Commemoration DAY of
St. David of Dvin and the Holy Martyrs
Eulampius and Eulampia
St. David of Dvin
David was the son of a Persian father and a Christian mother. His original name was Surhak. Having embraced Islam, he served in Armenia in the Arab army. Through close association with Christians, however, a desire to become a Christian gradually arose within him.
He revealed his intention to Prince Grigor Mamikonian, who encouraged him and took him to Catholicos Anastas of the time. After providing him with the necessary instruction, the Catholicos personally baptized him in his newly built Cathedral Church at Aruch. Grigor Mamikonian became his godfather and gave the newly converted man the name David, after his own father.
He then arranged David’s marriage and granted him a village as a means of livelihood. David later moved to Dvin, where he lived for approximately thirty years as a devout Christian. For this reason, he became known as David of Dvin.
When the Arab Abdallah, described as “a cruel, immoral, and shameless man,” became governor of Armenia, he began persecuting Christians. Upon learning that David had formerly been a Muslim, he ordered him to return to his former religion. David, however, remained unwavering in his Christian faith.
Finally, an order was issued for his crucifixion. He was pierced with a spear and killed in A.D. 701, at approximately sixty to sixty-five years of age. He was buried in the Cathedral Church of St. Gregory in Dvin.
The Armenian Church commemorates St. David of Dvin on the third Monday following the Feast of the Holy Cross. Three Armenian Synaxaria commemorate him on March 31, while Ormanian prefers April 4.
There is a distinctive Mankunk hymn dedicated to him, consisting of three stanzas. One stanza reads:
You were filled with divine grace,
O blessed and holy ascetic, Lord David;
And your valiant name was raised up to heaven,
To the joy of the angels,
And spread throughout the whole world,
For the rejoicing of mankind.
Eulampius
The Greek form of his name is Eulampius. His life and martyrdom are inseparably connected with those of his sister, Eulampia.
They lived in the city of Nicomedia during the reign of the persecuting Emperor Maximinus (284–305). Eulampius was arrested for being a Christian and was forcibly ordered to offer sacrifices to the idols.
When he refused, he was stripped and scourged with oxhide whips, after which he was imprisoned. Having survived trials by fire and other tortures, he ultimately received the crown of martyrdom by the sword.
The Armenian Church commemorates St. Eulampius on the fourth Monday following the Feast of the Holy Cross.
Eulampia
The Greek form of her name is Eulampia. She was from the city of Nicomedia, and her story is inseparably connected with that of her brother, Eulampius.
Her brother was first arrested and tortured for being a Christian. Eulampia then joined him, and together they courageously defended the holy Christian faith and rejected the idols.
After enduring severe tortures, brother and sister were beheaded together around A.D. 303.
The Armenian Church commemorates St. Eulampia on the fourth Monday following the Feast of the Holy Cross.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
~ Proverbs 13:1-7~
A wise child loves discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. From the fruit of their words good persons eat good things, but the desire of the treacherous is for wrongdoing. Those who guard their mouths preserve their lives; those who open wide their lips come to ruin. The appetite of the lazy craves, and gets nothing, while the appetite of the diligent is richly supplied. The righteous hate falsehood, but the wicked act shamefully and disgracefully. Righteousness guards one whose way is upright, but sin overthrows the wicked. Some pretend to be rich, yet have nothing; others pretend to be poor, yet have great wealth.
~ Micah 7:18-20 ~
Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of your possession? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in showing clemency. He will again have compassion upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and unswerving loyalty to Abraham, as you have sworn to our ancestors from the days of old.
~ Hebrews 12:1-7 ~
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as children— "My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, or lose heart when you are punished by him; for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts." Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline?
~ Holy Gospel of St. Luke 13:22-30 ~
Jesus went through one town and village after another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few be saved?" He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, "Lord, open to us,' then in reply he will say to you, "I do not know where you come from.' Then you will begin to say, "We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' But he will say, "I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!' There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out. Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God. Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."