April 24 / April 11

1.  The Hieromartyr Antipas, Bishop of Pergamon (92), a disciple of St. John the Theologian

Antipas is mentioned in the Book of Revelation as, Antipas, my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth (Revelation 2:13), that is, in the city of Pergamon. The inhabitants of this city lived in the darkness of idolatry and in extreme impurity. They were slaves to passions. They were slanderers, tyrants, and incestuous people. In other words, they were the servants of Satan. Here among them lived Antipas, “as a light in the midst of darkness, as a rose among thorns and as gold in the mire.” In this city, he who captured and killed a Christian was deemed good and just. The totality of their pagan belief consisted of soothsaying, interpretation of dreams, serving demons, and extreme perversion. Being frightened of Antipas as of fire, the demons appeared to the soothsayers in a dream and confessed how afraid they were of Antipas—and how, because of him, they had to depart from the city. The pagan priests assembled a large number of people against Antipas and interrogated him, trying to force him to deny Christ and worship idols. Antipas said to them: “When your so-called gods, lords of the universe, are frightened of me, a mortal man, and must flee from this city, do you not recognize by this that your faith is a delusion?” The saint spoke to them further about the Christian Faith as the One, True, Saving Faith. They became as enraged as wild beasts and dragged the aged Antipas to the temple of Artemis, before which stood an ox cast in bronze. They heated the bronze ox and hurled the servant of God inside. From within the fiery ox, St. Antipas glorified God with thanksgiving, like Jonah in the belly of the whale or the Three Youths in the fiery furnace. Antipas prayed for his flock and for the entire world until his soul parted from his weakened body and ascended among the angels into the Kingdom of Christ. He died in torments and was crowned with unfading glory in the year 92. He is the patron saint of dentists.

2.    The Holy Martyrs Processus and Martinian of Rome (ca. 67)

Processus and Martinian were jailers in the Roman prison where the Apostles Peter and Paul were imprisoned. Hearing the words and witnessing the miracles of the apostles, they were baptized and released the apostles from prison. The apostles left Rome, but the Lord appeared to Peter on the way. “Lord, where are you going?” Peter asked. The Lord answered: “I’m going to Rome, to be crucified a second time.” Ashamed, the apostles returned to Rome, where they were apprehended and slain. Also slain with the apostles were these two brave martyrs, Processus and Martinian.

• Hieromartyr Domninus, bishop of Salona in Dalmatia, and eight soldiers with him (ca. 100).
• Philip, bishop of Gortyna on Crete (180).
• Pharmuthius, anchorite, of Egypt (4th c.).
• Guthlac, hermit, of Crowland (England) (714).
• John (820), disciple of St. Gregory of Decapolis.
• Commemoration of the Appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos at Pochaev (the “Footprint”) (1340).
• James, founder of Zhelezny Borok Monastery (Kostroma) (1442), and his fellow-ascetic St. James (15th c.).
• Euthymius (1456) and Chariton (1509), abbots, of Syanzhema (Vologda).
• Barsanuphius, bishop of Tver (1576).
• Callinicus of Cernica, bishop of Rimnic in Romania (1868).
• The Venerable Tryphena and Matrona of Cyzicus.
• The Holy Martyrs Peter Joukov and Prochor Mikhailov (1918), and Holy Hieromartyr Nicholas Gavarine, priest (1938).

HYMN OF PRAISE

Saint Antipas

In a fiery ox as in a luminous temple,
Antipas, the Christian, does not suffer loneliness:
In his pure heart the Lord abides.
The fire does not burn him, nor is he afraid of it.
For Christ the saint patiently endures all,
And his prayers to Christ ascend from the fire:
“O All-powerful Christ, King of all ages,
For these sufferings, a hundredfold thanks be unto Thee!
Let burn with fire all that is sinful in me,
That I may be more precious according to heavenly worth.
I pray to Thee, O Savior, protect my flock
In this town, in this awful dung!
May my blood strengthen them in the Faith,
And may their hearts be fixed on Thee.
And for the heathen, also, I pray to Thee, O Blessed One:
Tear them away, once and for all, from demonic lies.
I pray for all sinners who mock Thy law:
Direct them to serve none but Thee.
Behold, all is in the power of Thy holy will.
Finally, I further pray: may it be better for the Church!”

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