Hieromartyrs Pamphilus of Caesarea, Priest, and 11 companions, at Caesarea in Palaestina (c. 307-309): Valens, Deacon, and Martyrs Paul, Seleucus, Porphyrius, Julian, Theodulus, Elias, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Samuel, and Daniel.
Saint Maruthas of Martyropolis, Bishop of Sophene and Martyropolis (422), and the Martyrs of Persia (4th century), whose relics rest in Martyropoli in Mesopotamia
Saint Flavian I of Antioch, Archbishop of Antioch (404) (see also: September 27)
Saint Flavian the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople (449)
Venerable Flavian the Hermit, monastic and Wonderworker (364-378).
Saint Mary the Younger (the New) of Byzia in Thrace (9th century)
New Monk-martyr Romanus of Karpenision and Kapsokalyvia, Mount Athos, at Constantinople (1694) (see also January 5)
Saint Basil Gryaznov of Pavlovo-Posadsky (1869)
Saint Macarius (Nevsky), Metropolitan of Moscow, Apostle to the Altai (1926)
Translation of the relics of Virgin-martyr Juliana of Nicomedia (304) (see also December 21)
Commemorated on February 16
Hymn of Praise
To the Holy Martyrs of Christ
by Saint Nikolai Velimirovič
Martyrs of Christ, flowers bountiful,
Which will never and forever not fade away.
Martyrs of Christ, an evergreen living in the winter,
You who stretched toward heaven stained with blood,
Martyrs of Christ, aromas of incense,
And the votive light of oil, illumined by God.
You ran the race for the beauty of Christ
In Paradise, met with Christ forever.
The world will be and then cease to be and you will always be
With the Lord in Paradise, to rejoice eternally.
The Prologue from Ohrid: Lives of Saints by Saint Nikolai Velimirovič
prologue.orthodox.cn/February16.htm
***
Hymn of Praise
Saint Flavian the Confessor
by Saint Nikolai Velimirovič
“When pride comes, then comes shame.”(*)
That is the word of God, the lesson of life.
Heretics, who are they? The children of pride,
What did they want? Shame, to bring,
That is why they had to endure shame.
Eutyches hoped in the help of the eunuch,]
Flavian, in the help of the Spirit of God,
Pride always precedes the fall:
Eutyches perished and Flavian conquered.
Dioscorus, his hope was his fist
That is why all generations despise him.
Flavian beaten and trodden underfoot
Now on earth is glorified and blessed in Heaven.
The truth stands and he was not afraid of anything.
Leo the Roman extended him the assistance of a lion
In defense of the radiant face of Christ.
These two hierarchs and Eulogious the third one
Guided the Church to victory and fortune.
Without such spirits what would the Church be?
A wounded bird with broken wings.
(*) Proverbs 16:18
The Prologue from Ohrid: Lives of Saints by Saint Nikolai Velimirovič
http://prologue.orthodox.cn/February18.htm
***
With great difficulty and with even greater effort and sacrifice, the tares of heresy were sifted from the wheat of the truth of Orthodoxy. The heretics have always made use of lower means and mediocre persons in undermining Orthodoxy. Archmandrite Eutyches of Constantinople and Dioscorus, Patriarch of Alexandria, who spread the heretical teaching, that there were not two natures in Christ, Divine and Human, rather one nature, had as their ally in the imperial court the mediocre eunuch Chrysaphius. Empress Eudoxia was secretly aligned with them. Patriarch Flavian, as a lion, fearlessly defended Orthodoxy in which he was assisted by Plucheria, the sister of the emperor. The eunuch Chrysaphius presented to Emperor Theodosius the most disgusting slanders against Flavian in order that the emperor would remove him from the throne and bring in the heretic Eutyches as patriarch. When this and all else did not succeed, the heretics plotted to kill Flavian. At the Robber Council in Ephesus [431 A.D.] they beat him so badly and trampled upon him that St. Flavian, on the third day, gave up his soul to God. What happened in the end? At the Fourth Ecumenical Council (Chalcedon 451 A.D.], Eutyches and Dioscorus were anathematized. The eunuch was ousted from the court and shamefully ended his life. The Empress Eudoxia was banished from Constantinople to Palestine. Flavian and Plucheria were proclaimed as saints and the Orthodox Faith victoriously confirmed.
http://prologue.orthodox.cn/February18.htm
Troparion — Tone 4
Your holy martyrs O Lord, / through their sufferings have received incorruptible crowns from You, our God. / For having Your strength, they laid low their adversaries, / and shattered the powerless boldness of demons. / Through their intercessions, save our souls!
Troparion of the Holy 12 Martyrs― Tone 3
Let us praise with hymns the company of twelve martyrs/ Pamphilos, Paul, Samuel, Valens and Elijah,/ Heremiah, Seleucos, Daniel and Porphyrios,/ Julian, Isaiah and Theodulos;/ for they ever pray to the Master for us all.
Troparion — Tone 4
In truth you were revealed to your flock as a rule of faith, / an image of humility and a teacher of abstinence; / your humility exalted you; / your poverty enriched you. / Hierarch Father Flavian, / entreat Christ our God / that our souls may be saved.
Troparion Saint Flavian the Confessor— Tone 8
Champion of Orthodoxy, teacher of purity and of true worship, / the enlightener of the universe and the adornment of hierarchs: / all-wise father Flavian, your teachings have gleamed with light upon all things. / Intercede before Christ God to save our souls.
Apolytikion of ST ROMANUS of Carpenision ― Tone 4
You first struggled ascetically on Athos, and received the Divine will through the teachings of the Venerable Akakios, and hastened towards the trials of martyrdom and death, and you, O Romanos, stand beside the crown-bestowing Christ, interceding for us, O all-glorious one.
Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “Joy of the ranks of heaven…”—
Let Pamphilus and Seleucius, together with Valens and Paul, Porphyrius, Theodulus and Julian, and the company of the five Egyptians be melodiously hymned with faith as a harp of twelve strings.
Exalted splendidly in the Faith of Christ by divine glory, O glorious Pamphilus, thou wast shown to be the goodly adornment of Cæsaria, being therein an all-beloved hierarch, in accordance with thy name, a most honored athlete and a faithful martyr.
O mighty Pamphilus, thou didst assemble a company of valiant athletes, twelve in number, who showed themselves to be a godly army. And vanquishing the enemy together, ye were taken to the Lord in divers ways, reposing amid your martyrdom.
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