Sts. Eudoxius, Zeno and Others

A whole community that stayed faithful to Christ when it cost everything.

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September 5 · Martyrs

Sts. Eudoxius

Sts. Eudoxius, Zeno and Others

A whole community that stayed faithful to Christ when it cost everything.

Traditional feast

September 5
1914 / pre-1969 calendar, per Baring-Gould (1897)

Current feast

November 2
Secondary source · Wikipedia

Represents

Martyrs

Early life

The book says little or nothing about early life. This is how the account begins.

But Eudoxius called in his wife, Basilissa or Mandana, Sept, s.j S. Endoxms. 69 for she also had two names, disposed of his family affairs, and then gave himself up to the officers. It was plainly their duty to take him. He had been hiding as long as hiding availed, now he might as well be conducted to the prefect by his guests as by less courteous soldiers.

What they represent

How they teach us to live

Drawn from themes in the original account

Stay faithful when it costs you. This account is about holding firm under pressure.

Learn from the kind of life it was. A whole community that stayed faithful to Christ when it cost everything.

Read more

The full original · 333 words

Read Baring-Gould’s full account

Baring-Gould’s sources: Modern Roman Marty rology; Greek Mensea on Sept. 6. Also the Russian and Armenian Kalendars. Authorities Mention in the Menology, and the Greek Acts modernized by Metaphrastes.] Eudoxius was the name of a pious Christian, living in Armenia. He had another name, Marinus. On account of his Faith, his office of primicerius was taken from him. The prefect of Melitene sent officers to take him, and they meeting him near his door, dressed in a poor tunic, and not recognising him, asked where Eudoxius lived. He at once conducted them to his house, where his table was spread, and requested them to refresh themselves • he would deliver the man they sought into their hands immediately. When they had regaled themselves, and were thanking him for his hospitality, I,” said he, “ am the man you seek.” The officers were distressed. They looked at one another, and said, “ You have been so courteous to us, that we cannot find it in our hearts to betray you. We have been hunting all the day for Eudoxius, and have been unable to find him; this is our excuse for accepting your hospitality; and now we cannot betray you.”

But Eudoxius called in his wife, Basilissa or Mandana, Sept, s.j S. Endoxms. 69 for she also had two names, disposed of his family affairs, and then gave himself up to the officers. It was plainly their duty to take him. He had been hiding as long as hiding availed, now he might as well be conducted to the prefect by his guests as by less courteous soldiers. He was led before the prefect, and loosening his belt, threw it down before the judge, saying, “ With this I renounce my allegiance to an earthly tyrant.” Several Christian soldiers present at once followed his example.1 They were ordered to execution. On their way Eudoxius saw a friend named Zeno lamenting his fate. The martyr turned to him, and said, “ Friend ! thou art weeping at our separation. But I know that thou wilt rejoin me through the same Red Sea of blood.”

And so it was, Zeno afterwards believed and suffered for the same faith as his friend Eudoxius. Now when Basilissa heard that her husband was condemned to death, she flew to the court of the prefect with dishevelled hair, and crying out that she abhorred idols, and adored the same God as Eudoxius, implored that she might die with him. She was driven from the court with contumely. Seven days after the martyrdom of Eudoxius, he appeared in dream to his wife, and bade her go to his friend Macarius, and tell him to be of good courage, and show himself before the governor, and come and join him. So she rehearsed her dream to Macarius, and he at once went to the magistrate, delivered himself up, and his head was struck off 1 Metaphrastes says that 1104 did so; this is an exaggeration. Baron ius arbitrarily cut off one hundred and reduced the number to 1004, in the Roman Mar tyrology. It would have been better if he had cut off the thousand as well. Lives oj the Saints.

Feast days

Feast: November 2
Traditional: September 5

Nine days · Free

Pray the novena
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One short email a day for nine days. The day's prayer, a line from Sts. Eudoxius's story, and a nudge to keep going.

Also on September 5
St. Victorinus

St. Victorinus

September 5 · Priest, Martyr
C

Sts. Censurinus

September 5 · Martyrs
R

St. Rhais

September 5 · Virgin, Martyr
← All 1727 saints in the library
Sources & notes

Feast-day sources

Sources

Credits

Image: Menologion of Basil 017.jpg · Authors of Menologion of Basil II (circa 985 AC, Constantinople), Byzantine manuscript illuminators[1]: Pantoleon with G · Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

From Sabine Baring-Gould, The Lives of the Saints, new edition in 16 vols. (London: John C. Nimmo, 1897–98); text from the Internet Archive scan (OCR, lightly cleaned; errors possible). Public domain.

Image: Authors of Menologion of Basil II (circa 985 AC, Constantinople), Byzantine manuscript illuminators[1]: Pantoleon with G, Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

From Sabine Baring-Gould, The Lives of the Saints, new edition in 16 vols. (London: John C. Nimmo, 1897–98); text from the Internet Archive scan (OCR, lightly cleaned; errors possible). Public domain in the United States. Reproduced unedited, except for short bracketed notes in grey that we added to explain names and terms (“S.” is the old abbreviation for Saint). Some history and judgments reflect 19th-century scholarship.