By Aristeides G. Theodoropoulos
Within the numerous cloud of glorious and noble martyrs, who sacrificed themselves voluntarily for the love of Jesus Christ and who all together are encompassed in the ineffable beauty of Paradise in Heaven, a glorious martyr of the 3rd century AD from Myra in Lycia, Asia Minor, holds a prominent place. The is the reason for the holy and glorious martyr Themistocles, honored by our Orthodox Church on December 21, is praised as a glorious and invincible athlete of the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. His livelihood was as a shepherd, but accepting the teachings of our unblemished Christian faith from his pious parents, he experienced the eternal truths of the Gospel of Christ and later emerged as a fervent confessor of faith in the one and true God.
However, in the era in which Saint Themistocles lived, this courageous confessor and glorious martyr of our faith, the Roman emperor Decius, who held power between the years 249-251 AD, had launched a harsh persecution against Christians, in order to eliminate the Christian faith and impose the religion of idols. That is why he sent a royal decree to the ruler of Lycia, Asklepios, which stipulated that all Christians should be arrested.
A military detachment was even sent to the mountains to search for and arrest Christian shepherds there. After the soldiers reached a mountain, they were informed of the existence in the area of a Christian shepherd by the name of Dioscorides. The soldiers began to search the area mercilessly to discover and arrest this Christian shepherd. However, as soon as he noticed the military detachment, he immediately abandoned his flock of sheep and sought a safe haven to protect himself. A pit covered with blackberry bushes was the ideal shelter for him.
After the soldiers searched the area without any results, they noticed another shepherd, Themistocles, at some distance. Approaching the shepherd, the centurion asked where Dioscorides was hiding and whether he was a Christian. Themistocles not only avoided answering the centurion's questions, but then openly confessed his Christian identity. The courageous confession of faith provoked the soldiers' anger, but at the same time it also created indescribable joy, because they had finally discovered a Christian shepherd.
Then the bravely-minded Themistocles was arrested and led in chains before the ruler of Myra, Asklepios, to whom he confessed with admirable frankness his faith in the one and true God. Asklepios was enraged, but the Saint remained firm and unwavering in his Christian faith despite the threats and intimidation he received. Then Asklepios, seeing his vigorous spirit and strong faith, ordered him to be stripped naked, thrown on his back and mercilessly beaten in the stomach until it was torn. The faithful and blessed servant of God, Themistocles, continued, despite the cruel tortures, to pray unceasingly to the Lord that he might be worthy of the immortal crown of glorious martyrdom.
Then followed new horrible tortures, after they hung him on a tree and dragged his body on iron nails. After the cruel torture, he, bloodied and full of wounds, surrendered his pure soul to the crown-giver Christ, whom he loved so much. It was December 21, 250 AD, a day that the Orthodox Church honors and venerates his holy memory.
The athletic competitions and the courageous confession of faith of the holy and glorious martyr Themistocles are also praised and glorified through his Service of Praise, approved in 1966 by the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, which was composed by the late, learned hymnographer of the Great Church of Christ, Monk Gerasimos of Mikragiannanites.
The glorious and much-praised martyr of Christ, Saint Themistocles, is honored with eponymous churches in Spata, Attica (erected in 1965 in memory of the 17-year-old Themistocles Michalakis, who died on March 7, 1958), in Nafpaktos (it began to be erected within the Municipal Cemetery in 1955 and was completed in 1960 at the expense of the late politician and writer Georgios Athanasiadis-Nova in memory of his brother Themistocles and his mother Eudokia, and was chronicled in 1984 by the late Rallis Kopsidis), in Plomari, Lesvos (it is a parish chapel of the Holy Church of Saint John Chrysostom of Plomari) and in Krousonas, Malevizi district, Heraklion, Crete (erected in 2011 at the initiative and expense of Mr. Themistocles Siganakis).
The heartfelt wish of all of us is that the holy, glorious and beautifully-victorious martyr Themistocles, who courageously confessed the all-honorable name of Jesus Christ, who entered eternity as a trophy-bearer, glorifying the Church of Christ, may also constitute for the man of our present materialistic and egocentric era a shining example of a strong mind, heroic self-denial, steadfast patience, unwavering faith and courageous confession to the Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
The glorious and much-praised martyr of Christ, Saint Themistocles, is honored with eponymous churches in Spata, Attica (erected in 1965 in memory of the 17-year-old Themistocles Michalakis, who died on March 7, 1958), in Nafpaktos (it began to be erected within the Municipal Cemetery in 1955 and was completed in 1960 at the expense of the late politician and writer Georgios Athanasiadis-Nova in memory of his brother Themistocles and his mother Eudokia, and was chronicled in 1984 by the late Rallis Kopsidis), in Plomari, Lesvos (it is a parish chapel of the Holy Church of Saint John Chrysostom of Plomari) and in Krousonas, Malevizi district, Heraklion, Crete (erected in 2011 at the initiative and expense of Mr. Themistocles Siganakis).
The heartfelt wish of all of us is that the holy, glorious and beautifully-victorious martyr Themistocles, who courageously confessed the all-honorable name of Jesus Christ, who entered eternity as a trophy-bearer, glorifying the Church of Christ, may also constitute for the man of our present materialistic and egocentric era a shining example of a strong mind, heroic self-denial, steadfast patience, unwavering faith and courageous confession to the Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
 |
| Church of Saint Themistocles in Spata |
 |
| Church of Saint Themistocles in Nafpaktos |
