Twenty Thousand Martyrs
happening outside and realized what the result would
by Dionysios, Metropolitan of Servia and Kozani
T
oday’s sermon, the last of the year, deals with
the martyrdom of twenty thousand Christians,
whose sacred memory the Church celebrates
today. They were martyred in 304 A.D. in Nicomedia,
during the great persecution of Diocletian. The lat-
ter was augustus in the East, with his headquarters at
Nicomedia, while Maximian was augustus in Rome.
These two emperors ruled the Roman state, one in the
West, the other in the East, from 285-305. These years
were associated with the last great persecutions of the
Church. Seven years later, in 312/313, Constantine the
Great, who had grown up in Nicomedia as a hostage at
Diocletian’s court, put a stop to the persecutions.
In 305, after Maximian’s victorious campaign in Ethi-
opia, the whole of the Roman state wished to celebrate
the victory. They sent off letters to all parts, inviting Ro-
man citizens to come to the two capitals to enjoy the
victory celebrations. The powerful Roman administra-
tion ensured peace and security, so people were able
to travel across the vast expanses of the empire. The
manner in which the Roman citizens were invited to
the general festivities is similar to and calls to mind that
in the Old Testament, in the Book of the Prophet Dan-
iel, where the king of Babylon issues an invitation to all
‘peoples, races and tongues’ to come and worship his
massive statue, which had been set up ‘on the plain of
Dura in the province of Babylon’.
It was the feast of Christmas [in 305], and the Chris-
tians of Nicomedia, together with their bishop (later
to be hieromartyr), Anthimos, were gathered in the
church for the Divine Liturgy. Diocletian believed that
the Christians were the greatest obstacle for the reor-
ganization he’d planned for the State and he seized the
opportunity to burn them while they were assembled in
the church. He inflamed the passions of a mob and got
them to stack large piles of logs and brushwood outside
the church. He surrounded the building with troops
and then ignited the wood and shrubs. The whole
church went up in flames and everyone who was inside
praying was burnt alive. There must have been a great
many of them, because the church would have been full
at that time.
Bishop Anthimos, the hieromartyr, had seen what was
be, so he immediately began to baptize the catechumens
and to give communion to all those attending the Divine
Liturgy. The Christians repeated ‘For our delivery from
all sorrow, anger, danger and necessity’ many times and
finally ‘we commend ourselves and each other and all
our life unto Christ our God’. They remained locked in
the church, watching the fire encircle them and be-
came a whole burnt-offering to God, in the expectation
and vision of the resurrection. By a miracle, the bishop
wasn’t burned then, but was martyred later, and so took
his place in the choir of hieromartyrs. The Church cel-
ebrates his holy memory on 3 September.
Naturally, there weren’t twenty thousand people in-
side the church. That was the number who were mar-
tyred in the region of Nicomedia as a whole at that time.
The burning of the church and all those inside was the
most egregious event which remained in people’s minds
as an inhumane action and repulsive crime. The Church
has retained such events and remembers them with
the utmost respect, according honour to those killed, as
saints who were the victims of people moved by idola-
try. This crime at Nicomedia wasn’t unique. The Church
perpetuates the sacred memory of other unheard of
crimes which were committed in antiquity and also in
modern times. Every place and every time is replete
with the relics of holy martyrs.
Apart from the unnamed people in the congrega-
tion who were burned inside the church in Nicomedia,
there were another ten whose names we do know. They
were Christians of Nicomedia, but weren’t in church at
that time. The persecutors searched for them and added
them to the roll of the Church’s holy sacrifices. There
were Indis, Gorgonios and Petros, who had rocks tied
round them before they were cast into the sea. There
was Zinon, the general, who was beheaded, together
with the court official, Dorotheos. There were Mar-
donios and the priest, Glykerios, who were burnt alive.
There was Deacon Theofilos, who first had his tongue
cut out and was then decapitated. And finally there
was Domna, who was captured as she went to bury the
remains of those who had been burnt in the church.
Amen.
ST. LUKE The EVANGELIST
GreeK orThodox chUrch
DECEMBER 30, 2018—SUNDAY AFTER THE NATIVITY
S
AINT JOSEPH THE BETROTHED was of the lineage of King David. In his first marriage, he had four
sons and two daughters. After he became a widower, St Joseph led a life of strict temperance. He was chosen
to be the husband and guardian of the Most Holy Theotokos, who had taken a vow of virginity.
An angel told him of the Incarnation of the Son of God through her. St Joseph was present when the shepherds
and the Magi worshiped the new-born divine Infant. On the orders of the angel, he fled into Egypt with the
Mother of God and the Infant Jesus, saving them from the wrath of King Herod. He lived in Egypt with the Virgin
Mary and the divine Child, working as a carpenter. St Joseph reputedly died at the age of one hundred.
St Joseph is commemorated on the Sunday after the Nativity. If there is no Sunday between December 25 and
January 1, his Feast is moved to December 26. The Righteous Joseph is also commemorated on the Sunday of the
Holy Forefathers.
THE HOLY PROPHET-KING DAVID was a forefather of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh. The
youngest son of Jesse, David shepherded a flock of sheep belonging to his father. He was distinguished by his deep
faith, and he zealously fulfilled the will of God.
During a battle with the Philistines, he vanquished the giant Goliath in single combat, which decided the out-
come of the war in favor of the Israelites. He endured many things from King Saul, who saw him as a favorite of
the people and his rival. David, however, showed his own decency and magnanimity. Twice, when he had the pos-
sibility of killing Saul, he did not do so.
After Saul and his son perished, David was proclaimed king of the southern part of Israel, and after Saul’s sec-
ond son was killed, he became king of all Israel. He built a new capital, Jerusalem (“the City of Peace”), and a new
tabernacle. His great wish to build a Temple was not realized. It was foretold to him that his son would build the
Temple.
The life of the Prophet David was darkened by a grievous falling: he took Uriah’s wife for himself, and sent
Uriah to his death in battle. He was also an example of great repentance, humbly and with faith bearing the sor-
rows sent in punishment for his sins. St David gave a model for repentance in Psalm 50/51. King David died in great
old age with steadfast faith in the coming of the promised Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. His divinely-inspired
Psalter is widely used in the divine services and in personal prayers. (See the Books of Kings and Chronicles).
THE HOLY APOSTLE JAMES, BROTHER OF THE LORD, was the eldest son of Joseph the Betrothed
from his first marriage with Solomonia. The Apostle James is remembered after the Feast of the Nativity of Christ
together with his father Joseph and the Prophet-King David, since he accompanied his family on the Flight
1510 audubon drive A columbia, missouri, 65201 A tel. 573.817.0050
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the hymns of the antiphons
Before the Entrance…
Apolytikion of the Feast.
mode 4.
Y
our nativity, O Christ our God, has caused the
light of knowledge to rise upon the world. For
therein the worshippers of the stars were by a star
instructed to worship You, the Sun of Righteous-
ness, and to know You as Orient from on high. Glo-
ry to You, O Lord. (X3)
After the Entrance…
Resurrectional Apolytikion.
mode pl. 2.
W hen the angelic powers appeared at Your
grave, the soldiers guarding it feared and be-
came as dead. And standing by the sepulcher was
Mary who was seeking Your immaculate body. You
devastated Hades, not afflicted by it. You went to
meet the virgin, and granted eternal life. You resur-
rected from the dead. O Lord, glory to You.
Apolytikion of the Feast.
mode 4.
Y
our nativity, O Christ our God, has caused the
light of knowledge to rise upon the world. For
therein the worshippers of the stars were by a star
instructed to worship You, the Sun of Righteous-
ness, and to know You as Orient from on high. Glo-
ry to You, O Lord.
Apolytikion for the Ancestors.
mode 2.
A
nnunciate the miracles to David the ancestor
of God, O Joseph. You saw the Virgin pregnant.
You glorified with the shepherds. You worshipped
with the Magi. And you were warned by an Angel.
Entreat Christ God to save our souls.
Apolytikion for the Church.
mode pl. 1.
T
he holy Apostle, the All-hymned Luke, * who is
acknowledged by the Church of Christ * as the
recorder of the Acts of the Apostles, * and the splen-
did author of the Gospel of Christ. * Let us praise
with sacred hymns as a physician, * who heals the
infirmities of man, * and the ailments of nature, *
who cleanses spiritual wounds, and prays unceas-
ingly for our souls.
Kontakion of the Season.
mode 3.
O n this day the Virgin gives * birth to the Super-
essential. * To the Unapproachable, * earth is
providing the cave. * Angels sing and with the shep-
herds offer up glory. * Following a star the Magi are
still proceeding. * He was born for our salvation, a
newborn Child, the pre-eternal God.
singing about peace? Christ was the Peace which came
to the world and became man so that we would be able
to love Him. He showed us that our relationship with
the Lord is not a relationship with an ideology, because
nobody can love an idea. One may be devoted to some
philosophical ideology, but no one can love it, because
it will not reciprocate one’s love.
In the life of the Church quite the opposite is hap-
pening. We have nothing to do with a philosophical
ideology and the Word of God did not become any
such idea. Word became flesh. The Word of God in-
carnated so that we could love Him. And as soon as we
begin to love Him, we will be able to understand that
He was the One Who loved us first in a manner which
cannot be comprehended. The Apostle says that ‘we
love Him, since He first loved us’. This is the kind of
mystery which takes place in the Church. It is for this
reason that Christ, as the peace of the world, became
the subject of love and not of faith. One ought to tran-
scend faith and hope in order to remain in love. As the
Apostle says, ‘eventually hope and faith will be aban-
doned and only love will remain’, since love is an ex-
periential fact, an existential event which makes man
realize that he is truly united with God. This is the
path walked by all those who loved Him unto the end.
Stephen, the first martyr, sealed his love for the
Lord by imitating Him. It is written in the Acts, that
when he was arrested because he was preaching about
Christ, his face lit up like the face of an angel while
standing trial. They condemned him to death by ston-
ing as if he was a great sinner because this was what
the Law of Moses stipulated. Yet, filled by the Holy
Spirit, Stephen was praying not for himself but for the
whole world, despite his awful predicament. Thus he
imitated Christ, Who had been praying for those who
crucified Him while dying on the Cross.
Therefore, ever since Christ came into the world
and brought peace, millions of martyrs gave up their
lives because of their faith in Him and because they
truly loved Him and had tasted His love. The love of
Christ spoke into their hearts.
When we are celebrating the feast days for the
Saints and the martyrs, we are not just commemorat-
ing certain events of their lives. We are commemorat-
ing the days when they passed judgement on them-
selves. They had critically looked at themselves in line
with the life of the Lord. They did not take such days
lightly. The saints delved deeply into the true meaning
of their lives, critically examining and passing judge-
ment on their own actions. On the one hand, they
thought about Christ in His manger, His humility and
obscurity, His silence and poverty, His rejection and
wretchedness and on the other, they compared their
own actions and examined them critically.
The Lord revealed, through the lives of the Apostles
and of all the Saints, that it is not possible for the Holy
Spirit to reside in us without us bearing Its fruit. He
expressly stressed that the fruits of the Holy Spirit are
‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithful-
ness, meekness, self-control’. Therefore, we ought to
look for such fruit inside ourselves, which indicates
the presence of the Holy Spirit. Then we may assess
where we stand spiritually. Such critical assessment
is necessary and lifesaving. If we embark on this ex-
ercise during this festive season, then it will be truly
lifesaving for us because it will give rise to the spiritual
struggle of repentance and humility and will change
our ways.
At the same time it will lead us to seek the Lord’s
mercy in a loving way. As soon as we recognise that
we are indeed people who live in the dark, we too will
declare: ‘where would your light shine, Lord, if not on
those who live in the dark?’ As soon as we recognize
that we live in the dark, we will immediately seek the
light. Yet, if we think that we are living in the light,
then we will never see the true light, since we only
possess the light which we can see.
The Deeper Meaning of Christmas
by Metropolitan Athanasios of Lemessos
E
very time we stand before the Lord either in
prayer or in celebration in Church of an event
from the life of Christ, or we are in any other
way experiencing the presence of the Lord, two basic
things happen, which are attested by the Church and
the experience of the Saints: Firstly, we are feeling joy
because we are experiencing the Lord’s abundant love
towards man. He moves our heart into great gratitude,
since we are experiencing- to the measure of our
spiritual condition- God’s great gift for us.
Secondly, by being presented before the Lord we
are also standing in a kind of critical judgment for
our actions, which leads to our salvation, particularly
if this takes place during the great feast days which
commemorate events from the life of Christ. Indeed
any event in His life prompts us into adopting a criti-
cal attitude towards ourselves which does not lead to
damnation but to our deliverance.
Thus, we are commemorating our Lord’s incarna-
tion in order to experience on the one hand His great
love for us and on the other to feel great gratitude for
all the wonderful things He has granted us. In addi-
tion, this benefits us in a practical way, because we
are offered the opportunity to pass judgement on our
life. As St Paul says: ‘The Lord will not judge us if we
pass judgement on ourselves’. If we criticise our ways
in this life, we will not be judged in the afterlife, be-
cause judgement has already been accomplished in
this world.
In other words, now that our Lord’s feast is before
us, we have the opportunity to critically compare our
lives in terms of all the things that our Lord has ac-
complished for our deliverance, particularly since we
know that He did not leave anything to chance but
guided all things as the Master of history that He is.
He is the One Who wished all events to take place in
the way they did, even to the smallest detail. He was
the One Who wished to be born in the specific year,
at the specific place, as well as all the other elements
which constitute the great event of His incarnation.
All the Saints used to critically compare the par-
ticular events happening in their lives with the life of
Christ and passed judgement on themselves. We would
like to believe that a Christian is the one who imitates
the life of Christ as far as humanly possible. He then
replenishes any deficiencies through repentance and
humility. And this constitutes his inner spiritual work.
On such feast days, our Church constantly glorifies
the Lord for His great condescension towards man
through wonderful hymns, while digging into the
deeper theological meaning of His incarnation. Holy
elders as well as pious laity have particular experi-
ence of the deeper meaning of this event. When elder
Efraim Katounakiotis returned from a trip to Jerusa-
lem, we had expected him to be overwhelmed by the
experience of Golgotha and of the Crucifixion. Yet, he
was overwhelmed by the Cave of the Nativity in Beth-
lehem. He stood before this event saying: ‘I thought
I was somebody when I was living in my ascetic hut
at Katounakia, amongst my meagre possessions. But
when I saw where Christ was born, I became truly
crushed in spirit’.
Having been born in a cave, persecuted and de-
spised by all men, Christ accomplished the greatest
event in man’s history: His incarnation. God became
man in total quietude, humility and obscurity. No one
knew what was happening that night, except for some
shepherds and the wise men from Persia. This event
took place in absolute poverty and humility. Therefore,
every time we are bothered by various demands and
desires, we should place ourselves in front of the Cave
of the Nativity, stand before Word’s incarnation, and
see how our actions compare with what the Lord’ did
that night. In this way we are passing judgement on
our actions. In the same manner we ought to critically
examine our entire life.
Ever since God became Man and the angels sang
‘peace on earth’, the Word of God is saying to us: ‘I did
not come to bring peace, but to bring a sword’. Why
did the Lord bring a sword while the angels were
the readings of the day
epistle reading and his mother, and flee into Egypt. Stay there until
I tell you, for Herod will seek the young child to de-
The Letter of Paul to the Galatians (1:11-19)
stroy him.” So Joseph arose and took the young child
B
and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt.
rethren, [Regarding] the Good News which
They remained there until the death of Herod, so
I preached, I proclaimed this to you, breth-
that what had been spoken by the Lord through
ren, that it is not of human origin. I did not
the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I have
receive it from man and I was not taught [this Good
called my son. When Herod saw that he had been
News] by man, but it came to me through a rev-
outwitted by the wise men, he became extremely
elation of Jesus Christ. You have heard about how I
angry. He dispatched [his men] and killed all the
used to live in Judaism, how I persecuted the Church
male children who lived in Bethlehem and all the
of God beyond measure, and how I ravaged it. I ad-
surrounding countryside, two years old and under,
vanced in the Jewish religion beyond many of my
according to the exact time which he had learned
own age among my countrymen, as I was more ex-
from the wise men. And so, what had been spo-
tremely zealous for the traditions of my forefathers.
ken by the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: A voice
But when it was the good pleasure of God (who had
was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping and
set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me
great mourning:Rachel weeping for her children.
through his grace, to reveal his Son in me so that
She would not be comforted, because they are no
I might preach him among the Gentiles), I did not
more. But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the
immediately confer with flesh and blood: I did not
Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream when he was in
go up to Jerusalem to visit those who were apostles
Egypt, saying: “Arise! Take the young child and his
before me, but I went away into Arabia. Later on, I
mother, and return to the land of Israel; those who
returned to Damascus. Then, after three years, I did
were trying to kill the young child are dead.” Joseph
go up to Jerusalem to visit Peter, and I stayed with
arose and took the young child and his mother, and
him for fifteen days. However, I did not see any of
they came into the land of Israel. However, when
the other apostles, except James, ‘the Lord’s brother.’
Joseph heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea
gOspel reading in the place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go
Matthew (2:13-23) there. Being warned in a dream, he withdrew into
A
the region of Galilee. He thus arrived and lived in a
fter the wise men had departed, behold, an city called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken
angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be
dream, saying, “Arise! Take the young child called a Nazarene.”

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“
The inner purity of the beautiful soul
of the real person also enhances their
external appearance, and that divine
tenderness of God’s love even sweetens
their countenance. Apart from mak-
ing people beautiful spiritually, and
sanctifying them, the internal beauty
of the soul also betrays them exter-
nally with divine Grace. It adorns and
sanctifies even ugly clothing, provided
”
it’s worn by one of God’s people.
—st. paisios the athonite
into Egypt and lived there with the Infant Jesus, the
Mother of God and Joseph. Later, he returned to Israel
with them.
After the Ascension of the Lord, St James was the
first Bishop of Jerusalem, gaining the great esteem not
only of Christians, but also of Jews. He was thrown
from the roof of the Jerusalem Temple because he had
publicly preached to the people about the God-man-
hood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Apostle James
is also commemorated on October 23.
The Holy Virgin Martyr Anysia lived in the city of
Thessalonica during the reign of the the co-Emperor
Maximian (286-305). Upon the death of her parents,
who had raised her in Christian piety, Saint Anysia sold
everything she owned, distributing her riches to the
poor, and she began to lead a strict life of fasting, vigil,
and prayer.
During his persecution against Christians, Maxim-
ian issued an edict stating that anyone had the right to
kill Christians with no fear of punishment. Soon there
were many bodies to be found in cities, towns, and by
the roadside. Once, when Saint Anysia was on her way
to church, a pagan soldier stopped her and demanded
that she come along to the festival of the sun to of-
fer sacrifice. Saint Anysia gently pulled herself away
from him. When the soldier boldly grabbed her and
attempted to tear the veil from her head, she shoved
him, spit in his face and said, “My Lord Jesus Christ
forbids you!”
In anger, the soldier ran her through with his sword.
Those gathering over her body wept and loudly com-
plained against the cruel emperor for issuing an edict
that resulted in the death of many innocent people.
Christians buried the martyr near the city gates, and a
chapel was built over her grave.
THE HOLY MARTYR PHILETAIRUS of
Nicomedia twice suffered torture for Christ: under
the co-Emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maxim-
ian (286-305). When Diocletian arrived in Nicomedia,
Saint Philetairus, who was tall and handsome, was put
on trial. Seeing him, the emperor compared him to
one of the pagan gods. When questioned about his
social rank and family the martyr answered, “I am
the son of an eparch, I am a Christian, and I live with
Christians.”
The emperor spoke insultingly of the Lord Jesus
Christ, but the saint replied, “Let the mouth of any-
one who dares to insult my Christ be silenced, whether
he is the emperor or anyone else.” After these words
the martyr was thrown into a red-hot oven, but he
emerged from it unharmed. Then Diocletian, wit-
nessing the miracle, and taking into account the saint’s
illustrious rank and handsome appearance, set him
free.
Later, the emperor Maximian was informed that
Philetairus was a Christian. Brought to trial before the
emperor, the holy martyr again confessed his faith in
Christ. For this they subjected him to whippings. Then
they threw him to be eaten by wild beasts, but he re-
mained unharmed. Then they sentenced him to be-
heading by the sword, but the two servants who were
entrusted the execution were unable to kill him. Just
as they raised the sword over the head of the mar-
tyr, their hands ceased to function. Persuaded that the
Lord invisibly was guarding the holy martyr, both exe-
cutioners believed in Christ and they themselves were
beheaded by the sword.
The holy Martyr Philetairus was sentenced to exile
on Prokonnesos, one of the islands of the Sea of Mar-
mora. On the journey, he performed many miracles
and destroyed a heathen temple with its idols. Six
soldiers and their commander, who accompanied the
saint to his exile, came to believe in Christ.
On the way Saint Eubiotus (December 18), who had
also undergone many sufferings for Christ, came to see
him. The saints joyfully embraced, and they stayed at
the cell of Saint Eubiotus for seven days, together with
the soldiers and their commander. Saint Philetairus
died there and was buried by Saint Eubiotus. The sol-
diers and their commander also died there eleven days
later, and were buried beside Saint Philetairus.