Commemoration Day of
Saint Theoditus of Galatia,
the Physician Thalaleus,
and the Seven Virgin Martyrs of Ancyra
Saint Theoditus of Galatia
Among the Greeks and Latins, he is known as Theodotus. Below is an account written by Patriarch Torgom: “In 303 AD, when Emperor Diocletian launched a persecution against Christians, Theoditus was a wine merchant in the city of Ancyra in the province of Galatia. Taking advantage of his profession, which made him less suspicious in the eyes of the persecutors, he helped imprisoned Christians in every possible way: he buried the bodies of martyrs, provided bread and wine for the Holy Mysteries, and turned his home into both a refuge and a church for those being persecuted. When Emperor Theotecnus martyred seven virgins of Ancyra by drowning them—one of whom was Theoditus’s aunt—and had stones tied around their necks so that their bodies would not become objects of veneration among fellow believers, Theoditus, with the help of several other Christians, made every effort to recover their bodies from the lake and buried them near the Church of the Patriarchs. When this became known, all the Christians of the city were subjected to severe persecution. At that time, Theoditus voluntarily presented himself before the court. After enduring terrible tortures and miraculously surviving them, he was finally martyred by beheading.”
His feast is celebrated on the third Thursday after Pentecost.
Thalaleus the Physician
Thalaleus was from Cilicia and was highly skilled in medicine. As a Christian, he was arrested in the city of Anazarbus and brought before the court. When he refused to renounce the Christian faith, holes were pierced through the upper parts of his heels and he was hung up like a sheep.
Two of his executioners, witnessing the steadfastness of his faith, converted to Christianity and were immediately martyred. They are commemorated on the same day as Thalaleus; in the Latin tradition they are remembered as Alexander and Asterius.
After further tortures, Thalaleus was thrown into the sea, but he was miraculously saved and again brought before the authorities. Finally, he was taken to Edessa, where, during the reign of Emperor Numerian, he was beheaded and martyred in 284 AD.
The Seven Virgin Martyrs of Ancyra
These virgins were natives of Ancyra. During the persecutions of Diocletian, they were arrested and subjected to various trials and tortures, from which God miraculously delivered them.
The judge then ordered that stones be tied around their necks and that they be drowned. Their bodies were later recovered from the water by Theoditus of Galatia and a group of Christians so that they could be buried with honor. Because of this act, Theoditus himself was martyred in 303 AD, and his feast is celebrated together with theirs.
Their commemoration is observed on the third Thursday after Pentecost.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
~ Wisdom of Solomon 6:11-21 ~
Therefore set your desire on my words; long for them, and you will be instructed. Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her and is found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her. One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty, for she will be found sitting at the gate. To fix one’s thought on her is perfect understanding, and one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care, because she goes about seeking those worthy of her, and she graciously appears to them in their paths and meets them in every thought. The beginning of wisdom is the most sincere desire for instruction, and concern for instruction is love of her, and love of her is the keeping of her laws, and giving heed to her laws is assurance of immortality, and immortality brings one near to God, so the desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom. Therefore if you delight in thrones and scepters, O monarchs over the peoples, honor wisdom, so that you may reign forever.
~ 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 ~
As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says, "At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you." See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
~ Holy Gospel of St. John 16:1-4 ~
"I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God. And they will do this because they have not known the Father or me. But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them. "I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.