August 9: Orthodox saints

The Holy Apostle Matthias was born at Bethlehem, and was a descendent of the Tribe of Judah.

From his early childhood he studied the Law of God in accord under the guidance of Saint Simeon the God-Receiver.

When the Lord Jesus Christ revealed Himself to the world, Saint Matthias believed in Him as the Messiah, followed constantly after Him and was numbered amongst the Seventy Disciples, whom the Lord "did send by twos before His face" (Lk 10:1).

After the Ascension of the Saviour, Saint Matthias was chosen by lot to replace amongst the 12 Apostles the fallen-away Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:15-26).

After the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Matthias preached the Gospel at Jerusalem and in Judea together with the other Apostles (Acts 6:2, 8:14).

From Jerusalem he went with the Apostles Peter and Andrew to Syrian Antioch, and was in the Cappadocian city of Tianum and Sinope. Here the Apostle Matthias was locked into prison, from which he was miraculously freed by the Apostle Andrew.

The Apostle Matthias journeyed after this to Amasia, a city on the shore of the sea. During a three-year journey of the Apostle Andrew, Saint Matthias was with him at Edessa and Sebasteia.

According to Church tradition, Saint Matthias was preaching at Pontine AEthiopia (presently Western Gruzia / Georgia) and Macedonia. He was frequently subjected to deadly peril, but the Lord preserved him alive to further preach the Gospel.

Once, when imprisioned, Saint Matthias was forced to drink a poison potion. The apostle drank it and not only did he himself remain unharmed, but he also healed other prisoners which had been blinded by the potion. When Saint Matthias left the prison, his captors searched for him in vain but could not find him since he had become invisible to them. Another time, when he was in danger of being killed by a mob, the earth opened and swallowed his attackers.

The Apostle Matthias returned to Judea and did not cease with the enlightening of his countrymen with the light of Christ's teachings. He worked great miracles in the Name of the Lord Jesus and he converted a great many to faith in Christ.

The Jewish High-Priest Ananias hated Christ and earlier had commanded the Apostle James, Brother of the Lord, to be flung down from the heights of the Temple, and now he ordered that the Apostle Matthias be arrested and brought for judgement before the Sanhedrin [see Definitions, right] at Jerusalem.

The impious Ananias uttered a speech in which he blasphemously slandered the Lord. By way of answer, the Apostle Matthias pointed out in the prophesies of the New Testament, that Jesus Christ -- is the True God, the Messiah promised Israel by God, the Son of God, Consubstantial and Co-Eternal with God the Father. After these words the Apostle Matthias was sentenced to death. According to several historians, the Apostle Matthias was crucified on a cross, and indicate that he died at Colchis about the year 63.


The Martyr Anthony was a native of the city of Alexandria. For his confession of faith they tied him to a tree and tore at his body with irons, and then sentenced him to burning. Standing already amidst the bon-fire, he calmly exhorted those standing about to toil not for body for soul in aspiring towards God. After the bonfire flared up, the body of the saint remained unharmed. The time of his end is unknown.


The Monk Psoe was a disciple of the Monk Pakhomios the Great and lived during the 4th Century in the Egyptian wilderness.


The Martyrs Julian, Marcian, John, James, Alexis, Demetrios, Photios, Peter, Leontios, Maria the Patrician, the Protospatharion ("Sword-Captain") Gregory and Others suffered for holy icons in the year 730 under the Iconoclast Emperor Leo the Isaurian (717-741).

Emperor Leo deposed the holy Patriarch Germanos (715-730) from the patriarchal throne and sent him off to prison, raising up onto the patriarchal throne the iconoclast Athanasias (730-753). By decree of the emperor, all icons were to be confiscated from homes and churches and then destroyed.

At Constantinople were the so-called "Copper Gates" which were an icon of the Saviour, wrought from copper (created in the time of Emperor Constantine). Emperor Leo and heretic-patriarch Anastasias gave orders to seize this icon. The gathered crowd became outraged at this sacrilege.

In the crowd was the Patrician Maria, a woman of illustrious family, who with many others rushed to the ladder and pulled it from the wall to keep the soldier from touching the icon. The ladder came down, and the soldier standing on it fell to his death. This event occurred on 19 January 730.

The Protospatherion ("Sword-Captain") Gregorios and the Martyr-Nun Theodosia also took part in the defense of the icon.

Learning of this, Emperor Leo gave sentenced to death a multitude of the faithful -- the names and number of which are known only to the Lord. The Protospatherion Gregory also was killed.

But Julian, Marcian, John, James, Alexis, Demetrios, Leontios, Photios and Peter were locked up in prison and kept there for 8 months, each day being beaten with 500 blows. In these torments they remained alive by the power of Christ and bravely endured their sufferings. By order of Emperor Leo, they were eventually killed.

Saint Maria the Patrician, who had not been locked up in prison, learning about the approaching executions, voluntarily died with the martyrs.

The bodies of these martyrs were buried in a pelagic [seashore] area near the church of the holy Mary Theodore and were uncovered unperished 139 years later.


The Monk Makarii of Oredezhsk was a student of the Monk Alexander of Svirsk. He pursued asceticism at the River Oredezha at Lake Ladoga, where he founded a monastery. He died in the year 1532.

Notes for Matthias:

Places:

Bethlehem

Jerusalem

Judea

Syrian Antioch

Cappadocia

Sinope

Amasia

Edessa

Sebasteia

Georgia

Colchis

People:

Saint Simeon the God-Receiver

Peter

Andrew

Ananias

James

References:

Tribe of Judah

Law of God

the Ascension

Descent of the Holy Spirit

Definitions:

anchorite
a person who lives in seclusion; a hermit

Sanhedrin
the supreme judicial, ecclesiastical, and administrative council of the Jews in New Testament times, having 71 members.

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

   

    

    

    

    


Notes for Anthony:

Alexandria

    

       

Notes for Psoe:

Pakhomios (Pachomius) the Great    


Notes for the icon martyrs:

Emperor Leo the Isaurian

Emperor Constantine

Constantinople