June 18 / June 5
The Holy Martyr Leontius, and with him Martyrs Hypatius and Theodulus, at Tripolis in Phoenicia (73)
Leontius was a Roman commander in Tripoli in Phoenicia during the reign of Emperor Vespasian. He was born in Greece and was “of great physical stature, powerful, strong and brave in battles.” Hadrian, the imperial deputy, sent a military detachment to arrest Leontius, for Hadrian was a fierce adversary and persecutor of Christians. Hypatius, the senior officer of this detachment, became ill en route with a bitter fever, because of which the detachment had to slow down its march. One night an angel of God appeared to Hypatius and said to him: “If you want to be well, cry out three times toward heaven with all your soldiers, ‘O God of Leontius, help me!’”
Hypatius informed his companions of his vision and all in unison cried out as the angel had instructed, and immediately Hypatius became well. This miracle astonished all, but especially a certain Theodulus. Hypatius and Theodulus then went ahead of the other soldiers to seek Commander Leontius. Leontius received them graciously and served them. When he expounded his faith in Christ to them, their hearts burned with love for Christ, and at that moment a bright cloud descended upon Hypatius and Theodulus and dew fell upon them from the cloud. It was the Holy Spirit of God Himself baptizing these converted souls, and at that moment St. Leontius spoke these words: “In the name of the All-holy Trin- ity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” The evil Hadrian, learning that Hypatius and Theodulus had become Christians, ordered that they be scourged without mercy and then beheaded with an axe. Thus reposed these two spiritual children of Leontius.
Then Hadrian decreed cruel tortures for Leontius, but Leontius remained unwavering in his holy Faith. His entire body was covered with wounds, but he diligently prayed that God not abandon him. In the midst of the cruelest torments, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, encouraging and comforting him. Finally the torturers knocked the martyr Leontius to the ground and beat him until he gave up his soul to God. The sufferings of St. Leontius were personally witnessed by a certain Notarius, who recorded all that he saw on lead tablets and placed them in the martyr’s grave. St. Leontius suffered honorably in the year 73.
2. The Venerable Leontius the Myrrh-gusher, of Dionysiou, Mt. Athos (ca. 1580)
Leontius was of Greek descent from the Peloponnese. He lived a life of asceticism for sixty years in the Monastery of Dionysiou [Mount Athos] and entered into rest in the year 1605, being eighty-five years of age. It is said that this saint entered the monastery only once and only once did he leave the monastery in sixty full years. That is, he entered when he first went to Dionysiou and departed when they carried him out for burial. He possessed the miraculous gift of clairvoyance and prophecy, and myrrh flowed from his relics after his repose.
- Martyr Aetherus of Nicomedia (305).
- Marina the Virgin, of Bithynia (8th c.).
- Leontius, canonarch of the Kiev Caves (14th c.).
- New Hieromartyr Nicanor (Morozkin), archimandrite, of Spas-Ruzsky (Moscow) (1938).
- Uncovering of the relics (1997) of New Hiero-confessor Victor (Ostrovidov), bishop of Glazov (1934).
- Bogolubov (1155) and Piukhtitsa (1894) Icons of the Most Holy Theotokos.
HYMN OF PRAISE
Saint Leontius
Leontius, with the heart of a lion:
A lion’s heart and a lion’s name.
He was not ashamed of his God
But confessed Christ before all—
Christ God, the Savior of the world.
Youth, strength and command he scorned
For the sake of the truth of Christ crucified
And from death gloriously resurrected.
Flattered, honored, glorified and favored with gifts,
He did not deny his God.
Flogged, spat upon, scraped and crucified,
He did not deny his God.
But the greater the torment and mockery,
The greater and brighter the flame of faith.
The Roman Empire and all the powers of hades
Had turned against him,
But he knew that he was not alone,
And that beside him stood Christ.
A pillar of stone amidst angry reeds,
A pillar of fire amidst slaves of darkness.
By his faith he amazed the people;
He gave his life to live eternally.
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