Commemoration Day of
Holy Martyrs Charethes
and His Companions,
Artemius, Christopher,
and the Two Women,
Callinice and Aquilina
Arethas (Charethes) and His Companions
These are the last saints from the sister Churches to be included in the liturgical calendar of the Armenian Church.
They were Ethiopian by nationality, from the city of Negran, and lived during the reign of Emperor Justin (A.D. 518–527).
During those centuries, the Jews had grown powerful in Ethiopia, and one of them had proclaimed himself king in the city of Omerit. One day, this ruler decided to conquer the city of Negran.
He laid siege to the city but was unable to capture it. He therefore promised that no one would be harmed if the inhabitants opened the city gates and submitted to his authority.
The people believed his promise and surrendered the city. However, breaking their word, the Jewish conquerors demanded that the Christians of the city embrace the Mosaic religion, or Judaism.
The Christians unanimously refused and were martyred.
The Latin account of their martyrdom places their number at 340. According to our Armenian Synaxaria (Lives of the Saints), however, this was only the number of those martyred alongside Charethes, while the total number of martyrs throughout the city reached as many as 10,200.
Charethes was the governor of this Christian city. Before his martyrdom, he openly reproached the Jewish conquerors for their betrayal of their solemn promise and prophesied that God would soon wipe their kingdom from the face of the earth.
This prophecy was fulfilled shortly afterward, when another Ethiopian Christian ruler named Elesboam attacked the Jewish tyrant, killed him, and brought an end to his tyranny.
We Armenians celebrate his feast on the sixth Thursday after the Feast of the Holy Cross.
Artemius the Duke
Artemius was a virtuous commander in the imperial army from the time of Constantine the Great. Beginning his military career at a young age, he eventually rose to the rank of imperial envoy.
He served Constantine's successor with the same loyalty and was appointed commander-in-chief of the Egyptian military forces.
When Julian the Apostate arrived in Antioch during his campaign against the Persians, he sent a messenger to summon Artemius.
Artemius arrived at a time when Julian was torturing the priests Eugenius and Macarius.
Artemius boldly rebuked the emperor, declaring that his actions were contrary to both human and divine laws.
Since Julian the Apostate had not officially initiated a persecution of Christians, he encouraged certain Alexandrians to bring accusations against Artemius, claiming that he had been disloyal in his service to the state.
Julian then presented Artemius with a choice: either renounce Christianity or surrender his government position.
Artemius first boldly condemned the emperor's deceitfulness and then willingly relinquished his office. He was subsequently subjected to a severe beating.
When the noble elderly man remained steadfast in his confession of faith, Julian ordered him to be beheaded in A.D. 362.
Christopher the Martyr
As the patron saint of travelers, St. Christopher is one of the most venerated saints in the Christian East. Images of him, or devotional objects bearing his likeness, may also be seen in the automobiles of Catholics.
There are two opinions concerning the period in which he lived. Some believe that he lived in the middle of the third century, during the reign of the persecuting Emperor Decius, while others place him during the reign of Julian the Apostate.
The Armenian Synaxaria available to us, as well as Greek and Catholic sources, maintain that he lived during the reign of Decius. Only the Liakatar (Complete Collection), and consequently Patriarch Torgom, following that source, place his life during the reign of Julian.
Christopher was of barbarian origin. Having been taken captive, he began serving in the Roman army.
He was a giant of a man, with a fearsome appearance, resembling Tork Angegh of our Armenian historical tradition. Nevertheless, he was kindhearted.
While serving in Antioch, Christopher became a Christian.
Witnessing the sufferings inflicted upon his fellow Christians, he developed an irresistible desire to preach Christianity and rebuke the pagans. However, he did not know Greek, which presented a great obstacle to him.
He prayed to God to grant him the gift of speaking Greek, just as God had granted the apostles the ability to speak in other tongues in the Upper Room.
And indeed, through a divine miracle, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak Greek clearly and fluently.
One day, he saw pagans torturing a Christian. He rebuked the persecutors and rescued the Christian.
One of the soldiers dared to slap Christopher in the face.
Christopher responded with dignity:
“I, too, could have slapped you, and no one would have been able to save you from my hands, not even your king. But for the love of Christ, I endure this, for He Himself was slapped and did not strike back.”
The soldiers reported Christopher's words and actions to the city's judge, who sent 200 soldiers to arrest him and bring him before the tribunal.
Knowing of Christopher's extraordinary physical strength, the soldiers approached him gently and simply told him that the judge wished to see him.
Christopher accompanied them. Along the way, he spoke to them about Jesus, sharing what he knew of Him. Then, through a miracle, he multiplied the food he had with him and distributed it among them.
Witnessing this miracle and being deeply moved by Christopher's noble conduct, the soldiers became convinced of the truth of his words and converted to Christianity.
Christopher first led them all to the bishop of the city, who baptized them.
When they were brought before the judge, Christopher responded with great wisdom and boldness to the judge's questions and arguments urging him to abandon Christianity and embrace idol worship.
Naturally, Christopher refused, and for this he was subjected to terrible tortures intended to bring about his death.
The authorities even attempted to break his moral resolve and lead him astray by sending two women into his prison cell. However, through his preaching and prayers, Christopher brought them to repentance and conversion.
Enraged by these events, the judge first ordered the two women to be put to death through cruel tortures.
He then turned his anger upon Christopher and demanded:
“How long will you continue to resist the commands of the emperor and our gods?”
Christopher answered:
“I obey the command of my Heavenly King, and I worship Him alone, whose Name is holy and blessed forever and ever.”
At these words, the 200 soldiers cried out together, “Amen!” and openly declared that they, too, were Christians.
The judge ordered them to be killed one by one with the sword.
He then subjected Christopher to further torture and finally ordered him to be beheaded.
Many stories are told about St. Christopher. Among the most charming is the one associated with the meaning of his name.
The name Christopher means “Christ-bearer.”
It is said that one day a child approached Christopher and asked him to carry him across a river.
Christopher took the child in his arms, placed him upon his shoulder, and began wading into the river.
But with every step, his precious burden grew heavier and heavier. By the time he reached the middle of the river, Christopher was almost completely exhausted and in danger of drowning.
At that moment, he felt the child on his shoulder lifting him upward, as though by a magnet, and saving him.
When they reached dry land, the child told Christopher that he, too, had carried the weight of the world upon his shoulders in this same way.
Then the child disappeared.
We Armenians celebrate St. Christopher's commemoration on the sixth Thursday after the Feast of the Holy Cross.
Aquilina and Callinice
These were two women who had been living as prostitutes and were sent into Christopher's prison cell in an attempt to lead him away from the path of truth (see Chapter III, Part III, No. 23).
However, Christopher prayed for their salvation and the forgiveness of their sins, saying:
“Yours, O Lord, are all creatures. Cleanse them of their sins through faith and the baptism of blood, and grant, O Lord, that these women, too, may become Your worshippers, to the glory of Your name.”
He then preached the Gospel to them and taught them about the greatness of holiness.
The women believed, repented, and wept over their sins. They embraced a life of purity and willingly accepted even death for the love of Christ.
“Only,” they said, “may the merciful God receive us, sinners though we are.”
When the women were summoned back to determine whether they had succeeded in leading Christopher astray, they replied:
“It was not he who strayed from the path. Rather, it was we who found Christ our God and the path of truth, and now we, too, reject the idols.”
The judge became furious and ordered them to be subjected to the most severe tortures.
The blessed women willingly endured these sufferings, during which they surrendered their souls to God.
Thus, they became examples for all those who, regardless of how grave their sins may have been, still have the opportunity to attain salvation through faith, repentance, and the willingness to endure every hardship for the love of Christ.
The shedding of their blood was regarded as their baptism, and they were deemed worthy of eternal life and of annual commemoration in the Church, together with Christopher, who had been the instrument and guide of their salvation.
We Armenians commemorate them on the sixth Thursday after the Feast of the Holy Cross.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
~ Wisdom of Solomon 3:11-17 ~
For those who despise wisdom and instruction are miserable. Their hope is vain, their labors are unprofitable, and their works are useless. Their wives are foolish, and their children evil; their offspring are accursed. For blessed is the barren woman who is undefiled, who has not entered into a sinful union; she will have fruit when God examines souls. Blessed also is the eunuch whose hands have done no lawless deed, and who has not devised wicked things against the Lord; for special favor will be shown him for his faithfulness, and a place of great delight in the temple of the Lord. For the fruit of good labors is renowned, and the root of understanding does not fail. But children of adulterers will not come to maturity, and the offspring of an unlawful union will perish. Even if they live long they will be held of no account, and finally their old age will be without honor.
~ Isaiah 51:22-52:3 ~
Thus says your Sovereign, the Lord, your God who pleads the cause of his people: See, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; you shall drink no more from the bowl of my wrath. And I will put it into the hand of your tormentors, who have said to you, "Bow down, that we may walk on you"; and you have made your back like the ground and like the street for them to walk on.
Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion! Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for the uncircumcised and the unclean shall enter you no more. Shake yourself from the dust, rise up, O captive Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter Zion! For thus says the Lord: You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.
~ 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 ~
We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God's word, which is also at work in you believers. For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you suffered the same things from your own compatriots as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out; they displease God and oppose everyone by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. Thus they have constantly been filling up the measure of their sins; but God's wrath has overtaken them at last.
~ Holy Gospel of St. John 15:11-16 ~
I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name."