Saint Agapius and his co-martyrs: Plisius, Romulus, Timolaus, Alexander, Alexander, Dionysius and Dionysius, March 15

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ

 Eις τον Aγάπιον.

Ἔσπευδεν Ἀγάπιος εἰς μαρτυρίαν.

Θεοῦ γὰρ αὐτὸν ὑπέθαλπεν ἀγάπη.

Eις τον Πλήσιον, Pωμύλον και Tιμόλαον.

Μετὰ τριῶν Πλήσιος ἐκτμηθεὶς ξίφει,

Θεοῦ σὺν αὐτοῖς ἵσταται νῦν πλησίον.

Eις τους δύω Aλεξάνδρους και Διονυσίους.

Ὡς Ἀλεξάνδροις κλῆσις ἐκτομή, στέφος,

Καὶ Διονυσίοις τε κοινὰ ἦν τάδε.

Πέμπτῃ καὶ δεκάτῃ τμήθη Ἀγάπιος, ἑταῖροι.

Agapius of Palestine (Greek: Άγιος Ἀγάπιος, from the Greek αγάπη, love) was a Christian martyr from Gaza, beheaded along with seven others by order of Urban, governor of Palestine, in the year 303 or 304 under the Great Persecution of Diocletian. Eusebius records that Timolaus of Pontus, Dionysius from Tripolis in Phœnicia, Romulus, said to have been sub-deacon of the parish of Diospolis, Plæsius of Egypt, and two men named Alexander, one from Gaza and the other from Gazahad. These six young men bound themselves and surrendered to Urban in the hopes of becoming martyrs. They openly professed their Christianity and said that their faith made them unafraid of the wild animals of the arena. Urban had them put into prison. A few days later they were joined by two others, one a certain Dionysius, and the other Agapius, who is said to have been tortured in the past for his faith. All eight were beheaded in Caesarea Maritima on the same day.

His feast day is observed on March 24. The Greek Orthodox Church observes his memory on March 15.

Λειτουργικά κείμενα

Ἀπολυτίκιον 

Ἦχος δ'. Ταχὺ προκατάλαβε.

Ἀγάπη τοῦ Κτίσαντος, πεπυρσευμένος τὸν νοῦν, χορείαν συνήθροισας, πανευκλεῶν Ἀθλητῶν, Ἀγάπιε ἔνδοξε, ὅθεν σὺν τούτοις Μάρτυς, ἀριστεύσας νομίμως, ξίφει τὸν σὸν αὐχένα, σὺν αὐτοὶς ἀπετμήθης, μεθ' ὧν ἐκδυσώπει, δοῦναι ἠμὶν ἄφεσιν.

Έτερον Ἀπολυτίκιον

Ἦχος δ’.

Τούς Μάρτυρας Χριστοῦ ἱκετεύσωμεν πάντες, αὐτοί γάρ τήν ἡμῶν σωτηρίαν αἰτοῦνται, καί πόθω προσέλθωμεν πρός αὐτούς μετά πίστεως, οὗτοι βρύουσι τῶν ἰαμάτων τήν χάριν, οὗτοι φάλαγγας ἀποσοβουσι δαιμόνων, ὡς φύλακες τῆς πίστεως.

Κοντάκιον

Ἦχος β’. Τοῖς τῶν αἱμάτων σου.

Ὡς ἀγαπήσας Χριστόν τόν Θεόν ἡμῶν, τῶν ἐπιγείων ἁπάντων ἠλόγησε, Μαρτύρων χορός ὁ ὀκτάριθμος, καὶ κεφαλάς ἐκτεμνομένοι ἔκραζον· προσδέχου Οἰκτίρμον τοὺς δούλους σου.