Hellenic Net

Οσία Μελάνη η Ρωμαία, 31 Δεκεμβρίου Saint Melania was born in Rome into a devout Christian family. Her parents, people of property and wealth, hoped that their daughter would marry and have children who would inherit their wealth. At fourteen years of age Melania was married to the illustrious youth Apinianus. From the very beginning of their married life, Saint Melania asked her husband to live with her in chastity or else release her from the marriage. Apinianus answered, “I cannot agree to this right now. When we have two children to inherit the property, then we shall both renounce the world.” Soon Melania gave birth to a daughter, whom the young parents dedicated to God. Continuing to live together in marriage, Melania secretly wore a hair shirt and spent her nights in prayer. The second child, a boy, was premature and had severe complications. They baptized him, and he departed to the Lord. Seeing the suffering of his wife, Apinianus asked the Lord to preserve Saint Melania’s lif...

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ Χάρις λέουσιν Ἰγνάτιε παμβόροις, Σοῦ σώματος λιποῦσι καὶ πιστοῖς μέρος. Τῇ ἐνάτῃ ἐπάνοδος Ἰγνατίῳ εἰκάδι τύχθη. Λέουσιν, Ἰγνάτιε, δεῖπνον προὐτέθης, Κοινωνὲ δείπνου μυστικοῦ, θάρσους λέον. Εἰκάδι Ἰγνάτιος θάνε γαμφηλῇσι λεόντων. Ignatius of Antioch (/ɪɡˈneɪʃəs/; Greek: Ἰγνάτιος Ἀντιοχείας, Ignátios Antiokheías; died c. 108/140 AD), also known as Ignatius Theophorus (Ἰγνάτιος ὁ Θεοφόρος, Ignátios ho Theophóros, lit. "the God-bearing"), was an early Christian writer and Patriarch of Antioch. While en route to Rome, where he met his martyrdom, Ignatius wrote a series of letters. This correspondence forms a central part of a later collection of works by the Apostolic Fathers. He is considered one of the three most important of these, together with Clement of Rome and Polycarp. His letters also serve as an example of early Christian theology, and address important topics including ecclesiology, the sacraments, and the role of bishops. Nothing is known of Ignatius' lif...

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ Σεβαστιανὸς τῶν πλάνης σεβασμάτων, Καταφρονήσας τύπτεται τὸ σαρκίον. Ὀγδοάτῃ δεκάτῃ Σεβαστιανὸς ῥοπαλίσθη. Saint Sebastian (Latin: Sebastianus; c. AD 255 – c. c. AD 288) was an early Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians. He was initially tied to a post or tree and shot with arrows, though this did not kill him. He was, according to tradition, rescued and healed by Saint Irene of Rome, which became a popular subject in 17th-century painting. In all versions of the story, shortly after his recovery he went to Diocletian to warn him about his sins, and as a result was clubbed to death. He is venerated in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. The oldest record of the details of Sebastian's martyrdom is found in the Chronograph of 354, which mentions him as a martyr, venerated on January 20. He is also mentioned in a sermon on Psalm 118 by 4th-century bishop Ambrose of Milan (Saint Am...

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ Ἐγγὺς Βασιλὶς Θεοφανὼ Κυρίου, ταῖς ἀρεταῖς ἕστηκεν ἐστιλβωμένη. Saint Theophano was born of eminent parents, Constantine and Anna, who were kin to several emperors. Her parents were childless for a long time and prayed to the Most-holy Theotokos to give them an offspring. And God gave them this daughter, Theophano. Imbued with the Christian spirit from her childhood, Theophano surpassed all her companions in all the Christian virtues. When she grew up, she entered into marriage with Leo, the son of Emperor Basil the Macedonian. She endured great hardships alongside her husband. Responding to slander-that Leo carried a knife in his boot and planned to kill his father at an opportune time-the gullible father, Basil, locked his son and daughter-in-law in prison. Thus, two innocent souls languished in prison for three years. Once, during the Feast of the Prophet Elias, the emperor summoned all his noblemen to his court for a banquet. Suddenly the emperor's parrot unexpectedly ...

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ Ἐλευθέριος, ὡς ἀδουλόνους φύσει, Σπάθας θεωρῶν, οὐκ ἐδουλοῦτο πλάνῃ. Δῖον Ἐλευθέριον δεκάτῃ πέφνε φάσγανα πέμπτῃ. Saint Eleutherius (or Eleut(h)erus or Eleftherios; sometimes called Liberalis or Liberator, the former transliterations and the latter translations of his (Greek: Ἐλευθέριος) and his mother Antia (or Anthia) (Greek: Ἀνθία, Italian: Santi Eleuterio e Anzia) are venerated as Christian saints and martyrs in Greece. Born in Rome, Eleutherius's father died when he was a young child and his mother, Anthia, took him to Anicetus, the Bishop of Rome, who taught him in the divine scriptures. Eleutherius is venerated as a bishop of Illyricum; according to tradition, Antia was his mother. According to a source in Greek dating from before the 5th century, Antia was the widow of a consul named Eugenius. Her son Eleutherius was ordained a deacon and priest and then consecrated as bishop by a man named Anicetus. This tradition may have originated through confusion with Pope El...

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ Οὐχ ὥσπερ Εὔα καὶ σὺ τίκτεις ἐν λύπαις. Χαρὰν γὰρ Ἄννα ἔνδον κοιλίας φέρεις. Τῇ δ' ἐνάτῃ Μαρίην Θεομήτορα σύλλαβεν Ἄννα. The Holy Martyrs Eustratios (Eustrátios), Auxentios (Auxéntios), Eugene, Mardarios (Mardários), and Orestes (the Five Companions) suffered for Christ at Sebaste in Armenia during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284-305). Among the first Christians imprisoned and undergoing torture at that time was the presbyterian Saint Auxentios of Syria. One of those who witnessed the steadfastness of the Christians was the noble military commander Saint Eustratios, the city prefect of Satalios, and archivist of the province. He was a secret Christian, and when he confessed his faith openly, he was subjected to torture. He was beaten, and iron sandals studded with sharp nails were placed on his feet, then he was forced to march to the city of Arabrak. Witnessing the arrival of Saint Eustratios in Arabrak, Saint Mardarios, one of the people in the crowd, confessed that...