Menaion of the Orthodox Church

The 13th Day of the Month of April

Commemoration of the Holy Hieromartyr Artemon

At Vespers

On “Lord, I have cried…”, these stichera, in Tone I, Special Melody: “Joy of the ranks of heaven…”

Having dwelt on earth, thou hast united thyself to the incorporeal ones, and with them dost unceasingly minister to the Trinity, O divinely blessed Artemon; wherefore, ever comporting thyself as a heavenly man, thou teachest mortals the divine wonders of heaven.

Illumined with divine radiance, thou didst lay waste to thy body with many torments, passing over to the immaterial effulgence wherewith, by thine entreaties, thou hast dispelled the dark night of the passions, enlightening our souls.

O hieromartyr, cease thou never to pray for those who celebrate thy memory with faith and hymn the many struggles of thy martyrdom, that we may be preserved from misfortunes and tribulations and delivered thereby from future corruption, O martyr Artemon, preacher of God.

Glory…, Now and ever…: Theotokion

Having stumbled through my corrupt character, I lie prostrate, yet do I hasten to thy tranquillity, O Virgin. Deliver me from the adverse tempest and multifarious temptations, that I may unceasingly hymn thy grace, O Ever-virgin Mother and Theotokos.

Stavrotheotokion

Standing before the Cross of thy Son and God, and beholding His long-suffering, O pure Mother, thou didst say, weeping: “Woe is me, O my Child most sweet! How is it that Thou sufferest these things unjustly, O Word of God, that Thou mightest save mankind?”

At Matins

Canon of the hieromartyr, the acrostic of which is the [Greek] alphabet, in Tone VIII

Ode I

Irmos: Having traversed the water as though it were dry land, and escaped the evil of Egypt, the Israelite cried aloud: Let us chant unto our Deliverer and God!

Opening His treasure-houses, the Bestower of understanding giveth the grace of the words thereof in abundance unto those who praise His athlete Artemon with faith.

Wounded with the arrow of the all-sweet love of Christ from thy youth, O wise Artemon, the passionate attachments of the body did not cut thee off from His love.

Earnestly delving into depths of the divine Scriptures, O wise Artemon, thou didst draw forth a wealth of higher understanding, wherewith thou hast enriched all the faithful.

Theotokion: We mortals have truly been upborne from earth to the heights of heaven by thy birthgiving, O pure Theotokos, and have been numbered with the choirs of the angels.

Ode III

Irmos: Thou art the confirmation of those who have recourse to Thee, O Lord; Thou art the light of the benighted; and my spirit doth hymn Thee.

Invested with the power of the Spirit, thou didst vanquish the hordes arrayed against the Creator, O most valiant Artemon.

Thou didst extinguish the furnace of ungodliness, O venerable one, with the gushing of thy martyric blood, O all-glorious Artemon.

Burning with love divine and aflame with the love of God, O venerable one, thou didst suffer therefor.

Theotokion: Thy birthgiving hath freed us from the cause of our sins, O pure one, and hath bound all the faithful with righteousness.

Sessional hymn, in Tone IV, Special Melody: “Go thou quickly before…”

Emulating the confession of the sanctified and attaining the end of thy life through martyrdom, thou didst hasten to the heavens, O wise Artemon, receiving from God an imperishable crown. Wherefore, we celebrate thy holy memory, crying: Be thou mindful of us, O hieromartyr, when thou standest before Christ!

Glory…, Now and ever…: Theotokion

By thy divine birthgiving, O pure one, thou hast restored the mortal nature of the earthborn, which had become corrupt in the passions, and hast raised all up from death to a life of incorruption. Wherefore, as is meet, we all bless thee, as thou didst foretell, O all-glorious Virgin.

Stavrotheotokion

When Thine all-pure Mother beheld Thee uplifted upon the Cross, O Word of God, she exclaimed, lamenting maternally: “What is this new and strange wonder, O my Son? How is it that Thou, the Life of all, dost taste of death, desiring to bring life to the dead, in that Thou art compassionate?”

Ode IV

Irmos: I have heard, O Lord, the mystery of Thy dispensation; I have understood Thy works, and have glorified Thy divinity.

Thy sacrifice, O glorious one, hath been offered up on the altar of heaven, and hath now been well pleasing to the Master of all.

Elevating thy mind to higher vision, O venerable Artemon, thou didst learn the mysteries of Christ, for which thou didst suffer.

Planted firmly upon the immovable rock of the love of the Creator, O venerable one, thou wast in nowise shaken in mind by the threefold waves of the enemy.

Theotokion: As thou hast an inexhaustible treasury of gifts, O Mistress, we all receive abundant gifts of miracles from thee.

Ode V

Irmos: Enlighten us with Thy commandments, O Lord, and with Thine upraised arm grant us Thy peace, O Thou Who lovest mankind.

Rebuking the waves of ungodliness, O wise one, thou didst save the right obedient people, guiding them to the haven of the Faith.

As a radiant beacon shining forth the light of the virtues of the knowledge of God in the night of falsehood, O venerable one, thou didst guide men to the Light.

As an initiate of the ineffable mysteries of Christ, O venerable Artemon, by thy suffering thou didst offer thyself to Him as an acceptable sacrifice.

Theotokion: Cleansing me of the defilement and mire of the passions, O Bride of God, by thy supplications present my soul, pure, to God.

Ode VI

Irmos: Cleanse me, O Savior, for many are my transgressions; and lead me up from the abyss of evils, I pray, for to Thee have I cried, and Thou hast hearkened to me, O God of my salvation.

Suffering lawfully for Christ, O Artemon, thou didst repudiate the wicked edict of the iniquitous enemies; wherefore, thou wast shown to be a lawful martyr, crowned with divine victories.

Drying up the turbulent torrents of ungodliness with the fire of thy words, thou didst pour forth radiant rivers of faith and divine knowledge upon the faithful, O venerable Artemon.

Having armed thy mind against the adverse serpent, O glorious Artemon, with valiant warfare thou didst cast him down, showing him to be dead; and thou hast received from the Lord the crown of victory.

Theotokion: We mortals have become immortal through the divine grace of thy birthgiving, O pure Theotokos, and we have been delivered from our first corruption and adorned with the vesture of incorruption.

Ode VII

Irmos: Once, in Babylon, the youths who had come forth from Judæa trod down the flame of the furnace with their faith in the Trinity, chanting: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Enkindled by the fire of the divine love of the Master, O glorious martyr, of thine own will thou didst hasten eagerly to the struggle of labors, crying: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Like the apostles invested with the power of the Comforter, O martyr, vanquishing the hordes of falsehood with valiant patience, thou didst chant: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Having adorned thy life with chastity and thy body with purity, O Artemon, in purity thou didst serve Christ as priest, singing and chanting hymns of thanksgiving: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Theotokion: The Creator of all, that He might draw all toward the glory of heaven, was well pleased to be born of thee, O Theotokos, and to dwell with us in the flesh, in that He is God our Benefactor, Who loveth mankind.

Ode VIII

Irmos: The King of heaven, Whom the hosts of angels hymn, praise and exalt ye supremely for all ages!

As thou didst prefer the King of heaven to all earthly things, O Artemon, thou rejoicest with Him forever, as is meet.

The assaults of the torturers in nowise stripped thee of the love of the Creator, O passion-bearer, for thou wast upborne unto Him in spirit.

Illumined with the splendors of divine light, O passion-bearer, thou didst enter in unto the ever-shining altar of His mysteries, as an initiate of ineffable mysteries.

Theotokion: He Who received human nature from thee in manner past understanding and recounting, O Theotokos, hath made the children of men His own.

Ode IX

Irmos: Saved by thee, O pure Virgin, we confess thee to be in truth the Theotokos, magnifying thee with the incorporeal choirs.

Having passed through the winter of ungodliness, thou didst attain unto the springtime of piety, and wast vouchsafed the light of the Sun of glory.

Foreseeing thyself, with spiritual and noetic eyes, standing at the right hand of God, O Artemon, thou wast not shaken by the waves of tortures.

Having been counted worthy of ineffable divine glory with the passion-bearers and disciples of Christ, O athlete, entreat Him in our behalf, in that He is compassionate.

Theotokion: Visit our poverty from on high with thy compassion, O Theotokos, and deliver us from corruption and misfortunes.