The Birth of the Saint:
This great martyr was born around the year 275 A.D. in Syria to a royal family. His father, Soter Yakhos, the minister, was the brother of King Ptolemaeus.

His mother Sophia gave him the name “Anatolius,” after her homeland “Anatolia,” meaning “the East.”

From this his blessed name became associated with “the East,” in reference to the original homeland of his mother.

The Struggle of the Saint:
After the death of King Ptolemaeus, Numerian reigned after him, and after the death of the latter, the unbeliever Diocletian became emperor.

By the counsel of Queen Herodia, the daughter of Numerian, he devised a plot to kill Saint Theodore together with his cousin Saint Claudius. This was by sending them at the head of the army to fight the Persians, who were stationed on the borders of the land. During the battle, the army would withdraw from behind them, leaving them to face death at the hands of the enemies.

But the Lord nullified this wicked counsel, and instead of these two saints dying, they fought courageously, and the Persian army was defeated.

Saint Theodore captured the son of the king of Persia and brought him before the unbelieving King Diocletian. During the time of persecution, the unbeliever Diocletian issued a decree commanding the worship of idols and threatened everyone who refused to bow to his gods with torture by instruments of torment and casting into a fiery furnace.

When Saint Theodore read the decree, he resolved in his heart to resist this tyrant, bearing witness to Christ his God unto death.

The Vision of the Saint:
The Lord appeared to the saint in a vision in which he saw a ladder set up to heaven, and the Lord seated at its top, surrounded by myriads of angels standing around Him. He also saw beneath the ladder a great dragon. Then the One seated on the throne said to Theodore: “Do you desire to become My martyr?” He answered, saying: “And who are You, my Lord?” He replied: “I am Jesus, the Word of God the Father, and your blood shall be shed for My Name.”

Theodore of the East rejoiced greatly and said to his soldiers: “My brethren, whoever wishes to escape the torment of the unbelievers, let him go his own way. And whoever desires to struggle for the Name of Christ, let him remain.”

Then they all cried out with one voice, saying: “Our master, the death you choose for yourself is the same death by which we also shall die, for your God is our God.” Then a voice came from heaven saying: “Be courageous, My martyrs, for I am with you.”

The Martyrdom of the Saint:
When the saint returned to his home, he distributed all his wealth to the poor. He did not tell his sister of his intention to be martyred, but handed over his sword to her. When he stood before the king, the king urged him to worship Apollo, but he refused. Then he rebuked the king, so the king ordered his soldiers to torture him.

They led him outside the city of Antioch by night to crucify him upon a lebbek tree. Then the king sent the priests of the idols to the saint’s soldiers, saying to them: “Whoever belongs to the king’s side, let him bow to Apollo.” But they all cried out, saying: “We know no god except Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords. He alone is the God to whom we bow and whom we worship.” When the king learned this, he ordered their heads to be cut off, and they received the crown of martyrdom.

When the guards took the saint to the place where the lebbek tree stood in order to crucify him, he said to them: “My brethren, loosen my bonds so that I may pray and ask the help of my God.” But they paid no attention to his words. When he repeated his request, they still would not listen. Seeing their insistence, the saint stretched his arms into the air, and by the power of God the ropes were cut, and they all fell to the ground.

The saint bowed with his face to the earth, then rose and prayed… After finishing his prayer, he called the soldiers to carry out what they had been commanded to do.

So they nailed his hands, his feet, and all his body to the tree until his blood flowed abundantly. Then the saint opened his mouth and surrendered his pure soul into the hands of the Lord Christ. Immediately, the angelic choirs began chanting before him until they carried him up to the heavenly places of rest.

The completion of the struggle of the great martyr and honored saint Theodore of the East took place on the twelfth day of the month of Tobe in the year 306 A.D.

May the peace of God and his holy blessings be with us and guard us all until the last breath. Amen.

And in the morning his sister and Saints Claudius and Victor came, took down the pure body from the tree, wrapped it in costly shrouds, and placed it in the tomb of his royal fathers. Countless wonders appeared from his pure body.

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An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – in El-Keraza Magazine – Year Eight (Issue Ten) 11-3-1977

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