Menaion of the Orthodox Church

The 17th Day of the Month of February

Commemoration of the Holy Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit

At Vespers

On “Lord, I have cried…,” 6 stichera; 3 in Tone II, Special Melody: “When from the Tree…”

As God our Benefactor, Christ hath given thee to the world as a rich gift, O Theodore, having received the gift of thy precious blood which was offered to Him, shed for His sake with the zeal of piety. Standing now before Him with pious boldness, O martyr, save thou all who have recourse to thee.

Thou art a steadfast tower which withstandeth the assaults of the adversaries, an invincible champion for those who praise thee, a most speedy aid, a fervent advocate, quick deliverance, general assistance, most powerful intercessor, a ready deliverer of all who entreat thee with faith, O blessed Theodore.

Possessed of a torrent of sweetness and the water of remission, and being a most true witness to Christ the most merciful, deliver me from the torrent of my sins, calm thou the troubled waters for me, still the tempest of temptations and guide me to the calm haven on high, O right blessed Theodore.

And 3 stichera in Tone IV, Special Melody: “As valiant among the martyrs…”

Moved by zeal divine, thy soul aflame with the love of Christ the Savior, O glorious one, thou didst reduce to ashes the false goddess and her temple, proclaiming the name of the true God and Master, and thou didst put to shame the arrogance of the tormentors, and hast been vouchsafed everlasting joy, O passion-bearer Theodore.

Having ascended, O Theodore, to the summit of the knowledge of Christ, thou didst pass beyond visible things, and didst seek only Him; and having found Him, thou didst love Him, and for His sake didst thou suffer with valiant soul. Him do thou entreat, that those who celebrate thy most glorious memory may be delivered from corruption and misfortune.

Covered with God-given power and the wounds of thy struggle, O passion-bearer Theodore, thou didst stand before Christ God, the King of all creation, receiving crowns of honor from Him; Him do thou beseech, those who that celebrate faithfully thy most glorious memory may be delivered from corruption and misfortune.

Glory…, in Tone VI

The gift of sanctification and the richness of divine life hast thou revealed to the world, O Theodore. For Christ hath glorified thy memory, O wise one, whereupon we, the faithful, rejoicing together, hymn the struggle of thy sufferings.

Now and ever…, Theotokion; or this Stavrotheotokion, Special Melody: “Having set all aside…”

A sword pierced through thy heart, as Simeon foretold, O all-pure Lady, when thou didst behold Him Who shone forth from thee ineffably raised aloft upon the Cross by the iniquitous as one condemned, given vinegar and gall to drink, His side pierced, His hands and feet nailed; and, lamenting, thou didst exclaim, crying out maternally: “What is this new mystery, O my Child most sweet?”

At the Aposticha, Glory…, in Tone VIII

Having piously armed thyself with martyric courage, O athlete of Christ, and mystically allied thyself with His power, struggling to offer rational sacrifice unto God, thou didst show the godlessness of idolatry and the threats of the tormentors to be empty, despising tortures and transitory fire. But, O, the gifts divine! Both in reality and in name, from every evil circumstance by thy prayers do thou save those who celebrate thy memory.

Now and ever…, Theotokion; or this Stavrotheotokion, Special Melody: “O most glorious wonder…”

The unblemished heifer, beholding her Bullock sacrificed of His own will upon the Tree, weeping with pity, cried out: “Woe is me, my most beloved Child! What hath the ungrateful assembly of the Jews done to Thee, wishing to leave me childless, bereft of Thee, O most Beloved One?”

Troparion, in Tone II

Great are the achievements of faith! In the fountain of flame, as in refreshing water, the holy martyr Theodore rejoiced; for, wholly consumed by the fire, he offered himself as sweet bread unto the Trinity. By his prayers, O Christ God, save Thou our souls!

At Matins

Both canons from the Octoechos, and that of the saint, the acrostic whereof is: “Save those who call upon thee, O most blessed one,” 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!

Having fought the good fight and finished the course, O martyr of Christ, thou didst keep the divine faith and didst obtain a crown of righteousness.

Having received of Christ a glory which surpasseth nature, O passion-bearer, thou dost go about the whole earth, delivering all who have recourse unto thee with faith and reverence.

As thou art a member of the heavenly choir with the incorporeal powers, O glorious one, from misfortune and temptation do thou deliver those who on earth call upon thee.

Theotokion: O thou who gavest birth ineffably to the Wisdom and Word of the Father, heal the grievous wounds of my soul and still the pain of my heart.

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.

The fire of torment did not frighten thee, O Theodore; wherefore, thou dost still the fire of temptation for those who have recourse to thee.

By thy praise deliver me from the grief that besetteth me, O martyr of Christ, smoothing out all the roughness of life.

All my heart, thought and soul do I stretch forth to thee, O passion-bearer, seeking thine aid.

Theotokion: Still thou the constant turbulence of my thoughts, O Mother of God, directing the movement thereof to thy Son.

Sessional hymn, in Tone IV, Special Melody: “Having been lifted up…”

Adorned with the comeliness of martyrdom, O martyr, crowned, thou dost stand rejoicing before the King of heaven; for thou wast raised aloft upon a cross for His sake and didst steadfastly endure the bite of the nails and iron claws, the lash of the knout, and the gouging out of thine eyes. Wherefore, we honor thee with faith, O thou who art most great. Twice

Glory…, Now and ever…, Theotokion

He Who sitteth upon the throne of the cherubim and abideth in the bosom of the Father doth sit in thy womb as upon a throne, O Lady; for, truly God incarnate, He reigneth over all nations, and with understanding do we now chant. Entreat Him also that thy servants be saved.

Or this Stavrotheotokion

She who in days past gave birth in the flesh unto Thee Who wast begotten of the unoriginate Father, O Christ, beholding Thee upon the Cross, cried out: Woe is me, O Jesus, my most beloved! How is it that Thou Who art glorified as God by the angels art now crucified by iniquitous men, O my Son? I praise Thee, O Long-suffering One!

Ode IV

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

Thee do I set as my helmsman, O favored one of God; guide me with the sail of the Spirit and divine winds, O most glorious one.

From every threat do thou deliver those who bless thee with faith and honor thy divine memory, we pray thee, O most blessed Theodore.

Neither life, nor death, nor things present, nor things to come, nor fire, nor wounds were able to separate thee from Christ, O divinely wise one.

Theotokion: O Mother of God, for us didst thou give birth unto Him Who shone forth eternally from the Father, yet became subject to time. Him do thou beseech, that He save those who praise thee!

Ode V

Irmos: Waking at dawn, we cry to Thee: Save us, O Lord! For Thou art our God, and we know none other than Thee.

As thou art the adornment of the martyrs, O martyr of Christ, be thou an invincible rampart and an aid for the faithful.

Delighting in that loftier union which is of blessings which surpass understanding, O Theodore, save those who honor thee.

Overcome by the love of the Creator, thou didst shed the attachments of life and wast well-pleasing unto God.

Theotokion: God the Word, to Whom thou gavest birth, O all-immaculate one, do thou earnestly entreat in behalf of us who praise thee.

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.

Being a most fervent champion of piety and a denouncer of the deception of idolatry, destroy thou the images of demonic delusion and the passions of my soul.

O martyr Theodore, be thou my confirmation and an invincible rampart for me, replacing the weakness and corruption of my mind with strength and preserving it unharmed.

Thou didst reject corrupting and corrupted warfare, O most blessed Theodore, yet didst utterly love the battle of life, wherein thou wast shown to be a victor, O right wondrous one.

Theotokion: Splendor shone forth from the Sion on High, and robed in flesh which He received of thee, O thou who knewest not wedlock, and united thereto ineffably, He enlightened the world.

Kontakion, in Tone VIII

Having received the faith of Christ within thy heart as a shield, thou didst trample down hosts of the adversary, O long-suffering one; and with a heavenly crown hast thou been crowned everlastingly, O Theodore, in that thou art invincible.

Ikos: With thanksgiving and faith do we praise Thee Who art upborne upon a throne of light; for Thou, O Christ, hast given us a divine gift in the suffering of the valiant Theodore, in the life of the thrice-blessed one, in that he is a champion of the truth who desireth Thee with pious thought, a mighty conqueror of the deceiver, for he is invincible.

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!

Thee, O divinely wise one, do I have as an intercessor for my life, an aid to my salvation and a protector who giveth confirmation unto those who cry: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

As a sacrifice beauteous and most sacred didst thou bring thyself to the Lord, O most blessed one, and thou wast utterly consumed by the fire of thy torments, O glorious one, crying out: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Partaking of the living inspiration of the Spirit of God, O blessed one, thou dost drive away evil spirits and heal infirmities, and criest out, rejoicing: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Theotokion: The Lord of all issued forth from thy womb, incarnate, O Virgin. Wherefore, believing thee in Orthodox manner to be the Theotokos, we cry out to thy Son: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Ode VIII

Irmos: Madly did the Chaldæan tyrant heat the furnace sevenfold for the pious ones; but, beholding them saved by a higher Power, he cried out to the Creator and Deliverer: Ye children, bless; ye priests, hymn; ye people, exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Surrounded by all manner of threefold waves, O most glorious one, and caught fast by the temptations of life, all of us, the faithful, bring thee before the Master as a most speedy intercessor, a helper and champion, crying: Cease not to pray for those who praise thy most honorable memory!

Bound with the chains of my sins, O thou who art most rich, and fettered with the shackles of my transgressions, I flee to thy protection, asking remission, O crowned one. But as thou hast wondrous boldness before the Master of all, O divinely wise one, entreat thou, that they that praise Christ be saved forever.

Illumined with the splendor of martyrdom, O all-praised one, thou wast numbered among the angelic choirs. Ever rejoicing in spiritual fellowship with them, O martyr, with miracles of healing dost thou enlighten those who praise thee with love, chanting: O ye people, exalt Christ above all for ever!

Theotokion: The Maker and Author of creation, in that He is compassionate, shared flesh with man which He had received of thee, O Mother of God who knewest not wedlock. Wherefore, we, the faithful, truly glorify thee as the Theotokos, ever singing and crying out: O ye people, exalt Christ above all for ever!

Ode IX

Irmos: With unceasing glorification we magnify thee, the Mother of the Most High, who knewest not wedlock, who didst truly give birth unto God the Word in manner past understanding, and art more highly exalted than the all-pure hosts.

Having acquired thee, O great martyr, as a watchful guardian, we unceasingly bless thee as one who dispelleth the depravity of the enemy and granteth peace to the Church, O passion-bearer.

The Master hath given thee power over the demons, and to heal sufferings of body and soul, O blessed one, when thou prayest to the Savior with most pious boldness; wherefore, we all bless thee.

As thou dost contemplate the radiance of the single threefold Sun, the one Godhead in Three, the Principle beyond all beginning, the Source of goodness, O passion-bearer, protect those who praise thee.

Theotokion: Rescue me from captivity of mind, O all-immaculate Lady, bestowing upon me redemption; for the crucifixion of thy Son hath been the redemption, peace and salvation of all those who praise thee.

Exapostilarion, Special Melody: “The heavens with stars…”

Tried like gold by fire and torture, thou wast most clearly a worthy gift of the Most High God, O passion-bearer Theodore. Pray thou now in our behalf.

Glory…, Now and ever…, Theotokion

With thy mighty protection, O pure one, do thou preserve all of us, thy servants, unharmed by the assaults of the foe; for thee alone have we acquired as a refuge in our need.

At the Aposticha, the stichera from the Octoechos; and, Glory…, in Tone II

O thrice-blessed Theodore, I honor thee as the namesake of gifts divine; for, appearing as an unwaning beacon of light divine, thou hast enlightened all creation with thy sufferings; and, shown to be stronger than the fire, thou didst extinguish the flame and didst crush the head of the lying serpent. Wherefore, Christ, touching thee amid thy sufferings, crowned thy divine head. O great martyr and sufferer, as thou hast boldness before God, do thou earnestly pray for our souls.

Now and ever…, Theotokion; or this Stavrotheotokion, Special Melody: “When from the Tree…”

O pure one, as thou didst behold hanging upon the Tree the most ripe Cluster which thou didst bring forth in thy womb without cultivation, lamenting, thou didst cry out, exclaiming: “O my Child, pour forth the sweetness whereby all the drunkenness of the passions is taken away! For the sake of me who gave Thee birth, O Benefactor, be Thou entreated in Thy tender mercy.

At Divine Liturgy

On the Beatitudes, 8 Troparia: 4 from the Octoechos, and 4 from Ode III of the canon for the great martyr.

Prokimenon, in Tone VII

The righteous man shall be glad in the Lord, and shall hope in Him.

Stichos: Hearken, O God, unto my prayer, when I make supplication unto Thee.

Epistle to Timothy, §292 (II Tim. 2: 1-10)

Timothy my child: Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man who warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. The husbandman who laboreth must be first partaker of the fruits. Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead, according to my Gospel: wherein I suffer trouble, as an evildoer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound. Therefore, I endure all things for the elect’s sake, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

Alleluia, in Tone IV

Stichos: The righteous man shall flourish like a palm-tree, and like a cedar in Lebanon shall he be multiplied.

Stichos: They that are planted in the house of the Lord, in the courts of our God they shall blossom forth.

Gospel according to John, §52

(Jn. 15: 17-16: 2)

The Lord said to His disciples: “These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for My name’s sake, because they know not Him Who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin; but now they have no cloak for their sin. He that hateth Me hateth My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both Me and My Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated Me without a cause. But when the Comforter is come, Whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, Who proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me: and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with Me from the beginning. These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.”

Communion Verse

In everlasting remembrance shall the righteous be; he shall not be afraid of evil tidings.