her parents were wealthy, she was betrothed to Eleusius, a senator, who wished to celebrate the marriage. But the holy woman did not consent, saying, "Unless he becomes the prefect of the city, I will not take him as a husband." And when this had also come to pass, she said again, "Unless he becomes a Christian, I will not take him." Hearing these things, her father was angered and tried the more to persuade her to deny Christ and marry her husband. As he did not persuade her, he then delivered her, in accordance with the laws, to her betrothed and the prefect for examination and torture. The prefect, therefore, ordered her whole body to be suspended by the hair and torn, and her skin
A ripped from her skull. Then he cast her into the fire, and finally beheaded her, along with others who had believed because of her.
On the same day.
The Passion of the Holy Martyr Themistocles
This holy Themistocles lived under the reign of Decius and was from the region of Lycia. He was tending his sheep on the mountain where the holy Dioscorides was hiding to avoid the persecution. Soldiers sent by the regional prefect to arrest holy Dioscorides, not having found him, came upon Themistocles tending his sheep and questioned him about Dioscorides. Although he knew well where he was hiding, he would not betray him, but surrendered himself in his stead, confessing himself a Christian. Wherefore, he was bound in chains and brought before the prefect; and having confessed Christ before him, he was stretched out face upward on the ground and beaten on his belly for so long that his entrails burst forth B and he was split in two. Then, he was put upon the rack, and after being taken down, was dragged over iron caltrops, and thus he surrendered his spirit to the Lord.
On the same day.
Commemoration of our Holy Father Philogonius, Lawyer turned Bishop
This holy Philogonius was a cultivator of piety from infancy, and when he reached adulthood, he took a wife and sired a child. He became an advocate, and if he saw anyone oppressed unjustly and suffering, he would take up their cause and ward off the injury. When his wife died, because of his most excellent virtue and love of justice, from being an advocate he was ordained bishop by the suffrages of all the people and the bishops, and by the splendor of his virtues and all his righteous deeds, he surpassed the light of the sun. He was also admirable in wisdom and doctrine. For there was much corruption of morals at that time, as the persecution had recently ceased and heresy was taking hold. But by the grace of God, he suppressed this C heresy. And having shepherded in the best manner the flock entrusted to him, and having led an angelic life upon earth, he rested in peace, delivering his soul to the Lord.
IN THE SAME MONTH.
The twenty-second day.
The Passion of the Holy Martyr Anastasia and the holy women with her
The martyr Anastasia flourished under the Emperor Diocletian in the city of Rome, born of wealthy and noble parents. She was taught the faith of Christ by her mother, and was instructed in the sacred scriptures by Chrysogonus, a teacher of Christians. She had taken a husband, Publius by name, who was wealthy indeed, but a pagan. Because he was not a Christian, Anastasia hated him and would not grant him any power over her body; she was, however, kind and generous to the poor and to those who were detained D in prison.
A For this reason she was cast into prison by her husband. Yet when he died, she was released from prison, gave all of her wealth to the poor, and again served the saints, buried those who had been perfected, and encouraged many to endure martyrdom. Having been tortured by various prefects, and cast into the sea, she was then handed over to the fire. Emerging from the fire, she was beheaded, along with the women who were with her.
The same day. Commemoration of the holy hieromartyr Capiton, Bishop of Cherson. He was sent as bishop to Cherson during the reign of Theodosius the Great, after the death of the bishop Etherius. Upon arriving in that city, he began to teach the people the faith in Christ. B There was in the city of Cherson a temple called the idol of Parthenius. Wishing to destroy it and to build in its place a church in the name of the holy apostle Peter, he kindled furnaces to prepare materials for the construction. The Greeks and the Jews, seized with fury, after long opposing the saint as the destroyer of their gods, finally came to him and said: "If you enter one of the furnaces and emerge unharmed, not only will we all believe, but we will also cast our own children into the furnace." The bishop entered the furnace and came out unharmed. Seeing this, all the idolaters believed in Christ, and then they destroyed the temple of the idols. After the saint had performed many other deeds, he departed in peace to the Lord.
The same day. The struggle of the holy martyr Chrysogonus. Chrysogonus the martyr was from the great city of Rome during the reign of the emperor Diocletian; he was a pious man who feared God, having become a teacher of the faith in Christ and of the holy scriptures to the holy martyr Anastasia. When a persecution was stirred up, he was seized and cast into prison. C It was then that St. Anastasia wrote to him, that he might pray for her, and that if her husband should become a Christian, he might live; but if he would not be persuaded, that he might die, so that he would not squander her wealth with idolaters, but rather that she might exhaust it upon the saints and the poor. Which indeed happened: for once the saint had obtained her freedom, she gave everything she possessed to the poor, and having put on a lowly garment, she went about serving the saints who were held in the prisons. At that time Diocletian, residing in Nicaea, wrote to Rome that all Christians should be put to death, and that Chrysogonus should be brought to him in chains at Nicaea; and when he was brought, he ordered that he be beheaded.
The same day. The struggle of the holy women Irene, Agape, and Chionia. At the time when Chrysogonus the martyr, by the order of the emperor Diocletian, was beheaded for the confession of Christ near the lake, beside which lived
the three holy sisters, Agape, Chionia, and Irene, along with a certain Zoilus, a servant of God, the same Chrysogonus appeared to Zoilus in his sleep, saying to him that St. Anastasia was about to join in the contest with the three holy sisters, who were due to complete the struggle of their martyrdom within nine days. When St. Anastasia heard this, she followed St. Chrysogonus, and went to the holy women, and embraced them, and served them. When Diocletian learned of this, he seized them and delivered them to the prefect of the region; and having been tortured by him, they were handed over again to another prefect, named Sisinius. The prefect ordered St. Agape and St. Chionia to be consumed by fire, and St. Irene was killed by a soldier with a sword. B
On the same day: The contest of the holy martyr Theodota and her children.
The martyr Theodota was born in Bithynia; moved by the celebrated fame of Anastasia, she went to her, and lived with her, along with her children. Prior to this, the saint herself was sought in marriage by the prefect Leucadius, and she refused him; but wishing to escape him, she asked him to wait a little while, saying that she would soon comply with his will. While the prefect was waiting, she distributed her wealth to the poor and ministered to the saints. When Diocletian learned that the prisons and dungeons were full of Christians, he gave orders that they all be put to death in a single night, some by fire, others by water, and others by the sword. Therefore, Leucadius handed over St. Theodota and her children to Nicetius, the prefect of Bithynia, that he might torture them. C When he was rebuked by Evodus, the firstborn son of Theodota, he flared up in rage, ordered a huge furnace to be lit, and cast Theodota and her children into it.
In the same month, the twenty-third day: The contest of the ten holy martyrs in Crete.
These were in the time of the emperor Decius, from the island of Crete, yet not from the same city, but from various parts of the region. From the metropolis of Gortyna came five: Theodulus, Saturninus, Euporus, Gelasius, and Eunicianus; from Cnossus came Zoticus; from Epinium, Leomenes and Pontius; from Panormus, Agathopus; from Cydonia, Basilides; and from Heraclea, Evarestus. D Having been seized by the unbelievers, they were handed over to the prefect of the island. He commanded the populace to lead them in chains to the altars of the idols, and if they did not sacrifice, to torture them most severely, as each saw fit. For the space of thirty days they were led around, mocked, beaten, stoned, and dragged through manure; finally, the prefect sitting at the tribunal, they were beheaded before him, thanking God to their very last breath.
ON THE SAME MONTH, THE TWENTY-FOURTH DAY
A Contest of Saint Eugenia the Martyr, and her companions.In the reign of Commodus, there was Saint Eugenia, daughter of Philip, the prefect of Rome. When her father was sent to Alexandria by Commodus to be prefect of that city, and took his wife and children with him, she too went along, and there she learned all Greek and Christian literature. When she searched the Scriptures, she came upon the Epistles of the holy Apostle Paul; embracing the Christian faith through reading them, she gave herself over to the practice of all virtues. Then, abandoning her ancestral splendor and assuming male attire, she withdrew to a monastery, and there was baptized and took up the monastic life, having claimed to be a eunuch. In time, having been recognized and identified by her father Philip, she led him, as well as her mother and relatives, to the faith of Christ. Shortly afterward, her father became a bishop, and subsequently they all received the end through martyrdom.
ON THE SAME MONTH, THE TWENTY-FIFTH DAY
A Commemoration of the immaculate Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ.The most merciful God, seeing the human race oppressed by the tyranny of the devil, had compassion on it; and having sent His angel Gabriel, he said to the Theotokos: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you." And immediately our Lord and God was conceived in her immaculate womb. When nine months had passed since the conception, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be registered. And Quirinius was sent to Jerusalem, to Bethlehem, to conduct the census. Joseph also, the guardian of the Virgin, went up with her to Bethlehem to be registered. And since the Virgin was about to give birth, and finding no room in the inn because of the overflowing crowd, she entered a humble cave; and there she incorruptibly gave birth to our Lord Jesus Christ, and swaddled as a babe the Creator of all, and placed Him in a manger of irrational animals, as one who was to deliver us from irrationality.
ON THE SAME DAY
D The Adoration of the Magi.In those days there was a seer named Balaam in the land of the Persians, who, having prophesied many other things, also foretold this: "A star shall rise out of Jacob, and it shall crush the sons of Moab." The other seers and magi, therefore, receiving such a prophecy by tradition, taught it to all the seers of the Persians; and it came down to the Magi and kings of the Persians who lived after them—three in number—who were diligently watching for the appearance of such a star. As skilled astronomers, when they saw the star of Christ, seeing that it did not follow the course of the other stars, moving from east to west, but rather move toward the south, they recognized that it signified the birth of the great King, and following...
the star, they found Christ the Lord. And falling down, they worshipped Him, and offered Him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh; and thus, by the command of the angel, they returned with joy into their own country. A
On the same day, Joseph the betrothed and guardian of the Virgin is warned by the divine angel.
When Herod, the king of the Jews, had learned from the Magi that a great King had been born, who was to subdue the whole world, he called the Magi and said, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, tell me, so that I also may come and worship him." This he said, so that he might learn where he was, and in order to send and kill him. Then, having called the scribes, he asked where the Scripture says Christ was to be born. They said, "In Bethlehem of Judea." Then he sent out his soldiers to kill all the children who were in Bethlehem, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the Magi. For this reason, an angel sent from God said to Joseph, "Arise, and take the child and his mother, and flee into Egypt." B And Joseph did so, and having taken the child and his mother, he departed into Egypt.
ON THE SAME MONTH. The twenty-sixth day.
The Theotokos flees into Egypt.
The Theotokos flees into Egypt with the infant and Joseph for two reasons: that what was said by the prophet might be fulfilled, "Out of Egypt I called my Son," and that every mouth of the heretics might be stopped. For if the infant had not fled, but had been captured and slain, surely no place would have been left for the salvation of men. But if He could not have been destroyed by the sword or by any other kind of punishment, so as to fulfill the dispensation, many would have thought that He had assumed human flesh phantastically and not truly. "If He had flesh," they say, "He would certainly have been cut to pieces by the sword"; since without any pretext the wretched heretics dared to say that He was born phantastically. C For this reason He flees into Egypt, so that He might crush the idols there and bring salvation to the whole world, according to the time when He was to be affixed to the cross and to rise again.
ON THE SAME MONTH. The twenty-seventh day.
The Passion of the holy and glorious Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen
Stephen the protomartyr became a disciple of the holy apostles; and after the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, he was ordained with six others to minister to the faithful at the tables. D Being full of faith and wisdom, he performed great wonders and signs in
the people, teaching them and evangelizing concerning Christ. A Then a dispute arising from the Libertines and Cyrenaeans, they stood up against Stephen and disputed with him; and being defeated, they became enraged because the holy Stephen had rebuked them and convicted them by bringing forth testimonies from the Holy Scriptures. And gnashing their teeth at him, they cast stones. But he, while being stoned, went upon his knees and prayed, saying: "Lord, do not lay this sin to their charge." And having said this, he saw the heavens opened, and the Son of God standing at the right hand of the power of the Father, and calling him; and thus he was perfected.
THE SAME MONTH, THE TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY
B 61 The contest of our holy Father Theodore the Graptos (The Inscribed). He was from Syria, together with his brother Theophanes, the writer of canons. Having first embraced the monastic life in the Laura of Saint Sabas, and having struggled much toward virtue, he later came to Constantinople during the reign of Theophilus the Iconoclast. And being pressured to deny the veneration of the holy icons, and not being persuaded, he was sent into exile, having first been pierced with needles and his honorable face inscribed with needles and ink, and having been insulted like one of the criminals and runaway slaves; because he spoke boldly for the sake of justice, and did not wish to deny the honor and reverence of the holy and venerable icons, but remained C to the end for the sake of the true confession. Having departed into exile, and having once again endured many struggles and strengthened many of the orthodox, he migrated to the Lord.On the same day. 62 Commemoration of our holy Father Theodore, Archbishop of Constantinople. This man was both born and bred in the same Constantinople. He became first, on account of his piety, a presbyter of the most holy Great Church; and not only a presbyter, but also a syncellus and skeuvophylax. For he was held in such great honor by the emperors, the patriarch, the senate, and the entire synod: for he was prudent, wise, almsgiving, compassionate, and carrying within himself all things that please God. D Wherefore, the patriarch Constantine before him having died, by the vote of the emperor, the senate, the bishops, and all the people, he was chosen patriarch of the throne of Constantinople. And having shepherded his flock well, and having governed the holy Church in an orthodox and God-pleasing manner for two years and three months, he migrated to the Lord.
On the same day. 63 The contest of the holy martyrs Indes and Domna. The martyr Domna was under the emperor Maximian in the city of Nicomedia, a priest of the twelve gods in the
A palace. But having chanced upon the Acts of the holy Apostles and the Epistles of the holy Paul, and having had her soul illuminated by reading them, and having learned the true faith, she believed in Christ; and was baptized by Cyril, the bishop of Nicomedia, along with the eunuch Indes and many others. And from that time on, whatever she received from the palace, she began to distribute to the poor. When the chief of the eunuchs learned of this and was preparing to torture her, she feigned madness. For this reason, that she might be healed, she was sent to the bishop, and she lived among the Christians. But Maximian, having returned from the campaign, asked for Domna. And when he could not find her, he was seized with anger and ordered all Christians to be put to death. Then the holy Domna, having put on the habit of a man, would take up by night the relics of the saints and bury them. And having been recognized, she was beheaded. B
On the same day. The contest of the holy twenty thousand martyrs.
Maximian the emperor, having successfully concluded the war he had waged against the Ethiopians, and wishing to celebrate a victory in honor of the idols, issued a decree for everyone from everywhere to assemble to worship the idols. When, however, on the holy festival of the Nativity of Christ, the church of the Christians was full of people, and the Christians were celebrating the feast day with the greatest joy, they could not be induced to leave the church and worship impure demons. When Maximian learned of this, he ordered that brushwood be placed all around the church and set on fire, and that the Christians should be burned. Then indeed the bishop baptized all the catechumens, and having performed the sacred rites, he offered the most pure mysteries to all; and thus, when the fire was applied, twenty thousand people were consumed—except for the bishop, who was preserved by the grace of God so that he might help others and baptize them. C
On the same day. The contest of the holy martyrs who survived from the gathering and the pyre.
When the impure Maximian had done these things, he commanded that those Christians also who remained outside the pyre should be put to death. Therefore, the holy Indes, and Gorgonius, and Peter, with stones tied to their necks, were cast into the sea. Zeno, the commander of the troops, after his eyes and teeth had been crushed with a stone, was beheaded along with the chamberlain Dorotheus. Mardonius was consumed by fire; Mygdonius was cast into a pit; Glycerius the presbyter was delivered to the flames; Theophilus the deacon, after his tongue had been cut out, was stoned in the field; and many others on that same day received the crown of martyrdom. The holy Domna gathered D the sacred relics of all these and buried them; afterwards, she placed them in a boat and hid them in a respectable place. Wherefore, having been reported to Maximian, by his order she was first beheaded, and then immediately burned with fire.
OF THE SAME MONTH. 29
AThe Massacre of the Holy Infants of Bethlehem.
When Herod, king of the Jews, had commanded the Magi to return and report to him concerning the newborn King, whom the star they were following had pointed out, so that he भी too might worship Him: and since the angel had told them not to return to Herod, but to depart into their own country by another way; and they having done this, Herod, seeing that he had been mocked by them, flew into a rage. Diligently inquiring about the time when the star appeared, he sent soldiers and slaughtered all the children in Bethlehem from two years old and under, with the intention that, by the children being destroyed, He who was to reign might also be extinguished, and not plot against him. But the madman labored in vain, not knowing that the divine counsel B cannot be thwarted by man. Wherefore he secured for them the kingdom of heaven, but for himself, eternal punishment.On the same day.
Commemoration of our Holy Father Marcellus, Abbot of the Monastery of the Unsleeping Ones.
This our holy Father Marcellus was from the city of Apamea in Syria, of a noble and illustrious family. He learned all knowledge and science. Then he renounced the world and his father’s house, and arrived in Ephesus. There, entering a monastery, he lived as a monk in a worthy manner. Afterwards, he came to the holy Alexander, who was in the C monastery of the Unsleeping Ones, having learned of his godly and lofty virtue. And having lived in that monastery and surpassed all in virtue, after the death of Alexander and of Jacob, who had governed after Alexander, he became abbot. He contended so much in virtue that he received from God the gift of performing miracles and also of prophecy. Wherefore, having displayed the power of many wonders, and being honorable to emperors and all the people, he passed away in peace.OF THE SAME MONTH. 30
Contest of the Holy Martyr Anysia.
The holy martyr Anysia lived under the Emperor Maximian, and was from the city of Thessalonica, having pious, faithful, and wealthy parents. But after they died, the holy one was left alone, continuing throughout her life and conduct to give thanks to God. One day, while she was going to church according to her custom, a soldier who was a worshiper of idols met her. Seizing her, he compelled her to go and sacrifice to the idols. But when he could not persuade the holy one, who resisted strongly and spat in his face, he became enraged, and ran his sword through her side. The holy one, having received this painful and bitter wound, fell immediately to the ground. But even having fallen, she did not cease from her thanksgiving and prayer to God. And thus, doing so for several hours, she surrendered her spirit to the Lord.A Eodem die. 69 The contest of the holy apostle Timon, one of the seven deacons.
Timon, the apostle of Christ, was one of the seventy disciples. He was ordained deacon by the holy apostles to serve the tables of those who came to Christ and were baptized, along with the other six deacons, among whom was the great Stephen, the protomartyr. But later, he was created bishop of Bostra in Arabia by the same holy apostles. As he taught in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the true God, and persuaded many of the Greeks, both by his words and by miracles, to forsake the vain superstition of idols handed down to them by their ancestors and to embrace the true faith, he was sought after by the snares of the Jews, who could not bear that the name of Christ should be so freely preached. He was seized by impious idolaters and tortured with various torments; soon he was cast into a furnace, from whence, escaping unharmed and surviving for a while longer, he departed joyfully to Christ.
EODEM MENSE. Die tricesima prima. 71 Commemoration of Saint Melania the Roman.
When Theodosius the Great had exchanged his earthly kingdom for a heavenly one, and had departed to the immortal King, Arcadius, his eldest son, ruled over the New Rome and the territories subject to it, by his command; while Honorius, the younger son, held the empire of Old Rome and the regions subject to it. Under these emperors, Saint Melania flourished in the city of Rome, distinguished in nobility of birth, wealth, and beauty; and for this reason she was sought in marriage by many, although she herself abhorred weddings. When her parents had betrothed her against her will to a certain man, even before they C came together, she instructed her spouse in the fear of God and succeeded so well in her speaking that he, despising the world and its pleasures, became a monk; she herself, having distributed to the poor an immense abundance of wealth which she had received from her parents, embraced the monastic life. And so she fought the good fight, that she even performed miracles. Finally, having built a monastery for the singing of praises to God, she died.
MENSE JANUARIO. Die prima. 73 Commemoration of the holy Circumcision of our Lord and God Jesus Christ.
Our God and Lord, to whom the hearts of men are open, and who foreknows future things, wishing to establish the faith of his Incarnation and dispensation, lest any of the heretics should be able to say that he was born phantastically and did not truly assume our flesh—as many of the heretics have dared to assert—and also to remove every pretext of caviling from the Jews,
so that they might not say that he turned aside from their custom and institutions; he fulfilled the entire law. And after eight days, from when he was immaculately born of the Virgin, he desired, as an infant, to be brought to that place where the Jews were accustomed to be circumcised: and he was circumcised, and his name was called Jesus, as it had been called by the angel before he was conceived in the incorrupt womb A of the Theotokos. And having returned with his parents, he was brought up as is fitting for a human, progressing in wisdom, stature, and grace.
On the same day,
Commemoration of our holy Father Basil, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia.
Our holy Father Basil flourished under the Emperor Valens; and being outspoken, he reproved this very Valens, who was suffering from the Arian heresy, and almost induced him to renounce the heresy, had he not been ashamed to recant. But even if he did not entirely renounce his error, he nonetheless attended the church while Basil the Great was celebrating the Liturgy and offering gifts. B Now Basil the Great was the son of Basil of Pontus and Emmelia of Cappadocia, a man so instructed in wisdom and knowledge that he easily surpassed all the ancients and the moderns; and he excelled so much in piety that he was made archbishop of the throne of Caesarea, where, sustaining many struggles for the orthodox faith, he stupefied emperors and prefects, and stopped the mouths of the heretics with his words. Finally, after he had composed many books and performed innumerable wonders, he migrated in peace to the Lord.
On the same day,
The struggle of the holy martyrs Theopemptus and Theodotus.
Missing.IN THE SAME MONTH
The second day. CThe struggle of the holy martyr Basil.
The martyr Basil lived under the reign of Julian the Apostate; he was from Ancyra in Galatia. But because he worshipped and confessed Christ, he was seized and brought before the governor Saturninus. And again, being asked before him if he believed in Christ, he cried out with a loud voice that there was no other God besides Him. For this reason he was suspended and most cruelly flayed with iron claws. Then, in bonds, he was sent from the city of Ancyra to Constantinople; where, being tortured by the prefect with most grievous torments, he was cast into a furnace of fire. But escaping from it unharmed, D he was brought to Caesarea, to fight with beasts. And so, he was led, bound, into the middle of the theater on the day when the circus games were being celebrated. Then a ferocious lioness, first finished with hunger, was released to devour him. But the holy man, seeing the beast rushing upon him, began to pray; and while he prayed, he was, by the permission of God, devoured by the lioness, and brought his life to an end.
A On the same day, a commemoration of our holy Father Silvester, Pope of Rome. Silvester, illustrious for his wisdom and virtue, after the death of Miltiades, the bishop, was appointed bishop of old Rome. Having undertaken the governance of the Church, and feeding the great and sacred flock of the Christians, he underwent many struggles and performed very many miracles. He brought Constantine the Great, who was the first of the emperors to be a Christian, to the faith of Christ, and by holy baptism cleansed the leprosy of his body and, at the same time, the stains of his soul; for the holy Apostles Peter and Paul had appeared to him. It was he who was the author of the plan that, once the shrines of the idols and demons had been torn down, temples should be built in the name of Christ our God, of the Theotokos, of the holy apostles, and of the martyrs. He followed the emperor even to Byzantium, and instructed many in the doctrine of salvation. And thus, in deep old age, he joyfully departed to the Lord.
B IN THE SAME MONTH. The third day. The contest of the holy martyr Gordius. Under the Emperor Licinius, the holy Gordius flourished, born in Caesarea in Cappadocia, of the rank of count, a centurion of soldiers. But since he could by no means endure the license and blasphemies against Christ of the impious Greeks, he resigned his military office and the fleeting and vanishing glory of this world, and withdrew to a mountain and dwelt in the wilderness; where, living among wild beasts, he gave himself up solely to prayer to God. But, vehemently inflamed with the desire for Christ and caught up by a certain impetus against superstition, he said to himself: "I will go into the city, and I will undergo martyrdom for the name of my Christ, that I may attain eternal life." Therefore, when the circus games were being held at Caesarea in the presence of a great multitude of people, he went out into the midst, and with a loud voice said: "I, who was not sought, have come of my own accord, and I profess myself a Christian, and I detest the lifeless idols, which I have loathed since my childhood." Moved by these words, the prefect ordered him to be beheaded.
C On the same day, a commemoration of the holy and glorious prophet Malachi. Malachi the prophet, after the people of the Jews had returned from captivity, was born in the region of Judea, and was of the tribe of Levi. While he was still a youth, he maintained that manner of life and rule which were pleasing to God; wherefore he was called "Angel" by the Jews: for he was of becoming appearance. But also, whatever he predicted was immediately confirmed by an angel and shown to be true; for the angel spoke with him, and many heard his voice when they encountered the prophet; however, it only happened to those who were worthy: for sinners could neither see him D
A nor hear his voice. The prophecy of Malachi applies to this time, when there was no king of the Jews, as it is written in the Book of Judges: "He died, and was buried with his fathers in the field." But he was, as we have said, fair of face, with a round face and a broad head.
IN THE SAME MONTH. THE TWENTY-SECOND DAY.
The Contest of the Holy Martyr Basiliscus.
Basiliscus, the martyr of Christ, lived during the reign of Maximian, and was from the region of Armenia, a nephew of the holy martyr Theodore. Having previously struggled alongside the holy Eutropius and Cleonicus, who were soldiers of the holy Theodore, when they were perfected for the sake of Christ, he was left behind in prison. Praying to God that he might complete the course of his struggle, he was urged by Him to join his relatives, as he was to suffer martyrdom in Comana. Having therefore taken leave of his kinsmen, he was seized by the governor Agrippa, and was led as a prisoner to Comana. And working miracles along the way, he persuaded many to believe in Christ. Upon his arrival in Comana, he prayed and brought down fire from heaven, which burned the temple of Apollo and its idol. For this reason, he was beheaded and thrown into the river. Later, his relics were recovered and deposited in Comana.
And the Memory of the Holy Apostle Jude.
Jude, the divine apostle, after the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, taken with divine zeal, traveled through every city and region, preaching Christ with a loud voice and announcing his resurrection from the dead to all, demonstrating that He is the judge of the living and the dead; how for the sake of our salvation, being the Word and the Son of God the Father, He emptied Himself, came down to earth, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and of the ever-virgin Mary, and became man, bearing the whole of Adam except for sin; and was tempted, and insulted, and reviled, and struck by the hand which He Himself had fashioned, and was cast out, and finally nailed to the cross, and buried, and rose again, and appeared to the apostles, and ascended, and sat at the right hand of the Father in the heavens, and is coming again to judge the living and the dead. Having taught these things, and baptized many of the unbelievers, he departed in peace to the Lord. B
IN THE SAME MONTH. THE TWENTY-THIRD DAY.
Memory of our Holy Father Simeon of the Wondrous Mountain.
Simeon, our father among the saints, was from Antioch in Syria, living during the reign of Justinian the Elder; he was conceived by the promise of the Forerunner and Baptist, who foretold this to his mother. And when he was born, while nursing, he refrained from the left breast, with God demonstrating that he would love the right path of the commandments. Having grown up and left the world, he laid hold of the mountain; and going into the monastery where he strove beyond human endurance, he became a monk. And he shone forth in virtue to such a degree that he performed wondrous miracles. Then, descending from the mountain, he ascended a pillar, standing upon it
A by the command of a divine angel, he was ordained bishop, to baptize those who were not yet illuminated, but who were about to suffer martyrdom for Christ on that day. For the relatives of the holy Meletius, and of the counts, and of the soldiers, along with the women and children, gathered together and cried out with a loud voice, "We also are Christians!" Whereupon they provoked the governor to anger; and the bishop Sarapion, along with Callinicus the magus who had believed, was beheaded; but Theodore and Faustus, together with the other men who had believed, were consumed by fire; and the remaining multitude, cut down with clubs, met their end.
ON THE SAME MONTH, THE TWENTY-FIFTH DAY
The Contest of the Holy Martyr Therapon
Therapon, the holy martyr of Christ—where he was born, or of what parents he was born, or at what times he lived, we are unable to say, as his records, it seems, have perished. This alone, however, have we learned: that he became a monk and bishop of Cyprus, and that he finished his athletic contest and was brought to Christ through his blood; this we know not only from the unwritten tradition of our elders, but also from having been informed by his icons. And these things are of the former time. But later, when the Saracens wished to invade Cyprus, the saint appeared to his sacristan and said to him, "Rise quickly, and taking my relics, convey them to Constantinople. For the enemies of the cross of Christ are about to set foot on this island B and lay waste these places." Therefore, his relics were conveyed and deposited in Constantinople, where they pour forth healings.And the Commemoration of our Holy Father and Confessor, John the Psychaite
John, our father among the saints, having loved Christ from his infancy and having imitated the ways of Elias and John the Forerunner, abandoned the world. And going away to the laura of the Psychaite, he became a monk. And he gave himself over to such austerity that he received a gift from God to put demons to flight and to heal infirmities. While he was struggling during the times of the iconoclasts and strengthening the orthodox doctrines, he was reported to the one exercising tyranny, and being summoned, he was compelled to deny the cult of the holy images and to consent to the heresy, and to sign the tome of impiety. But refusing to obey these orders—nay, rather, rebuking the emperor and calling him a heretic—he was relegated to exile, where, having endured many trials at the hands of the lawless and unjust iconoclasts, he changed his life.And the Contest of the Holy Hieromartyr Therapon
Therapon, the holy martyr of Christ, being a priest Cneither did they see him, nor did they hear his voice. But at that time the prophet prophesied, in the days of anarchy, as it is written in the book of Judges; and having prophesied much, he died and was buried with his fathers in the field. He was, as we have said, comely, having a round face and a broad head. A
ON THE SAME MONTH. The Contest of the Holy Hieromartyr Theogenes, Bishop of Parium.
Theogenes the hieromartyr was bishop of Parium; having been seized by the governor of the region, he was forced to serve in the army. But he declared himself to be a Christian, and a servant and soldier of Christ. Therefore, having been bound to four stakes by his hands and his feet, he was beaten by eight executioners with harsh rods. As one called Optio was passing by and insulting him, the saint prophesied concerning him that he would soon meet with destruction; which also came to pass. B In the night, when the Lord appeared to the saint, He commanded him not to take or eat food from the hand of the Greeks. And he was chanting with the angels in the prison. Then, having been cast out of the prison, he was thrown into the sea, and was perfected. But those who had thrown him, being moved to repentance, came into the city, were baptized, and a great crowd with them. And after three days, his relics were cast up out of the sea; and his disciples, taking them, buried them.
On the same day.
The Contest of the Holy Hieromartyr Theopemptus and Theonas the martyr.
This man lived under the Emperor Diocletian. When a persecution was stirred up against the Christians, he was the first of all in that persecution to confess Christ, and he received the crown of the contest; for having been seized, he was thrown into a furnace that had been set on fire. And coming out of it healthy, he had one eye gouged out. And Theonas, being a magician, gave him a lethal poison to drink at the command of the emperor, so that he might die. And when he saw him suffering no harm, he believed in Christ. C Then the emperor, blazing with anger, ordered the holy Theopemptus to be beheaded. As for Theonas, he cast him into a deep pit. And he ordered the executioners to pile earth upon him, and to trample it down. And this being done, he too was suffocated in the aforesaid place; and he surrendered his blessed soul to God; for whose sake both of the saints, with great eagerness, poured out their own blood, and renounced the world and things that are in the world.
On the same day.
The Contest of the Holy Martyrs Zosimus the monk and Athanasius the commentator, who suffered martyrdom in Cilicia.
The holy Zosimus was from Cilicia, dwelling in the wilderness together with the wild beasts. Having been seized by the prefect Domitianus, and compelled to deny Christ, and to sacrifice to *idols,* D
and refusing to do so, he was slain by the sword in the year of the world 6314.
OF THE SAME MONTH. 9th Day.
A 89. The Contest of the Holy Martyr Polyeuctus. In the reign of Decius and Valerian, this holy man flourished, being born in Melitene in Armenia, and serving as a soldier in that same region. When a cruel persecution was stirred up against the Christians, and those who refused to deny Christ were being slain daily, Saint Polyeuctus, having learned of this, openly and publicly professed Christ to be God. Furthermore, entering the temple of the idols, he shattered all the idols. Being caught, therefore, he was beaten by the command of the prefect. And since the prefect was his father-in-law, he exhorted him to abjure Christ and provide for his own safety. But he, calling upon his friend Nearchus, said: "I saw," he said, "in my sleep, my Christ coming and bringing me a precious robe. But remember me, my friend." His wife was present and encouraged him to remain constant in the faith of Christ. Therefore, giving thanks, he was beheaded.
B On the same day.
90. Commemoration of the most holy martyr and confessor Theoctistus. He is wanting.
On the same day.
91. Commemoration of the holy and glorious prophet Ahijah. This holy and glorious prophet, Ahijah, was from Shiloh, C from the city of Eli, where the tabernacle of the Jews had once been. He prophesied concerning Solomon, the prophet and king, that he would transgress and offend the Lord; and the event proved his words true. He also rebuked Jeroboam, because he walked with deceit before God. Furthermore, he saw in a vision a pair of oxen, which were trampling and walking over the people and persecuting the priests. He prophesied that it would come to pass that the people of the Jews would be trampled by the Gentiles, led into captivity, and consumed by famine, and that the priests would flee for fear and be vexed with many hardships. These things, and many others, he foretold, and died and was buried near the oak in Shiloh.
OF THE SAME MONTH. 10th Day.
D 92. Commemoration of Saint Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa. This holy Gregory was the own brother of Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, and was distinguished for his wisdom and virtue. He was made bishop of Nyssa at the time when many heretics were attacking the orthodox. Therefore, the saint, sometimes by disputing openly from the testimonies of the holy Scriptures, and sometimes by writing, overcame them all and exterminated their heresy. When he took part in the second synod, which was held at Constantinople, he made use of such eloquence of speech that he stopped the mouths of the heretics and filled the orthodox with the greatest joy. Then to the church
to fill with joy. Having gone forth to his church and his flock, and having well nurtured both it and his pastors, and having written many God-inspired and soul-profiting books, in venerable gray hair and a good old age he departed to the Lord, rejoicing and exulting. A
Eodem die Commemoration of our holy Father Domitian, Bishop of Melitene.
Under the reign of Justin the Younger, this saint appeared, born of Christian, devout, and wealthy parents. He was taught by his parents the entire span of both secular learning and the Holy Scriptures. He also took a devout and faithful wife; but after she died shortly thereafter, he gave himself over entirely to the cultivation of piety and the fear of God. And [such] he became virtuous, insomuch that he even became Bishop of Melitene. They say that he attained such celebrity of name that he drew the King of the Persians to friendship, and to subjection to the Roman Emperor Maurice. B For the King of the Persians wrote to the Roman [emperor], saying: "If you send Domitian, and he persuades me, I shall become not only your friend, but also your servant." And when this had come to pass, the whole city was joyful, and the whole world. Having entered into the city, the saint died; and his relics were transported to Melitene, performing many cures.
Eodem die Commemoration of our holy Father Marcian, presbyter and oikonomos of the Great Church. C
The ancestors of the blessed Marcian came to Constantinople from the great Rome. He flourished under the reigns of the most holy Marcian and the most pious Pulcheria; and being wealthy and devout, he built many great churches, having the Emperor also as his collaborator. For he built the church of Saint Irene, and that of Saint Anastasia in the Promontory of Domninos. This church he saved by his prayers even from a conflagration, when all things existing around it were burnt. He was, moreover, so merciful that once, while he was at leisure for divine prayers, when a poor man asked him [for alms] and he had nothing else at hand, he took off the cloak that he was wearing and gave it; he himself was left naked, with only his priestly stole. And he appeared to the clergy to be wearing a golden stole. Having performed many miracles D and having raised a dead man to life, he fell asleep in peace.
Eodem die Commemoration of the holy Dominica.
The holy Dominica lived under Theodosius the Great, and her life lasted until the reigns of Emperors Leo and Zeno. She was from the city of Carthage. But having left her own city and arrived at Constantinople, by a revelation she was received by Nectarius, the most holy Patriarch of Constantinople, who not only placed her in a monastery, which she herself [built] in honor of the holy pro—
prophet Zachariah, but also ordained her as deaconess. After this, she strove so earnestly in virtue that she received from God the gift of miracles; and being also enlarged by the prophetic spirit, she prophesied concerning emperors, patriarchs, and many others. Passing her life in this manner, and being held in the highest honor by emperors and patriarchs on account of her many virtues, she fell asleep in peace.
ON THE SAME MONTH. The eleventh day. B 96 The Contest of the holy martyr Peter. The holy martyr Peter was born in the village of Anea near Eleutheropolis, robust in body but more robust in faith in Christ; from his adolescence he manifested a wisdom beyond his years, when he taught everyone to withdraw from idols and approach Christ alone, the true God and Savior of men. When the governor of Eleutheropolis heard this about him, having sent officers, he had him arrested and compelled him to abjure Christ; but when he was unable to induce him to do this, he commanded that he be cast into a burning furnace of fire. Into this the saint was cast, and for many hours he gave thanks and prayed to God for the tranquility of the whole world and the holy C Churches, and thus departed.
On the same day. 97 Commemoration of our holy Father Theodosius the Cenobiarch. Our holy Father Theodosius, surnamed the Cenobiarch, was born in Cappadocia of pious parents, and having embraced the monastic life, he first went to Antioch to the holy Simeon the Stylite, and having received his blessing, he departed for Jerusalem. Thence he retired into the desert, where for a space of thirty years he consumed no other food besides dried figs and herbs. Then he performed many miracles and founded many monasteries: he put demons to flight by prayer; and when a great scarcity of grain occurred, and the monastery's granary had none, he found one single grain, and having blessed it, he filled the whole granary with wheat. On account of these, therefore, and many other prodigies, he became known to the emperors, D and celebrated in the whole world for his virtues; at length he died in peace.
ON THE SAME MONTH. The twelfth day. 98 The Contest of the holy martyr Tatiana. The martyr Tatiana was from ancient Rome, during the reign of the emperor Alexander, the daughter of a rich and noble father, who had been prefect for the third time. Now, since she was a deaconess, she taught the people the faith of Christ and turned many away from idols. Wherefore, having been denounced to the emperor, and having been arrested by sent soldiers, she was brought before him: who [commanded] that she be taken with him to the temple of the idols...
and worship [them]. But the holy woman, having entered, by prayer broke the idols and threw them to the ground. Then she was struck upon the face, and her eyes were gouged out; she was hung up and scraped, and her head was shaven. Then she was delivered into the fire. And having come out unharmed, she fought against beasts; and having been delivered from the beasts, by the order of the emperor her head was severed. B
On the same day: The Contest of the Holy Martyr Meortius.
He was a soldier during the reign of Diocletian, having performed bravely against the barbarians in wars, and was beloved both by the emperor and by his fellow soldiers. But being discovered to be a Christian, and being arrested and bound, he was brought before the emperor. And first he was stripped of his military armor and the belt of his office. Then he was bound by the four [limbs] and was mercilessly struck. For many hours as he was being struck, not even one sound escaped from him. The emperor, seeing him, how he endured the lashes and such great wounds, was astonished. And he said to the soldiers standing by, "What a soldier, who is dying so miserably!" Since no place was found on his entire body without a wound, he was released and cast into prison; where, singing psalms and praying, after eight days he died.
On the same day: The Contest of St. Athanasius the Confessor.
[It is missing.]In the Same Month: The Thirteenth: The Contest of the Holy Martyrs Hermylus and Stratonicus.
These saints flourished during the reign of the emperor Licinius. And the saint Hermylus was a deacon of the Church of Christ; and Licinius being stationed at the river Danube, and having heard about Saint Hermylus, seized him and punished him with iron rods. Then he shut him in prison, having ordered him to be guarded by the soldier Stratonicus. But an angel having come and comforted the holy Hermylus, Stratonicus saw [this] from the window of the prison, and believed in Christ for himself, and became a friend to Hermylus. Hermylus, having been led out of custody, was forced to worship the idols. And not being persuaded, he was struck with rods. Then with eagle-like claws they tore open his belly and his heart. Stratonicus, seeing this, wept; and being recognized, he was tortured. And both finally, being cast into the river Danube, were perfected.
In the Same Month: The Fourteenth: The Contest of our Holy Fathers who were slain on Mount Sinai.
These saints were from various places and lands.
A Having abandoned the world, their relatives, and their wealth, they retreated to Mount Sinai and became monks, serving God alone and using wild herbs for food. Among their number was the holy Nilus, formerly the prefect of Constantinople, a wise and pious man who, having renounced worldly glory and riches for the sake of Christ, joined himself to the poor monks. But the envy of the devil stirred up against the holy Fathers the wild and ferocious race of the Blemmyes, who inhabit the coast from Arabia as far as the Red Sea of Egypt. These men, led by the hope of immense plunder, made an incursion upon the monks; but when they found nothing but the mats and hair-shirts of the Fathers, they turned to fury and slaughtered the innocent men. And in this manner did those saints depart.
On the Same Day
103 Commemoration of the holy Fathers who were slain on the same Mount Sinai by the Blemmyes in the time of the Emperor Diocletian.B These men were leading an ascetic life on Mount Sinai during the reign of the Emperor Diocletian, while Peter was archbishop of Alexandria. After the death of their leader, the Saracens issued forth from the uncultivated and desert places and slew many of the ascetics; but as the others took refuge in a fortification, a flame of fire was seen by the Saracens during the night, burning the whole mountain and reaching even to heaven itself; and it struck them with such terror that they threw down their arms and set themselves to flight. Those among the ascetics who were first slain were thirty-eight in number, bearing various wounds upon their bodies. C From among these, two were found alive among the fallen, Sabas and Isaias. As for those who had perished, some were decapitated, others were flayed of their skin from one limb or another, and others were cut in half. These were all buried by those two monks who handed down this memory of them.
On the Same Day
104 Commemoration of the thirty-three holy Fathers who were slain in Raitho by the Blemmyes who dwelt there, where there were twelve fountains and seventy palm trees.Three hundred Blemmyes crossed the Ethiopian Sea in large ships, and having reached the region of the Pharanites in a vessel they had chanced upon, they conquered the Pharanites who had encountered them, D slaying one hundred and forty-seven men. Having abducted the women and children, they went to the fortress where the holy Fathers had a church. The saints barred the door and took refuge within the church, awaiting death. The barbarians entered, and finding no plunder there, they slew everyone and returned to the ship with the captive multitude. When they could not find it (for in the meantime those who had been pressed into service by the barbarians had sunk it and taken to flight), they were stirred to fury and slaughtered all the captives, and then were themselves slaughtered.
A On the same day, the Commemoration of our holy Father Theodulus.
He was the son of Nilus the Wise, who had been prefect of Constantinople, but who resigned the glory of the world and departed to Mount Sinai, where he undertook the monastic life with his son. While both were dwelling in that place and living the ascetic life, Barbarians suddenly fell upon them and began to slaughter the holy Fathers; Nilus was able to escape, but his son Theodulus was captured along with another young man. They were bound and dragged away, and the Barbarians intended to slaughter the youths and sacrifice them to the morning star appearing before the sun. And one of them fled; but the Barbarians, having fallen asleep, and with the sun now risen and that star hidden, did not slaughter Theodulus. Wishing to sell him, they were asking for only two gold coins. And one of them drew his sword, intending to slaughter him. Then the bishop bought him and set him free; he spent the rest of his life in great holiness and fell asleep in the Lord.
On the same day, the Commemoration of our holy Father Stephen, the founder of the monastery of Chenolacus.
He was born in the East, being of noble birth and wealthy, but he renounced everything and became a monk. He went away to the desert of the Jordan, and passing through the monasteries of the great Fathers, he learned every virtue. During the reign of the Emperor Leo the Isaurian, he arrived in Constantinople and was welcomed by the most holy Patriarch Germanus, from whom he received the place where the monastery of Chenolacus now exists. Having founded the monastery, he gathered pious men for the glorification of God, and taught them every kind of virtue, instructing them how they might please God. He also taught those who came to him day by day, saying: "Brethren, do not forget God, knowing this, that this world is passing away and is nothing." Having taught these things and many others, and having shepherded his flock well, he surrendered his soul to God in peace.
On the same day, the Commemoration of Saint Athanasius. Missing.
IN THE SAME MONTH. THE FIFTEENTH. The Falling Asleep of our holy Father Paul the Theban.
He flourished during the reign of the Emperor Decius, and was born in Thebes, a city of Egypt. He had a brother-in-law, and this brother-in-law intended to betray him to the governor as a Christian, so that he might inherit his share of the property; and learning of this beforehand, Paul fled and went away to the mountain of the desert. Proceeding little by little into the inner regions of the desert, he found a cave and entered it. And he clothed himself with garments made of palm leaves, which he stitched
A together, and he sustained himself from their fruits. God, wishing to make his life manifest for the benefit of others, led the great Antony there, who supposed that no one else had entered more deeply into the desert than he. But upon finding him, he marveled. As they began to converse, a raven arrived carrying a whole loaf of bread, which it gave to them. When Antony returned B to bring him a cloak, he found him already departed [to the Lord], and he glorified God.
On the same day: Commemoration of our holy Father John the Hut-dweller, who possessed the Golden Gospel.
John the Hut-dweller was born in Constantinople to Eutropius the patrician and Theodora. When he was a boy, he asked his parents, since his fellow students had Gospels to read and it was a shame for him not to have one, to procure that book for him as well. His parents therefore bought him a precious codex of the Gospels, adorned with gold, gems, and pearls, at the price of five hundred gold pieces. Having abandoned the school of learning, John went with a certain monk to the monastery of the Sleepless Ones, and having embraced the monastic life there, he fought his struggle most excellently. But the devil, having no way to attack him, injected into John a great desire to see his parents. Yet he did not yield to this thought; rather, he conquered and overcame the devil. For with the counsel of the abbot, he came to his house and saw his C parents, but having built for himself a hut outside the gate, he remained there like a beggar until his death. Then, indeed, he was recognized by the golden book of the Gospels.
On the same day: The Contest of Saint Charitina.
Charitina the martyr was a slave of a certain Claudianus, a Christian and a pious man. In the times of Emperor Diocletian and the comes Domitianus, she was denounced for worshipping Christ, was arrested, and was presented to the comes. Having confessed Christ and professed herself a Christian, she was beaten most severely. Then, her head having been shaven, burning drops and very sharp vinegar were poured over her; soon her sides were burned with torches; finally, she was bound and cast into the sea. But miraculously saved, and emerging from the sea whole, she stood before the comes. The comes, seeing this, was astonished and ordered a wheel to be made, and having bound the saint to it, commanded that burning coals be placed under the wheel. When this had been done, Charitina was tormented. Then her teeth were pulled out, and, overwhelmed by most D grievous pain and intolerable suffering, she surrendered her spirit to God.
IN THE SAME MONTH. The sixteenth day: The Adoration of the holy chain of the holy apostle Peter, by which, for the sake of Christ, he was bound by king Herod and cast into prison.
When king Herod had arrested James, the brother of the holy John the Theologian, and had beheaded him with a sword...
A seeing that this was pleasing to the Jews, he apprehended also the holy Peter. And having bound him with two chains, he cast him into prison, wishing to put him to death. But an angel of God stood by him in the prison, and loosed him from his chains; and having opened the prison doors by night, he released him. And thus he escaped the hands of Herod. The chains, indeed, having been found by certain of the faithful and held in honor because of holy Peter, were kept by passing them down to posterity; and at last they were brought to Constantinople by pious emperors and deposited in the church of Saint Peter, which is near the church of Holy Sophia. And from that time unto this day they are honored, and venerated by the Christians in honor of the apostle Peter. B
On the same day. The contest of the holy martyr Pansophius.
Pansophius the holy martyr was from Alexandria, the son of Nilus the proconsul. His father took care of him and taught him all manner of learning. But after the death of his father, he gave all his wealth to the poor, and departed into the desert; and he spent twenty-seven years in the desert praying to God. But certain wicked and envious men slandered him to the governor of Alexandria, the Augustalis, who had been sent by Decius to put the Christians to death. And the Augustalis sent and bound him and brought him before him; and he compelled him to deny Christ, and to worship the idols. C And as he could not persuade him, he beat him most severely with rods. While being beaten for a long time, he gave thanks to God and prayed. Cursing the idols, he said that they were nothing. And in this manner, amidst stripes and tortures, he expired.
On the same day. The contest of the holy martyr Danax the lector.
The holy martyr Danax was from the country of Illyricum, from a place called Aulon. He was a lector of the holy Church, and he used to read the sacred books to the Christian people. Now in those days a gathering of certain rustic and infidel peoples invaded that region, D and they raged against the Christians during those times. The holy Danax, therefore, having taken the sacred vessels of the church, fled to a certain fortified place five miles distant from Aulon, overlooking the sea. But they, having descended by ropes toward him, compelled him to sacrifice to Bacchus, saying that he was the author of wine. But he, confessing Christ, said that He is the creator of the world and of all things that are in the world; but that Bacchus is not a god, but a deaf and dumb idol. Wherefore, being enraged, they hacked him with the swords which they were holding, and cast him into the sea; and thus he had this end of his life.
OF THE SAME MONTH. The seventeenth day.
A 114 Commemoration of our holy Father Anthony the Great.
Anthony the Great, an Egyptian, was the greatest among ascetics. Born of wealthy parents, while still a young man he renounced everything, departed, and embraced the monastic life. Beaten by demons, he poured out prayers to God and was healed of his wounds. He overcame all the powers of the demons. Thus, he knew and crushed their stratagems as no one else did. And when he was assiduous in many fasts, sleeping on the ground, and prayers, he never relaxed his original zeal. Wherefore he merited the gift of prophecy and of miracles; he also discerned the souls of the just and of sinners, seeing the former taken up to God, and the latter cast into hell. He flourished in the times of Constantine the Great, and prophesied concerning the heresy of Arius. He had many disciples of his institution, and successors of his exercises, among whom were Athanasius the Great, Paul the Theban, and the great Hilarion. And having lived for ninety-five years, he died, and was buried by two of his disciples in an unknown place.
The same day.
115 The contest of the three holy youths Speusippus, Elasippus, and Belesippus, and their companions.
These three were triplet brothers, born from one and the same womb, Cappadocians by country, renowned horsemen and tamers of horses. When they had one day prepared a table to sacrifice to Zeus, and had invited their grandmother Neonilla, a Christian, to the feast with them, they heard her discoursing about Christ; and they accepted the faith of Christ, being taught that the gods of the gentiles are stones and wood, lacking soul, which bring certain destruction to men; and immediately rising up, they smashed the idols. When their masters, Palmatas, Hermogenes, and Codratus, learned of this, having first tried everything in vain to call them away from their purpose, they cast them into a huge burning furnace and consumed them. A certain woman, Junilla, holding her child, threw him in, professing herself a Christian; and immediately she was beheaded together with Neonilla, the grandmother of the martyrs. Finally, Turbo the notary, having run up and overturned the idols that had remained, professing himself a Christian, was beheaded.
OF THE SAME MONTH. The eighteenth day.
116 Commemoration of our holy Fathers Athanasius and Cyril.
Saint Athanasius was renowned in the time of the Emperor Constantine the Great. When he was archdeacon of the Church of Alexandria, he was sent by Archbishop Alexander to the Council of Nicaea, and shone in the synod, confounding Arius. After the death of Saint Alexander, he was elected patriarch of Alexandria in his place, and spent many D
A years suffering for the orthodox faith, enduring persecutions, fleeing, being sent into exile, and after struggling for Christ for the space of forty-two years, he finally fell asleep and was perfected. Saint Cyril, during the reign of Theodosius the Younger, was the nephew of Theophilus, patriarch of that same city of Alexandria, and furthermore became his successor. He also attended the synod convened in Ephesus for the deposition of the impious Nestorius, holding first place among the bishops. Having then shone in many other virtuous achievements, he departed to the Lord, receiving eternal life.
On the same day, a commemoration of the holy Eusebia, surnamed Xena.
B The holy Eusebia, surnamed Xena, that is, "the Stranger," was from the city of Rome, noble, beautiful, and wealthy. When her parents wished to give her in marriage, and everything was prepared for the wedding, she secretly fled with two handmaids, boarded a ship, and sailed to Alexandria. Upon leaving the ship, she remained in a humble dwelling, uncertain because of her womanly weakness as to where she should go; but God sent to her a man who was a monk, by the name of Paul. He guided her toward salvation, for he took the women and led them to his own city, Mylassa near Caria. He built a church in the name of the holy protomartyr Stephen, and established them there. And the holy woman struggled so much that she was deemed worthy of many miracles; and having lived in this way, she ended her life.
On the same day, the contest of the holy martyr Theodula.
Theodula the martyr was from the city of Anazarbus during the reign of Diocletian. On account of her faith in Christ and her confession, she was arrested by Pelagius, the prefect of Anazarbus. She was beaten severely; yet, even while being tortured, she worked miracles. By her wonderworking she drew many to herself and persuaded them to approach Christ and become Christians. Among them were the Commentariensis and his assistant Helladius, who were both beheaded. The holy woman’s breasts were pierced with red-hot skewers and burned. Then she was hung by her hair from a cypress tree, and her feet were pierced with sharp spikes; and she remained hanging for a long time. D Afterward, she was taken down and cast into a furnace that was burning intensely, together with other saints. There, praying for a long time, extending her hands, and giving thanks, she delivered her holy soul to God.
IN THE SAME MONTH. The Nineteenth.
The contest of the holy martyr Theodotus, bishop of Cyrenia in Cyprus.
This man, during the reign of Licinius the emperor and the governorship of Sabinus of the island of Cyprus, was arrested for his confession of Christ and brought before the governor...
A and was beaten severely with ox-hide scourges. Then he was hung upon a wooden frame, and his flesh was torn. Next, he was stretched out over a red-hot iron gridiron. But by a divine miracle, being preserved from the fire, he was compelled to run while shod with iron shoes into which sharp nails had been driven. Finally, he was cast into prison and remained in chains for as long as the persecution of the Christians lasted, until, by the edict of the Great Constantine then holding the Roman empire, he was released from prison. He occupied himself with the governance of his own church, teaching the word of our Lord Jesus Christ without any fear. And when he had lived for two years and had turned many toward piety, he departed unto the Lord and was honorably buried by his own devout disciples.
On the same day: The Contest of Saint Euphrasia the Martyr.
Saint Euphrasia the martyr was from the city of Nicomedia, during the reign of the emperor Maximian, being commended by the equal praise of her lineage and her character. B Being arrested and compelled to sacrifice to idols, when she refused to do so, she was handed over to a barbarian and rustic man to be violated. She, fearing that force would be used against her, devised a ruse of this kind: "If you let me go," she said to him, "I will give you a potion which, if you carry it, neither sword nor any other thing will be able to harm you or inflict a wound; but you will be kept safe and unharmed from spears, swords, and missiles." He replied to her, "I would indeed like to learn this and be convinced of it." Then Euphrasia, immediately extending her neck, said, "Strike with your sword, for you will not be able to sever my head." He, having put faith in her words, struck her with the sword and severed her head from her neck. And thus she was snatched away from him. C
On the same day: The Commemoration of our holy Fathers Macarius the Roman and the other Macarius of Egypt.
Saint Macarius the Roman, having been forced by his father against his will to take a wife, left her and decided to take flight and provide for his own salvation. Wherefore, an angel of God immediately took him and showed himself as his guide, leading him even to Paradise and placing him in a spot twenty miles distant from it; where three monks, Theophilus, Sergius, and Hyginus, found him, to whom he recounted the wondrous and stupendous things D which he had seen. Finally, at a decrepit age, he departed unto the Lord. The other holy Macarius, tiny in stature, was from Alexandria in Egypt; who, having renounced the world and seeking the desert, received the monastic rule from a certain holy elder: and he so shone in virtues, by diligently observing the commandments of God, that he had power over demons, and saw them with his own eyes, and rebuked them. And having performed very many other miracles for the glory of Christ, he rested, rejoicing in peace.
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JANUARY.
TWENTIETH DAY.
The Contest of the Holy Martyrs Valerian, Candidus, Aquila, and Eugenius.
These men contended under the Emperor Diocletian. For when the prefect Agricolaus and the Duke Lysias were executing the Christians—the forty holy martyrs at Sebaste, and the forty-five holy martyrs at Nicopolis—certain men came and said that some Christians were hiding in the mountains of Trapezus. Lysias sent men to seize them, and having bound them with ropes, he ordered them to be beaten most severely. Then, covering them with tallow and oil, he set fire to them and burned them. Then the holy Eugenius, having entered the temple of the idols with the prefect and having groaned greatly to God and prayed, broke the idols into pieces. And at that time many believed in Christ. After this, the holy Candidus, Aquila, and Valerian were beheaded; but the holy Eugenius was stretched upon the rack, cast into prison, tortured with various torments, and thrown into fire. Having emerged from it unharmed, he was eventually beheaded as well.
On the same day.
The Contest of the Holy Martyrs Bassus, Eusebius, Eutychius, and Basilides.
These saints also suffered martyrdom during the time of the impious Emperor Diocletian. Being among the first in the palace and distinguished by wealth and glory, when they saw the holy bishop Theopemptus martyred and tortured, they believed in Christ. Loosening their belts, they threw them down before the emperor, declaring themselves Christians. Then the emperor commanded that, if they spoke truly, they should go and give all their money to others, which they did with great readiness. A pit having been dug, the holy Bassus was lowered into it up to his chest, and his hands having been cut off, he gave up his spirit to the Lord. The holy Eusebius, suspended head-downward between two columns, was cut in two with an axe and died. Eutychius, having had his hands and feet tied to four stakes, was torn into three parts and thus fell asleep; and the holy Basilides was cut through the middle of his belly with a sword and departed into the presence of the Lord.
On the same day.
The Contest of the Holy Martyrs Innas, Rimmas, and Pinnas.
DThese saints were from Scythia, from the northern region, and were disciples of the holy Apostle Andrew. Teaching in the name of Christ and turning many of the Barbarians to the true faith, they baptized them. For this reason, they were seized by the prince of the Barbarians, and though many attempts were made to force them to renounce Christ and sacrifice to idols, they were not persuaded. And when a very severe winter occurred, and the rivers were frozen by the cold, so that it was possible to walk not only for men but also for horses and wagons upon the ice…
they planted large pieces of wood there, as if they were trees rooted in the ground, A and bound the saints there. And as the water tossed and the ice gradually increased, reaching up to the necks of the holy ones, overwhelmed by the most acute pain of the cold, they surrendered their blessed souls to the Lord.
Eodem die
Commemoration of our holy Father Euthymius, priest and master of the desert.
Euthymius the Great, under the emperor Gratian, was born at Melitene in Armenia, to Paul and Dionysia. Since they were barren, they learned from God that they would have a son, upon whose birth the whole world and all the Churches would be of good cheer; wherefore, when the boy was born, they called him Euthymius, which means "in good and cheerful spirits." And when he grew up, he was first ordained a cleric by the bishop of that place; then a presbyter, and exarch of the monasteries. Soon he traveled to Jerusalem and withdrew into the cave of the holy Theoctistus, and lived there a quiet life; and he so progressed in the practice of virtues B that, by his reputation for supreme holiness, he drew Saracens every day to the faith of Christ, and baptized them along with their families. He was also famous for many miracles: and when he was once celebrating the liturgy, he was seen to have taken on the appearance of a pillar of fire. Finally, in the ninety-seventh year of his age, in a good old age, he migrated to the Lord, in the reign of Leo the Great.
EODEM MENSE. Die vicesima prima
Contest of the holy martyr Neophytus
Neophytus the martyr of Christ was from the city of Nicaea in Bithynia, born under the emperor Diocletian to Christian parents, Theodore and Florentia. While yet a boy, he was full of the grace of God and performed miracles. For when he went to school with his classmates, he would pray C and nourish them. Wherever he went, a dove followed him, and conversed with him in a human voice; when his mother saw it conversing with the boy, she fainted from fear and fell down. But the saint recalled her to life from death by his prayers. He frequently ascended Mount Olympus, and devoted himself to prayer there. Wherefore, having been reported to the governor Decius, and having been seized by his order, D he was beaten most cruelly with scourges; soon after, he was cast into a burning furnace, but escaped from it unharmed. He was then condemned to the beasts; and when he remained unhurt by them, he was at length slain by the sword by one of those who stood by the governor.
Eodem die
Commemoration of Saint Zosimus, Bishop of Syracuse.
Our holy Father Zosimus was born in Sicily to faithful, pious, and wealthy parents, who had an estate near the monastery of the holy virgin Lucia. When he had been brought into the light,
A he was offered by them to Saint Lucia and educated in that same monastery, becoming the sacristan of her precious shrine. If ever he went to visit his parents, he was not permitted to tarry with them for any long time, but was immediately sent back to the church of the Saint, as his parents told him that he must be where he had been dedicated by them. When he had spent thirty years in the monastery, he was made its superior. Afterwards, having been ordained Bishop of the city of Syracuse by Theodore, the Pope of Rome, when he became bishop he did not neglect the people, but by teaching many about eternal life, and about judgment and retribution, and by governing the Church entrusted to him excellently, he ended his life, having attained fifty years of age.
IN THE SAME MONTH. THE TWENTY-SECOND DAY.
B The struggle of the holy apostle Timothy, Bishop of Ephesus, disciple of the holy apostle Paul.Timothy, the apostle of Christ, was born at the city of Lystra, of a Greek father and a Jewish mother. He became a disciple of the holy apostle Paul and a companion of his preaching, and he was ordained by the same holy Paul as the first bishop of Ephesus during the reign of Emperor Nero, before Saint John the Theologian. For the Theologian came to Ephesus later, after the falling asleep of the holy Theotokos. Now Saint Timothy, while instructing the people in the faith of Christ, once seeing the Greeks celebrating an abominable feast day to their idols, where men and women were shamelessly committing base acts together, ran to them and exhorted them to desist from this wickedness. So far from succeeding in anything, he was instead killed by them with the staves which they held in their hands, at the very entrance of the city, where his precious relics were also buried. C
On the same day.
The struggle of the holy martyr Vincent, deacon.This man was from the city of Augusta, under the reign of Emperor Diocletian and Domitian the governor. He was arrested with Bishop Valerius and brought to the city called Valentia and delivered to prison. Brought forth from there, he was presented to Domitian; he was beaten with rods and mangled with iron claws, and held suspended for a long time on the rack; D soon he was scorched on his sides with torches of fire, and pierced with red-hot iron spits. When the executioners were exhausted, and the holy martyr stood sound and uninjured by the grace of God, the tyrant changed his plan and began to cajole him, saying, "Behold, I will set you free, and I will not put you to death, if only you will consent to deny your Christ and worship the gods." But the holy man, not even bearing to hear his blasphemies, delivered his spirit to God in prayer; and his precious relics were buried in that same place by faithful and pious men.
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The Same Day: The Contest of the Holy Martyr Anastasius the Persian
He was from Persia, under the reign of the Romans of Heraclius, and of the Persians of Chosroes, son of Maguntinus. Being himself a magus, he was enrolled in the ranks of the young soldiers. When the Persians made an incursion into the holy places and, along with the other spoils, carried off the precious wood of the Lord’s Cross, they spread abroad among the populace that the God of the Christians had come under their dominion; for they considered the precious Cross to be God, because of the miracles performed by it. Anastasius, moved by these reports and having carefully considered the matter, learned the whole dispensation of Christ and embraced His faith. And he came first with the Persians to Chalcedon; and there, being more fully imbued with the fear of God, he renounced his military service and the world, and went to Hierapolis, and from there to Jerusalem; and he was baptized, and became a monk in the laura of St. Sabas. Later, burning with the desire to bear witness for Christ through martyrdom, he returned to his own country; and being seized by the Persians and tortured with many torments, he was beheaded.
The Same Day: The Translation of the Precious Relics of the Same Holy Martyr Anastasius the Persian
When Emperor Heraclius had moved into Persia and King Chosroes had been slain, a certain monk from the monastery of the Martyr, seeing the emperor’s army, rejoiced and followed them as though they were Christians. When they returned, he also went back to his own Abbot and reported to him that he had brought the *colobium* of the martyr Anastasius, and told him that a man in Persia oppressed by a demon had been set free by being clothed in that *colobium*. And Heraclius, in the twentieth year of his reign, restored the precious wood of the Cross to Jerusalem. A certain bishop, having been sent by the catholic archbishop to the Roman regions, took the relics of the saint and brought them to Caesarea; and having left a small portion there, he kept the rest with himself. The precious head of the martyr, and his icon, are venerated by the faithful in great and ancient Rome. C
The Same Day: The Contest of the Holy Manuel, George, Leo, and their Companions, who were Killed by the Impious Bulgarians under the Reign of Leo the Armenian
During the reign of Leo the Armenian, Crumus, the prince of the Bulgarians, with a great multitude of people, came to Adrianople in Thrace; and having taken it by the right of war, he also seized the most holy Bishop Manuel. He first cut off his hands from his shoulders, and then, having cut him in two with a sword, he delivered him to the wild beasts to be devoured. For this impiety, he was struck with blindness and became hated by his own people, and was strangled by them with ropes. Tzocus, the most impious, succeeded to the principality of the Bulgarians and [brought] all the captive Christians—dukes, priests, deacons, and laity—into
A a forced denial of the Christian faith; for the Bulgarians were not yet imbued with the faith of Christ. And since they would not do this, he ordered some to be beheaded, and others he killed miserably after they had been tortured with various torments.
IN THE SAME MONTH, THE TWENTY-THIRD DAY
The Contest of the Holy and Much-Suffering Clement, Bishop of Ancyra in the Province of Galatia
B During the reigns of Diocletian and Maximian, the holy Clement was from Ancyra in Galatia, born of a Gentile father and a Christian mother named Euphrosyne, who also prophesied concerning her son, that he was destined to suffer martyrdom for Christ. After his mother’s death, he was raised by a wealthy woman named Sophia. He became a monk, then a deacon, then a priest, and after this a bishop, at the age of twenty. C While he was baptizing the children of the Greeks, he was seized by the Vicar Domitian and punished in Ancyra; then in Rome by Diocletian; then in Nicomedia by Maximian and Agrippinus; and again in Ancyra; then in Amisus; then in Tarsus; and back again to Ancyra, where, having been cast into prison and officiating there at the liturgy, he was put to the sword along with the deacons Christophoros and Chariton by the prefect Alexander.
On the same day
The Contest of the holy martyr Agathangelos and the men, women, and children who suffered martyrdom with him
While the holy Clement was in custody in Rome D with many others, Agathangelos, who was among their number, saw an angel sent by God to the holy Clement, who presented him with bread and wine and then departed. Moved by this, he accepted the faith of Christ along with many others. When Diocletian learned of this, he had them all beheaded. But the holy Agathangelos, though he could have fled, yet when he learned that the holy Clement was being taken to Nicomedia by ship, he preceded him, and boarding the vessel, he waited for him. Seeing him, the holy Clement rejoiced, and thought him the presence of a good angel. Agathangelos therefore followed him until he reached Ancyra, to Lucius. And there he was beheaded by Lucius along with the children, men, and women who had believed in Christ along with him and the holy Clement.
IN THE SAME MONTH, THE TWENTY-FOURTH DAY
The Contest of the holy martyrs Paul, Pausirius, and Theodotion
These men lived under the reign of Diocletian and the prefect Arrianus in the city of Cleopatris; they were brothers by birth, and having renounced the world, they embraced the monastic life. Afterward, being seized by the prefect, they were subjected to torments. They were of the age when they were seized...
Paul was thirty-seven years old, and Pausirius twenty-five. But Theodotion, having abandoned the monastic life, had addicted himself to robbery. When he heard that his brothers had been arrested, he came with the desire to see them; but when he saw them being tormented, he did not dare to approach closely. Instead, from a high place, looking on from a distance, he pondered within himself what kind of inheritance his brothers were about to receive. Running forward, therefore, and professing himself a Christian, he seized the prefect with his hand and threw him from the tribunal. For this reason, he was immediately beheaded. But Paul and Pausirius were cast into the river and thus attained their consummation.
ON THE SAME MONTH. The twenty-fifth day.
B Commemoration of our holy Father Gregory the Theologian.Gregory the Great, the Theologian, was born in the region of Cappadocia, in the city of Nazianzus, to Gregory and Nonna, and flourished during the reign of Constantius, the son of Constantine the Great; he lived until the time of Theodosius the Great. Born through a revelation and reared, for the sake of his studies, he journeyed first to Caesarea, then to Alexandria, and finally to Athens. While he was immersed in the sciences, the great Basil also arrived, and both of them labored together to acquire virtue and learning. Afterward, they returned to their own homeland. Gregory indeed became bishop of Sasima; then, because his father was already burdened by old age, he diligently fulfilled his duty of both teaching and celebrating the liturgy in his stead in Nazianzus. After this, on account of the Arian heresy, he went to Byzantium, confirmed the orthodox with his sermons, and was even proclaimed patriarch of Constantinople. But shortly thereafter, having abdicated the patriarchate, he retired to his own estate and finished his life in most honorable leisure.
ON THE SAME MONTH. The twenty-sixth day.
Commemoration of the terrible, great, and wondrous earthquake.In the final times of the Emperor Theodosius the Younger, son of Arcadius and Eudoxia, in the month of January, on the twenty-sixth day, a horrible earthquake occurred in Constantinople—such as had never happened since the founding of the city until that day—so that both the walls and the greatest part of the city collapsed. D By the same earthquake, other cities of Thrace, Macedonia, and Bithynia were also shaken, and it lasted for three months. For this reason, the Emperor Theodosius, with the patriarch, the clergy, and the entire populace, walking barefoot and pouring forth a flood of tears, having instituted a public supplication, said to God: "Deliver us, O Lord, from Thy righteous anger and from all our sins, through repentance; for Thou hast moved the earth and troubled it on account of our sins, casting fear into our hearts, that we may glorify Thee, who alone art kind and merciful." Thenceforth, therefore, the memory of this earthquake is celebrated.
On the same day. A
Commemoration of the holy Xenophon, and his wife, and their children Arcadius and John.
Our holy Father Xenophon was a senator in Constantinople, pious, merciful, and righteous, and possessed of every virtue. And being glorious and very rich, he begat two sons, Arcadius and John, and having brought them up in the instruction and admonition of the Lord, he sent them to the city of Berytus, so that they might study the laws. For that city had at that time libraries of all kinds of learning. But when his sons suffered shipwreck, and the father learned this from one of his servants, he set out with his wife to search for them. And having found them in Jerusalem, cast up from the sea and having become monks, and recognizing them, he himself and his wife also put on the monastic habit. And they progressed so far in virtue as to be accounted worthy to perform miracles; and in this way they passed away in the Lord, together with their sons.
ON THE SAME MONTH. 27th. B
The contest of the holy martyrs Ananias the presbyter, Peter the jailer, and seven other soldiers.
These flourished under the Emperor Diocletian and the prefect Maximus. When the holy Ananias approached this Maximus and confessed himself to be a Christian, and reviled the idols, he was stripped and beaten severely with rods; and his sides were scored with red-hot irons, and rubbed with vinegar, salt, and haircloth. Then he prayed, and the temple and the idols fell down. Then he was cast into prison, and he remained without food for seven days; and he was fed by Christ with heavenly food. C When Peter the jailer saw this, he fell at his feet and was baptized. And when one prefect had succeeded another, Maximus by name, he bound the holy men to a wheel and placed them upon a heated gridiron. But the seven soldiers who were torturing the saints saw the fire cooling, and they accepted the faith of Christ; and having been thrown into the sea along with them by the executioners, they finished their lives.
On the same day.
The translation of the relics of our holy Father John Chrysostom. D
Saint John Chrysostom, having been sent into exile, went away to Comana in Armenia, where the relics of the holy Basiliscus lie, who also appeared to him, saying: "Do not fear, brother John; for tomorrow we shall be together." The same saint appeared to the sexton, saying: "Prepare a place for the great martyr John, who is coming." Therefore John, having put on a white stole and having celebrated the liturgy, and having spoken the words which he always had in his mouth: "Glory to God for all things," he gave up his spirit, and was laid near the tomb of the holy martyr Basiliscus. But thirty-three years later, through the agency of Proclus the patriarch,
A Theodosius the emperor, wishing to bring back the relics, sent a message; but since the sarcophagus could not be opened, the emperor, struck with grief, wrote a letter to the saint in which he besought him to come; he was immediately heard. Therefore, the precious relics were translated to Constantinople and were honorably interred in the church of the Holy Apostles.
ON THE SAME MONTH. The twenty-eighth day. Commemoration of our holy Father Ephrem the Syrian. He was from the East, a Syrian by race, and a citizen of Edessa, born of Christian parents; he lived from the times of Constantine the Great until the reign of Valens. B While he was still an infant, his parents saw in a dream a vine proceeding from his tongue, which filled the whole earth, and the birds of the sky came and plucked from its fruit. Now the vine signified the knowledge that he was to possess. He excelled in virtues to such a degree that he was profitable to many. When he came to Basil the Great in the city of Caesarea, he was ordained a presbyter by him, and at the same time he began to speak Greek, although he had previously spoken only Syriac. Having later composed books useful for the soul, and having taught and benefited many, he migrated to God in deep old age, giving thanks.
ON THE SAME MONTH. The twenty-ninth day. Translation of the relics of the holy martyr Ignatius, patriarch of Antioch. Blessed Ignatius the God-bearer was sent by the emperor Trajan from Antioch to Rome on account of his confession of Christ; he fought with beasts and was suffocated by lions, while the whole senate stood in the theater and watched: this was what the saint had obtained from God through prayer; for he said: "Even if it be necessary for me to be consumed by beasts, yet I will not deny my Christ; but I desire to be ground by the teeth of the beasts, that I may be found as pure bread for my God." When, therefore, he was suffocated by the lions having been let loose upon him, his relics were raised up by the Christians, and with pomp and honor were translated from Rome to Antioch, with the whole city coming out to meet them with candles, psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; they were interred in that same city in a most honorable and magnificent sepulcher for its protection and safeguard. D
On the same day. The contest of the holy martyrs Sarbelus the priest, and Bebaia his sister. These flourished under the emperor Trajan. Now the holy priest Sarbelus was a priest of idols: and when a feast day was being celebrated for the demons, he was performing impure sacrifices according to custom. But having been rebuked by Barsimaeus, the bishop of Edessa, and reproached for being the author of the ruin and destruction of many; led by divine favor to repentance, and having [applied] the bishop’s word—
he was baptized by the bishop, and having witnessed for Christ, together with his sister Babæa. The bishop, having learned this, presented himself to the governor Lysias; and he was beaten severely. Then, as the persecution ceased for a while, he went out of the prison; and having returned to the church, and having lived according to all virtue as was his custom in service to God, he reached his end, having received eternal life.
On the same day
The Contest of Saint Theophilus the Younger
This man was from Constantinople, under the reign of Constantine and Irene, the orthodox emperors; he was a man of the senatorial order, and had been appointed by the emperors as a commander of the army—
A sent to the Cibyrrhaeote theme, when the Saracen fleet appeared, he drew up for battle. Now he had as comrades in the forces three other commanders. And when he himself, as the first of them with his own dromon, having made an attack upon the Barbarians, fought most bravely, the other commanders, envying his glory, took to flight and left him alone. Surrounded thus, the Barbarians captured him; and returning home, they shut him up in prison: from which, being brought out four years later, when he was urged to abjure the Christian faith and accept the Hagarene superstition, and could not be induced to do so, he ended his life having been beheaded.
ON THE SAME MONTH. The thirty-first day.
Contest of the holy wonder-workers Cyrus and John
These flourished under the emperor Diocletian. Now, the holy Cyrus was by country an Alexandrian, and by profession a physician; and since he practiced his art without any fee, he simultaneously taught the faith in Christ. Wherefore, being denounced to the prefect of the city, he was struck with fear, and fled into Arabia; and having embraced the monastic life, he dwelt in a place near the sea. But the holy John, having departed for Jerusalem, and having been made certain of the miracles of the holy Cyrus, went to him and joined his manner of life with him. But when a certain Christian woman, by name Athanasia, and her three daughters, Theodota, Theoctista, and Eudoxia, were seized by the prefect to be tortured, they, fearing lest she, as a woman, might fail in the torments, approached and encouraged her. For this reason, C being seized, after many tortures they were beheaded.
On the same day.
Contest of the holy martyr Victorinus, and the six with him
Under the emperor Decius, these existed from the city of Corinth. Being seized, however, and delivered to the proconsul Tertius, they were tortured severely. For Victorinus, having had his right eye gouged out, and his hands and feet cut off, was crushed in a large marble mortar and died. Victor [read: Victor, in the Latin, but note the text variation], his tongue cut out, was crushed in the same manner in the mortar and finished his course. Nicephorus was pressed until blood gushed from his nostrils; then, having been hung by the hair, and finally crushed in the same mortar, he breathed out his soul. D Claudianus, with hands and feet mutilated, and having been hung up, departed this life. Diodorus was consumed by fire. Sarapion, hung head downward, was beheaded. Papias, finally, having had his hands and feet amputated, and having been tied to a stone, was cast into the depths.
On the same day.
Contest of the holy martyr Tryphaena
Tryphaena, the martyr of Christ, was from the city of Cyzicus. She was the daughter of Anastasius, a patrician but a Gentile, and of Socratia, a Christian, and was herself a Christian. But when the festival
was being celebrated to the idols, moved by divine zeal, she rushed into the midst of the people, spat upon the abominable sacred rites of the Gentiles, and heaped insults upon those who were watching them, teaching that they must renounce idols, turn to Christ, and receive baptism. For this reason, having been seized by the order of the prefect Caesarius, she was thrown into a furnace. Having been delivered from the furnace, she was hung upon a piece of wood, with very sharp iron nails fixed into the ground below. And being released from the wood, she fell upon the nails and was afflicted with most severe pain. Then various wild beasts were sent against her; when the others did not dare to approach her, a bull ran up and, having driven its horns into her vitals, tore her in two; and she immediately gave up her spirit, and thus her body was buried by the faithful. B
MENSE FEBRUARIO. Die prima.
Certamen sancti martyris Tryphonis.
Tryphon the martyr was from the region of Phrygia, during the reign of Gordian. While still a boy, he herded geese; yet at the same time he was diligent in acquiring virtues and scrupulously fulfilled the commandments of God: whence he received the gift of healings, so that there was no kind of disease that he could not cure. He even healed the emperor's daughter, who was oppressed by a demon, and he compelled the demon himself, appearing in the form of an extremely black dog, to reveal his own deceptions and deceits; this affair brought many to the faith of Christ. After these things, under the emperor Decius, he was arrested by the prefect Aquilinus and led in chains to Nicaea; there, tied to wild horses, he was dragged through impassable places in the winter season: then, naked, he was rolled upon sharp nails: finally, scorched about the sides with torches, he was beheaded. C
Eodem die.
Commemoratio sancti Patris nostri Bendimiani, discipuli sancti Auxentii.
Our holy and great Father Bendimianus was a disciple of our holy Father Auxentius, who lived a solitary life on the mountain near Chalcedon, called Oxia; he showed himself a diligent servant to his master, as is fitting for the saints, and becoming heir to his holy prayers, he devoted his efforts to acquiring virtues: and not content with these, after the death of the saint, having found a crag near the saint's monastery, amid the mountain defiles, he built a small cell upon it on two sides, and enclosing himself therein, he struggled for forty-two years. He also received the gift of healings, and healed those coming to him of both mental and bodily diseases. D Furthermore, he endured many temptations from demons. And being forewarned of his own death, he narrated the life of holy Auxentius to a certain writer so that he might commit it to letters; and thus, bowing his knees, he gave up the spirit.
IN THE SAME MONTH. The Second Day.
A 154 The Meeting of our Lord Jesus Christ, when the elder Simeon received him in his arms.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, in order to confirm his economy according to the flesh—that is, that he was truly made man—having fulfilled all things which were ordained by the Jewish law, did not omit this either, but did as was the custom among the Jews. For on the fortieth day, the parents used to bring every Hebrew male child into the temple, along with two turtledoves or two young pigeons, so that he might receive a blessing. Our Lord Jesus Christ also did this. And along with his mother, the Theotokos, who is truly his mother, and Joseph, his putative father, he came into the temple of God, and was received by the just Simeon, who, when he had taken him into his arms, said: "Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace, because my eyes have seen thy salvation." Likewise, Anna the prophetess also confessed and gave thanks to God, because he had visited his people. For this reason, therefore, this holy feast is celebrated. B
On the same day
155 The contest of the holy martyrs Perpetua, Satyrus, Revocatus, Saturninus, Secundus, and Felicitas.
Perpetua, a martyr of Christ from the region of Africa, having been arrested by the heathens on account of her confession of Christ, was led to the provincial prefect along with the rest of the holy ones. Now the holy woman had an infant who was still nursing, C and a brother named Dinocrates. Therefore, after they were tortured by the prefect, they were cast into custody, where the holy woman saw in a dream a bronze ladder fixed to the earth and reaching to the heavens, and at its extremities were fixed all kinds of instruments of torture, while at its base a dragon was attempting to pull down those who were ascending. But she saw the holy Satyrus ascending, and turning to her, he said, "My mother Perpetua, I am waiting for you." Now her brother, who was enclosed in another prison, saw Satyrus standing at a basin of water and scooping from it and drinking, from which he understood that he was dead. In the morning, therefore, Perpetua and Felicitas were gored by the horns of a ferocious bull and met their end; but the others were slaughtered. D
IN THE SAME MONTH. The Third Day.
156 Commemoration of the holy and just Simeon, who received the Lord in his arms, and of Anna the prophetess.
Simeon the elder, just and pious, and abstaining himself from all evil, while he frequented the temple and prayed to God that he might have mercy on the world and free mankind from the devil, heard from an angel that he would not die before he saw the Christ of the Lord, who would bring salvation to the whole world. Likewise, Anna the pro-
prophetess praying, also received such an oracle. And when forty days had been completed from the birth of Christ, his parents brought the child Jesus into the temple, according to the ordinance of the law. And Simeon, having taken him into his arms, said: Now you dismiss your servant, O Lord, according to your word, in peace, because my eyes have seen your salvation. And having prophesied concerning the death of Christ, and concerning the cross, and the Theotokos—that she would be grieved seeing Jesus hanging on the cross and would be consumed with sorrow—he fell asleep. Similarly, Anna also, having given thanks to God, reached the end of her life. A
On the same day: The contest of the holy martyrs Adrian and Eubulus, who suffered martyrdom in Caesarea.
Adrian and Eubulus, martyrs of Christ, were from a region called Banea. As Christians and pious men, they had an ardent desire toward the martyrs and the confessors of Christ. For this reason they went to Caesarea, that they might visit the saints being tormented in the prisons. And when they arrived, they visited them, and comforted and encouraged them. But they also taught the Gentiles the word of Christ, and baptized many of them. And having been informed upon and arrested, they were delivered to Firmilian the prefect. And they were beaten severely; and their sides were burned with fire. Then lions were let loose upon them, but they did not harm them; but the lions went and, prostrating themselves before them, licked their feet. Then the prefect, having become angered and boiling over with rage, beheaded them; and thus they were perfected. B C
On the same day: The contest of the holy martyrs Papias, Diodorus, and Claudianus.
Papias, Diodorus, and Claudianus, the venerable martyrs of Christ, lived during the time of Decius the emperor, from the city of Attalia in the province of Pamphylia. And while tending various animals in their own country, they were nonetheless Christians, and they taught the Gentiles about Christ, and they converted many to Him. And having been accused, they were arrested by Publius, the governor of Pamphylia. And being questioned, they confessed with boldness the name of Christ, D of our true God, and taught that He Himself is the one who made the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them, and that beside Him there is no other God. Having heard these things, the governor, having become angry, punished them severely. But since he could not induce them to deny Christ, he ordered their heads to be cut off by the sword; and thus they were perfected, and were buried by the Christians honorably, to the glory of Christ our God.
On the same day: Commemoration of our holy Father Isidore of Pelusium.
This holy man was an Egyptian from the city of Pelusium, of noble
A and pious parents; he was a kinsman of Theophilus and Cyril, bishops of Alexandria, and was excellently instructed in sacred and secular literature. But, preferring the love of God to the age, he renounced his parents, riches, and glory, and withdrew to a mountain not far from Pelusium. There he became a monk, and while leading a tranquil life, he devoted all his efforts now to prayer, and now to reflection upon books, illuminating the entire world with his epistles, and explaining all the holy Scriptures to them. And when he had guided many and rendered them clear in virtues (for he did not only benefit private individuals with the doctrines of his epistles, but also princes, and bishops, and emperors; for he wrote ten thousand epistles), having lived a most holy life, he fell asleep.
On the same day: The Contest of the holy hieromartyr Abramius the Persian
Abramius the hieromartyr was bishop of a certain city in Persis, and under Sapor, the tyrant of the Persians rather than their king, he was accused by the Magi, who worshipped fire and the sun, because he believed in Christ and worshipped Him. He was seized, bound in iron chains, and brought to the prince of the Magi; by whom he was compelled to abjure Christ and to worship the creatures, namely the sun and fire (for the deluded Persians held these in the place of gods). When he could not be induced to do this, he was subjected to C countless torments, at each of which he would invoke Christ and say: "Lord Jesus Christ, O God, help me, Thy servant, for in Thee does my soul trust." Now after he had been snatched from the torments, he was thrust into prison; from where, being led out again and tortured, he finally was beheaded, giving thanks to God.
IN THE SAME MONTH. The Fifth Day. The Contest of the holy martyr Agatha
Agatha, the martyr of Christ, was born in Panormus in Sicily, and was renowned for her beauty, piety, wealth, and fear of God. During the times of the impious Emperor Decius, she was seized and brought to the prefect of the province and handed over to a woman named Aphrodisia, that she might be enticed by her seductions D to abjure Christ and worship idols. But when she could not be persuaded to this, but rather longed for death for the sake of Christ, she was most severely beaten, and one of her breasts was cut off. But having been cast into prison, the holy apostle Peter appeared to her by night and, by the grace of God, restored her amputated breast whole. Then, being led out of the prison, she was dragged over broken pottery and burned with fire; and having been delivered from all these by the virtue of Christ, she was again shut up in custody; where, giving thanks to God and praying, she departed this life.
MONTH OF THE SAME. Seventh Day.
A
The Contest of the Holy Martyr Julian of Emesa.
This man was from the city of Emesa. Being a young man, he learned the medical art and would treat and heal the sick. Using the pretext of healing, he taught them the faith in Christ and baptized them. One day, when Silvanus the bishop, Luke the deacon, and Mocius the reader had been seized by the Greeks to be tortured, during the times of the Emperor Numerian, and had been locked up in prison and sentenced to be devoured by beasts, the holy Julian saw what was happening and, catching their zeal, was distressed. When he saw them being led out of prison, bound and dragged toward the beasts, he ran to them and, with great boldness, kissed them and prayed for them. Then he too was seized and bound with them; and having been nailed through the head, hands, and feet, he entered a certain cave and died.
On the same day, the Contest of the holy martyr Fausta and those with her, Evilasius and Maximus.
Fausta, the martyr of Christ, lived under the Emperor Maximian, being the daughter of rich and pious parents from the city of Cyzicus. But after they died, although she was young and wealthy, she did not love the pleasures of the world; rather, she passed her days in virginity, fasting, vigils, and almsgiving to the poor, and she served God. She was also intent upon the reading of the Holy Scriptures. Because of this, her fame reached the Emperor, and Evilasius the governor was sent to her, to persuade her to sacrifice to the idols. But when he saw the miracles wrought by her, he believed in Christ. Then Maximus the prefect was sent to torture Fausta and Evilasius, and he made a bronze vessel boil and threw the saints into it; but when he saw that they were C not burned, he himself, having believed in Christ, voluntarily cast himself into the vessel; and thus all three were perfected.
On the same day, the Contest of the holy Silvanus the bishop, Luke the deacon, and Mocius the reader.
These saints lived during the reign of Numerian, from the region of the Emesenes. Silvanus was the bishop of that city, Luke was deacon, and Mocius was reader. D As they were teaching the word of God, and confessing Christ as the Son of God and true God, they were seized by the Greeks and delivered to the governor. Having been interrogated and having confessed before him the name of our Master Jesus Christ, they were severely tortured. Soon after the sentence was passed that they should be delivered to the beasts to be torn apart, as they were being led to punishment, the holy Julian—who had been baptized by their agency—ran up, kissed them, and asked that he might fulfill his martyrdom together with them. But the saints, in the theater...
when the wild beasts were set upon them, giving thanks to God, they finished their lives. A
Eodem die
166 Commemoration of the holy Bishop Faustus. Missing.Eodem die
167 Commemoration of our holy Father Bucolus, Bishop of Smyrna, disciple of John the Theologian.Our holy Father Bucolus, from his early youth, applied all his effort to being pious and fearing God. When the holy John the Theologian recognized this zeal, he took him and made him his disciple; and he stayed with him while he was in Ephesus. Seeing him endowed with virtue, shining with all spiritual works, and perfect, he made him Bishop of Smyrna. Led by the Holy Spirit, he converted many of the infidels from error, brought them to the one God, and baptized them. He excelled to such a degree that he also prophesied future events; wherefore, B foreseeing by the prophetic spirit that Saint Polycarp would succeed him, while he was still alive he ordained him, and established him as bishop and pastor in his place. Having died and been buried, he caused a plant to sprout from his tomb, which effects many cures.
OF THE SAME MONTH
The seventh day.Conflict of the three thousand holy martyrs who suffered martyrdom at Nicomedia.
These were subjects of the four protectors who, sent by the Emperor Diocletian, had apprehended Saint Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria, and beheaded him. Being then converted to the faith of Christ together with all their own people, after the death of Saint Peter they themselves also were slain for Christ. Seeing their masters die for Christ, they were saddened, and being kindled with zeal, they took their wives and children and all their kinsmen, and came to Nicomedia, crying out and saying before the emperor: "We also are Christians." When Diocletian heard this, being troubled and C inflamed with anger, he first attempted to induce them by blandishments to deny Christ. But when he had accomplished nothing, he commanded the soldiers to cut them down with swords before him.
Eodem die
169 Commemoration of the holy Parthenius, Bishop of Lampsacus.Our holy Father Parthenius, under the Emperor Constantine the Great, was the son of Christopher, a deacon of the church of Melitopolis; he was indeed unskilled in letters, D but was endowed with the highest piety and virtue. While leading the life of a fisherman, he was selling the fish he had caught...
A to those who sought them. And so great was the virtue hidden within him, that he merited receiving from God the gift of casting out demons and healing diseases. And when he later learned letters, he was ordained presbyter by Philip, the bishop of Melitopolis, and then bishop of Lampsacus by Ascholius, the metropolitan of Cyzicus. He performed many miracles: for he restored the eye of a certain man that had been gouged out by the horn of a bull; he healed the ailment which they call cancer; and he recalled to life a man who had been trampled under a wagon. And having performed many other marvels, and having foretold things to come, he departed in peace.
On the same day Commemoration of Saint Arion, Bishop of Cyprus. B Missing.
IN THE SAME MONTH The eighth day Commemoration of the holy and glorious prophet Zechariah, one of the sixteen prophets.
This prophet was born in the region of Judaea, but he came to the land of the Chaldaeans already at an advanced age, and there he foretold many things, and gave signs and portents in demonstration of those things which he prophesied. He said to the prince Josedech that he would receive a son, who would serve in the priesthood at Jerusalem. Likewise, he blessed Salathiel in his son, upon whom he also bestowed the name Zorobabel. Concerning King Cyrus, he also gave a sign of prophecy for victory; and he prophesied concerning his own ministry which he would perform in Jerusalem; and finally C concerning the end of the nations, and concerning the prophecies and priesthood of the Jews, that they would come to an end; and concerning the temple, that it would be destroyed; and concerning the advent of Christ, that He would utterly destroy all idolatry and rule forever. Having prophesied these things and many others, he died in deep old age and was honorably buried near the tomb of the prophet Haggai.
On the same day The contest of the holy great martyr Theodore the Stratelates who was in Euchaita.
The great martyr Theodore the Stratelates flourished under the Emperor Licinius: he had his home in Euchaita, but he spent his time in Heraclea of Pontus, a man so distinguished in eloquence, beauty, and prudence, that the emperor burned with a desire to see him: D for he knew that he was handsome and brave, but yet a worshipper of Christ. Therefore, he sent men to summon him to Nicomedia. But he said to the messengers: "Nay, but rather," he says, "let the emperor come here, and let him bring with him his golden and silver gods, to whom he commands sacrifices to be offered." When Licinius learned this, he was filled with joy and did so. Theodore, however, upon learning of the arrival of Licinius, rode out on horseback to meet him, and honored him with such honor as was fitting for an emperor. The emperor, therefore, having entered the city, urged the saint to offer sacrifices to the gods; and he requested to take them and
attend to them first at home, and having taken them, he crushed them and gave them to the poor. Because of this, after being tortured at length, he was later beheaded; and his A precious remains were brought back and placed in Euchaita.
Eodem die Commemoration of our holy Father Theodosius.
Our most holy Father Theodosius was born in Antioch of Syria, the son of noble and wealthy parents. But abandoning parents, and glory, and wealth, and the world, B he departed to a mountain situated in Cilicia; and having found a rock hollowed into a small shelter, sloping toward the sea, he dwelt there. Then, building a small hut as well, he remained there, giving himself over to fasts, and vigils, and prayers, and consuming his body. His garment was of rough hair: but he also carried iron plates on his neck, his hands, and in the middle of his body. Having become such and so great, he obtained favor from God, and boldness before Him, and performed many miracles: for he made water gush forth from a dry rock, and saved many who were in danger at sea. Finally, having gone to Antioch on account of the incursion of the Isaurians, he attained his end.
Eodem die The struggle of the holy martyrs Martha and Mary, own sisters, and of Lycarion the monk.
The holy martyr of Christ, Martha, and her sister Mary, were virgins who were pious and God-fearing. C When, however, the prefect of the province was passing by the house where they were staying, they looked out from the window and professed themselves to be Christians. But the prefect, observing their youthful age, said: "I would wish you to be saved entirely; but unless you sacrifice to the gods, you will perish miserably." The saints replied to him: "It is not death to die for Christ, but life." The same was said by Lycarion, a young monk who struggled in virtue with the virgins, and he added that the gods of the Greeks were empty idols, and their worshippers miserable and unhappy. The prefect, therefore, enraged, ordered the soldiers to kill them: who indeed D put the saints to the cross and pierced them with swords; but the monk Lycarion they beheaded. And in this manner, having completed their life, they surrendered their souls to the Lord.
Eodem die The struggle of the holy martyr Philadelphus. Missing.
IN THE SAME MONTH. On the ninth day. The struggle of the holy martyr Nicephorus.
The glorious martyr of Christ, Nicephorus, lived in the time of the emperors Valerian and Gallienus, while he was living a private life. He was on familiar terms with a certain Sapricius,
A a presbyter of the Christians, who later, at the devil's instigation, hated the holy Nicephorus and would not be reconciled to him by any means. When persecution was stirred up and Sapricius was seized by the idolaters and compelled to sacrifice to the idols, holy Nicephorus sent mediators to him, begging that he might forgive him before he underwent martyrdom. But Sapricius would not grant him pardon. And when he saw him being dragged by the executioner to be beheaded, he ran to him and, throwing himself at the feet of Sapricius, entreated him again and again to forgive him. But not even in this way could he move the wretched man. Wherefore, rejected by God, when he already had his neck stretched out and saw the executioner's sword drawn, he turned to the officers and said: "Let me go, and I will sacrifice to the idols." Then holy B Nicephorus ran up and put his own neck in the place of Sapricius, and was beheaded for Christ.
On the same day. Commemoration of Marcianus, bishop of Sicily, Philagrius, bishop of Cyprus, and Pancratius, bishop of Tauromenium.
These were disciples of the holy apostle Peter. For the father of Saint Pancratius, while Christ was still living in the body on earth and working miracles, was moved by the report of him and went from the city of Antioch to Jerusalem with Pancratius, in order to see him. And having become an acquaintance of the holy Peter after Christ's ascension, he followed him, and by him was ordained bishop of Tauromenium; and while he was teaching in the name of Christ, he was killed secretly by the Gentiles. Likewise, Marcianus, having been made bishop of Sicily, after he had converted many of the C unbelievers to the Lord, departed this life. Philagrius, however, having been appointed bishop of Cyprus, while he also was teaching in the name of Christ, having suffered many afflictions from demons and from impious and unbelieving men, died, giving thanks to God until his very last breath.
OF THE SAME MONTH. The tenth day.
Contest of the holy Charalampus, Porphyrius, Dauctus, and three women.
Charalampus was a martyr of Christ in the city of Magnesia, a priest of the Christians. While he was teaching the way of truth, he was seized by the prefect Lucianus. And he was stripped of his priestly D vestment; then all the skin of his body was flayed off. And when the prefect saw him enduring these things with a constant mind, he was inflamed with anger and attempted to tear the holy man with his own hands. But immediately his hands were cut off; and the holy man, having prayed, made him sound and whole. When Porphyrius the executioner and Dauctus saw this, they abjured the superstition of idols and believed in Christ; likewise also three women who were standing there, moved by the miracle and confessing Christ, were seized and cruelly tortured. For even though the prefect was restored to health,
yet he remained in his unbelief, and with much anger and cruelty he beheaded them all. A
IN THE SAME MONTH. THE ELEVENTH DAY.
The Contest of the Holy Hieromartyr Blasius, and the Holy Women with him.
This man, in the times of the Emperor Licinius, was bishop of Sebaste; and for the sake of avoiding the persecution, he hid himself in a cave, one of those in the mountains, where the wild beasts, being tamed by the blessing of the holy man, became manageable. B Being skilled in the medical art, he performed many cures, receiving the grace of performing miracles from the Lord. Having been apprehended and led to the prefect Agricolaus, and having confessed the name of Christ, he was beaten with rods; then, mounted on the rack, he was torn. Later, as he was being led away to prison, seven women followed him, professing themselves to be Christians, and they were immediately beheaded. But holy Blasius, having first been thrown into the depths of a lake, yet emerging from it to the land with dry feet, was beheaded together with the two children who were in bonds with him.
IN THE SAME MONTH. THE SAME DAY.
The Finding of the Precious Relics of the Holy Prophet Zacharias.
Is missing.
IN THE SAME MONTH. THE SAME DAY.
Commemoration of Theodora Augusta, who established Orthodoxy.
Blessed Theodora Augusta was the wife of the Emperor Theophilus the Iconoclast; yet she was not a heretic, as her husband was. For he had banished the holy Methodius, the Patriarch of Constantinople, and had substituted for him John the Leconomant as patriarch, and had consumed the holy images with fire. But she, even if she did not openly dare to adore the holy images, yet secretly had them in her bedchamber, and at night she was praying and entreating God that at length He might have mercy upon the orthodox. She bore a son, Michael by name, and taught him the orthodox faith. D Therefore after the death of her husband, she immediately recalled the holy Methodius, and having gathered the holy Synod, she anathematized the Iconoclasts, and cast John out from his throne, and restored the holy images to the church. Finally she died, after she had left the empire to her son Michael.
IN THE SAME MONTH. THE TWELFTH DAY.
Commemoration of our Holy Father Antony, Archbishop of Constantinople.
Antony, surnamed Blacheas, was born of pious, wealthy, and noble parents of the senatorial order; and at the age of five he was attempting to perform the duties of priests: for he did not, like children, run to the
A games, though his mother was displeased at this on account of the boy’s tender age. After her death, he was surrendered by his father to a monastery and became a monk. When he had reached manhood, he was ordained a presbyter, even against his will, because of his signal virtue. Seeing such great progress in his son, his father also chose to become a monk, assuming the monastic habit from his son, so that he who was father in the flesh might be son in the spirit. He was so renowned for his beneficence toward the poor that, while he was passing by on one occasion, he received a heavy purse of gold and heard someone saying to him, "Take this and give it to the poor." He heard the voice, but did not see the person offering the gold. Being such a man as this, by the vote of the Emperor and the synod, he was made patriarch of Constantinople; and in this manner he finished his life.
Eodem die B
Commemoration of Saint Maria, who, having changed her name, was called Marinus.
Saint Maria, wishing to remain hidden from men and to save her own soul, exchanged her feminine clothing and took on the garb of a man, calling herself Marinus instead of Maria. Along with her own father, Eugenius, she entered a monastery and was tonsured. There she served the monks, together with the brothers subject to the rule and her own father, while the monks were ignorant of her sex. However, when she was staying at an inn on one occasion, she was accused of having violated the innkeeper's daughter. She bore this infamy with the most equitable soul, and confessed to having committed the sin which she had not done. Wherefore, C being cast out from the gates of the monastery, she spent three years there in hardships, nurturing the child, as though she were its father. Afterward, she was admitted into the monastery with the child, and soon after she departed this life, and the matter—how it had happened—was revealed; for the innkeeper's daughter, suffering from a demon, cried out that she had been defiled by a certain soldier, and not by Marinus. Therefore, all were struck with amazement and glorified God.
IN THE SAME MONTH The thirteenth day D
Commemoration of our holy Father Martinianus.
The holy Martinianus was born in Caesarea of Palestine. Having embraced the monastic life, he withdrew into the mountains; and when he had spent twenty-five years in the religious exercise, he was tempted by the devil. For a certain harlot, instigated by wicked men and dressed in vile clothing, came to him by night, pretending that she had lost her way, and began to cry out for him to open the cell and admit her, so that she might not be torn apart by wild beasts. When she had entered, wearing her harlotic clothing that night, she strove with many seductive words to soften the soul of the holy man and to lure him to foul lust. But he, before accomplishing anything, coming to his senses, lit a fire of brushwood and threw himself into the middle of the flames, saying to himself: "Unhappy Martinianus, if you are able to endure the punishment of fire, then commit the sin." And being thus burned, the shameless
woman was persuaded also to live temperately and was saved. Having fled, and having gone to a rock situated in the midst of the sea, he was tempted again; and being thus tempted and emerging victorious, he migrated to the Lord. A
On the same day: The Contest of Saints Aquila and Priscilla.
Saint Aquila first practiced the tent-making craft. Though he was a pagan, he was always most favorably disposed toward the poor, so that the profit he earned from the work of his hands he distributed among the poor. When he heard the fame of the Apostle Paul preaching Christ, he went to him along with his wife Priscilla, as if B to a professor of the same craft (for he himself was also expert in the tent-making trade). Being taught by him the word of truth, they were baptized and joined themselves to him as companions and servants, wherever he might journey, undergoing the same troubles and hardships with him. On this account, the great Apostle loved them vehemently for their virtue and their faith in Christ, so much so that he made mention of them in his Epistles. But after the death of the Apostle, since they did not cease to profess Christ, they were seized by the idolaters, and after many torments, they were beheaded.
On the same day: Commemoration of Saint Eulogius, Bishop of Alexandria.
Our most holy and great Father Eulogius was Bishop of Alexandria under the Emperor Heraclius, before Saint John the Almsgiver. On account of his virtues, and the grace which he had entered into before God, he produced many miracles, among which this seems worthy C of mention. For when the most holy Archbishop Leo had written an epistle in which he commended the statutes of the Synod of Chalcedon, and Saint Eulogius had read it, he not only praised and accepted it; he even called it a pillar of orthodoxy and preached it to all. But God, wishing to do honor to both pontiffs, sent His angel, who, in the figure and appearance of the archdeacon of Saint Leo, gave thanks to Saint Eulogius because he had accepted the aforementioned epistle. Saint Eulogius, after he had conversed with him as a man, when the angel withdrew from his sight, perceived that he was an angel of God, and glorified God. D At length, serving God in many things, he departed.
187-188 On the same day: Commemoration of Saint our Father John, Bishop of Polybotum. He is missing.
IN THE SAME MONTH. The fourteenth day. Our Saint Father Auxentius was born in the East, during the reign of Theodosius the Younger, and possessed the dignity of scholarius.
A Having renounced the world, he became a monk and ascended the mountain called Oxeia, near Chalcedon, and lived in quiet; and from that time the mountain was named for Saint Auxentius. He was most steadfast in his asceticism and most orthodox in his faith, struggling much against the heresy of Eutyches and Nestorius, and defending the fourth synod assembled at Chalcedon. He was esteemed by the emperors, and was loved and honored by all for his great virtue. He was also granted many miracles and the gift of prophecy; he foretold the scourges that God was about to send because of our sins, and through his prayers he averted and calmed them. Having lived in this way, he fell asleep and was buried in the monastery he had himself built, which was called Trichenaria. B
On the same day. The contest of Saint Philemon, Bishop of Gaza. Missing.
IN THE SAME MONTH. The fifteenth day. The contest of the holy martyr Onesimus, disciple of the holy apostle Paul. C Saint Onesimus became a disciple of the holy apostle Paul. Being a slave to a certain Roman citizen named Philemon, he left his own master and ran to the apostle Paul, and became his disciple; and having been baptized by him, served him. For this reason the holy Paul wrote an epistle to Philemon, asking him to receive Onesimus. But after the death of the holy Paul, he was seized by Tertullus, the prefect of Rome. Brought to Puteoli, he was beaten severely with rods, and since he did not consent to deny Christ and worship idols, but rather with boldness cried out that he believed in Christ, the creator of heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them, he stirred Tertullus to anger, and having his legs crushed, particle by particle, he departed to the Lord whom he loved. D
On the same day. The commemoration of Saint Paphnutius and the holy Euphrosyne his daughter. Missing.
On the same day. The contest of the holy martyr Major. He served as a soldier during the reign of the emperors Diocletian and Maximian. Having been denounced for being a Christian, he was seized in the city of Gaza and was compelled to sacrifice to the idols. But as he would not be persuaded, but rather cried out with a loud voice that he believed in his Christ and despised the lifeless idols, he provoked his captors to greater anger. And having been stretched upon the ground, his whole body was struck forcibly and torn apart, while thirty-six soldiers took turns beating him; and being lifted up half-dead, so that he scarcely had the appearance of a man because of the blood and wounds, he was thrown into prison, barely breathing. And after seven days he was brought out again, and...
Asus tortured, and unwilling to abjure Christ, he was dragged by the impious command of the tyrants to the appointed place, and while praying, was beheaded.
ON THE SAME MONTH. The sixteenth day.
Contest of the holy martyrs Pamphilus, Valens, and their companions.
These, for the sake of the Christian faith, in the sixth year of the persecution of the impious Emperor Diocletian, being from various cities, stations, and ranks, were apprehended in this manner. When they were seeking Caesarea, and were about to enter the gate of the city, being asked by the guards of the gate who they were and for what reason they came, not knowing how to lie, they answered that they were Christians and that they had the heavenly Jerusalem as their fatherland. And so, immediately bound with chains, they were delivered to the prefect Firmilianus. And indeed the holy Elias, Jeremias, Isaias, Samuel, and Daniel, after many tortures, were beheaded; but Pamphilus, and Seleucius, and Valens, and Paulus were first delivered to custody, and finally they too were smitten by the sword.On the same day.
Contest of the holy martyrs Porphyrius, Julianus, and Theodulus.
These holy ones also were companions of the holy Pamphilus, and Valens, and the rest. And Porphyrius, being a servant of the holy Pamphilus, C whilst he was seeking his master's relics in order to bury them, was apprehended, and having been cast into a huge burning furnace, ended his life. The same holy Julianus, while he was kissing the relics of the saints, was seized, bound, and he too was thrown into the furnace, and there, giving thanks to God, he surrendered his soul. The holy Theodulus, however, while he was mourning for the loss of his companions and beseeching God that He might calm the most bitter persecution stirred up against His servants, was apprehended and held back; he was first tormented with most bitter tortures, then he was driven naked onto a cross, his hands and feet being pierced with long iron nails, and thus with much thanksgiving he surrendered his spirit.On the same day.
Collection and commemoration of the relics of the holy martyrs in the city of Martyropolis, and of Maruthas the bishop.
Maruthas, a most holy bishop, having been sent by the great Theodosius, emperor of the Romans, as ambassador and apocrisiarius to the King of the Persians, was honorably received by the Persians because of the estimation they had of his virtue; especially because he had cured the king's daughter, who was oppressed by a demon, with his prayers. D When they offered to him a huge sum of gold, the saint asked for nothing else but that he might take up the relics of the martyrs who had suffered in Persia, and collect them together in one place. With the Persian king consenting, the city...A built in the name of the martyrs he named Martyropolis, which is now called Mepherke; and he placed therein the relics of the holy martyrs. Much time later, Saint Maruthas himself also, by the will of God, was seized by illness and surrendered his spirit on that very same day on which he had made the gathering of the relics, with which his own precious relics were also deposited.
ON THE SAME DAY. 17
The Contest of the Holy Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit.
The holy great martyr Theodore the Recruit, in the time B of the reign of Maximian and Maximin, those most bitter persecutors of the Christians, was a young man serving in that legion which they call the Recruit legion, and was enrolled under Cringas the prefect. Now, he was from the district of Amasea, and hearing that many were suffering for Christ, he was inflamed with zeal and desired himself also to endure martyrdom. Going off to Cringas in Amasea, having learned that a dragon of enormous size was near Euchaita, he reasoned with himself that if he slew the dragon, he would by all means conquer the devil as well; which he also accomplished. C Having entered Amasea, he approached Cringas, and, professing Christ, he was beaten with whips. Then, having been given time to deliberate, the saint at night set fire to the temple of the idols. Wherefore, Cringas, becoming angry, condemned Theodore to be burned by the flames with which he had burned the temple. Being cast into the furnace, he finished his struggle; and seeing his friend Cleonicus standing nearby, he said, “Cleonicus, I await you,” and thus he was brought to his end.
On the same day.
Commemoration of the Holy Mariamne, Sister of the Holy Apostle Philip.
After the ascension of Christ, the holy Philip, coming D together with the holy Bartholomew and Mariamne, his own sister, to Hierapolis, and on account of his preaching the word of Christ having been hung up and having met his end, he prayed to God, and the earth was split open and swallowed up the proconsul and the people under him. Then the survivors, being terrified, began to beseech the holy Bartholomew and the holy Mariamne, who were themselves also hanging, that they might not be swallowed up along with the others; and moved by their prayers, the holy Philip not only kept them unharmed, but even brought back up those whom the earth had swallowed, leaving only the proconsul and the viper beneath the earth. Then Bartholomew and Mariamne were released; and Bartholomew, having departed to India Felix, was crucified and met his end; but the holy Mariamne, going off to Lycaonia and preaching Christ, died in peace.
On the same day.
Commemoration of our Holy Father Auxibius, Bishop of the city of Cyprus.
He was from ancient Rome, one of the pagans. Having followed the holy apostle and evangelist Mark, and having been instructed by
him in the word of truth, he was baptized and ordained deacon; then presbyter; and after this he was appointed bishop of the city of Soli in Cyprus. Having gone there and taken charge of the church, he did not surrender himself to delights and pleasures, as some do, but to vigils, prayers, sleeping on the ground, and fastings, praying to God night and day that He might have mercy on his people, and quell the persecution raised by the tyrants against the Christians, and that all might come to know the right faith and renounce impiety. Doing these things, and turning many to the living God, and having performed numberless miracles, he departed in peace to God, rejoicing forever with the rest of the saints. B
On the same day. Commemoration of our holy Father Flavian, Archbishop of Constantinople.
Our holy Father Flavian was a presbyter of the holy church of Constantinople, and on account of the outstanding integrity of his life, by the will of God and the suffrage of the emperor and the senate, he was ordained patriarch of the same church. While he was pasturing the flock entrusted to him in the best manner, and instructing the people in virtues, by the permission of God he was deposed by the heretic Dioscorus and his accomplices, having held the patriarchate for one year and ten months; and he was sent into exile, where, having endured many and various hardships for the orthodox faith, and being vexed by hunger, thirst, and countless evils, since he did not cease to give thanks to God, and spent his days and nights in prayer, he finally departed to God rejoicing. C And so, being tempted for the sake of the orthodox faith, he passed away.
In the same month. The eighteenth day. Commemoration of our holy Father Agapetus the Wonderworker, Bishop of Synnada.
Our holy Father Agapetus lived during the reign of the emperors Diocletian and Maximian Hercules; he was from the region of Cappadocia, born of Christian parents. Having gone into a monastery, he became a monk, and being very dear to the prefect of the monastery on account of the integrity of his life, he was instructed in the sacred letters. Having received from God the grace of miracles, he slew by his prayers a huge dragon that lived not far from the monastery, doing away with men and beasts. D Driven by his fame, Licinius, seeing that he was robust and strong, conscripted him against his will and reluctance into the military. But when he had died, and Constantine the Great was reigning, he was ordained presbyter by the bishop of Synaus, and upon that man's death, he was ordained bishop of Synaus. And having performed many miracles, he ended his life in peace.
On the same day. Commemoration of our holy Father Leo, Pope of Great Rome.
This admirable Father of ours, Leo—on account of his many vir-
A tues and his continence and purity, having been ordained bishop of great Rome—did indeed perform many other things worthy of his virtue; but he shone most especially in those matters which pertain to the right faith. For when the Council of the six hundred and thirty Fathers was gathered at Chalcedon against the heresy of those who spoke of one nature in Christ, since they preached the truth but the heretics would not yield to them, it pleased everyone that whatever Leo, the most holy Pope of Rome, had said, should be held as valid and steadfast. Asked therefore by the Fathers, and having prayed to God, he wrote an epistle explaining the truth, which they called the "Column of Orthodoxy," preaching two natures in Christ. After this, the great Leo, having lived most holily, rested in peace. B
IN THE SAME MONTH The nineteenth day
The contest of the holy martyrs Maximus and Theodotus.
Maximus and Theodotus, martyrs of Christ, as they traversed every city and region, preached the truth with boldness, and confessed Christ to be the true God, and Lord of all, and Creator of the world; but [they declared] idols to be the works of hands, and products of art fashioned from stone and wood. For this reason they were seized by the idolaters and delivered to the ruler of the region. By him they were most severely tortured, being compelled to deny Christ and worship idols. As they would not be persuaded, they were dragged in chains from city to city, and were thrown to wild beasts. Then they were torn with iron claws, and finally, a great furnace having been kindled, they were thrown into it rejoicing; and giving thanks, they delivered their holy and blessed souls to the Lord. C
IN THE SAME MONTH The twentieth day
The contest of the holy martyr Sadoch the bishop, and his one hundred and twenty-eight companions.
The holy Sadoch was a bishop in Persia. Because he taught the people the faith in Christ and persuaded many to come to the living and true God, he stirred up the Magi, the fire-worshippers, to anger and great bitterness. And as those [Magi] wished to send satellites to capture the saint, the same saint saw in a dream the holy martyr Simeon, his predecessor in the episcopate, sitting upon a long ladder and calling him to come to him, and saying: "The King of kings calls thee," which signified his ascent through martyrdom. And when the saint was recounting these things, the Magi who had been sent seized him together with his fellow Christians, and cast them into prison. And having reported their case to Sapor, the King of the Persians, they brought them out of prison, and having tortured them most severely, they finally beheaded them all.
[323] On the same day 204 A Commemoration of our holy Father Sophronius the bishop. Missing.
On the same day. 205 Commemoration of our holy Father Leo, bishop of Catania in Sicily. Our holy Father Leo the wonderworker was from the city of Ravenna, the son of noble and wealthy parents: but being thoroughly instructed in sacred letters, and endowed with singular virtue, so that he might also perform miracles, he was ordained a priest of the church of Ravenna: then bishop of the metropolis of Catania. B He fought so truly against the heretics that he convinced and confounded them all, not only by reasonings, but also by demonstrations taken from Scripture. He was a wonderworker: for he burned Heliodorus, who was deceiving many with magical arts and boasting that he could do everything, even to the point of despising fire itself, with fire through his prayers. Moved by the fame of this saint, the Roman emperors asked him, when summoned, to offer prayers to God for them; and when they had obtained that from him, they dismissed him honorably. But when he was returning to his own church, he migrated to the Lord.
IN THE SAME MONTH. On the twenty-first day 206 Commemoration of our holy Father Agatho, bishop of Rome. This our holy Father and wonderworker Agatho was from Italy, born of Christian and pious parents C and educated by them with the greatest zeal in all the God-inspired Scriptures, from which he received so much utility and compunction of heart that, when his parents were dead, he distributed all his accumulated wealth in one day to the summoned poor, and he himself, withdrawing into a monastery and clothed in the monastic habit, dedicated himself entirely to divine worship, praying day and night for the salvation of the world. And he progressed so much in virtues that he also received the gift of miracles. But because virtue cannot be hidden, he even became Pope of Rome: and when he had conducted himself excellently in the episcopal dignity, and had left to many his own life as an example to be imitated, he fell asleep. D
IN THE SAME MONTH. On the twenty-second day 207 Commemoration of Saint Athanasius the Confessor. Missing.
IN THE SAME MONTH. On the twenty-third day 208 Contest of the most holy martyr Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna. Polycarp, the most holy disciple of John the Theologian, the apostle and evangelist, bishop of Smyrna in the place of the deceased most holy Bucolus the bishop
A was ordained; for Bucolus, while still alive, had prophesied concerning him that he was to be the second bishop of Smyrna. When a persecution against the Christians broke out under the emperor Decius, he was arrested, brought before the proconsul, and after many tortures, he died. He performed many miracles; for even before he was ordained, he filled the storehouse of his nurse, which had been exhausted of all provisions, for the benefit of the needy, by pouring out prayers to God. After he was ordained, he extinguished a great conflagration through prayer and, in a time of drought, brought down rain. Having performed many other miracles by the grace of God, he fell asleep B and is illustrious for the gift of miracles to this day.
OF THE SAME MONTH. THE TWENTY-FOURTH.
Commemoration of the finding of the precious head of the Forerunner.When the holy John the Forerunner was beheaded by Herod, his head was placed in an earthenware vessel and hidden in the house of Herod. After many years, when two monks had gone to Jerusalem to worship at the tomb of the Lord, holy John appeared to them in a dream, indicating to them where his precious head lay. And when they found it, they held it in honor. From them, a certain potter received it and brought it to the city of the Emesenes. When he died, he left it to his sister; and from then on, through succession, it passed through the hands of many. In the time of the reign of Michael, who restored Orthodoxy, and of Patriarch Ignatius, it was transferred by the grace of God to Constantinople; and it was deposited C in it with great honor, just as all the other holy things and the relics of the saints, for the protection and security of that city.
On the same day. Account of holy Rheginus, bishop of Scopelos.
The holy hieromartyr Rheginus was from the region of Greece, the son of Christian parents. Having learned piety and the holy Scriptures from them, he became virtuous and God-fearing. Because of his virtue and great piety, he became a deacon in the local church in Greece, then a presbyter, and finally bishop of Scopelos. He became so renowned for his virtue that he was summoned to the synod in Sardica and, appearing there, rebuffed all the heresies by his speech and boldness. He then returned to his own diocese. After this, a persecution having been stirred up against D the Christians, he was seized by the governor of Greece and, after being much tormented and punished, was beheaded by the sword, offering up his holy head.
OF THE SAME MONTH. THE TWENTY-FIFTH. Account of the holy martyr Alexander, who suffered martyrdom in Thrace.
This man was from Puteoli, which is a city near Rome.
A During the times of the emperor Maximian and the prefect Tiberianus, he was seized by the prefect and compelled to worship idols. So far was he from worshipping them that he rather loaded with insults both the idols and the prefect, saying, "They are vain, and you yourself are vain, miserable and wretched, you who believe in them." Wherefore, being suspended with his hands bound and stones attached to his feet, he was tortured; then, released, he was led to Carthage, where he was again placed upon the rack and lacerated. Being then dragged to Marcianopolis, his face was burned with torches. Finally, having bravely endured many other tortures and torments as a martyr of Christ, he went away into Thrace, where he was beheaded, receiving an incorruptible crown and eternal life from Christ our God.
OF THE SAME MONTH. The twenty-fifth.
Commemoration of our holy Father Tarasius, Archbishop of Constantinople.
Our holy Father Tarasius was born and raised in Constantinople and held the rank of Secretary. Because of his knowledge of affairs and his great virtue, he was ordained Patriarch of Constantinople. He championed the veneration of the holy icons, and by his works, he brought it about that the Roman Empire returned to the traditions of the holy apostles and to the decrees of the seven ecumenical councils, and all the churches were reunited with the orthodox. B Having lived in this manner, and being held in honor by the emperors, he built a monastery beyond the straits and established many monks there. Distinguished by his liberality toward the poor, after he had governed the Church excellently for twenty-two years and two months, he rested in peace and was buried in his own monastery.
OF THE SAME MONTH. The twenty-sixth.
Commemoration of the holy Porphyrius, Bishop of Gaza.
CThe holy Porphyrius was born in the city of Thessalonica, the son of wealthy parents. Having left his parents and his wealth behind, he went into Egypt during the reign of the emperors Arcadius and Honorius and became a monk. Then, going to Jerusalem, he urged the Jews and the Greeks to join themselves to Christ, while he again carried a shoemaker's knife, sewing skins, and by that trade sustained himself and the poor. Then he was ordained presbyter by Praylus, Patriarch of Jerusalem. Finally, at the prayers of the citizens of Gaza, D he was consecrated bishop of Gaza by John, Archbishop of Caesarea Philippi. Having performed many miracles, he baptized many of the Greeks and Jews; and having destroyed all the temples of the idols, he raised up churches to the saints. And having passed his life most holily in this way, he departed to God, inheriting eternal life.
On the same day
A Commemoration of holy Stephen, who founded the infirmary of Armatius. Missing.On the same month, the twenty-seventh day
Commemoration of Procopius and Basil, the confessors, who were fellow-athletes and fellow-disciples, and who shared in the same martyrdom.These men lived during the reign of Leo the Iconoclast. Having forsaken the world and the things in the world, they became monks; and having previously cultivated the ascetic life diligently, when the heresy against the holy images was later stirred up, they stood firmly against the Iconoclasts. Wherefore, having been arrested and vexed with many torments, since they would not yield in any way regarding the resolution of their former mind, but preached the truth until their dying breath; Basil, indeed, had his whole body and his neck flayed, and was delivered to prison. Saint Procopius was also locked away. But when the tyrant had died, they were released; and having emerged from prison, they occupied themselves with the same mode of life, and by inciting many toward virtue and recalling them to the orthodox faith, at different times they migrated to God, whom they had loved from their early youth, leaving behind their virtuous life as an excellent example to many.
On the same month, the twenty-eighth day
B Commemoration of the contest of the holy martyr Nestor.The holy martyr Nestor lived during the reign of Decius, the lawless and most unjust emperor, and under the prefect Publius. Born in the city of Perge in Pamphylia to Christian parents, and having been taught the holy Scriptures by them, he would stop the mouths of the Greeks with testimonies from the divine Scriptures, and having converted many to God, he baptized them. Having been denounced and seized by the Irenarch, the magistrate, he was brought before the prefect; and having confessed before him that Christ is the true God and Creator of the world, he was first whipped most severely; then he was flayed; and finally, as he would not be persuaded to deny Christ, he was nailed to a cross. And hanging there, he taught those who stood by the way of truth and the contempt of the present life; and thus teaching those who stood by, he breathed his last.
On the same day
D Commemoration of our holy Father Thalelaeus.He was from Cilicia. Having chosen the ascetic life, he reached the city of Gabala, and having found a certain place near the city that was a dwelling place for demons, he built a small cell there. Having put the demons to flight, he worshipped God in that same place, afflicting himself with fasts, vigils, sleeping on the ground, and the maceration of the flesh. But the demons, seeing such progress in his virtue, tried to strike him with fear; but since they were wasting their efforts, for they were forced to vanish by the prayer of Thalelaeus, driven by fury they began to uproot the trees, the olives, and the fig trees. And when the saint was in no wise moved by these things, at night with a shout