Because John had denounced Herod Antipas for putting away his own wife and marrying the wife of his brother Philip, Herod imprisoned John. At a feast held in honor of Herod’s birthday, his stepdaughter Salome danced for him. Herod promised her anything; her mother Herodias told her to ask for the head of John on […]
Tag Archives: byzantinela
Aug. 28 Our Venerable Father Moses the Ethiopian; Our Holy Father Augustine, Bishop of Hippo
Our venerable father Moses the Ethiopian was at first the leader of a band of robbers, but he repented and became a great ascetic. He gave himself up utterly to work, prayer, vigils, and fasting. He was ordained a priest in his old age, and then founded a monastery of his own. He was martyred […]
Aug. 25 The Return of the Relics of the Holy Apostle Bartholomew; The Holy Apostle Titus
The relics of the holy apostle Bartholomew were stolen by the Armenians, and then taken to the town of Alipay’s. At the time of Theophilus the Iconoclast, they were translated again, this time to the town of Benevento. From there they were taken to Rome. The holy apostle Titus is counted as one of the […]
Aug. 22 The Holy Agathonicus and His Companions
St. Agathonicus was a citizen of Nicomedia and a Christian by faith. With great zeal he converted the Hellenes from idolatry and instructed them in the true Faith. At emperor Maximian’s orders, the regional governor cruelly persecuted Christians. The deputy captured St. Zoticus in a place called Carpe. He crucified Zoticus’ disciples and brought Zoticus […]
Aug. 21 The Holy Apostle Thaddeus; The Holy Martyr Bassa
The holy apostle Thaddeus was one of the Seventy, not the same as the Jude Thaddeus who was one of the Twelve. He went to Edessa in Syria and preached the gospel, there and throughout Syria and Phoenicia, and fell asleep in the Lord in Beirut. The holy martyr Bassa, who was the wife of […]
Aug. 20 The Holy Prophet Samuel
Fifteenth and last of the Judges of Israel, the prophet Samuel lived approximately eleven hundred years before Christ. Born in the tribe of Levi, son of Elkanah and Hannah, he was promised to the Lord by his till-then barren mother. At the age of twelve, Samuel had his first revelation from the Lord God. Samuel […]
Aug. 19 The Holy Martyr Andrew the Centurion and his Companions
The martyr Andrew Stratelates was a military commander in the Roman army during the reign of the emperor Maximian (284-305). They loved him in the Roman army because of his bravery, invincibility, and sense of fairness. When a large Persian army invaded the Syrian territories, the governor entrusted St. Andrew with the command of the […]
Aug. 18 The Holy Martyrs Florus and Laurus
The martyrs Florus and Laurus were brothers by birth not only in flesh but in spirit. They lived in the 2nd century in Byzantium, and afterwards they settled in Illyria [now Yugoslavia]. By occupation they were stone masons. The prefect of Illyria, Likaion, sent the brothers to a nearby district for work on the construction […]
Aug. 17 The Holy Martyr Myron
The holy martyr Myron was a priest in the town of Achaia. He was of wealthy and prominent origin, yet was kind and meek by nature- a lover of both God and man. During the reign of Emperor Decius, on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, pagans charged into the church, dragged Myron out […]
Aug. 16 The Translation of the Icon of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, the Icon not made by human hands, from Edessa to Constantinople; The Holy Martyr Diomedes
The Translation of the Icon of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, the icon “not made by human hands,” the Holy Veil, from Edessa to Constantinople in 944: Tradition related that Abgar, prince of the city of Edessa, suffered from leprosy. Having heard of Jesus the healer in Palestine, he sent a portrait painter […]