The suffering of the holy martyrs Theodora and Didymus

Memory 27 May During the reigns of Emperors Diocletian [Diocletian ruled the eastern half of the Roman Empire from 284 to 305] and Maximian [Maximian ruled the western half of the Roman Empire from 284 to 305], during the rule of the city of Alexandria [Alexandria - a famous city founded by Alexander the Great in Egypt around 333 on the Mediterranean Sea; famous until the R.C. as a center of science and trade; from the beginning

In the 4th century, the city of Alexandria became one of the most important centers of Christian life and the residence of the patriarch.] by Prince Eustatius, a royal decree was issued, ordering Christians either to offer sacrifices to the gods, or to accept torture.

"I am a Christian woman, " said the ruler". Are you a free woman or a slave? " The ruler said", I told you I am a Christian, but Christ came into the world and set me free from sin.

"If you are a virtuous and upright virgin, why have you not yet been married? " The virgin replied", I have renounced marriage for Christ's sake, because our Lord Jesus Christ came into the world and was born of the Virgin Mary to free us from corruption and to give us the promise of eternal life.

And the king commanded all the young women that would not be defiled, to come unto our gods; but if ye will not go, ye shall be whores. And she said, If thou knowest not that Jehovah looketh into the heart, and that he knoweth the thoughts of the heart, and that he is the rewarder of the thoughts of the heart,

My Lord knows my intention to keep my virginity pure; so if you should command me to marry a prostitute, as you do, it would not be fornication to my body, but it would be an affliction to me; and if you should cut off my head or my hand or my foot, or you should take my virginity by force, you would not have made me a prostitute, but a martyr; and know that my Lord and my God has power to purify my virginity if He will.

And the judge said, "Do not try to disgrace your nobility, do not allow yourself to be insulted and laughed at, being the daughter of honest and honorable parents, as you are here testified". The maiden said, "I praise my Christ and my God, who gave me nobility and purity, and I hope that he will keep his dove intact".

"Why do you try to persuade me to believe in a crucified man as in God? Can he rescue you from the hands of those who will take you? Do not think that when you enter the prostitute you will be cleansed from it. " Theodorus replied", I believe that Christ and my God, who suffered under Pontius Pilate, will rescue me from the hands of the unclean and keep his servant pure.

But she was ready to suffer, saying that in three days, as in many days, she would have no other intention and desire than to die for Christ her God.

After that, the saint was taken to the dungeon and three days later was again presented for questioning. When the igimon realized that she would remain in the holy Christian faith, he ordered her to be taken to the whorehouse.

O my God! deliver me from the hands of the adulterers, and deliver me from them, and let not this house be profaned, which is dedicated to thee alone; and deliver me from the enemies of the unseen, and from the oppressors of the open.

Come to my defense, O Jehovah my God, and with all your might, bring me out of this place clean from these wicked hands, for the glory of your holy name.

And behold, a certain young man came to them, dressed as a soldier, and drove them out of the house, and went in unto the young woman, and no man hindered him.

"Do not be afraid, sister. Even though he seems like a wolf to you on the outside, he is really your lamb and your brother in the holy faith. I came to save you, slave and dove of my God.

And the young woman was glad to do so; for she knew that God had sent her to her, and she changed her clothes, and they put on man's garments, and she put on a young man's garments. And he said to her, Go out, and cover thy face, for thou art ashamed; for they go out ashamed.

And the maiden did so, and went out in her military apparel, and her face was covered; and she went in haste to her house, praising God for having thought of her, for he had thus delivered her from the adulterers, as a bird from the net, or as a lamb from the wolves.

"What is this? How did a virgin become a man?" I heard that once Christ, as Christians say, turned water into wine (John 2:1-11), but now I see that He turned the female sex into male. And when he entered the whorehouse, he said to his friends, "Let us flee from here quickly, let us flee, lest Christ turn us into women". And they ran and told all this to the judge Eustratius. Eustratius ordered that Didymus be brought before the judge and asked him:

And he said, Who art thou? And he said, I am a servant of Jesus Christ, and my name is Jesus Christ. And the judge said, Why do we see thee not in men's garments, but in women's? And he said, I took them of Theodorus, and gave them to her, that she might not be known of the harlots, and escape out of their hands. And the judge said, Who commanded thee to do this? And he said, My God, Jesus Christ, taught me, and sent me to save his sheep from the teeth of the beasts, whole and sound.

And the king said, Where is the Theodorus? tell us where she is, if thou wilt not that we should trouble thee. And he said, I know not where she is now; but I know that she is a faithful and true servant of Christ, and that she confesses the name of Christ our God.

And when the prince was filled with wrath, he commanded to cut off the head of Didymus with the sword, and his body to be cast into the fire. And when Saint Didymus heard of his death sentence, he was filled with joy, and cried unto God, saying, Blessed art thou, O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hast not despised my prayers, and fulfilled my desire, because thou hast kept thy servant Theodore pure and undefiled, and hast made me like the crown of a martyr.

And when St. Theodora heard of it, she went after the holy martyr Didymus, and came to the place of the crucifixion and began to argue with him about the martyr's crown, saying, "Though you saved me from defilement, I did not ask you to save me from death".

I was the first to be taken, the first to be persecuted and judged; grant me a martyr's death; let me be beheaded, go where you will; you shall have a great reward from the Lord for the one thing, that you have kept my virginity pure; I do not wish you to die for me and anticipate my crown; I do not wish to be responsible for your death; I myself will die, I will pay my debt, for I have a head; let it be beheaded in the name of Christ; I have blood; let it

I will be poured out for our Lord's sake. I did not want to be defiled, nor did I want to be defiled, but I wanted to be tormented, and now I want to be tormented. Do not take from me the crown which I have begun to cast before you.

But if thou art jealous of my martyrdom, then let me go under the sword first, for thou canst be a martyr of Christ after me; I would that thou shouldest remain after me, and not I after thee, for purity cannot be taken from thee, but purity may be taken from me.

Dearly beloved, the Lord has cleansed you once for all, so that you may be cleansed forever. Please do not hinder me from dying as a sinner.

While they were arguing with love, it was ordered to cut them both off with the sword; the holy martyr Theodora first bowed her head to the sword, and then bowed her head to the sword and the holy martyr Didymus.

To Christ our God, the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory and honor and worship forever and ever. Amen.