PseudoTheodore Encomium Theodore Antioch

A commemoration which the holy Apa Theodorus, the archbishop of Antioch, made. He made it for the holy one, the warrior, the victor of Antioch, the very strong one of the Lord, the holy Theodorus the Anatolian. He spoke about his birth, and his family, and his soldiery, and his rank of general which was given to him, and the form of his victories. He also spoke about the day of his completion, the twenty-eighth of the month Tobe. He also spoke about Apa Kaios, the archbishop of Antioch, that he was the first among all the martyrs. He also spoke briefly about the holy Apa Claudius, in a peace of God. Amen. The garden is planted; all its trees surround its entrance, bearing fruit, O my beloved. The holy one is planted, and he is honored, giving off a fragrance outside.

the chosen one. All the great ones gather around her, with the dynatoi and the stratelatai, rejoicing in their hearts within her. These words are not only for Antioch itself, but they are there for the Jerusalem of heaven, the dwelling place of all the holy ones. Even if Diocletian the lawless one destroyed the houses of the stratelatai of my city Antioch because of his anger against them, Christ himself, the beloved of the father, built for them in the palace in his true city, the Jerusalem of heaven. Even if Diocletian the lawless one separated them from their parents, and their brothers, and their relatives on the earth, the king of kings, Christ, called them to him as brothers and friends, like the apostles from the beginning on the earth. The king of the earth called the strong ones of my city to him as doruphoroi. The king of the immortals, Christ, called them "apolumarchoi," victors in the contest. But I, this lowly Theodore, whenever I see their dwelling places on the earth which Diocletian made desolate, immediately I say, "The kings who died are troubled, and the stratelatai whom Diocletian made desolate. The dynatoi of my city, this evil beast cast them down because of his hatred towards them. But the Lord, the lover of mankind, received them into his kingdom; he gave them an inheritance in his kingdom. And a city that is not desolate, nor do its trees wither.

Nor do their fruits ever perish. This is the place of joy and delight, and of happiness forever. Shame on you today, O Diocletian, for you are in hell below, while all the holy ones are in the kingdom of heaven. The lawless kings are in hell because of the evil they did to the holy martyrs, while these holy ones themselves are in the kingdom of heaven. You took them from there, O lawless one, in

A city over which death also rules. They were taken up into a city over which death has no authority. You did not kill them, O lawless one, as you kill anyone, but you killed them by means of deaths of necessity. Truly, O Diocletian, if I recall your beginning and the evil deeds you did to the great ones of Antioch, I would curse you, I would revile you. O evil wolf, blood-sucker from without. O blood-drinking bear, seeing all. O serpent in the abyss. If I recall also the honor of those who were taken up into the heavens, their memory goes forth in the world. When the peoples see the healing powers bound to their pure bodies, they grant healing to the sick in the name of the holy ones. Their martyria are built one after another upon the earth, and immediately I would say: "Woe to the one who bore you for your own destruction." And also, "Blessed are these holy martyrs who were perfected through you; they received your imperishable crown in the kingdom of the heavens." Truly, if I recall what you did to the holy Theodore, the Anatolian, I would be ashamed and troubled. For truly great are the evil deeds you did to the strong ones of Antioch, O Diocletian. If I see the wounds that were inflicted upon Theodore the Anatolian upon him, his pure blood flowing to the ground, and I recall the honor of the one who was glorified...

and the thirty cubits they bound him to his pure body within the furnace. I weep only in a desert. I will set you down, O Diocletian. But when I look up to the sky, I see his throne itself on the right of Michael, outside the condemnation of the father. And immediately I will rejoice and say, "You were well born, O Diocletian, until you killed this brave Theodore the Anatolian, until

He alone is this great honor in the heavens before Christ Jesus. Behold the thorns that they placed upon you on his account. The Emperor Constantine commanded to place him in the river of his martyrdom and the burial of his altar and the tomb where his pure body lies upon it. If I think of the outside, of what you did to Victor, the son of Romanus, I weep because he did not fear his father who killed him. If I see the tablets that they inscribed upon him, lying in his pure blood. If I remember the Hades in which they bound him, they go to the river of his pure martyrdom, casting out demons from it. And also the tablets that lie in his blood are directed to his martyrdom, giving light to the alleys of the city. I thank God, I say, "You were well born, O Diocletian, until you killed these holy ones." He himself became an angel in the heavens and on the earth. If I see the sword of Horion, the companion of the holy Apa Victor, a golden decoration, it goes to his martyrdom. And also I lift my eyes upward to the sky, I see his golden crown and his royal diadem, with seventy-two angels standing before them in the heavens. And I see the King Christ adorning himself, saying, "I have brought your suffering to an end, O my chosen Victor." If I see his courts planted with trees.

...in the fountain of water lying within them, with columns stretching upward, and they are visible at all times. I see the joy of his communion lying in the heavens, as it is turned from one side to another. I myself will say, "You were well born, O Diocletian, because you killed this strong one upon the earth, until he received an inheritance in the heavens." And immediately I will bless the Creator of the truth of their... because he remembered my city, Antioch, and he raised up...

...in the fountain of water lying within them, with columns stretching upward, and they are visible at all times. I see the joy of his communion lying in the heavens, as it is turned from one side to another. I myself wi ...these great luminaries that give light, these blessed ones of the truth who are in the house of the kings of the righteous, these who are strong in the stadium. For at the time when I walk in their martyria upon the earth, I see their harbors painted beside each other, as if they had come from the stadium in battle. And immediately I rejoice, I exult outwardly, but I am unable to grasp the fold of their garments again. Nor can I place a bridle on their garments and my mouth because of their joy as I contemplate them. I am unable to restrain my tongue so that its organ does not move, to speak of their honor. For if I see the palace of Diocletian, this murderer of the nobles of Antioch, which is under the administration of the God-loving king, and I see his idol temples shattered, which they made into churches reading the Gospels within them, and I see his throne of lawlessness which they overturned at his mouth. I see his bedchamber of lawlessness shattered. I say, "Well have they humbled the pride of Diocletian. They have raised up the humble one for us, Constantine the God-loving king." And he remembered his companionship there with his military command. They granted him the throne of Antioch. For if I see Martha, the mother of Apa Victor, weeping for her son with a heavy heart, and I hear Thebasia, the sister of Apa Claudius, weeping for her brother with a sorrowful heart...

And I see the grace, the sister of Theodore the Anatolian, standing at the foot of the wall, weeping for her brother. I see Asenneth, the sister of Apa Stephen, the son of Basilides, weeping for her brother. For when I see all these weeping, I say, "Woe to you, Diocletian, for you have given birth to evil." Then again, when I lift my eyes up to the sky, I see these holy ones sitting...

Upon thrones of glory, the angels place crowns upon them. I would say, "Well were you born, until these holy ones receive the crown of your *kaphorme*." For whenever I see their holy martyria surrounding my city of Antioch like a wall, and I hear the sound of their golden *skellekel* resounding in their *katapetasma* within their martyria, and again I see the people celebrating outside in their holy festival, immediately I rejoice. I bless my king Christ, saying, "Well has God raised up for us these great luminaries to give light, that they might illuminate the entire city. These signs that heal our souls and our bodies together. These *stratylatai* who are brave. These warriors for all time for the name of Christ. These *polymistai* who contend at all times with the adversary." And he raised up for us the God-loving king Constantine, who was their fellow *stratylates* while they were still in the body with him. And he built their martyria with all honor. He sought after their bodies and revealed them, adorning their men with us all, strengthening the entire city of our God-loving king, knowing their powers while they were still in the body with him, that they were experienced in warfare against the evil barbarians. When he saw that he had become king and that he had need of them especially in warfare, knowing that they had become mighty.

He gave them glory more, that they might exalt him in the rank of his kingdom, according to his will, to establish the fellowship of the Anatolians outside, knowing his strength and his honor from his fathers. But he gave him glory so that he might do more to exalt himself. I, however, this least Theodore, will not cease my mouth from the remembrance of this saint Theodore the Anatolian, outside, for we eat outside.

in his drapeza, and to strengthen his might, that if he should find me, he would raise me up; if my enemy should flee from me, he would hide me from him; if my ship should sink, he would make me swim and bring me to the shore; if I should be burned in his conflict, he would harden his heart against me, until I go and disturb my ecstasy, turning it back to me. Therefore, I will move the organ of my tongue in a straight line, to speak of the memory of this holy one, Theodore the Anatolian. I will open my mouth in joy, to utter what the Holy Spirit will supply to my mouth. This is the holy Theodore, who today will celebrate for himself, as the son of Soterichos, the brother of Ptolemy the king, the father of Apa Claudius. They are from Tarsus, of Cilicia, being in one garden together. Their father, however, of the two, Apa Theodore and Apa Claudius, they are sons of one man, whose name is Samar. He was only a rich man, for the most part, possessing a great field of wheat; they had gardens, vineyards, and orchards. He was a steward, taking care of all that was in that region, because of the abundance of his wealth. After a great while, however, he rested like any man, leaving his possessions to his children: Ptolemy, the father of Apa Claudius, and Soterichos, the father of Apa Theodore.

Now when the envy of their father, a great strife arose among them, concerning what their father had done. And the two of them arose and came to Antioch, to the feet of the king, to have him separate them from each other. Ptolemy, the father of Apa Claudius, was great in that time, more than Soterichos, the father of Apa Theodore. And Ptolemy himself also placed a golden danger behind the father of Apa

Theodore. He gave him to Euhios the king. When the king saw their wealth and their patrician status, he gave his daughter Ptolemais as a wife to him. Soterichos, however, the father of Apa Theodore, informed Euhios the king that he was his brother and that the same father had begotten both of them, and he made him his syncathedros. And the king sent to Tarsus, and they returned to Antioch. And the king gave Soterichos the daughter of his brother as a wife, whose name was Sophia. The two of them alone gained power and were established in Antioch, for the king loved them. For whenever they went to war, they would be yoked to the king’s chariots of the two of them. Then this matter became evident, that they were seated with the daughter of the king of the two of them. After these things, these two luminaries were born, who give light: Theodore and Claudius. Immediately they sent for the archbishop Apa Kaios. He prayed over the small children, and they made a great feast for the archbishop, and for the great ones of the palace and all of Antioch on that day. And their parents did not give them names except by the judgment of the archbishop, and Apa Kaios blessed them with the fervor of his spirit. When the days of their purification were completed.

The archbishop took the two small children. He placed them before the altar and prayed over them. And he uncovered their faces. He saw their names written on their foreheads: Theta written on the son of Soterichos, and Gamma written on the daughter of the king. And these two written letters were visible to all who would marvel at them. Apa Kaios the archbishop, however, marveled greatly at what had happened to the small children. And a voice came from the pillar where these small children were sleeping beside it, saying: "Theodore the Anatolian, Claudius the Persian." And the archbishop offered the sacrifice on that day. And there was a great feast in Antioch and a great welcome for all. The people of the palace loved Claudius because of his patrician status, even though Ptolemy his father had not yet become king, but he was a brother of the king. And they appointed a tutor of liberal arts for the two of them to teach them. And the father Apa Kaios the archbishop baptized the two of them as brothers of one another and of the same lineage. He gave each of them a name according to the lot that had befallen him. And when the name of the holy Theodore was mentioned, his mother called him "Anatolios," according to the name of his city, "Anatole.

The holy one, Apa Claudius, was named Persites after the race of his mother. Then after the years from their birth of the holy ones, the king Eusebius died, and the father of Apa Claudius became king. Soterichos, the father of Apa Theodore of Isauria, became king, and they administered the affairs of the kingdom. There was a great man in Antioch opposite his house, whose name was Romanos, a very wealthy man. And he gave a golden candlestick to Soterichos, the father of Apa Theodore, until he made him a general of the kingdom. And he took the money and gave him the authority of the office of general, for he was the husband of his sister. In those days, which was the year of the birth of the holy ones, Theodore and Claudius, they offered their sacrifice together. And all the people of Antioch marveled at their honor. And their parents fasted for seven days, making

The whole city was amazed at the two small children, whether in the palace or in the house of the widows and orphans. And they wrote the name of the two of them on the tetrapylon of the city: "Theodore and Claudius, sons of the king." They were of one soul, the two of them. The whole city desired to see them because of their beauty, their nobility, their wisdom, their beautiful forms, the splendor of their garments, and the multitude of their curls that hung down over their shoulders. For if they wished to go to the church to gather, they would proclaim throughout the whole city: "Claudius and Theodore, the sons of the king, wish to go to the church to gather." And a multitude would assemble on the rooftops of the city of Antioch, and on the high places, and on the balconies of their houses, to see them sitting on the royal chariots. The road that came to the church, they would crown it with garments of purple, with linen, with silk, with fine linen, and with precious stones. They would purify it, they would sprinkle it with choice myrrh and incense. When the two of them sat together, they were an honor and a distinction in the church. And all the people were behind them, marveling at their beauty, as if their mother had made them of gold and silver, and they threw them away. Their draperies and their cups of gold and silver...

of precious stones: jasper, emerald, topaz, diamond, and chrysolite. The name of each one of them is written upon their tetrapyla in a single script and a single honor. My father Apa Gaius gathered them. And I, the humble Theodore, came as successor in the place of my father Apa Gaius on that day. And when these small children came to the church to gather,

The archangel Michael and Gabriel stood behind the two of them. Michael took the hand of the holy Theodore and placed his sword in his hand, saying, "Take this for yourself, O Theodore, that you may prevail and have strength, and that you may pursue your enemies within her like Abennalios, the strong one of Israel, for your hand will fight and your right hand will be strengthened. I am Michael the archangel. Christ has granted you this grace in his kingdom. You will also receive my strength in the battle, for they have given you a name in the heavens: Theodore the strong general." And Gabriel spoke with Claudius, who was on his right, his sword drawn in his hand, a flame in his hand, saying, "Take this for yourself for the destruction of the barbarians, that you may pursue the Persians within her. Take for yourself, O Claudius, my great and glorious honor, for they call me God and man. They will also call you general and son of a king. For they have given Theodore into the hand of my fellow archangel in the heavens, and they have granted you also in the heavens." When Apa Gaius saw the vision, he marveled greatly. He rose up and said to me, "My son Theodore, whether I die or live, Claudius and Theodore will be renowned throughout the whole world for their strength. I say this to you, O my son Theodore.

that the name of these will be scattered like the names of the apostles of Christ; their name will perish until the end. But I gave repentance to him, saying, "Forgive me, my holy father. Perhaps you have seen a revelation concerning these children of the king." He, however, said to me, "My son Theodore, I see the two of them whom they gave into his hand.

the two archons of the palace of the king Christ, Michael and Gabriel, that they might strengthen them in the battle. They informed me that the clergy of Theodore had been joined to Michael, and they also gave Claudius himself into the hand of Gabriel. And I believe, my son Theodore, that they will be blessed in their death and in their life. Then after these things, they came out of the church on that day with great honor and great glory, the two of them, by the holy ones, up to the royal palace. They wrote their names on their labia as polemarchs and sons of the king. Their parents made for them a golden maniakis, each one, and they gave them a thousand servants, each one having royal cenopions upon them, the two of them, resembling each other in form and grace and wisdom and knowledge, as if they had bound together the sister of Theodore and Apa Claudius, and Theodore the Anatolian, and the sister of Apa Claudius, so that this royal race might be joined to that royal race, and honor upon honor, and greatness upon greatness, glory upon glory. But from the hour that the angel of the Lord touched their mouths, he took away the corruption from outside them and all the defilement of this world. They made the marriage and the taking of a wife into an angelic struggle.

If they were prisoners, they were released from the hands of men. From that day, the saints did not go to the south to be troubled in it, nor did they leave them behind. The poor, the widows, and the orphans were attached to this path by which the saints came, receiving mercy from the hands of their fellow servants. Their neighbors gave them what was lacking in these ways. Their annonae made a full distribution of provisions to each one in the palace of the king. The saints did not desire an eternal banquet. There were mummified corpses and swords of iron in it. They did not love a place of spectacle forever. They did not bind a place of organs forever. They did not desire a change forever. Nor did they look at the flocks at all, as children of a king. They did not desire the glory of this world forever. But they were in a state of stability with psalms and prayers in nightly vigils. If they desired the works of war, they would take the book of Alexander and read from it, and it would comfort them. These saints, however, spent thirty years in the glory of the kingdom. In their youth, all the ranks loved them like an angel of God, because of their good conduct and their monastic life. But when the Persians heard their name, they marveled at them.

Now in those days, a war broke out between the Persians and the Romans because of some ships that they had seized on the road. Then a great disturbance arose among them. Nearly many men died in that war. The king of the Romans sent his army of soldiers, along with his own son, and his multitude of the war. Soterichus was in the palace with his son Theodore, for they were in fear of the throne of the kings. After these things, the two wars joined together on the river of the Abyss. The king of the Romans said to his multitude, "Who are they that we might take them in the ships of the Persians, that we might be lords over them?" Likewise also the king of the Persians in the same way. Then they joined together in a very fierce battle for many days.

They were encamped with each other along the river, at the place called Nobis. They were giving fodder to their animals, not yet having a battle. They prepared their treachery concerning the manner of the war. But the devil, the enemy of all that is good, when he saw that they had not yet fought with each other, he went into the Persian camp in the form of a Roman soldier. He accused the king and his multitude, saying, "Why do you sit doing nothing, not fighting with each other? The Romans are mocking you and your multitude, calling you a godless nation. They are mocking your gods, the sun and the moon, saying they are not gods. They are threatening to burn your city and make it a desert, and they will destroy your temples, and they will seize your king and make him a slave at their feet. I know them, that they are men without grace. Behold, what I have heard of them I have told you. And if you overcome them without killing them, strong men will arise from among them and will oppress you all the more. Behold, a certain family has come among them that will prevail greatly in the war. I will tell you their names. The great one among them is Theodore the Easterner. He is a roaring lion. The word of his mouth is a fire filled with his sword. He fights with it against you there. If he becomes great...

He troubles you exceedingly. And another, Claudius, is very strong. If he becomes great, he troubles you exceedingly. And another, Eustos, with Stephen and Dioscorus, and an Egyptian named Theodore, the general, and another, Apa Pater, is very strong. And another, Eusebius, and those with them. Now then, attach yourselves to these strong men whom I have told you about. And in all these words that I have spoken to you about them.

And in all these words of the catechesis, which he spoke, the Persian hid himself in their mouths, and he changed his form. He came to these others, and he took the form of a wild beast, of the Persians, and he destroyed the heart of these others, saying, "These are the ones whom the Persian speaks of, that we will not turn back until we have destroyed all of Romania, and taken its king, to our country, which is built like a wall around its fortress, like a locust, and we will make his children slaves, to our labor, like those of Babylon." When he said these things to these others, he hid himself in their mouths, and he sat in the midst of the two camps, that of the Persian and that of these Romans. He cast strife and enmity between them. The first time they fought with each other, they killed ten thousand men. The second day they fought, they killed fifteen thousand men. In the first battle that took place, the Roman seized the son of the king of the Persians on his chariot. And on the third day, they took the son of the king of the Persians and fled. And the entire multitude scattered abroad because of the battle that took place, and the flow of blood that was poured out, and the bodies that were cast out, dead and rotting. And the Romans cried out, "We have taken the son of the king of the Persians!" And there was great rejoicing. They came to the river of Tanobis.

The Romans were about to be filled with grief because of the suffering and the blood of those who had been killed. And when the Persian sought the son of their king, he did not find him upon his chariot. They were greatly troubled. They said, "How shall we apologize to his father for him, because he was taken? If it is necessary to fill the hands of his father, let us pursue the Romans, and take the son of the king from their hands before he goes to the land of the Greeks." And immediately they pursued the Romans.

They placed them on the bank of the river of their sin, crying out to cross over to go to their country. And the Persian reached the chariot where Claudius was bound to its side, outside the crowd. The Persians thought that he was the son of their king, and they fought with each other again. They killed one hundred and fifty men among their multitude, and they prevailed over the Romans. They took Claudius and fled to their country. The Romans were grieving because the son of their king had been taken. The Persians also were grieving because the son of their king had been taken. Then they took Claudius to the country of the Persians. They set him before their king. They said to him, "Our lord, the enemy has taken your son the emperor." But behold, the son of their king, we have brought him to you. When the king saw Claudius, he said to him, "Are you the son of the king of the Romans?" The king marveled at him because of his appearance and his wisdom and his noble bearing, and at his royal garments and the diadem of his youth. And his form revealed outwardly that he was a king's son. The king said to him, "Are you the son of the king?" He answered, saying, "At one time, I am the son of the king of the Romans. But today, I am a servant at the feet of the king. Behold, I have stood before him outside.

After these things, the priests saw Claudius, his face very much changed. They said to the king, "This one is suitable for the sacrifice to God, for the sake of the safety of your son, whom the Romans took in the battle." And immediately the queen looked outside, bowing in her tunic. She saw Claudius, his face changed, beside her. She loved him exceedingly. And she quickly came down and said to the king, "O king, live forever! I beg you, do not do evil to this young son of a king, for his face is changed beside her.

...and his face and his wisdom. I do not think, O king, that any woman would rise up for this like anyone else. And also, other women have judged him like my beloved son. And as I am distressed about my beloved son, the mother of this one is also distressed about him. And if you take this one, and his father hears his voice, he will kill my beloved son as well, and we will be without a son. Truly, O king, a just judgment has taken place in the midst of the sky. Each one has ruled over his son. I will never allow you, O king, to kill this son, for he is worthy because of his side. And he is honored because he is a king's son. And you know that in the year we made a covenant to take a wife for our son with his sister, a bride and a bridegroom, they saw a great honor in their family. And if it happens that they send our son away from us, I will give my daughter to him as a wife. I will send him to his father with great honor. And the queen turned the heart of the king with good words towards Claudius. She turned him back from killing him. Claudius was making great lamentations in the palace, saying, "Who will tell my father and my mother about my grief? Who will tell them of my misery? That Claudius, your son, is at the point of death at the hands of the king.

Who is the one who will ask for me today? He will inform my father and my mother that I am trusting in the mercy of the Lord. Who is the one who will console my father and my mother in my grief of heart? Who is the one who will inform my father and my mother: "Do good to the son of the king of the Persians, who has come to you, so that God may give my mercy to the heart of his father, and he may have mercy on me as well"? Who is the one who will take my message and inform my brother Theodore that Claudius is seeking you well? Who is the one who will take my message and inform my beloved sister of my grief of heart? Who is the one who will say to my beloved mother: "Mourn for your son Claudius, for he is under the hand of an evil tyrant king"? Would that I had found a faithful woman to write an epistle for him, and he would take it and give it to Ptolemy, my father. But I do not know any man of that place. I would give him his reward and send him to my father and my mother, and he would inform them of my message: "What am I doing?" These and these other things the holy Claudius says in his prison, weeping, while the daughter of the king stands at his feet, listening to his voice, weeping also over the bitter words he is saying. And immediately, behold, a vision of light came down upon him, and the whole place became like a fire that was burning, as if in the palace of the king a fire was kindled. And immediately the archangel Gabriel appeared to the holy Claudius.

He spoke with him, saying, "Hail, Claudius, the one to whom I gave a name from his first sacrifice. Hail, the one whom I guarded from his childhood. Why are you weeping and lamenting, as if you were in the hands of a mortal king? The king of heaven and earth watches over you. Who is he? I am Gabriel, whom the King of truth, Christ, gave to you from your childhood." And he gave Theodore the Anatolian into the hands of Michael the archangel, so that he too might watch over him. Why do you fear the gifts of the earth that perish? The angels of the Lord watch over you. Who is he? Claudius said to him, "My lord, I fear the second part, because I have fallen into the hands of the evil barbarians. Even if they kill me, even if they make me a sacrifice to their gods, I will be cut down.

Before God of heaven. Even if they are disturbed in a furnace, burning more than my desire, I will give a son of the race of my fathers. The archangel Gabriel said to him, "I say to you, let no evil thing happen to you according to your thought. If you have come to this region, O Claudius, it is necessary that Theodore, my eastern one, come to you, and you will see him face to face. And a name of glory will come to you two, and a disturbance will happen in this whole region in your name. The peace of my king Christ will be with you; you will be safe in his holy name." While the archangel Gabriel was saying these things, he hid himself in the holy place. And the queen saw a vision of a light that came upon Claudius while he was in the midst of the fire. She was disturbed greatly. She came down to the king and immediately said to him, "My lord the king, quickly send this prince to stand before his father of necessity. I have seen the fire that burned the whole night in his place within. For the entire city of the God of his fathers is destroyed by his opportunity." And when the king heard these things, he was about to send Claudius to his region, but the great ones of the palace did not allow him to do this. The queen said to him, "If you love your son, do what is good with this young prince. The God of your father will not abandon you; turn the heart of his father.

...the good thing within to our son. And if my counsel and my words enter into your ears, I will give him a chart and ink so that he may write with his own hand to his father, saying, "I live, and nothing evil has happened to me." Perhaps he will send our beloved son to us. We will release his son entirely with great honor. And if it is his wish, I will give him a gift.

...my daughter to him as a wife. But the king was persuaded by the word of Aliphoros the queen, and immediately he had Claudius brought to stand before him outside. The king said to him, "Tell me, who among the gods of your father came to you this night, becoming a flame of fire, as if to burn the palace? Is not Anatolios a god, whose name is renowned in this whole manner? Or is it not three nights that I see a vision, calling out to me, saying, 'Behold, Theodore Anatolios is coming to cut you down, to cast you out'? For indeed, it is he himself who came to you this night, wishing to burn us." The holy father Apa Claudius said to the king Agaborne (for this was his name), "Not so, my lord king, but the angel of my lord Jesus Christ is the one who came to me this night, and it is he who saved me from death in the midst of your multitude. It is he also who gave my mercy to your heart, and you did this good thing with me concerning Theodore Anatolios himself, whose name you have heard—he is my brother." The king said to the holy Apa Claudius, "I wish for you to write to your father with your own hand, and send my son to me, along with Theodore Anatolios, so that I may see his face, and release you yourself, and you may go to your father in honor." And the holy Apa Claudius...

...write to his father in this manner: "In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity, consubstantial, undivided, unchangeable, incomprehensible, which holds together the heaven and the earth and their elements, indissoluble, which knows the sun in its course, untiring, which changes the moon by a small portion of the completion of its cycle, who painted the heaven with stars that give light, may he preserve your kingdom.

Ptolemy, my father, take this joy for yourself, for I am alive. I am Claudius, your son, whom the Persians took in the battle. God has preserved me until now; he has given me favor and grace before the king and queen. First, my father, do good with the king's son who is under your hand. I write to you, my beloved mother, and my sister Thebasia, and my beloved brother Theodore the Anatolian, inquiring after all of you in the Lord. And again I inquire after the great ones of the palace, and my father Apa Kaios the archbishop. I say to you, behold, I enter the queen's chamber with great honor. Therefore, send the king's son to me, and my companion Theodore the Anatolian, so that the king may release them, as he said to me. I am Claudius, your son; I write to you, O Ptolemy, my father, with my own hand. And he wrote another mystery in their midst, with his father and his mother, and he gave the letter of the king. I will tell you, my beloved ones, what happened to the Romans as a whole, when they returned to the battle and were turned back to their city. It happened when they inquired among the multitude; they did not find Claudius upon his chariot. What then happened in the palace at that time, when they said that Claudius had been taken?

When his mother heard, she tore her garments, she put ashes on her head, she cast off her veil, along with Thebasia, his sister. But even more so, Ptolemy, his father, and the nobles of the palace tore their garments. The widows and orphans all wept bitterly because of the compassion he had shown to them and to the poor. His mother wept bitterly, saying, "Woe is me, my beloved son Claudius, what have you done?

... of the palace. I am your son. Neither the chariot of the king nor those who took you from my hand. Who is the man who will find him again? I will send my inquiry to you with him. Thebasia, your sister, is grieved and weeps in a desert place because of your heartache. O my beloved son! Would that your royal diadem had been cast down upon your beautiful face. Would that your golden maniakion, my son, had been taken to a foreign land. Would that I had known the barbarian who took you, so that I might give him your price, four hundred pieces of gold. Perhaps he would release him to me. Who then is the evil barbarian who saw my son Claudius and did this evil to him? I adjure you, the generals of the king and the great men of the palace: if they have killed my beloved son Claudius, tell me the truth, and I will give all my wealth until I find his body and bring it to my house. I will give a burial for him, according to his worth. I will place him in the tomb of the kings. I will weep over him. Perhaps I will be consoled a little. But no, there is no consolation. A king, if his lord is taken, is not consoled in a palace where weeping is within. A sailor, if his masts are broken, is not consoled. An orphan, if his parents are taken, is not consoled. A widow, if her helper is taken, has no joy. Neither is there consolation for me, nor joy, for my beloved son Claudius has been taken.

You have no brother there, O my son. Take my consolation outside of him. Truly, I gaze upon your face continually, like an angel of God. I have not consoled myself another time, because they have covered your radiant face. Simply, a great weeping is poured out throughout the entire city of Antioch. Some say, "This sage in his countenance." Others say, "This young child is being prepared for the kingdom." Others say, "This spatharios, the king is grieved in his heart because of...

The grief of Claudius his son. After these things, Soterichus the father of Apa Theodore gave his lament over him, saying, "The king lives forever. If they have taken Claudius your son, behold the son of the king of the Persians has been brought to you himself alive. Question him, that he may write to his father. If Claudius your son lives, he will release him to you. You release his son in turn." King Soterichus said, "Send for the chief bishop to bring the son of the king of the Persians to you, that he may write to his father concerning my beloved son Claudius." After these things, they conspired together for a month. The letters of Claudius came into Antioch. Oh, what great joy occurred on that day! When the letters were read, they came upon the name of the holy Theodore the Anatolian. The king requested him to see his lament. And immediately the king sent after him with his number of soldiers, for they were in the guard posts because of the barbarians, since he did not know what had happened to Claudius. After these things, the holy Theodore came to the palace. He found the servants of Claudius with their garments torn upon them. He asked, "What is happening that you are all in this state?" And they informed him of what had happened to the holy Claudius. He wept greatly because of him.

He went in to the king and asked him about Claudius his son, saying to him, "Do not be grieved, O king. I am the one who will go and bring Claudius, my brother, to you to this place. If it happens that I die with him, I will not let go until I bring him to your door." The king made all the preparations for the apodemia, to send them on the way. The queen did not persuade them to send Theodore because of her son, lest the king seize him.

He said, "She does not know him well. But if she says, 'I am afraid,' so that the king will not seize the two of them, I am grieved for them." Then the king sent for the archbishop. He said to him, "My holy father, keep the king's son who is entrusted to you until I seek him from you, for I have made peace with his father. He will send my son to me, and I will send his son to him as well." The archbishop said to him, "My lord king, he is in the episcopal residence with me. He does not even eat or sleep with me, but there is a sign of battle on his face, for his spirit is sick." The king said to the archbishop, "Take a sign of the kingdom inside to him, and heal him until I write to his father. And prepare yourself, my father, to go to the king of the Persians, and bring me Claudius, my son, for I am grieved for him." The archbishop said to him, "According to your command, your servant will go in secret." And the king sent soldiers, and great ones of the kingdom, and a great multitude of honor, and the holy Theodore. And they left the son of the king of the Persians behind. I, the least Theodore, being a priest, am under the obedience of my father, Apa Kaios the archbishop, being his successor.

After this, they put them on the road, saying that they would go to their country, the Persians. And they sent messengers ahead of them, saying that they would inform the king of the Persians that they had come in peace. The king then proclaimed to the entire city, "Come out to meet my son and Theodore, my general, who has come with him, so that we may know what kind of thing this is." And they crowned the palace again before them. The multitude of the city came out.

At that time, the name of the Anatolians became famous. Then, when they entered, the whole city, including the women, went down to the riverbanks. The archbishop, however, was remembered by the king. The king said to him, "Are you the God of the Romans, wearing this kind of attire?" The archbishop said to him, "Far from it, I am not God, may it not be so. But I am his high priest, interceding for the sins of the people whom the king of the Romans sent to you, so that I might give you these gifts and the ransom for your son, that he may live." The king said to him, "Why did you not bring him to me?" The archbishop said to him, "He is in Antioch. But your safety, O king, behold your son is alive, and I am the one who will bring him to you, if you release Claudius to me." The king said to him, "Where is Theodore the Anatolian? Let me see him." The archbishop said to him, "He is outside, at the palace, with the king's scribes and the great one of the palace." And immediately the king gave orders to bring him to him. The king said to him, "Are you Theodore the Anatolian? Tell me now, what is your power, that your name has become famous in this way?" The saint said to him, "Power, strength, and warfare belong to the Lord, and this name by which I am called is the archangel Michael.

He gave him to me. The king said to him, "I will not release you. You have not done a brave deed in this city. Let me see you." The holy one said to the king, "I wanted to say to you that strength and bravery belong to the Lord. But I tell you, if it had been in the battle, your army would not have raised their hands against Claudius. However, let me see Claudius, that I may find his inquiry, for I have not yet done a deed of strength. You will see it." And the king had the holy Claudius brought out from the king's chamber. He stood him before the holy Theodore. And when he saw him, he began to weep together with the other Claudius, at once, their faces touching each other's necks. And the king left them for a week of days, seeking each other's inquiry. When the queen saw their countenance, she desired them. She sent for a painter. He filled his eyes with the holy ones, both of them. And they wrote their belt on the walls of her chamber. Then after these things, Apa Claudius sought salvation for his men from the holy Theodore, and said, "Has the king done any evil to you?" He said to him, "My beloved brother, no. But he seeks a hostage, a blind pagan, and his daughter." The holy Theodore said to him, "Do not fear, my beloved brother Claudius. Behold, Michael and Gabriel.

again, prepare for the second one. For I say to you, O my brother, that no evil will happen to us. Then after a month of days, the archbishop gave his consent to the king, saying, "Our lord the king, the matter has become difficult. We who are in this region, let us go out, let us go to our region, let us send your son to you." The king said to him, "I will not release Theodore until you send my son to me safely." And in this way, the archbishop informed the holy Theodore of the king's words. It happened on his feast day that the queen gave her consent to the king, she begged him, saying, "Give our daughter Claudia as a wife to him, for she loves him greatly." Apa Claudius said to the queen, "My fathers and the archbishop have urged me and bound me in the marriage, but I have not come to this place, I have no power.

to separate him from his mouth. I will destroy the law of the fathers. Then when the two of them, the queen, said, "They have not changed their mind," she became angry alone, saying, "If they do not bring me my firstborn son, I will not release you." Then after these things, while they were in prison, behold, Michael and Gabriel came down from heaven, in the form of soldiers, crying out, saying, "O Persians, why do you sit? What are you doing? Behold, Theodore the Anatolian and Claudius have come to cut you down, to release you. They will fight with their swords, and their hand will prevail." And the voice of the angels filled the whole city. A great fear and trembling seized them. But the angels opened the door of the prison and brought them out. Michael stretched out his sword toward the holy Theodore, and Gabriel stretched out his sword of fire toward Claudius, so that they might fight with the Persians. And the holy Theodore cried out to the Persians, saying, "I am Theodore the Anatolian. I have come to release you. The angels, their voice from one end of the city to the other, and we have become strong, we have become afraid. The mighty ones threw their swords away. The free ones fled in fear. Those who were in fetters fled in fear. Immediately they fought with the Persians in the middle of the plain. They killed ten thousand of them.

... apart from them. The Persians cried out, saying, "Woe to you, O Theodore, the wretched one! For you have taken the entire place, and they turned back into the city. They deposed the king from his throne. They brought him outside the city, along with the archbishop. The king, however, marveled at what had happened. All his multitude was gathered around him. No one was able to contradict him, nor could his soldiers fight against him because of his strength.

The king said to the archbishop, "Did I not tell you that you are the God of the Romans? You gave strength to this young man of twenty-two years until he plundered this entire city, without fear of anyone, until this great multitude was thrown into confusion, and they made the city a desolation. The multitude of soldiers who were in it were unable to fight with him, but they fled in secret." The archbishop said to him, "I have already told you once again that I am not God—far from it—but I am his high priest." The holy Theodore said to the king, "Did you not say to me that you wished to see a power from us? I have not yet released you. Behold, you have seen a little of my power. My king gives it to me, and forever his power will not diminish among the Romans." The king said to the holy Theodore, "I am a king no longer, but today I myself am your servant. Come, sit for yourself upon my throne; I will serve you as a servant." The holy one said to him, "The throne which my Lord has built for me and my brother Claudius—this is the kingdom which will endure forever, manifest in the heavens. They are not of the earth, but of the sky, and we will hold both of them in a single city. However, do not fear, O king. Perhaps these saints have built...

of the archbishop outside. They brought him to this place. It was also they who brought you to your palace in this manner, and they placed him upon his throne. At that time, a great fear fell. An angel went near the temple, where the priests were inside. They cried out, saying, "Theodore the Oriental has come upon you to cast you out." And they threw down the temple to the ground, and they filled it with fire. And also another great wonder occurred.

in the country of the Persians, my father Apa Kaios said to me, "The angel of the harbor of these saints, which is written about him, is the one whom the queen Calliopi brought into her bedchamber. They spread out over the entire city in the form of soldiers of war, while the angels cried out before them, saying, 'Behold, Theodore the recruit has come upon you to drive you out.' And up to this day, the harbor of these saints, Theodore and Claudius, shines over the entire country of the Persians. And if a war occurs between the Persians and the Romans, they begin to fight each other. Immediately, the holy Theodore gives his voice in the borders of the Romans, saying, 'Theodore the recruit and Claudius have come upon you to drive you out.' And immediately, the troops whose harbors are these two are raised up, and they paint inside the bedchamber of the queen. They become warm and spread out immediately in the entire country of the Persians because of the name of the holy Theodore the recruit and Claudius, without any battle at all. Then after these things, they returned to their country, Antioch, with the archbishop and those who went with him. They took no spoil of the Persians with them. And they entered into the city of the kingdom.

They announced, "He has come." They informed the king, "Theodore has come, and Claudius your son." A multitude of laity gathered at that time, all of them assembling from the youngest to the oldest, looking outward from their midst at these holy ones. And they crowned the entire city. And the mother of Apa Claudius and his sister mounted the royal chariot. They came out to the gate at the ninth hour, on the road, like Joseph of old when he went before him.

Jacob his father. Oh, who can recount the joy and the celebration that took place at that time? And the archbishop spoke to the king and to the palace officials about the great deeds of God and the powers of this holy one. "I am Theodore, the most humble one, serving the son of the king of the Persians in the episcopate of my father Apa Kaios. When he died, I went to my father and told him that the son of the king of the Persians had died. And immediately the king sent and brought him to the palace, in the midst of the great ones. They examined him in every way, and there was no evil in him except the mark of the cross only, which they placed before the polemarch. And the king and the archbishop grieved greatly because of him. The king then commanded the archbishop, and he laid him in honor, in costly garments and linen cloth. They placed him in a tomb. The archbishop sealed him until a letter came to his father. But before long, the father of Apa Claudius died. And they sought Claudius to make him king. His mother took him and hid him. Now there was a great one in the palace whose name was Oumerianos, and they seized him and made him king, without paying attention to matters of this kind. Another time, after these things, the time came for the kings of the Persians, that the son...

of the king of the Persians, who was angry at the archbishop, they began a war outside against a certain Merianos, as before. They made a plan to destroy the city, which happened to them through the strength of Theodore the Anatolian. When a certain Merianos learned of the outcome of the war, he was greatly troubled and said, "Woe to me, for I have given my wealth, my possessions, and what I had from my fathers, until I obtained it. Behold, the barbarians have risen against me, wishing to kill me." And fear and trembling seized him, and he wept greatly. And he called upon the great ones of the palace, Soterichos, the father of Apa Theodore, and Romanos, the father of Apa Victor, and Basilites, the father of Apa Stephen, and said to them, "Let Claudius come and sit upon the throne in the place of his father, for we are not able to fight against the barbarians." The holy Claudius said to him, "Do not sit upon the throne of the eternal kingdom, but let the heart of the king be strengthened, and let him sit upon the throne. Otherwise, your servants all the days of your life, if you remain in the faith of our fathers." But the great ones of the palace said to the king, "As long as Claudius and Theodore are there, evil will happen to your kingdom." The king said to them, "I am afraid, for I have taken the kingdom.

of his father, he became angry with me. In the battle, they will kill me. But if, however, you have pity in your heart toward me, let them swear to me by their gospel, and I will believe them. And this is how the heart of the king was softened, and he released them. As for his rest, the king was troubled, and the devil appeared to him, saying, "O King Merianos, you sit doing nothing. Do you believe in the strength of Theodore and Claudius, that they have no word, no strength, no brother, no companion in battle? If you wish to be king, arise from your rest and send to Egypt, to the north, for gifts. These are the men who will fight for you. I tell you, O King, that I know a young boy in the Mareotis, who is called Acrippita, who tends the buffaloes in the field, which is in the district of the Sais. Send for him and bring him to this city. This is the man who will fight with the Persians." When he said this concerning Diocletian, who is in the district of the Sais, tending the buffaloes of my father, Apa Pote, while Apa Pote himself tends the sheep of his father, they being companions to each other, he acts with kindness, speaking and comforting. The psalterion is in the hand of Apa Pote, who meditates on the psalms day and night. The organon is in the hand of Acrippita, and when he speaks, the buffaloes scatter, and the sheep of Apa Pote.

And he will ask her for him: "Stop, the boundary, the limit. Did he give you permission to come in, saying, 'You will go and pasture the cattle, and you will pasture people'?" Then he sent a magisterianus by order of a merianus, the king. When he came to the boundary, the limit, he found Akrippita and Apa Pote pasturing in the field. Apa Pote said to Akrippita, "Behold, your father is calling you to make you king." And in this way, Akrippita mounted the horse of the great stratelates. He turned to this side and that, took his sword, unsheathed it, and ran into the midst of the sheep of Apa Pote. He struck outward from among them. Some he cut at their necks; others he severed from their hands and their feet. But Apa Pote, when he saw his akrios (behavior), said to him, "Woe to you! You have shed innocent blood abroad. For the heart of your father is at rest concerning you, because he begot you. Throw your sword into its sheath, for your time has not yet come for you to shed blood abroad. Where then is the death of your father, which has not yet come to you? Has not water come? Where are the shepherds, the killers of small children, who have not killed you? You are afraid in your mother." But while Apa Pote was saying these things, the son of destruction unsheathed his sword and ran after him, mounted on his horse, wanting to kill him. Apa Pote said to him,

Even you, your time has not yet come for you to kill me." But Anastasius, the magisterianus, marveled at his audacity, saying, "Surely he is mocking the polemos." Apa Psote said to him, "He is mocking the polemos of destruction." After these things, they deposed the impious Acripita and brought him to the city of the kingdom. He had been there for about three years on that very day, and they gave the verdict against him before the king, that he should be mocked by the polemos. And the great daughter of Oumerianos desired him, as if she had left him in the polemos, he being a stablites, feeding the cattle, and she constantly covered herself with him in works of charity. Then after these things, Oumerianos died in the polemos. His daughter took hold of the kingdom for three years, while Acripita was hidden under her authority. Afterwards, she gave a golden kinndynarion from the great palatium, without a scribe writing it for him, and they gave great honors to him. Then she seated him on the throne of Oumerianos, her father, because he had broken her virginity. After these things, however, Theodore the Anatolian came into the polemos. They told him that Diocletian had become king. He said, "Who is Diocletian? Or what kind of person is he?" And he went in to him with Claudius. They said to him, "Who is it that made you?

of the king of this city. He said, "It is you and your fathers who are not. I am not a king, nor is it my concern for the kingdom." And immediately, the holy Theodore took hold of his hand and raised him up onto the throne, outside, because he had not yet fully recovered, but he was afraid. The holy Theodore said to him, "Rise up, for you are a place of peace in your land. Why should an Egyptian sit upon the throne of the kings?

The Roman was alive, and they crowned Claudius upon the throne. A great uproar took place in the palace, as they said, "Theodore the anatholarios has done a mighty deed today in the palace. No one can contradict him in all of Antioch." But the holy Apa Claudius did not consent to sit upon the throne of the kings, for he had no concern for the kingdom. Instead, he arose in haste, while the entire multitude cried out, "Worthy! Worthy! Worthy! Claudius has become king." But the impious Diocletian became afraid; he went and hid himself for seven days near the palace, not daring to show his face. Yet the throne remained empty. And the queen of that place looked out in astonishment from her bedchamber and said, "Who is this anatholarios who would raise the king up onto his throne? Who is this soldier of my father who would contradict him for his daughter? Who is this traveler on his feet who would contradict a king's daughter? This anatholarios belongs to the palace; he belongs to the kingdom, Diocletian. But I am a new Herodias, and I have not yet exacted my judgment upon him." When the holy Theodore heard these things, he drew his sword and rushed from the king's throne to the gate of the palace, and he slew fifteen hundred spearmen and couriers.

And with three hundred soldiers and cavalry, while the herald was crying out, "Many years to the king!" the kingdom gave Claudius [the throne]. And Theodore fought and prevailed. When the king heard these things, she became afraid immediately. She took the crown of her father, along with his purple robe and his royal vestments, and threw them down into the palace courtyard, crying out, "Theodore the Anatolarios, take

These things to you: you will become king, for you have taken the whole place, saying, "From today onward, I am your servant. I entrust to you the safety of Claudius, your companion, and the safety of Justus, my brother, who would destroy the kingdom by my opportunity." Afterwards, he set fire to the gates of the palace, so that it might burn everyone who had done this on account of Diocletian, because they had made him king. And no one was able to contradict him. Soterichus, his father, and Basilities, and Romanus, fell down before him, saying, "Our lord Theodore, yours is the kingdom forever, especially now that your power has been revealed. For we are all your servants. We beg your might not to burn the palace. Let us fight once more, for the matter is urgent." And immediately he wept, saying, "O this great injustice that has happened today in the city of the kingdom, that a woman would become a kingmaker over us, while this multitude of fighters is in Antioch. If there is any justice at all, Claudius and Justus are worthy of the kingdom." A great wonder occurred in the city of Antioch concerning the multitude that had been killed in the palace. Their parents wept over them. Some said that the Anatolian had killed the king and the queen. Others said that the righteous had judged.

It happened on that day. Some said, "His parents and his brothers are the kingdom." Then a great disturbance occurred on that day. And when the place had quieted a little, the queen went out. She first went to the house of Apa Claudius, to his mother, his sister, and the sister of Apa Theodore. And she wept before them, saying, "They are my brothers." And the sister of Apa Claudius and the sister of Apa Theodore went to the palace, to their brothers. They entreated them until they sat down a little. And they extinguished the fire that was still filling the gate of the palace. And immediately Michael came down from heaven. He placed his right hand upon the breast of these saints. And he said to Saint Theodore, "Throw your staff to your left, for I do not know how it will happen. You do not know, O Saint Theodore, that if you fight, no one can stand before your wrath, for strength and might have been given to you by the Lord." Saint Theodore said to Michael, "Is it not a wonder, O my Lord, that a blind man of Egypt should become king over us through the cunning of a woman, while the sons of the king are in the palace?" Michael said to him, "Theodore, the strong one, the bold of heart... is the strong one. God loves him." And immediately Saint Theodore prostrated himself and worshipped God.

He was saying, "Release me, my Lord Michael." Michael said to him, "It is not a wonder that Diocletian should become king, because they gave him a little something from the Lord. The wonder is this: that Pilate and Herod sit, while the Son of God stands before them. This is also the way that Diocletian will become king over the Romans." The holy Theodore said to Michael, "If it is the Lord's command that Diocletian become king, who am I to oppose his command?" And Michael spoke to him of other mysteries that would happen to Diocletian, and he kept silent in peace. Amen. Then when it happened, the holy Theodore came to the palace and cried out, saying, "Whoever wishes to become king, here is the throne set out." And the fear of the Anatolian filled all Antioch.

No one was able to sit upon the throne for a single day until he gave them an account, so that they would not kill them again. The impious king, however, gave great hardness to the soldiers until they sought Diocletian. He spent twenty days as a groom of the stable, until fear allowed him to become king. Then, when Diocletian became king, he prevailed a little. The holy Theodore went to seek him, and he arose for his sake. He said to him, "Hail, Theodore. Come, sit for yourself upon the throne, and you will be king." The holy one said to him, "Preserve the faith and do what is just, so that your kingship may be strengthened." The impious one, however, gained a little power little by little, and he made a show of following the order of the church while gathering. My father Apa Kaios, however, went to him continually, seeking him, urging him toward what is good, and he gave the entire administration of Egypt into the hand of the archbishop to govern it. He remembered Apa Pote in the Martyrion, that he was his companion before he became king, and he had him made bishop. The king was in the faith, fulfilling all the works, because the evil enemy had not yet placed his poison within him, speaking of the devil. And he gave orders to send to Jerusalem to reveal the cross.

of our Lord Jesus Christ, through the guidance of my father Apa Kaios. But the evil enemy did not neglect his part, to make him do this, for he knew that if he revealed himself outwardly, he would destroy all his ways. Then the impious king feared Theodore the invincible, and the queen spoke with him, saying, "Be patient for a little while until a battle occurs; I will give many gifts to the soldiers until they kill him." The king said to her, "I am afraid.

...they sent him to the stadium, and they set the noose upon me, and they killed me. He sent to him many times, saying, "Do you wish me to sit upon the throne? Do you wish me to withdraw to my own land?" And Theodore would send to him, saying, "Sit upon the throne, for the kingdom is yours. Do not be afraid, O king. I will never do any evil to you." The archbishop went to him, with the one who prevented him. Now in those days, a great war arose against the Romans by the Persians, and a report reached the king that the Persians had come to the garrison. They had destroyed many places. The king was greatly troubled and said, "What is my business? I and the kingdom? Theodore and Claudius are the kingdom." These saints said to the king, "The kingdom is yours, for it was given to you from heaven." When the king went in to the queen, he saw her weeping in her heart and troubled. She said to him, "Why are you so downhearted? I wish you to send Theodore and Claudius to the stadium, that they may be killed, so that you may cease to be troubled because of them." When the king heard these things, he said to the archbishop, and gave him great sums of money to offer as a sacrifice to the Lord.

...concerning the salvation of the polaimos. And he sent to these saints, saying to them, "What is the desire of this polaimos who is upon the throne?" They said to him, "The polaimos belongs to the Lord; it is he who bears himself upon the throne." The king said to them, "Let them prepare chariots and horses, mount them, and together with your multitude go to the polaimos, while you continue to encourage them, until you bring the polaimos outside." These saints said to

...neither a chariot nor a carriage. We will not go up to them, and we will go to the polaimos. The king said to them, "Go to the treasury of the money, take what will suffice for you and your multitude in the polaimos, until you are saved in safety." After these things, they went to the polaimos, they fought with the Persians, they conquered, they took the son of the king of the Persians, and they brought him before the king. Theodore said to him, "Behold, the son of the king of the Persians, I have brought him before you, through the power of my king Christ, but I do not intend to leave this one near any man, except this archbishop." The king said to them, "Whatever you wish, do it in my kingdom, and no one will hinder your command." The king said to the archbishop, "Take the son of the king of the Persians, you shall keep him under your hand." And thus he gave him to him, while all the nobles were gathered, bearing witness to this matter. After these things, the matter was delayed, while the son of the king of the Persians was attached to the archbishop. His father heard that he was attached to him, he sent great honors to him, he released his son, and no one knew of this matter. The archbishop, however, took the money, he distributed it to the poor of the city, and to the widows, and to the orphans.

...and all his sacrifices for the churches. The devil, however, revealed himself outwardly to the impious Diocletian, saying to him, "Why are you sitting idle?" The archbishop released the son of the king of the Persians without your permission. He took his honor and gave it to the poor of the city. He did not accept any bribe at all. For three years now he has been giving charity from the money he received. The king then summoned the great men of the palace and told them the mystery that the devil had spoken.

...and all his sacrifices for the churches. The devil, however, revealed himself outwardly to the impious Diocletian, saying to him, "Why are you sitting idle?" The archbishop released the son of the king of the Persians ...concerning the archbishop. And immediately he sent after him, saying, "My father, what is the inquiry of the son of the king of the Persians who is imprisoned by you?" He said to him, "The Lord Jesus Christ lives, and your might, O king, for from the second month he has been imprisoned by me, having a wound from the battle in his side. He died in the battle, O my lord the king. I buried him well; I placed him in the episcopal residence." And the king had him brought before him, with the purple covering him. The king said to him, "Will you swear to me that this is true?" And immediately the archbishop swore to the king, "It is he, truly." And no one knew why he swore. And the archbishop went out from the presence of the king. And the devil did not cease from his deceit, entering into the archbishop until the third battle took place. And they seized the comites, the son of the king of the Persians. They brought him before the assembly of soldiers. When the holy Theodore and the holy Claudius saw him, they recognized him, that he was the son of the king of the Persians, and that the archbishop had released him. And immediately they wept over what had happened, and they hid him, not informing him concerning themselves, for they wished to release him.

...concerning the archbishop. And the word spread abroad in the stadium, that the Nicomites had captured the son of the king of the Persians. And the report reached the ears of the king. He sent for the holy Theodore and said to him, "Lord General, I have been informed that you have prevailed in the stadium, that you have captured the son of the king of the Persians. Therefore, take his ransom of gold for yourself. Inform me, and I too will know, whether the matter is true or not. The archbishop swore to me that he died." The holy Theodore said to the king, "It is his brother whom we have captured." And immediately the holy one hid the Nicomites, leaving aside his royal garment so that they would not recognize him. He put another on himself, asking him, "Do not tell the king that you are Nicomites, the son of the king of the Persians." And the king called the holy Theodore, saying, "Tell me the truth about the son of the king whom you captured in the stadium." The holy one said to him, "Nicomites died. This is his brother whom we captured. Let us inquire of him about his brother, or else the archbishop wrote to his father that he died." But when the son of the king heard these things, he acted according to the way the holy one had instructed him. And the king, when he came into the city of Antioch with his multitude...

...with the son of the king of the Persians. The holy Theodore and Apa Claudius took him from the hand of the king. He did not prevent them, for the great ones of the kingdom had brought him to the archbishop, and they wished to release him. But the great ones of the Persians, the victors, and Leontius came to Antioch to the feet of Theodore and Claudius and the rest. They brought there great honor from the father of the Nicomites, that he might be released. And the devil appeared to the king Diocletian, saying to him, "My son Diocletian, I begot you from the beginning. I gave you this gift and this royal purple from the beginning. I gave you a royal wife without price. I clothed you in the purple. I placed the royal scepter in your hand in the place of the throne of the kingdom without price. I established you over a hundred hundred peoples. I caused the king's daughter to give the diadem...

...of her father to your breast. All these things I did with you. You did not consider my honor." Diocletian answered, saying, "Who are you to speak to me in this manner? Are you the unfortunate one, the glory of the kingdom, or are you Claudius, the king's brother?" The devil said to him, "Even now, these two names will be proclaimed throughout the whole world among men who will hear them forever. Why do you ask me about these two who are my accusers, speaking their names to me?" The king said to him, "The glory of the kingdom is the unfortunate one and Claudius. I have put them in bonds because of their fathers, for the kingdom belongs to them." The devil said to him, "Until now, those tyrants have been afraid." The king said to him, "I know that the kingdom of Antioch has appointed Theodore again. He has been set upon the throne of the kingdom without fear of anyone." The devil said to him, "Those days have passed; their fear has ceased forever before you. Know that I am your father, the demoniac. Why are you afraid of Theodore and Claudius? The son of the king of the Persians is held by the archbishop; they wish to release him, but they will say of him that he died. They have not taken his measure, for they know that they are afraid. Has not the archbishop released him again?

...he will not be your servant, for he is dead. And also, this is his brother. I have seized him, wishing for you to give me an account, so that I might establish your kingdom on its foundation, until you kill them—the three, the Anatolaios, the Archbishop, and Klaudios of the kingdom—by your own hand. The king said to him, "If I kill them, who will fight for me? So that the barbarians do not take my kingdom from my hand." The devil said to the king,

...that you have not known that it is I who have been fighting against you until now? I am not Anatolius, the one who is the son of the king of the Persians, but I am he, together with the soldiers who are under my command, and my gods who give me power, until I seize him. The king said to him, "Who is the god who will serve me after Jesus?" The devil said, "You will not even utter the name of the other one who is there, out of your mouth forever, setting your heart on a god of the Hebrews who killed himself. But open your eyes, and you will see my gods, how many they are in the sky, and the multitude of my soldiers." And immediately he caused a multitude of demons to take the form of soldiers; they gathered around him, prepared for battle. And also, another seventy-two demons took the form of false gods; they appeared to Diocletian. The devil said to him, "So that you may know now that the fear of Anatolius and Claudius has shaken you. And the archbishop has released the son of the king of the Persians; he took his tunic, and they tore it over them, the three, apart from your knowledge. They do not care for them, that you are a king who has sworn false oaths to you for the first time, and they have deceived you this second time. So that you may know that it is the truth that they are saying to you, for your salvation, O Diocletian. I will make you see Anatolius and Claudius in great humiliation.

I resemble an evil death, like that of his master over them. I am ninety cubits, which I have prepared to be cast upon the hands of their master, and upon his cross. Here are one hundred and ninety cubits; I have prepared them to be placed upon the body of my Anatolius, in the great field that is at the gate of the palace, so that his sister might see his death. And Claudius himself, I will have him impaled upon his spear, like his master, so that I might have him pierced upon his spear, and upon his cross.

like the way they killed Peter and Paul, his apostles, in Rome, I will have these others killed as well, of the kingdom, to your glory, O Diocletian. But when the devil sent to the king, he hid himself from him. The impious king, however, sent him first to the house, to the king, and informed him of all the things that had been said to him. That harlot of a king, then, rejoiced greatly over the death of these holy ones. She said to him, "Let you know the truth, that they have brought the son of the king of the Persians to this place, they have left him outside, and all the words that were said to you concerning them are true." After these things, they brought the son of the king of the Persians, and they set him before the king, and he confessed to him, "I am the one who was captured the first time and the second time, and my oath, which the archbishop swore to me upon the son of the king, my brother, who died while he was hanging, to the archbishop." But when he sent, the king rejoiced greatly, and he sent and brought the archbishop, and he swore to him again in the same manner as the first time. And immediately the king became angry in a rage, and he went into all the churches of the city, and he took the vessels of gold, silver, and precious stones, and he found all the treasures in the episcopal residence of the archbishop, and he killed him. For the holy Theodore.

in the stadium with his multitude. And his writing was written to him, that none of them would happen in the palace. And the holy Theodore grieved alone over what had happened in the city. After these things, the queen spoke with the king, saying, "While you are sitting, what are you doing? Quickly, quickly, kill Theodore and Claudius at the beginning of the persecution." The king said to the queen, "If we kill them, in what manner, with this whole multitude with them? Lest they rise up against me and take my kingdom from my hand." But she said to him, "Do not fear, O king." She wrote to him, "Come to me quickly, alone, for I have a word of mystery to tell you concerning the king of the Persians. If he comes to you, bring him into your bedchamber, as if you were going to converse with him. Prepare bonds, bind him, and kill him in secret." The impious king was persuaded by the words of the plague-like queen. He prepared sixty bonds and nails, and he wrote to him with words of deceitful flattery. And the holy Theodore came to the palace. When the king saw him, he smiled deceitfully at him, saying, "From where does death come in joy? The great dynast has come to the palace. You have come well, O Lord Theodore, the commander of the victorious.

Death went to the Persians, and the son of the king of the Persians received these honors of his father, but they were not worthy of them. He entered to the archbishop, and the holy one placed his finger on his mouth. He went in to the king, and he rose and greeted him. He cast him into the midst of the stadium, and they bound him. The holy one said to him, "Today, your treachery of Judas and of Christ has been revealed from within you, O king, but you surpass Judas." Now the stadium guards strengthened him well, as if to kill him, and they dragged him to the place of execution to hang him. They did not open the door of the palace. The holy one said to them, "My brothers, open a little for me, that I may say a prayer once to my king, the Lord Jesus, before you kill me, and do not be afraid. Let them be...

He released them one by one, saying, "I will not kill them." The holy Theodore answered, "Brothers, break these bonds for me, for I will not do evil to you any more. Have I not done many good deeds with you? By the power of my king Christ, I will not do evil to you. For I have sworn by my own heart, for the sake of the name of Christ." And when he saw that they did not obey him, he let them go, he drew his two hands together at once, he loosened the bonds that were tied around him, he stood up the fourteen men behind him, they fell upon their faces, and he prostrated himself, he worshipped God, he spread out his hands, he prayed in this manner, saying, "I beseech you, my Lord Jesus Christ, who created me, that from the womb of my mother, your angel gave me a name from my childhood, and your grace established me, you gave me strength in the battle, like Joshua son of Nun, with your angel fighting on his behalf, and like Samuel who struck down the foreigners, I also struck down the Persians in your holy name. The enemies received shame at my hands. I give thanks to you, my Lord, that you have removed the bonds that were tied around me, until I have prayed to you. Give me strength, my Lord, until I am able to bear the tortures that are prepared for me, for I am flesh and blood.

of everyone. Let your angel stand with me at this very hour until I complete my struggle. Do not withhold your goodness from me, my Lord, nor turn your face away from me because of the multitude of bloodshed I have poured out in the stadium, for you have strengthened me with your power. I have subdued them. Do not let my sword fall into the hand of another. Glory to you forever and ever, amen. Now these

After he had said this, he called to the guards who were around him, saying, "Call my soldiers, that they may cease their disturbance." And my time had brought forth nothing accomplished, for my hour had come to an end. And immediately he brought his hands together, clasping them, and he struck them against his body. He said to them, "Bind me outside; I have already been bound in spirit." At that moment he mounted the scaffold alone, worshipped God, and spoke with the guards: "Come with your bows and your arrows, and complete what was commanded to you." But the merciless ones there fixed ten arrows in his right hand and ten in his left, and they fixed the rest throughout his entire body, so that his blood mingled with the water of the scaffold, and it poured out upon the ground. And the holy Theodore, alone, lifted his eyes up to the sky, as he was about to call upon the Lord. He saw Christ with his angels, with Michael comforting him, and Christ promising him many places in the heavens. When Christ saw the suffering of the holy Theodore, he said to him, "Do you wish me to give you rest from your sufferings? Do you wish me to loosen the arrows that are in your body like water?" The holy one said to him, "I wish you to give me rest, for I have suffered." And immediately he gave his spirit into the hands of God.

On the eleventh day of the month of Tobe, in peace, amen. And a great disturbance took place in the entire city because of the blessed one, as he hastened to his end. Some said, "Better is the death of the king and the queen than what has happened." And the holy Apa Claudius wept greatly, hastening to his end. After these things, the holy Victor entreated his father to speak to the king concerning the body of

Apa Theodore. And immediately, a Roman asked the king, and he granted him his body. And Apa Victor came, with the sister of Apa Theodore, and Apa Claudius. They brought his body down to the village, and placed it in the tomb of his fathers. He performed great healings among the sick, for the grace of Jesus was with him, because he received the crown of the struggle in the heavens. After the completion of the holy one, he ascended to the height, rejoicing with all the saints. I entreat you, O holy Theodore, intercede with the Lord for me. I, this lowly Theodore, that he may forgive me, because I have altogether erred, and spoken concerning you, because you are a *stratylates* at the right hand of the *stratylates*, and the *polymarch* Michael, the intercessor, who intercedes with the King Christ for us, that he may forgive us our sins, through the grace and philanthropy of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is through the Father with him and the Holy Spirit, the life-giver, and of the same substance, forever and ever. Amen.