January Synaxarion

7/24/2019 January Synaxarion

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January

SynaxarionThis month has thirty-one days with ten hours of day fourteen hours of

night.

January 1

The Circumcision according to the Flesh of Our Lord,

God, and Savior Jesus Christ

Memory of our Father among the Saints, Basil the

Great, rch!isho" of Caesarea of Ca""adocia #ca$ %%&'

%()*

The Mosaic Law prescribed that when a woman brought amale child into the world, he had to be circumcised on the

eighth day after his birth. Our Lord submitted to the

circumcision prescribed by the Law on this day, which isthe eighth day after His birth, and received, according to

the announcement of the angel, the name which is above all

names, "Jesus" or avior. !n celebrating the name day of

the Lord today, we begin the new year at the same timeunder the sign of the !ncarnation.

aint asil the #reat belonged, through his father also

named asil, to the province of $ontus, and through his%mmelia, to the province of $ontus, and through his mother

%mmelia, to &appadocia. He was born in &aesarea in

&appadocia around '()*''+. He studied in &aesarea, then

in &onstantinople under the famous rhetor Libanius, andfinally in thens, where he became a close friend of aint

#regory of -aianus. hortly after his return to &aesarea

which occurred about '/0, he retired in solitude to theouts1irts of -eocaesarea, where his mother and his sister

Macrina already led the monastic life. !t is at that time he

composed his ascetical writings. He was ordained a priestby %usebius, rchbishop of &aesarea, and at the death of

the latter was elected in '2+ to succeed him and rule the

&hurch of &hrist. He governed it for eight years, during


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which time he proved himself a witness of the truth in the

face of heresy and full of courage before the threats of the

rian %mperor 3alens. He died on January 4, in the year'2). The wisdom and the learning which fill his wor1s, his

$hilo1alia 5e6tracts from the wor1s of Origen7, his Treatise

on the Holy pirit, his theological wor1 against the rian%unomius, his ascetical writings, his monastic rules, his

commentaries on acred cripture, the panegyrics which he

made of many saints, his correspondence, and finally thesplendor and the force of his words, have won for him

rightly the epitaphs of "8evealer of Heaven," and of the

"#reat."

Third Class Feast. Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, whatever be the

day. Antihons. !sodi"on of the Cir#um#ision. Troaria$ of theCir#um#ision, of Saint Basil the Great, and of the Chur#h %atron.

&onda"ion of the Cir#um#ision. 'istle of Saint Basil and Gosel of

the Cir#um#ision. &inoni"on of the Sunday. After Communion,Troarion of the Cir#um#ision. (ismissal roer to the feast$ )...whoon the eighth day, has deigned to be #ir#um#ised for our salvation...)

!n o##urren#e with a Saturday, the same order is followed. The 'istle

and Gosel of Saturday before Theohany should be read on *onday,

+anuary .

!n o##urren#e with a Sunday$ Antihons. !n the !sodi"on$ ordinary

verse, resonse of the feast. Troaria$ of the esurre#tion, of theCir#um#ision, of Saint Basil the Great, and of the Chur#h %atron.

&onda"ion of the Cir#um#ision. 'istle of Saint Basil the Great,

Gosel of the Cir#um#ision 'istle and Gosel of the Sunday before

Theohany #an be read the ne/t day, on *onday0. &inoni"on of theSunday. After Communion, Troarion of the Cir#um#ision.

January +

re'festive eriod of the Feast of the -oly Theo"hany of

Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ

Memory of our Father among the Saints, Silvester, o"e

of .ome #/%%0*

9pon the death of his predecessor Melchiades in '4:, aintilvester was consecrated ishop of ancient 8ome. aint

ilvester sent legates to the ;irst %cumenical &ouncil of

-icaea in '(/. He died on


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Tyi"a and Beatitudes. Troaria$ of the %re-festive %eriod of

Theohany, of Saint Silvester, and of the Chur#h %atron. &onda"ion of

the %re-festive %eriod of Theohany. 'istle and Gosel of the eriod.

!n o##urren#e with a Saturday, the 'istle and Gosel of the Saturday

before Theohany are read. !t is li"ewise the same on Saturday,

+anuary 1 or 2.

!n o##urren#e with a Sunday +anuary 3, , or 10$

Tyi"a and Beatitudes. !sodi"on of the Sunday. Troaria$ of the

esurre#tion, of the %re-festive %eriod of Theohany, and of the

Chur#h %atron. &onda"ion of the %re-festive %eriod of Theohany.'istle and Gosel of the Sunday before Theohany.

January %

Second re'festive ay of the Feast of the -oly

Theo"hany of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ$

Memory of the holy ro"het Malachia #Fifth century

B$C$*

The holy martyr Gordios #/under Licinius, %1%'%+%*$

The holy prophet Malachia prophesied in the times of

-ehemia and rta6er6es the Long*handed, the >ing of

$ersia, without doubt prior to the year ::: .&.

aint #ordios, concerning whom aint asil the #reatmade a panegyric, was a native of &aesarea of &appadocia

and a centurion under %mperor Licinius 5'4'*'('7. -ot

being able to endure the insolence of the pagans and the

blasphemies which they unceasingly uttered against &hrist,he fled from the world and lived in the mountains in the

company of wild beasts. efore long reviving his love for

&hrist and his courage against error, he entered the town,rushed into the theater overflowing with people, and

publicly confessed his faith. Having attracted the attention

of the whole crowd on himself, the aint amaed the

governor, who presided at the assembly, by his presenceand urged him on to the e6treme limit of his rage. fter

many tortures, he died by the sword.

Fifth Class Feast.

Troaria$ of the %re-festive %eriod of Theohany, of Saint Gordios, and

of theChur#h %atron. &onda"ion of the %re-festive %eriod ofTheohany.


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January 2

Third re'festive ay of the Feast of the -oly


Syna3is of the Seventy isci"les of Our Lord$

Memory of our venera!le Father Theo4tistos, -egumen

of Cucume in Sicily #5*

aint Theo1tistos was hegumen of the monastery of aint-icholas in &ucume, in the vicinity of Thermae, icily, at

an uncertain date.

Fifth Class Feast.

Troaria$ of the %re-festive %eriod of Theohany, of the Seventy

(is#iles of 4ur Lord, and of the Chur#h %atron. &onda"ion of the

%re-festive %eriod of Theohany.

January 0

Fourth re'festive ay of the Feast of the -oly


Memory of the holy martyrs Theo"em"tos and Theonas

#end of the Third century*$

Our venera!le Mother Syncletica #5*

aramony of the Feast of the -oly Theo"hany of Our

Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ$

Fast, regardless of the day.

!t is believed that the holy martyrs Theopemptos and

Theonas suffered for the faith in -icomedia in ithynia,under %mperor


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believed that she died around the middle of the ;ourth

century.

Fifth Class Feast.

Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great 5oined to 6esers, as on the %aramony

of the Feast of the 7ativity a##ording to the Flesh of 4ur Lord, God,and Savior +esus Christ. After the reading of the rohesies, the

Trisagion. 'istle and Gosel of the %aramony and the #ontinuation of

the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. &inoni"on of the Sunday.

!n o##urren#e with a Saturday$ Liturgy of Saint +ohn Chrysostom.

Tyi"a and Beatitudes. 4rdinary !sodi"on. Troaria$ of the %aramony,and of the Chur#h %atron. &onda"ion of the %re-festive %eriod of

Theohany. 'istle and Gosel of the Saturday before Theohany.

&inoni"on of the %aramony.

!n o##urren#e with a Sunday$ Liturgy of Saint +ohn Chrysostom. Tyi"aand Beatitudes. !sodi"on of the Sunday. Troaria$ of the esurre#tion,

of the %aramony, and of the Chur#h %atron. &onda"ion of the %re-

festive %eriod of Theohany. Trisagion. 'istle and Gosel of the

Sunday before Theohany. &inoni"on of the Sunday.

January 6

The -oly Theo"hany of Our Lord, God, and Savior

Jesus Christ$

On this day the =ord of #od, after having put on the old

dam and having accomplished the prescriptions of the

Law, came to the great prophet John to be baptied. Johnrefrained from doing it, saying? "!t is ! who should be

baptied by @ou, and @ou come to meA" ut when Jesus

said to him? "Let it be so now," John obeyed and performed

it, understanding that the baptism was the fulfillment of allBustice. y His baptism, &hrist sanctified the nature of

water. Having buried all of menCs sin in the waves of the

Jordan, He came out of the water, having renewed andreconstructed man made old by sins, and having given him

the 1ingdom of heaven.

The feast of the Theophanies of the Lord was at firstintended to solemnie the idea of the differentmanifestations of #od to men in the $erson of the =ord

made flesh. !t was not primarily a commemoration of

historical events 5as %aster or $entecost7, but a notion of afeast? the announcement of the !ncarnation and divine

mission of the Lord, and of His mysterious union with

humanity in the &hurch*a 9nion of 9nderstanding 5;aith7


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and of Love 5&harity7, engendering men to a new spiritual

life in baptism. -evertheless, the feast referred to certain

events in the aviorCs life in which He had manifested thisunion in a special manner. %vents which appeared first of

all as manifestations of divinity 5theophanies7? firstly, the

birth of the avior, then the announcement made to theshepherds, the mysterious invitation made to the Magi, then

the official consecration of the avior by His baptism in the

Jordan at the beginning of JesusC public ministry.

nother characteristic of the great feast is that on itcatechumens were baptied in a very solemn fashion, as at

%aster. The very obBect of the feast admirably sums up all

the essentials of the faith in which the new &hristians wereconsecrated. ll in it is impregnated in the two essential

mysteries of our &hristian faith? the !ncarnation of the

=ord for the salvation of humanity 5-ativity7D and, theunion of #od in the Trinity 5baptism7.

s we saw on


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the catechumens were also baptied? "s formerly the

Hebrews were saved from death than1s to their blood*tinted

doors, so now this divine bath of rebirth will be for us afeast of e6odus after which we will see the true light of the

Trinity" 5Ode !E7. ;or baptism, li1e the other sacraments,

contains its efficacy in the blood of the divine, immolatedLamb, the &hristian $assover 5%aster7.

The union of the human and divine natures is realied to

perfection in the $erson of &hrist, but the &hurch insists a

lot today for us to understand that it is ourselves who arereunited today to #od. %ven though Moses could only turn

aside from the face of #od, John the aptist is invited to

approach the Lord? "s soon as Moses perceived that @ouspo1e in the bush, he immediately diverted his gae. nd !

5says John the aptist7, how can ! loo1 @ou in the face,

how can ! place my hand upon @ou, for @ou are &hrist, the=isdom and $ower of #od" 5Ode !37. "$ut aside all fear,

says the Liberator to the $recursorD obey MeD approach Me

as &hrist, for this is who ! am by natureD ...! who have come

down with you..." 5Ode 3!!!7. "The Lord drew to Himselfthe nature created by #od but fallen by the laws of a

tyrannical appetite. He regenerated it by a new creation of

human beings, accomplishing an all*e6cellent wor1 for Heapproached it wishing to protect it" 5Ode !!!7.

This union of &hrist with humanity has suggested the

image of a wedding feast. The liturgical te6ts in thedifferent &hurches call &hrist the "pouse of the &hurch."!t is a sacred wedding by which the &hurch acFuired the

power of becoming the spiritual Mother of those who are

born again by water and the pirit. The Latin te6ts for thisday ma1e memory of the wedding of &ana, which offers

the symbol of the mystical wedding of the &hurch with

&hrist. s for the yantine Office, it presents to us a verybeautiful te6t of praise to the &hurch becoming an

infinitely fruitful mother? "@ou who formerly were barren,

and alasA =ithout children, reBoice on this day, O &hurch of

&hrist, for by water and the pirit, sons are born to youwho cry out with faith? CThere is none as holy as our

#od...C" 5Ode !!!7.

Let us on this day be impregnated with the spirit of the

&hurch, in the Boy and love for the Lord who descended tous sinners in order to clothe us in His power and splendor?


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"ll of you who have been baptied into &hrist, have put

on &hrist. lleluia."

First Class Feast. Liturgy of Saint +ohn Chrysostom. Antihons and

!sodi"on of the Feast. Troarion three times0, 8ya"oi and &onda"ion

of the Feast. !nstead of the Trisagion, the verse is said$ )All of you who

have been bati9ed into Christ, have ut on Christ. Alleluia.) 'istleand Gosel of the Feast. 8irmos from the First Canon of the Feast.

&inoni"on of the Feast. After Communion, Troarion of the Feast.%arti#ular dismissal$ )...who has deigned to be bati9ed by +ohn in the

+ordan, for our salvation...)

!n #ertain Chur#hes, there is a #ustom to have the blessing of water

after the Liturgy of the day.

!n o##urren#e with a Sunday$ Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. 8irmos

of this Liturgy. &inoni"on and, after Communion, Troarion of theFeast.

!n o##urren#e with a *onday, the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great is

li"ewise #elebrated.

January (

Second ay of the Feast of the -oly Theo"hany of Our

Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ

Syna3is of the -onored and Glorious ro"het,

recursor and Ba"tist John

=e celebrate today a solemn syna6is in honor of the holy$recursor, who too1 an active part in the mystery of the

baptism of Our Lord Jesus &hrist. The yna6is of todayrecalls to us the great crowd of people hastening to the

desert in order to hear the $recursorCs preaching and to

thereby do penance.

Fourth Class Feast.

Antihons and !sodi"on of Theohany. Troaria$ of Theohany and ofSaint +ohn. &onda"ion of Theohany. !nstead of the Trisagion$ )All of

you who have been bati9ed into Christ, have ut on Christ. Alleluia.)'istle and Gosel from the *enologion. 8irmos from the 7inth 4de

of the Se#ond Canon of Theohany. &inoni"on of Saint +ohn. AfterCommunion, Troarion of Theohany.

!n o##urren#e with a Saturday, the 'istle and Gosel are li"ewise

from the *enologion.


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!n o##urren#e with a Sunday$ Tyi"a and Beatitudes or Antihons of

the Feast. !sodi"on of the Sunday. Troaria$ of the esurre#tion, of

Theohany, and of the %re#ursor. &onda"ion of Theohany. Trisagion

or the verse$ )All of you who have been bati9ed into Christ, have uton Christ. Alleluia.) 'istle and Gosel of the %re#ursor the 'istle

and Gosel of the Sunday after Theohany are read, in this #ase, on

Sunday, +anuary :1, on the Closing (ay of Theohany, and if on this

o##urren#e the Triodion should be begun, read the 'istle of the%re#ursor read on +anuary ; and on this same day the Gosel of the

Sunday after Theohany0. 8irmos from the 7inth 4de of the Se#ond

Canon of Theohany. &inoni"on of the %re#ursor. After Communion,

Troarion of Theohany.

Saturday fter the -oly Theo"hany of Our Lord, God,

and Savior Jesus Christ

The %ro"imenon, 'istle 'hesians


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%mperor Theodosius the #reat 5'2)*')/7. $iously raised by

her parents and instructed from her childhood in the fear of

the Lord, she secretly left her paternal home and set out forle6andria. he lived there with four pagan virgins whom

she converted to &hrist and with them she set out for

&onstantinople. -ectarius, the rchbishop of&onstantinople, received them and conferred the sacrament

of baptism on them. Having embraced the solitary life,

given to many harsh austerities and arriving at a highdegree of perfection, aint


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Fifth ay of the Feast of the -oly Theo"hany of Our


Memory of our Father among the Saints, Gregory,

Bisho" of 9yssa #ca$ %%0'%)2*

The venera!le ometian, Bisho" of Melitene #/ca$ 6&&*

The venera!le Marcian, riest and :conome of the

Great Church #/ca$ 2(+*

aint #regory was the younger brother of aint asil the#reat. He was born around ''/, and received his primary

education in his paternal home. Ordained a lector, in the

beginning he neglected the service of #od in order to teach

rhetoric, but changing his conduct before long, he

embraced monastic life and, toward the end of '24, wasnamed ishop of -yssa in &appadocia by his brother asil.

n ardent defender of the Orthodo6 faith, he was deposed,in his absence, by a synod of rian bishops gathered in

'20D but, after the death of the rian %mperor 3alens, he

was recalled to his see by Theodosius the #reat in '2. Heattended the local &ouncil of ntioch in '2), where he

received the mission to overseer the &hurches of rabia

and $alestine, devastated and torn by rianism. He wasalso present at the econd %cumenical &ouncil of

&onstantinople in '4, and at the local council held in that

came city in '):, under rchbishop -ectarius. He probablydied shortly after it.

aint Marcian lived during the reign of %mperor Marcian

and %mpress $ulcheria 5:/+*:/27. t first affiliated with

the heresy of the &arthares or -ovatians, he returned to the

true &hurch and was named %conome by $atriarch#ennadius 5:/*:247. He established that the offerings to

be made in each church must be provided by the clergy of

the place, for until then the #reat &hurch assumed thewhole burden of it. He constructed the &hurch of aint

!rene near the sea and the &hurch of the 8esurrection which

he preserved from a fire. The flames having spread to thewhole neighborhood of the &hurch of the 8esurrection,

Marcian, on the churchCs roof, raised his arms toward

heaven and prayed.

aint


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and in the 1nowledge of the Holy criptures. He was

married for a time. fter his wifeCs death, he was named

ishop of Melitene, at the age of thirty. %vagrius said thathe was a prudent man with a remar1able readiness of mind,

as powerful in word as in action, and a far*seeing e6pert in

the most grave affairs. He saved his subBects and even theentire nation. More than once he was summoned by

%mperor Maurice 5/(*0+(7, who was his relative. !n

conseFuence of the %mperor and %mpressC generosity, hewas put in possession of great riches which he spent to

construct churches and homes for the poor. Having come

one last time to the capital of the empire, he fell asleep in

the Lord.

Fifth Class Feast.

Antihons of the Feast. !n the !sodi"on, the wee"day verse, resonse of

the Feast. Troaria$ of Theohany, and of the Chur#h %atron.&onda"ion of Theohany. Trisagion. 'istle and Gosel of the eriod.

!f series of 'istles and Gosels is #omleted, those from the

*enologion are read0. 4rdinary 8irmos. &inoni"on of the wee"day.

!n o##urren#e with a Saturday, the 'istle and Gosel are those of the

Sunday after Theohany.

4n Sunday, +anuary > or :1, the 'istle and Gosel are from the


January 11

Si3th ay of the Feast of the -oly Theo"hany of Our


Memory of our venera!le Father Theodosius the

Ceno!iarch #ca$ 2+2'0+)*

aint Theodosius was born in :(: in the town of Mogarice,

in &appadocia. %arly in life he embraced the monastic life.He went to ntioch to receive the blessing of aint imeon

the tylite. He proceeded to Jerusalem during the reign of

Marcian 5:/+*:/27, and, from there to the desert, where helived for thirty years, feeding upon dried figs and herbswithout ever eating bread. round :0/, between ethlehem

and the laura of aint abbas, he built a large coenobium

with three chapelsD one for the #ree1 spea1ing mon1s,another for the rmenians, and a third for the lavs. ;rom

the anaphora until the end of the


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#ree1. Owing to his numerous miracles, his fame even

reached 1ings, and the odor of his sanctity spread

throughout the entire world. ttaining a great old age, hefell asleep in the Lord on January 44, /(). The famous

coenobium which in its founderCs lifetime counted four

hundred mon1s, an inn, a home for the poor, a home for oldmen, and wor1shops of all 1inds, was sac1ed by the

garenians in +) and 4', then completely destroyed in

the ;ifteenth century.

Third Class Feast. Tyi"a and Beatitudes. Troaria$ of Theohany, of

Saint Theodosius, and of the Chur#h %atron. &onda"ion of Theohany.'istle and Gosel from the *enologion. 4rdinary 8irmos. &inoni"on

of Saint Theodosius.

!n o##urren#e with a Saturday$ 'istle of Saint Theodosius and Gosel

of the Saturday after Theohany.

!n o##urren#e with a Sunday$ Tyi"a and Beatitudes. !sodi"on of theSunday. Troaria$ of the esurre#tion, of Theohany, of Saint

Theodosius, and of the Chur#h %atron. &onda"ion of Theohany.

'istle of Saint Theodosius, Gosel of the Sunday after Theohany.

4rdinary 8irmos.

!n o##urren#e with a Sunday of the Triodion 'aster on *ar#h 330$ the'istle and Gosel are from the Triodion.

January 1+

Seventh ay of the Feast of the -oly Theo"hany of OurLord, and Savior Jesus Christ$

Memory of the holy Martyr Tatiana #5*

aint Tatiana was martyred in 8ome at an uncertain date.

Her syna6is was formerly celebrated in a small churchnamed after her in the i6th "region" of 8ome on the

Iuirinal. The Menaia relate that she was born in 8ome

under %mperor le6ander everus 5(((*('/7. Her fatherwas a consul three times. he herself was a deaconess of

the 8oman &hurch. rought before the %mperor for

&hristCs faith, she entered a pagan temple with him and byher prayers overturned all the idols which were found there.

he was cruelly struc1 on the forehead, her eyes were torn

out with hoo1s, she was tied to a sta1e and the s1in of herhead was flayed. ;inally, after having been e6posed in vain

to fire and beasts, she was beheaded.

Fifth Class Feast.


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Antihons of the Feast. !n the !sodi"on, the wee"day verse, resonse of

the Feast. Troaria$ of Theohany, and of the Chur#h %atron.

&onda"ion of Theohany. Trisagion. 'istle and Gosel of the eriod.

!f the series of 'istles and Gosels is #omleted, those from the*enologion are read0. 4rdinary 8irmos. &inoni"on of the wee"day.

!n o##urren#e with a Sunday, the 'istle and Gosel are those of theSunday after Theohany.

4n Sunday, +anuary > or :1, the 'istle and Gosel are from the


January 1%

:ighth ay of the Feast of the -oly Theo"hany of Our


Memory of the holy Martyrs -ermylos and Stratoni4os

#/!et;een %&( and %11*

These holy martyrs suffered for the faith in ingidunum, in

9pper Moesia, on the


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Memory of our


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man almost without education, in no way initiated into the

monastic austerities, but never did nthony see him

wea1en. He proceeded to answer for his complete asceticformation and left him to his own powers, as no longer

having need of a guide. #od ratified this evidence. He

glorified the aint by the miracles which He gave him toperform, and he yielded the same powers as His Master to

torment and e6pel demons.

aint John the Hut*


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!n 8ome, a small church of the Holy postles was built and

ornamented by $ope aint i6tus !!! 5:'(*::+7 on

%sFuiline Hill, at the e6pense of %udo6ia the @ounger, thewife of 3alentinian !!!, around the beginning of the ;ifth

century. ;or a long time the chains which bound the

postle aint $eter in the times of -ero were in thischurch. bout the si6th century this church was called as

now, the &hurch of the &hains of the Holy and 8enowned

postle $eter 5aint $eter in &hains7.

Fourth Class Feast. Tyi"a and Beatitudes, or the Antihons. Troaria$

of Saint %eter, and of the Chur#h %atron. &onda"ion of the Feast of the'n#ounter of 4ur Lord, God, and Savior +esus Christ. 'istle and

Gosel from the *enologion. &inoni"on of the Aostles.

January 1(

Memory of our venera!le and God'!earing Fathernthony the Great #ca$ +01'%06*

aint nthony was born around the year (/4 in a noble%gyptian family of &oma, a mar1et town in Lower %gypt

near the mall Heracleopolis. oomenos 5!?4'7 relates

that? "Orphaned in childhood, he gave the inhabitants of his

village his paternal properties and sold the rest of hispossessions to distribute their value to the poor... His food

was bread and salt, his drin1 was pure water, and his

mealtime was always fi6ed at sunset. 8ather often he

remained two or more days without eating. !t is related thathe sat up every night and welcomed the day in prayer.

=hen it occurred to him to sleep, he laid down on a smallmat. More often still, he simply slept on the bare ground,

which he made his only bed... He had many disciples, and

was very renowned in %gypt and Libya, as well as in$alestine, yria, and rabia." o famous in the deserts of

%gypt, the renown of the manCs virtue reached %mperor

&onstatine who became his friend. &onstantine by several

letters, praying him to write to as1 him for all which heneeded. nthony lived nearly one hundred and five years

and probably died on January 42, '/0.

Third Class Feast. Follow the general order.

!n o##urren#e with a Sunday in the eriod of Triodion$ the Tyi"a and

Beatitudes are said. !sodi"on of the Sunday. Troaria$ of the

esurre#tion, of Saint Anthony, and of the Chur#h %atron. &onda"ionof the Feast of the 'n#ounter of 4ur Lord, God, and Savior +esus


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Christ. 'istle of the Saint. Gosel of the Triodion. 4rdinary 8irmos.

&inoni"on of the Sunday.

January 17

Memory of our Fathers among the Saints thanasius

#return from his e3ile, %26* and Cyril #/222*,

rch!isho"s of le3andria

ccording to the ancient custom of the &hurch of

&onstantinople, today we celebrate aint thanasiusC return

from e6ile, when, upon the death of the intruder #regory of

&appadocia in ':/, he managed to return to his see onOctober (4, ':0. His principal feast is celebrated on May (.

Today the Office of aint &yril is also sung, for, as the

#reat thanasius was the defender of the Orthodo6 dogmaof the consubstantial Trinity, so also the #reat &yril was the

champion of the dogma of the !ncarnation of the =ord in

MaryCs womb.

Third Class Feast, follow the general order of a Third Class Feast.

January 1)

Memory of our venera!le Father Ma4arios the

:gy"tian #ca$ %&&'%)&*

Our Father among the Saints rsenios of Corcyra #end

of the Tenth century*

aint Ma1arios was born in 9pper %gypt about the year

'++. $alladius says? "He lived ninety years, of which hespent si6ty in the desert of 1ete, where he retired when

thirty years old. He commanded the attention of all to such

an e6tent that he was called Cthe young old man.C He

progressed so rapidly in perfection that at the age of fortyhe received the grace of e6pelling demons and of predicting

the future. He was also Budged worthy of the priesthood."

He died around the year ')+.

aint rsenios was born in ethania, $alestine, under

%mperor asil ! 502*07. &onsecrated to #od in his

infancy, he too1 the monastic habit when he was twelve

years old and, without doubt, went to study in eleucia, onthe Orontes 8iver, where he received priestly ordination.

;rom there he went to &onstantinople under hegumen

Tryphon, who subseFuently became $atriarch in )(, and


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he was consecrated rchbishop of &orcyra by $atriarch

Theophyla1tos to Fuiet the unBust resentment of %mperor

&onstantine $orphyrogenitus 5)4(*)/07 against the eminentpersons of &orcya. On the way home, he fell ill at &orinth

and died at an un1nown date.

Fifth Class Feast.

January +&

Memory of our venera!le Father :uthymius the Great

#%(('2(%*

aint %uthymius was born in '22, in Melitene, rmenia,under %mperor #ratian 5'02*''7. aptied when three

years old, he was ordained a lector by %utroius, ishop of

Melitene. He was ordained to the priesthood when he wasnineteen years old, in ')/, and was named %6arch of the

monasteries. He went to Jerusalem in :+/*:+0. !n :44, he

withdrew to the grotto of aint Theo1tistos. y his virtue,

he contended so nobly with the aracens that, day by day,he disposed them to adhere to &hrist and to be baptied

with their families, in :(+*:(4. He fought the -estorians,

the %utychians, and the Manicheans. !n ://*:/0, hebrought bac1 to the true faith, %udocia, the wife of

Theodosius the @ounger, who had fallen into the

Monophysite heresy. He performed numerous miracles.

One day while celebrating the


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04'*04:, he abandoned the honors of his age and entered a

monastery in &hrysopolis 5cutari7. The $ersians having

invaded &hrysopolis in 0(0, he too1 refuge in frica incompany with aint ophronios, the future $atriarch of

Jerusalem. !nflamed by divine eal as by a fire, he went to

8ome in 0:0 and urged $ope aint Martin ! to gather alocal council to condemn the leaders of the ungodly

Monothelite heresy 50:)7. !n order to refute these heretics,

he composed some treaties and letters e6posing thearguments and scriptural te6ts which supported the truth of

the Orthodo6 faith. He circulated his writings throughout

the world. He was seied in 8ome in 0/' and was obliged

to appear before $aul !!, the $atriarch of &onstantinople,and $yrrhus, the e6*patriarch**both partisans of the heresy

of %mperor &onstans !! 50:4*007. He was condemned and

sent to the fortress of yya in Thrace in 0//, then to

$erberes, and from there into e6ile in the &aucasus in thecountry of the Laians where he died in old age on ugust

4', 00(.

!t is believed that aint -eophytos suffered for the faith in-icaea in ithynia, during the reign of %mperor


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the $atriarch of Jerusalem, and received the name

nastasius instead of Magoundat, his first name. He spent

some time in the monasteries of this region. =hen theterrible invasion of &hosroes occurred in $alestine,

nastasius courageously confessed his faith. fter many

tortures, he was beheaded on January ((, 0(. His headwas subseFuently transferred to 8ome where it is still

venerated in the &hurch of the Holy Martyrs 3incent and

nastasius in the place called the ";ountain of alvius."

Fifth Class Feast.

January +%

Memory of the holy -ieromartyr Clement of ncyra

The holy martyr gathangel #!eginning of the Fourthcentury*

aint gathangel was of 8oman origin. s for aint

&lement, he was born in ncyra in #alatia of a pagan

father and a &hristian mother, named ophia. fter havingspent time in solitude, he was elected ishop of ncyra. He

courageously fought and suffered for the &hristian faith for

twenty*eight years, and was finally beheaded, at the same

time as aint gathangel, under %mperor Ma6imian, about()0.

Fifth Class Feast.

January +2

Memory of our venera!le Mother =enia #Fifth century*

aint Eenia, formerly named %usebius, was born in 8ome

during the ;ifth century into a noble and fervent &hristian

family.


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Fifth Class Feast.

!n o##urren#e with the Saturday of the (ead, a Saint of the Fifth Class

is disregarded, and a Saint of the Third Class is anti#iated on the

re#eeding Friday.

January +0

Memory of our Father among the Saints Gregory the

Theologian, rch!isho" of Constantino"le #%+)'%7)5*

This ;ather and Teacher of the &hurch was born around

'() in rianus, a mar1et town in econd &appadocia, in

the vicinity of -aianus. His father, a convert from

paganism who became the ishop of -aianus, was alsonamed #regory, and his mother -onna. He studied first in

&aesarea of &appadocia, then in le6andria, and finally in

thens, where he became a close friend of aint asil.8eturning to his country in '/2, he received Holy aptism

and gave himself to asceticism with his friend in the

wilderness of $ontus. He was ordained a priest of the&hurch of -aianus, by his own father. aint asil

consecrated him ishop of asima, a suffering see of

&aesarea. !n '2/, he withdrew to the monastery of aint

Thecla in eleucia of !sauria. !t is from there that he left in'2) to help the &hurch of &onstantinople, troubled for forty

years by the rians. upported by the pious %mperor

Theodosius the #reat, he managed by his wise discourses,

sufferings, and many punishments, to free his &hurch fromthe plague of heresy. He fell asleep in the Lord in ') or

')+. The grandeur of his theological writings have meritedhim the surname of "Theologian." That which comes down

to us of his wor1s, discourses and poems of all types,

witness to his radiant eloFuence and remar1able1nowledge.

Third Class Feast, follow the general order of a Third Class Feast.

!n o##urren#e with the Saturday of the (ead, the feast of Saint Gregoryis anti#iated on +anuary 31.

January +6

Memory of our venera!le Father =eno"hon and of his

;ife #Si3th century5*


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aint Eenophon held the office of senator in

&onstantinople. He sent his two sons, rcadius and John, to

eirut, $hoenicia, to study law.


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what was then called the $ersian chool. He died in peace

in the month of June in the year '2'. He composed a great

many wonderful hymns in yriac, nearly all of which havebeen translated into #ree1 for the instruction of the faithful.

He was surnamed the $rophet of the yrians, the yriansC

%lia, the &olumn of the &hurch, and the Harp of the Holypirit.

Fifth Class Feast.

January +)

The translation of the relics of the holy -ieromartyr

>gnatius the God'!earer of ntioch #under Theodosius

the ?ounger, 2&7'20&*

Thrown into 8omeCs amphitheater, aint !gnatius was tornapart by beasts who left only his hardest bones. n

incomparable treasure, his relics were transferred to

ntioch, deposited in a place called the "&emetery," and

preserved for the holy &hurch by the martyrCs intercession.&onseFuently, his relics were transferred to an ancient

pagan temple, called Tychaion. 5Temple of ;ortune7, which

#od suggested to %mperor Theodosius the @ounger 5:+*:/+7 to consecrate to the glorious martyr for his greater

veneration. These holy relics were then carried into the city

on a chariot and placed inside the ancient pagan temple

with great religious solemnities.

Fifth Class Feast.

January %&

Memory of the holy -ieromartyr -i""olytus, riest of

the Church of .ome #Third century*

Our Fathers among the Saints the :cumenical Teachers

Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John

Chrysostom

priest of 8ome under $ope aint GephyrinusC episcopate

54))*(427, Hippolytus composed numerous treatises in

#ree1 against all the heresies concerning the unity of #od

in the Holy Trinity and the divine Monarchy. He clearlycommented upon a good number of Holy oo1s, fi6ed the

date of %aster, composed a universal history, and fi6ed the


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postolic Tradition by means of canonical laws.


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and concord. ;inally, to practically affirm this unity of our

faith choose a day and on it celebrate the Liturgy in our

honor to than1 #od for the graces which He has bestowedto all three of us and by us to the &hurch, and especially

this that in the Orthodo6 faith and in its teaching, #od has

always 1ept us in one accord with the Holy &atholic&hurch."

!t was done thusly. John chose January '+, to celebrate this

new solemnity and he himself composed its admirable

Office. %ver since then, as the Office says? "a Ctriple sunCenlightens this day."

Third Class Feast. !n o##urren#e with the Saturday of the (ead, the

feast of the 8oly 8ierar#hs is #elebrated on +anuary 3@.

!n o##urren#e with the ednesday or Friday of the ee" of Cheese-fare

or Abstinen#e, the Liturgy of Saint +ohn Chrysostom is #elebrated, withthe 'istle and Gosel of the 8oly 8ierar#hs.

January %1

Memory of the holy @onder;or4ers and

Anmercenaries Cyrus and John #/%1+*

ccording to tradition, aint &yrus was a native of

le6andria. John was a soldier and a native of %dessa in

Mesopotamia. They were martyred in &anopus, %gypt,

under Ma6imin

Documents

January Synaxarion