Martyrs Trophimus, Sabbatius, Dorymedon; Ss David and Constantine of Yaroslavl

Saints commemorated

Saint of the day

Martyrs Trophimus, Sabbatius, Dorymedon

Trophimus, Sabbatius and Dorymedon (†c. 276) are the chief martyrs of September 19, sufferers under the emperor Probus. Trophimus and Sabbatius, Christian strangers arriving at Antioch of Pisidia during a riotous pagan festival, were arrested when their grief at the spectacle betrayed them. Sabbatius died at Antioch under torture; Trophimus, driven three days to Synnada in Phrygia in iron sandals set with nails, was cared for in prison by the senator Dorymedon, a secret Christian, until Dorymedon's own refusal of a pagan feast exposed him. Thrown to the beasts and left untouched, Trophimus and Dorymedon were beheaded together. The three are commemorated as one company.
Saint of the day

Ss David and Constantine of Yaroslavl
Holy Martyr Zosimas the Hermit of Cilicia (4th c.)

Zosimas of Cilicia (4th century) was a Christian hermit who lived among the wild beasts of the Cilician wilderness, having fled the cities of the persecutors. Discovered at his ease among the animals by Dometian, governor of Cilicia, while the governor was hunting, he confessed himself a Christian and was put to fierce tortures: hung head downwards with a stone at his neck and torn with iron hooks. Challenged to prove his God by summoning one of the beasts that obeyed him, he prayed, and a lion came and bore up the stone with its paw. The terrified governor ordered him released to be sent to the emperor, but the old man immediately gave up his soul to God.
Igor of Chernigov

Igor Olgovich (†1147), of the princely house of Chernigov, held the throne of Kiev for a fortnight in 1146, was defeated and imprisoned, and in prison asked for and received the monastic tonsure with the name Gabriel, and then the great schema. Two years later, while he was standing at the Liturgy in the monastery church of St Theodore in Kiev, the Kiev mob — inflamed by rumours of a conspiracy of his kinsmen, and against the pleading of the metropolitan, the clergy and the prince's own brother — dragged him from the church, beat him, and killed him, leaving his body naked in the marketplace. He is venerated as a passion-bearer: a prince who had already given up the world and who did not resist. His murder is kept on September 19 and the translation of his relics to Chernigov in 1150 on June 5.
Theodore of Tarsus

Theodore of Tarsus (c. 602–690) was a Byzantine Greek monk of Cilicia who, at the age of sixty-six, was consecrated by Pope Vitalian as Archbishop of Canterbury (668–690) and became the organiser of the English Church. Arriving in Kent in 669 with his companion Hadrian the African, he made the first visitation of all England, filled and multiplied the vacant sees, held the first council of the whole English Church at Hertford (672), condemned Monothelitism at Hatfield (679), and founded at Canterbury a school where Greek was taught at the edge of the known world. Bede calls him the first archbishop whom the whole Church of the English obeyed; the diocesan structure he built endures. He reposed on September 19, 690.

Troparia & kontakia

Kontakion — Tone 2

Thou wast dragged from the church in the hour of the Gospel, and thy blood was shed in the marketplace of the city that had sworn to serve thee; but the candles kindled of themselves above thy body, and the city that slew thee learned to honour thee. O holy prince and monk, pray for our salvation.

Kontakion — Tone 4

As the foundation of athletes and the buttress of godliness, the Church honoureth and glorifieth thy light-bearing contest, O all-hymned and blessed one, noble-hearted athlete, glorious Trophimus; with thy fellow contestants ask cleansing for them that hymn thee, for thou art invincible.

Troparion — Tone 4 (common of a passion-bearer)

Having exchanged the crown of a prince for the habit of a monk, and the throne of Kiev for a cell of prayer, thou didst not flee, O right-believing Igor, when the people rose against thee; but standing before the holy things thou wast taken as a lamb, and didst render good for evil. Wherefore, O passion-bearer Gabriel, entreat Christ our God to grant peace to His people.

Troparion — Tone 4 (from the common of a hierarch)

The truth of thy deeds hath revealed thee to thy flock as a rule of faith, an image of meekness, and a teacher of temperance; therefore by humility thou didst gain the heights, by poverty the riches. O father and hierarch Theodore, intercede with Christ God that our souls may be saved.

Troparion — Tone 8

God, praised in Trinity, hath glorified a trinity of martyrs, Trophimus, Sabbatius and Dorymedon; for believing in him they cast down the enemy. By their prayers, O Christ our God, have mercy on us.

Troparion — Tone 4 (from the common of martyrs)

Thy martyr Zosimas, O Lord, in his contest received the incorruptible crown from thee, our God; for possessing thy strength he cast down the tyrants and broke the feeble insolence of the demons. By his prayers, O Christ God, save our souls.

Readings

Epistle

2 Corinthians 10.7-18

⁷Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s. ⁸For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed: ⁹That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters. ¹⁰For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible. ¹¹Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present. ¹²For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. ¹³But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you. ¹⁴For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ: ¹⁵Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men’s labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly, ¹⁶To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s line of things made ready to our hand. ¹⁷But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. ¹⁸For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

Gospel

Luke 4.16-22

¹⁶And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. ¹⁷And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, ¹⁸The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, ¹⁹To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. ²⁰And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. ²¹And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. ²²And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?

Saints commemorated