[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Thu Sep 13 05:00:23 CDT 2007

Scripture Readings and Saints for Thu Sep 13 2007

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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The Scripture Readings for
[33][LINK] September 13, 2007 [34][LINK]
Scripture Reading 1 of 7
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[38]Today's commemorated feasts and saints... _Forefeast of the
Elevation of the Cross. Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of
the Resurrection (Holy Sepulcher) at Jerusalem (335)._ Hieromartyr
Cornelius the Centurion (1st c.). Martyrs Chronides, Leontius and
Serapion, of Alexandria (237). Martyrs Seleucus in Scythia, and
Stratonicus (3rd c.). Martyrs Macrobius and Gordian at Tomi in Romania
(4th c.). Hieromartyr Julian of Galatia (4th c.). Martyrs Elias,
Zoticus, Lucian, and Valerian (4th c.). St. Peter of Atroe (9th c.).
Great Martyr Ketevan, Queen of Georgia (1624). Ven. Hierotheus the
Younger of Iveron (Mt. Athos 1745).
3 [1] Kings 8:22-23, 27-30  (Vespers, 1st Reading)
22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of
all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven;
23 and he said: "Lord God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above
or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your
servants who walk before You with all their hearts.
27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the
heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which
I have built!
28 Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O Lord
my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is
praying before You today:
29 that Your eyes may be open toward this temple night and day, toward
the place of which You said, 'My name shall be there,' that You may
hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place.
30 And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your
people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your
dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive.
Scripture Reading 1 of 7
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References
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12. http://oca.org/FSIndex.asp?SID=4
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14. http://oca.org/CHRISTIndex.asp?SID=6
15. http://oca.org/HSIndex.asp?SID=7
16. http://oca.org/CAIndex.asp?SID=8
17. http://oca.org/DIRIndex.asp?SID=9
18. http://oca.org/FOSIndex.asp?SID=10
19. http://oca.org/PHOTOGALLERYindex.asp?SID=11
20. http://oca.org/DOCIndex.asp?SID=12
21. http://oca.org/MDIndex.asp?SID=13
22. https://secure.oca.org/ocpc/scripts/prodList.asp
23. http://oca.org/RHIndex.asp?SID=15
24. http://oca.org/PGindex.asp?SID=5
25. http://oca.org/MEMIndex.asp?SID=18
26. http://oca.org/News.asp?ID=949&SID=19
27. http://oca.org/News.asp?ID=949&SID=19
28. http://oca.org/?SID=25
29. http://oca.org/?SID=25&ID=PDF
30. http://oca.org/FSIndex.asp?SID=4
31. http://oca.org/OCSelect-Prayer.asp?SID=2&name=Before%20Reading%20the%20Holy%20Scripture
32. http://oca.org/Docs.asp?ID=180&SID=2
33. http://oca.org/?SID=25&ID=&M=9&D=12
34. http://oca.org/?SID=25&ID=&M=9&D=14
35. http://oca.org/?SID=25&M=9&D=13&ReadingNum=2
36. http://oca.org/ReadingPrint.asp?ID=&D=13&M=9&SearchMonth=&SearchDay=&SearchName=NA&SearchChapter=&SearchVerse=&TestReading=&ReadingNum=1
37. http://oca.org/ReadingPrint.asp?ID=&D=13&M=9&SearchMonth=&SearchDay=&SearchName=NA&SearchChapter=&SearchVerse=&TestReading=&ReadingNum=1
38. http://oca.org/FSlives.asp?SID=4
39. http://oca.org/?SID=25&M=9&D=13&ReadingNum=2
40. http://oca.org/?SID=25
41. http://oca.org/?SID=25&ID=PDF
42. http://oca.org/FSIndex.asp?SID=4
43. http://oca.org/OCSelect-Prayer.asp?SID=2&name=Before%20Reading%20the%20Holy%20Scripture
44. http://oca.org/Docs.asp?ID=180&SID=2
45. http://www.oca.org/
46. http://oca.org/Headlines.asp?SID=19
47. http://oca.org/CUContact.asp?SID=20
48. http://oca.org/Reading.asp?SID=25
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Proverbs 3:19-34  (Vespers, 2nd Reading)
19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding He
established the heavens;
20 By His knowledge the depths were broken up, And clouds drop down
the dew.
21 My son, let them not depart from your eyes Keep sound wisdom and
discretion;
22 So they will be life to your soul And grace to your neck.
23 Then you will walk safely in your way, And your foot will not
stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down
and your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked
when it comes;
26 For the Lord will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from
being caught.
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in
the power of your hand to do so.
28 Do not say to your neighbor, Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will
give it, When you have it with you.
29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor, For he dwells by you for
safetys sake.
30 Do not strive with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm.
31 Do not envy the oppressor, And choose none of his ways;
32 For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord, But His
secret counsel is with the upright.
33 The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses
the home of the just.
34 Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble.
Scripture Reading 2 of 7

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Proverbs 9:1-11  (Vespers, 3rd Reading)
1 Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars;
2 She has slaughtered her meat, She has mixed her wine, She has also
furnished her table.
3 She has sent out her maidens, She cries out from the highest places
of the city,
4 Whoever is simple, let him turn in here! As for him who lacks
understanding, she says to him,
5 Come, eat of my bread And drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding.
7 He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes
a wicked man only harms himself.
8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a
just man, and he will increase in learning.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge
of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be
added to you.
Scripture Reading 3 of 7

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Hebrews 3:1-4  (Epistle, Church)
1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,
consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,
2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was
faithful in all His house.
3 For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses,
inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house.
4 For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is
God.
Scripture Reading 4 of 7

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1 Corinthians 2:6-9  (Epistle, Saturday Before)
6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the
wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to
nothing.
7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which
God ordained before the ages for our glory,
8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they
would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9 But as it is written:
Scripture Reading 5 of 7

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Matthew 16:13-18  (Gospel, Church)
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His
disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"
14 So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others
Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the
living God."
17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah,
for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is
in heaven.
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will
build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
Scripture Reading 6 of 7

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Matthew 10:37-11:1  (Gospel, Saturday Before)
37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And
he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not
worthy of Me.
39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for
My sake will find it.
40 He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives
Him who sent Me.
41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a
prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a
righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
42 And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water
in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no
means lose his reward.
1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve
disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their
cities.
Scripture Reading 7 of 7

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Forefeast of the Elevation of the Cross
No information available at this time.
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Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the
Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem
The Dedication of the Temple of the Resurrection of Christ at
Jerusalem celebrates the dedication of the Church of the Resurrection,
built by St Constantine the Great and his mother, the empress Helen.
After the voluntary Passion and Death on the Cross of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, the holy place of His suffering was long trampled
on by pagans. When the Roman emperor Titus conquered Jerusalem in the
year 70, he razed the city and destroyed the Temple of Solomon on
Mount Moriah, leaving there not a stone upon a stone, as even the
Savior foretold (Mt.13:1-2).
Later on the zealous pagan emperor Hadrian (117-138) built on the site
of the Jerusalem destroyed by Titus a new city named Aelia Capitolina
for him (Hadrian Aelius). It was forbidden to call the city by its
former name.
He gave orders to cover the Holy Tomb of the Lord with earth and
stones, and on that spot to set up an idol. On Golgotha, where the
Savior was crucified, he constructed a pagan temple dedicated to the
goddess Venus in 119. Before the statues they offered sacrifice to
demons and performed pagan rites, accompanied by wanton acts.
In Bethlehem, at the place the Savior was born of the All-Pure Virgin,
the impious emperor set up an idol of Adonis. He did all this
intentionally, so that people would forget completely about Christ the
Savior and that they would no loner remember the places where He
lived, taught, suffered and arose in glory.
At the beginning of the reign of St Constantine the Great (306-337),
the first of the Roman emperors to recognize the Christian religion,
he and his pious mother the empress Helen decided to rebuild the city
of Jerusalem. At the beinning of the reign of St Constantine the Great
(306-337), the first of the Roman emperors to recognize the Christian
religion, he and his pious mother the empress Helen decided to rebuild
the city of Jerusalem. They also planned to build a church on the site
of the Lord's suffering and Resurrection, in order to reconsecrate and
purify the places connected with memory of the Savior from the taint
of foul pagan cults.
The empress Helen journeyed to Jerusalem with a large quantity of
gold, and St Constantine the Great wrote a letter to Patriarch
Macarius I (313-323), requesting him to assist her in every possible
way with her task of the renewing the Christian holy places.
After her arrival in Jerusalem, the holy empress Helen destroyed all
the pagan temples and reconsecrated the places desecrated by the
pagans. She was zealous to find the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and she ordered the excavation of the place where the temple of Venus
stood. There they discovered the Sepulchre of the Lord and Golgotha,
and they also found three crosses and some nails.
In order to determine upon which of the three crosses the Savior was
crucified, Patriarch Macarius gave orders to place a dead person, who
was being carried to a place of burial, upon each cross in turn. When
the dead person was placed on the Cross of Christ, he immediately came
alive. With the greatest of joy the empress Helen and Patriarch
Macarius raised up the Life-Creating Cross and displayed it to all the
people standing about.
The holy empress quickly began the construction of a large church
which enclosed within its walls Golgotha, the place of the Crucifixion
of the Savior, and the Sepulchre of the Lord, located near each other.
The holy Apostle and Evangelist John wrote about this: "Now in the
place where He was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a
new tomb, in which no one had yet been laid. Therefore they laid Jesus
there because of the Jewish preparation day, for the tomb was nearby"
(John 19:41-42). The Church of the Resurrection was ten years in
building, and the holy empress Helen did not survive to see its
completion. She returned to Constantinople, and reposed in the year
327. After her arrival in Jerusalem, the holy empress built churches
in Bethlehem, on the Mount of Olives, at Gethsemane and in many other
places connected with the life of the Savior and events in the New
Testament.
The construction of the church of the Resurrection, called "Martyrion"
in memory of the sufferings of the Savior, was completed in the same
year as the Council of Tyre, and in the thirtieth year of the reign of
St Constantine the Great. Therefore, at the assembly of September 13,
335, the consecration of the temple was particularly solemn. Hierarchs
of Christian Churches in many lands: Bythnia, Thrace, Cilicia,
Cappadocia, Syria, Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Arabia, Palestine, and
Egypt, participated in the consecration of the church. The bishops who
participated in the Council of Tyre, and many others, went to the
consecration in Jerusalem. On this day all the city of Jerusalem was
consecrated. The Fathers of the Church established September 13 as the
commemoration of this remarkable event.
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Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion
The Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion: Soon after the sufferings of
the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross and His Ascension into Heaven, a
centurion by the name of Cornelius settled at Caesarea in Palestine.
He had lived previously in Thracian Italy. Although he was a pagan, he
distinguished himself by deep piety and good deeds, as the holy
Evangelist Luke says (Acts 10:1). The Lord did not disdain his
virtuous life, and so led him to the knowledge of truth and to faith
in Christ.
Once, Cornelius was praying in his home. An angel of God appeared to
him and said that his prayer had been heard and accepted by God. The
angel commanded him to send people to Joppa to find Simon, also called
Peter. Cornelius immediately fulfilled the command.
While those people were on their way to Joppa, the Apostle Peter was
at prayer, and he had a vision: three times a great sheet was lowered
down to him, filled with all kinds of beasts and fowl. He heard a
voice from Heaven commanding him to eat everything. When the apostle
refused to eat food which Jewish Law regarded as unclean, the voice
said: "What God hath cleansed, you must not call common" (Acts 10:15).
Through this vision the Lord commanded the Apostle Peter to preach the
Word of God to the pagans. When the Apostle Peter arrived at the house
of Cornelius in the company of those sent to meet him, he was received
with great joy and respect by the host together with his kinsmen and
comrades.
Cornelius fell down at the feet of the apostle and requested to be
taught the way of salvation. St Peter talked about the earthly life of
Jesus Christ, and spoke of the miracles and signs worked by the
Savior, and of His teachings about the Kingdom of Heaven. Then St
Peter told him of the Lord's death on the Cross, His Resurrection and
Ascension into Heaven. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, Cornelius
believed in Christ and was baptized with all his family. He was the
first pagan to receive Baptism.
He retired from the world and went preaching the Gospel together with
the Apostle Peter, who made him a bishop. When the Apostle Peter,
together with his helpers Sts Timothy and Cornelius, was in the city
of Ephesus, he learned of a particularly vigorous idol-worship in the
city of Skepsis. Lots were drawn to see who would go there, and St
Cornelius was chosen.
In the city lived a prince by the name of Demetrius, learned in the
ancient Greek philosophy, hating Christianity and venerating the pagan
gods, in particular Apollo and Zeus. Learning about the arrival of St
Cornelius in the city, he immediately summoned him and asked him the
reason for his coming. St Cornelius answered that he came to free him
from the darkness of ignorance and lead him to knowledge of the True
Light.
The prince, not comprehending the meaning of what was said, became
angry and demanded that he answer each of his questions. When St
Cornelius explained that he served the Lord and that the reason for
his coming was to announce the Truth, the prince became enraged and
demanded that Cornelius offer sacrifice to the idols.
The saint asked to be shown the gods. When he entered the pagan
temple, Cornelius turned towards the east and uttered a prayer to the
Lord. There was an earthquake, and the temple of Zeus and the idols
situated in it were destroyed. All the populace, seeing what had
happened, were terrified.
The prince was even more vexed and began to take counsel together with
those approaching him, about how to destroy Cornelius. They bound the
saint and took him to prison for the night. At this point, one of his
servants informed the prince that his wife and child had perished
beneath the rubble of the destroyed temple.
After a certain while, one of the pagan priests, by the name of
Barbates, reported that he heard the voice of the wife and son
somewhere in the ruins and that they were praising the God of the
Christians. The pagan priest asked that the imprisoned one be
released, in gratitude for the miracle worked by St Cornelius, and the
wife and son of the prince remained alive.
The joyful prince hastened to the prison in the company of those about
him, declaring that he believed in Christ and asking him to bring his
wife and son out of the ruins of the temple. St Cornelius went to the
destroyed temple, and through prayer the suffering were freed.
After this the prince Demetrius, and all his relatives and comrades
accepted holy Baptism. St Cornelius lived for a long time in this
city, converted all the pagan inhabitants to Christ, and made Eunomios
a presbyter in service to the Lord. St Cornelius died in old age and
was buried not far from the pagan temple he destroyed.
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Martyr Chronides of Alexandria
The Holy Martyr Chronides suffered for the Christian Faith in the
third century with Sts Stratonicus, Serapion, Leontius and Seleucus.
StsChronides, Leontius, and Serapion were from Egypt. After fierce
torments for their confession of faith in Christ, the holy martyrs
were savagely killed. Sts Chronides, Leontius and Serapion were bound
hand and foot and cast into the sea. Their bodies were carried to
shore by the waves, where Christians gave them burial.
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Martyr Leontius of Alexandria
The Holy Martyr Leontius suffered for the Christian Faith in the third
century with Sts Stratonicus, Chronides, Serapion, Leontius and
Seleucus. StsChronides, Leontius and Serapion were from Egypt. After
fierce torments for their confession of faith in Christ, the holy
martyrs were savagely killed. Sts Chronides, Leontius and Serapion
were bound hand and foot and cast into the sea. Their bodies were
carried to shore by the waves, where Christians gave them burial.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Serapion of Alexandria
The Holy Martyr Serapion suffered for the Christian Faith in the third
century with Sts Stratonicus, Chronides, Leontius and Seleucus.
StsChronides, Leontius, and Serapion were from Egypt. After fierce
torments for their confession of faith in Christ, the holy martyrs
were savagely killed. Sts Chronides, Leontius and Serapion were bound
hand and foot and cast into the sea. Their bodies were carried to
shore by the waves, where Christians gave them burial.
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Martyr Seleucus in Scythia
The Holy Martyr Seleucus suffered for the Christian Faith with Sts
Stratonicus, Chronides, Leontius and Serapion in the third century. St
Seleucus came from Galatia. After fierce torments for their confession
of faith in Christ, holy martyrs were savagely killed.
St Seleucus suffered in Galatia, where after many tortures he and his
wife were thrown to be eaten by wild beasts.
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Martyr Stratonicus in Scythia
The Holy Martyr Stratonicus suffered for the Christian Faith with Sts
Seleucus, Chronides, Leontius and Serapion in the third century. St
Stratonicus was from Bithynian Nicomedia. After fierce torments for
their confession of faith in Christ, holy martyrs were savagely
killed.
St Stratonicus, after being tortured by order of the Bithynan
governor, was bound to two bent tree trunks. His body was split in two
(See also September 9).
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Martyr Macrobius at Tomis in Romania
Saint Macrobius was from Paphlagonia, and suffered martyrdom with Sts
Gordian, Elias, Zoticus, Lucian and Valerian.
Gordian and Macrobian served in the imperial court, and they enjoyed
the particular favor of the emperor. When he found out that they were
Christians, he sent them to Scythia. There they met Zoticus, Lucian
and Elias, who were also courageous confessors of Christ. First Sts
Gordian and Macrobius suffered. After this Sts Elias, Zoticus, Lucian
and Valerian were tortured and then beheaded in the city of Tomis in
Scythia (Tomis, Romania). They suffered at Paphlagonia (Asia Minor) at
the beginning of the fourth century during the reign of the Roman
emperor Licinius (311-324).
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Gordian at Tomis in Romania
Saint Gordian was a native of Cappadocia, and suffered martyrdom with
Sts Macrobius, Elias, Zoticus, Lucian and Valerian.
Gordian and Macrobian served in the imperial court, and they enjoyed
the particular favor of the emperor. When he found out that they were
Christians, he sent them to Scythia. There they met Zoticus, Lucian
and Elias, who were also courageous confessors of Christ. First Sts
Gordian and Macrobius suffered. After this Sts Elias, Zoticus, Lucian
and Valerian were tortured and then beheaded in the city of Tomis in
Scythia ( Romania). They suffered at Paphlagonia (Asia Minor) at the
beginning of the fourth century during the reign of the Roman emperor
Licinius (311-324).
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Hieromartyr Julian of Galatia
Saint Julian was born at Ancyra, Galatia (in Asia Minor). He was a
priest who boldly confessed Christ during the reign of Emperor
Licinius (311-324). For this "crime," he was arrested by the
authorities. Since he refused to offer sacrifice to the idols, he was
tortured and put to death, thereby receiving an imperishable crown of
glory from Christ.
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Martyr Elias
Saint Elias was one of those who suffered martyrdom with Sts Gordian,
Macrobius, Zoticus, Valerian, and Lucian.
Gordian and Macrobian served in the imperial court, where they enjoyed
the particular favor of the emperor. When he found out that they were
Christians, he sent them to Scythia. There they met Zoticus, Lucian
and Elias, who were also courageous confessors of Christ. Sts Gordian
and Macrobius suffered first, then Sts Elias, Zoticus, Lucian and
Valerian were tortured and beheaded in Tomis in Scythia (Romania).
They suffered at Paphlagonia (Asia Minor) at the beginning of the
fourth century during the reign of the Roman emperor Licinius
(311-324).
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Zoticus
Saint Zoticus was one of those who suffered martyrdom with Sts
Gordian, Macrobius, Elias, Valerian, and Lucian.
Gordian and Macrobian served in the imperial court, where they enjoyed
the particular favor of the emperor. When he found out that they were
Christians, he sent them to Scythia. There they met Zoticus, Lucian
and Elias, who were also courageous confessors of Christ. Sts Gordian
and Macrobius suffered first, then Sts Elias, Zoticus, Lucian and
Valerian were tortured and beheaded in Tomis in Scythia (Romania).
They suffered at Paphlagonia (Asia Minor) at the beginning of the
fourth century during the reign of the Roman emperor Licinius
(311-324).
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Lucian
Saint Lucian was one of those who suffered martyrdom with Sts Gordian,
Macrobius, Elias, Zoticus, and Valerian.
Gordian and Macrobian served in the imperial court, where they enjoyed
the particular favor of the emperor. When he found out that they were
Christians, he sent them to Scythia. There they met Zoticus, Lucian
and Elias, who were also courageous confessors of Christ. Sts Gordian
and Macrobius suffered first, then Sts Elias, Zoticus, Lucian and
Valerian were tortured and beheaded in Tomis in Scythia (Romania).
They suffered at Paphlagonia (Asia Minor) at the beginning of the
fourth century during the reign of the Roman emperor Licinius
(311-324).
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Martyr Valerian
Saint Valerian was one of those who suffered martyrdom with Sts
Gordian, Macrobius, Elias, Zoticus, and Lucian.
Gordian and Macrobian served in the imperial court, where they enjoyed
the particular favor of the emperor. When he found out that they were
Christians, he sent them to Scythia. There they met Zoticus, Lucian
and Elias, who were also courageous confessors of Christ. Sts Gordian
and Macrobius suffered first, then Sts Elias, Zoticus, Lucian and
Valerian were tortured and beheaded in Tomis in Scythia (Romania).
They suffered at Paphlagonia (Asia Minor) at the beginning of the
fourth century during the reign of the Roman emperor Licinius
(311-324).
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St Peter of Atroe
Saint Peter from Atroe was dedicated to God from childhood, and spent
his whole life in exploits of fasting and unceasing prayer. He pursued
asceticism in the city of Atroe, near Asian Olympos. A distinctive
feature of the holy ascetic was his extreme temperance. During his
lifetime, the saint worked many miracles and peacefully reposed in the
time of Patriarch Tarasius of Constantinople (784-806).
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Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia
The holy Queen Ketevan was the daughter of Ashotan Mukhran-Batoni, a
prominent ruler from the Bagrationi royal family. The clever and pious
Ketevan was married to Prince David, heir to the throne of Kakheti.
Davids father, King Alexander II (15741605), had two other sons,
George and Constantine, but according to the law the throne belonged
to David. Constantine was converted to Islam and raised in the court
of the Persian shah Abbas I.
Several years after David and Ketevan were married, King Alexander
stepped down from the throne and was tonsured a monk at Alaverdi. But
after four months, in the year 1602, the young king David died
suddenly. He was survived by his wife, Ketevan, and two childrena son,
Teimuraz, and a daughter, Eleneand his father ascended the throne once
more.
Upon hearing of Davids death and Alexanders return to the royal
throne, Shah Abbas commanded Alexanders youngest son,
Constantine-Mirza, to travel to Kakheti, murder his father and the
middle brother, George, and seize the throne of Kakheti. As
instructed, Constantine-Mirza beheaded his father and brother, then
sent their heads, like a precious gift, to Shah Abbas.
Their headless bodies he sent to Alaverdi. (Since the beginning of the
11th century, Alaverdi had been the resting place of the Kakhetian
kings.) The widowed Queen Ketevan was left to bury her father-in-law
and brother-in-law.
But Constantine-Mirza was still unsatisfied, and he proposed to take
Queen Ketevan as his wife.
Outraged at his proposition, the nobles of Kakheti rose up and killed
the young man who had committed patricide and profaned his Faith and
the throne. Having buried the wicked Constantine-Mirza with the honor
befitting his royal ancestry, Ketevan sent generous gifts to Shah
Abbas and requested that he proclaim her son, Teimuraz, the rightful
heir to the throne.
While she was awaiting his reply, Ketevan assumed personal
responsibility for the rule of Kakheti. Concerned that, if he denied
this request, Kakheti would forcibly separate from him and unite with
Kartli, Shah Abbas hastily sent Prince Teimuraz to Georgia, laden with
great wealth.
In 1614 Shah Abbas informed King Teimuraz that his son would be taken
hostage, and Teimuraz was forced to send his young son Alexander and
his mother Ketevan to Persia. As a final attempt to divide the royal
family of Kakheti, Shah Abbas demanded that the eldest prince, Levan,
be brought before him, and he finally summoned King Teimuraz himself.
The shahs intentions were clear: to hold all of the royal family in
Persia and send his own viceroys to rule in Kakheti. He sought to
eliminate King Luarsab II of Kartli as well, but Teimuraz and Luarsab
agreed to attack the Persian army with joint forces and drive the
enemy out of Georgia.
Shah Abbas sent his hostages, Queen Ketevan and her grandsons, deep
into Persia, while he himself launched an attack on Kakheti.
With fire and the sword the godless ruler plundered all of Georgia.
The royal palace was razed, churches and monasteries were destroyed,
and entire villages were abandoned. By order of the shah, more than
three hundred thousand Georgians were exiled to Persia, and their
homes were occupied by Turkic tribes from Central Asia. Hunger and
violence reigned over Georgia.
The defeated Georgian kings Teimuraz and Luarsab sought refuge with
King George III of Imereti.
After they had spent five years exiled in Shiraz (Persia), the princes
Alexander and Levan were separated from Ketevan and castrated in
Isfahan. Alexander could not endure the suffering and died, while
Levan went mad.
St. Ketevan, meanwhile, remained a prisoner of the ruler of
southeastern Persia, the ethnic Georgian imam Quli-Khan Undiladze, who
regarded the widowed Queen of Kakheti with great respect. According to
his command, Ketevan was not to discover the fate of her grandsons.
Queen Ketevan spent ten years in prison, praying for her motherland
and loved ones with all her might and adhering to a strict ascetic
regime. Constant fasting, prayer and a stone bed exhausted her
previously pampered body, but in spirit she was courageous and full of
vitality. She looked after those assigned to her care and instructed
them in the spiritual life.
After some time Abbas resolved to convert Ketevan to Islam, and he
announced his intention to marry her. He asked that his proposal be
conveyed to her the same day she was informed of the fate of her
grandsons. As a condition of their marriage, Abbas insisted that
Ketevan renounce the Christian Faith and convert to Islam. In the case
of her acquiescence, Imam Quli-Khan was to respect and honor her as a
queen, and in the case of her refusal, to subject her to public
torture.
The alarmed imam begged the queen to submit to the shahs will and save
herself, but the queen firmly refused and began to prepare for her
martyrdom. (According to one foreign observer, her steadfastness
delayed the Islamization of the Georgians in Persia: In the course of
a conversation at the court of Shah Abbas, where a young and recently
converted Georgian was present, the question arose as to why it was
that, while all young Georgians were forced to embrace Islam, their
mothers were not. The explanation given by one of those present was
that since the Queen would not change her faith Georgian mothers
likewise refused. (Z. Avalishvili, Teimuraz I and His Poem The
Martyrdom of Queen Ketevan, _Georgica_ [vol I, no. 4/5, 1937] pp. 22.)
Queen Ketevan was robed in festive attire and led out to a crowded
square. Her persecutors subjected her to indescribable torment: they
placed a red-hot copper cauldron on her head, tore at her chest with
heated tongs, pierced her body with glowing spears, tore off her
fingernails, nailed a board to her spine, and finally split her
forehead with a red-hot spade.
St. Ketevans soul departed from her body, and the executioners cast
her mutilated body to the beasts. But the Lord God sent a miracle: her
holy relics were illumined with a radiant light.
A group of French Augustinian missionary fathers, who had witnessed
the inhuman tortures, wrapped Queen Ketevans body in linens scented
with myrrh and incense and buried it in a Catholic monastery.
Some time later the holy relics of Great-martyr Ketevan were delivered
to her son, Teimuraz, King of Kakheti.
Teimuraz wept bitterly for his mother and sons and buried the relics
with great honor in the Alaverdi Cathedral of St. George.
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Venerable Hierotheus the Younger of Iveron of Mt Athos
Saint Hierotheus was born in 1686 in Greece. Desiring to comprehend
Divine wisdom as it is in the sciences and also as it is in monastic
life, the pious youth, displaying great ability and diligence, studied
Latin and Greek philosophy.
After the death of his parents, and wanting to continue his education,
St Hierotheus first of all visited Mount Athos, which was famous for
its many male teachers. At first he was the disciple of a certain
hermit near the cell of St Artemius (October 20), and then he joined
the brethren of the Iveron monastery, where he received the monastic
tonsure.
St Hierotheus soon journeyed to Constantinople on monastery business,
and from there to Valachia, where the Lord directed him to continue
his interrupted education. Having been instructed by a certain Cypriot
monk, St Hierotheus by his good manners merited the favor of
Metropolitan Auxentius of Sofia, and was ordained deacon.
After completing his education in Venice, St Hierotheus returned to
the Holy Mountain. He settled near the Iveron monastery in the Khaga
wilderness. According to the testimony of his contemporaries, he led a
very strict hermit's life; with the constant Jesus Prayer the monk
discovered deep love for neighbor and joy-creating sorrow. On the
intercession of the igumen of the Iveron monastery St Hierotheus was
ordained to the priesthood by Metropolitan James of Neocaesarea, who
lived there in retirement.
At the request of the inhabitants of Skopelo, who had no priest, the
self-denying ascetic forsook his solitude. He celebrated the services
and preached for eight years, together with his Athonite disciples the
hieromonk Meletius and the monks Joasaph and Simeon.
Foreseeing his own impending end, St Hierotheus with three disciples
withdrew to the island of Yura, where those banished for life were
usually sent. There after a short illness he departed to the Lord in
the year 1745. His disciples buried him on that island, and after
three years his venerable head was transferred to the Iveron
monastery. Many sick and those afflicted with bodily suffering were
healed by prayers to the saint.
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St John of Prislop
Saint John was a monk of the Prislop Monastery in southwestern Romania
at the turn of the sixteenth century. After several years in that
place, he went into the mountains to lead a solitary ascetical life,
struggling against the assaults of the demons.
One day, while St John was making a window in his cell, he was shot
and killed by a hunter on the other side of the creek, who mistook him
for a wild animal.
St John's holy relics were later brought to Wallachia (southern
Romania). He was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Romania in 1992.
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